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The towering presence of Canadian actor Donald Sutherland was often noticed, as were his legendary contributions to cinema. He appeared in almost 200 different shows and films. He was also the father of renowned actor Kiefer Sutherland, among others.

Donald McNichol Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, to Dorothy Isobel (McNichol) and Frederick McLea Sutherland, who worked in sales and electricity. He had Scottish, as well as German and English, ancestry. Sutherland worked in several different jobs - he was a radio DJ in his youth - and was almost set on becoming an engineer after graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in engineering. However, he also graduated with a degree in drama, and he chose to abandon becoming an engineer in favour of an actor.

Sutherland's first roles were bit parts and consisted of such films as the horror film Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) which starred Christopher Lee. He was also appearing in episodes of TV shows such as "The Saint" and "Court Martial". Sutherland's break would come soon, though, and it would come in the form of a war film in which he was barely cast.

The reason he was barely cast was because he had been a last-minute replacement for an actor that had dropped out of the film. The role he played was that of the dopey but loyal Vernon Pinkley in the war film The Dirty Dozen (1967). The film also starred Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and Telly Savalas. The picture was an instant success as an action/war film, and Sutherland played upon this success by taking another role in a war film: this was, however, a comedy called M*A*S*H (1970) which landed Sutherland the starring role alongside Elliott Gould and Tom Skerritt. This is now considered a classic among film goers, and the 35-year old actor was only getting warmed up.

Sutherland took a number of other roles in between these two films, such as the theatrical adaptation Oedipus the King (1968), the musical Joanna (1968) and the Clint Eastwood-helmed war comedy Kelly's Heroes (1970). It was Kelly's Heroes (1970) that became more well-known, and it reunited Sutherland with Telly Savalas. 1970 and 1971 offered Sutherland a number of other films, the best of them would have to be Klute (1971). The film, which made Jane Fonda a star, is about a prostitute whose friend is mysteriously murdered. Sutherland received no critical acclaim like his co-star Fonda (she won an Oscar) but his career did not fade.

Moving on from Klute (1971), Sutherland landed roles such as the lead in the thriller Lady Ice (1973), and another lead in the western Alien Thunder (1974). These films did not match up to "Klute"'s success, though Sutherland took a supporting role that would become one of his most infamous and most critically acclaimed. He played the role of the murderous fascist leader in the Bernardo Bertolucci Italian epic 1900 (1976). Sutherland also gained another memorable role as a marijuana-smoking university professor in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) among other work that he did in this time.

Another classic role came in the form of the Robert Redford film, Ordinary People (1980). Sutherland portrayed an older father figure who must deal with his children in an emotional drama of a film. It won Best Picture, and while both the supporting stars were nominated for Oscars, Sutherland once again did not receive any Academy Award nomination. He moved on to play a Nazi spy in a film based on Ken Follett's book "Eye of the Needle" and he would star alongside Al Pacino in the commercial and critical disaster that was Revolution (1985). While it drove Al Pacino out of films for four years, Sutherland continued to find work. This work led to the dramatic, well-told story of apartheid A Dry White Season (1989) alongside the legendary actor Marlon Brando.

Sutherland's next big success came in the Oliver Stone film JFK (1991) where Sutherland plays the chilling role of Mister X, an anonymous source who gives crucial information about the politics surrounding President Kennedy. Once again, he was passed over at the Oscars, though Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for his performance as Clay Shaw. Sutherland went on to appear in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Shadow of the Wolf (1992), and Disclosure (1994).

The new millennium provided an interesting turn in Sutherland's career: reuniting with such former collaborators as Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones, Sutherland starred in Space Cowboys (2000). He also appeared as the father figure to Nicole Kidman's character in Cold Mountain (2003) and Charlize Theron's character in The Italian Job (2003). He also made a fascinating, Oscar-worthy performance as the revolutionist Mr. Thorne in Land of the Blind (2006) and also as a judge in Reign Over Me (2007). He also joined forces with his son Rossif Sutherland and Canadian comic Russell Peters with the new comedy The Con Artist (2010), as well as acting alongside Jamie Bell and Channing Tatum in the sword-and-sandal film The Eagle (2011). Sutherland also taken a role in the remake of Charles Bronson's film The Mechanic (1972).

