Notable Showbiz Deaths of 2015

Actress best known for her roles as Mrs. Fox on 'Dad's Army,' Vi Box on 'Big Deal,' Nora Swann on 'EastEnders' and various roles on 'The Benny Hill Show;' appeared on many other TV shows and in such films as 'On the Buses' (1971), 'The Wicked Lady' (1983), 'Twenty Four Seven' (1997) and 'A Fantastic Fear of Everything' (2012)

January 15, 1920 – February 14, 2015

Animator and director best known for his iconic work on 'Sesame Street,' specifically for creating the Pinball Number Count segments and the animated Typewriter character; also famous for directing and animating the controversial Lenny Bruce short 'Thank You Mask Man' (1971); co-directed the Oscar-nominated animated short 'Christmas Cracker' (1962), which also won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1964; other credits include animating the B-17 segment in 'Heavy Metal' (1981) and directing animation on the cartoons 'The Transformers' and 'Muppet Babies'

January 5, 1923 – February 14, 2015

Actor known for playing romantic leads in such films as Max Ophüls' 'Letter from an Unknown Woman' (1947), Vincente Minnelli's 'Madame Bovary' (1948), Jean Negulesco's 'Three Coins in the Fountain' (1954) and especially Minnelli's 'Gigi' (1958); later became known for starring in Wes Craven's 'Swamp Thing' (1982) and for his villainous turn as Afghan prince Kamal Khan in the Bond film 'Octopussy' (1983); other notable film credits include Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Paradine Case' (1947), Jacques Tournier's 'Anne of the Indies' (1951), Charles Vidor's 'The Swan' (1956), Negulesco's 'The Best of Everything' (1959), Walter Lang's 'Can-Can' (1960), Anthony Asquith's 'The V.I.P.s' (1963), the 1970s TV adaptations of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' (1975) and 'The Man in the Iron Mask' (1977), the title role in the BBC's 1977 adaptation of 'Count Dracula;' made his final film appearance in Peter Yates' 1993 romantic comedy 'Year of the Comet'

June 19, 1921 – February 14, 2015

Celebrated actor best known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1966 to 1983, which included playing nearly every Shakespearean king ever written; earned multiple awards for his theatre performances, including Evening Standard Awards as Best Actor for 'Coriolanus' in 1978 and 'Good' in 1981; known to moviegoers for his role as Michael (the lover) in Peter Greenaway's 'The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover' (1989) and for providing the voice of the One Ring in the first two installments of Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, 'The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001) and 'The Two Towers' (2002); also had roles in such films as Basil Dearden's landmark drama 'Victim' (1961), Arthur Hiller's 'The Americanization of Emily' (1964), Anthony Mann's 'The Heroes of Telemark' (1965), the 1984 Rob Lowe comedy 'Oxford Blues,' David Hare's drama 'Strapless' (1989) and Peter Medak's Hallmark adaptation of 'David Copperfield' (2000)

August 5, 1937 – February 14, 2015

Actress who retired after performing on stage in the 1940s and '50s but returned to the profession with an appearance on the BBC series 'Doctors' at the age of 77; went on to play several notable film roles, including the cranky and obnoxious Mrs. Connelly in Danny DeVito's 'Duplex' (2003), theatre patron Mrs. Snow in Marc Forster's 'Finding Neverland' (2004), Charlie Bucket's Grandma Josephine in Tim Burton's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005), and Hold Me-Touch Me in Susan Stroman's filmization of the Broadway musical adaptation of 'The Producers' (2005)

October 8, 1922 – February 15, 2015

Singer best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party," which was the first hit single produced by Quincy Jones; had several follow-up hits produced by Jones, including "Judy's Turn to Cry," "She's a Fool," "You Don't Own Me," "That's the Way Boys Are," "Maybe I Know," and the Grammy-nominated "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows," which she performed in the film 'Ski Party' (1965); later co-wrote two songs for the 1980 film 'Fame' with her brother, Michael Gore, including "Out Here On My Own," which earned the siblings an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song as well as a Grammy nomination

May 2, 1946 - February 16, 2015

Popular Mexican actress and singer best known for starring in telenovelas such as 'Bajo un mismo rostro,' 'Como en el cine' and especially 'El Cuerpo del Deseo'

February 10, 1971 – February 16, 2015

Actress best known for her memorable appearance as the Ajax Lady in Cheech & Chong's first film, 'Up in Smoke' (1978); also had roles in such films as 'Where Angels Go Trouble Follows!' (1968), The Monkees' 'Head' (1968), 'Pretty Maids All in a Row' (1971), Jack Nicholson's 'Drive, He Said' (1971) and Michael Cimino's 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot' (1974); sadly ended up on skid row after addiction to drugs and alcohol ended her acting career

September 3, 1946 – February 17, 2015

Indian film producer and founder of Suresh Productions; holds the Guinness world record for the most films produced by an individual, having produced more than 150 films in 13 Indian languages; most notable films produced include 'Prem Nagar' (1971), 'Soggadu' (1975), 'Jeevana Tarangalu' (1977), 'Maqsad' (1984), 'Aha Naa Pellanta ' (1987), 'Chinnababu' (1988), 'Indrudu Chandrudu' (1989), 'Taqdeerwala ' (1995), 'Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain ' (1999), 'Asukh' (1999), 'Preminchu' (2001), 'Bombaiyer Bombete' (2003) and 'Singh vs. Kaur' (2013); recipient of the Padma Bhushan (the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India) in recognition for his contribution to Telugu cinema and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement

June 6, 1936 – February 18, 2015

Colombian actor best known for starring in Francisco Norden's 'A Man of Principle' (1984), for which he won multiple awards, and for starring in several films for Sergio Cabrera, most notably 'La Estrategia del Caracol' (1993)

February 12, 1950 – February 19, 2015

Actor, comedian, writer, producer and musician best known for being a writer and producer on TV's 'Parks and Recreation,' on which he also had a recurring role as a character named Harris; also known for writing and appearing on several episodes of 'The Sarah Silverman Program,' for his appearances on 'Comedy Bang! Bang!' and for coining the term "humblebrag"

April 20, 1984 – February 19, 2015

Composer most famous for his work on the animated 'Asterix' films 'Asterix the Gaul' (1967), 'Asterix and Cleopatra' (1968) and 'The Twelve Tasks of Asterix' (1976); also scored such well-received films as 'The Black Tulip ' (1964), 'The Little Bather' (1968) and 'The Annuity' (1972); created the music for the stage production 'La Plume de Ma Tante,' for which he shared a Tony nomination for Best Musical

July 22, 1922 – February 20, 2015

Legendary, Emmy-winning and six-time Oscar-nominated costume designer and production designer perhaps best known for her frequent collaborations with director David Lynch; worked with Lynch as costume designer on 'The Elephant Man' (1980) and 'The Straight Story' (1999), as production designer on 'Blue Velvet' (1986) and 'Wild at Heart' (1990) and in both capacities on the pilot for 'Twin Peaks,' the follow-up film 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992) and 'Lost Highway' (1997); earned an Oscar nomination (her second) for 'The Elephant Man' while the 'Twin Peaks' pilot earned her an Emmy Award for Costume Design as well as an Emmy nomination for Art Direction; also earned Oscar nominations for designing the costumes in Terrence Malick's 'Days of Heaven' (1978), Blake Edwards' 'Victor Victoria' (1982) and 'Sunset' (1988), Peter Hyams' '2010' (1984) and, just last year, Steve McQueen's '12 Years a Slave' (2013); her impressive body of work also includes designing the costumes for Herbert Ross' 'The Sunshine Boys' (1975) and 'California Suite' (1978), Arthur Penn's 'The Missouri Breaks' (1976) and 'Four Friends' (1981), Mel Brooks' 'Silent Movie' (1976), 'High Anxiety' (1977) and 'History of the World: Part 1' (1981), Brian De Palma's 'Scarface' (1983), Amy Heckerling's 'Johnny Dangerously' (1984), Roger Spottiswoode's 'The Best of Times' (1986), and James Gray's 'The Immigrant' (2013), and serving as both costume and production designer on Nick Castle's 'Tap' (1989) and 'Delivering Milo' (2001), Edward Zwick's 'Leaving Normal' (1992), Wim Wenders' 'The End of Violence' (1997), Stephen Frears' 'The Hi-Lo Country' (1998), and Andrew Dominik's 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' (2007) and 'Killing Them Softly' (2012); the only person to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Costume Designers Guild and the Art Directors Guild

