In April, 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 . . . . . Biff McGuire, Gloria Henry, Paul Ritter, Walter Olkewicz, James Hampton, DMX, Joseph Siravo, Giannetto De Rossi, Trader Faulkner, Felix Silla, Helen McCrory, Anthony Powell, Edwin Apps, Monte Hellman, Thomas Fritsch, Charles Fries, Yves Renier, Charles Beeson and Frank Cox.
* Biff McGuire - born
William Joseph McGuire Jnr. on 25th October 1926 and died 1st April 2021, aged 94. McGuire was an American Actor of film, television and theatre. He debuted on Broadway in
'Bright Boy' in 1944 and was acclaimed for his role as Woody in the 1960 revival of the musical
'Finian's Rainbow' and played King Arthur in one of the first national tours of
'Camelot'. In his screen roles he notched up eighty-seven credits beginning in 1950 in a single episode titled
'The Way I Feel' for the
'The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre', with his first big screen role coming in the form of an uncredited bit part in
'You're in the Navy Now' with Gary Cooper. His big screen roles that follow included
'The Phenix City Story' in 1955,
'Station Six Sahara' in 1963,
'The Thomas Crown Affair' in 1968 with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway' and
'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter' that same year with Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke,
'The Werewolf of Washington' in 1973 with Dean Stockwell,
'Serpico' with Al Pacino also in 1973,
'Midway' in 1976 with an all star cast,
'The Last Word' in 1979 with Richard Harris with
'American Seagull' in 2013 being his final big screen role. In the years in between there were numerous TV series taking in the likes of
'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', 'Gunsmoke', 'Matt Helm', 'Kojak', 'Starsky and Hutch', 'Hawaii Five-0', 'How the West Was Won', 'Remington Steele', 'Santa Barbara', 'Law & Order', 'Judging Amy', 'ER', 'JAG' and
'Frasier'.
* Gloria Henry - born
Gloria Eileen McEniry on 2nd April 1923, died 3rd April 2021, aged 98. Henry was an American Actress of film and television who accumulated sixty-five screen acting roles throughout her seven decade spanning career although was most prolific throughout the 1940's, '50's and '80's. Her career launched in the feature film
'Sport of Kings' in 1947 and which she followed up with another fifteen films before the close of the decade. These included
'Port Said', 'Johnny Allegro' with George Raft,
'Miss Grant Takes Richmond' with William Holden and Lucille Ball and
'Law of the Barbary Coast'. The '50's saw further big screen outings including
'The Tougher They Come', 'Rancho Notorious' with Marlene Dietrich,
'Hot News', and
'Gang War' with Charles Bronson. Her next feature film outing didn't come until 1988 in
'Doin' Time on Planet Earth' with
'Her Minor Thing' in 2005 being her final film role. In the intervening years there were appearances on
'Tales of Wells Fargo', on 146 episodes of
'Dennis the Menace' as Dennis' mother Alice Mitchell
, 'Simon & Simon', 'Dragnet', 'Dallas', 'Doogie Howser, M.D.', and
'Parks and Recreation' in 2012 being her last screen role.
* Paul Ritter - born
Simon Paul Adams on 20th December 1966 and died 5th April 2021, aged 54. Ritter was an English stage and screen Actor who amassed seventy-seven screen acting credits throughout his career which kicked off in 1992 in a single episode of
'The Bill'. His first big screen role came in 1999 in
'G:MT Greenwich Mean Time' which he followed up with other more notable feature films including
'The Libertine' with Johnny Depp,
'Son of Rambow' for Garth Jennings,
'Hannibal Rising', 'The Other Man' with Liam Neeson and Antonio Banderas,
'Quantum of Solace' with Daniel Craig as James Bond,
'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' with Daniel Ratcliffe,
'The Eagle' with Channing Tatum,
'Suite Francaise' with Michelle Williams and Kristen Scott Thomas,
'The Limehouse Golem' with Bill Nighy,
'Their Finest' with Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin,
'Inferno' with Tom Hanks and
'Operation Mincemeat' with Colin Firth recently completed filming for a future release. There were many noted television series in the meantime taking in the likes of
'Waking the Dead', 'Land Girls', 'The Hollow Crown', on twelve episodes of
'Vera', 'The Bletchley Circle', on six episodes of
'The Game', 'Wolf Hall', on twenty-one of
'No Offence', 'Chernobyl', on six of
'Cold Feet' and
'Belgravia' and on thirty-seven episodes of
'Friday Night Dinner' between 2011 and 2020. From 2005 to 2006, Ritter played in the original Royal National Theatre production of
'Coram Boy', for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for his role in
'The Norman Conquests'.
