Deaths: January 21
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- Na Chul was born on 24 December 1986. He was an actor, known for Concrete Utopia (2023), Weak Hero Class 1 (2022) and Happiness (2021). He died on 21 January 2023 in Seoul, South Korea.
- Born on October 1, 1896, in Rangoon, Burma, to Burmese-Jewish parents, and the son of a well-to-do merchant, distinguished veteran character actor Abraham Isaac Sofaer was a one-time schoolteacher in both Rangoon and London. He switched gears to acting after a short time and made his stage debut in 1921 as a walk-on in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice."
Sofaer scored his first prominent London appearance with "The Green Goddess" in 1925 and, from the 1930s on, alternated between the London and Broadway repertory stages playing an assortment of Shakespearean roles (Othello, Lear, Cassius, etc.) among other classical plays. He scored a personal triumph in New York as Benjamin Disraeli opposite Helen Hayes in "Victoria Regina" in 1936. The following year, he directed Ms. Hayes in "The Merchant of Venice", in which he played the title role of "Shylock". A theatre repertory player of note, he soon focused on the big screen and made his British film debut with The Dreyfus Case (1930). Subsequent noteworthy British film roles included his judge in A Matter of Life and Death (1946) and as Disraeli in The Ghosts of Berkeley Square (1947). Recognized for his bulgy, wide-eyed stare, resonant tones and imposing stance, he built up a solid reputation over the years playing odd and interesting Eastern ethnics -- sultans, swamis, high priests, witch doctors, foreign dictators and dignitaries, he was even convincing playing Indian chiefs on occasion. His characters ranged from wise and warm-hearted to cunning and wickedly evil.
In the mid-1950s, Sofaer settled in Hollywood wherein he became a main staple in exotic dramas and costumed adventure, appearing almost exclusively in movies and TV. Some of his better known U.S. films include Quo Vadis (1951), His Majesty O'Keefe (1954), Elephant Walk (1954), Taras Bulba (1962) and Chisum (1970). Throughout the 1960s, he could be counted on for guest appearances on all the popular shows of the day including Perry Mason (1957), Wagon Train (1957), Gunsmoke (1955), Daniel Boone (1964) and Star Trek (1966). On TV, he may be best remembered for his recurring role of Haji, the master of all genies, on I Dream of Jeannie (1965).
Married to wife Angela for nearly seven decades and affectionately called "Abe" to closer friends, Sofaer was the father of six children. Retiring from acting in 1974, Sofaer died of congestive heart failure at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 91 in 1988. - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Al St. John was born on 10 September 1893 in Santa Ana, California, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Billy the Kid in Texas (1940), Prairie Badmen (1946) and Billy the Kid Trapped (1942). He was married to Yvonne June Villon Price Pearce (actress), Lillian Marion Ball and Flo-Bell Moore. He died on 21 January 1963 in Lyons, Georgia, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Allyn Joslyn, the son of a Pennsylvania mining engineer, made his stage debut at 17. He was soon appearing regularly in Broadway productions, and headed for Hollywood in 1936, making his debut in They Won't Forget (1937). His nervous, at times dyspeptic demeanor and somewhat aristocratic looks fit in with the pompous, wealthy snobs he specialized in playing. Joslyn was also an extremely busy radio actor, performing on over 3,000 shows.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Ann Sheridan won the "Search for Beauty" contest which carried with it a Paramount screen test. Signed to a contract at 18, she was put into a number of small roles under her real name of Clara Lou Sheridan. As she got better, her name was changed to Ann. In 1936, after two dozen films, she went to Warner Brothers, which billed her as the "Oomph Girl," a name she despised -- although she certainly looked the part. She was allowed to mature into a leading star who could be the girl next door or the tough-as-nails dame. She was in a lot of comedies and a number of forgettable movies, but the public liked her, and her career flourished. She also gave great performances such as the singer in Torrid Zone (1940) and the waitress in They Drive by Night (1940). In 1948, she was dropped by Warner Bros., but came back in Howard Hawks' comedy I Was a Male War Bride (1949) with Cary Grant. She continued to make films into the 1950s but retired before the end of the decade. She starred in the soap opera Another World (1964) and the western series Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966). Unfortunately, just as her career was reviving with this series, she died of cancer.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Anthony Dawes was born on 10 February 1928 in Felixstowe, Suffolk, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Barry Lyndon (1975), The Avengers (1961) and Comedy Playhouse (1961). He died on 21 January 2021.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Arnie Kantrowitz was born on 26 November 1940 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for A Very Natural Thing (1974), Gay Sex in the 70s (2005) and Our Time (1983). He died on 21 January 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Editor
Arnis Licitis was born on 8 January 1946 in Riga, Latvian SSR, USSR [now Latvia]. He was an actor and editor, known for Hard to Be a God (1989), The Prisoner of Castle If (1988) and Akvanavty (1980). He was married to Inga Aizbalte. He died on 21 January 2022 in Riga, Latvia.- Actress
Bonnie Henjum was born on 19 December 1932 in Hollywood, Florida, USA. She was an actress. She died on 21 January 2022 in Simi Valley, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Carl Switzer was an American child actor, singer, dog breeder, and hunting guide from Paris, Illinois. He became famous for portraying Alfalfa in the film series "Our Gang" during the 1930s. His character was one of the most memorable characters ever portrayed in the series. Later in his career, Switzer's acting roles were limited to bit parts and appearances in B-movies. He supported himself through other lines of work. Switzer was fatally shot by an acquaintance over a money dispute. The circumstances of his death are disputed, due to contradictory accounts by the shooter and by an eyewitness.
In 1927, Switzer was born in Paris, Illinois. A small city located about 165 miles (266 kilometers) south of Chicago and 90 miles (140 kilometers) west of Indianapolis. Switzer was the youngest of four children born to George Frederick "Fred" Switzer (1905-1960) and his wife Gladys Carrie Shanks (1904-1997). Switzer's older brother was the child actor Harold Switzer (1925-1967).
In the early 1930s, the Switzer brothers were locally famous in their hometown for their music performances. In 1934, the Switzer family traveled to California. They visited the Hal Roach Studios (1914-1961) while sightseeing. The Switzer brothers gave an impromptu performance in the the Our Gang Café, the studio's open-to-the-public cafeteria. They were both offered contracts by producer Hal Roach (1892 -1992), who wanted them to appear in the film series "Our Gang" (1922-1944). The long-running series featured a large group of child actors.
Switzer made his film debut in the "Our Gang" short film "Beginner's Luck" (1935), where his character performs as the "Arizona Nightingale". By the end of the year, Alfalfa (Switzer) had become one of the series' main characters. His brother Harold was relegated to performing background characters in the series. In 1937, Switzer surpassed George McFarland in popularity. At the time, McFarland was the nominal star of the "Our Gang" series. Switzer had a difficult relationship with his co-stars, as he enjoyed playing cruel jokes on them.
Switzer's performances in "Our Gang" ended in 1940. His last appearance as Alfalfa was in the short film "Kiddie Kure" (1940), where the gang members attempted to convince a hypochondriac that his pills were unnecessary. Switzer was 12-years-old at the time of the film's production, making him the oldest member of the main cast. The production team considered him too old to keep playing a child.
Switzer initially found more work in films of the time. He played a young boy scout in the comedy film "I Love You Again" (1940). He next appeared in "Barnyard Follies" (1940), a B-Movie depicting efforts to raise funds for a rural orphanage. Switzer had a leading role in the comedy film "Reg'lar Fellers" (1941), a feature-film adaptation of the long-running comic strip "Reg'lar Fellers" (1917-1949) by Gene Byrnes.
Switzer was reduced to a supporting role in "Henry and Dizzy" (1942), his first appearance in the-then popular film series about the Aldrich Family (1939-1944). The films were adaptations of a long-running radio sitcom of the same name, which lasted from 1939 to 1953. Switzer played a younger member of the Twine family in "There's One Born Every Minute" (1942), a comedy about false advertising. The Twine family profits from marketing their puddings as containing the fantastic Vitamin Z, with the press failing to realize that this vitamin does not exist. A local scientist is persuaded to act as a shill for their product.
