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Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 200¡
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Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 200¡ Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture by
HARRIS M. LENTZ III
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
Front cover, clockwise from top left: Dale Evans, Dorothy McGuire, Edward Winter and Whitman Mayo
ISSN ¡087-96¡7 / ISBN 0-7864-¡278-X (softcover : 50# alkaline paper)
©2002 Harris M. Lentz, III. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com
This book is dedicated to the memory of those friends and family lost during 200¡— John P. Robilio, Jr., Dr. McCarthy DeMere, Johnny Colletta, Lucile Ewing, John Lavecchia, Dr. John Lilly, Troy Donahue, Pauline Moore, Deborah Walley, Toby Wing, John Mitchum and Rufus Thomas
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS drew “Captain Comics” Smith, Nikki and Jimmy Walker, Tony Pruitt, Bobby Mathews, Kent Nelson, Dale Warren, Dr. Mark He‡ngton, Anne Taylor, Andy Branham, John Nelson, Richard Allynwood, Frank de Azpillaga, Irv Jacobs, Bob Cuneo, Alun Jones, Marty Baumann, Trinity Houston, Joy Martin, Denise Tansil, John Janovich, Jake Miller, Hal Stansbury, Blaine Lester, Jay Morris, the fine folks at J. Alexander’s, Tommy Gattas, James Gattas, the Fox & Hound, the University of Memphis Library and the Memphis and Shelby County public libraries.
I greatly appreciate the assistance of my good friend, Carla Clark, and my mother, Helene Lentz. Special thanks also go to Bob King at Classic Images, for granting permission to use information from my columns, and to the people at Jerry Ohlinger’s for assistance in acquiring many of the photographs appearing herein. Also, thanks to Andrew I. Porter at the Science Fiction Chronicle, Rosa Burnett and the sta› at State Technical Institute library, Tom Weaver, Fred Davis, Forrest J Ackerman, Mike Fitzgerald, John Beifuss, Eric Rohr, Ray Neilson, John Whyborn, Boyd Magers, Larry Tauber, An-
vii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii Introduction ¡ Reference Bibliography 3 The 200¡ Obituaries
ix
5
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INTRODUCTION The year 2001 was a tumultuous one, as America was shattered by terrorist attacks that claimed thousands of lives in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Like the rest of the country, the world of the performing arts also lost friends and family in the catastrophe including Frasier producer David Angell, Anthony Perkins’ widow, actress Berry Berenson, and television commentator Barbara Olson, among others. Numerous other celebrities also died during the year. The Beatles’ George Harrison, the “Queen of the Cowgirls” Dale Evans, Oscar-winning stars Jack Lemmon and Anthony Quinn, All in the Family’s Archie Bunker — Carroll O’Connor, country music legend Chet Atkins, crooner Perry Como, violin virtuoso Isaac Stern, Dennis the Menace creator Hank Ketcham, 1950s teen heartthrob Troy Donahue, literary legend Eudora Welty, Hanna-Barbera co-founder William Hanna, songwriter Jay Livingston, and AIP co-founder Samuel Z. Arkoff all passed away in 2001. Other top film stars who took their final curtain call include Rosemary DeCamp, Gloria Foster, Deborah Walley, Eileen Heckart, Joan Sims, Anthony Steel, Kathleen Freeman, Walter Reed, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Dexter, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Dorothy McGuire, Beatrice Straight, Corinne Calvet, Police Academy’s David Graf, and The Exorcist’s Jason Miller. From the world of television we lost My Favorite Martian Ray Walston, comediennes
Imogene Coca, Ann Sothern and Dagmar, Tonight show producer Fred de Cordova, syndication pioneer Frederick Ziv, Dark Shadows’ Louis Edmonds, comic drunk Foster Brooks, Fame’s Albert Hague, Mr. Belvedere’s Christopher Hewett, Sanford and Son’s Grady — Whitman Mayo, M*A*S*H ’s Colonel Flagg — Edward Winter, Eight Is Enough’s Lani O’Grady, sit-com pioneer Johnny Stearns, and Adventures in Paradise’s Gardner McKay. From behind the camera 2001 saw the passing of directors Burt Kennedy, Stanley Kramer, Budd Boetticher, Paul Landres, Michael Ritchie, David Swift, Herbert Ross, Ken Hughes and Ralph Thomas, as well as Planet of the Apes make-up artist John Chambers, cinematographer John Alonzo, Alfred Hitchcock assistant Herbert Coleman, and producers Howard W. Koch, Julia Phillips and Jack Haley, Jr. Two promising young singers, Aaliyah and Melanie Thornton, died tragically young in separate plane crashes. The world of music also lost “Funky Chicken” creator Rufus Thomas, blues legend John Lee Hooker, Calypso pioneer Sir Lancelot, Hammer films composer James Bernard, bandleader Les Brown, the Mamas and the Papas’ John Phillips, country singer Johnny Russell, the Ramones’ Joey Ramone, the Fifth Dimension’s Ron Townson, and the Village People’s Glenn Hughes. George Gately, creator of the cartoon cat Heathcliff, and Lorenzo Music, the voice of the animated feline
1
Introduction Garfield, also died, as did Josie and the Pussycats creator Dan DeCarlo. Casper, the Friendly Ghost lost both his voice — Norma Macmillan, and co-creator — Seymour Reit, during the year. Racing legend Dale Earnhardt, film critic Pauline Kael, Disney animator Maurice Noble, Wizard of Oz Munchkin Tommy Cottonaro, Our Gang performers Eugene “Pineapple” Jackson and Peggy Cartwright, cult comedian Brother Theodore, hot-rod customizer Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, and Howard Stern cohort Hank, the Angry Drunken Dwarf, are also found in this book. The world of the circus lost animal tamers Gunther Gebel-Williams, Irina Bugrimova and Charly Bauman, and sideshow attraction Melvin “The Human Blockhead” Burkhart. Sportscasters Heywood Hale Broun and Dick Schaap died in 2001, and sports entertainment saw the passing of ring legends “Gentleman” Chris Adams, “Maniac” Mike Davis, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy, Johnny Valentine, Alex Perez and Rhonda Singh. Douglas Adams, creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, joins fellow science fiction writers Gordon R. Dickson, Fred Hoyle and Poul Anderson in this year’s volume, as do the authors behind One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest— Ken Kesey, A Separate Peace— John Knowles, and Sleuth— Anthony Shaffer. This book provides a single source that notes the deaths of all major, and many minor, figures in the fields of film, television, cartoons, theatre, music and popular literature. The obituaries within this volume contain pertinent details of deaths including date, place and cause, of 712 celebrities. Biographical information and career highlights and achieve-
2 ments are also provided. I have also included a complete-as-possible filmography for film and television performers. Most obituaries are followed by citations to major newspapers and periodical stories reporting the death. A photograph has been included for many of the individuals. I have been writing obituaries of film personalities for over twenty years, beginning with a column in Forry Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland in the late 1970s. Many of the film obituaries in the work are taken from my monthly column in Classic Images (P.O. Box 809, Muscatine, IA 52761), a newspaper devoted to classic films and their performers. I also write a small column on science fiction film-related deaths for the Science Fiction Chronicle (P.O. Box 022730, Brooklyn, NY 11202). Information on the passing of the individuals found in this volume has been gathered from a myriad of sources. Primary sources, as previously noted are listed in the individual bibliographies, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Times (of London), The Washington Post, Variety, Time, People, TV Guide and Newsweek. Other sources include Boyd Magers’ Western Clippings, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, The Hollywood Reporter, The (Manchester) Guardian, The Comics Buyer’s Guide, Locus, Pro Wrestling Torch, Psychotronic Video, The Comics Journal and Facts on File. Several sources on the internet have also been helpful, including You’re Outta Here! (http://home.kscable.com/yohms/), Celebrity Obits (http://www/voy.com/45481/), and the Internet Movie Database, Ltd. (http://us.imdb.com/).
REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY Books
Dimmitt, Richard Bertrand. An Actors Guide to the Talkies. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1967. Two Volumes. Erickson, Hal. Television Carton Shows. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1995. Everman, Welch. Cult Science Fiction Films. New York: Citadel Press, 1995. Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, 1940–1949. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994. _____. Feature Films, 1950–1959. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999. _____. Sound Films, 1927–1939. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1992. Fisher, Dennis. Horror Films Directors, 1931– 1990. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. Hunter, Allan, ed. Chambers Concise Encyclopedia of Film and Television. New York: W & R. Chambers Ltd., 1991. Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia, 2d ed. New York: HarperPerennial, 1994. Malloy, Alex G., ed. Comic Book Artists. Radnor, Penn.: Wallace-Homestead, 1993. Maltin, Leonard, ed. Movie and Video Guide 1995. New York: Signet Books, 1994. Marill, Alvin H. Movies Made for Television. Westport, CT: Arlington House, 1980. Mathis, Jack. Republican Confidential, Vol. 2: The Players. Barrington, IL: Jack Mathis Advertising, 1992. McNeil, Alex. Total Television. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.
The Academy Players Directory. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, 1978–1999. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1911–20. Patricia King Hansen, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1921–30. Kenneth W. Munden, ed. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1971. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1931–40. Patricia King Hansen, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1961–70. Richard P. Krafsur, ed. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1976. Brooks, Tim. The Complete Directory of Prime Time TV Stars. New York : Ballantine Books, 1987. Brown, Les. The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television. New York : Times Books, 1977. Bushnell, Brooks. Directors and Their Films. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1993. DeLong, Thomas A. Radio Stars. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1996. Diehl, Digby. Tales from the Crypt: The Official Archives. New York: St. Martin Press, 1996.
3
Reference Bibliography Monaco, James. Who’s Who in American Film Now. New York: Zoetrobe, 1988. Nash, Jay Robert, and Stanley Ralph Ross. The Motion Picture Guide. 10 vols. Chicago; Cinebooks, 1985. Nevins, Francis. Paul Landres. A Director’s Stories. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 2000. Nowlan, Robert A. & Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan. The Films of the Eighties. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. Oliviero, Jeffrey. Motion Picture Players’ Credits. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. Parrish, James Robert. Actors’ Television Credits 1950–1972. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1973. _____. Film Actors Guide: Western Europe. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1977. Ragan, David. Who’s Who in Hollywood, 1900– 1976. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1976. Rovin, Jeff. The Fabulous Fantasy Films. South Brunswick, NJ: A.S. Barnes, 1977. Sullivan, Steve. Va Va Voom! Bombshells, Pinups, Sexpots and Glamour Girls. Los Angeles, CA : General Publishing Group, 1995. Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, 1937–1973. New York: Zoetrobe, 1986. _____. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, 1974–1984. New York: Zoetrobe, 1986.
4 Walker, John, ed. Halliwell’s Filmgoer’s and Video Viewer’s Companion, 10th Edition. New York: HarperPerennial, 1993. Watson, Elena M. Television Horror Movie Hosts. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. Weaver, Tom. Attack of the Monster Movie Makers: Interviews with 20 Genre Giants. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994. _____. Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1988. _____. It Came from Weaver Five: Interviews with 20 Zany, Glib and Earnest Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Traditions of the Thirties, Forties, Fifties and Sixties. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994. _____. Monsters, Mutants and Heavenly Creatures. Baltimore, MD: Midnight Marquee Press, 1996. _____. Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks. Jefferson, NC.: McFarland, 1998. _____. Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. _____. They Fought in the Creature Features: Interviews with 23 Classic Horror, Science Fiction and Serial Stars. Jefferson, NC : McFarland, 1994. Willis, John, ed. Screen World. New York : Crown Publishers, 1958–2000.
OBITUARIES IN THE PERFORMING ARTS, 2001
Obituaries • 2001
6
Aaliyah Aaliyah, a popular young singer who was also making her presence felt on film, was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001. She was 22. She was born Aaliyah Dana Haughton in Brooklyn, New York, on January 16, 1979. Her debut album in 1994, Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, sold over one million copies, and subsequent albums One in a Million and Aaliyah, proved even more successful. She was nominated for Grammy awards for best female R&B performer in 1999 and 2000, with such hit singles as “Are You That Somebody” and “Try Again.” Aaliyah starred in the hit 2000 film Romeo Must Die, also supplying songs for the movie. She also starred in the title role of the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, and was set to co-star in the Matrix sequels at the time of her death. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 26, 2001, A4; New York Times, Aug. 27, 2001, B6; Time, Sept. 10, 2001, 21; TV Guide, Sept. 22, 2001, 7; Variety, Sept. 3, 2001, 55. Lionel Abel
the play Absalom, which received the Obie Award in 1956. His other plays include The Death of Odysseus (1953), The Pretender (1960), and The Wives (1965). Also a translator and critic, Abel wrote the 1963 essay Metatheatre: A New View of Dramatic Form, and his memoirs, The Intellectual Follies, in 1984. New York Times, Apr. 25, 2001, C17.
Abel, Robert
Aaliyah
Abel, Lionel Playwright Lionel Abel died in New York City on April 19, 2001. He was 90. He was born in Brooklyn in 1910. Abel’s best known work was
Computer animation pioneer Robert Abel died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital on September 23, 2001. He was 64. Abel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 10, 1937. A documentary filmmaker from the 1960s, he earned Emmy Awards for his A Nation of Immigrants (1966) and The Making of the President (1968), and also directed Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Abel was a leading figure in the early days of the digital revolution, creating the “slit-scan” effect which was used in filming the “Star Gate”
7 sequence in Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Working in commercials, Abel won over thirty Clio awards, the industry’s highest honor. He also worked on the 1982 Disney science fiction film Tron, the computer generated video The Mind’s Eye in 1990, and music videos featuring Mick Jagger, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Rod Stewart. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26, 2001, B10; New York Times, Sept. 29, 2001, C16; Variety, Oct. 1, 2001, 124.
Adams, Gentleman Chris Chris Adams, a leading professional wrestler in Texas in the 1980s, was shot to death in Waxahachie, Texas, during a brawl with a former friend, on October 7, 2001. He was 46. Adams was reportedly born in Stratford, England, on February 10, 1955. He began wrestling in the late 1970s, becoming known as Gentleman Chris Adams with the Texas World Class promotion in the 1980s. He held the World Class Championship several times, often competing against Jimmy Garvin. He was also noted as the trainer for future WWF champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, competing against him early in his career. Adams own career suffered setbacks due to personal problems and several bouts with the law. He competed in Tennessee’s USWA territory and Texas’ Global promotion in the early 1990s.
Gentleman Chris Adams
2001 • Obituaries
Adams, Douglas British novelist and creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, died suddenly of a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California, on May 11, 2001. He was 49. Adams was born in Cambridge, England, on March 11, 1952. Adams wrote the popular Hitchhiker for British radio in 1978. The humorous account of a young man’s adventures in space after Earth is demolished for an intergalactic highway, spawned a television miniseries in 1981. Adams wrote four sequels including The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980), Life, the Universe and Everything (1982), So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1987). He also authored several books featuring Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Adams was also a script editor for the popular British television series Doctor Who in the late 1970s. Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2001, B12; New York Times, May 15, 2001, A23; People, May 28, 2001, 95; Time, May 21, 2001, 27; Times (of
Douglas Adams
Obituaries • 2001
8
London), May 14, 2001, 17a; Variety, May 21, 2001, 64.
York Times, Dec. 18, 2001, A21; Time, Dec. 31, 2001, 33; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 39.
Adamson, Stuart
Adler, Larry
Stuart Adamson, the lead singer for the rock group Big Country, was found dead by hanging in a Hawaii hotel room in an apparent suicide on December 16, 2001. He was 43. Adamson, who had a long history of problems with alcohol, had been missing from his home in Nashville, Tennessee, for several weeks. Adamson was born in Manchester, England, on April 11, 1958, and raised in Scotland. He began his professional career with the punk rock group The Skids in 1977. The group recorded several hits including “Sweet Suburbia” and “Working for the Yankee Dollar.” He was a founding member of Big Country in 1981. The group had its first hit with “Fields of Fire” two years later. They recorded eight albums including The Crossing (1983), Steeltown (1985), Look Away (1986) and Why the Long Face? (1995). Adamson left Scotland to settle in Nashville in 1996. He reunited with Big Country for a tour in 1998 and a final album, Driving to Damascus, the following year. Big Country broke up in 2000 and Adamson had recently formed another group, The Raphaels. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 18, 2001, B11; New
Harmonica player Larry Adler died of cancer in a London hospital on August 6, 2001. He was 87. Adler was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 10, 1914. A self-taught musician, he began to perform professionally at the age of 14. A virtuoso player and composer, Adler remained a popular performer. He was featured as himself in a handful of films including Operator 13 (1934), Many Happy Returns (1934), The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936), The Singing Marine (1937), Calling All Stars (1937), Sidewalks of London (1938), Music for Millions (1944) and Three Daring Daughters (1948). His career was damaged in the late 1940s after accusations were made of him being a Communist sympathizer during the McCarthy era. Adler moved to England, where he continued his career. Adler received an Oscar nomination for his score for the 1953 British film Genevieve. He also composed scores for the films Jumping for Joy (1955), A Cry from the Streets (1958), The Hellions (1961), The Hook (1963), The Great Chase (1963), King and Country (1964) and
Stuart Adamson
Larry Adler
9 A High Wind in Jamaica (1965). Adler continued to perform throughout his life, recording with such artists as Sting, Kate Bush, and most recently, Welsh signer Cerys Matthews. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 9, 2001, B13; New York Times, Aug. 8, 2001, A15; Time, Aug. 20, 2001, 13; Times (of London), Aug. 8, 2001, 17a; Variety, Aug. 13, 2001, 59.
Agostini, Philippe French cinematographer Philippe Agostini died in Paris on October 21, 2001. He was 91. Agostini was born in Paris on August 11, 1910. He began working in films as a director of photography in 1934, and photographed nearly 50 films during his career. Agostini worked with such directors as Marcel Carne, Marcel Ophuls, Robert Bresson, Jules Dassin and Julien Duvivier. His credits include Itto (1934), Forty Little Mothers (1938), Adventure in Paris (1936), Dance of Life (1937), Hercule (1937), Rasputin (1938), I Was an Adventuress (1938), Daybreak (1939), Thunder Over Paris (1940), Love Letters (1942), Angels of the Streets (1943), Love Story (1943), Ladies of the Park (1945), Sylvie and the Phantom (1945), Gates of the Night (1946), The Last Vacation (1947), White Paws (1949), Monsignor (1949), Fugitive
Philippe Agostini
2001 • Obituaries from Montreal (1950), The Night Is My Kingdom (1951), Topaze (1951), House of Pleasure (1952), Their Last Night (1953), A Lady Without Camellias (1953), La Belle de Cadix (1953), Castles in Spain (1954), Rififi (1956), If Paris Were Told to Us (1955), The Country I Come From (1956), Paris Hotel (1956), The Silent World (1956) and Three Make a Pair (1957). In the late 1950s Agostini began directing films, helming such features as The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful (1956), The Carmelites (1960) and Rencontres (1961). His most recent credit was the 1975 French television series L’Age en Fleur. Agostini was married to actress Odette Joyeux, who died earlier in 2001. Variety, Oct. 29, 2001, 40.
Akesson, Birgit Dancer and choreographer Birgit Akesson died on March 24, 2001, her 93rd birthday. Akesson was born in Malmo, Sweden, on March 24, 1907. She studied under Mary Wigman in Dresden from the late 1920s and, in 1934, presented
Birgit Akesson
Obituaries • 2001 a solo dance concert in Paris. Her unusual style of modern dance led to her being called “the Picasso of Dance.” She performed in New York in 1949 and 1955 and danced at the American Dance Festival in 1956. She choreographed several programs for the Royal Swedish Ballet during the 1950s including the science fiction opera Aniara and Sisyphus. Akesson retired from dancing in 1965, though she continued to teach and choreograph. She created two examples of Asian dance for Chiang Ching to perform on television in 1989, Autumn Leaves and Shades. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 1, 2001, B7; New York Times, Mar. 30, 2001, C13.
Albam, Manny Jazz composer and arranger Manny Albam died at his home in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, on October 2, 2001. He was 79. Albam was born at sea near the Dominican Republic to Russian parents seeking to immigrate to the United States on June 24, 1922. Raised in New York, he began playing the saxophone at an early age. From the late 1930s he played with bands led by such musicians as Muggsy Spanier, Georgie Auld, Charlie Barnet, and Charlie Spivak. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and, after the war, resumed playing with Barnet’s band. He left the band in 1950 to become a jazz arranger for such performers as Buddy Rich, Coleman Hawk-
Manny Albam
10 ins and Dizzy Gillespie. He also made several recordings himself including Drum Suite (1956), Gilbert & Sullivan Restyled (1958), Steve Allen and Manny Albam and All That Jazz (1958), I Had the Craziest Dream (1962) and Jazz Goes to the Movies (1962). Albam also adapted a version of West Side Story for jazz in 1958. In 1960 he wrote the jazz score for the television detective series Hong Kong. He also composed the score for the films Black Pearl (1970) and 4 Clowns (1970). His album Sketches from the Book of Life was released in 1995. New York Times, Oct. 6, 2001, C15; Variety, Oct. 22, 2001, 100.
Albicocco, Jean-Gabriel French film director Jean-Gabriel Albicocco died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 10, 2001. He was 65. Albicocco was born in Cannes, France, on February 15, 1936, the son of cinematographer Quinto Albicocco. He began his career in films working on documentaries for the French army. He served as assistant director for Jules Dassin’s 1957 film He Who Must Die. He di-
Jean-Gabriel Albicocco
11
2001 • Obituaries
rected several short films before making his feature debut with 1961’s The Girl with the Golden Eyes. Albicocco also directed the films Le Rat d’Amerique (1962), The Wanderer (1967), Le Coeur Fou (1970), Early Morning (1971) and Faire l’Amour — Emmanuelle et ses Soeurs (1971). He subsequently retired from making films to form the French Film Directors Union. He moved to Brazil in the early 1980s.
Albright, John Veteran actor John Albright died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on October 24, 2001. He was 88. Albright worked in numerous films as a bit player from the 1930s including Colleen (1936), Around the World (1943), Don Juan Quilligan (1945), Till the Clouds Roll By (1947), The Flame (1947), The Bride Goes Wild (1948), Homecoming (1948), King of Gamblers (1948), I, Jane Doe (1948), B.F.’s Daughter (1948), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Act of Violence (1949), Perfect Strangers (1950) and The People Against O’Hara (1951).
Alekan, Henri French cinematographer Henri Alekan died of leukemia in Auxerre, Bourgogne, France, on June 15, 2001. He was 92. Alekan was born in Paris on February 10, 1909. As a teen, he worked as a travelling puppeteer with his brother before becoming involved with films as an assistant cameraman in the late 1920s. He began working with cinematographer Eugen Shuftan in the 1930s and was soon serving as director of photography on feature films himself. Over the next 60 years Alekan’s numerous credits include The People of France (1936), La Danseuse Rouge (1937), L’Emigrante (1940), Les Petites du Quai Aux Fleurs (1944), The Battle of the Rails (1946), Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast (1946), The Damned (1947), Anna Karenina (1948) with Vivien Leigh, Riptide (1948), The Lovers of Verona (1949), Just Me (1950), The Voyage to America (1951), Paris Is Always Paris (1951), Stranger on the Prowl (1951), Forbidden Fruit (1959), Three Women (1952), William Wyler’s Roman Holiday (1953) with Audrey Hepburn, Julietta (1953), Zoe (1954), A
Henri Alekan
Woman of Evil (1954), House on the Waterfront (1955), Heroes and Sinners (1955), The Toy Wife (1955), Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1957), The Case of Dr. Laurent (1957), Casino de Paris (1957), Would-Be Gentleman (1958), The Magic of the Kite (1958), Secret of Chevalier D’Eon (1959), Marriage of Figaro (1959), The Battle of Austerlitz (1960), Princess of Cleves (1960), Black Tights (1960), Tales of Paris (1962), Five Miles to Midnight (1963), Topkapi (1964), Lady L (1965), The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966), Triple Cross (1967), Mayerling (1968), The Christmas Tree (1969), Red Sun (1971), The Territory (1981), The Beautiful Prisoner (1982), The Trout (1982), Wim Wenders’ The State of Things (1982), On Top of the Whale (1982), A Strange Love Affair (1984), Our Nazi (1984), Wundkanal (1985), Esther Forever (1986), Wings of Desire (1987), I Write in Space (1989) and Berlin-Jerusalem (1989). His final film, Golem, the Ghost of Exile, was directed by Israeli Amos Gitai in 1992. Variety, June 25, 2001, 66.
Obituaries • 2001
Alonzo, John Cinematographer and former actor John A. Alonzo died in Los Angeles on March 13, 2001. He was 66. Alonzo was born in Dallas, Texas, on June 12, 1934. He began his career as an actor, appearing on television in episodes of Perry Mason, Twilight Zone, Cheyenne, Temple Houston, Destry, Bewitched and Wild Wild West. He also appeared in small roles in the films The Magnificent Seven (1960), Susan Slade (1961), The Long Rope (1961), Terror at Black Falls (1962), Hand of Death (1962) and Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964). Alonzo began working as a director of photography for television with National Geographic specials in the 1960s. He also directed the short subject, The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes, which received an Academy Award nomination. Alonzo was also cinematographer for the telefilms The Big Land (1967), Sophia: A Self-Portrait (1968), Cannon (1971), Revenge (1971), Visions… (1972), The Voyage of the Yes (1972), Guess Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1973), Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby (1976), Portrait of a Stripper (1979), Belle Starr (1980) and The Kid from Nowhere (1982). His film credits include Bloody Mama (1970), Vanishing Point (1971), Harold and Maude (1971), Sounder (1972), Pete ’n’ Tillie (1972), Lady Sings the Blues (1972), Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972), The Naked Ape (1973), Hit! (1973), Conrack (1974), Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974) which earned him an Oscar nomination, Jacqueline Susann’s Once Is Not Enough (1975), The Fortune (1975), Farewell, My Lovely (1975), I Will, I Will … for Now (1976), The Bad News Bears (1976), Black Sunday (1977), Which Way Is Up? (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Neil Simon’s The Cheap De-
12 tective (1978), Casey’s Shadow (1978), Norma Rae (1979), Tom Horn (1979), Zorro, the Gay Blade (1981), Back Roads (1981), Blue Thunder (1983), Scarface (1983), Cross Creek (1983), Terror in the Aisles (1984), Runaway (1984), Out of Control (1985), Nothing in Common (1986), Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986), Real Men (1987), Overboard (1987), Steel Magnolias (1989), Physical Evidence (1989), Internal Affairs (1990), The Guardian (1990), Navy SEALS (1990), HouseSitter (1992), Cool World (1992), The Meteor Man (1993), Star Trek: Generations (1994), Clifford (1994), The Grass Harp (1995), Letters from a Killer (1998), The Dancing Cow (1999), The Prime Gig (2000) and Deuces Wild (2001). He also photographed the tele-films World War II: When Lions Roared (1994), Lansky (1999) and the 2000 remake of Fail Safe. Alonzo directed the 1978 feature FM, and several tele-films including Portrait of a Stripper (1979), Champions: A Love Story (1979), Belle Starr (1980) and Blinded by the Light (1980). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 16, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 29, 2001, A25; Variety, Mar. 19, 2001, 47.
Alzana, the Great Harold Davis, the circus high-wire artist known as “The Great Alzana,” died of heart disease in Sarasota, Florida, on February 16, 2001. He was 82. He was born in Maltby, Yorkshire, England, on September 19, 1918, and began performing at fairs and circuses while in his teens. Billed as “the most dare-devilish human ever to skirt eternity’s brink,” he was seriously injured in falls on several occasions. He continued to perform publicly until his retirement in the 1970s. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 19, 2001, B4; New York Times, Mar. 18, 2001, 43.
Amado, Jorge
John Alonzo
Leading Brazilian novelist Jorge Amado died in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 6, 2001. He was 88. Amado was born in Ferradas, Brazil, on August 10, 1912. He was best known for his novel Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, which was filmed starring Sonja Braga in 1977. An Ameri-
13
2001 • Obituaries can version of the novel, Kiss Me Goodbye, was filmed with Sally Fields in 1982. Numerous other works by Amado were also filmed, including Terra Violenta (1948), The Wild Pack (1972), Bahia (1975), Tent of Miracles (1977), Tieta (1996) and Fallen Angels Paradise (1999). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 8, 2001, B10; New York Times, Aug. 7, 2001, B7; Time, Aug. 20, 2001, 13; Times (of London), Aug. 8, 2001, 17a; Variety, Aug. 13, 2001, 59.
Amendola, Ferruccio
The Great Alzana
Italian actor Ferruccio Amendola, who was best known as the dubbing voice for such stars as Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone, died in Rome on September 3, 2001. He was 71. Amendola was born in Rome on July 22, 1930. He was also featured in over 20 films from the 1950s including Le Signorine dello 04 (1955), Napoli sole mio! (1956), Fantasmi e ladri (1958), I Dritti (1958), The Great War (1959), The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules (1964), Honeymoons Will Kill You (1966), Man Only Cries for Love (1968), Three Tigers Against Three Tigers (1977) and Everything Happens to Me (1980).
Ferruccio Amendola
Anderson, Jean
Jorge Amado
British actress Jean Anderson died in England on April 1, 2001. She was 93. Anderson was born in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, on December 12, 1907. She began her career on stage in the late 1920s. A popular stage performer, she appeared in numerous productions over the next 60
Obituaries • 2001
14 (1987), Back Home (1990), Do Not Disturb (1991), Diana: Her True Story (1993), Catherine Cookson’s The Black Velvet Gown (1993), The Whipping Boy (1994) and The Beggar Bride (1997). Her other television credits include episodes of Police Surgeon, Ghost Squad, The Odd Man, Q.E.D., Casualty, GBH, Heartbeat, Doctor Finlay, Inspector Morse and Hetty Wanthropp Investigates. Times (of London), Apr. 4, 2001, 23a.
Anderson, Maceo
Jean Anderson
years. She also appeared in a number of films including The Mark of Cain (1947), The Romantic Age (1949), The Franchise Affair (1950), White Corridors (1951), Life in Her Hands (1951), The Brave Don’t Cry (1952), Both Sides of the Law (1953), The Little Kidnappers (1953), Johnny on the Run (1953), Lease of Life (1954), Laughing in the Sunshine (1956), A Town Like Alice (1956), The Secret Tent (1956), The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957), Robbery Under Arms (1957), Lucky Jim (1957), Heart of a Child (1958), SOS Pacific (1959), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Spare the Rod (1961), Lisa (1962), The Waltz of the Toreadors (1972), The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964), Silent Playground (1964), Half a Sixpence (1967), Brotherly Love (1970), The Night Digger (1971), Dear Parents (1972), The Lady Vanishes (1979), Screamtime (1983), Madame Sousatzka (1988), Leon the Pig Farmer (1992), and Simon Magus (1999). Anderson was also featured often on television, starring in such British series as The Brothers (1972), Tenko (1981), Death of a Ghost (1989), The Uninvited (1997) and Family Money (1997), and the tele-films Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder
Tap dancer Maceo Anderson, a founding member of the Four Step Brothers group, died at a Los Angeles hospital on July 4, 2001. He was 90. Anderson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on September 3, 1910. He began dancing as a child and formed the Four Step Brothers in the mid–1920s. They were a popular act at Harlem’s Cotton Club and were soon performing throughout the country. They were also featured in the musical films Rhythm of the Islands (1947), That’s My Gal (1947) and Here Come the Girls (1953), and were seen on numerous television variety shows. Though the group disbanded in the 1960s, Anderson continued to perform through the late 1990s. Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2001, B11; New York Times, July 14, 2001, A16; People, July 30, 2001, 67.
Maceo Anderson (right, with the Four Step Brothers).
15
Anderson, Poul Leading science fiction novelist Poul Anderson died of prostate cancer at his Orinda, California, home on July 31, 2001. He was 74. Anderson was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, on November 25, 1926. Educated as a physicist, Anderson began writing science fiction in the 1940s. He was the creator of the popular character Captain Dominic Flandry, who utilizes his guile and honor to help ease the eminent collapse of a vast galactic empire. He was author of the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning novellas The Queen of Air and Darkness (1971), Goat Song (1972) and The Saturn Game (1981). He also authored several books in the Conan series, based on the barbarian created by Robert E. Howard. His numerous works also inclue the novels Vault of the Ages (1952), No World of Their Own (1955), War
2001 • Obituaries of the Wing-Men (1958), The Snows of Ganymede (1958), Virgin Planet (1959), The War of Two Worlds (1959), We Claim These Stars! (1959), Earthman, Go Home! (1960), The High Crusade (1960), Twilight World (1960), Three Hearts and Three Lions (1961), Let the Spacemen Beware! (1963), The Star Fox (1965), The Corriders of Time (1965), Ensign Flandry (1966), World Without Stars (1966), Satan’s World (1969), The Rebel Worlds (1969), A Circus of Hells (1970), Tau Zero (1970), There Will Be Time (1972), Hrolf Kraki’s Saga (1973), The Day of Their Return (1973), The People of the Wind (1973), Fire Time (1974), A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (1974), A Midsummer Tempest (1974), Star Prince Charlie (with Gordon Dickson) (1975), The Winter of the World (1975), Mirkheim (1977), The Avatar (1978), A Stone in Heaven (1979), The Sign of the Raven (1980), Maurai and Kith (1982), The Long Night (1983), Orion Shall Rise (1983), Agent of Vega (1983), Conflict (1983), Time Patrolman (1983), Bat-Twenty-One (1983), Hoka! (with Gordon Dickson) (1983), The Game of Empire (1985), The Psychotechnic League (1985), The Year of the Ransom (1988), No Truce with Kings (1989), The Boat of a Million Years (1989), The Shield of Time (1990), A Harvest of Stars (1993), The Stars Are Also Fire (1994), Harvest the Fire (1995), The Fleet of Stars (1997), War of the Gods (1997) and Operation Luna (1999). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 3, 2001, B10; New York Times, Aug. 3, 2001, A21; Time, Aug. 13, 2001, 17.
Angell, David
Poul Anderson
Television producer David Angell and his wife, Lynn, were killed when hijackers crashed American Airlines flight 11 into the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He was 54. Angell was born in West Barrington, Rhode Island, on September 10, 1946. He began his career writing a script for Archie Bunker’s Place in 1982. Angell was executive producer and cocreator of the popular television comedy series Wings and Frasier. He had also served as producer and story editor for the sit-com Cheers in the mid–1980s. Angell was on route to the Emmy Awards when his plane was hijacked. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 16, 2001, A41; New
Obituaries • 2001
16
Matthew Ansara David Angell
York Times, Sept. 14, 2001, A25; Times (of London), Sept. 13, 2001, 14e; TV Guide, Oct. 20, 2001, 41; Variety, Sept. 17, 2001, 35.
Ankrum, Joan Actress Joan Wheeler Ankrum died on December 20, 2001. She was 88. She was born in Palo Alto, California, in 1913. She began her career on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse. She appeared in several films in the 1930s including Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934), Desirable (1934), Madame DuBarry (1934), Smarty (1934) and The Merry Frinks (1934). Married to veteran character actor Morris Ankrum until his death in 1964, Wheeler was also the founder of the Ankrum Gallery. She opened the gallery in 1960 as a showcase for the art of her deaf nephew, Morris Broderson. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 23, 2001, B13.
Ansara, Matthew Matthew Ansara, the son of actors Michael Ansara and Barbara Eden, died of a heroin overdose in his truck at a gas station in Monrovia, California, on June 25, 2001. He was 35. Ansara
was born on August 29, 1965. He appeared in a small role on his mother’s 1981 television sit-com Harper Valley P.T.A. Ansara was also featured in the tele-film Your Mother Wears Combat Boots (1989) and the 2001 film To Protect and Serve. Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2001, B5.
Aratama, Michiyo Japanese actress Michiyo Aratama died of heart failure in Tokyo on March 17, 2001. She was 71. She was born Kyoko Toda in Nara, Japan, on January 15, 1930. Best known in the United States for her role in the 1959 film The Human Condition, Aratama also starred in the films Wife (1953), The Heart (1955), Suzaki Paradise Red Light (1956), A Boy and Three Mothers (1958), Flame of Torment (1958), The Dangerous Kiss (1960), The Gambling Samurai (1960), The Twilight Story (1960), Early Autumn (1961), The Prodigal Son (1961), 47 Samurai (1962), Madame Aki (1963), Kwaidan (1964), Brand of Evil (1964), Samurai Assassin (1965), Sword of Doom (1966), Sekishun (1966), The Stranger Within a Woman (1966), The Emperor and the General (1967), Hymn to a Tired Man (1968), Once a Rainy Day (1968), Devil’s Temple (1969) and Tora-san, His Tender Lover (1970). Aratama was also a popular actress on Japanese television.
17
Arkoff, Samuel Z. Film producer Samuel Z. Arkoff, who, with James H. Nicholson, was cofounder of American International Pictures in 1954, died at a Burbank, California, hospital on September 16, 2001. He was 83. Arkoff was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on June 12, 1918. Settling in Los Angeles after serving in the Army during World War II, Arkoff, a lawyer, teamed with Nicholson to form AIP on borrowed money. They had a big success with their first feature, Roger Corman’s action thriller The Fast and the Furious. Producing mainly lowbudget films aimed at teenagers and the drive-in crowd, AIP was known for its numerous horror films in the 1950s, many directed by Corman. Arkoff ’s films include The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955), It Conquered the World (1956), The She-Creature (1956), Runaway Daughters (1956), Girls in Prison (1956), The Day the World Ended (1956), Voodoo Woman (1957), Motorcycle Gang (1957), The Undead (1957), Reform School Girl
Samuel Z. Arkoff
2001 • Obituaries (1957), Invasion of the Saucer Men(1957), Rock All Night (1957), Cat Girl (1957), Blood of Dracula (1957), The Astounding She-Monster (1957) and Bert I. Gordon’s The Amazing Colossal Man (1957). AIP’s 1957 hit, Herman Cohen’s I Was a Teenage Werewolf, starring Michael Landon, was reportedly made for $100,000 and grossed over $2 million. The studio continued to churn out the hits including How to Make a Monster (1958), War of the Colossal Beast (1958), Terror from the Year 5,000 (1958), Teenage Cave Man (1958) starring Robert Vaughn, Suicide Battalion (1958), Night of the Blood Beast (1958), Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1958), She Gods of Shark Reef (1958), The Screaming Skull (1958), Submarine Seahawk (1958), Earth vs. the Spider (1958), The Brain Eaters (1958), High School Hellcats (1958), Machine-Gun Kelly (1958), The Bonnie Parker Story (1958), Attack of the Puppet People (1958), Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959), Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), Goliath and the Dragon (1960), Assignment Outer Space (1960), Alakazam the Great (1961) and Circus of Horrors (1960). In 1960 AIP began production of the first of a series of features based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Roger Corman directed House of Usher, starring Vincent Price, who would appear in many of the subsequent Poe films. Usher was followed by Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Tales of Terror (1962), The Premature Burial (1962) starring Ray Milland, The Raven (1963) with Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and a young Jack Nicholson joining Price in a comic spoof, The Haunted Palace (1963), which was advertised as a Poe film but was actually an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, The Masque of the Red Death (1964) and The Tomb of Ligeia (1965). AIP, with Arkoff often producing, also continued to release such films as Reptilicus (1961), Jules Verne’s Master of the World (1961), Konga (1961), The Day the Sky Exploded (1961), Black Sunday (1961), Burn, Witch, Burn! (1962), Panic in the Year Zero! (1962), Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962), Invasion of the Star Creatures (1962), X — The Man with X-Ray Eyes (1963), Francis Ford Coppola’s Dementia 13, The Comedy of Terrors (1963) reuniting Price, Karloff and Lorre with Basil Rathbone, The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Time Travelers (1964). AIP also initiated a series of Beach Party films, often starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, in the early 1960s. These
Obituaries • 2001 films included Bikini Beach (1964), Pajama Party (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966). They also continued to release their usual fare of horror and science fiction thrillers and teen-oriented comedies including Sergeant Deadhead (1965), Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Die, Monster, Die! (1965), with Boris Karloff, War Gods of the Deep (1965), Psycho-Circus (1966), The Big T.N.T. Show (1966), Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966), Queen of Blood (1966), Fireball 500 (1966), Thunder Alley (1967), Devil’s Angels (1967), the 1968 teen anthem Wild in the Streets, Three in the Attic (1968), The Savage Seven (1968), De Sade (1969), Yog, Monster from Space (1970), Wuthering Heights (1970), Three in the Cellar (1970), The Dunwich Horror (1970), Dorian Gray (1970), Cry of the Banshee (1970), Bloody Mama (1970) with Shelley Winters, Bunny O’Hare (1971), the 1971 Hammer horror Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, Who Slew Auntie Roo? (1971), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), Toho’s Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1972), Frogs (1972) and Blacula (1972). Arkoff continued to run AIP after James Nicholson’s death in December of 1972, releasing the films Baron Blood (1973), The Thing with Two Heads (1972), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), Boxcar Bertha (1972), the 1973 animated film Heavy Traffic, Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off (1973), Hell Up in Harlem (1973), Dillinger (1973), Coffy (1973), Sugar Hill (1974), Madhouse (1974), Hennessy (1975), The Wild Party (1975), Return to Macon County (1975), Edgar Rice Burrough’s The Land That Time Forgot (1975), Cooley High (1975), The Executioner (1976), H.G. Wells’ Food of the Gods (1976), Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday (1976), Futureworld (1976), A Matter of Time (1976), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), Dragonfly (1976), At the Earth’s Core (1976), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), The People That Time Forgot (1977), Empire of the Ants (1977), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Our Winning Season (1978), California Dreaming (1979), C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979) and The Amityville Horror (1979). AIP was sold to Filmways in 1979, though Arkoff remained active in the film industry, producing 1980’s Dressed to Kill starring Michael Caine, The Earthling (1980), Q (1982), The Final Terror (1983), Up the Creek (1984) and Hellhole (1985). Arkoff ’s memoir, Flying Through Holly-
18 wood by the Seat of My Pants, was published in 1992. More recently, Arkoff was involved as executive producer for Creature Features, a series of five films based on AIP’s horror films from the 1950s produced for Cinemax by his son Louis Arkoff. Arkoff is also survived by a daughter, Donna. His wife of 56 years, Hilda, died earlier in the year on July 26, 2001. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 18, 2001, B7; New York Times, Sept. 19, 2001, C14; People, Oct. 8, 2001, 145; Variety, Sept. 24, 2001, 82.
Armstrong, Peter Australian actor and stuntman Peter Armstrong died of cancer on January 16, 2001. He was 63. Armstrong worked at circuses and rodeos before becoming involved with stunt work with the 1960 Western television series Whiplash starring Peter Graves. Armstrong worked on over 80 films during his career including That Lady from Peking (1970), Blood and Lace (1971), The Cars That Ate Paris (1974), Stone (1974), Sidecar Racers (1974), The Man from Hong Kong (1975), Natural Enemies (1979), Far East (1982), Early Frost (1982), The Settlement (1983), The Coca-Cola Kid (1985), Comrades (1987), Howling III: The Marsupials (1987) and Kiss the Night (1989). Variety, Feb. 12, 2001, 75.
Peter Armstrong
19
2001 • Obituaries
Arnold, Denny
Arquette, Lewis
Stuntman Denny Arnold died of a blood infection in Vancouver, Canada, on December 31, 2001. He was 67. Arnold was born on October 24, 1934. A leading stuntman since the early 1970s, Arnold worked on numerous films and television productions. His credits include Chinatown (1974), A Boy and His Dog (1975), Bound for Glory (1976), Logan’s Run (1976), Slumber Party ’57 (1977), Blue Collar (1978), Summer Rental (1985), Volunteers (1985), Stand Alone (1985), Party Camp (1986), Born to Race (1988), Short Time (1900), Narrow Margin (1990), Cadence (1991), Alligator II: The Mutation (1991), Whale Music (1994), Exquisite Tenderness (1994), Crackerjack (1994), Rumble in the Bronx (1996), Deceptions II: Edge of Deception (1995), Body Count (1996), Carpool (1996), Campfire Tales (1997), and 2000’s X-Men. He also worked the tele-films Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and Nightmare at Bittercreek (1988), and such television series as Gunsmoke, The Big Easy and The XFiles.
Actor Lewis Arquette, the son of comic Cliff “Charley Weaver” Arquette, and father of actors Rosanna, David, Patricia, Alexis and Richmond, died at a Los Angeles hospital of congestive heart failure on February 10, 2001. He was 65. Arquette was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 14, 1935. He began his career on stage, appearing on Broadway and with Chicago’s Second City. A popular character actor in films and television from the 1970s, he appeared regularly as J.D.Pickett on The Waltons television series from 1978 to 1981. Arquette’s film credits include The China Syndrome (1979), Loose Shoes (1980), Off the Wall (1983), Nobody’s Fool (1986), The Check Is in the Mail (1986), Big Business (1988), The Great Outdoors (1988), Tango and Cash (1989), The Horror Show (1989), Chopper Chicks in Zombietown (1989), Syngenor (1990), Rock ’n’ Roll High School Forever (1990), Book of Love (1990), The Linguini Incident (1991), Double Trouble (1992), Sleep with Me (1994), Stuart Saves His Family (1995), Wild Side (1995), Waiting for Guffman (1996), Kid Coop (1996), Mojave Moon (1996), Meet Wally Sparks (1997), Life During Wartime (1997), Scream 2 (1997), A River Made to Drown In (1997), Twilight (1998), Almost Heroes (1998), Kiss and Tell (1999), Ready to Rumble (2000), Little Nicky (2000) and Best in Show (2000). He was also seen in the tele-films Ruby and Oswald (1977), Rescue
Denny Arnold Lewis Arquette
Obituaries • 2001 from Gilligan’s Island (1978), The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980), Badge of the Assassin (1985), Dance ’Til Dawn (1988), My First Love (1988), A Very Brady Christmas (1988), A Child Lost Forever (1992), Tainted Blood (1993), the 1993 cable remake of Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994), Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer (1997) and The Westing Game (1997). His other television credits include guest appearances on Alice, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, The Man from Atlantis, Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Remington Steele, The Fall Guy, Mama’s Family, ALF, Married … with Children, Paradise, Quantum Leap, Charles in Charge, Tales from the Crypt, Matlock, Get a Life, L.A. Law, Beverly Hills, 90210, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Seaquest DSV, Sleepwalkers, Seinfeld and Babylon 5. Arquette was also a voice actor in such animated series as Challenge of the GoBots, Rock ’n’ Wrestling as Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Gravedale High, Hypernauts, Spawn and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13, 2001, B6; New York Times, Feb. 14, 2001, A29; People, Feb. 26, 2001, 73; Time, Feb. 26, 2001, 19; Variety, Feb. 19, 2001, 68.
Arreola, Juan Jose Mexican author Juan Jose Arreola died of heart failure at his Guadalajara, Mexico, home on December 3, 2001. He was 83. Arreola was born in Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, Mexico, on September 21, 1918. He began his writing career as a reporter in the early 1940s. He received ac-
20 claim for his 1943 short story He Did Good While He Lived. His numerous stories, which often used fantasy to lead to the road of self discovery, were published in sixteen books. His better known works also include 1945’s Diverse Inventions, and 1962’s The Fair. He was the recipient of Mexico’s National Literature Prize in 1976. Arreola also appeared in small roles in two films — Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Fando and Lis (1967) and 1999’s Juan, I Forgot I Don’t Remember. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 5, 2001, B11; New York Times, Dec. 10, 2001, A22.
Ast, Pat Actress Pat Ast, who made her debut in several of artist Andy Warhol’s experimental films, died of natural causes at her home in West Hollywood, California, on October 2, 2001. She was 59. Ast was born in New York City in 1952. She was working as a clerk and receptionist in a box factory when she first met Warhol. He cast her in his 1972 film Heat. She subsequently worked as a model for designer Halston before moving to Hollywood in the mid–1970s. Ast continued her film career in such movies as The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976), The World’s Greatest Lover (1977), Which Way Is Up! (1977), Foul Play (1978), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) with Lily Tomlin, The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981), Pandemonium (1982), Club Life (1985), Reform School Girls (1986), Homer & Eddie (1989), Ted and Venus (1991) and Loving Lulu (1993). She was also featured in the tele-films Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night (1977), The Users (1978), Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill (1979) and Slow Burn (1986), and appeared in episodes of the new Twilight Zone and Quantum Leap. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 26, 2001, B15; New York Times, Oct. 27, 2001, D7; Variety, Nov. 19, 2001, 54.
Atkins, Chet
Juan Jose Arreola
Country music legend Chet Atkins died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, of cancer on June 30, 2001. He was 77. Atkins was born in Luttrell, Tennessee, on June 20, 1924. He began
21
2001 • Obituaries
Chet Atkins
Atkinson, Beverly Hope Actress Beverly Hope Atkinson died of cancer in a Los Angeles hospital on December 11, 2001. She was 66. Atkinson was born in New York City in 1935. She began her career on the New York stage, performing with Cafe LaMama. She also toured in productions of Skin of Our Teeth, Lysistrata and The Blacks. She moved to Holly-
Pat Ast
performing while in his teens and signed a contract with RCA in the late 1940s. He recorded such hit songs as “Country Gentleman” and “Mr. Sandman” in the 1950s. He also performed with such artists as Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Ravi Shankar and George Harrison. Atkins earned 14 Grammy Awards during his career and was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973. Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2001, B12; New York Times, July 2, 2001, A17; People, July 16, 2001, 58; Time, July 9, 2001, 19; Times (of London), July 2, 2001, 19a; Variety, July 9, 2001, 46. Beverly Hope Atkinson
Obituaries • 2001 wood in the early 1970s where she played a smartmouthed prostitute in The New Centurions (1972) with George C. Scott. She was a voice actress in the 1973 film Heavy Traffic, and was featured in the films Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975) and UFOria (1980). She was also seen in the tele-films Hustling (1975), Law and Order (1976), Outside Chance (1978), Skag (1980), Maid in America (1982) and Never Forget (1991). Her other television credits include episodes of Sanford and Son, Apple’s Way, Police Story, Good Times, The White Shadow, thirtysomething, and several episodes of Hill Street Blues as drug addict Vivian DeWitt.
Aumont, Jean-Pierre French leading actor Jean-Pierre Aumont died in St. Tropez, France, on January 30, 2001. He was 92. He was born Jean-Pierre Salomons in Paris on January 5, 1909. He began his career on stage in 1930 and was soon starring in such French films as Echec et Mat (1931), Jean de la Lune (1932), Faut-il Les Marier? (1932), Eve
Jean-Pierre Aumont
22 Cherche un Pere (1933), Un Jour Viendra (1933), La Merveilleuse Tragedie de Lourdes (1933), Song of the Street (1933), Le Voleur (1934), Maria Chapdelaine (1934), Lac Aux Dames (1934), Flight into Darkness (1935), Dark Eyes (1935), Tarass Boulba (1935), Les Beaust Jours (1935), La Porte du Large (1936), Bizarre, Bizarre (1936), The Messenger (1937), Maman Colibri (1937), Femme du Bout du Monde (1937), Cheri-Bibi (1937), Traffic in Souls (1937), Hotel du Nord (1938), Satan’s Paradise (1938), Belle Etoile (1938) and Je t’Attendrai (1939). Aumont also worked in Hollywood during World War II, appearing in the films S.O.S. Sahara (1939), The Cross of Lorraine (1943), Assignment in Brittany (1943), Three Hours (1944), Heartbeat (1946), Song of Scheherazade (1947) and Siren of Atlantis (1948). He remained a leading star on both sides of the Atlantic in such films as Wicked City (1948), Affairs of a Rogue (1948), Life Begins Tomorrow (1949), Golden Arrow (1949), L’Homme de Joie (1950), L’Amant de Paille (1950), Revenge of the Pirates (1951), L’Ultimo Incontro (1951), Les Loups Chassent la Nuit (1951), Moineaux de Paris (1952), Koenigsmark (1953), Lili (1953), Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954), Charge of the Lancers (1954), Dix-Huit Heures d’Escale (1954), Napoleon (1955), Mademoiselle from Paris (1955), Hilda Crane (1956), The Seventh Sin (1957), John Paul Jones (1959), The Enemy General (1960), The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961), Carnival of Crime (1961), The Blonde from Buenos Aires (1961), The Seven Deadly Sins (1962), Always on Sunday (1962), Five Miles to Midnight (1963), Vacances Portugaises (1963), The Horse Without a Head (1963), Castle Keep (1969), Cauldron of Blood (1970), Homme au Cerveau Greffe (1971), Biribi (1971), Day for Night (1973), Turn the Other Cheek (1974), Catherine & Co (1975), Mahogany (1975), The Happy Hooker (1975), Cat and Mouse (1975), Entire Days Among the Trees (1976), Blackout (1978), Two Solitudes (1978), Something Short of Paradise (1979), Allons z’Enfants (1981), Don’t Look in the Attic (1982), Nana (1982), La Java des Ombres (1983), On a Vole Charlie Spencer! (1986), Sweet Country (1986), A Notre Regrettable Epoux (1988), The Free Frenchman (1989), Becoming Colette (1991), Crimes et Jardins (1991), Giorgino (1994), Jefferson in Paris (1995) and The Proprietor (1996). Aumont also appeared on television in such tele-films and mini-series as The French Atlantic Affair (1979), Beggarman, Thief (1979), The Memory of Eva Ryker (1980), Time for Mira-
23 cles (1980), The Blood of Others (1984), Johnny Monroe (1987), Sidney Sheldon’s Windmills of the Gods (1988), Cinema (1988), A Tale of Two Cities (1989) and The Count of Monte Cristo (1999). His other television credits include episodes of The Martha Raye Show, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Your Show of Shows, The Philco Television Playhouse, The U.S. Steel Hour, Starsky and Hutch, Simon & Simon, R.G. and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2001, B6; New York Times, Jan. 31, 2001, A19; People, Feb. 19, 2001, 81; Variety, Feb. 5, 2001, 86.
Avancini, Walter Brazilian television director Walter Avacini died of cancer in a Rio De Janeiro hospital on September 26, 2001. He was 66. He began his career as a child actor on Brazilian radio. He also appeared on the early Brazilian television series Escolinha do Ciccilo in 1950. He was a leading director of television soap operas in Brazil from the 1960s, and was given credit for introducing street language in the program’s scripts. He was best known for his adaptation of Jorge Amado’s Gabriela in 1975, starring actress Sonia Braga. He also directed the series Saramandaia, Beto Rockfeller, Seva de Pedra, Morte e Vida Severina, and the 1993 feature film Boco de Ouro. Variety, Oct. 8, 2001, 73.
2001 • Obituaries
Babbin, Jacqueline Television producer and writer Jacqueline Babbin died at her Kent, Connecticut, home after a brief illness on October 13, 2001. She was 80. Babbin was born in New York on July 26, 1921. She began working in television in the late 1940s as a story editor for producer David Susskind. During the 1950s she produced episodes of the anthology series Armstrong Circle Theatre and The Dupont Show of the Week. She also produced television adaptations of Miracle on 34th Street (1955), The Philadelphia Story (1959), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1959), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1960), The Best of Everything (1970), The Connection (1973), Arthur Miller’s A Memory of Two Mondays (1974), Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (1975) and Sybil (1976) starring Sally Field. She produced the short-lived critically acclaimed dramatic series
Walter Avancini
Jacqueline Babbin
Obituaries • 2001
24
Beacon Hill in 1975, and, from 1982 until 1986, she produced the television soap opera All My Children. Babbin subsequently served for a year as producer of the soap opera Loving. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 12, 2001, B13; New York Times, Oct. 14, 2001, A37; Variety, Oct. 29, 2001, 40.
Bagni, Gwen Film and television writer Gwen Bagni Dubov died in Glendale, California, on May 13, 2001. She was 88. Bagni was born on January 24, 1913. She began her career in Hollywood in the late 1930s, working at Paramount. She scripted several films including Captain China (1949), Untamed Frontier (1952) and Law and Order (1953). Bagni also worked in radio, writing episodes of such dramas as Suspense! She was married to actor John Bagni until his death in 1954. Bagni worked often in television from the 1950s, scripting episodes of Four Star Playhouse, Climax!, Playhouse 90 and Gunsmoke. She married actor and writer Paul Dubov in 1963 and they based Doris Day’s 1968 film With Six You Get Eggroll on their courtship. Often working with her husband, Bagni scripted episodes of Honey West, The Mod Squad, Felony Squad and Eight Is Enough. They also wrote the 1979 television mini-series Backstairs at the White House. Dubov died in September of 1979. Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2001, B11; People, June 4, 2001, 107.
Baker, Joe British comedian Joe Baker died in Los Angeles on May 16, 2001. He was 73. Baker was born to vaudeville parents in England on December 14, 1928. He began his career performing on the London stage, and was featured in the British television comedy series The Joe Baker Show, Baker’s Half Dozen, Fire Crackers, My Man Joe and The Des O’Connor Show. Baker also appeared in several British films including Girls of the Latin Quarter (1959), Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961) and Where the Bullets Fly (1966). He moved to Hollywood in the mid–1970s, where he was featured in such films as The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides
Joe Baker
Again (1979), Waxwork (1988), Dutch (1991), Bugsy (1991), Waxworks II: Lost in Time (1992), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Freaked (1993), Dumb & Dumber (1994) and Art House (1998). He was also a voice actor in Disney’s Pocahontas (1995) and the television adaptation of The Secret Garden (1994). Baker also appeared in episodes of such television series as Highway to Heaven, Coach, Acapulco H.E.A.T. and Kelly Kelly. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2001, B11.
Bakley, Bonnie Bonnie Bakley, the wife of actor Robert Blake, was found shot to death in the front seat of her husband’s car outside of an Italian restaurant in Studio City, California. Blake had left his wife in the car when he went back into the restaurant to retrieve something he had left there. She was 44. Blake, who began his career as a child actor and starred in the film In Cold Blood and the television series Baretta, had married Bakley, the mother of his infant daughter, in November of 2000. Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2001, A1; People, May 21, 2001, 58.
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2001 • Obituaries films Kato Ajanare (1959), The Goddess (1960) and Kanchenjungha (1962).
Barnouw, Erik Documentary filmmaker and historian Erik Barnouw died in Fair Haven, Vermont, on July 19, 2001. He was 93. Barnouw was born in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 23, 1908. As an historian, Barnouw concentrated on the history of media and broadcasting. He was also a former president of the Writer’s Guild of America. He was co-creator of the 1952 documentary film The Invader, made for the U.S. Public Health Service about venereal disease. He also produced the 1970 documentary Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945, and 1971’s Fable Safe, about the nuclear arms race. In the 1980s Barnouw served as editor for the Encyclopedia of Media. He also contributed to the
Bonnie Bakley
Bannerjee, Karuna Indian actress Karuna Banerjee died in Kolkata, India, after a long illness on November 13, 2001. She was 82. She began her career on the Indian stage in the 1940s. She starred as Apu’s mother in the first two films in Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy, The Lament of the Path (1955) and The Unvanquished (1956). She was also seen in the
Karuna Bannerjee
Erik Barnouw
Obituaries • 2001 documentaries Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1992), Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist (1998) and The Great Depression (1998).
Baron, Sandy Comedian and actor Sandy Baron died of emphysema in Van Nuys, California, on January 20, 2001. He was 64. He was born Sanford Beresofsky in New York City on May 5, 1937. A stand-up comic, he was the opening act for concerts by such stars as Neil Diamond, Joe Cocker and Vic Damone during the 1960s. He also appeared often on television, appearing regularly in the series That Was the Week That Was in 1964, and Hey Landlord as Chuck Hookstrateen from 1966 to 1967. He also appeared in the tele-films The Police Story (1973), Anatomy of a Seduction (1979), The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas (1996) as Grandpa, and Shady Mountain (1998), and in episodes of Naked City, Ironside, Starsky and Hutch, Crime Story, Walter and Emily and Law & Order. He was featured as Jack Klompus, Jerry’s father’s neighbor, in several episodes of the popular sit-com Seinfeld during the 1990s. Baron also appeared in a handful of films during his career including Targets (1968) with Boris Karloff, Sweet November (1968), If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), The Out-of-Towners (1970), Straight Time (1978), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), Birdy (1984), Sid and Nancy (1986), Vamp (1986), The Mission … Kill (1987), The Grifters (1990), Motorama (1991), Lonely Hearts
Sandy Baron (as Grandpa in The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas).
26 (1991), Leprechaun 2 (1994) and The Hi-Lo Country (1998). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 26, 2001, B7; New York Times, Jan. 29, 2001, B6; Variety, Jan. 29, 2001, 67.
Barry, Dave Comedian Dave Barry died of cancer at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on August 16, 2001. He was 82. Barry, who was not related to the humor columnist of the same name, was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1919. He began his career while in his teens on the radio program Major Bowes and the Original Amateur Hour. He entertained troops in the Army during World War II, and after the war began performing in Las Vegas. He was the opening actor for singer Wayne Newton for many years. A popular cartoon voice actor, Barry did Humphrey Bogart impressions in the Bugs Bunny cartoons Slick Hare (1947), Becall to Arms (1946) and 8 Ball Bunny (1950). He also voiced the role of Elmer Fudd in 1958’s Pre-Hysterical Hare. Barry was also featured in several films during his career in-
Dave Barry
27 cluding Ladies of the Chorus (1948), Playgirl (1954), High Society (1955), Four Girls in Town (1956), Some Like It Hot (1959) as the band’s manager, Beinstock, Spinout (1966) with Elvis Presley, and How to Seduce a Woman (1974). He was also a voice in The Pink Panther Show television cartoon series and was also featured on television in episodes of Get Smart, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, Green Acres and Emergency!. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20, 2001, B9; Variety, Oct. 8, 2001, 73.
Barton, Dee Jazz musician and film composer Dee Barton died in Brandon, Mississippi, on December 3, 2001. He was 64. Barton was born in Houston, Texas, on September 18, 1937. Interested in music from an early age, he joined Ralph Marterie’s big band in 1956, but left soon afterwards when the band reached New York. After experiences with several other bands, he joined Stan Kenton’s group in 1961, becoming the band’s drummer the following year. He played and recorded with Kenton through much of the early 1960s. He soon was working as a composer in Hollywood, where he wrote the scores to nu-
Dee Barton
2001 • Obituaries merous films. Clint Eastwood commissioned him to score several of his films including Play Misty for Me (1971), High Plains Drifter (1972), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) and Every Which Way but Loose (1978). Barton worked in Memphis, Tennessee, as a commercial jingle writer from 1973 to 1988. He also continued to work in films, scoring Death Screams (1983), Tales of the Third Dimension (1984), Chain Gang (1985), and The Rutherford County Line (1987). He continued to perform and teach and received a Grammy nomination for his 1996 album The Dallas Jazz Orchestra Plays Dee Barton. He was composer in residence at Jackson State University in Mississippi from 1998.
Barton, Steve Stage and film actor Steve Barton died of heart failure in Bremen, Germany, on July 21, 2001. He was 47. Barton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on June 6, 1954. He was featured in London productions of such Andrew Lloyd Web-
Steve Barton
Obituaries • 2001 ber musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Cats. Barton created the role of Raoul, the romantic lead, in Webber’s Phantom of the Opera in London in 1986, and continued to portray the role when the show opened on Broadway two years later. Barton was also seen as Bailey Thompson in the television soap opera Another World in 1994, and appeared in the soap The Young and the Restless. Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2001, B11; Variety, Oct. 1, 2001, 125.
Bass, Bobby Stuntman and actor Bobby Bass died of complications from Parkinson’s disease in Los Angeles on November 7, 2001. He was 65. Trained in martial arts and weapons handling, Bass worked on over 50 films from the 1970s, often performing stunt work or serving as assistant director. He worked in numerous films with such stars as Steve McQueen, Burt Reynolds, Michael Douglas and Arnold Schwarzenegger. His film credits include Bound for Glory (1976), Who’ll Stop the Rain (1978),
28 Hooper (1978), Corvette Summer (1978), Tom Horn (1979), When Time Ran Out (1980), The Blues Brothers (1980), Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane (1980), The Hunter (1980), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981), Blood Beach (1981), Megaforce (1982), Star 80 (1983), The Sting II (1983), Stroker Ace (1983), Independence Day (1983), The Osterman Weekend (1983), The Star Chamber (1983), Scarface (1983), Doctor Detroit (1983), Warning Sign (1985), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), 8 Million Ways to Die (1986), The Wraith (1986), Let’s Get Harry (1986), Lethal Weapon (1987), The Squeeze (1987), Predator (1987), The Wild Pair (1987), Die Hard (1988), Rampage (1988), Twins (1988), Tequila Sunrise (1988), Action Jackson (1988), Black Rain (1989), Rocky V (1990), Heart Condition (1990), The Perfect Weapon (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), V.I. Varshawski (1991), Dutch (1991), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Patriot Games (1992), Excessive Force (1992), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), The Bodyguard (1992), Falling Down (1993), The Last Action Hero (1993), Rising Sun (1993), Baby’s Day Out (1994), True Lies (1994), Pentathlon (1994), Terminal Velocity (1994), John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned (1995), Jade (1995), Executive Decision (1996), Mulholland Falls (1996), Eraser (1996), My Fellow Americans (1996), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Batman & Robin (1997), Money Talks (1997), Desperate Measures (1998) and End of Days (1999). Bass also worked on television in episodes of Star Trek, Alias Smith and Jones, Mission: Impossible, Fantasy Island, The A-Team, McGyver and the new Twilight Zone. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 2001, B16; New York Times, Nov. 14, 2001, A21; Variety, Nov.19, 2001, 54.
Basset, Gaby
Bobby Bass
French actress Gaby Basset died in Neuillysur-Seine, France, on October 7, 2001. She was 99. She was born Marie-Louise Basset in Varenne-Saint-Sauveur, France, in 1902. She appeared in numerous films from the 1930s including Chacun sa Chance (1930) with her husband actor Jean Gabin, Le Poignard Malais (1930), Mannequins (1933), Le Fakir du Grande Hotel (1933), Le Prince Jean (1934), Sacre Leonce (1935), Disk 413 (1935), Maxim’s Porter (1939), Fire in the
29
Gaby Basset
Straw (1940), Women of Paris (1953), Grisbi (1953), My Seven Little Sins (1954), House on the Waterfront (1955), Gas-Oil (1955), Deadlier Than the Male (1956), The Country I Come From (1956), Speaking of Murder (1957), Inspector Maigret (1957), The First Day of May (1958), Gangster Boss (1959), The Magnificent Tramp (1959), The Bear (1960), The Honors of War (1960) and The Devil and the Ten Commandments (1962).
Baumann, Charly Charly Baumann, a leading circus trainer of big cats, died in Sarasota, Florida, on January 24,
Charly Baumann
2001 • Obituaries 2001. He was 72. He was born Heinz Baumann in Berlin, Germany, on September 14, 1928. After his father was killed in a Nazi concentration camp Baumann began working with his mother at the Circus Bugler. He learned to train big cats there, using a reward system rather than force and intimidation. He joined the Circus Roland in 1952 and became a major European attraction. Baumann came to the United States to perform with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1964, becoming the leading animal trainer of the circus. He retired from performing in 1983, but continued to work with the circus as a performance director. Baumann wrote his autobiography, Tiger Tiger, in 1975. New York Times, Mar. 4, 2001, 34.
Becaud, Gilbert French singer and songwriter Gilbert Becaud died of cancer in Paris on December 18, 2001. He was 74. He was born Francois Gilbert Silly in Toulon, France, on October 24, 1927. He began his career as a piano player and singer at bars and clubs in Paris after World War II. He was assisted in his songwriting career by legendary French artists Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour. Becaud made his recording debut in 1953. He was best known for his international hit “What Now My Love?” (“Et Mainteannt”), which was
Gilbert Becaud
Obituaries • 2001 later performed by such artists as Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey, Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra. Becaud was also seen in several French films during his career including The Country I Come From (1956), Casino de Paris (1957), Croquemitoufle (1959), Hitch-Hike (1962) and 38-24-36 (1963). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2001, B11; New York Times, Dec. 19, 2001, C19; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 39.
30 TV), where he hosted the late night film series All Night Theatre through the 1970s.
Belinsky, Bo Baseball player Robert “Bo” Belinsky died of a heart attack and complications from bladder cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 23, 2001. He was 64. Belinsky was born in New York City on December 7, 1936. He received fame as
Beck, Jerry Television host Jerry Beck died of a heart attack at his home in Millersport, Ohio, on October 21, 2001. He was 58. Beck was born in Columbus, Ohio, on February 2, 1943. He went to Hollywood in the early 1960s where he worked as a stuntman on several films, including PT 109 (1963) and some with Elvis Presley. He returned to Ohio in the late 1960s where he joined Columbus television station WLW-C (later WMCH-
Bo Belinsky (with Mamie Van Doren).
a rookie baseball pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels from 1962 to 1964, becoming a popular figure on the Hollywood social circuit. Belinsky dated starlets and was engaged for several months to actress Mamie Van Doren. He was released from the Angels after slugging a sports reporter in 1964. He subsequently played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1965 to 1966, the Houston Astros in 1967, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1970, before retiring from baseball. Belinsky was featured in the 1967 musical comedy film C’mon, Let’s Live a Little. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 25, 2001, D1.
Jerry Beck
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Bellamy, Diana Character actress Diana Bellamy died of cancer at her Valley Village, California, home on June 17, 2001. She was 57. Bellamy was born in Los Angeles on September 19, 1943. A popular performer on the local stage, Bellamy starred as head nurse Maggie Poole in the television sit-com 13 East from 1989 to 1990. After complications from cancer and diabetes brought about her blindness, she was cast as Principal Cecelia Hall in the television series Popular in 1999. She also appeared in numerous films from the early 1980s including D.C. Cab (1983), Odd Jobs (1984), Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985), My Chauffeur (1986), Free Ride (1986), Crossroads (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Blind Date (1987), Maid to Order (1987), Stripped to Kill (1987), Born in East L.A. (1987), Spellbinder (1988), The Nest (1988), Critters 3 (1991), Passed Away (1992), Malice (1993), Outbreak (1995), the 1996 version of Diabolique, Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) and Air Force One (1997) with Harrison Ford. She was also featured in the tele-films The Skin of Our Teeth (1983), Condor (1986), Shootdown (1988), Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994) and Desert’s Edge (1997), and was Mrs. Cha-Cha Rimba Starkey in the 1994 juvenile television series Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad. Her other television credits include episodes of
2001 • Obituaries Finder of Lost Loves, Tall Tales and Legends, The Fall Guy, Murder, She Wrote, Hunter, Married … with Children, Matlock, Newhart, Family Ties, Life Goes One, Top of the Heap, On the Air, Herman’s Head, Quantum Leap, Baywatch, Birdland, Murphy Brown, Sisters, Grace Under Fire, Wings, Ink, Seinfeld and Life with Roger. Los Angeles Times, June 24, 2001, B13.
Belmonte, Ricky Filipino actor Ricky Belmonte died of a cerebral hemorrhage due to a massive stroke in a Paranaque City, Philippines, hospital on October 3, 2001. He was 54. Belmonte was born in Gagalangin, Tondo, Philippines, on December 24, 1947. A leading star in the Philippines from the 1960s, he worked at Sampaguita Pictures,
Ricky Belmonte
often appearing with his ex-wife, actress Rosemarie Sonora, in such films as Let’s Dance the Soul (1967), The Young at Heart (1969), First Kiss (1970), Life Everlasting (1971), Mag-ingat Kapag Biyuda ang Umibig (1975), and Nananabik (1977). From the 1980s Belmonte often appeared in films and television as a character actor. His final role was in the television soap opera Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan.
Bennett, Helen Diana Bellamy
Actress Helen Bennett died in Santa Monica, California, on February 25, 2001. She was
Obituaries • 2001
32 hosted her own program, The Sue Bennett Show, in 1954. She subsequently married and moved to Boston, where she continued to perform on various radio programs. During the 1960s Bennett worked as a voice actress for commercials. Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2001, B13.
Berd, Francoise
Helen Bennett
89. Ms. Bennett was born in Springfield, Missouri, on August 14, 1911. She became Miss Missouri in 1937, and began her career as a model in New York City soon after. She was also featured on stage in several Broadway productions. She began appearing on film in the mid–1940s, and was featured in the films and serials The Royal Mounted Rides Again (1945), The Scarlet Horseman (1946), Lost City of the Jungle (1946), Blonde Alibi (1946), Because of Him (1946) and On the Threshold of Space (1956). She made her final film appearance in 1961’s Return to Peyton Place. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2001, B9.
Bennett, Sue Singer Sue Bennett died of lung cancer in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 8, 2001. She was 73. Bennett was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1928 and raised in New York City. She began performing after completing college, joining the cast of the Broadway musical Small Wonder. She also began singing for the Dumont network’s musical program Teen Tune Times. She joined the NBC television show Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge in 1949 and, from 1951 to 1952, starred in Your Hit Parade. She briefly
Canadian actress Francoise Berd died in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on August 10, 2001. She was 77. Berd was born in Saint-Pacome, Quebec, Canada, on March 2, 1923. A founder of the Theatre de l’Egregore in 1959, she was responsible for French language productions of plays by Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco and Checkhov. After leaving the company, she worked with the National Film Board. She was also featured in nearly 20 films during her career including The Time of a Hunt (1972), Kamouraska (1973), Bar Salon (1973), A Pacemaker and a Sidecar (1976), J.A. Martin Photographer (1977), The Great Day (1977), Robert Altman’s Quintet (1979), Cordelia (1980), The Lucky Star (1980), Amuse-Gueule (1984), Agnes of God (1985), The Clean Machine (1992), and Wind from Wyoming (1994).
Berenson, Berry Actress Berry Berenson, the widow of Psycho star Anthony Perkins, was among the passengers killed aboard hijacked American Airlines flight 11 when it was crashed into the World Trade Center’s north tower on September 11, 2001. She was 53. She was born Berinthia Berenson in New York City in April of 1948. The sister of actress Marisa Berenson, she starred in the 1978 film Remember My Name. She was also seen in 1979’s Winter Kills, the 1982 version of Cat People, and the 1980 television mini-series Scruples. She was married to Anthony Perkins from 1973 until his death in 1992. Survivors include her son, actor Oz Perkins. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 16, 2001, A41; Times (of London), Sept. 13, 2001, 14e; Variety, Sept. 17, 2001, 35.
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2001 • Obituaries Championship Season (1970), Punch Lines: Berger on Boxing (1993), Blood Season: Mike Tyson and the World of Boxing (1996) and Forever Showtime: The Checkered Life of Pistol Pete Maravich (1999). He also wrote the 1975 book The Last Laugh: The World of Stand-Up Comics. Berger scripted the 2000 boxing film Price of Glory, which starred Jimmy Smits. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 16, 2001, B7; New York Times, Mar. 14, 2001, B9.
Berman, Ted
Berry Berenson
Berger, Phil Sportswriter and screenwriter Phil Berger died of colon cancer at his Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, home on March 12, 2001. He was 58. Berger was born in Brooklyn in 1942. He began working as a reporter in Greenwich, Connecticut, in the mid–1960s. He subsequently joined the staff of Sport magazine as an associate editor. He served as boxing reporter for the New York Times from 1986 to 1992. Berger was also the author of several sports books including Miracle on 33rd Street: The New York Knickerbockers’
Phil Berger (left, with Mike Tyson).
Animator and director Ted Berman died of natural causes in Los Angeles on July 15, 2001. He was 81. Berman was born in East Los Angeles in 1920. He began working at Walt Disney Studios in 1940, where he was instrumental in the development of such animated films as Fantasia (1940), Bambi (1942), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955) and 101 Dalmatians (1961). He also worked on the animated sequences of the films Mary Poppins (1964) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and the Disney television series The Wonderful World of Color and The Mickey Mouse Club. Berman scripted the 1977 animated feature The Rescuers, and scripted and directed 1981’s The Fox and the Hound and 1985’s The Black Cauldron. Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2001, B11; Variety, July 23, 2001, 47.
Bernard, Arthur Actor and director Arthur Friedman, who performed in films and television as Arthur Bernard, died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on January 23, 2001. He was 81. A teacher at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television from 1948 until retiring in 1990, Friedman also produced the radio interview series Turning Point from 1950 to 1965. As Arthur Bernard, he was featured on television in episodes of Star Trek, Mannix, Cimarron Strip and 240-Robert. He also appeared in the tele-films My Father’s House (1975) and The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything (1980), and the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) and War and Remembrance (1989).
Obituaries • 2001
Arthur Bernard
He also played the elderly jogger in Rob Schneider’s 2001 comedy film The Animal. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 2001, B8.
Bernard, James Prolific British film composer James Bernard died in London on July 12, 2001. He was 75. Bernard was born in India on September 20, 1925, the son of a British army officer. He studied under composer Benjamin Britten, working with Britten on his opera, Billy Budd. Bernard began working with Hammer Films in the mid–1950s, composing for the science fiction
34 classic The Quatermass Xperiment (aka The Creeping Unknown) (1955). Often working on horror and science fiction films, Bernard’s credits include X the Unknown (1956), Pacific Destiny (1956), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Quatermass 2 (aka Enemy from Space (1957), Across the Bridge (1957), Horror of Dracula (1958), Windom’s Way (1958), Elephant Gun (1958), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Stranglers of Bombay (1960), The Terror of the Tongs (1961), These Are the Damned (1965), Kiss of the Vampire (1963), The Gorgon (1964), She (1965), The Secret of Blood Island (1965), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), Torture Garden (1967), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), The Devil’s Bride (aka The Devil Rides Out) (1968), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), Scars of Dracula (1970), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974), and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974). Bernard also rescored the 1922 silent horror classic Nosferatu in 1997, and composed music for the television documentaries Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994) and Universal Horror (1998). Bernard was also the coscripter for the 1951 British drama Seven Days to Noon, which earned him and Paul Dehn and Academy Award. Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2001, B11; Times (of London), July 17, 2001, 21a; Variety, July 30, 2001, 39.
Berry, Paul British animator and director Paul Berry died of complications from a brain tumor in Manchester, England, on June 26, 2001. Berry created the Academy Award nominated animated short film The Sandman (1991). He also worked on Henry Selick’s films The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), James and the Giant Peach (1996) and Monkeybone (2001).
Bieri, Ramon James Bernard
Character actor Ramon Bieri died of cancer in Woodland Hills, California, on May 27, 2001. He was 71. Bieri was born on June 16, 1929. The
35
Paul Berry
stocky actor began his career on stage in the mid–1950s and was appearing in supporting roles on television a decade later. He began his film career in 1970, appearing in R.P.M. (1970) and The Grasshopper (1970). His other film credits include Brother John (1971) with Sydney Poitier, The Andromeda Strain (1971), The Honkers (1972), Bad-
2001 • Obituaries lands (1973), Sorcerer (1977), The Frisco Kid (1979), Reds (1981), Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), The Zoo Gang (1985), The Sicilian (1987), Vibes (1988) and Ghosts of Mississippi (1996). On television he starred as Joe Wabash in the short-lived 1979 sit-com Joe’s World, and was banker Elijah Crow in Bret Maverick. He was also featured in the tele-films Sarge (1971), Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law (1971), Hunter (1973), Outrage (1973), It’s Good to Be Alive (1974), Lucas Tanner (1974), The Gun (1974), Crossfire (1975), McNaughton’s Daughter (1976), The Rhinemann Exchange (1977), The San Pedro Beach Bums (1977), Panic in Echo Park (1977), A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978), True Grit: A Further Adventure (1978), When She Was Bad… (1979), A Christmas Without Snow (1980), A Matter of Life and Death (1981), The Richest Cat in the World (1986), Oceans of Fire (1986), Cathy’s Web (1987), Love, Lies and Murder (1991) and Children of the Dark (1994). Other television credits include guest roles in episodes of Gunsmoke, Hogan’s Heroes, Lancer, Daniel Boone, Mannix, Bonanza, Mission: Impossible, Alias Smith and Jones, Nichols, Cannon, The Partridge Family, Kung Fu, The Magician, Banacek, Little House on the Prairie, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Rockford Files, Search, Hawaii Five-O, Tales of the Unexpected, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, How the West Was Won, CHiPs, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Fall Guy, Spider-Man, Matt Houston, The Dukes of Hazard, Highway to Heaven, Knight Rider, Murder, She Wrote, Crazy Like a Fox, Magnum, P.I., Blacke’s Magic, the new Twilight Zone, Jake and the Fatman, Sirens, In the Heat of the Night, L.A. Law, Profiler and ER.
Bishop, Julie
Ramon Bieri
Actress Julie Bishop died of pneumonia in Mendocino, California, on August 30, 2001. She was 87. She was born Jacqueline Brown in Denver, Colorado, on August 30, 1914. She began her career as a child actress in silent films, appearing in 1923’s Children of Jazz. Acting under the names Jacqueline Wells and Diane Duval early in her career, Bishop was featured in over 80 films. Her credits include The Golden Bed (1925), Classified (1925), The Home Maker (1925), The Family Upstairs (1926), Skip the Maloo! (1931), Scareheads (1931), Any Old Port! (1932), You’re Telling Me
Obituaries • 2001
36 (1946), High Tide (1947), Last of the Redmen (1947), Deputy Marshal (1949), Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) with John Wayne, The Threat (1949), Westward the Women (1951), Secrets of Beauty (1951), Sabre Jet (1953), The High and the Mighty (1954), Headline Hunters (1955) and The Big Land (1957) with Alan Ladd. She also starred as Julie Marshall in Bob Cummings’ 1952 television sitcom My Hero before retiring from the screen to raise her family. Her survivors include her daughter, actress Pamela Susan Shoop. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 2001, B16; Variety, Sept. 17, 2001, 35.
Bixby, Jonathan Julie Bishop
(1932), In Walked Charley (1932), Heroes of the West (1932), The Knockout (1932), Clancy of the Mounted (1933), Tarzan the Fearless (1933), Tillie and Gus (1933), the 1934 horror classic The Black Cat with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, The Loudspeaker (934), Kiss and Make Up (1934), Happy Landing (1934), Square Shooter (1935), Coronado (1935), The Bohemian Girl (1936), Night Cargo (1936), She Married an Artist (1937), Paid to Dance (1937), Girls Can Play (1937), The Frame Up (1937), Counsel for Crime (1937), Little Miss Roughneck (1938), When G-Men Step In (1938), Highway Patrol (1938), Flight to Fame (1938), Spring Madness (1938), The Main Event (1938), Little Adventuress (1938), Flight to Nowhere (1938), My Son Is a Criminal (1938), Behind Prison Gates (1939), The Kansas Terrors (1939), Torture Ship (1939), My Son Is Guilty (1939), The Ranger and the Lady (1940), Young Bill Hickok (1940), Her First Romance (1940), Girl in 313 (1940), Back in the Saddle (1941), The Nurse’s Secret (1941), Steel Against the Sky (1941), Wild Bill Hickok Rides (1941), International Squadron (1941), I Was Framed (1942), Escape from Crime (1942), Busses Roar (1942), The Hidden Hand (1942), Lady Gangster (1942), The Hard Way (1942), Princess O’Rourke (1943), Northern Pursuit (1943), Action in the North Atlantic (1943) with Humphrey Bogart, Hollywood Canteen (1944), You Came Along (1945), Rhapsody in Blue (1945), Idea Girl (1946), Murder in the Music Hall (1946), Strange Conquest (1946), Cinderella Jones
Costume designer Jonathan Bixby died of colon cancer in a New York City hospital on April 29, 2001. He was 41. Bixby designed costumes for numerous New York plays, often working with the Off-Broadway Drama Dept. company on such productions as June Moon, As Bees in Honey Drown and The Torch Bearers. He also worked in television, designing costumes for the daytime soap opera All My Children. His work on the show earned him an Emmy award in 1990. Los Angeles Times, May 3, 2001, B8; New York Times, May 14, 2001, B6; Variety, May 7, 2001, 175.
Blair, Hal Songwriter Hal Blair died in Biggs, California, on February 2, 2001. He was 85. Blair was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1915. He began his career writing songs and acting in Western films with such stars as Gene Autry and Tex Ritter. Blair contributed to such films as Rollin’ Home to Texas (1941), Driftin’ River (1946), Out California Way (1946) and The Hawk of Powder River (1948). Often collaborating with Don Robertson from the early 1950s, Blair’s songs include such hits as “I Was the One” for Elvis Presley, “Please Help Me, I’m Falling” for Hank Locklin, and “Ringo” for Lorne Greene.
37
2001 • Obituaries
Nida Blanca Hal Blair
Blanca, Nida Filipino film and television star Nida Blanca was found stabbed to death in the back seat of her car in the parking lot of a Greenhills, San Juan, the Philippines, high-rise on November 7, 2001. She was 65. Blanca was born Dorothy Jones in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, on January 6, 1936. She began her film career while in her early teens in a supporting role in 1951’s Reyna Elena. She starred in over 150 films during her career including Korea (1952), Walang Sisihan (1962), Isputnik vs. Darna (1963), Annie Batungbakal (1979), Madrasta (1996), Woman (1997) and Soltera (1999). She also starred in numerous Filipino television series including the long-running comedy John and Marsha and 2000’s Anna Karenina.
91. Block was born in Chicago on October 13, 1909. He began his career as a cartoonist with the Chicago Daily News in 1929. Four years later he joined the Newspaper Enterprise Association, drawing syndicated cartoons. Block earned his first Pulitzer Prize while there in 1943. He served
Block, Herb Herbert Block, the Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist known as Herblock, died in Washington, D.C., on October 7, 2001. He was
Herbert Block
Obituaries • 2001
38
in the Army with the Information and Education Division during World War II. After the war, Block joined the Washington Post in 1946. He was awarded two subsequent Pulitzers while at the Post, in 1954 and 1969. Block was an early critic of the Communist-hunting tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, and was credited with coining the term “McCarthyism” to describe the witch hunts. He was also an early critic of Richard Nixon, sharing another Pulitzer Prize for the Washington Post’s coverage of Watergate. Block continued to draw cartoons for the Post until shortly before his death. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 8, 2001, B9; New York Times, Oct. 9, 2001, D6; People, Oct. 22, 2001, 99; Time, Oct. 22, 2001, 23; Times (of London), Oct. 22, 2001, 19a.
Blood, John Character actor John Blood died of a heart attack at his home in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on December 9, 2001. He was 75. Blood was born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1926. Educated at Seton Hall University before heading to Hollywood, Blood was featured in such films as Night School (1981), Hanky Panky (1982), The Verdict (1982), One Crazy Summer (1986), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Lip Service (1988) and Life’s Too Good (1994). He also appeared in the tele-films See How She Runs (1978), The Great American Fourth July and Other Disasters (1982) and the 1983 Kennedy mini-series. Blood also appeared in several daytime soap operas including The Edge of Night and As the World Turns.
Bode, Ralph B. Cinematographer Ralph D. Bode died of lung cancer at his home in Santa Monica, California, on February 27, 2001. He was 59. Bode was born in Germany in 1941. He came to the United States in 1955, where he served in the United States Army’s photography unit. He began working as a director of photography in films in the early 1970s, contributing the Philadelphia sequences to Sylvester Stallone’s 1976 film Rocky. Bode served as cinematographer for such films as Saturday Night Fever (1977), Somebody Killed Her
Ralph B. Bode
Husband (1978), Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978), Rich Kids (1979), Dressed to Kill (1980), Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) which earned him an Academy Award nomination, Raggedy Man (1981), A Little Sex (1982), Gorky Park (1983), First Born (1984), Bring on the Night (1985), Violets Are Blue… (1986), The Whoopee Boys (1986), Critical Condition (1987), The Big Town (1987), Distant Thunder (1988), The Accused (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Cousins (1989), One Good Cop (1991), Love Field (1992), Leaving Normal (1992), Made in America (1993), George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (1993), Bad Girls (1994), Safe Passage (1994), Don Juan DeMarco (1995), A Simple Wish (1997), Hacks (1997), Women Without Implants (1997), The Secret Life of Girls (1999) and Boys and Girls (2000). Bode also worked in television, photographing the tele-films Gypsy (1993), A Streetcar Named Desire (1995), Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997), The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer (1999), Sarah Plain and Tall: Winter’s End (1999) and Annie (1999), which earned him an Emmy nomination. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 8, 2001, B9; New York Times, Mar. 6, 2001, A19; Variety, Mar. 19, 2001, 47.
