Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture [Revised] 0786410248, 9780786410248, 9780786452057

Citation preview

Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000

This page intentionally left blank

Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000 Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture by

HARRIS M. LENTZ III

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Je›erson, North Carolina, and London

Front cover, clockwise from top left: Loretta Young, Leo Gordon, Marie Windsor and Max Showalter

ISSN ¡087-96¡7 / ISBN 0-7864-¡024-8 (softcover : 50# alkaline paper)

©200¡ Harris M. Lentz, III. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

This book is dedicated to the memory of those friends and family lost during 2000— Freddie Clark, May Alsup, Albert Compassi, Betty Spencer, David Engelman, John Kelley, Jean Hays, Vincent Astor, Sister Suzanne Callahan, Jym Fox, and Sister Consolata Callender

This page intentionally left blank

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I greatly appreciate the assistance of my good friend, Carla Clark, and my mother, Helene Lentz. Special thanks also go to Bob King at Classic Images, for granting permission to use information from my columns, and to the people at Jerry Ohlinger’s for assistance in acquiring many of the photographs appearing herein. Also, thanks to Andrew I. Porter at the Science Fiction Chronicle, Rosa Burnett and the sta› at State Technical Institute library, Tom Weaver, Fred Davis, Forrest J Ackerman, Mike Fitzgerald, John Beifuss, Eric Rohr, Ray Neilson, John Whyborn, Boyd Magers, Larry Tauber, Andrew “Captain Comics” Smith, Nikki and Jimmy Walker, Bettye Dawson, Casey Jones,

Tony Pruitt, Bobby Mathews, Kent Nelson, Dale Warren, Dr. Mark He‡ngton, Anne Taylor, Dia Barbee, Andy Branham, John Nelson, Richard Allynwood, Louise Bianco, Frank de Azpillaga, Irv Jacobs, Bob Cuneo, Eve Golden, Alun Jones, Marty Baumann, Trinity Houston, Joy Martin, Denise Tansil, Gary Holder, John Janovich, Jenny Byczek, Jake Miller, Kelley Moore, Hal Stansbury, Blaine Lester, Todd Simpson, Sean Burns, Andy Short, the fine folks at J. Alexander’s, Tommy Gattas, James Gattas, the Fox & Hound, the University of Memphis Library and the Memphis and Shelby County Public Libraries.

vii

This page intentionally left blank

TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii Introduction ¡ Reference Bibliography 3 The 2000 Obituaries

ix

5

INTRODUCTION The Wolf Man fame, also departed. Famed dancers Gwen Verdon, Peter Gennaro and Jose Greco, and leading musical figures Tito Puente, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Tex Beneke, Kirsty MacColl, Pee Wee King, diminutive rapper Joe C., and Jimmie Davis, Louisiana's singing governor, are also listed in this volume. From the world of comics we lost Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, Donald Duck cartoonist Carl Barks, Batman artist Dick Sprang, Green Lantern artist Gil Kane, macabre illustrator Edward Gorey, Mad cartoonist Don Martin, and Shoe comic strip creator Je› MacNelly. Sports entertainment saw the passing of wrestling commentator Gordon Solie and ring veterans Yokozuna, Prof. Toru Tanaka, Al Costello of the Fabulous Kangaroos, Bobby Duncum, Jr., and Mexico's Blue Demon. Miss America Barbara Walker Hummel, Penthouse Pet Leslie Glass, Jim Varney of “Ernest” fame, Hammer horror character star Michael Ripper, Broadway producers David Merrick and Alexander Cohen, magician Doug Henning, Luke Skywalker's Aunt Beru — Shelagh Fraser, diminutive star Billy Barty, Eating Raoul director and star Paul Bartel, James Bond villain Charles Gray, Flintstones composer Hoyt Curtin, pianist-comedian Victor Borge, futurist FM-2030, and science fiction writers A.E. Van Vogt and L. Sprague de Camp are a few more of the numerous talented individuals whose passings are noted in this edition.

The year 2000 saw the passing of many individuals in the world of show business and the performing arts. Two of England’s foremost performers — Sir John Gielgud and Alec Guinness — were among the departed. Legendary screen beauty Hedy Lamarr, two-time Oscar winner Jason Robards, Jr., swashbuckling hero Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and comic leading man Walter Matthau also died during the year. Other top film stars who took their final curtain call include Loretta Young, George Montgomery, Claire Trevor, Marie Windsor, Francis Lederer, Craig Stevens, Gloria Talbott, Rose Hobart, Beah Richards, Lila Kedrova, Richard Farnsworth, Vittorio Gassman, Helen Martin and David Dukes. From the world of television we lost talk show pioneer Steve Allen, Hogan's Heroes’ Colonel Klink — Werner Klemperer, Petticoat Junction's Meredith MacRae, Soap's Richard Mulligan, One Step Beyond host John Newland, Star Trek's first Klingon John Colicos, Combat's Rick Jason, Lou Grant and The Sopranos' Nancy Marchand, and M*A*S*H's Larry Linville. Other passages include Steve Reeves, the on screen Hercules, and Hercules, a bear who performed on screen — plus another movie bear named Bart. From behind the camera directors Roger Vadim, Sidney Hayers, Lewis Allen, Don Weis and the Three Stooges’ Ed Bernds, and scripters Ring Lardner, Jr., Julius Epstein from Casablanca, and Curt Siodmak of

¡

Introduction This book provides a single source that notes the deaths of all major, and many minor, figures in the fields of film, television, cartoons, theatre, music and popular literature. The obituaries within this volume contain pertinent details of deaths including date, place and cause, of 57¡ celebrities. Biographical information and career highlights and achievements are also provided. I have also included a complete-as-possible filmography for film and television performers. Most obituaries are followed by citations to major newspapers and periodical stories reporting the death. A photograph has been included for many of the individuals. I have been writing obituaries of film personalities for over twenty years, beginning with a column in Forry Ackerman's Famous Monsters of Filmland in the late ¡970s. Many of the film obituaries in the work are taken from my monthly column in Classic Images (P.O. Box 809, Muscatine, IA 5276¡), a newspaper devoted to classic films and their performers. I

2 also write a small column on science fiction film-related deaths for the Science Fiction Chronicle (P.O. Box 022730, Brooklyn, NY ¡¡202). Information on the passing of the individuals found in this volume has been gathered from a myriad of sources. Primary sources, as previously noted are listed in the individual bibliographies, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Times (of London), The Washington Post, Variety, Time, People, TV Guide and Newsweek. Other sources include Boyd Mager's Western Clippings, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, The Hollywood Reporter, The (Manchester) Guardian, The Comics Buyer's Guide, Locus, The Boston Globe, Pro Wrestling Torch, Psychotronic Video, The Comics Journal and Facts on File. Several sources on the internet have also been helpful, including You're Outta Here! (http://www.cnjetworks.com/~ roryb/outta.html) and the Internet Movie Database, Ltd. (http://us.imdb.com/).

REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY Erickson, Hal. Television Carton Shows. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡995. Everman, Welch. Cult Science Fiction Films. New York: Citadel Press, ¡995. Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, ¡940–¡949. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, ¡994. _____. Feature Films, ¡950–¡959. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡999. _____. Sound Films, ¡927–¡939. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡992. Fischer, Dennis. Horror Film Directors, ¡93¡– ¡990. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡99¡. Hunter, Allan, ed. Chambers Concise Encyclopedia of Film and Television. New York: W & R. Chambers Ltd., ¡99¡. Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia, 2d ed. New York: HarperPerennial, ¡994. McNeil, Alex. Total Television. New York: Penguin Books, ¡996. Maltin, Leonard, ed. Movie and Video Guide ¡995. New York: Signet Books, ¡994. Marill, Alvin H. Movies Made for Television. Westport, CT: Arlington House, ¡980. Mathis, Jack. Republican Confidential, Vol. 2: The Players. Barrington, IL: Jack Mathis Advertising, ¡992. Monaco, James. Who's Who in American Film Now. New York: Zoetrobe, ¡988. Nash, Jay Robert, and Stanley Ralph Ross. The

Books The Academy Players Directory. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, ¡978–¡999. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡9¡¡–20. Patricia King Hansen, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, ¡988. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡92¡–30. Kenneth W. Munden, ed. New York: R.R. Bowker, ¡97¡. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡93¡–40. Patricia King Hansen, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, ¡993. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡96¡–70. Richard P. Krafsur, ed. New York: R.R. Bowker, ¡976. Brooks, Tim. The Complete Directory of Prime Time TV Stars. New York : Ballantine Books, ¡987. Brown, Les. The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television. New York: Times Books, ¡977. Bushnell, Brooks. Directors and Their Films. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡993. DeLong, Thomas A. Radio Stars. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡996. Dimmitt, Richard Bertrand. An Actors Guide to the Talkies. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, ¡967. Two Volumes.

3

Reference Bibliography Motion Picture Guide. ¡0 vols. Chicago; Cinebooks, ¡985. Nowlan, Robert A. & Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan. The Films of the Eighties. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡99¡. Oliviero, Je›rey. Motion Picture Players’ Credits. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡99¡. Parrish, James Robert. Actors’ Television Credits ¡950–¡972. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, ¡973. _____. Film Actors Guide: Western Europe. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, ¡977. Ragan, David. Who's Who in Hollywood, ¡900–¡976. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, ¡976. Rovin, Je›. The Fabulous Fantasy Films. South Brunswick, NJ: A.S. Barnes, ¡977. Sullivan, Steve. Va Va Voom! Bombshells, Pinups, Sexpots and Glamour Girls. Los Angeles, CA : General Publishing Group, ¡995. Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, ¡937–¡973. New York: Zoetrope, ¡986. _____. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, ¡974–¡984. New York: Zoetrobe, ¡986. Walker, John, ed. Halliwell's Filmgoer's and

4 Video Viewer's Companion, ¡0th Edition. New York: HarperPerennial, ¡993. Watson, Elena M. Television Horror Movie Hosts. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡99¡. Weaver, Tom. Attack of the Monster Movie Makers: Interviews with 20 Genre Giants. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡994. _____. Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡988. _____. It Came from Weaver Five: Interviews with 20 Zany, Glib and Earnest Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Traditions of the Thirties, Forties, Fifties and Sixties. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡994. _____. Monsters, Mutants and Heavenly Creatures. Baltimore, MD: Midnight Marquee Press, ¡996. _____. Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks. Je›erson, NC.: McFarland, ¡998. _____. Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes. Je›erson, NC: McFarland, ¡99¡. _____. They Fought in the Creature Features: Interviews with 23 Classic Horror, Science Fiction and Serial Stars. Je›erson, NC : McFarland, ¡994. Willis, John, ed. Screen World. New York : Crown Publishers, ¡958–¡998.

OBITUARIES IN THE PERFORMING ARTS, 2000

Obituaries • 2000

6

Abel, Inga

Adderley, Nat

German television actress Inga Abel died of breast cancer in Dusseldorf, Germany, on May 27, 2000. She was 53. Abel was born in Dusseldorf on July 7, 1946. She was best known for her role as Dr. Eva-Maria Sperling in the German television series Lindenstrasse from 1992 until her death.

Jazz composer and musician Nat Adderley died in Lakeland, Florida, on January 2, 2000. He was 68. Adderley was born in Tampa, Florida, on November 25, 1931. He was the son of jazz saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley. Nat Adderley began playing the trumpet while in his teens. He moved to the cornet while serving in the military in the 1950s. After military service he joined Lionel Hampton’s band before joining with his brother’s first band in 1956. Cannonball’s group broke up briefly and Nat played with Miles Davis until his brother reformed the band in 1960. The quintet continued to play together until Cannonball’s death in 1975. Nat continued to perform, often leading his own band. His best known recordings include Big Man, a musical based on railroad worker John Henry. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 4, 2000, A26; New

Inga Abel

Abspoel, Ab Dutch actor Ab Abspoel died in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, on March 28, 2000. He was 74. Abspoel was born in The Hague on April 29, 1925. Abspoel was featured in such films as Spetters (1980), The Girl with the Red Hair (1981), Come-Back (1981), The Taste of Water (1982), The Lift (1984), The Scorpion (1984), and the Oscarwinning foreign film The Assault (1986).

Nat Adderley

7 York Times, Jan. 4, 2000, B7; Times (of London), Jan. 5, 2000, 21a.

Adele, Jan Australian actress Jan Adele died in Sydney, Australia, on February 27, 2000. She was 64. Adele began her career in show business performing on stage at the age of three. She worked as a vaudeville dancer in her teens. In the early 1970s Adele starred as Trixie O’Toole in the Australian television soap opera Number 96. She received the best actress award from the Australian Film Institute for her role in Gillian Armstrong’s High Tide in 1987. Adele was also seen in the films Daisy and Simon (1988), …Almost (1990), Greenkeeping (1992), Fatal Bond (1992) and The Sum of Us (1994). She played Ruby in the 1994 television series Heartbreak High, and was seen in episodes of Home & Away and 42nd Street. Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 57.

2000 • Obituaries

Albright, Gary Professional wrestler Gary Albright died in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, on January 7, 2000, while in the ring at an independent wrestling bout promoted by his father-in-law Afa, the Wild Samoan. Albright was facing Lucifer Grimm (William Owens) when he collapsed in the ring. Albright began wrestling in the mid–1980s. The Montana native often appeared in shows in Canada and Japan. Wrestling as Vokkan Singh, he briefly held the Calgary Stampede tag team title in 1988.

Gary Albright

Alexander, Fay

Jan Adele

Circus trapeze artist Fay Alexander, who performed aerial stunts in several films, died of lung cancer at his Sarasota, Florida, home on July 16, 2000. He was 75. Alexander was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1925. He served in the Coast Guard during World War II, where he performed acrobatic acts in several revues with Rudy Vallee and Sid Caesar. After the war Alexander began touring as a circus act. He married trick

Obituaries • 2000

Fay Alexander (with wife, Rose).

rider Rose Lamont in 1948 and they formed a partnership on the trapeze as well. He began appearing with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1952 where he performed the triple somersault maneuver. The previous year Alexander had worked as a stunt double for Cornel Wilde in Cecil B. DeMille’s film The Greatest Show on Earth. He also performed stunts for Tony Curtis in 1955’s Trapeze and worked on the films The Big Circus (1959) and Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962) with Doris Day. Alexander spent the last several decades performing a comedy act for the circus. New York Times, Oct. 1, 2000, 55.

Allen, Lewis Director Lewis Allen died in Santa Monica, California, on May 3, 2000. He was 94. Allen was born in Shropshire, England, on December 25, 1905. He began his career on the stage as actor in

8 England. He soon began working with stage impresario Gilbert Miller, supervising productions on the West End and Broadway. He began working with Paramount in the early 1940s and made his directorial debut with the classic supernatural thriller The Uninvited in 1943, starring Ray Milland and Gail Russell. The following year he directed the comedy Our Hearts Were Young and Gay. Allen’s other credits include The Unseen (1945), Those Endearing Young Charms (1945), The Perfect Marriage (1947), The Imperfect Lady (1947), Desert Fury (1947), So Evil My Love (1948), Sealed Verdict (1948), Chicago Deadline (1949), Appointment with Danger (1951), Valentino (1951), At Sword’s Point (1952), Suddenly (1954), A Bullet for Joey (1955) with Edward G. Robinson, Illegal (1955), Another Time, Another Place (1958), Whirlpool (1959) and Decision at Midnight (1963). Allen also worked on television, directing episodes of such series as Ford Theatre, The Rifleman, Perry Mason, Bonanza, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Route 66, The Fugitive, Branded, The Big Valley, Mission: Impossible, The Invaders, The Guns of Will Sonnett, To Catch a Thief, Dan August, Cannon and Little House on the Prairie. Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 10, 2000, B9; Times (of London), May 15, 2000, 19a.

Allen, Robert Composer and songwriter Robert Allen died of colon cancer at his Quogue, New York, home on October 1, 2000. He was 73. Allen was born in Troy, New York, in 1927. He began his career playing piano in New York City. He joined NBC’s The Colgate Comedy Hour television series as a composer in 1952. He was best known for writing Johnny Mathis’ hit song “Chances Are.” His songs were also performed by such artists as Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Doris Day and Mitch Miller. His other popular tunes include “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays,” “Enchanted Island,” “There’s Only One of You” and “Moments to Remember.” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 7, 2000, B6; People, Oct. 23, 2000, 95; Variety, Oct. 30, 2000, 70.

9

Steve Allen

Allen, Steve Television entertainer and actor Steve Allen, who hosted the Tonight show from 1954 to 1957, died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on October 31, 2000. He was 78. Allen was born in New York City on December 26, 1921. He began his career as a disc jockey on radio in the late 1940s and made his film debut in 1949’s Down Memory Lane. He also starred in the 1950 film I’ll Get By. Allen was host of several television variety shows in the early 1950s including The Steve Allen Show, Songs for Sale and Talent Patrol, and was a panelist on What’s My Line in 1953. He starred in the 1956 bio-film The Benny Goodman Story, and was featured in the films The Big Circus (1959), College Confidential (1960), Don’t Worry, We’ll Think of a Title (1966), Warning Shot (1967), Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968) and The Comic (1969). Allen continued to appear often on television, hosting The Steve Allen Show from 1956 to 1964. He also hosted the I’ve Got a Secret quiz show from 1964 until 1967, and again from 1972 until 1973. Allen had small parts in the films The Sunshine Boys (1975) and Lenny Bruce Without Tears (1975), and was featured in the 1976 television mini-series Rich Man, Poor

2000 • Obituaries Man. He hosted the PBS series Meeting of Minds from 1977 until 1981, and Life’s Most Embarrassing Moments in 1985. He was also seen in the films Heart Beat (1980), The Funny Farm (1983), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Great Balls of Fire! (1989), The Player (1992), The St. Tammany Miracle (1994), Casino (1995), Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998) and Let Me In, I Hear Laughter (1999). Allen also appeared in the television productions Joys (1976), Stone (1979), The Gossip Columnist (1979), The Ratings Game (1984), Alice in Wonderland (1985), Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition (1989) and James Dean: A Portrait (1996). Allen appeared as himself on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful in 1993. He also appeared on television in episodes of Batman, Get Smart, Fantasy Island and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Allen wrote several plays and recorded over forty albums during his career, including the popular song “This May Be the Start of Something Big” (1956) and the Grammy-winning “Gravy Waltz” (1963). He also authored several books including the murder mystery Die Laughing and his autobiography Hi-Ho, Steverino: My Adventures in the Wonderful Wacky World of TV. He was long married to actress Jayne Meadows, who often appeared with him in films and television. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 1, 2000, A1; New York Times, Nov. 1, 2000, A1; People, Nov. 13, 2000, 70; Times (of London), Nov. 2, 2000, 25a; TV Guide, Dec. 2, 2000, 30; Variety, Nov. 6, 2000, 75; Washington Post, Nov. 1, 2000, B7.

Ames, Rosemary Actress Rosemary Ames died in Portland, Oregon, on May 21, 2000. She was 87. Ames was born in Evanston, Illinois, on October 10, 1912. She was featured in a handful of films in the 1930s including Love on the Spot (1932), Mr. Quincey of Monte Carlo (1933), Such Women Are Dangerous (1934), I Believed in You (1934), Pursued (1934), Our Little Girl (1935), One More Spring (1935) and The Great Hotel Murder (1935).

Anderson, Gwen Stage and television actress Gwen Anderson died in Cedar Falls, Iowa, of ovarian cancer on

Obituaries • 2000 August 24, 2000. She was 80. Anderson made her Broadway debut in the 1943 production of Janie. She was also featured in productions of The Deep Mrs. Sykes and Decision. Ms. Anderson was also featured on television in dramatic productions of There’s Always Juliet and Arms and the Man. Variety, Oct. 9, 2000, 59

Anderson, William E. Film and television editor William E. Anderson died at his home in Burbank, California, on September 30, 2000. He was 82. He was the son of film executive Gene Anderson, Sr., and the nephew of director William Beaudine. Anderson worked on the tele-films Black Water Gold (1969) and Aaron Loves Angela (1975), and Tom Selleck’s television series Magnum P.I. Variety, Oct. 9, 2000, 59

10 Country (1968), The Boston Strangler (1968), The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Salzburg Connection (1972), Luther (1973), The Man in the Glass Booth (1975), Escape to Athena (1979), Green Ice (1981) and The Holcroft Covenant (1985). Anhalt also scripted several tele-films and mini-series including QB VII (1974) which earned him an Emmy nomination, Nowhere to Hide (1977) which he also produced, Contract on Cherry Street (1977), The Day Christ Died (1980), Madame X (1981), Peter the Great (1986), The Neon Empire (1989) and The Take (1990). Anhalt appeared in small parts in the films Hour of the Gun (1967), The Right Stuff (1983) and Two Idiots in Hollywood (1988), and the telefilms Tail Gunner Joe (1977), Nowhere to Hide (1978) and Madame X (1981). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 6, 2000, B6; Times (of London), Sept. 20, 2000, 23a; Variety, Sept. 11, 2000, 48.

Applebaum, Louis Anhalt, Edward Screenwriter Edward Anhalt, who received Academy Awards for his work in Panic in the Streets in 1950 and Becket in 1964, died of multiple myeloma at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, on September 3, 2000. He was 86. Anhalt was born in New York city on March 28, 1914. He began writing at an early age and entered films as a documentary cameraman in the late 1930s. He and his wife, Edna, wrote short stories for pulp magazines under the name Andrew Holt before coming to Hollywood in the mid–1940s. The couple worked together on several films before their divorce in 1953. Anhalt’s screen credits include Strange Voyage (1945), Avalanche (1946), Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1947), The Gentleman from Nowhere (1948), The Crime Doctor’s Diary (1949), Panic in the Streets (1950), The Sniper (1952), The Member of the Wedding (1952), Not as a Stranger (1955), The Pride and the Passion (1957), The Young Lions (1958), The Restless Years (1958), In Love and War (1958), The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961), The Young Savages (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), A Girl Named Tamiko (1962), Wives and Lovers (1963), Becket (1964), The Satan Bug (1965), Boeing Boeing (1965), Hour of the Gun (1967), In Enemy

Canadian film composer Louis Applebaum died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, of cancer on April 20, 2000. He was 82. Applebaum was born in Toronto on April 3, 1918. He began composing for films in the 1940s, working on such features

Louis Applebaum

11 as Dollar Dance (1943), The Story of G.I. Joe (1945) which earned him an Academy Award nomination, Dreams That Money Can Buy (1947), Lost Boundaries (1949), The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951), Pen Point Percussion (1951), Teresa (1951), Walk East on Beacon (1952), Operation A-Bomb (1952), The Mask (1961) and Paddle to the Sea (1966). Applebaum also served as musical director of the Shakespearean Festival at Stratford, Ontario, Canada for over twenty years. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 23, 2000, B5.

Arnold, Newt Film director Newt Arnold died of leukemia at his home in Encino, California, on February 12, 2000. He was 78. Arnold was born in Palo Alto, California, on February 22, 1922. Arnold helmed three features —Hands of a Stranger (1962), Blood Thirst (1971) and Bloodsport (1988). He was better known as an assistant director, working with such screen legends as John Wayne, Sam Peckinpah, Blake Edwards, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg. His numerous film credits include The Way West (1967), The Ballad of Josie (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), John Wayne’s The Green Berets (1968), The Devil’s Brigade (1968), Big Jake (1971), Hammersmith Is Out (1972), The Getaway (1972), The Carey Treatment (1972), Tom Sawyer (1973), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Huckleberry Finn (1974), The

Newt Arnold

2000 • Obituaries Godfather: Part II (1974) which earned him a Directors Guild of America award, The Towering Inferno (1974), The Killer Elite (1975), Sorcerer (1977), Convoy (1978), The Jerk (1979), The Concorde: Airport ’79 (1979), Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982), Blade Runner (1982), Table for Five (1983), D.C. Cab (1983), WarGames (1983), Sixteen Candles (1984), Saving Grace (1986), Alien Nation (1988), The Abyss (1989), Lock Up (1989), The Guardian (1990), School Ties (1992), Ladybugs (1992), Made in America (1993), Pontiac Moon (1994), A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Jade (195), An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) and A Simple Plan (1998). Arnold also worked in television on the mini-series Masada and the tele-films A Time to Triumph (1986), C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf (1988) and 1997’s 12 Angry Men. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22, 2000, A16; Variety, Feb. 28, 2000, 96.

Ashley, Edward Leading actor Edward Ashley died in San Diego on May 5, 2000. He was 95. Ashley was

Edward Ashley

Obituaries • 2000 born in Australia in 1904. He began his film career in England in the 1930s, appearing in such films as Under Proof (1936), Underneath the Arches (1937), Sing as You Swing (1937), Saturday Night Revue (1937) and The Villiers Diamond (1938). Ashley came to Hollywood in 1940, where he was featured in Bitter Sweet (1940), Spies of the Air (1940), Sky Murder (1940), Pride and Prejudice (1940), Gallant Sons (1940), Come Live with Me (1941), Maisie Was a Lady (1941), You’re Telling Me (1942), The Pied Piper (1942), The Black Swan (1942), Love, Honor and Goodbye (1945), Nocturne (1946), The Madonna’s Secret (1946), Gay Blades (1946), The Other Love (1947), Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) with Boris Karloff, Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948), Tarzan’s Peril (1951), Macao (1952), El Alamein (1953), Elephant Walk (1954) and Darby’s Rangers (1958). Ashley continued to appear in small character roles in such films as King Rat (1965), Herbie Rides Again (1974) and Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976). His last film appearance was in the 1988 horror movie Waxwork. Ashley also appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s in such series as The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Swamp Fox, Maverick, Bonanza, Perry Mason, The Beverly Hillbillies and It Takes a Thief.

12 Ashley also continued to perform on television, where he was seen in episodes of The Cisco Kid, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Lights Out, Jungle Jim, The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Annie Oakley, Joel Ashley The Restless Gun, Have Gun Will Travel, Boots and Saddles, Zane Grey Theater, Jefferson Drum, Wagon Train, Black Saddle and Daniel Boone. Ashley performed primarily on the stage from the early 1960s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 11, 2000, B6.

Autant-Lara, Claude French film director Claude Autant-Lara died in Nice, France, on February 4, 2000. He was 98. Autant-Lara was born in Luzarches, France, on August 5, 1901. He began his career

Ashley, Joel Character actor Joel Ashley died in Los Angeles on April 7, 2000. He was 81. Ashley was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 7, 1919. He began his career on the Broadway stage while still in his teens. He went on to star as Abraham Lincoln in productions of Prologue to Glory and War President. He also appeared in Broadway productions of The Sun Field and Catherine the Great with Mae West. Ashley began working in live television in the early 1950s, appearing in episodes of Studio One, Lux Television Playhouse and Hallmark Hall of Fame. He was also a popular radio voice, acting in several soap operas. Ashley went to Hollywood in 1954, where he appeared in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. His other film roles include Ghost Town (1955), Tension at Table Rock (1956), Rumble on the Docks (1956), The Great Locomotive Chase (1956), Crime Against Joe (1956), Broken Star (1956), Rebel in Town (1956), The Vagabond King (1956), The Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) and Warlock (1959).

Claude Autant-Lara

13 in the 1920s, directing short films in France including Le Voyage Imaginaire (1925), Vittel (1926) and Construire un Feu (1927). He subsequently moved to Hollywood to oversee French versions of Buster Keaton comedies. He directed his first feature, Ciboulette, in 1933. This was followed by My Partner, Mr. Davis in 1936. He was also involved in directing the films The Courier of Lyons (1937), Le Ruisseau (1938) and Fric-Frac (1939). Known as a radical leftist, he became an acclaimed international director in the 1940s with such often controversial films as Le Mariage de Chiffon (1942), Lettres d’Amour (1942), Love Story (1943), Sylvie and the Phantom (1946), Devil in the Flesh (1947), Oh Amelia! (1949), The Red Inn (1951), Seven Deadly Sins (1952), Le Bon Dieu sans Confession (1953), Le Rouge et le Noir (1954), The Game of Love (1954), Marguerite de la Nuit (1956), Four Bags Full (1956), Love Is My Profession (1958), Le Joueur (1958), The Green Mare (1959), Les Regates de San Francisco (1960), Le Bois des Amants (1960), Vive Henri IV … Vive l’Amour! (1961), The Story of the Count of Monte Cristo (1961), Thou Shalt Not Kill (1962), Enough Rope (1963), Le Magot de Josefa (1963), A Woman in White (1965), The Oldest Profession (1967), Le Franciscain de Bourges (1968), Les Patates (1969) and Le Rouge et le Blanc (1971). Autant-Lara also directed and scripted the 1977 film Gloria. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 7, 2000, A18; New York Times, Feb. 9, 2000, B10; Times (of London), Feb. 7, 2000, 19a.

Baarova, Lida Czech actress Lida Baarova was found dead in her Salzburg, Austria, apartment after a long illness on October 27, 2000. She was 86. She was born Ludmilla Babkova in Prague, now Czech Republic, on September 14, 1914. She made her film debut in 1931’s The Career of Pavel Camrda, becoming a leading star in Czech cinema. She went to Germany in 1934, where she starred in such films as Barcarole. Married to actor Gustav Frohlich, the star of Fritz Lang’s science fiction classic Metropolis, Baarova became involved in an affair with Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels. The affair ended badly when Goebbels’ wife learned of it and persuaded Adolf Hitler to forbid Goebbels’ divorce. Baarova fled Germany for Prague after her final German film appearance in

2000 • Obituaries

Lida Baarova

1938’s Der Spieler (aka The Gambler). She appeared in several films there before moving on to Italy, where she was featured in La Fornarina (1943), La Sua Strada (1943), Grazia (1943), Il Cappello da Prete (1943) and L’Ippocampo (1945). She again returned to Prague and was briefly imprisoned as a collaborationist in 1945. She subsequently married theatrical agent Jan Kopecky and the couple were allowed to leave Czechoslovakia by the Communist regime in the late 1940s. They went to Argentina before settling in Spain. During the 1950s Baarova appeared in several European features including La Bisarca (1950), La Vendetta di Una Pazza (1951), What Price Innocence? (1951), The Young and the Passionate (1953), Miedo (1956), Todos Somos Necesarios (1956), La Mestiza (1956), Honeymoon (1956), El Batallion de las Sombras (1957) and Rapsodia de Sangre (1957). After her divorce from Kopecky she moved to Austria in 1956. She continued to perform on stage during the 1960s and 1970s. Her biography, Lida Baarova’s Bittersweet Memories, was filmed in 1995. Times (of London), Nov. 15, 2000, 25a.

Obituaries • 2000

14

Babe, Thomas Playwright Thomas Babe died of lung cancer in a Stamford, Connecticut, hospice on December 6, 2000. He was 59. Babe was born in Buffalo, New York, on March 13, 1941. He received degrees from Harvard, Cambridge and Yale University Law School before he began writing plays in the early 1970s. His first success was the 1975 play Kid Champion, followed by 1978’s Prayer for My Daughter. He became associated with producer Joseph Papp, who staged his plays Rebel Women, Taken in Marriage starring Meryl Streep, and Buried Inside Extra. Babe’s play Fathers and Sons was adapted into the 1995 film Wild Bill. New York Times, Dec. 15, 2000, C18.

Balluck, Don Actor and television writer Don Balluck died of lung cancer and emphysema in Burbank, California, on April 7, 2000. He was 70. Balluck was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1929. He began his career on stage there before moving to New York in 1956. He went to Hollywood in 1960, where he began writing scripts for television. Balluck scripted episodes of Dr. Kildare, Run for Your Life and Daniel Boone. He served as executive story consultant and scripted numerous episodes of The High Chaparral in the late 1960s and Little House on the Prairie from 1977 to 1983. He also worked on the spin-off series Father Murphy. Balluck also wrote scripts for the series Room 222, The Rookies, Starsky and Hutch, The Streets of San Francisco, Police Woman, Baretta, Hawaii Five-O, Fantasy Island, Here’s Boomer, Hell Town, Magnum, P.I. and Beauty and the Beast. An active member of the Western Writers of America, he earned a Golden Spur award for an episode of Father Murphy in 1982. Balluck also scripted the 1969 western film Four Rode Out. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 13, 2000, B8; Variety, June 19, 2000, 83.