* Walter Olkewicz - born 14th November 1948, died 6th April 2021, aged 72. Olkewicz was an American Actor of film and television who amassed 103 screen acting credits to his name during a career spanning five decades, which launched in 1976 with
'Futureworld' starring Peter Fonda. He followed this up a year later with sports biographical drama film
'The Greatest' featuring Muhammad Ali and Ernest Borgnine, and then the likes of
'1941' for Steven Spielberg,
'The Big Picture' with Kevin Bacon,
'Twin Peaks : Fire Walk with Me' for David Lynch,
'The Client' with Tommy Lee Jones,
'Meeting Daddy' with Lloyd and Beau Bridges, and
'Twin Peaks : The Missing Pieces' for David Lynch again being his final film role in 2014. In the years in between time there were many TV series appearances including
'The Rockford Files', 'Hart to Hart', on fifteen episodes of
'The Last Resort', on eight of
'Wizards and Warriors', 'Taxi, 'Cheers', 'The Love Boat', on thirteen episodes of
'Partners in Crime', 'The A-Team', 'Falcon Crest', 'Family Ties', 'Moonlighting', on
'Twin Peaks' (the original series in 1990 which he would reprise in the two spin off films already mentioned, plus the follow on series in 2017),
'Seinfeld', on forty-eight episodes of
'Grace Under Fire', 'Chicago Hope', 'Arli$$' and
'ER'.
* James Hampton - born 9th July 1936 and died 7th April 2021, aged 84. Hampton was an American Actor, Director and Writer who accumulated ninety-three screen acting roles, fourteen as Director and five as Writer during a career which launched in 1962 in the Academy Award nominated short film
'The Cliff Dwellers'. His first feature film role came in 1970 in
'Soldier Blue' with Candice Bergen, followed by the likes of
'The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing' with Burt Reynolds,
'The Longest Yard' with Burt Reynolds again,
'W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings' with Burt Reynolds once more,
'Hustle' also with Burt Reynolds,
'Hawmps!', 'The China Syndrome' with Jane Fond and Michael Douglas,
'Hangar 18' with Robert Vaughn,
'Condorman' with Oliver Reed,
'Teen Wolf' with Michael J. Fox,
'Teen Wolf Too' with Jason Bateman,
'Pump Up the Volume' with Christian Slater,
'Sling Blade' for and with Billy Bob Thornton,
'Big Stone Gap' with Ashley Judd with
'Divine Access' and the direct to video
'The Association' being his final film credits in 2015. In the meantime there were TV shows including
'Gunsmoke', 'Rawhide', on sixty-five episodes of
'F Troop' (the role as Trooper Hannibal Dobbs for which he is probably best remembered), on thirty episodes of
'The Doris Day Show', 'The Red Hand Gang', 'James A. Michener's Centennial', 'The Dukes of Hazzard', on eight episodes of
'Maggie', 'Matt Houston', 'Murder, She Wrote', lending his voice to twenty-one episodes of the animated series
'Teen Wolf', on forty-nine episodes of
'Days of Our Lives',
and
'Melrose Place'. Between 1992 and 2000 he also Directed numerous episodes of TV series including
'Evening Shade', 'Hearts Afire', 'Boston Common', 'Grace Under Fire', 'Sister, Sister', 'Smart Guy', 'Linc's' and
'Zoe'.
