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1-50 of 244
- Actress
- Producer
Best known as "Lacey Underall" in Caddyshack (1980), and "Yori" in Tron (1982), Cindy Morgan was born Cynthia Ann Cichorski on September 29, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois, not far from Wrigley Field. The daughter of a Polish factory worker and a German mother, Cindy attended 12 years of Catholic school and was the first in her family to attend college.
While studying communications at Northern Illinois University, Cindy spun records on the radio. A commercial station in town wanted her to report the news for them as well, so a slight deception was needed. She used the name Cindy Morgan, taken from a story she read about Morgan le Fay when she was 12 years old.
After graduation, Cindy gave all the latest meteorological news on a TV station in Rockford, Ill. She also kept her hand in radio by working the graveyard shift at a local rock station. Then she returned to Chicago and deejayed on WSDM (now WLUP). During a labor dispute at the station, she literally quit on the air and walked out with a record still spinning on the turntable.
Cindy found employment at auto shows for Fiat, which took her to both coasts. She moved to Los Angeles in 1978 and became the Irish Spring girl. While she did TV commercials, she studied acting, and was rewarded with her first screen role in "Caddyshack", playing the role of "Lacey Underall", an over-amorous ingénue.- Actor
- Soundtrack
When someone told Brad Johnson he'd come a long way, his usual response was, "Well, I had a long way to come." Born on a small ranch in Tucson, Johnson, the son of a horse trainer/used car salesman, did everything from shoeing horses to repossessing cars to serving as a hunting and fishing guide. His humble beginnings nurtured his modesty and quiet strength and had critics comparing him to John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and James Stewart.
Brad's route to stardom was speedy, dramatic and somewhat circuitous. He joined the Pro Rodeo circuit in 1984 and was spotted wrestling steers in Wyoming by a casting director looking for cowboys to use as extras in a beer commercial. After this first break came a three-year run as the Marlboro Man, then numerous Calvin Klein print ads and more commercials. After a serious knee injury sidelined his rodeo career, Johnson headed for Hollywood.
Within five months of his arrival, Roger Corman cast him to star in Nam Angels (1989). Soon after, Steven Spielberg discovered Johnson and offered him the coveted role of Ted Baker, Holly Hunter's love interest in Always (1989). When asked about her co-star, Holly described Brad as "all twisted steel and sex appeal." The Spielberg film led Johnson to Paramount for John Milius's Flight of the Intruder (1991). An exclusive three-picture deal at Paramount followed.
With 60 hours of television, 11 pilots and over 25 films to his credit, there was no slowing down. Johnson's Los Angeles-based High Lonesome Productions and his producing partner Lou Pitt had several projects in different stages of production.
Brad lived with his wife Laurie and their eight children on a ranch in the mountains of Colorado.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Joseph Patrick Cranshaw was an American character actor from Oklahoma. He is well-known for playing fraternity brother Blue from the Todd Phillips comedy film Old School. He had minor roles in many other shows and films including Seinfeld, Air Bud, Herbie: Fully Loaded and The Dukes of Hazzard. He passed away in December 28, 2005 due to natural causes.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Raised in Dallas, Texas, James Hampton attended John H. Reagan Elementary, N.R. Crozier Technical High School and the University of North Texas (Theatre Arts Major). He studied acting with Michael Howard in New York and Leonard Nimoy in Los Angeles. He worked with Baruch Lumet at Knox Street Theatre in Dallas and did summer stock at Casa Manana in Fort Worth (1961). He performed off-Broadway in "Easy Does It" with Tom Poston and Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, and toured with Burt Reynolds in "Rainmaker". He starred in "Tender Trap" with Reynolds at Arlington Park Theatre in Chicago and played the title role in "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter" at the same theatre with Mamie Van Doren and Rick Jason. Onscreen, he has played in films as diverse as The Longest Yard (1974) and Teen Wolf (1985), and is probably best remembered as the eager but inept bugler Private Hannibal Dobbs in the classic sitcom F Troop (1965). James Hampton died at age 84 of Parkinson's disease at his home in Fort Worth, Texas.- Liz Smith found fame as an actress at an age when most people are considering retirement. It was a long road to eventual stardom, during which she struggled to raise a family after a broken marriage. She became best known for her roles in The Vicar of Dibley (1994) and The Royle Family but her talents encompassed serious drama too. And while she made something of a name playing slightly dotty old ladies, the real Liz Smith was far removed from these on-screen personas. She was born Betty Gleadle in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. Her early life was not happy. Her mother died in childbirth when she was just two years old and her father abandoned her when he remarried. "My father was a bit of a sod, really. He just went off with loads of women and then married one who said he had to cut off completely from his prior life and that meant me." She started going to the local cinema with her grandfather when she was four and she quickly gained a fascination for acting.
By the age of nine, she was appearing in local dramatic productions, often playing the part of elderly ladies. World War Two thwarted her plans and she joined the WRNS because, as she later told the BBC's Desert Island Discs, she loved the cut of the naval uniform. She continued appearing in plays and entertainments while serving in the Royal Navy. She met her future husband Jack Thomas while she was stationed in India and the couple married at the end of the war. Her grandmother had left her enough money to buy a house in London. Smith later remembered that she had picked it at random from a magazine and bought it without crossing the threshold.
