Notable Showbiz Deaths of 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dancer and choreographer who founded the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts

May 11, 1918 – January 21, 2016

Musician best known for playing bass guitar for the bands Rainbow and Dio

December 19, 1947 – January 23, 2016

October 13, 1965 – January 25, 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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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, 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

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

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

Iconic Belgian singer and self-proclaimed "Voice of Europe"

July 12, 1932 – February 6, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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, 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 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 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