In January, 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 . . . . . Max Julien, Barbara Chilcott, Vladan Zivkovic, Jay Wolpert, Mario Lanfranchi, Joan Copeland, George Rossi, Bill Bryden, Sidney Poitier, Peter Bogdanovich, Dee Booher, Dwayne Hickman, Bob Saget, Nicholas Donnelly, Gary Waldhorn, Robert Allen Ackerman, Richard Folmer, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Jean-Claude Lord, Joe Dunne, Michel Ruhl, Michel Subor, Yvette Mimieux, Gaspard Ulliel, Gloria McMillan, Hardy Kruger, Meat Loaf, Mace Neufeld, Louie Anderson, Patrick Shai, Hartmut Becker, Serge Korber, Peter Robbins, Barry Cryer, Morgan Stevens, Donald May, Pete Smith, Jo Kendall, Howard Hesseman, Robert Wall and Carleton Carpenter.
* Max Julien - born
Maxwell Julien Banks on 12th July 1933 and died 1st January 2022, aged 88. Julien was an American Actor of film and TV who notched up just fifteen screen acting credits beginning with a role in the 1966 feature film
'The Black Klansman'. He would follow this up in 1968 with
'Psych-Out' with Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern and Dean Stockwell and then
'The Savage Seven' and
'Uptight' also in 1968, with
'Getting Straight' in 1970 with Elliott Gould and Candice Bergen and then in 1973 he gained top billing in
'The Mack' with Richard Pryor. Next up came
'Thomasine & Bushrod' in 1974 in which he also gained top billing with Vonetta McGee and which he also wrote and Co-Produced. This was to be his last screen acting role for twenty-three years with his next big screen appearance coming in
'How to Be a Player' in 1997, then, following a couple of short films, his final screen role came in the TV series
'One on One' in 2005. He also wrote and Co-Produced the 1973 blaxploitation film
'Cleopatra Jones', but refused to participate in the 1975 sequel,
'Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold', which led to his being credited instead with the film's story and script both being 'based on characters created by Max Julien'.
* Barbara Chilcott - born 10th September 1922, died 1st January 2022, aged 99. Chilcott was a Canadian Actress who accumulated twenty-six film and television roles throughout her career which began in the 1956 TV movie
'Christmas in the Market Place'. Her first feature film came in 1960 with
'Stop Me Before I Kill!', then
'The Trap' in 1966 with Oliver Reed and Rita Tushingham,
'Lies My Father Told Me' in 1975,
'M. Butterfly' in 1993 for David Cronenberg and finally
'No Contest II' in 1996 with Lance Henriksen. In the meantime there were appearances on TV series including
'Folio', 'Encounter', 'The Invisible Man', 'Danger Man', 'Festival', 'The Twilight Zone' and her final screen role in the 1996 short film
'Big Deal, So What'.
* Vladan Zivkovic - born 15th December 1941 and died 3rd January 2022, aged 80. Zivkovic was a Serbian Actor who accumulated 147 screen acting credits during his career which kicked off with an uncredited role in the 1966 feature film
'The Climber'. His first credited big screen role came a year later in
'When I Am Dead and Gone' and he would follow this up with the likes of
'England Made Me' in 1973 with Peter Finch and Michael York, then an uncredited role in Sam Peckinpah's 1977
'Cross of Iron' with James Coburn, James Mason and Maximilian Schell,
'Twilight Time' in 1982 with Karl Malden with his final feature film coming in 2021 with
'Bullets Over Marseilles'.
* Jay Wolpert - born 29th January 1942, died 3rd January 2022, aged 79. Wolpert was an American television Producer and Screenwriter who notched up nine Producer credits and fifteen as writer. His production credits all comprised of game shows including thirty episodes of
'Double Dare' between 1976 and 1977, then 1,384 episodes of '
The Price Is Right' between 1972 and 1978, sixty-five of
'Hit Man' in 1983, and
'The New Price Is Right', 'Wait 'Till You Have Kids!!', 'Shopping Spree' and
'Match Game' all between 1994 and 1998. His creation and writing credits took in the likes of
'Whew!', 'Into The Night', and then the screenplay for the 2002 feature film
'The Count of Monte Cristo' with Guy Pearce and Jim Caviezel and the hugely successful
'Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl' in 2003 with Johnny Depp and an ensemble cast. He was also credited with characters created by, on all the subsequent
'Pirates of the Caribbean' films. In addition, he also played bit parts in two feature films - in 1994's
'I Love Trouble' with Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte, and in 1995's
'Father of the Bride Part II' with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton.
* Mario Lanfranchi - born 30th June 1927 and died 3rd January 2022, aged 94. Lanfranchi was an Italian writer and Director of theatre, television and film and was considered a pioneer of early Italian television being the first one to bring opera to the small screen, in 1956, with
'Madama Butterfly' his Directorial debut. He would adapt other operas into made for TV movies including
'Turandot', 'La serva padrona' and
'La Traviata'. In 1968, Lanfranchi began his career as a feature film Director with the Western
'Death Sentence' followed by several other movies of different genres including
'The Kiss of Death' in 1974,
'Madame Is Served' in 1976 and '
Merciless Man' also in 1976 with his final directing credit coming in 1982 with '
Venezia, carnevale - Un amore' with Rudolph Nureyev and Peter Ustinov. He wrote the screenplays for all five of his feature films. In 1980 he moved to London, where he lived for the next twenty-five years, staging big musicals like
'Lust' and
'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' or plays like David Beaird's
'900 Oneonta' at London's Old Vic and Daphne du Maurier's
'September Tide' which ran for years in the West End and on Broadway.
* Joan Copeland - born
Joan Maxine Miller on 1st June 1922, died 4th January 2022, aged 99. Copeland was an American Actress and the younger sister of famed playwright Arthur Miller. She began her career during the mid-1940's, appearing in theatre in New York City, where, shortly thereafter, she would become one of the first members admitted to the newly formed Actors Studio in 1947. She moved into television and film during the 1950's with her big screen debut coming in 1958's
'The Goddess' with Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. From here her other feature films included
'Middle of the Night' with Kim Novak in 1959,
'It's My Turn' in 1980 with Jill Clayburgh and Michael Douglas,
'Happy New Year' in 1987 with Peter Falk and Charles Durning,
'Her Alibi' in 1989 with Tom Selleck,
'Jungle 2 Jungle' in 1997 with Tim Allen,
'The Peacemaker' also in 1997 with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, then she lent her voice talents to the animated film
'Brother Bear' in 2003,
'The Last Request' in 2006 with Danny Aiello, and
'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee' in 2009 with Robin Wright, Alan Arkin and Winona Ryder being her final big screen role. In the meantime there were numerous small screen appearances taking in the likes of 420 episodes on
'Search for Tomorrow', 334 episodes of
'How to Survive a Marriage', 'Cagney & Lacey', 'Chicago Hope', 'One Life to Live', on eight episodes of
'Law & Order' with her final screen role coming in the ten minute short film
'Love Is Like Life But Longer' in 2011. She also had numerous credits for both her Broadway and Off-Broadway stage plays from her 1945 debut right up until 2003.