March 22, 1931 – February 20, 2015

A.k.a. Alexander Whitelaw; associate producer (J. Lee Thompson's 'Taras Bulba' [1962] and John Huston's 'The Night of the Iguana' [1964] and 'Reflections in a Golden Eye' [1967]), director (1975's 'Lifespan;' 1997's 'Vicious Circles'), actor (Wim Wenders' 'The American Friend' [1977]; Jacques Audiard's 'The Beat My Heart Skipped' [2005]), dialogue coach (Costa-Gavras's 2002 film 'Amen.') and famed French-to-English translator (Eric Rohmer's 'A Tale of Springtime' [1990]; Laurent Cantet's 'Heading South' [2005])

1930 – February 20, 2015

Actor best known for originating the role of Mr. Goodwrench for General Motors in the 1970s; was a very active member of the Screen Actors Guild, serving 26 times as a member of a negotiating committee on national contracts; was also one of the creators and producers of the SAG Awards shows

March 10, 1930 – February 21, 2015

Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker best known for co-directing the 'Paradise Lost' trilogy (1996-2011), 'Brother's Keeper' (1992), 'Metallica: Some Kind of Monster' (2004) alongside Joe Berlinger

March 31, 1956 – February 21, 2015

Legendary, playful, influential jazz trumpeter, pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz and advocate of jazz education; one of the few musicians to have worked with the orchestras of both Duke Ellington and Count Basie; perhaps best known for his ten years as a member of Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show' band starting in 1960, making him one of the first black musicians to hold a staff position at a TV network; remembered for his unique "mumbling" scat singing, which led to his hit signature song, "Mumbles"

December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015

Songwriter and session musician who co-wrote country hits such as "Love Me Like You Used To" (first recorded by Johnny Cash and later a hit for Tanya Tucker), George Strait's "So Much Like My Dad" and the Waylon Jennings tunes "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)," "Women Do Know How to Carry On" and "The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You);" also played keyboards on more than 100 chart hits, including iconic recordings such as Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline"

February 19, 1943 – February 23, 2015

Famed key grip known as "Chainsaw" Tommy May

February 19, 1943 – February 23, 2015

**more info coming soon

Actor best known for his recurring role as Meep in the fourth season of the anthology series 'American Horror Story,' subtitled 'Freak Show;' had earlier appeared as Infantata in two episodes of the show's first season, including the pilot; also appeared in such films as 'Insidious' (2010) and 'Tales of Halloween' (2015)

September 15, 1980 – February 23, 2015

Writer and producer best known for his work on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' particularly for writing the episode ("Q Who?") that introduced the Borg; also wrote multiple episodes for such shows as 'The Equalizer,' 'Miami Vice,' 'Kung Fu: The Legend Continues,' 'La Femme Nikita,' 'Baywatch,' and '24'

August 16, 1939 – February 24, 2015

Emmy-winning producer and writer who co-developed and produced TV's 'Mod Squad' and was executive producer of 'The Six Million Dollar Man,' spinoff 'The Bionic Woman,' and the landmark miniseries 'Rich Man, Poor Man,' but was perhaps best known for his contributions to the 'Star Trek' film franchise in the 1980s; co-wrote the story for and executive produced 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (1982), wrote and produced 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' (1984), produced and co-wrote both the story and the screenplay for 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' (1986), and produced and co-wrote the story for 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier' (1989); had actually acquired fame many years earlier, from age 10 to 16, when he was the most renowned and prolific panelist on the immensely popular '40s radio show 'The Quiz Kids;' later served as executive producer on the 1981-82 TV revival of the show hosted by Norman Lear, for which Bennett was nominated for a CableACE Award; other accolades include Hugo Award nominations for the first three 'Star Trek' films he worked on and, more notably, Emmy Award nominations in Outstanding Dramatic Series for 'Mod Squad' and Outstanding Limited Series for 'Rich Man, Poor Man;' won the 1982 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Special for 'A Woman Called Golda' (1982), which co-starred Leonard Nimoy, with whom he collaborated on all four of the 'Star Trek' movies listed above and who succeeded him in death just two days later

August 17, 1930 – February 25, 2015 (not March 4 as is being reported)

Actor known for his Australian TV roles as, Detective Sgt. Reg Truscott on 'Bluey,' Detective Inspector Jack Grace on 'Prisoner' and Sgt. Jack Carruthers on 'The Flying Doctors,' and for playing Duffy, the lead kangaroo shooter in the hit film 'Crocodile Dundee' (1986)

October 25, 1939 – February 25, 2015

Veteran production designer who worked on more episodes of the classic 'Doctor Who' series than any other designer in the show's 26-year history, from the very first story, "An Unearthly Child," in 1963 to "The Awakening" in 1984, for a total of 62 episodes across 14 stories; other notable credits include the 1978 miniseries 'The Lost Boys,' for which he won a Royal Television Society award for Best Design, and the 1979 miniseries 'Prince Regent,' for which he was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award

1927 – February 25, 2015

Singer and actor considered to be the last of the great old classic Neapolitan singers; best known for being the first singer to have recorded comedian and actor Totò's immensely popular Neapolitan song 'Malafemmena,' his version of which remains the most famous; also remembered for his highly successful recording of the song 'Munasterio 'e Santa Chiara' ('Monastery at Santa Chiara') and for co-starring in such films as Roberto Rossellini's 'Where Is Freedom?' (1954) and Ettore Giannini's comedy 'Neapolitan Carousel' (1967); is credited with discovering actresses Virna Lisa and Marisa Allasio

August 30, 1923 - February 25, 2015

Director and cinematographer who directed the landmark Malayalam films 'Bhargavi Nilayam' (1964) and 'Murappennu' (1965), directed photography on many critically acclaimed films for C. V. Sridhar (including 1959's 'Kalyana Parisu,' 1961's 'Then Nilavu' and 1964's 'Kadhalikka Neramillai') and won the Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award for shooting K.S. Prakash Rao's 'Prem Nagar' (1974)

June 14, 1928 – February 25, 2015

Quintessential tough-guy character actor best known for playing the cop who (spoiler alert) shoots and kills Faye Dunaway at the end of 'Chinatown' (1974); also known for his roles opposite Frank Sinatra in the films 'Robin and the 7 Hoods' (1964), 'None But the Brave' (1965) and 'Von Ryan's Express' (1965) and his roles in numerous live-action Disney films, including 'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' (1969), 'Now You See Him, Now You Don't' (1972), 'The Strongest Man in the World' (1975), 'The Shaggy D.A.' (1976), and 'Return from Witch Mountain' (1978); was also the voice of Dinky the sparrow in Disney's animated classic 'The Fox and the Hound' (1981); also had roles in such notable films as 'Up Periscope' (1959), Ray Milland's 'Panic in Year Zero!' (1962), racial drama 'Pressure Point' (1962), George Stevens' 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' (1965), Roger Corman's 'The St. Valentine's Day Massacre' (1967), 'The Man with Bogart's Face' (1980) and Terry Zwigoff's 'Art School Confidential' (2006)

January 29, 1931 – February 27, 2015

Singer who was an original member of the '90s R&B group Brownstone, best known for their 1995 Grammy-nominated hit single "If You Love Me"

