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1-7 of 7
- Gilbert Green was born on 1 January 1914 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Executive Action (1973), Star Trek (1966) and Dark Intruder (1965). He was married to Laura Alice (Witkow) Klahr. He died on 15 April 1984 in Tarzana, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
After leaving the army Tommy Cooper took up show business in 1947 and so started his long career of comedy derived around visual humour, magic tricks that didn't work and his trademark red fez, a prop that started from his days in the army. The BBC described him as an "Unattractive young man with an extremely unfortunate appearance" in an audition for new talent.
While making a series of 28 shows for ITV over a period of eight years, he suffered his first heart attack which forced him to give up his love for cigars. Tommy collapsed on the stage of Her Majesty's Theatre in April 1984, live on air. Ten minutes later he had died. He was later cremated and ashes scattered at Mortlake Crematorium, London.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Francisco 'Machito' Grillo was born in Tampa, Florida, on February 16 1912 (some sources claim the Maria district in Havana to be his birthplace). He was certainly raised in Cuba, where he came to be inspired by the sounds of the Orquesta Aragon and El Sexteto Habanera to pursue a career as a vocalist and maracas player. In 1926, Machito's sister Graciela facilitated an introduction to the clarinettist and saxophonist Mario Bauza at the Havana Municipal Conservatory of Music. Bauza and Machito eventually became lifelong friends and moved to Manhattan, New York, where they played music for several Latin-style dance bands, including La Estrella Habanera. In 1940, Machito left Alberto Iznaga's 'La Siboney' to form his own big band, the Afro-Cubans. A year later, he was able to entice Bauza to leave his chair as first trumpeter with Cab Calloway's orchestra to join him as musical director and principal arranger. Tito Puente and legendary conga player Chano Pozo (1915-48), respectively, played timbales and percussion in this band and Machito's sister Graciela was lead female vocalist.
Bauza's jazz-infused arrangements blended perfectly with Machito's traditional rhythms (rumba, guaracho, mambo) to create a fresh sound, which became enormously popular in America and attracted other innovators in Latin jazz to contribute ideas, among them Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Kenton and Charlie Parker. Conversely, Machito also occasionally guested with other bands, for example, playing maracas on the original recording of Kenton's seminal "The Peanut Vendor". As members of the new BMI syndicate (Broadcast Music, Inc.), Machito and Bauza were unaffected by the ASCAP recording strike of the 1940's and were able to make a number of recordings for Decca, including the first true Afro-Cuban fusion jazz number, "Tanga", which was composed by Bauza in 1942 and became the band's signature song. Another major hit was "Sopa de Pichon" (Pidgeon Soup), written by Machito himself.
Now given the sobriquet 'El Rey del Mambo' (The King of Mambo), Machito went from strength to strength in the 1940's, playing at top venues, including at the Palladium Ballroom and at Carnegie Hall. Some of his best recordings arose from a 1948 collaboration (prompted by the producer Norman Granz) with Charlie Parker and tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips. His album "Kenya" (aka "Latin Soul Plus Jazz", for Roulette) in 1958 put 'Cubop' on the map once and for all. The great jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon also performed solos with the band at New York's Ebony Club in 1947.
Machito continued to remain a consistent favorite with dancers during the Mambo craze and the boogaloo fad of the 1960's, and beyond that, through the growing popularity of salsa. He died in a London hospital from the effects of a stroke suffered just prior to being due to go on stage at Ronnie Scott's nightclub in London in April 1984.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Glen MacWilliams was born on 21 May 1898 in Saratoga, California, USA. Glen was a cinematographer, known for Lifeboat (1944), Lazybones (1925) and The Clairvoyant (1935). Glen died on 15 April 1984 in Seal Beach, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
Alexander Trocchi was born on 30 July 1925 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Young Adam (2003), Towers Open Fire (1966) and Cain's Film (1969). He died on 15 April 1984 in London, England, UK.- Producer
Vilas Khochikar was a producer, known for Bhavna (1984). Vilas died on 15 April 1984 in India.- Make-Up Department
Leposava Prvanovic was born on 29 November 1929 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia. She is known for Written Off (1974), Ne diraj u srecu (1961) and Zvizduk u osam (1962). She died on 15 April 1984 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia.