In August, the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . . Brian Henderson, Reg Gorman, Trevor Moore, Jane Withers, Markie Post, Brad Allen, Pat Hitchcock, Alex Cord, Ken Hutchison, Dilys Watling, Una Stubbs, Francis Mossman, Rock Demers, Sonny Chiba, Marilyn Eastman, Rosita Quintana, Michael Nader, Matthew Mindler and Edward Asner.
* Brian Henderson - born 15th September 1931 and died 5th August 2021, aged 89. Henderson was an Australian radio and television presenter best known for his pioneering work with the Nine Television Network as a News Anchor in Sydney presenting the New South Wales weekly bulletin from 1957 until 1963 and the National Nine News weeknights from 1964 until 2002 for a combined total of forty-five years before retiring in December 2002. In addition, Henderson also hosted the music programme
'Bandstand', based on the US music programme
'American Bandstand' from 1958 through until 1972. Henderson won his first TV Week Gold Logie award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television in 1968, and he received a second Gold Logie at the Logie Awards in April 2013 when he was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame. In the 2009 Australia Day Honours, Henderson was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for 'service as a pioneer in the television news and entertainment sectors, and as a mentor to aspiring and established presenters, readers and journalists'.
* Reg Gorman - born 2nd August 1932 and died 5th August 2021, aged 89. Gorman was an Australian Actor of television and film who accumulated ninety-four screen acting credits throughout his six decade spanning career which launched in 1961 in an episode of the TV series
'Whiplash'. His big screen debut came in the 1968 film
'The Drifting Avenger' which starred his wife Judith Roberts whom he married in 1964. He would follow this up with bit parts in other feature films including
'It Takes All Kinds' and
'The Intruders' both in 1969,
'Ned Kelly' in 1970 with Mick Jagger playing the titular antihero,
'Alvin Rides Again' in 1974,
'Inn of the Damned' in 1975,
'End Play' and
'Caddie' both in 1976,
'A Cry in the Dark' in 1988 for Fred Schepisi with Meryl Streep and Sam Neill,
'The Big Steal' in 1990 with Ben Mendelsohn,
'The Craic' in 1999 with Jimeoin,
'The Pawn' in 2010,
'The Cup' in 2011,
'Animals' in 2012 with
'The Comet Kids' in 2017 being his final feature film outing. In the years in between there were appearances on many TV shows taking in
'Skippy', 'Riptide', on thirteen episodes of
'Mrs. Finnegan', on eight of
'Homicide', on six of
'Matlock Police', on 1,115 episodes of
'The Sullivans' between 1976 and 1983, then
'Prisoner', 'The Henderson Kids', Neighbours', 'Blue Heelers', and on twenty-six of
'Fergus McPhail'.
* Trevor Moore - born 4th April 1980, died 6th August 2021, aged 41. Moore was an American comedian, Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, and musician. He was known as one of the founding members, of the New York City based comedy troupe
'The Whitest Kids U' Know', who had their own sketch comedy series on IFC which ran for five seasons over eighty-two episodes from 2007 through to 2012. Throughout his career which began in 1997 he accumulated twenty Writer credits, fifteen as Producer, twenty-two as Actor, thirteen as Director, five as Composer, and four as Editor. His first TV appearance came in 1997 in the self titled comedy sketch show
'The Trevor Moore Show' and he would continue with multiple roles on other TV shows including
'Uncle Morty's Dub Shack', the aforementioned
'Whitest Kids U' Know', 'Walk the Prank' and
'Just Roll With It'. He also appeared in a number of movies taking in
'Marathon', 'Miss March', 'The Civil War on Drugs', 'Our Robocop Remake' and
'The Story of Our Times'. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Moore hosted
'The Trevor Moore Quarantine Show' on YouTube. Moore and the other members of
'The Whitest Kids U' Know' created an animated film,
'Mars', which was in post-production at the time of Moore's death.