January 11, 1969 – February 27, 2015

Actor, director, photographer, poet, singer-songwriter and author best known for his longtime iconic role as Spock on the original 'Star Trek' series and first six films (1979-1991), as well as the animated series, the 'Next Generation' two-parter "Unification," J.J. Abrams' 'Star Trek' (2009) and 'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013) and various video games; earned three consecutive Emmy nominations between 1967 and 1969 for his performance as the stoic, logical Mr. Spock in the original series; later directed two entries in the film series, namely 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' (1984) and 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' (1986), and contributed to the stories for both of those films as well as 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979) and 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991); also remembered for singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" (and lip-synching to the song for a now-famous guest appearance on the TV show 'Malibu U'), playing master-of-disguise Paris on TV's 'Mission: Impossible,' hosting the TV series 'In Search of...," his role as Dr. David Kibner in the acclaimed 1978 remake of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' his Emmy-nominated performance in the made-for-TV movie 'A Woman Called Golda' (1982), his portrayal of The Evil Moroccan Magician in the 'Faerie Tale Theatre' episode "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp," his voice-over work in such films as 'The Transformers: The Movie' (1986), 'The Pagemaster' (1994), 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' (2001) and 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' (2009), his animated appearances on 'The Simpsons,' his recurring role as Dr. William Bell on the FOX sci-fi series 'Fringe,' and for directing such films as '3 Men and a Baby' (1987), 'The Good Mother' (1988) and 'Funny About Love' (1990)

March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015

Set decorator who was Oscar-nominated for her work on John Boorman's 'Hope and Glory' (1987) and Alfonso Cuarón's 'Gravity' (2013), the latter of which also earned her a BAFTA nomination and an Excellence in Production Design Award from the Art Directors Guild; also worked on such films as Taylor Hackford's 'White Nights' (1985), Terry Jones' 'Erik the Viking' (1989), Steven Soderbergh's 'Kafka' (1991), 'Splitting Heirs' (1993), Iain Softley's 'Hackers' (1995) and 'The Wings of the Dove' (1997), Disney's '101 Dalmatians' (1996) and '102 Dalmatians' (2000), Neil Jordan's 'The End of the Affair' (1999), Gillian Armstrong's 'Charlotte Gray' (2002), and Nicholas Hytner's 'The History Boys' (2006)

died February 27, 2015

Spanish-Argentine actor known for his roles in the telenovelas 'Amar en tiempos revueltos' and '14 de abril. La República' and films including Daniel Sánchez Arévalo's 'Dark Blue Almost Black' (2004) and 'Family United' (2013), Vicente Aranda's 'Libertarias' (1996), 'Mad Love' (2001) and 'Lolita's Club' (2007), Antonio Mercero's war drama 'A Time for Defiance' (1998), Enrique Urbizu's thriller 'Box 507' (2002), Montxo Armendáriz's drama 'Obaba' (2005), Andrucha Waddington's 'Lope' (2010), and the horror movies 'No-Do: The Haunting' (2009) and '[REC] 4: Apocalypse' (2014)

October 25, 1944 – February 28, 2015

Four-time Grammy-winning jazz producer and album notes writer, co-founder of revered jazz label Riverside Records and founder of Milestone Records

March 2, 1923 – March 1, 2015

Veteran character actor best known for his TV roles as Kruger on 'Seinfeld' and Commandant Edwin Spangler on 'Malcolm in the Middle;' also known for his appearances and supporting performances in such films as 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'Basic Instinct' (1992), 'Philadelphia' (1993), 'Crimson Tide' (1995), 'Lord of Illusions' (1995), 'G.I. Jane' (1997), 'The Postman' (1997), 'Amistad' (1997), 'The Faculty' (1998), 'The General's Daughter' (1999), 'Snow Falling on Cedars' (1999), 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' (2000), and 'Super Troopers' (2001)

June 5, 1950 – March 1, 2015

Production manager and producer best known for his association with director Krzysztof Kieslowski; produced Kieslowski's acclaimed films 'No End' (1985), 'A Short Film About Killing' (1988) and 'A Short Film About Love' (1989) and the director's 10-part epic masterpiece, 'The Decalogue;' was also an executive producer on Kieslowski's 'The Double Life of Veronique' (1991) and production manager on his 'Three Colors: White' (1994); other notable works as production manager include Jerzy Passendorfer's 'Janosik' (1974), Feliks Falk's 'Top Dog' (1978), Tadeusz Konwicki's 'Valley of the Issa' (1982) and 'A Tale of Adam Mickiewicz's 'Forefathers' Eve'' (1989), and Lech Majewski's 'Wojaczek' (1999)

January 31, 1933 – March 2, 2015

TV writer best known for her work on 'The Carol Burnett Show,' for which she won three Emmy Awards out of seven nominations, and for co-creating the popular sitcoms 'The Facts of Life,' '"It's a Living' and 'Mama's Family' alongside writing partner Dick Clair; also earned an Emmy nomination for her brief stint on 'Soap' and was a writer and producer on ABC's 1987 comedy special 'Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin,' which netted the late Robin Williams his second of eight Emmy nominations and the first of his two Emmy wins

May 14, 1933 – March 2, 2015

Actress best known for playing Barbara Baxter in the last season of the sitcom 'Hazel' and for her supporting roles in the cult '70s films 'Frogs' (1972), 'Walking Tall' (1973) and 'Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry' (1974); also appeared in such classic films as Blake Edwards' 'Days of Wine and Roses' (1962), Edward Dmytryk's 'The Carpetbaggers' (1964), Paul Mazursky's 'Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice' (1969), Philip Kaufman's 'The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid' (1972) and Clint Eastwood's 'Breezy' (1973)

March 24, 1937 – March 3, 2015

Iconic, frequently-honored Romanian actor and director famed for his work with the National Theatre Bucharest and the Cluj-Napoca National Theatre, his lead roles in classic films such as 'Intoarcerea lui Voda Lapusneanu' (1980), 'Trandafirul galben' (1982) and 'Adela' (1985), and his supporting roles in many other acclaimed films, including 'Fratii Jderi' (1973). 'Stefan cel Mare - Vaslui 1475' (1975) and 'Misterele Bucurestilor' (1983)

January 22, 1936 – March 4, 2015

Prominent, influential singer-songwriter best known as the frontman for the pioneering Serbian/former Yugoslav '80s new wave band Idoli

May 10, 1958 – March 5, 2015

Animation writer, story editor, producer, director and timing director who, in a career spanning roughly 37 years, worked on such animated programs as 'The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show,' 'Heathcliff,' 'Alvin & the Chipmunks,' 'G.I. Joe,' 'CBS Storybreak' (for which he earned the first of two Daytime Emmy nominations), 'Teen Wolf' (which he produced and directed), 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures,' 'Taz-Mania' (which earned him his second Daytime Emmy nod), Disney's 'Bonkers,' 'Life with Louie,' 'Courage the Cowardly Dog,' Disney's 'Kim Possible,' 'Family Guy,' 'The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy,' 'Adventure Time,' 'Young Justice,' 'The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes,' and 'Bob's Burgers;' also worked on several 'Scooby-Doo' TV movies, earned a Primetime Emmy nomination as timing director on 'Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms' (2006) and was timing director on many of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, including 'Superman/Batman: Public Enemies ' (2009), 'Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths' (2010), 'Batman: Under the Red Hood' (2010), 'Superman/Batman: Apocalypse ' (2010), and 'Batman: Year One' (2011)

1954 – March 5, 2015

Legendary, pioneering documentary filmmaker who, with his brother David, made such landmark documentaries as 'Salesman' (1968), 'Gimme Shelter' (1970) and 'Grey Gardens' (1975); both also earned an Oscar nomination for their 1974 documentary short 'Christo's Valley Curtain' and won an Emmy for their 1985 TV documentary 'Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic;' Albert later won an Emmy with three other directors for 1991's 'Soldiers of Music;' recipient of many other accolades, including Sundance Film Festival Cinematography Awards for 'Christo in Paris' (1990) and 'Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton' (2001), the President's Award from the American Society of Cinematographers and multiple lifetime achievement awards

