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1-17 of 17
- Barry McGuire was raised in Arkansas City, Kansas, graduated from the University of Denver and broke into Broadway in his first role in 'Bernadine', which opened on February 2, 1953. After retiring, the actor, puppeteer and magician settled into tiny Elk Falls, Kansas around 2010.
Decades earlier, his creative genius had spurred an artistic revival in this dying town. He had transformed stone foundations into tiered native flower gardens that brought a new wave of tourists to this forgotten place. Through the work of a group of artists, Elk Falls became a thriving haven of creativity. McGuire had a theater constructed, and entertained tourists with puppet shows and magic acts. He left Elk Falls to return to acting. His credit list includes regional stage productions from New York to Florida to Indiana, and California.
After three years in Elk Falls, he moved to California in 2013 to live closer to friends. He died on March 7, 2023, his 93rd birthday, in Winfield, Kansas. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Smoulderingly beautiful and a fetching, exotic-eyed vision on the American screen during the 1950s and early 1960s, dark-maned Lisa Montell impressed more, especially to male film-goers, as a lovely diversion midst all the rugged terrain and tropical South Sea hazards than as a formidable actress. Similar in beauty and allure to the stunning Debra Paget and France Nuyen, the "Starlet of Many Faces" had a strong knack for ethnic accents and managed to play a variety of foreign types over her relatively brief time before the camera (Peruvian, Mexican, French, Italian, Burmese, Polynesian). Her film resume, which would include such cult-oriented classics as Daughter of the Sun God (1962), World Without End (1956) and the Roger Corman cheapies Naked Paradise (1957) and She Gods of Shark Reef (1958) were nearly all "B" and "C" grade (or worse) in scope and she eventually tired of the lack of challenge. She abandoned her career at the height of her beauty (around 1962) but found immense personal rewards in later decades as a spiritual exponent of the Bahá'í faith.
Although Lisa was born Irena Ludmilla Vladimiovna Augustinovich in Warsaw, Poland, on July 5, 1933, she was not raised there and did not keep her given name for long. Of Russian-Polish descent, she was born to privilege. She and her family managed to flee safely to the United States just months before the Nazi invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. Her father, a successful businessman, changed the family name to Montwill and Irena's name was adjusted to Irene. The family moved into a spacious Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City and generously took in Polish refugees (both friends and family) as needed during WWII.
Lisa studied art, voice and dance in Forest Hills and eventually was accepted into the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. She later transferred to the High School for the Performing Arts where she developed an interest in acting. Following graduation, she attended the University of Miami (Florida) for a semester before her father, whose business involved iron mines in Peru, relocated the family to Lima. While there Lisa again studied drama in American-based acting workshops that were set up there. She received her first professional break in 1953 after being noticed and cast by Hollywood producers searching for local female leads for a film they were shooting in Peru.
The film was called Daughter of the Sun God (1962) and it was set in the Peruvian jungles. Lisa plays a young adventurous blonde explorer on an expedition who is not only threatened by raging waters, desert heat and native ritualistic practices, but by various wildlife as well (crocodiles, pumas and gigantic snakes, to name a few). The film had financial problems and was so poorly made that it was held up nearly a decade before it was finally bought and released to the American market in 1962.
While enjoying a South American jet-set life in Peru, Lisa went on to appear in a handful of other local films before learning of Hollywood's interest in her despite the unsuccessful marketing of her debut film. Following her father's untimely death, Lisa and her mother moved to Los Angeles where the ethnic-looking wannabe found work cast on TV as Eurasian, Latina and Native-American types.
Billed as Irene Montwill, Lisa's first Hollywood film was Warner Bros.' Jump Into Hell (1955), a French Indochina (pre-Vietnam) war picture in which she played a French love interest to European soldier Peter Van Eyck. The studio then put her under a temporary contract and she changed her name to the more exotic moniker of Lisa Montell. Despite more second-lead exposure in the RKO films, Escape to Burma (1955), a tea plantation drama starring Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Ryan, and Pearl of the South Pacific (1955), a tropical South Seas adventure with Virginia Mayo and Dennis Morgan, Lisa was not able to up her status in Hollywood.
