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1-31 of 31
- Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the finest classical and contemporary leading ladies ever to grace the 20th century American stage, five-time Tony Award winner Julie Harris was rather remote and reserved on camera, finding her true glow in front of the theatre lights. The freckled, red-haired actress not only was nominated for a whopping total of ten Tony awards and was a Sarah Siddons Award recipient for her work on the Chicago stage, she also earned awards in other areas of the entertainment industry, including three Emmys (of 11 nominations), a Grammy and an Academy Award nomination. (Note: Harris would hold the record for the most competitive Tony performance wins (five) for a couple of decades. Angela Lansbury finally caught up with her in 2009 and singer/actress Audra McDonald surpassed them both in 2014 with six). While Harris certainly lacked the buoyancy and glamor usually associated with being a movie star, she certainly made an impact in the early to mid 1950s with three iconic leading roles, two of which she resurrected from the Broadway stage. After that she pretty much deserted film.
Born Julie Ann Harris on December 2, 1925, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, she was the daughter of William Pickett, an investment banker, and Elsie L. (née Smith) Harris, a nurse. Graduating from Grosse Pointe Country Day School, an early interest in the performance arts was encouraged by her family. Moving to New York City, Julie attended The Hewitt School and later trained as a teenager at the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp in Colorado. A mentor there, Charlotte Perry, saw great hope for young Julie and was insistent that her protégé study at the Yale School of Drama. Julie did just that -- for about a year.
Also trained at the New York School of Drama and one of the earliest members of the Acting Studio, young Julie made her Broadway debut in 1945 at age 19 in the comedy "It's a Gift". Despite its lukewarm reception, the demure, diminutive (5'3"), and delicate-looking thespian moved on. She apprenticed on Broadway for the next few years with ensemble parts in "King Henry IV, Part II" (1946), "Oedipus Rex" (1946), "The Playboy of the Western World" (1946), "Alice in Wonderland" (as the White Rabbit) (1947), and Macbeth" (1948).
More prominent roles came her way in such short-lived Broadway plays as "Sundown Beach" (1948), "The Young and Fair" (1948), "Magnolia Alley" (1949) and "Montserrat (1949). This led to her star-making theatre role at age 24 as sensitive 12-year-old tomboy Frankie Addams in the classic drama "The Member of the Wedding" (1950) opposite veteran actress Ethel Waters and based on the Carson McCullers novel. The play ran for over a year. The Member of the Wedding (1952) would eventually be transferred to film and, despite being untried talents on film, director Fred Zinnemann wisely included both Harris and young Brandon De Wilde (as young John Henry) to reenact their stage triumphs along with Ms. Waters. Harris, at 27, received her first and only Academy Award nomination as the coming-of-age Georgian tomboy.
It wasn't long before Julie's exceptional range and power won noticed nationwide. In 1952, she received her first "Best Actress" Tony Award for creating the larger-than-life role of Sally Bowles in "I Am a Camera," the stage version of one of Christopher Isherwood's Berlin stories ("Goodbye to Berlin" (1939). (Note: In the 1960s, Isherwood's play would be transformed successfully into the Broadway musical "Cabaret".) Harris again was invited to repeat her stage role in I Am a Camera (1955) with Laurence Harvey and Shelley Winters, winning the BAFTA "Best Foreign Actress" Award. That same year Harris starred opposite the highly emotive James Dean (she had top billing) as his love interest in the classic film East of Eden (1955), directed by Elia Kazan from the John Steinbeck novel. Strangely, Julie's brilliance in the role of Abra was completely overlooked come Oscar time...a terrible miscarriage of justice in this author's view.