Barba, Meche Mexican dancer Meche Barba died of pulmonary emphysema in Mexico City on Janu-

Meche Barba

ary 14, 2000. She was 77. She was born Mercedes Barba Feito in New York on September 24, 1922. She began performing in the circus at an early age. Barba began appearing in Mexican films in 1937, and became known as “the Queen of the Rumba.” She appeared in over 50 films during her career including Humo en los Ojos (1946), Gran Casino (1947), Cortesana (1948), Casa de Vecindad (1951), Aca las Tortas (1951), Yo Fui Una Callejera (1952), Poker de Ases (1952) and Reportaje (1953). She appeared often on Mexican television in the 1980s and 1990s.

Barker, Jess Actor Jess Barker died of liver failure in North Hollywood, California, on August 8, 2000. He was 88. Barker was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on June 4, 1912. He began his career in films in the early 1940s, appearing in Government Girl (1943), Good Luck, Mr. Yates (1943), Cover Girl (1944), Jam Session (1944), She’s a Soldier Too (1944), Senorita from the West (1945), The Daltons Ride Again (1945), Scarlet Street (1945), The Love of Ours (1945), Keep Your Powder Dry (1945), The Time of Their Lives (1946) with Abbott and Costello, Idea Girl (1946), Girl on the Spot (1946), Take a False Step (1949), Reign of Terror (1949), The Milkman (1950), Marry Me Again (1953), Dragonfly Squadron (1953), Shack Out on 101 (1955), Kentucky Rifle (1956), Three Bad Sisters (1956) and The Peacemaker (1956). During the 1960s Barker appeared occasionally on television in episodes of Perry Mason, Adam-12 and

15

2000 • Obituaries Uncle Scrooge, Gladstone Gander and Gyro Gearloose. After his retirement in 1966 Barks continued painting the Donald Duck characters, with some of his portraits selling in excess of $100,000. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 26, 2000, B6; New York Times, Aug. 26, 2000, B7; People, Sept. 11, 2000, 111; Times (of London), Aug. 29, 2000, 17a; TV Guide, Nov. 11, 2000, 8; Variety, Sept. 4, 2000, 70; Washington Post, Aug. 26, 2000, B6.

Jess Barker

Tenafly. His final film credits were the 1964 psychological horror film The Night Walker and the 1975 crime drama Murph the Surf (aka Live a Little, Steal a Lot). He was married to the late actress Susan Hayward from 1944 until 1954. The couple had twin sons.

Barks, Carl Carl Barks, who drew the Donald Duck comic books from 1943 until 1966, died of leukemia at his home in Grants Pass, Oregon, on August 25, 2000. He was 99. Barks was born in Merrill, Oregon, on March 27, 1901. He began working at Walt Disney Studios in the early 1930s, drawing background frames in animated cartoons. He was soon working in the story department, where he created gags for such Donald Duck cartoons as Modern Inventions (1937), Donald’s Nephews (1938), Donald’s Lucky Day (1939), Donald’s Vacation (1940), Old MacDonald Duck (1941), Donald Gets Drafted (1942), Bellboy Donald (1942) and Donald’s Snow Fight (1942). He left Disney for Western Publishing, where he began drawing comic books featuring Donald Duck in Walt Disney Comics & Stories in 1943. Barks created such supporting characters as

Carl Barks (with his painting of Donald Duck).

Barnes, John W. Oscar-nominated educational filmmaker John Barnes died in New York on June 27, 2000. He was 80. Barnes was born in Belford, New Jersey, in 1920. He began working in films in the early 1950s, working with Gordon Weisenborn on the 1951 documentary People Along the Mississippi. He also joined Encyclopædia Britannia in 1951, beginning a twenty-year association producing short films on literature, culture, history, etc. His 1954 documentary The Living City, was nominated for an Academy Award. Barnes also wrote and directed the three part Shaw vs. Shakespeare series and a fourteen-part film series on mime with Marcel Marceau in 1975. He formed John Barnes Productions in New York in 1973. Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2000, B6.

Barnes, Rayford Character actor Rayford Barnes died in a Santa Monica, California, hospital on November 11, 2000. He was 80. Barnes was born near

Obituaries • 2000

16 Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bonanza, The Fugitive, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Wide Country, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, The Virginian, Laredo, Daniel Boone, Iron Horse, The Big Valley, The High Chaparral, Death Valley Days, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Cimarron Strip, Lancer, The Outcasts, The Invaders, Nichols, Kung Fu, Cannon, Little House on the Prairie, Simon & Simon, The Invisible Man, Wonder Woman, The Quest, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Walker, Texas Ranger and ER. Variety, Nov. 27, 2000, 71.

Barron, Robert V.

Rayford Barnes (right, with fellow alien George Niese menacing the Three Stooges).

Whitesboro, Texas, on October 23, 1920. He was the nephew of actress Binnie Barnes. He began his career on stage in 1950 and made his film debut in 1952’s What Price Glory? Barnes was also seen in the films Hondo (1953), Red River Shore (1953), The Desperado (1954), Bowery to Bagdad (1954), Battle Cry (1955), Wichita (1955), The Young Guns (1956), Stagecoach to Fury (1956), The Burning Hills (1956), Gun Glory (1957), Fort Massacre (1958), Lone Texan (1959), North to Alaska (1960), Young Jesse James (1960), 13 Fighting Men (1960), The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962), Shenandoah (1965), Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966), The Wild Bunch (1969), The Hunting Party (1971), Cahill: United States Marshal (1973), Breakheart Pass (1975), Mitchell (1975) and Death Hunt (1981). Barnes also appeared frequently on television, and was featured in several tele-films including The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return (1975), James Michener’s Dynasty (1976) and The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch (1982). His numerous television credits also include guest appearances in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, The Roy Rogers Show, Fury, Colt .45, 26 Men, Tombstone Territory, Northwest Passage, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Maverick, Wyatt Earp as Ike Clanton, Laramie, The Law of the Plainsman, Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, The Deputy, Bat Masterson, Rawhide, The Twilight

Character actor Robert V. Barron died in Salina, California, on December 1, 2000. He was 67. Barron was born in Charleston, West Virginia, on December 26, 1932. He began his career on stage performing in regional theaters throughout the country. Barron also began writing scripts for the television series Bonanza and Wild Wild West, and the films Tammy and the Millionaire (1967) and The Road Hustlers (1968) which he also appeared in. The tall, thin performer was also featured in such films as The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966), Cottonpickin’ Chickenpickers (1967), MacArthur (1977), The Private Eyes (1980), Eating Raoul (1982), Honkytonk Man

Robert V. Barron

17 (1982), A Minor Miracle (1983), The Supernaturals (1986), Disorderlies (1987), Daddy’s Boys (1988), The Big Turnaround (1988), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) as Abraham Lincoln, The Spring (1989) and A Dangerous Place (1994). He also appeared in the tele-films Bride of Boogedy (1987), Thanksgiving Day (1990) and Frankenstein: The College Years (1991), and guest starred in episodes of such series as Valentine’s Day, Bonanza, The Virginian, Judd, for the Defense, Mannix, Love, American Style, Next Step Beyond, Young Maverick, Falcon Crest, The Dukes of Hazzard, Night Court, Wildside, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, Out of This World, L.A. Law, Alien Nation, Father Dowling Mysteries, Good & Evil, Get a Life and Quantum Leap.

Bart the Bear Bart the Bear, who was featured in numerous films, died at Doug and Lynne Seus’ wildlife ranch in Heber City, Utah, on May 10, 2000, after suffering from cancer for two years. He was 23. Bart was born in captivity on January 10,

2000 • Obituaries

Bartel, Paul Cult film director and actor Paul Bartel died of liver cancer in New York on May 13, 2000. He was 61. Bartel was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 6, 1938. He produced, directed and scripted the 1969 short film, Secret Cinema, which was later adapted by Bartel as a segment of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories in 1986. He subsequently directed and scripted the 1969 short Naughty Nurses and helmed the 1972 film Private Parts. Bartel directed the 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000 for Roger Corman. The quirky film about a futuristic sport where drivers run down pedestrians, starred David Carradine and a young Sylvester Stallone. He directed the more mainstream racing comedy Cannonball in 1976. Bartel self-financed the 1982 black comedy Eating Raoul, in which he starred with actress Mary Woronov as Paul and Mary Bland, a pair of urban cannibals. He also directed 1984’s Not for Publication and the 1985 comedy western Lust in the Dust, featuring the unlikely romantic duo of Tab Hunter and Divine. His other directorial credits include The Longshot (1986), Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989) and Shelf Life (1993). Bartel also appeared as a character performer in numerous films during his career. He was seen in Hi, Mom! (1970), Hollywood Boulevard (1976), Eat My Dust! (1976), Mr. Billion (1977), Grand Theft Auto (1977), Piranha (1978),

Bart the Bear

1977. He was adopted by the Seuses as a cub. He performed in many television commercials and series and was featured in such films as Clan of the Cave Bear (1986) as the bald bear, The Bear (1988), The Great Outdoors (1988), White Fang (1991) and Legends of the Fall (1994). His most recent appearance was in The Edge (1997) with Anthony Hopkins. People, June 5, 2000, 95. Paul Bartel

Obituaries • 2000 Rock ’n’ Roll High School (1979), Heartbeeps (1981), Trick or Treats (1982), White Dog (1982), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), Flip Out (1983), Tim Burton’s 1984 short Frankenweenie, Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird (1985), Into the Night (1985), European Vacation (1985), Killer Party (1986), Chopping Mall (1986), Munchies (1987), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Shakedown (1988), Out of the Dark (1988), Mortuary Academy (1988), Caddyshack II (1988), Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog (1990), Far Out Man (1990), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), The Pope Must Die (1991), Our Hollywood Education (1992), The Living End (1992), Liquid Dreams (1992), Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel (1992), Posse (1993), Acting on Impulse (1993), Grief (1993), Twin Sitters (1994), The Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley (1995), Red Ribbon Blues (1995), Number One Fan (1995), Love and Happiness (1995), The Jerky Boys (1995), The Usual Suspects (1995), Skeletons (1996), Prey of the Jaguar (1996), Escape from L.A. (1996), Joe’s Apartment (1996), Basquiat (1996), Lewis & Clark & George (1977), Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), Zoo (1999) and Dreamers (2000). His most recent credit was the recently released Hamlet, where he appeared as Osric. On television Bartel was seen in the tele-films The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980), Baja, Oklahoma (1988), Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective (1990), Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge (1995), Roger Corman’s Not Like Us and Bucket of Blood, Louisa May Alcott’s The Inheritance (1997) and Hard Time: The Premonition (1999). His other television credits include episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Fame, L.A. Law, The Comic Strip Presents, Chicago Hope, Vengeance Unlimited, Tales of the City and G vs. E. Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 18, 2000, B13; People, June 5, 2000, 95; Time, May 29, 2000, 25; Variety, May 22, 2000, 80; Washington Post, May 19, 2000, B7.

18

Anne Barton

Broadway in a production of Junior Miss in 1946. Barton also appeared in a handful of films from the late 1950s including Pawnee (1957), The Green-Eyed Blonde (1957), Destination 60,000 (1957), The Left Handed Gun (1958), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Pressure Point (1962), The Way West (1967) and The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid (1972). Her other television credits include the tele-film The Stranger Who Looks Like Me (1974), and episodes of Gunsmoke, Zane Grey Theater, Perry Mason, Black Saddle, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Twilight Zone, Thriller, Laramie, The Deputy, Tales of Wells Fargo, Cimarron Strip, Green Acres and Cannon. She was married to actor Dan Barton from 1949 until her death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2000, B8.

Barton, Anne

Barton, Gregg

Character actress Anne Barton died in Los Angeles after a long illness on November 27, 2000. She was 82. Barton was born in Evansville, Indiana, in 1918. She was best known for her recurring role as Eddie Haskell’s mother in the Leave It to Beaver television comedy from 1957 to 1963. She began her career on stage, appearing on

Veteran character actor Gregg Barton died in a Fallbrook, California, hospital of natural causes on November 28, 2000, several weeks after undergoing knee replacement surgery. He was 88. Barton was born Hal Barker on June 5, 1912. He was a popular performer in films and on television, often playing heavies in westerns. His

19

2000 • Obituaries (1958), Lone Texan (1959), Never Steal Anything Small (1959) and The Gun Hawk (1963). Barton was also seen on television in numerous episodes of The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Annie Oakley and The Range Rider. His other television credits include episodes of Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Cowboy G-Men, The Roy Rogers Show, The Cisco Kid, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Superman, Stories of the Century, Buffalo Bill, Jr., My Friend Flicka, Captain Midnight, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, The Adventures of Champion, Fury, Sky King, Zane Grey Theater, 26 Men, The Restless Gun, Colt .45, Jefferson Drum, Rawhide, Maverick, Bonanza, Death Valley Days, Wagon Train and Laramie.

Barty, Billy Gregg Barton

numerous film credits from the mid–1940s include West to Glory (1947), Homecoming (1948), Michael O’Halloran (1948), Joan of Arc (1948), Command Decision (1948), Tap Roots (1948), Scene of the Crime (1949), Not Wanted (1949), Massacre River (1949), Mule Train (1950), Texas Dynamo (1950), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), Tripoli (1950), The Blazing Sun (1950), Beyond the Purple Hills (1950), Gene Autry and the Mounties (1951), Valley of Fire (1951), Distant Drums (1951), Whirl Wind (1951), Silver City Bonanza (1951), The Gunman (1952), Apache Country (1952), Dead Man’s Trail (1952), Bend of the River (1952), Wagon Team (1952), Montana Belle (1952), The Maverick (1952), Operation Secret (1952), The Moonlighter (1953), Winning of the West (1953), Tumbleweed (1953), Saginaw Trail (1953), Law and Order (1953), Last of the Pony Riders (1953), the 1954 serials Gunfighters of the Northwest, Riding with Buffalo Bill and The Man with the Steel Whip, Jivaro (1954), The Command (1954), Masterson of Kansas (1954), Two Guns and a Badge (1954), The Far Country (1954), Drums Across the River (1954), The Man from Laramie (1955), Seven Angry Men (1955), The Conqueror (1956), Raw Edge (1956), Blazing the Overland Trail (1956), Backlash (1956), Jet Pilot (1957), Joe Dakota (1957), China Doll (1958), Good Day for a Hanging (1958), Man from God’s Country

Diminutive actor Billy Barty died of heart failure in Glendale, California, on December 23, 2000. He was 76. He was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania, on October 25, 1924. The 3'10" actor made his film debut at the age of three. As a child he was featured as Mickey Rooney’s kid brother in the Mickey McGuire comedy series. He also appeared in the films Soup to Nuts (1930), The Dog Doctor (1931),

Billy Barty (as a child).

Obituaries • 2000 Three Wise Chucks (1931), Daddy Long Legs (1931), Goldie (1931), Out All Night (1933), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Footlight Parade (1933), Alice in Wonderland (1933), Roman Scandals (1933), Gift of Gab (1934), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) as the miniature baby in a jar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) as Mustard-Seed, and Nothing Sacred (1937). Barty was also featured in the films Three Wise Fools (1946), Pygmy Island (1950), The Clown (1952) and Roger Corman’s The Undead (1957). He was also a familiar figure on television during the 1950s, starring as Billy Bitesize on the daytime series Your Pet Parade in 1951, and appearing regularly in the variety series Ford Festival, The Spike Jones Show and Club Oasis. He also was seen as Little Tom in the Circus Boy series from 1956 to 1958, and appeared in episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour, The NBC Comedy Hour, Mr. Lucky, Rawhide, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Shirley Temple Storybook and Get Smart. Barty became a leading activist for “little people,” forming the organization The Little People of America in 1957. He also hosted the Los Angeles children’s show Billy Barty’s Big Show in the early 1960s. Barty remained active in films, appearing in Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962), Roustabout (1964) and Harum Scarum (1965) with Elvis Presley, Pufnstuff (1970), The Godmothers (1973), The Day of the Locust (1975), Six-Pack Annie (1975), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), W.C. Fields and Me (1976), The Amazing Dobermans (1976), The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977), Rabbit Test (1978), Foul Play (1978), Firepower (1979), Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979) and Hardly Working (1980). During the 1970s Barty appeared often on children’s television created by Sid and Marty Krofft, starring as Sparky the Firefly in The Bugaloos, as Sigmund Ooze in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and as Hugo in Dr. Shrinker. He also appeared in the tele-films Punch and Jody (1974), Bob Hope’s Joys (1976) and Twin Detectives (1976), and in episodes of The Waltons, Dusty’s Trail, The Man from Atlantis, The Love Boat, Barney Miller, Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, Little House on the Prairie, CHiPs and The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts. He appeared regularly on The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour from 1977 to 1978, The Bay City Rollers Show from 1978 to 1979, and was Inch in 1983’s Ace Crawford, Private Eye. He continued to appear in such films as Being Different (1981), Under the Rainbow (1981), Night Pa-

20 trol (1984), the 1985 fantasy Legend, Tough Guys (1986), Off the Mark (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), Snow White (1987), Body Slam (1987), Willow (1988), Lobster Man from Mars (1989), UFH (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990) as the voice of the Bellmouse, Wishful Thinking (1990), Diggin’ Up Business (1990), Life Stinks (1991), The Naked Truth (1992), Radioland Murders (1994), An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) and I/O Error (1998). Barty also appeared in the tele-film Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride (1991), and episodes of The Lost Saucer, Man from Atlantis, Supertrain, Fantasy Island, The Golden Girls, Nasty Boys, The Munsters Today and Frasier. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 24, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 27, 2000, C15; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 67; Time, Jan. 8, 2001, 17; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

Bassani, Giorgio Italian author Giorgio Bassani died in a Rome hospital after a long illness on April 13,

Giorgio Bassani

21 2000. He was 84. Bassani was born in Bologna, Italy, on March 4, 1916. His books often described the life of Jews in Italy during the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. He was best known for his novel The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, which was adapted into an Oscar-winning film by Vittorio De Sica in 1971. During the 1950s Bassani scripted several Italian films including The Adventures of Manderin (1951), The Stranger’s Hand (1952), The Vanquished (1953), The Wanton Contessa (1954), Woman of Rome (1954), The Anatomy of Love (1954) and The River Girl (1955). His novel The Gold Rimmed Glasses was also adapted to film in 1987. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 14, 2000, B6; New York Times, Apr. 14, 2000, C19; Time, Apr. 24, 2000, 25; Times (of London), Apr. 14, 2000, 25a.

Batanides, Arthur Character actor Arthur Batanides died at his Los Angeles home on January 10, 2000. He was 77. Batanides was born in Tacoma, Washington, on April 9, 1922. He began performing during World War II, entertaining soldiers in Europe with a comedy act. After the war he studied drama and was soon working in live television. He began his film career in a small role in the 1953 monster movie The Beast from 20,000 Fath-

2000 • Obituaries oms. He also appeared in the horror films The Unearthly (1957) and The Leech Woman (1960). His other film credits include Violent Road (1958), Cry Tough (1959), Man-Trap (1961), The Maltese Bippy (1969), Pot, Parents and Police (1971) and Brannigan (1975). He was perhaps best known for his role as Max Kirkland in the Police Academy film series in the late 1980s. Batanides was a frequent performer on television from the 1950s, appearing in episodes of Playhouse 90, Out There, Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers, One Step Beyond, Mystery Show, Tombstone Territory, Zorro, Maverick, Colt .45, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Riverboat, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Twilight Zone, Rawhide, The Deputy, The Rifleman, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Stagecoach West, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Outer Limits, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, The Fugitive, Amos Burke, Secret Agent, Great Adventure, The Rogues, Gunsmoke, Wild Wild West, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Honey West, The Green Hornet, Get Smart, Mission: Impossible, Time Tunnel, Daniel Boone, A Man Called Shenandoah, Death Valley Days, I Spy, Lost in Space, Land of the Giants, Cimarron Strip, Star Trek, It Takes a Thief, Happy Days, Wonder Woman, Galactica 1980 and Knight Rider. His other television credits include the tele-films Evil Roy Slade (1971), The Feminist and the Fuzz (1971), What’s a Nice Girl Like You…? (1971), The Heist (1972), Columbo: Mind Over Mayhem (1974), The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976) and The Last Hurrah (1977). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 15, 2000, A26.

Beardsley, Helen Eileen

Arthur Batanides

Author Helen Eileen Beardsley died in Healdsburg, California, after a long bout with Parkinson’s Disease on April 26, 2000. She was 70. She was born Helen Eileen Brandmeir in Seattle, Washington, on April 5, 1930. She and her first husband, Lt. Richard North, had eight children before his death in 1960. She married Navy Chief Warrant Officer Francis Beardsley, a widower with ten children, in 1961. Beardsley subsequently adopted her children and the couple had two of their own. She authored a book about their huge family, Who Gets the Drumsticks?, which was adapted into the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.

Obituaries • 2000 New York Times, May 7, 2000, 55; People, May 22, 2000, 135.

Beezer, Larry Comedian Larry Beezer died of natural causes at his Pasadena, California, home on February 10, 2000. He was 50. Beezer was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, in 1949. He began his career as a stand-up comic in the late 1960s, and made six appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Beezer also worked the stand-up circuit with such stars as David Letterman, Garry Shandling and Jay Leno. Beezer was featured in the 1981 film King of the Mountain, and was a regular with Dr. Demento’s Festival of Dementia.

22 “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” and “I Gotta Girl in Kalamazoo.” He appeared with the band in several movies including Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and Orchestra Wives (1942). Beneke served in the Navy during World War II and Miller was killed in a plane crash in December of 1944. Two years later Beneke was asked by Miller’s widow to reform the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The new band was popular, but Beneke left soon afterwards to form his own group, Tex Beneke and His Orchestra. Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2000, B1; New York Times, June 1, 2000, B9; People, June 19, 2000, 121; Time, June 12, 2000, 27; Times (of London), June 1, 2000, 25a; Washington Post, June 1, 2000, B6.

Benrath, Martin Beneke, Tex Singer, musician and band leader Gordon Lee “Tex” Beneke died of respiratory arrest in a Costa Mesa, California, nursing home on May 30, 2000. He was 86. Beneke was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 12, 1914. He joined Glenn Miller’s orchestra in 1938, singing on such popular songs as “Chattanooga Choo Choo,”

Tex Beneke

German character actor Martin Benrath died of cancer in Herrsching, Bavaria, Germany, on January 31, 2000. He was 73. Benrath was

Martin Benrath

23

2000 • Obituaries

born in Berlin on November 9, 1926. He appeared in numerous film from the 1950s including Meines Vaters Pferde (1953), Tausend Melodien (1956), Court Martial (1959), Die Ideale Frau (1959), Morituri (1965), Eintausend Milliarden (1974), Kaltgestellt (1980), Ingmar Bergman’s From the Life of the Marionettes (1980), The White Rose (1982), Success (1991), Schtonk! (1992), Stalingrad (1993), The Film Narrator (1993), Widows (1998), Campus (1998) and The Last Days of Switzerland (1999). Benrath was also a popular performer on German television, appearing in such series Derrick and Sophie — Schlauer als die Polizei, and the mini-series Die Buddenbrooks (1978), Fathers and Sons (1986) and Der Laden (1998).

series Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff. He also served as producer, director and writer for Richard Boone’s 1972 western series Hec Ramsey. Benton also served as producer for The New Doctors, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Name of the Game, Ironside, Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law, The Rookies, Columbo, which earned him an Emmy Award in 1974, Police Woman, The Snoop Sisters, Magnum, P.I., Murder, She Wrote, Code Name: Foxfire and Blacke’s Magic. He also produced a handful of tele-films including A Howling in the Woods (1971), Punch and Judy (1974), Undercover with the Ku Klux Klan (1979) and MADD: Mothers Against Drunk Driving (1983). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 22, 2000, B6; Variety, Dec. 4, 2000, 84.

Benton, Douglas

Benvenuti, Leonardo

Television producer Douglas Benton died of cancer at his home in Tarzana, California, on November 16, 2000. He was 75. Benton was born in Hollis, Oklahoma, in 1925. He began his career working in television in the early 1950s as a story editor and commercial writer for General Electric Theater. Benton wrote episodes of the popular medical series Dr. Kildare in the early 1960s. He also produced the horror anthology

Leading Italian screenwriter Leonardo Benvenuti died of a heart attack in Rome on November 3, 2000. He was 77. Benvenuti was born in Florence, Italy, on September 8, 1923. In a career lasting half a century, he wrote over 200

Douglas Benton

Leonardo Benvenuti

Obituaries • 2000 scripts, including Sergio Leone’s gangster chronicle Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Benvenuti’s numerous film credits also include Captain Demonio (1949), Street Urchin (1951), Puccini (1952), The Flame (1952), Giuseppe Verdi (1953), House of Ricordi (1954), Friends for Life (1955), The Girls of San Frediano (1955), Guendalina (1956), Altair (1956), A Tailor’s Maid (1959), Calypso (1958), The Joy of Loving (1960), Imperial Venus (1963), Kali Yug, Goddess of Vengeance (1963), The Mad Sea (1963), Marriage ItalianStyle (1964), Il Compagno Don Camillo (1965), A Question of Honor (1965), Serafino (1968), A Pocketful of Chestnuts (1970), We’ll Call Him Andrew (1972), Alfredo, Alfredo (1972), My Friends (1975), Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (1976), The Bishop’s Bedroom (1977), Doctor Jekyll, Jr. (1979), Claretta and Ben (1983), Let’s Hope It’s a Girl (1985), Me and My Sister (1987), The Sleazy Uncle (1989), Tonight at Alice’s (1990), Sandino (1990), Cops (1991), Ricky and Barrabas (1992), Ciao, Professore! (1993), Fantozzi in Heaven (1993), Cain vs. Cain (1993), Wolf! Wolf! (1993), The Heroes (1994), Dear Goddamned Friends (1994), The Worker and the Hairdresser (1996), The Last Stop (1998) and Bagnomaria (1999) New York Times, Nov. 7, 2000, C23; Variety, Nov. 13, 2000, 124.

Bergman, Jan Swedish director Jan Bergman, the son of famed director Ingmar Bergman, died of leukemia on March 15, 2000. He was 53. He appeared in his father’s 1968 film Shame. Bergman also directed for the Swedish stage and helmed the 1992 Swedish tele-film Maskeraden. New York Times, Mar. 16, 2000, B10.

Berman, David Costume designer David Berman died at his Santa Monica, California, home on March 2, 2000. He was 90. Berman moved to Hollywood in 1939 to start a branch of his family’s business, Max Berman & Sons. He designed costumes for numerous stage productions including Flower Drum Song, Annie Get Your Gun and Guys and Dolls. He also worked on the costumes for such

24

Jan Bergman

films as Cleopatra and My Fair Lady. Berman worked often in television in the 1950s and 1960s, designing wardrobe for such series as I Love Lucy, The Untouchables, The Jack Benny Show, The Danny Thomas Show, The Red Skelton Show and The Carol Burnett Show. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 8, 2000, A32; Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 57.

Bernds, Edward Film director Edward Bernds, who was best known as the director of numerous Three Stooges comedy shorts, died at his Van Nuys, California, home on May 20, 2000. He was 94. Bernds was born in Chicago on July 12, 1905. He went to Hollywood in the late 1920s where he worked as a sound mixer on such early talking films as Song of Love (1929), Dirigible (1931), Platinum Blonde” (1931), The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), It Happened One Night (1934), Air Hawks (1935) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Bernds began writing Three Stooges shorts at Columbia in the late 1930s, and was soon directing the Stooges

25

2000 • Obituaries York Times, May 28, 2000, 33; Variety, June 5, 2000, 65.

Berry, Walter Austrian opera singer Walter Berry died of a heart attack at his Vienna, Austria, home on October 27, 2000. He was 71. Berry was born in Vienna on April 8, 1929. He studied singing and joined the Vienna State Opera in 1950. He performed in over 100 operas during his career and was best known for roles in works by Mozart. Berry made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1996, performing in productions of Die Rosenkavalier, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Wagner’s Walkure, and Cosi Fan Tutte. He performed often with mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, his wife from 1957 until 1971. New York Times, Oct. 31, 2000, C25; Times (of London), Oct. 30, 2000, 21a. Edward Bernds

and other comedy shorts for the studio. Bernds made his feature debut with 1948’s Blondie’s Secret. He also directed Blondie’s Big Deal (1949), Blondie Hits the Jackpot (1949), Feudin’ Rhythm (1949), Blondie’s Hero (1950), Reward of Blondie (1950), Gasoline Alley (1951), Corky of Gasoline Alley (1951), Gold Raiders (1951), Harem Girl (1952), Loose in London (1953), Private Eyes (1953), Hot News (1953), Clipped Wings (1953), The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954), Jungle Gents (1954), Bowery to Bagdad (1955), Spy Chasers (1955), Dig That Uranium (1956), the 1956 science fiction film World Without End, Navy Wife (1956), Calling Homicide (1956), The Storm Rider (1957), Reform School Girls (1957), Escape from Red Rock (1958), Quantrill’s Raiders (1958), Space Master X-7 (1958), Queen of Outer Space (1958) with Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joy Ride (1958), Return of the Fly (1959), High School Hellcats (1959), Alaska Passage (1959) and Valley of the Dragons (1961). Bernds was reunited with the Stooges in the early 1960s, directing their feature films The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) and The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962). He also scripted the 1964 western Gunfight at Comanche Creek and the 1965 Elvis Presley film Tickle Me. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2000, B6; New

Walter Berry

Obituaries • 2000

Bertolucci, Attilio Italian author Attilio Bertolucci died in Rome after a long illness on June 14, 2000. He was 88. He was born in Lazzaro di Parma, Italy, on November 18, 1911. Bertolucci began writing poetry in the 1930s. His first collection, November Fire, was published in 1934. He scripted a handful of Italian films from the late 1940s including La Duchessa di Parma (1948), In Puglia Muore la Storia (1949), La Palla Ovale (1950), Un Animale Utile (1951) and Donne e Attilio Bertolucci Soldati (1954). Bertolucci was best known for his free-verse autobiographical novel The Bedroom. He was the father of film directors Bernardo and Giuseppe Bertolucci. Los Angeles Times, June 16, 2000, B6; Times (of London), June 22, 2000, 25a; Variety, June 19, 2000, 83.

26 1981 science fiction/western Outland. He also appeared in the British tele-films Mousey (1974) and Where the Action Is (1975), and was the voice of the Cricket in the 1978 British television series Pinocchio. Berwick was also seen in an episode of the British series Entertaining Father Stone.

Big Pun Rap singer Big Pun died of a heart attack in a New York City hospital on February 7, 2000. He was 28. The 600 pound Puerto Rican rapper was born Christopher Rios on November 9, 1971. Also known as Big Punisher and Big Moon Dog,

Berwick, James British actor James Berwick died in London on August 17, 2000. He was 71. Berwick was born in Dublin, Ireland, on July 6, 1929. He was featured in the 1970 film version of Wuthering Heights, and appeared with Sean Connery in the Big Pun

he was known for the songs “You Ain’t a Killer,” which was featured on the Soul in the Hole soundtrack album, and “I’m Not a Playa I Just Crush Alot.” His first album, Capital Punishment, was a major hit. His second album, Yeah, Baby, was released posthumously. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 9, 2000, A16; New York Times, Feb. 8, 2000, B9. James Berwick

27

2000 • Obituaries

Blackwood, Cecil Gospel singer Cecil Blackwood died of cancer in a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on November 13, 2000. He was 66. Blackwood was born in Ackerman, Mississippi, in 1934, the same year the Blackwood Brothers Quartet was formed with Cecil’s father, Roy, older brother, R.W. and uncles James and Doyle. Cecil Blackwood joined the group in 1954, and recorded numerous hits with the group including “Rock My Soul” and “Have You Talked to the Man Upstairs.” The group recorded hundreds of records and received numerous Grammy Awards, three in collaboration with Porter Wagoner. They also had a major hit in the 1970s with the song “Learning to Learn.”

