Actors who died unnaturally
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- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane (Hankerson) and Michael Haughton. Her uncle was music manager Barry Hankerson and her brother is director Rashad Haughton. Aaliyah was raised in Detroit. She got her first major exposure appearing on the syndicated television series Star Search (1983), where she awed the audience with her amazing voice and talent, singing "My Funny Valentine", a song which her mother had sung years earlier. At age 11, she sang with Gladys Knight in a five-night stint in Las Vegas. Withdrawing from the celebrity scene for a few years, Aaliyah lived the life of a normal teenage girl, attending Detroit's Performing Arts High School, where she majored in dance. It was around this same time that Aaliyah met singer/composer R. Kelly. Kelly assisted Aaliyah with the production of her debut album "Age Ain't Nothing But A number", which scored several number hits, specifically "Back and Forth." The album's title was a brief reference to her short-lived marriage to R. Kelly (she was 15 years of age at the time, and he was in his 20s). Thir marriage was annulled due to her status as a minor.
During her senior year, Aaliyah went on to record "One In A Million", which featured the songwriting talents of major R&B producers/writers Missy Elliott and Timbaland. The album was a major success and sealed Aaliyah's fame forever.
Aaliyah recorded the single 'Journey to the past' for the Anastasia (1997) soundtrack. After seeing her at an awards show and in the video for her hit song "Are You that Somebody?" (from the Eddie Murphy film Doctor Dolittle (1998)), film producer Joel Silver (producer of The Matrix (1999) and other major actor films) asked Aaliyah to audition for a role in an romance/action film, Romeo Must Die (2000). With her determination and sex appeal, Aaliyah won Silver over and was cast in her first major film role. Romeo Must Die (2000) was a hit at the box office. This film led to her being cast as one of the stars of the film based on Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned (2002), and in the two sequels to the major box office hit, The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003).
During the busy schedule of her film career, Aaliyah took time to record her third album, the self-titled "Aaliyah". July 2001 was a busy time for Aaliyah. After the success of her song "Try Again", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award and won several MTV Video Awards, Aaliyah finally released her "Aaliyah" album. Debuting at number two on the Billboard charts, "Aaliyah" was a sales success, despite some lackluster reviews.
In August 2001, Aaliyah took time off from her busy album promotional tour to fly to the Bahamas to film a video for the song "Rock the Boat". The video, filmed on Abaco Island, was directed by Hype Williams, a major music video director known for his style and wit.
On August 25, 2001, after filming the video, Aaliyah and about 9-11 of her entourage took off from Marsh Harbour airport at 6:50pm EDT in a small Cessna 404 en route to Opa-Locka, Florida. A few minutes after take-off, the plane crashed about 200 feet from the runaway, killing Aaliyah and many others instantly. Four passengers were pulled alive from the wreckage, and one later died at a hospital in Nassau. Aaliyah was only 22 years old. Her funeral was held on Friday August 31st in New York, and 22 white doves were flown to celebrate each year of her life. Soon after her death, the hit singles 'More Than a woman' and 'Rock The Boat' were released, from her third album. In 2002, the film Queen of the Damned (2002) was released, in which Aaliyah played Queen Akasha. She was nominated for best Villain at the MTV Movie Awards 2002.
Aaliyah's short-lived, but brilliant career, was a true success story for a young African-American woman who went against all odds to be herself in an industry where originality is scarce. Truly missed by her family, friends, and fans, her music and film contributions will live forever. It's no wonder that her name means 'Highest, most ex-halted one; the best' in Hebrew. She had achieved so much in her twenty-two years.Died in a plane crash in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas. The plane was heavily overloaded.
1979-2001 (22 years old)- Actress
- Additional Crew
Perennial starlet Dorothy Abbott was a sexy, vivacious, wide-smiling model, showgirl and actress who could brighten up a room. Unfortunately, her cinematic offerings wound up being pretty minimal and her last years were marred by depression and, ultimately, a tragic end.
She was born Dorothy E. Abbott on December 16, 1920, in Kansas City, Missouri and started her career off as a chorine with Earl Carroll and his Los Angeles-based revues and in Las Vegas showrooms where she was dubbed the rather mystifying title of "The Girl with the Golden Arm". Paramount Studios perked up on the lovely blonde with the Betty Page-like bangs and gave her a starting contract at $150 a week. Groomed in dozens of decorative "good time girl" bits -- dancers, chorus girls, waitresses, stewardesses, party girls, nurses and models -- she was at the same time promoted as a cheesecake pinup, "winning" such dubious titles as "Miss Wilshire Club," "Miss Los Angeles Transit" and "Miss Oil Cans".
The dusky-voiced Dorothy was usually briefly seen and not heard in such dramatic and lightweight fare as The Razor's Edge (1946), Road to Rio (1947), Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) (in which she has her first speaking role as a maid), Words and Music (1948), Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), Little Women (1949), Neptune's Daughter (1949), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), His Kind of Woman (1951), Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), _The Las Vegas Story (1952)_, The Caddy (1953), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Love Me or Leave Me (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Jailhouse Rock (1957), South Pacific (1958), The Apartment (1960), That Touch of Mink (1962), A Gathering of Eagles (1963) and Dear Heart (1964). Her one starring role came early in the exploitative, lowbudget potboiler A Virgin in Hollywood (1953) as a star reporter out to get a seamy Hollywood story, but she was unable to capitalize on it.
Working bit parts at the studio during the days, she would often perform on stage in little theatre shows at night. On the sly, when work was meager, she became a real estate agent in the 1950s in order to help supplement her income. TV chores included guest roles in "Leave It to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet". She also had a recurring part for one season as Jack Webb's girlfriend on the Dragnet (1954) series.
Dorothy married LAPD narcotics squad officer-turned homicide detective Adolph Rudy Diaz in 1949. Diaz, who was of Native American (Apache) descent, eventually retired as a cop in order to pursue acting. By this time, the marriage was in trouble and the couple separated. Going by the stage name of Rudy Diaz in 1967, he began to get work and was seen out in public with other women. The divorce was finalized in 1968, but Dorothy took it hard and never seemed to get over it. On December 15, 1968, she committed suicide at her Los Angeles home -- one day before her 48th birthday. She was interred (as Dorothy E. Diaz) at Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California, Plot: Valley Lawn, Lot 2939.Took her own life after her marriage with police officer and actor Rudy Diaz ended.
1920-1968 (47 years old)- Anand Abhyankar was an acclaimed Indian actor. Known for his versatility, he made a mark in Marathi and Hindi cinema. Abhyankar's notable performances include roles in Marathi films like "Spandan," and popular Hindi TV shows like "CID." Tragically, his promising career was cut short when he passed away in a car accident on December 23, 2012, leaving behind a legacy of impactful performances.Died in a car accident in Pune, India.
1963-2012 (49 years old) - Actor
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Manish Acharya was born on 14 June 1967 in India. He was an actor and producer, known for Loins of Punjab Presents (2007), Sita Sings the Blues (2008) and Ishq Vishk (2003). He died on 4 December 2010 in Matheran, Maharashtra, India.Died after falling off a horse.
1967-2010 (43 years old)- Actor
- Stunts
- Location Management
Art Acord was born on 17 April 1890 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Set Free (1927), The Set-Up (1926) and Winners of the West (1921). He was married to Edna Nores, Edythe Sterling and Louise Lorraine. He died on 4 January 1931 in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico.Took his own life by consuming poison in Chihuahua, after struggling with depression due to alcoholism and an inability to adept to talkies.
1890-1931 (40 years old)- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
Jean-François Adam was born on 14 February 1938 in Paris, France. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Vivre sa vie (1962), Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) and Army of Shadows (1969). He died on 14 October 1980 in Paris, France.Found dead in a garbage dumpster in France, having told his wife he was travelling to England to work on a film. The death has been ruled a suicide by strangulation.
1938-1980 (42 years old)- Actor
- Writer
Stanley Adams (born Abramowitz) had a lengthy career on both stage and screen, the majority of which was spent playing minor supporting roles. A possible exception was the part of Rusty Trawler, a pint sized millionaire in the classic romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). Otherwise, he portrayed innumerable minor ethnic villains, bartenders and avuncular, fast-talking characters, known in the credits only by their first names. On television, conversely, he proved himself more of a scene stealer, particularly in the 1960s and early '70s, when his face popped up on just about every major prime time show. He was at his best as pool hustler Sure-shot Wilson in an episode of The Odd Couple (1970), Rollo, a quirky time-traveling scientist on The Twilight Zone (1959), and - famously - as 'asteroid detecting', tribble-dispensing galactic entrepreneur Cyrano Jones on Star Trek (1966). Alas, he may also be remembered as a sentient space carrot named Tybo on Lost in Space (1965)....
His suicide in April 1977 has been attributed to severe depression as a result of a back injury, sustained earlier in the decade. Apart from the obvious pain, it would almost certainly have limited his employment opportunities.Shot himself in his home in Santa Monica, after struggling with depression due to a back injury.
1915-1977 (62 years old)- Dajan Ahmet was born on 22 January 1962 in Tallinn, Estonia. He was an actor, known for Malev (2005), Darkness in Tallinn (1993) and Letters from the East (1995). He died on 4 November 2006 in Mõhkküla, Jõgevamaa, Estonia.Died in a car crash in Mõhküla, Estonia.
1962-2006 (44 years old) - Jae-hwan Ahn was born on 25 April 1972 in South Korea. He was an actor, known for The Record (2000), Show Show Show (2003) and Tears of Diamonds (2005). He was married to Jung Sun-hee. He died on 8 September 2008 in Seoul, South Korea.Found dead and decaying in his car in Seoul, South Korea, having died of carbon monoxide poisoning some days prior.
1972-2008 (36 years old) - Actress
Xia Ai was born on 29 November 1912 in Tianjin, China. She was an actress, known for Feng nian (1933), Zhifen shichang (1933) and Chun can (1933). She died on 15 February 1934 in Shanghai, China.Took her own life by eating raw opium.
1912-1934 (21 years old)- Frederick Alexander was born on 23 January 1962 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Another Country (1984), Fall of Eagles (1974) and Love Among the Artists (1979). He died on 2 June 1984 in France.Died in a car crash in France, when his car was hit by a driver committing suicide.
1962-1984 (22 years old) - Actor
- Soundtrack
The tragically brief life of fresh-faced, boyishly handsome Ross Alexander, who seemed to have everything going for him, plays these days like a bad Hollywood movie. Alexander was a charming, highly engaging young actor whose pleasant voice and breezy personality aided greatly in his transition from Broadway teen player to young adult Warner Bros. film actor. His peers would include such Warner stalwarts as Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Errol Flynn. Off-camera, however, Ross, a closeted homosexual, became an acutely self-destructive young man whose career instability and domestic tragedy would take its toll. The tormented Ross ended his own life at age 29.
