Date of Death between 1987-01-01 and 1987-12-31 (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)
1. Rita Hayworth
Actress | Gilda
Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino Reina, was a dancer as was his father before him. He emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's American mother, Volga Margaret (Hayworth), who was of mostly ...
2. John Huston
Director | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
An eccentric rebel of epic proportions, this Hollywood titan reigned supreme as director, screenwriter and character actor in a career that endured over five decades. The ten-time Oscar-nominated legend was born John Marcellus Huston in Nevada, Missouri, on August 5, 1906. His ancestry was English,...
3. Bob Fosse
Director | Cabaret
Bob Fosse was born on June 23, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Cabaret (1972), All That Jazz (1979) and Lenny (1974). He was previously married to Gwen Verdon, Joan McCracken and Mary Ann Niles. He died on September 23, 1987 in Washington, District of ...
4. Lee Marvin
Actor | Paint Your Wagon
Prematurely white-haired character star who began as a supporting player of generally vicious demeanor, then metamorphosed into a star of both action and drama projects, Lee Marvin was born in New York City, the son of Courtenay Washington (Davidge), a fashion writer, and Lamont Waltman Marvin, an ...
5. Dick Shawn
Actor | It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
One-of-a-kind comedian Dick Shawn was as intriguingly clever and off-the-wall as they came. As such, he proved to be rather an acquired taste on film and TV. A counterculture favorite far ahead of his time, it became a hit-and-miss effort in proper vehicles for this man's eccentric genius. He ...
6. Jackie Gleason
Actor | The Hustler
Comedian, actor, composer and conductor, educated in New York public schools. He was a master of ceremonies in amateur shows, a carnival barker, daredevil driver and a disc jockey, and later a comedian in night clubs. By the mid-1950s he had turned to writing original music and recording a series ...
7. Fred Astaire
Actor | The Towering Inferno
Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Johanna (Geilus) and Fritz Austerlitz, a brewer. Fred entered show business at age 5. He was successful both in vaudeville and on Broadway in partnership with his sister, Adele Astaire. After Adele retired to marry in 1932, Astaire headed to Hollywood. ...
8. Geraldine Page
Actress | The Trip to Bountiful
Considered by many to be one of the greatest American actresses of all time, Geraldine Page was a master craftswoman who seemed to bring out the most inner detail of the character she was playing. Her dedication to her craft has earned her the respect of many of today's great actors including Meryl...
9. Joan Greenwood
Actress | Kind Hearts and Coronets
Joan Greenwood, of the plummy feline voice, was born in the well-to-do London district of Chelsea, the daughter of renowned portrait painter Sydney Earnshaw Greenwood (1887-1949). Dancing from the age of eight, she took ballet lessons and later enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). ...
10. Will Sampson
Actor | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
A Native American actor of the Creek Nation, Sampson's "big break" came from his memorable role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) opposite Jack Nicholson. He was also starred opposite Clint Eastwood in the western The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). He had supporting roles in Orca (1977), The ...
11. Randolph Scott
Actor | Roberta
Handsome American leading man who developed into one of Hollywood's greatest and most popular Western stars. Born to George and Lucy Crane Scott during a visit to Virginia, Scott was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina in a wealthy family. After service with the U.S. Army in France in World War I, ...
12. Danny Kaye
Soundtrack | The Danny Kaye Show
Danny Kaye left school at the age of 13 to work in the so-called Borscht Belt of Jewish resorts in the Catskill Mountains. It was there he learned the basics of show biz. From there he went through a series of jobs in and out of the business. In 1939, he made his Broadway debut in "Straw Hat Revue,...
13. Joyce Jameson
Actress | The Outlaw Josey Wales
Well-endowed, attractive Joyce Jameson was typecast as 'broads,' 'dames,' and dizzy blondes - somewhat in the vein of Barbara Nichols. In real life, she was said to have been the antithesis of her screen personae, a graduate in theatre arts from UCLA, highly intelligent and well-read. Joyce began ...
14. Lorne Greene
Actor | Bonanza
Lorne Greene was born Lyon Himan "Chaim" Green on February 12, 1915, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He began acting while attending Canada's Queen's University, and after graduation got a job in radio broadcasting. His rich, deep, authoritarian voice quickly propelled him to prominence as Canada's top...
15. Mary Astor
Actress | The Maltese Falcon
Mary Astor was born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke, on May 3, 1906 in Quincy, Illinois to a German immigrant father, Otto Ludwig Langhanke, and an American mother from Illinois, Helen Marie Vasconcellos, of Portuguese and Irish ancestry. Her parents were very ambitious for her as they recognized ...
16. Erland van Lidth
Actor | The Running Man
Born in the Netherlands, he came to the United States as a child in the late 1950s. Erland grew up in Orange, New Jersey; Ridgefield, Connecticut; and Mont Vernon, New Hampshire. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he distinguished himself as a member of the wrestling team ...