* Jane Withers - born 12th April 1926 and died 7th August 2021, aged 95. Withers was an American Actress and children's radio show host. She would become one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood during the 1930's and early '40's, with her films ranking in the top ten list for gross box-office takings in 1937 and 1938. Withers began her entertainment career at the age of three and, during the Golden Age of Radio, hosted her own children's radio program in her home city of Atlanta, Georgia. After relocating to Hollywood with her mother she secured her breakthrough role opposite Shirley Temple in the 1934 film
'Bright Eyes'. She made thirty-eight films before retiring at the age of 21 in 1947. Withers began filming her first lead role in the 1935 feature film
'Ginger' on her ninth birthday and that same year had a brief role in
'The Farmer Takes a Wife' and then starred in
'This Is the Life'. Throughout the remainder of the 1930's, Withers appeared in three to five films per year. In 1936, she starred in
'Paddy O'Day', 'Gentle Julia', 'Little Miss Nobody', and
'Pepper'. In 1937, she performed in comedies, dramas, and a Western with lead roles in
'The Holy Terror', 'Angel's Holiday', 'Wild and Woolly', 'Can This Be Dixie?', '45 Fathers', and
'Checkers'. In 1938, she filmed three comedies
'Rascals', 'Keep Smiling', and
'Always in Trouble', with 1939 seeing four more comedy roles
'The Arizona Wildcat', 'Boy Friend', 'Chicken Wagon Family', and
'Pack Up Your Troubles'. 1940 saw
'Shooting High' then a number of teen oriented films
'High School', 'The Girl from Avenue A', and
'Youth Will Be Served'. Up until her retirement in 1947 she would also make
'Golden Hoofs', 'A Very Young Lady', and
'Her First Beau' all in 1941,
'Young America', 'The Mad Martindales' and
'Johnny Doughboy' in 1942,
'The North Star' in 1943,
'My Best Gal' and
'Faces in the Fog' in 1944,
'Affairs of Geraldine' in 1946 and
'Danger Street' in 1947. She would return to the both the small and big screens in the years that followed in such other films including
'Giant' in 1956 with James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson,
'The Right Approach' in 1961 with Frankie Vaughan,
'Captain Newman, M.D.' in 1963 with Tony Curtis, Gregory Peck and Angie Dickinson and between 1996 and 2002 she would lend her voice talents to various Disney animated features including
'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and two spin off video games, plus the 2002 sequel
'The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2 : The Secret of the Bell' after which she did finally retire for real. In the years in between there were occasional largely one off roles in TV shows such as
'The Munsters', 'The Love Boat', 'Hart to Hart', 'Murder, She Wrote' and
'Amazing Grace'. In the mid-60's, Withers gained new popularity as Josephine the Plumber, a character in a series of TV commercials for Comet cleanser with the one-minute spot, which ran from 1963 to 1974, involving her in up to thirty storylines a year. Withers was active in numerous charities, serving as a board member of the local branch of the American Cancer Society and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and was instrumental in the development of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on which she was recognised with a star in 1960, and in 1979, she was the first recipient of the Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1st Youth in Film Awards ceremony. Following the death of Olivia de Havilland in 2020, she was the last surviving major movie star of the 1930's.
* Markie Post - born
Marjorie Armstrong Post on 4th November 1950 and died 7th August 2021, aged 70. Post was an American Actress and two time Producer who accumulated seventy-six screen acting credits during her career which kicked off in 1978 in the made for TV movie
'Frankie and Annette : The Second Time Around'. Her feature film debut came in 1981 in
'Gangster Wars' with her next big screen role coming in 1998 in
'There's Something About Mary' with Cameron Diaz, followed by
'Cook Off!' in 2007 with
'Muffin Top : A Love Story' and
'Sweet Sweet Summertime' both in 2017 being her final feature film roles. In the meantime there were many made for TV movies and TV series appearances including
'CHiPS', 'The Incredible Hulk', 'Hart to Hart', on the TV mini-series
'The Gangster Chronicles', 'The Love Boat', 'Cheers', 'Fantasy Island', 'The A-Team', then on sixty-five episodes of
'The Fall Guy', on 159 episodes of
'Night Court' between 1984 and 1992, on fifty-four episodes of
'Hearts Afire', on thirteen of
'Odd Man Out', 'Scrubs', '30 Rock', on eighteen of
'Chicago P.D.', 'Santa Clarita Diet' and on
'Soundtrack' in 2019 which was to be her final screen role. She also Associate Produced all thirty episodes of
'Double Dare' between 1976 and '77.