Switzer had a minor role in the musical comedy "Johnny Doughboy" (1942), which featured a plot about fictionalized versions of "has-been" child stars. Several other real-life former child stars had roles in this film, including Baby Sandy, Bobby Breen, and George McFarland. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score.
Switzer had the uncredited role of Auggie in "The Human Comedy" (1943), a comedy-drama film about life in the home front of World War II. His character was a friend of Ulysses Macauley (played by Jackie Jenkins). Over the following few years, Switzer would frequently appear in uncredited roles, in films such as "Going My Way" (1944) and "Courage of Lassie" (1946).
Switzer had his first leading role in years when cast as Sammy Levine in "Gas House Kids" (1946). The film depicted the life of unruly youths from the Gas House District of New York City. It was partly inspired by the forced relocation of the District's residents in the 1940s, to make way for an urban renewal project. About 600 buildings were razed, and 3,100 families were forced to relocate. The real-life tragic conditions had inspired the popular culture of the time. The film was successful enough to have its own sequels, "Gas House Kids Go West" (1947) and The "Gas House Kids in Hollywood" (1947). Switzer had leading roles in both sequels, his last leading roles in any film.
During the 1950s, Switzer had a few significant supporting roles in films. He played a co-pilot in the aviation adventure "Island in the Sky" (1953), a pilot in the disaster film "The High and the Mighty" (1954), and a Native American ranch hand in the Western film "Track of the Cat" (1954). He had a minor part in the comedy film "Dig That Uranium" (1956), where the Bowery Boys seek an uranium mine in the Wild West. Switzer also had several appearances in television, serving as a recurring guest star in "The Roy Rogers Show".
Switzer's film career was not particularly lucrative during his adult years. He supplemented his income by breeding and training hunting dogs, and by serving as a guide to hunting expeditions. His most notable clients were Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, James Stewart, and Henry Fonda. In 1954, Switzer married his girlfriend Diantha "Dian" Collingwood (1930-2004). She was the heiress of the company Collingwood Grain, which specialized in the construction of grain elevators. The marriage was a rather hasty decision, as the couple had only met 3 months prior to the wedding.
In 1956, Switzer was broke and his wife Dian was pregnant. Switzer's mother-in-law offered them the administration of a farm near Pretty Prairie, Kansas, and Switzer took the offer. His only, son Justin Lance Collingwood Switzer, was born later that year. Switzer had a reunion with his former co-star George McFarland in 1957. McFarland recalled that Switzer seemed restless, and he got the impression that Switzer was bored with his life as a farmer. He figured that this life "wasn't going to last" for Switzer.
Switzer received a divorce in 1957, and lost custody of his son. In January 1958, Switzer was mysteriously shot in the upper right arm while sitting in his parked car, in front of a bar in Studio City, Los Angeles. The bullet smashed through the car's window. The shooter was never found, and no motive was ever established.
In December 1958, Switzer was arrested by the authorities. He had been cutting trees in the Sequoia National Forest, with the intention to sell them as Christmas trees. This practice was illegal. He was sentenced to pay a fine of 225 dollars, and was also sentenced to one year's probation. This left him in financial trouble for the last month of his life.
In 1959, Switzer was hired to train a hunting dog by Moses Samuel "Bud" Stiltz. Switzer and Stiltz had been business associates for years, having met each other at the Corriganville Movie Ranch. During the dog's training, the dog ran off to chase after a bear. Stiltz demanded that Switzer had to either relocate his dog or pay him the equivalent of the dog's value. Switzer placed a reward for the relocation of the dog and the safe return of the animal. When the dog was found, Switzer rewarded the rescuer with 35 dollars in cash, and the worth of 15 dollars in alcoholic beverages. The reward money pushed Switzer further into poverty.
In late January, 1959, Switzer had an emotional conversation about his financial troubles with photographer Jack Piott. The two figured that Stiltz had to reimburse Switzer for the finder's fee. The two of them headed together to Stiltz's home in Mission Hills, where they got into an argument with him. After being struck on the left side of his head, Stiltz proceeded to threaten the two men with a loaded a .38-caliber revolver.
What happened next is uncertain. Stiltz testified that Switzer pulled a knife on him, and that he had shot him in self-defense. Tom Corrigan (Stiltz's adolescent stepson) later testified that Switzer had decided to end the fight and to leave empty-handed, but Stiltz shot him anyway. In any case, the bullet damaged one of Switzer's arteries and caused massive internal bleeding. Switzer had already died by the time his body was transferred to a hospital. He was 31-years-old at the time of his death.
Switzer was buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, located in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. His gravestone depicts the image of a hunting dog, to commemorate that he trained hunting dogs for a living. His death initially attracted little attention from the press, but the controversial circumstances of his death have become the subject of true-crime articles and documentaries. Switzer is still remembered as one of the better child actors of his era, and as a reliable actor in supporting roles.- Producer
- Director
- Editor
His parents Henry C. DeMille and Beatrice DeMille were playwrights. His father died when he was 12, and his mother supported the family by opening a school for girls and a theatrical company. Too young to enlist in the Spanish-American War, Cecil followed his brother William C. de Mille to the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts, making his stage debut in 1900. For twelve years he was actor/manager of his mother's theatrical company. In 1913, Jesse L. Lasky, Samuel Goldwyn and DeMille formed the Lasky Film Company (which years later evolved into Paramount Pictures), and the next year went west to California and produced the successful six reeler, The Squaw Man (1914), of historical significance as the first feature length film produced in Hollywood. He championed the switch from short to feature-length films and is often credited with making Hollywood the motion picture capital of the world. Rather than putting his money into known stars, he emphasized production values. He also developed stars, notably Gloria Swanson. He produced and directed 70 films and was involved in many more. Many of his films were romantic sexual comedies (he is supposed to have believed that Americans were curious only about money and sex). His best-known were biblical/religious epics: Joan the Woman (1916), The Ten Commandments (1923), The King of Kings (1927), The Sign of the Cross (1932), The Crusades (1935), Samson and Delilah (1949), and The Ten Commandments (1956). From 1936 to 1945 he hosted and directed the hour-long "Lux Radio Theatre", which brought the actors and stories of many movies to the airwaves and further established him as the symbol of Hollywood. He appeared as himself in the classic Sunset Blvd. (1950) with his former star Gloria Swanson as the fictitious disturbed former silent film actress Norma Desmond. His niece Agnes de Mille was the acclaimed choreographer of both the original Broadway production and film version of Oklahoma! (1955).- Connie Sawyer was born on 27 November 1912 in Pueblo, Colorado, USA. She was an actress, known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Pineapple Express (2008) and Out of Sight (1998). She was married to Marshall Schacker. She died on 21 January 2018 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Eduardo Morera was born on 9 January 1906 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a director and writer, known for Asi Cantaba Carlos Gardel (1935), Así es el tango (1937) and Un bebé de contrabando (1940). He died on 21 January 1997 in Argentina.- Costume Designer
- Director
- Production Designer
Eiko Ishioka was born on 12 July 1938 in Tokyo, Japan. She was a costume designer and director, known for Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), The Cell (2000) and The Fall (2006). She was married to Nico Soultanakis. She died on 21 January 2012 in Tokyo, Japan.- Emiliano Sala (born 31 October 1990) was an Argentine footballer who in 2012 made his professional debut with the Bourdeaux football team in France. Three years later, he signed a five-year contract with Ligue 1 Nantes. It was not until 19 January 2019 that Sala then joined the Premier League side Cardiff City. Emiliano Sala was tragically killed in a plane that fell on the Channel Islands on 21 January 2019. He was 28 years old at the time of his death.