Gerard Blain (poster for the French film Le Beau Serge).

Cecil Blackwood

Blain, Gerard French actor and director Gerard Blain died in Paris on December 17, 2000. He was 70. Blain was born in Paris on October 23, 1930. He began

his film career in a small role in 1945’s Children of Paradise at the age of 13. He became a leading actor in the 1950s appearing in such films as Deadlier Than the Male (1956), Crime and Punishment (156), The Mischief Makers (1957), Young Husbands (1957), The Cousins (1959), Claude Chabrol’s Bitter Reunion (1959), Charlotte and Her Boyfriend (1960), The Hunchback of Rome (1960), The Dauphins (1960), Skin and Bones (1961), Gold of Rome (1961), Hatari! (1962) with John Wayne, Lo Sgarro (1962), The Virgins (1963), Run with the Devil (1963), The Eye of the Needle (1963), Careless Love (1963), Via Veneto (1965), M.M.M. 83 (1965), Un Amore (1965), Joe Caligula (1966) and Shock Troops (1967). Blain made his directorial debut with 1970’s Les Amis, which he also scripted. He also directed and starred in 1973’s Le Pelican. He remained a popular French star in the films The American Friend (1977), The Machine (1977), A Cops’ Sunday (1981), Angel Dust (1987), Winter’s Child (1989), Chasse Gardee (1992) and The Raft of the Medusa (1998). He also directed the films Un Enfant dans la Foule (1975), The Second Wind (1978), The

Obituaries • 2000 Rebel (1980), Pierre and Djemila (1987) Jusqu’au Bout de la Nuit (1995) and So Be It (1999). Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

Blue Demon Mexican wrestler and actor Alejandro Cruz, better known as Blue Demon, died of a heart attack at his home in Mexico on December 16, 2000. He was 78. He was born in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, in 1922. Wrestling under a blue mask, he became one of Mexico’s leading professional wrestlers from the 1950s. He often competed against fellow Mexican wrestling legend El Santo during his career. Blue Demon was also featured in numerous Mexican horror and action films from the 1960s including The Blue Demon (1963),

28

Boam, Jeffrey Screenwriter Jeffrey Boam died in Los Angeles of heart failure brought on by a rare lung disease on January 26, 2000. He was 53. Boam was born in Rochester, New York, on November 30, 1946. He began his career scripting the 1978 feature Straight Time. He also wrote the screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dead Zone in 1983, and the 1987 teen horror film The Lost Boys (1987). His other credits include Innerspace (1987), Funny Farm (1988) and the action blockbuster Lethal Weapon 2 starring Mel Gibson. Boam scripted Steven Spielberg’s 1989 sequel Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and provided the story for 1992’s Lethal Weapon 3. He co-produced and scripted The Phantom in 1996, and wrote the upcoming Disney film Meg. Boam directed a episode of the HBO series Tales from the Crypt in 1993. He also co-produced the television series The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., which aired from 1993 to 1994. Variety, Feb. 7, 2000, 67.

Borge, Victor

Blue Demon (right, with Santo).

Blue Demon vs. the Satanical Power (1964), Hellish Spiders (1966), Shadow of the Bat (1966), Blue Demon vs. the Infernal Brains (1967), Blue Demon vs. the Diabolical Women (1967), Santo Against Blue Demon in Atlantis (1969), Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1969), World of the Dead (1969), Blue Demon and the Seductresses (1968), The Champions of Justice (1970), The Mummies of Guanajuato (1970), Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dracula and the Wolfman (1972), The Beasts of Terror (1972), The Champions of Justice Return (1972), Invasion of the Dead (1972), Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dr. Frankenstein (1973) and Mystery in Bermuda (1977).

Pianist and comic Victor Borge died of heart failure at his Greenwich, Connecticut, home on December 23, 2000. He was 91. He was born Borge Rosenbaum in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 3, 1909. Considered a musical prodigy, Borge began performing as a concert pianist in Copenhagen at an early age. Instead of pursuing a career as a classical musician, Borge turned to comedy in nightclubs and variety shows. He also appeared in several films in Denmark in the late 1930s including Der var Engang en Vicevaert (1937), Alarm (1938) and De Tre Maske Fire (1939). Being Jewish in pre-war Denmark put Borge at jeopardy from Nazi sympathizers, who he antagonized by making fun of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler in his acts. When Germany invaded Denmark in 1940, Borge escaped Europe for the United States. He taught himself the English language and adapted his acts for the American audience. He worked on radio as a warm up act on Rudy Vallee’s show, and appeared on Bing Crosby’s Kraft Music Hall from 1941 to 1943. He appeared in the films Higher and Higher and The Story of Dr. Wassell in 1944, and was given his own radio program in 1945. Borge made numer-

29

2000 • Obituaries

Victor Borge

ous live performances in nightclubs and on concert stages and was soon appearing on television during the 1950s, hosting The Victor Borge Show in 1951. He was also a frequent guest on The Ed Sullivan Show. Known as “the unmelancholy Dane,” he performed his one man show Comedy in Music on Broadway from 1953 to 1956. Borge continued to make frequent television appearances, guesting on The Andy Williams Show and The Muppet Show. He also appeared as himself in the 1983 film The King of Comedy. Borge remained active until his death, having recently completed a trip to Copenhagen. He was selected for the Kennedy Center Honors in 1999. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 24, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 25, 2000, A19; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 76; Time, Jan 8, 2001, 17; Times (of London), Dec. 26, 2000, 19a; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 46.

Boudard, Alphonse French writer Alphonse Boudard died of heart and respiratory problems in a Nice, France,

Alphonse Boudard

hospital on January 14, 2000. He was 74. Boudard was born in Paris on December 17, 1925. His early life was filled with poverty and crime. After serving four years in jail for burglary, Boudard wrote his first book, The Metamorphosis of the Woodlice, in 1962. The novel was filmed as Cloportes in 1965. Boudard also received acclaim for such novels as The Cherry (1963), The Fighters for Small Happiness (1977) and To Die from Childhood (1995). He also worked as a screenwriter on several French films including Action Man (1966), Rififi in Panama (1966), The Sun of the Vandals (1967, La Tatoue (1968), The Hostage Gang (1972), The Day of Glory (1976), The Gang (1977), Le Solitaire (1987) and Mon Ami le Traitre (1988). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 17, 2000, A20.

Boyette, Pat Writer, artist and filmmaker Pat Boyette died of cancer of the esophagus in San Antonio, Texas, on January 14, 2000. He was 77. Boyette

Obituaries • 2000

30

Pat Boyette

began his career in Texas as a television anchorman and news producer. He began working in independent films in the early 1960s, directing the low-budget horror films Dungeon of Harrow (1962) and The Weird Ones (1962) and the war drama No Man’s Land (1962). He also scripted The Girls from Thunder Strip, which was filmed by David Hewitt. Boyette left filmmaking to work in comic books, illustrating such Charlton Comics as The Peacemaker and Ghostly Tales from the Haunted House. He also drew for Creepy and Eerie magazines for Warren Publishing, Blackhawk and Claw the Unconquered for DC, and Turok, Dinosaur Hunter and Eternal Warrior for Valiant. Boyette also worked for Classics Illustrated in the early 1990s, drawing adaptations of Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island.

Bradbury, Sir Malcolm British author Sir Malcolm Bradbury died after a long illness in Norwich, England, on November 28, 2000. He was 68. Bradbury was born in Sheffield, England, in 1932. He began writing

Sir Malcolm Bradbury

professionally in he late 1950s, publishing his first novel, Eating People Is Wrong, in 1959. His other novels include Stepping Westward (1965), The History Man (1975), Rates of Exchange (1982), Dr. Criminale (1992) and To the Hermitage (1999). The History Man was adapted for British television in 1981. Bradbury also scripted for television, writing such British tele-films and mini-series as Blott on the Landscape (1985), Imaginary Friends (1987), The Green Man (1990), The Gravy Train (1990), Cold Comfort Farm (1995), Dalziel and Pascoe: An Autumn Shroud (1996) and In the Red (1998). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 1, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 29, 2000, A33; Time, Dec. 11, 2000, 41.

Bradley, Elizabeth British character actress Elizabeth Bradley died in Paris of a stroke on October 30, 2000. She was 78. Bradley was born in London on May 20,

31

2000 • Obituaries

Brands, X

Elizabeth Bradley

1922. She began her career on stage in the late 1940s. She married actor Gareth Adams and retired from the stage in the 1950s to raise a family. She returned to the stage in the mid–1960s. Bradley was featured in several films from the 1970s including Four Dimensions of Greta (1972), Peter Walker’s The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London (1981), Brimstone and Treacle (1982) and A Little Bit of Lippy (1992). She also appeared in the 1974 television mini-series Lord Peter Wimsey: The Nine Tailors and the 1975 tele-film In This House of Brede with Diana Rigg. After her husband’s death in 1978 Bradley returned to acting fulltime, appearing in such television series as Leaving, Z Cars, Dr. Finlay’s Casebook, Juliet Bravo, Softly Softly, The Piglet Files and Boon. She also appeared in the tele-films An Ungentlemanly Act (1992) and Memento Mori (1992). She began her role as the domineering mother-in-law, Maud Grimes, in the popular British television series Coronation Street in 1993. She remained with the series until 1999.

Actor X Brands, who was best known for his role as the Indian Pahoo-Ka-a-Wah on the Yancy Derringer television series with Jock Mahoney from 1958 to 1959, died of cancer on May 15, 2000. He was 72. Brands was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 24, 1927. Though not an Indian, he often portrayed them in films and television series. He appeared in a handful of films in the 1950s and 1960s including Frontier Gambler (1956), Naked Gun (1956), Young and Dangerous (1957), She Devil (1957), Escort West (1958), Gunmen from Laredo (1959), Oklahoma Territory (1960) and Beau Geste (1966). He was also seen on television in numerous other western series including Judge Roy Bean, Buffalo Bill, Jr., Cowboy G-Men, Annie Oakley, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Broken Arrow, Maverick, Northwest Passage, Rawhide, Tales of Wells Fargo, Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, The Tall Man, Wyatt Earp, The Rifleman, Cheyenne, Laramie, Bonanza, Branded, Laredo, Gunsmoke, Shane, Daniel Boone, The Monroes, The High Chaparral, Hondo, Here Come the Brides, Bearcats! and Alias Smith and Jones. His other television credits include episodes of Man from U.N.C.L.E., Here’s Lucy, Mission:

X Brands

Obituaries • 2000 Impossible and Emergency! He was also seen in the films Captain Apache (1971), Santee (1973) and Avalanche (1978) and the tele-films Bridger (1976) and Beach Patrol (1979).

Brenner, Dori Actress Dori Brenner died of cancer at her Los Angeles home on September 16, 2000. She was 53. She was born Dori Levine in Manhattan, New York, on December 16, 1946. She began her career on stage and made her Broadway debut in Unlikely Heroes in the early 1970s. She was featured in over a dozen films during her career including Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973), The Other Side of the Mountain (1975), Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), Altered States (1980), The Oasis (1984), Baby Boom (1987), For the Boys (1991), Infinity (1996) and Sunset Strip (2000). Ms. Brenner also appeared in the tele-films All Together Now (1975), I Want to Keep My Baby (1976), Seventh Avenue (1977), Sex and the Single Parent (1979), Obsessed with a Married Woman (1985), I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later (1985), The Operation (1990), Opposites Attract (1990), The Last to Go (1991), Sworn to Vengeance (1993), Silent Victim (1993) and Grandpa’s Funeral (1994). She appeared as Meryl Foxx in the shortlived 1982 television comedy series Cassie & Co.,

Dori Brenner

32 and was Sally Miler in 1987’s The Charmings. She also was featured as Ellen Colbert in the sit-com Ned and Stacey in 1985. Her other television credits include guest appearances on Ellery Queen, Falcon Crest, Hill Street Blues, At Ease, Who’s the Boss?, Night Court, Wings and Party of Five. Variety, Oct. 2, 2000, 60.

Brenner, Herbert Talent agent Herbert Brenner died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on August 19, 2000. He was 86. Brenner was a vice president of the MCA Agency. He represented numerous stars including actors Robert Taylor and Shelley Winters and director Raoul Walsh and Mervyn LeRoy. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 23, 2000, B6.

Bretherton, David Academy Award winning film editor David Bretherton died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on May 11, 2000. He was 76. The son of director Howard Bretherton, he began working in films after serving in the Air Force during World War II. He edited such films as The King and Four Queens (1956), Hilda Crane (1956), The Bottom of the Bottle (1956), Peyton Place (1957), Valerie (1957), Three Brave Men (1957), Ten North Frederick (1958), The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), Let’s Make Love (1960), Return to Peyton Place (1961), State Fair (1962), The Train (1964), The Sandpiper (1965), The Honey Pot (1967), Villa Rides (1968), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), Fools’ Parade (1971), Slither (1972), Cabaret (1972) which earned him an Oscar, Save the Tiger (1973), Westworld (1973), Bank Shot (1974), The Man in the Glass Booth (1975), Silver Streak (1976), That’s Entertainment, Part II (1976), Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), High Velocity (1977), Coma (1978), Winter Kills (1979), The Great Train Robbery (1979), It’s My Turn (1980), The Formula (1980), The Big Red One (1980), Cannery Row (1982), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Man, Woman and Child (1983), Lovelines (1984), Clue (1985), The Pick-Up Artist (1987), Lionheart (1987), Sea of Love (1989), Malice (1993) and City Hall (1996).

33

2000 • Obituaries

Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 22, 2000, B6; Variety, May 29, 2000, 70.

Briskin, Mort Film producer and screenwriter Mort Briskin died in Beverly Hills, California, on October 21, 200. He was 87. Briskin was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1913. He began his career in films as a manager of such actors as Mickey Rooney. Briskin produced the 1949 film The Big Wheel. He continued to produce such features as Quicksand (1950), The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) and No Time for Flowers (1952). He also produced and scripted The Second Woman (1951) and The Magic Face (1951). During the 1950s and 1960s Briskin worked often in television, producing nine series and scripting over 300 episodes of such series as U.S. Marshal and The Walter Winchell File. He returned to the large screen in the early 1970s, producing You’ll Like My Mother (1971), Willard (1971) and its 1972 sequel Ben. He also produced and scripted Walking Tall, the 1973 feature starring Joe Don Baker about Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser’s one man war on crime. Briskin produced and wrote Framed in 1975, and produced the 1978 tele-film about Buford Pusser, A Real American Hero. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 26, 2000, B8.

Bunney Brooke

Bruns, Mona Veteran character actress Mona Bruns died on June 13, 2000. She was 100. Bruns was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 26, 1899.

Brooke, Bunney Australian actress Bunney Brooke died of cancer in a Sydney, Australia, hospital on April 2, 2000. She was 80. Brooke was born in Bendigo, Australia, in 1920. Brooke began her career on the Australian stage in the early 1950s. She was best known for her work on Australian television, appearing as Flo Patterson on the soap opera Number 96 from 1971 to 1977. She also appeared in the television series The Young Doctors as Trixie Rogers, E. Street as Aunty Vi, and Round the Twist as Nell. Brooke was featured in a handful of films during her career including Alison’s Birthday (1979), Dawn! (1979), Dead Man’s Float (1980), Smuggler’s Cove (1983), and the 1983 television mini-series Boy in the Bush. Variety, Apr. 17, 2000, 55.

Mona Bruns

Obituaries • 2000

34

She was featured in the 1934 film Wednesday’s Child, but was best known for her roles in early television. She appeared as the mother of the Video Ranger in the early juvenile science fiction series Captain Video in the late 1940s. In reality she was the mother of Frankie Thomas, star of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and the wife of the late actor Frank Thomas. A popular performer on early television soap operas, she was seen in Woman to Remember in 1949 and Three Steps to Heaven from 1953 to 1954. She also appeared as Mrs. Eggleston in the short-lived 1949 comedy series Wesley, and was Mrs. Roberts in the drama series One Man’s Family from 1950 to 1951. She appeared as Aunt Emily in The Brighter Day soap opera from 1954 to 1962, and was Emily Hastings in the soap opera Another World in 1966. She also appeared in the tele-film Fear on Trial (1975), The Loneliest Runner (1976) and Delta County, U.S.A. (1977), and episodes of Green Acres, Bonanza, Green Acres and Little House on the Prairie.

Buck, Rob

Rob Buck

Rob Buck, the lead guitarist for the rock group 10,000 Maniacs, died of complications from liver failure in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 19, 2000. He was 42. Buck was born in Jamestown, New York, on August 1, 1958. He teamed with Dennis Drew, Steen Gustafson, John Lombardo and Natalie Merchant to form the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981. The group was best known for the songs “Hey Jack Kerouac” and “What’s the Matter Here?” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 2000, B9; New York Times, Dec. 24, 2000, 22.

Buero Vallejo, Antonio Spanish playwright Antonio Buero Vallejo died of complications from a stroke in Madrid, Spain, on April 28, 2000. He was 83. Buero Vallejo was born on September 29, 1916. He was a militant leftist during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. He was imprisoned by the dictatorship of Spanish leader Francisco Franco and sentenced to death. Buero Vallejo’s sentence was subsequently commuted and he was released from prison in 1946. After his release he wrote the play

Antonio Buero Vallejo

In the Burning Darkness, which received international acclaim. He authored thirty plays during

35 his career, many of which were subtly critical of Franco’s regime. His other plays include Story of a Staircase, Today’s a Holiday, The Sleep of Reason, The Double Case History of Dr. Valmy, The Foundation and The Shot. He was awarded Spain’s most prestigious literary award, the Cervantes Prize, in 1986. New York Times, May 6, 2000, A11.

Burr, Robert Actor Robert Burr died in Los Angeles of emphysema on May 13, 2000. He was 78. Burr began his career on stage and made his Broadway

2000 • Obituaries debut in 1951. He served in the Marines during the Korean War and returned to acting after his discharge. He was featured on stage in productions of King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and The Andersonville Trial. Burr was Richard Burton’s understudy for the Broadway production of Hamlet in 1964. He received acclaim when he performed the role himself, and was soon appearing in productions of King John, King Lear and Henry IV, Part II with Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare in Central Park. Burr also appeared in several films including The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972), The Seven-Ups (1973), Bogard (1975), Black Fist (1976), Tattoo (1981), Ghost Story (1981), Angel of H.E.A.T. (1982), A Little Sex (1982), A Return to Salem’s Lot (1987), Out on a Limb (1992) and Netherworld (1992). He also appeared in the telefilms A Special Act of Love (1973), Honor Thy Father (1973), Fer-de-Lance (1974) and A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978). Burr was featured in several daytime soap operas including Love Is a Many Splendored Thing as Lt. Tom Donelly from 1967 to 1969, Love of Life as Paul Raven from 1970 to 1972, Search for Tomorrow as McCready in 1975, and Somerset as Luke MacKenzie in 1976. His other television credits include episodes of Naked City, Coronet Blue and Gunsmoke. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 21, 2000, 44.

Burt, Heinz British rock musician Heinz Burt died in London of motor neuron disease on April 11,

Robert Burr

Heinz Burt (2nd from right, with the Tornados).

Obituaries • 2000 2000. He was 57. Burt was born in Germany on July 24, 1942. He was the bass guitarist with the rock group the Tornados in the early 1960s. They were best known for the hit song “Telstar” in 1962. Burt later left the group for a solo career, recording several hit songs in England including “Just Like Eddie.” Variety, Apr. 17, 2000, 55.

Bury, John

36 old Pinter stage productions including The Collection, Landscape, Betrayal and The Homecoming. He also served as production designer for the 1973 film version of The Homecoming. Bury received two Tony Awards for his lighting and set design for the Broadway production of Amadeus in 1981. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 21, 2000, B7; New York Times, Nov. 17, 2000, B11; Times (of London), Nov. 15, 2000, 25a.

C., Joe

British scenic designer John Bury died of pneumonia and heart disease in Gloucestershire, England, on November 12, 2000. He was 75. Bury was born in Aberystwyth, Wales, on January 27, 1925. He began his career in the 1950s designing sets for plays in England. He became as chief designer of the Theater Royal, Stratford East, in 1958. He subsequently worked with the Royal Opera House, the National Theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Working with Peter Hal, Bury helped produce numerous Har-

John Bury

Joseph Calleja, the diminutive rapper who performed as Joe C. with rock artist Kid Rock, died of a chronic intestinal disorder at his parents’ home in Taylor, Michigan, on November 16, 2000. He was 26. Standing only 3'9" tall as a result of Celiac disease while he was a child, his punk persona served him well while touring with Kid Rock and appearing in such videos as Cow-

Joe C.

37 boy. Joe C. performed on Kid Rock’s Devil Without a Cause album and sang the tune “Kyle’s Mom’s a Big Fat Bitch” in the film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Joe C. and Kid Rock also popped up in animated form on an episode of TV’s The Simpsons. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 18, 2000, B6; Variety, Nov. 27, 2000, 71.

Caddy, Alan Rock musician Alan Caddy died on August 16, 2000. He was 60. Caddy was born in London, England, on February 2, 1940. He was a guitarist and founding member of The Tornados, whose hits songs include “Telstar” and “Globetrotter.” Caddy also played with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Bats Heat and the Vampires and The Five Nutters.

Calinescu, Paul Romanian film director Paul Calinescu died in Bucharest, Romania, on March 25, 2000. He was 98. Calinescu began his career in film in the

Alan Caddy

2000 • Obituaries early 1930s, making Romania’s first professional documentary films. He was awarded the prize for best documentary at the Venice Film Festival for his 1938 film Tara Motilor. He began making features in 1939, helming The Valley Resounds (1949), Autumn in the Delta (1951), Development in a Village (1954), On My Responsibility (1956), PortoFranco (1961) and Titanic Waltz (1964). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 28, 2000, A18.

Camden, Joan Actress Joan Camden died in Los Angeles on December 25, 2000. She was 71. Camden was born Joan Louise Creears in Los Angeles on June 3, 1929. She was featured in several films from the early 1950s including The Captive City (1952), Stolen Identity (1953), Strange Lady in Town (1955), The Catered Affair (1956) and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) as Betty Earp. Her final film was Roger Corman’s 1962 version of Tower of London. Camden also appeared on television in episodes of Broken Arrow, Playhouse of the Stars, Perry Mason, Black Saddle, Richard Diamond, Private Detective and The Outer Limits.

Joan Camden

Obituaries • 2000

Campbell, Robert Wright Film and television writer Robert Wright Campbell died in a Monterey, California, hospice on September 21, 2000. He was 73. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1927. Campbell came to Hollywood in the early 1950s, where he scripted such films as Five Guns West (1955), Gun for a Coward (1956), Quantez (1957), the Lon Chaney bio-film Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) which earned him an Academy Award nomination, Roger Corman’s Teenage Cave Man (1958), Machine Gun Kelly (1958), A Terrible Beauty (1960), The Young Racers (1963), The Secret Invasion (1964), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Hells Angels on Wheels (1967) and Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969). Campbell also scripted episodes of numerous television series including Maverick and Marcus Welby, M.D. He was credited with creating the term “La-La Land” for Southern California with his 1986 detective novel In La-La Land We Trust. Campbell was the recipient of the National Book Award for his 1976 novel The Spy Who Sat and Waited and received an Edgar Allan Poe Award for 1987’s Junkyard Dog.

Robert Wright Campbell

38 Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1, 2000, B5; Times (of London), Oct. 31, 2000, 25a.

Canby, Vincent Film critic Vincent Canby died in a Manhattan, New York, hospital on October 15, 2000. He was 76. Canby was born in Chicago in 1924. He began working as a film reporter for Variety in 1959, writing film reviews for that publication until 1965, when he joined the New York Times and movie critic. He served as senior film critic there from 1969 to 1993, when he began writing a theatrical column for the paper. Canby was also the author of several plays including After All, The End of the World and The Old Flag, and the novels Unnatural Seenery and Living Quarters. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 16, 2000, B6; Variety, Oct. 23, 2000, 136.

Vincent Canby

39

2000 • Obituaries

Caplin, Elliot Comic strip writer Elliot A. Caplin died at his home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on February 20, 2000. He was 86. Caplin was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 13, 1913. He was the brother of L’il Abner cartoonist Al Capp, but the brother’s never collaborated on a comic strip. Caplin wrote the script for numerous comic strips including Dr. Bobbs, Big Ben Bolt, Abbie an’ Slats, Long Sam and Heart of Juliet Jones. Caplin also wrote the play Any Resemblance of Persons Living or Dead, which was produced off Broadway in 1971. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 28, 2000, A18; New York Times, Feb. 26, 2000, B10.

James Card

tography museum, the George Eastman House. He was also cofounder of the Telluride Film Festival in 1974. Card wrote a biography of his life with films in 1994, Seductive Cinema: The Art of Silent Film. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21, 2000, B6; New York Times, Jan. 21, 2000, B8; Variety, Feb. 21, 2000, 56.

Cardriche, Jaime

Elliot Caplin

Card, James Film preservationist James Card died in Rochester, New York, on January 16, 2000. He was 84. Card was the first film curator of the pho-

Actor Jaime Cardriche, best known for his role as Tim in the Malcolm and Eddie television series on UPN, died of complications from gall bladder surgery at a Torrance, California, hospital on July 28, 2000. He was 32. Cardriche was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1968. He attended Oklahoma State University, where he played football. After college Cardriche worked as a professional wrestler known as The Harlem Warlord. He began working in television in the late 1980s, appearing as Winston in several episodes of A

Obituaries • 2000

40 to Midnight program and playing the theme to the Amos ’n’ Andy show. Carter also performed on the radio series The Whistler, Suspense and Bride and Groom. During the 1950s Carter played for The Pinky Lee Show on television, and hosted the local series Everybody Sing with Gaylord. Carter continued to perform, playing for silent film revivals up until poor health forced his retirement in the early 1990s. Los Angeles Times, Dec., 4, 2000, B4.

Carter, Helena

Jaime Cardriche

Different World. He was also seen in episodes of Family Matters, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., The Wayan Bros., The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Parkers. He also appeared in several telefilms including Cast a Deadly Spell (1991), Alien Avengers (1996) and The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon (1998). Cardriche made a handful of film appearances including House Party (1990), Secret Agent Double-O Soul (1990), Deep Cover (1992), Freaked (1993) and Hail Caesar (1994).

Leading lady Helena Carter died in Los Angeles on January 11, 2000. She was 76. Carter was born in New York City on August 24, 1923. She made her film debut in the late 1940s and starred in over a dozen films through the early 1950s. She was best known for her starring role as Dr. Pat Blake in the 1953 science fiction classic Invaders from Mars. Her other film credits include Time Out of Mind (1947), Intrigue (1947), Something in the Wind (1947), River Lady (1948), South Sea Sinner (1949), The Fighting O’Flynn (1949), Double

Carter, Gaylord Theater organist Gaylord Carter died of complications from a stroke and Parkinson’s disease at his home in San Pedro, California, on November 20, 2000. He was 95. Carter was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, on August 3, 1905. He immigrated with his family to the United States at an early age. Carter began playing the organ as a child, and was working in movie houses from the early 1920s, playing scores for silent films. His musical backgrounds for the Harold Lloyd film The Kid, impressed the star who made Carter his personal organist. After the advent of the talkies, Carter continued to play during intermissions at Los Angeles movie houses. He began working in radio in the mid–1930s, hosting his own Prelude

Helena Carter

41 Crossbones (1950), Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950), Fort Worth (1951), The Golden Hawk (1952), Bugles in the Afternoon (1952) and The Pathfinder (1953).

Cartland, Barbara Romance novelist Dame Barbara Cartland died at her home near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, on May 21, 2000. She was 98. Cartland was born in Birmingham, England, on July 9, 1901. She began writing novels in the early 1920s, with her first published being Jigsaw in 1922. Cartland produced over 700 novels during her career and was listed in The Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling author in history. Several of her novels were adapted into tele-films including The Flame Is Love (1979), A Hazard of Hearts (1987), The Lady and the Highwayman (1989), A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990) and Duel of Hearts (1992).

2000 • Obituaries

Cary, Christopher Character actor Christopher Cary died of cancer in Hollywood Hills, California, on April 1, 2000. He was 65. Cary was born Christopher Bay Carysfort in Surrey, England, on June 16, 1934. He began his career with the Sadlers Wells Ballet Company, but soon began acting on stage. He moved to Los Angeles in 1955, where he appeared in the television anthology series Robert Montgomery Presents. He was best known for his role as Goniff on the television series Garrison’s Gorillas from 1967 to 1968. He appeared in a handful of films including Marlowe (1969), Raid on Rommel (1971), Lifepod (1980), Beyond the Universe (1981), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985), KGB: The Secret War (1986) and Rescue Me (1993). Cary was also seen in the tele-films The Mask of Sheba (1970), Death Race (1973), Planet Earth (1974), Mind Over Murder (1979), and Captain America II (1979). His other television credits include episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Wild Wild West, The Big Valley, Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Batman, Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, The High Chaparral, Wonder Woman, Voyagers!, The Rockford Files, The Wizard and Dynasty. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 6, 2000, B8; Variety, Apr. 24, 2000, 76.

Barbara Cartland

Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2000, A3; New York Times, May 22, 2000, B7; People, June 5, 2000, 106; Time, June 5, 2000, 37; Times (of London), May 22, 2000, 21a.

Christopher Cary

Obituaries • 2000

42

Cash, Jim

Cashin, Bonnie

Screenwriter Jim Cash died in an East Lansing, Michigan, hospital of an intestinal disorder on March 25, 2000. He was 59. Cash was born in Boyne City, Michigan, in 1940. Cash, with cowriter Jack Epps, Jr., scripted such popular films as Legal Eagles (1986), Top Gun (1986), The Secret of My Success (1987), Turner and Hooch (1989), Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990) and Anaconda (1997). He also scripted the comedy film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2000, A22; Variety, Apr. 17, 2000, 55.

Fashion designer Bonnie Cashin died following open heart surgery at a New York City hospital on February 3, 2000. She was 84. Cashin was a leading designer from the 1940s, known for sportswear line. She was born in Oakland, California, on September 28, 1915. She began her career working with a ballet company in Los Angeles. In the mid–1940s she began working with 20th Century–Fox as a costume designer. She contributed to over fifty films including Laura (1944), In the Meantime, Darling (1944), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Diamond Horseshoe (1945), The House on 92nd Street (1945), Fallen Angel (1945), Three Little Girls in Blue (1946), Cluny Brown (1946), Anna and the King of Siam (1946), Nightmare Alley (1947), Unfaithfully Yours (1948), Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948), The Luck of the Irish (1948), The Iron Curtain (1948), Give My Regards to Broadway (1948), Cry of the City (1948), The Snake Pit (1948), You’re My Everything (1949), It Happens Every Spring (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949). She returned to New York in the late 1940s, where her fashion designs earned her acclaim and several Coty Awards. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6, 2000, B6; New York Times, Feb. 5, 2000, C16.

Bonnie Cashin Jim Cash

43

Cassyd, Syd Television writer and producer Syd Cassyd died at his home in Los Angeles of a neurological disease on February 4, 2000. He was 92. Cassyd was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1908. He began his career working as a film editor with Frank Capra in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. After the war he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as an editor of Boxoffice magazine. He also worked on the experimental Los Angeles TV station, now known as KTLA. Cassyd was the founder of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1946. He served as president of the organization in 1950. Cassyd was producer of numerous documentaries and children’s shows, including Candy’s Playhouse and Young Musical America in 1952. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2000, A18; New York Times, Feb. 11, 2000, B10; Variety, Feb. 7, 2000, 67.

