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- Actor
- Producer
William McChord Hurt was born in Washington, D.C., to Claire Isabel (McGill) and Alfred McChord Hurt, who worked at the State Department. He was trained at Tufts University and The Juilliard School and has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including the most recent nomination for his supporting role in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence (2005). Hurt received Best Supporting Actor accolades for the role from the Los Angeles Film Critics circle and the New York Film Critics Circle.
Hurt spent the early years of his career on the stage between drama school, summer stock, regional repertory and off-Broadway, appearing in more than fifty productions including "Henry V", "5th of July", "Hamlet", "Uncle Vanya", "Richard II", "Hurlyburly" (for which he was nominated for a Tony Award), "My Life" (winning an Obie Award for Best Actor), "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" and "Good". For radio, Hurt read Paul Theroux's "The Grand Railway Bazaar", for the BBC Radio Four and "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx. He has recorded "The Polar Express", "The Boy Who Drew Cats", "The Sun Also Rises" and narrated the documentaries, "Searching for America: The Odyssey of John Dos Passos", "Einstein-How I See the World" and the English narration of Elie Wiesel's "To Speak the Unspeakable", a documentary directed and produced by Pierre Marmiesse. In 1988, Hurt was awarded the first Spencer Tracy Award from UCLA.- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
David Ogden Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, to Margaret Elizabeth (Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers. He moved with his family to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated from North Eugene High School in 1960. At the age of twenty, he was offered $200 to join the company of the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for three months. He ended up staying for seven years, in due course playing both King Lear and Richard III. In 1969, he moved to New York to study drama at Juilliard where he also trained his voice as a dramatic baritone. He joined the Houseman City Center Acting Company at its outset, working on such productions as The Beggar's Opera, Measure for Measure, The Hostage and the hit Broadway musical The Magic Show for which he created the character 'Feldman the Magnificent'. He lent his voice to animated films, with Lilo & Stitch (2002) being his 25th theatrically-released Disney animated film. He was also an avid fan of classical music and conducted a number of orchestras, including the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra in Newport, Oregon, where was the principal guest conductor.
His other theatrical work included performances with the Committee Revue and Theatre, the San Francisco Actor's Workshop, The Old Globe Theatre Festival in San Diego and at the Pasadena Playhouse in Love Letters with Meredith Baxter. As a drama instructor, he worked at Santa Clara University and also taught improvisation at Harvard. In addition to his long-running role in M*A*S*H (1972), Stiers' work on television also included the excellent mini-series North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985), North & South: Book 2, Love & War (1986), The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984) and roles in such productions as Anatomy of an Illness (1984), The Bad Seed (1985), J. Edgar Hoover (1987), The Final Days (1989), Father Damien: The Leper Priest (1980) and Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986). Among his screen credits were The Accidental Tourist (1988), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Creator (1985), Harry's War (1981), Magic (1978) and Oh, God! (1977).
Above all, the prodigious talent that was David Ogden Stiers will be most fondly remembered as the pompous, ever-so articulate Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H. He had found that taking on the role was -- from the beginning -- an easy choice. Stiers saw and loved the movie version. Moreover, he had a fond regard of fellow actor Harry Morgan (who played the character of Colonel Potter) as a kind of fatherly role model. In retrospect, Stiers viewed his experiences with the show as a career highlight, saying "No matter how much you read about the M*A*S*H company, the evolution of it, the quite beautiful human stance it takes, you will not know how much it means ". In his spare time on the set he often annoyed the security guards by skateboarding at 25 miles an hour and "cheerfully thumbing his nose at them".
David died of bladder cancer on March 3, 2018, in Newport, Oregon. He was 75.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Colorful American character actor equally adept at vicious killers or grizzled sidekicks. As a child he worked in the cotton fields. He attended Santa Monica Junior College in California and subsequently became an accountant and, at one time, manager of the Bel Air Hotel. Elam got his first movie job by trading his accounting services for a role. In short time he became one of the most memorable supporting players in Hollywood, thanks not only to his near-demented screen persona but also to an out-of-kilter left eye, sightless from a childhood fight. He appeared with great aplomb in Westerns and gangster films alike, and in later years played to wonderful effect in comedic roles.- Kevin Hagen is the son of professional ballroom dancers, Haakon Olaf Hagen and Marvel Lucile Wadsworth. His father abandoned the family when Kevin was five. He was raised by his mother, grandmother, and two aunts, with some help from his uncle, a physician.
The family moved to Portland, Oregon, when Kevin was a teenager. He played baseball and football at Jefferson High School. He attended Oregon State University before enlisting in the U.S. Navy after World War II; he served in San Diego.
Hagen, married four times, was a single parent for two decades to his son, Christopher Hagen, a Special Education teacher and high school baseball coach in Bakersfield, California. - Blustery, stocky, loud although often genial character actor who has created a niche for himself playing often frustrated and fast talking Southern characters... most noticeably as Sheriff J.W. Pepper alongside Roger Moore in the James Bond adventures Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
He may have perfected a Southern drawl, however Clifton James was actually born on May 29, 1921 in Spokane, Washington. A graduate of the Actors Studio, he regularly appeared in guest roles on television series, including Gunsmoke (1955), Bonanza (1959) and The Virginian (1962). He was also busy in the cinema with minor roles in classy productions, such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Will Penny (1967) and The New Centurions (1972). After his 007 escapades, James remained busy putting in a great dramatic performance in The Deadly Tower (1975), played another loud-mouthed Sheriff in the action comedy Silver Streak (1976) and was superb as team owner Charles Comiskey in the dramatization of the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal, Eight Men Out (1988).
His other roles include that of a wealthy Montana baron whose cattle are being rustled in Rancho Deluxe (1975), and as the source who tips off a newspaper reporter (Bruce Willis) to a potentially explosive story in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). He had been quieter in his later years, but showed he could still contribute an enjoyable performance in the wonderful John Sayles movie Sunshine State (2002). James died at age 96 from complications of diabetes at his home in Gladstone, Oregon on April 15, 2017. - Katherine Woodville was born on 12 March 1938 in Ewell, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Star Trek (1966), Mission: Impossible (1966) and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1960). She was married to Edward Albert, Jerrold Freedman, Patrick Macnee and Michael Julian Anderson Wenn. She died on 5 June 2013 in Portland, Oregon, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Charles Levin was born on 12 March 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Golden Child (1986), Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979). He was married to Katherine De Hetre and Mollie Weinblatt. He died on 28 June 2019 in Selma, Oregon, USA.- Elaine Devry was born on 10 January 1930 in Compton, California, USA. She was an actress, known for The Atomic Kid (1954), Bless the Beasts & Children (1971) and With Six You Get Eggroll (1968). She was married to Will J. White, Mickey Rooney and Dan Danilo Ducich. She died on 20 September 2023 in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Although Frank Cady's most famous role would be that of general-store owner Sam Drucker, one of the less nutty residents of Hooterville in both Green Acres (1965) and Petticoat Junction (1963), he had a history as a film, stage and television actor long before those shows. Cady also appeared on some radio programs including Gunsmoke. In the 1950s, Cady played Doc Williams in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952), along with numerous supporting parts in movies and also appeared in television commercials for (among other products) Shasta Grape Soda. Cady has been most prolific in television and was the only actor to play a recurring character on three TV sitcoms at the same time, The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Green Acres (1965), and Petticoat Junction (1963). Usually cast as a gregarious small-town businessman, druggist, store clerk or other type of all-around Midwestern-type good guy, Cady was actually a California native, born in Susanville in 1915. The acting bug bit him when he sang in an elementary school play, and after graduating from Stanford University he headed to London, England, to train in the theater. When World War II broke out he was already in Europe, so he enlisted in the Army Air Force and spent the next several years in postings all over the continent. After his discharge he returned to the US and headed for Hollywood. An agent saw him in a local play, signed him, and he was on his way. One of his earlier--and more atypical--roles was as a seedy underworld character pulled in for questioning in a cop's murder in the noir classic He Walked by Night (1948), and he played a succession of hotel clerks, bureaucrats, henpecked husbands and the like for the next 40+ years. He did much television work from the mid-'50s onward. Cady resided in Wilsonville, Oregon and at the time of his death had two children; daughter, Catherine Turk; son, Steven; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.- Tall and rangy, usually sporting long mangy hair, and frequently projecting a strong and intense on-screen presence, character actor Luke Askew made a potent and lasting impression playing a substantial volume of mean and fearsome villains in both motion pictures and television shows alike in a career that spanned over forty years.
Askew was born on March 26, 1932 in Macon, Georgia, of English and Scandinavian descent. He first developed an interest in acting towards the end of his high school years. He attended the University of Georgia (where he initially planned on getting a B.A. in Business Administration), Mercer University, and the Walter F. George School of Law. Askew served in the U.S. Air Force in strategic air command intelligence during his college years.
Following college Askew worked as a radio deejay and television announcer prior to beginning his acting career in Off-Broadway stage productions in New York City (Askew lived in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s and kept himself afloat working as a furniture mover). Luke moved to Los Angeles in 1966 and made his film debut in 1967 in "Harry Sundown". Best known as the stranger on the highway in the hippie counterculture cult classic "Easy Rider", Askew's other memorable roles included the redoubtable Boss Paul in "Cool Hand Luke", the peaceful hippie commune leader Jonathan Tremaine in "Angel Unchained", the scary and brutal thug Automatic Slim in the grim revenge thriller "Rolling Thunder", the sleazy coroner Dexter Ward in "The Beast Within," and the no-nonsense Irish gypsy crime lord Boss Jack Costello in "Traveller".
Askew also appeared in a sizable number of Westerns made throughout the 1960s and 1970s: he had a rare lead role in the spaghetti Western "Night of the Serpent" and gave an especially fine performance as tough and stoic veteran cowpoke Luke in the gritty gem "The Culpepper Cattle Co."
Among the many TV series Askew popped up in throughout the years are "The High Chaparral", "Mission: Impossible", "Cannon", "Quincy, M.E.", "The Six Million Dollar Man", "Fantasy Island", "T.J. Hooker", "The Fall Guy", "Airwolf", "Murder, She Wrote", "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Everwood", and "Cold Case". He had a recurring role as the dangerous polygamist Hollis Greene on the acclaimed cable TV program "Big Love".
Askew died at age 80 at his home in Portland, Oregon on March 29, 2012. He was survived by his wife and his son, Christopher, a painter and tattoo artist. - Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Jessica Campbell was born on 30 October 1982 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Election (1999), In the Best Interest of the Children (1992) and Junk (2002). She was married to Daniel Papkin. She died on 29 December 2020 in Portland, Oregon, USA.- In 1957, seven-year-old Stanley Fafara's mother took him to an open casting call for a new television series about a suburban family entitled "Leave It To Beaver." He had been working in commercials and television westerns since the age of four, and was somewhat of an old hand at auditions. He earned the part of "Whitey" Whitney, one of the lead character's best buddies. The show quickly became a hit, giving the young actor a dazzling taste of Hollywood fame and money which he would never forget.
Stanley enjoyed six years on the sitcom, and after the cancellation of "Leave It To Beaver" in 1963, Stanley attended North Hollywood High School. While there, he developed a liking for alcohol and soon learned how to use his fame to his best advantage. He became friendly with the pop-rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders, and reportedly moved in with the band for a time. He discovered hard drugs in the mid-1960s, an unfortunate obsession that would dog him for many years to come.
For a while, at his parents' insistence, he attempted living with his sister in Jamaica, where he tried his hand at painting. But he couldn't abstain from drug use. He returned to Los Angeles at age 22, where he was married briefly. Then, to support himself, he started dealing illegal drugs. Even worse, later he was convicted of breaking into pharmacies, and was sentenced to a year in jail.