* George Rossi - born 28th September 1961 and died 5th January 2022, aged 60. Rossi was a Scottish Actor of film and TV who notched up forty-four screen acting credits throughout his career which began with a bit part in the feature film
'The Chain' in 1984 which he followed up that same year with
'Comfort and Joy'. His other feature film roles took in the likes of
'Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire' in 1985,
'Crossing the Line' in 1990 with Liam Neeson,
'In Love and War' in 1996 with Sandra Bullock,
'Roseanna's Grave' in 1997 with Jean Reno,
'RPM' in 1997 with David Arquette,
'The Hot Potato' in 2012 with Ray Winstone with
'Le Cineaste - A Director's Journey' in 2020 being his final screen appearance. In the years in between, there were also numerous TV series roles including the mini-series
'The Singing Detective', 'Boon', 'Poirot', on thirteen episodes of
'Roughnecks', then on 192 episodes of
'The Bill' between 1993 and 2003,
'Holby City', 'Hotel Babylon', on six of
'Whitechapel' then
'Doctors' and
'Casualty' most recently.
* Bill Bryden - born
William Campbell Rough Bryden on 12th April 1942 and died 5th January 2022, aged 79. Bryden was a Scottish theatre, film and TV Writer, Producer and Director who notched up eight as Writer, eight as Producer and six as Director for his film and TV credits which began with his scripting the TV movie
'Benny Lynch' in 1976. He went on to co-write the classic 1980 Western
'The Long Riders', then
'Ill Fares the Land' in 1983,
'The Holy City' in 1986 and
'The Big Picnic' in 1996 being his final writing credit. He would Direct
'Ill Fares the Land', three episodes of
'The Mysteries' which he also wrote and Produced,
'The Holy City' and an episode of
'Performance'. His theatre directing credits are too many to mention here, but include
'Romeo and Juliet', 'The Iceman Cometh', 'The Crucible', 'Don Quixote', 'Glengarry Glen Ross', 'A Month in the Country', 'Uncle Vanya' and
'The Mysteries' (for which he won three awards for Best Director). Bryden was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993.
* Sidney Poitier - born 20th February 1927 and died 6th January 2022, aged 94. Poitier was a Bahamian-American Actor who accumulated fifty-five screen acting credits, nine as Director and four as Producer during a career spanning from his first credited screen role in the 1950 feature film
'No Way Out'. His other more notable acting roles took in the likes of
'Blackboard Jungle' in 1955,
'The Defiant Ones' in 1958 with Tony Curtis,
'Porgy and Bess' in 1959,
'A Raisin in the Sun' in 1961,
'Lilies of the Field' in 1963,
'The Slender Thread' in 1965 with Anne Bancroft,
'To Sir, With Love' in 1967,
'In the Heat of the Night' also in 1967 with Rod Steiger,
'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' with Spencer Tracy in 1967 too,
'They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!' in 1970 with Martin Landau,
'The Wilby Conspiracy' in 1975 with Michael Caine,
'Shoot to Kill' in 1988 with Tom Berenger,
'Sneakers' in 1992 with Robert Redford,
'The Jackal' in 1997 with Bruce Willis with the TV movie
'The Last Brickmaker in America' in 2001 being his final screen appearance. His nine Director credits all extended to feature films beginning with his debut
'Buck and the Preacher' in 1972 with Harry Belafonte, then
'Let's Do It Again' with Bill Cosby in 1975,
'A Piece of the Action' in 1977 with Bill Cosby again,
'Stir Crazy' in 1980 with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor with
'Ghost Dad' with Bill Cosby once more in 1990 being his final filmmaking outing. All up Poitier won twenty-eight awards and another forty-one nominations, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award for
'Lilies in the Field'. Poitier was granted a knighthood by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 1974 and in 1982, he received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 2002, he was given an Honorary Academy Award, in recognition of his 'remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being', and in 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States, by President Barack Obama. In 2016, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film.
* Peter Bogdanovich - born 30th July 1939 and died 6th January 2022, aged 82. Bogdanovich was an American Director, Writer, Producer, Actor, critic and film historian who amassed thirty-four film making credits as Director, fourteen as Writer, fourteen as Producer and fifty-seven as an Actor throughout his career which launched with his debut screen acting role in a single episode of
'The Kraft Theatre' in 1958 in
'Fifty Grand'. His debut big screen appearance came with an uncredited role in 1966's
'The Wild Angels' with Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern and Nancy Sinatra. His first Director, Writer, Producer and Actor credit came in 1968 with
'Targets', with his subsequent film making credits taking in the likes of
'The Last Picture Show' in 1971 with Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd and Cloris Leachman,
'What's Up, Doc?' in 1972 with Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand,
'Paper Moon' in 1973 with Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal,
'Nickelodeon' in 1976 with Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal and Burt Reynolds,
'Mask' in 1985 with Cher, Eric Stoltz and Sam Elliott,
'Texasville' in 1990 with Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd,
'Noises Off' in 1992 with Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve and Denholm Elliott,
'The Cat's Meow' in 2001 with Kirsten Dunst, Cary Elwes and Eddie Izzard,
'She's Funny That Way' in 2014 with Imogen Poots, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston with his last movie outing being the documentary
'The Great Buster' in 2018 celebrating the life and times of the silent movie era comic genius Buster Keaton. He would continue with his acting career right up until 2021 with more recent roles in
'The Other Side of the Wind' (Orson Welles last film which he also helped him complete) in 2018,
'It Chapter Two', on four episodes of
'Get Shorty', in the 2020 movie
'Willie and Me' and the 2021 short film
'Nightwalkers' being his final screen role. All up Bogdanovich won eighteen awards including the BAFTA win for Best Screenplay for
'The Last Picture Show' and a further nineteen nominations including two Oscar nods and a BAFTA nod for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for
'The Last Picture Show'. He also received a Grammy Award for Best Music Film for Directing the 2007 Tom Petty documentary
'Runnin' Down a Dream'. An accomplished film historian, he directed Documentaries such as
'Directed by John Ford' in 1971,
'The Mystery of Natalie Wood' in 2004 and
'The Great Buster : A Celebration' in 2018. In addition, he published over ten books, some of which include in-depth interviews with friends Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. Bogdanovich's works have been cited as important influences by many major filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Rian Johnson, David O. Russell, David Fincher, Edgar Wright, Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, and Noah Baumbach.
* Dee Booher - born
Deanna Booher on 6th August 1948 and died 7th January 2022, aged 73. Booher was an American Actress, stuntwoman, professional wrestler and roller derby skater. Booher made her first foray into professional wrestling by organising amateur mud wrestling shows, performing as a masked character named 'Queen Kong'. She later joined GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling) to cast, recruit and train performers for the first all-women's professional wrestling show. Following her professional wrestling career, she earned a living doing stunt work as well as by performing singing telegrams that incorporated aspects of wrestling. She gained her first screen acting role in the 1984 feature film
'Delta Pi', and which she would follow up with roles in the likes of Mel Brooks 1987 comedy feature
'Spaceballs' with John Candy, Rick Moranis and Bill Pullman, and other forgettable features including
'Deathstalker II', 'Dirty Laundry', 'Cage', 'Slashdance', 'The Nutt House', 'Brain Smasher . . . A Love Story', 'Save Me', 'Theodore Rex', 'Heaven & The Suicide King' and
'The Dog Wedding' in 2105 with the TV movie
'Femme d'Action' recently wrapped filming and due for a TV release later this year. In 2014 she released her biography
'Glamazon Queen Kong : My Life of Glitter, Guts, and Glory'.
