Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 1,399
- Walter Belasco was born in December 1866 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Lord John in New York (1915), Lord John's Journal (1915) and From Broadway to a Throne (1916). He was married to Maudie E. McNeill. He died on 21 June 1939 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Art Director
Douglas Bacon was born on 19 September 1908 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an art director, known for Lightning Strikes Twice (1951), Tea for Two (1950) and Lullaby of Broadway (1951). He died on 23 January 1952 in Glendale, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
John Drainie was born on 1 April 1916 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for Folio (1955), Startime (1959) and Bush Pilot (1947). He died on 30 October 1966 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- John Emerson was born on 13 March 1911 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Pacific 13 (1956) and Day of Decision (1959). He died on 2 May 1968 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Composer, conductor and cornetist, educated at Juilliard and the Army Bandmaster's School. In World War I, he led the 18th Infantry Band (1st Division Allied Expeditionary Force) as the youngest bandmaster in the regular army. He was awarded many medals. From 1924, he was the associate leader and cornet soloist for the US Army Band. In 1953 he was commissioned a Captain as bandleader. During World War II, he conducted the US Army Band, and was Dean of the the Army Bandmaster's School, serving overseas with the Supreme Headquarters Cond.
- Actor
- Writer
Larry McCance was born on 4 February 1917 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for Encounter (1952), Folio (1955) and On Camera (1954). He died on 3 January 1970 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Cho-cho Lam was born in 1904 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Xi xiang ji (1927), Tian lun (1935) and Yan zhi (1925). She was married to Minwei Li. She died on 18 February 1972 in Hong Kong.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Producer
Songwriter ("How About You?", "Hawaiian War Chant"), composer, author and producer, educated at Hollywood High School. He was a contract writer for Paramount, Universal and MGM studios, and then began producing television shows and films, beginning in 1954. He joined ASCAP in 1931, and his chief musical collaborators included Sammy Fain, Burton Lane, and Harry Barris. His other popular-song compositions include "Little Dutch Mill", "Who Walks in When I Walk Out?", "Mama Don't Allow It", "You Leave Me Breathless", "Lovelight in the Starlight", "Please Don't Say 'No', Say 'Maybe'", "I Never Felt More Like Falling in Love", "Adios Amigo", "I Thought of You Last Night", "Just the Way You Are", "All the Time", "The Young Man With a Horn", "In a Moment of Madness", and "Madam, I Love Your Crepe Suzettes".- Dorothy Fowler was born on 15 September 1911 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Studio Pacific (1959) and Pacific 13 (1956). She died on 5 July 1973 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Composer, conductor, author and record executive Eddie Lund was educated in high school and in music study with Alfred Cortot. He began as a pianist in film theaters and later in radio and night clubs, finally becoming a partner in a Tahiti night club where he organized an orchestra with native musicians. He recorded under his own label. Joining ASCAP in 1952, his popular-song compositions include "Farewell (For Just Awhile)", "Tangi Tika", "Tahitian Cowboy", "Far Lands", "E Piko", "Na Te Moana", and "Oriori Cha Cha".- Rae Daggett was born on 24 July 1905 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Early to Bed (1936), The Moth (1934) and Broadway to Cheyenne (1932). She was married to Victor Noerdlinger and George Julian Sinclair. She died on 17 March 1977 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Edmund Glover was born on 17 June 1911 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for A Failure at Fifty (1940), The Twilight Zone (1959) and The Ghost Ship (1943). He was married to Prudence Lolita Calvin (actress), Jane Clayton Owens and Helen Annabel Stewart. He died on 25 November 1978 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Special Effects
- Visual Effects
- Additional Crew
Before the advent of computer-generated special effects, pioneers in the field managed to create movie magic, despite often restrictive budgets. Les Bowie was one of the best. He began work as a scenic artist at Denham, Pinewood and Shepperton studios in 1946, under the auspices of W. Percy Day. Bowie made his initial mark by developing a faster technique for creating matte shots in a single day. He was rewarded by being pushed up the ladder to chief matte artist for the Rank Organisation. In 1950, Bowie turned freelance and established his own FX unit in partnership with Vic Margutti and A. Val Elsey. This was later expanded to become Bowie Films Ltd., ultimately Britain's leading FX unit, with a staff of 75 people at work creating miniatures, mechanical devices, trick photography and matte paintings.
