Notable Showbiz Deaths of 2016
A list of the notable entertainment figures who passed away in 2016, ordered by date of death.
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- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Along with László Kovács, a fellow student who fled Hungary in 1956, Zsigmond rose to prominence in the 1970s. He is known for his use of natural light and vivid use of color on features such as The Long Goodbye (1973) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).Legendary cinematographer and Master of Light who won an Oscar for his work on Steven Spielberg's 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977) and shot many other American classics, including Robert Altman's 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller' (1971), John Boorman's 'Deliverance' (1972), and Michael Cimino's 'The Deer Hunter' (1978), the latter of which earned him a BAFTA as well as his second Oscar nomination; started out in his native Hungary, where he and his friend and fellow future cinematographer László Kovács shot some 30,000 feet of candid footage of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and then smuggled the film out of the country after the Russians invaded; found his way to America, where he worked as a still photographer and lab technician for several years before making his full-length feature debut as a Director of Photography (DP) on James Landis' cult exploitation thriller 'The Sadist' (1963); shot many more low-budget features over the next several years -- including several horror movies for Al Adamson -- before being recruited by Robert Altman to shoot the unconventional Western drama 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller,' for which his bold use of a limited palette of desaturated colors received widespread acclaim; earned more acclaim for his crisp, evocative work on Boorman's 'Deliverance' and also shot Altman's next two films, 'Images' (1972) and 'The Long Goodbye' (1973), the latter of which won him the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography, while 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller,' 'Deliverance' and 'Images' all earned him his first of three BAFTA nominations; was DP on Spielberg's debut feature, 'The Sugarland Express' (1974), before reuniting with him on 'Close Encounters,' which, despite the Oscar win and a second BAFTA nomination, would be his last collaboration with the director; earned an Oscar nomination and won a BAFTA for 'The Deer Hunter' and re-teamed with director Cimino on the infamous 'Heaven's Gate' (1980); shot multiple films for director Mark Rydell, including 'Cinderella Liberty' (1973), 'The Rose' (1979), and 'The River' (1984), receiving another Oscar nomination for the latter; also frequently collaborated with director Brian De Palma, most notably on the acclaimed cult thriller 'Blow Out' (1981) and the neo-noir crime thriller 'The Black Dahlia' (2006), for which he received his fourth and final Oscar nomination; other notable film credits as DP include Jerry Schatzberg's road movie drama 'Scarecrow' (1973), Martha Coolidge's sci-fi comedy 'Real Genius' (1985), George Miller's fantasy-comedy 'The Witches of Eastwick' (1987), Roland Joffé's historical drama 'Fat Man and Little Boy' (1989), the Jack Nicholson-directed 'Chinatown' sequel 'The Two Jakes' (1990), Robert Donner's Western comedy 'Maverick' (1994), the Sean Penn-directed drama 'The Crossing Guard' (1995), Stephen Hopkins' 'The Ghost and the Darkness' (1996), Irwin Winkler's 'Life as a House' (2001), and three Woody Allen movies: 'Melinda and Melinda' (2004), 'Cassandra's Dream' (2007), and 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' (2010); also shot occasional TV projects, including the HBO film 'Stalin' (1991), for which he won an Emmy Award and an American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Award, and the 2001 miniseries 'The Mists of Avalon,' which earned him an Emmy nomination; more recently shot 24 episodes of the acclaimed sitcom 'The Mindy Project' between 2012 and 2014; received lifetime achievement awards from Poland's cinematography-focused Camerimage in 1997 and from the ASC in 1999 and was judged to be among film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a 2003 survey of the members of the International Cinematographers Guild
June 16, 1930 – January 1, 2016- Animation Department
- Director
- Art Department
Robert Balser was born on 25 March 1927 in Rochester, New York, USA. He was a director, known for Heavy Metal (1981), Yellow Submarine (1968) and The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (1972). He was married to Cima Balser. He died on 4 January 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Animator best known for his work as animation director on The Beatles' trippy classic 'Yellow Submarine' (1968) and for animating the "Den" segment of the film 'Heavy Metal' (1981), both alongside the late Jack Stokes; was also animation director of the 1971 'Jackson 5ive' cartoon series and director and animation supervisor on 'The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show' from 1983-85
1927 – January 2, 2016- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Michel Delpech was born on 26 January 1946 in Courbevoie, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France. He was an actor and composer, known for Leila (2010), 2 Autumns, 3 Winters (2013) and J'ai faim!!! (2001). He was married to Geneviève Garnier-Fabre and Chantal Simon. He died on 2 January 2016 in Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France.Popular French singer-songwriter who had numerous hits, including "Chez Laurette" (1965), "Wight Is Wight" (1969), "Pour Un Flirt" (1971), " Les Divorcés" (1973), "Le Chasseur" (1974) and "Le Loir-et-Cher" (1977)
January 26, 1946 – January 2, 2016- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Leonard White was born on 5 November 1916 in Newhaven, Sussex, England, UK. He was a producer and actor, known for King of the Castle (1977), The Avengers (1961) and Out of This World (1962). He died on 2 January 2016 in Seaford, East Sussex, England, UK.Actor-turned-producer and director best known for being the original producer of the hit 1960s British series 'The Avengers' and for producing the anthology series 'Armchair Theatre' for much of its '60s run; other producing credits include 'ITV Playhouse' and the children's sci-fi fantasy series 'Sky'
November 5, 1916 – January 2, 2016- Composer
- Soundtrack
Paul Bley was born on 10 November 1932 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was a composer, known for The Blue Hour (1992), Peggy's Blue Skylight (1986) and Till Orfeus - En resa i Palle Nielsens bildvärld (1989). He was married to Carol Goss, Annette Peacock and Carla Bley. He died on 3 January 2016 in Stuart, Florida, USA.Adventurous, obstinate, and original pianist who was a major, influential force in the free jazz movement; pioneered the use of Moog synthesizers well before they became common in jazz and was part of innovative piano trios -- notably with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian -- that liberated rhythm instruments from their traditional supporting roles; also merged music with video recordings and video art, setting precedents for the gradually emerging format of music videos; was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2008
November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Production Designer
Frank Armitage was born on 5 August 1924 in Geelong, Australia. He was a production designer, known for Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Jungle Book (1967) and The Magical World of Disney (1954). He was married to Karen Connolly Armitage. He died on 4 January 2016 in Paso Robles, California, USA.Artist, illustrator, and Disney Legend who painted backgrounds for the studio's classic films 'Peter Pan' (1953), 'Sleeping Beauty' (1959), 'Mary Poppins' (1963) and 'The Jungle Book' (1967) and was a Disney Imagineer, contributing murals and designs to Disney theme parks around the world from 1977 to 1989; also known for being the production illustrator of Fox's sci-fi classic 'Fantastic Voyage' (1966), contributing to the film's Oscar-winning set design; other works include background art in multiple episodes of UPA's 'The Dick Tracy Show' and 'Mr. Magoo' and an extensive body of biomedical visualization artwork
c. 1924 – 4 January 2016- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Michel Galabru was born on 27 October 1922 in Safi, French Protectorate of Morocco [now Morocco]. He was an actor and writer, known for Subway (1985), La Cage aux Folles (1978) and Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999). He was married to Claude Etevenon and Annette Jacquot. He died on 4 January 2016 in Paris, France.Popular, prolific, award-winning French actor who appeared in over 250 films in a career spanning over six decades; was perhaps best known for his role as ultra-conservative politician Simon Chartier in 'La Cage aux Folles' (1978), the smash hit comedy based on the play of the same name (and adapted in 1996 as 'The Birdcage,' in which Gene Hackman played Galabru's role), and would reprise the role of Chartier in 'La cage aux Folles II' (1980) and 'La Cage aux Folles 3: The Wedding' (1985); also remembered for starring as Adjudant Jérôme Gerber in the six 'Troops' comedies directed by Jean Girault, starting with 'The Troops of St. Tropez' in 1964 and concluding with 'The Troops & Troop-ettes' in 1982; won a César Award -- France's equivalent of the Oscar -- for his dramatic performance opposite Philippe Noiret in Bertrand Tavernier's 'The Judge and the Assassin' (1976) and was subsequently nominated for Césars for his work in two dramedies: Luc Besson's second feature, 'Subway' (1985), and Claude Berri's 'Uranus' (1990); starred or co-starred in many other noted French comedies, including Yves Robert's 'War of the Buttons' (1962), Robert Dhéry's 'The Little Bather' (1968), Girault's 'Jo' (1971), Pierre Tchernia's 'The Annuity' (1972), Luigi Comencini's 'The Cat' (1977), Girault and Louis de Funès' 'L'avare'/'The Miser' (1980), Claude Zidi's 'Les sous-doués'/'The Under-Gifted' (1980) and 'Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar' (1999), Alain Corneau's 'Choice of Arms' (1981), Jean-Marie Poiré's 'Gramps Is in the Resistance' (1983), Jean-Luc Godard's experimental 'Keep Your Right Up' (1987), and Fernando Trueba's Oscar-winning dramedy 'Belle Epoque' (1992), while other notable non-comedy credits include Costa-Gavras' war drama 'Special Section' (1975), Georges Lautner's crime-action film 'Cop or Hood' (1979), and Jean Becker's mystery drama 'One Deadly Summer' (1983); more recent credits include Dany Boon's record-breaking smash-hit comedy 'Welcome to the Sticks' (2008), Laurent Tirard's hit family comedy 'Little Nicholas' (2009), and Katell Quillévéré's drama 'Love Like Poison' (2010)
October 27, 1922 – January 4, 2016- Actress
- Soundtrack
Maja Maranow was born on 20 March 1961 in Nienburg/Weser, Lower Saxony, Germany. She was an actress, known for Tatort (1970), Ein starkes Team (1994) and Rivalen der Rennbahn (1989). She was married to Zacharias Preen and Florian Martens. She died on 4 January 2016 in Berlin, Germany.German actress best known for her role as Commissioner Verena Berthold on the popular ZDF crime series 'Ein Starkes Team' from its premiere in 1994 until shortly before her death; also remembered for her breakthrough role on an earlier ZDF series, 1989's 'Rivalen der Rennbahn,' her frequent appearances on the long-running series 'Tatort,' and her roles in acclaimed miniseries such as 'The Shadow Man' (1996), 'The King of St. Pauli' (1998), and 'The Semmeling Affair' (2002)
March 20, 1961 – January 4, 2016- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Music Department
Robert Stigwood was born on 16 April 1934 in Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia. He was a producer, known for Evita (1996), Gallipoli (1981) and Grease 2 (1982). He died on 4 January 2016 in London, England, UK.Music impresario, producer and executive known for being the personal manager of the Bee Gees, Cream, Eric Clapton, and The Who, for promoting such artists as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Rod Stewart, and for producing the acclaimed musical films 'Jesus Christ Superstar' (1973), 'Tommy' (1975), 'Saturday Night Fever' (1977), and 'Grease' (1978); released the multiplatinum soundtracks to those latter two films on his label, RSO Records, which also released numerous hit singles, including 8 of the 19 that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s pop chart in 1978 -- the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever" among them; also produced the cult classic punk-rock drama 'Times Square' (1980) and a few non-musical films, including Peter Weir's 'Gallipoli' (1981); had earlier produced the original 1971 Broadway production and 1977 Broadway revival of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and reteamed with that musical's writers, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, on the original productions of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' and, most notably, 'Evita,' for which he received the 1980 Tony Award for Best Musical; later produced the film adaptation of 'Evita' (1996), after which he produced the 1999 Broadway stage adaptation of 'Saturday Night Fever' and the 2007 Broadway revival of 'Grease,' the latter of which earned him a Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Musical; Britain's first music tycoon and one of the most powerful and successful impresarios in the history of rock music
April 16, 1934 – January 4, 2016- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Pierre Boulez was born on 26 March 1925 in Montbrison, Loire, France. He was a composer and actor, known for Heat (1995), Natural Born Killers (1994) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017). He died on 5 January 2016 in Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.Audacious and revolutionary composer, conductor, writer, and pianist who was perhaps *the* dominant figure in modern classical music; a noted 'enfant terrible' and revolutionary who helped transform the musical landscape of today by rejecting classical traditions (such as conducting with a baton, preferring to use only his hands) and challenging his peers and his audience to rethink their ideas of sound and harmony; played a key role in the development of integral serialism, aleatory music, and electronic music and was famed as a champion of new music and technology; notable appointments include musical adviser of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1970 to 1972, chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1971 to 1975, and director of the New York Philharmonic from 1971 to 1977; was founder of the Paris-based IRCAM (Institute for the Research and Coordination of Acoustics and Music) and served as its director from 1977 to 1992, after which he became honorary director; won a whopping 26 Grammy Awards between 1967 and 2005 and received many other accolades and honors throughout his career, including being made a Commander in France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) and an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
March 26, 1925 – January 5, 2016- Actor
- Soundtrack
Nicholas Caldwell was born on 5 April 1944 in Loma Linda, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), The Whispers: A Song for Donny (1979) and The Whispers: Can't Do Without Love (1979). He was married to Alberta. He died on 5 January 2016 in Stockton, California, USA.Singer and musician best known as an original member of R&B vocal group The Whispers, known for such hits as "And the Beat Goes on" and "Rock Steady"; also wrote a number of the group's songs, including the fan favorite "Lady"
April 5, 1944 – January 5, 2016- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Elizabeth Swados was born on 5 February 1951 in Buffalo, New York, USA. She was a composer and writer, known for My Depression (2014), American Playhouse (1980) and Rap Master Ronnie: A Report Card (1988). She was married to Rosalind Lichter. She died on 5 January 2016 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Writer, composer, theatre director, dancer, choreographer, and musician best known for her influential 1978 musical 'Runaways,' for which she won an Obie Award for Best Direction and earned four Tony nominations -- for direction, choreography, book, and music and lyrics -- as well as three Drama Desk nominations; went on to compose and orchestrate the music for Garry Trudeau's 'Doonesbury,' a musical adaptation of the Trudeau's comic strip of the same name; also composed music for a number of films, most notably Arthur Penn's dramedy 'Four Friends' (1981), Fielder Cook's Robin Williams starrer 'Seize the Day' (1986), and Tod Williams' dramedy 'The Adventures of Sebastian Cole' (1998); received a CableACE nomination for a song she wrote with Trudeau for the 1988 comedy special 'Rap Master Ronnie: A Report Card' and was later nominated for Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival for her animated project 'My Depression' (2014), which she co-wrote and co-directed
February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Pat Harrington Jr. was born on 13 August 1929 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for One Day at a Time (1975), The President's Analyst (1967) and Move Over, Darling (1963). He was married to Sally Cleaver and Marjorie Ann Gortner. He died on 6 January 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Actor best known for his Emmy-winning role as cocky superintendent Dwayne Schneider on the hit CBS sitcom 'One Day at a Time' (1975-1984); also remembered for voicing Inspector Clouseau and his sidekick Deux-Deux in the 'Pink Panther'-inspired series of 'Inspector' cartoons from the 1960s; had roles in several notable '60s films as well, including the 1963 James Garner comedies 'Move Over, Darling' and 'The Wheeler Dealers,' the Elvis Presley picture 'Easy Come, Easy Go' (1967), Theodore J. Flicker's classic satire 'The President's Analyst' (1967), and Disney's 'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' (1969)
August 13, 1929 – January 6, 2016- Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Silvana Pampanini was born on 25 September 1925 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress and director, known for Mademoiselle Gobete (1952), Koenigsmark (1953) and Be Seeing You, Father (1948). She died on 6 January 2016 in Rome, Italy.Popular Italian actress and sex symbol who made her screen debut in 1947 and became one of her country's leading post-war film stars; notably starred opposite the legendary Totò in the comedy '47 morto che parla' (1950), played the female lead in Luigi Zampa's award-winning crime drama 'The City Stands Trial' (1952), and starred in Giuseppe De Santis' dramas 'A Husband for Anna (1953) and 'The Road a Year Long' (1958), the latter of which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film; other film credits include Luigi Commencini's drama 'La Tratta delle bianche' a.k.a. 'Girls Marked Danger' (1952), Abel Gance's historical drama 'The Tower of Nesle' (1955) and comedies such as 'O.K. Nerone' (1951), 'Mademoiselle Gobete' (1952), Steno's 'A Day in Court' (1954), Comencini's 'The Belle of Rome' (1955), Gianni Franciolini's 'Roman Tales' (1955), and Dino Risi's 'The Gaucho' (1964); quit her film career in the late '60s, after which she worked only occasionally in radio and television, though she did make a brief return to films with a cameo appearance (as herself) in Alberto Sordi's 'The Taxi Driver' (1983)
September 25, 1925 – January 6, 2016- Tall and handsome,both athletic and aristocratic-looking, brown-haired (later in life silver-haired), Yves Vincent had everything to charm dames. And charm them he did, in real life, on the stage, on the big and little screen, for nearly fifty years. Born in France in 1921, he was raised and spent his youth in Algeria. Both a sporty type and literature enthusiast, this multi-talented man excelled at water-polo (he was a champion water-polo player in the R.U.A. team), was a good tennis player and a passable horse rider but his love for books finally led him to Radio-Alger where he started his acting career as a member of the channel's acting company. He was also an occasional announcer there. During World War II he was called up to work on the "Camp des Chênes" Youth Camp. And in 1944 he made his first movie in Cairo with his mother as partner. After the war, he debuted in France as a leading man, his good looks and his fine presence boosting his career from the start. He could be a professional knife-thrower (in Pierre Chenal's curious "La Foire aux Chimères", with Erich Von Stroheim),a doctor (in "La Maternelle") or a drug trafficker (in "Méfiez-vous des Blondes", Hunebelle's amusing noir spoof) with equal ease. The trouble is that too many of the movies he was in are now old-fashioned (the worst being "Capitaine Ardant", in which he plays a valiant French officer fighting back against "nasty native rebels") and have been forgotten. So that, after a quick start, Yves Vincent got fewer and fewer roles.In the late sixties and early seventies, for instance, he was reduced to play second fiddle to Louis de Funès in three of his films or to appear in two cheesy soft porn flicks concocted by the king of the genre, Max Pécas. He was luckier at the theater where he appeared - among other plays - alongside Arletty in the French adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "A streetcar named Desire"(Un tramway nommé Désir) and with Edwige Feuillère in "La Dame aux Camélias". He has also done a lot of work on television where he often embodied figures of authority. Yves Vincent retired in 1991.French actor best known for playing The Colonel in two of Jean Girault's 'Le Gendarme' ('The Troops') movies -- 'The Troops Get Married' (1968) and 'The Troops on Vacation' (1970) -- and for starring as Judge Garonne in the TV series 'Tribunal;' also remembered for his roles in such films as 'Devil and the Angel' (1946), 'Sins of Rome' (a.k.a. 'Spartacus,' 1953), 'O.S.S. 117 is Not Dead' (1957), 'Babette Goes to War' (1959), the two-part 'Anatomy of a Marriage' (1964), and 'Hibernatus' (1969)
August 5, 1921 – January 6, 2016 - Costume Designer
- Actor
Often imitated, Andre Courreges now stands as one of the most iconic clothing designers of the twentieth century. He sparked a fashion revolution in the 1960s with his bold and distinct designs, a "mod" look spiked with sci-fi futurism. Original vintage examples of his apparel have become highly sought-after collector's items in recent years.Iconic, revolutionary fashion designer known for his futuristic 1960s designs, for introducing and defining what became known as go-go boots, and for being one of the designers credited with inventing the miniskirt; was also the costume designer for Jacques Deray's acclaimed film 'La Piscine' ('The Swimming Pool,' 1969)
March 9, 1923 – January 7, 2016- Actress
- Soundtrack
Kitty Kallen was born on 25 May 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Devil All the Time (2020), The Second Greatest Sex (1955) and Circle of Friends (1995). She was married to Budd Granoff and Clint Garvin. She died on 7 January 2016 in Cuernavaca, Mexico.Silken-voiced pop and Big Band singer whose career spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s, encompassing the Swing era, the post-WWII pop scene and the early years of rock 'n roll; recorded numerous hits with top bandleaders throughout the 1940s -- including the chart-toppers "It's Been a Long, Long Time" and "I'm Beginning to See the Light" with Harry James and "Bésame Mucho" with Jimmy Dorsey -- but is best known for her 1954 solo recording '"Little Things Mean a Lot," a "monster hit" which held the US number one spot for nine consecutive weeks, charted in the US for almost seven months, hit #1 on the UK singles chart, and sold more than two million copies
May 25, 1921 – January 7, 2016- Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard Libertini was born in E. Cambridge, Massachusetts, to parents who had come to America from southern Italy. Having grown up in a household where both Italian and English were spoken, he developed an ear for foreign accents. A facility he would later use to advantage on stage and in films.
He graduated from Emerson College in Boston, and for a while earned a living as a trumpet player in the Boston area. Later, he moved to New York, where he teamed up with two former college classmates, MacIntyre Dixon and Lynda Segal, to create an off-Broadway revue called "Stewed Prunes." (This was during the coffee house revolution in the 1960s. Bob Dylan was playing around the corner.) The show was quite successful and after running a year in New York they took it on the road. While playing Chicago, he was asked to join the renowned Second City Improvisational Theatre Group, an association which continues to the present.
After a number of years doing stage work in New York (Woody Allen's Don't Drink the Water (1969) and Paul Sills' Story Theatre (1971) among many others) he eventually moved to L.A. where he began doing films. Three of his most memorable characters are the Spanish-American dictator in The In-Laws (1979) with Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, the Tibetan Mystic in All of Me (1984) with Steve Martin, and Lily Tomlin and the justice of the peace in Best Friends (1982) with Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds. Other films include Fletch (1985) with Chevy Chase and Popeye (1980) with Robin Williams.Character actor perhaps best known for his film roles as the crazed General Garcia in Arthur Hiller's 'The In-Laws' (1979), the mystic Prahka Lasa in Carl Reiner's 'All of Me' (1984), and 'Los Angeles Times' editor Frank Walker in Michael Ritchie's 'Fletch' (1985) and 'Fletch Lives' (1989); appeared alongside friend and former comedy partner Paul Dooley in several films, including Hiller's 'The Out of Towners' (1970), David Steinberg's 'Going Berserk' (1983), John Cassavetes' 'Big Trouble' (1986), and, most notably, Robert Altman's 'Popeye' (1980), in which Libertini played greengrocer George W. Geezil opposite Dooley's burger-loving Wimpy; also remembered for his appearance as the patient Sidney in Penny Marshall's acclaimed drama 'Awakenings' (1990, which saw him reunite with 'Popeye' co-star Robin Williams), for voicing the thief Dijon in Disney's 'DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp' (1990), and for his supporting role as Dr. Al Paley in Michael Apted's 'Nell' (1994); also had roles in such films as William Friedkin's 'The Night They Raided Minsky's' (1968), Mike Nichols' 'Catch-22' (1970), Terrence Malick's 'Days of Heaven' (1978), Burt Reynolds' 'Sharky's Machine' (1981), Howard Zieff's 'Unfaithfully Yours' (1984), Costa-Gavras' 'Betrayed' (1988), Brian De Palma's 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' (1990), Richard Donner's 'Lethal Weapon 4' (1998), Jason Ensler's 'Grilled' (2006), and Charles Martin Smith's 'Dolphin Tale' (2011); amassed numerous TV credits as well, including the recurring roles of Joe Sutonni in the second season of 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' and The Godfather during the first season of 'Soap,' the lead role in ABC's short-lived 1988 sitcom 'Family Man,' regular roles on the short-lived '90s sitcoms 'The Fanelli Boys' and 'Pacific Station,' and guest appearances on shows such as 'Mary Tyler Moore,' 'The Bob Newhart Show,' 'The Bionic Woman,' 'Mork & Mindy,' 'Moonlighting,' 'Murder, She Wrote,' 'L.A. Law,' 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,' 'Murphy Brown,' 'NYPD Blue,' 'Monk,' and 'Supernatural;' made his final screen appearances just last year, in two episodes of NBC's crime drama 'Aquarius'
May 21, 1933 – January 7, 2016- Soundtrack
Otis Clay was born on 11 February 1942 in Waxhaw, Mississippi, USA. He died on 8 January 2016 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.R&B and soul singer who scored Top 50 R&B hits in the late 1960s and 1970s with "That's How It Is (When You're In Love)," "A Lasting Love," "She's About a Mover," "Trying To Live My Life Without You," and "All Because of Your Love"; also recorded the original version of "The Only Way Is Up", which later became an international hit for Yazz and the Plastic Population; earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category in 2008 for "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013
February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
German Moreno was born on 4 October 1933 in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines. He was an actor and writer, known for Paupahan (2008), Young Love (1970) and Guy and Pip (1971). He died on 8 January 2016 in Quezon City, Philippines.Iconic, award-winning Filipino presenter, actor, comedian, and talent manager ("star-builder") best known for hosting many variety programs for the GMA Network, including 'GMA Supershow' (formerly 'Germside' and 'Germspesyal') from 1978 to 1997, the youth-oriented 'That's Entertainment' from 1986 to 1996, and the late-night 'Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman' from 1997 until his death; co-starred in several GMA sitcoms as well, including 'Lira' from 1992 to 1996 and 'Idol Ko si Kap' from 2000 to 2005; also hosted Radio Philippines Network's 'Superstar' program from 1972 to 1989 and had roles in numerous films, including 'Crossroads' ('Paupahan,' 2008), for which he won a prestigious FAMAS Award as Best Supporting Actor
October 4, 1933 – January 8, 2016- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Red Simpson was born on 6 March 1934 in Higley, Arizona, USA. He is known for Me, Myself & Irene (2000), The Devil's Rejects (2005) and Truck Stop Women (1974). He was married to Joyce. He died on 8 January 2016 in Bakersfield, California, USA.Singer-songwriter best known for his truck-themed songs, most notably "I'm a Truck," which peaked at #4 on the country charts in 1966; considered to be one of the architects of the twangy, hard-driving Bakersfield sound
March 6, 1934 – January 8, 2016- Actress
- Transportation Department
Myra Carter was born on 27 October 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for 8MM (1999), The Nanny (1993) and The Witches of Salem: The Horror and the Hope (1972). She died on 9 January 2016 in Manhattan, New York, USA.Celebrated stage and screen actress most noted for her performances in several plays by Edward Albee, including the role of the old woman ("A") in the 1991 world premiere and 1994 off-Broadway productions of 'Three Tall Women,' for which she won a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Lucille Lortel Award; appeared on Broadway in productions such as the 1956 revival of George Bernard Shaw's 'Major Barbara' directed by and starring Charles Laughton and the 1982 revival of Noël Coward's 'Present Laughter' directed by and starring George C. Scott; won the Joe A. Callaway Award in 2000 for her performance as Queen Eleanor in an off-Broadway production of Shakespeare's 'King John;' screen credits include the 'Hallmark Hall of Fame' TV movie 'The Love Letter' (1998), appearances on 'Thriller,' 'Frasier,' and 'The Nanny,' and the role of Mrs. Christian in Joel Schumacher's mystery-thriller '8MM' (1999)
October 27, 1929 – January 9, 2016- Umberto Raho was born on 4 June 1922 in Bari, Puglia, Italy. He was an actor, known for Double Team (1997), The Last Man on Earth (1964) and Seven Seas to Calais (1962). He died on 9 January 2016 in Anzio, Lazio, Italy.Italian stage and film character actor perhaps best known for appearing as Dr. Mercer opposite Vincent Price in the classic 'I Am Legend' adaptation 'The Last Man on Earth' (1964) and for his role as art gallery owner Alberto Ranieri in Dario Argento's landmark giallo film 'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage' (1970); had supporting roles in many other horror and giallo films, including Antonio Margheriti's 'The Long Hair of Death' (1964), Margetti and Sergio Corbucci's 'Castle of Blood' (1964), Emilio Miraglia's 'The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave' (1971), Georgio Ferroni's 'Night of the Devils' (1972), Silvio Amadio's 'Amuck!' (1972), and Mario Bava's 'Baron Blood' (1972); other notable film credits include John Schlesinger's Oscar-winning drama 'Darling' (1965), Nelo Risi's drama 'Diary of a Schizophrenic Girl' (1968), Costa-Gavras' dramatic thriller 'The Confession' (1970), Franco Brusati's acclaimed dramedy 'Bread and Chocolate' (1974), and Luchino Visconti's 'Conversation Piece' (1974)
June 4, 1922 – January 9, 2016 - The evil screen villain Angus Scrimm, most famous as "The Tall Man" in Don Coscarelli's Phantasm (1979) and its sequels, grew up in Kansas City, but in his teens moved to California and studied drama at USC under William C. de Mille (brother of Cecil B. DeMille). His film debut came as another "Tall Man" he played Abraham Lincoln in an educational film made by Encyclopaedia Brittanica, which led him to a steady career in theater, television and film. His big-screen debut was in Jim, the World's Greatest (1975), directed by then 18-year-old Coscarelli. During this time he was using his birth name, Lawrence Rory Guy. He adopted the stage name Angus Scrimm three years later for his performance in Coscarelli's horror/sci-fi opus "Phantasm", which would mark Scrimm's permanent impression upon modern cinema. His role as the infamous Tall Man has earned him the praise of critics worldwide, as well as a large following of fans. His success in the "Phantasm" films has been parlayed into numerous other malevolent roles including the evil Dr. Sin Do in The Lost Empire (1984), Vlad the Vampire King in Subspecies (1991) and the nefarious Dr. Lyme opposite Nicolas Cage and Charlie Sheen in Deadfall (1993). Scrimm did intriguing double duty as the diabolical Seer and the angelic Systems Operator in Mindwarp (1991), co-starring Bruce Campbell. He did a shock cameo in the Italian film Fatal Frames (1996), opposite Stefania Stella and Donald Pleasence, and managed a gleeful parody of himself as the hulking henchman in Transylvania Twist (1989). Scrimm has not limited his career efforts to simply acting, however. As a journalist he has written and edited for "TV Guide", "Cinema Magazine", the now-defunct "Los Angeles Herald-Examiner" and other publications. He has also written liner notes for thousands of LPs and CDs, for just about every genre from classical music to jazz, from Frank Sinatra and The Beatles to Artur Rubinstein and Itzhak Perlman. He won a Grammy award for best album liner notes.Veteran character actor best known for playing the Tall Man in the 'Phantasm' series of horror films ('Phantasm,' 1979; 'Phantasm II,' 1988; 'Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead,' 1994; and 'Phantasm IV: Oblivion,' 1998); more recently known for his recurring role as senior SD-6 officer Calvin McCullough on the hit TV series 'Alias' and for his role as a blackmailing, corpse-seeking mad scientist in Glenn McQuaid's the acclaimed horror comedy 'I Sell the Dead' (2008); made his screen debut (credited as Rory Guy) in writer-director Curtis Hanson's first film, the low-budget horror-thriller 'Sweet Kill' (1972), which he followed with a role in the cult slasher film ' Scream Bloody Murder' (1973); first worked with 'Phantasm' director Don Coscarelli on the drama 'Jim, the World's Greatest' (1976), in which he played the title character's father; reteamed with Coscarelli for all four 'Phantasm' films, a 2005 episode of 'Masters of Horror,' and the 2012 horror-comedy 'John Dies at the End;' also acted in several films for writer-director Jim Wynorski, including 'The Lost Empire' (1984), 'Chopping Mall' (1986), 'Transylvania Twist' (1989), and 'Munchie' (1992); played the lead in Ted Nicolaou's cult horror film 'Subspecies' (1991), starred opposite Bruce Campbell in Steve Barnett's cult sci-fi film 'Mindwarp' (1992), and co-starred in a trio of horror films for writer-director James Felix McKenney, i.e. 'The Off Season' (2004), 'Automatons' (2006), and 'Satan Hates You' (2010); recently reprised his iconic role as the Tall Man in 'Phantasm: Ravager,' which is yet to be released
August 19, 1926 – January 9, 2016 - Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Additional Crew
Beau St. Clair was born in 1952 in California, USA. She was a producer, known for The November Man (2014), Rollerball (2002) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999). She was married to Lloyd Phillips. She died on 9 January 2016 in Malibu, California, USA.Longtime producing partner of Pierce Brosnan, with whom she founded the LA-based company Irish DreamTime; produced nearly a dozen films starring or featuring Brosnan, including 'The Nephew' (1998), 'The Thomas Crown Affair' (1999), 'Evelyn' (2002), 'Laws of Attraction' (2004), 'The Matador' (2005), 'Shattered' (2007), 'The Greatest' (2009), 'The November Man' (2014), and the upcoming 'I.T.' (2016)
ca. 1952 – January 9, 2016- Born in Devon, Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart broke into broadcasting with a job at Radio Hong Kong working as a sports commentator, announcer and, finally, as a disc jockey. He returned to Britain in 1965 and joined the pirate station Radio London, before moving on to BBC Radio. He was one of Radio 1's original team of presenters, but is much remembered presenting Junior Choice on Radio 2 for 11 years. He also became a familiar face on British television, presenting Top of the Pops and the children's programme Crackerjack! (1955). Ed made radio history in 1995 when he broadcast his Radio 2 show live from the summits of Ben Nevis and Snowdon, in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.A.k.a. Ed "Stewpot" Stewart; popular BBC broadcaster and disc jockey who was one of the first presenters on BBC Radio 1, where for 12 years (1968-1980) he was the host of the children’s request show 'Junior Choice;' also remembered for presenting the music chart program 'Top of the Pops' and the children's show 'Crackerjack' on BBC Television in the 1970s; was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 from 1980 to 1983 and again from 1991 to 2006 and made radio history in 1995 when he broadcast his Radio 2 show live from the summits of Ben Nevis and Snowdon, in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust; returned to Radio 2 in 2007 and hosted annual Christmas editions of 'Junior Choice' until 2015
April 23, 1941 – January 9, 2016 - Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest collections of 20th century art.
Born David Jones, he changed his name to Bowie in the 1960s, to avoid confusion with the then well-known Davy Jones (lead singer of The Monkees). The 1960s were not a happy period for Bowie, who remained a struggling artist, awaiting his breakthrough. He dabbled in many different styles of music (without commercial success), and other art forms such as acting, mime, painting, and play-writing. He finally achieved his commercial breakthrough in 1969 with the song "Space Oddity", which was released at the time of the moon landing. Despite the fact that the literal meaning of the lyrics relates to an astronaut who is lost in space, this song was used by the BBC in their coverage of the moon landing, and this helped it become such a success. The album, which followed "Space Oddity", and the two, which followed (one of which included the song "The Man Who Sold The World", covered by Lulu and Nirvana) failed to produce another hit single, and Bowie's career appeared to be in decline.
However, he made the first of many successful "comebacks" in 1972 with "Ziggy Stardust", a concept album about a space-age rock star. This album was followed by others in a similar vein, rock albums built around a central character and concerned with futuristic themes of Armageddon, gender dysfunction/confusion, as well as more contemporary themes such as the destructiveness of success and fame, and the dangers inherent in star worship. In the mid-1970s, Bowie was a heavy cocaine abuser and sometime heroin user.
In 1975, he changed tack. Musically, he released "Young Americans", a soul (or plastic soul as he later referred to it) album. This produced his first number one hit in the US, "Fame". He also appeared in his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). With a permanently-dilated pupil and skeletal frame, he certainly looked the part of an alien. The following year, he released "Station to Station," containing some of the material he had written for the soundtrack to this film (which was not used). As his drug problem heightened, his behavior became more erratic. Reports of his insanity started to appear, and he continued to waste away physically. He fled back to Europe, finally settling in Berlin, where he changed musical direction again and recorded three of the most influential albums of all time, an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno "Low, Heroes and Lodger". Towards the end of the 1970s, he finally kicked his drug habit, and recorded the album many of his fans consider his best, the Japanese-influenced "Scary Monsters". Around this time, he appeared in the title role of the Broadway drama The Elephant Man, and to considerable acclaim.
The next few years saw something of a drop-off in his musical output as his acting career flourished, culminating in his acclaimed performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983). In 1983, he released "Let's Dance," an album which proved an unexpected massive commercial success, and produced his second #1 hit single in the United States. According to producer Nile Rodgers, the album was made in just 17 days and was "the easiest album" he'd ever made in his life. The tour which followed, "Serious Moonlight", was his most successful ever. Faced with this success on a massive scale, Bowie apparently attempted to "repeat the formula" in the next two albums, with less success (and to critical scorn). Finally, in the late 1980s, he turned his back on commercial success and his solo career, forming the hard rock band, Tin Machine, who had a deliberate limited appeal. By now, his acting career was in decline. After the comparative failure of Labyrinth (1986), the movie industry appears to have decided that Bowie was not a sufficient name to be a lead actor in a major movie, and since that date, most of his roles have been cameos or glorified cameos. Tin Machine toured extensively and released two albums, with little critical or commercial success.
In 1992, Bowie again changed direction and re-launched his solo career with "Black Tie White Noise", a wedding album inspired by his recent marriage to Iman. He released three albums to considerable critical acclaim and reasonable commercial success. In 1995, he renewed his working relationship with Brian Eno to record "Outside." After an initial hostile reaction from the critics, this album has now taken its place with his classic albums. In 2003, Bowie released an album entitled 'Reality.' The Reality Tour began in November 2003 and, after great commercial success, was extended into July 2004. In June 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack and the tour did not finish its scheduled run.
After recovering, Bowie gave what turned out to be his final live performance in a three-song set with Alicia Keys at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in November 2006. He also returned to acting. He played Tesla in The Prestige (2006) and had a small cameo in the comedy David Bowie (2006) for fan Ricky Gervais. In 2007, he did a cartoon voice in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) playing Lord Royal Highness. He had a brief cameo in the movie ''Bandslam'' released in 2009; after a ten year hiatus from recording, he released a new album called 'The Next Day', featuring a homage cover to his earlier work ''Heroes''. The music video of ''Stars are Out Tonight'' premiered on 25 February 2013. It consists of other songs like ''Where Are We Now?", "Valentine's Day", "Love is Lost", "The Next Day", etc.
In 2014, Bowie won British Male Solo Artist at the 2014 Brit Awards, 30 years since last winning it, and became the oldest ever Brit winner. Bowie wrote and recorded the opening title song to the television miniseries The Last Panthers (2015), which aired in November 2015. The theme used for The Last Panthers (2015) was also the title track for his January 2016 release, ''Blackstar" (released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday) was met with critical acclaim. Following Bowie's death two days later, on 10 January 2016, producer Tony Visconti revealed Bowie had planned the album to be his swan song, and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death. An EP, No Plan, was released on 8 January 2017, which would have been Bowie's 70th birthday. The day following his death, online viewing of Bowie's music skyrocketed, breaking the record for Vevo's most viewed artist in a single day.
On 15 January, "Blackstar" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart; nineteen of his albums were in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and thirteen singles were in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart. The song also debuted at #1 on album charts around the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the US Billboard 200. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Bowie won all five nominated awards: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best Recording Package; and Best Rock Song. The wins marked Bowie's first ever in musical categories. David Bowie influenced the course of popular music several times and had an effect on several generations of musicians.Legendary, chameleon-like singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor who changed the face of music and the very meaning of being a rock star through many timeless songs ("Space Oddity," "Heroes," "Let's Dance," etc.), barrier-breaking experimentation with image, identity, and various musical styles, and the creation of bizarre and iconic alter egos such as Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke; had a tremendous influence that crossed generations and genres and transcended music, fashion, film, performance art, and sexual politics; widely acknowledged as a pioneer of glam rock, as a seminal inspiration for the punk rock movement, and as an unpredictable, trend-setting superstar whose innovative music and stagecraft brought a new dimension to pop music in the early 1970s that strongly influenced both its immediate forms and its subsequent development; broadened and extended his influence through non-stop reinvention and experimentation with an immensely wide range of musical styles, including psychedelic folk and pop, hard rock and heavy metal, blue-eyed soul, jazz, industrial, adult contemporary, drum and bass, and cabaret; helped bring a dramatic sense of showmanship and theatricality to rock music while his often androgynous personas served as inspiration for countless gay and transgender entertainers to come; broke out with "Space Oddity," his iconic 1969 hit about the launching of a fictional astronaut named Major Tom; wrote and performed the original version of the oft-covered track "The Man Who Sold the World" from his 1970 album of the same name, while his 1971 album 'Hunky Dory' yielded the hit "Life on Mars?" and the more famous "Changes," with the lyrics of the latter becoming emblematic of his chameleonic artistry; made a considerable impact when in 1972 when he introduced his flamboyant, androgynous, bisexual alien alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the single "Starman" and breakthrough album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars;' shocked audiences when he abruptly "retired" Ziggy at the end of a sold-out concert in London in July 1973 but donned a new persona for his LP 'Aladdin Sane,' which topped the UK chart, making it his first number-one album, and which introduced quite possibly his most striking and enduring image -- Bowie made-up with a red-and-blue lightning bolt across his face; had hits with the 'Aladdin Sane' singles "The Jean Genie" and "Drive-In Saturday," as well as "Sorrow" from his follow-up UK number-one studio album, 'Pin Ups' (1973), and "Rebel Rebel" from his 1974 concept album 'Diamond Dogs,' which also hit number one on the UK albums chart; made a radical shift in style and achieved his first major American crossover success with the release of his 1975 "plastic soul" album 'Young Americans' and its number-one single, "Fame," which he co-wrote with Beatles legend John Lennon; adopted the emotionless, impeccably-dressed, self-destructive Thin White Duke persona for his 1976 album 'Station to Station,' a masterwork that included the Top 10 single "Golden Years;" next worked with producer-songwriter Brian Eno on the so-called "Berlin Trilogy," a trio of albums he made with Brian Eno and comprised of the minimalist, electronic-influenced 1977 albums 'Low' and '"Heroes"' and the more pop-oriented 1979 album 'Lodger'; received lasting widespread praise for the "Berlin Trilogy," particularly '"Heroes"', the title track of which remains one of Bowie's best-known songs; continued his own success with the hit 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" and its parent album, 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps),' and with "Under Pressure," a beloved and highly-memorable 1981 collaboration with the band Queen; reached his commercial peak in 1983 with the album 'Let's Dance,' which became his best-selling album worldwide and yielded several hit singles, including the title track, "Modern Love," and "China Girl" (which he co-wrote with, and which was originally recorded by, Iggy Pop); won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video for his 20-minute 1984 film "Jazzin' for Blue Jean," created to promote his single "Blue Jean;" memorably collaborated with Mick Jagger on a hit version of "Dancing in the Street" in 1985 to raise money for the Live Aid famine relief cause; continued experimenting with musical styles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, scoring hits with albums including 'Black Tie White Noise' (1993), 'Reality' (2003), and 'The Next Day' (2013) and singles such as "Jump They Say," "Hello Spaceboy," "Little Wonder," "Thursday's Child," and "Everyone Says Hi;" contributed to albums of other artists as well, starting with Mott the Hoople's 'All the Young Dudes,' which he produced and for which he wrote the iconic title track; also co-produced Lou Reed's seminal 1972 solo album 'Transformer,' which features Reed's most famous song, "Walk on the Wild Side;" subsequently collaborated with Iggy Pop as co-producer of The Stooges' 1973 album 'Raw Power' and later as a producer, co-writer and musician on Pop's solo albums 'The Idiot' (1977), 'Lust for Life' (1978), and 'TV Eye Live 1977' (1978); had a successful but sporadic film career as an actor, beginning with the eponymous role in Nicolas Roeg's bold sci-fi drama 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' (1976), for which Bowie received significant acclaim as well as a "Golden Scroll" from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films; went on to play the vampire John Blaylock in Tony Scott's cult classic 'The Hunger' and Major Jack 'Strafer' Celliers in Nagisa Ôshima's critically-acclaimed drama 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,' both released in 1983; more famously portrayed Jareth the Goblin King in -- and wrote and performed the songs for -- Jim Henson's iconic adventure fantasy 'Labyrinth' (1986), which may be his most popular and best-loved acting role; subsequently gave memorable performances as Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese's 'The Last Temptation of Christ' (1988), the long-lost Agent Phillip Jeffries in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992), Andy Warhol in Julian Schnabel's 'Basquiat' (1996), and Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan's 'The Prestige' (2006); also memorably turned up as himself in the popular comedy 'Zoolander' (2001), in which he officiated the hilarious "walk-off" between Ben Stiller's Derek Zoolander and Owen Wilson's Hansel; other notable film credits include David Hemmings' 'Just a Gigolo' (1978), John Landis' 'Into the Night' (1985), Julien Temple's 'Absolute Beginners' (1986), Richard Shepard's 'The Linguini Incident' (1991), the title role in 'Mr. Rice's Secret' (2000), and a voice-over role in Luc Besson's animated 'Arthur and the Invisibles' (2006); also remembered for his portrayal of John Merrick in the original Broadway run of 'The Elephant Man' from 1980 to 1981; also earned a Golden Globe nomination as lyricist of the theme song for Paul Schrader's 'Cat People' (1983), a BAFTA nomination as composer of Roger Michell's 1993 miniseries 'The Buddha of Suburbia,' and a Daytime Emmy as host of the 2002 TV special 'Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s;' was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1999, and awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006; estimated to have sold some 140 million records worldwide throughout his career, receiving nine Platinum, eleven Gold, and eight Silver album certifications in the U.K. and five Platinum and seven Gold certifications in the U.S.; released his final album, 'Blackstar,' on his 69th birthday -- just two days before his death; a truly unique and gifted artist who quite possibly permeated and transformed more lives than any comparable figure
January 8, 1947 – January 10, 2016- Michael Galeota was born on 28 August 1984 in Smithtown, Long Island, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Bailey Kipper's P.O.V. (1996), The Jersey (1999) and Clubhouse Detectives (1997). He died on 10 January 2016 in Glendale, California, USA.Actor best known for his role as Nick Lighter on the Disney Channel series 'The Jersey' from 1999 to 2004; also remembered for role in the comedy 'Bushwhacked' (1995), for starring in the family film 'Clubhouse Detectives' (1996), and for playing the title role in the short-lived Saturday morning CBS comedy 'Bailey Kipper's P.O.V.' in 1996
August 28, 1984 – January 10, 2016 - Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Stanley Mann was born on 8 August 1928 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was a writer and producer, known for Firestarter (1984), The Collector (1965) and Conan the Destroyer (1984). He was married to Florence Wood. He died on 11 January 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Screenwriter who earned Oscar, Golden Globe and WGA Award nominations for co-authoring the screenplay for William Wyler's psychological thriller 'The Collector' (1965); was later nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award for his screenplay for the spy thriller 'Eye of the Needle (1981), which he adapted from the Ken Follett novel of the same name; also scripted the 1984 film adaptation of Stephen King's 'Firestarter' and was co-writer of many other films, including Jack Arnold's classic comedy 'The Mouse That Roared' (1959), Guy Green's controversial drama 'The Mark' (1961), Alexander Mackendrick's historical adventure 'A High Wind in Jamaica' (1965), Ronald Neame's sci-fi disaster film 'Meteor' (1979), and sequels 'Damien: Omen II' (1978) and 'Conan the Destroyer' (1984)
August 8, 1928 – January 11, 2016- Art Director
- Production Designer
- Art Department
John B. Mansbridge was born on 20 March 1917 in Jackson, South Dakota, USA. He was an art director and production designer, known for Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Tron (1982) and The Black Hole (1979). He was married to Colleen Cuccia Dent Mansbridge. He died on 11 January 2016 in La Quinta, California, USA.Art director who earned Oscar nominations for his work in the Disney movies 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' (1971) and 'The Island at the Top of the World' (1974); spent over two decades as designer and supervising art director for live-action Disney films, including beloved classics such as 'The Incredible Journey' (1963), 'The Love Bug (1968), 'Blackbeard's Ghost' (1968), 'Escape to Witch Mountain' (1975), 'The Apple Dumpling Gang' (1975), 'Freaky Friday' (1976), 'Pete's Dragon' (1977), 'The Black Hole' (1979), 'TRON' (1982), 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' (1983), and the short 'Frankenweenie' (1984); began his career as a draftsman in the art department at RKO, where one of the films he worked on was Orson Welles' immortal 'Citizen Kane' (1941); went on to work on a number of low-budget war and Western films -- most notably Samuel Fuller's 'China Gate' (1957), 'Forty Guns' (1957), and 'Verboten!' (1959) -- before he began working with Disney; later served as production designer for CBS' cult fantasy drama series 'Beauty and the Beast' (1987-90), winning an Emmy Award for his work on that show's pilot episode in 1988; retired after designing the film 'Stone Cold' (1991) and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild over 15 years later, in 2006
March 20, 1917 – January 11, 2016- David Margulies was born on 19 February 1937 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989) and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). He was married to Carol Grant. He died on 11 January 2016 in New York City, New York, USA.Character actor perhaps most remembered for playing the mayor of New York City in 'Ghostbusters' (1984) and 'Ghostbusters II' (1989) and Tony Soprano's lawyer Neil Mink in several episodes of 'The Sopranos;' acted in both the original Broadway production and 1986 film adaptation of 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' and also had roles in films such as Martin Ritt's 'The Front' (1976), Bob Fosse's 'All That Jazz' (1979), Brian De Palma's 'Dressed to Kill' (1980), cult teen drama 'Times Square' (1980), Sidney Lumet's 'Daniel' (1983) and 'Running on Empty' (1988), '9½ Weeks' (1986), 'Ishtar' (1987), 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls' (1994), Woody Allen's 'Celebrity' (1998), 'Ira & Abby' (2006), 'All Good Things' (2010), John Turturro's 'Fading Gigolo' (2013), and 'A Most Violent Year' (2014); other Broadway credits include the title role in the Pulitzer Prize-nominated 'Conversations With My Father' (1992), Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner's Tony-winning 'Angels in America' (1993-94), and Appopolous in the 2003 revival of 'Wonderful Town'
February 19, 1937 – January 11, 2016 - Writer
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nikos Panayotopoulos was born on November 6, 1941, in Mytilene, Greece. He studied film making in Athens and started his career as an assistant director in Greek and foreign productions.
In 1960-1973 he lived in Paris where he attended film courses at the filmology institute of Sorbonne.
In 1973 he returned to Athens. His first film The Color of Iris (1974) ("The Colours of Iris") was the most unexpected creation of the New Greek Cinema. Since then he lived and worked there, and his beloved wife Marianna Spanoudakis, always by his side, participated faithfully in all of his productions, mainly as a costume designer and also as producer and actress. Since 1974 he wrote and directed films, with a special narrative style in a thematic approach that deals with issues such as erotic delusion and deterioration of human relations.
His films have participated in national and international festivals and have received important distinctions and prizes.
His death came just a few weeks after the release of his film I kori tou Rembrandt (2015) ("Rembrandt's Daughter").Greek director and screenwriter behind such award-winning films as 'The Color of Iris' (1974), 'The Idlers of the Fertile Valley' (1978), 'Melodrama?' (1980), 'Edge of Night' (2000), and 'Delivery' (2004); won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival for 'The Idlers of the Fertile Valley' and earned multiple awards from the Thessaloniki Film Festival, including two for 'Melodrama?' and the FIPRESCI Prize for 'Delivery'
1941 – January 11, 2016- Often called the First Lady of German cinema, Ruth Leuwerik was at the peak of her popularity during the 1950's when partnered on screen by the leading male stars of the post-war era: Dieter Borsche, Hannes Messemer, Curd Jürgens and O.W. Fischer. She proved her range by alternating between glamorous damsels and emancipated, resilient heroines in quality productions, invariably directed by master film makers like Wolfgang Liebeneiner, Robert Siodmak or Helmut Käutner.
Young Ruth first became enamoured with acting after watching a movie with Greta Garbo at the age of ten. Julius Martin Leeuwerik, a merchant, was sufficiently prosperous to afford his daughter private acting tuition after she was initially rejected by Berlin's premier acting academy. Undeterred, Leuwerik made her theatrical debut in 1943. The war, however, proved decidedly limiting to further career prospects. Between 1947 and 1949, she was able to gain steady theatrical engagements in Bremen and Lübeck. The following year, she came to the attention of film audiences in the vacation comedy, Dreizehn unter einem Hut (1950). Success was almost immediate and work on the stage henceforth took a back seat to the celluloid medium.
Between 1950 and 1963, Ruth Leuwerik starred in 28 pictures, nearly all of them box-office gold. These ranged from creaky melodramas like Die große Versuchung (1952) and Geliebte Feindin (1955) to prestige pictures like Rosen im Herbst (1955) (as Effie Briest, based on the novel by Theodor Fontane) and Ludwig II: Glanz und Ende eines Königs (1955) (as Empress Elisabeth of Austria). Her varied roles encompassed not only the standard Mittel-European aristocratic heroines of the period, but also hardy bourgeois mothers, victims of circumstance and dedicated professional women. She played Maria von Trapp in The Trapp Family (1956) -- long before the musical version with Julie Andrews was conceived -- and showcased her abilities as a serious dramatic actress in the role of a priest's daughter, on trial for murdering her husband, in the title role of A Matter of Minutes (1959). Another moving and sympathetic portrayal was that of the physician Hanna Dietrich, tending to 300 German POW's inside a Siberian concentration camp, in the gritty post-war drama Taiga (1958). This particular performance won her the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Film Festival. Arguably the culmination of her career was Liebling der Götter (1960), a biopic of the tragic actress Renate Müller. Voted Germany's most popular actress by Bravo, "the magazine for film and television", Leuwerik also picked up four prestigious Bambi Awards in 1953, 1960, 1961 and 1962. She was the first German actress to participate in a Royal Performance in London in 1960.
From 1964 -- having rejected an offer from Hollywood -- Leuwerik began to withdraw from public life and restrict her appearances to occasional guest spots on television. Unlike other screen divas, her personal life was remarkably devoid of scandal and controversy. Her second husband was the famous German opera singer Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Ruth Leuwerik died in Munich in January 2016 at the age of 91.Actress who was one of the most popular stars of German film during the 1950s; was perhaps best known for playing Maria von Trapp in Wolfgang Liebeneiner's 'The Trapp Family' (1956) and 'The Trapp Family in America' (1958), the latter of which earned her one of her five Bambi Awards for Best Actress; received her other Bambi Awards for Rudolf Jugert's 'A Heart's Foul Play' (1953) and 'Die Stunde, die du Glücklich Bist' (1961), Liebeneiner's 'Taiga' (1958), and Josef von Báky's 'The Ideal Woman' (1959), and was also nominated for the Bambi for her work in Rolf Hansen's 'The Great Temptation' (1952) and 'Life, Above All' (1953), Harald Braun's 'Father Needs a Wife' (1952), Käutner's 'Redhead' (1962), and Alfred Vohrer's 'An Alibi for Death' (1963); won her only German Film Award for 'Life, Above All,' though she went on to earn nominations for Käutner's 'Portrait of an Unknown Woman' (1954), Jugert's 'Roses in Autumn' (1955), Gottfried Reinhardt's 'Sweetheart of the Gods' (1960), and the aforementioned 'Taiga' and 'Redhead'; other notable credits include Käutner's films 'Ludwig II: Glanz und Ende eines Königs' (1955) and 'The House in Montevideo' (1963), Vohrer's 'And Jimmy Went to the Rainbow's Foot' (1971), and the 1979 miniseries 'The Buddenbrooks'; received an Honorary German Film Award in 1978 and a lifetime achievement award from the Bavarian Film Awards in 1992
April 23, 1924 – January 12, 2016 - Meg Mundy was born on 4 January 1915 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Fatal Attraction (1987), The Doctors (1963) and Ordinary People (1980). She was married to Konstantinos "Dino" Yannopoulos. She died on 12 January 2016 in The Bronx, New York, USA.Stage and screen actress who was a veteran of Broadway, where she most notably starred in the original productions of 'The Respectful Prostitute' (1948) and 'Detective Story' (1949) -- winning a Theatre World Award for the latter -- and later appeared in '80s revivals of 'The Philadelphia Story' and 'You Can't Take It With You'; played wealthy matriarch Mona Aldrich Croft on NBC's daytime soap opera 'The Doctors' from 1972 until the show's end in 1982, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination for the role in the latter year; went on to play Maeve Stoddard's mother Julia on 'Guiding Light' in the late '80s and made numerous appearances as Dimitri Marrick's aunt, Eugenia von Voynavitch, on 'All My Children' between 1997 and 2001; film roles include the title character's mother in the 'Love Story' sequel 'Oliver's Story' (1978), Mary Tyler Moore's character's mother in Robert Redford's Oscar-winning drama 'Ordinary People' (1980), and Anne Archer's character's mother in Adrian Lyne's hit Oscar-nominated thriller 'Fatal Attraction' (1987); also had supporting roles in such films as Irvin Kershner's 'Eyes of Laura Mars' (1978), Michael Ritchie's 'The Survivors' (1983), and Ridley Scott's 'Someone to Watch Over Me' (1987)
January 4, 1915 – January 12, 2016 - William Needles was born on 2 January 1919 in Yonkers, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Spasms (1983), Folio (1955) and The Taming of the Shrew (1988). He was married to Dorothy. He died on 12 January 2016 in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.Canada's oldest working actor; appeared in more than 100 productions at Stratford Festival over 47 seasons; a member of the Order of Canada
January 2, 1919 – January 12, 2016 - Editor
- Sound Department
Suresh Ayyar was born on 1 July 1957 in Sydney, Australia. He was an editor, known for Iron Sky (2012), Bad Boy Bubby (1993) and Unfinished Sky (2007). He died on 13 January 2016 in Sydney, Australia.Renowned film editor who was nominated for eight Australian Film Institute Awards between 1988 and 2008, winning for Rolf de Heer black comedy/drama 'Bad Boy Bubby' (1993); earned his other nominations for 'The Dreaming' (1988), de Heer's 'Dingo' (1991), 'Thank God He Met Lizzie' (1997), Craig Monahan's 'The Interview' (1998), 'Fresh Air' (1999), Richard Roxburgh's 'Romulus, My Father' (2007), and Peter Duncan's 'Unfinished Sky' (2007); also won an Australian Screen Editors Award for 'Romulus, My Father' and IF and Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for 'Unfinished Sky;' other films edited include Monahan's 'Peaches' (2004) and 'Healing' (2014), Clara Law's 'Floating Life' (1996), Jeff Balsmeyer's 'Danny Deckchair' (2003) and 'Ingenious' (2009), 'The Wog Boy' (2000), 'The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course' (2002), 'The Road from Coorain' (2002), 'Hating Alison Ashley' (2005), 'The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce' (2008), 'Cedar Boys' (2009), 'Iron Sky' (2012), and 'Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia' (2013)
July 1, 1957 – January 13, 2016- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Brian Bedford was born on 16 February 1935 in Morley, Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for Nixon (1995), Robin Hood (1973) and Grand Prix (1966). He was married to Tim MacDonald. He died on 13 January 2016 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.Celebrated stage actor and director known for his masterful performances and interpretations of classical roles, particularly those of Shakespeare; was a mainstay at Ontario's Stratford Festival for nearly four decades, performing in more than 50 productions there -- starting with 'Twelfth Night' in 1974 -- and directing over 20 others, including a 2010 staging of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' that transferred to Broadway in 2011, resulting in Tony nominations for himself and the production; earned seven Tony nominations in total, winning for his first in 1971 for 'The School of Wives' and going on to receive nods for 'Two Shakespearean Actors' (1992), 'Timon of Athens' (1994), 'The Molière Comedies' (1995), 'London Assurance' (1997), and 'Tartuffe' (2003); also won six of the seven Drama Desk Awards for which he was nominated, the first of which was for 'The Misanthrope' in 1969 and was followed by wins for 'Private Lives' (1970), 'The School of Wives,' 'Jumpers' (1974), and 'Two Shakespearean Actors,' a nomination for 'Timon of Athens,' and one last win for 'The Importance of Being Earnest;' had several screen credits as well, including appearances on 'Ben Casey,' 'The Equalizer,' 'Murder, She Wrote,' 'Cheers, and 'Frasier,' supporting roles in the classic films 'The Angry Silence' (1960) and 'Grand Prix' (1966), and the role of FBI associate director Clyde Tolson in Oliver Stone's 'Nixon' (1995), the latter of which earned him and the rest of the cast a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast; was best known, however, for providing the voice of the title character in Disney's beloved animated telling of 'Robin Hood' (1973)
February 16, 1935 – January 13, 2016- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Giorgio Gomelsky was born on 28 February 1934 in at sea between Odessa, Ukraine and Genoea, Italy. He was an actor and composer, known for The Collector (1967), Downtown 81 (2000) and Johnny Hallyday: Noir c'est noir (1966). He was married to ???. He died on 13 January 2016 in New York City, New York, USA.Impresario, music manager, and record producer who was a pivotal figure in the London music scene of the 1960s, helping some of the greatest talents of the era get their start; owned and operated London's famed Crawdaddy Club, where he booked the Rolling Stones for their first paid appearances and became their first manager; subsequently managed and produced for the Yardbirds in their prime, and was also instrumental in the careers of such acts as Soft Machine, the Animals, Daevid Allen, and Gong, Magma and Material; founded the short-lived Marmalade Records, which released records by such artists as Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity, and the Blossom Toes, as well as early recordings by by Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who later became the art rock band 10cc; also organized one of the first British blues festivals and gave Eric Clapton his longtime nickname, "Slowhand"
February 28, 1934 – January 13, 2016- Actor
- Writer
Conrad Phillips was born on 13th April 1925 and, after serving in the Royal Navy (having forged the birth date on his ration book to make himself appear older and thus eligible to enlist) during the Second World War, turned to acting as a career. He 'trod the boards', appearing in films (TV and cinema) and the stage between 1948 and 1991 when pain in his back, hip and both knee joints (arising as a result of accidents during his acting), brought about a premature end to his acting career. He is best known for his lead role in the long-running TV series, William Tell, which had 39 episodes between 1958 and 1959.
Conrad married his second wife, Jennie, in July 1968 and at the time of his death they were living in Chippenham, Wiltshire. Before that they bought and ran a dilapidated Scottish hill farm called Skeoch. Jennie wrote a book about the time there and this was on sale in both paperback and ebook formats. After Skeoch, they moved to France and spent 20 years restoring an old French barn. Conrad was also an author.
To aid his musings, Conrad loved the occasional whisky or, better still, a cold pint of the local brew, Wadworths 6X.Actor best known for playing the eponymous hero in the British adventure series 'The Adventures William Tell,' which originally aired from 1958 to 1959; also remembered for playin Mr. Lloyd in the third episode of 'Fawlty Towers,' "The Wedding Party," in 1975; had supporting roles in such films as Powell & Pressburger's 'The Battle of the River Plate' (1956), Jack Cardiff's Oscar-winning 'Sons and Lovers' (1960), Sidney Hayers' 'Circus of Horrors' (1960), Basil Dearden's thriller 'The Secret Partner' (1961), the classic Agatha Christie adaptation 'Murder She Said' (1961), and the Boulting brothers' comedy 'Heavens Above!' (1963)
April 13, 1925 – January 13, 2016- Jim Simpson was born on 20 December 1927 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was married to Ann Crowley Jones and Sara Catherine Kanaga. He died on 13 January 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.Smooth, versatile sportscaster who called Super Bowl I for NBC Radio and was ESPN's first play-by-play announcer when the network launched in 1979; perhaps best known for calling AFL and NFL telecasts for NBC Sports from 1964 to 1979, but he also called 16 Major League Baseball All-Star Games, 14 Olympic Games, 14 Wimbledon championships, 14 Orange Bowls, six Super Bowls, and six World Series; received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Emmy Awards in 1997 and was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2000
December 20, 1927 – January 13, 2016 - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
René Angélil was born on 16 January 1942 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for Céline Dion: The Colour of My Love Concert (1993), Omertà (2012) and L'apparition (1972). He was married to Céline Dion, Anne Renée and Denyse Duquette. He died on 14 January 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.Singer-turned-music producer and talent manager best known for being the manager of singer Celine Dion from 1981 to 2014 and her husband from 1994 until his death
January 16, 1942 – January 14, 2016- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Franco Citti was born on 23 April 1935 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor and director, known for The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part III (1990) and Accattone (1961). He died on 14 January 2016 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.Italian actor who made his screen debut playing the title role in Pier Paolo Pasolini's first film, the acclaimed 'Accattone' (1961), for which Citti was nominated for a BAFTA Award; collaborated with Pasolini on six of the director's subsequent films: 'Mamma Roma' (1962), 'Oedipus Rex' (1967), 'Porcile' (1969), 'The Decameron' (1971), 'The Canterbury Tales' (1972), and 'Arabian Nights' (1974); best known to international audiences for his role as Calo in Francis Ford Coppola's Oscar-winning masterpiece 'The Godfather' (1972), in which he has the famous line, "'In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.", and later reprised the role in 'The Godfather Part III' (1990); other notable films include 'Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man' (1976), 'Todo modo' (1976), 'Watch Me When I Kill' (1977), Bernardo Bertolucci's 'Luna' (1979), and several directed by his brother, Sergio Citti
April 23, 1935 – January 14, 2016- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Alan Rickman was born on a council estate in Acton, West London, to Margaret Doreen Rose (Bartlett), of English and Welsh descent, and Bernard Rickman, of Irish descent, who worked at a factory. Alan Rickman had an older brother (David), a younger brother (Michael), and a younger sister (Sheila). When Alan was 8 years old, his father died. He attended Latymer Upper School on a scholarship. He studied Graphic Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, where he met Rima Horton, who would later become his longtime partner.
After three years at Chelsea College, Rickman did graduate studies at the Royal College of Art. He opened a successful graphic design business, Graphiti, with friends and managed it for several years before his love of theatre led him to seek an audition with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). At the relatively late age of 26, Rickman received a scholarship to RADA, which started a professional acting career that has lasted nearly 40 years, a career which has spanned stage, screen and television, and overlapped into directing, as well. In 1987, he first came to the attention of American audiences as the Vicomte de Valmont in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" on Broadway (he was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the role). Denied the role in the film version of the show, Rickman instead made his first film appearance opposite Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988) as the villainous Hans Gruber. His take on the urbane villain set the standard for screen villains for decades to come.
Although often cited as being a master of playing villains, Rickman actually played a wide variety of characters, such as the romantic cello-playing ghost Jamie in Anthony Minghella's Truly Madly Deeply (1990) and the noble Colonel Brandon of Sense and Sensibility (1995). He treated audiences to his comedic abilities in such films as Dogma (1999), Galaxy Quest (1999) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and roles like Dr. Alfred Blalock in Something the Lord Made (2004), and as Alex Hughes in Snow Cake (2006), showcased his ability to play ordinary men in extraordinary situations. Rickman even conquered the daunting task of singing a role in a Stephen Sondheim musical as he took on the role of Judge Turpin in the movie adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). In 2001, Rickman introduced himself to a whole new, younger generation of fans by taking on the role of Severus Snape in the film versions of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). He continued to play the role through the eighth and last movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).
Alan Rickman died of pancreatic cancer on 14 January 2016. He was 69 years old.Iconic, distinctively smooth-voiced actor known for a variety of cherished and acclaimed film roles, include ruthless terrorist Hans Gruber in 'Die Hard' (1988), the Sheriff of Nottingham in 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' (1991), the morosely romantic Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee's Oscar-winning 'Sense and Sensibility' (1995), sardonic angel Metatron in Kevin Smith's 'Dogma' (1998), the bitter and snarky actor Alexander Dane in 'Galaxy Quest' (1999), emotionally unfaithful husband Harry in 'Love Actually' (2003), Judge Turpin in Tim Burton's 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' (2007), and, of course, the cold and menacing Professor Severus Snape in the 'Harry Potter' films (2001-2011); received dozens of awards and nominations for his film performances, including a BAFTA for 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' and a Golden Globe and Emmy, SAG, and Satellite Awards for playing the title role in the TV movie 'Rasputin' (1996); also won an Evening Standard British Film Award for his work in 'Robin Hood,' 'Close My Eyes' (1991), and Anthony Minghella's 'Truly Madly Deeply' (1990), and a London Critics Circle Film Award for those same three films as well as 'Quigley Down Under' (1990); other notable honors include SAG Award nominations as a cast member in 'Sense and Sensibility' and 'Lee Daniels' The Butler' (2013), awards from the Venice Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival for his screenwriting and directing debut, 'The Winter Guest' (1997), and an Emmy nomination for his performance in the HBO telefilm 'Something the Lord Made' (2004); more recent screen acting credits include the period dramas 'A Promise' and 'CBGB' (both 2013) and 'A Little Chaos' (2014), which he also co-wrote and directed; also received acclaim and accolades for his theatre work, including Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for his performances in 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses' (1987) and 'Private Lives' (2002), the Theatre Goers' Choice Awards for his direction of 'My Name Is Rachel Corrie' at the Royal Court Theatre in 2005, and a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award and Drama League nomination for his role in 'Seminar' (2011); an unforgettable talent with an extraordinarily powerful presence and an instantly recognizable voice that was silenced far too soon
February 21, 1946 – January 14, 2016- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Robert Banks Stewart had an incredible career in British television drama, becoming one of its greatest ever writers, story editors and producers. He started writing in primary school, winning a Burns essay prize and contributing stories to local newspapers. At age 15, he left school to become an office boy at the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch. He did his National Service with Field Marshal Montgomery's peacetime staff. He then worked as a newspaper editor. By this time he had written several plays and done a stint as a radio commentator. He eventually left Scotland for a post as foreign corespondent for Illustrated magazine. When that publication folded, he joined the Rank Organisation, providing rewrites and producing movie and TV scripts.TV writer and producer best known for creating the hit BBC detective drama 'Bergerac,' which ran from 1981 to 1991, and for writing the 1975 'Doctor Who' serial "Terror of the Zygons," which introduced the popular alien villains of the title; returned to 'Doctor Who' the following year with "The Seeds of Doom;" was co-creator and producer of the popular 1979-1980 BBC detective show 'Shoestring,' for which he was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Series/Serial and which he reworked into the longer-running 'Bergerac' after the star of 'Shoestring,' Trevor Eve, opted not to return to the show after two seasons; later produced the first season of the hit BBC series 'Lovejoy' (1986) while his other writing credits included episodes of 'Interpol Calling,' 'Danger Man,' 'The Avengers,' 'Riptide,' 'The Sweeney,' 'Charles Endell, Esq,' 'The Darling Buds of May,' and 'My Uncle Silas'
July 16, 1931 – January 14, 2016- Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay was an acclaimed Indian stage and film actor who had appeared in over 70 films acting in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema since the late 1970s. He was perhaps best known for his roles in the multi-award-winning Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001), Swades (2004), and Jodhaa Akbar (2008). All three movies were directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. He is also remembered for his earlier roles in Raj Kapoor's blockbuster final film Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), the Ramsay brothers' cult horror film Veerana (1988) in which he plays a priest, and Shekhar Kapur massively acclaimed Bandit Queen (1994) as well as the popular TV series Mahabharat (1988). He was also nominated for his role on Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) by the International Indian Film Academy for his performance in a comic role.
He has a M.A in Ancient History and Archaeology from the T.D Degree College in 1970-71.Acclaimed Indian actor who had appeared in dozens of films since the late 1970s but was perhaps best known for his roles in the multi-award-winning 'Lagaan' (2001), 'Swades' (2004), and 'Jodhaa Akbar' (2008) all three of which were directed by Ashutosh Gowariker; also remembered for his earlier roles in Raj Kapoor's blockbuster final film 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' (1985), the Ramsay brothers' cult horror film 'Veerana' (1988), and Shekhar Kapur's massively acclaimed 'Bandit Queen' (1994) as well as the popular TV series 'Mahabharat' (1988-90)
January 31, 1949 – January 14, 2016 - Actress
- Soundtrack
Noreen Corcoran was born on 20 October 1943 in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for I Love Melvin (1953), General Electric Theater (1953) and The Girls on the Beach (1965). She died on 15 January 2016 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA.Actress best known for her role as Kelly Gregg, the adopted niece of attorney Bentley Gregg (John Forsythe) on the sitcom 'Bachelor Father,' which aired from 1957 to 1962; had earlier appeared in such films as 'Hans Christian Andersen' (1952), 'The Robe' (1953), 'Young Bess' (1953), 'I Love Melvin' (1953), 'The Story of Three Loves' (1953), and 'Band of Angels' (1957); also appeared in Richard Fleischer's film noir 'Violent Saturday' (1955) alongside her brother, Kevin Corcoran, who passed away three months before she did; retired from the screen after starring in the beach movie 'The Girls on the Beach' (1965) and appearing in a 1965 episode of 'The Big Valley'
October 20, 1943 – January 15, 2016- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Dan Haggerty was born on 19 November 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Big Stan (2007), Elves (1989) and Abducted (1986). He was married to Samantha Hilton and Diane Rooker. He died on 15 January 2016 in Burbank, California, USA.Actor best known for portraying the title role in the film 'The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams' (1974) and the subsequent TV series of the same name, which only ran for two seasons from 1977-78 but is very fondly remembered; reprised the role of Adams in a trio of TV movies: 'Once Upon a Starry Night' (1978), 'Legend of the Wild' (1981) and 'The Capture of Grizzly Adams' (1982)
November 19, 1942 – January 15, 2016- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Hubert Giraud was born on 3 March 1920 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was a composer, known for Life of Pi (2012), An Education (2009) and Roma (2018). He was married to Sonia Koch and Annie Rouvre. He died on 16 January 2016 in Montreux, Switzerland.French composer and lyricist whose "Dors, mon amour," as sung by André Claveau, was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958, becoming the first entry sung by a male soloist to win the contest; other songs include "Sous le ciel de Paris" ("Under the Paris Sky"), which he co-wrote for Julien Duvivier's 1951 film of the same name, and the international hit "Mamy Blue," which debuted in 1971 and has been covered by numerous artists
March 3, 1920 – January 16, 2016- Sound Department
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Gary Loizzo was born on 16 August 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is known for One with Everything: Styx & the Contemporary Youth Orchestra (2006), State of Independence: Jon Anderson & The Contemporary Youth Orchestra (2010) and Bad Company: In Concert - Merchants of Cool (2002). He was married to Diane L. Seivert and Claudette Soltis. He died on 16 January 2016 in Orland Park, Illinois, USA.Singer, guitarist, recording engineer, and record producer best known for being the lead singer of The American Breed of "Bend Me, Shape Me" fame; went on to have a long career as a producer and recording engineer, earning Grammy nominations for engineering the platinum Styx albums 'Cornerstone' (1979) and 'Kilroy Was Here' (1983); engineered and later co-produced many other Styx albums, and also worked on albums for REO Speedwagon, Survivor, Liza Minnelli, and Styx member Dennis DeYoung
August 16, 1945 – January 16, 2016- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Art Department
William "Ward" Preston started his career in architecture, opening his own firm in Tarzana, CA after graduating from USC. His good friend Norm Baron invited him to come work at Warner Bros. studios as a set designer in 1965 and his career in show business began. He is known for his work on The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Airplane! (1980), and Purple Rain (1984). He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction for his work on The Towering Inferno (1974).Art director and production designer who shared an Oscar nomination for his art direction on 'The Towering Inferno' (1974) and was later the production designer of such films as 'Airplane!' (1980), 'Purple Rain' (1984), and 'UHF' (1989); started out as a set designer on films such as 'Gambit' (1966), 'Camelot' (1967) and 'Wait Until Dark' (1967) and was also assistant art director on 'Hello, Dolly!' (1969) and 'The Poseidon Adventure' (1972), among other films
died January 16, 2016- Sound Department
- Writer
- Set Decorator
Clive Winter was born in 1931 in Redhill, Surrey, England, UK. He was a writer and set decorator, known for Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), The Killing Fields (1984) and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). He was married to Jean Weston. He died on 16 January 2016 in London, England, UK.Sound mixer and engineer who won BAFTA Film Awards for his work on Alan Parker's 'Bugsy Malone' (1976) and 'Pink Floyd – The Wall' (1982) and Roland Joffé's 'The Killing Fields' (1984) and was nominated for BAFTAs for Hugh Hudson's Best Picture Oscar winner 'Chariots of Fire' (1981), Joffé's 'The Mission' (1986), Barry Levinson's 'Good Morning, Vietnam' (1987), and Parker's 'The Commitments' (1991); also collaborated with Parker on the director's 1974 short films 'Our Cissy' and 'Footsteps,' the TV movie 'No Hard Feelings' (1976), and the Oscar-winning film 'Midnight Express' (1978); was a frequent collaborator of several other directors, including David Hare, with whom he worked on 'Wetherby' (1985), 'Strapless' (1989) and 'The Designated Mourner' (1997), and Bruce Robinson, who recruited Winter for his first two directorial efforts, the cult black comedy 'Withnail & I' (1987) and 'How to Get Ahead in Advertising' (1989); also worked on two of writer-director John Sayles' most acclaimed films, 'The Secret of Roan Inish' (1994) and 'Lone Star' (1996), and teamed with writer-director David Mamet on his films 'The Winslow Boy' (1999) and 'Spartan' (2004); even reteamed with Hugh Hudson for 'I Dreamed of Africa' (2000), nearly 20 years after they worked together on 'Chariots of Fire'; did sound work on many other noteworthy films, including Dick Clement's 'Porridge' (1979), Tony Scott's 'The Hunger' (1983), Taylor Hackford's 'White Nights' (1985), Bill Douglas' 'Comrades' (1986), Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather: Part III' (1990), John G. Avildsen's 'The Power of One' (1992), Neil Jordan's 'Interview with the Vampire' (1994), Martin Scorsese's 'Kundun' (1997), Gillian Armstrong's 'Charlotte Gray' (2001), and Terence Malick's 'The New World' (2005)
January 3, 1932 – January 16, 2016- Dale Griffin was born on 24 October 1948 in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Hotties (2004) and The Ballad of Mott the Hoople (2010). He died on 17 January 2016 in Brecon, Powys, Wales, UK.Drummer who was a founding member of Mott the Hoople, the rock band best known for the David Bowie-written song "All the Young Dudes"; went on to produce numerous John Peel sessions for BBC Radio 1 between 1981 and 1994, including the first professional recording session for the rock band Pulp as well as early sessions for Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins
October 24, 1948 – January 17, 2016 - Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Singer, songwriter, and music producer Clarence Henry Reid began his career in the music industry doing acceptable and respectable mainstream commercial R&B fare in the 1960's and 1970's, but it was his outrageously raunchy and profane alter ego of no-holds-barred parodist Blowfly whereby Reid made his greatest and most lasting impact as one of the more colorful and idiosyncratic practitioners of American outsider music.
Reid was born on February 14, 1939 in rural Cochran, Georgia. Clarence grew up in a poor family and received little in the way of a formal education. Reid first started coming up with filthy parody versions of popular hit songs when he was seven years old and working as a sharecropper in the fields of Georgia after dropping out of grade school. Clarence eventually moved to Florida in the mid-1960's and continued to work doing menial jobs while establishing an initial foothold in the music industry. Reid eventually secured a steady gig as a staff songwriter for Deep City Records in Miami, Florida. Moreover, Clarence also pursued a solo singing career on the side with strictly modest results, although his self-pressed release of his song "Blowfly's Rapp" in 1964 has been widely cited as one of the first ever known instances of a rap song in existence. (Reid eventually did a much more explicit version of this song called "Rapp Dirty" in 1980.) Among the notable songs that Reid had a hand in writing and/or producing are "Clean Up Woman" by Betty Wright and 'Rockin' Chair" by Gwen McCrae. In addition, Clarence played a key role in shaping the sound of KC & The Sunshine Band as well as wrote songs for such major soul artists as Wilson Pickett and Sam & Dave.
However, in 1971 Reid launched a whole new career for himself after recording and releasing an entire album of dirty songs called "The Weird World of Blowfly" under the alternate name of Blowfly. In an attempt to avoid jeopardizing his mainstream musical career, Clarence appeared on the album cover as a kind of wacky superhero wearing a mask and bodysuit in order to hide his actual identity. Said mask and bodysuit would go on to become key trademarks of Reid's Blowfly persona. Although his lewd and lascivious song parodies not surprisingly failed to receive much in the way of play on commercial radio stations, Clarence/Blowfly nonetheless became a significant cult figure in the world of outsider music with over twenty party albums released altogether over the course of several decades (his 1980 album "Blowfly's Party" even went all the way to #26 on Billboard magazine's Black Albums chart).
Alas, not everyone appreciated Reid's cheerfully bawdy brand of musical parody. For example, songwriter Stanley Adams sued Clarence over his send-up of his song "What a Difference a Day Makes" called "What a Difference a Lay Makes." Moreover, Reid earned no money in royalties from various musical artists who sampled his songs throughout the years due to the fact that he had to sign away the rights to his publishing catalog in 2003 in order to pay off debts. Moreover, in 2014 Clarence had to raise money through an online crowfunding campaign in order to save his home from foreclosure. Reid died from liver cancer at age 76 at a hospice facility in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida on January 17, 2016. Although he's sadly no longer with us, Clarence and his infamous alter ego of Blowfly will continue to forever tickle our funny bones in the best and most dirty way possible.Highly influential R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and producer who moonlighted as the masked, explicit parody musician and rapper known as Blowfly, the "the Master of Class"; helped lay the foundation for hip-hop with his 1980 record "Blowfly's Rapp" (a.k.a. "Rap Dirty"), which also made him the world's first "dirty rapper"
February 14, 1939 – January 17, 2016- Mike Sharpe was born on 28 October 1951 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for WWF Championship Wrestling (1972), Spectrum Wrestling (1977) and WWF Prime Time Wrestling (1985). He died on 17 January 2016 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.Former pro-wrestler and WWE superstar known as "Iron" Mike Sharpe who was self-proclaimed as "Canada's Greatest Athlete;" distinguished himself by his near-constant yelling, berating and grunting during matches and fighting with a mysterious black brace on his right forearm that was widely believed to contain a foreign object; earned a WWE Championship Match against Champion Bob Backlund a mere four months after his WWE debut in 1983, though he, like many others, was unsuccessful in defeating Backlund; had a reputation as "the world's loudest jobber" as he often lost matches to bigger WWF/WWE stars to advance their careers
October 28, 1949 – January 17, 2016 - Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Glenn Frey was born on 6 November 1948 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Jerry Maguire (1996), Thunder Force (2021) and In America (2002). He was married to Cindy Frey and Janie Beggs. He died on 18 January 2016 in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and actor best known as a founding member of the Eagles, the iconic rock band for which he was guitarist, pianist, keyboardist, and, alongside Dan Henley, one of the lead vocalists; co-wrote and sang lead on the group's first single, "Take It Easy," which was also the opening track on their 1972 debut album and has become one of their signature songs; later co-wrote (with Henley) and sang lead on the group's popular "Tequila Sunrise" (1973), their #2 hit "Lyin' Eyes" (1975) and their #1 hits "New Kid in Town" (1976) and "Heartache Tonight" (1979); also sang lead on the classic Eagles singles "Peaceful Easy Feeling" (1972) and "Already Gone" (1974) and co-wrote many of their other hits and classics, including "Desperado" (1973), "Take It to the Limit" (1975), "One of These Nights" (1975), "Best of My Love " (1975), "The Long Run" (1979), "I Can't Tell You Why" (1979), the perhaps their best-known hit, "Hotel California" (1977); went on to have a successful solo career in the 1980s, scoring hits with "The One You Love" (1982), "Smuggler's Blues" (1984), "True Love" (1988), and especially the 1984 singles "The Heat Is On" (the main theme to the 1984 blockbuster film 'Beverly Hills Cop') and "You Belong to the City" (written for the TV series 'Miami Vice'); also wrote and performed songs for the soundtracks of such films as 'The Lonely Boy' (1984), 'Ghostbusters II' (1989), 'Thelma & Louise' (1991); had acting roles in a number a handful of films and TV movies, most notably as down-on-his-luck music entrepreneur Bobby Travis in the 1989 "Dead Dog Records" story arc in the '80s sitcom 'Wiseguy' and as Arizona Cardinals general manager Dennis Wilburn in Christopher Crowe's acclaimed romantic sports dramedy 'Jerry Maguire' (1996); reunited with the Eagles in 1994 for the live album and tour 'Hell Freezes Over' and again in 2001 to begin recording their first studio album in over 30 years, 'Long Road Out of Eden,' which was finally completed and released in 2007; won six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards as a member of the Eagles and was inducted alongside his bandmates into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998
November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Gary Menteer was born on 21 November 1939 in Houston, Texas, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Family Matters (1989), Punky Brewster (1984) and Boys Will Be Boys (1987). He was married to Joseph Cvar. He died on 18 January 2016 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA.TV writer, producer and director noted for his work on 'Punky Brewster,' for which he received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Children's Program as the show's supervising producer, and on 'Family Matters,' on which he held various producer positions between 1990 and 1998; also directed 16 episodes of 'Punky Brewster' and 27 episodes of 'Family Matters' in addition to writing five episodes of the former and 25 episodes of the latter; started out as a dancer and choreographer, performing in the original Broadway production of 'The Music Man' and in classic movie musicals such as 'Bye Bye Birdie' (1963), 'Mary Poppins' (1964), 'Finian's Rainbow' (1968), 'Hello, Dolly!' (1969) and 'Funny Lady' (1975); moved into producing in the late '70s and worked with writer-producer Garry Marshall on several of the latter's sitcoms, most notably 'Happy Days' from 1977 to 1980 and 'Laverne & Shirley' from 1979 to 1982; later served as a writer, director and executive producer on 'Malcolm & Eddie' during that show's final two seasons (1998-2000)
November 21, 1939 – January 18, 2016- Else Marie Pade was born on 2 December 1924 in Aarhus, Denmark. She was married to Henning Pade. She died on 18 January 2016 in Gentofte, Denmark.Pioneering Danish composer who was the first person in Denmark to create music using electronics and is thus regarded as the "grandmother" of electronic music; first broke ground with her 1955 composition 'En Dag på Dyrehavsbakken' ('A Day at the Fair'), a sound portrait put together for an experimental television collage and containing the first examples of concrete and electronic music produced and broadcast in Denmark; other major works include 'Symphonie Magnetophonique,' made up entirely of everyday sounds, and 'Syv Cirkler,' regarded as Denmark's first completely electronic composition
December 2, 1924 – January 18, 2016 - Micole Diana Mercurio was born in Chicago to Mary and Michael Mercurio on March 10, 1938. The first born of her generation and a beautiful child, she flourished under the attention of her extended Italian-American family. Her father had been a captain in the Italian Army and became a private in the American Army to serve his country and support his family. Her mother was a working woman. She grew up, married a local boy, and had four children. Tragically, SIDS took one child. Ever-resilient, she forged on enduring more tragedy until she went West.
Once in California, she had a series of jobs, the kinds of things you do to make ends meet. She worked at a magazine, did some legal assistant work as a temp and pursued the dream of acting. Micole studied acting with Milton Katselas, working as an "intern" in lieu of paying tuition. She accepted all and any roles and endured through a lot of rejection. Hollywood is not kind to women over 40, especially back in 1980. Big blond hair, a winning smile and that sparkle that lights up a room, she soon got her AFTRA and SAG cards. She taught ESL to adults at night and would audition during the day. She continued to do theater and worked really hard, using her emotional history to bring depth and range to her acting.
Micole helped to mentor the next generation of actors after she formally retired from film, television and theater. She helped coach new talent and continued to teach. She volunteered at rehabilitation facility, driving for hours round trip to do so. She was a warm and wonderful person and a tremendous talent and will be greatly missed.Veteran character actress perhaps best known for her roles as Jeanie Szabo's mother Rosemary in Adrian Lyne's 'Flashdance' (1983), as Babe in Peter Bogdanovich's 'Mask' (1985), and as Jack and Peter Callaghan's mother Midge in Jon Turtelaub's 'While You Were Sleeping' (1995); made her big-screen debut in Lewis Teague and John Sayles' cult horror film 'Alligator' (1980) and also appeared in such movies as Bud Yorkin's 'Twice in a Lifetime' (1985), Dennis Hopper's 'Colors' (1988), 'Gleaming the Cube' (1989), 'Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael' (1990), Stephen Frears' 'The Grifters' (1990), 'Wrestling Ernest Hemingway' (1993), Bogdanovich's 'The Thing Called Love' (1993), Joel Schumacher's 'The Client' (1994), 'Norma Jean & Marilyn' (1996), Robert Zemeckis' 'What Lies Beneath' (2000), Barry Levinson's 'Bandits' (2001), and Michael Clancy's 'Eulogy' (2004); also appeared on such shows as 'St. Elsewhere,' 'Hill Street Blues,' 'Night Court,' 'L.A. Law,' 'NYPD Blue,' 'The X-Files,' 'ER,' 'Murder One,' and 'CSI,' and made her final screen appearance in an episode of the short-lived NBC drama 'Flashforward' in 2009
March 10, 1938 – January 19, 2016 - Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Ettore Scola was born on 10 May 1931 in Trevico, Campania, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for A Special Day (1977), The Family (1987) and Passion of Love (1981). He was married to Gigliola. He died on 19 January 2016 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.Legendary Italian film director and screenwriter considered to be one of the last grand masters of Italian comedy; began his career in the movies in the 1950s, ultimately achieving international success and acclaim with his dramedy 'We All Loved Each Other So Much' (1974), for which he won the Golden Prize at the 9th Moscow International Film Festival, the Silver Ribbon for Best Screenplay (shared with the famous screenwriting duo Age & Scarpelli) from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists, and France's César Award for Best Foreign Film; moved on to the satirical 'Down and Dirty' a.k.a. ' Ugly, Dirty and Bad' (1976), for which he was named Best Director at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, and the 'A Special Day,' which received two Oscar nominations and earned Scola a César Award, a David di Donatello Award, and many other accolades; continued crafting acclaimed, award-winning films throughout the 1980s, notably 'Le Bal' (1983 -- which again won him a César and a David, as well as two awards from the Berlin International Film Festival) and 'The Family' (1987), both of which, like 'A Special Day,' were nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign-Language Film; other lauded and awarded efforts include 'La terrazza' (1980), 'Passion of Love' (1981), 'That Night in Varennes' (1982), 'What Time Is It?' (1989), 'The Voyage of Captain Fracassa' (1990), 'Romanzo di un giovane povero' (1995), 'Unfair Competition' (2001), and 'How Strange to Be Named Federico' (2013); had earlier collaborated with Dino Rosi in the writing of Rosi-directed films such as 'Love and Larceny' (1960), 'Il Sorpasso' (1962) and 'I mostri' (1963) and worked with director Antonio Pietrangeli as a writer on films including 'Hungry for Love' (1960), 'The Visit' (1964), and 'I Knew Her Well' (1965); recipient of numerous career awards, including two from the Italian Golden Globes, two from the Avellino Neorealism Film Festival, and one each from the David di Donatello Awards, the Flaiano Prizes, and the Golden Goblets
May 10, 1931 – January 19, 2016- Sheila Sim was born on 5 June 1922 in Liverpool, Lancashire [now in Merseyside], England, UK. She was an actress, known for A Canterbury Tale (1944), The Night My Number Came Up (1955) and West of Zanzibar (1954). She was married to Richard Attenborough. She died on 19 January 2016 in Denville Hall, Northwood, Hillingdon, London, England, UK.Actress best known for starring in Powell and Pressburger's classic film 'A Canterbury Tale' (1944) opposite the late Eric Portman and Dennis Price; was the widow of legendary actor and filmmaker Lord Richard Attenborough, with whom she acted in the films 'Dancing with Crime' (1947), 'The Outsider' (1948) and 'The Magic Box' (1951) and in the original stage production of Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' in 1952; also co-starred in such films as 'Pandora and the Flying Dutchman' (1951) and 'The Night My Number Came Up' (1955); actively served the Actors' Charitable Trust for more than 60 years and was a significant benefactor of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the drama school where she had trained and where she met Lord Attenborough
June 5, 1922 – January 19, 2016 - Actress
- Soundtrack
Lois Ramsey was born on 18 June 1922 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. She was an actress, known for Grass Roots (2000), The Box (1974) and The Box (1975). She was married to Cuthbert Ward Ramsey. She died on 21 January 2016 in Marrickville, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Australian actress best known for her roles in the soap operas 'The Box' and 'Prisoner'; went on to play Mrs. Campion in the 1987 miniseries adaptations of Ruth Park's novels 'The Harp in the South' and 'Poor Man's Orange,' to guest-star in multiple episodes of the acclaimed serial 'A Country Practice,' and to win an Australian Film Institute Award for her guest appearance in the second episode of the comedy 'Grass Roots' in 2000; also had roles in award-winning Australian films such as 'Road to Nhill' (1997) and 'Crackerjack' (2002)
June 18, 1922 – January 22, 2016- Additional Crew
Mrinalini Sarabhai was born on 11 May 1918 in British India. She is known for Shakuntala (1978), Camera Three (1955) and Music on 2 (1965). She was married to Vikram Sarabhai. She died on 21 January 2016 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.Dancer and choreographer who founded the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
May 11, 1918 – January 21, 2016- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
James Stewart 'Jimmy' Bain (born 19 December 1947) is a Scottish bassist most famous for playing in the bands Rainbow and Dio with Ronnie James Dio.[1] He has worked with Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums.
Bain was born in Newtonmore, Highland, in Scotland. Jimmy Bain played in several provincial amateur bands as a young teen. Bain's parents and younger brothers relocated to Vancouver, Canada. By this point Bain was playing professionally in Street Noise. However he did join his family for a brief stay in Canada. Before returning to Scotland getting his band Harlot and then hitting the London music scene, Bain joined Harlot in early 1974, after turning down a job with The Babys.
Contents 1 Rainbow 2 Wild Horses 3 Dio 4 Present Day 5 Discography 5.1 With Rainbow 5.2 With Mike Montgomery 5.3 With David Kubinec 5.4 With Phil Lynott 5.5 With Wild Horses 5.6 With Gary Moore 5.7 With Dio 5.8 With World War III 5.9 With 3 Legged Dogg 6 References 7 External links
Rainbow Bain was asked to join Rainbow after Ritchie Blackmore had watched him performing at The Marquee in London. Jimmy would record the studio album Rising and play on the following world tour. While on this world tour, he played on Rainbow's first live album, On Stage. In January 1977, Bain was sacked from the band.
Jimmy then toured Europe with John Cale Wild Horses In the summer of 1978, Bain formed a band called Wild Horses. Jimmy was the lead vocalist, songwriter, as well as bassist for the band, which also included ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson, drummer Clive Edwards (Pat Travers, Uli Jon Roth's Electric Sun) and guitarist Neil Carter (who would go on to UFO and Gary Moore). Wild Horses released two albums on EMI in Europe, Wild Horses (1980) and Stand Your Ground (1981), the latter featuring John Lockton (ex-The Next Band) in place of Carter, before Robertson and Edwards both left in June of '81. Robertson would briefly turn up in Motörhead the following year while Edwards joined former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden's S.O.S..
Bain regrouped Wild Horses as a five-piece with ex-Lautrec members Reuben Archer (vocals) and Laurence Archer (guitar), and The Next Band's Frank Noon (drums), but they disbanded shortly after. Jimmy then worked with the former Family main-man Roger Chapman, Roy Harper, Gary Moore, and Kate Bush (on 1982's The Dreaming).
Jimmy co-wrote with his close friend Phil Lynott for the Lizzy man's two solo albums. Not only a bassist but a very capable keyboard player, he toured the material playing keyboards with Phil's band. Their song, "Old Town" was re-recorded by The Corrs, the Irish family group in 2001/2002, and became a big hit world wide.
Bain was also secretly brought in by the German hard rockers Scorpions to provide bass on their 1984 album Love at First Sting. The leader of the band, the rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker, wanted him to join the Scorpions as full-time bassist, but their management wanted to keep the line-up German, so Buchholz was brought back and Bain's bass tapes were deleted. Dio
In 1983 Jimmy linked up again with ex-Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio for the band Dio. A central figure within Dio the band, Jimmy co-wrote some of the most successful heavy metal songs of the eighties, such as "Rainbow in the Dark", and "Holy Diver". These two were on their first album Holy Diver (1983). Jimmy co-wrote several other songs for the following albums, The Last in Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), Intermission (1986), Dream Evil (1987) and Killing the Dragon (2002).
In the mid-1980s, when the entertainment community became active in drawing attention to world charities, Jimmy Bain founded Hear 'n Aid, a foundation in which he could involve the Rock community to help eliminate world hunger. He also co-wrote the song, "Stars," with Vivian Campbell and Ronnie James Dio, which became the Heavy Rock world's answer to, "We Are The World". "Stars", provided a major contribution to the famine relief charity appeal. Bain donates all of his shares of the proceeds to one of his favorite charities, Children of the Night.
In autumn 1989. Jimmy formed a band with vocalist Mandy Lion called World War III. After their 1990 eponymous debut album, the band floundered. Jimmy's solo project The Key utilized a far more melodic and commercial approach. Guitarist on the project was Tracy G, borrowed from Dio's then band who was also the guitarist for World War III.
Ronnie James Dio's concept project Magica (2000) saw the return of Jimmy Bain to the Dio story. Bain played on the albums Magica and Killing the Dragon.
In 2005, Bain again joined forces with former Black Sabbath and Dio drummer, Vinny Appice, for two projects, The Hollywood All Starz and 3 Legged Dogg. While the Hollywood All Starz performed live concerts featuring greatest hits sets of the individual members, (Carlos Cavazo of Quiet Riot was another notable member of the band), 3 Legged Dogg produced a well received album of original material. In an interview with journalist, David Lee Wilson, Bain lamented Appice's ultimate choice to leave both these groups so that he could tour with Ronnie James Dio in the Black Sabbath offshoot, Heaven and Hell. Present Day
Bain has toured with Hollywood Allstarz, a super-group featuring a variety of 80s metal stars. The group has included former members of Giuffria, Quiet Riot, and Lynch Mob.
The band 'Last in line' was put together in 2013 comprising Jimmy, Viv Campbell, Vinny Appice, Claude Schnell and Andrew Freeman. The line-up, excluding singer Freeman, were the original song writers and performers on the early classic "DIO" albums, and so intend to play gigs under the band name 'Last in line' performing these songs. Discography With Rainbow
Rising (1976) On Stage (1977) Live in Germany (1990, recorded September 1976)
With Mike Montgomery
Solo (1976)
With David Kubinec
Some Things Never Change (1978)
With Phil Lynott
Solo in Soho (1980) The Philip Lynott Album (1982)
With Wild Horses
Wild Horses (1980) Stand Your Ground (1981)
With Gary Moore
Dirty Fingers (1983)
With Dio
Holy Diver (1983) The Last in Line (1984) Sacred Heart (1985) Intermission (1986) Dream Evil (1987) Magica (2000) Killing the Dragon (2002)
With World War III
World War III (1991)
With 3 Legged Dogg
Frozen Summer (2006)
References
Prato, Greg. "Biography: Dio". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 June 2010.Musician best known for playing bass guitar for the bands Rainbow and Dio
December 19, 1947 – January 23, 2016- Actress
- Make-Up Department
- Music Department
Kalpana, born in Kerala, India, was a highly acclaimed Indian actress who left an indelible mark on the South Indian film industry. Her full name was Kalpana Ranjani, and she began her career in the early 1980s, establishing herself as a versatile and talented artist.
From an early age, Kalpana displayed a passion for acting and the performing arts. Her innate talent and dedication to her craft earned her numerous accolades and a devoted fan following. Kalpana's journey in the world of cinema started with Malayalam films, where she quickly gained recognition for her exceptional acting skills and captivating screen presence.
Over the years, Kalpana expanded her repertoire to include Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films, further solidifying her status as a pan-Indian actress. She was known for her ability to effortlessly switch between comedic and dramatic roles, showcasing her versatility as an actress. Her performances were characterized by a unique blend of charm, wit, and emotional depth.
Kalpana's memorable roles in films like "Manichitrathazhu," "Godfather," and "Kilukkam" endeared her to audiences across the country. She received several awards for her outstanding contributions to the film industry, including the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actress.
Tragically, on January 25, 2016, Kalpana passed away, leaving behind a legacy of timeless performances and an enduring impact on Indian cinema. Her untimely departure was mourned by fans, colleagues, and the entire entertainment industry. Kalpana's contributions to the world of cinema continue to be celebrated, and her influence remains alive through the films that showcase her extraordinary talent and passion for storytelling.October 13, 1965 – January 25, 2016- Barney Hall was born on 24 June 1932 in Elkin, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Aliens? (2016), The 10 (2011) and NASCAR: The IMAX Experience (2004). He died on 26 January 2016.Legendary sports commentator best known for calling NASCAR races for the Motor Racing Network, of which he had been a fixture since its inception in 1970; was calling the Daytona 500 by 1960 -- only the second year that event was held -- and went on to call all but three Daytona 500 races in his career; was also the first public address announcer of the Bristol Motor Speedway when it opened in 1961; was one of the namesakes, along with Ken Squier, of the Squier-Hall Award for Media Excellence that was created by the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012 and was himself inducted into the Hall of Fame the following year
June 24, 1932 – January 26, 2016 - Tommy Kelly was born on 6 April 1925 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938) and Irene (1940). He was married to Susie Burch. He died on 26 January 2016 in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.Former teenage and young-adult actor best known for playing the title role in David O. Selznick's production of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' (1938); also played the title role in the comedy 'Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus' (1938), co-starred in the Samuel Goldwyn-produced 'They Shall Have Music' (1939), and made an uncredited appearance in Selznick's 'Gone with the Wind' (1939); went on to appear in such films as 'Irene' (1940), 'Life Begins for Andy Hardy' (1941), 'Nice Girl?' (1941), 'The Beginning or the End' (1947), 'He Walked by Night' (1948), 'Battleground' (1949), 'The West Point Story' (1950), and 'The Magnificent Yankee' (1950) before retiring from the screen
April 6, 1925 – January 26, 2016 - Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Colin Vearncombe was born on 26 May 1962 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Starter for 10 (2006), The Pier (2011) and Es ist nur eine Phase, Hase (2021). He was married to Camilla. He died on 26 January 2016 in Cork, Ireland.Pop singer-songwriter and musician better known by his stage name Black; achieved mainstream success in the late 1980s, most notably with his international hit single "Wonderful Life" in 1987
May 26, 1962 – January 26, 2016- Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abe Vigoda proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing.
Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, a tailor -- both Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a tailor on the Lower East Side. He made his first stage appearance at the age of 17 and plodded away in small theater shows for over 20 years. For the majority of film-goers, Vigoda first came to prominence in The Godfather (1972) as the double-crossing Tessio, pleading to no avail with Robert Duvall to save his life "for old times' sake". Vigoda had roles in a few nondescript TV films before landing the plum role of the dour, unsmiling, urinary tract-tormented Sgt. Phil Fish on the sitcom Barney Miller (1975), his best-known role. The character of Fish proved popular enough to be spun off to his own (albeit short-lived) series, Fish (1977).
With his long, blank, rarely smiling face, he remained in high demand in mafioso-type roles, and for a while in the mid-1980s, he was mistakenly believed to have been dead, leading a producer to remark, "I need an Abe Vigoda type actor", not realizing Vigoda was still alive. The 1990s and beyond became busy again for Vigoda, making appearances in North (1994), The Misery Brothers (1995), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), and Crime Spree (2003). He continued acting into his 90s, surprising audiences with his entertaining style.
Vigoda died in his sleep on January 26, 2016, , a month before his 95th birthday, in suburban Woodland Park, New Jersey. He was interred in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.Character actor known for his role as Sal Tessio in 'The Godfather' (1972) and 'The Godfather Part II' (1974) and for playing Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the TV series 'Barney Miller' from 1975 to 1977 (and one episode in 1981), for which he earned three Emmy nominations and which led to his own short-lived spin-off, 'Fish,' which ran from 1977 to 1978; also remembered for his roles in such films as 'The Cheap Detective' (1978), 'Cannonball Run II' (1984), 'Prancer' (1989), 'Look Who's Talking' (1989), 'Joe Versus the Volcano' (1990), 'Jury Duty' (1995), and 'Good Burger' (1997), and for voicing aging mob boss Salvatore Valestra in the animated 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' (1993); became a cult figure following an erroneous report of his death by 'People' magazine in 1982, resulting in his being the subject of numerous death hoaxes and running gags for the next 34 years
February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016 - Signe Anderson was born on 15 September 1941 in Seattle, Washington, USA. She was married to Michael Alois Ettlin and Jerry Anderson. She died on 28 January 2016 in Beaverton, Oregon, USA.Original female vocalist of Jefferson Airplane who died the same day as fellow founding member Paul Kantner (see below); sang on the first Jefferson Airplane album, 'Jefferson Airplane Takes Off,' most notably on the song "Chauffeur Blues"; left the Airplane in 1966 after only a year but remained active as a singer into the 1990s
September 15, 1941 – January 28, 2016 - Costume Designer
- Art Director
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
François Barbeau was born on 27 June 1935 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was a costume designer and art director, known for Laurence Anyways (2012), Atlantic City (1980) and Leolo (1992). He died on 28 January 2016 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.Renowned, award-winning costume designer who worked on more than 700 theatre, dance, film, television, opera, and circus productions in a career spanning over five decades; created the costumes for acclaimed films such as Claude Jutra's 'Kamouraska' (1973), Ján Kadár's 'Lies My Father Told Me' (1975), Louis Malle's 'Atlantic City' (1980), Francis Mankiewicz's' 'The Revolving Doors' (1988), Jean-Claude Lauzon's 'Léolo' (1992), and Xavier Dolan's 'Laurence Anyways' (2012); won Genie Awards for his designs in the latter three films and a Canadian Film Awards for 'Kamouraska'; also won an Emmy for costume design for the Cirque du Soleil show 'Dralion' in 2001 and a Jutra Award for 'For the Love of God' (2011); was also the official costume designer for Théâtre du Rideau Vert in Montreal, where he worked on over 150 productions, and had been working on the Grands Ballets Canadiens' annual production of 'The Nutcracker' since 1987; received the Governor General's Award in 1996 and the Order of Canada in 2000
June 27, 1935 – January 28, 2016- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Paul Kantner was born on 17 March 1941 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Forrest Gump (1994), Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and A Serious Man (2009). He died on 28 January 2016 in San Francisco, California, USA.Rock guitarist and vocalist best known for co-founding the pioneering psychedelic rock Jefferson Airplane and its more commercial spin-off group Jefferson Starship; had the longest continuous membership with the bands and was the only musician to appear on all of their albums
March 17, 1941 – January 28, 2016- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
The son of television producer Don Fedderson, Mike Minor was raised in San Francisco and educated at the University High School in Los Angeles and Brown Military Academy in San Diego. At 14, Mike was taking voice lessons when he got his first professional singing gig at the "Ye Little Club in Beverly Hills". Mike's early TV work began with guest appearances on such shows as The Donald O'Connor Show (1954) and The Joey Bishop Show (1961). Mike Minor is best recognized as "Steve Elliott" on Petticoat Junction (1963). Mike married actress Linda Henning in 1968, who co-starred on Petticoat Junction (1963) as "Betty Jo". The marriage lasted for five years. Mike has been on a number of TV soaps including As the World Turns (1956) and All My Children (1970), and Another World (1964) as "Dr. Royal Dunning". In 1999, Mike began performing on Broadway at the Duffy Theatre, starring as Inspector James Ascher in "A Perfect Crime".Actor best known for playing Steve Elliott on 'Petticoat Junction' from 1966 to 1970; went on to have brief stints on several daytime soap operas, including 'As the World Turns,' 'All My Children,' and 'Another World'
December 7, 1940 – January 28, 2016- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Although François Truffaut has written that the New Wave began "thanks to Rivette," the films of this masterful French director are not well known. Rivette, like his "Cahiers du Cinéma" colleagues Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol and Éric Rohmer, did graduate to filmmaking but, like Rohmer, was something of a late bloomer as a director. He made two shorts (At the Four Corners (1949) and The Quadrille (1950), starring Jean-Luc Godard); in the mid-1950s he served as an assistant to Jean Renoir and Jacques Becker; and in 1958 he was, along with Chabrol, the first of the five to begin production on a feature-length film. Without the financial benefit of a producer, Rivette took to the streets with his friends, a 16mm camera, and film stock purchased on borrowed money. It was only, however, after the commercial success of Truffaut's The 400 Blows (1959), Resnais' Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) and Godard's Breathless (1960) that the resulting film, the elusive, intellectual, and somewhat lengthy (135 minutes) Paris Belongs to Us (1961), saw its release in 1960. In retrospect, Rivette's debut sketched out the path which all his subsequent films would follow; PARIS NOUS APPARTIENT was a monumental undertaking for the critic-turned-director, with some 30 actors (including Chabrol, Godard and Jacques Demy), almost as many locations, and an impenetrably labyrinthine narrative. His next film, the considerably more commercial The Nun (1966), was an adaptation of the Diderot novel which Rivette had staged in 1963. The least characteristic of all his features, it was also his first and only commercial success, becoming a succèss de scandal when the government blocked its release for a year. Rivette's true talents first made themselves visible during the fruitful period, 1968-74. During this time he directed the 4-hour Mad Love (1969), the now legendary 13-hour Out 1 (1971) (made for French TV in 1970 but never broadcast; edited to a 4-hour feature and retitled Out 1: Spectre (1972)), and the 3-hour Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974), his most entertaining and widely seen picture. In these three films, Rivette began to construct what has come to be called his "House of Fiction"--an enigmatic filmmaking style influenced by the work of Louis Feuillade and involving improvisation, ellipsis and considerable narrative experimentation. Unfortunately, Rivette seems to have no place in contemporary cinema. On the one hand, his work is considered too inaccessible for theatrical distribution; on the other, although his revolutionary theories have influenced figures such as Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet and Chantal Akerman, he is deemed too commercial to be accepted by the underground cinema; he still employs a narrative and uses "name" actors such as Jean-Pierre Léaud, Juliet Berto, Anna Karina and Maria Schneider. Since CÉLINE AND JULIE, Rivette's career has been as mysterious as one of his plots. In 1976 he received an offer to make a series of four films, "Les Filles du Feu." Duelle (1976), the first entry, received such negative response that the second, Noroît (1976)--which some critics call his greatest picture--was held from release. The final two installments (one of which was due to star Leslie Caron and Albert Finney) were never filmed. The 1980s proved no kinder. He made five films, but only one of them, Love on the Ground (1984), opened in the US (it received disastrous reviews). Although he continues to be an innovative and challenging artist, Rivette has failed to find the type of audience that has contributed to the commercial success of his New Wave compatriots.Revered film director and critic who was a pioneer of the French New Wave movement noted for his intricate, experimental style and particularly well known for his lengthy, intimately cerebral masterpieces 'Céline and Julie Go Boating' (1974) and 'La Belle Noiseuse' (1991); often made films that relied on improvisation, were shot with brief outlines rather than scripts, had long running times and loose narratives, and explored themes such as mysteries, conspiracy theories, fantasy and theatricality in everyday life; started making short films in 1948 when he was only 20 years old and broke new ground in 1956 with his 35mm short 'Le Coup du Berger' ('Fool's Mate'), often cited as the first New Wave film and which inspired directors such as François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol and Alain Resnais to make their first films; also became the first New Wave director to begin work on a feature film when 'Paris Belongs to Us' commenced shooting in 1957, but it was not released until 1961 after the New Wave movement had already achieved worldwide popularity; nevertheless won the British Film Institute's Sutherland Trophy for 'Paris Belongs to Us,' a prize he received again for his first improvisational film, 1969's 'L'Amour fou' ('Mad Love'); was nominated for the Palme d'Or for his second feature, 'The Nun' (1966), but it was his negative experience in making that film that resulted in his adapting an improvisational style for 'Mad Love;' continued his use of improvisation for what became his most ambitious project, the 13-hour 'Out 1: Noli me tangere,' a rarely-screened masterwork that is considered to be a "Holy Grail" for cinephiles; temporarily broke away from improvisation for his most enduring and critically-acclaimed work, 'Céline and Julie Go Boating,' which won the Special Jury Prize at the 1974 Locarno International Film Festival and was the first of many films in which Rivette explored the blurry lines of fantasy and reality; suffered a nervous breakdown while attempting to film a tetralogy of fantasy films, only two parts of which -- the 1976 releases 'Duelle' and 'Noroît' -- were completed; returned to filmmaking with 'Merry-Go-Round' in 1978, though it was not completed until 1981 and not released until 1983; subsequently made 'Le Pont du Nord' (1981) and 'Love on the Ground' (1984), the latter of which screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival and marked the beginning of a partnership with producer Martine Marignac that would last for the remaider of Rivette's career; won praise and the Berlin Film Festival's FIPRESCI Prize for 'The Gang of Four' (1989) and followed it with the most acclaimed film of his later career, 'La Belle Noiseuse,' for which he won the Grand Jury and Ecumenical Jury Prizes at the Cannes Film Festival and earned César Award nominations for Best Director and Best Film; made many more well-received films -- including 'Up, Down, Fragile' (1995), 'Secret défense (1998), 'Va Savoir'/'Who Knows?' (2001), 'The Story of Marie and Julien' (2003), 'The Story of Marie and Julien' (2007), and 'Around a Small Mountain' (2009) -- before retiring in 2009
March 1, 1928 – January 29, 2016- Actor
- Soundtrack
One of Britain's finest products of the stage, film and TV, actor Frank Finlay, he with the dark and handsomely serious-to-mordant looks, was born on August 6, 1926, in Farnworth, England, the son of Josiah, a butcher, and Margaret Finlay. Of English, Irish and Scottish descent, Frank attended St. Gregory the Great School and then was actually training to follow in his father's footsteps as a butcher himself when his side interest in acting eventually won out. He became a member of the Farnworth Little Theatre and met his future wife, Doreen Shepherd, a fellow member at the same time. They married in 1954, had three children (two sons, one daughter) and were married for over 50 years until her death in 2005.
Finlay began his professional career on the repertory stage with roles in The Guilford Theatre Company's 1957 productions of "Jessica" and "The Telescope". Graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he built up a strong and sturdy theatrical reputation at the Royal Court Theatre between 1958 and 1960 where he was seen to good advantage in such plays as "Chicken Soup and Barley", "Sugar in the Morning", "Sergeant Musgrave's Dance", "Roots", "I'm Talking About Jerusalem", "The Happy Haven" and "Platonov". Making his Broadway debut in "The Epitaph of George Dillon" in 1959, he also sparked a noteworthy professional association with Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre, the highlight being his intense but subtle portrayal of "Iago" to Olivier's "Othello" in 1964.
Marking his film debut in a bit role in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Finlay sandwiched in a steady stream of British film parts (including Private Potter (1963), Doctor in Distress (1963), Agent 8 3/4 (1964), The Comedy Man (1964), A Study in Terror (1965) (as "Jack the Ripper" Inspector Lestrade), The Jokers (1967), The Deadly Bees (1966) and Robbery (1967)) in between theatre assignments. His greatest film opportunity occurred when he was given the right by Olivier to recreate his Iago role opposite the legendary actor in the masterful film adaptation of Othello (1965). Finlay, Maggie Smith (as "Desdemona") and Joyce Redman (as "Emilia") all received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for their illustrious "supporting" work of Olivier (who was also Oscar nominated). Frank went on to nab a "Most Promising Newcomer" nomination from the BAFTA committee as well. To date, this has been the actor's only Oscar recognition.
Frank, who had a dashing role as "Porthos" for director Richard Lester in the ripe Dumas adaptation of The Three Musketeers (1973) (and its sequels The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989)), has had primarily an international cinematic career. Films include The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Cromwell (1970), The Molly Maguires (1970), Shaft in Africa (1973), The Wild Geese (1978), Murder by Decree (1979) (again as "Inspector Lestrade"), The Return of the Soldier (1982), The Key (1983) [The Key], Lifeforce (1985), La montagna dei diamanti (1991), So This Is Romance? (1997), Silent Cry (2002) and, most notably, the Oscar-winning WWII picture The Pianist (2002), directed by Roman Polanski, in which he portrayed the patriarch of a displaced Jewish family that included "Best Actor" son Adrien Brody.
Classical television notice came in middle age with Frank's strong performances as "Jean Valjean" in the British TV mini-series Les Misérables (1967) and the title role in Casanova (1971). He also went on to win stellar praise and a BAFTA award for his chilling portrayal of "Adolf Hitler" in The Death of Adolf Hitler (1973). Finlay and Susan Penhaligon courted controversy in the drama series Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976) and were reunited in further controversy the following year with its follow-up Another Bouquet (1977). More plentiful and prestigious BBC-TV work came with his roles as Shakespeare's "Brutus" and "Shylock", not to mention his award-winning performances as "Voltaire" and "Sancho Panza".
In Count Dracula (1977), Finlay played "Van Helsing" to nemesis Louis Jourdan's velvety-voiced vampire; in A Christmas Carol (1984), he was the dour, shackled "Jacob Marley", who pays a ghostly visit to George C. Scott's crusty "Ebenezer Scrooge"; and in Eroica (2003), he portrayed composer "Franz Josef Haydn" alongside Ian Hart's "Beethoven" in the mini-series Eroica (2003). Frank ended his on-camera career gracing such programs as the mini-series Johnny and the Bomb (2006), Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act (2006) and Four Seasons (2008) and the TV series Life Begins (2004).
Throughout his prolific career on TV and film, Frank has maintained on the stage giving sterling performances in classic and contemporary plays as in with "Much Ado About Nothing (as "Dogberry"), "The Crucible", "Saturday Sunday Monday", "Filumena", "Amadeus" (a most affecting Salieri), "Mutiny" (as "Captain Bligh"), "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" and as the rigid father in the 1992 period production of "The Heiress." On January 30, 2016, Finlay died of heart failure in Surrey, England, at the age of 89.Veteran stage, film and television actor who earned Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations for his performance as Iago in the 1965 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'Othello,' starring Laurence Olivier in the title role; went on the earn BAFTA nominations for playing the title role in BBC's 1971 miniseries 'Casanova,' for his performances as Sancho Panza in the 'BBC Play of the Month' production of "The Adventures of Don Quixote" and as Adolf Hitler in the 'ITV Saturday Night Theatre' production "The Death of Adolf Hitler," and for his role in the film 'The Return of the Soldier' (1982); also remembered for playing Porthos in Richard Lester's classic, back-to-back Dumas adaptations 'The Three Musketeers' (1973) and 'The Four Musketeers' (1974) and their 1989 follow-up 'The Return of the Musketeers,' for his portrayal of Abraham Van Helsing in popular 1977 BBC take on 'Count Dracula,' his appearance as Jacob Marley opposite George C. Scott's Ebenezer Scrooge in Clive Donner's beloved 1984 TV adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol,' for his role as Władysław Szpilman's father in Roman Polanski's Oscar-winning war drama 'The Pianist' (2002), and for playing Jane Tennison's father in the last two 'Prime Suspect' stories in 2005 and 2007; had supporting roles in many other noteworthy films, including Peter Yates' 'Robbery' (1967), Roy Boulting's cult psychological thriller 'Twisted Nerve' (1968), Michael Anderson's 'The Shoes of the Fisherman' (1968), Martin Ritt's 'The Molly Maguires' (1970), Ken Hughes' 'Cromwell' (1970), Stephen Frears' 'Gumshoe' (1971), John Guillermin's 'Shaft in Africa' (1973), Andrew V. McLaglen's 'The Wild Geese' (1978), Bob Clark's 'Murder by Decree' (1979), Tobe Hooper's 'Lifeforce' (1985), Franco Zeffirelli's 'Sparrow' (1993), and Norman Jewison's 'The Statesman' (2003); other notable TV credits include the acclaimed telefilms 'Stalin' (1992), 'Longitude' (2000), and 'The Lost Prince' (2003), and prominent roles in the 1998-99 BBC sitcom 'How Do You Want Me?' and the acclaimed 2004-06 drama series 'Life Begins'; was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1984
August 6, 1926 – January 30, 2016- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Wolfgang Rademann was born on 24 November 1934 in Berlin, Germany. He was a producer and writer, known for Das Traumschiff (1981), The Black Forest Hospital (1985) and Kreuzfahrt ins Glück (2007). He died on 31 January 2016 in Berlin, Germany.Iconic producer behind popular, long-running German television shows such as 'The Black Forest Hospital' and 'Das Traumschiff' ('The Dream Ship'), both of which won him Bambi Awards; other production credits include the 1977-80 comedy series 'Ein verrücktes Paar' ('Grumpy Old Men'), the TV movie series 'Engel der Gerechtigkeit' ('Angel of Justice,' 2011-2015), and the long-running 'Traumschiff' spin-off 'Kreuzfahrt ins Glück' ('Cruise to Happiness')
November 24, 1934 – January 31, 2016- Actor
- Soundtrack
Terry Wogan was a television and radio broadcaster who was most associated with his work for the BBC. He was known for his own long-running primetime chat show, Wogan (1982), as well as being a regular presenter of [error] and commentator of The Eurovision Song Contest. Among his other works for the BBC were his highly-rated Radio 2 programmes, as well as being the first presenter of Blankety Blank (1978).
Born in Limerick, he wrote over a dozen books throughout his life, including two autobiographies, and died in January 2016, aged 77.Legendary, beloved radio and television broadcaster known for his work with the BBC, particularly as commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest from 1971 to 2008 and as host of the weekly BBC Radio 2 morning show 'Wake Up with Wogan' from 1993 to 2009; had some eight million regular listeners tuning into 'Wake Up with Wogan,' making him the most listened-to radio broadcaster in Europe; had previously presented Radio 2's flagship breakfast show from 1972 to 1984 and also hosted the station's Sunday morning radio show 'Weekend Wogan' from 2010 to 2015; also known for being the original host of BBC television's long-running missing-word quiz show 'Blankety Blank' from 1979 to 1983, for hosting the BBC One chat show 'Wogan' from 1982 to 1992, and for presenting the televised 'BBC Children in Need' charity event from 1980 to 2014; was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997 and elevated to an Honorary Knight Commander of the same order (KBE) in 2005
August 3, 1938 – January 31, 2016- Actor
- Additional Crew
Murray Louis was born on 4 November 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Totem (1963), Los Cuentos de Cri Cri (1984) and Camera Three (1955). He died on 1 February 2016 in New York City, New York, USA.Modern dancer and choreographer acclaimed for his nimbleness, comic flare, and surprising contrasts between rigidity and stillness; founded the Murray Louis Dance Company and created the influential Nikolais/Louis dance technique with mentor and longtime partner Alwin Nikolais
November 4, 1926 – February 1, 2016- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Bob Elliott was born on 26 March 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Quick Change (1990), Cabin Boy (1994) and Get a Life (1990). He was married to Virginia Lee Peppers and Jane Frances Underwood. He died on 2 February 2016 in Cundy's Harbor, Maine, USA.Comedian and actor best known as half of the legendary deadpan comedy duo Bob and Ray along with the late Ray Goulding; particularly remembered for the Bob and Ray skits in which he played inept man-on-the-street reporter Wally Ballou, "winner of over seven international diction awards," who would interview various outrageous characters played by Goulding; performed with Goulding in numerous radio and television broadcasts, on Broadway, and in films such as Norman Lear's 'Cold Turkey' (1971) and Arthur Hiller's 'Author! Author!' (1982); continued working after Goulding's death in 1990, joining the radio program 'American Radio Company of the Air' and acting alongside his son, comedian Chris Elliott, on the 1990-1992 TV series 'Get a Life' and in the 1994 film 'Cabin Boy'; shared three Peabody Awards with Goulding for their radio work and was inducted (along with Goulding) into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1984 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1995
March 26, 1923 – February 2, 2016- Actor
- Additional Crew
Aldo Bufi Landi was born on 7 April 1923 in Naples, Italy. He was an actor, known for Third Person (2013), The Swindlers (1959) and Mademoiselle Gobete (1952). He was married to Clara Bindi. He died on 2 February 2016 in Naples, Italy.Italian actor seen in over 100 films between 1947 and 2013, including 'Four Flies on Grey Velvet,' 'The Swindlers,' 'Atlas Against the Cyclops,' 'Toto vs. the Black Pirate.'' Submarine Attack,' 'Scarred.' 'Mademoiselle Gobete,' 'Don Quixote and Sancho Panza,' 'Folgore Division,' 'Careless,' 'The Bandit of Tacca Del Lupo' and '47 morto che parla'
April 7, 1923 – February 2, 2016- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Joe Alaskey, among the most talented voice actors in the business, impeccably recreated many of the original characters which the late cartoon pioneer Mel Blanc invented. A natural mimic and gifted actor, his amazing "ear" for voices enabled him to imitate almost anything, including some of the most obscure show business personalities. Alaskey was one of the most employed voice actors in the business during his career.Actor and impressionist best known for his extensive voice-over work, particularly his impeccable recreations of many Warner Bros. cartoon voices originated by the legendary Mel Blanc, including those of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck; had a few on-screen roles early in his career, most notably as Uncle Beano on the sitcom 'Out of This World,' which ran from 1987 to 1991, and the male lead in the cult horror-comedy film 'Lucky Stiff' (1988), which was directed by 'Psycho' star Anthony Perkins; stepped in for Blanc as the voice of Yosemite Sam for a memorable scene in Robert Zemeckis' 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' (1988) and went on to assume the voices of other Looney Tunes following Blanc's death in 1989, becoming the most prominent portrayer of Daffy as well as Sylvester and Tweety; voiced both Bugs and Daffy in the Joe Dante-directed 'Looney Tunes: Back in Action' (2003), both Sylvester and Tweety in 'The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries,' and those and other Warner Bros. characters (Marvin the Martian, Pepe Le Pew, etc.) in numerous shorts, TV shows and video games; won a Daytime Emmy in 2004 for his voice work as Daffy in the title role of the TV series 'Duck Dodgers' and was also nominated for an Annie Award for voicing Daffy in 'Looney Tunes: Back in Action'; also fondly remembered for voicing Plucky Duck on the '90s animated series 'Tiny Toon Adventures' and its short-lived spin-off, 'The Plucky Duck Show,' and for voicing Grandpa Lou Pickles on Nickelodeon's 'Rugrats' from 1997 to 2006 and its spin-off 'All Grown Up!' from 2003 to 2008; other notable voice-over roles includes Richard Nixon in Zemeckis' Oscar-winning film 'Forrest Gump' (1994), Uncle Stinkie in the live-action movie 'Casper' (1995) and its animated TV spin-off series 'The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper', and MGM's Droopy in several direct-to-video 'Tom & Jerry' movies released between 2011 and 2015; also notably filled in for the late Jackie Gleason when Gleason's voice needed to be replicated to fix audio issues in the "lost" episodes of 'The Honeymooners'; had been narrating Investigation Discovery's true-crime series 'Murder Comes to Town' when he passed away
April 17, 1952 - February 3, 2016- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Jimmie Haskell was born on 7 November 1936 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for Big (1988), The Matrix (1999) and Airplane! (1980). He died on 4 February 2016 in Laguna Niguel, California, USA.Prolific composer, arranger, musician, and music director who won Grammy Awards for arranging Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1968, Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now" in 1977; also won an Emmy Award for his score for the 'General Electric Theater' special 'See How She Runs' in 1978 and earned an Emmy nomination for his music direction for 'The Second Barry Manilow Special' that same year; later earned another Emmy nomination for co-writing the song "Love Without Strings" for the 1991 family special 'A Salute to America's Pets'; was was composer and conductor of 'The Doris Day Show' from 1969 to 1973, wrote most of the music for Sid & Marty Krofft's '70s series 'Land of the Lost', composed the scores for the cult films 'Night of the Lepus' (1972) and 'Dirty Mary Crazy Harry' (1974) and for Michael Mann's Emmy-winning crime telefilm 'The Jericho Mile' (1979), and was one of the music adaptors and orchestrators on Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated drama 'The Color Purple' (1985)
November 7, 1936 – February 4, 2016- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Maurice was born in Memphis on December 19, 1941, but moved to Chicago as a teenager. His father, Verdine, was a doctor. For many years, they lived in the South Shore section on the South Side. He attended Crane Junior College and the Chicago Conservatory of Music. It was while he was at the conservatory that he got the call to fill in for a drummer a Betty Everett session. The song was "You're No Good" and it marked White's debut as a session drummer. He played on many sessions for Chicago based artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, The Impressions, The Dells, Little Milton, Howlin' Wolf and Billy Stewart. Soon after, he was touring with The Dells as their drummer. Then Isaac "Red" Holt left the Ramsey Lewis Trio and Maurice replaced him. He spent three years (1966-69) with Ramsey before deciding to form his own group. Hiring a local band that included his younger brother Verdine, Maurice founded the Salty Peppers and later changed the name to Earth, Wind & Fire (in IMDb as Earth Wind & Fire) after the elements of the earth. As well as creating hits with the group, he wrote and produced such artists as the Emotions, Ramsey Lewis, Deniece Williams, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Holliday, Pockets and Neil Diamond. Maurice White no longer tours full time with Earth, Wind & Fire. He started feeling the effects of Parkinson's Disease in the late 1980s, and it gradually began to escalate. He still records with the group and performs occasionally.Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and arranger who was the founder and leader of the iconic genre-spanning band Earth, Wind & Fire; was the band's main songwriter and record producer as well as one of the lead singers (along with Philip Bailey); won seven Grammy Awards (six with Earth, Wind & Fire) out of a total of twenty-one nominations (including four as an individual performer); was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire and was also inducted individually into the Songwriters Hall of Fame; also known for his work with singer-songwriter Deniece Williams and girl group The Emotions, among many other artists
December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Ray Colcord is a film and TV composer living in Los Angeles, a past President of the Society of Composers & Lyricists, and a governor of the Television Academy. He's written the music for more than 700 television shows, feature films, miniseries and specials, garnering Emmy nominations, ASCAP awards, BMI Awards, and Dramalogue awards along the way. His films include Heartwood, The King's Guard, Wish Upon A Star, The Paper Brigade, Off Your Rocker, and Amityville Dollhouse. His television work includes Family Affair, Lost At Home, Big Brother Ii, Iii, And Iv, Boy Meets World, Promised Land, Dinosaurs, The Facts Of Life, 2-2-7, My Two Dads, Where I Live, Hiller & Diller, Trial & Error, Silver Spoons, Touched By An Angel, and The Simpsons. As an A&R man for Columbia records he was responsible for signing Aerosmith to their first record deal and co-produced their second album, Get Your Wings. He also wrote the theme for Project Literacy (I'm Changing My Life), and The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun, and I Like 'Em Big And Stupid, for Earth Girls Are Easy, with Julie Brown. As music director of the Groundlings he worked with Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Mindy Sterling, Paul Reubens, Lorraine Newman, Edie McClurg, Cassandra Peterson and Kevin Nealon. He toured as a keyboard player with Lou Reed, John Hammond Jr., and Roy Head, and played on Don Maclean's American Pie album. Ray attended Rice University in Houston, has taught Music Production for Film & Television at UCLA extension, and is also on the board of directors of the Film Music Society.Composer, musician and record producer perhaps best known for his work on the TV series 'Boy Meets World' (1993-2000), for which he wrote the theme music and scored the majority of the show's 158 episodes; also known for composing the theme music for sitcom '227' (1985-90) and the scores for the last three seasons of 'The Facts of Life' (1985-88), the final season of 'My Three Dads' (1989-90), the "Dead Putting Society" episode of 'The Simpsons' (1990), and all 64 episodes of the beloved Jim Henson/Michael Jacobs sitcom 'Dinosaurs' (1991-94); earned an Emmy nominations for his work on the short-lived NBC comedy 'Singer & Sons' (1990) and also worked on shows such as 'Big Brother,' the drama 'Promised Land,' and the sitcoms 'Silver Spoons' and 'Melissa & Joey;' played keyboards on albums such as Don McLean's 'American Pie' (1971) and Lou Reed's 'Rock 'n' Roll Animal' (1974), produced Aerosmith's second album 'Get Your Wings' (1974), and was a producer at the famed Record Plant studio in New York City; co-wrote Julie Brown's songs "The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" and "I Like 'Em Big and Stupid," the latter of which was performed by Brown in the cult musical film 'Earth Girls Are Easy' (1988); also wrote and performed multiple songs for the hit comedy 'Dumb & Dumber' (1994) and created music for such films as 'Double Impact' (1991), 'Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life' (2003), and 'The Prince and Me' (2004); was composing music for the hit 'Boy Meets World' sequel series 'Girl Meets World' (2014-) when he passed away
1949 – February 5, 2016- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Daniel Gerson, best known for co-writing Disney's "Big Hero 6" and Pixar's two "Monsters" films died February 6th, 2016 at his home in Los Angeles after battling brain cancer. He was 49 years old. A New York State native, Gerson grew up immersed in the arts and starring in musical theater performances at his high school. Gerson graduated with an English degree from Cornell University before receiving an MFA from New York University film school. After beginning his career as a staff writer on the NBC television sitcom "Something So Right," which ran 1996-1998, Gerson soon transitioned to feature film, co-writing 2001's "Monsters, Inc." with Andrew Stanton, as well as 2013's "Monsters University" with Dan Scanlon and Robert L. Baird. Baird and Gerson worked as writing partners for fifteen years, collaborating on "Big Hero 6," which won the Academy Award for animated feature in 2015. The pair were also at work on the upcoming Pixar sequel "Cars 3." Gerson was also a talented voice actor, voicing the characters of Needleman and Smitty in "Monsters, Inc." as well as Desk Sergeant Gerson in "Big Hero 6." Gerson is survived by his wife, Beau Stacom; his two children, Claire and Asher; his parents, Mary-Joan and Charles; and his sister, Jessica.Screenwriter who co-wrote the screenplays for the Disney-Pixar films 'Monsters, Inc.' (2001) and 'Monsters University' (2013) and Disney Animation's 'Big Hero 6' (2014), earning Annie Award nominations for all three films; earned a BAFTA Award and a Hugo nomination for his work on 'Monsters, Inc.'; also wrote additional story material for 'Chicken Little' (2005), 'Cars' (2006), and 'Meet the Robinsons' (2007), and was one of the screenwriters on the upcoming 'Cars 3' (2017)
1966 – February 6, 2016- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Sam Spence was born on 29 March 1927 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a composer, known for Queen of Diamonds (1976), Pumpkin (2002) and The Sweeney (1975). He died on 6 February 2016 in Lewisville, Texas, USA.Prolific composer best known for his work with NFL Films from 1966 to 1990, writing themes for hundreds of highlight reels and narrative documentaries for the company; was the last survivor of the four men (including Ed and Steve Sabol and John Facenda) generally credited with popularizing the football highlight film
March 29, 1927 – February 6, 2016- Actor
- Soundtrack
Eddy Wally was born on 12 July 1932 in Ertvelde, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Biografie (1967), Lava (1989) and Binnen zonder bellen (1996). He was married to Mariëtte Roegiers. He died on 6 February 2016 in Zelzate, Flanders, Belgium.Iconic Belgian singer and self-proclaimed "Voice of Europe"
July 12, 1932 – February 6, 2016- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Both of his parents were involved in the art history field. After graduating from high school in 1976, Willemsen began studying German, philosophy, art history and ethnology. He initially studied in Bonn, but then also went to Florence, Munich and Vienna. His preferred area of research, which also influenced his doctorate, was the work of the writer Robert Musil. Willemsen initially worked in the scientific field. From 1984 to 1986 he was an assistant for literary studies, then in 1986/87 he was a lecturer at the University of Munich. From 1988 to 1990 Willemsen lived in London, where he worked as a freelancer for print media and broadcasting. At the same time, the humanities scholar also began working as a freelance writer and translator. He primarily published art and cultural travel guides, but also studies on social issues and portraits of special people and their fates.
Willemsen entered television in 1991/92, where he initially moderated the interview program "0137" on the pay-TV channel Premiere and interviewed numerous international stars and celebrities. In 1993/94 the talk show "Willemsen - The TV Talk" followed on the same station. As a moderator, Willemsen made a name for himself primarily because of his sensitive conversation style, his spontaneous conversation and his grammatically correct and linguistically sophisticated expression. However, Willemsen became known to the wider German television audience through his popular talk show "Willemsen's Week", which was broadcast on ZDF from 1994 to 1998. It went down in recent television history as an intelligent and intellectual TV talk.
Willemsen then moved to WDR at the beginning of 1999 to present the cultural program "Nachtkultur mit Willemsen", which was broadcast until November 2000. Willemsen also appeared again and again as presenter of the ZDF cultural format "aspekte", alternating with other colleagues. In the 1990s, Willemsen also produced and/or directed several TV productions that were shown as documentaries on ZDF and Arte. The contributions were created as part of his own TV production company, which Willemsen founded under the name "Noa-Noa Fernsehenproduktion GmbH". From 1995 to 1996 he took on a visiting professorship for literary studies at the University of Munich. He also taught at the University of Film and Television in Munich. In 1996 the portrait episode "Willemsen's Contemporaries" was broadcast. In the same year he made his directorial debut with the documentary "Non Stop - A Journey with Michel Petrucciani" on ZDF.
From 1999 to 2001 Willemsen also produced and presented "Willemsen's Music Magazine" for the Second German Television. Willemsen contributed his own project to the EXPO in Hanover in 2000: the video installation "Welcome Home - Artists See Germany" documented the image of Germany by numerous artists in the German Pavilion. He also moderated the "Stage Talk" at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg during the 2000/01 season. From the summer of 2001, Willemsen continued to distinguish himself as a producer and presenter of the interactive AOL program "Talk am Millerntor" and the ZDF portrait series "Gipfeltreffen". In the latter, until the end of 2001, he presented double portraits of two prominent residents for a selected city. After 11 years of commitment to television, Willemsen temporarily withdrew from the TV business at the end of 2001. He then undertook a trip through the Federal Republic that lasted several months, the literary result of which was Willemsen publishing the successful book "Deutschlandreise" in 2002.
