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 567
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Carrie Frances Fisher was born on October 21, 1956 in Burbank, California, to singers/actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She was an actress and writer known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Fisher is also known for her book, "Postcards from the Edge", and she wrote the screenplay for the movie based on her novel. Carrie Fisher and talent agent Bryan Lourd have a daughter, Billie Lourd (Billie Catherine Lourd), born on July 17, 1992.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Debbie Reynolds was born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas, the second child of Maxine N. (Harmon) and Raymond Francis Reynolds, a carpenter for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Her film career began at MGM after she won a beauty contest at age 16 impersonating Betty Hutton. Reynolds wasn't a dancer until she was selected to be Gene Kelly's partner in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Not yet twenty, she was a quick study. Twelve years later, it seemed like she had been around forever. Most of her early film work was in MGM musicals, as perky, wholesome young women. She continued to use her dancing skills with stage work.
She was 31 when she gave an Academy Award-nominated performance in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). She survived losing first husband Eddie Fisher to Elizabeth Taylor following the tragic death of Mike Todd. Her second husband, shoe magnate Harry Karl, gambled away his fortune as well as hers. With her children as well as Karl's, she had to keep working and turned to the stage. She had her own casino in Las Vegas with a home for her collection of Hollywood memorabilia until its closure in 1997. She took the time to personally write a long letter that is on display in the Judy Garland museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and to provide that museum with replicas of Garland's costumes. The originals are in her newly-opened museum in Hollywood.
Nearly all the money she makes is spent toward her goal of creating a Hollywood museum. Her collection numbers more than 3000 costumes and 46,000 square-feet worth of props and equipment.
With musician/actor Eddie Fisher, she was the mother of filmmaker Todd Fisher and actress Carrie Fisher. Debbie died of a stroke on December 28, 2016, one day after the death of her daughter Carrie. She was survived by her son and granddaughter, up-and-coming actress Billie Lourd.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Brassy blonde actress Margaret Whitton was born on November 30, 1949, at Fort Meade, a U.S. Army base in the suburbs of Baltimore. Her father being an Army colonel and mother a nurse, there was much traveling in Margaret's early life and she spent her early years in Japan. Returning to the states, the family finally settled in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she developed an interest in acting in Northeast High School plays.
Margaret began her career onstage in New York, performing off-Broadway in "Baba Goya" (1973) and "Nourish the Beast" (1973). Billed as Peggy Whitton, she appeared in small parts in low-budget films -- Parades (1972) and Teenage Hitchhikers (1974) and the role as Joan Dancy in the daytime soap opera The Doctors (1963).
Now billing herself as "Margaret Whitton," she started to make a stronger name for herself when she made her Broadway debut in "Steaming" (1982). She also impressed in films, effectively cast as sexy and strong supporting characters in such movies as the prison drama Love Child (1982), the football dramedy The Best of Times (1986) with Robin Williams and Kurt Russell, and especially her breakout role in The Secret of My Success (1987) in which she nearly stole the movie from Michael J. Fox as his character's hard-as-nails aunt. She complemented this success with a hilarious role as scheming widow-cum-baseball-team owner Rachel Phelps in Major League (1989) and its sequel, and as the resilient mother to young Nick Stahl in Mel Gibson's directorial debut The Man Without a Face (1993).
She also worked on television. Appearing in episodes such as "Miami Vice" and "Tales from the Darkside," she was a supporting regular on the short-lived series Hometown (1985). Other film work came her way as well with A Fine Romance (1989) in which she starred as a bickering wife (opposite the late Christopher Cazenove) and the soap-opera spoof Good & Evil (1991), where she played against type as the "good girl", opposite the more wicked-minded Teri Garr. She also appeared in the short-lived comedy series Cutters (1993). As for made-for-television movies, she is best known for her portrayal of the tough-as-nails attorney Leslie Abramson in Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994). Her last film roles were in the films The Man Without a Face (1993), Major League II (1994) and Trial by Jury (1994).
Returning to Broadway, Margaret appeared in "And the Apple Doesn't Fall..." (1995) and in the original, award-winning musical "Marlene" (1999), the story of legendary Marlene Dietrich that starred Siân Phillips. She has also made a name for herself as a theater director. Her directing credits include Marina Carr's "Portia Coughlin" (1996) and "By the Bog of Cats" (1998), and The Public Theater's production of "Dirty Tricks" (2004), starring Judith Ivey as Martha Mitchell.