Ross Alexander was born Alexander Ross Smith in Brooklyn, New York, to Maud Adelle (Cohen) and Alexander Ross Smith, a leather merchant. Raised in Rochester, New York, he pursued both drama and athletics in high school (soccer, swimming) and sidelined in little theater productions in town. In between he took his first Broadway bow as a young teen in Blanche Yurka's long-running comedy success "Enter Madame." He eventually moved back to New York City following schooling and began to build up his stage resume in stock companies. On Broadway he showed a modicum of promise in such plays as "The Ladder" (1926) and "Let Us Be Gay" (1929). The latter play introduced Ross to producer John Golden and marked an immoderate two-year association which would include the plays "After Tomorrow" (1930) and "That's Gratitude" (1930). Paramount apparently saw Ross' potential and started him off in pictures with The Wiser Sex (1932), but nothing happened. Continuing on Broadway with "The Stork Is Dead" (1932), "Honeymoon" (1932), "The Party's Over" (1933) and "No Questions Asked" (1934), he was re-noticed for films, this time by Warner Bros.
Warners signed him to appear in its popular backstage Depression-era musicals and collegiate capers. Alexander's fresh look and carefree, slightly cynical demeanor made him an instant favorite and he soon began humming with popular second leads in such musicals as Flirtation Walk (1934). On the dramatic side he was chosen to play Demetrius in the all-star A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), and in Errol Flynn's Captain Blood (1935) he played Jeremy Pitt, Blood's friend and navigator. Trouble started brewing, however, behind the scenes. Ross was being perceived by Warners as a second-ranked Dick Powell. As the studio began featuring him in Powell's castoffs and other uninspiring B-grade movies, they decided it was too taxing to both groom him for matinée idol status and conceal his homosexuality at the same time.
A probable marriage of convenience to budding starlet Aleta Friele, who appeared on Broadway using the name Aleta Freel, ended disastrously with the 28-year-old actress taking her own life with a rifle in their Hollywood Hills home. The actor was deeply shaken by this tragic event. He tried to cover his tracks yet again, however, by marrying beautiful actress Anne Nagel, whom he met while on the set of Hot Money, (1936),China Clipper (1936) and Here Comes Carter (1936). It didn't help quash his spiraling depression.
Finally Warners lost all patience and interest after having to cover up a potentially career-threatening gay-sex scandal, and Ross' promising career went down the tubes. To add insult to injury, he incurred major debt. On January 2, 1937, less than five months after his marriage to Nagel and shortly after the first anniversary of his first wife's death, Aleta Friele who also committed suicide, Alexander shot himself with a pistol in a barn behind his Encino ranch home. His last movie, the moderately received Ready, Willing and Able (1937) with Ruby Keeler, was released posthumously. Despite the fact he was the co-lead in the film, he was billed fifth, thus emphasizing the point that he had already lost most of his clout.Shot himself in the barn behind his home in Los Angeles. His wife, Aleta Freel, had killed herself 13 months earlier. Alexander struggled with depression due to both his private and professional problems, and was deeply in debt.
1907-1937 (29 years old)- Gia Allemand was born on 20 December 1983 in Howard Beach, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Ghost Trek: The Kinsey Report (2011), Ghost Trek: Goomba Body Snatchers Mortuary Lockdown (2013) and Bachelor Pad (2010). She died on 14 August 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.Died two days after an attempted suicide by hanging.
1983-2013 (29 years old) - Actor
- Soundtrack
Perhaps best remembered as TV's first Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951), Chet Allen was also a member of the famous Columbus Boychoir (now the American Boychoir) during that period. Although he made a few other notable appearances over the years, most notably in the film Meet Me at the Fair (1953) with Dan Dailey and Scatman Crothers, and as one of Ezio Pinza's sons on his TV series, Bonino (1953) when his voice changed, so did his life, for the worse. Like many another former child star, he drifted from job to job and, in his case, in and out of psychiatric hospitals. When Menotti himself visited him in Columbus, about a year before his death, he found a bitterly unhappy young man for whom life had been a series of disappointments. "No one could have helped him enough," Menotti would later say. In 1984, at the age of 44, Chet Allen killed himself by taking five times the fatal dosage of the prescription anti-depressant he'd been taking.Overdosed on anti-depressant, having frequently been admitted to psychiatric hospitals during his adult life.
1939-1984 (45 years old)- John Alvin was born on 24 October 1917 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Somewhere in Time (1980), The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) and Destination Tokyo (1943). He was married to Betty June Lewis. He died on 27 February 2009 in Thousand Oaks, California, USA.Died of the injuries sustained in a fall at his nursing home in Thousand Oaks, California.
1917-2009 (91 years old) - Actor
- Soundtrack
1950s and 60s second lead actor Keith Andes fits into the tall, handsome, strapping and highly virile mold that encompassed the likes of George Nader, Guy Madison, and Jeffrey Hunter. Although he may not be as well remembered as the aforementioned, he managed to maintain a reliable career on radio (from age 12), stage, TV and films for over three decades.
Born John Charles Andes on July 12, 1920, in Ocean City, New Jersey, Keith found work on radio singing and acting throughout his high school years. While serving with the Air Force during WWII, he performed in the patriotic 1943 Broadway stage show "Winged Victory" and, after being seen by studio mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, was given a minor part in the film version the following year.
Keith returned to Hollywood in the post-war years and won the role of one of Loretta Young's brothers (the others being Lex Barker and James Arness) in the classic film The Farmer's Daughter (1947). His enviable physique and photogenic good looks made the blond looker an obvious choice to continue in both rugged adventures and beefcake drama but his output was fairly minimal. In Clash by Night (1952), one of his best roles, he dallied hot and heavy with a young Marilyn Monroe and, in Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952), he demonstrated some expert swashbuckling skills.
Meanwhile on the musical front, Keith proved he had a resilient baritone. He won a Theatre World Award for "The Chocolate Soldier" in 1947 and, subsequently, starred in "Kiss Me Kate" with Anne Jeffreys of TV's Topper (1953) fame. More notably, he appeared opposite Lucille Ball in her only Broadway musical "Wildcat" in 1960, winding things up playing "Don Quixote" for over 400 performances in "Man of La Mancha" in 1968. Ironically, the movie studios did not take advantage of Keith's musical prowess, appearing in a bland role with Jane Powell and singing one musical number in The Girl Most Likely (1957).
Beside numerous episodic appearances on such popular 60's and 70's shows as "Have Gun, Will Travel," "The Rifleman," "77 Sunset Strip," "Perry Mason," "The Outer Limits," "Daniel Boone," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Star Trek," "I Spy," "Petticoat Junction," "Gunsmoke," "Cannon" and "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," Keith co-starred in two television series: This Man Dawson (1959) and the sitcom Glynis (1963), the latter starring popular Brit actress Glynis Johns. Both were short-lived. He occasionally found voiceover work.
After a minor part in the film And Justice for All (1979), Keith made his final appearance as Father Adam in the TV movie drama Blinded by the Light (1980) ). He then retired, bought and lived on a boat and ran charters on trips to Catalina and Mexico. Twice married and divorced, Keith had two children (Mark and Matt) by first wife, Jean Alice Cotton. Mark Andes became a rock musician. Keith's second wife was actress/dancer/choreographer Shelah Hackett.
Sadly, his final years were marred by extreme ill health, including bladder cancer, and he committed suicide in his Santa Clarita, California home at age 85.Took his own life by asphyxiation in his home in Santa Clarita, having suffered from bladder cancer and other health issues.
1920-2005 (85 years old)- Darien Angadi was born on 19 March 1949 in Stoke Newington, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978), I, Claudius (1976) and Antony and Cleopatra (1974). He died on 5 December 1981 in Haringey, London, England, UK.Hanged himself.
1949-1981 (32 years old) - Director
- Writer
- Producer
Theo Angelopoulos began to study law in Athens but broke up his studies to go to the Sorbonne in Paris in order to study literature. When he had finished his studies, he wanted to attend the School of Cinema at Paris but decided instead to go back to Greece. There he worked as a journalist and critic for the newspaper "Demokratiki Allaghi" until it was banned by the military after a coup d'état. Now unemployed, he decided to make his first movie, Anaparastasi (1970). Internationally successful was his trilogy about the history of Greece from 1930 to 1970 consisting of Days of '36 (1972), The Travelling Players (1975), and Oi kynigoi (1977). After the end of the dictatorship in Greece, Angelopoulos went to Italy, where he worked with RAI (and more money). His movies then became less political.Died of the injuries he sustained when he was hit by a motorcycle while crossing a road.
1935-2012 (76 years old)- Héctor Anglada was born on 31 January 1976 in Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba Province, Argentina. He was an actor, known for Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1998), La furia (1997) and Campeones de la vida (1999). He died on 2 March 2002 in Burzaco, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.Died in a traffic accident in Burzaco, Argentina.
1976-2002 (26 years old) - Dolly Anowar was born on 1 July 1948. She was an actress, known for Surja Dighal Bari (1979), Dahan (1985) and Ektala Dotala (1965). She was married to Anwar Hossain. She died on 3 July 1991 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.Took her own life at home.
1948-1991 (43 years old) - Hüseyn Arablinski was born in 1881 in Baku, Baki City District, Azerbaijan. He was an actor, known for Neft vä milyonlar sältänätindä (1916). He died on 17 March 1919 in Baku, Baki City District, Azerbaijan.Murdered by his cousin.
1881-1919 (38 years old) - Actress
- Writer
- Director
Jane Arden was born in Wales in 1927 and left for London in her teens.
She trained at RADA and quickly began working as an actress and playwright. It was there that she met her future husband, Philip Saville, who is now perhaps most known for his work Boys from the Blackstuff (1982) and The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986). They had 2 children, Sebastian Saville and Dominic Saville and one step- child, Elizabeth Saville.
Jane Arden's plays include The Thug (1959) which starred Alan Bates, The Party (1958) which was directed by Charles Laughton and gave Albert Finney his first role in the theatre, Post Mortem (1999), _The New Communion For Freaks, Prophets and Witches (1999)_, The Illusionist (1983) and Vagina Rex and the Gas Oven (1969).
Jane Arden began tracing female oppression in 1966 when she wrote a script for the film The Logic Game (1965). It was described as a "surrealist puzzle" attempting to locate the isolation of women in the context of bourgeois marriage.
Arden's film career includes her original script and her performance in Separation (1968), which featured the song "Salad Days" by Procol Harum and was directed by Jane Arden's collaborator Jack Bond. In this film, women's' exploitation was exposed as their personal dilemma began to take on a political context.
Arden formed the feminist theatre group "Holocaust" and then wrote a play with the same name. In 1972, she adapted and directed this for the cinema as The Other Side of Underneath (1972).
Before her involvement with the Women's Liberation Movement, she appeared on TV talk programmes like Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1964) as a speaker on women and politics. As an actress, she was best known for her performance as "Inez" in a BBC-TV production of Jean-Paul Sartre Huis clos (1965), opposite Harold Pinter as "Garcia".
Two more films, both co-directed with Jack Bond, followed in the later 1970s, the experimental Vibration (1974), made in the USA in 1974, and Anti-Clock (1979) which opened the 1979 London Film Festival. It was the fist film to use video techniques in an experimental way. Her poetry books include "You Don't Know What You Want, Do You?". Jane Arden committed suicide on Dec. 20, 1982 in North Yorkshire and is buried in Darlington West Cemetary. She was 55 years old.Took her own life at Hindlethwaite Hall in Yorkshire.
