Date of Death between 2012-01-01 and 2012-12-31 (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)
1. Michael Clarke Duncan
Actor | The Green Mile
Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised by his single mother, Jean, a house cleaner, on Chicago's South Side, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let ...
2. Susan Tyrrell
Actress | Cry-Baby
A bizarre, gloriously one-of-a-kind Hollywood gypsy and self-affirmed outcast, San Francisco-born actress Susan Tyrrell (born Susan Jillian Creamer) was a teenager when she made her stage debut in "Time Out for Ginger" in 1962. A product of the entertainment industry, her father was a top agent at ...
3. Sage Stallone
Actor | Rocky V
Sage Stallone was an American actor and film director from Los Angeles. His best known role was Robert Balboa, Jr. (Rocky Balboa's son) in the sports drama film "Rocky V" (1990).
Stallone was the eldest son of actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) and his first wife Sasha Czack. His parents married in ...
4. Tony Scott
Producer | Domino
Tony Scott was a British-born film director and producer. He was the youngest of three brothers, one of whom is fellow film director Ridley Scott. He was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England to parents Jean and Colonel Francis Percy Scott. As a result of his father's career in the British...
5. Whitney Houston
Soundtrack | The Bodyguard
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born into a musical family on 9 August 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of gospel star Cissy Houston (née Emily Lee Drinkard) and John Russell Houston, Jr., and cousin of singing star Dionne Warwick.
She began singing in the choir at her church, The New Hope ...
6. Ernest Borgnine
Actor | Marty
Ernest Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917 in Hamden, Connecticut. His parents were Anna (Boselli), who had emigrated from Carpi (MO), Italy, and Camillo Borgnino, who had emigrated from Ottiglio (AL), Italy. As an only child, Ernest enjoyed most sports, especially boxing, ...
7. Andy Griffith
Actor | The Andy Griffith Show
Andy Griffith is best known for his starring roles in two very popular television series, The Andy Griffith Show (1960) and Matlock (1986). Griffith earned a degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the 1950s, he became a regular on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) and ...
8. William Windom
Actor | Escape from the Planet of the Apes
A man of all mediums, this veteran, Manhattan-born character actor was named after his great-grandfather, Lincolnesque Congressman William Windom. Born in 1923, the son of Paul Windom, an architect, and the former Isobel Wells Peckham, Bill attended Williams College and the University of Kentucky, ...
9. Ben Gazzara
Actor | Road House
Ben Gazzara's screen career began with two critically acclaimed roles as heavies in the late 1950s. He turned to television in the 1960s but made a big screen comeback with roles in three John Cassavetes films in the 1970s. The 1980s and 1990s saw Gazzara work more frequently than ever before in ...
10. Johnny Lewis
Actor | AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the middle of three siblings, Johnny began performing from the age of 5 at a small performing arts school, making his debut as a Chanukah candle.
Pursuing the acting profession, he appeared with success in many TV and film projects, handling both drama and...
11. Charles Durning
Actor | Dog Day Afternoon
WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen actor were all inclusions on the resume of this perpetually busy US actor who didn't get in front of the cameras until around the time of his fortieth birthday. The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most ...
12. Joan Taylor
Actress | 20 Million Miles to Earth
Joan Taylor's mother, Amelia Berky, was a vaudeville singing-dancing star in the 1920s. Her father was a prop man in Hollywood during that same period, but, after Joan's birth, the family moved to Lake Forest, Illinois, where her father managed a movie theater. She developed a love of movies from ...
13. Harry Carey Jr.
Actor | Tombstone
Harry Carey, Jr., had been reliable character actor for decades, mostly in Westerns, before he retired. He is the son of the actor Harry Carey and the actress Olive Carey. He was born on his parents' 1000-acre ranch near Saugus, in the northwestern part of Los Angeles County, which is now next door...
14. Sylvia Kristel
Actress | The Concorde... Airport '79
Sylvia Kristel was born on September 28, 1952 in Utrecht, Netherlands. She first came to international attention in the early 1970s with Emmanuelle (1974) for director Just Jaeckin. Then two more sequels followed in which she also starred. Included in her credits are a long list of European films ...
15. Larry Hagman
Actor | Dallas
The son of a legendary actress (Mary Martin) and a district attorney, Larry Martin Hagman was born on September 21, 1931 in Fort Worth, Texas. After his parents' divorce, he moved to Los Angeles, California to live with his grandmother. When he was 12, his grandmother died and he moved back to his ...
16. Jack Klugman
Actor | 12 Angry Men
As a film character actor, Klugman was the epitome of the everyman. He was one of the pioneers of television acting in the 1950s, and is best remembered for his 1970s TV work as Oscar Madison on The Odd Couple (1970) and as the medical examiner on Quincy M.E. (1976).
17. Celeste Holm
Actress | All About Eve
Celeste Holm was an only child, born into a home where her mother was a painter and her father worked in insurance. She would study acting at the University of Chicago and make her stage debut in 1936. Her Broadway debut came when she was 19 in 'The Time of Your Life'. She appeared in many ...
