In March, 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 . . . . . Conrad Janis, Tony Walton, John Stahl, Alan Ladd Jnr., Roger Graef, Johnny Brown, Tim Considine, Mitchell Ryan, Lynda Baron, Kenneth Ives, Sir Jeremy Child, Ron Pember, Emilio Delgado, William Hurt, Peter Bowles, Alan Hopgood, Ralph Riach, Lawrence Dane, Denise Coffey, Marvin J. Chomsky and Paul Herman.
* Conrad Janis - born 11th February 1928 and died 1st March 2022, aged 94. Janis was an American Actor, two time Director and two time Producer, who also generated 102 screen acting credits throughout his eight decade spanning career which launched in 1945 in the feature film
'Snafu'. He would follow this up over the successive years with the likes of
'That Hagen Girl' in 1947 with Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple,
'Beyond Glory' in 1948 with Alan Ladd,
'Airport 1975' in 1974 with Charlton Heston,
'The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox' in 1976 with George Segal and Goldie Hawn,
'The Buddy Holly Story' in 1978 with Gary Busey,
'Brewster's Millions' in 1985 with Richard Pryor and John Candy,
'Nothing in Common' in 1986 with Tom Hanks,
'Mr. Saturday Night' in 1992 with Billy Crystal,
'The Cable Guy' in 1996 with Jim Carrey,
'Maneater' in 2009 with Dean Cain, and
'Bad Blood' in 2012 with Piper Laurie being his final screen role. In the years in between there were numerous appearances on TV shows including
'The Untouchables', 'Get Smart', 'Cannon', 'The Invisible Man', 'The Waltons', 'Happy Days', 'Kojak', 'The Love Boat', on seventy episodes of
'Mork & Mindy', 'St. Elsewhere', 'Remington Steele', 'The Golden Girls', 'Murder, She Wrote', 'Baywatch' and
'Frasier'. Janis was also a renowned jazz trombone player since the 1950's and along with George Segal, played in 'The Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band' who made several appearances on the David Letterman and Johnny Carson late shows, and also gave eight sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall.
* Tony Walton - born 24th October 1934, died 2nd March 2022, aged 87. Walton was a British set and costume designer was notched up twenty-three production design credits, thirteen costume design and nine art department credits to his film and TV career, plus numerous others for his stage work - both on and off-Broadway. His film and TV credits took in the likes of
'Fahrenheit 451' in 1966 with Julie Christie,
'The Sea Gull' in 1968 with James Mason,
'The Boy Friend' in 1971 with Twiggy,
'Murder on the Orient Express' in 1974 with Albert Finney,
'The Wiz' in 1978 with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson,
'Death Trap' in 1982 with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve,
'Heartburn' in 1986 with Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson,
'The Glass Menagerie' in 1987 with John Malkovich and Joanne Woodward,
'Regarding Henry' in 1991 with Harrison Ford with the TV movie
'Our Town' in 2003 being his final production design credit. He was also costume designer on many of the aforementioned films. For his film work Walton garnered three award wins and another seven nominations including an Academy Award win for
'All That Jazz' for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and a Primetime Emmy win for
'Death of a Salesman' for Outstanding Art Direction for a Mini-Series or TV Special. In 2012 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Art Directors Guild. Walton also was the recipient of three Tony Awards and a further thirteen nods for his stage work as Scenic Designer winning for
'Pippin', 'The House of Blue Leaves' and '
Guys and Dolls'. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art (University College London), where he began his relationship with Julie Andrews, whom he would later marry for nine years, ending in the pair divorcing in 1968.
* John Stahl - born sometime in 1953 and died 2nd March 2022, aged 69. Stahl was a Scottish Actor of theatre, film and television who accumulated twenty-nine screen acting roles during his career which kicked off on the 1976 TV series
'Garnock Way'. His first feature film appearance came with 1981's
'A Sense of Freedom', and over the years that followed he appeared in other features including
'Loch Ness' in 1996 with Ted Danson,
'Frankenstein' in 2011 with Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch,
'Much Ado About Nothing' in 2012,
'Victoria & Abdul' in 2017 with Judi Dench and Ali Fazal,
'Mary Queen of Scots' in 2018 with Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie with
'A Castle for Christmas' in 2021 with Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes being his last screen role. Stahl is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Lord Richard Karstark, an erstwhile ally but subsequent betrayer of Robb Stark, in seasons two and three of HBO's
'Game of Thrones'. He also appeared in other TV series taking in
'Taggart', 'Resort to Murder', on 115 episodes of
'High Road', 'Doctors', 'Rebus', 'Holby City', 'Shetland' and
'Midsomer Murders'. Stahl also acted in many theatrical productions and had stints at the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the National Theatre
.