After being incarcerated, Stanley tried his hand at being a roofer, waiter and janitor before descending back into drug use, particularly heroin. He was in and out of rehab centers for many years, eventually getting sober in 1995. He managed to turn his life around, and finally conquered his addictions, without any relapses. But, unfortunately, he had already contracted hepatitis C.
Eventually Stanley re-established a relationship with a daughter who he hadn't seen in twenty years, and became close to his nephew, Dez Fafara, of the rock band Coal Chamber. He also kept in contact with other child actors who were in recovery, and helped fellow addicts stay clean and sober. He started a business designing web sites, and was beginning to have some success. At the time of his death he had a flat in Portland's Mark Harfield Building, an apartment complex created for people in recovery from addiction.
Stanley Fafara was given two well-attended funerals. - Mayo Methot was born on 3 March 1904 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Jimmy the Gent (1934), Virtue (1932) and Counsellor at Law (1933). She was married to Humphrey Bogart, Percy Tredegar Morgan Jr. and John M. La Mond. She died on 9 June 1951 in Portland, Oregon, USA.
- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Catherine E. Coulson began her professional association with director David Lynch when she worked as assistant director on Lynch's legendary feature debut Eraserhead (1977). This is when the two began discussing the idea of a woman who carried a log around with her. Coulson spent much of her career working behind-the-scenes before finally bringing the Log Lady to life on Lynch's cult TV series Twin Peaks (1990). The Log Lady was one of the most puzzling and emblematic of the show's characters, and she has ensured Coulson a permanent place in the hearts of cult TV fans.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Joe Sawyer's familiar mug appeared everywhere during the 1930s and 1940s, particularly as a stock player for Warner Bros. in its more standard college musicals, comedies and crime yarns. He could play both sides of the fence, street cops and mob gunmen, with equal ease. He was born Joseph Sauers in Guelph, Canada, on August 29, 1906, and eventually moved to California to pursue a film career. Trained at the Pasadena Playhouse, he had a perfect "tough guy" look: sturdy build, jutting chin and beady eyes, made more distinctive by his shock of light hair and a slightly high-pitched voice. Sawyer made his film debut in 1931 under his real name, which, contrary to popular opinion, was German and not Irish, though he made a career out of playing Irishmen, and appeared mostly in strongarm bit parts in his early career until hitting his stride playing a variety of coaches, cops and sidekicks with imposing names like "Spud," "Slug" and "Whitey." He appeared in hundreds of films, in just about every genre, over a four-decade-long career, among them College Humor (1933), College Rhythm (1934), The Westerner (1934), The Informer (1935), in which his portrayal of an IRA gunman got him noticed by the public and critics alike, Pride of the Marines (1936), Black Legion (1937), The Petrified Forest (1936) (another "tough-guy" role that got him good reviews), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), They Died with Their Boots On (1941), Sergeant York (1941), Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943), Gilda (1946), It Came from Outer Space (1953), North to Alaska (1960) and How the West Was Won (1962). He also guest-starred on many TV series and was a regular on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954) as Sgt. Aloysius "Biff" O'Hara. His first wife was actress Jeane Wood, the daughter of Gone with the Wind (1939) uncredited director Sam Wood. His second wife, June, died in 1960. Sawyer died in Ashland, Oregon, on April 21, 1982 of liver cancer at the age of 75.- Neville Archambault was a member of SAG and AFTRA. Neville was an American, who held dual citizenship with New Zealand, through a "Commonwealth Passport". Neville began his acting career as a boy, working on stage then later on TV and commercials. He took a hiatus from his acting to pursue other interests. Then while living in Mexico, Neville found himself working on a TV series called "Acapulco Bay" and once again, returned to his acting. Neville also speaks Spanish with a Mexican dialect. Outside of his career, he loved spending time with family in Oregon. Neville passed away on August 29, 2022, at the age of 66. Cause of death is unsubstantiated.
- Corinne Camacho was a veteran American television actress and singer-songwriter. After an impressive career in television, spanning nearly four decades, Camacho dedicated the majority of her adult life to being a mother, a life coach, opening hospice centers and writing children's music.