Whitton was President of independent film producer Tashtego Films, and directed A Bird of the Air (2011), starring Rachel Nichols and Jackson Hurst. The film was executive produced by her second husband Warren Spector. 67-year-old Margaret died of cancer on December 4, 2016.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Endearing, bushy-whiskered Welsh character actor whose screen repertoire seemed to consist for the better part of variations on a similar theme, namely stereotypical stiff-upper-lip or bumbling British gents. The son of an actress and an actor-manager and on stage from early childhood, Fox began his career in repertory theatre. During the last two years of World War II he served on a minesweeper in the Royal Navy. In 1952, he joined the ensemble of Brian Rix's Whitehall Farces as one of the 'Reluctant Heroes' and the 'Simple Spymen'. Buoyed by popular success, he probably developed his stock-in-trade character around this time. Following a stint on the London stage, Fox then landed several small roles in British films and co-starred for the BBC in the short-lived comedy series Three Live Wires (1961). The show's American producer promised him a shot at Hollywood and the actor and his wife promptly moved to Los Angeles. In 1962, Fox made his American stage debut at the Civic Playhouse in the three-act mystery play "Write Me a Murder" by Frederick Knott. The following year he appeared as a blundering waiter in The Danny Thomas Show (1953).
During the 1960's he became a familiar face on television, staking his particular claim to comedy relief fame as the cranky warlock physician Dr. Bombay in Bewitched (1964) (a character he declared was based on a naval officer with whom he served during the war) and as the buffoonish Colonel Rodney Crittenden in Hogan's Heroes (1965) (who was hopefully not based on anyone). He was also a Dr. Watson to Stewart Granger's Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972), striding a kind of middle ground between the Watson of Nigel Bruce and that of Edward Hardwicke. His many guest roles as assorted 'visiting' English officers included, among others, 12 O'Clock High (1964), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), Columbo (1971) and M*A*S*H (1972). More recently, he appeared as Archibald Gracie IV, survivor (albeit briefly) of the sinking of the Titanic (1997) and as the unflappable aviator Winston Havelock going off to his last 'tally-ho' in The Mummy (1999). His ongoing commitment to theatrical work led to engagements in Canada with Stage West, in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and starring on Broadway in a 1978 production of "3 Rue de L'Amour" with Louis Jourdan and Kathleen Freeman.
In private life, Fox was renowned as an expert theatre historian. He was reputedly a keen gardener, a painter of landscapes and a devotee of performing magic.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Undoubtedly the woman who had come to epitomize what we recognize today as "celebrity," Zsa Zsa Gabor, is better known for her many marriages, personal appearances, her "dahlink" catchphrase, her actions, gossip, and quotations on men, rather than her film career.
Zsa Zsa was born as Sári Gabor on February 6, 1917 in Budapest, Hungary, to Jolie Gabor (née Janka Tilleman) and Vilmos Gabor (born Farkas Miklós Grün), both of Jewish descent. Her siblings were Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Zsa Zsa studied at a Swiss finishing school, was second runner-up in the fifth Miss Hungary pageant, and began her stage career in Vienna in 1934. In 1941, the year she obtained her first divorce, she followed younger sister Eva to Hollywood.
A radiant, beautiful blonde, Zsa Zsa began to appear on television series and occasional films. Her first film was at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Lovely to Look At (1952), co-starring Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton. She next made a comedy called We're Not Married! (1952) at 20th Century Fox with Ginger Rogers. It was far from a star billing; she appeared several names down the cast as a supporting actress. But in 1952 she broke into films big time with her starring role opposite José Ferrer in Moulin Rouge (1952), although it has been said that throughout filming, director John Huston gave her a very difficult time.
In the following years, Zsa Zsa slipped back into supporting roles in films such as Lili (1953) and 3 Ring Circus (1954). Her main period of film work was in the 1950s, with other roles in Death of a Scoundrel (1956), with Yvonne De Carlo, and The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1958) with Anna Neagle; again, these were supporting roles. By the 1960s, Zsa Zsa was appearing more as herself in films. She now appeared to follow her own persona around, and cameo appearances were the order of the day in films such as Pepe (1960) and Jack of Diamonds (1967). This continued throughout the 1970s.
She was memorable as herself in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), in which she humorously poked fun at a 1989 incident where she was convicted of slapping a police officer (Paul Kramer) during a traffic stop. She spent three days in jail and had to do 120 hours of community service. Such infamous incidents contributed to her becoming one of the most all-time recognizable of Hollywood celebrities, and sometimes ridiculed as a result. She was also memorable to British television viewers on The Ruby Wax Show (1997).