18. Tracy Reed
Actress | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Tracy Reed was born on September 21, 1941 in Barnet, Middlesex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), A Shot in the Dark (1964) and Casino Royale (1967). She was previously married to Christopher McCabe, Bill Simpson, ...
19. Chad Everett
Actor | Mulholland Dr.
Both a leading and a supporting actor in movies and on television, name a role - lawyer, airline pilot, rig foreman, doctor, gunslinger, real-life person, good guy, bad guy - and Chad Everett has probably played it. He was born Raymon Lee Cramton on June 11, 1937 in South Bend, Indiana. In high ...
20. Nora Ephron
Writer | Julie & Julia
Nora Ephron was educated at Wellesley College, Massachusetts. She was an acclaimed essayist (Crazy Salad 1975), novelist (Heartburn 1983), and had written screenplays for several popular films, all featuring strong female characters, such as anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood (Silkwood (1983), ...
21. Richard Dawson
Self | Family Feud
Richard Dawson was born Colin Lionel Emm on November 20, 1932 in Gosport, Hampshire, England. When he was 14, he joined the Merchant Navy and served for three years. During that time, he made money boxing. He had to lie about his age and remain tough so the older guys would not hassle him. In the ...
22. Phyllis Diller
Actress | A Bug's Life
Diller put out an autobiography in 2005 in her late 80s, and entitled it "Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse", which pretty much says it all when recalling the misfit life and career of the fabulous, one-of-a-kind Phyllis Diller. It may inspire all those bored, discouraged and/or directionless ...
23. Alex Karras
Actor | Blazing Saddles
Alex Karras was born on July 15, 1935 in Gary, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Blazing Saddles (1974), Victor/Victoria (1982) and Porky's (1981). He was previously married to Susan Clark and Ivalyn Joan Jurgensen. He died on October 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
24. Richard Lynch
Actor | Halloween
Richard Hugh Lynch was born on February 12, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York City, to Irish immigrant parents. He was one of seven children. Before starting a career as an actor, he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1958. He served for four years where he made Corporal, and did a tour of the ...
25. Ian Abercrombie
Actor | Army of Darkness
Ian Abercrombie began his theatrical career as a lad during the Blitz in World War II. After his footwork years during which he earned Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in dance for the stage, he performed in London, Holland, Ireland, and Scotland. He made his American stage debut in 1955 in a ...
26. Herbert Lom
Actor | The Pink Panther Strikes Again
Herbert Lom was born on September 11, 1917 as Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich ze Schluderpacheru into an aristocratic family living in genteel poverty. His incredibly long surnames led him to select the shortest surname he could find extant ("Lom") and adopt it as his own, professionally. He ...
27. David Kelly
Actor | Waking Ned
Born Dublin, Ireland on July 11 1929. Educated at Synge Street Catholic boys school. Started acting aged 8 in the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Playing everything from Beckett to Shakespeare, he has appeared in theatre, TV and film constantly since 1959. Awards include: Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding ...
28. Patricia Medina
Actress | Snow White and the Three Stooges
Patricia Paz Maria Medina was born on July 19, 1919 in Liverpool, England to a Spanish father and an English mother. She began acting as a teenager in the late 1930s and worked her way up to leading roles in the mid-1940s, then left for Hollywood. Medina teamed up with British actor Louis Hayward ...
29. Sherman Hemsley
Actor | The Jeffersons
Sherman Hemsley played characters known to be wise-cracking, "Weezy" loving, boisterous fools which America and the entire world laughed with kindheartedly. Sherman Alexander Hemsley, Air Force veteran and actor, was born on Feb. 1, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, William Hemsley, ...
30. Merry Anders
Actress | Tickle Me
Merry Anders practically grew up in local bijous watching films and their accompanying stage shows with her movie-crazy mother and grandmother. The family relocated to Los Angeles in 1949 and, while attending John Burroughs Junior High School, Anders made the acquaintance of Rita La Roy, an ...
31. Kathryn Joosten
Actress | Wedding Crashers
Kathryn is best known for her portrayals of "Karen McCluskey" on Desperate Housewives (2004) on ABC and of "Mrs. Landingham", secretary to the President (Martin Sheen), on the critically-acclaimed NBC drama, The West Wing (1999). She has also recurred on Dharma & Greg (1997), and guest-starred ...
32. R.G. Armstrong
Actor | Predator
A golden career was reflected in his name. Robert Golden Armstrong ("Bob" to his friends) was born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 7, 1917. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there, he was frequently performing on stage with the Carolina Playmakers. After graduating,...
33. James Farentino
Actor | The Final Countdown
James Farentino was an American actor, with many appearances in film and television. He is better known for playing fisherman and apostle Simon Peter in the miniseries "Jesus of Nazareth" (1977), and revenge-seeking psychiatrist Dr. Nick Toscanni in the soap opera "Dynasty". He played the role of ...