After this vivid film exposure, Julie's love for the theatre completely dominated her career focus. She continued to increase her Broadway prestige with such plays as "Mademoiselle Colombe" (title role) (1954), "The Lark" (Tony Award: as Joan of Arc) (1955), "The Country Wife" (1957), "The Warm Peninsula" (1959), "Little Moon Over Alban" (1960) (which she took to Emmy-winning TV), "A Shot in the Dark" (1961), "Ready When Your Are, C.B.!" (1964), "Skyscraper" (1965), "Forty Carats" (Tony Award) (1968), "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" ) (1971), "The Au Pair Man" (1973) and "In Praise of Love" (1974). In between she gave stellar performances on TV with her Joan of Arc in The Lark (1957); title role in Johnny Belinda (1958); Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House (1959); Catherine Sloper in The Heiress (1961); title role in Victoria Regina (1961) (for which received an Emmy award); Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion (1963), and title role in Anastasia (1967).Be
In later years Harris reaped praises and honors for her awe-inspiring one-woman touring shows based on the lives of certain distaff historical figureheads. Her magnificently tormented, Tony-winning "First Lady" Mary Lincoln in "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" (1972) was the first to be seen on stage and TV, followed by another Tony (and Grammy) Award-winning performance as poetess Emily Dickinson in "The Belle of Amherst" (1976) (directed by close friend Charles Nelson Reilly, as well as her early 1980s solo portrait of author Charlotte Brontë in "Bronte," which started out as a radio play. Julie was now placed among the theatre's luminous "ruling class" alongside legendary veterans Helen Hayes, Katharine Cornell and Judith Anderson.
As time wore on, Harris would become equally respected on film and TV for her portrayals of over-the-edge neurotics, wallflowers and eccentric maiden aunt types as witnessed by her co-starring roles in the films The Haunting (1963), Hamlet (1964) (as Ophelia), Harper (1966), You're a Big Boy Now (1966), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), The Bell Jar (1979), and the TV-movies How Awful About Allan (1970) and Home for the Holidays (1972). Perhaps a step down performance wise, the veteran actress, after a period of ill health, became a household name with her regular series work as Lilimae on the TV soap Knots Landing (1979).
At age 60, Harris continued to impress on Broadway with her 1990's versions of Amanda Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie" and Fonsia Dorsey in "The Gin Game" for which she received her tenth and final Tony nomination. She also toured successfully with a production of "Lettice and Lovage". Unlike many other actors whose film roles disintegrated with appearances in bottom-of-the-barrel lowbudgets, Julie's final two supporting films roles were in two nicely constructed period romantic comedies -- The Golden Boys (2008) and The Lightkeepers (2009).
Ill health dogged Julie's later years (she battled breast cancer in 1981 and suffered two strokes -- one in 2001 (while performing in the Chicago play "Fossils") and again in 2010). Nevertheless, she continued to work almost until the end, including narrating five historical documentaries and giving Emmy-winning voice to such women suffragettes as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Married and divorced three times, Julie had one son by her second marriage -- Peter, who became a theatre critic. She also spent time enjoying the benefits of receiving special awards and honors for her full body of work. Among these, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1979, was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994, received a "Special Lifetime Achievement" Tony Award in 2002 and was a 2005 Kennedy Center honoree.
Harris died on August 24, 2013, of congestive heart failure at her home in West Chatham, Massachusetts. She was 87.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Character actress Shirley Booth could play everything in all facets of show business, whether it was Miss Duffy the Tavern Owner's Man Crazy Daughter on "Duffy's Tavern", the sassy maid on TV's Hazel (1961) or the pathetic woman in Come Back, Little Sheba (1952). For those who only know her through her sitcom, it might be hard to believe she was a seasoned theatrical veteran, having appeared on Broadway from 1925-70. She was highly regarded as a stage actress and ranks as one of the premier talents of the 20th-century theatre.- Steven Gilborn was born on 15 July 1936 in New Rochelle, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Evolution (2001), Doctor Dolittle (1998) and Alien: Resurrection (1997). He was married to Karen Halverson. He died on 2 January 2009 in North Chatham, New York, USA.
- Ethnic bald-domed character actor Luis Van Rooten was born November 29, 1906, in Mexico City, but raised in the United States and would become known in post-war Hollywood as a specialist in multiple dialects. Studying at the University of Pennsylvania, he received his B.A. and set up a sturdy practice as an architect before making a dramatic transition into acting sometime during WWII. He built up his reputation initially on stage at the Cleveland Playhouse, then in radio serials, notably playing the titular sleuth in "The Adventures of Nero Wolfe." He also did special French, Italian and Spanish broadcasts during the war
After serving in the Armed Forces, he settled into post-war films, playing outright villains or slick, shady suspects. Interestingly, he bookended his film career impersonating the nefarious Nazi ringleader Heinrich Himmeler (1900-1945), who organized the extermination of millions of Jews during the Third Reich, in the films Hitler's Madman (1943) and Operation Eichmann (1961). In between he backed up the various studio's top stars including Alan Ladd in the rugged adventures Two Years Before the Mast (1946), Beyond Glory (1948) and Saigon (1947); Ray Milland and Charles Laughton in the exceptional film noir The Big Clock (1948);, Edward G. Robinson in Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) and Kirk Douglas in "Champion" (1949). One notable exception from the usual villainous typecast was his role as a plainclothes cop in the classic film Detective Story (1951).