Donald Sutherland made a lasting legacy on Hollywood, whether portraying a chilling and horrifying villain, or playing the older respectable character in his films. A true character actor, Sutherland was one of Canada's most well-known names and will hopefully continue to be remembered long after his time.

Ossie Davis was born on 18 December 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Do the Right Thing (1989), Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). He was married to Ruby Dee. He died on 4 February 2005 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

Susan Buckner was born on 28 January 1952 in Seattle, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for Grease (1978), Deadly Blessing (1981) and The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (1976). She was married to Michael Robert Josephs. She died on 2 May 2024 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Mario Ernesto Sánchez was born on 10 January 1947 in San Antonio de las Vegas, Cuba. He was an actor, known for Step Up Revolution (2012), The Specialist (1994) and Bad Boys (1995). He died on 10 April 2025 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Tomas Milian, an American actor born in Cuba; was trained at the Actors Studio. He appeared in a few plays on Broadway, as well as in a show by Jean Cocteau in Spoleto. Mauro Bolognini noticed him and that was the starting point of a rich cinematographic career in Italy, where he played in all manner of genres. He interpreted a mad psychopath in The Ugly Ones (1966) (aka "Bounty Killer"), a role he would then improve and diversify into an impressive gallery of neurotic and sadistic killers, first in "spaghetti westerns" (many directed by Sergio Corbucci), and then in violent action and police thrillers (many directed by Umberto Lenzi). His films gradually evolved into action comedies, as he played the recurrent characters of thief "Er Monnezza" and cop Nico Giraldi (the latter being originally based on the lead character in Serpico (1973)), two typically Roman characters who enjoyed great popularity in the '70s and '80s.

Carol White was born on 1 April 1943 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Poor Cow (1967), The Wednesday Play (1964) and The Avengers (1961). She was married to Mike King, Stuart Lerner and Mike Arnold. She died on 16 September 1991 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Titian-haired Margaret 'Maggie' Hayes was born Florette Regina Ottenheimer in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Jacob 'Jack' Louis Ottenheimer (1882-1943) and Clara Bussy (1877-1966). While still at high school she worked with a local stock company to get into acting. She then studied for two years at John Hopkins University, briefly entertaining the notion of becoming a nurse. Before long, however, she had joined The Barnstormers troupe of performers to become their first ever female member. A trip to New York and a night at the Stork Club resulted in a chance encounter with several prominent newspaper columnists who were also in attendance, among them Walter Winchell. Winchell decided to change her name to 'Dana Dale'. Using this moniker, she did some modelling and auditioned unsuccessfully for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). At this time, she was featured in several cigarette, automobile and fashion advertisements.

After a brief stint at Warner Brothers, and having finally settled on the stage name Maggie Hayes, she made her Broadway debut in 1940 and was signed by Paramount the following year. On screen, Maggie tended to be cast as second leads, often as 'the other woman', but was never quite fulfilled in her profession. Instead, she pursued diverse other career paths outside of acting, both in between performing and after her retirement in 1962: as fashion designer, model, owner of a boutique in Palm Beach and designing/selling jewelry in New York. She even worked for a while as a public relations executive for luxury goods department store Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. In the late 1940s, she became fashion editor for 'Life Magazine', before returning to the New York stage and acting in television where she had some of her best roles.

Maggie Hayes was married (and divorced) three times. Her second husband was the actor Leif Erickson (of The High Chaparral (1967) fame), her third the producer Herbert B. Swope Jr..

At fourteen he worked as an usher at the NYC Paramount Theatre. His father was an electrician who played guitar and his mother taught piano. Damone attended PS 163 and sang in St. Finbar's choir and later attended the Alexander Hamilton Vocational High School and then Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. He left school at sixteen to support his family, but returned to graduate from Lafayette in 1997. Damone won first prize in an Arthur Godfrey talent scouts contest in 1945. His first night club appearance at the LA Martinique Club was set up by comedian Milton Berle. He was drafted and served in the army from 1951 to 1953. After he was discharged from the army he married actress Pier Angeli, whom he later divorced. Damone was later married to Becky Ann Jones from 1974 to 1982 and Diahann Carroll from 1987 to 1996. He married Rena Rowan, fashion designer and co-founder of Jones New York, in 1998. In 1999, he received a certificate of advanced study from Philadelphia University.

