Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002
This page intentionally left blank
Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002 ...
1486 downloads
2459 Views
7MB Size
Report
This content was uploaded by our users and we assume good faith they have the permission to share this book. If you own the copyright to this book and it is wrongfully on our website, we offer a simple DMCA procedure to remove your content from our site. Start by pressing the button below!
Report copyright / DMCA form
Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002
This page intentionally left blank
Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002 Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture by
HARRIS M. LENTZ, III
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
Front cover, clockwise from top left: LaWanda Page, Dudley Moore, Rosemary Clooney, Billy Wilder.
ISSN ¡087-96¡7 / ISBN 0-7864-¡6-2 (softcover : 50# alkaline paper)
©2003 Harris M. Lentz, III. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com
To the memory of those friends and family lost during 2002 — Dominic J. Cara, III, Sam Lobianco, Lynn Wiggins, Marie Daniels, Margaret Davis, Robert Canerdy Dal Coger, David Yellin, and Barbara Lawing; and also to stars Irish McCalla, Lucille Lund, Jeff Corey, John Agar and Kim Hunter
This page intentionally left blank
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Kent Nelson, Dale Warren, Dr. Mark Heffington, Anne Taylor, Andy Branham, John Nelson, Richard Allynwood, Frank de Azpillaga, Irv Jacobs, Bill Warren, Bob Cuneo, Alun Jones, Marty Baumann, Trinity Houston, Joy Martin, Denise Tansil, John Janovich, Jake Miller, Blaine Lester, Monica Whitsitt, Kate Branford, Mason Grace, Dave Ruble, Karen Lavaudais, Jay Morris, the fine folks at J. Alexanders, the Memphis Film Festival, the gang at AOL’s Classic Horror Film Board, Tommy Gattas, James Gattas, the University of Memphis Library and the Memphis and Shelby County Public Libraries.
I greatly appreciate the assistance of my good friend, Carla Clark, and my mother, Helene Lentz. Special thanks also go to Bob King at Classic Images, for granting permission to use information from my columns, and to the people at Jerry Ohlinger’s for assistance in acquiring many of the photographs appearing herein. Also, thanks to Anne Howard, Rosa Burnett and the staff at State Technical Institute library, Tom Weaver, Fred Davis, Andrew I. Porter, Forrest J Ackerman, Mike Fitzgerald, John Beifuss, Eric Rohr, Ray Neilson, John Whyborn, Boyd Magers, Larry Tauber, Andrew “Captain Comics” Smith, Nikki and Jimmy Walker, Tony Pruitt, Greg Bridges, Bobby Mathews,
vii
This page intentionally left blank
TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Reference Bibliography 3 The 2002 Obituaries
ix
5
This page intentionally left blank
INTRODUCTION The year 2002 saw the passing of numerous show business celebrities and pop culture icons. Legendary comedian Milton Berle, Oscar-winning actor Rod Steiger, singers Rosemary Clooney and Peggy Lee, country music legend Waylon Jennings, television star Robert Urich, The Who’s John Entwistle, The Clash’s Joe Strummer, and two of The Magnificent Seven— James Coburn & Brad Dexter — all died during the year. Harry Potter’s Professor Dumbledore — Richard Harris, Lost in Space’s Dr. Smith — Jonathan Harris and Rumpole of the Bailey Leo McKern are included in this year’s edition. Leading film directors Billy Wilder, John Frankenheimer, and George Roy Hill, and serial director William Witney also passed on, as did many prominent producers and directors of science fiction and horror films — Herman Cohen, Albert Band, Andre De Toth, Jerry Gross, Louis “Deke” Heyward, Nathan Juran, Antonio Margheriti, and Sidney Pink. Fifties sci-fi film leading men John Agar and Kenneth Tobey, and Robot Monster star George Nader are also within these pages. Also dead in 2002 were British comedians Dudley Moore and Spike Milligan, Monty Python director Ian MacNaughton, hip-hop DJ Jam Master Jay and punk rocker Dee Dee Ramone, jazz musician Lionel Hampton, and gospel music pioneer James Blackwood. Numerous leading ladies died during the year including Kim Hunter, Katy Jurado, Whitney
Blake, Mary Brian, Peggy Moran, Hildegarde Knef, Phyllis Calvert, Signe Hasso, Adele Jergens, Nobu McCarthy, Lucille Lund, as did character actors Harold Russell, Parley Baer, Eddie Bracken, Ted Ross, Judson Pratt, Michael Bryant, Jeff Corey, Maurice Manson, Keene Curtis, Maurice Denham, Dennis Patrick, James Gregory, Jack Kruschen, Guy Stockwell, Lawrence Tierney. The dwindling ranks of Our Gang is short four more members with the passings of Joe Cobb, Darwood Kaye, Jacquie Lyn, and Jay R. Smith. The world of soap operas lost Barbara Berjer, Nancy Addison, Don Chastain, Dennis Cooney, Joshua Ryan Evans and Mary Stuart. Both creators of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp— Stan Burns and Mike Marmer — died during the year, as did Warner Brothers’ animation legend Chuck Jones, Disney animator Ward Kimball, Rocky and Bullwinkle animator Tex Henson, George of the Jungle song composer Sheldon Allman, Mad magazine cartoonist Dave Berg, and comic books artists John Buscema, Robert Kanigher, and Kurt Schaffenberger. The world of sports lost television sports executive Roone Arledge and sportscasters Jack Buck and Chick Hearn, and sports entertainment witnessed the passing of wrestling legends Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Moose Cholak, Flyboy Rocco Rock and Davey Boy Smith. The world of music lost numerous songwriters including Otis Blackwell (“Great Balls of Fire”), Mickey Newberry
1
Introduction (“An American Trilogy”), Norbert Schultze (“Lili Marleen”), and Sharon Sheeley (“Poor Little Fool”). Other deaths include cult film star Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith, exploitation film director Doris Wishman, Playboy playmate Elisa Bridges and adult film stars Linda Lovelace and Naughtia Childs. 2002 also saw the passing of Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner and Dr. Mabuse star Wolfgang Preiss, Xena’s Ares — Kevin Smith, Get Christie Love star Teresa Graves, Today show creator Pat Weaver, veteran newscaster Howard K. Smith, Northern Exposure’s Ruth-Anne — Peg Phillips, Sanford and Son’s Aunt Esther — LaWanda Page, My Mother, the Car villain Avery Schreiber, Mr. Belvedere creator Gwen Davenport, Cassandra “Mrs. Greenthumbs” Danz, People’s Court bailiff Rusty Burrell, Hawaii 5O’s Kam Fong, TV Guide founder Walter Annenberg, advice columnist Ann Landers, science fiction writers George Alec Effinger, Damon Knight, R.A. Lafferty, and Jerry Sohl, dinosaur expert Stephen Jay Gould, Kon-Tiki explorer Thor Heyerdahl, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle— Irish McCalla, and many more. This book provides a single source that notes the deaths of all major, and many minor, figures in the fields of film, television, cartoons, theatre, music and popular literature. The obituaries within this volume contain pertinent details of deaths including date, place and cause, of 752 celebrities. Biographical information and career highlights and achievements are also provided. I have also included
2 a complete-as-possible filmography for film and television performers. Most obituaries are followed by citations to major newspapers and periodical stories reporting the death. A photograph has been included for many of the individuals. I have been writing obituaries of film personalities for over twenty years, beginning with a column in Forry Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland in the late 1970s. Many of the film obituaries in the present work are taken from my monthly column in Classic Images (P.O. Box 809, Muscatine, IA 52761), a newspaper devoted to classic films and their performers. Information on the passing of the individuals found in this volume has been gathered from a myriad of sources. Primary sources, as previously noted are listed in the individual bibliographies, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Times (of London), The Washington Post, Variety, Time, People, TV Guide and Newsweek. Other sources include Boyd Mager’s Western Clippings, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, The Hollywood Reporter, The (Manchester) Guardian, The Comics Buyer’s Guide, Locus, Science Fiction Chronicle, Pro Wrestling Torch, Psychotronic Video, The Comics Journal and Facts on File. Several sources on the internet have also been helpful, including Celebrity Obits (http://www/voy.com/ 60649/), Famous Deaths — Week in Review (http://famousdeaths.150m.com/WeekInReview.Main.html) and the Internet Movie Database, Ltd. (http://us.imdb.com/).
REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY DeLong, Thomas A. Radio Stars. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1996. Dimmitt, Richard Bertrand. An Actors Guide to the Talkies. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1967. Two Volumes. Erickson, Hal. Television Cartoon Shows. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1995. Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, 1940–1949. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994. _____. Feature Films, 1950–1959. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999. _____. Sound Films, 1927–1939. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1992. Fisher, Dennis. Horror Films Directors, 1931–1990. Jefferson, NC : McFarland, 1991. Hunter, Allan, ed. Chambers Concise Encyclopedia of Film and Television. New York: W & R. Chambers Ltd., 1991. Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia, 2d ed. New York: HarperPerennial, 1994. Malloy, Alex G., ed. Comic Book Artists. Radnor, Penn.: Wallace-Homestead, 1993. Maltin, Leonard, ed. Movie and Video Guide 1995. New York: Signet Books, 1994. Marill, Alvin H. Movies Made for Television. Westport, CT: Arlington House, 1980. Mathis, Jack. Republican Confidential, Vol. 2: The Players. Barrington, IL: Jack Mathis Advertising, 1992.
Books The Academy Players Directory. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, 1978–2001. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1911–20. Patricia King Hansen, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1921–30. Kenneth W. Munden, ed. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1971. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1931–40. Patricia King Hansen, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, 1961–70. Richard P. Krafsur, ed.. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1976. Brooks, Tim. The Complete Directory of Prime Time TV Stars. New York : Ballantine Books, 1987. Brown, Les. The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television. New York : Times Books, 1977. Bushnell, Brooks. Directors and Their Films. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1993. Chilton, John. Who’s Who of Jazz. Philadelphia, PA: Chilton Book, 1972. Contemporary Authors. Detroit: Gale Research, various editions.
3
Introduction McNeil, Alex. Total Television. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. Monaco, James. Who’s Who in American Film Now. New York: Zoetrobe, 1988. Nash, Jay Robert, and Stanley Ralph Ross. The Motion Picture Guide. 10 vols. Chicago; Cinebooks, 1985. Nowlan, Robert A. & Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan. The Films of the Eighties. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. Oliviero, Jeffrey. Motion Picture Players’ Credits. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. Parrish, James Robert. Actors’ Television Credits 1950–1972. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1973. _____. Film Actors Guide: Western Europe. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1977. Pink, Sidney. So You Want To Make Movies: My Life as an Independent Film Producer. Sarasota, Florida; Pineapple Press, 1989. Price, Victoria. Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography. New York; St. Martin’s Press, 1999. Ragan, David. Who’s Who in Hollywood, 1900– 1976. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1976. Rovin, Jeff. The Fabulous Fantasy Films. South Bunswick, NJ: A.S. Barnes, 1977. Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, 1937–1973. New York: Zoetrobe, 1986. _____. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, 1974–1984. New York : Zoetrobe, 1986.
4 Walker, John, ed. Halliwell’s Filmgoer’s and Video Viewer’s Companion, 10th Edition. New York: HarperPerennial, 1993. Watson, Elena M. Television Horror Movie Hosts. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. Weaver, Tom. Attack of the Monster Movie Makers: Interviews with 20 Genre Giants. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994. _____. Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1988. _____. It Came from Weaver Five: Interviews with 20 Zany, Glib and Earnest Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Traditions of the Thirties, Forties, Fifties and Sixties. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994. _____. Monsters, Mutants and Heavenly Creatures. Baltimore, MD: Midnight Marquee Press, 1996. _____. Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks. Jefferson, NC.: McFarland, 1998. _____. Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991. _____. They Fought in the Creature Features: Interviews with 23 Classic Horror, Science Fiction and Serial Stars. Jefferson, NC : McFarland, 1994. Who’s Who in the World. Chicago: Marquis Who’s Who, various editions. Willis, John, ed. Screen World. New York : Crown Publishers, 1958–2001.
OBITUARIES IN THE PERFORMING ARTS, 2002
Obituaries • 2002
Aayer, Abetha Leading Broadway actress Abetha Aayer died of a stroke in New York City on May 10, 2002. Aayer began her career on stage in the late 1940s after studying with Sandy Meisner. She appeared in numerous theatrical productions including Grease, Medea, Born Yesterday and The Way of the World. Aayer also appeared in television in commercials and soap operas.
Abady, Josephine Theatrical producer and director Josephine Abady died of breast cancer at her home in Manhattan on May 25, 2002. She was 52. Abady was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1950. She began directing theatrical productions at the Berkshire Theater Festival and received acclaim for her OffBroadway production of The Boys Next Door. She subsequently served as artistic director with the Cleveland Playhouse. She was relieved of her po-
Josephine Abady
6 sition six years later and became director of Broadway’s Circle in the Square theater. She received a Tony Award nomination for producing a revival of Bus Stop in 1996. Abady also produced the 1994 independent short film To Catch a Tiger, scripted by her husband Michael Krawitz, and starring her sister, Carolin Aaron. Abady produced several plays during the year before her death including Abyssinia and Wit. New York Times, May 30, 2002, A23; Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Adamson, Peter British actor Peter Adamson, who starred as councillor Len Fairclough on the popular television series Coronation Street from 1961 to 1983, died of stomach cancer in a Lincoln, England, hospital on January 17, 2002. He was 71. Adamson was born in Liverpool, England, on February 16, 1930. He had previously appeared on British television in the Granada series Skyport and Knight Errant. He was also featured in the 1967 film Violent Love. Adamson’s 22 year stint with Coronation Street ended after a high-profile trial acquitted him of charges of assault in 1983. He subsequently appeared in several stage productions. Times (of London), Jan. 21, 2002, 17a.
Peter Adamson
7
2002 • Obituaries
Addison, Nancy Actress Nancy Addison Altman died after a long illness with cancer on June 20, 2002. She was 54. Addison was born in New York City on March 21, 1948. Best known for her roles in television soap operas, Addison starred as Kit Vested on The Guiding Light from 1970 to 1974, and was Jillian Coleridge Ryan on Ryan’s Hope from 1975 to 1988. She also appeared as Marissa Rampal on All My Children (1989) and as Deborah Brester Alden in Loving from 1993 to 1995 and The City in 1995. Addison starred in the 1978 television mini-series Dashiel Hammett’s The Dain Curse, and the 1988 telefilm Baby M. She was also seen in the 1983 film Somewhere Tomorrow and several episodes of Law & Order.
John Agar
Nancy Addison
Agar, John Leading actor John Agar died at a Burbank, California, hospital after a long illness with emphysema on April 7, 2002. He was 81. Agar was born in Chicago on January 31, 1921. He began his career in Hollywood after serving in the military during World War II. Agar was married to former child star Shirley Temple from 1946 until 1949. He made his film debut in John Ford’s Fort Apache (1948), and continued to appear in such films as She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Sands
of Iwo Jima (1949), I Married a Communist (1949), Adventure in Baltimore (1949), Breakthrough (1950), Along the Great Divide (1951), The Magic Carpet (1951), Woman of the North Country (1952), Man of Conflict (1953), The Golden Mistress (1954), Shield for Murder (1954), The Rocket Man (1954), Bait (1954), The Lonesome Trail (1955) and Hold Back Tomorrow (1955). Though problems with alcohol damaged his career in the 1950s, Agar was well known for his starring roles in several science fiction and horror films from the 1950s including Revenge of the Creature (1955), Tarantula (1955), The Mole People (1956), Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957), The Brain from Planet Arous (1957), Attack of the Puppet People (1958), Invisible Invaders (1959), Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) and Hand of Death (1962). His other film credits include Star in the Dust (1956), Ride a Violent Mile (1957), Joe Butterfly (1957), Flesh and the Spur (1957), Frontier Gun (1958), Jet Attack (1958), Raymie (1960), Fall Girl (1961), Of Love and Desire (1963), Cavalry Command (1963), The Young and the Brave (1963), Law of the Lawless (1964), Stage to Thunder Rock (1964), Young Fury (1965), Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966), Waco (1966), Johnny Reno (1966), Zontar, the Thing from Venus (1966), Curse of the Swamp Creature (1966), The St. Valentine’s
Obituaries • 2002 Day Massacre (1967), Night Fright (1967), Hell Raiders (1968), The Undefeated (1969), Big Jake (1971), How’s Your Love Life? (1972), Dino DeLaurentiis’ King Kong (1976), Divided We Fall (1980), Mr. No Legs (1981), Attack of the B-Movie Monster (1985), Perfect Victims (1988), Miracle Mile (1989), Clive Barker’s Nightbreed (1990), and The Vampire Hunters Club (2001). He also narrated the video documentary series 100 Years of Horror and was featured in the telefilms Fear (1990), The Perfect Bride (1991), Invasion of Privacy (1992) and John Carpenter Presents Body Bags (1983). His other television credits include episodes of The Gale Storm Show, Perry Mason, Rawhide, Death Valley Days, Lawman, Bat Masterson, The Virginian, Branded, Hondo, Combat!, Family Affair, Police Story, Charlie’s Angels, Highway to Heaven and the new Twilight Zone. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 2002, B11; New York Times, Apr. 10, 2002, B8; Time, Apr. 22, 2002, 18; Times (of London), Apr. 11, 2002, 35b; Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84.
Akers, Andra Actress Andra Akers died in Los Angeles on March 20, 2002. She was 58. She began her career on the New York stage, and performed with the touring company of Stephen Sondheim’s Lit-
Andra Akers
8 tle Night Music. She moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, where she was featured in several films including Murder a la Mod (1968), The Wedding Party (1969), Moment by Moment (1978), Odd Jobs (1984), E Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind (1984), Desert Hearts (1985), Just Between Friends (1986), and Nothing in Common (1986). She was also seen in the telefilms Barry Manilow’s Copacabana (1985) and Killer in the Mirror (1986). Her other television credits include episodes of Charlie’s Angels, Rafferty, Taxi, Hart to Hart, Voyagers!, and Remington Steele.
Alberts, Anita Actress Anita Alberts died of lung cancer at her Los Angeles home on September 28, 2002. She was 58. The daughter of famed society photographer Sergis Alberts, she worked as an editor at Mademoiselle magazine before she began acting in the late 1960s. She appeared in several films including The Sterile Cuckoo (1969) and House Calls (1978), and was featured on television in episodes of Hawaii Five-O and Cannon. She later became a leading public relations executive, handling such events as the Miss America Junior Pageant.
Anita Alberts
9
Allen, Bunny Bunny Allen, the last of the Great White Hunters of East Africa, died on Lamu Island, Kenya, on January 14, 2002. He was 95. He was born Frank Maurice Allen in London, England, on April 17, 1906. Allen went to Kenya in 1927 where he soon became a hunting guide. Working with Denys Finch Hatton and Baron Bror von Blixen, he took part in several royal safaris in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Allen gained a reputation as one of the finest hunters in Kenya. He served in the King’s 6th African Rifles in Madagascar during World War II. He remained one of the region’s most popular safari guides after the war, attracting such clients as Prince Aly Khan. He also became involved in the motion picture business as a location manager for various jungle epics in the early 1950s. He was an advisor on the sets of such films as King Solomon’s Mines (1950), Where No Vultures Fly (1951), and The African Queen (1951). He was technical advisor to John Ford’s 1953 film Mogambo, and also served as Clark Gable’s stunt double during scenes that involved dangerous animals. During the filming Allen also had affairs with the film’s two leading ladies, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly. He continued to conduct hunting safaris until the practice was banned by Kenya in the mid–1970s. Allen remained in Kenya, often conducting sight-seeing tours for guests until the early 1990s, when he retired to the island of Lamu. Allen was the subject of a 1996 documentary, A Gypsy in Africa, and his autobiography was anthologized as The Wheel of Life in 2002. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 4, 2002, B9; New York Times, Feb. 16, 2002, A17.
2002 • Obituaries nese Bookie. She was the widow of actor Danny Dayton who died in 1999.
Allison, Joe Songwriter Joe Allison died of lung disease in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital on August 2, 2002. He was 77. Allison was born on October 3, 1924, in McKinney, Texas, where he began his career as a radio disc jockey. He moved to Nashville in the late 1940s, having already written Tex Ritter’s popular song “When You Leave, Don’t Slam the Door” several years earlier. Allison also wrote the songs “It’s a Great Life” and “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young,” which were hit recordings for Faron Young. Jim Reeves recorded Allison’s ballad “He’ll Have to Go” in 1960. His songs were also recorded by such artists as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline and Roy Clark. Allison was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1978. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 2002, B18; People, Aug. 19, 2002, 71; Times (of London), Aug. 6, 2002, 27b.
Allison, Arlene Actress and singer Arlene L. Dayton, who performed under the name Arlene Allison, died in Los Angeles on January 6, 2002. She was 68. She began her career as a singer on New York radio at the age of 8. She later performed with the Allison Sisters in films, television and nightclub acts. She began working as a person manager for show business personalities in the late 1960s. Allison also was featured in several films by John Cassavettes including 1976’s The Killing of a Chi-
Joe Allison
Obituaries • 2002
Allman, Sheldon Character actor and singer Sheldon Allman died of heart failure at his Culver City, California, home on January 22, 2002. He was 77. Allman was born in Chicago on June 8, 1924. Raised in Canada, Allman began singing with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. After the war he moved to Los Angeles to study at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. He began appearing in films in the late 1950s including such features as Inside the Mafia (1959), The Final Hour (1962), Hud (1963) with Paul Newman, The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) with John Wayne, Nevada Smith (1966), Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood (1967) and Joniko and the Kush Ta Ta (1969) as the narrator. Allman starred as Norm Miller in the 1964 television sitcom Harris Against the World, and was Quinn in the 1975 television series Adams of Eagle Lake. He was also seen in the telefilms Hunter (1973), Miles to Go Before I Sleep (1975) and The Man with the Power (1977), and episodes of 77 Sunset Strip, The Restless Gun, Gunsmoke, Twilight Zone, Maverick, Death Valley Days, Cheyenne, The Rebel, Bronco, The Untouchables, The Dakotas, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Temple Houston, My Favorite Martian, The Fugitive, Daniel Boone, Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, Garrison’s Gorillas, Little House on the Prairie and Next Step Beyond. As a songwriter,
Sheldon Allman
10 Allman worked on such cartoon series as Tom Slick, Super Chicken and George of the Jungle. He also composed songs for the Mister Ed television series. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 2002, B12; New York Times, Feb. 3, 2002, 37; Variety, Jan. 28, 2002, 55.
Alward, Jennifer Television producer Jennifer Alward died of complications from diabetes and heart disease at her Los Angeles home on September 18, 2002. She was 53. She began working in films as a press agent before joining the standards and practices department of CBS. She served as producer of numerous telefilms from the mid–1980s including Thompson’s Last Run (1986), Family of Spies (1990), Baby Snatcher (1992), Poisoned by Love: The Kern County Murders (1993), David’s Mother (1994), Web of Deception (1994), Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story (1995), A Kiss So Deadly (1996), Daughters (1997), Black and Blue (1999), The Chippendales Murder (2000), and A Mother’s Fight for Justice (2001). Alward also produced the 1987 feature Hearts of Fire star-
Jennifer Alward
11
2002 • Obituaries
ring Bob Dylan, and was a consultant on the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26, 2002, B12; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 66.
Amati, Edmondo Italian film director Edmondo Amati died in Italy of May 5, 2002. He was 82. Amati produced numerous exploitation films from the mid–1960s including the spaghetti westerns Five Thousand Dollars on One Ace (1965), Two Gangsters in the Wild West (1965), $100,000 for Ringo (1965), For a Few Extra Dollars (1967), Any Gun Can Play (1967), Your Turn to Die (1967), and Django Shoots First (1967). His other films include Master Stroke (1966), The Mafia Against Al Capone (1966), Fuller Report (1967), Crazy Kids of the War (1967), How to Steal the Crown of England (1967), Kill Me with Kisses (1968), Man Only Cries for Love (1968), Go Kill Everybody and Come Back Alone (1968), The Insatiables (1969), Attack Force Normandy (1969), One on Top of the Other (1969), The Sensuous Assassin (1970), Eagles Over London (1970), When Women Played Ding Dong (1971), A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971), In the Name of the Italian People (1971), Three Musketeers of the West 1972), The Crimes of the Black Cat (1972), The Eroticist (1972), Stardust (1973), Don’t Open the Window (1973), White Fang to the Rescue (1974), Come Home and Meet My Wife (1974), Sins in the Family (1975), We Are No Angles (1975), At Last, at Last (1975), The Last Woman (1976), Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (1976), Sex Diary (1976), Evil Thoughts (1976), Holocaust 2000 (1977), and From Hell to Victory (1979).
Stephen Ambrose
his career, many concerning World War II, but also on such subjects as the Lewis and Clark expeditions, Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, and the American West. Ambrose was also a consultant on Steven Spielberg’s 1998 hit film Saving Private Ryan. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 14, 2002, B9; New York Times, Oct. 14, 2002, B7; People, Oct. 28, 2002, 82; Times (of London), Oct. 14, 2002, S8c; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Ambrose, Stephen
Amestoy, Michel
Stephen E. Ambrose, the best-selling World War II historian whose book Band of Brothers was adapted by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks into a cable television mini-series in 2001, died of lung cancer in a Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, hospital on October 13, 2002. He was 66. Ambrose was born in Decatur, Illinois, on January 10, 1936. A history professor, he became nationally known for his best-selling book, D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II in 1994. He authored nearly 30 other popular histories during
Documentary film writer Michel Francois Amestoy died at his Los Angeles home on April 3, 2002. He was 91. Amestoy began working in films while serving in the First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps. He wrote the army training film Safeguarding Military Information, which was shown theatrically in the United States. He wrote numerous documentaries during his career, covering such subjects as California missions, India, and conservation. Variety, Aug. 5, 2002, 36.
Obituaries • 2002
12
Anders, Rod Rod Anders, a popular children’s television host in the Oregon area from the 1960s through the 1990s, died of a stroke on May 10, 2002. He was 69. Known as “Ramblin’ Rod,” he hosted the morning show Popeye’s Pier 12 and, later, The Ramblin’ Rod Show. A singer and guitarist, he began his career on radio. He remained a popular television personality in Oregon through the 1990s.
Randy “Pee Wee” Anderson
Rod Anders
Anderson, Randy “Pee Wee”
She was born Robin Snyder in Perth, Western Australia, on September 11, 1948. She and her husband, Bob Connolly, produced a trilogy of documentary films in Papua New Guinea including First Contact (1982), Joe Leahy’s Neighbors (1987) and Black Harvest (1990). They also produced Rats in the Ranks (1996) and Facing the Music (2001). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 25, 2002, B7; New York Times, Mar. 23, 2002, A16; Variety, May 6, 2002, 84.
Randy “Pee Wee” Anderson, a leading referee with the WCW wrestling promotion, died at his home in Rome, Georgia, after a long bout with cancer on May 6, 2002. He was 42. Anderson refereed numerous matches with the WCW during the 1990s and was seen in several WCW sketches including an on-air “firing” by Ric Flair that resulted in his wife and children appearing on the WCW show begging for their father’s job back.
Anderson, Robin Australian documentary filmmaker Robin Anderson died of cancer in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on March 8, 2002. She was 53.
Robin Anderson
13
2002 • Obituaries
Anholt, Tony British actor Tony Anholt died of a brain tumor in London on July 26, 2002. He was 61. Anholt was born in Singapore on January 19, 1941. He was best known for his regular role as Tony Verdeschi in the second season of the science fiction television series Space: 1999 in 1976 and 1977. He was also featured in the television series A Family at War, The Protectors, Coronation Street as David Law, and Howard’s Way, and appeared in episodes of The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder, Jason King, The Sweeney, Terry and June, Minder, Juliet Bravo, Bulman, Only Fools and Horses and Lexx. His other television credits include productions of The Strauss Family (1972), Napoleon and Love (1974), A Midsummer Nightmare (1976), The Last Days of Pompeii (1984) and The Late Nancy Irving (1984) on Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense. One of his final roles was opposite his son, Christien Anholt, on an episode of television’s Relic Hunter. Variety, Aug. 5, 2002, 36.
Walter Annenberg
Annenberg, Walter
Tony Anholt
Publishing magnate and diplomat Walter Annenberg, who created TV Guide in 1953, died of complications from pneumonia at his home in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 2002. He was 94. Annenberg was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 13, 1908. After the death of his father, Moses Annenberg, in 1942, Walter gained control of a publishing empire that included the newspapers The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Morning Telegraph, and The Daily Racing Form. Walter Annenberg expanded his Triangle Publications into magazines, creating Seventeen, for teenage girls in 1944. This was followed several years later by TV Guide, the leading publication dealing with television for decades. Annenberg was also a noted philanthropist and served as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain from 1969 to 1974. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 2, 2002, A1; New York Times, Oct. 2, 2002, A1; People, Oct. 14,
Obituaries • 2002
14
2002, 111; Time, Oct. 14, 2002, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 2, 2002, 30c; Variety, Oct. 7, 2002, 104.
Arledge, Roone Television news and sports executive Roone Arledge died of complications from prostate cancer in New York City on December 5, 2002. He was 71. Arledge was born in Forest Hills, New York, on July 8, 1931. He was president of ABC Sports from 1968 through 1986, and was also president of ABC News from 1977 until his retirement in 1998. A 36-time Emmy Award winner, Arledge brought modern production skills to sports coverage and created ABC’s Monday Night Football. He was also responsible for the news series Nightline, 20/20, and Prime Time Live. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 2002, A1; New York Times, Dec. 6, 2002, A1; People, Dec. 23, 2002, 85; Time, Dec. 16, 2002, 21; Variety, Dec. 9, 2002, 71
Martin Aronstein
a Natural Death (1972), Much Ado About Nothing (1973), In the Boom Boom Room (1974), Medea (1982) and Wild Honey (1987). He also worked on such productions as The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, Forty Carats, Cactus Flower and Play It Again, Sam. Aronstein also served as lighting designer for the 1981 film Zoot Suit. Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2002, B19; New York Times, June 15, 2002, A27.
Ashley, Ted
Roone Arledge
Aronstein, Martin Theatrical designer Martin Aronstein died of heart failure in Los Angeles on May 3, 2002. He was 65. Aronstein designed sets for over 100 plays on Broadway and was nominated for the Tony Award for his work on Ain’t Supposed to Die
Film executive Ted Ashley died of acute leukemia in Los Angeles on August 24, 2002. He was 80. A former talent agency executive, Ashley was chairman and chief executive of Warner Bros. from 1969 to 1980. Teaming with Frank Wells and John Calley, Ashley helmed the studio during an era when Warner Bros. produced such features as Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Mel Brooks Blazing Saddles, Deliverance, Dog Day Afternoon, Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, Irwin Allen’s Towering Inferno, Barbra Streisand’s What’s Up Doc?, and Chariots of Fire. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 26, 2002, B7; New
15
2002 • Obituaries
Rene Assa
Astyr, Bobby Ted Ashley
York Times, Aug. 26, 2002, B7; Times (of London), Sept. 9, 2002, S7c; Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 51.
Assa, Rene Leading character actor Rene Assa died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on March 10, 2002. He was 57. Assa was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1944, and moved to the United States in his teens. He began his career on the Los Angeles stage and was soon appearing on television in episodes of such series as Cannon, The Rockford Files, The Bionic Woman, The Facts of Life, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Simon & Simon, Airwolf, Hunter, Jake and the Fatman, Quantum Leap, The Flash and Baywatch. He also appeared in the telefilms Raid on Entebbe (1977), The Man with the Power (1977), and Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs (1988). Assa was also featured in several films including Walker (1987), Why Me? (1990), Postcards from the Edge (1990), 976-EVIL 2: The Astral Factor (1991), Deep Cover (1992) and The Destiny of Marty Fine (1996). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 22, 2002, B15.
Adult film actor Bobby Astyr died of lung cancer in New York City on May 15, 2002. A leading performer in adult films from the early 1970s, Astyr was known as the “Clown Prince of Porno.” Astyr was featured in such films as Too Hot to Handle (1975), Tarz and Jane and Boy and
Bobby Astyr
Obituaries • 2002 Cheeta (1975), Sherlick Holmes (1975), Satan Was a Lady (1975), Joy Riders (1975), Erotic Dr. Jekyll (1975), Airport Girls (1975), Through the Looking Glass (1976), The Story of Eloise (1976), Expose Me, Lovely (1976), Barbara Broadcast (1977), The Pitfalls of Bunny (1977), Pelvis (1977), Captain Lust and the Pirate Women (1977), Breaker Beauties (1977), Dr. Love and His House of Perversions (1978), Chorus Call (1978), Hot Child in the City (1979), For Richer, for Poorer (1979), Babylon Pink (1979), This Lady Is a Tramp (1980), The Seduction of Cindy (1980), Princess Seka (1980), Platinum Paradise (1980), Blue Ecstasy (1980), Roommates (1981), Outlaw Ladies (1981), Honeysuckle Rose (1981), Dracula Exotica (1981), Centerfold Fever (1981), C.O.D. (1981), Peepholes (1982), Liquid A$$ets (1982), Foxtrot (1982), The Devil in Miss Jones, Part II (1982), Dinner with Samantha (1983), Corruption (1983), and many others.
16
Aucoin, Kevyn Leading make-up artist Kevyn Aucoin died in New York City of complications from a pituitary brain tumor on May 7, 2002. He was 40. Aucoin was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on February 14, 1962. He began working for Vogue in the 1980s, where he did make-up for over 18 cover girls. He also worked at Cosmopolitan, and was makeup artist for several episodes of television’s Sex and the City. He appeared in small roles in the films The Intern (2000) and Zoolander (2001). Aucoin applied makeup to numerous stars including Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Britney Spears and Julia Roberts. He was author of the best selling book, Face Forward. Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2002, B10; New York Times, May 8, 2002, A27; People, May 20, 2002, 81; Time, May 20, 2002, 27; Variety, May 13, 2002, 39.
Atcher, Randy Randy Atcher, who starred as the singing cowboy on Louisville, Kentucky, station WHASTV’s children’s program T-Bar-V from 1951 to 1970, died of lung cancer in a Louisville hospice on October 9, 2002. He was 83. Atcher was born in Tip Top, Kentucky, in 1918. He and his sidekick, Tom “Cactus” Brooks entertained children for nearly twenty years singing such songs as “Happy, Happy Birthday,” and the T-Bar-V theme. Atcher also appeared often on the local program Hayloft Hoedown.
Kevyn Aucoin (with model Cindy Crawford)
Avery, Sid
Randy Atcher
Photographer Sid Avery died of cancer in Los Angeles on July 1, 2002. He was 83. Avery was one of Hollywood’s leading photographers from the 1950s and his pictures of such stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra appeared in numerous magazines including Life, Look and The Saturday Evening Post. Avery also compiled the 1990 book Hollywood at Home: A Family Album 1950–1965.
17
Sid Avery
Los Angeles Times, July 8, 2002, B8; New York Times, July 16, 2002, C17; Times (of London), July 11, 2002, 31a; Variety, July 22, 2002, 38.
2002 • Obituaries
Roger Awsumb
Bader, Hilary Television writer Hilary Bader died of breast cancer in Duarte, California, on November 7,
Awsumb, Roger Popular Minnesota television host Roger Awsumb died of cancer of the esophagus at a Brainerd, Minnesota, hospital on July 15, 2002. He was 74. He began working in radio and television in the early 1950s and from 1953 he hosted the popular children’s television show Lunch with Casey. Awsumb played railroad engineer Casey Jones on that series as well as such subsequent programs as Wake Up with Casey and Roundhouse and Casey and Roundhouse at Grandma Lumpit’s Boardinghouse. He continued to play the character on over 8,000 shows until the programs were cancelled in 1972. Awsumb returned to television in 1982 with Breakfast with Casey, but the program was short-lived. He subsequently worked as a radio announcer until his retirement in 1993.
Hilary Bader
Obituaries • 2002
18
2002. She was 50. Bader was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1952. She performed as a dancer and mime in the 1980s, touring with a production of African Folk Tales. She moved to Los Angeles and began writing for television in the late 1980s. A fan of the original Star Trek, she wrote episodes of the sequel series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyage. Bader also scripted episodes for such series as Silk Stalkings, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Xena: Warrior Princess. She was the recipient of two daytime Emmy Awards for her scripts for episodes of the animated series The New Batman/Superman Adventures and Batman Beyond. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 13, 2002, B11; New York Times, Nov 13, 2002, B10.
Baer, Parley Veteran character actor Parley Baer died of complications from a stroke in Los Angeles on November 22, 2002. He was 88. Baer was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 5, 1914. He worked often in radio from the 1930s, in such series as The Whistler, The Truitts, Honest Harold, and Tales of the Texas Rangers. He originated the role of Chester opposite William Conrad’s Marshal Dillon for the radio series Gunsmoke from 1952 to 1961. During his career Baer also worked as a ringmaster for such circuses as Barnum & Bailey and Circus Vargas. The balding actor was also a familiar face on television, starring the Nelson’s neighbor Darby on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1955 to 1961, and as Mayor Stoner in The Andy Griffith Show in the early 1960s. He also starred as Mr. Hamble in the short-lived comedy series The Double Life of Henry Phyfe in 1966. Other television credits include episodes of Dragnet, Lassie, Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, Fury, You Are There, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Real McCoys, Swamp Fox, Trackdown, Zane Grey Theater, Black Saddle, The Rifleman, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Bonanza, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Frontier Circus, Bachelor Father, Have Gun Will Travel, The Virginian, Laramie, Temple Houston, Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, The Jack Benny Show, The Rogues, The Further Adventures of Gallegher, Petticoat Junction, The Addams Family in a recurring role, The Farmer’s Daughter, My Favorite Martian, Green
Parley Baer
Acres, Hogan’s Heroes, The F.B.I., F-Troop, Burke’s Law, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Bewitched, Rango, Laredo, Green Acres, I Dream of Jeannie, Ironside, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Land of the Giants, The Outcasts, The New People, Here’s Lucy, Mannix, The Mod Squad, and Apple’s Way. Baer also appeared in numerous films from the early 1950s including Comanche Territory (1950), Union Station (1950), Air Cadet (1951), Three Guys Named Mike (1951), The Frogmen (1951), People Will Talk (1951), Elopement (1951), Red Skies of Montana (1952), Fearless Fagan (1952), Deadline — U.S.A. (1952), Pickup on South Street (1953), Vicki (1953), D-Day the Sixth of June (1956), Away All Boats (1956), Drango (1957), The Young Lions (1958), The FBI Story (1959), Cash McCall (1960), Wake Me When It’s Over (1960), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960), A Fever in the Blood (1961), The Spiral Road (1962), Gypsy (1962), The Brass Bottle (1964), Bedtime Story (1964), Two on a Guillotine (1965), The Money Trap (1965), Those Calloways (1965), Marriage on the Rocks (1965), Fluffy (1965), Bus Riley’s Back in Town (1965), The Ugly Dachshund (1966), Follow Me, Boys! (1966), The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967), The Gnome-Mobile (1967), Counterpoint (1968), Day of the Evil Gun (1968), Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968), Young Billy Young
19 (1969), Skin Game (1971), Sixteen (1972), The Amazing Dobermans (1976), Carbon Copy (1981), Sam Peckinpah’s White Dog (1982), Doctor Detroit (1983), Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984), Pray for Death (1985), Flag (1986), License to Drive (1988), Time Trackers (1989), Almost an Angel (1990), Inside Out (1992), Dave (1993), and Last of the Dogmen (1995). He was also featured in the telefilms The Over-the Hill Gang Rides Again (1970), The Boy Who Stole the Elephant (1970), The Sheriff (1971), Oh, Baby, Baby, Baby… (1973), Punch and Jody (1974), Winner Take All (1975), Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977), The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race (1977), Don’t Push, I’ll Charge When I’m Ready (1977), True Grit: A Further Adventure (1978), The Time Machine (1978), Rodeo Girl (1980), Murder in Texas (1981), Cry for the Strangers (1982), Killer in the Mirror (1986), Under the Influence (1986), Breaking Home Ties (1987), and Roswell. Baer’s other television credits include episodes of Little House on the Prairie, How the West Was Won, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Charlie’s Angels, Lou Grant, The Incredible Hulk, WKRP in Cincinnati, Harper Valley P.T.A., Hart to Hart, Dallas, Father Murphy, Archie Bunker’s Place, The A-Team, Finder of Lost Loves, Newhart, Shadow Chasers, 1985’s The Twilight Zone, Simon & Simon, One Big Family, The Golden Girls, Night Court, Growing Pains, Life Goes On, L.A. Law, True Colors, Quantum Leap, The Flash, Beverly Hills, 90210, Mad About You, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Viper, Coach, Star Trek: Voyager, and the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Baer was also the voice of Ernie, the Keebler Elf, in the Keebler cookie commercials. Baer wed circus aerialist Ernestine Clarke in 1946, and they remained married until her death in August of 2000. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 24, 2002, B16; New York Times, Nov. 26, 2002, C19; People, Dec. 9, 2002, 135; Variety, Dec. 20, 2002, 60.
2002 • Obituaries married actor Mickey Rooney later in the year. She and Rooney divorced three years later. Baker performed as a backup singer for numerous artists, and was heard on recordings of “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” by Elvis Presley, “You Send Me” by Sam Cooke, “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and Bobby Darin’s “Dream Lover.” Baker also dubbed Nancy Kwan’s rendition of the song “I Enjoy Being a Girl” for the 1961 film Flower Drum Song, and was seen on television variety shows with Dean Martin and Judy Garland. She also provided voices for various animated cartoon series. Baker was also married to composer Buddy Baker from 1950 to 1957, and to jazz musician Barney Kessel from 1961 to 1980. Her survivors include actors Mickey Rooney, Jr. and Tim Rooney. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 13, 2002, B19; Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 42.
Baker, Buddy Disney musical director Buddy Baker died at his Sherman Oaks, California, home on July 26, 2002. He was 84. Baker was born in Springfield, Missouri, on January 4, 1918. He moved to Hollywood in the late 1930s where he worked on radio for such performers as Bob Hope, Eddie
Baker, B.J. Singer B.J. Baker died of complications from a stroke in Rancho Mirage, California, on April 2, 2002. She was 74. She was born Betty Jane Phillips in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1927, where she performed on radio and with bands from her early teens. She represented Alabama in the Miss America contest in 1944, and met and
Buddy Baker
Obituaries • 2002 Cantor and Jack Benny. He joined Disney Studios in 1954, working as a musical arranger for such Disney television programs as The Mickey Mouse Club, Zorro, Texas John Slaughter, The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca, Swamp Fox, Toby Tyler, Daniel Boone, Johnny Shiloh, Kilroy, My Dog, the Thief, Menace on the Mountain, Carlo, the Sierra Coyote, The Footloose Goose and Trail of Danger. He also worked on the films Summer Magic (1963), The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964), A Tiger Walks (1964), The Monkey’s Uncle (1965), The Gnome-Mobile (1967), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), Guns in the Heather (1968), Rascal (1969), King of the Grizzlies (1970), $1,000,000 Duck (1972), Napoleon and Samantha (1972) which earned him an Oscar nomination, Charley and the Angel (1973), Superdad (1974), The Bears and I (1974), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), Treasure of Matecumbe (1976), The Shagg y D.A. (1976), No Deposit, No Return (1976), Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979), The Devil and Max Devlin (1981), and The Fox and the Hound (1981). Baker also scored most of the incidental music heard at Disneyland and Disneyworld theme parks. Los Angeles Times, July 31, 2002, B11; Time, Aug. 12, 2002, 19.
Bamberger, Nina Elias Children’s television producer Nina Elias Bamberger died of ovarian cancer in Orlando, Florida, on November 20, 2002. She was 48. Bamberger was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1954. She began working in children’s television programming shortly after graduating college. She served as producer of the popular children’s animated series Dragon Tales, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination. She also worked on the children’s series Big Bag, and various Sesame Street projects for PBS. Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 63.
20
Nina Elias Bamberger
Paris to Italian parents on May 7, 1924. He began working in films as a film cutter at Pathe Studios. He came to Hollywood in the late 1940s and soon began working with director John Huston. He was assistant director for 1950’s The Asphalt Jungle and wrote the screen adaptation for the 1951 version of The Red Badge of Courage. He subsequently produced, directed and scripted the 1956 western The Young Guns, and the horror films I Bury the Living (1958) and Face of Fire
Band, Albert Film producer and director Albert Band died in Los Angeles of complications from stomach blockage and lung infection on June 14, 2002. He was 78. Band was born Alfredo Antonini in
Albert Band
21 (1959). Band moved to Sweden in the late the 1950s where he continued to work in fils. He directed and produced The Avenger (1962), Massacre at the Grand Canyon (1965), Hercules and the Princess of Troy which made it U.S. debut on television in 1965, The Tramplers (1966), and The Cruel Ones (1966). Band returned to the United States in the 1970s, producing the cult classic Little Cigars (1973), and Mansion of the Doomed (1977) and Cinderella (1977), and directing She Came to the Valley (1977) and Dracula’s Dog (1978). From the 1980s Band often worked with his son, Charles Band, on films from his son’s production companies, Empire and Full Moon. Band was a producer on such films as Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983), Troll (1986), TerrorVision (1986), Ghost Warrior (1986), Robot Jox (1990), The Pit and the Pendulum (1990), Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Trancers III (1992), Remote (1993), Pet Shop (1994), Oblivion (1994), Castle Freak (1995), Zarkorr! The Invader (1996) and Oblivion 2: Backlash (1996). He also directed Ghoulies II (1987), Doctor Mordrid (1992), Robot Wars (1993), Prehysteria! (1993) and Prehysteria 2 (1994). Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2002, B20.
2002 • Obituaries
Naseem Banu
Banu, Naseem Leading Indian Hindi film star Naseem Banu died in Bombay, India, on June 18, 2002. She was 85. Banu was born on July 4, 1916. She began her film career in Sohrab Modi’s 1935 production of Hamlet, and soon became India’s leading female film star. She continued to make such popular films as Divorce (1938), Pukar (1939), Sheesh Mahal, Chal Chal Re Navjavan (1944), Baghi and Sindbad. She largely retired from the screen in the mid–1950s, though she occasionally returned in character roles in such films as Naushirwan-e-Adil (1957) and Chitralekha (1964). Her survivors include her daughter, film star Saira Banu.
Bardem, Juan Antonio Spanish film director and writer Juan Antonio Bardem died of complications from liver disease in Madrid, Spain, on October 30, 2002. He was 80. Bardem was born in Madrid on June 2, 1922. Bardem began working in film in the 1940s
Juan Antonio Bardem
Obituaries • 2002 after meeting filmmaker Luis Berlanga. He co-directed his first feature, That Happy Couple, with Berlanga in 1953. Bardem also directed, and often scripted, such films as Welcome Mr. Marshall (1952), Comedians (1954), Happy Easter (1954), Death of a Cyclist (1955), Calle Mayor (1956), The Lovemaker (1958), Vengeance (1957), Sonatas (1959), At Five in the Afternoon (1961), The Innocents (1962), Nothing Ever Happens (1963), The Uninhibited (1965), The Last Day of the War (1968), Varities (1971), The Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo (1973), The Corruption of Chris Miller (1973), The Power of Desire (1975), The Long Weekend (1976), The Dog (1977), Seven Days in January (1978), The Warning (1982) and Resultado Final (1998). Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Barr, Tony Tony Barr, a former actor turned television executive and acting coach, died in Palm Desert, California, on December 19, 2002, following a long illness. He was 81. Barr began his career as an actor in the late 1940s, appearing over the next several years in such films as The Mozart Story (1948), Daughter of the West (1949), Bride of Vengeance (1949), Border Incident (1949), Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), Between Midnight and Dawn (1950), Cuban Fireball (1951), The People Against O’Hara (1951), Flame of the Desert (1951), Wait ‘Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952), The Turn-
Tony Barr
22 ing Point (1952), and Scared Stiff (1953). Barr subsequently became an executive with ABC television. He left ABC for CBS, where he was an executive producer in charge of development of series and telefilms until 1987. Barr oversaw numerous series at CBS, including Magnum, P.I. and Simon & Simon. He was also the founder of the Film Actors Workshop in 1961, and authored the book, Acting for the Camera, in 1982. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 23, 2002, B9.
Barral, Rolando Cuban actor Rolando Barral died of complications from surgery for a brain aneurysm in Miami on January 21, 2002. He was 64. Barral was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1938. He began his career as a child actor, becoming one of Cuba’s best known actor on television and radio in the 1950s. Barral left Cuba in 1962. He subsequently appeared in numerous Spanish-language soap operas and television shows and hosted the talkshow, The Rolando Barral Show, for over a decade on the Spanish International Network (now Univision). Barral also hosted the variety series Sabado Gigante from 1986 to 1988. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 24, 2002, B15.
Rolando Barral
23
Barton, Donald Leading stage actor Donald Barton died of complications from heart surgery at his Long Island, New York, home on April 24, 2002. He was 76. He began his career on stage and made his Broadway debut in a production of Design for a Stained Glass Window with Charlton Heston. He was also featured in Broadway productions of Much Ado About Nothing and Deathtrap. On television he appeared in an episode of Death Valley Days and a 1957 production of Cinderella. He also was seen in a televised stage performance of The Royal Family on Great Performances in 1977. Barton also had a recurring role as a banker in the As the World Turns soap opera. Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Barton, Jack British television producer Jack Barton died in Midhurst, England, on October 28, 2002. He was 86. Barton was born in Manchester, England, on October 22, 1916. He began his career
Jack Barton
2002 • Obituaries performing on the variety circuit before World War II. Barton served in the Royal Air Force during the war and worked as a theatrical producer in Scotland after his discharge. He began working in television in the mid–1950s, producing the game show Beat the Clock. Barton directed episodes of the ATV soap opera Crossroads in the 1960s before becoming the show’s producer in 1972. He remained with the show until his retirement in 1985.
Batchelor, Amelia Actress Amelia Batchelor, who was best known as the model for Columbia Pictures’ Lady Liberty logo in the 1930s, died in Santa Monica, California, on April 15, 2002. She was 94. She was born Francis Amelia Bachelor in Springfield, Ohio, on February 2, 1908. She began her career in Hollywood in the early 1930s, appearing in small parts in such films as Kid Millions (1932), Jealousy (1934), Bachelor Bait (1934), Heritage
Amelia Batchelor (as Columbia’s Lady Liberty)
Obituaries • 2002 (1935), The Flying Doctor (1936) and Big City (1937). She also appeared as an Emerald City resident in the 1939 fantasy classic The Wizard of Oz. Batchelor posed for the portrait used in Columbia’s logo in 1936, replacing an earlier version that used actress Dorothy Revier. Unable to break out of small roles, she abandoned films in the 1940s. She was located in 1987 by People magazine, and again held the torch aloft for a photographer. Times (of London), Apr. 18, 2002, 49b.
Bau, Joseph Israeli animator and Holocaust survivor Joseph Bau died of pneumonia in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 24, 2002. Bau was born in Krakow, Poland, on June 13, 1920. An art student at Krakow University before the German occupa-
24 tion of Poland, Bau’s talent in forging documents was responsible for enabling over 400 fellow Jews to escape the Warsaw Ghetto and concentration camps. His secret wedding at the Plaznow concentration camp served as a basis of a scene in Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List. Bau was one of the prisoners whose life was saved through the actions of Oskar Schindler. After the war Bau immigrated to Israel, where he was a pioneer in the animation industry. He produced numerous animated shorts for movies and television and designed opening and closing titles for numerous Israeli films from the 1950s through the 1970s. Bau wrote a memoir about his ordeals during the war, Dear God, Have You Ever Gone Hungry?, in 1982. He appeared as a mourner at Schindler’s grave in the 1993 film Schindler’s List. Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2002, B12.
Bayliss, Peter Popular British character actor Peter Bayliss died in England on July 29, 2002. He was 79. Bayliss was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, England, on June 27, 1927. He began his career on stage in England in the mid–1940s and was featured on Broadway in a production of The
Joseph Bau
Peter Bayliss (left, with David Niven in Old Dracula)(Columbia)
25 Matchmaker in 1955. Bayliss was also a leading character actor in British films and television from the early 1960s, appearing in Jet Storm (1959), the 1964 James Bond film From Russia with Love, Darling (1956), The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966), A Matter of Innocence (1967), House of Cards (1968), 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968), The Magic Christian (1969), Lock Up Your Daughters! (1969), Please Sir! (1971), Old Dracula (1974) with David Niven, Bullshot (1983), School for Vandals (1986), Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1987), It Couldn’t Happen Here (1987), Hard Road (1988), Emily’s Ghost (1992), and Hey Mr. Producer (1998). He was also featured in the telefilms Life of Shakespeare (1978), Princess Daisy (1983), The Beggar’s Opera (1983), Under the Hammer (1984), Squaring the Circle (1984), Mister Skeeter (1986), Spirit of Man (1989), Bye Bye Columbus (1991), Hard Times (1994), Merlin (1998), Alice in Wonderland (1999) and Arabian Nights (2000). His other television credits include episodes of The Avengers, Counterstrike, Doctor in the House, The Sweeney and Midsomer Murders. Times (of London), Aug. 5, 2002, 29b.
Beach, Ned U.S. Navy Captain Edward Latimer “Ned” Beach, who wrote the submarine thriller Run Silent, Run Deep, died of cancer at his Washington D.C. home on December 1, 2002. He was 84. Beach was born in New York City on April 20, 1918. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1939 and saw action during World War II. Beach wrote Run Silent, Run Deep, a popular novel about life aboard a submarine during war, in 1955. The novel was adapted to film in 1958 and starred Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. Beach was commander of the nuclear powered submarine, the USS Triton, in 1960 when he set a world record for circumnavigating the globe. He wrote an account of that accomplishment in 1962 entitled Around the World Submerged. Beach retired from the Navy in 1966. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 2, 2002, B9.
2002 • Obituaries
Ned Beach
ton, New York, with her mother and numerous animals was the subject of the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, died of a stroke at her Bal Harbour, Florida, home on January 9, 2002. She was 84. Beale was born in New York City on November 7, 1917. A cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, she became a successful model at the age of 17. Though she wanted a career in film, this hope never materialized. The odd life-style of
Beale, Edith Bouvier, Jr. Edith Bouvier Beale, a former model whose bizarre life in a run-down house in East Hamp-
Edith Bouvier Beale, Jr.
Obituaries • 2002 Beale, known as Little Edie, and her mother, Big Edie, was documented by filmmakers Albert and David Maysles. The elder Edith Beale died in 1977. Little Edie subsequently sold the house, Grey Gardens, and moved to Florida. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 28, 2002, B9; New York Times, Jan. 25, 2002, A20; People, Feb. 11, 2002, 87.
Bedford, Duke of John Robert Russell, the 13th Duke of Bedford, died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on October 25, 2002. Russell was born in London on May 24, 1917. He inherited the title and family estate, Woburn Abbey, in 1953. Bedford faced heavy taxes on the estate and decided to renovate the ancient abbey as a tourist attraction. A safari park, souvenir shops and a fun fair were all constructed on the site. A 1958 nudie film, Nudist Paradise, was shot on the grounds, and Bedford appeared briefly in the film. He was also seen in small roles in the films Nothing Barred (1961) and The Swinging Maiden (1962), and appeared in an episode of the British television series Coronation Street in 1973. Bedford and his third wife, Nicole, were also familiar faces on American television, ap-
26 pearing often as guests on such talk shows as The Mike Douglas Show. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 2002, B19; New York Times, Oct. 29, 2002, B10; Time, Nov. 11, 2002, 39; Times (of London), Oct. 29, 2002, 33c.
Bell, Derek Derek Bell, the Celtic harpist who was a member of the Irish band the Chieftains, died of a heart disorder at his hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 15, 2002. Bell was born on October 21, 1935, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A musical prodigy, Bell played the piano and oboe with orchestras in throughout the world. He was manager of the Belfast Symphony orchestra in the 1960s when he began to study the harp. He joined the Chieftains in 1972 under the leadership of Paddy Moloney. He performed and recorded over thirty albums with the band, and also continued a solo musical career. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 18, 2002, B13; New York Times, Oct. 24, 2002, B8; People, Nov. 4, 2002, 101; Times (of London), Oct. 21, 2002, S8c; Variety, Oct. 28, 2002, 73.
Derek Bell
Bene, Carmelo
The Duke of Bedford
Italian actor and director Carmelo Bene died of complications from heart problems in Rome on March 16, 2002. He was 64. Bene was born in Campi Salentina, Lecce, Italy, in 1937. He began his career on stage in 1959, appearing in a production of Albert Camus’ Caligula. He was
27
2002 • Obituaries
Carmelo Bene
soon directing his own avante garde productions. He appeared in several films including Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Oedipus Rex (1967) and Catch As Catch Can (1967). He also directed, wrote and starred in the films Our Lady of the Turks (1968), Capricci (1969), Don Giovanni (1970), Salome (1972) and One Hamlet Less (1973). He returned to the stage in the mid–1970s, where he remained until poor health curtailed his involvement in the late 1990s. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 19, 2002, B11; Variety, Mar. 25, 2002, 95.
Boyd Bennett
In the 1960s, Bennett was involved in television, serving as general manager of Louisville’s WLKYTV and appeared on such local shows as Boyd Bennett and His Space Buddies.
Bennett, Charles C. Benjamin, Jeffrey Film producer Jeffrey Benjamin died at his Los Angeles home after a long illness on March 18, 2002. He was 53. Benjamin, the son of agent Ben Benjamin, worked as a production executive for Ray Star for numerous years. He was an assistant producer for the 1972 film The Mechanic, and was associate producer on King of the Mountain (1981) and The Toy (1982).
Bennett, Boyd Country singer and musician Boyd Bennett died of a lung ailment in Sarasota, Florida, on June 2, 2002. Bennett was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on December 7, 1924. He was leader of the bands The Southlanders and Boyd Bennett and His Rockets. His 1955 recording of “Seventeen,” was a major hit. He also performed with such artists as Moon Mulligan and Francis Craig.
Production designer Charles C. Bennett died in a Los Angeles hospital of complications from a liver transplant on June 25, 2002. He was 62. Bennett was born in Independence, Louisiana, on March 30, 1940. He worked as a set decorator on the acclaimed 1977 television miniseries Roots, and also on the films The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977) and Hopscotch (1980). Bennett worked as an art director or production designer on numerous telefilms and mini-series including The Last of the Mohicans (1977), Incredible Rocky Mountain Race (1977), Hollow Image (1979), King Crab (1980), Rappaccini’s Daughter (1980), We’re Fighting Back (1981), My Body My Child (1982), Running Out (1983), Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels (1983), Chiefs (1983), Rearview Mirror (1984), Go Tell It On the Mountain (1984), Kane & Abel (1985), Noon Wine (1985), Doubletake (1985), Evergreen (1985) which earned him an Emmy Award, Women of Valor (1986), Pals (1987), I’ll Take Manhattan (1987), Her Secret Life (1987), Mayflower Madam (1987), Home Fires Burning
Obituaries • 2002 (1989), Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer (1989), Murder in Mississippi (1990), Grass Roots (1992), Sunstroke (1992), Labor of Love: The Arlette Schweitzer Story (1993), The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) which earned him a second Emmy Award, A Horse for Danny (1995), Past the Bleachers (1995), Bye Bye Birdie (1995), A Season in Purgatory (1996), Miss Evers’ Boys (1997), Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story (1997), Bella Mafia (1997), Mama Flora’s Family (1998), Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years (1999), A Lesson Before Dying (1999), Hefner: Unauthorized (1999), For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000), Parting the Waters (2000), Boycott (2001) and Call Me Claus (2001). He was also production designer for the 1991 television series I’ll Fly Away, and for the films Beyond and Back (1978), The Bermuda Triangle (1979), Morgan Stewart’s Coming Home (1987), Shakedown (1988), McBain (1991), New Jack City (1991), Fled (1996), Hoodlum (1997) and Drumline (2002). Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Benoit, Mary Actress Mary Benoit Lutz died in a Los Angeles hospital on February 23, 2002. She was 91. She was featured in small parts in numerous films
28 from the 1940s including Kitty Foyle (1940), Meet John Doe (1941), Three Hearts for Julia (1943), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), That Night with You (1945), One Touch of Venus (1948), And Baby Makes Three (1949), The Toast of New Orleans (1950), It Grows on Trees (1952), The Long Gray Line (1955), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), Autumn Leaves (1956), The Ten Commandments (1956), The Leather Saint (1956), The Birds and the Bees (1956), Rockabilly Baby (1957), Fear Strikes Out (1957), Sunrise at Campobello (1960), Five Finger Exercise (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), Patty (1962) and The Sandpiper (1965). She also appeared on television in episodes of Perry Mason, Mr. Lucky and Leave It to Beaver. She worked as a real estate broker after retiring from acting.
Benson, Esther Stage and screen actress Esther Benson died of heart failure on October 11, 2002. She was 79. Benson was featured in the 1981 film The Fan, and was seen in several telefilms including The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987), Little Girl Lost (1988), and Jailbirds (1991).
Benson, Mildred
Mary Benoit
Mildred Augustine Benson, who, under the penname Carolyn Keene, created the Nancy Drew detective series, died in a Toledo, Ohio, hospital after a brief illness on May 28, 2002. She was 96. She was born in Ladora, Iowa, on July 10, 1905. A journalist for nearly sixty years, she authored 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew stories. She also wrote the Penny Parker mystery series and numerous other novels and short stories. Her female detective became the heroine in a series of films starring Bonita Granville in the late 1930s including Nancy Drew — Detective (1938), Nancy Drew — Reporter (1939), Nancy Drew —Trouble Shooter (1939) and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939). A television series starring Pamela Sue Martin and, later, Janet Louise Johnson, as the intrepid Nancy Drew aired in the late 1970s Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2002, B12; New
29
2002 • Obituaries
Berg, Dave Dave Berg, a leading cartoonist best known for his work in Mad magazine, died of cancer in Los Angeles on May 16, 2002. He was 81. Berg was born in New York City in 1921. He worked
Mildred Benson
York Times, May 30, 2002, A23; People, June 17, 2002, 88; Time, June 10, 2002, 23; Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Berg, Bill Disney animator and writer Bill Berg died of pneumonia in San Juan Capistrano, California, on March 2, 2002. He was 84. Berg was born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1917. He began working in Disney’s animation department in the late 1930s, and was soon writing and drawing for the Donald Duck cartoon series. Berg wrote for the Mickey Mouse Club television series in the 1950s, and worked on various Disney educational films including How to Catch a Cold and Donald Duck in Math Magic Land. He also scripted many segments of the Wonderful World of Disney television series, and wrote stores for the Scamp newspaper comic strip from 1956 through 1984. Berg continued to work at Disney until his retirement in 1988. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 10, 2002, B17.
Dave Berg
Obituaries • 2002
30
as an illustrator from the early 1940s, inking the comic strip The Spirit. After a period working with Stan Lee at Timely Comics (now Marvel), began working for Mad in 1956. He created the popular strip The Light Side of.. in 1961. He also wrote and illustrated 17 paperbacks for Mad including Mad’s Dave Berg Looks at Things, Mad’s Dave Berg Looks at Living and Mad’s Dave Berg Looks at the USA. Los Angeles Times, May 24, 2002, B16; New York Times, May 25, 2002, A28; Time, June 3, 2002, 27.
Bergeron, Marian Marian Bergeron Setzer, who won the Miss America pageant in 1933, died on October 22, 2002. She was 84. Bergeron was born in West Haven, Connecticut, in 1918. She became Miss America at the age of 15. She later worked as a singer during the Big Band era before retiring.
Berjer, Barbara Daytime soap opera star Barbara Berjer died of pneumonia while vacationing in New York
Barbara Berjer
City on October 20, 2002. She was 82. Berjer was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1920. She began her career on the New York stager in the 1950s, appearing in Broadway productions of The Best Man and Dylan. Berjer played major roles in several soap operas for nearly forty years. She was Lynn Franklin in From These Roots from 1959 to 1961 and was Irene Eagon on The Edge of Night from 1964 to 1965. Berjer starred as the oftenmarried Claire English Lowell Cassen Shea on As the World Turns from 1965 until her character was murdered in 1971. She played Barbara Norris Thorpe on The Guiding Light from 1971 until 1981, and returned to the role for brief periods in 1989 and 1995. Most recently she starred as Bridget Connell on Another World from 1985 to 1987. Berjer was also seen in an episode of Law & Order in 1997.
Berle, Milton
Marian Bergeron
Legendary comedian Milton Berle, who became known as “Mr. Television” hosting the popular Milton Berle Show from the late 1940s, died in Los Angeles after a long illness on March 27, 2002. He was 93. Berle was born Mendel Berlinger in New York City on July 12, 1908. He began his career in show business at the age of five, after winning a vaudeville talent contest. He was soon appearing as a child actor in such silent films as The Perils of Pauline (1914), Tillie’s Punctured Ro-
31
Milton Berle
mance (1914) with Charles Chaplin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917) with Mary Pickford, The Mark of Zorro (1920), Birthright (1920) and Ruth of the Range (1923). He worked the vaudeville circuit as a stand-up comic during his teen years and headlined the Ziegfeld Follies in 1936. Also popular on radio, he continued to appear in such films as Poppin’ the Cork (1933), New Faces of 1937 (1938), Radio City Revels (1938), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), Rise and Shine (1941), Tall, Dark and Handsome (1941), Whispering Ghosts (1942), A Gentleman at Heart (1942), Over My Dead Body (1943), Margin for Error (1943), and the semi-autobiographical Always Leave Them Laughing (1949). He achieved his greatest success in television, hosting the Texaco Star Theater in 1948, which soon was renamed The Milton Berle Show. His ascerbic wit entertained audiences throughout the 1950s and earned him an Emmy Award. After the series ended in 1956, Berle subsequently hosted the short-lived variety series Milton Berle in the Kraft Music Hall in 1958 and Jackpot Bowling Starring Milton Berle as a comic bowling announcer in 1960. He was also seen in such films as The Bellboy (1960), Let’s Make Love (1960), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), The Loved One (1965), The Oscar (1966), Don’t Worry, We’ll Think of a Title (1966), The Happening (1967), Who’s Minding the Mint? (1967), Where Angels Go,
2002 • Obituaries Trouble Follows (1968), Silent Treatment (1968), For Singles Only (1968) and Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969). He again hosted the shortlived variety series The Milton Berle Show in 1966, and was a frequent guest on The Jackie Gleason Show and The Hollywood Palace in the late 1960s. Berle was the voice of the Cowardly Lion in the 1971 animated film Journey Back to Oz and appeared in the telefilms Seven in Darkness (1969), Evil Roy Slade (1971), The Legend of Valentino (1975), and Joys (1976). His other film credits include Lepke (1975), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), The Muppet Movie (1979), Cracking Up (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Going Overboard (1989), Driving Me Crazy (1991), and Storybook (1995). He was featured in such telefilms and specials as Something a Little Less Serious (1981), Off Your Rocker (1982), Family Business (1983), NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration (1986), It’s Howdy Doody Time (1987), Side by Side (1988), Happy Birthday, Bugs!: 50 Looney Years (1990), and Two Heads Are Better Than None (2000). During his career he was also seen in episodes of such series as The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Bob Hope Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Dick Powell Show, The Defenders, The Andy Williams Show, The Lucille Ball Show, The Jack Benny Show, Batman, F Troop, The Big Valley, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Ironside, Here’s Lucy, The Hollywood Squares, Love, American Style, Mannix, Here’s Lucy, The Muppet Show, The Love Boat, CHiPs, General Hospital, The Fall Guy, Fame, Diff ’rent Strokes, Gimme a Break!, Murder, She Wrote, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, Roseanne, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Matlock, Burke’s Law, Beverly Hills, 90210, The Critic, Fudge, The Nanny and Sister, Sister. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 28, 2002, A1; New York Times, Mar. 28, 2002, A1; People, Apr. 15, 2002, 144; Time, Apr. 8, 2002, 71; Times (of London), Mar. 29, 2002, 39b.
Berman, Monte British film costumer Monty M. Berman died in Monte Carlo, Monaco, after a brief illness on July 15, 2002. He was 90. He succeeded his father had head of Berman’s, a leading costume company for London musicals. Berman designed
Obituaries • 2002 costumes for several films including While the Sun Shines (1947) and 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968). He also served as a wardrobe manger for such films as Warning to Wantons (1948), Floodtide (1949), Prelude to Fame (1950), Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), The Guns of Navarone (1961), and the 1957 television production of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2002, B14; Times (of London), Aug. 10, 2002, 36b; Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Berry, Bill Jazz trumpeter William Richard “Bill” Berry died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on November 13, 2002. He was 72. Berry was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on September 14, 1930. He began playing the trumpet while in his teens and performed with local bands in Cincinnati. He played with Wood Herman in the late 1950s before joining with Maynard Ferguson’s band. He played with the Duke Ellington orchestra in the early 1960s and subsequently joined the NBC staff orchestra. He performed on the Merv Griffin television show and moved to Los Angeles with the show in 1970. He formed his orchestra there, Bill Berry and His Ellington All-Stars, often performing Duke Ellington compositions. He continued to perform through the 1990s. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20, 2002, B10; New York Times, Nov. 19, 2002, B10.
Bill Berry
32
Berti, Marina Italian film star Marina Berti died in a Rome hospital after a long illness on October 29, 2002. She was 77. Berti was born to Italian parents in London, England, on September 29, 1925. She began her film career in the early 1940s, appearing in such Italian features as La Fuggitiva (1941), Giacomo the Idealist (1942), La Primadonna (1943), Il Testimone (1945), Il Fantasma Della Morte (1945), Ten Commandments (1945), When in Rome (1946), Shamed (1946), The Gate of Heaven (1946), Sicilian Uprising (1949), The Earth Cries Out (1949), and The Sky Is Red (1949). Berti also came to Hollywood in the late 1940s, appearing in such films as Prince of Foxes (1949), Deported (1950), and Quo Vadis? (1951). She continued to star in films in Europe and the United States including Hearts at Sea (1950), The Black Captain (1950), Up Front (1951), Operazione Mitra (1951), The Queen of Sheba (1952), Eager to Live (1953), Abdulla the Great (1955), Marie Antoinette (1955), The King’s Musketeers (1957), BenHur (1959), Madame Sans-Gene (1951), Jessica (1962), Swordsman of Siena (1962), Tyrant of Syracuse (1962), Cleopatra (1963), Face in the Rain (1963), Monsieur (1964), The Consequences (1964), An Angel for Satan (1966), Made in Italy (1967),
Marina Berti
33 Every Man Is My Enemy (1967), The Stranger Returns (1968), Temptation (1968), If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), Dead End (1969), Hate Is My God (1969), Safety Catch (1970), Lady Caliph (1970), What Have They Done to Our Daughters? (1974), Planet Venus (1974), Night Train Murders (1975), Don Milani (1976), The Red Carnation (1976), The Divine Nymph (1976), From the Other Side of the World (1992), and Amen (2002). Berti was also seen in several telefilms and mini-series including The Odyssey (1969), Moses the Lawgiver (1975), Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977), and Embassy (1985). She was married to Italian actor Claudio Gora from 1944 until his death in 1998. She is the mother of actor Andrea Giordana.
Biggle, Lloyd, Jr. Science fiction writer Lloyd Biggle, Jr., died after a lengthy battle with leukemia and cancer on September 12, 2002. He was 79. Biggle was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on April 17, 1923. A musicologist and educator, he began writing fiction in the mid–1950s. He often used musical themes in his stories including Gypped (1956), The Tunesmith (1957), and Spare the Rod (1958). His 1961 story, Monument, was nominated for a Hugo Award. Biggle also wrote the novels The Angry Espers (1959), All the Colors of Darkness (1963), The Fury Out of Time (1965), Watchers of the Dark (1966),
Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
2002 • Obituaries The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets (1968), and The World Menders (1971).
Bird, Billie Comedienne Billie Bird died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Granada Hills, California, on November 27, 2002. She was 94. She was born in Pocatello, Idaho, on February 28, 1908. She began her career on vaudeville at the age of eight, when she was discovered at an orphanage. She later worked as a character actress and comedienne in films and television. Her numerous film credits include Dallas (1950), The Mating Season (1951), Darling, How Could You (1951), Journey Into Light (1951), Somebody Loves Me (1952), My Wife’s Best Friend (1952), Just Across the Street (1952), Half a Hero (1953), Woman’s World (1954), Panama Sal (1957), The Joker Is Wild (1957), Unwed Mother (1958), Blue Denim (1959), Born to Be Loved (1959), Too Soon to Love (1960), Secret of Deep Harbor (1961), The Cat Burglar (1961), Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966), Barefoot in the Park (1967), The Odd Couple (1968), Getting Straight (1970), Young Doctors in Love (1982), Max Dugan Returns (1983), Sixteen Candles (1984), One Crazy Summer (1986), Ratboy (1986), Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Police Acad-
Billie Bird
Obituaries • 2002
34
emy 6: City Under Siege (1989), The End of Innocence (1990), Home Alone (1990), Dennis the Menace (1993), and Jury Duty (1995). Bird starred as Mama in the short-lived 1982 television comedy series It Takes Two, and was Mrs. Cassidy on Benson from 1984 to 1986. She also starred as Mrs. Philbert in the 1988 television series Dear John with Judd Hirsch. She appeared in the telefilms Help Wanted: Kids (1986) and Save the Dog! (1988), and was featured in episodes of Adam-12, Gunsmoke, Apple’s Way, Eight Is Enough, Newhart, Happy Days, Three’s a Crowd, Remington Steele, Hardcastle and McCormick, The Facts of Life, Starman, The Bronx Zoo, Cheers, Who’s the Boss?, The Charmings, Hunter, Max Headroom, Murphy Brown, The Wonder Years, The Pretender and George & Leo. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 2002, B1; Variety, Dec. 16, 2002, 91. Stanley Black
Black, Stanley Film composer and conductor Stanley Black died in England on November 26, 2002. He was 89. Black was born in London on June 14, 1913. He was active in British bands from an early age, often working with such touring jazz musicians as Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter. He worked as a bandleader with the Royal Air Force during World War II and, after the war, became conductor of the BBC Dance Orchestra. He also worked on numerous film scores from the late 1940s including Its Always Rains on Sunday (1948), The Monkey’s Paw (1948), Third Time Lucky (1948), Hideout (1948), The Fatal Night (1948), Lilli Marlene (1950), Laughter in Paradise (1951), One Wild Oat (1951), Mr. Potts Goes to Moscow (1952), Holiday Week (1952), Recoil (1953), Escape by Night (1953), Tonight’s the Night (1954), White Fire (1954), Orders Are Orders (1954), As Long as They’re Happy (1955), Cross-Up (1955), Two Grooms for a Bride (1955), Now and Forever (1955), An Alligator Named Daisy (1955), High Terrace (1956), My Teenage Daughter (1956), Teenage Bad Girl (1956), The Circle (1957), Time Lock (1957), Dangerous Youth (1957), City After Midnight (1957), Black Tide (1957), Professor Tim (1957), The Mailbag Robbery (1957), Your Past Is Showing (1957), Blood of the Vampire (1958), Violent Moment (1958), The Crawling Eye (1958), Too Many Crooks (1958), The Man Who Wouldn’t
Talk (1958), Further Up the Creek (1958), Tommy the Toreador (1959), The Flesh and the Fiends (1959), Broth of a Boy (1959), The Battle of the Sexes (1959), Hell Is a City (1960), Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), The Siege of Sidney Street (1960), Sands of the Desert (1960), The Long and the Short and the Tall (1960), Hand in Hand (1960), Follow That Horse! (1960), Bottoms Up (1960), Stop Me Before I Kill! (1961), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Wonderful to Be Young! (1961), Five Golden Hours (1961), Double Bunk (1961), The Pot Carriers (1962), Summer Holiday (1963), Maniac (1963), What a Crazy World (1963), West 11 (1963), Sparrows Can’t Sing (1963), 80,000 Suspects (1963), Swingers’ Paradise (1964), The Girl-Getters (1964), Rattle of a Simple Man (1964), War Gods of the Deep (1965), Blues for Lovers (1965), Crossplot (1969), and Valentino (1977).
Blackwell, Otis Popular songwriter Otis Blackwell, whose songs were recorded by such stars as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Who, died of a heart attack in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 6, 2002. He was 70. Blackwell was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1931. He began his career as a singer, but soon began writing songs for other performers.
35
2002 • Obituaries
James Blackwood
His numerous hits include “Great Balls of Fire” and “Breathless” recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis, “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Return to Sender” and “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley, “Fever” by Peggy Lee, “Daddy Rolling Stone” by the Who, and “Handy Man” by James Taylor. Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2002, B14; New York Times, May 9, 2002, A29; People, May 20, 2002, 81; Time, May 20, 2002, 27; Variety, May 13, 2002, 39.
ing World War II when they temporarily disbanded. They won the competition on Arthur Godfrey’s Talents Scouts in June of 1954, but R.W. Blackwood and bass singer Bill Lyles were killed in a plane crash soon afterwards. The Blackwood Brothers continued to perform and record, adding Cecil Blackwood and J.D. Sumner to the group. They recorded over 200 albums and were the recipient of nine Grammy Awards. James Blackwood retired in 1970. He later formed the groups the Masters V and the James Blackwood Quartet. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1974. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2002, B11; New York Times, Feb. 10, 2002, 39; Variety, Feb. 11, 2002, 70.
Blackwood, James
Blake, Whitney
Gospel music pioneer James Blackwood died in Memphis, Tennessee, of complications from a stroke on February 3, 2002. He was 82. Blackwood was born in Ackerman, Mississippi, on October 23, 1921. He was a founder and leader of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet in 1934, performing with his brothers Roy and Doyle, and nephew R.W. They performed throughout the next two decades, except for an interruption dur-
Actress Whitney Blake, who was best known for her role as employer Dorothy Baxter on Shirley Booth’s television sitcom Hazel from 1961 to 1965, died at her home in Edgartown, Massachusetts, after a long illness on September 28, 2002. She was 76. She was born Nancy Baxter in Los Angeles on February 20, 1925. She began her career on stage and was soon appearing on television in episodes of such series as Circus
Otis Blackwell
Obituaries • 2002
36
Whitney Blake
Bill Blass
Boy, Perry Mason, Zane Grey Theater, Cheyenne, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, The Restless Gun, The Deputy, Pony Express, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Bonanza, Riverboat, Bachelor Father, Overland Trail, Bronco, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Route 66, The Aquanauts, Branded, The Legend of Jesse James, Laredo, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Batman, The Virginian, The Andy Griffith Show, The Outsider, Cannon, Ironside, Medical Story and Hunter. Blake also appeared in the films My Gun Is Quick (1957) and -30- (1959). During the 1970s Blake was seen in several telefilms including The Boy Who Stole the Elephant, (1970), The Stranger Who Looks Like Me (1974), Strange Homecoming (1974), Returning Home (1975) and Law and Order (1976). She was also featured in the 1978 film adaptation of Harold Robbins’ The Betsy. Married to writerproducer Allan Manings, Blake co-created the television sitcom One Day at a Time, which aired on television from 1975 to 1984. Survivors include her husband and her daughter, actress Meredith Baxter. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 2, 2002, B11.
2002. He was 79. Blass was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on June 22, 1922. He began working as a fashion designer at the age of 17 and soon moved to study fashion in New York. After serving in the Army during World War II, where he participated in designing camouflage outfits for the military, he joined the Anna Miller design firm. He bought the company and renamed it Bill Blass Ltd. in 1970. The recipient of numerous awards in the fashion industry, Blass designed clothing for such celebrities as Barbra Streisand, Barbara Walters, Candice Bergen, and Nancy Reagan. Blass sold his company in 1999. Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2002, B13; New York Times, June 13, 2002, A1; People, July 1, 2002, 106; Times (of London), June 14, 2002, 35b; Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Blass, Bill Fashion designer Bill Blass died of cancer at his Washington, Connecticut, home on June 12,
Bodrov, Sergei, Jr. Russian actor Sergei Bodrov, Jr., was killed with much of his film crew in an avalanche near the village of Karmadon in southern Russia on September 20, 2002. He was 30. The son of famed Russian director Sergei Bodrov, he was born in Moscow on December 27, 1971. He starred in nearly a dozen films from the early 1990s including White King, Red Queen (192), The Year of a Dog (1993), Prisoner of the Caucasus
37
2002 • Obituaries Love and the Frenchwoman (1960), One Night at the Beach (1961), Famous Love Affairs (1961), Tales of Paris (1962), Secret File 1413 (1962), How to Succeed in Love (1962), How Do You Like My Sister? (1963), The Chase (1963), O.S.S. 117 —Terror in Tokyo (1966), The Man Who Was Worth Millions (1967), Tender Moment (1968), Eyes Full of Sun (1969), One Is Always Too Good to Women (1971), Tom Thumb (1972), Tell Me You Love Me (1974), and Catherine & Co. (1975). Boisrond worked often in French television from the 1980s, directing such mini series as Toutes Griffes Dehors (1982), Le Tiroir Secret (1986), Le Retour d’Arsene Lupin (1989), and Marie Curie, Une Femme Honorable (1990). Variety, Dec. 9, 2002, 71.
Bolus, Steve
Sergei Bodrov, Jr.
(1998), The Brother (1997), The Stringer (1997), East-West (1999), The Brother 2 (2000), The Quickie (2001), Vojna (2002) and Bear’s Kiss (2002). Bodrov also directed and scripted the 2001 film Sisters. Los Angeles Times, Oct, 7, 2002, 104; New York Times, Sept. 24, 2002, A10.
Wrestler Steve Bolus died of cancer in Canada on March 23, 2002. Bolus was an amateur wrestler who began competing professionally in Canada in the late 1950s. He often teamed with Chris and John Tolos, sometimes wrestling as their cousin. He teamed with Rufus R. Jones
Boisrond, Michel French film director Michel Boisrond died in La-Celle-Saint-Cloud, France, on November 10, 2002. He was 81. Boisrond was born in Chateauneuf-en-Thymerais, Eure-et-Loir, France, on October 9, 1921. He worked as an assistant director in the early 1950s on such films as Beauty and the Devil (1950), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), Beauties of the Night (1952), Caroline Cherie (1953), Act of Love (1954), and The Grand Maneuver (1955). He soon began directing, and often scripting, films. His numerous credits include That Naughty Girl (1957), When the Child Appears (1956), It Happened in Aden (1956), La Parisienne (1957), Three Murderesses (1959), Way of Youth (1959), Come Dance with Me! (1959),
Steve Bolus
Obituaries • 2002 to hold the NWA Central States Tag Team Title in late 1971. He teamed with Ron Star to hold the Western States Tag Team Title in 1982.
Booth, Margaret Veteran film editor Margaret Booth died of complications from a stroke in Los Angeles on October 28, 2002. She was 104. Booth was born in Los Angeles on January 14, 1898. She began working in films in her teens as an assistant to D.W. Griffith. She began editing films in the early 1920s and her numerous credits include The Wanters (1923), Why Men Leave Home (1924), Husbands and Lovers (1924), Fine Clothes (1925), The Merry Widow (1925), Memory Lane (1926), The Gay Deceiver (1926), Lovers? (1927), The Enemy (1927), In Old Kentucky (1927), Telling the World (1928), The Mysterious Lady (1928), Bringing Up Father (1928), Our Dancing Daughters (1928), A Lady of Chance (1928), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929), Wise Girls (1929), Redemption (1930), The Rogue Song (1930), Strictly Unconventional (1930), The Lady of Scandal (1930), A Lady’s Morals (1930), New Moon (1930), It’s a Wise Child (1931), Five and Ten (1931), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931), The Cuban Love Song (1931), The Prodigal (1931), Loves Courageous (1932), Smilin’ Though (1932), The Son-Daughter
Margaret Booth
38 (1932), Strange Interlude (1932), The White Sister (1933), Peg O’ My Heart (1933), Storm at Daybreak (1933), Bombshell (1933), Dancing Lady (1933), Riptide (1934), The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), Reckless (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) which earned her an Academy Award nomination, Romeo and Juliet (1936), Camille (1937) and A Yank at Oxford (1938). She continued to work in films through the 1980s, serving as a supervising editor on such features as The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), Fat City (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Murder By Death (1976), The Goodbye Girl (1977), California Suite (1978), Chapter Two (1979), and Annie (1982). Booth was awarded an honorary Oscar for her contributions to film editing in 1977. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 31, 2002, B16; New York Times, Nov. 2, 2002, B7.
Bosse, Malcolm Novelist Malcolm Bosse died of esophageal cancer in New York City on May 3, 2002. He was 75. Bosse was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1927. His first novel, The Journey of Tao Kim Nam, was published in 1959. His novel The Man Who Loved Zoos was adapted into the 1987 film Agent Trouble starring Catherine Deneuve. His novel Ganesh was filmed as Ordinary Magic in 1993. New York Times, June 14, 2002, C11.
Malcolm Bosse
39
Bracken, Eddie Leading comic actor Eddie Bracken died of complications from surgery in Montclair, New Jersey, on November 14, 2002. He was 87. Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, on February 7, 1915. He began his career as a child actor appearing in the comedy shorts Kiddie Troupers, which were modeled on the Our Gang comedies. He became a popular comic actor in films in the early 1940s, appearing in Too Many Girls (1940), Life with Henry (1941), Reaching for the Sun (1941), Caught in the Draft (1941), The Fleet’s In (1942), Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), Sweater Girl (1942), Happy Go Lucky (1943), Young and Willing (1943), Preston Sturges’ Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) and The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944), Rainbow Island (1944), Bring on the Girls (1945), Duffy’s Tavern (1945), Hold That Blonde (1945), Out of This World (1945), Fun on a Weekend (1947), Ladies’ Man (1947), The Girl from Jones Beach (1949), Summer Stock (1950), Two Tickets
2002 • Obituaries to Broadway (1951), About Face (1952), We’re Not Married! (1952), and A Slight Case of Larceny (1953). Bracken was also a regular panelist on television quiz shows in the 1950s including I’ve Got a Secret, Make the Connection and Masquerade Party. Bracken left films for several decades to return to the New York stage, where he earned a Tony nomination for his role opposite Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly. He also starred with Eartha Kitt in Shinbone Alley, and voiced the role of Archy in the 1971 animated film version. Bracken returned to the screen as Roy Walley in the 1983 comedy National Lampoon’s Summer Vacation. He was also featured in the films Oscar (1991), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Rookie of the Year (1993), and Baby’s Day Out (1994). Bracken was the voice of Moley in the 1987 animated telefilm The Wind in the Willows, and starred as Cap’n Andy in the 1989 telefilm Show Boat. He also starred in the telefilms Arthur Miller’s The American Clock (1993) and Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (1994). Bracken starred as Father Burke in the 1994 television series Winnetka Road. His other television credits include episodes of Goodyear Television Playhouse, Studio One, The Alcoa Hour, Kraft Television Theater, Rawhide, Burke’s Law, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Ellery Queen, Tales from the Darkside, Murder, She Wrote, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, The Golden Girls, Wiseguy, Empty Nest, Monsters, The Cosby Mysteries, Remember WENN, and Ed. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 2002, B20; New York Times, Nov. 16, 2002, A18; Time, Nov. 25, 2002, 27; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 54.
Bradford, Richard
Eddie Bracken
Novelist Richard Bradford died of lung cancer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on March 23, 2002. He was 70. Bradford’s first work, Red Sky at Morning, a coming-of-age novel about a Southern boy in New Mexico during World War II, received critical acclaim after it’s publication in 1968. Bradford scripted the 1970 film version of the novel starring Richard Thomas. After writing a second novel, So Far From Heaven, he abandoned his career to work as a medical transcriptionist and technical writer. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2002, B12; New York Times, Mar. 30, 2002, A13.
Obituaries • 2002
Richard Bradford
Brian, Mary Mary Brian, a leading actress from the silent screen through the 1940s, died on December 29, 2002. She was 96. She was born Louise Byrdie Dantzler in Corsicana, Texas, on February 17, 1906. She began her career in films at Paramount in 1924 after being discovered during a beauty pageant, and starred as Wendy in the silent film version of Peter Pan with Betty Bronson as Peter. Brian continued to appear in such films as The Air Mail (1925), The Street of Forgotten Men (1925), A Regular Fellow (1925), The Little French Girl (1925), Behind the Front (1926), Paris at Midnight (1926), The Enchanted Hill (1926), Brown of Harvard (1926), More Pay — Less Work (1926), Prince of Tempters (1926), Beau Geste (1926), Stepping Along (1926), Her Father Said No (1927), High Hat (1927), Knockout Reilly (1927), Running Wild (1927) with W.C. Fields, Man Power (1927), Two Flaming Youths (1927), Shanghai Bound (1927), Partners in Crime (1928), Harold Teen (1927), Under the Tonto Rim (1928), Forgotten Faces (1928), Varsity (1928), Someone to Love (1928), The Big Killing (1928), Black Waters (1929), The
40
Mary Brian
Man I Love (1929), The Virginian (1929), River of Romance (1929), Navy Blues (1929), The Marriage Playground (1929), The Kibitzer (1930), Only the Brave (1930), Burning Up (1930), The Light of Western Stars (1930), The Social Lion (1930), Only Saps Work (1930), The Royal Family of Broadway (1930), Captain Applejack (1931), The Front Page (1931), Homicide Squad (1931), The Runaround (1931), It’s Tough to Be Famous (1932), Screen Snapshots (1932), Blessed Event (1932), Manhattan Tower (1932), The Unwritten Law (1932), Hard to Handle (1933), Girl Missing (1933), Moonlight and Pretzels (1933), Song of the Eagle (1933), Shadows of Sing Sing (1933), The World Gone Mad (1933), One Year Later (1933), Fog (1934), Ever Since Eve (1934), Monte Carlo Nights (1934), Private Scandal (1934), College Rhythm (1934), Charlie Chan in Paris (1935), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), Weekend Millionaire (1935), Two’s Company (1936), Three Married Men (1936), Spendthrift (1936), Once in a Million (1936), Killer at Large (1936), The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (1936), Navy Blues (1937), The Affairs of Cappy Ricks (1937), Calaboose (1943), I Escaped from the Gestapo (1943), Danger! Women at Work (1943),
41
2002 • Obituaries
and I Was a Criminal (1945). She largely retired from the screen following her performance in 1947’s Dragnet, though she continued to perform on stage and appeared on television in episodes of Meet Corliss Archer and Strike It Rich in the 1950s. Brian was married to film editor George Tomasini from 1947 until his death in 1967. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 4, 2003, B17; New York Times, Jan. 2, 2003; Time, Jan. 13, 2003, 17.
Bridges, Elisa Elisa Bridges, the Playboy Playmate of the Month for December 1994, died in Los Angeles of an accidental drug overdose on February 8, 2002. She was 28. Bridges was born in Miami, Florida, on May 24, 1973. She was also featured in several Playboy videos and worked as a model for Bikini Hangout. Nick Brignola
early 1960s and teamed with trumpeter Ted Curson from 1967 to 1977. Brignola received a Grammy nomination for his recording “LA Bound” in 1980. During the 1980s and 1990s, Brignola performed and recorded with such groups as the Mingus Super Band, Phil Woods Little Big Band and the Three Baritone Saxophone Band. He final CD, Tour De Force was released in early 2002. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12, 2002, B10; New York Times, Feb, 18, 2002, B7.
Brodsky, Vlastimil
Elisa Bridges
Brignola, Nick Jazz saxophonist Nick Brignola died of cancer at an Albany, New York, hospital on February 8, 2002. He was 65. Brignola was born in Troy, New York, on July 17, 1936. He performed with Woody Herman and Sal Salvador in the
Leading Czech actor Vlastimil Brodsky was found dead in Slunecna, Czech Republic, on April 20, 2002. The actor, who had suffered an incapacitating stroke the previous month, apparently committed suicide. He was 81. Brodsky was born in Hrusovany, Czechoslovakia, on December 15, 1920. He was a popular stage actor from the 1940s, often appearing in productions of the Vinohrady Theater. Brodsky made his film debut in 1944’s Boheme, and became a leading film star the following decade. He was featured in such films as Hotel Pokrok (1956), Three Wishes (1958), Today for the Last Time (1958), When the Woman
Obituaries • 2002
42
Vlastimil Brodsky
Butts In (1960), Transport from Paradise (1962), The Cassandra Cat (1963), Everyday Courage (1964), Chintamans and the Marriage Swindler (1964), A Thousand Clarinets (1964), The Lost Face (1965), The White Lady (1965), Closely Watched Trains (1966), Never Strike a Woman… Even with a Flower (1967), Capricious Summer (1968), Crime in a Music Hall (1968), All Good Citizens (1968), Svetaci (1969), End of a Priest (1969), Only Old Men Are Going to Battle (1973), Operation Bororo (1973), Jacob the Liar (1974), Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977), The Hour of Truth (1977), Long Live Ghosts! (1979), Krtiny (1981), Dissolved and Effused (1984), Hard Bodies (1989), Larks on a String (1990), The Flying Sneaker (1990), Labyrinth (1992), Hannah’s Ragtime (1998), Return to Paradise Lost (1999), When Grandfather Loved Rita Hayworth (2001), and Autumn Spring (2002). Brodsky was also the narrator of a popular nightly Czech television cartoon series of fairytales. Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 42.
Brooks, Hadda Singer Hadda Brooks died in a Los Angeles hospital shortly after undergoing open-heart
Hadda Brooks
surgery on November 21, 2002. She was 86. Brooks was born in Los Angeles on October 29, 1916. She was known as “the Queen of the Boogie” in the mid–1940s, recording such songs as “That’s My Desire,” “Swingin’ The Boogie,” “Don’t Take Your Love from Me,” and “Trust in Me.” She was featured in several films including Out of the Blue (1947), Boogie Woogie Blues (1948), In a Lonely Place (1950), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1953). She hosted the Los Angeles variety television series The Hadda Brooks Show in 1957. Brooks was seen recently as a piano player in the films The Crossing Guard (1995) and The Thirteenth Floor (1999). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 23, 2002, B20; New York Times, Nov. 24, 2002, 40.
Brooks, Hazel Actress Hazel Brooks died at her Bel-Air, California, home on October 3, 2002. She was 78. She was born in Capetown, South Africa, in 1924. She came to the United States and was signed to a contract with MGM in the early
43
2002 • Obituaries
Hazel Brooks
1940s. She was featured in over a dozen films including Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Girl Crazy (1943), Rationing (1944), Patrolling the Ether (1944), Meet the People (1944), Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944), Without Love (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946), Body and Soul (1947), Arch of Triumph (1948), Sleep, My Love (1948), The Basketball Fix (1951), and The I Don’t Care Girl (1953). Brooks was married to art director Cedric Gibbons, the designer of the Oscar statuette, from 1944 until his death in 1960.
Brown, Dee Historian and author Dee Brown, who wrote the 1970 best-seller Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, died at his Little Rock, Arkansas, home on December 12, 2002. He was 94. Brown was born in Alberta, Louisiana, on February 28, 1908. He worked as a reporter in Arkansas before getting a major in history at the Arkansas State Teachers College. During the 1930s he worked as a librarian for the federal government before entering the U.S. Army in 1942. After the war he earned a master’s degree in library science and was a professor at the University of Illinois. Brown’s first book, Wave High the Banner, a novel featuring Davy Crockett, was published in 1942. He wrote several other works before his best
Dee Brown
known book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, was published in 1970. The book told the story of the conflict between Native Americans and the U.S. government in the 19th Century, culminating with the last major battle between them at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Brown’s other works include Yellow Horse, Cavalry Scout, The Girl from Fort Wicked, Action at Beecher Island, They Went Thataway, Showdown at Little Big Horn, Tales of the Warrior Ants, American Saga, American West, Fort Apache, Past Imperfect, and Creek Mary’s Blood. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 14, 2002, B20; New York Times, Dec. 14, 2002, A27; Time, Dec. 23, 2002, 21.