1927-1982 (55 years old)- David Arkin was born on 24 December 1941 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was an actor, known for M*A*S*H (1970), All the President's Men (1976) and The Long Goodbye (1973). He was married to Anne E. Curry, Deborah Lee Lubin and Lynn Coleman Gillham. He died on 14 January 1991 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Committed suicide.
1941-1991 (49 years old) - Actor
- Producer
Born in Mexican revolution times, Pedro Armendáriz was the first child of Mexican Pedro Armendáriz García-Conde and American Adele Hastings. He was raised in Churubusco, then a suburb of Mexico City, before the family traveled to Laredo, Texas. They lived there until 1921, the year Armendáriz' parents died. His uncle Francisco took charge of his education, and young Pedro went to the Polytechnic Institute of San Luis Obispo, California. There, he studied business and journalism. He graduated in 1931 and returned to Mexico City where he found work as a railroad employee, insurance salesman and tourist guide. He was discovered by director Miguel Zacarías when Armendáriz was reciting Hamlet's monologue (to be or not to be) to an American tourist in a cafeteria.
After that, Armendáriz began a brilliant career in Mexico, the United States and Europe. Together with Dolores Del Río and Emilio Fernández, Armendáriz made many of the greatest films in the so-called Mexican Cinema Golden Era: Wild Flower (1943), Bugambilia (1945), Maria Candelaria (1944), among others. He was considered a prototype of masculinity and male beauty. His green eyes and almost perfect features made him perfectly cast in any role he made. But it was his passion, force and acting abilities, combined with his quality of a gentleman what made him an instant favorite of great directors like John Ford, international costars like María Félix, Sean Connery or Susan Hayward, and his fans in Mexico and other countries.Shot himself at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, having suffered from severe pain due to terminal cancer in his hips.
1912-1963 (51 years old)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Silvana Bajraktarevic, known professionally as Silvana Armenulic, was a Yugoslav singer-songwriter and actress and one of the most prominent commercial folk music and traditional sevdalinka singers in Yugoslavia. She is called the "Queen of Sevdalinka". Her life was cut short when she died in a car crash at the age of 37, but she continues to be well regarded in the region and she is recognized for her unique singing style and voice. Armenulic's song "Sta ce mi zivot", written by her friend and contemporary Toma Zdravkovic, is one of the best-selling singles from the former Yugoslavia.Died in a car crash in Kolari, Yugoslavia (today's Serbia).
1938-1976 (38 years old)- Todd Armstrong was born on 25 July 1937 in St Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Icebound in the Antarctic (1983) and Iron Horse (1966). He died on 17 November 1992 in Butte, California, USA.Shot himself after having struggled with depression.
1936-1992 (55 years old) - Ernst Arndt was born on 3 February 1861 in Magdeburg, Kingdom of Prussia [now Germany]. He was an actor, known for Herbstzauber (1918), Die Tragödie eines verschollenen Fürstensohnes (1922) and Der Umweg zur Ehe (1919). He died in 1942 in Treblinka Concentration Camp, General Governement.Murdered in the Treblinka extermination camp.
1861-1942 (81 years old) - Peter Arne was for a short time the perfect villain in British film. After a couple of roles in war movies (The Purple Plain (1954) and The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)) and a Tarzan movie (Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957)) he became a villain in Strangers' Meeting (1957). From than on he continued to play sinister types in The Moonraker (1958), Intent to Kill (1958), Breakout (1959), Conspiracy of Hearts (1960), The Hellfire Club (1961) and The Secret of Monte Cristo (1961). He was very convincing as a Cromwell officer, an Italian camp commander or a Nazi officer. Several times he had sword fights as a devious count. In 1962 he was a pirate sidekick of Christopher Lee in The Pirates of Blood River (1962), but a new kid on the block by the name of Oliver Reed challenged him and killed him halfway through the picture. It seemed like a symbolic fight because for a while Oliver Reed played the roles in Hammer Pictures that Peter Arne could have played and Arne moved to TV roles. His days as a leading actor were over and he continued work in TV and in bit parts in features. Sometimes directors he worked with before brought him back for a little role. In 1972 he got a nice break with "The Stallion", a TV movie in which he starred with a horse. He was also in a couple of Blake Edwards movies. He became an antique dealer with his sister as a sideline. He was murdered at the age of 63 shortly after being cast in Doctor Who (1963).Bludgeoned to death with a log in his home by Italian schoolteacher Giuseppe Perusi, who took his own life shortly after.
1918-1983 (64 years old) - Per-Axel Arosenius was born on 7 November 1920 in Norberg, Västmanlands län, Sweden. He was an actor, known for Topaz (1969), Selambs (1979) and Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973). He died on 21 March 1981 in Nacka, Stockholms län, Sweden.Set himself on fire outside the tax office in Nacka, Sweden, after a dispute with the tax authorities.
1920-1981 (60 years old) - Actress
- Soundtrack
A very talented singer with a beautiful voice. She starred in two films, the first, Intisar al-chabab (1941), was with her older brother 'Farid Al Atrach' and the second Gharam wa intiqam (1944). Asmahane died in a car accident while filming 'Gharam wa intiqam', it is rumoured, through the war between the secret services in Cairo during World War II.Died when the car she was in plunged into a canal near Mansoura, Egypt. There has been rumours of both that British intelligence and the Gestapo had ordered her death.
1912-1944 (31 years old)- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Arno Assmann was born on 30 July 1908 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]. He was an actor and director, known for Immer will ich dir gehören (1960), Der Opernball (1978) and Die Ersten und die Letzten (1966). He was married to Lore Ostermann and Heide Heidemann. He died on 30 November 1979 in Herrsching am Ammersee, Bavaria, West Germany.Committed suicide.
1908-1979 (71 years old)- Hooper Atchley was born on 30 April 1887 in Ebenezer, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor, known for The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936), The Arizona Terror (1931) and The Three Musketeers (1933). He was married to Violet Yahar. He died on 16 November 1943 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.Shot himself.
1887-1943 (56 years old) - Marie-Françoise Audollent was born on 22 May 1943 in Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France. She was an actress, known for The Da Vinci Code (2006), Molière (1978) and My Woman Is Leaving Me (1996). She died on 30 March 2008 in Lyon, France.Died after a fall in her home in Lyon, France.
1943-2008 (64 years old) - Pascale Audret was born on 12 October 1936 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. She was an actress, known for Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes (1975), Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1967) and Countdown to Doomsday (1966). She was married to Francis Dreyfus and Roger Coggio. She died on 17 July 2000 in Cressensac, Lot, France.Died in a car crash.
1936-2000 (63 years old) - Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Avery was born on 28 May 1873 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Love and Bullets (1914), His Lying Heart (1916) and The Taming of the Shrew (1908). He was married to Elsa Clark, Margaret Ella Royster and Katherine Caroline Gormley. He died on 23 July 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Took his own life in his home in Los Angeles.
1873-1926 (53 years old)- Actor
- Additional Crew
Lloyd Avery II was born on 21 June 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Boyz n the Hood (1991), Shot (2001) and Poetic Justice (1993). He died on 4 September 2005 in Crescent City, California, USA.Strangled and beaten to death by prison cell mate Kevin Roby.
1969-2005 (36 years old)- Marion Aye was born Maryon Eloise Aye on April 5, 1903 in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was a lawyer who moved the family to California. She was discovered by Fatty Arbuckle and started her career at Balboa Studios. When she was fifteen Marion lied about her age to elope with cameraman Sherman Plaskett. Sadly he passed away just a year later. After moving to New York City she worked at Bothwell Browne's Revue and became a Mack Sennett bathing beauty. Marion appeared in more than a dozen films including The Hick, Montana Bill, and The Weak-End Party with Stan Laurel. She also starred in a series of Cactus Westerns with Bob Reeves. In 1921 she made headlines when she became the first star to sign a contract with a morality clause in it. The following year was chosen to be one of the first Wampas baby stars along with Colleen Moore and Lois Wilson.
Her second marriage, to press agent Harry Wilson, ended in 1924. That same year Marion appeared in a successful stage production of White Collars. She seemed destined for stardom but her career never took off. Her last movie role was in the 1930 drama Up The River. Marion continued to work on the stage and the radio. Unfortunately she suffered from depression and in 1935 she attempted suicide. She married actor Robert Forester in 1936. Marion tried to make a comeback in 1951 and auditioned for a role on television. When she didn't get the part she became despondent. On July 10, 1951 she swallowed a large amount of poison in a Culver City motel. She was hospitalized but tragically she died eleven days later at the age of forty-eight. Her husband later told reporters that he never took her threats of suicide seriously. Marion was buried next to her mother at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.Died eleven days after an attempted suicide by overdose.
1903-1951 (48 years old) - Viveka Babajee was born on 27 May 1973 in Port Louis, Mauritius. She was an actress, known for Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat (2002), Haaye Meri Billo (2002) and Miss Universe Pageant (1994). She died on 25 June 2010 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.Allegedly hanged herself from a ceiling fan in her apartment in Mumbai, after suffering from depression. However, Babajee's ex-girlfriend Gautam Vohra has been under investigation for a possible connection to the case.
1973-2010 (37 years old) - Showman Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. once billed her as "the most beautiful girl in the world". Burlesque dancer Faith Bacon, and not the much better known Sally Rand who worked for Bacon in the early 1930s, is genuinely considered the lady who originated the "fan dance" during "The Jazz Age".
The Los Angeles-born dancer was born Frances Yvonne Bacon on July 19, 1910. Her career began on the Paris stage (she had no formal dance training) in one of Maurice Chevalier's popular revue shows. She returned to the States, specifically the East Coast, where the fetching 18-year-old wavy blonde won a chorine spot for "Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1928" and returned for his 1930 show. It was she who suggested to Carroll to allow her to undress all the way during the show (save some teasing ostrich features and a smoky spotlight) and, thus, introducing the art of the fan dance. Other shows also included "Fioretta" 1929, "Earl Carroll's Sketch Book of 1929," "Earl Carrol''s Sketch Book of 1930" and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931".
Elsewhere, Faith took her scantily-clad act to the Chicago World's Fair in the mid 1930s where Sally Rand, now infamous for her own fan dance act, also performed, and the two rivals "competed" with their respective shows. At a 1936 performance at the Chicago State-Lake Theatre, Faith crashed through the glass box she was performing in during the show. Covered in blood, she collapsed then and there and spent a month in the hospital. The accident left her with deep, ugly scars on her legs. It was this terrible misfortune that triggered Bacon's slow but firm decline.
Faith's film work was very brief. She made her debut in the secondary role of Maxine in the "poverty row" crime drama Prison Train (1938) starring Fred Keating and "Citizen Kane" co-star Dorothy Comingore (who was billed, at the time, as "Linda Winters") and that was it! Other than starring in two short, cheap, grainy burlesque films, Dance of Shame (1942) and A Lady with Fans (1942), in which she demonstrated her art of fan dancing, Faith was pretty much dismissed as a controversial specialty act and was not seen on film again. Her later on-the-road engagements increasingly digressed in quality and amounted to performances in carnivals, dives and strip joints.
In 1940, Faith had to have major surgery for a glandular problem. For the rest of the decade, she was plagued by this and other illnesses, which left her so drained physically, mentally and financially that she attempted suicide with an overdose of pills in 1954. Although the struggling entertainer survived that attempt, she succeeded two years later when on September 27, 1956, she threw herself out of a third-story Chicago hotel window. She died later that evening from a fractured skull and perforated lung.Jumped to her death from a hotel window.