* Alan Ladd Jnr. - born 22nd October 1937 and died 2nd March 2022, aged 84. Ladd was an American film Producer and one of the movie industry's most highly regarded Executives. He started in the film business as an agent in 1963. In 1969, Ladd moved to London to Produce, making nine films including
'The Walking Stick' in 1970,
'Tam Lin' also in 1970 with Ava Gardner and Ian McShane,
'A Severed Head' in 1971 with Lee Remick and Richard Attenborough,
'Villain' in 1971 with Richard Burton and Ian McShane,
'X, Y and Zee' in 1972 with Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Caine and
'Fear Is the Key' in 1972 with Barry Newman. He returned to the US in 1973 to become Head of Creative Affairs at Fox. Within three very successful years he was President of Twentieth Century Fox. 1974's
'Young Frankenstein', 1977's
'Star Wars', 1979's
'Alien' were just some of the classics during his time there. In 1979, Ladd left his position as President at Fox to found his own Production Company, The Ladd Company. He enjoyed great successes with comedies like 1982's
'Night Shift', and 1984's
'Police Academy' and Academy Award winners'
'Chariots of Fire' in 1981 and
'The Right Stuff' in 1983. In 1985, Ladd joined MGM/United Artists, eventually becoming Chairman and CEO of Pathe Entertainment. During his tenure, MGM/UA enjoyed hits like
'Moonstruck' in 1987, 1988's
'A Fish Called Wanda' and
'Thelma & Louise' in 1991. Ladd reformed the Ladd Company with Paramount Pictures in 1993 where he produced the hits
'The Brady Bunch Movie' in 1995 and Best Picture Oscar winner
'Braveheart' that same year. Over the years, Ladd's films have grossed billions of dollars, garnered over 150 Academy Award nominations, fifty Academy Award wins, countless Golden Globes and Palme d'Or honours, and a numerous other accolades that are too many to mention here. In addition to his extensive list of credits, Ladd was also an active member of the Producer's Guild of America, the American Film Institute Second Decade Council, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has served on the Academy Board of Governors and received an honorary degree from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema Television.
* Roger Graef - born 18th April 1936 and died 2nd March 2022, aged 85. Graef was an American born British documentary film maker, Producer and theatre Director. Between 1956 and 1962 he Directed twenty-four stage productions along the Eastern US coast before moving to England in 1962 where he Directed the Tennessee Williams' play
'Period of Adjustment' in London's West End. His first documentary making credit came with the 1965 twenty-eight minute short film
'One of Them Is Named Brett' and introducing the plight of Thalidomide children to the world. He followed this up over the successive years with the likes of
'The Life and Times of John Huston, Esq.', then
'Pleasure at Her Majesty's' in 1976,
'Decision : British Communism' in 1978,
'The Secret Policeman's Ball' in 1979,
'The Secret Policeman's Other Ball' in 1982 and
'The Secret Policeman's Private Parts' in 1984,
'Closing Ranks' in 1988,
'The Planning Wars' in 2009 and
'Monty Python : The Meaning of Live' in 2014 being his final film making credit. He also Executive Produced thirty-nine TV documentary series and made for TV doco's including eleven episodes of
'Police' in 1982 which showed the insensitive way in which Police treated an allegation of rape, and six episodes of
'Panorama' between 2010 and 2019. Graef was a founding Board Member of the British Broadcaster Channel Four, was the recipient of four award wins and five nominations including the BAFTA Fellowship Award win, and in 2006 he was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to the film industry.
* Johnny Brown - born 11th June 1937 and died 2nd March 2022, aged 84. Brown was an American Actor and Singer who accumulated fifty-six screen acting roles throughout his career which launched in 1966 in the feature film
'A Man Called Adam' with Sammy Davis Jnr. and Louis Armstrong. Over the years that followed he would also appear in other feature film taking in the likes of
'The Out of Towners' in 1970 with Jack Lemmon,
'The Wiz' in 1978 with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson,
'Hanky Panky' with Gene Wilder in 1982,
'Life' in 1999 with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence,
'Town & Country' in 2001 with Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton,
'Man in the Mirror' in 2008 with Martin Sheen with
'In Da Cut the Movie' in 2012 and
'In Da Cut' in 2013 being his final screen outings. In the meantime, there were also appearances on TV shows including on fifty-two episodes of
'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In', on fifty-eight of
'Good Times' in perhaps his best known role as Nathan Bookman,
'Fantasy Island', 'Moonlighting', 'Touched by an Angel' and
'The Parent 'Hood'. Brown began recording as a singer as late as 1961, with his first release being
'Walkin', Talkin', Kissin' Doll' in February of that year, when he was only 23 years of age at the time. His next record came out in early 1968 titled
'You're Too Much in Love With Yourself' - showing off his impression skills as Louis Armstrong.