- Frances Dade was an American actress from Philadelphia. She had a rather brief career, spanning from the late 1920s to the early 1930s. Her most notable role was playing the fledgling vampire Lucy Weston in "Dracula" (1931), based on the novel's Lucy Westenra. She was the first actress to ever play the character of Lucy in a feature film.
In 1907, Dade was born in Philadelphia. Her parents were Francis Cadwallader Dade, Jr. and Frances Rawle Pemberton. Through her mother, she was a grandniece of the Confederate general John Clifford Pemberton (1814 - 1881). Her great uncle is remembered as the commanding officer during the Confederate surrender at the Siege of Vicksburg (1863). Also through her mother, Dade was a first cousin of the famous ice hockey player Hobey Baker (1892 - 1918).
Dade started her career as a theatrical actress. She played Lorelei Lee in the touring company of the musical "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1925) by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos. She was offered a contract by film executive Samuel Goldwyn (1882 - 1974), though she later primarily worked as a freelancer.
Dade made her film debut in the romantic drama "The Constant Nymph" (1928), an adaptation of a controversial novel written by Margaret Kennedy (1896 - 1967). Her initial film role was a bit part. She had a more substantial role as Monica Grey in the romantic comedy "He Knew Women" (1930). In the film, Monica's unrequited love for a young poet eventually turns into a desire to hurt him for rejecting her feelings.
Dade had a supporting role in the mystery film "Raffles" (1930), an adaptation E. W. Hornung's short stories about gentleman thief A. J. Raffles. In the crime film "Grumpy" (1930), Dade played Virginia Bullivant, the main character's granddaughter. This film is remembered as the directorial debut of George Cukor.
In 1931, Dade played a female vampire in "Dracula". This role catapulted her to fame, and she was selected as one of thirteen WAMPAS Baby Stars of the year. It was a list of up-and-coming starlets. Within the year, she appeared in several other films. The most notable among them was the crime mystery "Daughter of the Dragon", where Anna May Wong was cast as a daughter of Dr. Fu Manchu.
In 1932, she only appeared in one feature film: "Big Town". It was her last film appearance. In August 1932, Dade married the wealthy socialite Brock Van Avery. She retired from acting, and reportedly later pursued a new career as a nurse. In 1968, Dade died in relative obscurity. She is still remembered by fans of classic horror films, as one of the first female vampires on screen. - Gastón Barral is known for Sultanes del Sur (2007).
- Born the son of an Opium Agent in Bengal, Eric Blair was educated in England (Eton 1921). The joined the British Imperial Police in Burma, serving until 1927. He then travelled around England and Europe, doing various odd jobs to support his writing. By 1935 he had adopted the 'pen-name' of 'George Orwell' and had written his first novels. He married in 1936. In 1937, he and his wife fought against the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He produced some 3000 pages of essays and newspaper articles as well as several books and programs for the BBC.
- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Georges Méliès was a French illusionist and film director famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema.
Méliès was an especially prolific innovator in the use of special effects, popularizing such techniques as substitution splices, multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted color.
His films include A Trip to the Moon (1902) and An Impossible Voyage (1904), both involving strange, surreal journeys somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films.
Méliès died of cancer on 21 January 1938 at the age of 76.
In 2016, a Méliès film long thought lost, A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself (1904), was discovered in a Czechoslovak film archive.- Casting Department
- Additional Crew
- Casting Director
Gwyn Savage was born on 18 April 1965 in New Mexico, USA. Gwyn was a casting director, known for Gamer (2009), The Spirit (2008) and The Killer Inside Me (2010). Gwyn died on 21 January 2010 in New Mexico, USA.- Composer
- Cinematographer
- Editor
Herbert Baumann was born on 31 July 1925 in Berlin, Germany. He was a composer and cinematographer, known for Die Rückseite des Mondes (1984), Katarina bewegt sich (1984) and Wilde Spiele - Die Tigervilla (1963). He died on 21 January 2020 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jack Lord will probably be best remembered as Steve McGarrett in the long running television series Hawaii Five-O (1968), but he was much more than that however. He starred in several movies, directed several episodes of his show, was in several Broadway productions, and was an accomplished artist. Two of his paintings were acquired by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum of Modern Art by the time he was twenty. Lord was also known for being a very cultured man who loved reading poetry out loud on the set of his TV show and as being somewhat reclusive at his Honolulu home. He met his son from his first marriage, who was killed in an accident when he was thirteen, only once as a baby.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jackie "Sonny" Wilson was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Highland Park, the only son of Jack and Eliza Mae Wilson from Columbus, Mississippi. His father was an alcoholic and constantly unemployed, and his mother, who had lost two earlier children, doted on Jackie and became a powerful influence in his life. He began to sing at an early age, and even formed a quartet, The Ever Ready Gospel Singers Group, which earned a small measure of fame among the local churches.
Wilson was a habitual truant, getting in trouble on a regular basis. He began drinking at age nine, and in 1950 at age 16 dropped out of high school. He married Freda Hood, his childhood sweetheart, and a daughter arrived in March, 1951. At this time he was singing in local clubs with Levi Stubbs(later of The Four Tops fame). In 1953 he successfully auditioned for Billy Ward's Dominoes, replacing Clyde McPhatter when the latter left the group to form The Drifters. Their first release was "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down", followed by "Rags to Riches." In 1956 they had their first pop hit, "St. Therese Of The Roses."
In 1957 Wilson embarked on a solo career. His manager was Al Green, a music publisher and manager who was already managing Della Reese, Johnnie Ray and La Vern Baker. Green was able to secure Wilson a recording contract with Brunswick Records. However, Green suddenly died the day before the deal was officially signed. He was replaced by Nat Turnpool. Collaborating with Berry Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis, Wilson soon had a string of hits to his name, among them "To Be Loved," "Reet Petite" and "That Is Why," as well as his biggest hit, "Lonely Teardrops."
This partnership ended after disagreements between Tarnpool and the team of Davis/Gordy over inadequate payments. After parting ways, Gordy used his royalties to create Hitsville USA Studios, later to become Motown Records. The rest is music history. Davis joined Chess Records as A&R manager and would achieve success in his own right as a songwriter and producer. Tarnpool, confident that he could do without the Davis/Gordy team, had band leader Dick Jacobs produce most of Wilson's recordings from 1957 through 1966, resulting in frequent crossovers between R&B and pop. Wilson had moderate hits during this period, with songs such as "Night" and "Alone at Last". In 1961 he formed a songwriting partnership with Alonzo Tucker that yielded the hit "Baby Workout."
Although married to Freda Hood since 1951, Wilson was notorious for his numerous affairs with other women. Things came to a head in 1961 when Juanita Jones, an aspiring model, shot Wilson twice in the stomach after hearing about his affair with Harlean Harris, ex-girlfriend of singer Sam Cooke. Wilson was rushed to the hospital where quick surgery saved his life, although he lost a kidney. Since one of the bullets was too close to his spine, doctors ruled out surgery to remove it as far too dangerous. Wilson would have to carry it around for the rest of his life.
Besides women, Wilson had another dangerous weakness: he was incredibly naive and easily trusting, something that Tarnpool took advantage of. Wilson had signed over power-of-attorney to him despite strong rumors of Tarnpool's mob connections and his reputation as an unscrupulous businessman. In 1962 the IRS seized Wilson's family home due to his failure to pay back taxes (due mainly to the fact that Tarnpool had been pocketing all of Wilson's earnings). Wilson realized that, despite the success of his career, he was broke and homeless. Eventually he made arrangements with the IRS to make restitution on the unpaid taxes and was able to re-purchase his own house at an auction.
During this time the "British Invasion" took place, sending his career into freefall. His last hit was "Your Love (Keeps Lifting Me Higher And Higher)" in 1968. Two years later his 16-year-old son Jackie Jr. was shot and killed during a confrontation with a neighbor. Jackie's wife Frida had long since filed for divorce, having their marriage officially annulled in 1965. Despite these circumstances, Jackie treated her as though she was still his wife.