Castaneda, Rafael

2000 • Obituaries Time, Flow Softly (1959), But Still the Stream (1962), Brown Sugar (1974), Queen Truganini (1976), A Distant Island (1988) and The Heart of the Continent (1989).

Caudwell, Sarah

Nancy Cato

British crime writer Sarah Caudwell died of cancer on January 28, 2000. She was 60. She was born Sarah Caudwell Cockburn in London on May 27, 1939, the daughter of author Claud Cockburn and actress Jean Ross. A practicing barrister in England, she began writing novels in the early 1980s. Her first book, Thus Was Adonis Murdered, was published in 1981. Her other works, often featuring the protagonist Hilary Tamar, Oxford Professor of medieval law, include

Mexican film editor Rafael Castaneda died of a heart attack at his Mexico City home on April 16, 2000. He was 57. Castaneda was one of Mexico’s leading editors, winning seven Mexican Film Academy awards. His credits include La Hora de los Ninos (1969), Castle of Purity (1973), El Apando (1976), Secrets (1982), Cabeza de Vaca (1991, The Beginning and the End (1993), The Queen of the Night (1994) and Deep Crimson (1996). Castaneda was also active on Mexican television, serving as a producer on the cultural Channel 22. Variety, Apr. 24, 2000, 76.

Cato, Nancy Australian novelist Nancy Cato died in Australia after a long illness on July 3, 2000. She was 83. Cato was born in Adelaide, Australia,on March 11, 1917. She began writing short stories in the early 1950s and published a collection of poetry, The Darkened Window. Her first novel, All the Rivers Run, was published in 1958. It was filmed for television in 1990. Cato authored over ten other novels during her career including

Sarah Caudwell

Obituaries • 2000 The Shortest Way to Hades (1985), The Sirens Sang of Murder (1989), and her latest, The Sibyl in Her Grave (2000).

Chagawa, Ichiro Japanese actor Ichiro Chagawa died of cancer at an Osaka, Japan, hospital on November 9, 2000. He was 73. Chagawa was born Masahiro Fujita in Tokyo in 1927. He began his career on the Tokyo stage before moving to Osaka to become a television star. He was featured in the popular Japanese television series Yarikuri Apato (Thrifty Apartment) and Bantohan to Detchi-Don (Mr. Clerk and the Servant).

Christmas, Eric Character actor Eric Christmas died in Camarillo, California, on July 22, 2000. He was 84. Christmas was born in London, England, on March 19, 1916. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began his career on stage in the 1930s. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II and moved to Canada in 1948. He began working in television with comics Wayne & Shuster and toplined the Canadian television series Christmas Is Coming in the 1950s.

44 He was a popular character actor in films and television from the 1960s. Christmas was seen in such films as Monte Walsh (1970), The Andromeda Strain (1971), Johnny Got His Gun (1971), Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Tycoon (1976), An Enemy of the People (1977), the 1978 cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!, The Changeling (1980), Middle Age Crazy (1980), Porky’s (1981) and the sequels Porky’s II: The Next Day (1983) and Porky’s Revenge (1985) as Mr. Carter, The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), All of Me (1984) with Steve Martin, Happy Hour (1987), Whispers (1989), Bugsy (1991), Ed and His Dead Mother (1993, Almost Dead (1994), Air Bud (1997) and Mouse Hunt (1997). He also appeared in the telefilms The Blue Knight (1975), Code Name: Diamond Head (1977), The Challengers (1989), Child of Darkness, Child of Light (1991), Dead in the Water (1991) and Staying Afloat (1993). He had recurring roles in the television series Wiseguy in 1987 and Gideon Oliver in 1989, and was Admiral Sir Dudley Pound in the 1989 mini-series War and Remembrance. He also played Father Francis in the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives in 1995 and 1996. Christmas’ other television credits include episodes of Bonanza, The Men from Shiloh, Cade’s County, Cannon, Night Gallery, Kojak, Harry O, Little House on the Prairie, St. Elsewhere, Probe, Misfits of Science, Cheers, Murphy Brown, Night Court, Father Dowling Mysteries, Booker, Home Improvement, Eerie, Indiana, Matlock, The John Larroquette Show, Empty Nest, L.A. Law, The X-Files, Roseanne, Coach, Walker, Texas Ranger, Mad About You, Seinfeld, ER, Something So Right, Due South, Style and Substance and Ally McBeal.

Churchill, Marguerite

Eric Christmas

Leading lady Marguerite Churchill died in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, on January 9, 2000. She was 90. Churchill was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 25, 1909. She began her film career in the late 1920s, appearing with Will Rogers in They Had to See Paris (1929) and such films as The Valiant (1929), Pleasure Crazed (1929), Seven Faces (1929), Harmony at Home (1930), Born Reckless (1930) and Good Intentions (1930). She was cast opposite John Wayne in his first leading role in Raoul Walsh’s 1930 film The

45

Marguerite Churchill

Big Trail. She continued to appear on screen in Charlie Chan Carries On (1931), Riders of the Purple Sage (1931), Ambassador Bill (1931), Forgotten Commandments (1932), Girl Without a Room (1933), Without Children (1935), Speed Devils (1935), Penthouse Party (1936), Murder by an Aristocrat (1936), Man Hunt (1936), The Final Hour (1936), Dracula’s Daughter (1936), Alibi for Murder (1936), The Walking Dead (1936) and Legion of Terror (1936). Churchill also played leading roles on Broadway, starring in the original production of Dinner at Eight in 1932. She briefly returned to the screen in 1950 for a supporting role in Bunco Squad. Churchill was married to cowboy star George O’Brien from 1933 until their divorce in 1948. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 29, 2000, B6; New York Times, Jan. 15, 2000, B7.

Clark, James B. Film and television director James B. Clark died in Woodland Hills, California, on July 19, 2000. He was 92. Clark was born in Stillwater,

2000 • Obituaries Minnesota, on May 14, 1908. He began his career as an editor in the 1930s, working on such films as Wings of the Morning (1937), Under the Red Robe (1937), Return of the Cisco Kid (1939), Keep Smiling (1939), Inspector Hornleigh (1939), Young People (1940), He Married His Wife (1940), Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940), Haunted Honeymoon (1940), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), How Green Was My Valley (1941), A Very Young Lady (1941), Golden Hoofs (1941), Roxie Hart (1942), Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942), Iceland (1942), China Girl (1942), Immortal Sergeant (1943), Stormy Weather (1943), Holy Matrimony (1943), Buffalo Bill (1944), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Captain Eddie (1945), Somewhere in the Night (1946), The Late George Apley (1947), The Foxes of Harrow (1947), Moss Rose (1947), Road House (1948), The Walls of Jericho (1948), I Was a Male War Bride (1949), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), My Blue Heaven (1950), You’re in the Navy Now (1951), Bird of Paradise (1951), The Secret of Convict Lake (1951), The Desert Fox (1951), Five Fingers (1952), Stars and Stripes Forever (1952), Dreamboat (1952), Diplomatic Courier (1952), White Witch Doctor (1953), Hell and High Water (1954), Garden of Evil (1954), The Racers (1955), House of Bamboo (1955), The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956), 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956), One Wish Too Many (1956), The Girl Can’t Help It (1956), Between Heaven and Hell (1956), An Affair to Remember (1957), Life Is a Circus (1958), and Surprise Package (1960). Clark began directing for television in the 1950s, helming episodes of such series as Lassie, My Friend Flicka, Pursuit, Bonanza, Adventures in Paradise, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Legend of Jesse James, Wild Wild West, Batman and The High Chaparral. He also directed the films Under Fire (1957), Sierra Baron (1958), Villa! (1958), The Sad Horse (1959), A Dog of Flanders (1959), One Foot in Hell (1960), The Big Show (1961), Misty (1961), Flipper (1963), Drums of Africa (1963), Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964), And Now Miguel (1966), My Side of the Mountain (1969), The Little Ark (1972), and the 1974 telefilm The Summer of the Swans.

Obituaries • 2000

Clarke, Frederick S. Frederick S. Clarke, the founder and editor of the science fiction film magazines Cinefantastique and Femme Fatale, committed suicide near Adair, Iowa, on October 17, 2000. He was 51. Clarke, a former physics major at the University of Illinois at Chicago, began publishing Cinefantastique in 1970, supply numerous details and photos of the many science fiction and fantasy films that would emerge over the next thirty years. The magazine was also renowned for its in depth retrospective coverage of older science fiction films. Clarke also began publishing Femme Fatales, covering actresses in genre related films and television, in 1992. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 9, 2000, D8.

46 tured in The Night Digger (1971), The Darwin Adventures (1972), Victor Frankenstein (1977), Zulu Dawn (1979), Lovespell (1979), Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1981), Excalibur (1981) as Lancelot, Evil Under the Sun (1982), Lionheart (1987) and Sleeping Beauty (1987). He was featured in the 1978 British television series Life of Shakespeare as the Earl of Southampton, and appeared in such telefilms and mini-series as In This House of Brede (1975), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983), The Last Days of Pompeii (1984), The Corsican Brothers (1985), Child’s Play (1985), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II (1985), Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (1987), Berlin Break (1992), Virtual Murder (1992), Shanghai 1937 (1996), The Odyssey (1997), Merlin (1998) and Psychos (1999). His other television credits include episodes of Bugs and Highlander. Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2000, B6; Variety, July 10, 2000, 51.

Clay, Nicholas British actor Nicholas Clay died of cancer in London on May 5, 2000. He was 53. Clay was born in London on September 18, 1946. He made his film debut as a teen in the early 1960s, appearing in the films These Are the Damned (1961) and I Could Go On Singing (1962). He continued to play young leads in the 1970s, and was fea-

Nicholas Clay (from Excalibur).

Clayton-Felt, Josh Rock singer and songwriter Josh ClaytonFelt died of cancer in Los Angeles on January 19, 2000. He was 32. Raised in Boston, Clayton-Felt moved to Los Angeles, where he headed the band School of Fish. The recorded two albums from Capitol records including the hit song “Three Strange Days.” The band subsequently disbanded and Clayton-Felt embarked on a solo career. He recorded the CD Inarticulate Nature Boy and Felt Like Making a Live Record in the mid–1990s. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 27, 2000, B6; New York Times, Jan. 31, 2000, A23.

Josh Clayton-Felt

47

2000 • Obituaries

Cohen, Alexander Broadway producer Alexander H. Cohen died of respiratory failure at a Manhattan hospital on April 22, 2000. He was 79. Cohen was born on July 24, 1920. He produced over 100 plays on Broadway, beginning with Ghost for Sale in 1941. He had a major hit with 1944’s Angel Street starring Vincent Price, which was later adapted as the film Gaslight. During his sixty year career Cohen produced such works as Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, Hamlet starring Richard Burton, Jules Feiffer’s Little Murders, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Ah, Wilderness, and 6 Rms Riv Vu. His play, Waiting in the Wings, was performed in the 2000 season. He and his wife, Hildy Parks, co-produced three Night of 100 Stars television specials in 1982, 1985 and 1990. They also produced the first 20 years of the Tony Awards telecasts and numerous other specials include the Emmy Awards and Happy Birthday Hollywood. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 23, 2000, B5; New York Times, Apr. 24, 2000, A2; Time, May 1, 2000, 23; Variety, May 1, 200, 91.

Alexander Cohen (left, with Cary Grant).

Coleman, Nancy Actress Nancy Coleman died at the Actor’s Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on January 18, 2000. She was 87. Ms. Coleman was born in Everett, Washington, on December 30,

Nancy Coleman

1912. The tall, red-headed actress was a leading lady at Warner Bros. during the 1940s, appearing in such films as Dangerously They Live (1942), Kings Row (1942), The Gay Sisters (1942), Edge of Darkness (1942), Desperate Journey (1942), In Our Time (1944), Devotion (1946), Her Sister’s Secret (1946), Violence (1947), Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) and That Man from Tangier (1950). She starred as Helen Emerson in the 1953 television soap opera Valiant Lady, and also guested in episodes of Lights Out, The United States Steel Hour and Tales of Tomorrow. Married to writer Whitney Bolton from 1943 until his death in 1969, Coleman resumed her acting career in the late 1960s. She appeared in numerous stage productions and was featured on several soap operas. She played Elizabeth McGrath on The Edge of Night in 1967, and was Sister Mary Joel in Ryan’s Hope in 1976. She was also featured in the 1969 film Slaves and the 1976 television mini-series The Adams Chronicles.

Colicos, John Canadian character actor John Colicos died in Toronto, Canada, of a heart attack on March 6, 2000. He was 71. Colicos was an acclaimed Shakespearean stage actor, but was best known for his roles in television science fiction. He

Obituaries • 2000

John Colicos

appeared as the first Klingon seen on television’s Star Trek, starring as Kor in the 1967 episode Errand of Mercy. He later reprised the role in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the mid–1990s. Colicos also starred as the villainous Count Baltar in the 1978 series Battlestar Galactica with Lorne Greene. Colicos was born in Toronto on December 10, 1928. He performed with Canada’s Stratford Festival from the early 1960s. He also received acclaim for his stage performance as Winston Churchill in productions of The Soldiers. He had earlier appeared in small roles in several films including Forbidden Journey (1950), Passport to Treason (1955) and Barbados Quest (1956). He was featured as Thomas Cromwell in the 1969 historical drama Anne of the Thousand Days. Colicos’ other film credits include Red Sky at Morning (1971), Doctor’s Wives (1971), Raid on Rommel (1971), The Wrath of God (1972), Scorpio (1973), Drum (1976), Breaking Point (1976), King Solomon’s Treasure (1977) as Allan Quartermain, The Changeling (1980), Phobia (1980), the 1981 version of The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Last Season (1986), Nowhere to Hide (1987), Shadow Dancing (1988) and No Contest (1994). A familiar face on television, he starred as the villainous Mikkos Cassadine in the soap opera General Hospital in 1981. He was also seen in such tele-films and mini-series as Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971), The National Dream

48 (1974), A Matter of Wife … and Death (1975), The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper (1976), The Bastard (1978), The Paradise Connection (1979), I’ll Take Manhattan (1987), Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher (1989), In Defense of a Married Man (1990), Jack Higgins’ Windsor Protocol (1996), Thunder Point (1996) and Mario Puzo’s The Last Don (1997). His other television credits include episodes of Hallmark Hall of Fame, The Unforeseen, Mission: Impossible, T.H.E. Cat, Mannix, The High Chaparral, Hawaii Five-O, Night Gallery, It Takes a Thief, Longstreet, The F.B.I., Starlost, Gunsmoke, Harry O, The Magician, Wonder Woman, W.E.B., Charlie’s Angels, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Hardy Boys Mysteries, The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Hitchhiker, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, War of the Worlds, E.N.G., Beyond Reality and Fast Track. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 10, 2000, A24; New York Times, Mar. 8, 2000, C25; People, Mar. 20, 2000, 110; TV Guide, May 13, 2000, 10; Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 55.

Colleran, Bill Television producer and director Bill Colleran died of a stroke at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on June 15, 2000. He was 77. Colleran was born in Edgerton, Wisconsin, in 1922. He began working in films in the 1940s, serving as an assistant to director Louis de Rochemont. He entered television in the early 1950s, serving as associate director of the musical series Your Hit Parade. He also worked on numerous television specials during the 1950s before his career was interrupted by a serious automobile accident in 1960. He returned to work, producing and directing specials with Nat King Cole, Mary Martin and Dean Martin. Colleran served as executive producer of The Judy Garland Show from 1963. He also directed segments of the Honey West television series in 1965. Colleran was married to actress Lee Remick from 1957 until 1968. Los Angeles Times, June 17, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 26, 2000, B7; Variety, June 26, 2000, 67.

49

Collier, Richard Character actor Richard Collier died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in California on March 11, 2000. He was 80. Born in Boston, Collier began his career on stage in Massachusetts. After serving in the army during World War II, he resumed his career, appearing in such early television series as Playhouse 90, Philco Theater and Lux Video Theater. Collier was also seen on television in episodes of Broken Arrow, Man Without a Gun, The Alaskans, Temple Houston, Laredo, Petticoat Junction, Bonanza, The Andy Griffith Show, Batman, The Big Valley, The Beverly Hillbillies, Maude, Little House on the Prairie, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and CHiPs. He also starred as Harry Price in the short lived 1964 sit-com Many Happy Returns. Collier was featured in over twenty films including Suddenly (1954), Bigger Than Life (1956), The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956), Teenage Rebel (1956), This Could Be the Night (1957), Rally ’Round the Flag, Boys! (1958), Say One for Me (1959), Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960), North to Alaska (1960), Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962), Girls! Girls! Girls (1962), The Chase (1966), Good Times (1967), Hello, Dolly! (1969) as Walter Matthau’s barber, The Cheyenne Social Club (1970) and Mel

2000 • Obituaries Brooks Blazing Saddles (1974) as Dr. Sam Johnson. Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 57.

Collins, Tommy Songwriter Tommy Collins died of emphysema in Ashland City, Tennessee, on March 14, 2000. He was 69. He was born Leonard Sipes near Bakersfield, California, on September 28, 1930. He began his career in country music in Bakersfield before moving to Nashville in the early 1950s. Collins wrote and recorded several hit songs in the 1950s and 1960s. He was best known for songs he wrote for singer Merle Haggard, including “Carolyn,” “The Roots of My Raising” and “If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’).” His other hits include “You’d Better Not Do That” and “If You Can’t Bite, Don’t Growl.” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 16, 2000, A24; Variety, Apr. 10, 2000, 75.

Tommy Collins

Richard Collier

Obituaries • 2000

50

Comfort, Alex

Conway, Russ

British writer and physician Alex Comfort died in Banbury, England, on March 26, 2000. He was 80. Comfort was born in London on February 10, 1920. His first novel, No Such Liberty, was published in 1941. He received acclaim for such subsequent novels as The Power House (1944) and On This Side Nothing (1949). He also wrote several volumes of poetry and numerous articles advocating pacifism. Comfort was best known for his books on human sexuality including Barbarism and Sexual Freedom (1948), Sexual Behaviour in Society (1950), and the best-selling The Joy of Sex: A Gourmet Guide to Lovemaking (1972). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 29, 2000, A22; New York Times, Mar. 29, 2000, C27; People, Apr. 17, 2000, 93; Time, Apr. 10, 2000, 31; Times (of London), Mar. 28, 2000, 25a.

British pianist Russ Conway died of cancer on November 15, 2000. He was 75. Conway was born Trevor Stanford in Bristol, England, on September 2, 1925. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war he began playing the piano for various clubs. He was soon performing on the Billy Cotton Band Show on the BBC radio. Conway was also known as a composer, writing the score for a musical adaptation for Beauty and the Beast for British television. His biggest hit, “Side Saddle,” was originally written for the show. Conway hosted the television series Russ Conway and a Few Friends in the early 1960s. Poor health, including a series of strokes in 1963, largely ended his playing career, though Conway continued to compose.

Alex Comfort

Russ Conway

51

Cook, Willie Jazz musician Willie Cook died of heart failure on September 22, 2000. He was 76. Cook was born in Tangipahoa, Louisiana, on November 11, 1923. A trumpeter, he performed with the Jay McShann Orchestra on their rendition of “Say Forward, I’ll March.” Cook also worked with Duke Ellington’s Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King and Billie Holiday during his career. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 23, 2000, B4.

Cooney, Barbara Children’s writer and illustrator Barbara Cooney died in a Portland, Maine, hospital after a long illness on March 10, 2000. She was 83. Cooney was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1916. Her first book was published in 1950 and she earned the Caldecott Medal for her illustrations of the 1959 children’s book Chanticleer and the Fox. She earned another Caldecott Medal in 1980 for her illustrations for Donald Hall’s Ox-Cart Man. She received the National Book Award for her illustrated book Miss Rumphius in 1983. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 14, 2000, A20; New York Times, Mar. 15, 2000, B9; Times (of London), Mar. 15, 2000, 27a.

2000 • Obituaries in swimming, golf, tennis and skeet shooting. After Cooper’s death, she moved to New York and married plastic surgeon Dr. John Converse. He died in 1981. New York Times, Ma. 7, 2000, C29.

Cormier, Robert Novelist Robert Cormier died of complications from a blood clot in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 2, 2000. He was 75. Cormier was born in Leonminster, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1925. He began writing for Massachusetts newspapers in 1946. He was best known for such bleak novels of adolescence as The Chocolate Wars and I Am the Cheese (1977). Both were filmed, I Am the Cheese in 1983, with Cormier appearing in the role of Mr. Hertz, and The Chocolate War in 1988. The 1992 film Lapse of Memory was also based on I Am the Cheese. His novel, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway was filmed in 2000. Other novels include After the First Death (1979) and We All Fall Down (1991).

Barbara Cooney

Cooper, Veronica Veronica Cooper Converse, the widow of film star Gary Cooper, died in New York on February 16, 2000. She was 86. Known as Rocky, she was married to Cooper from 1933 until his death in 1961. She was a leading female athlete, excelling

Robert Cormier

Obituaries • 2000

52

Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 5, 2000, 64; Times (of London), Dec. 2, 2000, 31a; Washington Post, Nov. 12, 2000, C6.

Costello, Al Legendary professional wrestler Al Costello died of complications from pneumonia and heart disease on January 22, 2000. He was 80. Costello was born Giacomo Costa on December 14, 1919. He was best known as an original member of the tag team the Fabulous Kangaroos, with Roy Heffernan, from the late 1950s. The duo held numerous championships in the WWWF, WWA and Canada over the next decade. Costello continued to wrestling through the 1970s, later teaming with Don Kent as the New Fabulous Kangaroos to again claim the WWA title. Costello managed several wrestlers in the Mid-South area in the late 1970s before retiring to Florida.

Al Costello (right, with partner Roy Heffernan and manager Red Berry).

Courtney, Chuck Actor Chuck Courtney died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at his North Hollywood, California, home on January 20, 2000. He was 69. Courtney had suffered a stroke

Chuck Courtney

several years earlier and was reportedly despondent over the continued aftereffects. He was the son of Columbia costume designer Elizabeth Courtney. He began his career as an actor and stuntman in the early 1950s. He was perhaps best known as Dan Reid, the Lone Ranger’s nephew, in a number of episodes of the popular television series. Courtney also appeared in the films The Asphalt Jungle (1950), It Grows on Trees (1952), Fearless Fagan (1952), Cow Country (1953), Born to the Saddle (1953), Two Guns and a Badge (1954), At Gunpoint (1955), The Long Gray Line (1955), Friendly Persuasion (1956), Away All Boats (1956), Teenage Thunder (1957), Teenage Monster (aka Meteor Monster) (1957), Some Came Running (1958), Spartacus (1960), Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966) as Billy the Kid, El Dorado (1967), Rio Lobo (1970), The Cowboys (1972), Santee (1973), Food of the Gods (1976), The Gumball Rally (1976), Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (1989), Rich Girl (1990) and Peacemaker (1990). Courtney also did stunt work in such films as Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Blind Fury (1989), The Rookie (1990), Alligator II: The Mutation (1991) and Mom and Dad Save the World (1992). He was seen often on television, appearing in the 1986 tele-film Assassin, and in episodes of The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Jr., Tales of the Texas Rangers, Jefferson Drum, 26 Men, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Zane Grey Theatre, Wagon Train, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Legend of Jesse James, Lawman, Laramie, Wagon Train, Mission: Impossible, Laredo, The Virginian, The Fugitive,

53

2000 • Obituaries

Wild Wild West, It Takes a Thief, Get Smart, Star Trek and The Invisible Man.

Coutteure, Ronny Belgian comic actor Ronny Coutteure committed suicide in Fretin, France, on June 21, 2000. He was 48. Coutteure was born in Werwik, Belgium, on July 2, 1951. He was a popular film and television star in Europe from the early 1980s. He was featured in the films Cops’ Sunday (1981), Hiver 60 (1982), Zig Zag Story (1983), Carnaval (1987), Pentimento (1989), Blueberry Hill (1989), Loonies at Large (1993), The King of Paris (1995) and Arlette (1997). Coutteure appeared in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series as Remy in the early 1990s. He was also seen in the French television telefilms and mini-series Palace (1989), Maria Vandamme (1988), Les Vacances de Maigret (1995), Baloche (1996) and Les Enfants du Printemps (2000).

Frankie Crocker

NBC music series Friday Night Videos and Solid Gold. He was also one of VH1’s first VJs. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 25, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 24, 2000, C23; Variety, Dec. 4, 2000, 84.

Curley, Pauline

Ronny Coutteure

Crocker, Frankie Radio disc jockey Frankie Crocker died of pancreatic cancer in Miami, Florida, on October 21, 2000. He was 63. Crocker was a leading disc jockey and program director of WBLS-FM in Harlem for three decades. Crocker also appeared in a handful of films in the 1970s including Cleopatra Jones (1973), Five on the Black Hand Side (1973), Darktown Strutters (1975) and Death Drug (1978). On television, Crocker hosted the

Silent film star Pauline Curley died of complications from pneumonia in a Santa Monica, California, hospital on December 16, 2000. She was 97. Curley was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on December 19, 1903. She began her career in the early days of silent films, appearing in such films as Santa Fe Max (1912), The Unbroken Road (1915), Life Without Soul (1915), The Girl Philippa (1916), Intrigue (1917), The Fall of the Romanoffs (1917), A Case at Law (1917), Cassidy (1917), The Square Deceiver (1917), Her Boy (1918), His Daughter Pays (1918), The Landloper (1918), Mr. Fix-It (1918), Lend Me Your Name (1918), Bound in Morocco (1918), The Turn in the Road (1919), The Man Beneath (1919), The Solitary Sin (1919), The Veiled Mystery (1920), The Valley of Tomorrow (1920), The Invisible Pauline Curley

Obituaries • 2000 Hand (1920), Hands Off (1921), Judge Her Not (1922), The Prairie Mystery (1922), Midnight Secrets (1924), Shackles of Fear (1924), The Trail of Vengeance (1924), His Greatest Battle (1925), Ridin’ Wild (1925), Cowboy Courage (1925), Walloping Kid (1926), Twin Six O’Brien (1926), The Millionaire Orphan (1926), Prince of the Saddle (1926), Two Fisted Buckaroo (1926), West of the Rainbow’s End (1926), Pony Express Rider (1926), Where the North Holds Sway (1927), Code of the Range (1927), Thunderbolt’s Tracks (1927), Devil Dogs (1928), Power (1928) and The Locked Door (1929). She subsequently retired from films after marrying cinematographer Kenneth Peach, who died in 1988. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 24, 2000, B6; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

Curtin, Hoyt Hoyt Curtin, the composer of such cartoon theme songs as The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Scooby-Doo, died in Los Angeles after a long illness on December 3, 2000. He was 78. Curtin was born in Downey, California, in 1922. He began working in films in the early 1950s, composing scores for Mesa of Lost Women (1953) and Ed Wood’s Jail Bait (1954). He joined HannaBarbera in 1957, composing themes for such cartoon series as The Huckleberry Hound Show, Quick Draw McGraw, Top Cat, Magilla Gorilla, Jonny Quest, The Fantastic Four, Wacky Races, Josie and the Pussycats, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Goober and the Ghost-Chasers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, Yogi’s Gang, Inch High, Private Eye, The Partridge Family, 2200 A.D., Hong Kong Phoeey, Clue Club, The Great

Hoyt Curtin

54 Grape Ape Show, The All-New Popeye Hour, The Godzilla Power Hour, Challenge of the Super Friends, Battle of the Planets, Casper and the Angels, The Smurfs, and the 1986 animated film GoBots: War of the Rock Lords. Curtin also composed themes for the television series Love, American Style and Devlin, the 1978 tele-film KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, and the 1982 film Heidi’s Song. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 11, 2000, B4; New York Times, Dec. 11, 2000, A29; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 68; TV Guide, Jan. 13, 2001, 16; Variety, Dec. 18, 2000, 75.

Danell, Dennis Rock guitarist Dennis Danell died of a brain aneurysm in Newport Beach, California, on February 29, 2000. He was 37. Danell was a founding member of the punk rock group Social Distortion, playing guitar on such songs as “Ball and Chain” and “Let It Be Me.” Danell and Mike Ness formed the group in 1979. Their albums include Mommys Little Monsters (1982), Prison Bound (1985), Social Distortion (1990) and White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2000, A24.

Dennis Danell

55

Dangler, Anita Character actress Anita Dangler died on March 4, 2000. Dangler was featured in over 20 films from the late 1970s. She was 78. Her credits include For Love of Ivy (1968), Law and Disorder (1974), Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl (1977), Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978), Hero at Large (1980), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Stewardess School (1987), The Fisher King (1991) and Brain Donors (1992). She also appeared in such tele-films as The President’s Mistress (1978), Maneaters Are Loose! (1978), The Munsters’ Revenge (1981), Cry for the Strangers (1982), Lots of Luck (1985), Something in Common (1986), A Killer Among Us (1990) and Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991). Dangler’s television credits also include episodes of Naked City, Barney Miller, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, Eight Is Enough, Mork and Mindy, Tales from the Darkside, Small Wonder, Nearly Departed, Picket Fences, Rescue 77 and ER. She also appeared as Madame Maia Montebello in the daytime soap opera General Hospital in 1995. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 10, 2000, A24.

2000 • Obituaries New York, hospital on December 6, 2000. He was 67. Darcy began his career as an editorial cartoonist at Newsday in 1957. He worked at several other newspapers including The Phoenix Gazette, The Philadelphia Bulletin and The Houston Post beTom Darcy fore returning to Newsday in 1968. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1970. Darcy retired in 1997. New York Times, Dec. 11, 2000, A29.

Dard, Frederic French novelist and screenwriter Frederic Dard died of a heart attack in Switzerland on

Anita Dangler

Darcy, Tom Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Tom Darcy died of emphysema at an East Meadow,

Frederic Dard

Obituaries • 2000 June 6, 2000. He was 78. Dard was best known for creating the character Police Inspector San Antonio, who was featured in over 140 mysteries. Dard also scripted over twenty French films from the 1950s including M’sieur la Caille (1955), L’Etrange Monsieur Steve (1957), Pensione Edelweiss (1958), Back to the Wall (1958), Port of Desire (1958), Gestapo Contre X (1960), House of Sin (1961), Crime Does Not Pay (1961), L’Accident (1962), Paris Pick-Up (1962), Commissaire San Antonio (1966), Dames (1968) and Leon’s Husbands (1993). Several other of his novels were also filmed. Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2000, B4; New York Times, June 15, 2000, B15; Times (of London), June 10, 2000, 24c.

Davis, Arthur Looney Tunes animator Arthur Davis died on May 9, 2000. Davis began working in animation in the early 1920s. He was 94. Davis joined Warner Bros. in the 1940s, where he served as an animator on such shorts as Bowery Bugs, Daffy Duck in Mexican Joyride, Putty Tat Trouble and Goofy Gophers. Davis later worked for Hanna-Barbera and Fritz Freling. He also worked on such 1960s television cartoons as Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles. He retired in the mid– 1980s.

56

Davis, Jack Australian playwright Jack David died of complications from diabetes and heart problems in Perth on March 17, 2000. He was 83. Davis received acclaim for his 1968 poetry collection The First-Born and Other Poems. He made his debut as a playwright in 1979 with Kuilark, and continued with The Dreamers (1983) and No Sugar (1985), which earned an Australian Writers Guild award for best play. Davis authored in autobiography, A Boy’s Life, in 1991. Variety, Apr. 24, 2000, 76.