* Brad Allen - born
Bradley James Allen on 14th February 1973 and died on 7th August 2021, aged 48. Allen was an Australian martial artist, action choreographer, Actor, and stunt performer. He began boxing and karate training at the age of ten, studied Wushu and gymnastics from fourteen, spending two years learning under the Beijing Wushu Team. He was also trained in a number of other martial arts including Karate, Aikido, Hapkido, Taekwondo, Wing Chun, Boxing, and Kickboxing. In 1993, he made his first film appearance in the Hong Kong martial arts feature
'Drunken Master III'. Throughout his career he would go on to notch up ten screen acting credits, ten as Second Unit or Assistant Director and forty-four for his stunt work. He worked extensively for Jackie Chan joining Chan's stunt team, 'Sing ga ban', as their first non-Asian member, progressing through the stunt team, and ultimately became team leader. His stunt work included such feature film titles as
'Mr. Nice Guy', 'Hot War', 'Gorgeous', 'Shanghai Noon', 'Rush Hour 2', 'The Tuxedo', 'Shanghai Knights', 'Peter Pan', 'The Chronicles of Riddick', 'New Police Story', 'Rush Hour 3', 'Hellboy II : The Golden Army', 'A Christmas Carol', 'Avatar', 'Kick-Ass', 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World', 'The Adventures of Tintin', 'Pacific Rim', 'The World's End', 'Kingsman : The Secret Service', 'Wonder Woman', 'Kingsman : The Golden Circle', 'Solo : A Star Wars Story', with
'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' and
'The King's Man' both awaiting release later in the year. All up Allen won three awards and was nominated another five times for his stunt work. He had a global vision for action film making. He worked with an international team of skilled professionals from all over the world united by their passion for action and film making. His goal was to entertain, excite and motivate the human race. News of his passing was first announced by long term collaborator and friend Jackie Chan on social media.
* Pat Hitchcock - born 7th July 1928 and died 9th August 2021, aged 93. Hitchcock was an American Actress and one time Producer, and the only child of famed English film Director Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville. She accumulated just eighteen screen acting credits throughout her career which spanned from 1949 until 1978 with her debut coming in the made for TV movie
'The Case of Thomas Pyke' in 1949. She went on to have small roles in several of her fathers feature films beginning with
'Stage Fright' in 1950 with Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman and Richard Todd, then
'Strangers on a Train' in 1951 with Farley Granger and
'Psycho' in 1960 with Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. There were also uncredited roles in
'The Mudlark' in 1950, and
'The Ten Commandments' in 1956 with
'Skateboard' in 1978 being her final acting role. In the meantime she also appeared in ten episodes of
'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' between 1955 and 1960. Her one Producer credit came in 2000 on the documentary
'The Man on Lincoln's Nose' about Robert F. Boyle and his contribution to films. For several years, she was the family representative on the staff of
'Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'. She supplied family photos and wrote the foreword of the book
'Footsteps in the Fog : Alfred Hitchcock's San Francisco' published in 2002, and she also Co-Wrote a biography of her mother, titled
'Alma Hitchcock : The Woman Behind the Man' published in 2003.
* Alex Cord - born
Alexander Viespi Jnr. on 3rd May 1933 and died 9th August 2021, aged 88. Cord was an American Actor of film and television who amassed eighty screen acting credits throughout his career which launched in 1961 on a single episode of
'Laramie'. His first big screen role came with an uncredited role in 1962's
'The Chapman Report' with Efrem Zimbalist Jnr., Shelley Winters and Jane Fonda. His subsequent cinematic feature films took in the likes of
'Synanon' in 1965,
'Stagecoach' in 1966,
'A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die' in 1967,
'The Brotherhood' in 1968 with Kirk Douglas,
'The Last Grenade' in 1970 with Stanley Baker,
'The Dead Are Alive!' in 1972 with
'Fire from Below' in 2009 being his final screen appearance. In the meantime, there were multiple and single roles on TV shows including
'Route 66', 'Gunsmoke', 'Mission : Impossible', 'The F.B.I.', 'Born Free', 'Police Story', 'Police Woman', 'The Six Million Dollar Man', 'The Love Boat', 'Fantasy Island', on fifty-five episodes of
'Airwolf' (perhaps his most renowned role),
'Murder, She Wrote' and
'Walker : Texas Ranger'. His love for horses extended itself into work for numerous charities and benefits, being one of the founders of the 'Chukkers for Charity Celebrity Polo Team' which has raised more than US$3M and he also chaired 'Ahead with Horses', an organisation that provides therapeutic riding programmes for the physically and emotionally challenged. Cord also turned to writing, publishing several novels including
'A Feather in the Rain' in 2005,
'Days of the Harbinger' in 2013,
'The Man Who Would Be God' in 2014 and
'High Moon' in 2016.
