Deaths: August 15
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- Actor
- Composer
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Prior to his illustrious Hollywood and television careers, Joe Seneca (né Joel McGhee) belonged to a top flight singing group - The Three Riffs - that worked the better supper clubs in New York City. He was also a fine songwriter and had a big hit with "Talk to Me" sung by Little Willie John.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Adolfo Duncan is known for Yo compro ésta mujer (1968), Lejos de casa (2010) and Aquellos que fueron (1973).- Albert Millaire was born on 18 January 1935 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was an actor, known for Témoignages (1973), D'Iberville (1967) and Laurier (1984). He was married to Michèle Marchand. He died on 15 August 2018 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Alan Rune Pettersson was a writer, known for Pehavý Max a strasidlá (1987) and Frankenstein's Aunt (1987). He died on 15 August 2018.
- August Schellenberg was born on 25 July 1936 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was an actor, known for Black Robe (1991), The New World (2005) and DreamKeeper (2003). He was married to Joan Karasevich. He died on 15 August 2013 in Dallas, Texas, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Biff Elliot was born on 26 July 1923 in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Enemy Below (1957), I, the Jury (1953) and Planet of the Apes (1974). He was married to Constance Karen Bandy and Elizabeth Alice Dole. He died on 15 August 2012 in Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Music Department
- Composer
Bob Birch was born on 14 July 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was a composer, known for Great Performances (1971), An Audience with Elton John (1997) and King of the Hill (1997). He was married to Michelle. He died on 15 August 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Carmelo Santiago was born on 26 January 1915 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a director and producer, known for Caras argentinas (1939), Hiperhumor (1987) and La niña de fuego (1952). He was married to Niní Marshall. He died on 12 August 1993.- Eddie Marlin was born on 13 August 1930 in Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA. He was married to Norma Marlin. He died on 15 August 2019 in the USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Edmund Fessenden Cobb, son of William Henry Cobb (1860-1909) and Eddie Ross (1862-1945), was the grandson of Edmund Gibson Ross (1826-1907, Governor of the Territory of New Mexico and the Senator from Kansas credited by many as having cast the deciding vote in the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson).
Edmund F. Cobb's parents ran a photography studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and some photographs of Edmund F. Cobb dressed as a cowboy (one dated December 1911), attired in a Civil War-era soldier's uniform, and standing next to a 1920s/1930s-style automobile are in the photo archive collection at the Museum of New Mexico, Palace of the Governors. Edmund Fessenden Cobb had two sisters, Susan Ross Cobb (1894-1987) and Daphne M. Cobb (1898-1928), and a brother, Wilfred B. Cobb (1901-1982).
A book by Kalton C. Lahue, Winners of the West: Sagebrush Heroes of the Silent Screen (1970), pages 53-58, includes a very brief overview of some of the companies, directors, movies/serials, and types of roles that shaped Edmund's career from 1910 to 1965.
Edmund F. Cobb married first wife, Helen Hayes, daughter of Charles Thomas Hayes and Martha Belle Marshall, on October 26, 1914, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and their daughter, Eddie Marie Cobb (1915-1969), was born in Illinois.
In 1920, Edmund and Helen were living in Denver, Colorado, and listed their occupations as "Actor" and "Actress," in "Motion Pictures." Edmund Cobb and Helen Hayes appeared together in A Rodeo Mixup (1924) and Riders of the Range (1923). Edmund and Helen divorced when their daughter was about 10 or 12 years old, and both remarried.
Helen Marie Hayes married her second husband, Edwin Jackson (1898-1972), on June 14, 1930, in Los Angeles County, California, as his second wife. Helen died about 1932.
Edmund Fessenden Cobb married his second wife, Vivian Marie Winter, daughter of Marshall Banker Winter and Henrietta K. Hollenbeck, on July 24, 1934, in Los Angeles County, California. Vivian Marie Winter was born January 16, 1894, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and died in Woodland Hills, California, at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital, on July 26, 1974.
Edmund Fessenden Cobb died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital, as well, just twenty days after Vivian, on August 15, 1974.