But what had been an idyllic marriage failed shortly after the family moved to Epping Forest in Essex and she was left to bring up her two children alone. With money tight, she worked in a number of jobs including delivering post and quality control in a plastic bag factory. But her love for acting remained and she began buying the theatrical magazine, The Stage, and sending her photograph to casting agents. Eventually she became part of a group studying method acting under a teacher who had come to the UK from America.
She performed at the Gate Theatre in west London and spent many years in repertory, as well as spells as an entertainer in Butlins holiday camps. In 1970, she was selling toys in London's Regent Street when she got a call from the director Mike Leigh to play the downtrodden mother in his film Bleak Moments. Leigh cast her again in Hard Labour, part of the BBC's Play for Today series, a role that allowed her to shine. She received critical acclaim as the middle-aged housewife who endures a life of domestic drudgery, constantly at the beck and call of her demanding husband and daughter.
It was the breakthrough she had sought for years and, as she later recalled: "I never went back to grotty jobs again." She was seldom off the screen over the next 20 years, with appearances in a number of TV programmes including Last of the Summer Wine, The Sweeney, The Duchess of Duke Street and The Gentle Touch. She was cast as Madame Balls in the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again, but her scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. However, she did appear in the role six years later in The Curse of the Pink Panther. In 1984 she received a Bafta for Best Supporting Actress when she played Maggie Smith's mother in the film A Private Function.
Two years later she appeared as Patricia Hodge's alcoholic mother in the BBC drama The Life and Loves Of A She Devil. It was a part, she said, that she really enjoyed as it gave her the chance to wear more glamorous outfits than her usual roles required. And she was able to dress up again for her next film appearance, this time in the role of Grace in Peter Greenaway's film The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. She was still much in demand at the beginning of the 1990s, appearing in the sitcom 2point4 Children and in the series Lovejoy and Bottom.
In 1994 she became a household name with her portrayal of Letitia Cropley in the series The Vicar of Dibley (1994). The character was famous for her idiosyncratic recipes such as parsnip brownies and lard and fish paste pancakes, but was killed off in 1996. Two years later Liz Smith starred as Nana in The Royle Family, a sitcom that ran for nearly four years. She took the part again in 2006 in a special edition in which Nana died. Typically, she attributed her success to Caroline Aherne's scripts rather than her own talent.
"They were great roles," she later remembered. "I was so lucky that things did come my way then." Unlike some actors, she watched recordings of her own performances looking for ways in which she could improve her acting. She continued to appear in feature films, playing Grandma Georgina in Tim Burton's 2005 version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and she was the voice of Mrs Mulch in Wallace & Gromit -The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. In 2006 she published her autobiography Our Betty and moved into a retirement home in north London but continued acting. She appeared in the BBC's Lark Rise to Candleford, finally announcing her retirement in 2008 at the age of 87. It was a belief in her own talent that drove Liz Smith on when her life was at a low ebb. "All I wanted was a chance," she told the BBC. "It was wonderful when it did happen."
Smith died on Christmas Eve 2016. She was 95. - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
John Forgeham was born on 14 May 1941 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mean Machine (2001), The Italian Job (1969) and Kiss of the Dragon (2001). He was married to Arlene Garciano, Fiesta Mei Ling and Georgina Hale. He died on 10 March 2017 in Worthing, West Sussex, England, UK.- Sydney Bromley was born on 24 July 1909 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The NeverEnding Story (1984), An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Dragonslayer (1981). He died on 14 August 1987 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.
- Writer
- Actor
Martin Amis was born on 25 August 1949 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for The Zone of Interest (2023), London Fields (2018) and Saturn 3 (1980). He was married to Isabel Fonseca and Antonia Phillips. He died on 19 May 2023 in Lake Worth, Florida, USA.- Cindy Crawford was born on 13 January 1947 in Dyersburg, Tennessee, USA. She died on 14 October 2007 in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, USA.
- Actor Brian Hall was best known for his role as Terry the cook in the BBC comedy series Fawlty Towers (1975). He began acting while still in his teens in amateur shows where his burly frame made him ideal casting for villains and heavies.
After leaving school he worked as a taxi driver before he was spotted by theatrical agent Richard Ireson who persuaded him that his talent lay in theatre.
He went on to appear in stage plays at The Royal Court Theatre in London, notably in Peter Gill's production of Crete and Sergeant Pepper and at the Royal Shakespeare Company he starred in Afore Night Comes, directed by Ron Daniels.
With John Chapman he co-wrote Made It Mad (based on the famous James Cagney line in the film White Heat) which was staged at the Royal Court as well as Bit of Business, co-written and directed with John Burgess at the National Theatre.
He had a highly successful TV career, notably in series such as Softly Softly (1966) (as the corrupt police officer Sergeant Ted Drake).
He played a bodyguard to Bob Hoskins in the cult gangster classic film The Long Good Friday (1980), the same year he was cast as a villain in McVicar (1980).
