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- Henry Kitchell Webster was born on 7 September, 1875, in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, the son of Towner K. and Emma J. Webster. Webster's father was a prominent Chicago area manufacturer.
After graduating from Hamilton College in 1897, Webster taught rhetoric at Union College. His first book, "The Short Line War", written in collaboration with fellow Evanstonian, Samuel Merwin was published in 1899. Webster and Merwin later collaborated on two additional novels, "Calumet K" (1901) and "Comrade John" (1907).
Webster writings fell into two categories, his left hand work and his right hand work. His left hand work created countless stories for pulp fiction publications, while his right hand work was reserved for more serious endeavors.
In 1901 Webster married Mary Ward Orth, a daughter of a coal dealer from Hiawatha, Kansas. The couple went on to have three sons, Henry Jr., Stokely and Roderick.
In all Webster wrote 27 novels, 1 play and hundreds of short stories. Henry Kitchell Webster died of cancer on 8 December, 1932 at Evanston. He was survived by his wife and three sons. - Additional Crew
- Producer
- Production Manager
John C. Flinn was born on 6 May 1887 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for The Dice Woman (1926), West of Broadway (1926) and Pals in Paradise (1926). He was married to Courtney Luella Ames. He died on 2 March 1946 in New York City, New York, USA.- Writer
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Wells was born on 2 July 1886 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Queen of the Turf (1921), The Man from Snowy River (1920) and Rafter Romance (1933). He died on 17 April 1949 in North Carolina, USA.- William Parsons was born on 26 October 1901 in Evanston, Chicago, Illinois, USA. He died on 5 December 1953 in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Olin Downes was born on 27 June 1886 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Carnegie Hall (1947), First Opera Film Festival (1948) and Trzy etiudy Chopina (1944). He was married to Marion Davenport and Irene Miles. He died on 22 August 1955 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
Pat Petterson was born on 12 November 1896 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor. He was married to Helen Kiff 1909 - 1964. He died on 5 June 1956 in Illinois, USA.- Ralph Bennett was born on 14 March 1878 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956) and Why Grow Fat Hogs? (1955). He died on 29 March 1959 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- William Raymond was born on 23 November 1872 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Woman in 47 (1916), The Recoil (1917) and The Mystery of the Silver Skull (1913). He died on 30 October 1960 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Viola Barry was born on 4 March 1894 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Evangeline (1911), The Sea Wolf (1913) and Martin Eden (1914). She was married to F. McGrew Willis and Jack Conway. She died on 2 April 1964 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actress
Violette Wilson was born on 12 June 1896 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Irving Pichel. She died on 29 June 1964 in La Cañada, California, USA.- Jack Bryan was born on 9 December 1908 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Route 66 (1960), The Untouchables (1959) and M Squad (1957). He died on 15 September 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Robert Fontaine was born on 19 January 1908 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a writer, known for The Happy Time (1952). He died on 13 May 1965.
- John Griggs was born on 19 May 1908 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Fearless Fosdick (1952), I Spy (1955) and Robert Montgomery Presents (1950). He died on 25 February 1967 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.
- Paddy Driscoll was born on 11 January 1895 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He died on 29 June 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Drew Pearson was born on 13 December 1897 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for City Across the River (1949), Betrayal from the East (1945) and Dead to the World (1961). He was married to Luvie Moore Abell and Felicia Gizycki. He died on 1 September 1969 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Tom Neal is best remembered for his off-screen exploits, which involved scandal, mayhem and a charge of murder. Before his 1938 screen debut in MGM's Out West with the Hardys (1938), Neal had been a member of the boxing team at Northwestern University, had debuted on the Broadway stage in 1935 and had received a law degree from Harvard, also in 1938. Throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, he appeared mostly as tough guys in Hollywood low-budgeters. In 1951, in a dispute over the on-again / off-again affections and the wavering allegiance of notorious actress / "party girl" Barbara Payton, he mixed it up with Payton's paramour, the aristocratic actor Franchot Tone. The former college boxer Neal inflicted upon Tone a smashed cheekbone, a broken nose and a brain concussion. Hollywood essentially blackballed Neal thereafter, but he would come to find a livelihood in gardening and landscaping. He was brought to trial in 1965 for the murder of his wife Gale, who had been shot to death with a .45-caliber bullet to the back of her head. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Neal, which at the time meant a trip to the cyanide-gas chamber. The trial jury, however, convicted him only of "involuntary manslaughter", for which he was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
On 7 December 1971 he was released on parole, having served exactly six years to the day. Eight months later, Tom Neal was dead of heart failure.- Additional Crew
Laurens Hammond was born on 11 January 1895 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He is known for Radio-Mania (1923). He died on 3 July 1973 in Cornwall, Connecticut, USA.- Gladys Feldman was born on 28 September 1886 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Shams of Society (1921), West of the Water Tower (1923) and Breaking In (1925). She was married to Horace Braham. She died on 12 February 1974 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Frank Taylor Webb was born in Wilmette, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago immediately north of Evanston. He attended high school in Scottsdale, Arizona, and following graduation moved to California where he attended Los Angeles City College. During this time Frank began to pursue acting roles and in 1967 he appeared in the Los Angeles/Hollywood production of "The Fantasticks" at the Hollywood Center Theatre. Shortly thereafter he began appearing in a number of memorable guest-starring roles in such series such as Bonanza (1959), The Virginian (1962), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), Mission: Impossible (1966), The High Chaparral (1967) and Hawaii Five-O (1968). He also demonstrated his versatile acting abilities in occasional movie roles, such as Disney's The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969) alongside Kurt Russell and in the crime thriller The Todd Killings (1971).