1910-1956 (46 years old) - Actress
- Music Department
Jing Bai was born on 4 June 1983 in Diaobingshan, Liaoning, China. She was an actress, known for Gong fu yong chun (2010), Tie ren (2009) and Three Kingdoms (2008). She was married to Chenghai Zhou. She died on 28 February 2012 in Beijing, China.Murdered by her husband Zhou Chenghai, who took his life shortly after.
1983-2012 (28 years old)- Stunts
- Actor
A.J. Bakunas was born on 23 October 1950 in Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Warriors (1979), The Stunt Man (1980) and The Bees (1978). He died on 21 September 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.Died after the landing airbag split while freefalling from the Kincaid Towers in Lexington, Kentucky, while doing stunt work for the film Steel.
1950-1978 (27 years old)- Jeremy Ball was born on 10 August 1968 in Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia. He was an actor, known for The Matrix (1999), Fallen Angels (1997) and Equal Impact (1995). He died on 15 September 2014 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.Died in a head-on collision with a log truck near Carrick, Tasmania.
1968-2014 (45 years old) - Pratyusha Banerjee was born on 10 August 1991 in Jamshedpur, Bihar, India. She was an actress, known for Child Bride (2008), Comedy Classes (2014) and Gulmohar Grand (2015). She died on 1 April 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.Hanged herself in her apartment in Mumbai.
1991-2016 (24 years old) - Janet Banzet was born on 17 May 1934 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for A Thousand Pleasures (1968), Professor Lust (1967) and The Ultimate Degenerate (1969). She died on 29 July 1971 in New York City, New York, USA.Committed suicide.
1934-1971 (37 years old) - Director
- Actor
- Writer
Boris Barnet was born on 18 June 1902 in Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He was a director and actor, known for The Adventures of the Three Reporters (1926), Secret Agent (1947) and Okraina (1933). He was married to Yelena Kuzmina, Natalia Glan, Alla Kazanskaya and Valentina Barnet. He died on 8 January 1965 in Riga, Latvian SSR, USSR [now Latvia].Hanged himself in Riga, Soviet Union.
1902-1965 (62 years old)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had. Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again). Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild. Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled. In 1980 he committed suicide by shooting himself.Shot himself after a domestic dispute.
1912-1980 (68 years old)- The only child of Jozsef Barsi and Maria Benko, Judith Eva Barsi beat 10,000-to-1 odds when she was discovered at a San Fernando Valley skating rink at age 5 1/2 in 1983 and mistaken for a three-year-old. Her first commercial was for Donald Duck Orange Juice and she went on to appear in anywhere between fifty and a hundred commercials, several episodes of various T.V. series, and three major motion pictures. Her mother Maria was the main thrust of her career as a Hollywood starlet, but also took great pains to try to give her a normal, happy childhood; bringing her Hungarian meals like duck for her school lunch. But this happy childhood did not last long. Beginning in 1985, Jozsef would often be home drunk instead of working as a plumber, and he refused to let Maria work. As a result, the family briefly went on welfare until Judith's career took off in 1986 and 1987. By the time she entered fourth grade, she was pulling in an estimated $100,000 a year, which bought her family a nice four-bedroom house on a quiet street in West Hill. As her career soared, her father became an increasingly abusive recluse who constantly threatened to kill his wife and daughter. In stressful moods Judith bit her nails and plucked out her eyebrows and eyelashes and her cats' whiskers. C.P.S. was called in numerous times, but as Maria was reluctant to press charges and many of the reports/accounts were emotional and not physical abuse, the case was not pursued.
On Wednesday, July 27th, Eunice Daly, a next-door neighbor, heard a loud bang next door while watering her plants. The house had been set on fire, and later the Barsis' bodies were discovered shot dead. All of Judith's toys that were not destroyed by the fire were given to the local Goodwill, and her best friend continued to feed her cats for months afterward.She and her mother were shot by her father József, who took his own life afterwards.
1978-1988 (10 years old) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Iveta Bartosová was born on 8 April 1966 in Celadná, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for A Killer in Prague (2012), The Vampire Wedding (1993) and Iveta Bartosová: Já se vrátím (1993). She was married to Josef Rychtár and Jirí Pomeje. She died on 29 April 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic.Threw herself in front of a train in Prague, after being hunted by the media.
1966-2014 (48 years old)- Bhakti Barve was born on 10 September 1948 in Sangli, State of Bombay, India. She was an actress, known for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Bichhoo (2000) and Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998). She was married to Shafi Inamdar. She died on 12 February 2001 in Maharashtra, India.Died in a car crash on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in India.
1948-2001 (52 years old) - Actor
- Writer
Pierre Batcheff was born on 23 June 1907 in Harbin, Manchuria, China. He was an actor and writer, known for Two Timid Souls (1928), Monte Cristo (1929) and Napoleon (1927). He was married to Denise Tual. He died on 13 April 1932 in Paris, France.Overdosed on the drug Veronal in Paris, France.
1907-1932 (24 years old)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born in Denver, Co, 6 August, 1925 and originally named Barbara Jane Bates, Barbara was the eldest of 3 daughters born to a postal clerk and RN.
Rather shy, her mother initially sent Barbara to study ballet. By her late teens, the young beauty began to model clothes as a teen out of high school.
Fighting off a life-long paralyzing shyness,she managed to be persuaded to enter a local beauty contest, with the winner receiving 2 round-trip train tickets to Hollywood.
Barbara won the contest, and with that the demure but very troubled young woman was on the first steps of her career.
Once in California, she met Cecil Coan, a United Artists publicist. Coan, a married man with children who was more than two decades older than Barbara, fell hard for the young beauty. He promised to guide her career and make her a star.
He proved his worth and dedication to her when he left his wife and married Barbara.
Groomed in obscure starlet bits, it wasn't until Warner Bros. signed her in 1947 and perpetuated an appealing girl-next-door image when her career started happening. It took some time before the actress started making strides apart from the bobby-soxxer ingénue.
She turned heads and supported herself initially as a pin-up girl, a job she didn't enjoy. She rose in rank after a number of bit parts and, during her peak as a lead and second lead, appeared opposite a number of stars, including Bette Davis in June Bride (1948), Danny Kaye in The Inspector General (1949), Rory Calhoun in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951), and even Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis in their comedy,The Caddy (1953) just to name a few.
Much of Barbara's work in the above films was routine. Barbara's on-and-off-screen life started unraveling not long afterward. Succumbing to extreme mood shifts, insecurity, ill health and chronic depression to the point of being taken off important film assignments. By age 30, the promise she had once shown was no longer considered, and she and her husband Coen, who made all of Barbara's decisions for her, tried to salvage her career in England.
Things looked promising at first, when she was picked up by the Rank Organisation and co-starred with John Mills and Michael Craig in a couple of dramatic suspense films, but the films were mediocre. She again started showing signs of instability to the point where she was dropped from 2 films and the Rank Organisation was forced to drop her.
The couple returned to Hollywood, where old friend Rory Calhoun cast her in a picture he was producing and starring in called Apache Territory (1958).
Emotionally unable to withstand the pressures of Hollywood any more, Barbara abandoned her career, save for an appearance in The Loaded Tourist (1962),starring Roger Moore.
Nothing was heard of Barbara until her March 1969 death. It was learned she'd returned to her hometown of Denver and worked in various jobs, including stints as a secretary, dental assistant and hospital aide. Her much older husband and chief supporter, Cecil Coan, died of cancer in January 1967, and Barbara fell apart.
Although she remarried in December of 1968 to a childhood friend, sportscaster William Reed, she remained increasingly despondent. She committed suicide just 4 months later. She was found dead in her car by her mother in her mother's garage of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Interestingly, the one role she'll always be identified with is also one of the smallest parts given her during her brief tenure as leading lady.
In the very last scene of All About Eve (1950). Barbara turns up in the role of Phoebe, a devious school girl and wannabe actress who shows startling promise as a future schemer along the lines of her equally ruthless idol, Eve Harrington, superbly played by Anne Baxter.
Barbara's image is enshrined in the picture's very last scene - posing in front of a 3-way mirror while clutching Baxter's just-received acting award. It's this brief, moment for which she'll best be remembered.Took her own life in her mother's garage by carbon monoxide poisoning, after years of depression.
1925-1969 (43 years old)- Simone Battle was born on 17 June 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Zoey 101 (2005), What We Need (2014) and Meanamorphosis (2012). She died on 5 September 2014 in West Hollywood, California, USA.Hanged herself after struggling with depression due to financial issues.
1989-2014 (25 years old) - Harry Baur was born on 12 April 1880 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for Life Dances On (1937), The Golem: The Legend of Prague (1936) and Les Misérables (1934). He was married to Rika Radifé and Rose Grane. He died on 8 April 1943 in Paris, France.Died under mysterious circumstances during WWII.
1880-1943 (62 years old) - Actor
- Soundtrack
Scotty Beckett was one of the cutest, most successful child actors of the 1930s and 1940s. His descent into a life of alcoholism, drugs, and crime remains one of the most tragic of Hollywood stories.
Born Scott Hastings Beckett on October 4, 1929, in Oakland, California, he and his family moved to Los Angeles when Scotty was 3 years old. Shortly after arriving in LA, Beckett's father was hospitalized and Scotty would frequently entertain his dad by singing songs. During one such visit, a Hollywood casting director happened to notice the cherubic youngster and told his parents he had movie potential. Scotty made his debut in Gallant Lady (1933) starring Clive Brook and Ann Harding. Scotty played a boy of three in the film, and Dickie Moore played the same character at the age of six. It was the first of several connections between the two child stars. The next year, he filled the hole vacated by Moore in Our Gang, and they later appeared in Heaven Can Wait (1943), portraying Don Ameche's character as a child. He and Moore finally appeared together in Dangerous Years (1947), which was Marilyn Monroe's screen debut.
Scotty appeared in fifteen Our Gang shorts in two years. Hal Roach noted a resemblance to Jackie Coogan and dressed Beckett accordingly, with an oversized cap and turtleneck sweater reminiscent of Coogan's outfit in The Kid (1921). He was paired with George 'Spanky' McFarland as a kind of partnership within the gang, and their sideline observations and wisecracks highlighted the series from 1934 until 1936, just as Porky and Buckwheat sparked the one-reelers from 1936 on.
After leaving Our Gang, Beckett emerged as one of the top child stars of his era, appearing in many films with the top stars of the late '30s and early '40s. Among his major credits were Dante's Inferno (1935) with Spencer Tracy, Anthony Adverse (1936) with Fredric March, The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) with Errol Flynn, Conquest (1937) with Greta Garbo, Marie Antoinette (1938) with Norma Shearer, My Favorite Wife (1940) with Cary Grant, and Kings Row (1942) with Claude Rains.
In 1943 Scotty began attending Los Angeles High School and was named treasurer of his freshman class. He also appeared on Broadway that same year in the play "Slightly Married", receiving the only favorable notices of the production, and also played Junior in the hit radio show "The Life of Riley". Adolescence did not slow down his film career, as Scotty continued to win roles in such movies as My Reputation (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck and, most notably, The Jolson Story (1946), wherein he played the young Al Jolson.