Note: Edmund Cobb's sister, Susan Ross (Cobb) Beyer, stated that "Eddie" was the correct spelling of their mother's name even though some had suggested "a more feminine version" (Source: The Albuquerque Tribune, issue of March 20, 1974, page B-1, columns 1-4, Accent on Lively Living: Past Comes Alive: Clarence Beyers reminisce--wonder where time went). Several years ago, a curator familiar with the family had indicated that Eddie Ross's name was actually "Edwinna," but the article referencing Eddie's daughter, Susan, seems to argue against that being the case.- The meek, gamin, child-like aura and unassuming tiny frame of this veteran character lady belied a surprising survivor instinct and strong, liberal fortitude. Herta Ware Schwartz was born on June 9, 1917 in Wilmington, Delaware, to Helen (Ware), a musician and violin teacher, and Laszlo Schwartz, an actor. Her father was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant from Budapest, and her mother, a violinist was a many-generations American of colonial stock. Her maternal grandfather was a union activist who joined the Socialist Party in America during the early 1900s, her maternal grandmother was labor organizer and socialist Ella Reeve Bloor, and her uncle was activist Harold Ware. .
A guitarist and folk singer in the Washington D.C. area, she moved to New York City and began acting in the early 1930s. She made her Broadway debut in the 1935 leftist play "Let Freedom Ring" co-starring future husband Will Geer, whom she married in 1938. The couple appeared together in other New York plays as well, including "Bury the Dead" (1936), "Prelude" (1936), "200 Were Chosen" (1936) and "Journeyman (1938). The politically-minded couple relocated to Los Angeles in the early 1940s and settled in Santa Monica where Geer pursued a movie career.
The couple had three children -- all future actors Kate Geer, Ellen Geer and Thad Geer. In 1951, the passionately liberal Geer was blacklisted by Hollywood during the McCarthy era for taking the Fifth Amendment and refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Financially strapped and with his film career destroyed, they eventually lost their Los Angeles home. Herta fortunately had bought five acres of land in Topanga Canyon in preparation for the fallout of their political activism. Thanks to Geer's degree in botany, the couple was adept in cultivating their land and subsisted by selling vegetables, fruit, and herbs.
Years later, Geer and Ware co-founded the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum on their Topanga Canyon property. The theater became an outdoor performance space for politically-targeted writers, singers and actors to continue to hone and indulge their creative skills. Outspoken friends and performers such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger frequently came to their aid and often promoted/performed in their outside productions. The burgeoning theater officially opened as a summer theater in 1973. Although Will and Herta divorced back in 1954, the two remained steadfast friends personally and professionally. She was, in fact, at Geer's bedside when he passed away of a respiratory ailment in 1978. After his death, Ware, her family, and a small troupe of dedicated actors tirelessly dedicated their energies to transforming the Theatricum into a professional repertory theatre, with educational programs and musical events incorporated into its programs. The theatre's artistic directorship was turned over to actress/daughter Ellen Geer.
Herta remarried near the end of 1954. She and actor/singer David Marshall had one child, actress Melora Marshall, before divorcing in 1978. In the 1970's, the veteran actress had a surprising career resurgence and made her on-camera debut in the film The Memory of Us (1974) that starred ex-husband Will and daughter Ellen. A sprinkling of silver-haired, sweet old lady characters followed, including those in The Black Marble (1980), Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype (1980), 2010 (1984), Slam Dance (1987), Promised Land (1987), Dirty Laundry (1987), Critters 2: The Main Course (1988), Dakota (1988), Soapdish (1991), Lonely Hearts (1991), Top Dog (1995), Species (1995), St. Patrick's Day (1997), Practical Magic (1998), The Politics of Desire (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), Held Up (1999), Beautiful (2000), and Desperate But Not Serious (1999). Her best remembered role was as the altruistic wife of grouchy oldster Jack Gilford in the popular senior citizen film Cocoon (1985), directed by Ron Howard, and its sequel, Cocoon: The Return (1988), directed by Daniel Petrie.
Herta also moved into TV roles. Among those credits, she played Capt. Jean Luc Picard's mother in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), as well as appearing on such established programs as "Knot's Landing," "Highway to Heaven," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "Amazing Stories," "Beauty and the Beast," "Cagney & Lacey," "The Golden Girls," " The Munsters Today" and "Tracy Takes On... ."