He struck up a close friendship with the actor John Cleese when they appeared in the BBC comedy series Fawlty Towers. Some years after the series had finished Cleese sent Hall a personally signed autographed picture as a joke. Hall wrote back and demanded a signed Rolls-Royce car instead. Three day later, one arrived in the post - it was a children's toy.
In 1994 he was diagnosed as having cancer. - Actress
- Additional Crew
Mary Dees was born on 3 June 1911 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Cornelius William Foster. She died on 4 August 2004 in Lake Worth, Florida, USA.- Actress
Fran Bennett was born in Texas to Eugenia Gibbons Bailey and Bryan Andrew Leonard. She was apparently adopted by Darwin Marx Benedum, taking his last name, when her mother married Benedum in 1941. Ms. Bennett attended the University of Miami where she majored in mathematics.She married Dr. John E. Williams of Beverly Hills, California in June 1957. She subsequently withdrew from the film industry.- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Hugh Lloyd was born on 22 April 1923 in Chester, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for You Rang, M'Lord? (1988), Doctor Who (1963) and Alice in Wonderland (1999). He was married to Shän Davies, Carole Wilkinson, Anne Rodgers and José Stewart. He died on 14 July 2008 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Helene Whitney was born in 1914 as Kenyon Fortescue and was the grandniece of Alexander Graham Bell and cousin once removed of President Theodore Roosevelt. She married Julian Louis Reynolds, heir to the R.J. Reynolds tobacco fortune in 1936. But they divorced in 1939 and she started her acting work using stage names of Joyce Gardner, Helene Whitney and Helene Reynolds. After her theatrical work ended she became the proprietor of a Manhattan Art Gallery. She passed away on March 28, 1990 at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center of pneumonia.
- Peter Tuddenham, actor, born November 27 1918; died July 9 2007.
The amiable actor Peter Tuddenham died aged 88, he was always content to remain in supporting roles; in fact, he was most recognised for his off-screen work. He provided the contrasting voices of the computers in the science-fiction series Blake's 7 (BBC, 1978-81).
Tuddenham, who was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, and brought up in the seaside resort of Felixstowe, had made his professional debut before the second world war, in repertory on the pier at Hastings. In the wartime Royal Army Service Corps, he was one of many who honed their performing skills appearing with Stars in Battledress.
Demobbed after the war, he joined a production of Ivor Novello's The Dancing Years; later, in 1959, BBC productions of this and another Novello musical, Perchance to Deam, were among his early television appearances. In 1950, he appeared in Noel Coward's Ace Of Cards, but although the play was well received on tour, it had negative reviews in London's West End.
Tuddenham's small-screen debut was in The Granville Melodramas (1955), one of ITV's earliest productions, starring then husband and wife Hattie Jacques and John Le Mesurier. He took a regular role in Anglia Television's Weavers Green (1966), a short-lived, twice-weekly soap that made an early use of location videotape recording. As an expert on the Suffolk accents, he became Anglia's regular dialect coach.
Characteristically, Tuddenham was heard but not seen as the spirit of East Anglia, in Akenfield (1974), Sir Peter Hall's film adaptation of Ronald Blythe's book, which had an otherwise amateur cast. In a now commonplace move, most of the funding came from London Weekend Television in exchange for the cinema rights; unlike subsequent cinema crossovers it was first screened on television and then released theatrically. This led to good ratings but poor box office. Still, Tuddenham became the dialogue coach for Hall's 1985 production at Glyndebourne of Benjamin Britten's opera, Albert Herring, which was televised on BBC2.
After much radio work, including the soaps Mrs Dale's Diary and Waggoner's Walk, Tuddenham became an off-screen voice in the Doctor Who stories The Ark in Space and The Masque of Mandragora, in 1975 and 1976, both starring Tom Baker. He was then cast in Blake's 7, the adventures of interplanetary rebels fighting an omnipotent Federation. This was created by Terry Nation, who had previously given the world the Daleks.
Tuddenham provided the voices of the computers (eventually three of them - Zen, Orac and Slave) in the show that featured the ship which Clive James, in the Observer, described as "a tasteless light-fitting known as the Liberator". James's view that the series was "flaring nonsense from beyond the galaxy" was widespread among critics. Jokes about the sets and special effects were frequent, and even the large audiences who enjoyed the series generally viewed it as nothing more than hokum.
However, it developed a passionate and vocal cult following, and many maintain that it and Doctor Who represent the pinnacle of British television. Tuddenham reprised his roles in revivals for radio, and in audio tapes made by fans.
Not that he lacked for work in serious drama, generally playing doctors and authority figures. He was in North and South (1975), after the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, and supported Ian Holm as JM Barrie in The Lost Boys (1978), and Eileen Atkins in The Burston Rebellion (1985), about two Norfolk teachers in 1914 who were dismissed for their leftwing beliefs: their pupils went on strike. Anything More Would Be Greedy (1989), again for Anglia, a six-part critique of the 1980s by Malcolm Bradbury, gave Tuddenham the small but vital role of the returning officer at the local elections.