He enrolled at USC but dropped out when he began receiving more offers from MGM, beginning with Cynthia (1947) with Elizabeth Taylor, A Date with Judy (1948), again with Taylor and Jane Powell (the future Mrs. Dickie Moore), Battleground (1949) with Van Johnson, Nancy Goes to Rio (1950), again with Powell, and The Happy Years (1950) with fellow child stars Dean Stockwell and Darryl Hickman.
At around the same time, Scotty began to gain notoriety for his nocturnal activities. Part of the young Hollywood set, Beckett was a fixture at parties and would frequently be seen with young stars like Roddy McDowall, Jane Powell, Elizabeth Taylor, and Edith Fellows. His nightlife seemed to become more of a priority than his burgeoning acting career, and it started a trend of reckless, irresponsible behaviors which plagued Beckett the rest of his life. Early success without any sacrifice often breeds a sense of entitlement and a lack of responsibility or consequence. This seems to be an overriding theme, as Beckett began making headlines most Hollywood stars try to avoid.
In 1948 he was arrested for drunk driving after he crashed into another car after attending a frat party where he had "five bourbons". Scotty tried to run from the booking office after being arrested and refused to surrender his possessions. In September of 1949, he eloped with tennis star Beverly Baker. Right from the start, Scotty showed signs that he was not ready for marriage. On their honeymoon in Acapulco, Beckett allegedly threatened to punch a pool bystander in the nose. The couple separated after 5 months of marriage, divorcing in June of 1950. Newspapers covered the divorce, citing Baker's allegations of Beckett's jealousy and controlling, abusive behavior. Scotty tried to get Baker to quit tennis and stop seeing her parents. He also warned her never to have a soft drink "with any boy or man between 6 and 60".
In 1951, Becket met actress Sunny Vickers. Shortly after they began dating , Vickers became pregnant. They married in Phoenix on June 27, 1951, and five months later Scott Hastings Beckett, Jr. was born. The bad publicity of the divorce from Baker plus the forced marriage to Vickers in the conservative 1950s immediately made Beckett a Hollywood outcast. Between 1952 and 1954, Scotty landed only two roles, in relatively minor films, You're Only Young Twice (1952) and Hot News (1953). He was beginning to get desperate.
In early 1954, Beckett landed the role of "Winky" in a low-budget sci-fi show called Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (1954), which today has become a cult classic. However, as former co-stars and ex-friends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Powell emerged as bonafide film stars of the 1950s, a supporting role in a fledgling, unproven industry likely was extremely frustrating for Scotty.
In February of that year, the Cavalier Hotel in Hollywood was robbed of a little more than $130 in cash. The bandit pistol-whipped the desk clerk and disappeared with the loot, or so police thought. Passed out drunk in the basement of the hotel, armed with a gun and a knife, was Scotty Beckett. He was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon, but not with robbery because the money was not found and the clerk could not positively identify the former star as the robber.
After posting bail, Beckett, with his wife and three-year-old son, fled to Mexico. He checked into a Tampico hotel under the name of Sean Bullock, giving Carmel, California as his address. There were two bullet holes in his car that Beckett said were from a gang who tried to rob him south of Juarez.
After running out of cash and options, Scotty wrote several checks on a nonexistent bank to different merchants. After Mexican authorities tracked him to a Ciudad Victoria hotel, he attempted to sneak himself and his family out of the hotel and got into a gunfight with the Mexican police in which 20 shots were exchanged. Miraculously, no one was killed, and Scott and Sunny were eventually captured. Scott Jr. was sent back to Los Angeles.
Scotty served only four months in a Mexican jail before returning to the US in September of 1954. He surrendered to authorities for the weapons charge, pleaded guilty, and amazingly was given only three years' probation. He told newspapers he saw this as an opportunity to pick up the pieces and start over with a clean slate, but it was too little, too late. He was dropped from the Rocky Jones series and replaced with Jimmy Lydon (with whom Beckett had appeared in Cynthia (1947)). A little more than a month later, Beckett was arrested in Las Vegas, once again for bouncing a check.
Scotty re-enrolled at USC to study medicine, but when Our Gang was reissued for TV in 1955 as The Little Rascals, Beckett saw an opportunity to make a comeback in the movies. He appeared in Three for Jamie Dawn (1956) and had walk-ons in The Oklahoman (1957) with Joel McCrea, and Monkey on My Back (1957) with Cameron Mitchell. He proved he could still act and exhibit that same youthful charm, appearing perfectly at ease on camera, particularly in his small role as a Navy corpsman with the Marine Corps in Monkey on My Back (1957). But just when it seemed as though a comeback might happen, Scotty self-destructed again.
In February of 1957, he was caught at a Mexican-US border crossing trying to bring illegal drugs into the US. He said the pills were for his wife, whom he claimed had a nervous ailment. In reality, Sunny Vickers was suffering from alcoholism and had checked herself into Metropolitan State Hospital for treatment. She filed for divorce in August of 1957. After Sunny was awarded custody of Scott Jr., Beckett attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of sleeping pills. He recovered but realized he was finished as an actor. He tried his hand at selling used cars, among other things. He still had his charm, but he could not stay out of trouble.
In April of 1959, Beckett was arrested on a charge of drunk driving. In August of that same year, he was arrested for driving drunk again, but this time he did not emerge unscathed. He smashed his '52 sedan into a tree, fracturing his skull, thigh, and hip and suffering multiple lacerations to his head. Although he was given probation and a suspended sentence, he remained crippled for the rest of his life.
In September of 1963, he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. Now confined to a wheelchair from the near-fatal drunk driving accident, he attempted to stab his neighbor after a dispute. Scotty's wife of two years, Margaret, a divorcée with a teenage daughter named Susan, assisted in breaking up the fight. Three days later Beckett tried to kill himself by slashing his wrists. He recovered from this second suicide attempt, but by that time Margaret had had enough and moved out, taking Susan with her. As she was moving her belongings out, Scotty tried to stop her. He hit Susan over the head with a crutch that he now used after his car accident and was again arrested. He vowed to the judge at his sentencing "never to drink again".
After that, Scotty stayed out of the headlines for a few years. In 1967 he found employment driving an ambulance, perhaps to be close to the prescription drugs to which he was addicted, perhaps to try to revive his interest in becoming a doctor, perhaps to try to forget that he had once graced the screen with Hollywood's biggest stars before his own star had plummeted to earth, or perhaps because he had run out of alternatives.
On May 8, 1968, he checked into the Royal Palms Hotel, a Hollywood nursing home, after suffering a beating in what may have been a drug deal gone wrong. Two days later, he was dead from an overdose of barbiturates; his third suicide attempt was successful. He left behind a note, a son, and some wonderful films and memories.
Leonard Maltin summed it up best when he wrote, "It was a particularly sad end for someone who, as a child, had shown so much easy charm and talent." Scotty Beckett was not the first child star casualty, and he would not be the last, but his story is certainly one of the saddest.Died, probably due to an overdose on either barbiturates or alcohol, in a nursing home in Los Angeles. He had been severely beaten a couple of days before, and it is possible, though not likely, that he died of those injuries.
1929-1968 (38 years old)- Ena Begovic was a prominent Croatian film actress. She is regarded as one of the best and most beautiful actresses in former Yugoslavia. Begovic began acting early, making her first screen appearance at the age of 18 through a small part in Occupation in 26 Pictures (1978), a 1978 film directed by Lordan Zafranovic. She made her breakthrough role in Zafranovic's next film, The Fall of Italy (1981), where she played Veronika, the daughter of a wealthy local from the Dalmatian coast who sided with occupying Italian Fascists. This debut established Begovic as one of the sex symbols of 1980s Yugoslav cinema, a status that she later successfully maintained despite appearing in relatively few films as her acting career shifted towards theater.
On 15 August 2000, in the Postira village on the island of Brac, a few months after marrying the Croatian businessman, Josip Radeljak, and a month and a half after giving birth to their daughter, Lana, she was involved, as a passenger, in a traffic accident, a rollover, which claimed her life.Died in a traffic accident in Brac, Croatia.
1960-2000 (40 years old) - Writer
- Director
- Actor
Hans Behrendt was born on 28 September 1889 in Berlin, Germany. He was a writer and director, known for Alt Heidelberg (1923), The Island of the Lost (1921) and Dyckerpotts Erben (1928). He died in 1942 in Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Oswiecim, Malopolskie, Poland.Died in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
1889-1942 (53 years old)- Francis Bell was born on 18 April 1944 in Cambridge, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Neighbours (1985), Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1994) and Alexander Graham Bell: The Sound and the Silence (1991). He was married to Monica Dare. He died on 3 May 1994 in Auckland, New Zealand.Jumped from a building in Auckland.
1944-1994 (50 years old) - Killed by a scooter at the age of 33, what a sad end for this kid from Aubervilliers who had just got a major role in Adieu Gary (2009), in which he had had the opportunity to show all the range of his talent as Jean-Pierre Bacri's son. Quiet desperation had rarely been expressed with such sensitivity and, for sure, a great career awaited Yasmine Belmadi. Thirteen years earlier, a younger Yasmine had shone in Sébastien Lifshitz's short Les corps ouverts (1998), earning him a best actor award at the Pantin Short Film Festival. A few more undistinguished roles had followed until this great opportunity given to him by Nassim Amaouche. Unfortunately Blind Destiny stopped his career short. Yasmine Belmadi left this world four days before Adieu Gary (2009) was released.Crashed with a lamp post while riding a scooter, and died of the injuries.
1976-2009 (33 years old) - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Rémy Belvaux was born on 10 November 1966 in Namur, Wallonia, Belgium. He was an actor and writer, known for Man Bites Dog (1992), Pas de C4 pour Daniel Daniel (1987) and Génération Raymond (1990). He died on 4 September 2006 in Orry-la-Ville, Oise, France.Committed suicide.
1966-2006 (39 years old)- Actor
- Art Department
- Set Decorator
El Hedi ben Salem was born on 4 March 1936 in Redeyef, Gafsa, Tunisia. He was an actor and set decorator, known for Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) and Eight Hours Don't Make a Day (1972). He died on 14 March 1976 in Nîmes, Gard, France.Hanged himself in a prison in Nîmes, France, having escaped Germany after stabbing three persons.
1935-1977 (42 years old)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Malik Bendjelloul, born in Sweden, performed in Swedish TV-series "Ebba och Didrik" as a child in the nineties and later in life studied Journalism and media-production at the Linnaeus University of Kalmar. He has produced several musical documentaries for Swedish Television (SVT) where he also worked as a reporter on the show "Kobra" until he resigned to travel the world. During these travels Malik Bendjelloul first came in contact with the story which was to develop into "Searching for Sugarman" somewhere in South America.Took his own life after struggling with depression.
1977-2014 (36 years old)- Brenda Benet, born Brenda Ann Nelson in Los Angeles, California, on August 14, 1945, was a classic example of the modern-day Hollywood tragedy. As a television actress with good dramatic scope, she managed to piece together a wide and impressive portfolio of guest shots in a career spanning just over 16 years before taking her life at the age of 36. She spent her childhood and early teenage years feeling awkward and self-conscious because her complexion was darker than those of her siblings. Because of this, she felt that she did not fit in with her family, and often fantasized about being adopted.