Bowie was best known for his work at Hammer, beginning with The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), for which he created the monster. He worked on many of the best films for the studio, producing innovative re-usable models. He was also responsible for numerous clever trick effects, including the demises of Count Dracula and assorted minions. Bowie did superb matte work on The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Night Creatures (1962), to mention but a few. He also supervised the creation of earth in just six days (on a budget of 1,000 pounds) for One Million Years B.C. (1966) and destroyed it in The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). Bowie's ambition to work on an A-grade production was finally fulfilled, when he was tasked with making models, mattes and composites for Superman (1978). Sadly he died just minutes before receiving his Special Achievement Award at the Oscars.- Dorothy Stratten's story was brief, glorious and tragic. She was born Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten on February 28, 1960 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Vancouver, but kept out of trouble and went through the motions of school. While not a beauty as a child, nor early teen, Stratten came into her own out of high school and attracted the attention of Paul Snider, a promoter and wannabe star. He started dating her and after seeing an advertisement for Playboy's 25th Anniversary Playmate search in 1978, convinced her to pose for photos. Playboy saw the potential in Stratten and flew her out to Los Angeles, California, where she became a candidate. Although she lost out to Candy Loving, Stratten was made a Playmate in the August 1979 issue of Playboy. Soon after, she was pressured into marrying Snider, who had a Svengali-like influence on her.
After her centerfold came out, Stratten found work in a few movies, notably Americathon (1979) and Skatetown U.S.A. (1979), as well as being the object of Richard Dawson's affection in an ABC-TV special shot at the Playboy mansion. Clearly, her star was on the rise. In 1980, it was revealed that Stratten would be tabbed as the Playmate of the Year by Playboy publisher and founder Hugh Hefner. While this was one of the crowning achievements of her career, things were not going well in her marriage to Snider. He bothered her on the set of the movie Galaxina (1980) and when Snider found out she was developing more than a friendly relationship with director Peter Bogdanovich, Snider grew increasingly frustrated.
After a separation, Snider bought a shotgun and talked Stratten into coming to the apartment they used to share in West Los Angeles. Snider tied her up, sexually assaulted her and put the shotgun next to her face and pulled the trigger. Snider then turned the shotgun on himself to complete the murder-suicide. Since her death, Stratten has become something of a minor cult fixture, and has had two (one a television) movies, a song, and a couple of books written about her. The last movie she was in, They All Laughed (1981), was released after her death. - Paul Snider was born on 15 April 1951 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was married to Dorothy Stratten. He died on 14 August 1980 in West Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Lee Millar was born on 13 June 1924 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Lady and the Tramp (1955), Lux Video Theatre (1950) and The Twilight Zone (1959). He was married to Edith Iris Simmons. He died on 21 September 1980 in Studio City, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Actor, author, and musician Chief Dan George was born in present-day North Vancouver as Geswanouth Slahoot (later anglicized as 'Dan Slaholt'), the son of a tribal chief on Burrard Indian Reserve Nº. 3. He is the only Aboriginal actor in Canadian history to date with the right to use the title "Chief", serving as leader of the Squamish First Nation of Burrard Inlet from 1951-63, and retained the honorary title after his term ended. His last name was changed to George when at age 5 he entered a mission boarding school where the use of his native language was discouraged, if not forbidden.
Until 1959, he had worked as a longshoreman, logger, bus driver, and itinerant musician. After spending much of his early life as a longshoreman, a construction worker, and a school-bus driver, Chief Dan George auditioned for the role of Ol' Antoine on Cariboo Country (1960), a CBC series, and won the part. He made his screen debut at age 65. On the strength of his performance in the series, and after playing the same part in Smith! (1969), a Disney adaptation of one of the show's episodes based on "Breaking Smith's Quarterhorse", a novella by Paul St. Pierre, and starring Glenn Ford, he was asked to play "Old Lodge Skins" in Little Big Man (1970). This role led to an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1970. He continued to appear in films and became an accomplished stage actor. He died in 1981 on the same Indian reserve where he was born in North Vancouver at age 82.- Writer
- Actor
Robert McKenzie was born on 11 September 1917 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was a writer and actor, known for Yes Minister (1980), Twenty-Four Hours (1965) and Portraits of Power (1957). He died on 12 October 1981 in London, England, UK.- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
Charles De la Tour was born on 27 September 1909 in Vancouver, Canada. He was a director and assistant director, known for C.E.M.A. (1942), Farmer Moving South (1952) and Cotswold Club (1944). He was married to Moyra Fessas. He died on 21 July 1982 in London, England, UK.- Beth Gillanders was born on 31 January 1916 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Playbill (1953), Encounter (1952) and Hidden Pages (1954). She died on 2 March 1983 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
- Music Department
- Composer
John Avison was born on 25 April 1915 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was a composer, known for The Pemberton Valley (1957), Skid Row (1956) and Pacific 13 (1956). He died on 30 November 1983 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Actor
- Composer
John Chappell was born on 31 July 1930 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor and composer, known for Albert's Place (1959) and Pacific 13 (1956). He died on 25 June 1985 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Peggy Ross was born on 11 August 1912 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Splendid Fellows (1934) and Business and Pleasure (1932). She died on 8 July 1985 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Peggy Campbell was born on 11 August 1912 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for When a Man Sees Red (1934), Big Calibre (1935) and Stone of Silver Creek (1935). She died on 8 July 1985 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Corona Paynter was born on 15 January 1898 in Vancouver, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for Every Mother's Son (1918). She was married to Morris Green. She died on 29 July 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
One of the best and most familiar character actors of the first four decades of sound films, although few who knew his face also knew his name, John Qualen was born in Canada to Norwegian parents. His father was a minister. The family moved to the United States and Qualen (whose real name was Kvalen) grew up in Elgin, Illinois. He won an oratory contest and was given a scholarship to Northwestern University. His interest in acting was piqued there, and he began appearing in tent shows on the Lyceum-Chautauqua circuit and in stock. He went to New York in 1929 and got his big break as the Swedish janitor in Elmer Rice's Street Scene. He repeated the role two years later in the film version. That same year he first worked for director John Ford in Arrowsmith (1931). He became a member of Ford's famed stock company and had prominent roles for Ford for the next thirty-five years. He became a most familiar character player, specializing in Scandinavians of various nationalities, but frequently playing a wide variety of other ethnicities. Perhaps his greatest work among many memorable roles was as the pitiful Muley, who recounts the destruction of his farm by the bank in Ford's masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Although plagued in his later years by failing eyesight, he continued to work steadily into his final years. He was treasurer of The Authors Club and historian of The Masquers, Hollywood's famed social group for actors. He had three children, Elizabeth, Kathleen, and Meredith. Qualen died in 1987.- Aileen Eaton was born in 1909 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was married to Cal Eaton. She died on 7 November 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Music Department
- Actor
B.P. Nichol was born on 30 September 1944 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was a writer and actor, known for The Argon Quest (1992), Blizzard Island (1988) and Fraggle Rock (1983). He died on 25 September 1988 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Actress
Mildred Rehn was born on 24 July 1913 in Vancouver, Canada. She was an actress. She died on 16 May 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Patty Fisher was born on 7 March 1905 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Patty died on 7 August 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Lynne Gorman was born on 16 February 1920 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Videodrome (1983), The Nutcracker Prince (1990) and Upside Town/Swingaround (1968). She was married to George Gorman. She died on 1 November 1989 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Laurence J. Peter was born on 16 September 1919 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was married to Irene Joan Howe and Nancy Muriel Bailey. He died on 12 January 1990 in Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