Frank was married to Lynn Wilson in 1972 and by 1974 they had left Hollywood and moved to Slayton, Minnesota, where Frank worked as a minister and school bus driver. On December 20, 1974, he was riding as a passenger in a car that was involved in a multi-vehicle collision at the intersection of Highways 30 and 71 in Amboy Township, Cottonwood County, and died as a result of the injuries he sustained. He was only 26 years old. Frank's funeral was held on December 26, 1974, and he was buried in Slayton Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, mother (Ruth Braun Webb), a brother (John) and a sister (Judy). - Patrick Dennis was born on 18 May 1921 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a writer, known for Auntie Mame (1958), Mame (1974) and Auntie Mame. He was married to Louise Stickney. He died on 6 November 1976 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Born Mary Eileen "Mimi" Chesterton (nicknamed Mimi by her friends and family) in St. Paul, Minnesota, titian beauty Claudia Jennings was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1966, she moved to Evanston, Illinois, the first suburb north of Chicago just south of the Wisconsin state line, where she graduated high school in 1968.
After joining the Hull House theater company in Chicago, she took a job as a receptionist at the offices of Playboy magazine in September 1968. Photographer Pompeo Posar asked her to test, and with a potential $5,000 check at stake -- enough for a ticket to Hollywood -- she agreed. She eventually appeared as a Playmate in November 1969, and later as 1970 Playmate of the Year. Re-naming herself Claudia Jennings to avoid family embarrassment due to posing in the nude, she became the most perennially popular Playmate of the 1970s, as well as the number one female star of "Drive-In" movies such as The Unholy Rollers (1972) and 'Gator Bait (1973). Her first film role was with the film Jud (1971), a low-budget, socially conscious, independent film about a Vietnam soldier's return home. While the film came and went without much notice, it encouraged Claudia to go into the acting business full time.
From 1970 to 1975, she lived with songwriter/producer Bobby Hart but, after their split, her personal life began to spiral. She began using drugs and soon got a reputation for being unreliable. As her cocaine use began to escalate, her career from this point began to flounder.
One of her last theatrical film roles was a co-starring part in the little-seen Canadian racetrack drama Fast Company (1979). After narrowly missing the role of Kate Jackson's replacement on Charlie's Angels (1976) to Shelley Hack in May 1979, she began a tumultuous relationship with Beverly Hills realtor Stan Herman. Following their split later that summer, Jennings turned her life around and tried to quit drugs and drinking, but sadly died before she could continue performing in better films. On the morning of October 3, 1979, she was at the wheel of her VW convertible in Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway, and drifted across the center divider, colliding head-on with a pickup truck near the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. She died a few minutes later before paramedics could arrive and get her to a nearby hospital. She was 29. - Fitzroy Davis was born on 27 February 1912 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a writer, known for The Heat's On (1943). He died on 30 September 1980 in Putnam, Connecticut, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
John Lee Mahin was born on 23 August 1902 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Scarface (1932), Captains Courageous (1937) and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957). He was married to Muriel Mae McKinnon, Barbara Ann Bonnett, Patsy Ruth Miller and Nancy Hume Derr. He died on 18 April 1984 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Rosemary Ames was born on 11 December 1906 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Our Little Girl (1935), Love on the Spot (1932) and Pursued (1934). She was married to Abner J. Stillwel, Bertie Alexander Meyer and E. Ogden Ketting. She died on 15 April 1988 in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, USA.