* Dwayne Hickman - born 18th May 1934, died 9th January 2022, aged 87. Hickman was an American Actor, Director, Producer and TV Executive who notched up sixty-four screen acting roles and eight as Director and one as Producer during a career which kicked off in the 1945 feature film
'Captain Eddie' with Fred MacMurray, He would follow this up until 1950 with sixteen other film roles, many of them uncredited with the exception of
'The Return of Rusty' and
'The Secret Heart' in 1946, and
'The Boy with Green Hair' in 1948 with Dean Stockwell. His next big screen role came with 1958's
'Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!' with Paul Newman and Joan Collins, then
'Cat Ballou' in 1965 with Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin, then
'Ski Party', 'How to Stuff a Wild Bikini', 'Sergeant Dead Head' and
'Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine' all in 1965 too, with
'Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!' in 1967 being his last feature film appearance until 1995's
'Cops n Roberts' with
'A Night at the Roxbury' in 1998 with Will Ferrell and
'Angels with Angels' in 2005 being his final screen role. In the years in between there were appearances on TV series including
'The Lone Ranger', on 155 episodes of
'The Bob Cummings Show', in the title role on 148 episodes of
'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis', 'Wagon Train', 'Ironside', 'Mod Squad', 'Love, American Style', 'Murder, She Wrote', and
'Clueless'. Following his retirement he became a critically acclaimed artist and has had many gallery showings. His paintings are represented in galleries across the US and held in many corporate and private collections. His autobiography is titled
'Forever Dobie'.
* Bob Saget - born
Robert Lane Saget on 17th May 1956 and died 9th January 2022, aged 65. Saget was an American stand-up comedian, Actor, Writer, Producer, Director and television host who amassed sixty-three screen acting credits, seven as Writer, eleven as Producer and twelve as Director throughout his career which began with his directorial debut in 1977 on the documentary short film
'Through Adam's Eyes'. His first screen acting role came in 1980 in the short film
'Devices' with other feature films following taking in his debut in 1981 in
'Full Moon High', then
'Critical Condition' in 1987 with Richard Pryor,
'Dumb and Dumberer : When Harry Met Lloyd' in 2003,
'Entourage' in 2015,
'Benjamin' in 2019 with
'Killing Daniel' recently completed filming and due for a future release. In the intervening years there were also appearances on TV shows including
'New Love, American Style', on 192 episodes of
'Full House' between 1987 and 1995 and perhaps the role for which he is best remembered, on twenty-two episodes of
'Raising Dad', on thirteen of
'Surviving Suburbia', 'Law & Order : SVU', 'Law & Order : LA', on 206 episodes as the Narrator on
'How I Met Your Mother', and on fifteen episodes of
'Fuller House' - the Netflix follow up to
'Full House' in which Saget reprised his character of Danny Tanner between 2016 and 2020. He also voiced a character in the 2005 animated feature
'Madagascar' as well as lending his voice, Directing, Writing and Producing the 2006 mockumentary
'Farce of the Penguins'. From 1989 to 1997, he was the original host of
'America's Funniest Home Videos' across 191 episodes, between 2006 and 2008 he also hosted twenty-eight episodes of the game show
'1 vs. 100', and in 2019 he hosted ten episodes of the game show
'Nashville Squares'.
* Nicholas Donnelly - born sometime in 1938 and died 9th January 2022, aged 83. Donnelly was an English Actor of film and TV who accumulated just twenty-four screen acting credits throughout his career which launched with an uncredited role in the 1958 film
'Carry On Sergeant'. From there he picked up a role which was to last from 1960 through until 1976 on 206 episodes of
'Dixon of Dock Green'. His first credited feature film role came in 1979 with
'That Summer!' starring Ray Winstone, and then
'A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square' that same year with Oliver Tobias, David Niven and Elke Sommer, then
'Venom' in 1981 with Oliver Reed and Klaus Kinski, and
'Lifeforce' in 1985 for Director Tobe Hooper being his last big screen outing. In the meantime, and since there have been roles in TV series taking in the likes of
'Shoestring', 'The Professionals', 'Angels', 'Howard's Way', then ninety-seven episodes on
'Grange Hill', before his final screen appearance on two episodes of
'The Bill' in 1995.
* Gary Waldhorn - born 3rd July 1943 and died 10th January 2022, aged 78. Waldhorn was an English Actor of television, cinema and theatre who generated seventy-two screen acting roles throughout his career that began in 1969 on a single episode of
'Take Three Girls'. His big screen debut followed in 1971 in
'Zeppelin' with his subsequent big screen outings coming with
'The Great Riviera Bank Robbery' with Ian McShane and
'Hanover Street' with Harrison Ford and Lesley-Anne Down both in 1979,
'Sir Henry at Rawlinson End' with Trevor Howard in 1980,
'Victory' in 1981 with Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone with
'The Chain' in 1984 being his final feature film offering. In the meantime and the years since there have been many appearances on TV shows and mini-series including
'Softly Softly : Task Force', 'The Sweeney', 'The New Avengers', 'Space : 1999', 'The Professionals', 'Edward & Mrs. Simpson', 'Enemy at the Door', 'Brideshead Revisited', 'Minder', 'Campaign', on twenty-six episodes of
'Brush Strokes', 'The Chief', 'Lovejoy', 'Heartbeat', 'The Bill', 'Hotel Babylon' and on twenty-five episodes of
'The Vicar of Dibley' between 1994 and 2013 being his final screen role. Waldhorn was also an acclaimed stage Actor have appeared in many productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company including
'Twelfth Night', 'The Merchant of Venice', 'Much Ado About Nothing', 'Henry V' and
'All's Well That Ends Well'.
* Robert Allen Ackerman - born 30th June 1944 and died 10th January 2022, aged 77. Ackerman was an American Director and Producer of film and television who garnered seventeen Directing and seven Producer credits during his career which began with the
'American Playhouse' TV series in a single episode titled
'Mrs. Cage' in 1992. From here he went onto Direct a string of made for TV movies taking in
'David's Mother' in 1994 with Kirstie Alley,
'Radiant City' and
'Suddenly' both in 1996 and both with Kirstie Alley again,
'Outrage' in 1998 with Rob Lowe,
'Double Platinum' in 1999 with Diana Ross,
'Forget Me Never' also in 1999 with Martin Sheen and Mia Farrow,
'Baby' in 2000 with Farrah Fawcett,
'The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone' with Helen Mirren and Anne Bancroft,
'The Reagans' in 2003 with James Brolin and Judy Davis and
'Filthy Gorgeous' in 2004 with Isabella Rossellini and Nicolaj Coster-Waldau. His only two feature film credits were
'Safe Passage' in 1994 with Susan Sarandon and Sam Shepard, and
'The Ramen Girl' in 2008 with Brittany Murphy being his final film making offering. In the meantime he also Directed and Produced the TV mini-series
'Life with Judy Garland : Me and My Shadows' with Judy Davis in the title role in 2001 for which he was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Directors Guild of America Award and Davis won seven awards for her performance.