Brown, James “Buster” Tap dancer James ‘Buster’ Brown died on May 7, 2002. He was 89. Brown was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 17, 1913. He began dancing at an early age and moved to New York in the 1940s. He performed with such leading bands as those led by Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, and was a member of tap dancing troupe, the Copasetics. Later in his career Brown performed in the Broadway production of Black
Obituaries • 2002
44 Quinta, California, on February 2, 2002. He was 81. He began his career in radio, producing and directing shows in New York in the late 1930s. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he returned to radio, where he was program director of station WOR. In the early 1950s he produced the NBC television series Inner Sanctum. He also began a film production studio in New York, which he managed for numerous years. He scripted, produced and directed the 1968 children’s musical film The Clown and the Kids starring clown Emmit Kelly. He also directed and produced the film Strange Holiday (1969). He subsequently moved to Australia, where he directed the 1969 film Little Jungle Boy. He produced, directed and scripted the 1973 Australian supernatural series The Evil Touch, and directed the 1973 action thriller …And Millions Will Die. His final film was 1983’s On the Run. Brown returned to the United States in 1991. Variety, Mar. 18, 2002, 46.
Brown, Ray Jazz bassist Ray Brown died in his sleep on July 2, 2002, while on tour in Indianapolis, Indiana. Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 1926. He began his career in
James “Buster” Brown
and Blue, and was featured in a small role in the films The Cotton Club (1984) and Tap (1989). Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2002, B19; New York Times, May 9, 2002, A29; Time, May 20, 2002, 27; Variety, May 20, 2002, 67.
Brown, Mende Film and television producer, director and writer Mende Brown died of a heart attack in La
Ray Brown
45 the 1940s, playing with such artists as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Brown was a founder of the be-bop sound, and appeared with Gillespie’s orchestra in the 1946 concert film Jivin’ in Be-Bop. Brown married singer Ella Fitzgerald in 1949 and served as her musical director until their divorce in 1953. He also performed and recorded with the Oscar Peterson Trio in the 1950s and 1960s. Brown continued to tour until his death, with his latest album, Some of My Best Friends Are… Guitarists, having been released the previous month. Los Angeles Times, July 3, 2002, B11; New York Times, July 4, 2002, C11; People, July 22, 2002, 67; Time, July 15, 2002, 19; Times (of London), July 5, 2002, 35a; Variety, July 15, 2002, 47.
Bruno, Mauro Film and television composer Mauro Bruno died of lung cancer at a Burbank, California, hospital on October 3, 2002. He was 78. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1924, Bruno played trumpet with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He subsequently became an arranger and conductor for such stars as Lorne Greene, Gene Barry, Ray Bolger and Pinky Lee. Bruno composed scores for several television detective series in the 1970s including The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, and Police Story. He received an Emmy Award nomination for his arrangement of the 1984 special The Magic of David Copperfield VI. Bruno also composed scores for several films
Mauro Bruno
2002 • Obituaries including Paco (1975), Independence Day (1975), J.D. and the Salt Flat Kid (1978), and Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws (1978). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 28, 2002, B9.
Bryant, Michael British character actor Michael Bryant died in England on April 25, 2002. He was 74. Bryant was born in London on April 5, 1928. He began his career on stage, appearing in productions of The Iceman Cometh and Five Finger Exercise in London. He was also a popular film actor from the mid–1950s, appearing in Passage Home (1955), Uranium Boom (1956), A Night to Remember (1958), Walk in the Shadow (1962), The Mind Benders (1963), The Deadly Affair (1967), Torture Garden (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Girly (1969), The Deep (1970), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) as Lenin, The Ruling Class (1972), Caravan to Vaccares (1974), Gandhi (1982), Bikini Summer II (1992), and Hamlet (1996). Bryant also appeared in numerous telefilms and mini-series including Talking to a Stranger (1966), Mille Miglia (1968), The Three Sisters (1969), The Duchess of Malfi (1972), The Stone Tape (1972), Is It Some-
Michael Bryant (as Lenin in Nicholas and Alexandra)(Columbia)
Obituaries • 2002 thing I Said? (1974), Late Call (1975), Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (1982), Reilly: The Ace of Spies (1983), Sakharov (1984), Heading Home (1991), Anna Lee (1993), King Lear (1997), Wives and Daughters (1999), and The Miracle Maker (2000). He also performed with the National Theatre from the mid–1970s, becoming an associate director of the theatre in 1998. Los Angeles Times, May 10, 2002, B12; New York Times, May 8, 2002, A27; Times (of London), Apr. 30, 2002, 31b; Variety, May 6, 2002, 84.
Buck, Jack Veteran sportscaster Jack Buck died in St. Louis, Missouri, after a long illness with heart trouble and Parkinson’s disease on June 19, 2002. He was 77. Buck was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on August 21, 1924. He began his career calling St. Louis Cardinals baseball games in 1954. He continued to broadcast for the Cardinals for five decades. Buck also was lead baseball announcer for CBS from 1990 to 1992. Buck was known for his slogan “That’s a winner,” when the Cardinals would get their final out. Buck also was announcer for other sports including football and bowling, and announced Super Bowl and World Series games for the networks. Los Angeles Times, June 20, 2002, B12; New York Times, June 20, 2002, C14; People, July 8, 2002, 71. Time, July 1, 2002, 19; Variety, June 24, 2002, 57.
Jack Buck
46
Burge, Stuart British film and theatrical director Stuart Burge died in Lymington, Hampshire, England, on January 24, 2002. He was 84. Burge was born in Brentwood, Essex, England, on January 15, 1918. He began his career as a stage actor in the 1930s, appearing in productions of Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and The Lady’s Not for Burning. He appeared on Broadway in a production of Venus Observed in 1952. He soon began directing for the stage and helmed productions of Julius Caesar (1959), The Ghost Sonata (1962), and Uncle Vanya (1963) for British television. Burge also directed the films There Was a Crooked Man (1960), Othello (1965), The Mikado (1967), Julius Caesar (1970) and Uncle Vanya (1977). He also helmed episodes of such television series as Danger Man, Rumpole of the Bailey and Seaforth, and the telefilms and mini-series A Fall of Eagles (1974), The School for Scandal (1975), Under Western Eyes (1975), The Old Men at the Zoo (1982), Much Ado About Nothing (1984), Naming the Names (1986), The Importance of Being Earnest (1986), Talking Heads (1987), The Rainbow (1988), Dinner at Noon (1988) and The House of Bernarda Alba (1991). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2002, B16; Times (of London), Feb. 4, 2002, 15a.
Stuart Burge
47
2002 • Obituaries
Burns, Stan Television comedy writer Stan Burns died of heart failure at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, California, on October 5, 2002. He was 79. Burns wrote for numerous television comedy and variety shows from the 1950s including Broadway Open House, The Steve Allen Show, Get Smart, FTroop, Gilligan’s Island, Mary, The Mary Tyler Moore Hour, The Dom DeLuise Show, The Flip Wilson Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, and The Carol Burnett Show, which earned him an Emmy Award in 1972. Burns often worked with partner Mike Marmer and the duo created the children’s television series Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, in 1970. Burns also scripted the 1981 comedy film Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 8, 2002, B15; New York Times, Nov. 11, 2002, B8.
Rusty Burrell
Stan Burns
Burrell, Rusty Rusty Burrell, the silver-haired bailiff for Judge Wapner’s The People’s Court on television, died of lung cancer in Rosemead, California, on April 15, 2002. He was 76. He was born Roy Justus Burrell in Metropolis, Illinois, on November 17, 1925. He served in the U.S. Navy during
World War II and came to California to play minor league baseball after the war. He soon began working in law enforcement, joining the Pomona Sheriff ’s Department in 1950. He soon became a bailiff with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, serving during such major trials as Caryl Chessman, Charles Manson and Patty Hearst. Burrell had also served as bailiff for the 1957 television series Divorce Court, and appeared in the films Take Her, She’s Mine (1963) and Fate Is the Hunter (1964). After his retirement from the sheriff ’s department in 1981, he was chosen as Judge Wapner’s bailiff for the television series The People’s Court. He remained with the series until it ended in 1993. He again worked with Judge Wapner on the Animal Planet series Animal Court from 1997. He an Wapner was also seen in the pilot episode of the television series Sliders. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 19, 2002, B15; New York Times, Apr. 22, 2002, B8; People, May 6, 2002, 121.
Obituaries • 2002
48
Buscema, John
Cabrera Infante, Alberto
Comic artist John Buscema died of stomach cancer on January 10, 2002. He was 74. Buscema was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 11, 1927. He began his career as a comic artist with Timely (Marvel) in 1948, drawing horror, crime, mystery, romance and science fiction titles. During the 1950s Buscema was an artist for Roy Rogers comic at Gold Key. He worked in advertising for a period in the late 1950s before returning to Marvel in the mid–1960s to draw such titles as The Avengers, Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner and The Incredible Hulk. He also drew the Marvel Conan the Barbarian comic from the early 1970s. Other work at Marvel include the titles Fantastic Four, Howard the Duck, Ka-Zar, Kull, Marvel Classics Comics, Marvel Treasury of Oz, Ms. Marvel, Nova, the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie adaptation, Red Sonja, Savage Sword of Conan, Thor, Tarzan, Wolverine and X-Men. He largely retired in 1996, but returned to comics drawing Just Imagine Stan Lee and John Buscema Creating Superman for DC in 2001. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 19, 2002, B15; New York Times, Jan. 28, 2002, B7.
Cuban documentary filmmaker Alberto “Saba” Cabrera Infante died in a Miami hospital of complications from heart surgery on May 29, 2002. He was 69. Cabrera was born in Gibara, Oriente Province, Cuba, in 1933. He co-directed a short documentary film about Havana nightlife in 1961 that became one of the first examples of artistic censorship during Fidel Castro’s regime. Cabrera left Cuba in 1965, seeking asylum in the United States. He continued to work in film, as an editor and restorer, until his retirement in 2000.
John Buscema (Eclipse)
Cailloux, Andre Canadian actor and writer Andre Cailloux died of cancer in Sherbrooke Quebec, Canada, on November 14, 2002. He was 82. Cailloux was born in Issoudun, France, on May 30, 1920. He moved to Montreal, Canada, in the early 1950s. Cailloux appeared on Canadian television from the 1950s in such series as Pepe le Cowboy and TiJean Caribou. He was also featured in the films Kamouraska (1973) and Brother Andre (1987), and the telefilms Une Maison..un Jour… (1970), Salut! J.W. (1981), and Prince Lazure (1991).
Andre Cailoux
49
Calvert, Phyllis British actress Phyllis Calvert died in her sleep at a London hospital on October 8, 2002. She was 87. She was born Phyllis Bickle in London on February 18, 1915. She began her career as a dancer and appeared in production on the London stage from the mid–1920s. She made her film debut several years later and was featured in numerous films over the next 70 years. Calvert was seen in The Arcadians (1927), Discord (1933), Anne One Hundred (1933), School for Stars (1935), Two Days to Live (1939), They Came by Night (1940), Neutral Port (1940), Let George Do It (1940), Charley’s Big-Hearted Aunt (1940), Mail Train (1941), The Remarkable Mr. Kipps (1941), The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), Uncensored (1942), The Man in Grey (1943), Madonna of the Seven Moons (1944), Fanny by Gaslight (1944), 2,000 Women (1944), They Were Sisters (1945), Men of Two Worlds (1946), The Magic Bow (1946), Time Out of Mind (1947), Root of All Evil (1947), Broken Journey (1948), My Own True Love (1948), The Golden Madonna (1949), Her Panelled Door (1951), Appointment with Danger (1951), Mr. Den-
2002 • Obituaries ning Drives North (1952), Crash of Silence (1952), Project M7 (1953), It’s Never Too Late (1956), Child in the House (1956), Indiscreet (1958), The Young and the Guilty (1958), A Lady Mislaid (1958), Oscar Wilde (1959), The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965), Twisted Nerve (1968), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), and The Walking Stick (1970). She also appeared on British television in productions of Kate (1970), The Death of a Heart (1985), Cover Her Face (1985), All Passion Spent (1986), The Woman He Loved (1988), Across the Lake (1988), Sophia and Contance (1988), and Bed (1995), and in episodes of Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, Boon, Vitoria Wood, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Casualty and Midsomer Murders. Her final film was 1997’s Ms. Dalloway. New York Times, Oct. 12, 2002, B7; Times (of London), Oct. 9, 2002, 30b; Variety, Oct. 14, 2002, 48.
Campbell, Joanne British actress Joanne Campbell died from a blood clot at her home in London on December 21, 2002. She was 38. Campbell was born in Northampton, England, on February 8, 1964. She began performing on stage as a dancer at an early age. She became a popular performer on British television in the 1980s and was seen regularly in such series as The All Electric Amusement Arcade, Me and My Girl, Bodger and Badger, Larger Than Life, and The Big Time. She also appeared in the 1990 film Nuns on the Run. She was working on a new children’s series for the BBC at the time of her death.
Campbell-Russell, Hilda
Phyllis Calvert
Irish actress Hilda Campbell-Russell died in Stockbridge, Hampshire, England, on June 18, 2002. She was 97. She was born Hilda Russell in Dublin, Ireland, on October 20, 1904. She made her stage debut in 1920 in a production of Peter Pan. She continued to perform on stage, in films, and on television for the next seventy years. Russell’s film debut was in 1934’s Java Head. Her other film credits include No Escape (1936), They Met in the Dark (1943), 2,000 Women (1944), The Wicked Lady (1945), No Highway in the Sky (1950), and War Gods of the Deep (1965). She
Obituaries • 2002
50
Gerald Campion Hilda Campbell-Russell
starred as Mrs. Spindle in the short-lived British soap opera Home Tonight in 1968 and played Peggy Leonard in the series Crossroads in the 1970s. She continued to work in television through the 1990s, appearing in an episode of Waiting for God.
Campion, Gerald British actor Gerald Campion died at the St. Hilaire Clinic in Agen, France, on July 9, 2002. He was 81. Campion was born in London on April 23, 1921. He began his career on the London stage before making his film debut in 1947’s Take My Life. He continued to appear in supporting roles in such films as Miranda (1948), The Pickwick Papers (1952), Top of the Form (1953), Knave of Hearts (1954), Up to His Neck (1954), Keep It Clean (1956), Fun at St. Fanny’s
(1956), and Carry on Sergeant (1958). During the 1950s he was best known for starring in the popular British comedy television series Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School, which aired from 1952 to 1961. He continued his film career in the 1960s in such features as School for Scoundrels (1960), Inn for Trouble (1960), Double Bunk (1961), Jigsaw (1962), The Fast Lady (1962), The Comedy Man (1963), A Home of Your Own (1964), Half a Sixpence (1967), The Sorcerers (1967), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). He also appeared on television in episodes of Department S, Sykes, Doctor Who, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Bretts and Minder. He was featured in several more films later in his career including Little Dorrit (1987) and Just Ask for Diamond (1988), and the 1989 television mini-series adaptation of Great Expectations.
51
2002 • Obituaries
Caran, Lillian Green Actress and drama teacher Lillian Green Caran died of heart failure at a Smithtown, New York, hospital on January 2, 2002. She was 85. Caran began her career on stage at the age of three, and appeared in over forty Broadway productions during her career. She was also featured in numerous radio and television series including Fibber McGee and Molly, The Goldbergs and Ellery Queen. For over fifty years Caran was a drama teacher at the Masque Theatre in Smithtown. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 13, 2002, B10; Variety, Feb. 4, 2002, 61.
Cardinale, Frank Film and television costume designer Frank Cardinale died in Woodland Hills, California, on June 19, 2002. He was 83. Cardinale began working in costuming in the early 1950s at Western Costume Co. Several years later he joined MGM, working on Around the World in 80 Days and 1957’s Hell Ship Mutiny. He also worked on such television series as Zorro, Ben Casey, The Lucy Show, Kojak, and Quincy, and the films Old Yeller (1957) and Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). He retired in the 1970s.
Carroll, Vinnette Actress, director and playwright Vinnette Carroll died of complications from diabetes and heart disease in Ford Lauderhill, Florida, on November 5, 2002. She was 80. Carroll was born in New York City on March 11, 1922. Carroll received an Emmy Award for her 1964 dramatization of works by black poets called Beyond the Blues. She adapted Langston Hughes’ poetry into a gospel musical Trumpets of the Lord in 1969 and directed the Broadway musical Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope in 1972. Carroll also wrote the popular musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. She appeared as an actress in a handful of films during her career including One Potato, Two Potato (1964), Up the Down Staircase (1967), Alice’s Restaurant (1969), The Reivers (1969), Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), and The Last Home Run (1996). She was also seen on television in an episode of All in the Family in 1976.
Vinnette Carroll
Los Angeles Times, Nov. 7, 2002, B25; New York Times, Nov. 7, 2002, C19; Time, Nov. 18, 2002, 27.
Carsey, John Jay Comedy writer and producer John Jay Carsey died of congestive heart failure in Brentwood, California, on April 5, 2002. He was 80. Carsey began working in television in the early 1950s, serving as a unit manager for The Steve Allen Show. He continued to work with Allen on The Tonight Show and remained a production assistant under Jack Paar and Johnny Carson. Carsey also wrote for the 1960s television comedy series Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, and various variety shows. He was married to television producer Marcy Carsey from 1969. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 18, 2002, B13; Variety, Apr, 22, 2002, 42.
Cartlidge, Katrin British stage and film actress Katrin Cartlidge died in England of complications from pneumonia and septicaemia on September 7, 2002. She was 41. Cartlidge was born in London on May 15, 1961. She starred as Lucy Collins in
Obituaries • 2002
52
Katrin Cartlidge (with Rade Serbedzija fr. Before the Rain)
the British television series Brookside from 1982 to 1988. Cartlidge began her film career several years later, appearing in such features as Scared Hearts (1985), Eat the Rich (1987), Mike Leigh’s Naked (1993), Look Me in the Eye (1994), Before the Rain (1994), Seasick (1996), Breaking the Waves (1996), Career Girls (1997), Saint-Ex (1997), HiLife (1998), Claire Dolan (1998), The Lost Son (1999), Topsy-Turvy (1999), The Cherry Orchard (2000), Hotel Splendide (2000), The Weight of Water (2000), the Oscar winning foreign film No Man’s Land (2001), and From Hell (2001). She was also seen in television productions of Nobody’s Children (1995), Three Steps to Heaven (1995), Nightlife (1996), Cinderella (2000), Sword of Honour (2001) and Crime and Punishment (2002). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 10, 2002, B11; New York Times, Sept. 11, 2002, C12; Times (of London), Sept. 12, 2002, 37b; Variety, Sept. 16, 2002, 66.
Cassill, R.V. Novelist R.V. Cassill died in a Providence, Rhode Island, hospital on March 25, 2002. He was 82. Ronald Verlni Cassill was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on May 17, 1919. He began writing short fiction in the late 1930s, and was the author of 24 novels including Eagle on the Coin (1950), Clem Anderson (1961), Dr. Cobb’s Game (1970), and After Goliath (1985). He was also the author of several collections of short stories. Cassill taught at Brown University from the mid–1960s through 1983, when he became professor emeritus. New York Times, Apr. 1, 2002, B7.
R.V. Cassill
Cassini, Igor Gossip columnist Igor Cassini died at his home in Manhattan on January 5, 2002. He was 87. Cassini was born to an aristocratic Russian family in Sevastopol, Ukraine, on September 15, 1915. He fled with his family to the United States during the Russian Revolution. His brother, Oleg Cassini, became a noted costume and fashion designer. Igor Cassini began writing a society column as Cholly Knickerbocker for William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal-American, and was credited with coining the term “jet-set.” He also hosted the Dumont television series The Igor Cassini Show from 1953 to 1954. He resigned from the newspaper in the early 1960s after allegations arose that he was an unlicensed public relations agent for assassinated Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 10, 2002, B13; New York Times, Jan. 9, 2002, B8; Time, Jan. 21, 2002, 27; Variety, Feb. 11, 2002, 71.
53
2002 • Obituaries
Igor Cassini
Castillo, Randy Heavy metal rock drummer Randy Castillo died of cancer at his Los Angeles home on March 26, 2002. He was 51. Castillo was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 18, 1950. He began playing in local bands while in his teens. He briefly was drummer with the Motels in the early 1980s and performed with Lita Ford’s band. He joined Ozzy Osbourne’s band in 1986, performing on the albums The Ultimate Sin and No Rest for the Wicked. He also appeared as a musician in the 1990 film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. Castillo replaced Tommy Lee as drummer for Motely Crue in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Ap. 5, 2002, B15; Variety, July 1, 2002, 44.
Randy Castillo
Cates, George Musical director George Cates died in Santa Monica, California, on May 10, 2002. He was 90. Cates was born in New York City on October
George Cates
Obituaries • 2002 19, 1911. He began his career playing with bands led by Dick Stabile and Henry Bussee. he joined the Russ Morgan Orchestra in 1939 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war he worked as an arranged for Decca Records. He served as musical director for Lawrence Welk for over thirty years from 1951 and also was a conductor of Welk’s orchestra until 1983. Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2002, B18; Variety, June 2, 2002, 43.
Cela, Camilo Jose Nobel Prize winning Spanish novelist Camilo Jose Cela died of heart failure in a Madrid, Spain, hospital on January 17, 2002. He was 85. Cela was born in Iria Flavia, Spain, on May 11, 1916. He was a supporter of Francisco
54 Franco during the Spanish Civil War in he 1930s and several of his novels, including The Beehive, San Camilo, 1936, and Mazurka for Two Dead Men, concern elements of the conflict. Cela was best known for his novel The Family of Pascual Duarte (1942). It was filmed in Spain as Pascual Duarte in 1975. His novel, The Beehive, was filmed in 1982, with Cela featured in the cast. He also wrote the dialogue for a 1991 Spanish television mini-series version of Don Quixote. Cela also authored numerous volumes of short stories and poetry. He was awarded the Novel Prize for Literature in 1989. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 18, 2002, B15; New York Times, Jan. 18, 2002, C15; Time, Jan. 28, 2002, 15; Times (of London), Jan. 18, 2002, 23a.
Celerio, Levi Filipino composer and lyricist Levi Celerio died on of emphysema in Quezon City, the
Camilo Jose Cela
Levi Celerio
55 Philippines, April 2, 2002. He was 91. Celerio was born in Manila, the Philippines on April 30, 1910. He was one of the Philippines leading composers, whose works include the themes to such films as Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Sa Bawat Pintig ng Psuo, Sapagkat Kami’y Tao Lamang, Dahil Sa Isang Bulaklak, and Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Jupa. Celerio wrote lyrics for over 4,000 songs, including folk songs, Christmas tunes and love songs. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 4, 2002, B12.
Cervi, Tonino Italian film director, producer and writer Tonino Cervi died of a heart attack in Siena, Tuscany, Italy, on March 31, 2002. He was 72. Cervi was born in Rome on June 14, 1929. The son of actor Gino Cervi, he began working in films as a producer in the late 1950s. Cervi produced such films as Trapped in Tangiers (1957), Bad Girls Don’t Cry (1959), Boys of the Parioli (1959), It Happened in ’43 (1960), Duel of the Titans (1961), Boccaccio ’70 (1962), Mafioso (1962), Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Grim Reaper (1962), Michelan-
Tonino Cervi
2002 • Obituaries gelo Antonioni’s Red Desert (1963) and Excuse Me, Do You Like Sex? (1968). He directed several films including Today It’s Me (1968), The Cruel Ones (1969), Queens of Evil (1971), which he also scripted, La Nottata (1974), Nest of Vipers (1977), The Imaginary Invalid (1979), Il Turno (1981), The Naked Sun (1984) and The Miser (1989). He also produced and scripted 1973’s Innocents from Hell, and produced Diary of a Cloistered Nun (1973), Appassionata (1974), and The Spider’s Nest (1988). His latest film, The Shopping List, was completed shortly before his death. Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 52.
Chan, Pauline Hong Kong adult film actress Pauline Chan (Chan Bo Lin) committed suicide by leaping from her Shanghai high rise apartment on July 31, 2002. She was 29. Chan was born in Shanghai, China, on May 23, 1973. After being a contestant in the Miss Asia Pageant, Chan began working in the Hong Kong adult film industry, appearing in such “Category 3” films as Queen of Underworld (1991), The Girls from China (1992), Erotic Ghost Story 3 (1992), Escape from Brothel (1992), Behind
Pauline Chan
Obituaries • 2002 the Pink Door (1992), Devil of Rape (1992), It’s Now or Never (1992), Girls Without Tomorrow (1992), All Over the World (1993), Flying Dagger (1993), A Man of Nasty Spirit (1993), Sex for Sale (1993), and A Wild Party (1993). In 1992 she also began a career as a singer, touring throughout Asia and the United States. Chan produced and starred in a light drama in the Philippines, A Sudden Love, in 1992. The following year she left films to concentrate on her singing career. Problems with her health and drugs and alcohol damaged her career during the decade, though she made several attempts at comebacks.
Chang Cheh Veteran Hong Kong martial arts film director Chang Cheh died of pulmonary disease in Hong Kong on June 22, 2002. Chang was born in China in 1923. He began working in films in the late 1940s and became one of the best known martial arts and action film directors in Hong Kong. Chang was also a mentor to martial arts legend Bruce Lee and action director John Woo. His numerous films include Tiger Boy (1964), The Butterfly Chalice (1965), The Sword and the Lute (1966), Trail of the Broken Blade (1966), Heroic Three (1966), One-Armed Swordsman (1967), Assassin (1967), The Girl with the Thunderbolt Kick
Chang Cheh
56 (1968), The Invincible Iron Fist (1969), Dead End (1969), Flying Daggers (1969), One-Armed Swordsman Returns (1969), The Singing Thief (1969), The Bodyguard (1969), Wandering Swordsman (1970), The Little Killer (1970), Kung-Fu Vengeance (1970), The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971), Duel of Fists (1971), King Eagle (1971), The Anonymous Heroes (1971), The Angry Guest (1971), Duel of the Iron Fist (1971), Trilog y of Swordsmanship (1972), Seven Blows of the Dragon (1972), Four Riders (1972), Deadly Duo (1972), Young People (1972), Boxer from Shantung (1972), Delightful Forest (1972), The Pirate (1972), Iron Man (1972), King of Boxers (1973), Shaolin Masters (1973), Friends (1973), Generation Gap (1973), Police Force (1973), Street Gangs of Hong Kong (1973), Temple of the Dragon (1973), The Iron Bodyguard (1973), Blood Brothers (1973), Disciples of Death (1974), Na Zha (1974), Martial Arts of Shao Lin (1974), Seven Kung Fu Assassins (1974), The Bloody Escape (1975), Five Shaolin Masters (1975), Marco Polo (1975), The Four Assassins (1975), Disciples of Shaolin (1975), The Fantastic Magic Baby (1975), New Shaolin Boxers (1976), Death Chamber (1976), Spiritual Fists (1976), The Shaolin Boxer (1976), Bloody Avengers (1976), Invincible Kung Fu Brothers (1976), Grand Master of Kung Fu (1976), Seven Man Army (1976), Chinatown Kid (1977), Bruce Lee’s Big Secret (1977), Magnificent Kung Fu Warriors (1977), The Naval Commandos (1977), Five Deadly Venoms (1978), Brave Archer 2 (1978), Kung Fu Warlords (1978), Two Champions of Death (1978), Invincible Shaolin (1978), Avenging Warriors (1978), Crippled Avengers (1978), Ten Tigers from Kuangtung (1979), Life Combat (1979), Brave Archer and His Mate (1979), Blast of the Iron Palm (1979), Five Tiger Generals (1979), The Magnificent Ruffians (1979), Kid with the Golden Arm (1979), Eagle’s Killer (1979), Five Kung Fu Daredevils (1980), Ode to Gallantry (1980), The Spearman of Death (1980), Legend of the Fox (1980), Heaven and Hell (1980), Killer Army (1980), The Shanghai Thirteen (1981), House of Traps (1981), Masked Avengers (1981), Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1981), Chinese Super Ninjas (1982), Mysterious Island (1982), The Ghost (1983), Dancing Warrior (1983), The Weird Man (1983), Disciples of Shaolin (1983), Death Ring (1983), Attack of the God of Joy (1983), Nine Demons (1984), Across the River (1986), Great Shanghai 1937 (1986), Slaughter in Xian (1987), Ninja in Ancient China (1989) and Hidden Hero (1993).
57
2002 • Obituaries
Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2002, B11; New York Times, June 27, 2002 C23; Variety, July 1, 2002, 44.
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 6, 2002, B19; New York Times, Oct. 9, 2002, A25; Variety, Oct. 14, 2002, 48.
Chappe, David
Chastain, Don
Screenwriter David Chappe died of angiosarcoma at a Los Angeles hospital on May 13, 2002. He was 54. He scripted the science fiction version of the ancient epic Beowulf in 1999. He also wrote several scripts currently in consideration including Gale Force and Patagonia, and wrote the novel The Stone Bird. Chappe also worked as a writer on the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series in the mid–1980s.
Actor Don Chastain died of colon cancer in a Los Angeles hospital on August 9, 2002. He was 66. Chastain was born in Oklahoma City on September 2, 1935. He began his career on stage before going to Hollywood in the 1960s. He was a regular on The Edie Adams Show television variety series in 1963, and starred as Jim Thompson no the short-lived sitcom The Debbie Reynolds Show from 1969 to 1970. He was also a popular soap opera performer, starring as Dr. Tom Baldwin, Sr. on General Hospital from 1977 to 1987, and appearing in the soaps Search for Tomorrow, Another World, One Life to Live and As the World Turns. Chastain was also featured in several films including C.C. and Company (1970) and The Black Godfather (1974), and the telefilms SonRise: A Miracle of Love (1979) and Woman of the Year (1984). His other television credits include episodes of Colt .45, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Big Valley, The F.B.I., The Invaders, Gunsmoke, Mannix, Cannon, Hawaii Five-O, Emergency!, Maude, Rhoda, S.W.A.T., Alice, The Rockford Files, The Cosby Mysteries, The West Wing, Murder in
Charnay, David Film producer and writer David B. Charnay died in a Los Angeles hospital of complications from surgery on October 2, 2002. He was 90. Charnay was born in New York City on April 13, 1912. A journalist in New York before moving to Hollywood, he headed the film and television studio Four Star International from 1967 through the early 1980s. Four Star produced such television series as The Big Valley, The Rogues, and Wanted Dead or Alive. Charnay also wrote several novels including Operation Lucifer: The Chase, Capture and Trial of Adolf Hitler and the political thriller Target 1600.
David Charnay
Don Chastain
Obituaries • 2002
58
Small Town X and Scrubs. He also appeared in numerous Broadway musicals including Its a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman, 42nd Street, Floyd Collins, and Parade. Variety, Sept, 16, 2002, 67.
Chazal, Robert French film critic Robert Chazal died in a Paris hospital after a long illness on April 12, 2002. He was 89. Chazal was born in Seine-etOise, France, on September 3, 1912. He began working as a critic in 1936, writing for numerous publications. He became the regular critic for France-Soir in 1957, writing for the publication through 1988. Chazal also wrote the screenplay for Robert Hossein’s 1961 film The Game of Truth, and the 1968 play La Moitie du Plaisir, also staged by Hossein. Chazal also wrote biographies of such film personalities as Jean-Paul Belmondo, Louis de Funes, Gerard Depardieu and Marcel Carne, and authored a history of the Cannes Film Festival. Variety, May 6, 2002, 84.
Childs, Naughtia Adult film star Naughtia Childs died on January 7, 2002, when she allegedly committed suicide by leaping from her fourth floor Los Angles apartment balcony. She was 22. Childs was born Megan Serbian in San Diego, California, on October 5, 1979. She began her career in starring in adult features in 1999 with Ed Powers’ More Dirty Debutantes #102. Over the two years she was seen in numerous porn films and videos including Naughty College School Girls, Fear and Loathing with Kid Vegas, There’s Something About Jack, No. 6, World’s Luckiest Jock, Girl’s Affair No. 36, and 18 and Confused No. 2. She subsequently left the adult film business.
Naughtia Childs
2002. He was 72 . Cholak was born on March 17, 1930. A former college football player and amateur wrestling champ, he began wrestling professionally after serving during the Seabees in the Korean War. The 6’4”, 360 lb. giant often entered the ring wearing a moosehead. He held several singles and tag team championships during his career, which lasted until his retirement in the late 1980s.
Cholak, Moose Edward “Moose” Cholak, a leading professional wrestler in the 1950s and 1960s, died of pneumonia and complications from a stroke in a Hammond, Indiana, hospital on October 22,
Moose Cholak
59
2002 • Obituaries
Chubb, Paul
Chudnow, David
Australian character actor Paul Chubb died in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, in June of 2002. He was 53. Chubb was born Paul Dunford in Arncliffe, Australia, on January 14, 1949. He became a popular actor in Australian television in the late 1970s, starring in such series as Daily at Dawn (1981), Brass Monkeys (1983), The Last Resort (1988), Betty’s Bunch (1990) and Bondi’s Banquet (1999). He was also featured in numerous telefilms and mini-series including Demolition (1978), The Dismissal (1983), Bodyline (1984), Dancing Daze (1986), Takeover (1987), Hard Knuckle (1987), Danger Down Under (1988), Touch the Sun: Peter & Pompey (1988), The Paper Man (1990), Stark (1993), Singapore Sling (1993) and The Farm (2001). Chubb also appeared in numerous films including The Night, the Prowler (1978), Hoodwink (1981), Kitty and the Bagman (1982), Heatwave (1982), Passionless Moments (1983), Goodbye Paradise (1983), A Girl’s Own Story (1984), The Coca-Cola Kid (1985), Bliss (1985), With Love to the Person Next to Me (1987), Bullseye (1987), Golden Braid (1990), Sweet Talker (1991), Stan and George’s New Life (1991), Dead to the World (1991), Mad Bomber in Love (1992), Big Ideas (1992), Shotgun Wedding (1993), The Roly Poly Man (194), Cosi (1996), The Well (1997), Road to Nhill (1997) and Dirty Deeds (2002). Variety, July 22, 2002, 38.
Film musical director David Chudnow died at his Beverly Hills home on April 8, 2002. He was 99. Chudnow was born in Russia on March 15, 1901, and immigrated to the United States with his family as a young child. He began playing the piano at an early age and worked in studio orchestras playing during the production of silent films in the 1920s. He continued working in film with the advent of the talkies, composing the scores for such films as Torture Ship (1939), I Take This Oath (1940), Hold That Woman! (1940), Inside the Law (1942), The Mad Monster (1942), They Raid by Night (1942), Behind Prison Walls (1943), The Town Went Wild (1944), The Cisco Kid in Old New Mexico (1945), Fool’s Gold (1946), Adventures of Don Coyote (1947), Dangerous Venture (1947), The Marauders (1947), Hoppy’s Holiday (1947), Highway 13 (1948), The Enchanted Valley (1948), Roll, Thunder Roll! (1949) and A Millionaire for Christy (1951). He also served as musical supervisor or director for over 100 features including Prison Train (1938), The Adventures of the Masked Phantom (1939), Buried Alive (1939), The Invisible Killer (1939), Half a Sinner (1940), The Devil Bat (1940), Billy the Kid’s Range War (1941), The Lone Rider Ambushed (1941), Billy the Kid Wanted (1941), The Lone Rider in Cheyenne (1942), Baby Face Morgan (1942), City of Silent Men (1942), Hitler — Dead or Alive (1942), Corregidor (1943), Dead Men Walk (1943), Death Rides the Plains (1943), I Escaped from the Gestapo (1943), The Renegade (1943), The Girl from Monterrey (1943), The Unknown Guest (1943), The Black Raven (1943), Nabonga (1944), The Chinese Cat (1944), Forty Thieves (1944), Call of the Jungle (1944), Machine Gun Mama (1944), Black Magic (1944), The Monster Maker (1944), Lady in the Death House (1944), The Great Flamarion (1945), The Cisco Kid Returns (1945), A Song for Miss Julie (1945), Paris Underground (1945), Captain Kidd (1945), A Scandal in Paris (1946), Black Beauty (1946), The Devil’s Playground (1946), Dangerous Millions (1946), Mr. Ace (1946), Shoot to Kill (1947), Gunfighters (1947), Heaven Only Knows (1947), Roses Are Red (1947), Albuquerque (1948), Perilous Waters (1948), The Arg yle Secrets (1948), Fighting Back (1948), Coroner Creek (1948), Sleep, My Love (1948), Siren of Atlantis (1948), Let’s Live Again (1948), The Enchanted Valley (1948), Alaska Patrol (1949), Ride, Ryder,
Paul Chubb
Obituaries • 2002 Ride! (1949), Tucson (1949), The Lucky Stiff (1949), El Paso (1949), The Fighting Redhead (1949), Cowboy and the Prizefighter (1949), The Great Dan Patch (1949), Captain China (1949), Forbidden Jungle (1950), Tripoli (1950), The Lawless (1950), The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Valentino (1951), Passage West (1951), Ruby Gentry (1952) and Red Planet Mars (1952). Chudnow’s MUTEL Music service also supplied scores for many low-budget television series in the 1950s. Chudnow later produced several films for Herschell Gordon Lewis including Just for the Hell of It (1968) and How to Make a Doll (1968). He also produced a handful of films directed by his son Byron Chudnow including Kwaheri: Vanishing Africa (1964), The Doberman Gang (1972), The Daring Dobermans (1973) and The Amazing Dobermans (1976). Variety, June 2, 2002, 43.
Cibrian, Jose Veteran Argentine actor Jose Cibrian died of a heart attack in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 28, 2002. He was 86. Cibrian was born in Buenos Aires on February 25, 1916, the son of actors Benito Cibrian and Pepita Melia. He was a popular film star in Argentina from the 1940s, appearing in numerous films including Jesus of Nazareth (1942), Santa (1943), The Balloon of Cantoya (1943), The Lieutenant Nun (1944), The Man and the Beast (1951), La Noche de Venus (1955), La Patota (1960), The Games Men Play (1964), and Newcomers to Love (1969).
Jose Cibrian
60
Ciges, Luis Leading Spanish actor Luis Ciges died of a heart attack in Madrid, Spain, on December 11, 2002. He was 81. Ciges was born in Madrid on May 10, 1921. He was featured in over one hundred films from the late 1950s including Stories from Madrid (1958), Placido (1961), Young Sanchez (1964), The Thief of Tibadabo (1964), Nocturno 29 (1968), Spain Again (1969), Ditirambo (1969), Justine (1969), The Cruel Ones (1969), Cutting Heads (1970), After the Flood (1970), Metamorfosis (1970), Aoom (1970), The Man in Hiding (1971), Four Candles for Garringo (1971), Blood Pie (1971), Mantis (1971), The House Without Frontiers (1972), God in Heaven… Arizona on Earth (1972), Saga of the Draculas (1972), Revolt of the Dead (1972), The Lonely Heart (1972), Horror Rises from the Tomb (1973), Vera, a Cruel Story (1973), Vampire’s Night Org y (1973), House of Psychotic Women (1973), Love Doll (1973), Pim, Pam, Pum… Fire! (1975), Kilma, Queen of the Amazons (1975), We Who Were So Happy (1976), Island of the Damned
Luis Ciges
61 (1976), Till Divorce Us Do Part (1977), Silk Worms (1977), The Creature (1977), With Lots of Love (1977), Trout (1978), The Man Who Knew Love (1978), The National Shotgun (1978), The Remains from the Shipwreck (1978), What’s a Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1978), A Man Called Autumn Flower (1978), Hail Hazana (1978), Rapture (1979), Gay Club (1980), Human Beasts (1980), National Heritage (1981), Chaste and Pure (1981), Labyrinth of Passion (1982), The Beehive (1982), Valentina (1982), Matador (1986), The Way They Were (1986), Divine Words (1987), Moors and Christians (1987), Sinatra (1988), The Flight of the Dove (1988), Pasodoble (1988), Anything for Bread (1990), Everyone Off to Jail (1993), The Miracle of P. Tinto (1998), Paris-Timbuktu (1999), The Ugliest Woman in the World (1999), and Strangers to Themselves (2000).
Clark, Linda K. Film producer Linda K. Clark died suddenly in Los Angeles on April 19, 2002. She was 49. Clark worked for Zalman King Entertainment in the 1990s, producing the Red Shoe Diaries for Showtime. She was also a producer on the films Boca (1994), Business for Pleasure (1996) and Shame, Shame, Shame. Clark was a vice president with Original Prods. from 2001 until her death.
2002 • Obituaries
Clooney, Rosemary Leading singer Rosemary Clooney died of lung cancer at her Beverly Hills, California, home on June 29, 2002. She was 74. Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky, on May 23, 1928. She began performing on the radio in 1945, singing with her sister, Betty, as The Clooney Sisters. They joined Tony Pastor’s band in 1947, where they remained for two years. Betty subsequently retired from show business while Rosemary embarked on a solo career. She appeared in several early television variety shows including Songs for Sale, The Robert Q. Lewis Show and The Johnny Johnston Show in the early 1950s. She had a major hit record in 1951 with “Come on-a My House,” and subsequently signed a film contract with Paramount. She appeared in several musicals including Here Come the Girls (1953), The Stars Are Singing (1953), Red Garters (1954), Deep in My Heart (1954) and White Christmas (1954) with Bing Crosby. She continued to appear on television during the 1950s, hosting The Rosemary Clooney Show from 1956 to 1957, and the NBC se-
Clark, Russell Choreographer and dancer Russell Clark died of cancer at his home in Hollywood, California, on November 12, 2002. He was 53. The son of tap dancer Steve Clark, Russell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1949. Clark was a prolific choreographer for films, television and music videos. He worked on such films as Blade Runner (1982), Starman (1984), Two Moon Junction (1988), I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), Fright Night Part II (1989), Earth Girls Are Easy (1989), Cadence (1991), Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel (1992), House Party 3 (1994), Clifford (1994), Jailbait (1994), The Crossing Guard (1995), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998), The New Guy (2002), and The Banger Sisters (2002). Clark also worked on such television series as Crossing Jordan, Any Day Now, and Dharma & Greg.
Rosemary Clooney
Obituaries • 2002
62
ries The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney from 1957 to 1958. She also performed on The Bell Telephone Hour, The Bob Hope Show, The Andy Williams Show and Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. A difficult marriage to actor Jose Ferrer, which lasted through periods of separation from 1954 to 1967, coupled with problems with alcohol and drugs, led to a mental breakdown that nearly ended her career in the 1960s. She recovered from her breakdown which she recounted in her 1977 autobiography This for Remembrance. She gradually resumed her career, appearing in various television specials. She was also featured in the 1994 film Radioland Murders, and in episodes of the series Hardcastle and McCormick, Frasier, ER and LateLine. Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2002, B14; New York Times, July 1, 2002, A14; People, July 15, 2002, 70; Time, July 8, 2002, 19; Times (of London), July 1, 2002, 29c; Variety, July 15, 2002, 47.
Coates, Dorothy Love Gospel songwriter Dorothy Love Coates died of heart problems in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 9, 2002. She was 74. She was born Dorothy McGriff in Birmingham on January 30, 1928. She began her career singing with the Royal Gospel Singers and, in 1947, became lead singer and songwriter for the Original Gospel Harmonettes. The wrote and recorded over 300 songs during her career including the popular “Get Away Jordan,” “(You Can’t Hurry God) He’s Right on Time,” and “That’s Enough.” Her compositions were also recorded by such stars as Johnny Cash, Mahalia Jackson and Ray Charles. Her song “No Hiding Place” was featured on the soundtrack of the 1990 film Ghost. Coates was also featured in small roles in the films The Long Walk Home (1990) and Beloved (1998). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 15, 2002, B9; New York Times, Apr. 12, 2002, A25; Time, Apr. 22, 2002, 18; Times (of London), May 1, 2002, 30g; Variety, Apr. 22, 2002, 42.
Cobb, Joe Joe Cobb, one of the original stars of the Our Gang comedies in the 1920s, died in his sleep
Dorothy Love Coates
at a Santa Ana, California, convalescent home on May 21, 2002. He was 85. Cobb was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on November 7, 1917. He began appearing as the chubby beanie-capped Joe in the Our Gang shorts in 1923, and appeared in over 90 of them during the silent period and early talkies. His numerous Our Gang credits include The Champeen (1923), A Pleasant Journey (1923), The Big Show (1923), Boys to Board (1923), Back Stage (1923), Lodge Night (1923), July Days (1923), No Noise (1923), Stage Fright (1923), Dogs of War (1923), Derby Day (1923), Sunday Calm (1923), Tire Trouble (1924), The Buccaneers (1924), Big Business (1924), Seein’ Things (1924), Commencement Day (1924), Cradle Robbers (1924), Jubilo, Jr. (1924), It’s a Bear (1924), High Society (1924), The
63
2002 • Obituaries Muddy (1928), Old Gray Hoss (1928), Growing Pains (1928), School Begins (1928), The Spanking Age (1928), Election Day (1929), Noisy Noises (1929), The Holy Terror (1929), Wiggle Your Ears (1929), Fast Freight (1929), Small Talk (1929), Little Mother (1929), Railroadin’ (1929), Lazy Days (1929), Boxing Gloves (1929), Cat, Dog & Co. (1929), Bouncing Babies (1929), Saturday’s Lesson (1929), Fish Hooky (1933), Pay As You Exit (1936) and Reunion in Rhythm (1937). Cobb was also seen in the films Girl Shy (1924), Rupert of Hee Haw (1924), Where Did You Get That Girl? (1941) and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). He subsequently retired from films to work as an assembly for North American Aviation. In 1986 he appeared in the documentary film Classic Comedy Teams. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2002, B15; New York Times, May 25, 2002, A28; Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Cobo, Roberto Leading Mexican actor Roberto Cobo died of cancer in Mexico City on August 2, 2002. He was 72. Cobo was born in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Joe Cobb
Sun Down Limited (1924), Fast Company (1924), The Fraidy Cat (1924), The Mysterious Mystery! (1924), Every Man for Himself (1924), The Big Town (1925), Circus Fever (1925), Dog Days (1925), The Love Bug (1925), Shootin’ Injuns (1925), Ask Grandma (1925), Official Officers (1925), Mary, Queen of Tots (1925), Boys Will Be Joys (1925), Your Own Back Yard (1925), Better Movies (1925), One Wild Ride (1925), Good Cheer (1926), Buried Treasure (1926), Monkey Business (1926), Baby Clothes (1926), Uncle Tom’s Uncle (1926), Thundering Fleas (1926), Shivering Spooks (1926), The Fourth Alarm (1926), War Feathers (1926), Telling Whoppers (1926), Bring Home the Turkey (1927), Seeing the World (1927), Ten Years Old (1927), Love My Dog (1927), Tired Business Men (1927), Baby Brother (1927), The Glorious Fourth (1927), Olympic Games (1927), The Old Wallop (1927), Yale vs. Harvard (1927), Chicken Feed (1927), Heebee Jeebees (1927), Dog Heaven (1927), Playin’ Hookey (1928), Spook Spoofing (1928), Rainy Days (1928), The Smile Wins (1928), Edison, Marconi & Co. (1928), Barnum & Ringling, Inc. (1928), Crazy House (1928), Fair and
Roberto Cobo
Obituaries • 2002
64
on February 20, 1930. He was best known for his starring role as Jaibo in Luis Bunuel’s 1950 classic Los Olvidados (aka The Forgotten Ones). He was also seen in such films as Where Poor People Are Born (1947), El Angel Caido (1948), Perdida (1950), Dancing (1952), Ascent to Heaven (1952), Bring Me the Vampire (1961), The Young and Beautiful Ones (1961), Black Wind (1965), The Place Without Limits (1978), Deceitful Appearances (1978), Knock Out (1983), The Legend of the Mask (1991), Far Apart (1991), Jesus Cardenas (1994), Sobrenatural (1995), Esmeralda Comes By Night (1997), Santitos (1997), and Un Secreto de Esperanza (2002). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 4, 2002, B17; Variety, Aug. 19, 2002, 118.
Coburn, James Academy Award-winning actor James Coburn died of a heart attack at his Beverly Hills home on November 18, 2002. He was 74. Coburn was born in Laurel, Nebraska, on August 31, 1928. He studied acting in New York under Stella Adler and appeared on stage and in such early television series as Studio One and General Electric Theatre. He made his film debut in 1959’s Ride Lonesome and appeared in Face of a Fugitive the same year. Coburn became a popular star following his role the knife-trowing Britt, one of The Magnificent Seven, in 1960. He also became a familiar face on television, appearing regularly as Jeff Durain in Klondike from 1960 to 1961. He also starred as Gregg Miles in the 1961 adventure series Acapulco. Coburn was also seen in episodes of The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca, Wagon Train, The Rifleman, The Restless Gun, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Zane Grey Theater, Trackdown, Bronco, Black Saddle, The Californians, The Rough Riders, Bat Masterson, Johnny Ringo, Tombstone Territory, Bonanza, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Lawman, Wichita Town, Bourbon Street Beat, The Deputy, Tate, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Death Valley Days, The Aquanauts, The Detectives, Perry Mason, Stagecoach West, The Tall Man, The Untouchables, Laramie, The Brothers Brannagan, Cheyenne, Rawhide, Checkmate, Naked City, Stoney Burke, Combat!, The Twilight Zone, Route 66, and The Defenders. Coburn also continued to star in such films as The Murder Men (1961), Hell Is for Heroes (1962), The Great Escape (1963), Charade (1963),
James Coburn (from High Wind in Jamaica)
The Man from Galveston (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Major Dundee (1965), A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), The Loved One (1965), What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966), and Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966). Coburn starred as secret agent Derek Flint in the spy-spoofs Our Man Flint (1966) and In Like Flint (1967), and was Dr. Sidney Schaefer in the bizarre comedy The President’s Analyst. He also appeared in the western comedy Waterhole #3 and starred in 1968’s Duffy. Coburn played Dr. Krankheit in the controversial 1968 film Candy. He was also seen in Hard Contract (1969), Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1969), the Italian Westerns A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) and A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1972), The Carey Treatment (1972), The Honkers (1972), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) as Garrett, The Last of Sheila (1973), Harry in Your Pocket (1973), The Internecine Project (1974), Bite the Bullet (1975), Hard Times (1975) with Charles Bronson, Sky Riders (1976), The Last Hard Men (1976), Midway (1976), Cross of Iron (1977), White Rock (1977), Speed Forever (1978), Goldengirl (1979), The Muppet Movie (1979), Firepower (1979), The Baltimore Bullet (1980), Loving Couples (1980), Mr. Patman (1980), Looker (1981), High Risk, Martin’s Day (1984), Death of a Soldier (1986), Walking After
65 Midnight (1988), Call from Space (1989), Train to Heaven (1990), Young Guns II (1990), Hudson Hawk (1991), The Player (1992), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Deadfall (1993), Maverick (1994), The Set Up (1995), Eraser (1996), The Nutty Professor (1996) with Eddie Murphy, Skeletons (1996), and Keys to Tulsa (1997). Coburn had suffered from a ten year battle with arthritis that had crippled on of his hands. He received the Academy Award for his role of the evil father in 1997’s Affliction. He continued to appear in the films Payback (1999) with Mel Gibson, Intrepid (2000), The Good Doctor (2000), Texas Rangers (2001) as the narrator, Proximity (2001), Yellow Bird (2001), The Man from Elysian Fields (2001), the animated Monsters, Inc. (2001) as the voice of the CEO, Snow Dogs (2002) and American Gun (2002). Coburn hosted the 1981 horror anthology series Darkroom. He also starred in the 1978 television mini-series adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s The Dain Curse, and the telefilms Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls (1981), Malibu (1983), Digital Dreams (1983), Draw! (1984), Sins of the Father (1985), Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 (1992), High Hefner: Once Upon a Time (1992) as the narrator, Mastergate (1992), The Hit List (1993), Christmas Reunion (1993), Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice (1994), Greyhounds (1994), The Avenging Angel (1995), Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder (1995), The Cherokee Kid (1996), The Second Civil War (1997), Dean Koontz’s Mr Murder (1998), Noah’s Ark (1999), Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story (1999), Missing Pieces (2000), and Walter and Henry (2001). He also hosted the television documentaries Superstunt (1978) and Hollywood Stuntmakers (1991), and was the voice of Looten Plunder on the animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Coburn also starred as Dr. Grandwell in the 1992 series The Fifth Corner. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2002, B11; New York Times, Nov. 19, 2002, B10; Time, Dec. 2, 2002, 31; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 54.
Cogan, David Broadway producer David Cogan died of lung cancer at his home in Bedford, New York, on February 7, 2002. He was 78. Cogan co-produced Lorraine Hansberry’s drama A Raisin in the Sun in 1959, marking the first time a black
2002 • Obituaries
David Cogan
playwright’s work had been produced for Broadway. Sidney Poitier starred in the play. Cogan was the owner of the Biltmore Theatre from 1960 through 1986 and produced the play In the Counting House in 1962. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 25, 2002, B9; New York Times, Feb. 24, 2002, 35.
Coger, Dal Dalvan M. Coger died of complications from lung cancer surgery at a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 2, 2002. He was 79. Coger, a professor emeritus at the University of Memphis, was a distinguished historian on African studies. He was also a pioneer in science fiction fandom and author of numerous reviews and articles on the subject. Coger was featured in the 1982 science fiction film spoof I Was a Zombie for the F.B.I.
Obituaries • 2002
Dal Coger
Cohen, Herman Film producer Herman Cohen, whose cult classic I Was a Teenage Werewolf launched the 1950s teen horror film craze, died of throat cancer at a Los Angeles hospital on June 2, 2002. He was 76. Cohen was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 27, 1925. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and after the war became a sales manger for Columbia Pictures in Detroit. He subsequently moved to Hollywood to work as a publicist for Columbia. He served as an assistant producer on the 1951 film Bride of the Gorilla, and was associate producer on several other films in the early 1950s including Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), Kid Monk Baroni (1952),
66 The Bushwhackers (1952) and Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952). Cohen produced the 1954 science fiction film Target Earth, and the independent productions River Beat (1954), Magnificent Roughnecks (1956), The Brass Legend (1956) and Crime of Passion (1957). He subsequently began working with American International Pictures, producing the cult classic I Was a Teenage Werewolf starring Michael Landon. Cohen also scripted the film with Aben Kandel under the name Ralph Thornton. He continued to produce, and often wrote, horror films often featuring teens as sympathetic monsters. These include I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957), Blood of Dracula (1957), How to Make a Monster (1958), Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), The Headless Ghost (1959), Konga (1961) and Black Zoo (1963). Cohen produced 1968’s Berserk!, a horror thriller set in a circus starring Joan Crawford. He also produced Crawford’s final film, Trog (1970), about the unearthing of a prehistoric ape-like creature. His other credits include Django the Bastard (1969), Crooks and Coronets (1969) and Craze (1973). Cohen also appeared in small cameo roles in several of his films including I Was a Teenage Werewolf, How to Make a Monster, Konga, Black Zoo and Trog. He stopped producing films in the 1970s and, in 1981, created the distribution company Cobra Media. Los Angeles Times, June 9, 2002, B16; New York Times, July 12, 2002, A25; Times (of London), June 11, 2002, 31b; Variety, June 17, 2002, 46.
Coley, Tracy
Herman Cohen (center, with teenage werewolf and teenage Frankenstein from How to Make a Monster) (compliments of Tom Weaver)
Actor and singer Tracy Coley died of complications from surgery in Los Angeles on November 9, 2002. He was 38. Coley was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1964. He sang in gospel choirs from an early age before moving to Los Angeles, where he appeared in episodes of such television series as The Wayan Brothers, In the House, Martin and The Jamie Foxx Show. Coley was also seen in several film including Blood and Concrete (1991), Notes in a Minor Key (1994), and The Bogus Witch Project (2000). He was also the co-founder of the performing arts school Amazing Grace Conservatory in 1995. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 14, 2002, B17.
67
2002 • Obituaries
Conniff, Ray
Conrad, Roy
Bandleader, musician and composer Ray Conniff died of a stroke in Escondido, California, on October 12, 2002. He was 85. Conniff was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on November 6, 1916. He began his career as a trombone player during the Big Band era, playing with bands led by Bob Crosby, Artie Shaw, and others. He formed the Ray Conniff Orchestra and Singers in the 1950s and produced over 100 recordings during his career. His hit records included renditions of such songs as “New York, New York,” “S’Wonderful,” and “Besame Mucho.” Conniff received a Grammy Award for his recording of the theme song, “Somewhere My Love,” for film Doctor Zhivago. Though his popular declined during the era of rock ’n’ roll, Conniff continued to record and perform until his death. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 25, 2002, B12; New York Times, Oct. 14, 2002, A25; People, Oct. 28, 2002, 85; Time, Oct. 28, 2002, 23; Times (of London), Oct. 15, 2002, 35c; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Actor Roy Conrad died of lung cancer on January 18, 2002. He was 61. Conrad was featured in several films from the late 1980s including Pink Cadillac (1989), The Wizard (1989), John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned (1995), Casino (1995), The Fan (1996), Black Out (1996), Patch Adams (1998), and Diamonds (1999). He was also seen in the telefilms The Last of His Tribe (1992), MacShayne: Winner Takes All (1994), and Trail of Tears (1995), and episodes of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Murder One. Conrad was also a voice actor for several video games and the 2000 animated film Titan A.E.
Roy Conrad
Conway, Bert
Ray Conniff
Actor Bert Conway died of heart failure at his Mission Hills, California, home on February 7, 2002. He was 87. Conway was born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1914. The son of vaudevillians, he began his career on stage in the 1930s. He moved to Hollywood after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was featured in such films as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946),
Obituaries • 2002
Bert Conway
New Orleans (1947), Dragnet (1947), Open Secret (1948), Man from Texas (1948), You Gotta Stay Happy (1948), Joe Palooka in the Big Fight (1949), Fighting Fools (1949), Pinky (1949), Trapped (1949), Abandoned (1949), Once More, My Darling (1949), City Across the River (1949), Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey (1950), Woman from Headquarters (1950), Prisoners in Petticoats (1950) and Rock, Rock, Rock (1956). A victim of the blacklist during the 1950s, he left Hollywood and returned to the stage. He resumed his film career in the late 1960s, appearing in small parts in such films as The Reivers (1969), Little Big Man (1970), The Spikes Gang (1974), Rancho Deluxe (1975), Capone (1975), On the Nickel (1980), Heaven and Earth (1987) and Ambition (1991). He was also featured in the 1976 telefilm about the Manson Family murders, Helter Skelter, and appeared in episodes of The Waltons and Tenspeed and Brown Shoe. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 2002, B16.
Coodley, Ted Veteran film make-up artist Ted Coodley died on March 8, 2002. He was 84. Coodley was born on February 2, 1918. He worked on numerous films from the late 1940s through the early 1970s including The Arg yle Secrets (1948), Apache
68 Chief (1949), I Shot Billy the Bid (1950), Gunfire (1950), The Return of Jesse James (1950), Train to Tombstone (1950), Border Rangers (1950), Born to the Saddle (1953), Highway Dragnet (1954), Pharaoh’s Curse (1956), Hot Cars (1956), Emergency Hospital (1956), The Black Sleep (1956), War Drums (1957), The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), Voodoo Island (1957), The Buckskin Lady (1957), I Mobster (1958), Hong Kong Confidential (1958), Fort Bowie (1958), City of Fear (1959), Hoodlum Priest (1961), The Explosive Generation (1961), Roger Corman’s Tower of London (1962), Panic in Year Zero! (1962), The Raven (1963) with Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, Operation Bikini (1963), Diary of a Madman (1963), The Young and the Brave (1963), X: The Man with XRay Eyes (1963), The Haunted Palace (1963), Surf Party (1964), Mutiny in Outer Space (1965), Ski Party (1965), Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966), Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966), 40 Guns to Apache Pass (1966), The Trip (1967), Three in the Attic (1968), Killers Three (1968), and The Last Movie (1971). He also provided makeup for such telefilms as How Awful About Allan (1970), The House That Would Not Die (1970), Crowhaven Farm (1973), Yuma (1970), Five Desperate Women (1971), A Taste of Evil (1971), In Broad Daylight (1971), The Reluctant Heroes (1971), If Tomorrow Comes (1971), and The Rookies (1972).
Coombs, Pat British character actress Pat Coombs died of complications from emphysema in Denville Hall, Northwood, England, on May 25, 2002. She was 71. Coombs was born in Camberwell, south London, on August 27, 1930. She began appearing in films in the late 1950s and was featured in Follow a Star (1959), A Stitch in Time (1963), Cry Wolf (1968), Carry on Doctor (1968), Carry On Again, Doctor (1969), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), On the Buses (1971), Dad’s Army (1971), Get Charlie Tully (1972), Adolf Hitler — My Part in His Downfall (1972), and Mr. Majeika (1988). A popular television performer, she starred in such series as The Dick Emery Show, Barney Is My Darling, Beggar My Neighbour, Wild, Wild Women, Cucumber Castle, Lollipop Loves Mr. Mole, Reg Varney, Don’t Drink the Water, You’re
69
2002 • Obituaries
Dennis Cooney
Pat Coombs
Only Young Twice, Lady Is a Tramp, and EastEnders as Marge Green from 1989 to 1990. She also appeared in episodes of Birds of a Feather, Boon, Doctors and Heroes of Comedy. Times (of London), May 28, 2002, 30c.
Cooney, Dennis Television actor Dennis Cooney died in New York City on September 8, 2002. He was 63. Cooney was born in New York City on September 19, 1938. He was best known for his longrunning role as Jay Stallings on the television soap opera As the World Turns for 1973 to 1980. He also starred as Alan Sterling in Love of Life from 1965 to 1967 and was Kevin Kincade in The Secret Storm from 1970 to 1971. Cooney was featured in the 1967 film Fitzwilly and the 1970 telefilm Sole Survivor. His other television credits include episodes of The Iron Horse, Hawaii Five-O, Ironside and The Virginian.
Corey, Jeff Jeff Corey, a leading acting teacher and character actor for over 60 years, died at a Santa
Monica, California, hospital on Aug. 16, 2002, of complications from injuries he received during a fall at his Malibu home earlier in the week. He was 88. Corey was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 10, 1914. He began his career on stage in New York before moving to Los Angeles in the late 1930s. He was featured in numerous films over the next several years including Bitter Sweet (1940), You’ll Find Out (1940), Third Finger, Left Hand (1940), Petticoat Politics (1941), The Lady from Cheyenne (1941), Mutiny in the Arctic (1941), The Reluctant Dragon (1941), You Belong to Me (1941), Small Town Deb (1941), Paris Calling (1941), The Devil and Daniel Webster (aka All That Money Can Buy) (1941), North to the Klondike (1942), Roxie Hart (1942), Who Is Hope Schuyler? (1942), The Postman Didn’t Ring (1942), Girl Trouble (1942), The Man Who Wouldn’t Die (142), Tennessee Johnson (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1942), The Moon Is Down (1943) and My Friend Flicka (1943). Corey served as a combat photographer with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He resumed his film career after the war appearing in such features as Somewhere in the Night (1946), It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dog (1946), The Killers (1946), California (1946), the 1947 classic Christmas fantasy Miracle on 34th Street, Ramrod (1947), Hoppy’s Holiday (1947), Brute Force (1947), Unconquered (1947), The Flame (1947), The Gangster (1947), Alias a Gentleman (1948), A Southern Yankee (1948), Joan of Arc (1948), I, Jane Doe (1948), Kidnapped (1948), The
Obituaries • 2002 70
Jeff Corey
Wreck of the Hesperus (1948), Wake of the Red Witch (1948), Let’s Live Again (1948), Canon City (1948), Hideout (1949), Roughshod (1949), Follow Me Quietly (1949), Bagdad (1949), Home of the Brave (1949), City Across the River (1949), The Nevadan (1950), Singing Guns (1950), Rock Island Trail (1950), Bright Leaf (1950), The Outriders (1950), The Next Voice You Hear (1950), Only the Valiant (1951), Rawhide (1951), Superman and the Mole Men (1951), Red Mountains (1951), The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), Never Trust a Gambler (1951), New Mexico (1951), and Fourteen Hours (1951). In 1951 Corey refused to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, taking the 5th Amendment at a Los Angeles hearing. Corey was subsequently blacklisted in Hollywood for over a decade. Though he could not find work in films for himself, he soon became a top acting coach in Hollywood, training such students as Anthony Perkins, James Dean, Jane Fonda, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Blake, Roger Corman, Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson. Corey resumed his own film career in the early 1960s, appearing in such films as The Yellow Canary (1963), The Balcony (1963), Lady in a Cage (1964), The Treasure of the Aztecs (1965), Pyramid of the Sun God (1965), Once a Thief (1965), Mickey One (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965),
Seconds (1966), In Cold Blood (1967), The Boston Strangler (1968), True Grit (1969) with John Wayne, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as Sheriff Bledsoe, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Getting Straight (1970), Little Big Man (1970), Impasse (1970), They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970), Cover Me Babe (1970), Catlow (1971), Shoot Out (1971), Clay Pigeon (1971), Paper Tiger (1975), The Premonition (1976), The Last Tycoon (1976), Moonshine County Express (1977), Oh, God! (1977), The Wild Geese (1978), Jennifer (1978), Up River (1979), Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Rooster: Spurs of Death! (1983), Conan the Destroyer (1984), Creator (1985), Messenger of Death (1988), Secret Ingredient (1989), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Judas Project (1993), Ruby Cairo (1993), Beethoven’s 2nd (1993), Surviving the Game (1994), Color of Night (1994) and Ted (1998). Corey was also featured in numerous telefilm including The Movie Murderer (1970), A Clear and Present Danger (1970), Something Evil (1972), Set This Town on Fire (1973), The Gun and the Pulpit (1974), Banjo Hackett: Roamin’ Free (1976), Testimony of Two Men (1977), Curse of the Black Widow (1977), Captains Courageous (1977), Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978) as Saul, Harold Robbins’ The Pirate (1978), Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979), Homeward Bound (1980), Cry for the Strangers (1982), Final Jeopardy (1985), Second Serve (1986), A Deadly Silence (1989), The Rose and the Jackal (1990), To My Daughter (1990), Payoff (1991), The Washing Machine Man (1991), Sinatra (1992), and The Lottery (1996). He also appeared as Lawyer Sam in the 1985 television series Hell Town with Robert Blake, and was Bill McGregor in the short-lived 1986 drama series Morningstar/Eveningstar. His numerous television credits also include episodes of such series as The Untouchables, Channing, The Outer Limits, The Nurses, Perry Mason, Rawhide, Wild Wild West, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Hawk, Bonanza, Garrison’s Gorilla, The Iron Horse, Hawaii Five-O, Gunsmoke, Star Trek, Night Gallery, Mannix, Alias Smith and Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, The Bob Newhart Show, Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, The Bionic Woman, Search, What’s Happening!!, Barney Miller, Little House on the Prairie, One Day at a Time, Lou Grant, Knots Landing, Archie Bunker’s Place, Manimal, Night Court, Whiz Kids, Faerie Tale Theatre, Simon & Simon, The Powers of Matthew Star, The A-Team, Starman, Perfect
71 Strangers, War of the Worlds, Roseanne, Beauty and the Beast, Babes, Bagdad Cafe, The Marshal, The Home Court, Picket Fences, Babylon 5, Murphy Brown, Lightning Force, Perversions of Science, Brimstone, Charmed and The District. Corey also voiced the role of Silvermane in the animated Spider-Man television series. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 2002, B9; New York Times, Aug. 20, 2002, C16; Time, Sept. 2, 2002, 23; Variety, Aug. 26, 2002, 58.
Courts, Nandrea Lin Television actress Nandrea Lin Courts was killed in an automobile accident in Amagansett, New York, on May 27, 2002, when she was thrown from her car when it struck a fire hydrant. She was 39. Courts had a small role in the 1984 film Alphabet City and appeared in the 1985 telefilm Izzy and Moe. She was featured as Lorrie Moore in the television soap opera As the World Turns from 1988 to 1989. Courts also appeared in episodes of Kate & Allie and Law & Order.
2002 • Obituaries
Cowper, Richard British science fiction writer Richard Cowper died in Brighton, East Sussex, England, on April 29, 2002. He was 75. He was born John Middleton Murry, Jr. in Bridport, England, on May 9, 1926, the son of a leading critic and editor. He began writing fiction under the name Colin Murry in the late 1950s. His first science fiction novel, Breakthrough, was published in 1967. He continued to write such works as Kuldesak (1972), Time Out of Mind (1973), The Twilight of Briareus (1974), and Profundis (1979). Cowper was best known for the Corlay trilogy, including The Road to Corlay (1978), A Dream of Kinship (1981), and A Tapestry of Time (1982). Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2002, B19; New York Times, June 1, 2002, B15; Times (of London), May 31, 2002, 40b.
Richard Cowper
Cracknell, Ruth
Nandrea Lin Courts
Ruth Cracknell, a leading Australian stage, film and television actress, died of a respiratory illness in Sydney, Australia, on April 14, 2002. She was 76. Cracknell was born in Maitland, Australia, on July 6, 1925. She began her career on stage in the 1940s, performing with a Shapespearean company in Sydney. She subsequently worked in radio, moving to England for several years in the early 1950s to work for the BBC. She continued to act after her return to Australia, appearing in the 1959 film Smiley Gets a Gun. Best known for her work on television, she starred in the popular comedy series Mother and Son from
Obituaries • 2002
72
Ruth Cracknell
1983 to 1993. She also starred in the Australian series Smugglers Beware, I’m Allright Now, Seven Little Australians, Ben Hall, Golden Soak, and The Dismissal. Her other film credits include That Lady from Peking (1970), The Singer and the Dancer (1977), The Night, the Prowler (1978), The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978), The Best of Friends (1981), Molly (1983), Alice to Nowhere (1986), Emerald City (1988), Kokoda Crescent (1989), The Importance of Being Earnest (1992), Spider & Rose (1994), Lilian’s Story (1995) and Joey (1997). Times (of London), May 17, 2002, 35b; Variety, May 20, 2002, 67.
Craig, Bill British television writer Bill Craig died of cancer in England on July 19, 2002. He was 72. Craig was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on February 28, 1930. He began his career as a journalist and writing local theatrical shows in Scotland. He began writing for television in the mid–1950s, scripting episodes of the BBC serial Compact. He also wrote for such series as Call Oxbridge 2000, Probation Officer, Deadline Midnight, and The Plane Makers. In the 1970s Craig scripted
Bill Craig
episodes of Thames Television’s The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. He scripted the 1973 Lord Peter Wimsey mini-series Murder Must Advertise, and the mini-series Sunset Song in 1975. He also wrote for the series Shoestring, Bergerac, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and Doctor Finlay. He wrote often for Scottish television, creating the first Scottish soap opera Take the High Road. He continued to write for television through the mid–1990s.
Crosby, Robbin Rock musician Robbin Crosby died of complications from AIDS on June 6, 2002. He was 42. Crosby was born on August 4, 1959, in San Diego. He was a founding member of the rock band Ratt in 1983. The band recorded the hit album Out of the Cellar the following year. The album featured the popular song “Round and Round,” which was co-written by Crosby. Other albums included Invasion of Your Privacy (1985) and Detonator (1990). Ratt disbanded in 1992. Los Angeles Times, June 14, 2002, B13; New York Times, June 12, 2002, A25; Variety, June 17, 2002, 46.
73
2002 • Obituaries
Keene Curtis
Robbin Crosby
Curtis, Keene Leading character actor Keene Curtis died after a long battle with Altzheimer’s disease in Bountiful, Utah, on October 13, 2002. He was 79. Curtis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 15, 1923. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and began his career as a stage manager for theatrical productions after the war. Curtis began acting in the late 1940s and had a small role in Orson Welles’ 1948 film version of Macbeth. He was a leading actor on the New York stage, making his Broadway debut in
1949’s Shop at Sly Corner. He appeared in numerous Broadway productions including The Misanthrope, The Cocktail Party, The Rothschilds, which earned him a Tony Award in 1971, The School for Scandal, Annie as Daddy Warbucks, and La Cage aux Folles. Curtis was featured as Max Pomeroy in the 1973 television series The Magician starring Bill Bixby. He also appeared in numerous telefilms including The Lady’s Not for Burning (1974), The Missiles of October (1974), Stowaway to the Moon (1975), Strange New World (1975), The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa (1977), The Royal Family (1977), Modesty Blaise (1982), The Hoboken Chicken Emergency (1984), Gypsy (1993), and Legalese (1998). Curtis was featured as Mr. Cushing in the 1980 television series One in a Million, was Clifford Mundy in the 1983 series Amanda’s, and was John Allen Hill, the upstairs restaurateur, in the popular television sitcom Cheers from 1990 to 1993. He appeared in a handful of films during his career including Blade (1973), American Hot Wax (1978), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Rabbit Test (1978), The Buddy System (1984), Lambada (1990), Sliver (1993), I.Q (1994) as Dwight Eisenhower, Mother Teresa: In the Name of God’s Poor (1997), and Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish (1998). His numerous other television credits include episodes of Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, Sanford and Son, Ellery Queen, Cannon, The Jeffersons, Wonder
Obituaries • 2002 Woman, Eight Is Enough, Three’s Company, Lou Grant, Hart to Hart, Benson, Knight Rider, Matt Houston, Whiz Kids, The Wizard, Night Court, Newhart, Beverly Hills, 90210, Murder, She Wrote, Full House, ER, Coach, Hope and Gloria, Caroline in the City, The Drew Carey Show, Star Trek: Voyager, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Ned and Stacey, The Single Guy, Stargate SG-1, Ally McBeal, Touched by an Angel, Men Behaving Badly, Party of Five, and The Pretender in the recurring role as Mr. Fenigor. Curtis also was a voice actor in such animated series as Scooby and Scrappy-Doo, The Smurfs and Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17, 2002, B17; New York Times, Oct. 19, 2002, B9.
Dale, Alan
74 1940s, appearing with the orchestras of Carmen Cavallaro and Ray Bloch. He recorded the hit songs “Kate (Have I Come Too Early Too Late)” and “Darktown Strutters Ball” in 1948. Dale hosted the television music series The Alan Dale Show from 1948 to 1951, and appeared regularly on the musical quiz show Sing It Again from 1950 to 1951. Dale starred with Bill Haley in the 1957 rock ’n’ roll film Don’t Knock the Rock. He also recorded such tunes as “The Birds and the Bees,” “Volare,” and the Robin Hood television theme. Dale continued to perform in nightclubs through the 1990s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 25, 2002, B13; New York Times, Apr. 25, 2002, B8; Times (of London), Apr. 27, 2002, 40h; Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 42.
D’Amato, Mark
Singer and actor Alan Dale died in New York City on April 20, 2002. He was 76. Dale was born Aldo Sigismondi in Brooklyn on July 9, 1925. He began singing professionally in the late
Alan Dale
Roller Jam skater Mark D’Amato died of cancer on March 8, 2002. He was 46. D’Amato began competing in Roller Derby events in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. When the Nashville Network began it’s Roller Jam program in the 1990s, D’Amato became a trainer and captain of the team the New York Enforcers.
Mark D’Amato
75
D’Angelo, William Television producer William P. D’Angelo died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles on June 8, 2002. He was 70. D’Angelo was born in New York City in 1932. He moved to Los Angeles after military service and began working at Warner Bros. as a story analyst. He served as an associate producer and scripter on the popular 1960s television series Batman. D’Angelo also was a producer for such series as Cheyenne, Maverick, Hawaiian Eye, Room 222, Love, American Style, The Young Lawyers, Barefoot in the Park, Run, Joe, Run, Westwind, Alice, Monster Squad, Big John, Little John, and Turnabout, and the telefilms The Nativity (1978) and A Family for Joe (1990). D’Angelo also directed the 1976 telefilm Papa and Me, and episodes of Alice, Turnabout and Private Benjamin. Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2002, B18; New York Times, June 24, 2002, A21; People, July 8, 2002, 71; Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
2002 • Obituaries thumbs. She was soon invited to be a guest on the television show Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee, and continued to appear regularly on the show over the decade. She was also featured in segments of Rosie O’Donnel Show, Celebrity Gardens, and CBS This Morning. New York Times, May 31, 2002, C13; People, June 17, 2002, 88.
Davenport, Claire British character actress Claire Davenport died in England on March 4, 2002. She was 65. The heavy-set actress was featured in such films as Crossplot (1959), On the Buses (1971), The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1972), Return of the Pink Panther (1974), Intimate Games (1976), Jubilee (1977), Rosie Dixon — Night Nurse (1978), Carry on Emmannuelle (1978), Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate (1978), The Tempest (1979), Birth
Danz, Cassandra Cassandra Danz, who was known for her comic gardening character Mrs. Greenthumbs, died of cancer in a Brooklyn hospital on May 25, 2002. She was 55. Danz was born in Brooklyn in 1947. A member of Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe, Danz appeared in several films early in her career including Law and Disorder (1974), Tootsie (1982), Beer (1985) and Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986). She and collaborator Mary Fulham created Mrs. Greenthumbs for a 1991 one-woman stage production An Evening with Mrs. Green-
Cassandra “Mrs. Greenthumbs” Danz
Claire Davenport
Obituaries • 2002
76
of the Beatles (1979), The Elephant Man (1980), the Star Wars sequel Return of the Jedi (1983) as Jabba the Hut’s fat dancer, War Requiem (1989) and Camping 1990). She was also featured often on television, appearing in the telefilms and miniseries Casanova (1971), Pollyanna (1973) and Shoulder to Shoulder (1974), and episodes of such series as Doctor Who, The Baron, On the Buses, I Didn’t Know You Cared, Fawlty Towers, George and Mildred, Robin’s Nest, Remington Steele and Minder.
Davenport, Gwen Writer Gwen Davenport, who was best known for her 1947 comic novel Belvedere, about a snooty British housekeeper, died of congestive heart failure at a Louisville, Kentucky, nursing home on March 23, 2002. She was 92. Her novel was the basis for three films starring Clifton Webb including Sitting Pretty (1948), Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951). A television series starring Christopher Hewett, Mr. Belvedere, aired on ABC from 1985 until 1990. Davenport’s other novels include The Bachelor’s Baby, Candy for Breakfast and her final, Time and Chance in 1993. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 26, 2002, B10; New York Times, Apr. 15, 2002, B6; Variety, July 1, 2002, 45.
Noel Davis
of the Comet (1992), The Innocent (1993), Swing Kids (1993), Delta of Venus (1995), Jane Eyre (1996), Incognito (1997), and Parting Shots (1998), and television productions of A Christmas Carol (1984), Cold Comfort Farm (1995), The Hunchback (1997), The Odyssey (1997), Merlin (1998), The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1998), Mary, Mother of Jesus (1999), In the Beginning (2000), and David Copperfield (2000).
Davis, Simon Davis, Noel British actor Noel Davis, who later became a leading casting director in England, died of emphysema in a London hospital on November 27, 2002. He was 75. Davis was born in Liverpool, England, on March 1, 1927. He worked in films and television from the 1960s, appearing in the films Fahrenheit 451 (1966), Two a Penny (1967), Isadora (1968), Clegg (1969), A Touch of the Other (1970), Roman Polanski’s Macbeth (1971), Young Winston (1972), and Harry and the Hookers (1975), and in episodes of The Avengers and Out of the Unknown. Davis worked on numerous films from the early 1980s as a casting director. His credits include Reds (1981), The Return of the Soldier (1982), Legend (1985), Ishtar (1987), Madame Sousatzka (1988), Without a Clue (1988), Hanna’s War (1988), Crusoe (1988), The Krays (1990), Year
Actor and costume designer Keith Denny, who appeared in films in the 1960s under the
Simon Davis (left, with Richard Woods as man-apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey)
77 name Simon Davis, died of pneumonia in Slough, England, on July 17, 2002. He was 65. Denny as born in Downham Market, Norfolk, England, on May 31, 1937. Davis was featured as a lead female ape in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also appeared in the films Interlude (1968) and Puppet on a Chain (1970), and on television in an episode of The Saint. He subsequently left acting to work in films as a costume designer and wardrobe supervisor. He worked on such films as Clash of the Titans (1981), The Lords of Discipline (1983), The Killing Fields (1984), Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), American Gothic (1988) and K2 (1991). Denny was working on the British television documentary 2001: The Making of a Myth at the time of his death.
Dawn, Dolly Big band singer Dolly Dawn died at an Englewood, New Jersey, nursing home on December 11, 2002. She was 83. Dawn was born Theresa Maria Stabile in Newark, New Jersey, on February 3, 1919. She began her career in the 1930s with the George Hall Orchestra and appeared in several short films with the orchestra. She soon was
Dolly Dawn
2002 • Obituaries singing with her own band, Dolly Dawn and Her Dawn Patrol. She recorded such popular songs as “Keep Dreaming” and “The Little Birdies.” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 20, 2002, B13; New York Times, Dec. 18, 2002, A33; Time, Dec. 30, 2002, 21.
Dean, Roy Actor Roy Dean died on June 24, 2002. He was 76. Dean appeared in small roles in the film Midnight Lace (1960) and the musicals The Music Man (1962) and My Fair Lady (1964), and starred on Broadway in a production of King Lear. He was also featured in episodes of such television series as Sea Hunt, Twelve O’Clock High, Combat!, The Rat Patrol, Get Smart, and The F.B.I.
de Hartog, Jan Novelist Jan de Hartog died in Houston, Texas, on September 22, 2002. He was 88. De Hartog was born in Haarlem, the Netherlands, on April 22, 1914. He performed and wrote for the Amsterdam Municipal Theater in the 1930s and authored several novels, some under the name F.R. Eckmar. His novel Holland’s Glory, brought him into conflict with the Nazis during the German occupation. He wrote The Fourposter while
Jan de Hartog
Obituaries • 2002 in hiding, which was adapted into the 1951 Tony Award winning play. A film adaptation followed the following year. He also wrote the 1947 play This Time Tomorrow, and Skipper Next to God, which was also adapted for film in 1951. His novel Stella was adapted for the 1958 film The Key, and The Dutch Policeman became the 1962 film Lisa. Several of his other works became films including The Spiral Road (1962) and The Little Ark (1972). Other novels include The Escape, The Lost Sea, The Distant Shore, A Sailor’s Life, The Children, The Peaceable Kingdom, and his final, The Outer Buoy, in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26, 2002, B13; New York Times, Sept. 24, 2002, B7; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 65.
Del Real, Alfonso Spanish actor Alfonso Del Real died of respiratory problems and complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Mallorca, Spain, on January 16, 2002. Del Real was born on December 27, 1916. He was a popular Spanish performer, appearing in nearly 100 films from the early 1960s. His numerous film credits include A Girl for Everything (1963), The Rash One (1964), The Last of the Mohicans (1965), Sister Citroen (1967), Novios 68 (1967), El Calzonazos (1974), Pim, Pam, Pum… Fire! (1975), A Woman Is Good Business (1976), Such As You Are (1977), The Apolitical
78 Man (1977), Times of the Constitution (1978), Pepito Piscina (1978), Impossible Love (1980), …And the Third Year, He Resuscitated (1981), National Adultery (1981), They Call Him J.R. (1982), Shake Before Use (1983), Mambru Went to War (1985), and Dying of Laughter (1999).
Delvaux, Andre Belgian film director Andre Delvaux died of a heart attack in Valencia, Spain, on October 4, 2002. He was 76. Delvaux was born in Heverlee, Brabant, Belgium, on March 21, 1926. He began directing short films and television productions in the 1950s and helmed the 1960 television documentary series on Italian director Federico Fellini. He directed his first feature film, The Man with the Shaved Head, in 1965. His other films include One Night… a Train (1968), Appointment in Bray (1971), Belle (1973), Woman in a Twilight Garden (1979), Benvenuta (1983), Mozart (1985) and The Abyss (1988). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 7, 2002, B9; New York Times, Oct. 10, 2002, B12; Times (of London), Oct. 19, 2002, 48c; Variety, Oct. 13, 2002, 48.
Andre Devaux
Alfonso Del Real
79
Demme, Ted Film and television director Ted Demme died of a heart attack attributed to drug use while playing in a celebrity basketball game in Santa Monica, California, on January 14, 2002. He was 39. He was born in New York City on October 26, 1963, and was the nephew of director Jonathan Demme. Best known for producing and directing the 2001 film on drug dealers, Blow, Demme began his career in the late 1980s producing Yo! MTV Raps and Hangin’ with MTV. He helmed several other films including Who’s the Man? (1993), The Ref (1994), Beautiful Girls (1996), Snitch (1998), and Life (1999). He also directed episodes of such television series as Homicide: Life on the Street, Robert Altman’s Gun, Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground and Action. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 15, 2002, B10; New York Times, Jan. 16, 2002, C16; People, Jan. 28, 2002, 81; Time, Jan. 28, 2002, 15.
2002 • Obituaries lications as The Saturday Evening Post, Look, and Cosmopolitan. In 1954 he began a long-term relationship with Playboy magazine, which continued to publish his cartoons until his death. Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2002, B10; People, July 8, 2002, 71.
Denham, Maurice Leading British character actor Maurice Denham died in London on July 24, 2002. He was 92. Denham was born in Beckenham, Kent, England, on December 23, 1909. He was best known to British audiences for starring in several popular radio programs in the 1940s before becoming one of Britain’s most recognizable character actors in film and television. Denham was featured in such films as The Smugglers (1947), The End of the River (1947), The Upturned Glass (1947), I Became a Criminal (1947), Take My Life (1947), Once Upon a Dream (1947), Jassy (1947), Daybreak (1947), Captain Boycott (1947), Blanche Fury (1947), My Brother’s Keeper (1948), Oliver Twist (1948), Miranda (1948), Look Before You Love (1948), Dulcimer Street (1948), Holiday Camp (1948), Here Come the Huggetts (1948), Escape (1948), Easy Money (1948), The Blind Goddess
Ted Demme (Miramax)
Dempsey, John Cartoonist John Dempsey died of complications of a stroke in La Jolla, California, on May 18, 2002. He was 83. Dempsey began his career drawing cartoons for Yank magazine while serving in the Navy during World War II. After the war he continued to draw cartoons for such pub-
Maurice Denham
Obituaries • 2002 (1948), The Blue Lagoon (1949), Traveller’s Joy (1949), The Spider and the Fly (1949), Madness of the Heart (1949), Poet’s Pub (1949), Landfall (1949), It’s Not Cricket (1949), Don’t Ever Leave Me (1949), A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (1949), No Highway in the Sky (1951), Eight O’Clock Walk (1952), Terror on a Train (1953), Project M7 (1953), Both Sides of the Law (1953), Man with a Million (1953), The Malta Story (1953), The Purple Plain (1954), the animated Animal Farm (1954) as the voices of all of the animals, Simon and Laura (1955), Doctor at Sea (1955), Court Martial (1955), 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956), Checkpoint (1956), All at Sea (1957), Curse of the Demon (1957), The Captain’s Table (1959), Our Man in Havana (1959), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Two Way Stretch (1960), The Mark (1961), Loss of Innocence (1961), Invasion Quartet (1961), Damn the Defiant! (1962), The Very Edge (1962), Paranoiac (1963), The Set-Up (1963), The 7th Dawn (1964), Downfall (1964), Operation Crossbow (1965), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), The Nanny (1965) with Bette Davis, The Alphabet Murders (1965), The Uncle (1965), Blood Beast from Outer Space (1966), Hysteria (1965), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), After the Fox (1966), The Long Duel (1967), Torture Garden (1967), Danger Route (1968), Attack on the Iron Coast (1968), Negatives (1968), Midas Run (1969), The Best House in London (1969), Thank You All Very Much (1969), Some Girls Do (1969), The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970), Countess Dracula (1970), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Luther (1973), Shout at the Devil (1976), Julia (1977), From a Far Country (1981), The Chain (1984), Mr. Love (1985), 84 Charing Cross Road (1986), and Robert Rylands’ Last Journey (1996). He also starred as Nestor Turton in the British television series The Lotus Eaters in 1972, and was Judge Stephen Rawley in 1974’s Porridge. Denham was Mr. Justice Gwent-Evans in the Rumpole of the Bailey television series from 1987 to 1988 with Leo McKern, and was Mr. Hart in 1993’s Peak Practice. His other television credits include productions of I Can Destroy the Sun (1958), A Slight Ache (1967), The Willow House School (1967), From Chekhov with Love (1968), Home Sweet Honeycombe (1968), Of Public Concern (1968), A Fall of Eagles (1974), An Unofficial Rose (1974), Edward and Mrs. Simpson (1980), The Old Men at the Zoo (1982), Monsignor Quixote (1985),
80 Minder on the Orient Express (1985), Love Song (1985), The Black Tower (1985), All Passion Spent (1986), 4:50 from Paddington (1987), Tears in the Rain (1988), The Dog It Was That Died (1989), Behaving Badly (1988), Memento Mori (1982), Sherlock Holmes: The Last Vampyre (1982), Prisoners in Time (1995), Bed (1995), and The Beggar Bride (1997). He was also seen in episodes of Out of This World, Danger Man, The Professionals, Secret Agent, Return of the Saint, Sherlock Holmes, Minder, Doctor Who, Boon, Inspector Morse, Lovejoy, and The Bill. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 1, 2002, B13; New York Times, July 31, 2002, B8; Times (of London), July 26, 2002, 31b.
Dennis, Matt Singer and composer Matt Dennis died in a Riverside, California, hospital on June 21, 2002. He was 89. Dennis was born in Seattle, Washington, on February 14, 1913. He performed with the Horace Heidt Orchestra from the early 1930s before teaming with Dick Haymes to form his own band. A popular songwriter, he composed numerous hits during the 1930s as arranger and composer for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. His popular songs include “Angel Eyes,” “Everything Happens to Me,” “Violets for Your Furs,” “Free for All,” “Will You Be Mine?,” “Let’s Get Away from It All,” and “Little Man with a Candy Cigar.” Dennis hosted a local television variety show in Los Angeles in the early 1950s and was host of The Matt Dennis Show on NBC in 1955. He also made cameo appearances in several films including Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947), Riddles in Rhythm (1950), Jennifer (1953) and The Bigamist (1953). Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2002, B21; New York Times, July 24, 2002, A16; Variety, July 22, 2002, 38.
Desny, Ivan French actor Ivan Desny died of pneumonia in Ascona, Switzerland, on April 13, 2002. He was 73. He was born Ivan Nikolai Desnitskij to Russian parents in Peking, China, on December 28, 1928. He was a popular film actor in Europe from the early 1950s, appearing in such fea-
81
2002 • Obituaries fair (1966), I Killed Rasputin (1967), Escape from Taiga (1967), Guns for San Sebastian (1968), Mayerling (1968), Rebus (1968), The Adventures of Gerard (1970), Dead One in the Thames River (1971), Nocturne (1971), Who? (1973), Little Mother (1973), Touch Me Not (1974), False Movement (1974), Paper Tiger (1975), 50/50 (1977), Trauma (1978), The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979), Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline (1979), Escapade (1980), I Hate Blondes (1980), Fabian (1980), Malou (1981), Lola (1981), The Wild Fifties (1983), The Future of Emily (1985), Supertrick (1989), Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg (1990), The Disenchanted (1990), I Don’t Kiss (1991), Natale con Papa (1994), A Girl Called Rosemary (1996), The Child of the Night (1996), Beresina: The Last Days of Switzerland (1999) and Mister Boogie (2000). He was also featured in numerous European telefilms and series including Tatort, Hotel Paradies, Guten Morgen Mallorca and Edel & Starck.
De Toth, Andre Ivan Desny
tures as The Strange Case of Madeleine (1950), The Respectful Prostitute (1952), Camille Without Camelias (1953), Good Lord Without Confession (1953), No Way Back (1953), Act of Love (1954), Master Over Life and Death (1954), The Golden Plague (1954), Confession Under Four Eyes (1954), The Toy Wife (1955), The Sins of Lola Montes (1955), Her Crime Was Love (1955), Andre and Ursula (1955), Ballerina (1956), Club of Women (1956), O.S.S. 117 Is Not Dead (1956), Mannequins of Paris (1956), Anastasia (1956) with Ingrid Bergman, Tempestuous Love (1957), Give Me My Chance (1957), Scandal in Bad Ischl (1957), All the Sins of the Earth (1957), Life As a Couple (1958), End of Desire (1958), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1958), Polikouchka (1958), What Women Dream of in Springtime (1959), Monsieur Suzuki (1960), Song without End (1960), Love, Italian Style (1960), Daniella by Night (1961), Bon Voyage! (1962), Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962), Number Six (1962), White Slave Ship (1962), Is Geraldine an Angel? (1963), The Invisible Terror (1963), The Mystery of Thug Island (1964), Jack and Jenny (1964), Who Wants to Sleep? (1965), Tender Scoundrel (1966), The Beckett Af-
Film director Andre de Toth, who was best known for helming the 1953 3-D horror classic House of Wax, died of an aneurysm at his Burbank, California, home on October 27, 2002. He was 89. Born Sasvrai Farkasfalvi Tothfalusi Toth Endre Antal Mihaly in Mako, Austria-Hungary, on May 15, 1912, he worked in the Budapest theatre as a playwright before moving to films in the late 1930s. He directed several films in Hungary including Wedding in Toprin (1938), At 5:40 (1938), Two Girls on the Street (1938), Six Weeks of Happiness (1939), and Semmelweiss (1940). De Toth came to the United States in 1940, working in films as an assistant director to the Korda brothers on such features as The Thief of Bagdad, Lydia and The Jungle Book. He began directing films at Columbia with 1943’s Passport to Suez, part of the Lone Wolf series. He continued to direct such features as None Shall Escape (1944), Ramrod (1947), The Other Love (1947), Pitfall (1948), Slattery’s Hurricane (1949), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for co-writing the script, Man in the Saddle (1951) starring Randolph Scott, Springfield Rifle (1952) with Gary Cooper, Last of the Comanches (1952), and Carson City (1952). He directed the 1953 3-D film House of Wax starring Vincent Price despite that he only had one good eye making him un-
Obituaries • 2002
82
Brad Dexter
Andre De Toth
able to experience the 3-D effects himself. De Toth continued to direct such films as The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953), Thunder Over the Plains (1953), Crime Wave (1954), Tanganyika (1954), Riding Shotgun (1954), The Bounty Hunter (1954), Indian Fighter (1955), Hidden Fear (1957), Monkey on My Back (1957), The Two-Headed Spy (1958), Day of the Outlaw (1959), Man on a String (1959), Morgan the Pirate (1961), The Mongols (1964), Gold for the Caesars (1964), and Play Dirty (1968). De Toth was also a second unit director for David Lean’s 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia. He also directed episodes of several television series from the late 1950s including Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Westerner. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 30, 2002, B10; New York Times, Nov. 1, 2002, C13; Time, Nov. 11, 2002, 39; Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Dexter, Brad Actor Brad Dexter died of emphysema in a Rancho Mirage, California, hospital on December 12, 2002. He was 85. Dexter was born Boris
Milanovich in Goldfield, Nevada, on April 9, 1917. He served in the Air Force during World War II, and performed in the touring company and film Winged Victory in 1944. Dexter continued to act after the war, studying at the Pasadena Playhouse. He took the name Barry Mitchell for his roles on stage, radio, and in the films Heldorado (1946) and Sinbad the Sailor (1947). He became Brad Dexter for John Huston’s 1950 film The Asphalt Jungle. The burly actor continued to appear, usually in villainous or supporting roles, in such films as Fourteen Hours (1951), The Las Vegas Story (1952), Macao (1952), 99 River Street (1953), Untamed (1955), House of Bamboo (1955), Violent Saturday (1955), The Bottom of the Bottle (1956), Between Heaven and Hell (1956), The Oklahoman (1957), Run Silent Run Deep (1958), Vice Raid (1959), and Last Train from Gun Hill (1959). Dexter was briefly married to singer Peggy Lee in 1953. He appeared frequently on television from the 1950s, and was featured in episodes of Wagon Train, Have Gun Will Travel, Jefferson Drum, The Gale Storm Show, 77 Sunset Strip, Zane Grey Theater, Cimarron City, Yancy Derringer, Man from Blackhawk, Tales of Wells Fargo, Bourbon Street Beat, Colt .45, Bronco, Mr. Lucky, Bat Masterson, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, The Aquanauts, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, Death Valley Days, and The Investigators. He was best known for his role as one of The Mag-
83 nificent Seven in 1960, co-starring with Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Charles Bronson and Horst Buchholz. He was also seen in the films Thirteen Fighting Men (1960), Twenty Plus Two (1961), The George Raft Story (1961), X-15 (1961), Taras Bulba (1962), Kings of the Sun (1963), Johnny Cool (1963), and Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964). His role in 1965’s None But the Brave led to a close friendship with Frank Sinatra, when he saved the actor from drowning during filming. He again costarred with Sinatra in Von Ryan’s Express (1965) and produced The Naked Runner (1967), until their friendship was severed when he suggested Sinatra not marry younger actress Mia Farrow. Dexter appear in the films Blindfold (1965), Bus Riley’s Back in Town (1965) and Jory (1972). He also produced the films The Lawyer (1970), Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970), and Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He appeared in several films later in the decade including Shampoo (1975), Vigilante Force (1976), The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), House Calls (1978), and Winter Kills (1979). Dexter also continued to perform on television in the telefilms Law and Order (1976) and Valentine (1979), and episodes of Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Kojak, S.W.A.T., Project UFO, and The Incredible Hulk. He also produced the 1980 television series Skag, starring his long-time friend Karl Malden. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 14, 2002, B20; People, Dec. 30, 2002, 59.