* DMX - born
Earl Simmons on 18th December 1970, and died 9th April 2021, aged 50. DMX (Dark Man X) was an American Rapper, Songwriter and Actor who began rapping in the early 1990's and released his debut album
'It's Dark and Hell Is Hot' in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success. He released his best-selling album,
'... And Then There Was X', in 1999. During his career he notched up forty-three screen acting credits with his debut coming in the video biography
'Eyes on Hip Hop' in 1995 with his first big screen outing coming in 1998's crime drama
'Belly'. He followed this up in 2000 with
'Romeo Must Die' with Jet Li, and then
'Exit Wounds' with Steven Seagal,
'Cradle 2 the Grave' with Jet Li again,
'Never Die Alone' with David Arquette,
'Death Toll' with Lou Diamond Phillips,
'Last Hour' with Michael Madsen,
'The Bleeding' with Vinnie Jones,
'Top Five' for and with Chris Rock,
'Beyond the Law' with Steven Seagal again with
'Chronicle of a Serial Killer' in 2020 being his final appearance with
'Fast Vengeance' currently in post-production and
'Doggmen' filming at the time of his passing. DMX also had seventy-five soundtrack credits, twenty-four as Composer and six as Producer and was the recipient of one award win and twelve other nominations for his music and screen work. He had a troubled life and was first sent to prison in 1986 after stealing a dog, and following his emergence as a public figure, was arrested multiple times for various offences, including robbery, animal cruelty, reckless driving, unlicensed driving, drug possession and identity falsification. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series
'DMX : Soul of a Man', and in 2003, he published a book of his memoirs entitled,
'E.A.R.L. : The Autobiography of DMX'.
* Joseph Siravo - born 11th March 1955, died 11th April 2021, aged 66, Siravo was an American Actor of film, television and theatre who accumulated fifty screen acting credits and one as Producer to his name in a career which began in the 1991 made for TV movie
'N.Y.P.D. Mounted'. In 1993 he made his first big screen appearance in
'Carlito's Way' with Al Pacino and Sean Penn and over the years that followed his other notable films included
'Thirteen Conversations About One Thing' with Matthew McConaughey,
'Maid in Manhattan' with Jennifer Lopez, lending his voice to the cast of underwater sea life in
'Shark Tale', '16 Blocks' with Bruce Willis, lending his voice again to the animated feature
'The Wild', 'Enchanted' with Amy Adams,
'The Wannabe' with Patricia Arquette,
'The Report' with Adam Driver and
'Motherless Brooklyn' with and for Edward Norton being his final feature film outing in 2019. Over the years in between there were also many appearances in TV series taking in
'New York Undercover', 'Third Watch', 'Law & Order', 'Hack', 'Law & Order : Trial by Jury', 'The Sopranos' as Johnny Boy Soprano,
'Dirty Sexy Money', 'Law & Order : SVU', 'Law & Order : Criminal Intent', 'Made in Jersey', 'The Blacklist', 'Blue Bloods', 'New Amsterdam', 'American Crime Story' and
'For Life' being his final screen role in 2020. For his one time Producer credit, on the 2006 feature film
'Things That Hang from Trees' he received the Award for Excellence at the Accolade Competition Awards. He also played in both On-Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre productions including the Tony Award winning Broadway shows
'Oslo' and
'The Light in the Piazza' and he played over two thousand performances in the 1st National Tour of
'Jersey Boys', which premiered in San Francisco in mid-December 2006.
* Giannetto De Rossi - born 8th August 1942 and died 11th April 2021, aged 78. De Rossi was an Italian born make up artist who accumulated sixty-nine make up credits to his name, three as Director and three as Writer throughout his career spanning six decades and launching in 1963 with the Italian RomCom
'The Hours of Love'. His first American feature film on which he was the make-up artist was Franco Zeffirelli's
'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967 with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton which he followed up the same year with
'Doctor Faustus' with the same two co-stars, and then Sergio Leone's classic
'Once Upon a Time in the West' in 1968 with Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson,
'Waterloo' in 1970 with Christopher Plummer, Orson Welles and Rod Steiger,
'Ash Wednesday' in 1973 with Henry Fonda and Elizabeth Taylor,
'1900' with Robert De Niro,
'Fellini's Casanova' in 1976 with Donald Sutherland, and then a string of horror offerings including '
Zombie' (aka
'Zombi 2'), 'Cannibals in the Streets', 'The Beyond', 'The House by the Cemetery' and then
'Conan the Destroyer' with Arnold Schwarzenegger,
'Dune' for David Lynch,
'Rambo III' with Sylvester Stallone,
'DragonHeart' with Sean Connery,
'Daylight' with Sylvester Stallone again,
'Kull the Conqueror' with Kevin Sorbo,
'The Man in the Iron Mask' with Leonardo DiCaprio,
'The Last Legion' with Colin Firth with '
What Happened to Monday' with Noomi Rapace and Glenn Close being his final film credit in 2017. De Rossi was the recipient of two award wins and four nominations including a BAFTA nod for Best Special Effects on
'The Last Emperor' in 1987. His three Writer and Director credits were for
'Cy Warrior' in 1989,
'Killer Crocodile 2' in 1990, and
'Tummy' in 1995. When gore master Lucio Fulci required FX, for the goriest horror film in history
'Zombi 2', De Rossi arrived on set, and in the process created zombies, bite wounds and an exploding head. This film cemented his reputation as possibly the greatest special FX designer of all time.