Brenda attended UCLA for a brief time, majoring in languages. In 1962 she entered show business; her breakthrough role came in 1964 when she was selected to play the part of Jill McComb in The Young Marrieds (1964). After that came stints on various comedy and drama series in the '60s and '70s, usually playing ethnic, exotic types. She was probably best known for her role as the kind-hearted prostitute in Walking Tall (1973). During this time she married and divorced actor Paul Petersen. She began a relationship with Bill Bixby and moved in with him in 1969, and they married in 1971. By the late '70s, however, they were divorced.
Brenda retired from the business in the mid-'70s to raise a family, and in late 1974 she gave birth to a boy, Christopher Sean Bixby. Tragically, Christopher died in 1981 during a winter ski vacation in California. It was believed that this and her divorce from Bixby were the events which caused Brenda's life to spin out of control. On April 7, 1982, Brenda went into the bathroom of her West Los Angeles home, lit and arranged some candles in a circle on the floor and lay down. She then placed a Colt .38-cal. revolver into her mouth and pulled the trigger. She died instantly.Shot herself after struggling with depression due to her son's death the year before.
1945-1982 (36 years old) - Barbara Bennett was born on 13 August 1906 in Palisades, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for Love Among the Millionaires (1930), The Valley of Decision (1916) and Syncopation (1929). She was married to Laurent Surprenant, Jack Randall and Morton Downey. She died on 8 August 1958 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.Took her own life, after several earlier attempted suicides.
1906-1958 (51 years old) - Actress
- Writer
Jill Bennett was born on 24 December 1931 in Penang, Malaysia. She was an actress and writer, known for The Nanny (1965), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Moulin Rouge (1952). She was married to John Osborne and Willis Hall. She died on 4 October 1990 in Kensington, London, England, UK.Took her own life with an overdose on quinalbarbitone, due to depression and a rough marriage to writer John Osborne.
1931-1990 (58 years old)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Joseph Bennett was born on 28 March 1968 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Howards End (1992), The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) and The Last Minute (2001). He was married to Julie Graham. He died on 13 April 2015 in Richmond, Surrey, England, UK.Hanged himself.
1968-2015 (47 years old)- Actress
- Additional Crew
Born Berinthia Berenson in New York in 1948, Berenson was a noted photographer and actress and was the sister of model-turned-actress Marisa Berenson (of "Barry Lyndon" fame). Berenson met her husband, actor and star of Alfred Hitchcock's original version of Psycho (1960), Anthony Perkins on the set of his film Play It As It Lays (1972) and married him in 1973. The couple raised 2 sons and remained married until Perkins' death of an AIDS-related illness in 1992. Listed on the flight manifest as Berinthia Perkins, Berenson was killed aboard the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11, which was deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower on September 11, 2001 and was one of over 3,000 lives lost on this date. She was survived by her adult sons, musician Elvis Perkins and actor Oz Perkins.Died in the plane that crashed into the northern World Trade Center on 9/11.
1948-2001 (53 years old)- John was born in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 5, 1949 to parents Dr. Owen C. Berg and Evelyn van Emden Berg. John graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 1967. John attended the University of Chicago, Tulane University and the school of life.
During his life, John had a diverse career path - holding many jobs including restaurant manager, rock and roll band manager, bartender, Top 40 and Country Western DJ, ski resort marketing manager in Crested Butte Colorado, production assistant for Wide World of Sports, and writer for publications such as Sports Illustrated. He also became a graphic artist for Merrill Lynch in NY, did voice-over work for radio and television commercials as well as being the voice of Dial-a-Pope. John became an actor appearing in recurring roles in General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, Port Charles, Passions and The Young & the Restless. John moved to LA and became increasingly more active as an actor appearing in movies such as Star Trek Nemesis and It could happen to you. More recently, John made guest appearances in series television on shows such as Monk, Brothers & Sisters, Navy NCIS, Boston Legal, House MD, and many others.
John's most recent focus was to create a world peace movement named "Unplug for Peace" which encouraged people to unplug and listen to the small, still voice inside for one day per month in order to create a more peaceful world. The effort was backed by people such as Jean Houston (one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement) and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul). The target goal for Unplug for Peace was one National Day in which people would unplug on January 28th, 2008 -- the 60th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's death. John was also very active in helping others reach sobriety and peace in their lives.
John's other passions included snow skiing, travel, trapeze, hiking and mountain climbing. In recent trips, he visited Havasu Falls, hiking about 10.5 miles each way with about 2500 feet of vertical. He also took a cruise to Istanbul. One of John's big achievements in the last few years was his climb of Mt. Whitney for which he prepared for weeks. John and his friends actually made it to the summit of Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the Continental United States.Took his own life by carbon monoxide poisoning from a grill in his bedroom.
1949-2007 (58 years old) - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Arthur Bergen was born on 24 October 1875 in Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Erinnerungen einer Nonne (1927), Frühere Verhältnisse (1927) and Das Lebenslied (1926). He died in 1943.Died in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
1875-1943 (68 years old)- Nicole Berger was born on 12 June 1934 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for Shoot the Piano Player (1960), All Boys Are Called Patrick (1959) and The Immature Grain (1954). She died on 13 April 1967 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France.Died when she war thrown out of the car in a car crash in Eure, France. The car was driven by singer and actress Dany Dauberson.
1934-1967 (32 years old) - Writer
- Actress
- Casting Director
Diminutive red-headed actress, playwright and screenwriter. Her marriage to star actor Basil Rathbone was one of the most enduring in show business, lasting from 1926 until his death in 1967. The Rathbones were legendary in the 1930's for giving the most lavish Hollywood parties at their luxurious mansion in the Los Feliz Hills, replete with a 60-foot dining hall. The villa had once been home to famed heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey and his wife, actress Estelle Taylor.
Ouida was of Spanish, French and English extraction and moved to America in her early teens. After completing her education, she joined the Shubert Stock Company in Brooklyn. Having gained experience in vaudeville, she starred in the 1911 Broadway melodrama 'The Stranger' with Wilton Lackaye at the Bijou. A multi-faceted woman, she ran a talent agency during World War I, whose illustrious clients included Adolphe Menjou, Lionel Atwill and Alla Nazimova. From 1915, she forsook the stage for a career as a writer, at once doing articles and short stories for The New York Herald and scenarios/screenplays for motion pictures. In 1921, she wrote the script and designed the costumes for 'Peter Ibbetson'. Her screen writing career lasted until 1923 and included work for Goldwyn, Pathe, First National and Paramount (at one time heading their scenario department).
In 1921, Ouida saw Basil Rathboon on stage in the Broadway play 'The Czarina' and was smitten. After meeting at a party two years later, the feeling turned out to be decidedly mutual and Ouida forthwith retired from films to become Hollywood's premier socialite, and, after 1926, Mrs. Basil Rathbone. She continued to write occasional plays, notably 'Sherlock Holmes' in 1953, as a vehicle for her husband.Died of the injuries sustained in a fall, in which she broke her hip.
1886-1974 (87 years old)- Actress
- Producer
- Sound Department
Mary Kay Bergman did not have a face known to many - her voice was recognized more than anything else in the world. Although she was a big voiceover star in the 1990s, her true claim to fame was Trey Parker and Matt Stone's critically acclaimed adult animated television series, South Park (1997), in which she voiced almost all of the female characters. Sharon Marsh, Shelly Marsh, Sheila Brofloski, Wendy Testaberger, and Carol McCormick were only a few of the thousands of voices she performed. She helped Parker and Stone pave the waves of fame for "South Park" in the late 1990s, until her surprising gunshot suicide on Veteran's Day of 1999.Shot herself in her home, after depression due to her mother's health and worries about her job.
1961-1999 (38 years old)- Stabbed to death, probably by musician Praveen Kumar, who took his own life shortly after.
1983-2008 (25 years old) - Divya was born on February 25, 1974 to Meeta and Om Prakash Bharti.
Opting for acting, she quit college, & landed a role in 'Bobbili Raja' (Telegu) in 1990 at just 16 years of age. This movie became a hit, and was dubbed into Hindi and released as 'Raampur Ka Raja'.
Divya made her debut in Bollywood in 1992 'Dil Hi To Hai', then in a musical romance 'Dil Ka Kya Kasoor', but it was the multi-starer 'Vishwatma' that really got her noticed. Thereafter she acted in 13 more movies amidst speculations that she would be the next Sridevi.
Her personal life was not as well chartered as her tinsel one, for she fell in love with Sajid Nadiadwala, married him secretly as her parents strongly disapproved, changed her religion from Hindu to Islam, and her name to Sana.
Her life tragically came to an end on April 5, 1993 when she fell from the balcony of her 5th floor flat in Yari Road, Versova.
Two of her movies 'Rang' and 'Shatranj' were released after her passing, and were dedicated to her memory. Her film-maker husband has also dedicated several of his films to her name.Fell from the balcony of her apartment in Mumbai, India. The death was ruled accidental.
1974-1993 (19 years old) - Paul Bhattacharjee was born on 4 May 1960 in Harrow, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Casino Royale (2006), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and Dirty Pretty Things (2002). He died on 12 July 2013 in Splash Point Cliffs, Seaford, East Sussex, England, UK.Jumped to his death off Splash Point cliffs in Seaford. Bhattacharjee had been missing for a couple of days when he was found, after having been declared bankrupt.
1960-2013 (53 years old) - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Jaspal Bhatti, the most popular social satirist in India, graduated from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh in North India, as an electrical engineer. He was famous for his street plays like his My Nonsense Club during his college days. Most of these plays were spoof ridiculing the corruption in the society. Before venturing out in to television, he was a cartoonist for the Tribune newspaper in Chandigarh.
His big break on the TV came when he acted in, and directed the immensely popular TV series like "Ulta Pulta" and "Flop Show" for Doordarshan television network. What attracted audience to his shows was his gift of inducing humour to highlight every day issues of middle class in India. Bhatti's satire on Punjab police called _Mahaul Teek Hai (1999)_ was his first directorial venture for a full length feature film in his native Punjabi language. The movie created controversy when some demanded a ban on it, saying it maligned the police force by depicting its officers as drunkard, and corrupt. The movie was however well received amongst audience for its simple and honest humour.
The cartoonist, humorist, actor and the filmmaker is now a days focusing on acting as he is getting numerous offers from Bollywood producers as a comedian.Died in a car crash in Shahkot, India.
1955-2012 (57 years old)- Brian Bianchini was born on 16 July 1978 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Black Magic (2002), Girl for Girl (2001) and The Brotherhood (2001). He died on 16 March 2004 in San Francisco, California, USA.Committed suicide, after struggling with severe depression.
1978-2004 (25 years old) - Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
Herman Bing was born on 30 March 1889 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Great Waltz (1938), Redheads on Parade (1935) and Sweethearts (1938). He was married to Carla Lichtenstein. He died on 9 January 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Shot himself after having become depressed due to lack of work. His style of comedy was seen as outdated.