* Tim Considine - born 31st December 1940, died 3rd March 2022, aged 81. Considine was an American Actor, Writer, photographer and automotive historian, who amassed forty-two screen acting credits during his career which began in the 1953 feature film
'The Clown' with Red Skelton and Jane Greer. His other more notable big screen appearances came with the likes
'Executive Suite' in 1954 with William Holden and Barbara Stanwyk,
'Her Twelve Men' that same year with Greer Garson and Robert Ryan,
'The Private War of Major Benson' in 1955 with Charlton Heston,
'Sunrise at Campobello' in 1966 with Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson,
'Patton' in 1970 with George C. Scott with
'Ray of Sunshine' in 2006 being his final feature film and his last screen role. In the intervening years there were also TV series including on twenty-six episodes of
'The Adventures of Spin and Marty', on the made for TV movie
'Spin and Marty : The Movie' and the
'Further Adventures of Spin and Marty' TV series as Spin Evans, then on two seasons as Frank Hardy in
'The Hardy Boys' mystery series in 1956 and '57, on thirty-nine episodes of
'The Mickey Mouse Club' and on nineteen of
'Annette' and on 185 of
'My Three Sons' with single appearances on
'Cheyenne', 'Johnny Ringo', 'The Untouchables', 'Bonanza', 'The Fugitive', 'Ironside' and
'Simon & Simon'. Considine was also a sports photographer and an American auto-racing expert. He was the author of
'The Photographic Dictionary of Soccer' published in 1979,
'The Language of Sport' in 1982 and
'American Grand Prix Racing : A Century of Drivers and Cars' in 1997.
* Mitchell Ryan - born 11th January 1934 and died 4th March 2022, aged 88. Ryan was an American Actor of theatre, cinema and television who amassed 136 screen acting credits to his name in a career beginning with the 1958 feature film
'Thunder Road' starring Robert Mitchum. From here he would go on to have roles in other noted films including
'Monte Walsh' in 1970 with Lee Marvin,
'The Hunting Party' in 1971 with Oliver Reed and Gene Hackman,
'High Plains Drifter' and
'Magnum Force' both in 1973 and both with Clint Eastwood,
'Lethal Weapon' in 1987 with Mel Gibson, '
Hot Shots! Part Deux' in 1993 with Charlie Sheen,
'Speechless' in 1994 with Michael Keaton and Geena Davis,
'Judge Dredd' in 1995 with Sylvester Stallone,
'The Devil's Own' in 1997 with Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt,
'Liar Liar' also in 1997 with Jim Carrey,
'Grosse Point Blank' in 1997 with John Cusack with '
Making Contact' in 1999 being his last credited feature film role. In the intervening years there were numerous roles on TV series taking in 107 episodes on
'Dark Shadows : The Vampire Curse', twenty-three episodes of
'Chase', eighteen on
'Executive Suite', eight on
'Having Babies', nine on
'The Chisholms', thirty-six on
'Santa Barbara', 119 on
'Dharma & Greg', with
'Cannon', 'The Rockford Files', 'Barnaby Jones', 'Hart to Hart', 'Hotel', 'Dallas', 'The A-Team', 'Mission : Impossible', 'The Golden Girls', 'Walker, Texas Ranger', 'Murder, She Wrote', 'The Practice', 'The West Wing' and
'The Drew Carey Show' in the meantime. Ryan was a Life Member of the Actors Studio and and was the Screen Actors Guild Foundation President.
* Lynda Baron - born
Lillian Ridgway on 24th March 1939 and died 5th March 2022, aged 82. Baron was an English Actress of film, TV, radio and theatre who notched up seventy-eight screen acting credits throughout her career which kicked off in a single episode of
'Theatre Night' in 1958 on an episode titled
'Living for Pleasure'. Her first feature role came with
'The Small World of Sammy Lee' in 1963 with Anthony Newley, and over the successive years she would follow this up with small roles in other films including
'Tiffany Jones' in 1973 with Anouska Hempel,
'Yentl' in 1983 with Barbra Streisand,
'Carry on Columbus' in 1992 with Jim Dale,
'Color Me Kubrick' in 2005 with John Malkovich,
'Scoop' in 2006 with Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman,
'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' in 2010 with Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and Josh Brolin,
'Run for Your Wife' in 2012 with
'Dream Horse' in 2020 with Toni Collette and Damian Lewis being her final screen appearance. In the years in between there were regular roles and one-offs on TV series taking in the likes of eight episodes of
'A Roof Over My Head', on twelve of
'Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt', on six of
'Grundy', on six of
'Doctor Who', on twenty-five of
'Open All Hours' in perhaps her best known role as Nurse Gladys Emmanuel between 1976 and 1985 and a role she would reprise in thirteen episodes of
'Still Open All Hours' between 2013 and 2016, on thirty-seven of
'Come Outside', on nineteen of
'Fat Friends', on nine of
'Doctors', on thirty-two of
'EastEnders', with
'Crossroads', 'Minder', 'Last of the Summer Wine', 'Coronation Street', 'The Bill', 'Peak Practice', 'Holby City', 'Casualty' and
'Father Brown' in 2017 being her last TV role.
* Kenneth Ives - born 26th March 1934 and died 6th March 2022, aged 87. Ives was a British Actor turned television Director who notched up fourteen screen acting credits and twenty-four as Director throughout his career which began with his debut screen role in the made for TV movie of
'Treasure Island' in 1965. His further acting roles came with the likes of five episodes on
'Doctor Who' in 1968, in the feature film
'The Lion in Winter' with Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn in 1968, then on
'Canterbury Tales', 'The First Churchills', 'The Last of the Mohicans' and
'Arthur of the Britons' in 1973 being his final acting gig before turning to Directing. His debut as Director came in two made for TV short films of thirty minutes each in 1973 -
'And All Who Sail in Her' and
'I Want to Marry Your Son' which he would follow up with multiple episodes helming
'Poldark' in 1975,
'Softly Softly : Task Force' between 1973 and '76,
'Secret Army' in 1977,
'1990' and
'All Creatures Great and Small' both in 1978, with the TV movies
'The Caretaker', 'Landscape', 'Possibilities', 'A Kind of Alaska', 'Vicious Circle' and
'Edge of the Wind' between 1981 and 1985 rounding out his directorial career.
* Sir Jeremy Child - born
Coles John Jeremy Child on 20th September 1944 and died 7th March 2022, aged 77. Child was a British Actor of film and television who accumulated 124 screen acting roles throughout his career which began with the 1967 feature film
'Privilege' and which continued over the next six decades with other big screen outings including
'Play Dirty' in 1969 with Michael Caine,
'The Stud' in 1978 with Joan Collins and Oliver Tobias,
'Quadrophenia' in 1979 with Phil Daniels, Sting and Leslie Ash,
'Give My Regards to Broad Street' in 1984 with Paul McCartney,
'A Fish Called Wanda' in 1988 with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and John Cleese,
'The Madness of King George' in 1994 with Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren,
'Behind the Lines' in 1997 with Jonathan Pryce and Jonny Lee Miller,
'Wimbledon' in 2004 with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany,
'Separate Lies' in 2005 with Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson,
'Foster' in 2011 with Toni Collette,
'The Iron Lady' in 2011 with Meryl Streep, and
'The Darkest Hour' in 2017 with Gary Oldman being his final feature film role. In the years in between there were numerous single and multiple appearances on TV movies, TV shows and mini-series taking in
'The Persuaders', 'Father, Dear Father', 'The Sweeney', 'The New Avengers', 'Edward & Mrs. Simpson', 'Sapphire & Steele', 'Vice Versa', 'Bergerac', 'Minder', 'Hart to Hart', 'Fairly Secret Army', 'First Among Equals', 'Game, Set, and Match', 'Love in a Cold Climate', 'Midsomer Murders', 'Casualty', 'EastEnders', 'Judge John Deed', 'Doctors' with
'The Little Drummer Girl' being his last screen role in 2018. He succeeded his father, Sir Coles John Child, in 1971 to the Child Baronetcy of Bromley Place, becoming Sir Coles John Jeremy Child, third Baronet, a title he never used.