The veteran actress published her own memoir "Fantastic Journey, My Life with Will Geer" in 2000 and continued performing for a time at the Botanicum as the "Matriarch of the Topanga Community." Many of her children and grandchildren have gone on to becoming steady performers at the Botanicum. Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, she died of complications in Topanga on August 15, 2005. Her ashes, as those of ex-husband Geer, were spread at the outdoor theatre. - Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
J.J. Barry was born on 25 April 1932 in New York, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for History of the World: Part I (1981), This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and The Corner Bar (1972). He died on 15 August 1990 in Huntington Station, Long Island, New York, USA.- James Dougherty was born on 12 April 1921 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was married to Rita Lambert, Patricia Scoman and Marilyn Monroe. He died on 15 August 2005 in San Rafael, California, USA.
- Actor
- Visual Effects
Jay Adams was born on 3 February 1961 in Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Ray (2004), Lords of Dogtown (2005) and Skateboard (1978). He was married to Tracy and Alisha. He died on 15 August 2014 in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico.- Julie Warren was born on 20 October 1919 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She was an actress, known for Heroes in Blue (1939), The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) and Powder Town (1942). She was married to John Forsythe. She died on 15 August 1994 in Santa Ynez, California, USA.
- Animation Department
- Visual Effects
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kunihiro Abe was born in 1968 in Japan. He was an assistant director, known for Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007), Steamboy (2004) and Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer (2010). He died on 15 August 2018 in Japan.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Licia Albanese was born on 23 July 1909 in Bari, Apulia, Italy. She was an actress, known for Otello (1948), Serenade (1956) and Great Performances (1971). She was married to Joseph A. Gimma. She died on 15 August 2014 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
- Producer
She first made her acting debut at age 21 in a 1992 episode of Married... with Children (1987), and went on to guest-star in many popular television shows, such as Murphy Brown (1988), The X-Files (1993), Sisters (1991), and Silk Stalkings (1991), and appeared in many obscure, straight-to-video/TV movies. She finally earned her big break and minor celebrity status at age 28, with her role as "Laurie Forman", the promiscuous elder sister of "Eric Forman" on That '70s Show (1998). The character garnered her #6 placement on Maxim's TV's "Best Nymphos" list. She enjoyed brief success, mild publicity and increased output during the first two years of the show, including one of her only high-profile movies, Jawbreaker (1999). She developed drug problems during filming of the third season of "That '70s Show" and was fired. It was explained that her character Laurie was off attending beauty school.
She briefly returned to the show in the fifth season and was offered appearances in 13 episodes of the sixth season. She filmed the first few episodes, but was replaced by Christina Moore, as she was in the midst of a key story and her character couldn't up and leave again. Fox stated this was a mutual agreement, and Wilmer Valderrama, with whom she spent most of her screen time in season five, said she wanted to try other things. Her agent restated that adding that she had been clean for two years. According to IMDb, she has had only one credit since her final exit from the show: the 2005 film The Food Chain: A Hollywood Scarytale (2005).- Luigi Lunari was born on 3 January 1934 in Milan, Lombardia, Italy. He was a writer and actor, known for Carlo Goldoni: Venezia, Gran Teatro del Mondo (2007), L'ultima mazurka (1986) and Tra due donne (2001). He was married to Laura Pollaroli. He died on 15 August 2019 in Milan, Lombardia, Italy.
- Actor
- Writer
Marc Porel was born on 3 January 1949 in Lausanne, Switzerland. He was an actor and writer, known for The Psychic (1977), Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (1976) and Don't Torture a Duckling (1972). He was married to Barbara Magnolfi and Bénédicte Lacoste. He died on 15 August 1983 in Casablanca, Morocco.- Marisa Porcel was born on 15 November 1943 in Tarazona, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain. She was an actress, known for Historias para no dormir (1966), Who Can Kill a Child? (1976) and Curro Jiménez (1976). She died on 15 August 2018 in Madrid, Spain.
- Molly Hill McClure was born on January 19, 1919 to Neva Hill and William Eanest Karnes in Watsonville, California. Her mother died soon after her birth and Molly was raised in Paducah, Kentucky by her aunt and uncle, Blanche and Frank P. Hill. Always attracted to acting and the stage and co-founded a theater company in Paducah. She married Rush Delbert McClure in 1939, with whom she had three daughters. The couple later divorced.