In 2002, Gabor was reported to be in a coma in a Los Angeles hospital after a horrifying car accident. The 85-year-old star was injured when the car she was traveling in hit a utility pole in West Hollywood, California. The reports about her coma eventually proved to be inaccurate.
Zsa Zsa's life, spanning two continents, nine husbands, and 11 decades, came to an end on December 18, 2016, when she died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, California. She was 99.- Actor
- Soundtrack
A true character actor in the best sense of the word, offbeat British thespian Peter Vaughan's hefty frame could appear intimidating or benevolent; his mere presence menacing or avuncular. Adept at playing both sides of the law, his characters usually possessed a strange, somewhat wary countenance that seemed to keep his audience slightly off balance. This veteran actor has been a stalwart presence for nearly fifty years. Born Peter Ohm in 1923, he began on the stage and didn't enter films until 1959, well into his thirties.
Married in 1952 to rising actress Billie Whitelaw, Peter was primarily in the background at first, offering a cheapjack gallery of thugs, unsmiling cops, and foreign agents in movies. An easily unsympathetic bloke, he played unbilled policemen in his first two films, then slowly gravitated up the credits list. He appeared as the chief of police in the spy drama The Devil's Agent (1962), which also featured his wife, and then gained a bit more attention in a prime part as an offbeat insurance investigator in the B movie Smokescreen (1964), a role that propelled him into the higher ranks. Noticeably shady roles came with playing Tallulah Bankhead's seedy handyman who meets a fatal end in the Gothic horror Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) [aka Die! Die! My Darling!]; his villainous roles in the spy thrillers The Naked Runner (1967) opposite Frank Sinatra and The Man Outside (1967); a German thug in A Twist of Sand (1968); and Sgt. Walker in The Bofors Gun (1968).
Divorced from Whitelaw in 1966, he later married actress Lillias Walker, who had roles in a couple of his pictures: Malachi's Cove (1973) and Intimate Reflections (1975). TV became a large source of income for Vaughan in the 1970s, particularly in his role of Grouty in Porridge (1974) on both the large and small screen, and his quirky demeanor fitted like a glove for bizarre director Terry Gilliam, who cast him as the Ogre in Time Bandits (1981) and then as Mr. Helpman in Brazil (1985). For the past few decades he has maintained a healthy balance between film (including standout roles in Zulu Dawn (1979), The Remains of the Day (1993) and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)) and TV mini-movies, both contemporary and period. He was still performing into his 90s: his final role was Maester Aemon Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011).
He died at age 93 on December 6, 2016, in Sussex, England.- Music Department
- Actor
- Writer
Alan Thicke was born on 1 March 1947 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for Growing Pains (1985), Raising Helen (2004) and That's My Boy (2012). He was married to Tanya Callau, Gina Marie Tolleson and Gloria Loring. He died on 13 December 2016 in Burbank, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
William Christopher was born on 20 October 1932 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for M*A*S*H (1972), The Fortune Cookie (1966) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993). He was married to Barbara Christopher. He died on 31 December 2016 in Pasadena, California, USA.- Actor
- Producer
Don is probably best remembered for his role as "Ernie Kaltenbrunner" in the 1985 comedy horror The Return of the Living Dead (1985). Don's career spans over 40 years in both film and TV. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Ozone Park Queens, and later West Hempstead, Long Island, Don Calfa was originally interested in a career in the fine arts. He got the acting bug after seeing films such as Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Vertigo (1958). After dropping out of high school to study at Erwin Piscotor's "The Dramatic Workshop", (he finished his degree in night school), Calfa spent two years in summer stock which enabled him to join Actors Equity and eventually get his SAG card.
Don has starred alongside some of cinema's greats including Warren Beatty in Bugsy (1991), Michael Douglas in The Star Chamber (1983), Jack Nicholson in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), and many more.
Among Don's most memorable roles were as "Mr. Pitts" on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), "Ralph Wilum" in Chopper Chicks in Zombietown (1989) (aka "Chopper Chicks in Zombietown"), "Paulie" in Weekend at Bernie's (1989), "Scarface" in Foul Play (1978). His stage work includes extensive off-off-Broadway work, and he appeared on Broadway in "Lenny".
Nowadays, Don still works in the movie business and works the convention circuit in the USA, alongside his friend, Beverly Randolph, who he met on the set of The Return of the Living Dead (1985). Don recently, along with the rest of "The Return of the Living Dead" cast, recorded a cast commentary for a new special edition release of "The Return of the Living Dead". Plans are in motion for a "Return of the Living Dead" cast reunion in the United Kingdom in November 2007 at Birmingham's NEC Memorabilia event.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in Finchley, north London, in the United Kingdom, to Lesley Angold (Harrison), a dancer, and Kyriacos Panayiotou, a restaurateur. His father was a Greek Cypriot, and his mother was of English background. He first discovered fame as a musician when he and school friend, Andrew Ridgeley, formed the pop group Wham!. Success came fast and furious with their first album, 'Fantastic' (1983) hitting the UK number one spot. Wham! survived for five years and during that time the group notched up four number one singles and two number one albums. Most of their other releases made top three. George also contributed to the Band Aid Single 'Do They Know It's Christmas' (1984), and scored two further solo number one hits with 'Careless Whisper' and 'A Different Corner'.
Following the break-up of Wham!, George went on to have a hugely successful career as a solo artist, his debut album 'Faith' (1987) - and the single of the same name - both achieving instant and international success. The album has since been certified Diamond.
Over the last four decades George has notched up 8 number one albums in the and 13 number one singles in the UK (including Wham!, Band Aid, and the 'Five Live' EP). In the U.S. he has achieved 2 number one albums and 10 number one singles, with numerous other number one hits throughout the rest of the world.
He has performed duets with artists including Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield, and actively participates in charitable causes, Live Aid and the Freddie Mercury concert for AIDS being just two of the more prominent examples. According to a BBC documentary, George donated more than five million pounds towards various charities. Whilst with Wham!, he donated all the proceeds of 'Last Christmas' (1984) to charity. The single reached number two in the UK and George also performed simultaneously on the number one charity record 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'.
George released the single 'December Song' in 2008 as a free download: his hope was that purchasers would donate money to charity.
He remained in contact with his Wham! partner and long-time friend Andrew Ridgeley until his death in 2016.- 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. - Billy Chapin was born on 28 December 1943 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Night of the Hunter (1955), Tobor the Great (1954) and Violent Saturday (1955). He was married to Susan Carole Briere. He died on 2 December 2016 in the USA.
- A classic beauty, blonde French actress Michèle Morgan was one of her country's most popular leading ladies for over five decades. Born Simone Renee Roussel on Leap Year Day (February 29) in 1920, she ran away from home as a teenager and studied acting under René Simon, beginning her film career at 16 working as a film extra to pay for drama classes.
The young actress soon caught the eye of director Marc Allégret, who cast her in Heart of Paris (1937), which clinched her stardom. Her remote, enigmatic features and gloomy allure had audiences comparing her to a young Greta Garbo. She went on to appear elegantly opposite Charles Boyer in the drama Orage (1938) directed by Allegret; opposite Jean Gabin in Moth and the Flame (1938) directed by Marcel Carné, as well as both Coral Reefs (1939) and Remorques (1941). She had her first top-billed roles in L'entraîneuse (1939) and La loi du nord (1939).
Michèle's eventual fled war-torn France for Hollywood and earned roles based purely on her European prestige. She did not stand out among the other female foreign imports of that time, however, such as Ingrid Bergman. Cast in rather routine sultry roles amid WWII surroundings, she received only a modest reception for such US-based films as Joan of Paris (1942) with Paul Henreid; Two Tickets to London (1943) with Alan Curtis; Passage to Marseille (1944) opposite Humphrey Bogart; and the noirish The Chase (1946) starring Robert Cummings.
Michèle succeeded much better at home continuing prolifically in such films as The Proud and the Beautiful (1953), The Moment of Truth (1952), Oasis (1955), The Grand Maneuver (1955), Shadow of the Guillotine (1956) (as Marie Antoinette), Grand Hotel (1959), Bluebeard (1963), Web of Fear (1964), The Diary of an Innocent Boy (1968) and Cat and Mouse (1975). Back in the late 1940's, she received the very first Cannes Film Festival award for "best actress" for her touching performance as the blind heroine in Pastoral Symphony (1946). She also received an honorary Cesar Award in 1992.