39
Boetticher, Budd Film and television director Oscar “Budd” Boetticher, Jr., died of complications from surgery at his home in Amona, California, on November 29, 2001. He was 85. Boetticher was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 29, 1916. He became one of the few Americans to work as a professional matador in Mexico. He came to Hollywood in the early 1940s to serve as an advisor on the film Blood and Sand (1941). He worked as an assistant director on several films and documentaries in the early 1940s. He helmed such features as One Mysterious Night (1944), The Missing Juror (1944), Youth on Trial (1945), Escape in the Fog (1945), The Fleet That Came to Stay (1946), Behind Locked Doors (1948), Assigned to Danger (1948), Black Midnight (1949), The Wolf Hunters (1949) and Killer Shark (1950). Boetticher received acclaim for his 1951 film Bullfighter and the Lady, which was based on his own experiences. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the story. Boetticher continued directing films, including numerous westerns, for the next three decades. His credits include The Sword of D’Artagnan (1951), The Cimarron Kid (1951), Red Ball Express (1952), Horizons West (1952), Bronco
Budd Boetticher
2001 • Obituaries Buster (1952), The City Beneath the Sea (1953), Seminole (1953), East of Sumatra (1953), Wings of the Hawk (1953), The Man from the Alamo (1953), The Magnificent Matador (1955), The Killer Is Loose (1956), Seven Men from Now (1956), The Tall T (1957), Westbound (1958), Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), Ride Lonesome (1959), Comanche Station (1960), The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), Audie Murphy’s final film A Time for Dying (1971), and Arruza (1972). He also wrote Clint Eastwood’s 1969 film Two Mules for Sister Sara. Boetticher also worked often in television, directing episodes of The Public Defender, The Count of Monte Cristo, Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theater, Maverick, The Rifleman, 77 Sunset Strip, and Hong Kong. His final film was the 1985 documentary My Kingdom For… Boetticher also appeared in a small role in Robert Towne’s film Tequila Sunrise in 1988. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 1, 2001, B20; New York Times, Dec. 1, 2001, A25; Time, Dec. 20, 2001, 29; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 68.
Bolognini, Mauro Italian film director Mauro Bolognini died in Rome after a long illness on May 14, 2001. He
Mauro Bolognini
Obituaries • 2001
40
was 78. Bolognini was born in Pistoia, Italy, on June 28, 1922. He began working in films in the early 1950s, directing over 40 features in his 40year career. Bolognini’s credits include Wild Love (1955), Marisa (1957), Young Husbands (1957), Bad Girls Don’t Cry (1959), From a Roman Balcony (1960), Bell’ Antonio (1960), Careless (1961), The Lovemakers (1972), Agostino (1962), Corruption (1963), The Dolls (1965), Three Faces of a Woman (1965), The Witches (1969), Mademoiselle de Maupin (1966), The Queens (1966), The Oldest Profession (1968), Arabella (1967), Caprice Italian Style (1968), That Splendid November (1968), She and He (1969), Metello (1970), Bubu (1971), Libera, My Love (1973), Drama of the Rich (1974), Down the Ancient Staircase (1975), The Inheritance (1976), Black Journal (1977), Where Are You Going on Holiday? (1978), Lady of the Camelias (1981), The Venetian Woman (1986), Farewell Moscow (1987) and Husbands and Lovers (1992). Poor health forced Bolognini’s retirement in the mid–1990s. Los Angeles Times, May 17, 2001, B11.
Bonelli, Giovanni Luigi Italian comic writer Giovanni Luigi Bonelli died in an Alessandria, Italy, hospital of heart failure on January 12, 2001. He was 92. Bonelli was born in Milan, Italy, on December 22, 1908. One of Italy’s leading comic editors, he was best known for his creation of the Western hero Tex Willer in 1948. A film based on the character, Tex and the Lord of the Deep, starring Giuliano Gemma was released in 1985. Bonelli was featured in the film as an Indian sorcerer.
Bonfa, Luiz Brazilian guitarist and composer Luiz Bonfa who pioneered the bossa nova sound, died of prostate cancer in Rio de Janeiro on January 12, 2001. He was 78. Bonfa was born in Rio de Janeiro on October 17, 1922. He began performing professionally in the 1940s, playing with the Quitandinha Serenaders. The group was popular on radio and appeared in several Brazilian films in the late 1940s. Bonfa left the group in 1953 to continue a solo career as a musician and
Giovanni Luigi Bonelli (drawing by Aurelio Galleppini).
songwriter. Some of his best known songs include “Manha de Carnaval” (“A Day in the Life of a Fool”) and “Samba de Orfeu” (“Orpheus’ Samba”). Both songs were used in Marcel Camus’ 1959 film Black Orpheus, which featured Bonfa’s guitar on the soundtrack. He moved to New York in the late 1950s, where he continued to write songs, including the soundtrack to the 1966 film The Gentle Rain. He also released numerous albums including Bossa Nova (1962), Jazz Samba Encore (1963), The New Face of Luiz Bonfa (1970), Introspection (1972) and Jacaranda (1973). His final album, The Bonfa Magic, was recorded in 1991. New York Times, Jan. 17, 2001, A21; Time, Jan. 29, 2001, 21.
Bongo Bongo, the lion who was featured in numerous film and television productions, was euthanized at the Bowmanville, Ontario, zoo where he resided with trainer Michael Hackenberger, on October 11, 2001. Bongo was suffering from terminal lung cancer. He was 14. Bongo was born
41
2001 • Obituaries in captivity and spent most of his life performing. He was featured in the films The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) and George of the Jungle (1998) with Brendan Fraser. Bongo was also seen often on television in episodes of Animorphs, Goosebumps, Dear America, and We Are Circus, and numerous commercials.
Bory, Jean-Marc
Luiz Bonfa
Bongo
French actor Jean-Marc Bory died of a heart attack in Belle-Ile-en-Mer, France, on March 31, 2001. He was 67. Bory was born in Noville, Switzerland, on March 17, 1934. He made his film debut opposite Jeanne Moreau in Louis Malle’s erotic feature The Lovers in 1958. Bory was also featured in the films Les Loups Dans la Bergerie (1960), Abel Gance’s Austerlitz, Adorable Liar (1961), Sorcery (1961), Roger Vadim’s Love on a Pillow (1962), RoGoPaG (1962), A Sentimental Attempt (1963), Sweet and Sour (1963), Triple Cross (1967), The Stranger (1967), Reckonings Against the Grain (1970), Last Tango in Paris (1972) with Marlon Brando, At the Meeting with Joyous Death (1972), Nevermore, Forever (1979), Judge Fayard Called the Sheriff (1977), Casta e Pura (1981), L’Amour des Femmes (1981), Lamour Braque (1985), Le Meilleur de la Vie (1985), Derborence (1985) and Bernadette (1987). Bory also appeared often on the French stage and television.
Jean-Marc Bory (with Jeanne Moreau).
Obituaries • 2001
Boulting, Roy British film director, producer and writer Roy Boulting died in London on November 5, 2001. He was 87. He was born in Bray, Berkshire, England, on November 21, 1913. He and his twin brother, John, began making films in the late 1930s, alternating credits as producer and director on their collaborations. Boulting’s film credits include Trunk Crime (1939), Inquest (1939), Pastor Hall (1940), Thunder Rock (1942), the Oscar-winning World War II documentary Desert Victory: Battle of El Alamein (1943), Burma Victory (1945), Fame Is the Spur (1946), Brighton Rock (1947) with Richard Attenborough, The Guinea Pig (aka The Outsider) (1948), Seven Days to Noon (1950), High Treason (1951), Sailor of the King (1953), Crest of the Wave (1954), Josephine and Men (1955), Run for the Sun (1956), Lucky Jim (1957), Happy Is the Bride (1957), Brothers in Law (1957), Man in a Crooked Hat (aka CarltonBrowne of the F.O.) (1959), I’m All Right Jack (1959) with Peter Sellers, The Risk (1960), A French Mistress (1960), Heavens Above! (1963) and Rotten to the Core (1965). Boulting’s affair with former Disney child actress Hayley Mills that began during the filming of 1966’s The Family Way created a scandal at the time. Mills subsequently starred in his 1968 psychological thriller Twisted Nerve. Over 30 years her senior, Boulting married Mills in 1971. They divorced six years later. Boulting directed several more films in the 1970s including There’s a Girl in My Soup (1970), Anthony Shaffer’s Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (aka Cry of the Penguins) (1971), Undercover Hero (1973) and The Last Word (1979). He also directed
Roy Boulting (right, with twin brother, John).
42 the British tele-films Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (1985) and Brothers-in-Law (1985). His brother, John, died in June of 1985, and Roy largely retired from films. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 8, 2001, B17; Times (of London) Nov. 7, 2001, 19a; Variety, Nov. 12, 2001, 44.
Boyar, Sully Character actor Sully Boyar died while waiting for a bus at a bus stop in Queens, New York, on March 23, 2001. He was 77. Boyar was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 14, 1923. A practicing lawyer, he began his acting career on stage as a member of the Actors Studio. He was a popular character actor from the 1970s, appearing in such films as Panic in Needle Park (1971), Made for Each Other (1971), Up the Sandbox (1972), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), The Gambler (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Car Wash (1976), Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws
Sully Boyar
43
2001 • Obituaries
(1978), Oliver’s Story (1978), The Kidnapping of the President (1980), Night of the Juggler (1980), The Jazz Singer (1980), Fort Apache, the Bronx (1981), The Entity (1981), Prizzi’s Honor (1985), Too Scared to Scream (1985), The Manhattan Project (1986), Best Seller (1987), Mortal Sins (1990), The Lemmon Sisters (1990), Betsy’s Wedding (1990), In the Soup (1992), Somebody to Love (1994), Hits! (1994), The Pesky Suitor (1995) and Just the Ticket (1999). Boyar also appeared in the tele-film The Deadliest Season (1977), and guest starred on episodes of Barney Miller, Kojak, Charlie’s Angels and Law & Order. New York Times, Apr. 14, 2001, C7.
Bradshaw, Michael Actor Michael J. Bradshaw died of cancer in a Newton, New Jersey, hospital on December 13, 2001. He was 68. Bradshaw was born in London on April 18, 1933. He began performing at an early age and, in 1956, came to Canada to pursue a career in acting. He was featured in numerous stage productions before coming to the United States. He made his Broadway debut in the 1960s and was featured in productions of Portrait of Queen and Conduct Unbecoming, which earned him a Tony nomination. During the 1990s Bradshaw was associated with the Lyric Stage Company in Boston. He was featured in several films including The Crucible (1996), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), The Proposition (1998) and State and Main (2000). He was also seen on television in segments of Unsolved Mysteries, and the PBS series Africans in America and Nova.
Brady, Joe Scottish character actor Joe Brady died of cancer in London on June 12, 2001. He was 72. Brady was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 9, 1928. He began his career on the stage before taking the role of Scottish policeman Jock Weir on the popular BBC police series Z Cars in 1962. He left the series in 1969 and spent a season as star of the BBC costume drama The Borderers. Brady continued to perform on stage, and was featured as Kenny McBlane in the British comedy series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Per-
Joe Brady
rin in the 1970s. He also appeared in the 1974 tele-film The Migrants and the 1978 television mini-series Kidnapped. Brady had small roles in the films The Fourth Protocol (1987) and Nervous Energy (1995).
Braun, Bob Television announcer and actor Bob Braun died of brain cancer and Parkinson’s disease in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 15, 2001. He was 71. Braun was born in Ludlow, Kentucky, on April 20, 1929. He served as host of the Cincinnati television series 50/50 Club from the 1960s until 1984. He subsequently went to Hollywood, where he appeared in several films, often as a newscaster. His film credits include RoboCop (1987), Die Hard 2 (1990), Defending Your Life (1991), and the 1992 tele-film Christmas in Connecticut. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 23, 2001, B6.
Obituaries • 2001
44 Warrior (1987), Getting Even (1988), Cross Mission (1988), Miami Cops (1990), Homicide in Blue Light (1991), Club Vacanze (1995) and Deadly Chase (1998).
Brocksmith, Roy
Bob Braun
Brescia, Alfonso Italian film director Alfonso Brescia died in Rome on June 6, 2001. He was 71. He was born in Rome on January 6, 1930. Brescia directed over 50 films from the early 1960s, often credited as Al Bradley in U.S. releases. His film credits include numerous science fiction, western and action features including Revolt of the Praetorians (1964), Conqueror of Atlantis (1965), The Colt Is My Law (1966), If One Is Born a Swine (1967), Hell in Normandy (1967), 32 Caliber Killer (1967), Days of Violence (1967), Cry of Death (1968), Sesso (1969), Kill Rommel! (1969), The Loves of Don Juan (1971), That Cursed House Close to the Mushroom Beds (1972), Battle of the Amazons (1973), The Super Stooges vs. the Wonder Women (1975), Blood, Sweat and Fear (1975), White Fang and the Hunter (1975), Knell, the Bloody Avenger (1976), Cosmos: War of the Planets (1977), War in Space (1977), Metallica (1978), War of the Robots (1978), Beast in Space (1978), Bloody Avenger (1980), Carcerato (1981), Iron
Character actor Roy Brocksmith died of complications from diabetes and kidney failure at a Burbank, California, hospital on December 16, 2001. He was 56. Brocksmith was born in Quincy, Illinois, on September 15, 1945. He began performing as a singer at an early age. Active in theatre while in his teens, he went to New York in the late 1960s to pursue a theatrical career. He made his Broadway debut in Joseph Papp’s 1975 production of The Leaf People. He also appeared in productions of Threepenny Opera and The Three Musketeers. He made his film debut several years later, and appeared in numerous features including The Squeeze (1978), King of the Gypsies (1978), Killer Fish (1978), Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories (1980), Wolfen (1981), Rent Control (1981), Tales of Ordinary Madness (1982), Who’s That Girl? (1987), Big Business (1988), Scrooged (1988), Relentless (1989), The War of the Roses (1989), Tango & Cash (1989), Martians Go Home (1990), Total Recall (1990) with Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Arachnophobia
Roy Brocksmith
45 (1990), Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), Nickel & Dime (1992), Lightning Jack (1994), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), It Runs in the Family (1994), The Road to Wellville (1994), Almost Dead (1994), Kull the Conqueror (1997), and the 1998 remake of Psycho as an Alfred Hitchcock look-alike. Brocksmith also appeared regularly as Principal Oslo in the 1992 television series Picket Fences. He was also seen in the tele-films Jacobo Timerman: Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number (1983), Killer Instinct (1988), Steel Justice (1992), A Walton Wedding and White Dwarf (1995). Other television appearances include episodes of 3-2-1 Contact, L.A. Law, The Garry Shandling Show, Newhart, The Wizard, Hunter, Night Court, Tales from the Crypt, Once a Hero, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ferris Bueller, The Wonder Years, Seinfeld, The Golden Girls, The Jackie Thomas Show, Coach, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Murder One, American Playhouse, Eerie, Indiana, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Nowhere Man, Grace Under Fire, Babylon 5, Payne, and Ally McBeal. In 1987 Brocksmith founded the California Cottage Theatre, which performed productions in his home. The theatrical group continued until 1996. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 20, 2001, B14.
Brodie, Don Veteran character actor Don Brodie died in Los Angeles on January 8, 2001. He was 101. Brodie was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 29, 1899. The mustachioed actor began working in films in the early 1930s, appearing in nearly 150 features, serials and shorts during his career. His credits include Jewel Robbery (1932), You Said a Mouthful (1932), Hard to Handle (1933), The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933), The Man Who Dared (1933), Her Bodyguard (1933), Saturday’s Millions (1933), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933), Sons of the Desert (1933), Picture Snatcher (1933), The Kennel Murder Case (1933), Fugitive Lovers (1934), Manhattan Melodrama (1934), Little Miss Marker (1934), The Defense Rests (1934), The Cat’s Paw (1934), Death on the Diamond (1934), The Case of the Howling Dog (1934), The Return of Chandu (1934), One More Spring (1935), The Whole Town’s Talking (1935), Call of the Savage (1935), The Girl Who Came Back (1935), The Timid Young Man (1935), The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte
2001 • Obituaries Carlo (1935), Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935), Rumba (1935), Strike Me Pink (1936), The Little Red School House (1936), Moonlight Murder (1936), Speed (1936), The Mine with the Iron Door (1936), The Golden Arrow (1936), Wholesaling Along (1936), Navy Born (1936), The Garden Murder Case (1936), Missing Girls (1936), Sworn Enemy (1936), The Devil Is a Sissy (1936), Theodora Goes Wild (1936), Spendthrift (1936), Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island (1936), Postal Inspector (1936), Flash Gordon (1936), Fatal Lady (1936), Counterfeit Lady (1936), The Super Snooper (1937), Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937), Kid Galahad (1937), Captains Courageous (1937), The Toast of New York (1937), The Girl from Scotland Yard (1937), Bad Guy (1937), It Happened in Hollywood (1937), Partners in Crime (1937), High Flyers (1937), Hotel Haywire (1937), Easy Living (1937), Love Is a Headache (1938), My Old Kentucky Home (1938), The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938), The Lady in the Morgue (1938), Danger on the Air (1938), The Shopworn Angel (1938), Sue My Lawyer (1938), Stage Fright (1938), The Last Express (1938), Letter of Introduction (1938), Strange Faces (1938), Fast and Loose (1939), Woman Doctor (1939), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), The Rookie Cop (1939), Exile Express (1939), Way Down South (1939), Golden Boy (1939), The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), Baby Daze (1939), Disney’s Pinocchio (1940) as the voice of the Barker, Road to Singapore (1940), The Man from Montreal (1940), The Great Dictator (1940), Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940), American Spoken Here (1940), Musin in My Heart (1940), Rhythm on the River (1940), Second Chorus (1940), Yumpin’ Yimminy! (1941), Dressed to Kill (1941), Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941), Hellzapoppin’ (1941), Two Latins from Manhattan (1941), Blonde Menace (1941), Murder on the Waterfront (1943), They Got Me Covered (1943), Mr. Lucky (1943), The Woman in the Window (1944), The Man Who Walked Alone (1945), Bedside Manner (1945), Detour (1945), Johnny Angel (1945), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), Street Corner (1948), The Luck of the Irish (1948), Champion (1949), My Dream Is Yours (1949), On the Town (1949), I Married a Communist (1949), Harvey (1950), Experiment Alcatraz (1950), Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950), Watch the Birdie (1951), On the Loose (1951), The Story of Will Rogers (1952), April in Paris (1952), Sword of Venus (1953), Hell’s Out-
Obituaries • 2001 post (1954), The Proud Ones (1956), Fear Strikes Out (1957), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), The Comancheros (1961), It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963) with Elvis Presley, Diary of a Madman (1963), The Patsy (1964), The Busy Body (1967), Little Big Man (1970), The Last Escape (1970), Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), Eat My Dust! (1976), Goodbye, Norma Jean (1976), Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell (1977), Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978) and Heart Beat (1980). He was also seen on television in episodes of such series as Sky King, Science Fiction Theatre, Mister Ed, Circus Boy, Petticoat Junction, Get Smart, Lassie and Adam-12. He retired from the screen after his performance as a timekeeper in the 1981 film …All the Marbles.
Brood, Herman Dutch rock musician Herman Brood died when he leapt from the roof of an Amsterdam, the Netherlands, hotel in a presumed suicide. He was 54. Brood was born in Zwolle, Netherlands, on November 5, 1946. He began his career in music in 1964, forming the group The Moans. He subsequently joined Cuby and the Blizzards for several years. In the mid–1970s Brood formed Flash & Dance Band, recording the 1975 album Showbiz Blues. Forming Wild Romance a few years later, Brood and the band recorded several
Herman Brood
46 hit songs including “Still Believe.” Brood starred in the 1979 film Cha Cha before embarking on a tour of the United States. His erratic career continued with several more popular albums as well as starring in the films Stadtrand (1987) and Rock ’n’ Roll Junkie (1994). He was also seen in the films Little Sister (1996), Nina Hagen = Punk + Glory (1999) and Total Love (2000).
Brooks, Foster Comedian Foster Brooks, who was known for his performances as a comic drunk, died after a long illness at his home in Encino, California, on December 20, 2001. He was 89. Brooks was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 11, 1912. He began his career working in radio as a disc jockey and newscaster. He moved on to television in the early 1950s, hosting local Rochester, New York, television sports programs and delivering the news. He moved to Los Angeles in 1960, where he appeared in episodes of such television series as Gunsmoke, The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, The Monkees, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, It Takes a Thief, Adam-12, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, and Here’s Lucy. He began his drunk act as part of a comedy routine in 1969 and soon became a familiar face on Dean Martin
Foster Brooks
47 Celebrity Roasts and Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. He was also seen in the films Super Seal (1976), The Villain (1979), Cracking Up (1983), Oddballs (1984), Cannonball Run II (1984), and The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1991). Brooks played the recurring role of Miles Sternhagen in television’s Mork & Mindy in 1981, and appeared in episodes of Circus of the Stars, Small Wonder, Murder, She Wrote, and Cosby. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 22, 2001, B15; New York Times, Dec. 24, 2001, A15; People, Jan. 14, 2002, 97; Time, Jan. 4, 2002, 17; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 40.
Brother Theodore Theodore Gottlieb, who performed comedy acts as Brother Theodore, died in New York City on April 5, 2001. He was 94. Gottlieb was born in Germany on November 11, 1906. His family fled Nazi Germany for Vienna, Austria, in the 1930s. After being imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp Gottlieb eventually came to the United States with the assistance of Albert Einstein. After working odd jobs in California, Gottlieb entered films, appearing in Orson Welles’ 1946 movie The Stranger. He was also seen in several other films and serials including So Dark the
Brother Theodore
2001 • Obituaries Night (1946), Fall Guy (1947), The Lone Wolf in Mexico (1947) and The Black Widow (1947). He subsequently moved to New York, where he created a bizarre comedy routine as Brother Theodore. He was a frequent guest on television talk shows and performed numerous one-man shows. He served as narrator for the 1970 horror film Horror of the Blood Monsters, and was featured in the films Gang Wars (1975), Gums (1976), Apple Pie (1976), Nocturna (1979), The Invisible Kid (1988) and The ’burbs (1989). Gottlieb was the voice of Gollum in the 1978 animated tele-film based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and reprised the role in 1980’s The Return of the King. He also was a voice actor in 1982’s The Last Unicorn. Brother Theodore appeared regularly on the 1982 television series The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour. New York Times, Apr. 6, 2001, C11; People, Apr. 23, 2001, 87; Time, Apr. 26, 2001, 23.
Broun, Heywood Hale Veteran television commentator and sportscaster Heywood Hale Broun died in Kingston,
Heywood Hale Broun
Obituaries • 2001 New York, on September 5, 2001. He was 83. He was born in New York city on March 10, 1918, the son of a leading Hollywood journalist. The younger Broun began his career writing baseball columns for newspapers after serving in World War II. He served as sports correspondent for CBS television for nearly 20 years. Broun also appeared in several Broadway plays and was featured in the films It Should Happen to You (1954), The Odd Couple (1968), Some Kind of a Nut (1969), For Pete’s Sake (1974) and HouseSitter (1992). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 8, 2001, B16; New York Times, Sept. 8, 2001, A11; People, Oct. 8, 2001, 145; Time, Sept. 17, 2001, 25; Variety, Sept. 10, 2001, 76.
Browar, Herbert W. Television producer Herbert Wise Browar died in a Burbank, California, hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 19, 2001. He was 83. He began his career in television working as a stage manager for the I Love Lucy show. He also worked on such series as The George Burns Show, People’s Choice Awards and The Joan Davis Show. He served as associate producer for Mr. Ed in the 1960s. He became an executive with Filmways Television, where he was instrumental in the creation of such series as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction and The Addams Family. Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2001, B8; Variety, June 18, 2001, 52.
48 Moment (1953), The Seekers (1954), Jacqueline (1956), Dangerous Exile (1957), Rooney (1958), Tommy the Toreador (1959), Murder, She Said (1961), Double Bunk (1961), Kill or Cure (1962), Village of Daughters (1962), Murder at the Gallop (1963), Ladies Who Do (1963), Guns at Batasi (1964), Go, Kart, Go (1964), Runaway Railway (1965), The Trap (1966), Finders Keepers (1966), Hoverbug (1969), The Waters (1971), Inn of the Frightened People (1976), In the Devil’s Garden (aka Assault) (1971), Innocent Bystanders (1972), All Coppers Are… (1972) and Open Season (1974). He subsequently retired to Spain and, in 1992, settled in New York. Times (of London), Jan 5, 2001, 23a.
Brown, Les Band leader Les Brown died of lung cancer at his Los Angeles home on January 4, 2001. He was 88. Brown was born in Reinerton, Pennsylvania, on March 14, 1912. The conductor and clarinetist began his career in 1936, soon leading the orchestra that would become known as Les Brown and His Band of Renown. A leading swing
Brown, George H. English film producer George H. Brown died on January 3, 2001, at the New York home of his daughter, Tina Brown. He was 88. Brown was born in England on July 24, 1913. A former stuntman, his first onscreen role was a bit part as a Greek god in the 1936 adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Man Who Could Work Miracles. Brown began producing films in the early 1940s. His credits include Forty-Ninth Parallel (1941), School for Secrets (1946), Vice Versa (1948), Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948), The Chiltern Hundreds (1949), Hotel Sahara (1951), Made in Heaven (1952), Desperate
Les Brown
49
2001 • Obituaries
band in the big band era, they recorded such hits as “Sentimental Journey” with Doris Day and “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.” Bob Hope chose Brown as the backup band for his radio program in 1947 and Brown and Hope continued to work together until the comedian’s retirement in the early 1990s. Brown and his band were seen in the 1942 film Seven Days Leave with Lucille Ball. He also appeared in the films Crazy Frolic (1953), Rockabilly Baby (1957) and The Nutty Professor (1963) with Jerry Lewis. Brown made frequent appearances on television in such variety shows as The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show and The Golddiggers. The band continues to perform often, usually led in recent years by Brown’s son, Les Brown, Jr. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 6, 2001, B6; New York Times, Jan. 6, 2001, B6; Times (of London), Jan. 11, 2001, 25a; Variety, Jan. 8, 2001, 74.
Brown, Rosemary British housewife Rosemary Brown, who claimed to be visited by the spirits of such dead composers as Beethoven, Bach and Chopin, and assisted them in writing music from beyond the grave, died in London on November 16, 2001. She was 85. She was born Rosemary Dickeson in London on July 27, 1916. After suffering an accident in her kitchen in 1964, Brown claimed that Franz Liszt appeared to her and soon sent along other dead composers to visit. Though she had very little musical training, the works that were supposedly dictated by the musical luminaries convinced some critics that there was a margin of truth in her story. Others discounted her abilities. Nevertheless, she was featured on the BBC radio several times and appeared on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. Brown claimed the visits stopped in the mid–1980s after she suffered a serious illness. Times (of London).
Rosemary Brown
Brown, Roy Roy Brown
Roy Brown, who served as Bozo the Clown’s sidekick, Cooky the Clown, for 25 years on Chicago’s WGN, died in Chicago of heart problems on January 22, 2001. He was 68. Brown was born in Tucson, Arizona, on July 8, 1932. He
worked as a puppeteer for the Garfield Goose and Friends local television series from 1952, and began appearing on The Bozo Show in 1955. Brown created the character of Cooky for Bozo’s
Obituaries • 2001
50
Circus in 1968. He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1993.
Browne, Angela British character actress Angela Browne died in London on June 20, 2001. She was 62. Browne was born in Surrey, England, on June 14, 1939. She was a popular stage, screen and television performer. Her film credits include A Story of David (1960), Press for Time (1966) and Just Like a Woman (1968). She starred as Helen Winters in the British television series Ghost Squad from 1961 to 1963, and was Sgt. Yolanda Perkins in the Court Martial series in 1964. She was also featured in television productions of Pere Goriot (1971) and Brat Farrar (1986), and episodes of Danger Man, Out of This World, The Avengers, Man in a Suitcase, The Prisoner, Out of the Unknown, Fraud Squad, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Hanged Man, Bergerac and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II. Times (of London), June 25, 2001, 25a.
Shirley Buchanan (right, with Marie Harmon).
tober 4, 2001. Ms. Buchanan appeared in small roles in several films in the 1950s including Two Tickets to Broadway (1951), The French Line (1954), Son of Sinbad (1955) and The Garment Jungle (1957). She was also featured in episodes of television’s Perry Mason and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
Buck, Jules
Angela Browne
Buchanan, Shirley Actress and dancer Shirley Buchanan died of a stroke on route to Houston, Texas, on Oc-
Film producer Jules Buck died in Paris of complications from Altzheimer’s disease, on July 19, 2001. He was 83. Buck was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 30, 1917. He worked as a cameraman with John Huston in the Army signal corps during World War II, photographing the documentaries The Battle of San Pietro and Report from the Aleutians. He began producing films after the war, serving as an assistant producer for 1946’s The Killers. Buck continued to produce such films as Brute Force (1947), The Naked City (1948), We Were Strangers (1949), Love Nest (1951) with Marilyn Monroe, Fixed Bayonets (1951) and Treasure of the Golden Condor (1953). A critic of the House Un-American Activities Committee
51
2001 • Obituaries
and the blacklist, Buck moved to Europe in the 1950s. He went to London in 1957, where he produced the television series O.S.S. and the film The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960). Buck and actor Peter O’Toole formed Keep Films in the early 1960s, producing such features as Operation Snatch (1962), Becket (1964), What’s New Pussycat (1965), The Lion in Winter (1968), Great Catherine (1968), The Ruling Class (1972) and Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday (1976). Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2001, B15; Variety, July 23, 2001, 47.
Buday, Don Writer and music critic Albert “Don” Buday died at his Los Angeles home of a heart attack on November 26, 2001. He was 62. Buday was born in Detroit in 1939. He began working as a music critic with The Hollywood Reporter in 1968. Buday also began writing films in the early 1970s, scripting the cult classic Too Hot to Handle (1976), and the 1978 tele-film KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, starring the popular rock musicians. Irina Bugrimova
Bugrimova, Irina Russian circus animal tamer Irina Bugrimova died in Moscow on February 20, 2001. She was 90. Bugrimova was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, on March 13, 1910. She was a ballet dancer and film stunt woman before beginning her career with the circus. For 45 years she performed with lions and tigers at the Moscow State Circus, the East German State Circus, and others. Often performing dangerous feats, Bugrimova taught lions to walk a tightrope and to ride a motorcycle with her. New York Times, Mar. 18, 2001, 43.
Burkhart, Melvin Magician and sideshow attraction Melvin Burkhart died of a stroke in Tampa, Florida, on November 8, 2001. He was 94. Burkhart was a featured performer at carnival sideshows known as “The Human Blockhead” and “The Anatomical Wonder.” He was noted for his ability to
Melvin Burkhart
Obituaries • 2001 hammer a nail into his head behind his nasal cavity and to squeeze his body into various shapes. Burkhart traveled with the James E. Strates Carnival for many years and worked at Ripley’s Odditorium. He performed at Coney Island for several years before his retirement in 1990. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 14, 2001, B9; New York Times, Nov. 18, 2001, A32.
Burns, Ralph Oscar-winning music arranger Ralph Burns died in Los Angeles of pneumonia and complications from a stroke on November 21, 2001. He was 79. Burns was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on June 29, 1922. He began playing in bands while in his early teens, and for 15 years was pianist and composer for Woody Herman’s band. He wrote several of the band’s hits including “Apple Honey,” “Bijou” and “Summer Sequence.” Burns also worked with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett. He received an Academy Award for adapting the musical score for the 1972 film Cabaret. He earned a second Oscar for the musical score for Bob Fosse’s 1979 film All That
52 Jazz. Burns was also nominated for an Oscar for his work on 1983’s Annie. His other film credits include Bananas (1971), Piaf (1974), Lenny (1974), Mame (1974), Lucky Lady (1975), New York, New York (1977), High Anxiety (1977), Movie Movie (1978), Urban Cowboy (1980), First Family (1980), My Favorite Year (1982), Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), National Lampoon’s Summer Vacation (1983), Star 80 (1983), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), Moving Violations (1985), A Chorus Line (1985), Perfect (1985), In the Mood (1987), Bert Rigby, You’re a Fool (1989), All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), and Life Stinks (1991). Burns earned an Emmy Award for his work on Baryshnikov on Broadway, and received the 1999 Tony Award for the Broadway musical Fosse. Other television credits include Side Show (1981), Pippin! (1981), Lights, Camera, Annie! (1982), the 1983 version of The Phantom of the Opera, Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (1984), The Christmas Star (1986), Penalty Phase (1986), Sweet Bird of Youth (1989), and several episodes of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. New York Times, Nov. 28, 2001, A25; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 68.
Bush, Owen Character actor Owen Bush died in Los Angeles on June 12, 2001. He was 79. Bush was born
Ralph Burns
Owen Bush
53 in Savannah, Missouri, on November 10, 1921. He came to Hollywood in the 1950s at the urging of his friend, character actor William Frawley. He appeared in over two dozen films from the early 1960s including Ma Barker’s Killer Brood (1960), Cage of Evil (1960), Roustabout (1964), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Valley of the Dolls (1967), The Reivers (1969), Vanishing Point (1971), The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), Skateboard (1978), Dreamer (1979), The Last Starfighter (1984), What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993), Prehysteria 2 (1994), Prehysteria 3 (1995), Best Laid Plans (1999) and Red Letters (2000). Bush appeared frequently on television in episodes of such series as Wanted: Dead or Alive, Maverick, Bonanza, The Real McCoys, The Andy Griffith Show, Shane, Iron Horse, Love on a Rooftop, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Petticoat Junction, Get Smart, Mission: Impossible, Baretta, The Streets of San Francisco, The Doris Day Show, Mod Squad, All in the Family, Alice, How the West Was Won, McMillan and Wife, The Dukes of Hazzard, CHiPs, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Wildside, Murder, She Wrote, Dallas, Hunter, China Beach, Married … with Children, Life Goes On, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Hardball, Weird Science and Smart Guy. He also appeared in the tele-films The Eyes of Charles Sand (1972), The Heist (1972), Poor Devil (1973), Flight of the Grey Wolf (1976), Wild and Wooly (1978), The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985), Help Wanted Kids (1986), Moment of Truth: Cradle of Conspiracy (1994), Where Are My Children? (1994) and Black Cat Run (1998). He was featured as Bailiff John Bellson in the short lived television sit-com Sirota’s Court in 1976, and was Coach in the 1983 series Herndon. Bush appeared as Crenshaw in the 1986 series Our House, and was featured as Orville Perkins in the daytime soap opera Passions from 1999 to 2000.
Byrd, David Character actor David Byrd died of cancer in Studio City, California, on January 26, 2001. He was 68. Byrd was a familiar face in over 25 films from the mid–1970s including Pipe Dreams (1976), Rollercoaster (1977), Corvette Summer (1978), The Formula (1980), The Man with Two
2001 • Obituaries
David Byrd
Brains (1983), All of Me (1984), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Tango & Cash (1989), Acquitted for Having Committed the Deed (1992), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Clifford (1994), Lawnmower Man 2: Jobe’s War (1996), Lost Highway (1998), Mother Teresa: In the Name of God’s Poor (1997), The Proposition (1998) and Thick As Thieves (1999). He also appeared in the tele-films Lacy and the Mississippi Queen (1978), Missing Pieces (1983), Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess (1983), The Murder of Sherlock Holmes (1984), When the Bough Breaks (1986), Nick Knight (1989), Columbo: Murder — A Self-Portrait (1989), The Steven Banks Show (1991), Columbo: No Time to Die (1992), Sinatra (1992) as Michael Romanoff, and Poodle Springs (1998). He appeared regularly as Dr. Lester in the short-lived 1979 sit-com Highcliffe Manor and was copy editor Vincent Tully in 1985’s Mary with Mary Tyler Moore. He also appeared as Hans in the sit-com Life Goes On from 1990 to 1991. Byrd’s other television credits include episodes of Little House on the Prairie, Starsky and Hutch, All in the Family, Hill Street Blues, Newhart, Remington Steele, St. Elsewhere, Murder, She Wrote, The Wonder Years, NYPD Blue, Caroline in the City, Seinfeld, It’s Like, You Know… and several episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond as Harry Stipe. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 2, 2001, B7.
Obituaries • 2001
54
Calvet, Corinne Actress Corinne Calvet died of a cerebral hemorrhage at a Los Angeles hospital on June 23, 2001. She was 75. She was born Corinne Dibos in Paris, France, on April 30, 1925. The daughter of a leading French scientist, she studied criminal law before embarking on an acting career. She was featured in productions on the French stage from the mid–1940s, and appeared in the films Petrus (1946) and Le Chateau de la Dernier Chance (1947). She came to Hollywood under contract to Paramount, and made her debut there in 1949’s Rope of Sand opposite Burt Lancaster. Calvet continued to appear in such films as My Friend Irma Goes West (1950), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), On the Riviera (1951), Peking Express (1951), Sailor Beware (1951), Quebec (1951), What Price Glory (1952), Thunder in the East (1953), Powder River (1953), Flight to Tangier (1953), The Far Country (1954), One Step to Eternity (1955), So This Is Paree (1954), Night Operation (1954), Sins of Casanova (1954), The Girls of San Frediano (1955), Plunderers of Painted Flats (1959), Bluebeard’s Ten Honeymoons (1960), Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man (1962), Apache Uprising (1966), Too Hot to Handle (1976), Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype (1980) and The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982). She was also featured in the television mini-series The French Atlantic Affair (1979), and the tele-films The Phantom of Hollywood (1974) and She’s Dressed to Kill (1979). She was featured as Yvonne Rousseau in the television soap opera General Hospital in 1987. Her other television credits include episodes of the series Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Batman and Starsky and Hutch. Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2001, B11; New York Times, June 28, 2001, B8; People, July 16, 2001, 69; Variety, July 9, 2001, 46.
Corinne Calvet
Ensemble Co. in 1968. Cambridge was also featured in such films as Trouble Man (1972), Melinda (1972), The Limit (1972), Hit Man (1972), The Final Comedown (1972), Cool Breeze (1972), Friday Foster (1975), Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) as George Washington Carver, Deep Cover (1992), The Gifted (1993), The Beautician and the Beast (1997) and Waking the Dead (2000) with Nicholas Cage. Cambridge was fea-
Cambridge, Edmund Stage and film actor Edmund Cambridge died at Harlem Hospital in New York on August 18, 2001, after suffering a fall. He was 80. Cambridge was born in Harlem on September 18, 1920. He began his career in show business in the mid–1940s as a dancer. He became a popular stage performer and was a founder of the Negro
Edmund Cambridge
55 tured as Stockley Brown in the 1979 television series Wally Brown, and appeared in the tele-films Evil Roy Slade (1971), The Atlanta Child Murders (1985), One Woman’s Courage (1994), Jack Reed: A Search for Justice (1994) and Soul of the Game (1996). Other television credits include episodes of Love, American Style, Emergency!, Good Times, Kojak, Adam-12, Sanford and Son, Starsky and Hutch, The Jeffersons, Tour of Duty, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, ER, Too Something, The Parent ’Hood, Living Single, The Good News, Sister, Sister, Veronica’s Closet and City of Angels. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 2001, B16; New York Times, Sept. 25, 2001, A27; Variety, Sept. 10, 2001, 76.
Candoli, Conte Trumpet player Conte Candoli died of cancer in Palm Desert, California, on December 14, 2001. He was 74. He was born Secondo Candoli in Mishawaka, Indiana, on July 12, 1927. He began performing professional in his teens, working with Woody Herman’s orchestra. He and his older brother, Pete, performed often as The Brothers Candoli, and were seen in the 1958 film Bell, Book and Candle. He joined the Tonight Show band in 1972 and performed on the show
2001 • Obituaries until Johnny Carson’s retirement in 1992. He also performed as a trumpet player in David Lynch’s 2001 film Mulholland Dr. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 16, 2001, B14; New York Times, Dec. 21, 2001, A25.
Cannon, John John Cannon, the president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, died of a heart attack in Cologne, Germany, on June 22, 2001. He was 74. Cannon was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1926. He began his career in broadcasting the mid–1940s, and was the voice of the Fox Movietone newsreels. He served as an announcer on such television series as Your Hit Parade, Studio One, I’ve Got a Secret, You Are There and The Colgate Comedy Hour. He became president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1976. Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2001, B12; Variety, July 9, 2001, 46.
John Cannon Conte Candoli
Obituaries • 2001
56
Cantor, Arthur Broadway producer Arthur Cantor died of a heart attack in Manhattan on April 8, 2001. He was 81. Cantor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 12, 1920. He began his work in theater as a publicity agent for Broadway plays. He began producing in the late 1950s with Paddy Chayefsky’s The Tenth Man. In the early 1960s he produced adaptations of Chayefsky’s Gideon, Tad Mosel’s All the Way Home and Herb Gardner’s A Thousand Clowns. From the 1970s Cantor mainly produced in London and Off-Broadway due to escalating production costs. He financed productions of Harold Pinter’s Hothouse, Private Lives and On Golden Pond, which was later adapted into an Oscar-winning film. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 11, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 10, 2001, B8; Variety, Apr. 16, 2001, 50.
Ivo Caprino
in Oslo on February 17, 1920. He began his career directing commercials and industrial films. In the late 1940s he began creating animated shorts featuring puppet effects including A Doll’s Dream (1952), Music in the Attic (1952), The Constant Tin Soldier (1955), Karius and Baktus (1955), Numbskull Jack and His Helpers (1961), The Fox’s Widow (1962), Seventh Father in the House (1966) and The Boy Who Vied with the Troll (1967). His best known work was the 1975 feature Pinchcliffe Grand Prix. Arthur Cantor
Caprino, Ivo Norwegian film producer, director and puppeteer died of cancer in Oslo, Norway, on February 8, 2001. He was 80. Caprino was born
Carle, Frankie Band leader Frankie Carle died at a Mesa, Arizona, hospice on March 7, 2001. He was 97. He was born Francis Carlone in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 25, 1903. He began playing the piano in his early teens and played with
57
Frankie Carle
bands led by Edwin J. McEnelley, Mal Hallett and Horace Heidt during his career. He stayed with Heidt’s Musical Knights during World War II, despite an offer to lead Eddie Duchin’s band while Duchin served in the Navy. Carle soon headed his own band, recording numerous popular songs. Carle wrote the music for such hits as “Falling Leaves,” “Sunrise Serenade,” “Lovers’ Lullaby” and “Roses in the Rain.” He also appeared in several films and shorts including Riverboat Rhythm (1946), Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1946), Mary Lou (1947), Variety Time (1948), I Surrender Dear (1948), My Dream Is Your (1949), Footlight Varieties (1951) and Champ Butler Sings (1954). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 11, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 10, 2001, A11; Time, Mar. 19, 2001, 21.
2001 • Obituaries (1987), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), House Made of Dawn (1987), Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Chances Are (1989), Dead Poet’s Society (1989) Parenthoood (1989), Sea of Love (1989), Enemies: A Love Story (1989), Jacob’s Ladder (1990), Ghost (1990), Almost an Angel (1990), Scenes from a Mall (1991), Only the Lonely (1991) and Mr. Jones (1993). Carlin received an Emmy Award for his work on the 1987 television mini-series Unnatural Causes. Other television credits include the tele-films In This House of Brede (1975), Rage of Angels: The Story Continues (1986), Angel in Green (1987), April Morning (1988), By Dawn’s Early Light (1990), Flight of Black Angel (1991) and Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story (1992). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 2001, B17; Variety, Aug. 27, 2001, 108.
Carlson, Douglas Character actor Douglas Carlson died in Los Angeles on June 2, 2001. He was 80. Carlson was born in Willmar, Minnesota, in 1921. He began his acting career after serving in the army during World War II. He made his film debut in 1948’s The Adventures of Don Juan with Errol Flynn. Carlson was best known for his television performances, appearing in episodes of Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, The Roaring Twenties, Leave It to Beaver and McHale’s Navy in the 1950s and 1960s. He subsequently left acting to teach, but returned to television in the 1990s to appear in episodes of the sit-coms The Boys Are Back and Townies, with his son, Matthew, as executive producer. Variety, June 14, 2001, 52.
Carlin, Daniel Film and television music editor Daniel Adrian Carlin died of lung cancer at his Carpenteria, California, home on August 14, 2001. He was 73. Carlin founded La Da Productions, later Segue Music, in 1973 to perform post production editing for films. He worked as a music editor on such features as Demon Seed (1977), American Raspberry (1977), Convoy (1978), Hot Stuff (1979), The American Success Company (1979), I, the Jury (1982), Independence Day (1983), The Osterman Weekend (1983), Flashpoint (1984), Let’s Get Harry (1986), Fatal Attraction
Carlson, Maria Theresa Filipino actress Maria Theresa Carlson committed suicide by leaping from the 23rd floor of a Manila condominium building on November 23, 2001. She was 38. The former Maria Theresa Gerodiaz Farinas was a former beauty queen and the wife of Rep. Rodolfo Farinas. A popular performer in television comedies, she starred in the sit-com Chicks to Chicks in the Philippines.
Obituaries • 2001
Maria Theresa Carlson
Carr, James Soul singer James Carr died of cancer in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 7, 2001. He was
58 58. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on June 13, 1942, Carr began his career as a gospel singer with such groups as the Harmony Echoes and the Sunset Travellers. He recorded his first single, “The Word Is Out,” in 1964. He had such hit songs as “(At the) Dark End of the Street,” “You’ve Got My Mind Messed Up” and “Pouring Water on a Drowning Man.” During the 1970s and 1980s Carr’s problems with drugs and depression adversely affected his career. He returned to record several albums in the 1990s including Take Me to the Limit (1991) and Soul Survivor (1993). A collection of his early work, The Essential James Carr, was released in 1995. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2001, B6; New York Times, Jan. 10, 2001 C15; Variety, Jan. 22, 2001, 66.
Carroll, Susette Actress Susette Carroll died in Northridge, California, following a long illness on June 30, 2001. She was 51. Carroll was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1950. She was featured in several tele-films in the late 1970s including The Night They Took Miss Beautiful (1977) and The Users (1978). She also appeared in the films Disco Fever (1978), Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part I (1981) and Prey of the Chameleon (1992).
James Carr
Susette Carroll
59
2001 • Obituaries
Carroll, Tom Actor Tom Carroll died in Hollywood on March 18, 2001. He was 69. Carroll was born in New York City on October 6, 1941. He began his career on the New York stage at the age of nine, appearing in productions of Set it in Troy, Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm and Medea. He made his film debut in 1953’s Violated. He was featured in the 1955 Oscar nominated docu-drama 3rd Avenue El, and appeared in a small role in the 1961 Elvis Presley film Blue Hawaii. Carroll worked for nearly a decade in Hawaii, narrating the NBC radio series Monitor, and the syndicated Aloha Game TV Show. Carroll hosted the 1983 PBS documentary about the popular British science fiction series Doctor Who in America and hosted the syndicated Cable Film Classics with Tom Carroll. He also appeared in the 1994 television series Compromising Situations. He was also featured in the films Wish Me Luck (1995), Shenanigans (1995), Just Add Love (1997) and In Memory of My Father (2001). Carroll starred in the 2001 short film Grandpa’s Zoo.
Carson, Fred Actor and stuntman Fred Carson died in Hollywood, California, on July 31, 2001. He was 77. Carson was born in Texas on November 5, 1923. He was featured in the films The Charge at Feather River (1953) as Chief Thunder Hawk, Son of the Renegade (1953), Wall of Noise (1963), Requiem for a Gunfighter (1965) and Skin Game (1971). He also did stunt work for numerous films including The Las Vegas Story (1952), Viva Zapata! (1952), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), Battle of Apache Pass (1952), The Robe (1953), The Wild One (1954), Dangerous Mission (1954), The Egyptian (1954), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), Sign of the Pagan (1955), Chief Crazy Horse (1955), Man Without a Star (1955), Man from Del Rio (1956), The Ride Back (1957), China Doll (1958), Escort West (1958), Timbuktu (1959), The Big Circus (1959), Guns for San Sebastian (1968), More Dead Than Alive (1969), Once You Kiss a Stranger (1969) and Flap (1970). Carson also worked in television on the tele-films Crosscurrent (1971), Deadly Harvest (1972) and Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977), and such series as
Fred Carson
Tales of Wells Fargo, Branded, Daniel Boone, The Munsters, Wild Wild West, Laredo, The Virginian, Star Trek, It Takes a Thief and Night Gallery.
Cartwright, Peggy Peggy Cartwright, an original star of the Our Gang comedy shorts, died in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on June 13, 2001. She was 88. Cartwright was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on November 14, 1912. A child actress in silent films, she had a small part in 1915’s Birth of a Nation and appeared with Harold Lloyd in 1919’s From Hand to Mouth. She was also seen in the films Love (1920), The Third Generation (1920), Penrod (1922) and Afraid to Fight (1922). She starred as Peggy in the first five Our Gang comedies, Our Gang (1922), One Terrible Day (1922), Fire Fighters (1922), Young Sher-
Peggy Cartwright
Obituaries • 2001 locks (1922) and A Quiet Street (1922). She subsequently appeared in Robin Hood, Jr. (1923), A Lady of Quality (1924), The Iron Horse (1924), and made her final film appearance in 1932’s Magic Night.
60 ries. He also designed makeup for such series as Lost in Space, I Spy, Wild Wild West and Mission: Impossible. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 1, 2001, B18; New York Times, Sept. 3, 2001, B7; Time, Sept. 10, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Sept. 1, 2001, 25c; Variety, Sept. 10, 2001, 76.
Chambers, John Make-up artist John Chambers, who was best known for designing the Oscar-winning make-up for 1968’s Planet of the Apes, died of complications from diabetes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, California, on August 25, 2001. He was 78. Chambers was born in Chicago on September 12, 1923. He began working as a make-up artist with NBC in 1953. Besides working on Planet of the Apes and its sequels, Chambers work was seen in such films as Showdown at Boot Hill (1958), The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), The Human Duplicators (1965), The Mephisto Waltz (1971), Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), Superbeast (1972), SSSSSSS (1973), Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Embryo (1976), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), National Lampoon’s Class Reunion (1982), and the 1976 television production of Beauty and the Beast (1976). Chambers also worked often on television, designing the pointed ears used by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock in the Star Trek se-
John Chambers (receiving his Oscar from Walter Matthau and a chimp).
Champion, Jean French character actor Jean Champion died after a long illness in Chalon-sur-Saone, France, on May 23, 2001. He was 87. Champion was born in Chalon-sur-Saone on March 9, 1914. A popular stage actor in France, Champion was featured in numerous films from the early 1960s. His film credits include Cleo from 5 to 7 (1961), The Longest Day (1962), Muriel (1963), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), The Thief of Paris (1967), The Red Circle (1970), La Cavale (1971), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Day for Night (1973), The Invitation (1973), Luis Bunuel’s The Phantom of Liberty (1974), Special Section (1975),
Jean Champion
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Joseph Losey’s Mr. Klein (1976), March or Die (1977), Drummer-Crab (1977), Le Sucre (1978), Felicite (1979), Clean Slate (1981), The Hatter’s Ghost (1982), Life and Nothing But (1989), I Want to Go Home (1989), Les Anges Gardens (1995) and Roger Vadim’s My Father Was Right (1996). He was also featured on television in the mini-series Smiley’s People (1982), and the tele-films The Blood of Others (1984), The Sun Also Rises (1984) and Maigret and the Burglar’s Wife (1991). Variety, June 4, 2001, 44.
Chandler, Jeffrey Stage and television actor Jeffrey Chandler died of liver failure in Los Angeles, California, on December 19, 2001. He was 56. Chandler was a member of the Guthrie Theater acting troupe from 1973 to 1977, performing in productions of A Christmas Carol as Ebenezer Scrooge, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Waiting for Godot. Chandler also appeared on Broadway in a production of Elizabeth I and was Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar in Los Angeles. He also appeared on television in episodes of Lou Grant, Cop Rock, and ER, where he played a corpse.
Tom Chantrell
Chapman, John British actor and playwright John Roy Chapman died of cancer in Perigueux, France, on September 2, 2001. He was 74. Chapman was
Chantrell, Tom British film poster artist Tom Chantrell died on July 15, 2001. He was 84. Chantrell was born in England on December 20, 1916. He attended the Manchester Art College and began working in advertising in the early 1930s. He soon began illustrating film posters, beginning with 1938’s The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse. After serving with the Royal Engineers during World War II he returned to continue his career as a commercial artist. He designed posters for numerous films including Bus Stop (1956) with Marilyn Monroe, Carry on Cleo (1963), Carry on Jack (1964), One Million Years B.C. (1966), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Hammer’s Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Private Vices and Public Virtues (1975), Eaten Alive (1976), Food of the Gods (1976), Come Play With Me (1977) and George Lucas’ Star Wars (1977). Times (of London), Sept. 12, 2001, 15a. John Chapman
Obituaries • 2001 born in London on May 27, 1927. He began his career on the British stage as an understudy in Brian Rix’s comedy farce Reluctant Heroes in 1950. Chapman soon began to write plays himself, with his first produced play, Dry Rot, running from 1954 until 1958. Chapman also starred in the play and appeared in the 1956 film version. He was also seen in the 1959 screen adaptation of his play The Night We Dropped a Clanger (aka Make Mine a Double). Chapman adapted his play Not Now Darling for the screen in 1973. He also worked often in television, writing the popular comedy Hugh and I from 1962 to 1968. He also adapted P.G. Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle in 1967, and scripted The Liver Birds and Fresh Fields in the 1980s. His other plays include Simple Spymen (1958), My Giddy Aunt (1968), Move Over Mrs. Markham (1969), There Goes the Bride (1973), Shut Your Eyes and Think of England (1977), Key for Two (1982), Look No Hands (1985), Business Affairs (2001), and Deadlier Than the Male, which was scheduled to open in 2002.
62 He was 53. Chapuis was born on January 16, 1948. He served as director of photography for numerous films from the mid–1970s. His credits include Countryman (1982), They Call It an Accident (1982), Sugar Cane Alley (1983), Tea in a Harem (1985), Shoah (1985), Charlotte and Lulu (1985), My Sister’s Keeper (1986), Willy/Milly (1986), Sweet Lies (1988), The Little Thief (1989), Overseas (1990), Veraz (1991), My Life Is Hell (1991), The Last Dive (1992), Friends (1993), Something Fishy (1994), Tsahal (1994), Pax (1994), Bastard Brood (1996), A Visitor from the Living (1997), The Kid from Chaaba (1998), The Kidnappers (1998), People Who Love Each Other (1999), Taking Wing (1999), and Solibor (2001).
Chavis, Boozoo Leading zydeco musician Wilson “Boozoo” Chavis died of a stroke in an Austin, Texas, hospital on May 5, 2001. He was 70. Chavis was born
Chapuis, Dominique French cinematographer Dominique Chapuis died in Paris of cancer on November 4, 2001.
Dominique Chapuis
Boozoo Chavis
63 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on October 23, 1930. He began playing professionally at dance halls in Louisiana in the late 1940s, and recorded the hit song “Paper in My Shoes” in 1954. He quit the music business in the early 1960s, claiming the record companies had cheated him of profits. He returned to music 20 years later in 1984, recording the popular songs “Zydeco Hee Haw” and “Dog Hill.” Chavis led the band The Magic Sounds. Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2001, B9; New York Times, May 7, 2001, B6; People, May 21, 2001, 121; Time, May 21, 2001, 27; Times (of London), May 25, 2001, 23a.
Cherry, Helen British actress Helen Cherry died in London on September 27, 2001. She was 85. Cherry was born in Manchester, England, on November 24, 1915. A leading stage actress, she was also featured in numerous films from the late 1940s. Her credits include The Mark of Cain (1947), The Courtneys of Curzon Street (1947), Adam and Eve-
Helen Cherry
2001 • Obituaries lyne (1949), For Them That Trespass (1949), Operation Disaster (1950), Last Holiday (1950), Her Panelled Door (1951), They Were Not Divided (1950), The Young Wives’ Tale (1951), Castle in the Air (1952), His Excellency (1952), Three Cases of Murder (1955), High Flight (1956), The Devil’s Agent (1961), The Naked Edge (1961), Tomorrow at Ten (1964), Flipper’s New Adventure (1964), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), Hard Contract (1969), 11 Harrowhouse (1974), Conduct Unbecoming (1975), No Longer Alone (1978), Time After Time (1985) and The Girl in a Swing (1989). Cherry was also featured in the 1956 British science fiction television mini-series The Strange World of Planet X, and was featured in the telefilms Nemesis (1987) and A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990). Other television credits include episodes of Colonel March of Scotland Yard, The Invisible Man, Secret Agent and The Professionals. Times (of London), Oct. 2, 2001, 19a.
Chetwynd-Hayes, R. British horror writer R. Chetwynd-Hayes died of bronchial pneumonia in a Teddington,
R. Chetwynd-Hayes
Obituaries • 2001
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South London, care home on March 20, 2001. He was 81. He was born Ronald Henry Glynn Chetwynd-Hayes in Isleworth, West London, on May 30, 1919. He worked as an extra in several films in the late 1930s including A Yank at Oxford (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips(1939), before serving in the military during World War II. He began writing in the early 1950s and authored over 200 short stories and over a dozen novels. His novels include The Man from the Bomb (1959) and The Dark Man (1964), the latter concerning the reputed haunted house Clavering Grange. Several of his short story collections also dealt with the house including Tales of Darkness (1981), Tales from the Other Side (1983) and Tales from the Hidden World (1988). Other novels include The King’s Ghost (1985), The Haunted Grange (1988) and The Psychic Detective (1993). Several of his stories were filmed in the anthology horror films From Beyond the Grave (1973) and The Monster Club (1980).
Christensen, William American ballet dancer and choreographer William Christensen died in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 14, 2001. He was 99. Christensen was born in Brigham City, Utah, on August 27, 1902. He began performing ballet acts on the vaudeville stage in the 1920s and, in the early 1930s, founded a ballet company in Portland, Oregon. Christensen joined the San Francisco Opera Ballet in 1937, and was soon choreographing for the company. In the early 1940s he and his brothers, Lew and Harold, formed the San Francisco Ballet. Christensen was noted for choreographing the first full length United States production of The Nutcracker in 1944. He also choreographed productions of Coppelia and Swan Lake, and created over 50 shorter ballet works. New York Times, Oct. 17, 2001, A19; Times (of London) Nov. 1, 2001, 23a; Variety, Oct. 22, 2001, 100.
Chukhrai, Grigori Russian film director Grigori Chukhrai died of a heart attack in a Moscow hospital on October 28, 2001. He was 80. Chukhrai was born in Melitopol, Ukraine, on March 23, 1921. He stud-
Grigori Chukhrai
ied at the Moscow Cinema Institute before serving as a paratrooper during World War II. After the war Chukhrai resumed his career in films. He helmed the features The Forty-First (1956), Clear Sky (1959), and the critically acclaimed Ballad of a Soldier in 1959. Chukhrai also directed the films The Couple (1965), People! (1966), Memory (1971), Untypical Story (1978), Life Is Beautiful (1979) and I’ll Teach You To Dream (1984). Survivors include his son, director Pavel Chukhrai. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 31, 2001, B11; New York Times, Oct. 30, 2001, D6; Times (of London), Nov. 5, 2001, 19a; Variety, Nov. 5, 2001, 41.
Cigna, Gina Opera singer Gina Cigna died in Milan, Italy, on June 26, 2001. She was 101. She was born Genevieve Cigna in Paris on March 6, 1900. She studied at the Paris Conservatory and, in the early 1920s, began training for opera. She made her debut under the name Genoveffa Sens in a production of Wagner’s Rheingold at the La Scala in 1927. She became a leading dramatic soprano with La Scala, singing lead roles in Don Giovanni,
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Vincent Cipolla
Gina Cigna
Tannhauser and many more over the next decade. She made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in Verdi’s Aida in 1937. She also performed in Trovatore, Norma and Cavalleria Rusticana at the Met. She was best known for her performances in the title roles of Turandot and Tosca. She retired from performing after suffering a heart attack following a performance in 1947. Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2001, B9; Times (of London), July 4, 2001, 15a.
Cipolla, Vincent Character actor Vincent Cipolla died in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 17, 2001. He was 56. Cipolla was born in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, on July 7, 1944. A police officer in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for nearly 25 years, Cipolla began his acting career after retiring from the force in the 1990s. He was featured as Raphael in the televi-
sion series Rough Crossing from 1999 to 2000. He was also seen in the films Jack of Hearts (1999), Play It to the Bone (1999) and Killer’s Mind (1999), and appeared on television in an episode of The X-Files.
Clementelli, Silvio Italian film producer Silvio Clementelli died after a long illness at his Rome home on December 4, 2001. He was 75. Clementelli became involved with the Italian film industry after World War II, working as a scriptwriter and assistant director. He moved into producing in the 1950s and oversaw the making of such films as Defend My Love (1956), Dino Risi’s Poor but Beautiful (1957), Oh! Sabella (1957), Poor Girl, Pretty Girl (1957), Venice, the Moon and You (1958), Policarpo (1958), Violent Summer (1959), The Passionate Thief (1960), Ferdinand I: King of Naples (1960), Sweet Deceptions (1960), Three Nights of Love (1964), Drop Dead, My Love (1966), Night Is Made for Stealing (1967), Sardine: Kidnapped (1968), The Libertine (1969), The Lady of Monza (1969), The Fifth Day of Peace (1969), The Invisible Woman (1969), Diary of a Telephone
Obituaries • 2001 Operator (1969), When Women Had Tails (1970), ’Tis a Pity She’s a Whore (1971), Lovers and Other Relatives (1973), Bambina (1974), Sex Machine (1975), Victory March (1976), Scandal (1976), Beyond Good and Evil (1977), Traffic Jam (1978), A Leap into the Void (1979), I Hate Blondes (180) and The Inquiry (1987). He also produced the 1985 television mini-series Christopher Columbus. Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Clermont, Nicolas Canadian film producer Nicolas Clermont died of cancer at his home in Montreal, Canada, on April 11, 2001. He was 59. Clermont was born in Neuilly, France, in 1942. He began his career in France in the 1960s, working as an assistant producer and director. Clermont moved to Montreal in 1968, where he directed documentaries for television. He co-founded Filmline International in the 1980s. Clermont produced the films Toby McTeague (1986), Riding Fast (1986), Wild
Nicolas Clermont
66 Thing (1987), Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990), A Christmas Story at the Vatican (1991), Armen and Bulik (1992), A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1995), Rainbow (1995), Hollow Point (1995), Silent Trooper (1996), The Peacekeeper (1997), Stitch (1998), This Is My Father (1998), Free Money (1998), Eye of the Beholder (1999), The Art of War (2000) and The Caveman’s Valentine (2001). Clermont also produced The Highlander television series in the 1990s, and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne in 1999. His other television credits include the telefilms Alexander Bell: The Sound and the Silence (1993), Vendetta II: The New Mafia (1993), The Lifeforce Experiment (1994), Young Ivanhoe (1995), Twists of Terror (1996) and Natural Enemy (1997). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 18, 2001, B6; Variety, Apr. 23, 2001, 46.
Cleveland, Missy Amanda “Missy” Cleveland, the Playboy Playmate of the Month for April 1979, died on August 14, 2001. She was 41. She was born in
Missy Cleveland
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2001 • Obituaries
Jackson, Mississippi, on December 25, 1959. After her appearance in Playboy, Cleveland appeared in a small role in the 1981 film Blow Out. She was also seen in several Playboy videos.
Clevenger, Ray Television producer and director Ray Clevenger died of pulmonary failure in Olympia, Washington, on January 17, 2001. He was 80. Clevenger was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1920. He began his career as a musician, playing drums during the big band era. Clevenger began directing musical television specials in the 1960s including Boss City, 9th Street West, HollywoodA-Go-Go and Groovy. He also directed the PBS special Homage to Stravinsky, and received three Emmy Awards for directing specials at the Hollywood Bowl. Clevenger also directed several talk shows in the Los Angeles area, including The Sam Yorty Show and Philbin’s People with Regis Philbin. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 25, 2001, B8. Imogene Coca
Coca, Imogene Leading television comedian Imogene Coca died of natural causes at her home in Westport, Connecticut, on June 2, 2001. She was 92. Coca was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 18, 1908, to vaudeville parents. She began performing with her family at the age of 12 and, by the 1930s, was appearing in Broadway productions. She also appeared in small roles in several films in the 1930s including Bashful Ballerina (1937) and Happyland (1938). She was best known for her teaming with comedian Sid Caesar on television in the early 1950s. The duo first appeared on The Admiral Broadway Revue in 1949 and, the following year, starred in the hit comedy series Your Show of Shows. She earned an Emmy Award in 1951. She split with Caesar to host her own program, The Imogene Coca Show, in 1954. She reunited with Caesar for a shortlived series, Sid Caesar Invites You, in 1958. Coca also starred in the 1963 television sit-com Grindl, and appeared in the films Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963) and Promises! Promises! (1963). She played the female cavewoman Shadd in the 1966
comedy series It’s About Time. She was featured in the 1978 comedy film Rabbit Test and played Granny’s Maw in the 1981 tele-film The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies. She co-starred with comedian Red Skelton in the 1981 television special Freddy the Freeloader’s Christmas Dinner, and starred as the ill-fated Aunt Edna in the comedy film National Lampoon’s Summer Vacation (1983). Coca was also seen in the films Nothing Lasts Forever (1984) and Buy & Cell (1989), and the telefilms Alice in Wonderland (1985) and Papa Was a Preacher (1985). Her numerous television credits also include appearances on The U.S. Steel Hour, The Andy Williams Show, The Carol Burnett Show, Bewitched, Night Gallery, The Brady Bunch, Trapper John, M.D., Mama’s Family, Reading Rainbow and Moonlighting. Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2001, B12; New York Times, Juen 3, 2001, 32; People, June 18, 2001, 71; Time, June 11, 2001, 22; TV Guide, June 30, 2001, 24; Variety, June 11, 2001, 60.
Obituaries • 2001
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Cockcroft, Barry British television filmmaker Barry Cockcroft died in England on February 4, 2001. He was 68. Cockcroft was born in Rochdale, England, on October 4, 1932. He began his career as a journalist before working in television, where he scripted episodes of Coronation Street. In 1968, he joined the newly formed Yorkshire Television. He created over 100 documentaries including Too Long a Winter, featuring the austere Yorkshire life of Hannah Hauxwell. He produced three other documentaries about Hauxwell.
Roger Coggio
Protecteur (1974), Silence … on Tourne (1976), Rue du Depart (1986), Le Journal d’un Fou (1987) and I’m Alive and I Love You (1998). Coggio also directed and scripted several films in the 1970s and 1980s including Les Noces de Porcelaine (1974), Silence … on Tourne (1976), La Belle Emmerdeuse (1977), C’est Encore Loin l’Amerique? (1979), Les Fourberies de Scapin (1981), Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (1982) and La Folle Journee ou Le Mariage de Figaro (1989).
Cole, Ike
Barry Cockcroft
Coggio, Roger French actor Roger Coggio died of cancer at his home in Oise Valley, France, on October 22, 2001. He was 67. Coggio was born in Lyon, France, on March 11, 1934. A leading star of the stage and screen in France, Coggio was featured in such films as Before the Deluge (1954), Sellers of Girls (1957), Give Me My Chance (1957), HitchHike (1962), The Riflemen (1963), Fruits Amers — Soledad (1967), The Immortal Story (1968), Maldonne (1968), The Heist (1969), Belle (1973), Le
Isaac “Ike” Cole, the pianist and composer who was the brother of Nat King Cole, died of cancer in Arizona on April 22, 2001. He was 73. Cole was born in Chicago on July 13, 1927. He formed the Ike Cole Trio in 1957, touring throughout the world. He continued to perform after his brother’s death in 1965. Ike toured with another brother, Freddy, in 1990, and played keyboard for his niece, Natalie Cole, when she recorded the Grammy Award winning album Unforgettable. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 26, 2001, B9; New York Times, Apr. 27, 2001, C13.
Coleman, Charlotte British actress Charlotte Coleman, who was best known for her role as Hugh Grant’s off-beat
69
Isaac “Ike” Cole
girl pal Scarlett in 1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, died of an asthma attack in her London apartment on November 14, 2001. She was 33. Coleman, the daughter of actress Ann Beach, was
Charlotte Coleman
2001 • Obituaries born in London on April 3, 1968. She began acting as a child, starring as Sue on the British children’s television series Worzel Gummidge with Jon Pertwee. She was also featured in the British television series Educating Marmalade (1981), Freddie and Max (1990) and How Do You Want Me? (1998). Coleman also appeared in several British tele-films including Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1990), The Vacillations of Poppy Carew (1995), Oliver’s Travels (1995), Mrs. Hartley and the Growth Centre (1996), Giving Tongue (1996), Shark Hunt (1990), and Love in the 21st Century (1999). She was also seen in episodes of Inspector Morse, The Bill, The Comic Strip Presents, and It’s Only TV … but I Like It. Her film credits also include Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale (1989), Sweet Nothing (1990), Map of the Human Heart (1992), The Young Poisoner’s Handbook (1995), Different for Girls (1996), The Revengers’ Comedies (1998), The Man With Rain in His Shoes (1998), Beautiful People (1999) and Bodywork (1999). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 18, 2001, B18; People, Dec. 3, 2001, 98; Variety, Nov. 26, 2001, 67.
Coleman, Herbert William “Herbert” Coleman, who worked with Alfred Hitchcock as an associate producer and assistant for over a decade, died at a nursing home in Salinas, California, on October 3, 2001. He was 93. Coleman was born in Bluefield, West Virginia, on December 12, 1907. He began working in Hollywood as a truck driver at Paramount in the 1920s. Coleman served as assistant director on several films from the 1940s including California (1946), Calcutta (1947), Copper Canyon (1950), William Wyler’s Roman Holiday (1953) and The Naked Jungle (1954). He began working with Hitchcock in 1954, serving as his assistant director on Rear Window (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955). He became Hitchcock’s associate producer and chief aide on such films as The Trouble with Harry (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959). Coleman also produced the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Alfred Hitchcock Hour in the 1950s and 1960s. In the early 1960s he also directed two films starring Audie Murphy —Battle at Bloody Peace and Posse from Hell— both in 1961.
Obituaries • 2001
70
Perry Como
Herbert Coleman (right, with Alfred Hitchcock).
He also produced the 1960 television series Checkmate and resumed his work with Hitchcock as associate producer on 1969’s Topaz. Coleman retired in 1983. Variety, Oct. 29, 2001, 40.
eral musical films in the 1940s including Something for the Boys (1944), Doll Face (1945), If I’m Lucky (1946) and Words and Music (1948). He was host of The Chesterfield Supper Club on television from 1948 to 1950, and headlined The Perry Como Show from 1950 to 1961. He earned several Emmy awards for his performances. Como hosted The Kraft Music Hall from 1961 to 1963. He continued to star on several television specials a year, including a Christmas show, through the 1980s. Los Angles Times, May 13, 2001, B12; New York Times, May 13, 2001, 33; People, May 28, 2001, 65; Time, May 21, 2001, 27; Times (of London), May 14, 2001, 17a; Variety, May 21, 2001, 64.
Como, Perry Singer Perry Como died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, on May 12, 2001. He was 88. Como was born in Canonsberg, Pennsylvania, on May 18, 1912. Como worked as a barber before he began singing with big bands in the 1930s. He had his first major hit, “Till the End of Time,” in 1945. Numerous other hit songs followed including “Prisoner of Love,” “If I Loved You,” “Papa Loves Mambo,” “Catch a Falling Star” and “Hot Diggity.” He was featured in sev-
Connally, Merrill Merrill Lee Connally, Sr., the brother of former Texas governor John Connally who appeared in several early Steven Spielberg films, died of lung cancer at his ranch outside Floresville, Texas, on September 4, 2001. He was 80. Connally was born in Floresville on April 9, 1921. A politician in his own right, he served as a leading aide to his brother, John, who was seriously wounded in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in
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2001 • Obituaries
Merrill Connally (as Davy Crockett from Alamo: The Price of Freedom).
November of 1963. John Connally later served as Secretary of the Treasury and was a candidate for the presidency before his death in 1993. Merrill Connally also served as a judge in Wilson County in the late 1950s. In 1974 he was cast as Vern Looby in Steven Spielberg’s film Sugarland Express. He subsequently turned down the role of the Amity Island mayor in Spielberg’s Jaws, but again worked with the director as the Team Leader in 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Connally was also seen in the 1979 telefilm The Girls in the Office and was Davey Crockett in 1988’s Alamo: The Price of Freedom. He was featured in the 1991 tele-film Wild Texas Wind and the 1991 feature Rush. His last role was in the 1994 mini-series John Jakes’ Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III.
Connolly, Megan Australian actress Megan Connolly died of a drug overdose on September 6, 2001, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was 27. Connolly was born on April 9, 1974. She was best known for her debut role in the film The Crossing with Russell Crowe in 1990. She also starred in the Australian television series Paradise Beach as Tori Hayden in 1993, and was Lily in the television series Breakers in 1999. Connolly also hosted the morning children’s show The Zone and was a V-Jay for the Foxtel music channel V in the 1990s.
Megan Connolly
Converse, Peggy Actress Peggy Converse died at her Los Angeles home on March 2, 2001. She was 95. Converse was born in Oregon City, Oregon, on April 3, 1905. She began her career on stage in Los Angeles while in her teens. She soon became a leading stage actress on Broadway in such productions as Infernal Machine and Comedy of Good and Evil. She was also featured in over a dozen films during her career including The Girl of the Limberlost (1945), Just Before Dawn (1946), The Brute Man (1946), Railroaded! (1947), Rusty Leads the Way (1948), The Devil’s Henchmen (1949), Father Is a Bachelor (1950), The Family Secret (1951), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), They Rode West (1954), Drum Beat (1954), Day of the Bad Man (1958), Voice in the Mirror (1958) and The Thing That Couldn’t Die (1958). She was also active in television, appearing in episodes of Perry Mason, The Ropers and This Is the Life, and on the daytime soap operas Days of Our Lives, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. She also appeared in the 1978 tele-film Cops and Robin and
Obituaries • 2001
72 Island (1967) and The Blood Beast Terror (1967) with Peter Cushing. Cooke was a familiar face on British television, starring as Aunt Lucy in the 1976 series Happy Ever After and as Mrs. Vance in 1981’s Tenko. She also starred as Miss Cooper in Century Falls in 1993, and was featured in television productions of Oliver Twist (1984), Fortunes of War (1987), The Endless Game (1990) and A Perfect Hero (1992). Her other television credits include episodes of Public Eye, Only Fools and Horses, Casualty, Chelmsford 123 and Frank Stubbs Promotes.
Coombs, Ernie
Peggy Converse
emerged from retirement to take a role in 1988’s The Accidental Tourist. She was married to actor Don Porter for 53 years until his death in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 17, 2001, B7; New York Times, Mar. 19, 2001, B6.
Cooke, Beryl
Canadian television personality Ernie Coombs died of a stroke in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 18, 2001. He was 73. Coombs was born in Lewiston, Maine, on November 26, 1927. He was best known as the host of the Canadian children’s program Mr. Dressup. Accompanied by his puppet friends Casey and Finnegan, Chester the Crow, Truffles Granny and Annie, and Lorenzo the Raccoon, Mr. Dressup aired from February of 1967 until 1996. Coombs also performed numerous live shows throughout Canada. Variety, Oct. 1, 2001, 125.
British character actress Beryl Cooke died in London on August 21, 2001. She was 94. She was featured in British films from the 1950s, appearing in Lovers, Happy Lovers! (1954), Conflict of Wings (1954), The Crooked Sky (1957), The Monster of Highgate Ponds (1961), The Ghost of Monk’s
Beryl Cooke
Ernie Coombs
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2001 • Obituaries
Cooper, Susan Songwriter Susan Jack Cooper died of emphysema in San Diego, California, on March 31, 2001. She was 54. Cooper was born in Philadelphia in 1946. She began her career writing plays before joining the writing staff of the Captain Kangaroo television series for two years. Cooper later worked as a writer for People magazine. She and her brother, David Jack, created six albums of children’s songs. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 2001, B4.
Susan Cooper
Coralluzzo, Dennis Independent wrestling promoter Dennis A. Coralluzzo died in New Jersey on July 30, 2001, after going into a coma due to bleeding on the brain. He was 48. Coralluzzo was associated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as a promoter and board member for many years. He began working in the wrestling business in the mid–1980s, and remained a fixture in New Jersey wrestling throughout his life.
Corso, Gregory Gregory Corso, a leading poet in the Beat movement, died of prostate cancer at his home in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, on January 17, 2001. He was 70. Corso was born in New York City on March 26, 1930. He spent a troubled childhood,
Dennis Coralluzzo
often in foster homes or jail. It was while in jail in his teens that he became an avid reader. It was in the early 1950s that Corso, after meeting poet Allen Ginsberg, began his rise as a major literary figure. His early poetry was published in the Harvard Advocate, and his play, In This Hung-Up Age, was performed in 1955. Corso moved to San Francisco the following year, where his early collection, Gasoline, was published. He wrote a novel, The American Express, in 1961, and published 13 volumes of poetry during his literary career. His works include The Happy Birthday of Death (1960), The Geometric Poem (1966), Elegiac Feelings American (1970) and Herald of the Autochtonic Spirit (1981). He also authored, with Ginsberg, The Literary Evolution in America. Corso was featured in several independent films
Obituaries • 2001
Gregory Corso
in the 1960s including Couch (1964), Wholly Communion (1965) and Me and My Brother (1968). He also had a small part in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1990 film The Godfather, Part III. Los Angeles Times, Jan 19, 2001, B7; New York Times, Jan. 19, 2001, C10; Time, Jan. 29, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Jan. 22, 2001, 19a.
74 tasy classic The Wizard of Oz, died after a long illness in a Niagara Falls hospital on February 7, 2001. He was 86. He was born in Castrogiovanni, Italy, on March 20, 1916, and accompanied his family to Buffalo, New York, as an infant. After his role in The Wizard of Oz, Cottonaro continued to appear in a handful of films. He reportedly played Cheetah in one of the Tarzan films and was seen in Maisie (1939), My Gal Sal (1942), Lady in the Dark (1944), Invaders from Mars (1953) as a mutant, and The Court Jester (1956). Cottonaro was also a prominent restaurateur in the Niagara Falls area until his retirement in 1981.
Craig, Johnny Johnny Craig, one of the leading artists for EC Comics’ horror line in the 1950s, died in September of 2001. He was 75. Craig was born in Pleasantville, New York, on April 25, 1926. He began working in comics in the late 1930s and,
Cottonaro, Thomas J. Thomas J. Cottonaro, one of the few surviving actors to play Munchkins in the 1939 fan-
Thomas J. Cottonaro (with his wife).
Johnny Craig’s cover art from “Crime SuspenStories”
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2001 • Obituaries
Johnny Craig
after serving in the merchant marines during World War II, was an artist at Lev Gleason, Fox and ME comic companies. He joined EC comics in 1950, where he worked on such titles as Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Two-Fisted Tales, Crypt of Terror, Crime Suspenstories and Haunt of Fear. Craig left comics to work as a commercial artist once EC folded. He returned to the field in the 1960s, working at A.C.G. comics and on Warren’s Creepy and Eerie comic magazines. In the late 1960s he began a long run on Marvel’s Iron Man. He also worked on Marvel’s Daredevil, Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tower of Shadows, and DC’s House of Mystery, The Unexpected and Doorway to Nightmare.
Craig, Phyllis British actress Phyllis Craig died of cancer at a Las Vegas hospice on January 10, 2001. She was 74. Craig was born in London on August 5, 1926, the daughter of actor Charles Robert Biggs. She began performing on stage at the age of four. She was featured in numerous productions of Shakespeare in England and appeared on Broadway topless in the hit play Scuba Duba. During the 1970s Craig operated the Royal Court Repertory, where she directed and wrote over 20 murder mysteries. She was also a popular performer in Las Vegas, where she had lived since 1991.
Phyllis Craig
Crispin, Janine French actress Janine Crispin died in Paris on June 18, 2001. She was 90. Crispin was born in Paris in 1911. She appeared on screen from the early 1930s in such films as Bariole (1932), Grandeur and Decadence (1937), From Top to Bottom (1933), La Chanson de Tadieu (1934), Tarass Boulba (1935), Second Bureau (1936), The Secret of Polichinelle (1936), Les Reprouves (1936), Moutonnet (1936), Nostalgie (1937), My Life with Caroline (1941), The Constant Nymph (1943), They Are Not Angels (1946), Au Grand Balcon (1949) and Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1955). Crispin was also seen on French television in the 1972 series La Demoiselle d’Avignon, and the mini-series Illusions Perdues (1966), Les Boussardel (1972) and Les Rois Maudits (1972).
Crosland, Alan, Jr. Television director Alan Crosland, Jr., died in Palm Springs, California, on December 18, 2001. He was 83. The son of director Alan Crosland, he began working in films as an editor in the 1940s. He edited such features as The Very Thought of You (1944), Pillow to Post (1945),
Obituaries • 2001 Deception (1946), The Unfaithful (1947), Silver River (1948), The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), Task Force (1949), Young Man with a Horn (1950), The Flame and the Arrow (1950), The Breaking Point (1950), Operation Pacific (1951), Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951), Come Fill the Cup (1951), Room for One More (1952), The Iron Mistress (1952), The Winning Team (1952), The Jazz Singer (1952), Blowing Wild (1953), Vera Cruz (1954), Apache (1954), The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and All Mine to Give (1957). During the 1950s and 1960s Crosland was a prolific television director, helming episodes of such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Northwest Passage, Maverick, Colt .45, Peter Gunn, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Lawman, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Twilight Zone, Men into Space, Mr. Lucky, Checkmate, Ben Casey, The Outer Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Combat, Wild Wild West, T.H.E. Cat, Garrison’s Gorillas, Adam-12, The D.A., Hondo, Emergency!, The Sixth Sense, Tarzan, The Gemini Man, Chase, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Cliff hangers, MacGyver, and Automan. He also directed the film Natchez Trace (1960) and Fury River (1961).
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Michael Cuccione
Cuccione, Michael Actor and singer Michael Cuccione died of complications from Hodgkin’s disease in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on January 13, 2001. He was 16. Cuccione was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, on January 5, 1985. Suffering from Hodgkin’s disease from childhood, Cuccione played a youngster with a fatal disease in a 1997 episode of Baywatch. In 2000 Cuccione starred as Jason “Q.T.” McKnight on the MTV comedy series spoofing the boy band craze, 2gether. The faux band recorded two albums and were an opening act for Britney Spears. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 18, 2001, B8; People, Feb. 5, 2001, 103; Variety, Jan. 22, 2001, 66.
Cuidera, Chuck Comic artist Chuck Cuidera died on August 25, 2001. He was 86. Cuidera was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1915. Graduating from
Chuck Cuidera
Pratt Institute in 1939, Cuidera soon began drawing comics for Victor Fox, and was instrumental in the creation of the Blue Beetle. In the early 1940s he began working at Quality Comics, where he was a creator for the long-running Blackhawk comic, which made its debut in Military Comics #1 in 1941. He drew the Blackhawk comic for a year before he was called into service
77 during World War II. After the war he returned to Quality where resumed working on Blackhawk as an inker to Reed Crandall. Cuidera also served as art director for the Quality line. After Blackhawk was sold to DC comics in the mid–1950s, Cuidera continued to ink the comic, then drawn by Dick Dillon, until 1967. He worked on several other DC comics including The Brave and the Bold and Hawkman before leaving the field in 1970.
Cummings, Cookie S. Kim Robinson, who wrestled professionally as Cookie S. Cummings, was killed in a motorcycle acccident on August 11, 2001. She was 34. A professional wrestler for the past four years, she was also known in the ring as Rockin’ Robin. She wrestled with the New Mid-South Wrestling, and teamed in mixed tag matches with Tommy Rich.
2001 • Obituaries
Cushman, Dan Novelist Dan Cushman died of heart failure in Great Falls, Montana, on September 29, 2001. He was 92. Cushman was born in Marion, Michigan, on June 9, 1909. He was best known for his 1953 novel, Stay Away, Joe, that was adapted into a film starring Elvis Presley in 1968. Cushman authored numerous books set in exotic locations around the globe. Another of his novels, Timberjack, was filmed in 1955. His other works include the short fictions Seekers of the Glittering Fetish (1945), Black Mahogany (1946), Jackal Kill (1946), Safari for Satan’s Diamonds (1946), Five Suns to Angola! (1947), Red Moon of Monkoto (1947), Kraal of the Walking Dead (1948), The Sorcerer of Kambara (1948), Voodoo Fangs (1948), Swamp Fetish (1949), Strange Safari (1950) and Escape from Zumongo (1953). New York Times, Oct. 2, 2001, D14.
Dan Cushman
Cookie S. Cummings
Obituaries • 2001
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Dagmar
Dan, Ikuma
Television personality Dagmar died at her Ceredo, West Virginia, home on October 9, 2001. She was 79. Dagmar was born Virginia Ruth Egnor in Huntington, West Virginia, on November 29, 1926. Changing her name to Jenny Lewis, she began her career on the New York stage in small parts in the mid–1940s. The statuesque blonde became a regular on Jerry Lester’s Broadway Open House television talk show in 1950. Under the name Dagmar, she played the stereotypical sexy dumb blonde. She hosted her own short-lived late night television series, Dagmar’s Canteen, in 1952, and was a panelist on the quiz show Masquerade Party from 1955 to 1956. She was one of the most prominent performers on early television, but her career largely faded away after the mid–1950s. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 11, 2001, B12; New York Times, Oct. 11, 2001, A23; Variety, Oct. 15, 2001, 92.
Japanese composer Ikuma Dan died of heart failure in a Suchou, China, hospital on May 17, 2001. He was 77. Dan was born in Japan on April 7, 1924. He attended the Tokyo Academy of Music and joined the Japanese public broadcasting system as a composer following his graduation in 1946. He composed his first opera, Yuzuru, in 1932. Dan also worked in films, composing scores for over 20 during his career. His film credits include Vacuum Zone (1952), Sword for Hire (1952), The Mistress (1953), A Billionaire (1954), The Legend of Musashi (1954), Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955), Madame White Snake (1956), Duel on Ganryu Island (1956), Snow Country (1957), The Ricksha Man (1958), Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender (1959), Saga of the Vagabonds (1959), The Angry Sea (1960), The Country Doctor (1960), The Last War (1961), The Youth and His Amulet (1961), I Bombed Pearl Harbor (1962), Attack Squadron! (1963), Madame Aki (1963), The Rabble (1964) and Retreat from Kiska (1965). Variety, May 21, 2001, 64.
Ikuma Dan Dagmar
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2001 • Obituaries
Daneman, Paul
Danet, Jean
British actor Paul Daneman died in London on April 28, 2001. He was 75. Daneman was born in London on October 29, 1925. Daneman was featured in the films Time Without Pity (1956), Peril for the Guy (1956), Fun at St. Fanny’s (1956), The Fourth Square (1960), The Clue of the New Pin (1960), Locker Sixty-Nine (1962), Zulu (1964), How I Won the War (1967) and Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) as Czar Nicholas. He was featured often on British television, notably as Commander Ryan in the 1970s drama Spy Trap. He also starred in such series as An Age of Kings, Corrigan Blake, Not in Front of the Children, Never a Cross Word, and Stay with Me ’Till Morning. He also appeared in television productions of Two Gentlemen of Verona (1983), Antigone (1984), Hold the Dream (1986), Roman Holiday (1987), The Little Match Girl (1987), John Le Carre’s A Perfect Spy (1987), Tears in the Rain (1988), Judith Krantz’s Till We Meet Again (1989), Blore M.P. (1989) and GBH (1991), and guest starred in episodes of The Invisible Man, Danger Man, Out of the Unknown, The Saint, Journey to the Unknown, Blake’s Seven and The Professionals. Times (of London), Apr. 30, 2001, 17a.
French actor Jean Danet died in Paris on October 15, 2001. He was 77. Danet was born on January 14, 1924. A popular French film star from the 1950s, Danet was best known for his role as Captain Phoebus in the 1956 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Anthony Quinn. Danet was also seen in the films Diary of a Country Priest (1950), Deburau (1951), Captain Ardant (1952), The Night Is Ours (1953), Give ’Em Hell (1954), Napoleon (1955), Bel Ami (1955), La Gardonne (1957), The Gambler (1958), Long Live Henry IV … Long Live Love (1961), Secret File 1413 (1961), Trap for the Assassin (1966) and The Big Carnival (1983).
Paul Daneman
Tom Dardis
Dardis, Tom Film and literary biographer Tom Dardis died of respiratory failure in a New York City hospital on November 2, 2001. He was 78. Dardis was born in New York in 1923. He began working at Berkley Books, serving as editor in chief from 1952 to 1971. He was the author of a critically acclaimed work on Hollywood screenwriters, Some Time in the Sun: The Hollywood Years
Obituaries • 2001
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of F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Nathanael West, Aldous Huxley and James Agee (1976). He also authored biographies of silent film comedians Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 2001, B12; New York Times, Nov. 14, 2001, A21.