17. Ray Bolger
Actor | The Wizard of Oz
Ray Bolger was born Raymond Wallace Bolger on January 10, 1904 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to Anne C. (Wallace) and James Edward Bolger, both Irish-Americans. Ray began his career in vaudeville. He was half of a team called "Sanford and Bolger" and also did numerous Broadway shows on his own. ...
18. Robert Preston
Actor | The Music Man
American leading man of vast charisma, Robert Preston was the son of a garment worker and a record store clerk and grew up in Los Angeles. He was a trained musician, playing several instruments, and in high school became interested in theatre. He joined the Pasadena Community Playhouse, taking ...
19. Elizabeth Hartman
Actress | A Patch of Blue
A slender, striking, red-haired, freckle-faced American leading lady, Mary Elizabeth Hartman was born in Boardman, Ohio on December 23, 1943, as the middle of three children born to building contractor Bill C. Hartman (May 7, 1914, Ohio - October 26, 1964, Youngstown, Ohio) and housewife Claire ...
20. John Qualen
Actor | Casablanca
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 ...
21. Joan Shawlee
Actress | Some Like It Hot
Zany, extrovert, sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette, sometimes red-haired character comedienne Joan Shawlee began her performing career as a fourteen-year old Powers model. At sixteen, she sang in New York night spots and was proclaimed one of "the six most beautiful girls in Manhattan". ...
22. Richard Egan
Actor | Gog
Richard Egan has four daughters and one son with Patricia Hardy, to whom he was married for nearly 30 years before he passed away. He honorably served as an officer in the Army during World War II, teaching Judo and bayonet & knife fighting. Mr. Egan attended the University of San Francisco for ...
23. Dean Paul Martin
Soundtrack | Hell Ride
The son of Rat Pack member Dean Martin, Dean Paul Martin initially showed interest in a singing career, and was also a talented tennis player, which served him well in his role opposite Ali MacGraw in Players (1979). An avid pilot and a captain in the California Air National Guard, Martin was ...
24. Alejandro Rey
Actor | The Flying Nun
Alejandro Rey was born on February 8, 1930 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor and director, known for The Flying Nun (1967), TerrorVision (1986) and Moscow on the Hudson (1984). He was previously married to Joyce Bowman and Beatriz Cristina Roberto. He died on May 21, 1987 in Los Angeles, ...
25. Olga Bellin
Actress | Tomorrow
Olga Bellin was born on August 17, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for Tomorrow (1972), The Equalizer (1985) and Another World (1964). She was previously married to Paul Roebling. She died on November 8, 1987 in New York City, New York, USA.
26. Patrick Troughton
Actor | The Omen
Patrick Troughton was born in Mill Hill, London and was educated at Mill Hill School. He trained as an actor at the Embassy School of Acting in the UK and at Leighton Rollin's Studio for for Actors at Long Island, New York in the USA. During World War II he served in the Royal Navy and after the ...
27. Richard Marquand
Director | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Richard Marquand was born on September 22, 1937 in Llanishen, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was a director and producer, known for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Jagged Edge (1985) and NBC Special Treat (1975). He was previously married to Carol Bell and Josephine Marquand. ...
28. Andy Warhol
Director | Chelsea Girls
Andrew Warhol's father, Ondrej, came from the Austria-Hungary Empire (now Slovakia) in 1912, and sent for his mother, Julia Zavackyová Warholová, in 1921. His father worked as a construction worker and later as a coal miner. Around some time, the family moved to Pittsburgh. During his teenage years...
29. Douglas Sirk
Director | Schlußakkord
Film director Douglas Sirk, whose reputation blossomed in the generation after his 1959 retirement from Hollywood filmmaking, was born Hans Detlef Sierck on April 26, 1897, in Hamburg, Germany, to a journalist. Both of his parents were Danish, and the future director would make movies in German, ...
30. Dan Vadis
Actor | High Plains Drifter
Dan Vadis was born on January 3, 1938 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor, known for High Plains Drifter (1973), Every Which Way But Loose (1978) and The Ten Gladiators (1963). He was previously married to Sharon Jessup. He died on June 11, 1987 in Lancaster, California, USA.
31. Hayden Rorke
Actor | When Worlds Collide
Hayden Rorke was best known as the ever suspicious "Dr. Alfred E. Bellows" on the 1960s TV series, I Dream of Jeannie (1965). Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rorke was educated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he began his stage career in the 1930s with the Hampden Theatrical Company. A ...
32. Benson Fong
Actor | The Keys of the Kingdom
Benson Fong was born on October 10, 1916 in Sacramento, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Shanghai Cobra (1945) and The Scarlet Clue (1945). He was previously married to Maylia. He died on August 1, 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
33. Madeleine Carroll
Actress | The 39 Steps
The original ash-blonde "iceberg maiden", Madeleine Carroll was a knowing beauty with a confident air, the epitome of poise and "breeding". Not only did she have looks and allure in abundance, but she had intellectual heft to go with them, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Birmingham ...