2002 • Obituaries
Dibildos, Jose Luis Spanish film producer and writer Jose Luis Dibildos died of a heart attack in Madrid on June 12, 2002. He was 72. Dibildos was born in Madrid on April 9, 1929. A leading producer during the Franco era in Spain, Dibildos founded Agata Film in 1956. His numerous production credits include Honeymoon (1956), The Girls in Blue (1957), The Proud Infantry (1960), L Ultimo Rififi (1963), Les Bandits (1964), They Who Play the Piano (1968), Spaniards in Paris (1971), The New Spaniards (1974), Healthy Married Life (1974), Out on Parole (1976), Till Divorce Us Do Part (1976), Vote for Gundisalvo (1977), Rocky Carambola (1981) and The Beehive (1982). Dibildos also scripted such films as Happy Easter (1954), Cursed Mountain (1955), Madame SansGene (1961), Fra Diavolo (1962), Cyrano and d’Artagnan (1963), The Black Tulip (1964), The Dictator’s Guns (1964), Z7 Operation Rembrandt (1965), and 002 Operation Moon (1965). Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Diamond, Mel Radio comedy writer Mel Diamond died at his Hollywood home on May 4, 2002. He was 82. Diamond was born in New York City in 1920. He began working in radio after serving in the military during World War II. Diamond wrote for Kate Smith’s radio program and also wrote comedy material for such stars as Milton Berle, Bob Hope and Mickey Rooney. He late scripted episodes of such television series as Bachelor Father, The Bob Cummings Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Joey Bishop Show, Leave It to Beaver, Here’s Lucy and I’m Dickens — He’s Fenster. Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Jose Luis Dibildos
Obituaries • 2002
Dobkin, Lawrence Veteran character actor Lawrence Dobkin, who later became a leading television director, died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles on October 28, 2002. He was 83. Dobkin was born in New York City on September 16, 1919. He began his career on the New York stage and became in frequent performer in radio dramas during the 1940s. He was one of the actors to star in radio’s The Adventures of Ellery Queen in the late 1940s. He also starred in the radio series The Saint, The Adventures of Nero Wolfe, and, usually in a villainous role, in Gunsmoke. He also began appearing in films in the late 1940s including Whirlpool (1949), Twelve O’Clock High (1949), Not Wanted (1949), D.O.A. (1950), Never Fear (1950), Frenchie (1950), People Will Talk (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Bannerline (1951), On the Lose (1951), The Mob (1951), Chain of Circumstance (1951), Angels in the Outfield (1951), Five Fingers (1952), Deadline — U.S.A. (1952), Young Man with Ideas (1952), Loan Shark (1952), Above and Beyond (1952), Washington Story (1952), Red Skies of Montana (1952), Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1953), Julius Caesar (1953), The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Remains to Be Seen (1953), Riders to the Stars (1954), Sabaka (1954), The Silver Chalice (1954), Them!
Lawrence Dobkin
84 (1954), The Long Wait (1954), Jump into Hell (1955), Kiss of Fire (1955), Illegal (1955), The Killer Is Loose (1956), That Certain Feeling (1956), The Ten Commandments (1956), The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Portland Expose (1957), Raiders of Old California (1957), The Defiant Ones (1958), Wild Heritage (1958), The Lost Missile (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Tokyo After Dark (1959), The Gene Krupa Story (1959), The Big Operator (1959), Geronimo (1962), The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), and Johnny Yuma (1967). From the 1950s Dobkin was also a prolific television performer, appearing in episodes of You Are There, Superman, I Love Lucy, TV Reader’s Digest, Gunsmoke, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Have Gun Will Travel, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Trackdown, The Donna Reed Show, Wagon Train, 77 Sunset Strip, The Rifleman, Lawman, The Detectives, The Untouchables playing the notorious Dutch Schultz in several episodes, Riverboat, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Law of the Plainsman, Perry Mason, Bronco, Klondike, Hawaiian Eye, Rawhide, Hawaiian Eye, Empire, Destry, Felony Squad, The Big Valley, The F.B.I., The Waltons, Space Academy, Hawaii Five-O, and Bret Maverick. Dobkin also served as director on numerous television episodes from the 1960s, helming segments of The Donna Reed Show, The Rifleman, 77 Sunset Strip, The Andy Griffith Show, Dr. Kildare, Sam Benedict, The Fugitive, The Munsters, My Living Doll, Seaway, Branded, The Big Valley, Laredo, Wild Wild West, Star Trek, The Rat Patrol, Felony Squad, Hawaii Five-O, Cannon, Emergency!, The Waltons, Banyon, Barnaby Jones, Shaft, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, Adams of Eagle Lake, Charlie’s Angels, The Fitzpatricks, Fantasy Island, Project U.F.O., Dallas, Vega$, Freebie and the Bean and The Fall Guy. Dobkin continued to juggle directing and acting assignments throughout the remainder of his career, appearing in the films Patton (1970), Underground (1970), The Midnight Man (1974), In Search of Historic Jesus (1980), Hotwire (1980), Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991) and At Night the Sun Shines (1992). He was also featured in the 1988 mini-series War and Remembrance, and the telefilms Rock Hudson (1990), Curiosity Kills (1990), The Rape of Doctor Willis (1991), and Roswell (1994). He was also featured in episodes of Knight Rider, MacGyver, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Charmings, L.A.
85 Law, Matlock, Night Court, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Melrose Place, Profiler, The Practice, NYPD Blue and Judging Amy. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 2002, B18.
Donegan, Lonnie Rock and blues musician Lonnie Donegan died of a heart attack in Peterborough, England, on November 3, 2002. He was 71. He was born Anthony Donegan in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 29, 1931. Donegan introduced skiffle music, which incorporated many American jazz, folk, blues and country-western styles, to Britain in the 1950s. His recording of “Rock Island Line” was an inspiration to such rock artists as John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Townshend. His other hit recordings include “Lost John,” “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It’s Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight,” “6.5 Special” and “Oh Boy.” Donnegan’s 1978 album Puttin’ on the Style
Lonnie Donegan
2002 • Obituaries included performances by Ringo Starr, Brian May and Elton John. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 5, 2002, B10; New York Times, Nov. 5, 2002, B8; Time, Nov. 18, 2002, 27.
Dora, Mickey Surfer Mickey Dora died of pancreatic cancer in Montecito, California, on January 3, 2002. He was 67. Dora was born in Budapest, Hungary, on August 11, 1934. Raised in the Santa Monica area in the 1950s, he became a well-known figure in the surf scene in the 1960s. Dora was stunt double for James Darren’s Moondoggie character in the 1959 film Gidget. He also appeared in numerous other surf films of the 1960s including Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), Surf Party (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), Ski Party (1965) and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965). Dora left the United States in the 1970s after several encounters with the law. He returned in 1983 and served a sentence in prison before settling in South Africa. He again returned to California shortly before his death. Times (of London), Jan. 12, 2002, 25c.
Mickey Dora
Obituaries • 2002
86
Dowd, Tom Record producer and engineer Tom Dowd died in an Aventura, Florida, nursing home of respiratory disease on October 27, 2002. He was 77. Dowd was born in New York City on January 1, 1925. He worked as an engineer with Atlantic records from the 1940s, working with such artists as Charles Mingus and John Coltrane. He helped Aretha Franklin create her hit recording of “Respect,” and worked on Eric Clapton’s rock classic “Layla.” From the mid–1960s Dowd was an independent producer for such artists as Neil Young, Rod Stewart and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He also produced the Alman Brothers Band’s album Life at Fillmore East. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 29, 2002, B12; New York Times, Oct. 30, 2002, B12; Times (of London), Oct. 31, 2002, 39b; Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Heinz Drache
of lung cancer in a Berlin hospital on April 3, 2002. He was 79. Drache was born in Essen, Germany, on February 9, 1923. He was a popular film star in Germany from the early 1950s, appearing in such films as Naked in the Night (1958), The Rest Is Silence (1959), The Avenger (1960), The Door with Seven Locks (1962), Hypnosis (1962), The Black Panther of Ratana (1962), The Squeaker (1963), The Indian Scarf (1963), Coffin from Hong Kong (1964), The Mysterious Magician (1964), The Inn on Dartmoor (1964), Coast of Skeletons (1964), Shots in 3/4 Time (1965), Psycho-Circus (1966), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), Witness Out of Hell (1967), The Hound of Blackwood Castle (1967) and Sandy the Seal (1969). During the 1980s Drache was well known for his role as Commissioner Bulow in the popular German television series Tatort. Tom Dowd
Drache, Heinz German actor Heinz Drache, who starred in numerous Edgar Wallace mystery films, died
Draxten, Nina Nina Draxten died of pneumonia in an Apple Valley, Minnesota, health clinic on February 14, 2002. She was 98. She was born in Minneapolis on September 9, 1903. An English
87 teacher for many years, she began acting late in life, appearing in several commercials while in her early 80s. She appeared in a Burger King ad as a teacher reminiscing about “Herb,” the only person who had supposedly never entered the restaurant. She starred as the aged Gramma in the 1988 film Far North.
Dudgeon, Gus Record producer Gus Dudgeon was killed in an automobile accident in England on June 21, 2002. He was 59. Dudgeon was born in Surrey, England, on September 30, 1942. He began his career as an engineer at Decca Records in London, where he worked on such hits as the Zombies’ “She’s Not There” and with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in the mid–1960s. He began producing in 1967 with the band Ten Years After. He was best known as the producer of Elton John’s early albums including Tumbleweed Connection (1970), Madman Across the Water (1971), Honky Chateau (1972), and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973). He also produced David Bowie’s hit single, “Space Oddity” in 1969. After Dudgeon and
Gus Dudgeon
2002 • Obituaries Elton John’s partnership in Rocket records was dissolved in 1976, he worked with such artists as Lindisfarne and Chris Rea. He formed Sol Studios in the 1980s and reteamed with John to produce several albums later in the decade. He continued to work in the music industry with such alternative artists as XTS and Menswear until his death. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2, 2002, B13; Times (of London), July 23, 2002, 27f; Variety, July 29, 2002, 46.
Dudley, Big Dick Alex Rizzo, who wrestled with the Extreme Championship Wrestling in the 1990s as Big Dick Dudley, was found dead of kidney failure at his apartment in Copiague, New York, on May 16, 2002. He was 34. The 6-foot-4, 350-pound Dudley was the leader of the Dudley Boys in the ECW until leaving the promotion in 1999. He later worked with the Xtreme Pro Wrestling in the Los Angeles area.
Big Dick Dudley
Obituaries • 2002
Dufty, William F. Author William F. Dufty died of cancer at his home in Birmingham, Michigan, on June 28, 2002. He was 86. Dufty was born on February 2, 1916. He worked on over forty books during his career and was best known for the 1956 biography of Billie Holliday, Lady Sings the Blues. The book served as the basis of the 1972 film starring Diana Ross. Dufty was also a leading union organizer with the United Auto Workers, and wrote numerous speeches for UAW leader Walter Reuther. He also authored a 1975 book about the dangers of eating sugar entitled Sugar Blues. He was married to silent film star Gloria Swanson from 1976 until her death in 1983. He was also the co-author of her autobiography, Swanson on Swanson (1981). Los Angeles Times, July 4, 2002, B14; New York Times, July 6, 2002, A11; Times (of London), Aug. 2, 2002, 32b.
88 She began performing on stage at the age of nine and was featured in the play Stolen Fruit in 1923. She was featured in numerous vaudeville productions during the 1920s and appeared in the Broadway production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes in 1934. She also appeared in Porter’s 1939 play Leave It to Me. Dunn left show business following her marriage to George O’Connor and began a career as a cosmetics executive. Variety, July 2, 2002, 38.
Dunphy, Jerry Veteran Los Angeles newscaster Jerry Dunphy died of a heart attack at a Los Angeles hospital on May 20, 2002. He was 80. Dunphy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1921. He began working at Los Angeles CBS affiliate KNXT-TV in 1960, where he anchored the hourlong newscast The Big News. Known as “the Dean of Los Angeles Broadcasting,” Dunphy worked mainly at KCAL-TV from the late 1980s. He also made numerous cameo appearances in films and television shows, appearing in the films The Prize
William F. Dufty
Dunn, Vera Broadway actress Vera Dunn died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 11, 2002. She was 89.
Jerry Dunphy
89 (1963), The Patsy (1964), Goodbye Charlie (1964), Kitten with a Whip (1964), Warning Shot (1967), The Love Machine (1971), Night of the Lepus (1972), Oh, God! (1977), Hard to Kill (1990), Impulse (1990), Short Cuts (1993), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Jerky Boys (1995), Independence Day (1996), Bulworth (1998), 3 Strikes (2000), Dropping Out (2000) and You’ll Never Wiez in This Town Again (2002). Dunphy was also seen in the telefilms Helter Skelter (1976) and The French Atlantic Affair (1979), and episodes of Batman, Faraday and Company, Hart to Hart, The Greatest American Hero and Roseanne. Los Angeles Times, May 21, 2002, A1; Variety, June 2, 2002, 43.
Durano, Giustino Italian actor Giustino Durano died of cancer in Bologna, Italy, on February 18, 2002. He was 79. Durano was born on May 5, 1923. A leading stage performer, he was featured in numerous films from the 1950s including Lo Svitato (1955), Lucky to Be a Woman (1956), The Queen
2002 • Obituaries of the Pirates (1960), Rage of the Buccaneers (1961), The Golden Arrow (1962), Male Companion (1965), Me, Me, Me… and the Others (1965), After the Fox (1966), The Bobo (1967), Mission Phantom (1967), Samoa, Queen of the Jungle (1968), The Bang-Bang Kid (1968), The Balloon Vendor (1973), and Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning Life Is Beautiful (1997).
Dwyer, Bernie Bernie Dwyer, the drummer for the 1960s British rock group Freddie and the Dreamers, died of cancer in England on December 4, 2002. He was 62. Dwyer was born on September 11, 1940. He joined with Freddie Garrity, Derek Quinn, Roy Crewsden and Peter Birrell as part of Freddie and the Dreamers in the mid–1960s. They were best known for the hit record “I’m Telling You Now.” Dwyer also appeared with the band in several films including What a Crazy World (1963), Out of Sight (1966), and Cuckoo Patrol (1967).
Bernie Dwyer
Eberhard, Leslie Giustino Durano (right)
Television writer and producer Leslie Eberhard died of complications from cancer on Janu-
Obituaries • 2002
90
George Alec Effinger Leslie Eberhard
ary 12, 2002. He was 51. Eberhard was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1951. He began his career as a comedy writer in the early 1970s, and was soon writing theatrical musicals with partner David Levy. He also wrote and produced several Saturday morning television series including Saved by the Bell, USA High and Malibu, CA. Eberhard also wrote for such sitcoms as 9 to 5, The John Larroquette Show and Frasier.
Effinger, George Alec Science fiction writer George Alec Effinger died in New Orleans after a long illness on April 27, 2002. He was 55. Effinger was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 10, 1947. He began writing science fiction in 1970 and his first novel, What Entropy Means to Me, was published in 1972. He wrote eight other novels including The Wolves of Memory (1981), The Nick of Time (1985), The Bird of Time (1986), When Gravity Fails (1987), A Fire in the Sun (1989), and The Exile Kiss (1991), and the crime novels Felicia (1976) and Shadow Money (1988). Effinger also adapted several episodes of the Planet of the Apes television
series into novels in the mid–1970s. He also a popular series of stories that were collected in 1993 as Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordperson, and was the recipient of the Nebula and Hugo awards for his 1988 novelette Schrodinger’s Kitten. New York Times, May 2, 2002, A25.
Eggleston, Colin Australian film director and writer Colin Eggleston died in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 10, 2002. He was 61. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1941. He began working in Australian television as a director and writer in the 1960s, helming such series as Homicide, Division 4, The Long Arm, Matlock Police, Chopper Squad and Bellamy. He made his film debut directing the 1977 adult feature Fantasm Comes Again under the name Eric Ram. He subsequently directed the 1979 supernatural thriller Long Weekend. His other films include The Little Feller (1982), Innocent Prey (1984), Sky Pirates (1986), Cassandra (1986) and Outback Vampires (1987). Variety, Aug. 26, 2002, 58.
91
2002 • Obituaries
Eiferman, George George Eiferman, a former Mr. America and Mr. Universe, died in a Las Vegas health care facility of complications from a stroke on February 13, 2002. He was 76. Eiferman was born in Philadelphia on November 3, 1925. The body builder and gym owner was Mr. America in 1948, and won the Mr. Universe crown in 1962. He went to Hollywood in the late 1940s, where he performed stunt work in several films and was featured in the 1951 drama Devil’s Sleep. He later performed as one of the original muscle men in Mae West’s variety show in the 1950s. He appeared in several other stage revues and was featured often on the local television show Sig’s Superstars in the 1970s and 1980s.
Sandor Eles, right, with Orson Wells from The Kremlin Letter.
George Eiferman
Eles, Sandor Actor Sandor Eles died of a heart attack in London in September of 2002. Eles was born in Budapest, Hungary, on June 15, 1936. A leading stage actor, Eles was also seen in several films including the Hammer horror films The Evil of Frankenstein (1964) and Countess Dracula (1970). His other film credits include The Naked Edge (1961), The Rebel (1961), Guns of Darkness (1962),
French Dressing (1964), The Magnificent Two (1967), The Kremlin Letter (1970), And Soon the Darkness (1970), Scorpio (1973), Love and Death (1975), The Assignment (1977), The Greek Tycoon (1978), and Surviving Picasso (1996). Elves appeared in television productions of The Assassination Run (1980), The Seven Dials Mystery (1982), The Endless Game (1990), and Sherlock Homes and the Leading Lady (1990), and was featured in the Czech Mate episode of Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense in 1984. He starred as Paul Ross in the British Crossroads television series from 1982 through 1986, and was Ramon in the 1994 series Down to Earth. His other television credits include episodes of The Avengers, Crane, The Baron, Secret Agent, The Saint, Department S, The Adventurer, Jason King, New Scotland Yard, Timeslip, The Strange Report, Upstairs, Downstairs and The Professionals.
Ellison, Cary British actor and casting agent Cary Ellison died in England on December 9, 2002. He was 87. Ellison was born Ellison Bayles in Sunderland, England, on October 29, 1915. He began his career performing on stage in the 1930s. During
Obituaries • 2002 the war he performed often in theatrical productions with his wife, actress Olive Milbourne. Ellison also appeared in small roles in the films Uncensored (1942) and The Mark of Cain, both starring Eric Portman. He began working for the British casting directory Spotlight in 1953. For nearly thirty years with Spotlight he served as casting director and advisor to numerous directors, actor and writers. He served as a career consultant at the Guildford School of Acting after his retirement in 1980. His wife died in 1994.
Elphick, Michael British actor Michael Elphick in a London hospital on September 7, 2002, after collapsing two days earlier. He was 55. Elphick was born in Chichester, Sussex, England, on September 19, 1946. A leading film and television performer in England, Elphick was featured in such fils as Fraulein Doktor (1969), Where’s Jack? (1969), Hamlet (1969), The Buttercup Chain (1970), Cry of the Banshee (1970), See No Evil (1971), O Lucky
92 Man! (1973), Stardust (1974), The Odd Job (1978), The Great Train Robbery (1979), Quadrophenia (1979), The Quiz Kid (1979), The Elephant Man (1980), The Knowledge (1981), Privates on Parade (1982), Curse of the Pink Panther, Gorky Park (1983), The Element of Crime (1984), Ordeal By Innocence (1984), Memed My Hawk (1984), The Supergrass (1985), Pirates (1986), Arthur’s Hallowed Ground (1986), Widnail and I (1987), Little Dorrit (1988), The Krays (1990), I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle (1990), Buddy’s Song (1990), Let Him Have It (1991), and Dead in the Water (2001). He starred as Ken Boon in the popular British television series Boon from 1986 to 1992, and starred as Harry Slater in EastEnders in 2001. Elphick also starred in the British series The Nearly Man, Holding On, Roger Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Bloomfield, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Pull the Other One, Three Up, Two Down, and Harry. He was also seen in television productions of The One and Only Phyllis Dixey (1978), Blue Remembered Hills (1979), Masada (1981), Private Schultz (1981), John Le Carre’s Smiley’s People, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Hitler’s S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985) as Ernst Rohm, Jenny’s War (1985), Stanley and the Women (1991), The Fix (1997), David Copperfield (1999), and Metropolis (2000). His other television credits include episodes of New Scotland Yard, Coronation Street, Hazell, The Sweeney, The Professionals, Shoestring, Murder Most Horrid, Dangerfield, The Bill, and Baddiel’s Syndrome. Times (of London), Sept. 11, 2002, 33a.
Engel, Ida Ida Engel, one of the oldest working members of the Screen Actors Guild, died in a Los Angeles hospital on April 30, 2002. She was 98. She began her career late in life, winning a competition on The Gong Show with a rendition of “Second Hand Rose” in 1985. She subsequently began working in commercials, notably for Holiday Inn. Los Angeles Times, May 3, 2002, B14.
Michael Elphick
93
2002 • Obituaries he played on such hit songs as “I Can’t Explain,” “My Generation,” “Happy Jack,” and “I Can See for Miles.” He also wrote some of The Who’s songs including “Boris the Spider,” “Cousin Kevin” and “My Wife.” Entwistle also performed with the band at Woodstock and on the Tommy album, and appeared in the 1975 film version of the rock opera. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. He continued to tour and record with the band until his death. Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2002, B12; New York Times, June 28, 2002 C15; Time, July 8, 2002, 19; Times (of London), June 29, 2002, 40b; Variety, July 1, 2002, 44.
Eory, Iran Ida Engel
Entwistle, John John Entwistle, the bass player for the legendary rock group The Who, died of a heart attack attributed to cocaine use at a Las Vegas hotel on June 27, 2002. He was 57. Entwistle was born in London on October 9, 1944. Entwistle was a founding member of The Who in 1964, with Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and the late Keith Moon. Known as “Ox” and “Thunderfingers,”
John Entwistle (3rd from left, with Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and Keith Moon of The Who)
Leading Mexican actress Iran Eory died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Mexico City at the home of actor Carlos Monde on March 10, 2002. She was 64. Born Elvira Eory in Teheran, Iran, on October 21, 1937, she began her acting career in Spain in the 1950s before moving to Mexico.
Iran Eory
Obituaries • 2002
94
She made her film debut in 1954’s The Flute-Playing Devil. She starred in numerous popular films during her career including Kubala (1955), Fray Escoba (1961), Accidente 703 (1962), Rogelia (1962), Fair of the Dove (1963), The Adventures of Scaramouche (1963), The Blancheville Monster (1963), The Sinner and the Witch (1964), Rustic Chivalry (1965), Espionage in Lisbon (1965), Man of the Cursed Valley (1965), Web of Violence (1966), Novios 68 (1967), and Rubi (1969). From the 1970s she primarily starred in television dramas in Mexico, including the productions Love Has a Woman’s Face (1973), Toy World (1974) and Principessa (1984).
Escalante, Henry Stuntman and actor Henry ‘Blackie’ Escalante died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at a Montebello, California, hospice on January 23, 2002. He was 86. Born in Los Angeles in 1915, he was the grandson of the founder of the Escalante Brothers Circus. Henry Escalante performed with the circus as a trapeze artist from an early age. In the 1930s he worked in Hollywood as a stuntman, doubling Johnny Weissmuller in the Tarzan films, and doing stunt work for the Marx Brothers 1939 comedy At the Circus. Escalante subsequently appeared in such films as Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950), Salome (1953), Second Chance (1953), The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Escape to Burma (1955), Hell’s Island (1955), The Three Outlaws (1956), Sol Madrid (1968) and Monte Walsh (1970). He also did stunt work on television in such series as The Adventures of Superman, A Man Called X, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, Hart to Hart and The Fall Guy. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 29, 2002, B10.
Juan Garcia Esquivel
several Mexican films including Aventuras de Cucuruchito y Pinocho (1943), Locura Pasional (1955), Teatro del Crimen (1956), Las Locuras del Rock ’n’ Roll (1957) and Cabaret Tragico (1957). Equivel recorded for RCA in the United States from the late 1950s, using exotic sounds for his musical compositions. He returned to Mexico in the 1980s to work on a children’s television series. In the 1990s many of his works were collected in the albums Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, Music from a Sparkling Planet and Merry Xmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad. His works were also heard in such films as Four Rooms, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America and The Big Lebowski. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 10, 2002, B12; New York Times, Jan. 11, 2002, B7; Times (of London), Jan. 22, 2002, 17a.
Esslin, Martin Esquivel, Juan Garcia Composer Juan Garcia Esquivel died of a stroke at his home in Jiuetpec, Morelos, Mexico, on January 3, 2002. He was 83. Esquivel was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on January 20, 1918. He was a popular pianist and bandleader in Mexico, appearing often on Mexican television and radio. He also composed songs for
British writer and radio producer Martin Esslin died of Parkinson’s disease in London on February 24, 2002. He was 83. He was born Julius Pereszlenyi in Budapest, Hungary, on June 6, 1918. He studied in Vienna before coming to England in the late 1930s. He worked with the BBC as a radio scriptwriter and producer adapting many European plays into English. He worked for European Service during and after
95
2002 • Obituaries How to Marry a Millionaire was filmed in 1953, and his short story The Day They Gave Babies Away was adapted into the 1957 film All Mine to Give. Eunson also wrote the films On the Loose (1951), The Star (1952), Sabre Jet (1953), Eighteen and Anxious (1957), Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), and Joe Panther (1976). He also worked in television, scripting episodes of Leave It to Beaver and Little House on the Prairie. His wife, Katherine, died in 1970. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2002, B15; New York Times, Mar. 9, 2002, A16; Variety, Mar. 11, 2002, 54.
Evans, Ella Mae
Martin Esslin
World War II, covering such stories as the Nuremberg Trials and the Berlin blockade. He became assistant head of radio drama in the early 1960s, and replaced Barbara Bray as head of the department in 1963. Esslin was also a noted critic and author whose works include Brecht: A Choice of Evils (1959), The Theatre of the Absurd (1961), The Anatomy of Drama (1965), The People Wound: The Work of Harold Pinter (1970), and The Age of Television (1981). Esslin retired from the BBC in 1977 and became professor of drama at Stanford University until 1988. New York Times, June 5, 2002, A23.
Eunson, Dale Novelist and screenwriter Dale Eunson died at the Motion Picture Hospital in Los Angeles on February 20, 2002. He was 97. Eunson was born in Neillsville, Wisconsin, on August 15, 1904. He began writing in the early 1920s and worked in the publicity department of several major studios during the decade. He and his wife, Katherine Albert, wrote the Broadway play Guest in the House, which was adapted into a film in 1944. His play
Actress Ella Mae Evans died of complications from pulmonary fibrosis in Inglewood, California, on January 27, 2002. She was 77. She worked as a teacher and, later, a makeup designer for stage and television. She also acted in several films including Downtown (1990) and I Got the Hook Up (1998), and such television series as Punky Brewster, SeaQuest DSV and Moesha.
Evans, Joshua Ryan Diminutive actor Josh Ryan Evans, who was best known for his role as the living doll Timmy on the television soap opera Passions, died of a heart condition at a San Diego hospital on August 5, 2002. He was 20. Evans was born in Hayward, California, on January 10, 1982. The 3-foot 2-inch actor suffered for the genetic disorder achondroplasia, which restricted his growth. He was featured as Oren Koolie in several episodes of Ally McBeal in 1998 and appeared in episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy and Seventh Heaven. He was also seen in the television mini-series P.T. Barnum as General Tom Thumb, and was the young Grinch in 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 7, 2002, B8; New York Times, Aug. 7, 2002, C22; People, Aug. 19, 2002, 109; Time, Aug. 19, 2002, 21; Variety, Aug. 12, 2002, 38.
Obituaries • 2002
96
Joshua Ryan Evans
Fan, Leon Eileen Farrell (with Robert Merrill)
Former actor and film executive Leon Fan died in Los Angeles on May 1, 2002. He was 32. Fan was born in Los Angeles in 1970. As a teen he had small roles in the film How I Got Into College (1989), and on episodes of such television series as Highway to Heaven, MacGyver, and Growing Pains. After graduation from the UCLA School of Law in 1997 he worked in production at Kopelson Entertainment. He was vice president of acquisition at Threshold Entertainment at the time of his death.
Farrell, Eileen Leading opera singer Eileen Farrell died in Park Ridge, Illinois, on March 16, 2002. She was 82. She was born in Willimantic, Connecticut, on February 13, 1920. Best known for her recitals and concerts, she starred in her own radio program, Eileen Farrell Signs, from 1940 until 1947. She made her debut concert at the New York Philharmonic in 1949 and dubbed the singing voice for actress Eleanor Parker in the 1955 film Interrupted Melody. She made her operatic debut performing in Il Trovatore with the San Francisco Opera in 1956. She performed with the Metro-
politan Opera for five seasons from 1960. She largely retired from performing to teach in the mid–1970s. Her autobiography, Can’t Help Singing, was published in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 25, 2002, B7; New York Times, Mar. 25, 2002, B7; Time, Apr. 8, 2002, 23.
Felix, Maria Leading Mexican film star Maria Felix died of a heart attack on her 88th birthday at her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on April 8, 2002. She was born in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, on April 8, 1914. A beauty contest winner in Guadalajara, she began her film career in the early 1940s, starring in The Peak of Pining Souls (1942). She starred in nearly fifty films during her career including Maria Eugenia (1943), Dona Barbara (1943), Woman Without a Soul (1944), China Poblana (1944), The Lieutenant Nun (1945), Amok (1944), Vertigo (1946), Enamorada (1946), Hidden River (1948), May God Forgive Me (1948), Maclovia (1948), Mark of the Devil (1950), Saturday Night (1950), Black Crown (1951), The Affairs of Mes-
97
2002 • Obituaries mid–1950s. He was 74. He later worked with Hanna-Barbara, serving as an animator on The Flintstones television series and the 1966 animated film The Man Called Flintstone. He returned to Disney in 1976, where he worked on such films as The Fox and the Hound (1981), Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983), The Great Mouse Detective (1986), and The Little Mermaid (1989). He retired in 1990.
Fimple, Dennis
Maria Felix
salina (1951), Tragic Spell (1951), Naked Passion (1953), Camelia (1954), La Bella Otero (1954), Only the French Can (1955), Heroes and Sinners (1955), The Hidden One (1956), Basket of Mexican Tales (1956), Faustina (1957), Tizoc (1957), Ash Wednesday (1958), The Empty Star (1958), The Soldiers of Pancho Villa (1958), Cafe Colon (1958), Fever Rises in El Pao (1959), Sonatas (1959), Beyond All Limits (1959), The Guns of Juana Gallo (1961), If I Were a Millionaire (1962), The Bandit (1963), Safo 1963 (1964) and The Woman General (1970). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 2002, B10; New York Times, Apr. 9, 2002, A23; Time, Apr. 22, 2002, 18; Times (of London), Apr. 13, 2002, 40c; Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84.
Veteran character actor Dennis Fimple died at his home in Frazier Park, California, on August 23, 2002. He was 61. Fimple was born in Taft, California, on November 11, 1940. He became a popular film and television performer in the late 1960s. Fimple was seen in such films as Cactus in the Snow (1970), Summertree (1971), The Culpepper Cattle Company (1972), Truck Stop Women (1974), The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe (1974), Bootleggers (1974), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), Mackintosh and T.J. (1975), White House Madness (1975), Stay Hungry (1976), Winterhawk (1976), the 1976 re-make of King Kong, Creature from Black Lake (1976), They Went ThatA-Way and That-A-Way (1978), Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws (1978), The Shadow of Chikara (1978), Goin’ South (1978), The Evictors
Ferriter, Tom Animator Tom Ferriter died on August 27, 2002. Ferriter began his career at Disney in the
Dennis Fimple
Obituaries • 2002 (1979), Body Slam (1987), My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (1991), The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1991), Death Falls (1991), Maverick (1994), Down Periscope (1996), Bug Buster (1998), Fangs (2001), Agua Dulce (2001), and Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses (2002). He was also featured in numerous telefilms and mini-series including Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? (1971), Gidget Gets Married (1972), Young Pioneers (1976), Centennial (1978), Roots: The Next Generation (1979), The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang (1979), The $5.20 an Hour Dream (1980), Of Mice and Men (1981), The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch (1982), A Summer to Remember (1985), Once Upon a Texas Train (1988), I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989), and Area 52 (2001). Fimple was featured as Bo in the television action series Matt Houston from 1982 to 1983, and was Garral in the western comedy Harts of the West in 1993. His other television credits include episodes of Petticoat Junction, Alias Smith and Jones, Here Come the Brides, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Dusty’s Trail, Kung Fu, S.W.A.T., Baa Baa Black Sheep, The Rockford Files, Starsky and Hutch, Battlestar Galactica, The Incredible Hulk, Charlie’s Angels, The Fall Guy, The Greatest American Hero, B.J. and the Bear, The Dukes of Hazzard, Simon & Simon, Highway to Heaven, Sledge Hammer, the new Twilight Zone, The A-Team, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Once a Hero, Quantum Leap, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Pointman, Weird Science, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, ER, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Providence. Variety, Sept. 16, 2002, 67.
Findley, Timothy Canadian writer Timothy Findley died in a hospital in France of complications from a fall after a long illness on June 20, 2002. He was 71. Findley was born in Toronto, Canada, on October 30, 1930. He began his career as an actor in the 1950s before writing his first short story, About Effie, in 1956. He adapted his story Don’t Let the Angels Fall for film in 1969 and wrote the 1974 television mini-series The National Dream. His novel, The Wars, was filmed in 1983. Several of his stories were adapted for television including Diner Along the Amazon (1996) and The Piano
98
Timothy Findley
Man’s Daughter (2000). He also wrote the popular play Elizabeth Rex in 2000. Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2002, B16; New York Times, June 22, 2002, B21; Times (of London), July 31, 2002, 30h.
Fine, Sidney Composer and orchestrator Sidney Fine died of pneumonia in a Burbank, California, hospital on May 20, 2002. He was 97. Fine was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 1904. He began his career playing piano at silent film theaters during the 1920s. He later worked as an accompanist for comedian Henny Youngman. Fine moved to Los Angeles in the late 1930s, working on radio as pianist and arranger for such stars as Jack Benny, George burns and Gracie Allen, and Dinah Shore. Fine was an orchestrator for several Walt Disney features including Victory Through Air Power (1943), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Melody Time (1948) and Lady and the Tramp (1955). He also worked on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club on television. Fine was an arranger for Irving Berlin’s 1946 musical Blue Skies. He received an Emmy nomination for his orchestrations for
99 the television series Medic in 1956. During the 1960s Fine worked primarily in television, writing scores for such series as Wagon Train, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Laramie, Frontier Circus, Going My Way, The Virginian, Alcoa Premiere, 90 Bristol Court, Tammy, Broadside, The John Forsythe Show and The Bold Ones. Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2002, B19; Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Finn, Herbert Television comedy writer Herbert Finn died of respiratory failure at a Burbank, California, hospital on May 28, 2002. He was 89. Finn began his career writing for radio, scripting episodes of the popular series Duffy’s Tavern and Amos ’n’ Andy. He subsequently wrote for television, scripting for such series as The Honeymooners, Dennis the Menace, The Flintstones, The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island. Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2002, B18; People, Aug. 12, 2002, 101; Variety, June 24, 2002, 58
Fleming, Susan Susan Fleming Marx, a film actress of the 1930s and widow of comedian Harpo Marx, died of a heart attack in Rancho Mirage, California,
Susan Fleming Marx
2002 • Obituaries on December 22, 2002. She was 94. Fleming was born in New York City on February 19, 1908. She began her career on stage in the 1920s, appearing in the Broadway musical The Ziegfeld Follies. She began her film career in the early 1930s, starring as John Wayne’s leading lady in 1931’s Range Feud. She was also featured in the films Lover Come Back (1931), Men Are Like That (1931), A Dangerous Affair (1931), Ladies of the Jury (1932), Million Dollar Legs (1932) as W.C. Field’s daughter, Heritage of the Desert (1932), Olsen’s Big Moment (1933), He Learned About Women (1933), I Love That Man (1933), My Weakness (1933), She Learned About Sailors (1934), Charlie Chan’s Courage (1934), Break of Hearts (1935), Navy Wife (1935), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Star for a Night (1936), Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936), and God’s Country and the Woman (1937). She married Harpo Marx in 1936 and largely abandoned her acting career. They remained married until Harpo’s death in September of 1964. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 27, 2002, B12; New York Times, Jan. 5, 2003.
Flynn, Eric British actor and singer Eric Flynn died of cancer in Llanrihian, Pembrokeshire, Wales, on March 4, 2002. He was 62. Flynn was born on Hainan Island, China, on December 13, 1939. He spent much of his early childhood interred by the Japanese during World War II. In the 1950s he came to England, where he soon began appearing on stage. He was also featured in several films including The Silent Invasion (1962), The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1962), Mr. Brown Comes Down the Hill (1965) and A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967) as Alan-a-Dale. Flynn starred as Geoffrey Toms in the British television series Wavers Green and starred as Ivanhoe in the 1970 television production. He also appeared as Major Graham in television’s Freewheelers in 1971. He was also seen in episodes of Doctor Who, Out of the Unknown and The Avengers. Flynn appeared in the 1975 telefilm A Killer in Every Corner, and was featured in the films Safari 3000 (1982), Deadly Passion (1985) and Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun (1987). He also remained active on stage in such productions as Annie Get Your Gun (1987) and A Little Night Music (1989).
Obituaries • 2002
100
Eric Flynn
Zac Foley
Foley, Zac Rock musician Zac Foley died on January 3, 2002. He was 31. Foley was born in Gloucester, England, on December 9, 1970. He was a founding member of the British rock group EMF. The band, whose name stood for Epsom Mad Funkes, had several major hits in the 1990s including “Unbelievable” (1991) and “I Believe” (1991). EMF largely disbanded in 1996.
Fong, Kam Kam Fong Chun, who starred as Detective Chin Ho Kelly on the popular television series Hawaii Five-O, died of lung cancer in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 18, 2002. He was 84. Fong was born in Honolulu, on May 27, 1918. He was a Honolulu policeman from 1946 until his retirement in the early 1960s, when he began appearing in films. Fong was featured in Ghost of the China Sea (1958), The Seven Women from Hell (1961), Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), and Diamond Head (1963). He co-starred with Jack Lord in the television detective drama Hawaii Five-O for ten seasons from 1968 to 1978. Fong was later
Kam Fong
101
2002 • Obituaries
seen in several episodes of television’s Magnum, P.I. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 1, 2002, B13; New York Times, Nov. 1, 2002, C13; People, Nov. 18, 2002, 103.
the 13th, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dracula: The Series, Sweating Bullets, E.N.G., Nightmare Cafe, Raven, Super Force, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Due South, Pacific Blue, La Femme Nikita and The Invisible Man.
Forest, Denis
Forward, Robert L.
French-Canadian character actor Denis Forest died suddenly at his home in Los Angeles on March 19, 2002. He was 41. Forest began his career in the early 1980s and was featured in the films Strange Brew (1983), Head Office (1985), The Climb (1986), The Tadpole and the Whale (1987), The Long Road Home (1989), Destiny to Order (1990), Deadlock (1991), Cliff hanger (1993), The Mask (1994) with Jim Carrey, New Crime City (1994), Eraser (1996), Where Truth Lies (1996), Dead Men Can’t Dance (1997) and Hidden Agenda (1998). He starred as the villainous alien Malzor in the second season of television’s War of the Worlds in 1989, and was featured in the Stephen King mini-series Storm of the Century in 1999. He was also seen in the telefilms Race for the Bomb (1986), The Liberators (1987), Ford: The Man and the Machine (1987), Champagne Charlie (1989), Against the Wall (1993), Andersonville (1996), and Last Stand at Saber River (1997). His other television credits include episodes of Friday
Science fiction writer Robert L. Forward died of brain cancer on September 21, 2002. He was 70. Forward was born in Geneva, New York, on August 15, 1932. A physicist, he was a pioneer in experimental gravitational radiation astronomy working with the Hughes Aircraft Company Research Laboratories. His first novel, Dragon’s Egg, was published in 1980. This was followed by a sequel, Starquake!, in 1985. His other novels include The Flight of the Dragonfly, Martian Rainbow (1991) and Timemaster (1992). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 24, 2002, B11; New York Times, Sept. 28, 2002, A18; Times (of London), Sept. 30, 2002, S8g.
Denis Forest
Robert L. Forward
Obituaries • 2002
102
Foster, Barry British actor Barry Foster died of a heart attack in Guildford, Surrey, England, on February 11, 2002. He was 70. Foster was born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, England, on August 21, 1931. He began his career on stage in the late 1940s, and made his professional debut in a production of The Merchant of Venice in 1952. Foster also appeared in numerous films from the mid–1950s including Pursuit of the Graf Spree (1957), High Flight (1956), Battle Hell (1957), Desert Patrol (1958), Sea Fury (1958), Dunkirk (1958), Yesterday’s Enemy (1959), Surprise Package (1960), Playback (1963), King and Country (1964), The Family Way (1966), Robbery (1967), Inspector Clouseau (1968), Twisted Nerve (1968), Battle of Britain (1969), The Guru (1969), David Lean’s Ryan’s Daughter (1970), Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy (1972), A Quiet Day in Belfast (1974), The Last Word (1974), Sweeney! (1977), The Wild Geese (1978), Danger on Dartmoor (1980), How Many Miles to Babylon? (1982), Heat and Dust (1982), The Whistle Blower (1986), Three Kinds of Heat (1987), Maurice (1987), Beyond the Next Mountain (1987), The Killing Game (1988), King of the Wind (1989), The Free Frenchman (1989) and Rancid
Aluminium (2000). He was best known for his role as Dutch detective Piet Van der Valk on the British television series Van der Valk from 1972 to 1979. He reprised the role in four British telefilms in the early 1990s. He also starred as Robert Driscoll in the British television series The Troubleshooters in 1965. He was also featured in the telefilms and mini-series Divorce His — Divorce Hers (1973), A Fall of Eagles (1974), Practical Experience (1976), Orde Wingate (1976), The Three Hostages (1977), A Woman Called Golda (1982), Smiley’s People (1982), Death of an Expert Witness (1983), To Catch a King (1984), Hotel du Lac (1986), After Pilkington (1987), Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer (1989) and Party Time (1992). His other television credits include episodes of Espionage, Doomwatch, The Wednesday Play, Bergerac and Inspector Morse. Times (of London), Feb. 12, 2002, 35b.
Foster, Dan Actor Dan Foster died in Apple Valley, California, on January 2, 2002. He was 81. Foster was born in New York City on April 13, 1920. He appeared on over a dozen films in the late 1940s and early 1950s including The Velvet Touch (1948), Return of the Bad Men (1948), Every Girl Should Be Married (1948), A Woman’s Secret (1949), They Live By Night (1949), Strange Bargain (1949), The Set-Up (1939), Three Guys Named Mike (1951), The People Against O’Hara (1951), The Tall Target (1951), The Strip (1951), The Man with a Cloak (1951), Love Is Better Than Ever (1952), Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Scaramouche (1952). After his retirement from films he opened a hobby shop called Dan Foster’s Hobby Junction.
Fouad, Muharram
Barry Foster (from Frenzy)
Egyptian singer and actor Muharram Fouad died in Cairo of kidney and heart disease complications on June 27, 2002. He was 66. Fouad was a leading singer in Egypt in the 1950s and made his film debut in 1959’s Hassan and Naeima. He appeared in over a dozen more films through the 1960s and recorded nearly 1000 songs during his career.
103
2002 • Obituaries
Foxe, Cyrinda Cyrinda Foxe, the ex-wife of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, died of a brain tumor on September 8, 2002. She was 51. She was born Kathleen Hetzekian in Santa Monica, California, in 1952. A rock groupie from the early 1970s, Foxe was involved with such musicians as David Bowie and David Johanson before her marriage to Tyler in 1978. She also starred in the 1977 film Andy Warhol’s Bad as R.C. She and Tyler divorced in the late 1980s. Her memoir, Dream On was published in 1997. People, Sept. 23, 2002, 191.
Muharram Fouad
Fox, Janet Broadway actress Janet Fox died in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 22, 2002. She was 89. She began her career on the Broadway stage in 1932 with a role in Dinner at Eight, a comedy cowritten by her aunt, author Edna Ferber. She appeared in numerous Broadway plays including Between Two Worlds (1934), Fools Rush In (1934), Life’s Too Short (1935), Tomorrow’s a Holiday! (1935), Stage Door (1936), The American Way (1939), and Higher and Higher (1940). Fox was also featured in the 1940 film They Knew What They Wanted, and played Edna Ferber in the 1963 film biography of Moss Hart, Act One. Fox also performed often on radio and television, appearing in a recurring role in the television comedy series Sgt. Bilko, and on the early soap opera Valiant Lady. She also appeared in episodes of Studio One, The Alcoa Hour, Naked City, and Car 54, Where Are You?. Variety, May 6, 2002, 84.
Cyrinda Foxe (with Steven Tyler)
Foxwell, Ivan British film producer and writer Ivan Foxwell died in London on January 16, 2002. He was 87. Foxwell was born in London on February 22, 1914. He began his career in films in the early 1930s, assisting cameraman Freddie Young and director David Lean. He formed his own company, British Unity Pictures, in 1936 and, with Kurt Bernhardt, wrote the mystery Carrefour (aka Crossroads), in 1938. Foxwell served in the army during World War II, and resumed his career after the war. He produced, and often wrote, such films as No Room at the Inn (1948), Guilt Is My Shadow (1950), Affair in Monte Carlo (1952), The Intruder (1954), The Colditz Story (1955), Stowaway Girl (1957), A Touch of Larceny (1959), Tiara Tahiti (1962), The Quiller Memorandum (1966) and Decline and Fall of a Bird-
Obituaries • 2002
104
watcher (1968). Survivors include his wife, actress Zena Marshall. Times (of London), Jan. 19, 2002, 25c.
Frankenheimer, John Leading film director John Frankenheimer died of a massive stroke brought on by complications from spinal surgery at a Los Angeles hospital on July 6, 2002. He was 72. Frankenheimer was born in New York City on February 19, 1930. He began his career in the early 1950s working on documentary films before becoming an assistant director at CBS in 1953. He was soon directing television dramas for such anthology series as Playhouse 90, Danger, Climax!, and You Are There. He was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards for his work in television. He began directing feature films in the early 1960s, helming such acclaimed films as The Young Savages (1961), All Fall Down (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Seven Days in May (1964), The Train (1964), Seconds (1966), Grand Prix (1966), The Fixer (1968), The Gypsy Moths (1969), The Extraordinary Seaman (1969), I Walk the Line (1970) and The Horsemen (1971). Frankenheimer also directed the films Story of a Love Story (1973),
John Frankenheimer
The Iceman Cometh (1973), 99 and 44/100% Dead (1974), French Connection II (1975), Black Sunday (1977), Prophecy (1979), The Challenge (1982), The Holcroft Covenant (1985), 52 Pick-Up (1986), Dead Bang (1989), The Fourth War (1990), Year of the Gun (1991), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), Ronin (1998), Reindeer Game (2000) and Ambush (2001). He directed several telefilms from the early 1980s including The Rainmaker (1982), Riviera (1987), Against the Wall (1994), The Burning Season (1994), Andersonville (1996), George Wallace (1997), and HBO’s Path to War (2002). Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2002, B16; New York Times, July 8, 2002, A17; People, July 22, 2002, 67; Time, July 15, 2002, 19; Times (of London), July 8, 2002, 33b; Variety, July 15, 2002, 46.
Franklin, Erma Singer Erma Franklin, the older sister of Aretha Franklin, died of cancer on September 7, 2002. She was 64. She was born on January 1, 1938, in Shelby, Mississippi. She began singing professionally in the early 1950s, performing with the group the Cleopatrettes. She released her first album, Her Name Is Erma, in 1962. Not meeting with success, she worked as a vocalist with singer Floyd Price for several years. Later in the decade
Erma Franklin
105
2002 • Obituaries
she recorded the songs “Piece of My Heart” and “Open Up Your Soul.” Her album, Soul Sister, which included the hit single “Gotta Find Me a Lover,” was released in 1969. She continued to perform through the next several decades, often accompanying her sister on concert tours. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 12, 2002, B12; New York Times, Sept. 13, 2002, A25; Times (of London), Sept. 27, 2002, 35a.
Frasher, Carolyn Actress Carolyn Frasher Miller died in Santa Monica, California, on January 23, 2002. She was 89. She was featured in several films from the late 1930s including Dancing Co-Ed (1939), Angels Over Broadway (1940), and Florian (1940). She was married to Universal film and television executive Alan Miller for over forty years.
Fresson, Bernard French actor Bernard Fresson died in a hospital near Paris on October 20, 2002. He was 71. Fresson was born in Reims, France, on May 27, 1931. He began his film career in the late 1950s, starring in the internationally acclaimed Hiroshima Mon Amour in 1959. He continued to appear in such films as Girl in the Window (1961), Only for Love (1961), The Flamboyant Sex (1972), Sky Above Haven (1965), How Not to Rob a Department Store (1965), The War Is Over (1966), Is Paris Burning? (1966), Triple Cross (1967), Belle de Jour (1967), Far from Vietnam (1968), Spray of the Days (1967), My Love, My Love (1967), Thursday We Shall Sing Like Sunday (1967), Farewell, Friend (1968), Woman in Chains (1968), Zita (1968), Z (1969), The American (1969), The Cop (1970), Too Small My Friend (1970), Portrait of Marianne (1970), A Little Sun in Cold Water (1971), Max (1971), 2000 Million Without an Elevator (1972), Where There’s Smoke (1972), Hearth Fires (1972), Ursule and Grelu (1973), French Connection II (1975), Cookies (1975), Don’t Bite, We Love You (1975), Is It Raining on Santiago (1975), 1=2? (1975), The Tenant (1976), Marie, the Doll (1976), A Guy Like Me Should Never Die (1976), Mado (1976), The Intruder (1976), The Probability Factor (1976), Run After Me Until I Catch You (1976),
Bernard Fresson
To Each His Hell (1977), The Last Kiss (1977), Little Girl in Blue Velvet (1978), Lover Boy (1978), We Forget Everything! (1979), Madame Claude 2 (1982), Waiter! (1983), Clash (1983), Right Bank, Left Bank (1984), Sweet Lies (1988), Street of No Return (1989), Sons (1989), Money (1990), Dingo (1991), Germinal (1993), My Man (1996), Six-Pack (2000), Taking Wing (2000), and Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001). Fresson also appeared often in television productions in France, and was featured in the 1990 telefilm Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair and an episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
Frizler, Paul Director Paul Frizler died of a heart attack in California on June 26, 2002. He was 67. He was born on April 18, 1935, in New York. Frizler directed the 1980 comedy film Getting Wasted starring David Caruso.
Obituaries • 2002
106
Paul Frizler
Fry, Carla Film production executive Carla Fry died after a long illness on April 23, 2002. She as 40. She was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1961. She began working with Shelly Duvall’s Think Entertainment before joining New Line Cinema as a production executive in 1992. She served as a
producer for such films as Mr. Nanny (1993), The Mask (1994), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) and Lost in Space (1998). She also worked as a production executive of nearly forty films including Blink (1994), Monkey Trouble (1994), The Hidden II (1994), Don Juan DeMarco (1995), The Grass Harp (1995), Se7ven (1995), Now and Then (1995), Last Man Standing (1996), In Love and War (1996), Love Jones (1997), B*A*P*S (1997), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (19978), Trial and Error (1997), Money Talks (1997), Julian Po (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), Wag the Dog (1997), The Wedding Singer (1998), Dark City (1998), Woo (1998), Blade (1998), Pleasantville (1998), Rush Hour (1998), American History X (1998), Blast from the Past (1999), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Detroit Rock City (1999), The Bachelor (1999), Magnolia (1999), Boiler Room (2000), State and Main (2000), Life as a House (2001) and Lord of the Rings (2001). Variety, May 6, 2002, 84.
Fulton, Bob Aerial cinematographer and filmmaker Bob Fulton was killed when the Cesna airplane he was flying crashed near Scranton, Pennsylvania, on May 30, 2002. He was born Robert Edison Fulton III on December 11, 1939, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He began his career as a photographer in the 1960s. He received acclaim for his 1984 documentary Wilderness: A Country in the Mind. He earned an Emmy Award for 1997’s Denali: Alaska’s Great Wilderness. He also worked on the BBC Natural World series, including Andes to Amazon in 2000.
Gaige, Truman
Carla Fry
Stage and film actor Truman Gaige died of congestive heart failure in the Actors’ Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on April 17, 2002. He was 95. Gaige was born Stanley Ruhland in New York City in 1906. He began his career on stage in the 1920s and made his Broadway debut in 1928’s Appearances. He continued to appear in such Broadway productions as Bitter Sweet, Kismet, Song of Norway, Saratoga, The Wall,
107
2002 • Obituaries
Sanaa Gamil
Garey, Mary
Bob Fulton
Hadrian VII and 1776. Gaige also appeared in the 1980 telefilm The Mating Season and a 1981 television production of Ray Bradbury’s The Electric Grandmother. He was also seen in the 1984 film Grace Quigley. Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Mary Bernadette Ladner Garey, the mother of actress Diane Ladd, died in Ojai, California, on May 23, 2002. She was 89. She was born in Mobile, Alabama, on August 15, 1912. She was featured as Diane Ladd’s mother in the 1992 film Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me. She appeared with
Gamil, Sanaa Egyptian stage and film actress Sanaa Gamil died of cancer at a Cairo, Egypt, hospital on December 22, 2002. She was 72. Gamil made her film debut in the 1951 adaptation of Nobel-prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz’s Beginning and End. She remained a popular star over the next several decades in such films as Dawn of a New Day (1964), The Second Wife (1967), and L’ Aube d’un jour Nouveau (1974). She was also popular actress on Egyptian television.
Mary Garey (center, with grandaughter Laura Dern and daughter Diane Ladd)
Obituaries • 2002
108
her daughter and granddaughter, actress Laura Dern, on the cover of the book Mothers and Daughters. Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2002, B13.
Garner, Robert “Honeymoon” Musician Robert “Honeymoon” Garner, died of heart failure in a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on May 7, 2002. He was 71. Garner played piano with Phineas Newborn Sr.’s jazz orchestra in the 1950. During the 1960s Garner was also a disc jockey with WDIA radio in Memphis. He also played for many years with saxophonist Fred Ford. Garner was the announcer on the PBS radio series Memphis: Cradle of Rock ’n’ Soul.
Garrett, Susie Character actress Susie Cady Garrett died of cancer in a Southfield, Michigan, hospital on May 24, 2002. She was 70. Garrett was born in Detroit on December 29, 1932. She was best known for her role as Betty Johnson in the 1984 television series Punky Brewster. She was featured with her sister, actress Marla Gibbs, in several episodes of The Jeffersons and 227, and appeared in the 1989 film Wicked Stepmother. Ms. Garrett also appeared in numerous theatrical productions, and sang often at Detroit nightspots.
Gates, Jean Character actress Jean Gates died in Rome, Georgia, on June 17, 2002. Gates was featured in numerous local stage productions and television commercials. She appeared in a small role in the 1999 film Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock and was featured in the forthcoming film Letters from a Wayward Son starring Harry Connick, Jr.
Gayle, Jackie
Robert “Honeymoon” Garner
Comedian and actor Jackie Gayle died of complications from open heart surgery in a Miami Beach, Florida, hospital on November 23, 2002. He was 76. Gayle was born in New York City in 1926. He began his career in show business as a drummer in Sally Marr’s band. Marr was the mother of comedian Lenny Bruce, who encouraged Gayle to become a comedian. Gayle became an opening act for such performers as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones. Gayle became a regular performer at Dean Martin’s celebrity roasts. He was also seen in over a dozen films including The Seven Minutes (1971), Wacky Taxi (1972), Mafia on the Bounty (1980), Tempest (1982), Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose (1984), Tin Men (1987), Plain Clothes (1988), Bert Rigby, You’re a Fool (1989), Mr. Saturday Night (1992), and Warren Beatty’s Bulworth (1998). Gayle starred in the short-lived 1989 comedy television series The Boys, and was seen in episodes of L.A. Law, Murder, She Wrote, and Stark Raving Mad. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 27, 2002, B11; Variety, Dec. 9, 2002, 71.
109
2002 • Obituaries
Gelin, Daniel
Jackie Gayle
Geldart, Ed
French actor Daniel Gelin died of kidney failure in a Paris hospital on November 29, 2002. He was 81. Gelin was born in Angers, Pays-dela-Loire, France, on May 19, 1921. He began his career on the French stage and became one of France’s leading film actor from the 1940s. Gelin was featured in Her First Affair (1941), Strangers in the House (1942), The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942), Lucrece (1943), A Friend Will Come Tonight (1945), The Temptation of Barbizon (1945), La Nuit de Sybille (1946), The Rome Upstairs (1946), Miroir (1947), The Murdered Model (1947), The Hell of Lost Pilots (1948), Rendezvous in July (1949), Roundabout (1950), Miquette (1950), Edward and Caroline (1950), Isle of Sinners (1950), Love Story (1951), Dirty Hands (1951), House of Pleasure (1952), Adorable Creatures (1952), The Moment of Truth (1952), Saint-Tropez (1952), Torticola vs. Frankensberg (1952), The Snow Was Black (1952), The Long Teeth (1952), Voice of Silence (1953), Chicago Digest (1952), The Slave (1953), Francoise Steps Out (1953), Royal Affairs in Versailles (1964), Love in a Hot Climate (1954), On Trial (1954), Woman of Rome (1954), The Lovers of Lisbon (1955), Napoleon (1955) in the title role, Maid in Paris (1956), and Please Mr.
Character actor Ed Geldart died in Houston, Texas, after a brief illness on August 21, 2002. He was 77. Geldart was born in Los Angeles on May 7, 1925. He appeared in small roles in over 20 films from the early 1970s including The Christian Licorice Store (1971), Enter the Devil (1972), Sugar Hill (1974), Futureworld (1976), Urban Cowboy (1980) as John Travolta’s father, Raggedy Man (1981), True Stories (1986), Uphill All the Way (1986), A Tiger’s Tale (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), Rosalie Goes Shopping (1989), Robocop 2 (1990), Hard Promises (1991), Simple Men (1992), Leap of Faith (1992), A Perfect World (1993), Rushmore (1998) and American Outlaws (2001). He was also seen in the telefilms Keaton’s Cop (1988), Final Verdict (1991) and Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (1994), and the 1989 mini-series Lonesome Dove. Geldart’s other television credits include episodes of Dallas and Walker: Texas Ranger.
Daniel Gelin
Obituaries • 2002
110
Balzac (1957). Gelin was best known to American audiences for his role as the mysterious Frenchman whose murder involves Jimmy Stewart in an assassination plot in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much. Gelin continued to appear in such films as I’ll Get Back to Kandra (1957), Bonsoir Paris (1957), Fugitive in Saigon (1957), Three Days to Live (1957), There’s Always a Price Tag (1957), Too Many Lovers (1957), Port of Desire (1958), Way of the Wicked (1959), Julie the Redhead (1959), The Three Etc.’s and the Colonel (1959), Jean Cocteau’s The Testament of Orpheus (1960), Carthage in Flames (1960), Shadows of Adultery (1960), The Season for Love (1960), Hitch-Hike (1962), The Longest Day (1962), Bolivar 63-29 (1962), Portuguese Vacation (1963), The Chase (1963), Careless Love (1963), The Boy and the Ball and the Hole in the Wall (1964), The Hour of Truth (1965), The Sleeping Car Murders (1965), Line of Demarcation (1966), Living It Up (1966), Is Paris Burning? (1966), An Affair of States (1966), The Sultans (1966), Black Sun (1966), Witness Out of Hell (1967), The Most Beautiful Month (1967), Slogan (1969), Destroy, She Said (1969), The Servant (1970), Swedish Fly Girls (1970), Dearest Heart (1971), Far From Dallas (1972), Dialogue of Exiles (1974), Too Much Is Too Much (1975), Suspended Vocation (1977), We Will All Meet in Paradise (1977), The Honorable Society (1978), His Master’s Eye (1980), Signe Furax (1980), Peacetime in Paris (1981), Guy de Maupassant (1982), That Night in Varennes (1982), Les Enfantas (1984), Killing Cars (1985), Dandin (1987), Life Is a Long Quiet River (1988), Der Lowe (1988), Mister Frost (1990), Forced to Be with Others (1993), Coup de Jeune (1993), The Groundhogs (1993), Les Tenors (1993), Poorly Extinguished Fires (1994), Fear City: A Family Style Comedy (1994), Pushing the Limits (1994), 2,000 Scenarios to Combat a Virus (1994), Fugueuses (1995), Adventures of Smoke Bellew (1995), Men, Women: A User’s Manual (1996), Obsession (1997), and A l’abri des Regards Indiscrets (2002). Gelin starred as Pierre Lagarde in the French television series Les Saintes Cheries for several years in the late 1960s, and starred in the 1976 series Bonjour Paris. He also appeared in the 1991 series Archibald and the 1991 telefilm Iran: Days of Crisis as the Shah of Iran. His other television credits include the series Madame La Proviseur (1994), and the telefilm Warrior Spirit (1994). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 2002, B17; Variety, Dec. 9, 2002, 71.
Gerome, Raymond French actor Raymond Gerome died in Paris on February 2, 2002. He was 81. Gerome was born in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17, 1920. He was featured in over fifty films from the 1950s including The Case of Poisons (1955), Dangerous Exile (1957), Murder at 45 RPM (1959), Princess of Cleves (1960), The French Game (1960), Loss of Innocence (1961), Goodbye Again (1961), Tell Me Whom to Kill (1965), The Night of the Generals (1966), Under the Sign of the Bull (1968), A Little Virtuous (1968), The Brain (1969), Tropic of Cancer (1970), Celeste (1970), The Deadly Trap (1971), Travels with My Aunt (1972), The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Magnificent One (1973), A Slightly Pregnant Man (1973), The Conspiracy (1973), Dear Detective (1977), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1977), The Animal (1977), Never Wake a Cop (1988), The French Revolution (1989), Money (1990), and Sade (2000). Gerome also appeared often on French television, starring in the series Le Chevalier d’Harmental (1966), Malican Pere et Fils (1967), and Karine et Ari (1996), and the telefilms Lagardere (1967), The Hound of the Baskerville (1974) as Sherlock Holmes, Devil’s Advocates (1981), La Bavure (1994), Maigret a Peur (1995), and Original Sin (1996).
Gershe, Leonard Screenwriter and playwright Leonard Gershe died of complications from a stroke in a Beverly Hills hospital on March 9, 2002. He was 79. Gershe was born in New York City in 1922. He began writing musicals for the stage in the late 1940s, including Alive and Kicking, Horse Opera and Wedding Day. He wrote for Ann Sothern’s television sitcom Private Secretary in 1953 and scripted the popular Fred Astaire films Funny Face (1957) and Silk Stockings (1957). He was best known for writing the hit 1969 play Butterflies Are Free, and scripted the 1972 film version. He also scripted the film version of the play 40 Carats in 1973. Gershe also wrote the 1973 television series Adam’s Rib and the 1978 telefilm The Man in the Santa Claus Suit. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 22, 2002, B15; New York Times, Mar. 21, 2002, B8.
111
2002 • Obituaries
Gerstad, Harry Academy Award-winning film editor Harry Donald Gerstad died in Palm Springs, California, on July 17, 2002. He was 93. Gerstad was born on June 11, 1909, the son of cinematographer Harry W. Gerstad. He began working in films in the late 1920s, and began editing features in 1946. His film credits include Till the End of Time (1946), The Spiral Staircase (1946), Crossfire (1947), So Well Remembered (1947), Unknown Island (1948), Champion (1949) which earned him an Academy Award, Deadly Is the Female (1949), Tough Assignment (1949), Home of the Brave (1949), The Men (1950), Rocketship X-M (1950), Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), Death of a Salesman (1951), The Sniper (1952), The Member of the Wedding (1952), High Noon (1952) which gained him a second Oscar, The Juggler (1953), Combat Squad (1953), The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953), Five Gates to Hell (1959), The Rookie (1959), Here Come the Jets (1959), The Alligator People (1959), Freckles (1960), The Magic Sword (1962), Walk on the Wild Side (1962), Of Love and Desire (1963), Batman (1966), The War Wagon (1967), The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968), Hard Contract (1969), Cover Me Babe (1970), Big Jake (1971), Ben (1972), Walking Tall (1973) and Framed (1975). Gerstad also worked as an editor and director for the television series The Adventures of Superman, Highway Patrol, Captain David Grief, 26 Men and Ben Casey in the 1950s and 1960s, and directed the 1960 film 13 Fighting Men. He also edited episodes of the Superman series into several feature length films. Los Angeles Times, July 31, 2002, B10; New York Times, Aug. 3, 2002, A13; Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Gesner, Clark Composer and lyricist Clark Gesner died of a heart attack at the Princeton Club in Manhattan, New York, on July 23, 2002. He was 64. Gesner was best known for writing the hit musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 1967, based on Charles Schultz Peanuts cartoons. He also wrote the musical The Utter Glory of Mirrissey Hall. Gesner also performed in regional theatre. He starred in a revue of his cabaret tunes, The Jello Is Always Red, in 1998.
Clark Gesner
Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2002, B8; New York Times, July 27, 2002, A12.
Gibson, Archie Character actor Archie Gibson died in Tacoma, Washington, on March 21, 2002. He was 69. Gibson was born in Fawn River Township, Michigan, on May 7, 1932. He was featured in roles in a handful of films from the early 1990s including Swindle (1991), Friends and Enemies (1992), Dark Vengeance (1992), Bikini Summer II (1992), Sexual Impulse (1997), and Reflex Action (2001).
Gill, Bartholomew Mark McGarrity, who wrote mystery novels under the pseudonym of Bartholomew Gill, died of injuries received in a fall from a stairway at his apartment in Morristown, New Jersey, on July 4, 2002. He was 58. McGarrity was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1944. He created the character of shrewd Irish detective Peter McGarr in the late 1970s, crafting numerous novels featuring the sleuth. McGarrity’s novels include The Death of an Irish Politician (1977), McGarr and the Sienese Conspiracy (1977), McGarr and the Cliffs of Moher (1978), McGarr and the Dublin Horse
Obituaries • 2002
112 About You. Survivors include his partner of thirty years, actor Paul Winfield.
Gionakis, Yannis Greek comic actor Yannis Gionakis died of a respiratory infection at an Athens hospital on August 25, 2002. He was 80. Gionakis was born in Athens in 1922. He was a popular stage and film performer from the 1940s, appearing in almost 100 films during his career. He was best known for his comic roles in the 1960s, often portraying dim-witted characters. His numerous films include Papoutsi Apo Ton Topo Sou (1946), To Trelokoritso (1958), I Mousitsa (1959), Erotika Pehnidia (1960), To Agrimi (1960), I Aliki sto Naftiko (1961), Ftohoi Kompinadoroi (1962), O Lagopodaros (1964), O Tetraperatos (1966), I Koroidara (1967), To Stravoxylo (1969), Aera! Aera! Aera! (1972), O Papa-Souzas (1983), and Roda, Tsanta Kai Kopana No. 3 (1984). Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 65.
Bartholomew Gill
Show (1979), McGarr and the P.M. of Belgrave Square (1983), McGarr and the Method of Descartes (1984), McGarr and the Legacy of a Woman Scorned (1986), Death of a Joyce Scholar (1989), The Death of Love (1992), Death on a Cold, Wild River (1993), Death of an Ardent Bibliophile (1985), The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf (1996), The Death of an Irish Tinker (1997), The Death of an Irish Lover (2000) and The Death of an Irish Sinner (2001). McGarrity was also a feature writer and outdoor columnist for The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey from 1996. Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2002, B19; New York Times, July 11, 2002, A25.
Gladstone, Zeph British actress Zeph Gladstone died in London on October 28, 2002. She was 65. Gladstone was born in London on September 20, 1937. She began her career on stage in the late 1950s, and was featured in productions of The Mousetrap and
Gillan, Charles, Jr. Television set designer Charles Gillan Jr. died of a rare bone disease in a Los Angeles hospital on March 5, 2002. He was 50. Gillan worked as a set designer for Columbia TriStar and Sony Pictures on such series as Who’s the Boss?, The Nanny, Married … with Children and Mad
Zeph Gladstone
113 Devil May Care. She became a familiar face on British television, appearing in episodes of Mr. Aitch, The Avengers, Catch Hand, The Baron, No Hiding Place, and Public Eye. She was best known for her role in the British soap opera Crossroads, playing Lady Felicity Fairchild in 1968, and returning as Vera Downend from 1971 to 1977. Gladstone also appeared in several films during her career including Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) and The Oblong Box (1969).
Glazier, Sidney Film producer Sidney Glazier died in Bennington, Vermont, on December 14, 2002. He was 86. Glazier was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 29, 1916. He began his career as producer for the 1965 film The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, which earned an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. He produced Mel Brooks’ 1968 comedy classic The Producers. His other film credits include Take the Money and Run (1969) starring Woody Allen, The Twelve Chairs (1970), Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin the Bronx (1970), and Glen and Randa (1971). Glazier also produced the 1973 telefilm Catholics.
2002 • Obituaries
Los Angeles Times, Dec. 18, 2002, B10; New York Times, Dec. 18, 2002, A33.
Goalen, Barbara Leading British model Barbara Goalen died in England on June 16, 2002. She was 81. She was born Barbara Bach on January 1, 1921. She began modeling in 1947 shortly after her husband, Ian Goalen, was killed in an airplane crash. She became one of England’s first super models, appearing in Harper’s Bazaar and the British Vogue. She continued to model in fashion shows and the print media until her marriage to Nigel Campbell in 1954. Goalen appeared in small roles in several films during her career including Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948) and Wonderful Things (1958). Times (of London), July 2, 2002, 29b.
Barbara Goalen
Gonzalez, Tony
Sidney Glazier
Wrestler Tony Gonzalez, who often competed under a mask as the Mysterious Masked Medic, died at his home in Coden, Alabama, on March 4, 2002. He was born Atanacio H. Gonzales in Seguin, Texas, on February 2, 1930. He began wrestling in 1957, and often teamed with Donald Lortie as the Medics. They wrestled throughout Texas and the Gulf Coast promo-
Obituaries • 2002
114
Tony Gonzalez (in mask, fighting Gory Guerrero)
tions. They held the Southern Heavyweight Tag Team Title several times in 1962 and 1963. He and Pierre DesPlaines also wrestled as the Medics in 1963. They were forced to unmask after losing a match in Memphis, Tennessee, in March of 1963 and they wrestled without masks as the ExMedics for the next several months. Gonzalez also wrestled in singles competition in the late 1960s and early 1970s as the Mysterious Masked Medic. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 12, 2002, B11.
Gordienko, George Professional wrestler George Gordienko died of cancer in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on May 14, 2002. He was 75. He began wrestling in the late 1940s, and remained a leading ring contender for the next several decades. He held the British Empire Title in New Zealand several times in the late 1960s. He also held several single and tag titles in Canada in the 1970s. After his ring career ended, Gordienko became a popular artist.
Gordon, Rosco Blue singer and musician Rosco Gordon died of a heart attack at his home in New York City on July 11, 2002. He was 74. Gordon was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 10, 1934. He began his recording career with Sun Records in the early 1950s and performed with the Memphis’ blue group the Beale Streeters. Gordon’s hit records include “Do the Chicken,” “Just a Little
George Gordienko
115
2002 • Obituaries
Rosco Gordon (right, with Johnny Ace)
Bit,” and “Booted.” He toured throughout the country and into South America through the 1950s. Gordon largely abandoned touring after his marriage in 1961 to open a dry cleaning shop in New York City New York Times, July 22, 2002, A15; Times (of London), Aug. 14, 2002, 27c; Variety, July 29, 2002, 46.
Gorenshtein, Fridrikh Soviet screenwriter Fridrikh Gorenshtein died in Berlin, Germany, on March 3, 2002. He was 69. Gorenshtein was born in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 18, 1932. He co-wrote the 1972 science fiction film Solaris with director Andrei Tarkovsky. He also scripted the films Sedmaya Pulya (1972), Slave of Love (1976) and the television adaptation of The Comedy of Errors (1978). Gorenshtein also wrote the novels Redemption (1990), A Bed-Place (1991), The Psalm (1992) and The Pile (1996).
Fridrikh Gorenshtein
role in the 1970 film version of the play. Gorman also starred in the 1978 Broadway play Chapter Two, earning another Tony nomination. He also appeared in several films during his career including Justine (1969), Cops and Robbers (1973),
Gorman, Cliff Stage and film star Cliff Gorman died of leukemia in New York City on September 5, 2002. He was 65. Gorman was born in New York City on October 13, 1936. He won the Tony Award for his starring performance in the 1971 Broadway hit Lenny, and received an Obie Award for his performance in the Off-Broadway production of The Boys in the Band. He reprised his
Cliff Gorman
Obituaries • 2002
116
Rosebud (1975), An Unmarried Woman (1978), Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz (1979), Night of the Juggler (1980), Angel (1984), Night and the City (1992), Hoffa (1992), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) and King of the Jungle (2000). Gorman also appeared often on television starring in such telefilms as Class of ’63 (1973), Paradise Lost (1974), Strike Force (1975), The Silence (1975), Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976), Having Babies II (1977), The Bunker (1981) as Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983), Doubletake (1985), Internal Affairs (1988), Howard Beach: Making a Case for Murder (1989), Murder in Black and White (1990), Murder Times Seven (1990), Vestige of Honor (1990), Terror on Track 9 (1992), The Return of Ironside (1993), The Forget-Me-Not Murders (1994), Janek: A Silent Betrayal (1994), Down Came a Blackbird (1995), and the 1999 mini-series The 60s as Father Daniel Berrigan. His other television credits include episodes of Police Story, Medical Story, The Streets of San Francisco, Murder, She Wrote , Friday the 13th, Cagney & Lacey, Spenser: For Hire, New York News, and Law & Order. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 14, 2002, B21; New York Times, Sept. 13, 2002, A25; People, Sept. 30, 2002, 103; Time, Sept. 23, 2002, 27; Variety, Sept. 23, 2002, 91.
Lois Gould
Gould, Lois Novelist Lois Gould died of cancer at a Manhattan hospital on May 29, 2002. She was 70. Born Lois Regensburg in Manhattan in 1932, Gould was best known for her 1970 debut novel Such Good Friends. It was adapted into a 1971 film by Otto Preminger. Her other novels include Necessary Objects (1972), Final Analysis (1974), A Sea Change (1976) and La Presidenta (1981). She also wrote the memoir Mommy Dressing: A Love Story, After a Fashion in 1998. Los Angeles Times, June 4, 2002, B11; New York Times, May 31, 2002, C13; People, June 17, 2002, 88.
Gould, Stephen Jay Renowned paleontologist and evolutionary theorist Stephen Jay Gould died of cancer at his home in New York City on May 20, 2002. He
Stephen Jay Gould
117 was 60. Gould was born in New York City on September 10, 1941. He was well known for his numerous books and articles popularizing science. His 1982 book, The Mismeasure of Man, received the National Book Critics Award. His other works include Dinosaur in a Haystack, Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life, and the essay collections Ever Since Darwin and The Panda’s Thumb. Gould appeared in the 1993 television documentary A Glorious Accident, and appeared in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary history Baseball in 1994. He also was heard as a voice actor in an episode of the animated television series The Simpsons in 1997. Los Angeles Times, May 21, 202, B10; New York Times, May 21, 2002, A1; People, June 3, 2002, 109; Time, June 3, 2002, 27; Times (of London), May 22, 2002, 33b.
Gouze-Renal, Christine French film and television producer Christine Gouze-Renal died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, on October 25, 2002. She was 87. Gouze-Renal was born in Cluny, France, in 1915. She began working in films in the early 1940s and began producing in 1955. She formed the company Progefi which produced Brigitte Bardot’s
Christine Gouze-Renal
2002 • Obituaries
early film The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful (1956). She was also producer of such films as Escapade (1957), The Female (1958), It Happened All Night (1960), A Very Private Affair (1961), The Deadly Decoy (1962), Code Name: Tiger (1964), This Special Friendship (1964), Bruno: Sunday’s Child (1969), Le Concierge (1973), and Lover Boy (1978). Gouze-Renal worked often in television from the 1970s, producing such a series of telefilms on famed composers in 1979. She also produced television productions of Confused Feelings (1979), Manon Roland (1989), In the Face of Truth (1993), Shattered Lives (1993), Maitre Da Costa (1997), Clarissa (1998), Nora (1999), Anibal (2000), Les Faux-Fuyants (2000), and The Blue Island (2001). Gouze-Renal’s other film credits include A Room in Town (1982), Hell Train (1984), 38 — Vienna Before the Fall (1986), La Rumba (1987), and Soleil (1997). Gouze-Renal was married to French actor Roger Hanin, and was the sister-in-law of former French President Francois Mitterrand. Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Graham, Troy Troy Roland Thompson, Jr., who wrestled in the Memphis area in the early 1980s as the Dream Machine and Troy Graham, died of a heart attack at his home in Memphis on March 7, 2002. He was 47. A masked villain, he held several championship titles and teamed with Porkchop Cash as the Bruise Brothers to hold the Southern Tag Team Title several times in 1983. Injuries in the mid–1980s largely ended his wrestling career.
Troy Graham (left, with Bill Dundee)
Obituaries • 2002
118
Grand, Isaac Isaac Grand, who was featured as a Cantina alien in George Lucas’ 1977 science fiction classic Star Wars, and appeared as a Gamoreean Guard in the 1983 sequel, Return of the Jedi, died on January 21, 2002.
Isaac Grand (as a Star Wars alien)
Granet, Bert Bert Granet
Film and television writer and producer Bert Granet, who was instrumental in bringing such acclaimed series as Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone and The Untouchables to television, died in Santa Monica, California, of injuries he received in a fall on November 15, 2002. He was 92. Granet was born in New York City on July 10, 1910. He began working in films as a screenwriter in the mid–1930s, scripting such movies as How Am I Doing (1934), Soup for Nuts (1935), Gentleman from Louisiana (1936), Legion of Terror (1936), Speed to Spare (1937), The Big Shot (1937), High Flyers (1937), Quick Money (1937), Meet the Missus (1937), Maid’s Night Out (1938), The Affairs of Annabel (1938), Mr. Doodle Kicks Off (1938), Annabel Takes a Tour (1938), Law of the Underworld (1938), Go Chase Yourself (1938), Fixer Dugan (1939), Career (1939), The Day the Bookies Wept (1939), Laddie (1940), Millionaire Playboy (1940), Cross-Country Romance (1940), A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941), Time Out for Rhythm (1941), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), Footlight Fever (1941), Obliging Young Lady (1942), Show Business (1944), Do You Love Me (1946), The Torch (1949), and Career (1959). Granet also began producing films in the early 1940s, in-
cluding Bride By Mistake (1944), Those Endearing Young Charms (1945), Sing Your Way Home (1945), The Locket (1946), Berlin Express (1948), The Torch (1949), and The Marrying Kind (1952). Granet worked primarily in television from the late 1950s, producing the popular series Desilu Playhouse, Twilight Zone, and The Untouchables. He also produced the 1970 telefilm The Intruder. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 21, 2002, B21; Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 63.
Graves, Teresa Teresa Graves, the black leading actress who starred in the 1970s television police drama Get Christie Love!, died in a fire at her Los Angeles home on October 10, 2002. She was 53. Graves was born in Houston, Texas, on January 10, 1949. She began her career as a singer with the Doodletown Pipers before she started acting in the late 1960s. She appeared regularly in the television comedy series Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In and the variety series Turn-On in 1969. She was also a regular in the short lived television com-
119
2002 • Obituaries
Teresa Graves (from Old Dracula) (Columbia)
edy variety series The Funny Side in 1971. Graves starred in several films in the mid–1970s including That Man Bolt (1973), Black Eye (1974) and Old Dracula (aka Vampira) (1974) as the swinging wife of David Niven’s Count Dracula. Graves starred as Detective Christie Love in the Get Christie Love! series from 1974 to 1975. She was also seen on television in episodes of The New Dick Van Dyke Show and The Rookies. Graves abandoned acting in the mid–1970s to pursue her religious vocation. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 11, 2002, B4; New York Times, Oct. 16, 2002, C14; People, Oct. 28, 2002, 85; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86. Dolores Gray
Gray, Dolores Leading Broadway actress Dolores Gray died on June 26, 2002. She was 78. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 7, 1924, and began her career singing on the radio with such performers as Rudy Vallee and Milton Berle. She appeared in a small role in the 1941 Republic Pictures film Lady for a Night and was featured in the 1944 Bette Davis film Mr. Skeffington. She also made her Broadway debut in 1944 in Seven Lively Arts. She continued to appear in productions of such plays as Annie Get You Gun and Destry Rides Again, and received a Tony Award for her performance in Carnival in Flanders. She starred as Kim O’Neill in the early NBC television drama series Buick Circus Hour. She also appeared in episodes of The U.S. Steel Hour and The Bell Telephone Hour. During the 1950s she was featured in several musical films for MGM including Kismet
(1955), It’s Always Fair Weather (1955), The Opposite Sex (1956) and Designing Woman (1957). Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2002, B10; New York Times, June 29, 2002, A15; Times (of London), Aug. 3, 2002, 40b; Variety, July 15, 2002, 47.
Green, Adolph Broadway lyricist and playwright Adolph Green died at his home in New York City after a long illness on October 23, 2002. He was 87. Green was born in New York City on December 2, 1914. Working with collaborator Betty Comden on Broadway from the 1940s, the duo created such memorable songs as “New York, New York,” “On the Town,” “Wonderful Town,” “The Party’s Over,” and “Just in Time.” They were the recipients of five Tony Awards during their career for
Obituaries • 2002
120
Greer, Michael
Adolph Green (with Betty Comden)
such Broadway hits as Wonderful Town, Hallelujah, Baby! and Applause. Green and Comden also scripted the 1952 hit musical film Singing’ in the Rain. Other musical productions adapted to film include Good News (1947), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), On the Town (1949), The Band Wagon (1953), It’s Always Fair Weather (1955), Auntie Mame (1958), Bells Are Ringing (1960), and What a Way to Go! (1964). Green also appeared as an actor in several films including Simon (1980), My Favorite Year (1982), I Want to Go Home (1989), and The Substance of Fire (1996). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 25, 2002, B14; New York Times, Oct. 25, 2002, A32; People, Nov. 11, 2002, 123; Time, Nov. 4, 2002, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 28, 2002, S8c.
Actor and singer Michael Greer died of lung cancer in Riverside, California, on September 14, 2002. He was 59. He was born James R. Maley in Galesburg, Illinois, on April 20, 1943. He was best known for his role as Queenie in the play and 1971 film version of Fortune and Men’s Eyes. He was also seen in the films The Gay Deceivers (1969), The Curious Female (1969), The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970), Diamond Stud (1970), Summer School Teachers (1974), Messiah of Evil (1974), The Rose (1979), and The Lonely Guy (1984). Greer performed regularly in the 1974 television variety series The Bobbie Gentry Show, and was seen in episodes of Mannix and Ironside. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 29, 2002, B19.
Greenberg, Stanley Screenwriter Stanley Greenberg died of a brain tumor at his home in Kensington, California, on August 25, 2002. He was 74. Greenberg was born in Chicago in 1928. He began writing for television in the early 1960s, scripting an episode of the drama series The Defenders. He also scripted several episodes of the medical series The Nurses. Greenberg was best known for writing the 1973 science fiction classic Soylent Green, which starred Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in his final role. Greenberg also wrote the 1972 film Skyjacked, and the telefilms Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972), Pueblo (1973), The Missiles of October (1974), The Silence (1975), Blind Ambition (1979), F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) and Breaking Point (1989). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 28, 2002, B10; Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 52.
Michael Greer
Gregory, James Character actor James Gregory died in Scottsdale, Arizona, on September 16, 2002. He
121
James Gregory
was 90. Gregory was born in the Bronx, New York, on December 23, 1911. A former stockbroker, he began acting on stage in the 1940s. He made his film debut in 1948’s The Naked City. Gregory appeared in numerous films and television series over the next forty years. His film credits include The Frogmen (1951), The Scarlet Hour (1956), Nightfall (1956), The Young Stranger (1957), Gun Glory (1957), The Big Caper (1957), Onionhead (1958), Underwater Warrior (1958), Al Capone (1959), Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (1959), X-15 (1961), Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), PT 109 (1963), Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), Twilight of Honor (1963), A Distant Trumpet (1964), Quick Before It Melts (1964), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), and A Rage to Live (1965). Gregory starred as Dean Martin’s boss, Macdonald, in the three Matt Helm spy spoofs The Silencers (1966), Murderers Row (1966) and The Ambushers (1967). He was also seen in Clambake (1967) with Elvis Presley, The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968), The Love God? (1969) with Don Knotts, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) as Ursus, The Hawaiians (1970), Shoot Out (1971), $1,000,000 Duck (1971), The Late Liz (1971), The Strongest Man in the World (1975), The Main Event (1979), and The Flight of Dragons (1982). He was also seen in the telefilms
2002 • Obituaries
A Very Missing Person (1972), The Weekend Nun (1972), the 1973 remake of Miracle on 34th Street (1973), The Abduction of Saint Anne (1975), Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976), The Bastard (1978), The Comeback Kid (1980), Gridlock (1980), Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (1981), and Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home! (1983). On television he starred as Barney Ruditsky in the 1959 series The Lawless Years, and was T.R. Scott in the 1972 comedy The Paul Lynde Show. He was best known for his role as Inspector Frank Luger in the 1970s television sitcom Barney Miller. He also starred as Nick Hannigan in the 1979 series Detective School. Gregory’s other television credits include episodes of The Web, The Philco Television Playhouse, Robert Montgomery Presents, Kraft Television Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Studio One, You Are There, Appointment with Adventure, The Alcoa Hour, Star Tonight, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90, Inner Sanctum, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Twilight Zone, Laramie, Wagon Train, Checkmate, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Frontier Circus, Target: The Corruptors, The Virginian, Empire, Rawhide, Sam Benedict, Moment of Fear, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Ben Casey, The Defenders, The Rogues, Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, Gunsmoke, Wild Wild West, The F.B.I., Gallegher Goes West, A Man Called Shenandoah, The Loner, F Troop, Tarzan, The Big Valley, The Fugitive, Star Trek, The Virginian, My Three Sons, Ironside, The Big Valley, Cimarron Strip, Cowboy in Africa, Daniel Boone, The High Chaparral, The Outcasts, Search, Lancer, Judd, for the Defense, The Outsider, Hawaii 5-O, The Name of the Game, That Girl, Cade’s County, Mission: Impossible, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, All in the Family, The Streets of San Francisco, The Partridge Family, Police Story, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, M*A*S*H, Emergency!, Columbo, Cannon, Sanford and Son, Quincy, Supertrain, The Love Boat, Mr. Belvedere and Dolly. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 19, 2002, B14; New York Times, Sept. 19, 2002, A33; People, Sept. 30, 2002, 103; Variety, Sept. 23, 2002, 91.
Grills, Charles Charles Richard Grills, who headed the Disney camera department, died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on July 12, 2002. He was 89. Grills
Obituaries • 2002
122
began working at the Walt Disney Co. in 1937, and became a leading member of the company’s cartoon camera department. He worked on such films as Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia, Cinderella and Old Yeller. He became head of Disney’s camera department after World War II and remained in that position until his retirement in 1979.
Godfather (1974). He also produced the popular 1974 telefilm All the Kind Strangers. His distribution company released such other exploitation thrillers as Ralph Bakshi’s Fritz the Cat, Mondo Cane, Penitentiary, Africa Blood and Guts, Sting of the Dragon Master, The Boogeyman and Blood Beach. Variety, Dec. 23, 2002, 41.
Gross, Jerry
Guggenheim, Charles
Film producer and director Jerry Gross died was found dead at his Los Angeles home on November 20, 2002. He was believed to have been dead for about four days. He was 62. Gross was born in New York City in 1940. Gross was best known for his work in exploitation films. He produced and scripted the 1964 film Vice Girls Ltd. He produced and directed Girl on a Chain Gang (1965) and Teenage Mother (1968). He was the founder of the Jerry Gross Organization, and produced such films as I Drink Your Blood (1970), Whirlpool (1970), Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song (1971), Son of Dracula (1974), and The Black
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Charles Guggenheim died at a Washington, D.C. hospital of pancreatic cancer on October 9, 2002. He was 78. Guggenheim was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1924. He worked in radio and television in production jobs before founding his own company, Guggenheim Productions. He directed the documentary films A City Decides (1956) and The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery (1959). He received an Oscar for his 1964 film about the integration of schools in Arkansas, Nine from Little Rock. His 1968 biography of Robert F. Kennedy RFK Remembered was shown at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that year and received the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject. Guggenheim also received Oscars for 1989’s
Jerry Gross
Charles Guggenheim
123 The Johnstown Flood and 1994’s A Time for Justice, about the civil rights movement. His other films include Monument to the Dream (1967), The Klan: A Legacy of Hate in America (1982), High Schools (1984), D-Day Remembered (1994), The Shadow of Hate (1995), A Place in the Land (1998), and The Art of Norton Simon (1999). He was the father of director Davis Guggenheim and appeared in a small role in his son’s 2000 feature Gossip. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 11, 2002, B14; New York Times, Oct. 11, 2002, C11; Time, Oct. 21, 2002, 27; Times (of London), Oct. 12, 2002, 44b; Variety, Oct. 14, 2002, 48.
Gunning, Charles Actor Charles Gunning died of injuries he received in an automobile accident the previous month on December 11, 2002. He was 51. Gunning was born in Waxahachie, Texas, in 1951. He made his film debut in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1990 film Miller’s Crossing. He was also featured in several of Rick Linklater’s films including Slacker (1991), The Newton Boys (1998), and Waking Life (2001). Gunning’s other film credits include Horror Hayride (1992), Caged Fear (1992),
Charles Gunning
2002 • Obituaries
Through the Walls (1993), Wild Bill (1995), The Confidence Man (1996), The Haunting (1999), and Doing Unto Others (2001). Gunning appeared in the telefilms Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind (1991), Bonanza: The Return (1993), and National Lampoon’s Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women (1994). His other television credits include episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Murder, She Wrote, Cybill, and ER.
Guy, Billy Singer Billy Guy, who performed with the musical group The Coasters, died of heart disease in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 5, 2002. He was 66. Guy was born in Itasca, Texas, on June 20, 1936. He was an original member of the vocal group, The Coasters, from 1955, and recorded such hit songs as “Down in Mexico,” Searchin’,” “Young Blood,” “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown” and “Poison Ivy.” He remained with the group until 1973. Guy later led other versions of the Coasters including Billy Guy’s Coasters and the World Famous Coasters. He was inducted into
Billy Guy
Obituaries • 2002
124
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with fellow Coasters Carl Garnder, Dub Jones and Cornell Gunter in 1987. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 2002, B20; New York Times, Nov. 14, 2002, B13; Time, Nov. 25, 2002, 27; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 57.
of the Stranger (1972). He founded the CanadianAmerican studio Canamco in the 1970s, which distributed the rock documentaries Woodstock and Gimme Shelter. He also produced the Oscar-winning 1976 documentary film The Man Who Skied Down Everest.
Guzman, Roberto
Haldeman, Jack
Mexican actor Roberto Guzman died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Mexico City on August 9, 2002. He was 65. Guzman was born in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, on November 9, 1936. Often known by the nickname “Flaco,” Guzman starred in over 100 films during his career including La Carrera del Millon (1971), The Prophet Mimi (1972), Tintorera (1977), California Dancing Club (1981), Arizona (1984), Men in Heat (1989), The Winner (1992), Code Death (1993), Border in Flames (1994), and La Sombra del Negro (1996). Guzman was also a popular performer in several Mexican television soap operas. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 12, 2002, B9.
Science fiction writer Jack Haldeman died of cancer on January 1, 2002. He was 60. Haldeman was born on December 11, 1941. A research biologist and brother of science fiction writer Joe Haldeman, Jack Haldeman’s novel’s include Vector Analysis (1983), Echoes of Thunder (1991), High Steel (1993), and Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Zombie Vampires. He also wrote the 1993 Star Trek novel, Perry’s Planet.
Jack Haldeman
Roberto “Flaco” Guzman
Hager, James Film producer James Hager died of heart failure in Beverly Hill on February 8, 2002. He was 61. Hager and his partner, Pietro Notarianni, produced several spaghetti Westerns in the 1960s including A Stranger in Town (1966) and Return
Hall, Donna Stuntwoman Donna Hall Fishburn died of lung disease in Los Angeles on August 7, 2002. She was 74. The daughter of stuntman Frank “Shorty” Hall, Donna was a rodeo trick rider who began performing stunt work in westerns in the 1940s. She was a stunt double for Barbara Stanwyck in The Maverick Queen (1956) and for Debbie Reynolds in How the West Was Won (1962). She also worked on the films Annie Get Your Gun
125
2002 • Obituaries
George Hall (as old Indiana Jones)
Donna Hall
(1950), Hawk of the Wild River (1952), Son of Sinbad (1955), The Big Country (1958), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), and The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975). Hall also worked on such television westerns as The Adventures of Kit Carson, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, Wanted Dead or Alive and Have Gun Will Travel. She is survived by her husband, movie wrangler Jay Fishburn. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 2002, B9; Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 52.
Hall, George Veteran character actor George Hall, who was best known for his role as the old Indiana Jones character in the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, died of complications from a stroke in New York City on October 21, 2002. He was 85. Hall was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on November 19, 1916. He began his career in vaudeville and on stage in Canada. He made his Broadway debut in the 1946 production of Call Me Mister. He remained a popu-
lar Broadway comic performer in such plays as High Button Shoes, The Boy Friend, Touch and Go, A Moon for the Misbegotten, There’s a Girl in My Soup, and Wild Honey. His film credits include No Mercy (1986), From the Hip (1987), Johnny Be Good (1988), Mrs. Brown (1997), Big Daddy (1999), and Lisa Picard is Famous (2000). Hall played the 93-year-old version of Indiana Jones for several years in George Lucas’ The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles from 1992. He also starred as Tom Eldridge in the television series Remember WENN from 1996 to 1998, and was featured in the mystery realty program Murder in Small Town X in 2001. Hall was also seen in the television mini-series Scarlet and Black (1993) and Samson and Delilah (1996), and an episode of the horror anthology series Monsters. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 2, 2002, B9; Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 60.
Hamilton, Carrie Actress Carrie Hamilton, the daughter of comedienne Carol Burnett, died of lung and brain cancer in Los Angeles on January 21, 2002. She was 38. She was born in New York City on
Obituaries • 2002
126 low Springs on March 12, 1936. She wrote her first novel, Zeely, in 1967 and her second, The House of Dies Drear, received the Edgar Allen Poe Award for best juvenile mystery the following year. The House of Dies Drear was adapted into a telefilm in 1984. She was awarded the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award for her 1974 book M.C. Higgins, the Great. Another novel, The Planet of Junior Brown, was adapted to film in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 2002, B16; New York Times, Feb. 20, 2002, A19; People, Mar. 11, 2002, 93.
Hamlett, Dilys
Carrie Hamilton
December 5, 1963, the daughter of Burnett and late producer Joe Hamilton. Carrie starred as Reggie Higgins in the Fame television series from 1986 to 1987. She was also seen in the films Tokyo Pop (1988), Shag (1989), Checkered Flag (1990) and Cool World (1992). Her other television credits include the telefilms Love Lives On (1985), Hostage (1988), Single Women, Married Men (1989), and A Mother’s Justice (1991), and episodes of such series as Murder, She Wrote, Beverly Hills, 90210, thirtysomething, Walker, Texas Ranger, Touched by an Angel, Brooklyn South, The X Files and The Pretender. Hamilton and her mother collaborated on the play, Hollywood Arms, a stage version of Burnett’s memoir, One More Time. Hamilton also wrote and directed short films, including the award-winning Lunchtime Thomas. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21, 2002, B9; New York Times, Jan. 22, 2002, A17; People, Feb. 4, 2002, 50; Time, Feb. 4, 2002, 17; TV Guide, Mar. 2, 2002, 6; Variety, Jan. 28, 2002, 55.
British actress Dilys Hamlett died of a brain hemorrhage in a hospital in Cupar, Fife, Scotland, on November 7, 2002. She was 74. Hamlett was born in Tidworth, Hampshire, England, on March 31, 1928. She began her career on stage in England and received acclaim for her performance as a ghost in a theatrical adaptation of Henry James’ The Innocents in London in 1952. She had other notable roles in such productions as Laurence Olivier’s Macbeth in 1955, Noel
Hamilton, Virginia Children’s author Virginia Hamilton died of breast cancer in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on February 19, 2002. She was 65. She was born in Yel-
Dilys Hamlett
127 Coward’s Private Lives, and Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night. She was also featured in a handful of films during her career including Mix Me a Person (1962), The Barber of Stamford Hill (1962), Assault (1971), The Bananas Boat (1974), Diagnosis: Murder (1975), The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1988), and Hollow Reed (1996). Hamlett was also seen on British television in productions of Twelfth Night (1957), Hedda Gabler (1963), Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (1985), Dorothy L. Sayers’ A Gaudy Night (1987), Lord Peter Wimsey (1987), No More Dying Then (1989), Harnessing Peacocks (1992), and Wives and Daughters (1999). Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 50.
Hampton, Lionel Leading jazz musician Lionel Hampton died of heart failure in a New York City hospital on August 31, 2002. He was 94. Hampton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 20, 1908. He began his music career playing drum, but soon switched to the vibraphone. He recorded with Louis Armstrong before joining Benny Goodman Quartet in 1936. Hampton performed with Goodman, pianist Teddy Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa for four years. Hampton was also a songwriter, whose best known composition was “Flying Home” in 1937. He formed his own orchestra in 1940 and recorded numerous albums including Stepin’ Out (1944), Midnight Sun
Lionel Hampton
2002 • Obituaries
(1947), The Original Stardust (1947), Lionel Hampton in Paris (1953), Hamp and Getz (1955), Lionel Hampton and His Jazz Giants (1977), Sentimental Journey (1985), Live at the Blue Note (1991), and For the Love of Music (1995). He continued to perform until several strokes forced his retirement in the 1990s. Hampton was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 1, 2002, A1; New York Times, Sept. 1, 2002, 35; People, Sept. 16, 2002, 83; Time, Sept. 16, 2002, 19; Times (of London), Sept. 2, 2002 S7c; Variety, Sept. 9, 2002, 63.
Hanson, Swede Former professional wrestler Robert Fort “Swede” Hanson died in Columbia, South Carolina, from complications from Altzheimer’s disease on February 19, 2002. He was 68. Hanson was born in East Orange, New Jersey, on March 27, 1933. He was a leading ring competitor from the early 1960s through the early 1980s. He teamed with Rip Hawk to capture the NWA World Tag Team Title in Florida in August of 1965. They also held the NWA Atlantic Coast
Swede Hanson
Obituaries • 2002
128
Tag Title several times in the late 1960s. He was managed by Fred Blassie in the WWF in the late 1970s.
Harris, George “Two Ton” George Harris, a leading professional wrestler in the 1950s and 1960s, died in a Charlottesville, Virginia, hospital on November 29, 2002. He was 74. Harris was born on June 12, 1927. He was known in the ring as “Two Ton” and “Baby Blimp” because of his huge size. He later worked as a manager of such wrestlers as the Masked Mighty Yankees, Aldo Bogni, Bronco Lubich, and Art Neilsen. He retired from the ring in 1979, but continued to work for Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW until 1990.
Jonathan Harris (as Dr. Smith from Lost in Space)
George “Two Ton” Harris
Harris, Jonathan Jonathan Harris, the leading character actor who was best known for his role as the cowardly Dr. Zachary Smith in the 1960 television series
Lost in Space, died in an Encino, California, hospital on November 3, 2002. Harris’ death came as a result of a blood clot in his heart while undergoing therapy for chronic back pain. He was 87. Harris was born Jonathan Charasuchin in New York City on November 6, 1914. The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, he began his career on the New York stage, often affecting a British accent in his roles. He appeared in numerous stage productions and early television anthology series including The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre, Lights Out, Studio One, Colgate Theatre, Shirley Temple’s Storybook, Schiltz Playhouse of the Stars, General Electric Theater, Telephone Time, Climax!, and Kraft Television Theatre. Harris relocated to Hollywood in 1953, where he was featured in the films Botany Bay (1953), Catch Me If You Can (1959) and The Big Fisherman (1959). He played the fussy, and sometimes obnoxious, Bradford Webster in the 1959 television drama series The Third Man with Michael Rennie, and was hotel manager Mr. Phillips in the 1963 comedy series The Bill Dana Show. He was also seen in episodes of Zorro, The Law and Mr. Jones, The Twilight
129 Zone, Outlaws, Bonanza, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Rogues, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Bewitched, Lancer and Get Smart. Harris was cast as villainous saboteur Dr. Zachary Smith in Irwin Allen’s 1965 science fiction series Lost in Space. Harris’ character evolved over the three seasons the series aired to become a cowardly curmudgeon. unreliable protector of young Will Robinson, and comic foil for the Robinson family Robot. Harris continued to appear on television in episodes of Love, American Style, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, The Sandy Duncan Show, Sanford and Son, Ark II, Vegas! and Fantasy Island. He also starred as Gampu in the 1977 Saturday morning children’s sci-fi series Space Academy in 1977, and was the voice of the evil Cylon Lucifer in 1978’s Battlestar Galactica. He also appeared in the telefilms Once Upon a Dead Man (1971) and Last of the Good Guys (1978). Harris was a leading voice actor in numerous animated series and features from the 1970s, voicing roles in such cartoons as The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, My Favorite Martians, Uncle Croc’s Block, Rainbow Brite, Visionaries, Darkwing Duck, Problem Child, Freakazoid!, The Twisted Adventures of Felix the Cat, The Angry Beavers, Extreme Ghostbusters, Superman, Spider-Man, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. He also voiced roles in the animated features Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer (1985), Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987), Happily Ever After (1990), A Bug’s Life (1998) and Toy Story 2 (1999). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 5, 2002, B10; New York Times, Nov. 5, 2002, B8; People, Nov. 18, 2002, 103; Time, Nov. 18, 2002, 27.
Harris, Richard Richard Harris, the leading Irish actor and two-time Academy Award nominee, died of Hodgkin’s Disease in a London hospital on October 25, 2002. He was 72. Harris was born in Limerick, Ireland, on October 1, 1930. He began his acting career on the London stage in the mid–1950s, appearing in theatrical productions of Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow, Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, and Pirandello’s Man, Beast and Virtue. He also appeared in small parts on British television before making his film debut in 1959. Harris was featured in the films Alive and Kickin (1959), Shake Hands with the
2002 • Obituaries
Richard Harris
Devil (1959), The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959), A Terrible Beauty (1960), The Long and the Short and the Tall (1960), The Guns of Navarone (1961) and the 1962 re-make of Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando. Harris was nominated for an Academy Award for his first leading role as a Yorkshire miner in Lindsay Anderson’s This Sporting Life in 1963. He continued to appear in such films as Red Desert (1964), the 1965 western Major Dundee, Three Faces of a Woman (1965), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), The Bible (1966) as Cain, James Michener’s Hawaii (1966), Caprice (1967), The Circle (1967), and was King Arthur in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Camelot in 1967. Harris starred as Oliver Cromwell in 1970’s Cromwell, and played the English gentleman who becomes part of an Indian tribe in 1970’s A Man Called Horse and the sequels The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976) and Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1982). Harris received an Emmy Award for his role in the 1971 telefilm The Snow Goose. He also starred in the films The Molly Maguires (1970), Man in the Wilderness (1971), Bloomfield (1971), The Deadly Trackers (1973), Juggernaut (1974), 99 & 44/100% Dead (1974), The Terrorists (1975), Echoes of a Summer (1976), The Cassandra Crossing (1976), Robin and Marian (1976) as King Richard, Orca
Obituaries • 2002
130 Pearl (2001), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), and Kaena: The Prophecy (2002). Harris also starred as the kindly wizard Professor Dumbledore in the popular fantasy film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), and the sequel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). He also starred in television productions of Maigret (1988), Abraham (1994), The Great Kandinsky (1995), The Hunchback (1997), The Apocalypse (2002), and Julius Caesar (2002). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 26, 2002, B20; New York Times, Oct. 26, 2002, B8; People, Nov. 11, 2002, 77; Time, Nov. 4, 2002, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 28, 2002, S8c; Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Hart, Diane
Richard Harris (as Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter)
(1977), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Gulliver’s Travels (1977), The Wild Geese (1978), Ravagers (1979), The Last Word (1979), A Game for Vultures (1979), Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981) starring Bo Derek, Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid (1981), Highpoint (1984), Martin’s Day (1984), and Wetherby (1985). Harris abandoned films for several years to return to the stage in productions of Camelot and Henry IV. He resumed his film career in the late 1980s, appearing in Strike Commando 2 (1989), King of the Wind (1989), and Mack the Knife (1990). Harris received a second Oscar nomination for his role as Irishman Bull McCabe in 1990’s The Field. He continued to appear in such features as Patriot Games (1992), Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992), Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993), Silent Tongue (1993), Cry, the Beloved Country (1995), Savage Hearts (1995), Trojan Eddie (1996), Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1997), This Is the Sea (1998), The Barber of Siberia (1998), To Walk with Lions (1999), Grizzly Falls (1999), Gladiator (2000) as Emperor Marcus Aurelius, The Royal Way (2000), My Kingdom (2001), The
British actress Diane Hart died in London, England, on February 7, 2002. She was 75. Hart was born in Bedford, England, on July 20, 1926. She was a prominent stage actress from the 1940s, appearing in productions of The Chiltern Hundreds (1947), Who Is Syvia? (1950) and The Little Hut (1952). She was also featured in over a dozen films including Echo Ranch (1948), Affairs of Adelaide (1949), I’ll Never Forget You (1951), Happy Go Lovely (1951), You’re Only Young Twice (1952), Something Money Can’t Buy (1952), The Pickwick Papers (1952), Father’s Doing Fine (1952), One Jump Ahead (1954), My Wife’s Family (1956), Keep It Clean (1956), The Crowning Touch (1959), Enter Inspector Duval (1961) and Games That Lovers Play (1970). Hart also starred in the 1959 British television series Something in the City.
Hasso, Signe Swedish actress Signe Hasso died at a Los Angeles hospital on June 6, 2002. She was 91. She was born Signe Larsson in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 15, 1910. She began her career on stage in Sweden as a teen. She also appeared in numerous Swedish films in the 1930s including Tystnadens Hus (1933), Haxnatten (1937), Pengar Fran Skyn (1938), We Two (1939), Emelie Hogqvist (1939), Bastard (1940), Steel (1940) and Bright Prospects (1941). She came to Hollywood in the early 1940s where she continued her film career
131
2002 • Obituaries
Story, Ellery Queen, Starsky and Hutch, Magnum P.I., Darkroom, Fame, Hart to Hart and The Fall Guy. Los Angeles Times, June 9, 2002, B16; New York Times, June 12, 2002, A25; Time, June 24, 2002, 20; Times (of London), June 10, 2002, 29b; Variety, June 17, 2002, 46.
Hawk, Jeremy British character actor and comedian Jeremy Hawk died in Reading, Berkshire, England, on January 15, 2002. He was 83. Hawk was born Cedric Joseph Lange in Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 20, 1918. He accompanied his mother to England at the age of two. He began performing on stage in the 1930s, and joined the New Faces revue in 1940. As a comic and straight man, he was a popular performer in the post-war years. He also appeared in several films from the 1940s including The Peterville Diamond (1942), Signe Hasso
in such features as Heaven Can Wait (1943), Assignment in Brittany (1943), The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944), The Seventh Cross (1944), Dangerous Partners (1945), The House on 92nd Street (1945), Johnny Angel (1945), Strange Triangle (1946), A Scandal in Paris (1946), Where There’s Life (1947), A Double Life (1947), To the Ends of the Earth (1948), Outside the Wall (1950), and Crisis (1950). She subsequently returned to Sweden to appear in several films including High Tension (1950), Son of St. Moritz (1954), Taxi 13 (1954), and The True and the False (1955). Hasso was a popular character actress in Hollywood from the 1960s, appearing in Picture Mommy Dead (1966), A Reflection of Fear (1973), The Black Bird (1975), and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977). She was also seen in the telefilms Code Name: Heraclitus (1967), The Magician (1973), QB VII (1974), Shell Game (1975), Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976), Winner Take All (1977), Evita Peron (1981) and Mirrors (1985). Her other television credits include episodes of Your Show of Shows, Robert Montgomery Presents, Kraft Television Theatre, Star Tonight, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Bonanza, The Outer Limits, T.H.E. Cat, The Road West, Coronet Blue, Cannon, Ghost
Jeremy Hawk
Obituaries • 2002
132
The Goose Steps Out (1942), The Black Glove (1954), The Unholy Four (1954), Mask of Dust (1954), Who Done It? (1956), Lucky Jim (1957), Dentist in the Chair (1960), Dentist on the Job (1961), Mystery Submarine (1963), Panic (1965), The Trygon Factor (1966), The Return of the Pink Panther (1974), Stealing Heaven (1988), and 1998’s Elizabeth as a Bishop. He hosted the British television game show Criss Cross Quiz from 1957 until 1962. He was also straight man to comic Benny Hill in numerous television sketches. Hawk also appeared on television in episodes of The Professionals, Sorry! and Poirot, and was seen in the 1990 telefilm Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception.
Hazeldine, James British stage and film actor James Hazeldine died in London after a brief illness on December 17, 2002. He was 54. Hazeldine was born in Salford, Manchester, England, in 1948. He appeared in numerous films from the early 1970s including Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) as Stalin, The Ruling Class (1972), The National Health (1973), Stardust (1974), The Medusa Touch (1978), Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), Business As Usual (1987), and A Small Dance (1991). Hazeldine was also a familiar
James Hazeldine
face on British television, starring in the series Sam (1973), The Omega Factor (1979), One Summer (1983), Chocky (1984), Truckers (1987), Streets Apart (1988), London’s Burning (1988), and Young, Gifted and Broke (1989). He was also seen in television productions of The Lady of the Camelias (1976), Forgotten Love Songs (1978), Macbeth (1983), The Corsican Brothers (1985), Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage (1986), Close Relations (1990), Pirate Prince (193), Emma (1997), The Last Train (1999), Hero of the Hour (2000), Deceit (2000), Dalziel and Pascoe: Foreign Bodies (2000), Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (2001), and Shipman (2002). His other television credits include episodes of The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Morse, Boon, Heartbeat, The Vice, and Midsomer Murders. Hazeldine was also a popular stage performer, appearing in productions of Troilus and Cressida, Timon of Athens, and, in his Broadway debut, Strange Interlude in 1984. He was performing in a production of The Talking Cure at the Royal National Theatre at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 2002, B17; New York Times, Dec. 20, 2002; Variety, Dec. 23, 2002, 40.
Hearn, Chick Veteran sportscaster Chick Hearn died in a Northridge, California, hospital of injuries suffered in a fall in the back yard of his Los Angeles home on August 5, 2002. He was 85. Hearn was born in Aurora, Illinois, on November 27, 1916. Hearn was best known as the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers for nearly forty years. During the 1950s Hearn was an announcer for several sports programs including Stock Car Races (1952), Prime Time Football (1957), and Phillies Jackpot Bowling (1959). Hearn was also seen or heard in over a dozen films, often playing himself. His film credits include Cry for Happy (1961), Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962), The Loved One (1965), The Love Bug (1968), Busting (1974), The Gambler (1974), The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979), …All the Marbles (1981), Fletch (1985), Volunteers (1987), Big Business (1988), Heart Condition (1990), White Men Can’t Jump (1992), Airborne (1993), Wrongfully Accused (1998), and Love & Basketball (2000). Hearn television credits also include episodes of Alcoa Pre-
133
2002 • Obituaries
Astrid Henning-Jensen
Henson, William “Tex” Chick Hearn
miere, The Fugitive, My Favorite Martian, Gilligan’s Island, Nanny and the Professor, The Fall Guy, Lou Grant, Matt Houston, Matlock, Garfield and Friends, 21 Jump Street, The Simpsons, Time Trax, Life with Louie, Duckman, Dharma & Greg, Arli$$, The Proud Family and Three Sisters. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 6, 2002, A1; New York Times, Aug. 7, 2002, C23; People, Aug. 19, 2002, 71; Time, Aug. 19, 2002, 21; Times (of London), Aug. 12, 2002, 7h; Variety, Aug. 12, 2002, 38.
Henning-Jensen, Astrid Danish film director Astrid Henning-Jensen died at a Copenhagen, Denmark, retirement home on January 7, 2002. She was 87. She was born Astrid Smahl in Copenhagen on December 10, 1914. She directed over twenty films during her directing career, which began in the early 1940s. She received acclaim for her 1949 children’s film Palle Alone in the World, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film for 1959’s Paw (aka Boy of Two Worlds). Her other films include The Stranger (1951), Unfaithful (1966), Winterborn (1978), Street of My Childhood (1986), and Bella My Bella (1996).
William “Tex” Henson, who animated Rocky, the flying squirrel, and Bullwinkle the moose, died in a Dallas, hospital, from injuries received when he was hit by a pickup truck on December 5, 2002. He was 78. Henson began his career with Disney, where he worked as an animator in such films as Song of the South, Pecos Bill and Peter and the Wolf. He was instrumental in the creation of the Chip ’n Dale series from Disney, drawing numerous cartoons featuring the comic chipmunks. After leaving Disney he worked briefly on the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons before becoming supervisor of the animation team that drew the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. Henson also supervised work on such cartoon characters as Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo, and the Trix cereal rabbit. New York Times, Dec. 7, 2002, A19.
Hewett, Peggy Broadway actress Peggy Hewett died of leukemia in Southampton, New York, on March 1, 2002. She was 56. Hewett was born on June 6, 1945. She began her career on stage in the chorus of the musical Jimmy in 1969. Hewett starred in the 1980 production of A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine and 1986’s Olympus on My Mind. She was also featured in the 1983 television mini-series Kennedy.
Obituaries • 2002
134
Thor Heyerdahl
Peggy Hewett
Los Angeles Times, Mar. 14, 2002, B15; New York Times, Mar. 11, 2002, B9; Times (of London), May 6, 2002, 84.
Heyerdahl, Thor Norwegian explorer and archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl died of cancer at his family home in Colla Micheri, Italy, on April 18, 2002. He was 87. Heyerdahl was born in Larvik, Norway, on October 6, 1914. He was best known for leading an expedition in 1947 aboard the tiny balsawood raft Kon-Tiki on a sea voyage from Peru to Polynesia to prove that ancient cultures could have sailed to the South Pacific. A 1950 film of the expedition earned Heyerdahl an Academy Award for best documentary. Heyerdahl also conducted archaeological expeditions to South America and the Easter Islands, and produced the 1959 documentary Aku-Aku. In 1970, he crossed the Atlantic in the papyrus ship, Ra II. He was again
nominated for a documentary Oscar for his film Ra in 1972. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 19, 2002, A1; New York Times, Apr. 19, 2002, A25; People, May 6, 2002, 121; Time, Apr. 29, 2002, 29; Times (of London), Apr. 19, 2002, 37b.
Heyes, William William Heyes, a child actor in the early 1930s, died after a long illness in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 3, 2002. He was 78. He was featured in the films Seasons Greetings (1931), Hey, Pop (1932) with Fatty Arbuckle, and Penrod and Sam (1932). He subsequently left films, though he made occasional stage performances later in life. Heyes served in the U.S. Army during World war II and worked in the aerospace industry in Los Angeles after the war. Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2002, B10.
Heyward, Louis “Deke” Film, television and radio producer and writer Louis “Deke” Heyward died of complica-
135
2002 • Obituaries
(1971) and Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972). Heyward also worked for Four Star Films, HannaBarbera and DIC Entertainment during his career. He was a production executive for the 1977 Emmy-winning telefilm The Gathering, and was instrumental in the development of such television game shows as Twenty-One and Tic Tac Dough. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 7, 2002, B16; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 52.
Hill, George Roy
Louis “Deke” Heyward
tions from pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital on April 3, 2002. He was 81. Heyward was born in New York City in 1920. He began working in radio in the late 1940s after serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He scripted thousands of radio programs and soon began writing for television, scripting segments for comedians Gary Moore and Ernie Kovacs. Heyward also created the first interactive television series Winky Dink in the 1950s, and helped develop The Dick Clark Show. He worked as a production executive with 20th Century Fox for several years in the early 1960s before joined American International Pictures as vice president of production. He helped script such films as Pajama Party (1964), Sergeant Deadhead (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), War Gods of the Deep (1965) and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966). He also produced over a dozen films for AIP including Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966), The Glass Sphinx (1967), House of 1,000 Dolls (1967), The Conqueror Worm (1968), Spirits of the Dead (1968), The Crimson Cult (1968), De Sade (1969), Scream and Scream Again (1969), The Oblong Box (1969), Horror House (1969), Wuthering Heights (1970), Cry of the Banshee (1970), Who Slew Auntie Roo? (1971), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971), The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Film director George Roy Hill, who earned an Oscar for helming 1973’s The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease in New York City. He was 80. Hill was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on December 20, 1922. He attended Yale University and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where he worked with Cyril Cusack’s repertory theatre. Hill served as a Navy pilot during World war II and the Korean War. After his
George Roy Hill
Obituaries • 2002
136
discharge he began directing for live television, helming productions of A Night to Remember and Judgement at Nuremberg. He also directed productions on Broadway, including Look Homeward Angel, Period of Adjustment, and Toys in the Attic. He made his debut as a film director in 1963 with adaptations of Period of Adjustment and Toys in the Attic. He subsequently directed Peter Sellers in 1964’s The World of Henry Orient. Hill directed James Michener’s Hawaii (1966) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), before teaming with Paul Newman and Robert Redford on the revisionist western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He subsequently directed Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s Slaughterhouse Five (1972) before reuniting with Newman and Redford for the Oscar-winning The Sting in 1973. Hill continued to direct such films as The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)a, Slap Shot (1977), A Little Romance (1979), The World According to Garp (1982), The Little Drummer Girl (1984), and Funny Farm (1988). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 28, 2002, B18; New York Times, Dec. 28, 2002, A20; Time, Jan. 13, 2003, 17. Tommy Hill
Hill, Tommy Country music songwriter Tommy Hill died in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 21, 2002. He was 72. Hill was born near Coy City, Texas, on April 27, 1929. He was a musician in Ferlin Huskey’s band and moved to Nashville in 1954. He subsequently played with Ray Price’s band. He was a leading songwriter during the 1950s, penning such classics as Webb Pierce’s “Slowly,” Rod Sovine’s “Teddy Bear,” and “I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes” for his sister, Goldie Hill. Hill was a record producer and engineer with Starday Records from 1959. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 26, 2002, B10.
Hillier, Bill Emmy Award-winning television producer Bill Hillier died of cancer in Woodland Hills, California, on March 18, 2002. He was 61. Hillier was born in New Jersey in 1940. He began his career as a producer of local television programming in Seattle, Washington, before joining Westinghouse Broadcasting’s Group W Productions. He
was the creator of the daily program PM Magazine. He subsequently began his own production company, producing such programs as Soap World, The World of People, Epcot Magazine and Untold Stories: The Search for Amelia Earhart. Working with Wink Martindale, he helped create the game shows Boggle, Jumble, and Trivial Pursuit. Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Hippler, Fritz Fritz Hippler, a leading propaganda filmmaker for the German Nazis from the late 1930s, died in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany, on May 22, 2002. He was 92. Hippler was born in Berlin, Germany, on August 17, 1909. He began working on newsreels in Germany in the 1930s and drew the attention of Adolf Hitler’s propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. Hippler was named Director of the Film Department of Goebbels’ ministry in 1939. Hippler oversaw the production of several notorious anti-semitic films including The Rothschilds (1940), Jew Suss (1940), and The Eternal Jew (1940). He also directed several films himself including Campaign in Poland (1940) and
137
2002 • Obituaries
Isabelle Holland Fritz Hippler
Victory in the West (1941). He subsequently fell out of favor with Goebbels after using anti-Nazi writer Eric Kastner’s script for a 1943 fantasy The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Hippler was demoted and later sent to the warfront as a cameraman. After the war he remained a prisoner of war until 1948. He served two years in prison as a war criminal and tried to resume his career after his release. He worked under several pseudonyms, but was usually dismissed when his identity came to light. Hippler retired in 1974 and lived in relative obscurity in a small Bavarian town until his death.
Holland, Isabelle Author Isabelle Holland, whose 1972 novel The Man Without a Face, was made into a 1993 film starring Mel Gibson, died in a New York hospital on February 9, 2002. She was 81. Holland was born in Basel, Switzerland, on June 16, 1920. She moved to the United States in 1940 and soon began working at a publishing house. She
had over fifty books published since the late 1960s, most mysteries and young adult novels. Another of her novels, Bump in the Night, was adapted into a telefilm in 1991. New York Times, Mar. 9, 2002, A16.
Holliday, Joyce Playwright Joyce Holliday died of cancer in England on February 4, 2002. She was 69. Holliday was born in Sheffield, England, on July 13, 1932. She co-wrote a stage adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s novel, Clayhanger in 1967, and Anna of the Five Towns in 1969. She adapted other Bennett novels to the stage including The Old Wives’ Tale, The Card, Riceyman Steps, and Pretty Lady. She also wrote the 1985 play Anywhere to Anywhere, and the 1987 documentary It’s a Bit Lively Outside, about the blitz during World War II. Her other works include Go See Fanny Deakin (1991), The Moorland Child (1995), Silverdale People (1997), and Flash Friendly (1999).
Obituaries • 2002
138
Rand Holmes Joyce Holliday
Holmes, Rand Rand Holmes, a leading Canadian underground cartoonist of the 1960s, died in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, on March 15, 2002. He was 60. Rand was born on February 22, 1942. He was the creator of the popular Harold Hedd comic strip, which were collected into three volumes in the early 1970s. He also drew the cover of Rolling Stone’s History of Underground Comics. Holmes work was also seen in such collections as All Canadian Beaver Comix, Fox City Comix, Death Rattle, Alien Worlds and Twisted Tales. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 23, 2002, B19.
Hood, Morag Scottish actress Morag Hood died in London on October 5, 2002. She was 59. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on December 12, 1942. She was a popular actress on British television from the late 1980s, appearing in a 1968 adaptation of Frankenstein, and starring as Natasha in the 1973 mini-series War and Peace.
Morag Hood
139 She was also seen in television productions of Persuasion (1971), Breeze Anstey (1972), Jane Eyre (1983), A Taste for Death (1989), A Sense of Guilt (1990), Tell Tale Hearts (1992), Berlin Break (1992), and The Governor (1994). Hood starred in several British television series including Aug Wiedersehen, Pet in 1986, Families in 1990, and Hamish Macbeth in 1995. Her few film credits include Wuthering Heights (1970), Diversion (1980), Ill Fares the Land (1981), and A Shot at Glory (2000). She was also featured in episodes of Bergerac, Harbour Lights and Heartbeat. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 12, 2002, B23; New York Times, Oct. 16, 2002, C15; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Hoppe, Marianne German stage and film actress Marianne Hoppe died in Berlin on October 23, 2002. She was 93. Hoppe was born in Rostock, Germany, on April 26, 1909. She began her career on the German stage in the mid–1920s at the Berlin Deutsches Theater. Married to director Gustaf Gruendgens from 1936 to 1946, she starred in many of his productions during that period. She made her film debut in 1933’s The Judas of Tyrol, and appeared in numerous other films throughout her career. Her film credits include The Country Schoolmaster (1934), The Rider of the
2002 • Obituaries
White Horse (1934), The Grey Pikes Wharf (1935), When the Cock Crows (1936), A Woman of No Importance (1936), Kapriolen (1937), The Ruler (1937), The False Step (1939), Congo Express (1939), Romance in a Minor Key (1943), Life Goes On (1945), Secrets of a Soul (1948), The Man of My Life (1954), The Strange Countess (1961), Treasure of Silver Lake (1962), Conquerors of Arkansas (1964), Ten Little Indians (1966), False Movement (1974), Marianne and Sophie (1983), and Francesca (1986). Hoppe also appeared frequently on German television in the 1980s, starring in episodes of Der Kommissar and Der Alte. She continued to perform on stage until her retirement in the late 1990s. Los Angles Times, Oct. 29, 2002, B13; New York Times, Nov. 2, 2002, B7; Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Horowitz, Alan P. Film and television producer Alan P. Horowitz died at his Los Angeles home of complications from a fall on May 6, 2002. He was 72. Horowitz served in the U.S. Marines before beginning his career in Hollywood. He worked as a producer on the popular television series CHiPs, and the 1974 Burt Reynolds’ film The Longest Yard. He also produced the 1976 telefilm Revenge for a Rape and the Bandit telefilm in 1994. Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2002, B11; Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Houser, Michael
Marianne Hoppe
Singer and guitarist Michael Houser of the blues jam band Widespread Panic died of pancreatic cancer in Athens, Georgia, on August 10, 2002. He was 40. Houser was born on January 6, 1962. He was a founding member of the band in the mid–1980s. Their first record, Space Wrangler was released in 1988. Six more records and three live albums followed over the next decade. A solo album, Door Harp, was scheduled for release in September of 2002. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 2002, B11; New York Times, Aug. 13, 2002, A17; People, Aug. 26, 2002, 79; Time, Aug. 26, 2002, 23; Variety, Aug. 19, 2002, 118.
Obituaries • 2002
140
Michael Houser
Houston, Paula Stage and television actress Paula Houston died at a Burbank, California, hospital of complications from surgery on October 11, 2002. She was 86. Houston was born in Iowa in 1916. She began her career on stage in the 1940s and was featured in the 1953 Broadway revival of The Bat. She was also seen in theatrical productions of Look Homeward, Angel and I Know My Love. Houston also appeared often on television in the 1950s in episodes of such series as The Cisco Kid, The Bennetts, Lucky Strike Hit Parade, Father Knows Best, Highway Patrol, Life of Riley and The Loretta Young Show.
Harlan Howard
recorded by such artists as Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, Mel Tillis, Ray Charles, and Burl Ives. Waylon Jennings recorded a tribute album to Howard in 1967 entitled Waylon Sings Ol’ Harlan. Howard was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 5, 2002, B11; New York Times, Mar. 6, 2002, B8; People, Mar. 18, 2002, 79; Time, Mar. 18, 2002, 33.
Howard, Harlan Country music songwriter Harlan Howard died of heart trouble at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 3, 2002. He was 74. Howard was born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 8, 1927. He began writing songs after settling in Los Angeles in the mid–1950s. His first hit, “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down,” was recorded by Charlie Walker in 1958. He had another popular hit the following year with “Heartaches by the Number.” Howard moved to Nashville in 1960, where he penned the hits “Busted,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail,” and numerous others. His songs were
Hubschmid, Paul Swiss actor Paul Hubschmid died in Berlin, Germany, of a pulmonary embolism on January 1, 2002. He was 84. Hubschmid was born in Aarau, Switzerland, on July 20, 1917. He began his career on stage in Vienna, Austria, and made his film debut in the 1938 Swiss film Fusilier Eipf. He continued his career in German and Austrian films during World War II including Der Fall Rainer (1942), My Friend Josephine (1942), Love Letters (1943), Der Gebieterische Ruf (1943), God’s Angels Are Everywhere (1948), Arlberg-Express
141
2002 • Obituaries
cular Triangle (1964), Mozambique (1965), The Man of a Thousand Masks (1965), The Majordomo (1965), I Am Looking for a Man (1965), The Gentlemen (1965), Tell Me Whom to Kill (1965), That Woman (1966) and Living It Up (1966). He was featured as secret agent Johnny Vulkan in the 1966 spy thriller Funeral in Berlin starring Michael Caine. Hubschmid continued to appear in such films as My Bed Is Not For Sleeping (1967), In Enemy Country (1968), Manon 70 (1968), Taste of Excitement (1969), Skullduggery (1970) with Burt Reynolds, Bolero (1983), Class Reunion (1988) and Linda (1991). He was also featured on European television in such series as Wie Ein Blitz, Kir Royal, Jolly Joker and Forsthaus Falkenau. He was married to actress Eva Renzi from 1967 until 1980. Survivors include his third wife, actress Irene Schiesser. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 3, 2002, B11; Variety, Jan. 21, 2002, 66. Paul Hubschmid (from The Affairs of Julie)
(1948), The Heavenly Waltz (1948), Law of Love (1949), Mysterious Shadows (1949), and The Thief of Venice (1950). Hubschmid came to Hollywood after the war and, billed as Paul Christian, starred in several films including Bagdad (1949), Palace Hotel (1951), No Time for Flowers (1952), and the 1953 science fiction film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. He also continued to appear in European films including Venus of Tivoli (1952), Music by Night (1953), Life Begins at 17 (1953), Mask in Blue (1953), Hungarian Rhapsody (1954), School for Connubial Bliss (1954), Happy Voyage (1954), Rommel’s Treasure (1955), Du Bist Musik (1956), My Husband’s Getting Married Today (1956), The Golden Bridge (1956), A Modern Story (1957), The Affairs of Julie (1957), Salzburg Stories (1957), Voyage to Italy, Complete with Love (1958), Scampolo (1958), Her 106th Birthday (1958), The Day the Sky Exploded (1958), My Pretty Mama (1958), Tiger of Eschnapur (1959), The Indian Tomb (1959), Marili (1959), Zwei Gitarren (1959), Journey to the Lost City (1959), Everyday’s Not Sunday (1959), The Red Hand (1960), The Young Sinner (1960), Heldinnen (1960), The Devil’s Agent (1961), Festival (1961), Isola Bella (1961), Only a Woman (1962), And So to Bed (1963), Eleven Years and One Day (1963), Marry Me, Cherie (1964), Cave of Diamonds (1964), Me and the Forty Year Old Man (1964), Games of Desire (1964), The Cir-
Huggins, Roy Television producer and writer Roy Huggins died in Santa Monica, California, on April 3, 2002. He was 87. Huggins was born in Litelle, Washington, on July 18, 1914. He began his career in films in the late 1940s, scripting such features as I Love Trouble (1948), The Fuller Brush Man (1948), Too Late for Tears (1949), The Lady Gambles (1949), Woman in Hiding (1950), The Good Humor Man (1950), The Great Manhunt (1950), Sealed Cargo (1951), Hangman’s Knot (1952) which he also directed, Gun Fury (1953), Pushover (1954) and Three Hours to Kill (1954). He joined Warner Bros. television in the 1950s, where he produced and wrote for such popular series as Cheyenne, Maverick, Colt .45, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye and Bus Stop. He also produced the 1961 feature film A Fever in the Blood. He worked for Universal Television from the early 1960s, producing such series as The Virginian, Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Fugitive, Alias Smith and Jones, Cool Million, City of Angels, The Rockford Files, Baretta, and Hunter. He also produced numerous telefilms including The Outsider (1967), The Sound of Anger (1968), Any Second Now (1969), The Whole World Is Watching (1969), The Lonely Profession (1969), The Challengers (1970), The Young Country (1970) which he also directed, Do You Take This Stranger? (1970), Sam
Obituaries • 2002
142
Hunt, Peter R.
Roy Huggins
Film editor and director Peter R. Hunt, who was best known for his work on the James Bond series, died of heart failure in Santa Monica, California, on August 14, 2002. He was 77. Hunt was born in London on March 11, 1925. He began working in films as an assistant at Denham Studios in the late 1940s, and worked as an editor from the early 1950s. He edited such films as Stranger from Venus (1954), Orders Are Orders (1954), Hell in Korea (1956), Paradise Lagoon (aka The Admirable Crichton) (1957), A Cry from the Streets (1958), Ferry to Hong Kong (1959), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), There Was a Crooked Man (1960), Next to No Time (1960), Loss of Innocence (1961), Operation Snafu (1961), Damn the Defiant! (1962), and Call Me Bwana (1963). Hunt also edited the first several James Bond films —Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965) and You Only Live Twice (1967). He also edited the 1965 Michael Caine spy thriller The Ipcress File, Ian Fleming’s children’s fantasy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Night Games (1980), and Desperate Hours (1990). Hunt make his directorial debut with the 1969
Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? (1971), How to Steal an Airplane (1971), Set This Town on Fire (1973), Toma (1973), Drive Hard, Drive Fast (1973), The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd (1974), This Is the West That Was (1974), Target Risk (1975), The Invasion of Johnson County (1976), Captains and the Kings (1976), The November Plan (1976), The 3,000 Mile Chase (1977), Aspen (1977), Arthur Hailey’s Wheels (1978), and The Jordan Chance (1978). He was credited as executive producer on the 1993 feature film version of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, and the 1998 sequel U.S. Marshals. He was executive producer of the 2000 television series based on The Fugitive. His survivors include his wife of fifty years, actress Adele Mara. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 6, 2002, B16; New York Times, Apr. 6, 2002, A16; Time, Apr. 15, 2002, 23; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 53.
Peter R. Hunt
143
2002 • Obituaries
James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service starring George Lazenby. He also directed the films The Great Gold Conspiracy (1974), Shout at the Devil (1976), Gulliver’s Travels (1977), Death Hunt (1981), Wild Geese II (1985), Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star (1986) and Assassination (1987). Hunt also worked in television, directing the telefilm The Beasts Are on the Streets (1978), the 1984 mini-series The Last Days of Pompeii, and episodes of The Persuaders and Philip Marlowe, Private Eye. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 26, 2002, B7; New York Times, Aug. 23, 2002, C11; Times (of London), Aug. 17, 2002, 38a; Variety, Aug. 26, 2002, 58.
Hunter, Kim Actress Kim Hunter, who received as Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire and starred as Dr. Zira in Planet of the Apes, died of a heart attack at her apartment in New York City on September 11, 2002. She was 79. Hunter was born Janet Cole in Detroit, Michigan, on November 12, 1922. She made her film debut in Val Lewton’s psychological horror classic The Seventh Victim, and appeared in such films as Tender Comrade (1943), When Strangers Marry (1944), A Canterbury Tale (1944), You Came Along (1945), and Stairway to Heaven (aka A Matter of Life and Death) (1946). In 1947 Hunter starred as Stella in Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire in her Broadway debut. She reprised the role in Elia Kazan’s 1951 film opposite Marlon Brando. She earned an Academy Award for her performance. She was also seen in Deadline — U.S.A. (1952) and Anything Can Happen (1952) before her earlier role in Tender Comrades, which was accused of being Communist-inspired by the House Un-American Activities Committee, led to her being blacklisted for several years. Her testimony in television personality John Henry Faulk’s legal suit against blacklisters was instrumental in helping end the practice. She returned to the screen later in the decade in such films as Storm Center (1956), The Young Stranger (1957), Bermuda Affair (1958), Money Women and Guns (1959), the 1961 television production of Barabbas, and Lilith (1964). In 1968 she starred under heavy makeup as the kindly chimpanzee Dr. Zira who befriends Charl-
Kim Hunter (as Dr. Zira from Planet of the Apes)
ton Heston’s lost astronaut character in Planet of the Apes. She also played Dr. Zira in the first two sequels in what became a popular science fiction film series, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). She also starred with Burt Lancaster in 1968’s The Swimmer, and was seen in the telefilms The Young Loner (1968), Dial Hot Line (1970), Unwed Father (1974), Bad Ronald (1974), Born Innocent (1974), Ellery Queen (1975), The Dark Side of Innocence (1976), the mini-series Once an Eagle (1976), Stubby Pringle’s Christmas (1978), the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House as Ellen Wilson, The Golden Gate Murders (1979), F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980), Skokie (1981), Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985), Private Sessions (1985), Drop-Out Mother (1988), Cross of Fire (1989), Bloodlines: Murder in the Family (1993), Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story (1993), and Blue Moon (1999). She also continued to appear on screen in such films as Dark August (1976), The Kindred (1986), the Black Cat segment of 1990’s Two Evil Eyes, Clint Eastwood’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), A Price Above Rubies (1998), Abilene (1999), Out of the Cold (1999), A Smaller Place (2000), and Here’s to Life! (2000). Hunter appeared often on television throughout her career, starring in episodes of
Obituaries • 2002
144
Actor’s Studio, Philco Television Playhouse, The Silver Theater, Ford Theatre Hour, Your Show of Shows, Robert Montgomery Presents, Star Tonight, Screen Director’s Playhouse, Climax!, Kaiser Aluminum Hour, The U.S. Steel Hour, Playhouse 90, Rawhide, Adventures in Paradise, The Naked City, The Eleventh Hour, The Nurses, Arrest and Trial, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Dr. Kildare, Mannix, Bonanza, The Young Lawyers, Medical Center, Gunsmoke, Cannon, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, Mission: Impossible, Marcus Welby, M.D., Police Story, Hec Ramsey, Baretta, The Oregon Trail, Columbo, The Evil Touch, Project UFO, The Rockford Files, Murder, She Wrote, Mad Abut You, L.A. Law, and The Education of Max Bickford. She also appeared as Nola Madison in the daytime soap opera The Edge of Night from 1979 until 1980, and was Mrs. Tompkins in As the World Turns in 1997. Hunter authored an autobiographic cookbook, Loose in the Kitchen, in 1975. She was married to writer and stage actor Robert Emmett from 1951 until his death in 2000. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 12, 2002, B13; New York Times, Sept. 12, 2002, C11; People, Sept. 30, 2002, 154; Time, Sept. 23, 2992, 27; Variety, Sept. 16, 2002, 66.
Nasir Hussain
also worked on the 1958 television series Sea Hunt.
Inn, Frank Hussain, Nasir Leading Indian film producer and director Nasir Hussain died after a long illness of a heart attack in Bombay, India, on March 19, 2002. He was 71. He was born in Bhopal, India, in 1931. He began working in films as a writer in the 1950s. He soon became a popular filmmaker, helming such features as No One Like You (1957), The Third Floor (1966), Caravan (1971), Procession of Memories (1973), Aangan (1973), Balam Pardesia (1979), Chukti Bhar Senur (1983) and Roos Gailen Saiyen Hamaar (1988). Variety, Mar. 18, 2002, 46.
Hollywood animal trainer Frank Inn died at a rehabilitation center near his home in Sylmar, California, on July 27, 2002. He was 86. During
Hyldahl, Dale Animal trainer Dale Hyldahl died in Arlington, Washington, on April 20, 2002. He was 69. Hyldahl trained dolphins for the 1963 film Flipper and the subsequent television series. He
Frank Inn (with Benji)
145 his career Inn trained many of the most popular animal performers in film and television including Benji, Arnold the pig from Green Acres, Tramp from My Three Sons and most of the animals seen on The Beverly Hillbillies. His best known trainee, Benji, was rescued by Inn from an animal shelter in 1960. He was later seen in the television series Petticoat Junction before starring in a feature film. Benji’s daughter starred in many of the sequels. Inn also worked as an animal trainer on numerous films including Lassie Come Home (1943), Rhubarb (1951), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and the television series I Love Lucy, The People’s Choice, and The Addams Family. Inn was the recipient of numerous Patsy Awards during his career. He was also seen on screen in several films including Hawmps! (1976) and Benji the Hunted (1987). Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2002, B9; New York Times, Aug. 4, 2002, 36; Variety, Sept. 16, 2002, 67.
Interlandi, Phil Cartoonist Phil Interlandi died of liver disease at his home in Laguna Beach, California, on
Phil Interlandi’s Playboy cartoon collection
2002 • Obituaries
June 26, 2002. He was 78. Interlandi was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 10, 1924. He began drawing cartoons for the Army newspaper, The Yank, during World War II. He continued to draw after the war, with his work appearing in such publications as Look, The New Yorker and Better Homes & Gardens. Interlandi was best known for his work for Playboy, drawing the Queenie series of cartoons. Interlandi also illustrated Art Linkletter’s books Kids Say the Darndest Things and I Wish I’d Said That, Ed McMahon’s The Barside Companion and Dick Van Dyke’s Faith, Hope and Hilarity: The Child’s Eye View of Religion. Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2002, B21.
Isaacs, Charles Comedy writer Charles Isaacs died of cancer in Santa Monica, California, on December 13, 2002. He was 88. Isaacs began his career writing humorous stories for local newspapers before going to Los Angeles in 1937. He worked in radio for such programs as The Jack Haley Show, Al Pearce and His Gang, and The Texaco Star Theater. Isaacs also wrote comedy sketches for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis’ radio program in the late
Charles Issacs
Obituaries • 2002
146
1940s. Isaacs’ subsequently moved to television, where he wrote for Jimmy Durante’s All Star Revue and The Colgate Comedy Hour. He late wrote for Red Skelton and Dinah Shore’s television programs, and scripted episodes of The Real McCoys, Alice, and Harper Valley P.T.A. Isaacs also created the television sitcoms Hey, Jeannie and The Tycoon. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2002, B15; New York Times, Dec. 20, 2002; Variety, Dec. 23, 2002, 41.
Jackson, Crane Actor and producer Crane Jackson died in Los Angeles of a heart attack on April 17, 2001. He was 69. Jackson was born David Dreis in Brooklyn, New York, in 1932. Raised in Florida, he moved to Hollywood in the late 1960s where he founded the Theater Rapport. Jackson produced over 125 plays over the next thirty years. He was also featured in several films including Lepke (1975), W.C. Fields and Me (1976), The Octagon (1980), In the Mood (1987) and Punchline (1988). Jackson also appeared in the telefilms Something Evil (1972), The Six Million Dollar Man (1973), A Sensitive, Passionate Man (1977) and The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979), and in episodes of Happy Days and Mannix. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 30, 2002, B11.
Jam Master Jay Jason Mizell, who performed with RunDMC as hip-hop DJ Jam Master Jay, was shot to death inside a recording studio in Queens, New York, on October 30, 2002. He was 37. He was born in Queens on January 21, 1965. Mizell began scratching records for rappers Run ( Joseph Simmons) and D.M.C. (Darryl McDaniels) in the early 1980s. Their first hit single, “It’s Like That,” was released in 1983. The three men were credited with combining rock and rap, recording a version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” with Steven Tyler in 1986. Jam Master Jay appeared as himself in several films including Krush Grove (1985) and Thougher Than Leather (1988). He was also seen on television in episodes of Reading Rainbow, 227, and The Ben Stiller Show.
Jam Master Jay
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 31, 2002, A17; New York Times, Oct. 31, 2002, B1; Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Janifer, Laurence M. Science fiction writer Laurence M. Janifer died of congestive heart failure on July 10, 2002. He was 69. He was born Larry Mark Harris on March 17, 1933. He wrote numerous science fiction stories from such publications as Astounding and Analog from the 1950s. He also co-authored Brain Twister (1962) with Randall Garrett, writing as Mark Phillips. His recent works include the series about interplanetary detective Knave in the books Survivor (1977), Knave in Hand (1979) and Knave and the Game (1987).
Jansen, Jacques French opera singer and actor Jacques Jansen died in Paris on March 13, 2002. He was 88. He was born Jacques Toupin in Paris on November 22, 1913. He made his operatic debut in the early 1940s, becoming best known for his performances of Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande. He
147
2002 • Obituaries
Jennings, Waylon Country music legend Waylon Jennings, whose outlaw image helped transform country music, died of complications from diabetes at his home in Chandler, Arizona, on February 13, 2002. He was 64. Jennings was born in Littlefield, Texas, on June 15, 1937. He began performing in his early teens and sometimes performed with singer Buddy Holly’s band in the late 1950s. Jennings formed the group, the Waylors, in 1963 and by the late 1960s he had recorded such hits as “Walk Out of My Mind” and “The Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line.” He began performing and recording a harder edged style of country music in the early 1970s. His album with Willie Nelson and Jessi Colter, Wanted: The Outlaws, became the first platinum country album in 1976. Jenning also penned the theme song to the 1970s television series The Dukes of Hazzard. His numerous hit songs included “I’m a Ramblin’ Man,” “Luckenbach, Texas,” “Waltz Across Texas,” “Ladies Love Outlaws,” and “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.” Jennings performed with Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson in the quartet the Highwaymen in the mid–1980s. He also appeared in several films during his career including Nashville Rebel (1966),
Jacques Jansen
also appeared in several films in the 1940s including Patricia (1942), Bonsoir Mesdames, Bonsoir Messieurs (1944), Sacha Guitry’s La Malibran (1944), and Round of Hours (1949). He also dubbed the singing voices of Alain Cuny in Marcel Carne’s Les Visiteurs du Soir (1942) and Jean Marais in Le Lit a Colonnes. During his career he performed at the Metropolitan in New York, La Scala in Milan, and numerous venues throughout France. He retired from performing in the early 1970s to teach operatic acting at the Paris Conservatoire. Waylon Jennings (Frank Ockenfels)
Obituaries • 2002
148
The Road to Nashville (1967), Travelin’ Light (1971), Moonrunners (1974), Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird (1985), Maverick(1994), and the 2000 animated Tom Sawyer as the voice of Judge Thatcher He was also seen in the telefilms The Oklahoma City Dolls (1981) and Outlaw Justice (1999), and episodes of Hee Haw, The Dukes of Hazzard, Married … with Children, 18 Wheels of Justice, and Family Guy. Jennings was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October of 2001. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 14, 2002, B14; New York Times, Feb. 14, 2002, C17; People, Mar. 4, 2002, 91; Time, Feb. 25, 2002, 23; Times (of London), Feb. 15, 2002, 35b; Variety, Feb. 18, 2002, 62.
Jergens, Adele Blonde actress Adele Jergens died at her home in Camarillo, California, on November 22, 2002. She was 84. Jergens was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 26, 1917. She began her career working as a chorus girl in New York, and
was Gypsy Rose Lee’s understudy in the Broadway production of Star and Garter in the early 1940s. Her performance in the musical earned her a Columbia contract and she made her film debut in a small role in 1944’s Together Again. She starred in the 1944 serial Black Arrow. Over the next decade Jergens appeared in nearly fifty films, often playing gangster molls or brassy showgirls. Her films include A Thousand an One Nights (1945), Tonight and Every Night (1945), She Wouldn’t Say Yes (1945), Dancing in Manhattan (1945), The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947), Down to Earth (1947), When a Girl’s Beautiful (1947), Blondie’s Anniversary (1947), I Love Trouble (1948), The Prince of Thieves (1948), The Fuller Brush Man (1948), Ladies of the Chorus (1948), The Dark Past (1948), The Woman from Tangier (1948), Slightly French (1949), Law of the Barbara Coast (1949), The Crime Doctor’s Diary (1949), The Mutineers (1949), Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949), Make Believe Ballroom (1949), Blonde Dynamite (1950), Side Street (1950), Everybody’s Dancin’ (1950), Armored Car Robbery (1950), Edge of Doom (1950), Blues Busters (1950), The Sound of Fury (1950), The Traveling Saleswoman (1950), Radar Secret Service (1950), Beware of Blondie (1950), Sugarfoot (1951), Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951), Show Boat (1951), Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), Somebody Loves Me (1952), Fireman Save My Child (1954), Big Chase (1954), Overland Pacific (1954), The Miami Story (1954), Strange Lady in Town (1955), Outlaw Treasure (1955), The Cobweb (1955), The Lonesome Trail (1955), Roger Corman’s The Day the World Ended (1956), Fighting Trouble (1956), Runaway Daughters (1956), and Girls in Prison (1956). Jergens was married to actor Glenn Langan from 1949 until his death in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 9, 2002, B9; Variety, Dec. 16, 2002, 91.
Jewesbury, Edward
Adele Jergens
British actor Edward Jewesbury died on January 30, 2002. Jewesbury was a leading actor in British films and television. He was featured in such telefilms and mini-series as Persuasion (1971), Crown Court (1972), I, Claudius (1976) as Titus, Churchill and the Generals (1979), Edward and Mrs. Simpson (1980), The Patricia Neal Story (1981), Oedipus at Colonus (1984), Cyrano de Berg-
149
2002 • Obituaries
Edward Jewesbury
erac (1985), Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe (1985), Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder (1987), Look Back in Anger (1989), Forbidden Territory: Stanley’s Search for Livingstone (1997), Forgotten (1999), The 10th Kingdom (2000), and The Mists of Avalon (2001). Jewesbury was a member of Kenneth Branagh’s Renaissance Players, and appeared with Branagh in such films as Henry V (1989), Peter’s Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), and Richard III (1995). His other film credits include Sacco and Vanzetti (1971), Little Dorrit (1988), We Think the World of You (1988), The Grotesque (1995), In the Bleak Midwinter (1995), Preaching to the Perverted (1997), Mrs. Dalloway (1997), Beautiful People (1999), Undertaker’s Paradise (2000), and Dungeons & Dragons (2000). He also appeared on television in episodes of The Avengers, The Saint, Not on Your Nellie, Rumpole of the Bailey, Yes, Minister, Bugs, Blackadder II, Sorry!, Casualty, Poirot, Kavanagh QC, Highlander, Dangerfield, Where the Heart Is and Midsomer Murders.
Johns, Stratford British character actor Stratford Johns died of heart problems in Heveningham, Suffolk, England, on January 29, 2002. He was 76. Johns was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, on February 22, 1925. He moved to England in the late 1940s where he performed comedy routines and began appearing in television. He was featured in numerous films from the mid–1950s including The Ship That Died of Shame (1955), The
Stratford Johns
Night My Number Came Up (1955), The Ladykillers (1955), Who Done It? (1956), Tiger in the Smoke (1956), The Third Key (1956), The One That Got Away (1957), A Night to Remember (1958), The Professionals (1959), Hand in Hand (1960), Two-Letter Alibi (1962), The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery (1966), Those Fantastic Flying Fools (1967), The Plank (1967), Cromwell (1970), The Strange Case of the End of Civilization As We Know It (1977), The Saint and the Brave Goose (1979), The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980), George and Mildred (1980), Wild Geese II (1985), Car Trouble (1985), Foreign Body (1986), The Little Match Girl (1987), The Lair of the White Worm (1988), Salome’s Last Dance (1988), A Demon in My View (1991), and Splitting Heirs (1993). He was best known for his work on television, joining the cast of Z Cars as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in 1962. He continued the role in the series Softly Softly from 1966 to 1972. He was also seen in the mini-series I, Claudius (1976) as Piso, Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981), Scarlet & Black (1993) and NeverWhere (1996). Johns also appeared in television productions of Great Expectations (1981), Union Castle (1982), The Beggar’s Opera (1983), Hitler’s S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985), Brond (1987), Itch (1989), and The Life and Times of Henry Pratt
Obituaries • 2002
150
(1992). Other television credits include episodes of Ghost Squad, The Avengers, Department S, Blake’s 7, Doctor Who, Boon, Minder, The Return of the Saint, Alas Smith & Jones, Murder Most Horrid and Heartbeat. Times (of London), Jan. 31, 2002, 21a.
Johnston, Margaret British character actress Margaret Johnston died in a nursing home in England on June 29, 2002. She was 83. Johnston was born in Coolangatta, New South Wales, Australia, on August 10, 1918. She began performing on the Australian stage before setting out for England in the 1930s. She appeared in numerous London stage productions and, from the mid–1940s, appearing in a dozen films. Her film credits include The Rake’s Progress (1945), A Man About the House (1947), Portrait of Clare (1950), The Magic Box (1951), Monsieur Ripois (1954), Touch and Go (1955), Burn, Witch, Burn (1962), The Model Murder Case (1963), Life at the Top (1965), The Psychopath (1966) and Sebastian (1968). She left acting following the death of her husband, film director and agent Al Parker, in 1974, to run his talent agency until her retirement in the 1990s. Times (of London), July 6, 2002, 40b.
Jolley, Norman Leading television writer Norman Jolley died on August 13, 2002, in a Scottsdale, Arizona, hospital of cardiac arrest following surgery for pancreatic cancer. He was 86. Jolley was born in Adel, Iowa, on February 21, 1916. He began his career as an actor in the late 1940s, appearing in the films Pursued (1947), Flashing Guns (1947), and Silver River (1948). He became head writer for the popular children’s science fiction television series Space Patrol in the early 1950s, and also played the villainous Agent X in the first several episodes of the series. Jolley continued as a writer, scripting episodes of such series as I Led 3 Lives, Science Fiction Theater, Highway Patrol, The Man Called X, Wagon Train, Cimarron City, The F.B.I., Ironside and Barnaby Jones. He also scripted several films including Two-Gun Lady (1956), I’ve Lived Before (1956), The Monolith Monsters (1957), Joe Dakota (1957), and Appointment with a Shadow (1958). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 23, 2002, B13; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 66.
Margaret Johnston Norman Jolley
151
Jones, Chuck Legendary animator Chuck Jones died of congestive heart failure at his Corona del Mar, California, home on February 22, 2002. He was 89. Jones was born in Spokane, Washington, on September 21, 1912. He began his career in the early 1930s, working for animator Ub Iwerks. He joined Leon Schlesinger’s studio in 1936, and directed his first animated film, The Night Watchman, two years later. He remained at Warner Bros. after Schlesinger’s was sold to the studio, working on such landmark characters as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Daffy Duck. Jones also created the Warner characters Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Pepe le Pew, and Marvin Martian in the classic Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century (1953). He wrote and directed numerous cartoons for the studio until the animation department was closed in 1962. He subsequently worked at MGM, where he directed the Oscar-winning The Dot and the Line (1956). He also worked on episodes of Tom and Jerry, and the classic adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966). Jones also directed The Phantom Tollbooth (1969), Horton Hears a Who! (1970) and The Cricket in Times Square (1973).
2002 • Obituaries
Jones was an animator and consultant on Steven Spielberg’s 1941 (1979), and the films Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Stay Tuned (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Four Rooms (1995). In the 1980s Jones made cameo appearances in the films Gremlins (1984) and Innerspace (1987). Jones was given an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1996. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 2002, B16; New York Times, Feb. 24, 2002, 34; People, Mar. 11, 2002, 88; Time, Mar. 4, 2002, 80; Times (of London), Feb. 25, 2002, 39b; Variety, Mar. 4, 2002, 62.
Jones, Clark Pioneer television director Clark Reed Jones died of complications from emphysema at his Key West, Florida, home on March 28, 2001. He was 81. Jones began working in television in New York in the early 1940s and directed such series as The Voice of the People and The Eddie Condon Show for New York City’s WPIX. He subsequently joined NBC as a director, helming episodes of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, One Man’s Family, Caesar’s Hour, The Patrice Munsel Show and The Perry Como Show. He also directed a 1955 production of Peter Pan for television starring Mary Martin. During the 1960s Jones helmed episodes of The Bell Telephone Hour, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Funny Side, and a television production of Annie Get Your Gun with Ethel Merman in 1967. He also directed 19 telecasts of the Tony Awards show from 1967. Jones also helmed the special Night of 100 Stars, and telecasts of Miss Universe and Miss U.S.A. pageants. He retired in 1987. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 6, 2002, B17; New York Times, Apr. 5, 2002, C11; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 52.
Joseph, Robert L.
Chuck Jones
Film and television screenwriter and producer Robert L. Joseph died in East Chatham, New York, on April 27, 2002. He was 79. Joseph scripted such films as The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Gunsmoke in Tucson (1958), Door-to-Door Maniac (1961), The Third Secret (1964) which he also
Obituaries • 2002
152
produced, Ski Fever (1967), One Step to Hell (1967), Jack of Diamonds (1967), Strateg y of Terror (1969), and Echoes of a Summer (1976) which he produced. Joseph also worked often in television, scripting episodes for Boris Karloff ’s anthology series The Veil. He also wrote the telefilms and mini-series Companions in Nightmare (1967), Dr. Max (1974), SS: Death Flight (1977), The Word (1978), World War III (1982), Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels (1983), The Sun Also Rises (1984), Rage of Angels: The Story Continues (1986) and Sworn to Silence (1987). Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2002, B17.
Joyce, John Film and television editor John Joyce died of complications from a fall in Pocatello, Idaho, on May 6, 2002. He was 76. Joyce was born in New York City in 1926, and moved to Los Angeles with his family at the age of three. He began working in television in the 1950s, serving as an editor on such series as Kraft Suspense Theatre, 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, and The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. He also edited the films Mother (1970) and Equinox (1970).
Billy Judkins
June, Mahmud Malaysian film actor Mahmud June died at his home in Selayang, Selangor, Malaysia of com-
Judkins, Billy Stuntman Billy Judkins died on May 29, 2002, of injuries he received in an automobile accident. He was 46. Judkins was born in Layton, Utah, on September 13, 1955. He began competing in rodeos while in his teens and joined the Screen Actors Guild in 1985. He worked on the Rescue 911 television series in the late 1980s, and performed stunt work for such films as Cape Fear (1991), Highway to Hell (1992), Consenting Adults (1992), A Bronx Tale (1993), Dumb & Dumber (1994), Slaughter of the Innocents (1994), Payback (1994), Heaven Sent (1994), Automatic (1994), The Usual Suspects (1995), Casino (1995), Mad Dog Time (1996), Coyote Summer (1996), McHale’s Navy (1997), Bats (1997), Stranger Than Fiction (1999), The Crow: Salvation (2000), Partners in Crime (2000), The Perfect Storm (2000), Little Secrets (2001), and Just a Dream (2002). Judkins was an inductee in the Stuntman’s Hall of Fame. Mahmud June
153 plications from asthma on February 13, 2002. He was 81. He was born Mahmud Berani in 1920 and began his career on stage in the mid–1930s. He was featured in numerous films, usually as a villain. His credits include Seri Mersing, Jalak Lenteng, Selendang Merah, Nur Islam, Sumber Ilhamku, Anak Angkt and 1997’s Layar Lara.
Jurado, Katy Mexican actress Katy Jurado died of complications from lung and heart ailments at her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on July 5, 2002. She was 78. She was born Maria Cristina Jurado Garcia in Guadalajara, Mexico, on January 16, 1924. She began her film career in Mexico in the early 1940s, appearing in such Mexican films as Thou Shalt Not Kill (1943), Girls Boarding School (1943), Balaju (1943), La Sombra de Chucho el Roto (1945), We the Poor (1948), El Seminarista (1949) and Luis Bunuel’s The Brute (1952). She was featured in the 1951 film Bullfighter and the Lady and made her most memorable performance
2002 • Obituaries
in an American film as Helen Ramirez, Gary Cooper’s former mistress, in the classic High Noon (1952). She co-starred in numerous American productions through the early 1960s including San Antone (1953), Arrowhead (1953), Broken Lance (1954), The Racers (1955), Trial (1955), Trapeze (1956), Man from Del Rio (1956), Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957), The Badlanders (1958), and One-Eyed Jacks (1961). Jurado continued to perform in American and Mexican films until shortly before her death. Her credits include The Italian Brigands (1961), Barabbas (1962), The Bandit (1963), Smoky (1966), A Covenant with Death (1967), Stay Away, Joe (1968), The Door and the Woman of the Butcher (1968), The Bridge in the Jungle (1970), The Fearmaker (1971), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Once Upon a Scoundrel (1973), The Chosen One (1975), Los Albaniles (1976), The Recourse to the Method (1978), The Children of Sanchez (1978), The Widow Montiel (1979), Seduction (1980), Under the Volcano (1984), Divine (1998) and The Hi-Lo Country (1998). On television, Jurado starred as Rosa Maria Rivera in the 1984 series a.k.a. Pablo, and was featured in the telefilms Any Second Now (1969), A Little Game (1971), Evita Peron (1981), Lady Blue (1985). Her other television credits include episodes of The Rifleman, The Westerner, Death Valley Days, The Men from Shiloh, Alias Smith and Jones, Baretta, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, and numerous Mexican series. She was married to actor Ernest Borgnine from 1959 until their divorce in 1964. Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2002, B19; New York Times, July 6, 2002, A11; Time, July 15, 2002, 19; Times (of London), Aug. 1, 2002, 31a; Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Juran, Nathan
Katy Jurado
Nathan Juran, an Oscar-winning art director from the 1940s who became a prolific BMovie director in the 1950s, died at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California, on October 23, 2002. He was 95. Born in Austria on September 1, 1907, Juran was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was trained as an architect. He worked in New York as an architect before entering films in the late 1930s. He received an Academy Award for his art direction on the 1941 film How Green Was My Valley. Juran also served
Obituaries • 2002
154 tis (1957), The Brain from Planet Arous (1957), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958). He was director of Ray Harryhausen’s 1958 fantasy classic The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and, under the name Jerry Juran, scripted the 1961 horror film Dr. Blood’s Coffin. He continued to helm such features as Flight of the Lost Balloon (1961), Jack the Giant Killer (1963), Siege of the Saxons (1963), H.G. Wells’ First Men in the Moon (1964), East of Sudan (1964), and Land Raiders (1969). He also worked often in television, directing episodes of My Friend Flicka, Men into Space, World of Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Daniel Boone, A Man Called Shenandoah, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. Juran retired from films and returned to architecture after directing the 1973 horror film The Boy Who Cried Werewolf. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 1, 2002, B12; Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Justin, John Nathan Juran
as art director for Charley’s Aunt (1941), I Wake Up Screaming (1941), Belle Starr (1941), Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942), The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe (1942), Dr. Renault’s Secret (1942), That Other Woman (1942), and A Gentleman at Heart (1942). During World War II Juran worked with the Office of Strategic Services as a photographer. He returned to films as an art director after the war, working on The Razor’s Edge (1946), Body and Soul (1947), The Other Love (1947), Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948), Tulsa (1949), Undertow (1949), Free for All (1949), Winchester ’73 (1950), Harvey (1950), Deported (1950), Thunder on the Hill (1951), Reunion in Rio (1951), Cave of Outlaws (1951), Bright Victory (1951), Bend of the River (1952), Meet Danny Wilson (1952), and Untamed Frontier (1952). In the early 1950s Juran began directing features, including The Black Castle (1952), The Golden Blade (1953), Tumbleweed (1953), Law and Order (1953), Gunsmoke (1953), Highway Dragnet (1954), Drums Across the River (1954), The Crooked Web (1954), Hellcats of the Navy (1957), and Good Day for a Hanging (1958). Juran directed several cult classic science fiction films in the late 1950s, several under the name Nathan Hertz, including The Deadly Man-
British leading man John Justin, who starred as Prince Ahmed in Alexander Korda’s 1940 fantasy classic The Thief of Bagdad, died in London on November 29, 2002. He was 85. He was born John Justinian de Ledesma in London on November 24, 1917. He began his career on stage in the late 1930s, appearing in productions of The Merchant of Venice and Richard II. He made his screen debut in 1937’s Dark Journey with Vivien Leigh. He was best known for his role in The
John Justin
155 Thief of Bagdad in 1940. Justin continued to appear in such films as The Gentle Sex (1943), Journey Together (1946), Call of the Blood (1948), The Angel with the Trumpet (1950), David Lean’s The Sound Barrier (1952), Hot Ice (1952), Melba (1953), King of the Khyber Rifles (1953), The Village (1953), The Teckman Mystery (1954), Crest of the Wave (1954), The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955), Untamed (1955), Safari (1956), Guilty? (1956), Island in the Sun (1957), Man Wants to Live (1961), Candidate for Murder (1961), Barcelona Kill (1971), Savage Messiah (1972), Lisztomania (1975), Valentino (1977), The Big Sleep (1978), and Trenchcoat (1983). Justin also appeared on television in the mini-series Lillie (1978), and a production of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens (1981). His other television credits include episodes of Supernatural and Omnibus. Variety, Dec. 23, 2002, 40.
2002 • Obituaries
wrote books featuring such leading character as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash. He also wrote many of DC’s war comics and created the character of Sgt. Rock. He also created the Metal Men in the 1960s. Kanigher continued writing for comics through 2001, scripting a short Batman story published that year.
Kaquitts, Frank Frank Kaquitts died of a stroke in Calgary, Ontario, Canada, on November 19, 2002. He was 77. Kaquitts was a Stoney Indian Chief who starred as Sitting Bull in Robert Altman’s 1976 film Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976). Paul Newman was Buffalo Bill in the film. He was also the subject of a biography, The Song and the Silence: Sitting Wind: The Life of Stoney Indian Chief Frank Kaquitts.
Kanigher, Robert Veteran comic book writer and editor Robert Kanigher died on May 6, 2002. He was 86. Kanigher was born on June 18, 1915. He began working in comics in the 1940s, scripting the character the Blue Beetle for Fox Features Syndicate. He soon joined All-American Comics, and remained with the company when it merged with DC. During his long career at DC Kanigher
Frank Kaquitts Robert Kanigher (as drawn by Joe Kubert)
Obituaries • 2002
156
Karanth, B.V.
Kashef, Radwan el-
Indian film director Babukodi Venkataramana “BV” Karanth died of cancer in India on September 1, 2002. He was 73. Karanth was born in Bangalore, India, on October 7, 1928. Trained in music, he began his career directing for the stage in the late 1960s. He turned to films in the early 1970s, co-directing the acclaimed The Family Tree (1971) and The Hour of the Gods (1977). He was best known for his award-winning 1974 film Chomna’s Drum. He served as director of the Indian National School of Drama from 1978 to 1981.
Egyptian film director Radwan el-Kashef died of a stroke in Cairo, Egypt, on June 5, 2002. He was 50. Kashef was born in Egypt on August 6, 1952. He began his filmmaking career in the mid–1980s, helming the short films The Southern Woman (1984), The Workshop (1985), and Life of a Salesman (1986). He made his feature film debut with 1992’s Violets Are Blue. He was best known for his critically acclaimed 1997 film Date Wine. Kashef ’s final film, The Magician, was completed in 2001.
Radwan el-Kashef
Kasket, Harold
B.V. Karanth
Kasander, Paul Director Paul Kasander died of complications from a brain disease in Sand Key, Florida, on October 17, 2002. He was 80. Kasander began working as an actor in radio after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was heard in episodes of such radio series The Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, and The Challenge of the Yukon. He later worked as a director for CBS television in New York during the 1950s. Kasander also directed television commercials and business films with his wife, Kay Korwin.
British character actor Harold Kasket died in London on January 24, 2002. He was 75. Kasket was born in London on July 26, 1926. He began his career as a stand-up comic before becoming a character actor on stage. He made his film debut in the late 1940s and was featured in such films as No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948), Children of Chance (1949), Hotel Sahara (1951), Moulin Rouge (1952) with Jose Ferrer, Made in Heaven (1952), Saadia (1953), The House of the Arrow (1953), Beau Brummell (1954), Up to His Neck (1954), One Good Turn (1954), A Kid for Two Farthings (1955), The Dark Avenger (1955), Man of the Moment (1955), Doctor at Sea (1955), Out of the Clouds (1955), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Stowaway Girl (1957), The Key Man (1957), Pickup Alley (1957), A Tale of Two Cities (1958), The Naked Earth (1958), the 1958 fantasy classic The 7th Voyage of Sinbad as the Sultan, Wonderful Things (1958), Life Is a Circus (1958), The
157
Harold Kasket (right, with Kerwin Mathews from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad)(Columbia)
Scapegoat (1959), SOS Pacific (1959), Whirlpool (1959), Tommy the Toreador (1959), The Navy Lark (1959), The Mouse That Roared (1959), The Lady Is a Square (1959), The Heart of a Man (1959), Carter-Browne of the F.O. (1959), Sands of the Desert (1960), The Fourth Square (1960), The Green Helmet (1961), Loss of Innocence (1961), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), The Boy Who Stole a Million (1961), A Weekend with Lulu (1962), Village of Daughters (1962), Nine Hours to Rama (1963), The Return of Mr. Moto (1965), Arabesque (1956), Carnaby, M.D. (1966), Carry on In the Legion (1967), Where’s Jack? (1969), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983). He was also featured in the television mini-series A.D. (1985) and War and Remembrance (1989). His other television credits include episodes of The Avengers, Sierra Nine, The Saint, Secret Agent, Department S, Spyder’s Web, Jason King and The Tomorrow People.
Katzin, Lee H. Film and television director Lee H. Katzin died of cancer at his Beverly Hills home on October 30, 2002. He was 67. Katzin was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 12, 1935. He began his career in Hollywood in the late 1950s as an assistant director on such television series as Stoney Burke and The Outer Limits. He directed for television from the mid–1960s, helming episodes of Bonanza, Branded, Wild Wild West, The Rat Patrol, Felony Squad, The Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible, Hondo, Mannix, It Takes a Thief, Police
2002 • Obituaries
Story, Space: 1999, Man from Atlantis, CHiPs, The Mississippi, The Yellow Rose, Automan, Miami Vice, MacGyver, In the Heat of the Night, The Young Riders, The Outsiders, The Exile, Raven, Renegade, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He directed several feature films from the late 1960s including Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969), Heaven with a Gun (1969), The Phynx (1970), Le Mans (1971) starring Steve McQueen, The Salzburg Connection (1972), The Captive: The Longest Drive 2 (1976), World Gone Wild (1988), and The Break (1995). Katzin also directed numerous telefilms during his career including Along Came a Spider (1970), Visions… (1972), The Voyage of the Yes (1973), The Stranger (1973), Ordeal (1973), Savages (1974), Strange Homecoming (1974), The Last Survivors (1975), Sky Heist (1975), The Quest (1976), Relentless (1977), The Bastard (1978), Zuma Beach (1978), Terror Out of the Sky (1978), Samurai (1979), Death Ray 2000 (1981), The Neighborhood (1982), Emergency Room (1983), The Eagle and the Bear, The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (1987), The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (1988), and Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 8, 2002, B15; Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 63.
Kaye, Buddy Songwriter Buddy Kaye died in Rancho Mirage, California, on November 21, 2002. He was 84. He was born Jules Leonard Kaye in New York City on January 3, 1918. Kaye was a lyricist and co-writer of numerous popular songs from the 1940s including “Till the End of Time,” which was featured in the 1945 bio-film of composer Chopin, A Song to Remember. Kaye also collaborated on the songs “A — You’re Adorable,” which was a major hit for Perry Como, “Little by Little” and “All Cried Out,” which were recorded by Dusty Springfield, and “I’ll Close My Eyes.” His songs were heard in such films as Till the End of Time (1946), Sarge Goes to College (1947), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Great Rupert (1950), Not as a Stranger (1955), Twist Around the Clock (1961), Summer Holiday (1963), A Man Called Dagger (1967), Hurry Sundown (1967), Kill a Dragon (1967), and Change of Habit (1969). Kaye also cowrote the theme song for the I Dream of Jeannie television series in the 1960s.
Obituaries • 2002
158
Los Angeles Times, Nov. 24, 2002, B17; New York Times, Nov. 23, 2002, A17; People, Dec. 9, 2002, 135; Time, Dec. 2, 2002, 31; Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 60.
Kaye, Darwood Darwood Kaye, who starred as Waldo in the Our Gang comedy shorts, was killed on May 15, 2002, by a hit and run driver in Riverside, California, when he was struck by a truck while on his daily walk. He died at the Riverside Community Hospital later that night. He was 72. He was born Darwood K. Smith in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 8, 1929. He began working in the Our Gang comedies in the late 1930s, appearing as Waldo in over twenty shorts including Hearts Are Trumps (1937), Rushin’ Ballet (1937), Three Smart Boys (1937), Fishy Tales (1937), The Pigskin Palooka (1937), Mail and Female (1937), Our Gang Follies of 1938 (1937), Three Men in a Tub (1938), Came the Brawn (1938), The Little Ranger (1938), Party Fever (1938), Aladdin’s Lantern (1938), Duel Personalities (1939), Captain Spanky’s Show Boat (1939), Cousin Wilbur (1939), Dad for a Day (1939), Time
Darwood Kaye
Out for Lessons (1939), The New Pupil (1940) and Waldo’s Last Stand (1940). Kaye was also seen in the films Heroes of the Saddle (1940), Best Foot Forward (1943) with Lucille Ball and My Reputation (1946). He subsequently left acting to become a Christian missionary. He served as a pastor at several California Seventh-Day Adventist churches before retiring in 1994. Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2002, B3; New York Times, May 25, 2002, A28; Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Keale, Moe Hawaiian actor and singer Moe Keale died of a heart attack in Kailua, Hawaii, on April 14, 2002. He was 62. Keale was born in Hawaii on December 3, 1939. A musician and entertainer for over thirty years, Keale was a ukulele player for the Sons of Hawaii. He recorded several solo albums including South Sea Island Magic, Imagine and Aloha Is a Part of Me, A Part of You. Keale was perhaps best known for his numerous appearances in the television series Hawaii Five-O, also appearing on the series regularly as Truck Kealoha from 1979 to 1980. He also starred as Garfield Kalahani in the short-lived series Big
Moe Keale
159 Hawaii in 1977, and was Big Ben Kalikini in the 1979 series The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove. He was also seen in the telefilms Danger in Paradise (1977), Stickin’ Together (1978), The Islander (1978), Pearl (1978), The Paradise Connection (1979), M Station: Hawaii (180), Hawaiian Heat (1984), Gidget’s Summer Reunion (1985), and Blood & Orchids (1986), and appeared in episodes of Charlie’s Angels and Magnum, P.I.
Keane, John B. Irish writer John B. Keane died of prostate cancer at his home in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland on May 30, 2002. He was 73. Keane was born in Listowel on July 21, 1928. One of Ireland’s leading playwrights and novelists, Keane’s play Big Maggie was produced on Broadway in 1982. His novel The Field was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Richard Harris in 1990. Keane’s novel Durango was adapted for television in 1999. He wrote 19 plays during his ca-
John B. Keane
2002 • Obituaries
reer, including Sive (1959), Sharon’s Grave (1960), The Year of the Hiker (1962), and Big Maggie (1967). New York Times, June 1, 2002, B15; Times (of London), June 3, 2002, 30b.
Kelk, Jackie Radio actor Jackie Kelk died of a lung infection in Rancho Mirage, California, on September 5, 2002. He was 79. Kelk was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 6, 1923. He began his career on stage as a child and made his Broadway debut at the age of nine in Bridal Wave. He also appeared in productions of Goodbye Again, Me and Juliet and Jubilee. He was featured in several films as a child including Wrongorilla (1933) and Born to Be Bad (1934) as Loretta Young’s son. Kelk was best known for his role as Homer Brown, Henry Aldrich’s friend, on The Aldrich Family radio series from 1940 until 1951. He also played the role of Homer for two years in The Aldrich Family television series from 1949 to 1950. Kelk was a regular on such radio series as Hello, Pegg y and The Gumps, and starred in the title role in Terry and the Pirates from 1937 to 1939. He also played Jimmy Olsen in the Superman radio series for seven years. He starred in the
Jackie Kelk
Obituaries • 2002
160
short lived television series Young Mr. Bobbin in 1951. Kelk was also featured in the films Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) and The Pajama Game (1957), and episodes of such television series as Leave It to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 10, 2002, B11; Variety, Sept. 16, 2002, 67.
Kelley, Kevin Rock drummer and songwriter Kevin Kelley died in North Hollywood, California, on April 6, 2002. He was 59. Kelley was born in Los Angeles on March 25, 1943. He performed with the groups the Rising Sons and the Byrds. He was heard on the Byrds’ 1968 album Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Kelley was also heard on such albums as Jeff Fahey’s The Yellow Princess (1968), Fever Tree’s For Sale (1969), and Jesse Wolff and Whings (1972). Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2002, B17.
Kimball, Ward Pioneer Disney animator Ward Kimball died in an Arcadia, California, hospital on July 8, 2002. He was 88. Kimball was born on March 4, 1914. He began working at Disney in 1934. He helped redesign the Disney icon Mickey Mouse in 1938 and was credited with creating the character of Jiminy Cricket for the animated classic Pinocchio in 1940. He was also an animator on such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Fantasia (1940), The Reluctant Dragon (1941), Dumbo (1941), The Three Caballeros (1945), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Mary Poppins (1964), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Two of his animated shorts received Academy Awards —Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Bloom (1953) and It’s Tough to be A Bird (1969). Kimball also wrote and directed a trilogy of space exploration programs for the Disneyland television series in the 1950s —Man in Space, Man and the Moon and Mars and Beyond. He retired in 1973. Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2002, B10; New York Times, July 10, 2002, A22; Time, June 22, 2002, 15; Times (of London), July 10, 2002, 32b; Variety, July 15, 2002, 47.
Kevin Kelley
Ward Kimball
161
King, Dave British comedian and actor Dave King died in London on April 15, 2002. He was 72. King was born in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, on June 23, 1929. He began his career in the 1940s, performing with Morton Fraser and his Harmonica Gang in British variety shows. He embarked on a solo career in the mid–1950s, and hosted his own variety series on the BBC in 1955. Also a popular singer, King left the BBC to host a variety series on ITV in 1958. The following year he replaced Milton Berle as host of Kraft Music Hall. He also appeared in a special Bing Crosby Show in London in 1961, and was featured in small roles in several films including Pirates of Tortuga (1961), The Road to Hong Kong (1962), Go to Blazes (1962) and Strange Bedfellows (1964). Performing in the United States during much of the 1960s, he returned to England by the end of the decade. King began appearing in character roles in such films as Up the Chastity Belt (1971), The Ritz (1976), Cuba (1979), Golden Lady (1979), The Long Good Friday (1980), Warren Beatty’s Red (1981) and Revolution (1985). He also starred in the British television mini-series Pennies from Heaven in 1978, and was Fancy in the 1980 series Fancy Wanders. He was also seen in the
Dave King
2002 • Obituaries
1984 telefilm The First Olympics: Athens 1896, and was Clifford Duckworth on the popular British series Coronation Street from 1994 to 1995. His other television credits include episodes of The Sweeney, Target, Hazell, Shoestring, The Professionals, Bergerac, Rumpole of the Bailey and Heartbeat. Times (of London), Apr. 17, 2002, 31c.
King, Freeman Actor and comedian Freeman King died of a heart attack on June 1, 2002. He was 59. King was born in Pelahachie, Mississippi, on June 1, 1943. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, often teaming with fellow comic Murray Langston. During the early 1970s he appeared often on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. He also appeared on television in the variety shows The Bobby Vinton Show, Dance Fever, and SemiTough. King was also a panelist on numerous game shows including The Match Game, The Gong Show and The $1.98 Beauty Show. King was featured in several films including The Buddy Holly Story (1978), Under the Rainbow (1981), Mike’s Murder (1984), Fletch (1985), Moving Violations (1985), Dangerous Curves (1988), Lionheart (1990), To Protect and Serve (1992) and the 1999 telefilm King’s Pawn. He starred as Ozzie
Freeman King
Obituaries • 2002
162
Nelson in the 2000 television series Driving Me Crazy. Other television credits include episodes of Sanford and Son, What’s Happening!!, Starsky and Hutch, The Incredible Hulk, Eight Is Enough, Hill Street Blues, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Simon & Simon, Moonlighting, Bagdad Cafe and Life Goes On. Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2002, B13.
Kingsbury, Craig Johnstone Craig Johnstone Kingsbury, a Massachusetts fisherman who was hired to teach actor Robert Shaw the local dialect for Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film Jaws, died at an Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, nursing home on August 29, 2002. He was 89. After spending several weeks teaching Shaw how to talk like a crusty sea captain, Kingsbury was given a small role in the film. He played Ben Gardner, an old fisherman whose shark-severed head is found floating amongst the wreckage of his boat by Richard Dreyfuss in an underwater sequence in the film.
Kirby, Beecher Ray Country comedian Beecher Ray Kirby, who performed on the dobro guitar with the Grand Ole Opry as Bashful Brother Oswald, died in Nashville after a long illness on October 27, 2002. He was 90. Kirby performed with the Smoky Mountain Boys, who were the backup group for musician Roy Acuff from 1939 until Acuff ’s death in 1992. Kirby subsequently performed a solo act with the Grand Ole Opry. He had previously recorded several solo albums in the 1960s and was featured on recordings of other artists.
Beecher Ray Kirby
Kiyokawa, Nijiko
Craig Johnstone Kingsbury (as a victim of Jaws)
Japanese comic actress Nijiko Kiyokawa died of a lung hemorrhage in a Kawasaki, Japan, hospital on May 24, 2002. She was 89. She was born Hana Sekiguchi in the Chiba Prefecture in 1913. She began performing with a comedy troupe in Tokyo in the early 1930s. She was also featured in films from the 1930s through the 1990s including Composition Class (1938), Roppa’s Honeymoon (1940), Jakoman and Tetsu (1949), TwentyFour Eyes (1954), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956), Akira Kurosawa’s The Lower Depths
163 (1957), Snow Country (1965), One Man of the Gambler’s Code (1966), Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Match (1969), Forest of Little Bear (1979), Vengeance Is Mine (1979), Ballad of Narayama (1982) and Shogun Warrior (1992). She was also a popular television performer before liver disease curtailed her career in the early 1990s.
Klein, Alexander Novelist Alexander Klein died at his Manhattan, New York, home on August 13, 2002. He was 83. Klein was born in Szibo, Hungary, on November 12, 1918. He was best known for the 1958 novel The Counterfeit Traitor, based on the life of Swedish businessman Erik Erickson, who spied for the Allies during World War II. The novel was adapted into a 1962 film starring William Holden. Klein’s other works include The Empire City (1955) and Dissent, Power and Confrontation (1972). New York Times, Aug. 24, 2002, A14.
2002 • Obituaries
Klos, Louise Harpist Louise Klos Steiner Elian died in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 7, 2002. She was 96. A leading harpist with Hollywood orchestras, Klos performed on the soundtrack for such films as King Kong, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, and The Jungle Book. She was married for a decade to renowned film composer Max Steiner. After her divorce from Steiner she performed in various Broadway musical orchestras and toured with several ballet companies. Los Angeles Times, July 16, 2002, B11.
Knapp, Caroline Author Caroline Knapp died of lung cancer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on June 4, 2002. She was 42. Knapp was best known for her bestselling memoir Drinking: A Love Story (1996), detailing her two decade battle with alcoholism. Knapp was a staff writer, editor and columnist for
Kleiner, Dick Entertainment columnist and author Dick Kleiner died in San Juan Capistrano, California, on February 13, 2002. He was 80. Kleiner was born in New York City on March 9, 1921. He began working as a journalist in Cleveland in 1946 after serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. He was later transferred to New York, where he reported on Broadway news. Kleiner moved to Hollywood in 1961, where he conducted interviews with numerous stars. He assisted Jackie Cooper and Mervyn LeRoy in authoring their autobiographies. Kleiner wrote numerous other books including The Two of Us with Tony Martin and Cyd Charisse, and The Ghost Who Danced with Kim Novak. Kleiner was also a lyricist for numerous popular songs including “Say Hey — The Willie Mays Song,” and “It’ll Get Worse” for Pearl Bailey. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 27, 2002, B11; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 53.
Caroline Knapp
Obituaries • 2002
164
Phoenix, Arizona, newspapers for over a decade. She also wrote the best selling book Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs, in 1998. Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2002, B18; New York Times, June 5, 2002, A25.
Knef, Hildegarde German actress Hildegarde Knef, who was also billed as Hildegard Neff, died in a Berlin hospital from a lung infection on February 2, 2002. She was 76. Knef was born in Ulm, Wurtemberg, Germany, on December 28, 1925. She began her career appearing in Nazi propaganda films during World War II. She continued to appear in films in Germany after the war including Under the Bridges (1945), Murderers Among Us (1948), Film Without a Name (1950), The Story of a Sinner (1951), Miracles Still Happen (1951), Decision Before Dawn (1951), Detour (1952), Alraune (1952), Holiday for Henrietta (1952) and Illusion in a Minor Key (1952). She came to Hollywood in the late 1940s to appear with Montgomery Clift in The Big Lift, but was released from the project when allegations of her Nazi connections were revealed. She returned several years later to co-star with Gregory Peck and
Ava Gardner in 1952’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro. She continued her career on screen in films in the United States and Europe including Diplomat Courier (1952), Night Without Sleep (1952), The Man Between (1953), A Love Story (1954), Confession Under Four Eyes (1954), Svengali (1955), Escape from Sahara (1958), Port of Desire (1958), Subway in the Sky (1959), The Man Who Sold Himself (1959), Valley of the Doomed (1960), Three Penny Opera (1962), Lulu (1962), Bluebeard (1962), Hypnosis (1962), Catherine of Russia (1962), And So to Bed (1963), Mark of the Tortoise (1964), Condemned to Sin (1964), Gibraltar (1964), Mozambique (1965), Hammer’s The Lost Continent (1968), Fedora (1978), Why Do the UFOs Steal Our Lettuce (1980), Checkpoint Charlie (1980), The Future of Emily (1985), and Witchery (1988). She also appeared often on German television in such series as Der Alte and Berlin Break, and was featured in an episode of The Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Knef was also a popular cabaret singer from the 1960s, and appeared on Broadway in a production of Silk Stockings. She wrote her autobiography, The Gift Horse, in 1971. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 2, 2002, B15; New York Times, Feb. 2, 2002, C16; People, Feb. 18, 2002, 71; Time, Feb. 11, 2002, 20; Times (of London), Feb. 2, 2002, 25c; Variety, Feb. 4, 2002, 60.
Knight, Damon
Hildegarde Knef
Science fiction writer Damon Knight died after a lengthy illness in Eugene, Oregon, on April 15, 2002. He was 79. Knight was born in Baker City, Oregon, on September 19, 1922. He wrote over 100 short stories in his career that began in 1941. He also wrote over a dozen novels including Hell’s Pavement, his first in 1955, and Humpty Dumpty: an Oval, his final in 1996. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award in 1956 and the Grand Master Nebula Award in 1994. Knight was perhaps best known for his short story To Serve Man, which was adapted for television as an episode of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone in the 1960s. He was also a leading teacher with the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop at Michigan State University for nearly 30 years, and the editor of the science fiction anthology series Orbit. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 18, 2002, B13; New
165
2002 • Obituaries
Damon Knight
Frederick Knott
York Times, Apr. 17, 2002, A21; Time, Apr. 29, 2002, 29; Times (of London), June 4, 2002, 27b; Variety, Aug. 5, 2002, 36.
following year. Dial M for Murder was remade as a telefilm in 1981, and became the 1998 film A Perfect Murder starring Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 22, 2002, B13; New York Times, Dec. 20, 2002; Time, Dec. 30, 2002, 21.
Knott, Frederick Playwright Frederick Knott died in his Manhattan apartment on December 17, 2002. He was 86. Knott was born in Hankow, China, on August 28, 1916, the son of Quaker missionaries from England. Knott served in the Royal Artillery during World War II. His first play, Dial M for Murder, was produced by BBC television in 1952. It soon became a popular play, opening on Broadway with Maurice Evans later in the year. Knott assisted in writing the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film version of Dial M for Murder. Knott subsequently wrote the play Write Me a Murder, which was produced in 1961. His play Mr. Fox of Venice was adapted to film as The Honey Pot in 1967. Knott’s final play, Wait Until Dark, debuted on Broadway in 1966. It was adapted into a film starring Audrey Hepburn the
Kobart, Ruth Stage and screen actress Ruth Kobart died of pancreatic cancer at her home in San Francisco, California, on December 14, 2002. She was 78. Kobart was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 24, 1924. She began her career on stage, appearing in the short-lived Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Pipe Dream in 1955. She received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the 1963 Broadway comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She also appeared in the Broadway hit How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and reprised her role as Miss Jones in the 1967 film version. She moved to San Fran-
Obituaries • 2002
166 ducing films. He scripted and produced 1962s Reach for Glory and wrote 1963’s Siege of the Saxons. Kohn was nominated for an Academy award for his script for 1965’s The Collector, which he also produced. He also produced the films Fathom (1967), The Magus (1968), Figures in a Landscape (1970), The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie (1972), and Theatre of Blood (1973), and scripted 1979’s Goldengirl. He served as head of production for EMI from 1979 until 1983. He subsequently returned to independent production with the films Racing with the Moon (1984) and Shanghai Surprise (1986). Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2002, B19; Variety, May 20, 2002, 67.
Kolitz, Zvi Ruth Kobart
cisco in 1967 with the American Conservatory Theater, appearing in such productions as Tartuffe and Home. Kobart also appeared in the films Petulia (1968), Dirty Harry (1971), The Hindenburg (1971), Sister Act (1992), and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). She appeared regularly as Iris Frankel in Bob Newhart’s 1992 television sitcom Bob, and guest starred in episodes of The Bionic Woman, CHiPs, Matt Houston, St. Elsewhere, Remington Steele, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Life with Lucy, Midnight Caller, and Murphy Brown. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2002, B14; Variety, Dec. 23, 2002, 40.
Film producer Zvi Kolitz died in New York City on September 29, 2002. He was 89. Kolitz was born in Vilius, Lithuania (then Russia), in 1913. He and his family moved to Italy in 1936 before going to Palestine. He was well known for his
Kohn, John Screenwriter and producer John Kohn died of cancer at his Sherman Oaks, California, home on May 4, 2002. He was 76. He began his career writing for radio and began scripting for television in the 1950s. Kohn wrote episodes of such series as The Man Loves of Dobie Gillis, Bachelor Father, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Ann Sothern Show and My Little Margie. He moved to Paris in the late 1950s, where he wrote a television series for Art Buchwald. Several years later he moved to London where he also began pro-
Zvi Kolitz
167 short story on the Holocaust, Yosl Rakover Talks to God, and was co-writer and producer of Israel’s first film, Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer, in 1955. Kolitz also produced the Broadway plays Deputy (1964), The Megilla of Itzik Manger (1968), and I’m Solomon (1968). Kolitz also wrote for a Yiddish newspaper for over 30 years. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 9, 2002, B13; New York Times, Oct. 7, 2002, B8; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Konya, Sandor Hungarian operatic tenor Sandor Konya died at his home on the Spanish Island of Ibiza on May 20, 2002. He was 78. Konya was born in Sarkad, Hungary, on September 23, 1923. He made his professional debut in Germany in a production of Cavalleria Rusticana in 1951. He became a leading performer on the German operatic stage during the 1950s, performing the title role of Wagner’s Lohengrin in 1958. He again per-
2002 • Obituaries
formed the role in his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1961. He continued to perform with the Met for fourteen seasons, appearing in productions of Aida, Der Fliegende Hollander, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Tosca, and Parsifal. His final performance with the met was in Jenufa in 1974. Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2002, B12; New York Times, June 6, 2002, A29; Times (of London), June 13, 2002, 34b.