Married during the war and early post-war years (1942-1949) to American actor/singer William Marshall, Michèle's second husband was handsome Gallic star Henri Vidal and they appeared together in a couple of films, including both the historical drama Fabiola (1949) and romantic drama La belle que voilà (1950), plus The Seven Deadly Sins (1952) (albeit different "sin" segments) and Napoleon (1955). Following Vidal's sudden death of a heart at age 40 in 1959, the actress married a third time one year later to well-known French actor/writer/director Gérard Oury. They had unbilled cameos in A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later (1986). She was left a widow in 2006.
Semi-retired by the 1970's, Michèle's last feature film was a small bit in the Marcello Mastroianni film Everybody's Fine (1990). She retired in 1999 after a few sporadic 90's TV parts. She died in her home town of Hauts-de-Seine, France on December 20, 2016, at age 96. - Director
- Producer
- Writer
Jeffrey Hayden was born on 15 October 1926 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Knight Rider (1982), Cover Up (1984) and Mannix (1967). He was married to Eva Marie Saint. He died on 24 December 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Writer
Her family was from Liverpool where she was born but she was brought up in Berkshire, She ran away from home at 17 as she wanted to be an artist like her father but didn't have he talent so decided to be an actress and answered an advertisement for an assistant stage manager with a small touring company then went into repertory at Guilford- Actress
- Soundtrack
Susan Cummings was born on 10 July 1930 in Bavaria, Germany. She was an actress, known for Swamp Women (1956), Soldiers of Fortune (1955) and Utah Blaine (1957). She was married to Robert Edward Strasser, Charles Pawley and Keith Larsen. She died on 3 December 2016 in Chandler, Arizona, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Ricky Harris was born October 5, 1965 in Long Beach, California as Richard George Harris II. He was an actor known for roles in Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009), Bones (2001), Moesha (1996-2001), Poetic Justice (1993), and Dope (2015). He gained fame after appearing on HBO's Def Comedy Jam in the 1990s. Harris was the voice of various skits on Snoop Dogg albums, Characters such as DJ EZ DICC, Saul-T-Nutz, and Taadow. He was married to former television personality and rapper Dee Barnes with whom he had two children with. Harris Died on December 26, 2016 of a heart attack.- Trained on a Fulbright Grant to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Barbara's New York theatre work includes "Landscape & Silence" by Harold Pinter, "Water Engine" by David Mamet, Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Broadway Bound", Joseph Chaikin's production of "America Hurrah!", and "Enter The Night" by Maria Irene Fornes. Recent regional standouts include "Long Days Journey Into Night" at Dallas Theatre Center, "Death of a Salesman" at San Diego Repertory, "The Cripple Of Inishman" at the Geffen, "Wonderful World" at Laguna Playhouse, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" at Williamstown, and "Blue Window" and "Sidney Bechet Killed a Man" at South Coast Repertory. Favorite screen roles: the woman with 12 dogs on ER (1994), the aged mother on Cold Case (2003) who comes to terms with her murdered son's homosexuality, Dwayne Johnson's mother in Walking Tall (2004), and Kevin McKidd's mother on Journeyman (2007).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Fran Jeffries was born on 18 May 1937 in Mayfield, California, USA. She was an actress, known for The Pink Panther (1963), Sex and the Single Girl (1964) and Harum Scarum (1965). She was married to Steven Schaeffer, Richard Quine, Dick Haymes and Edward Emile Belasco, Jr.. She died on 15 December 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Joseph has dark brown hair and brown eyes. He plays the clarinet, and he played with the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y.C for two years. He does charity work for handicapped people, and the people from Ocilla, Georgia appreciated his work so much that they had one-mile street named after him. His hobbies are reading, tennis, and gardening.
- Additional Crew
Carrie Ann Morrow was born on 27 October 1958 in Hollywood, California, USA. She is known for Georgia (1995) and Freedom (1981). She died on 27 December 2016 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Deddie Davies was born on 2 March 1938 in Bridgend, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Pride (2014), Vanity Fair (1967) and The Railway Children (1970). She was married to Paddy Ward. She died on 21 December 2016 in the UK.