* Ron Pember - born 11th April 1934 and died 8th March 2022, aged 87. Pember was a British Actor of stage, film and TV and theatre Director who garnered 144 screen acting credits during his career which launched in 1961 on a single episode of the TV series
'Looking About'. He scored his first big screen role in an uncredited performance in 1964's
'The Pumpkin Eater' with Peter Finch and Anne Bancroft, and he would follow this up with small bit parts in other feature films including in Ken Loach's 1967 film
'Poor Cow', 1969's
'Oh! What a Lovely War' for Richard Attenborough,
'Julius Caesar' in 1970 with Charlton Heston,
'Young Winston' in 1972 for Richard Attenborough again,
'The Land That Time Forgot' in 1974 with Doug McClure,
'Aces High' in 1976 with Malcolm McDowell,
'Murder by Decree' in 1979 with Christopher Plummer and James Mason and
'Personal Services' in 1987 with Julie Walters being his final big screen role. In the years in between and since he also appeared in many TV series, mini-series and made for TV movies taking in the likes of
'Dixon of Dock Green', 'The Pilgrim's Progress', 'The Saint', 'The Avengers', 'Department S', 'UFO', 'Callan', 'Softy Softly : Task Force', 'Emmerdale Farm', 'The Sweeney', 'Nicholas Nickleby', on twenty-eight episodes of
'Secret Army', 'Minder', 'Only Fools and Horses', 'The Invisible Man', 'Red Dwarf', 'Hill Street Blues', 'The Bill', 'Rumpole of the Bailey', with
'Covington Cross' in 1992 being his final screen role, after which he retired following a stroke. He also worked extensively over the years at London's Mermaid Theatre and for the National Theatre Company in London where he acted and/or Directed many stage productions. Pember also wrote a stage musical
'Jack the Ripper' in 1974, about the Victorian murder spree in London in the late 1880's, which is regularly produced by amateur theatre groups and companies around the world.
* Emilio Delgado - born 8th May 1940, and died 10th March 2022, aged 81. Delgado was an American Actor and singer, who amassed sixty-two screen acting credits during his career which kicked off on the TV series
'Cancion de la Raza' in 1968 and thereafter he is perhaps best known for his role as Luis, the Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's TV series
'Sesame Street' which he joined in 1971 and remained until his contract was not renewed in 2016 having appeared in 429 episodes over that time. During that time he appeared in numerous TV movies, video shorts and video games as Luis including the feature length films
'Follow That Bird' in 1985 and
'The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland' in 1999. His other screen roles took in the likes of
'Police Story', 'Cannon', 'Hawaii Five-O', 'Falcon Crest', on nineteen episodes of
'Lou Grant', 'Law & Order', 'Person of Interest', 'House of Cards', and
'Law & Order : SVU', plus three other feature films
'A Case of You' in 2013 with Justin Long,
'Peeples' also in 2013 with Craig Robinson and
'iGilbert' in 2021 being his final screen role. Delgado was presented with a proclamation by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declaring 'Emilio Delgado Day' on October 15, 2019 at a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration held at Gracie Mansion in New York City, honouring him as a 'Trailblazing Mexican-American Artist' in his five decade career as an Actor. Delgado's other creative endeavour was to sing and record with the band Pink Martini. He performed with the band at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York City and The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles amongst other venues.