- Onest Conley was born on 25 December 1906 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Vengeance (1930), Racing Luck (1935) and Jungle Goddess (1948). He died on 8 October 1989 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Richard Everhart graduated from the University of Illinois after having served two years in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He studied theater in London before returning to the US and a successful career on Broadway in productions of Mr. Roberts, No Time for Sergeants, South Pacific, and Tall Story. He worked on stage with such stars as Mary Martin, Red Buttons, Joe Campanella, Andy Griffith, and Don Knotts. During his career he appeared on more than 175 television shows, including Ed Sullivan.
In 1968 he turned to teaching drama, working at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, New Jersey. - Mary Alan Hokanson was born on 25 November 1916 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Them! (1954), Arthur (1981) and Guys and Dolls (1955). She died on 15 February 1994 in LaJolla, California, USA.
- Composer
- Music Department
Composer and conductor, educated at De Paul University (BA, MA), he studied with Darius Milhaud and Ernest Bloch on MacDowell Foundation fellowships. He wrote the score for the television production of "What Makes Sammy Run?", and incidental music for "The Taming of the Shrew" and the "Merry Wives of Windsor" for the Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut. He joined ASCAP in 1955 and his compositions include "Brass Quintet"; "Five Pieces for Cello, Piano"; "Five Pieces for Piano"; "Sonatina"; "Piano Suite for Young People" (two volumes); "Short Symphony"; and "Dramatic Movement for Orchestra".- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Actor
Walter Kerr was born on 8 July 1913 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Dow Hour of Great Mysteries (1960), Goldielocks (1965) and Der große Schwindel - Musical aus der Welt des Stummfilms (1966). He was married to Jean Kerr. He died on 9 October 1996 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
Elouise Wohlwend was born on 19 November 1933 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Frank C. Crawford. She died on 14 February 1997 in San Jose, California, USA.- Kim Yale was born on 22 November 1953 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Kim was a writer, known for Super Power Beat Down (2012). Kim was married to John Ostrander. Kim died on 7 March 1997 in New Jersey, USA.
- Director
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Hobin was born in 1924 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Bill was a director and producer, known for The Bill Cosby Special (1968), Maude (1972) and The CBS Newcomers (1971). Bill died on 15 February 1998 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.- Additional Crew
Stew Carnell was born on 26 August 1929 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Stew is known for Five Minutes to Live (1961). Stew was married to Lorrie Collins. Stew died on 26 June 1998 in Gardnerville, Nevada, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Veteran character actor Richard B. Shull was born on February 24, 1929 in Evanston, Illinois and raised in the Midwest. He attended the University of Iowa, then served with the U.S. Army in 1953. Finding work as a stage manager following his release, he finally made his Broadway debut in the Marx Brothers musical bio "Minnie's Boys" starring Shelley Winters on Broadway in 1970. His hangdog demeanor, puffy features and bemused manner proved an excellent scene stealer in comedy roles and he moved easily into film and TV in mid-career. Following his film debut in the very obscure Watch the Birdie (1965), Richard came into his own starting in 1971 with regular roles in such movies as The Anderson Tapes (1971), Klute (1971), Made for Each Other (1971), Slither (1973), Hail (1972), Hearts of the West (1975), The Big Bus (1976), Splash (1983), Garbo Talks (1984), HouseSitter (1992), Trapped in Paradise (1994) and, his last, Private Parts (1997) with Howard Stern. On TV, he was probably best known for his title role on the silly, short-lived series Holmes and Yoyo (1976) as Det. Alexander Holmes, opposite John Schuck who played Yoyo, a robotic cop. The recipient of a Tony nomination for his Broadway work on "Goodtime Charlie" in 1975, Richard's later career included such theater notables as "The Marriage of Bette and Boo" (1985), for which he won an off-Broadway Obie award, and the ever-popular "Victor/Victoria" starring a resurgent Julie Andrews, in 1995. Married four times, Richard was appearing in the stage production of "Epic Proportions" in New York when he suffered a fatal heart attack on October 14, 1999 at age 70.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jane Harker was born on 1 August 1922 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Unfaithful (1947), That Way with Women (1947) and Love and Learn (1947). She was married to Samuel Lefcourt Lanier (born: Lefkovits). She died on 21 July 2000 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Stuart Lancaster was born on 30 November 1920 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Edward Scissorhands (1990), Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) and Batman Returns (1992). He was married to Ivy Bethune, Mary Brooks Wood, Martha Ann Rhubottom and Betty Warren. He died on 22 December 2000 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Jean Peterson was born on 20 May 1946 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Jean was married to Donald Peterson. Jean died on 11 September 2001 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Actress
Bonnie Johns was born on 10 August 1940 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for V (1983), The Incredible Hulk (1978) and Quincy M.E. (1976). She died on 13 December 2001 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
A native of Evanston, Ill., Elwood was a graduate of Northwestern University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. After joining the U.Va. faculty in 1964, he helped recruit black students and faculty. In 1969 President Edgar F. Shannon Jr. appointed him as a special assistant to oversee programs to help African-American students have a smooth transition into the college experience here.