In February 2004, Willemsen returned to electronic media as presenter of the "Literature Club" on Swiss television (SF). In the same year, the book "Gute Tage. Encounters with People and Places" marked another highlight in his literary work. The work, which was also presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2004, describes the author's encounters with people of our time and around the world, from the Dalai Lama to Harald Schmidt to Madonna. Willemsen was awarded the Golden Cable and the Bavarian Television Prize in 1992 for his "0137" moderation. A year later he received the Adolf Grimme Prize. Since 2010 he has been an honorary professor at the Humboldt University in Berlin. He also became a member of the PEN Center Germany and the editorial advisory board of the magazine Kulturtausch.
He was awarded the German Audio Book Prize in 2015 for "The High House. A Year in Parliament". In the same year it was announced that Willemsen was suffering from cancer.
Roger Willemsen died on February 7, 2016 in Wentorf, Hamburg.Beloved German TV presenter, novelist, and essayist praised for his intellect, charm and wit; launched his TV career in 1991 as head interviewer of the daily talk show '0137,' the signature program of the newly-founded pay-TV channel Premiere; conducted over 1,000 interviews on the show with subjects including Audrey Hepburn, Yasser Arafat, Jesse Jackson, Madonna, a cosmonaut on the space station MIR, a fugitive bank robber, imprisoned members of the Red Army Faction, and a cannibal; became one of the best-known talk show hosts on German television and received a number of accolades for his work on '0137,' including the prestigious Grimme Award in 1993; moved on to the public channel ZDF, where he hosted 'Willemsens Woche' ('Willemsen's Week') from 1994 to 1998 and the nine-episode 'Willemsens Zeitgenossen' ('Willemsen's Contemporaries') in 1996; also produced television documentaries, interviews, portraits, and programs looking at particular topics in depth, created a very successful cabaret program called 'I Give You My Word! The World History of the Lie,' hosted the book program 'Literaturclub' for Swiss television from 2004 to 2006, and authored some 50 books, many of them (including his last, published in 2014) were bestsellers
August 15, 1955 – February 7, 2016- Amelia Bence was born on 13 November 1914 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was an actress, known for A sangre fría (1947), La danza del fuego (1949) and Lauracha (1946). She was married to Alberto Closas and Charlie Ortiz Basualdo. She died on 8 February 2016 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Iconic Argentine actress who was one of the divas of the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema; made her film debut what was only Argentina's second sound film, the 1933 musical 'Dancing,' and broke through with her Silver Condor-winning performance in the epic historical drama 'The Gaucho War' ('La guerra gaucha,' 1942), considered one of the most important films in the history of Argentine cinema; went on to win the Best Actress awards from the Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences for her work in the romantic drama 'A Real Man' ('Todo un hombre,' 1943), the thriller 'In Cold Blood' ('A sangre fría,' 1947) and the comedy 'Dance of Fire' (1949) and received more Silver Condors for the latter two films and for her roles in 'The Third Kiss' ('El tercer beso,' 1943) and 'Lauracha' (1946); went on to receive high acclaim and an award from the Argentina Film Academy for her performance in the title role of 'Alfonsina' (1957); also won acclaim and accolades for her work in the theatre and received the Silver Condor for Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989
November 13, 1914 – February 8, 2016 - Johnny Duncan lived well into his 90's, with his wife Susan, enjoying life not far from where it began.
He started out on a small farm near Kansas City in 1923. As a child growing up during the Great Depression, Johnny danced up a storm in local towns, and with the money he saved he was able to pay out his parent's overdue mortgage to the banks. Not long after, he ran a little dance school with his little girl pal, Lou, teaching locals kids how to tap dance.
Not long after, an agent helped him make it to L.A. on a $50-a-month contract. He got roles playing juveniles with the East Side Kids/Bowery Boys and other movie roles. You can see him working the radio in the Bogart classic Action in the North Atlantic (1943). During the war he met Lana Turner and taught her the Lindy Hop (Jitterbug). At the age of 26, he became the second Boy Wonder, in the 15-part serial Batman and Robin.
Off the set, you could find Johnny out on his Triumph 600 on the weekend in the canyons around Calabasas with mates like Lee Marvin, Larry Parks, Keenan Wynn and Clark Gable, or at dinner parties held by Jimmy Cagney. During the '50s, Johnny made fewer films after The Caine Mutiny (1954) (also with Bogart), but he did play another sailor in a film with Rita Hayworth, whom he described as the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. You can also spot him in the legendary Ed Wood flick Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) and getting his head chopped off in Spartacus (1960). Nowadays, you can still spot him at the occasional movie convention, signing photos from Batman and Robin and The East Side Kids.Actor best known for playing Robin in the 15-chapter 'Batman and Robin' serial released by Columbia Pictures in 1949; also remembered for his roles in the last two of Monogram Pictures' films featuring the East Side Kids, 'Mr. Muggs Rides Again' and 'Come Out Fighting,' both released in 1945; previously worked with 'Come Out Fighting' director William Beaudine on the film 'Mystery of the 13th Guest' (1943) and had a supporting role in the cult exploitation film 'Delinquent Daughters' (1944); had uncredited bit parts in Ed Wood's infamous 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' (1959) as well as a number of more prestigious films, including Busby Berkeley's musical 'The Gang's All Here' (1943), classic war dramas 'Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo' (1944) and 'The Caine Mutiny' (1954), Otto Preminger's film noir 'Whirlpool' (1949), the Judy Garland/Gene Kelly romantic musical 'Summer Stock' (1950), Walter Lang's Jane Froman biopic 'With a Song in My Heart' (1952), the iconic Marlon Brando drama 'The Wild One' (1954), and Kirk Douglas and Stanley Kubrick's blockbuster epic 'Spartacus' (1960)
December 7, 1923 – February 8, 2016 - Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Nida Fazli was born on 12 October 1938 in Delhi, British India. She was a writer and composer, known for Sarfarosh (1999), Dev (2004) and Billoo Baadshah (1989). She died on 8 February 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.Celebrated poet and Bollywood lyricist who contributed to the smash hit soundtracks of the cult classic 'Silsila' (1981) and the well-received 'Sur – The Melody of Life' (2002), for which he won a Bollywood Movie Award and a Star Screen Award for Best Lyricist; was particularly known for songs such as "Aa bhi jaa" from 'Sur,' "Tu is tarah se meri zindagi mein shamil hai" from 'Aap To Aise Na The' (1980), and "Hosh waalon ko khabar Kya" from the acclaimed box office hit 'Sarfarosh' (1999); won a Zee Cine Award for Best Lyricist for the song "Rang Deeni" from the film 'Dev' (2004), to which he also contributed dialogue, as he later did with the 2006 film 'Yatra'
October 12, 1938 – February 8, 2016- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Born in London in 1922, Norman Hudis is now a dual citizen of Britain and the U.S. He began his working life at 16, as a junior reporter, and volunteered for the Royal Air Force in 1940. Rejected for flying duties on medical grounds, he served almost 6 years in WWII, the last two of which on the reporting staff of the Air Force News, stationed in Cairo and covering the entire Middle East area. He was, as a result, the youngest War Correspondent in that conflict.
After many post-war years as a Film Studio publicist in England, he was eventually offered a contract as an apprentice screenwriter, at Pinewood Studios. Two years there gave him invaluable experience, but nothing he wrote was filmed. He resigned, went freelance, created and wrote almost all the scripts for two seasons of the one-hour comedy series, "Our House" (ABC TV, Britain), and became one of the most prolific writers of "B" films. One of them, "The Tommy Steele Story" (US title, "Rock Around The World"), took fifty times its production cost on its first release and changed his status forever.
He went on to write, for producer Peter Rogers and director Gerald Thomas, the first six of the phenomenally successful "Carry On" series of bawdy British movie comedies: "Sergeant", "Nurse", "Constable", "Teacher", "Regardless" and "Cruising." The series went on for more than 20 other movies. As a result of the freak success of "Nurse" in America, he was invited to Hollywood where he has lived and worked ever since, writing for most of the TV series of the time. Awards came his way for the Biblical epic, "Esther" (Best Religious Special, and Best Writing, from "Religion in Media"), "Baretta" ("Dear Tony", from The Mystery Writers of America, Edgar Allen Poe Award, best TV episode), American Women In Radio and TV (for enhancing the image of women in the media), and a nomination for Best Episode, Drama, "Marcus Welby MD", episode "Hell is Upstairs", from the Writers' Guild of America (West.)
Hudis has commuted to Britain several times to work on various projects: one of these, "A Monkey's Tale" (aka "Le Chateau des Singes"), won a Special Award for Excellence at the Heartland Film Festival, as well as at the Toronto and Hollywood Film Festivals, in the animation-feature category. In Cologne, Germany, he was Story Editor for the animated TV series, "Waldo", and wrote several of the scripts. Always a lover of live theatre, he has occasionally written stage-plays, most notably the controversial "Dinner With Ribbentrop", premiered at the Rude Guerilla Theater in Santa Ana, California. He's married to Rita, former RN, and has two sons: Stephen, a stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director, and Kevin, a retired veteran Hollywood Teamster, now managing a hobby store.Screenwriter best known for scripting the first six 'Carry On' movies: 'Carry On Sergeant' (1958), 'Carry On Nurse' (1959), 'Carry On Teacher' (1959), 'Carry On Constable' (1960), 'Carry On Regardless' (1961), and 'Carry On Cruising' (1962); also wrote multiple episodes of TV shows such as 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,' 'The Saint,' and 'Marcus Welby, M.D.,' the latter of which earned him a nomination from the Writers Guild of America Awards; also earned an Edgar Allen Poe Award nomination for a 1975 episode of 'Baretta' entitled "Dear Tony;" later worked on animated shows such as 'Paw Paws' and 'Hurricanes' and occasional films, including 'Midsummer Madness' (2007)
July 27, 1922 – February 8, 2016- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Violette Verdy was born on 1 December 1933 in Pont-l'Abbé, Finistère, France. She was an actress and writer, known for Dream Ballerina (1950), Olivia (1951) and Deux maîtres pour un valet (1952). She was married to Colin Clark. She died on 8 February 2016 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.Famed ballerina whose deep musicality, accentuated style, and theatrical flair made her one of the most acclaimed stars of George Balanchine's New York City Ballet in the 1960s and '70s; retired from the Ballet in 1977 to become the first female artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet, a post she held until 1980, after which she as co-artistic director and then artistic director of the Boston Ballet, where she remained until 1984; went on to become a ballet teacher, leading the faculty of the ballet department at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and holding guest teaching residencies at prestigious ballet companies around the world, including the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, where she became the first foreign teacher invited since the 1917 Revolution
December 1, 1933 – February 8, 2016- Alethea McGrath was born on 1 June 1920 in Melbourne, Australia. She was an actress, known for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Knowing (2009) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). She died on 9 February 2016 in Melbourne, Australia.Actress best known for playing Madame Jocasta Nu in 'Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones' (2002), for her role as Dot Farrar on the soap opera 'Prisoner' in 1984, and for her stints on the long-running shows 'Neighbours' and 'Blue Heelers'; also made frequent appearances as Alice on the 2000-2002 soap 'Something in the Air' and had supporting roles in writer-director Ann Turner's films 'Hammers Over the Anvil' (1993), 'Dallas Doll' (1994), and 'Irresistible' (2006); additional film credits include John Ruane's 'That Eye, the Sky' (1994), Rolf de Heer's 'Epsilon' (1997), Rowan Woods' 'Dogwoman: Dead Dog Walking' (2000), Richard Roxburgh's 'Romulus, My Father' (2007), and Alex Proyas' 'Knowing' (2009)
1920 – February 9, 2016 - Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Donald E. Thorin was born on 12 October 1934 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He was a cinematographer and assistant director, known for Thief (1981), Tango & Cash (1989) and Lock Up (1989). He died on 9 February 2016 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.Cinematographer of best known for shooting such films as Michael Mann's 'Thief' (1981), Taylor Hackford's 'An Officer and a Gentleman' (1982), cult Prince vehicle 'Purple Rain' (1984), and Martin Brest's 'Midnight Run' (1988) and 'Scent of a Woman' (1992); also shot 'Against All Odds' (1984) for Hackford, 'Wildcats' (1986), 'The Golden Child' (1986) and 'The Couch Trip' (1988) for Michael Ritchie, the Sylvester Stallone actioners 'Lock Up' and 'Tango & Cash' (both 1989), 'Undercover Blues' (1993) and 'Boys on the Side' (1995) for Herbert Ross, 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls' (1994) and 'Nothing to Lose' (1997) for Steve Oedekerk, and 'The First Wives Club' (1996) and 'Dudley Do-Right' (1999) for Hugh Wilson, as well as 'Mickey Blue Eyes' (1999), John Singleton's 'Shaft' (2000) and Chris Rock's 'Head of State' (2003), among other films; had previously served as camera operator on films such as John Cassavetes' 'Minnie and Moskowitz' (1971), Martin Scorsese's 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' (1974), Sidney Poitier's 'Let's Do It Again' (1975), Hal Ashby's 'Bound for Glory' (1976) and 'Coming Home' (1978) and Woody Allen's 'Annie Hall' (1977)
October 12, 1934 – February 9, 2016- Omar Cerasuolo was born on 29 June 1945 in Río Segundo, Córdoba Province, Argentina. He died on 11 February 2016 in Río Segundo, Córdoba, Argentina.Iconic Argentinian radio broadcaster and producer best known for hosting and producing the revolutionary radio show 'El Tren Fantasma' ('The Ghost Train') from 1975 to 1989; produced and presented many other popular programs, including 'Los intérpretes' ('The Interpreters,' 1977-1989), 'Una mañana para todos' (1984-1995) and 'La noche que me quieras' (1991-1995); founded Buenos Aires folkloric music radio station La Folklorica in 1999 and remained the station's program director until his death; won five Martín Fierro Awards and two Santa Clara de Asís Prizes for his work in radio and received the National Endowment for the Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2009
June 29, 1945 – February 11, 2016 - Director
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Peter Wood was born on 8 October 1925 in Colyton, Devon, England, UK. He was a director and producer, known for In Search of Gregory (1969), ITV Television Playhouse (1955) and ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969). He died on 11 February 2016 in England, UK.Theatre and television director whose résumé includes the world premieres of Harold Pinter's first produced full-length play, 'The Birthday Party' (1958), and Joe Orton's infamous 'Loot' (1964), but was best known for his association with the work of Tom Stoppard, starting with the original production of 'Jumpers' in 1972; went on to direct Stoppard's 'Travesties,' which premiered in 1974 and transferred to Broadway the following year, earning that year's Tony Award for Best Play while Wood received a Tony nomination for Best Direction; subsequently directed the original productions of Stoppard's plays 'Night and Day' (1978), 'On the Razzle' (1981), 'The Real Thing' (1982), 'Hapgood' (1988), and 'Indian Ink' (1995), with his direction of 'On the Razzle' winning him won a Laurence Olivier Award; television credits include a five-time Emmy-winning performance of 'Hamlet,' for which Wood himself earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama, and a 1989 TV-movie adaptation of Stoppard's 1982 radio play 'The Dog It Was That Died'
8 October 1925 – February 11, 2016- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Sossen Krohg was born on 18 December 1923 in Oslo, Norway. She was an actress and director, known for Min kone er uskyldig (1950), Death Is a Caress (1949) and Fortuna (1993). She was married to Guy Krohg and Thorleif Schjelderup. She died on 12 February 2016 in Norway.Norwegian actress best known for her role as Astrid Anker-Hansen on the Norwegian soap opera 'Hotel Cæsar,' the longest running television drama in Scandinavia, from 1998 to 2010; made her film debut in 'Death is a Caress' (1949), which was the first Norwegian film directed by a woman (Edith Carlmar) and is also considered to be Norway's first film noir; later film credits included the classic modernist road movie 'Eddie og Suzanne' (1975), the dramas 'Life and Death' (1980) and 'Herman' (1990), and Norway's first full-length animated feature, 'Solan, Ludvig and Gurin with the Foxtail' (1998)
December 18, 1923 – February 12, 2016- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
George Aliceson Tipton was born on 23 January 1932. He was a composer, known for The Golden Girls (1985), Badlands (1973) and Phantom of the Paradise (1974). He died on 12 February 2016 in the USA.Composer, musical arranger and conductor known for his collaborations with singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson and for writing the theme music for several hit sitcoms, including 'Soap' and its spin-off 'Benson' as well as 'It's a Living' and 'Empty Nest'; also composed the incidental music for these shows and for many others, including 'The Courtship of Eddie's Father' (for which Harry Nilsson wrote and performed the theme song), 'The Love Boat,' 'The Golden Girls' and the latter show's spin-off, 'The Golden Palace'; won five ASCAP Awards for his work on 'The Golden Girls' and two others for 'Empty Nest'; also composed and conducted the score for Terrence Malick's acclaimed film 'Badlands' (1973) and worked with Paul Williams on the score for the cult musical horror film 'Phantom of the Paradise' (1974), for which he and Williams earned an Oscar nomination for Original Song Score and Adaptation; worked with Nilsson during the most productive phase of his career in the 1960s and early 1970s, which included arranging his classic, Grammy-winning song "Everybody's Talkin'" (as featured in the 1969 Oscar-winning film 'Midnight Cowboy') and arranging and conducting his music Otto Preminger's film 'Skidoo' (1968) and the animated TV movie 'The Point!' (1972); other notable works include the arrangement of José Feliciano's hit cover version of The Doors' "Light My Fire," arranging and performing the title song in the film 'Cotton Comes to Harlem' (1970), and the scores for such TV movies as 'Home for the Holidays' (1972), 'Griffin and Phoenix' (1976), 'Red Alert' (1977) and 'The Gift' (1979)
January 23, 1932 – February 12, 2016- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Drewe Henley was born in 1940 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Wuthering Heights (1967) and Space: 1999 (1975). He was married to Linda Lee Henley, Felicity Kendal and Jacqueline Pearce. He died on 14 February 2016 in Exeter, Devon, England, UK.Actor best known for playing Garven Dreis, a.k.a. "Red Leader," in 'Star Wars' (1977), which was also his final feature film role; previously had a prominent supporting role in Val Guest's 'When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth' (1970) and appeared in such films as the Boulting brothers' 'Heavens Above!' (1963), Clive Donner's 'Nothing But the Best' (1964), Walter Grauman's '633 Squadron' (1964), Michael Anderson's 'Operation Crossbow' (1965), Fred Zinnemann's 'A Man for All Seasons' (1966), Henri Verneuil's 'The 25th Hour' (1967), Paul Wendkos' 'Hell Boats' (1970), Alfred Hitchcock's 'Frenzy' (1972) and Herbert Ross' 'The Seven-Per-Cent Solution' (1976); also remembered for his appearances on the cult Gerry and Sylvia Anderson shows 'UFO' and 'Space: 1999,' with his work in the latter subsequently being edited into the movie 'Destination Moonbase-Alpha' (1978), which became his final acting credit
1940 – February 14, 2016- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Anandakuttan was born in 1955 in India. He was a cinematographer, known for Manichithrathazhu (1993), Killer (1992) and News (1989). He was married to Geetha. He died on 14 February 2016 in Kochi, Kerala, India.Cinematographer who was considered the Malayalam film industry’s leading cameraman; shot around 300 films between 1977 and 2012, including such hits as Fazil's 'Varusham Padhinaaru' (1989), 'Manichitrathazhu'/'The Ornate Lock' (1993) and 'Aniyathi Pravu' (1997), Sibi Malayil's 'His Highness Abdullah' (1990), 'Bharatham' (1991), 'Sadayam' (1992), 'Kamaladalam' (1992), and 'Akashadoothu' (1993), Rajasenan's 'Meleparambil Aanveedu' (1993), Siddique & Lal's 'Mannar Mathai Speaking' (1995), and Siddique's 'Friends' (2001) and 'Chronic Bachelor' (2003); set a record of sorts in the early 1990s by wielding the camera for 12 films in a calendar year; won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer for his work on Fazil's hit psychological thriller 'Kannukkul Nilavu' (2000)
1955 – February 14, 2016