* William Hurt - born 20th March 1950 and died 13th March 2022, aged 71. Hurt was an American Actor of stage, film and television who generated 106 screen acting roles throughout his career which launched on two episodes of the TV series
'Kojak' in 1977. His first big screen role came in 1980 in the Ken Russell Directed
'Altered States' for which Hurt gained a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture. He would follow this up with other notable feature films including
'Body Heat' in 1981 with Kathleen Turner,
'The Big Chill' in 1983 with Glenn Close and Jeff Goldblum,
'Gorky Park' that same year with Lee Marvin,
'Kiss of the Spider Woman' in 1985 with Raul Julia,
'Children of a Lesser God' in 1986 with Marlee Matlin,
'Broadcast News' in 1987 with Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter,
'The Accidental Tourist' in 1988 with Kathleen Turner and Geena Davis,
'Trial by Jury' in 1994 with Joanne Whalley and Gabriele Byrne,
'Jane Eyre' in 1996 with Charlotte Gainsbourg,
'Michael' in 1996 with John Travolta,
'Lost in Space' in 1998 with Gary Oldman,
'Sunshine' in 1999 with Ralph Fiennes,
'A.I. Artificial Intelligence' in 2001 with Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law,
'Changing Lanes' in 2002 with Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson,
'The Village' in 2004 with Sigourney Weaver and Joaquin Phoenix,
'A History of Violence' with Viggo Mortensen in 2005,
'Syriana' in 2005 also with George Clooney,
'The Good Shepherd' in 2006 with Matt Damon,
'Mr. Brooks' in 2007 with Kevin Costner,
'Vantage Point' in 2008 with Dennis Quaid,
'Robin Hood' in 2010 with Russell Crowe,
'The Last Full Measure' in 2019 with Sebastian Stan with
'The King's Daughter' with Pierce Brosnan in 2022 being his final film role. There were also five films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which he portrayed Thaddeus Ross, these being 2008's
'The Incredible Hulk', 2016's
'Captain America : Civil War',
'Avengers : Infinity War' in 2018 and
'Avengers : Endgame' in 2019 and
'Black Widow' in 2021. In between time there were also TV shows and mini-series including
'Dune', 'Frankenstein', 'Damages', 'Bonnie & Clyde', 'Humans', 'Condor', 'Goliath' and the animated series
'Pantheon' currently filming at the time of his passing. All up Hurt won eighteen awards and a further twenty-nine nominations including three consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor, for
'Kiss of the Spider Woman' in 1985,
'Children of a Lesser God' in 1986 and
'Broadcast News' in 1987, winning for the first of these. He earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for his supporting performance in David Cronenberg's crime thriller
'A History of Violence' in 2005. He also remained an active stage actor throughout the 1980's, appearing in off-Broadway productions including
'Henry V', 'Fifth of July', 'Richard II' and
'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Hurt received his first Tony Award nomination in 1985 for the Broadway production of
'Hurlyburly'.
* Peter Bowles - born 16th October 1936 and died 17th March 2022, aged 85. Bowles was an English Actor of theatre, cinema and television who amassed 140 screen acting credits throughout his seven decade spanning career. His screen career launched with an uncredited role in the 1956 feature film
'The Extra Day' with Richard Basehart, and from there he would go on to have largely supporting roles in the likes of
'Live Now - Pay Later' his first credited big screen role in 1962, then
'Three Hats for Lisa' in 1965 with Joe Brown,
'Blow-Up' in 1966 with Vanessa Redgrave,
'The Charge of the Light Brigade' in 1968 with Trevor Howard and Vanessa Redgrave,
'Sudden Terror' in 1970 with Mark Lester,
'A Day in the Death of Joe Egg' with Alan Bates in 1972,
'The Legend of Hell House' in 1973 with Roddy McDowall,
'The Disappearance' in 1977 with Donald Sutherland,
'The Steal' in 1995 with Alfred Molina,
'One of the Hollywood Ten' in 2000 with Jeff Goldblum,
'Color Me Kubrick' in 2005 with John Malkovich,
'The Bank Job' in 2008 with Jason Statham,
'Love's Kitchen' in 2011 with Dougray Scott,
'Together' in 2018 with Sylvia Sims, and
'Off the Rails' in 2021 with Jenny Seagrove and Kelly Preston being his final screen role. Over the years in between there were numerous TV shows and mini-series including
'Emergency-Ward 10', 'The Avengers', 'Department S', 'The Persuaders', 'The Protectors', 'Space : 1999', 'I, Claudius', 'Pennies from Heaven', 'Only When I Laugh', 'The Bounder', 'The Irish R.M.', 'Executive Stress', 'Perfect Scoundrels', 'Rumpole of the Bailey', 'To the Manor Born', and
'Victoria' being his final small screen role across fourteen episodes from 2016 to 2019. Bowles published his autobiography,
'Ask Me if I'm Happy. An Actor's Life', in April 2010.