* Ken Hutchison - born 24th November 1948 and died 9th August 2021, aged 72. Hutchison was a Scottish Actor who accumulated fifty-two screen acting credits throughout his career which kicked off with a single episode on
'The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm' in 1969. His first big screen role came with an uncredited role in 1970's
'Julius Caesar' with Charlton Heston and John Gielgud, followed by the likes of Sam Peckinpah's
'Straw Dogs' in 1971 with Dustin Hoffman,
'The Wrath of God' in 1972 with Robert Mitchum,
'Deadly Strangers' in 1975 with Hayley Mills,
'Sweeney 2' in 1978 with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman,
'Gandhi' in 1982 for Richard Attenborough and with Ben Kingsley,
'Ladyhawke' that same year for Richard Donner,
'Blonde Fist' in 1991, with
'As an Eilean' in 1993 being his final feature film role. In the intervening years there were also appearances on many TV series including
'Z Cars', 'The Protectors', 'The Sweeney', on nine episodes of
'The Onedin Line', 'Space : 1999', 'Hazell', 'Minder', 'Shoestring', on all six episodes of
'Hideaway', 'Casualty', 'Hamish Macbeth' and on five episodes of
'The Bill' between 1990 and 1999 being his final TV outings.
* Dilys Watling - born 5th May 1943 and died 10th August 2021, aged 79. Watling was an English Actress of film, stage and television who accumulated twenty-nine screen acting credits to her career which began in 1962 on seven episodes of
'Compact' before her three feature film appearances in 1963's
'Calculated Risk', then 1965's
'Two Left Feet' with Michael Crawford and
'Theatre of Death' in 1967 with Christopher Lee. She also appeared in TV shows including
'The Likely Lads', on ten episodes of
'United!', on four of
'Coronation Street', on eleven of
'Twice a Fortnight' and
'The Bill' and
'Minder' being her final screen role in 1994. Watling also appeared on mostly single episodes of variety shows with Britain's most loved comedy acts at the time taking in
'The Frankie Howerd Show', 'The Dick Emery Show', 'The Morecambe & Wise Show' and
'The Two Ronnies'. Watling was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her Broadway debut in the short-lived
'Georgy' in 1970. It proved to be her only Broadway credit. Other stage credits include the musical
'Pickwick' in 1964, the 1980 cast of
'Sweeney Todd' on London's West End, and the West End rock musical
'Time' in 1986.
* Una Stubbs - born 1st May 1937 and died 12th August 2021, aged 84. Stubbs was an English Actress, television personality, and dancer who appeared on British TV, on stage and occasionally in films. In 1953 at sixteen years of age she danced in a Folies Bergere-style musical revue,
'Pardon My French', at the Prince of Wales Theatre on London's West End, alongside Frankie Howerd, and she first appeared on television as one of the dancers on the British TV music show
'Cool for Cats' in 1956. After this she notched up seventy-six screen acting roles kicking off with two episodes on TV series
'Rush Hour' in 1958 with her first feature film role coming in 1963 in
'Summer Holiday' with Cliff Richard with her subsequent big screen roles taking in the likes of
'Swingers' Paradise' in 1964 with Cliff Richard again,
'Three Hats for Lisa' in 1965,
'Till Death Us Do Part' with Warren Mitchell in 1968,
'Penny Gold' in 1973,
'Bedtime with Rosie' in 1975 with Diana Dors,
'Angel' in 2007 with Sam Neill and Michael Fassbender,
'Golden Years' in 2016 with Bernard Hill with the TV movie
'Murder on the Blackpool Express' in 2017 with Nigel Havers, Griff Rhys Jones and Johnny Vegas being her final acting role. In the meantime there were numerous TV appearances on single and multiple episodes including on fifty-two of
'Till Death Us Do Part' from 1966 until 1975,
'Fawlty Towers', on twenty of
'Worzel Gummidge' on nine of
'In Sickness and in Health', on eleven of
'Worzel Gummidge Down Under', on nine of
'Tricky Business', 'Heartbeat', 'Casualty', on twenty-four episodes of
'The Worst Witch', on six of
'Eastenders', 'Midsomer Murders', 'Call the Midwife', on fourteen episodes of
'Sherlock' with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman with
'The Durrells' being her final TV series role in 2017. Stubbs was on the West End stage in
'Star Quality' in 2001 and
'Don Carlos' in 2005. More recently she appeared in
'La Cage Aux Folles', 'Pygmalion' and
'The Family Reunion'. She was in the original cast of
'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' at the National Theatre in 2012.