November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015

Folk singer, musician and entertainer perhaps best known for being a member of The Dubliners from 1974 to 1979, though he also had a long solo career; hosted an Irish TV series in the '70s called 'The McCann Man,' on which fellow Dubliner Luke Kelly did his only televised performance of the Phil Coulter song "Scorn Not His Simplicity;" subsequently co-starred with Kelly as part of the cast of the original Irish production of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in 1973; put his distinctive stamp on Irish ballads such as "Four Green Fields," "Carrickfergus" and "Boolavogue" while his 1986 recording of Frank and Seán O’Meara's "Grace" remains his most famous work as a solo artist

October 26, 1944 – March 5, 2015

Filmmaker who was a co-founder of and an executive at Nu Image Films; produced mostly schlock action and genre films such as the 'Cyborg Cop' trilogy (1993-1995), 'Bridge of Dragons' (1999), the 'Operation Delta Force' movies (1997-2000), 'Spiders' (2000) and 'Spiders II: Breeding Ground' (2001), 'Shark Attack 2' (2000) and 'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon' (2002), 'The Order' (2001), 'Replicant' (2001), 'Ticker' (2001), 'In Hell' (2003), 'Alien Hunter' (2003), 'Rats' (2003), 'Today You Die' (2005), 'Hero Wanted' (2008) and 'Ninja' (2009); more recently produced the bigger-budgeted (but still schlocky) 'Conan the Barbarian' (2011), 'The Expendables 2' (2012), 'Olympus Has Fallen' (2013), 'Homefront' (2013), 'The Legend of Hercules' (2014) and 'The Expendables 3' (2014); also occasionally produced artier films, including Tim Blake Nelson 's 'The Grey Zone' (2001), Mimi Leder's 'Thick as Thieves' (2009) and Gabe Ibáñez's 'Autómata (2014)

1952 – March 6, 2015

Journalist and producer who was creator and executive producer of the TV news magazine 'NOW on PBS' (originally 'Now with Bill Moyers'), for which he won an Emmy for News & Documentary in 2004 and another for Business and Financial Reporting in 2007; had previously been a producer for ABC's '20/20' and' Primetime Live' and a senior broadcast producer for ABC News and 'Dateline NBC;' received a Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award and a Peabody for his work with ABC News' coverage of the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and won News Emmy Awards for ABC News segments on the Millennium celebrations and the NBC News exposé "The Terror Connection"

October 21, 1953 – March 6, 2015

Writer, producer, director, philanthropist and animal activist best known as one of the creative forces behind 'The Simpsons,' having co-developed the show by hiring and leading its initial writing team, designing many of the recurring characters, serving as creative supervisor and active executive producer during the first four season and co-showrunner for the first two; is credited with developing the show's "sensibility" and is thus seen as one of the primary forces behind its success and popularity; continues to be credited as executive producer on 'The Simpsons' despite leaving the show in 1993; began his career as a storyboard artist and writer at Filmation in 1979, where he worked on 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' and 'The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle;' moved on to became writer, producer and executive story editor, and later showrunner, on the classic sitcom 'Taxi' during its last few seasons; also wrote for and produced 'Cheers' during its early years before becoming writer and executive producer of 'The Tracey Ullman Show,' from which 'The Simpsons' was spun off; won two Emmy Awards for his work on 'Tracey Ullman' and another seven for 'The Simpsons' out of a total 20 nominations for both shows (plus one each for 'Taxi' and 'Cheers'); created 'The George Carlin Show' after leaving 'The Simpsons' and then became a director, consulting producer and creative consultant on 'The Drew Carey Show;' more recently served as executive consultant on the Charlie Sheen's FX sitcom 'Anger Management'

June 6, 1955 – March 8, 2015

Producer, presenter and filmmaker considered an Argentine TV legend; was a creative force behind two of the most popular and longest-running TV programs in Argentina: the sketch comedy series 'Polémica en el bar," which he co-created, co-produced and co-directed with his brother Hugo and which ran from 1963 to 2010, and 'La noche del Domingo,' which he created, produced and presented and which aired from 1987 to 2013; also co-created (again, with Hugo) the popular and frequently revived comedy show 'Operation Ja-Ja,' hosted the Channel 9 programs 'A la manera de Sofovich' and 'Sin Límite SMS,' was a judge on the Argentine version of 'Dancing with the Stars,' and was the regular celebrity participant on the game show 'Los 8 escalones'

March 18, 1937 – March 8, 2015

Trumpeter, flugelhorn player and composer best known for his work with pioneering jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973; was featured on the group's eponymous second album, which won the 1970 Grammy Award for album of the Year and which included the hit single "Spinning Wheel," on which he had a memorable (some musicians say transformational) bebop-inflected upper-register sax solo; frequently performed and recorded with Gil Evans and was a regular member of Evans' Monday Night ensembles until Evans' death in 1988; played with The Philip Glass Ensemble on the soundtrack for Godfrey Reggio's avant-garde documentary 'Koyaanisqatsi' (1982) and was prominently featured on the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola's film 'The Cotton Club' (1984); also noted for being lead trumpeter of both the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, a longtime member of Manhattan Jazz Quintet and Mingus Big Band, a member of the jazz-funk ensemble Members Only and the quintet Manhattan Brass, for serving as a session musician for such artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Lou Reed, for playing trumpet on Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al," and for working with Carla Bley, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Maynard Ferguson, Ornette Coleman, Chuck Mangione, Bob Belden, and many other great talents

February 20, 1944 – March 8, 2015

Mexican-born character actor perhaps best known for his role as the peaceful Cheyenne informer "Mr. Cousin" in 16 episodes of ' The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp' between 1955 and 1959 and for playing village leader Sotero in John Sturges' classic Western film 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960); also had prominent roles in Westerns such as William Castle's 'Conquest of Cochise' (1953) and Rudolph Maté's 'Siege at Red River' (1954), as well as adventure dramas 'Appointment in Honduras' (1953) and 'Green Fire' (1954) and the cult sci-fi film 'War of the Colossal Beast' (1958); can also be seen in films such as John Sturges' 'Capture' (1950) and 'Jeopardy' (1953), Elia Kazan's 'Viva Zapata!' (1952), Josef von Sternberg's 'Macao' (1952), Frank Lloyd's 'The Last Command' (1955), and Peter Glenville's Oscar-nominated 'Summer and Smoke' (1961), and on TV shows including 'Death Valley Days,' 'Maverick,' 'Rawhide,' 'Gunsmoke,' 'The Fugitive,' 'Bonanza,' and 'The High Chaparral'

October 25, 1919 – March 9, 2015

Singer-songwriter, musician and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame who charted 24 singles on the Hot Country Songs charts as a recording artist (his biggest hit being 1973's "Honky Tonk Wine") and wrote or co-wrote the classic country tunes "One Piece at a Time" and "Love Bug," as well as later hits including "I’ll Leave This World Loving You," "The Fireman," "Tell Ole I Ain’t Here He Better Get on Home" and "Who’ll Turn Out the Lights in Your World Tonight"