* Richard Folmer - born sometime in 1942 and died 11th January 2022, aged 79. Folmer was an American Actor of stage, cinema and TV who amassed just twenty-six screen acting roles during his career which kick started with the made for TV movie
'Doublecrossed' in 1991 with Dennis Hopper and Richard Jenkins, with his first feature film coming in 1994 with
'The St. Tammany Miracle'. He would follow this up with other feature films including
'The Man Next Door' in 1997,
'Last Fair Deal' in 2002,
'Seventy-8' in 2004,
'Factory Girl' in 2006 with Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce,
'Cleaner' in 2007 with Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris and Eva Mendes,
'Mad Money' in 2008 with Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes,
'Straw Dogs' in 2011 with James Marsden, James Woods and Alexander Skarsgard, and
'Cut to the Chase' in 2016 being his final feature film role. In the intervening years there were a number of TV series, video's and short films that took in the likes of
'Walker, Texas Ranger', 'Longmire' and the short films
'Nobody But Her', 'Broken', 'The Root Caller', 'Sparky & Butch' and
'Hit' most recently and currently in post-production. Over the years his theatrical roles included
'Death of a Salesman', 'Shadowlands', 'My Fair Lady', 'Fiddler on the Roof' and
'Brighton Beach Memoirs'.
* Jean-Jacques Beineix - born 8th October 1946, died 13th January 2022, aged 75. Beineix was a French film and television Director, Producer and Writer who generated eighteen Producer credits, fourteen as Director, and nine as Writer during a career which spanned from the 1970's where he worked as Trainee Assistant Director then Second Assistant Director to First Assistant Director on multiple films and TV series up until 1979. His feature film Directing debut came in 1981 with
'Diva' which won him eight awards and another nine nominations, and he would follow this up with
'The Moon in the Gutter' in 1983 with Gerard Depardieu and Nastassja Kinski, then
'Betty Blue' in 1986 which won five awards and was nominated a further twelve times.
'IP5 : The Island of Pachyderms' with Yves Montand and Oilvier Martinez followed in 1992 with
'Mortal Tranfer' in 2001 being his final feature film offering. Since then he helmed a number of documentary and short films as Director occasionally but mostly as Producer culminating with the TV movie documentary
'Les Gaulois au-dela du mythe' in 2013. All up Beineix won six awards and was nominated another thirteen times from around the awards and festival circuit for his work. In 1984 he formed his own production company, Cargo Films, in order to retain his artistic independence.
'Betty Blue' was his first film produced by Cargo, and he became Executive Producer of all its projects. The company produces feature films and documentaries on a wide variety of themes.
* Jean-Claude Lord - born 6th June 1943 and died 15th January 2022, aged 78. Lord was a Canadian film and television Director and Writer who amassed forty-one screen directing credits and eleven as Writer throughout his career which began with his feature film making debut in 1966 with
'Deliver Us From Evil'. Over the years that followed he would helm the likes of
'Bingo' in 1974, then his first English language offering with 1982's
'Visiting Hours' with William Shatner and Michael Ironside,
'The Vindicator' in 1986 with Pam Grier,
'Eddie and the Cruisers II : Eddie Lives!' in 1989 with Michael Pare,
'Mindfield' also in 1989 with Michael Ironside again and Christopher Plummer,
'Landslide' in 1992 with Tom Burlinson with
'North Station' in 2002 being his final feature film output. In the meantime and since Lord also Directed a number of TV series including the first thirteen episodes of
'Lance et compte' in 1986 as well as the series follow up between 2002 and 2008, plus
'Jasmine', 'Lobby', 'Diva', 'Quadra' and
'District 31' most recently in 2016. He also helmed a number of made for TV movies including
'Secrets of the Summer House', 'Out of Control', 'Ring of Deceit' and
'Second Chances'. He was conferred the Prix Guy-Mauffette by the National Assembly of Quebec in late 2017 in recognition of his contributions to the audiovisual industry and culture.
* Joe Dunne - born 27th October 1935 and died 15th January 2022, aged 86. Dunne was an English Stuntman, Actor and Second Unit Director who generated 115 stunt credits, twenty-seven as an Actor and fourteen as a Second Unit Director over a career spanning five decades and which began with two uncredited acting roles in 1960 on
'The League of Gentlemen' and
'Village of the Damned'. The majority of his subsequent acting roles went uncredited too, as did his initial stuntwork roles which began in 1961 on
'The Guns of Navarone'. Throughout the '60's and '70's his stunt performances were mostly uncredited on films including
'From Russia With Love', 'Thunderball', 'You Only Live Twice', 'The Dirty Dozen', 'Kelly's Heroes', 'Straw Dogs', 'A Bridge Too Far', 'Breaking Glass' and
'Superman II'. It wasn't until 1981 that Dunne began to gain the recognition he deserved with credited stuntwork on feature films taking in the likes of
'Victor Victoria', 'Flashdance', 'Blind Date', 'Roxanne', 'Chaplin', 'Fearless', 'The Usual Suspects', 'Mars Attacks!', 'The Jackal', 'Ronin', 'Reindeer Games', 'Highlander : Endgame' (on which he also served as Second Unit Director) and
'Doom' in 2005 being his final stunt coordinator credit. His final screen appearance came in 2020 on a single episode of
'Chicago Med' which was his first acting role since appearing as an uncredited extra on
'Superman II' in 1980.
* Michel Ruhl - born 2nd February 1934 and died 15th January 2022, aged 87. Ruhl was a French Actor who notched up eighty-one screen acting roles that began with the TV movie
'Je vivrai un grand amour' in 1961, and continued over the years that followed with the likes of his feature film debut in 1963 in
'Ton ombre est la mienne' then
'Nick Carter and Red Club' in 1965 with Eddie Constantine,
'Police Python 357' in 1976 with Yves Montand and Simone Signoret,
'Second Chance' in 1976 with Catherine Deneuve,
'The Menace' in 1977 with Yves Montand again, and
'Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky' in 2009 with Mads Mikkelsen which was to be his last big screen appearance. Over the years there were also numerous French produced TV movies, TV shows and mini-series. In addition to his acting career, Ruhl was well-known for dubbing - playing the voices of James Cromwell, Scott Wilson, and Terence Stamp.
* Michel Subor - born
Mischa Subotzki on 2nd February 1935 and died 17th January 2022, aged 86. Subor was a French Actor of cinema and television who accumulated sixty-four screen acting roles during a career which began with his first credited screen role in the 1959 feature
'My Pal the Gypsy'. He followed this up with subsequent big screen outings taking in
'Please, Not Now!' in 1961 with Brigitte Bardot,
'Jules and Jim' in 1962 for Francois Truffaut and with Jeanne Moreau,
'Le Petit Soldat' in 1963 for Jean-Luc Godard,
'What's New Pussycat' in 1965 with Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole and Woody Allen,
'Topaz' in 1969 for Alfred Hitchcock,
'The Day of the Jackal' in 1973 with Edward Fox,
'Beau Travail' in 1999 for Claire Denis,
'Fidelity' in 2000 with Sophie Marceau,
'The Intruder' for Claire Denis again in 2004,
'White Material' in 2009 for Claire Denis once more and with Isabelle Huppert and Christopher Lambert,
'Bastards' in 2013 for Claire Denis again and with Vincent Lindon with his final feature film coming in 2017 as a voice only on the biopic
'Godard Mon Amour'. He would also have roles in TV series and mini-series taking in
'A Tale of Two Cities', 'The Exile', 'Counterstrike', and on five episodes of
'War on Beasts' in 2018 being his final screen appearance.