1889-1947 (57 years old)- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Soundtrack
Laurie Bird was a cute and charming actress who appeared in only three pictures during her regrettably short-lived career. Bird was born on September 26, 1953 in Long Island, New York. Laurie was working as a model when she was chosen by director Monte Hellman, from nearly 500 women, to portray "The Girl" in Two-Lane Blacktop (1971). Bird gave a fine and impressively natural performance in her film debut as the chatty and rootless hippie wanderer, "The Girl", in Hellman's extraordinary road movie masterpiece. She was likewise excellent as Harry Dean Stanton's snippy young wife, "Dody Burke White", in Hellman's bleakly fascinating character study Cockfighter (1974). Following her small role as Paul Simon's L.A. girlfriend in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), Laurie quit acting, altogether, and became a photographer. Bird committed suicide in boyfriend Art Garfunkel's Manhattan penthouse, at the tragically young age of 25, on June 15, 1979. Garfunkel dedicated his album, "Scissors Cut", to Laurie. The album features a partial photograph of Laurie Bird on its back cover.Overdosed on Valium in an apartment she shared with boyfriend, singer Art Garfunkel.
1952-1979 (26 years old)- Actor
- Director
Chhabi Biswas was born on 12 July 1900 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was an actor and director, known for Karnarjun (1941), The Music Room (1958) and Kabuliwala (1957). He died on 11 June 1962 in Calcutta [now Kolkata], West Bengal, India.Died in a car accident in Calcutta, India.
1900-1962 (61 years old)- Pierre Blaise was born on 29 February 1952 in Moissac, Tarn-et-Garonne, France. He was an actor, known for Lacombe, Lucien (1974), Le grand délire (1975) and Les noces de porcelaine (1975). He died on 31 August 1975 in Moissac, Tarn-et-Garonne, France.Died in a car crash in Moissac, France.
1955-1975 (20 years old) - Dorothy Acueza Jones was born Jan 6 1936, the only child of Inocencia Acueza and American national John William Jones II. She finished high school at the Adamson University and took up Pre-law at the University of Sto Tomas (UST). She has a daughter, Kay Torres, by estranged husband Victorino Torres. Blanca was only 13 when she joined an amateur singing contest in Manila. Film star Delia Razon brought her to LVN matriarch Doña Sisang (Narcisa de Leon), who immediately cast her in Reyna Elena (1951). This was followed by Amor mio (1951), her first film appearance opposite Nestor de Villa, costarring Armando Goyena. Since then, she has appeared in numerous films, in various genres, but mostly with de Villa as a romantic and dancing partner. See Tumbalik na Daigdig (1953), Hijo de familia (1953), Waray-Waray (1954), the film which popularized her tomboyish, knife-wielding, man-battling persona; Ikaw Kasi (1955), Talusaling (1955), Darling Ko (1955), Ganyan Ka Pala (1956), Handang Matodas (1956), Bahala Na (1956), Turista (1957) and Tingnan Natin (1957). Still perpetuating her image as a tomboyish but lovable screwball, she also made Galawgaw (1956) opposite Jaime de la Rosa, who had earlier played leading man to her knife-wielding gamin in Batangueña (1953). Ms Blanca early on in her durable career could easily switch from screwball comedy to drama, as in Babaing Hampas-Lupa (1952), Rosalina (1957) and Limang Dalangin (1958). When LVN Studios stopped producing, Ms Blanca free-lanced, proving her mettle in a variety of films such as Shake, Baby, Shake (1966), Pag-Ibig, Masdan ang Ginawa Mo (1969), Forgive and Forget (1982), in which her popular love team with Nestor de Villa had a comeback, and My Heart Belongs to Daddy (1982), among many others. All in all, Ms Blanca made some 50 films with the dashing de Villa. Television proved to be very viable for Ms Blanca too. The "Nida-Nestor Show" and "John 'en' Marsha" became two of the longest-running sitcoms on Filipino television. In Fifty-Carats, O Di Ba? (1993), she shared top-billing with veterans Gloria Romero and the late Charito Solis. She also appeared in the television soap Mana-Mana. Ms Blanca has won 16 awards for her film work. She won the very first Best Supporting Actress award from the Film Academy of Movie Arts & Sciences (FAMAS) for her role as a tragic Korean woman, Lee Ming, who falls in love with Filipino soldier Boni Serrano in the film Korea (1952). She also won the best supporting actress award at the Metro Manila Film Festival for Batu-Bato Sa Langit (1975); Best Actress awards simultaneously from Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), Gawad Urian Awards and Catholic Mass Media Awards for Miguelito, Ang Batang Rebelde (1985); Best Supporting Actress awards from FAP and FAMAS for Magdusa Ka (1986); and Best Supporting Actress awards from FAP, FAMAS and CMMA for Kid, Huwag Kang Susuko (1987). She was also twice winner of the Citizens' Award for Television (CAT) for Best Female TV Performer for the Nida-Nestor Show; and three-time winner of the Pambansang Akademya ng Telebisyon sa Agham at Sining (PATAS) award in 1975, 1976 and 1978, as Most Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, for John 'en' Marsha. In 1997, she won Best Supporting Actress for Babae (1997), from the FAP and the Metro Manila Film Festival. Two years later, still proving her timeless mettle, she won Best Actress at the FAMAS ceremonies for her work in Sana, Pag-Ibig Na (1998). She was top-billed for this film-- no mean feat, considering she was 62 years old. In 2000 and 2002, the Gawad Urian Awards and the FAP, respectively, honored her with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms Blanca was horrendously murdered in a parking lot in November 7, 2001. Her gruesome murder remains unsolved to this day.Stabbed to death in a parking lot, probably by a professional hitman. The prime suspect was her husband, American actor Rod Strunk, who later took his own life.
1936-2001 (65 years old) - Clara Blandick was an American actress born as Clara Dickey and born aboard an American ship off the coast of Hong Kong on June 4, 1880. Little is known about her early life until she became an actress. She grew up in Boston and first acted on stage in E.H. Sothern's 'Richard Lovelace'. Although she appeared in 118 films, she was primarily a stage actress. She began her film career at a late age. She was 33 when she was picked for the role as Emily Mason in Mrs. Black Is Back (1914). Her next film was The Stolen Triumph (1916), after which she returned to the stage, where she seemed more comfortable. She did not make another film until the age of 48, when she appeared in Poor Aubrey (1930).
She had only three films under her belt by this time but would appear in more than 100 over the next 20 years. She made nine films in 1930, and thirteen the following year. The role that was to immortalize her, however, was "Auntie Em" in The Wizard of Oz (1939). She continued in films until 1950, when she appeared on the screen for the final time in Key to the City (1950).
By this time Blandick had been suffering from poor health for years, especially painful arthritis and failing eyesight, and retired from the screen. On Palm Sunday, April 15, 1962, aged 85, she went to church in Hollywood. When she returned she wrote a note stating she was about to take the greatest adventure of her life. She took an overdose of sleeping tablets and pulled a plastic bag over her head, thus ending her life.Overdosed on sleeping pills, and suffocated in a plastic bag, due to physical pain and going blind.
1876-1962 (85 years old) - Actor
- Writer
American stage actor and director who made numerous silent film appearances. Blinn was born and raised in San Francisco and attended nearby Stanford University. But his stage career had begun years before, when he made his acting debut at age six. Following his education, he resumed acting, eventually becoming a prominent figure on Broadway. He directed many of the plays he appeared in. In 1914, he made his first film and kept busy on screen and on stage for the remainder of his life. During the volatile strike of stage actors in 1919 that led to the formation of the actors' union, Actors Equity, Blinn was one of a minority of actors who sided with the opposition, the producers. He served as president of the Actors Fidelity League, which unsuccessfully fought the formation of the actors' union. During a vacation at Journey's End, his country home in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, Blinn was thrown from a horse. He appeared to be recuperating well, but the injury to his arm became infected and led to respiratory failure. He died on 24 June 1928 at 56.Died after falling off a horse near his home in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
1872-1928 (56 years old)- Adele Blood was was born Adele Mary Blood on April 23, 1886 in San Francisco, California. When she was a child she became an accomplished equestrian and loved the theater. She briefly worked at the San Francisco Examiner. Then she started acting in stock companies. In 1906 she married Edward Davis, a former clergyman who became an actor. She became a very popular actress by touring in vaudeville. Her biggest success came when she starred in the play Everywoman. Adele was called "the most beautiful blonde on the American stage." Unfortunately she and Edward had a turbulent marriage and they both each other of having affairs. The couple were divorced in 1914. That same year she made her Broadway debut in the play Milady's Boudoir. It was a flop and closed after only twelve performances. She also appeared in the Broadway shows Mile A Minute Kendall and He Didn't Want To Do It. Adele was known as a very fashionable woman who spent a fortune on her wardrobe. She had a starring role in the 1916 film The Devil's Toy.
Soon after she announced she was retiring and married Isaac W. Hope, a theatrical agent. Their daughter, Dawn, was born in 1919. The following year the couple divorced and she returned to the stage. She had a role in the 1920 drama The Riddle: Woman. It would be her last film. Adele put together a new stage show and toured the Orient in 1922. She was briefly engaged to Colonel Castle, a British officer. At the age of thirty-six she retired from acting and devoted herself to raising her daughter Dawn, They moved into a lavish house in Harrison, New York. Adele her former banker in May of 1936 claiming he owned her more that $9000. That summer she directed and financed a play that Dawn starred in. The show was a failure and she lost more than $40,000. Tragically on September 13,1936 she committed suicide by shooting herself in the head. She was only fifty years old. Adele was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in West Addison, Vermont. Sadly in 1939 Dawn Hope also committed suicide.Shot herself in her home, after experiencing financial problems.
1886-1936 (50 years old) - John Boncore was born on 7 January 1952 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Last Rites of Ransom Pride (2010), Men in Trees (2006) and Alice, I Think (2006). He died on 12 March 2013 in Chase, British Columbia, Canada.Died after falling down the stairs in his home on the Adams Lake Indian Band, Canada.
1952-2013 (61 years old) - Began working in films from 1916, becoming a a star within five years of his debut. His frequent co-star was was Marguerite de la Motte, whom he later married. The advent of sound effectively ended his career. Shortly after attending a party, the distraught 50-year-old Bowers committed suicide by rowing into the Pacific Ocean and drowning himself. It is commonly believed that his demise was the inspiration for the similar death of fictional film star Norman Maine in both the 1937 and 1954 versions of "A Star is Born."Drowned, possibly intentionally, off the shore of Santa Monica. Bowers had sailed out to where Henry Hathaway was filming Souls at Sea, hoping for a part. He never returned alive, and his body was found at the beach.
1885-1936 (50 years old) - Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Charles Boyer studied philosophy before he went to the theater where he gave his debut in 1920. Although he had at first no intentions to pursue a career at the movies (his first movie was Man of the Sea (1920) by Marcel L'Herbier) he used his chance in Hollywood after several filming stations all over Europe. In the beginning of his career his beautiful voice was hidden by the silent movies but in Hollywood he became famous for his whispered declarations of love (like in movies with Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich or Ingrid Bergman). In 1934 he married Pat Paterson, his first and (unusual for a star) only wife. He was so faithful to her that he decided to commit suicide two days after her death in 1978.Overdosed on the drug Seconal at a friend's house in Scottsdale, Arizona, two days after the death of his wife, actress Pat Paterson.