His lighter guest appearances included Nearest and Dearest, Only Fools and Horses, and One Foot in the Grave. He appeared regularly as the friend of academic dropout Michael Williams in the gentle comedy Double First (1988).
Tuddenham remained a genial character, and was an unfailingly popular guest at sci-fi conventions. Rosie, his second wife, and their son Julian survived him in 2007, together with a son from his first marriage. Another son had predeceased him. - Arthur Rigby was born on 27 September 1900 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Wolves of the Underworld (1933), Dixon of Dock Green (1955) and Love Lies (1931). He was married to Sheila MacEvoy. He died on 25 April 1971 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.
- Helen Christie was born on 22 October 1914 in India. She was an actress, known for The Beggar's Opera (1953), Melissa (1964) and The Queen of Spades (1949). She was married to John Barron, Mark Dignam and Patrick Crean. She died on 17 August 1995 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.
- Kathryn Kates was born on 29 January 1948 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Greetings from Sarajevo (2021), Shades of Blue (2016) and The Many Saints of Newark (2021). She was married to Joseph Pershes. She died on 22 January 2022 in Lake Worth, Florida, USA.
- A former police officer and pilot, Talbot Rothwell had an unorthodox entry into show business: as a prisoner of war in a German POW camp during WW II, Rothwell, out of boredom (and also to cover the noise of prisoners digging escape tunnels), got involved in camp entertainment shows, writing comedy sketches with fellow prisoner Peter Butterworth (who later worked with him in the "Carry On" series). After the war Rothwell continued with his comedy writing, eventually achieving a degree of success in radio and on stage.
Rothwell joined the "Carry On" series in 1963 with Carry on Cabby (1963), a script that wasn't originally supposed to be an entry in the series, but producer Peter Rogers liked it so much he used it for the "Carry On" gang and offered Rothwell a job as staff writer. Rothwell stayed with the series for an additional 19 films, retiring in the late 1970s. In 1977 he was awarded the OBE for his work in the film industry. He died in 1981, at age 64. - Director
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur Crabtree (1900-1975) was born in Shipley, Yorkshire where he gave up a safe job with a local firm of engineers to become a clapper boy at Elstree Studios. He had always been interested in photography and at the age of 29 he took a calculated risk, which paid off, when sound hit the British studios .From being a lowly clapper boy he rose to become an assistant to a young and up coming director called Alfred Hitchcock learning all he could. Ten years later he moved to Gainsborough Studios where he became a cameraman and then a lighting director working on such films as Kipps (1940) ,The Man in Grey (1943), and Fanny by Gaslight (1944). After that he was noticed by Maurice Ostrer who promoted him to director for Madonna of the Seven Moons' This milestone in British film history had a cast that included Phyllis Calvert and Stewart Granger and caused great queues at cinemas when it was screened in 1945, Subsequent films by Arthur included Lilli Marlene and Hindle Wakes. His last film was Horrors of the Black Museum in 1959 after which he retired- Writer
- Editor
- Producer
Keith Kjornes was born on 24 November 1950 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He was a writer and editor, known for Open All Night, Surveillance (2001) and Six Dollars a Minute (1997). He was married to Irene Carmen Cadahia. He died on 28 March 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Bob Wills, fiddler and band leader of Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, was an influential developer of the western swing music style in the late 1930s through the 1940s. Recorded extensively for Columbia, Decca, MGM and others. Hit recordings included "San Antonio Rose, " "Faded Love, " and "Steel Guitar Rag." He was inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968. Many country music artists cite him as a major influence, including Merle Haggard, George Strait, and Willie Nelson.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Patrick Garland was born on 10 April 1935 in England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for A Doll's House (1973), The Snow Goose (1971) and An Age of Kings (1960). He was married to Alexandra Bastedo. He died on 19 April 2013 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Toni Mooney was born on 23 August 1956 in Opa Locka, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983), So Fine (1981) and Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded (2014). She was married to George Hurley . She died on 13 January 2024 in Lake Worth, Florida, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Director
Nancy Price was born on 3 February 1880 in Kinver, Worcestershire, England, UK. She was an actress and director, known for The Speckled Band (1931), The Stars Look Down (1940) and Down Our Street (1932). She was married to Charles Maude. She died on 31 March 1970 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Jerry Russell was born on 5 January 1936 in West Warwick, Rhode Island, USA. He was an actor, known for Wolf Children (2012), Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) and D.Gray-man (2006). He was married to Suzi McLaughlin, Kathy ? and Virginia Cornstubble. He died on 5 September 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
- Peggy Connelly was born on 25 September 1931 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Schlitz Playhouse (1951), Die Drehscheibe (1964) and Words and Music (1970). She was married to Colin Romoff, Dick Martin and James L. Dutton. She died on 11 June 2007 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
- Joyce Marie Lemons was the mother of murder victim Debbie Williamson who ensured the memory of her daughter would live on after the unresolved homicide took place on August 24, 1975. She was known for her various appearances in several television documentaries that covered Debbie's unresolved homicide. Joyce passed away in 2019, at the age of 83.