* Yvette Mimieux - born 8th January 1942 and died 18th January 2022, aged 80. Mimieux was an American Actress of film and TV who accumulated fifty screen acting credits, as well as one as Producer and two as Writer. He screen acting career began in 1958 in an uncredited role on the feature film
'A Certain Smile' with his first credited role coming a year later in 1960's
'Platinum High School' with Mickey Rooney. Her breakout role came that same year in
'The Time Machine' with Robert Taylor, and over the subsequent years she would follow this up with other features including
'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' with Glenn Ford in 1962,
'Diamond Head' also in 1962 with Charlton Heston,
'The Reward' in 1965 with Max von Sydow,
'Dark of the Sun' in 1968 with Rod Taylor again,
'Skyjacked' in 1972 with Charlton Heston again,
'Jackson County Jail' in 1976 with Tommy Lee Jones,
'The Black Hole' in 1979 with Maximilian Schell and Anthony Perkins and
'The Fascination' in 1985 with Max von Sydow again being her last feature film role. In the meantime there were roles on TV series and made for TV movies including
'Dr. Kildare', on twelve episodes of
'The Most Deadly Game', 'The Love Boat', on twelve of
'Berrenger's', and on a single episode of
'Lady Boss' in 1992 being her final screen role. Her writing and Producer credits were for the TV movies
'Hit Lady' in 1974 (as Writer) and
'Obsessive Love' in 1984 (as Writer and Producer) in which she also starred in both. In 1992, Mimieux retired from acting to form a Los Angeles-based enterprise called 'Partners in Paradise', selling embroidered tapestries, bedspreads and pillows based on Haitian designs. She subsequently went on to find even more lucrative opportunities in real estate. In her spare time, Mimieux travelled extensively, painted and studied archaeology. She was nominated for three Golden Globe awards during her career as an Actress.
* Gaspard Ulliel - born 25th November 1984 and died 19th January 2022, aged 37. Ulliel was a French Actor of cinema and television who notched up fifty screen acting roles throughout his all too brief career which began on a single episode of
'Mission protection rapprochee' in 1997. His first big screen role came in 2001 with
'Brotherhood of the Wolf' with Vincent Cassel, which he would follow up with other big screen outings including
'Summer Things' in 2002 with Charlotte Rampling,
'A Very Long Engagement' in 2004 with Audrey Tautou,
'Hannibal Rising' in 2007 with Rhys Ifans,
'The Third Part of the World' with Clemence Poesy in 2008,
'Ultimate Heist' in 2009 with Jean Reno,
'The Princess of Montpensier' in 2010 with Melanie Thierry and Lambert Wilson,
'Saint Laurent' in 2014 with Lea Seydoux,
'It's Only the End of the World' in 2016 with Marion Cotillard and Lea Seydoux,
'To the Ends of the World' in 2018 with Gerard Depardieu with
'Sibyl' in 2019 being his final feature film release, before
'More Than Ever' with Vicky Krieps currently in post-production and due for a future release. In the meantime, there were a number of TV movies and TV series including four episodes on
'Twice Upon a Time' in 2019 and the Marvel Studio's
'Moon Knight' set to air on Disney+ from March this year with Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke. All up Ulliel was the recipient of seven award wins and another ten nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. In 2015 he was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.
* Gloria McMillan - born 13th March 1933 and died 19th January 2022, aged 88. McMillan was an American Actress of radio, theatre, television and cinema. From 1948 to 1957, McMillan played Harriet Conklin, on the radio series
'Our Miss Brooks'. Then, from 1952 to 1956, McMillan portrayed Harriet Conklin in the television version of
'Our Miss Brooks' across ninety-two episodes and in 1956, she had that same role in the
'Our Miss Brooks' film with Eve Arden. Her other five screen acting credits came with single episodes on
'Dr. Kildare', 'Most Wanted' and
'Perfect Strangers' in 1990 being her final screen performance. In between there was the feature film
'Smile' in 1975 with Bruce Dern and the TV mini-series
'Centennial'. In September 1969, McMillan opened 'Star Way Academy of Drama' with students enrolled in beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of classes, and in 1974, she opened 'The Looking Glass Studio of Performing Arts' in San Bernardino, with the goal of building self-confidence and self-respect in children. McMillan was a member of Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
* Hardy Kruger - born
Eberhard August Franz Ewald Kruger on 12th April 1928 and died 19th January 2022, aged 93. Kruger was a German Actor who accumulated sixty-seven screen acting credits to his name during a career which launched in the 1944 feature film
'Young Eagles' with his first English speaking film being 1957's
'The One That Got Away' which he would follow up in further British productions taking in the likes of
'Bachelor of Hearts' in 1958 with Sylvia Syms,
'Chance Meeting' in 1959 with Stanley Baker and Gordon Jackson,
'Hatari!' in 1962 for Howard Hawks and with John Wayne,
'The Flight of the Phoenix' in 1965 with James Stewart, Richard Attenborough and Peter Finch,
'The Battle of Neretva' in 1969 with Yul Brynner and Franco Nero,
'The Red Tent' in 1969 with Sean Connery and Peter Finch,
'What the Peeper Saw' in 1972 with Mark Lester and Britt Ekland,
'Paper Tiger' in 1975 with David Niven and Toshiro Mifune,
'Barry Lyndon' also in 1975 for Stanley Kubrick and with Ryan O'Neal,
'A Bridge Too Far' in 1977 for Richard Attenborough and with Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Ryan O'Neal,
'The Wild Geese' in 1978 with Roger Moore, Richard Burton and Richard Harris,
'Wrong Is Right' in 1982 with Sean Connery with
'The Inside Man' in 1984 with Dennis Hopper being his last feature film role. The TV mini-series
'War and Remembrance' followed in 1988/89 with his final screen acting role coming in a German made for TV film in 2011. In the late 1980's, Kruger largely retired from acting and became a writer, including novels, travel books and memoirs. He published sixteen books from 1970 onwards. Four of them have been translated into English. He also Directed a number of European TV documentaries depicting his travels around the world. During his career Kruger won five awards and was nominated five more times.