* Francis Mossman - born 14th April 1988, died 14th August 2021, aged 33. Mossman was a New Zealand born film and TV Actor based in Sydney, Australia who screen debut came in 2006 on the famed NZ TV soap opera series
'Shortland Street'. His big screen debut came in 2009 with
'The Richmond Family Massacre' with his only other feature film role coming in
'Ruben Guthrie' in 2015. He also appeared in several episodes of
'Spartacus' and on thirty episodes of
'The Horizon' between 2013 and 2017. After this he appeared in
'Dream Channel' and
'Americans in Oz' and the short film
'Dis-Connect' in 2020 being his final screen role.
* Rock Demers - born 11th December 1933 and died 17th August 2021, aged 87. Demers was a Canadian film Producer, occasional Actor and founder in 1980 of the film company Les Productions la Fete producing the
'Tales for All' film series for children. He accumulated thirty-five Producer and five acting credits to his name, in a career that began with his screen acting debut in 1983 in the feature film
'Maria Chapdelaine'. His first Producer credit came a year later in 1984 with the development of
'Tales for All' and the first film in the series
'The Dog Who Stopped the War'. The films were eventually Co-Produced overseas, and translated into other languages. The series ultimately saw twenty-four feature films, with the last one being
'The Outlaw League' which was released in 2014. He was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in November 1991, before being promoted to companion in May 2007. He received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, in 1998.
* Sonny Chiba - born
Sadaho Maeda on 22nd January 1939 and died 19th August 2021, aged 82. Chiba was a Japanese Actor and martial artist who used the stage name Chiba Shinichi throughout his professional career. When the retitled film
'The Street Fighter' was released in the US in 1974 they billed its star as Sonny Chiba. Later, he modified the name to JJ Sonny Chiba, with the initials standing for 'Justice Japan'. After appearing in the year long historical drama series
'Fūrin Kazan' ('The Trusted Confidant') in November 2007, he announced the retirement of the stage name 'Shinichi Chiba' being referred to from that time forward as JJ Sonny Chiba. As an Actor Chiba scored 209 screen acting roles beginning in the 1959 TV series
'Nana-iro kamen' and thereafter his output throughout the '60's, '70's and '80's was prolific to say the least in his native Japan in scores of feature films and latterly TV series. His first exposure to a real international audience came with the retitled film for American audiences
'The Street Fighter' in 1974 which he followed up that same year with
'Return of the Street Fighter' and
'The Streetfighter's Last Revenge'. His other international roles included
'Aces : Iron Eagle III' with Louis Gossett Jnr.,
'Immortal Combat', 'Body Count' with Robert Davi,
'Battle Royale II', 'Kill Bill : Vol. 1 and 2' for Director and Writer Quentin Tarantino,
'The Fast and the Furious : Tokyo Drift', 'Kill Bill : The Whole Bloody Affair', 'Sushi Girl', 'Take a Chance' with
'Bond of Justice : Kizuna' currently in post-production for a future release. Chiba was also the founder of the 'Japanese Action Club' (JAC), a group of martial artist/actors who train together in promoting realistic fighting techniques in Japanese movies and television shows. He died from complications arising from COVID-19.
* Marilyn Eastman - born 17th December 1933 and died 22nd August 2021, aged 87. Eastman was an American Actress and make-up artist who notched up just four screen acting credits to her name, beginning in 1960 on a single episode of
'Perry Mason' followed by her most famed role in George A. Romero's cult zombie classic
'Night of the Living Dead' in 1968 in which she starred, worked on make-up, props and co-edited the screenplay. It would be 1995 before her next feature film role in '
Houseguest' with her final screen outing coming in 1996 in
'Santa Claws'. Eastman had worked on many industrial films and also on commercials as well as on stage. She appeared in the 1993
'Night of the Living Dead: 25th Anniversary' video that chronicled the film's incredible history and success.
* Rosita Quintana - born
Trinidad Rosa Quintana Munoz on 16th July 1925, died 23rd August 2021, aged 96. Quintana was an Argentine/Mexican Actress, singer and songwriter and one of the top leading ladies of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Over the years her performances earned her acting awards from Mexico, Argentina, Russia, and Spain, and in 2016, she received the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences' Golden Ariel Award for career achievement. She notched up sixty-nine screen acting roles throughout her career which launched in 1948 in the feature film
'Ahi vienen los Mendoza' which she followed up over the subsequent years with the likes of
'Susana' in 1951,
'Women Who Work' in 1953,
'To the Four Winds' in 1955,
'30-30 Carbine' in 1958,
'Calibre 44' in 1960,
'Demon in the Blood' in 1964 with her final feature film role coming in 2005's
'Euthanasia Club'. Her career saw a resurgence in 1987 appearing in 234 episodes of
'La intrusa', then seventy-eight episodes on
'La duena' in 1995, and sixty-one of
'Asi son ellas' in 2002.