June 1, 1941 – March 9, 2015

Film and sound effects editor who won Emmy Awards in Sound Editing for the hit TV movie 'The Day After' (1983) and the pilot episode of 'Miami Vice;' also Emmy-nominated as sound editor of the final episode of the 1983 miniseries 'The Winds of War;' previously served as sound editor on such classic films as 'The Country Girl' (1954), 'The Desperate Hours' (1955), 'Rebel Without a Cause ' (1955), 'The Rose Tattoo' (1955), 'Around the World in Eighty Days ' (1956), 'Sayonara' (1957) and 'A Farewell to Arms' (1957); later edited sound effects on TV's '12 O'Clock High' and was assistant film editor on 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962) and TV's 'The Fugitive;' later still served as post-production coordinator on all five seasons of 'The Brady Bunch,' as editorial supervisor, post-production supervisor and associate producer on 'The Odd Couple,' as film editor on episodes of 'Happy Days' and 'Laverne & Shirley,' and as sound effects editor on 'Mork & Mindy,' Billy Wilder's 'Fedora' (1978), Paul Schrader's 'American Gigolo' (1980), Michael Gottlieb's 'Mannequin' (1987), John Patrick Shanley's 'Joe Versus the Volcano' (1990), among many other assignments

March 7, 1941 – March 9, 2015

Actor best known for playing the delivery man of the Miller High Life beer commercials, for his role as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Curtis Brumfield on ABC's medical drama series 'Body of Proof,' and most recently for co-starring in Adam Carolla and Kevin Hench's comedy 'Road Hard' (2015); also known for his recurring roles as security guards on 'Scrubs' and 'The Suite Life on Deck' and for his appearances as Carmen's husband Nick on 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'

January 8, 1979 – March 9, 2015

TV personality and stagehand who was Gene Gene the Dancing Machine on 'The Gong Show'

April 25, 1932 – March 9, 2015

Writer and director who co-wrote and co-directed the films 'Quinceañera' (2006), 'The Last of Robin Hood' (2013) and 'Still Alice' (2014) with partner and husband, Wash Westmoreland; won the John Cassavetes Award from the Independence Spirit Awards and the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival for 'Quinceañera,' while 'Still Alice' earned star Julianne Moore her first Oscar; also wrote and directed the award-winning 1993 film 'Grief' and was a producer and later a consultant on Tyra Bank's popular reality show 'America's Next Top Model'

January 28, 1952 – March 10, 2015

Legendary Australian actor and entertainer famed for his various theater and television performances; famously played Professor Henry Higgins in 'My Fair Lady' and Captain Georg von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music' for the Australian stage; TV highlights include hosting the variety show 'Studio A,' presenting the talk show 'Beauty and the Beast' and being a regular panelist on the game shows 'Celebrity Squares' and 'Blankety Blanks'

February 13, 1925 – March 10, 2015

Actor best known for playing Carrington butler Gerard on TV's 'Dallas;' appeared on many other TV shows and several films, including 'My Fair Lady' (1964), 'The President's Analyst' (1967), Woody Allen's 'Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask' (1972), and Robert Aldrich's dramas 'The Legend of Lylah Clare' (1968), 'The Killing of Sister George' (1968) and 'Too Late the Hero' (1970)

January 15, 1930 – March 11, 2015

Longtime keyboardist for the rock band Three Dog Night

February 7, 1948 – March 11, 2015

Actor who was the star of three short-lived TV shows in the '60s: Sam Peckinpah's 'Klondike' and the adventure series 'Acapulco,' both on NBC, and, most notably, the Western series 'Hondo' on ABC; also co-starred in such films as Richard Donner's historical drama 'X-15' (1961) and Edward Dmytryk's drama 'The Carpetbaggers' (1964)

July 30, 1936 – March 11, 2015

Veteran stuntman and actor; was the stunt double for Don Adams on 'Get Smart,' Frank Gorshin on 'Batman,' Bruce Lee on 'The Green Hornet,' and Charles Dierkop on 'Police Woman;' coordinated the stunts in a few films, most notably 'Vice Squad' (1982), 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' (1982) and 'Repo Man' (1984); performed stunts in many classic films, including 'Bonnie and Clyde' (1967), 'Planet of the Apes' (1968), 'Countdown' (1968, doubling Robert Duvall), 'MASH' (1970, again doubling Duvall), 'The Towering Inferno' (1974), 'Escape from New York' (1981), 'Silverado' (1985), 'Short Circuit' (1986), 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' (1986), 'Midnight Run' (1988), 'They Live' (1988) and 'Glory' (1989); also appeared on TV shows such as 'Bonanza,' 'The Untouchables,' 'Star Trek,' 'Gunsmoke' and 'Get Smart,' as well as films including 'Batman: The Movie' (1966) and 'The Beastmaster' (1982); later stunt credits include 'RoboCop 2' (1990), 'Freaked' (1993), 'The Cable Guy' (1996), 'Dante's Peak' (1997), 'Wild Wild West' (1999), 'Big Momma's House' (2000), 'Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous' (2005) and 'Georgia Rule' (2007)

March 1, 1930 – March 12, 2015

Actor best known for his character roles in '80s films such as '48 Hrs.' (1982), 'Flashdance' (1983), 'Commando' (1985), 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' (1986) and especially 'Die Hard' (1988); also had brief recurring roles on 'NYPD Blue' and the short-lived 'George Carlin Show' and voiced the thug Frankie in three episodes of 'Batman: The Animated Series,' in addition to many other TV appearances

October 21, 1952 – March 12, 2015

Director of the landmark Kannada films 'Bangaarada Manushya' (1972) and 'Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu' (1974)

1936 – March 12, 2015

Guitarist, singer, composer, poet and performance artist who co-founded the influential psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong

January 13, 1938 – March 13, 2015

Ambitious producer and director of highly-acclaimed documentary series such as 'The Ascent of Man,' 'Cosmos' and 'Smithsonian World,' the latter of which earned him two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Informational Series

February 3, 1937 – March 13, 2015

A pioneering figure in the Israeli film industry as founder of the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Israel Film Archive (the country's first film archive), and famed Cinematheques in Haifa, Tel Aviv and particularly Jerusalem

August 8, 1924 – March 13, 2015

Sound and picture editor who was part of the Emmy-winning sound team on the pilot episode for 'Miami Vice' and who shared an Eddie from the American Cinema Editors for co-editing an episode of 'In the Heat of the Night' with Bud Hayes; was also a sound editor on such TV shows as 'The Equalizer' and 'Quantum Leap' as well as a number of films, including 'Last Rites' (1988), 'Kindergarten Cop' (1990), 'Toy Soldiers' (1991), 'My Girl' (1991) and 'White Sands' (1992); additional credits as picture editor include the TV shows 'The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo' and 'B.J. and the Bear'

July 7, 1942 – March 14, 2015

Screenwriter and director best known for co-writing the sci-fi cult classic 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars' (1964); also co-wrote and directed 'The Angry Red Planet' (1959) and 'The Time Travelers' (1964), co-scripted Steven W. Pink's films 'Reptilicus' (1961) and 'Journey to the Seventh Planet' (1962), co-wrote the English-language script for Mario Bava's 'Planet of the Vampires' (1965) and wrote the short story "The Racer," which served as the basis for Paul Bartel's 'Death Race 2000' (1975) and, later, Paul W.S. Anderson's 'Death Race' (2006)

September 17, 1917 – March 14, 2015

Director and producer best known for his giallo films 'Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion' (1970), 'Death Walks on High Heels' (1971) and 'Death Walks at Midnight' (1972) and for producing spaghetti Westerns such as Duccio Tessari's 'A Pistol for Ringo' and 'The Return of Ringo' (both 1965) and Giorgio Capitani's 'The Ruthless Four' (1967); was also a producer on André Hunebelle's 'Fantômas' (1964)

October 19, 1929 – March 15, 2015

Actress and protégé of actress-filmmaker Ida Lupino; starred in Lupino's films 'Not Wanted' (1949), 'Never Fear' (1949) and 'Hard, Fast and Beautiful' (1951) and co-starred with Lupino in Fritz Lang's classic noir 'While the City Sleeps' (1956); also starred or co-starred in such films as John Sturges' noir 'Mystery Street ' (1951), Richard Thorpe's Western 'Vengeance Valley' (1951), the Red Skelton musical comedy 'Excuse My Dust' (1951), Fred Wilcox's crime drama 'Code Two' (1953) and the fantasy-adventure 'Son of Sinbad' (1955); mostly appeared in television and stage productions starting in the early '50s, including the original Broadway production of 'The Seven Year Itch' (in the role played by Marilyn Monroe in the film version)