- Actor
- Director
- Location Management
John Cadenhead was born on 13 September 1946 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. He was an actor and director, known for UHF (1989), Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Ernest Scared Stupid (1991). He died on 13 April 2002 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Van Cliburn was born Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr. on July 12, 1934, in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. His mother, named Rildia Bee O'Bryan, had been taught piano by Arthur Friedheim, a pupil of Franz Liszt. Cliburn began taking piano lessons at the age of three from his mother, who was strict and demanded perfection. At the age of twelve Cliburn won a piano competition in Texas and made his debut with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. At the age of twenty he made his debut at Carnegie Hall.
In 1958 Cliburn won the First International Tshaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. There he played the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff in his triumphal competition finale performances. Cliburn's mastery of piano was so convincing that even Nikita Khrushchev agreed, when the Soviet judges asked him for permission to give the first prize to an American. Cliburn was on the cover of TIME as "The Texan Who Conquered Russia." He made a fine recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, which became the best-selling classical album, eventually going triple platinum. Cliburn also recorded the music of Edvard Grieg, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Ludwig van Beethoven among other composers.
Since 1962 Van Cliburn has been the artistic advisor for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Its international prestige now rivals that of the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. Cliburn made appearances at such important political events, as the 1987 White House meeting between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1991 Cliburn performed at the opening of the 100th Anniversary season of Carnegie Hall. In 2003 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2004 received the Russian Order of Friendship. He has played piano music for royalty, heads of states, and for every President of the United States since Harry S. Truman. Van Cliburn is living in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a Steinway artist. He owns a collection of Steinway pianos that are tuned-up to accommodate his individual touch and style.- Lillian Moore was born on 2 April 1916 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Judge Faith (2014). She was married to Roy Roberts. She died on 25 October 2001 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Franklin Dyall was born on 3 February 1870 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Easy Virtue (1927) and The Gaunt Stranger (1931). He was married to Mary Merrall and Mary Phyllis Logan. He died on 8 May 1950 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Actor
- Writer
Vernon Castle and his wife Irene Castle were the best known ballroom dancers of the early 20th Century. Beginning about 1914 they operated several clubs and studios in the New York City area, toured the country dancing, and were able to charge as much as a thousand dollars an hour for lessons.
From 1906 through 1913 he appeared in nine Broadway musicals: "The Sunshine Girl", "The Lady of the Slipper", "The Hen-Pecks", "The Summer Widowers", "Old Dutch", "The Midnight Sons", "The Mimic World", "The Girl Behind the Counter", and "About Town." In 1914, he appeared with Irene in the Irving Berlin musical "Watch Your Step." Vernon (as a military flying instructor) was killed in an airplane accident shortly before the end or World War I.
Vernon and Irene were the subjects of the movie The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939).- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andy Anderson was born on 13 July 1946. He was a director and writer, known for Positive I.D. (1986), Interface (1984) and Detention (1998). He died on 17 March 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.- Served in WWI, and was badly gassed. After the war, took up acting, and was on the London stage in WWII, where he came to the attention of MI5 (British Military Intelligence) by accident. At the end of one nightly performance, he couldn't find the hat that he would normally wear, and so he donned a beret and walked onstage; the audience, thinking that he was Bernard L. Montgomery, promptly stood and cheered.
- Benjamin Dover's prognostication skills were put on national display in 2007: In his "NostraDover" TV segments he correctly predicted the subprime housing bust 18 months before the markets imploded; he called the stock market's September 2008 bear market freefall 8 months before everything hit the proverbial fan.
When he's not warning America light-years before the usual media talking heads, the Dallas-based 'deal-junkie' who reinvented himself in the early 1990s after recovering from near-fatal motorcycle accident in January, 1989 (14 surgeries from 1989-99).
Publishing: Launched successful publishing company in January 1992 and went on to publish several best-selling titles: Focus of early books was on showing consumers how to work out of severe financial situations by firing debt collectors and playing hardball with creditors. Is widely viewed as one of leading experts on consumers' rights surrounding debt collection, credit reporting and bankruptcy, as well as privacy issues.
Talk radio: Parlayed his heavy radio-based book promotion schedule into his first talk radio gig at Dallas' KLIF/570AM 1992-2000; moved up to Los Angeles talk powerhouse KFI/AM 640 from 2001-2003; returned to Dallas/Fort Worth air on KRLD/1080 from 2004-2005.
Television: Leveraged his growing media-savvy into regular guest/correspondent roles on ABC's 'Mike & Maty Show' (1994-1996) and NBC's 'Leeza Gibbons Show' (1996-2001), as well as local regional reporting roles for WFAA-TV/Dallas (1995-2005), KTRK-TV/Houston (1997-2002), KHOU/Houston (2003-2005) and KVUE-TV/Austin (2003-2005).
Newspaper columnist: Wrote a popular weekly column for The Dallas Morning News (1998-2004).
Website: An early-adopter, Dover's website launched in 1995 and evolved into one of the most popular portals for consumers seeking more than just the usual regurgitated press releases offered by many media outlets. An award-winning website, benjamindover.com has been recognized for its outstanding information content by the Dallas Press Club, winning 'Katie Awards' (2002 & 2004).