By the 1950's Van Rooten had moved with ease into TV drama, performing in a number of live dramas during its vital "Golden Age." His regular work in TV series included One Man's Family (1949) and _"Major Dell Conway of the Flying Tigers" (1951)._ He is remembered by 50s TV fans as the fight manager in "The Joe Palooka Story"(1954-55). His slick, cultivated tones were utilized quite frequently in various documentaries and narrative projects. In later years (the 1960s), Van Rooten was seen less and less. He eventually retired during the decade to become an author and expert on horticultural subjects. He also enjoyed painting as a creative sideline. He died in 1973 at the age of 66 of unreported causes in Massachusetts. - He was a US Army paratrooper in World War II. Sergeant McNiece was the last surviving member of the Filthy Thirteen, an elite demolition unit whose exploits inspired the 1965 novel and 1967 film The Dirty Dozen. His escapades are documented in his words in The Filthy Thirteen, Fighting With the Filthy Thirteen, and War Paint; The Filthy Thirteen Jump Into Normandy.
McNiece went on to make a total of four wartime combat jumps, the first as part of the Invasion of Normandy in 1944. In the same year he jumped as part of Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, which was featured in the book (and subsequent film), A Bridge Too Far, and at the Siege of Bastogne, part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. During fighting in the Netherlands, he was promoted to demolition platoon sergeant. He volunteered for pathfinder training, anticipating he would sit out the rest of the war training in England, but his pathfinder stick was called upon to jump into Bastogne to guide in resupply drops. His last jump was in 1945, near Prüm in Germany. In recognition of his natural leadership abilities, he ended the war as the acting first sergeant for Headquarters Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was discharged from the military in February 1946. - Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Robert L. Joseph was born on 10 March 1923 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963), The Third Secret (1964) and The Hitch-Hiker (1953). He was married to Susan Clark. He died on 27 April 2002 in East Chatham, New York, USA.- John Dunsmuir was born on 17 February 1876 in Argyll, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Frankie and Johnnie (1936) and Enemies of the Law (1931). He died in 1953 in Chatham, Kent, England, UK.
- Eric Micklewood was born on 19 May 1911 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), The Monkey's Paw (1948) and The Lamp Still Burns (1943). He died on 17 February 2003 in Chatham, Columbia, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Ruby Braff was born on 16 March 1927 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for The Story of Us (1999), Claire Dolan (1998) and The Switch or How to Alter Your Ego (1974). He died on 9 February 2003 in North Chatham, Massachusetts, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Art Department
Alan Semok was born on 2 October 1952 in New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Shining Time Station (1989), American Experience (1987) and 100 Centre Street (2001). He died on 27 October 2019 in Chatham, New Jersey, USA.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Shaindel Kalish's parents were Abraham Kalish, a Jewish producer in the Yiddish Theater, and Esther Naidith. Her father was also a successful comedian, who performed under the name Al Kelly. She attended Marshall High School in Chicago and began her acting career with the Jewish People's Institute, a community center in Chicago founded by her father.
In the 1930s, she appeared in films under the stage name Ann Preston. She married director Charles K. Freeman. She later married Yisrol Paul Mann Libman, an actor/director, and went by the name Jennie Shaludel Libman during this marriage. After leaving Hollywood, she appeared, using the stage name Ann Shepherd, in stage productions, including appearing on Broadway in such plays as Sophie (1944), Truckline Café (1946), and All My Sons (1947).- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carol spent most of her adult life and career as a costume designer in New York City. She won 3 Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Costume Design for a Drama Series" for her work on All My Children.