On September 29, 1975 Wilson suffered a major heart attack while on stage at Dick Clark's "Traveling Oldies Revue". As he fell he hit his head on some stage equipment, resulting in serious brain damage. He stayed in a coma until his death at 49 on January 21, 1984.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Jens Okking was born on 18 December 1939 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor and writer, known for Strømer (1976), At klappe med een hånd (2001) and Nitten røde roser (1974). He was married to Anette Walther. He died on 21 January 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Production Manager
From the original Shaft to Love at First Bite, from Camelot to Soapdish, from top-grossing films to television to the Internet, Joel Freeman has built a reputation that spans over half a century of entertainment history.
He was born on June 12, 1922 in Irvington, New Jersey, USA. The son of Louis Freeman, a baker and inventor, and Frances Schary. His mother died when he was four and he was raised primarily by his fraternal grandparents.
He started in Hollywood at 20 at MGM...as a messenger. But after just six weeks, he was promoted to the Short Subjects department, and then moved to the Production Planning Office.
But 18 months later, Freeman was drafted and spent three years in the Air Force - two of them with the First Motion Picture Unit (AAF) where he was script supervisor and assistant director on some thirty training films.
The transition back to civilian life was an easy one: he immediately became an assistant director at RKO. During the next two years, he alternated between RKO and Selznick, working on films like The Farmer's Daughter, The Paradine Case, The Bachelor and The Bobby Soxer, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and The Setup. Freeman then returned to MGM as an assistant director, and eventually as associate producer. During that time he gained additional experience on some of the company's top films such as Madame Bovary, Battleground, Bad Day at Black Rock, Blackboard Jungle, The Tender Trap, Tea & Sympathy and Something of Value.
As an independent production supervisor, Freeman's feature films included Lonelyhearts, and he worked on several television series including The Californians and Highway Patrol. Later, he joined Dore Schary at Warner Brothers, to do Sunrise at Campobello as production supervisor and associate producer. That led to The Music Man at the same studio.
Another opportunity to work with Schary, this time on Act One, brought Freeman to New York City. He stayed to produce The Reporter, a television series for CBS's Richelieu Productions, and became head of program development for the same company.
Freeman was soon called back to California as associate producer and production supervisor on Warner Brothers' A Big Hand for a Little Lady and Not With My Wife You Don't! Pleased with Freeman's performance, Jack Warner asked him to be his associate on Camelot. Upon the film's very successful completion, Freeman became one of the top three executives at Warner Brothers, until the studio was sold to Seven Arts.
He was associate producer and production supervisor on Francis Ford Coppola's second film, Finian's Rainbow when Ken Hyman -- then head of worldwide production for Warner Brothers/Seven Arts -- asked Freeman to reactivate and executive produce The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter. A critically acclaimed classic, the film received two Oscar nominations.
Joel Freeman Productions Inc. was founded upon its completion, and Freeman was signed to a term producing contract at WB/7Arts where he developed Tom Sawyer, The Musical. Simulataneously, he served as executive consultant to Ken Hyman until the studio was sold.
Independent again, and moving successfully between features and television, he produced an ABC Movie of the Week, Weekend of Terror. Then with Gordon Parks directing, and Isaac Hayes providing an unforgettable score, Freeman produced the groundbreaking feature Shaft for MGM. Its success led to a partnership with Fox, with whom he produced the feature Trouble Man. And that led, in turn, to Fuzz Brothers, a television pilot created in partnership with MGM/ABC. He then executive produced It Happened One Christmas for Universal Television.
His next film, the hilarious Love At First Bite, had the distinction of being Melvin Simon Productions' biggest success, and one of AIP's two biggest box-office winners. He produced The Octagon for American Cinema, executive produced The Kindred for Feldman/Meeker and then became Senior Vice President, Production for New Century/New Visions Entertainment for two years until December, 1988. During that tenure he supervised such films as: The Gate, Russkies, Split Decision and Rooftops.
Soon afterward, The Completion Bond Company , who had consulted with Freeman previously, asked him to take over as producer of Next of Kin, then supervise The Guardian. He co-produced Soapdish for Paramount, supervised Ricochet, then went trouble-shooting in England on The Power of One -- the latter two projects for The Completion Bond Company, as well.
Freeman then became involved in various phases of development and pre-production of: Love at Second Bite (a sequel), To Have and Have Not (a remake),Mr. Shaft (a sequel), Someone Could Get Killed, Woof, Jekyll, Skyjack! Skyjack!, The James Barry Story, Mace, Piper, Stagecoach Mary, Stick and Ball and Harp.
He spent six months in Lithuania producing 13 hour-long episodes of the series The New Adventures of Robin Hood. Upon his return he developed and optioned many screenplays, including Booker; 44 Sunset; Anais: The Opposite of Innocence; The Fairy Godfather; Shattered Image; Maternal Instinct; Romantics, Misfits and Fools; Bloodthirsty; Air Med; Marti; Monte; and Return of the Vin Fiz. He also produced Cover to Cover, a live show for Hollywood Broadcasting.com.
Freeman was the recipient of the Director's Guild Award for Bad Day at Black Rock, and the NAACP Image Award as Producer of the Year for Shaft. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America (recipient of the Lifetime Membership Award) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. In addition he served for many years on the Board of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Cawthorn made his stage debut in 1872 at the age of four. At nine, he went to England and played in music halls for four years. In 1898, Cawthorn made his debut on Broadway and carried on a successful career for some twenty-five years. Moving to Hollywood in 1927, he began a career as a character actor. Married to stage and screen actress Queenie Vassar, Cawthorn passed away following a stroke in his Beverly Hills home.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Joseph O'Conor was born on 14 February 1910 in Dublin, Ireland. He was an actor and writer, known for Oliver! (1968), The Dark Crystal (1982) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He was married to Lizann Rodger and Naita Moore. He died on 21 January 2001 in London, England, UK.- Actor
- Soundtrack
An imposing Austrian import-turned-matinée idol on the silent screen, Hollywood actor Joseph Schildkraut went on to conquer talking films as well -- with Oscar-winning results. Inclined towards smooth, cunning villainy, his Oscar came instead for his sympathetic portrayal of Captain Alfred Dreyfus in The Life of Emile Zola (1937). His most touching role on both stage and screen would come as the Jewish father-in-hiding, Otto Frank, in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959).
Born on March 22, 1895, in Vienna, Austria, Joseph was the son of famed European/Yiddish stage actor Rudolph Schildkraut and his wife, the former Erna Weinstein. Nicknamed "Pepi" as a boy, the affectionate tag remained with him throughout his life. The family moved to Hamburg, Germany, when Joseph was 4. Joseph studied the piano and violin and grew inspired with his father's profession. On stage (with his father) from age 6, the family again relocated to Berlin where his father built a strong association with famed theatrical director Max Reinhardt.
Following Joseph's graduation from Berlin's Royal Academy of Music in 1911, the family migrated to America and settled in New York in 1912. His father continued making his mark in America's Yiddish theater while Joseph was accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Offered lucrative theatre work back in Germany, Rudolf and family returned to Europe where Joseph began to grow in stature on the stage with the help of mentor Albert Bassermann. Joseph, like his father, would become well known not only for his prodigious talents on stage, but his marriage-threatening, Lothario-like behavior off-stage.
World War I and a call to the Austrian Army could have interrupted his career but his theatrical connections helped exempt him from duty. A thriving member of the Deutsches Volkstheatre (1913-1920), work became difficult to find in the post-war years so once again the family returned to America in 1920. Now an established stage player, Joseph was handed the title role in the Guild Theatre production (and American premiere) of "Liliom" opposite his leading lady of choice Eva Le Gallienne. It made stars out of both actors and both revisited their parts together on stage many years later in 1932.