34. Don Grady
Music Department | My Three Sons
Born Don Agrati in San Diego, California, Don Grady became a Mousekeeter, along with 23 others, when that show debuted in 1955. In 1960, he joined My Three Sons (1960), which debuted in 1960 and ran for 12 years. As an enthusiast of music after "My Three Sons" ended, he continued in music as a ...
35. Stephen Dunham
Actor | The Mummy
Stephen Dunham was born on September 14, 1964 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Mummy (1999), Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) and Get Smart (2008). He was previously married to Alexondra Lee. He died on September 13, 2012 in Burbank, California, USA.
36. Russell Means
Actor | Natural Born Killers
Russell Means was born an Oglala/Lakota Sioux Indian. He was the first national director of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in which role he became prominent during the 1973 standoff with the U.S. government at Wounded Knee. In 1987, he joined the U.S. Libertarian Party and announced his ...
37. Ron Palillo
Actor | Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI
At 14, Ron Palillo (born Ronald Gabriel Paolillo) started his own summer theater in Cheshire, Connecticut. His parents, Gabriel and Carmel Paolillo, were surprised when the summer theater actually made money. After graduating from high school, Ron went to the University of Connecticut at Storrs, ...
38. Paul L. Smith
Actor | Popeye
Paul L. Smith was born on June 24, 1936 in Everett, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Popeye (1980), Maverick (1994) and Dune (1984). He was previously married to Eve. He died on April 25, 2012 in Ra'anana, Israel.
39. Lance LeGault
Actor | Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Lance LeGault was born as William Lance Legault on May 2, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois. LeGault grew up in Chillicothe, Illinois and graduated from Chillicothe Township High School in 1955. Lance began his acting career as a stunt double for Elvis Presley; he appears in the 1960s Presley vehicles ...
40. Peter Breck
Actor | Shock Corridor
Breck was born Joseph Peter Breck, the son of a jazz musician also named Joseph (nicknamed "Jobie"). Over time, his father worked with such legendary greats as Fats Waller, Bix Beiderbecke, Paul Whiteman and Billie Holiday. Nicknamed "Buddy" while young, Peter's parents were on the road for much of...
41. Mary Tamm
Actress | Doctor Who
Mary Tamm was born on March 22, 1950 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Doctor Who (1963), Doghouse (2009) and The Likely Lads (1976). She was previously married to Marcus Ringrose. She died on July 26, 2012 in Battersea, London, England, UK.
42. George Murdock
Actor | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
George Murdock was born on June 25, 1930 in Salina, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Breaker! Breaker! (1977) and Orange County (2002). He was previously married to Catherine A. Miller. He died on April 30, 2012 in Burbank, California, USA.
43. Cliff Osmond
Writer | The Streets of San Francisco
Cliff Osmond was born on February 26, 1937 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Streets of San Francisco (1972), The Front Page (1974) and The Penitent (1988). He was previously married to Gretchen Lee Petty. He died on December 22, 2012 in Pacific Palisades, ...
44. Shirley Ballard
Script Department | Mad Max
Shirley Ballard was born on September 21, 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Mad Max (1979), The Twilight Zone (1959) and Cop Hater (1958). She was previously married to Jason Evers. She died on October 27, 2012 in the USA.
45. Doris Singleton
Actress | Angel
Doris Singleton was born on September 29, 1919 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Angel (1960), The Red Skelton Hour (1951) and The Twilight Zone (1959). She was previously married to Charles Isaacs. She died on June 26, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
46. George Lindsey
Actor | Robin Hood
George Lindsey quickly became an icon on television in the 1960's playing the part of 'Goober Pyle" on the The Andy Griffith Show (1960). He replaced Jim Nabors who portrayed "Gomer Pyle" who ran the "fillin station" on "The Andy Griffith Show." As Jim Nabors was tapped for his own show Gomer Pyle:...
47. Lupe Ontiveros
Actress | As Good as It Gets
Lupe Ontiveros was born on September 17, 1942 in El Paso, Texas, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for As Good as It Gets (1997), Selena (1997) and Chuck & Buck (2000). She was previously married to Elias P. Ontiveros. She died on July 26, 2012 in Whittier, California, USA.
48. Levon Helm
Actor | Shooter
Levon Helm was in the right place at the right time. He saw the birth of rock and roll and, though he was too much of a gentleman to say it, his role in helping to keep that rebellious child healthy was more than just instrumental.
On May 26, 1940, Mark Lavon Helm was the second of four children born...
49. Frank Cady
Actor | Rear Window
Although Frank Cady's most famous role would be that of general-store owner Sam Drucker, one of the less nutty residents of Hooterville in both Green Acres (1965) and Petticoat Junction (1963), he had a history as a film, stage and television actor long before those shows. Cady also appeared on ...
50. Steve Franken
Actor | Westworld
Steve Franken was born on May 27, 1932 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Westworld (1973), The Party (1968) and The Time Travelers (1964). He was previously married to Jean Garrett and Julia Elizabeth Carter. He died on August 24, 2012 in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, ...