* Trader Faulkner - born
Ronald 'Trader' Faulkner on 7th September 1927 and died 14th April 2021, aged 93. Faulkner was an Australian born Actor of stage, television and film who notched up forty-nine screen acting roles throughout his career which began in 1950 in the made for TV movie
'Over the Odds' with his first feature film coming a year later in 1951 with
'Mr. Denning Drives North' with John Mills followed by the likes of
'A Killer Walks' in 1952,
'A Question of Infidelity' in 1958,
'The Spanish Sword' in 1962,
'A High Wind in Jamaica' with Anthony Quinn and James Coburn with
'The Murder Game' in 1965 being his final big screen appearance. In the years before and after he also appeared in TV series including on thirteen episodes of
'Our House', 'The Avengers', on twenty-three episodes of
'Richard the Lionheart', 'Emergency-Ward 10', 'The Edwardians', 'Churchill's People', 'Duty Free', 'Call me Mister', and
'In Suspicious Circumstances' being his final screen role in 1996.
* Felix Silla - born 11th January 1937, died 16th April 2021, aged 84. Silla was an Italian Actor and stuntman who after beginning his career in the circus, became known for his film and TV work, having notched up forty-nine screen acting roles throughout his career spanning seven decades. His debut appearance came with a single episode on
'Grindl' in 1963 which he followed up later that same year with a single turn on
'Bonanza'. He then featured on seventeen episodes of the original TV series of
'The Addams Family' as Cousin Itt. His first feature film came with
'She Freak' in 1967 and he would follow this up with several uncredited turns on
'Point Blank', 'Planet of the Apes', 'The April Fools' and
'Justine'. Seventeen episodes on
'H.R. Pufnstuf' came next with a role too in the film of the series in 1970 with
'Pufnstuf' with seventeen episodes on
'Lidsville' and then on other feature films taking in the likes of '
Sssssss', 'The Black Bird' with George Segal,
'Mastermind' with Zero Mostel,
'Demon Seed' with Julie Christie,
'Kentucky Fried Movie' for John Landis,
'The Manitou' with Tony Curtis,
'The Brood' for David Cronenberg,
'Star Wars : Episode VI - Return of the Jedi', 'House', 'Spaceballs', 'Ghostbusters II', 'Batman Returns' for Tim Burton with Michael Keaton in the role of the caped crusader, with '
The Legend of Galgameth' in 1996 being his last screen appearance until
'CHARACTERz' in 2016 and his last screen role in 2018 in the mini-series
'Meet Slate'. In the meantime there were also roles on thirty episodes of
'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century', 'Mork & Mindy', 'The Dukes of Hazzard', and '
Married . . . with Children'. He also accumulated eighteen stunt credits over his time in the movies, many of which went uncredited, but those that were credited included
'Poltergeist', 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom', 'The Golden Child', 'The Monster Squad' and
'Phantasm II'. Because, in part due to his short stature of 1.19 m (3 ft 11 in), he often doubled for children in movies, and made him the ideal choice to play Cousin Itt, Twiki and an Ewok.