May 28, 1928 – March 15, 2015

Bass guitarist best known for his work with Toto from 1982 to 2008

May 29, 1955 – March 15, 2015

Songwriter and bass guitarist best known as a founding member of the rock band Free and for co-writing the band's signature song, "All Right Now"

July 3, 1952 – March 16, 2015

Songwriter and pianist who wrote or co-wrote hit songs such as "Born to Be With You" (performed by The Chordettes), "Hummingbird" and "I Really Don't Want to Know" (both performed by Les Paul and Mary Ford), "I Don't Hurt Anymore" (by Hank Snow), "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" (by Hank Lochlin), and "Ringo" (by Lorne Greene); had his own Top 10 hit as a performer with "The Happy Whistler" in 1956, which sold over one million copies and was certified gold; is is credited with the creation of the music style known as "slip-note piano" or "Nashville piano" that was popularized by fellow pianist Floyd Cramer; inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972

December 5, 1922 – March 16, 2015

Legendary Nigerian filmmaker considered to be the father of African animation; one of the first filmmakers in Africa and creator of the first two animated films of the sub-Saharan Africa -- namely, 'La mort de Gandji' (1965) and 'Bon voyage, Sim' (1966); other notable works include the pop-art Western short 'Le Retour d’un aventurier' (1966), the award-winning dramatic features 'F.V.V.A. - Femmes Voitures Villas Argent' (1972) and 'Toula ou Le génie des eaux' (1973), and the animated shorts 'Samba le grand' (1977) and 'Kokoa' (1985); was made Knight of the Legion of Honour during the Cannes Film Festival in 2007

1942 – March 17, 2014

TV producer best known as the creator and executive producer of the smash-hit, long-running BBC motoring series 'Top Gear'

April 16, 1927 – March 17, 2015

Television personality and actor best known for presenting the long-running 5-minute real-crime program 'Police 5,' in which he would ask for viewers' help in solving crimes and urged them to stay vigilant with his famous catchphrase, "Keep 'em peeled"

October 26, 1924 – March 17, 2015

Rhoda Mann Winkler; chief puppeteer on 'The Howdy Doody Show' during the show's first five and a half years (1947-1953), during which time she operated Howdy Doody puppet as well as Princess Summerfall Winterspring; later worked as a voice-over artist, becoming the first woman to do voice-over for a car commercial in the 1960s and voicing Mother Nature on the classic Rankin-Bass TV special 'The Year Without a Santa Claus' (1974)

ca. 1927 – March 18, 2015

Founding keyboardist and songwriter for the 1960s baroque-pop group The Left Banke; co-wrote and played harpsichord on the group's first and biggest hit, "Walk Away Renée," and also wrote and played on their follow-up hit, "Pretty Ballerina"

April 25, 1949 – March 19, 2015

Filmmaker, TV producer, journalist, author and "news dissector" known for his sharp criticism of corporate media and his advocacy of human rights, particularly his active involvement in the anti-apartheid movement; became known as "Danny Schechter, the news dissector" during his time at the Boston radio station WBCN-FM in the 1970s; went national as part of the startup team that launched CNN and as a producer of ABC's '20/20,' where his work won two Emmy Awards; subsequently abandoned corporate media and co-founded Globalvision in 1988, through which he produced the award-winning weekly public affairs program 'South Africa Now;' also produced and directed more than 30 non-fiction films, including six about Nelson Mandela and the award-winning documentary 'WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception' (2004)

June 27, 1942 – March 19, 2015

Veteran director whose credits include 21 episodes of 'The Untouchables,' 11 episodes of 'The Fugitive,' 12 episodes of 'The Streets of San Francisco,' 49 episodes of 'Barnaby Jones' and 53 episodes of 'Murder, She Wrote;' also directed a number of films, most notably the war drama '633 Squadron' and the thriller 'Lady in a Cage,' both released in 1964

March 17, 1922 – March 20, 2015

Drummer best known for being a member of Twisted Sister during the band's most successful years, from 1981 to 1986

October 14, 1959 – March 20, 2015

Actor best known for starring in Ed Wood's infamous cult classic 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' (1959); previously appeared in such classic films as 'Mister Roberts' and 'Battle Cry' (both 1955) and went on to play Detective Roger Havilland on NBC's short-lived crime drama '87th Precinct;' later co-starred opposite Terence Hill in 'Man of the East' and played Gene Hackman's brother in 'Prime Cut' (both 1972); had roles in many other well-received '70s films, including Steven Spielberg's 'The Sugarland Express' (1974), 'Midway' (1976) and Martin Ritt's 'Norma Rae' (1979), as well as the Clint Eastwood movies 'Joe Kidd' (1972), 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot' (1974), 'The Eiger Sanction' (1975) and 'Every Which Way But Loose' (1978); final screen appearance was a cameo in Tim Burton's 'Ed Wood' (1994)

January 13, 1928 – March 20, 2015

Danish jazz and pop guitarist who had a big hit in North America with his 1961 recording of "Apache" in 1961; later won the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest alongside then-wife Grethe for their song "Dansevise" -- the first time Denmark or any Nordic country had won the contest

April 26, 1925 – March 21, 2015

Top TV executive, producer and director often referred to as the "dean of current programming;" began as a cue card holder on 'Captain Kangaroo' and rose through the ranks to become an innovative director of daytime soaps such as 'Guiding Light,' and 'Search for Tomorrow;' first executive jobs were as director of daytime programming at CBS from 1975-1978 and then VP Current Programming at MGM TV from 1979-1981; was VP Current Drama Series and VP Drama Development at NBC Studios from 1981-1986, during which time he worked on some of the network's biggest hits of '80s, including 'Hill Street Blues,' 'St Elsewhere,' 'Miami Vice,' 'The A-Team,' 'Knight Rider,' and 'Remington Steele;' also served as co-executive producer on the final season of 'Hill Street Blues;' moved on to become SVP Current Programming for Disney TV from 1989-1997, during which time he supervised such shows as 'The Golden Girls' and 'Home Improvement' and helped to develop 'Boy Meets World;' served as EVP Current Primetime Scheduling at the fledgling WB network from 1997-2004, where he oversaw 'Dawson's Creek,' 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer,' '7th Heaven,' 'Charmed,' 'Felicity,' 'Popular,' 'Everwood,' and 'Smallville;' became consulting producer on 'Smallville' from 2004-2005 and co-executive producer from 2005-2008, after which he served as consulting producer of the first season of FOX's 'Fringe;' mentored multiple highly successful writers and producers in the running of a television series, including J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, and Joss Whedon

May 25, 1945 – March 21, 2015

Singer-songwriter perhaps best known for writing the lyrics for the theme song to the long-running Australian soap opera 'Neighbours,' which was composed by then-husband Tony Hatch; co-wrote many other hits with Hatch, including "Where Are You Now (My Love)" (Trent's only #1 hit as a singer), Petula Clark's "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" and Scott Walker's "Joanna," as well as songs for such artists as Shirley Bassey, Vicki Carr, Jack Jones, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra

September 6, 1940 – March 21, 2015

Actress best known for playing Madeline on the TV series 'La Femme Nikita' and for her role as Special Agent Erin Driscoll during the latter half of the fourth season of '24;' also known for starring in Michael Mann's 'The Keep' (1983) and David O. Russell's 'Spanking the Monkey' (1994) and for her supporting roles in such films as Donald Cammell's 'White of the Eye' (1987), Iain Softley's 'Hackers' (1995), Atom Egoyan's 'The Sweet Hereafter' (1997), John Cameron Mitchell's 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' (2001), Martha Coolidge's 'The Prince and Me' (2004), Sarah Polley's 'Away from Her' (2006) and Scott Frank's 'The Lookout' (2007); most recently seen in The CW series 'Nikita,' in which she recurred as Senator Madeline Pierce