34. Liberace
Soundtrack | Behind the Candelabra
Most remembered for his extravagant costumes and trademark candelabra placed on the lids of his flashy pianos, Liberace was loved by his audiences for his music talent and unique showmanship. He was born as Wladziu Valentino Liberace on May 16, 1919, into a musical family, in Wisconsin. His mother, ...
35. James Coco
Actor | Murder by Death
Born in New York City of humble means, character player James Coco was the son of Feliche, an Italian shoemaker, and Ida (Detestes) Coco. Shining shoes as a youngster with his father, his interest in acting occurred early on as a child. At age 17 he toured with a children's theatre troupe for three...
36. Mervyn LeRoy
Director | Gypsy
The great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 was a tragedy for Mervyn LeRoy. While he and his father managed to survive, they lost everything they had. To make money, LeRoy sold newspapers and entered talent contests as a singer. When he entered vaudeville, his act was "LeRoy and Cooper--Two...
37. Cathryn Damon
Actress | Soap
Cathryn Damon was born on September 11, 1930 in Seattle, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for Soap (1977), She's Having a Baby (1988) and Webster (1983). She was previously married to Richard Towers. She died on May 4, 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
38. Colin Blakely
Actor | A Man for All Seasons
For a while he worked on the management side of his father's sporting goods firm in Belfast, but by the mid fifties he was in the chorus of an amateur dramatic and operatic society. He'd fallen for a girl member so joined the society to get to know her. While he soon got over her, he'd become ...
39. Pola Negri
Actress | Bella Donna
Pola Negri was born in Lipno, Poland, and moved to Warsaw as a child. Living in poverty with her mother, a teenage Pola auditioned and was accepted to the Imperial Ballet. Due to an illness that ended her dancing career, she soon switched to the Warsaw Imperial Academy of Dramatic Arts and became ...
40. Lino Ventura
Actor | Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
One of France's most beloved character stars from the 1950s through and including the 1980s was the Italian-born Lino Ventura. Born Angiolino Joseph Pascal Ventura to Giovanni Ventura and Luisa Borrini, on July 14, 1919, in Parma (northern) Italy, young Lino moved with his family at a young age to ...
41. Ralph Nelson
Director | Lilies of the Field
In 1959, Emmy Award-winning television director Ralph Nelson directed a 90-minute adaptation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," with John Neville as the Dane, for the DuPont Show of the Month. Nelson himself adapted the 1601 Quatro (the "pirated" version considered corrupt) in order to make a coherent ...
42. Emile Meyer
Actor | Paths of Glory
Emile Meyer was born on August 18, 1910 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Paths of Glory (1957), Shane (1953) and Sweet Smell of Success (1957). He died on March 19, 1987 in Covington, Louisiana, USA.
43. Dan Rowan
Producer | Laugh-In
Dan Rowan was a comedian most famous as the straight man to Dick Martin, with whom he co-hosted the watershed TV program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967) from 1968-1973. The comedian debuted into small-town life as Daniel Hale David in Beggs, Oklahoma on July 22, 1922, the son of show people. ...
44. Hermione Gingold
Actress | Gigi
One of stage, screen, radio and TV's most inimitable, irrepressible entertainers, Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold was born in London on December 9, 1897, the daughter of an upscale Austrian-Jewish financier and English homemaker. The blue-eyed blonde loved to perform in school plays and made her ...
45. Alfie Bass
Actor | Dance of the Vampires
Alfie Bass was born on April 8, 1916 in Bethnal Green, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Moonraker (1979) and The Bespoke Overcoat (1955). He was previously married to Margaret Beryl Bryson. He died on July 15, 1987 in Barnet, London, England, UK.
46. Harriet E. MacGibbon
Actress | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Harriet MacGibbon had a long and distinguished stage career in New York before entering the movies and television. She studied a variety of crafts including voice, piano and harp. Unlike her stage roles, her roles on the big and little screens were usually that of of snooty society ladies, her ...
47. King Donovan
Actor | Invasion of the Body Snatchers
King Donovan was born on January 25, 1918 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Promises..... Promises! (1963) and Playhouse 90 (1956). He was previously married to Imogene Coca and Anne Catherine Thomas. He died on June 30, ...
48. Fulton Mackay
Actor | Porridge
Fulton Mackay was born on August 12, 1922 in Paisley, Scotland. He was an actor and writer, best known for his portrayal of authoritarian prison warder Mr Mackay in one of the BBC's most popular sitcoms, Porridge (1974), as well as appearing in Local Hero (1983), Defense of the Realm (1985) and ...
49. Anny Ondra
Actress | Blackmail
Anny Ondra was a Polish-Czech-Austrian-German-French singer and a film and stage actress. As a child she lived in Prague, where her father was a colonel in the Austro-Hungarian army. After graduating from convent school in Prague, she studied to be an actress with Professor Bor. She was already a ...
50. Madge Kennedy
Actress | Marathon Man
In 1906, Madge went to New York City to study at the Art Students League where she hoped to become an illustrator. This lasted until she appeared in a student musical, which led to a full time job in a traveling stock company. By 1912, Madge was a Broadway Star with the bedroom farce "Little Miss ...