* Meat Loaf - born
Marvin (aka
Michael) Lee Aday on 27th September 1947 and died 20th January 2022, aged 74. Meat Loaf was an American singer and Actor, who as a singer was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on the list of best-selling music artists. His 'Bat Out of Hell trilogy' comprising the albums
'Bat Out of Hell' from 1977,
'Bat Out of Hell II : Back into Hell' from 1993 and 2006's
'Bat Out of Hell III : The Monster Is Loose' has sold more than 65 million albums globally. The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years, and still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and is on the list of best-selling albums of all time. As an Actor, Meat Loaf generated 108 screen acting roles throughout his career in film and television (including his music videos), which began with an uncredited role in 1962's
'State Fair' with Pat Boone, Booby Darin and Ann-Margret. His next role came in 1975 in
'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' with Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, with other more noteworthy feature films to follow including
'Scavenger Hunt' in 1979 with an all star cast,
'Dead Ringer' in 1982 with Cher,
'Wayne's World' in 1992 with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey,
'Leap of Faith' that same year with Steve Martin and Debra Winger,
'Spice World' in 1997 with the Spice Girls,
'The Mighty' in 1998 with Sharon Stone,
'Fight Club' in 1999 with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton,
'Formula 51' in 2001 with Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Carlyle,
'The Salton Sea' in 2002 with Val Kilmer,
'Chasing Ghosts' in 2005 with Michael Madsen,
'The Pleasure Drivers' in 2006 with Billy Zane,
'Absolute Killers' in 2011 with Edward Furlong with
'Wishin' and Hopin'' in 2014 being his final feature film credit. In the years in between there were appearances on TV shows including
'The Equalizer', 'Lightning Force', 'Tales from the Crypt', 'Nash Bridges', 'The Outer Limits', 'House', 'Monk', 'Glee', 'Elementary' and on seven episodes of
'Ghost Wars' between 2017 and 2018 being his final screen role. In 1999 Meat Loaf released his autobiography titled
'To Hell and Back : An Autobiography'. He died from complications brought about by COVID-19.
* Mace Neufeld - born 13th July 1928 and died 21st January 2022, aged 93. Neufeld was an American Producer of film and television who amassed forty-six screen production credits to his name during a career which began in 1975 with the TV movie
'The Owl and the Pussycat'. His first big screen credit as Executive Producer came with the 1976 feature
'The Omen' which he would follow up two years later in 1978 with
'Damien : Omen II'. From here he would serve as Producer, Executive Producer or Associate Producer on other big screen offerings including
'The Aviator' in 1985,
'No Way Out' in 1987,
'The Hunt for Red October' in 1990,
'Patriot Games' in 1992,
'Beverly Hills Cop III' in 1994,
'Clear and Present Danger' also in 1994,
'The Saint' in 1997,
'Lost in Space' in 1998,
'The General's Daughter' in 1999,
'The Sum of All Fears' in 2002,
'Sahara' in 2005,
'Invictus' in 2009,
'Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit' in 2014,
'The Equalizer' also in 2014 and
'The Equalizer 2' in 2018. Most recently he has also Executive Produced sixteen episodes of
'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'. For his production efforts Neufeld was honoured with six award wins and another five nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit.
* Louie Anderson - born 24th March 1953 and died 21st January 2022, aged 68. Anderson was an American stand-up comedian, Actor, Writer, Producer, author and TV game show host who accumulated forty-two screen acting credits to his name throughout his career which began with the 1984 feature film
'Cloak & Dagger' with Henry Thomas and Dabney Coleman. From here his other feature film credits took in the likes of
'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' with Matthew Broderick in 1986,
'The Wrong Guys' in 1988 in which Anderson had top billing,
'Coming to America' that same year with Eddie Murphy,
'Back by Midnight' in 2004 with Rodney Dangerfield,
'Sandy Wexler' in 2017 with Adam Sandler and
'Coming 2 America' in 2021 with Eddie Murphy again. In the meantime, there were appearances on TV shows and mini-series including
'Remington Steele', 'Grace Under Fire', 'Chicago Hope', 'Ally McBeal', 'Nash Bridges', 'Scrubs', 'Search Party' and
'Twenties' in 2021 being his final screen role, with his own
'The Louie Show' also featuring Bryan Cranston in 1996, and the animated TV series
'Life with Louie' which ran for thirty-nine episodes between 1994 and 1998 and which he also Wrote and Produced, and then forty episodes on
'Baskets' with Zach Galifianakis from 2016 to 2019. He also worked on game shows including on thirteen episodes of
'The New Hollywood Squares', on twelve of
'Hollywood Squares', 'Family Feud' and on 105 of
'Funny You Should Ask'. Anderson also authored four books
'Dear Dad : Letters from an Adult Child', 'Goodbye Jumbo . . . Hello Cruel World', 'The F Word : How to Survive Your Family' and
'Hey Mom : Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too'. All up Anderson was the recipient of four award wins and another nine nominations including a Primetime Emmy Award win for
'Baskets' and two Daytime Emmy Award wins for
'Life With Louie'.
* Patrick Shai - birth date unknown and died 22nd January 2022. Shai was a South African Actor and Director who generated thirty-seven screen acting credits, one as Director and one as Writer throughout his career which began with the 1986 South African feature film
'A Place for Weeping' and which he would follow up with the likes of 1988's
'Red Scorpion' with Dolph Lundgren,
'Blind Justice' that same year with Christopher Cazenove,
'Schweitzer' in 1990 with Malcolm McDowell,
'The Sheltering Desert' in 1991 with Jason Connery,
'Cry, the Beloved Country' in 1995 with James Earl Jones and Richard Harris,
'Danger Zone' in 1996 with Billy Zane and Robert Downey Jnr.,
'The Bang Bang Club' in 2010 with Ryan Phillippe and Taylor Kitsch with
'Gog' Helen' in 2012 being his last big screen role. Since then he has starred in forty episodes of
'Ashes to Ashes' in 2016 and on seventy episodes of
'7de Laan' between 2017 and 2020. His sole Directing credit came on the 1996 TV movie
'Stray Bullet', with his only writing credit coming in 1995's
'Hearts & Minds' which he also acted in. Shai was one of the founding members of Free Film Makers of South Africa.
* Hartmut Becker - born 6th May 1938 and died 22nd January 2022, aged 83. Becker was a German Actor of stage, film and TV who accumulated 104 screen acting roles throughout his six decade spanning career which kicked off with the 1964 made for TV movie
'Ein Sommer - ein Herbst'. He would follow this up with the likes of 1970's
'O.K.' which was entered into the 1970 Berlin International Film Festival, however, the competition was cancelled and no prizes were awarded, over controversy surrounding the film. Then came 1977's
'A Bridge Too Far' for Director Richard Attenborough and with an all star cast, with the TV movie
'Escape from Sobibor' in 1987 with Rutger Hauer and Alan Arkin,
'Triumph of the Spirit' in 1989 with Willem Dafoe' with
'Love Film' in 2018 being his final big screen outing. In the years in between he would also have appearances in the following TV series and mini-series
'John Ralling - Abenteuer um Diamanten' in the title role in 1975,
'Forgive Our Foolish Ways' in 1980 with Kate Nelligan,
'Jenny's War' in 1985 with Dyan Cannon and Robert Hardy,
'A Quiet Conspiracy' in 1989 with Joss Ackland, on fifteen episodes of
'Love on Lake Garda' in 2006 and with
'Leipzig Homicide' and the Munich set soap opera
'Lindenstrasse' both as recently as 2019 being his final screen roles. Following 1970's
'O.K.' Becker became one of Germany’s busiest actors in film and theatre, where he performed leading characters in plays from Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams at the State Theatres of Berlin and Munich.