* Helen McCrory - born 17th August 1968 and died 16th April 2021, aged 52. McCrory was an English Actress of television, cinema and theatre who generated seventy-two screen acting credits throughout her career which launched in 1993 on a single episode of TV series
'Full Stretch'. He first big screen role came a year later with
'Uncovered' with Kate Beckinsale, and then the likes of
'Interview with the Vampire : The Vampire Chronicles' with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt,
'The James Gang' with John Hannah,
'Hotel Splendide' with Toni Collette and Daniel Craig,
'Charlotte Gray' with Cate Blanchett,
'The Count of Monte Cristo' with Jim Caviezel,
'Casanova' with Heath Ledger,
'The Queen' with Helen Mirren,
'Becoming Jane' with Anne Hathaway, '
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince', 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows : Parts 1 and 2', 'Hugo' for Martin Scorsese,
'Skyfall' with Daniel Craig,
'The Last of the Haussmans' with Julie Walters,
'Their Finest' with Gemma Arterton and providing her voice in the animated feature
'Loving Vincent' in 2017 would be her final big screen outing. In the meantime there were appearances on TV series and mini-series including
'Anna Karenina', 'North Square', 'The Last King', 'Penny Dreadful', 'To Appomattox', 'Fearless', 'MotherFatherSon', 'Peaky Blinders', 'Quiz', 'Roadkill' and
'His Dark Materials'. McCrory collected four award wins and another eight nominations for her screen acting work, and was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2017 HRH the Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to Drama. She was married to the English Actor Damian Lewis.
* Anthony Powell - born 2nd June 1935, died 16th April 2021, aged 85. Powell was an English Costume Designer for film and stage productions who amassed twenty-eight screen credits during his career spanning five decades. His career launched in 1964 on a single episode of
'Festival' before his big screen debut as Costume Designer on
'The Royal Hunt for the Sun' in 1969. He has worked with Directors including George Cukor, Roman Polanski, Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman and David Lean, and among the stars who have worn his creations are Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Angela Lansbury, Glenn Close, Lauren Bacall, Paul Newman, Bette Davis, Warren Beatty, Steve McQueen, Sir Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Sir Roger Moore, Harrison Ford, Peter Ustinov, and Johnny Depp. His other film work included on productions such as '
Travels with My Aunt', 'Papillon', 'Death on the Nile', 'Tess', 'Evil Under the Sun', 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom', 'Pirates', 'Ishtar', 'Frantic', 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', 'Hook', '101 Dalmatians', 'The Avengers', 'The Ninth Gate', '102 Dalmatians' with
'Miss Potter' in 2006 being his final credit. Powell was the recipient of eight award wins and another eight nominations including three Academy Award wins for his work on
'Tess', 'Death on the Nile' and
'Travels with My Aunt'. Among his stage production costume credits were
'The School for Scandal', 'Amadeus', 'Sunset Boulevard', 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer', 'Anything Goes', 'My Fair Lady' and
'Singin' in the Rain' most recently in 2015.
* Edwin Apps - born 14th May 1931, died 16th April 2021, aged 89. Apps was an English Actor and early on in his career Writer who accumulated sixty screen acting credits and three as Writer during a career that lasted through seven decades kicking off with a single episode on the TV series
'A Place of Execution' in 1953. His first feature film came with an uncredited role in 1963's
'I Thank a Fool' followed up by others including
'The Bargee' in 1964, then
'The Black Panther' in 1977,
'The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc' for Luc Besson, and
'Rendevouz in Samarkand' both in 1999,
'Vatel' in 2000 for Roland Joffe with the French offerings
'Daddy Cool' and
'Play It Like Godard' in 2008 and 2011 respectively. In the meantime he also appeared in TV series and mini-series taking in thirty-one episodes of
'Whack-O!', twelve on
'Here's Harry', 'The Avengers', 'Harry Worth', 'Steptoe and Son', 'Love Thy Neighbour', 'Special Branch', 'Rin Tin Tin : K-9 Cop' and
'The Young Pope' being his final screen role in 2016.
* Monte Hellman - born
Monte Jay Himmelbaum on 12th July 1929, died 20th April 2021, aged 91. Hellman was an American film Director, Producer, Writer and Editor who generated twenty-one Directorial credits, nine as Producer, four as Writer and seventeen as Editor throughout his career which began in 1959 with his debut feature film
'Beast from Haunted Cave'. He would follow this up over the ensuing seven decades with the likes of
'Flight to Fury' and
'Back Door to Hell' both in 1964 and both with Jack Nicholson, '
The Shooting' and
'Ride in the Whirlwind' both in 1966 and both with Jack Nicholson again,
'Two-Lane Backdrop' in 1971 with Warren Oates,
'Cockfighter' in 1974 with Warren Oates and Harry Dean Stanton,
'China 9, Liberty 37' in 1978 with Warren Oates once more and Jenny Agutter and
'Silent Night, Deadly Night 3 : Better Watch Out!' in 1989 which was to be his last film making effort until the twenty-eight minute short film in 2006
'Stanley's Girlfriend' with
'Road to Nowhere' in 2010 being his final feature film (which competed for the Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival in 2010, where he was also presented with a special career prize, by the then Jury President Quentin Tarantino) and a segment in the 2013 Documentary film
'Venice 70 : Future Reloaded'. He served as Producer on six of his films plus as Executive Producer as Quentin Tarantino's debut feature in 1992
'Reservoir Dogs'.