Davis, Jimmie Jimmie Davis, Louisiana’s “Singing Governor,” died in Baton Rouge on November 5, 2000. He was 101. Davis was born in Quitman, Louisiana, on September 11, 1899. A popular singer and songwriter, he first recorded the landmark hit “You Are My Sunshine” in 1931. His other tunes include “It Makes No Difference Now” and “Sweethearts or Strangers.” Davis was also seen in several films including Strictly in the Groove (1942), Riding Through Nevada (1942), Frontier Fury (1943), Cyclone Prairie Rangers (1944), Louisiana (1947), Mississippi Rhythm (1949) and

Davis, Elvera Dancer Elvera Davis, the mother of Sammy Davis, Jr., died in New York City on September 2, 2000. She was 95. Known as Baby Sanchez, she began her career dancing in a chorus line in Harlem. She married fellow dancer Sammy Davis, Sr., in 1923. The couple separated after the birth of Sammy Jr. two years later. Elvera Davis continued to perform on stage, dancing in the Apollo Theatre chorus through the early 1940s. She was also seen in the 1936 film Swing, and appeared in a small part in her son’s 1966 film A Man Called Adam. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 2000, B6.

Jimmie Davis

57 Square Dance Katy (1950). Persuaded to run for governor in 1943, he was elected to office, serving from 1944 to 1948. Davis returned to the governor’s office twelve years later, ushering Louisiana through school desegregation from 1960 until 1964. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 7, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 6, 2000, A37; Time, Nov. 20, 2000, 27; Times (of London), Nov. 7, 2000, 25a.

Davis, Marc Marc Davis, a leading animator for Walt Disney films and creator of such characters as Tinker Bell and Cinderella, died in Glendale, California, on January 12, 2000. He was 86. Davis was born in Bakersfield, California, on March 30, 1913. He went to work with Disney in 1935 as an apprentice. He served as assistant animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Davis subsequently worked on Bambi, developing the characters of the young Bambi and Thumper. He also worked on such Disney clas-

2000 • Obituaries sics as Song of the South (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and 101 Dalmatians (1961), creating the memorable villainess Cruella De Ville. He was a member of the elite group of Disney animators known as the “nine old men.” Davis joined with Walt Disney Imagineering in 1961, where he developed numerous characters and concepts for Disneyland and Disney World. He worked on such exhibits as It’s a Small World, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. He retired in 1978, but continued to serve as a consultant for Disney Imagineering for EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 14, 2000, A28; New York Times, Jan. 16, 2000, 36; People, Jan. 31, 2000, 65; Time, Jan. 24, 2000, 23; Variety, Jan. 24, 2000, 72.

Day, Marceline Actress Marceline Day died in Cathedral City, California, on February 16, 2000. She was

Marc Davis

Marceline Day

Obituaries • 2000 91. She was born Marceline Newlin in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 24, 1908. She began her career in the silents, appearing in such films as The Luck of the Foolish (1924), The Hansom Cabman (1924), The Taming of the West (1925), Renegade Holmes, M.D. (1925), The Wall Street Whiz (1925), The White Outlaw (1925), The Splendid Road (1925), Hell’s 4000 (1925), Western Pluck (1926), The Barrier (1926), Looking for Trouble (1926), The Boy Friend (1926), The Gay Deceiver (1926), That Model from Paris (1926), College Days (1926), Fools of Fashion (1926), The Beloved Rogue (1927), Red Clay (1927), Rookies (1927), Captain Salvation (1927), Road to Romance (1927), London After Midnight (1927) with Lon Chaney, Freedom of the Press (1928), The Big City (1928), Under the Black Eagle (1928), A Certain Young Man (1928), The Cameraman (1928) with Buster Keaton, Detectives (1928), Restless Youth (1928), Driftwood (1928), Stolen Love (1928), The Show of Shows (1929), A Single Man (1929), The Jazz Age (1929), Trent’s Last Case (1929), The Wild Party (1929), The One Woman Idea (1929), Temple Tower (1930), Sunny Skies (1930), Paradise Island (1930), The Sky Raiders (1931), Mystery Train (1931), The Mad Parade (1931), The Pocatello Kid (1931), The Crusader (1932), The Fighting Fool (1932), Arm of the Law (1932), From Broadway to Cheyenne (1932), The King Murder (1932), The Flaming Signal (1933), By Appointment Only (1933), Via Pony Express (1933), The Telegraph Trail (1933) and The Fighting Parson (1933). She retired from the screen after her performance in Damaged Lives in 1937. She was the sister of actress Alice Day, who died in 1995.

58

Robin Day

Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 2000, B8; New York Times, Aug. 9, 2000, C18; Times (of London), Aug. 8, 2000, 19a.

Dean, Bill British character actor Bill Dean died of a heart attack in London on April 20, 2000. He

Day, Robin British television newscaster and interviewer Robin Day died of heart problems in a London hospital on August 6, 2000. He was 76. Day was born on October 24, 1923. He began working with the BBC as a producer trainee in 1954. He subsequently worked with Independent Television News as a political reporter. He went on to host the popular BBC current affairs programs Panorama and Question Time. Day was also the author of several books including Television: A Personal Report (1961), Day by Day (1975) and Grand Inquisitor (1989).

Bill Dean

59 was 78. Dean was born in Everton, England, on September 3, 1921. He began his acting career late in life, appearing in the BBC play The Golden Vision on television. Dean was also featured in several films including Kes (1969), Family Life (1972), Gumshoe (1972) and Night Watch (1973) with Elizabeth Taylor. He was best known for his role as Harry Cross in the popular British comedy series Brookside from 1983 until 1990. His other television credits include episodes of Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars, The Sweeney, Coronation Street, When the Boat Comes In, The Liver Birds, Juliet Bravo, Heartbeat and Bloomin’ Marvellous.

de Camp, L. Sprague Leading science fiction and fantasy writer L. Sprague de Camp died of complications from a stroke in Plano, Texas, on November 6, 2000. He was 92. De Camp was born on November 27, 1907. He began writing stories and articles for pulp magazines in the 1930s. He collaborated with Fletcher Pratt on the popular Gavagan’s Bar

2000 • Obituaries fantasy series. He also wrote or co-wrote numerous novels including Divide and Rule (1939), Lest Darkness Fall (1939), The Castle of Iron (1941), The Incomplete Enchanter (1942), The Land of Unreason (1942), The Carnelian Cube (1948), Cosmic Manhunt (1949), The Undesired Princess (1951), Rogue Queen (1951), The Glory That Was (1952), The Tritonian Ring (1953), Solomon’s Stone (1956), The Tower of Zanid (1958), The Wall of Serpents (1960), The Search for Zei (1962) and The Goblin Tower (1968). De Camp also wrote numerous stories featuring Robert E. Howard’s barbarian warrior Conan. He also authored numerous historical novels including Lost Continents (1952), An Elephant for Aristotle (1958), The Bronze God of Rhodes (1960), The Dragon of Ishtar Gate (1961), Ancient Ruins and Archaeology (1964) and The Arrows of Hercules (1965). His short story, “The Green Thumb,” was adapted for television as an episode of Lights Out in 1952. De Camp also served as technical advisor on the film adaptations of Robert Howard’s work, Conan the Destroyer (1984) and Kull the Conqueror (1997). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 13, 2000, B4; New York Times, Nov. 11, 2000, C16.

DeCastro, Olgita

L. Sprague de Camp

Singer Olgita DeCastro, who performed with her cousins as the DeCastro Sisters from over thirty years, died after an asthma attack at her Las Vegas, Nevada, home on February 14, 2000. She was 65. The original DeCastro Sist e r s — Pe g g y, Cherie and Babette — came to the United States from Cuba in 1947. They performed with Carmen Miranda and Groucho Marx in the film Copacabana and were popular nightclub performers in the 1950s. The Los Angeles–born Olgita joined the Olgita DeCastro act in the 1960s,

Obituaries • 2000 occasionally substituting for one of the cousins. She became a permanent member of the group when Babette retired. The group continued to perform over the next thirty years, and were featured in the 1982 tele-film Portrait of a Showgirl. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 19, 2000, A20; New York Times, Feb. 20, 2000, 49.

della Cioppa, Guy Television producer Guy della Cioppa died in Studio City, California, after a long illness on January 17, 2000. He was 87. Della Cioppa was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1912. He began working for CBS in the 1930s, becoming director of network programming after serving in World War II. Della Cioppa left CBS to form an independent production company with Red Skelton. The company oversaw production of Skelton’s television series and Irwin Allen’s science fiction series Lost in Space. Della Cioppa also served as executive producer for Raymond Burr’s Ironside television series and the 1974 film Warhead.

Derwin, Jordan Actor Derwin Jordan died of cancer in New York of January 7, 2000. He was 68. Jordan was

60 a lawyer for over twenty years before he began acting. He was featured on television in numerous skits on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman. Derwin was also featured in several films including Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories (1980), I’m Dancing As Fast As I Can (1982), Hard Feelings (1982), The Cotton Club (1984), Crocodile Dundee (1986), Cadillac Man (1990) and The Ambulance (1990). Derwin was also active in the Screen Actor’s Guild, serving on the board for over 20 years. Variety, Jan. 17, 2000, 142.

Devlin, Don Film producer and actor Don Devlin died of cancer in Los Angeles on December 11, 2000. He was 70. Devlin was born in The Bronx, New York, on February 26, 1930. He began his career as an actor in the mid–1950s, appearing in such films as The Catered Affair (1956), Three Violent People (1956), Rumble on the Docks (1956), Young and Dangerous (1957), Tank Battalion (1957), Escape from San Quentin (1957), Blood of Dracula (1957), The True Story of Lynn Stuart (1958), Operation Dames (1959) and Anatomy of a Psycho (1961), which he also scripted. He also appeared on television in episodes of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and Tombstone Territory. Devlin co-wrote the 1963 film Thunder Island with Jack Nicholson. He served as producer for several films including Black Fox: The True Story of Adolf Hitler (1962), Petulia (1968), Loving (1970) which he also scripted, The Fortune (1975), Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) and My Bodyguard (1980). He was executive producer for Jack Nicholson’s 1987 film The Witches of Eastwick. Devlin is the father of producer Dean Devlin. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 15, 2000, B7; Variety, Dec. 18, 2000, 75.

Dillon, Carmen

Jordan Derwin

Academy Award–winning British art director Carmen Dillon died in Hove, East Sussex, England, on April 12, 2000. She was 91. Ms. Dillon was born in London on October 25, 1908. She began her work in films with Fox Studios in England, and moved to Pinewood in 1938. She worked as an assistant art director on such films

61

2000 • Obituaries (1971), Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), Butley (1974), The Omen (1976), Julia (1977) and The Sailor’s Return (1978). She also designed several productions for television including In This House of Brede (1975), Love Among the Ruins (1975) and The Corn Is Green (1979). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 22, 2000, B6; New York Times, Apr. 28, 2000, C21; Times (of London), Apr. 26, 2000, 23a.

Doolin, Robbie

Carmen Dillon

as The Mikado (1938) and French Without Tears (1939). She graduated to full art director in the early 1940s. Her numerous credits include Unpublished Story (1942), Secret Mission (1942), The Gentle Sex (1943), The Demi-Paradise (1943), Henry V (1944), The Way to the Stars (1945), White Cradle Inn (1946), Vice Versa (1948), Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet (1948) which earned her an Academy Award, Woman Hater (1949), Cardboard Cavalier (1949), The Woman in Question (1950), The Rocking Horse Winner (1950), The Reluctant Widow (1951), The Browning Version (1951), The Sword and the Rose (1953), Rob Roy (1963), One Good Turn (1954), Doctor in the House (1954), Laurence Olivier’s 1954 production of Richard III, Simon and Laura (1955), Doctor at Sea (1955), The Iron Petticoat (1956), The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), Miracle in Toho (1957), A Tale of Two Cities (1958), Sapphire (1959), Watch Your Stern (1960), Make Mine Mink (1960), Kidnapped (1960), The Naked Edge (1961), Raising the Wind (1961), The Iron Maiden (1962), The Chalk Garden (1964), Accident (1967), A Dandy in the Aspic (1968), Otley (1969), Sinful Davey (1969), To Catch a Spy (1969), The Go-Between

Irish actor Robbie Doolin was found dead on a Dublin sidewalk after an altercation outside of a taxi company office early in the morning of August 21, 2000. He was 35. Doolin was best known for his role as Duffy in the BBC Robbie Doolin television series Ballykissangel. He was also featured in the Irish RTE comedy series Upwardly Mobile, and in episodes of Lovejoy and Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. Doolin appeared in several films during his career including The Snapper (1993), An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), Nothing Personal (1995), 35 Aside (195) and Bolt (1997).

Dor, Rena Greek stage actress Rena Dor died of a stroke in an Athens, Greece, hospital on March 5, 2000. She was 83. Dor was born Rena Yiannatou in Pastra, Greece, in 1917. She began her career in the mid–1920s as a dancer on stage. She was a leading figure in Greek theatre from the mid–1930s. Dor made her final stage appearance in 1975. She also appeared in the 1963 Greek film Trelloi Polyteleias. She was the widow of actor Aleko Leivaditis. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 7, 2000, A20.

Obituaries • 2000

Doran, Ann Veteran character actor Ann Doran died at a senior citizens complex in Carmichael, California, on September 19, 2000. She was 89. Doran was born in Amarillo Texas, on July 28, 1911, the daughter of silent film actress Carrie Barnett. She began her career at the age of four, appearing in silent films under various names. She returned to films after completing college in the mid–1930s, appearing in small roles in numerous features including One Exciting Adventure (1934), Servants’ Entrance (1934), Charlie Chan in London (1934), Night Life of the Gods (1935), Bad Boy (1935), Way Down East (1935), Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935), Case of the Missing Man (1935), The Little Red School House (1936), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Red Lights Ahead (1936), Palm Springs (1936), Ring Around the Moon (1936), Missing Girls (1936), Let’s Sing Again (1936), The Man Who Lived Twice (1936), Dangerous Intrigue (1936), The Devil’s Playground (1937), When You’re in Love (1937), Gracie at the Bat (1937), Marry the Girl (1937), Nothing Sacred (1937), Stella Dallas (1937), The Shadow (1937), It’s All Yours (1937), Paid to Dance (1937), Girls Can Play (1937), The Go Getter (1937), Fiddling Around (1938), Start Cheering (1938), Penitentiary (1938), The Old Raid Mule (1938), Time Out for Trouble (1938), The Mind Needer (1938), Ankles Away (1938), Half way to Hollywood (1938), Blind Alibi

Ann Doran

62 (1938), Many Sappy Returns (1938), You Can’t Take It with You (1938), A Doggone Mixup (1938), Pie a la Maid (1938), Women in Prison (1938), The Spider’s Web (1938), Sue My Lawyer (1938), The Main Event (1938), She Married an Artist (1938), The Lady Objects (1938), Highway Patrol (1938), Extortion (1938), Blondie (1938), City Streets (1938), Smashing the Spy Ring (1938), Rattling Romeo (1939), Coast Guard (1939), Trouble Finds Andy Clyde (1939), Romance of the Redwoods (1939), Skinny the Moocher (1939), Static in the Attic (1939), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Three Sappy People (1939), The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) with Boris Karloff, My Son Is a Criminal (1939), A Woman Is the Judge (1939), Let Us Live! (1939), Homicide Bureau (1939), The Green Hornet (1939), Good Girls Go to Paris (1939), Blind Alley (1939) and Flying G-Men (1939). She starred with Charles Starrett in the 1939 western, Rio Grande, and continued to perform in films over the next five decades, often in supporting roles. Her credits also include Five Little Peppers at Home (1940), South of the Boudoir (1940), Untamed (1940), Cold Turkey (1940), Blondes and Blunders (1940), Manhattan Heartbeat (1940), Glamour for Sale (1940), Girls of the Road (1940), Ellery Queen’s Penthouse Mystery (1941), Penny Serenade (1941), Meet John Doe (1941), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), Dive Bomber (1941), Half Shot at Sunrise (1941), Lovable Trouble (1941), Sing Another Chorus (1941), New York Town (1941), Murder Among Friends (1941), The Kid from Kansas (1941), The Iron Claw (1941), Dr. Kildare’s Wedding Day (1941), Criminals Within (1941), Buy Me That Town (1941), Blue, White and Perfect (1941), Three Blonde Mice (1941), Mr. Wise Guy (1942), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), My Sister Eileen (1942), They All Kissed the Bride (1942), Street of Chance (1942), The Hard Way (1942), Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942), Air Force (1943), The More the Merrier (1943), Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943), True to Life (1943), Old Acquaintance (1943), Slightly Dangerous (1943), Doctor, Feel My Pulse (1944), His Tale Is Told (1944), The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944), Mr. Skeffington (1944), I Love a Soldier (1944), Henry Aldrich’s Little Secret (1944), Here Come the Waves (1944) with Bing Crosby, Pride of the Marines (1945), Roughly Speaking (1945), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), The Perfect Marriage (1946), Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946), My Favorite Brunette (1947), Fear in the Night (1947),

63 Second Chance (1947), Variety Girl (1947), Magic Town (1947), Son of Rusty (1947), Road to the Big House (1947), Seven Were Saved (1947), For the Love of Rusty (1947), The Crimson Key (1947), The Babe Ruth Story (1948), The Snake Pit (1948), Sealed Verdict (1948), Rusty Leads the Way (1948), The Return of the Whistler (1948), Pitfall (1948), No Minor Vices (1948), My Dog Rusty (1948), He Walked by Night (1948), Hazard (1948), The Accused (1948), Big Jack (1949), The Kid from Cleveland (1949), The Fountainhead (1949), Beyond the Forest (1949), Rusty’s Birthday (1949), Rusty Saves a Life (1949), One Last Fling (1949), Holiday in Havana (1949), The Clay Pigeon (1949), Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949), Air Hostess (1949), Riding High (1950), Never a Dull Moment (1950), Lonely Heart Bandits (1950), The Jackpot (1950), No Sad Songs for Me (1950), Tomahawk (1950), The Gambling House (1951), The People Against O’Hara (1951), The Painted Hills (1951), Her First Romance (1951), Starlift (1951), Rodeo (1952), Paula (1952), Love Is Better Than Ever (1953), The Rose Bowl Story (1952), Here Come the Nelsons (1952), Island in the Sky (1953), The Eddie Cantor Story (1953), So This Is Love (1953), The High and the Mighty (1954) as Phil Harris’ wife, Them! (1954), Hurricane at Pilgrim Hill (1954), City Story (1954), The Bob Mathias Story (1954), Rebel Without a Cause (1955) as James Dean’s mother, Reluctant Bride (1955), The Desperate Hours (1955), Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957), Young and Dangerous (1957), The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957), The Female Animal (1957), The Deep Six (1957), Band of Angels (1957), Day of the Bad Man (1958), Voice in the Mirror (1958), Violent Road (1958), Joy Ride (1958), Step Down to Terror (1958), The Rawhide Trail (1958), It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958), Life Begins at 17 (1958), The Badlanders (1958), Warlock (1959), Cast a Long Shadow (1959), A Summer Place (1959), Riot in Juvenile Prison (1959), The FBI Story (1959), Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), The Carpetbaggers (1964), The Brass Bottle (1964), Where Love Has Gone (1964), Kitten with a Whip (1964), Mirage (1965), Not with My Wife, You Don’t! (1966), The Hostage (1967), Rosie! (1968), Live a Little, Love a Little (1968), The Arrangement (1969), Once You Kiss a Stranger (1969), There Was a Crooked Man (1970), The Hired Hand (1971), The Gumball Rally (1976), All Night Long (1981), First Monday in October (1981) and Wildcats (1986). She was also featured in the tele-

2000 • Obituaries films Weekend of Terror (1970), The Priest Killer (1971), The Scarecrow (1972), The Last Angry Man (1974), The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd (1974), The Werewolf of Woodstock (1975), The Family Nobody Wanted (1975), The Macahans (1976), Flood! (1976), Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion (1977), Dead of Night (1977), Great Heroes of the Bible (1978), Little Mo (1978), Backstairs at the White House (1979), Advice to the Lovelorn (1981) and All the Way Home (1981). Doran starred as Martha Brown in the television series National Velvet from 1960 to 1962. She also appeared as Mrs. James in the 1965 western series The Legend of Jesse James and was Mrs. Kingston in the 1971 drama Longstreet with James Franciscus. She was also seen as Charlotte McHenry in the 1979 comedy series Shirley. Her numerous television appearances also include episodes of The Adventures of Superman, The Gene Autry Show, The Roy Rogers Shows, The Adventures of Champion, The Lone Ranger, Topper, Men into Space, Broken Arrow, Leave It to Beaver, My Friend Flicka, Perry Mason, Frontier Doctor, Colt .45, Wagon Train, Rawhide, The Virginian, Lassie, Hey, Landlord, Petticoat Junction, Bewitched, Alias Smith and Jones, Bonanza, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Emergency!, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Little House on the Prairie, M*A*S*H, Eight Is Enough, Father Murphy, Highway to Heaven, Project UFO, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, The A-Team, the new Twilight Zone in 1987, and Hunter. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1, 2000, B5; Variety, Oct. 2, 2000, 60.

Doyle, Tony Irish actor Tony Doyle died at a London hospital after collapsing at his home on January 28, 2000. He was 58. Doyle was born in French Park, County Roscommon, Ireland, in 1941. He was best known for his role as shady businessman Brian Quigley in the British television series Ballykissangel for the past four years. Doyle also starred in the British television series The Riordans (1965), 1990 (1977), The Aphrodite Inheritance (1979), Between the Lines (1992), Castles (1995). His other television credits include the tele-films and mini-series Macbeth (1983) as Macduff, Vanity Fair (1987), Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988), Pride and Extreme Prejudice

Obituaries • 2000

64

Frances Drake (with Peter Lorre from Mad Love).

Tony Doyle

(1990), Stay Lucky (1990), Firm Friends (1992), Circle of Deceit (1993), Hostages (1993), Band of Gold (1995), Amongst Women (1998) and Four Fathers (1999). He was also seen in episodes of such series as The Gentle Touch, King and Castle, CATS Eyes, Bulman and Boon. Doyle was featured in a handful of films during his career including Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970), Loophole (1980), The Final Option (1982), Eat the Peach (1986), Devil’s Paradise (1987), Secret Friends (1991), Adventures in Dinosaur City (1992), Fatale (1992), Circle of Friends (1995), I Went Down (1997), Ever After (1998) and A Love Divided (1999). Times (of London), Jan. 29, 2000, 24a.

Drake, Frances Frances Drake, the lovely brunette leading lady of the 1930s, died at a Beverly Hills hospital on January 17, 2000. She was 91. She was born Frances Dean in New York City on October 22, 1908. She began her career as a dancer in London nightclubs before moving to Hollywood in 1934. She was featured in such films as Bolero (1934)

with George Raft, The Trumpet Blows (1934), Ladies Should Listen (1934) with Cary Grant, Forsaking All Others (1934), Without Regret (1935), Transient Lady (1935), Mad Love (1935) with Peter Lorre, Les Miserables (1935), I’d Give My Life (1936), The Invisible Ray (1936) with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, Florida Special (1936), The Preview Murder Mystery (1936), And Sudden Death (1936), Midnight Taxi (1937), Love Under Fire (1937), She Married an Artist (1938), There’s Always a Woman (1938), The Lone Wolf in Paris (1938), I Take This Woman (1939) with Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr, It’s a Wonderful World (1939) and The Affairs of Martha (1942). Drake retired from acting following her marriage to Cecil John Howard, the son of the 19th Earl of Suffolk. She was widowed in 1985. Her survivors include her second husband, David Brown, who she married in 1992. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 22, 2000, B6; Variety, Feb. 28, 2000, 96.

Dreier, Alex News broadcaster Alex Dreier died in Rancho Mirage, California, on March 12, 2000. He was 83. Dreier was born in Honolulu on June 26, 1916. Dreier began working as a broadcast journalist after graduating from Stanford in 1939. He was expelled from Germany with other Western newsmen in 1941. He subsequently went to London where he worked with the BBC’s News of the World during World War II. Dreier worked with local NBC and ABC stations in Chicago from 1948 until 1965. Two years later he relocated in Los Angeles, where he continued to broadcast the

65

Alex Dreier

2000 • Obituaries Orleans, Louisiana, on February 5, 1927. He began his career on stage, appearing on Broadway in productions of High Button Shoes, South Pacific, Mister Roberts and Stalag 17. He starred as Quintus Ratcliff in Roger Corman’s 1957 horror film The Undead. Best known for his work on television, he guested in episodes of Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Sheriff of Cochise, Zane Grey Theater, Trackdown, Rawhide and Hotel de Paree in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He starred as Andre Lazar in the television soap opera crime series The Edge of Night from 1965 to 1966, and was Walter Curtin, Sr., on Another World from 1967 to 1972. Dufour starred on the Search for Tomorrow soap opera from 1972 to 1979, receiving an Emmy Award for his role as attorney John Wyatt. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 18, 2000, B6; New York Times, Aug. 16, 2000, B7; TV Guide, Oct. 7, 2000, 4.

news until his retirement in 1992. Dreier also appeared in a handful of films during his career including The Boston Strangler (1968), The Loners (1972), Chandler (1972), The Carey Treatment (1972), Lady Cocoa (1975) and Invisible Strangler (1984). He was also seen in the tele-films Sweet, Sweet Rachel (1971) and Murdock’s Gang (1973), and episodes of Cowboy in Africa, Land of the Giants and It Takes a Thief. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 15, 2000, A18; New York Times, Mar. 16, 2000, B10; Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 57.

Dreyfuss, Geraldine Geraldine “Gerry” Dreyfuss, the mother of actor Richard Dreyfuss, died in Los Angeles on October 19, 2000. She was 79. Ms. Dreyfuss was a leading civil rights and peace activist during the 1960s, organizing the Women’s Strike for Peace group. She was featured in two of her son’s films, Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) and Let It Ride (1989). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 24, 2000, B6.

Dufour, Val Val Dufour

Film and television actor Val Dufour died of cancer in New York on July 27, 2000. He was 73. He was born Albert Valery Dufour in New

Obituaries • 2000

Dukes, David Actor David Dukes died suddenly in Spanaway, Washington, while taking a day off from filming Stephen King’s Rose Red television miniseries on October 9, 2000. He was 55. Dukes was born in San Francisco, California, on June 6, 1945. He began his film career in the early 1970s, appearing The Strawberry Statement (1970), The Wild Party (1975), A Little Romance (1979), The First Deadly Sin (1980), Only When I Laugh (1981), Without a Trace (1983), Clive Barker’s Rawhead Rex (1986), The Men’s Club (1986), Date with an Angel (1987), Catch the Head (1987), Deadly Intent (1988), See You in the Morning (1989), The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), The Rutanga Tapes (1990), Under Surveillance (1991), Me and the Kid (1993), Fled (1996), Tinseltown (1997), Gods and Monsters (1998) as David Lewis, Slappy and the Stinkers (1998), Can I Play? (1998) and Goosed (1999). He was a popular television performer, starring as diplomat Leslie Slote in the mini-series The Winds of War (1983) and War and Remembrance (1989). He also appeared in the mini-series George Washington (1984) and James

66 Michener’s Space (1985). Dukes was featured in numerous tele-films including The Rules of the Game (1975), Harold Robbins’ 79 Park Avenue (1977), A Fire in the Sky (1978), Go West, Young Girl (1978), Mayflower: The Pilgrims’ Adventure (1979), The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal (1979), Some Kind of Miracle (1979), Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger (1980), Miss AllAmerican Beauty (1982), Sentimental Journey (1984), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1985), Kane and Abel (1985), Strange Interlude (1987), Turn Back the Clock (1989), Snow Kill (1990), Held Hostage: The Sis and Jerry Levin Story (1991), The Josephine Baker Story (1991) which earned him an Emmy nomination, Wife, Mother, Murderer: The Marie Hilley Story (1991), She Woke Up (1992), Look at It This Way (1992), And the Band Played On (1993), The Surrogate (1995), Norma Jean and Marilyn (1996) as Arthur Miller, Last Stand at Sabre River (1997), The Love Letter (1998), Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (1998) and Supreme Sanction (1999). Dukes starred as Robert Lassiter in the short lived drama series Beacon Hill in 1975 and was Dr. Wade Halsey on Sisters from 1991 to 1993. He also starred as Jack Larson in the sit-com The Mommies in 1993, and was Edward Sherman in 1997’s Pauly. His television credits also include guest roles in Harry O, Cannon, Barney Miller, All in the Family as Edith Bunker’s attempted rapist, Three’s Company, How the West Was Won, The Hitchhiker, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Time Trax, Diagnosis Murder, Dawson’s Creek, The Practice, Sliders, Snoops, Family Law and Law & Order. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 11, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 12, 2000, A25; People, Oct. 23, 2000, 95; TV Guide, Nov. 18, 2000, 6; Variety, Oct. 16, 2000, 131.

Dunbar, Robert

David Dukes

British film producer and writer Robert Dunbar died in London on April 26, 2000. He was 85. Dunbar was born in London on June 6, 1914. He began his career in films as an apprentice at Gaumont-British in Germany in the early 1930s. He subsequently moved to London Films, where he worked as a production manager on Rene Clair’s The Ghost Goes West (1936) and William Cameron Menzies’ adaptation of H.G. Wells’ Things to Come (1936). Dunbar worked

67

2000 • Obituaries 1990s. He was best known for his recent appearances with the WCW as part of the Texas Rednecks with Curt Hennig and Barry Windham.

Duning, George

Robert Dunbar

with the British foreign office during World War II. He returned to England in the late 1940s and was instrumental in persuading Orson Welles to star in Carol Reed’s The Third Man. During the 1950s Dunbar produced and scripted comedies for Hammer Films, working on such movies as Life with the Lyons (1954), Third Party Risk (1955) and The Lyons in Paris (1955). He also produced Second Fiddle (1957), Model for Murder (1958), The Man Upstairs (1958), Dead Lucky (1960) and The Piper’s Tune (1962). He was the founder and director of the London School of Film from 1957 until 1974.

Duncum, Bobby, Jr. Professional wrestler Bobby Duncum, Jr., was found dead at his home near Leander, Texas, on January 23, 2000. He was 34. An autopsy reported the cause of death to be an accidental overdose of a prescription painkiller. He was the son of wrestler Bobby Duncum, Sr. The younger Duncum began wrestling in Texas in the early

Bobby, Duncum, Jr.