* Serge Korber - born 1st February 1936, died 23rd January 2022, aged 85. Korber was a French Director, Producer, Writer and occasional Actor who amassed fifty-eight directing credits, twenty-three as Writer, twelve as Producer and seven as Actor throughout his career that began with an acting credit in the 1960 film
'The Army Game'. He would Direct his first film - the twenty minute short
'Un jour a Paris' which he would follow up over the next four years with a string of short films until his first feature film in 1966 with
'Seventeenth Heaven' with Jean-Louis Trintignant, then the likes of
'Perched on a Tree' in 1971 with Geraldine Chaplin, and he would earn critical acclaim with his tragi-drama
'Hearth Fires' which was the official French film at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. From 2004 onward he would helm six documentaries only beginning with
'Paris Romance' and ending up in 2012 with
'Jean-Louis Trintignant, pourquoi que je vis' being his final directorial output.
* Peter Robbins - born
Louis G. Nanasi on 10th August 1956 and died 25th January 2022, aged 65. Robbins was an American child Actor who rose to prominence and national fame in the 1960's as being the first actor to voice Charlie Brown in the
'Peanuts' animated specials. Robbins first began acting in various films and television shows at the age of seven. As a child, he made a guest appearance as Elmer in the popular series
'The Munsters'. Most distinctly, at the age of nine, Robbins provided the voice of Charlie Brown, in one television documentary, six
'Peanuts' television specials and one movie from 1963 to 1969, including the film
'A Boy Named Charlie Brown' and the television specials
'A Charlie Brown Christmas', 'Charlie Brown's All Stars', 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown', and
'He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown'. His career however, kicked off with the feature film
'A Ticklish Affair' in 1963 with Red Buttons, with other big screen roles coming with
'Moment to Moment' in 1966 with Jean Seberg and Honor Blackman,
'And Now Miguel' also in 1966 with
'Good Times' in 1967 with Sonny and Cher and Directed by William Friedkin being his final film role. In the years in between there were appearances on TV shows including
'Rawhide', 'The F.B.I.', 'F Troop', 'Get Smart', on sixteen episodes of
'Blondie' with
'My Three Sons' in 1972 being his final screen performance. At the time of his death, Robbins was working on his autobiography,
'Confessions of a Blockhead', detailing his life, his jail experiences (for which he would serve five years in prison for stalking, multiple probation violations and sending threatening letters to the manager and his wife of the mobile home park where he lived), and his future.
* Barry Cryer - born 23rd March 1935 and died 25th January 2022, aged 86. Cryer was a Writer, Comedian and Actor of radio, TV, film and theatre who wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Corbett, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie Howerd, Richard Pryor, Spike Milligan, Mike Yarwood, The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise. During his career he accumulated ninety-six Writing credits and thirty-four acting credits with his first big screen role coming with an uncredited performance in 1959's
'The Heart of a Man' with Frankie Vaughan, with another uncredited role in 1966's
'The Spy with a Cold Nose' with Lionel Jeffries, and he would follow this up by lending his voice talents to the animated film
'Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done' in 1975, then
'Bloodbath at the House of Death' in 1984 with Kenny Everett, Pamela Stephenson and Vincent Price and
'Run for Your Wife' in 2012 being his final film role. In the meantime, there were also appearances on TV shows taking in the likes of
'At Last the 1948 Show', 'The Goodies', 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum', 'The Steam Video Company', 'The Detectives', 'Believe Nothing' with the eight minute short film
'At the Cheap End' in 2019 being his final screen role. Cryer was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001. He was a member of the entertainment charity the Grand Order of Water Rats, and in 2021 was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Music Hall Society.
* Morgan Stevens - born 16th October 1951 and died 26th January 2022, aged 70. Stevens was an American Actor of film and television who notched up forty screen acting credits throughout his career which began with an uncredited role in a single episode of
'Mod Squad' in 1970. It wouldn't be until 1979 that he would get his next screen acting gig in
'One Day at a Time' with his first big screen role coming that same year with
'La ilegal' and
'Up River', with
'Survival Zone' in 1983 with Gary Lockwood being his final feature film outing. In the intervening years and since he also had roles in TV movies and series including
'The Waltons' and three made for TV movies
'A Wedding on Walton's Mountain', 'Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain' and
'A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain', then on twenty-seven episodes on
'Fame', 'The Love Boat', 'Airwolf', 'Magnum P.I.', MacGyver', 'Hotel', 'Murder, She Wrote', on twenty-two episodes of
'A Year in the Life', on six of
'Melrose Place', 'Murder One' and
'Walker, Texas Ranger' in 1999 being his last screen performance.
* Donald May - born 22nd February 1927 and died 28th January 2022, aged 94. May was an American Actor who generated forty-five screen acting roles which began with an uncredited role in the 1956 feature film
'The Wrong Man' with Henry Fonda. His first credited big screen role came with
'The Crowded Sky' in 1960 and he would follow this up with other films including
'A Tiger Walks' and
'Kisses for My President' with Fred MacMurray both in 1964,
'Follow Me, Boys!' in 1966 with Fred MacMurray and Vera Miles,
'O.C. and Stiggs' in 1985 for Robert Altman with
'Dirty Laundry' in 1987 being his final feature film role. In the meantime, there were appearances on TV series taking in thirty-nine episodes on
'West Point' between 1956 and 1957,
'77 Sunset Strip', 'Colt .45', on forty-two episodes of
'The Roaring 20's', 'The F.B.I.', on 2,840 episodes of
'The Edge of Night' between 1967 and 1977,
'Fantasy Island', 'Barnaby Jones', in 153 episodes of
'Texas' between 1981 and 1982,
'The Dukes of Hazzard', 'Dallas', 'As the World Turns', 'Falcon Crest' and
'L.A. Law' in 1992 being his final screen role.
* Pete Smith - born 7th August 1958 and died 29th January 2022, aged 63. Smith was a New Zealand Actor of Maori descent who generated just twenty-five screen acting credits during his career which launched in 1984 with a small role in
'Other Halves'. From here he went onto
'The Quiet Earth' which which won him a Best Performance, Male in a Supporting Role at the 1987 New Zealand Film and TV Awards, followed by
'Crush' in 1992 with Marcia Gay Harden,
'The Piano' in 1993 for Jane Campion,
'Once Were Warriors' in 1994 for Lee Tamahori and with Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison,
'In the Company of Men' in 1997 with Aaron Eckhart,
'The Boys' in 1998 with David Wenham and Toni Collette,
'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?' in 1999 with Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison,
'The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King' in 2003 for Peter Jackson,
'Spooked' in 2004 with Cliff Curtis and
'Hugh & Heke' in 2010 being his last screen role. In the years in between he would also appear in a number of TV series and made for TV films including on six episodes of
'Heroes' in 1986 and thirteen of
'The Market' in 2005 for which he would win the second of his two award wins with the Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in Television at the New Zealand Screen Awards in 2006.