Darion, Joe Lyricist Joe Darion died in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on June 16, 2001. He was 90. Darion was born in New York City on January 30, 1911. He wrote such hit songs as “Changing Partners,” “Ricochet” and Red Button’s “The Ho-Ho Song” in the 1950s. Darion and his partner Mitch Leigh composed the music for the Tony Award– winning Broadway play Man of La Mancha in the mid–1960s. Based on Cervantes’ Don Quixote, the musical was adapted into a film with Peter O’Toole in 1972. Darion’s first Broadway musical, Shinbone Alley, was also adapted to film in 1971. Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2001, B12; New York Times, June 19, 2001, A21; People, July 2, 2001, 125; Variety, June 25, 2001, 66.
Davis, Crash Former professional baseball player Lawrence “Crash” Davis died of cancer at his Greensboro, North Carolina, home on August 31, 2001. He was 82. Davis was born in Canon, Georgia, on July 14, 1919. He played baseball with Duke University in the late 1930s and spent two years with the Philadelphia Athletics after college in the early 1940s. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he returned to baseball with the minor league Durham Bulls until his retirement in 1952. He achieved a measure of fame in 1988 when Kevin Costner’s character in the film Bull Durham was named for Davis. In 1994 he played the role of outfielder Wahoo Sam Crawford in the film Cobb starring Tommy Lee Jones. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 4, 2001, B11; New York Times, Sept. 4, 2001, C11.
Crash Davis
Davis, “Maniac” Mike Professional wrestler “Maniac” Mike Davis died of a heart attack in Granbury, Texas, on December 25, 2001. He was 46. Davis was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 2, 1955. He began wrestling in 1977 and teamed with Mike Rotundo to hold the U.S. Tag Team Title in Florida in 1984. He was a founding member of the Rock ’n’ Roll RPMs, wrestling with Tommy Lane and, later, Tom Burton during the 1980s. He and Lane held the WWC Tag Team Title in Puerto Rico in March of 1986. They also held several other tag team belts. In the early 1990s he wrestled in Global as the Viper. After his unmasking in May of 1992, he wrestled as Maniac Mike Davis. He later tag teamed with his brother, Tom Davis.
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2001 • Obituaries
Maurice de Bevere
Maniac Mike Davis (left, with Brandon Baxter).
de Bevere, Maurice Belgian cartoonist Maurice de Bevere died in Brussels, Belgium, on July 16, 2001. He was 77. De Bevere was born in Coutrai, Belgium, on December 1, 1923. He began his career as a cover illustrator for the humor magazine Le Moustique in the mid–1940s. De Bevere, who usually signed his work under the pen name of Morris, was best known for creating the cartoon gunfighter Lucky Luke in 1947. The character was featured in the comic magazine Spirou, and over thirty volumes of collections were compiled during its run. From the mid–1950s de Bevere worked with scripter Rene Goscinny, until the latter’s death in 1977. Lucky Luke was featured in an animated cartoon series from Hanna-Barbera and several animated films including 1971’s Daisy Town. Times (of London), July 21, 2001, 27c.
on February 20, 2001. She was 90. DeCamp was born in Prescott, Arizona, on November 14, 1910. She began her career in films in the early 1940s, appearing in Hold Back the Dawn (1941), Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941), Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book (1942), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) as Jimmy Cagney’s mother, Smith of Minnesota
DeCamp, Rosemary Actress Rosemary DeCamp died of complications from pneumonia in Torrance California,
Rosemary DeCamp
Obituaries • 2001 (1942), Eyes in the Night (1942), This Is the Army (1942) with Ronald Reagan, Commandos Strike at Dawn (1943), City Without Men (1943), Practically Yours (1944), The Merry Monahans (1944), Bowery to Broadway (1944), Blood on the Sun (1945), Pride of the Marines (1945), Rhapsody in Blue (1945) as Momma Gershwin, Too Young to Know (1945), Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), Danger Signal (1945), Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946), From This Day Forward (1946), Nora Prentiss (1947), Night Unto Night (1949) with Ronald Reagan, The Story of Seabiscuit (1949) and Look for the Silver Lining (1949). DeCamp starred as Peg Riley in the television sit-com The Life of Riley with Jackie Gleason from 1949 to 1950, and was Margaret MacDonald in Love That Bob (aka The Bob Cummings Show) in 1955. She also continued to appear in such films as The Big Hangover (1950), Treasure of Lost Canyon (1951), On Moonlight Bay (1951), Night Into Morning (1951), Scandal Sheet (1952), So This Is Love (1953), Main Street to Broadway (1953), By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953), Many Rivers to Cross (1955), Strategic Air Command (1955), Man on a Bus (1955) and William Castle’s 13 Ghosts (1960). She was also featured in the television series That Girl as Helen Marie, Marlo Thomas’ mother, from 1966 to 1971, and was Aunt Helen on Petticoat Junction in 1968. DeCamp was featured in the 1978 tele-film The Time Machine. Her final film credits include the horror film spoof Saturday the 14th (1981) and A Chip of Glass Ruby (1983). DeCamp’s other television credits include episodes of Rawhide, The Beverly Hillbillies, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, Longstreet, The Partridge Family, Mannix, The Rockford Files, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, B.J. and the Bear, St. Elsewhere and Murder, She Wrote. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22, 2001, B8; New York Times, Feb. 22, 2001, A23; TV Guide, Mar. 31, 2001, 8; Variety, Feb. 26, 2001, 59.
DeCarlo, Dan Cartoonist Dan DeCarlo, who created the characters Sabrina, the teenage witch, and Josie and the Pussycats, died of pneumonia in New York on December 18, 2001. He was 82. DeCarlo was born in New Rochelle, New York, on December 12, 1919. He began working in comics after World War II, working with Stan Lee at
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Dan DeCarlo
Timely on such teen comics as Jeannie, Millie the Model and My Friend Irma. He subsequently joined Archie Comics, drawing such Bob Montana created characters as Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the gang at Riverdale High. He created the character of Josie, who was named after his wife, at Archie. The character headed a rock group in the 1960s, Josie and the Pussycats. The popular series later became a CBS cartoon series and, in 2001, a live-action film version was released. DeCarlo also worked on The Archies cartoon series in the 1960s. He also created, with George Gladir, Sabrina the Teenage Witch in the 1960s, which later became a popular television series starring Melissa Joan Hart. After 40 years with Archie Comics, DeCarlo was fired in the 1990s after pursuing legal rights to his characters. He subsequently worked on such comics as The Simpsons, Scooby Doo and DC’s Harley Quinn. DeCarlo was planning two new books, Lower East Side and Jessica and the Bunnygirls, at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 2001, B13; New York Times, Dec. 23, 2001, A23; Time, Jan 14, 2002, 17.
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De Cordova, Fred Fred De Cordova, the longtime producer of television’s The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, died at a Los Angeles hospital on September 15, 2001. He was 90. De Cordova was born in Manhattan on October 27, 1910. He began directing productions for the Shubert theatrical empire after graduating from Harvard Law School. De Cordova went to Hollywood in the mid– 1940s where he began directing films with 1945’s Too Young to Know. He also directed Her Kind of Man (1946), That Way with Women (1947), Love and Learn (1947), Always Together (1948), For the Love of Mary (1948), Wallflower (1948), The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948), Illegal Entry (1949), The Gal Who Took the West (1949), Buccaneer’s Girl (1950), Peggy (1950), The Desert Hawk (1950), Katie Did It (1951), Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) with Ronald Reagan, Little Egypt (1951), Finders Keepers (1951), Yankee Buccaneer (1952), Here Come the Nelsons (1952), Bonzo Goes to College (1952) and Column South (1953). He
Fred De Cordova
2001 • Obituaries primarily worked in television from the 1950s, producing and directing such series as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Jack Benny Program, December Bride and Mr. Adams and Eve. He also directed episodes of the series My Three Sons, The Farmer’s Daughter and To Rome with Love. De Cordova also helmed two final films in the 1960s, I’ll Take Sweden (1965) with Bob Hope, and Frankie and Johnny (1966) with Elvis Presley. In 1970 he took over as executive producer of The Tonight Show. He remained with Johnny Carson for 22 years before retiring in 1992. De Cordova authored his autobiography, Johnny Come Lately, in 1988. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 17, 2001, B7; New York Times, Sept. 18, 2001, C14; People, Oct. 8, 2001, 145; Time, Oct. 8, 2001, 21; TV Guide, Oct. 6, 2001, 5;p Variety, Sept. 24, 2001, 82.
Del Rubio, Elena Elena Del Rubio, a member of the singing group the Del Rubio Triplets, died of cancer in Los Angeles on March 19, 2001. She was 80. With sisters Milly and Eadie, Elena performed for over 60 years. They became well known in the 1980s with their appearance on Pee-wee Herman’s Christmas Special in 1988. They made their album
Elena Del Rubio (center, with sisters Milly and Eadie).
Obituaries • 2001 debut with 1988’s Three Gals, Three Guitars. Subsequent albums include Whip It and 1996’s Jingle Belles. They were also seen on television in episodes of Married … with Children, The Golden Girls, Night Court, Full House and Sliders, and the 1990 tele-film Mother Goose Rock ’n’ Rhyme. They also appeared in the films Bank Robber (1993) and Twin Sitters (1994). Elena is survived by sister Milly. Eadie died in 1996. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 24, 2001, B7.
de Ossorio, Amando
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Derbyshire, Delia British film and television composer and arranger Delia Derbyshire died of kidney failure in England on July 3, 2001. She was 64. Derbyshire was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England, on May 5, 1937. She began working with the BBC in 1960 and soon began working with the Radiophonic Workshop division. She was best known for arranging composer Ron Grainer’s score for the British cult science fiction series Doctor Who. She utilized electronic musical scores for other BBC programs and documentaries, and also worked on the films Work Is
Spanish film director and writer Amando de Ossorio died in January of 2001. He was 83. De Ossorio was born in Portugal in 1918. He began his film career as an actor in the 1952 crime thriller Ultimo Dia. He subsequently worked as an assistant director on 1954’s North Wind, and was special effects director for 1963’s Medusa Against the Son of Hercules. He began directing films in the late 1960s and was best known for helming the Blind Dead horror films in Spain. His film credits also include Fangs of the Living Dead (1968), Canadian Wilderness (1969), Tomb of the Blind Dead (1972), The Return of the Evil Dead (1973), Night of the Sorcerers (1973), Demon Witch Child (1974), When the Screaming Stops (1974), Night of the Seagulls (1975), Horror of the Zombies (1977) and The Sea Serpent (1984).
Amando de Ossorio (right, with a Templar Knight zombie).
Delia Derbyshire
85 a Four Letter Word (1967), The Legend of Hell House (1973) and One of These Days (1974). She largely retired from composing in the mid–1970s. Times (of London), July 23, 2001, 17a.
de Renzy, Alex Adult film director Alex de Renzy died of complications from diabetes and a stroke in a San Fernando Valley, California, hospital on June 8, 2001. He was 66. De Renzy was born in New York City on August 13, 1935. A pioneer adult film maker from the 1960s, de Renzy was sometimes credited as Rex Borski. His film credits include Pornography in Denmark (1970), A History of the Blue Movie (1970), Lady Freaks (1973), Femmes de Sade (1976), Pretty Peaches (1978), The Big Thrill (1984), The Ghostess with the Mostess (1988), Steamy Windows (1990), Party Doll (1990), Grand Prix Fever (1992) and Virgin Dreams (1996).
2001 • Obituaries
de Rochemont, Louis, III Film director Louis de Rochemont III died of complications from diabetes at his home near Oslo, Norway, on July 11, 2001. He was 70. He was born in New York City in 1930, the son of acclaimed director Louis de Rochemont. The younger de Rochemont was best known for his 1958 documentary film Windjammer. Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2001, B14; New York Times, Aug. 1, 2001, A15.
Desmond, Patrick Character actor Patrick Desmond died of liver cancer at a Los Angeles hospital on April 7, 2001. He was 63. Desmond was born in Detroit in 1938. He began his career on stage and appeared on Canadian television in the late 1950s. Desmond made his film debut in 1959’s Ivy League Killers. He was a popular performer on the New York stage during the 1960s, appearing in productions of Our Town, The Threepenny Opera and The Front Page. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, where he was featured in the film The Lay of the Land (1997) and the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. He was also seen in the television series Manhattan, AZ. Variety, June 18, 2001, 52.
de Valois, Ninette
Alex de Renzy (with his wife).
Ninette de Valois, a leading ballerina and choreographer, died in London, England, on March 8, 2001. She was 102. De Valois was born Edris Stannus in Baltiboys, County Wicklow, Ireland, on June 6, 1898. She began dancing after accompanying her family to England in the early 1900s. She became a leading dancer in England, joining Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe in 1923. She quit dancing to become director of choreography at Abbey Theatre and the Old Vic Theatre in 1926. She founded the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School five years later. De Valois was also the founder of The Royal Ballet. A noted choreographer, her best known works include Job (1931), The Rake’s Progress (1935) and Checkmate (1937). She was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1951 and retired in 1963. De Valois also wrote the books
Obituaries • 2001
86 Invitation to the Ballet (1937) and Come Dance with Me (1957). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 9, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 9, 2001, B8; Time, Mar. 19, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Mar. 9, 2001, 27a.
Dever, Sean Special effects artist Sean Dever died at his Los Angeles home on April 13, 2001. He was 32. Dever was born on March 9, 1969. He began working in films in 1993 with Boss Film Studios, serving as a special effects and computer graphics designer for such films as Double Dragon (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994), True Lies (1994), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Speechless (1994), Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), Waterworld (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Batman & Robin (1997), Flubber (1997), Armageddon (1998), Sphere (1998) and My Favorite Martian (1999). Variety, May 14, 2001, 73.
de Vere, Alison Illustrator and animator Alison de Vere died in Cornwall, England, on January 2, 2001. She was 73. She was born in Peshwar, Pakistan, on September 16, 1927, the daughter of a British sol-
Ninette de Valois
Alison de Vere
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2001 • Obituaries
dier. The family returned to England several years after her birth. De Vere studied art and began working with the Halas and Batchelor Studio in 1951. She joined the Guild Television Services in 1957 and crated the short animated film Two Faces in 1960. She worked on various productions during the 1960s and 1970s, including the 1968 Beatles’ film Yellow Submarine. From the 1970s she created such animated shorts as Cafe Bar (1975), Mr. Pascal (1979), The Black Dog (1987) and Psyche and Eros (1994).
Devi, Chhaya Indian actress Chhaya Devi died in a Calcutta nursing home on April 27, 2001. Devi was born in Bhagalpur, India. She began appearing in films in the 1930s, starring in 1936’s Sonar Sansir. Other leading films include Haar Jeet (1940), Samadhan (1943), Era Bator Sur (1955), Raat Bhore (1956), Abasheshe (1962), Nirjan Saikate (1963), Hatey Bazarey (1967) and Apanjain (1968).
Dexter, Anthony Actor Anthony Dexter died in Greeley, Colorado, on March 27, 2001. He was 88. He was born Walter Craig in Talmadge, Nebraska, on January 19, 1913. He performed with the Army Special Services during World War II, and appeared on Broadway in productions of The Barretts of Wimpole Street and Ah, Wilderness! after the war. He broke into films because of his resemblance to silent screen idol Rudolf Valentino, starring in the 1951 bio-film Valentino. Dexter continued to star in such films as The Brigand (1952), Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953), Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954), The Black Pirates (1954), Fire Maidens of Outer Space (1956), He Laughed Last (1956), The Story of Mankind (1957) as Christopher Columbus, The Parson and the Outlaw (1957) as Billy the Kid, Twelve to the Moon (1960), Three Blondes in His Life (1960), The Phantom Planet (1961), Married Too Young (1962) and Saturday Night in Apple Valley (1965). Dexter also appeared on television in episodes of 26 Men, The Gay Cavalier, Rawhide, Bat Masterson and The High Chaparral. He retired
Anthony Dexter (with Susan Shaw from Fire Maidens from Outer Space).
from films after appearing with Julie Andrews in the 1967 musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. He subsequently retired to Colorado, where he taught public speaking and drama at a local high school. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 5, 2001, B8.
Dick, Peggy Chantler Television writer Peggy Chantler Dick died of cardiac failure in Santa Monica, California, on November 20, 2001. She was 78. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1923. She began her career in radio, writing for the Edgar Bergen Radio Comedy Hour. She later moved to television where she worked with William Cowley to create the comic strip-based sit-com Dennis the Menace. She and Cowley also created another comic based television series, Hazel, starring Shirley Booth. During the 1960s Dick served as head writer for the series The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. She also scripted episodes of The Farmer’s Daughter, Bewitched and The Mothers-in-Law, and the tele-films A Brand New Life (1973) and Journey from Darkness (1975). Survivors include her husband, actor Douglas Dick. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 27, 2001, B9; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
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Dickson, Gordon R. Leading science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson died of complications from asthma in Richfield, Minnesota, on January 31, 2001. He was 77. Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on November 1, 1923. He moved to the United States in the mid–1930s and began writing professionally in the late 1940s. He was best known for his Dorsai series which he began in 1959. He wrote eight books in the series and was at work on a ninth at the time of his death. Dickson’s other works include Necromancer, The Alien Way, Alien from Arcturus, The Genetic General and The Space Swimmers. He also received Hugo Awards for his short stories Soldier, Ask Not in 1965, and Lost Dorsai and The Cloak and the Staff in 1981. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 2001, B7; New York Times, Feb. 16, 2001, A17.
Teri Diver
Gordon R. Dickson
1990s, appearing in over 200 videos including Blonde Ice (1990), Taboo IX (1991), It’s a Wonderful Sexlife (1991), Genie in a Bikini (1991), Brainteasers (1991), Taliens 3 (1992), Street Heat (1992), Sorority Sex Kittens (1992), The Seduction of Mary (1992), Portrait of Dorian (1992), Fast Track (1992), Diver Down (1992), Dark Justice (1992), The Babe (1992), Alice in Hollyweird (1992), The Sex Connection (1993), The Merry Widows (1993), Guilty by Seduction (1993), Colossal Orgy (1993), Tangled (1994), I Was an Undercover Slave (1994), The Governess (1994), Addictive Desires (1994), Masquerade (1995) and The 4th Vixxen (1995). Diver, with her husband Ron Sevant, also directed nearly fifty videos from the mid–1990s including Selina (1993), Attack of the 50 Foot Hooker (1994), Sex Bandits (1995) and Decadent Obsessions (1995).
Diver, Teri
Donahue, Troy
Adult film actress and director Teri Diver died of an accidental drug overdose on January 2, 2001. She was 29. Diver was born on September 6, 1971. She was a leading adult star from the early
Troy Donahue, the handsome leading man from the 1950s and 1960s, died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital on September 1, 2001. He was 65. Donahue was born Merle Johnson,
89 Jr., in New York city on January 27, 1936. A journalism student at Columbia University in the 1950s, he left school for an acting career. He made his film debut in 1957’s Man Afraid and continued to appear in such films as The Tarnished Angels (1957), Flood Tide (1958), Voice in the Mirror (1958), Summer Love (1958),Wild Heritage (1958), This Happy Feeling (1958), The Perfect Furlough (1958), Monster on the Campus (1958), Live Fast, Die Young (1958) and Imitation of Life (1959). His popularity increased after signing with Warner Bros and starring in 1959’s Summer Place with Sandra Dee. He subsequently starred as Sandy Winfield in the television detective series Surfside 6 and, in 1962, joined the cast of Hawaiian Eye for a season as Philip Barton. Donahue continued to star in such films as The Crowded Sky, Parrish (1961), Susan Slade (1961), Rome Adventure (1962), Palm Springs Weekend (1963), A Distant Trumpet (1964), My Blood Runs Cold (1965) with Joey Heatherton, Those Fantastic Flying Fools (1967) and Come Spy with Me (1967). He was also seen in the tele-films Split Second to an Epitaph (1968) and The Lonely Profession (1969), and episodes of such television series as Rawhide, Wagon Train, Bronco, Tales of Wells Fargo, Maverick, Sugarfoot, Colt .45, 77 Sunset Strip, The Alaskans, Lawman, The Patty Duke Show, The Name of the Game and The Virginian. Donahue’s contract with Warner ended in 1968 and his career spiraled downward. He briefly played R.B. Keefer on the daytime soap opera The Secret Storm in 1970 and appeared in the 1971 exploitation film The Love Thrill Murders. He had a small part in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Part II in 1974. Donahue’s subsequent film credits include South Seas (1974), the 1974 horror film Seizure, Cockfighter (1974) and The Legend of Frank Woods (1977). He also continued to appear on television in such series as Ellery Queen, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, CHiPs, Vega$, Fantasy Island, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Matt Houston and Monsters. Problems with drug and alcohol abuse further damaged Donahue’s career and from the 1980s he was largely featured in low-budget exploitation films including Tin Man (1983), Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), Low Blow (1986), The Drifting Classroom (1987), Fight to Win (1987), Deadly Prey (1987), Cyclone (1987), Sexpot (1988), Nudity Required (1988), Hollywood Cop (1988), Hawkeye (1988),
2001 • Obituaries
Troy Donahue
Hard Rock Nightmare (1988), Dr. Alien (1988), Sounds of Silence (1989), The Platinum Triangle (1989), Hot Times at Montclair High (1989), Deadly Spygames (1989), The Chilling (1989), Blood Nasty (1989), Bad Blood (1989), Assault of the Party Nerds (1989), American Rampage (1989), Terminal Force (1990), Omega Cop (1990), John Waters’ Cry-Baby (1990), The Calendar Girl Killer (1990), Shock ’Em Dead (1991), The Pamela Principle (1991), Double Trouble (1992), Showdown (1993), Bimbo Movie Bash (1997), Merchants of Venus (1998) and The Boys Behind the Desk (2000). He was also seen in the tele-films Legion (1998) and Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story (1999). Donahue was a guest at the Memphis Film Festival in 2000. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 3, 2001, B11; New York Times, Sept. 3, 2001, B7; People, Sept. 17, 2001, 70; Time, Sept. 17, 2001, 25; Times (of London), Sept. 15, 2001, 21c; Variety, Sept. 10, 2001, 76.
Donati, Danilo Oscar-winning film costume designer Danilo Donati died in Rome on December 1,
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90
Donovan, Carrie Fashion editor Carrie Donovan, who was known for her numerous appearances on Old Navy television commercials, died of heart problems in New York on November 12, 2001. She was 73. Donovan was born in Lake Placid, New York, on March 22, 1928. She began her career as a reporter for the New York Times, and later served as a fashion editor for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. In 1997 she began making commercials for Old Navy, usually accompanied by a dog named Magic. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 14, 2001, B9; People, Nov. 26, 2001, 149; Time, Nov. 26, 2001, 27.
Danilo Donati
2001. He was 75. Donati was born in Suzzara, Northern Italy, in 1926. He began his career working with Luchino Visconti on stage productions in the early 1950s. He moved into films later in the decade, designing costumes for The Great War (1959), Adua and Company (1960), RoGoPaG (1962), El Credo (1963), The Commandment (1963), Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964), Who Works Is Lost (1964), The Mandrake (1965), The Hawks and the Sparrows (1966), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), Oedipus Rex (1967), Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (1968) which earned him an Academy Award, The Chastity Belt (1969), Fellini Satyricon (1969), Pigsty (1969), The Nun of Monza (1969), The Decameron (1970), The Canterbury Tales (1971), Between Miracles (1971), Fellini’s Roma (1972), Arabian Nights (1974), Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom (1975), Fellini’s Casanova (1977) which earned him his second Oscar, Black Journal (1977), Caligula (1979), Hurricane (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), Red Sonja (1985), Ginger and Fred (1986), Momo (1986), Fellini’s Intervista (1987), St. Francis of Assisi (1989), The Monster (1996), We Free Kings (1996), Joseph Conrad’s Nostromo (1996) and Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful (1998). He was again working with Benigni on a production of Pinocchio at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 4, 2001, B11; Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Carrie Donovan
Dotan, Dudu Israeli comedian and actor Dudu Dotan died of heart failure while on vacation in Turkey on September 8, 2001. He was 53. Dotan began his career as an entertainer in the early 1950s after winning an amateur talent contest. He became a leading star in Israel, best known for his one-man show based on his early life. Dotan was also seen in several films including Tongue in Cheek (1989)
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Downes, Edward Musicologist and radio host Edward Downes died at his Manhattan home on December 26, 2001. He was 90. Downes was born in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, on August 12, 1911, the son of New York Times music critic Olin Downes. The younger Downes began a ardent admirer of opera at an early age and, after a teaching career, succeeded his father as the Times music critic after his death in 1955. Three years later Downes became host of the Texaco Opera Quiz broadcast during intermission of the live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Downes hosted the program from 1958 to 1996. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 29, 2001, B17; New York Times, Dec. 28, 2001, C13.
Dudu Dotan
and Zohar (1993). He was chairman of the Israel Union of Performing Artists since 1999.
Dove, Linda Film and television sound editor Linda Dove died of cancer in Santa Monica, California, on December 2, 2001. She was 53. Dove was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, on January 7, 1948. She began working for the BBC in 1970. Dove came to the United States in 1977 where she worked as a sound editor for Lorimar Television on such series as White Shadow, Eight Is Enough, Knots Landing and Dallas. She earned three Emmy nominations for her work on the tele-films Ike: The War Years (1979), Attica (1980) and The Women’s Room (1981). She was also sound editor for several films including Nine to Five (1980), A Soldier’s Story (1984), Maria’s Lovers (1984), Prime Risk (1984), The Karate Kid (1984), Innerspace (1987), and the 1992 Oscar-winning documentary film The Panama Deception. Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 40.
Edward Downes
Downey, Morton, Jr. Television talk show host Morton Downey, Jr., died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on March 12, 2001. He was 67. Downey was born in Los
Obituaries • 2001
92
Morton Downey, Jr.
Angeles, California, on December 9, 1933, the son of famed singer Morton Downey. The younger Downey began his career as a singer with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars. He worked as a radio disc jockey from the 1960s. He also was a political consultant before hosting radio talk shows in the early 1980s. He began The Morton Downey Jr. Show for cable television in 1987. Often dealing with controversial or scandalous topics, the show became nationally syndicated the following year. His bellicose manner, both on screen and off, resulted in disenchantment by his advertisers, and the show was canceled in 1989. Downey subsequently appeared in several films including Predator 2 (1990), Legal Tender (1991), The Silencer (1992), Body Chemistry II: The Voice of a Stranger (1992), Meet Wally Sparks (1997) and Palmer’s Pick Up (199). He also appeared in the tele-films Thanksgiving Day (1990), Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation (1992) and The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise (1995). His other television credits include episodes of Tales from the Crypt and Diagnosis Murder. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 14, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 14, 2001, B9; People, Mar. 26, 2001, 117; Time, Mar. 26, 2001, 25; Variety, Mar. 19, 2001, 47.
Jane Dudley
Dance Group in 1942, creating dance numbers to correspond with her feelings of social protest. Her works include Songs of Protest, Under the Swatstika, Women of Spain, and In the Life of a Worker. Dudley moved to London in 1970, where she continued to teach dance at the London Contemporary Dance School until her retirement in 1998. New York Times, Sept. 22, 2001, A13.
Dugan, Johnny “Red Shoes” Professional wrestling referee Johnny “Red Shoes” Dugan died on March 26, 2001, of complications from a broken shoulder he received in a fall. He was 89. Dugan also suffered from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Dugan, whose real name was Ray Gideon, served on the Santa Monica Police Department until his retirement in 1970. A former professional wrestler, he subsequently became a well-known referee with the NWA in Los Angeles from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Dudley, Jane
Dunkel, John
Dancer and choreographer Jane Dudley died in London on September 19, 2001. She was 89. Dudley was born in New York City on April 3, 1912. She studied dance from an early age and performed with Hanya Holm’s dance troupe. She joined Martha Graham’s dance company in 1935, and became known for her interpretation of Harmonica Breakdown. She founded the New
Television writer John Dunkel died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on February 22, 2001. He was 86. Dunkel was born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1914. He moved to California to work at the Pasadena Playhouse in the 1930s, and was soon writing for CBS radio. He began scripting for television in the 1950s, writing episodes of such series, primarily westerns, as Gunsmoke,
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2001 • Obituaries
Red Shoes Dugan
Rawhide, Broken Arrow, Wagon Train, One Step Beyond, Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Virginian and The High Chaparral. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 4, 2001, B6; Variety, Apr. 9, 2001, 58.
Dunnett, Dorothy Scottish historical fiction novelist Dorothy Dunnett died in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 9, 2001. She was 78. Dunnett was born Dorothy Halliday in Dunfermline, Scotland, on August 25, 1923. She is best known for her sixvolme series The Lymond Chronicles, and the eight volume The House of Niccolo. The Game of Kings, the first volume in the popular Lymond Chronicles series featuring the roguish hero Francis Crawford, was published in 1961. She began her second series with Niccolo Rising in 1986. She also wrote a series of thrillers featuring secret agent Johnson Johnson. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 2001, B13; Times (of London), Nov. 12, 2001, 19a.
Dorothy Dunnett
Durand, Angele Belgian actress and singer Angele Durand died in Augsburg, Germany, on December 22, 2001. She was 76. She was born Angele Caroline De Geest in Antwerpen, Belgium, on October 23, 1925. Durand was a popular singer from the late 1940s and performed with Duke Ellington’s band in Brussels in 1950. She subsequently appeared in a handful of films in Germany including Kapt’n Bay-Bay (1952), De Lachende Vagabund (1958), Five Sinners (1960), O Sole Mio (1960), Das Ratsel der Grunen Spinne (1960) and The Playgirls and the Bellboy (1962).
Earnhardt, Dale Dale Earnhardt, a top NASCAR racer and winner of the 1998 Daytona 500, died of head injuries received when his car crashed into a wall at high speeds after a multi-car collision during the running of the 2001 Daytona 500 on February 18,
Obituaries • 2001
94 2001, in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was 49. He was born Ralph Dale Earnhardt in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on April 29, 1951, the son of NASCAR champion Ralph Earnhart. Dale Earnhardt began racing in 1979. He won over 70 races and seven NASCAR Winston Cup Championships during his career. Earnhardt and several other NASCAR drivers appeared with Burt Reynolds in the 1983 film Stoker Ace. He also made a cameo appearance in the 1998 comedy BASEketball. Earnhardt appeared in an episode of the television comedy series Arli$$, and voiced himself in an episode of the animated King of the Hill in 1998. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 19, 2001, A1; New York Times, Feb. 19, 2001, B8; People, Mar. 5, 2001, 100; TV Guide, Mar. 10, 2001, 49.
Eddington, Nora
Angele Durand
Nora Eddington, a former wife of leading man Errol Flynn, died of kidney failure in Los Angeles, California, on April 10, 2001. She was 77. Eddington was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 25, 1924. She married Flynn in August of 1943 and appeared in a small role in his 1948 film Adventures of Don Juan. The couple was divorced in July of 1948. She was subsequently married to actor Dick Haymes from 1949 until 1953. Her survivors include her daughter, actress Deirdre Flynn.
Nora Eddington (with Errol Flynn). Dale Earnhardt
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2001 • Obituaries
Edmonds, Louis
Edwards, Leslie
Actor Louis Edmonds, best known for his role as Roger Collins in the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, died of respiratory failure on March 3, 2001. He was 77. Edmonds was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 24, 1923. Edmonds appeared on television from the 1950s in episodes of such series as Studio One, TV Playhouse, Robert Montgomery Presents, Dow Hour of Great Mysteries and Goodyear Television Playhouse. He also starred in the soap opera Young Dr. Malone as Rick Hampton in 1962 and was Langley Wallingford on All My Children from 1979 to 1995. He appeared on Dark Shadows from 1966 to 1971, playing the characters Roger Collins, Joshua Collins, Edward Collins, Daniel Collins, Amadeus Collins and Brutus Collins during his run on the show. He also appeared in the 1970 film House of Dark Shadows. Edmonds was also seen in the films Come Spy with Me (1967) and The Exterminator (1980), and the tele-film Your Money or Your Wife (1972). New York Times, Mar. 13, 2001, B9.
British ballet dancer Leslie Edwards died in London, England, on February 8, 2001. He was 84. Edwards was born in Teddington, Richmondupon-Thames, England, on August 6, 1916. He began dancing while in his teens, appearing with Ninette de Valois with the Victor Wells Ballet in 1933. He joined Marie Rambert’s troupe two years later, appearing in the premiere of Anthony Tudor’s Lilac Garden. In the late 1930s Edwards joined the Royal Ballet, where he spent the remainder of his career. He was featured in productions of Les Patineurs, The Prospect Before Us, Coppelia, Les Sirenes, La Fille mal Gardee and Enigma Variations. Edwards also directed the Royal Ballet Choreographic Group for many years. He appeared on British television in a production of Cinderella in 1969, and was featured in the films Romeo and Juliet (1966) and Tales of Beatrice Potter (1971). New York Times, Feb. 12, 2001, B7; Times (of London), Feb. 12, 2001, 19a.
Leslie Edwards
Louis Edmonds
Obituaries • 2001
Elliott, Jack Film and television composer Jack Elliott died of a brain tumor in a Los Angeles hospital on August 18, 2001. He was 74. Elliott was born Irwin Elliott Zucker in Hartford, Connecticut, on August 6, 1927. He worked as a jazz pianist in New York nightclubs before moving to Los Angeles in the early 1960s. He worked with Judy Garland as an arranger for her television series. He continued to work in television, often with collaborator Allyn Ferguson, as a composer or arranger for such series as Pistols ’n’ Petticoats, Bracken’s World, The Everly Brothers Show, The Funny Side, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, The Good Life, The NBC Mystery Movie, Banacek, The Rookies, The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour, Police Story, The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine, Get Christie Love, Barney Miller, Big Eddie, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, Gibbsville, Busting Loose, Fish, Big Hawaii, The Love Boat, Husbands, Wifes & Lovers, A.E.S. Hudson Street, Free Country, Turnabout, 9 to 5, Night Court and Wildside. Elliott also worked on such tele-films as The Feminist and the Fuzz (1971), Playmates (1972), Every Man Needs One (1972), Birds of Prey (1973), The Bait (1973), Jarrett (1973), The Man Without a Country (1973), Hijack (1973), What Are Best Friends For? (1973), The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped (1974), The Red Badge of Courage (1974), Only with Married Men (1974), Roll, Freddy, Roll! (1974), Roger & Harry: The Mitera Target (1977), Danger in Paradise (1977), Delta County, U.S.A. (1977), The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa (1977), A Guide for the Married Woman (1978), Sanctuary of Fear (1979), The Solitary Man (1979), and Spies, Lies and Naked Thighs (1988). Elliott’s film credits include The Comic (1969), Where’s Poppa (1970), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), T.R. Baskin (1971), Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972), The Legend of Earl Durand (1974), Oh, God! (1977), Renaldo and Clara (1978), Just You and Me, Kid (1979), The Jerk (1979), and Sibling Rivalry (1990). In 1984 Elliot was music director for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics, conducting the orchestra for the opening and closing ceremonies. He was working as a musical director for the Henry Mancini Institute at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 2001, B15; New
96 York Times, Aug. 24, 2001, A17; Variety, Aug. 27, 2001, 108.
Emerick, Richard Anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Richard G. Emerick died at his home in Orono, Maine, on September 30, 2001. He was 75. Emerick was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1926. He received a degree in anthropology in 1950 from Syracuse University and was the head of the anthropology department of the University of Maine from the late 1950s. He was the founding director of the university’s Hudson Museum in 1966, heading the museum until his retirement in 1990. During the 1950s Emerick made documentary films about the Havasupai natives of the American southwest and the Iglulingmiut natives of the Canadian Arctic. He had recently completed a narration of the Inglulingmiut film project.
Richard Emerick
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Engel, Frederick Film producer Frederick Engel died in Los Angeles on December 5, 2001. He was 71. Engel was a literary agent before he began working in films. He produced several films from the mid– 1960s including Once a Thief (1965), Duel at Diablo (1966), Will Penny (1968), A Twist of Sand (1968) and Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970). He also produced the 1972 telefilm Killer by Night. Engel moved to Australia in the early 1970s, where he worked as a producer for Australian television. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 5, 2001, B11; Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
2001 • Obituaries two years later and was aired on television as an episode of the Twilight Zone. His other film credits include La Belle Vie (1963), The Wise Guys (1965), The Last Adventure (1967), Ho! (1968), Zita (1968), Rum Runners (1971) with Brigitte Bardot, The Secret (1974), The Old Gun (1975), The Imprint of Green (1980), Heads or Tales (1980), For Those I Loved (1982), Engagements of the Heart (1987), The French Revolution (1989) and East Wind (1993). His final film, Winter Tale, was released in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 26, 2001, B4; New York Times, Feb. 25, 2001, 30; Variety, Mar. 5, 2001, 74.
Eremenko, Nikolai Enrico, Robert French film director Robert Enrico died of cancer at a Paris hospital on February 23, 2001. He was 69. Enrico was born in Lievin, France, on April 13, 1931. He began his career as a director in the early 1960s, adapting Ambrose Bierce’s An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge in 1962. The film won an Academy Award for best short film
Robert Enrico
Russian actor Nikolai Eremenko died of a stroke in Moscow on May 27, 2001. He was 52.
Nikolai Eremenko
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Eremenko was born in Vitebsk, Belarus, on February 14, 1949, the son of acclaimed director Nikolai Eremenko, Sr. He began his career as an actor in 1970’s At the Lake. A popular leading man in Soviet films, Eremenko was seen in Fulfillment of the Wishes (1973), The Ivanov Family (1975), Red and Black (1976), The Eating House on Pyatnitskaya (1978), 31st of June (1978), Twentieth Century Pirates (1979), The Youth of Peter the Great (1980), Petrovka 38 (1980), At the Beginning of Glorious Days (1981), Copper Angel (1984), The Royal Hunt (1990), Eastern Romance (1992), Sniper (1992), Trotsky (1993), Gladiator for Rent (1993), Crusader (1995) and Hurt Me (1997). He also directed the 1995 film The Father for the Son, and was featured often on Soviet television. Variety, June 4, 2001, 44.
Evans, Dale Dale Evans, the widow of singing cowboy legend Roy Rogers and his leading lady in films and on television, died of congestive heart failure at her home in Apple Valley, California, on February 7, 2001. She was 88. She was born Frances Octavia Smith in Uvalde, Texas, on October 31, 1912. She began her career singing on local radio in Dallas and, by 1940, she was performing on the CBS radio program News and Rhythm. She went to Hollywood under contract to 20th Century–Fox, appearing in small roles in Orchestra Wives (1942) and Girl Trouble (1942). She soon moved to Republic, where she costarred with John Wayne in In Old Oklahoma (1943). She was also seen in the films West Side Kid (1943), Hoosier Holiday (1943), Here Comes Elmer (1943) and Casanova in Burlesque (1943). In 1944 Evans co-starred with Roy Rogers in The Cowboy and the Senorita. The duo teamed for numerous other films over the next several years including Song of Nevada (1944), San Fernando Valley (1944), Lights of Old Santa Fe (1944), The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944), Utah (1945), Don’t Fence Me In (1945), Bells of Rosarita (1945), The Man from Oklahoma (1945), Sunset in El Dorado (1945), Along the Navajo Trail (1945), Heldorado (1946), Song of Arizona (1946), Home in Oklahoma (1946), Under Nevada Skies (1946), My Pal Trigger (1946), Out California Way (1946), Rainbow Over Texas (1946), Roll on Texas Moon (1946),
Dale Evans
Apache Rose (1947) and Bells of San Angelo (1947). Ms. Evans had divorced her third husband in 1945 and Rogers was widowed the following year when his wife died giving birth to a son. Evans and Rogers’ onscreen romance soon continued offscreen and they were married in 1947. They continued to appear together in such films as Down Dakota Way (1949), Susanna Pass (1949), The Golden Stallion (1949), Twilight in the Sierras (1949), Bells of Coronado (1950), Trigger, Jr. (1950), Pals of the Golden West (1951) and South of Caliente (1951). During the 1950s Evans, astride her buckskin horse, Buttermilk, continued to costar with Rogers in the popular television series The Roy Rogers Show. She also composed the couple’s theme song “Happy Trails to You.” In 1953 Evans wrote the inspirational book Angel Unaware, about the birth and death two years later of the Roger’s daughter, Robin, who was born with Down’s syndrome and heart problems. Evans also appeared with evangelist Billy Graham during the 1950s and wrote other inspirational books. She was also the composer of numerous songs including “The Bible Tells Me So,” “Happy Birthday, Gentle Savior” and “Aha, San Antone.” She and Rogers co-hosted the 1962 television variety series The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show. More tragedy in the couple’s personal life
99 followed with adopted daughter Deborah Lee’s death in an automobile accident in 1964 and adopted son Sandy’s death in a military hospital in Germany in 1965. Despite their tribulations Roy and Dale remained devout in their faith. During the 1960s and 1970s they appeared together on several variety shows including The Andy Williams Show and The Muppet Show. Dale had suffered from heart problems over the past several years and Roy died in July of 1998. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 2001, B9; New York Times, Feb. 8, 2001, A28; Time, Feb. 19, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Feb. 9, 2001, 25a; TV Guide, Mar. 10, 2001, 42; Variety, Feb. 12, 2001, 75.
Evans, Edward British television actor Edward Evans died in Longsdon, Staffordshire, England, on December 20, 2001. He was 87. Evans was born in London on June 4, 1914. He began his acting career as a bit player and stunt man in British films in the mid–1930s. He served in the British Army during World War II and after the war resumed his acting career. He made his stage debut in a production of Wings in 1947, and appeared on BBC television in a production of Emlyn Williams’ The Light of Heart the following year. Evans was also seen in such films as The Hideout (1948), Dulcimer Street (1948), Mr. Denning Drives North (1952), The Secret People (1952), I Believe in You (1952), Holiday Week (1952), The Slasher (1952), Valley of Song (1953), Deadly
Edward Evans (center, with Christopher Beeny, Ruth Dunning and Margaret Downs.
2001 • Obituaries Nightshade (1953), Wicked Wife (1954) and The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp (1954). He was best known for his role as the father on the popular British television series The Grove Family from 1954 to 1956, also playing the role in the 1955 film It’s a Great Day. Other film credits include Man of the Moment (1955), The Man Upstairs (1958), The Bridal Path (1959), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), Two and Two Make Six (1961), Blind Corner (1963), Two a Penny (1967), Vendetta for the Saint (1969), Till Death Do Us Part (1969), One More Time (1970), 10 Rillington Place (1971), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Out of Season (1975) and Lifeforce (1985). Evans played the role of Lionel Petty in the television series Coronation Street from 1965 to 1966. He was also seen in the television mini-series Poldark (1975) and Heart of the Country (1986). His other television credits include episodes of Dad’s Army, Doomwatch, Doctor Who, Play for Today and George and Mildred.
Evans, George Comic book artist George Evans died of a heart attack on June 22, 2001. He was 81. Evans was born in Harwood, Pennsylvania, on February 5, 1920. He began his career in comics working at Fiction House in the early 1940s, working on Air Heroes, Planet Comics and Tigerman. He later joined Fawcett, where he drew such titles as Captain Video, When Worlds Collide and Love
George Evans
Obituaries • 2001
100
Mystery. He began working at EC Comics in 1953, where he was best known as the artist for the military comic Aces High. He also worked on the EC books Frontline Combat, Shock Suspenstories, Tales from the Crypt, and Valor. When EC folded in 1956 Evans continued to work in the field, drawing comics for Classics Illustrated and also working for DC on Blackhawk, Weird War Tales, and Men of War. He also freelanced for Marvel and Warren. Evans also ghosted George Wunder’s “Terry and the Pirate” comic strip from 1960 to 1972.
Evans, Rowland Conservative television commentator and newspaper columnist Rowland Evans, Jr., died of complications from esophageal cancer at a Washington, D.C., hospital on March 23, 2001. He was 79. Evans was born in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, on April 28, 1921. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II and began working at The Philadelphia Bulletin after the war. He soon became a political reporter for the Associ-
Rowland Evans
ated Press and joined the staff of the New York Herald Tribune in 1955. He began teaming with Robert Novak in 1963 to write a political column, Inside Report. The duo began hosting Evans & Novak on CNN in 1980. Evans retired from writing the column in 1993, though he continued co-hosting the CNN program which became known as Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields when two other reporters joined the team. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 24, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 24, 2001, B7; People, Apr. 9, 2001, 173; Time, Apr. 2, 2001, 17; Variety, Apr. 2, 2001, 47.
Everett, Betty Singer Betty Everett died in her Beloit, Wisconsin, home on August 17, 2001. She was 61. Everett was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, on November 23, 1939. She began singing gospel music at an early age before moving to Chicago in the 1950s. She was best known for her rendition of “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” in 1964. Other hits followed including “Let It Be Me” with Jerry Butler, “There’s Comes a Time” and “Too Hot to Hold.” She continued to record and perform through the 1970s. Everett made a comeback appearance on the PBS special Doo Wop 51 in 2000.
Betty Everett
101 Los Angeles Times, Aug. 23, 2001, B10; New York Times, Aug. 23, 2001, B9; People, Sept. 3, 2001, 92.
Ewing, Lucile Actress and theatre founder Lucile Doan Ewing died of congestive heart failure at her home in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 22, 2001. She was 86. Ewing was born in Memphis in 1915. She became devoted to the stage at an early age and, in the late 1940s, hosted a radio program for children on a Memphis station. Believing that more young people should be exposed to the arts, she founded the Memphis Children’s Theatre in 1951, which allowed children to write, produce, direct and act on stage. She continued to oversee the troupe until her retirement in 1976. Ewing also appeared in several films during her career including Walking Tall Part II (1975), Making the Grade (1984), My Dog Skip (2000) as Aunt Maggie. She was also seen in various television commercials and stage productions. Survivors include
2001 • Obituaries
her daughter, actress and drama teacher Julia “Cookie” Ewing. Memphis Commerical Appeal, Oct. 23, 2001, B3.
Eyre, Tommy Pianist Tommy Eyre died of cancer on May 23, 2001. He was 51. He was born in Sheffield, England, in 1950. Eyre became a popular performer on such recording’s as Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends” and Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street.” He also performed with such artists as George Michael, The Alex Harvey Band, B.B. King, Mick Jagger, George Harrison, Tracey Chapman, Dusty Springfield and Charlie Mingus.
Tommy Eyre
Fahey, John
Lucile Ewing
Guitarist John Fahey died in a Salem, Oregon, hospital on February 21, 2001, shortly after having undergone heart bypass surgery. He was 61. Fahey was born in rural Maryland on February 28, 1939. He began playing the guitar at an early age and recorded his first album in 1959. He released over 40 albums from the 1960s including The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death. Fahey was a founder of Takoma Records, which recorded such artists as Leo Kottke and George Winston. Fahey’s song were heard in several films including Zabriskie Point (1970) and The Horse Whisperer (1998).
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Louis Fant
John Fahey
Los Angeles Times, Feb, 24, 2001, B6; New York Times, Feb. 25, 2001, 30.
Prairie, Cheers and Highway to Heaven. Fant was also a sign language coach for the film Children of a Lesser God (1986). Los Angeles Times, Feb, 17, 2001, B13; New York Times, June 25, 2001, B7; Variety, June 25, 2001, 66.
Farina, Mimi Fant, Louis Louis Fant, an actor and founder of the National Theatre of the Deaf, died of complications from pulmonary fibrosis in Seattle, Washington, on June 11, 2001. He was 69. Fant was born on December 13, 1931, in Greenville, South Carolina. A hearing child of deaf parents, Fant learned sign language as a small child. He became involved with the theater and helped form the National Theatre of the Deaf in 1967. In the 1970s Fant went to Hollywood, where he appeared in the films The Pom Pom Girls (1976), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Resurrection (1980), Amy (1981) and Tuff Turn (1985). He was also featured as Cousin Walter in the short-lived 1973 television series Thicker Than Water, and appeared in the tele-films Love Is Never Silent (1985) and In Love and War (1987). His other television credits include episodes of Kojak, Little House on the
Folksinger Mimi Farina, the sister of Joan Baez, died of cancer at her Mill Valley, California, home on July 18, 2001. She was 56. Farina
Mimi Farina (left, with sister Joan Baez).
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was born Margarita Mimi Baez in Palo Alto, California, on April 30, 1945. She and her husband, Richard Farina, recorded several hit songs in the 1960s until he was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1966. Farina later became known as the founder of Bread and Roses in 1974, which provided free concerts to the ill and imprisoned. Farina was featured in several films including Fools (1970) and Massive Retaliation (1984). Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2001, B13; People, Aug. 6, 2001, 87; Time, July 30, 2001, 13; Times (of London), July 21, 2001, 27c; Variety, July 23, 2001, 47.
Fennell, Alan British television writer Alan Fennell died of cancer on December 11, 2001. He was 65. Fennell was born in England on December 11, 1936. He began his career writing comic strips in Great Britain during the 1950s. He worked with television producer Gerry Anderson on the comic adaptation of Anderson’s puppet series Four Feather Falls and, later, Supercar. His work on the Supercar comic led to a script writing assignment for the television series. During the 1960s he scripted many of Gerry Anderson’s marionette adventure series including Fireball XL-5, Stingray, Joe 90 and Thunderbirds. He also scripted episodes of Anderson’s live-action science fiction series U.F.O.. Fennell edited the children’s television magazine Look-In from 1971 until 1974. He worked as editorial director for Argos Press during the 1980s and, in 1991, became editor of Fleetway’s Thunderbirds comic series. He remained with Fleetways until 1995.
Ferro, Turi Italian stage and film actor Turi Ferro died of a heart attack on May 11, 2001. He was 80. He was born Salvatore Ferro in Catania, Italy, on January 10, 1921. He began his career on the Italian stage and, in 1953, formed a touring company with his wife, actress Ida Carrara. Ferro also appeared in over two dozen films during his career, including three for director Lina Wertmuller. His screen credits include A Man for Burning (1962), I Knew Her Well (1966), Rita the Mosquito (1966),
Turi Ferro
Don’t Sting the Mosquito (1967), Seven Times Seven (1968), Scipio the African (1971), The Seduction of Mimi (1971), Malice (1973), Verility (1974), Malia (1975), La Governante (1975), I Baroni (1975), Blood Feud (1979), Ernesto (1979), Il Turno (1981), Malina 2000 (1992) and You’re Laughing (1998).
FitzSimons, Charles B. Charles B. FitzSimons, the brother of actress Maureen O’Hara, died of liver failure in Los Angeles on February 14, 2001. He was 75. FitzSimons was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1925. He began his film career working as a location supervisor for John Ford’s The Quiet Man in 1952. FitzSimons also appeared in the film as Forbes. He was also seen in small parts in the films Les Miserables (1952), What Price Glory (1952), Against All Flags (1952), Titanic (1953), The Desert Rats (1953), The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), Captain Lightfoot (1955) and The Last Hurrah (1958). He served as an associate producer on several films in the 1950s including Mohawk (1956), The Restless Breed (1957) and Courage of Black Beauty (1957). FitzSimons worked often in tele-
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Tommy Flanagan
Flanagan played with Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1970s he embarked on a successful solo career. His later albums include Jazz Poet (1989) and Let’s (1993). Time, Dec. 3, 2001, 23; Times (of London), Nov. 22, 2001, 23a. Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 68. Charles B. FitzSimons
vision from the 1960s and was involved in the production of such series as Batman, Love, American Style, The Loner, Nanny and the Professor, The Green Hornet, Matt Helm, Wonder Woman, What’s Up Doc, Riker, The Wonderful World of Phillip Malley, Goodnight, Beantown and 1983’s Casablanca. He also produced the tele-films The Death of Richie (1977), Cover Girls (1977), The New Adventures of Heidi (1978), The Solitary Man (1979), Children of Divorce (1980), Elvis and the Beauty Queen (1981), Massarati and the Brain (1982) and Police Story: The Freeway Killings (1987). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 2001, B7; Variety, Feb. 26, 2001, 59.
Flanagan, Tommy Jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan died in New York City of complications from an aneurysm on November 16, 2001. He was 71. Flanagan was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 16, 1930. He began playing the piano at an early age, performing in Detroit clubs. He played on Sonny Rollin’s 1956 album Saxophone Colossus, and was heard on John Coltrane’s Giant Steps in 1959.
Flowers, A.D. Oscar-winning special effects director A.D. Flowers died of complications from pneumonia and emphysema in Fullerton, California, on July 5, 2001. He was 84. Flowers was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1917. He moved to California in the mid–1930s and was employed by MGM as a handyman and painter at the studio. He subsequently became involved in creating special effects for films and television series. He worked on the Combat! television series in the 1960s. Flowers received Academy Awards for his special effects work for the films Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). He created effects for the films Take the Money and Run (1969), Rio Lobo (1970), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), Harold and Maude (1971), The Godfather (1972), Sleeper (1973), Dillinger (1973), The Godfather, Part II (1974), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Missouri Breaks (1976), The Fury (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Steven Spielberg’s 1941 (1979). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21, 2001, B11; New York Times, Aug. 24, 2001, A17; Variety, Aug. 28, 2001, 109.
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Robert H. Forward A.D. Flowers
Forward, Robert H. Robert H. Forward, a radio and television producer and occasional actor, died at his Los Angeles home on January 30, 2001. He was 85. Forward was born in San Diego in 1915. He began his career as a disc jockey in San Francisco and was soon working as a radio announcer, producer and director. After serving in the Army Air Force during World War II Forward returned to radio and was soon working in television. He joined CBS in 1950 where he served as associate producer and director for such programs as The Jack Benny Show and Burns and Allen. He returned to radio in 1956 as an announcer and producer on station KMPS. During the 1960s he wrote several scripts for Jack Webb’s police series Adam12, and served as executive producer for Webb’s The D.A. in the early 1970s. Forward also appeared in Adam-12 and The D.A. in small parts, and was also seen in episodes of Marcus Welby, M.D., Little House on the Prairie, The Gemini Man and the 1976 film Trackdown. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6, 2001, B7; Variety, Feb. 12, 2001, 75.
Foster, Gloria Gloria Foster, a leading stage and film actress, died at her home in Manhattan on September 29, 2001. She was 64. Foster was born in Chicago on November 15, 1936, and moved to
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New York City in the early 1960s. She quickly became a leading performer on the New York stage, appearing in productions of The Cherry Orchard, Long Day’s Journey into Night, In White America and Medea, becoming the first black performer to play the role in New York in 1965. She earned Obie Awards for both In White America and Medea. Foster was also featured in the independent films The Cool World (1963) and Nothing but a Man (1964). She also appeared in the 1967 adaptation of Graham Greene’s The Comedians. Other film credits include The Angel Levine (1970), Man and Boy (1972), Leonard Part 6 (1987) with Bill Cosby, City of Hope (1991) and 1999’s The Matrix as Oracle. Foster was also seen in the tele-films To All My Friends on Shore (1971), Top Secret (1978), The File on Jill Hatch (1983), The Atlanta Child Murders (1985), Separate but Equal (1991) and Percy & Thunder (1993). Other television appearances include episodes of I, Spy, The Outcasts, The White Shadow, The Cosby Show, Law & Order and Soul Food. During the 1990s she performed infrequently, starring in the 1994 Broadway production of Having Our Say, and A Raisin in the Sun at the Williamstown Theatre festival in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 6, 2001, B17; New York Times, Oct. 5, 2001, D11; Variety, Oct. 15, 2001, 92.
Chief Dave Foxx
Rue Morgue as the victim of Bela Lugosi’s murderous ape. She also appeared in the 1938 film Too Much Johnson. She was also a popular stage actress in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in productions of All That Glitters (1938), The Walking Gentleman (1942), The Overtons (1945) and The Little Blue Light (1951). She was featured in the films Stage Door Canteen (1943) and All My Sons (1948), before beginning her career on television. She hosted the television series Blind Date from 1949 to 1952, and also served as a panelist on such quiz shows as Answer Yes or No (1950) and Prize
Foxx, Chief Dave Professional wrestler David Joseph Farrar, who wrestled as Chief Dave Foxx, collapsed and died in Massachusetts after competing in a match. He was 44. Foxx began his career in the late 1970s in Knoxville, Tennessee. He wrestled throughout Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Fox teamed with Chief Jules Strongbow as the tag team Tribal Nations and competed often in the New England area in recent years.
Francis, Arlene Actress and television personality Arlene Francis died in a San Francisco hospital on May 31, 2001. She was 93. Ms. Francis was born Arlene Kazanjian in Boston on October 20, 1908. She made her film debut in 1932’s Murders in the
Arlene Francis (left, with John Daly, Bennett Cerf and Dorothy Kilgallen).
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Performance (1950). She began her long running stint as a panelist on the popular game show What’s My Line? in 1950, appearing with fellow panelists Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf, and host John Daly. She remained with the program until the series ended in 1967. The following year she returned to the syndicated run of What’s My Line? with host Walter Bruner, remaining until 1975. During the 1950s Francis also hosted the NBC newsmagazine program Home, and appeared on such series as By Popular Demand, Who’s There?, That Reminds Me?, Talent Patrol and The Comeback Story. She also appeared in episodes of Your Show of Shows, Suspense, The U.S. Steel Hour and Front Page Challenge. Francis was featured in several more films including One, Two, Three (1961) and The Thrill of It All (1963). She appeared in a 1972 television production of Harvey and was in 1978’s Fedora. She also appeared as herself in a 1984 episode of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Francis hosted the interview program The Arlene Francis Show on WOR radio in New York from 1960 to 1984. She was subsequently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Francis was married to actor Martin Gabel from 1946 until his death in 1986. Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2001, B14; New York Times, June 1, 2001, C15; People, June 18, 2001, 91; Time, June 11, 2001, 22; TV Guide, June 30, 2001, 6; Variety, June 4, 2001, 44.
Francis, Jim Jim Francis
British television special effects director Jim Francis died in England on October 5, 2001. He was 47. Francis worked on numerous BBC television series including Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and Blake’s 7, and the 1981 mini-series version of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He was also co-head of SFX-GB at Shepperton Studios, directing effects for the 2000 television mini-series The Tenth Kingdom, and music videos for such stars as Tina Turner and David Bowie. Francis’ other film credits include Hardware (1990), Nostradamus (1994), Funny Man (1994), Grim (1995), The Proposition (1997) and The Parole Officer (2001).
Francis, Panama Drummer Panama Francis died of a stroke in Miami, Florida, on November 13, 2001. He was 82. He was born David Albert Francis in Miami on December 21, 1918. He began his career in the 1930s playing with the Harlem-based Savoy Sultans. He also played in bands led by such artists as Cab Calloway, Sy Oliver, Teddy Wilson and Roy Eldridge. A leading studio musician from the 1950s, Francis was heard on such songs as Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue,” The Four Seasons’ “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” The Platters’ “The Great Pretender” and Bobby Darin’s “Splish Splash.” Francis reformed the Savoy Sultans in the 1970s, and they recorded six albums, two of
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Panama Francis
Kathleen Freeman
which were nominated for Grammy Awards. He also performed on the soundtrack for Spike Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm X. Francis published his autobiography, David Gets His Drum, in 1999. Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 68.
Prisoner of Zenda (1952), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Talk About a Stranger (1952), Magnetic Monster (1953), A Perilous Journey (1953), The Glass Wall (1953), Dream Wife (1953), She’s Back on Broadway (1953), The Glass Web (1953), Half a Hero (1953), The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), The Battle of Rogue River (1954), Athena (1954), The Far Country (1954), Three Ring Circus (1954), Artists and Models (1955), Pawnee (1957), The Midnight Story (1957), Kiss Them for Me (1957), Too Much, Too Soon (1958), The Missouri Traveler (1958), The Fly (1958), The Buccaneer (1958), Houseboat (1958), North to Alaska (1960), The Errand Boy (1961) with Jerry Lewis, The Ladies’ Man (1961), Madison Avenue (1962), Jerry Lewis’ The Nutty Professor (1963), Who’s Minding the Store? (1963), The Patsy (1964) and The Disorderly Orderly (1964), Mail Order Bride (1964), The Rounders (1965), Marriage on the Rocks (1965), That Funny Feeling (1965), Three on a Couch (1966), Point Blank (1967), Support Your Local Sheriff (1969), Death of a Gunfighter (1969), Hook, Line and Sinker (1969), The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), Myra Breckenridge (1970), Which Way to the Front? (1970), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), Head On (1971), Where Does It Hurt? (1972), Unholy Rollers (1972), Stand Up and Be Counted (1972), Psycho Sisters (1972), Your Three Minutes Are Up (1973), The Strongest Man
Freeman, Kathleen Leading character actress Kathleen Freeman died of lung cancer in New York City on August 23, 2001. She was 82. Freeman was born in Chicago on February 17, 1919. She began her career in films in the late 1940s, appearing in over 100 movies. Her numerous film credits include Annie Was a Wonder (1948), The Naked City (1948), The Saxon Charm (1948), Casbah (1948), Behind Locked Doors (1948), No Man of Her Own (1949), Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), House by the River (1950), The Reformer and the Redhead (1950), Once a Thief (1950), Lonely Heart Bandits (1950), A Life of Her Own (1950), Appointment with Danger (1950), Strictly Dishonorable (1951), A Place in the Sun (1951), Let’s Make It Legal (1951), The Wild Blue Yonder (1951), Cause for Alarm! (1951), Behave Yourself! (1951), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Love Is Better Than Ever (1952), Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Monkey Business (1952), O. Henry’s Full House (1952), The
109 in the World (1975), The Norseman (1978), The Blue Brothers (1980) as Sister Mary Stigmata, Heartbeeps (1981), The Malibu Bikini Shop (1985), The Best of Times (1986), Dragnet (1987), Innerspace (1987), Teen Wolf Too (1987), In the Mood (1987), The Wrong Guys (1988), Chances Are (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), The Willies (1991), Dutch (1991), Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1992), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Reckless Kelly (1993), Hocus Pocus (1993), Naked Gun 33Ω: The Final Insult (1994), Two Guys Talkin’ About Girls (1995), Carpool (1996), Hercules (1997), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish (1998), I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1998), Seven Girlfriends (1999), Ready to Rumble (2000), Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) and Shrek (2001). A popular television actress from the 1950s, Freeman starred as Katie, the maid, in the 1953 fantasy sitcom Topper and was the housekeeper, Marilly, in 1954’s Mayor of the Town. She was the prehistoric matriarch in 1966’s It’s About Time and was featured as Flo Shafer on The Beverly Hillbillies from 1969 to 1971. She stared as Kate Harwell in the short-lived 1971 sit-com Funny Face and was Mrs. Belmont in Lotsa Luck from 1973 to 1974. She was also featured in the tele-films But I Don’t Want to Get Married! (1970), Call Her Mom (1972), Hitched (1973), The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return (1975), The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang (1979), Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988), Glitz (1988) and Matlock: The Witness Killings (1991). Other television credits include episodes of Buckskin, Wagon Train, Hawaiian Eye, Rawhide, Laramie, The Donna Reed Show, Mister Ed, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Real McCoys, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hogan’s Heroes, Hey, Landlord, Laredo, I Dream of Jeannie, The Smothers Brothers Show, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Dragnet, Ironside, Batman, The High Chaparral, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Cannon, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Kojak, CHiPs, Mama’s Family, Hunter, Valerie, Growing Pains, Simon & Simon, L.A. Law, The Golden Girls, ALF, The Munsters Today, Out of This World, Tales from the Crypt, Beverly Hills, 90210, Matlock, MacGyver, Herman’s Head, Party of Five, Married … with Children, Renegade, Melrose Place, Duckman, Murphy Brown, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Roseanne, ER, Coach, Home Improvement, Nightman, Love Boat: The Next Wave, Clueless, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,
2001 • Obituaries
Providence, Batman Beyond and Becker. At the time of her death she was performing in the Broadway production of The Full Monty. She had earned a Tony nomination for her performances as a piano player in the play earlier in the year. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 25, 2001, B16; New York Times, Aug. 24, 2001, A17; People, Sept. 10, 2001, 97; Time, Sept. 3, 2001, 29; Times (of London), Aug. 29, 2001, 15a; Variety, Aug. 27, 2001, 108.
Freeman, Stan Pianist and comedian Stan Freeman died of emphysema in Los Angeles on January 20, 2001. He was 80. Freeman was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, on April 3, 1920. A popular nightclub performer from the 1940s, he used his musical abilities to comic effect accompanying such artists as Rosemary Clooney and Percy Faith. Freeman appeared as himself in the 1948 film Manhattan Memories and was featured regularly in the 1964 television satire That Was the Week That Was. He also conducted the orchestra for the 1972 film An Evening with Marlene Dietrich,
Stan Freeman
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and was musical director for Dietrich’s concert tour. Freeman also worked on the score for the Broadway musicals I Had a Ball (1964) and Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen (1970), and was involved in writing material for Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett for television. In the late 1980s Freeman starred in a one-man show, At Wit’s End, impersonating pianist and wit Oscar Levant. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2, 2001, B6; New York Times, Jan. 20, 2001, B8; Variety, Feb. 5, 2001, 86.
Freeman, Zoltan “Ace” Professional wrestler Zoltan “Ace” Freeman died on July 9, 2001. He was 87. Freeman was born in Hungary in 1914 and came to the United States while in his early teens. He settled in New York City and entered wrestling in 1932. He remained active in the ring through the 1950s.
where he joined the Radical Media production company as a commercial director. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 26, 2001, B11.
Fricke, Florian German musician and composer Florian Fricke died in his sleep in Munich, Germany, on December 29, 2001. He was 57. Fricke was born on February 23, 1944. He was a founding member and keyboardist with the music group Popol Vuh, whose songs include “Tears of Concrete” and “In the Gardens of Pharao.” Popol Vuh composed the soundtracks for several films by German director Werner Herzog including Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1974), Heart of Glass (1976), Nosferatu (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982) and Slave Coast (1988). Fricke had a small roles in Herzog’s films Signs of Life (1968) and The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser (1973). Variety, Jan. 14, 2002, 98.
Florian Fricke Ace Freeman
Frick, Jonas Swedish filmmaker Jonas Frick died of pneumonia in a New York City hospital on December 22, 2001. He was 39. Frick was born in Lycksle, Sweden, in 1962. He began working in films in the mid–1980s, directing the films Big Business (1985) and Framed (aka Strul) (1988). He subsequently began directing television commercials. Frick came to the United States in 2000,
Fries, Thomas Film editor and producer Thomas Fries died in Los Angeles of cardiopulmonary disease on September 10, 2001. He was 47. The son of film executive Charles W. Fries, the younger Fries began his career working as an editor at Columbia Pictures. He worked as an assistant editor on the tele-films The Strange and Deadly Occurrence (1974) and The Spell (1977). He served as editor on the 1978 Spider-Man television series and the 1978 mini-series The Word. He also edited the
111 tele-films A Rumor of War (1980), Bitter Harvest (1981), Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982), Dempsey (1983), Bridge Across Time (1985), Bloodlines: Murder in the Family (1994), Woman on the Ledge (1993), Moment of Truth: To Walk Again (1995), When Friendship Kills (1996), Deadly Web (1996), Touched by Evil (1997), I Know What You Did (1998), One Hot Summer Night (1998), Crimes of Passion: Nobody Lives Forever (1998) and Race Against Fear (1998). Fries also served as vice president for post production for Fries Entertainment, producing the tele-film The Right of the People (1986) and the 1989 horror film Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 17, 2001, B7; Variety, Sept. 24, 2001, 82.
Fuller, Lance Actor Lance Fuller died in a Los Angeles nursing home of a heart attack after a long illness on December 22, 2001. He was 73. Fuller was born in Somerset, Kentucky, on December 6, 1928. He began his film career in the 1940s and was featured in small parts in such films as Singin’ in the Rain (1952), War Arrow (1953), The Glass Web (1953), The Other Woman (1954), Playgirl (1954) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). He played the Metalunan Brack in the 1954 science fiction classic This Island Earth, and was featured
Lance Fuller
2001 • Obituaries
in the westerns Taza, Son of Cochise (1954), Cattle Queen of Montana (1954), Frontier Woman (1955), Apache Woman (1955), Secret of Treasure Mountain (1956) and Kentucky Rifle (1956). Fuller also appeared in Pearl of the South Pacific (1955) and Slightly Scarlet (1956). He starred in several horror films including The She Creature (1956), Voodoo Woman (1957) and The Bride and the Beast (1958). Other film credits include Runaway Daughters (1956), Girls in Prison (1956), Flesh and the Spur (1957), God’s Little Acre (1958), Day of the Outlaw (1959) and Saint of Devil’s Island (1961). Fuller also had a small role in the 1971 science fiction film The Andromeda Strain. On television, he was featured in episodes of such series as The Rifleman, Maverick, Men into Space, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Lawman, Bat Masterson, 26 Men, Colt .45 and Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone.
Gaither, Danny Danny Gaither, who sang tenor with the Bill Gaither Trio, died of lymphoma in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6, 2001. He was 62.
Danny Gaither
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Gaiter was born in Alexandria, Indiana, on November 20, 1938. He began singing with his brother Bill and sister Mary Ann in 1956. The trio earned several Grammy Awards. Danny Gaither began a solo career in 1977, recording such popular albums as Singing to the World, Sing a Song of Love, Sweet and High and It Is Well with My Soul. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 10, 2001, B7.
Ganesan, Sivaji Indian actor Sivaji Ganesan died of heart and kidney ailments in Madras, India, on July 21, 2001. He was born Villupuram Chinnia Pillai Ganesan in Sirkali, Tami Nadu, India, on October 1, 1927. He began his career on stage in the 1940s. Ganesan made his screen debut in the early 1950s, starring in such films as The Goddess (1952), Pardesi (1953), Those Days (1954), Ramadasu (1964), Bangaru Babu (1972), Bhakta Tukaram (1973), A Matter of Honor (1985), The Chieftain’s Son (1992), Knock Out (1992) and Pasumponn (1995). The Tamil star was featured in over 200 films during his career. Los Angeles Times, July 23, 2001, B9.
Sivaji Ganesan
Garces, Delia Argentine actress Delia Garces died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 7, 2001. She was 82. Garces was born in Buenos Aires on October 13, 1919. A leading actress from the 1930s, she was featured in such films as Maestro Levita (1938), Kilometro 111 (1938), Twelve Women
Delia Garces
(1939), College Girls (1939), My Country’s Wings (1940), Twenty Years and One Night (1941), Malambo (1941), Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1943), The Ghost Lady (1945), Luis Bunuel’s This Strange Passion (1952), Rebeldia (1952) and Alejandra (1956).
Garmendia, Salvador Venezuelan novelist and television writer Salvador Garmendia died of complication from diabetes and cancer in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 13, 2001. He was 72. Garmendia was born on June 11, 1928, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He was the author of such acclaimed novels as Los Pequenos Seres (1959), Los Habitantes (1951), Memorias de Altagracia (1974), El Unico Lugar Posible (1981) and Captain Kid (1988). In the 1970s Garmendia was a pioneer in writing soap operas for Venezuelan television. He also scripted a handful of films including Fiebre (1976), Tosos los Dias son Sabados (1977), Juan Topocho (1979), La Gata Borracha (1983) and Voice of the Heart (1995). Los Angeles Times, May 16, 2001, B10.
Garner, Martin Character actor Martin Garner died in Englewood, New Jersey, on September 28, 2001.
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Gately, George George Gately, the creator of the newspaper comic strip Heathcliff about a mischievous cartoon cat, died of a heart attack at a Ridgewood, New Jersey, hospital on September 30, 2001. He was 72. He was born George Gately Gallagher in New York City on December 21, 1928. He created the strip Hapless Harry in the 1960s and, in 1973, began Heathcliff. The rotund cat, often sporting sunglasses and a black leather jacket, became the star of an animated cartoon series starring the voice of Mel Blanc in the 1980s. Gately had retired from drawing the strip several years ago, with his nephew taking over as artist. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 2001, B14; New York Times, Oct. 3, 2001, A20; People, Oct. 22, 2001, 99; Variety, Oct. 8, 2001, 73.
George Gately’s creation, Heathcliff. Salvador Garmendia
Garner was featured in the films Hester Street (1975), The Big Fix (1978), The Frisco Kid (1979), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), My Favorite Year (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Oh, God! You Devil (1984), Chances Are (1989), Let It Ride (1989) and Till There Was You (1990). Garner also appeared on television in the tele-films The Neon Empire (1989) and N.Y.P.D. Mounted (1991), and in episodes of Kojak, The Bob Newhart Show, Barney Miller, Welcome Back, Kotter, The White Shadow, Taxi, The A-Team, The Fall Guy, Night Court, The Facts of Life, Tales from the Crypt, Alien Nation, Good Grief and The John Larroquette Show.
Gaye, Frankie Singer Frankie Gaye, the brother of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, died of complications from a heart attack in Los Angeles on December 28, 2001. He was 60. Frankie Gaye’s experiences as a radio operator in Vietnam during the 1960s was the inspiration for several of older brother Marvin’s hit songs including “What’s Going On.” Frankie Gaye was also a singer, working with such artists as Mary Wells and Kim Weston. He also sang background on several of Marvin’s albums including Marvin Gaye, Live at the London Palladium. He recorded several records including “Extraordinary Girl” (1989) and “My Brother” (1990). Frankie also composed the film soundtrack for 1979’s Penitentiary. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2, 2002, B9. Variety, Jan. 21, 2002, 66.
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Gebel-Williams, Gunther Circus animal trainer Gunther GebelWilliams died of cancer at his home in Venice, Florida, on July 19, 2001. He was 66. GebelWilliams was born in Germany on September 12, 1934. He began his career with animals as a young boy. He performed with Circus Williams in Germany from 1947 until 1968, when Ringling Brothers bought out the circus and brought Gebel-Williams to the United States. He remained a leading act with Ringling Brothers until his retirement in 1990. Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2001, B12; People, Aug. 6, 2001, 115; Time, July 30, 2001, 13; Times (of London), July 27, 2001, 23a; Variety, July 23, 2001, 47.
of the Black Lancers (1962), Brennus, Enemy of Rome (1963), Hercules Against the Moon Men (1965) and Slave Girls of Sheba (1964). Gentilomo subsequently retired from filmmaking to pursue painting. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 19, 2001, B9; New York Times, Apr. 23, 2001, B7.
George, Anne Mystery novelist Anne George died of complications during heart surgery in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 13, 2001. She was in her 70s. George, who was Alabama’s state poet in 1994, was the author of several mystery novels in her Southern Sisters series. She was the recipient of the Agatha Award for her first novel. Her works include Murder on a Girls’ Night Out and the forthcoming Murder Boogies with Elvis.
Gunther Gebel-Williams
Gentilomo, Giacomo Italian film director Giacomo Gentilomo died in Rome on April 16, 2001. He was 92. Gentilomo was born in Trieste, Italy, on April 5, 1909. He worked as a film critic and screenwriter during the 1930s, and made his directoral debut with 1937’s Rome Symphonies. Other film credits include The Carnival of Venice (1940), Brivido (1941), Corto Circuito (1942), O Sole Mio (1945), Teheran (1946), The Brothers Karamazov (1947), Young Caruso (1951) with Gina Lollobrigida, The Accusation (1951) with Marcello Mastroianni, Immortal Melodies (1953), The Two Orphans (1954), The Dragon’s Blood (1957), The Last of the Vikings (1961), Goliath and the Vampires (1964), Charge
Anne George
Georgiades, Nicholas Stage and film set designer Nicholas Georgiades died in England on March 10, 2001. He was 88. Georgiades was born in Athens, Greece, on September 14, 1923. He studied stage design
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films from the early 1950s including The Adventurer of Seville (1953), El Dialo Toca la Flauta (1954), El Presidio (1954), Los Gamberros (1954), Sor Angelica (1954), Tres Huchas Para Oriente (1954), Good Bye, Sevilla (1954), El Cenicento (1955), El Golfo que Vio una Estrella (1955), Sucedio en mi Aldea (1956), Mi Tio Jacinto (1956), Sitiados en la Ciudad (1957), Tremolina (1957), El Hombre que Viajaba Despacito (1957), Family Adventure (1958), Maria, Matricula de Bilbao (1960), Boton de Ancla (1961), Donde Pongo este Muerto? (1962), Five Dollars for Ringo (1965), Aoom (1970) and Alejandra Mon Amour (1979). Gila moved to Argentina in the late 1960s, where he formed a theatrical company. He returned to Spain after his retirement in 1985.
Nicholas Georgiades
and began working with Sadler’s Wells ballet in 1955. One of his best known works was his design for the Covent Garden production of Romeo and Juliet in 1965. Often working with director Kenneth Macmillan, he designed productions of Las Hermanas (1963), Swan Lake in Berlin (1969), Mayerling (1978) and The Prince and the Pagodas (1989). He also designed the sets for the 1971 film The Trojan Women. Times (of London), Apr. 6, 2001, 25a.
Gila, Miguel Spanish comedian Miguel Gila died of lung disease in Barcelona, Spain, on July 13, 2001. He was 82. Gila was born in Madrid on March 13, 1919. A member of the Socialist Youth brigade during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, he barely escaped execution after being captured by forces loyal to Francisco Franco. Gila spent several years in prison, where he became known for his comic wit. He began performing in nightclubs and on the radio in the early 1950s, and became known for his comic criticisms of the Franco regime. Gila was also featured in over 20
Miguel Gila
Gilbreth, Frank B., Jr. Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., who co-wrote the best selling autobiographical story of a family with 12 children, Cheaper by the Dozen, died in
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Luciana Giussani
Gluzsky, Mikhail
Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr.
Charleston, South Carolina, on February 18, 2001. He was 89. Gilbreth was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, on March 17, 1911. He and his sister, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, collaborated on the 1949 book which was filmed with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy the following year. A sequel, Belles on Their Toes, was also filmed in 1952. Gilbreth also worked for many years as a columnist for the Charleston Post and Courier newspaper. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 2001, B6; New York Times, Feb. 20, 2001, B8.
Giussani, Luciana Italian comic artist Luciana Giussani died in Milan, Italy, after a long illness on March 31, 2001. She was 82. With her sister, Angela, she created the popular crime comic Diabolik in 1962. Mario Bava directed a stylish 1968 adaptation of the comic, Danger: Diabolik, starring John Phillip Law as the master jewel thief. The Giussani sisters founded Astorina publishing house to produce the comic, which still remains popular Angela Giussani died in 1987.
Russian stage and screen actor Mikhail Gluzsky died in Moscow on June 15, 2001. He was 82. Gluzsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine, on November 21, 1918. He attended Mosfilm’s Actor’s School, and made his film debut in 1939’s A Girl with Character. Gluzsky appeared in over 100 films during his career including Story of a Real Man (1948), The Secret of Two Oceans (1955), And Quiet Flows the Don (1960), The Last Inch (1958), The Night Guest (1958), The Alive and the Dead (1963), The Big Ore (1964), Who Invented the Wheel? (1966), Prisoner of the Caucasus, or Shurik’s New Adventures (1966), Kain XVIII (1966), No Crossing Under Fire (1967), At War As at War (1968), Crash (1968), Anna’s Happiness (1969), Monologue (1972), Affairs of the Past (1972), Fellows (1974), The Bonus (1974), The Last Victim (1975), Tale About Czar Pyotr Arranging Arap’s Wedding (1976), Obelisk (1977), Red and Black (1976), Golden Mine (1977), The Steppe (1977), Human Account (1977), Fiasco of Operation Terror (1980), Bracelet Charm with Secret (1981), The Train Has Stopped (1982), The Voice (1982), The Doctor’s Pupil (1983), Olga and Konstantin (1984), From Life of Patapov (1985), Trees Grow on the Stones Too (1985), The Last Road (1986), Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians (1987), Hard to Be a God (1989), Not Afraid to Die (1991), Russian Brothers (1991), Blood for Blood (1991), Black Square (1992), Devil’s Hostages (1993), The Russian Locomotive (195) and A Man for a Young Girl (1996). Gluzsky was also a popular stage and television performer in Russia, appearing in a theatrical production of The Seagull a month before his death. Variety, Aug. 6, 2001, 60.
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Goetz, Ruth Playwright Ruth Goetz died in Englewood, New Jersey, on October 12, 2001. She was 93. She was born Ruth Goodman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 11, 1912. A theatrical costume designer and story editor before she began writing plays, Goetz married writer Augustus Goetz in 1931. The couple collaborated on the popular play The Heiress, adapted from Henry James novel Washington Square, which premiered on Broadway in 1947. The Goetzes also scripted the 1949 film version of the play. They also scripted several other films including Carrie (1952), Rhapsody (1954) and Stage Struck (1958), before Augustus’ death in 1957. The Heiress earned a Tony Award when it was revived on Broadway in 1995. New York Times, Oct. 16, 2001, C17.
2001 • Obituaries
Channing special in 1966. Goldman also wrote comedy material for such stars as the Smothers Brothers, Jim Nabors, Flip Wilson, Dean Martin and Carol Burnett. He also wrote for such television series as Get Smart and Temperatures Rising. Goldman began writing for comedian George Burns in 1979, scripting television specials, Las Vegas shows and the 1980 film Oh, God! Book II. He continued to work with the veteran comic until his death in 1996. Los Angeles Times, July 3, 2001, B11; Variety, July 9, 2001, 47.
Goldovsky, Boris Russian-born pianist and conductor Boris Goldovsky died at his Brookline, Massachusetts, home on February 15, 2001. He was 92. Goldovsky was born in Moscow on June 7, 1908, the son of violinist Lea Luboschutz. He studied music from an early age and left Russia during the Russian Revolution. He continued his studies in Berlin, where he made his professional debut at
Ruth Goetz
Goldman, Hal Comedy writer Hal Goldman died of cancer at his Bel-Air, California, home on June 27, 2001. He was 81. Goldman was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1920. He began his career in show business while serving in the Army during World War II, writing for Armed Forces Radio and USO shows. After the war he moved to Hollywood, where he often worked with fellow comedy writer Al Gordon. Both joined Jack Benny’s radio program as writers and continued to write for the comedian when he moved to television. Goldman was nominated for ten Emmy Awards during his career, winning two with Jack Benny’s show in 1958 and 1959, and the third for a Carol
Boris Goldovsky
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the Berlin Philharmonic in 1921. After more studies in Paris and Budapest, he settled in the United States, working with conductor Fritz Reiner in Philadelphia. He became director of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s opera program in 1936. He also worked with the New England Conservatory in Boston and the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood over the next ten years. From 1943 Goldovsky provided commentaries during intermission of Saturday matinee broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera. He remained with the Met for the next 47 years. He also participated on the radio programs Texaco Opera Quiz and Opera News on the Air. Goldovsky was the author of several books including Accents on Opera (1953), Bringing Opera to Live (1968) and My Road to Opera (1979). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 2001, B7; New York Times, Feb. 28, 2001, 41.
Gomberg, Sy Screenwriter and producer Sy Gomberg died of a heart attack in Brentwood, California, on February 11, 2001. He was 82. Gomberg began working in films in the late 1940s as a staff writer at various studios. He wrote several films in the
Sy Gomberg
1950s including The Toast of New Orleans (1950), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), Summer Stock (1950), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952) and Joe Butterfly (1957). Gomberg scripted and produced Kathy O’ (1958) and The Wild and the Innocent (1959). He also served as producer and writer for the 1960s television series The Law and Mr. Jones. He continued to work in television, scripting the tele-films Breakout (1970), The Young Runaways (1978), High Ice (1980) and The Ghosts of Buxley Hall (1980). He also produced and wrote the 1977 film Three Warriors. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 14, 2001, B9; Variety, Feb. 19, 2001, 68.
Goodner, Carol Actress Carol Goodner died in Katonah, New York, on November 29, 2001. She was 97. Goodner was born in New York City on May 30, 1904. She began her career on the New York stage and made her Broadway debut in the 1926 production of The Great Gatsby. The following year she went to London, where she continued to perform on stage. She made her film debut in England in the 1929 film Those Who Love. Goodner
Carol Goodner
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appeared in over a dozen other films during the 1930s including There Goes the Bride (1932), The Ringer (1932), The Flying Squad (1932), Strange Evidence (1933), The Fire Raisers (1934), Leave It to Smith (1934), What’s in a Name? (1934), Royal Cavalcade (1935), Red Ensign (1935), Music Hath Charms (1935), Mimi (1935), The Student’s Romance (1936), The Frog (1936), The Dominant Sex (1937) and A Royal Divorce (1938). She subsequently returned to New York, where she starred in the first production of Kaufman and Hart’s The Man Who Came to Dinner. She was also featured in an early television Broadcast of the play Blithe Spirit in 1946. She appeared in several other early television dramas on Philco Television Playhouse, The Ford Theatre Hour and The Silver Theater. She also continued to appear on stage in such productions as Let’s Face It (1942), The Living Room (1954) and A Man for All Seasons (1961). She largely retired from acting in the early 1970s.
and as Dr. Mark Dante on ABC’s General Hospital from 1976 to 1978 and again from 1982 to 1983. Gordon also starred as Sam Richardson in the 1963 series Ben Jerrod and was Dr. Felix Morger in the short-lived 1979 comedy horror series Highcliffe Manor. Gordon was featured in several films during his career including 30 Pounds of Trouble (1963), One Man’s Way (1964), Hell Up in Harlem (1973), Patty Hearst (1988) as attorney F. Lee Bailey, Driving Force (1989), and The Judas Project (1993). He was also seen in the tele-films Force Five (1975), It Happened at Lakewood Manor (1977) and The Day the Women Got Even (1980), and episodes of Naked City, Twilight Zone, Have Gun Will Travel, Knight Rider, Highway to Heaven, Valerie, The Wizard, Dallas, Perfect Strangers, Automan, Sidekicks, Baywatch, and Law & Order. Los Angeles Times, Aug, 22, 2001, B10; Variety, Oct. 1, 2001, 125.
Gordon, Gerald
Gordy, Terry “Bam Bam”
Actor Gerald Gordon died of emphysema in Los Angeles, California, on August 17, 2001. He was 67. Gordon was born in Chicago on July 12, 1934. He was best known for his roles on television soap operas, starring as Dr. Nick Bellini in the NBC soap The Doctors from 1966 to 1976,
Professional wrestler Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy was found dead of a heart attack at his
Gerald Gordon
Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy
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home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by his girlfriend on the morning of July 16, 2001. He was 40. Gordy was born in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, on April 23, 1961. He was a professional wrestler from his early teens, making his debut in 1976. Gordy teamed with Michael Hayes as the popular tag team duo, The Freebirds, holding numerous titles in the NWA and Texas’ World Class wrestling in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Gordy suffered a serious illness in the late 1980s that forced his temporary abandonment of the ring. He returned to wrestle in Texas and Japan in the early 1990s, often teaming with Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Jimmy Garvin. Gordy was Smoky Mountain Wrestling champion in 1995.
Gracie, Sally Stage, film and television actress Sally Gracie died in New York on August 13, 2001. She was 80. Gracie was born on December 31, 1920. She began her career on the New York stage, appearing in Broadway revivals of Major Barbara and Goodbye Again. She was also featured in such 1950s television series as Studio One, Alcoa Hour, Robert Montgomery Presents and Kraft Theatre. She was featured in a handful of films in the 1950s including Patterns (1956), Stage Struck (1958) and The Fugitive Kind (1959). Other television ap-
Sally Gracie
pearances include episodes of The Naked City, Madigan and Tales from the Darkside. She was featured in the daytime soap opera The Nurses and starred as Martha Allen in the soap opera The Doctors from 1968 until 1977. She subsequently appeared as Ina Hopkins in One Life to Live from 1978 to 1983. Other film appearances include The Rain People (1969), Opportunity Knocks (1990) and Passed Away (1992). New York Times, Aug. 17, 2001, B9.
Graf, David Actor David Graf, who starred as gung-ho police officer Tackleberry in the Police Academy movie series, died in Arizona of a heart attack while attending a wedding. He was 50. Graf was born in Lancaster, Ohio, on April 16, 1950. He began his film career in the early 1980s, appearing in Four Friends (1981) and the 1982 tele-film The Long Summer of George Adams. He also guest starred in episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard, M*A*S*H, The A-Team and Matt Houston. He created the role of Cadet Eugene Tackleberry in 1984’s Police Academy, and continued to play the character in the sequels Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985), Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986), Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988), Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989) and Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow
David Graf
121 (1994). Other film credits include Irreconcilable Differences (1984), Love at Stake (1987), Fatal Skies (1990), Without a Pass (1991), Suture (1993), American Kickboxer 2 (1993), Guarding Tess (1994), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), Citizen Ruth (1996), Skeletons (1996), Rules of Engagement (2000) and The Cactus Kid (2000). Graf was also featured in the tele-films Shakedown on the Sunset Strip (1988), The Town Bully (1988), Police Story: The Watch Commander (1988), The Whereabouts of Jenny (1991), For Their Own Good (1993), Roseanne: An Unauthorized Biography (1994) as Tom Arnold, Father and Scout (1994), Hijacked Flight 285 (1996) and Brink! (1998). He starred as Councilman Harlan Nash in the 1986 short-lived television sit-com He’s the Mayor, and was Detective Kraxburger in the 1987 series Cameo by Night. His other television credits include episodes of Night Court, Family Matters, Charles in Charge, The Outsiders, Beauty and the Beast, Ferris Bueller, Quantum Leap, Life Goes On, Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Dream On, The Marshal, Walker, Texas Ranger, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Voyager, Courthouse, Martin, High Tide, Spy Game, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Teen Angel, Party of Five, Caroline in the City, The Simple Life, Sports Night, Touched by an Angel, JAG, The Parkers, Becker, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Diagnosis Murder, Arli$$ and The West Wing. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 11, 2001, B6; People, Apr. 23, 2001, 87; Variety, Apr. 16, 2001, 50.
Grahn, Jenny Swedish operatic soprano Jenny Grahn was found hanged in her North London home in an apparent suicide on May 25, 2001. She was 30. Grahn was born in Vilhelmina, Sweden, on September 20, 1970, and decided on a singing career at an early age. She performed with the Opera Studio 67 in Stockholm in the early 1990s. She went to London in 1996 to study with Graziella Sciutti at the Royal College of Music. She joined the Royal Opera in 1998, performing in Weber’s Der Freischutz. Grahn sang in productions of Puccini’s La Rodine and Strauss’s The Egyptian, and was featured in the BB2 broadcast of The Marriage of Figero in 2000.
2001 • Obituaries
Jenny Grahn
Graue, Dave Comic strip writer Dave Graue died of injuries received in an automobile accident in Flat Rock, North Carolina, on December 10, 2001. He was 75. Graue was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on September 6, 1926. He wrote the Alley Oop comic strip for over 50 years. He was hired by Alley Oop artist and creator V.T. Hamlin to write the caveman strip in 1950. Graue chronicled Alley Oop’s adventures from his prehistoric land of Moo through his time travel trips to the 21st century in Doc Wonmug’s time machine. He continued to write the daily comic until his retirement earlier in the year. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 14, 2001, B9; New York Times, Dec. 12, 2001, A29.
Graydon, Joe Singer and television personality Joe Graydon died at his home in Glendale, California, on May 19, 2001. He was 82. Graydon was an FBI agent in the early 1940s, working on espionage cases during World War II. After the war Gray-
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122 don decided to leave the agency for a career as a singer. He performed on the popular radio show Your Hit Parade, and soon signed a contract with Warner Bros. Graydon recorded the hit song “Again” in 1950. In the early 1950s he starred in the Los Angeles television variety series The Joe Graydon Show. He continued to perform, often in Las Vegas, through the 1960s. In the late 1970s Graydon began producing concerts featuring artists and hits from the swing era. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2001, B10.
Greene, Billy
Dave Graue
Animator Hamilton Billy Greene was shot to death in an assault at the entrance to his Emeryville, Oregon, apartment in an apparent robbery attempt on September 9, 2001. He was 33. Greene was born in New York City on March 19, 1968. He began his career working in children’s programming for New York television before joining the crew of The PJ’s claymation series. Green created the 1998 animated film Malfunction and 2001’s Thought Bubble. He was working on Phantom Investigators for Warner television at the time of his death.
Billy Greene
Joe Graydon
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Greer, Jane Actress Jane Greer died of cancer in Los Angeles on August 24, 2001. She was 76. She was born Bettyjane Greer in Washington, D.C., on September 9, 1924. A model, Greer came to Hollywood after an appearance in Life magazine. She married singer Rudy Vallee while still a teenager in 1943. The couple divorced two years later. Greer was featured in such films as Two O’Clock Courage (1945), Pan-Americana (1945), George White’s Scandals (1945), Dick Tracy, Detective (1945) with Ralph Byrd, The Falcon’s Alibi (1946), Sunset Pass (1946), Bamboo Blonde (1946), Out of the Past (1947) with Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum, They Won’t Believe Me (1947), Sinbad the Sailor (1947), Station West (1948), The Big Steal (1949), The Company She Keeps (1950), You’re in the Navy Now (1951), You for Me (1952), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), Desperate Search (1952), The Clown (1952), Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), Run for the Sun (1956), the 1957 Lon Chaney bio-film Man of a Thousand Faces as Hazel Bennett Chaney, Where Love Has Gone (1964), Billie (1965), The Outfit (1974), Against
2001 • Obituaries
All Odds (1984), Just Between Friends (1986), Immediate Family (1989) and Perfect Mate (1996). Greer was also seen in the tele-films Columbo: Troubled Waters (1975) and Louis L’Amour’s The Shadow Riders, and was Vivian Smythe in David Lynch’s television series Twin Peaks in 1991. Other television credits include episodes of Zane Grey Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bonanza, Stagecoach West, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Quincy, Falcon Crest and Murder, She Wrote. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 28, 2001, B11; New York Times, Aug. 28, 2001, B7; People, Sept. 10, 2001, 97; Time, Sept. 20, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Sept. 7, 2001, 19a; Variety, Sept. 3, 2001, 55.
Gregory, Bryan Punk rock guitarist Bryan Gregory died of a heart attack in Anaheim, California, on January 10, 2001. He was 46. Gregory was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 2, 1954. He played guitar with the punk rock band The Cramps from the debut in 1976 through 1980. He was heard on the band’s first two albums Greatest Hits (1979) and Songs the Lord Taught Us (1980). He also appeared with other members of the band as punks in the 1978 film Foreigner. Gregory subsequently played with the band Beast until 1984. He performed with the The Dials from 1992 to 1995 and was part of the newly formed band, Shiver, at the time of his death. Variety, Jan. 22, 2001, 66.
Bryan Gregory (center, with The Cramps). Jane Greer
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Grimaldi, Gianni Italian film director and writer Gianni Grimaldi died in Rome on February 27, 2001. He was 83. Grimaldi was born in Catania, Sicily, Italy, on November 14, 1917. He began his career as a scripter in the early 1950s, writing such films as Agenzia Matrimoniale (1953), Allow Me, Daddy! (1956), Toto, Peppino and La Dolce Vita (1961), The Two Colonels (1962), Toto vs. Maciste (1962), Gladiators Seven (1962), The Shortest Day (1962), Sexy Toto (1963), Toto and Cleopatra (1963), The Monk of Monza (1963), The Blancheville Monster (1963), Son of Spartacus (1963), The Long Night of Terror (1964), What Ever Happened to Baby Toto? (1964), Latin Lovers (1965), The World’s Gold (1967) and Web of the Spider (1970). From the mid–1960s Grimaldi also directed over 20 films including the spaghetti westerns In a Colt’s Shadow (1966) and Johnny Colt (aka Starblack) (1966). His other directorial credits include James Tont, Operation U.N.O. (1965), The Handsome, the Ugly, and the Stupid (1967), Paths of War (1969), Un Caso di Coscienza (1969), Le Belve (1971), Il Magnate (1973), La Governante (1974) and Frou-frou del Tabarin (1976). Jack Grossberg
Grossberg, Jack
Guedel, John
Film producer Jack Grossberg died in Santa Monica, California, on December 28, 2001. He was 74. Grossberg worked in films from the 1950s, serving as assistant director for 1957’s The Strange One. He was an associate producer on the films All the Way Home (1963), The Producers (1968), Pretty Poison (1968), Don’t Drink the Water (1969), The Hospital (1971), and Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run (1969), Bananas (1971), All You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972), and Sleeper. He also served as production executive for Dino DeLaurentiis’ 1976 remake of King Kong. Grossberg was executive producer for Leadbelly (1976), A Stranger Is Watching (1982), Strange Brew (1983), Natalie Wood’s final film Brainstorm (1983), and The Experts (1989), and was supervising producer for 1989’s Little Monsters. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 1, 2002, B10; Variety, Jan. 7, 2002, 70.
Pioneer television producer John Guedel died of heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital on December 15, 2001. He was 88. Guedel was born in Portland, Oregon, on October 9, 1913. He began working in films at Hal Roach Studios in the early 1930s, where he wrote gags for Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy short. In 1941 he joined with Art Linkletter to form Guedel and Linkletter Productions. The duo created the People Are Funny radio program in 1942, which moved to television in 1954. They also produced Art Linkletter’s House Party and Groucho Marx’s You Bet Your Life. Guedel also produced the 1954 quiz show Earn Your Vacation with Johnny Carson as host, and 1958’s Anybody Can Play with George Fenneman as emcee. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 18, 2001, B10; New York Times, Dec. 24, 2001, A15; Time, Dec. 31, 2001, 33; TV Guide, Mar. 2, 2002, 6; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 39.
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2001. He was 82. Guernsey edited the annual Best Plays yearbook from 1965 until 2000. He had previously worked as a drama critic for the New York Herald Tribune from 1941 to 1960. Guernsey also contributed to the original story for two films, Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) and William Castle’s 13 Frightened Girls (1963). Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2001, B6; New York Times, May 5, 2001, C16; Variety, May 14, 2001, 73.
Guha, Dulal
John Guedel
Guernsey, Otis L., Jr. Broadway theatrical writer Otis L. Guernsey, Jr., died in Woodstock, Vermont, on May 2,
Indian film director Dulal Guha died after a long illness in a Bombay, India, hospital on February 15, 2001. He was 72. Guha was born in what is now Barisal, Bangladesh, on April 2, 1928. He began working in films as an assistant to director Satyen Bose before he began directing films on his own. He helmed over 25 features during his career including Ek Gaon Ki Kahani (1957), Chand Aur Suraj (1965), Jyoti (1969), Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke (1969), Mere Humsafar (1970), Dushman (1971), Dost (1974), Prattiggya (1975), Khan Dost (1976), Do Anjaane (1976), Dil Ka Heera (1979), Dhuaan (1981), Do Dishayen (1982), Mera Karam Mera Dharam (1987) and Sagar Sangam (1988). Poor health forced his retirement in the early 1990s.
Dulal Guha (with actors Abhi Bhattacharya and Talat Mahmood). Otis Guernsey
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Gurevich, Leonid Russian film director and writer Leonid Gurevich died of a heart attack at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on February 15, 2001. He was 69. Gurevich was born in Voronezh, Russia, in 1931. He began working in films in the early 1960s as a cinematographer. A documentarist, Gurevich scripted such films as Scenes at a Fountain (1986), Mission (1986), The Trucker’s Ballad (1987), The Foundation Pit (1989) and The Mission of Raoul Wallenberg (1990). He was the founder of the Glasnost Film Festival in 1989. His recent films include Terpsichore’s Captives and Disavowal of Love. Variety, May 7, 2001, 175.
Gurney, Rachel British actress Rachel Gurney died in England on November 24, 2001. She was 81. Gurney was born in Eton, Berkshire, England, on March 5, 1927. She was best known for her role
Rachel Gurney
as Lady Marjorie Bellamy in the British television series Upstairs, Downstairs from 1971 to 1973, which was aired on PBS’s Masterpiece Theater in the United States. A popular stage performer, Gurney also appeared in a handful of films from the early 1950s including Tom Brown’s Schooldays (1951), Room in the House (1955), Port Afrique (1956), A Touch of Larceny (1959), Game for Three Losers (1964), Funeral in Berlin (1966) with Michael Caine, and I Want What I Want (1972). Her other television credits include productions of The Merchant of Venice (1955), The Portrait of a Lady (1968), A Fall of Eagles (1974), Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (1985), Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986), Lost Empires (1986), and Little Sir Nicholas (1990). She was also seen in episodes of The Saint, Mystery and Imagination, Wednesday Thriller, and Robin’s Nest. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 13, 2001, B15; People, Dec. 17, 2001, 81; Time, Dec. 10, 2001, 29.
Gwillim, Jack British character actor Jack Gwillim died in Los Angeles on July 2, 2001. He was 81. Gwillim was born in England on December 15, 1912. He began his acting career on the British stage in the 1950s after spending 20 years in the Royal Navy. Gwillim was featured in the films The Battle of
Jack Gwillim
127 the River Plate (1956), The One That Got Away (1957), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Flame Over India (1959), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), Sentenced for Life (1960), Circus of Horrors (1960), Lisa (1962), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), In Search of the Castaways (1962), Jason and the Argonauts (1963) as King Aaetes, The World Ten Times Over (1963), A Boy Ten Feet Tall (1963), Rivals (1963), The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964), Thunderball (1965), Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966), A Man for All Seasons (1966), Battle of Britain (1969), Patton (1970), Cromwell (1970), The Bushbaby (1970), Clash of the Titans (1981) as Poseidon, Antony and Cleopatra (1983), Blind Date (1987), The Monster Squad (1987), The Discoverers (1993) and Blue Shark Hash (2000). Gwillim was also seen in the 1961 British television production of Fred Hoyle’s A for Andromeda and the 1976 mini-series The Adams Chronicles. He also appeared in the 1991 tele-film Reason for Loving: The Jill Ireland Story, and episodes of Life with Father, Danger Man, The Saint, Secret Agent, The Troubleshooters, The Avengers, The Champions, Bring ’Em Back Alive, Mr. Smith, Remington Steele, Matt Houston, Gabriel’s Fire and Conan the Adventurer. Gwillim, who moved to the United States in 1969, was also featured in the 1981 revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway as Col. Pickering. Los Angles Times, July 7, 2001, B15.
Haas, Russ Professional wrestler Russ Haas died in his sleep of a heart attack in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 15, 2001. He was 27. Haas was part of the WWF developmental squad and had been wrestling with the Heartland Wrestling Association. He had been sidelined since suffering a heart attack and seizures in late September of 2001. He was born Thomas Russell Haas in Edmonton, Oklahoma, on March 11, 1974. Trained by Iron Mike Sharpe, he made his professional debut in 1996. Haas and his brother, Charlie, had also wrestled with ECWA and Memphis Championship Wrestling as the Haas Brothers and the Haas of Pain.
2001 • Obituaries
Russ Haas
Hague, Albert Broadway composer and film and television character actor Albert Hague died of cancer in an Inglewood, California, hospital on November 12, 2001. He was 81. Hague was born Albert Marcuse in Berlin, Germany, on October 13, 1920. He and his mother fled the Nazis in the 1930s, and later settled in the United States. He studied music at the University of Cincinnati and soon began writing music for plays. Hague composed music for numerous Broadway productions including Plain and Fancy, The Fig Leaves Are Falling and Miss Moffat. He received a Tony Award in 1959 for the score to the musical Redhead. Hague also composed the music for the classic animated television production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 1966. Hague was best known as an actor for his role as white-bearded teacher Benjamin Shorofsky in the 1980 film Fame and television series of the same name from 1982 to 1987. Hague also appeared in the films Nightmares (1983), Space Jam (1996) with Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny, Playing Dangerous
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Albert Hague
2 (1996) and The Story of Us (1999). He was also seen in the tele-films Not Just Another Affair (1982), Passions (1984) and Moment of Truth: Murder or Memory? (1994). His other television credits include episodes of Hotel, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, Tales from the Darkside and Beauty and the Beast. He was married to actress Renee Orin Hague from 1955 until her death in 2000. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 2001, B12; New York Times, Nov. 15, 2001, A28; People, Dec. 3, 2001, 87; Variety, Nov. 19, 2001, 54.
Hairston, Happy Professional basketball player Harold “Happy” Hairston died of complications from prostate cancer in Los Angeles on May 1, 2001. He was 58. Hairston was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on May 31, 1942. He began playing basketball professionally in 1964, and played with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1975. He was featured in the films The Concorde: Airport ’79 (1979) and The Paper (1994), and appeared on television in episodes of Emergency!, Happy Days and Fame. Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2001, D1; New York Times, May 2, 2001, C15.
Happy Hairston
Halasz, Laszlo Opera director Laszlo Halasz died at his home in Port Washington, New York, on October 26, 2001. He was 96. Halasz was born in Debrecen, Hungary, on June 6, 1905. He studied at Budapest’s Liszt Academy and began playing the piano professionally in the late 1920s. He also became involved in conducting for opera, joining the Royal Hungarian State Opera as an assistant conductor in 1928. Two years later he joined the German Opera in Prague and became the Sakharoff Ballet’s music director in 1932. Halasz came to the United States in 1936 as an assistant to Arturo Toscanini at the NBC Symphony. He subsequently joined the St. Louis Opera Company, and made his debut conducting Tristan and Isolde in 1937. Halasz became the first director of the New York City Opera in 1943. Under his supervision the City Opera staged productions of Puccini’s Tosca, Strauss’s Ariadne and Naxos and the world premiere of William Grant Still’s Troubled Island. Conflicts with the opera’s board resulted
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Jack Haley, Jr. (with wife Liza Minelli).
Laszlo Halasz
in Halasz’s dismissal in 1951. He subsequenly became a record producer with Remington. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 2, 2001, B15; New York Times, Oct. 31, 2001, C19.
Haley, Jack, Jr. Jack Haley, Jr., the Emmy Award–winning producer and director, died of respiratory failure in Santa Monica, California, on April 21, 2001. He was 67. Haley was born on October 25, 1933. He was the son of actor Jack Haley, who starred as the Tin Man in the fantasy classic The Wizard of Oz. The younger Haley began his career as a producer and director with David L. Wolper Productions in the late 1950s. He produced the original Biography series for television in 1961, and directed the National Geographic Specials in the mid–1960s. He received an Emmy Award for his direction of the Nancy Sinatra television special, Movin’ with Nancy. Haley left Wolper in 1970 and directed the feature films Norwood (1970) and Jacqueline Susann’s The Love Machine. In
1974 Haley produced and directed the musical documentary That’s Entertainment, in honor of MGM musicals. He produced several Academy Award shows for television in the 1970s and also helmed other film documentaries including That’s Dancin’! (1985), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic (1990) and 100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994). Haley was married to actress-singer Liza Minelli from 1974 to 1979. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 22, 2001, B7; New York Times, Apr. 23, 2001, B6; People, May 7, 2001, 95; Time, May 7, 2001, 23; Variety, Apr. 30, 2001, 84.
Halstead, Bianca Rock singer Bianca Halstead who, as Bianca Butthole, was lead singer for the punk band Betty Blowtorch, was killed in an automobile accident in New Orleans when a car she was a passenger in went out of control and crashed into another vehicle on December 15, 2001. She was 36. The heavily-tattooed Halstead performed with such punk bands as Butt Trumpet and Humble Gods before forming Betty Blowtorch with guitarists Sharon Needles and Blare N. Bich, and drummer Judy Molish in the late 1990s. Their debut record, “Get Off,” was produced in 1999, and an album,
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William Hammerstein
Bianca Halstead
Are You Man Enough?, was released earlier in 2001. The band was seen in the 2001 comedy film Bubble Boy. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2001, B10.
Hammerstein, William Theatrical director and producer William Hammerstein died of complication from a stroke on March 9, 2001. He was 82. Hammerstein was born in New York City in 1918, the son of famed lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. He worked as a stage manager in the 1930s before serving in the Navy during World War II. He resumed his career in the theatre after the war. Hammerstein was a founder of the New York City Center Light Opera Co. He also produced such Broadway plays as Garson Kanin’s A Gift of Time and Neil
Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn. He produced the Broadway revival of his father’s musical Oklahoma! in 1979. Hammerstein also worked in television, producing The Bell Telephone Hour and The Arthur Godfrey Show. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 14, 2001, B7; New York Times, Ma. 12, 2001, B6; Variety, Mar. 19, 2001, 47.
Haney, Anne Character actress Anne Haney died of congestive heart failure at her home in Studio City, California, on May 26, 2001. She was 67. Haney was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 4, 1934. She appeared on the local stage in Atlanta and was featured in the 1978 tele-film Summer of My German Soldier. She began her career in films in Hollywood following the death of her husband in 1980. She was featured in numerous films during her career including Hopscotch (1980), Some Kind of Hero (1981), Making Love (1982), Frances (1982), Independence Day (1983), The Osterman Weekend (1983), Impulse (1984), The Best of Times (1986), Cold Steel (1987), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) with Robin Williams, The American President (1995), Mother (1996), Liar, Liar (1997) with Jim
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light Zone, Valerie, Beauty and the Beast, Designing Women, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Bradys, Tour of Duty, Father Dowling Mysteries, Quantum Leap, Coach, Northern Exposure, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ER, Sisters, NYPD Blue, Murder One, Dharma & Greg, The Magnificent Seven, Any Day Now, Boy Meets World, Chicago Hope, Family Law, Charmed, Popular, Ally McBeal, The Geena Davis Show and Providence. Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2001, B13; People, June 25, 2001, 95; Variety, June 11, 2001, 60.
Hank, the Angry Drunken Dwarf
Anne Haney
Carrey, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), Changing Habits (1997), The Lesser (1998), Psycho (1998), Forces of Nature (1999) and The Out-of-Towners (1999). A popular television performer, she starred as Robert Wagner’s housekeeper, Evelyn Camp, in the 1985 series Lime Street. She was also seen in the 1993 series George as Juanita, in 1997’s Leaving L.A. as Martha Hayes, and was Francine Hardin in Movie Stars in 1999. Haney appeared in such tele-films as The Mating Season (1980), When the Circus Came to Town (1981), Marian Rose White (1982), The Adventures of Pollyanna (1982), The Invisible Woman (1983), Celebrity (1984), The Night They Saved Christmas (1984), The Bad Seed (1985), Malice in Wonderland (1985), Blind Justice (1986), The Thanksgiving Promise (1986), The Christmas Gift (1986), LBJ: The Early Years (1987), Roses Are for the Rich (1987), Celebration Family (1987), Elvis and Me (1988), Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990), Jailbirds (1991), K-9000 (1991), Matlock: The Witness Killings (1991), In My Daughter’s Name (1992), Condition Critical (1992), Telling Secrets (1993), Star Struck (1994), Take Me Home Again (1994), and Little Girl Fly Away (1998). She was also featured in episodes of Harper Valley, P.T.A., Dynasty, Bosom Buddies, Cheers, Family Ties, Condo, St. Elsewhere, Newhart, Hill Street Blues, Mr. Belvedere, Our House, Mama’s Family, The Golden Girls, Matlock, L.A. Law, The Twi-
Henry Nasiff, the 4-foot-1 performer known as Hank, the Angry Drunken Dwarf on The Howard Stern Show, died in New York on September 4, 2001. He was 39. He was born on April 20, 1962. He became a frequent guest on Stern’s radio program, known for his belligerent manner and frequent curses. Hank appeared in
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several films in recent years including Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avengers Part 4 (1999), Shoe Shine Boys (2000) and Secret Agent 420 (2000). He also appeared in an episode of television’s Son of the Beach.
Hanna, William Cartoon pioneer William Hanna died at his North Hollywood, California, home on March 22, 2001. He was 90. Hanna was born in Melrose, New Mexico, on July 14, 1910. He began working in animation in the late 1920s with Leon Schlesinger’s Pacific Art and Title. During the 1930s Hanna worked on cartoons at HarmanIsing Studios. He joined MGM in 1937 where he met Joseph Barbera. They created the Tom and Jerry cartoon series earning an Academy Award nomination for their first, Puss Gets the Boot. The duo received seven Oscars for the series during its run. Hanna and Barbera left MGM when it closed its animation department and began working in television. They created the popular primetime animated series The Flintstones in 1960. This
William Hanna
was followed by such series as Top Cat, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Wally Gator, Magilla Gorilla, Huckleberry Hound and Friends, Peter Potamus, the animated adventure series The Adventures of Jonny Quest, Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossible, Space Ghost, Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor, The Herculoids, The Fantastic Four, Wacky Races, The Cattanooga Cats, Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machine, Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, The Harlem Globetrotters, Goober and the Ghost Chasers, Funky Phantom, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels and many more. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 23, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 23, 2001, C13; People, Apr. 9, 2001, 173; Time, Apr. 2, 2001, 17; Times (of London), Mar. 24, 2001, 27c; Variety, Mar. 26, 2001, 151.
Hannemann, Walter Film and television editor Walter Hannemann died at his San Marcos, California, home on April 29, 2001. He was 88. Hannemann was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 2, 1912. He began his career working in sound editing at Paramount in the early 1940s. He began editing film several years later. Hannemann served as editor for numerous films including Texas Masquerade (1944), Guest in the House (1944), Blood on the Sun (1945), Getting Gertie’s Garter (1945), The Time of You Life (1948), Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950), Only the Valiant (1951), Jet Job (1952), Wagons West (1952), The Rose Bowl Story (1952), Hiawatha (1952), Kansas Pacific (1953), Safari Drums (1953), Fort Vengeance (1953), Dragonfly Squadron (1953), The Bob Mathias Story (1954), Hell’s Five Hours (1958), Go, Johnny, Go! (1958), Al Capone (1959), Pay or Die (1960), Armored Command (1961), Wings of Chance (1961), Hitler (1962), Krakatoa, East of Java (1969), Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969), A Dream of Kings (1969), Cannon for Cordoba (1970), El Condor (1970), The Revengers (1972), Maurie (1973), Lost in the Stars (1974), Two Minute Warning (1976), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), The Villain (1979) and The Nude Bomb (1980). Hannemann also worked often in television from the 1960s, editing such series as 12 O’Clock High, The Fugitive, The Invaders and Cannon, and the tele-films The
133 Abduction of Saint Anne (1975) and Intimate Strangers (1977). Variety, May 28, 2001, 63.
Hargrave, T.J. Timothy John “T.J.” Hargrave, a former child actor in films and television soap operas, was killed on September 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center. An employee of brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald, Hargrave was among the thousands killed when terrorists crashed hijacked planes into each of the twin towers. He was 38. Hargrave was born in New York City on September 28, 1962. He began acting as a child, appearing in numerous television commercials. He was featured in the 1971 film Such Good Friends and starred as T.J. Werner on the Guiding Light daytime soap opera from 1974 to 1976. He was also seen in the 1977 tele-film The Prince of Central Park. New York Times, Nov. 24, 2001, B7.
2001 • Obituaries
Harrison, George George Harrison, the musician and composer who was a founding member of the legendary British rock group The Beatles, died after a long illness with cancer at a friend’s home in Los Angeles on November 29, 2001. He was 58. Harrison was born in Liverpool, England, on February 24, 1943. He bought his first guitar at the age of 13 and became friends with fellow music enthusiast Paul McCartney. McCartney introduced him to John Lennon, who was the founder of a band called the Quarry Men. Harrison eventually joined with Lennon and McCartney to become the Beatles. Drummer Ringo
T.J. Hargrave (lower left, with Tom O’Rourke, Stefan Schnabel and Minnette Alexander from Guiding Light).
George Harrison
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Starr later joined the quartet that would become the most acclaimed musical group of the century. While many of the Beatles song were written by the duo of Lennon-McCartney, Harrison contributed to such hits as “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something.” He also wrote such songs as “I Need You,” “Within You, Without You” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Harrison and his fellow Beatles starred in two popular films in the 1960s, A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965). They directed and produced a 1967 television project Magical Mystery Tour, and also appeared in several concert films. They were involved with the 1968 animated classic Yellow Submarine. Harrison became involved with transcendental meditation after studying the sitar with Ravi Shankar in 1966. He and the other Beatles studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi the following year, though only Harrison remained a follower. After several years of bickering, the Beatles broke up in 1970 after filming the documentary Let It Be. Harrison embarked on a solo career, recording the album All Things Must Pass, that included the hit song “My Sweet Lord.” He also organized The Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, to raise funds for the people facing starvation after the Pakistan-Bangladesh war. A concert film of the event was released the following year. In 1979 Harrison formed Handmade Films to produce the comedy Monty Python’s Life of Brian. He also appeared in a small part in the film. Harrison served as producer on nearly 20 other films including Black and Blue (1980), Time Bandits (1981), Privates on Parade (1982), The Missionary (1982), Bullshot (1983), Water (1985), A Private Function (1985), Mona Lisa (1986), Shanghai Surprise (1986), Five Corners (1987), Withnail and I (1987), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987), Bellman and True (1987), Track 29 (1988), The Raggedy Rawney (1988), Powwow Highway (1989), Checking Out (1989), How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989), Nuns on the Run (1990) and Cold Dog Soup (1990). During the 1980s Harrison also teamed with fellow musicians Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne as The Travelling Wilburys, having several major hits. Hopes of a Beatles reunion were dashed in December of 1980 when John Lennon was shot to death in New York City by a deranged fan. Following Lennon’s death Harrison recorded the song “All Those Years Ago” in tribute to his former partner. In December of 1988 Harrison was the vic-
tim of a violent assault when he was stabbed numerous times in the chest while fighting off an intruder at his mansion in Oxfordshire. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 1, 2001, A1; New York Times, Dec. 1, 2001, A1; People, Dec. 17, 2001, 50; Time, Dec. 10, 2001, 89.
Hartford, John Singer and songwriter John Hartford died of cancer in Nashville on June 4, 2001. He was 63. Hartford was born in New York City on December 30, 1937. He was raised in St. Louis and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1965. He recorded his first album, John Hartford Looks at Life, in 1966. His second album, Earthwords & Music, included the popular song “Gentle on My Mind,” which was later recorded by Glen Campbell. Hartford moved to California in the late 1960s, where he performed on such television series as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. He returned to Nashville in 1971, where he continued to perform and record. He was most recently heard of the soundtrack of the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
John Hartford
135 Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2001, B9; New York Times, June 6, 2001, A29; People, June 18, 2001, 91; Time, June 18, 2001, 25; Times (of London), June 8, 2001, 25a; Variety, June 11, 2001, 60.
Hawthorne, Nigel British actor Sir Nigel Hawthorne died of a heart attack at his Hertfordshire, England, home on December 26, 2001. He was 72. Hawthorne had been ill from cancer for over a year. He was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, on April 5, 1929, and raised in South Africa. Despite the objections of his family, Hawthorne embarked on a career in acting. After several performances in Cape Town, he went to England in the early 1950s. Having little luck obtaining roles there, he returned to South Africa where he appeared in a production of Beyond the Fringe. He again set forth for England in 1963, soon joining the Joan Littlewood Company. He toured with their production of Oh What a Lovely War! and appeared in a small role in the British television comedy Dad’s Army in 1969. He was soon appearing in such films as Young Winston (1972), S*P*Y*S (1974), The Hiding Place (1975), the 1978 animated film Watership Down as the voice of Campion, Sweeney II (1978) and The Sailor’s Return (1978). He was featured on television in productions of Eleanor Marx (1977), Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1980), A Tale of Two Cities (1980), and the mini-series Marie Curie
Nigel Hawthorne
2001 • Obituaries
(1977) as Pierre Curie, Holocaust (1978) and Warrior Queen (1978). He achieved fame for his role as civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby on the popular British comedy series Yes, Minister. He continued to appear in such tele-films and miniseries as Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1980), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982), A Woman Called Golda (1982) as Jordan’s King Abdullah, The Tartuffe or Imposter (1983), Pope John Paul II (1984), The Critic (1984), The Barchester Chronicles (1984), Jenny’s War (1985), Spirit of Man (1989), The Trials of Oz (1991) and Flea Bites (1991). Also a popular character actor in films he was seen in Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I (1981), Memoirs of a Survivor (1981), The Knowledge (1981), Firefox (1982) with Clint Eastwood, The World Cup: A Captain’s Tale (1982), Gandhi (1982), Dead on Time (1982), the animated The Plague Dogs (1982), The Black Cauldron (1985) and Freddie as F.R.O.7 (1992) as a voice actor, Turtle Diary (1985), The Chain (1985), Rarg (1988), King of the Wind (1989), Relatively Speaking (1990) and Sylvester Stallone’s 1993 science fiction film Demolition Man. Hawthorne was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his starring role in 1994’s The Madness of King George. He continued to appear in such films as Richard III (1995), Twelfth Night (1996), Inside (1996), Murder in Mind (1997), Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997) as Martin Van Buren, The Object of My Affection (1998), Madeline (1998), At Sachem Farm (1998), The Winslow Boy (1999), The Big Brass Ring (1999), A Reasonable Man (1999), The Clandestine Marriage (1999) which he also produced, Ataturk: Founder of Modern Turkey (1999) and Disney’s Tarzan as the voice of Professor Porter. On television he was featured in productions of The Fragile Heart (1996), Forbidden Territory: Stanley’s Search for Livingstone (1997) as David Livingstone, Victoria & Albert (2001) and Call Me Claus (2001). Knighted in 1999, Hawthorne also continued his career on stage receiving acclaim for performance in Shadowlands in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 27, 2001, B10; New York Times, Dec. 27, 2001, C12; People, Jan. 14, 2002, 97; Variety, Jan. 7, 2002, 71.
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Hazlewood, Michael Songwriter Michael Hazlewood died of a heart attack on Florence, Italy, while on vacation on My 6, 2001. He was 59. Hazlewood was cowriter of such well known songs as “It Never Rains in Southern California,” “All I Need Is the Air That I Breathe” and “Southern Lady.” The English-born Hazlewood worked with such songwriters and artists as Albert Hammond, Harry Nilsson and T-Bone Burnett. Variety, June 4, 2001, 44.
Heckart, Eileen Eileen Heckart
Oscar-winning character actress Eileen Heckart died of cancer at her Norwalk, Connecticut, home on December 31, 2001. She was 82. Heckart was born in Columbus, Ohio, on March 29, 1919. She began her career on stage in 1943 and was soon appearing on Broadway and early television. She received acclaim for her role in the 1953 Broadway hit Picnic and as the illfated Mrs. Daigle in The Bad Seed in 1954. She made her film debut in 1956’s Miracle in the Rain and received an Oscar nomination for reprising her role of Mrs. Daigle in the film version of The Bad Seed in 1956. She was also featured in the films Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) with Paul Newman, Bus Stop (1956) with Marilyn Monroe, Hot Spell (1958), Heller in Pink Tights (1960), My Six Loves (1963), Up the Down Staircase (1967), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968) and The Tree (1969). She starred as the domineering mother in the Broadway production of Butterflies Are Free and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress playing the role in the 1972 film version. Her other film credits include Zandy’s Bride (1974), The Hiding Place (1975), Burnt Offerings (1976), Seize the Day (1986), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), and The First Wives Club (1996). Heckart was also a familiar face on television, earning two Emmy nominations for her role as Mary Richards’ Aunt Flo on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and a nomination for her performances as Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House. She was also nominated for a 1988 performance in The Cosby Show and won the Emmy for her guest performance in 1994’s Love & War. Heckart starred as
the Boss Angel in the 1979 comedy series Out of the Blue, was Nurse Decker in the 1983 drama series Trauma Center, and was Jeanine in 1984’s Partners in Crime. She also starred as Emma Heckart in the short-lived 1988 comedy series Annie McGuire, and was Mother Emma Buchanan in 1994’s The Five Mrs. Buchanans. She was also seen in the tele-films All the Way Home (1971), The Victim (1972), The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One (1974) as Ma Barker, Sunshine Christmas (1977), Suddenly, Love (1978), Three by Cheever: The Sorrows of Gin (1979), White Mama (1980), F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) again playing Eleanor Roosevelt, The Big Black Pill (1981), Games Mother Never Taught You (1982), The Recovery Room (1985), Stuck with Each Other (1989), Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story (1993), Breathing Lessons (1994) and Ultimate Betrayal (1994). Her numerous television credits also include episodes of The Ford Theatre Hour, Studio One, The Philco Television Playhouse, Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Alcoa Hour, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, The Defenders, The Fugitive, The Nurses, Gunsmoke, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco, Love Story, Alice, Trapper John, M.D., Little House on the Prairie, Lou Grant, Highway to Heaven, The Ellen Burstyn Show, Tales from the Darkside, Murder One, Cybill, Ellen and Home Improvement. Her final performance on stage was in a 2000 production of The Waverly Gallery. She was awarded a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in theatre in 2000.
137 Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2, 2002, B9; New York Times, Jan. 2, 2001, A15; People, Jan. 21, 2002, 83; Time, Jan. 14, 2002, 17; TV Guide, Feb. 16, 2002, 8; Variety, Jan. 7, 2002, 71.
Hellstrom, Gunnar Swedish film director and actor Gunnar Hellstrom died of a stroke in a Stockholm hospital on November 28, 2001. He was 72. Hellstrom was born in Alno, Medelpad, Sweden, on December 6, 1928. He attended the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm and began his career on stage. He was featured in several films in the early 1950s including While the City Sleeps (1950), Submarine 39 (1952), Marianne (1953), The Chief of Goeinge (1953) and Karin Mansdotter (1954). Hellstrom directed and starred in the 1954 film Simon the Sinner. He also directed and appeared in the films Nattbarn (1956) and A Girl of Solbakken (1957), and was featured in the films The Judge (1960), Stoten (1961) and Karneval (1961). He came to the United States in the early 1960s where he was featured in the film Return to Peyton Place
Gunnar Hellstrom
2001 • Obituaries
(1961). He was also seen in episodes of such series as Time Tunnel, Mission: Impossible, and Gunsmoke. Hellstrom also worked often in television as a director for such series as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wild Wild West, Petrocelli, Dallas, How the West Was Won and The Powers of Matthew Star. He also directed the 1968 thriller The Name of the Game Is Kill. Hellstrom directed and starred in his final film, Zorn, a Swedish biographical drama about painter Anders Zorn, in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 1, 2001, B21; Variety, Dec. 17, 2001, 79.
Henderson, Joe Jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson died of heart failure and emphysema in San Francisco on June 3, 2001. He was 64. Henderson was born in Lima, Ohio, on April 24, 1937. He began per-
Joe Henderson
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forming in Detroit the 1950s, and played with the Army band after joining the Army in 1960. He moved to New York after his discharge in 1962, where he began recording. His debut, “Una Mas,” for Blue Note records, was released the following year. He recorded five albums in the early 1950s and, from 1964 to 1966, played in Horace Silver’s band. He played with Herbie Hancock for several years in the late 1960s. Henderson also wrote several popular songs including “Isotope,” “Black Narcissus” and “A Shade of Jade.” He was briefly a member of the rock band Blood, Sweat and Tears in the early 1970s. He continued to perform and record in the 1970s and 1980s and was awarded three Grammy’s in 1991. Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2001, B9; People, July 16, 2001, 69; Time, July 16, 2001, 17; Times (of London), July 5, 2001, 19a; Variety, July 9, 2001, 46.
Heneker, David British songwriter David Heneker died near Cardigan, Wales, after a lengthy illness on January 30, 2001. He was 94. Heneker worked with Monty Norman as a lyricist for the 1958 London musical Expresso Bongo, which was filmed in 1960.
He also worked with Norman and Julian More on the hit musical Irma la Douce, which was filmed by Billy Wilder in 1963. Heneker also composed music for the 1960 horror films The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll and 1965’s I’ve Gotta Horse. He was best known for writing the songs for the 1965 musical Half a Sixpence, which was a Broadway hit and a popular film in 1967. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 3, 2001, B7; New York Times, Feb. 2, 2001, C13; Times (of London), Feb. 3, 2001, 27c.
Herbert, John Canadian playwright John Herbert died at his Toronto, Canada, home following a brief illness on June 22, 2001. He was 75. He was born John Herbert Brundage in Toronto on October 13, 1926. He was best known for his play Fortune and Men’s Eyes, depicting life in prison. The play was an Off-Broadway hit in 1967 and was adapted into a 1971 film. Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2001, B13; New York Times, June 27, 2001, A21; Variety, July 9, 2001, 47.
John Herbert David Heneker
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Heschong, Albert Television production designer Albert Heschong died of a cerebral hemorrhage at his Encino, California, home on March 1, 2001. He was 82. Heschong was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1918. He began working in the theater as an art director on such productions as No Time for Sergeants, The Miracle Worker and Judgement at Nuremberg. He received an Emmy Award for his art director for the Playhouse 90 production of Requiem for a Heavyweight in 1956. Heschong also worked on such television series as Gunsmoke, The Red Skelton Show, The Bob Newhart Show and Hawaii Five-O. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 11, 2001, B6; Variety, Apr. 9, 2001, 58.
Hewett, Christopher British character actor Christopher Hewett, best known for his role as television’s Mr. Belvedere, died after a long illness in Los Angeles on August 3, 2001. He was 79. Hewett was born in Worthing, Sussex, England, on April 5, 1922. He appeared in several films in England in the early 1950s including Pool of London (1951) and The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). He came to the
Christopher Hewett
2001 • Obituaries
United States in the 1960s and was featured in Mel Brooks’ comedy classic The Producers in 1968. Hewett appeared as Federov in the shortlived 1976 television series Ivan the Terrible, and was featured in television productions of The Elephant Man (1982) and Massarati and the Brain (1982). He co-starred with Ricardo Montalban as Lawrence on television’s Fantasy Island from 1983 to 1984. Hewett starred as fussy butler Mr. Lynn Belvedere in the sit-com Mr. Belvedere from 1985 to 1990. His other television credits include episodes of ER, Murder, She Wrote, California Dreams and Ned and Stacey. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 5, 2001, B14; New York Times, Aug. 7, 2001, B7; People, Aug. 20, 2001, 56; Time, Aug. 20, 2001, 13; TV Guide, Sept. 29, 2001, 5; Variety, Aug. 13, 2001, 59.
Heyer, John Australian film director John Heyer died in London on June 19, 2001. He was 84. Heyer was born in Devonport, Tasmania, Australia, in 1917. He began working in films as an assistant on such features as Heritage (1937) and Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940). He directed his first documentary short, New Pastures, in 1940. He was best
John Heyer
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known for his 1954 documentary feature The Back of Beyond. Heyer’s other works include Men and Mobs and The Valley Is Ours. Times (of London), July 4, 2001, 15a; Variety, July 23, 2001, 47.
Hibbler, Al Jazz singer Al Hibbler died in Chicago on April 24, 2001. He was 85. Hibbler was born in Tyro, Mississippi, on August 16, 1915. Blind from birth, Hibbler began singing professionally in the 1930s. He joined Duke Ellington’s band in 1943, singing with the group on such hits as “I’m Just a Lucky So and So” and “Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me.” Hibbler began a successful solo career in the 1950s, recording the hits “Unchained Melody” and “After the Lights Go Down Low.” During his career Hibbler also recorded with such artists as Count Basie, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Mercer Ellington. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 28, 2001, B8; New York Times, Apr. 27, 2001, C13; People, May 14, 2001, 197.
Hidari, Sachiko Japanese actress Sachiko Hidari died of lung cancer in Tokyo, Japan, on November 7, 2001. She was 71. She was born Sachiko Nukamura in Toyama, Japan, on June 29, 1930. A leading actress from the 1950s, she was seen in such films as A Billionaire (1954), Maid and a Boy (1955), Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate (1957), Warm Current (1957), A Woman’s Testament (1960), The Insect Woman (1963), She and He (1963), The Scarlet Camellia (1964), This Madding Crowd (1964), Bride of the Andes (1966), Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (1972), Mishima (1985) and Sukiyaki (1985).
Sachiko Hidari
Higgins, Billy
Al Hibbler
Jazz drummer Billy Higgins died of pneumonia at an Inglewood, California, hospital on May 3, 2001. He was 64. Higgins was born in Los Angeles on October 11, 1936. He began playing the drums at an early age, often performing with trumpeter Don Cherry in the early 1950s. He joined Ornette Coleman’s jazz group in 1955,
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James Hill (with Rita Hayworth).
Billy Higgins
remaining with Coleman until 1960. Higgins subsequently worked as a session musician in New York. He also performed often with saxophonist Sonny Rollins and pianist Cedar Walton in the 1960s and 1970s. Higgins returned to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, where he continued to record and perform. A decade later he was a founder, with poet Kamau Daaood, of the World Stage, giving a venue to aspiring musicians and writers. Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2001, B6; New York Times, May 4, 2001, A23; Times (of London), May 7, 2001, 17a; Variety, May 14, 2001, 73.
Hill, James Film producer James Hill died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Santa Monica, California, on January 11, 2001. He was 84. Hill was born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, on August 1, 1916. Hill began his career working as a
page at NBC in New York. He later began writing radio programs, serving as producer and writer for the comedy series Beulah. Hill went to Hollywood in the early 1950s where he scripted Burt Lancaster’s 1953 film His Majesty O’Keefe. He and Lancaster became friends and Hill served as producer on such Lancaster films as Apache (1954), Vera Cruz (1954), The Kentuckian (1955) and Trapeze (1956). Hill, Lancaster and agent Harold Hecht formed the production company Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, or HHL, in 1956. They produced Lancaster’s films Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), The Devil’s Disciple (1959), Separate Tables (1958) and The Unforgiven (1959). Hill was married to actress Rita Hayworth from 1958 to 1961, and the couple remained friends after their divorce. He was the author of a 1983 book about the actress, Rita Hayworth: A Memoir. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 16, 2001, B4; Variety, Jan. 22, 2001, 66.
Hilliard, Patricia British actress Patricia Hilliard died in Sussex, England, on May 19, 2001. She was 85. Hilliard was born in Quetta, India, on March 14, 1916, the daughter of actress Ann Codrington and Major Penn Gakell. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she made her film debut with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., in 1934’s The Private Life of Don Juan. She continued to appear
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Hilton, Ronnie British singer Ronnie Hilton died in Halsham, England, on February 21, 2001. He was 74. He was born Adrian Hilton in Hull, England, on January 26, 1927. He sang with local bands in Leeds in the late 1940s and won a singing competition in 1951. Hilton began recording in the early 1950s, singing such popular songs as “I Believe,” “Young and Foolish,” “No Other Love” and “Who Are We?” He also sang the title song for the 1957 film The Moonraker. His singing career tapered off in the early 1960s after the hit recording of “A Windmill in Old Amsterdam.” Hilton remained a popular performer on television and variety shows. He starred in the variety series Hilton’s Half Hour on Scottish television in the 1970s and hosted the popular radio program Sounds of the Fifties in the early 1990s New York Times, Feb. 24, 2001, A11; Times (of London), February 22, 2001, 25a.
Patricia Hilliard
in such films as The Girl in the Crowd (1935), The Ghost Goes West (1935), Full Circle (1935), H.G. Wells’ Things to Come (1936), The Limping Man (1936), Troopship (1938), Night Journey (1938), Shadowed Eyes (1939), A Gentleman’s Gentleman (1939) and The Missing Million (1942). She married actor William Fox in 1938 and appeared opposite him in several theatrical productions. After World War II Hilliard concentrated primarily on stage roles, appearing in productions of Too True to Be Good, Wuthering Heights, Day After Tomorrow, No Medals, Noose, School for Scandal and Young Wives’ Tale. From the late 1940s she acted with the BBC Repertory Company.
Ronnie Hilton
Hinojosa, Juan Tejano musician Juan Hinojosa was killed in an automobile accident in Nueces County, near
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Juan Hinojosa
Corpus Christi, Texas, on the morning of November 23, 2001. He was 51. His son, Michael, was also killed in the crash. Hinojosa was a drummer and founding member of the Tejano band Los Fabulosos Cuatro. The band was formed in the 1960s and recorded over 30 albums. Hit songs include “El Embrujado,” “El Pajaro Negro,” “Le Ando Siguiendo Los Pasos” and “De Corazon a Corazon.”
Hite, Richard Rock musician Richard Hite died of cancer in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 22, 2001. He was 50. Hite played with his brother, Bob “Bear” Hite, in the rock group Canned Heat during the 1970s. Hite was heard on such albums as The New Age, One More River to Cross, and Hooker ’n’ Heat: Recorded Live at the Fox Venice Theatre with John Lee Hooker. Hite also recorded with such musicians as Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Hammie Nixon and Studebaker John. Hite moved to Memphis in the early 1980s where he produced numerous blues albums including Memphis Blues Today! He was also a regular host
Richard Hite
on the syndicated radio program Beale Street Caravan for the past two years.
Hlavsa, Milan Czech rock musician and composer Milan Hlavsa died of cancer at his home in Prague, Czech Republic, on January 5, 2001. He was 49. Hlavsa was born in Prague on March 6, 1951. He began playing rock music while in his teens in the mid–1960s, performing with such bands as the New Electric Potatoes, the Blue Monsters and the Undertakers. He was a founding member of the band the Plastic People of the Universe in 1968. The Plastic People recorded their first album, Egon Bondy’s Happy Hearts Club Banned in 1972. The group was subjected to government oppression on several occasions and were arrested in 1976. The group continued to perform and record when they could, cutting two more albums, Passion Play and Leading Horses. Their final album, Midnight Mouse, was released in 1987 and the group disbanded the following year. Hlavsa sub-
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144
Tommy Hollis
Milan Hlavsa
sequently formed the band Pulnoc, which recorded the 1991 album City of Hysteria. The Plastic People reunited in 1997 and toured the United States two years later. Hlavsa was working on a new album at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Jan 8, 2001, B4; New York Times, Jan. 8, 2001, B7; Time, Jan. 22, 2001, 19; Times (of London), Jan. 10, 2001, 23a.
Hollis, Tommy Actor Tommy Hollis died of a heart attack in New York City on September 9, 2001. He was 47. A leading stage actor, he originated the role of Booker T. Washington in the Broadway production of Ragtime. He was also seen in such Broadway plays as The Piano Lesson, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Seven Guitars. Hollis was also featured in several films including Ghostbusters (1984), Moonstruck (1987), Astonished (1988), Spike Lee’s Malcolm X (1982) and Mal-
colm’s father, Leon (1994), Joe’s Apartment (1996) and Primary Colors (1998). He appeared in the tele-films The Colored Museum (1986), Separate but Equal (1991), Stay the Night (1992), Alex Haley’s Queen (1993), Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story (1994), The Piano Lesson (1995), Zooman (1995), First-Time Felon (1997) and Mary and Rhoda (2000), and had a recurring role as Oscar in the television series I’ll Fly Away. Other television credits include episodes of L.A. Law, Law & Order, New York Undercover, Homicide: Life on the Street, Trinity and Now and Again. Variety, Oct. 8, 2001, 73.
Holst, Spencer Writer and fablist Spencer Holst died of complications from emphysema and a stroke at a Manhattan hospital on November 23, 2001. He was 75. Holst was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1926. He began his career as a sports columnist at Ohio newspapers before coming to New York City in 1957. Holst became noted for his contemporary tales of fantasy including The Frog, about a morphine-addicted frog who becomes a prince, but still a drug addict, after being kissed by a beautiful girl. Many of his stories are included in such collections as On Demons, The Language of Cats and Other Stories, Prose for Dancing, The Zebra Storyteller, Brilliant Silence and Spencer Holst Stories. New York Times, Dec. 5, 2001, A23.
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Evelyn Holt
Spencer Holst
Holt, Evelyn German actress and singer Evelyn Holt died in Los Angeles on February 22, 2001. She was 92. She was born in Berlin, Germany, on October 3, 1908. She appeared in over a dozen films from the late 1920s through the early 1930s including The Man with the Frog (1928), Freiwild (1928), Ehe in Not (1929), Marriage in Name Only (1933), Ash Wednesday (1931), The Scoundrel (1931), Kampf (1932) and Fortschitt (1933). She left Germany in the late 1930s for Switzerland and subsequently settled in the United States.
Hooker, John Lee Leading blues singer John Lee Hooker died in his sleep at his San Francisco home on June 21,
1901. He was 83. Hooker was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on August 22, 1917, and began performing while in his teens. He moved north as a young man and began recording in Detroit in 1948. He had a major hit with his recording of “Boogie Chillen,” and followed it with the songs “Boom Boom,” “I’m in the Mood” and “Crawlin’ King Snake.” He was a major influence on such rock musicians as Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison and the Rolling Stones. Hooker’s 1990 album The Healer contained duets with artists Bonnie Raitt and Carlos Santana. He won a Grammy Award for his song with Raitt, “I’m in the Mood.” Hooker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He was the recipient of two Grammys in 1997, including one for a duet with Van Morrison. Hooker reportedly recorded over 100 albums during his career. Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2001, B12; New York Times, June 22, 2001, B7; People, July 9, 2001, 60; Time, July 2, 2001, 23; Times (of London), June 23, 2001, 25c; Variety, June 25, 2001, 66.
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Frances Horwich John Lee Hooker
Horwich, Frances Dr. Frances R. Horwich, who hosted the children’s educational television series Ding Dong School as Miss Frances during the 1950s, died of congestive heart failure in Scottsdale, Arizona, on July 22, 2001. She was 94. She was born Frances Rappaport in Ottawa, Ohio, on July 16, 1907. Dr. Horwich, who had a masters degree in education, produced and hosted the show from its beginnings on Chicago’s WNBQ station in 1952. The series was later aired for four years on NBC, and Dr. Horwich became NBC’s children’s programming supervisor. Los Angeles Times, July 26, 2001, B13; People, Aug. 13, 2001, 77; Time, Aug. 6, 2001, 19.
began her career at an early age singing on Egyptian radio. She made her film debut in 1959’s Hassan and Naeima. She went on to perform in over 80 films through the early 1990s, becoming known in Egypt as “the Cinderella of the screen.” Other film credits include The Second Wife (1967), Those People of the Nile (1968), Take Care of Zouzou (1972), and The Choice (1970). Times (of London), June 28, 2001, 19a.
Hosny, Soad Leading Egyptian actress Soad Hosny died in a fall in London, England, on June 22, 2001. She was 58. Her death, following a long illness, was considered a possible suicide. Hosny was born in Cairo, Egypt, on January 26, 1943. She
Soad Hosny
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2001 • Obituaries
Hoyle, Fred
Hubley, Faith
British astronomer and author Sir Fred Hoyle died in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, on August 20, 2001. He was 86. Hoyle was born on June 24, 1915. A radio astronomer, Hoyle, working with Thomas Gold and Hermann Bondi, proposed the steady state theory of the universe in the 1940s. He was also a leading science fiction writer whose works include A for Andromeda, which was filmed for British television starring Julie Christie in 1961, and a sequel, The Andromeda Breakthrough, which also became a television mini-series in 1962. His other works of fiction include The Black Cloud, Fifth Planet, Into Deepest Space, Rockets in Ursa Major, and October the First Is Too Late. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 23, 2001, B13; New York Times, Aug. 22, 2001, C15; Time, Sept. 3, 2001, 29; Times (of London), Aug. 22, 2001, 15a.
Oscar-winning animator and filmmaker Faith Hubley died in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 7, 2001. She was 77. Hubley was born Faith Chestman in New York City on September 16, 1924. Working with her husband, animator John Hubley, she began working in films in the early 1950s. The couple received an Academy Award for their 1959 animated short Moonbird. They also won Oscars for their films The Hole (1962) and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1966). They also produced the films Of Stars and Men (1961), The Hat (1965), Zuckerkandl (1968), Windy Day (1968), Of Men and Demons (1969), Dig (1972), Voyage to Next (1974), Upkeep (1975), People, People, People (1976) and The Doonesbury Special (1977). After John Hubley’s death in 1977, Faith continued to produce such animated films as Sky Dance (1980), The Cosmic Eye (1985), Yes We Can (1989), Seers & Clowns (1994), My Universe Inside Out (1996), Our Spirited Earth (2000) and Northern Ice, Golden Sun (2001).
Fred Hoyle
Faith Hubley
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148
Los Angeles Times, Dec. 8, 2001, B21; New York Times, Dec. 10, 2001, A23; Variety, Dec. 17, 2001, 79.
Huebner, Mentor Film designer and conceptual artist Mentor Huebner died at a Burbank, California, hospital following vascular surgery on his leg on March 19, 2001. He was 83. Huebner worked in films for over 50 years. He served as an animator at Disney early in his career, drawing the “Heigh-Ho” scene for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He served as a storyboard artist or designer for over 200 films including Show Boat (1951), Julius Caesar (1953), Forbidden Planet (1956), where he worked on the design for Robby the Robot, Ben
Hur (1959), Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), George Pal’s The Time Machine (1960), The Longest Day (1962), Planet of the Apes (1968), Dino De Laurentiis’ King Kong (1976) and Flash Gordon (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Blade Runner (1982), Uncommon Valor (1983), David Lynch’s Dune (1984), Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Harlem Nights (1989), Her Alibi (1989), Total Recall (1990), Eyes of an Angel (1991), The Addams Family (1991), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), So I Married an Ax Murderer (1993), Daylight (1996) and Money Talks (1997). Variety, Apr. 2, 2001, 47.
Hughes, Glenn Glenn Hughes, a member of the 1970s musical group the Village People, died of lung cancer at his home in Manhattan on March 4, 2001. He was 50. Hughes was born in the Bronx on July 18, 1950. He joined the popular disco group formed by French-born music producer Jacques
Mentor Huebner
Glenn Hughes
149 Morali in the late 1970s. Hughes was the leatherclad biker who was accompanied on stage by a soldier, an Indian, a construction worker, a cowboy and a policeman as members of the group. Their best known recording was 1978’s “Macho Man,” and they continued to have hits with the songs “Y.M.C.A.,” “In the Navy” and “Go West.” Hughes appeared with the Village People in their 1980 biographical film Can’t Stop the Music and was featured in an episode of television’s Married … with Children in 1993. He left the band to begin a solo career in 1996. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 2001, B7; New York Times, Mar. 17, 2001, C17; People, Apr. 2, 2001, 102; Times (of London), Mar. 17, 2001, 27b.
Hughes, Ken Film director and writer Ken Hughes died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at a Panorama City, California, nursing home on April 28, 2001. He was 79. Hughes was born in Liverpool, England, on January 19, 1922. Hughes began directing in the early 1950s, often script-
2001 • Obituaries
ing his films. His screen credits include Wide Boy (1952), The Missing Man (1953), The Drayton Case (1953), The Candlelight Murder (1953), Black 13 (1953), Heat Wave (1954), The Strange Case of Blondie (1954), Passenger to Tokyo (1954), The Dark Stairway (1954), The Blazing Caravan (1954), Night Plane to Amsterdam (1955), The Case of the Red Monkey (1955), Joe MacBeth (1955), The Atomic Man (1956), The Deadliest Sin (1956), Portrait in Smoke (1956), The Brain Machine (1956), The Long Haul (1957), The Trails of Oscar Wilde (1960), Jazz Boat (1960), In the Nick (1960), The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963), the 1964 version of Of Human Bondage starring Kim Novak and Laurence Harvey, and Arrivederci, Baby! (1966). Hughes co-directed the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale, and directed and scripted the 1968 adaptation of Ian Fleming’s children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Hughes also directed Cromwell (1970), The Internecine Project (1974), Alfie Darling (1975), Sextette (1978) with Mae West, and the 1981 horror film Night School. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 30, 2001, B5; New York Times, May 2, 2001, C14; People, May 14, 2001, 197; Variety, May 7, 2001, 175.
Hunter, Kermit Playwright Kermit Hunter died of congestive heart failure in Dallas, Texas, on April 11, 2001. He was 92. Hunter was born in McDowell County, West Virginia, on October 3, 1910. He was a leading writer of historical dramas, best known for his play Unto These Hills, written in 1950. His works often dramatized historical events and were usually performed in the outdoors near the site of the actual event. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 27, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 26, 2001, C17.
Hunter, Rita
Ken Hughes
British operatic soprano Rita Hunter died in Sydney, Australia, on April 29, 2001. She was 67. She was born in Wallasey, England, on August 15, 1933. She began singing at an early age and made her stage debut in the musical H.M.S. Pinafore at the age of 14. She joined the Sadler’s
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150
Juliette Huot
Huston, Martin Rita Hunter
Wells Opera in London in 1954, and began playing lead roles in the 1960s. Best known for her performances in Wagnerian operas, she starred in productions of The Flying Dutchman and Die Walkure as Brunnhilde. She performed the latter role with the Metropolitan Opera in 1975. She began performing with the Australian Opera in 1981, where he remained after leaving the stage several years later. Hunter authored her autobiography, Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie, in 1986. New York Times, May 6, 2001, 54; Times (of London), May 1, 2001, 23a.
Actor Martin Huston died of cancer in New York on August 8, 2001. He was 60. Huston was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1941. Best known for his work on stage, Huston made his Broadway debut in 1959’s Only in America. He was also seen in theatrical productions of Take Her, She’s Mine, Come Blow Your Horn and A Race
Huot, Juliette Canadian actress Juliette Huot died in Brossard, Quebec, Canada, on March 16, 2001. She was 89. She was born in Tetraultville, Quebec, Canada, on January 9, 1912. She was featured in a handful of films from the 1940s including Fridolinons (1945), Le Cure de Village (1949), Pays Neuf (1958), Amanita Pestilens (1963), The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1964), The Plouffe Family (1981) and Les Tisserands du Pouvoir (1988). She also appeared on Canadian television in such series as Cre Basile (1965), Symphorien (1968), Grand-Papa (1976) and Montreal P.Q. (1992). Martin Huston
151 of Hairy Men. Huston also appeared on television during the 1950s, starring as Jeep Allison in the 1953 comedy My Son Jeep. He also starred as Skipper in the Jungle Jim series with Johnny Weissmuller in 1955 and was Johnny Blake in the 1959 comedy Too Young to Go Steady. Huston starred as Link in the 1960 drama series Diagnosis: Unknown, and was featured in episodes of such series as The U.S. Steel Hour and Way Out. New York Times, Aug. 9, 2001, B8.
2001 • Obituaries
Jacks, Robert Actor and musician Robert Jacks died of an abdominal aneurysm in Austin, Texas, on August 8, 2001. He was 41. Jacks was born in Monterey, California, on August 9, 1959. Jacks starred as the maniacal Leatherface in the 1994 film The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He also provided music for the film.
Ilipoulos, Dinos Greek stage and screen comedian Dinos Ilipoulos died in an Athens hospital of heart failure on June 4, 2001. He was 86. Ilipoulos was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1915. He began his career on the Greek stage in 1944. A popular film actor from the late 1940s, he was featured in over 50 Greek films including Madam Sousou (1948), Apaches of Athens (1950), The Grouch (1952), Eva (1953), O Drakos (1956), The House on Stournara Street (1959), Amaryllis (1959), Hristina (1960), O Atsidas (1962), O Filos Mou o Lefterakis (1963), O Anakatosouras (1967), Tesseris Assoi (1971), Symmoria Eraston (1972), O Podogyros (1980), La Touvla (1985), The Beekeeper (1986) and Radio Moscow (1995).
Robert Jacks (as Leatherface).
Jackson, Eugene
Dinos Ilipoulos
Eugene Jackson, who was featured as Pineapple in several Our Gang comedy shorts in the 1920s, died of a heart attack at his Compton, California, home on October 26, 2001. He was 84. Jackson was born in Buffalo, New York, on December 25, 1916. He began performing at the age of six, and appeared in the silent films Penrod and Sam (1923) and Her Reputation (1923). Cast by producer Hal Roach as Pineapple, he worked in the Our Gang comedies for two years, appearing in The Mysterious Mystery! (1924), The Love Bug (1925), The Big Town (1925), Circus Fever (1925), Dog Days (1925) and Shootin’ Injuns (1925). Jackson subsequently worked in Mack Sennett’s Buster
Obituaries • 2001
152 television comedy series Julia from 1968 to 1969. He also appeared regularly as Fred Sandford’s friend on Sanford and Son from 1972 to 1973. He made a handful of film appearances in the 1970s and early 1980s including Chandler (1972), Cleopatra Jones (1973), Coffy (1973), Sparkle (1976) and Bayou Romance (1982), and was featured in an episode of television’s Police Story in 1975. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 28, 2001, B16; New York Times, Oct. 30, 2001, D7; People, Nov. 12, 2001, 105; Variety, Nov. 12, 2001, 44.
Jacobs, John
Eugene Jackson
Brown comedies and was featured in Mary Pickford’s 1925 film Little Annie Rooney. He continued to appear in such films as Hearts in Dixie (1929), Dixiana (1930), Cimarron (1931), Sporting Blood (1931), Secret Service (1931), Sporting Chance (1931), Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935), Red River Valley (1936), The Lonely Trail (1936), Hearts in Bondage (1936), Guns and Guitars (1936), It Can’t Last Forever (1937), Blonde Trouble (1937), Wine, Women and Horses (1937), Midnight Court (1937), The Buccaneer (1938), Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1939), Reform School (1939), Television Spy (1939), The Lady’s from Kentucky (1939), Sporting Blood (1940), Unfinished Business (1941), Take My Life (1941), Reap the Wild Wind (1942), Reveille with Beverly (1943), What’s Buzzin’, Cousin? (1943), Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948), Jeanne Eagels (1957), The Long Hot Summer (1958) and Shenandoah (1965). Jackson was featured as Uncle Lou in the pioneering black
British television producer and director John Jacobs died in England on November 29, 2001. He was 77. Jacobs was born in Streatham, England, on June 3, 1924. He began working for the BBC after serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He directed such television plays as Who Goes Home? (1956) and Angel Pavement (1957). He remained with the BBC until the early 1960s, directing I Want to Go Home in 1963. The following year he began working at Anglia, where he produced such dramas as The Photographer, The Explorer, Arms and the Man, Man and Boy, Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels, Harlequinade, The Dame of Sark, Love Affair, Speaking of Murder and the soap opera Weavers Green. He also produced the game show Sale of the Century in 1973 and the drama series Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries in 1974. He retired in 1976 due to illness, but returned to direct several episodes of Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected in the early 1980s.
Jandhyala Indian film director and writer Veera Venkata Durga Siva Subrahmanya Sastri Jandhyala died of a heart attack in a hospital in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, on June 19, 2001. He was 50. Jandhyala was born in Narsapur, Andhra Pradesh, India, on January 14, 1951. Known primarily for his comedies, Jandhyala wrote dialogue for nearly 400 films during his career, and directed over 50. His films include A Love Letter to Husband (1984), Ananda Bhairavi (1984), Chantabbai (1986), Aha Naa Pellanta
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Jandhyala
(1987), Hai Hai Nayaka (1989), Bava Bava Panneeru (1989), Ish Gup Chup (1993) and Oho Naa Pellanta (1996).
Jansson, Tove Finnish fantasy writer and author Tove Jansson died in a Helsinki hospital following a long illness on June 27, 2001. She was 86. Jansson was born in Helsinki on August 9, 1914. She was best known for her series of stories about the Moomin family of trolls, writing and illustrating over a dozen books about them between 1945 and 1977. Her trolls were featured in a 1973 Finish television mini-series I mumindalen and a Japanese television series in the 1980s. The 1992 film Comet in Moominland was also adapted from her works. Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2001, B14; Time, July 23, 2001, 17; Times (of London), June 28, 2001, 19a.
Jarrett, Jerry Actor Jerry Jarrett died in New York City on April 16, 2001. He was 82. Jarrett was born Jerome Jaroslow in Brooklyn in 1918. Best known for his
Tove Jansson (with her Moomin trolls).
work on stage, Jarrett was featured in productions of This Is the Army (1943), At War with the Army (1949), Me, Candido! (1958) and That 5 A.M. Jazz (1964). He performed the role of Tevye in the hit Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof from 1969. Jarrett was also seen on television in an episode of Naked City in 1961. New York Times, May 22, 2001, C18.
Jerome, Jerry Tenor saxophonist Jerry Jerome died at his home in Sarasota, Florida, on November 17, 2001. He was 89. Jerome was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 19, 1912. During the 1930s he toured with Harry Reser and his Cliquot Club Eskimos band and joined Glenn Miller’s original orchestra. He also played briefly with Red Norvo’s band before joining Benny Goodman’s orchestra in 1938. Jerome joined Artie Shaw’s group after Goodman broke up the band in 1940. He appeared with Shaw in the 1940 flim Second Chorus. Jerome was orchestra leader for the television variety series The Ted Steele Show in 1948 and Versatile Varieties in 1949. He also scored and
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Jaromil Jires Jerry Jerome
arranged commercial jingles including the popular Winston cigarette commercial. He continued to record through the 1990s, releasing a CD, Something Old, Something New, in 1998. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 22, 2001, B11; New York Times, Nov. 21, 2001, A16; People, Dec. 20, 2001, 133; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 68.
Jires, Jaromil Leading Czech film director Jaromil Jires died in Prague, Czech Republic, of head injuries he suffered in an automobile accident two year previously on October 25, 2001. He was 65. Jires was born in Bratislava, Slovakia, on December 10, 1935. He worked as a director for stage productions and short films from the mid–1950s before helming his first feature, The Cry, in 1963. His films also include Pearls of the Deep (1965), Don Juan 68 (1968), The Joke (1969), Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), And Give My Love to the Swallows (1972), Kasar (1973), Payment in Kind (1979), Partial Eclipse (1982) The Labyrinth
(1992), The Dance-Master (1995) and Double Role (1999). A serious automobile accident in 1999 largely ended his film career. Variety, Nov. 19, 2001, 54.
Johnson, J.J. Jazz trombonist and arranger James Louis “J.J.” Johnson committed suicide after a long illness at his home in Indianapolis, Indiana, on February 4, 2001. He was 77. Johnson was born in Indianapolis on January 22, 1924. He began performing in the late 1930s, playing with groups led by Clarence Love and Benny Carter. He became best known for his work in films and television, composing and arranging scores for the television series The Mod Squad, Mayberry, R.F.D., That Girl, Starsky and Hutch, Barefoot in the Park, Future Cop, Lucan, B.A.D. Cats and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He also worked on the films Shaft (1971), Trouble Man (1972), Top of the Heap (1972), Man and Boy (1972), Across 110th Street (1972), Cleopatra Jones (1973), Willie Dynamite (1974) and the 1983 tele-film
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Raymond Edward Johnson J.J. Johnson
Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: Murder Me, Murder You. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6, 2001, B6; New York Times, Feb. 6, 2001, C18; Times (of London), Feb. 6, 2001, 21a.
Johnston, Terry Western novelist Terry Johnston died of colon cancer in a Billings, Montana, hospital on
Johnson, Raymond Edward Raymond Edward Johnson, the radio actor best known for hosting the Inner Sanctum series in the early 1940s, died in Wallingford, Connecticut, on August 15, 2001. He had suffered from multiple sclerosis from many years. He was 90. Johnson was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1911. He began working in radio after attending the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago. Accompanied by the sound of a creaking door, Johnson, as the ghoulish Raymond, hosted the spooky radio series Inner Sanctum from its debut in 1941 until 1945. Johnson also starred radio versions of Don Winslow of the Navy and Mandrake the Magician, and the 1943 Broadway play The Patriot. New York Times, Sept. 16, 2001, A44.
Terry Johnston
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March 25, 2001. He was 54. Johnson was born in Arkansas City, Kansas, in 1946. A student of the Old West, Johnston’s first novel, Carry the Wind, was published in 1982. The novel introduced his popular character, mountain man Titus “Scratch” Bass. He wrote over 30 novels including Sioux Dawn, Long Winter Gone, Cry of the Hawk, Lay the Mountains Low, Buffalo Palace and 2000’s Wind Walker. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2001, B8.
Jones, Etta Jazz singer Etta Jones died of cancer at her home in Mount Vernon, New York, on October 16, 2001. She was 72. Born in Aiken, South Carolina, in on November 27, 1929, Jones began her career in music in the early 1940s in New York. She had her first hit with the Grammynominatd single “Don’t Go to Strangers” in 1960. She began a 30-year partnership with saxophonist Houston Person in 1968. Jones also received Grammy nominations for her songs “Save Your Love for Me” in 1981 and “My Buddy” in 1999. Her final album, Etta Jones Sings Lady Day, was released on the day of her death. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 19, 2001, B13; New York Times, Oct. 19, 2001, C12; Times (of London), Oct. 24, 2001, 19a; Variety, Nov. 5, 2001, 41.
Jordan, Judith Character actress Judith Jordan died of ovarian cancer in Malibu, California, on September 13, 2001. She was 61. Jordan was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1940, and moved to New York City in the late 1950s. She began her career on stage, appearing in over 100 productions, including Broadway productions of Enter Laughing and Fiorella. Moving to Los Angeles in the mid– 1970s, Jordan was featured on the daytime soap operas The Young and the Restless and General Hospital. She also appeared on television in episodes of Roseanne, Knots Landing, Quincy, The Fall Guy, Highway to Heaven and L.A. Law. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 5, 2001, B13.
Judith Jordan
Juarbe, Angel, Jr. Angel Juarbe, Jr., a New York City firefighter who was the winner of the mystery-reality television series Murder in Small Town X earlier in the year, was killed on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center towers collapsed after a terrorist attack. He was 35. Juarbe was trying to rescue trapped survivors in the neighboring Marriott Hotel. TV Guide, Oct. 20, 2001, 6. Etta Jones
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genie Walter in Steiermark, Austria, on June 14, 1905. She began her career on the German screen in the mid–1920s, appearing in such films as Love Makes Up Blind (1925), A Royal Scandal (1927), The Loves of Casanova (1927), Looping the Loop (1928), Das Madchen von Valencia (1929), Who Takes Love Seriously? (1931), Five of the Jazzband (1932), A Town Stands on Its Head (1934), A Song for You (1933), There Is Only One Love (1933), Hard Luck Mary (1934), Miss Madame (1934), Pygmalion (1935), Hokum (1936), The Night with the Emperor (1937), Girlhood of a Queen (1936), The Stars Shine (1938), Minor Love and the Real Thing (1938), Nanette (1940), Unzer Fraulein Doktor (1940), Die Gattin (1943) and It Only Happened Once (1958).
K-Doe, Ernie Angel Juarbe, Jr.
Jugo, Jenny German actress Jenny Jugo died on September 30, 2001. She was 95. She was born Eu-
Jenny Jugo
Singer Ernie K-Doe died of cirrhosis in a New Orleans hospital on July 5, 2001. He was 65. He was born Ernest Kador, Jr., in New Orleans on February 22, 1936. He performed regularly as a teenager, singing in church choirs and talent shows. He sang with the Blue Diamonds in the late 1950s and record the solo hit “Hello, My Lover” in 1959. K-Doe was best known for his 1961 recording of the hit song “Mother-in-Law.”
Ernie K-Doe
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During the 1960s K-Doe’s songs included “A Certain Girl,” “‘Taint It the Truth” and “Later for Tomorrow.” Problems with depression and alcohol brought his career to a halt in the late 1960s. In the mid–1990s K-Doe resumed his career after opening a small lounge in New Orleans. His last album, Building Is Shakin’ & The Walls Are Tremblin’ was released in 1999. Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2001, B13; Times (of London), July 26, 2001, 21a.
Kael, Pauline Leading film critic Pauline Kael died at her home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, of complications from Parkinson’s disease on September 3, 2001. She was 82. Kael was born in Petaluma, California, on June 19, 1919. She began writing film reviews in the early 1950s in San Francisco. Her critiques subsequently appeared in such publications as McCall’s, Vogue, Mademoiselle, and Film Quarterly. Kael joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1967, becoming one of the best known film critics in the country. Equally dismissive of such European “art” films as BlowUp and Last Year at Marienbad, as she was of pop-
Pauline Kael
ular fare like The Sound of Music and Dances with Wolves, she championed the work of such innovative directors as Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Kael authored over ten books during her career including her collection I Lost It at the Movies and the 1974 National Book Award winner Deeper into Movies. She retired from The New Yorker in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 4, 2001, A1; New York Times, Sept. 4, 2001, C12; People, Sept. 17, 2001, 191; Time, Sept. 17, 2001, 25; Times (of London), Sept. 5, 2001, 17a; Variety, Sept. 10, 2001, 76.
Kahane, Jackie Comedian Jackie Kahane died of cancer in Encino, California, on March 26, 2001. He was 79. Kahane was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1921. He began performing in the 1940s, opening shows by such celebrities as Sophie Tucker, Joe E. Lewis, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Tony Bennett and Wayne Newton. Kahane was Elvis Presley’s opening act during the 1970s, appearing with Elvis at the Las Vegas Hilton. He was also seen on television on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. Kahane appeared as himself in the 1969 film 80 Steps to Jonah. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 28, 2001, B7; Variety, Apr. 2, 2001, 47.
Jackie Kahane (with Elvis Presley).
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Kapetansky, Seymour Comedy writer Seymour Kapetansky died of cancer in Detroit, Michigan, on February 9, 2001. He was 81. Kapetansky began his career in radio in Detroit before going to Hollywood to work on the radio program Duffy’s Tavern. While there he wrote comedy routines for Red Skelton and other comedians. He returned to Detroit in 1951, where he worked as a television news writer and reporter until the early 1990s.
2001 • Obituaries
1940s, appearing in productions of Miss Liberty, Two’s Company and Gypsy as stripper Tessie Tura. She received a Tony Award for co-starring as Golde with Zero Mostel in the musical Fiddler on the Roof in 1964, and was again nominated for a Tony for her performance in Zorba in 1968. She reprised her role as Golde in the Fiddler on the Roof revival in 1981. On screen, Karnilova appeared in the 1964 comedy The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and was featured in 1988’s Married to the Mob. She also appeared in the 1976 television series Ivan the Terrible. She is survived by her husband, actor George S. Irving, who she married in 1948. Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 25, 2001, C17; Variety, May 14, 2001, 73.
Seymour Kapetansky
Karnilova, Maria Ballet dancer and actress Maria Karnilova died in Manhattan, New York, on April 20, 2001. She was 80. Karnilova was born Maria Dovgolenko in Hartford, Connecticut, on August 3, 1920. She began her career in dance as a child with the Children’s Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera in 1927. She joined the American Ballet Theater in 1939, appearing in productions of Michel Fokine’s Bluebeard, Agnes de Mille’s Three Virgins and a Devil and Antony Tudor’s Judgment of Paris. She moved to the Broadway stage in the
Maria Karnilova
Karr, Mabel Argentine actress Mabel Karr died in a Madrid, Spain, hospital from complications from an infection on May 1, 2001. She was 66. She was
Obituaries • 2001
160 December 11, 2001. He was 66. He was born Steve Lim in Serang, Indonesia, in 1935. A prominent director from the 1970s, he helmed such films as First Love (1973), November 1828 (1978), Usia 18 (1980), Dibalik Kelambu (1983), Bitter Coffee (1985), Mother (1986) and the 1994 television mini-series Alang-Alang.
Kay, Norman Mabel Karr
born Mabel Campolongo Jaime in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 7, 1934. She began her film career in the late 1950s in Spain, appearing in such films as Red Cross Girls (1958), Violent Fate (1958), Valentine’s Day (1959), The Proud Infantry (1960), The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) with Rory Calhoun, Rogelia (1962), Los Palomos (1964), Desino: Barajas (1965), Operation Lady Chaplin (1966), Jesus Franco’s 1966 horror film The Diabolical Dr. Z, Cover Girl (1968), Old Man Made in Spain (1969), Cut-Throats Nine (1972), Doubt (1972) and One Billion for a Blonde (1972). She largely retired from the screen in the mid– 1970s, but returned in 1996 for a role in the bizarre horror film The Killer Tongue. She was married to veteran actor Fernando Rey from 1960 until his death in March of 1994.
British composer and musical director Norman Kay died in England on May 12, 2001. He was 72. Kay was born in Bolton, England, on January 5, 1929. A composer of operas, he worked in British radio and television from the 1950s. He composed the music for the televised British mime play Song Without Words in 1967, and worked with Alun Owen on the television opera, The Rose Affair, in 1968. He also composed the televised opera A Christmas Card in 1979, and composed incidental music for the popular British science fiction series Doctor Who. Kay was also music director for Harry Secombe’s musical television series Highway. Times (of London), May 17, 2001, 23a.
Karya, Teguh Indonesian film director and writer Teguh Karya died of a stroke in Jakarta, Indonesia, on
Teguh Karya
Norman Kay
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Kean, Carole Actress Carole Kean died of ovarian cancer in Los Angeles on April 23, 2001. She was 58. Kean was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 10, 1942. She was featured in several films in the 1980s including Monster in the Closet (1986), Stewardess School (1987) and The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988).
Eamon Kelly
Carole Kean
Kelly, Eamon Irish actor and storyteller Eamon Kelly died in Dublin on October 24, 2001. He was 87. Kelly was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in 1914. A popular performer on Irish radio and television from the 1950s, he was nominated for a Tony Award for starring in the play Philadelphia, Here I Come on Broadway. Many of Kelly’s tales were recorded on such albums as Eamon Kelly — Live from Ireland and Eamon Kelly — The Irish Storyteller.
Kelly, Emma Emma Kelly, the pianist and singer known as the “Lady of 6,000 Songs” died of a liver ail-
Emma Kelly
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ment in Statesboro, Georgia, on January 17, 2001. She was 82. A popular nightclub performer in Savannah, Georgia, Kelly achieved fame after author John Berendt used her as a character in his popular 1994 thriller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Kelly played herself in the 1997 film version of the novel. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2001, B7; New York Times, Jan. 29, 2001, B7; People, Feb. 5, 2001, 103.
Kempley, Walter, Jr. Comedy writer Walter Kempley, Jr., died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Sarasota, Florida, on August 11, 2001. He was 74. Kempley was a writer for the comedy variety series The Jack Paar Show and The Jackie Gleason Show. He served as head writer for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1967 to 1971. He also wrote for David Frost, Howard Cosell and Merv Griffin. Kempley scripted episodes for several Paramount sitcoms including The Dick Van Dyke Show, McHale’s Navy and Happy Days. Also a novelist, his first book, The Probability Factor, was adapted as the 1976 French film L’Ordinateur des Pompes Funebres. Kempley also wrote for German television in the late 1970s and 1980s. Variety, Aug. 20, 2001, 40.
Kennedy, Burt Film director and screenwriter Burt Kennedy died of cancer at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, on February 15, 2001. He was 78. Kennedy was born in Muskegon, Michigan, on September 3, 1922. Kennedy began writing scripts for radio programs after distinguished service in the Army during World War II. He soon began working in films, scripting such westerns as Seven Men from Now (1956), Gun the Man Down (1956), Man in the Vault (1956), The Tall T (1957), Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), Ride Lonesome (1959), Yellowstone Kelly (1959), Comanche Station (1960), The Canadians (1961), which was also his directoral debut, and Six Black Horses (1962). He also began working in television as a director on such series as Lawman, The Virginian and Combat! and directed and scripted
Burt Kennedy
the films Mail Order Bride (1964) and The Rounders (1965). He continued to direct, and sometimes script, such features as The Money Trap (1965), Return of the Seven (1966), The War Wagon (1967) with John Wayne, Welcome to Hard Times (1967), Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969), The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969), Young Billy Young (1969), Dirty Dingus Magee (1970) with Frank Sinatra, Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), The Deserter (1971), Hannie Caulder (1971), The Train Robber (1973), The Killer Inside Me (1976), Drum (1976), Wolf Lake (1978), The Trouble with Spies (1987), Big Bad John (1990) and Suburban Commando (1991) with Hulk Hogan. Kennedy also worked often in television from the 1970s, directing the tele-films and mini-series Shootout in a One-Dog Town (1974), Sidekicks (1974), All the Kind Strangers (1974), The Rhinemann Exchange (1977), How the West Was Won (1977), Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978), The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979), The Concrete Cowboys (1979), More Wild Wild West (1980), Louis L’Amour’s Down the Long Hills (1986), The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987), Once Upon a Texas Town (1988) and Where the Hell’s That Gold?!!? (1988). He also directed episodes of such series as Big Hawaii, Magnum, P.I., Simon & Simon and The Yellow Rose. Los Angeles Times, Feb, 17, 2001, B6; New York Times, Feb. 17, 2001, B8; People, Mar. 5, 2001, 99; Variety, Feb. 19, 2001, 68.
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Kerner, Jeannette Veteran character actress Jeannette Kerner died of pneumonia in a Los Angeles hospital on May 25, 2001. She was 85. Kerner was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1915. She began her career in films in the mid–1930s, appearing in 1937’s History Is Made at Night. She largely appeared on stage, but resumed her film career in the late 1980s, often appearing in films produced by her son, Jordan Kerner. Her film credits include Less Than Zero (1987), Funny About Love (1990), The Mighty Ducks (1992), D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994), D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996) and George of the Jungle (1997). She was also seen in the telefilms My First Love (1988), Breaking Point (1989), Do You Know the Muffin Man? (1989), Heat Wave (1990), Backfield in Motion (1991) and Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge (1995). Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2001, B14; Variety, June 4, 2001, 44.
Kesey, Ken Writer Ken Kesey, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, died of complications following surgery for liver cancer at a Eu-
2001 • Obituaries
gene, Oregon, hospital on November 10, 2001. He was 66. Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado, on September 17, 1935. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1957 and attended graduate school at Stanford University. Kesey first became involved with psychedelic drugs in the late 1950s as a paid volunteer at a hospital studying such drugs. His first published novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, was written after Kesey worked as a night attendant at a hospital psychiatric ward. The book was published in 1962 and received critical acclaim. It was adapted as a popular Broadway play starring Kirk Douglas the following year. In 1975 a film version was released starring Jack Nicholson. The film earned five Academy Awards including best picture. His next novel, Sometimes a Great Notion, was published in 1964. It was also adapted to film in 1971. In the mid–1960s Kesey, with a group of friends dubbed the Merry Pranksters, traveled around the country in a drugfilled bus in an event that would be recounted in Tom Wolfe’s nonfiction book The Electric KoolAid Acid Test. After several subsequent bouts with legal authorities, Kesey settled down with his family in Mount Pleasant, Oregon, in the late 1960s. He continued to write, though his later works were not as successful. He wrote the nonfictions Kesey’s Garage Sale (1973), Demon Box (1986) and The Further Inquiry (1990), and the novels Sailor Song (1992) and Last Go Round: A Dime Western (1994). He also wrote two children’s books, Little Tricker the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear (1990) and The Sea Lion: A Story of the Sea Cliff People (1991). Kesey was featured in the 1993 film Even Cowgirls Get the Blues as Sissy’s Daddy, and appeared in the documentaries The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1993), A Conversation with Ken Kesey (1995), Timothy Leary’s Last Trip (1996) and The Beatles Revolution (2000). He also was a voice actor in 1994’s Twister: A Ritual Reality and played a baseball announcer in 1998’s Ricochet River. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 2001, A1; People, Nov. 26, 2001, 156; Time, Nov. 19, 2001, Times (of London), Nov. 12, 2001, 19a. 27; Variety, Nov. 19, 2001, 54.
Ketcham, Hank Ken Kesey
Cartoonist Hank Ketcham, who created the popular cartoon Dennis the Menace 50 years ago, died at his Carmel, California, home on June 1,
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Hank Ketcham
Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940) and Bambi (1942). A freelance cartoonist, Ketcham created the mischievous Dennis in 1950, basing him on the antics of his own son, also named Dennis. The cartoon became one of the most popular in the nation. The character’s real life counterpart had a less joyful life, with his mother dying of a drug overdose in 1959. He suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder following service in Vietnam in the 1960s and remained estranged from his father. Ketcham retired from producing the cartoon in 1994, though it continues with ghost artists and writers. Dennis the Menace spawned a popular television series in 1959, starring Jay North as the tyke who terrorizes the neighborhood, including the grumpy Mr. Wilson. Dennis was the basis of a 1987 film starring Mason Gamble and Walter Matthau. There were also animated television series in 1968 and 1987, and two video films, Dennis the Menace: Dinosaur Hunter (1987) and Dennis the Menace Strikes Again (1998). Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2001, A1; New York Times, June 2, 2001, B7; People, June 18, 2001, 129; Time, June 11, 2001, 22; Variety, June 4, 2001, 44.
Khachikian, Samuel Iranian-Armenian film director Samuel Khachikian died in Iran on October 22, 2001. He was 78. Khachikian was born in Tabriz, Iran, in 1923. He began his career as a stage director in Iran’s Armenian community, helming productions of Sara, The Prostitutes and Gray Curtains. A leading film director from the 1960s, he was hailed as “the Alfred Hitchcock of Iranian cinema.” His many films include Party in Hell, Southern Thief, Cross Ways of Events and Goodbye Tehran.
Kienzle, William X. Hank Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace.
2001. He was 81. Ketcham was born in Seattle, Washington, on March 14, 1920. He went to Hollywood in the late 1930s, working as an animator with Walter Lantz and, later, Walt Disney. He worked on several Disney films including
William X. Kienzle, a former Roman Catholic priest who became a leading mystery novelist, died of a heart attack at his Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, home on December 28, 2001. He was 73. Kienzle was born in Detroit on September 11, 1928. He was ordained a priest in 1954 and served
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other mystery novels featuring Father Robert Koesler as sleuth include Death Wears a Red Hat (1980), Mind Over Murder (1981), Assault with Intent (1982), Shadow of Death (1983), Kiss and Tell (1984), Sudden Death (1985), Deathbed (1986), Deadline for a Critic (1987), Marked for Murder (1988), Eminence (1989), Masquerade (1990), Chameleon (1991), Body Count (1992), Dead Wrong (1993), Bishop as Pawn (1994), Call No Man Father (1995), Requiem for Moses (1996), The Man Who Loved God (1997), The Greatest Evil (1998), No Greater Love (1999), Till Death (2000), and 2001’s The Sacrifice. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2, 2002, B9.
King, Carl
Samuel Khachikian (directing a scene).
as editor of the archdiocese’s newspaper for over a decade before leaving the priesthood in 1974. Five years later his first novel, The Rosary Murders, was published. It was adapted into a film starring Donald Sutherland in 1987. His many
Actor and announcer Carl King died of lung cancer in North Palm Beach, Florida, on January 16, 2001. He was 79. King began his career on stage before working in television from the 1950s. He created and hosted the ABC magazine program King’s Crossroads during the 1950s. He served as commercial announcer for numerous products and appeared in the Captain Video juvenile television series. King also performed on the television soap opera The Secret Storm. He was narrator for various films and shorts including the 1965 documentary The Love Goddesses. He also served as announcer for the television game shows Temptation and Queen for a Day in the 1960s. Variety, Feb. 5, 2001, 86.
Knowles, John Novelist John Knowles died in Miami, Florida, after a brief illness on November 29, 2001. He was 75. Knowles was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, on September 16, 1926. He was best known for his 1959 novel, A Separate Peace, depicting the turbulent relationship between two friends at a New England boarding school during World War II. The novel was filmed in 1972 starring Parker Stevenson. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 1, 2001, B20; People, Dec. 17. 2001, 81; Time, Dec. 10, 2001, 29. William Kienzle
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Howard W. Koch
John Knowles
Koch, Howard W. Film producer and director Howard W. Koch died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Los Angeles on February 16, 2001. He was 84. Koch was born in New York City on April 11, 1916. He began working in films as an assistant cutter as Fox. He became an assistant director in th 1940s, working on such films as The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), T-Men (1947), The Red Stallion (1947), Philo Vance’s Secret Mission (1947), The Noose Hangs High (1948), Man from Texas (1948), Let’s Live a Little (1948), He Walked by Night (1948), The Cobra Strikes (1948), Tulsa (1949), East Side, West Side (1949), Julius Caesar (1953) and The Naked Spur (1953). Koch then began producing such films as War Paint (1953), Beachhead (1954), The Yellow Tomahawk (1954), Ghost Town (1955), Fort Yuma (1955), Desert Sands (1955), Rebel in Town (1956), Three Bad Sisters (1956), Quincannon — Frontier Scout (1956), Pharaoh’s Curse (1956), Hot Cars (1956), Emergency Hospital (1956), Crime Against Joe (1956), Broken Star (1956), The Black Sleep (1956), Revolt
at Fort Laramie (1957), War Drums (1957), Voodoo Island (1957), Outlaw’s Son (1957), Hell Bound (1957) and The Dalton Girls (1957). He also directed the films Shield for Murder (1954), Big House, U.S.A. (1955), The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), Untamed Youth (1957), Jungle Heat (1957), Bop Girl Goes Calypso (1957), Violent Road (1958), Frankenstein —1970 (1958), Fort Bowie (1958), Born Reckless (1958), Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) and The Last Mile. Koch also worked on television as a producer and writer for such series as Maverick, The Untouchables and Johnny Ringo. He continued to produce from the early 1960s, often working with Frank Sinatra Enterprises and, later, was vice president of production at Paramount. Koch’s credits include X-15 (1961), Sergeants 3 (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Come Blow Your Horn (1963), 4 for Texas (1963), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), None but the Brave (1965), The President’s Analyst (1967), The Odd Couple (1968), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), A New Leaf (1971), Plaza Suite (1971), Star Spangled Girl (1971), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), Badge 373 (1973), The Other Side of Midnight (1977) and Dragonslayer (1981). He also produced the tele-films and mini-series The Underground Man (1974), Escape from Bogen County (1977), Harold Robbin’s The Pirate
167 (1978), Hollywood Wives (1985) and Crossings (1986). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 2001, B6; New York Times, Feb. 20, 2001, B8; People, Ma. 5, 2001, 99; Variety, Feb. 19, 2001, 68.
Kojima, Sanji Japanese actor Sanji Kojima died of kidney failure at a Tokyo hospital on April 16, 2001. He was 62. Kojima worked as a sushi chef before beginning his career as a comedian in nightclubs. He founded the comic group Trio Skyline in 1965. A popular television performer, Kojima was also seen in the films Dodeskaden (1970) by Akira Kurosawa, Lupin III (1974) and Black Magic Wars (1982).
Koner, Pauline German dancer and choreographer Pauline Koner died on February 8, 2001. She was 88. Koner was born in New York City in 1912. A student of ballet and modern dance, she performed with troupes led by Russian Choreographer Mikhail Fokin and Japanese modern dancer Michio Ito. She was a leading dancer with the Limon
Pauline Koner (right, with Jose Limon and Betty Jones in 1949’s The Moor’s Pavane).
2001 • Obituaries
Dance Company from 1946 to 1960, where she was noted for her performance in The Moor’s Pavane. Koner subsequently wrote an autobiography, Solitary Songs.
Kramer, Bert Character actor Bert Kramer died of complications from cancer in a Los Angeles hospital on June 20, 2001. He was 66. He was born Albert George Kohnhorst in San Diego, California, on October 10, 1934. A popular film and television performer from the early 1970s, Kramer was seen in the films Lady Sings the Blues (1972), Moment by Moment (1978), Bloody Birthday (1981), Thunder Alley (1985), Broken Trust (1993), Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventures of Pecos Bill (1995), Street Corner Justice (1996), Volcano (1997) and The Confession (2001). Kramer starred as Emmet Ferguson on the television drama series Sara in 1976, and was Mike Fitzpatrick in The Fitzpatricks in 1977. He was featured as Alex Wheeler in the soap opera Texas from 1980 to 1981 and was golf pro Brent Davis on The Young and the Restless from 1984 to 1985. He was also seen in the 1976 mini-series Once an Eagle, and the tele-film Murder C.O.D. (1990). Other television credits include episodes of Mission: Impossible, Mannix, M*A*S*H, Kojak, The Six Million
Bert Kramer
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Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, The Hardy Boys/ Nancy Drew Mysteries, Little House on the Prairie, Dynasty, CHiPs, The Fall Guy, Matlock, Paradise and Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. Los Angeles Times, July 3, 2001, B11; Variety, Aug. 13, 2001, 59.
Kramer, Stanley Film producer and director Stanley Kramer died of complications from pneumonia at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on February 19, 2001. He was 87. Kramer was born in Brooklyn on September 29, 1913. He began working in films as an editor and researcher in the 1930s. He began producing films in the late 1940s with such credits as So This Is New York (1948), Champion (1949), Home of the Brave (1949), The Men (1950), Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), Death of a Salesman (1951), My Six Convicts (1952), the 1952 western classic High Noon, The Sniper (1952), The Four Poster (1952), The Member of the Wedding (1952),
The Happy Time (1952), Eight Iron Men (1952), The Juggler (1953), The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953) scripted by Dr. Seuss, The Wild One (1954) and The Caine Mutiny (1954). Kramer also began directing films with 1955’s Not as a Stranger. He continued to helm such classic films as The Pride and the Passion (1957), The Defiant Ones (1958), On the Beach (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Ship of Fools (1965), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969), R.P.M. (1970), Bless the Beasts and Children (1971), Oklahoma Crude (1973), The Domino Principle (1977) and The Runner Stumbles. He also directed the 1975 telefilm Judgement: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley. During his career Kramer received four nominations for Academy Award for Best Director for his work on The Defiant Ones, Judgment at Nuremberg, Ship of Fools and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. His survivors include his wife, actress Karen Sharpe. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 20, 2001, B5; New York Times, Feb. 21, 2001, A1; People, Mar. 5, 2001, 99; Time, Mar. 5, 2001, 24; Times, Feb. 21, 2001, 27a; Variety, Feb. 26, 2001, 59.
Krasny, Paul
Stanley Kramer
Film and television director Paul Krasny died in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 12, 2001. He was 66. Krasny was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 8, 1935. He worked in television as an editor in the 1960s, earning an Emmy Awardd for his work on Mission: Impossible. A leading television director from the late 1960s, Krasny helmed episodes of such series as Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Hawaii Five-O, Longstreet, The D.A., Police Story, The Magician, Switch, Bronk, The Blue Knight, The Gemini Man, Jigsaw John, Quincy, The Man from Atlantis, Logan’s Run, Centennial, Hart to Hart, 240-Robert, McClain’s Law, Simon & Simon, Police Squad!, T.J. Hooker, Bring ’Em Back Alive, The Powers of Matthew Star, Wizards and Warriors, The Yellow Rose, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Miami Vice, V, Crazy Like a Fox, Moonlighting, The Equalizer, MacGyver, Crime Story, Shell Game, and Jake and the Fatman. He also directed the tele-films Adventures of Nick Carter (1972), The Letters (1973), Big Rose: Double Trouble (1974), The Islander (1978), When Hell
169 Was in Session (1979), Fugitive Family (1980), Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980), Terror Among Us (1981), Fly Away Home (1981), Time Bomb (1984), Still Crazy Like a Fox (1987), Kojak: Ariana (1989), Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1990), Kojak: Flowers for Matty (1990), Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel (1992), Two Fathers: Justice for the Innocent (1994) and Search and Rescue (1994). Krasny also directed the feature films Christina (1974) and Joe Panther (1976). Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
Kraushaar, Raoul Film composer Raoul Kraushaar died at his home in Pompano Beach, Florida, on October 14, 2001. He was 93. Kraushaar was born in Paris, France, on August 20, 1908, and came to the United States as a stowaway while in his teens. He attended Columbia University and, in the mid–1930s, went to Los Angeles to work in films. He received his first credit for the 1937 Gene Autry western Round-Up Time in Texas. He worked as a composer or musical director on over a hundred films and serials during his career including Bill Cracks Down (1937), Come On Cowboys (1937), Sea Racketeers (1937), Gunsmoke Ranch (1937), Rootin’ Tootin’ Rhythm (1937), The Painted Stallion (1937), Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937), S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937), Boots and Saddles (1937), Colorado Sunset (1939), Blue Montana Skies (1939), In Old Monterey (1939), South of the Border (1939), Rovin’ Tumbleweeds (1939), Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939), Village Barn Dance (1940), Young Buffalo Bill (1940), Gaucho Serenade (1940), Carolina Moon (1940), Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride (1940), Melody Ranch (1940), Ridin’ on a Rainbow (1941), Sunset in Wyoming (1941), Back in the Saddle (1941), Down Mexico Way (1941), Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941), Cowboy Serenade (1942), Home in Wyomin’ (1942), Heart of the Rio Grande (1942), Spy Smasher (1942), The El Paso Kid (1946), Alias Billy the Kid (1946), King of the Forest Rangers (1946), Daughter of Don Q (1946), Stork Bites Man (1947), Shed No Tears (1948), Zamba the Gorilla (1949), Cowboy and the Prizefighter (1949), Sky Liner (1949), She Shoulda Said No (1949), Roll, Thunder, Roll! (1949), Arson, Inc. (1949), Prehistoric Women (1950), The Second Face (1950), Timber Fury (1950), The Sword
2001 • Obituaries
of Monte Cristo (1950), Bomba and the Elephant Stampede (1951), Bride of the Gorilla (1951), The Longhorn (1951), Stage to Blue River (1951), The Basketball Fix (1951), Man from the Black Hills (1952), Texas City (1952), Kansas Territory (1952), Fargo (1952), Wyoming Roundup (1952), Rose of Cimarron (1952), Bomba and the Jungle Girl (1952), The Maverick (1952), Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952), Night Raiders (1952), African Treasure (1952), Jack and the Beanstalk (1952), Untamed Women (1952), Waco (1952), The Man from Black Hills (1952), The Homesteaders (1953), Star of Texas (1953), The Blue Gardenia (1953), The Marksman (1953), Fort Algiers (1953), Rebel City (1953), The Fighting Lawman (1953), Vigilante Terror (1953), Topeka (1953), Texas Bad Man (1953), Run for the Hills (1953), Marry Me Again (1953), Invaders from Mars (1953), The Flaming Urge (1953), Bitter Creek (1954), The Forty-Niners (1954), The Desperado (1954), Two Guns and a Badge (1954), Sitting Bull (1954), The Outlaw’s Daughter (1954), The Golden Mistress (1954), Attila (1954), The Magnificent Matador (1955), Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956), The Black Whip (1956), Mohawk (1956), The Unknown Terror (1957), Ride a Violent Mile (1957), Back from the Dead (1957), Copper Sky (1957), Desert Hell (1958), The Cool and the Crazy (1958), Blood Arrow (1958), Mustang (1959), Frontier Rangers (1959), The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959), Mission of Danger (1959), Island of Lost Women (1959), September Storm (1960), The Deadly Companions (1961), Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966), Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966), An Eye for an Eye (1966), The Delta Factor (1971), Dirty O’Neil (1974) and SixPack Annie (1975). Kraushaar also worked in television, composing music for the series The Abbott and Costello Show, Lassie, The Thin Man, Northwest Passage, Bonanza, Two Faces West and The Beachcomber, and the animated series The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Yogi Bear Show and Pixie & Dixie. Los Angeles Times, Oct, 18, 2001, B15; Variety, Oct. 22, 2001, 100.
Krook, Margaretha Leading Swedish character actress Margaretha Krook died in Stockholm after a brief illness on May 7, 2001. She was 75. Krook was born
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Margaretha Krook
in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 15, 1925. A popular performer on stage and screen, she was featured in numerous films including Only a Mother (1949), Miss Julie (1951), Storm Over Tjuro (1954), Karin Mansdotter (1954), Salka Valka (1954), Brink of Life (1958), Adam and Eve (1963), Swedish Wedding Night (1964), JAG (1966), Sadist (1966), Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (1966), Adam in Sweden (1966), Ministern (1970), The Adventures of Picasso (1978), Walk in the Sun (1978), Battle of Sweden (1980), SOPOR (1981), Broken Sky (1982), The Flying Devils (1984), Peas and Whiskers (1986), The Secret Friend (1990), The Best Intentions (1992) and Gossip (2000). Krook also appeared often in productions for Swedish television. Los Angeles Times, May 10, 2001, B10.
Kuenneke, Evelyn German singer and actress Evelyn Kuenneke died of lung cancer in a Berlin hospital on April 28, 2001. She was 79. Kuenneke was born in Berlin on December 15, 1921, the daughter of composer Eduard Kuenneke and opera singer Katarina Krapotkin. She performed in cabaret shows in the 1930s under the name Evelyn King, until the Nazis banned her use of the name. She subsequently began singing popular songs and appearing in films. Her best known recording was the 1941 hit song “Sing Nightingale Sing.” She was featured in such films as Carnival of Love (1943), Kiss Me Casanova (1949), Fraulein Bimbi (1951), Vanished Melody (1952) and Ich War ein Haffliches Madchen (1955). She retired from show business for over a decade before resuming her ca-
Evelyn Kuenneke
reer in the early 1970s. She was featured as a character actress in the films Like a Bird on a Wire (1975), Fox and His Friends (1975), Flaming Hearts (1978), Just a Gigolo (1979), Grandison (1979), The Magic Mountain (1982), Neurosia — Fifty Years of Perversion (1995), Killer Condom (1996) and Marianne Hoppe — Die Konigin (1999). She also appeared regularly on stage until poor health forced her retirement earlier in the year. Los Angeles Times, May 1, 2001, B6.
Kulish, Savva Russian director Savva Kulish died of a stroke in Yaroslavl, Russia, on June 9, 2001. He was 64. Kulish was born in Odessa, Ukraine, on October 17, 1936. A screenwriter and director, Kulish began his career in films in the early 1960s. He directed such features as The Dead Season (1968), Take-Off (1979), Stories … Stories … Stories from the Old Arbat (1982), Rock Tragedy (1988), The Iron Curtain (1994) and The Last Letter (1996). Kulish served as president of the Moscow Guild of Directors and coordinated the 1998 film series 100 Films About Moscow. Variety, June 25, 2001, 66.
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Savva Kulish
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over the next 60 years including Jeevan Naya, (1936), Untouchable Girl (1936), Kangan (1939), Ties (1940), Free (1940), New World (1941), The Unknown (1941), Fate (1943), The Mansion (1949), Midnight (1950), Musical Score (1955), Ek Saal (1957), Dawn (1958), Howrah Bridge (1958), That Which Runs Is a Car (1958), Blossom of Dust (1959), The Law (1960), Filial Bond (1962), Worship (1962), Gumrah (1963), Bandini (1963), Eulogy of Love (1966), Pure Heart (1971), A Privilege (1971), Hot Spices (1972), Mili (1975), A Little Affair (1975), Sweet and Sour (1978), Beautiful (1980), Tawaif (1985), and A Rare Solution (1991). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12, 2001, B11; Time, Dec. 24, 2001, 21; Variety, Dec. 17, 2001, 79.
Kumar, Ashok Indian Hindu film star Ashok Kumar died in Bombay, India, on December 10, 2001. He was 90. He was born Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, India, on October 13, 1911. He attended law school before beginning a career in films in 1936. He starred in more than 250 films
Ashok Kumar
Kumar, Pradeep Leading Indian actor Pradeep Kumar died of a heart attack in Kolkata, India, on October 28, 2001. He was 76. Kumar began his career in films as an assistant cameraman in the mid– 1940s. Originally billed as Sital Batabyal, he made his film debut in Alaknanda, and continued to
Pradeep Kumar
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appear in such films as Anarkali (1954), Nagin, Arti (1962), Meri Ankhen Teri Surat (1963) and Rat aur Din (1967). He also appeared in numerous Bengali films including Anandamath, Bishnupriya, Dashuman, Rai Bahadur and Devi Chowdhurani.
(1995), Persephone (1997), Knife Born (1998) and Johnny Panic (1999).
Laird, Jenny
British experimental filmmaker Sandra Garner-Lahire died after a long battle with anorexia on July 27, 2001. She was 50. She was born in Kenton, Middlesex, England, on November 19, 1950. She studied film and video in the early 1980s at St. Martin’s School of Art and began making films with Arrows in 1984. A radical feminist, Lahire also created the films Terminals (1986), Edge (1986), Plutonium Blonde (1986), Uranium Hex (1987), Serpent River (1989), Living on Air (1991), the first of three films about the poetry of Sylvia Plath, Eerie (1992), Night Dances
British actress Jenny Laird died in London on October 31, 2001. She was 84. Laird was born in Manchester, England, on February 13, 1917. She began her career on stage in the 1930s and was known for her roles in varied productions throughout the years. She was also featured in several dozen films including Passenger to London (1937), The Last Chance (1937), Auld Lang Syne (1937), What a Man (1938), Lily of Laguna (1938), Just William (1939), The Lamp Still Burns (1943), Painted Boats (1945), Wanted for Murder (1946), Beware of Pity (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), Your Witness (1950), The Long Dark Hall (1951), Life in Her Hands (1951), Face in the Night (1958), Conspiracy of Hearts (1960), the 1960 science fiction classic Village of the Damned (1960), and The Horse Without a Head (1963). Laird was also seen in television productions of Shoulder to Shoulder (1974), Lillie (1978) and Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death (1984) as Mrs. Hudson. Other
Sandra Lahire
Jenny Laird
Lahire, Sandra
173 television credits include episodes of The Vise, Night Gallery, The Onedin Line, Doctor Who, 1990, Hammer House of Horror, All Creatures Great and Small and Inspector Morse.
Lamm, B. Karen Actress Karen Lamm died at her Playa del Rey, California, home on June 29, 2001. She was 49. Lamm was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1952. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, where she met and married Robert Lamm, the keyboardist for the rock group Chicago. They divorced soon after and Lamm married Dennis Wilson, the drummer for the Beach Boys, in 1976. Lamm also began appearing in films and television programs. She had a small part in the 1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and was featured in the films Trackdown (1976), Tilt (1978), Loose Shoes (1980) and The Unseen (1981). She also appeared in the tele-films The Hatfields and the McCoys (1975), The Night They Took Miss Beautiful (1977), It Happened at Lakewood Manor (1977), A Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A. (1977), A Last Cry for Help (1979) and The Power Within (1979). Other television credits include episodes of such series as Starsky and Hutch, Police Woman, Kojak, Columbo, Harry O, The Hardy
B. Karen Lamm
2001 • Obituaries
Boys Mysteries, 340-Robert and The Dukes of Hazzard. Lamm had divorced and briefly remarried Wilson in 1978. She was a backup singer and songwriter for his album Pacific Ocean Blue. Wilson drowned in 1983. Lamm later worked as a producer for the 1990s UPN television series The Watcher. Variety, Aug. 20, 2001, 40.
Lamont, Molly Actress Molly Lamont died in Hollywood Hills, California, on July 15, 2001. She was 91. Lamont was born in Benomi, South Africa, on Mary 22, 1910. She won a contest for a movie contract in England in the early 1930s and appeared in numerous films there including The Wife’s Family (1931), What a Night! (1931), Uneasy Virtue (1931), Shadows (1931), The House Opposite (1931), Strictly Business (1932), The Strangler (1932), Old Soldiers Never Die (1932), Lucky Girl (1932), Lord Camber’s Ladies (1932), The Last Coupon (1932), Josser on the River (1932), His Wife’s Mother (1932), Brother Alfred (1932), Paris Plane (1933), Letting in the Sunshine (1933), Leave It to Me (1933), Irish Hearts (1934), White Ensign (1934),
Molly Lamont (with David Manners).
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The Third Clue (1934), No Escape (1934), Murder at Monte Carlo (1934), Another Face (1935), Rolling Home (1935), Oh, What a Night (1935), Jalna (1935), Handle with Care (1935) and Alibi Inn (1935). She subsequently came to the United States where she continued to make films for Warner Bros. She was featured in such films as Muss ’Em Up (1936), Mary of Scotland (1936) with Katharine Hepburn, The Jungle Princess (1936) with Dorothy Lamour, A Woman Rebels (1936), A Doctor’s Diary (1937), Fury and the Woman (1937) and The Awful Truth (1937). Lamont subsequently married the French consul general in California, Gerard Bellande, and took a five year sabbatical from films to begin a family. She returned to Hollywood in 1942 to appear in Somewhere I’ll Find You (1942), The Moon and Sixpence (1942), A Gentle Gangster (1943), Thumbs Up (1943), Follow the Boys (1933), The White Cliffs of Dover (1933), Mr. Skeffington (1933), The Suspect (1944), Minstrel Man (1944), Devil Bat’s Daughter (1946), So Goes My Love (1946), The Dark Corner (1946), Scared to Death (1947) with Bela Lugosi, Christmas Eve (1947), Ivy (1947), South Sea Sinner (1949) and The First Legion (1951). She subsequently retired from the screen. Lamont was widowed in 1967, and subsequently lived in a small home in Hollywood Hills.
Lancelot, Sir Lancelot Victor Pinard, a major Calypso performer in the 1940s and 1950s known as Sir Lancelot, died in Anaheim, California on March 12, 2001. He was 97. Lancelot was born in Cumoto, Trinidad, in 1903. He began performing Calypso music in New York in the early 1940s and soon became a popular figure on the West Coast. He appeared in the 1941 film Two Yanks in Trinidad and went on to roles in over a dozen other films. He was featured in several Val Lewton horror films including I Walked with a Zombie (1943), The Ghost Ship (1943) and The Curse of the Cat People (1944). His other film credits include Happy Go Lucky (1943), To Have and Have Not (1944) with Bogart and Bacall, Zombies on Broadway (1945), Linda, Be Good (1947), Brute Force (1947), Romance on the High Seas (1948), The Unknown Terror (1957) and The Buccaneer (1958). He also had successful tours of Europe
Sir Lancelot (from “I Walked with a Zombie”).
before retiring from performing in the early 1970s. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 2001, B7.
Landres, Paul Veteran film director Paul Landres died of complications from cancer at his Encino, California, home on December 26, 2001. He was 89. Landres was born in New York City on August 21, 1912, and accompanied his family to Los Angeles as an infant. He began working in films in the early 1930s as an assistant editor at Universal Studios. By 1937 he was working as an editor on such films as The Lady Fights Back (1937), Reported Missing (1937), Prescription for Romance
Paul Landres
175 (1937), The Man in Blue (1937), The Road to Reno (1938), The Nurse from Brooklyn (1938), Bad Man from Red Butte (1940), Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1940), I’m Nobody’s Sweetheart Now (1940), Pony Post (1940), Son of Roaring Dan (1940), Dark Streets of Cairo (1941), Man from Montana (1941), The Masked Rider (1941), Arizona Cyclone (1941), Bachelor Daddy (1941), Gang Busters (1941), Give Out, Sisters (1942), Pittsburgh (1942), Jukebox Jenny (1942), Rhythm of the Islands (1943), It Comes Up Love (1943), So’s Your Uncle (1943), Larceny with Music (1943), Top Man (1943), Never a Dull Moment (1943), She’s for Me (1943), Fired Wife (1943), The Scarlet Claw (1944), South of Dixie (1944), The Imposter (1944), Destiny (1944), She Gets Her Man (1945), Her Lucky Night (1945), Men in Her Diary (1945), Senorita from the West (1945), The Daltons Ride Again (1945), See My Lawyer (1945), The Crimson Canary (1945), Blonde Ransom (1945), She-Wolf of London (1946), The Dark Horse (1946), The Vigilantes Return (1947), Blonde Savage (1947), Where the North Begins (1947), Michigan Kid (1947), Dragnet (1947), The Checkered Coat (1948), Last of the Wild Horses (1948), The Return of Wildfire (1938), Bob and Sally (1948), I Shot Jesse James (1949), Grand Canyon (1949), and Trail of the Mounties (1949). Landres left Universal in the late 1940s and made his directorial debut with the 1949 film Grand Canyon. He also directed such B films as Square Dance Jubilee (1949), A Modern Marriage (1950), Hollywood Varieties (1950), Rhythm Inn (1951), Navy Bound (1951), Army Bound (1952), Chain of Evidence (1957), Last of the Badmen (1957), Oregon Passage (1957), Man from God’s Country (1958), Frontier Gun (1958), Johnny Rocco (1958), the rock ’n’ roll classic Go, Johnny, Go! (1958) with Chuck Berry and Ritchie Valens, The Lone Texan (1959) and The Miracle of the Hills (1959). In the early 1950s Landres also began working in television, originally with syndicated series pioneer Frederick Ziv. Landres directed episodes of such series as The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, Sky King, Boston Blackie, The Adventures of Kit Carson, Death Valley Days, Mr. and Mrs. North, The Unexpected, Ramar of the Jungle, Topper, The Man Behind the Badge, Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, Waterfront, Studio 57, TV Reader’s Digest, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Cheyenne, Brave Eagle, Soldiers of Fortune, The Adventures of the Falcon, Blondie, Maverick, Colt .45, Man Without a Gun, Code 3, Bronco, The Rifleman, The Veil, 77 Sun-
2001 • Obituaries
set Strip, Man with a Camera, Lawman, Bonanza, Laramie, Law of the Plainsman, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, The Brother Brannagan, The Dakotas, Flipper, Daniel Boone, Daktari, Adam-12, The Outcasts and O’Hara, U.S. Treasury. Landres was also noted for directing the horror films The Vampire (1957) and The Return of Dracula (1958) with Francis Lederer, and the 1958 science fiction film The Flame Barrier. He also directed the 1965 western film Son of a Gunfighter. He retired in the early 1970s. A biography, Paul Landres: A Director’s Stories, was written by Francis Nevins in 2000. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 29, 2001, B16.
Lansburgh, Larry Academy Award winning filmmaker Larry Lansburgh died at his Eagle Point, Oregon, ranch on March 25, 2001. He was 89. Lansburgh was born in San Francisco on May 18, 1911. He began his career with Walt Disney studios in the 1940s, working on the animated features Fantasia (1940), The Three Caballeros (1945) and Cinderella (1950). He later served as a producer and director for Disney nature films. He earned an Academy Award for his 1958 short film The Wetback Hound, and received the Oscar for best documentary for 1961’s The Horse with the Flying Tail. His other credits include Mystery Lake (1953), Stormy, the Thoroughbred (1954), The Littlest Outlaw (1955), Cow Dog (1956), Run, Appaloosa, Run (1966) and Hang Your Hat on the Wind (1969). He also directed several Disney television programs including Hacksaw (1971) and Chester, Yesterday’s Horse (1972). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 30, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 4, 2001, A19; Variety, Apr. 2, 2001, 47.
Larsen, Gerd Ballet dancer and teacher Gerd Larsen died in London on October 4, 2001. She was 80. Larsen was born in Oslo, Norway, on February 19, 1921. She moved to London while in her teens, joining Antony Tudor’s London Ballet in 1938. Over the next three years she performed in productions of Aurora’s Wedding and Agnes de Mille’s
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Gerd Larsen
Dark Elegies. Larsen subsequently joined the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, where she performed in The Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, The Three-Cornered Hat and Persephone. During the 1950s she was given a number of memorable roles by Kenneth MacMillan in such productions as Romeo and Juliet, which was filmed in 1966, Anastasia, Manon and Mayerling. She was also seen on screen as the ballet mistress in the 1979 film Stories from a Flying Trunk. Larsen taught at the Royal Ballet from the mid–1950s, and continued to teach for the remainder of her life. Times (of London), Oct. 6, 2001, 25c.
Larsen, Tambi Oscar winning art director Tambi Larsen died in North Hollywood, California, after a long illness on March 24, 2001. He was 85. He was born Johannes Larsen in Bangalore, India, in 1915. Larsen began his career in Hollywood as an
assistant art director with Paramount in 1946. He worked as an art director and production designer from the early 1950s. His screen credits include Three Ring Circus (1954), The Secret of the Incas (1954), The Rose Tattoo (1955) which earned him an Academy Award, Artists and Models (1955), The Scarlet Hour (1956), Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958), Spanish Affair (1948), The Party Crashers (1958), The Geisha Boy (1958), Hot Spell (1958), The Five Pennies (1959), The Rat Race (1960), The Pleasure of His Company (1961), Too Late Blues (1961), The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), and It’s Only Money (1962). Larsen was again nominated for an Academy Award for 1963’s Hud, and also received Oscar nominations for The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), The Molly Maguires (1970) and Heaven’s Gate (1980). His other film credits include Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964), The Outrage (1964), The Disorderly Orderly (1964), Nevada Smith (1966), The Brotherhood (1968), The Grasshopper (1970), A Gunfight (1971), Pocket Money (1972), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Outfit (1974), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Breakheart Pass (1975), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Mohammed, Messenger of God (1976), The White Buffalo (1977) and Circle of Iron (1979). He also worked on the 1979 telefilm The Sacketts. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 1, 2001, B6; Variety, Apr. 9, 2001, 58.
Lasswell, Fred Cartoonist Fred Lasswell died of congestive heart failure at his home in Tampa, Florida, on March 4, 2001. He was 84. Lasswell was born in Kennett, Missouri, in 1916. He began working on the popular Barney Google and Snuffy Smith comic strip in the early 1930s, replacing the strip’s creator, Billy DeBeck, after his death in 1942. Lasswell continued to work on the strip for the next 60 years. The popular comic appeared in nearly 1000 newspapers worldwide. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 7, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 6, 2001, A19.
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ruary 14, 2001. He was 54. Laymon was born in Chicago on January 14, 1947. He began writing in 1980, publishing over two dozen novels and numerous short stories. His novels include Beast House (1979), The Cellar (1980), The Woods Are Dark (1981), Out Are the Lights (1982), Night Show (1984), All Hallow’s Eve (1985), Beware! (1985), Tread Softly (1987), Flesh (1988), Midnight’s Lair (1988), Resurrection Dreams (1989), Funland (1990), One Rainy Night (1991), Darkness, Tell Us (1991), The Stake (1991), Alarms (1992), Blood Games (1992), Endless Nights (1993), Savage (1993), A Good, Secret Place (1994), In the Dark (1994), Quake (1995), Island (1995), Body Rides (1996), Bite (1996), Fiends (1997), After Midnight (1997), A Writer’s Tale (1998) and Midnight Tour (1998).
Lea, Tom
Fred Lasswell
Laymon, Richard
Novelist and artist Tom Lea died in an El Paso, Texas, hospital while recuperating from a fall on February 19, 2001. He was 93. Lea was born on July 11, 1907, the son of El Paso’s mayor. He became a leading novelist of the American Southwest. His best known novel, The Brave
Horror writer Richard Laymon died of massive heart failure at his California home on Feb-
Richard Laymon
Tom Lea
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Bulls, was filmed in 1951. The Wonderful Country was also adapted into a 1959 film featuring Lea in a small roll as a bartender. Other works include In the Crucible of the Sun, The Primal Yoke and The Hands of Cantu. Lea was also a noted artist and illustrator Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2001, B4; New York Times, Feb. 4, 2001, 34.
television in 1953, working at ABC in New York on such shows as The Pat Boone Show and The Bell Telephone Hour. He moved to Los Angeles in 1968 where he worked on numerous specials and the series The Red Skelton Show, Laverne & Shirley, Three’s Company, Simon and Simon, and Barney Miller. Lehman was nominated for an Emmy Award six times during his career, winning in 1986 for his designs for Murder She Wrote. Variety, Jan. 21, 2002, 66.
Leach, Roger Australian actor Roger Leach died of cancer in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, on December 1, 2001. He was 53. Leach was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1948. He starred as Sergeant Tom Penny in the British television series The Bill from 1984 to 1990. Leach was also seen in the 1977 television mini-series Nicholas Nickleby, and appeared in episodes of Shoestring, Bergerac and Press Gang.
Roger Leach
Lehmann, Olga Film and television costumer designer Olga Lehmann died in Saffron Walden, County Essex, England, on October 28, 2001. She was 89. Lehmann was born in Chile on February 10, 1912. She went to London to study art while in her teens and after graduating from the Slade School of Fine Art worked as a magazine illustrator and painter. She drew numerous illustrations for the Radio Times in the 1940s and 1950s. She also did mural paintings for theatrical sets and films including The Ghosts of Berkeley Square (1947) and Laughter in Paradise (1951). She soon became a film costume designer, working on such features as The Gamma People (1956), The Big Money (1956), Robbery Under Arms (1957), George Pal’s tom thumb (1958), The Scapegoat (1959), The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Victors (1963), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969) and Kidnapped (1971). During the 1970s she worked often in television and was nominated four times for Emmy Awards for her work on the tele-films The Man in the Iron Mask (1976), The Four Feathers (1977), A Tale of Two Cities (1980) and The Master of Ballantrae (1984). She also designed costumes for the tele-films Little Lord Fauntlreoy (1980), Witness for the Persecution (1982), Ivanhoe (1982) and The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984), and painted portraits for the characters seen in the 1986 television series Dynasty II: The Colbys of California.
Lehman, Alfred
Lemmon, Jack
Television costume designer Alfred Lehman died at his home in Hollywood on December 17, 2001. He was 77. Lehman was born in New York City in 1924. He began designing costumes for
Oscar-winning actor Jack Lemmon died of complications from cancer in Los Angeles on June 27, 2001. He was 76. Lemmon was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 8, 1925. He
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Jack Lemmon
began his career in show business after serving in the U.S. Navy. He performed on radio and the New York stage, and was featured as Harold, the valet, in the 1949 comedy television series That Wonderful Guy. Lemmon continued to perform on television in the early 1950s, starring in the variety series Toni Twin Time (1950) and Ad Libber (1951). He also appeared as Pete Bell in th 1952 comedy Heaven for Betsy, and was seen in the soap operas The Brighter Day and Road of Life. He began his film career in 1954’s Phffft and It Should Happen to You, both with Judy Holliday. The following year Lemmon was featured as Ensign Pulver in the popular comedy Mister Roberts, earning him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He continued to appear in such films as My Sister Eileen (1955), Three for the Show (1955), You Can’t Run Away from It (1956), Cowboy (1957), Fire Down Below (1957), Operation Mad Ball (1957), Bell, Book and Candle (1958) with Kim Novak, It Happened to Jane (1958), Some Like It Hot (1959) which earned him another Oscar nomination, The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) and The Apartment (1960), which also resulted in a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Lemmon was nominated for Best Actor for his role in 1962’s Days of Wine and Roses. He also
2001 • Obituaries
starred in The Notorious Landlady (1962), Irma la Douce (1963), Under the Yum Yum Tree (1964), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), How to Murder You Wife (1965) and The Great Race (1965). Lemmon began a long-time collaboration with actor Walter Matthau the following year in The Fortune Cookie. The duo would go on to co-star in over a dozen films until Matthau’s death in 2000, including 1971’s Kotch, which starred Matthau under Lemmon’s direction. Lemmon’s other film credits include Luv (1967), The Odd Couple (1968), The April Fools (1969), The Out-Of-Towners (1969), The War Between Men and Women (1972), Avanti (1972), Save the Tiger (1973) which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, The Front Page (1974), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1974), Alex and the Gypsy (1976) and Airport ’77 (1977). Lemmon also received Oscar nominations for his work in The China Syndrome (1979), Tribute (1980) and Missing (1982). Other films include Buddy Buddy (1981, Mass Appeal (1984), Macaroni (1985), That’s Life! (1986), Dad (1989), JFK (1991), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Grumpy Old Men (1995), The Grass Harp (1995), Grumpier Old Men (1995), Getting Away with Murder (1996), My Fellow Americans (1996), Hamlet (1996) as Marcellus, Out to Sea (1997), Puppies for Sale (1997), The Odd Couple II (1998) and The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000). On television Lemmon was seen in productions of The Entertainer (1976), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1987), The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988), For Richer, for Poorer (1992), A Life in Theater (1993), A Weekend in the Country (1996), 12 Angry Men (1997), The Long Way Home (1998), Inherit the Wind (1999) and Tuesdays with Morrie (1999). His other television credits include episodes of Studio One, Suspense, Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Danger, Robert Montgomery Presents, Medallion Theatre, I’ve Got a Secret, Ford Star Jubilee, Zane Grey Theater, What’s My Line?, Playhouse 90, Front Page Challenge, and a voice on The Simpsons. Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2001, A1; New York Times, June 29, 2001, A1; People, July 16, 2001, 44; Time, July 9, 2001, 93; Times (of London), June 29, 2001, 21a; Variety, July 9, 2001, 46.
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Lenica, Jan Polish animator and graphic artist Jan Lenica died in Berlin, Germany, on October 5, 2001. He was 73. Lenica was born in Poznan, Poland, on January 4, 1928. He began his career drawing satirical cartoons for a Polish journal in the 1950s. He soon began drawing and designing posters and, in 1957, produced the animated film Once Upon a Time with fellow poster artist Walerian Borowczyk. The two continued to produce such animated films as Education Days (1957), Banner of Youth (1957), Striptease (1957), Requited Sentiments (1958) and House (1958). Lenica and Borowczyk ended their collaborations the following year on poor terms. Lenica went on to create the films Monsieur Tete (1959), New Janko the Musician (1960), Labyrinth (1963), the German produced The Rhinoceros (1963), A (1964) and the feature-length animated film Adam 2 (1968). He subsequently returned to producing short films including La Femme Fleur (1969), Fantorro, the Last Arbiter (1971), Hell (1973), Still Life (1973) and King Ubu (1976). He
also continued to work as a poster artist, notably creating the poster artwork for Roman Polanski’s films Repulsion (1965) and Cul-de-Sac (1966).
Leon, Joseph Character actor Joseph Leon died in Bradenton, Florida, on March 25, 2001. He was 82. Leon was born in New York City in 1918. A popular stage actor, Leon was also seen in the films Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Act One (1963), The People Next Door (1970), Shaft (1971), Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), He Knows You’re Alone (1980), Sophie’s Choice (1982), Daniel (1983), Cold Feet (1984), Brewster’s Millions (1985) and Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988). Leon was also featured in the tele-films My Old Man (1979), Skokie (1981) and The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987). His other television credits include episodes of Naked City, Hey, Landlord and Kojak. Variety, Apr. 16, 2001, 50.
Leon, Nothanael “Frankenstein” Mexican professional wrestler and actor Nothanael Leon, who was known in the ring as Frankenstein, died of a brain hemorrhage on December 12, 2001. He was 85. A wrestler in the 1950s, the bald Leon also appeared in nearly 50 films, including many with fellow wrestler Santo. Leon’s credits include El Torneo de la Muerte (1957), El Buena Suerte (1960), Santo vs. the Diabolical Brain (1961), Santo vs. the Vampire Women (1962), Santo in the Wax Museum (1963), Santo vs. the Strangler (1963), Santo vs. the Martian Invasion (1966), Santo vs. Capulina (1968), Madame Death (1968), The Incredible Invasion (1968) with Boris Karloff, Secret of Death (1968), Santo vs. the Riders of Terror (1970), Pepito and Chabelo Against the Monsters (1973) and The Holy Office (1975).
Leotard, Philippe Jan Lenica
French actor Philippe Leotard died in Paris, France, or respiratory failure on August 25, 2001. He was 60. Leotard was born in Nice, France, on
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Leslie, Desmond
Philippe Leotard
August 28, 1940. A popular French film star from the early 1970s, Leotard was featured in such films as Bed and Board (1970), Anne and Muriel (1971), Max (1971), Camille (1971), A Gorgeous Bird Like Me (1972), Kamouraska (1973), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Juliette et Juliette (1973), The Wonderful Crook (1974), The Middle of the World (1974), The Mouth Agape (1974), French Connection II (1975), Gunman in the Streets (1975), Cat and Mouse (1975), Les Conquistadores (1975), Judge Fayard Called the Sheriff (1977), Your Turn, My Turn (1977), Judith Therpauve (1978), Short Memory (1979), The Imprint of Giants (1980), A Week’s Vacation (1980), The Little Mermaid (1980), Les Babas Cool (1981), Contract in Blood (1982), Paradise for All (1982), Mora (1982), Hiver 60 (1982), The Nark (1982), The Balance (1983), Nobody’s Women (1984), The Pirate (1984), Tangos, the Exile of Gardel (1985), Dawn (1985), Entexil (1986), State of Grace (1986), The South (1987), Jane B. for Agnes V (1987), The Abyss (1988), Ada in the Jungle (1989), La Carne (1991), City for Sale (1992), The Thief and the Liar (1994), In the Eye of the Snake (1994), Les Miserables (1995), Pandora (1995), Black Dju (1996) and La Momie a mi-mots (1998). A popular performer on French television, Leotard was also seen in the 1979 mini-series The French Atlantic Affair and the 1990 tele-film The Day of Reckoning. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 27, 2001, B9; New York Times, Sept. 5, 2001, A17; Variety, Sept. 3, 2001, 55.
Desmond Leslie, the Irish novelist and UFO enthusiast, died in Antibes, France, on February 24, 2001. He was 79. Leslie was born in Castle Leslie, Glaslough, County Monaghan, Ireland, on June 29, 1921, the son of British poet and author Sir Shane Leslie. Desmond Leslie served in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot during World War II. He also wrote his first novel, Careless Lovers, during the war. After the war Leslie briefly entered films, directing and scripting Stranger at My Door (1947). He also co-directed the 1949 film Another Shore, starring his wife, the late actress Agnes Bernelle. Leslie co-authored the pioneer UFO book Flying Saucers Have Landed (1953) with George Adamski. He also wrote the original story for the 1954 British science fiction film Stranger from Venus (aka Immediate Disaster). His other books include Pardon My Return (1946), Angels Weep (1948), How Britain Won the Space Race (1966), The Jesus File (1975), Suzy Saucer and Ronnie Rocket and The Amazing Mr. Lutterworth.
Desmond Leslie
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Lessing, Norman Television screenwriter Norman Lessing died of congestive heart failure and complications from Parkinson’s disease at his Santa Monica, California, home on October 22, 2001. He was 90. Lessing began working in television in the late 1940s, writing episodes of such early series as Ford Theater, Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Your Shows of Shows and Playhouse 90. He was an associate producer for the 1958 anthology series Shirley Temple’s Storybook. He scripted hundreds of television episodes during his career including segments of such series as Bonanza, Dragnet, The Nurses, The Fugitive, Lost in Space, Hawaii FiveO, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, Petrocelli and Eight Is Enough. He also scripted the 1965 film Joy in the Morning. Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
Levy, Lou Pianist Lou Levy died of a heart attack in Dana Point, California, on January 23, 2001. He was 72. Levy was born in Chicago on May 5, 1928. He began his career in Chubby Jackson’s band in the late 1940s, and subsequently joined Woody Herman’s band. In the mid–1950s Levy went to California where he worked as an accompanist to such leading singing stars as Frank
Lou Levy
Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan. He also performed under such bandleaders as Stan Getz and Benny Goodman. Levy’s numerous albums include Solo Scene (1956), Lou Levy Plays Baby Grand Jazz (1957), The Hymn (1963), Tempus Fugue-it (1977), Lunarcy (1992) and Ya Know (1993). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 26, 2001, B7; New York Times, Jan. 31, 2001, A19; Variety, Feb. 12, 2001, 75.
Levy, Ralph Veteran television director Ralph Levy died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after a long illness on October 15, 2001. He was 81. Levy directed such early television series as Missus Goes A-Shopping and Winner Takes All in the 1940s. He directed the original pilot to the popular I Love Lucy series in 1951. Levy also directed episodes of such series as The Burns and Allen Show, The Jack Benny Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Hawaii Five-O, Detective School and Trapper John, M.D. Levy directed two films in the 1960s, Bedtime Story (1964) with Marlon Brandon and David
Ralph Levy
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Niven, and Do Not Disturb (1965) with Doris Day. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 20, 2001, B19; Variety, Oct. 29, 2001, 40.
Lewis, Cody Stuntman Cody Lewis was killed in a plane crash near the Utah-Nevada border on February 18, 2001. Lewis was the pilot of the 1966 Beechcraft when it went down in during bad weather. The plane was not located until March 8, 2001. Lewis was 45. He had performed stunts in the 1997 film Con Air starring Nicholas Cage.
John Lewis
Cody Lewis
Lewis, John Jazz pianist and composer John Lewis died of prostate cancer at his home in Manhattan on March 29, 2001. He was 81. Lewis was born in LaGrange, Illinois, on March 3, 1920, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He served in the Army during World War II and, after his discharge, moved to New York. He joined Dizzy
Gillespie’s band in 1946, and performed his “Tocatta for Trumpet” with Gillespie the following year. During the 1940s Lewis also performed with Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. He joined the Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951. The band became the Modern Jazz Quartet the following year. Lewis composed musical numbers for the band including “Django” and “La Ronde.” Lewis also released several solo albums including Grand Encounter (1956), Improvised Meditations and Excursions (1959), The Wonderful World of Jazz (1960) and P.O.V. (1975). Lewis’ other works include the 1962 ballet Original Sin, and scores for the films No Sun in Venice (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Kemek (1970) and The Tempest (1979), and Rod Serling’s television series Night Gallery. Lewis led the jazz ensemble Orchestra USA in the early 1960s and headed the American Jazz Orchestra from 1985 to 1992. He made his final live performance in New York in January of 2001. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 31, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 31, 2001, B9; People, Apr. 16, 2001, 97; Time, Apr. 9, 2001, 20; Times (of London), Apr. 2, 2001, 17a.
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Liebling, Terry Casting director Terry Hamlisch Liebling died of breast cancer in Los Angeles on February 24, 2001. She was 58. Liebling began her career in television, working on the Rhoda television series from 1974 to 1979. She also served as a casting director for such films as American Hot Wax (1978), Corvette Summer (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Brubaker (1980), Nine to Five (1980), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981), I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), Stick (1985), The Two Jakes (1990), Man Trouble (1992), Cemetery Club (1993), The Road Killers (1994), Terminal Velocity (1994), Gunmen (1994), The Sunchaser (1996) and Trial and Error (1997). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2001, B9; Variety, Mar. 12, 2001, 56.
Lilly, John Dr. John Cunningham Lilly, whose experiments in communicating with dolphins and with sensory deprivation chambers inspired the films Day of the Dolphin and Altered States, died of heart failure in Los Angeles on September 30, 2001. He was 86. Lilly was born on January 6, 1915, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended the California Institute of Technology and received a medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He developed the isolation tank in the 1950s in order to explore human consciousness. Lilly expanded his experiments to include psychedelic
John Lilly (right, with Albert Hoffmann).
drugs, becoming a leading figure in the 1960s counterculture. His experiments served as the inspiration for Ken Russell’s 1980 film Altered States. Lilly also worked for many years on communicating with dolphins, which inspired the 1973 film Day of the Dolphin, starring George C. Scott. He authored numerous books including Man and Dolphin (1961), The Mind of the Dolphin (1967), The Center of the Cyclone (1972), Simulations of God: The Science of Belief (1975), The Deep Self (1977), John Lilly, so far… (1990) and Tanks for the Memories (1996). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 2001, B14; New York Times, Oct. 7, 2001, A44; Times (of London), Oct. 19, 2001, 21a.
Lindbergh, Anne Morrow Anne Morrow Lindbergh, a leading author and the widow of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, died at her home in Passumpie, Vermont, on February 7, 2001. She was 94. She was born Anne Spencer Morrow in Englewood, New Jersey, on June 22, 1906, the daughter of banker, diplomat and U.S. Senator Dwight Morrow and poet and educator Elizabeth Cutter Morrow. She was educated at Smith College, where she began writing. She met Charles Lindbergh in 1927, shortly after he had completed his crossing of the Atlantic, and the two were married in May of 1929. An accomplished aviator in her own right, Anne was a full partner in her husband’s exploits, often serving as his co-pilot and chronicler. Her first book, North to the Orient, recounted the couple’s flight from Canada to China. Other works based on their adventures include Earth Shine, Listen! The Wind and The Steep Assent. The couple faced tragedy when their first child was kidnapped and murdered as an infant in what was dubbed “the Crime of the Century.” Anne Lindbergh wrote of the family trajedy in her book Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead. Besieged by the news media, the Lindberghs left the United States and resided in Europe in the 1930s. They returned to the U.S. at the start of World War II, where their isolationist views of the war, as exhibited in Anne’s book Wave of the Future, was the subject of controversy. Her most famous work, Gift from the Sea, was published in the 1950s. She also assisted her husband in writing his Pulitzer Prize–
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the United States in 1972 to work at Columbia for several years. He subsequently formed his own agency, managing such stars as James Mason, James Coburn, Mia Farrow and David Bowie. He served as a producer on several films including Salome’s Last Dance (1988) and Wicked Stepmother (1989), and the 1995 tele-film Full Body Massage. He was also featured in small parts in the films An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) and Rush Hour (1998), and the telefilms Twice Upon a Time (1998) and Little Richard (2000). Variety, Feb. 5, 2001, 86.
Livingston, Jay Composer and songwriter Jay Livingston died at a Los Angeles hospital of pneumonia after a long illness on October 17, 2001. He was 86. Livingston was born in McDonald, Pennsylvania,
Anne Morrow Lindbergh (with husband Charles Lindbergh).
winning autobiography, The Spirit of St. Louis. She continued to publish her journals and memoirs in the 1970s, her last published being War Within and Without. Charles Lindbergh died of cancer in 1974 and her daughter, Anne, also died of cancer in 1993. Mrs. Lindbergh lived largely in seclusion in her later years as her health diminished. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 2001, A1; New York Times, Feb. 8, 2001, A29; Time, Feb. 19, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Feb. 9, 2001, 25a.
Littman, Robert Film executive and agent Robert Littman died in Hollywood of cancer on January 29, 2001. He was 63. Littman began his career working with the Hugh French Agency in 1959. He was a founder of Chartwell Artists in 1967, but joined the London office of the William Morris Agency soon afterwards. From the late 1960s he served as chairman of MGM’s film productions in England, overseeing such films as Ryan’s Daughter and Ken Russell’s The Boy Friend. He returned to
Jay Livingston (right, with Ray Evans).
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186
on March 28, 1915. He began working with fellow songwriter Ray Evans in the 1930s, beginning a collaboration that would last for over 60 years. They created songs for the comedy team of Olsen and Johnson and, in the early 1940s, moved to Hollywood to work in films. Their songs were heard in such movies as Private Snuffy Smith (1942), Secrets of a Co-Ed (1942), Crime, Inc (1945), On Stage Everybody (1945), Why Girls Leave Home (1945), which earned them an Oscar nomination for the song “The Cat and the Canary,” The Stork Club (1945), and Monsieur Beaucaire (1946). The duo had a major hit with their title song for the 1946 film To Each His Own. They continued in films, writing songs for such stars as Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Lucille Ball and Rosemary Clooney. Other film credits include My Favorite Brunette (1947), Golden Earrings (1947), Rose of Santa Rosa (1947), Smooth Sailing (1947), Imperfect Lady (1947), Easy Come, Easy Go (1947), Champagne for Two (1947), Big Sister Blues (1948), The Paleface (1948), which earned them their first Academy Award for the song “Buttons and Bows,” Whispering Smith (1948), Isn’t It Romantic? (1948), Hazard (1948), Streets of Laredo (1949), Sorrowful Jones (1949), The Heiress (1949), Song of Surrender (1949), The Great Lover (1949), My Friend Irma (1949), Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1959) which gained them a second Oscar for the song “Mona Lisa,” made famous by Nat King Cole, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Furies (1950), Copper Canyon (1950), Here Comes the Groom (1951), My Favorite Spy (1951), The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) including the popular Christmas song “Silver Bells,” Rhubarb (1951), Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), Son of Paleface (1952), What Price Glory (1952), The Stars Are Singing (1953), Those Redheads from Seattle (1953), Off Limits (1953), Here Come the Girls (1953), Red Garters (1954), Casanova’s Big Night (1954), The Second Greatest Sex (1955), Lucy Gallant (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) gaining them another Oscar for Doris Day’s popular hit “Que Sera, Sera,” The Scarlet Hour (1956), Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) earning an Oscar nomination for the title song “Tammy,” Omar Khayyam (1957), Saddle the Wind (1958), Raw Wind in Eden (1958), Once Upon a Horse… (1958), Houseboat (1958) receiving an Academy Award nomination for the song “Almost in Your Arms,” Girls on the Loose (1958), A Private Affair (1959),
Take a Giant Step (1959), Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960), Dear Heart (1964) whose title song received another Oscar nomination, Never Too Late (1965), This Property Is Condemned (1966), What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966) and Foxtrot (1975). Livingston and Evans also composed music for television, writing the themes to such popular series as Bonanza, Mr. Ed (“A horse is a horse, of course, of course…”), and Lawman. They created songs for Francis Ford Coppola’s 1990 film Godfather, Part III, and continued to write songs until Livingston’s death. Los Angeles Times, Oct, 18, 2001, B15; New York Times, Oct. 18, 2001, D9; People, Nov. 5, 2001, 87; Time, Oct. 29, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Oct. 20, 2001, 29c; Variety, Oct. 22, 2001, 100.
Llaurado, Adolfo Cuban stage and film actor Adolfo Llaurado died of cancer in Havana on November 4, 2001. He was 60. He began his career working in radio in Santiago de Cuba in the late 1950s. He subsequently moved to Havana where he began to perform on stage. Llaurado became a popular film star in Cuba, appearing in such films as Manuela (1966), The First Charge of the Machete (1969), Lucia (1969), The Man from Maisinicu (1973), Portrait of Teresa (1979), Jibaro (1984), Hibanera (1984), Capablanca (1987), Letters from the Park (1988), Parallel Lives (1993), Molina’s Culpa (1993), Amores (1994) and The Elephant and the Bicycle (1995).
Lockwood, William Pianist, arranger and composer William Lockwood died following a brief illness in Burbank, California, on August 11, 2001. He was 69. Lockwood served as musical director for the NBC television series Matinee Theater in the 1950s. He was conductor and arranger for The Dean Martin Show during the 1960s, and worked with such artists as Bob Hope, Buddy Ebsen, Dorothy Lamour and Mickey Rooney. He composed the music for the 1966 film Weekend of Fear, and the stage productions I’d Stake My Life and Boffola. Lockwood also appeared on screen as a pianist in
187 the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives for five years. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 24, 2001, 83.
Logan, Jimmy Scottish actor Jimmy Logan died of cancer in Clydebank, Strathclyde, Scotland, on April 13, 2001. He was 73. Logan was born James Short in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 4, 1928. Logan hosted the 1952 British television series All Your Own. He appeared in a handful of films during his career including The Wild Affair (1963), Carry On Abroad (1972), Carry On Girls (1973), The Accidental Golfer (1991), Lucia (1998), Hey Mr. Producer (1998) and My Life So Far (1999). He was also featured in the 1983 British television mini-series The Mad Death, and the 1993 telefilm ’Tis the Season to Be Jolly. His other television credits include episodes of Charles Endell, Esq., Play for Tomorrow and The Upper Hand.
2001 • Obituaries
Times (of London), Apr. 14, 2001, 27c; Variety, May 7, 2001, 175.
Lottman, Evan Film editor Evan Lottman died of cancer in New York City on September 25, 2001. He was 70. Lottman worked in television in the 1960s as a documentary editor on such programs as Churchill, F.D.R. and WWII. He began working in films in 1970, editing Puzzle of a Downfall Child and Man from O.R.G.Y. His other credits include The Panic in Needle Park (1971), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist, which earned him an Academy Award nomination, Bride to Be (1974), Sweet Revenge (1977), On the Yard (1978), The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), The Pilot (1979), Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Rollover (1981), Sophie’s Choice (1982), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), The Protector (1985), Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive (1986), Orphans (1987), the 1988 cable tele-film Gotham, See You in the Morning (1989), Forced March (1989), Presumed Innocent (1990), Missing Pieces (1991), The Public Eye (1992), Guilty as Sin (1993) and the 1994 tele-film Reunion. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 30, 2001, B15; New York Times, Sept. 29, 2001, C16.
Loud, Lance
Jimmy Logan
Lance Loud, the oldest son of the Loud family, who were subjects of the controversial 1973 PBS series An American Family, died in a Los Angeles hospice of complications from hepatitis C on December 22, 2001. He was 50. The family of William and Pat Loud had allowed a documentary team to film their daily activities for seven months in 1971. The filming resulted in a 12 part series on PBS that depicted the trials and tribulations of the family, including the split-up of the parents and Lance Loud’s revelation to his family that he was gay. Lance Loud subsequently left California for New York, where he performed in the rock band the Mumps. He returned to the West Coast in 1981 and appeared in small roles in several films including Subway Rider (1981),
Obituaries • 2001
188 (1993), Monkey Trouble (1994), Mrs. Munck (1995), Rainbow (1995), The Last of the High Kings (1996), Inventing the Abbotts (1997), Lost in Space (1998), Running Free (1999), The Quickie (2001), and the forthcoming release Vacuums (2002).
Lubin, Joe
Lance Loud (back right, with the Loud family).
The Drift (1989) and Inside Monkey Zetterland (1992). He also appeared in the television miniseries Tales of the City in 1993. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 2001, B12; New York Times, Dec. 29, 2001, A11; People, Jan. 14, 2002, 97; Time, Jan. 14, 2002, 17; TV Guide, Feb. 23, 2002, 6; Variety, Jan. 14, 2002, 98.
Lovejoy, Ray Film editor Ray Lovejoy died of a heart attack in London on October 19, 2001. He was 62. Lovejoy served as editor on Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also edited Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining and worked often with director Peter Yates. Lovejoy’s other film credits include Peter Medak’s The Ruling Class (1972), Fear Is the Key (1972), A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972), Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973), Little Malcolm (1974), Never Too Young to Rock (1974), Krull (1983), The Dresser (1983), Sheena (1984), Eleni (1985), James Cameron’s Aliens (1986), Suspect (1987), Homeboy (1988), The House on Carroll Street (1988), Batman (1989), Mister Frost (1990), Let Him Have It (1991), Year of the Comet (1992), A Far Off Place
Songwriter Joe Lubin died of heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital on October 9, 2001. He was 84. Lubin was born Joseph Lubinsky in London on June 7, 1917. He began working as a songwriter while still a teenager, composing such songs as “I Keep Forgetting to Remember,” “’Till Stars Forget to Shine” and “The Shoemaker’s Serenade.” Lubin came to the United States after World War II, where he wrote songs for such stars as Bob Hope, Pat Boone and Petula Clark. He also composed songs for the films The Green-Eyed Blonde (1957) and The Gun Runners (1958). Lubin worked often with Doris Day, writing songs for her films Teacher’s Pet (1958), Pillow Talk (1959), It Happened to Jane (1959), Midnight Lace (1960), Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960), Move Over, Darling (1963) and The Glass Bottom Boat (1966). He also wrote songs for the television western series Bonanza and The High Chaparral. Lubin wrote his best known song, “Tutti Frutti,” with singer Little Richard. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 15, 2001, B9; New York Times, Oct. 20, 2001, A11; Variety, Oct. 22, 2001, 100.
Ludlum, Robert Thriller novelist Robert Ludlum died of a heart attack at a Naples, Florida, hospital on March 12, 2001. He was 73. Ludlum was born in New York City on May 25, 1927. He began writing novels in the early 1970s with his first, The Scarlatti Inheritance, published in 1971. He wrote 21 novels during his career. Several were filmed including The Osterman Weekend (1983) and The Holcroft Covenant (1985). THe Rhinemann Exchange was adapted into a television mini-series in 1977. The Bourne Identity became a tele-film in 1988 and The Apocalypse Watch was filmed for television in 1997. The Bourne Identity was again filmed for theatrical release with Matt Damon for
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Norman Lumsden
2001. Other novels include The Aquitaine Progression, The Parsifal Mosaic, The Matarese Circle, The Gemini Contenders, The Road to Omaha, The Prometheus Deception, The Cassandra Complex, The Chancellor Manuscript, The Road to Gandolfo, The Cry of the Halidon, Trevayne, The Matlock Paper, and The SIGMA Protocol. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 13, 2001, B7; New York Times, Mar. 13, 2001, B8; People, Mar. 26, 2001, 85; Time, Mar. 26, 2001, 25; Times (of London), Mar. 14, 2001, 25a; Variety, Mar. 19, 2001, 47.
Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Billy Budd in the 1940s and early 1950s. After his retirement from singing in the 1970s, Lumsden was featured in several films and television series. He appeared in the 1982 television version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the 1987 tele-film A Hazard of Hearts. He was also seen in the films Runners (1983), A Handful of Dust (1988) and White Hunter, Black Heart (1990). Lumsden’s other television credits include episodes of The Sweeney, Minder, One Foot in the Grave and Jeeves and Wooster. Lumsden was best known for playing fictional author and flyfishing expert J.R. Hartley for a television commercial for Britain’s Yellow Pages. Times (of London), Nov. 30, 2002, 25a.
Lumsden, Norman
Lynn, Kenneth S.
British actor Norman Lumsden died in England on November 28, 2001. He was 95. Lumsden was born on September 16, 1906. Lumsden began his career as an opera singer and was often heard on BBC radio in the pre-war period. He sang in productions of Mozart’s Magic Flute, A
Biographer Kenneth S. Lynn died of leukemia in a New York City hospital on June 24, 2001. He was 78. Born in Cleveland in 1923, Lynn attended Harvard University and taught there after receiving a Ph.D. in 1954. Lynn authored the 1959 biography Mark Twain and
Robert Ludlum
Obituaries • 2001
190
Kenneth Lynn
Peter Maas
Southwestern Humor. He subsequently taught at John Hopkins University from 1959 until his retirement in 1989. Lynn’s other works include 1987’s Hemingway and 1997’s Charlie Chaplin and His Times. Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2001, B10.
York Times, Aug. 24, 2001, A17; People, Sept. 10, 2001, 97; Time, Sept. 3, 2001, 29; Variety, Aug. 27, 2001, 109.
Maas, Peter Crime novelist Peter Maas died in New York City on August 23, 2001. He was 72. Maas was born in New York City on June 27, 1929. He was best known for his biography of honest New York City policeman Frank Serpico, which served as the basis for the 1973 film starring Al Pacino. Several of Maas’ other books were also filmed, including The Valachi Papers (1972), King of the Gypsies (1978) and Marie (1985). In a Child’s Name (1991) and Submerged (2001) were adapted into tele-films. Maas also wrote Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano’s Story of Life in the Mafia. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 24, 2001, B15; New
MacDonald, Kenneth British actor Kenneth MacDonald died of a heart attack while vacationing in Hawaii on August 5, 2001. He was 50. MacDonald was born in Manchester, England, on November 20, 1950. He began his career in the early 1970s, appearing on British television in such series as Z-Cars, Dad’s Army and Upstairs, Downstairs. He starred as Gunner Nobby Clark in the British war comedy It Ain’t Half Hot Mum in 1974. He was best known for starring as landlord Mike Fisher in the popular BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses from 1983 until 1996. His other television credits include the series Tenko, Brookside, Boon, Press Gang, The Thin Blue Line, Goodnight, Sweetheart, The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries, The Peter Principle and Mersey Beat. He was also seen in the mini-
191
2001 • Obituaries
Big Bully (1996) and Head Over Heels (2001). She also appeared in the tele-films Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986), Nightmare on the 13th Floor (1990), and was the voice of Widow Douglas in 1998’s The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Survivors include her husband, Thor Arngrim, daughter Alison Arngrim, star of television’s Little House on the Prairie, and Stefan Arngrim, star of television’s Land of the Giants. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 20, 2001, B7; New York Times, Mar. 26, 2001, B6.
Kenneth MacDonald
series Crocodile Shoes (1994), Touching Evil (1997) and The Sins (2000), and television productions of Silas Marner (1985), A Rather English Marriage (1998), David Copperfield (1999) and Cor Blimey! (2000). MacMillan also appeared in a handful of films during his career including Breaking Glass (1980), Laughterhouse (1984), My Night with Reg (1996), Ragget Point (2001) and Dream (2001).
Macmillan, Norma Voice actress Norma Macmillan died of a heart attack in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on March 16, 2001. She was 79. She was born in Vancouver in 1921, and began her career performing on stage. She began working as the voice of Casper, the Friendly Ghost, in the Paramount cartoon series in the 1950s. She was also the voice of Gumby in the Claymation series Pokey and Gumby, Kokette in the Mean Moe series, and was Sweet Polly Purebread opposite Wally Cox in Underdog. She was also heard in the animated series Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor and Challenge of the GoBots, and on the popular comedy album The First Family, during John Kennedy’s presidency. Macmillan appeared in several films including Love at Stake (1987), Big Business (1988), Dangerous Intentions (1995),
Norma Macmillan (with Casper).
Macola, Beatrice Italian actress Beatrice Macola died in Rome, Italy, on December 14, 2001. She was 33. Macola was born in Verona, Italy, in 1968. She was best known in the United States for her role as Ingrid, Oskar Schindler’s mistress, in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar winning film Schindler’s List in 1993. She was also seen in the films Club Extinction (1990), Dear Goddamned Friends (1994), Buck and the Magic Bracelet (1997), La Fame e la Sete (1999) and Hostage (1999).
Obituaries • 2001
192
Madderom, Marilyn Actress and film editor Marilyn Madderom died in Los Angeles following an injury at her home on December 7, 2001. She was 63. Madderom began her career on stage in New York, appearing in productions of Daughter of Silence and Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights. She subsequently moved into film editing, serving as an assistant editor on such films as Mikey and Nicky (1976), A Star Is Born (1976) with Barbra Streisand, The Deep (1977), Robert Redford’s The Electric Horseman and Ordinary People (1980), and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She also appeared in the films Star 80 (1983) and Problem Child (1990), and did numerous voiceover roles in the 1990s.
Maguire, Charles Film producer Charles H. Maguire died in Thousand Oak, California, on January 22, 2001. He was 73. Maguire began his career in films as a prop man. In the mid–1950s he worked as an assistant director on such films as On the Waterfront (1954), Patterns (1956), Baby Doll (1956), A Face in the Crowd (1957), The Goddess (1958), Wind Across the Everglades (1958), Middle of the Night (1959), Wild River (1960) and The Hustler (1961). From the early 1960s Maguire served as an associate producer for over a dozen films including Splendor in the Grass (1961), America, America (1963), Fail-Safe (1964), The Sand Pebbles (1966), I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968), Fuzz (1972), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), The Parallax View (1974) and Shampoo (1975). During the 1980s he worked with Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm as a production vice president. Maguire also produced the films Downtown (1990) and Kenneth Branagh’s Dead Again (1991), and served as executive producer on Harrison Ford’s Patriot Games in 1992. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 24, 2001, B6; Variety, Jan. 29, 2001, 67.
Mahadevan, K.V. Leading Indian film composer Krishnangoyal Venkatachalam Bhagavathar Mahadevan
K.V. Mahadevan
died in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India, on June 21, 2001. He was 84. Mahadevan was born in Nagercoil, Tamilnadu, India, in 1917. He composed scores for over 600 Indian films during his career including Manchi Manusulu (1962), Todu Needa (1965), The Witness (1967), The Golden Bird (1968), The Good Boy (1969), The Story of Balaraju (1970), The Complete Ramayana (1971), Sharada (1973), The Handsome Rama (1973), Pearl Pattern at the Threshold (1975), The Wedding of Sita (1976), Worshipper Kannappa (1976), Pandavas of Our Village (1978), The Flickering Lamp (1978), The Jewel of Shiva (1979), The Family Tree (1980), The Marriage of Radha (1981), Wedding Card (1982), The Betrothal (1986), Book of Marriage (1991) and Pranavam (1992).
Mandre, Chandrakant Veteran Indian actor and painter Chandrakant Mandre died of a massive heart attack in Kolhapur, India, on February 17, 2001. He was 88. Mandre appeared in over 100 Marathi films during his career including the popular Savkari Pash (1936), often portraying landlords.
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2001. He was 84. Mann was born Kalman Cohen in Philadelphia on May 6, 1917. He began his career writing comedy numbers for such performers as Danny Thomas, Jimmy Durante, Jack E. Leonard and Red Buttons. He became a popular rock ’n’ roll songwriter in the 1950s, best known for Chubby Checker’s hit “Let’s Twist Again.” His other songs include “Teddy Bear,” which was a hit for Elvis Presley in the film Loving You, “Bristol Stomp,” “Wa-Watusi,” “Limbo Rock,” “Mashed Potato Time” and “Gravy.” He also wrote songs for the films Twist Around the Clock (1961) and Don’t Knock the Twist (1962). Mann produced a musical based on his songs called Let’s Dance Again in 1978. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 3, 2001, B9; Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Mann, Ted Chandrakant Mandre
Mann, Kal
Ted Mann, film producer and owner of Mann’s Chinese Theatre from 1973 to 1986, died of a stroke in Los Angeles on January 15, 2001. He was 84. Mann was born in Wishick, North
Composer and songwriter Kal Mann died in Pompano Beach, Florida, on November 28,
Kal Mann
Ted Mann
Obituaries • 2001
194
Dakota, in 1916. He began his career as a theater owner in Minnesota in the 1930s, owning a chain of 25 theaters and drive-ins. He sold his interest in the theaters in 1970 and came to Hollywood, where he produced such films as Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man (1969), Buster and Billie (1974), Lifeguard (1976), Krull (1983) and Space Truckers (1997). He also served as a producer for the NYPD Blue television series from 1993 to 1994 and was a consulting producer for Millennium in 1996. Mann was married to actress Rhonda Fleming from 1977 until his death. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 17, 2001, B10; New York Times, Jan. 22, 2001, B7; Variety, Jan. 22, 2001, 66.
Mansfield, Sally Actress Sally Mansfield died of lung cancer in Westlake Village, California, on January 28,
2001. She was 77. Mansfield was born in Chicago in 1923. She began her career working in radio in New York City in the mid–1940s, performing in several radio soap operas. She received a contract from Paramount in 1951 and was featured in the 1953 film Forever Female. She was best known for her role as Vena Ray, co-starring with Richard Crane in the 1950s television science fiction series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. Episodes of the series were later edited together for several feature films including Crash of Moons, The Robot of Regalio, Renegade Satellite, Menace from Outer Space, Manhunt in Space, The Magnetic Moon, The Gypsy Moon, Forbidden Moon, Duel in Space, The Cold Sun, Blast Off and Beyond the Moon. Mansfield also appeared in small parts in the films Phffft! (1954) and The Errand Boy (1961) with Jerry Lewis. She was featured as Connie in the television sit-com Bachelor Father from 1961 to 1962. Her other television credits include episodes of Death Valley Days, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, The Gene Autry Show, The Andy Griffith Show and McHale’s Navy. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2001, B9.
Mansfield, Virginia Radio personality and singer Virginia Mansfield died of complications from a broken hip in Palm Springs, California, on February 16, 2001. She was 96. Mansfield was born in Covington, Kentucky, in 1904. She began her career as a dancer in Manhattan, and was soon singing with Cincinnati’s radio station WWW. She subsequently relocated to Los Angeles where she often worked with her husband, the late Andy Mansfield. The were heard on such radio series as Andy and Virginia and Turn Back the Clock during the 1950s and 1960s. Los Angeles Times, Feb, 23, 2001, B6.
Marcus, Lawrence B.
Sally Mansfield (with Richard Crane from Rocky Jones, Space Ranger).
Screenwriter Lawrence B. Marcus died of complications from Parkinson’s disease in Los Angeles on August 28, 2001. He was 84. Marcus was born in Beaver, Utah, in 1917. He scripted several critically acclaimed films from the late 1960s including A
195 Covenant with Death (1967), Petulia (1968), Justine (1969), Going Home (1971) and Alex & the Gypsy (1976). He earned an Academy Award nomination for his script for 1980’s The Stunt Man starring Peter O’Toole. Marcus also scripted the tele-films The Five of Me (1981), The Letter (1982) and Threesome (1984), and adapted the 1982 television production of Witness for the Prosecution. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 30, 2001, B12; New York Times, Sept. 1, 2001, C15; Variety, Sept. 10, 2001, 76.
Margiotta, Chuck Chuck Margiotta, a New York City fireman and actor, was killed on September 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center by terrorist assault. He was 44. A fireman for nearly twenty years, Margiotta also had small parts or performed stunt work in the films Tune in Tomorrow (1990), King of New York (1990), Malcolm X (1992), Kiss of Death (1995) and Frequency (2000). He was also seen on television in episodes of Law & Order and The Cosby Mysteries.
2001 • Obituaries
Margulies, Stan Television producer Stan Margulies died of throat cancer in Los Angeles on February 27, 2001. He was 80. Margulies was born in New York City in 1921. He began working in films in the early 1960s, producing 40 Pounds of Trouble (1963), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), The Pink Jungle (1968), Don’t Just Stand There (1968), If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), I Love My Wife (1970), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1972) and Visions of Eight (1972). Margulies was best known for his work in television, where he produced the acclaimed mini-series Roots (1977) and Roots: The Next Generation (1979), earning Emmy Awards for both. He also produced The Thorn Birds (1983) and Separate but Equal (1991), which earned him a third Emmy Award. Margulies other television credits include The 500 Pound Jerk (1972), She Lives! (1973), The Morning After (1974), Unwed Father (1974), Men of the Dragon (1974), I Will Fight No More Forever (1975), The Scarlett O’Hara War (1980), Murder Is Easy (1982), The Caribbean Mystery (1983), A Killer in the Family (1983), Sparkling Cyanide (1983), The Mystic Warrior (1984), A Bunny’s Tale (1985), Embassy (1985), Out on a Limb (1987), Broken Angel
Chuck Margiotta Stan Margulies
Obituaries • 2001
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(1988), Stay the Night (1992), Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story (1995), The Man Who Captured Eichmann (1996), Dash and Lilly (1999) and The Lady in Question (1999). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2001, B8; New York Times, Mar. 3, 2001, B7; Variety, Mar. 5, 2001, 74.
Marion, Joan British actress Joan Marion died in Norfolk, England, on November 5, 2001. She was 93. She was born Joan Nicholls in Tasmania on September 28, 1908. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London in the mid–1920s and toured on stage for several years. Marion starred in over a dozen films during the 1930s including Her Night Out (1932), The River House Ghost (1932), The Stolen Necklace (1933), Out of the Past (1933), The Melody Maker (1933), Lord of the Manor (1933), Going Straight (1933), Double Wedding (1933), Tangled Evidence (1934), Sensation (1936), For Valor (1937), Black Limelight (1983), Ten Days in Paris (1939), Dead Man’s Shoes (1939), Spies of the Air (1940), and One Night in
Joan Marion
Paris (1940). She subsequently retired from the screen, but briefly returned to films in small roles in Trio (1950) and Tons of Trouble (1956).
Marks, Leo Leo Marks, a leading British cryptographer during World War II who later wrote films and plays, died in London on January 15, 2001. He was 80. Marks was born in London on September 24, 1920. He worked for the Special Operations Executive during World War II, where he devised the system of using silk squares as a code key for British agents behind enemy lines. After the war Marks wrote the play The Girl Who Couldn’t Quite, which was filmed in 1950. His play Cloudburst was filmed in 1951. Marks scripted the classic psychological horror film Peeping Tom in 1960. He also wrote the films The Webster Boy (1962), Guns at Batasi (1964), Twisted Nerve (1968), Sebastian (1968) and Undercover Hero (1973). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 30, 2001, B6; New
Leo Marks
197 York Times, Jan. 29, 2001, B7; Times (of London), Jan. 22, 2001, 19a.
Marlowe, Scott Actor Scott Marlowe died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on January 6, 2001. He was 68. Marlowe was a popular actor from the 1950s, featured in such juvenile delinquent dramas as The Restless Breed (1957), Young and Wild (1958), The Cool and the Crazy (1958) and Riot in Juvenile Prison (1959). His other screen credits include The Scarlet Hour (1956), The Young Guns (1956), Gaby (1956), Men in War (1957), The Subterraneans (1960), Cold Wind in August (1961), Lonnie (1963), Journey into Fear (1975), Mystique (1982), Lightning in a Bottle (1993) and Counter Measures (1997). Marlowe also appeared often on television, starring in the tele-films Night Slaves (1970), Travis Logan, D.A. (1970), The Critical List (1978), Thou Shalt Not Kill (1982), No Place Like Home (1989), Seasons of the Heart (1994) and Following Her Heart (1994). His other television credits include guest appearances in such series as Star Tonight, Wagon Train, One Step Beyond, Have Gun, Will Travel, Bronco, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Hotel de Paree, Cheyenne, Law of the Plainsman, Zane Grey Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Stoney Burke, Gunsmoke, The Outer Lim-
Scott Marlowe
2001 • Obituaries
its, Rawhide, The Wild Wild West, The F.B.I., Time Tunnel, Lancer, Mission: Impossible, Cade’s County, Cannon, Circle of Fear, The Rockford Files, Wonder Woman, Executive Suite, The Fall Guy, Matt Houston, Fame, T.J. Hooker, Beauty and the Beast, The Powers of Matthew Star, Freddy’s Nightmares, Hunter, Automan, thirtysomething, Perfect Strangers, Father Dowling Mysteries, Murder, She Wrote and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 29, 2001, B4.
Marsh, Reginald British character actor Reginald Marsh died in London on February 9, 2001. He was 74. Marsh was born in London on September 17, 1926. Marsh, with his bristling moustache, was best known for his roles on television, starring as Dave Smith on the popular series Coronation Street from 1962 to 1976. He also appeared regularly in the British television series Here’s Harry, The Old Campaigner, Never Say Die, George and Mildred, Midnight Is a Place, Only When I Laugh and Crossroads as Reg Lamont from 1982 to 1984. Marsh appeared in several films during his career including The Ugly Duckling (1959), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Two and Two Make Six (1961), Jigsaw (1961), The Pursuers (1961), It Hap-
Reginald Marsh
Obituaries • 2001
198
pened Here (1963), Shadow of Fear (1963), The Sicilians (1963), Berserk! (1967) with Joan Crawford, Headline Hunters (1968), Young Winston (1972) and Sky Pirates (1976), No Longer Alone (1978), and Three Kinds of Heat (1987). He also appeared in the 1974 television mini-series QB VII and the Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense film Mark of the Devil in 1984. Marsh’s other television credits include the 1972 British telefilm The Stone Tape, and episodes of Out of This World, The Baron, The Avengers, The Saint, The Champions, The Goodies, The Persuaders!, The Sweeney, Strangers, Bergerac, Boon, KYTV and Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson’s…. Times, Feb. 10, 2001, 27c.
Martin, Benny
such country hits as “Me and My Fiddle” and “Ice Cold Love.” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 17, 2001, B7.
Martin, Claudia Actress Claudia Martin Roberts, the daughter of entertainer Dean Martin, died of breast cancer in Reno, Nevada, on February 16, 2001. She was 56. Martin was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, on March 16, 1944. She began working in show business in the 1960s, appearing on television in episodes of My Three Sons and The Donna Reed Show. She also appeared in several films including For Those Who Think Young (1964), The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966) and Ski Fever (1967).
Country fiddler and song writer Benny Martin died at his Nashville, Tennessee, home on March 12, 2001. He was 72. Martin was born in Sparta, Tennessee, on May 8, 1928. He began performing with the Grand Ole Opry in the 1940s and teamed with country music pioneers Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs as part of the Foggy Mountain Boys. He also performed with such musicians as Bill Monroe and Roy Acuff. Martin wrote
Claudia Martin (with Nick Reynolds).
Benny Martin
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2001 • Obituaries
Martin, Grady Leading country music guitarist Grady Martin died of congestive heart failure in Lewisburg, Tennessee, on December 3, 2001. He was 72. Martin was born in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, on January 17, 1929. A studio musician from the late 1940s, Martin worked with such musicians as Red Foley on 1949’s “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy,” Marty Robbins on “El Paso,” Roy Orbison on “Pretty Woman,” Loretta Lynn on “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” and Ray Price on “For the Good Times.” Martin also appeared with Willie Nelson in the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose. He played with Nelson’s band for 14 years before retiring for reasons of health in 1994. Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Harvey Martin
the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 to 1983, he led the Cowboys in sacks seven times during his career. He was co-winner, with Randy White, of the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award in 1978. After his retirement from football Martin suffered from drug abuse and legal and financial difficulties. Martin acted in several films from the late 1980s including No Safe Haven (1987), Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987) and Steele’s Law (1991), and the 1989 tele-film The Comeback. New York Times, Dec. 27, 2001, C12.
Massin, Dona
Grady Martin
Martin, Harvey Actor and former Dallas Cowboy football player Harvey Martin died of pancreatic cancer in Grapevine, Texas, on December 24, 2001. He was 51. Martin was born in Dallas on November 16, 1950. A professional football player with
Dona Massin, who worked as a choreographer and bit player in the classic film The Wizard of Oz, died in Culver City, California, on May 26, 2001. She was 84. Massin was born Lucianna Thomassin in Canada on February 18, 1917. She began her career in show business as a child. Massin was featured in several films including Girl Crazy (1932), Flirtation Walk (1934), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and I Dood It (1943). She helped choreograph several dance numbers from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, and appeared as an Emerald City resident in the film. She retired from show business in 1943 to raise a family. Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2001, B14.
Obituaries • 2001
200 Mastrogiacomo also appeared in the films Naked Gun 2∂: The Smell of Fear (1991), Jungle Fever (1991), Alien Space Avenger (1991), Bloodhounds (1996), Lone Greasers (1997) and Conversations in Limbo (1998). She was seen in the tele-films Motorcycle Gang (1994), Tall, Dark and Deadly (1995) and The Con (1998), and in episodes of Under Suspicion, NYPD Blue, Seinfeld, ER and The X Files.
Matera, Barbara
Dona Massin
Mastrogiacomo, Gina
Costume designer Barbara Matera died of a cerebral hemorrhage on September 13, 2001. She was 72. Matera was born in Kent, England, on July 16, 1929. She was founder of Barbara Matera Ltd., which created costumes for such Broadway productions as 42nd Street, Kiss Me, Kate, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. She was also a costume designer for numerous films including The Great Gatsby (1974), The Age of Innocence (1977), The Wiz (1978), Death on the Nile (1978), Evil Under the Sun (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Addams Family (1991) and Moonstruck (1987). Matera’s work
Actress Gina Mastrogiacomo died of endocarditis on May 2, 2001. She was 39. She was featured as Janice Rossi in the 1990 film Goodfellas.
Gina Mastrogiacomo
Barbara Matera
201 was also seen in productions by the New York City Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 2001, B17.
Mayer, Gerald Film and television director Gerald Mayer died of complications from pneumonia in Los Angeles on September 21, 2001. He was 82. Mayer was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on June 5, 1919. He was the son of MGM executive Jerry Mayer and the nephew of studio head Louis B. Mayer. He began directing for MGM in 1945 after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After a stint directing shorts and screen tests, Mayer made his feature debut with 1949’s Mr. Whitney Had a Notion. He also directed the films Dial 1119 (1950), Inside Straight (1951), The Sellout (1952), Holiday for Sinners (1952), Bright Road (1953), The Marauders (1955) and Diamond Safari (1958). From the 1960s Mayer worked primarily in television, helming episodes of such series as Gunsmoke, Adventures in Paradise, Bonanza, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, The Defenders, The Millionaire, The Defenders, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, The Nurses, The Fugitive, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Mission: Impossible, The Invaders, Garrison’s Gorillas, Cimarron Strip,
Gerald Mayer
2001 • Obituaries
Judd, for the Defense, Tarzan, Mannix, Bracken’s World, Dan August, The Persuaders!, Anna and the King, The Six Million Dollar Man, Quincy, Hunter, Eight Is Enough, Logan’s Run, Lou Grant, Shirley, Nero Wolfe and Airwolf. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26, 2001, B11; New York Times, Oct. 9, 2001, D7; Variety, Oct. 1, 2001, 125.
Mayo, Whitman Character actor Whitman Mayo, who starred as Grady Wilson in the television sit-com Sanford and Son, died of a heart attack in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 22, 2001. He was 70. Mayo was born in New York City on November 15, 1930. He appeared in the 1966 film The Black Klansman and, in 1973, joined Redd Foxx on Sanford and Son. He continued to play Grady Wilson in the spin-off series Grady in 1975 and Sanford Arms in 1977. He also played Howlin’ Joe in the short lived 1983 series The Best of Times, and was One Ball in the 1985 drama series Hell Town. Wilson was featured as Doc Sterling in the 1988 The Van Dyke Show, and was bar owner Sweets in The Cape in 1996. His other television credits include the tele-films Of Mice and Men (1981), The Grand Baby (1985), Final Shot: The Hank
Whitman Mayo
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202
Gathers Story (1992), You Must Remember This (1992) and Boycott (2001). He was also seen in episodes of Baretta, Starsky and Hutch, Diff ’rent Strokes, Lou Grant, Hill Street Blues, Trapper John, M.D., Whiz Kids, In the Heat of the Night, Good Grief, Full House, Martin, Family Matters and ER. Mayo appeared in several films during his career including The Main Event (1979), D.C. Cab (1983), Boyz N the Hood (1991), The Seventh Coin (1992) and Waterproof (1999). Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2001, B13; New York Times, May 24, 2001, C13; People, June 11, 2001, 75; Time, June 4, 2001, 29; TV Guide, June 23, 2001, 10.
Mayon, Helen
Mayol, Jacques
Actor and playwright Vaughn McBride died of cancer in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 24, 2001. He was 66. McBride was born in Salt Lake City in 1935. He moved to Connecticut, where he founded the Long Wharf Theater and starred in productions of The Crucible, Private Eye and other. He was featured in numerous theatrical productions in Cleveland during the 1960s. In 1970, he joined the Actors Theater of Louisville, where he starred in many stage productions over the next 25 years. In the 1990s McBride moved to films, appearing in 1999’s SLC Punk! and an episode of television’s Touched by an Angel. Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
French diver Jaques Mayol, who co-scripted Luc Besson’s 1988 film based on his life, The Big Blue, committed suicide by hanging at his home on the island of Elba, Italy, on December 22, 2001. He was 74. Mayol was born to French parents in China in 1927. The holder of many free diving records, he was the first to descend to 100 meters without oxygen in 1976. He was also author of the book Homo Delphinus, describing the aquatic nature of some individuals such as himself.
Veteran character actress Helen Mayon died in Santa Monica, California, on December 24, 2001. She was 99. She was featured in several films during the 1950s including Violent Saturday (1955), Running Wild (1955), Hilda Crane (1956), Bus Stop (1956), Three Brave Men (1956) and An Affair to Remember (1957). She was also featured on television in episodes of Perry Mason, The Loretta Young Show and Maverick.
McBride, Vaughn
McCorkle, Susannah
Jacques Mayol
Jazz singer Susannah McCorkle was killed when she jumped to her death from her New York City apartment on May 19, 2001. She was 55. McCorkle was born in Berkeley, California, on January 4, 1946. She traveled to Europe after dropping out of the University of California at Berkeley, and began her singing career in London in the early 1970s. She recorded two jazz albums there before returning to the United States in the late 1970s. She continued to perform and record over the next two decades, her renditions often in the style of Billie Holiday. She also recorded an album of Brazilian pop songs, Sabia. McCorkle also wrote numerous short stories and essays about jazz legends for various magazines. She released the album From Broken Hearts to Blue Skies in 1999, and a new album, Hearts and Minds, was released after her death.
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2001 • Obituaries
Chuck McCrann Susannah McCorkle
Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2001, B12; New York Times, May 20, 2001, 47; People, June 4, 2001, 107; Time, May 28i, 2001, 31; Times (of London), June 20, 2001, 19a; Variety, June 4, 2001, 44.
McCrann, Chuck Charles Austin “Chuck” McCrann, who produced, directed, scripted and starred in the 1980 horror comedy Bloodeaters, was killed in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 1981. McCrann, a graduate from the Yale Law School in 1972, was a senior vice president with the Marsh & McLennan insurance and financial services company with offices in Tower 1. A fan of horror films, McCrann decided to make his own in the late 1970s, devising a plot about hippies who are turned into flesh eating zombies after a crop duster sprays their marijuana field. The film, also known as Toxic Zombies and Forest of Fear, also starred McCrann, using the name Charles Austin.
McCullough, Ruth Singer Ruth McCullough Dyer died of heart failure in a San Diego hospital on June 15, 2001. She was 80. She began singing professionally while in her teens in the 1930s. She performed with Isham Jones and Sonny Dunham in New York before joining Tony Pastor’s band in the early 1940s. She recorded such songs as “Bell Bottom Trousers,” “I’m Beginning to See the Light” and “Walk a Little, Talk a Little” with Pastor. She subsequently retired from performing. Los Angeles Times, June 19, 2001, B11.
McGuire, Benny Benny Loyd McCrary, who with his brother Billy, were known as the world’s heaviest twins, died of heart failure in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on March 26, 2001. He was 54. Born in Hendersonville on December 7, 1946, the twins began wrestling professionally as the McGuire Twins in Texas in the early 1970s. Reportedly weighing over 700 pounds, they often entered the arena while riding a motorized minibike. Billy died in 1979.
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Benny McGuire (with brother Billy).
McGuire, Dorothy Leading actress Dorothy McGuire died of heart failure in Santa Monica, California, on September 13, 2001. She was 83. McGuire was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 14, 1918. She began performing in local theater at an early age and, after graduating from college, moved to New York. She replaced Martha Scott in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in 1938. She appeared in various other productions before being cast in the lead role in the hit Broadway play Claudia in 1941. She made her film debut two years later recreating her performance as the young bride in the movie version of Rose Franken’s play. She reprised the role opposite Robert Young in the 1946 sequel Claudia and David. McGuire also starred in the films Reward Unlimited (1944), The Enchanted Cottage (1945), the 1945 film adaptation of Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Spiral Staircase (1946) as a mute girl stalked by a psychopathic killer. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in 1947’s Gentleman’s Agreement opposite Gregory Peck. She continued to appear in such films as Mother Didn’t Tell Me (1950), Mister 880 (1950), Callaway Went Thataway (1951), I Want You (1951), Invitation (1952), Make Haste to Live (1954), Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), Trial (1955), Friendly Persuasion (1956) with Gary
Cooper, Old Yeller (1957), The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959), This Earth Is Mine (1959), A Summer Place (1959), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960), Susan Slade (1961), Summer Magic (1963), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) as the Virgin Mary, and Flight of the Doves (1971). She was also a voice actor in 1973’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and narrated 1987’s Summer Heat. McGuire also appeared often on television from the 1950s in such series as The U.S. Steel Hour, Climax!, The Best of Broadway, The Love Boat, St. Elsewhere, several episodes of Highway to Heaven, and the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1984. Other television credits include the tele-films She Waits (1971), Another Part of the Forest (1972), the 1976 mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man, Little Women (1978), The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel (1979), Ghost Dancing (1983), Amos (1985), Between the Darkness and the Dawn (1985), American Geisha (1986), I Never Sang for My Father (1988), Caroline? (1990) and The Last Best Year (1990).
Dorothy McGuire
205 Los Angeles Times, Sept. 15, 2001, B10; New York Times, Sept. 15, 2001, B7; People, Oct. 8, 2001, 145; Times (of London), Sept. 17, 2001, 23a; TV Guide, Oct. 20, 2001, 47; Variety, Sept. 17, 2001, 35.
2001 • Obituaries
Last American. Several of his plays were adapted for television including Untold Damage (1971), which he also directed, and Sea Marks (1976). McKay had lived in Hawaii since the early 1970s. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 22, 2001, B10; People, Dec. 10, 2001, 155; Time, Dec. 3, 2001, 23; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
McKay, Gardner Actor Gardner McKay, who starred in the ABC television series Adventures in Paradise from 1959 to 1962, died of prostate cancer in Honolulu on November 21, 2001. He was 69. McKay was born in New York City on June 10, 1932. He was featured in a small role in the 1957 film Raintree County, and appeared in episodes of Death Valley Days and Jefferson Drum. He starred as Lieutenant Kelly in the 1957 television series Boots and Saddles. He played Captain Adam Troy on the adventure series Adventures in Paradise for three years, and starred in the films The Pleasure Seekers (1964) and I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew (1968). He subsequently abandoned acting to travel and write. He authored several novels including Toyer, Trompe L’Oeil and The
Gardner McKay
McKenzie, Tex Professional wrestler Hugh “Tex” McKenzie died in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, after suffering an abdominal aortic aneurysm while boating. He was 72. McKenzie was one of the leading wrestlers in the 1950s. The popular star was billed at being 6'10" tall, though he was likely several inches shorter. He wrestled through-
Tex McKenzie
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out North America and in Japan, holding several tag team championships. He feuded with the Sheik in Texas in the late 1960s and held the World Class Texas Tag Team Title with Red Bastien in 1974. He worked as a wrestling announcer from the mid–1970s after retiring from the ring.
was the wife of stuntman John DePasquale. She had also performed stuns in Nicholas Cage’s 1997 film Con Air.
McMichael, Ted
Stuntwoman Alanna McManus and her infant daughter, Kylie DePasquale, were found dead in their Dania Beach, Florida, home in an apparent murder-suicide on June 10, 2001. The infant was found drowned and McManus had shot herself in the head. She was 28. McManus
Ted McMichael, a founding member of the vocal group the Merry Macs, died in Camarillo, California, on February 27, 2001. He was 92. McMichael was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, on April 4, 1908. With brothers Judd and Joe, the trio began singing in Minneapolis in the early 1920s. Earlier known as the Mystery Trio and the Personality Boys, they joined Joe Haymes band. They were popular performers on such radio programs as Fred Allen’s Town Hall Tonight, The Lucky Strike Hit Parade and Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1941 they added a female singer to their group. The Merry Macs appeared in several films in the early 1940s including Love Thy Neighbor (1940) with Jack Benny and Fred Allen, San Antonio Rose (1941), Moonlight in Hawaii (1941), Melody Lane (1941) and Ride ’Em Cowboy (1942) with Abbott and Costello. They had numerous hit songs including “Mairzy Doats,” “Pop Goes the Weasel,” “The Hut Sut Song,” “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,” “Laughing on the Outside” and “Sentimental Journey.” Brother Joe was killed in combat during World War II in 1944, and was
Alanna McManus
Ted McMichael (center, with brothers Joe and Judd, and Cherry Mackay).
McKinnon, Patricia Anne Canadian singer Patricia Anne McKinnon died of lymphatic cancer in Toronto on October 10, 2001. She was 53. McKinnon was born in Shilo, Manitoba, Canada, in 1948. She began her career singing on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Singalong Jubilee in the early 1960s. A popular performer on Canadian television, she subsequently starred in such series as Juliette, Show of the Week and A Go Go ’66. She had suffered from Hodgkins disease from the late 1970s, which had severely limited her career.
McManus, Alanna
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replaced by a succession of other singers. The Merry Macs retired in 1964. Brother Judd McMichael died in 1989. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 12, 2001, B4.
Mentzer, Mike Bodybuilder Mike Mentzer died of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on June 20, 2001. He was 49. Mentzer was born in Philadelphia on Nov. 15, 1951. He began lifting weights at an early age and competed in Mr. America, Mr. World and Mr. Universe contests in the 1970s. He won the Mr. Olympia championship in 1979. His career as a champion bodybuilder ended the following year when Arnold Schwarzenegger won the Mr. Olympia title from him in 1980.
Scott Merrill
Small Wonder, Oklahoma! and Seventh Heaven. He was best known for starring as Mack the Knife in the 1954 Broadway production of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera. Merrill was also seen on television during the 1950s.
Michaels, Dolores
Mike Mentzer
Merrill, Scott Actor Scott Merrill died in a Branford, Connecticut, hospice on June 28, 2001. He was 82. Merrill began his career on the New York stage in the early 1940s, appearing in such musicals as Lady in the Dark, Paint Your Wagon, Bloomer Girl,
Actress Dolores Michaels died in West Hollywood, California, on September 25, 2001. She was 68. Michaels was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 30, 1933. Trained as a ballet dancer, she made her debut on the Broadway stage in the early 1950s. She soon went to Hollywood, where she was featured in such films as The French Line (1954), Son of Sinbad (1955), The Wayward Bus (1957), Time Limit (1957), April Love (1957), Fraulein (1958), The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958), Warlock (1959), Five Gates to Hell (1959), One Foot in Hell (1960) and Battle at Bloody Beach (1961). She also appeared on television in episodes of Laramie, Perry Mason and Route 66.
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Dolores Michaels
Miller, J.P. Screenwriter J.P. Miler died of pneumonia in Stockton, New Jersey, on November 1, 2001. He was 81. He was born James Pinckney Miller in San Antonio, Texas, on December 18, 1919. He began his career writing for television in the early 1950s, scripting episodes of Philco Television Playhouse and The Goodyear Television Playhouse. He was best known for writing the popular 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. Miller also scripted the films The Rabbit Trap (1959), The Young Savages (1961), Behold a Pale Horse (1964) and The People Next Door (1970). He returned to television in the 1970s, where he wrote the tele-films Your Money or Your Wife (1972), The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976), Helter Skelter (1976) about the Charles Manson murders, Gauguin the Savage (1980) and I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989).
Miller, Jason Jason Miller, the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright who starred as Father Damian Karras in the classic horror film The Exorcist, died of
J.P. Miller
heart failure in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 2001. He was 62. Miller was born in New York City on April 22, 1939. He wrote the popular play That Championship Season in 1972, which received a Tony Award and earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Miller also received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1973’s The Exorcist. Miller continued to pursue careers both as an actor and a playwright. He wrote the plays Nobody Hears a Broken Drum and Barrymore’s Ghost, and directed and scripted the 1982 film version of That Championship Season. As an actor, Miller appeared in the films The Nickel Ride (1974), Vengeance (1976), The Devil’s Advocate (1978), The Ninth Configuration (aka Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane (1980), Monsignor (1982), Toy Soldiers (1984), Vengeance (1986), Light of Day (1987), The Exorcist III (1990), Small Kill (1992), Rudy (1993), Murdered Innocence (1995), Mommy (1995), The Eternal (1998), Slice (2000) and Finding Home (2001). He also starred in several tele-films including F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1976), Dashiell Hammett’s The Dain Curse (1978), Vampire (1979), The Henderson Monster (1980), Mar-
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Dougie Millings (left, with The Beatles).
Jason Miller
ilyn: The Untold Story (1980) as Arthur Miller, The Best Little Girl in the World (1981), A Touch of Scandal (1984) and Deadly Care (1987). He was working on a film script about comedian Jackie Gleason at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2001, B10; New York Times, May 15, 2001, A22; People, May 28, 2001, 95; Time, May 28, 2001, 31; Variety, May 28, 2001, 63.
Millings, Dougie Dougie Millings, the London tailor who designed the suits worn by the Beatles, died at his home in London on September 20, 2001. He was 88. Born Douglas Arnold Millings in Manchester, England, on July 30, 1913, Millings began working as a tailor’s assistant in London in the 1930s. He became involved with entertainers in the 1950s and was commissioned to create outfits for the Beatles in the fall of 1962. He designed the round-necked suits that became the official look of the group in its early years. In 1964
Millings appeared with the Beatles in their film A Hard Day’s Night, playing a beleaguered tailor trying to outfit the band. He also designed costumes for the Beatles’ subsequent film Help. Millings list of clients came to include such stars as Tom Jones, Rex Harrison, Warren Beatty, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and many others. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 9, 2001, B9; New York Times, Oct. 8, 2001, A19; Times (of London), Oct. 3, 2001, 19a.
Mitchell, Billy Jazz saxophonist Billy Mitchell died of lung cancer at his home in Rockville Centre, New York, on April 18, 2001. He was 74. He was born Willie Melvin Mitchell in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1926. He began playing professionally in Detroit while a teenager, performing with Nat Towles’ band. In the early 1940s Mitchell appeared in small roles in a handful of films including The Bank Dick (1940) with W.C. Fields, Misbehaving Husbands (1940), The Bride Wore Crutches (1940), San Francisco Docks (1941), My Life with Caroline (1941), In This Our Life (1942), Mr. Celebrity (1942), The Fallen Sparrow (1943) and Home in Indiana (1944). He played with Lucky Millinder’s Orchestra in New York from the late 1940s. He joined Dizzy Gillespie’s band in 1956 and, the following year, joined Count Basie’s orchestra. He played with Basie for several years during the 1960s. During his career he recorded ten albums and played for over 30 years
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at the Searford, New York, jazz nightspot, Sonny’s Place, until it closed in 1997. Los Angeles Times, May 3, 2001, B8; New York Times, May 2, 2001, C14.
Mitchell, Loften Playwright Loften Mitchell died in Queens, New York, on May 14, 2001. He was 82. Mitchell was born in Columbus, North Carolina, on April 15, 1919, and was raised in Harlem. He began writing plays in the 1950s, including the OffBroadway production A Land Beyond the Rivers in 1957. He and Irving Burgie created the OffBroadway musical Ballad for Bimshire in 1963. He received a Tony Award nomination for writing the 1976 musical Bubbling Brown Sugar. Mitchell was also author of the 1975 book Voices of Black Theatre. New York Times, May 23, 2001, C19.
Mitchell, Norman British character actor Norman Mitchell died in Downham Market, Norfolk, England, on March 19, 2001. He was 82. He was born Norman Mitchell Driver in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, on August 27, 1918. He began his career on stage with the Sheffield Repertory Theatre, and, after service in World War II, began working at the BBC, where he was featured in hundreds of radio broadcasts. He made his first television appearance in 1951 and his film debut in 1954’s Up to His Neck. He was featured, often in small parts, in over fifty films during his career including The Seekers (1954), A Kid for Two Farthings (1955), Police Dog (1955), Three Sundays to Live (1957), The Man Who Wouldn’t Talk (1958), The Price of Silence (1959), Beat Girl (1960), Carry on Cabby (1963), Gutter Girls (1964), A Home of Your Own (1964), Carry on Spying (1964), Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), The Little Ones (1965), Invasion (1966), Time Lost and Time Remembered (1966), The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery (1966), Carry on Screaming (1966), Half a Sixpence (1967), Two a Penny (1967), A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967), Oliver! (1968), Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969), Atlantic Wall (1970), One More Time
Loften Mitchell
Norman Mitchell
211 (1970), On the Buses (1971), Nearest and Dearest (1972), Lady Caroline Lamb (1972, Bless This House (1972), And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973), Man About the House (1974), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), Legend of the Werewolf (1975), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), The Big Sleep (1978), A Hitch in Time (1978), Carry On Emmannuelle (1978), Moon Over the Alley (1980), The Return of the Soldier (1982), The Wicked Lady (1983), Dirty Weekend (1987), Revenge of Billy the Kid (1991) and Lighthouse (1999). He was also a prolific television actor, making an estimated 2000 appearances during his career. He was featured in episodes of such series as Kaleidoscope, The Vice, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Monsters, The Saint, Sierra Nine, Doctor Who, Play of the Month, The Prisoner, On the Buses, Yes, Minister, The Tomorrow People, Beasts, Dixon of Dock Green, Up Pompeii, The Goodies, Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em, Not on Your Nellie, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, George and Mildred, The Fosters, Come Back, Mrs. Noah, Worzel Gummidge, Ripping Yarns, Robin’s Nest, 1990, Keep It in the Family, Only When I Laugh, Crossroads, The Train Now Standing, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Are You Being Served?, All Creatures Great and Small, Casualty, Vanity Fair and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense. Times (of London), Apr. 28, 2001, 27c.
Mitchum, John Character actor John Mitchum, the younger brother of Robert Mitchum, died of complications from a stroke in Los Angeles on November 27, 2001. He was 82. Mitchum was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on September 6, 1919. He followed his brother into films in the late 1940s appearing in such features as The Prairie (1947), Knock on Any Door (1949), The Devil’s Sleep (1949), In a Lonely Place (1950), Born to Be Bad (1950), Right Cross (1950), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), Flying Leathernecks (1951), One Minute to Zero (1952), The Lusty Men (1952), the 1956 serial Perils of the Wilderness, The Man Is Armed (1956), Up in Smoke (1957), 5 Steps to Danger (1957), Cole Younger, Gunfighter (1958), Hell’s Five Hours (1958), Johnny Rocco (1958), Al Capone (1959), The Sergeant Was a Lady (1961), Hitler (1962) as Hermann Goering, Cattle King (1963), The Way West (1967) with his brother
2001 • Obituaries
John Mitchum
Robert, El Dorado (1967), Bandolero! (1968), Paint Your Wagon (1969), Chisum (1970), Bigfoot (1970) and One More Train to Rob (1971). During the 1970s he appeared in numerous films with Clint Eastwood and was featured as Frank DiGeorgio in several of Eastwood’s Dirty Harry films including Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), and The Enforcer (1976). His other films include High Plains Drifter (1972), Chandler (1972), Bloody Trail (1972), Breakheart Pass (1975), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Pipe Dreams (1976), Telefon (1977), and Where’s Willie? (1978). Mitchum also appeared in the tele-films Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate (1971), The Hanged Man (1974), Escapes (1986), Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989) and A Family for Joe (1990). Appearing often on television, Mitchum was also featured in episodes of Science Fiction Theatre, Judge Roy Bean, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Have Gun Will Travel, Clear Horizon, Perry Mason, The Restless Gun, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Tales of Wells Fargo, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, River-
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boat, Maverick, Sky King, The Twilight Zone, The Virginian, Rawhide, Destry, The Legend of Jesse James, Laredo, Branded, The Munsters, F Troop as Trooper Hoffenmueller, Batman, The Road West, Pistols ’n’ Petticoats, Iron Horse, Adam-12, Bonanza, Bewitched, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 2, 2001, B17; Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Mitra, Subrata Subrata Mitra, one of India’s leading cinematographers, died in India on December 8, 2001. He was 71. Mitra was born in Calcutta, India, on October 12, 1930. He began his film career as director of photography on Satyajit Ray’s The Lament of the Path (1955). He worked with Ray on nine other films including The Unvanquished (1956), Paras-Pathar (1958), The Music Room (1958), The World of Apu (1959), The Goddess (1960), Kanchenjungha (1962), The Big City (1963), The Lonely Wife (1964) and The Hero (1966). Mitra also photographed director James Ivory’s debut feature film, 1963’s The Householder, which marked Ivory’s first collaboration with Ismail Merchant and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Mitra also served as cinematographer for Ivory’s subsequent films Shakespeare Wallah (1965), The Guru (1969) and Bombay Talkie (1970). Mitra also photographed 1966’s Nayak: The Hero and 1986’s New Delhi Times.
Mitri, Tiberio Italian boxer turned actor Tiberio Mitri was killed in Rome when he was run over by a train on February 12, 2001. He was suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well as other ailments, at the time of his death. He was 74. Mitri was born in Trieste, Italy, on July 12, 1926. Known as the “Trieste Tiger,” he held the European middleweight championship and lost a close contest to Jake La Motta for the world middleweight title in 1950. Mitri also appeared in over two dozen films in the 1950s and 1960s including Three Corsars (1952), Il Nostro Campione (1955), A Farewell to Arms (1957), An Easy Man (1958), Toto in Paris (1958), Ben Hur (1959), The Great War (1959), Five Branded Women (1960), The Wastrel (1961), The Best of Enemies (1961), The Hills Run Red (1966), Anzio (1968), Danger: Diabolik (1968), and the 1969 television mini-series The Adventures of Ulysses. His final film role was as an aging boxer training two teenage aspirants in 1995’s Pugili. Times (of London), Feb. 14, 2001, 25a.
Subrata Mitra Tiberio Mitri
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Modl, Martha
Moede, Titus
German Wagnerian opera signer Martha Modl died in a Stuttgart, Germany, hospital on December 15, 2001. She was 89. Modl was born in Nuremberg, Germany, on March 12, 1912. She began her singing career relatively late in life, making her stage debut in a production of Hansel and Gretel in 1942. She continued her opera career following World War II, appearing in productions of Cosi Fan Tutte, Der Rosenkavalier and Carmen. She soon came to specialize in 20th Century opera, singing in Parsifal, Fidelio and Wagner’s Rings as Brunnhilde. She made her American debut at the Met in Siegfried in 1956. Modl continue to perform throughout her life, singing roles in Igor Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, Aribert Reimann’s Melusine and Hans Werner Henze’s Elegy for Young Lovers. New York Times, Dec. 23, 2001, A23.
Titus Moede, a former actor who became a pioneer in the adult film industry under the name Titus Moody, died of colon cancer on February 6, 2001. He was 62. Moede was born on March 5, 1938. From the late 1950s Moede had small roles in such films as The Party Crashers (1958), Pork Chop Hill (1959), Jerry Lewis’ Visit to a Small Planet (1960), Bells Are Ringing (1960), Studs Lonigan (1960), Too Young to Love (1960), Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) and The Skydivers (1963). He also appeared in an episode of television’s Twilight Zone. Moede began an association with cult director Ray Dennis Steckler, appearing in the films The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1963), The Thrill Killers (1964), The Young Lovers (1964) and Rat Pfink and Boo Boo (1965), a super-hero spoof feature Moede as sidekick Boo Boo. Moede produced, directed and starred in 1967’s The Last American Hobo and The Dirtiest Game (1968). He also became involved in the adult film industry, working as a crewman or still photographer on numerous films including 1979’s Dracula Sucks. He was featured in Pit Stop (1969), Escape to Passion (1970), Beach Blanket Bango (1975), Chi Chi’s Night Out (1993) which he also
Martha Modl
Titus Moede
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directed, Hollywood Rated “R” (1997) and The Vampire Hunters Club (2001).
Mondeaux, Joel Character actor Joel Mondeaux died of heart failure in a Glendale, California, hospital on November 14, 2001. He was 81. Mondeaux was born in Chicago in 1920. A theatre professor at Santa Monica City College, Mondeaux was featured in the films Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956) and Married Too Young (1962). He also appeared in an episode of television’s Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Montresor, Beni Stage and film set and costume designer Beni Montresor died in a Verona, Italy, hospital on October 11, 2001. He was 75. Montresor was born in Bussolengo, Italy, on March 31, 1926. He worked with Rome’s Cinecitta Studios in the
1950s, designing costumes for such films as Roman Tales (1955), The Devil’s Commandment (aka I Vampiri) (1956), Oh! Sabella (1957) and The Black Chapel (1959). Montresor was also production designer for The Devil’s Commandment (1956), The Most Wonderful Moment (1957) and The Day the Sky Exploded (1961). In the early 1960s he moved to New York, where he worked on theatrical and operatic productions. He also directed and scripted the films Pilgrimage (1972) and The Golden Mass (1975). Montresor received the Tony Award in 1986 for his scenic design on the Broadway production of The Marriage of Figaro. He was also a noted author and illustrator of children’s books. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 16, 2001, B15; New York Times, Oct. 13, 2001, A11; Times (of London), Oct. 17, 2001, 19a.
Moore, Anita Singer Anita Moore died of congestive heart failure in Houston, Texas, on April 29, 2001. She had been in a coma since November of 2000. She was 51. Moore was born in Houston in 1950. She began singing with Duke Ellington’s orchestra in the early 1970s. She continued to sing with his son, Mercer Ellington, after Duke’s death in 1974. Moore was also featured in the musical Sophisticated Ladies in the 1980s. She subsequently returned to Houston to be an elementary school teacher. Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2001, B10; New York Times, May 19, 2001, B7.
Moore, Pauline
Beni Montresor
Actress Pauline Moore died of a neuromuscular disease in Sequim, Washington, on December 7, 2001. She was 87. Moore was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on June 14, 1914. She appeared on stage in the early 1930s and worked as a model for such magazines as Cosmopolitan and McCall’s. She was also the model for the popular “Hostess Girl” Coca-Cola tray painting in 1934. She began her film career in a small role as a bridesmaid in the classic 1931 Universal horror film Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. Over the next decade she continued to appear in such films
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Pauline Moore
as Wagon Wheels (1934), Love Is News (1937), Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937), Born Reckless (1937), Wild and Woolly (1937), Heidi (1937) as Shirley Temple’s schoolteacher, Three Blind Mice (1938), Passport Husband (1938), Five of a Kind (1938), The Arizona Wildcat (1938), The Three Musketeers (1939) as Lady Constance, Charlie Chan in Reno (1939), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Days of Jesse James (1939), Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939) as psychic Eve Cairo, Young Buffalo Bill (1940), The Carson City Kid (1940), Colorado (1940), The Trail Blazers (1940), Arkansas Judge (1941), Double Cross (1941) and the 1941 serial King of the Rangers. She left films to raise a family in the early 1940s, but returned 15 years later to briefly renew her career in the films Spoilers of the Forest (1957) and The Littlest Hobo (1958), and on television in episodes of Death Valley Days and Four Star Playhouse. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 10, 2001, B9; New York Times, Dec. 15, 2001, C16; Variety, Dec. 17, 2001, 79.
2001 • Obituaries
gan was born in Darling Point, Sydney, Australia, on September 7, 1928. She began her career on stage before going to London in 1946 under contract with the Rank Organization. She appeared in several films in the 1940s including The Fabulous Joe (1947), Here Comes Trouble (1948), Idol of Paris (1948), Stop Press Girl (1949) and The Perfect Woman (1949). She had more success with her career as a model, becoming one of the leading fashion photography and catwalk models in England. She married bandleader Victor Silvester’s son in 1949 and hosted the television show Dancing Club for her father-in-law in the early 1950s. She and Silvester were divorced in 1957 and she subsequently married Dany Chamoun, the son of the president of Lebanon, Camille Chamoun. She relocated to Beirut, Lebanon, where she founded a modeling school and television production company. Her businesses closed in the 1970s after civil war broke out in the country. She left her husband and returned to London in 1980. The marriage was ended officially eight years later and Chamoun was assassinated in 1990 by political rivals. Times (of London), Feb. 10, 2001, 27c.
Morgan, Patti Patti Morgan
British actress and model Patti Morgan died in London on February 2, 2001. She was 72. Mor-
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Morrow, Gray
Morton, Anthony
Leading comic artist Gray Morrow died at his home in central Pennsylvania on November 6, 2001. He was 67. He was born Dwight Graydon Morrow in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on March 7, 1934. Morrow began working as a comic artist in the 1950s following service in the U.S. Army. He worked for most of the major comic companies during his career, contributing to such books as Green Arrow, House of Mystery, Star Trek and World’s Finest for DC, and various black and white magazine comics for Marvel. Morrow also worked often for Warren Publishing as a cover artist on the books Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. Also a leading paperback book cover illustrator, Morrow was art director for the 1967 animated television series Spider-Man. He created the art used to introduce the United States version of the 1968 horror films Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror, and was art director for Al Adamson’s 1971 ghoul-fest Dracula Vs. Frankenstein. He also provided illustrations for such science fiction magazines as If and Galaxy, and drew The Illustrated Roger Zelazny in the late 1970s.
British actor Anthony Morton died in Birmingham, England, on January 15, 2001. He was 73. Morton was featured in several films including Village of Daughters (1962), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Performance (1970) and Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976). He also appeared frequently on British television, guest starring in episodes of The Sweeney, The Professionals, Terry and June, Only Fools and Horses, Fairly Secret Army and Dempsey & Makepeace. His other television credits include In Possession, the 1984 episode of Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, and the tele-films One Last Chance (1990) and The Ripper (1997).
Mount, Peggy British actress Peggy Mount died in London after a long illness on November 13, 2001. She was 86. She was born Margret Rose Mount in Southend-On-Sea, Essex, England, on May 2, 1916. A stage actress from the 1950s, she starred in
Gray Morrow Peggy Mount
217 numerous performances of Sailor Beware!, and appeared in the 1956 film version. Other film credits include The Embezzler (1954), Dry Rot (1956), The Naked Truth (1957), Inn for Trouble (1960), Ladies Who Do (1963), One Way Pendulum (1965), Hotel Paradiso (1966), Finders Keepers (1966), and Oliver! (1968). Mount also appeared often on British television, starring in the series The Larkins (1958), Winning Widows (1961), George and the Dragon (1966), John Browne’s Body (1969), Lollipop Loves Mr. Mole (1971) and You’re Only Young Twice (1977). Other television credits include episodes of Doctor Who, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Inspector Morse, Casualty and Virtual Murder. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 17, 2001, B21; Time, Nov. 26, 2001, 27; Times (of London), Nov. 14, 2001, 19a; Variety, Nov. 19, 2001, 54.
Music, Lorenzo Lorenzo Music, who was best known as the cartoon voice of Garfield the Cat, and as Carlton the doorman on television’s Rhoda, died of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles on August 4, 2001. He was 64. Music was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 2, 1937. A writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the late 1960s, Music was a writer and producer for the popular television sit-coms The Bob Newhart Show and Rhoda in the 1970s. He also voiced the unseen doorman, Carlton, for the Rhoda show. Music became the voice of the popular cartoon
Lorenzo Music (with Garfield).
2001 • Obituaries
character Garfield the Cat in a series of television specials and cartoons from the 1980s. He was also heard in he animated film Twice Upon a Time, and such television cartoons as Pac-Man, The Gummi Bears, Fluppy Dogs, The Real Ghostbusters, Fantastic Max, Tale Spin and Darkwing Duck. Music was also seen in several films including Nickelodeon (1976) and Oh, Heavenly Dog! (1980). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 8, 2001, B11; New York Times, Aug. 8, 2001, A14; People, Aug. 20, 2001, 73; TV Guide, Sept. 29, 2001, 5; Variety, Aug. 13, 2001, 59.
Myers, James Songwriter James Myers, who co-wrote the popular rock anthem “Rock Around the Clock” in 1952, died of leukemia in Bonita Springs, Florida, on May 9, 2001. He was 81. Myers was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1920. He served in the Army during World War II and, after his discharge, began his career as a songwriter. He and Max Freedman wrote “Rock Around the Clock,” which was a major hit for Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954. The song was also used as the theme for the 1955 film The
James Myers
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Blackboard Jungle. Since then it has been heard in over 40 films and numerous television shows including Happy Days. Myers also wrote songs under the name Jimmy DeKnight Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2001, B9; New York Times, May 12, 2001, B8; People, May 28, 2001, 95; Time, May 21, 2001, 27; Times (of London), May 16, 2001, 19a; Variety, May 14, 2001, 73.
Nador, Robert French film and television producer Robert Nador died of a heart attack in Paris on October 8, 2001. He was 51. Nador began his career in films working as a second assistant director for the 1975 comedy film Lily Aime-Moi. The founder and president of Dune Productions, he produced such films as The New Beaujolais Wine Has Arrived… (1978), Mozart’s Don Giovanni (1979), Jean-Claude Brialy’s Un Bon Petit Diable (1983), Stowaways (1997), and Passage (1997). He also produced a series of tele-films featuring Bruno Cremer as Inspector Maigret. Nador also served as producer for the television series The New Adventures of Robin Hood in 1997 and Code Name: Eternity in 1999. Variety, Oct. 29, 2001, 40.
Narayan, R.K. Acclaimed Indian novelist R.K. Narayan died of heart and lung problems in Madas, India, on May 13, 2001. He was 94. Rampurami Krishnaswami Narayan was born in Madras on October 10, 1906. He began writing about a small fictional Indian town named Malgudi in the 1930s, which would feature in many of his 34 novels and numerous short stories. Several of Narayan’s novels were filmed including The Guide in 1965 and Waiting for the Mahatman in 1998. Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2001, B9; New York Times, May 14, 2001, B6; Times (of London), May 14, 2001, 17a.
R.K. Narayan
Neil, Fred
Robert Nador
Folk singer Fred Neil died at his home in Summerland Key, Florida, on July 7, 2001. He was 64. Neil was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, on January 1, 1936. He began his musical career in the mid–1950s when he moved to Memphis, Tennessee. His first single, “You Ain’t Treatin’ Me Right/Don’t Put the Blame On Me,” was released in 1957. He recorded the album Bleecker & MacDougal in 1965. His song, “Candyman,” was a
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Fred Neil
hit for Roy Orbison in 1960, and Harry Nilsson performed Neil’s “Everybody’s Talking” for the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy. Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2001, B9; Variety, July 30, 2001, 39.
2001 • Obituaries
80. She was born Betty Mae Nelson in Brigham City, Utah, on May 27, 1920. She began singing professionally in the 1940s and was a top entertainer in the 1950s, recording such albums as Let Me Love You, Portia Nelson Sings Bart Howard and Love Songs for a Late Evening. She appeared in several films during her career, notably 1965’s The Sound of Music as Sister Berthe. Her other film credits include The Trouble with Angels (1966), Doctor Dolittle (1967), The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1967), The Other (1972) and Can’t Stop the Music (1980). She appeared on the television soap opera All My Children as Rachel Gurney during the 1980s, and appeared in the 1983 tele-film adaptation of Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels. Her other television credits include episodes of The Big Valley and Chico and the Man. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 11, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 10, 2001, A11.
Newman, Sid
Actress and singer Portia Nelson died at her home in Manhattan on March 6, 2001. She was
Character actor Sid Newman died in Los Angeles on April 10, 2001. He was 81. Newman began his acting career in Hollywood in the 1940s, appearing in Mickey McGuire shorts and the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis. He subsequently left acting to co-manage a medical laboratory. He resumed his career in the early 1990s,
Portia Nelson
Sid Newman
Nelson, Portia
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playing the recurring role of Sid on televisions The Larry Sanders Show. He was also seen in the films The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) and The Wedding Singer (1998). Newman also guest starred in episodes of television’s ER, Seinfeld, Rude Awakening and Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 13, 2001, B6.
Nicholson, Emrich Art director Emrich Nicholson died in Puako, Hawaii, on February 25, 2001. He was 87. Nicholson was born in Indiana on September 5, 1913. He began his career working at Pacific Mills as a textile designer in the 1930s. He came to Hollywood after serving in the military during World War II, and received an Academy Award for his work on the 1948 film One Touch of Venus. Nicholson also worked as art director for such films as The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948), Black Bart (1948), River Lady (1948), Are You with It? (1948), Take One False Step (1949), Ma and Pa Kettle (1949), Johnny Stool Pigeon (1939), City Across the River (1949), The Desert Hawks (1950), The Sleeping City (1950), The Kid from Texas
Emrich Nicholson
(1950), Kansas Raiders (1950), Francis Goes to the Races (1951), The Lady from Texas (1951), The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), The Cimarron Kid (1951), Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (1951), The Son of Ali Baba (1952), Flesh and Fury (1952), Just Across the Street (1952), The Man from the Alamo (1953), Seminole (1953), The Veils of Bagdad (1953), Taza, Son of Cochise (1954), Naked Alibi (1954), Magnificent Obsession (1954), Sign of the Pagan (1955) and Battle Hymn (1957). Nicholson subsequently moved to Hawaii to become an oil painter. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 4, 2001, B6.
Nicol, Alex Actor Alex Nicol died of natural causes in Montecito, California, on July 28, 2001. He was 82. Nicol was born in Ossining, New York, on January 20, 1919. He began his career on the New York stage, appearing in such Broadway hits as Mr. Roberts, South Pacific and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He went to Hollywood in the late 1940s under contract to Universal, and made his film debut in 1950’s The Sleeping City. He continued to appear in such films as Tomahawk (1951), Target Unknown (1951), Air Cadet (1951), The Raging Tide (1951), Meet Danny Wilson (1952), Red Ball Express (1952), Because of You (1952), The Redhead from Wyoming (1953), The Lone Hand (1953), Law and Order (1953), Champ for a Day (1953), Face the Music (1954), The House Across the Lake (1954), Dawn at Socorro (1954), The Gilded Cage (1954), About Mrs. Leslie (1954), The Man from Laramie (1955), Sincerely Yours (1955), Strategic Air Command (1955), Great Day in the Morning (1956) and Stranger in Town (1957). In 1958 Nicol directed and appeared in the horror film The Screaming Skull. He also directed the films Then There Were Three (1961) and Point of Terror (1971), and episodes of Daniel Boone, The Wild Wild West and Tarzan for television in the 1960s. Nicol worked often in Europe during the 1960s, continuing to appear in such films as Five Branded Women (1960), Everybody Go Home (1960), Under Ten Flags (1960), A Matter of WHO (1961), Look in Any Window (1961), The Savage Guns (1962), Run with the Devil (1963), Ride and Kill (1963), Gunfighters of Casa Grande (1964), Homer (1970), Bloody Mama (1970), The Night God Screamed (1971), The Clones (1974), A*P*E
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Maurice Noble Alex Nicol
(1976), Woman in the Rain (1978) and Manila Open City (1986). Nicol also guest starred in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Twilight Zone, U.S. Marshal, The Outer Limits, The F.B.I. and The Return to Peyton Place, and was featured in the tele-films Winner Take All (1975) and Huckleberry Finn (1975). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2, 2001, B13; New York Times, Aug. 5, 2001, 32; Variety, Aug. 20, 2001, 40.
the classic Duck Dogers in the 24∂th Century. He worked with Chuck Jones on the Oscar-winning animated film The Dot and the Line in 1965, and also worked with Jones on cartoon adaptations of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He served as production designer for the animated segments of Don Knotts’ 1964 comedy film The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and the 1969 animated film The Phantom Tollbooth. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2001, B10; New York Times, May 25, 2001, B8; Variety, May 28, 2001, 63.
Noble, Maurice Veteran animator Maurice J. Noble died in La Canada Flintridge, California, on May 18, 2001. He was 91. Noble was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 1, 1910. Noble worked with Walt Disney Studios on such classic animated films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Fantasia (1940) and Bambi (1942). He later worked with Warner Bros. on cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others, including
Nygaard, Jens Symphony conductor Jens Nygaard died of complications from multiple myelomas at his home in Manhattan on September 26, 2001. He was 69. Nygaard was born in Stephens, Arkansas, on October 26, 1931. He attended the Juilliard School in the 1950s, where he studied piano. In the 1960s he conducted the Hudson Valley Sym-
Obituaries • 2001
222 (1946), The Show-Off (1946), The Harvey Girls (1946) as Judy Garland’s side-kick performing the memorable “The Wild, Wild West,” The Great Morgan (1946), Till the Clouds Roll By (1947) and Merton of the Movies (1947). Married to Kirk Alyn, filmdom’s first Superman, from 1943 until 1955, she largely retired from films after her role in 1955’s Francis in the Navy with Donald O’Connor. She continued to perform in nightclubs and on television variety shows, and made her final film appearance in the 1976 Disney film Gus. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 23, 2001, B6; New York Times, Jan. 25, 2001, B9; People, Feb. 5, 2001, 103; Variety, Jan. 29, 2001, 67.
Jens Nygaard
phony and directed Columbia University’s Music in Our Time series. He formed his own ensemble, the Westchester Chamber Chorus and Orchestra, in 1965. He organized the Music with Jens Nygaard series in the early 1970s and, in 1979, formed the Jupiter Symphony. New York Times, Sept. 26, 2001, C15; Time, Oct. 8, 2001, 21.
O’Brien, Virginia Actress Virginia O’Brien died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Los Angeles on January 18, 2001. She was 81. O’Brien was born in Los Angeles on April 8, 1919. She was discovered by Louis B. Mayer while performing on stage in a production of Meet the People. She became a popular comedian and singer known for her deadpan comedy and singing style at MGM, appearing in such films as Sky Murder (1940), Hullabaloo (1940), The Big Store (1941), Ringside Maisie (1941), Lady Be Good (1941), Ship Ahoy (1942), Panama Hattie (1942), Thousands Cheer (1943) where she performed a comic rendition of the song “In a Little Spanish Town,” Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Meet the People (1933), Ziegfeld Follies
Virginia O’Brien (left, with Judy Garland and Cyd Charisse from The Harvey Girls).
O’Connor, Carroll Actor Carroll O’Connor, who was best known for his long-running role as Archie Bunker on the hit television sit-com All in the Family, died of a heart attack and complications from diabetes in Culver City, California, on June 21, 2001. He was 76. O’Connor was born in The Bronx, New York, on August 2, 1924. He performed on stage and television before making his film debut in th early 1960s. O’Connor was featured in such films as Parrish (1961), A Fever in the Blood (1961), By Love Possessed (1961), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), Lad: A Dog (1962), Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, In Harm’s Way (1965), Hawaii (1966),
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father in the series In the Heat of the Night, committed suicide in 1996. Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2001, A1; New York Times, June 22, 2001, B8; People, July 9, 2001, 56; Time, July 2, 2001, 23; TV Guide, July 14, 2001, 18; Variety, June 25, 2001, 67.
O’Connor, Jimmy
Carroll O’Connor (left, with Ernest Borgnine from Law and Disorder).
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966), Not with My Wife, You Don’t! (1966), Warning Shot (1967), Point Blank (1967), Waterhole #3 (1967), The Devil’s Brigade (1968), For Love of Ivy (1968), Death of a Gunfighter (1969), Marlowe (1969), Ride a Northbound Horse (1969), Kelly’s Heroes (1970) and Doctors’ Wives (1971). O’Connor played the bigoted Archie Bunker on Norman Lear’s comedy series All in the Family from 1971 until 1979, earning four Emmy Awards. He continued the role in the spin-off series Archie Bunker’s Place from 1979 to 1983. He later starred as Sparta Police Chief Bill Gillespie in the television drama series In the Heat of the Night from 1988 until 1994. O’Connor was also seen in the films Law and Disorder (1974), A Different Approach (1978), Gideon (1988) and Return to Me (2000). His other television credits include the tele-films Fear No Evil (1969), Of Thee I Sing (1972), The Last Hurrah (1977), Brass (1985), Convicted (1986), The Father Clements Story (1987) and 36 Hours to Die (1999). He stared as Jacob Gordon in the television series Party of Five in 1996 and was Gus Stemple, the father of Helen Hunt’s character, in the popular sit-com Mad About You from 1996 to 1999. He was also seen in episodes of Adventures in Paradise, The U.S. Steel Hour, The Untouchables, Stoney Burke, Naked City, Ben Casey, The Defenders, One Step Beyond, Bonanza, East Side/West Side, The Outer Limits, The Great Adventure, The Fugitive, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, I Spy, Time Tunnel, Gunsmoke, Wild Wild West, and Dundee and the Culhane. O’Connor’s son, Hugh, who co-starred with his
British television writer Jimmy O’Connor died of complications from a stroke in London, England, on September 29, 2001. He was 83. O’Connor was born in Paddington, England, on May 20, 1918. He became involved with petty crime as a youth. He served in the army during World War II and continued to deal with underworld figures. In 1942 O’Connor was arrested and convicted of the murder of a fence and sentenced to hang. He was spared execution, but remained imprisoned for 11 years for the crime he likely did not commit. While incarcerated O’Connor educated himself and read widely. After his release he began writing, often with the assistance of his new wife, Nemone Lethbridge. In the 1960s O’Connor’s plays were produced for the BBC, airing on the network’s Wednesday Plays. The largely autobiographical Three Clear
Jimmy O’Connor
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Sundays was televised in 1964. Other dramas include Coming Out Party (1965) and Her Majesty’s Pleasure (1973).
peared in episodes of Out of the Unknown, Mystery and Imagination, The Incredible Mr. Tanner, Great Mysteries and Redcap.
O’Conor, Joseph
O’Farrill, Chico
Irish character actor Joseph O’Conor died in London on January 21, 2001. He was 84. O’Conor was born in Dublin, Ireland, on February 14, 1916. He began his career on stage and made his film debut in the early 1950s. O’Conor was seen in such films as Stranger at My Door (1950), Paul Temple’s Triumph (1950), Gorgo (1961), Crooks in Cloisters (1953), Devil Ship Pirates (1964), Oliver! (1968), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), A Walk with Love and Death (1969), Doomwatch (1972), Yellow Dog (1973), The Dark Crystal (1982) as the Narrator, Forbidden Quest (1993), Tom and Viv (1994), Elizabeth (1998), The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). O’Conor was also a popular performer on British television, appearing as Old Jolyon Forsyte in the 1960s series The Forsyte Saga. He was also featured in a 1965 production of George Orwell’s 1984, and ap-
Trumpeter Chico O’Farrill died in New York City on June 27, 2001. He was 79. He was born Arthur O’Farrill in Havana, Cuba, on October 28, 1921. After attending military school in the United States, he returned to Cuba to perform in Havana nightclubs. O’Farrill relocated to New York in 1948, where he was an innovator of the Afro-Cuban jazz movement. He wrote the songs “Cuban Episode” for Stan Kenton, and “Undercurrent Bluence” for Benny Goodman, and worked with such artists as Count Basie, Cal Tjader and Gato Barbieri. In 1993 O’Farrill worked with David Bowie on the album Black Tie, White Noise, and released the Grammy-nominated album Pure Emotion in 1995. His later work was heard on the albums Heart of a Legend (1999) and Carambola (2000).
Joseph O’Conor
Chico O’Farrill
225 Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2001, B15; New York Times, June 29, 2001, B8; People, July 16, 2001, 69; Time, July 9, 2001, 19; Variety, July 15, 2001, 50.
2001 • Obituaries
Kid with the Broken Halo, and reprised her role as Mary Bradford in two tele-film sequels, Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion (1987) and An Eight Is Enough Wedding (1989). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 27, 2001, B14; People, Oct. 15, 2001, 94; Variety, Oct. 8, 2001, 73.
O’Grady, Lani Lani O’Grady, who starred as Mary Bradford, the eldest daughter on television’s Eight Is Enough, was found dead in her mobile home in Santa Clarita, California, on September 25, 2001. She was 46. O’Grady was born Lanita Rose Agrati in Walnut Creek, California, on October 2, 1954. Her mother, Mary Grady, was a leading children’s agent in Hollywood and her older brother, Don, starred on the My Three Sons series as Robbie Douglas during the 1960s and early 1970s. Lani starred as Judy in the short-lived television series The Headmaster from 1970 to 1971. She was also seen in the tele-film Cage Without a Key (1975), and episodes of The Delphi Bureau, Harry O and The Love Boat. She appeared in several films including Massacre at Central High (1976), Baby Blue Marine (1976) and The Campus Corpse (1977). She starred as Dick Van Patten’s eldest daughter in the popular Eight Is Enough series from 1977 to 1981. After the series ended she largely ended her acting career. She was featured the following year in the comedy tele-film The
Lani O’Grady
Olivier, Joe Musician Joe Olivier who played with Bill Haley and the Comets during the late 1950s, died of complications from surgery related to diabetes at his Marcy, New York, home on December 24, 2001. He was 74. Olivier was born in Maastricht, the Netherlands, on December 10, 1927. He began playing with the Comets in 1957 and was heard on the hit song “Mary, Mary Lou.” He also appeared with the Comets in the 1958 film Hier bin Ich — Hier Bleib’ Ish (aka Here I Am, Here I Stay). Olivier embarked on a solo career in 1959, recording the single “The Cat” and “La Donna
Joe Olivier
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226
Riccia” under the name Cappy Bianco. He subsequently left music for other endeavors.
Olson, Barbara Television commentator and author Barbara Olson was killed aboard American Airlines Flight 77 when terrorists hijacked the airplane and crashed it into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. She was 45. Born in Houston, Texas, on December 27, 1955, she considered a career in Hollywood after graduating from college, working as actor Stacy Keach’s assistant. Instead, she decided to earn a law degree and, from 1989 to 1991, worked with the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court. In 1996 she married fellow lawyer Ted Olson, who was named Solicitor General of the U.S. by President Bush earlier in the year. Barbara Olson was a familiar face on television, appearing often on Larry King’s CNN show. A leading critic of the Clinton Administration, she authored the books Hell to Pay (1999) and The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House (2001). Olson was on route to appear on the tele-
Barbara Olson
vision show Politically Incorrect at the time of her death. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 16, 2001, A41; New York Times, Sept. 12, 2001, A16; Times (of London), Sept. 13, 2001, 14e; TV Guide, Oct. 20, 2001, 40; Variety, Sept. 17, 2001, 35.
Orko, Risto Finnish film producer and director Risto Orko died in Helsinki, Finland, on September 29, 2001. He was 102. Orko was born in Rauma, Finland, on September 15, 1899. A producer since the early 1930s, Orko worked at Suomi-Filmi, where he rose to become chief of production. He produced, and sometimes directed, over 100 films during his career including Vaimoke (1936), Women of Niskavouri (1938), Soldier’s Bride (1939), Activists (1939), Poretta (1941), Loviisa (1946), Devastation (1947), Maaret, Daughter of
Risto Orko
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the Mountains (1947), The Bridal Wreath (1954), The Stranger (1957) and The Day the Earth Froze (1959). Variety, Oct. 29, 2001, 40.
of Fire (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) and Space Cowboys (2000).
Orrison, George
O’Shea, John
Stuntman George Orrison died in Castaic, California, on March 1, 2001. He was 71. Orrison was born in Los Angeles on October 30, 1929. A rodeo cowboy, Orrison began working in films and television in the early 1960s, performing stunts on such television westerns as Laramie and Laredo. He also doubled Lee Marvin in 1965’s Cat Ballou. During the 1970s he worked often on the Emergency! television series. A friendship with actor Clint Eastwood led to Orrison appearing in most of Eastwood’s films including Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Bronco Billy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Firefox (1982), Honkytonk Man (1982), Sudden Impact (1983), Tightrope (1984), City Heat (1984), Pale Rider (1985), Ratboy (1986), Bird (1988), The Dead Pool (1988), The Rookie (1990), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), Unforgiven (1992) A Perfect World (1993), In the Line
New Zealand pioneer film director John O’Shea died in Wellington, New Zealand, on July 8, 2001. He was 81. O’Shea founded Pacific Films in the early 1950s, and made his directoral debut with 1952’s Broken Barrier. He also directed and produced Runaway (1964) and Don’t Let It Get You (1966). Pacific Films served as an opening for many aspiring New Zealand directors and performers. O’Shea also produced Leave All Fair (1985), Ngati (1987) and Te Rua (1991), and the television documentary series The People of the Land. Variety, July 30, 2001, 39.
John O’Shea
Osterloh, Robert
George Orrison
Veteran character actor Robert Osterloh died in Los Osos, California, on April 16, 2001. He was 82. Osterloh was born on May 31, 1918. He began his career in films in the late 1940s, appearing in such features as The Dark Past (1948), Criss Cross (1949), Incident (1949), The Undercover Man (1949), I Cheated the Law (1949), The
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228
Otto, Bud
Robert Osterloh
Doolins of Oklahoma (1949), Illegal Entry (1949), Gun Crazy (1949), Pinky (1949), White Heat (1949), City Across the River (1949), Port of Missing Men (1950), Southside 1-1000 (1950), Palomino (1950), A Lady Without Passport (1950), 711 Ocean Drive (1950), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), The Great Missouri Raid (1951), The Well (1951), The Prowler (1951), No Questions Asked (1951), New Mexico (1951), The Fat Man (1951), Drums in the Deep South (1951), Mutiny (1952), The Ring (1952), Red Skies of Montana (1952), One Minute to Zero (1952), The Royal African Rifles (1953), Private Eyes (1953), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954), The Wild One (1954), Johnny Guitar (1954), Wicked Woman (1954), Seven Angry Men (1955), An Annapolis Story (1955), Violent Saturday (1955), Man with the Gun (1955), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Star in the Dust (1956), Johnny Concho (1956), Hot Cars (1956), The Desperados Are in Town (1956), Baby Face Nelson (1957), Fort Massacre (1958), The Case Against Brooklyn (1958), I Bury the Living (1958), Warlock (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Young Dillinger (1965), Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Coogan’s Bluff (1968). He was also seen in the telefilms Shadow Over Elveron (1968) and The Delphi Bureau (1972), and episodes of such series as Wagon Train, Favorite Story, Men into Space, Tales of Wells Fargo, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, One Step Beyond, The Lawless Years, Law of the Plainsman, The Deputy, The Rifleman, Laramie, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Checkmate, The Outer Limits, The Deputy, Whispering Smith, The Legend of Jesse James, The Invaders and Ironside.
Script supervisor H.B. “Bud” Otto died of lung cancer in Chicago on November 24, 2001. He was 67. Otto was born in Hollywood on October 26, 1934. He began working at Four Star Television in the 1950s and became a script supervisor there in 1960. He worked in this capacity on numerous films including The Grasshopper (1970), B.S. I Love You (1971), Where the Lilies Bloom (1974), Ode to Billy Joe (1976), Damien: Omen II (1978), The Cheap Detective (1978), Casey’s Shadow (1978), Norma Rae (1979), 10 (1979), S.O.B. (1981), The Entity (1981), WarGames (1983), Mr. Mom (1983), Man, Woman and Child (1983), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension (1984), The House of God (1984), American Flyers (1985), Short Circuit (1986), Quicksilver (1986), She’s Out of Control (1989), Necessary Roughness (1991) and Copycat (1995). He also worked on the tele-films Revenge (1971), Killer Bees (1974) and Just Me and You (1978), and the television series L.A. Law. Otto appeared in a small part in the 1991 film Necessary Roughness.
Bud Otto
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Padula, Edward Broadway producer Edward Padula died of a heart attack in Bridgehampton, New York, on November 1, 2001. He was 85. Padula worked at NBC television as a writer and producer before achieving success as a theatrical producer. His best known production was the 1961 hit musical Bye Bye Birdie, which earned him a Tony Award. Padula briefly worked with Mel Brooks on a project that later became Brooks’ popular film The Producers in 1968. Padula’s final Broadway play was 1972’s Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, which gained him another Tony nomination. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 9, 2001, B15; New York Times, Nov. 7, 2001, A18; Variety, Nov. 12, 2001, 44.
Page, Leopold “Paul” Leopold Page, a concentration camp survivor whose constant prodding led to a book and
2001 • Obituaries
a film about his savior, Oskar Schindler, died in Los Angeles on March 9, 2001. He was 87. He was born Poldek Pfefferberg in Cracow, Poland, on March 20, 1913. He served in the resistance after the German invasion of Poland in September of 1939, before being captured in the Cracow ghetto. Schindler was instrumental in securing positions for Page and numerous other concentration camp residents in his factories, which saved the lives of many. After Page’s liberation he came to the United States in 1947. For years Page worked tirelessly to tell the story of Schindler, which eventually resulted in Thomas Keneally writing the book Schindler’s List in 1982. Steven Spielberg filmed the tale the following year, winning the Academy Award for best picture. Page served as a consultant on the Spielberg film. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 13, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 15, 2001, B8; People, Apr. 2, 2001, 91.
Pagent, Robert Dancer and choreographer Robert Pagent died in Greenwich, Connecticut, on September 4, 2001. He was 87. Pagent was born Robert Weisser in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1914. He began his career performing in ballets in Europe in the 1930s. He was featured in the 1942 debut of Agnes de Mille’s ballet Rodeo. In 1943 Pagent danced in the hit Broadway musical Oklahoma! and was featured in the musical Carousel two years later. From the 1950s Pagent worked primarily in television as a choreographer, staging dance numbers for the Miss America Pagent and television specials. New York Times, Sept. 14, 2001, C11; Variety, Sept. 24, 2001, 83.
Panajotovic, Ika
Leopold “Paul” Page
Serbian film director and producer Ika Panajotovic died during surgery of cardiac arrest at a Los Angeles hospital on July 18, 2001. He was 69. Panajotovic was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1932. He was a lawyer and professional tennis player before becoming involved in films in the mid–1960s. Panajotovic served as coordinator in Yugoslavia for the production of Kirk Douglas’
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1973 film Scalawag. He also produced the films Operation Cross Eagles (1969), Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident (1978) and Wild Wind (1986). Variety, July 30, 2001, 39.
Parsons, Nancy Heavyset character actress Nancy Parsons died in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, after a long illness on January 5, 2001. She was 58. Parsons was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 17, 1942. She began appearing in films in the late 1970s and was featured in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), American Raspberry (1977), The Lady in Red (1979), Where the Buffalo Roam (1980), the 1980 cult horror film Motel Hell with Rory Calhoun, Pennies from Heaven (1981), Porky’s (1981), and its sequels Porky’s II: The Next Day (1983) and Porky’s Revenge (1985), as gym teacher Beulah Ballbricker, Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Sudden Impact (1983) with Clint Eastwood, Homer and Eddie (1989), Steel Magnolias (1989), Loose Cannons (1990), Wishman (1991), The Doctor (1991) and Ladybugs (1992). She was featured in the television soap opera Days of Our Lives as Nurse Jackson from 1993 to 1994 and as Mary Brook in 1996. She also appeared in the tele-films Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night (1977), White Water Rebels (1983), Quarterback Princess (1983), Little Spies (1986), The Eyes of the Panther (1989),
Silhouette (1990) and Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee (1994). Her other television credits include episodes of The Rockford Files, Charlie’s Angels, Remington Steele, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, Night Court, Star Trek: The Next Generation, L.A. Law and The Pretender. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 10, 2001, B6; Variety, Jan. 29, 2001, 67.
Pasanen, Pertti “Spede” Finnish film actor, director and writer Pertti “Spede” Pasanen died of a heart attack in Kirkkonummi, near Helsinki, Finland, on September 7, 2001. He was 71. Pasanen was born in Kuopio, Finland, on April 10, 1930. He began writing comedy scripts for Finnish radio in the 1950s. He also acted in nearly 50 films including Laivan Kannella (1954), Rintamolotta (1956), X-Paroni (1964), Pohjan Tahteet (1969), Uuno Turhapuro (1973), Tup-akka-lakko (1980), Tupla-Uuno (1988) and Naisen logikkaa (1996). He scripted over two dozen films from the mid–1960s and directed ten, including X-Paroni (1965), Lentavat luupaat (1984) and Naisen logikkaa (1996). His best known films featured the comic character Uuno Turhapuro, starring Pasanen’s friend Vesa-Matti Loiri over a period of 20 years. Variety, Sept. 24, 2001, 82.
Spede Pasanen Nancy Parsons
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Passion Fruit Two members of the pop band Passion Fruit, Maria Serrano-Serrano and Nathaly Van Het Ende, both 27, were killed in a plane crash when the four-engined Avro RJ-100 aircraft they were passengers in crashed near the Zurich airport on route from Berlin on November 24, 2001. The third member of the group, Debby St. Maarten, survived with injuries. The group was best known for the European hit recording of “Sun Fun Baby” from the album Spanglish Love Affair. Pop star Melanie Thornton was also killed in the crash.
Robert Patten
Passion Fruit (Debby St. Maarten, Nathaly Van Het Ende and Maria Serrano-Serrano).
Patten, Robert Character actor Robert Patten died of cancer at his Malibu, California, home on December 29, 2001. He was 76. Patten was born in Tacoma, Washington, on October 11, 1925. After serving as a Air Corps navigator during World War II, Patten moved to California to become an actor. He began his film career in the late 1940s, appearing in such features as The Street with No Name (1948), When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948), Apartment for Peggy (1948), Mother Is a Freshman (1949), Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), Sand (1949), Twelve O’Clock High (1949), It Happens
Every Spring (1949), Father Was a Fullback (1949), American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950), Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), The Frogmen (1951), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954), Return from the Sea (1954), Unchained (1955), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961), A Guide for the Married Man (1967), Airport (1970), Zig Zag (1970), Westworld (1973), Black Sunday (1977), FM (1978) and Personal Best (1982). He was also seen in the tele-films Paper Man (1971), Fireball Forward (1972), Manhunter (1974), The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One (1974), Flight to Holocaust (1977) and To Heal a Nation (1988). A prolific television actor, Patten was also seen in episodes of such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, The Tall Man, Checkmate, The Virginian, Bonanza, Mister Ed, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lassie, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The F.B.I., Get Smart, T.H.E. Cat, Dragnet, I Spy, The Invaders, Wild Wild West, Adam-12, Mission: Impossible, Emergency!, Kojak, Fantastic Journey, Happy Days, Wonder Woman and Matlock. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 3,, 2002, B11.
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Patterson, Ray Animator Ray Patterson died on December 30, 2001. He was 90. Patterson was born in Hollywood in 1911. He began his career at Charles Mintz’s studio in 1929 and moved to Disney in the late 1930s. He worked as an animator on several Disney films including Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), as well as Pluto cartoons. Patterson joined Hanna-Barbera at MGM in 1941, directing over 60 Tom and Jerry cartoons. In 1954 he co-founded the independent Grant-RayLawrence Studios, working there until the late 1960s. He produced the 1967 animated series starring Marvel comic hero Spider-Man. Patterson then returned to Hanna-Barbera, where he co-directed the animated feature Charlotte’s Web (1973). He also worked on such series as The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. Patterson became vice president in charge of animation direction at Hanna-Barbera in 1976, retaining that position until his retirement in 1993. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 9, 2002, B11; Variety, Jan. 7, 2002, 70.
in the early 1950s. He wrestled throughout the South and Southwest for the next three decades, competing against such notable names as Fritz Von Erich, Andre the Giant and Lou Thesz. Perez held the Southern Tag Team title several times in the early 1960s, and won the U.S. Tag Team Title in Louisiana in 1973. He also had a small role as a wrestler in Sylvester Stallone’s 1978 film Paradise Alley. Perez retired from the ring soon after and worked as a security guard through the early 1990s.
Persky, Lester Film producer Lester Persky died of complications from heart surgery in Los Angeles on December 16, 2001. He was 76. He was born in New York City on July 6, 1925. Persky worked in films from the 1960s, serving as associate producer for the 1968 film Boom! starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and was producer of 1971’s Fortune and Men’s Eyes. He joined with Richard S. Bright to form the Persky-Bright
Ray Patterson
Perez, Alex Alex Perez, a leading professional wrestler from the 1950s, died in Dallas, Texas, on June 27, 2001. He was 71. Perez was born in Lelia Lake, Texas, on November 11, 1929. He began wrestling
Lester Persky
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Organization in 1973, which produced nearly 30 films including Shampoo (1975), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Taxi Driver (1976). He founded Lester Persky Productions in 1977 to make films and television productions. He produced the Oscar-nominated Richard Burton film Equus in 1977 and the film adaptation of the hit counterculture musical Hair in 1979. He also produced 1979’s Yanks. His 1987 television mini-series Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story received three Emmy Awards. He also produced the 1991 mini-series A Woman Named Jackie, starring Roma Downey as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2001, B10; New York Times, Dec. 25, 2001, A17; People, Jan. 14, 2002, 97; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 39.
Peyser, Arnold Television writer Arnold Peyser died of cancer in Los Angeles on July 1, 2001. He was 80. Peyser was born in New York City in 1921. He began working in television in the early 1950s, producing comedian Fred Allen’s comedy series. He also worked on The Dinah Shore Show and The Garry Moore Show. Peyser, who usually collaborated with his wife, Lois, scripted episodes of such series as The Dick Van Dyke Show, My Three Sons, My Favorite Martian, Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch, Love, American Style, Mission: Impossible, and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. The Peysers also scripted the 1969 Elvis Presley film The Trouble with Girls, and the telefilms Suddenly Single (1971) and The Violation of Sarah McDavid (1981). Lois Peyser died in 1994. Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2001, B15; Variety, July 16, 2001, 50.
Phillips, Flip Jazz saxophonist Flip Phillips died in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hospital on August 17, 2001. He was 86. He was born Joseph Filippelli in Brooklyn, New York, in 1915. He began performing professionally in his teens at Brooklyn nightspots. Phillips played with Benny Goodman, Red Norvo and Frankie Newton before joining Woody Herman’s First Herd in 1944.
Flip Phillips
During the 1940s and 1950s Phillips performed often at the Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. He led a jazz group with Bil Harris and briefly rejoined with Benny Goodman before largely retiring to Florida in the late 1950s. He subsequently made occasional appearances at jazz festivals and, in 2000, joined saxophonists James Carter and Joe Lovano in recording Swing Is the Thing. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 2001, B14; New York Times, Aug. 18, 2001, A13;
Phillips, John John Phillips, a founder of the 1960s pop singing group the Mamas and the Papas, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital on March 19, 2001. He was 65. Phillips was born in Parris Island, South Carolina on August 30, 1935. He began singing professionally in the 1950s, joining the folk trio, the Journeymen, in New York City. He soon met Michelle Gilliam, a young model whom he married. Soon after they joined
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Phillips, Julia
John Phillips
with Dennis Doherty and Cass Elliot and the four moved to Los Angeles to form a band. Their first hit, “California Dreaming,” was recorded in the mid–1960s. It was followed by such hits as “I Saw Her Again,” “Monday, Monday” and “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair),” all written by Phillips. The band, and the Phillips marriage, broke up in the late 1960s, but reunited briefly in 1971 to record the album People Like Us. Cass Elliott, who was known as Mama Cass, died in 1974. Phillips worked on several film soundtracks from the 1970s including The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Greenkeeping (1992), That Eye, the Sky (1994), What I Have Written (1995), Come as You Are (1996), River Street (1997) and The Myth of Fingerprints (1997). Phillips authored his autobiography, Papa John, in 1986. Phillips’ survivors include his daughters, actress Mackenzie and singer Chynna. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 19, 2001, B4; New York Times, Mar. 19, 2001, B6; People, Apr. 2, 2001, 62; Time, Apr. 2, 2001, 17; Times (of London), Mar. 20, 2001, 21a; Variety, Mar. 26, 2001, 151.
Julia Phillips, who was the first female producer to win an Academy Award for best picture for 1973’s The Sting, died of cancer at her home in Hollywood on December 31, 2001. She was 57. Phillips was born in New York City on April 7, 1944. She began her career in films as a story editor for Paramount Pictures in 1969. She and her former husband, investment banker Michael Phillips, produced a handful of classic films in the 1970s including Steelyard Blues (1973), Taxi Driver (1976) which also received an Oscar nomination, The Big Bus (1976) and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). A serious battle with cocaine addiction followed and she did not produce another film until 1988’s The Beat. Phillips again achieved notoriety in 1991 with the publication of her tell-all memoir You’ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again. A second book followed, Driving Under the Affluence, in 1995. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 3, 2002, A1; New York Times, Jan. 3, 2001, A19; People, Jan. 21, 2002, 139; Time, Jan. 14, 2002, 17; Variety, Jan. 7, 2002, 70.
Julia Phillips
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Pine, Lester Screenwriter Lester Pine died of prostate cancer in Los Angeles on August 11, 2001. He was 84. Pine was born in Chicago in 1917. He began writing for television in the 1950s, working on such series as The Dick Powell Show, Target the Corruptors, Mr. Lucky, Dobie Gillis, Ben Casey and I Spy. Often working with his late wife, Tina, Pine wrote the films Wild Seed (1965), A Man Called Adam (1966), Popi (1969) and Claudine (1974). The couple also worked on the short-lived 1972 television series Anna and the King. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 17, 2001, B14; Variety, Aug. 27, 2001, 108.
Porter, Nyree Dawn Nyree Dawn Porter, the lovely New Zealand actress best known for her role in the BBC adaptation of The Forsyte Saga in the late 1960s, died suddenly at her London home on April 10, 2001. She was 65. She was born in Napier, New Zealand, on January 22, 1936. Porter came to England in 1958 and was soon appearing in such films as Sentenced for Life (1960), Identity Unknown (1960), Part-Time Wife (1961), The Man at the Carlton Towers (1961), Live Now — Pay Later (1962), Two Left Feet (1963) and The Cracksman (1963). She appeared in television productions of Madame Bovary (1964) and The Liars (1966), before starring as Irene Forsyte in The Forsyte Saga in 1967. She subsequently starred as Contessa Caroline di Contini in the British television series The Protectors. Porter was also seen in the films The House That Dripped Blood (1970), From Beyond the Grave (1973) and Hilary and Jackie (1998) as Dame Margot Fonteyn. She was featured in the tele-film Death in Small Doses and the 1979 television mini-series adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. Other television appearances include guest roles in Danger Man, The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes and The Saint. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 12, 2001, B8; New York Times, Apr. 14, 2001, C6; Times (of London), Apr. 12, 2001, 27a; Variety, Apr. 23, 2001, 46.
Nyree Dawn Porter
Pratyagatma, Kotayya Leading Indian film director Kotayya Pratyagatma died in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, on June 8, 2001. He was 75. He was born in Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh, India, on October 31, 1925. He worked as a magazine journalist from the early 1950s before entering films as a writer. He made his directoral debut in the early 1960s, helming such films as Bharya Bharthalu (1961), Punarjanma (1963), Chhota Bhai (1966), Aadarsa Kutumbam (1969), Ammakosam (1970), Stree (1973), Deeksha (1974), Attavarillu (1976), Kannavari Illu (1978) and Nayakudu Vinayakudu (1980). He also directed some Hindi films under the name K.P. Atma.
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236 was 85. Prebble was born in Middlesex, England, on June 23, 1915. He co-scripted the 1961 adaptation of Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island. He also wrote the adventure films White Feather (1955) and Zulu (1964). Prebble wrote often for British television, scripting segments of the mini-series The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1971), Elizabeth R (1971) and The Borgias (1981), and the tele-films The Artisan (1975) and The Three Hostages (1977). Prebble was also the author of such popular histories as Culloden (1963), The Highland Clearances (1965) and The Kings Jaunt (1988).
Premice, Josephine
K. Pratyagatma
Prebble, John British screenwriter and historian John Prebble died in England on January 30, 2001. He
John Prebble
Actress Josephine Premice died of emphysema at her Manhattan home on April 13, 2001. She was 74. Premice was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 21, 1926. She began her career on stage in 1945, appearing in a theatrical production of Blue Holiday. A popular Broadway performer, she appeared in productions of Mister Johnson (1956) and was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the 1957 musical Jamaica. She earned a second Tony nomination for her role in A Hand Is on the Gate in 1966. She appeared often in Joseph Papp productions, including an all-black version of Electra in 1969. She often appeared on television’s The Merv Griffin Show and was Louise Jefferson’s sister, Maxine, in an epi-
Josephine Premice (left, with Lena Horne).
237 sode of The Jeffersons. She also appeared in episodes of The Cosby Show and A Different World, and was featured in the 1974 tele-film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. New York Times, Apr. 17, 2001, B9.
2001 • Obituaries
Escape from the Bronx (1984), Ladyhawke (1985), The Assisi Underground (1985), Detective School Dropouts (1985) and Fashion Crimes (1989). Prete was also featured in an episode of the science fiction series Space: 1999 in 1975, and appeared in the 1989 television mini-series War and Remembrance.
Prete, Giancarlo Italian actor and stuntman Giancarlo Prete, who was often billed as Timothy Brent, died in a Rome hospital after a long illness on March 9, 2001. He was 58. Prete was featured in numerous films from the mid–1960s including Mister X (1966), Bandits of Rome (1968), El “Che” Guevara (1968), Lady Caliph (1970), The Last Gunfight (1971), Winged Devils (1971), Confessions of a Police Captain (1971), The Great Ski Caper (1972), Black Belly of the Tarantula (1972), Three Musketeers of the West (1972), Sting of the West (1972), Massacre in Rome (1973), The Big Family (1973), The Citizen Rebels (1974), The Loves and Times of Scaramouche (1975), Messalina! Messalina! (1971), The Great White (1980), Midnight Blue (1980), Warriors of the Wasteland (1982), Tornado (1983),
Price, Eugene Television writer Eugene Price died at his Putney, Vermont, home on March 28, 2001. He was 68. Price was born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, on September 26, 1932. He began writing for television in the 1960s, scripting episodes of Marcus Welby, M.D., The Streets of San Francisco, Lucas Tanner, Kung Fu, Concrete Cowboys and Movin’ On. Price also scripted such daytime soap operas as One Life to Live, General Hospital, Loving, Capitol and Ryan’s Hope, the latter which earned him an Emmy Award in 1981. Price also scripted the films The Games People Play (1967), Guess What We Learned in School Today? (1970), Corky (1972) and The Stoolie (1974), and the telefilms Panic on the 5:22 (1973), The Oregon Trail (1976), Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976) and Money on the Side (1982). Variety, Apr. 16, 2001, 50.
Pultz, Alan Emmy Award–winning television soap opera director Alan Pultz died after a long illness at his home in the San Fernando Valley, California, on October 25, 2001. He was 64. Pultz was born in New York City on July 11, 1937. He began working in television in the early 1960s, directing episodes of The Jimmy Dean Show, A Time for Us, One Life to Live and Dark Shadows. Pultz was a director of the soap opera General Hospital for 22 years, earning three Emmy Awards during his time there. He also directed episodes of the series The Best of Everything and Return to Peyton Place, and helmed segments of ABC’s Wide World of Sports and Olympic Games coverage. Variety, Nov. 12, 2001, 44.
Giancarlo Prete
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Quinn, Anthony Oscar-winning actor Anthony Quinn died of respiratory failure at a Boston hospital on June 3, 2001. He was 86. Quinn was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, on April 21, 1915, to an Irish father and Mexican mother. His father died while fighting in Pancho Villa’s revolutionary army. Quinn was raised in poverty in East Los Angeles, where he worked as a shoe shine and, later, a movie extra in such films as Parole (1936), The Milky Way (1936), Sworn Enemy (1936) and Night Waitress (1936). He soon signed a contract with Paramount, where he appeared as an Indian warrior in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Plainsman (1936). The following year Quinn married DeMille’s adopted daughter, Katherine. He continued to appear in such films as Parole (1936), Swing High, Swing Low (1937), Waikiki Wedding (1937), The Last Train from Madrid (1937), Partners in Crime (1937), Daughter of Shanghai (1937), The Buccaneer (1938), The TipOff Girls (1938), Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938), King of Alcatraz (1938), Hunted Men (1938), Dangerous to Know (1938), Union Pacific (1938), Television Spy (1939), King of Chinatown (1939), Island of Lost Men (1939), Road to Singapore (1940), Parole Fixer (1940), City for Conquest (1940), The Texas Rangers Ride Again (1950), Emergency Squad (1940), The Ghost Breakers (1940), Knockout (1941), Blood and Sand (1941), They Died with Their Boots On (1941) as Chief Crazy Horse, Thieves Fall Out (1941), The Perfect Snob (1941), Bullets for O’Hara (1941), Larceny, Inc. (1942), The Black Swan (1942), Road to Morocco (1942), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Guadalcanal Diary (1943), Buffalo Bill (1944), Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944), Ladies of Washington (1944), Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944), China Sky (1945), Back to Bataan (1945), Where Do We Go from Here? (1945), California (1946), Tycoon (1947), Sinbad the Sailor (1947), Imperfect Lady (1947), Black Gold (1947), The Brave Bulls (1951) and Mask of the Avenger (1951). Quinn earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Mexican revolutionary Viva Zapata! with Marlon Brando in 1952. The Oscar gained him better roles in such films as The World in His Arms (1952), The Brigand (1952), Against All Flags (1952), City Beneath the Sea (1953), Seminole (1953), East of Sumatra (1953), Ride, Vaquero! (1953), Angels of Darkness (1956), Fatal Desire
(1953), Blowing Wild (1953), The Long Wait (1954), Ulysses (1954) with Kirk Douglas, Federico Fellini’s La Strada (1954), Attila (1954), The Naked Street (1955), Seven Cities of Gold (1955), The Magnificent Matador (1955), The Wild Party (1956) and Man from Del Rio (1956). Quinn received a second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as artist Paul Gauguin in 1956’s Lust for Life. He also starred as Quasimodo in the 1956 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with Gina Lollobrigida. He continued to star in such films as The Ride Back (1957), Wild Is the Wind (1957) earning another Oscar nomination, The River’s Edge (1957), Hot Spell (1958), The Black Orchid (1958), Warlock (1959), The Savage Innocents (1959), One Angry Day (1959), Portrait in Black (1960), Heller in Pink Tights (1960), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) as Peter O’Toole’s Arab warlord ally, Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) as a boxer past his prime, Barabbas (1962), Behold a Pale Horse (1964) and The Visit (1964). Quinn was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his starring role in 1964’s Zorba the Greek. He also starred in A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), Marco the Magnificent (1965) as Kublai Khan, Lost Command (1966), The 25th Hour (1967), The Happening (1967), The Rover (1967), Guns for San Sebastian (1968), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) as the first Russian Pope, The Magus (1968), The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969), A Dream of Kings (1969), Walk in the Spring Rain (1970), Flap (1970), R.P.M. (1970), Deaf Smith and Johnny Ears (1972), Across 110th Street (1972), The Don Is Dead (1973), The Destructors (1974), The Inheritance (1976), The Con Artists (1976), Target of an Assassin
Anthony Quinn (left, with James Coburn from A High Wind in Jamaica).
239 (1976), Mohammed, Messenger of God (1976), The Greek Tycoon (1978), The Children of Sanchez (1978), Caravans (1978), The Passage (1979), Lion of the Desert (1980) as Libyan nationalist Omar Mukhtar, The Salamander (1981), High Risk (1981), Crosscurrent (1981), Valentina (1982), Regina (1982), A Man of Passion (1988), Stradivari (1989), Revenge (1990), Mobsters (1991), Only the Lonely (1991), A Star for Two (1991), Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever (1991), Ghosts Can’t Do It (1991) with Bo Derek, Last Action Hero (1993), Somebody to Love (1994), A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Seven Servants (1996), The Mayor (1996), Oriundi (1999) and Avenging Angelo (2001). Quinn also appeared on television, starring as Mayor Thomas Jefferson Alcala in the drama series The Man and the City from 1971 to 1972. He narrated the syndicated documentary series Ten Who Dared in 1977. Quinn was also seen in the tele-films and mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Treasure Island in Outer Space (1987), Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988) as Aristotle Onassis, The Old Man and the Sea (1990), This Can’t Be Love (1994), Gotti (1996) and Carmino de Santiago (1999). Quinn starred as Zeus in several tele-films that spawned the popular syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys with Kevin Sorbo in 1994. His other television credits include episodes of The Philco Television Playhouse, Lights Out, Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, The Cosby Show and Cosby. Quinn was divorced from Katherine DeMille in 1963. He was married twice more and fathered at least 13 children, including actors Francesco, Valentina and Lorenzo Quinn. Los Angeles Times, June 4, 2001, A1; New York Times, June 4, 2001, B6; People, June 18, 2001, 92; Time, June 18, 2001, 25; Times (of London), June 5, 2001, 17a; Variety, June 11, 2001, 60.
Rabal, Francisco “Paco” Spanish stage and film star Francisco “Paco” Rabal died of complications from emphysema in Burdeos, France, on August 29, 2001, while returning home from the Montreal Film Festival. He was 76. Rabal was born in Aguilas, Murcia, Spain, on March 8, 1925. A popular film star in Spain from the late 1940s, Rabal was featured in such films as Don Quixote (1948), Maria Morena (1951), Duda (1951), The Song of Sister Maria
2001 • Obituaries
Paco Rabal
(1952), I Was a Parish Priest (1953), All Is Possible in Granada (1954), Radio Stories (1955), Revelation (1955), Vengeance (1957), Marisa (1957), The Wide Blue Road (1957), The Mighty Crusaders (1957), Nazarin (1958), Sonatas (1959), At Five in the Afternoon (1961), The Hand in the Trap (1961), The Eclipse (1962), The Female Seventy Times Seven (1962), Summer Night (1962), Mathias Sandorf (1962), Fra Diavolo (1962), Autopsy of a Criminal (1963), Weeping for a Bandit (1964), Currito of the Cross (1965), Maria Chantal Against Doctor Kha (1965), Legacy of the Incas (1966), The Witches (1966), The Nun (1966), Long Days of Vengeance (1966), Young Rebel (1966), Obscure August Dreams (1967), Simon Bolivar (1968), El “Che” Guevara (1968), Ann and Eve (1970), Cutting Heads (1970), After the Deluge (1970), Laia (1970), Battle Squadron (1970), Goya (1971), N.P. (1971), Exorcism’s Daughter (1971), Devil’s Crude (1971), The Big and the Bad (1972), La Guerrilla (1972), Blind Vendetta (1975), The Devil Is a Woman (1975), The Dead Man (1975), The Desert of the Tartars (1976), Sorcerer (1977), Father of the
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Godfathers (1977), I Belong to Me (1978), Stay as You Are (1978), The Rebel (1979), Speed Driver (1980), City of the Walking Dead (1980), Hostages! (1980), Reborn (1981), The Beehive (1982), The Treasure of the Four Crowns (1982), Truhanes (1983), The Holy Innocents (1984), The Stilts (1984), Hot Spot (1985), Our Father (1985), Bohemian Nights (1985), The Witching Hour (1985), Time of Silence (1986), Camorra: The Naples Connection (1986), Divine Words (1987), Gallego (1987), A Time of Destiny (1988), Scent of a Crime (1988), The White Dove (1989), Pedro Almodovar’s Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), Barrocco (1990), The Other (1990), The Man Who Lost His Shadow (1991), Oedipus Mayor (1996), Day and Night (1997), Airbag (1997), Little Miracles (1997), Water Easy Reach (1998), Divine (1998), Talk of Angels (1998), Goya (1999), Just Run! (1999), Moonfish (1999), Divertimento (2000) and Dagon (2001). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 31, 2001, B13; New York Times, Sept. 10, 2001, A27; Variety, Sept. 3, 2001, 55.
Radin, Paul Film producer Paul B. Radin died of congestive heart failure in Santa Barbara, California, on October 18, 2001. He was 88. Radin was born in New York City on September 15, 1913. He began working in films designing ads for Columbia Pictures in the 1930s. He subsequently worked as an advertising director for United Artists, where he helped launch the film career of Hedy Lamarr with his campaign for 1938’s Algiers. He continued to devise campaigns for such features as It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Charlie Chaplin’s Monsieur Verdoux (1947). Radin was also a talent agent whose clients included Yul Brynner. Radin produced the popular 1966 film Born Free about Joy Adamson’s relationship with Elsa the lioness. He also produced the 1972 sequel, Living Free, and the short lived television series Born Free in 1974. His other film credits include the 1973 science fiction thriller Phase IV and the Soviet-United States co-production The Blue Bird in 1976. Radin produced the tele-films The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan (1978), The Incredible Journey of Dr. Meg Laurel (1979), The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd (1980), Jane Doe (1983), The Haunting Passion (1983) and Crime of Innocence
Paul Radin
(1985). His final film credit was the 1996 African thriller The Ghost and the Darkness. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 27, 2001, B15; Variety, Nov. 5, 2001, 41.
Raf kin, Alan Television director Alan Rafkin died of heart disease as a Los Angeles hospital on August 6, 2001. He was 73. Rafkin was born in New York on July 23, 1928. He began his career as a nightclub comic before he began directing for television. He helmed episodes of nearly 80 television series during his career including The Donna Reed Show, 77 Sunset Strip, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty Duke Show, My Favorite Martian, Bewitched, The Farmer’s Daughter, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Laredo, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Theat Girl, Run Buddy Run, The Good Guys, Room 222, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Governor & J.J., Love, American Style, Nanny and the Professor, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Arnie, Me and the Chimp, Sanford and Son, Temperatures Rising, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Bob Newhart Show, M*A*S*H, Lotsa Luck, The Girl with Something Extra, Here We Go Again, That’s My Mama, Friends and Lovers, Let’s Switch!, One Day at a Time, Laverne and Shirley, What’s Happening!!, Alice, Blansky’s
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Joey Ramone (second from left, with Dee Dee, Johnny and Marky.
Alan Raf kin
Beauties, A Year at the Top, The Love Boat, Hanging In, We Got It Made, Charles in Charge, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Murphy Brown, Coach, Chicken Soup, The Boys, A Family for Joe, Hope & Gloria, The Jeff Foxworth Show, Suddenly Susan, Chicago Sons, Veronica’s Closet and Jesse. Rafkin also directed a handful of films in the 1960s including. Ski Party (1965), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1965), Ride to Hangman’s Tree (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), Nobody’s Perfect (1968), Angel in My Pocket (1969) and How to Frame a Figg (1971). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 2001, B13; New York Times, Aug. 12, 2001, 40; Variety, Aug. 13, 2001, 59.
May 19, 1951. With fellow musicians Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy, all of whom took the last name Ramone, the band was formed in the mid–1970s. They recorded their first album, The Ramones, in April of 1976. Pioneers in the punk rock domain, the Ramones influenced such groups as the Sex Pistols, the Clash and U2. Joey and the band were featured as themselves in the 1979 musical comedy film Rock ’n’ Roll High School. They recorded such hit songs as “Teenage Lobotomy” and “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Joey also appeared in the films and documentaries Roadkill (1989), 1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992), Hard Core Logo (1996) and Final Rinse (1999). He was also seen in an episode of television’s The Drew Carey Show and voiced himself in an episode of the animated series The Simpsons. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 16, 2001, B4; New York Times, Apr. 16, 2001, B6; People, Apr. 30, 2001, 66; Time, Apr. 30, 2001, 30; Times (of London), Apr. 17, 2001, 19a; TV Guide, May 10, 2001, 10; Variety, Apr. 23, 2001, 46.
Rask, Donald Ramone, Joey Joey Ramone, the lead singer of the early punk rock band The Ramones, died of lymphatic cancer at a New York City hospital on April 15, 2001. He was 49. Ramone was born Jeffrey Hyman in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, on
Children’s television producer Donald Rask died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on January 9, 2001. He was 38. Rask was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1962. He was creator the popular Jay Jay the Jet Plane children’s show. Rask’s Craftsman Productions created the HannaBarbera celebrity interview program, Top Cat
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Interviews, in 1995. He also worked on ABC’s One Saturday Morning.
Donald Rask Simon Raven
Donald Rask’s creation, Jay Jay, the Jet Plane.
novel, The Feathers of Death, was published in 1959. Raven worked in films from the late 1960s, writing additional dialogue for the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He scripted the psychological thriller Unman, Wittering and Zigo in 1971, and wrote the 1972 horror film Incense for the Damned (aka Bloodsuckers). He also scripted the British television series The Pallisers, and the mini-series Point Counterpoint (1972), Love in a Cold Climate (1980) and Edward and Mrs. Simpson (1980). Raven scripted the British tele-film The Blackheath Poisonings in 1992. Los Angeles Times, May 16, 2001, B11; New York Times, May 17, 2001, A23; Times (of London), May 15, 2001, 19a.
Raven, Simon
Reagan, Maureen
British novelist Simon Raven died in London on May 12, 2001. He was 73. Raven was born in London on December 28, 1927. Raven began writing professionally in the late 1950s. His first
Maureen Reagan, the daughter of actor and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Oscarwinning actress Jane Wyman, died of cancer in Los Angeles on August 8, 2001. She was 60. She
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in films in the mid–1980s. His film credits include Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), After Hours (1985), Down by Law (1986), Salvation! (1987), Police State (1987), Candy Mountain (1987), Big (1988), Talk Radio (1988), Stars and Bars (1988), Shakedown (1988), Cookie (1989), Mystery Train (1989), Rooftops (1989), In the Spirit (1990), In the Soup (1992), Trees Lounge (1996), Basquiat (1996) and Animal Factory (2000). He was also seen on television in an episode of Monsters in 1988. New York Times, June 6, 2001, A29.
Maureen Reagan
was born in Los Angeles on January 4, 1941. Ms. Reagan appeared in several films as a child in the late 1940s and was featured in a small role in Elvis Presley’s 1964 film Kissin’ Cousins. She also was seen in the tele-films Death Takes a Holiday (1971), The Specialists (1975) and Sex and the Married Woman (1977), and episodes of The Partridge Family, Marcus Welby, M.D., and The Love Boat. Ms. Reagan was also a political activist who made several unsuccessful bids for public office in California. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 9, 2001, A1; New York Times, Aug. 9, 2001, B8; Time, Aug. 20, 2001, 13.
Rockets Redglare
Reed, Donald A. Donald A. Reed died of cardiac arrest and complications from diabetes in Los Angeles on March 19, 2001. He was 65. Reed was born in New Orleans on November 22, 1935. He moved to Los Angeles and, founded the Count Dracula Society in 1962. He formed the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in 1972, which presented the annual Saturn Awards in sev-
Redglare, Rockets Comedian and actor Rockets Redglare died in New York City of complications from kidney failure, liver failure, cirrhosis and hepatitis C on May 28, 2001. He was 52. He was born Michael Morris in 1948. A comedian, he began appearing
Donald A. Reed
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eral categories. The awards were televised for several years. Los Angeles Times, Mar 22, 2001, B9.
Reed, Walter Film and serial star Walter Reed died of kidney failure in Santa Cruz, California, on August 20, 2001. He was 85. Reed was born Walter Reed Smith in Seattle, Washington, in 1916. He began his career on the New York stage while in his late teens. He appeared in numerous plays and on Broadway, and began working in films in the early 1940s with the assistance of actor Joel McCrea. Reed appeared in numerous films, serials and television episodes during his career. His many film credits include Mexican Spitfire’s Elephant (1942), Army Surgeon (1942), Seven Days’ Leave (1942), My Favorite Spy (1942), The Mayor of 44th Street (1942), Bombardier (1943), Mexican Spitfire’s Blessed Event (1943), Petticoat Larceny (1943), Bamboo Blonde (1946), Child of Divorce (1946), Banjo (1947), Night Song (1948), Angel on the Amazon (1948), Western Heritage (1948), Return of the Bad Men (1948), Mystery in Mexico (1948), Fighter Squadron (1948), The Torch (1949), Captain China (1949), Young Man with a Horn (1950), the 1950 serial Flying Disc Man from Mars,
Walter Reed
Tripoli (1950), The Lawless (1950), The Eagle and the Hawk (1950), Wells Fargo Gunmaster (1951), the 1951 serial Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion, Go for Broke! (1951), Superman and the Mole Men (1951), The Sun Sets at Dawn (1951), Submarine Command (1951), Target (1952), Desert Passage (1952), Thunderbirds (1952), Horizons West (1952), The Clown (1952), Caribbean (1952), The Blazing Forest (1952), The Actress (1953), Seminole (1953), Those Redheads from Seattle (1953), War Paint (1953), Latin Lovers (1953), Forever Female (1953), The High and the Mighty (1954), Dangerous Mission (1954), Return from the Sea (1954), The Yellow Tomahawk (1954), The Last Command (1955), Bobby Ware Is Missing (1955), Hell’s Island (1955), The Far Horizons (1955), Seven Men from Now (1956), Rock, Pretty Baby (1956), Emergency Hospital (1956), Dance with Me Henry (1956), Last of the Badmen (1957), The Lawless Eighties (1957), The Helen Morgan Story (1957), The Deep Six (1957), Slim Carter (1957), the 1958 horror film How to Make a Monster, Summer Love (1958), Westbound (1958), Arson for Hire (1959), The Horse Soldiers (1959), Sergeant Rutledge (1960), Macumba Love (1960), 13 Fighting Men (1960), How the West Was Won (1962), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), Where Love Has Gone (1964), The Money Trap (1965), Moment to Moment (1965), Fort Courageous (1965), Convict Stage (1965), The Oscar (1966), The Sand Pebbles (1966), Panic in the City (1968) and The Destructors (1968). Reed was also featured in the telefilms Deadlock (1969) and The Monk (1969). His numerous television credits also include episodes of The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Dragnet, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Jr., Fury, The Adventures of Champion, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Colt .45, Have Gun Will Travel, Maverick, Zane Grey Theater, Lawman, The Restless Gun, Perry Mason, Superman, Buckskin, World of the Giants, Men into Space, Sky King, Wagon Train, Hotel de Paree, 77 Sunset Strip, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Cheyenne, Twilight Zone, Bonanza, One Step Beyond, Hawaiian Eye, Petticoat Junction, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Batman, Lassie, The Virginian, My Three Sons, The Invaders and Family Affair. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 24, 2001, B15; New York Times, Aug. 31, 2001, B9; Variety, Oct. 8, 2001, 73.
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Regnier, Charles German actor Charles Regnier died in Bad Wiessee, Germany, on September 13, 2001. He was 87. Regnier was born in Freiburg, Switzerland, on July 22, 1914. He was featured in numerous European films from the 1940s. His numerous film credits include The Last Illusion (1949), Die Tat des Anderen (1951), My Name Is Niki (1952), Der Kaplan von San Lorenzo (1952), Cabaret (1954), Konsul Strotthoff (1954), Das Phantom des Grossen Zeltes (1954), Rittmeister Wronski (1954), Canaris: Master Spy (1954), Oasis (1955), Two Blue Eyes (1955), Bandits of the Highway (1955), Alibi (1955), Magic Fire (1956), Anastasia: The Czar’s Last Daughter (1956), Kitty and the Great Big World (1956), My Husband’s Getting Married Today (1956), Queen Luise (1957), Will o’ the Wisp (1958), Solange das Herz Schlagt (1958), The Journey (1959), The Rest Is Silence (1959), Court Martial (1959), The Mystery of Three Continents (1959), The Secret Ways (1961), The Tragedy of Silence (1961), The Nina B. Affair (1961), Lulu (1962) as Jack the Ripper, The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), The Black Abbott (1962), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1962), Freud (1962), The Invisible Terror (1963), Adorable Julia (1963), The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963), Banana Peel (1963), Monsieur Gangster (1963), The Flight of
Charles Regnier
2001 • Obituaries
the White Stallions (1963), And So to Bed (1963), An Alibi for Death (1963), Angelica (1964), A Study in Terror (1965), Shots in ∫ Time (1965), Code Name: Jaguar (1965), The Doctor Says (1966), To Skin a Spy (1966), Strangler of the Tower (1966), Run Like a Thief (1967), The Duck Rings at Half Past Seven (1968), Slap in the Face (1970), Steppenwolf (1974), The Serpent’s Egg (1977), Fabian (1980), Shalom Pharao (1982), The Wild Fifties (1983), Non Stop Trouble with Spies (1983), A Man Called Eva (1984), Rosa Luxemburg (1986), Welcome to Germany (1988), Jenseits von Blau (1989), Cascadeus: The Amber Chamber (1998) and No Place to Go (2000). Regnier was also a popular performer on German television, appearing in tele-films and episodes of such series as Der Kommissar and Der Alte.
Reit, Seymour Author and illustrator Seymour Reit, who was instrumental in the creation of Casper the Friendly Ghost, died in New York City on November 21, 2001. He was 83. Reit was born in New York City on November 11, 1918. Reit claimed to have developed Casper as a short story in 1940, and artist Joe Oriolo drew the character. He served in World War II with a camouflage unit and the Army Air Forces. After the war he worked on such comics as Archie and Little Lulu. Casper became the hero of numerous animated shorts, a cartoon television series, and a feature film in 1995. Reit also contributed nu-
Seymour Reit
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merous humorous pieces to Mad magazine. He was also the author of over 80 books for young readers including Behind Rebel Lines, Guns for General Washington, Dog’s Tale, and Rebus Bears. His story The Fourth King was adapted into a telefilm in 1977 and The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa became a film in 1998. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 18, 2001, B11; New York Times, Dec. 17, 2001, A21; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 39.
Richard, Jean French actor Jean Richard died of cancer in Paris on December 12, 2001. He was 80. Richard was born in Bessines, Deux-Sevres, France, on April 18, 1921. He was best known for his role as Georges Simenon’s detective, Inspector Maigret, in the long-running television series The Investigations of Inspector Maigret from 1967 to 1990. He appeared in numerous films from the 1940s including Six Heures a Perdre (1946), Le Roi Pandore (1949), Bernard and the Lion (1950), The Seven Deadly Sins (1952), Innocents in Paris (1952), Wonderful Mentality (1953), His Father’s
Portrait (1953), Royal Affairs in Versailles (1957), Service Entrance (1954), L’Allegro Squadrone (1954), Cheri-Bibi (1955), La Madelon (1955), Elena and Her Men (1956), The Gangsters (1956), Photo Finish (1956), It Happened on the 36 Candles (1957), Life as a Couple (1958), The Gendarme of Champignol (1959), The Bureaucrats (1959), Les Tortillards (1960), My Wife Is a Panther (1960), The Fenouillard Family (1960), Operation Caviar (1961), War of the Buttons (1961), Candide (1961), The American Beauty (1961), Chicken Feed for Little Birds (1962), The Sweet and the Bitter (1963), The Counterfeit Constable (1964), Death Travels Too Much (1964), La Bonne Occase (1964), L’Or du Duc (1965), The Boss of Champignol (1965), How to Keep the Red Light Burning (1965), Next Time I’ll Kill You (1966), The Double Bed (1966), The Oldest Profession (1968), Bang Bang (1967), Beru and These Womens (1968), Le Viager (1972) and Signe Furax (1980). Richard was also the founder of the Jean Richard Circus in 1957.
Richler, Mordecai Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler died of complications from cancer in a Montreal, Canada, hospital on July 3, 2001. He was 70. Richler was born in Montreal on January 27, 1931. He was best known for his novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, which he adapted into a film starring Richard Dreyfuss in 1974. Richler earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on the film. He also worked on the scripts for several other films including Room at the Top (1959), No Love for Johnnie (1961), Tiara Tahiti (1962), Young and Willing (1962), Life at the Top (1965), The Street (1976), Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang (1977) and Joshua Then and Now (1985). Los Angeles Times, July 4, 2001, B12; People, July 23, 2001, 83; Time, July 16, 2001, 17; Times (of London), July 4, 2001, 15a; Variety, July 23, 2001, 47.
Richter, Mischa Jean Richard
Painter and illustrator Mischa Richter died in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on March 23, 2001. He was 90. Richter was born in Kharkov,
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Mordecai Richler
Ukraine, in 1910, and came to the United States as a child. He began working as an artist in the 1930s with the Works Progress Administration. He soon began drawing newspaper editorial cartoons and a panel comic for King Features. Richter was best known for his work for The New Yorker magazine, which began in 1942. Over 1,500 of his paintings were published in the magazine over the next 50 years. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2001, B8; New York Times, Mar. 27, 2001, A21.
Rif kin, Maurice Television producer Maurice J. “Bud” Rifkin died of cancer in Beverly Hills, California, on September 3, 2001. He was 88. Rifkin began his career working in radio in the late 1930s, syndicating such series as The Guy Lombardo Show and Boston Blackie. He starting working in television in New York in the late 1940s. Rifkin produced the syndicated programs Sports Album and Yesterday’s Newsreel. During the 1950s he also worked
Mischa Richter
on such syndicated series for ZIV television as The Cisco Kid, Sea Hunt and Mr. District Attorney. In 1966 he joined Wolper Productions, producing National Geographic specials and The Undersea World of Jacques-Ives Cousteau for television. He produced Rod Serling’s Certain Honorable Men in 1968, and his 1970 production of Serling’s A Storm in Summer for NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame earned Rifkin an Emmy Award. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 25, 2001, B10; New York Times, Sept. 28, 2001, D6; Variety, Oct. 1, 2001, 124.
Riley, Nord Television writer and columnist Thomas Nord Riley died of cancer in San Anselmo, California, on December 22, 2001. He was 87. He was born in Wyndmere, North Dakota, in 1914. Writing as Nord Riley, his work appeared in such
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magazines as Collier’s, The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan and Esquire. He also worked in television in the 1950s, scripting episodes of such series as General Electric Theater and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. A collection of his columns, Nord Riley’s Spain, was published in 1989. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 26, 2001, B11.
Rimmer, Robert Writer Robert H. Rimmer died at his Quincy, Massachusetts, home on August 1, 2001. He was 84. Rimmer was born in Boston on March 14, 1917. He was best known as the author of the bestseller The Harrad Experiment, about a co-ed college dormitory. The novel was filmed with Tippi Hedren, James Whitmore and Don Johnson in 1973. Rimmer’s other novels include Me and Samuel’s Wife, Dreamer of Dreams, Proposition 31 and Byrdwhistle Option. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 11, 2001, B17; New York Times, Aug. 11, 2001, A13; Variety, Aug. 20, 2001, 40.
Robert Rimmer
Ritchie, Michael Film director Michael Ritchie died of complications from prostate cancer in New York City on April 16, 2001. He was 62. Ritchie was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 28, 1938. He began his career directing stage productions at Harvard University in 1960. He soon began directing for television, helming episodes of Profiles in Courage, Dr. Kildare, Felony Squad, The Big Valley, The Survivors and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He directed the tele-films The Outsider (1967) and The Sound of Anger (1968) before making his feature debut with 1969’s Downhill Racer starring Robert Redford. Ritchie directed over 20 more films during his career including Prime Cut (1972), The Candidate (1972), Smile (1975), The Bad News Bears (1976), SemiTough (1978), An Almost Perfect Affair (1979), The Island (1980) with Michael Caine, Devine Madness! (1980), Student Bodies (1981), The Survivors (1983), Fletch (1985), Wildcats (1986), The Golden Child (1986) with Eddie Murphy, The Couch Trip (1988), Fletch Lives (1989), Diggstown (1992), Cops and Robberson (1994), The Fantasticks (1995), A
Michael Ritchie
249 Simple Wish (1997). Ritchie also directed the telefilms The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993) and Comfort, Texas (1997). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 19, 2001, B8; New York Times, Apr. 18, 2001, A21; Time, Apr. 30, 2001, 30; Times (of London), Apr. 19, 2001, 21a; Variety, Apr. 23, 2001, 46.
Robertson, Robert British actor Robert Robertson died of a heart attack in Perty, Tayside, Scotland, on January 16, 2001. He was 70. Robertson was born in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, in 1930. He was best known for his role as Dr. Stephen Andrews in the British television series Taggart from 1982 through 2000. Robertson was also seen in the 1996 film Breaking the Waves.
Robert Robertson
2001 • Obituaries
Robinson, Joan Television and stage actress Joan Robinson died of a heart attack in Palm Springs, California, on January 5, 2001. She was 72. She was born Giovanna Calistri Robinson in 1928, and began her career in New York as a dancer. She made her Broadway debut in the production of Middle of the Night with Edward G. Robinson. She appeared on early television in the soap opera Edge of Night and a production of “The Chocolate Soldier” on Hallmark Hall of Fame. Robinson also wrote the play Murder for Rent and scripted and directed the film Tuxedo Man. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 10, 2001, B6.
Robinson, Spike Jazz saxophonist Spike Robinson died at his home in Writtle, Essex, England, on October 29, 2001. He was 71. He was born Harry Berthold Robinson in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on January 16, 1930. Robinson served in the Navy in the late 1940s. He was stationed in England, where he was a popular jazz musician. He left the music field in 1951 to work as an aerospace engineer for
Spike Robinson
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nearly 30 years. Robinson resumed his musical career in 1981, recording Spike Robinson Plays Harry Warren. He returned to England in 1991, where he remained until his death. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 6, 2001, B11.
Rocha, Fausto Brazilian actor Fausto Rocha died of multiple sclerosis in a Joinville, Brazil, hospital, on January 27, 2001. He was 58. Rocha was born in Barra Vellie, Santa Catarina, Brazil, in 1943. He was a popular star in numerous television soap operas in Brazil during the 1970s and 1980s including A Gordinha, Nossa Filna Gabriela, Signo de Esperanca, Revolta dos Anjos, Supermanoela, Corrida de Ouro, Senhora, Um Dia, O Amor, Tchan! A Grande Sacada, O Jeca Contra o Capeta, Te Contei?, Cara a Cara, Pe de Vento, O Meu Pe de Laranja Lima, Os Imigrantes, Musica ao Longe, Sonbras do Passado, A Justica de Deus and Vida Roubada.
Fausto Rocha
Rodway, Norman British Shakespearean actor Norman Rodway died of a stroke in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, on March 13, 2001. He was 72. Rodway was born in Dublin, Ireland, on February 7, 1929. He began his career on the Irish stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. He appeared in numerous theatrical productions during his career. Though best known for his work on stage, Rodway was also featured in such films as This Other Eden (1959), A Question of Suspense (1961), Murder in Eden (1961), Johnny Nobody (1961), The Webster Boy (1962), The Quare Fellow (1962), Ambush in Leopard Street (1962), Orson Welles’ Chimes at Midnight (1965) as Hotspur, Four in the Morning (1966), The Penthouse (1967), I’ll Never Forget What’s ’Is Name (1967), The Final Option (1982), Coming Through (1985), Tai-Pan (1986), King of the Wind (1989), Mother Night (1996), The Empty Mirror (1997), Vicious Circle (1998) and County Kilburn (2000). He was also seen on British television in productions of The Girl Who Loved Robots (1965), The Story of David (1976), A Midsummer Nightmare (1976), Timons of Athens (1981), King Lear (1982), A Pat-
Norman Rodway
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tern of Roses (1983), Reily: The Ace of Spies (1983), Sakharov (1984), Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1984), Oedipus the King (1984), Nobody Here but Us Chickens (1989), The War That Never Ends (1991), The Mirror Crack’d (1992) and The Lakes (1997). His other television credits include episodes of The Sweeney, Inspector Morse, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Rumpole of the Bailey, Jeeves and Wooster and As Time Goes By. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 23, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 22, 2001, A25; Times (of London), Mar. 19, 2001, 21a.
Rogers, Richard P. Documumentary filmmaker Richard P. Rogers died of melanoma at his Wainscott, New York, home on July 14, 2001. He was 57. Rogers as born in New York City in 1944. He was known for his documentary and experimental films which included the early works Quarry and Elephants, which dealt with his family tree. Rogers created biographical films for PBS about novelist William Kennedy and poets Wallace Stevens and William Carlos Williams. He also made a film about Polish animator Jan Lenica, Moving Pictures, and the documentaries Cadmium Yellow and Siena, Chronicles of a Medieval Commune. His films A Midwife’s Tale was aired as part of PBS’s The American Experience series. Other works include The Cost of Living, Living at Risk and Pictures from a Revolution, about Nicaragua. Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2001, B13.
Rogers, Ted British comedian Ted Rogers died of heart trouble in England on May 2, 2001. He was 65. Rogers was born in Kennington, South London, on July 20, 1935. He began performing in his teens, winning a talent contest with his impersonation of comedian Danny Kaye. He performed pantomime on stage during the 1950s and worked on the radio with The Billy Cotton Band Show in the early 1960s. He hosted his own short lived variety show on the BBC, And So to Ted, in 1965, and also presented the ITV series Bacherlors’ Night Out that year. Rogers hosted ITV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium from 1974.
Ted Rogers
He emceed the television gameshow 3-2-1 for nearly a decade from 1978 through the late 1980s. Times (of London), May 4, 2001, 21a.
Romero, Carmencita Actress and dancer Carmencita Romero died in a Manhattan nursing home on May 6, 2001. She was 87. She was born Lily Butler in Chicago, Illinois, in 1913. She began studying dance with Katherine Dunham in the early 1930s, and performed with Dunham’s Negro Dance Group. She appeared on the New York stage in productions of Cabin in the Sky and Carmen Jones. She also appeared as a dancer in film versions of Cabin in the Sky in 1943 and Carmen Jones in 1954. Romero also taught dance and choreographed productions from the 1940s. She worked as a television choreographer in the 1960s, working on such programs as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2001, B11; New York Times, May 19, 2001, B7.
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Ross, Herbert Choreographer and director Herbert Ross died of heart failure in a Manhattan hospital on October 9, 2001. He was 74. Ross was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 13, 1927. He began his career as a dancer, appearing in small parts in such Broadway productions as Bloomer Girl and Laughing Room Only. Turning to choreography, he created a ballet, Caprichos, based on the paintings of Goya in 1950. He continued to choreograph for the stage, creating a ballet adaptation of Jean Genet’s The Maids. He also worked in television in the early 1950s. Ross married ballerina Nora Kaye in 1959 and they subsequently formed the short-lived troupe, Ballet of Two Worlds. Ross continued to work on Broadway in the 1960s, choreographing On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Anyone Can Whistle. He also directed dance sequences for the films Inside Daisy Clover (1964) with Natalie Wood and Doctor Dolittle (1967). Ross made his directoral debut replacing Gower Champion as director of the 1969 musical version of Goodbye Mr. Chips with Peter O’Toole and Petula Clark. He continued to direct such films as The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), T.R. Baskin (1971), Woody Allen’s Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Last of Sheila (1973) and Funny Lady, the 1975 sequel to Barbra Streisand’s hit musical biography about Fanny Brice, Funny Girl. He directed George Burns and Walter Matthau in the 1975 comedy hit The Sunshine Boys and helmed the 1976 Sherlock Holmes film The Seven Percent Solution. He produced and directed the 1978 ballet film The Turning Point, earning an Academy Award nomination. He followed this success with film adaptations of Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl (1977) and California Suite (1978). Ross continued to directed such films as Nijinsky (1980), Pennies from Heaven (1981), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), Max Dugan Returns (1983), Footloose (1984), Protocol (1984), The Secret of My Succe$s (1987), Dancers (1987), Steel Magnolias (1989) with Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine and Julia Roberts, My Blue Heaven (1990), True Colors (1991), Undercover Blues (1993) and Boys on the Side (1995). Ross was widowed when Nora Kaye died in 1987. The following year he married Lee Radziwell, the sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. They were divorced earlier in 2001. Ross was contemplating a television adaptation of the 1942 film The Mag-
Herbert Ross
nificent Ambersons before poor health forced him to withdraw from the project earlier in the year. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 10, 2001, B10; New York Times, Oct. 11, 2001, A23; People, Oct. 29, 2001, 128; Time, Oct. 22, 2001, 23; Times (of London), Oct. 11, 2001, 23a; Variety, Oct. 15, 2001, 92.
Rostotsky, Stanislav Russian film director Stanislav Rostotsky died in Vyborg, Russia, of heart failure on August 10, 2001. He was 79. Rostotsky was born in Rybinsk, Russia, on April 21, 1922. He was a leading filmmaker and screenwriter from the 1950s. His works include Land and People (1955), It
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Ed “Big Daddy” Roth
Rothstein, Freyda
Stanislav Rostotsky
Happened in Penkovo (1957), May Stars (1959), The House on the Front Line (1962), Pechyorina’s Notes (1966), Bela (1967), We’ll Live Till Monday (1969), White Bim Black Ear (1970), The Dawns Here Are Quiet (1972), Trees Grow on the Stones Too (1985) and From the Life of Fyodor Kuzkin (1989). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 12, 2001, B13; Variety, Aug. 20, 2001, 40.
Television producer Freyda Rothstein died in her sleep while vacationing in Venice, Italy, on October 27, 2001. She was 72. Rothstein was born in New York City in 1929. During the 1950s she served as editor of Promenade magazine and produced the off-Broadway play Take a Giant Step. She began working in television in the early 1960s, where she was involved in the production of such soap operas as Search for Tomorrow and Where the Heart Is. She subsequently served as
Roth, Ed “Big Daddy” Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the creator of custom hot-rod designs best known for the bug-eyed character Rat Fink, died in his Manti, Utah, studio on April 4, 2001. He was 69. Roth was born in Beverly Hills on March 4, 1932. A leading figure in the California hot-rod culture, Roth’s designs included the futurist “Mysterion” and the “Beatnik Bandit.” He also worked as an art designer for the 1967 biker film The Glory Stompers. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 6, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 7, 2001, B6; Time, Apr. 26, 2001, 23.
Freyda Rothstein
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executive producer of Love of Life. She joined Paramount Television as director of program development on the East Coast, where she oversaw production of series, tele-films and daytime programming. In the 1970s she worked with David Susskind at Talent Associates and Time-Life Films. She founded Freyda Rothstein Productions in the late 1970s. She served as executive producer for such tele-films as Who’ll Save Our Children? (1978), The Family Man (1979), Father Figure (1980), Crisis at Central High (1981), Dial M for Murder (1981), The Princess and the Cabbie (1981), Something in Common (1986), Descending Angel (1990), The Last to Go (1991), In Broad Daylight (1991), Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive (1992), Exclusive (1992), The Good Fight (1992), Visions of Terror (1993), Terror in the Shadows (1995), Closer and Close (1995), Betrayed: A Story of Three Women (1995), When the Cradle Falls (1997), Two Voices (1997), Every 9 Seconds (199), The Reef (1997), A Change of Heart (1998), Take My Advice: The Ann and Abby Story (1999), Blue Valley Songbird (1999), Snap Decision (2001) and Dangerous Child (2001). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 2001, B13; Variety, Nov. 19, 2001, 54. Polly Rowles
Rowles, Polly Stage and film actress Polly Rowles died in a Concord, New Hampshire, nursing home on October 7, 2001. She was 87. She was born Mary Elizabeth Rowles in Philadelphia on January 10, 1914. She began her career in films in the mid–1930s after graduating from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. She was featured in the films Love Letters of a Star (1936), Vogues of 1938 (1937), Some Blondes Are Dangerous (1937), Springtime in the Rockies (1937) with Gene Autry, Wings Over Honolulu (1937) and Westbound Limited (1937). She left Hollywood for New York in the late 1930s and made her Broadway debut in Orson Welles’ production of Julius Caesar in 1938. A leading stage actress over the next several decades, Rowles was featured in productions of Richard III, No Strings, Auntie Mame and Time Out for Ginger. She appeared on television from the late 1940s, starring in episodes of Philco Television Playhouse, Studio One, Star Tonight, The Alcoa Hour, The United States Steel Hour and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Rowles starred
as Aunt Laurie in the comedy series Jamie from 1953 to 1954, and was Helen Donaldson in the 1961 drama series The Defenders. She also guest starred in episodes of Naked City and The Nurses. She returned to films in 1966’s The Group and starred as Freda Lang in the television soap opera Somerset in 1970. Her later credits include the tele-film My Body, My Child (1982), and the films Sweet Liberty (1986) with Alan Alda and Power (1986). She was best known to contemporary audiences for her long running role as Inspector No. 12 in the Hanes underwear commercials in the 1980s, gruffly insisting “They don’t say Hanes until I say they say Hanes.” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 21, 2001, B17; New York Times, Oct. 20, 2001, A11.
Ruivivar, Francis Leading Broadway actor Francis Ruivivar died of leukemia in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23, 2001. He was 40. Ruivivar was born in Hong Kong in 1960, and raised in Hawaii. He made his
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Johnny Russell Francis Ruivivar
debut on Broadway in 1988’s Chess. He also appeared in productions of Cats, Evita and Starlight Express. In the early 1990s Ruivivar replaced Jonathan Pryce in the role of the Engineer in the Broadway hit Miss Saigon. Ruivivar was also seen in television productions of Pointman (1994) and Passion (1996). New York Times, May 26, 2001, A14; Variety, May 28, 2001, 63.
Russell, Johnny Country singer and songwriter Johnny Russell died of complications from diabetes in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital on July 3, 2001. He was 61. Russell was born in Sunflower County, Mississippi, on January 23, 1940. He moved with his family to California in the 1950s and began recording and writing songs. His “In a Mansion Stands My Love” was recorded by Jim Reeves in 1959. Russell had a major hit when Buck Owens recorded his song “Act Naturally” in 1963. The song was also recorded by the Beatles two years later. Russell subsequently moved to Nashville where he wrote such hits as “Making Plans,” “You’ll Be Back (Every Night in My Dreams),” “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together” and “Got No Reason Now for Goin’ Home.” He also recorded several hit songs including “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer,” “The Baptism of Jesse Taylor,” “Hello I Love You” and “Catfish John.”
Russell also appeared on numerous television variety shows including Hee Haw, The Dean Martin Show, The Dinah Shore Show and Nashville Now. He performed with the Grand Ole Opry from 1985. Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2001, B11; People, July 23, 2001, 83.
Rutherford, Maude Singer and dancer Maude Russell Rutherford died at her Atlantic City home on March 8,
Maude Rutherford
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2001. She was 104. Born to an interracial couple in Texas, she began her career in show business after a brief marriage to comedian Sam Russell while in her teens. She became a featured performer at Harlem’s Cotton Club, often billed as “the Slim Princess.” She is also credited with introducing the Charleston to Broadway in a production of Liza in 1922. Rutherford also starred in such musical productions as Dixie to Broadway (1924), Chocolate Scandals (1927) and Keep Shufflin’ (1928). She retired from showbusiness in the 1950s. New York Times, Mar. 29, 2001, A25; Time, Apr. 9, 2001, 20.
Rutledge, Robert Reed Oscar-winning sound editor Robert Reed Rutledge died of a heart attack at his North Hollywood home on October 15, 2001. He was 53. Rutledge received an Academy Award for his sound effects editing for the 1985 film Back to the Future. He worked on sound for numerous other films including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Star Wars (1977), The Evil (1978), Same Time, Next Year (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Windwalker (1980), Inside Moves (1980), Wolfen (1981), Jinxed! (1982), Table for Five (1983), Police Academy (1984), Fandango (1985), Cat’s Eye (1985), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Clara’s Heart (1988), Caddyshack II (1988), She’s Out of Control (1989), Tango & Cash (1989), 12:01 PM (1990), Out for Justice (1991), Monolith (1993), The Grass Harp (1995), Bio-Dome (1996), Entertaining Angels (1996), City of Industry (1997), Breakdown (1997), Casper Meets Wendy (1998) and Addams Family Reunion (1998). Rutledge also worked on the tele-films Dead in the Water (1991), Ladykiller (1992) and Dangerous Waters (1999).Variety, Nov. 5, 2001, 41.
in the 1940s, writing for Fred Allen’s radio program. During the 1950s, Ryan moved to television where he earned two Emmy Awards for scripting The Phil Silvers Show. Ryan also wrote for such television series as The Sid Caesar Show, The Ann Sothern Show, The Betty Hutton Show, Car 54, Where Are You? and Love, American Style. Los Angeles Times, May 10, 2001, B10; New York Times, May 9, B8; Variety, May 14, 2001, 73.
Sabu, Jasmine Jasmine Sabu, the daughter of Sabu, the Indian star of The Thief of Bagdad and The Elephant Boy, died suddenly on April 15, 2001. She was 43. Jasmime Sabu authored the fantasy novel Moonshadow (1996), featuring Abu, the character her father had played in Thief of Bagdad.
St. Clair, Michael Character actor and screenwriter Michael St. Clair died of complications from a stroke in Los Angeles, California, on November 22, 2001. He was 80. St. Clair was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1921. He began his ca-
Ryan, Terry Television comedy writer Terry Ryan died of congestive heart failure in New York City on May 5, 2001. He was 78. Ryan was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1923. He began his career in radio
Michael St. Clair
257 reer in Hollywood in the early 1960s, appearing in such films as The Notorious Landlady (1962), The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze (1963), My Fair Lady (1964), Von Ryan’s Express (1965), Our Man Flint (1965), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), The King’s Pirate (1967), Skullduggery (1970), A Reflection of Fear (1973), Lifetime Contract (1986) and Outlaw Force (1987). He was also featured in several tele-films including the 1972 version of the Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the Baskervilles and 1977’s Having Babies II. Other television credits include episodes of Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, The Rogues, Daniel Boone, Amos Burke, Secret Agent, Hogan’s Heroes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Tarzan, Time Tunnel, Mission: Impossible, Cowboy in Africa and Hunter. St. Clair also scripted two science fiction films in the 1960s, Mission Mars (1968) and Thin Air (aka Invasion of the Body Stealers) (1969). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 24, 2001, B19; Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Salter, June Australian stage and television actress June Salter died of cancer of the esophagus in a Sydney, Australia, hospital on September 15, 2001. She was 69. Salter was born in Bexley, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on June 22, 1932. She began her career on the Australian stage and appeared often in radio plays during the 1950s. She was a regular performer on the television variety series The Mavis Bramston Show from 1965 to 1967. She also starred in such Australian television series as Redheap, Certain Women, Num-
2001 • Obituaries
ber 96, The Restless Years, Blankety Blanks, Neighbours, and Search for Treasure Island. She was featured in the tele-films Because He’s My Friend (1978), The Last Bastion (1984), Emma: Queen of the South Seas (1988), The Lancaster Miller Affair (1990) and Time and Tide (1999). Salter also appeared in a handful of feature films including Caddie (1976) and Doctors & Nurses (1981). Other television credits include episodes of Boney, G.P., Murder Call, and Farscape. Variety, Sept. 24, 2001, 82.
Sanders, Byron Actor Byron Sanders died in New York on November 12, 2001. He was 76. Sanders was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1925. He began his career on the New York stage in 1950, appearing in the Broadway production of The Desk Set. Sanders starred in the 1964 cult horror film The Flesh Eaters and was featured in the 1973 film Trick Baby. He also appeared in several daytime television soap operas, starring as Bruce Crawford in From These Roots from 1958 to 1959, Kurt Van Allen in The Doctors from 1964 to 1966, John Randolph in Love of Life from 1967 to 1970, and Talbot Huddleston in One Life to Live from 1977 to 1979. He was also seen in an episode of tv’s Naked City. New York Times, Nov. 23, 2001, A22; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
Byron Sanders (left, with Barbara Wilkin and Martin Kosleck from The Flesh Eaters). June Salter
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Sands, Leslie British actor Leslie Sands died in England on May 12, 2001. He was 79. Sands was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on May 19, 1921. He began his career on the British stage after serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He also wrote several stage plays including Deadlock, which was filmed with Bette Davis as Another Man’s Poison in 1952. In the early 1960s Sands starred as policemen in several film versions of Edgar Wallace mysteries including The Clue of the New Pin (1960) and Death Trap (1962). He also appeared in the 1962 film Walk in the Shadow. He starred in the 1964 British detective series Cluff, and was featured in episodes of such series as Z-Cars, A Family at War, The Avengers, Out of the Unknown, Department S and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. He was also seen in the films Rapture (1965), The Deadly Affair (1967), Danger Route (1968), One More Time (1970) and The Ragman’s Daughter (1972). Sands continued to be a familiar face on British television, starring as Mr. Tripp in the series Man
Leslie Sands
About the House from 1974 to 1976. Other appearances include the tele-films and mini-series Barbara of the House of Grebe (1973), The Littlest Horse Thieves (1977), The Racing Game (1979), The Seven Dials Mystery (1982) and Wilderness Road (1986), and episodes of The Black Adder, Juliet Bravo, Boon and Stay Lucky. Times (of London), May 12, 2001, 27c.
Sasaki, Haru Stanley Haru “the Great” Sasaki died on May 5, 2001. He was 70. Sasaki was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 1, 1931. He began wrestling professionally in 1955 in Portland, Oregon. A top ring villain, Haru wrestled throughout the United States and Canada, winning several tag team championships with Tosh Togo, King Curtis, Stan Stasiak and Mr. Fuji. He retired from the ring in the early 1980s.
Saunders, Russell Stuntman Russell Saunders died in West Los Angeles, California, on June 1, 2001. He was 82. Saunders was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on May 21, 1919. A leading gymnast and acrobat, Saunders began working in films in the 1940s. He worked as a stuntman and stunt double in numerous films including The Great Profile (1940), Saboteur (1942), Variety Girl (1947), The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Three Musketeers (1948) doubling Gene Kelly, Joan of Arc (1948), The West Point Story (1950), Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950), Appointment with Danger (1951), The Thing (1951), Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Shane (1953) as Alan Ladd’s stunt double, The Veils of Bagdad (1953), A Slight Case of Larceny (1953), Here Come the Girls (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Broken Lance (1954), Santiago (1956), Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), Spartacus (1960), Birds Do It (1966), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Earthquake (1974), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Hindenburg (1975), Logan’s Run (1976), The Goonies (1985) and Mississippi Burning (1988). Saunders also worked on the tele-films Exo-Man (1977) and When the Circus Came to Town (1981), and the television series Little House on the Prairie.
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Nora Sayre
Russell Saunders (the model for Salvador Dali’s painting Christ of St. John of the Cross).
Saunders also served as Salvador Dali’s model when the great surrealist artist painted one of his best known works, Christ of St. John of the Cross. Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2001, B8; New York Times, June 17, 2001, 32; Variety, June 11, 2001, 60.
Sayre, Nora Film critic and writer Nora Sayre died in a Manhattan hospital on August 8, 2001. She was 68. Sayre was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, on September 20, 1932, the daughter of journalist and screenwriter Joel Sayre. After graduating with honors from Radcliffe College in 1954, she traveled to Europe where she met and mingled with
expatriate artists who had left the United States during anti–Communist blacklisting in Hollywood. She began writing book reviews for The New Statesman while staying in London and, after her return to the United States in the early 1960s, continued to write for the magazine. She wrote movie reviews for the New York Times from 1973 to 1975, and subsequently continued to write articles for various publications. She also wrote several books about the Hollywood blacklist including Running Time: Filmes of the Cold War (1982) and Previous Convictions: A Journey Through the 1950s (1995). Her memoir, On the Wing: A Young American Abroad, was publiched in 2000. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 11, 2001, B17; New York Times, Aug. 9, 2001, B7.
Schaap, Dick Veteran television sportscaster Dick Schaap died in a New York City hospital of complications from hip replacement surgery on December 21, 2001. He was 67. Schaap was born in Brooklyn on September 27, 1934. He began working as a journalist for Newsweek in 1959, and subsequently worked with the New York Herald Tribune as a columnist. He began working at
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260
Suzanne Schiffman Dick Schaap
NBC in 1971 as a correspondent with the Today show and the NBC Nightly News. He left NBC in 1980 and soon joined ABC where he received three Emmy Awards for his work on World News Tonight and 20/20. He also earned two sports Emmys for his work at ESPN, where he hosted Sports Reporters and The Sporting Life with Dick Schaap. Schaap was also the author of 30 books including the 1968 best seller Instant Replay and the 2001 autobiography Flashing Before My Eyes. Schaap was featured as a sportscaster in the films The Gambler (1974) and Semi-Tough (1978). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 22, 2001, B14; New York Times, Dec. 22, 2001, A15; Time, Dec. 31, 2001, 33; People, Jan. 14, 2001, 119; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 40.
Schiffman, Suzanne French screenwriter Suzanne Schiffman died in Paris on June 6, 2001. She was 71. Schiffman was born in France on September 27, 1929. She began her career in films working as a script girl for renowned director Francois Truffaut in the early 1960s. She began collaborating with Truffaut on the scripts of such films as Day for Night (1973), Small Change (1976) and The Woman Next
Door (1981). Schiffman also wrote or co-wrote the films Out One (1972), Don’t Cry with Your Mouth Full (1974), The Story of Adele H (1975), The Man Who Loved Women (1977), Love on the Run (1979), The Last Metro (1980), Le Pont du Nord (1981), Merry-Go-Round (1983), Confidentially Yours (1983), Love on the Ground (1984) and Wuthering Heights (1985). She scripted and directed several films including Sorceress (1987) and Front Woman (1989). Variety, July 9, 2001, 46.
Scholten, Rene Dutch film producer Rene Scholten died of cancer in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on October 26, 2001. He was 57. During his career Scholten produced over 50 films, shorts and documentaries, including the award-winning shorts Requiem and Schrodingerskat. He was the chairman of the Dutch Feature Film Producers Association and founded the Studio Nieuwe Gronden in 1980. His other films include Parfait Amour (1984), Egg (1987), Above the Mountains (1992), Three Best Things in Life (1993), Love Hurts (1993), Once Beaten, Twice Shy (1995), The Shadow Walkers (1995), The Sea That Thinks (2000), and The Other Life (2001). He was involved with the pro-
261 duction of Nicole van Kilsdonk’s film Polonaise at the time of his death. Variety, Nov. 5, 2001, 41.
Schonbock, Karl Austrian actor Karl Schonbock died of a stroke in Munich, Germany, on March 24, 2001. He was 92. Schonbock was born in Vienna, Austria, on February 4, 1909. A leading actor for seven decades, Schonbock was seen in such films as The Girl Irene (1936), Flowers from Nice (1936), A Night in May (1938), The Blue Fox (1939), Anna Favetti (1938), Fraulein (1939), The Golden Mask (1939), Bismarck (1940) as Emperor Franz Joseph, Titanic (1943) as John Jacob Astor, Life Goes On (1945), Peter Voss (1946), The Ballad of Berlin (1948), Very Passionate Love (1949), Taxi-Kitty (1950), Sensation in Savoy (1950), The Forester’s Daughter (1952), Lavendel (1953), Hit Parade (1953), Fireworks (1953), The Gypsy Baron (1959), Congress Dances (1955), Her First Rendezvous (1955), Through the Forests and Through the Trees (1956), Dear Family (1957), She Walks by Night
2001 • Obituaries
(1959), The Black Sheep (1960), Operation Caviar (1961), The Dream of Lieschen Mueller (1961), Black-White-Red Four Poster (1962), Maibritt, the Girl from the Islands (1964), Man, Pride and Vengeance (1967), The Long Day of Inspector Blomfield (1968), We’ll Take Care of the Teachers (1970), No Pawing, Darling (1970), Bestial Quartet (1975), Otto — The Film (1985), and Schtonk! (1992). Schonbock was also seen often on German television, appearing regularly as Johannes Capellari, Sr., in The Crimes of Professor Capellari series.
Schreibman, Paul Paul Schreibman, the entertainment lawyer who was instrumental in bringing Toho’s Godzilla films to the United States, died in Los Angeles on June 23, 2001. He was 92. Schreibman was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1908. A practicing lawyer, he represented Japan’s Toho Films in the 1950s. He assisted the company in marketing the classic monster film Godzilla, arranging an American version featuring Raymond Burr for the 1956 U.S. release. Schreibman produced the American version of other Godzilla films including 1959’s Gigantis, the Fire Monster. He also produced the U.S. version of the 1962 science fiction film First Spaceship of Venus. Los Angeles Times, June 26, 2001, B11; Variety, Aug. 20, 2001, 40.
Sciutti, Graziella
Karl Schonbock
Operatic soprano Graziella Sciutti died at her home in Geneva, Switzerland, on April, 9, 2001. She was 73. Sciutti was born in Turin, Italy, on April 17, 1927. She began her career in Rome in 1951 and made her debut on the British stage in a production of The Barber of Seville soon afterwards. Sciutti joined Milan’s La Scala in 1954, where she remained for eight years. She made her debut in the United States with the San Francisco Opera’s production of La Nozze di Figaro in 1961, and portrayed the same role in a subsequent engagement with the Metropolitan opera. She sang many roles with the Vienna State Opera and at the Salzburg Festival. She produced and directed operas for Canadian Opera and other companies during the 1980s and 1990s, including productions of Figaro and L’Elisir d’Amore.
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Graziella Sciutti
Harry Secombe
Los Angeles Times, Apr. 12, 2001, B8; New York Times, Apr. 14, 2001, C7; Times (of London), Apr. 20, 2001, 27a.
credits include The Bed Sitting Room (1969), Song of Norway (1970), Doctor in Trouble (1970), The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) and Sunstruck (1972). Secombe also hosted the television religious music program Highway in 1983 and Songs of Praise in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 13, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 12, 2001, C17; Times (of London), Apr. 12, 2001, 27a; Variety, Apr. 30, 2001, 84.
Secombe, Harry British comic actor Sir Harry Secombe died of cancer in a Guildford, Surrey, England, hospital on April 11, 2001. He was 79. Secombe was born in Swansea, Wales, on September 8, 1921. He began his career in show business after serving as a bombardier during World War II. He became a founding member of the comic troupe on BBC Radio’s The Goon Show in 1951, performing with Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine. Secombe also appeared in over 20 films during his career including Helter Skelter (1949), Fake’s Progress (1950), Penny Points to Paradise (1951), Down Among the Z Men (1952), The Goon Movie (1953), Forces’ Sweetheart (1953), Svengali (1955), Davy (1957) and Jet Storm (1959). He hosted The Harry Secombe Show on British television in 1955, and a revised version in 1968. He was seen in the 1966 comedy film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and was Mr. Bumble in the 1968 musical Oliver! Other film
Seid, Art Film and television editor Art Seid died in Santa Monica, California, on August 9, 2001. He was 87. Seid was born in New York City in 1914. Seid worked at Columbia on Three Stooges shorts before moving to 20th Century–Fox in the mid– 1950s. There he supervised and edited such series as Broken Arrow, Perry Mason, You Are There and The Third Man. Seid served as editor of numerous tele-films including The Love War (1970), The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970), The House That Would Not Die (1970), Run, Simon, Run (1970), Yuma (1970), Congratulations, It’s a Boy! (1971), Five Desperate Women (1971), A Taste of
263 Evil (1971), The Death of Me Yet (1971), The Last Child (1971), The Reluctant Heroes (1971), If Tomorrow Comes (1971), Two for the Money (1971), The Rookies (1972), The Bounty Man (1972), The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972), Hurricane (1974), Terror on the 40th Floor (1974), Search for the Gods (1975), Shark Kill (1976), Raid on Entebbe (1977), Good Against Evil (1977), Ebony, Ivory and Jade (1979), The Concrete Cowboys (1979), Angel on My Shoulder (1980), Sister, Sister (1982), Love Leads the Way (1984), The High Price of Passion (1986), Stranger in My Bed (1986) and Hands of a Stranger (1987). He also edited several feature films during his career including Walking Tall Part II (1975), Monkey Hustle (1977), and Fast Forward (1985). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 17, 2001, B14; Variety, Aug. 20, 2001, 40.
2001 • Obituaries
was also seen in Colin Nutley’s 1992 film Angel Farm, and the 1994 sequel Angel Farm 2. She continued to appear in such films as Alfred (1995), Jerusalem (1996), Christmas Oratorio (1997), Breaking Out (1999), Mamy Blue (2000), and the 2001 Danish film A Song for Martin.
Seurat, Pilar
Leading Swedish actress Viveka Seldahl died of cancer in a Stockholm hospital on November 3, 2001. She was 57. Seldahl was born in Overammer, Sweden, on March 15, 1944. She was a student at the Goteborg Stage School in Sweden in the 1970s. A popular stage and television actress in the 1970s and 1980s, she received the Golden Ram award, Sweden’s version of the Oscar, for her performance in 1990’s S/Y Joy. She
Actress Pilar Seurat died of lung cancer at her home in Los Angeles on June 2, 2001. She was 62. She was born Rita Hernandez in Manila, The Philippines, on July 25, 1938. She worked as a dancer in Los Angeles in the 1950s before making her film debut in 1961. She was featured in a handful of films including The Young Savages (1961), Battle at Bloody Beach (1961) and The Seven Women from Hell (1961). A popular television performer, she appeared in episodes of such series as Maverick, Naked City, Temple Houston, Rawhide, Daniel Boone, I Spy, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The F.B.I., Wild Wild West, The Virginian, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The High Chaparral, Star Trek, Mannix, Then Came Bronson, Hawaii Five-O, and Bonanza. She was married to actor and producer Don Devlin from 1959 to 1963. He died in 2000. Survivors include her son, Dean Devlin, producer of such science fiction films as Independence Day and 1998’s Godzilla. Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2001, B13.
Viveka Seldahl
Pilar Seurat
Seldahl, Viveka
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264
Shaffer, Anthony British playwright and screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, best known for his 1970 thriller Sleuth, died of a heart attack in his London home on November 6, 2001. He was 75. Shaffer was born in Liverpool, England, on May 15, 1926. Trained as a lawyer, Shaffer had a smash hit with Sleuth, which earned the Tony award for best play. It was adapted by him into a popular film starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in 1972. Shaffer also adapted his novel Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (aka Cry of the Penguins) for the screen in 1971. Shaffer scripted Alfred Hitchcock’s 1972 psychological thriller Frenzy, and wrote the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man, a
tale of modern-day witchcraft on a remote British island, starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward. He also contributed to the scripts for the Agatha Christie film adaptations Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982). Other credits include the 1975 play Murderer, and scripts for the films Absolution (1981) and Appointment with Death (1988). Shaffer’s survivors include his third wife, actress Diane Cilento, and his twin brother, Peter, who wrote the plays Equus and Amadeus. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 7, 2001, B11; People, Nov. 26, 2001, 149; Time, Nov. 19, 2001, 27; Times (of London), Nov. 7, 2001, 19a; Variety, Nov. 12, 2001, 44.
Shaw, Barnett Actor Barnett Shaw died in Dallas, Texas, on August 20, 2001. He was 91. Shaw was born in Joplin, Missouri, on December 10, 1909. He appeared in a handful of films directed by Larry Buchanan in the 1960s including Under Age (1963), The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1964), Mars Needs Women (1967) and Creature of Destruction (1967).
Shaw, Janet
Anthony Shaffer
Actress Janet Shaw died in Beatrice, Nebraska, on October 15, 2001, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 82. She was born Ellen Clancy in Beatrice on January 23, 1919. She began her career in films in the early 1930s, often billed as Ellen Clancy through the 1930s. She was featured in such films as She Married Her Boss (1935), King of the Underworld (1937), Confession (1937), Prairie Thunder (1937), It’s Love I’m After (1937), Alcatraz Island (1937), Expensive Husbands (1937), Hollywood Hotel (1938), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Jezebel (1938) with Bette Davis, Accidents Will Happen (1938), Gold Diggers in Paris (1938), Boy Meets Girl (1938), Broadway Musketeers (1938), The Sisters (1938), Comet Over Broadway (1938), She Loved a Fireman (1938), Sergeant Murphy (1938), Going Places (1938), Girls on Probation (1938), Campus Cinderella (1938), Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1938), The Rookie Cop (1939), The
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Sheikhi, Jamileh Iranian actress Jamileh Sheikhi died of a heart attack in Tehran on May 23, 2001. She was 71. Sheikhi began her career on stage in the mid–1950s. She became a leading actress on both stage and screen. Sheikhi was honored by the Fedjr Film Festival for her work in the films Passenger (1992) and Leila (1996).
Janet Shaw
Old Maid (1939), Blondie on a Budget (1940), Waterloo Bridge (1940), Flight Angels (1940), Escape (1940), Unfinished Rainbows (1940), Lucky Devils (1941), Blossoms in the Dust (1941), Hold That Ghost (1941) with Abbott & Costello, Gambling Daughters (1941), You’re Out of Luck (1941), Johnny Eager (1942), Night Monster (1942), The Mummy’s Tomb (1942), Honolulu Lu (1942), False Faces (1943), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Arizona Trail (1943), Hers to Hold (1943), Keep ’Em Slugging (1943), Bad Men of Thunder Gap (1943), Ladies Courageous (1944), Hi, Good Lookin’ (1944), Follow the Boys (1944), Johnny Doesn’t Live Here Any More (1944), Jungle Raiders (1945), Sensation Hunters (1945), I’ll Tell the World (1945), the Charlie Chan films The Scarlet Clue (1945) and Dark Alibi (1946) with Sidney Toler, House of Horrors (1946), the 1946 Western serial The Scarlet Horseman, Nocturne (1946), Time Out of Mind (1947), They Won’t Believe Me (1947) and Prehistoric Women (1950). Married twice, Shaw left films in the late 1940s. She subsequently worked in the Bullocks Wilshire hat department before retiring to Beatrice, Nebraska, in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 23, 2001, B10.
Jamileh Sheikhi
Shinde, R.R. Indian film director R.R. Shinde died of cancer on October 14, 2001. He was 51. Shinde began working in films in the early 1980s, serving as an assistant director. He helmed the popular Indian film Ninne Premista, and his second film Naa Manasista Raa was released in 2001.
Shorr, Richard Jay Film director and sound designer Richard Jay Shorr died of melanoma at his Paris home on August 13, 2001. He was 58. Shorr was born in New York City on November 24, 1942. He attended the London International Film School
Obituaries • 2001
266 1980s Silverton also wrote for the television soap opera General Hospital, and scripted episodes of Hotel and The Colbys. She also produced and wrote the 1992 tele-film Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 2, 2001, B17; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
Simon, George T.
R.R. Shinde
and, after graduation, directed and scripted the 1980 horror comedy Witches’ Brew. Shorr subsequently began working as a film sound editor. He earned an Emmy nomination for the tele-film The Day After in 1983, and was nominated for an Academy Award for 1988’s Die Hard. His other film credits include The Evil That Men Do (1984), Prizzi’s Honor (1985), The Slugger’s Wife (1985), Predator (1987), Poltergeist III (1988), Action Jackson (1988), Shocker (1989), Night Game (1989), Indio (1989), Courage Mountain (1989), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), I Come in Peace (1990), Defenseless (1990), Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), Ghosts Can’t Do It (1991), Stone Cold (1991), Shadow of the Wolf (1992) and Highway to Hell (1992). Shorr moved to Paris in the mid–1990s, where he continued to work on such films as Farinelli (1995), Wind from Wyoming (1994), Lucky Punch (1996), La Cible (196), Dobermann (1997) and Five Minute Break (1999). Variety, Sept. 24, 2001, 83.
Pioneer jazz critic George T. Simon died of pneumonia and complications from Parkinson’s disease at a New York hospital on February 13, 2001. He was 88. Simon was born in New York City on May 9, 1912. He began working at Metronome, a music magazine, in 1935. He became a leading reporter and critic of the jazz and swing scene, spending the next 20 years at Metronome, serving as editor in chief from 1939 to 1955. Simon also produced various jazz albums and served as a consultant to several television programs. He earned a Grammy Award for his liner notes to the collection Bing Crosby: A Legendary Performer. He also wrote several books including The Sinatra Report (1965), The Big Bands (1968) and Glen Miller and His Orchestra (1974). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 16, 2001, B6; New York Times, Feb. 16, 2001, A17.
Silverton, Doris Television writer Doris Silverton died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on November 27, 2001. She was 73. Silverton was born in Yonkers, New York, in 1928. She wrote short stories and articles for such magazines as Saturday Evening Post and McCalls. She began writing for television in the late 1970s, scripting the tele-film Terror Out of the Sky (1978). She also wrote the 1979 tele-film Torn Between Two Lovers and worked on 1980’s The Jayne Mansfield Story. During the
George T. Simon
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Sims, Joan British comedy actress Joan Sims, best known for her roles in the popular Carry On films, died in England on June 27, 2001. She was 71. Sims was born in Laindon, Essex, England, on May 9, 1930. She began performing in films in the early 1950s and was featured in such films as Will Any Gentleman…? (1953), Trouble in Store (1953), The Square Ring (1953), Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953), The Belles of St. Trinian’s (1954), Cash on Delivery (1954), The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954), Doctor in the House (1954), As Long As They’re Happy (1955), Tears for Simon (1955), Doctor at Sea (1955), Stars in Your Eyes (1956), Keep It Clean (1956), Dry Rot (1956), The Silken Affair (1957), No Time for Tears (1957), Your Past Is Showing (1957), Just My Luck (1957), Davy (1957), Carry On Admiral (1957), The Girl in Room 43 (1958), Carry On Nurse (1958), The Captain’s Table (1959), Upstairs and Downstairs (1959), Life in Emergency Ward 10 (1959), Please Turn Over (1959), Carry On Teacher (1959), Doctor in Love (1960), Watch Your Stern (1960), Carry On Constable (1960), No My Darling Daughter (1961), Mr. Topaze (1961), His and Hers (1961), Carry On Regardless (1961), A Pair of Briefs (1962), Twice Round the Daffodils (1962), The Swinging Maiden (1962), Strictly for the Birds (1963), Carry On, Nurse On Wheels (1963), Carry On Cleo (1964), Carry On Cowboy (1965), The Big Job (1965), San Ferry Ann (1966), Doctor in Clover (1966), Carry On Screaming (1966), Follow That Camel (1967), Don’t Lose Your Head (1967), Carry On Up the Khyber (1968), Carry On Doctor (1968), Carry On Camping (1969), Carry On Again, Doctor (1969), Doctor in Trouble (1970), Carry On Up the Jungle (1970), Carry On Loving (1970), The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971), Carry On Henry (1971), Carry On at Your Convenience (1971), Carry On Matron (1972), Carry On Abroad (1972), The Alf Garnett Saga (1972), Not Now Darling (1973), Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something (1973), The Cobblers of Umbridge (1973), Carry On Girls (1973), Carry On Dick (1974), Carry On Behind (1975), One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1976), Carry On England (1976), and Carry On Emmannuelle (1978). Sims also appeared often on British television, starring in Till Death Do Us Part, Sam and Janet, East Lynne, Born and Bred, Worzel Gummidge as Mrs. Bloomsbury Barton, Farrington of the F.O., Simon
Joan Sims
and the Witch, On the Up, Cluedo and As Time Goes By. She was also seen in television productions of Love Among the Ruins (1975), Waters of the Moon (1983), A Murder Is Announced (1985), Deceptions (1985), Martin Chuzzlewit (1994), The Canterville Ghost (1996) and The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000). Her other television credits include episodes of The Goodies, Lady Killers, Dick Turpin, Doctor Who, Only Fools and Horses, Victoria Wood, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and Spark. Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2001, B10; People, July 16, 2001, 69; Times (of London), June 29, 2001, 21a.
Singh, Rhonda Massive women’s wrestling champion Rhonda Singh died on July 27, 2001. She was 40. She was born Peggy Simpson in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on February 21, 1961. Trained by Mildred Burke, she began her career wrestling in Japan as the evil Monster Ripper, holding several championship belts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She wrestled in the WWF in 1995 as Bertha Faye, holding the WWF women’s championship for several months. Most recently she wrestled with the WCW briefly in 1999.
Obituaries • 2001
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Rhonda Singh
Sinkovits, Imre Leading Hungarian actor Imre Sinkovits died in Budapest, Hungary, on January 18, 2001. He was 72. Sinkovits was born in Budapest on November 22, 1928. He was a leading actor on the stage and screen in Hungary. He starred in numerous films during his career including The Storm (1951), Fourteen Lives (1954), Alba Regia (1961), The Last Goal (1962), Dialogue (1963), Age of Illusions (1964), Stars of Eger (1968), Trip Around My Uranium (1970), The Loves of Liszt (1970) and The Conquest (1996).
Imre Sinkovits
opera Lou Salome, which premiered in 1981. During the 1980s Sinopoli concentrated on conducting. He led Rome’s Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra for four years, and was principal conductor for the London New Philharmonia from 1983. He conducted a performance of Pucini’s Tosca at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1985. He remained with the London Philarmonia until 1994. Most recently, Sinopoli was musical director of the Dresden Staatskapelle orchestra.
Sinopoli, Giuseppe Italian conductor and composer Giuseppe Sinopoli died of a heart attack in Berlin while conducting Verdi’s Aida at the Deutsche Oper opera house on April 20, 2001. He was 54. Sinopoli was born in Venice, Italy, on November 2, 1946. He studied music from an early age and served as professor of contemporary and electronic music at the Venice Conservatoire in the 1970s. His musical compositions include the
Giuseppe Sinopoli
269 Los Angeles Times, Apr. 22, 2001, B7; New York Times, Apr. 2, 2001, 11; Times (of London), Apr. 23, 2001, 19a.
Slaughter, Frank Novelist and physician Frank G. Slaughter died in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 17, 2001. He was 93. Slaughter was born in Washington, D.C., on February 25, 1908. He earned a medical degree from Johns Hopkins in 1930, and began writing several years later. His first novel, That None Should Die, was published in 1941. He published over 50 books during his career, several of which were adapted into films. Sangaree was filmed in 1963 and Doctors’ Wives was adapted for the screen in 1971. His novel Women in White was adapted as a television mini-series in 1979. Other works include The Road to Bithynia, The Galileans, Divine Mistress, Constantine: The Miracle of the Flaming Cross, The Purple Quest, Upon This Rock and, his last, No Greater Love in 1984.
2001 • Obituaries
Los Angeles Times, May 24, 2001, B13; New York Times, May 23, 2001, C19.
Slavin, George F. American film and television writer George F. Slavin died in Los Angeles on April 19, 2001. He was 81. Slavin was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 2, 1920. He began writing for films in the late 1940s, scripting or writing such features as Intrigue (1947), I Married a Communist (1949), The Fighting Stallion (1950), Peggy (1950), The Nevadan (1950), Mystery Submarine (1950), Experiment Alcatraz (1950), Week-End with Father (1951), Red Mountain (1951), Thunder Bay (1953), City of Bad Men (1953), The Rocket Man (1954), Smoke Signal (1955), Desert Sands (1955), Big House, U.S.A. (1955), Uranium Boom (1956), The Halliday Brand (1957) and The Son of Robin Hood (1959). Slavin worked primarily in television from the 1960s, scripting episodes of such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Maverick, Bonanza, The Untouchables, Star Trek, The Flying Nun, Hawaii Five-O, Barnaby Jones, Happy Days and Charlie’s Angels. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 21, 2001, B6.
George F. Slavin
Frank Slaughter
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Sloane, Allan Radio and television writer Allan Sloan died at his home in New Canaan, Connecticut, on April 29, 2001. He was 86. Sloane began writing for radio after serving in the Army during World War II. He scripted segments of the NBC program Top Secret from 1950. He soon began writing for television, scripting episodes of the series The Dick Powell Show, The Nurses and East Side/ West Side. He also wrote several films including Martin Luther (1953) and Question 7 (1961). Sloane wrote the tele-films To All My Friends on Shore (1971), Family Reunion (1981) and Casey’s Gift for Love of a Child (1990), and the 1975 film The Hiding Place. Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2001, B9; New York Times, May 12, 2001, B8.
Smith, Kermit Film producer and distributor Kermit Smith died following a brief illness at a Rome hospital on April 12, 2001. He was 49. Smith was born in Chicago in 1951. He began working in film distribution in Italy in the 1980s, forming DAK Films with Andrea Occhipinti and Dino Trap-
Kermit Smith
petti. He subsequently formed Lucky Red, a distribution house that handled such critically acclaimed films as Tampopo and The Match Factory Girl. Smith served as producer on several films including Nasty Love (1995), RDF — Rumori di Fondo (1996), Out of Hand (1997), Rehearsal for War (1998), and Together (2001). Variety, Apr. 23, 2001, 46.
Smith, O.C. Singer O.C. Smith died of a heart attack at his home in Ladera Heights, California, on November 23, 2001. He was 69. He was born Ocie Lee Smith in Mansfield, Louisiana, on June 21, 1932. After serving in the Air Force in the early 1950s Smith went to New York City where he worked as a singer in small clubs. He joined Count Basie’s band in 1961, and toured with Basie for the next several years. Smith recorded several hit songs in the late 1960s including “Little Green Apples,” “The Son of Hickory Holler’s Tramp” and “Daddy’s Little Man.” He continued to record through the 1970s. Smith studied for the ministry after attending a Science of the Mind service in 1980, and became a minister at the City of Angels Church of Religious Science in 1985. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 24, 2001, B19; New
O.C. Smith
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York Times, Nov. 27, 2001, A7; People, Dec. 10, 2001, 133; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
Sobocinski, Piotr Cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski died in his sleep while working on the film 24 Hours in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on March 26, 2001. He was 43. He was born in Lodz, Poland, the son of cinematographer Witold Sobocinski, on February 3, 1958. He began working as a director of photography on Polish films and television productions in the late 1980s. He worked on the films Pension Sunshine (1989), Forefathers (1989) and Potyautasok (1990), and received an Academy Award nomination for his work on Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Red in 1994. Sobocinski also photographed The Seventh Room (1995), Ransom (1996), Marvin’s Room (1996) and Twilight (1998). He had recently completed work on Angel Eyes (2001) with Jennifer Lopez, and was working on 24 Hours with Courtney Love and Charlize Theron at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2001, B8; Variety, Apr. 9, 2001, 58. Kristina Soderbaum
Piotr Sobocinski
Soderbaum, Kristina Swedish actress Kristina Soderbaum, who starred in Nazi propaganda films in Germany
during the 1930s and 1940s, died after a long illness in Berlin on February 12, 2001. She was 88. Soderbaum was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 5, 1912. She began her film career under director Veit Harlan, and was featured in Onkel Brasig (1936), Young (1938), Das Unsterbliche Herz (1939), Die Reise Nach Tilsit (1939), Jew Suss (1940), Die Goldene Stadt (1942), The Great King (1942), Immensee (1943) and Burning Hearts (1945). She and Harlan, who married in 1940, were tried for war crimes for making anti–Semitic films, but Soderbaum was not convicted. She resumed her film career in the early 1950s appearing in Let’s Go Crazy (1951), Hanna Amon (1951), Die Blaue Stunde (1953), Sterne Uber Colombo (1953), Circus Girl (1956), Verrat an Deutschland (1954), Two Hearts in May (1958), Blonde Frau des Maharadscha (1962), Karl May (1974), and Night Train to Venice in 1993. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 15, 2001, B9; Variety, Dec. 17, 2001, 79.
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272
Sokolova, Lyubov Veteran Russian actress Lyubov Sokolova died of a heart attack in Moscow on June 6, 2001. She was 79. She was born in Ivanovo, Russia, on July 31, 1921. Known for her roles as strong Soviet wives and mothers, she was featured in numerous films from the 1950s. Her film credits include The Night Guest (1958), The Cavalry III (1959), Gordeyev Family (1959), Splendid Days (1960), Resurrection (1960), Introduction (1961), The Road to Berth (1962), Meet Me in Moscow (1963), The Three Sisters (1964), Mother and Stepmother (1964), 33 (1965), Workers’ Quarters (1965), Little Fugitive (1966), Asya’s Happiness (1966), Uncommon Thief (1967), Only Three Nights (1969), Crime and Punishment (1969), Burn, Burn, My Star (1969), We’ll Live Till Monday (1969), A Day and the Whole Life (1969), Reckoning (1970), The Road to Ruebezahl (1970), Byelorussia Station (1970), Telegram (1971), The End of Lyubavins (1971), Happy Go Lucky (1972), Gentlemen of Luck (1972), Militia Sergeant (1974), Remember Your
Name (1974), Earthly Love (1974), Story of a Human Heart (1975), Do You Want to Be an Actress, Girl? (1977), Last Chance (1978), While the Dream Is Raving (1978), You Have Not Seen It Even in a Dream (1980), The Last Escape (1980), Night Accident (1980), I Want Him to Come (1981), I Shall Never Forget (1983), Vitya Glushakov — A Friend of the Apaches (1983), Plead Guilty (1983), Quarantine (1983), The Kidnapping (1984), Life, Tears and Love (1984), Attention, All Posts! (1985), The Most Charming and Attractive (1985), Do Not Marry, Girls (1985), The City of Brides (1985), Loan for a Marriage (1987), Forbidden Zone (1988), Crash — Cop’s Daughter (1989), Hitch-hiking (1990), Blood for Blood (1991), New Odeon (1992), Help Me (Call-Boy) (1992), Stalin’s Testament (1993), Me, Myself (1993), Incomparable (1993), Abyss, Round Seven (1993), Assia and the Hen with the Golden Eggs (1994), A Boulevard Romance (1994) and Composition for Victory Day (1998). Los Angeles Times, July 3, 2001, B11.
Somai, Shinji Japanese film director Shinji Somai died in a Tokyo hospital of lung cancer on September 9, 2001. He was 53. He was born Jiro Sugita in Morioka, Iwate, Japan, on January 13, 1948. He began his career in films as an assistant director with Nikkatsu in the mid–1970s. He made his directorial debut in 1980 with the popular film The Terrible Couple. He directed a dozen more films over the next two decades including Sailor-fuku to kikanju (1981), Shonben Rider (1983), Gyoei no mure (1983), Typhoon Club (1984), Love Hotel (1985), Hikaru onna (1987), Tokyo Heaven (1990), Moving (1993), Wait and See (1998) and Kazahana (2000).
Son, Trinh Cong
Lyubov Sokolova
Vietnamese songwriter and singer Trinh Cong Son died of complications from diabetes in Ho Chi Minh City on April 1, 2001. He was 62. Son was born in the Central Highlands Dac Lac province of Vietnam on February 28, 1939. During the 1960s and 1970s Son was known throughout Vietnam as a leading voice of peace, singing and composing anti-war songs while the Vietnam
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Trinh Cong Son
Soraya
War raged. The South Vietnamese tried to suppress his music during the war and Son was sent to a farm labor camp for several years when the North was victorious in 1975. His popularity endured his hardships. Son continued to write songs throughout his life and also became noted as a painter during his later years. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 4, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 5, 2001, B9; Time, Apr. 16, 2001, 23.
in an Islamic revolution in 1979 and died of cancer the following year. Soraya’s autobiography, The Palace of Solitudes, was published in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 26, 2001, B14; New York Times, Oct. 26, 2001, A21; People, Nov. 12, 2001, 105; Times (of London), Nov. 10, 2001, 29c; Time, Nov. 5, 2001, 23.
Soraya
Film and television actress Ann Sothern died of heart failure at her home in Ketchum, Idaho, on March 15, 2001. She was 92. Sothern was born Harriette Lake in Valley City, North Dakota, on January 22, 1909. She began her career in Hollywood while in her teens, appearing in bit parts in such films as Broadway Nights (1927), Hearts in Exile (1929), The Show of Shows (1929), Song of the West (1930), Hold Everything (1930), Doughboys (1930) and Whoopee! (1930). She subsequently went to New York, where she had some success on the Broadway stage in the play Everybody’s Welcome. She returned to Hollywood and was signed by Columbia where she resumed her film career. She was featured in such films as Let’s Fall in Love (1934), Melody in Spring (1934), Kid
Princess Soraya, the second wife of the former Shah of Iran, died at her apartment in Paris on October 25, 2001. She was 69. She was born Soraya Esfandiari Bakhtiari in Isfahan, Iran, on June 22, 1932. She married Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in February of 1951, becoming empress of Iran. They divorced seven years later when she failed to produce a child. Soraya was granted the title of princess after the divorce. She left Iran for Europe, where she appeared in several films in the mid–1960s. Soraya was featured in the 1965 Hammer version of She with Ursula Andress and also appeared in the 1965 Italian film Three Faces of a Woman. The Shah was deposed
Sothern, Ann
Obituaries • 2001
274
Ann Sothern
Millions (1934), The Party’s Over (1934), The Hell Cat (1934), Blind Date (1934), Eight Bells (1935), Hooray for Love (1935), Grand Exit (1935), Folies Bergere (1935), The Girl Friend (1935), Walking on Air (1936), Smartest Girl in Town (1936), HellShip Morgan (1936), My American Wife (1936), Don’t Gamble with Love (1936), You May Be Next (1936), Dangerous Number (1937), She’s Got Everything (1937), There Goes My Girl (1937), Super Sleuth (1937), There Goes the Groom (1937), Fifty Races to Town (1937), Danger — Love at Work (1937), Trade Winds (1938), Fast and Furious (1939), Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President (1939) and Hotel for Women (1939). In 1939 Sothern was cast in the MGM film Maisie, which spawned several successful sequels including Congo Maisie (1939), Gold Rush Maisie (1930), Ringside Maisie (1941), Maisie Was a Lady (1941), Maisie Gets Her Man (1942), Swing Shift Maisie (1943), Maisie Goes to Reno (1944), Up Goes Maisie (1946) and Undercover Maisie (1947). During the 1940s Sothern was also seen in Brother Orchid (1940) with Edward G. Robinson, Dulcy (1940), Lady Be Good (1941), Panama Hattie (1942), Thousands Cheer (1943), Three Hearts for
Julia (1943), Cry Havoc (1943), Words and Music (1948), April Showers (1938), A Letter to Three Wives (1949), The Judge Steps Out (1949), Nancy Goes to Rio (1950) and Shadow on the Wall (1950). In 1950 Sothern suffered from a serious bout of hepatitis, spending much of the next year hospitalized. She appeared in the 1953 film The Blue Gardenia, and also began her long running role as Susie McNamara on the popular television sitcom Private Secretary. The series ran on CBS from 1953 to 1957. This was followed by The Ann Sothern Show, where she starred as hotel assistant manager Katy O’Connor. The series was a success during its run from 1958 to 1961. Sothern was subsequently featured in the films The Best Man (1964), Lady in a Cage (1964) and Sylvia (1965). She played the voice of Gladys Crabtree opposite Jerry Van Dyke in the bizarre 1965 sitcom My Mother, the Car. She was also seen in the tele-films The Outsider (1967), Congratulations, It’s a Boy! (1971), A Death of Innocence (1971), The Great Man’s Whiskers (1971), The Weekend Nun (1972), and the 1976 mini-series Captains and the Kings. She was also seen on television in episodes of What’s My Line, The Lucille Ball Show, The Legend of Jesse James, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Family Affair, The Virginian and Alias Smith and Jones. Her other film credits also include Chubasco (1968), The Killing Kind (1973), Golden Needles (1974), Crazy Mama (1975), The Manitou (1978) and The Little Dragons (1980). She was featured in the 1985 tele-film remake of A Letter to Three Wives, and received and Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1987’s The Whales of August. The film also featured Sothern’s daughter, actress Tisha Sterling. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 17, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 17, 2001, C17; People, Apr. 2, 2001, 135; Times (of London), Apr. 21, 2001, 27c; TV Guide, Apr. 28, 2001, 5; Variety, Mar. 19, 2001, 47.
Soto, Helvio Film director Helvio Soto died in Paris on November 29, 2001. He was 71. Soto was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1930. He produced, directed and wrote the 1967 film Mundo Magico. His best known film was 1975’s It Is Raining in Santiago, which he directed and scripted. He also directed Erase un Nino, un Guerrillero, un
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2001 • Obituaries
Fajijan Sovagovic Helvio Soto
Coballo… (1967), Lunes, 10, Domingo 7 (1968), La Triple Muerte del Tercer Personaje (1980) and Mon Ami Washington (1984).
Sousa, Leone Former Ziegfeld Follies performer Leone Sousa died in Los Angeles on January 9, 2001. She was 91. Sousa was born in Lake Elsinore, California, in 1909. She began her career as a model in New York with the John Robert Powers Agency. She was featured in several Ziegfeld Follies revues during the 1930s, appearing with Fanny Brice. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where she performed on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 19, 2001, B6.
Sovagovic, Fajijan Croatian actor Fabijan Sovagovic died in Zagreb after a long illness on January 1, 2001. He was 68. Sovagovic was born in Ladimirevci, Croatia, on January 4, 1932. A leading stage and screen actor in the old Yugoslavia and Croatia, he was featured in numerous films from the 1950s. His
screen credits include Black Birds (1967), The Battle of Neretva (1969), Paralyzed (1971), Scalaway (1973), Peasant Uprising (1973), Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979), Vucjac (1985), My Uncle’s Legacy (1988), The Man Who Loved Funerals (1989), Orao (1990), Silent Gunpowder (1990), Evil Blood (1991) and Vukovar: The Way Home (1994).
Sparenberg, Raymond Raymond C. Sparenberg, who hosted the Indianapolis television Fright Night show as the ghoulish Selwin from 1958 to 1961, died of renal failure in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 1, 2001. He was 72. A producer and director with WISHTV in Indianapolis, Sparenberg sported ghastly makeup and a fiendish laugh to host horror films in the late 1950s. In 1961 he sported a pith helmet and jungle attire when the format was changed to jungle films, and became a spaceman the following year when science fiction films were featured. After the show ended in 1963 Sparenberg relocated to Atlanta to work as a sales manager with station WXIA. He subsequently managed a cheese shop in Atlanta until the early 1980s.
Obituaries • 2001
276
Spence Hartzell Raymond Sparenberg (as Selwin).
Spence, Hartzell Hartzell Spence, the editor of Yank magazine and a pioneer in pinup art, died at his Essex, Connecticut, home on May 9, 2001. He was 93. Spence was born in Clarion, Iowa, on February 15, 1908. An aspiring writer, Spence achieved success with the novel One Foot in Heaven, which was also adapted into a popular film in 1941. He founded Yank magazine during World War II, and popularized pinup photographs of such actresses as Betty Grable, Hedy Lamarr and Rita Hayworth in the pages of the magazine. These photographs became very popular with the soldiers during the war. Yank also published George Baker’s Sad Sack cartoon. After the war Spence continued to write magazine articles and historical novels, including The Big Top, with circus ringmaster Fred Bradna. He also wrote a 1964 biography of Filipino leader Ferdinand Marcos. Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2001, B11; New York Times, May 25, 2001, B8.
Springer, John Hollywood press agent and film historian John Springer died in a Manhattan hospital on October 30, 2001. He was 85. Springer was born in Rochester, New York, in 1916. He began his career writing film articles at a local newspaper and interviewing actors for a local radio station. In the late 1940s he joined the publicity staff for RKO. Later founding John Springer Associates, he served as publicist to numerous stars including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Judy Garland, Debbie Reynolds, Bette Davis, Lana Turner, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, Montgomery Cliff and Walt Disney. Springer often served as a press spokesman for his clients, trying to insure that their reputations remained in tact in the face of possible damaging publicity. He represented most of the principals during the Richard Burton–Elizabeth Taylor romance in the early 1960s, and was spokesman for Mia Farrow during her conflict with Woody Allen in the 1990s. Springer was also the
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2001 • Obituaries
Arlene Stadd
Stahl, Jennifer John Springer
author of several books about Hollywood’s Golden Age including All Talking! All Singing! All Dancing! (1966) and They Had Faces Then (1974) with Jack Hamilton. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 2, 2001, B15; People, Nov. 19, 2001, 101; Time, Nov. 12, 2001, 33; Variety, Nov. 5, 2001, 41.
Actress Jennifer Stahl, who appeared in the 1987 musical Dirty Dancing, was shot to death in her New York City apartment, allegedly by two men seeking to rob her of money made from dealing marijuana, on May 10, 2001. She was 39. Stahl was born in Titusville, New Jersey, in 1962. She began her career in show business in the mid–1980s as a dancer on the New York stage.
Stadd, Arlene Television scripter Arlene Stadd died in Los Angeles of a stroke on February 5, 2001. She was 70. Stadd was born in Philadelphia in 1930. She and her husband, Leonard Stadd, began writing for television in the 1960s, scripting episodes of such series as Love, American Style, Room 222 and Hawaii Five-O. They were divorced in 1976 and Stadd continued to write plays and television. She wrote a play about former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and scripted episodes of the series Hotel, and the soap operas General Hospital and The Doctors. Variety, Mar. 5, 2001, 2001.
Jennifer Stahl
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She was also featured in the films Necropolis (1986), Firehouse (1987) and I’m Your Man (1992).
Stanley, Kim Actress Kim Stanley died of cancer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on August 20, 2001. She was 76. She was born Patricia Beth Kimberley Reid in Tularosa, New Mexico, on February 11, 1925. She began her career on stage in the 1950s and received acclaim for her performances in Broadway productions of Bus Stop, A Touch of the Poet and Picnic. She was featured in the 1958 film The Goddess and was narrator for the 1962 classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Stanley appeared in a handful of other films including Seance on a West Afternoon (1964), The Three Sisters (1966), Frances (1982) as Frances Farmer’s mother, and 1983’s The Right Stuff as pioneer aviator Pancho Barnes. She earned an Emmy Award for her performance in a 1963 episode of Ben Casey, and received a second Emmy as Big Mama in a 1985 production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Other television appearances include the tele-films Flesh and Blood (1968), U.M.C. (1969) and Dragon Country (1970), and episodes of Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Philco Television Playhouse, Out There, Inner Sanctum, You Are There as Cleopatra, and Night Gallery.
Kim Stanley
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21, 2001, B10; New York Times, Aug. 21, 2001, C14; People, Sept. 3, 2001, 92; Time, Sept. 3, 2001, 29; Times (of London), Aug. 28, 2001, 15a; Variety, Aug. 27, 2001, 108.
Starer, Robert Composer Robert Starer died of congestive heart failure in Kingston, New York, on April 22, 2001. He was 77. Starer was born in Vienna, Austria, on January 8, 1924. He fled his home after the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, settling in Palestine with his mother. He served with the British Royal Air Force during the war and continued his education at the Juilliard School afterwards. He joined the faculty there in 1949. Starer created three ballets for Martha Graham, Samson Agonistes (1961), Phaedra (1962) and The Lady of the House of Sleep (1978). He also composed the operas Pantagleize (1973), The Last Lover (1975) and Apollonia (1979). Starer authored his memoir, Continuo: A Life in Music, in 1987. New York Times, Apr. 24, 2001, B10.
Robert Starer
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2001 • Obituaries
Stearns, Johnny Johnny Stearns, who starred in the early television sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny, died on December 1, 2001, in Newport Beach, California, of complication from a fall the previous month. He was 85. Stearns was born in Billerica, Massachusetts, in 1916, and began acting on stage at the age of 14. He was featured in the films Kiss of Death and Boomerang!, both in 1947. That year he and his new wife, Mary Kay Jones Stearns, starred in a 15 minute comedy series about newlyweds living in New York. The series lasted until 1950. Stearns subsequently served as a producer on Steve Allen’s The Tonight Show. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Mary Kay. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 9, 2001, B20; New York Times, Dec. 9, 2001, A35; Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Anthony Steel
Johnny Stearns
Steel, Anthony British film star Anthony Steel died in London on March 21, 2001. He was 80. Steel was born in London on May 21, 1920. He began his film career in the late 1940s, appearing in such British features as Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948), Portrait from Life (1948), Trottie True (1949), Poet’s Pub (1949), Marry Me (1949), Don’t Ever Leave Me (1949), The Chiltern Hundred (1949), The Wooden Horse (1950) and The Blue Lamp (1950). Steel became one of England’s best known leading men during the 1950s, starring in The Mudlark (1950), Where No Vultures Fly (1951), Laughter in Paradise (1951), Another Man’s Poison
(1952), Something Money Can’t Buy (1952), Outpost in Malaya (1952), Emergency Call (1952), The Master of Ballantrae (1953), The Malta Story (1953), Break to Freedom (1953), West of Zanzibar (1954), The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954), Storm Over the Nile (1955), Passage Home (1955), Out of the Clouds (1955), The Black Tent (1956), Checkpoint (1956), Valerie (1957) and Harry Black and the Tiger (1958). Steel’s marriage to actress Anita Ekberg in 1956, and their subsequent divorce three years later, damaged his film career in England. He continued to appear in European films including Honeymoon (1959), A Question of Adultery (1959), 48 Hours to Live (1959), Revenge of the Barbarians (1960), Tiger of the Seven Seas (1962), A Matter of Choice (1963), Winnetou II (1964), Conquerors of Arkansas (1964), An Affair of States (1966), Hell Is Empty (1966), The Queens (1966), Anzio (1968), Mad Jo (1968), Haschen in der Grube (1969), I Diavoli Della Guerra (1969), Massacre in Rome (1973), The Story of O (1975), The Night of the High Tide (1977), Love Trap (1977), Fiona (1977), The World Is Full of Married Men (1979) and The Perfect Crime (1979). He appeared in the British television mini-series The Racing Game in 1979, and was featured in the
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films The Monster Club (1980) and The Mirror Crack’d (1980). He also appeared in the 1981 telefilm Artemis 81. His other television credits include episodes of Adventures in Paradise, The Professionals, Tales of the Unexpected, The Return of the Saint, Bergerac and Robin of Sherwood. Steel largely went into retirement in the 1980s, leading a reclusive life in a run-down hotel and later, a retirement home, near London. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 2, 2001, B4; New York Times, Mar. 30, 2001, C13; Times (of London), Mar. 29, 2001, 25a.
Steele, Lou Actor Lou Steele died of a heart attack in a Paterson, New Jersey, hospital on February 25, 2001. He was 72. Steele began his career in radio before going to Hollywood in the early 1950s. He appeared in several films including September Affair (1950) and The Furies (1950). He returned to radio after serving in the Army during the Korean War. He also appeared on television in the daytime soap operas The Guiding Light and The Secret Storm. Steele was best known for his work at television station WNEW in New York, where he was an announcer and hosted Creature Feature as “The Creep” in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Lou Steele (as “The Creep”).
Stern, Isaac Isaac Stern, one of the leading violinists of the 20th century, died of complications from heart surgery at a New York City hospital on September 22, 2001. He was 81. Stern was born in Kreminiecz, the Ukraine, on July 21, 1920, and came to the United States with his family as an infant. He began playing the violin at the age of eight and made his professional debut performing with the San Francisco Symphony in a radio concert at the age of 16. He made his New York debut the following year and, in 1943, performed at Carnegie Hall. Over the next six decades Stern performed throughout the world, interpreting the works of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, and such contemporary composers as Bela Bartok, Henri Cutilleux and Henryk Gorecki. Stern toured the Soviet Union in 1956 and, in 1979, he traveled to China to perform and teach. The Oscar-winning
Isaac Stern
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documentary, From Mao to Mozart, recounted his journey there. He continued his musical career until shortly before his death. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 23, 2001, A1; New York Times, Sept. 23, 2001, A1; People, Oct. 8, 2001, 128; Time, Oct. 8, 2001, 21; Times (of London), Sept. 24, 2001, 19a; Variety, Oct. 1, 2001, 124.
(1970), Murder in the Walls (1971), You Don’t Need an Enemy (1972), Death in the Snow (1973), Power (1974), Wildfire (1985), Tsunami (1988), Tangled Murders (1989), Missing Man (1990) and Interloper (1990) Los Angeles Times, Nov. 8, 2001, B17; New York Times, Nov. 14, 2001, A21; Variety, Nov. 26, 2001, 67.
Stern, Richard Martin
Sterner, Jerry
Author Richard Martin Stern, whose novel The Tower was adapted for the screen as part of Irwin Allen’s hit disaster film The Towering Inferno, died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on October 31, 2001. He was 86. Stern was born in Fresno, California, on May 17, 1915. The author of over 20 mysteries and thrillers and numerous short stories, he received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his 1959 first novel The Bright Road to Fear. Screenwriter Sterling Silliphant adapted Stern’s The Tower, with Thomas Scortia and Frank Robinson’s The Glass Inferno, to create the script for The Towering Inferno in 1974. Stern’s other novels include The Bright Road to Fear (1958), Suspense: Four Short Novels (1959), The Search for Tabitka Carr (1960), Those Unlucky Deeds (1961), High Hazard (1962), Cry Havoc (1963), Right Hand Opposite (1964), I Hide We Seek (1965), The Kessler Legacy (1967), Merry Go Round (1969), Manuscript for Murder
Playwright Jerry Sterner died of a heart attack in New York on June 11, 2001. He was 62. Sterner wrote the hit Off-Broadway play Other People’s Money, which opened in 1989. The play was adapted into a film starring Danny DeVito and Gregory Peck in 1991. Sterner had previously written the unsuccessful play Be Happy for Me in 1984. He was working on a new play, Crossing the Double White Line, at the time of his death New York Times, June 15, 2001, A37; Time, June 25, 2001, 23; Variety, June 18, 2001, 52.
Richard Martin Stern
Stevens, Clyde Professional wrestler Clyde Stevens, who was known in the ring as Mr. Atomic, died in June of 2001. He was 74. Hailing from Somerville, Massachusetts, Stevens served in the U.S.
Clyde Stevens
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Navy, where he was the Pacific Fleet boxing champion. He was brought into professional wrestling by Jim Londos in the late 1940s, and remained a leading mat star for the next several decades. Stevens wrestled as the Golden Terror when he teamed with Dick “the Destroyer” Beyer to hold the World Class World Tag Team Title in Texas in February of 1966.
Stewart, Nell Leading female wrestler Nell Stewart died of throat and neck cancer on January 2, 2001. She was 74. The Alabama-born Stewart began her wrestling career in the late 1940s, and for over twenty years was one of the leading female stars. Known as “the Alabama Assassin,” she won the women’s title in Texas in 1952, holding the title for nearly a decade. Stewart competed against most of the notable women wrestlers of the era.
born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1953. He was a leading composer for animated television series, earning seven Emmy Awards for his work on such series as Animaniacs, Freakazoid! and Histeria! Stone also worked on the cartoon series Pinky and the Brain, The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, Road Rovers and TazMania. He had previously worked as a music editor on the films Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981), Cujo (1983), Man, Woman and Child (1983), D.C. Cab (1983), Witness (1985), Maxie (1985), Platoon (1986), Touch and Go (1986), Pretty in Pink (1986), Crimes of the Heart (1986), The Big Easy (1987) and The House on Carroll Street (1988). Stone also composed scores to several films including Summer Heat (1987), North Shore (1987), Pumpkinhead (1988), Never on Tuesday (1988), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), Vietnam, Texas (1990) and Tripwire (1990). New York Times, Mar. 16, 2001, A17; Variety, Apr. 2, 2001, 47.
Storr, Catherine British children’s writer Catherine Storr died in England on January 6, 2001. She was 87. Storr was born on July 21, 1913. Educated as a doctor and psychiatrist, Storre wrote her first book, Ingeborg and Ruthy, in 1940. She was best known
Nell Stewart
Stone, Richard Composer Richard Stone died of pancreatic cancer on March 9, 2001. He was 47. Stone was
Catherine Storr
283 for the children’s classics Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf (1955) and Marianne Dreams (1958). Other works include The Mirror Ghost, The Chinese Egg and Hugo and His Grandma.
2001 • Obituaries
Later he joined the Our House television series as a carpentry expert.
Straight, Beatrice Strachan, Graeme “Shirley” Graeme “Shirley” Strachan, the lead singer of the Australian rock group Skyhooks, was killed when the helicopter he was learning to fly crashed into Mount Alexander, near Kilroy, Queensland, Australia, on August 29, 2001. He was 49. Strachan was born in Malvern, Australia, on January 2, 1952. With Freddy Strauks and Greg Macainsh, Strachan formed the rock group Frame in 1971. He sang with the group for a year before leaving music to surf. The group subsequently became known as Skyhooks, and Strachan rejoined in 1974. They recorded several popular albums including Living in the Seventies. Strachan also embarked on a solo career, singing popular versions of the songs “Every Little Bit Hurts” and “Tracks of My Tears.” He soon became a television personality, hosting a children’s show with animal characters called Shirl’s Neighbourhood.