* Alan Hopgood - born 29th September 1934, died 19th March 2022, aged 87. Hopgood was an Australian Actor of stage, cinema and TV, and Writer who amassed seventy-nine screen acting credits and thirty-two as Writer throughout his career which kicked off with the 1957 made for TV movie
'Sound of Thunder'. He would follow this up with thirteen more TV movies between 1959 and 1965, with his first big screen role coming in 1979's
'My Brilliant Career' with Judy Davis and Sam Neill, then
'The Blue Lagoon' in 1980 with Brooke Shields,
'Road Games' in 1981 with Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis,
'Return to Snowy River' in 1988 with Tom Burlinson,
'A Cry in the Dark' also in 1988 with Meryl Streep and Sam Neill,
'Knowing' in 2009 with Nicolas Cage with
'Last Dance' in 2012 being his final feature film role. In the meantime, there were also roles on further TV movies, mini-series and TV shows taking in
'Matlock Police', 'Homicide', then 872 episodes of
'Bellbird' as Dr. Reed between 1972 and 1977,
'Cop Shop', on seventy-five episodes of
'Prisoner', 'The Flying Doctors', 'A Country Practice', 'The Secret Life of Us', 'Blue Heelers', on twenty-two of
'Holly's Heroes', and on thirty-four episodes of
'Neighbours' between 1986 and 2013. His screenwriting credits included the creation and screenplay for the 1973 film
'Alvin Purple' and as Writer on the subsequent TV series of the same name, plus multiple episodes of
'And Here Comes Bucknuckle', 'Sugar and Spice', 'Pugwall', 'The Flying Doctors' and
'Neighbours'. He was awarded the A.M. (Member of the Order of Australia) in the 2005 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to the performing arts as an Actor, screenwriter, playwright and Producer, and to the community through raising awareness of mens health issues, being a survivor of prostate cancer himself and which he chronicled in his book on the experience
'Surviving Prostate Cancer – One Man's Journey' published in 1996 and which was widely praised.
* Ralph Riach - born 26th January 1936 and died 21st March 2022, aged 86. Riach was a Scottish Actor of film and television whose screen career began at the age of fifty when he first appeared on screen in his debut credited role in 1986 on a single episode of
'Lost Empires'. Of his seventy screen acting credits his feature films took in the likes of
'Crossing the Line' in 1990 with Liam Neeson,
'Braveheart' in 1995 for and with Mel Gibson,
'Dangerous Beauty' in 1998 with Catherine McCormack and Rufus Sewell,
'The Governess' in 1998 with Minnie Driver,
'My Life So Far' in 1999 with Colin Firth,
'The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc' also in 1990 with Milla Jovovich and John Malkovich,
'Copying Beethoven' in 2006 with Ed Harris,
'Death Defying Acts' in 2007 with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce,
'Cloud Atlas' in 2012 with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry,
'What We Did on Our Holiday' with Rosamund Pike, David Tennant and Billy Connolly, and
'The Party's Just Beginning' in 2018 with with and for Karen Gillan being his final feature film role. In the intervening years there were also roles on made for TV movies, mini-series and TV shows including
'First Among Equals', on fifteen episodes of
'Chancer', on ten of
'Doctor Finlay', on twenty of
'Hamish Macbeth', 'Casualty', 'Peak Practice', 'Brotherly Love', 'Monarch of the Glen', 'Taggart', 'Doctors', 'Holby City', and on nine episodes of
'Fortitude' most recently in 2017/18.
* Lawrence Dane - born
Lawrence Joseph Zahab on 3rd April 1937 and died 21st March 2022, aged 84. Dane was a Canadian Actor who amassed 144 screen acting credits to his name, plus three as Producer, two as Writer and one as Director. His film and TV credits took in the feature films including his debut
'Only God Knows' in 1974 for which he also had the original idea and Co-Produced, then
'It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time' in 1975 with Anthony Newley and Stefanie Powers,
'The Clown Murders' in 1976 with John Candy,
'Rituals' in 1977 with Hal Holbrook,
'Running' in 1979 with Michael Douglas,
'Scanners' in 1981 for David Cronenberg,
'Of Unknown Origin' in 1983 with Peter Weller,
'Millennium' in 1989 with Kris Kristofferson,
'It Takes Two' in 1995 with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsty Alley,
'Bride of Chucky' in 1998 with Jennifer Tilly and Katherine Heigl,
'Waking the Dead' in 2000 with Billy Crudup with
'Undercover Grandpa' in 2017 being his final screen appearance. In the years in between there were also numerous made of TV movies and series, with the latter including his screen debut in a single episode of
'The Unforeseen' in 1959, and then
'The Saint', 'Jericho', 'The Invaders', 'Bonanza', 'Lancer', 'The Virginian', 'Mod Squad', 'Mission : Impossible', 'The F.B.I.', 'Airwolf', 'The Equalizer', 'Street Legal', 'Side Effects' and
'Stargate SG-1' amongst others. His one and only directorial outing came with 1984's
'Heavenly Bodies' which he also wrote the screenplay for. He was a Genie Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor at the inaugural Genie Awards in 1980 for the film
'Running' and an Earle Grey Award nominee at the 1981 ACTRA Awards for the television movie
'A Question of the Sixth'.