1899-1978 (78 years old)- James Bradbury Jr. was born on 5 October 1894 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Song of the Eagle (1933), Gorilla Ship (1932) and The Last of the Duanes (1930). He died on 21 June 1936 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Committed suicide.
1894-1936 (41 years old) - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Born in Danbury, Connecticut, USA, to Greg and Mary, Jonathan Brandis began his career at age 5, acting in several television commercials. He also appeared in small parts in several films and TV shows before his first starring role in the 1990 film The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990). He starred in popular films such as Ladybugs (1992) and starred as Lucas Wolenczak in Steven Spielberg's television series SeaQuest 2032 (1993). He doubled up his high school courses so he could finish a year early for his role on SeaQuest. After his career stalled for a bit, he was hoping his role in serious drama film Hart's War (2002) would relaunch it. However, most of his scenes ended up being cut from the finished film. This caused him to fall into a deep depression in which he would drink heavily and tragically end his own life on November 12th, 2003.Hanged himself in the hallway of his apartment building in Los Angeles. Brandis had been depressed about his waning career.
1976-2003 (27 years old)- Director
- Actress
- Writer
Lily Brik, one of Russian and Soviet culture's most enigmatic women who was admired by many important men, was known for her wit and beauty and helped many talented people to become famous.
She was born Lilya Urievna Kagan, in 1891, in Moscow, Russia, into a Jewish family of a lawyer and a music teacher. Young Lilya grew up in a trilingual family environment, she received an excellent private education and absorbed from the intellectual and artistic circles of both Russian capitals, St. Petersburg and Moscow. Lilya studied piano professionally; in addition to her native Russian and Yiddish she spoke fluent German and French. She studied art and architecture and graduated from Moscow Institute of Architecture.
Lilya and her junior sister, Elsa, who later became known as Elsa Triolet, were both famous for their personal charm and special beauty. Lilya was just a teenage girl when she attracted attention of the famous Russian opera basso Feodor Chaliapin Sr.. At that time, as Lilya realized the power of her charm, intellect, and sex appeal, she became part of Russian cultural milieu. She was arguably one of the most famous and influential women in the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s Russian and Soviet culture. Lily Brik's face was on the cover of LEF magazine and on numerous posters of that time. She also helped many talented men to become famous and happy, and some men, like poet Mayakovsky, were unhappy without her company.
On February 26, 1912, Lilya married Osip Brik in Moscow, and soon the couple moved to St. Petersburg. They had a dacha-home in Levashovo, an upscale suburb of St. Petersburg. There, in July of 1915, Lilya's junior sister, Elsa, introduced her boyfriend, poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, to Osip and Lilya. Mayakovsky became obsessed with both, charming and coquettish Lilya Brik, and intellectually challenging Osip Brik. But Lilya remained married to Osip Brik, who extended his hospitality to her greatest admirer. Osip Brik financed the publication of futurist poetry collection 'Cloud in Pants' (1915) by Vladimir Mayakovsky, which was inspired by their muse, Lilya. At that time Lilya became involved in silent film. In 1918 she made her film debut co-starring with Mayakovsky in Zakovannaya filmoi (1918) which was produced by the "Neptun" film studio in St. Petersburg.
During the Russian Revolution the Briks lived in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). There Lilya's husband briefly served at the special militarized Revolutionary Automobile Group, and had risen to the rank of a Commissar. In June of 1920, the Briks moved to Moscow where Osip Brik was hired as a Legal Councel for the CheKa (predecessor of the KGB). From there Osip Brik was fired with a verdict, "for negligent attitude and evasion from work", but the Briks still managed to help emigration of the parents of writer Boris Pasternak.
During the 1920s the Moscow apartment of Lily and Osip Brik was the meeting place for such Russian culture luminaries as Boris Pasternak, Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Sergei Eisenstein, Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko, Yuri Tynyanov, Vsevolod Meyerhold and many others. Lily and Osip Brik were among the most active proponents of new artistic ideas in art, literature, theatre and film in the 1910s - 1930s Russia. They were both important members of Russian Formalism and Futurism in literature and art. In 1922-23 Lily and Osip Brik made a trip to Europe and visited Wassily Kandinsky and Bauhaus in Germany.
In the 1920s, Lily Brik directed two films. In 1926, she produced and directed a documentary titled 'Jews on the land', based on a scenario by Mayakovsky and Viktor Shklovskiy about Jewish collective farms in Russia. Then Lily Brik directed a parody on "bourgeous cinema" titled 'Steklyanny glaz' (aka.. The Glass Eye 1929). From 1922-1928 Lily Brik was also involved in publishing the magazine 'LEF' (Leftist Front of Arts), which became the platform for the LEF group, and for the Russian Dada and Constructivist art. Lily Brik's portrait by Alexander Rodchenko appeared on the cover of LEF magazine. She was the inspirational force for the group of Russian avant-garde writers, artists and film directors, such as Vladimir Mayakovsky, Alexander Rodchenko, Lev Kuleshov, Dziga Vertov, Sergei Eisenstein, Sergei Yutkevich, Viktor Shklovskiy, V. Ivanov-Zhemchuzhny and others.
In 1930, while she was on a trip in Europe, Lily Brik learned that her close friend and film partner Vladimir Mayakovsky committed suicide after his breakup with actress Veronika Polonskaya. Lily, who previously twice saved him from committing suicide, was too far away to be able to help him this time. After Lily Brik's letter to Joseph Stalin, who approved her idea to publish the collected works of Mayakovsky, his poetry was included in the Soviet school curriculum and reissued in massive printings. She divorced from Osip Brik. From 1930-1937 she was married to Soviet General Vitali Primakov, who was falsely accused of relations with Anti-Soviet Trotskyist organization and was executed in 1937, during the Moscow Trials and "Great terror" under dictatorship of Joseph Stalin.
During hard times Lily Brik was supported by none other, than Nikolay Cherkasov who was a strong supporter of retired and disabled actors and writers. He personally donated substantial sums of money to many less fortunate actors and cinematographers who suffered under the communist regime. Cherkasov found that Lily Brik was left homeless in Moscow, and that she has no income. Cherkasov used his star power to pressure the Soviet authorities: he wrote a letter to the Soviet Government requesting "good care and accommodation for actress Lily Brik, the widow of writer Vladimir Mayakovsky" and soon Lily Brik was provided with a decent place to live in central Moscow.
From 1938-1978 she was married to writer Vasily Katanyan. The home of Lily Brik and Vasili Katanyan was the meeting place for unofficial cultural milieu in the 1950s and 1960s Moscow. At that time Lily Brik played important role in supporting the new generation of talented writers, musicians, artists, and filmmakers in the former Soviet Union. She was instrumental in the early career of poet Andrei Voznesensky and filmmaker Sergei Parajanov as well as other aspiring talents. In 1978, after suffering from an incurable illness, she committed suicide by taking a lethal dose of sleeping pills. That was on August 4, 1978, in Peredelkino, Moscow, Russia.
Lily Brik was model for portraits by such famous artists as Marc Chagall, Alexander Tyshler, Alexander Rodchenko, David Burlyuk, Fernand Léger, and Henri Matisse.Committed suicide while terminally ill.
1891-1978 (87 years old)- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Vlastimil Brodský was born on 15 December 1920 in Hrusov, Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. He was an actor and writer, known for Jacob the Liar (1974), Babí léto (2001) and Noc na Karlstejne (1974). He was married to Jana Brejchová and Bozena Brodská. He died on 20 April 2002 in Slunecna, Czech Republic.Committed suicide.
1920-2002 (81 years old)- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Herman Brood was born on 5 November 1946 in Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands. He was an actor and composer, known for The American (2010), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) and Cha-Cha (1979). He was married to Xandra Jansen. He died on 11 July 2001 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.Jumped from the roof of the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands, having struggled with drug addiction and serious medical problems caused by drug use.
1946-2001 (54 years old)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Tyler Brooke was born on 6 June 1886 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Poor Little Rich Girl (1936), Madam Satan (1930) and Playboy of Paris (1930). He was married to Myrtle Laurine Neil, Laruna Wolcott and Elizabeth Bauland. He died on 2 March 1943 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Took his own life by carbon monoxide poisoning.
1886-1943 (56 years old)- Barry Brown was born on 19 April 1951 in San Jose, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Bad Company (1972), Piranha (1978) and Daisy Miller (1974). He died on 27 June 1978 in Silver Lake, California, USA.Shot himself. Brown grew up in a dysfunctional family, surrounded by crime, alcoholism and drug abuse. His sister Marilyn Brown also killed herself.
1951-1978 (27 years old) - Pretty and charming brunette actress Marilyn Louise Brown was born on March 9, 1953 in San Jose, California. Her parents were Donald Bernard Brown and Vivian Brown. Marilyn was of mixed Engish, Irish, Sicilian, and Scottish descent. Her father named her after his favorite actress Marilyn Monroe. She was the sister of actor Barry Brown and writer James Brown. Brown had a very high near genius IQ. She started studying tap dancing, modern dance, and acting at an early age. Marilyn and her brother Barry both made their film debuts in uncredited bit roles in the 1958 motion picture "In Love and War." Brown had small roles in the lowbrow mid 70s drive-in exploitation comedies "Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy" and "The Amorous Adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza." Outside of her sparse movie credits, Marilyn also acted in a few off-off-Broadway stage productions. Alas, Brown was a painfully shy and troubled woman who had problems with drug abuse and alcoholism throughout most of her life. Marilyn committed suicide at age 45 on July 22, 1998 by jumping off a Los Angeles freeway overpass; she was married and had one child at the time of her tragic death.Jumped to her death off a Los Angeles freeway overpass, after struggling for years with drug abuse and alcoholism.
1953-1997 (44 years old) - Julia Buencamino was an actress, known for Mother Nanny (2006), Sandalang bahay (2005) and Oh My G! (2015). She died on 7 July 2015 in Quezon City, Philippines.Hanged herself in the bathroom of her home.
1999-2015 (15 years old) - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Arturo García Buhr was born on 16 December 1905 in Dolores, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor and director, known for Los chicos crecen (1942), Mi mujer, la sueca y yo (1967) and ¿Vendrás a media noche? (1950). He was married to Aída Olivier. He died on 4 October 1995 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Committed suicide.
1905-1995 (89 years old)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Eugen Burg was born on 6 January 1871 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Der wird geheiratet (1921), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1915) and Alles aus Gefälligkeit (1916). He was married to Emmy Raabe-Burg. He died on 15 November 1944 in Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia [now Terezín, Czech Republic].Died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp.
1871-1944 (73 years old)- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Neil Burstyn was born on 17 July 1939 in New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Monkees (1965), Panic in Year Zero! (1962) and The Young Savages (1961). He was married to Ellen Burstyn. He died on 1 November 1978 in New York, New York, USA.Jumped to his death from his apartment in Manhattan, after struggling with schizophrenia.
1939-1978 (39 years old)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Leonid Bykov was born on 12 December 1928 in Znamenskoye, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He was an actor and director, known for Only Old Men Are Going to Battle (1974), Little Hare (1965) and Aty-baty, shli soldaty... (1977). He died on 11 April 1979 in Kiev Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].Died in a car accident near Kiev, Soviet Union, in today's Ukraine.
1928-1979 (50 years old)