Television producer: Television producer: Created "Now What Do You Do?" (NWDYD?), a multi-platformed media vehicle in 2006; launching "Dover 911" interstitials first quarter 2015.
Other: Received BBA/Business from TCU in 1982. - Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Mark Hanna was born on 12 January 1917 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), The Gatling Gun (1971) and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958). He was married to Charlotte M Preston and Helena Pauline Cordell. He died on 16 October 2003 in Lake Worth, Florida, USA.- Calvin Leon Graham was born in Canton, Texas on 3 April 1930. The youngest of seven children, Calvin's claim to fame was when he lied about his age and joined the United States Navy at the age of twelve during World War II. He served aboard the U.S.S. South Dakota (BB-57) which took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal. The ship sustained heavy damage plus many casualties and Graham was wounded in this action. Undeterred, Graham continued to fight on and function effectively despite his wounds. For his conduct during the battle, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart for his wounds.
After his mother found out where her son had been, she contacted the Navy and his true age was revealed. He was subsequently thrown in the brig at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas where he was held for almost three months. He was released when his sister threatened to go to the newspapers that the Navy was holding a young (underage) hero. After he was released, the Navy had awarded Graham a Dishonorable Discharge forfeiting his benefits and awards.
Later on, he was able to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served three years before breaking his back.
He would fight for his benefits and discharge upgrade for the rest of his life. His discharge was upgraded in 1978 and his benefits restored in 1988. All his medals were eventually re-bestowed with the Purple Heart posthumously in 1994.
Calvin Graham died on 6 November 1992 in Fort Worth, Texas.
His story was told in the made-for-TV movie, Too Young the Hero (1988). - Additional Crew
- Actor
Don Reynolds was born on 29 May 1937 in Odell, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). He died on 9 January 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Cliff Diggins was born on 16 September 1931 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Avengers (1961), Warhead (1977) and Space: 1999 (1975). He was married to Diana Elizabeth Francombe Chitty. He died on 28 December 2002 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Brian Sturdivant was born on 31 August 1945. He was an actor, known for Dark Shadows (1966), Von Richthofen and Brown (1971) and The Coming Asunder of Jimmy Bright (1973). He died on 9 November 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Wilkie Cooper was born on 19 October 1911 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for Jason and the Argonauts (1963), The Avengers (1961) and Stage Fright (1950). He was married to Peggy Bryan. He died on 15 December 2001 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Bobbie Wygant was born on 22 November 1926 in Lafayette, Indiana, USA. She was married to Phil Wygant. She died on 18 February 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
- Tobar Mayo was born on 19 March 1945 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Escape from New York (1981), Abar (1977) and Mannix (1967). He died on 11 December 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
- Make-Up Department
- Additional Crew
Jane Royle was born on 20 October 1932 in London, England, UK. She is known for Flash Gordon (1980), GoldenEye (1995) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). She was married to Derek Royle. She died on 13 December 2010 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Mary "Punkins" Parker was born in 1918 in Fort Worth Texas. She was discovered as part of a Paramount Pictures search for beauty contest-considered one of the top 10 most beautiful girls in the country. Prior to that, Punkins had been on the radio, and was a talented dancer. She appeared in a few movies for Paramount, and later signed a contract with MGM. Some of her best work was as a dancer with her partner Billy Daniels, working both in movies and on Broadway. Although somewhat of a household name in the 30's and 40's, Mary Parker has become a relatively unknown actress and performer in recent times. Mary hated the name "Punkins" and insisted being credited as Mary Parker, yet she was often still credited as "Punkins". In her relatively short film career, Mary Parker worked with some top names in the industry, and was a close friend of Burgess Meredith among others.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1998: Before becoming an office manager Mary "Punkin" Parker was both and actress and a dancer. She was under contract to paramount and MGM studios from the late 1930s into the 1940s. She played feature roles in films with Dorothy Lamour, Fred MacMurray, Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. During her stay in Hollywood, she dated Howard Hughes. She danced from Hollywood to New York, appearing on Broadway with her partner Billy Daniel.
When Mary returned to Fort Worth, she had a weekly program, "Mary Parker Playtime," on WBAP-TV. After this, she had a dance studio on Forest Park Blvd. where she taught dancing for many years. She later became interested in the medical profession and became an office manager for a local physician. - Music Department
- Soundtrack
Songwriter ("I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Under Paris Skies", "A Dreamer's Holiday", "Autumn Nocturne"), author and lawyer, educated at St. Lawrence University (BS) and Albany Law School (LL.B.). He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1934. Besides writing for films, he wrote the Broadway stage score for "Seventeen". Joining ASCAP in 1940, his chief musical collaborators included J. Fred Coots, Max Steiner, Mabel Wayne, Walter Kent, and Josef Myrow. His other popular-song compositions include "Five O'Clock Whistle", "I Understand", "Always In My Heart", "Moonlight Cocktail", "It Can't Be Wrong", "I Want to Be Wanted" and "Johnny Appleseed".- Composer
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Charles Williams was prolific and without equal in familiar popular music. His pedigree was impressive and his achievements remarkable, so who was this man who bequeathed so much enjoyment to the nation by writing the signature tunes for such programmes as "Dick Barton, Special Agent", "Jennings at School", "BBC TV Newsreel", and "Friday Night is Music Night"?