Having appeared in a few silent pictures in Germany and Austria, Joseph was handed a prime role in the silent screen classic Orphans of the Storm (1921) starring the Gish sisters. This alone established him as an exotic matinée figure along the lines of a Valentino and Navarro. Preferring the stage, he nevertheless continued making films while conquering (on screen) Hollywood's loveliest of actresses, including Norma Talmadge in The Song of Love (1923), Seena Owen in Shipwrecked (1926), Marguerite De La Motte in Meet the Prince (1926), Bessie Love in Young April (1926) (which also co-starred father Rudolf), Lya De Putti in The Heart Thief (1927), and Jetta Goudal in The Forbidden Woman (1927). Most notable was his participation in the Cecil B. DeMille epics The Road to Yesterday (1925) and The King of Kings (1927), the latter co-starring as Judas Iscariot, with father Rudolf playing the high priest Caiaphas.
Joseph met his first wife, aspiring actress Elise Bartlett, during a herald run as "Peer Gynt" (1923) on Broadway. The impulsive romantic swept her off her feet, proposed to her on the day he met her, and married her the following week. The couple separated a few years later and his first wife fell to drink, dying at a fairly young age of an alcohol-related illness. His second marriage to Marie McKay was much happier and lasted almost three decades.
The actor's sturdy voice and strong command of the stage led to an easy transition into talking films. Among others, Joseph won the role of Gaylord Ravenal in the Kern and Hammerstein musical Show Boat (1929) opposite Laura La Plante as Magnolia. Despite his preference for the theater, Depression-era finances forced him to relocate to Los Angeles for more job security. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Joseph evolved into one of Hollywood's most distinctive character actors.
He played Wallace Beery's nemesis, General Pascal in MGM's Viva Villa! (1934), King Herod opposite Claudette Colbert in DeMille's Cleopatra (1934), and stole scenes as the cunning and underhanded Conrad, Marquis of Montferratin, in DeMille's The Crusades (1935). Joseph received his Oscar for his portrayal of Captain Dreyfus, a proud and robust French Jew wrongly convicted of treason and subsequently exiled to Devil's Island, in the biopic The Life of Emile Zola (1937). He soon became a Hollywood fixture appearing in everything from sumptuous costumers (Marie Antoinette (1938), The Three Musketeers (1939), The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)), to action adventure (Lancer Spy (1937), Suez (1938)) to potent drama (The Rains Came (1939), The Shop Around the Corner (1940)). His film output slowed down considerably at the outbreak of WWII in 1941, however; nevertheless he continued to show vitality on the stage with notable successes in "Clash by Night" (1941) with Tallulah Bankhead, "Uncle Harry" (1942) and "The Cherry Orchard" (1944) (again with Eva Le Gallienne).
His Hollywood downfall happened when he signed his career away to the low budget Republic Pictures studio...for financial reasons. The films were unworthy of his participation and his roles secondary in nature to the storyline. His final Broadway appearance and greatest stage triumph would occur in 1955 as Otto Frank and he repeated his role on film but The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). In one of Hollywood's bigger missteps, he was not even nominated for an Academy Award. Sporadic appearances followed on stage and film -- his last movie role wasted on the trivial role of Nicodemus in the epic failure The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). The film was released posthumously. On TV, however, he played Claudius to Maurice Evans' Hamlet in 1953 and filmed a memorable "Twilight Zone" episode in 1961.
Following his beloved second wife's death in 1961, he married one more time, in 1963, to a much younger woman named Leonora Rogers. Joseph died of a heart attack only months later at his New York City home on January 21, 1964, He was 68, almost the exact same age his father Rudolf was when he too suffered a fatal heart attack. Joseph was interred in the Beth Olam Mausoleum of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Singing funny girl Kaye Ballard was born to perform...and perform she did, in a career spanning eight decades. With a strong comedy background and tunnel mouth to rival Martha Raye, the broad and bouncy trouper drew laughs on the musical stage, in night clubs, in recordings and on TV. As the archetypal over-emotive, knuckle-biting Italian wife and mama, the octogenarian tickled the funny bone with her earthy brand of comedy while alternately touching hearts in song.
She was born Catherine Gloria Balotta,in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Italian parents, Lena (Nacarato) and Vincenzo/Vincent James Balotta. A deep desire to perform already struck by the time she was five years old. A typical class clown during her high school years, she began to compile a number of star impressions for her act. In her teens, she performed in a Cleveland USO stage production of "Stage Door Canteen" (1941), and soon set out on her own.
Earning a job in 1943 touring with Spike Jones and His Orchestra for two years as his featured vocalist and flute/tuba player(!), Kaye eventually set up camp in New York and made her Broadway debut with the revue "Three to Make Ready" (1946). From there she showcased in the musicals "Once in a Lifetime," "Touch and Go" (in London), "Annie Get Your Gun" and the burlesque show "Top Banana". During this time, she built up a strong song-and-comedy reputation for herself on the nightclub circuit, eventually playing the country's best cabarets/niteries including The Bon Soir, Persian Room and Blue Angel in New York, The Hungry i in San Francisco, and Mr. Kelly's in Chicago.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Kaye graced nearly every talk/variety show there was including those for Ed Sullivan, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Perry Como, Red Skelton, Carol Burnett, Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas. Two of her classic TV roles were her ugly stepsister Portia (the other sister being fellow scene-stealer Alice Ghostley) in the Julie Andrews version of Cinderella (1957), and as one of The Mothers-In-Law (1967) (the other being fellow veteran Eve Arden) in the popular but short-lived sitcom produced by Desi Arnaz. Both showcases catered perfectly to Kaye's brash comedy instincts. She also pitched in as a meddling second banana for Doris Day for one season of the star's '70s TV show.
On stage Kaye had Broadway audiences rolling in the aisles with her Helen of Troy in the 1954 musical "The Golden Apple," while introducing the classic song standard "Lazy Afternoon." Other raves came in the form of "Wonderful Town" (1958), "Carnival" (1961) and Cole Porter Revisited" (1965). On the flip side of the coin, she played a frumpy Lola Delaney in a badly misguided musical version of "Come Back, Little Sheba" (entitled "Sheba") in 1974, and also tried unsuccessfully to bring life to the beloved, indomitable Molly Goldberg radio/TV character in the Broadway musical "Molly" (1973); the show lasted a mere two months. Kaye was much more at home sinking her teeth into two of theater's most impregnable females: Mama Rose in "Gypsy" and Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!"
With an out-stretched personality on par with Carol Channing and Ethel Merman, films never became a suitable medium. Although Kaye gave a standout debut performance in The Girl Most Likely (1957), starring Jane Powell, she was seldom seen after that. Her sprinkling of supporting roles included A House Is Not a Home (1964) with Shelley Winters, Which Way to the Front? (1970) starring Jerry Lewis, Freaky Friday (1976) with young Jodie Foster, and, perhaps more notably, in The Ritz (1976) starring Rita Moreno and Jerry Stiller.
In later years, Kaye dominated the stage with feisty work in "Nunsense", "The Pirates of Penzance" (a Broadway replacement), "High Spirits" (as Madame Arcati), "Funny Girl" (as Mrs. Brice), "The Full Monty", and the female version of "The Odd Couple". The Rancho Mirage, California resident performed with the Palm Spring Follies show, and was out-and-about doing her one-woman cabaret show belting out the good old songs and retracing her burlesque-styled comedy roots. A survivor of breast cancer, the never-married veteran showed no signs of slowing down. She died in her Rancho Mirage home on January 21, 2019, aged 93.- Linda Kasabian was born on 21 June 1949 in Biddeford, Maine, USA. She was married to Robert Kasabian and Robert Peasley. She died on 21 January 2023 in Tacoma, Washington, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Iconic comedian Louie Anderson, the three-time Emmy®-Award winner, was one of the country's most recognized and adored comics; named by Comedy Central as "One of 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time." His career spanned more than 30 years. He was a best-selling author, star of his own stand up specials and sitcoms, and toured, performing to standing-room only crowds worldwide.