* Jo Kendall - born
Josephine May Robinson on 17th February 1938 and died 29th January 2022, aged 83. Kendall was a British Actress of film and television who accumulated seventy-one screen acting credits to her name throughout her career which kicked off in the 1963 short film
'Duet'. She would follow this up next in 1967 with appearances on
'The Newcomers', 'Z Cars' and then on thirteen episodes of
'At Last the 1948 Show'. Her first big screen role didn't come along until 1979's
'Scum' with a young Ray Winstone, which she followed up with a role in James Ivory's
'Howards End' with Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and Vanessa Redgarve in 1992, and then another James Ivory film
'The Remains of the Day' in 1993 with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson again, with
'Bridge of Dragons' in 1999 with Dolph Lundgren being her final screen role. In the years in between time, there were numerous TV shows, mini-series and made for TV movies including the likes of
'Sinister Street', 'Broaden Your Mind', 'Jamie', on forty-eight episodes of
'Emmerdale Farm' from 1972 to 1973 where in she spoke the first ever line of dialogue on the programme.
'Man About the House', '. . . And Mother Makes Five', 'Within These Walls', 'The New Avengers', 'Grange Hill', 'Angels', 'The Brittas Empire', 'The Bill' all followed with mini-series roles including
'The Six Wives of Henry VIII', 'The Edwardians', 'The Pallisers', 'Treasure Island', 'The Good Companions', 'Fortunes of War' and
'Oliver's Travels'.
* Howard Hesseman - born 27th February 1940 and died 29th January 2022, aged 81. Hesseman was an American Actor who built up a collection of 154 screen acting credits, five as Writer and two as Director during his career which began on two episodes of
'The Andy Griffith Show' in 1968, with his big screen debut coming that same year in an uncredited role in
'Petulia' with Julie Christie and George C. Scott. He would follow this up in 1969 with another uncredited film role in
'Some Kind of Nut' with Dick Van Dyke, with his first credited feature film role coming in 1971 in
'Billy Jack', with
'Cisco Pike' also in 1971 with Gene Hackman and
'The Christian Licorice Store' also in 1971 with Beau Bridges.
'Steelyard Blues' came next in 1973 with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland and
'Kid Blue' with Dennis Hopper and Warren Oates, then
'Shampoo' in 1975 with Warren Beatty and
'The Sunshine Boys' with Walter Matthau and George Burns,
'Jackson County Jail' with Yvette Mimieux (who also died earlier this month),
'Private Lessons' in 1981 with Sylvia Kristel,
'This Is Spinal Tap' in 1984 for and with Rob Reiner,
'Police Academy 2 : Their First Assigment' with Steve Guttenberg in 1985,
'Heat' in 1986 with Burt Reynolds,
'Gridlock'd' in 1997 with Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur,
'About Schmidt' in 2002 with Jack Nicholson,
'Martian Child' in 2007 with John Cusack,
'Halloween II' in 2009 for Rob Zombie,
'Wild Oats' in 2016 with Shirley MacLaine and Jessica Lange and
'Dirty Politics' in 2018 being his final screen appearance. In the intervening years there were many TV shows and made for TV movies taking in
'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', 'Rhoda', 'Mannix', 'Laverne & Shirley', 'The Rockford Files', 'Soap', then on eighty-nine episodes of
'WKRP in Cincinnati' as the anti-disco DJ Dr. Johnny Fever between 1978 and 1982, on sixteen of
'One Day at a Time', 'Murder, She Wrote', on ninety-two of
'Head of the Class', on ten of
'The New WKRP in Cincinnati' between 1991 and 1993 again as Dr. Johnny Fever,
'The Outer Limits', 'The Practice', 'Touched by an Angel', 'That '70's Show', 'House', 'Boston Legal', and
'Fresh off the Boat' most recently in 2017. He was nominated for five awards - three for
'WKRP in Cincinnati' and twice for
'Head of the Class'.
* Robert Wall - born 2nd August 1939 and died 31st January 2022, aged 82. Wall was an American Actor, stuntman and martial artist who accumulated eighteen screen acting credits and whose acting and stunts career began on the 1972 Bruce Lee actioner
'The Way of the Dragon', which he would follow up with two other Bruce Lee collaborations on 1973's
'Enter the Dragon' and
'Game of Death' in 1978. He would also over the years have a number of roles in Chuck Norris features including
'Code of Silence', 'Invasion U.S.A.', 'Firewalker', 'Hero and the Terror' and
'Sidekicks' with fourteen episodes of
'Walker, Texas Ranger' between 1994 and 2001 with . . . Chuck Norris. Since then he has also had roles in
'Blood and Bone', 'Anatomy of an Antihero 3', 'Anatomy of an Antihero : Redemption' and
'The Emissaries Movie' as recently as 2021, with
'Cowboys from Hell' in pre-production at the time of Wall's passing. Wall was the founder and co-owner of the famous Sherman Oaks Karate Studio in 1967, who would sell his half in 1968 to . . . Chuck Norris. He also authored the first,
'Who's Who in the Martial Arts and Directory of Black Belts' book in 1975 and reprints 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012, and was a black belt in a number of martial arts disciplines including Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Tang Soo Do, Chun Kuk Do, Taekwon-Do, Okinawan Okinawa-te and Okinawan Shorin-Ryu. He moved into the real estate business and became successful at it from 1970, and in 1979 formed 'Wall Street Properties' resulting in his inclusion in 1983 and 1984 in
'Who's Who' in California and
'Who's Who' in Business and Finance in 1998.
* Carleton Carpenter - born
Carleton Upham Carpenter Jnr. on 10th July 1926 and died on 31st January 2022, aged 95. Carpenter was an American Actor of theatre, film and TV, a magician, songwriter and novelist, who amassed forty-two screen acting credits to his name in a career spanning four decades with his screen debut coming in 1949 in
'Lost Boundaries'. He would follow this up in 1950 with an uncredited role in
'Father of the Bride' with Spencer Tracey and Elizabeth Taylor, then
'Three Little Words' that same year with Fred Astaire,
'Summer Stock' also in 1950 with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland,
'The Whistle at Eaton Falls' with Lloyd Bridges,
'Take the High Ground' in 1953 with Richard Widmark,
'Up Periscope' in 1959 with James Garner,
'Cauliflower Cupids' in 1970 with Jane Russell,
'The Prowler' in 1981 and
'The American Snitch' in 1983 being his last screen outing. In the intervening years there were roles in TV movies and TV series including
'Men of Annapolis', 'The Millionaire', 'The Alaskans', 'The Rifleman', 'The Beachcomber', 'McHale's Navy', and
'The Ropers'. Carpenter was a successful mystery novelist in the 1970's and '80's. One of his books,
'Deadhead', was turned into a Broadway musical. Other books he wrote include
'Games Murderers Play', 'Cat Got Your Tongue?', 'Only Her Hairdresser Knew', 'Sleight of Deadly Hand', 'The Peabody Experience', and
'Stumped'. His memoir,
'The Absolute Joy of Work', was published in 2016.
With a staggering forty-one 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 many 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, and now the Omicron variant continues to tighten its grip around the world. However, we should all continue to be cautious by remembering 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 and a booster jab - together we can all beat this thing. Stay safe, remain healthy and wherever you are in the world, if you're in lock down, watch a movie on your favoured streaming service from the comfort of your own home. R.I.P. you screen legends.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
No comments:
Post a Comment
Odeon Online - please let me know your thoughts?