* Thomas Fritsch - born 16th January 1944, and died 21st April 2021, aged 77. Fritsch was a German Actor of film and television and a voice Actor who amassed ninety-three screen acting credits, and many more as the German dubbed voice of well known Hollywood Actors including Tim Curry, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, Russell Crowe, Alan Rickman, Alec Baldwin, Jeff Bridges and Ian McShane. His voice over work took in the likes of
'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', 'Apocalypse Now', 'The Lion King', 'Die Hard with a Vengeance', 'White Squall', 'Titanic', 'Gladiator', 'Ice Age', 'Finding Nemo', 'Master and Commander : The Far Side of the World', 'The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King', 'Kingdom of Heaven', 'Corpse Bride', 'Cinderella Man', 'Open Season', 'Kung Fu Panda', 'The Dark Knight' and
'The Incredible Hulk'. Fritsch was the recipient of four award wins and five nominations mostly for work early on in his career although he did win a German Dubbing Award in 2002 for Outstanding Male Performance on
'The Crew'.
* Charles Fries - born 30th September 1928, died 22nd April 2021, aged 92. Fries (pronounced Freeze), was an American film and television Producer who worked on numerous television series, made for TV movies and feature films. He amassed 152 production credits to his name in a career spanning five decades which launched in 1971 with the TV movie
'Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring', and in the years that followed he produced such feature films as
'Tales from the Crypt' in 1972 with Peter Cushing and Joan Collins,
'The Vault of Horror' in 1973 with Curd Jurgens and Terry Thomas,
'Chosen Survivors' in 1974 with Jackie Cooper,
'Cat People' in 1982 with Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell,
'Out of Bounds' with Anthony Michael Hall and
'Thrashin'' with Josh Brolin both in 1986,
'Flowers in the Attic' in 1987 with Victoria Tennant,
'Grievous Bodily Harm' in 1988 with Colin Friels and John Waters,
'Troop Beverly Hills' in 1989 with Shelley Long and Craig T. Nelson,
'Deathstone' in 1990 with Jan-Michael Vincent and R. Lee Ermey,
'Screamers' in 1995 with Peter Weller and its 2009 follow up
'Screamers : The Hunting' with Lance Henriksen. His final credit came in 2015 with the made for TV movies
'If There Be Thorns' and
'Seeds of Yesterday'. He also produced a number of TV series and mini-series including
'The Super', 'Firehouse', 'Thunder', 'Baby . . . I'm Back!', 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and
'The Martian Chronicles'. Fries wrote his autobiography,
'Chuck Fries Godfather of the Television Movie: A History of Television' about the early years of television, the day-to-day workings of the entertainment business, the origins of television movies and what it takes to get them produced and distributed. He was a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and he was awarded a Lifetime Membership in the Producer's Guild of America. In 1960 Fries was appointed Vice President In Charge of Production for Screen Gems, the Columbia Pictures television arm, then in 1968 he became Vice President In Charge of Feature Film Production for Columbia Pictures, and in 1970 he became Executive Vice President In Charge of Production for Metromedia. In 1974, Fries established Chuck Fries Productions, later known as Fries Entertainment, where he produced and/or supervised more than 275 hours of television movies and mini-series.
* Yves Renier - born 29th September 1942, died 24th April 2021, aged 78. Renier was a French Actor, Director and voice Actor who notched up sixty-one screen acting credits and six Director credits during his seven decades in the industry plus many dubbing credits for the likes of Paul Hogan, Tommy Lee Jones, Fred Dryer, Kurt Russell, Burt Reynolds, Bruce Dern, John Travolta, James Woods and Chuck Norris. His first big screen outing came in 1961's
'The Story of the Count of Monte Cristo' and over the years he followed this up with many French feature films and TV movies and series, including
'Guardian Angels' with Gerard Depardieu,
'I Follow in My Fathers Footsteps' with Guillaume Canet, the French version of
'Absolutely Fabulous' with the occasional Hollywood offering in between including
'Frantic' in 1988 with Harrison Ford. There were also TV series taking in thirty-nine episodes of
'Les Globe-trotters', six on
'Dolmen' and seventy as the lead character on
'Commissaire Moulin', on which he also wrote twenty-five episodes and Directed sixteen. His final screen appearances came this year on the TV movie
'La traque' (which he also Directed) and the TV series
'Leo Mattei, Brigade des Mineurs'.