* Denise Coffey - born 12th December 1936, died 24th March 2022, aged 85. Coffey was an English Actress of stage, television and cinema who notched up seventy screen acting credits and seven as Writer throughout her career which began on a single episode of
'Redgauntlet' in 1959. After a couple of uncredited roles in feature films
'A French Mistress' and
'Postman's Knock' her first credited big screen role came with
'Waltz of the Toreadors' in 1962 with Peter Sellers. She would follow this up with other roles in the likes of
'Young and Willing' also in 1962 with Ian McShane and John Hurt,
'Georgy Girl' in 1966 with Lynn Redgrave and James Mason,
'Far from the Madding Crowd' in 1967 with Julie Christie and Peter Finch,
'Start the Revolution Without Me' in 1970 with Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland,
'Sir Henry at Rawlinson End' in 1980 with Trevor Howard with
'Saving Grace' in 2000 with Brenda Blethyn and Martin Clunes being her final screen role. In the meantime, she also appeared in many TV series including
'Emergency-Ward 10', 'Z Cars', 'Dr. Finlay's Casebook', on twenty-one episodes of
'Do Not Adjust Your Set', on ten of
'Girl About Town', on fourteen of
'End of Part One', on ten of
'Dark Towers', 'The Tomorrow People', 'Casualty', 'Pie in the Sky', and
'Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round'.
* Marvin J. Chomsky - born 23rd May 1929 and died 28th March 2022, aged 92. Chomsky was an American film and television Director and Producer who notched up sixty-eight Directing credits and thirteen as Producer in a career which began on three episodes of
'The Doctors and the Nurses' in 1964/65. He would go on to Direct five episodes of
'Maya', eleven of
'The Wild Wild West', three of
'Star Trek', three on
'Gunsmoke', four on
'Mission : Impossible', three of
'Hawaii Five-O', and multiple episodes of
'The Magician', 'Police Story', 'Roots', 'Holocaust', 'Peter the Great', 'Billionaire Boys Club', and
'Strauss Dynasty'. His feature film Directing credits include
'Evel Knievel' in 1971 with George Hamilton,
'Live A Little, Steal A Lot' in 1975,
'Mackintosh and T.J.' in 1976 with Roy Rogers,
'Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff ' in 1979 and
'Tank' in 1984 with James Garner. His final screen outing as Director came in 1995 with the TV movie
'Catherine the Great' with Catherine Zeta-Jones which he also Produced. Chomsky won six awards and was nominated a further seven times for Primetime Emmy and Directors Guild of America Awards.
* Paul Herman - born 29th March 1946 and died on 29th March 2022, aged 76. Herman was an American Actor who accumulated sixty-four screen acting roles during his career which launched in 1982 in the feature film
'Dear Mr. Wondeful' with Joe Pesci. He would follow this up with minor roles in other noted features including
'Once Upon a Time in America' for Sergio Leone in 1984,
'The Cotton Club' that same year for Francis Ford Coppola,
'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in 1985 for Woody Allen,
'The Color of Money' in 1986 for Martin Scorsese,
'Radio Days' in 1987 for Woody Allen again,
'The Last Temptation of Christ' in 1988 for Martin Scorsese again,
'Goodfellas' in 1990 for Martin Scorsese once more,
'Bullets Over Broadway' in 1994 for Woody Allen once again,
'Heat' in 1995 for Michael Mann,
'Sleepers' in 1996 for Barry Levinson,
'Cop Land' in 1997 for James Mangold,
'Analyze That' in 2002 for Harold Ramis,
'Crazy Heart' in 2009 for Scott Cooper,
'Silver Linings Playbook' in 2012 for David O. Russell,
'American Hustle' in 2013 for David O. Russell again,
'Joy' in 2015 for David O. Russell once more, and
'The Irishman' in 2019 for Martin Scorsese again - this being his final screen role. In the years in between there were also appearances on TV series taking in
'The Equalizer', 'Miami Vice', 'The Sopranos' and
'Entourage'. At the time of his passing he had appeared in six films Directed by Martin Scorsese, five by Woody Allen and appeared in sixteen films starring Robert De Niro. He was the recipient of four award wins and another two nominations - all for Best Ensemble Cast in either
'American Hustle' or
'Silver Linings Playbook'.
With twenty-one deaths reported this month from the film and television community at large, 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 seemingly enforcing further stages of lockdowns. 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 then get 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-