- Kristin Rohde was born on 22 February 1964 in the USA. She was an actress, known for Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), Oz (1997) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). She died on 5 December 2016 in Bellport, New York, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Gloria Charles was born on 3 March 1955 in the USA. She was an actress, known for Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982), Brewster's Millions (1985) and National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985). She died on 8 December 2016 in Marina Del Ray, California, USA(undisclosed).- Actress
- Additional Crew
Claude Gensac was born on 1 March 1927 in Acy-en-Multien, Oise, France. She was an actress, known for 22 Bullets (2010), Hibernatus (1969) and The Wing or The Thigh? (1976). She was married to Henri Chemin and Pierre Mondy. She died on 27 December 2016 in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, France.- Rosemarie Dunham was born on 13 December 1924 in Leuchars, Scotland, UK. She was an actress, known for Get Carter (1971), The Avengers (1961) and The Wolves of Kromer (1998). She was married to Gerald William Paul Orlando Bridgeman and Michael Ingrams. She died on 5 December 2016 in London, England, UK.
- Adrian Ricard was born on 7 August 1924 in the USA. She was an actress, known for I, Robot (2004), Bulworth (1998) and The Man with Two Brains (1983). She died on 29 December 2016.
- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Philip Saville was born on 28 October 1930 in London, England, UK. He was a director and actor, known for Boys from the Blackstuff (1982), The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986) and The Buccaneers (1995). He was married to Nina Zuckerman and Jane Arden. He died on 22 December 2016 in Hampstead, Camden, London, England, UK.- Shamsuddin was an actor, known for Ishq (1997), Veerana (1988) and Hatim (2003). He died on 5 December 2016 in Mumbai.
- Jacob Witkin was born on 12 May 1938 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was an actor, known for Hail, Caesar! (2016), Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II (1997) and Love and Death (1975). He died on 31 December 2016.
- Actress
- Music Department
Jayalalithaa Jayaram, an iconic figure in Indian politics, seamlessly transitioned from a celebrated actress to a dynamic politician. Born in Melukote, Mysore, Karnataka, she hailed from a Tamil Iyengar family. Tragedy struck early in her life when her father, Jayaram, a lawyer, passed away when she was just two years old. Following this, Jayalalithaa and her brother found themselves relocating to Bengaluru with their mother, Vedavathi, who later ventured into Tamil cinema using the screen name 'Sandhya.'
Jayalalithaa received her early education from Bishop Cotton Girls' High School and Sacred Heart Matriculation School in Chennai. Recognized as a bright student, she excelled in her studies and earned a scholarship for higher education from the Government of India after completing her matriculation in 1964.
Fueled by her passion for the arts, Jayalalithaa ventured into the world of cinema shortly after her studies. Her journey in the film industry began in 1961, and she went on to become a prominent South Indian film star. Over the span of two decades, from 1961 to 1980, she graced the screens in 140 films, showcasing her versatility in Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu languages.
Beyond her acting prowess, Jayalalithaa was a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, displaying proficiency in various dance forms, including Kathak, Mohiniyattam, and Manipuri. Her multifaceted talents extended to her being a singer, lending her voice to songs in some of her films.
In 1982, Jayalalithaa made a significant shift in her career, entering the realm of politics. She joined the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party and quickly ascended through the ranks. Her political journey reached its pinnacle when she became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a position she held six times. Notably, her sixth term began on May 23, 2016, setting a record for the most sworn-in terms.
Known affectionately as "Amma," meaning mother, and "Puratchi Thalaivi," meaning revolutionary leader, Jayalalithaa left an indelible mark on Indian politics. Her charismatic leadership and unwavering dedication to public service endeared her to the people of Tamil Nadu, making her a revered figure in the history of Indian politics. Jayalalithaa's legacy continues to inspire and resonate with many, transcending the realms of both cinema and politics.- Writer
- Actor
Gordie Tapp was born on 4 June 1922 in London, Ontario, Canada. He was a writer and actor, known for Sweet Country Music (1983), Wild Horse Hank (1979) and Hee Haw (1969). He was married to Constance Helen Mair. He died on 18 December 2016 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.- Kevin O'Morrison was born on 25 May 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Funny Farm (1988) and Dear Ruth (1947). He was married to Linda Soma. He died on 11 December 2016 in Lynnwood, Washington, USA.