The film composer George Duning died of heart disease in a Los Angeles hospital on February 27, 2000. He was 92. Duning was born in Richmond, Indiana, on February 25, 1908. He began his career as a trumpet player in various bands, before becoming musical director of Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge for NBC radio. He worked with the Armed Forces Radio Network during World War II. After he war he joined Columbia Pictures. Duning was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on five films at Columbia —Jolson Sings Again (1949, No Sad Songs for Me (1950), From Here to Eternity (1953), Picnic (1955) and The Eddy Duchin Story (1956). His numerous film credits also include Around the World (1943), Carolina Blues (1944), The Notorious Lone Wolf (1946), The Man Who Dared (1946), Her Husband’s Affairs (1947), The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947), Johnny O’Clock (1947), Down to Earth (1947), Blondie’s Big Moment (1947), The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947), The Untamed Breed (1948), The Woman from Tangier (1948), The Return of October (1948), The Gallant Blade (1948), The Dark Past (1948), The Man from Colorado (1948), Blondie’s Secret (1948), Blondie’s Reward (1948), To the Ends of the Earth (1948), Riders in the Sky (1949), The Doolins of Oklahoma (1949), Blondie’s Big Deal (1949), Blondie Hits the Jackpot (1949), The Undercover Man (1949), Slightly French (1949), Johnny Allegro (1949), And Baby Makes Three (1949), Shockproof (1949), Lust for Gold (1949), All the King’s Men (1949), Traveling Saleswoman (1950), Pygmy Island (1950), Harriet Craig (1950), Convicted (1950), The Tougher They Come (1950), Chinatown at Midnight (1950), Cargo to Capetown (1950), Beyond the Purple Hills (1950), Beware of Blondie (1950), Between Midnight and Dawn (1950), Mark of the Gorilla (1950), The

Obituaries • 2000 Petty Girl (1950), The Flying Missile (1950), Two of a Kind (1951), The Texas Rangers (1951), The Mob (1951), Pecos River (1951), Silver Canyon (1951), Man in the Saddle (1951), The Magic Carpet (1951), The Lady and the Bandit George Duning (1951), Lorna Doone (1951), Last of the Buccaneers (1951), The Family Secret (1951), The Hills of Utah (1951), China Corsair (1951), The Barefoot Mailman (1951), Sound Off (1952), Harem Girl (1952), Last of the Comanches (1952), Assignment Paris (1952), Scandal Sheet (1952), Paula (1952), Affair in Trinidad (1952), Captain Pirate (1952), Mission Over Korea (1953), Fort Ti (1953), Cruisin’ Down the River (1953), Last of the Pony Riders (1953), Salome (1953), Man in the Dark (1953), Let’s Do It Again (1953), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), Flame of Calcutta (1953), Drums of Tahiti (1954), Charge of the Lancers (1954), The Battle of Rogue River (1954), Wyoming Renegades (1955), Count Three and Pray (1955), Three for the Show (1955), The Man from Laramie (1955), Five Against the House (1955), Tight Spot (1955), My Sister Eileen (1955), The Werewolf (1956), Uranium Boom (1956), Nightfall (1956), Earth vs. Flying Saucers (1956), Full of Life (1956), The Gentle Sergeant (1956), You Can’t Run Away from It (1956), Storm Center (1956), Battle Stations (1956), The Giant Claw (1957), The Brothers Rico (1957), Jeannie Eagels (1957), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Operation Mad Ball (1957), Pal Joey (1957), Me and the Colonel (1958), Good Day for a Hanging (1958), Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), Cowboy (1958), Houseboat (1958), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), Gunman’s Walk (1958), The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959), The Last Angry Man (1959), 1001 Arabian Nights (1959), Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959), It Happened to Jane (1959), The World of Suzie Wong (1960), The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960), Man on a String (1960), All the Young Men (1960), Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960), Strangers When We Meet (1960), Cry for Happy (1961), Two Rode Together (1961), The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961), Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), Sail a

68 Crooked Ship (1961), Who’s Got the Action? (1962), 13 West Street (1962), The Notorious Landlady (1962), That Touch of Mink (1962), Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963), Critic’s Choice (1963), Island of Love (1963), Toys in the Attic (1963), Ensign Pulver (1964), Brainstorm (1965), Dear Brigitte (1965), My Blood Runs Cold (1965), Any Wednesday (1966), Terror in the Wax Museum (1973) and Arnold (1973). Duning also worked often in television, composing music such series as The Naked City, The Donna Reed Show, Tightrope, Dennis the Menace, Two Faces West, Wendy and Me, The Big Valley, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, Cimarron Strip, Getting Together and Zorro and Son. His other credits include the tele-films Then Came Bronson (1969), Yuma (1970), Quarantined (1970), But I Don’t Want to Get Married! (1970), Black Noon (1971), The Woman Hunter (1972), A Great American Tragedy (1972), Climb an Angry Mountain (1972), Honor Thy Father (1973), The Abduction of Saint Anne (1975), The Dream Merchants (1980) and Goliath Awaits (1981). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 2, 2000, A24; New York Times, Mar. 2, 2000, C25; Time, Mar. 13, 2000, 23; Variety, Mar. 6, 2000, 84.

Dury, Ian British singer and actor Ian Dury died of cancer in London on March 27, 2000. He was 57. Dury was born in Upminster, England, on May 12, 1942, and suffered from polio as a child. With his band The Blockheads, he achieved fame with their debut album New Boots and Panties, in 1977. Dury recorded such popular humorous songs as “Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick,” “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll” and “Clever Trevor.” Dury also appeared in over a dozen films from the 1980s including Pirates (1986), Red Ants (1987), Hearts of Fire (1987), The Raggedy Rawney (1988), Brennende Betten (1988), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989), The Rainbow Thief (1990), After Midnight (1990), Split Second (1992), Skallagrigg (1995), Judge Dredd (1995), The Crow: City of Angels (1996), Different for Girls (1996), Middleton’s Changeling (1998) and Underground (1998). Dury returned to music in 1999, recording Mr. Love Pants, his first album with The Blockheads in nearly twenty years.

69

2000 • Obituaries

Ian Dury Eyvind Earle

Los Angeles Times, Mar. 30, 2000, B6; New York Times, Mar. 31, 2000, A25; Time, Apr. 10, 2000, 31; Times (of London), Mar. 28, 2000, 25a; Variety, Apr. 3, 2000, 174.

Earle, Eyvind Disney background artist Eyvind Earle died of esophageal cancer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, on July 20, 2000. He was 84. Earle was born in New York in 1916. He began painting at an early age and was working as a sketch artist at United Artists studios while in his teens. He was a popular Christmas card artist from the 1940s. He created the artistic design for the Oscar-winning animated short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom in 1953, and joined Walt Disney studios soon afterwards. Earle worked on such animated films as Peter Pan, For Whom the Bulls Toil, Pigs Is Pigs, Paul Bunyan, Grand Canyonscope and 1955’s Lady and the Tramp. He was best known for his work as a background artist on the animated classic Sleeping Beauty in 1959. He left animation in 1966 and returned to painting full time. Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2000, B6; Variety, July 31, 2000, 54.

Eckart, William Broadway set designer William Eckart died of heart failure in Dallas on January 21, 2000. He was 80. Eckart was born in New Iberia, Louisiana, on October 21, 1920. He and his wife, Jean, began working on Broadway in 1951, designing the set for a production of Glad Tidings. They worked on numerous plays during their career, earning Tony nominations for Fiorello! in 1960 and Mame in 1966. Their other credits include Broadway productions of Damn Yankees, Li’l Abner, Tenderloin and The Golden Apple. The Eckarts also worked in film and television, designing sets for the feature versions of The Pajama Game (1957), Damn Yankees (1958) and The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968), and a 1957 television production of Cinderella. Jean Eckart died in 1993, but her husband continued to remain active in theatrical design. New York Times, Feb. 2, 2000, C30; Variety, Feb. 28, 2000, 96.

Obituaries • 2000

70

Elliott, Mary Actress Mary Elliott, the ex-wife of the late actor Robert Cummings, died of cancer in Beverly Hills on March 5, 2000. She was 82. She was born in 1917 in Gaffney, South Carolina, where she became the state’s Azalea Queen. She began her career on stage in New York, understudying Betty Grable in the Broadway production of Dubarry Was a Lady. She subsequently appeared in Broadway’s My Sister Eileen. The blonde actress went to Hollywood in the early 1940s, where she was seen in such films as Slightly Dangerous (1943), Heavenly Music (1943), Girl Crazy (1943), Thousands Cheer (1943), A Guy Named Joe (1943) and Out of This World (1945). She gave up her film career after marrying actor Bob Cummings in 1945 to raise their five children. The couple separated in 1967, divorcing three years later. Cummings died in 1990. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 14, 2000, A20.

Elliott, Maxine Actress Maxine Elliott Hicks died in San Clemente, California, on January 10, 2000. She was 95. She began her career in silent films, appearing as Mary Pickford’s nemesis, Susie May Squoggs, in 1917’s Poor Little Rich Girl. She was also seen in The Crimson Dove (1917), Mary Jane’s Pa (1917), The Little Duchess (1917), The Eternal Mother (1917), Neighbors (1918), An Innocent Adventuress (1919), The Right to Happiness (1919), The Gilded Dream (1920), Double Speed (1920), The County Fair (1920), First Love (1921), Nobody’s Kid (1921), East Side —West Side (1923), The Midnight Alarm (1923), Woman-Proof (1923), Reno (1923), Through the Dark (1924), Happiness (1924), Babbitt (1924), Lovers’ Lane (1924), The Age of Innocence (1924), Enticement (1925), The Thundering Herd (1925) and Navy Blues (1929). She continued her film career in such talkies as The Old-Fashioned Way (1934), One Hour Late (1935), The Bride Comes Home (1935), Private Number (1936), Ladies in Love (1936) and The Toast of New York (1937) before retiring from the screen after a dispute between her mother and studio mogul Jack Warner. She resumed her films career nearly 40 years later, appearing on television as Sister Ethel in the 1988 series Just the Ten

Maxine Elliott

of Us. She was also seen in the films Defending Your Life (1991), The Linguini Incident (1991) and Beethoven (1992). She also appeared on television in episodes of All in the Family, CHiPs and Frasier. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21, 2000, B6; Variety, Jan. 31, 2000, 29.

Emmett, Robert Television writer Robert Emmett died following surgery for acute appendicitis at a New York City hospital on April 8, 2000. He was 78. He was born Robert McMenamin in Monterey, California, in 1921. He began his career as an actor on the New York stage in the 1940s. He began writing for television in the early 1950s, later penning specials for such stars as Harry Belafonte, Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand. Emmett was head writer for the hit satirical television series That Was the Week That Was in the 1960s, earning Emmy nominations for his work in 1964 and 1965. Emmett continued to perform on stage, appearing with his wife, actress Kim Hunter, in a production of On Golden Pond earlier in the year. New York Times, Apr. 16, 2000, 43; Variety, Apr. 24, 2000, 76.

71

Engelbrecht, Constanze German actress Constanze Engelbrecht died of a brain tumor in Munich, Germany, on July 21, 2000. She was 45. Engelbrecht was born in Munich on January 6, 1955. She began her career in films at an early age dubbing U.S. films and television series into German. She was a popular performer in German televiConstanze Engelbrecht sion series from the 1970s, starring in Diese Drombuschs (1983), L’Homme de Suez (1984), Die Wiesingers (1984), Der Elegante Hund (1987), and the 1998 mini-series The Count of Monte Cristo. She also guest starred in the series Der Alte, Derrick, Eurocops and Ein Fall fur Zwei, and appeared in numerous tele-film and mini-series. Engelbrecht was featured in such films as The Train Killer (1982), Fear of Falling (1984), Sierra Leone (1988), Torquemada (1989), Exil (1989), Shining Through (1992) and Wild Flower (1993).

2000 • Obituaries twin brother, Philip Epstein, on scripts. The brothers wrote over twenty films together including Four Wives (1939), Daughters Courageous (1939), No Time for Comedy (1940), Saturday’s Children (1940), The Strawberry Blonde (1941), The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941), Honeymoon for Three (1941), Casablanca (1942) based on the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, The Male Animal (1942), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), Mr. Skeffington (1944), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), One More Tomorrow (1946), Romance on the High Seas (1948), Chicken Every Sunday (1948), My Foolish Heart (1949), Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), Forever Female (1953) and The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954). Philip Epstein died of cancer on February 7, 1952. Julius continued scripting such films as Young at Heart (1954), The Tender Trap (1955), Kiss Them for Me (1957), The Brothers Karamazov (1958), The Reluctant Debutante (1958), Take a Giant Step (1959), Tall Story (1960), Fanny (1961), Send Me No Flowers (1964), Return from the Ashes (1965), Any Wednesday (1966), Pete ’n’ Tillie (1972) which earned him another Academy Award nomination, Jacqueline Susann’s Once Is Not Enough (1975), Cross of Iron (1977), House Calls (1978) and Reuben, Reuben (1983), which earned him his fourth Oscar nomination. He also scripted in the

Epstein, Julius Screenwriter Julius J. Epstein, who received an Oscar for scripting the classic film Casablanca, died in Los Angeles on December 30, 2000. He was 91. Epstein was born in New York City on August 22, 1909. He went to Hollywood in 1933 where he worked as a ghostwriter for producer Jerry Wald, working on such films as Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934). He began scripting films in 1935, writing Stars Over Broadway (1935), Living on Velvet (1935), Little Big Shot (1935), In Caliente (1935), I Live for Love (1935), Broadway Gondolier (1935), The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1936), Sons o’ Guns (1936), The King and the Chorus Girl (1937), Confession (1937), Four Daughters (1938) which earned him an Academy Award nomination, and Secrets of an Actress (1938). In 1939 he began collaborating with his

Julius Epstein

Obituaries • 2000 1978 tele-film Harold Robins’ The Pirate. Epstein tried several times without success to adapt Casablanca as a Broadway musical. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 2000, B8; New York Times, Jan. 1, 2001, A15; People, Jan. 15, 2001, 85; Times (of London), Jan. 2, 2001, 21a; Variety, Jan. 8, 2001, 74.

Erwin, Lee Composer Lee Erwin, who provided scores to numerous silent films, died in New York City on September 21, 2000. He was 92. A theater organist, he supplied music for such silent classics as Mary Pickford’s My Best Girl, Lon Chaney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and 1925’s Ben Hur. He studied in the Paris in the early 1930s before returning to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he became staff organist for WLW Radio. He was an arranger and musician with CBS radio in New York from 1943 until 1966. He also appeared on the Arthur Godfrey Show on radio as Moneybags Erwin. He was featured as the roller rink organist in Woody Allen’s 1987 film Radio Days. New York Times, Sept. 26, 2000, C31.

72

Ettlinger, Don Screenwriter Don Ettlinger died in Nyack, New York, on August 6, 2000. He was 86. Ettlinger was born in Detroit in 1914. He began his career as a screenwriter with 20th Century–Fox in the mid–1930s. Ettlinger scripted such films as Life Begins in College (1937), The Lady Escapes (1937), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938) with Shirley TemDon Ettlinger ple, Hold That Coed (1938), I Was an Adventuress (1940), Young People (1940), Shipyard Sally (1940), The Great American Broadcast (1941) and Guilty Bystander (1950). He also wrote for such 1950s television series as Studio One and Kraft Television Theatre. Variety, Aug. 28, 2000, 126.

Evans, Muriel

Lee Erwin

Actress Muriel Evans died of colon cancer at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Home in Woodland Hills, California, on October 26, 2000. She was 90. Ms. Evans was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 20, 1910. She began her career in films as Lupino Lane’s leading lady in the silents, and later became a popular star of numerous westerns. She also appeared in several comedies with Laurel and Hardy. Her numerous film credits include Young Ironsides (1932), Pack Up Your Troubles (1932), Girl Grief (1932), Now We’ll Tell One (1932), Mr. Bride (1932), Fallen Arches (1933), Fast Workers (1933), Nature in the Wrong (1933), His Silent Racket (1933), Broadway to Hollywood (1933), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933), Manhattan Melodrama (1934), Have a Heart (1934), Women in His Life (1934), HideOut (1934), Heat Lightning (1934), The Throwback (1935), Nurse to You (1935), The New Frontier (1935), The Roaring West (1935), Silverspurs (1936), Call of the Prairie (1936) with William

73 “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd, King of the Pecos (1936), Three on the Trail (1936), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Boss Rider of Gun Creek (1936), Under Your Spell (1936), Missing Girls (1936), Rustler’s Valley (1937), Boss of Lonely Valley (1937), Smoke Tree Range Muriel Evans (1937), Rich Relations (1937), Law for Tombstone (1937) with Buck Jones, House of Secrets (1937), Headline Crasher (1937), Ten Laps to Go (1938), Home Boner (1939), The Rookie Cop (1939), Dog-Gone (1939), Roll, Wagons, Roll (1940) and Westbound Stage (1940). She retired from the screen shortly after her marriage to stockbroker Marshall Worchester in the late 1930s. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 30, 2000, B4; Variety, Nov. 13, 2000, 124.

2000 • Obituaries

Rex Everhart (as Benjamin Franklin from 1776).

Fagan, Ronald J. Everhart, Rex Actor Rex Everhart died of lung cancer at a Branford, Connecticut, hospice on March 13, 2000. He was 79. Everhart was born in Watseka, Illinois, on June 13, 1920. He began his career on stage in 1939, and was featured in over 25 Broadway productions. He was best known for his portrayal of Ben Franklin in the popular Broadway musical 1776. His other Broadway credits include No Time for Sergeants, Anything Goes, Rags, Woman of the Year and Working. Everhart was also seen in such films as The Seven-Ups (1973), Matilda (1978), Superman (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981), The Rosary Murders (1987) and Family Business (1989). He was also the voice of Maurice in the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. Everhart appeared on television in the tele-films Blue Hotel (1977), You Can’t Go Home Again (1979), The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (1980) and Running Out (1983), and an episode of TV’s Law & Order. New York Times, Mar. 20, 2000, B8.

Film and television editor Ronald J. Fagan died of lung disease in Santa Monica, California, on October 21, 2000. He was 72. Fagan was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1928. He began working as an editor in the 1960s, working on such television series as Batman and Peyton Place. He edited numerous tele-films in the 1970s and 1980s, earning three Emmy Award nominations. His credits include Outrage (1973), Can Ellen Be Saved? (1974), Larry (1974), Trapped Beneath the Sea (1974), The Dead Don’t Die (1974), In This House of Brede (1975), Future Cop (1976), Return to Earth (1976), 21 Hours at Munich (1976), Benny and Barney Las Vegas Undercover (1977), Minstrel Man (1977), Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy (1977), Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978), The Hostage Tower (1980), Callie & Son (1981), Women of San Quentin (1983), M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Driving (1983), Calendar Girl Murders (1984), Secrets of a Married Man (1984), Mussolini: The Untold Story (1985), George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation (1986), Police Story; The Freeway Killings (1987), Street of Dreams (1988) and Supercarrier (1988). Fagan also edited

Obituaries • 2000

74

several films during his career including American Hot Wax (1978), And I Alone Survived (1978) and Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 28, 2000, B7.

Fairbanks, Douglas, Jr. Actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., the son of silent screen star Douglas Fairbanks and his first wife, Anna Beth Sully, died in New York on May 7, 2000. He was 90. Fairbanks was born in New York City on December 9, 1909. He was raised by his mother after his parents’ divorce at the age of nine. He made his film debut four years later starring in the silent film Stephen Steps Out. He continued to appear in such silent films as The Air Mail (1925), Wild Horse Mesa (1925), Stella Dallas (1925), Padlocked (1926), Man Bait (1926), The American Venus (1926), Broken Hearts of Hollywood (1926), Women Love Diamonds (1927), Is Zat So? (1927), A Texas Steer (1927), The Barker (1928), Dead Man’s Curve (1928), Modern Mothers (1928), The Toilers (1928), The Power of the Press (1928) and A Woman of Affairs (1928). Fairbanks also began a five year marriage to actress Joan Crawford in 1928. Despite his dashing looks and screen persona, he never achieved the success of his father. He continued his screen career in such films as The Show of Shows (1929), Our Modern Maidens (1929), Fast Life (1929), The Jazz Age (1929), The Forward Pass (1929), The Careless Age (1929), Outward Bound (1930), Little Caesar (1930), Little Accident (1930), Party Girl (1930), Loose Ankles (1930), The Way of All Men (1930), One Night at Susie’s (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1930), The Slippery Pearls (1931), I Like Your Nerve (1931), Chances (1931), It’s Tough to Be Famous (1932), Union Depot (1932), Scarlet Dawn (1932), Love Is a Racket (1932), The Narrow Corner (1933), Captured! (1933), Parachute Jumper (1933), The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933), Morning Glory (1933), Success at Any Price (1934), Catherine the Great (1934) as Grand Duke Peter, Mimi (1935), Man of the Moment (1935), The Amateur Gentleman (1936), Accused (1936), When Thief Meets Thief (1937), the 1937 swashbuckler The Prisoner of Zenda, The Rage of Paris (1938), Joy of Living (1938), Having a Wonderful Time (1938), The Young in Heart (1938), The Sun Never Sets (1939), Gunga Din (1939) with Cary Grant, Rulers of the Sea (1939), Green Hell (1940), An-

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

gels Over Broadway (1940), Safari (1940) and The Corsican Brothers (1941). Fairbanks served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander during World War II and was decorated by the British government for “furthering Anglo-American amity” in 1949. He returned to the screen after the war, appearing in Sinbad the Sailor (1947) in the title role, The Exile (1937), That Lady in Ermine (1948), The Fighting O’Flynn (1949) which he also scripted and produced, State Secret (1950), Mr. Drake’s Duck (1951), The Genie (1952), The Last Moment (1954) and Destination Milan (1954). Fairbanks resided in England from the early 1950s. He retired from the screen in 1954 to host the television anthology series Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents until 1957. He subsequently returned to the United States where he and his second wife, the former Mary Lee Hartford, whom he married in 1938, resided in Palm Beach, Florida. She died in 1988. During the 1970s and 1980s Fairbanks made occasional television appearances, and was featured in the telefilms The Crooked Hearts (1972), The Hostage Tower (1980) and Strong Medicine (1986). He also starred with Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas and John Houseman in the 1981 horror film Ghost Story. Fairbanks guest starred in an episode of B.L. Stryker on television in 1989. He was the

75 author of the autobiographies The Salad Days (1988) and A Hell of a War (1993). Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2000, A1; New York Times, May 8, 2000, B7; People, May 22, 2000, 194; Time, May 22, 2000, 33; Times (of London), May 8, 2000, 21a; TV Guide, June 24, 2000, 7; Variety, May 15, 2000, 70.

2000 • Obituaries Last Shot You Hear (1969), Embassy (1972), The Darwin Adventure (1972), The Sound of Murder (1982) and Invitation to the Wedding (1985). Times (of London), June 8, 2000, 25a; Variety, June 26, 2000, 67.

Fardin, Mohammad Ali Fairchild, William Screenwriter and director William Fairchild died in London on May 9, 2000. He was 81. Fairchild was born in Boscastle, Cornwall, England, in 1919. He scripted numerous films from the late 1940s including Colonel Bogey (1948), Badger’s Green (1948), Outcast of the Islands (1952), The Gift Horse (1952), The Net (1953), The Malta Story (1953), The Seekers (1954), Passage Home (1955) and Value for Money (1955). Fairchild scripted and directed several films including John and Julie (1955), The Extra Day (1956) and The Silent Enemy (1958). His play, Do Not Disturb, was adapted into a film in 1965. He was best known for his script for the 1968 Julie Andrews’ film Star! Fairchild also scripted The

Leading Iranian film star Mohammad Ali Fardin died of a heart attack in Tehran, Iran, on April 6, 2000. He was 70. Fardin began his screen career in 1960s, and appeared in such popular Iranian films as Human Beings and Sultan of Hearts. Fardin’s screen career ended following the 1979 revolution. The subsequent government led by hardline Muslim clerics, Mohammad Ali Fardin launched a cultural revolution that banned most of Fardin’s films and songs. He remained in Iran, but lived in obscurity, running a bakery and movie theater. New York Times, Apr. 11, 2000, B10.

Farmer, Charles Eugene Television writer Charles Eugene Farmer died on May 13, 2000. He was 69. He was born in Normal, Illinois, in 1930 and began his career in show business working in clubs as a comic. He worked in television from the mid–1960s, writing for such series as Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, The Smothers Brothers, Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, That’s My Mama, CPO Sharkey, Good Times and Real People. Variety, June 12, 2000, 51.

Farnsworth, Richard William Fairchild

Richard Farnsworth, the former stuntman who became a two-time Academy Award nomi-

Obituaries • 2000

Richard Farnsworth

nated actor, died at his home in Lincoln, New Mexico, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on October 6, 2000. He was 80. Farnsworth had been suffering from cancer for the past several years. He was born in Los Angeles on September 1, 1920. He began working in films as a stuntman in the mid–1930s, contributing to such movies as A Day at the Races (1937), The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), This Is the Army (1943), The Outlaw (1943), Red River (1948), The Kid from Gower Gulch (1949), Mighty Joe Young (1949), The Wild One (1954), Cult of the Cobra (1955), The Tin Star (1957), Spartacus (1960), The Jolly Genie (1963), Duel at Diablo (1966), Texas Across the River (1966), Chamber of Horrors (1966), Monte Walsh (1970), Pocket Money (1972), Ulzana’s Raid (1972) and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972). Farnsworth began appearing in character roles in the early 1970s and was featured in such films as The Cowboys (1972), The Soul of Nigger Charley (1973), Rooster Cogburn (1975), The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Another Man, Another Chance (1977), Comes a Horseman (1978) which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, Tom Horn (1979), Resurrection (1980), The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) as Wild Bill Hickok, The Grey Fox (1982), Waltz Across Texas (1982), Ruckus (1982), Independence Day (1983), The Natural (1984), Rhinestone (1984), Into the Night (1985), Sylvester (1985),

76 Space Rage (1985), Good Ole Boy: A Delta Boyhood (1988), The Two Jakes (1990), Stephen King’s Misery (1990), Havana (1990), Highway to Hell (1992), The Getaway (1994) and Lassie (1994). Farnsworth was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor for his final film, 1999’s The Straight Story. He was also featured in numerous tele-films including Honky Tonk (1974), Strange New World (1975), A Few Days in Weasel Creek (1981), The Texas Rangers (1981), The Cherokee Trail (1981), Travis McGee (1983), Ghost Dancing (1983), Wild Horses (1985), Anne of Green Gables (1985), Chase (1985), Red Earth, White Earth (1989), Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (1989), The Fire Next Time (1993) and Best Friends for Life (1998). Farnsworth was Cody McPherson in the 1992 television series The Boys of Twilight and was the voice of Teddy Blue Abbott in the 1993 miniseries The Wild West. His other television credits include stunt work and guest roles in Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Big Valley, Cimarron Strip, The High Chaparral, Bonanza, The Outer Limits, Mission: Impossible and Highway to Heaven. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 7, 2000, A20; New York Times, Oct. 8, 2000, 46; People, Oct. 23, 2000, 82; Time, Oct. 16, 2000, 43; Times, Oct. 9, 2000, 21a; Variety, Oct. 16, 2000, 131.

Fates, Gil Television producer Gil Fates died in New York City on May 1, 2000. He was 86. Fates worked in theater for several years before joining CBS television in the early 1940s. He produced and hosted the network’s first regularly scheduled game show, The CBS Television Quiz, from 1941. Throughout the decade Fates was involved with numerous programs, hosting sports events and other game shows including 1948’s What’s It Worth? and 1949’s Hold It Please. He left CBS in 1950 and joined Goodman-Todman Productions three years later. Fates served as producer for What’s My Line? for 25 years and was also involved in the creation of such game shows as To Tell the Truth, Make the Connection, Beat the Clock, I’ve Got a Secret and Winner Take All. Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2000, B5; New York Times, May 16, 2000, A21; Variety, June 12, 2000, 51.

77

2000 • Obituaries

Fatool, Nick Jazz drummer Nick Fatool died in Los Angeles, California, on September 26, 2000. He was 85. Fatool was born in Milbury, Massachusetts, on January 2, 1915. He began performing with The Benny Goodman Sextet in 1937, replacing Lionel Hampton on drums. He was heard on recordings of “Flying Home,” “Seven Come Eleven” and “Rose Room.” He left the group after a dispute with Goodman in 1940. Fatool subsequently joined Artie Shaw’s band, performing on such recordings as “Concerto for Clarinet.” He moved to Los Angeles in 1943 where he worked as a studio musician and performed with bands led by Les Brown and Harry James. Nick Fatool He was heard on soundtracks for several films including Young Man with a Horn (1949), Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955) and The Five Pennies (1959). He was also seen in the film Second Chorus. Fatool was a regular drummer for Bing Crosby’s television variety show in the late 1950s. He continued to perform through the 1980s with such entertainers as Pete Fountain, Phil Harris and Bob Crosby. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 30, 2000, B6; Times (of London), Oct. 7, 2000, 27c.

Faulds, Andrew British character actor Andrew Faulds died at a Stratford-upon-Avon, England, nursing home on May 31, 2000. He was 77. Faulds was born in Tanzania in 1922. He began acting in the 1940s and starred as Jet Morgan in the British radio series Journey into Space. He was featured in numerous films from the 1950s including Passport to Treason (1955), The One That Got Away (1957), The Crawling Eye (1958), Blood of the Vampire (1958), The Flesh and the Fiends (1959),

Andrew Faulds (as Jet Morgan from Journey into Space).

SOS Pacific (1959), The Hellfire Club (1960), Once More, with Feeling (1960), Payroll (1961), A Matter of WHO (1961), What Every Woman Wants (1962), The Prince and the Pauper (1962), Cleopatra (1963), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Chimes at Midnight (1965), The One-Eyed Soldiers (1966), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), Ken Russell’s The Devils (1971), The Music Lovers (1971), Young Winston (1972), Mahler (1974) and Lisztomania (1975). Faulds was elected to the British House of Commons in 1966 as a Labor Party member. He was a controversial figure whose positions on Rhodesian independence, the Palestinian rights and the Falkland Islands war with Argentina often put him at odds with his fellow party members. He retired from office in 1997. Times (of London), June 1, 2000, 25a.

Feely, Terence British television writer Terence Feely died in London on August 13, 2000. He was 72. Feely was born in Liverpool, England, on July 20, 1928. He began his career working as a journalist for the Sunday Graphic newspaper. Feely began writing scripts in the 1950s and from the 1960s was writing for such British series as The Avengers, Arthur of the Britons, The Prisoner, The Persuaders!, The Gentle Touch, Cat’s Eyes, Thunderbirds, Space: 1999, The Return of the Saint and The New Avengers. Feely also scripted several films including Quest for Love (1971) and Percy (1971). Feely continued to write primarily for television,

Obituaries • 2000 working on the series Robin’s Nest and Bergerac and the 1979 mini-series The Racing Game. He also wrote the 1984 miniseries Mistral’s Daughter and the tele-films A Hazard of Hearts (1987) based on a novel by Barbara Cartland, The Lady Terence Feely and the Highwayman (1989), A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990), Duel of Hearts (1992) and Terror Stalks the Class Reunion (1992). Feely was also the author of several novels including Rich Little Poor Girl (1981) and Limelight (1984). Times (of London), Aug. 22, 2000, 21a.

Fennelly, Vincent M. Film producer Vincent M. Fennelly died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Newport Beach, California, on December 4, 2000. He was 80. Fennelly was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 5, 1920. He produced over fifty films, primarily westerns, from the early 1950s. Fennelly’s credits include Arizona Territory (1950), Cherokee Uprising (1950), Outlaw Gold (1950), Outlaws of Texas (1950), Colorado Ambush (1951), Abilene Trail (1951), Man from Sonora (1951), Canyon Raiders (1951), Blazing Bullets (1951), Nevada Badmen (1951), Montana Desperado (1951), Oklahoma Justice (1951), Lawless Cowboys (1951), The Longhorn (1951), Texas Lawmen (1951), Stage to Blue River (1951), Texas City (1952), Night Raiders (1952), Man from the Black Hills (1952), The Gunman (1952), Kansas Territory (1952), Wagons West (1952), Dead Man’s Trail (1952), Montana Incident (1952), Fargo (1952), Canyon Ambush (1952), Wyoming Roundup (1952), The Maverick (1952), Waco (1952), The Man from Black Hills (1952), Star of Texas (1953), The Homesteaders (1953), Rebel City (1953), Topeka (1953), The Fighting Lawman (1953), Vigilante Terror (1953), Texas Bad Man (1953), The Marksman (1953), Two Guns and a Badge (1954), The Forty-Niners (1954), The Desperado (1954), Bitter Creek (1955), Seven Angry Men (1955), Dial Red O (1955), Bobby Ware Is Missing (1955), At Gunpoint (1955),

78 Crime in the Streets (1956) and Last of the Badmen (1957), Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) and Cannon for Cordoba (1970). Fennelly also served as a producer on several television series including Trackdown, Rawhide and Stagecoach West.

Ferrari, Lolo French adult film actress Eve Vallois, who acted under the name Lolo Ferrari, died in Grasse, France, on March 5, 2000. She was 30. Ferrari was born in Grasse on February 9, 1970. She was known for her massive breasts, each weighing over 6 pounds. She held an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for Heaviest Breasts. She hosted the French television series Eurotrash in 1998, and her film credits include Camping Cosmos (1996) and Quasimodo d’El Paris (1999).