Susana Dosamantes was born on 9 January 1948 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. She was an actress, known for Darker Than Night (1975), Morir para vivir (1989) and Corazón salvaje (1977). She was married to Luis Rivas, Carlos Vasallo and Enrique Rubio González. She died on 2 July 2022 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica, to Norval Marley and Cedella Booker. His father was a Jamaican of English descent. His mother was a black teenager. The couple were married in 1944 but Norval left for Kingston immediately after. Norval died in 1957, seeing his son only a few times.

Bob Marley started his career with the Wailers, a group he formed with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston in 1963. Marley married Rita Marley in February 1966, and it was she who introduced him to Rastafarianism. By 1969 Bob, Tosh and Livingston had fully embraced Rastafarianism, which greatly influence Marley's music in particular and on reggae music in general. The Wailers collaborated with Lee Scratch Perry, resulting in some of the Wailers' finest tracks like "Soul Rebel", "Duppy Conquerer", "400 Years" and "Small Axe." This collaboration ended bitterly when the Wailers found that Perry, thinking the records were his, sold them in England without their consent. However, this brought the Wailers' music to the attention of Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records.

Blackwell immediately signed the Wailers and produced their first album, "Catch a Fire". This was followed by "Burnin'", featuring tracks as "Get Up Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff." Eric Clapton's cover of that song reached #1 in the US. In 1974 Tosh and Livingston left the Wailers to start solo careers. Marley later formed the band "Bob Marley and the Wailers", with his wife Rita as one of three backup singers called the I-Trees. This period saw the release of some groundbreaking albums, such as "Natty Dread", "Rastaman Vibration".

In 1976, during a period of spiraling political violence in Jamaica, an attempt was made on Marley's life. Marley left for England, where he lived in self-exile for two years. In England "Exodus" was produced, and it remained on the British charts for 56 straight weeks. This was followed by another successful album, "Kaya." These successes introduced reggae music to the western world for the first time, and established the beginning of Marley's international status.

In 1977 Marley consulted with a doctor when a wound in his big toe would not heal. More tests revealed malignant melanoma. He refused to have his toe amputated as his doctors recommended, claiming it contradicted his Rastafarian beliefs. Others, however, claim that the main reason behind his refusal was the possible negative impact on his dancing skills. The cancer was kept secret from the general public while Bob continued working.

Returning to Jamaica in 1978, he continued work and released "Survival" in 1979 which was followed by a successful European tour. In 1980 he was the only foreign artist to participated in the independence ceremony of Zimbabwe. It was a time of great success for Marley, and he started an American tour to reach blacks in the US. He played two shows at Madison Square Garden, but collapsed while jogging in NYC's Central Park on September 21, 1980. The cancer diagnosed earlier had spread to his brain, lungs and stomach. Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital on May 11, 1981. He was 36 years old.

Doris Wishman was born on 1 June 1912 in New York City, New York, USA. She was a director and producer, known for Satan Was a Lady (2001), Nude on the Moon (1961) and Keyholes Are for Peeping (1972). She was married to Louis Silverman and Jack Abrahms. She died on 10 August 2002 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Jorge Porcel was born on 7 September 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor and writer, known for Carlito's Way (1993), El gordo de América (1976) and Fatso Catastrophe (1977). He died on 16 May 2006 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Maurice Gibb was born on 22 December 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Saturday Night Fever (1977), Ready Player One (2018) and Virtuosity (1995). He was married to Yvonne Gibb and Lulu. He died on 12 January 2003 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

Jerry Lester was born on 16 February 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Hardly Working (1980), Odds and Evens (1978) and Smokey and the Bandit II (1980). He was married to Alice Elgie Wall and Ardelle Unger. He died on 23 March 1995 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Plain-looking, angular-framed Doro Merande of both stage and film was one of those delightful character actresses you couldn't take your eyes off of, no matter how minuscule the part. Her careworn features were ideal for playing small-town folk and working class toilers, and she excelled at playing older than she was -- maids, doting aunts, inveterate gossips, curt secretaries and small-minded neighbors -- all topped with an amusing warble in her voice and bristly eccentric edge. Too bad then that she wasn't used more in films, but she preferred live theater and based herself for the most part on the East Coast.