March 6, 1955 – March 21, 2015

Award-winning actor best known for his starring roles in famous Brazilian telenovelas and soap operas such as 'Brothers Courage' (both the 1970 original and 1995 remake), 'Scam' in 1986, 'Wounded Beast' in 1993, and 'Pantanal,' the latter of which earned him a Troféu Imprensa ("Press Trophy" - the most important annual award for excellence in Brazilian television) and the Associação Paulista de Críticos de Artes' (São Paulo Association of Art Critics) APCA Trophy in 1991; had roles in many other popular telenovelas and soaps, including 'Affectionate' in 1973, 'Brilliant' in 1981, 'Kananga do Japão' in 1989, 'A Inomada' in 1997, and 'Women in Love' in 2003; also noted for his roles in films directed by Hugo Cervara, most notably 'Se Segura, Malandro!' (1978), 'The Naked Man' (1997) and 'Casa da Mãe Joana' (2008), with his performance in 'The Naked Man' winning him the Best Actor award at the Gramado Film Festival; other notable film credits include Neville de Almeida's 'Lady on the Bus' (1978), Roberto Farias' 'Pra Frente, Brasil' (1982), Murilo Salles' 'Happier Than Ever' (1984), Guilherme de Almeida Prado's 'Perfume de Gardênia' (1992), and Miguel Faria, Jr.'s 'A Samba for Sherlock' (2001)

September 26, 1940 – March 22, 2015

Conductor, composer, pianist and organist most widely known as the founder and longtime artistic director of the Grammy-winning Choral Arts Society of Washington, one of the premier symphonic choruses in the U.S.

February 25, 1936 – March 22, 2015

Film editor who earned an Oscar nomination for his work Norman Jewison's 'The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming' (1966), which he shared with future film director Hal Ashby; also received two Emmy nominations -- one in 1972 as an editor on 'The Bold Ones: The Lawyers' in 1972 and the other in 1985 for editing the pilot episode of the series 'Crazy Like a Fox;' was an assistant editor on classics such as Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960) and Robert Mulligan's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1962) before landing his first job as a lead editor, on Jewison's 'Send Me No Flowers' (1964); went on to edit such films as 'The Secret War of Harry Frigg ' (1968) and 'Airport 1975' (1974) for Jack Smight, 'Airport '77' (1977), 'Raise the Titanic' (1980) and several TV movies for Jerry Jameson, 'The Wrath of God' (1972) for Ralph Nelson, and, most notably, Hitchcock's final film, 'Family Plot' (1976)

August 25, 1930 – March 22, 2015

Award-winning producer, writer and director whose film 'Fire!' (1968) entered into the main competition at the Venice Film Festival while a later film, 'The Last Day of School Before Christmas' (1975), screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival; had earlier won prizes from the Venice Film Festival for his short films 'The Crying of Spinsters' (1958) and 'The House of Widows' (1960), with the latter also winning him the Silver Ribbon from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists; perhaps best known, however, for producing other directors' films, most notably Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet's first full-length feature, 'The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach' (1968), as well as Pier Paolo Pasolini's 'Pigsty' (1969) and 'Notes Towards an African Orestes' (1970) and Robert Bresson's 'Four Nights of a Dreamer' (1971); also produced Nelo Risi's 'Diary of a Schizophrenic Girl' (1968), for which he won the Golden Cup from the Italian Golden Goblet Awards; was more recently wrote and directed a segment of the anthology film 'Invisible World' (2012), which also featured work by such renowned filmmakers as Theodoros Angelopoulos, Manoel de Oliveira, Atom Egoyan, and Wim Wenders

October 30, 1930 - March 23, 2015

Australian playwright and screenwriter best known for his controversial 1958 play 'The One Day of the Year,' one of the first prominent critiques of the jingoism of Anzac Day celebrations; went on to write acclaimed TV dramas for the BBC, including the 1984 BAFTA-winning miniseries adaptation of John Masefield's 'The Box of Delights' and the popular 'Chronicles of Narnia' serial that ran from 1988 to 1990 and consisted of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (1988), 'Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader' (1989) and 'The Silver Chair' (1990), the latter of which earned him a BAFTA TV nomination for Best Children's Program; later wrote several miniseries adaptations of Catherine Cookson books for Tyne Tees Television, including 'The Cinder Path' (1994), 'The Glass Virgin' (1995) and 'The Wingless Bird' (1997), and also wrote five episodes of the channel's family series 'The Famous Five'; was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007 for his services to the arts

June 6, 1927 – March 23, 2015

Producer, production executive and longtime film preservation advocate; was an executive at MGM and Turner, served on the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress and was chairman of the National Film Preservation Foundation, which has helped to rescue more than 2,100 orphan films; instituted a preservation program at MGM that included the first air-conditioned, refrigerated vaults to prevent the studio's film negatives from deteriorating; oversaw the MGM library while at Turner, where he also served as executive in charge of operations (and later production) on 'Captain Planet and the Planeteers,' executive produced a number of original documentaries for Turner Classic Movies, and helped to reconstruct Erich von Stroheim's 1924 masterpiece 'Greed;' received the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2005

April 21, 1926 – March 24, 2015

Popular TV weatherman known as "Dr. George" who was a staple on Los Angeles station KABC-TV's Eyewitness News broadcasts, where his humorous, enthusiastic delivery and offbeat appearance -- including black-rimmed glasses, a lively mustache and his signature bow-tie -- made him a top ratings draw

July 1, 1922 – March 25, 2015

Actor possibly best known for his role as Prince Vajda in Mario Bava's gothic horror classic 'Black Sunday' (1960); also remembered for co-starring in the first Italian science fiction film, 'The Day the Sky Exploded' (1958), for playing the small but pivotal role of Colonel Pallavicino in Luchino Visconti's epic drama 'The Leopard' (1963), and for his sizeable supporting roles in films such as the Steve Reeves-fronted adventures 'Hercules' (1958), 'Morgan, the Pirate' (1960) and 'The Slave' (1962), Terence Young's war drama 'The Rover' (1967), Fernando Di Leo's poliziottesco classic 'Caliber 9' (1972), Costa-Gavras' war drama 'Special Section' (1975) and Maurizio Lucidi's crime actioner 'Street People' (1976); was the Italian dubbing voice of Ernst Pittschau in Roberto Rossellini's classic 'Germany Year Zero' (1948), portrayed historical figures such as Benito Mussolini in Yuri Ozerov's epic 'Liberation' film series (1970-71) and Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult in Sergey Bondarchuk's 'Waterloo' (1970), was the star of Florestano Vancini's 'Bronte: Chronicle of a Massacre That History Books Have Not Told' a.k.a. 'Liberty' (1972), and can also be seen in such notable films as Rossellini's 'General Della Rovere' (1959), Antonio Pietrangeli's 'Adua and Friends' a.k.a. 'Hungry for Love' (1960), Abel Gance's 'Cyrano and d'Artagnan' (1964), Mario Monicelli's 'Casanova 70' (1965), Vittorio Sindoni's 'Deadly Inheritance' (1968) and Alberto De Martino's 'Holocaust 2000' (1977); more recently appeared in Marco Risi's films 'Soldati - 365 all'alba' (1987), 'The Invisible Wall' (1991) and 'The African Continent' (1993), Ricky Tognazzi's TV movies 'Excellent Cadavers' (1999) and 'The Good Pope: Pope John XXIII' (2003) and the comedies 'Zora the Vampire' (2000) and 'Marcello Marcello' (2008)