* Charles Beeson - died 26th April 2021. Beeson was an English film and television Director who accumulated forty screen Directing credits to his name, kicking off with nineteen episodes of the popular UK soap opera
'Eastenders' between 1990 and 1992. He went on to Direct single and multiple episodes of
'Casualty', 'Minder', 'The Bill', 'Inspector Morse', 'Kavanagh QC' and
'Afterlife' before breaking into the US scene with
'Smallville', 'Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles', 'The Mentalist', 'Person of Interest', 'Fringe', 'Revolution' and
'Supernatural'. He made a string of TV movies taking in
'Cider with Rosie' with Juliet Stevenson,
'Second Sight' with Clive Owen,
'A Likeness in Stone' with Andrew Lincoln,
'Stranded' with Liam Cunningham and
'Four Minutes' with Christopher Plummer. He also notched up five Producer credits in the US on
'Revolution', 'The Whispers', 'Containment', 'Timeless' and
'The Enemy Within'.
* Frank Cox - born 28th May 1940, died sometime in April 2021 with his death announced on 29th, aged 80. Cox was an British TV Director and Producer whose first Directing gig came in three episodes of
'Doctor Who' in the 1964 series after which he Directed single episodes of
'The First Lady', 'Doomwatch' and
'Paul Temple' before eight episodes of
'Mogul' between 1969 and 1971. This was followed up by two or three episodes on each of
'Barlow', 'Warship', 'Sutherland's Law' before fifteen on
'Softly Softly : Task Force' and then seven on
'The Brief', four on
'Flying Lady', six on
'Eastenders', and fourteen on
'High Road' between 1990 and 1991 being his final Directorial work and on which he also Produced thirty episodes. His other Producer credits included thirty-three episodes of
'Sutherland's Law', eight for
'Life at Stake', six for
'Spy' and
'Escape' and twelve for
'C.A.T.S. Eyes'.
Nineteen deaths reported this month from the film and television community at large, and that community is just a little bit poorer as a result. As some governments the world over are easing up on their COVID-19 restrictions, others are enforcing further stages of lockdowns. and in some cases are going through the ravages of a third and fourth outbreak. Remember the basic principles that continue to be advocated - maintain a safe distance, hand hygiene and wear a mask if you are unable to maintain a safe distance especially - 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 sofa.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
'SPIRAL : FROM THE BOOK OF SAW' (Rated R18+) - this American horror film is Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman whose previous horror film credits take in the likes of 'Saw II', 'Saw III', 'Saw IV', '11-11-11', 'The Barrens', 'Abattoir' and 'Death of Me' most recently. This represents the ninth instalment in the 'Saw' movie franchise which has so far grossed US$977M off the back of a total combined budget outlay of just US$77M for the first eight films in the series. Originally slated for a late October 2020 release, it was moved up the schedule to mid-May 2020, but then as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's release was later delayed to 21st May 2021, and later pushed up to this week both in the US and Australia. The film cost US$20M to produce, and in April this year, a sequel film, titled 'Saw X', was confirmed to be in development.
Working in the shadow of an esteemed Police veteran Marcus Banks (Samuel L. Jackson), brash detective Ezekiel 'Zeke' Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner William Schenk (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city's gruesome past. Unwittingly trapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself caught in the middle of the killer's morbid game. Also starring Marisol Nichols and Zoie Palmer.
'THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD' (Rated MA15+) - this American survival action thriller film is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Taylor Sheridan and based on the 2014 book of the same name by Michael Koryta. Sheridan's previous two film making credits include 'Vile' in 2011 and 'Wind River' in 2017, although he has also written the Screenplays for various others including 'Sicario' in 2015 and its 2018 sequel 'Sicario : Day of the Soldado', 'Hell or High Water' and 'Wind River', plus numerous episodes of TV series 'Yellowstone'. And so here, pursued by father and son Jack and Patrick Blackwell (Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult respectively), two assassins who killed his father, Conner Casserly (Finn Little) meets veteran fire warden and wilderness survival expert Hannah Faber (Angelina Jolie), who offers him shelter in her lookout tower. When the assassins set fire to the forest in order to find the pair, Faber and Casserly must both survive a deadly blaze that threatens to consume them, while outwitting the killers on their trail. The film was released in South Korea earlier this month and goes on general release in Australia and the US from this week. Jon Bernthal and Tyler Perry also star.
'FINDING YOU' (Rated PG) - is an American coming of age comedy drama film and is Written and Directed by Brian Baugh whose prior film making credits are 'To Save a Life' in 2009, 'I'm Not Ashamed' in 2016, and 'The World We Make' in 2019. This film is based on the 2011 young adult novel 'There You'll Find Me' by Jenny B. Jones. Following an ill-fated audition at a prestigious New York music conservatory, Finley Sinclair (Rose Reid) travels to a coastal village in Ireland to begin a semester studying abroad. There she meets heartthrob movie star Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre), who is shooting the latest episode of his medieval fantasy-adventure franchise. They begin an unlikely romance, but when forces surrounding Beckett's stardom threaten to crush their hopes and dreams, Finley must decide how much she is prepared to risk for love. Also starring Patrick Bergin, Vanessa Redgrave and Tom Everett Scott. The film is released Stateside this week too.
'THE MAN IN THE HAT' (Rated PG) - this British comedy offering is Directed by first time film maker and multi-award winning Composer best known for his film and television scores, Stephen Warbeck. The Man In The Hat (Ciaran Hinds) sets off from Marseilles in a small Fiat 500. On the seat beside him is a framed photograph of an unknown woman. Behind him is a 2CV into which is squeezed Five Bald Men (Sylvain Thirolle, Conor Lovett, James Lailey, Richard Henry and Mike Pickering as #1-5 respectively). Why are they chasing him? And how can he shake them off? As he travels North through France, he encounters women with stories to tell, bullfights, plenty of delicious food, a damp man (Stephen Dillane), mechanics, nuns, a convention of Chrystallographers and much more. And always, on his tail, the Five Bald Men. As the Fiat 500 winds its way across the mountains, gorges and bridges of France, the 2CV hard behind him, the The Man In The Hat comes face to face with the vivid eccentricities of an old country on an old continent. Also starring Maiwenn, Claire Tran and Muna Otaru. The film has generated mostly positive Reviews so far. Stephen Warbeck also wrote the music for the film.
'CARMILLA' (Rated MA15+) - is a 2019 British romantic horror film Directed and Written for the screen by Emily Harris and based on the 1871 novella of the same name written by the Irishman Sheridan Le Fanu. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Edinburgh Film Festival in late June 2019 and only now does it get a limited showing in Australia. Set in the late 18th Century, Lara Bauer (Hannah Rae) lives with her father (Greg Wise) and her strict governess, Miss Fontaine (Jessica Raine), in total isolation, and is struggling to find an outlet for her curiosity and burgeoning sexuality. When a carriage crash nearby brings a young woman into the family home to rest and recuperate, Lara is enchanted by Carmilla (Devrim Lingnau). The pair strike up a passionate relationship, which strikes fear in the heart of Miss Fontaine, and a complex triangulate emerges between the three women.
'HILLARY : OCEAN TO SKY' (Rated PG) - Directed by Michael Dillon, this award winning documentary film was first released in 1979 and now gets a revisit. Going beyond his Mt. Everest moment, this documentary of New Zealand legend Sir Edmund Hillary explores the journey he considered his greatest— that of jet boating through India's River Ganges in its entirety from its mouth to the base of the Himalaya's, then planning on climbing to the peak of Akash Parbat. This was the only Hillary expedition that was ever comprehensively filmed, occurring two years after the tragic death of his wife and youngest daughter in an air crash. For Sir Edmund and his son Peter Hillary, it was also a healing experience, which almost ended tragically with the near death and rescue of Sir Edmund himself. Dillon has remastered existing and unseen footage, and is recounted by Peter Hillary and features interviews with crew members about Hillary's last big expedition. 