Camacho was born Gloria Angelina Katharina Alletto in New Jersey on October 31, 1941. She studied piano as a child at the Conservatory of Music and Arts, and also in high school. After her family moved to Los Angeles, Camacho started her career as a model in the 1960s, before turning to acting and making her TV debut in 1967. The dark-haired, exotic-looking beauty went on to appear on such television shows as Medical Center (1969), Days of Our Lives (1965), Consenting Adult (1985), Cannon (1971), among others. She had recurring roles on The Rockford Files (1974) and Mannix (1967).
She was married to Drew Michaels and Richard Camacho, and was sometimes credited as Corinne Michaels. She later moved to New Mexico to run a hospice center in the 1990s and became a life coach in Oregon in 2001.
Also a singer, she composed children's music. She released the album "Love Notes & Lullabies" in 2006. She died of cancer at age 68 on September 15, 2010 in Beaverton, Oregon. She is survived by her son, Chris Camacho, her daughter, Gabrielle Yasenchak, and two grandchildren. Camacho's niece is singer and songwriter Zoey Tess. - In 1993, nine year old Jon Paul Steuer was cast in the role of Brett Butler's son Quentin Kelly on the ABC sitcom Grace Under Fire. The pilot episode aired September 29, 1993 with actor Noah Segan playing Quentin. Jon took over the role starting in episode two. During hiatus of the second season, ten year old Jon was cast in Little Giants (1994), a comedy movie co-starring with Sam Horrigan who was then 13 years old. Jon returned to his Grace Under Fire schedule and continued on the show until the end of the third season.
In May 1996, Jon's parents abruptly pulled him from the show saying that they felt the show was not a good environment for their son, citing Brett Butler's substance abuse, frequent rehab admissions and her overt sexual behavior toward 12-year-old Jon. Brett Butler was observed flashing her breasts at him on the set. When Jon left Grace Under Fire in 1996, it was his Little Giants co-star Sam Horrigan who took over the role of Quentin Kelly.
After leaving the show, when Jon interviewed for other acting jobs, he found most casting directors only wanted to question him about what it was like to work with Brett Butler, how it was working on Grace Under Fire set and why he left the show.In April 2015, Jon told an interviewer from the internet-based newspaper website, The A.V. Club, that he thought the behavior of some casting agents was very unprofessional and that he didn't appreciate how the focus during job interviews was on Brett Butler and the show, when he was supposed to be interviewing with them for another job.
It was then that Jon Paul Steuer decided to quit acting altogether. His family moved to Denver Colorado and while finishing high school, Jon worked at several jobs.
In 2003 Jon took the stage name of Jonny P. Jewels, formed the glam punk band Kill City Thrillers with four other musicians and became the lead singer. In 2005, the band changed its name to Soda Pop Kids. The band worked consistently until November 2009 when the group decided to quit.
In 2011, Jon became the fifth member of a Portland-based punk rock group called P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. They performed in nearby states and in 2014, the band went on a European tour. Jon remained with the band until his death.
In March 2015, Jon became partners with chef Sean Sigmon and invested in a vegan restaurant in Portland, Oregon called Harvest At The Bindery. The restaurant thrived for almost three years.
On January 1, 2018, at the age of 33, Jon Paul Steuer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Portland, Oregon. The day after his death, his Harvest At The Bindery restaurant partner closed down the restaurant permanently and on January 3, 2018 it was put up for sale. - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Don Pedro Colley was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to Muriel and Pete Colley. His father played piano, and his mother was active in politics in the area.
Don Pedro attended Klamath Union High School. He was active in athletics, playing football, especially enjoying track and field. He tried out for the 1960 Olympics in discus, placing 6th. Don Pedro attended University of Oregon, studying architecture.
He became interested in acting by accident, after joining some friends for a play rehearsal.
Some of his better known roles include Gideon on Daniel Boone, Ongaro in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, SRT in George Lucas' THX 1138, Joshua in The Legend of Nigger Charley, and his most memorable role as Sheriff Little in the 1980's TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.