After filming the minor western, The Wild Dakotas (1956), she appeared in one of her better-remembered pictures, the cult sci-fi film, World Without End (1956), with Hugh Marlowe and Rod Taylor, which takes place on Earth in the 26th century. She went on to play a small role as a ballet dancer in the Leslie Caron MGM drama, Gaby (1956), and was also one of the Italian Martelli sisters (the others being Anna Maria Alberghetti, Eva Bartok and Lisa Gaye) in the musical comedy, Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957), starring Dean Martin. On the western front, she appeared, with Chuck Connors, as an Indian maiden in Tomahawk Trail (1957). Things moved in a cult-like direction for Lisa with her tropical female roles in Roger Corman's Naked Paradise (1957) and She Gods of Shark Reef (1958), both filmed in the same spot in Hawaii. If nothing else, she got to show off her great figure and underwater swimming skills. Over the years, scores of adventurous guest roles came Lisa's way on TV, notably westerns, including the popular series as The Gene Autry Show (1950), Broken Arrow (1956), Tales of Wells Fargo (1957), Colt .45 (1957), Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Sugarfoot (1957), Cheyenne (1955), Bat Masterson (1958) and Maverick (1957). Outside the western genre, came a few varied performances in everything from comedy (The Ann Sothern Show (1958)) to hip action adventure (Surfside 6 (1960)).
Once wed to fellow actor David Janti, Lisa's last film was the minor "B" western, The Firebrand (1962), starring Kent Taylor. She retired soon after and devoted herself, exclusively, to educational pursuits as well as her Bahá'í religion. She was elected to the Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles and served as Chairperson. Often a public speaker, she has been outspoken on such issues as poverty and discrimination. She was also quite active in the early stages of the civil rights movement and has spent active time with youth arts programs. She later wrote a book (as Lisa Janti) about her spiritual sojourn and, more recently, became the program director of the Center for Education at the Desert Rose Bahá'í Institute. In 2008, she was a guest attendee at the Western Legends Film Festival.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Grant Bridger was born in 1947. He was an actor, known for Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), We're Here to Help (2007) and Second Time Lucky (1984). He died on 7 March 2023 in Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand.- Make-Up Department
- Actor
- Visual Effects
Byrd Holland was born on 20 July 1927 in Marietta, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Rabid (1977), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) and Glen and Randa (1971). He was married to Patricia Holland. He died on 7 March 2023 in Palm Springs, California, USA.- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Harry de Winter was born on 22 May 1949 in Oss, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. He was a producer and director, known for No More Control (1996), Oud geld (1998) and Voor hete vuren (1995). He died on 7 March 2023 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.- Director
- Editor
- Producer
Paul Justman was born on 27 August 1948 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was a director and editor, known for Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), Rock 'n' Roll Hotel (1983) and Gimme an 'F' (1984). He was married to Saundra Jordan. He died on 7 March 2023 in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Vivian White was born on 15 October 1946 in Sutton, Surrey, England, UK. He was a writer and director, known for The Money Programme (1966), This Week Next Week (1984) and Panorama (1953). He was married to Sue Freestone and Jan Collie. He died on 7 March 2023.- Lynn Seymour was born on 8 March 1939 in Wainwright, Alberta, Canada. She was an actress, known for Dancers (1987), Wittgenstein (1993) and Festival (1960). She was married to Vanya Hackel, Philip Pace and Colin Jones. She died on 7 March 2023 in London, England, UK.
- Kamau Christian was born on 5 April 2002 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for I'm Ready (2020). He died on 7 March 2023 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Ilya Narodovoy was born on 11 March 1965. He was an actor and writer, known for Strannoye vremya (1997), S novym godom, Moskva! (1993) and Marsh slavyanki (2003). He died on 7 March 2023.- France Lambiotte was born on 1 May 1939 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She was an actress, known for La femme de Jean (1974), Faces of Love (1977) and Roads to the South (1978). She was married to Louis Rozand and Ivry Gitlis. She died on 7 March 2023 in Paris, France.
- Cinematographer
- Art Department
- Camera and Electrical Department
C.G. Noir was a cinematographer, known for Under a Blanket of Blue, Hunters (2016) and Through the Glass. C.G. died on 7 March 2023 in New Jersey, USA.- Tamara Solovyova was born on 31 July 1940 in Leningrad, USSR. She was an actress, known for Nergebi (1972). She died on 7 March 2023 in Kaliningrad, Russia.
- Director
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
David Larcher was born in 1942 in London, England, UK. He was a director and cinematographer, known for Granny's Is (1991), Mare's Tail (1968) and Chappaqua (1966). He died on 7 March 2023.- Ian Falconer was born on 25 August 1959 in Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA. Ian was a writer, known for Olivia (2009). Ian died on 7 March 2023 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Executive
Ruben Igielko-Herrlich was born on 15 March 1960 in Havana, Cuba. Ruben was an executive, known for Pushing The Limits: The Future Starts Here (2018) and Imagine (2013). Ruben was married to Lara Fielding. Ruben died on 7 March 2023 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.- Pat McCormick was born on 12 May 1930 in Seal Beach, California, USA. She was an actress, known for 16 Days of Glory (1985), The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) and Aqua Champs (1952). She was married to Glenn McCormick. She died on 7 March 2023 in Santa Ana, California, USA.