Lida Dolan was born on 2 July 1912 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She died on 28 March 1990 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ty Parvis was born on 15 December 1912 in Vancouver, Washington, USA. He was an actor, known for College Capers (1930) and Gates of Happiness (1930). He died on 10 May 1990 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
Bernard Cowan was born on 11 June 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Captain America (1966), Spider-Man (1967) and The King Kong Show (1966). He died on 17 July 1990 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Weldon Hanbury was born on 4 June 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was a writer and actor, known for Dorchester Theatre (1957) and Shoestring Theatre (1959). He died on 1 October 1990 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Script and Continuity Department
Ward Hawkins was born on 29 December 1912 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was a writer, known for Secret Command (1944), Floods of Fear (1958) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964). He died on 22 December 1990 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Born in Canada, John Ireland was raised in New York. Performing as a swimmer in a water carnival, he moved into the legitimate theater, often appearing in minor roles in Broadway plays. His first big break in pictures came in 1945 when he appeared as Windy the introspective letter-writing G.I. in the classic war epic A Walk in the Sun (1945). Ireland was then often featured (mostly as a heavy) in several films. In 1949, he was nominated for best supporting actor for his role as the reporter in All the King's Men (1949). During the early 1950s, Ireland often starred as the emoting, brooding hero, almost exclusively in "B" pictures. In 1953, with his son Peter Ireland and wife, Joanne Dru, Ireland co-produced and co-directed the western mini-classic Hannah Lee: An American Primitive (1953) (aka Outlaw Territory). From the mid-'50s on. he appeared mainly in Italian "quickie" features and showed up occasionally in supporting roles in major pictures (Spartacus (1960)). Occasionally, his name was mentioned in tabloids of the times, in connection with young starlets, namely Natalie Wood and Sue Lyon. He was to play the role of the patriarch on the Ponderosa in Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988) but the series was not picked up. In addition to Hannah Lee: An American Primitive (1953), his best work was in Little Big Horn (1951) and The Bushwhackers (1951). In his later years, he owned and operated a tiny restaurant, Ireland's, in Santa Barbara, California.- Poppy McKenzie was born in 1914 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Poppy was a writer, known for On Camera (1954) and Pacific 13 (1956). Poppy was married to Arthur Paisley McKenzie. Poppy died on 12 April 1992 in Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada.
- Helen Callaghan was born on 13 March 1923 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was married to Robert Candaele and Ronald J. St. Aubin. She died on 8 December 1992 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
He had an impressive sporting background, Ay high school in Canada he was boxing champion and qualified as a runner for the Junior Olympics, The sport he really shone at was basketball, He qualified for the Olympic Games but never made it because at the time he was working for a radio station in Vancouver which was struggling with 3 announcers on a 24 hour schedule and he was told that if he went it would be the end of his career. He said that it was one of the hardest decisions of his life but he stayed.He once played against the Harlem Globetrotters and his team lost, He has also played a vicious seven a side Canadian game called Box Lacrosse. Today tennis is the only sport he plays regularly except for the odd game of golf or bar billiards at which he is an expert and has a table in his flat, He is an above average tennis player and is a member of Londons 2 most famous tennis clubs - Queens and Hurlingham, He says he often regrets not taking the sport up professionally- Actor
David McKim was born on 25 January 1923 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor. He was married to Virginia. He died on 14 May 1993 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Davidson Thomson was born on 16 May 1955 in Vancouver, Canada. He was an actor, known for Jacob's Ladder (1990), The Doors (1991) and The Agency (1980). He died on 15 June 1993.
- Cyril Levis was born on 30 October 1912 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Discoveries (1939) and Stairway to Stardom (1949). He died on 11 January 1994 in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
- Mary McLeod was born on 26 August 1918 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for London Blackout Murders (1943), Strange Illusion (1945) and G.I. War Brides (1946). She was married to Malcolm Bain. She died on 5 December 1994 in White Rock, British, Columbia, Canada.
- Court Benson was born on 4 November 1914 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950), Dentist on the Job (1961) and Danger Man (1960). He died on 5 February 1995 in Mount Kisco, New York, USA.