* Michael Nader - born 19th February 1945 an died 23rd August 2021, aged 76. Nader was an American Actor of film and television who amassed thirty-one screen acting credits during his career which kicked off in 1963 in a bit part in the feature film
'Beach Party'. This was followed up in quick succession with similar small roles on
'Muscle Beach Party', 'For Those Who Think Young', 'Bikini Beach', 'Pajama Party', 'Beach Blanket Bingo', 'Ski Party', 'How to Stuff a Wild Bikini' and
'Sergeant Dead Head' all within the space of two years. Then came
'Fireball 500', Roger Corman's
'The Trip' with Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Bruce Dern in 1967 with his next feature film not coming until 1992 with
'The Finishing Touch' and
'Fled' with Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin being his final film role in 1996. In the years in between there were also small screen appearances on the likes of nine episodes of
'Gidget', 'Magnum, P.I.', on 152 episodes of
'Dynasty', then on 405 episodes of
'All My Children' between 1991 and 2001 with a reprisal of his role on the same series for a further forty-two episodes in 2013, this being his final screen appearance.
* Matthew Mindler - died 28th August 2021, aged 19. Mindler was an American Actor of film and television who notched up eight screen acting appearances in his all too brief career which began in 2009 on a single episode of
'As the World Turns'. He followed this up with his first big screen outing in an uncredited role in 2010's
'Bereavement' and then his first and last credited feature film role in
'Our Idiot Brother' in 2011 with Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel. He would subsequently have roles in two short films -
'Frequency' in 2013 and
'Solo' in 2015, with the video
'This American Life : One Night Only at BAM' (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in 2014, then an appearance on
'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' with the made for TV movie
'Chad : An American Boy' in 2016 being his final screen credit.
* Edward Asner - born 15th November 1929 and died 29th August 2021, aged 91. Asner was an American Actor of film and television who amassed a stunning 417 screen acting credits to his name in a prolific career spanning eight decades right up to the present day with three credits recently completed production, five in post-production, one filming, six in pre-production and five movie projects announced at the time of his death. His first big screen roles came in an uncredited appearance in 1962's
'Kid Galahad' with Elvis Presley, with his first credited role came in the John Sturges Directed
'The Satan Bug' in 1965. His more notable feature film outings took in Howard Hawks
'El Dorado' with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan in 1966,
'They Call Mr. Mister Tibbs!' with Sidney Poitier,
'Fort Apache the Bronx' in 1981 with Paul Newman, Sidney Lumet's
'Daniel' in 1983, Oliver Stone's
'JFK' in 1991 with Kevin Costner and Gary Oldman,
'Hard Rain' in 1998 with Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman,
'Elf' in 2003 with Will Ferrell and James Caan, Pixar's animated feature
'Up' in 2009 lending his voice to Carl Fredriksen with
'Senior Entourage' in 2021 being his final film credit before
'Awaken' awaiting a release date with Lance Henriksen and Tobin Bell. He is perhaps best known for playing Lou Grant during the 1970's and early '80's, on both
'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and its spin-off series
'Lou Grant', making him one of the few television actors to portray the same character in both a comedy and a drama. He is the most honoured male performer in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, having won seven – five for portraying Lou Grant. His other Emmy's were for performances in two television miniseries on 1976's
'Rich Man, Poor Man' and 1977's
'Roots'. All up Asner notched up thirty-eight award wins and a further twenty-seven nominations including five Golden Globe wins and six nods in his total haul. Asner served two terms as President of the Screen Actors Guild, in which capacity during the 1980's he opposed United States policy in Central America, working closely with the Alliance for Survival. He played a prominent role in the 1980 SAG strike. He also served on the Boards of several non-profit organisations and charities.
Nineteen deaths reported this month from the film and television community at large, and that community is just a little bit poorer as a result. As some governments the world over are easing up on their COVID-19 restrictions, others are enforcing further stages of lockdowns, and in some cases are going through the ravages of a fourth and fifth outbreak as the Delta variant takes hold across the globe, including here in Australia. Remember the basic principles that continue to be advocated - maintain a safe distance, hand hygiene and wear a mask if you are unable to maintain a safe distance especially, and get vaccinated - together we can all beat this thing. Stay safe, remain healthy and wherever you are in the world, if you're in lock down, as we are in Sydney right now - watch a movie on your favoured streaming service from the comfort of your own home.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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