She was born Dora Matthews in Kansas on March 31, 1892, and orphaned as a child. Growing up in various boarding schools, she developed an earnest interest in acting and headed straight to New York to pursued an acting career after schooling. Appearing primarily on the stock and repertory stage, she also played unbilled servile bits in a few early talking films: Interference (1928), which was Paramount's first "talkie," Personal Maid (1931), State Fair (1933), The Rogues' Tavern (1936) and Navy Wife (1935).

The actress changed her stage name to "Doro Merande" as she took her first Broadway curtain call in 1935 with "Loose Moments." Other New York plays would include "One Good Year," "Red Harvest" and "Angel Island," enhancing over 25 Broadway plays in her lifetime. She made a noticeable impression as Mrs. Soames in the classic Thornton Wilder play "Our Town," which led her straight to Hollywood to recreate her indelible character on film. When Our Town (1940) starring William Holden and Martha Scott did not lead to any other film offers, Doro returned East to her first love, the theatre. She continued intermittently on Broadway with parts in "Love's Old Sweet Song," "The More the Merrier," "Junior Miss" (replacement), "The Naked Genius," "Pick Up Girl," "Violet," "Hope for Your Best," "Apple of His Eye," "The Silver Whistle," "The Rat Race," "Four Twelves Are 48," "Lo and Behold!" and "Diary of a Scoundrel."

Returning to films in the post-war years, Doro appeared in a number of delightful film cameos, both billed and unbilled, over the years. Either adding to the comedy fun or providing amusing relief in heavier dramas, her "working class" movie credits included The Snake Pit (1948), Cover Up (1949), Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951), The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951), The Seven Year Itch (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1958), The Gazebo (1959), The Cardinal (1963), Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), Hurry Sundown (1967), Skidoo (1968), Change of Habit (1969) and Making It (1971). Her final role was as Jennie, the cleaning woman, in The Front Page (1974), a part she played in both the 1969 Broadway revival and 1970 TV movie.

Doro also spiced up a number of TV shows, from the 1950's on, with the anthologies "Lux Video Theatre" and "Kraft Music Theatre," plus "Mister Peppers," "The United States Steel Hour," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Sergeant Bilko," "Thriller," "The Defenders" and "The Twilight Zone." Doro also co-starred with handsome Frank Aletter in the promising comedy series Bringing Up Buddy (1960) as one of two pampering, live-in maiden aunts. The series ended abruptly after only one season because she and the elderly costar Enid Markey, best known for playing "Jane" in the silent Tarzan movie, did not get along. Elsewhere, Doro was a recurring presence as "Aunt Ethel" in the "Honeymooners" sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show (1966).

In late October of 1975, the never-married veteran actress was attending a "Honeymooners" anniversary special in Miami, Florida. During that stay, she suffered a stroke and died on November 1st at a local hospital. She was 83.

Dolores Faith was born on 15 July 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for The Phantom Planet (1961), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and Wild Harvest (1962). She was married to James Robert Neal. She died on 15 February 1990 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Jackie Gayle was born on 1 March 1926 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Bulworth (1998), Tin Men (1987) and Broadway Danny Rose (1984). He was married to Tracy Gayle. He died on 23 November 2002 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

Born in Sunflower, Mississippi, in 1929, Matt "Guitar" Murphy is known as one of the most respected sidemen in the blues. He has played on albums and in concerts for everyone from Memphis Slim and James Cotton to 'Bobby Blue Bland' and Junior Parker (he even made an appearance in The Blues Brothers (1980)). Unlike many sidemen, however, he cut very few records on his own, and it wasn't until 1990 that he released his first album, "Way Down South".

Mr. Egan was the tough-talking New York City police officer whose exploits inspired the Academy Award winning film The French Connection (1971). With partner Sonny Grosso, he managed a 112-pound heroin bust in 1962, one of the biggest in New York's history. Mr. Egan was nicknamed 'Popeye' and was played in The French Connection (1971) by Gene Hackman. Mr. Egan played the role of his own boss. Mr. Egan, who retired to Fort Lauderdale, FL, in 1984, died "the toughest cop in New York", said Cheryl Kyle-Little, who shared a home with him. Kyle-Little said Mr. Egan was working on a movie deal at the time of his death.