His real name was Isaac Cozerbreit and he was born to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland on 8th May, 1893, in Turner Street, East London. His father, a former travelling child singer whose repertoire ranged from synagogue liturgies to choral and operatic music, changed his professional name to Charles Williams, the same as a nationally-known choral conductor.
In 1913 Isaac legally adopted his father's new name and it was as Charles Williams that he signed up with the King's Royal Rifles during the Great War. It meant his violin-playing and general studies at the Royal Academy of Music were interrupted, but after hostilities ceased he resumed his career and joined the famous J.H. Squire Octet. Two years later, in 1920, he formed his own Charles Williams Octet. The tscene was set for greater things.
Versatility might have been a good middle name because Charles was just at home at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as he was in the theatre pit of the Empress cinema in Brixton. As Leader of the prestigious New Symphony Orchestra, he played under the baton of Sir Landon Ronald, Sir Thomas Beecham and Sir Edward Elgar, the latter presenting him with an autographed copy of his biography in recognition of valuable services rendered.
By 1923 Charles fancied having a go with the baton himself and took to freelance conducting with several different cinema orchestras performing for, and during the intervals between, silent films. After a residency at the New Gallery in Regent Street, he moved to the Davis Theatre in Croydon and so enjoyed the experience that in 1929 he collaborated with others to write the music for the first British sound film. Entitled Blackmail, it was the 10th movie to be directed by an up-and-coming young man called Alfred Hitchcock.
Over the next 20 years Charles Williams wrote a huge amount of film music, virtually none of which was publicly credited to him. This was not unusual, however, indeed all movie music up until about the Sixties - even that composed by such famous names as William Walton and Vaughan Williams - was invariably thrown away after the film was released. Like most early radio and television programmes, nobody ever envisaged any future interest. How wrong they were!
Williams's contribution to the large screen included further commissions from Alfred Hitchcock, the comedies, of Will Hay, and the 1937 version of The 39 Steps starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Post-war he had a great hit with "The Dream of Olwen" from the film While I Live, Recorded by many artistes (including Rawicz and Landauer on Evergreen Melodies E56) this music became almost synonymous with his name and long outlasted the celluloid. Surprisingly, in 1960 his "Jealous Lover" was chosen as the theme for the American film The Apartment. Starring Jack Lemmon, it was a huge success and reached Number 1 in the charts over there!
The golden era of sound movies lasted until the late-Forties, and altogether Williams contributed music to more than 100 different films, including many for Gainsborough and Gaumont-British, whose Shepherds Bush premises later became the BBC Lime Grove studios after the independent film industry collapsed. This kept him busy but occupied only a small fraction of his eventful career.
From the late-Thirties onwards the demands from Cinema Newsreels prompted the big London publishers to set up Recorded Music Libraries. The pioneers included de Wolfe, Boosey & Hawkes, and Bosworth, followed by Paxton, Keith Prowse and the most important of them all, Chappell, who had established the original 1916 Queen's Hall Light Orchestra (QHLO), to promote their own music in live concerts. Although this ceased with the birth of radio in the mid-Twenties, the New QHLO was now established to provide "mood" music for the infant Chappell Recorded Library.
Around this time, because they would not allow him to compose as well as conduct, Charles Williams turned down an offer from Boosey and Hawkes to lead a similar recording orchestra. It turned out to be Chappell's good fortune because in 1942 they invited him take charge of their New QHLO. As a result, the war years saw some marvellous 78 rpm background Light Music recordings and it was not long before the public wanted to hear more of the tunes and less of the programmes.
This was hardly surprising because patriotism was at its height and the melodies flowed quickly and fluently from Williams's musical quill. Titles such as "Convoy Attack", "Naval Action", "Sons of the Air", "Desert Warfare", "Engine Room" "War in the Jungle", "Searchlight", "Resistance" and "Commandos" all speak for themselves. They were miniature masterpieces which kept the patriotic musical flame alive. Not all the music was dramatic, however, and many quiet, reflective works also emerged, none more so than "The Young Ballerina", famous as the background music to the television interlude called "The Potter's Wheel".
Other famous pieces included "Voice of London", (signature tune of the QHLO), "The Old Clockmaker" which introduced "Jennings at School", "Girls In Grey" (a tribute to the Women's Junior Air Corps) which jauntily serenaded the airwaves circling round the mast of Alexandra Palace at the start of each "BBC Television Newsreel", and "A Quiet Stroll", a delightful signature tune to the early morning "Farming" program. "Rhythm on Rails" introduced "Morning Music", "High Adventure" preceded the long-running "Friday Night Is Music Night", and many others were heard at the cinema on "Pathe News".
By all accounts Williams was a real gentleman and extremely popular with his fellow musicians whom he inspired to great heights. This probably explains why he was never short of people to record on Saturday mornings at the EMI studios in Abbey Road.