Louis Perry Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Ora Zella (Prouty) and Louis William Anderson, a trumpet player. He was of Swedish, Norwegian, and English descent. Sharing the ups and downs of his childhood experiences as one of eleven children, Louie crafted comedy routines that rang true for his early club audiences while reducing them to helpless fits of laughter, routines that led him from his career as a counselor to troubled children to the first-place trophy at the 1981 Midwest Comedy Competition. Henny Youngman, who hosted the competition, recognized the diamond-in-the-rough genius of the young comic and hired him as a writer, providing invaluable experience that soon put Louie in his own spotlight on comedy stages all over the country.
Johnny Carson, the comedy icon for generations of rising stars, invited Louie to make his national television debut on the "The Tonight Show" in 1984, and the rest is history. Leno, Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, "Comic Relief" and Showtime, HBO and CMT specials followed, including hosting the legendary game show, Family Feud, making Louie a household name and opening doors for him as an actor. He guest-starred in sitcoms like "Grace Under Fire" and dramas like "Touched by an Angel" and "Chicago Hope," and had memorable featured roles in film comedies like "Coming to America," opposite of Eddie Murphy, and the classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." In 2013, he took a dive on the ABC reality series, "Splash" where he conquered his own fears while becoming an inspiration of hope. His stand up Special, "Big Baby Boomer" premiered on CMT, in 2013. Also in that year, he competed and inspired on the ABC reality competition show, Splash.
In 1995 Louie put his creative energies to work on the Saturday morning animated series "Life with Louie." The long-running series based on Louie's own childhood and his life with his father won three Humanitas Prizes for writing on a children's' animated series, making him the only three-time recipient of this award. It also earned a Genesis Award for its depiction of the proper treatment of animals and, most significantly, two Emmy Awards.
His best selling books included Dear Dad - Letters From An Adult Child, a collection of alternately touching and outrageous letters from Louie to his late father, and Good-bye Jumbo...Hello Cruel World, self-help for those who struggle with self-esteem issues, and his latest installment on family, The F Word, How To Survive Your Family.
In 2016, Louie was cast to co-star along with Zach Galifianakis and Martha Kelly in the hit FX series, "Baskets." Anderson's extraordinary new role is Christine Baskets, the matriarch of the Baskets clan. The character is based on both his mother and his five sisters, who were a major presence in his life; "I'm not as nice in the character as my mom was as a person. It really is an extension of my mom, Anderson says, adding that he always aims to make his performance "as real as possible" without "affecting or cartooning it up. It felt like it was divine intervention when I got the call to be on the show, that somehow my mom, from the great beyond, was finally getting herself into show business where she truly belonged in the first place."
When not in production, Louie traveled the States doing what he loved to do, stand-up comedy, and again delivered to his fans his inimitable brand of humor and warmth. He died on January 21, 2022, in Las Vegas, of large B-cell lymphoma.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Mace Neufeld was born on 13 July 1928 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Saint (1997) and No Way Out (1987). He was married to Helen Katz and Diane Conn. He died on 21 January 2022 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Popular star in Hollywood for two decades through 1936, Marie Prevost began as a Mack Sennett "Bathing Beauty" in 1917, later starring in dozens of light comedies. But not long into the sound era, she encountered problems with her burgeoning weight, to the jeopardy of her career. Her self-remedy resulted ultimately in her starving to death.
Marie Prevost was born Mary Bickford Dunn in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, on November 8, 1898. She broke into films when she was 18 years old in Unto Those Who Sin (1916). Finding work in films was difficult in the early days, just as it is today. Marie found herself doing odd jobs until 1917, when she made another film, Secrets of a Beauty Parlor (1917). After filming was completed, Marie found herself unemployed again and went back to scraping around for a living. She kept going to casting calls, but it wasn't until 1919 when she landed a role in Uncle Tom Without a Cabin (1919). Finally, in 1921, movie moguls discovered her talent and began casting her in a number of roles. She appeared in four films that year and an additional six in 1922. Marie seemed to be on a roll. She stayed busy through the balance of the 1920s in a number of films, mostly comedies. As a matter of fact, she would continue making films until 1933, when her appeal began to fade. She made no films in 1934 and precious few after that. With the advent of sound her thick New England accent didn't lend itself well to the "demon microphone", despite her beauty. Her depression about her career--or lack of it--drove her to alcohol, and she died on January 23, 1937, in Hollywood, of a combination of alcoholism and malnutrition, virtually broke and living in a dilapidated apartment. She never saw the release, in 1938, of her final film appearance: Ten Laps to Go (1936). She was 38 years old.- Actor
- Director
Matt Moore was born on 8 January 1888 in County Meath, Ireland. He was an actor and director, known for Rain (1932), The Unholy Three (1925) and The Narrow Street (1925). He died on 20 January 1960 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Soundtrack
Maxine Brown was born on 27 April 1931 in Louisiana, USA. She was married to Tommy H. Russell. She died on 21 January 2019 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.- Meritxell Negre was born on 17 February 1971 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. She died on 21 January 2020 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Director
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- Producer
Winner was an only child, born in Hampstead, London, England, to Helen (née Zlota) and George Joseph Winner (1910-1975), a company director. His family was Jewish; his mother was Polish and his father of Russian extraction. Following his father's death, Winner's mother gambled recklessly and sold art and furniture worth around £10m at the time, bequeathed to her not only for her life but to Michael thereafter. She died aged 78 in 1984.
He was educated at St Christopher School, Letchworth, and Downing College, Cambridge, where he read law and economics. He also edited the university's student newspaper, Varsity (he was the youngest ever editor up to that time, both in age and in terms of his university career, being only in the second term of his second year). Winner had earlier written a newspaper column, 'Michael Winner's Showbiz Gossip,' in the Kensington Post from the age of 14. The first issue of Showgirl Glamour Revue in 1955 has him writing another film and showbusiness gossip column, "Winner's World". Such jobs allowed him to meet and interview several leading film personalities, including James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. He also wrote for the New Musical Express.
He began his screen career as an assistant director of BBC television programmes, cinema shorts, and full-length "B" productions, occasionally writing screenplays. In 1957 he directed his first travelogue, This is Belgium, shot largely on location in East Grinstead. His first on-screen credit was earned as a writer for the crime film Man with a Gun (1958) directed by Montgomery Tully. Winner's first credit on a cinema short was Associate Producer on the film Floating Fortress (1959) produced by Harold Baim. Winner's first project as a lead director involved another story he wrote, Shoot to Kill (1960). He would regularly edit his own movies, using the pseudonym "Arnold Crust". He graduated to first features with Play It Cool (1962), a pop musical starring Billy Fury.
Winner's first significant film was West 11 (1963), a sympathetic study of rootless drifters in the then seedy Notting Hill area of London. Filmed on location (always Winner's preference), with a script by Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse, the film remains an interesting contribution to the working-class realism wave of the early 1960s. Following differences with his producer, Daniel Angel, Winner (who had wanted to cast Julie Christie in the main female role) resolved to produce as well as direct his films and set up his own company, Scimitar. The Girl-Getters (1964) and the hectic, dystopian I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967) were paired pieces starring Oliver Reed that continued Winner's exploration of alienated youth adrift in a rising tide of affluence, dreaming of an alternative life they can never achieve. These films and the exuberant 'Swinging London' comedy The Jokers (1967), also starring Reed, were well-suited to Winner's restless, intrusive camera style and staccato editing. They were followed by Hannibal Brooks (1969), a witty Second World War comedy written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, which attracted attention in America and led to Winner pursuing a Hollywood career in the 1970s.
Winner now developed a new reputation as an efficient maker of violent action thrillers, often starring Charles Bronson. The most successful and controversial was Death Wish (1974), with Bronson cast as a liberal architect who embraces vengeance after the murder of his wife and daughter. An intelligent analysis of the deep roots of vigilantism in American society, Death Wish is restrained in its depiction of violence. With his obsessive need to work, Winner accepted many inferior projects, including two weak Death Wish sequels, though occasionally he tried to make more prestigious films, notably The Nightcomers (1971), a prequel to Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, made in Britain with Marlon Brando; and A Chorus of Disapproval (1989), a satisfying version of Alan Ayckbourn's bittersweet comedy.