After her youngest daughter graduated from high school and went away to college, Molly moved to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress on the stage and screen. She retired from the acting business and moved to Texas to live with her eldest daughter.
Molly McClure died peacefully on August 15, 2008, aged 89, in Plano, Texas, following a brief illness, survived by her three daughters, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. - Writer
- Animation Department
- Soundtrack
Momoko Sakura was born on 8 May 1965 in Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan. She was a writer, known for Chibi Maruko Chan: Dream Stage (2016), Chibi Maruko-chan: Watashi no suki-na uta (1992) and Chibi Maruko-chan Movie (1990). She was married to Sashimi Unno and Masataka Miyanaga. She died on 15 August 2018 in Japan.- Morgan Sterne was born on 9 May 1926 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Doctors and the Nurses (1962), The Defenders (1961) and Mission: Impossible (1966). He was married to Loretta Leversee and Lois Marie Eicher. He died on 15 August 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Nathán Pinzón was born on 27 February 1917 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor and writer, known for The Beast Must Die (1952), The Count of Monte Cristo (1953) and Al caer la noche (1960). He died on 15 August 1993 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Oscar-winning actor Paul Lukas was born in Hungary and graduated from the School for Dramatic Arts. In 1916 he went to Kosice (Kassa) to be an actor; in 1918 he became an actor specializing in comedy. For ten years he was the most popular character player and romantic lead of the company. In 1918 he began making movies in Budapest and in the 1920s he began appearing in films in Austria as well. He journeyed to Hollywood in 1927, where he finally settled down. He wasn't untrue to the stage--he played Dr. Rank to Ruth Gordon's Nora in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" in the Morosco Theatre in New York in 1937--but concentrated on films until 1948. In the '50s he started appearing on stage more and more, and worked in films and on TV only sporadically.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rafaela Ottiano was born on 4 March 1888 in Venice, Italy. She was an actress, known for Curly Top (1935), Grand Hotel (1932) and The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942). She died on 15 August 1942 in East Boston, Massachusetts, USA.- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Robert Adam Yancy was born on 14 October 1977 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Fly, Queen Bess and Heaven Sent. He died on 15 August 2017 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
Rogelio Romano was born on 15 October 1931 in Santa Fe, Argentina. He was an actor and writer, known for Son of the Bride (2001), Olga, la hija de aquella princesa rusa (1972) and Cuentos para la noche (1976). He died on 15 August 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Sam Patrello was an American nightclub and movie comedian best known as a Jerry Lewis imitator. Born in The Bronx to a show-business family, he began working on stage by the age of six. Petrillo went on to perform comedy on The Colgate Comedy Hour, NBC's Four Star Revue, Texaco Star Theater, ABC's Stop the Music; and several local New York City quiz shows and variety shows.
Petrillo relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he eventually teamed with singer Duke Mitchell for a successful nightclub act approximating the popular Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis team. In addition to impersonating Martin & Lewis, Petrillo mimicked other film stars and cartoon characters, and Mitchell would sing in the styles of Frankie Laine, Vaughn Monroe, and Billy Daniels, among others. For the climax of the show, they would announce to the audience that they would now do their impression of Martin and Lewis - followed by Petrillo playing Martin and Mitchell playing Lewis, inverting expectations.
In 1952, Mitchell and Petrillo starred opposite aged screen legend Bela Lugosi and the latest incarnation of the Tarzan film-series chimpanzee Cheeta in a low-budget, jungle-themed comedy, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (also known as The Boys From Brooklyn).
By 1991, Petrillo was living in Pittsburgh, where he ran a family-oriented comedy club, The Nut House. Petrillo, who remained active performing standup comedy, mentored young comics including Richard Pryor and Dennis Miller, the latter a native of Petrillo's adopted home, Pittsburgh. On August 15, 2009, Petrillo died of colon cancer at age 74. - Producer
- Actor
Samuel W. Gelfman was born on 29 May 1931 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Caged Heat (1974), Cannonball! (1976) and Cockfighter (1974). He died on 15 August 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib, was a Bangladeshi politician, statesman and Founding Father of Bangladesh who served as the first President and later as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 17 April 1971 until his assassination on 15 August 1975.[1] He is considered to have been the driving force behind the independence of Bangladesh. He is popularly dubbed with the title of "Bangabandhu" (Bongobondhu "Friend of Bengal") by the people of Bangladesh.
- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Vidya Sinha was born on 15 November 1947 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India. She was an actress and producer, known for Bodyguard (2011), Krishna-Krishna (1986) and Jeeva (1986). She was married to Netaji Bhimrao Salunkhe and Venkateshwaran Iyer. She died on 15 August 2019 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Virginia Davis was born on December 31, 1918, in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father was a traveling furniture salesman and spent much time away from home. With her husband gone for weeks at a time, Margaret Davis, a housewife, focused all her attention on her daughter; she began taking Virginia to dancing lessons and modeling auditions when she was 2. A striking child with long curls, Virginia was soon appearing in advertisements that played between films in local theaters. She also entered Georgie Brown's Dramatic School in Kansas City, where she studied drama and dance. In the summer of 1923, 22-year-old Walt Disney, a struggling but ambitious director, saw Virginia in an advertisement in a Kansas City theater and immediately decided to hire her. He quickly contacted Margaret Davis, who was eager to advance her Virginia's career. Alice's Wonderland (1923), the first short film of the Alice series, was filmed at the Davis home in Kansas City; both Margaret Davis and Walt Disney made brief appearances (which marked Disney's first live appearance in one of his own cartoons). After filming, Disney returned to Hollywood and began to build his movie empire with only forty dollars and one short film starring little Virginia Davis. The Davis family soon followed Disney to Hollywood, although their daughter's career was not the only reason for the move; Virginia had suffered a pneumonia and other health problems, and her doctor told her parents that she would be healthier in a drier, warmer climate. Virginia signed her first contract with Disney for a salary of $100 a month, and she began filming the Alice shorts in Walt Disney's first studio, his uncle's garage. His brother Roy O. Disney was the cameraman, and the Disney family dog Peggy appeared in many of the films. The Alice shorts became very popular, providing Disney with his first national success. But as the series progressed, Disney became more interested in the animation aspect, which minimized Virginia's live-action role; she only made about thirteen of the Alice shorts before her contract was severed. She later auditioned for the role of voice of Snow White in Disney's film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), but she didn't get the role because her mother refused to accept the frugal salary. Virginia had some small roles in full-length films, including The Harvey Girls (1946), before she left acting to earn a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. She later became an editor for the 1950s magazine "Living for Young Homemakers," and in the 1960s, she began working for real estate agents in Connecticut and later California. In 1992, interest was renewed in the Alice series. Living in retirement in Montana, Virginia was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of fans seeking to honor her and the remarkable role she played in the birth of Walt Disney Studios. She was the guest of honor at the Pordonone Silent Film Festival in Italy in 1992, and she was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998. Virginia also became very active in silent film festivals and events at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Vivian Matalon was born on 11 October 1929 in Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK. He was a director and actor, known for ITV Play of the Week (1955), American Playhouse (1980) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950). He was married to Stephen Temperley. He died on 15 August 2018 in Glenford, New York, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
World-famous, widely popular American humorist of the vaudeville stage and of silent and sound films, Will Rogers graduated from military school, but his first real job was in the livestock business in Argentina, of all places. He transported pack animals across the South Atlantic from Buenos Aires to South Africa for use in the Boer War (1899-1902). He stayed in Johannesburg for a short while, appearing there in Wild West shows where he drew upon his expertise with horse and lasso. Returning to America, he brought his talents to vaudeville and by 1917 was a Ziegfeld Follies star. Over the years he gradually blended into his act his unique style of topical, iconoclastic humor, in which he speared the efforts of the powerful to trample the rights of the common man, while twirling his lariat and perhaps chewing on a blade of straw. Although appearing in many silents, he reached his motion-picture zenith with the arrival of sound. Now mass audiences could hear his rural twang as he delivered his homespun philosophy on behalf of Everyman. The appeal and weight of his words carried such weight with the average citizen that he was even nominated for governor of Oklahoma (which he declined).