- Freddie Boardley was born on 21 September 1950 in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Killer (1983), Death Watch (1980) and Coronation Street (1960). He died on 22 December 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
George S. Irving was born on 1 November 1922 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), Pinocchio's Christmas (1980) and Live from Lincoln Center (1976). He was married to Maria Karnilova. He died on 26 December 2016 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Born George Shephard Houghton on June 4, 1914, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Shep is the youngest of two sons born to George Henry Houghton and Mabell Viola Shephard. Far from being born into show business, his father was an insurance company representative who moved his family to Hollywood for business reasons in 1927. As luck would have it, they rented a house on Bronson Avenue just two blocks from Paramount Studio's iron front gate, and not far from the Edwin Carreau studio. Picked off the street by an assistant producer, Shep's first work in the movie industry was in 1927 as a Mexican youngster in Carreau's production of Ramona, released in 1928. As a thirteen-year old he also worked in Emil Janning's The Last Command, and continued to work for director Josef von Sternberg in several subsequent pictures. He found movie work to his liking, and out of high school he worked through Central Casting for Mascot Productions, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Fox Film Corporation, and Warner Brother's, where he became a favorite in the Busby Berkeley musicals as a dancer and chorus singer. In 1935 he married Jane Rosily Kellog, his high school sweetheart. Together they had one child, Terrie Lynn, born on September 22, 1939. They were divorced in October, 1945. In 1946 he married Geraldine Farnum, daughter of featured actor Franklin Farnum. They had also one child, Peter William, born August 19, 1947. He and Gerry were divorced in 1948.
Shep was a talent in television from its earliest days. He acted in many recurring roles, beginning with the Jack Benny Program in 1950. That show, and Shep's work in it, lasted until 1965. He worked on many programs through their entire runs, with the notable exception of the original Star Trek of 1966, in which he appeared in only the first three episodes. In addition to these productions, he worked on the I Love Lucy show from 1951 to 1957, and Wagon Train, Perry Mason, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Mr. Lucky, The Untouchables, and The Twilight Zone, all in the 1950s.
The 1960s brought him steady work in My Three Sons, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Loretta Young Show, both The Lucille Ball Show and the renewed Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Hogan's Heroes, Mannix, and Marcus Welby. In the 1970s he worked on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Shep was a charter member of both SAG and SEG, and continued to work in both movies and television until his retirement in 1976. He and Mel Carter Houghton were married in 1975, and continue to live happily ever after. She lets him play golf very nearly every day.- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
- Director
Gordon Hunt was born on 26 April 1929 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA. He was a director, known for Mad About You (1992), Dilbert (1999) and Hawaiian Eye (1959). He was married to B.J. Ward and Jane Elizabeth Novis. He died on 17 December 2016 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eliseo Subiela was born on 27 December 1944 in Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina. He was a director and writer, known for Man Facing Southeast (1986), The Dark Side of the Heart (1992) and Last Images of the Shipwreck (1989). He was married to Mora Moglia. He died on 25 December 2016 in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Dick Latessa was born on 15 September 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Alfie (2004), The Black Donnellys (2007) and Stigmata (1999). He was married to Shirley Stollman. He died on 19 December 2016 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Jinpachi Nezu was born on 1 December 1947 in Yamanashi, Japan. He was an actor, known for Ran (1985), Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980) and Farewell to the Land (1982). He was married to ? ?. He died on 29 December 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
- John Glenn was an Officer of United States Marines with the rank of Major before chosen to become part of the Mercury 7 program.
He was awarded five Distinguished Flying Crosses. Made record setting Coast to Coast flights in the late 1950s.
He named his spacecraft (capsule) Friendship 7 and it is on display at the Smithsonian Institute Air and Space museum, directly underneath Chuck Yeager's "Glamerous Glennis" Bell X-1. - Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Andrew Dorff was born on 16 December 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Beauty and the Beast (2012), Rascal Flatts: Yours If You Want it (2017) and Wheeler (2017). He died on 20 December 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Richard Adams spent his first 52 years in relative anonymity. And when he did complete a book that he wrote, he struggled to find anyone to publish it.
Richard George Adams was born on 9 May 1920, in Newbury, Berkshire. He was the son of a country doctor and was brought up in the rolling countryside with views towards the real Watership Down, on the Hampshire border. One of his earliest memories was seeing a local man pushing a handcart full of dead rabbits down the street. "It made me realise, in an instant, that rabbits were things and that it was only in a baby's world that they were not."
He suffered the fate of many middle-class boys of the period when he was sent to boarding school at the age of nine, where, by all accounts, he had a miserable time. He won a scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford, but his education was interrupted by World War Two and he served for five years in the Army before returning to his studies. He joined the civil service and spent part of his career managing the clean air programme designed to reduce pollution, especially that caused by the many coal fires still burning in British households. The event that changed his life occurred on a car journey with his family to see Twelfth Night at Stratford-upon-Avon. His bored children asked for a story and he began telling them a tale about a group of rabbits attempting to escape from their threatened warren.