Realising the commercial potential of his music, in 1946 he resigned as conductor, composer and arranger for the QHLO (the prefix "New" having by now been dropped) and went freelance He was succeeded firstly by Robert Farnon (see Evergreen Spring 2002), and later by Sidney Torch, both of whom carried on his pioneering work. Charles, meanwhile, established his own Concert Orchestra drawn from the same brilliant instrumentalists as the QHLO, broadcasting several times a week on BBC radio.
Farnon and Torch also later operated independently with identities cunningly disguised for copyright purposes, e.g. the elusive Ole Jensen and the Melodi Light Orchestra which were pseudonyms for Robert Farnon and others. It was a golden era of melody and all three men broadcast regularly on the radio. However, it all came to an end during the early-Sixties when a routine supply of mood music was no longer required - but what a recorded legacy they left behind.
Much of Williams's music was not intended for the general public to buy but everything that did appear on commercial Columbia 78 rpm records was eagerly snapped up. Mention "Dick Barton" to anyone over 60 and they will immediately think of the breathtaking signature tune, "Devil's Galop" (only one "l" in Galop which is a dance not a horse race!). It is a fast and energetic tune but in order to further magnify the suspense, the BBC sound engineers played it even faster, usually preceded at the end by a breathless Dick Barton gasping something like "Look out Snowy, they're getting away!"
Sadly, alcoholism was a disease which he constantly battled against during the latter stages of his life and his awareness of the problem led to him declining an honorary Doctor of Music degree offered by Oxford University. He no longer considered himself worthy of the award nor trusted himself to attend such an important ceremony. Given his brilliant musical pedigree and influence on his many peers, this was nothing short of a personal tragedy.
After living much of his life in Hampstead, West London, Charles retired with his wife to Findon, on the South Downs near Worthing in West Sussex. He died there on 7th September, 1978, aged 85, a largely forgotten figure because Light Music had gone out of fashion. However, a recent upsurge of interest in our great British musical heritage has brought about a much-needed reappraisal of this truly great composer.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Tom Huckabee is a writer, director, producer with over 40 years experience in entertainment. As a student at UT Austin he studied under Tom Schatz, Loren Bivens, and Edward Dymytryk, directed "The Death of Jim Morrison," nominated for a student academy award, and "Taking Tiger Mountain," starring Bill Paxton and co-written by William S. Burroughs. He has been a staff producer at Landmark Theaters, a writer of non-fiction TV for Disney and Discovery, a story analyst for 21st Century Films, and a staff researcher for The History Channel's Modern Marvels. In 1987 he produced and co-wrote "Martini Ranch's Reach," a long-form music video directed by James Cameron, starring Kathryn Bigelow, Bill Paxton, Phil Granger, Bud Cort, Judge Reinhold and much of the cast from "Near Dark" and "Aliens." In 1997, he was associate producer of post-production and music supervisor for "Traveller," starring Paxton, Mark Wahlberg, and Julianna Margulies. From 1998 - 2001, he was vice president of American Entertainment, underwritten by Walt Disney Studios, where he created and/or oversaw development of feature projects with Touchstone, Universal, Imagine, Image Movers, HBO, Sony, and Revolution Studios. In 2001 he executive-produced Paxton's directorial debut, Frailty, starring Paxton, Powers Boothe and Matthew McConaughey. Also in 2001, he produced and directed a live event, Arthur C. Clarke: Beyond 2001 at the Playboy Mansion, featuring James Cameron, Patrick Stewart, Morgan Freeman, and Buzz Aldrin, He was an uncredited script consultant on Twister, Mighty Joe Young, Vertical Limit, U-571, Thunderbirds, The Greatest Game Ever Played, and The Colony and a quality control supervisor for Lucasfilm (1990-2004), working on films by Ron Howard, Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathryn Bigelow, etc.. In 2005 he was a producer/writer on 75 episodes of National Lampoon's An Eye for an Eye. In 2007 he was the artistic director for the first annual Lone Star International Film Festival. His sophomore feature Carried Away (2010) won three first place festival awards and is available on Amazon Instant View. Recently, he directed the documentary short "Confessions of an Ecstasy Advocate," story-edited Ghostbreakers, a 20-part syndicated TV series starring Joey Greco, set to debut in 2016 on The Family Channel, co produced The Starck Club, a documentary feature and The Price, a drama starring Randy Travis and James Dupre. In 2014-15, he was the artistic director of the Wildcatter Exhange literary festival, while his short film "The Death of Jim Morrison" (retitled "Death of a Rock Star") was included in the omnibus package, Jonathan Demme Presents Made in Texas, which premiered opening night 2015 at SXSW and is distributed by UT Press. He teaches screenwriting workshops and offers a wide-range of freelance development services. Upcoming projects include feature films Hate Crimes, ReCharge!, and The Attachment, full length stage plays, Dr. Zombi, PhD and The Reversible Cords; and Great Lives, a live theater festival of one-person historical shows.- Stella Wilkinson was born on 14 July 1883 in Islington, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Pride and Prejudice (1952), The Herries Chronicle (1960) and The Adventures of Annabel (1955). She died on 1 April 1973 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.