Lolo Ferrari

79

2000 • Obituaries

Fisher, Gail Actress Gail Fisher, who was best known for her role as Mike Connors’ secretary, Peggy Fair, on the Mannix television series from 1968 to 1975, died of kidney failure in Culver City, California, on December 2, 2000. She was 65. Fisher was born in Orange, New Jersey, on August 18, 1935. She was also featured in the tele-films Every Man Needs One (1972) and Donor (1990), and appeared in episodes of Love, American Style and Knight Rider. She was also seen in the 1987 film Mankillers. Fisher received and Emmy Award for best supporting actress for her role in Mannix in 1970.

Penelope Fitzgerald

most recent novel, The Blue Flower, won the National Book Critics Circle prize in 1997. Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2000, A8; New York Times, May 3, 2000, B10.

Gail Fisher

Fitzgerald, Penelope Novelist Penelope Fitzgerald died in Highgate, London, England, of a stroke on April 28, 2000. She was 83. Fitzgerald was born on December 17, 1916. She began writing late in life, her first work being a biography of painter Edward Burne-Jones in 1975. She was awarded the Booker Prize for her 1979 novel Offshore. Other works include Human Voices (1980), At Freddie’s (1982) and The Beginning of Spring (1988). Her

Fletcher, Lucille Radio dramatist Lucille Fletcher died of a stroke at a Langhorne, Pennsylvania, hospital on August 31, 2000. She was 88. She was born Violet Lucille Fletcher in Brooklyn, New York, in 1912. She began her career at CBS as a typist, and was soon writing radio dramas. She was best known for writing Sorry, Wrong Number, which was filmed with Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck in 1948, and became a tele-film with Loni Anderson in 1989. Cary Grant’s 1944 film Once Upon a Time was based on her first short story “My Client Curly.” Rock Hudson’s Blindfold in 1965 was also based on Fletcher’s radio plays. Her

Obituaries • 2000

Lucille Fletcher

80 play, Night Watch, was also filmed in 1973 with Elizabeth Taylor. She also authored several novels including The Daughters of Jasper Clay, Mirror Image and Eighty Dollars to Stamford. Fletcher married and divorced film composer Bernard Herrmann before her marriage to author John Dou-

glass Wallop, who died in 1985. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 5, 2000, B4; New York Times, Sept. 6, 2000, C24.

Flink, Coen Dutch actor Coen Flink died of pancreatic cancer in Blaricum, the Netherlands, on June 29, 2000. Flink was born in Amsterdam on April 24, 1932, the son of actors Mieke Verstraete and Richard Flink. Flink began his career on stage and was known for his theatrical and television performances. He made his film debut in 1957’s The Flying Dutchman. He was featured in a dozen films during his career including Flanagan (1975), Pastorale 1943 (1978), Honeybun (1988) and Unknown Time (1993). He also starred in the Dutch television series Ritmeester Buat (1968), De Kleine Waarheid (1971), Hollands Glorie (1977), De Appelgaard (1985) and Oppassen!!! from 1990 until his death. Coen Flink

Florea, John Director John Florea died in a Las Vegas, Nevada, hospital on August 25, 2000. He was 84. Florea was born in Alliance, Ohio, on May 28, 1916. A photographer, Florea covered the peace treaty signings in both Europe and Japan during World War II. He worked as a producer in Hollywood from the early 1950s with such films as Suicide Attack (1951) and Underwater Warrior (1958). Florea worked often in television as a director, helming episodes of such series as Bonanza, The Outlaws, Temple Houston, Daniel Boone, Honey West, Mission: Impossible, The High Chaparral, Gentle Ben, Ironside, Primus, Barbara Coast, CHiPs, The Dukes of Hazzard, V, 240Robert, Lady Blue and MacGyver. He co-directed the 1967 tele-film Island of the Lost with Ricou Browning, and helmed such films as Pickup on 101 (1972), Where’s Willie? (1978), Invisible Strangler (1984) and Hot Child in the City (1987). Variety, Oct. 30, 2000, 70.

FM-2030 Futurist and author F.M. Esfandiary, who legally changed his name to FM-2030, died at a friend’s apartment in Manhattan after a long illness on July 8, 2000. He was 69. FM was born in Belgium, the son of an Iranian diplomat, on October 15, 1930. He claimed to have been a 21stcentury man born before his time. He was the author of several novels including Identity Card (1966), The Day of Sacrifice and The Beggar. FM also authored several books about the future including Countdown to Immortality, The Coming Age of Abundance, Are You Transhuman?, Optimism One and Telespheres. Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2000, B6; New York Times, July 11, 2000, B7. FM-2030

81

2000 • Obituaries

Forbes, Meriel

Forrestal, Terry

British actress Meriel Forbes died in London on April 7, 2000. She was 86. She was born in London on September 13, 1913, the daughter of actor Frank Forbes-Robertson. She began performing on stage at the age of 16, becoming a popular performing in musicals and thrillers. She also starred in over a dozen films from the mid–1930s including Girls Please! (1934), The Case for the Crown (1934), Borrow a Million (1934), Vintage Wine (1935), Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk (1936), The Belles of St. Clements (1936), Young Man’s Fancy (1939), Come On George (1939), The Avengers (aka The Day Will Dawn) (1942), The Gentle Sex (1943), The Bells Go Down (1943), The Captive Heart (1946), The Long Dark Hall (1951) and Home at Seven (1952). Forbes married actor Ralph Richardson in 1944, and she performed with her husband in numerous stage productions over the next thirty years. She also appeared in the 1967 British television series Blanding’s Castle as Lady Constance, and was featured in the 1969 film Oh! What a Lovely War. She was widowed when Richardson died in 1983.

Stuntman Terry Forrestal was killed while attempting a jumping stunt from a cliff in Lysefjord, Norway. He was 52. Forrestal was born in Chesterfield, England, on May 13, 1948. He began working in films in the early 1980s, performing stunts in such movies as The Long Good Friday (1980), Flash Gordon (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Krull (1983), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Killing Fields (1984), Brazil (1985), Lifeforce (1985), Spies Like Us (1985), Insignificance (1985), Death Wish 3 (1985), Willow (1988), Without a Clue (1988), Batman (1989), December Bride (1990), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Tales of a Vampire (1992), The Young Americans (1993), Shopping (1994), Braveheart (1995), Loch Ness (1995), Trainspotting (1996), Breaking the Waves (1996), The Full Monty (1997), A Merry War (1997), Swept from the Sea (1997), Titanic (1997), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), The Borrowers (1997), Downtime (1997), This Is the Sea (1998), The Very Thought of You (1998), When Rats Won’t Do (1998) and Elizabeth (1998). Forrestal also worked on the James Bond films A View to a Kill, Moonraker

Meriel Forbes (from Young Man’s Fancy). Terry Forrestal

Obituaries • 2000 and Octopussy, and the British television series as Dempsey & Makepeace. New York Times, July 2, 2000, 27; Times (of London), June 28, 2000, 23a.

Forsher, Trude Trude Forsher, who worked as Elvis Presley’s secretary, died of pneumonia in Santa Monica, California, on December 20, 2000. She was 80. Forsher was a television producer in Hollywood, working at Los Angeles’ KTLA on such programs as It’s Up to You and How to Make a Million. She subsequently became Elvis Presley’s secretary, handling promotions for his concerts, recordings and television appearances.

Foster, Bill “the Fox” Comedian Bill “the Fox” Foster died of prostate cancer at his Santa Monica, California, home on May 10, 2000. He was 68. Foster, who was manager of the Fox Inn, a tavern in Santa Monica, from 1961 to 1989, was known for his beer drinking and bawdy songs. Foster was seen on television in episodes of The Jeffersons and Taxi. He was a regular on the Fox comedy variety series The Man Show from 1999. Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2000, B6.

82 July 30, 1928. He began playing drums at an early age, performing in parades and street concerts. He was a member of King Kolax’s band in the late 1940s. During the 1950s he performed at various jazz clubs in Chicago. He began playVernel Fournier ing with pianist Ahmad Jamal in 1957. With bassist Israel Crosby, they recorded the album At the Pershing in 1958. The trio continued to perform and record until 1961. Fournier paired with George Shearing in the early 1960s. He moved to New York in the late 1970s and continued to perform at clubs with various musicians. A stroke forced his retirement in 1994. New York Times, Nov. 10, 2000, B11.

Franco, Abel Actor Abel Franco died of complications from a stroke at a Pasadena, California, hospital on June 15, 2000. He was 77. Franco was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1923. Franco was featured in several films from the late 1950s including

Bill “the Fox” Foster

Fournier, Vernel Jazz drummer Vernel Fournier died of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 4, 2000. He was 72. Fournier was born in New Orleans on

Abel Franco

83 Eighteen and Anxious (1957), The Third Voice (1960) and Cage of Evil (1960). He was seen on television in episodes of I Love Lucy, The Rogues, The High Chaparral and Fame. He also appeared in the 1973 tele-film Drive Hard, Drive Fast. Franco continued to perform in films in the 1980s, including Zoot Suit (1981), El Norte (1983), The Falcon and the Snowman (1984), Death of an Angel (1985) and Three Amigos! (1986). He also starred as Al Ramirez in the 1990 television series Grand Slam. Franco also taught drama at Pasadena High for 26 years until his retirement in 1988. Los Angeles Times, June 24, 2000, B6.

2000 • Obituaries Hard Day’s Night starring the Beatles. She also appeared in Bob Hope’s 1965 comedy I’ll Take Sweden. Her film career failed to materialize and subsequently worked as Hope’s personal assistant. Times (of London), Dec. 18, 2000, 15a.

Fraser, Shelagh

Rosemarie Frankland, Great Britain’s Miss World in 1961, was found dead at her Los Angeles home on December 8, 2000. She was 57. Frankland was born in Lancashire, England, in 1943. She first made her mark as a beauty queen as Miss United Kingdom, and placed second in the Miss Universe contest. She became Britain’s first Miss World in 1961, receiving hundreds of marriage proposals after her coronation. Frankland appeared in a small role in the 1964 film A

British actress Shelagh Fraser, who was best known for her role as Luke Skywalker’s Aunt Beru Lars in 1977’s Star Wars, died in London on September 13, 2000. She was 77. Fraser was born in Purley, Surrey, England, on November 25, 1922. She began her career on stage and was appearing in films from the mid–1940s. Her films include Welcome, Mr. Washington (1944), I Live in Grosvenor Square (1945), Master of Bankdam (1947), Esther Waters (1948), Death in the Hand (1948), The History of Mr. Polly (1949), Trio (1950), Your Witness (1950), The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (1952), Raising a Riot (1955), The Last Man to Hang (1956) and The Son of Robin Hood (1959). She continued her career as a character actress from the 1960s in such films as The Devil’s Own (1966), Staircase (1969), Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969), A Touch of Love (1969), Till Death Us Do Part (1969), Thin Air (aka Invasion of the Body

Rosemarie Frankland

Shelagh Fraser

Frankland, Rosemarie

Obituaries • 2000

84

Stealers) (1969), Nothing but the Night (1972), Doomwatch (1972), Persecution (1974), Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court (1976), George Lucas’ Star Wars (1977) and Hope and Glory (1987). She also guest starred on British television in episodes of Doomwatch, The Professionals and Midsomer Murders, and the 1983 mini-series The Old Men at the Zoo. During her career Fraser also worked often on radio, performing in over 500 radio plays. In the 1980s Fraser she adapted radio versions of Rose Macauley’s The World My Wilderness and Rebecca West’s The Salt of the Earth.

Freistadt, Peter Czech filmmaker and actor Peter Freistadt died in Tel Aviv, Israel, after a long illness on January 13, 2000. He was 69. Freistadt fled the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1964, settling in Israel. He directed the 1967 films Motive to Kill and Savia and Her Men. He also produced several films in the 1980s and appeared as an actor in such Israeli films as An Intimate Story (1981), Fellow Travellers (1983), Beyond the Walls (1984), The Ambassador (1984) and The Patriots (1994).

Martin Fried

Fried, Martin

Friedrich, Goetz

Theatrical director Martin Fried died of an aneurysm at his Manhattan home on March 28, 2000. He was 62. Fried was born in Manhattan in 1938. He became associated with Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio in the 1950s, appearing in the Broadway production of The Best Man. He soon took an interest in directing, serving as production stage manager for several Actors Studio productions. He directed the Off-Broadway staging of The Coop in 1966. His Broadway credits include Daphne in Cottage D, The Natural Look and Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie. Fried also directed an Off-Broadway revival of The Diary of Anne Frank in 1978. New York Times, Apr. 6, 2000, C25.

Goetz Friedrich, the director of Deutsche Oper, Berlin’s leading opera house, died of cancer

Goetz Friedrich

85 in Berlin on December 12, 2000. He was 70. Friedrich was born in Naumburg, Germany, on August 4, 1930. He began his career in opera in East Berlin’s Komische Oper in 1953. He staged a production of La Boheme there in 1959. He came to West Germany in 1972, producing versions of Aida and Moses. He was named general director of the Deutsche Oper in 1981. Friedrich continued to head the opera house, staging a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors several days before his death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 14, 2000, B8; New York Times, Dec. 15, 2000, C18; Times (of London), Dec. 13, 2000, 23a.

2000 • Obituaries Town, Auntie Mame (1956), Sweet Charity (1956) and Chicago (1975). Fryer also produced a handful of films including The Boston Strangler (1968), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), Travels with My Aunt (1972), Mame (1974), The Abdication (1974), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Boys from Brazil (1978) and Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 31, 2000, A25; Variety, June 5, 2000, 65.

Fukuda, Jun Fryer, Robert Film and Broadway producer Robert Fryer died of complications from Parkinson’s disease in Los Angeles on May 28, 2000. He was 79. Fryer was born in Washington, D.C. in 1921. He began producing for Broadway in the early 1950s. His hit plays include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951), the Tony Award winning 1953 play Wonderful

Robert Fryer

Japanese film director Jun Fukuda who helmed several films in Toho’s popular Godzilla series died of cancer in Tokyo on December 3, 2000. He was 76. Fukuda was born in Manshu, Korea, on February 17, Jun Fukuda 1924. He worked an assistant director from the early 1950s on such films as The Man Who Went to Sea (1952), Legend of Musashi (1954), Swords of Doom (1955), Rodan (1956) and Musashi and Kojiro (1956). He soon began directing features helming Dangerous Playing with Fire (1959), The Secret of the Telegian (1960), The Merciless Trap (1961), Fangs of the Underworld (1962), Young Guy in Hawaii (1963), Operation Mad Dog (1963), 100 Shot, 100 Killed (1965), White Rose of Hong Kong (1965), Campus A-GoGo (1966), Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966), Sensation Seekers (1966), The Mad Atlantic (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), Booted Babe, Busted Boss (1968), Konto Five-Five’s Adventure in Outer Space (1969), Young Guy in New Zealand (1969), Young Guy Graduates (1969), Beast Capital (1970), Godzilla on Monster Island (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1977), ESPY (1974), The War in Space (1977) and Demon Beast Invasion (1993)

Obituaries • 2000

Fukuda, Masakazu Japanese professional wrestler Masakazu Fukuda died at a hospital in Japan on April 19, 2000. He was 27. Fukuda had been injured in a wrestling match five days earlier and remained in a coma until his death. Masakazu Fukuda Fukuda began his career in 1996 and wrestled for the New Japan promotion. He had suffered several serious head injuries in the ring during his career.

Gage, Robert Art director Robert Gage died of a staphylococcus infection at a Manhattan hospital on

86 April 4, 2000. He was 78. Gage was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 30, 1921. He began his work in the advertising industry at the Abbott Kimball Company. He began art director at DDB Worldwide in the late 1940s. He became well known in the field for his innovative approach to print ads. Gage was also noted for his television ad campaigns, directing the Life cereal commercials featuring Mikey, and Polaroid camera commercials starring Laurence Olivier. Gage also designed the popular ad campaign for Polaroid One-Step that featured James Garner and Mariette Hartley. New York Times, Apr. 8, 2000, A11.

Gallo, Inigo Swiss actor Inigo Gallo died of liver cancer in Switzerland on December 15, 2000. He was 68. Gallo was born in Zurich, Switzerland, on November 2, 1932. A popular star in Switzerland, he was best known in Inigo Gallo the United States for his role in the 1975 film The Swiss Conspiracy, and the 1982 television mini-series adaptation of John LeCarre’s Smiley’s People. His other film credits include Der Teufel Hat Gut Lachen (1960), Drei Schrage Vogel (1960), Demokrat Lappli (1961) and Class Reunion (1988).

Gallo, Lew

Robert Gage

Character actor Lew Gallo died of complications from an aortic aneurysm in Los Angeles on June 11, 2000. He was 71. Gallo was born in Mount Kisko, New York, on June 12, 1928. He began his career on the New York stage, performing in the Broadway production of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? He went to Hollywood in the late 1950s, where he was seen in such films as Pork Chop Hill (1959), Odds Against Tomorrow

87

Lew Gallo

(1959), Ocean’s Eleven (1960), PT 109 (1963) and Soldier in the Rain (1963). Gallo starred as Major Joseph Cobb in the television military series Twelve O’Clock High from 1964 to 1965. His other television credits include episodes of Gunsmoke, Lawman, Fury, Death Valley Days, Zane Grey Theatre, Twilight Zone, Hotel de Paree, Perry Mason, Rawhide, The Deputy, Gunslinger, The Tall Man, Get Smart, The Dakotas, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Virginian, The F.B.I., Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Big Valley, Time Tunnel, The Iron Horse, Lost in Space, Love, American Style, Turnabout and Alice. Gallo also began producing for television in the 1970s, working on the series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Nobody’s Perfect and Aloha Paradise, and the tele-films Thursday’s Game (1974), Having Babies (1976), Lucy and the Mississippi Queen (1978) and Mafia Princess (1986). Los Angeles Times, June 21, 2000, B6; Variety, June 19, 2000, 83.

2000 • Obituaries law studies, Gassman embarked on an acting career. He was a popular stage performer before making film debut in 1946’s Shamed. Gassman was also featured in The Wandering Jew (1947), Bitter Rise (1948), Il Cavaliere Misterioso (1948), Lure of the Sila (1949), Il Tradimento (1951), Anna (1951), The Black Crown (1951) and Il Sogno di Zorro (1952). Gassman came to Hollywood for several years in the early 1950s, appearing in A Voice in Your Heart (1952), The Glass Wall (1953), Sombrero (1953), Cry of the Hunted (1952), Rhapsody (1953) and Mambo (1954). He was married to actress Shelley Winters from 1952 to 1954. He continued to appear in such films as Beautiful but Dangerous (1955), War and Peace (1956), Defend My Love (1956), The Violent Patriot (1956), Kean (1957) which he also co-directed, Tempest (1958), Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958), The Miracle (1959), The Great War (1959), Love and Larceny (1960), And Suddenly It’s Murder (1960), The Last Judgement (1961), Barabbas (1961), The Shortest Day (1962), The Easy Life (1963), Opiate ’67 (1963), La Marcia su Roma (1967), Il Successo (1963), The Eye of the Needle (1963), Let’s Talk About Women (1964), Il Gaucho (1964), The Dirty Game (1965), The Devil in Love (1966), Woman Times Seven (1967), The Tiger and the Pussycat (1967), Ghosts Italian Style (1967), The Prophet

Gassman, Vittorio Italian actor Vittorio Gassman died of a heart attack at his home in Rome on June 29, 2000. He was 77. Gassman was born in Genoa, Italy, on September 1, 1922. After abandoning his

Vittorio Gassman

Obituaries • 2000 (1968), The Black Sheep (1968), Where Are You Going All Naked? (1969), The Alibi (1969), Contestazione Generale (1970), Il Divorzio (1970), The 13 Chairs (1970), The Audience (1971), La Tosca (1973), Scent of a Woman (1974), We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974), The Immortal Bachelor (1975), Virginity (1976), Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (1976), The Desert of the Tartars (1976), The Forbidden Room (1977), A Wedding (1978), Viva Italia! (1978), Happy Hobos (1978), Robert Altman’s Quintet (1979), Dear Papa (1979), The Nude Bomb (1980), The Terrace (1980), Sharky’s Machine (1980) with Burt Reynolds, Tempest (1982), Life Is a Bed of Roses (1983), Power of Evil (1985), The Family (1987), Big Deal After 20 Years (1987), The Rogues (1988), The Sleazy Uncle (1989), Death to You (1989), The Palermo Connection (1990), Sheherazade (1990), The Long Winter of ’39 (1991), I’ll Be Going Now (1992), When We Were Repressed (1992), Once a Year, Every Year (1994), Sleepers (1996), La Cena (1998) and La Bomba (1999). Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 30, 2000, C19; Time, July 10, 2000, 27; Times (of London), July 24, 2000, 19a; Variety, July 10, 2000, 50.

Gennaro, Peter Choreographer and dancer Peter Gennaro died in New York City on September 28, 2000. He was 80. Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana, in 1920. He began dancing at an early age and performed with an entertainment group while serving in the Army during World War II. He made his New York stage debut in 1948’s Make Mine Manhattan. He also appeared in stage productions of the musicals Kiss Me, Kate (1948), Guys and Dolls (1950), By the Beautiful Sea (1954), Pajama Game (1954) and Bells Are Ringing (1956). Gennaro Peter Gennaro choreographed

88 such leading musicals as West Side Story (1957) with Jerome Robbins, Fiorello! (1959), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960), Mr. President (1962), Bajour (1964), Jimmy (1969) and Annie (1977), which earned him a Tony Award. Gennaro also worked often on television, appearing on Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall in the early 1960s, and such series as The Steve Allen Show, You Hit Parade, The Andy Williams Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 3, 2000, B8; New York Times, Sept. 30, 2000, A18.

Gielgud, Sir John Leading British actor Sir John Gielgud died at his home near Aylesbury, England, on May 22, 2000. He was 96. Gielgud was born in London on April 14, 1904. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his debut with the Old Vic theatre in 1921. He became of the leading actors on the British stage and his performances in such Shakespearean productions as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, The Tempest and Macbeth drew widespread acclaim. Gielgud made his film debut in the 1924 silent film Who Is the Man? He was also featured in the films The Clue of the New Pin (1929), Insult (1932), The Good Companions (1933), Alfred Hitchcock’s Secret Agent (1936) and The Prime Minister (1941) as Benjamin Disraeli. During the 1930s and 1940s Gielgud primarily performed on stage. In the 1950s he appeared in filmed productions of such Shakespearean plays as Julius Caesar (1953) as Cassius, Richard III (1954) as the Duke of Clarence, and Romeo and Juliet (1954). He continued to appear in such films as Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957), Saint Joan (1957), Flame Over India (1959), To Die in Madrid (1963), Becket (1964) where his performance as King Louis VII of France earned him an Oscar nomination, The Loved One (1965), Chimes at Midnight (1965), Sebastian (1968), Assignment to Kill (1968), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) as the old pope, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Julius Caesar (1970) in the title role, Eagle in a Cage (1971), the 1973 musical remake of Lost Horizon, Gold (1974), 11 Harrowhouse (1974), Agatha Christie’s Murder on the

89

Sir John Gielgud

Orient Express (1974), Galileo (1975), Aces High (1976), Joseph Andrews (1977), Providence (1977), The Conductor (1979), Murder by Decree (1979), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1979), Omar Mukhtar: Lion of the Desert (1980), The Human Factor (1980), The Formula (1980), The Elephant Man (1980), Caligula (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981), Sphinx (1981) and Priest of Love (1981). His performance as Hobson, the butler, in the 1981 comedy film Arthur with Dudley Moore earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He reprised the role several years later in 1988’s Arthur 2: On the Rocks. Gielgud continued to perform in such films as Gandhi (1982), The Wicked Lady (1983), The Shooting Party (1984), Scandalous (1984), Time After Time (1985), Plenty (1985), Leave All Fair (1985), Invitation to the Wedding (1985), The Whistle Blower (1986), Bluebeard, Bluebeard (1987), Appointment with Death (1988), Getting It Right (1989), Strike It Rich (1990), Prospero’s Books (1991), Swan Song (1992), The Power of One (1992), Shining Through (1992), First Knight (1995), Haunted (1995), Looking for Richard (1996), Shine (1996), Portrait of a Lady (1996), Hamlet (1996), The Tichborne Claimant (1998) and Elizabeth (1998) as Pope Paul IV. Gielgud also appeared often on television in both Britain and the United States in such tele-films and mini-series as Alice in Wonderland

2000 • Obituaries (1967), From Chekhov with Love (1968), Home (1972), Frankenstein: The True Story (1972), Probe (1972), QB VII (1974), Edward VII (1975), Edward the King (1975), Heartbreak House (1977), Romeo and Juliet (1978), King Richard the Second (1978), Les Miserables (1978), Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (1980), The Seven Dials Mystery (1982), Marco Polo (1982), Brideshead Revisited (1982), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982), Inside the Third Reich (1982), Wagner (1983), The Scarlet and the Black (1983), Frankenstein (1984), Buddenbrooks (1984), Antigone (1984), The Master of Ballantrae (1984), The Far Pavilions (1984), Camille (1984), Romance on the Orient Express (1985), The Canterville Ghost (1986), Quartermaine’s Terms (1987), A Man for All Seasons (1988), War and Remembrance (1989), Summer Lease (1989), The Strauss Dynasty (1991), The Best of Friends (1994), Scarlett (1994), Gulliver’s Travels (1996), A Dance to the Music of Time (1997) and Merlin (1998). He also performed the voice of Merlin in the 1998 animated film Quest for Camelot. His television credits also include episodes of The DuPont Show of the Month, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, Inspector Morse and Lovejoy. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2000, A1; New York Times, May 23, 2000, A1; People, June 5, 2000, 130; Time, June 5, 2000, 84; Times (of London), May 23, 2000, 25a; TV Guide, July 8, 2000, 7; Variety, May 29, 2000, 70.

Gifford, Denis Film historian Denis Gifford died on May 18, 2000. He was 72. Gifford was born in Forest Hill, South London, England, on December 26, 1927. He was the author of numerous books on films and popular culture. He was the author of books covering the careers of film stars Boris Karloff and Charlie Chaplin. His best known works include A Pictorial History of Horror Movies, Monsters of the Movies, Illustrated Who’s Who in British Films, Chaplin, British Cinema, American Animated Films: The Silent Era, 1897-1929, British Animated Films, 1895-1985: A Filmography, The Armchair Odeon: The Collector’s Guide to the Movies and The British Film Catalogue, 18951985. Gifford also wrote several books on comics including Encyclopedia of Comic Characters, The Complete Catalogue of British Comics and Ameri-

Obituaries • 2000

90 featured in Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 classic The Seventh Seal. Her other screen credits include We Three Debutantes (1953), Dreams (1955), Seventh Heaven (1956), Flamman Inga Gill (1956), Brink of Life (1958), Swinging at the Castle (1959), Crime in Paradise (1959), The Devil’s Eye (1960), The Cats (1965), Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (1972) and Casanova of Sweden (1983). She was also a popular actress on Swedish television, appearing in numerous series over the past several decades. She was the widow of actor Karl-Arne Holmsten, who died in 1995.

Denis Gifford

can Comic Strip Collections, 1884-1939: The Evolutionary Era. Gifford also wrote for British radio and television during the 1950s. Times (of London), May 30, 2000, 25a.

Glass, Leslie Adult film actress Leslie Glass died of colon cancer in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 4,

Gifford, Thomas Novelist Thomas Gifford died of cancer in Dubuque, Iowa, on November 7, 2000. He was 62. Gifford was born in Dubuque in 1938. He began writing professionally in the early 1970s. His first novel, The Wind Chill Factor, was published in 1975. He scripted the 1981 film Dirty Tricks, based on his novel The Glendower Legacy. Gifford’s other novels include The Man from Lisbon, Hollywood Gothic and Saint’s Rest. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 2000, B6.

Gill, Inga Swedish comic actress Inga Gill died in Stockholm after a long illness on October 18, 2000. She was 75. Gill was born in Stockholm on May 2, 1925. She made her film debut in Alf Sjoeberg’s 1951 feature Miss Julie. She was also

Leslie Glass

91 2000. She was 36. She began her career as a ring girl for boxing matches before modeling for Penthouse magazine in 1992. After becoming a Penthouse Pet, Glass entered the adult film business in 1994, starring in Blonde Justice #02 and Vagablonde. She was also featured in the soft core science fiction comedy Vampire Vixens from Venus (1995). Her other credits include the adult features Strip Search (1997), Where the Boys Aren’t 10 (1998) and Fantasy Lane (1998).

Glebov, Pyotr Russian stage and film star Pyotr Glebov died in Moscow after a long illness on April 17, 2000. He was 85. Glebov was born in Moscow on April 14, 1915. He began his career on the Russian stage after attending the Stanislavsky Opera and Drama Studio. He was featured in over a dozen major Russian films including And Quiet Flows the Don (1960), The New Land (1959), Baltic Skies (1960), A Requiem for Mozart (1962), Iolanta (1964), Not Under the Jurisdiction (1969), At the World’s Limit (1974), Emelyan Pugachyov (1978), The Youth of Peter the Great (1980), Woodworm: Bitter Grass (1981), Peasants (1981) and Inheritance (1984). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 20, 2000, B8.

Gonzalez Gonzalez, Jose Mexican-American character actor Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez died of a brain hemorrhage in a Los Angeles hospital on December 15, 2000. He was 78. Gonzalez was born in San Antonio, Texas on December 7, 1922. He began acting in the mid–1950s, appearing often in such television westerns as Judge Roy Bean, Annie Oakley, The Rebel, Wagon Train and The Tall Man. His other television credits include episodes of Perry Mason and The Andy Griffith Show. He also appeared in Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez the films The

2000 • Obituaries Three Outlaws (1956), Cha-Cha-Cha-Boom (1956), Kronos (1957), Showdown at Boot Hill (1958), Mermaids of Tiburon (1962), For Love or Money (1963), Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) and The Naked Gun 2∂: The Smell of Fear (1991). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 2000, B4.