Up until his death he remained very active and made several guest appearances at conventions, festivals, and Dukes events worldwide. You could follow his appearance schedule on his Official Website www.donpedrocolley.net.
His last major appearance was during "Cooter's Last Stand 2017" in Luray, VA, July 29 & 30th, where he joined remaining cast members for the last Official Dukesfest event.
Don passed away peacefully in his sleep after a year long battle with cancer at the Skylakes Medical center October 11, 2017.- Former NFL defensive linesman who played with the Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos from 1971 through to 1991. Alzado amassed a string of prestigious achievements in his NFL career including being named ABC's 1977 Defensive Player of The Year and Defensive Linesman of the Year, plus he was a key player in the Los Angeles Raiders' Super Bowl victory over the Washington Redskins in 1983. He even flirted with the idea of becoming a professional boxer and fought eight rounds in an exhibition match with Muhammad Ali. At his peak, the fiery Alzado stood around 6' 3" and weighed in at approximately 255 pounds; however, after a failed comeback attempt to the NFL in 1991, he admitted long term steroid abuse.
When not on the football field, Lyle's macho image helped him land roles in movies, television shows and commercials. His movie roles primarily consisted of Alzado playing tough guys, enforcers or similar hard cases such as in Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Destroyer (1988), Shocktroop (1988) and Comrades in Arms (1991). In addition, Alzado was known to have a good sense of humor. When Johnny Carson had him as a guest on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) in 1986 and implied that he was over the hill, Alzado responded by saying "I can still kick your a--".
While no conclusive link was ever established, Alzado was sure that his steroid abuse caused the brain tumor that eventually took his life. He never drank, smoked or used recreational drugs during his life and stated that steroids were the only questionable thing he put into his body. After years of denying steroid abuse, he finally came clean and used his admission to try and help prevent younger people from making the same mistakes that he had made. He passed away aged only 43 on May 14th, 1992 at his home in Portland, Oregon. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Edna Skinner and her friend Jean Fish retired to the southern Oregon coast in the 1970s after both had led colorful lives and rewarding careers in everything from Hollywood movies to outdoor writing, gathering up innumerable interests and friends along the way. Settling in the North Bend/Coos Bay area, they built a house on the bay in the shape of a big boat, and restored a pioneer-era store into a popular antique shop and cafe in the nearby town of Lakeside. To this day, Edna and Jean are fondly remembered for their enthusiasm in both communities, and many people treasure memories of their annual open house in North Bend to share their prized antiques and latest acquisitions, and to talk about the home. Edna's 1978 book "The Heart of Lakeside" is available at local libraries, and sometimes found at local used bookstores or garage sales. In a quaint and often flowery style, it chronicles the colorful history of Lakeside, including a few Indian tales and some recollections of its heyday as a getaway for Hollywood celebrities. Ever the civic booster, Edna proclaimed all proceeds from the book would go into a savings account in a local bank for "nonpolitical" projects and purposes. In the book's Forward, she writes that it was a "labor of love and insatiable curiosity." Even though there were still a few old-timers around in the 1970s to share stories of the early days, she diplomatically points out that facts are often "enlarged" by the teller, and that the retelling sometimes encourages imagination. The book has many old, grainy and not well reproduced photos, with interesting tidbits of information in the captions. There are stories about how places got their names; one interesting Indian tale explains how each arm of the sprawling, twin bodies of water known as Ten Mile Lakes was the domain of a different spirit-animal. In a section called "Welcome" near the book's end, Edna shares some biographical information about herself and Jean, often writing about herself in the third person: She explains that she and Jean were of retirement age, their husbands and parents gone. Lifelong career women, Jean was part of a famed restaurant family, then gained fame herself as a model and fashion designer. She married a minister and together they had a son. Edna doesn't mention how she and Jean met. Edna writes that she was "teethed" in early life in Oregon when her father came to purchase logs for the paper mills in the small town of Fulton, New York. As a child the loggers and her