Advanced search

David Yost was born on 7 January 1969 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (2023), Power Rangers Cosmic Fury (2023) and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993).

Pert, blue-eyed, dimple-cheeked Joan was born Joan Leslie Freeman in Council Bluffs, Iowa, one of two daughters of a Brink's Express Guard and a homemaker. She spent her early education at the (now defunct) Catholic Villa Cabrini Academy in Burbank and later attended John Burroughs High School, graduating in 1959. Joan began on both screen and stage as a child performer and toiled for several years in minor or nondescript supporting roles. In 1961, she made her breakthrough as the waitress Elma in the TV series Bus Stop (1961), adapted from the play by William Inge. As a newly minted starlet, she now received a respectable weekly paycheck of $500, as well as commensurate promotional build-up from 20th Century Fox.

In 1962, Joan had back-to-back leading roles in a couple of AIP films: the dystopian drama Panic in Year Zero! (1962) and the gothic horror Tower of London (1962) (as Lady Margaret Stanley). She also co-starred as Elvis Presley 's love interest in the musical Roustabout (1964) and later appeared in the supporting cast of the comedy western The Rounders (1965). Already nominated as "Most Promising New Star" by the magazine Photoplay, Joan joined a gaggle of other hopefuls as a Hollywood Deb Star in 1963.

However, real stardom never came to pass. Perhaps this was due to a measure of ambivalence Joan had about her acting career. As late as 1961, she was quoted saying that she wished to become a certified practicing account (having earlier studied accountancy at San Fernando College). It is unclear as to whether she was ever active in that profession. On the screen, Joan continued to act --primarily in television guest spots-- well into the mid-80s, including repeat appearances as different characters in The Virginian (1962) and Lassie (1954). Her final role on the big screen was as Mrs. Jarvis, the 29th victim of Jason Vorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984).

Joan was first married to Frank Beetson Jr., a one-time costume supervisor at John Wayne's independent production company Batjac. This union ended in divorce four years later. Her second husband (from 1976) is the second feature director Bruce Kessler, an ex-Formula One racing driver. Kindred spirits as avid explorers, Bruce and Joan Kessler have acquired a huge reputation in the sailing community and circumnavigated the globe on more than one occasion.

Francis Guinan was born on 17 November 1951 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Constantine (2005), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) and The Last Airbender (2010).

John Durbin was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He is known for The Return of the Living Dead (1985), Litany for Mister President (2020) and Heart and Souls (1993).

Langdon first performed when he ran away from home at the age of 12-13 to join a travelling medicine show. In 1903 he scored a lasting success in vaudeville with an act called "Johnny's New Car" which he performed for twenty years. In 1923, he signed with Principal Pictures as a series star, but transferred to the Mack Sennett Studio when Mack Sennett bought the contract. Early in his film career, he had the good fortune to work regularly with the young Frank Capra. The two developed a unique character of an innocent man-child who found himself in dramatic and hazardous circumstances with only providence and good luck making him come out on top. This character clicked with the public and Langdon enjoyed a streak of artistic and commercial successes using it with Capra's direction. Unfortunately, he began to take the praise of his talent too seriously and broke with Capra so he could hog all the glory himself with his films. This proved to be a disastrous mistake as his first film "Three's a Crowd", a sickeningly sentimental film that plainly showed that he did not even approach the talent and skill of Capra which was needed to keep his character style viable. It has been also speculated the public was getting tired of Langdon's character, which contributed to Langdon's first solo film being an artistic and commercial failure. That film was the first in a series of bombs that ruined Langdon's career and relegated him to minor films from third string companies for the rest of his life.

Charles D. Brown was born on 1 July 1887 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was an actor and director, known for The Big Sleep (1946), The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936). He was married to Nellie V. Tallman (actress). He died on 25 November 1948 in Hollywood, California, USA.

Ernest B. Schoedsack was born on 8 June 1893 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was a director and cinematographer, known for Dr. Cyclops (1940), The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and Rango (1931). He was married to Ruth Rose. He died on 23 December 1979 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.