Beatrice Straight, who received the 1977 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as William Holden’s wife in Network, died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on April 7, 2001. She was 86. Straight was born in Old Westbury, New York, on August 2, 1914. She began her career on stage and made her Broadway debut in a production of Bitter Oleander in 1935. She was also seen on Broadway in productions of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Macbeth, and Henry James’s The Heiress and The Innocents. She earned the Tony award for her role in Arthur Miller’s Crucible in 1953. She made occasional film appearances from the early 1950s in such features as Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Patterns (1956), The Silken Affair (1957), The Nun’s Story (1959) and The Young Lovers (1964). On television she appeared as Vinnie Phillips in the soap opera Love of Live in 1970. She also appeared in the 1973 fantasy tele-film The Borrowers, and starred as Mrs. Hacker in the 1975 drama series Beacon Hill. Following her Oscar win for 1976’s
Graeme Strachan
Beatrice Straight
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Network, she starred in the tele-film Killer on Board (1977) and the 1978 mini-series adaptation of Dashiel Hammett’s The Dain Curse. She was also seen in the films The Promise (1979), Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline (1979), The Formula (1980), Endless Love (1980), the 1982 horror classic Poltergeist, Two of a Kind (1983), Sidney Lumet’s Power, and Deceived (1991) as Goldie Hawn’s mother. She starred as Aunt Louisa in the 1982 television series King’s Crossing and appeared in the Faerie Tale Theatre presentation of The Princess and the Pea in 1984. She also appeared in the tele-films Chiller (1985), Robert Kennedy and His Times (1985) as Rose Kennedy, Under Siege (1986), Run Till You Fall (1988) and People Like Us (1990). Other television appearances include episodes of You Are There, The U.S. Steel Hour, Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, The Nurses, Mission: Impossible, Wonder Woman and St. Elsewhere. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 11, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 11, 2001, B7; People, Apr. 30, 2001, 82; Variety, Apr. 16, 2001, 50.
comedy Keep Your Seats, Please, billed as Fiona Stuart, but soon became known as Binkie. She continued to appear in such films as Moonlight Sonata (1937), Splinters in the Air (1937), Torpedoed (1937), Little Miss Somebody (1937), Rose of Tralee (1938), Little Miss Molly (1938) and Little Dolly Daydream (1938). Stuart subsequently ended her film career at the age of six when a plan to go to Hollywood was interrupted by the start of World War II. She later studied acting and dance, but was never able to resurrect her career. Times (of London), Aug. 10, 2001, 17a.
Sucksdorff, Arne Oscar-winning Swedish documentary filmmaker Arne Sucksdorff died of pneumonia in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 4, 2001. He was 84. Sucksdorff was born in Stockholm on February 3, 1917. As director, writer, editor and cinematographer, Sucksdorff began making short films during the 1940s, including Gryning (1944) and Manniskor i stad (1947). He received an
Stuart, Binkie British child actress Binkie Stuart died in Reading, England, on August 4, 2001. She was 69. She was born Elizabeth Alison Fraser in Kilmarnock, Scotland, on March 11, 1932. The winner of London’s Most Beautiful Baby contest at the age of two, she was soon appearing in films as England’s answer to Shirley Temple. She made her film debut in Monty Banks’ 1936 musical
Binkie Stuart (right, with Kathleen O’Regan in the Rose of Tralee).
Arne Sucksdorff
285 Academy Award for his short film Symphony of a City in 1949. He created the award winning docudrama The Great Adventure in 1953, also appearing in the film as an actor. Sucksdorff ’s other credits include The Flute and the Arrow (1957), The Boy in the Tree (1961), My Home Is Copacabana (1965) and Cry of the Penguins (1971). Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2001, B11; New York Times, May 13, 2001, 34.
Summerfield, Eleanor British character actress Eleanor Summerfield died in London on July 13, 2001. She was 80. Summerfield was born in London on March 7, 1921. She began her film career in the late 1940s, appearing in Take My Life (1947), The Weaker Sex (1948), The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948), Man on the Run (1948), London Belongs to Me (1948), No Way Back (1949), All Over the Town (1949), Laughter in Paradise (1951), The Third Visitor (1951), A Christmas Carol (1951), Mr. Potts Goes to Moscow (1952), Crash of Silence (1952), Man Bait (1952), Both Sides of the Law (1953), Isn’t Life Wonderful! (1953), The Black Glove (1954), Blackout (1954), Final Appointment (1954), Tears for Simon (1955), Odongo (1956), It’s Great to Be Young (1956), No Road Back (1957), A Cry from
Eleanor Summerfield
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the Streets (1958), The Millionairess (1960), Dentist in the Chair (1960), Spare the Rod (1961), Petticoat Pirates (1961), Operation Snafu (1965), Don’t Bother to Knock (1961), Guns of Darkness (1962), On the Beat (1962), The Running Man (1963), Some Will, Some Won’t (1969), and the 1980 Disney supernatural thriller The Watcher in the Woods. Summerfield was also a popular television actress, appearing in such British series as My Wife’s Sister, The Two Charleys, The World of Wooster, Kaleidoscope, Lovejoy, Casualty, Midsomer Murders and Family Money. She was married to actor Leonard Sachs from 1950 until his death in 1990.
Survinski, Vince Vince Survinski, who appeared in and worked on several George Romero horror films, died on May 7, 2001. Survinski was featured as a member of the posse hunting zombies in 1968’s Night of the Living Dead. He was also seen in the films There’s Always Vanilla (1972), The Crazies (1973) and Martin (1977), and worked on the
Vince Survinski (on the set of Night of the Living Dead ).
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productions of Season of the Witch (1972), Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Creepshow (1982).
Sutherland, John Educational filmmaker John Elliot Sutherland died in Los Angeles on February 17, 2001. He was 90. Sutherland worked for Disney in the late 1930s as an assistant director and story editor. He was also a voice for the mature Bambi in the 1943 classic animated film. During World War II he made army training films for the military. He subsequently worked as an industrial film producer whose numerous credits include A Is for Atom for General Electric, The Spray’s the Thing for DuPont, and Rhapsody of Steel for U.S. Steel. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 27, 2001, B6.
Sutton, Margaret Mystery writer Margaret Sutton died in a Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, hospital on June 21, 2001. She was 98. She was born Margaret Beebee in Odin, Pennsylvania, on January 22, 1903. She began writing the popular Judy Bolton mystery series in 1932, writing 38 books in the series through 1967 including The Vanishing Shadow, The Haunted Attic, The Search for the Glowing Hand and The Secret of the Sand Castle. Los Angeles Times, June 24, 2001, B12; New York Times, June 25, 2001, B7.
Margaret Sutton
Swamy, Tirupati Indian film director Tirupati Swamy was killed in an automobile accident in India on June 10, 2001. He was 35. Swamy began his film career as an assistant to director Suresh Krishna. He made his directoral debut with the award winning 1998 film Ganesh. He also directed the 2000 film Azad, and had completed Salute shortly before his death. Tirupati Swamy
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Swift, David Film and television writer and director David Swift died of a heart attack in a Santa Monica, California, hospital on December 31, 2001. He was 82. Swift was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1919. He began his career as an animator for Disney before becoming a script writer for radio and television in the late 1940s. He scripted episodes for such early television series as The Philco Television Playhouse and Studio One. Swift created the popular television comedy series Mr. Peepers, starring Wally Cox, in 1952. He also directed episodes of such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train and The Rifleman in the late 1950s. He made his feature film debut directing and scripting the 1960 Disney comedy Pollyanna, which he followed with The Parent Trap in 1961. Swift wrote scripts for Imogene Coca’s 1963 television series Grindl. He also directed the films The Interns (1962), Love Is a Ball (1963), Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963), Good Neighbor Sam (1964) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967). Returning to television he created the 1970 sit-com Arnie, and directed episodes of the series Barney Miller and
2001 • Obituaries
Eight Is Enough in the 1970s. He also scripted several more films including Candleshoe (1977) and Foolin’ Around (1980). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 5, 2002, B12; Variety, Jan. 7, 2002, 70.
Syme, Jennifer Jennifer Syme, an actress and former girlfriend of actor Keanu Reeves, was killed on April 4, 2001, when she was thrown from her sports utility vehicle after crashing into three parked cars on Highway 101 near Hollywood. She was 28. Syme, who reportedly broke up with Reeves in 2001, had a small part as a junkie in David Lynch’s 1997 film Lost Highway.
Jennifer Syme
Szurovy, Walter
David Swift
Austrian actor Walter Szurovy died on November 4, 2001. He was 91. Szurovy was born in Vienna, Austria, on May 28, 1910. He began his film career in Europe, appearing in the features Not a Word About Love (1937), Life’s Mirror (1938) and Hotel Sacher (1939). Billed as Walter Molnar, he starred as Paul de Bursac in Humphrey Bogart’s 1944 film To Have and Have Not. Szurovy
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Walter Szurovy (lying in bed as Bogart looks on, from To Have and Have Not).
was married to Metropolitan Opera soprano Rise Stevens in January of 1939. His son, Nicolas Surovy, is also an actor.
Tabakin, Ralph Character actor Ralph Tabakin died of heart disease in Silver Springs, Maryland, on May 13, 2001. He was 79. Tabakin was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1922. He began acting in community theater in the 1960s before he was cast in director Barry Levinson’s 1982 film Diner. Levinson continued to use him in 15 more of his films,
Ralph Tabakin
with Tabakin appearing in small roles in The Natural (1984), Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Tin Men (1987), Rain Man (1988), Avalon (1990), Bugsy (1991), Toys (1992), Disclosure (1994), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), Sleepers (1996), Wag the Dog (1997), Sphere (1998) and Liberty Heights (1999). He also appeared regularly as Medical Examiner Scheiner in numerous episodes of Levinson’s television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2001, B10; New York Times, May 16, 2001, C19; Variety, May 28, 2001, 63.
Tannenbaum, Tom Television executive Thomas D. Tannenbaum died of heart and liver failure in Los Angeles on December 1, 2001. He was 69. Tannenbaum began his career at MGM in the early 1950s, where he served as associate producer for the 1957 film Raintree County. He was also associate producer on the 1963 film Rampage. He subsequently moved into television, working with Famous Artists Agency and as president of Seven Arts Television. He worked with David Wolper
Tom Tannenbaum
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Productions and Paramount Television in the 1960s and early 1970s, supervising such series as Love, American Style, The Brady Bunch, Mission: Impossible, and The Odd Couple. He also produced James Franciscus’ 1971 detective series Longstreet. He subsequently worked with Universal Television, where he was production supervisor on The Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mysteries. He was also involved in the production of such series as Kojak, Switch and The Incredible Hulk. He became president of Viacom in 1984, where he was instrumental in creating such series as Matlock, Jack and the Fatman, The Dowling Mysteries, and the Perry Mason tele-films. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 5, 2001, B11; Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Tate, Buddy Jazz saxophonist Buddy Tate died in Chandler, Arizona, on February 10, 2001. He was 87. He was born George Holmes Tate in Sherman, Texas, on February 22, 1913. He began playing professionally in the Southwest in the early 1930s, performing with the St. Louis Merrymakers, Terrence Holder and Andy Kirk. He replaced the deceased Herschel Evans in Count Basie’s band in 1939. Tate remained with Basie for the next nine years. He subsequently performed with such artists as Hot Lips Page and Lucky Millinder before joining the band at the Celebrity Club in Harlem, where he remained for 21 years. Tate toured and recorded from the 1950s through the 1990s, with some of his better known albums being Groovin’ with Tate, Hard Blowin’, Live at Sandy’s and The Ballad Artisty of Buddy Tate. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 15, 2001, B8; New York Times, Feb. 13, 2001, B8; Times (of London), Feb. 8, 2001, 25a.
Tatischeff, Sophie French film editor and director Sophie Tatischeff died in Paris after a long illness on October 27, 2001. She was 55. The daughter of director Jacques Tati, she was born on October 22, 1946. She began her career in films editing her father’s Playtime (1967) and Traffic (1971). She continued to work in films after her father’s death in
Buddy Tate
1982, editing for such directors as Jean-Pierre Mocky, Jean-Jacques Annaud and Jean-Pierre Melville. Tatischeff directed the critically acclaimed 1976 short film Degustation Maison. She directed her first feature film, Marie’s Counter, in 1998. Variety, Nov. 12, 2001, 44.
Tennant, Don Advertising agent Don Tennant, the creator of Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger cereal mascot, died of heart disease in Los Angeles on December 8,
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Tepper, Leonard Leonard Tepper, the bald, hulking character actor who appeared often in comic sketches on David Letterman’s late-night talk show, died in New York City on June 7, 2001. He was 61. Tepper was born on July 3, 1939. He was featured on Late Show with David Letterman from 1996 until his death. He also appeared in small roles in several films including Class of Nuke ’Em High (1986), Awakenings (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) and Night Falls on Manhattan (1997).
Don Tennant
2001. He was 79. Tennant was born in Sterling, Illinois, in 1922. He began working in radio and television as a writer after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He joined the Leo Burnett advertising agency in 1950, where he was a radio and television producer. He drew the Tony the Tiger character to promote Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes in 1952. Tony became a popular spokescreature for the cereal, shouting “They’re gr-r-reat!!!” on television commercials. Tennant eventually became the director of creativity with the Burnett agency. He directed and edited commercials and wrote numerous jingles including Pillsbury’s “Nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven, and Pillsbury says it best.” Tennant left the Burnett Agency in 1970 and subsequently formed his own agency. He remained a consultant until his retirement in 1990. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 11, 2001, B11; New York Times, Dec. 13, 2001, C16; TV Guide, Jan. 26, 2002, 16.
Leonard Tepper
Teshigahara, Hiroshi Leading Japanese film director Hiroshi Teshigahara died of leukemia in a Tokyo, Japan, hospital on April 14, 2001. He was 74. Teshigahara was born in Tokyo on January 28, 1927. An art student in the 1940s, Teshigahara made his feature film debut with Otoshiana (aka Pitfall) in 1962. Often working with wrier Kobo Abe, Teshigahara received international acclaim for the 1964 film Woman of the Dunes, becoming the first Asian director nominated for an Academy Award. He also helmed That Tender Age (1964), The Face of Another (1966), Explosion Course (1967), The Ruined Map (1968) and Summer Soldiers (1972). He subsequently abandoned feature filmmaking for other artistic endeavors. He returned to features in 1989, directing the award-winning Rikyu.
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Thomas, Ralph
Hiroshi Teshigahara
Teshigahara’s last film, Basara: The Princess Goh, was released in 1992. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 20, 2001, B7; New York Times, Apr. 20, 2001, B9; Variety, May 7, 2001, 175.
British film director Ralph Thomas died in a London hospital on March 17, 2001. He was 85. Thomas was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England, on August 10, 1915. He began working with the Rank Organization after serving in the British military during World War II. He made his directoral debut with 1947’s Once Upon a Dream. Often teamed with producer Betty E. Box, Thomas continued to direct nearly 40 films including Traveller’s Joy (1949), Helter Skelter (1949), The Clouded Yellow (1951), Island Rescue (1951), The Assassin (1952), The Dog and the Diamonds (1953), A Day to Remember (1953), Mad About Men (1954), Doctor in the House (1954) the first in the popular comedy series starring Dirk Bogarde, Doctor at Sea (1955), Above Us the Waves (1955), The Iron Petticoat (1956), Checkpoint (1956), Doctor at Large (1957), Campbell’s Kingdom (1957), A Tale of Two Cities (1958), The Wind Cannot Read (1958), The 39 Steps (1959), Upstairs and Downstairs (1959), Conspiracy of Hearts (1960), Doctor in Love (1960), No My Darling Daughter (1961), No Love for Johnnie (1961), Carry on Regardless (1961), A Pair of Briefs (1962), The Wild and the Willing (1962), Doctor in Distress (1963), Agent 8∫ (1964), McGuire, Go Home!
Thatcher, Kyle Actor Kyle Thatcher died in Agua Dulce, California, on December 10, 2001. He was 53. He was born in Port Huron, Michigan, on December 16, 1947. He began his career in films as a stand-in for John Wayne in 1975’s Rooster Cogburn. He was subsequently featured in such films as Jinxed! (1982), Blind Fury (1989) and But I’m a Cheerleader (1999). Thatcher also appeared in the tele-film Trail of Tears, and had a recurring role in the final season of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
Ralph Thomas
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(1965), Carnaby, M.D. (1966), the Bulldog Drummond films Deadlier Than the Male (1966) and Some Girls Do (1969), The High Commissioner (1968), Doctor in Trouble (1970), Percy (1971), the 1971 science fiction romance Quest for Love (1971), The Love Ban (1973), It’s Not the Size That Counts (aka Percy’s Progress (1974) and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 23, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 21, 2001, C23; Times (of London), Mar. 21, 2001, 23a; Variety, Mar. 26, 2001, 151.
Thomas, Rufus Rufus Thomas died of a heart attack in a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on December 15, 2001. He was 84. Thomas was born in Cayce, Mississippi, on March 26, 1917. Best known for his novelty dance records including “Do the Funky Chicken” and “Walking the Dog,” Thomas began his career on Beale Street in Memphis, tap dancing for tips. During the 1940s he organized amateur talent contests on Beale, which helped start the careers of such artists as B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland. Thomas recorded Sun Record’s first hit, “Bear Cat,” in 1953, before the advent of Elvis Presley. During the 1960s he was a mainstay at Stax Records. He was also featured
in several films including Great Balls of Fire! (1989), Mystery Train (1989), A Family Thing (1996) and Cookie’s Fortune (1999). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 16, 2001, B15; New York Times, Dec. 19, 2001, C19; Variety, Dec. 24, 2001, 39.
Thompson, Gene Television writer Gene Thompson died of cancer at his Los Angeles home on April 14, 2001. He was 76. Thompson was born in San Francisco, California, on June 28, 1924. After graduating high school Thompson met Groucho Marx, who was instrumental in helping the young man begin his career. Thompson wrote comedy sketches for Marx, who also helped him get a job writing for the Duffy’s Tavern radio program. He worked often in television during the 1960s, writing episodes of The Lucille Ball Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Governor & J.J., Columbo, Cannon, The Bob Newhart Show, Anna and the King, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Apple’s Way and Harry O. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 18, 2001, B6; New York Times, Apr. 25, 2001, C17; Variety, May 7, 2001, 175.
Thornton, Melanie American pop singer Melanie Thornton was killed when the four-engined Avro RJ-100 aircraft
Rufus Thomas
Melanie Thornton
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she was a passenger in crashed near the Zurich airport on route from Berlin on November 24, 2001. She was 34. Thornton was born in South Carolina on May 13, 1967. The lead singer with the pop group La Bouche, Thornton recorded such hits as “Sweet Dreams,” “Falling in Love” and “Be My Lover.” She left the group in Februay of 2001 to pursue a solo career. She had recently recorded the hit single “Wonderful Dream,” and the solo album Ready to Fly. She was on tour to publicize the album when she was killed. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 27, 2001, B9; People, Dec. 10, 2001, 133; Times (of London) Nov. 26, 2001, 19a.
Timmins, Ossie Professional wrestler O.J. “Ossie” Timmins died of cancer in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on March 12, 2001. He was 81. He was born Frank Judson in Nova Scotia in 1919. He began wrestling professionally in the late 1940s. He often competed as The Red Secret until his retirement in the early 1960s. Timmins continued to referee wrestling bouts until the early 1980s.
Ossie Timmins
Townes, Harry Actor Harry Townes died after a long illness in Huntsville, Alabama, on May 23, 2001.
Harry Townes
He was 86. Townes was born in Huntsville on September 18, 1914. He began his career on stage in the mid–1930s, appearing in a production of Tobacco Road. He was later featured in Broadway productions of Finian’s Rainbow, as a leprechaun, How the Other Half Lives and Twelfth Night. He made his film debut in the early 1950s, appearing in such features as Operation Manhunt (1954), The Mountain (1956), Screaming Mimi (1958), The Brothers Karamazov (1958), Cry Tough (1959), Sanctuary (1961), Fitzwilly (1967), In Enemy Country (1968), Strategy of Terror (1969), Heaven with a Gun (1970), Santee (1973), Angel of H.E.A.T. (1982), The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984) and The Check Is in the Mail… (1986). Townes was also a prolific television actor, appearing in the tele-films They Call It Murder (1971), The Specialists (1975), The Immigrants (1978), Backstairs at the White House (1979) and Casino (1980). His numerous television appearances also include episodes of Philco Television Playhouse, Suspense, Tales of Tomorrow, Kraft Theatre, Danger, Inner Sanctum, Star Tonight, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Have Gun, Will Travel, Perry Mason, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, One Step Beyond, Zane Grey Theater, Rawhide, The Twilight Zone, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Death Valley Days, Men into Space, The Rebel, Laramie, The Deputy, Johnny Ringo, Wrangler, Bonanza, Stagecoach West, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, The Investigators, Sam Benedict, The Littlest Hobo, The Dakotas, The Fugitive, The Out-
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laws, The Tall Man, The Outer Limits, Mr. Novak, The Virginian, A Man Called Shenandoah, Wild Wild West, Gallagher, Branded, The Monroes, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, Ironside, Star Trek, The Invaders, The Big Valley, Mannix, The Young Lawyers, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, Cade’s Country, The Sixth Sense, The Delphi Bureau, Emergency!, Cannon, Ark II, Lou Grant, Quincy, Kung Fu, Planet of the Apes, Charlie’s Angels, Falcon Crest, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Sara, The Incredible Hulk, Magnum, P.I., Simon & Simon, Voyagers!, Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Valerie. Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2001, B11; New York Times, May 31, 2001, B9.
Townson, Ron Ron Townson, a singer and founding member of the pop group The 5th Dimension, died
of kidney disease at his Las Vegas home on August 2, 2001. He was 68. Townson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 20, 1933. He and LaMonte McLemore formed the Versatiles, a singing group that was soon renamed The 5th Dimension, in 1965. The group also included singers Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis. They recorded such hit songs in the 1960s as “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In,” from the musical Hair, Laura Nyro’s “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Stoned Soul Picnic,” and Jimmy Webb’s “Up, Up and Away,” which earned four Grammy Awards in 1968. Several members of the group began solo careers in the 1970s. Townson formed a new group, Ron Townson and Wild Honey, though he subsequently reformed The 5th Dimension with LaRue, Phyllis Battle and Greg Walker. He also appeared in a small part in the 1992 film The Mambo Kings. Townson retired due to poor health in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 4, 2001, B14; New York Times, Aug. 4, 2001, A13; People, Aug. 20, 2001, 73; Variety, Aug. 6, 2001, 60.
Travers, Linden British actress Linden Travers died in England on October 23, 2001. She was 88. She was born Florence Linden-Travers in Newcastleupon-Tyne, England, on May 27, 1913. The older sister of the late actor Bill Travers, she made her film debut in the early 1930s appearing in such features as Children of the Fog (1935), Wednesday’s Luck (1936), Girl in the Street (1938), The Last Adventurers (1937), Double Alibi (1937), Brief Ecstasy (1937), Against the Tide (1937), Bank Holiday (1938), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Terror (1938), Almost a Honeymoon (1938), The Stars Look Down (1939), Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday (1939), South American George (1941), The Seventh Survivor (1941), The Ghost Train (1941), The Missing Million (1942), Beware of Pity (1946), Master of Bankdam (1947), Jassy (1947), No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948), The Bad Lord Byron (1949), Quartet (1949), Don’t Ever Leave Me (1949), and Christopher Columbus (1949). Travers retired from the screen in the late 1940s.
Ron Townson
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Linden Travers (right, with Margaret Lockwood from The Lady Vanishes).
Trenet, Charles French songwriter and singer Charles Trenet died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Creteil, France, on February 18, 2001. He was 87. Trenet was born in Narbonne, Aude, France, on May 18, 1913. He began writing songs with pianist Johnny Hess in the mid–1930s, performing in caberets and variety shows. Trenet continued as a solo writer and performer in 1936, writing songs for the stage and films. He appeared in a handful of films during his career including La Route enchantee (1938), Je chante (1938), Romance de Paris (1941), Frederica (1942), Adieu, Leonard (1943), La Cavalcade des heures (1943), Bouquet dejoie (1952), Printemps a Paris (1957), C’est arrive a 36 chandelles (1957) and L’Or du duc (1965). His most poupular song, La Mer (The Sea), was recorded in 1946. He continued to perform through the 1990s, recording a dozen new song for a CD, Fais ta vie, in 1995. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 2001, B7; New York Times, Feb. 20, 2001, B9; Time, Mar. 5,
Charles Trenet
2001, 24; Times (of London), Feb. 20, 2001, 23a; Variety, Mar. 5, 2001, 74.
Trenkler, Freddie Ice skating comic Freddie Trenkler died in Canoga Park, California, on May 21, 2001. He was 88. Trenkler was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1912. He made his first tour of the United States in the show Gay Blades in 1937. He returned to the U.S. in 1940 as a member of the first Ice Capades troupe. During the 1940s Trenkler often performed with skating star Sonja Henie. He performed in her Hollywood Ice Revue and was featured with her in the 1948 film The Countess of Monte Cristo. He returned to the Ice Capades in 1957, remaining until his retirement in 1981.
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Freddie Trenkler
Los Angeles Times, June 5, 2001, B10; New York Times, June 3, 2001, 33. Phillip Trent
Trent, Phillip Actor Phillip Trent died in Englewood, New Jersey, on January 24, 2001. He was 93. Trent was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on October 6, 1907. He began his career on stage in the late 1920s, appearing in nine Broadway productions during his career. He was featured in numerous films from the 1930s through the early 1940s. His film credits include The Man Who Dared (1933), Tilie and Gus (1933), The Power and the Glory (1933), Trick for Trick (1933), The Most Precious Things in Life (1934), Coming-Out Party (1934), Crime of Helen Stanley (1934), Transient Lady (1935), Princess O’Hara (1935), His Family Tree (1935), Strangers All (1935), Wife vs. Secretary (1936), For the Service (1936), The Girl on the Front Page (1936), The Public Pays (1936), Don’t Gamble with Love (1936), A Doctor’s Diary (1937), I Promise to Pay (1937), The Spy Ring (1938), Letter of Introduction (1938), Flirting with Fate (1938), When Tomorrow Comes (1939), Ninotchka (1939), Drunk Driving (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939) as the bearded Confederate on the steps of Tara, Pirates of the Skies (1939), Let Us Live! (1939), the 1939 serial The Green Hornet, Those Were the Days (1940), Paper Bullets (1941),
Murder by Invitation (1941), Outlaws of Cherokee Trail (1941) and Bombay Clipper (1942).
Tucker, Larry Screenwriter and producer Larry Tucker died of complications of multiple sclerosis and cancer in Los Angeles on April 1, 2001. He was 66. Tucker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 23, 1934. He began working in San Francisco in the 1960s, performing in comedy clubs and appearing in the films Blast of Silence (1961), Advise and Consent (1962), Shock Corridor (1963) and Angels Hard as They Come (1971). He worked with Paul Mazursky to write and produce the 1966 television series The Monkees. Tucker subsequently worked with Mazursky as producer and writer for the films I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and Alex in Wonderland (1970). Tucker later wrote and produced the television series Mr. Merlin, Jennifer Slept Here, Teacher Only and Stir Crazy in the 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 8, 2001, B8; New York Times, Apr. 13, 2001, C11; Variety, Apr. 16, 2001, 50.
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Turney, Norris
Tutin, Dame Dorothy
Jazz saxophonist Norris Turney died in a Kettering, Ohio, nursing home of complications from kidney disease on January 17, 2001. He was 79. Turney was born in Wilmington, Ohio, on September 8, 1921. He became interested in jazz at an early age and began playing professionally at the age of 18. He played with the Peter-Pillars Orchestra in St. Louis and with Tiny Bradshaw in Chicago before joining Billy Eckstine’s Orchestra in 1946. After Eckstine’s band disbanded Turney continued to play with such musicians as Elmer Snowden, Erskine Hawkins and Ray Charles. He joined Duke Ellington’s band in 1969, remaining for four years. During the 1970s Turney played with Broadway orchestras for such musical productions as Raisin, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Sophisticated Ladies. He continued to perform through the late 1990s until poor health forced his retirement. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 19, 2001, B6; New York Times, Jan. 22, 2001, B7.
British actress Dorothy Tutin died of leukemia in London on August 6, 2001. She was 70. Tutin was born in London on April 8, 1930. She began her career on the London stage in the late 1940s. She was also featured in over a dozen films during her career including The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), The Beggar’s Opera (1953), A Tale of Two Cities (1958), Cromwell (1970), Savage Messiah (1972), Sister Dora (1977), The Shooting Party (1984) and Indian Summer (1996). On television Tutin was featured as Anne Boleyn in the 1971 mini-series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, and was Lady Fenton in 1994’s Scarlett. She also appeared in the tele-films and mini-series Vienna 1900 (1973), Body and Soul (1994), The Great Kandinsky (1995), Jake’s Progress (1995) and This Could Be the Last Time (1998), and was featured in episodes of Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, Robin of Sherwood, All Creatures Great and Small, The Bill, Casualty, Heartbeat, and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 7, 2001, B11; New York Times, Aug. 9, 2001, B7; Times (of London), Aug. 7, 2001, 15a; Variety, Aug. 27, 2001, 108.
Dame Dorothy Tutin Norris Turney
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Umiliani, Piero Italian film composer Piero Umiliani died in Italy on February 14, 2001. He was 75. Umiliani was born in Florence, Italy, on July 17, 1926. He composed scores for over 100 films during his career. His credits include Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958), Fiasco in Milan (1959), The Traffic Policeman (1960), Red Lips (1960), Jail Break (1961), Behind Closed Doors (1961), Boccacio ’70 (1962), The New Angels (1962), Of Wayward Love (1962), The Commandment (1963), The Beautiful Swindlers (1964), Samson and the Mighty Challenge (1964), Arizona Bill (1964), The Love Factory (1964), Oh! Those Most Secret Agents (1965), The Amazing Doctor G. (1965), Agent 3S3, Passport to Hell (1964), Due Mafiosi Contro Al Capone (1966), Segretissimo (1966), Operation Poker (1966), Inferno in Caracas (1966), Ring Around the World (1966), The Two Parachutists (1966), The Suez Intrigue (1966), Agent Z-1-7 (1966), Made in Italy (1967), Target Frankie (1967), Death on a Rainy Day (1967), Time of Vultures (1967), Agente Z5: Atomic Secret (1966), Rififi in Amsterdam (1967), Password Kill Agent Gordon (1967), Night Is Made for Stealing (1967), Vengeance Is a Colt .45 (1967), Two Marines and a General (1967), How to Steal the Crown of England (1967), Sweden Heaven and Hell (1968), Excuse Me, Do You Like Sex? (1968), Paranoia (1968), The Nephews of Zorro (1968), Goldface, the Fantastic Superman (1968), Quinto: Fighting Proud (1969),
Piero Umiliani
Gangster’s Law (1969), Death Knocks Twice (1969), Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970), Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Fifth Floor Neighbour (1970), The Fourth Victim (1970), Fighters from Ave Maria (1970), Reverend’s Colt (1970), Django Against Sartana (1970), Witchcraft ’70 (1970), Night of the Devils (1971), Vengeance Trail (1971), A Man Called Django! (1972), The Sinner (1972), Baba Yaga (1973), The Body (1974), Get Rita (1975), Sexy Schoolteacher (1975), La Governante (1975), Blood River (1975), Black Cobra (1976), Burnt by a Scalding Passion (1976), The Night of the High Tide (1977), Blue Nude (1977), Erotico 2000 (1982) and Lobster for Breakfast (1982).
Utaemon VI Nakamura Utaemon VI, an international known Kabuki theater star, died at his home in Tokyo, Japan, on March 31, 2001. He was 84. He was born Fujio Kawamura in 1916, to a six-generation Kabuki family. A leading performer on the Kabuki stage, he was designated a living national treasure by the Japanese government. He served as artistic director of the Kabuki-za the-
Utaemon VI
299 ater in Tokyo. He also toured in international productions, making his United States debut in 1960. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 5, 2001, B8; New York Times, Apr. 4, 2001, A19; Times (of London), Apr. 3, 2001, 19a; Variety, Apr. 9, 2001, 58.
Uzaemon, Ichimura Leading Kabuki actor Ichimura Uzaemon died of lung cancer in Tokyo on July 8, 2001. He was 84. He was the nephew of modern Kabuki pioneer Kikugoro Onoe VI, and made his debut in Kabuki at the age of five. He continued to perform for over 70 years in the Japanese stylized dramatic theater and was designated a “living national treasure” by Japan’s government in 1990. Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2001, B10; Times (of London), July 24, 2001, 17a.
2001 • Obituaries
Valenta, Vladimir Czech actor Vladimir Valenta died of cancer in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on May 13, 2001. He was 78. Valenta was born in Czechoslovakia in 1923. A popular stage and film actor, he often ran afoul of the Communist government resulting in his imprisonment for several years in labor camps. Valenta scripted the films Svedomi (1948), Desire (1958) and Accused (1964), and was featured in the 1966 Oscar-winning foreign film Closely Watched Trains (1966). He also appeared in 1969’s End of a Priest before leaving Czechoslovakia to settle in Canada. He continued his film career in such features as Another Smith for Paradise (1972), The Wolfpen Principle (1974), Vengeance Is Mind (1974), The Amateur (1981), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), The Last Winter (1990) and Road to Saddle River (1994).
Valentine, Johnny Johnny Valentine, a top professional wrestler from the 1950s through the 1970s, died in a Dallas hospital after a lengthy illness following a
Ichimura Uzaemon
Johnny Valentine
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fall suffered in his home the previous year on April 24, 2001. He was 72. Valentine was born John Theodore Wisniski in Seattle, Washington, in 1928. The blond, athletic Valentine was known for his arrogant ring manner and was one of the top ring villains during wrestling’s “Golden Age.” He engaged in a long-running feud with Chief Wahoo McDaniel. Valentine held numerous titles, teaming with such wrestlers as Dr. Jerry Graham, Eddie Graham, Buddy Rogers, Bulldog Brower and Cowboy Bob Ellis. He often competed against Fritz Von Erich in Texas in the late 1960s, holding the World Class Championship on several occasions. Valentine was seriously injured in a plane crash in October of 1975. Legendary champion Ric Flair was also on board the flight, suffering a broken back. Flair recovered and resumed wrestling, but Valentine’s partial paralysis largely ended his ring career. He is survived by his son, professional wrestler Greg “the Hammer” Valentine. Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2001, B11.
The Eye Above the Well (1988), Face Value (1991), Brass Unbound (1993), Lucebert, Time and Farewell (1994), Amsterdam: Global Village (1996), Amsterdam Afterbeat (1997) and The Long Holiday (2000), depicting his world-wide search for a cure for cancer. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2001, B6; Variety, Jan. 15, 2001, 102.
Van Der Vlis, Diana Blonde stage and screen actress Diana van der Vlis died of complications from respiratory problems at a Missoula, Montana, hospital on October 22, 2001. She was 66. Van der Vlis was born in Toronto, Canada, on June 9, 1935. She attended the London Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and made her stage debut in Canada in the 1950s. She subsequently moved to New York where she starred in the Broadway production of The Happiest Millionaire in 1956. Nominated for a Tony Award for her performance, van der Vlis
van der Keuken, Johan Dutch documentary film director Johan van der Keuken died of prostate cancer in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on January 7, 2001. He was 62. Van der Keuken was born in Amsterdam on April 4, 1938. He made his debut directing the 1958 film Paris at Dawn. A leading documentarist during the 1960s, his films include Beppie (1965), Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe (1967), De Platte Jungle (1978), De Weg Naar Het Zuiden (1981), De Beeldenstorm (1982), De Tijd (1983),
Johan van der Keuken
Diana Van Der Vlis
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continued to appear on Broadway in productions of A Mighty Man Is He, A Shot in the Dark and Gore Vidal’s Visit to a Small Planet. She was also featured in several films from the late 1950s including The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), Roger Corman’s cult classic X — The Man with X-Ray Eyes (1963) with Ray Milland, The Incident (1967), The Swimmer (1968) with Burt Lancaster, and Lovespell (1979). She starred as Kate Hathaway Prescott in the television soap opera Where the Heart Is from 1969 to 1973, and was Dr. Nell Beaulac on Ryan’s Hope from 1975 to 1976. She returned to Ryan’s Hope as Sherry Rowan in 1988. Other television credits include The Dupont Show of the Month production of Heaven Can Wait, and episodes of Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Great Ghost Tales, The Fugitive, Route 66, The Defenders, Twelve O’Clock High, The Invaders, T.H.E. Cat, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The F.B.I. She largely retired from acting in the late 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 30, 2001, B10; New York Times, Oct. 28, 2001, A35.
Vargas Martinez, Jose Mexican actor Jose Manuel Vargas Martinez died of respiratory problems in Mexico City on October 19, 2001. He was 70. Vargas was best known for playing Bozo the Clown on Mexican television from the early 1960s. With bright red hair, white face and oversized shoes, he entertained Mexican children for decades. Vargas became Nino the Clown after he was threatened with a lawsuit by the U.S. holders of the Bozo copyright. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 22, 2001, B9; New York Times, Oct. 25, 2001, D9.
Jose Vargas Martinez (as Bozo).
Viby, Marguerite Danish actress Marguerite Viby died in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 8, 2001. She was 91. She was born in Viby Jylland, Denmark, on June 25, 1909. She was a popular star in Denmark for over 50 years, appearing in such films as Pas paa Pigerne (1930), Tretten aar (1932), Skaf en Sensation (1934), Cocktail (1937), Sorensen og Rasmussen (1940), Foken Vildkatt (1941), Teatertosset (1944), Nitouche (1944), Sussie (1945), Peggy
Marguerite Viby
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on a Spree (1946), I Love You Karlsson (1947), Litet bo (1956), Don Olsen kommer til byen (1964), Mordskab (1969) and Pa’en igen, Amalie (1973).
Vicious, Dave David Webber, who wrestled professionally as Dave Vicious on the New England independent circuit, was found dead of a heart attack in Topsham, Massachusetts, on March 16, 2001. He was 32. Webber was born in Brunswick, Massachusetts, on July 5, 1968. He began wrestling professionally in 1990. Often billed as “Delicious” Dave Vicious, he wrestled with the Eastern Wrestling Alliance.
Sacha Vierny
Dave Vicious
Vierny, Sacha French cinematographer Sacha Vierny died in Paris on May 15, 2001. He was 81. Vierny was
born in Bois-le-Roi, France, near Paris, on August 10, 1919. He attended the National Film Academy and began working in films in the 1950s. Vierny was director of photography on such films as Night and Fog (1955), Letter from Siberia (1957), Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima, Mon Amour (1959), Love Is When You Make It (1959), La Main Chaude (1960), The Season for Love (1960), Merci Natercia! (1960), Last Year at Marienbad (1961), Portrait Robot (1962), Climate (1962), Muriel (1963), Do You Like Women? (1964), The War Is Over (1966), La Musica (1966), The Dance of the Heron (1966), Bell de Jour (1967), Dear Caroline (1967), Le Tatoue (1968), The Hand (1969), Bof … Anatomie d’un Livreur (1971), The Monk (1972), Le Fusil a Lunette (1972), The Investigator (1973), Stavisky (1974), Baxter — Vera Baxter (1976), The Suspended Vocation (1977), Le Rose et le Blanc (1978), The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (1978), Le Fils Puni (1978), My American Uncle (1980), Stepfather (1981), Three Crowns of the Sailor (1982), The Public Woman (1984), L’Amour a Mort (1984) and The Future of Emily (1985). He worked with director Peter Greenaway
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on many of his films including A Zed and Two Noughts (1985), The Belly of an Architect (1987), Drowning by Numbers (1988), Fear of Drowning (1988), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Prospero’s Books (1991) and The Pillow Book (1996). Vierny also served as cinematographer for Rosa (1992), The Baby of Macon (1993), 8∂ Women (1999) and The Man Who Cried (2000). Los Angeles Times, June 5, 2001, B10; Times (of London), July 2, 2001, 19a.
Villano I Villano I, a leading masked Mexican wrestler, died in Mexico of a cerebral hemorrhage after a long illness on May 2, 2001. He was 49. Villano I, who was born Jorge Diaz Mendoza, Jr., was the oldest son of professional wrestler Ray Mendoza. He and his four brothers followed their father in the ring, becoming known as Villano I–V. Villano I held several championships in Mexico both as a single wrestler and while teaming with his brothers. A younger brother, known in the ring as Villano II, died in April of 1989.
Villano I
Leslie Vincent
2001. He was 91. He was born in Hawaii in 1909, and attended school in England. A noted swimmer, skier and adventurer, he spent several years abroad in Asia in the early 1930s before studying drama at the London Royal Academy. A friend of actress Marlene Dietrich, he was given a small role in her 1939 film Destry Rides Again. Over the decade he appeared in numerous films including Seven Sinners (1940), They Met in Bombay (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Immortal Sergeant (1943), Tonight We Raid Calais (1943), A Guy Named Joe (1943), Jane Eyre (1944), Secrets of Scotland Yard (1944), The Corn Is Green (1945), Pursuit to Algiers (1945), Paris Underground (1945), and Deadline for Murder (1946). He subsequently left Hollywood and returned to Hawaii, where he engaged in a long legal battle with the United States government over the ownership of the Palmyra Atoll, which had been purchased by his parents in the 1920s. He also served as head of the O’ahu hotel association in Hawaii.
Vincent, Leslie
Vita, Helen
Leslie Fullard-Leo, who appeared in several films in the 1930s under the name Leslie Vincent, died in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 1,
German actress and singer Helen Vita died of cancer in Berlin on February 16, 2001. She was 72. She was born Helena Vita Elizabeth Reichel
Obituaries • 2001
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Helen Vita
in Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, Germany, on August 7, 1928. She made her debut on stage in 1945 in a production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. A leading actress since the early 1950s, she was seen in such films as Palace Hotel (1951), The Little Town Will Go to Sleep (1954), 08/15 (1954), The Priest from Kirchfeld (1955), Two Blue Eyes (1955), Bonjour Kathrin (1956), Rosemary (1959), Everybody Loves Peter (1959), Robert and Bertram (1961), Games of Desire (1964), Lolita ’70 (1969), The Blonde and the Black Pussycat (1969), Swedish Love Games (1971), Swinging Wives (1971), Bob Fosse’s Cabaret (1972) as Fraulein Kost, Dream Town (1973), Chinese Roulette (1976), Satan’s Brew (1976), It Can Only Get Worse (1979), Lili Marleen (1981), Bride of the Orient (1988) and Babes’ Petrol (1997). She was also seen often on German television in such series as Der Alte, Derrick, Tatort, Lilli Lottofee and Matchball.
2001. He was 83. Vitsin was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 23, 1917. He began his film career in the late 1940s and was seen in such films as Belinski (1951), Man of Music (1953), The Reserve (1954), The Boys from Leningrad (1955), Twelfth Night (1956), The Long Roads (1956), Don Quixote (1957), A New Number Comes to Moscow (1957), A Groom from the Right Society (1958), A Girl with a Guitar (1958), Three Tales of Chekhov (1959), and The Adventures of Buratino (1960). Vitsin was best known for a series of comedy films he did with actors Yuri Nikulin and Yevgeny Morgunov for director Leonid Gaidai, including Absolutely Seriously (1961), Bootleggers (1962), Give Me a Complaint Back (1964), Operation Y and Other Adventures of Shurik (1965) and Prisoner of Caucasus (1967). His other films include Business People (1963), The Marriage of Balzaminov (1964), Little Hare (1964), Story About the Lost Time (1964), Who Invented the Wheel? (1966), The Formula of Rainbow (1966), Save the Drowning Man (1967), Tails (1967), A Very Old Story (1970), Twelve Chairs (1971), Shadow (1971), Gentlemen of Luck (1972), The Sannikov Earth (1973), Incorrigible Liar (1973), Czarevich Prostha (1974), Northern Rhapsody (1974), Car, Violin and Blot the Dog (1974), Impossible! (1975), Finest, the Brave Falcon (1975), the 1976 U.S.–Soviet co-production The Blue Bird with Elizabeth Taylor, When the Clocks Are Ticking (1976), Cipollino
Vitsin, Georgy Leading Russian stage and film actor Georgy Vitsin died in a Moscow hospital on October 22,
Georgy Vitsin
305 (1977), For the Matches (1980), Hands Up! (1982), Dangerous for Your Life! (1985), Travels of Mr. Kleks (1986) and A Few Love Stories (1994). Vitsin was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the Soviet Union in 1990. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 25, 2001, B15.
2001 • Obituaries
curring role as Miss Cummings in the Family Affair sit-com in the late 1960s. She subsequently retired from acting to raise a family. Los Angeles Times, June 11, 2001, B9.
Von Brauner, Kurt Vohs, Joan Actress Joan Vohs died in Tarzana, California, on June 4, 2001. She was 69. Vohs was born in Queens, New York, on July 30, 1931. A model and Radio City Rockette while in her teens, she came to Hollywood in the late 1940s and had a small role in the 1949 film The Girl from Jones Beach with Ronald Reagan. She continued her film career in such features as My Dream Is Yours (1949), Yes Sir That’s My Baby (1949), It’s a Great Feeling (1949), County Fair (1950), Girls’ School (1950), Royal Wedding (1951), As You Were (1951), Vice Squad (1953), Fort Ti (1953) with George Montgomery, Crazylegs (1953), Sabrina (1954), Cry Vengeance (1954), Fort Yuma (1955), Terror at Midnight (1956) and Lure of the Swamp (1957). She appeared as Elaine Meechim on the Bachelor Father television series in 1959, and also guest starred in such series as Frontier, Maverick, Colt .45, Perry Mason, The Lawless Years, Hawaiian Eye, The Rebel and My Three Sons. She had a re-
Jack Wilson, a leading wrestling villain from the mid–1950s through the late 1970s under such names as Kurt von Brauner, Hans Von Schupp, Mystery Man, Mr. Zero and the Masked Marvel, died in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 13, 2001. He was 82. Wilson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1918. He began wrestling in 1954, and remained a leading mat villain on the independent circuit until his retirement in 1981.
Kurt Von Brauner
Von Schacht, Frederick
Joan Vohs
Professional wrestler Frederick Von Schacht died on August 9, 2001. He was 90. Von Schacht was a leading ring villain from the 1940s known as Milwaukee’s Murder Master. He held several
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Frederick Von Schacht
titles with the NWA including the World Tag Team belt in 1950 with Ray Eckert and, later, Tom Rice. Von Schacht battled against such wrestling stars as Henry Kulkovich (Kulky), Cliff Thiede and Bronko Nagurski during his career.
von Tasnady, Maria Hungarian actress Maria von Tasnady died in Munich, Germany, on March 16, 2001. She was 89. She was born in Lonea, Transylvania, on November 16, 1911. A former Miss Hungary, she began her film career in the early 1930s appearing in such films as The Final Chord (1936), Strife Over the Boy Jo (1937), Men Without Country (1937), Frau Sylvelin (1938), Another Experience (1939), Alarm (1941), and Bengasi (1942). Married to director Geza von Radvanyi, she continued her film career in the 1950s in the European features Young Caruso (1951), Andre and Ursula (1955), and The Princess of St. Wolfgang (1957). She subsequently retired to Munich.
Waigner, Paul Television producer Paul Waigner died of cancer in a Los Angeles hospital on January 19,
Maria von Tasnady
2001. He was 56. Waigner was born in Long Island, New York, in 1944. He began his career working as a stage manager in New York theatrical productions. In the 1970s Waigner moved to Los Angeles where he earned an Emmy Award as producer for the Bicentennial Minutes in 1976. Waigner also served as a producer on such television series as Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Hunter and Beverly Hills, 90210. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 27, 2001, B6; Variety, Jan. 29, 2001, 67.
Wakely, Johnny Singer and guitarist Johnny Wakely died of liver disease in Shoreline, Washington, on December 22, 2001. He was 57. The son of legendary country musician Jimmy Wakely, he was born in Hollywood, Washington, on January 29, 1944. The younger Wakely’s hit records include “Women Gonna Be the Death of Me” and “I Love You So Much It Hurts Me.” Wakely worked with his father and artists Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry during his career.
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Shiloh and The Hardy Boys Mysteries. Walley starred in the 1974 film Benji. Her final film was the 1975 psycho thriller The Severed Arm. Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2001, B9; New York Times, May 15, 2001, A23; Variety, May 21, 2001, 64.
Walston, Ray
Johnny Wakeley
Walley, Deborah Actress Deborah Walley, who starred in numerous beach films in the 1960s, died of esophageal cancer at her home in Sedona, Arizona, on May 10, 2001. She was 57. Walley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on August 12, 1943. She made her film debut in the title role of 1961’s Gidget Goes Hawaiian. She continued to appear in such films as Bon Voyage! (1962), Summer Magic (1963), The Young Lovers (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), Ski Party (1965), Sergeant Deadhead (1965), Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) with Vincent Price, Spinout (1966) with Elvis Presley, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966) with Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone, It’s a Bikini World (1967), and the 1967 3-D science fiction film The Bubble (aka The Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth. Walley also starred as Suzie Hubbard Buell in the 1967 television sit-com The Mothers-in-Law with Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard. Her other television appearances include guest roles on Wagon Train Route 66, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Men from
Veteran character actor Ray Walston, best known for his role as Uncle Martin in the 1960s television series My Favorite Martian, died at his Beverly Hills, California, home on January 1, 2001. He was 86. Walston was born in New Orleans on December 2, 1914. He began his career performing on stage in Houston and made his Broadway debut in a small role in Hamlet in 1945. From the late 1940s he appeared in several productions directed by George Abbott. Walston received acclaim for his performance as the Devil in the 1955 production of Damn Yankees with the late Gwen Verdon. He earned a Tony Award for his performance and subsequently went to Hollywood. He appeared in the 1957 film Kiss Them for Me before reprising his role in the 1958 film version of Damn Yankees! Walston was also seen in the films South Pacific (1958), Say One for Me (1959), The Apartment (1960), Portrait in Black (1960), Tall Story (1960), Convicts Four
Deborah Walley (from The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini).
(1962), Wives and Lovers (1963), Who’s Minding the Store? (1963) and Kiss Me, Stupid (1964). From 1963 to 1966 Walston co-starred with Bill Bixby in the science fiction sit-com My Favorite Martian. He continued his film career in such
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Ray Walston
features as Caprice (1967), Paint Your Wagon (1969), The Sting (1973), Silver Streak (1976), The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977), Popeye (1980) as Robin William’s father, Poopdeck Pappy, Galaxy of Terror (1981), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), O’Hara’s Wife (1982), Private School (1983), Johnny Dangerously (1984), O.C. & Stiggs (1985), Rad (1986), Paramedics (1987), From the Hip (1987), Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988), A Man of Passion (1988), Blood Relations (1988), Ski Patrol (1990), Blood Salvage (1990), Popcorn (1991), The Player (1992), Of Mice and Men (1992), House Arrest (1996), Early Bird Special (1998), Addams Family Reunion (1998), and the 1999 film version of My Favorite Martian starring Christopher Lloyd. Walston remained a familiar face on television, appearing in the tele-films Institute for Revenge (1979), The Kid with the Broken Halo (1982), The Fall of the House of Usher (1982), This Girl for Hire (1983), The Jerk, Too (1984), For Love or Money (1984), Amos (1985), Ask Max (1985), The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1986), Ralph S. Mouse (1987), Crash Course (1988), Red River (1988), I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989), Class Cruise (1989), Angel of Death (1990), Pink Lightning (1991), One Special Victory (1991), Project ALF (1996), The Westing Game (1997), Tricks (1997) and Swing Vote
(1999). Walston also starred as Bob Richards in the 1979 series Stop Susan Williams with Susan Anton, and reprised his role as teacher Arnold Hand in the short-lived sit-com version of Fast Times in 1986. He was also seen in the 1994 miniseries based on Stephen King’s The Stand, and earned an Emmy Award for his role as Judge Henry Bone in the off-beat television drama Picket Fences, airing from 1992 to 1996. His numerous television credits also include guest roles in episodes of Suspense, You Are There, Outlaws, Shirley Temple Theatre, Way Out, The Wide Country, Wild Wild West, Custer, Garrison’s Gorillas, Mission: Impossible, Ellery Queen, The Evil Touch, The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky and Hutch, The Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Trapper John, M.D., The Littlest Hobo, Fame, Newhart, Gimme a Break!, Night Court, Otherworld, Matt Houston, Misfits of Science, Simon & Simon, St. Elsewhere, Sledge Hammer!, Silver Spoons, Superboy, Shades of L.A., Murder, She Wrote, Friday the 13th, Paradise, L.A. Law, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Eerie, Indiana, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Commish, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Star Trek: Voyager, Ally McBeal and Touched by an Angel. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 3, 2001, B6; New York Times. Jan. 3, 2001, C15; People, Jan. 15, 2001, 85; Time, Jan 15, 2001, 23; Variety, Jan. 8, 20001, 74.
Warner, John British actor John Warner died in Canterbury, Kent, England, on May 19, 2001. He was 77. Warner was born in George, South Africa, on January 1, 1924. He began his career on stage in the late 1930s. He became a popular performer with the Bristol Old Vic Company. Though a classical actor, Warner was best known on stage for his performances in the musical Salad Days. He also appeared in a handful of films during his career including The Cruel Sea (1953), The Captain’s Table (1959), Isadora (1968), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), Got It Made (1974) and Without a Clue (1988). He was also featured on British television in such series as Doctor in the House, Doctor at Large, Spy Trap, Potter, Terry and June, Poirot and Lovejoy.
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Watling, Jack British character actor Jack Watling died in Chelmsford, Essex, England, on May 22, 2001. He was 78. Watling was born in Chingford, England, on January 13, 1923. He began his career on stage at an early age and was appearing in films from the late 1930s. He was featured in numerous films including Sixty Glorious Years (1938), The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), We Dive at Dawn (1943), The Demi-Paradise (1943), The Way Ahead (1944), Journey Together (1946), The Courtneys of Curzon Street (1947), The Winslow Boy (1948), Easy Money (1948), Under Capricorn (1949), Quartet (1949), Once a Sinner (1950), The Naked Heart (1950), White Corridors (1951), Private Information (1951), Flannelfoot (1952), Father’s Doing Fine (1952), Trouble in the Glen (1953), Stryker of the Yard (1953), Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953), Tale of Three Women (1954), Dangerous Cargo (1954), The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954), Windfall (1955), Mr. Arkadin (1955), Reach for the Sky (1955), The Admirable Crichton (1957), That Woman Opposite (1957), Chain of Events (1957), The Birthday Present (1957), the
2001 • Obituaries
1958 drama about the sinking of the Titanic A Night to Remember, The Solitary Child (1958), Links of Justice (1958), Gideon of Scotland Yard (1959), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), The Queen’s Guards (1961), Three on a Spree (1961), Nothing Barred (1961), Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961), Mary Had a Little (1961), Flat Two (1961), Never Back Losers (1962), Who Was Maddox? (1964), the 1965 psycho-thriller The Nanny with Bette Davis, The Public Eye (1972) and 11 Harrowhouse (1974). Watling was also a popular performer on British television, starring in the series The Newcomers (1965), The Power Game (1965), Father Dear Father (1968), The Pathfinders (1972), Lord Tramp (1975), Doctor’s Daughters (1981) and Fortunes of War (1987). His other television appearances include episodes of The Invisible Man, Danger Man, Ghost Squad, Doctor Who, Nearest and Dearest, Jason King, Rumpole of the Bailey, Hot Metal, Bergerac, Jeeves and Wooster, The Mixer and Heartbeat. Times (of London), May 24, 2001, 21a.
Watson, Tom British actor Tom Watson died of cancer in St. Andrews, Scotland, on August 18, 2001. He was 69. Watson was born in Auchinleck, Strathclyde, Scotland, on March 21, 1932. He was featured in such films as Subway in the Sky (1959), Fahrenheit 451 (1966), Another Time, Another Place (1983), Mother, Mother (1989), The Big Man (1990), Go Now (1995), The New Room (1996), The Winter Guest (1997), The Slab Boys
Jack Watling
Tom Watson
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(1997), Sonny’s Pride (1998) and The Emperor’s New Clothes (2001). Watson was also featured often on British television, appearing as Superintendent Murray in Taggart in 1983 and as Ernest Docherty in the 1994 series Cardiac Arrest. He also appeared in television productions of The Nightmare Man (1981), The Mad Death (1983), Dreams Lost, Dreams Found (1987) and Prime Suspect 2 (1992). Watson starred as Douggie Maclaggan in the 1999 series All Along the Watchtower. Other television credits include episodes of Doctor Who, Public Eye, Bless This House, Highlander, Hamish Macbeth, The Creatives and Peak Practice.
Waxman, Al Veteran Canadian character actor Al Waxman died during heart surgery in a Toronto, Canada, hospital on January 17, 2001. He was 65. Waxman was born in Toronto on March 2, 1935. A popular stage performer in Canada, he made his film debut in the early 1960s. He was featured in over 50 films during his career including The Hired Gun (1961), The War Lover (1962), The Victors (1963), Man in the Middle (1964), Isabel (1968), The Last Act of Martin Weston (1970), Vengeance Is Mine (1974), A Star Is Lost! (1974), The Clown Murders (1975), Wild Horse Hank
(1979), Louis Malle’s Atlantic City (1980), Double Negative (1980), Heavy Metal (1981), Tulips (1981), Class of 1984 (1982), Spasms (1983), Meatballs III (1987), Switching Channels (1988), Collision Course (1989), Millennium (1989), Malarek (1989), Mob Story (1990), Scream of Stone (1991), The Hitman (1991), Live Wire (1992), Operation Golden Phoenix (1993), Iron Eagle IV (1995), Bogus (1996), The Assignment (1997), Critical Care (1997), At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story (1998) and The Hurricane (1999) as the Warden. Waxman also appeared frequently on television, co-starring as Lt. Albert Samuels in the Cagney & Lacey police drama series during the 1980s. He also appeared regularly as Coach Lloyd Gorman in the Power Play series in 1998 and was Judge Othneil in the PAX network’s Twice in a Lifetime series from 1999 until his death. His other television credits include the tele-films When Michael Calls (1971), The Return of Ben Casey (1988), Back to the Beanstalk (1990), I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991), Quiet Killer (1992), Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992), The Trial of Red Riding Hood (1992), Web of Deceit (1994), Cagney & Lacey: The Return (1994), The Shamrock Conspiracy (1995), Net Worth (1995), Gotti (1996), Holiday Affair (1996), Rescuers Stories of Courage: Two Women (1997), Naked City: A Killer Christmas (1998), Summer’s End (1998), A Saintly Switch (1999), In the Company of Spies (1999), The Thin Blue Lie (2000), The Ride (2000), What Makes a Family (2000) and Me and My Shadows (2001). He was also seen in episodes of such series as The Littlest Hobo, Street Legal, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Murder, She Wrote, Sweating Bullets, Twitch City and Due South. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 19, 2001, B7; Variety, Jan. 29, 2001, 67.
Wayland, Len
Al Waxman
Actor, writer and producer Len Wayland died of a stroke in Los Angeles on February 5, 2001. He was 80. Wayland was born in California on December 28, 1920. He began his career working in radio in the early 1950s. He soon created Len Wayland Productions, and was featured on stage in productions of A Man for All Seasons and Dark at the Top of the Stairs. Wayland was best known for his work on television, appearing
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Weiskopf, Robert Television writer Robert Weiskopf died in Los Angeles on February 20, 2001. He was 87. Weiskopf was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1913. He began his career working in radio before moving to Hollywood in 1940. He soon began writing routines for Bob Hope and joined the writing staff of The Eddie Cantor Show. He joined with writing partner Robert A. Schiller to work in television on such series as Make Room for Daddy, Our Miss Brooks, I Love Lucy, Pete and Gladys, Guestward Ho!, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, All’s Fair and Maude. The duo received Emmy Awards for their work on The Flip Wilson Show in 1971 and All in the Family in 1978. Los Angeles Times, Feb, 23, 2001, B7; New York Times, Feb. 24, 2001, A11; Variety, Feb. 26, 2001, 59.
Len Wayland
in hundreds of episodes of various series. He appeared regularly in the television soap operas A Time to Live as Chick Buchanan, From These Roots as Dr. Buck Weaver, and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also seen in episodes of Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, The Fugitive, The Road West, The Invaders, Wild Wild West, Dragnet, Adam-12, Harry O, The F.B.I., The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, Ironside, Barnaby Jones, The A-Team, Holmes and Yo-Yo, Project UFO and Paradise. Wayland appeared in several films including For Pete’s Sake (1966), Change of Habit (1969) and The Andromeda Strain (1971). He was also seen in the tele-films The Intruders (1970), Sweet, Sweet Rachel (1971), Columbo: Death Lends a Hand (1971), Paper Man (1971), Dead Men Tell No Tales (1971), Pursuit (1972), Gemini Man (1976), Eleanor and Franklin (1976), Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? (1977), Captains Courageous (1977), The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977) and Little Mo (1978). He also starred as Capt. Tom Clagett in the short-lived police television series Sam in 1978. He subsequently retired from acting. Los Angeles Times, Feb, 21, 2001, B6; Variety, Mar. 12, 2001, 56.
Robert Weiskopf
Weiss, Adrian Film producer and director who worked on several cult films with Ed Wood, died in Oxnard, California, on October 27, 2001. He was 83. Weiss was born in Brooklyn in 1917. He began his career in films while a teenager, working on productions of Custer’s Last Stand (1936), The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand (1936) and Fangs of the Wild (1939). From the mid– 1940s Weiss produced the cult classics The White Go-
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rilla (1945), Devil Monster (1946) and Bride of the Gorilla (1951). Weiss produced, directed and coscripted, with Ed Wood, the 1958 horror film The Bride and the Beast. Weiss later founded the film distribution company Weiss Global Enterprises. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 31, 2001, B11; Variety, Nov. 19, 2001, 54.
Weiss, Sam Animation director Sam Weiss died of complications from heart surgery in Santa Monica, California, on March 24, 2001. He was 74. Weiss worked as an animator and designer for nearly 50 years, designing for such cartoon series as Mister Magoo and Crusader Rabbit. He worked on the animated television specials The Legend of Paul Bunyan, The Legend of John Henry, The Incredible Book Escape and A Tale of Four Wishes in the 1970s. Weiss also directed the animated series G.I. Joe in the mid–1980s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 12, 2001, B8.
the Red Monkey (1955), and Another Time, Another Place (1958). She also appeared in several productions on BBC television before largely retiring from acting in the early 1960s.
Welty, Eudora Leading Southern novelist and short-story writer Eudora Welty died after a long illness in a Jackson, Mississippi, hospital on July 23, 2001. She was 92. Welby was born in Jackson on April 13, 1909. The acclaimed writer was the recipient of such honors as the National Book Critics Circle Award, the O. Henry Award, and the Pulitzer Prize during her long career. She received her Pulitzer for The Optimist’s Daughter in 1973. Her story, The Ponder Heart, was adapted as a popular Broadway play in 1956. It was recently filmed for television in 2001. The Wide Net was adapted as a telefilm in 1987, and her stories The Hitch-Hikers (1989) and The Key (1996) were made into films. Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2001, A1; People,
Welsh, Jane British actress Jane Welsh died in London on November 27, 2001. She was 96. Welsh was born in Bristol, England, on January 14, 1905. She began her career on stage in a 1923 production of Charley’s Aunt in Bournemouth, England. The following year she made her debut on the London stage in Alf ’s Button. She appeared in numerous theatrical productions and, in the early 1930s, began a career in films. She was featured in such films as Two Crowded Hours (1931), Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour (1931), The Bells (1931), The Missing Rembrandt (1932), Frail Women (1932), Condemned to Death (1932), The Chinese Puzzle (1932), Whispering Tongues (1934), Spring in the Air (1934), Annie, Leave the Room (1935), and Little Dolly Daydream (1938). Her film roles became less frequent when her contract with British Gaumont expired in the late 1930s. She subsequently became a character actress in such films as Bell-Bottom George (1943) with George Formby, William at the Circus (1948), Just William’s Luck (1948), The Second Mate (1950), The Dragon of Pendragon Castle (1950), Man in Hiding (1953), Fatal Journey (1954), The Cast of
Eudora Welty
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Aug. 6, 2001, 85; Time, Aug. 6, 2001, 19; Times (of London), July 25, 2001, 19a; Variety, July 30, 2001, 39.
iator (2000). He also worked on the television series Max Headroom, Poirot and Traffik. New York Times, Apr. 27, 2001, C13.
Weston, Ken
Whalen, Ed
Oscar-winning sound mixer Ken Weston died of kidney cancer in Wimbledon, London, England, on April 13, 2001. He was 53. Weston was born in Finsbury Park, England, on May 30, 1947. He began his career in films as a boom operator on such films as Clint Eastwood’s The Eiger Sanction (1975), Bugsy Malone (1976), Midnight Express (1978), The Medusa Touch (1978), Porridge (1979), Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), Flash Gordon (1980), The Dogs of War (1980), Krull (1983) and Amadeus (1984). In the mid–1980s Weston began working as sound mixer, heading the production’s sound department on the film set. He handled the sound on such films as The Frog Prince (1984), Another Country (1984), The Doctor and the Devils (1985), The Mosquito Coast (1986), Year of the Comet (1992), Under Suspicion (1992), Naked (1993), Son of the Pink Panther (1993), Only You (1994), Jack and Sarah (1995), The Run of the Country (1995), Haunted (1995), White Squall (1996), Evita (1996) which earned him an Oscar nomination, Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997), Seven Years in Tibet (1997), The Last Contract (1998), The Parent Trap (1998), My Life So Far (1999), Excellent Cadavers (1999), Angela’s Ashes (1999), Up at the Villa (2000), Shiner (2000), Breathtaking (2000), and Pearl Harbor (2001). Weston received an Academy Award for his work on Ridley Scott’s Glad-
Canadian sports announcer Ed Whalen died of a heart attack while vacationing in Venice, Florida, on December 4, 2001. He was 74. Whalen was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on July 8, 1927. He began his career in radio and became sports and news director at Calgary’s CICT TV station in 1955. He joined Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling as television announcer and host in 1957. Whalen remained with Stampede Wrestling until he resigned in 1984. Whalen continued to work in television, announcing National Hockey League games in Canada for the Calgary Flames.
Ken Weston
Ed Whalen
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Wherrett, Richard Australian stage, film and television director Richard Wherrett died of liver failure in Sydney, Australia, on December 7, 2001. He was 60. Wherrett was born in Sydney in 1941. He directed numerous theatrical productions including versions of Hedda Gabler, The Resistible Rise of Auturo Ui, Cyrano de Bergerac and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. He received an Obie Award for his direction of The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin. Wherrett also directed the Australian tele-film The Girl from Moonooloo, and the 1995 feature film Billy’s Holiday. Variety, Dec. 10, 2001, 60.
Mary Whitehouse
Richard Wherrett
Whitehouse, Mary Mary Whitehouse, a former schoolteacher whose Clean Up TV Campaign challenged sex and violence on British television in the early 1960s, died in a Colchester nursing home after a long illness on November 23, 2001. She was 91. She was
born in England on June 13, 1910. A sex-education program on the BBC began Whitehouse’s campaign in 1964. She authored several books on the subject including Cleaning Up TV (1966), Who Does She Think She Is? (1971), Whatever Happened to Sex? (1977), A Most Dangerous Woman (1982) and Mightier Than the Sword (1985). She wrote her autobiography, Mary Whitehouse, Quite Contrary, in 1993. Her organization, which became the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Assn. in 1965, continued to attack sex and violence on the airwaves. She continued to serve as the organizations president until her retirement in 1994. Los Angles Times, Nov. 26, 2001, B9; Times (of London), Nov. 24, 2001, 29c; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
Whiteley, Arkie Australian actress Arkie Whiteley died of cancer at her home in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 19, 2001. She was 36. The daughter of famed artist Brett Whiteley, Ms. Whiteley was
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Did You Whittinghill This Morning? Whittinghill appeared in a handful of films in the 1950s and 1960s including Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957), Short Cut to Hell (1957), Jamboree (1957), Say One for Me (1959), A Private Affair (1959), –30– (1959), Moon Pilot (1962), It’s Only Money (1962) and The Lively Set (1964). He was also seen on television in episodes of The Untouchables, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Dragnet 1967, Adam-12 and Emergency!
Arkie Whiteley
born in London on November 6, 1965. She studied at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama in the 1980s, and made her film debut in 1981’s The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2) starring Mel Gibson. She was also seen in the films The Killing of Angel Street (1981), Razorback (1984), Scandal (1989) and Princess Caraboo (1994). She appeared frequently on television in Australia and Great Britain, starring as Donna Mason in the series Prisoner: Cell Block H in 1982. She was also seen in the tele-films The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (1990), Natural Lies (1992), Gallowglass (1993), Without Warning (1999) and The Last Musketeers (2000), and episodes of Sweating Bullets, Kavanagh QC and A Touch of Frost.
Whittinghill, Dick Radio personality Dick Whittinghill died of complications from colon surgery in Los Angeles on January 24, 2001. He was 87. Whittinghill was born in Montana on March 5, 1913. He began his career in show business as a singer, forming the group the Pied Pipers in the 1930s. He began working at Los Angeles’ KMPC in 1950, where he hosted the long-running program
Dick Whittinghill
Wiesenthal, Sam Film producer Sam Wiesenthal died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on February 11, 2001. He was 92. Wiesenthal was born in New York City on January 26, 1909. He began working at Universal Studios while in his teens. He worked with Carl Laemmle, Jr., on the horror film classics Frankenstein and Dracula in the early 1930s. He was also involved in the production of the 1930 Oscar winner All Quiet on the Western Front. Wiesenthal continued to work in films, producing several movies in the 1950s including Cry Danger (1951), Second Chance (1953), The Americano (1955), Bengazi (1955), Tension at Table Rock (1956) and All Mine to Give (1957). His final film credit was 1970’s The Kremlin Letter. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 2001, B6; Variety, Mar. 5, 2001, 74.
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Wilkeson, Leon Leon Wilkeson, the bass guitarist for the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 27, 2001. He was 49. Wilkeson was born in Jacksonville on April 2, 1952. He was a founding member of the group which began performing in 1973. He played with the band on such notable hits as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “What’s You Name?” and “Freebird.” Wilkeson survived a 1977 plane crash that claimed the lives of several members of the band including Ronnie Van Zant. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the crash, but survivors regrouped with new members for a tour in 1987. Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2001, B14; People, Aug. 13, 2001, 77; Time, Aug 6, 2001, 19; Variety, Aug. 6, 2001, 60.
Michael Williams (left, with Clife Merrison as Holmes and Watson).
Leon Wilkeson
Williams, Michael British character actor Michael Williams died of lung cancer in Surrey, England, on January 11, 2001. He was 65. Williams was born in Liverpool, England, on July 9, 1935. A leading stage actor, Williams appeared in numerous
Shakespearean productions. Married to actress Dame Judi Dench, the couple appeared on stage in various productions including Pack of Lies (1983) and Mr. and Mrs. Nobody (1986). Williams was featured in a handful of films during his career including 1966’s The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade (aka Marat/Sade), The Benefit of the Doubt (1967), Eagle in a Cage (1971), Dead Cert (1974), Enigma (1982), Educating Rita (1983), Henry V (1989) and Tea with Mussolini (1999). He appeared frequently on British television in such tele-films and mini-series as Elizabeth R (1971), The Hanged Man (1975), Ice Age (1978), The Comedy of Errors (1978), Queen of Eagles (1979), My Son, My Son (1979), Love in a Cold Climate (1981), Playing Shakespeare (1984), Blunt (1985), Can You Hear Me Thinking (1990), Conjugal Rites (1993) and A Dance to the Music of Time (1997). His last television role was in the 1999 mini-series The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 13, 2001, B6; New York Times, Jan. 20, 2001, B8; Times (of London), Jan. 13, 2001, 27a; Variety, Jan. 22, 2001, 66.
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Willingham, Forrest J. Theatrical producer and director Forrest Joseph Willingham died of cancer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on December 18, 2001. He was 58. Willingham was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1943. He was the founder of the Songs of Broadway company in 1971, which featured touring productions of such theatrical hits as Camelot, My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof, often with Willingham singing the leading roles. Willingham was also a musical arranger who wrote skits for The Carol Burnett Show in the early 1970s.
Justin Wilson
Wing, Toby
Forrest J. Willingham
Wilson, Justin Cajun chef and humorist Justin Wilson died in New Orleans on September 5, 2001. He was 87. Wilson was born in Amite, Louisiana, on April 24, 1914. A popular comic known for his Louisiana accent and the catch phrase “I ga-rontee,” Wilson recorded 27 albums and composed ten songs. He also hosted several public television cooking shows including Cookin’ Cajun, Louisiana Cookin’ and Easy Cooking. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 7, 2001, B13; New York Times, Oct. 8, 2001, B13; Time, Sept. 17, 2001, 25.
Actress Toby Wing died at her home in Mathews, Virginia, on March 23, 2001. She was 85. She was born Martha Virginia Wing in Amelia Court House, Virginia, on July 14, 1915. She began her career in films in 1932 as the original Goldwyn Girl, appearing in MGM’s Palmy Days. The platinum haired beauty appeared in over 30 films during her brief career including Alaska Love (1932), The Kid from Spain (1932), Blue of the Night (1933), 42nd Street (1933), The Little Giant (1933), Private Detective 62 (1933), Baby Face (1933), Torch Singer (1933), College Humor (1933), Come on Marines (1934), Murder at the Vanities (1934), Kiss and Make Up (1934), Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove (1934), Search for Beauty (1934), School for Girls (1934), Thoroughbred (1935), Rhythm on the Roof (1935), One Hour Late (1935), Forced Landing (1935), HillTillies (1936), Rhythmitis (1936), Mister Cinderella (1936), Sing While You’re Able (1937), Sunday Night at the Trocadero (1937), Women Men Marry
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Edward Winter
Toby Wing
(1937), With Love and Kisses (1937), True Confession (1937), Silks and Saddles (1937) and Mr. Boggs Steps Out (1938). The following year Wing married famed aviator Dick Merrill. She left Hollywood in 1940 to move to Florida and raise a family. She made one more film, The Marines Come Thru in 1943, before completely retiring from show business. She and Merrill remained married until his death in 1982. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2001, B8; New York Times, Mar. 27, 2001, A21.
Winter, Edward Actor Edward Winter, who starred in the late 1970s television series Project U.F.O. and was often seen as Colonel Flagg in the M*A*S*H television series, died of Parkinson’s disease at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on March 8, 2001. He was 63. Winter was born in Ventura, California, on June 3, 1937. He began his career on stage in the early 1960s, where he received Tony Award nominations for his work in Cabaret and Promises, Promises. He portrayed Bob Hill in the television soap opera The Secret Storm from 1968
to 1969, and was Mr. Whittington in Somerset in 1970. He also starred as Kip Kipple in the short lived television sit-com Adam’s Rib in 1973. Winter was featured in a handful of films during his career including The Parallax View (1974), A Change of Season (1980), Porky’s II: The Next Day (1983), The Buddy System (1984) and From the Hip (1987). He was best known for his work on television, starring as Captain Ben Ryan on Project U.F.O. from 1978 to 1979, as T. Howard Daniels in Empire in 1984, and as Captain Wes Biddle in 1985’s Hollywood Beat. He also appeared as Bud Coleman in the television version of 9 to 5 from 1986 to 1988, and was Bus Harbrook in the 1990 series The Family Man. Winter was also seen in the tele-films The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974), Eleanor and Franklin (1976), The Invasion of Johnson County (1976), Never Con a Killer (1977), The Girl in the Empty Grave (1977), The Gathering (1977), Rendezvous Hotel (1979), Mother and Daughter: The Loving War (1980), The Scarlett O’Hara War (1980) as Clark Gable, The Big Black Pill (1981), Fly Away Home (1981), The Adventures of Pollyanna (1982), The First Time (1982), The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck (1984), Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun (1986), There Must Be a Pony (1986), The Christmas Gift (1986), Stranded (1986), Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989), Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo (1990), Over My Dead Body (1990), Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story (1991)
319 and Arthur Miller’s The American Clock (1993). His other television credits include episodes of Maude, The Bob Newhart Show, Mannix, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Alice, Charlie’s Angels, Lou Grant, Dynasty, The Magician, The Greatest American Hero, Good Heavens, Fantasy Island, Magnum P.I., The A-Team, Simon & Simon, AfterM*A*S*H, Finder of Lost Loves, Misfits of Science, The Golden Girls, Father Dowling Mysteries, Murder, She Wrote, Night Court, Herman’s Head, Superboy, Shades of L.A., Weird Science, Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Seinfeld. He was also a voice actor in the animated series Duckman, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, The Angry Beavers, and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 11, 2001, B6; New York Times, Mar. 16, 2001, A17; Variety, Mar. 19, 2001, 50.
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2001 • Obituaries
reer working in commercials and music videos. He served as an assistant art director on several films in the late 1980s including Patty Hearst (1988), The Abyss (1989) and Warlock (1989). He was art director for the 1990 tele-film Family of Spies. He also served as art director or production designer for such films as Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), Hoffa (1992), Wyatt Earp (1994), Junior (1994), Se7en (1995), Last Man Standing (1996), Steel (1997), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), 8MM (1999), Eye See You (2001), and the 1996 television series Millennium. Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2001, B10.
Wittop, Freddy Tony Award–winning costume designer Freddy Wittop died in Atlantis, Florida, on February 2, 2001. He was 89. Wittop was born in the
Paul Winterton, a British suspense novelist who often wrote under the pseudonyms Andrew Garve, Roger Bax and Paul Somers, died in a Surrey, England, nursing home on January 8, 2001. He was 92. Winterton was born in Leicester, England, on February 12, 1908. He wrote over 30 novels during his career including 1949’s Two If by Sea, which was filmed with Clark Gable and Gene Tierney as Never Let Me Go in 1953. His 1957 novel Megstone Plot was filmed two years later as A Touch of Larceny with James Mason. Winterton’s first book, A Student in Russia, was published in 1931. Other novels include Death Beneath Jerusalem (1938), Blueprint for Murder (1948), A Grave Case of Murder (1951), Beginner’s Luck (1958), The Shivering Mountain (1959), The Broken Jigsaw (1961), The Ashes of Loda (1965), The Ascent of D-13 (1969), The File on Lester (1974), and Counterstroke (1978). New York Times, Mar. 28, 2001, C21; Times (of London), Feb. 14, 2001, 25a.
Wissner, Gary Film production designer Gary Wissner died of Hogdkin’s disease in a Los Angeles hospital on May 6, 2001. He was 37. Wissner was born in New York City in 1964. He began his ca-
Freddy Wittop
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Netherlands in 1911, and raised in Paris, France. He began working in the costume department at the Brussels Opera at an early age. He subsequently worked with the Folies Bergere. Wittop came to the United States during World War II and served in the U.S. Army. After the war he began working on Broadway. He designed costumes for numerous Broadway productions, often working with producer David Merrick. He received a Tony Award in 1964 for his work on Hello, Dolly! His other Broadway credits include Carnival, Subways Are for Sleeping, The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd, I Do!, I Do!, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and George M! Los Angeles Times, Feb. 15, 2001, B8; New York Times, Feb. 14, 2001 A19.
Wong, Victor K. Character actor Victor Keung Wong died at his home near Walnut Grove, California, on September 12, 2001. He was 74. Wong was born in San Francisco on July 31, 1927, the son of the longtime mayor of Chinatown. He made his acting debut late in life, appearing in the tele-film Nightsongs and the film Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, both in 1984. The Chinese-American performer became a popular character actor in such films as Year of the Dragon (1985), Shanghai Surprise (1986),
Victor K. Wong (from The Golden Child ).
The Golden Child (1986) with Eddie Murphy, John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China (1986) with Kurt Russell, The Last Emperor (1987), Prince of Darkness (1987), Bloodsport (1988), Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989), Fatal Vacation (1989), Tremors (1990), Life Is Cheap … but Toilet Paper Is Expensive (1990), Mystery Date (1991), 3 Ninjas (1992), Lung Min (1992), The Joy Luck Club (1993), The Ice Runner (1993), 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994), 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995), Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995), Jade (1995), The Adventurers (1995), Paper Dragons (1996), The Devil Takes a Holiday (1996), Seven Years in Tibet (1997) and Search (1997). He was also seen in the tele-films Forbidden Nights (1990) and Legacy (1990), and an episode of Poltergeist: The Legacy. Wong reprised his role as Grandpa in the sequel 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain in 1998, before he was forced to retire after suffering several strokes. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26, 2001, B11; New York Times, Sept. 29, 2001, C16; Variety, Oct. 8, 2001, 73.
Woodfield, William Read Television producer and writer William Read Woodfield died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on November 24, 2001. He was 73. Woodfield was born in San Francisco in 1928. He worked as a magazine photographer, with his photos appearing in such publications as Life, Saturday Evening Post, Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar. His pictures of actress Jayne Mansfield appeared in Playboy, and he photographed Marilyn Monroe on the set of her unfinished film Something’s Got to Give shortly before her death in 1962.
William Read Woodfield
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Woodfield also designed marketing campaigns for such films as Spartacus, The Vikings and Judgment at Nuremburg. He scripted the 1960 horror film The Hypnotic Eye, and the tele-films Earth II (1971), Satan’s Triangle (1975) and A Twist of the Knife (1993). Woodfield was also creator, producer and writer for the popular television series Mission: Impossible in the 1960s. He also wrote for such series as Sea Hunt, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel, Lost in Space, San Francisco International, Shaft, Barbary Coast and Diagnosis Murder. Woodfield also wrote several Columbo tele-films in the early 1990s, and the tele-films The Return of Ironside (1993) and Perry Mason: The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host (1993). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 27, 2001, B9; Variety, Dec. 3, 2001, 69.
Woods, Richard Actor Richard Woods died of cancer in an Englewood, New Jersey, hospital on January 15, 2001. He was 77. Woods was featured as Dr. Dave Woodard in the Gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows in 1966. He was also featured in the films A Lovely Way to Die (1968), Mr. North (1988), Fresh Horses (1988), Miller’s Crossing (1990), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), I.Q. (1994) and In & Out (1997). Woods’ other television credits include the tele-films Sherlock Holmes (1981) as Dr. Watson, Looking Back (1981), Rage of Angels (1983), Alice in Wonderland (1983) as Humpty Dumpty, You Can’t Take It with You (1984) and The Love Letter (1998). Woods was also a popular stage actor, appearing in Broadway productions of You Can’t Take It with You, Murder Among Friends, Coco, The Last of Mrs. Lincoln and The Royal Family. Variety, Mar. 12, 2001, 56.
Wright, Norman Hall Norman Hall Wright, a Disney animator who worked on the script for the animated classic Fantasia, died in Dana Point, California, on July 21, 2001. He was 91. He was born in Redlands, California, in 1910, the son of noted author Harold Bell Wright. Norman Hall Wright wrote The Nutcracker Suite segment for Fantasia
Norman Hall Wright (at age four, with his father, Harold Bell Wright).
(1940), and also worked on the 1942 animated film Bambi. During his career Wright also wrote several cartoon shorts featuring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He also scripted and produced segments of the Wonderful World of Disney television program including Pancho, the Fastest Paw in the West, Christobality: The Calypso Colt, and Chandar: The Black Leopard of Ceylon. He also wrote, directed and produced the Disney television speical Deacon, the High Noon Dog. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2, 2001, B13; Variety, Aug. 6, 2001, 60.
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Wynn, Mary Mary Wynn, the last surviving cast member of D.W. Griffith’s 1915 classic silent film Birth of a Nation, died at a retirement home in Calabasas, California, on December 22, 2001. She was 99. Wynn was born Phoebe Isabelle Bassor in San Francisco on March 13, 1902. She studied dancing with Ruth St. Dennis before being cast in a small part in Griffith’s film. As Mary Wynn, she appeared in other films through the 1920s including The Man Who Smiled (1921), Shattered Idols (1922), The Woman He Loved (1922), The Power Divine (1923), Danger (1923), and The Range Patrol (1923). She left films in the 1920s to marry and raise a family. She was widowed from violist Josef Rosenfeld in 1971.
Xenakis, Iannis Composer Iannis Xanakis died in Paris, France, on February 4, 2001. He was 78. Xenakis was born in Braila, Romania, on May 29, 1922. He moved to Greece while still a child and fought with the Greek Resistance during World War II. Badly injured during the war, Xenakis moved to Paris in 1947, where he began began composing in earnest. Using mathematical formulas for his musical composition, his works include Metastasis, Pithoprakta and Achoripsis. In the early 1960s
Iannis Xenakis
Xenakis began using computers in his compositions, creating the piano solo Herma and the cello solo Nomos. He also combined laser lights with synthesizers for such works as Persepolis in 1971. Xenakis’ final work was the 1997 piece for percussion and ensemble, O-mega. He was the recipient of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music’s Polar Music Prize in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2001, B5; New York Times, Feb. 5, 2001, B7; Times (of London), Feb. 5, 2001, 19a.
Yates, Bill Cartoonist Floyd Buford “Bill” Yates died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia in Norwalk, Connecticut, on March 26, 2001. He was 79. Yates was born in Samson, Alabama, on July 5, 1921. He began working as a cartoonist in New York in the early 1950s, editing such cartoon magazines as Ballyhoo, For Laughing Out Loud and 1000 Jokes. He created the comic strip Professor Phumble in 1960, which
Bill Yates
323 ran for the next 20 years. He served as King Features Syndicate comic editor from 1978 to 1988. He also created the editorial cartoon the small society in 1985, and wrote the Redeye comic strip from 1988.
Yates, Elizabeth Children’s book writer Elizabeth Yates died at a Concord, New Hampshire, hospice on July 29, 2001. She was 95. Yates was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1906. She began writing travel articles for newspapers in the 1930s, and authored her first book, High Holiday, in 1939. She was best known for her 1951 historical novel Amos Fortune, Free Man, which earned the Newbery Medal. She authored over 50 books during her career, including Prudence Crandall (1955) and The Road Through Sandwich Notch (1972). Many of her works were illustrated by British artist Nora Unwin. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 4, 2001, B14; New York Times, Aug. 2, 2001, A19.
2001 • Obituaries
Young, Muriel British television personality Muriel Young died in County Durham, England, on March 23, 2001. She was 72. She was born in County Durham, England, on June 19, 1928. She began her career in show business on stage, and was featured in several films in the mid–1950s. Ms. Young appeared in several films in the 1950s including The Constant Husband (1944), Man in Demand (1955) and Women Without Men (1956). She was best known for her work in British television, hosting such series in the 1950s and 1960s as Lucky Dip, Small Time, Tuesday Rendezvous, People and Places and Five O’Clock Club. In the late 1960s she worked at Granada television as head of the children’s department, where she developed the series Clapperboard. She continued to work in television, producing music programs for Channel 4, though the late 1980s. She was married to director Cyril Coke from 1954 until his death in 1993. Times (of London), Mar. 27, 2001, 21a.
Muriel Young
Young, Otis Elizabeth Yates
Otis Young, the black actor who co-starred in the television western series The Outcasts in
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Otis Young (center, with Randy Quaid and Jack Nicholson from The Last Detail ).
the late 1960s, died in Los Angeles of a stroke on October 12, 2001. He was 69. Young was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1932. He began his career on stage in New York in the mid–1950s and was featured in the 1965 film Murder in Mississippi. He appeared in the 1966 tele-film Valley of Mystery and starred as bounty hunter Jemal David in The Outcasts with Don Murray from 1968 to 1969. Young continued to appear in such films as Me and My Brother (1968), Don’t Just Stand There! (1968), The Last Detail (1973) with Jack Nicholson, The Clones (1974), Survival (1976), The Capture of Bigfoot (1979), The Hollywood Knights (1980) and Blood Beach (1981). He was also seen in the tele-film Twin Detectives (1976), and episodes of Cannon, Ellery Queen, Columbo, Palmerstown, U.S.A and Hill Street Blues. He retired from films in the early 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 20, 2001, B18; New York Times, Oct. 23, 2001, D6; Variety, Nov. 26, 2001, 67.
Ziv, Frederick Pioneer television syndicator Frederic W. Ziv died in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 13, 2001. He was 96. Ziv was born in Cincinnati in 1905. He studied law at the University of Michi-
Frederick Ziv
gan and returned to Cincinnati to work at an advertising agency after receiving his degree. He formed his own agency in 1930 and, in 1937, began syndicating radio programs. He formed Ziv Television in 1948 to produce first-run syndicated programs including such popular shows as Boston Blackie with Kent Taylor, The Cisco Kid with Duncan Renaldo, Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges, Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford, Bat Masterson with Gene Barry, Your Favorite Story, Ivan Tors’ Science Fiction Theatre, I Led Three Lives with Richard Carlson, Mr. District Attorney, Philo Vance, and Troubleshooters. Ziv Television was sold to United Artists in 1959. Ziv remained as a consultant through the early 1960s and subsequently taught at the University of Cincinnati — College Conservatory of Music until the early 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 18, 2001, B14; Variety, Oct. 22, 2001, 100.