By the 1990s Winner had become less prolific, and reaped no benefit from the Lottery-prompted rise in genre film-making, which favoured the young and inexperienced. Dirty Weekend (1993), a rape-revenge movie with a female vigilante, aroused considerable controversy, but hardly enhanced Winner's reputation; Parting Shots (1998), a comedy revenge thriller suffused with allusions to Death Wish and restaurant scenes invoking Winner's current incarnation as a food critic, is perhaps his swan song.
In an interview with The Times newspaper, Winner said liver specialists had told him in summer 2012 that he had between 18 months and two years to live. He said he had researched assisted suicide offered at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, but found the bureaucracy of the process off-putting. Winner died at his home, Woodland House in Holland Park, on 21 January 2013, aged 77. Winner was buried following a traditional Jewish funeral at Willesden Jewish Cemetery.- Morgan Wootten was born on 21 April 1931 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. He was married to Katherine Bourg. He died on 21 January 2020 in University Park, Maryland, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Nathalie Delon was born on 1 August 1941 in Oujda, French Protectorate Morocco [now Morocco]. She was an actress and writer, known for The Samurai (1967), They Call It an Accident (1982) and The French Dispatch (2021). She was married to Alain Delon and Guy Barthelemy. She died on 21 January 2021 in Paris, France.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Norman Amadio was born on 14 April 1928 in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and composer, known for Quest (1961), The Wayne and Shuster Hour (1957) and The Making of a Judge (2010). He died on 21 January 2020.- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
Paul Addison was born on 3 May 1943 in Wittington, Staffordshire, England, UK. Paul is known for Demob (1993) and Peter Gabriel's Secret World (1994). Paul was married to Rosy (Rosemary) Sheehan. Paul died on 21 January 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Music Department
Peggy Lee was Born Norma Dolores Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, on May 26, 1920. At age four her mother died. Peggy's father, a railroad station agent, remarried but later left home, leaving Peggy's care entrusted to a stepmother who physically abused her. Peggy later memorialized this in the calypso number "One Beating a Day", one of 22 songs she co-wrote for the autobiographical musical "Peg", in which she made her Broadway debut in 1983 at the age of 62. As a youngster Peggy worked as a milkmaid, later turning to singing for money in her teens. While singing on a local radio station in Fargo, the program director there suggested she change her name to Peggy Lee. Peggy's big break came when Benny Goodman hired her to sing with his band after hearing her perform. Peggy shot to stardom when she and Goodman cut the hit record "Why Don't You Do Right?" and went out on her own to record such classics as "Fever", "Lover", "Golden Earrings", "Big Spender" and "Is That All There Is?" - the latter winning her a Grammy Award in 1969. Peggy's vocal style provided a distinctive imprint to countless swing tunes, ballads and big band numbers. She was considered the type of performer equally capable of interpreting a song as uniquely as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Bessie Smith. Her 1989 album, "Peggy Sings the Blues", was a Grammy Award nominee. Peggy was a prolific songwriter and arranger and her 1990 "The Peggy Lee Songbook" contained four songs she wrote with guitarist John Chiodini. Peggy also wrote for jazz greats Duke Ellington, who called her "The Queen", and Johnny Mercer, and composer Quincy Jones. Also in 1990 Peggy was awarded the coveted Pied Piper Award presented by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). She made her mark in Hollywood as an actress, winning an Academy Award nomination for her role as the hard-drinking singer in the jazz saga, Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) and composed songs for the 1955 Walt Disney animated classic Lady and the Tramp (1955). The animated film featured a character named Peg, a broken-down old showgirl of a dog, whose provocative walk was based on the stage-prowl of Peggy Lee. Later she sued Disney and won a landmark legal judgment for a portion of the profits from the videocassette sale of the film. Peggy's private life was racked by physical ailments, a near-fatal fall in 1976, diabetes and a stroke in 1998. She was married four times, all ending in divorce. She and first husband, guitarist Dave Barbour, had a daughter, Nicki, her only child. Peggy and Dave were on the verge of a reconciliation in 1965, but he died of a heart attack before the couple got back together. Peggy has left a vast legend of music that is constantly finding new generations of fans.- Pierina Dealessi was born on 25 December 1894 in Turin, Italy. She was an actress, known for Adiós Argentina (1930), Mosquita muerta (1946) and El morocho del Abasto: La vida de Carlos Gardel (1950). She died on 21 January 1983 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Polly Ann Young was born on 25 October 1908 in Denver, Colorado, USA. She was an actress, known for Port of Hate (1939), Turnabout (1940) and The Man from Utah (1934). She was married to Carter Hermann. She died on 21 January 1997 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Raúl Amundaray was born on 18 May 1937 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was an actor, known for Cristal (1985), El engaño (1968) and Por amarte tanto (1993). He died on 21 January 2020 in Houston, Texas, USA(undisclosed).
- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rémy Julienne was born on 17 April 1930 in Cepoy, Loiret, France. He was an actor and assistant director, known for GoldenEye (1995), Double Team (1997) and A View to a Kill (1985). He was married to Antonie Pedrocchi. He died on 21 January 2021 in Amilly, Loiret, France.- Ricardo Castro Ríos was born on 2 April 1920 in Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. He was an actor, known for Cinco gallinas y el cielo (1957), Herencia de amor (1981) and Café Cantante (1951). He died on 21 January 2001 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Rita Lynn was born on 2 December 1921 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Soldiers of Fortune (1955), Telephone Time (1956) and Dan Raven (1960). She was married to Frank Maxwell, Kane Wallace Lynn and Arthur William Debernarde. She died on 21 January 1996 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
- Music Department
Robert Arthur was born on 10 May 1928 in Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for American Guild of Variety Artists 5th Annual Entertainer of the Year Awards (1975), Inside America (1982) and Uncensored Channels: TV Around the World with George Plimpton (1986). He was married to Michele Arthur Corns, Freya Bame Arthur and Jeanne Dancs Arthur. He died on 21 January 2018 in Topanga, California, USA.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Writer
Ron Neal was born on 22 December 1936 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Moesha (1996). He was married to Carol Ann Howie. He died on 21 January 2022 in Paso Robles, California, USA.- Russell Baker was born on 14 August 1925 in Loudon County, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Masterpiece Contemporary (2008), Masterpiece (1971) and Howard K. Smith (1962). He was married to Miriam Emily "Mimi" Nash. He died on 21 January 2019 in Leesburg, Virginia, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Sandy Baron was born Sanford Beresofsky in Brooklyn, New York on May 5, 1936. Raised in Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood, the young Sandy attended public schools and participated in accelerated classes. A graduate of Brooklyn College, he spent his early years working summers in the Catskill Mountain resorts that were the breeding grounds of many Jewish comedians. Baron made his Broadway debut in "Tchin-Tchin" on Oct 25, 1962. His next play, Bertolt Brecht's "Arturo Ui" with Christopher Plummer in the title role, was a flop, lasting but eight performances in November 1963. His next appearance on the Great White Way, in the comedy "Generation," was more successful, playing for over half a year in the 1965-1966 season.
In 1964, Sandy -- already a seasoned Catskill comic and nightclub performer -- released a 13-track album on Roulette Records, "The Race! Race!" The album jacket pronounced it a "rollicking comedy album about hate, prejudice, bigotry and other such nonsense." He established a national reputation that year on the television comedy series That Was the Week That Was (1963), the American version of the hit British TV show, both of which starred David Frost. He followed it up with a lead role in the TV series Hey, Landlord (1966), playing a stand-up comedian.
In the 1970s, he made regular appearances on the The Mike Douglas Show (1961) and the The Merv Griffin Show (1962). Baron played Lenny Bruce in the show "Lenny" at Hollywood's Aquarius Theater in 1972, and eventually replaced Cliff Gorman in New York in what would prove to be his last Broadway appearance.