A Renaissance literature scholar, Elwood also wrote articles on such subjects as substandard housing and served with numerous community projects, including Madison House, the Charlottesville Social Development Commission and the Charlottesville Housing Improvement Program. As associate dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences for more than two decades, he was instrumental in establishing and strengthening African-American affairs programs and scholarly centers at the University.
With no formal filmmaking experience, he doggedly researched and personally helped to finance the 1990 public television documentary, "The Road to Brown," out of a determination to reach a wide audience with an important little-known piece of civil rights history. The film documents the untold story of Charles Houston, a black, Harvard-trained lawyer who began fighting for equal rights in the 1930s but died before seeing some of his work result in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education.
Elwood attributed his involvement in the civil rights movement to a growing personal awareness of racial bias in the 1950s and '60s. In 1999 he was honored with the Charlottesville Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award.
He is survived by his wife Mary Ann Wilder Elwood; two sons, John Elwood of Dallas and James Elwood of Huntersville, N.C.; two sisters, and six grandchildren.- Quincy Wong was born on 17 June 1954 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Mo' Money (1992), Novocaine (2001) and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993). He died on 8 July 2002 in Evanston, Illinois, USA.
- Edward Clinton was born on 23 September 1948 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a writer, known for Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Another World (1964) and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992). He died on 19 June 2005 in the USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Bill Burch was born on 30 October 1918 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Profile of a Race Driver (1968), The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1962) and The All New Truth or Consequences (1950). He was married to Yvonne King and Rebecca Jenkins Endres. He died on 1 October 2005 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Justine Johnston was born on 13 June 1921 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The New Guy (2002), Fatal Attraction (1987) and Arthur (1981). She died on 13 January 2006 in West Hollywood, California, USA.
- Art Department
- Art Director
Jonathan Short was born on 31 December 1959 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an art director, known for The Punisher (2004), Big Fish (2003) and Forces of Nature (1999). He died on 2 August 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.- Robert Witthans was born on 15 April 1926 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Magnum, P.I. (1980), Hawaii Five-O (1968) and Mama's Family (1983). He died on 21 June 2007 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
- Ronnie Burns was born on 9 July 1935 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950), Bernardine (1957) and The George Burns Show (1958). He was married to Janice E. Powell and Peggy Jo Lyon. He died on 14 November 2007 in Pacific Palisades, California, USA.
- Tony Larimer was born on 18 April 1929 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Animorphs: Shattered Reality (2000), I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (2001) and Choke Canyon (1986). He was married to Marie C. Larimer and Mary Elizabeth. He died on 10 March 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
Named "Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriter", Blake Snyder began his Hollywood career early in life. His father, Kenneth C.T. Snyder, was an Emmy-winning TV producer of many children's shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Among them were The Funny Company, Hot Wheels, animated segments on Sesame Street, Big Blue Marble and the cult classic Roger Ramjet.
Snyder went on to earn a B.A. degree in English from Georgetown University, and returned to Los Angeles where he began his career writing for the Disney TV series Kids Incorporated. Snyder began writing full time as a screenwriter in 1987. He had been a member of the Writers Guild of America for over 20 years.
Snyder's first spec screenplay sale was in 1989 for the script Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, which sold for $500,000 in a bidding war. Following that first sale, he sold twelve more original screenplays including million dollar script sales of Blank Check, co-written with Colby Carr for Walt Disney Pictures, and Nuclear Family, co-written with James Haggin for Steven Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment.- Script and Continuity Department
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Robert Gary was born on 26 February 1920 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Searchers (1956) and Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). He died on 3 May 2010 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Nancy Freedman was born on 4 July 1920 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She was a writer, known for Mrs. Mike (1949) and Robert Montgomery Presents (1950). She was married to Benedict Freedman. She died on 10 August 2010 in Greenbrae, California, USA.