Kopecky, Eleanore Actress Eleanore Kopecky died of complications from pneumonia in a Salisbury, Maryland, hospital on March 12, 2002. She was 86. She was born Eleanor Campsall in Detroit, Michigan, in 1916. She began her career on stage in the 1930s and was featured the Broadway production of You Can’t Take It With You. She also appeared in small roles in several films in the 1980s including Broadcast News (1987) and Zits (1988).
Kruschen, Jack
Sandor Konya
Leading character actor Jack Kruschen died after a long illness on April 2, 2002. He was 80. Kruschen was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on March 20, 1922. He began his career as a teenager performing on radio in the late 1930s. A successful stage actor, he began appearing in films in the late 1940s. Kruschen was seen in such films as Red, Hot and Blue (1949), Young Man with a Horn (1950), Woman from Headquarters (1950), Where Danger Lives (1950), No Way Out (1950), Cuban Fireball (1951), The Lemon Drop Kid (1951), Gambling House (1951), The People Against O’Hara (1951), Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951), Meet Danny Wilson (1952), Confidence Girl (1952), Tropical Heat Wave (1952), Just Across the Street (1952), Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation (1953), Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953), War of the Worlds (1953) as one of the first victims of the Martin deathray, Money from Home (1953), The Great Diamond Robbery (1953), Fast Company (1953), A Blueprint for Murder (1953), It Should Happen to You (1954), Untamed Heiress (1954), Tennessee Champ (1954), The Long, Long Trailer (1954), Carolina Cannonball (1955), Dial Red O (1955), The Night Holds
Obituaries • 2002
168
Jack Kruschen
Terror (1955), Soldier of Fortune (1955), The Benny Goodman Story (1955), The Steel Jungle (1956), Julie (1956), Outside the Law (1956), Badlands of Montana (1957), Reform School Girl (1957), Fraulein (1958), Cry Terror! (1958), The Buccaneer (1958), The Decks Ran Red (1958), Beloved Infidel (1959), The Gazebo (1959), Angry Red Planet (1959), The Last Voyage (1960), The Apartment (1960) earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jack Lemmon’s neighbor, The Bellboy (1960), Studs Lonigan (1960), Seven Ways from Sundown (1960), Where the Boys Are (1960), Lover Come Back (1961), The Ladies’ Man (1961), Follow That Dream (1962), Cape Fear (1962), Convicts 4 (1962), McLintock! (1963), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Dear Brigitte (1965), Harlow (1965) as Louis B. Mayer, Caprice (1967), The Happening (1967), $1,000,000 Duck (1972), Freebie and the Bean (1974), Satan’s Cheerleaders (1977), Guardian of the Wilderness (1977), Sunburn (1979), Under the Rainbow (1981), Legend of the Wild (1981), Money to Burn (1983), Cheaters (1984), Penny Ante: The Motion Picture (1990) and
‘Til There Was You (1997). Kruschen was also featured in numerous telefilms including Istanbul Express (1968), Emergency! (1972), Deadly Harvest (1972), The Log of the Black Pearl (1975), The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper (1976), The November Plan (1976), Incredible Rocky Mountain Race (1977), The Time Machine (1978), Once Upon a Starry Night (1978), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1981), Dark Mirror (1984), Deadly Intentions (1985), Arthur Miller’s The American Clock (1993) and Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is (1994). He co-starred as Tully in the 1960 drama series Hong Kong with Rod Taylor, and was Sam Markowitz in the 1977 series Bustin Loose. From 1985 until 1987 he starred as Papa Papadapolis on the comedy series Webster. His other television credits include episodes of Gunsmoke, Superman, The Gale Storm Show, Zorro, Trackdown, Sugarfoot, The Rifleman, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Lawless Years, The Rough Riders, Bat Masterson, Law of the Plainsman, Black Saddle, Death Valley Days, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, The Westerner, The Detectives, Naked City, Mister Ed, Batman, Bonanza, I Spy, Nanny and the Professor, The Magician, Medical Center, Emergency!, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Rockford Files, Ellery Queen, Barney Miller, The Incredible Hulk, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, Trapper John, M.D., Alice, Vega$, CHiPs, Little House on the Prairie, Darkroom, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hart to Hart, Zorro and Son, The A-Team, Tucker’s Witch, Matt Houston, E/R, Hill Street Blues, The Fall Guy, Remington Steele, Matt Houston, Hotel, Magnum, P.I., Full House, Mom P.I., Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, Tucker’s Witch, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2002, B24; New York Times, May 23, 2002, C14; Variety, May 13, 2002, 39.
Kulidzhanov, Lev Russian film director Lev Kulidzhanov died of a stroke in Moscow on February 18, 2002. He was 77. Kulidzhanov was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, on March 19, 1924. A leading film director in the Soviet Union from the mid–1950s, Kulidzhanov’s credits include Damy (1954), It Began This Way… (1956), The House I Live In (1958), The Lost Photography (1959), A Home for Tanya (1959), When the
169
2002 • Obituaries
the early 1960s. During his career he wrote over 200 short stories and twenty novels, including Past Master (1968), The Reefs of Earth (1968), Space Chantey (1968), The Flame Is Green (1971), and Half a Sky (1984). He received the Hugo Award for his 1972 short story Eurema’s Dam. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 1, 2002, B9; New York Times, Mar. 29, 2002, A27.
Landers, Ann Lev Kulidzhanov
Trees Were Tall (1961), The Blue Notebook (1963), Crime and Punishment (1969), Starlit Minute (1972), Karl Marx: The Early Years (1979), 1991’s Not Afraid to Die, and Forget-Me-Nots (1994).
Lafferty, R.A. Leading science fiction writer Raphael Aloysius Lafferty died after a long illness in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 18, 2002. He was 87. Lafferty was born in Neola, Iowa, on November 7, 1914. An electrical engineer, he began writing fiction in
Esther “Eppie” Lederer, who was known as syndicated newspaper advice columnist Ann Landers, died of cancer at her home in Chicago, Illinois, on June 22, 2002. She was 83. Lederer was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in July 4, 1918. She became Ann Landers writing a column for the “Chicago Sun-Times” in 1955 after the original Ann Landers columnist died. Her advice column became one of the most widely syndicated columns, appearing in over 1,200 papers throughout the world. Her twin sister, Pauline Esther Phillips, later began the rival advice column “Dear Abby,” under the name Abigail Van Buren. This led to friction between the two sisters for a number of years. Lederer continued to write the Ann Landers column until her death. Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2002, A1; New York Times, June 24, 2002, A20; People, July 8, 2002, 67; Time, July 1, 2002, 19; Times (of London), June 24, 2002, 36c.
Ann Landers (left, w/twin sister Abigail Van Buren)
R.A. Lafferty
Obituaries • 2002
170
Lange, Henry
Laurie, Cy
French film producer Henry Lange died of cancer in Paris on September 5, 2002. He was 64. The son of a French diplomat, Lange produced over sixty films during his career. His films include Death Disturbs (1970), Daughters of Darkness (1971), The Monk (1972), the 1974 Academy Award-winning documentary Hearts and Minds, Concorde Affair (1978), Circle of Passions (1983), the 1987 Oscar-winning foreign film Le Journal d’un Vieux Fou, Werner Herzog’s Scream of Stone (1991), and Le Mirage (1992) Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Jazz clarinetist Cy Laurie died on April 18, 2002. He was 75. Laurie was born in London on April 20, 1926. He began play professionally with trumpeter Mike Daniels in 1949. He formed the Cy Laurie Four the following year and became the resident band at Cy Laurie’s Jazz Club in London. Laurie left the music scene in 1960s to study Eastern religions with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India. He resumed his career later in the decade, performing with the Black Bottom Stompers and trombonist Max Collie. During the 1980s he toured with his own show, That Rhythm Man. Laurie continued to perform until poor health forced his retirement in 1999. Times (of London), Apr. 24, 2002, 33b.
Larson, Bob Bob Larson, a child actor in films in the 1940s, died of Parkinson’s disease in Logan, Utah, on May 1, 2002. He was 72. He was born Robert Boyd Larson in Los Angeles on March 27, 1930. He began his film career as a child in the late 1930s, appearing in such films as Down the Wyoming Trail (1939), The Five Little Peppers at Home (1940), The Courageous Dr. Christian (1940), Five Little Peppers in Trouble (1940), The Bank Dick (1940) with W.C. Fields, Out West with the Peppers (1940), Bachelor Daddy (1941), Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), Half Shot at Sunrise (1941), Design for Scandal (1941), Woman of the Year (1942), The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine (1942), Ship Ahoy (1942), Riders of the Northland (1942), Quiet Please: Murder (1942), Jackass Mail (1942), Good Luck, Mr. Yates (1943), Robin Hood of the Range (1943), The Leather Burners (1943), The Underdog (1943), Garden of Eatin’ (1943), Smart Guy (1943), The Iron Major (1943), Sagebrush Heroes (1944), The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944), An American Romance (1944), The Unwritten Code (1944), The Sullivans (1944), My Pal, Wolf (1944), The Adventures of Rusty (1945), Life with Blondie (1945), Blondie’s Lucky Day (1946), Personality Kid (1946), Cross My Heart (1946), Blondie’s Holiday (1947) and Redwood Forest Trail (1950). He was also featured often in the Lux Radio Theater. During the 1950s Larson served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He subsequently taught elementary school in Los Angeles until his retirement in 1987.
Cy Laurie
Lee, James H. Film and television writer James H. Lee died of emphysema in Los Angeles on July 2, 2002. He was 79. Lee began his career as an actor on the New York stage before he began writing in the late 1950s. He wrote several plays, including Career, which he adapted for film in 1959 starring Dean Martin. He also scripted the films The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960), Banning (1967), Counterpoint (1968) and Change of Habit (1969) starring Elvis Presley. Lee also worked often on
171 television, writing episodes for The Defenders and scripting the 1967 television version of The Diary of Anne Frank. He scripted 4 of the 12 episodes for the landmark Roots television mini-series in 1977, and was also the creator of the short-lived Patrick McGoohan television medical series Rafferty in 1977. His other credits include the telefilms The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975), Louis Armstrong — Chicago Style (1976), and My Wicked, Wicked Ways.. The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985), and the mini-series Scruples (1980) and Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story (1987). Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2002, B19; New York Times, July 7, 2002, 19; Variety, July 22, 2002, 38.
Lee, Jon Jon Lee, the drummer for the rock band Feeder, was found dead in his Miami home on January 7, 2002. Lee, who was 33, committed suicide by hanging. Born in Newport, South Wales, on March 28, 1968, he was a founding member of Feeder in the early 1990s. The group had their first hit, High, in 1997. Feeder also recorded the successful albums Yesterday Went Too Soon (1999) and Echo Park (2001), which included the hit single “Buck Rogers.” Variety, Feb. 4, 2002, 61.
2002 • Obituaries
singing professionally while in her teens, appearing on a Fargo, North Dakota, radio station. She subsequently moved to Hollywood, where she soon began singing with Benny Goodman’s band. She performed such hit songs as “Why Don’t You Do Right?,” and co-wrote and sang “Manana” and “It’s a Good Day.” She was seen in several films from the 1940s including The Powers Girl (1942), Stage Door Canteen (1943), Midnight Serenade (1947), Mr. Music (1950), The Jazz Singer (1952) and Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955), earning an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress. She also collaborated on the songs for the 1955 Disney animated film, The Lady and the Tramp, singing several songs in the film. Lee recorded over 600 songs during her career, including themes for such films as Johnny Guitar (1954), The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966), and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968). She largely retired in the late 1970s after a battle with pneumonia and a serious fall in a New York City hotel, but returned in 1981 to earn a Grammy nomination for Miss Pegg y Lee Sings The Blues. She was again nominated for a Grammy for 1991’s There’ll Be Another Spring. She was married several times — to Benny Goodman guitarist Dave Barbour, drummer Jack Del Rio, and actors Brad Dexter and Dewey Martin. Plagued by poor health, including bouts with di-
Jon Lee
Lee, Peggy Singer Peggy Lee died of a heart attack at her Bel Air, California, home on January 21, 2002. She was 81. The sultry, smoky-voiced singer was born Norma Delores Estrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, on May 26, 1920. She began
Peggy Lee
Obituaries • 2002
172
abetes and heart trouble, Lee suffered a major stroke in 1998. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 23, 2002, A1; New York Times, Jan. 23, 2002, A17; People, Feb. 4, 2002, 77; Time, Feb. 4, 2002, 17; Times (of London), Jan. 23, 2002, 19a; TV Guide, Feb. 23, 2002, 6; Variety, Jan. 28, 2002, 55.
Lemarque, Francis French singer and composer Francis Lemarque died in Varenne Saint-Hilaire, Val-deMarne, France, on April 20, 2002. He was 84. He was born Nathan Korb in Paris on November 25, 1917. He worked in French music halls from an early age. Lemarque joined the French Resistance during World War II and, after the war, began writing songs for singer Yves Montand. He wrote such popular songs as “Matilda,” “Marjolaine,” “A Paris” and “Quand un Soldat.” From the late 1950s Lemarque composed scores for over a dozen films including Mimi Pinson (1958), The Old
Francois Lemarque
Guard (1960), Wasteland (1960), Keep Talking, Baby (1961), The Counterfeiters of Paris (1961), Duke of the Derby (1962), Maigret Sees Red (1963), Playtime (1967), and Special Section (1975). Times (of London), Apr. 27, 2002, 40c.
LeNoire, Rosetta Actress Rosetta LeNoire died in Teaneck, New Jersey, after a long illness on March 17, 2002. She was 90. She was born Rosetta Olive Burton in New York City on August 8, 1911. She performed as a chorus girl in the late 1920s with her godfather, dancing legend Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. She was subsequently featured in Orson Welles’ all-black production of Macbeth, and made her Broadway debut in The Hot Mikado in 1939. She was also featured in Broadway productions of The Sunshine Boys, Lost in the Stars and A Streetcar Named Desire. She appeared on television in the 1950s in episodes of Studio One, and on such soap operas as Search for Tomorrow and The Guiding Light. She was also featured in the films Anna Lucasta (1958), Fritz the Cat (1972) as a voice actor, The Sunshine Boys (1975), Thank You, M’am (1976), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Brother from Another Planet (1984), Brewster’s Millions (1985), Lily in Love (1985), and Whatever It Takes (1986). She was best
Rosetta LeNoire (from Family Matters) (Lorimar)
173 known for her role as Mother Winslow in the long running television sitcom Family Matters from 1989 to 1997. She was also seen as Mother Maybelle Harper in Gimme a Break! from 1986 to 1987 and as Leoa Forbes in Amen from 1987 to 1989. Her other television credits include the telefilms The Royal Family (1977), Dorothy Parker’s Big Blond (1980), Benny’s Place (1982), You Can’t Take It with You (1985) and Father Clements Story (1987). She also appeared in the soap operas A World Apart, Another World, and Ryan’s Hope, and in episodes of such series as The Nurses, Calucci’s Department, Tales from the Darkside and Cosby. LeNoire was the founder of the Amas Repertory Theatre in 1968. The New York-based organization developed such popular musicals as Bojangles and Bubbling Brown Sugar. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 20, 2002, B11; New York Times, Mar. 20, 2002, A27; People, Apr. 8, 2002, 171; Variety, Mar. 25, 2002, 95.
Lenski, Robert W. Television scripter Robert W. Lenski died of cancer in Los Angeles on June 19, 2002. He was 75. Lenski wrote episodes for such series as Cannon, Longstreet, Barnaby Jones, Kojak, and Kaz. He also scripted numerous telefilms and miniseries including Who Is the Black Dahlia? (1975), Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976), Maneaters Are Loose! (1978), The Dain Curse (1978) which earned him the first of three Emmy nominations, The Aliens Are Coming (1980), Chiefs (1983), Kane & Abel (1985), Mafia Princess (1986), After the Promise (1987), Decoration Day (1990), O Pioneers! (1992), Breathing Lessons (1994), Roommates (1994), The Gift of Love (1994), The Return of the Native (1994), Mary Higgins Clark’s Remember Me (1995), A Season in Purgatory (1997), Anne Tyler’s Saint Maybe (1998), What the Deaf Man Heard (1997), and A Death in the Family (2001). Los Angeles Times, June 26, 2002, B11; Variety, July 1, 2002, 44.
Lenzini, Daniel Singer and radio personality Daniel Lenzini died of kidney and heart failure at a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on September 29, 2002. He was 39. Lenzini was born in Memphis in 1963. A
2002 • Obituaries
Daniel Lenzini
singer and songwriter, he worked at local radio stations from the 1980s. He appeared in a small role in the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt and was featured in John Michael McCarthy’s 1997 independent film The Sore Losers.
Leonard, Queenie British actress and cabaret singer Queenie Leonard died at her apartment in West Los Angeles on January 17, 2002. She was 96. She was born Pearl Walker in London on April 7, 1905. She began her career performing on stage with her father, John Leonard Walker, at the age of 14. She was soon appearing in musicals on stage and, in the early 1930s, made her film debut. Leonard was featured in such films as Who Killed Doc Robin? (1931), Romance in Rhythm (1934), Skylarks (1936), Limelight (1936), Moonlight Sonata (1937), The Show Goes On (1937), Millions (1937) and Queen of Crime (1938). She moved to Hollywood in 1939 where she continued to appear in such films as Confirm or Deny (1941), Ladies in Retirement (1931), This Above All (1942), Eagle Squadron (1942), Forever and a Day (1943), Thumbs Up (1943), The Lodger (1944), The Uninvited (1944), Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944), Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (1945) as Mrs. Rogers, Tonight and Every Night (1945), My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), Molly and Me (1945), Cluny Brown (1946), The Locket (1946), Life with Father (1947), The Lone Wolf in London (1947), Homecoming (1948), My Own True
Obituaries • 2002
174
Queenie Leonard
Francis Leroi
Love (1948), The Secret of St. Ives (1949), A Life of Her Own (1950), Kind Lady (1951), Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951) as the voice of the Bird in the Tree, Lorna Doone (1951), Thunder on the Hill (1951), Les Miserables (1952), The Narrow Margin (1952), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), Thunder in the East (1953), The King’s Thief (1955), DDay the Sixth of June (1956), 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956), Disney’s 101 Dalmatians (1961) as the voice of the Princess, The Notorious Landlady (1962), Hatari! (1962), The Prize (1963), What a Way to Go! (1964) and My Fair Lady (1964). Leonard also performed in nightclubs and was featured on television in episodes of The 20th Century Fox Hour, One Step Beyond, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 29, 2002, B11; Variety, Feb. 4, 2002, 61.
manuelle 2 (1975), Emmanuelle 4 (1984), Emmanuelle’s Revenge (1992), Emmanuelle’s Magic (1992), Emmanuelle’s Love (1993) and Emmanuelle Forever (1993). His other film credits include La Poupee Rouge (1968), Marianne’s Temptations (1972), Erotic Pleasures (1976), Fella (1977), Experiments in Blue (1981), Open Nightly (1982), A Change of Partners (1982), Demon of the Island (1983), and Leather Dreams (1992)
Leroi, Francis French film director and writer Francis Leroi died of cancer in Mauritius on March 21, 2002. He was 59. Leroi was born in Paris on September 5, 1942. He began his career in films in the early 1960s, serving as an assistant to Claude Chabrol on 1962’s Landru. He made his feature film debut as a director with 1967’s Pop Game. Leroi was best known for directing several films in the soft-core Emmanuelle series including Em-
Lessing, Florence Dancer Florence Lessing died of kidney failure in New York City on September 5, 2002. She was 86. She was born in New York city in 1916. She joined with choreographer Jack Cole and dancer Anna Austin as a trio in the late 1930s. Cole choreographed the 1941 Betty Grable film Moon Over Miami, which featured Lessing in a dance number. She was also seen in the 1952 film Just for You. She also appeared in numerous Broadway plays, many choreographed by Cole, including Sailor Beware and Kismet. Lessing also choreographed her own nightclub acts in the mid–1940s. She was the founder of the New York Academy of Ballet in 1960, and taught there until it’s closing in 1991. New York Times, Sept. 22, 2002, 39.
175
Lester, Buddy Comedian Buddy Lester died of cancer in a Los Angeles nursing home on October 5, 2002. He was 85. He was born in Chicago on January 16, 1917, the younger brother of comedian Jerry Lester. He began his career as a stand-up comedian and became Frank Sinatra’s opening act in Las Vegas. He also appeared with Sinatra and the Rat Pack in several films including Ocean’s Eleven (1960) and Sergeants 3 (1962). Lester was also featured in numerous films starring Jerry Lewis including The Nutty Professor (1963), The Patsy (1964), Three on a Couch (1966), The Big Mouth (1967), Hardly Working (1980), and 1983’s Cracking Up. His other film credits include The Gene Krupa Story (1959), The Party (1968), and The Man From Clover Grove (1975). Lester was featured on television as Nick in The New Phil Silvers Show from 1963 to 1964. Lester played Al Capone in the 1973 comedy telefilm Poor Devil, and was seen in 1978’s Crash. His other television credits include episodes of Dragnet 1967, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., That Girl, Mayberry R.F.D., Love, American Style, It Takes a Thief, Petticoat Junction, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Alias Smith and Jones, The Odd Couple, Adam-12, Emergency!, Kojak, Barney Miller, Switch, Starsky and Hutch, and The Feather and Father Gang. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 10, 2002, B19; New
Buddy Lester
2002 • Obituaries
York Times, Oct. 12, 2002, B7; Time, Oct. 21, 2002, 27; Variety, Oct. 14, 2002, 48.
Levathes, Peter Film executive Peter Levathes died of kidney failure in a Washington, D.C., hospital on January 9, 2002. He was 90. Levathes was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1911. He began his career in films working with Twentieth Century Fox in New York in 1937. He headed Fox’s television and news departments from 1945 to 1952. He subsequently worked in advertising for several years before rejoining Fox as executive vice-president for world-wide productions in 1959. He oversaw productions of such films as Tender Is the Night, State Fair, Cleopatra, and Something’s Got to Give. He again left Fox in 1962 to resume his work in advertising. He served as chief of funding and program development with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington from 1976 until his retirement in 1981. New York Times, Jan. 17, 2002, B8.
Peter Levathes
Obituaries • 2002
176
Levitt, Alfred Lewis Film and television writer Alfred Lewis Levitt died of heart failure in Los Angeles on November 16, 2002. He was 87. Levitt was born in New York City in 1915. Levitt wrote for the early television anthology series Studio One, and scripted the films The Boy with Green Hair (1948), Shakedown (1950), My Outlaw Brothers (1951), and Dream Wife (1953). Levitt’s career was interrupted by the Hollywood Blacklist in the early 1950s because of his involvement with the Communist Party. Levitt subsequently wrote under the assumed name, Tom August. He worked on the films The Two-Headed Spy (1958), The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964), and The Monkey’s Uncle (1965). He resumed the use of his real name in credits in the late 1960s. He wrote for such television series as Love on a Rooftop, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Donna Reed Show, The Brady Bunch, All in the Family, and The Bionic Woman. Levitt often collaborated with his wife, screenwriter Helen Slotte Levitt, until her death in 1993. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 21, 2002, B20; Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 63.
Levy, Norman Film executive Norman Levy died of cancer at his Los Angeles home on September 17, 2002. He was 67. Levy was born in New York in 1935. He began working in films with Universal Pictures’ sales department in 1957. He later worked with National General Pictures from the late 1960s. Levy became Columbia’s president of distribution in 1974, orchestrating the acquisition of such independent films as You Light Up My Life and The Lords of Flatbush. He became president of 20th Century Fox Entertainment in 1980, heading the distribution and marketing of Fox films. He also acquired the popular teen comedy Porky’s for Fox before leaving the company in 1984. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 28, 2002, B19; Variety, Oct. 7, 2002, 104.
3, 2002. She was 81. Lewis was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1920. She began skating with the Ice Follies while in her teens, and starred in the 1941 film Ice-Capades. During the 1940s she headlined her own ice show, and continued to perform through the 1970s.
Lieb, Robert P. Veteran character actor Robert P. Lieb died of complications from intestinal surgery in Los Angeles, California, on September 28, 2002. He was 88. Lieb was born in Pelham, New York, in 1914. He began his career on stage and appeared on Broadway in productions of Mr. and Mrs. North, Inherit the Wind, Harvey, and Death of a Salesman. He appeared in numerous films from the mid–1960s including Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Elmer Gantry (1960), Portrait in Black (1960), Underworld U.S.A. (1961), The Brass Bottle (1964), The Fortune Cookie (1966), Clambake (1967), Stay Away, Joe (1968), Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), The Love God? (1969), Angel in My Pocket (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), How to Frame a Figg (1971), and The Parallax View (1974). He was best known for his many appearances on television. Lieb appeared regularly as Henry Pearson on the My Three Sons sitcom from 1960 to 1961, and was Harry Thompson, Mr.
Lewis, Dorothy Ice skating star Dorothy Lewis died at a Minneapolis, Minnesota, nursing home on May
Robert P. Lieb
177
2002 • Obituaries
Baxter’s brother-in-law, on Hazel from 1961 to 1965. His other television credits include episodes of Jefferson Drum, The Californians, Perry Mason, Alcoa Presents, Tales of Tomorrow, Out There, The Deputy, The Twilight Zone, Tales of Wells Fargo, Death Valley Days, Dr. Kildare, Grindl, My Favorite Martian, Bonanza, My Living Doll, The Virginian, The F.B.I., F Troop, The Road West, Bewitched, Alias Smith and Jones, Ghost Story, Charlie’s Angels and ALF. He was also seen in the telefilms The Missiles of October (1974) as General Curtis LeMay, The Million Dollar Rip-Off (1976), Crash (1978), Portrait of a Showgirl (1982) and Dangerous Heart (1994). His last film role was in the 1999 super-hero comedy Mystery Men. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1,2002, B11; Variety, Oct. 14, 2002, 48.
Lindgren, Astrid Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, who created the popular children’s character Pippi Longstocking, died of a viral infection in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 28, 2002. She was 94. She was born Astrid Anna Amelia Ericsson in Vimmerby, Sweden, on November 14, 1907. The author of over 100 works of fiction, poetry and prose, Lindgren created the unruly Pippi Longstocking, with her braided red hair and mismatched socks, in 1945. The popular character was featured in many of Lindgren’s subsequent works and was the subject of numerous film versions including 1970’s Pippi Longstocking on the South Seas and 1988’s The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking. Lindgren’s Mio, My Son was also adapted into film as Mio in the Land of Faraway in 1987. Her other filmed works include Master Detective Blomkvist (1947), Tjorven, Batsman and Moses (1964), The Brothers Lionheart (1977), Madicken (1979), Meg of June Hill (1980), Rasmus and the Vagabond (1981), Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter (1984), The Children of Noisy Village (1986), Brenda Brave (1989), Simon Small (1990), A Clever Little Girl Like Lotta (1992) and The Master Detective and Rasmus (1997). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 29, 2002, B10; New York Times, Jan. 29, 2002, B9; People, Feb. 11, 2002, 87; Time, Feb. 11, 2002, 20; Times, Jan. 29, 2002, 17a; Variety, Feb. 4, 2002, 60.
Astrid Lindgren
Littlewood, Joan Leading British theatrical producer, director and writer Joan Littlewood died in London on September 20, 2002. She was 87. Littlewood was born in London on October 6, 1914. She became involved with avant-garde theater after dropping out of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Teaming with her future husband, playwright Ewan McColl, she founded the Theater of Action, a touring improvisational troupe. She produced Shelagh Delaney’s controversial play A Taste of Honey, which was later adapted into a film. Littlewood wrote and directed the 1963 film Sparrows Can’t Sing. She also produced the improvisational Oh! What a Lovely War in 1963. The show later appeared on Broadway and was adapted to film by Richard Attenborough in 1969. Her other productions included Brendan
Obituaries • 2002
178
Joan Littlewood
Behan’s The Hostage, The Quare Fellow, and Wolf Mankowitz’s Make Man an Offer. Littlewood authored her autobiography, Joan’s Book, in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 25, 2002, B11; New York Times, Sept. 24, 2002, B8; Time, Oct. 7, 2002, 33; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 65.
Lo Lieh Hong Kong actor Lo Lieh who was featured in numerous kung fu films in the 1970s, died of a heart attack in Shenzhen, China, on November 3, 2002. He was 63. He was born Wong Lap-Dat in Canton, China, on June 29, 1939. He began his film career in the mid–1960s and was featured in such action features as The Thundering Sword (1967), The Lady Hermit (1968), The Girl with the Thunderbolt Kick (1968), Twelve Deadly Coins (1969), Hammer of God (1970), Duel for the Gold (1971), The Lizard (1972), Five Fingers of Death (1973) which he also scripted, Devil and Angel (1973), The Three Fantastic Supermen in the Orient (1974), Kidnap (1974), Bamboo House of Dolls (1974), The Stranger and the Gunfighter (1974), Master of Death (1975), Pregnant by a Ghost (1975), Black Magic (1975), Dragon King (1976),
Lo Lieh
International Police (1976), Big Boss 2 (1976), Black Magic II (1976), Chinese Connection 2 (1976), Dragon King 2 (1977), Shaolin Executioner (1977), Deadly Kick (1977), Great Martial Arts Teacher (1978), Warriors (1978), Enlightened Buddhist Named Mok-ryeon (1978), Born Invincible (1978), The Master Killer (1978), Any Which Way You Punch (1978), Fists of Bruce Lee (1978), Dancing Kung Fu (1978), The Damned (1978), Three Shaolin Musketeers (1978), Shaolin Abbot (1979), Dirty Ho (1979), Black Belt Karate (1979), Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979), Eighteen Claws of Shaolin (1979), Daredevils of Kung Fu (1980), Fists and Guts (1980), The Battle Wizard (1980), Secret of Chinese Kung Fu (1980), Kung Fu: Monkey, Horse, Tiger (1980), Clan of the White Lotus (1980), Golden Triangle (1980), Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind (1980), Bruce’s Deadly Fingers (1980), Red Phoenix (1981), God of Killers (1981), Men of the Hour (1981), Human Skin Lanterns (1982), Ninja vs. Bruce Lee (1982), Murder of Murders (1982), Ghosts Galore (1982), Eagle Claw Vs. Butterfly Palm (1982), The Enchantress (1983), Black Magic with Buddha (1983), Crazy Shaolin Disciples (1983), I Will Finally Knock You Down,
179 Dad (1985), Ninja Massacre (1984), The Occupant (1984), Deadly Roulette (1986), In the Line of Duty 5 (1987), Tragic Heroes (1987), Dragons Forever (1987), On the Run (1988), City War (1988), Edge of Darkness (1988), Seven Warriors (1989), Black Dragon (1989), Shanghai Encounter (1990), Queen of Temple Street (1990), Tiger Cage (1990), Family Honor (1990), A Killer’s Blues (1990), To Be Number One (1991), Bullet for Hire (1991), The Tigers (1991), Angel Terminators 2 (1991), Sex and Zen (1992), Supercop (1992), Bruce Lee and Kung Fu Mania (1992), The Flying Daggers (1993), Tragic Fantasy: Tiger of Wanchai (1994), and Dangerous Duty (1996). Lo Lieh also directed several films in the 1980s including Clan of the White Lotus (1980), Black Magic with Buddha (1983), Let Us Flirt, Partner (1988), Edge of Darkness (1988) and Hong Kong Godfather (1991). His final film performance was in 2001’s Glass Tears.
Lofton, Christopher Television writer Christopher Lofton died of cancer on May 11, 2002. He was 62. Lofton began his career in show business as an actor, appearing in the telefilms Not in Front of the Children (1982), Robert Kennedy and His Times (1985), and Kids Don’t Tell (1985), and such television series as Starsky and Hutch, The Greatest American Hero (1981), Remington Steele, The Colbys, and 1985’s The Twilight Zone. He was also seen in the daytime soap opera All My Children. Lofton soon turned to writing television in the early 1990s, scripting such telefilms as Bump in the Night (1991), A Killer Among Friends (1992), Call of the Wild (1993), True Women (1997), Mary Higgins Clark’s Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1997), The Staircase (1998), Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble (2000), The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (2001), and Steve Martini’s The Judge (2001). He also scripted the 1996 film version of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, and 1999’s Kingdom Come. He was working on the telefilm The Buffalo Soldier at the time of his death. Variety, July 1, 2002, 44.
2002 • Obituaries
pancreatitis and respiratory ailments in Victoria, Texas, on October 13, 2002. He was 86. Logan began his career in radio at the age of 16 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He founded Louisiana Hayride in 1948. The program gave national exposure to such stars as Elvis Presley, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Elvis made his first appearance on the show in 1954 and on another visit in 1956 Logan coined the phrase “Elvis has left the building.” Logan remained with the program until 1958. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 16, 2002, B10; New York Times, Oct. 16, 2002, C14; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Lohman, Al Al Lohman, co-host of the popular Lohman & Barkley radio comedy show in California, died of complications from bladder cancer in a Rancho Mirage, California, hospital on October 13, 2002. He was 69. Lohman was born in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, in 1933. He began his long-running association with Ralph Barkley in 1961, entertaining audiences on KFI-AM radio in California. Lohman and Barkley also made appearances in nightclub acts and on such television programs as The Ed Sullivan Show and Hollywood Squares. The duo also hosted the 1969 television series Name Droppers, and 1979’s Bedtime Stories. They
Logan, Horace Lee Horace Lee Logan, the founder of the country music program Louisiana Hayride, died of
Al Lohman
Obituaries • 2002
180
remained partners until 1985. Lohman was also seen in the 1987 film Amazon Women on the Moon, and was narrator of the 1988 telefilm Spies, Lies and Naked Thighs. Barkley died of cancer in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 15, 2002, B12.
Lomax, Alan Musicologist and author Alan Lomax died at his home in Safety Harbor, Florida, on July 19, 2002. He was 87. Lomax was born in Austin, Texas, on January 31, 1915, the son of folklorist John Avery Lomax. Alan worked with his father on develop the Archive of Folk Song at the Library of Congress in the 1930s. They also published several folk song collections including American Ballads and Folk Songs and Negro Folk Songs as Sung by Leadbelly. He was an early presenter of such legendary folk artists as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Burl Ives on his radio program in the 1930s and 1940s. He continued to work as a musicologist after his father’s death in 1948. Lomax recorded and interviewed numerous
blues musicians throughout the South during the 1940s. He also travelled to Europe to study folk songs of around the world, which was eventually released in 18 volumes by Columbia Records. Lomax’s acclaimed publications also include Folk Songs of North America (1960) and The Land Where the Blue Began (1993). His book on musician Jelly Roll Morton, Mr. Jelly Roll, served as the basis of a popular Broadway musical. He made a 1985 film about American Indians, The Longest Trail, and a PBS mini-series, American Patchwork. Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2002, B15; New York Times, July 20, 2002, A1; People, Aug. 5, 2002, 77; Time, July 29, 2002, 16; Times (of London), July 25, 2002, 30b; Variety, July 29, 2002, 46.
Lombardo, Lou Film editor Lou Lombardo, who often worked with director Robert Altman, died of complications from a stroke at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on May 8, 2002. He had suffered a stroke in 1991 and had remained in a coma ever since. He was 70. He began his film career as a cameraman and worked as an editor for the 1966 television series Felony Squad. He soon began editing such feature films as The Name of the Game Is Kill (1968), Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), Red Sun (1971), Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies (1973), The Long Goodbye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974), California Split (1974), The Black Bird (1975), The Late Show (1977), Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke (1978), The Changeling (1980), Steele Justice (1987), Moonstruck (1987), Stewardess School (1987), January Man (1989), Uncle Buck (1989), In Country (1989), Defenseless (1990), Fires Within (1991), and Other People’s Money (1991). Lombardo also directed two films —Russian Roulette (1975) and P.K. and the Kid (1987). Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Long, Paul Alan Lomax
Pittsburgh new broadcaster Paul Long died of congestive heart failure at a Washington, Penn-
181
2002 • Obituaries
Longstreet, Stephen Author and screenwriter Stephen Longstreet died of pneumonia and congestive heart failure in Los Angeles on February 20, 2002. He was 94. Longstreet was born Chauncey Weiner in New York City on April 18, 1907. Trained as an artist, he traveled to Paris in the late 1920s where he began writing articles on jazz. He also began to write detective fiction. Longstreet worked on the 1935 film Barbary Coast, and his novel, The Gay Sisters, was filmed in 1942. He also scripted the films The Impostor (1944), Uncle Harry (1945), The Jolson Story (1946) and Stallion Road (1947). Another novel, Silver River, was adapted to film in 1948. He also wrote for such films as The First Traveling Saleslady (1956), The Helen Morgan Story (1957), Untamed Youth (1957), Outcasts of the City (1958), Wild Harvest (1961), and The Secret Door (1962). Longstreet also wrote for radio and scripted episodes of Playhouse 90 for television. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22, 2002, B12. Paul Long
sylvania, hospital on July 12, 2002. He was 86. Long was born in Como, Texas, on January 28, 1916. He briefly performed on Broadway before entering radio as a broadcaster in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. He came to Pittsburgh in 1946, joining KDKA radio. In 1969 he joined station WTAE as a news anchor. He remained with the station until his retirement in 1994.
Longenecker, Charles Radio producer Charles Longenecker died in Thousand Oaks, California, on December 10, 2002. He was 93. Longenecker began his career in radio in New York. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1930s where he worked with such stars as Kate Smith and Lum and Abner. He joined the Myron Selznick & Co. talent agency in the 1940s, and became head of its radio department. Later in the decade he formed Telepak, Inc., a company to package filmed shows for television, including programs featuring Milton Berle, Arthur Godfrey, and many others. From the mid–1950s Longenecker worked in the industry as a talent agent. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 2002, B9.
Stephen Longstreet
Lopes, Lisa Singer Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, a member of the pop group TLC, was killed in a car crash in Honduras on April 25, 2002. She was 30. She
Obituaries • 2002
182
Lord, Mary Actress Mary Lord died in California on March 26, 2002. She was 81. She was born Edith Bell in Scammon, Kansas, on June 23, 1920. She appeared in several films in the 1940s including The Valley of Decision (1945), Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) and The Hoodlum Saint (1946).
Lord, Walter Historian and author Walter Lord died of Parkinson’s Disease at his apartment in Manhattan on May 19, 2002. He was 84. Lord was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 8, 1917. A former advertising executive, Lord became a popular historian best known for his account of the sinking of the Titanic, A Night to Remember, in 1955. His book was the basis of a Kraft Television Theatre adaptation in 1956 and a popular film starring Kenneth More in 1958. Lord’s other works include The Good Years (1960), about the
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes
was born in Philadelphia on May 27, 1971. She joined the popular singing group with Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas in the 1990s and recorded the hit songs “No Scrubs” and “Waterfalls.” TLC’s most recent album was 1999’s FanMail. Lopes appeared in the 1994 film House Party 3, and was hostess of the 1998 MTV television series The Cut. She also appeared in an episode of television’s Living Single in 1995. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 27, 2002, B20; New York Times, Apr. 27, 2002, A12; People, May 13, 2002, 68; Time, May 6, 2002, 23; Times (of London), Apr. 27, 2002, 40c; Variety, May 6, 2002, 84.
Walter Lord
183
2002 • Obituaries
first fifteen years of the 20th Century, A Time to Stand (1961) about the siege of the Alamo, and Peary and the Pole (1963). He also wrote The Past That Would Not Die (1968) concerning the integration of the University of Mississippi in the 1960s, Incredible Victory (1967), about the Battle of Midway, and The Dawn’s Early Light (1972), dealing with the Battle of Baltimore in 1814. Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2002, B10; New York Times, May 21, 2002, C25; Time, June 3, 2002, 27; Times (of London), May 29, 2002, 30b; Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Lord Pretender Aldric Farrell, who became a leading Calypso singer under the name Lord Pretender, died at his home in Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad, after a long illness on January 22, 2002. Farrell was born in Tobago on September 8, 1917. He began his career at the age of 12 and became a major star from the 1930s. His numerous hits included “Never Ever Worry,” “Ode o the Negro Race,” “God Made Us All,” and a version of “Que Sera Sera,” which won him the Calypso king competition in 1957. Pretender continued to perform through the mid–1990s, until poor health forced his retirement. New York Times, Feb. 8, 2002, A21.
Lord Pretender
Lott, Barbara British actress Barbara Lott died in London on December 19, 2002. She was 82. She was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, on May 15, 1920. Lott began her film career in small roles as a child. She began performing on stage in repertory theatre and made her London debut in Love for Love in 1944. She appeared in numerous plays and was featured on television in a BBC production of Twelfth Night in 1950. She became a popular television performer, appearing in episodes of Mystery and Imagination, Danger Man, The Duchess of Duke Street, Inspector Morse, The Survivors, and Z Cars. She was best known for her roles in the British comedy series Rings on Their Fingers from 1978 to 1980, Sorry! from 1981 to 1988, and 2point4 Children in 1991. Lott also appeared in several films during her career including The
Barbara Lott
Obituaries • 2002
184
Party’s Over (1966), Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971), Ballet Shoes (1975), and The Pillow Book (1996).
Los Angeles Times, Apr. 23, 2002, B11; New York Times, Apr. 24, 2002, A25; People, May 6, 2002, 78; Time, May 6, 2002, 23; Times (of London), Apr. 24, 2002, 33b; Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 42.
Lovelace, Linda Adult film actress Linda Lovelace, who starred in the landmark pornographic film Deep Throat, died on April 22, 2002, in a Denver, Colorado, hospital of injuries she received in an automobile accident on April 3. She was 53. She was born Linda Boreman in New York City on January 10, 1949. She starred in the adult films Deep Throat (1972), Deep Throat Part II (1973), Exotic French Fantasies (1974), The Confessions of Linda Lovelace (1974), Sexual Ecstasy of the Macumba (1975), and Linda Lovelace for President (1976). In her 1980 biography, Ordeal, she claimed that she had been forced to perform in Deep Throat at gunpoint by her first husband. They divorced in 1973. She later became an outspoken crusader against pornography.
Linda Lovelace
Lowitsch, Klaus German actor Karl Lowitsch died of cancer in Berlin on December 3, 2002. He was 66. Lowitsch was born in Berlin on April 8, 1936. He was a popular German film star from the 1950s and appeared in such films as Seven Years Hard Luck (1957), The Crammer (1958), And Saucy at That (1959), The Black Cobra (1963), Girls, Girl (1967), Till the Happy End (1968), The Brutes (1970), Jail Bait (1972), Fight for Gold (1973), Libero (1973), Hubertus Castle (1973), The Odessa File (1974), Shadow of Angels (1976), The Brothers (1977), Cross of Iron (1977), Despair (1978), The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979), Desire, the Interior Life (1980), Night Crossing (1981), Firefox (1982), The Wizard of Babylon (1983), Gotcha! (1985), Trea-
Klaus Lowitsch
185 sure Island in Outer Space (1987), Exil (1989), and What to Do in Case of Fire (2002). One of his final film roles was as a Serbian war criminal in 2002’s Extreme Ops. Lowitsch was also a familiar face on German television, appearing in such series as Der Kommissar, Derrick, and Der Alte.
Lucas, John Meredyth Television writer and director John Meredyth Lucas died of leukemia in Los Angeles on October 19, 2002. He was 83. Lucas was the son of actor and director Wilfred Lucas and screenwriter Bess Meredyth. His mother later married Casablanca director Michael Curtiz, who adopted Lucas and gave his a job as his script clerk. In the early 1950s Lucas scripted several films including Dark City (1950), Red Mountain (1951), Peking Express (1951), Captain Pirate (1952), Tumbleweed (1953), The Scarlet Hour (1956), The Sign of Zorro (1958), and My Blood Runs Cold (1965). During the 1950s he also began writing for television scripting episodes of such
John Meredyth Lucas
2002 • Obituaries
series as Mr. and Mrs. North, Zorro, Ben Casey, The Fugitive, Star Trek, Kojak, Harry O, Logan’s Run, and Rafferty Lucas also scripted the 1971 Irwin Allen telefilm City Beneath the Sea. Lucas was a producer for several series including Insight, Ben Casey, The Fugitive, Star Trek and 1980’s Beyond Westworld, and directed episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Zorro, Insight, Whiplash, Ben Casey, The Fugitive, Star Trek, The Invaders, Mannix, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Planet of the Apes. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 29, 2002, B12; New York Times, Oct. 31, 2002, A25.
Lucentini, Franco Italian experimental novelist Franco Lucentini died at his apartment in Turin, Italy, on August 5, 2002, in an apparent suicide. Lucentini was suffering from cancer. He was 81. Lucentini was born in Rome, Italy, on December 24, 1920. His first literary work, The Unknown Companions, was written about his time spent in Vienna after World War II. Lucentini met fellow author Carlo Fruttero in 1953, and the two men became working together as translators. They translated the works of such writers as Jorge Luis Borges, Samuel Beckett, and Robert Louis Stevenson into Italian. They also wrote satirical articles for La Stampa newspaper. Their first novel, The Sunday Woman, was published in 1972. It was adapted for
Franco Lucentini
Obituaries • 2002
186
a 1976 film starring Marcello Mastroianni. Lucentini and Fruttero also authored The D Case or the Truth About the Mystery of Edwin Drood in 1989, a humorous attempt to complete Charles Dicken’s unfinished novel.
Luisi, James Actor James Luisi died of cancer in Los Angeles on June 7, 2002. He was 73. Luisi was born in New York City on November 11, 1928. He began his career on stage and performed in numerous Broadway productions including Alfie, Sweet Charity and Zorba. A popular television performer from the early 1960s, Luisi was seen in episodes of Naked City, The Rifleman, Bonanza, Adam-12, Cade’s County, Cannon, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, The Rookies, Kojak, The Streets of San Francisco, Hawkins, Ironside, Gunsmoke, S.W.A.T., Starsky and Hutch, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, City of Angels, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Hunter, Wonder Woman, Sword of Justice, Vega$, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, CHiPs, Hart to Hart, Riker, Matt Houston, T.J. Hooker, Whiz Kids, Riptide, The A-Team, Finder of Lost Loves, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I., Valerie, L.A. Law, Tequila and Bonetti, Silk Stalkings and Baywatch Nights. He appeared regularly as Lt. Doug Chapman on the television series The
Rockford Files with James Garner from 1976 to 1980. He also starred in several soap operas including Another World as Philip Wainwright from 1975 to 1976, Santa Barbara as Ben Clark from 1987 to 1988, and Days of Our Lives as Duke and Earl Johnson from 1987 to 1992. Luisi was also seen as Harry Foreman in the 1979 series Harris and Company and was Lieutenant Joe Marciano on Renegades in 1983. Other television credits include the telefilms The Police Story (1973), Cry Rape (1973), Honky Tonk (1974), Future Cop (1976), Contract on Cherry Street (1977), A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978), Love Is Not Enough (1978), One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story (1978), Our Family Business (1981), The Sophisticated Gents (1981), Beyond Witch Mountain (1982), Sunset Limousine (1983), The Red-Light Sting (1984), Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (1989), and the Rockford sequels The Rockford Files: If The Frame Fits… (1996) and The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play (1996). Luisi also appeared in a handful of feature films during his career including Ben (1972), I Escaped from Devil’s Island (1973), The Take (1974), Stunts (1977), Moment by Moment (1978), Norma Rae (1979) with Sally Fields, Killer’s Delight (1979), Fade to Black (1980), Star 80 (1983), Murphy’s Law (1986), The Hidden (1987), Feds (1988), Lethal Woman (1989) and Wanted (1999). Los Angeles Times, June 20, 2002, B12; New York Times, June 22, 2002, B21; Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Lum, Benjamin
James Luisi
Character actor Benjamin Lum died of cancer in Glendale, California, on January 1, 2002. He was 48. Lum was born in Hawaii in 1953. He began his career on stage in Hawaii, before moving to Los Angeles. He appeared often on television from the mid–1980s in such series as MacGyver, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, Family Matters, Bodies of Evidence, NYPD Blue, Married … With Children, Murder One, Coach, Total Security, Goode Behavior, Silk Stalkings, The Nanny, Buddy Faro, Sons of Thunder, ER and Bette. He also starred as Mr. Lee in the 1988 western television series Paradise, and was Captain Kreel in 2000’s The Privateers. Lum also appeared in the films The Check Is in the Mail (1986), The Underachievers (1987), The
187
2002 • Obituaries
Lucille Lund (with Charley Chase)
Benjamin Lum
Wizard of Speed and Time (1988), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), Black Day Blue Night (1995), Gunshy (1998), Outside Ozona (1998), Shadow Hours (2000), Now Chinatown (2000) and Perfect Game (2000), and the telefilms Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990), The Innocent (1994), Freaky Friday (1995) and A Thousand Men and a Baby (1997).
Lund, Lucille Lucille Lund, a leading lady in films in the 1930s, died in Rolling Hills, California, on February 15, 2002. She was 89. She was born in Buckley, Washington, on June 3, 1913. She began her career in films with Universal in 1933 after winning the “most beautiful college coed” contest while studying drama at Northwestern University. She appeared in small roles in the comedies Horseplay (1933) and Saturday’s Millions (1933), and starred with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the 1934 classic horror film The Black Cat. Lund was also featured in the films Folies-Bergere (1934), Kiss and Make Up (1934), Fighting Through (1934), Young and Beautiful (1934), Pirate Treasure (1934), Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), Range Warfare (1935), Rio Grande Romance (1936), Timber War (1936), What Price Vengeance? (1936), Put on the Spot (1936), Prison Shadows (1936), Don’t Get Persona (1936), Crim-
inals of the Air (1937), The Devil Is Driving (1937), Calling All Doctors (1937), It Happened in Hollywood (1937), The Big Squirt (1937), Girls Can Play (1937), A Fight to the Finish (1937), Blake of Scotland Yard (1937), the Three Stooges shorts Three Dumb Clucks (1937) and Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb (1938), Start Cheering (1938), There’s That Woman Again (1939) and the 1939 Charley Chase comedy The Awful Goof. She subsequently retired from films, though she appeared in several television commercials in the 1950s. During the past decade she was a guest at several nostalgia conventions including the Memphis Film Festival. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 2002, B11; New York Times, Feb. 22, 2002, B10.
Luraschi, Luigi Film executive Luigi Luraschi died at his home in Paris, France, on March 31, 2002. He was 96. Luraschi was born in London on July 11, 1905. He began working with Paramount Pictures in 1929, and headed the studio’s international department from the early 1930s. In the early 1960s Luraschi worked in Rome with Dino De Laurentiis producing such films as Barabbas (1962) and The Bible… In the Beginning (1966). He remained with Paramount, working in the studio’s Rome offices, until his retirement in 1993. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 10, 2002, B11; Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84.
Obituaries • 2002
188
Lutyens, Edith Costume designer Edith Lutyens Bel Geddes died at her home in Hudson, New York, on August 16, 2002. She was 95. Lutyens was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1907, where she became a national fencing champion. She moved to London, where she opened a dress shop during World War II. She subsequently opened a costume shop in New York and began designing for numerous theatrical productions including Orson Welles’ production of Around the World in Eighty Days (1946), and Antony and Cleopatra (1947) starring Katharine Cornell. She and her husband, Norman Bel Geddes, where producers of the Broadway presentation of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Medium and Telephone in 1947. She also designed for the Ballet Theater productions of Dim Luster, Fancy Free, and The Clowns. Her other credits include theatrical productions of The Crucible, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Shrike and The Deputy. New York Times, Aug. 23, 2002, C11.
Lyman, Arthur Vibraphonist Arthur Lyman died of throat cancer in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 24, 2002. He was 70. Lyman was born in Kauai,
Arthur Lyman
Hawaii, on February 2, 1932. He began performing in the 1950s and was featured on Martin Denny’s Exotica album. He subsequently formed his own quartet and recorded the album Taboo in 1957. He also recorded the popular songs “Yellow Bird,” “Love for Sale,” and “I Wish You Love” in the early 1960s. He and his band were also heard in the television series Hawaiian Eye. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2002, B14; New York Times, Mar. 3, 2002, 39; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 53.
Lyman, Margaret Actress and model Margaret Lyman died at her Beverly Hills home on March 24, 2002. She was 86. She was born in Brooklyn in 1915 and was signed as a Powers model in the mid–1930. She moved to Los Angeles in 1936, where she appeared in the film The Great Ziegfeld. She continued her film career for the next several years, appearing in Small Town Girl (1936) with Jimmy Stewart, Thin Ice (1937) and Live, Love and Learn (1937). She retired from films the following year after her marriage to real estate mogul Byron Vandegrift.
Lyn, Jacquie Child actress Jacquie Lyn died of a heart attack at her home in Grenada Hills, California, on March 21, 2002. She was 73. She was born Jacquelyn Dufton in London on September 3, 1928. She made her film debut at the age of three in Pack Up Your Troubles (1931) with Laurel and Hardy. She also appeared in two Our Gang comedies —Free Wheeling (1932) and Birthday Blues (1932). Her screen career ended at the age of five when the studio rejected her stepfather’s demands for more money. Lyn was out of the public eye until the early 1990s, when she was rediscovered by fans of Laurel & Hardy and the Little Rascals. She made two appearances at conventions sponsored by the Sons of the Desert, the Laurel & Hardy appreciation society. Her survivors include her husband of over fifty years, Martin Woll. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 30, 2002, B16; Times (of London), Apr. 16, 2002, 29b.
189
2002 • Obituaries
Jacquie Lyn (with Laurel & Hardy)
Maattanen, Heikki Leading Finnish actor Heikki Maattanen died of lung cancer in Helsinki, Finland, on January 26, 2002. He was 52. Maattanen was born in Jyvaskyla, Finland, on November 21, 1949. He was a popular actor on Finnish television during the 1990s, starring in such series as To an Unknown God (1993), Iltalypsy (1993), Raid (2000), and Siamin Tytot (2001).
MacKay, Jim Canadian animator James MacKay died at his home in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, on October 26, 2002. He was 86. MacKay was born in Beaverton, Ontario, Canada, on June 9, 1916. He began his career as an artist and cartoonist and drew filmstrips for the Toronto Workers Educational Association. During World War II MacKay worked with the Ottawa film board on such patriotic documentaries as Stitch and Save and Joe Dope Helps Cause Inflation. After the war MacKay worked with the National Film Board’s animation department. He worked on the animation for Christmas Carols (1947) and A Story About Breadmaking in the Year 1255 A.D. He used innovative cutout animation for his work on Ten Little Farm-
Heikki Maattanen
ers (1946), Stanley Takes a Trip (1947), and Teeth Are to Keep (1949). He served as director of the animation unit before his departure for the NFB in 1950. He subsequently co-founded Graphic Associates, which produced numerous early commercials for Canadian television. MacKay later formed Film Design Ltd., producing the animated short The House That Jack Built in 1968.
Mackey, Karl A. Actor and television personality Karl A. Mackey died at a Westlake, Ohio, on October 12, 2002. He was 78. Mackey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1924. He began his career in live television in New York in the mid–1940s before returning to Cleveland later in the decade. Mackey hosted the late night horror program In Another World and co-starred in the radio program Hodge Podge Lodge. In the early 1950s he hosted the children’s radio program Wizard of
Obituaries • 2002
190
Music. He also starred on Cleveland television’s On Stage in 1956 and in the short lived- detective series The Adventures of Johnny McQueen in 1957. He was narrator of the 1959 short film Signal 30, which was shown in numerous driver’s education classes over the next two decades. Mackey was Mr. Jingeling, the keeper of the keys to Santa’s workshop, of Cleveland’s WEWS in 1964 and 1965. Mackey also appeared with Peter Falk in the 1995 film Roommates.
Maclellan, Elizabeth Actress Elizabeth Maclellan died of massive head trauma in New York City on November 30, 2002. She was 38. Maclellan was born in Massachusetts in 1964. She starred in the horror films Puppet Master II (1990) and Crash and Burn (1990). She was also seen as Greta MacAdams in the Santa Barbara soap opera from 1989 to 1990. Maclellan also appeared in an episode of the television series The Famous Teddy Z.
Elizabeth Maclellan
MacNaughtan, Alan British character actor Alan MacNaughtan died in England on August 29, 2002. He was 82. MacNaughtan was born in Bearsden, Dumbartonshire Scotland, on March 4, 1920. A popular stage actor from the early 1940s, he appeared in numerous theatrical productions in England. Though known primarily for his work on stage, he was also active in film and television. MacNaughtan was featured in such films as Victim (1961), The Double (1963), Frankenstein Created
Alan MacNaughtan
Woman (1967), Patton (1970), Family Life (1971), How Many Miles to Babylon? (1982), Blue Ice (1992), and The Commissioner (1998). MacNaughtan also appeared regularly in such British television series as The White Rabbit (1967), The Duchess of Duke Street (1976), Yanks Go Home (1976), The Sandbaggers (1978), Game, Set, and Match (1988), and Conjugal Rites (1993), and was seen in the telefilms To Serve Them All My Days (1980), The Glory Boys (1984), Shadowlands (1985), Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (1985), The Insurance Man (1986), The Dark Angel (1987), A Very British Coup (1988), Inside Story (1988), Heartstones (1996), and The Scold’s Bridle (1998). His other television credits include episodes of Out of This World, The Avengers, The Baron, The Saint, Department S, My Partner, the Ghost, Jason King, Journey to the Unknown, The Champions, The Hanged Man, The Professions, Minder, Bergerac, Soldier Soldier, Hamish Macbreth, and Dangerfield.
MacNaughton, Ian British director Ian MacNaughton, who helmed most of the episodes of the British comedy television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, died on December 10, 2002, of injuries received in an automobile crash in Munich, Germany. He was 76. MacNaughton was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on December 30, 1925. He began his
191
2002 • Obituaries
career as an actor, appearing in such films as Scotch on the Rocks (1952), Rob Roy (1953), X the Unknown (1956), The Silent Enemy (1958), The Safecracker (1958), and Idol on Parade (1959), and the 1959 television series Tell It to the Marines. He began directing for television in the 1960s, working on episodes of such series as Z Cars, Doctor Finlay, The Troubleshooters, The Revenue Men, and This Man Craig. He also directed Spike Milligan’s comedy series Q5. He worked with Monty Python from 1969 through 1972, and also directed their first film And Now for Something Completely Different (1971). MacNaughton also directed the British telefilms Secrets (1973) and Out of the Trees (1976). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 5, 2003, B14; New York Times, Jan. 3, 2002, B6.
Magner, Martin Theatrical and television director Martin Magner died in a Los Angles hospital on January 25, 2002. He was 101. Magner was born in Stettin, Germany, on March 5, 1900. He began his career as an actor on the German stage, and was soon directing productions for the Hamburg Chamber Theater. He left Germany in 1933, working in Europe on theatrical productions and operas. He subsequently came to the United States, where he became an early producer and director for television. Magner worked on such early series as Studio One and Robert Montgomery Presents. He worked with CBS television from 1950 until his retirement in 1965. He continued to work on stage productions, producing and directing adaptations of Woyeck, Jean Paul Sartre’s The Condemned of Altona and Somerset Maugham’s The Sacred Flame in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 30, 2002, B11; Variety, Feb. 4, 2002, 60.
Billy Mahan (from Off to the Races) (Michael Fitzerald)
ington’s brood, in the popular series of films that included Educating Father (1936), Back to Nature (1936), Every Saturday Night (1936), Big Business (1937), Hot Water (1937), Safety in Numbers (1938), Down on the Farm (1938), A Trip to Paris (1938), Love on a Budget (1938), Everybody’s Baby (1939), Too Busy to Work (1939), Quick Millions (1939), The Jones Family in Hollywood (1939), On Their Own (1940), and Young As You Feel (1940). After the series ended Mahan had small roles in several films including Along the Rio Grande (191) and Take Care of My Little Girl (1951). After service in the Navy, Mahan continued to work in Hollywood, trying his hand as a producer, playwright and film editor. He later found success as a syndicated columnist writing the columns Outside Hollywood and Inside the Tube.
Mahan, Billy
Managoff, Bobby
Billy Mahan, a leading child star in the Jones Family series of films in the 1930s, died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California, on August 30, 2002. He was 72. Mahan was born in Port Townsend, Washington, on July 9, 1930. He began his career at the age of six playing Bobby Jones, the youngest of Jed Prouty and Spring By-
Robert Manoogian, Jr., who was a professional wrestler from the 1940s, died on April 3, 2002, after a long illness. He was 85. Managoff held the NWA World Heavyweight championship for several months in the early 1940s. He defeated Yvon Robert for the championship belt in November of 1942, and held the title until his
Obituaries • 2002
192
Bobby Managoff Beatrice Manley
defeat by Wild Bill Longson in St. Louis, Missouri, in February of 1943. Managoff also held the AWA championship in Montreal, Canada, several times in the 1940s He continued to compete through the 1950s, holding the Hawaiian Title several times and the Midwest championship in Chicago.
Mancuso, Clarissa Character actress Clarissa Pope Mancuso died in an Evanston, Illinois, hospital on April 16, 2002. She was 81. She worked as a model with the Patricia Stevens Agency from the late 1930s and began performing on stage in the early 1940s. She continued to perform during the 1950s, appearing often on local WGN television and radio in Chicago. From the 1990s she was featured in several episodes of such Saturday morning teen series as Saved by the Bell, USA High and Running the Halls, which were produced by her daughter, Linda Mancuso.
Manley, Beatrice Actress Beatrice Manley died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 13, 2002. She was 81. Manley was born in New York City on May 23, 1921. She began her career on the Broadway stage in a production of Eve of Saint Mark in 1941. She
subsequently moved to California where she married director Herbert Blau. There she was a founder of the San Francisco Actors’ Workshop. She appeared in numerous theatrical productions including Mother Courage, Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, The Country Wife, Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days. She was also featured in several films including Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), The Baby (1973), Swap Meet (1979), and Grief (1993). Manley also appeared in the telefilms Five Desperate Women (1971), Night Terror (1977), Little Mo (1978), Stranger in Our House (1978), and Blood Feud (1983). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 30, 2002, B10; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Mann, David Songwriter David Mann died of complications from pneumonia and kidney failure on March 1, 2002. He was born David Freedman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 3, 1916. Mann played with the Charley Spivak Orchestra in New York in the early 1940s, and also played with Jimmy Dorsey and Artie Shaw. During his career he wrote numerous hit songs including “No Moon at All,” “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” “Don’t Go to Strangers,” “Dearie,” “Peter Platypus” and “Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell.” During the 1940s Mann appeared
193 in several films including Second Chorus (1940), I Dood It (1943), Pin-Up Girl (1944), and Four Jills in a Jeep (1944). In the 1950s Mann went to Hollywood where he composed scores for several films in the Disney Nature Series —The Living Desert, Water Birds and Seal Island. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 21, 2002, B13; New York Times, Mar. 19, 2002, A21.
Manson, Alan Actor Alan Manson died in New York City on March 5, 2002. He was 83. Manson was born in Brooklyn in 1918. He began his career on stage at the age of 16, and made his Broadway debut in Maxwell Anderson’s Journey to Jerusalem in 1939. He served in the army during World War II, and appeared in several touring productions with an army theatrical company. He was also featured in the 1943 film This Is the Army. He resumed his career in stage after the war and was featured in the 1958 film Cop Hater. Manson career was
2002 • Obituaries
damaged in the mid–1950s where he was blacklisted after refusing to answer questions before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1964 he began a four-year stint on the television soap opera The Edge of Night as Ken Emerson. He also appeared in the films The Rain People (1969), Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), W.H.I.F.F.S. (1975), Leadbelly (1976), The Doors (1991), The Cemetery Club (1993), Cafe Society (1995), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), and Montana (1998). He was also seen frequently on television in such telefilms as Poor Devil (1973) with Sammy Davis, Jr., The Marcus-Nelson Murders (1973), The Trial of Chaplain Jensen (1975), Switch (1975), Columbo: Fade in to Murder (1976), Marriage Is Alive and Well (1980), The People vs. Jean Harris (1981), and Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (1992). His other television credits include episodes of M*A*S*H, Kojak, Harry O, McMillan and Wife, The Bob Newhart Show, S.W.A.T., The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Maude, Charlie’s Angels, The Jeffersons, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, Three’s Company, T.J. Hooker and Law & Order. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 12, 2002, B10; New York Times, Mar. 11, 2002, B9; Variety, Mar. 18, 2002, 46.
Manson, Maurice
Alan Manson
Veteran character actor Maurice Manson died in California on September 25, 2002. He was 89. Manson was born Moritz Levine in Toronto, Canada, in 1913. He began performing on the New York stage in the 1930s, appearing in productions of Othello and MacBeth. Manson moved to Hollywood in the early 1950s. He starred as Sir Guy Vane in the 1952 television series On Man’s Family. Manson appeared in films from the late 1940s including Close-Up (1948), Navy Wife (1956), Autumn Leaves (19556), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), The Wong Man (1956), The Creature Walks Among Us (1956), The Boss (1956), Kelly and Me (1957), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), Hellcats of the Navy (1957), Roger Corman’s The Undead (1957), The Girl in the Kremlin (1957), Hell’s Five Hours (1958), Life Begins at 17 (1958), Porg y and Bess (1959), Beloved Infidel (1959), The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), The Chase (1966) and
Obituaries • 2002
194 Impact (1949), Parole, Inc. (1949), The Great Dan Patch (1949), Champagne for Caesar (1950), Destination Murder (1950), Woman on the Run (1950), The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), The Second Woman (1951), Kind Lady (1951), The People Against O’Hara (1951), The Unknown Man (1951), The Prowler (1951), Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Everything I Have Is Yours (1952), Bright Road (1953), I Love Melvin (1953) and Latin Lovers (1953). Mapes began working in television in the early 1950s, serving as a set decorator for The Loretta Young Show during its first season. Mapes later produced the 1967 film Rosie starring Rosalind Russell, and was associate producer on Ross Hunter’s films Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and Airport (1970). Mapes formed a partnership with Hunter, producing several telefilms including The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975), Arthur Hailey’s The Moneychangers (1976), A Family Upside Down (1977), Suddenly, Love (1978) and The Best Place to Be (1979). Los Angeles Times, May 10, 2002, B12; New York Times, May 14, 2002, C19; Variety, May 13, 2002, 39.
Maurice Manson
Nickelodeon (1976). He was also seen in episodes of numerous television series including Gunsmoke, Zane Grey Theater, Lights Out, Maverick, Perry Mason, Sugarfoot, Rawhide, Colt .45, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Hazel, Ben Casey, Leave It to Beaver, Laramie, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Green Hornet, and The Munsters.
Mapes, Jacque Film set decorator and producer Jacque Mapes died at his Beverly Hills, California, home on May 4, 2002. He was 88. Mapes began his career in Hollywood in 1939, where he served as a set decorator and assistant art director on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II he returned to Hollywood where he resumed his career as a set decorator for such films as Delightfully Dangerous (1945), The Woman Who Came Back (1945), Good Sam (1948), An Innocent Affair (1948), My Dear Secretary (1948), Adventures of Gallant Bess (1948),
Margheriti, Antonio Italian film director Antonio Margheriti, whose often used the name Anthony M. Dawson while directing horror and science fiction films for the U.S. market, died of a heart attack in Monterosi, Italy, on November 4, 2002. He was 72. Margheriti was born in Rome on September 19, 1930. He began his directing career in the late 1950s and was best known for a series of science fiction and horror films he helmed over the next two decades. Often using the name Anthony M. Dawson for films released in the United States, Margheriti’s credits include Assignment Outer Space (1960), Battle of the Worlds (1961) with Claude Rains, The Golden Arrow (1964), The Fall of Rome (1962), Horror Castle (aka The Virgin of Nuremberg) (1963), Castle of Blood (aka La Danza Macabra) (1964), Hercules, Prisoner of Evil (1964), Mondo Inferno (1964), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Giants of Rome (1964), Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules (1964), War Between the Planets (aka Planets on the Prowl) (1965), Snow Devils (1965), Wild Wild Planet (1965), War Between the Planets (aka The Deadly Diaphonoids) (1966), Lightning Bolt (aka Operacion Goldman)
195
2002 • Obituaries
Margo, George
Antonio Margheriti
(1966), Killers Are Challenged (1966), Dynamite Joe (1967), The Young, the Evil and the Savage (1968), The Unnaturals (1968), Vengeance (1968), I Love You (1968), And God Said to Cain (1969), Web of the Spider (1970), Mr. Superinvisible (1970), House of a Thousand Pleasures (1972), Hercules Against Karate (1973), and Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye (1973). Margheriti was also credited as the director on the Italian versions of Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein (aka Flesh for Frankenstein) (1974) and Andy Warhol’s Dracula (aka Blood for Dracula (1974). He continued to helm such thrillers as Blood Money (1974), Take a Hard Ride (1975), Whisky and Ghosts (1976), Death Rage (1976), The Squeeze (1978), Killer Fish (1978), The Last Hunter (1980), Car Crash (1980), Cannibals in the Street (1980), Yor, the Hunter from the Future (1982), Tiger Joe (1982), The Hunters of the Golden Cobra (1982), Tornado (1983), Ark of the Sun God (1983), Code Name: Wild Geese (1984), Jungle Raiders (1985), Commando Leopard (1985), the 1987 Italian telefilm Treasure Island in Outer Space, The Commander (1988), Indio (1989), Alien from the Deep (1989), Indio 2 —The Revolt (1991) and Virtual Weapon (1996).
Actor George Margo died on January 9, 2002. He was 86. Margo was born in New York City in 1915 and began his acting career on stage in California in the late 1930s. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and performed in numerous shows to entertain the troops. He remained in London after the war to continue his theatrical career. He was featured on stage in West End productions of Death of a Salesman (1949), Detective Story (1950), Guys and Dolls (1953), and Stalag 17 (1953). He made his film debut in the early 1950s, appearing in such features as Circle of Danger (1951), Hell Is Sold Out (1951), The Saint’s Girl Friday (1954), The Red Beret (1953), The Case of the Red Monkey (1955), Let’s Make Up (1955), Joe MacBeth (1955), Zarak (1956), Who Done It? (1956), A Touch of the Sun (1956), Life at Stake (1957), After the Ball (1957), Windom’s Way (1958), Mark of the Phoenix (1958), The Mouse That Roared (1959), Make Mine a Million (1959), The Adding Machine (1969) and Captain Apache (1971). He was also seen on television in episodes of The Buccaneers, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, Jason King and Baretta. Margo returned to reside in the United States in the mid–1970s.
George Margo
Obituaries • 2002
196
Markfield, Wallace Novelist Wallace Markfield died of a heart attack in a Roslyn, New York, hospital on May 24, 2002. He was 75. Markfield was born in Brooklyn on August 12, 1926. He was best known for his debut novel To an Early Grave in 1964. The novel was adapted into the 1968 film Bye Bye Braverman, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring George Segal and Jack Warden. Markfield’s other novels include Teitlebaum’s Window (1970), You Could Live If They Let You (1974), and Radical Surgery (1991). Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2002, B19; New York Times, May 31, 2002, C13; Times (of London), July 5, 2002, 35a.
Markus, Winnie German actress Winnie Markus died in Munich, Germany, on March 9, 2002. She was 80. She was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), on May 16, 1922. She began her career on stage in Vienna and became a popular film star in Germany from the late 1930s. She was featured in such films as Mother Love (1940), The Waitress Anna (1941), Whom the Gods Love (1942), Sommerliebe (1942), Tonelli (1943), Trip Into Adventure (1943), Seven Journeys (1947), The Mozart Story (1948), Morituri (1948), Philine (1949), The Prisoner (1949), Begierde (1951), The Emperor Waltz (1953), Love’s Awakening (1953), Son of St. Moritz (1954), Devil in Silk (1956), Nothing But Trouble with Love (1956), Mayerling (1956), The Priest and the Girl (1958), and Youth Comes Only Twice (1958). She largely retired from acting to raise a family in the 1960s and 1970s, but returned to perform on stage and television in the 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 14, 2002, B15.
Winnie Markus
Marmer, Mike Comedy writer Mike Marmer died of cancer in Los Angeles on January 12, 2002. He was 76. He was born Merrill D. Marmer in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1925. From the 1950s he wrote for such television series as The Milton Berle Show, The Ernie Kovacs Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Dean Mar-
Mike Marmer
197 tin Show, The Flip Wilson Show, and numerous Dean Martin roasts. He was nominated for six Emmy Awards during his career, winning an Emmy for his work on The Carol Burnett Show in 1972. Marmer also scripted episodes of such comedy series Donna Reed, 227, Gilligan’s Island, Get Smart, F Troop, Three’s Company, and The Love Boat. He co-created the children’s series Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp in 1970. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 18, 2002, B14; TV Guide, Mar. 2, 2002, 6.
Marrie, William Dancer William Marrie was killed of injuries received when his motorcycle crashed into a taxi on a New York City street on November 16, 2002. He was 33. Marrie was born in Montreal on November 18, 1968. He began performing with the National Ballet of Canada in 1990. He received acclaim for his performances in productions of Swan Lake and Four Seasons, and was
William Marrie
2002 • Obituaries
named principal dancer with the National Ballet in 2001. He was appearing in the Broadway production of Twyla Tharp and Billy Joe’s Movin’ Out at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2002, B10; New York Times, Nov. 18, 2002, B6; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 54.
Marsillach, Adolfo Spanish stage and screen actor and director died of cancer in Madrid on January 21, 2002. He was 73. Marsillach was born in Barcelona, Spain, on January 25, 1928. A lawyer by profession, he began appearing in stage and film productions in the late 1940s. He appeared in numerous films during his career including Don Juan Tenorio (1952), Vuelo 971 (1953), El Frente Infinito (1959), Leap to Fame (1960), Maribel and the Strange Family (1960), El Secreto de Monica (1962), Story of a Night (1963), The Black Tulip (1964), Dinner for Savages (1964), El Timido (1965), A Love Story (1967), El Certificado (1970), Flower of Holiness (1973) which he also directed, The Regent’s Wife (1974), Cross of the Devil (1975), The Burned City (1976), The Mushroom Eater (1976), At the Service of Spanish Womanhood (1978), Double Feature (1984), and The Long Winter (1991). Marsillach was also director of the Teatro Espanol de Madrid from 1965.
Adolfo Marsillach
Obituaries • 2002
198
Martine, Ray British comedian Ray Martine died in a Newcastle, England, nursing home on June 19, 2002. He was 73. Martine was born Ray Isaacs in London on October 6, 1928. He began working as a stand-up comedian in the late 1950s and appeared in the television series Stars and Garters. He also had small roles in the film Primitive London (1965) and an episode of television’s The Avengers. Martine was a regular panelist on the Yorkshire Television comedy game show Jokers Wild from 1970 to 1972. Martine remained a popular comic in on the nightclub circuit.
Tony Martinez
Tony Martinez and His Mambo-USA, in the 1940. He also appeared in small roles in several films including Angel on the Amazon (1948), Barricade (1950), The Ring (1952), Second Chance (1953), The Naked Dawn (1955) and Rock Around the Clock (1956). On stage, Martinez played the role of Sancho Panza in over two thousand productions of The Man of La Mancha from the late 1960s. He was also seen in an episode of television’s F Troop. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 21, 2002, B19; New York Times, Sept. 28, 2002, A18; People, Oct. 7, 2002, 109; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 65.
Ray Martine
Martinez, Tony Actor Tony Martinez, who was best known for his role as Pepino, the farm hand, on television’s The Real McCoys, died in a Las Vegas hospital on September 16, 2002. He was 82. Martinez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on January 27, 1920. He began his career in show business as a musician, leading his own band,
Mason, Bill British documentary filmmaker Bill Mason died in England on January 17, 2002. He was 86. He was born Rowland Hill Berkeley Mason on November 9, 1915. Mason worked in the Shell Film Unit during World War II, making films for the armed services. After the war he directed the documentary film The Cornish Engine, and worked on the film series How An Aeroplane Flies. He also directed several films about automobile races including British Grand Prix (1949) and Le Mans (1952). In the early 1970s Mason directed
199
Bill Mason
The History of the Motor Car and The History of Motor Racing. In recent years he compiled three videos on Racing Mercedes 1894–1955.
Mason, Richard Australian film producer died in Sydney, Australia, of cancer on November 22, 2002. He was 76. Mason was born in New South Wales in 1926. He began his career on stage in Sydney, but soon moved to films as a wardrobe assistant. He directed documentary films in the 1950s and produced Film Australia’s first feature, Let the Balloon Go, in 1976. He went on to produce such Australian films as Winter of Our Dreams (1981), Far East (1982), One Night Stand (1984), The Boy Who Had Everything (1984), Redheads (1992), and Broken Highway (1994). Variety, Dec. 23, 2002, 40.
Matthews, Al Actor Al Matthews died of cancer in Spain on October 6, 2002. Matthews served in the U.S.
2002 • Obituaries
Al Matthews
Marines during the Vietnam War, becoming the first black to be promoted to the rank of Marine Sergeant. He began appearing in films in the late 1970s and was featured in Yanks (1979), Rough Cut (1980), The Final Conflict (1981), Ragtime (1981), The Sender (1982), Funny Money (1982), Superman III (1983), Defense of the Realm (1985), James Cameron’s Aliens (1986) as Sgt. Apone, Riders of the Storm (1986), Out of Order (1987), Stormy Monday (1988), American Roulette (1988), The Fifth Element (1997), and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Matthews was also seen in the telefilms Coast to Coast (1987), London Embassy (1987), Soul Survivors (1995), and Robert Ludlum’s The Apocalypse Watch (1997). His other television credits include episodes of Shelley and The Professionals.
Matthews, Pamela Actress Pamela Matthews Danova died of complications from emphysema in Mijas, Spain, on September 24, 2002. She was 80. Matthews was born in Caterham, Surrey, England, on August 6, 1922. She began her film career in the
Obituaries • 2002
200
mid–1940s, appearing in the 1946 feature School for Secrets. In the early 1950s she worked in Rome as a dialogue coach for such stars as Sophia Loren and Gina Lollabrigida. She was married to actor Cesare Danova, and took the name Pamela Danova for her role work as dialogue supervisor and bit player in the 1958 film The Buccaneer. She was also seen in an episode of the 1959 television series Five Fingers, and was dialogue coach on the 1965 musical The Sound of Music. Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Matz, Peter Composer and conductor Peter Matz died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on August 9, 2002. He was 73. Matz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 6, 1928. He began working as a pianist on Broadway with composer Harold Arlen, writing orchestrations for the musical Jamaica starring Lena Horne. Matz worked often with singer Barbra Streisand, arranging music for most of her early albums. He earned an Emmy Award for his work on her 1965 television special My Name Is Barbra, and was nominated for an Academy Award for best original score for the 1975 film Funny Lady. Matz also served as musical director for The Carol Burnett Show,
which earned him another Emmy Award. Matz composed scores for numerous films including Bye Bye Braverman (1968), Marlowe (1969), Rivals (1972), Alice in Wonderland (1976), The Prize Fighter (1979), The Private Eyes (1981), Torch Song Trilog y (1988), The Gumshoe Kid (1990), and Stepping Out (1991). He also composed for the telefilms I Heard the Owl Call My Name (1973), Larry (1974), In This House of Brede (1975), The Dark Side of Innocence (1976), The Call of the Wild (1976), Just an Old Sweet Song (1976), The Great Houdini (1976), Rosetti and Ryan: Men Who Love Women (1977), Terraces (1977), Telethon (1977), The Last Hurrah (1977), Special Olympics (1978), The Two-Five (1978), Murder at the Mardi Gras (1978), Happily Ever After (1978), One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story (1978), The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank (1978), First, You Cry (1978), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979), Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze (1979), Love for Rent (1979), The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (1979), White Mama (1980), The Killing of Randy Webster (1981), Drop-Out Father (1982), Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986), As Is (1986), Stone Fox (1987), Plaza Suite (1987), Laura Lansing Slept Here (1988), When We Were Young (1989), The 10 Million Dollar Getaway (1991), and This Can’t Be Love (1994). His other television credits include the series C.P.O. Sharkey, Detective School, Good Time Harry, Mama’s Family, and Ace Crawford, Private Eye. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 11, 2002, B15; New York Times, Aug. 18, 2002, 27; People, Aug. 26, 2002, 79; Variety, Aug. 19, 2002, 118.
Maxwell, Bob
Peter Matz
Radio personality Bob Maxwell died of complications from multiple strokes in Palm Springs, California, on December 24, 2002. He was 78. Maxwell was born in Custer, Kentucky, in 1924. He began working in radio in the Detroit area after World War II, and was featured in segments of the radio program The Lone Ranger. He was also a disc jockey, hosting the radio programs Platter Chatter and Maxwell & the Music. Maxwell relocated to New York City in the early 1960s where he continued his career on radio as host of the programs The Bob Maxwell Show and College Quiz Show. Maxwell also appeared in sev-
201
2002 • Obituaries
eral films including City Heat (1984) with Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, and Tough Guys (1986) with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.
Maxwell, Jimmy Jazz trumpeter Jimmy Maxwell died at his home in Great Neck, New York, on July 20, 2002. He was 85. Maxwell was born in Stockton, California, on January 9, 1917. He began performing with the CBS staff orchestra in radio and television in the 1940s. Maxwell played with many of the major bands from the big-band era including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie. He also worked with Peggy Lee, Quincy Jones and Lionel Hampton. Maxwell performed in the Tonight Show band from 1960 to 1974. He played the solo trumpet for the soundtrack of the 1972 film The Godfather, and performed on the soundtrack for the 1975 science fiction film A Boy and His Dog. Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2002, B19; New York Times, July 25, 2002, B8; Variety, Aug. 5, 2002, 36.
als, Nanny, The New Statesman, Poirot, Soldier Soldier, The Worst Witch, The Bill, Kavanagh QC, and Midsomer Murders.
May, Charmian
Mazhar, Ahmed
British character actress Charmian May died in Purbrook, Hampshire, England, on October 24, 2002. She was 65. May was born in England on June 16, 1937. A popular actress on British stage, screen and television, May starred as Miss Milton in the 1977 series You’re Only Young Twice. She was also seen in television productions of Dorothy L. Sayer’s A Gaudy Night (1987), Lord Peter Wimsey (1987), The Nineteenth Hole (1989), Can You Hear Me Thinking? (1990), The Politician’s Wife (1995), and Weirdsister College (2001). May was featured in a handful of films during her career including The Fortunes of Nigel (1973), Follow You Follow Me (1979), Britannia Hospital (1982), The Dawning (1988), Paper Mask (1990), A Demon in My View (1991), and 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, as Colin Firth’s acerbic mother. She appeared in the video films P.R.O.B.E.: The Devil of Winterborne (1995) and P.R.O.B.E.: Ghosts of Winterborne (1996) as Mrs. Taploe. She was also seen on television in episodes of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, The Good Life, The Profession-
Ahmed Mazhar, a leading Egyptian army officer turned actor, died in Egypt on May 8, 2002. He was 85. A champion equestrian and a lieutenant colonel in the Egyptian Army, Mazhar retired as commander of the Egyptian special cavalry units in 1957 to continue a career in films. He starred in such popular Egyptian films as Jamila (1958), The Curlew’s Cry (1959), Cairo (1963), Saladin the Victorious (1963), Soft Hands (1963), Al Moukhareboun (1967), and Ayyam elHob (1968). Mazhar also appeared in numerous television series and produced, directed and wrote several films.
Charmian May
Mazzuca, Joseph Film director and actor Joseph Mazzuca died in California on January 20, 2002. He was 66. Mazzuca was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 11, 1935. He began his career as an actor while in his teens, appearing in such films as
Obituaries • 2002
202 Snakes and Ladders (1989). He also appeared in several films including Crossing the Line (1991), Breaking the Waves (1996) and Postmorten (1998). His other television credits include episodes of Minder, Casualty, Dempsey & Makepeace, You Must Be the Husband and Monarch of the Glen.
McCalla, Irish Irish McCalla, who starred in the 1950s jungle adventure series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, died of a brain tumor and complications from a stroke in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, 2002. She was 72. McCalla was born in Pawnee City, Nebraska, on December 25, 1929. A model, McCalla was chosen by the Nassour Brothers to star as Sheena after actress Anita Ekberg failed to show up for filming. McCalla filmed the series, based on a popular comic book, in the jungles of Mexico. The syndicated show ran from 26 episodes. McCalla subsequently starred in the science fiction film She Demons (1958). Her other film credits include The Beat Generation (1959), Five Gates to Hell (1959), Five Bold Women (1960) and Hands of a Stranger (1962). She also appeared on television in episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel and
Ahmed Mazhar
House of Strangers (1949), Hello God (1951) and Bengal Brigade (1954). He worked in television in the 1960s, serving as script supervisor and directing several episodes of the western series The Big Valley. He also directed the 1973 telefilm A Man for Hanging, and the 1978 feature Sisters of Death. He was also a production executive on the animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series in 1983.
McCall, Phil Scottish actor Phil McCall committed suicide by hanging at his home in Glasgow, Scotland, on January 29, 2002. He was 76. McCall was born in Glasgow on November 26, 1925. A popular commercial actor for Knorr stock cubes, McCall starred in such British television series as Charles Endell, Esq (1979), Bottle Boys (1984) and
Irish McCalla (as Sheena, Queen of the Jungle)
203 Route 66. She retired from acting in the early 1960s and became a popular artist of western themes. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 11, 2002, B9.
McCarthy, Lin Veteran character actor Lin McCarthy died in Beverly Hills of pneumonia on November 23, 2002. He was 84. He was born Linwood Winder McCarthy in Norfolk, Virginia, on February 23, 1918. He studied acting in Los Angeles after serving in the military during World War II. He began his career on stage and starred in the 1952 Broadway production of Horton Foote’s The Chase. McCarthy also worked often in early television, appearing in such series as Studio One, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Philco Television Playhouse, Appointment with Adventure, Kraft Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, and Armstrong Circle Theatre. He met and married actress Loretta Daye while in a touring production of Mr. Roberts, and the couple moved to Beverly Hills in the mid–1950s. McCarthy was featured in the 1955 film Yellowneck, and costarred with Jack Webb in 1957’s The D.I. He also appeared in the film Face of a Fugitive (1959). McCarthy remained a familiar face of television, appearing in episodes of One Step Beyond, The
Lin McCarthy
2002 • Obituaries
Detectives, The Man and the Challenge, The Rifleman, Thriller, Laramie, 8th Precinct, Wagon Train, Tales of Wells Fargo, Cain’s Hundred, The New Breed, The Virginian, Stoney Burke, Laramie, The Fugitive, Rawhide, Twelve O’Clock High, The F.B.I., Mission: Impossible, The Invaders, Judd, for the Defense, Lancer, The Waltons, Cannon, Gunsmoke, The New Land, Baretta, Emergency!, Petrocelli, Project U.F.O., How the West Was Won, Quincy, Lou Grant, and Knight Rider. He was featured as Lieutenant Hauser in the 1976 series The Blue Knight, and was featured in the telefilms The Execution of Private Slovik (1974), Tail Gunner Joe (1977), The Critical List (1978), Eleanor, First Lady of the World (1982), Not in Front of the Children (1982), The Winds of War (1983), The Day After (1983), and Call to Glory (1984). He subsequently retired from acting. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 4, 2002, B11; Variety, Dec. 16, 2002, 91.
McCarthy, Nobu Actress Nobu McCarthy died of an aneurysm in her aorta after becoming ill on the set of the film Gaijin II in Londrina, Brazil, on April 6, 2002. She was 67. McCarthy was born
Nobu McCarthy
Obituaries • 2002
204
Nobu Atsumi in Ottawa, Canada, on November 13, 1934, the daughter of a staff member at the Japanese embassy there. She returned to Japan as an infant, where she later became a leading model and the winner of the Miss Tokyo pageant. She married a U.S. Army sergeant in 1955 and began her film career at Paramount a few years later. McCarthy was featured in such films as The Geisha Boy (1958) with Jerry Lewis, The Hunters (1958), Five Gates to Hell (1959), Tokyo After Dark (1959), Wake Me When It’s Over (1960), Walk Like a Dragon (1960), Two Loves (1961), and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). She was also seen on television in episodes of Perry Mason, Laramie, Wagon Train, Mister Ed, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, Wild Wild West, Felony Squad, Batman, It Takes a Thief and Love, American Style. She largely retired from acting in the late 1960s, but resumed her career after her divorce in 1970. She joined the East West Players, appearing on stage in numerous productions. She also appeared in several films later in her career including The Karate Kid, Part II (1986), The Wash (1988), Pacific Heights (1990), Last Chance (1999) and After One Cigarette (1999). McCarthy was also seen in the telefilm Farewell to Manzanar (1976), and episodes of Kung Fu, Happy Days, Barney Miller, The Love Boat, Diff ’rent Strokes, T.J. Hooker, Magnum, P.I., The Tracey Ullman Show, China Beach and Any Day Now. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 2002, B11; New York Times, Apr. 10, 2002, B8; Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84.
McClure, Paula Television personality Paula McClure died of brain cancer in an Arlington, Texas, hospital on July 17, 2002. She was 40. McClure was born in Midland, Texas, in 1962. She began working in television in the Dallas area as a newscaster and weather reporter in the early 1980s. She was the host of the Dallas, Texas, Good Morning Texas television program for several years in the late 1990s. She also appeared as a reporter in several films including The First Power (1990), Total Recall (1990), and Talent for the Game (1991), and the telefilms The Preppie Murder (1989) and Jackie Collins’ Lady Boss (1992). McClure also appeared in the 1990 television series First Look,
Paula McClure
and was featured on an episode of The Larry Sanders Shows. She left broadcasting in 1999 to found the Paula McClure Mood Spa.
McCune, Bob Professional wrestler and bodybuilder Bob McCune died in Arizona on June 14, 2002. He was 80. A top bodybuilding competitor, he entered professional wrestling in the late 1940s, sometimes known as Mr. America and Lord Pinkerton. He continued to compete through the 1950s, where he engaged in a series of bouts with world champion Lou Thesz. After his retirement from the ring he authored several books on sports handicapping.
McCutcheon, Bill Character actor Bill McCutcheon died in Mahwah, New Jersey, on January 9, 2002. He was 77. McCutcheon was born in Russell, Kentucky, on May 23, 1924. A veteran stage and film actor, McCutcheon starred as the inept Martian Dropo in the 1964 cult classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. He was also seen in the films Viva Max! (1969), Deadhead Miles (1972), The Stoolie (1974), W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975), Hot Stuff (1979), Vibes (1988), The Appointments of Dennis Jennings (1988), Steel Magnolias (1989) as Shirley MacLaine’s husband,
205
2002 • Obituaries
Bill McCutcheon
Bob McCune
Family Business (1989), Tune in Tomorrow (1990) and Mr. Destiny (1990). He starred as Coach Pinky Pinkney in the short-lived television sitcom Ball Four in 1976, and was featured in the telefilm You Can’t Take It with You in 1984. McCutcheon also starred as Uncle Wally in the Sesame Street series from 1984 until 1992. His other television credits include episodes of Howdy Doody, The Dom DeLuise Show, Kojak, Tales from the Darkside and Spenser: For Hire. He also appeared on Broadway as Moonface Martin in the 1988 revival of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, earning a Tony Award for his performances. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2002, B15; New York Times, Jan. 12, 2002, C18.
McDaniel, Wahoo Wahoo McDaniel, a former pro football player and a leading professional wrestler from
Wahoo McDaniel
Obituaries • 2002
206
the 1960s, died of complications from renal failure and diabetes on April 18, 2002. He was 63. He was born Ed McDaniel in Bernice, Louisiana, on June 19, 1938. A football star in high school and at the University of Oklahoma, he was drafted by Los Angeles for the American Football League in 1960. McDaniel played with the Houston Oilers, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins during his football career. He also began wrestling professionally during the 1960s, often wearing his Indian feather headdress to the ring. After retiring from football he became a major figure in wrestling, holding various championships in the NWA over the next two decades. McDaniels competed against such wrestling foes as Rick Flair, Roddy Piper and Abdullah the Butcher before retiring in 1989. He suffered from poor health during the 1990s and lost both of his kidneys late in the decade. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 20, 2002, B16; New York Times, Apr. 25, 2002, B8.
McEnery, Red River Dave Country singer and songwriter Red River Dave McEnery died in San Antonio, Texas, on January 15, 2002. He was 87. McEnery was born in San Antonio on December 15, 1914. He began
Red River Dave McEnery
singing Western ballads in the 1930s, taking his nickname from the song “Red River Valley.” He moved to New York in 1938, and performed his song “Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight” for the early television broadcast from the New York World’s Fair. In the 1940s Red River Dave went to Hollywood, appearing with Jimmy Wakely in 1944’s Swing in the Saddle. He was also featured in several short films including Hidden Valley Days (1948) and Echo Ranch (1948). He also became known for singing songs based on current events of the time, including “The California Hippy Murders,” “The Ballad of Patty Hearst,” and “The Ballad of Three Mile Island.”
McGlohon, Loonis Songwriter and pianist Loonis McGlohon died of lymphoma at his Charlotte, North Carolina, home on January 26, 2002. He was 80. McGlohon was born in Ayden, North Carolina, on September 29, 1921. He played in bands with Jack Teagarden and Jimmy Dorsey before he began writing songs. His better known compositions include “A Long Night” and “South to a
Loonis McGlohon
207 Warmer Place,” both of which were hits for Frank Sinatra. McGlohon also wrote the songs “A Child’s Christmas,” “On the Road” for Charles Kuralt, “Blackberry Winter,” and “Be a Child.” He and composer Alec Wilder had a regular program on National Public Radio in he early 1960s. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 20, 2002, B10; Variety, Mar. 11, 2002, 54.
McGrath, John British film and television writer John McGrath died of pneumonia in Edinburgh, Scotland, on January 22, 2002. He was 66. McGrath was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, on June 1, 1935. He began writing for the theatre in the late 1950s and, in 1960 joined the BBC. He scripted early episodes of the popular television police drama Z-Cars, and the 1964 television production of Diary of a Nobody. McGrath soon began writing such films as Billion Dollar Brain (1967), The Bofors Gun (1968), The Virgin Soldiers
John McGrath
2002 • Obituaries
(1969) and The Reckoning (1969). In the late 1960s McGrath formed the theatrical troupe 7:84, producing and writing such plays as The Cheviot, the Stage and the Black, Black Oil. He also wrote the 1988 film The Dressmaker, and television dramas Robin Hood (1991) and The Long Road (1992).