Baron appeared as himself in Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose (1984), the director's homage to borscht-belt comedy. In the 1990s, he appeared as Jack Klompus, the nemesis of Jerry Seinfeld's father on the hit TV series Seinfeld (1989). He replaced Al Lewis as Grandpa Munster in the TV movie The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas (1996). His last movie appearance was in Stephen Frears' The Hi-Lo Country (1998).
Sandy Baron died of emphysema on January 21, 2001 in a nursing home in Van Nuys, California. A memorial celebration was held on July 22, 2001 at Hollywood's Ivar Theater.- Sébastien Demorand was born on 4 August 1969 in Rhodesia. He died on 21 January 2020 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, Île-de-France, France.
- Sille Lundquist was born on 25 August 1970 in Denmark. She was married to Nikolaj Kornum. She died on 21 January 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Steve Susskind was born on 3 October 1942 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Monsters, Inc. (2001), Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982) and House (1985). He was married to Ann Patricia Walker. He died on 21 January 2005 in Tujunga, California, USA.- Susan Strasberg was born in New York City on May 22, 1938. From the time of her birth, she was destined to be an actress, as her father was Lee Strasberg, acting coach at the famed Actors Studio in New York. In 1953, Susan made her acting debut in the episode Catch a Falling Star (1953) of the Goodyear Playhouse (1951) when she was just 15 years old. However, her true stage debut was on Broadway in the title role of "Diary of Anne Frank" in 1955. From that time on, Susan would devote part time to the stage and part time to the screen. Her first movie role was a fourth-billed part in Picnic (1955). That spot wasn't bad, considering she was still relatively new to the screen and her co-stars were William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell, Cliff Robertson and Arthur O'Connell.
After making The Cobweb (1955) later that same year, she went back to perform on the stage. It just wasn't on-screen that she co-starred with big names; in 1957 she shared the stage with Helen Hayes and Richard Burton in "Time Remembered". In 1958, Susan returned to the big screen again in Stage Struck (1958). Although her billing wasn't anywhere near what it was with "Picnic", the picture got good reviews. For the remainder of her acting career, Susan alternated among the stage, screen and television. Wherever there was an acting role, she was there to appear in it. She spent some time in Europe, particularly Italy, making films for the rabid fans there. During the course of her tenure, she appeared in three documentaries about her old friend Marilyn Monroe. The first two were Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1986) and Remembering Marilyn (1988). The third was Marilyn Monroe: Life After Death (1994). On January 21, 1999, Susan lost her struggle with breast cancer in New York City. She was a youthful 60 years old. - Tae Soo Jun was an actor, known for King's Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang (2013), Blood Palace (2013) and Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010). He died on 21 January 2018 in Seoul, South Korea.
- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the son of Dilys Louisa (Newnes), a homemaker, and Alick George Parry Jones, a bank clerk. His older brother is production designer Nigel Jones. His grandparents were involved in the entertainment business, having managed the local Amateur Operatic Society and staged Gilbert and Sullivan concerts. Jones studied at St. Edmund Hall College, Oxford University, read English but graduated with a degree in History. He was variously captain of boxing, captain of the Rugby Team and School Captain. At about this time, he befriended Michael Palin. Both performed comedy together as part of the Oxford Revue. In 1965, he again partnered Palin in The Late Show (1966) and worked in the dual capacity of writer/actor on Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967) with Palin, Eric Idle and David Jason. Another noteworthy television credit was Complete and Utter History of Britain (1969) (again with Palin) in which fun was poked at famous historical personae, Jones essaying Oliver Cromwell, Sir Walter Raleigh and Henry VIII (among others).
Needless to say that Jones found his greatest success as a founding member of the anarchic and irreverent Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969), along with Palin, Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam. Jones not only provided much of the written comic input, but also portrayed many of the classic characters: the implausibly obese Mr. Creosote in The Meaning of Life (1983) (who explodes after one more little wafer), the inept Detective Superintendent Harry "Snapper" Organs in the Piranha Brothers sketch (a take on the Kray Twins), the tobacconist in the Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook sketch and numerous assorted shrill-voiced, slovenly 'rat-bag women' (Mrs. Equator comes to mind).
The Pythons were unconventional, controversial, certainly groundbreaking and invariably inspired, at their best in their unrelenting satirical attacks on established British institutions, ruling hierarchies and the class structure. Jones later said "The thing is we never thought Python was a success when it was actually happening, it was only with the benefit of hindsight". In addition to writing and acting, Jones also co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) (with Terry Gilliam) and took solo directing credit for Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life. Post-Python, he rejoined Palin as co-writer for some of the very best episodes of Ripping Yarns (1976), including Whinfrey's Last Case, Tompkinson's Schooldays, Murder at Moorstone Manor, The Curse of the Claw and The Testing of Eric Oldthwaite. Jones later scripted Labyrinth (1986) from a story by Jim Henson and Dennis Lee and wrote, as well as directed, Erik the Viking (1989) and Absolutely Anything (2015), a science fiction comedy with Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale.
On a more serious note, Jones sidelined as a newspaper columnist and was an outspoken social and political commentator (a staunch critic of the Iraq War). His lifelong fascination with medieval and ancient history (and Geoffrey Chaucer in particular) led to presenting a series of television documentaries (Medieval Lives (2004) and Barbarians (2006))) as well as publishing several well researched, if sometimes controversial, books including Chaucer's Knight: The Portrait of a Medieval Mercenary and Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery.
Jones died at the age of 77 on 21 January 2020 from complications of dementia, at his home in Highgate, North London.- Composer
- Soundtrack
Ulises Butrón was born on 22 July 1962 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a composer, known for Ya no hay hombres (1991), Revancha de un amigo (1987) and La clínica del Dr. Cureta (1987). He died on 21 January 2019 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Director
- Writer
- Composer
Born October 22, 1947 in Jefferson County, Kentucky, William Brent Girdler launched his filmmaking career with the 1972 release of Asylum of Satan. He made a total of nine films in six years and provided the music for the Pat Patterson quickie Dr. Gore. Girdler died in a helicopter accident in the Philippines after completing his final movie The Manitou.
Girdler wore many hats in respect to his filmmaking, writing six of his nine films and composing the music for three. He also produced two of his own movies. His early works were filmed in his hometown of Louisville, KY with the assistance of many friends and local investors. Girdler's first two low budget horror entries, Asylum of Satan and Three on a Meathook, made only a slight impact on the drive-in movie scene, but they got his foot in the door with Sam Arkoff and AIP. Girdler subsequently made three blaxploitation films: Zebra Killer, Abby, and Sheba Baby. After his AIP stint ended, Girdler directed the political thriller Project Kill starring Leslie Nielsen. Eager to return to horror, Girdler sought finances from Edward Montoro and thus brought Grizzly and Day of the Animals into the world. Girdler hoped to strike gold when he bought the rights to Graham Masterton's 1976 best-selling novel 'The Manitou' for $50,000, and he did just that. Within three months of securing the rights, Girdler began shooting the movie with Tony Curtis and Susan Strasberg in the leading roles.
William Girdler's most successful effort is Grizzly, a bleak Jaws knockoff starring a giant fuzzy bear. Made on a fairly tight budget, Grizzly ranked among the most successful films of 1976. Abby, a 1974 Exorcist rip-off which prompted a lawsuit from Warner Brothers, was also a box-office hit and made more money via domestic rentals than Blacula. Legal issues prevented Girdler from seeing profits for both films. Other box office hits born of Girdler include the Pam Grier vehicle Sheba Baby and The Manitou (a posthumous hit).- Yves Afonso was born on 13 February 1944 in Saulieu, Côte-d'Or, France. He was an actor, known for Les arcandiers (1991), France société anonyme (1974) and Frank Riva (2003). He died on 21 January 2018 in Paris, France.