She attended Columbia University and earned an MFA there. She taught at the Parsons School of Design, SUNY Purchase Theater Division, and served on the Board of the TDF Costume Collection. She was a longtime parishioner at Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue and its Choir School.
Carol worked on Broadway, in international opera, in TV, commercials and film. Her career highlights included The Saint of Bleeker Street at the New York City Opera which was telecast on the PBS series Live from Lincoln Center. On Broadway, she worked with the avant garde director Robert Wilson on A Letter for Queen Victoria. She worked at the Santa Fe Opera and, as a result of being awarded a National Opera Grant, at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. She was one of the first American theater artists to go into China with a government sanctioned exchange group that included director Michael Bennett, choreographer Anna Sokolow and the producer Chandler Cowles.
In the course of her career, Carol dressed Elizabeth Taylor, Carol Burnett, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christian Slater, Kelly Ripa, James Mitchell, Christine Baranski and many, many others.- OTF Nunu was born on 15 October 1992. He was an actor, known for Lil Durk & OTF Nunu: OC (2014), OTF Nunu feat. Lil Durk: At the Top (2014) and OTF Nunu: Work Freestyle (2014). He died on 31 May 2014 in Chatham, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Music Department
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bobby Hackett was born on 31 January 1915 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He was an actor, known for Studio One (1948), Saturday Night Swing Club (1938) and Today (1952). He was married to Edna. He died on 7 June 1976 in Chatham, Massachusetts, USA.- Katy Dierlam was born on 31 July 1950 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for Monsters (1988), Shadows and Fog (1991) and Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes (1991). She was married to Ned Sonntag. She died on 8 April 2006 in Chatham, Massachusetts, USA.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Additional Crew
Michael DeCasper was born on 20 February 1963. Michael was an assistant director, known for Moonstruck (1987), Big (1988) and Goodfellas (1990). Michael was married to Amy Lauritsen. Michael died on 22 July 2008 in East Chatham, New York, USA.- Bill Richardson was born on 15 November 1947 in Pasadena, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Jackals (1986), Graves (2016) and From the Kill Pen (2016). He was married to Barbara Flavin. He died on 1 September 2023 in Chatham, Massachusetts, USA.
- Red Fisher was born on 22 August 1926 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Red Fisher Show (1965) and Psycho Pike (1992). He was married to Tillie. He died on 5 May 2006 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada.
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Make-Up Department
Carolyn H. Camp was born on 7 July 1939 in Mississippi, USA. She was a producer and assistant director, known for Benji (1974), Benji the Hunted (1987) and Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince (1983). She was married to Joe Camp. She died on 18 December 1997 in Chatham County, North Carolina, USA.- R. Eugene Pincham was born on 6 June 1925 in Athens, Alabama, USA. He died on 3 April 2008 in Chatham, West Chesterfield, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Lutrelle Horne was born on 25 March 1935 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. Lutrelle was a producer, known for Sesame Street (1969), Shalom Sesame (1987) and Barrio Sésamo (1979). Lutrelle was married to Frances Williams. Lutrelle died on 12 July 1998 in Old Chatham, New York, USA.- Allen Fristoe was born on 21 February 1924 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was a director, known for One Life to Live (1968), The Edge of Night (1956) and As the World Turns (1956). He was married to Mary Fickett. He died on 8 May 2008 in Chatham, Massachusetts, USA.
- Special Effects
Tom Hartigan was born on 10 October 1949 in New York, USA. Tom is known for Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) and The Outing (1987). Tom died on 11 March 2021 in Chatham, Massachusetts, USA.- Linda Laubenstein was born on 21 May, 1947 in Boston, Massachussets. She was a doctor (specialist in oncology and hematology) and a clinical professor at the New York University Medical Center and along with Dr. Alvin Friedman-Kien, she was one the first people to recognize the AIDS epidemic in its earlier years. Bound to a wheelchair ever since a bout of polio in childhood, she never allowed her condition to keep on her way to treat for her most needed patients, always finding time to commit herself to the cause of discovering more and more (she created the first AIDS conference in New York, in 1983) about the then-new disease that killed several people and scared a whole generation. She died on 15 August, 1992.
- Mavis Melford was born on 10 December 1892 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for My Wife Won't Let Me (1913). She died in 1977 in Chatham, Kent, England, UK.