grandfather took her fishing, even though she was an asthmatic child, and thought to never survive until adulthood. "Nature" with a capital 'N' was and is her therapy and survival, she writes. She doesn't share the hows and wheres of it, but she "became" a very well known actress and writer, starring in Broadway's legendary "Oklahoma" and other plays. She writes that she was also well known in World War II for organizing rallies to raise funds presumably through War Bond sales, eventually bringing in $38 million. Again without providing any details, she writes that her life took her to a ranch in Montana where she "enjoyed the hard work." Just as abruptly, she turns up in Hollywood, where she recalls being in such films as "Easy to Love," "Long, Long Trailer," and "Friendly Persuasion," along with over 48 TV films. She also mentions her several seasons in "Topper,"' "Gildersleeve" and finally "Mr. Ed" where she starred for over four years. She writes that she "retired with grace when the sophisticated and elegant comedy world drifted away." According to her book, for the next nine years she and her sister Ann were the first women field editors for an outdoor sports publication, and the two also became famous as the Skinner Sisters, appearing at major sport shows through the U.S. and Canada and, representing two large tackle companies. Along the way they presumably made trips along Oregon's beautiful South Coast, enjoying the many fresh and saltwater fishing opportunities, among other things. And so it was that Edna and her friend Jean retired there and lived out their lives. Edna was always proud of her Hollywood achievements, even though she probably would've liked to be remembered for her more dramatic roles than for Mr. Ed. But that's what most people "knew her from," and it especially tickled local youngsters in the 1970s and '80s that "Mr. Ed's noisy neighbor" was still alive and kicking and living right there in North Bend.- Jessi Combs was born in the Black Hills of Rapid City, South Dakota. With a lifelong desire to become a race-car driver, this fearless young lady found a love for speed and its machines at a very young age. Her family explored everything around them and gave her a solid appreciation for off-roading as well as racing in many forms. In addition to her love for everything automotive, Jessi is somewhat of an artist and spends as much time as she can creating with her own hands. She loves metal-working, leather-craft, and photography, and can make almost anything anyone can dream up. She is an independent and adventurous spirit.
After turning down a full scholarship to a prominent interior-design school, she traveled North America before settling in Denver, Colorado to pursue a snowboarding career. This proved to be more painfully demanding physically than she had anticipated, and she changed to a career that involved her love for the throttle pedal and showcased her artistic abilities. She moved to Laramie, Wyoming to attend WyoTech, where she studied Collision/Refinishing, Chassis Fabrication, Street Rod Fabrication, and Trim/Upholstery. She graduated at the top of her class with a degree in Custom Automotive Fabrication.
Her time and involvement at the trade school led to her first fabrication job when the marketing department hired her and another student, Ben Bright, to build a car from the ground up in 6 months to debut at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association's (SEMA) show. The car was auctioned for charity and Ms. Combs hasn't looked back since.
While her chosen career path didn't initially include time on television, she found herself on "Overhaulin'" as a guest fabricator and was soon hired as the co-host of Xtreme 4x4, part of the Powerblock on Spike TV, a position she held for four years and 90+ episodes. She and co-host Ian Johnson built everything from race trucks to street trucks, and trail rigs to trailers, for an audience of millions.
In a widely-publicized yet unexplainable accident in 2007, while working in the studio, Jessi was folded in two by a large piece of machinery that had fallen on her and burst, fracturing her spine's L3. The accident should have left her wheelchair-bound, but after 8 months of surgery, bed rest, therapy, and help from God, Jessi was granted full medical release. Appreciative of her health and her time with Xtreme 4x4, Jessi chose to move on with her career and in 2008 she left the show in pursuit of other opportunities.
The next year was full of appearances on shows like "2 Guys Garage", "TruckU", "SEMA Show Special", "DuplicolorTV", "Full Throttle TV", "Pirate4x4 TV Live", and "Bosch 125." Her on-screen personality took shape as she honed her skills as a TV host while maintaining her integrity as a metal fabricator, builder, and industrial artist. In 2009 she appeared as a host and builder on the 7th season of "Mythbusters", filling in while Kari Byron went on maternity leave.