Dan Jackson was born in 1925 in South America, Guyana. He was an actor, known for Mysterious Island (1961), playing Cpl. Neb Nugent. The film was set during the Civil War where a group of Union soldiers and two Confederates end up on a strange Pacific island. Dan is also known for A High Wind in Jamaica, directed by Alexander Mackendrick where he played a pirate.

Other credits include: Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) and The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970).

Carlos Julio Ramirez was born in the city of Tocaima, Colombia on August 4, 1916. He is one of the most important Colombian singers of all time. Ever since he was a little boy, he started to sing. He did it for a few coins in the ships that sailed the River Magdalena. In one of these ships called "Unión" he met the conservative politician Dr. Laureano Gómez who offered him to go to Bogotá and pay for all his studies both academic and musical. Gomez, who later became president of Colombia, registered young Carlos in the school called "Colegio Salesiano" and he entrusted him to the musical teacher Emilio Murillo. When Carlos' father found out that he was been sponsored by a conservative, been an ardent liberal he removed Carlos from the school. Despite this he continued to live in Bogotá with his sister Alcira who also was an excellent singer and so he was able to continue his musical studies with Professor Murillo. His debut took place in 1928 in the radio station "La Voz de la Victor" one of the first radio stations established in Colombia where he met Maestro Efraín Orozco who asked him to be in his orchestra so he could begin a long prolonged South American tour. While in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a very important couple of the musical world meets Carlos: André Kostelanetz and his wife the famous opera soprano Lily Pons. The couple hires him to sing in the "Café Maipó" and the in radio station "Radio Municipal". He acted in several movies being mostly remembered in the famous picture "Bathing Beauty" of 1945 where he worked together with Esther Williams. His first recordings of Colombian music were made in 1952 with songs such as "Besame Morenita" and others. He also sung several other themes of the international repertoire. Carlos Julio Ramirez was one of those artists that made plenty of Money during his very successful career. Unfortunately, he also lost a lot of money due to his addiction to gambling. Ramirez recorded his last long-playing record in 1972 with the help of the famous Colombian composer Blas Emilio Atehortua. He died in Miami on December 12, 1986.

The only career Nelson Eddy ever considered was singing. His parents, Isabel (Kendrick) and William Darius Eddy, were singers, his grandparents were musicians. Unable to afford a teacher, he learned by imitating opera recordings. At age 14 he worked as a telephone operator in a Philadelphia iron foundry. He sold newspaper advertising and performed in amateur musicals. Dr. Edouard Lippe coached him and loaned him the money to study in Dresden and Paris. He gave his first concert recital in 1928 in Philadelphia. In 1933 he did 18 encores for an audience that included an assistant to MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer, who signed him to a seven-year contract. After MGM acting lessons and initial trials, his first real success came as the Yankee scout to Jeanette MacDonald's French princess in Naughty Marietta (1935), a huge box-office success made on a small budget. Eddy and MacDonald were paired twice more (Rose-Marie (1936), Maytime (1937)) when metropolitan Opera star Grace Moore was unavailable; they became an institution. Their last work together was in 1942. Critics nearly always panned his acting. He did have a large radio following (his theme song: "Short'nin Bread"). In 1959 Eddy and MacDonald issued a recording of their movie hits which sold well. In 1953 he had a fairly successful nightclub routine with Gale Sherwood which ran until his death in 1967. He and his wife Anne Denitz had no children.

Judy Clayton was born on 10 February 1937 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Truman Show (1998), Bully (2001) and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). She died on 25 October 2015 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Silvio Horta was born on 14 August 1974 in Miami, Florida, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Ugly Betty (2006), Urban Legend (1998) and The Chronicle (2001). He died on 7 January 2020 in Miami, Florida, USA.

Anita Sharp-Bolster was born on 28 August 1895 in Glenlohane, Kanturk, County Cork, Ireland. She was an actress, known for My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), Saboteur (1942) and The Lost Weekend (1945). She died on 1 June 1985 in North Miami, Florida, USA.