McKern, Leo Australian actor Leo McKern, who was best known for his long-running role as English lawyer Rumpole of the Bailey, died at a nursing home in Bath, England, after a long illness on July 23, 2002. He was 82. He was born Reginald McKern in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on March 16, 1920. He began his career on the stage in Australia before moving to England in 1946. He subsequently was featured in numerous Shakespearean productions. He made his film debut in the early 1950s, appearing in such features as Murder in the Cathedral (1952), All for Mary (1955), the 1956 Hammer science fiction film X the Unknown, Time Without Pity (1956), A Tale of Two Cities (1958), Web of Evidence (1959), The Mouse That Roared (1959), Scent of Mystery (1960), Jazz Boat (1960), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Mr. Topaze (1961), Lisa (1962), The Horse Without a Head (1963), Doctor in Distress (1963), Agent 008 3/4 (1964), King and Country (1964), They All Died Laughing (1964), the 1965 Beatles film Help!, The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965), A Man for All Seasons (1966) as Thomas Cromwell, Assignment K (1968), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), The High Commissioner (1968), Decline and Fall … of a Birdwatcher (1968), Ryan’s Daughter (1970), Massacre in Rome (1973), The Adventures of Sher-
Leo McKern
Obituaries • 2002
208
lock Holmes’ Smarter Brothers (1975) as Moriarty, The Omen (1976), Candleshoe (1977), Damien: Omen II (1978), The Blue Lagoon (1980), The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), The Chain (1984), Ladyhawke (1985), Travelling North (1987), A Foreign Field (1983), Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995) and Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999). McKern was also a popular television actor, starring as Number Two in several episodes of the 1967 television series The Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan. He also appeared in television productions of Croming of the Cross (1975), Our Mutual Friend (1976), The Nativity (1978), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979), The House on Garibaldi Street (1979) as David Ben-Gurion, Country (1981), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1981), Reilly: The Ace of Spies (1983), King Lear (1984), Agatha Christie’s Murder with Mirrors (1985), Monsignor Quixote (1985), Robin Hood: The Movie (1991), The Last Romantics (1991) and Good King Wenceslas (1994). Other television credits include episodes of The Adventures of Robin Hood and Space: 1999. McKern play British barrister Horace Rumpole in 44 episodes of Rumpole of the Bailey produced from 1975 through 1992. Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2002, B10; New York Times, July 24, 2002, A17; Times (of London), July 24, 2002, 28b; Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Tim McLaurin
McLaurin, Tim Author Tim McLaurin died of esophageal cancer on July 11, 2002. He was 48. McLaurin was born in East Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1954. McLaurin was the author of several novels and memoirs including The Acorn Plan (1988), Woodrow’s Trumpet (1989), Keeper of the Moon: A Southern Boyhood (1991), Cured by Fire (1995), The Last Great Snake Show (1997), Lola (1997), and The River Less Run: A Memoir (2000).
McLoughlin, Dennis British comic artist Dennis McLoughlin died suddenly in England on April 22, 2002. He was 84. McLoughlin was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, on April 15, 1918. A talented illustrator, McLoughlin began working for T.V.
Dennis McLoughlin
209 Boardman publishing house after World War II. He was artist for many of the crime and mystery novels that Boardman released, as well as the Buffalo Bill Wild West Annual. McLoughlin also created the characters Swift Morgan, a time-travelling spaceman, and secret agent Roy Carson, which were published by Boardman from 1948 to 1954. He compiled Wild and Woolly: An Encyclopedia of the American West, in 1975. McLoughlin continued to illustrate action comic strips for the Commando series from the 1980s until his death.
McNally, Raymond T. Author Raymond T. McNally died of complications from cancer at a Brighton, Massachusetts, hospital on October 3, 2002. He was 71. He was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in 1931. McNally was best known as the co-author, with Radu Florescu, of the 1972 book In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires. The Boston College professor investigated the history of Vlad Tepes, known as Vlad the Im-
2002 • Obituaries
paler, who legends of cruelty in Romania in the 15th Century inspired the literary character Count Dracula. McNally’s other works include A Clutch of Vampires and Dracula Was a Woman about a Hungarian countess who reputedly bathed in the blood of virgins. McNally hosted a CD-ROM in 1996 called Dracula: Truth or Terror, which included the 1922 silent vampire film Nosferatu. New York Times, Oct. 20, 2002, 31.
McQueen, Glenn Animator Glenn McQueen died after a long battle with cancer on October 29, 2002. He was 41. McQueen was born in Toronto, Canada, on December 24, 1960. He worked with Pixar from the mid–1990s, serving as an animator on such features as Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Monsters, Inc. (2001). McQueen also animated the television children’s special The Last Halloween, which earned him an Emmy Award. He was working on the upcoming animated feature, Cars, at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2002, B10; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 57.
Glenn McQueen Raymond T. McNally
Obituaries • 2002
210
McReynolds, Jim Bluegrass musician James Monroe McReynolds, died of thyroid cancer in a Gallatin, Tennessee, hospital on December 31, 2002. He was 75. McReynolds was born in Carfax, Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains, on February 13, 1927. A guitarist, he teamed with his brother, Jesse, a mandolin player, as part of the duo Jim & Jesse. The toured throughout the Southeast and Midwest, and recorded with Epi Records in the 1960s. Jim & Jesse joined the Grand Ole Opry in the mid–1960s, and were also hosts of a syndicated television show. New York Times, Jan. 3, 2003, B6.
She moved to Canada in the 1970s as the companion of novelist Marie-Claire Blais. Meigs authored several semi-autobiographical books including Lily Briscoe: A Self Portrait (1981), The Medusa’s Head (1983), and The Box Closet (1987). She was also featured in Cynthia Scott’s 1991 film The Company of Strangers.
Mennella, Carmine “Bud” Carmine “Bud” Mennella, who was the trainer of the Today show’s chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs, died of complications from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases in Tampa, Florida, on March 10, 2002. He was 80. Mennella worked as a page for NBC studios in New York. He opened a pet shop in the early 1950s, where he acquired Muggs. After an NBC executive noticed the chimp, Muggs became Today show host Dave Garroway’s popular sidekick. He remained with the show from 1953 to 1957. The talented chimp remained in show business, performing at Busch Gardens for the past 27 years. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 15, 2002, B14.
Bud Mennella’s chimp protege, J. Fred Muggs
Jim McReynolds
Meigs, Mary Author and artist Mary Meigs died of complications from a stroke in Montreal, Canada, on November 15, 2002. She was 85. Meigs was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 27, 1917.
Merello, Tita Argentine actress and singer Tita Merello died in Buenos Aires on December 24, 2002. She was 98. Merello was born in Buenos Aires on October 11, 1904. A leading tango singer, Merello starred in many films in Argentine from the early 1930s through the mid–1980s. Her film credits include Tango (1933), Idols of the Radio (1935),
211
2002 • Obituaries
Couple, The Invaders and Bridget Loves Bernie. Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2002, B11; New York Times, May 10, 2002, C13; Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Mighty Igor, The Dick Garza, who wrestled professionally in the 1970s and 1980s as The Mighty Igor, died of heart problems in Detroit on January 8, 2002. Calling himself Igor Vodic, he began wrestling in the early 1960s, often feuding with such ring villains as the Sheik and Bulldog Brower. He briefly held the AWA World Title in the mid–1960s. From the late 1970s through the 1980s Igor wrestled with the NWA and the WWC in Puerto Rico. Tita Merello
Buenos Aires Nights (1935), La Fuga (1937), Ashes to the Wind (1942), Five Faces of Woman (1947), Don Juan Tenorio (1949), The Story of the Tango (1949), Arrabalera (1950), Los Isleros (1951), Julia (1951), Dishonor (1952), The Bastard (1954), Love Never Dies (1955), Amorina (1961), The Escaped (1964), This Is Fun! (1967), The Walk (1967), Long Live Life (1969), La Madre Maria (1974), The Tango Tells Its Story (1976), and Fears (1980).
Merrill, Howard Television and radio writer Howard Merrill died in a Los Angeles hospital on April 20, 2002. He was 85. Merrill was born in New York City in 1917. He working in show business at the age of three and reportedly appeared in 58 silent films before the age of 11. He also made numerous appearances on radio programs in the 1920s and early 1930s. He began writing for radio while in his teens and also wrote for television from its early days. Merrill scripted segments of such series as You Are There and Newsweek Views the News. He was also the co-creator of the popular game show I’ve Got a Secret with Allan Sherman. Merrill also wrote for numerous television series including I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Farmer’s Daughter, Gilligan’s Island, Get Smart, The Odd
The Mighty Igor
Miles, Peter Gerald Perreau-Saissine, a child actor who appeared in films from the late 1930s through the early 1950s often under the name Peter Miles, died of cancer at his home in Los Angeles on Au-
Obituaries • 2002
212
Miller, Lucille Actress Lucille Miller died in Camarillo, California, on August 28, 2002. She was 92. She began her film career in the late 1920s, and was featured in over a dozen films over the next decade. Her film credits include Run, Girl, Run (1928), The Bicycle Flirt (1928), The Chicken (1928), The Campus Vamp (1928), The Bargain Hunt (1928), Hubby’s Weekend Trip (1928), The Trial of Vivinne Ware (1932), Dancing Lady (1933), Stand Up and Cheer! (1934), Pursued (1934), Ramona (1936), Men with Wings (1938), and Weekend in Havana (1941).
Peter Miles
gust 3, 2002. He was 64. He was born in Tokyo, Japan, on April 1, 1938, and was the brother of actresses Gigi Perreau and Janine Perreau. He began appeared in films as an infant and was featured in Just William (1939), Murder Will Out (1939), Passage to Marseille (1944), San Diego I Love You (1944), Hi, Beautiful (1944), Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945), Yolanda and the Thief (1945), This Love of Ours (1945), Possessed (1947), Curley (1947), Heaven Only Knows (1947), Who Killed Doc Robbin? (1948), Enchantment (1948), Family Honeymoon (1948), The Red Pony (1949), Special Agent (1949), Roseanna McCoy (1949), Song of Surrender (1949), The Good Humor Man (1950), Trigger, Jr. (1950), California Passage (1950), Quo Vadis? (1951), and At Sword’s Point (1952). As Richard Miles he starred as Nicky Strickland in the 1959 television sitcom The Betty Hutton Show. Other television credits include a 1954 production of A Christmas Carol, and episodes of Father Knows Best, The Lone Ranger, 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, One Step Beyond, Colt .45, Perry Mason and The Blue Angels. He later began writing under the name Richard Miles. He scripted the 1963 cult horror film Madmen of Mandoras (aka They Saved Hitler’s Brain), and his novel That Cold Day in the Park was adapted to film by Robert Altman in 1969. His other novels include The Moonbathers and Angel Loves Nobody. Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 52.
Lucille Miller
Milligan, Spike British comedian Spike Milligan, the last survivor of the legendary British comedy group from The Goon Show, died of liver failure at his home in Rye, East Sussex, England, on February 27, 2002. He was 83. Milligan was born in Ahmed Nagar, India, on April 16, 1918. He joined Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine on The Goon Show on radio in 1951. He per-
213
2002 • Obituaries
Mirisch, Marvin
Spike Milligan (from The Bed Sitting Room) (Lopert)
formed and wrote for the show in several incarnations radio and television. He was also featured in such films as Penny Points to Paradise (1951), Let’s Go Crazy (1951), Down Among the Z Men (1952), The Case of the Muikkinese Battle Horn (1956), Watch Your Stern (1960), The Risk (1960), What a Whopper! (1961), Invasion Quartet (1961), Postman’s Knock (1962), The Magic Christian (1969), The Bed-Sitting Room (1969), The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971), Rentadick (1972), The Cherry Picker (1972), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972) as the Gryphon, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972), Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers (1973), Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973), Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973), Man About the House (1974), The Great McGonagall (1975), Lost in the Wild (1976), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), To See Such Fun (1977), Dot and the Kangaroo (1977) as a voice actor, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978), Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979), History of the World, Part I (1981), Yellowbeard (1983), Group Madness (1983), The Big Freeze (1993), and the 2000 British mini-series Gormenghast. He remained a familiar face on British television in such series as Son of Fred, Idiot Weekly, Q5, Curry & Chips, The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, and There’s a Lot of It About. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 28, 2002, B13; New York Times, Feb. 28, 2002, A25; People, Mar. 18, 2002, 79; Time, Mar. 11, 2002, 21; Times (of London), Feb. 28, 2002, 39b; Variety, Mar. 4, 2002, 62.
Film producer Marvin Mirisch died in Los Angeles on November 17, 2002. He was 84. Mirisch was born in New York City on March 19, 1918. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950s to join his brothers, Harold and Walter, as producers with Monogram Pictures, later Allied Artists. The Mirisch brothers helped package such productions as John Huston’s Moulin Rouge and Moby Dick, Billy Wilder’s Love in the Afternoon, and William Wyler’s Friendly Persuasion. They joined United Artists in 1957, where they worked on such films as The Apartment, West Side Story, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Pink Panther, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, and In the Heat of the Night. After Harold Mirisch died in 1968, Marvin and Walter continued to work with United Artists for several more years. Marvin later was executive producer of the films Dracula (1979) starring Frank Langella, and the Dudley Moore comedy, Romantic Comedy (1983). He was also producer of the 1993 animated cartoon version of The Pink Panther. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20, 2002, B10; New York Times, Nov. 20, 2002, B8; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 54.
Marvin Mirisch
Obituaries • 2002
214
Mitchell, Elyne
Mitchell, James
Children’s author Elyne Mitchell died in an Australian hospital on March 4, 2002. She was 88. She was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on December 30, 1913. She was best known for her series of books, The Silver Brumby, which began in 1958. Russell Crowe starred in a 1993 film version of the series, The Silver Brumby (aka The Silver Stallion: King of the Wild Brumbies).
British television writer and novelist James Mitchell died of cancer in a Newcastle, England, hospital on September 15, 2002. He was 76. Mitchell was born in South Shields, Durham, England, on March 12, 1926. Mitchell was best known for creating the character of secret service agent David Callan in the 1967 British telefilm A Magnum for Schneider. Callan became a popular television series starring Edward Woodward from 1969 to 1971. He also created the television series When the Boat Comes In, which aired from 1976 to 1977. Mitchell also wrote numerous novels, sometimes under the name James Munro, and scripted over 100 television episodes. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26, 2002, B12; New York Times, Sept. 23, 2002, B8; Times (of London), Sept. 26, 2002, 37a; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 66.
Mitchell, George British entertainer and musical conductor George Mitchell died in England on August 27, 2002. He was 85. Mitchell was born Falkirk, Scotland, on February 27, 1917. He began singing while serving in the British Army during World War II. After the war he was called on by the BBC to arrange gospel spirituals for the Cabin in the Cotton radio program. He led a singing group that became known as the George Mitchell Singers. Mitchell and his group were soon starring in BBC Television’s Black and White Minstrel Show. The George Mitchell Singers performed in black-face make-up, and were accompanied by the female singing group, The Television Toppers. The program ran on the BBC for twenty years until 1978. It’s later years were sometimes marked with controversy over the basic premise of the program.
James Mitchell
Moffat, Ivan George Mitchell (center, from The Black and White Minstrel Show)
Screenwriter Ivan Moffat died of a stroke in a Los Angeles hospital, on July 4, 2002. He was 84. Moffat was born in Havana, Cuba, on February 18, 1918. He was nominated for an Academy
215 Award for co-writing the script for the George Stevens’ 1956 film Giant, starring James Dean and Rock Hudson. He had previously served as associate producer on Stevens’ films A Place in the Sun (1951) and Shane (1953). Moffat also scripted the films Bhowani Junction (1956), DDay the Sixth of June (1956), Boy on a Dolphin (1957), The Wayward Bus (1957), They Came to Cordura (1959), Tender Is the Night (1962), The Heroes of Telemark (1956), Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973), John Frankenheimer’s Black Sunday (1977), and the 1985 telefilm Florence Nightingale. Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2002, B13; Variety, July 22, 2002, 38.
Montanaro, Tony Mime Tony Montanaro died of stomach cancer at his home in Casco, Maine, on December 13, 2002. He was 75. Montanaro was born in Paulsboro, New Jersey, on September 10, 1927. He studied acting at Columbia University and began his career on stage. He became interested in mime in the mid–1950s after attending a per-
Tony Montanaro
2002 • Obituaries
formance by Marcel Marceau. He subsequently studied with Marceau and Etienne Decroux in Paris. He returned to the United States, where he performed in A Mime’s Eye View. Montanaro also created the CBS improvisational mime program Pretendo for television. In 1972 he founded the Montanaro Mime Theatre School in Maine. He was also featured in the 1986 film The Clan of the Cave Bear. He continued to teach and direct, and co-authored the book Mime Spoken Here with his wife, dancer Karen Hurll Montanaro, in 1995.
Montgomery, Marion Jazz singer Marion Montgomery died of cancer at her home in Bray, Berkshire, England, on July 22, 2002. She was 67. She was born Maud Runnells in Natchez, Mississippi, on November 17, 1934. She began her singing career in the early 1960s, recording the 1963 albums Swings for Winners and Losers and Let There Be Marion Montgomery. She performed throughout the country
Marion Montgomery
Obituaries • 2002
216
before going to London in 1965. She appeared in theatrical productions of the musicals Anything Goes and Lionel. During the 1970s she performed often on the BBC talkshow Parkinsons, and appeared in the television production of A Dream of Alice. She also continued to record and perform on stage and nightclubs. Survivors include her husband, composer Laurie Holloway. Times (of London), July 25, 2002, 29b; Variety, July 29, 2002, 46.
Montgomery, Reggie Actor Reggie Montgomery was found dead in his New York City apartment on January 13, 2002. He was 54. Montgomery became the first black to perform as a clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 1960s. He later became an actor in film and television productions, appearing in the films Weeds (1987), Hangin’ with the Homeboys (1991), Malcolm X (1992) and Joe the King (1999). He was also seen on television in episodes of Matlock, Law and
Order, New York Undercover and Oz. Montgomery also appeared in the 1986 PBS production of The Colored Museum, and was seen on stage in Spunk (1990), Mule Bone (1991) and In the Blood (1999). New York Times, Feb. 8, 2002, A20; Time, Feb. 18, 2002, 27.
Montoya, Alicia Mexican actress Alicia Montoya died of a bronchial infection in Mexico on August 17, 2002. She was 82. She was born in Mexico City on January 25, 1920, the daughter of actress Maria Tereza Montoya. She made her stage debut as an infant and went to a long career on stage, films and television. Her numerous film credits include Forbidden Fruit (1953), Talpa (1955), The Vampire (1957), The Vampire’s Coffin (1957), Fiery Women (1958), Heart of a Child (1962), Santo Versus the Martian Invasion (1966), Santa (1968), Prohibido (1968), La Inocente (1970), Chicano (1975), Bandas Guerrars (1989), and De Muerte Natural (1996). She also appeared in numerous Mexican television series during her career, most recently starring as Gumersinda in Abrazame Muy Fuerte in 2000.
Alicia Montoya
Reggie Montgomery
217
Moore, Dudley Leading British comedy actor Dudley Moore died in the Plainfield, New Jersey, home of his caregiver, of pneumonia as a complication of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare degenerative disease, on March 27, 2002. He was 66. Moore was born in Dagenham, Greater London, England, on April 19, 1935. He attended Oxford University on a music scholarship, where he helped create the satirical revue Beyond the Fringe with Peter Cook, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller. He soon teamed with Cook in a series of films and television productions in the 1960s. He was seen in such films as The Wrong Box (1967), Bedazzled (1967), 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968), Monte Carlo or Bust (1969), The Bed-Sitting Room (1969), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972), and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978) as Doctor Watson, often cowriting with Cook and composing the film scores. He achieved fame in the United states starring opposite Bo Derek and Julie Andrews in Blake Edwards’ popular comedy film 10 in 1979. He continued his success starring as a drunken playboy opposite Liza Minnelli in the hit comedy Arthur (1981), which also earned him an Oscar nomination. He reprised the role several years later in the less successful Arthur 2: On the Rocks
Dudley Moore (from Arthur) (Orion)
2002 • Obituaries
(1988). Moore also appeared in such comic films as Foul Play (1978), Derek and Clive Get the Horn (1979), Wholly Moses (1980), Six Weeks (1982), Lovesick (1983), Romantic Comedy (1983), Unfaithfully Yours (1984), Micki + Maude (1984), Best Defense (1984), Santa Claus (1985), The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986) as the Narrator, Like Father, Like Son (1987), Crazy People (1990), Blame It on the Bellboy (1992) and The Pickle (1993). He starred in several short-lived television sitcoms in the 1990s including Dudley (1993) and Daddy’s Girls (1994). He was also seen in the telefilms Parallel Lives (1994) and Weekend in the Country (1996), and was a voice actor in 1998’s The Mighty Kong. He also appeared on television in episodes of When Things Were Rotten, The Muppet Show and Dolly. Moore’s volatile personal life included four failed marriages, including actresses Suzy Kendal, Tuesday Weld, Brogan Lane and Nicole Rothschild. The latter ended amidst allegations of abuse in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 28, 2002, B14; New York Times, Mar. 28, 2002, A28; People, Apr. 15, 2002, 92; Time, Apr. 8, 2002, 23; Times (of London), Mar. 28, 2002, 43b; Variety, Apr. 1, 2002, 74.
Moran, Peggy Peggy Moran, a leading lady in the late 1930s and early 1940s, died on October 26, 2002, of complications from injuries she received in an automobile accident the previous August. She was 84. She was born Marie Jeanette Moran in Clinton, Iowa, on October 23, 1918. She began her career in films in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. before moving to Universal. Moran was featured in the films Gold Diggers in Paris (1938), Boy Meets Girl (1938), Secrets of an Actress (1938), Girls’ School (1938), The Sisters (1938), Rhythm of the Saddle (1938) with Gene Autry, Campus Cinderella (1938), Winter Carnival (1939), Ninotchka (1939), First Love (1939), The Big Guy (1939), Little Accident (1939), West of Carson City (1940), Oh Johnny, How You Can Love (1940), Danger on Wheels (1940), Alias the Deacon (1940), Hot Steel (1940), I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby (1940), Argentine Nights (1940), Slightly Tempted (1940), One Night in the Tropics (1940), Trail of the Vigilantes (1940), and Spring Parade (1940). She was best known for her leading role as feisty Marta Solvani in the 1940 Universal horror clas-
Obituaries • 2002
218
Gene Moss (as Dr. Von Schtick with Shrimpy)
Peggy Moran
sic The Mummy’s Hand, which earned her the title of “the Queen of Scream.” She continued to act for the next several years in such films as Double Date (1941), Horror Island (1941), Hello, Sucker (1941), Flying Cadets (1941), Treat ‘Em Rough (1942), There’s One Born Every Minute (1942), Drums of the Congo (1942), Seven Sweethearts (1942), King of the Cowboys (1943), and Stage Door Canteen (1943). Moran retired from the screen after her marriage to director Henry Koster in 1942. Koster died in 1988. In recent years Moran was a popular guest at film festivals and appeared in several documentaries about her career. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 31, 2002, B17; New York Times, Nov. 4, 2002, B9.
Moss, Gene Gene Moss, who was best known for his as the voice of Smokey Bear in television and radio commercials in the 1980s, died of cancer at a Rancho Mirage, California, hospital on July 15, 2002. He was 75. He was born Eugene Harold
Moshontz in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1926. Moss cocreated the television cartoon series Roger Ramjet in the mid–1960s, and also voiced the character Doodle in the series. He also created and hosted the mid–1960s Los Angeles television series Shrimpenstein, playing mad scientist Dr. Von Schtick. Moss also did voice-over work for numerous commercials before his retirement in the late 1980s. Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2002, B9.
Mullen, Charles Radio actor Charles Mullen died in Stamford, Connecticut, on April 14, 2002. He was 74. He began his career in radio in the early 1940s, starred in the comedy series Archie, and appearing on such series as Dick Tracy, Believe It or Not and Coast to Coast on a Bus. He also appeared in early television in live productions on Robert Montgomery Presents. Mullen left acting to work as a salesman for the American Tobacco Co. in 1950. He rose to become president of the company from 1987 to 1991.
Murphy, Francis X. Francis X. Murphy, a Roman Catholic priest and popular writer, died of complications from surgery for cancer in an Annapolis, Maryland,
219
2002 • Obituaries
George Nader Francis X. Murphy
hospital on April 11, 2002. He was 87. Murphy was born in the Bronx, New York, on June 26, 1914. He was ordained to the priesthood in June of 1940. He became a professor of moral theology at the Academia Alfonsiana in Rome. Under the pen name Xavier Rynne he wrote numerous articles about the contemporary Catholic Church during the time of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 13, 2002, B18; New York Times, Apr. 15, 2002, B6; Times (of London), Apr. 20, 2002, 40b.
Nader, George George Nader, a leading actor of the 1950s who starred in the science fiction cult classic Robot Monster (1953), died of pneumonia at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Country Home in Woodland Hills, California, on February 4, 2002. He was 80. Nader was born in Pasadena, California, on October 19, 1921. He
began his career in films in the early 1950s, appearing in Rustlers on Horseback (1950), Overland Telegraph (1951), Two Tickets to Broadway (1951), Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), The Prowler (1951), Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Monsoon (1953), Sins of Jezebel (1953), Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), Miss Robin Crusoe (1954), Four Guns to the Border (1954), Carnival Story (1954), Six Bridges to Cross (1955), The Second Greatest Sex (1955), Lady Godiva (1955), Away All Boats (1956), The Unguarded Moment (1956), Four Girls in Town (1956), Congo Crossing (1956), Man Afraid (1957), Joe Butterfly (1957), The Female Animal (1957), Flood Tide (1958), Nowhere to Go (1958), Appointment with a Shadow (1958), The Secret Mark of D’Artagnan (1962) and The Human Duplicators. Nader starred in the 1958 television series The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen. He also starred as Dr. Glenn Barton in the 1959 series The Man and the Challenge and was Joe Shannon in 1961’s Shannon. Other television credits include episodes of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Laramie, The Andy Griffith Show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Burke’s Law and The F.B.I. From the mid–1960s Nader worked primarily in Europe, appearing as secret agent Jerry Cotton in
Obituaries • 2002
220
a series of German films including Operation Hurricane: Friday Noon (1965), Manhattan Night of Murder (1965), Die Rechnung — Eiskalt Serviert (1966), Um Null Uhr Schnappt die Fallle Zu (1966), The Murder Club of Brooklyn (1967), Morte in Jaguar Rossa (1968), Todesschusse am Broadway (1968) and Dynamite in Green Silk (1968). He was also seen in 1967’s The Million Eyes of Su-Muru and House of a Thousand Dolls (1967) with Vincent Price. Nader retired from acting after appearing in the film Beyonds Atlantis (1973) and the telefilm Nakia. He authored a popular science fiction novel, Chrome, in 1978, and, with his long-time companion Mark Miller, authored the recent novel The Perils of Paul. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6, 2002, B10; New York Times, Feb. 12, 2002, B7; Variety, Feb. 11, 2002, 70.
Nagle, William Author William Nagle died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on March 5, 2002. He was 54. A member of the U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam from 1965 to 1968, Nagle wrote the novel The Odd Angry Shot about his experiences. His book was adapted into a 1979 film. He also wrote and produced the 1986 film Death of a Soldier, and wrote 1989’s The Siege of Firebase Gloria. Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84.
Love and Chatter (1957), The Quiet American (1958), The Vikings (1958), Room at the Top (1959), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Violent Summer (1959), Holiday in Spain (1960), Sons and Lovers (1960), Carthage in Flames (1960), Girl with a Suitcase (1961), The Story of Joseph and His Brethren (1960), Romanoff and Juliet (1961), Francis of Assisi (1961), The Mongols (1961), The Bacchantes (1961), Light in the Piazza (1962), The Happy Thieves (1962), Disorder (1962), Jessica (1962), The Golden Arrow (1962), Story of San Michele (1962), Barabbas (1962), Constantine and the Cross (1962), Swordsman of Siena (1962), The Veona Trial (1963), Where the Spies Are (1965), Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966), One Million Years B.C. (1966), Doctor Faustus (1967), Dick Smart 2/007 (1967), The Vengeance of She (1968), Commandos (1968), The Night of Counting the Years (1969), Acts of the Apostles (1969), When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), Gradiva (1970), Creatures the World Forgot (1971), The Professor (1972), Augustine of Hippo (1972), Year One (1974), The Messiah (1978), and Blue Dolphin (1990).
Nascimbene, Mario Italian composer Mario Nascimbene died in Rome, Italy, on January 6, 2002. He was 88. Nascimbene was born in Milan, Italy, on November 28, 1913. He worked often in films from the late 1940s, composing scores for numerous films in Europe and the United States. His film credits include O.K. Nero (1951), The Adventures of Manderin (1951), Rome 11:00 (1952), Love in the City (1953), It Happened in the Park (1957), Too Young for Love (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), The Widow (1954), Night Operation (1954), Days of Love (1954), 100 Years of Love (1954), Roman Tales (1955), Knights of the Queen (1955), Angela (1955), Alexander the Great (1956), Men and Wolves (1956), Child in the House (1956), A Farewell to Arms (1957), That Night! (1957),
Mario Nascimbene
Nathan-Turner, John John Nathan-Turner, the long-time producer of the cult British science fiction television
221
John Nathan-Turner
series Doctor Who, died in a Brighton, England, hospital after a brief illness on May 1, 2002. He was 54. Nathan-Turner was born in Midlands, England, on August 12, 1947. He began his career as a boy as an extra in such British television series as The Newcomers, United! and Crossroads. He began working with the BBC as a floor assistant in the late 1960s. It was in that capacity that he began his association with the Doctor Who series, rising to producer in 1979. He produced over 130 episodes of the series from 1980 to 1989, and oversaw the casting of Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy in the role of the Doctor. Times (of London), May 7, 2002, 30c.
Newberry, Mickey Mickey Newberry, the songwriter whose works included Elvis Presley’s popular hit “An American Trilogy,” died of a blood disease at his home in Vida, Oregon, on September 28, 2002. He was 62. He was born on May 19, 1940, in Houston, Texas. Newbury began writing songs in the early 1960s. He penned such popular songs as Jerry Lee Lewis’ “She Only Woke Me Up to
2002 • Obituaries
Mickey Newberry
Say Goodbye,” Kenny Rogers’ “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” and Eddy Arnold’s “Here Comes the Rain, Baby.” He also wrote Waylon Jennings’ hit song “Luckenbach, Texas.” Newbury recorded his first album in 1968, and a later album, Frisco Mabel Joy, included Newbury’s rendition of “An American Trilogy.” He also wrote the 1973 hit song “Heaven Help the Child.” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1, 2002, B10; New York Times, Oct. 5, 2002, A17; Times (of London), Oct. 3, 2002, 36c.
Nickerson, Connie Connie Nickerson Bracken died of natural causes in Montclair, New Jersey, on August 19, 2002. She was 88. Nickerson began acting on stage in the 1930s, appearing in the Broadway productions of As You Like It (1937) and What a Life (1938). She met actor Eddie Bracken while touring in the road company production of What a Life and married him in 1939. She subsequently retired from the stage to raise a family, but re-
Obituaries • 2002
222
sumed her career in the 1970s. She toured with her husband in productions of Never Too Late, Born Yesterday and Don’t Drink the Water, and performed with her daughters Carolyn and Susan in a production of Harvey. She is survived by her husband and children. Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 65.
Nielsen, Helen Mystery writer Helen Nielsen died in Prescott, Arizona, on June 22, 2002. She was 83. She wrote over eighteen novels including The Kind Man, her first in 1951, Woman on the Roof, The Crime Is Murder and Stranger in the Dark. Her novel Gold Coast Nocturne was adapted for the 1954 film Blackout (aka Murder by Proxy) starring Dane Clark. Nielsen also wrote numerous short stories and scripted several episodes of such television series as Perry Mason, Alcoa Theatre, 87th Precinct, The Dick Powell Show and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2002, B20.
Nohling, David L. David L. Nohling, a teacher who appeared as the Purple Panda on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood in the late 1970s and early 1980s, died of lymphoma in a Chicago hospital on November 24, 2002. He was 65. Nohling began working in public television in Boston in the late 1950s. He later became a producer at WQED in Pittsburgh, when he joined Fred Rogers’ popular children’s show as the Purple Panda. In the early 1980s Nohling moved to Illinois to produce corporate videos and to teach at various colleges.
David L. Nohling (left, as the Purple Panda with Mr. McFeely)
before moving to Los Angeles in the 1940s where she appeared in such films as Bandit King of Texas (1949), Prisoners in Petticoats (1950), Breakthrough (1950), Smoky Canyon (1952), Gents in a Jam (1952) and The Sniper (1952). In 1951 she married television director William Asher and appeared in an episode of I Love Lucy that he helmed in 1955.
Nolan, Dani Sue Dani Asher Talley, who appeared in films as Dani Sue Nolan in the 1940s and 1950s, died of a stroke in Palm Springs, California, on August 3, 2002. She was 79. She was born Dorothea Alyce Nolan in Denver, Colorado, in 1923. She began working in show business as an assistant to famed magician Harry Blackstone while in her teens. She continued her career as a performer
Dani Sue Nolan
223 She was also featured in episodes of The Adventures of Superman, The Fugitive and The Brady Bunch. After her divorce from Asher, Nolan married James Talley.
Noto, Lore Lore Noto, the former stage actor who produced the world’s longest running musical, The Fantasticks, died of cancer in New York on July 8, 2002. He was 79. The musical written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, debuted in Greenwich Village in May of 1960. It ran for over 40 years until closing in January of 2002. Noto also appeared in the musical in numerous productions during its run. Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2002, B11; New York Times, July 10, 2002, A22; Time, June 22, 2002, 15; Variety, July 15, 2002, 47.
2002 • Obituaries
O’Connor, Harry Stuntman Harry O’Connor was killed on location on April 4, 2002, while shooting the film XXX in Prague, Czech Republic, when he crashed into a pillar while being pulled on a paraglider at high speed. He was 45. O’Connor was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on August 28, 1957. He began his career in films after serving as a Navy SEAL for 20 years. He also performed stunts for such films as Drop Zone (1994), Titanic (1997), Air Force One (1997), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Soldier (1998), The Perfect Storm (2000), Charlie’s Angels (2000), and K-PAX (2001). Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84.
Harry O’Connor
O’Hara, Shirley
Lore Noto
Actress Shirley O’Hara died of complications from diabetes at the Motion Picture Hospital in Calabasas, California, on December 13, 2002. She was 78. O’Hara was born in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1924. She began her film career in the early 1940s, appearing in such movies as Step Lively (1943), Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943),
Obituaries • 2002
224 also director of public relations at the Burbank Studios from the early 1970s until her retirement in 1995. She was married to screenwriter Milton Krim from the late 1950s until his death in 1988.
Okunevskaya, Tatyana
Shirley O’Hara
Around the World (1943), The Ghost Ship (1943), The Falcon Out West (1944), Seven Days Ashore (1944), Higher and Higher (1944) with Frank Sinatra, Three Is a Family (1944), Show Business (1944), Tarzan and the Amazons (1945) with Johnny Weissmuller, The Runaround (1946), Love Come Back (1946), The Chase (1946), Cuban Pete (1946), Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1947), Bells of San Fernando (1947), Crime Wave (1954), The Third Voice (1960), The High Powered Rifle (1960), The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961), Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961), Sylvia (1965), The Ballad of Josie (1967), and The Hostage (1967). O’Hara also appeared often on television from the 1950s, appearing in episodes of Fireside Theater, Dragnet, Gunsmoke, Sea Hunt, Rawhide, The Twilight Zone, Racket Squad, The Millionaire, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Sam Benedict, The Outer Limits, Perry Mason, Stoney Burke, The Virginian, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, Family Affair, My Three Sons, It Takes a Thief, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Smith Family, Bonanza, Cannon, The Waltons, Emergency!, The Bob Newhart Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Chico and the Man, The Invisible Man, The Streets of San Francisco, Laverne & Shirley, The Rockford Files, and The Incredible Hulk. She was also seen in the telefilms Incident in San Francisco (1971), Face of Fear (1971), Steven Spielberg’s Duel (1971), What Are Best Friends For? (1973), Manhunter (1974), Future Cop (1976), Banjo Hackett: Roamin’ Free (1976), The Death of Ritchie (1977), Tail Gunner Joe (1977), Flight to Holocaust (1977), and Crash (1978). She also had small roles in the films Rocky (1976) and Getting Wasted (1980). O’Hara was
Russian actress Tatyana Okunevskaya died in Moscow on May 15, 2002. She was 88. She was born in Zavidovo, Moscow province, Russia, on March 3, 1914. Known as a legendary beauty, she began her career in films in the early 1930s, appearing in productions of Red Army Days (1932), Pyshka (1934), The Last Night (1936), Aleksandr Parkhomenko (1942), Night Over Belgrade (1942), It Happened in the Donbass (1945), and Davit Guramishvili (1946). Okunevskaya’s career was interrupted in the late 1940s when she became involved in a political power play between Yugoslav leader Tito and Josef Stalin’s secret police leader Lavrenty Beria. She was arrested and tried on charges of treason in 1948 and sentenced to ten years in a concentration camp. She was released in 1954 in an amnesty following Stalin’s death. She attempted to resume her ca-
Tatyana Okunevskaya
225 reer, appearing in stage productions and several more films including Night Guard (1957), Stars of the Ballet (1964), The Star of Fascinating Happiness (1975), and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1985). Her final performance was in the 2001 television mini-series The Border: A Taiga Romance. Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Oldroyd, Liddy British television director Liddy Oldroyd died of cancer in London on June 27, 2002. She was 47. She was born Elizabeth Mary Oldroyd in Guildford, Surrey, England, on June 16, 1955. She began working for London Weekend Television as a production assistant in 1979, and was soon directing such programs as Weekend World and Six O’Clock Show. She directed the popular British sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey from 1990 through 1998. She also directed episodes of such series as Slattery and McShane, Terry and Julian, Paris, Look at the State We’re In!, Underworld, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Boyz Unlimited, The Sil-
2002 • Obituaries
sons and The Strangers. She was diagnosed with cancer in late 1999. Times (of London), July 17, 2002, 32b.
Oliansky, Joel Television writer and director Joel Oliansky died in Los Angeles on July 29, 2002. He was 66. Oliansky was born in New York City on October 11, 1935. He received Emmy Awards for writing the television series The Senator in 1970 and the mini-series The Law in 1975. Oliansky also scripted episodes of Kojak and Mallory, and the telefilms The Priest Killer (1971), Masada (1981) and Abducted: A Father’s Love. Oliansky wrote several films including Counterpoint (1968), The Todd Killings (1971), The Competition (1980) which he also directed, and Bird (1988). He also directed the telefilms The Silence at Bethany (1988) and In Defense of a Married Man (1990), and episodes of Emergency!, Kojak, The Law, Quincy, Bring ‘Em Back Alive and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 1, 2002, B13; New York Times, Aug. 5, 2002, A13.
Joel Oliansky Liddy Oldroyd
Obituaries • 2002
226
Olsen, Jack
Ornstein, Leo
Writer Jack Olsen died of a heart attack on Bainbridge Island, Washington, on July 16, 2002. He was 77. Olsen was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 7, 1925. Olsen worked as a journalist and was a writer for Sports Illustrated before he began writing books. He was best known as a true crime writer, and authored over thirty books during his career including Black Is Best: The Riddle of Cassius Clay (1967), Silence on Monte Sole (1968), Night of the Grizzlies (1969), The Bridge of Chappaquiddick (1970), Slaughter the Animals, Poison the Earth (1971), The Girls on the Campus (1974), Alphabet Jackson (1974), The Sweet Street (1974), Massy’s Game (1976), The Secret of Fire 5 (1977), Night Watch (1979), Missing Persons (1981), Son: A Psychopath and His Victims (1983), Predator: Rape, Madness, and Injustice in Seattle (1991), The Misbegotten Son: A Serial Killer and His Victims (1993), and “I”—The Creation of a Serial Killer (2002). Several of his books were adapted for telefilms including The Girls in the Office (1979), Sins of the Mother (1991), and Have You Seen My Son? (1996). Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2002, B12.
Concert pianist and avant-garde composer Leo Ornstein died in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on February 24, 2002. He was 109. Ornstein was born in Russian in December of 1892. He studied piano at an early age and accompanied his family to New York in 1907. He was a popular concert pianist from his debut in 1911, giving American premieres to the work of such composers as Debussy, Ravel and Bartok. He also composed such controversial musical pieces as Wild Men’s Dance and Nocture and Dance of Fate. He retired from performing in the early 1930s. Though living largely in obscurity, he continued to compose over the next sixty years, with his final work, the Eighth Piano Sonata, completed in 1990. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 7, 2002, B19; New York Times, Mar. 5, 2002, C14; Times (of London), Mar. 18, 2002, 39b; Variety, Mar. 18, 2002, 46.
Jack Olsen Leo Ornstein
227
Orr, William T. William T. Orr, a former actor who became an executive producer with Warner Bros. television in the 1950s and 1960s, died in Los Angeles on December 25, 2002. He was 85. Orr was born in New York City on September 27, 1917. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid–1930s and was featured in supporting roles in such films as Touchdown, Army (1938), The Hardy’s Ride High (1939), Invitation to Happiness (1939), The Mortal Storm (1940), My Love Came Back (1940), Those Were the Days (1940), Service with the Colors (1940), Meet the Fleet (1940), Honeymoon for Three (1941), Thieves Fall Out (1941), Three Sons o’ Guns (1941), Those Good Old Days (1941), Navy Blues (1941), Unholy Partners (1941), Soldiers in White (1942), The Big Street (1942), The Gay Sisters (1942), and He Hired the Boss (1943). Orr served in the Army Air Force’s Motion Picture Unit during World War II. He became an assistant to Jack Warner after the war and following his marriage to Warner’s stepdaughter Joy Page in 1945. He was placed in charge of Warner’s television division in the mid–1950s, and served as
William T. Orr
2002 • Obituaries
executive producer on such series as Cheyenne, King’s Row, Conflict, Casablanca, Sugarfoot, Maverick, Colt .45, Bronco, Lawman, 77 Sunset Strip, Girl on the Run, The Alaskans, Bourbon Street Beat, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, The Roaring 20’s, Room for One More, The Gallant Men, The Dakotas, Temple Houston, Wendy and Me, No Time for Sergeants, Sex and the Single Girl, F Troop, Mister Roberts, and Hank. Orr left Warner in 1965 to work as an independent producer. He retired from films in the mid–1970s. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 28, 2002, B19.
Osterwald, Bibi Actress Bibi Osterwald died of lung disease in Burbank, California, on January 7, 2002. She was 83. She was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on February 3, 1918. A performer on the Broadway stage from the mid–1940s, she was seen in productions of Three to Make Ready, The Iliad and The Golden Apple. She was soon appearing on television, starring in several series including Captain Billy’s Mississippi Music Hall (1948) and The Imogene Coca Show (1954). She also guest starred on episodes of The Philco Television Playhouse and The Naked City in the 1950s. She was
Bibi Osterwald
Obituaries • 2002
228
featured in such films as Parrish (1961), The World of Henry Orient (1964), A Fine Madness (1966) and The Tiger Makes Out (1967), and starred as Stella O’Brien in the television drama series Where the Heart Is from 1969 to 1972. Osterwald was Carol Channing’s understudy for the role of Dolly Levi in the hit Broadway musical in the 1960s. She starred as Sophie Steinberg in the television comedy series Bridget Loves Bernie in 1972, and was featured in the films Bank Shot (1974), The Great Smokey Roadblock (1976), Moving (1988), Caddyshack II (1988), Angie (1994), The Glimmer Man (1996), The Paper Brigade (1996) and As Good As It Gets (1997), as Jack Nicholson’s neighbor. She also appeared in the telefilms and mini-series Little Ladies of the Night (1977), Beulah Land (1980), Happy Endings (1983), Stillwatch (1987), The Absent-Minded Professor (1988), and Danielle Steel’s Star, and guest-starred in such series as All in the Family, The Streets of San Francisco, Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat, Three’s Company, Remington Steele, Mama’s Family, St. Elsewhere, Highway to Heaven, Stingray, Newhart, Get a Life, Werewolf, Out of This World, Tales from the Crypt, Mad About You and Home Improvement. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2002, B16; New York Times, Jan. 16, 2002, C16.
James Ostrander
Ostrander, James Actor James Ostrander died of cancer in a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on January 14, 2002. He was 53. Ostrander began performing on the local stage in the late 1960s, and starred in the one-man musical Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well in Paris in 1972. Ostrander was featured in productions of The King and I, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, and many more over the next thirty years. He was also featured in the 1982 film I Was a Zombie for the F.B.I.
Page, LaWanda Comedienne LaWanda Page died of complications from diabetes in Los Angeles on September 13, 2002. She was 81. Page was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 19, 1920. A former dancer and chorus girl, she was known in St. Louis, Missouri, as “The Bronze Goddess of Fire”
LaWanda Page
229 because of her flaming dance numbers. She later became a stand-up comedian. She was best known for her role as the Redd Foxx’s nemesis Aunt Ester on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son. She continued in the role in the subsequent series Sanford Arms in 1977. Page also appeared as Charlene Jenkins in the short lived 1979 series Detective School and was Ma in the 1980 series B.A.D. Cats. She was also featured in the films Zapped! (1982), Good-Bye Cruel World (1982), Mausoleum (1983), My Blue Heaven (1990), Shakes the Clown (1991), CB4 (1993), The Meteor Man (1993), West from North Goes South (1993), The Legend of Dolemite (1994), Friday (1994), and Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). Other television credits include the 1977 telefilm Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?, and episodes of Starsky and Hutch, The Love Boat, Diff ’rent Strokes, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, 227, Amen, Family Matters, Martin, The Sinbad Show and The Parent Hood. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 17, 2002, B10; New York Times, Sept. 18, 2002, A29; People, Sept. 30, 2002, 103; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 65.
2002 • Obituaries
Mike Paidousis
Paidousis, Mike Mike Paidousis, a professional wrestler from the 1950s, died in Mesquite, Texas, on September 9, 2002. He was 78. Paidousis was born in Tennessee on January 5, 1924. He played football at the University of Tennessee and was a Golden Gloves boxing champion. He began wrestling professionally in the early 1950s and held several single and tag championships during his two decade career.
Palmer, Randy Film writer and researcher Randy Palmer died on August 8, 2002, in Virginia of injuries received in an automobile accident the previous week. He was 49. Palmer was born on June 8, 1953. He began writing articles for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, becoming a staff editor of the magazine in the early 1980s. He also worked as an editor for several other Warren publications including Vampirella, Eerie and Creepy.
Randy Palmer
Obituaries • 2002
230
Palmer’s writings were also published in Cinefantastique, Filmfax and Fangoria. He was author of the 1997 book Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker: A Biography of the B Movie Makeup and Special Effects Artist and the recent Herschell Gordon Lewis, Godfather of Gore: The Films, both published by McFarland. Palmer was also guitarist for the rock bands Bedemon and Pentagram.
Palmier, Remo Jazz guitarist Remo Palmier died in New York City of leukemia and lymphoma on February 2, 2002. He was 78. Palmier was born in the Bronx, New York, on March 29, 1923. He began performing with the Nat Jaffe Trio in New York in 1942. During his career he played with such artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins and Billie Holliday. Palmier was the guitarist on radio and television with Arthur Godfrey for over twenty years from the late 1940s, and taught Godfrey how to play the ukelele. He also recorded several albums including Windflower (1977) and Remo Palmier (1978). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 15, 2002, B17; New York Times, Feb. 9, 2002, A17.
Remo Palmier
Paltrow, Bruce Producer and director Bruce Paltrow died of a heart attack and complications from pneu-
Bruce Paltrow
monia and throat cancer at a hospital in Rome, Italy, on October 3, 2002. He was 58. Paltrow was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 26, 1943. He was best known as the producer of the 1982 television series St. Elsewhere. Paltrow also produced and directed the 1978 television series The White Shadow. He directed the telefilms Operating Room (1980) and Ed McBain’s 8th Precinct: Lightning (1995), and the 1982 film A Little Sex. He also directed an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. He was married to actress Blythe Danner and the father of actress Gwyneth Paltrow. His daughter starred in his final film, 2000’s Duets. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 2002, B14; New York Times, Oct. 4, 2002, C21; People, Oct. 21, 2002, 79; Time, Oct. 14, 2002, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 5, 2002, 44c; Variety, Oct. 7, 2002, 104.
Pamela, Lucia Singer and entertainer Lucia Pamela died in a Los Angeles hospital on July 25, 2002. She was 98. Pamela was born in St. Louis in 1904, and won the title Miss St. Louis in 1926. She performed on the local stage before moving to Fresno
231
2002 • Obituaries
nial (1978) and Peter the Great (1986). He also directed numerous telefilms featured Peter Falk’s detective character Columbo in the 1990s. Other television credits include episodes of Emergency and MacGyver. He also edited the 1991 film Once Upon a Time in Shanghai, and the 1994 telefilm A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 7, 2002, B9.
Parma, Michelle
Lucia Pamela
Former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Michelle Parma was killed in an automobile accident near Houston, Texas, on October 19, 2002. She was 27. Parma was born on January 14, 1975. She cheered for the Dallas Cowboys from 1995 to 1996. She was a contestant in the 1994 MTV series Road Rules 3, and appeared in the 2001 Real World/Road Rules Extreme Challenge. Parma also was noted for the internet hoax, “Our First Time,” when she and an actor claimed to be virgins on an internet web site that planned to consummate their relationship on camera in 1998.
California, where she managed the Fresno Storyland amusement park. Pamela also hosted two local radio programs, The Encouragement Hour and Gal About Town. She also formed an all girl orchestra, the Musical Pirates. In 1969 she recorded her only album, Into Outer Space With Lucia Pamela, which described her fictional travels to the moon (though she seemed to believe they were true). The album was reissued in 1992. New York Times, Aug. 18, 2002, 27; Times (of London), Sept. 2, 2002, S7c.
Parker, Bill Film and television editor Bill Parker died of lung cancer in a Burbank, California, hospital on January 4, 2002. He was 64. Parker was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1937. He began his career in a rock ’n’ roll singer in the 1950s before moving to Los Angeles in 1961. He soon began working in films as an editor with ToddAO Studios. Often working in television from the 1970s, Parker edited such telefilms as Survival of Spaceship Earth (1972), The Ranges (1974), Not Just Another Affair (1982), and Rona Jaffe’s Mazes and Monsters (1982), and the mini-series Centen-
Michelle Parma
Parsons, Chris British documentary filmmaker Chris Parsons died in England on November 8, 2002. He was 70. Parsons was born in Winchester, England, on August 23, 1932. He joined the BBC as
Obituaries • 2002
232
a film editor in 1955 and, two years later, was a founding member of the BBC Natural History Unit. He produced such BBC documentaries as The Major (1963), Two in a Bush (1963), and Catch Me a Colobus (1966). He became the BBC’s Natural History Series Editor in 1968, overseeing The World About Us and Life on Earth. Parsons retired in 1988.
Patchett, Jean Fashion model Jean Patchett died of emphysema in La Quinta, California, on January 22, 2002. She was 75. Patchett left her family home in Preston, Maryland, and began her career as a model in the late 1940s. Shortly after she arrived in New York in 1948 she signed with the Eileen Ford Agency, and soon was appearing on the cover of Vogue. Her Vogue cover in January of 1950, by photographer Erwin Blumenfeld, revealed her red mouth, penciled left eye and mole, setting a style in fashion photography that would last the decade. She soon became one of the most
photographed models of the 1950s, appearing on over forty magazine covers. Patchett married banker Louis Auer in 1951. She continued to model regularly until leaving the business in 1963. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6, 2002, B11; New York Times, Feb. 4, 2002, B7; Time, Feb. 18, 2002, 27.
Pathak, Dina Indian actress Dina Pathak died after a long illness at her daughter’s home in Bandra, India, on October 11, 2002. She was 82. Pathak starred in over two hundred films from the late 1940s, including Kariyawar (1948), The Big Sky (1969), Koshish (1972), Heart Stealer (1976), Two Bankrupt Boys (1978), Meera (1979), Living Here (1979), Hanky Panky (1979), Beautiful (1980), A Folk Tale (1980), Without You (1982), The Meaning (1982), David Lean’s A Passage to India (1984), Summons for Mohan Joshi (1984), The Festival of Fire (1984), A Moment (1986), Yateem (1988), The Inner Voice (1991), The Absolution (1994), and Devdas (2002). Her final film, Bollywood/Hollywood, was filmed in Canada in 2002.
Dina Pathak
Jean Patchett
233
2002 • Obituaries
Pathe, Thierry Filmmaker and cinematographer Thierry Pathe died of cancer in New York City on April 6, 2002. He was 61. Pathe was born Thierry Christian Charles Franc in Laval, France, in 1940. He came to the United States at the age of two. He worked as a cameraman on Boris Karloff ’s 1967 film Cauldron of Blood, and the Batman television series. He taught filmmaking at New York University’s School of Continuing Education from 1971 to 2000. Pathe also produced the 1977 film Hootch, and was cinematographer and directing consultant for 2000’s Growing Down in Brooklyn. He also directed commercials for Rolex and several unreleased films including The Young Dead and Toot Suite. Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84. Dennis Patrick
Thierry Pathe
Patrick, Dennis Leading character actor Dennis Patrick died of smoke inhalation at a fire at his home in Los Angeles on October 13, 2002. He was suffering from cancer and undergoing kidney dialysis at the time of his death. He was 84. Patrick was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 14, 1918. He was best known for his role as J.R. Ewing’s banker, Vaughn Leland, on the television drama series Dallas from 1979 to 1984. Patrick also starred as Jason McGuire in the Gothic daytime soap opera Dark Shadows in 1967, and was Paul Stoddard in the series in 1969. He also appeared in the soap operas The Secret Storm and Somerset. He starred as Captain Jack Breen in the short lived television police drama Bert D’An-
gelo/Superstar in 1976, an was Patrick Chapin in the drama series Rituals from 1984 to 1985. Patrick was featured in over a dozen films during his career including the 1964 science fiction thriller The Time Travellers, Tiger by the Tail (1968), Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting (1969), Joe (1970), House of Dark Shadows (1970) as Sheriff George Patterson, Dear Dead Delilah (1972), Nightmare Honeymoon (1973), The Secret Life of Nikola Tesla (1980) as Thomas Edison, Choices (1981), Heated Vengeance (1985), Chances Are (1989) and The Air Up There (1994). He was also featured in the telefilms Night Games (1974), The Death Squad (1974), Panic on the 5:22 (1974), The Missiles of October (1974), The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant (1975), Code Name: Diamond Head (1977), The Georgia Peaches (1980), The Sophisticated Gents (1981), Advice to the Lovelorn (1981), and The Murder of Sherlock Holmes (1984), and the 1988 mini-series War and Remembrance. His other television credits include episodes of Martin Kane, Private Eye, Star Tonight, Kraft Television Theatre, Gunsmoke, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Buckskin, Perry Mason, The Deputy, Riverboat, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 77 Sunset Strip, Laramie, One Step Beyond, Bonanza, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Stagecoach West, The Untouchables, Checkmate, Hawaiian Eye, Wagon Train, The Virginian, Empire, The Dakotas, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, The Defenders, A
Obituaries • 2002
234
Man Called Shenandoah, Honey West, T.H.E. Cat, Lost in Space, Custer, The Big Valley, It Takes a Thief, Emergency!, Ironside, The Rookies, The New Perry Mason, Mannix, Kojak, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, All in the Family, McMillan and Wife, The Rockford Files, Kate McShane, Barbary Coast, The Bionic Woman, Eight Is Enough, Barnaby Jones, Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Hawaii Five-O, Simon & Simon, The Fall Guy, Remington Steele, the new Twilight Zone in 1987, St. Elsewhere, Murder, She Wrote, Paradise and Coach. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 14, 2002, B3; People, Oct. 28, 2002, 85; Variety, Oct. 21, 2002, 86.
Pays, Howard British actor Howard Pays died of cancer at his home in Hampshire, England, on April 12, 2002. He was 74. He began his acting career in 1955, appearing as Bill Norton in the British television series Sixpenny Corner. He was also featured in the films A Night to Remember (1958), Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), Urge to Kill (1960), Just Joe (1960), Jungle Street (1961), Dangerous Afternoon (1961), Cone of Silence (1961), The Password Is Courage (1962), Never Back Losers (1962), The Undesirable Neighbour (1963), Two Left Feet (1963), and Attack on the Iron Coast (1968). Pays subsequently retired from acting to become a leading theatrical agent in London. His survivors include his daughter, actress Amanda Pays. Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Peet, Bill Disney artist and animator Bill Peet died of complications from pneumonia and cancer at his home in Studio City, California, on May 11, 2002. He was 87. He was born William Bartlett Peed in Grandview, Indiana, on January 29, 1915. He began working for Walt Disney as an artist on Donald Duck cartoons and worked on the 1939 animated film Pinocchio. Peet continued to work at Disney on such projects as Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), The Three Caballeros (1945), Song of the South (1946), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). In his
Bill Peet
1989 autobiography Peet claimed that he drew the villainous Captain Hook in Peter Pan to look like Walt Disney. He continued to work on the films The Truth About Mother Goose (1957), Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and The Sword in the Stone (1963), before leaving the studio because of continued friction with Disney. He subsequently wrote several children’s books including Goliath II, The Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg and Chester the Wordly Pig. Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2002, B10; New York Times, May 18, 2002, B15; Time, May 27, 2002, 23; Times (of London), May 15, 2002, 31b; Variety, May 20, 2002, 67.
Pennell, Eagle Independent film producer Eagle Pennell died at his home in Houston, Texas, of heart failure on July 20, 2002. He was 49. He was born Glenn Irwin Pinnell in Andrews, Texas, on July 28, 1952. He became a leading independent filmmaker in Texas in the late 1970s, directing the films The Whole Shootin’ Match (1978), Last Night
235
Eagle Pennell (right, w/Kim Henkel)
at the Alamo (1983), Ice House (1989), City Life (1990) and Doc’s Full Service (1994).
Perier, Francois Leading French actor Francois Perier died of a heart attack during his sleep at his home in Paris on June 29, 2002. He was 82. Perier was born in Paris on November 10, 1919. He appeared in over 100 films during his career that lasted from the late 1930s through the 1990s. His numerous film credits include Hotel du Nord (1938), Mother Love (1938), The End of the Day (1939), Nightclub Hostess (1940), Love Letters (1942), Wolf Farm (1943), The Temptation of Barbizon (1945), Sylvie and the Phantom (1945), Happy Go Lucky (1945), A Lover’s Return (1946), Man About Town (1947), A Merry Life (1947), A Girl Knew (1947), Return to Life (1949), Orpheus (1949), Lost Souvenirs (1950), Sorceror (1950), My Seal and Them (1951), Love, Madame (1952), It Happened in the Park (1953), The Anatomy of Love (1954), The Bed (1954), The Fugitives (1955), Gervaise (1956), Stars Never Die (1956), I’ll Get Back to Kandara (1957),
2002 • Obituaries
Francois Perier
The She-Wolves (1957), Nights of Cabiria (1957), Anyone Can Kill Me (1957), Too Many Lovers (1957), La Bigorne (1958), Bobosse (1959), All of Us Are Guilty (1959), Lovers on a Tightrope (1960), Love and the Frenchwoman (1960), The Testament of Orpheus (1960), Jack of Spades (1960), Paris Loves (1961), Five Day Lover (1961), Hitch-Hike (1962), The Creation of the World (1962), The Organizer (1963), The Visitor (1963), The Sweet and the Bitter (1963), Weekend at Dunkirk (1964), Shock Troops (1967), The Godson (1967), Z (1969), The Red Circle (1970), Give Her the Moon (1970), Just Before Nightfall (1971), Max (1971), The French Conspiracy (1972), We Want the Colonels (1973), Antoine and Sebastian (1973), Stavisky (1974), No Time for Breakfast (1975), The Case Against Ferro (1976), The Spiral (1976), Baxter, Vera Baxter (1976), State Reasons (1977), The Police War (1979), The Cache (1983), Le Tartuffe (1984), Keep Up Your Right (1987), The Elegant Criminal (1990), La Pagaille (1991) and Voyage a Rome (1992). Perier also appeared often on French television from the 1970s.
Obituaries • 2002
236
Perkins, Pat Actress Priscilla “Pat” Pierre Perkins died at her home in New Orleans on January 24, 2002. She was 76. The heavy-set actress, who also worked as a cab driver between film roles, was featured in such films as Pretty Baby (1978), Liar’s Moon (1981), French Quarter Undercover (1985), Angel Heart (1987), Everybody’s All American (1988), JFK (1991), The Key (1996) and Lolita (1997). She also appeared in the telefilms The Rutles (1978), Louisiana (1984) and Hot Pursuit (1984), and an episode of In the Heat of the Night.
Perlemuter, Vlado Classical pianist Vlado Perlemuter died at a Paris hospital on September 4, 2002. He was 98. Perlemuter was born in Kauas, Lithuania (then Russia), on May 26, 1904. He accompanied his family to Paris at an early age, where he studied piano under Andre Cortot. He gave his first public recital in Geneva in 1919. He was noted for his performances of works by Maurice Ravel during the 1920s. Perlemuter made his debut in England in 1938. during the German occupation of France, Perlemuter escaped to Switzerland. After suffering from tuberculosis, he returned to France in 1951, where he taught piano at the Paris Conservatoire until his retirement in 1977. Perlemuter
Vlado Perlemuter
performed throughout Europe and the United States, and was noted for his interpretations of Ravel and Frederic Chopin. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 7, 2002, B17; New York Times, Sept. 7, 2002, A16; Times (of London), Sept. 6, 2002, 39c.
Perreault, Jean-Pierre Choreographer Jean-Pierre Perreault died of cancer in Montreal, Canada, on December 4, 2002. He was 55. Perreault began his career with the Groupe de la Place Royale in Montreal, Canada, in 1967. He became co-artistic director of the company in the early 1970s and directed over twenty productions there. He was best known for his contemporary dance production of Joe, which had dancers marching about in overcoats, hats and boots. He left the group in 1981 to work as an independent choreographer and soon formed his own company, La Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault. Perreault also taught dance at the University of Quebec from 1984 through 1992. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2002, B23.
Jean-Pierre Perreault
237
2002 • Obituaries
Peterson, Jeff Professional wrestler Jeff Peterson died of cancer in Tampa, Florida, on November 29, 2002. He was 21. Peterson was born on August 13, 1981. He was a leading independent wrestler who often competed with the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA). Known as the “All American,” he also wrestled with Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling and All-Pro Wrestling in California.
John Peyser
Jeff Peterson
Peyser, John Television director John Peyser died in his sleep in Woodland Hills, California, on August 16, 2002. He was 86. Peyser was born in New York City on August 10, 1916. He began working in television as a producer and director at NBC in New York in the early 1940s. After serving in the Army’s psychological warfare division during World War II Peyser resumed his career in television at CBS. He directed various live programs before moving to California in the mid–1950s. There he helmed hundreds of episodes of such se-
ries as Perry Mason, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, The Rifleman, Naked City, Law of the Plainsman, Adventures in Paradise, The Untouchables, Hong Kong, The Dick Powell Show, Bonanza, The Virginian, The Nurses, Combat!, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Legend of Jesse James, Honey West, The Rat Patrol, Garrison’s Gorillas, Hawaii FiveO, Shazam!, Switch, Bronk, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Charlie’s Angels, Quincy, CHiPs, The American Girls, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, and B.J. and the Bear. Peyser also directed a handful of films during his career including Undersea Girl (1957), The Murder Men (1961), The Young Warriors (1967), Four Rode Out (1969), Anatomy of a Crime (1969), The Kashmiri Run (1970), and The Centerfold Girls (1974). He also directed the telefilms Massacre Harbour (1969), Honeymoon with a Stranger (1969), Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21, 2002, B11; Variety, August 26, 2002, 58.
Phillips, Carmen Actress Carmen Phillips died of lung cancer in a Hollywood hospital on September 22, 2002. She was 65. Phillips was born in Chicago in 1937.
Obituaries • 2002
238
Peg Phillips Carmen Phillips
She made her film debut in the late 1950s, appearing in such films as Party Girl (1958), Some Came Running (1958), It Started with a Kiss (1959), Ask Any Girl (1959), Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960), Ocean’s Eleven (1960), Ride the High Country (1962), Convicts 4 (1962), Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie (1964), Don’t Worry, We’ll Think of a Title (1966), Games (1967) and Easy Rider (1969) as a mime. She starred as Lilly in the 1963 television series The Lieutenant. She was also seen on television in episodes of Perry Mason, The Deputy, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Laramie, Destry, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and Laredo. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 7, 2002, B9.
Phillips, Peg Actress Margaret “Peg” Phillips, who starred as store owner Ruth-Anne Miller on television’s Northern Exposure, died on November 7, 2002. She was 84, Phillips was born in Everett, Washington, on September 20, 1918. She worked as an accountant until her retirement at age 65, when she began taking acting classes. She founded the Woodinville Repertory Theater in Woodinville,
Washington, and often appeared on stage there. She starred as Ruth-Anne in the quirky comedy series Northern Exposure from 1990 until 1995. Phillips was also seen in the films Waiting for the Light (1990) and Dogfight (1991), and the telefilms Chase (1985) and How the West Was Fun (1994). Her other television credits include episodes of Suddenly Susan, Boston Common, 7th Heaven, Touched by an Angel, and ER. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 13, 2002, B10; New York Times, Nov. 14, 2002, B13; People, Nov. 25, 2002, 113; Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 63.
Pierce, John R. John Robinson Pierce, electrical engineer and author, died of complications from pneumonia at a El Camino, California, hospital on April 2, 2002. He was 92. Piece was born in Des Moines, Iowa on March 27, 1910. He began working at Bell Labs in 1937, and was credited with coining the term “transistor” in 1948 while heading the team that developed it. He was also an early innovator of communications satellites, designing Echo I which was launched by NASA in 1960. Pierce wrote numerous short stories and es-
239
2002 • Obituaries
John R. Pierce
says, often using the psuedonym J.R. Coupling. His short stories, many of which were science fiction, include Unthinking Cap (1943), John Ze’s Future (1962), You’ll Love the Past (1969), To Be a Man (1970), The Exorcism (1971) and The Whimper Effect (1973). New York Times, Apr. 5, 2002, C11.
Pink, Sidney Film producer Sidney Pink died at his Pompano Beach, Florida, home on October 12, 2002, following a long illness. He was 86. Pink was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1916. He began his career as associate producer for Arch Oboler’s landmark 3-D film Bwana Devil in 1952. Pink produced several dozen films during his career, many of which he also directed and scripted. His credits include The Twonky (1953), The Angry Red Planet (1959), Reptilicus (1961), Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962), The Castilian (1963), Pyro … The Man Without a Face (1963), Blue Lightning (1965), The Sweet Sound of
Sidney Pink
Death (1965), The Drums of Tabu (1965), The Treasure of Makuba (1966), The Christmas Kid (1967), Flame Over Vietnam (1967), Witch Without a Broom (1967), Madigan’s Millions (1968) which starred Dustin Hoffman in an early film role, A Thousand and One Nights (1968), The Bang Bang Kid (1968), A Candidate for a Killing (1969), and Man from O.R.G.Y. (1970). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17, 2002, B16; New York Times, Oct. 19, 2002, B9; Times (of London), Oct. 21, S8c; Variety, Oct. 28, 2002, 73.
Obituaries • 2002
240
Pinon, Adriana Adriana Pinon, an aspiring actress who made numerous appearances on the television soap opera The Young and the Restless, was shot to death in her home in San Diego, California, on January 31, 2002. She was 18. A rebuffed admirer was arrested for Pinon’s murder two months later.
Ernest Pintoff
Adriana Pinon
Pintoff, Ernest Director and animator Ernest Pintoff died of complications from a stroke at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on January 12, 2002. He was 70. Pintoff was born in Watertown, Connecticut, in 1931. He produced and wrote the animated films Felbus (1957), The Violinist (1959) and The Critic (1963), the latter which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Pintoff also directed the films Harvey Middleman, Fireman (1965), Who Killed Mary What’s ‘Er Name? (1971), Dynamite Chicken (1971), Blade (1973), Jaguar Lives (1979), Lunch Wagon (1980) and St. Helens (1981). Pintoff also worked often in television, directing episodes of such series as Hawaii Five-O, Barnaby Jones, Kojak, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Police
Woman, The Feather and Father Gang, James at 15, The White Shadow, The Dukes of Hazzard, $weepstake$, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, Voyagers!, Emerald Point N.A.S., and MacGyver. Los Angles Times, Feb. 7, 2002, B14; New York Times, Feb. 4, 2002, B7; Variety, Jan. 21, 2002, 66.
Piven, Byrne Actor and director Byrne Piven died of lung cancer in an Evanston, Illinois, hospital on February 18, 2002. He was 72. Piven was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1929. He began his career on stage and, in the 1970s, founded the Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston. He trained such actors as John Cusack, Lili Taylor, and his son, Jeremy Piven. The older Piven was also featured in a handful of films including Creator (1985), Pyrates (1991), the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, Lover’s Knot (1996), E=mc2 (1996), Trojan War (1997), Very Bad Things (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999) and Madison (2001). He also appeared in the telefilms The Awakening Land (1978), Chicago Story (1981),
241
2002 • Obituaries
Byrne Piven
Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy (1982), Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story (1986), Mario and the Mob (1992), Pandora’s Clock (1996), The Jack Bull (1999) and Shadow of the Blair Witch (2000). His other television credits include episodes of Miami Vice, The A-Team, Magnum, P.I., Hunter, Quantum Leap, L.A. Law, 1993’s The Untouchables, Frasier, The X Files, Home Improvement and Cupid, with his son, Jeremy. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 2002, B17; New York Times, Feb. 25, 2002, B7; Variety, Feb. 25, 2002, 95.
Plank, Scott Scott Plank, star of the television series Melrose Place and The Division, died in a freak electrical accident in Los Angeles on October 22, 2002. Plank began his acting career in the 1980s, appearing in such films as The Princess and the Call Girl (1984), A Chorus Line (1985), The In Crowd (1988), Wired (1989), Panama Sugar (1990), Pastime (1991), Mr. Baseball (1992), Without Evidence (1995), American Strays (1996), Saints and Sinners (1996), Moonbase (1997), The Flying Dutchman (2000), and Holes (2002). He was also featured in the telefilms Desert Rats (1988), L.A. Takedown (1989), Without Warning: Terror in the
Scott Plank
Towers (1993), Dying to Remember (1993), Co-Ed Call Girl (1996), Marshal Law (1996), and Three Secrets (1999). Plank starred as Gary Hammersmith in the 1991 television series Sons and Daughters and was Eric Sanders in the 1995 series Strange Luck. He starred as Nick Reardon in the series Melrose Place in 1998, and was Wiley Ferrell in the short-lived comedy series Air America in 1998. Plank starred as John Exstead, Jr. in The Division from 2001. His other television credits include episodes of Miami Vice, Crime Story, B.L. Stryker, Red Shoes Diaries, Murder, She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger, Flipper, The Marshal, Pacific Blue, Charmed, Safe Harbor, ER, Baywatch, NYPD Blue, and C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation. Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Plumb, Gwen Leading Australian actress Gwen Plumb died at her home in Kirribilli, Australia, on June 4, 2002. She was 90. She was born in Sydney, Australia, on August 2, 1912, and began her career in radio in the 1940s. A scripter for the Big Sister radio program, she soon began performing in the radio soap opera Blue Hills. She starred as
Obituaries • 2002
242
Gwen Plumb
Ada Simmonds in the popular television series The Young Doctors from 1976 through 1983, and also appeared in such series as Neighbours, Boney, Home and Away and Richmond Hill as Mum Foote. Plumb also performed often on stage and was seen in television productions of A Halo for Athuan (1984), The Harp in the South (1987) and Stark (1993).
Potok, Chaim American Hebrew writer Chaim Potok died of cancer at his home in Merion, Pennsylvania, on July 23, 2002. He was 73. He was born Herman Harold Potok in New York City on February 17, 1929, the son of a Polish immigrant. He attended Yeshiva University and earned a master’s degree in Hebrew Literature from the Conservative Jewish Theological seminary in New York. Potok became a leading writer of the 20th Century, writing numerous plays, novels and theological works. His best known novel, The Chosen, published in 1967, was adapted for a 1981 films starring Maximilian Schell and Rod Steiger. It was later made into a Broadway musical. His next novel, The Promise (1969), followed the same characters. Other works include the novels My Name Is Asher Lev (1972), the autobiographical In the Beginning (1975), The Book of Lights (1981),
Chaim Potok
Davita’s Harp (1985), I Am the Clay (1992), The Gift of Asher Lev (1990), The Gates of November (1996), and Old Men at Midnight (2001). He also authored the non-fiction Chaim Potok’s History of the Jews (1978), and the short story collection Zebra and Other Stories (1998). Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2002, B11; New York Times, July 24, 2002, A17; People, Aug. 5, 2002, 77; Time, Aug. 5, 2002, 19; Times (of London), July 26, 2002, 31b; Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Pratt, Judson Leading character actor Judson Pratt died on February 9, 2002. He was 85. Pratt was born on December 6, 1916. A popular film and television actor from the early 1950s, Pratt was seen in such films as I Confess (1953), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), The Great American Pastime (1956), Outside the Law (1956), Toy Tiger (1956), Four Girls in Town (1956), Man Afraid (1957), Flood Tide (1958), Monster on the Campus (1958), The Horse Soldiers (1959), Gundown at Sandoval (1959), Sergeant Rutledge (1960), The Rise and Fall
243
2002 • Obituaries
Pratyusha Indian film actress Pratyusha died in a Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India, hospital on February 24, 2002. She was 20. She and her boyfriend had taken poison in a suicide pact the night before. Pratyusha appeared in several Telugu and Tamil films including Rayudu, Samudram, Snehamante and Kalusukovalani.
Judson Pratt
of Legs Diamond (1960), The Crime Busters (1961), Kid Galahad (1962) with Elvis Presley, A Public Affair (1962), The Ugly American (1963), A Distant Trumpet (1964), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), Hang Your Hat on the Wind (1969), The Barefoot Executive (1971), Futureworld (1976), Vigilante Force (1976), and F.I.S.T. (1978). Pratt was also featured in the telefilms The Weekend Nun (1972), The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City (1972), Runaway! (1973), The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton (1974), Flight of the Grey Wolf (1976) and The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979). Pratt starred as Captain Cooper in the 1958 Disney western series Texas John Slaughter and was Bill Kinkaid in the series Union Pacific in 1958. His other television credits include episodes of Kraft Television Theatre, Zane Grey Theater, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, Jefferson Drum, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Riverboat, Hotel de Paree, Man from Blackhawk, Overland Trail, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Death Valley Days, Rough Riders, Klondike, The Americans, Bonanza, The Second Hundred Years, Rawhide, The Virginian, Stoney Burke, The Fugitive, Daniel Boone, Perry Mason, Lassie, Bewitched, The Iron Horse, Mayberry R.F.D., The Guns of Will Sonnett, Nanny and the Professor, Cannon, Nichols, Kung Fu, Mission: Impossible, The Rookies, The Blue Knight, Barney Miller, Matt Helm, Little House on the Prairie, S.W.A.T., Charlie’s Angels, The Streets of San Francisco and The Incredible Hulk.
Pratyusha
Preiss, Wolfgang German actor Wolfgang Preiss, who often played Nazi villains in World War II films and starred as the criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse in several films in the early 1960s, died in Baden, Germany, on November 27, 2002. He was 92. Preiss was born in Nuremberg, Germany, on February 27, 1910. He was featured in over 100 films during his career from the early 1940s. Preiss’ film credits include The Great Love (1942), Canaris: Master Spy (1954), The Plot to Assassinate Hitler (1955), The Cornet (1955), Before Sundown (1956), Anastasia: The Czar’s Last Daughter (1956), Like
Obituaries • 2002
244 tion (1978), Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline (1979), The Formula (1980), Ghost of Love (1981), Forget Mozart (1985), The Second Victory (1986), and Club Extinction (1990). Preiss also appeared in the television mini-series Wallenstein (1978), Ike (1979) as Field Marshal Alfred Jodl, The Winds of War (1983), War and Remembrance (1988), and Hitler’s Women (2001). He was also seen in an episode of the U.S. television series The Rat Patrol, and appeared often on German television in such series as Der Kommissar, Ein Fall fur Zwei, and Tatort.
Prendes, Mari Carmen
Wolfgang Preiss
Spanish actress Mari Carmen Prendes died of heart and respiratory failure in Madrid, Spain, on January 27, 2002. She was 95. Prendes was born in Segovia, Spain, on September 28, 1906. She was featured in numerous films from the 1950s including La Hora Incognita (1963), Sister Citroen (1967), Novios 68 (1967), We’re Not Made of Stone (1968), Black Story (1971), La Curisa
Once Lili Marleen (1956), Stresemann (1957), Sharks and Small Fish (1957), The Italians They Are Crazy (1958), Grabenplatz 17 (1958), Prisoner of the Volga (1960), Roses for the Prosecutor (1959), Gorilla Waltz (1959), Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen (1959), Doctor Without Scruples (1959), Mistress of the World (1960), The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960), Mill of the Stone Women (1960), The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961), Lafayette (1961), The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (1962), The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1962), The Longest Day (1962), The Black Cobra (1963), Dr. Mabuse Vs. Scotland Yard (1963), The Mad Executioners (1963), The Cardinal (1963), Cave of the Living Dead (1964), Backfire (1964), The Secret of Dr. Mabuse (1964), The Train (1964), Son of El Cid (1964), Code Name: Jaguar (1965), With the Lives of Others (1966), Is Paris Burning? (1966), Spy Today, Die Tomorrow (1967), Death on a Rainy Day (1967), Tamara (1967), Jack of Diamonds (1967), Dead Run (1967), Anzio (1968), Legion of the Damned (1969), Hannibal Brooks (1969), Raid on Rommel (1971), Evil Fingers (1971), A Man to Respect (1972), The Salzburg Connection (1972), The Big Delirium (1975), Dubarry, Die (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), The Standard (1977), The Boys from Brazil (1978), The Institu-
Mari Carmen Prendes
245
2002 • Obituaries
(1973), Senora Doctor (1973), El Calzonazos (1974), Healthy Married Life (1974), Zorrita Martinez (1975), The Education in Love of Valentin (1975), Deseo Mortal (1977), Sor Metiche (1980), Waiting for Daddy (1981), Los Caraduros (1983), and The Bird of Happiness (1993).
Price, Christopher British television broadcaster Christopher Price was found dead of meningoencephalitis at his London home on April 22, 2002. He was 34. Price was born in Norfolk, England, on September 21, 1967. He began his career as a radio journalist before joining BBC News 24 in 1997. His sharp wit led him to host the BBC entertainment news program Liquid News in 2000. Times (of London), Apr. 24, 2002, 33b; Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 43.
Mary Grant Price (with then husband, Vincent)
ruary 20, 1917. She came to the United States at the age of 18, and soon began working with a costume designer on Broadway. She also designed costumes for such films as Wonder Man (1945), Up in Central Park (1948), Mask for Lucretia (1949), We’re No Angels (1955), The Vagabond King (1956), The Bachelor Party (1957), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Separate Tables (1958), The Devil’s Disciple (1959). During her marriage to Price she worked with him as an art consultant to Sears, Roebuck & Co. After their divorce she began a career designing and building houses called Mansions International. Her survivors include a daughter with Price, Victoria. Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2002, B18; Times (of London), Mar. 1, 2002, 38b.
Pringle, Bryan Christopher Price
Price, Mary Grant Mary Grant Price, a stage and film costume designer who was married to horror star Vincent Price from 1949 until their divorce in 1973, died in Los Angeles after a brief illness on March 2, 2002. She was 85. She was born in Wales on Feb-
British character actor Bryan Pringle died in London on May 15, 2002. He was 67. Pringle was born in Glascote, Staffordshire, England, on January 19, 1935. He was a popular performer in films and British television from the early 1960s. Pringle was seen in such films as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), The Challenge (1960), The Bulldog Breed (1960), Damn the Defiant! (1962), The Brain (1962), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), French Dressing (1963), The Early Bird (1965), Berserk! (1968) with Joan Crawford, Di-
Obituaries • 2002
246 Oedipus at Colonus (1984), What the Butler Saw (1987), Wish Me Luck (1987), Prime Suspect (1990), Pleasure (1994), P.G. Wodehouse’s Heavy Weather (1995), Cruel Train (1995), A Dance to the Music of Mime (1997), Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1998), Vanity Fair (1998), Harm Done (2000) and I Love Christmas (2001). He was featured as Cheese and Egg in the 1969 television series The Dustbinmen, and was Mr. Monk in The Pallisers in 1974. He also starred as Sergeant Flagg in the 1975 series The Growing Pains of PC Penrose, and was Charles Spooner in 1979’s Room Service. He starred as Mr. Crusty in 1988’s The Management, and was Steve’s Father in 1991’s My Kingdom for a Horse. He also starred as Sadly Stan Potter in 1997’s Wokenwell, and was Vince Hibbert in 1997’s A Prince Among Men. His other television credits include episodes of Gideon’s Way, Survivors, Dick Turpin, The Professionals, Casualty, All Creatures Great and Small, Inspector Morse, Lovejoy, Rumpole of the Bailey, Boon, Heartbeat, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, The Detectives, Murder Most Horrid, Peak Practice, Heartbeat, Sunburn, Dalziel and Pascoe, Where the Heart Is, and Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em. Times (of London), May 22, 2002, 33b.
Pruett, Harold Bryan Pringle
amonds for Breakfast (1968), Cromwell (1970), Spring and Port Wine (1970), The Boyfriend (1971), The Old Curiosity Shop (1975), Jabberwocky (1977), Bullshot Crummond (1983), Brazil (1985), Haunted Honeymoon (1986), Drowning by the Numbers (1988), Consuming Passions (1988), Getting It Right (1989), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), American Friends (1991), The Steal (1994), Restoration (1995), Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997), B. Monkey (1998), The Day Grandad Went Blind (1998), Darkness Falls (1998), King’s Ransom (2000), and Lover’s Prayer (2000). He was also featured in television productions of The Long Street (1965), Four Way Incident (1966), Little Master Mind (1966), Stan’s Day Out (1967), An Officer of the Court (1967), Close the Coalhouse Door (1969), Detective Waiting (1970), Still Waters (1972), Crouse (1973), Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1974), Suggest Tuesday (1975), On Giant’s Shoulders (1979), Henry IV, Part II (1979), Henry V (1979), Those Glory Glory Days (1983),
Actor Harold Pruett died of an accidental drug overdose in Los Angeles on February 21, 2002. He was 32. Pruett was born on April 13, 1969. He began his career as a child actor, appearing in the 1976 telefilm Sybil. Pruett was a regular on several television series including The Outsiders as Steve Randle in 1990, Hull High as Cody Rome in 1990, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose as Brad Penny from 1992 to 1993, and Medicine Ball as Harley Spencer in 1995. He was also seen on television in the telefilms The Fortunate Pilgrim (1988), Scandal in a Small Town (1988), I Know My Fist Name Is Steven (1989), Heat Wave (1990), Jackie Collins’ Lucky/Chances (1990) and Divas (1995), and in episodes of Wonder Woman, Night Court, Walker, Texas Ranger and Party of Five. Pruett appeared in several feature films during his career including Summer Camp Nightmare (1987), Spellcaster (1988), Mirror, Mirror (1990), Embrace of the Vampire (1994), Precious Find (1996) and The Perfect Daughter (1996).
247
2002 • Obituaries
Harold Pruett (from Parker Lewis) (Andrew Semel/Fox)
Ptashuk, Mikhail Belarusian film director Mikhail Ptashuk was killed in a car crash in Moscow on April 26, 2002. He was 59. He was born in Fedyuki, Soviet Union (now Belarus), on January 28, 1943. Ptashuk directed a handful of films from the 1970s including I’ll Take Your Pain (1980), Sign of Misfortune (1986), Our Armoured Train (1989), Cooperative Politburo (1992), Game of Imagination (1995) and In August of 1944 (2001). Variety, Aug. 5, 2002, 36.
Puerta, Ramiro Colombian actor and director Ramiro Puerta died of cancer in Toronto, Canada, on January 4, 2002. He was 48. Puerta was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1953, and lived in Canada from 1980. He appeared in several films including Sidoglio Smithee (1998), and the telefilms Reckless Disregard (1985) and Sex and Mrs. X (2000). He also directed several short films including Crucero/Crossroads (1994) and Two Feet, One Angel (1997). Puerta served as a programmer with the Toronto International Film Festival from the early 1990s. He was also featured in an episode of the television series Due South. Variety, Jan. 14, 2002, 98.
Ramiro Puerta
Putnam, Marilyn Film and television costume designer Marilyn Putnam died after a brief illness in New York City on January 7, 2002. She was 77. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 11, 1925. She began working in theatre in Dallas, Texas, in the 1940. She returned to New York in the early 1950s were she was a costumer at NBC on such series as The Howdy Doody Show and The Today Show. She served as a costumer for numerous films including The Pawnbroker (1964), Alice’s Restaurant (1969), John and Mary (1969), Little Murders (1971), The Panic in Needle Park (1971), They Might Be Giants (1971), The Godfather (1972), The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973), The Godfather, Part II (1974), The Gambler (1974), Network (1976), Annie Hall (1977), The Wiz (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Raging Bull (1980), Reds (1981), Hanky Panky (1982) and The Verdict (1982). She also designed costumes for Bette Davis’ 1981 telefilm Family Reunion and received a Daytime Emmy Award for costume design for her work on the
Obituaries • 2002
248
television soap opera All My Children in the 1980s and 1990s. Variety, Jan. 21, 2002, 66.
Quick, Jim E. Actor Jim E. Quick died after a long illness in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 30, 2002. He was 65. Born in Columbia in 1937, he began performing on stage in the early 1950s. He starred as Chief Silly Horse in the Columbia children’s television program The Jolly Jim Show from 1959 to 1969. He was a founder of the local Workshop Theater and appeared in productions of such plays as Greater Tuna, Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. He was also featured in the 1989 film Chattahochee.
Quinn, Glenn Glenn Quinn, the Irish actor who played the half-demon Doyle on television’s Angel and was son-in-law Mark on Roseanne, died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles on December 3, 2002.
Glenn Quinn
He was 31. Quinn was born in Dublin Ireland, on May 28, 1970, and came to the United States with his family in 1988. He starred as Cedric Grey in the short-lived 1992 television series Covington Cross, and was Mark Healy, Becky’s husband, on Roseanne from 1990 to 1997. He starred as the half-demon Alan Francis Doyle in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off Angel during it’s first season in 1999. Quinn appeared in several films including Shout (1991), Dr. Giggles (1992), Live Nude Girls (195), Campfire Tales (1997), Some Girl (1998), and R.S.V.P. (2002). Quinn was also seen in the telefilms Call Me Anna (1990), Silhouette (1990), and At Any Cost (2000). His other television appearances include episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, Bagdad Cafe, and Jesse. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2002, B23; People, Dec. 23, 2002, 85; Variety, Dec. 16, 2002, 91.
Quo, Beulah Asian-American actress Beulah Quo died of heart failure in a La Mesa, California, hospital on October 23, 2002. She was 79. Quo was born in Stockton, California, on April 17, 1923. A sociology teacher at a California community college, Quo began acting in 1955, appearing in a small role in the film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing. She continued to appear in such films as
Beulah Quo
249 Flower Drum Song (1951), Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) with Elvis Presley, The Seventh Dawn (1964), The Sand Pebbles (1966), Chinatown (1974), MacArthur (1977), Yes, Giorgio (1982), Into the Night (1985), Bad Girls (1994), Brokedown Palace (1999), and Forbidden City (2001). She was also featured in numerous telefilms including If Tomorrow Comes (1971), The Voyage of the Yes (1973), Genesis II (1973), The Last Survivors (1975), Black Market Baby (1977), The Immigrants (1978), Samurai (1979), The Children of An Lac (1980), The Letter (1982), Marco Polo (1982) as Empress Chabi, The Lady from Yesterday (1985), Beverly Hills Madam (1986), American Geisha (1986), Danier and the Towers (1987), and Forbidden Nights (1990). Her other television credits include episodes of Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Wild Wild West, My Three Sons, Family Affair, The Smith Family, Adam-12, Chico and the Man, S.W.A.T., Starsky and Hutch, Baretta, Meeting of Minds, How the West Was Won, The Incredible Hulk, Magnum, P.I., Airwolf, Street Hawk, MacGyver, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Hunter, Bless This House, Suddenly Susan, Brimstone, ER, The Michael Richards Show, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Quo also starred as the maid Olin in the daytime soap opera General Hospital in the mid–1980s. She was also a pioneer in promoting Asian-American talent, co-founding the repertory group, East West Players, in 1965. Quo also performed frequently on stage throughout her career. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 25, 2002, B15; Variety, Dec. 16, 2002, 91.
2002 • Obituaries
tlement from the NFL. From the late 1940s Radovich also appeared in a handful of films including Calendar Girl (1947), Father Was a Fullback (1949), The World in His Arms (1952), Against All Flags (1952), Trouble Along the Way (1953), The Golden Blade (1953), Gunsmoke (1953), Back to God’s Country (1953) and All American (1953), and the 1950s science fiction television series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. Los Angeles Times, Mar, 12, 2002, B10.
Ramone, Dee Dee Punk rocker Dee Dee Ramone was found dead of an apparent drug overdose at his home in Hollywood on June 5, 2002. He was 49. He was born Douglas Glenn Colvin in Virginia on September 18, 1952. He was a co-founder of the popular punk rock group The Ramones in 1974, playing bass and writing lyrics for the group the included Johnny, Tommy, and the late Joey. They recorded their first album, The Ramones, in April of 1976. Pioneers in the punk rock domain, the Ramones influenced such groups as the Sex Pis-
Radovich, Bill Bill Radovich, a leading football player turned actor, died of cancer in Newport Beach, California, on March 6, 2002. He was 87. Radovich was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 24, 1915. He played for the Detroit Lions from 1938 until 1941, when he entered the U.S. Navy. He resumed his football career with the Lions after the war. In 1946 he left the NFL to join the All-America Football Conference, and played the 1946 and 1947 seasons with the Los Angeles Dons. After the League folded, Radovich learned he had been blacklisted from the NFL. After several years of litigation, Radovich accepted a set-
Dee Dee Ramone
Obituaries • 2002
250
tols, the Clash and U2. Dee Dee and the band were featured as themselves in the 1979 musical comedy film Rock ’n’ Roll High School. They recorded such hit songs as “Teenage Lobotomy” and “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Dee Dee left the band in 1989. He tried with little success to continue a solo career, even performing as rapper Dee Dee King. He also wrote several books including Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones, and appeared in several music documentaries including 1991: The Year Punk Broke, Nina Hagen = Punk + Glory (1999), Born to Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie (1999) and 25 Years of Punk (2001). Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2002, B12; New York Times, June 7, 2002, B12; People, June 24, 2002, 135; Time, June 17, 2002, 23; Times (of London), June 8, 2002, 46b; Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Rassam, Julien French actor Julien Rassam died in Paris on February 3, 2002. He was 33. Rassam, the son of French film director Claude Berri, was born on June 14, 1968. He studied at New York University and directed the short film, Jour de Colere, in 1991. He starred in such films as Albert Suffers (1992), The Accompanist (1993), The Man on the Bench (1993), Queen Margot (1994), Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 1960s in Brussels (1994), Le Pouple (198), and Furia (2000).
Barry Reed
Reed, Barry Lawyer and author Barry Reed died in a Norwood, Massachusetts, hospital on July 19, 2002. He was 75. Reed was best known as the author of the novel The Verdict, which was adapted for the Oscar-nominated film starring Paul Newman in 1982. Reed’s other novels include The Deception, The Indictment and The Choice. Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2002, B9; Variety, July 29, 2002, 47.
Regney, Noel Songwriter Noel Regney died of Pick’s disease in France on November 26, 2002. He was
Noel Regney
251 80. Regney was best known for co-writing the 1962 Christmas song “Do You Hear What I Hear?” which became a popular hit for Bing Crosby. He also wrote Bobby Vinton’s hit song “Rain Rain Go Away” and the English lyrics for the Singing Nun’s 1963 hit “Dominique.” Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 2002, B16; New York Times, Dec. 1, 2002, 58.
2002 • Obituaries
Meryl Streep, the Patsy Cline biography Sweet Dreams (1985), and Everybody Wins (1990). Reisz primarily directed for the stage in England, Ireland and France in the 1990s. He directed Act Without Words I, part of a BBC television series of Samuel Beckett’s plays, in 2000. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 28, 2002, B13; New York Times, Nov. 28, 2002, C11; People, Dec. 16, 2002, 113; Time, Dec. 9, 2002, 31; Variety, Dec. 2, 2002, 60.
Reisz, Karel Czech-born film director Karel Reisz died in London of a blood disorder on November 25, 2002. He was 76. Reisz was born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, on July 21, 1926. He was orphaned as a child when his parents died in a Nazi concentration camp and was later taken to England. He became interested in films at an early age and, with Tony Richardson, directed the 1956 short film Momma Don’t Allow. Reisz also directed the 1959 documentary We Are Lambeth Boys. He made his feature film debut with 1960’s acclaimed Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Reisz produced Lindsay Anderson’s 1963 film This Sporting Life, and produced and directed 1964’s Night Must Fall starring Albert Finney. He continued to direct such acclaimed features as Morgan! (1966) with David Warner, Isadora (1968) with Vanessa Redgrave, The Gambler (1974), Who’ll Stop the Rain (1978), The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981) which earned an Oscar nomination for star
Rice, Fred Disney animator Fred Rice died in Thousand Oaks, California, on July 29, 2002. He was 85. He began working as an animator with Walter Lantz at Universal Studios before joining Disney. He worked as an animator on such films as Fantasia, Pinocchio and Dumbo. Rice left Disney for Capital Records in 1953, where he designed album covers and promotional material. Rice retired in 1974.
Fred Rice
Rice, Stan
Karel Reisz
Poet and artist Stan Rice, who was married to best-selling author Anne Rice, died of brain cancer in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 9, 2002. He was 60. Rice was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1942. He met Anne O’Brien in high school, and the two were married in October of 1961. From the mid–1960s Stan Rice taught English and creative writing at San Francisco State University. His first book of poems, Some Lamb, was published in 1975. His wife’s best selling novel, Interview with the Vampire, was published
Obituaries • 2002
252
Stan Rice
the following year. Stan Rice completed seven volumes of poetry including Whiteboy (1976), Body of Work (1983), Singing Yet New and Selected Poems (1992), Fear Itself (1995), The Radiance of Pigs (1999), and Red to the Rind (2002). He also published a book of his artwork, Paintings, in 1997. Rice also wrote poetic chapter introductions for his wife’s novel Queen of the Damned in 1988. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 11, 2002, B10; New York Times, Dec. 11, 2002, C17.
Richman, Stella British television producer Stella Richman died in England of cancer on May 24, 2002. She was 79. She was born in England on November 9, 1922. She began her career as an actress, appearing in a small role in the 1953 BBC television production of The Quatermass Experiment. She left acting in 1960 to become a story editor at ATV. Richman achieved success with the 1963 anthology series Love Story. In the late 1960s she worked as a producer at Redifussion Television, creating such series as The Informer (1967) and A Man of Our Times (1968). In the 1970s she produced a series of historic productions including
Stella Richman
Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1975), Clayhanger (1976) and Bill Brand (1976). Times (of London), July 17, 2002, 32b.