6 February 1924 – 25 March 2015

Popular Spanish comedian, actor and presenter known for his surreal humor and his collaboration with singer-comedian Pablo Carbonell, with whom he was part of the comedy duo Pedro y Pablo in the 1980s; performed alongside Carbonell on the famed 1984-1988 TV series 'La Bola de Cristal' ('The Crystal Ball'), after which he presented the variety show 'Pero ¿esto qué es?' ('But, what is this?') from 1989 to 1990, participated in the humorous game show 'No te rías, que es peor' ('You do not laugh, which is worse') from 1990 to 1992, co-presented the variety show 'Hola Raffaella!' from 1992 to 1994, co-starred in the sitcom 'Makinavaja' from 1995 to 1997, and took part in many other TV shows as well as a number of films and stage productions

May 8, 1961 – March 25, 2015

Austrian television presenter and singer best known for being the original host of the long-running German-language program 'Musikantenstadl,' a post he held from 1981 to 2005

June 19, 1938 – March 26, 2015

Influential musician and songwriter best known for his collaboration with fellow guitarist Bert Jansch and as a founding member of the folk-jazz group Pentangle

August 8, 1944 – March 26, 2015

Italian character actor known for his roles (often the villain) in many of the spaghetti Westerns and Western adventure films based on the works of Karl May, including 'The Yellow One' (1964), 'Old Shatterhand' (1964), 'Winnetou: The Last Shot' (1965), 'Winnetou and Old Firehand' (1966) and 'The Valley of Death' (1968); also known for his roles in the biblical epics 'Esther and the King' (1960) and 'Sodom and Gomorrah' (1962), the horror film 'Nightmare Castle' (1965), Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns 'Duck, You Sucker ' (1971) and 'A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe' (1975), Sergio Martino's Western 'Mannaja' (1977; a.k.a. 'A Man Called Blade'), adaptations of Jack London's 'Call of the Wild' (1972) and 'White Fang' (1973), and for playing Captain Smollett in the 1972 film version of 'Treasure Island'

February 18, 1927 – March 27, 2015

Actress, singer and jazz vocalist who earned a Tony nomination for her performance as part of the original ensemble of the long-running musical revue 'Smokey Joe's Cafe,' which included solo performances of the songs "Hound Dog" and "Fools Fall in Love;" was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for 'Smokey Joe's Cafe' and contributed to the original cast album of the show, which won a Grammy; had previously won a CableAce Award for her 1984 TV special 'Lady BJ Sings Lady Day: A Tribute to Billie Holiday;' went on to play Effie in a national tour of 'Dreamgirls' and returned to Broadway in 2002 to star in the short-lived musical revue 'One Mo' Time;' briefly played Matron "Mama" Morton in the current Broadway revival of 'Chicago' in 2003; also appeared on several TV shows as well as the 2006 comedy film 'The Immaculate Misconception'

November 23, 1952 – March 27, 2015

Popular Indonesian comedian, actor, singer, and television presenter, perhaps best known for co-hosting the music show 'Dahsyat' from its premiere in 2008 until 2013 and again in 2014, and for his course humor, which often put him at odds with the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission; also known for his breakout work as co-presenter of the talk show 'Ceriwis,' for his appearances on the quiz show 'Pesbukers,' for presenting the reality show 'Catatan Si Olga' and the talent show 'Tarung Dangdut,' and for co-hosting the talk show 'Online,' and for his starring roles in several films; won many awards in his relatively short-lived career, including eight Panasonic Awards (five for 'Dahsyat,' two for 'Pesbukers' and one for 'Tarung Dangdut') and two Bintang RPTI Awards

February 8, 1983 – March 27, 2015

Writer, director and producer known for making the Joe McDoakes short films for Warner Bros. between 1942 and 1956, for directing nearly every episode of the sitcom 'Green Acres,' and for directing seven episodes of 'Twilight Zone,' most notably the classic 1962 story "To Serve Man;" also directed multiple episodes of such shows as '77 Sunset Strip' (for which he won a DGA Award), 'Maverick,' 'Cheyenne,' 'The Virginian,' and 'Petticoat Junction;' directed a handful of films, as well, including the crime dramas 'Flaxy Martin' and 'The House Across the Street' (both 1949), the Western 'Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend' (1957), the drama 'This Rebel Breed' (1960), and the horror-thriller 'Wicked, Wicked' (1973)

August 12, 1913 – March 28, 2015

Cinematographer best known for his many collaborations with director Milos Forman during the '60s, '70s and '80s, most notably his Oscar-nominated work on 'Ragtime' (1981) and 'Amadeus' (1984, for which he also won a BAFTA); also worked with Forman on the 1964 documentaries 'Audition' and 'Why Do We Need All the Brass Bands?,' the director's classic narratives 'The Loves of a Blonde' (1965), 'The Firemen's Ball' (1967) and 'Taking Off' (1971), the 1979 film adaptation of the musical 'Hair,' and, lastly, the romantic drama 'Valmont' (1989); also shot 'Intimate Lighting' (1965) for Ivan Passer, 'The White Bus' (1967), 'If...' (1968) and 'O Lucky Man!' (1973) for Lindsay Anderson, 'Slaughterhouse-Five' (1972), 'The World According to Garp' (1982) and 'Funny Farm' (1988) for George Roy Hill, 'Silkwood' (1983) for Mike Nichols, 'F/X' (1986) and 'Big Shots' (1987) for Robert Mandel, and four films for director Penny Marshall: 'Awakenings' (1990), 'A League of Their Own' (1992), 'The Preacher's Wife' (1996) and 'Riding in Cars with Boys' (2001)

November 4, 1934 – March 28, 2015

Actor and three-time Tony-winning director best known for directing many Neil Simon hits for both stage and screen; directed the film adaptations of Simon's 'Barefoot in the Park' (1967), 'The Odd Couple' (1968), 'Last of the Red Hot Lovers' (1972) and 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' (1986), the original Broadway productions of Simon's 'California Suite' (1976), 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' (1983), 'Biloxi Blues' (1985), 'Broadway Bound' (1986), 'Rumors' (1988), 'Lost in Yonkers' (1991) and 'Jake's Women' (1992), and the female version of 'The Odd Couple' that opened on Broadway in 1985; won Tony Awards for 'Biloxi Blues' and 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' and was Tony-nominated for 'Lost in Yonkers;' also won a Tony for directing the musical 'I Love My Wife' (1977) and earned Tony nominations for helming 'Half a Sixpence' (1965), the original 'Mame' (1966) and 'Same Time, Next Year' (1975); directed the 1974 filmization of 'Mame' as well as the play-to-film adaptations 'Cactus Flower' (1969), 'A Fine Romance' (1992) and 'Bye Bye Birdie' (1995); had acting roles in Broadway's 'South Pacific' (1949), 'The Tenth Man' (1959) and 'A Shot in the Dark' (1961), and played Leo Herman in both the original Broadway production (1962) and film adaptation (1965) of 'A Thousand Clowns;' also co-starred in the filmization of Neil Simon's 'The Prisoner of Second Avenue' (1975) and later had supporting roles in such films as 'Nobody's Fool' (1994), 'I.Q.' (1994), and Woody Allen's 'Deconstructing Harry' (1997)

November 8, 1921 – March 28, 2015

German writer, director and producer best known for his Oscar-nominated film 'Schtonk!' (1992) and for creating and directing the beloved TV series 'Monaco Franze – Der ewige Stenz;' also known for creating and directing the cult comedy series 'Münchner Geschichten,' his six-episode miniseries 'Kir Royal – Aus dem Leben eines Klatschreporters,' and his 1997 comedy film 'Rossini,' for which he won an Ernst Lubitsch Award and German Film Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Direction and Outstanding Feature Film, among other accolades

June 22, 1944 – March 30, 2015