- Donna Cameron was born on 3 December 1923 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Mission: Impossible (1988) and Tammy and the T-Rex (1994). She was married to David Edward Frank. She died on 25 February 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Script and Continuity Department
A dark, exotic beauty, Katherine DeMille was a fascinating screen presence in the 1930s and 1940s. She was born in Canada to a Scottish schoolteacher, Edward Gabriel Lester, and his Italian-Swiss wife, Cecile Bianca Bertha (Colani) Lester. Her father was killed in France during World War I, and her mother, who was terminally ill, traveled to California to find Katherine's paternal grandparents and leave her with them. Mrs. Lester died before she could contact her in-laws and Katherine was placed in a Los Angeles orphanage. Constance Adams, the wife of Hollywood's top filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, was a director of the orphanage. The DeMilles were moved by Katherine's misfortune and decided to adopt her. She became a member of a family that also included the DeMilles' only natural child, Cecilia de Mille; another adopted child, John de Mille; and Richard de Mille, who was actually DeMille's nephew.
Katherine was educated at the Hollywood School for Girls and the Santa Barbara School for Girls. She loved acting in school plays and eventually found work as a movie extra, using the stage name Kay Marsh. DeMille, aware of his daughter's dream of becoming a star, hired her as a script supervisor for his film Four Frightened People (1934) and permitted her to visit the sets of his films and watch his editing process. She secretly auditioned for the role of Pancho Villa's wife, Rosita Morales, in the MGM production Viva Villa! (1934), starring Wallace Beery in the title role. She won the role and impressed the critics with her performance and beauty. Her portrayal of a Mexican maid in The Trumpet Blows (1934) earned her a contract with Paramount Pictures, and she was cast as the villain in Mae West's Belle of the Nineties (1934). Her ability to succeed in films on her own helped her gain her father's admiration as well as a featured role in his next epic, The Crusades (1935). She played Alice, Princess of France, and competed with Loretta Young's Berengaria for the love (and title as consort) of Richard the Lionheart (Henry Wilcoxon). The critics appreciated Katherine's talent and appearance in the lavish DeMille production. Her career was ascending.
After her excellent work in the prestigious DeMille picture, Katherine was finally elevated to leading lady status. Paramount starred her in Drift Fence (1936) and Sky Parade (1936). She was also loaned out to MGM for an uncredited appearance as Romeo's first love, Rosaline, in Romeo and Juliet (1936). 20th Century-Fox cast her in a supporting role in the Barbara Stanwyck-Joel McCrea starrer Banjo on My Knee (1936) and gave her second billing in Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937). Katherine fell in love with Mexican actor Anthony Quinn and married him in 1937. She was billed third in The Californian (1937) and appeared in Love Under Fire (1937), a Spanish Civil War drama. At Columbia Pictures, she was billed second in the Jack Holt vehicle Under Suspicion (1937). This was followed by a small role in another Spanish Civil War drama, Blockade (1938), and a leading lady role in another Jack Holt vehicle, Trapped in the Sky (1939). Unfortunately, the big studios failed to showcase her talent in notable productions. Her next roles were featured in B movies: In Old Caliente (1939), Isle of Destiny (1940), Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940), and Dark Streets of Cairo (1940). She returned to Paramount for a role in the Technicolor film Aloma of the South Seas (1941).
The Quinns had five children. She abandoned her film career after the tragic death of their firstborn, Christopher, in 1941. She made a comeback with a leading role in Black Gold (1947), co-starring her husband, and a supporting role as a Native American woman in her father's Unconquered (1947). She also starred in the film noir The Judge (1949). The Quinns divorced in 1965, and Katherine later moved to Tucson, Arizona, where she died of Alzheimer's disease in 1995.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Frank Cvitanovich was born on 14 August 1927 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Frank was a director and producer, known for The First Kangaroos (1988), TV Operas (1993) and Murphy's Stroke (1980). Frank was married to Valerie Wade, Janet Street-Porter, Alison Seebohm and Midge Mackenzie. Frank died on 12 August 1995 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.- Marlene Felton was born on 5 November 1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for A Kiss Before Dying (1956) and Three Bad Sisters (1956). She died on 21 October 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.