Adams was persuaded to write it all down, a process that took him more than two years, but he was, at first, unable to find a publisher. Many of his rejection letters complained that the book was too long and his characters did not fit the common perception of cuddly bunnies. His rabbits were described with biological realism; they defecated, had sex and engaged in violent battles for dominance. Eventually, in 1972, after 14 rejections, the publisher Rex Collings saw the potential and agreed to take it on with an initial print run of 2,500 copies.
It was hailed as a children's classic, going on to sell more than 50 million copies, helped along by readings on BBC radio, and a dramatic performance in London's Regent's Park. Watership Down sold particularly well in the US where canny distributors placed it on the adult publishing list. On his promotional tours across the Atlantic, Adams played the American idea of the archetypical Englishman, wearing a bowler hat and insisting on English marmalade and mustard wherever he went. The book, and a subsequent animated film in 1978, became synonymous with rabbits and at least one enterprising butcher advertised: "You've read the book, you've seen the film, now eat the cast."
Inevitably it attracted criticism from some highbrow reviewers. "There is something to be said for myxomatosis," was one caustic comment. The sudden flow of wealth enabled Adams to retire from the civil service and become a full-time writer. It also drove him into tax exile on the Isle of Man, although he later returned to his roots in southern England. By the time Watership Down was published, he was already writing his second book Shardik, the novel he considered his best work.
It is an epic tale of a bear who is a god in an imaginary world and who is abused by the humans in the story. Shardik did not find favour among critics with some describing it as "preachy", a judgement with which Adams did not disagree. His commitment to animal welfare was expressed in his third novel, The Plague Dogs, an outspoken attack on animal experimentation. He admitted that his indignation about vivisection might have got the better of him but the book became another best-seller.
He became president of the RSPCA but his attempts to persuade the charity to adopt a more campaigning stance did not find favour with some of the more conservative members of the ruling council. He resigned just ahead of a vote which would have severely curtailed his presidential powers. Despite his campaigning for animals he insisted he was not a sentimentalist. He refused to condemn a decision to gas rabbits on the real Watership Down in 1998 after their burrows began undermining the hill. "If I saw a rabbit in my garden I'd shoot it," he once said.
In all, he wrote more than 20 books, including The Girl in a Swing, a ghostly love story with an undercurrent of eroticism, and a prequel to Shardik - entitled Maia - which was criticised for its sexual and sado-masochistic content. None of these books achieved the success of Watership Down and even a 1997 sequel, Tales from Watership Down, failed to capture the magic of the original. Richard Adams was essentially a traditional Englishman with a love of the countryside and a belief that, somehow, things were better in the past. It is perhaps surprising that this natural conservative, from a conventional middle-class background, should have written a book which had such a revolutionary impact on children's literature.
Richard Adams died on Christmas Eve 2016, aged 96. - Production Manager
- Producer
- Actor
Basil Appleby was born on 16 May 1920 in London, England, UK. He was a production manager and producer, known for The Lion in Winter (1968), Fatal Sky (1990) and See No Evil (1971). He was married to Anne Padwick. He died on 22 December 2016 in Bad Ischl, Upper Austria, Austria.- Sandra Giles was born on 24 July 1932 in Hooker, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for Columbo (1971), Daddy-O (1958) and The Mad Bomber (1973). She was married to Paul Everett Robertson and Dalton R Smith. She died on 25 December 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Rosanna Carter was born on 20 September 1918 in Rolle Town, Bahamas. She was an actress, known for I'll Fly Away (1991), Night of the Juggler (1980) and American Playhouse (1980). She died on 30 December 2016 in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA.
- Rita Lupino was born on 30 September 1921 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for One Step Beyond (1959), Not Wanted (1949) and Never Fear (1950). She was married to Enrique Valadez. She died on 10 December 2016 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.
- Kiva Lawrence was born on 18 June 1941 in Galesburg, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Tinsel's Town (2015), Smoke Screen (2012) and Schizoid (1980). She was married to Bob Hoy. She died on 15 December 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Director
Pierre Barouh was born on 19 February 1934 in Paris, France. He was an actor and director, known for My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), The Lake House (2006) and Closer (2004). He was married to Anouk Aimée and Atsuko Ushioda. He died on 28 December 2016 in Paris, France.- James Walker was born on 31 March 1940 in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for 1984 (1984), Empire of the Sun (1987) and Twelfth Night (1996). He was married to Sandra Walker. He died on 27 December 2016 in Devon, England, UK.