Riesner, Dean Screenwriter Dean Riesner died at his home in Encino, California, on August 18, 2002. He was 83. Riesner was born in New York City on November 3, 1918, the son of silent film director Charles Riesner. He began his career as a child actor at the age of five, appearing in the 1923 Charles Chaplin film The Pilgrim under the name Dinky Riesner. He also appeared in the films Hollywood (1923) and A Prince of a King (1923). He began writing films in the late 1930s under the name Dean Franklin, scripting Code of the Secret Service (1939), The Fighting 69th (1940) and A Fugitive from Justice (1940). He served in the Coast Guard during World War II, and resumed his career in Hollywood after the war. He scripted several more films including Bill and Coo (1947) which he also directed, Operation Haylift (1950), Skipalong Rosenbloom (1951), The Helen Morgan
253
2002 • Obituaries
Dean Riesner (as a child, with Charlie Chaplin) Aileen Riggin
Story (1957), The Travellers (1957), Paris Holiday (1958), and The Man from Galveston (1963). He also resumed his acting career, appearing in the films The Cobra Strikes (1948), Assigned to Danger (1948), Young Man with a Horn (1950), Operation Haylift (1950), Gunfire (1950), and Traveling Saleswoman (1950). Riesner worked often in television from the late 1950s, scripting episodes of Lawman, Rawhide, Ben Casey and The Outer Limits. He also scripted the telefilms Stranger on the Run (1967), Lost Flight (1969), The Intruders (1970), and Vanished (1971). He wrote several films for Clint Eastwood including Coogan’s Bluff (1968), Play Misty for Me (1971), Dirty Harry (1971), High Plains Drifter (1972), and The Enforcer (1976). His other film credits include Charley Varrick (1973), The High Country (1981), and Fatal Beauty (1987). Riesner also scripted the 1976 telefilm The Keegans, and the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) and Arthur Hailey’s The Moneychangers (1976). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 24, 2002, B21; Times (of London), Sept. 5, 2002, 39b; Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 51.
around the country performing diving exhibitions. She was also seen in several films including Roman Scandals (1933) as a slave girl, and One in a Million (1936) as a skater with Sonja Henie. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 19, 2002, B18; New York Times, Oct. 21, 2002, A17; People, Nov. 4, 2002, 101; Time, Nov. 4, 2002, 29.
Ritts, Herb Fashion and celebrity photographer Herb Ritts died of complications from pneumonia at a
Riggin, Aileen Olympic swimmer Aileen Riggin died in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 17, 2002. She was 96. Riggin was born in Newport, Rhode Island, on May 2, 1906. Riggin competed in the 1920 Olympics in Belgium and, at the age of 14, won a gold medal. She received silver and bronze medals for swimming and diving in the Paris Olympics four years later. During the 1930s Riggin travelled
Herb Ritts
Obituaries • 2002
254
Los Angeles hospital on December 26, 2002. He was 50. Ritts began his career in the late 1970s. He became well known for his photographs of such celebrities as Richard Gere, Dizzy Gillespie, Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. His photographs appeared in numerous publications including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone. Ritts also directed several music videos featuring performers Janet Jackson and Chris Isaak. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 27, 2002, A1; New York Times, Dec. 27, 2002; Time, Jan. 13, 2003, 17.
Roberdeau, John Film producer John Roberdeau died of a heart attack at a New York City hospital on May 6, 2002. He was 48. Roberdeau was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 1953. Often working with partner Robert Michael Geisler, Roberdeau served as producer on such films as Robert Altman’s Streamers (1983), Secret Friends, Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line (1998), which earned the pair an Oscar nomination, and the forthcoming Whistle (2003). Variety, May 13, 2002, 39.
Robert, Yves French actor and director Yves Robert died of a cerebral hemorrhage at his home in Paris on May 10, 2002. He was 81. Robert was born in Saumur, France, on June 21, 1920. He began his career on stage and began appearing in films in the 1940s. From the early 1950s, Robert often produced, directed and scripted films as well. He was seen in such films as Les Dieux du Dimanche (1948), Juliette, Or Key of Dreams (1950), Bibi Fricotin (1951), Two Pennies Worth of Violets (1951), Follow That Man (1953), Virgile (1953), Men Think Only of That (1954), Service Entrance (1954), The Grand Maneuver (1955), Bad Liaisons (1955), Joy of Living (1955), The Terror with Women (1956), The Gangsters (1956), Folies-Bergere (1957), Neither Seen Nor Recognized (1958), Women Are Talkative (1958), Nina (1959), The Little Professor (1959), The Green Mare (1959), Signed, Arsene Lupin (1959), Love and the Frenchwoman (1960), There Is the Brunette (1960), The
Yves Robert
Passion of Slow Fire (1961), Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962), King of Hearts (1966), Idiot in Paris (1967), The Most Beautiful Month (1967), The Crook (1970), The Man with Connections (1970), The Daydreamer (1970), Cry of the Cormoran (1970), The Troubles of Alfred (1971), Money Money Money (1972), The Annuity (1972), Dear Louise (1972), The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1973), Repeated Absences (1972), The Right of the Maddest (1973), The Bit Player (1973), The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1974), Special Section (1975), This Is Too Much (1975), The Judge and the Assassin (1975), Little Marcel (1976), These Kids Are Grown-Ups (1978), Woman Between Wolf and Dog (1979), Garcon! (1983), The Twin (1984), Billy Ze Kick (1985), The Debutante (1986), Le Crime d’Antoine (1989), The Crisis (1992), Montparnasse-Pondichery (1994) and Disparus (1998). Robert also directed the films Men Think Only of That (1954), Neither Seen Nor Recognized (1958), Signed, Arsene Lupin (1959), The Fenouillard Family (1960), War of the Buttons (1961), Bebert and the Train (1963), Monkey Money
255 (1965), Alexander (1967), The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972), The Bit Player (1973), The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1974), An Elephant Can Be Extremely Deceptive (1976), We Will All Meet in Paradise (1977), Courage — Let’s Run (1979), The Twin (1984), My Father’s Glory (1990), My Mother’s Castle (1991), and Montparnasse-Pondichery (1994). Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2002, B18; New York Times, May 11, 2002, B15; Times (of London), May 29, 2002, 30g; Variety, May 20, 2002, 67.
Roberts, Nick Professional wrestler and promoter Nick Roberts died of pancreatic cancer on February 23, 2002. He was 75. Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1926. He was a carnival acrobat before entering professional wrestling in the late 1940s. He was a leading wrestler in the Texas area in the 1950s. He was later a promotor of wrestling events in Ararillo, Texas. He was married to wrestler Lorraine Johnson and was the father of wrestling valet Nickla “Baby Doll” Roberts.
Nick Roberts
2002 • Obituaries
Roberts, Tracy Actress Tracey Roberts died of a cerebral hemorrhage at a Los Angeles hospital on February 8, 2002. She was 87. She was born Blanche Goldstone in Little Falls, New York, in 1914. She began her career on stage and made her film debut in the early 1950s. She was featured in several westerns and comedies including Sideshow (1950), Fort Defiance (1951), Queen for a Day (1951), On Dangerous Ground (1951), Actors and Sin (1952), Murder Is My Beat (1955), The Prodigal (1955), Frontier Gambler (1956), Hollywood or Bust (1956), The Wayward Girl (1957), Go Naked in the World (1961) and Sam Whiskey (1969). She also appeared on television in episodes of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Sea Hunt, Hawaiian Eye, Riverboat, The Deputy and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. She left acting in the 1960s to become and acting teacher and director, She founded the Tracy Roberts Actors Studio, and produced and directed productions of such plays as Ray Bradbury’s The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, Shadowlands and An Evening with Clifford Odets. Survivors include her sister, television writer and producer Ann Marcus, and her brother, screenwriter Raymond Goldstone. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12, 2002, B11; Variety, Feb. 18, 2002, 62.
Tracy Roberts
Obituaries • 2002
256
Robinson, Edna Mae Edna Mae Robinson, the former Cotton Club dancer and ex-wife of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, died of complications of Alzheimer’s disease at her Manhattan, New York, home on May 2, 2002. She was 86. She was born Ernestine Holly in Miami in 1915, and moved to New York at an early age. She began dancing while in her teens, and toured with Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway in the 1930s. She became a leading attraction at Harlem’s Cotton Club, performing dance numbers on top of a huge drum. She gave up dancing after marrying Sugar Ray Robinson in 1943. She often travelled with her husband during their marriage, which ended in divorce in 1962. She resumed her stage career, appearing on television and stage, including an allblack version of Born Yesterday. Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2002, B20; New York Times, May 7, 2002, C18.
Idaho in 1914, he moved to Los Angeles at the age of 12. He began working at MGM in the mid–1930s, becoming special effects coordinator for the studio. He received two Technical Achievement Academy Awards — for developing a new cable cutter in 1951 and for the development of a multiple-cable remote winch system in 1959. He worked on the 1968 science fiction film The Bamboo Saucer. Robinson later worked with Universal and Paramount, and received special Academy Awards for his work on The Hindenburg (1975) and Logan’s Run (1976). His other film credits include Earthquake (1974), the 1976 remake of King Kong, Meteor (1979), Kaala Patthar (1979), Hurricane (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), Island Claws (1980), Pennies from Heaven (1981), Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982), and Amityville II: The Possession (1982). He retired in 1983.
Robinson, Matthew, Jr. Television actor and writer Matthew Robinson, Jr., died after a long illness from Parkinson’s disease in Los Angeles on August 5, 2002. He was 65. Robinson played Gordon on the PBS children’s program Sesame Street from 1969 to 1971. He also wrote episodes of such television series as Sanford and Son, Eight Is Enough and The Cosby Show. Robinson also scripted the 1972 horror film The Possession of Joel Delaney, produced and wrote the films Save the Children (1973) and Amazing Grace (1974). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 8, 2002, B13; People, Aug. 19, 2002, 71; Time, Aug. 19, 2002, 21; Variety, Aug. 12, 2002, 2002.
Rock, Flyboy Rocco Edna Mae Robinson
Robinson, Glen Special effects director Thomas “Glen” Robinson died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on March 27, 2002. He was 87. Born in
Ted Petty, who wrestled professionally as Flyboy Rocco Rock in the Public Enemy tag team, died of a massive heart attack on September 21, 2002, shortly after competing in a wrestling bout in Jersey City. He was 49. Petty was born on September 1, 1953. He wrestled under a mask as the Cheetah Kid from 1987, and held the UWA Light Heavyweight Title in New Jersey in 1992. He wrestled with Johnny Grunge as Public Enemy in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on several occasions. Public
257
2002 • Obituaries
Flyboy Rocco Rock Vic Rooney
Enemy also wrestled with the WCW in the mid–1990s.
Roman, Max Greek film producer Max Roman died of heart failure in Athens, Greece, on February 17, 2002. He was 65. He was born Minas Tsochatzopoulos in Greece in 1937. He worked as an entertainment journalist in New York for a Greeklanguage newspaper before returning to Greece to work as a film critic. He later formed a film production and distribution company that produced such films as Savage Hunt, Ransom Baby, Carmen: The True Story and The Case of Oedipus in the 1970s and 1980s. Roman was also involved in the dubbing on numerous European featured into Greek, and Greek productions into English. Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 53.
Rooney, Vic Australian actor Vic Rooney, who was best known for his role as landlord Ernie Patchett in
the television series E Street from 1989 to 1993, died of cancer in a Sydney hospital in November of 2002. He was 67. Rooney also appeared in several films during his career including The Journalist (1979), Cathy’s Child (1979), Heatwave (1982), The Edge of Power (1987), Grievous Bodily Harm (1988), The First Kangaroos (1988), and The 13th Floor (1988). He was seen as Basil Wentworth in the 1995 television series Pacific Drive, and was Bert in the 1999 series Dog’s Head Bay. He also appeared in the telefilms Outback Bound (1988) and The Finder (2001), and episodes of All Saints and Farscape.
Roquemore, Cliff Film director and writer Cliff Roquemore died of cancer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 5, 2002. He was 53. Roquemore was born in Detroit in 1948. He began working on stage as a producer, director and writer, working on more than 200 regional and Off Broadway productions. He produced, directed and scripted several films with comedian Rudy Ray Moore including The
Obituaries • 2002
258
Kay Rose Cliff Roquemore’s film Petey Wheatstraw)
Human Tornado (1976), Petey Wheatstraw (1978) and Disco Godfather (1979). He subsequently worked as a casting director for Cannon Films on such movies as Body and Soul, Enter the Ninja and X-Ray. He continued to work on stage productions through the 1990s, producing the Off Broadway comedy Lotto, Experience the Dream in 1999. Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 53.
Rose, Kay Oscar-winning sound editor Kay Rose died of multiple organ failure in Burbank, California, on December 11, 2002. She was 80. Rose was born in New York in 1922. She worked with the Army Signal Corps during World War II, assisting with such training films as John Huston’s Report from the Aleutians and How to Erect a Double Apron Barbed Wire Fence. She began working in Hollywood in 1944, becoming an assistant editor at Universal Studios. She married editor Sherman Rose in 1951 and they produced the 1954 science
fiction film Target Earth!. Rose worked as a sound editor on numerous films including Blood of Dracula (1957), The Flame Barrier (1958), Alakazam the Great (1961), Angel Baby (1961), Roger Corman’s The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Black Sabbath (1963), The Professionals (1966), The Fox (1968), Medium Cool (1969), The Steagle (1971), The Cowboys (1972), Man and Boy (1972), Paper Moon (1973), The Way We Were (1973), Cinderella Liberty (1973), California Split (1975), Bite the Bullet (1975), Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), Nickelodeon (1976), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), New York, New York (1977), Comes a Horseman (1978), The Rose (1979), Ordinary People (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), The Survivors (1983), All of Me (1984), The River (1984) which earned her a Special Achievement Academy Award for sound effects editing, Crimes of the Heart (1986), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), The Karate Kid III (1989), Black Rain (189), Robocop 2 (1990), Sibling Rivalry (1990), For the Boys (1991), Queens Logic (1991), Switch (1991), The Prince of Tides (1991), Son of the Pink Panther (1993), Intersection (1994), and Speed (1994). She also worked on such television series as The Rogues and The Big Valley. Survivors in-
259 clude her daughter, sound editor and director Victoria Rose Sampson. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 16, 2002, B9; Variety, Dec. 23, 2002, 40.
Rose, Reginald Film and television writer Reginald Rose died of complications from heart failure in a Norwalk, Connecticut, hospital on April 19, 2002. He was 81. Rose was born in Manhattan, New York, on December 10, 1920. He began writing for television with CBS in 1951, scripting episodes of such series as Studio One, Goodyear Television Playhouse, and The Alcoa Hour. He was best known for writing the television drama Twelve Angry Men, earning an Emmy Award for his work in 1954. He also received and Academy Award nomination for scripting the film version in 1957. He co-produced the film with the film’s star, Henry Fonda. 12 Angry Men was again adapted as
2002 • Obituaries
a telefilm in 1998. Rose’s teleplay Dino was also adapted to film in 1957, and Rose scripted the films Crime in the Streets (1956), Man of the West (1958) and The Man in the Net (1959). He also wrote an episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and the television production of The SaccoVanzetti Story in 1960. Rose wrote for The Defenders television series from 1961 to 1965. He also scripted the telefilms Stranger on the Run (1967), My Two Loves (1986) and Escape from Sobibor (1987), and the 1979 mini-series Studs Lonigan. Rose’s film credits also include The Wild Geese (1978), Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978), The Sea Wolves (1980), Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), The Final Option (1982), and Wild Geese II (1985). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 23, 2002, B10; New York Times, Apr. 21, 2002, 40; Time, May 6, 2002, 23; Times (of London), May 11, 2002, 421; Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 43.
Rosenberg, Frank Film producer Frank Rosenberg died after a brief illness in Thousand Oaks, California, on October 18, 2002. He was 88. Rosenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1914. He began working for Columbia Pictures in New York while in his teens, and rose through the ranks to become director of national advertising for the studio. Rosenberg moved to Hollywood in 1946, and soon began working as an independent producer. He produced such films as Man-Eater of Kumaon (1948), Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), The Secret of Convict Lake (1951), Return of the Texan (1952), King of the Khyber Rifles (1953), The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953), Illegal (1955) starring Jayne Mansfield in her first film, Miracle in the Rain (1956), and The Girl He Left Behind (1956). Rosenberg produced Marlon Brando’s only film as director, One-Eyed Jacks, in 1961. He also produced the films Critic’s Choice (1963), Madigan (1968) starring Richard Widmark, Strateg y of Terror (1969), The Steagle (1971), and The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975). He produced the 1963 television series Arrest and Trial, and was executive producer of the telefilm Family of Strangers in 1993. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 2, 2002, B19.
Reginald Rose
Obituaries • 2002
260
Rosenzweig, Carol Television writer Carol Rosenzweig died of ovarian cancer in Beverly Hills, California, on May 20, 2002. She was 71. Rosenzweig was born in New York City in 1931. She began working for a public relations firm in Pittsburgh in the early 1950s, producing numerous telethons for the March of Dimes throughout the decade. In 1976 Rosenzweig wrote a series of two-minute programs saluting the United States’ bicentennial which were televised as 21 Days of America. She also scripted several segments of the syndicated Women of the World series. Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2002, B10.
Ross, Ted Ted Ross, who received the Tony Award in 1975 for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the hit Broadway musical The Wiz, died of complications from a stroke in a Dayton Ohio, hospital on September 3, 2002. He was 68. Ross was born in
Zanesville, Ohio, in 1934. Ross reprised his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1978 film version of The Wiz. He was also seen in the films The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976), Arthur (1981) as Bitterman, Dudley Moore’s chauffeur, Ragtime (1981), Fighting Back (1982), Amityville II: The Possession (1982), Police Academy (1984), Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988), Stealing Home (1988), and The Fisher King (1991). He starred as Sawyer Dabney in the 1976 television series Sirota’s Court and was Sergeant Debbin in the 1985 series MacGruder and Loud. He also appeared in the telefilms Minstrel Man (1977), Death Penalty (1980), F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980), Purlie (1981), and Parole (1982). His other television credits include episodes of The Jeffersons, Benson, What’s Happening Now!, The Equalizer, The Cosby Show, 227, and A Different World. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 6, 2002, B13; New York Times, Sept. 7, 2002, A16; People, Sept. 23, 2002, 191; Time, Sept. 16, 2002, 19; Variety, Sept. 16, 2002, 66.
Rostotsky, Andrei Russian actor and director Andrei Rostotsky was killed when he fell to his death while performing a stunt during the filming of One’s Own Border near Sochi, in southern Russia, on May 5, 2002. He was 45. Rostotsky was directing and starring in the film at the time of his death. He was born in Moscow on January 25, 1957, the son of famed director Stanislav Rostotsky. The younger Rostotsky began acting in the early 1970s, and was featured in such films as At the World’s Limit (1974), They Fought for Their Country (1975), We Didn’t Learn This (1975), Vasili and Vasilisa (1981), The Wedding Gift (1982), First Cavalry (1984), Attention, All Posts! (1985), Breakthrough (1986), Interception (1986), The Barman from Golden Anchor (1986), Mother (1989), The Charming Traveller (1990), Dreams (1993) and All That Is Tender (1995). In the late 1980s Rostotsky also began directing films, including a Russian version of James Fenimore Cooper’s The Deerslayer.
Roth, Phil Ted Ross (as the Cowardly Lion in The Wiz)
Character actor Phil Roth died of colon cancer in Los Angeles on July 15, 2002. He was 74.
261
2002 • Obituaries
Roth was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1928. He began studying acting with Lee Strassberg in New York after serving in the Army during World War II. A character actor on stage, Roth was also featured in several films including Catch-22 (1970), What’s Up, Doc? (1972), Tidal Wave (1973), Harry and Tonto (1974), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), and A League of Old Men (1998). He also appeared often on television in episodes of such series as Get Smart, Captain Nice, The Monkees, Sha Na Na, Charlie’s Angels, Cagney and Lacey, Barney Miller and Tales from the Darkside.
Rounds, Glenn Glenn Rounds, a carnival medicine man and cowboy who became a leading author and illustrator, died in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on September 27, 2002. He was 96. Rounds began writing books about nature adventures and tall tales in the mid–1930s. His first, Ol’ Paul, the Mighty Logger, contained stories about Paul Bunyon. Rounds also created the Whitey series, about a young cowboy featured in nearly a dozen children’s books from 1941 to 1963. Rounds final work, Beaver, was published in 1999. New York Times, Sept. 28, 2002, A18.
Roup, Carl Carl Roup, who was featured as a child actor in the 1925 film The Red Mill with Marion Davies, died in North Hollywood on March 20, 2002. He was 86. Roup was born in Emmett, Idaho, on April 4, 1915. He was noticed by Ms. Davies while selling newspapers on the MGM lot. After appearing with her on the film, Davies paid his way to attend a nearby military school. Roup continued to work in films as a script clerk at MGM, where he participated in the production of such films as Last of the Mohicans (1936), Saratoga (1937), Boy’s Town (1938), Test Pilot (1938), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), Easter Parade (1948), Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), Lili (1953) and Silk Stockings (1957). He also worked in television on such series as The Twilight Zone, The Patty Duke Show, Hogan’s Heroes, High Chaparral and Trapper John M.D.
Glenn Rounds
Rousseau, Dianne Actress Dianne Rousseau died of lung cancer at her home in Clemmons, North Carolina, on May 6, 2002. She was 65. She was born in Washington, D.C., on January 7, 1937. Rousseau starred as Diana Lamont on the CBS daytime soap opera Love of Live from 1966 to 1976. She also appeared in the 1971 film The Sporting Club.
Rowe, Earl Actor Earl Rowe, who was best known for his role as Lt. Dave, the small-town chief of police, in the 1958 cult classic science fiction film The Blob with Steve McQueen, died of Parkinson’s disease in Moorestown, New Jersey, on February 1, 2002. He was 82. Rowe subsequently appeared on stage in Broadway productions of Anniversary Waltz and Playhouse Lullaby. He was also seen in the NBC television soap opera The Doctors for three years, and was featured in the 1980 telefilm Attica. His other television credits include episodes of Naked City and Kojak.
Obituaries • 2002
262 mid–1950s and held numerous tag team titles during his career. He often wrestled with Paul Jones and Tex McKenzie. He was also NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion several times in he late 1970s. After his retirement from the ring, Royal worked as a trainer for other wrestlers.
Russell, Harold
Earl Rowe (right, with John Benson, Aneta Corseaut, and Steve McQueen from The Blob)
Royal, Nelson Professional wrestler Nelson Royal died of a heart attack in Mooresville, North Carolina, on February 3, 2002. He was 70. Royal was born on July 21, 1931. He began wrestling in the
Nelson Royal
Harold Russell, the wounded World War II veteran who lost both of his hands during the war and went on to win two Oscars for his performance as Homer Parrish in the 1946 film The Best Years of Our Lives, died of a heart attack at a nursing home in Needham, Massachusetts, on January 29, 2002. He was 88. Russell was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, on January 14, 1914, and later moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. He joined the U.S. Army shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. Russell was badly injured during an explo-
Harold Russell (with his dual Oscars for The Best Years of Our Lives)
263 sion while he was working as an explosives expert for the Army at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. He lost both of his hands, which were replaced by hooks as a result of the injury. Russell subsequently starred in the Army documentary, Diary of a Sergeant, about amputee rehabilitation. His role in the documentary led to producer Sam Goldwyn casting him in the Oscar-winning film The Best Years of Our Lives, starring Fredric March and Myrna Loy. Russell received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film, and was also given a special Oscar for “bringing aid and comfort to disabled veterans through the medium of motion pictures.” Russell authored an autobiography, Victory in My Hands, in 1949. He accepted few other acting roles, appearing in the films Inside Moves (1980) and Dogtown (1997), and episodes of Trapper John, M.D. and China Beach on television. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 1, 2002, B14; New York Times, Feb. 1, 2002, B9; People, Feb. 18, 2002, 71; Time, Feb. 11, 2002, 20; Times (of London), Feb. 2, 2002, 25c; Variety, Feb. 4, 2002, 60.
2002 • Obituaries
True Story (1997), I Dreamed of Africa (2000) and Enigma (2001). She was also costume designer for the telefilms Gulliver’s Travels (1996), Longitude (2000), Ohio Impromptu (2000) and Shackleton (2001). Times (of London), Mar. 19, 2002, 35b.
Rymal, Reggie Reggie Rymal, the paddleball expert who was featured in the 1953 3-D horror film House of Wax, died of a heart attack in La Habra, California, on December 25, 2002. He was 81. Rymal was a stand-up comedian in the early 1950s who often used his expertise with a paddleball to entertain his audiences. He was featured as a guest on several television programs during the period including The Steve Allen Show, The Eddie Cantor Show and You Asked For It. Rymal used his paddleball skills in House of Wax in a scene used to demonstrate to the audience the effects of the 3-D process.
Russell, Shirley Film costume designer Shirley Russell, who often worked on the films on her former husband, director Ken Russell, died in England on March 4, 2002. She was 66. She was born Shirley Kingdom in England on March 11, 1935. She attended the Walthamstow College of Art where she met her future husband. She and Ken Russell married in 1956 and they collaborated as such films as French Dressing (1963), Billion Dollar Brain (1967), Women in Love (1969), The Boys in the Band (1970), The Music Lovers (1971), The Devils (1971), The Boy Friend (1971), Savage Messiah (1972), Mahler (1974), The Little Prince (1974), Inserts (1975), Tommy (1975), Lisztomania (1975), Valentino (1977) and Clouds of Glory (1978). She continued to design costumes for films after her divorce from Russell in 1978. She worked on such films as Agatha (1979) which earned her an Academy Award nomination, Yanks (1979), Cuba (1979), Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1981), Warren Beatty’s Reds (1981) earning a second Oscar nomination, The Return of the Soldier (1982), Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), The Razor’s Edge (1984), The Bride (1985), Hope and Glory (1987), FairyTale: A
Reggie Rymal with his paddleball from House of Wax.
Sala, Oskar German composer and musician Oskar Sala died in Berlin on February 26, 2002. He was 91. Sala was born in Greiz, Thueringen, Germany, on July 18, 1910. A pioneer in electronic musical composition, he developed the trautonium, an early version of the synthesizer, in 1929. Sala produced electronic sounds for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963
Obituaries • 2002
264
Oskar Sala
classic film The Birds. Sala also composed musical pieces for such German films as Snow White and Rose Red (1955), The Strangler of Blackmoore Castle (1963), The Secret of Dr. Mabuse (1964), Glorious Times in the Spessart Inn (1967), and Kiss My Blood (1999). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 2, 2002, B17; Times (of London), Mar. 4, 2002, 39b.
Salem, Atef Leading Egyptian film director Atef Salem died of a strike in Cairo, Egypt, on July 30, 2002. He was 75. Salem was born in the Sudan on July 23, 1927. Salem directed over fifty films since his debut with 1953’s Deprivation. His film credits include The Deserted Woman (1954), The Temple of Love (1961), They Made Me a Criminal, The Grandchild, Mother of the Bride, and We Are the Students, which teamed him with Nobel Prizewinning author Naguib Mahfouz. His final film, A Real Equestrian, was filmed in 1999 before a stroke had confined him to a wheelchair.
Atef Salem
Salim, Saleh Egyptian soccer star and actor Saleh Salim died in a London hospital on May 6, 2002. He was 71. He was a leading Egyptian soccer player from the early 1950s until his retirement from the sport in 1966. After leaving soccer Salim was featured in several Egyptian films including The Open Door, The Seven Girls and The Black Candles. In 1980 Salim became head of Egypt’s oldest soccer club, Al Ahly.
Sanders, Dirk Dancer and actor Dirk Sanders died in Paris on July 26, 2002. He was 68. Sanders was born in Indonesia in 1934. He studied dance in Germany in the early 1950s before embarking on a career as a dancer and choreographer. He created several popular ballets in the 1950s including Recreation and Maratona di Danza. Sanders also appeared in several films including White Nights (1957), Black Tights (1960), A Very Private Affair
265 (1961) and Pierrot Goes Wild (1965). He directed the 1969 film You Only Live Once, and a 1982 production of Tosca for television. He also made several documentaries on the history of dance. Times (of London), Aug. 16, 2002, 31c; Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 52.
Santana, Merlin Film and television actor Merlin Santana was shot to death while sitting in a parked car in Los Angeles in the early morning of November 9, 2002. He was 26. Santana was born in New York City on March 14, 1976. He was best known for his recurring role as Stanley, Rudy Huxtable’s admirer, on television’s The Cosby Show in the early 1990s. Santana also appeared as Marcus Dixon in the comedy series Getting By in 1993, and was Marcus in the 1995 series Under One Roof with James Earl Jones. He starred as Romeo Santana in the series The Steve Harvey Show in 1996. He also had the recurring role of Ohagi in Moesha, and was also seen in episodes of Major Dad, Law & Order, Sister, Sister, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, NYPD Blue and JAG. Santana also appeared in several films including The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez (1991), Flossin (2001), and 2002’s Showtime with Eddie Murphy.
2002 • Obituaries
Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 2002, B3; People, Nov. 25, 2002, 113.
Sapinsley, Alvin Television writer Alvin Sapinsley died of pneumonia at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, California, on July 13, 2002. He was 80. Sapinsley was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1922. He began writing for television in New York in the early 1950s before moving to Los Angeles middecade. He wrote episodes of such popular television series as The Alcoa Hour, Studio One, The Philco Television Playhouse, Tales of Tomorrow, Adventures in Paradise, The Untouchables, Bonanza, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Kojak, The Virginian, Espionage, It Takes a Thief, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, and Hawaii Five-O. He wrote several teleplays featuring Boris Karloff in the mid–1950s including Sting of Death and Even the Weariest River, and also scripted 1966’s Code Name: Heraclitus. His other credits include the teleplays Moon of the Wolf (1972), Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976), Roger & Harry: The Mitera Target (1977), and the 1979 mini-series adaptation of The Scarlet Letter. Los Angeles Times, July 26, 2002, B13.
Sassoon, Catya Actress and model Catya Sassoon died in her sleep after attending a New Year’s Eve Party in Los Angeles on January 1, 2002. She was 33. The oldest daughter of hairstylist Vidal Sassoon and his wife, former actress Beverly Adams, Catya was born in September of 1968. She began modeling at the age of 14 after dropping out of high school and was soon appearing on the cover of such magazines as Bride and Seventeen. She made her film debut in 1985’s Tuff Turf with James Spader and Robert Downey, Jr. She was also featured in the films Modern Girls (1986), Inside Out (1986), Dance with Death (1991), Secret Games (1992), Inside Out IV (1992), Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (1992), Angelfist (1993) and Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero (1994). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 4, 2002, B11. Merlin Santana
Obituaries • 2002
266
Catya Sassoon
Satinsky, Julius Slovak actor and comedian Julius Satinsky died in Bratislava, Slovakia, of cancer on December 29, 2002. He was 61. Satinsky was born in Bratislava on August 20, 1941. He was best known for his partnership with fellow comic Milan Lasica which began in 1959. He appeared in numerous films including Cezar a Detektivi (1967), The Assistant (1982), Three Veterans (1983), My Sweet Little Village (1985), Freckled Max and the Spooks (1987), and Orbis Pictus (1997).
Savina, Carlo Italian film composer Carlo Savina died in Rome on June 21, 2002. He was 83. Savina was born in Turin, Italy, on August 2, 1919. He began working in films in the 1950s as a musical director and composer. Savina’s film credits include numerous horror and Spaghetti western scores. His films include The Batchelor (1955), Lucky to Be a Woman (1956), Nero’s Big Weekend (1956), Marisa (1957), Hercules (1957), Herod the Great (1958), Toto and Marcellino (1958), The Moralist
Julius Satinsky
(1959), Europe By Night (1959), It Started in Naples (1960), Goliath and the Vampires (1961), Maciste Against the Sheik (1962), Achilles (1962), Slave Queen of Babylon (1962), The Sword of El Cid (1963), Zorro and the Three Musketeers (1963), The Rebel Gladiators (1963), Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire (1963), Eva (1963), Terror in the Crypt (1963), Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (1963), Red Desert (1964), Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators (1964), The Tyrant of Castile (1964), Castle of the Living Dead (1964), Juliet of the Spirits (1965), Bullet in the Flesh (1965), Secret Agent Fireball (1966), The Man Who Laughs (1966), Canadian Wilderness (1966), Few Dollars for Django (1966), Mutiny at Fort Sharp (1966), Suicide Mission to Singapore (1966), Bob Fleming… Mission Casablanca (1966), Ringo and His Golden Pistol (1966), A Long Ride from Hell (1967), A Nun at the Crossroads (1967), Dynamite Joe (1967), Massacre Mania (1967), Unnaturals (1968), Death Knows No Time (1968), The Young, the Evil and the Savage (1968), Fangs of the Living Dead (1968), Caprice Italian Style (1968), Between God, the Devil and a Winchester (1968), Heads of Tails (1969), Cain’s Revenge (1969), Shadow of Illusion
267 (1970), Mr. Superinvisible (1970), Night of the Devils (1971), Eye of the Spider (1971), Night of the Damned (1971), The Great Swindle (1971), And His Name Was Holy Ghost (1971), Kill the Poker Player (1972), Trinity and Sartana Are Coming (1972), An Animal Called Man (1972), Return of the Holy Ghost (1972), The Godless Ones (1972), That Cursed House Close to the Mushroom Beds (1972), House of 1,000 Pleasures (1972), A Place Called Trinity (1972), The Legend of Blood Castle (1973), Hercules Against Karate (1973), The House of Exorcism (1974), Naked and Lustful (1974), The Killer Reserved Nine Seats (1974), Diary of a Murderess (1975), Reflections in Black (1975), The Great Hunting (1975), Heat in the Suburbs (1975), Slow Boy (1976), Nine Guests for a Crime (1976), Caligula’s Hot Nights (1977), Tiger Joe (1982), Ark of the Sun God (1982, New York Connection (1985), Down There in the Jungle (1986) and The Red Orchestra (1988). Savina also conducted for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972), Fellini Roma (1972), Fellini’s Casanova (1976), Roman Polanski’s The Tenant (1976), Death of a Corrupt Man (1977), The Bronte Sisters (1979), Tess (1979), Fort Saganne (1984), The Future Is Woman (1984) and The Bear (1988).
Schaffenberger, Kurt Veteran comic book artist Kurt Schaffenberger died of complications from diabetes on January 24, 2002. He was 81. Schaffenberger was born on December 15, 1920. He was an artist on the Captain Marvel comic for Fawcett in the 1940s and early 1950s. He subsequently worked at DC comics, where he was known for his work on the Lois Lane comic. He continued to work at DC through the early 1990s, also drawing comics for Marvel, Skywald and ACG.
2002 • Obituaries
Kurt Schaffenberger (Eclipse)
formed Sports Programs Inc. His company was merged with ABC in the early 1960s, and Scherick subsequently became vice president for programming at the network. He was instrumental in bringing such series as Batman, Bewitched, Peyton Place, and The F.B.I. to the small screen. Later in the decade Scherick started Palomar Pictures, producing such films as For Love of Ivy (1968),
Scherick, Edgar Film and television producer Edgar Scherick died of leukemia in Los Angeles on December 2, 2002. He was 78. Scherick was born in New York City on October 16, 1924. After serving in the Army during World War II, Scherick worked in advertising. He joined CBS as a sports consultant in 1956 and, the following year,
Edgar Scherick
Obituaries • 2002
268
The Birthday Party (1968), The Killing of Sister George (1968), A Touch of Love (1969), Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run (1969), Ring of Bright Water (1969), Jenny (1970), Homer (1970), Sleuth (1972), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), The Darwin Adventure (1972), Gordon’s War (1973), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Law and Disorder (1974), The Stepford Wives (1975), Jeremiah of Jacob’s Neck (1975), I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), The American Success Company (1979), Shoot the Moon (1982), I’m Dancing as Fast a I Can (1982), Sam Peckinpah’s White Dog (1982), Reckless (1984), Mrs. Soffel (1994), and Rambling Rose (1991). Scherick’s 1983 documentary He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’ received an Oscar and an Emmy Award. He also produced numerous telefilms including The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever (1970), When Michael Calls (1971), The Silence (1975), Raid on Entebbe (1977), A Circle of Children (1977), Panic in Echo Park (1977), Zuma Beach (1978), Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery (1978), An American Christmas Carol (1979), The Seduction of Miss Leona (1980), Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980), Thou Shalt Not Kill (1982), Little Gloria… Happy at Last (1982), Hitler’s S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985), Evergreen (1985), On Wings of Eagles (1986), The High Price of Passion (1986), Stranger in My Bed (1986), The Stepford Children (1987), Hands of a Stranger (1987), Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1987), Home Fires (1987), Stranger on My Land (1988), Unholy Matrimony (1988), Anything to Survive (1990), The Kennedys of Massachusetts (1990), The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (1990), The Phantom of the Opera (1990), The Girl Who Came Between Them (1990), Fever (1991), The Rape of Doctor Willis (1991), Till Death Us Do Part (1992), Quiet Killer (1992), Nightmare in the Daylight (1992), Four Eyes and Six-Guns (1992), Betrayed by Love (1994), A Passion for Justice: The Hazel Brannon Smith Story (1994), The Good Old Boys (1995), Tyson (1995), The Stepford Husbands (1996), The Siege at Ruby Ridge (1996), We the Jury (1996), The Wall (1998), and Path to War (2002). Scherick appeared on screen in the 1983 film The King of Comedy with Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis, and was also featured in the telefilms Murder: By Reason of Insanity (1985) and Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct: Lightning (1995). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 4, 2002, B10; New York Times, Dec. 7, 2002, A19.
Schofield, Katherine British actress Katherine Schofield died of cancer in England on August 6, 2002. Schofield starred in the 1968 British television mini-series Nana, and was featured in the films Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Pope Joan (1972), The Greek Tycoon (1978), Lifeforce (1985), and Half Moon Street (1986). She also starred in the British series The Deep Concern (1979) and Rainy Day Women (1984), and was seen in the telefilms The Carnation Killer (1973), The Naked Civil Servant (1975), Minder on the Orient Express (1985), and The Lion of Africa (1987). Her other television credits include episodes of Doctor Who, The Avengers, The Saint, Virgin of the Secret Service, and Department S.
Katherine Schofield
Schreiber, Avery Comedian Avery Schreiber died of a heart attack at a Los Angeles hospital on January 7, 2002. He was 66. Schreiber was born in Chicago on April 9, 1935. A member of Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe in the early 1960s, Schreiber teamed with Jack Burns as the comedy team Burns and Schreiber. The duo appeared on numerous variety shows in the 1960s and 1970s including The Ed Sullivan Show and Hollywood Palace. The hosted the short lived variety series The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour in 1973.
269
2002 • Obituaries
Blossom and Becker. Schreiber was also a voice actor in such animated series as A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, DuckTales and Animaniacs. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 9, 2002, B10; New York Times, Jan. 9, 2002, B8; People, Jan. 21, 2002, 83; TV Guide, Feb. 16, 2002, 8.
Schultze, Norbert
Avery Schreiber
Schreiber also starred as Captain Mancini in the bizarre comedy series My Mother the Car in 1965, and appeared regularly on such variety series as Our Place, Ben Vereen…. Comin’ At Ya, Sammy and Company and Sha Na Na. After he and Burns began solo careers, Schreiber was a long time commercial spokesman for Doritos corn chips. He was also seen in such films as The Monitors (1969), Don’t Drink the Water (1969), Deadhead Miles (1972), Swashbuckler (1976), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), The Concord: Airport ’79 (1979), Scavenger Hunt (1979), Galaxina (1980), Loose Shoes (1980), Silent Scream (1980), Caveman (1981), Jimmy the Kid (1983), Cannonball Run II (1984), Hunk (1987), Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), The Lay of the Land (1997), and Pedestrian (2000). He also appeared in the telefilms Escape (1971), Second Chance (1971), Don’t Push, I’ll Charge When I’m Ready (1977), Flatbed Annie and Sweetiepie: Lady Truckers (19789) and More Wild Wild West (1980). His other television credits include episodes of Get Smart, The Mothers-In-Law, McCloud, Chico and the Man, The Muppet Show, The Rockford Files, Alice, The Love Boat, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Fall Guy, Twilight Zone, The Wizard, Outlaws, Shadow Chasers, Saved by the Bell,
German composer Norbert Schultze, who was best known for the popular World War II song “Lili Marleen,” died in Bad Tolz, Bavaria, on October 14, 2002. He was 91. Schultze was born in Brunswick, Germany, on January 6, 1911. He wrote the popular children’s opera Black Peter in the 1930s. In 1938 Schultze found a poem written by German soldier Hans Leip during World War I. He put the poem to music and a rendition was recorded by singer Lale Andersen the following year. Initially the song met with little interest, but during World War II it became extremely popular with the German soldiers. It was also popular with the Allied forces, and an Eng-
Norbert Schultze
Obituaries • 2002
270
lish version was recorded by Anne Shelton and Vera Lynn during the war. Schultze wrote numerous other songs during the war to accompany German propaganda films. After the war he was briefly prevented from engaging in musical activities because of his work for the Nazis. He later wrote the operetta, Paris in the Rain, and wrote and directed the 1956 film Max and Morris. Rainer Werner Fassbinder directed an 1980 film, Lili Marleen, which recounted the origins of the song. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 23, 2002, B11; New York Times, Oct. 22, 2002, A29; Times (of London), Oct. 17, 2002, 36c; Variety, Nov. 4, 2002, 88.
Scott, Evelyn Actress Evelyn Scott died in Los Angeles on January 31, 2002. She was 86. Scott was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1915. She began her career in Los Angeles as the city’s first female disc jockey on station KMPC. She was also featured in a handful of films in the 1950s including Wicked Woman (1954), Back from the Dead (1957), The Green-Eyed Blonde (1957) and I Want to Live! (1958). She starred as Adelaide Mitchell on the television sitcom Bachelor Father from 1960 to 1972, and was bartender Ada Jacks on the
prime time soap opera Peyton Place from 1965 to 1969, and it’s sequel Return to Peyton Place from 1972 to 1974. She reprised her role as Ada Jacks in the 1985 telefilm Peyton Place: The Next Generation. Scott was also seen on television in episodes of Gunsmoke, The Restless Gun, Perry Mason and Bonanza. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13, 2002, B10; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 53.
Scott, Vernon Hollywood reporter Vernon Scott died of pancreatitis at a Los Angeles hospital on November 18, 2002. He was 79. Scott spent over fifty years writing columns about Hollywood celebrities for United Press International. He interviewed and wrote articles on numerous stars including Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and Frank Sinatra. Scott also co-wrote with actress Jill Ireland an account of her battle with cancer. The book was adapted for the 1991 telefilm Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2002, B10; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 57.
Vernon Scott (with Marilyn Monroe)
Selwart, Tonio Evelyn Scott
German actor Tonio Selwart died of pneumonia on November 2, 2002. He was 106. Selwart was born in Watenberg, Germany, on June
271
2002 • Obituaries
Amber SexXxum Tonio Selwart
9, 1896. He began his career on the stage in Germany. He came to the United States during the 1930s where he became a leading Broadway star. Selwart also appeared in several dozen films from the early 1940s including Edge of Darkness (1943), Hangmen Also Die (1943), The North Star (1943), The Cross of Lorraine (1943), Tampico (1944), The Hitler Gang (1944), Wilson (1944), Strange Affair (1944), Unconquered (1947), My Favorite Spy (1951), Frontier Wolf (1951), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Concert of Intrigue (1954), The Wanton Countess (1954), Helen of Troy (1956), Congo Crossing (1956), The Naked Maja (1959), Five Branded Women (1960), Romanoff and Juliet (1961), Anzio (1968), and The Other Side of the World (1972). During the 1950s Selwart also appeared in episodes of such television series as Kraft Television Theatre, Studio One and The Philco Television Playhouse.
SexXxum, Amber Adult film actress Amber SexXxum died in St. Petersburg, Florida, on July 26, 2002. She was 31. SexXxum was born Laura Bailey in Tampa, Florida, on February 27, 1971. She appeared in adult features from the 1990s, sometimes under the name Amber Haze. Her films include Tampa
Tushy Fest, Six Degrees of Seduction 2, Goddaughter 5, Bra Busters, and Head Trip.
Sharbutt, Del Veteran radio and television announcer Del Sharbutt died in New York City on April 26, 2002. He was 90. Sharbutt was born in Cleburne, Texas, on February 12, 1912. He began his career in radio in Chicago in 1933, and joined the CBS network the following year. He was CBS staff announcer from 1936 until 1945, and was heard on such radio programs as Lavender and Old Lace, Hobby Lobby, Your Hit Parade and the Jack Benny Program. Sharbutt was also featured as an announcer in several films including Cuban Pete (1946) and Hit Parade of 1947 (1947). A musician and songwriter, he also composed the theme for the television comedy The Bob Cummings Show. Sharbutt was announcer for the television series Your Hit Parade from 1957 to 1958 and Who Do You Trust? from 1962 to 1963. He retired from broadcasting in 1976. Los Angeles Times, May 1, 2002, B11; New York Times, May 1, 2002, C13.
Obituaries • 2002
272
Sharnick, John Television documentary producer John Sharnick died of congestive heart failure at his home in Rowayton, Connecticut, on May 11, 2002. He was 78. Sharnick was born on July 5, 1923. He began working for CBS in 1954, where he produced television documentaries. Sharnick received an Emmy Award for his 1972 documentary A Night in Jail, a Day in Court. He retired in 1982. New York Times, May 16, 2002, A21.
Shaw, Arvell Jazz musician Arvell Shaw died of a heart attack at his New York City home on December 5, 2002. He was 79. Shaw was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 15, 1923. He began his career playing the double bass with pianist Fate Marable on Mississippi riverboats. Shaw served in the Navy during World War II and played with Navy bands. After the war he joined Louis Armstrong’s orchestra and remained with the orchestra until 1947. He continued to play bass with Armstrong’s septet. He was also seen with Armstrong’s group in the films The Glenn Miller Story (1953) and High Society (1956). Shaw continued his musical association with Armstrong until his death in 1971. Shaw was also featured in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary, Jazz, in 2001. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12, 2002, B15; New York Times, Dec. 10, 2002, C19; Time, Dec. 23, 2002, 21.
Arvell Shaw
sponsor productions throughout his life. Times (of London), June 24, 2002, 35h.
Shaw, Vincent British actor and talent agent Vincent Shaw died suddenly in England on June 21, 2002. He was 77. Shaw was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, on May 14, 1925. He began his career on stage in the 1940s, performing under the name Peter Vanning in such productions as Arc de Triomphe and Where the Rainbow Ends. Shaw subsequently began directing stage productions in the 1950s including Pygmalion, Rebecca and The Guinea Pig. He began representing actors as an agent in 1952, and soon had such stars as Richard Green Antony Booth, and Jessie Matthews as clients. He continued to represent stars and
Vinent Shaw
273
2002 • Obituaries
Sheeley, Sharon Songwriter Sharon Sheeley died of complications from a cerebral hemorrhage in Sherman Oaks, California, on May 17, 2002. She was 62. Sheeley was a high school student in Newport Beach, California, when she wrote the song “Poor Little Fool,” which became a hit record for Ricky Nelson in 1958. Sheeley also wrote the song “Hurry Up” for Richie Valens. She spent several years in England before joining with fellow songwriter Jackie DeShannon on such hits as “Dum Dum,” “Heart in Hand,” “The Great Impostor,” “Trouble,” and “Breakaway.” She later worked with her husband, Jimmy O’Neill, on the ABC television series Shindig! Los Angeles Times, May 20, 202, B9; People, June 3, 2002, 109; Times (of London), June 15, 2002, 12b; Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Frank Shuster (right, with Johnny Wayne)
Wayne and Shuster on numerous episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show, died of pneumonia in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 13, 2002. He was 85. Shuster was born in Toronto on September 5, 1916. Wayne and Shuster were friends from childhood who began their comedy routines on Canadian radio in 1941. From the 1950s they appeared frequently on Canadian television, hosting several series. They made their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958, and appeared on the show over sixty more times. They also starred in the short lived television comedy series Holiday Lodge in 1961, and co-hosted the 1965 television series Wayne and Shuster Take an Affectionate Look At… The remained a team until shortly before Johnny Wayne’s death in September of 1990. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 15, 2002, B10; New York Times, Jan. 16, 2002, C16; Time, Jan. 28, 2002, 15.
Sharon Sheeley (with Eddie Cochran)
Sheffield, Charles
Sidney, George
Science fiction writer and physicist Charles Sheffield died of brain cancer in Rockville, Maryland, hospice on November 2, 2002. He was 67. The British-born physicist began writing fiction in the 1970s and the recipient of the 1993 Nebula and Hugo Awards for his novelette Georgia on My Mind. Sheffield wrote nearly thirty novels during his career including The McAndrew Chronicles (1991) and Brother to Dragons (1992). New York Times, Nov. 9, 2002, A20.
Film director George Sidney died of complications of lymphoma at his home in Las Vegas on May 5, 2002. He was 85. Sidney was born on Long Island, New York, on October 4, 1916. A former child actor, Sidney began directing comedy shorts, including Our Gang comedies, at MGM in the late 1930s. He helmed such shorts as Sunday Night at the Trocadero (1937), Party Fever (1938), Men in Fright (1938), Football Romeo (1938), Practical Jokers (1938), Billy Rose’s Casa Manana Revue (1938), Alfalfa’s Aunt (1939), Duel Personalities (1939), Clown Princes (1939), Cousin Wilbur (1939), Tiny Troubles (1939), Hollywood Hobbies (1939), Dog Daze (1939), Love on Tap (1939), What’s Your I.Q.? (1940), Quicker’n a Wink (1940) a Pete Smith Specialty which earned
Shuster, Frank Comedian Frank Shuster, who with partner Johnny Wayne made the comic team of
Obituaries • 2002
274 Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2002, B10; New York Times, May 7, 2002, C18; People, May 20, 2002, 81; Time, May 20, 2002, 27; Times (of London), May 11, 2002, 41c; Variety, May 13, 2002, 39.
Sihung Lung Taiwanese character actor Lang Hsiung (Lung Sihung) died of complications from diabetes and heart and liver disease in Taiwan on May 2, 2002. He was 72. He was featured in over 100 Chinese-language films, though he didn’t achieve fame until he began an association with director Ang Lee. He played the father in Lee’s Pushing Hands (1992), A Wedding Banquet (1993), and Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994). Lang was also featured as an Imperial officer in Lee’s Oscarwinning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Lang also starred in the 1988 Japanese film Sleepless Town. His final film was 2002’s The Touch with Michelle Yeoh.
George Sidney
an Oscar, Free and Easy (1941), Third Dimensional Murder (1941), Willie and the Mouse (1941) and Of Pups and Puzzles (1941) which also received an Academy Award. He began directing features in the early 1940s, primarily musicals. His film credits include Pacific Rendezvous (1942), Thousands Cheer (1943), Bathing Beauty (1944), Anchors Aweigh (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), Holiday in Mexico (1946), Till the Clouds Roll By (1947), Cass Timberlane (1947), The Three Musketeers (1948), The Red Danube (1949), Key to the City (1950), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Show Boat (1951), Scaramouche (1952), Kiss Me Kate (153), Young Bess (1953), and Jupiter’s Darling (1955). He left MGM in 1956 for Columbia where he continued to direct such films as The Eddy Duchin Story (1956), Jeanne Eagles (1957), Pal Joey (1957), Who Was That Lady? (1960), Pepe (1960), Bye Bye Birdie (1963), A Ticklish Affair (1963), Viva Las Vegas (1964) with Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret, The Swinger (1966) and Half a Sixpence (1967). He was president of the Screen Directors Guild, later the Directors Guild of America, for 16 years from 1960.
Sihung Lung
275 Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2002, B11; New York Times, May 25, 2002, A28; Time, May 27, 2002, 23.
Silvera, Carmen British character actress Carmen Silvera died of lung cancer at the actors’ retirement home Denville Hall, in Northwood, west London on August 3, 2002. She was 80. Silvera was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on June 2, 1922. She was best known for her role as Edith Melba Artois on the popular 1980s British television sitcom ’Allo! ’Allo!. She also appeared in the 1962 series Compact and was featured in the films With These Hands (1971), On the Game (1973), Keep It Up Downstairs (1976) and La Passione (1997). Her other television credits include the 1978 mini-series Lillie, and episodes of Doctor Who, Dad’s Army, Maggie and Her, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, and Cluedo. Times (of London), Aug. 5, 2002, 30g; Variety, Aug. 19, 2002, 118.
2002 • Obituaries
Silvera, Rene French film producer Rene Silvera died in Paris after a brief illness on March 19, 2002. He was 76. Silvera served as the European representative for Cinerama in the 1960s. He subsequently served in France as ABC and, later NBC, representative. He was the founder of Panoceanic Films and produced Jacques Tati’s comedy film Playtime in 1967. Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Simeone, Lawrence L. Film director Lawrence L. Simeone died of complications from open heart surgery in Los Angeles on February 3, 2002. He was 48. Simeone was born on April 30, 1953. He helmed such films as Presumed Guilty (1991), Cop-Out (1991) which he also co-starred in, Eyes of the Beholder (1992), Blindfold (1994), The Gifted (1999) and Go Fish (2000). He also directed several episodes of Power Rangers: Turbo in the late 1990s.
Lawrence L. Simeone (with Sharron Simeone)
Simms, Hal
Carmen Silvera
Veteran television announcer Hal Simms died at a Brookline, Massachusetts, nursing home on July 2, 2002. He was 83. Simms was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1919. He began his career in radio in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and, later, Philadelphia. He began working with CBS in 1948, and was an announcer on such 1950s quiz shows as Beat the Clock, Wheel of For-
Obituaries • 2002
276
tune, What’s My Line? and To Tell the Truth. He was also announcer for the soap operas As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and The Edge of Night. Simms worked with Jack Paar on “The Morning Show” as a news reporter and weatherman. He retired in 1992. New York Times, July 18, 2002, A21.
Simon, Charles Veteran British character actor Charles Simon died of pneumonia in Harrow, Middlesex, England, on May 16, 2002. He was 93. Simon was born at Tettenhall Wood, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, on February 4, 1909. He began his acting career on stage in the mid–1920s. He performed in touring companies in England and Ireland and formed the Darlington Repertory Company in 1936. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, and joined the BBC repertory company in the 1950s. He starred in the British soap opera Mrs. Dale’ Diary as Dr. Dale for much of the 1960s and was featured in the 1972 film The Darwin Adventure. He received acclaim for his performance as George Adams in the 1986 television mini-series The Singing Detective, and also appeared in the telefilms Codename: Kyril (1988), Norbert Smith, a
Life (1989), Simisola (1995), Far from the Madding Crowd (1998), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (2000), Happy Birthday Shakespeare (2000), The Sight (2000), Endgame (2000), Night Flight (2002) and Strange (2002). His other television credits include the 1999 mini-series Wives and Daughters, and episodes of such series as No Place Like Home, Hot Metal, Is It Legal, Kavanagh QC, 2point4 Children, Fist of Fun, Goodnight Sweetheart, A Touch of Frost, Underworld, Father Ted, Midsomer Murders, Peak Practice, High Stakes, Doctors, and Holby City. Simon also appeared in a handful of films during his career including Just Ask for Diamond (1988), American Friends (1991), Shadowlands (1993) with Anthony Hopkins, OcchioPinocchio (1994), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), Stiff Upper Lips (1998), The Sea Change (1998), Topsy-Turvy (1999), Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999), ParadiseGrove (1999), 102 Dalmatians (2000) as Lord Carnivore, and The Final Curtain (2002). Times (of London), May 21, 2002, 36b.
Sims, Bennett Byron Screenwriter Bennett Byron Sims died of cancer in Los Angeles, California, on March 5, 2002. Sims was born on February 3, 1933. He scripted several films including Homebodies (1974) and Violated (1984). He also wrote the 1992 television series Virtual Murder. Variety, May 6, 2002, 84.
Sinclair, Monica
Charles Simon
British opera singer Monica Sinclair died in London on May 7, 2002. She was 77. She was born in Evercreech, Somerset, England, on March 23, 1925. She made her debut at Covent Garden in 1949, and was a leading mezzo-soprano there through the 1950s and 1960s. She starred in productions of The Pilgrim’s Progress (1951), Gloriana (1953), Troilus and Cressida (1954), and The Midsummer Marriage (1955). She made her United States debut with the Dallas Opera in 1960 in a production of Alcina, and performed in La Fille du Regiment at the Metropolitan Opera in 1973. Times (of London), May 14, 2002, 31b.
277
2002 • Obituaries
Monica Sinclair
Slavenska, Mia Ballerina Mia Slavenska died at a Los Angeles retirement home on October 5, 2002. She was 86. She was born Mia Corakin in Brod-na Savi, Croatia, on February 20, 1914. She studied ballet in Zagreb, Paris and Vienna and was prima ballerina with the Zagreb National Theater from 1934 to 1936. She also starred in Jean BenoitLevy’s 1937 film La Mort du Cygne (aka Ballerina). She joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1938 and made her New York debut later that year. She performed in productions of Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Giselle, and starred in a ballet production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire in 1952. She opened a dance studio in New York in 1960, and taught ballet at the University of California at Los Angeles from the late 1960s. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 9, 2002, B13; New York Times, Oct. 9, 2002, A25; Time, Oct. 21, 2002, 27; Times (of London), Oct. 23, 2002, 32c.
Mia Slavenska
Slesar, Henry Mystery writer Henry Slesar died in New York City on April 2, 2002. He was 74. Slesar was born in Brooklyn on June 12, 1927. He worked as an advertising copywriter from the 1940s and is credited with coining the term “coffee break” in an ad campaign. Slesar was also a prolific short story writer and novelist, who received an Edgar Award for his book The Gray Flannel Shroud. He
Obituaries • 2002
278
Henry Slesar
also wrote numerous radio plays and his story Bottle Baby was adapted as the 1958 sci-fi film Terror from the Year 5000. Many of his stories were adapted for television on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the 1950s and 1960s. Slesar also scripted episodes for Hitchcock, as well as Twilight Zone, Batman and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The 1964 film The Eyes of Annie Jones was adapted from his story, and Slesar scripted the 1965 film Two on a Guillotine and the 1969 telefilm Honeymoon with a Stranger. He also wrote 1971’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, and the 1992 telefilm Seduction: Three Tales from the ‘Inner Sanctum’. His stories were also adapted for television’s Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and the new Twilight Zone in 1985. Slesar began a fifteen year position as head writer of the daytime soap opera The Edge of Night in 1968, earning an Emmy Award for his work on the show. Slesar scripted the 1995 film The Maddening and 2001’s Heartbreak Hospital. Variety, Apr. 22, 2002, 42.
Farewell, My Lovely (1975), Video Vixens (1975), Revenge of the Cheerleaders (1976), The Pom Pom Girls (1976), Massacre at Central High (1976), Drum (1976), The Choirboys (1977), Fantasm Comes Again (1977), Slumber Party ’57 (1977), The Incredible Melting Man (1977), Game Show Models (1977), Cinderella (1977), Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke (1978), Laserblast (1978), Melvin and Howard (1980), Cheech & Chong’s Nice Dreams (1981), Parasite (1982), Vice Squad (1982), Independence Fay (1983), and Du-beat-e-o (1984). Smith also performed in several rock bands during the decade. Her film career largely ended as a result of drug addiction in the 1980s.
Smith, Cheryl
Smith, Davey Boy
Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith, a cult film actress from the 1970s, died of complications from hepatitis in Los Angeles on October 25, 2002. She was 47. Smith was born in Los Angeles on June 6, 1955. She began her film career with a small role in 1971’s Evel Knievel. She went on to star in numerous exploitation films during the decade. Her film Legendary Curse of Lemora (1973), Phantom of the Paradise (1974), The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974), Caged Heat (1974),
Davey Boy Smith, who wrestled in the WWF and WCW as the British Bulldog, died of a heart attack while vacationing in Invereme, British Columbia, Canada, on May 17, 2002. He was 39. He was born David Smith in Manchester, England, on November 27, 1962. He began wrestling in 1978, and went to Calgary in 1981, where he feuded with the Dynamite Kid. He held several titles with the Stampede promotion in Calgary, later teaming with the Dynamite Kid.
Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith
279
2002 • Obituaries
Davey Boy Smith
They went to the WWF in 1985, where they became known as the British Bulldogs and were managed by Captain Lou Albano. They won the WWF tag team belts several times before leaving the WWF in 1988 and returned to Canada. Smith was injured in an automobile accident in July of 1989. The following year he broke with the Dynamite Kid, and returned to the WWF as the British Bulldog in 1990. He captured the WWF Intercontinental Title from Bret Hart in a match on August 29, 1992, and lost the belt to Shawn Michaels the following October. Smith left the WWF soon afterwards and subsequently wrestled in WCW. He later returned to the WWF for several stints in the late 1990s, and was reportedly considering another return at the time of his death.
Smith, Howard K. Newscaster Howard K. Smith died of congestive heart failure at his Bethesda, Maryland, home on February 15, 2002. He was 87. Smith was born in Ferriday, Louisiana, on May 12, 1914. He began his career in news working as a foreign correspondent with United Press. He joined CBS News in 1941 where he worked as part of Edward R. Murrow’s team during World War II. He fol-
Howard K. Smith
lowed Murrow as London correspondent for CBS after the war. Smith became CBS’s Washington correspondent in 1957 and was a commentator on the network’s news program. He served as moderator for the first Kennedy-Nixon presidential debate in 1960. From 1969 to 1975 Smith was the co-anchor for the ABC Evening News. Smith appeared as a newscaster in several films including The Best Man (1964), The Candidate (1972), The Man (1972), Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Nasty Habits (1977), The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). He was also seen in an episode of The Odd Couple, the telefilms The President’s Plane Is Missing (1973), Trapped Beneath the Sea (1974), and the 1984 science fiction mini-series and subsequent weekly series V. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 19, 2002, A1; New York Times, Feb. 19, 2002, C9; People, Mar. 4, 2002, 56; Time, Mar. 4, 2002, 21; Times (of London), Feb. 21, 2002, 37b.
Smith, Jay R. Jay R. Smith, a former child actor with the Our Gang comedy series, was found stabbed to
Obituaries • 2002
280 ing Smith served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later was the owner and manager of a paint store. A handyman living near Smith’s home was sought for questioning in Smith’s death.
Smith, Kevin
Jay R. Smith
death in the desert near Las Vegas on October 5, 2002. He was 87. Smith was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 29, 1915. Smith was featured in over thirty Our Gang comedy shorts from 1925 through 1929, primarily during the silent era. He was seen in such shorts as Boys Will Be Joys (1925), Better Movies (1925), Good Cheer (1926), Buried Treasure (1926), Monkey Business (1926), Uncle Tom’s Uncle (1926), Thundering Fleas (1926), Shivering Spooks (1926), The Fourth Alarm (1926), War Feathers (1926), Telling Whoppers (1926), Forty-Five Minutes from Hollywood (1926), Bring Home the Turkey (1927), Seeing the World (1927), Ten Years Old (1927), Love My Dog (1927), Tired Business Men (1927), Baby Brother (1927), The Glorious Fourth (1927), Olympic Games (1927), Yale vs. Harvard (1927), The Old Wallop (1927), Chicken Feed (1927), Heebee Jeebees (1927), Dog Heaven (1927), Playin’ Hookey (1928), Spook Spoofing (1928), Rainy Days (1928), The Smile Wins (1928), Edison, Marconi & Co. (1928), Barnum & Ringling, Inc. (1928), Crazy House (1928), Fair and Muddy (1928), Growing Pains (1928), Election Day (1929), Noisy Noises (1929), and Moan & Groan, Inc (1929). After leaving act-
New Zealand actor Kevin Smith, who was best known for portraying the god of war, Ares, on the television series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, died in a Beijing, China, hospital of injuries suffered in a fall on the set of the film Warriors of Virtue II. He was 38. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 16, 1963. He performed in several rock bands in New Zealand. Smith began his acting career on stage in a production in 1987. He was soon appearing on New Zealand television in such series as Goss, Away Laughing, Shortland Street, Heartland, and City Life. He also appeared in the films Mon Desir (1991), Desperate Remedies (1993), Channelling Baby (1999) and Jubilee (2000), and the telefilms McLeod’s Daughters (1994), Flatmates (1998), Lawless (1999), Lawless: Dead Evidence (2000), Lawless: Beyond Justice (2001) and Riverworld (2002). His other television credits include episodes of The Adventures of Sinbad, Young Hercules and F/X: The Series. He was scheduled to begin filming a role in the Bruce Willis film Man of War in March. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 2002, B17; New York Times, Feb. 22, 2002, B10; People, Mar. 4, 2002, 81; Variety, Mar. 4, 2002, 62.
Kevin Smith (as Ares, with Xena Lucy Lawless)
281
2002 • Obituaries
Soble, Ron
Sohl, Jerry
Veteran actor Ron Soble died of lung and brain cancer in Los Angeles on May 2, 2002. He was 70. Soble was born in Chicago on March 28, 1932. A Golden Gloves boxing champ in the 1940s, Soble came to Hollywood in the late 1950s to pursue an acting career. He was featured in such films as Al Capone (1959), Walk Tall (1960), Gun Fight (1961), Navajo Run (1964), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), True Grit (1969), Chisum (1970), Macho Callahan (1970), Joe Kidd (1972), Papillon (1973), When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder? (1979), The Beast Within (1982), Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills (1994), Street Corner Justice (1996) and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999). Soble starred as Dirty Jim in the 1966 television series The Monroes, and was featured in the telefilms The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972) and The Mystic Warrior (1984). His other television credits include episodes of Rawhide, Lawman, Bonanza, The Rebel, The Deputy, Have Gun, Will Travel, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Tall Man, Two Faces West, The Aquanauts, Gunslinger, Wagon Train, Death Valley Days, The Virginian, Temple Houston, Combat!, Cimarron Strip, It Takes a Thief, Felony Squad, Daniel Boone, The Men from Shiloh, Garrison’s Gorillas, Star Trek, The Outcasts, The Rookies, Mission: Impossible, Kung Fu, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, Planet of the Apes, Harry O, Police Story, The Streets of San Francisco, Sara, Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, Salvage-1, CHiPs, Matt Houston, Knight Rider and Paradise. Soble was also a member of the Screen Actors Guild’s board of directors for over a decade. Variety, Aug. 5, 2002, 36.
Science fiction novelist and television writer Jerry Sohl died in Thousand Oaks, California, on November 4, 2002. He was 88. Sohl was born in California on December 2, 1913. He began writing science fiction in the early 1950s and his first novel, The Haploids, was published in 1952. Sohl’s other novels include Costigan’s Needle (1952), The Transcendent Man (1953), The Altered Ego (1954), Point Ultimate (1955), The Mars Monopoly (1956), The Time Dissolver (1957), The Odious Ones (1959), and One Against Herculum (1959). Sohl adapted H.P. Lovecraft’s short-story The Colour Out of Space for the 1965 film Die, Monster, Die! starring Boris Karloff. He also wrote the 1966 Japanese horror film Frankenstein Conquers the World. Sohl’s 1965 novel Night Slaves was adapted into a telefilm in 1970. He also wrote often for television, scripting episodes of such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, The Outer Limits, Route 66, Star Trek, The Invaders, Man from Atlantis, and Next Step Beyond. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 10, 2002, B18.
Ron Soble (from TV’s The Monroes)
Jerry Sohl
Obituaries • 2002
282
Solomin, Vitali Russian actor Vitali Solomin died of a stroke in Moscow on May 27, 2002. He was 60. Solomin was born in Chita, Russia, On December 12, 1941. A popular film and television actor from the 1960s, Solomin played Dr. Watson in several Russian television movies in the 1970s including Acquaintance (1979), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1979), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Bloody Signature (1979), The Treasures of Agra (1983), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1981), and Sherlock Holmes in the 20th Century (1986). He was also seen in television productions of Here Is My Village (1972), The Bat (1979), Queen of Spades (1982), Goldfishes (1983), The Limit of Possible (1984), Winter Cherries (1985), Winter Cherries 2 (1990), and Winter Cherries 3 (1995).
Vitali Solomin (right, as Dr. Watson, with Vaili Livanov as Sherlock Holmes)
Solomon, Jack Sound engineer Jack Solomon died of complications from heart surgery in Los Angeles on November 8, 2002. He was 78. Solomon and Murray Spivack were the recipients of the first Academy Award given to individuals for sound for their work on Barbra Streisand’s 1969 film Hello, Dolly!. The Oscar had previously gone to the studio that produced the winning film. Solomon also received Oscar nominations for his work on the films Kotch (1971), Funny Lady (1975), the 1976 remake of King Kong, Hooper (1978), and Meteor (1979). Solomon worked as a sound engineer on films from the 1950s. His numerous credits include Phantom from Space (1953), Apache (1954), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The
Big Knife (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), While the City Sleeps (1956), Attack (1956), Kentucky Rifle (1956), Nightmare (1956), Man from Del Rio (1956), The King and Four Queens (1956), Min in War (1957), Lizzie (1957), The Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Quantrill’s Raiders (1958), God’s Little Acre (1958), Murder by Contract (1958), Man of the West (1958), The Man in the Net (1958), The Lost Missile (1958), The Horse Soldiers (1959), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Pier 5, Havana (1959), Guns, Girls, and Gangsters (1959), The Gene Krupa Story (1959), City of Fear (1959), The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Alamo (1960), El Cid (1961), Follow That Dream (1962), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), Four for Texas (1963), McClintock! (1963), The Best Man (1964), The Collector (1965), The Way West (1967), The Graduate (1967), Funny Girl (1968), The Stalking Moon (1969), The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970), The Great White Hope (1970), The Cowboys (1972), My Old Man’s Place (1972), The Other (1972), Cisco Pike (1972), Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Sleeper (1973), Night Moves (1975), The Missouri Breaks (1976), The End (1978), The Cannonball Run (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981), Stroker Ace (1983), The Last Starfighter (1984), and No Way Out (1987). He also worked on the telefilms A Step Out of Line (1971), Skag (1980) and Two of a Kind (1982). Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 57.
Sonney, Dan Exploitation film director Dan Sonney died of heart failure in Canoga Park, California, on March 3, 2002. He was 86. Sonney was the son of legendary lawman Louis Sonney, who had founded Sonney Amusement Enterprises to produce and distribute films in the 1930s. The younger Sonney followed in his father’s footsteps to become a successful producer and distributor of adult exploitation films from the late 1940s, sometimes under the name Seymour Tokus. His films include A Night in the Follies (1947), A Virgin in Hollywood (aka Hollywood Confidential) (1948), Striptease Girl (1952), Love Moods (1952), Can Can Follies (1954), The Flesh Merchant (1956), Knockers Up (1963), My Tale Is Hot (1964) which he also scripted and directed, The Notori-
283
2002 • Obituaries
Dan Sonney (left, w/Dave Friedman)
ous Daughter of Fanny Hill (1966), Space Thing (1968), and Trader Hornee (1970). Sonney worked in partnership with Dave Friedman from the 1960s. He and Friedman were the subject of a 2001 documentary Mau Mau Sex Sex.
Spaisman, Zypora Yiddish stage actress Zypora Spaisman died of a brain hemorrhage in a Manhattan hospital on May 18, 2002. She was 88. She was born Zyporta Tanenbaum in Lublin, Poland, on January 2, 1914. A midwife for many years, Spaisman came to the United States where she began acting at the Yiddish-language theatre Folksbiene in the 1950s. She was the recipient of an Obie award for her performance in Sholom Aleichem’s Stempenyu. Spaisman also appeared in several films including Paul Mazursky’s Enemies: A Love Story (1989) and The Hard Way. New York Times, May 26, 2002, 27.
Speirs, Jack Film and television writer Jack Speirs died at his home in Lake Sherwood, California, on
Zypora Spaisman
November 29, 2002. He was 86. Speirs was born in Coxs Mills, West Virginia, in 1916. He began his career writing for such radio series as Defense Attorney and I Fly Anything. He began working with Walt Disney in the early 1950s, and was soon writing the introductions for the television series Disneyland and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Speirs also wrote many of the Disney wildlife films and television segments including Ida, the Off beat Eagle (1964), Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar (1967), King of the Grizzlies (1970), and The Bears and I (1974). He produced, directed and scripted the 1977 film A Tale of Two Critters. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 13, 2002, B17.
Obituaries • 2002
284
Staley, Layne
Stanley, Jerome H.
Layne Staley, the singer-guitarist for the 1990s grunge rock band Alice in Chains, was found dead at his apartment in Seattle, Washington, on April 19, 2002. The coroner ruled that Staley’s death, which occurred two weeks earlier on April 5, 2002, was due to a drug overdose of cocaine and heroin. Staley was born on August 22, 1967. He teamed with guitarist Jerry Cantrell to form Alice in Chains in 1987. They recorded their first record, “We Die Young,” in 1990. They recorded such albums as Facelift (1990), Dirt (1992), Jar of Flies (1994), and Alice in Chains (1995). Staley also sang on the debut album for the band Mad Season in 1995. Amid rumors of poor health, Staley’s musical output diminished during the late 1990s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 21, 2002, B17; New York Times, Apr. 21, 2002, 39; People, May 6, 2002, 121; Time, Apr. 29, 2002, 29; Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 43.
Television executive Jerome H. Stanley died at a Rancho Mirage, California, hospital on February 7, 2002. He was 80. Stanley began his career in films working at Republic Studios in 1939. He began working in television in 1956, becoming executive vice president of film programs at NBC. Stanley supervised the development of such programs as Star Trek, Get Smart, I Spy, The Monkees, The High Chaparral and My World and Welcome To It. He joined Universal Studios in 1972 where he worked with Jack Webb on Dragnet and Emergency. He also served as executive producer on the television series Hec Ramsey and the 1973 telefilm Escape. He returned to NBC in 1973, serving as vice president of broadcast standards until 1981, when he joined MGM Television. While there he oversaw production of such series as Chicago Story, CHiPs, Fame, Gavilan and McClain’s Law. Variety, Feb. 18, 2002, 62.
Stearn, Jess Jess Stearn, a leading author of books of the occult, died of congestive heart failure at his home in Malibu, California, on March 27, 2002. He was 87. Stearn began his writing career as a
Layne Staley
Jess Stearn
285 reporter with the New York Daily News. He became interested in psychic Edgar Cayce, and was best known for his two biographies of Cayce, The Sleeping Prophet (1968) and A Prophet in His Own Country (1974). He also collaborated with novelist Taylor Caldwell on the books The Search for a Soul: Taylor Caldwell’s Psychic Lives (1973) and I, Judas (1977). His other works include The Search for the Girl with Blue Eyes, The Door to the Future, Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation, The Seekers, and A Matter of Immortality: Dramatic Evidence of Survival. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 1, 2002, B9; New York Times, Apr. 2, 2002, A21.
Steibel, Warren Warren Steibel, the producer of William F. Buckley, Jr.’s television show Firing Line, died of cancer in a New York hospital on January 3, 2002. He was 76. Steibel was born in New York City on September 4, 1925. He began working with Buckley in 1966 as director of Firing Line, and later became the show’s producer until Buckley retired in 1999. Steibel also produced the 1970
Warren Steibel
2002 • Obituaries
cult film The Honeymoon Killers and was producer of the weekly public television series Debates Debates from 1996. New York Times, Jan. 19, 2002, A20.
Steiger, Rod Oscar-winning actor Rod Steiger died of pneumonia and kidney failure in Los Angeles on July 9, 2002. He was 77. Steiger was born in Westhampton, New York, on April 14, 1925. He joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 16 and served aboard a destroyer in the Pacific during World War II. After the war he utilized the G.I. Bill to study drama at the New School for Social Research and trained as a method actor at the Actors Studio. Steiger performed on the New York stage and appeared in such early television anthology drama series as Danger, Lux Video Theatre, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Kraft Television Theatre, Tales of Tomorrow, Suspense, Screen Directors Playhouse and The Philco Television Playhouse, where he received acclaim for starring in the television version of Marty in 1953 that preceded the award-winning film. Steiger made his screen debut in a small role in Fred Zinnemann’s 1951 film Teresa. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Marlon
Rod Steiger (with Claire Bloom from The Illustrated Man) (Warner)
Obituaries • 2002
286
Brando’s older brother in 1954’s On the Waterfront. Steiger starred as Jud in the film version of the hit musical Oklahoma! in 1955, and continued to appear in such films as The Big Knife (1955), The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), Jubal (1956), The Harder They Fall (1956), Back from Eternity (1956), The Unholy Wife (1957), Run of the Arrow (1957), Across the Bridge (1957), Cry Terror! (1958), Al Capone (1959) as Capone, Seven Thieves (1960), The Mark (1961), The World in My Pocket (1961), 13 West Street (1962), Convicts 4 (1962), Hands Over the City (1963) and Time of Indifference (1965). Steiger received another Oscar nomination for his performance in 1964’s The Pawnbroker, and co-starred with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie in David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago in 1965. He appeared as Mr. Joyboy in the 1965 film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s black comedy The Loved One and was featured in the 1965 European film And There Came a Man. Steiger received the Academy Award for best actor for his role as Sparta Police Chief Bill Gillespie in 1967’s In the Heat of the Night (1967). He continued to appear in such films as The Girl and the General (1967), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968), The Sergeant (1968), the 1969 film version of Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man, Three into Two Won’t Go (1969), Waterloo (1970) as Napoleon Bonaparte, Duck, You Sucker (1971), Kurt Vonnegut’s Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971), The Heroes (1972), Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973), Lucky Luciano (1974), The Last Days of Mussolini (1974) as Il Duce, Dirty Hands (1975), Hennessy (1975), W.C. Fields and Me (1976), Portrait of a Hitman (1977), F.I.S.T. (1978), Wolf Lake (1978), Breakthrough (1978), Love and Bullets (1979), The Amityville Horror (1979), Klondike Fever (1980), The Lucky Star (1980), Lion of the Desert (1980) again portraying Mussolini, Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981), The Chosen (1981), The Magic Mountain (1982), The Naked Face (1984), The Kindred (1986), Catch the Heat (1987), American Gothic (1988), January Man (1989), Try This One for Size (1989), Tennessee Nights (1989), The Summer of White Roses (1989), Men of Respect (1991), The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991), Guilty As Charged (1991), The Player (1992), The Neighbor (1993), The Specialist (1994), The Last Tattoo (1994), Seven Sundays (1995), Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys (1995), Carpool (1996), Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! (1996), Shiloh (1997), Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997), Livers Ain’t Cheap
(1997), Incognito (1997), The Kid (1997), Animals (1997), Modern Vampires (1998) as Dr. Van Helsing, Legacy (1998), Body and Soul (1998), Crazy in Alabama (1999), Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999), The Hurricane (1999), End of Days (1999), Cypress Edge (1999), The Last Producer (2000), The Flying Dutchman (2000), Lightmaker (2001), The Hollywood Sign (2001), Poolhall Junkies (2001) and A Month of Sundays (2001). Steiger starred as Pontius Pilate in the 1977 mini-series Jesus of Nazareth and was Robert E. Peary in 1983’s Cook & Peary: The Race to the Pole. He also starred in the mini-series Hollywood Wives (1985), and the telefilms The Glory Boys (1984), The Sword of Gideon (1986), Change of Heart (1987), Desperado: Avalanche at Devil’s Ridge (1988), Passion and Paradise (1989), In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas (1991) as Gordon Kahl, Sinatra (1992) as Sam Giancana, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City (1993), Tom Clancy’s OP Center (1995), Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story (1995), In Pursuit of Honor (1995), Columbo: Strange Bedfellows (1995), Out There (1995), Little Surprises (1995), Dalva (1996) and EZ Streets (1996). Other television credits include episodes of Wagon Train, Ben Casey, Route 66, Bob Hopes Presents the Chrysler Theatre, and as a voice actor in The Critic and The Simpsons. Steiger was married to actress Sally Gracie from 1952 to 1958 and to actress Claire Bloom from 1959 to 1969. Marriages and divorces to Sherry Nelson and Paula Ellis followed. He married actress Joan Benedict two years before his death. Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2002, A1; New York Times, July 10, 2002, A23; People, July 22, 2002, 59; Times (of London), July 10, 2002, 31b; Variety, July 15, 2002, 2002.
Steinkamp, Fredric “Fritz” Film editor Fredric “Fritz” Steinkamp died of heart failure in Santa Monica, California, on February 20, 2002. Steinkamp won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on the 1966 film Grand Prix. He was also nominated for Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), Three Days of the Condor (1975), Tootsie (1982), and Out of Africa (1985). He served as an editor for over forty films from the early 1960s including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960), Where the Boys Are (1960), Two Loves (1961), All
287 Fall Down (1962), Period of Adjustment (1962), It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963), Sunday in New York (1963), Quick Before It Melts (1964), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Mister Buddwing (1965), Duel at Diablo (1966), Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding (1967), Charly (1968), Midas Run (1969), The Strawberry Statement (1970), A New Leaf (1971), The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971), Nightmare Honeymoon (1973), The Yakuza (1975), Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), Fedora (1978), Hide in Plain Sight (1980), Against All Odds (1984), White Nights (1985), Burglar (1987), Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Scrooged (1988), Havana (1990), Bound by Honor (1993), The Firm (1993), and Sabrina (1995). He also edited the telefilms Haunts of the Very Rich (1972), Thursday’s Game (1974), Charlie (1989), and The Old Man and the Sea (1990). Variety, Apr. 1, 2002, 74.
Stewart, Mel Character actor Mel Stewart, who was best known as Archie Bunker’s neighbor, Henry Jefferson, in the early episodes of television’s All in the Family, died of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease in a Pacifica, California,
2002 • Obituaries
nursing home on February 24, 2002. He was 72. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1929. He appeared in a handful of films from the 1960s including Funnyman (1967), Petulia (1968), Hammer (1972), Steelyard Blues (1973), Trick Baby (1973), Newman’s Law (1974), Let’s Do It Again (1975), Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), Dead Heat (1988), Martians Go Home (1990), Bride of the Re-Animator (1990), Made in America (1993) and The Man with No Eyes (2001). He starred as Sgt. B.J. Bryant in the 1973 television series Roll Out, and was Mr. Gibson in 1975’s On the Rocks. He also appeared as Marvin Decker in Tabitha, the 1977 spinoff of Bewitched. Stewart starred as Rodney ‘Axle’ Blake in the 1980 series Freebie and the Bean and was Billy Melrose in 1983’s Scarecrow and Mrs King. He also appeared in the telefilms Punch and Jody (1974), The Last Survivors (1975), The Last Hurrah (1977), Ring of Passion (1978), The Death of Ocean View Park (1979), Marriage Is Alive and Well (1980), Baby Comes Home (1980), The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983), The Invisible Woman (1983) and The Outlaws (1984). His other television credits include episodes of Car 54, Where Are You, The Bob Newhart Show, Harry O, Good Times, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Rockford Files, That’s My Mama, What’s Happening!!, Sanford and Son, Benson, Stone, The Love Boat, Little House on the Prairie, The Greatest American Hero, Mr. Merlin, 227, Matlock, The Golden Girls, In the Heat of the Night, and Baywatch. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 17, 2002, B15; New York Times, Apr. 4, 2002, B8.
Stewart, Michael
Mel Stewart (from Trick Baby) (Universal)
Michael Stewart, a member of the 1960s folk-rock group We Five, died in Sacramento, California, after a long illness on November 13, 2002. He was 57. Stewart was born in Riverside, California, in 1945. In the early 1960s Stewart and Jerry Burgan formed The Ridgerunners folk music quintet. The group changed its name to We Five in early 1965. Later in the year they recorded the hit song “You Were On My Mind.” They also released the popular “Let’s Get Together” the following year. After the group disbanded Stewart moved into record producing. He produced albums for such artists as Tom Jones, Kenny Rankin, and Billy Joel’s hit album Piano Man. Stewart’s older brother, John Stewart, was
Obituaries • 2002
288
Stocks, Ian Australian documentary filmmaker Ian Stocks died on July 4, 2002. He was 59. A founding member of the Sydney Filmmakers Co-op, Stocks produced many documentary films including Tamu the Great (1972) and Niugini Culture Shock (1975). He was also a regular contributor to such film journals as Cinema Papers and Senses of Cinema.
Michael Stewart
a member of the Kingston Trio. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 18, 2002, B9.
Stilwell, Dick Richard G. Stilwell, Jr., a retired Army lieutenant colonel and actor, was killed in an automobile accident in West Los Angeles on November 23, 2002. He was 59. Stilwell as born in Buffalo, New York, in 1943, the son of Gen. Richard Stilwell, commander of United Nations forces during the Korean War. The younger Stilwell served in Vietnam, where he earned the Silver Star for gallantry. He retired from the military in 1985 and began an acting career. He starred on stage in various productions written by Czech dissident playwright Vaclav Havel (who later became president of the Czech Republic after the fall of the Soviet Union). Stilwell was also seen in such films as The Pelican Brief (1993), Major League II (1994), Forrest Gump (1994), The Chamber (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Joyriders (1999), Random Hearts (1999), Beneath Loch Ness (2001), Mimic 2 (2001), and Bug (2002). He was featured in the telefilm 61* (2001), and in episodes of such series as Homicide: Life on the Street, The Practice, and The Wire.
Ian Stocks
Stockwell, Guy Actor Guy Stockwell died at a Prescott, Arizona, hospital on February 7, 2002. He was 67. Stockwell was born in New York City on November 16, 1934. He was the older brother of actor Dean Stockwell. He began his film career in the late 1950s, appearing in The Beat Generation (1959) and Please Don’t Eat the Daises (1960). He starred as Chris Parker in the television series Adventures in Paradise from 1961 to 1962, and starred as Zorro in the 1963 European film The Sword of Zorro. Stockwell was also featured in the films The War Lord (1965) with Charlton Heston, Blindfold (1965), The Plainsman (1966) as Wild Bill Cody, Beau Geste (1966), And Now Miguel (1966), Tobruk (1967), The King’s Pirate (1967),
289
2002 • Obituaries
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13, 2002, B11; New York Times, Feb, 17, 2002, 41; People, Mar. 4, 2002, 81; Variety, Feb. 18, 2002, 62.
Stoffel, Albert Children’s book writer Albert Stoffel died in Santa Monica, California, on May 6, 2002. He was 92. Stoffel was born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1910. He worked as a newspaper reporter and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war he worked with Western Publishing Company as an editor and writer, authoring numerous Golden Books for children. He also wrote the popular syndicated Bugs Bunny comic strip for many years. Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2002, B9.
Guy Stockwell
The Million Dollar Collar (1967), Banning (1967), In Enemy Country (1968), The Monitors (1969), The Gatling Gun (1973), Airport 1975 (1974), It’s Alive! (1974), The Coming (1981), 40 Days of Musa Dagh (1982), Grotesque (1988), and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s cult classic Santa Sangre (1989). Stockwell was also a popular television actor, appearing in episodes of Rawhide, Stagecoach West, Gunsmoke, Combat!, The Richard Boone Show, Bonanza, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Wild Wild West, Lancer, The Virginian, Land of the Giants, Mannix, The F.B.I., Harry O, The Streets of San Francisco, Police Story, Ark II, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, How the West Was Won, CHiPs, Magnum, P.I., Tales of the Gold Monkey, Voyagers!, T.J. Hooker, Simon & Simon, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy, Whiz Kids, Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, and Quantum Leap, which also starred his brother Dean. Guy Stockwell also starred as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television soap opera Return to Peyton Place from 1972 to 1974, and was featured in the telefilms The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974), Everybody’s Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (1989), Unspeakable Acts (1990), and Columbo Goes to College (1990). He also toured in stage productions and taught acting for several years at the University of California in Los Angeles. He largely retired to Prescott, Arizona, in the mid–1990s.
Stojkovic, Danilo “Bata” Leading Yugoslav actor Danilo “Bata” Stojkovic died of cancer in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, on March 16, 2002. He was 67. Stojkovic was born in Belgrade on July 11, 1934. He was featured in over 100 film and television productions from the early 1960s including Man Is Not a Bird (1965), The Tough Ones (1968), The Walled In (1969),
Danilo “Bata” Stojkovic
Obituaries • 2002
290
Natural Boundaries (1970), Lilika (1970), Burdus (1970), The Bug Killer (1971), The Master and the Margherita (1972), Testament (1975), Kicma (1975), Beach Guard in Water (1976), The Dog Who Loved Trains (1977), Nikolas Tesla (1977), Round Trip (1978), Tit for Tat (1978), Who Sings Over There (1980), Special Treatment (1980), How I Was Systematically Destroyed by an Idiot (1983), The Elusive Summer of ’68 (1984), The Meeting Point (1988), Time of Miracles (1989), Dear Video (1991), The Little One (1992), The Black Bomber (1992), Premeditated Murder (1995), Once Upon a Time There Was a Country (1995), Balkan Rules (1998), The Wounds (1998), Cabaret Balkan (1999), and The White Suit (1999). Variety, Apr. 29, 2002, 42.
Stoneham, Russell Television producer Russell Stoneham died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on March 12, 2002. He was 81. Stoneham began working in television in the late 1940s as an assistant director on Lux Video Theatre. He soon was directing episodes of Climax! and Front Row Center. During his career Stoneham was a producer at MGM and an executive producer for Quinn Martin Studios. He worked on such television series as Playhouse 90, Studio One, The Jackie Gleason Show, Cannon, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He served as supervising producer of the telefilms Panic on the 5:22 (1974), The Abduction of Saint Anne (1975), Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan (1975), A Home of Our Own (1975), Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976) and Law of the Land (1976). Variety, June 24, 2002, 58.
Stork, J. Royden J. Royden Stork, a bomber pilot who took part in Lt. Col. James Doolittle’s bombing raids of Tokyo after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II and became a studio makeup artist after leaving military service, died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on May 2, 2002. He was 85. Stork was born in Frost, Minnesota, on December 11, 1916. He joined the military in 1940. As one of Doolittle’s Raiders in April of 1942, Stork bombed a chemical plant in Japan.
J. Royden Stork
He remained in the service throughout the war, and was discharged in 1946. After the war he went to Hollywood, where he worked as a makeup artist for the next several decades. Stork’s credits include the films Twelve O’Clock High (1949), Mister 880 (1950), For Heaven’s Sake (1950) and the 1972 telefilm Gargoyles. Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2002, B11; New York Times, May 12, 2002, 23.
Stricklyn, Ray Actor Ray Stricklyn died of emphysema in Los Angeles on May 14, 2002. He was 73. Strick-
291
2002 • Obituaries
Los Angeles Times, May 16, 2002, B13; New York Times, May 18, 2002, B15; Variety, June 3, 2002, 52.
Strummer, Joe
Ray Stricklyn
lyn was born in Houston, Texas, on October 8, 1928. He began his career on stage in Texas before moving on to Broadway. He began his film career in the early 1950s, appearing in such features as The Marrying Kind (1952), The Thief (1952), Crime in the Streets (1956), The Catered Affair (1956), The Rack (1956), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), The Proud and Profane (1956), The Last Wagon (1956), Ten North Frederick (1958), The Return of Dracula (1958), The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959), The Big Fisherman (1959), The Plunderers (1960), Young Jesse James (1960) as Jesse James, Irwin Allen’s The Lost World (1960), Arizona Raiders (1965), and Track of Thunder (1968). Stricklyn also appeared often on television, guest starring in episodes of such series as Broken Arrow, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Bourbon Street Beat, Bronco, Bonanza, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Combat!, The Rockford Files, Dynasty, Wiseguy, Veronica Clare, Cheers, Silk Stalkings, Seinfeld, and The Nanny. He was also seen in the 1984 telefilm Jealousy and the 1986 mini-series North and South II. He starred as Howard Alston Hawkins in the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1991 to 1992, and appeared in the telefilms Danielle Steel’s Secrets (1992) and Hart to Hart: Hart to Hart Returns (1993). From the 1970s Stricklyn also worked as a leading publicist in Hollywood.
Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the British punk rock band The Clash, died of cardiac arrest at his home in Broomfield, Someset, England, on December 23, 2002. He was 50. Strummer, the son of an English diplomat, was born John Mellor in Ankara, Turkey, on August 21, 1952. Strummer and guitarist Mick Jones wrote, performed, and recorded numerous songs from the late 1970s. Some of the Clash’s hits include “White Riot,” “Train in Vain,” “London Calling,” “(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais,” “Rock the Casbah,” “I’m So Bored with the USA,” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” The Clash’s first album, The Clash, was released in England in 1977, though the United States debut was two years later. Strummer and Jones split in the early 1980s. Strummer worked on the soundtrack for several films including Sid and Nancy (1986), Walker (1987), and Wired (1989), and released a solo album, Earthquake Weather in 1989. He was also seen in several films including D.O.A. (1980), Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981), The King of Comedy (1983), Straight to Hell (1987), Walker (1987), Candy Mountain (1987),
Joe Strummer
Obituaries • 2002
292
Mystery Train (1989), I Hired a Contract Killer (1990), and Doctor Chance (1997). In recent years Strummer had been touring and recording with the band The Mescaleros. Strummer and the Clash were scheduled to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2003. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 2002, A1; New York Times, Dec. 24, 2002, B6; Time, Jan. 13, 2003, 17.
Stuart, Mary Veteran soap opera star Mary Stuart died of complications from a stroke in New York City on February 28, 2002. She was 75. She was born Mary Stuart Houchins in Miami, Florida, on July 4, 1926. She was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was featured in a handful of films in the 1940s including The Big Street (1942), Mexican Spitfire’s Elephant (1942), Hitler’s Children (1942), This Land Is Mine (1943), Ladies’ Day (1943), The Falcon Strikes Back (1943), Mr. Lucky (1943), The Unfinished Dance (1947), This Time for Keeps
(1947), Triple Threat (1948), June Bride (1948), Thunderhoof (1948), Embraceable You (1948), The Big Punch (1948), Adventures of Don Juan (1948), Henry, the Rainmaker (1949), Leave It to Henry (1949), The Girl from Jones Beach (1949), Father Makes Good (1950), The Cariboo Trail (1950) and Colt .45 (1950). She was part of the original cast of the television soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1951, starring as Jo Gardner Barron Tate Vincente Tourneur. She remained with the series until 1986. She briefly played Judge Claire Webber on the One Life to Live soap in 1968, and was Meta Bauer Banning on The Guiding Light from 1996 until her death. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 4, 2002, B9; New York Times, Mar. 3, 2002, 39; People, Mar. 18, 2002, 79.
Styler, Adele Television writer Adele Styler died of emphysema in Encino, California, on August 3, 2002. She was 78. She studied acting under Stella Adler and began her show business career as part of a comedy team with Wayne Treadway entertaining troops with the USO during World War II. After the war she continued to entertain as a comedian before she found success as a writer with the children’s musical Once Upon a Christmas. Married to television writer Burt Styler, she often collaborated with him on such series as The Brady Bunch, Chico and the Man, Needles and Pins and Harper Valley P.T.A. She also received two Emmy nominations for her work on The Carol Burnett Show. Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 52.
Sugiyama, Thunder Japanese professional wrestler Tsuneharu “Thunder” Sugiyama died of heart failure and complications from diabetes on November 23, 2002. He was 62. Sugiyama was a member of the Japanese Olympic team in 1964. He competed against such leading wrestlers of the 1960s and 1970s as Andre the Giant and Billy Graham. Sugiyama was later a popular Japanese television personality. Mary Stuart
293
2002 • Obituaries
Tom Sutton’s art for Marvel Comic’s Warlock
Svoboda, Josef Czech stage designer Josef Svoboda died of cancer in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 8, Thunder Sugiyama
Sullivan, Jerry Actor Jerry Sullivan died in Bigfork, Montana, on February 1, 2002. He was 69. Sullivan was featured as the Governor of Wyoming in the 1980 film Heaven’s Gate.
Sutton, Tom Veteran comic book artist Tom Sutton was found dead of a heart attack in his Massachusetts apartment on May 1, 2002. He was 65. Sutton was born on April 15, 1937. he began working in comics in the mid 1960s, drawing for Warren Publishing’s comic magazine line including Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. He subsequently worked at Marvel Comics, where he was an inker on Conan the Barbarian and penciller and inker for the Planet of the Apes comic. Sutton also was a penciller for the Star Trek comics at DC. Using the pseudonym Sean Todd, he wrote and drew Skywald’s Frankenstein comic. He worked on numerous other horror, science fiction and humorous comics for Warren, Marvel and Charlton, as well as Grimjack for First Comics.