Recently, the Velocity Channel has been her home for television; she could be found on "All Girls Garage" and "Overhaulin'"s 2011 return to TV as a host and 'A-Team'-hybrid member. She can be seen on "The List: 1001 Car Things To Do Before You Die" on AOL's autoblog.com, also airing on the Velocity.
The training associated with these programs has allowed Jessi to become a performance driver for the film and commercial world. She has driven everything from super cars to monster trucks, relics to rally cars, hot rods, two wheels, four wheels and even at times, no wheels. Stunt driving has opened a whole new passion into the arena of possibilities between woman and machine for Jessi.
When it comes to competitive driving, Combs feels right at home in the driver seat. She has raced Ultra4's King of the Hammers in 2010, 2012, 2013, taking home a spec class win in 2014 as the first female to ever place at any Ultra4 event; she pressed on and wrapped up the season with the National Championship. Finishing the Baja 1000 is winning, although in 2011 taking home a class 10 podium finish is a true landmark in her racing resume. The North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger added Jessi to the team for the 2013 attempt to break the 512 mph Women's Landspeed World record made in 1976 by Kitty O'Neil; to date, Jessi is the fastest woman on 4-wheels holding a record of 398 mph with a top speed of 440 mph (the team remains in pursuit for her to become The Fastest Woman on Earth). In early 2015 she competed in the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, a 9-day all-female rally race that only uses 1960 hand-drawn maps and compasses; they pulled 10th place overall and a first-place finish in the First Participation category. The Race of Gentleman, held by the longstanding Oilers car club, invited Jessi as the first woman to compete in their carnival event by racing a 1913 twin-engine Model T down the beach; her ability to handle any situation with any car will forever be in the history books.
Jessi is proud of the relationships she has fostered throughout her career and she continues to represent many companies as a brand representative as well as a product expert. These relationships coupled with her skills provided her the opportunity to develop a woman's line of welding gear (PPE) with Lincoln Electric in order to fill the demand and growth of ladies in the industry. Jessi has joined 8 years of epic 4-wheeling journeys with Warn Industries and proceeds to spread the word about their proven quality with the rest of the world. As a hands on builder, aligning with establishments such as CRC and Industrial Metal Supply only help her mission to express to others what woman are capable of in the shop.
Not known for sitting still, this fast-paced girl is also working on starting her own metal fab shop. - Director
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A hard-working director throughout his long and varied career, Robert Clouse was best-known for his two most successful films: Enter the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978). Born in 1928, he was a director. After being hired by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest to direct Enter the Dragon (1973), Clouse was escalated into the realm of profitable directors. But, unlike others in this category, doors in Hollywood were not entirely open to him. In 1974, he was hired to direct Black Belt Jones (1974) for Warner Brothers Pictures. The film proved to be a moderate success.
In 1978, Clouse returned to Hong Kong where he was hired by Golden Harvest's Raymond Chow to direct a comeback movie for Martial Artist Bruce Lee, despite the fact that Lee had died five years earlier. Clouse was given the incomplete footage from Lee's original version of Game of Death, but decided that only a small amount of this footage should be used (mainly because the original film's plot had been re-created countless times in Hong Kong cinema since Lee's death). With the help of Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and Robert Wall, among others, Clouse shot several Bruce Lee lookalikes and stand-ins as well as cutting back to footage from other Lee movies and, of course, the original Game of Death takes. Clouse was never able to match the success of his two Lee films later in his career. He died in 1997, aged 68.- Morgan Paull was born on 15 December 1944 in West Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Blade Runner (1982), Patton (1970) and Centennial (1978). He was married to Jenny Elam, April, Carmen Nelson and Gaye Huston. He died on 17 July 2012 in Ashland, Oregon, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Moultrie Patten was born on 10 June 1919 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Free Willy (1993), The Favor (1994) and Northern Exposure (1990). He was married to Parker McCormick, Miriam Ryan, Margaret Lucille Hall and Teena Patten. He died on 18 March 2009 in Beaverton, Oregon, USA.