Louise Lewis was born on 18 October 1914 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), Blood of Dracula (1957) and True Confessions (1981). She was married to Jerry D. Lewis and Jerome Bernard Rosenthal. She died on 11 September 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Ray Kellogg was born on 15 November 1905 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was an assistant director, known for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), The King and I (1956) and The Giant Gila Monster (1959). He died on 5 July 1976 in Ontario, California, USA.

Lela Rogers, the mother of movie legend Ginger Rogers, was notable and accomplished in her own right. She was born Lela Emogene Owens in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa. Her parents were Walter Winfield Owens, a carpenter, and Sophronia W. (Ball), a widow who worked as a grocery store clerk. As a raconteur at Hollywood parties later in life, Lela Rogers described the circumstances of her birth on Christmas Day, when Ball went into labor as she fended off a bear in the family barn.

Rogers, who had three younger sisters, and her parents led peripatetic lives until settling at Kansas City, Mo. Rogers attended public school through eighth grade, then went to business school to become a stenographer. On her birthday in 1909, she married electrical engineer William Eddins McMath. She moved to nearby Independence in 1911 to become a newspaper reporter, and her illustrious daughter, Virginia, was born there that year.

After divorcing McMath, Rogers moved to Hollywood by 1916 to write scripts under the name Lela Leibrand. When World War I began, she was one of the first 10 women to enlist in the Marine Corps. She handled publicity duties. She wed John Rogers in 1920 in Kansas City. From 1938 to 1945, Lela Rogers worked as an assistant to Charles Kerner, vice president in charge of production at RKO studios. Rogers was put in charge of the studio's new talent. In 1942, she played Ginger's mother in the classic comedy, The Major and the Minor (1942), about a woman's adventures trying to get home to Iowa from New York.

Rogers was a founding member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. She testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. A devout Christian Scientist, she died in Los Angeles in 1977.

Peg Hillias was born on 24 June 1914 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Producers' Showcase (1954) and Studio One (1948). She died on 18 March 1960 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Harry Anderson was born on 10 March 1919 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was an actor. He died on 15 February 1980 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Kalin Coates was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. She is an actress, known for From the New World (2012), Made in Abyss (2017) and UQ HOLDER! (2017). She has been married to Joseph David Black since 29 May 2010. They have two children.

William Elmer was born on 25 April 1869 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for The Virginian (1914), The Squaw Man (1914) and Carmen (1915). He died on 24 February 1945 in Hollywood, California, USA.

Bobra Harris was born on 12 August 1923 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Trading Places (1983) and Kraft Theatre (1947). She died on 19 March 2021 in Westport, Connecticut, USA.

Randy Points was born on 27 September 1969 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Cruel Summer (2021) and The Senior (2023). He has been married to Monica Points since 28 November 1997. They have four children.

Timothy Jack McCoy was born on 14 May 1955 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He died on 2 January 1972 in Norwood Park Township, Illinois, USA.

Don Hannum was born on 30 October 1934 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Batman (1966), Blue Light (1966) and The Felony Squad (1966). He died on 22 December 2016.

Lee De Forest was born on 26 August 1873 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Phonofilm (1923), A Musical Monologue (1923) and Syncopation and Song (1927). He was married to Marie Mosquini, Nora Stanton Blatch, Lucille Sheardown and Mary Mayo (concert singer). He died on 30 June 1961 in Hollywood, California, USA.

Lyle Moraine was born on 7 February 1914 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for The Mauritanian (2021), Elf (2003) and Atlantic Flight (1937). He died on 13 February 1988 in Glendale, California, USA.

Patt Hyatt was born on 17 February 1923 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. She was an actress. She died on 26 February 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Donald Gamble was born on 22 September 1946 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Matinee Theatre (1955), The Man and the Challenge (1959) and Troubleshooters (1959).

John S. McCain Jr. was born on 17 January 1911 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was a writer, known for Seapower (1964), The Fighting Lady (1944) and Today (1952). He was married to Roberta McCain. He died on 22 March 1981 in in air over the North Atlantic.

William Pfaff was born on 29 December 1928 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He was married to Carolyn Frances Cleary. He died on 30 April 2015 in Paris, Île-de-France, France.

Christopher Ted Francke was born on 7 April 1962 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He died on 1 May 2013 in Longmont, Colorado, USA.