Josef Svoboda
Obituaries • 2002
294
2002. He was 81. Svoboda was born in Caslav, Czechoslovakia, on May 10, 1920. He studied architecture in Prague and began designing theatrical sets after World War II. He became chief designer of the National Theater in 1951 and was co-founder of the Laterna Magicka multimedia performance group in 1958. He designed over 700 productions during his career including work for the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Grand Opera, and London’s Royal Opera House. Svoboda was production designer for the 1970 film version of Chekhov’s Three Sisters and designed the opera sets for the 1984 film Amadeus. New York Times, Apr. 22, 2002, B8; Times (of London), Apr. 16, 2002, 29b; Variety, Apr. 15, 2002, 84.
Swift, Carolyn Irish stage actress and writer Carolyn Swift died of cancer on November 16, 2002. She was 79. She was born Carol Samuel in London in 1923. She moved to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1940s to study drama, and authored her first play, The Millstone, in 1951. She and her husband, Alan Simpson, founded the Pike Theatre in the 1950s, which premiered the work of such playwrights as Samuel Beckett and Brendan Behan. The theatre was the scene of a police raid in 1957 after complaints of “objectionable” dialogue in Tennessee Williams’ play The Rose Tattoo. Swift and her husband were arrested during the incident, though charges were later dropped. Swift continued to write after the Pike was closed in 1960, authoring books in the children’s Wanderly Wagon series. She had recently worked on a book about the police incident at the Pike, Spiked: Church-State Intrigue and the Rose Tattoo.
Swithin, Anthony Paleontologist William Sarjeant, who authored fantasy under his middle name Anthony Swithin, died on July 8, 2002. He was 66. Sarjeant was born in Sheffield, England, in 1936. He immigrated to Canada in 1972, where he was professor of geology at the University of Saskatchewan. As a fantasy writer, he was best known for his four-part series The Perilous Quest for Lyonesse, about a young boy’s search for his rel-
Anthony Swithin
atives on the fictional island Rockall. The series included Princes of Sandastre, The Lords of the Stoney Mountains, The Winds of the Wastelands, and The Nine Gods of Safaddne.
Sylbert, Richard Academy Award-winning production designer Richard Sylbert died of cancer at the Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills, California, on March 23, 2002. He was 73. Sylbert was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 16, 1928. His began his career at NBC in New York as a scenery painter before moving to Los Angeles to serve as art director for the syndicated television series Inner Sanctum. He made his film debut as art director for Elia Kazan’s 1956 feature Baby Doll. Sylbert continued to serve as production designer for such films as Patterns (1956), Crowded Paradise (1956), A Face in the Crowd (1957), Edge of the City (1957), Wind Across the Everglades (1958), The Fugitive Kind (1959), Murder, Inc. (1960), Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Connection (1961), Mad Dog Coll (1961), The Young Doctors (1961), Walk on the Wild Side (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962), All the Way Home (1963), Lilith (1964), The Pawnbroker (1964), How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Who’s Afraid of
295
2002 • Obituaries
Tabor, Kelly “The Diva” Kelly Tabor, a popular female wrestler and manager known as “The Diva,” died on December 22, 2002. She was 28. Tabor was born on April 26, 1974. She worked as a valet and manager at independent wrestling promotions in the Mid-West including ICW and HPW. In 2001 she began wrestling, holding several women’s championships including CIWindy.
Richard Sylbert
Virginia Woolf? (1966) winning the Academy Award, Grand Prix (1966), The Graduate (1967), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The April Fools (1969), Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Fat City (1972), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), Chinatown (1974) earning another Oscar nomination, The Fortune (1975) and Shampoo (1975) for which he was again nominated for the Academy Award. Sylbert served as vice president in charge of production at Paramount Studios from 1975 until 1978. He subsequently resumed working as production designer on such films as Players (1979), Reds (1981) earning another Academy Award nomination, Partners (1982), Frances (1982), Breathless (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), for which he was again Oscar nominated, Under the Cherry Moon (1986), Tequila Sunrise (1988), Shoot to Kill (1988), Dick Tracy (1990) which earned him his second Academy Award, Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Mobsters (1991), The Prince of Tides (1991), Ruby Cairo (1993), Carlito’s Way (1993), Mulholland Falls (1996), Blood and Wine (1997), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), Red Corner (1997), In the Boom Boom Room (2000) and Who Shot Victor Fox (2002). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 27, 2002, B10; New York Times, Mar. 30, 2002, A13; Variety, Apr. 1, 2002, 74.
Kelly “The Diva” Tabor
Tannebaum, Ted Film producer Ted Tannebaum died at his home in Chicago on March 7, 2002. He was 68. Tannebaum and partner Tom Rosenberg founded Lakeshore Entertainment group in the mid–1980s. He served as executive producer on such films as ‘Til There Was You (1997), The Real Blonde (1997), Going All the Way (1997), Polish Wedding (1998), Homegrown (1998), Phoenix (1998), 200 Cigarettes (1999), Arlington Road (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), Passion of Mind (2000), The Next Best Thing (2000), Autumn in New York (2000), The Gift (2000) and The Mothman Prophecies (2002).
Obituaries • 2002
296
Tanner, Peter
Taylor, Ron
British film editor Peter Tanner died in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England, on December 10, 2002. He was 88. Tanner was born in Tilford, Surrey, England, on September 13, 1914. He began his career in films in the mid–1930s, joined 20th Century-Fox’s British Studios, where he soon became an assistant editor. He received further training in Hollywood, working on the 1938 film Always Goodbye. He returned to England to edit the 1938 feature Murder in the Family. He worked as an editor for the next sixty years on such films as Sabotage at Sea (1942), Scott of the Antarctic (1948), King Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Blue Lamp (1950), Cage of Gold (1950), Pool of London (1951), I Believe in You (1952), The Secret People (1952), The Gentle Gunman (1952), The Cruel Sea (1953), High and Dry (1954), Lease of Life (1954), The Night My Number Came Up (1955), Touch and Go (1955), Who Done It? (1956), Decision Against Time (1957), Davy 1957), The Angry Hills (1959), A Question of Adultery (1959), Night Fighters (1960), Skywatch (1960), Hand in Hand (1960), Greyfriars Bobby (1961), Sodom and Gomorrah (1962), Tamahine (1963), They All Died Laughing (1964), The Crooked Road (1965), Diamonds for Breakfast (1968), The Best House in London (1969), Husbands (1970), I, Monster (1971), Asylum (1972), What Became of Jack and Jill? (1972), The Belstone Fox (1973), And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973), The Maids (1974), The Beast Must Die (1974), Hedda (1975), Nasty Habits (1977), Wombling Free (1977), Stevie (1978), A Game for Vultures (1979), The Monster Club (1980), Turtle Diary (1985), Hamburger Hill (1987), Taffin (1988), Without a Clue (1988), Widows’ Peak (1994), A Month by the Lake (1995), and Something to Believe In (1998). Tanner also edited numerous episodes of the 1960s television series The Avengers, and the telefilms Madame Sin (1972), Spectre (1977), The Thief of Baghdad (1978), The Hard Way (1979), Oliver Twist (1982), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Memory of the Camps (1985), Arthur the King (1985), Danny, the Champion of the World (1989), and Robin Hood (1991).
Actor and singer Ron Taylor died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on January 16, 2002. He was 49. Taylor was born in Galveston, Texas, on October 16, 1952. He was the original voice of the man-eating plant in the Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, and co-wrote and starred in the Tony-nominated musical It Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues. Taylor was also seen in such films as Trading Places (1983), Exterminator 2 (1984), Who’s That Girl? (1987), Dead Heat (1988), The Mighty Quinn (1989), Collision Course (1989), Relentless (1989), Second Sight (1989), Downtown (1990), Heart Condition (1990), Masters of Menace (1990), A Rage in Harlem (1991), There Goes the Neighborhood (1992), Amos & Andrew (1993), Deadfall (1993) and Tales from the Crypt Presents: Revelation (2001). He was featured in the telefilms Fever (1991), Lush Life (1993) and In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance (1994), and guest starred in such series as Miami Vice, Crime Story, Night Court, Wiseguy, Family Matters, China Beach, Matlock, Twin Peaks, L.A Law, Home Im-
Ron Taylor
297
2002 • Obituaries
Ron Taylor as Bleeding Gums Murphy on The Simpsons.
provement, NYPD Blue, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ER, Ally McBeal and City of Angels. He was also the voice for Bleeding Gums Murphy on several episodes of The Simpsons animated series. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 25, 2002, B15; New York Times, Jan. 26, 2002, C18; Variety, Jan. 28, 2002, 55.
Tendulkar, Priya Indian film and television actress Priya Tendulkar died of a heart attack at her home in Prabhadevi, India, on September 19, 2002. She was 48. A popular film star from the 1970s, she was featured in The Seedling (1974), Minchina Oata (1981), Mohra (1994), and Gupt (1997). She also starred in the Indian television series Rajni.
Tester, Desmond British actor Desmond Tester died on December 31, 2002 in a Sydney, Australia, hospital. He was 83. Tester was born in London, England, on February 17, 1919. He was best known for his role as Sylvia Sydney’s young brother, Stevie, who carries a bomb around town in a tense sequence in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1936 film Sabotage. Tester was featured in a handful of other films in the 1930s including Men of the Sea (1935), Late Extra (1935), The Beloved Vagabond (1936), Tudor Rose (1936), Non-Stop New York (1937), The Drum (1938), The Stars Look Down (1939), and Mad Men of Europe (1939). Tester was also featured in the films The Turners of Prospect Road (1947) and
Priya Tendulkar
Men of the Sea (1951). In the mid–1950s Tester settled in Australia, where he hosted such early children’s television series as Channel Ninepins, Kaper Kops, Slippery Sam, Opportunity Knocks, The Cabbage Quiz, and The Wilma Witch Show. He was also featured in several Australian films including Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974),
Desmond Tester (right, with Sabu from a cigarette card for Drum)
Obituaries • 2002
298
Brothers (1982), The Wild Duck (1983), and Dingo (1983).
Thaw, John British actor John Thaw, who was best known for his role as television detective Inspector Morse, died of throat cancer at his home in Wiltshire, England, on February 21, 2002. He was 60. Thaw was born in West Gorton, Manchester, England, on January 3, 1942. A leading stage and television actor, he played the musicloving detective for since 1985 in over thirty twohour episodes, many of which aired in the United States on PBS’ Mystery! series. Thaw was also featured in several films during his career including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Five to One (1964), Dead Man’s Chest (1965), The Bofors Gun (1968), Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition (1970), The Last Grenade (1970), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), Killing Heat (1981), Cry Freedom (1987), Business as Usual (1987), Chaplin (1992) and Monsignor Renard (1999). He also appeared on British television as Detective Inspector Jack Regan in the 1970s series The Sweeney, and was seen in the telefilms and miniseries Redcap (1964), Bat Out of Hell (1966), Thick
John Thaw (from Dead Man’s Chest)
As Thieves (1974), Dinner at Sporting Club (1978), Drake’s Venture (1980), Mitch (1984), Stanley and the Women (1991), A Year in Provence (1993), Kavanagh QC (1994), The Absence of War (1995), Into the Blue (1997), Goodnight Mister Tom (1998), Plastic Man (1999), and The Waiting Time (1999). His other television credits include episodes of The Avengers, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, The Strange Report, The Morecambe & Wise Show, The Onedin Line, Budgie and The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22, 2002, B13; New York Times, Feb. 23, 2002, B8; People, Mar. 11, 2002, 93; Times (of London), Feb. 23, 2002, 40b; Variety, Mar. 4, 2002, 62.
Thesz, Lou Lou Thesz, a leading professional wrestler for over fifty years, died of heart problems in Orlando, Florida, on April 28, 2002. He was 86. Thesz was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 24, 1916. He began wrestling professionally in the mid 1930s, and captured a championship belt at the age of 21. He was NWA Heavyweight champ for much of the next two decades, wrestling such
Lou Thesz
299 stars as Bronko Nagurski, Whipper Billy Watson, Bill Longson, Edouard Carpentier and Gorgeous George. One of the best known figures in professional wrestling, Thesz continued to make compete occasionally in the ring well into his 70s. He was the co-author of his autobiography, Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler’s Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling. Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2002, B9; New York Times, May 8, 2002, A27; Time, May 20, 2002, 27.
Thomas, Dave Dave Thomas, the founder and commercial spokesman for the Wendy’s hamburger chain, died of liver cancer at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on January 8, 2002. He was 69. Thomas was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on July 2, 1932. He opened his first Wendy’s restaurant in 1969, naming the chain after his daughter. Wendy’s began franchising in the early 1970s. Thomas retired as chairman of the chain in 1982. He began serving as the company’s commercial spokesman in 1989, appearing in over 700 advertisements for Wendy’s. Thomas was also featured in a small part in the 1994 telefilm Bionic Ever After?.
Dave Thomas
2002 • Obituaries
Los Angles Times, Jan. 9, 2002, B10; New York Times, Jan. 9, 2002, B9; Time, Jan. 21, 2002, 27; TV Guide, Feb. 9, 2002, 5; Variety, Jan. 14, 2002, 98.
Thompson, J. Lee Film director J. Lee Thompson died of congestive heart failure in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on August 30, 2002. He was 88. Thompson was born in Bristol, England, on August 1, 1914. He began his career as a playwright before moving to films as a scripter in the late 1930s. Thompson scripted several films including The Price of Folly (1937), The Middle Watch (1939) and The Strangler (1940). After serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II, Thompson returned to films and made his directoral debut helming 1950’s Murder Without Crime, based on his own play, Double Error. Thompson continued to direct such features as The Yellow Balloon (1953), The Weak and the Wicked (1953), Cocktails in the Kitchen (1955), As Long as They’re Happy (1955), An Alligator Named Daisy (1955), Blonde Sinner (1956), The Good Companions (1957), Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957), No
J. Lee Thompson
Obituaries • 2002
300
Trees in the Street (1958), Desert Attack (1958), I Am at the Stars (1959), Tiger Bay (1959), Flame Over India (1959), the star-studded World War II adventure epic The Guns of Navarone (1961), Cape Fear (1962) with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, Taras Bulba (1962), Kings of the Sun (1963), What a Way to Go! (1964), John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965), Return from the Ashes (1965), Eye of the Devil (1967), Mackenna’s Gold (1969), The Chairman (1969), Before Winter Comes (1969), Brotherly Love (1970), the final two films in the Planet of the Apes series —Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn (1973), The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975), St. Ives (1976), The White Buffalo (1977), The Greek Tycoon (1978), The Passage (1979), Caboblanco (1980), Happy Birthday to Me (1981), 10 to Midnight (1983), The Evil That Men Do (1984), The Ambassador (1984), King Solomon’s Mines (1985), Murphy’s Law (1986), Firewalker (1986), Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987), Messenger of Death (1988) and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989). He also directed several telefilms including A Great American Tragedy (1972), The Blue Knight (1975), Widow (1976), and Code Red (1981). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 4, 2002, B10; New York Times, Sept. 6, 2002; People, Sept. 16, 2002, 83; Time, Sept. 16, 2002, 19; Variety, Sept. 9, 2002, 63.
Tierney, Lawrence Veteran character actor Lawrence Tierney died in his sleep of pneumonia in Los Angeles on February 26, 2002. He was 82. Tierney was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 15, 1919. The elder brother of actors Scott Brady and Ed Tracy, he began his career in films at RKO in 1943. Best known for his roles in gangster films, Tierney was featured in numerous productions including Sing Your Worries Away (1942), Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943), Government Girl (1943), The Ghost Ship (1943), The Falcon Out West (1944), Seven Days Ashore (1944), Youth Runs Wild (1944), Birthday Blues (1945), Dillinger (1945) as John Dillinger, Back to Bataan (1945), Those Endearing Young Charms (1945), Sing Your Way Home (1945), Mama Loves Papa (1945), Badman’s Territory (1946), Step By Step (1946), San Quentin
Lawrence Tierney
(1946), The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947), Born to Kill (1947), Bodyguard (1948), Shakedown (1950), Kill or Be Killed (1950), The Hoodlum (1951), Best of the Badmen (1951), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The Bushwhackers (1952), Singing in the Dark (1956) and Female Jungle (1956). Chronic problems with the law, usually caused by drunken brawls, damaged his career in the 1950s. He continued to appear in small parts in such films as A Pair of Boots (1962), A Child Is Waiting (1963), Naked Evil (1966), Custer of the West (1967), Such Good Friends (1971), The Abduction (1975), Andy Warhol’s Bad (1977), The Kirlian Witness (1978), Bloodrage (1979), Gloria (1980), Arthur (1981), The Prowler (1981), Midnight (1981), Nothing Last Forever (1984), Prizzi’s Honor (1985), Stephen King’s Silver Bullet (1985), Murphy’s Law (986), From a Whisper to a Scream (1986), Tough Guys Don’t Dance (1987), The Horror Show (1989), Why Me? (1990), The Runestone (1990), City of Hope (1991), Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991), The Death Merchant (1991), Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992) as crime boss Joe Cabot, Red (1993), Eddie Presley (1993), Junior (1994), Who Do You Think You’re Fooling? (1994), Starstruck (1995), Portrait in Red (1995), Fatal
301 Passion (1995), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), American Hero (1997), Southie (1998), and Armageddon (1998). He was also seen in the telefilms Terrible Joe Moran (1984), Dillinger (1991), Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story (1993) as Joey Buttafuco’s father, and A Kiss Goodnight (1994). His other television credits include episodes of Naked City, Adventures in Paradise, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Fame, Hill Street Blues, Tales from the Darkside, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Hunter, Remington Steele, Seinfeld, Silk Stalkings, L.A. Law, Pointman, The Simpsons, ER, EX Streets and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 28, 2002, B12; New York Times, Mar. 2, 2002, A16; People, Mar. 18, 2002, 79; Time, Mar. 11, 2002, 21; Times (of London), Mar. 1, 2002, 38b.
Tilden, Jane Austrian character actress Jane Tilden died in Kitzbuhel, Tyrol, Austria, on August 27, 2002. She was 91. Tilden was born in Aussig, AustriaHungary (now Czech Republic) on November 16, 1910. She was featured in numerous films from the mid–1930s including Flowers from Nice (1936), The Blue Fox (1938), Life’s Mirror (1938), Escapades in the Snow (1950), Cordula (1950), I and My Wife (1953), Punktchen and Anton (1953), Bruder Martin (1954), Three Men in the Snow (1955), Many Passed By (1955), Kaiserball (1956), Vienna, City of My Dreams (1957), Embezzled Heaven (1958), The True Jacob (1960), The Good Soldier Schweik (1960), Johnny Colt (1966), Tales from the Vienna Woods (1979), Waltzes of the
Jane Tilden
2002 • Obituaries
Danube (1984), and Die 3 Postrauber (1998). She also appeared often on German television in episodes of such series as Der Kommissar and Derrick.
Tobey, Kenneth Actor Kenneth Tobey, who starred in the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing, died in Rancho Mirage, California, after a long illness on December 22, 2002. He was 85. Tobey was born in Oakland, California, on March 23, 1919. He began acting while attending the University of California. He subsequently went to New York, where he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He performed in theatrical productions and appeared on Broadway during the 1950s. He began appearing in films in the late 1940s, and was featured in such movies as Dangerous Venture (1947), This Time for Keeps (1947), Beyond Glory (1948), He Walked by Night (1948), The Stratton Story (1949), Illegal Entry (1949), The Great Sinner (1949), I Was a Male War Bride (1949), Twelve O’Clock High (1949), Task Force (1949), Free for All (1949), The File on Thelma Jordon (1949), The Doctor and the Girl (1949), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), Love That Brute (1950), The Gunfighter (1950), My Friend Irma Goes West
Kenneth Tobey
Obituaries • 2002
302
(1950), Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950), Right Cross (1950), The Flying Missile (1950), Three Secrets (1950), The Company She Keeps (1950), Rawhide (1951), and Up Front (1951). Producer Howard Hawks cast Tobey in the lead role as Captain Patrick Hendry in 1951’s The Thing. Tobey played other military men faced with monsters in the subsequent films The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955). He was also featured in Angel Face (1952), Fighter Attack (1953), The Bigamist (1953), Ring of Fear (1954), Down Three Dark Streets (1954), Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1954) as Jim Bowie, The Steel Cage (1954), Rage at Dawn (1955), The Steel Jungle (1956), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), The Great Locomotive Chase (1956), Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956), The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956), The Wings of Eagles (1957), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) as Bat Masterson, Jet Pilot (1957), The Vampire (1957), Cry Terror! (1958), X-15 (1961), Stark Fear (1961), A Man Called Adam (1966), 40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967), A Time for Killing (1967), and Marlowe (1969). He starred as Chuck Martin in the television adventure series The Whirlybirds from 1956 to 1959, and was Dick Robinson in the short-lived 1965 drama series Our Private World. He was also seen in such television series as The Lone Ranger, Dragnet, Favorite Story, Father Knows Best, Science Fiction Theater, Frontier, Jefferson Drum, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bat Masterson, The Rebel, Perry Mason, Lassie, Bronco, Gunsmoke, The Americans, Sea Hunt, Frontier Circus, Stoney Burke, I Spy, Arrest and Trial, Temple Houston, Daniel Boone, The Iron Horse, Bonanza, The Virginian, The Outcasts, Family Affair, The Outsider, Adam-12, Ironside, It Takes a Thief, Mannix, Alias Smith and Jones, Cade’s County, Cannon, Night Gallery, Kung Fu, Emergency!, The Rookies, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, Starsky and Hutch, Little House on the Prairie, The Rockford Files, and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. He remained a popular supporting actor, appearing in the films Billy Jack (1971), Ben (1972), The Candidate (1972), Rage (1972), Walking Tall (1973), Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974), Homebodies (1974), W.C. Fields and Me (1976), Gus (1976), Baby Blue Marine (1976), MacArthur (1977) as Admiral Halsey, Goodbye, Franklin High (1978), Hero at Large (1980), Airplane! (1980), The Howling (1981), The Creature Wasn’t Nice
(1981), Strange Invaders (1983), Gremlins (1984), The Lost Empire (1985), Attack of the B-Movie Monsters (1985), Innerspace (1987), Big Top Peewee (1988), Freeway (1988), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Honey, I Blue Up the Kid (1992), Single White Female (1992), Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel (1992), and Body Shot (1993). He was also featured in the telefilms Breakout (1970), Lassie: Peace Is Our Profession (1970), Terror in the Sky (1971), Fireball Forward (1972), The Crooked Hearts (1972), Coffee, Tea or Me? (1973), The Alpha Caper (1973), The Death Squad (1974), The Missiles of October (1974), Columbo: A Case of Immunity (1975), Don’t Push, I’ll Charge When I’m Ready (1977), Nowhere to Run (1978), Wild and Wooly (1978), Most Deadly Passage (1979), The Murder That Wouldn’t Die (1980), and Ghost Writer (1989). Tobey’s other television credits include episodes of Galactica 1980, Vega$, Night Court, 1985’s The Twilight Zone, Starman, Hunter, L.A. Law, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 27, 2002, B13.
Tobin, Vivian Actress Vivian Tobin died in Rancho Palos, California, on August 6, 2002. She was 99. She was born in New York City on August 12, 1902, the younger sister of actress Genevieve Tobin and actor George Tobin. Vivian Tobin began her career as a child actress in the silent films The Avalanche (1915) and From the Valley of the Missing (1915). She was featured in several films in the early 1930s including The Sign of the Cross (1932), If I Were Free (1933), This Man Is Mine (1934), The World Accuses (1934), Bordertown (1935), and Anthony Adverse (1936). She also co-starred with Leon Errol in a series of comedy shorts including Stage Fright (1938), Major Difficulties (1938), The Jitters (1938), Crime Rave (1939), Who’s a Dummy? (1941) and Home Work (1942).
Todd, Michael, Jr. Film producer Michael Todd, Jr., died of lung cancer at his home in County Carlow, Ireland, on May 4, 2002. He was 72. Todd born in Los Angeles on October 8, 1929, the son of famed producer Michael Todd and his first wife, Bertha
303
2002 • Obituaries
Michael Todd, Jr. (right, with father Michael Todd)
Freshman. The younger Todd often worked with his father, supervising European sequences for 1952 This Is Cinerama and helping distribute the 1956 blockbuster Around the World in 80 Days. He took over his father’s production company following Todd, Sr.’s death in a plane crash in 1958. Continuing to develop a gimmick thought of by his father, Todd produced the 1960 mystery film Scent of Mystery in Smell-o-Vision, which used odors to accompany the film. The movie was unsuccessful at the box office. Subsequently, he produced several stage productions and the 1979 film The Bell Jar. Todd and his family moved to Ireland in 1973 and, in 1983, he and his wife, Susan, wrote the book A Valuable Property: The Life Story of Michael Todd. Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2002, B14; New York Times, May 8, 2002, A27; Times (of London), May 11, 2002, 41a; Variety, May 20, 2002, 67.
Kyoko Togawa
Toll, Judy Comedian Judy Toll died at a Santa Monica, California, hospital of complications from melanoma on May 2, 2002. She was 44. Toll was born in Philadelphia in 1957. She began her career as a standup comedian after graduating from college. Toll became a member of the Los Angeles comedy troupe the Groundlings. She and fel-
Togawa, Kyoko Japanese actress Kyoko Togawa committed suicide by hanging herself at her Tokyo condominium on July 18, 2002. She was 37. She was born in Tokyo on August 13, 1964. She began her career on stage as a child and was best known for hosting the television variety series 11 PM in the late 1980s. She was also featured in the films UFO Kamen Yakisoban (1994) and Tomie: Replay (2000). Judy Toll
Obituaries • 2002
304
low Groundling, Wendy Goldman, wrote the musical comedy Casual Sex, which was filmed in 1988. She also wrote and starred in the comedy routine Judy Toll: The Dice Woman — Lips Only, which was aired on cable in 1991. Toll also wrote episodes of such series as Boy Meets World, Alright Already, Sex in the City and The Geena Davis Show. Toll was a voice performer in the 1987 animated film The Brave Little Toaster, and appeared in the films Skin Deep (1989), Honeymoon Academy (1990), Thing Big (1990), Inside Out (1997) and Boys Life 3 (2000). Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2002, B18; Variety, May 13, 2002, 39.
Every Home Should Have One. Took also hosted several British television series including Points of View, N.U.T.S and TV Weekly, and the popular radio panel show The News Quiz. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 2, 2002, B11; New York Times, Apr. 14, 2002, 42; Times (of London), Apr. 12, 2002, 12b; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 52.
Torres, Lolita
British comedian and writer Barry Took died of cancer in London on March 31, 2002. He was 73. Took began his career as a comedian before joining with Marty Feldman writing the popular British radio comedy series Round the Horne. Took also worked often in television, writing for such series as The Army Game, Bootsie and Snude, The World of Beachcomber, Marty, The Harry Secombe Show, One-Upmanship and A Roof Over My Head. He also scripted the 1970 film
Argentine actress and singer Lolita Torres died of complications from a lung infection in Buenos Aires on September 14, 2002. She was 72. She was born Beatriz Mariana Torres in Avellaneda, Argentina, on March 26, 1930. She began singing at an early age and recorded such hits as, I Swear It to You and Gypsy Jesus. She began her film career in the mid–1940s, appearing in such films as La Danza de la Fortuna (1944), El Mucamo de la Nina (1951), La Nina de Guego (1952), La Edad del Amor (1954), Un Novio Para Laura (1955), Amor a Primera Vita (1955), La Hermosa Mentira (1958), 40 Anos de Novios (1963), Pepper (1966), Joven, Viuda y Estanciera (1970), and Alla en el Norte (1973). She was one of Argentina’s best known actresses before her retirement in 1972.
Barry Took
Lolita Torres
Took, Barry
305
2002 • Obituaries
Los Angeles Times, Sept. 17, 2002, B11; Variety, Sept. 30, 2002, 65.
Tovey, Frank Frank Tovey, who performed under the name Fad Gadget and was a pioneer in electronic music, died of heart problems at his home in London on April 3, 2002. Tovey was born on September 8, 1956. He made his recording debut with the hit single “Back to Nature” in 1979, using a synthesizer and drum machine. He recorded four albums under the name Fad Gadget including Fireside Favourites (1980), Incontinent (1981), Under the Flag (1982), and Gag (1984). Tovey continued to perform and record under his own name from the mid–1980s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 17, 2002, B10; New York Times, Apr. 15, 2002, B6; Times (of London), Apr. 15, 2002, 37b.
Barbara Townsend (from AfterMASH) (CBS)
way to Heaven, Mr. Belvedere, St. Elsewhere, Hunter, Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, and Northern Exposure.
Travis, Billy Frank Tovey
Townsend, Barbara Actress Barbara Townsend died of ovarian cancer in Arlington, Virginia, on January 29, 2002. Townsend was best known for her role as Col. Sherman Potter’s wife, Mildred, in the 1983 television series After M*A*S*H. She also appeared in the films Talking Walls (1987), Hard to Kill (1990) and One Good Cop (1991), and the telefilms The Gift of Life (1982), The Annihilator (1986) and The George McKenna Story (1986). Her other television credits include episodes of The Streets of San Francisco, Little House on the Prairie, Remington Steele, Otherworld, Knight Rider, High-
Professional wrestler Billy Travis died of a heart attack at his mother’s home in London, Kentucky, on November 23, 2002. He was 40. He was a leading wrestler in the Memphis and Mid-South area from the 1980s, holding single and tag team titles several times during his career. During the 1990s he often wrestled as Billy Joe Travis, carrying a guitar to the ring which he often used against his opponents.
Traynor, Chuck Chuck Traynor, the manager of late adult film star Linda Lovelace, died of a heart attack in Chatsworth, California, on July 22, 2002. Traynor became involved with Lovelace in the late 1960s and was instrumental in her casting in
Obituaries • 2002
306 the landmark pornographic film Deep Throat. Lovelace later alleged that Traynor had coerced her into her adult film career in her book Ordeal. After breaking with Lovelace Traynor managed adult film star Marilyn Chambers for over a decade. Traynor’s death three months to the day after Lovelace, who died of injuries received in an automobile accident earlier in the year.
Tripp, Paul
Billy Travis
Chuck Traynor
Early children’s television creator Paul Tripp died in Manhattan on August 29, 2002. He was 86. Tripp was born in New York City on February 20, 1916. He created the popular children’s musical fantasy Tubby the Tuba, which was a major hit upon its release in 1945. After World War II Tripp appeared in several dramatic series on television including Studio One, Kraft Television Theater, Philco Playhouse, The Alcoa Hour, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Twilight Zone, Ben Casey, Perry Mason and Empire. Tripp also created and starred in the CBS children’s series Mr. I. Magination from 1949 through 1952. He also hosted created and often hosted the children’s series On the Carousel and Birthday House. He wrote the holiday fantasy film The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t in 1965, and also appeared in the film. Tripp also narrated the 1976 animated version of Tubby the Tuba. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 2, 2002, B11; New York Times, Sept. 1, 2002, 34; Times (of London), Sept. 4, 2002, 30c; Variety, Sept. 9, 2002, 63.
Paul Tripp
307
2002 • Obituaries
Tucker, Mick Rock musician Mick Tucker, who was drummer for the band Sweet, died of leukemia in Wellwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, on February 14, 2002. He was 54. Tucker was born in London, England, on July 17, 1947. The glam-rock band was formed in 1968 and, during the 1970s, recorded such hits as “Fox on the Run,” “Love Is Like Oxygen and “Blockbuster.”
Stanley Unwin
Mick Tucker
Tyler, Randy Monroe Alton “Randy” Rice, Jr., who wrestled professionally in the 1970s and 1980s as Randy Tyler, died at his home in Coldwater Township, Michigan, on July 22, 2002. He was 50. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, on December 13, 1951. Teaming with his “brother,” Rip Tyler (the late William Vaughn), he competed for numerous championships over several decades in the ring.
Unwin, Stanley British comedian Stanley Unwin, who was known for his word-twisting language he dubbed
Unwinese, died in a Daventry, Northamptonshire, England, hospital on January 12, 2002. He was 90. Unwin was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 7, 1911. He began his career as an engineer with the BBC in 1940, and was soon appearing in front of the microphone. A popular performer on British radio and television, Unwin was also seen in the films Fun at St. Fanny’s (1956), Inn for Trouble (1960), Hair of the Dog (1961), Carry on Regardless (1961), Press for Time (1966) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). He starred as Father Stanley Unwin in Gerry Anderson’s 1966 marionette and live action series The Secret Service. He also appeared in the telefilms Digital Dream (1983) and The Laughing Prisoner (1987), and episodes of Harty, Lazarus and Dingwall, Inside Victor Lewis-Smith and Rex the Runt. Unwin wrote the children’s book Fairly Stories, and his autobiography, Deep Joy, in 1984. He continued to perform until near his death, appearing often on BBC Radio’s The Arthur Smith Lectures. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 16, 2002, B11; Times (of London), Jan. 15, 2002, 19a; Variety, Jan. 21, 2002, 66.
Obituaries • 2002
308
Urich, Robert Leading television actor Robert Urich died after a long battle with cancer at a Thousand Oaks, California, hospital, on April 16, 2002. He was 55. Urich was born in Toronto, Ohio, on December 19, 1946. He began his acting career in the early 1970s, playing Burt Reynolds’ younger brother in a theatrical production of The Rainmaker. Urich subsequently appeared in the 1973 Clint Eastwood film Magnum Force, and starred as Bob Sanders in the short-lived 1973 television comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. He was featured in the 1974 sci-fi telefilm Killdozer, and starred as Officer Jim Street in the 1975 television drama series S.W.A.T. He was featured as Paul Thurston in 1977’s Tabitha, a spin-off of the supernatural sitcom Bewitched. He also appeared as Peter Campbell in the comedy series Soap in 1977, and starred in the telefilms Bunco (1977), Leave Yesterday Behind (1978), and When She Was Bad (1979), Fighting Back (1980) and Killing at Hell’s Gate (1981). Urich also starred as Dan Tanna in the action series Vegas$ from 1978 to 1981, and was Robert Gavilan in the series Gavilan from 1981 to 1982. He starred in several feature films including Endangered Species (1982), The Ice Pirates (1984) and Turk 182! (1985), and numerous telefilms and mini-series including Take Your Best Shot (1982), Princess Daisy (1983), Invitation to Hell (1984), His Mistress (1984), Mistral’s Daughter (1984), and Scandal Sheet (1985). He starred in the title role in the popular detective series Spenser: For Hire from 1985 to 1988, and reprised the role in several telefilms in the 1990s. He also hosted National Geographic Explorer from 1988 to 1995. He also continued to appear in such telefilms as The Defiant Ones (1986), Young Again (1986), Amerika (1987), April Morning (1988), The Comeback (1989), She Knows Too Much (1989), the western mini-series Lonesome Dove (1989) as Jake Spoon, Murder by Night (1989), Night Walk (1989), Spooner (1989), Blind Faith (1990), A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder (1990), 83 Hours ‘Til Dawn (1990), Stranger at My Door (1991), …And Then She Was Gone (1991), Survive the Savage Sea (1992), Double Edge (1992), Revolver (1992), Blind Man’s Bluff (1992), Deadly Relations (1993), To Save the Children (1994), A Perfect Stranger (1994), She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal (1995), A Horse for
Robert Urich
Danny (1995), Captains Courageous (1996), Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue (1996), When Animals Attack! (1996) and Vital Signs (1997) as the host, Final Descent (1997), Final Run (1999), Miracle on the 17th Green (1999, For Love of Olivia (2001), Aftermath (2001) and The President’s Man: A Line in the Sand (2002). Urich also starred in numerous other television series including American Dreamer in 1990 as Tom Nash, Crossroads in 1992 as John Hawkins, It Had to Be You in 1993 as Mitch Quinn, The Lazarus Man in 1996 as Lazarus, The Love Boat: The Next Wave in 1998 as Captain Jim Kennedy, Invasion America in 1998 as the voice of Briggs, and Emeril in 2001 as Jerry McKenney. Other television credits include episodes of The F.B.I., Kung Fu, Marcus Welby, M.D., Nakia, Gunsmoke, The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels, Little House on the Prairie, Cheers, The Nanny, and First Years. Urich received an Emmy Award for his narration of the cable documentary U-Boats: Terror on Our Shores. Urich announced that he suffered from synovial cell sarcoma, a rare
309 cancer of the body’s joints, in 1996. He had undergone surgery, radiation treatments and chemotherapy, which temporarily sent the cancer into remission and allowed him to continue his career. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 17, 2002, B10; New York Times, Apr. 17, 2002, A21; People, Apr. 29, 2002, 95; Time, Apr. 29, 2002, 29; Times (of London), Apr. 19, 2002, 37b; Variety, Apr. 22, 2002, 42.
Valentin, Barbara Austrian actress Barbara Valentin died of a stroke in Munich, Germany, on February 22, 2002. She was 61. She was born Uschi Ledersteger in Vienna, Austria, on December 15, 1940. She began her film career in the late 1950s and became known as the “German Jayne Mansfield.” Often appearing in European exploitation films, Valentin was featured in The Head (1959), Up and Down (1960), Festival Girls (1960), There Is Still Room in Hell (1961), Horrors of Spider Island (aka It’s Hot in Paradise) (1963), Call Girls of Frankfurt (1966), Carmen, Baby (1967), Bite Me, Darling (1970), Rainer Fassbinder’s Martha (1973), Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), Effi Briest (1973), Fox and His Friends (1975), Women in Hospital (1976), Scrounged Meals (1977), Flaming Hearts (1978), It Can Only Get Worse (1979), Lili Mar-
Barbara Valentin
2002 • Obituaries
leen (1981), Island of the Bloody Plantation (1982), Rita Ritter (1984), The Image of Dorian Gray in the Yellow Press (1984), and Geierwally (1988). She also appeared often on German television in the 1980s and 1990s.
Vallone, Raf Italian actor Raf Vallone died in a Rome hospital on October 31, 2002. He was 86. Vallone was born in Tropea, Calabria, Italy, on February 17, 1916. He was a journalist before he began his career in films in the post–World War II era. He was featured in numerous films in Europe and the United States during his fifty year career including Bitter Rice (1949), The White Line (1949), Under the Olive Tree (1950), Strange Deception (1950), Path of Hope (1950), The Adventures of Manderin (1951), Anna (1951), Anita Garibaldi (1952), Rome 11:00 (1952), Perdonami (1952), The Adultress (1953), Riviera (1953), Sunday Heroes (1953), Daughters of Destiny (1953), Obsession (1954), Human Torpedoes (1954), Storm (1954), Andrea Chenier (1955), Secret of Sister Angela (1955), Passionate Summer (1955), Love (1956), The Sins of Rose Bernd (1956), Guendalina (1956), Vengeance (1957), La Violetera (1958), No Escape (1958), Recourse in Grace (1960), Two Women (1960) with Sophia Loren, El Cid (1961), A View from the Bridge (1961), Phaedra (1962), The Cardinal (1963), The Secret Invasion (1964), Harlow (1965), Nevada Smith (1966), Kiss the Girls and
Raf Vallone
Obituaries • 2002
310
Make Them Die (1966), A Thousand and One Nights (1968), Beyond the Mountains (1968), The Italian Job (1969), The Kremlin Letter (1970), Cannon for Cordoba (1970), Death Occurred Last Night (1970), A Gunfight (1971), Summertime Killer (1972), Cauldron of Death (1973), The Girl in Room 2A (1973), Rosebud (1975), That Lucky Touch (19785), Simona (1975), The Human Factor (1975), Decadenza (1975), The Other Side of Midnight (1977), The Greek Tycoon (1978), The Devil’s Advocate (1978), An Almost Perfect Affair (1979), Return to Marseilles (1980), Lion of the Desert (1980), Peacetime in Paris (1981), A Time to Die (1982), Power of Evil (1985), We the Living (1986), Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part III (1990) as Cardinal Lamberto, and 1999’s Toni. Vallone also appeared on television in such telefilms and mini-series as Honor Thy Father (1973) as crime-boss Joseph Bonnano, Catholics (1973), The Small Miracle (1973), Fame (1978), I Remember Nelson (1982), The Scarlet and the Black (1983), Christopher Columbus (1985), Goya (1985), A Season of Giants (191), and The First Circle (1991). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 4, 2002, B9; New York Times, Nov. 2, 2002, B7.
novelization of the television series Lost in Space with Ted White (under the pseudonym Ron Archer). Van Arnam and White also wrote the novel Sideslip in 1968. Van Arnam other works include The Players of Hell (1968), Star Gladiator (1967), Star Mind (1969), Wizard of Storms (1970), Lord of Blood (1970), and Greyland (1972).
Van Atta, Lee Juvenile serial and film actor Lee Van Atta died in Carrollton, Texas, on February 15, 2002. He was 79. Van Atta was born in San Francisco, California, on July 22, 1922. He was featured in the 1936 serial Undersea Kingdom with Ray “Crash” Corrigan, and starred as Junior in 1937’s Dick Tracy. Van Atta’s other film credits include Too Many Parents (1936), Second Wife (1936), Be-
Van, Gloria Singer Gloria Van died of kidney failure at her home in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, on December 24, 2002. She was 82. She was born Lucille Fanolla in Ohio in 1920. As a child, she and her family moved to Chicago, where she began singing at local clubs after high school. She was soon touring with such musicians as Gene Krupa, Hal McIntyre, and Johnny “Scat” Davis. During the 1950s Van became a popular performer on television, appearing regularly in such variety series as Wayne King, Tin Pan Alley TV, Windy City Jamboree, and The Little Revue. She was also a frequent guest on Jack Paar’s The Tonight Show. She subsequently retired from performing to raise a family.
Van Arnam, Dave Science fiction writer Dave Van Arnam died on August 3, 2002. He was 67. Van Arnam was best known for co-authoring the 1967 paperback
Lee Van Atta (with Ralph Byrd from the Dick Tracy serial)
311 ware of Ladies (1937), Captains Courageous (1937), Dangerous Holiday (1937), The Affairs of Annabel (1938), and Twelve Crowded Hours (1939). Van Atta was a war correspondent in the Pacific with the International News Service during World War II.
Van Beek, Tom Dutch actor Tom Van Beek died in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on January 20, 2002. He was 70. Van Beek was born in Maastricht, Limburg, the Netherlands, on December 26, 1931. He appeared on Dutch television in the films Lucifer (1966) and Egmont (1968), and was featured in the 1970 television series Vic Singel. Van Beek was also seen in the films Obsessions (1969), The Hiding Place (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Soldier of Orange (1979), Fatal Error (1979), and Welfare Party (1986). He starred in the Dutch television series Good Times, Bad Times from 1990 to 1996.
Van Ronk, Dave Folk and blues singer Dave Van Ronk died of heart failure while undergoing treatment for colon cancer at a New York City hospital on February 10, 2002. He was 65. Van Ronk was born in New York on June 30, 1936. He began playing college campuses and coffee houses in the late
2002 • Obituaries
1950s, and was a major influence on the career of Bob Dylan. A leading figure in New York’s Greenwich Village music scene. Van Ronk recorded such songs as “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down,” and “He Was a Friend of Mine.” He continued to perform and record throughout his life, with later albums including Let No One Deceive You (1990), A Chrestomathy (1992), and To All My Friends in Far-Flung Places (1994). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12, 2002, B10; New York Times, Feb. 12, 2002, A25; Time, Feb. 25, 2002, 23; Times (of London), Feb. 12, 2002, 36b; Variety, Feb. 18, 2002, 62.
Van Scoyk, Robert Television writer and producer Robert E. Van Scoyk died of complications from diabetes in Los Angeles on September 2, 2002. He was 74. Van Scoyk was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1928. He began his career in television with NBC in New York where he worked on such series as The Ann Sothern Show and The Imogene Coca Show before moving to Los Angeles in the late 1960s. He wrote episodes of the NBC western series The Virginian, and later produced the medical drama Rafferty in 1977 and Young Maverick in 1979. Van Scoyk also scripted many episodes of Angela Lansbury’s popular mystery series Murder, She Wrote. His other television credits include episodes of Banacek and Columbo. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 1, 2002, B19; New York Times, Sept. 3, 2002, A17; Variety, Sept. 16, 2002, 67.
Vaughan, Norman
Dave Van Ronk
British comedian and television personality Norman Vaughan died of injuries received in a road accident, at a London hospital on May 17, 2002. He was 75. Vaughan was born in Liverpool, England, on April 10, 1927. He was a popular comedian and variety show host in England. He was featured in the television variety series The Harry Secombe Show in 1955, and co-starred with Terry Scott in the 1957 comedy series Scott Free. He served as host of ITV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium from 1962 to 1964. He subsequently hosted his own shows, A Touch of the
Obituaries • 2002
312
Norman Vaughan
Norman Vaughans for ITV in 1965, and The Norman Vaughan Show for the BBC in 1966. Vaughan hosted The Golden Shot variety series in 1972, and was host of the Bullseye television game show for many years. Vaughan also appeared in several films during his career including You Must Be Joking! (1965), Carnaby, M.D. (1966), Twinky (1969), and Come Play with Me (1977). Times (of London), May 20, 2002, 33b.
Verneuil, Henri French film director Henri Verneuil died of a heart attack in Paris on January 11, 2002. He was 81. Verneuil was born Achod Malakian in Rodosto, Turkey, on October 15, 1920. A leading film director in France from the early 1950s, Verneuil helmed such features as The Hunting Ground (1952), Forbidden Fruit (1952), Full House (1952), The Wild Oat (1952), Carnaval (1953), The Most Wanted Man in the World (153), The Sheep Has Five Legs (1954), People of No Importance (1955), The Lovers of Lisbon (1955), Paris Hotel (1956), The Evil That Is Eve (1957), Be Beautiful But Shut Up (1958), Maxime (1958),
Henri Verneuil
Gangster Boss (1959), The Cow and I (1959), It Happened All Night (1960), Love and the Frenchwoman (1960), The Lions Are Loose (1961), The President (1961), Any Number Can Win (1963), Greed in the Sun (1963), Weekend at Dunkirk (1964), The 25th Hour (1967), Guns of San Sebastian (1968), The Sicilian Clan (1969), The Burglars (1971), The Serpent (1972), Fear Over the City (1975), Body of My Enemy (1976), Les Morfalous (1984), Mother (1991), and the 1991 television mini-series Mayrig with Omar Sharif and Claudia Cardinale. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2002, B15.
Von Buelow, Erik Special effects designer Erik von Buelow died in Switzerland in December of 2002. Von Buelow created the creature that terrorized Karen Black in the 1975 telefilm Trilog y of Terror. He also designed miniatures for Bert I. Gordon’s films The Food of the Gods (1976) and Empire of the Ants (1977).
313
2002 • Obituaries
Waldron, Mal
Erik Von Buelow’s nightmarish Zumi doll from Trilogy of Terror
von Stroheim, Josef Sound editor Josef von Stroheim, the son of director/actor Erich von Stroheim, died in Van Nuys, California, of lung cancer on March 22, 2002. He was 80. The younger von Stroheim worked in films as a sound editor. His numerous credits include such films as The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Suicide Battalion (1958), The Mugger (1958), Jet Attack (1958), Tank Commandos (1959), Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959), Shock Corridor (1963), Mutiny in Outer Space (1965), Space Monster (1965), Daring Game (1968), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Getaway (1972), Three Days of the Condor (1975), A Star Is Born (1976), Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), So Fine (1981), and Lady in White (1988). He also worked on the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and the telefilms Bret Maverick (1981) and Bare Essence (1982). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 30, 2002, B16; Variety, Apr. 8, 2002, 52.
Waddell, Doreen Soul singer Doreen Waddell was killed in a traffic accident in Shoreham, England, on February 28, 2002, when she was struck by a car while running from a store where she was accused of shoplifting. Waddell was a member of the group Soul II Soul, and sang on the hit 1989 album Club Classics Volume I. Waddell was lead vocalist for the songs “Feel Free” and “Happiness.” She subsequently left the group. She also sang with the band the KLF on the album Mu in 1991. People, Mar. 25, 2002, 99.
Jazz pianist Mal Waldron died of complications from cancer in Brussels, Belgium, in December 2, 2002. He was 77. Waldron as born in New York City on August 16, 1925. He began playing the piano at an early age. He was accompanist for legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in the 1950s until her death in 1959. Waldron also played with such jazz greats as Charles Mingus and John Coltrane. He was best known for song “Soul Eyes.” Waldron’s last recording, “One More Time,” was released two months before his death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 4, 2002, B10; New York Times, Dec. 6, 2002, A33.
Wallace, Alice Actress and model Alice Wallace died of emphysema in Sherman Oaks, California, on February 23, 2002. She was 77. She began her career as a model and soon became one of Samuel Goldwyn’s Goldwyn Girls in the 1940s. She was featured in such films as Up in Arms (1944), Show Business (1944), The Show-Off (1946), The Hoodlum Saint (1946), Till the Clouds Roll By (1947), The Unfinished Dance (1947), A Song Is Born (1948), The Girl from Jones Beach (1949) and A Life of Her Own (1950). She subsequently left Hollywood for New York, where she continued to model with the Powers Agency. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 27, 2002, B10.
Walotsky, Ron Artist Ron Walotsky died after a brief illness in Flagler Beach, Florida, on July 28, 2002. He was 58. A popular science fiction artist, his work was seen on the covers of over 500 books including Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned and Stephen King’s Carrie. The New York City native began his career painting posters for such rock stars as Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. An anthology of his work, Inner Visions: The Art of Ron Walotsky, was published in 2001. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 3, 2002, B17.
Obituaries • 2002
314
Ron Walotsky
Walsh, Dermot Dermot Walsh
Irish character actor Dermot Walsh died in a hospital in England on June 26, 2002. He was 77. Walsh was born in Dublin, Ireland, on September 10, 1924. He performed on the Irish stage before making his film debut in 1947’s The Hungry Hill. He remained a popular film star for the next twenty years, appearing in such films as The Mark of Cain (1947), Jassy (1947), To the Public Danger (1948), Third Time Lucky (1948), My Sister and I (1948), Torment (1950), The Straw Man (1952), Ghost Ship (1952) co-starring his wife Hazel Court (they were divorced in 1963), The Frightened Man (1952), The Floating Dutchman (1952), Counterspy (1953), The Blue Parrot (1953), Night of the Full Moon (1954), The Hideout (1956), Bond of Fear (1956), Chain of Events (1957), At the Stroke of Nine (1957), A Woman of Mystery (1958), Sea Fury (1958), The Bandit of Zhobe (1959), The Witness (1959), Make Mine a Million (1959), The Flesh and the Fiends (1959), The Crowning Touch (1959), Crash Dive (1959), The Trunk (1960), The Tell-Tale Heart (1960), Shoot to Kill (1960), It Takes a Thief (1960), Tarnished Heroes (1961), The Breaking Point (1961), The Switch (1962), Murder on the Campus (1962), Emergency (1962), The Cool Mikado (1962), Echo of Diana (1963), Infamous Conduct (1966) and
The Wicked Lady (1983). Walsh also starred in the title role in the 1962 television series Richard the Lionheart, and appeared in episodes of The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, The Invisible Man, Danger Man, Court Martial and Journey to the Unknown. He continued to perform on stage until poor health forced his retirement in recent years.
Walsh, Terry British stuntman and actor Terry Walsh died in his sleep in London on April 21, 2002. Walsh appeared frequently on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, often doubling Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker as the Doctor in the 1960s and 1970s. Walsh also did stunt work for the science fiction series Space: 1999 in the 1970s. He also worked on such films as Side by Side (1975), Superman: The Movie (1978), Dragonslayer (1981), The Man from Snowy River (1982), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Superman III (1983), Krull (1983), Never Say Never Again (1983), Nineteen Eight-Four (1983), Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986), Superman IV: The
315
2002 • Obituaries
Terry Walsh
Quest for Peace (1987), Willow (1988), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Without a Clue (1988), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), The Three Musketeers (1993), Being Human (1993), Ever After (1998) and Shooters (2000). Walsh also was stunt coordinator for the television series Robin of Sherwood, and worked on the telefilms The Four Feathers (1977), The Corsican Brothers (1985), The Lady and the Highwayman (1989), Jekyll & Hyde (1990), The Silver Chair (1990), and Alice in Wonderland (1999).
Warfield, William Singer and actor William Warfield died in a Chicago hospital of complications from injuries received in a fall the previous month. He was 82. Warfield was born in West Helena, Arkansas, on January 22, 1920. A leading bass-baritone, he was best known for singing “Ol’ Man River” in theatrical productions of Show Boat and the 1951 film version. Warfield also starred as De Lawdd in a 1957 television adaptation of The Green Pastures. In 1990 he was featured in the film Old Explorers. Warfield was married to opera star Leontyne Price from 1952, after starring with her in a stage production of Porg y and Bess, until their divorce in 1972.
William Warfield (w/Leontyne Price)
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 27, 2002, B11; New York Times, Aug. 27, 2002, C13; Times (of London), Aug. 30, 2002, 32c; Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 51.
Wasserman, Lew Film executive Lew Wasserman died of complications of a stroke at his Beverly Hills, California, home on June 3, 2002. He was 89. Wasserman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 15, 1913. He worked in such jobs as a movie theater usher and nightclub manager while still a teen. In the mid–1930s Wasserman joined Music Corporation of American (MCA) as a publicist. He became president of the company in 1946. MCA acquired Universal Studios in the early 1960s. Wasserman, with company founder Jules Stein, built MCA into a leader in the entertainment field, involved in production of films, television programs, home video, and records. Wasserman served as chairman and chief executive of MCA until his retirement from management in 1995 following the company’s sale to Seagram. A remained on MCA’s board of directors until 1998.
Obituaries • 2002
316
Lew Wasserman
Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2002, B22; New York Times, June 4, 2002, A1; People, June 17, 2002, 88; Time, June 17, 2002, 23; Times (of London), June 5, 2002, 35c; Variety, June 10, 2002, 56.
Watson, Winifred British novelist Winifred Watson died on August 5, 2002. She was 95. Watson was born in Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, on October 20, 1906. Her first novel, Fell-Top, as published in 1934. This was followed by several other works including Odd Shoes (1936), Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (1938), Upyonder (1938), Hop, Step and Jump (1938), and Leave And Bequeath (1943). She quit writing during World War II after her home was destroyed by a German bomb and she and her family were forced to move into cramped quarters with her in-laws. She never resumed her career. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 17, 2002, B18; Times (of London), Aug. 29, 2002, 39c.
Winifred Watson
Weaver, Pat Television executive Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, who created the Today and Tonight shows for NBC in the early 1950s, died of pneumonia at his home in Santa Barbara, California, on March 15, 2002. He was 93. Weaver was born in Los Angeles in 1908, and began his career as a radio comedy writer. He served in the Navy during World War II, and soon began working in television after the war. He became vice president for television at NBC in 1949, and created the first network morning show, Today, with host Dave Garroway, in 1952. He was also an innovator of television specials and created the late night talk show, Tonight, before being forced out as NBC president in 1955. After serving a year as NBC’s chairman of the board, he left the network and returned to advertising. Weaver was the recipient of two Emmy Awards for his contributions to television and was inducted into the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 1985. He was the brother of the late actor Doodles Weaver and the father of actress Sigourney Weaver.
317
2002 • Obituaries
ber 96, Riptide, Boney, and Water Rats. He also remained a popular stage actor, performing in works by Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, and Jean Anouilh. Weingott performed on various radio programs, as well, voicing detective Hercule Poirot and the lead in Portia Faces Life. He retired in 2000 to care for his ailing wife, who survives him.
Wendlandt, Horst
Pat Weaver
Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 2002, A1; New York Times, Mar. 18, 2002, A23; People, Apr. 1, 2002, 75; Time, Mar. 25, 2002, 27; Variety, Mar. 25, 2002, 95.
German film producer Horst Wendlandt died of cancer in Berlin on August 30, 2002. He was 80. He was born Horst Gubanow in Berlin on March 15, 1922. He worked as a producer from the mid–1950s, overseeing such films as Tempestuous Love (1957), Confess, Dr. Corda (1958), Her 106th Birthday (1958), What Women Dream of in Springtime (1959), and Mistress of the World (1960). He joined Rialto Films as a producer in the early 1960s, where he became best known for his productions of Edgar Wallace mysteries and Karl May westerns. His numerous film credits include The Green Archer (1961), Dark Eyes of London (1961), The Strange Countess (1961), The Devil’s Daffodil (1961), The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962), The Door with Seven Locks (1962), The Inn on the River (1962), Only a Woman
Weingott, Owen Australian actor Owen Weingott died of cancer in Australia on October 12, 2002. He was 81. Weingott was born in Sydney, Australia, on June 21, 1921. He began performing on stage in his late teens before his career was interrupted by World War II. Weingott served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the war and resumed his career after his discharge in 1945. He was also a noted fencer, who choreographed fight sequences for numerous plays, films and television productions. He worked on Byron Haskin’s 1954 film Long John Silver, and appeared in the films That Lady from Peking (1970), Stone (1974), and Minnamurra (1989). Weingott was also featured in several Australian television series including The Stranger, The Private World of Miss Prim, Num-
Horst Wendlandt
Obituaries • 2002
318
(1962), Treasure of Silver Lake (1962), The Squeaker (1963), The Black Abbot (1963), The Indian Scarf (1963), Apache Gold (1965), Room 13 (1964), Mark of the Tortoise (1964), The Mysterious Magician (1964), Winnetou: Last of the Renegades (1964), Frontier Hellcat (1964), Traitor’s Gate (1964), Rampage at Apache Wells (1965), Winnetou: The Desperado Trail (1965), Flaming Frontier (1965), The Sinister Monk (1965), Half-Breed (1966), The Hunchback of Soho (1966), Winnetou: Thunder at the Border (1966), The Oldest Profession (1967), Creature with the Blue Hand (1967), The Monk with the Whip (1967), The Hound of Blackwood Castle (1967), Hand of Power (1968), The Gorilla of Soho (1968), To Hell with School (1968), Spanking at School (1969), Double Face (1969), Gentlemen in White Vests (1970), What Is The Matter with Willi? (1970), The Fire Tongue Bowl (1970), The Naughty Cheerleader (1970), Hurray We Are Bachelors Again (1971), The Dead One in the Thames River (1971), Our Willi Is the Best (1971), Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1971), Willi Manages the Whole Thing (1972), What Have They Done to Solange? (1972), Main Thing Holidays (1972), Ingmar Bergman’s The Serpent’s Egg (1977), A Simple Story (1978), From the Life of the Marionettes (1980), Lola (1981), Ace of Aces (1982), Momo (1986), Kein Pardon (1993), and Ein Todliches Verhaltnis (1998). Variety, Sept. 9, 2002, 63.
Wernicke, Herbert Opera designer Herbert Wernicke died in Basel, Switzerland, on April 16, 2002. He was 56. Wernicke was born in Germany’s Black Forest on March 24, 1946. He made his debut as an opera designer with a production of Handel’s Belsazar in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1978. He worked with opera companies throughout Europe and designed a production of Wagner’s Ring cycle in Munich, Germany. He made his debut in the United States with a production of Richard Strauss’ Die Frau Ohne Schatten at the Metropolitan Opera in late 2001. He was designing Handel’s Israel in Eg ypt in Basel at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 18, 2002, B13; New York Times, Apr. 25, 2002, B8; Times (of London), Apr. 19, 2002, 38b; Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Herbert Wernicke
Wester, Keith Oscar-nominated sound engineer Keith Wester died of cancer in Studio City, California, on November 1, 2002. He was 62. Wester shared Academy Award nominations for his work on such films as Black Rain (1989), Waterworld (1995), The Rock (1996), Air Force One (1997), Armageddon (1998), and The Perfect Storm (2000). He also earned an Emmy Award for the 1985 telefilm An Early Frost. Wester also worked as a sound mixer on such films as Pandemonium (1982), Young Doctors in Love (1982), Thief of Hearts (1984), Real Men (1987), Sea of Love (1989), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Thelma & Louise (1991), Another You (1991), Shattered (1991), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Body of Evidence (1993), Indecent Proposal (1993), The Shadow (1994), Exit to Eden (1994), Shadow Conspiracy (1997), G.I. Jane (1997), Mouse Hunt (1997), Never Been Kissed (199), Runaway Bride (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001), Orange County (2002), and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), and the telefilms Act of Violence (1979), Marathon (1980), A Long Way Home (1981), Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (1982), Love Is Forever (1983), Missing Pieces (1983), Malice in Wonderland (1985), Crossings (1986), Love, Lies and
319
2002 • Obituaries
Murder (1991), Guilty Until Proven Innocent (1991), and Bloodlines: Murder in the Family (1993). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 6, 2002, B9; Variety, Nov. 25, 2002, 57.
Wharmby, Gordon British actor Gordon Wharmby died of lung cancer in North Wales on May 20, 2002. He was 68. Wharmby was born in Salford, Lancashire, England, on November 6, 1933. He worked as a painter and decorator before he began his acting career in the early 1980s. He joined the cast of the television series Last of the Summer Wine in 1982 as Wesley Pegden, remaining with the series for twenty years. Wharmby also had small roles in the telefilms Uncle of the Bride (1985), Brookside (1985), Big Day at Dream Acres (1987), A Very British Coup (1988), Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996), and the 1986 mini-series Edge of Darkness. He was also seen in episodes of All Creatures Great and Small, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and Heartbeat.
Gordon Wharmby
Whipple, Sam Actor Sam Whipple died of cancer in Los Angeles on June 3, 2002. He was 41. Whipple
Sam Whipple
was a popular television actor, starring as Terry Feester in the short-lived 1981 comedy series Open All Night, and as Dewey Kunkle in 1990’s Bagdad Cafe. He also starred as Jughead Jones in the 1990 telefilm Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again, and was Dr. John Ballard in the science fiction series Seven Days from 1998 to 2000. Whipple was also featured in the telefilms Packin’ It In (1983), The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, T Bone N Weasel (1992), Lifepod (1993), Night Driving (1993), and Little Surprises (1995), and appeared in episodes of Buffalo Bill, Family Ties, E/R, Moonlighting, Newhart, ALF, The Facts of Life, L.A. Law, The Larry Sanders Show, Sisters, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Space Rangers, Grace Under Fire, Home Improvement, Dark Skies, The Pretender, NYPD Blue, Seinfeld, and Special Unit 2. Whipple also appeared in a handful of films during his career including Grad Night (1980), Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again (1982), Don Camillo (1983), Blue City (1986), The Doors (1991), Airheads (1994), The Great White Hype (1996), The Rock (1996) and Last Ride (2001).
Whitaker, Peter British actor Peter Whitaker died in England on November 24, 2002. He was 81.
Obituaries • 2002
320
Whitaker was born in England on February 12, 1921. He performed as a singer in the 1950s before he began appearing in small roles in British television productions. He was seen in episodes of Dad’s Army, Upstairs, Downstairs, Colditz, Doctor Who, Z Cars, The Duchess of Duke Street, The Two Ronnies, Only Fools and Horses and Rumpole of the Bailey. Whitaker also performed in Monty Python’s famous “I’m a Lumberjack” sketch. He also was featured in the 1993 film The Secret Rapture.
White, Phyllis Television writer Phyllis White died of a stroke at her home in Venice, California, on July 7, 2002. She was 79. She was born Phyllis Margaret Kremer in Pierre, South Dakota, in 1923. She began working as a writer with Chicago’s station WBBM in the mid–1940s, and scripted the award-winning Adventure series from 1952 to 1956. She also served as head writer for The Tonight Show in 1957. After the death of her first husband, writer Shelby Gordon, in 1960, she married writer Robert White. She and her husband scripted episodes of such series as The Bold Ones, Cannon, The Flying Nun, Mission: Impossible, My Favorite Martian, The Virginian, Ironside, and Room 222. White also wrote for such television soap operas as Love of Life, Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns, and Guiding Light, the latter which earned her an Emmy nomination in 1978. Variety, July 22, 2002, 38.
Whiteford, Wynne Australian science fiction writer Wynne Whiteford died after a long illness in an Australian hospital on September 30, 2002. He was 87. Whiteford began writing short stories for science fiction pulp magazines in the 1930s. He abandoned writing for two decades, before returning the fiction in the early 1950s. He wrote numerous suspense and science fiction stories, and authored his first novel, Breathing Space Only, in 1980. His other novels include Thor’s Hammer (1985), Sapphire Road (1986), The Hyades Contract (1987), Lake of the Sun (1989), and The Specialist (1990).
Wynne Whiteford
Whitehead, Robert Broadway producer Robert Whitehead died of cancer at his Pound Ridge, New York, home on June 15, 2002. He was 86. Whitehead was born in Montreal, Canada, on March 13, 1916. He studied acting in New York and appeared on the Broadway stage in several productions including Night Must Fall. After serving in the American Field Service during World War II, Whitehead returned to the stage as a producer. He presented a production of Medea at the National Theater in New York in 1947. His other notable productions include The Member of the Wedding (1950), Desire Under the Elms (1952), William Inge’s Bus Stop (1955), The Waltz of the Toreadors (1957), and A Man for All Seasons (1961). Whitehead also produced many of Arthur Miller’s works including A View from the Bridge (1955), The Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business (1972), and the 1984 revival of Death of a Salesman starring Dustin Hoffman. Whitehead married actress Zoe Caldwell in 1968 and produced the 1968 production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie which earned her a Tony
321
2002 • Obituaries
Davina Whitehouse
Robert Whitehead
Award. Whitehead’s other productions include No Man’s Land (1972), The West Side Waltz (1981), A Few Good Men (1989), and Speed of Darkness (1990). He was given a special Tony Award for his career in the theater shortly before his death. Los Angeles Times, June 18, 2002, B10; New York Times, June 17, 2002, B6; People, July 1, 2002, 73; Variety, June 24, 2002, 57.
Whitehouse, Davina New Zealand actress Davina Whitehouse died of complications from a series of strokes in Aukland, New Zealand, on December 18, 2002. She was 90. Whitehouse was raised in London, where she appeared often on stage from the 1930s. She moved to New Zealand in the early 1950s, where she continued her acting career on the stage. She starred as Maggie May Kennedy in the popular Australian television series Prisoner: Cell Block H from 1979. She was also seen in several films including Sleeping Dogs (1977) with Sam Neill, Solo (1978), and Peter Jackson’s horrorcomedy Dead/Alive (1992). Whitehouse appeared in television productions of The Night Nurse (1978) and Rugged Gold (1994), and guest starred
in episodes of such series as Bluey, Young Ramsay, and The Legend of William Tell.
Whitmore, Analee Screenwriter Analee Whitmore was found dead at her home in Captiva, Florida, of an apparent suicide on February 5, 2002. She was 85. She had been suffering from cancer and Parkinson’s disease. She was born in Price, Utah, on May 27, 1916. She began working at MGM in 1938 as a typist, where she wrote the 1940 film Andy Hardy Meets Debutante starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. She worked on several other films before leaving Hollywood to serve as a war correspondent in China during World War II. She later collaborated with Theodore H. White on the book Thunder Out of China. After the war Whitmore appeared often on the radio quiz show, Information Please, where she met and married the program’s host, Clifton Fadiman, in 1950. They remained married until Fadiman’s death in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10, 2002, B16; New York Times, Feb. 6, 2002, B8.
Obituaries • 2002
322
Whitney, Eve Actress and model Eve Whitney died in Studio City, California, on February 13, 2002. She was 79. A model for such renowned illustrators as Albert Vargas and George Petty, she was also featured in small parts in numerous films from the 1940s including Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Girl Crazy (1943), A Guy Named Joe (1943), Three Hearts for Julia (1943), Kismet (1944), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Meet the People (1944), Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944), The Harvey Girls (1946), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), Little Iodine (1946), Riding the California Trail (1947), The Unfaithful (1947), Blonde Savage (1947), State of the Union (1948), Joan of Arc (1949), Let’s Life a Little (1948), It’s a Great Feeling (1949), My Dream Is Yours (1949), The Blonde Bandit (1950), the 1950 serial Radar Patrol vs. Spy King, Let’s Dance (1950) and The World in His Arms (1952). She also appeared as herself in the classic “Charm School” episode of I Love Lucy in 1954. She was married to comedy writer Eddie Maxwell until his death in 1999.
Wilder, Billy Oscar-winning film director and writer Billy Wilder died of pneumonia in Beverly Hills, California, on March 27, 2002. He was 95. He was born in Sucha, Austria-Hungary (now Poland) on June 22, 1906. He began his career as a screenwriter in Germany in the late 1920s, scripting such films as People on Sunday (1929), Her Grace Commands (1931), The Wrong Husband (1932), Emil and the Detectives (1931), Looking for His Murderer (1931), A Blonde’s Dream (1932), Where Is This Girl? (1932), Once There Was a Waltz (1932), The Blue from the Sky (1932), Adorable (1933), Madame Wants No Children (1933), What Women Dream (1933), One Exciting Adventure (1934), and Music in the Air (1934) . The Jewish Wilder left Germany for Paris after Hitler came to power in 1933, where he directed and scripted Bad Blood starring Danielle Darrieux. He subsequently came to the United States where he wrote such films, often in collaboration with Charles Brackett, as Under Pressure (1935), The Lottery Lover (1935), Emil and the Detectives (1935), Champagne Waltz (1937), Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938), That Certain Age (1938), Midnight (1939),
Billy Wilder
Ninotchka (1939) earning his first Oscar nomination, What a Life (1939), Rhythm on the River (1940), Arise, My Love (1940), Hold Back the Dawn (1941) and Ball of Fire (1941), the latter two which also resulted in Academy Award nominations for Wilder. He continued his collaboration with Brackett with 1942’s The Major and the Minor, with Wilder directing, Brackett producing, and the two men co-scripting the film. He and Brackett continued to work together in similar fashion on such popular films as Five Graves to Cairo (1943), Double Indemnity (1944), gaining him an Academy Award nomination for direction and screenplay, The Lost Weekend (1945) which earned Wilder an Oscar for directing and co-scripting, The Emperor Waltz (1948), A Foreign Affair (1948) and the classic Sunset Boulevard (1950) which earned another Academy Award for Wilder and Brackett for the screenplay and a nomination for Wilder’s direction. The two men ended their partnership in the early 1950s, with Wilder continuing to direct, produce and write, often with I.A.L. Diamond, such films a The Big Carnival (1951), Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954), The Seven Year Itch (1955), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), Love in the Afternoon (1957), Witness for the Prosecution (1958), Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960) which gained Wilder an-
323 other Oscar for directing and co-scripting, One Two Three (1961), Irma la Douce (1963), Kiss Me Stupid (1964), The Fortune Cookie (1966), The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), Avanti! (1972), The Front Page (1974), Fedora (1978) and Buddy, Buddy (1981). He was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America in 1985 and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in the 1988 Academy Awards presentation. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2002, A1; New York Times, Mar. 29, 2002, A1; People, Apr. 15, 2002, 58; Time, Apr. 8, 2002, 70; Times (of London), Mar. 30, 2002, 41b.
Wilder, Cherry New Zealand science fiction writer Cherry Barbara Grimm, who wrote under the name Cherry Wilder, died of cancer in a Wellington, New Zealand, hospital on March 14, 2002. Grimm was born in New Zealand on September 3, 1930, and wrote her first science fiction story, The Ark of James Carlyle, in 1974. She wrote over fifty short stories and novels during her career in-
Cherry Wilder
2002 • Obituaries
cluding the Torin series, the Rulers of Hylor trilogy, and her most recent novel, The Wanderer, in 2001.
Wilkinson, John “Doc” Oscar-winning sound mixer John Keen “Doc” Wilkinson died of heart failure at his home in Southern California on April 28, 2002. He was 82. Wilkinson was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1919. He began working in Hollywood in the 1950s, serving as a sound mixer on the 1958 Paramount science fiction film The Colossus of New York. He also worked on several television series including Gunsmoke and Bonanza. During his career he was nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, and received the Oscar for his work on the 1986 film Platoon. His other credits include The Five Pennies (1959), Heller in Pink Tights (1960), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Hud (1963), A New Kind of Love (1963), Wives and Lovers (1963), Law of the Lawless (1964), Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964), Red Line 7000 (1965), Waco (1966), Johnny Reno (1966), Seconds (1966), The Night of the Grizzly (1966), The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966), Red Tomahawk (1967), Hostile Guns (1967), The President’s Analyst (1967), Fort Utah (1967), Will Penny (1968), Project X (1968), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), Mean Streets (1973), Badlands (1973), Chinatown (1974), Where the Lilies Bloom (1974), Bug (1975), Framed (1975), The Big Bus (1976), Marathon Man (1976), Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977), Black Sunday (1977), Islands in the Stream (1977), Handle with Care (1977), The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978), The One and Only (1978), Days of Heaven (1978), North Dallas Forty (1979), Hot Stuff (1979), The Amityville Horror (1979), American Gigolo (1980), Raise the Titanic (1980), Going Ape! (1981), Outland (1981), Time Walker (1982), Thrashin’ (1986), No Way Out (1987), Wall Street (1987), Paramedics (1987), Body Slam (1987), Bat*21 (1988), The Boost (1988), Society (1989), Lionheart (1990), Year of the Gun (1991) and F.T.W. (1994). Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.
Obituaries • 2002
324
Wilkie, Bernard British special effects designer Bernard Wilkie died in England on May 22, 2002. He was 82. Wilkie was born in Lewisham, South London, on March 27, 1920. He began working with the BBC’s research department in 1948 and, in the early 1950s, joined with scenic painter Jack Kine to form the first television special effects department. They designed effects for the 1954 BBC adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, and for the classic science fiction series Quatermass II (1955) and Quatermass and the Pit (1958). There work was also seen on such shows as Doctor Who, The Goodies, Blue Peter, The War Game, and Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Wilkie remained with the BBC until his retirement in 1978. He subsequently worked as a comedy writer and director for a German television station. He returned to England in the mid–1980s where he wrote for Granada and the BBC.
David Wayne Williams
band’s debut album Sinner was released in 2001 following a breakout performance with Ozzfest the previous year. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 16, 2002, B12; New York Times, Aug. 17, 2002, A12; People, Sept. 2, 2002, 67; Variety, Aug. 26, 2002, 58.
Williams, Jack
Bernard Wilkie (right, with partner Jack Kine)
Williams, David Wayne Singer and songwriter David Wayne Williams, the lead singer for the rock band Drowning Pool, was found dead on the band’s tour bus in Manassas, Virginia, on August 14, 2002. The band was touring with the Ozzfest concert tour at the time to Williams’ death. The
British television producer Jack Williams died in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, on November 26, 2002. He was 91. Williams was born in London on January 28, 1911. He began working in television in the early 1960s, producing the detective series Sergeant Cork for ATV. He produced the comedy series Mrs. Thursday from 1966 to 1967, and the sitcom George and the Dragon in 1968. Williams returned to crime dramas with New Scotland Yard from 1972 to 1974, and the prison drama Within These Walls from 1974 to 1978. He also produced the 1978 mini-series Lillie, about famed actress Lillie Langtry. Williams next series starred Jill Gascoine as Inspector Maggie Forbes in the detective show The Gentle Touch in 1980. He also produced the mysteries Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (1980), Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery (1981), and Agatha Christie’s The Secret Adversary (1983).
325
Williams, Paul Pioneer rock musician Paul Williams died of natural causes in New York City on September 15, 2002. He was 87. Williams was born in Lewisburg, Tennessee, in 1915. He began his career in Detroit as a jazz saxophonist and recorded several hit records. He was best known for his 1948 hit song “The Hucklebuck.” He continued to work in music through the 1960s as a music director for James Brown. New York Times, Oct. 1, 2002, B8; Variety, Oct. 7, 2002, 104.
Wilson, David E. Television director David E. Wilson died in a Morristown, New York, hospital on June 30, 2002. He was 69. Wilson was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1933. He worked for NBC in New York for many years and earned an Emmy Award in 1975 for directing Saturday Night Live. He remained with Saturday Night Live for twenty years before his retirement in 1995.
Wilson, Donald
2002 • Obituaries
nomination for her performance in The Silver Whistle in 1948. She also appeared in Broadway productions of The Eagle Has Two Heads (1947) and The Wayward Saint (1955). She was also featured in the films Alice’s Restaurant (1969) and Warren Beatty’s Reds (1981) as John Reed’s mother. Variety, Aug. 26, 2002, 58.
Winbergh, Gosta Swedish operatic tenor Gosta Winbergh died of heart failure at his Vienna, Austria, apartment on March 18, 2002. He was 58. Winbergh was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 30, 1943. Winbergh performed in a rock band in Sweden before training at the Opera Conservatory of Stockholm. He made his operatic debut in a 1973 production of La Boheme in Göteborg, and soon joined the Stockholm Royal Opera. He performed in productions of Don Giovanni, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflote, and Parsifal. He made his United States debut with the San Francisco Opera’s production of Don Giovanni in 1974, and also performed with the Metropolitan Opera’s production in 1983. He also appeared on stage with Milan’s La Scala, and opera houses throughout Europe and the United States.
British television producer and writer Donald Wilson died at his home in Gloucestershire, England, on March 6, 2002. He was 91. Wilson was born in Dunblane, Scotland, on September 1, 1910. He worked in the British film industry after World War II, producing the 1948 film Under the Frozen Falls. He joined the BBC in the mid–1950s. Wilson co-scripted and produced the popular 1967 television adaptation of John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga. He also produced and scripted the television mini-series The First Churchills (1969) and Anna Karenina (1977). New York Times, May 5, 2002, 33.
Wilson, Eleanor D. Actress Eleanor D. “Siddy” Wilson died of lung cancer in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on May 31, 2001. Wilson was primarily known for her roles on stage and received a Tony Award
Gosta Winbergh
Obituaries • 2002
326
Los Angeles Times, Mar. 22, 2002, B15; New York Times, Mar. 23, 2002, A16; Times (of London), Mar. 21, 2002, 35c.
Wintzell, Bruno Swedish singer and actor Bruno Wintzell died of cancer in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 1, 2002. He was 58. Wintzell was born in Bromma, Sweden, on March 23, 1944. He was best known for starring in the Danish production of the hit musical Jesus Christ, Superstar in the early 1970s. He was featured in several films during his career including Tintomara (1970), The Girl from Petrovka (1974) starring his then-girlfriend, Goldie Hawn, and Animal Protector (1988). He was also featured in the 1976 telefilm Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident. Wintzell also hosted the bizarre Swedish television show Tutti-frutti in 1994.
Wishman, Doris Exploitation filmmaker Doris Wishman died of complications from lymphoma in Miami, Florida, on August 10, 2002. She was 82. Wishman was born in New York City on April 23, 1920 (some sources indicated 1912). A former film distributor, she began producing exploitation and nudie films in the early 1960s. Producing and directing under numerous pseudonyms including Anthony Brooks, Louis Silverman, Kenyon Wintel, Luigi Manicottale, Lazarus Volkl, Doris Chasnik, Dee Ess, and O.O. Miller, her film credits include Hideout in the Sun (1960), Blaze Starr Goes Wild (1960), Diary of a Nudist (1961), The Prince and the Nature Girl (1962), Nude on the Moon (1962), Gentlemen Prefer Nature Girls (1962), Playgirls International (1963), Behind the Nudist Curtain (1964), Sex Perils of Paulette (1965), Bad Girls Go to Hell (1965), My Brother’s Wife (1966), Another Day, Another Man (1966), A Taste of Her Flesh (1967), Indecent Desires (1967),
Bruno Wintzell
Doris Wishman
327 Too Much Too Often! (1968), Love Toy (1968), The Amazing Transplant (1970), Keyholes Are for Peeping (1972), The Immoral Three (1972), Deadly Weapons (1973), Double Agent 73 (1974), Satan Was a Lady (1975), Come with Me, My Love (1976), Let Me Die a Woman (1978), and A Night to Dismember (1983). After a hiatus of seventeen years, she returned to filmmaking in 2001, directing Satan Was a Lady (2001), Dildo Heaven (2001) and Each Time I Kill (2002). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21, 2002, B10; New York Times, Aug. 19, 2002, A13; Variety, Sept. 2, 2002, 52.
Witikka, Jack Finnish film director and writer Jack Witikka died in Helsinki, Finland, on January 28, 2002. He was 85. Witikka directed and scripted numerous films from the early 1950s including Aila, Pohjolan Tytar (1951), The Doll Merchant (1955), Silja — Nuorena Nukkunut (1956), Iloinen Linnanmaki (1960), and Little Presents (1961).
2002 • Obituaries
Witney, William Leading film, serial and television director William Witney died of complications from a series of strokes at a nursing home in Pioneer, California, on March 17, 2002. He was 91. Witney was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, on May 15, 1910. He began working in films as a messenger boy, rising to become a script supervisor at Republic. He began directing serials and Westerns for the studio in 1937. His numerous credits include S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937), The Trigger Trio (1937), Zorro Rides Again (1937), The Lone Ranger (1938), The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938), Dick Tracy Returns (1938), Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939), Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939), Dick Tracy’s G-Men (1939), Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939), Heroes of the Saddle (1940), Drums of Fu Manchu (1940), Hi-Yo Silver (1940), Adventures of Red Ryder (1940), King of the Royal Mounted (1940), Mysterious Dr. Satan (1940), The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), King of the Texas Rangers (1941), Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (1941), Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Jungle Girl (1941), Spy Smasher (1942), Perils of Nyoka
Jack Witikka William Witney
Obituaries • 2002
328
(1942), King of the Mounties (1942), Outlaws of Pine Ridge (1942), G-Men vs. the Black Dragon (1943), and Fighting Devil Dogs (1943). Witney served in the Marines during World War II. After the war, he resumed his career at Republic where he helmed numerous low-budget Westerns, many starring cowboy legend Roy Rogers. Witney’s credits include Roll on Texas Moon (1946), Home in Oklahoma (1946), The Crimson Ghost (1946), Heldorado (1946), Apache Rose (1947), Bells of San Angelo (1947), Springtime in the Sierras (1947), On the Old Spanish Trail (1947), The Gay Ranchero (1948), Under California Stars (1948), Eyes of Texas (1948), Night Time in Nevada (1948), Grand Canyon Trail (1948), The Far Frontier (1948), Susanna Pass (1949), Down Dakota Way (1949), The Golden Stallion (1949), Twilight in the Sierras (1949), Bells of Coronado (1950), Trigger, Jr. (1950), Sunset in the West (1950), North of the Great Divide (1950), Trail of Robin Hood (1950), Spoilers of the Plains (1951), Heart of the Rockies (1951), In Old Amarillo (1951), South of Caliente (1951), Pals of the Golden West (1951), Colorado Sundown (1952), The Last Musketeer (1952), Border Saddlemates (1952), Old Oklahoma Plains (1952), The WAC from Walla Walla (1952), South Pacific Trail (1952), Old Overland Trail (1953), Iron Mountain Trail (1953), Down Laredo Way (1953), Shadows of Tombstone (1953), The Outcast (1954), Santa Fe Passage (1955), City of Shadows (1955), Headline Hunters (1955), The Fighting Chance (1955), Stranger at My Door (1956), A Strange Adventure (1956), Panama Sal (1957), Young and Wild (1958), Juvenile Jungle (1958), The Cool and the Crazy (1958), The Bonnie Parker Story (1958), Zorro Rides Again (1959), Paratroop Command (1959), Valley of the Redwoods (1960), The Secret of the Purple Reef (1960), Jules Verne’s Master of the World (1961), The Long Rope (1961), The Cat Burglar (1961), Apache Rifles (1964), The Girls on the Beach (1965), Arizona Raiders, 40 Guns to Apache Pass, I Escaped from Devil’s Island (1973) and Darktown Strutters (1975). Witney was also a prolific television director, helming hundreds of episodes of such series as Sky King, Stories of the Century, The Adventures of Fu Manchu, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Wagon Train, Zorro, Bonanza, Overland Trail, The Virginian, Daniel Boone, Branded, Laredo, Wild Wild West, Tarzan, The High Chaparral, and Hondo. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 2002, B8; New
York Times, Mar. 30, 2002, A13; Variety, Mar. 25, 2002, 95.
Wojciechowska, Maia Children’s writer Maia Wojciechowska died of a stroke in Long Branch, New Jersey, on June 13, 2002. She was 74. Wojciechowska was born in Warsaw, Poland, on August 7, 1927. She left Poland with her family when the Nazis invaded at the start of World War II. She came to the United States after the war and, in 1952, published her first book, Market Day for Ti Andre. She wrote 18 other children’s books including the 1965 Newberry Medal winner Shadow of a Bull. Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2002, B9; New York Times, June 21, 2002, A23.
Maia Wojciechowska
Wolff, Maritta Novelist Maritta Wolff died at her home in Los Angeles on July 1, 2002. She was 83. Wolff was born in Grass Lake, Michigan, on December
329
2002 • Obituaries
Quincy Wong
Texas Ranger, Early Edition, and Unsolved Mysteries.
Maritta Wolff
25, 1918. Her first novel, Whistle Stop, was published in 1941 and was adapted for a 1946 film starring George Raft and Ava Gardner. Her 1942 novel, Night Shift, became the 1946 film The Man I Love. Wolff also wrote the novels About Lyddy Thomas (1947), Back of Town (1952), The Big Nickelodeon (1956), and Buttonwood (1962), before abandoning her writing career. New York Times, July 14, 2002, 27; Times (of London), Aug. 7, 2002, 29h.
Wong, Quincy Actor Quincy Wong died of a heart attack in Evanston, Illinois, on July 8, 2002. He was 48. Wong was a popular stage performer in the MidWest from the early 1980s and a founder of the Chicago Asian American comedy troupe, “StirFriday Night!” Wong was seen in several films including Mo’ Money (1992) and Novocaine (2001), and the 1998 telefilm March in Windy City. He also appeared on television in episodes of Walker,
Woods, Tim Tim Woods, who was a leading professional wrestler in the 1960s and 1970s under a white mask as Mr. Wrestling, died of a massive heart attack on November 30, 2002. He was 68. He held championship titles throughout Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas during his career. Woods survived an airplane crash the injured Ric Flair and several other wrestler in October of 1975. He continued to compete in the ring after unmasking and held tag team belts with Mr. Wrestling II and Thunderbolt Patterson in the late 1970s. Woods retired from the ring in 1984.
Worth, Bobby Songwriter Bobby Worth died in a Mission Hills, California, nursing home on July 17, 2002. He was 89. Worth was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1912. A musical child prodigy, Worth had his own radio program in New York at an early age. He wrote hundreds of popular songs from the 1930s including “A Fellow on a Furlough” for the film Meet Miss Bobby Sox (1944), “Lazy Coun-
Obituaries • 2002
330
Tim “Mr. Wrestling” Woods
Irene Worth (from Deathtrap) (Warner)
tryside” from Disney’s 1947 film Fun and Fancy Free, and “Blue Bayou” for the 1946 film Make Mine Music. He also wrote songs for the films Pardon My Sarong (1942), Honeymoon Lodge (1943), In Society (1944), Melody Time (1948), and An Old-Fashioned Girl (1948). His numerous songs also include “Do I Worry?,” “Tonight We Love,” “Don’t You Know,” and “The Same Old Song and Dance.” Variety, July 29, 2002, 46.
London’s West End, she earned three Tony Awards during her career for her roles in Edward Albee’s Tiny Alice (1965), the 1976 revival of Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth and Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers (1991). She also appeared in a handful of films during her career including One Night with You (1948), Another Shore (1948), The Secret People (1954), Orders to Kill (1958), The Scapegoat (1959), Seven Seas to Calais (1962), To Die in Madrid (1963), King Lear (1971), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Rich Kids (1979), Eyewitness (1979), Deathtrap (1982), Fast Forward (1985), Forbidden (1985), Lost in Yonkers (1993), Just the Ticket (1999) and Onegin (1999). She was also seen in the telefilms The Displaced Person (1976), Happy Days (1980), Separate Tables (1983), Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Coriolanus (1984) and The Shell Seekers (1989), and appeared in episodes of The Philco Television Playhouse, Great Mysteries and Remember WENN. Her final stage appearance was in a London production of
Worth, Irene Leading stage actress Irene Worth died of a stroke in New York City on March 10, 2002. She was 85. She was born Harriet Elizabeth Abrams in Fairbury, Nebraska, on June 23, 1916. She began her career on stage and made her Broadway debut in the 1943 production of The Two Mrs. Carrolls. A popular actress on Broadway and
331 I Take Your Hand in Mine with Paul Scofield in 2001. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 13, 2002, B10; New York Times, Mar. 12, 2002, A25; People, Mar. 25, 2002, 99; Time, Mar. 25, 2002, 27; Times (of London), Mar. 12, 2002, 35b; Variety, Mar. 18, 2002, 46.
Wurm, Greta German actress Greta Wurm died in Stuttgart, Germany, on March 28, 2002. She was 82. She was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 8, 1919. She was a popular actress on the German stage and appeared often on television from the 1970s. She was featured in the series Merlin, Tatort and Diese Drombuschs. She also appeared in several German telefilms and the 1979 feature Die Welt in Jenem Sommer.
2002 • Obituaries
necticut, on January 15, 2002. He was 76. He was born Eugene Wyckoff Bilik in New York City in 1925. He began writing the children’s series Adventure Parade in the late 1940s and scripted the ABC science fiction series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century starring Kim Dibbs in 1950. Wyckoff also wrote for such television series as NBC’s Wide World and The Home Show with Arlene Francis. He also produced numerous industrial films during his career and served as Richard Nixon’s image consultant during the 1960 presidential campaign. He was the author of the 1968 book The Image Candidates.
Wyllie, Meg Character actress Meg Wyllie died in Glendale, California, on January 1, 2002. She was 84. Wyllie was best known for her role as the alien Talosian on the original Star Trek pilot The Cage, which aired as the two-part episode The Menagerie during Star Trek’s original run in 1966. She also starred as Mrs. Shafer in the 1959 television series Hennesey with Jackie Cooper, and was Mrs. Kissel in The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters in 1963. Wyllie also appeared in several films including The Flight That Disappeared (1961), Beauty and the Beast (1962), Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie (1964), Our Time (1974), Lipstick
Greta Wurm
Wyckoff, Gene Television writer Gene Wyckoff died of complications from cancer in Stamford, Con-
Meg Wyllie
Obituaries • 2002
332 was 72. Yakutis was born on March 21, 1929. He began his career as a storyboard artist at Disney in 1956. During his career he worked at numerous animation studios including DePatie-Freleng, Hanna-Barbera, Warner and Marvel. He served as story director for The Jetsons animated series in the 1960s and was designer for 1977’s Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown. He also served as production designer for The Pink Panther Show from 1969. Yakutis retired in 1994.
Yan, Rico
Meg Wyllie (as an alien Talosian from Star Trek)
(1976), Second Thoughts (1983), The Last Starfighter (1984), Nothing in Common (1986), Dragnet (1987) and Worth Winning (1989). Her other television credits include the mini-series The Thorn Birds (1983) and Hollywood Wives (1985), and the telefilms Death Sentence (1974), The Tribe (1974), Babe (1975), Bunco (1977), Elvis (1979), Better Late Than Never (1979), Rage! (1980), and Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (1981). She also appeared in episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Zane Grey Theater, Wagon Train, Death Valley Days, Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, The Virginian, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mister Ed, The Addams Family, The Fugitive, A Man Called Shenandoah, Lassie, The Rounders, The F.B.I., Batman, Cimarron Strip, It Takes a Thief, Bewitched, Then Came Bronson, Alias Smith and Jones, Emergency!, Gunsmoke, Cannon, Circle of Fear, The Waltons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Kojak, Barney Miller, Charlie’s Angels, Good Heavens, Eight Is Enough, Night Court, Highway to Heaven, General Hospital, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Misfits of Science, Who’s the Boss?, Hooperman, Designing Women, Reasonable Doubts, Major Dad, Delta, Coach, and several episodes of Mad About You as Aunt Lolly. Variety, Feb. 11, 2002, 70.
Filipino actor Ricardo “Rico” Yan died suddenly of haemorrhagic pancreatitis in Palawan, Philippines, on March 29, 2002. He was 27. Yan was born in the Philippines on March 14, 1975. A popular romantic lead in Filipino films from the mid–1990s, Yan was seen in Radio Romance (1996), Paano ang puso ko? (1997), Kay tagal kitang hinintay (1998) and Dahil mahal na mahal kita (1998).
Rico Yan
Yakutis, T.M. “Tom” Animator Tom Yakutis died of lymphoma in Carpinteria, California, on January 25, 2002. He
333
2002 • Obituaries
Yanovsky, Zal
Yellin, David
Zal Yanovsky, who was a guitarist with the rock group the Lovin’ Spoonful, died of a heart attack at his home in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on December 13, 2002. He was 57. Yanovsky was born in Toronto, Canada, on December 19, 1944. He teamed with singer-guitarist John Sebastian, drummer Joe Butler and bass player Steve Boone to form the Lovin’ Spoonful in 1965. They achieved as top ten hit with their first single, “Do You Believe in Magic.” They recorded such other hits as “Summer in the City” and “You Don’t Have to Be So Nice.” The Lovin’ Spoonful also did soundtracks to several films including Woody Allen’s What’s Up, Tiger Lily? and Francis Ford Coppola’s You’re a Big Boy Now. Yanovsky left the group in 1967. The following year he recorded a solo album, Alive and Well in Argentina. Yanovsky reunited with the original foursome to appear in Paul Simon’s 1980 film One-Trick Pony. Yanovsky was also a voice actor in the 1981 animated cult classic film Heavy Metal. The Lovin’ Spoonful were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 17, 2002, B10; New York Times, Dec. 17, 2002.
Educator and television personality David Yellin died of Parkinson’s Disease at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 25, 2002. He was 86. Yellin was the founder of the broadcast and film department at the University of Memphis and was host and creator of the locally produced current affairs television series Face to Face in the 1970s and 1980s. Yellin worked in radio in the 1940s, scripting episodes of the Superman series. He also was a stage manager on Broadway and directed summer stock theater, including a revival of Arsenic and Old Lace starring Bela Lugosi in Fayetteville, New York, in 1949. In the 1950s Yellin wrote articles for such publications as Saturday Evening Post, Esquire and TV Guide. His survivors include sons Doug, a film producer, and Tom, a producer for ABC News, and daughter Emily, an author and journalist.
Zal Yanovsky
David Yellin
Obituaries • 2002
334
York, Mike Mike York, a professional wrestler who was known as the Original Alaskan, died of complications from diabetes in San Rafael, California, on September 29, 2002. He was 52. He teamed with his older brother Jay in the early 1960s. He teamed with Frank Monte as the Alaskans in the early 1970s. They captured the NWA Title in Florida in December of 1971. York teamed with Brute Bernard to hold the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Title in 1973.
Young, Tony Tony Young, who starred in the television western Gunslinger in 1961, died of lung cancer in West Hollywood, California, on February 26, 2002. He was 64. Young was born in New York in 1937, the son of radio actor Carleton Young (not to be confused with the film character actor of the same name). He began acting in the 1950s, appearing in episodes of numerous television westerns including Bronco, Fury, Lawman, Maverick, Laramie, The Deputy, Cheyenne, Death Valley Days, Wagon Train, Bonanza, The Iron Horse and The Virginian. He starred as Cord in the short-lived CBS Western series Gunslinger in 1961. Young also appeared in a handful of films from the early 1960s including He Rides Tall (1964), Taggart (1965), The Blonde from Peking (1967), Charro! (1969), A Man Called Sledge (1970), Chrome and Hot Leather (1971), Play It As It Lays (1972), Black Gunn (1972), Superchick (1973), The Outfit (1974), Rape Squad (1974), Po-
Tony Young
licewomen (1974), and Guyana: Cult of the Damned (1980). He was also seen in the telefilms A Death of Innocence (1971), The Sex Symbol (1974), The Abduction of Saint Anne (1975) and The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975). His other television credits include episodes of Star Trek, It Takes a Thief, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, The Streets of San Francisco, S.W.A.T., The Rookies, Starsky and Hutch, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy, Knight Rider and Quantum Leap. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 5, 2002, B15; Variety, June 10, 2002, 57.