Gordon, Leo Veteran character actor Leo V. Gordon died following a brief illness at his Los Angeles home on December 26, 2000. He was 78. Gordon was born in New York City on December 2, 1922. After a brief stint in the Army during World War II, Gordon went to California. Convicted of robbery, he served four years in San Quentin prison in the late 1940s. The burly Gordon returned to New York to take acting classes after his release. He began appearing on stage in the early 1950s and made his film debut in the 1953 Western City of Bad Men. Gordon continued to appear, often as villainous characters, in such films as Hondo (1953), Gun Fury (1953), China Venture (1953), All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953), The Yellow Mountain (1954), Riot in Cell Block II (1954), The Bamboo Prison (1954), Sign of the Pagan (1955), Ten Wanted Men (1955), Tennessee’s Partner (1955), Soldier of Fortune (1955), Seven Angry Men (1955), Robber’s Roost (1955), Santa Fe Passage (1955), Man with the Gun (1955), The Conqueror (1956), The Steel Jungle (1956), Great Day in the Morning (1956), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Johnny Concho (1956), Red Sundown (1956), 7th Cavalry (1956), Lure of the Swamp (1957), Man in the Shadow (1957), The Tall Stranger (1957), The Restless Breed (1957) and Baby Face Nelson (1957). Gordon also been scripting for films in the late 1950s, often for director Roger Corman. He wrote Black Patch (1957), Hot Car Girl (1958), The Cry Baby Killer (1958), which was Jack Nicholson’s film debut, Escort West (1958), The Wasp Woman (1960), Valley of the Redwoods (1960), Attack of the Giant Leeches (1960), The Cat Burglar (1961), Tower of London (1962), The Terror (1963), The Bounty Killer (1965), Tobruk (1967), All the Loving Couples (1969) and You Can’t Win ’Em All (1970). Gordon also scripted episodes of the western television series Maverick and directed segments of the police drama Adam-12. He remained a leading character actor in such films as Apache Territory

Obituaries • 2000 (1958), Escort West (1958), Ride a Crooked Trail (1958), Quantrill’s Raiders (1958), The Notorious Mr. Monks (1958), The Hayhawkers! (1959), The Big Operator (1959), Noose for a Gunman (1960), The Intruder (1961), Tarzan Goes to India (1962), The Nun and the Sergeant (1962), McLintock! (1963) with John Wayne, Kings of the Sun (1963), The Haunted Palace (1963), Kitten with a Whip (1964), The Dictator’s Guns (1964), The Girls on the Beach (1965), Beau Geste (1966), The Night of the Grizzly (1966), Tobruk (1967), The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967), Hostile Guns (1967), Devil’s Angels (1967), Buckskin (1968), You Can’t Win ’Em All (1970), Lonesome Gun (1974), Bonnie’s Kids (1973), The Shootist (1976), Nashville Girl (1976), The Lucifer Complex (1978), Hitler’s Son (1978), Bog (1978), Fire and Ice (1983), Savage Dawn (1985), The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987), Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Alienator (1989) and 1994’s Maverick as a poker player. Gordon was also seen often on television during his career. He was Hank Miller in the Circus Boy series from 1956 to 1958, and was Big Mike McComb in several episodes of Maverick in the late 1950s. He also starred as Sergeant Theodore Kick in the 1980 comedy series Enos, and was General Train Anderson in the 1983 mini-series The Winds of War. He appeared as Gen. Omar Bradley in the 1989 mini-series War and Remembrance. His other television credits include the tele-films The Trackers (1971), Barbary Coast (1975), Rage! (1980), M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Driving (1983), Mob Boss (1990) and Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994) as Wyatt Earp. Gordon also guest starred in episodes of such series as Stories of the Century, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Cheyenne, Frontier, Gunsmoke, Broken Arrow, Tales of Wells Fargo, Have Gun, Will Travel, Tombstone Territory, Rough Riders, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Bat Masterson, 26 Men, The Rifleman, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Bronco, Rawhide, The Deputy, The Untouchables, Mr. Lucky, The Law of the Plainsman, Wyatt Earp, The Alaskans, The Outlaws, Lawman, Empire, The Virginian, Death Valley Days, Temple Houston, Lassie, Great Adventure, The Andy Griffith Show, Laredo, Get Smart, Mr. Terrific, Daniel Boone, Adam-12, Pistols ’n’ Petticoats, Tarzan, Rango, The High Chaparral, The Outcasts, The Men from Shiloh, Alias Smith and Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, Far Out Space Nuts, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Haz-

92

Leo Gordon

zard, Little House on the Prairie, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Moonlighting, St. Elsewhere, Wiseguy and SeaQuest DSV. New York Times, Jan. 6, 2001, B7; People, Jan. 15, 2001, 85.

Gorey, Edward Illustrator Edward Gorey, known for his bizarre and macabre drawings, died of a heart attack in a Cape Cod, Massachusetts, hospital on April 15, 2000. He was 75. Gorey was born in Chicago on February 25, 1925. He authored over ninety books during his career, and illustrated over fifty others. His first book, The Unstrung Harp, was published in 1953. His best known works include Amphigorey, Amphigorey Too and Amphigorey Also. Gorey received a Tony Award for his costume designs for the 1978 Broadway production of Dracula. He also designed the opening and closing titles for the popular PBS series Mystery! in the 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 18, 2000, A9; New York Times, Apr. 17, 2000, B8; People, May 1, 2000, 20; Time, May 1, 2000, 23; Times (of London), Apr. 18, 2000, 25a; Variety, Apr. 24, 2000, 76; Washington Post, Apr. 17, 2000, B6.

93

2000 • Obituaries

Gray, Charles

Gorin, Grigori

British character actor Charles Gray died in England on March 7, 2000. He was 71. Gray was best known for his role as James Bond villain Ernst Stavros Blofeld in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever and as the Criminologist in the 1975 cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Gray was born in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, on August 29, 1928. He was a popular film performer from the mid–1950s, often portraying villainous roles. His credits include One Desire (1955), The Black Whip (1956), Ride a Violent Mile (1957), God Is My Partner (1957), I Accuse! (1958), Heart of a Child (1958), Tommy the Toreador (1959), Follow a Star (1959), The Desperate Man (1959), Man in the Moon (1960), The Entertainer (1960), Masquerade (1965), The Man Outside (1967), The Night of the Generals (1967), the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice as Henderson, The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968), the 1968 Hammer horror film The Devil Rides Out (aka The Devil’s Bride), The Nine Ages of Nakedness (1969), The File of the Golden Goose (1969), Mosquito Squadron (1969), Cromwell (1970), The Executioner (1970), Wild Rovers (1971), The Beast Must Die (1974), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) as Mycroft Holmes, Seven Nights in Japan (1976), Silver Bears (1977), The Legacy (1979), Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d (1980), the 1981 Rocky Horror sequel Shock Treatment, The Jigsaw Man (1983), The Tichborne Claimant (1998) and Longitude (2000). Gray was also seen often on British television, appearing in productions of The Moon and Sixpence (1967), Hay Fever (1968),

Russian playwright and screenwriter Grigori Gorin died of a heart attack in Moscow on June 15, 2000. He was 60. Gorin was born in Moscow on March 12, 1940. He authored such popular Russian plays as Royal Games, Requiem and A Pox on Both Your Houses. He also scripted such films as You to Me, Me to You (1976), Velvet Season (1978), The Real Munchhausen (1979), Say a Word for Poor Cavalrymen (1980), The House That Swift Built (1983), Formula Iyubvi (1984), My Tenderly Loved Detective (1986) and To Kill a Dragon (1988). Gorin was also host of the television talk show The White Parrot. Los Angeles Times, June 16, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 21, 2000, A21.

Charles Gray (menacing Nike Arrighi in The Devil Rides Out).

Edward Gorey

Obituaries • 2000 W. Somerset Maugham’s The Closed Shop (1970), Ross (1970), Asquith in Orbit (1971), Michael Regan (1971), The Cherry Orchard (1971), Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (1972), Lady Windermere’s Fan (1972), The Millionairess (1972), A Fall of Eagles (1973), A Room with a View (1973), Twelfth Night (1974), Mutiny (1975), Murder on the Midnight Express (1975), King Richard II (1978), The House on Garibaldi Street (1979), Julius Caesar (1979), Ike (1979), Troilus and Cressida (1981), Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982) as Earl Spencer, An Englishman Abroad (1983), The Comedy of Errors (1983), Cariani and the Courtesans (1987), Porterhouse Blue (1987), Dreams Lost, Dreams Found (1987), Scarlett (1994) and Ellen Foster (1997). He also appeared as Mycroft Holmes in several episodes of the British Sherlock Holmes series in the 1980s starring Jeremy Brett. Gray also appeared as Lord Seacroft in the 1973 series The Upper Crusts and was Commander Nevil in the 1988 series Hannay. His other television credits include episodes of The Invisible Man, One Step Beyond, Danger Man, Out of This World, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Omnibus, Tales from the Poop Deck, CATS Eyes, The New Statesman and Katts and Dog. He was not the American actor of the same name who appeared in numerous television westerns and was Clay Forrester on Rawhide. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 9, 2000, A25; New York Times, Mar. 10, 2000, B9; People, Mar. 27, 2000, 77; Time, Mar. 20, 2000, 29; Times, Mar. 9, 2000, 29a.

Greco, Jose Dancer and choreographer Jose Greco died of heart failure at his Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home on December 31, 2000. He was 82. He was born Constanzo Jose Greco in Montorio nei Frentani, Italy, on December 23, 1918. He lived in Spain from ages three until eight, when he accompanied his family to the United States. A student of the dance, Greco made his professional debut in the opera Carmen at the New York Hippodrome in 1935. He also became a popular flamenco performer at New York nightclubs. He joined Spanish dancer La Argentinita’s company in the early 1940s. He formed his own company in 1947, touring Europe and, later, the United States. Greco was also featured in a handful of

94

Jose Greco

films from the late in 1940s including Manolete (1948) as Raphael the bullfighter, Sombrero (1953), Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), Holiday for Lovers (1959) and Ship of Fools (1965). His last film role was in 1973’s The Proud and the Damned. He retired as a dancer in the late 1960s, leaving his son, Jose Greco, II, as the star of his dance company. His two daughters, Lola and Carmela, are also professional dancers. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 4, 2001, B9; New York Times, Jan. 4, 2001, A23.

Green, Douglas Edward, Sr. Television producer Douglas Edward Green, Sr., died of kidney failure at a Monterey, California, nursing home on April 11, 2000. He was

95

2000 • Obituaries

78. Green was born in Hollywood on February 26, 1922. He began his career as a second assistant director with Universal Studios after military service. He served as assistant director on such films as Lover Come Back (1961), A Child Is Waiting (1963), Send Me No Flowers (1964), The War Lord (1965), Madame X (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Sweet Charity (1969), Topaz (1969), Cabaret (1972) and Lennie (1974). Green was executive producer of the television series Hawaii Five-0. He also severed as a producer on the television series Magnum P.I. and the films Ghost Story (1981) and Heartbeeps (1981). Variety, Apr. 24, 2000, 76.

Greene, Harold Screenwriter and literary agent Harold Greene died at his Marina Del Rey, California, home on March 26, 2000. He was 84. Greene was born in Patterson, New Jersey, in 1915. He began his career in Hollywood as a screenwriter in the 1940s. He adapted the 1940 film version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables, and provided stories for the films Marked Men (1940) and The Great Plane Robbery (1940). Greene also scripted On the Isle of Samoa (1950), Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950), Criminal Lawyer (1951) and China Corsair (1951), and wrote The Big Gusher (1951) and Kansas City Confidential (1952). Greene also served as associate producer of the 1948 film Sleep, My Love and the 1950s television series Jungle Jim. He headed the literary talent agency, Harold Greene, Inc., for many years and served on the executive board of the early Writers Guild of America from the 1950s.

Eddie Gregson

Grennan, Winston Reggae musician Winston Grennan died of lung cancer in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on

Gregson, Eddie Race horse trainer and former actor Eddie Gregson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his office in South Pasadena, California, on June 4, 2000. He was 61. Gregson was born in Los Angeles on August 7, 1938. He appeared in several films in the late 1950s including Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead in 1958. He later became a successful trainer whose horses included Gato Del Sol, the winner of the 1982 Kentucky Derby.

Winston Grennan

Obituaries • 2000 October 27, 2000. He was 56. Grennan, who also performed as Winston Richards, was born in Duckenfield, Jamaica, on September 16, 1944. He was a member of the group Toots and the Maytails, whose songs include “Do the Reggay.” He also performed with Kid Creole and the Coconuts and The Ska Rocks. Grennan was heard on Paul Simon’s hit song “Mother and Child Reunion” and worked with such artists as Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie and The Rolling Stones during his career. He was heard on the soundtrack and appeared in the 1973 film The Harder They Come. New York Times, Nov. 4, 2000, B9.

Grey, Al Trombonist Al Grey died in Scottsdale, Arizona, of complications from diabetes on March 24, 2000. He was 74. He was born Albert Thornton Grey in Aldie, Virginia, in 1925. Grey played the trombone in a Navy band during World War II, and joined Benny Carter’s band after the war. During his career Grey also performed with orchestras led by Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford and Lionel Hampton. He was also a featured soloist with Dizzy Gillespie’s band in the late 1950s. He recorded such albums as Echoes of New Orleans, Fab, Matzoh and Grits and Me and Jack. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 25, 2000, A22; New York Times, Mar. 27, 2000, B8.

96 appearing in such series as Der Kommissar, Okay S.I.R., Derrick and Der Alte. He was also featured in the films Swedish Love Games (1971), Swinging Wives (1971) and Hauptsache Ferien (1972).

Guedes, Eduardo Portuguese filmmaker Eduardo Guedes died of cancer in Lisbon, Portugal, on August 29, 2000. He was 59. Eduard Luis Santos Correia Guedes was born in Lisbon on April 21, 1941. He attended the International Film School in London in the early 1960s and, in 1965, began making documentary films in Brazil. His Rio Araguaia was aired on the BBC. Guedes worked as a film editor in the late 1960s before joining Cinema Action in 1971. He began working closely with filmmaker Ann Guedes, who he married in 1984. He filmed and edited her 1981 documentary So That You Can Live. The also scripted and directed the feature films Rocinante (1987) with John Hurt and Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale (1989). Guedes also helmed the 1994 comedy Pax (1994) starring Amanda Plummer and 2000’s Knives and Angels.

Griesser, Max Austrian actor Max Griesser committed suicide on August 11, 2000, by hanging himself in the basement of his nephew’s house in Epstein/ Taunus, Germany, during a wedding party. He was 71. Griesser was born in Kufstein, Austria, on November 18, 1928. He was a leading actor in Bavarian folk plays and appeared often on German television, Max Griesser

Eduardo Guedes

97

2000 • Obituaries

Guinness, Sir Alec Sir Alec Guinness, the British actor who won an Academy Award for his performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai and starred as Jedi mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas’ Star Wars, died in a West Sussex, England, hospital on August 5, 2000. He was 86. He was born Alec Guinness de Cuffe in London, England, on April 2, 1914. He attended acting schools after his graduation and became his career on stage in the mid–1930s, appearing in Sir John Gielgud’s production of Hamlet. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II and resumed his stage career after the war, appearing in productions of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Vicious Circle, George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan and Shakespeare’s Richard II in the title role. Guinness was best known for his numerous film performances, which began as an extra in 1934’s Evensong. He film career began in earnest in David Lean’s 1946 production of Great Expectations. The following year Guinness starred as Fagin in Lean’s Oliver Twist. He portrayed eight members of the d’Ascoyne family in the 1949 comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. He remained a popular star in such films as A Run for Your Money (1949), The Mudlark (1950) as British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, Last Holiday (1950), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for best actor, The Card (1952), The Captain’s Paradise (1953), The Square Mile (1953) as the narrator, The Malta Story (1953), Father Brown (1954), The Stratford Adventure (1954), To Paris with Love (1955), Rowlandson’s England (1955), The Prisoner (1955), The Ladykillers (1955) and The Swan (1956). Guinness received the Oscar for best actor as the very proper British prisoner of war, Colonel Nicholson, in 1957’s The Bride on the River Kwai. He continued to star in such films as Barnacle Bill (1957), The Horse’s Mouth (1958) which also earned him an Oscar nomination for his screenplay, The Scapegoat (1959), Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana (1960), Tunes of Glory (1960) as Major Jock Sinclair, Damn the Defiant! (1962), David Lean’s epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962) as Prince Feisal, The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) as Marcus Aurelius, Lean’s Doctor Zhivago (1965) as Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago, the 1965 comedy Situation Hopeless … But Not Serious with Robert Redford, Hotel Paradiso (1966), The Quiller Memorandum (1966),

Sir Alec Guinness (center, with Mark Hamill and robot C3PO from Star Wars).

Graham Greene’s The Comedians (1967) with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Scrooge! (1970) as Marley’s Ghost, Cromwell (1970) as King Charles I, 1973’s Hitler: The Last Ten Days in the title role, Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1973) as Pope Innocent III and the 1976 comedy Murder by Death. Guinness became known to a new generation of movie goers when he starred as the aging Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in the 1977 science fiction classic Star Wars. He received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and was also briefly seen in the two sequels —The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). In 1980 Guinness starred as George Smiley in the television mini-series adaptation of John LeCarre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He reprised the role in 1982’s Smiley’s People. He continued to appear in such films as Raise the Titanic (1980), Lovesick (1983), David Lean’s Passage to India (1984), Little Dorrit (1988) earning him another Best Support Actor Oscar nomination, A Handful of Dust (1988), Kaf ka (1991), A Foreign Field (1993) and Mute Witness (1994). On television Guinness also appeared in productions of Caesar and Cleopatra (1976) as Julius Caesar, Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980), Monsignor Quixote (1985), Tales from Hollywood (1992) and Eskimo Day (1996). He was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1980 “for advancing the art of screen acting through a host of memorable and distinguished performances.” Guinness was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1959. His autobiography, Blessings in Disguise, was published in 1985. His survivors include his wife from 1938, actress Merula Salaman, and their son, actor Matthew Guinness.

Obituaries • 2000 Los Angeles Times, Aug. 7, 2000, 1; New York Times, Aug. 7, 2000, 1; People, Aug. 21, 2000, 65; Time, Aug. 21, 2000, 21; Times (of London), Aug. 8, 2000, 19a; TV Guide, Aug. 26, 2000, 6; Variety, Aug. 14, 2000, 44; Washington Post, Aug. 7, 2000, 1.

Gussman, Charles Radio and television writer Charles Gussman died in Holland, Pennsylvania, on October 18, 2000. He was 87. Gussman was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1913. He began working in radio while in his teens and was soon writing scripts for the radio series Li’l Abner. Gussman became a leading writer for radio dramas and soap operas, penning segments of The Road of Life, The Right to Happiness and Young Doctor Malone. He began writing for television in the early 1950s, scripting episodes of the television version of Young Doctor Malone. He also wrote for the soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Days of Our Lives, and episodes of the television sit-com Gilligan’s Island. New York Times, Oct. 28, 2000, A15.

Charles Gussman

98

Guthu, Hal Talent agent Harold “Hal” Guthu is believed to have perished in a fire at his West Hollywood talent agency on February 27, 2000. A charred body was found in the remnants of the burned out office and police are investigating the matter as arson and homicide. He was 78. Guthu was the cinematographer for cult film director Ed Wood’s 1969 adult film The Love Feast. Guthu had long been involved in the adult film and magazine business as an agent.

Gynt, Greta Actress Greta Gynt died in London on April 2, 2000. Gynt was born Margrethe Woxhalt in Oslo, Norway, on November 15, 1916. She was 83. The lovely blonde actress was featured in the 1934 Swedish film Song to Her, before going to London. She appeared on stage and was seen in such films as It Happened in Paris (1935), Boys Will Be Girls (1936), The Last Curtain (1937), The Road Back (1937), Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (1938), Second Best Bed (1938), The Last Barricade (1938), Too Dangerous to Live (1939),

Greta Gynt

99 She Couldn’t Say No (1939), The Middle Watch (1939), The Human Monster (aka Dead Eyes of London) (1939), Crooks Tour (1939), The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939), Two for Danger (1940), Room for Two (1940), Bulldog Sees It Through (1940), The Common Touch (1941), Tomorrow We Live (1942), It’s That Man Again (1942), Mr. Emmanuel (1944), London Town (1946), Take My Life (1947), Dear Murderer (1947), Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill (1948), Easy Money (1948), The Calendar (1948), Shadow of the Eagle (1950), I’ll Get You for This (1950), Whispering Smith Hits London (1951), Soldiers Three (1951), I’m a Stranger (1952), The Ringer (1953), The Last Moment (1954), Forbidden Cargo (1954), Devil’s Point (1954), Destination Milan (1954), The Blue Peter (1954), See How They Run (1955), Fortune Is a Woman (1957), Strange Case of Dr. Manning (1958), The Crowning Touch (1959) and Bluebeard’s Ten Honeymoons (1960). She was also seen on British television in the 1950s in episodes of The Invisible Man and The Gay Cavalier. Times (of London), Apr. 4, 2000, 25a.

2000 • Obituaries Hamilton (1921), Lucretia Borgia (1922), A Woman’s Secret (1924), The Brothers Schellenberg (1926), Der Goldene Abgrund (1927), The Spy of Madame Pompadour (1928), Schiff in Not S.O.S. (1929), The Great Desire (1930), The Immortal Vagabond (1930), The Liane Haid Song Is Ended (1930), My Cousin from Warsaw (1931), Der Diamant des Zaren (1932), Der Stern von Valencia (1933), Roman Einer Nacht (1933), Polizeiakte 909 (1933), Madame Wunscht Keine Kinder (1933), Tanzmunk (1935), Mozart (1936), Peter im Schnee (1937) and Die Unvollkommerie Liebe (1940). Haid left Austria for Switzerland in 1942. She retired from films, making one final appearance in 1953’s Die Funf Karnickel. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2000, B9.

Hague, Renee Orin Stage and television actress Renee Orin Hague died of lymphoma in Santa Monica, California, on August 27, 2000. She was 73. A popular performer on Broadway, she was featured in productions of Tennessee Williams’ Slapstick Tragedy, the revival of Take Me Along with Gene Kelly, and the Pal Joey revival. She also appeared on television in episodes of Chicago Hope, and scripted episodes of Facts of Life and Fame. She is survived by her husband, actor and composer Albert Hague. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 29, 2000, B6; Variety, Sept. 4, 2000, 70.

Hairston, Jester Veteran character actor Jester Hairston died in Los Angeles on January 18, 2000. He was 98.

Haid, Liane Austrian silent film star Liane Haid died at her home in Bern, Switzerland, on November 28, 2000. She was 105. Haid was born in Vienna, Austria, on August 16, 1895. A dancer, she began working in films in 1915. She appeared in nearly 100 films in Austria and Germany during her career. Her credits include Die Ahnfrau (1919), Lady

Jester Hairston

Obituaries • 2000

100

Hairston was born in Belews Creek, North Carolina, on July 9, 1901. He began his career in New York, where he was an assistant to spiritual conductor Hall Johnson and his choir. Hairston became subsequently moved to California, where he became a noted composer and arranger of spiritual songs. His work was heard in numerous films including Lost Horizon (1937), Red River and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. He also dubbed his arrangement of “Amen” for Sidney Poitier in the 1963 film Lillies of the Field. Hairston also appeared in such films as Sundown (1941), Gypsy Gold (1954), Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle (1955), Raymie (1960), The Alamo (1960), Summer and Smoke (1961), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Finian’s Rainbow (1968), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976), I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and 1999’s Being John Malkovich. He was best known on television as elderly church member Rolly in the sitcom Amen from 1986 until 1991. He was also seen as Wildcat in the series That’s My Mama in 1974. His other television credits include episodes of Amos ’n’ Andy, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Gunsmoke, Rawhide and The Virginian. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21, 2000, B1; New York Times, Jan. 30, 2000, 34; Variety, Jan. 7, 2000, 67.

Hanuse was born in Vancouver on March 14, 1982. She starred as Hannah Kenid in the North of 60 television series from 1992 to 1995. She was also seen in the 1993 tele-film Liar, Liar.

Hale, Kathleen

Hare, Doris

Illustrator Kathleen Hale died in Bristol, England, on January 26, 2000. She was 101. Hale was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, on May 24, 1898. She was best known for her creation of Orlando, the Marmalade Cat, who appeared in the first of sixteen books in 1938 with Camping Holiday. Other books in the series include Orlando’s Home Life (1942), Orlando’s Silver Wedding (1944), Orlando Becomes a Doctor, and Orlando’s Furry Legion. She published her autobiography, A Slender Reputation, in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2000, A14.

British character actress Doris Hare died in Northwood, Middlesex, England, on May 30, 2000. She was 95. Hare was born in Bargoed, Monmouthshire, Wales, on March 1, 1905. She began her career on stage at the age of three, often performing in music halls and touring shows. She was a leading stage performer from the 1920s, appearing in Noel Coward’s Words and Music. She made her film debut in 1935’s Opening Night. She was featured in over twenty films during her career including Jubilee Window (1935), She Couldn’t Say No (1939), North Sea Patrol (1939), Discoveries (1939), Here Come the Huggetts (1948), The History of Mr. Polly (1949), Dance Hall (1950), Double Exposure (1954), Tiger by the Tail (1955), No Smoking (1955), Stranger’s Meeting (1957), Another Time, Another Place (1958), The League of Gentlemen (1959) and A Place to Go (1963). She hosted the radio program Navy Mixture from 1940 to 1945. Hare appeared as Alice

Hanuse, Selina Canadian child actress Selina Hanuse was killed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on January 3, 2000, when she was struck by a car while crossing a busy intersection. She was 17.

Kathleen Hale

101

2000 • Obituaries

Doris Hare

Pickens in the popular British television series Coronation Street in 1969. Hare achieved fame for her rule as Reg Varney’s Mum in the 1969 British series On the Buses. She continued the role in several films including On the Buses (1971), Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and Holiday on the Buses (1973). She continued to appear in such comedy films as Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977), Nuns on the Run (1990) and Second Best (1994). Hare also appeared on British television in episodes of The Avengers, My Partner, the Ghost and Stuff.

William G. Harrington

Harrington, William G. Mystery writer William G. Harrington reportedly committed suicide at his Greenwich, Connecticut, home on November 8, 2000. He was 68. Harrington was born in Marietta, Ohio, in 1931. A practicing attorney, Harrington authored numerous mystery novels including Jupiter Crisis, Trial, The Search for Elizabeth Brandt and The English Lady. He also wrote six novels featuring popular television detective Columbo. Harrington also worked with such authors as Margaret Truman and Harold Robbins. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 21, 2000, B7; New York Times, Nov. 16, 2000, B14.

Harris, Erich Leon Actor and writer Erich Leon Harris was shot to death in his Los Angeles home by an unidentified intruder on July 5, 2000. He was 35. Harris was the author of the book African-American

Erich Leon Harris

Screen Writers Now, and a contributor to numerous film magazines. He also appeared in several television series including Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Obituaries • 2000

102

Harris, Gene Jazz pianist Gene Harris died of complications from kidney failure at his Boise, Idaho, home on January 16, 2000. He was 66. Harris was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on September 1, 1933. In the mid–1950s Harris began touring with various bands. He began his first band, the Four Sounds, in 1956. Later renamed the Three Sounds, after losing a member in 1957, the group recorded several albums during the 1960s and 1970s. From the mid–1980s Harris recorded over twenty albums including the Grammy-nominated Tribute to Count Basie in 1988.

Los Angeles Times, Jan. 20, 2000, A23; New York Times, Jan. 18, 2000, B7.

Harris, Margaret Stage designer Margaret Harris died in London on May 10, 2000. She was 95. Harris began working in the theater while in her teens. She and her sister, Sophie Harris, and friend Elizabeth Montgomery, where chosen by John Gielgud to design costumes for his production of Romeo and Juliet in the 1930s. The trio chose the name Motley for their design company and worked on such other productions as Richard of Bordeaux, Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice. She also was involved in designing for an American production of Romeo and Juliet with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, and worked on the sets for the film version of Oklahoma!. Los Angeles Times, May 16, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 15, 2000, B8.

Margaret Harris

Harris, Rebert Gene Harris

Soul singer Rebert Harris died in Chicago on September 3, 2000. He was 84. Harris was

103

2000 • Obituaries

Rebert Harris

born in Trinity, Texas, in 1916. He first began performing with the Friendly Gospel Singers before joining the Soul Stirrers in the mid–1930s. The group became nationally known during in the early 1940s, touring and recording albums. Harris was heard on the anthology album Kings of the Gospel Highway and Shine on Me. He left the Soul Stirrers and was replaced by Sam Cooke in 1950 when he became president of the National Singing Quartets Union of America. Harris later led other groups including the Christland Singers. He continued to perform and record through the 1970s, making his final album Because He Lives in 1978. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 10, 2000, B5; New York Times, Sept. 9, 2000, B8.

Harris, Vivian Comedian and entertainer Vivian Harris died in Englewood, New Jersey, on February 18, 2000. She was 97. Born in Harlem on December 23, 1902, she danced in Broadway productions of Shuffle Along and Runnin’ Wild in the early 1920s. She was hired in 1927 for the chorus line for Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club. She joined Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1935, performing

Vivian Harris

with such comics as Pigmeat Markham, Dusty Fletcher and Tim Moore. She reportedly made over 10,000 appearances at the Apollo during her career, as was known as the “Voice of the Apollo.” She was also seen in the 1954 film Burlesque in Harlem. New York Times, Mar. 26, 2000, 48.

Hart, Margie Actress and burlesque dancer Margaret Hart Ferraro, who performed as Margie Hart, died in Los Angeles after a long illness on January 19, 2000. She was 86. Hart was a striptease dancer in New York from the late 1930s. She began performing on the legitimate stage in the early 1940s after marrying comedy writer Block Jacobs. She appeared in touring productions of the Broadway plays Light Up the Sky and Cry Havoc. She also starred with Robert Lowery in the 1942 Monogram film Lure of the Islands. Hart divorced Jacobs in 1955. A leading member of Los Angeles society from the 1950s, she married Los

Obituaries • 2000

104 Los Angeles Times, Oct. 6, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 11, 2000, A33; Variety, Oct. 16, 2000, 131.

Haskell, David

Margie Hart (with comic Jimmie Salvo).

Angeles City Council president John Ferraro in 1982. New York Times, Jan. 30, 2000, 35.

Actor David Haskell died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, of brain cancer on August 30, 2000. He was 52. Haskell began his career on stage, starring as John and Judas in the biblical musical Godspell on Broadway in the early 1970s. He reprised the roles in the 1973 film version. Haskell starred as Michael McFarland in the short-lived 1977 television series All That Glitters. He also appeared in such tele-films and mini-series as A Family Upside Down (1978), The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979), Broken Promise (1980), This Is Kate Bennett… (1982), Missing Pieces (1983), Policewoman Centerfold (1983), Princess Daisy (1983), and Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: More Than Murder (1983). His other television credits include episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Eight Is Enough, Mork and Mindy, Starman, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Paradise and Matlock. Haskell also starred as Nick Hartley in the Santa Barbara soap opera from 1985 to 1986. He was also seen in several films including Neil Simon’s Seems Like Old Times

Has, Wojciech Leading Polish film director Wojciech Has died in Lodz, Poland, of complications from diabetes following intestinal surgery on October 3, 2000. He was 75. Has was born in Cracow on April 1, 1925. He began directing films in Poland in the late 1940s, helming such features as Our Ensemble (1955), Lydia Ate the Apple (1958), The Noose (1958), Roomers (1960), Goodbye to the Past (1961), The Art of Loving (1963) and Gold Dreams (1963). He was best known in the United States for directing the haunting 1965 film The Saragossa Manuscript. His other film credits include The Codes (1966), The Doll (1969), The Hour-Glass Sanatorium (1973), The Uneventful Story (1982), Write and Fight (1985), Memoirs of a Sinner (1986) and The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober (1988). Has headed the Lodz Film School from 1990 to 1996.

David Haskell

105

2000 • Obituaries

(1980), Deal of the Century (1983), Body Double (1984), The Boost (1988) and K-9 (1989). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 7, 2000, B8; Variety, Oct. 30, 2000, 70.

Haugland, Aage Danish operatic bass Aage Haugland died of cancer in Denmark on December 23, 2000. He was 56. Haugland was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 1, 1944. A leading opera singer in Denmark, he joined the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen in 1973 where he appeared in performances of The Flying Dutchman, Prince Igor and The Devils of Loudon. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier in 1979. Haugland was also seen in productions of Boris Godunov, Parsifal, Der Rosenkavalier and Wozzeck on Danish television, and appeared in the 1990 film Sirup.

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

Aage Haugland

Hawkins, Screamin’ Jay Blues singer Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, known for his bizarre shrieking style and onstage antics,

died in Paris on February 12, 2000. He was 70. He was born Jalacy Hawkins in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 18, 1929. He was best known for his 1956 hit song “I Put a Spell on You,” which earned him a cult following in the United States and Europe. His grunts, groans and screams caused the recording to be banned on some radio stations, because of its “cannibalistic” sound. He appeared in the 1957 film Mister Rock and Roll. Hawkins continued his off beat style in stage shows, often carrying rubber snakes and spiders, and wearing a bone clipped to his nose. Hawkins recorded such songs as “Constipation Blues,” “Alligator Wine,” “Feast of the Mau Mau” and “I Hear Voices.” He also appeared in a handful of other films including American Hot Wax (1978), Joey (1985), Two Moon Junction (1988), Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train (1989), A Rage in Harlem (1991) and Dance with the Devil (1997). Hawkins settled in France in the 1990s, where he recorded the 1991 hit “Heart Attack and Vine.” Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13, 2000, B5; New York Times, Feb. 14, 2000, B10; People, Feb. 28, 2000, 105; Time, Feb. 21, 2000, 27; Times (of London), Feb. 17, 2000, 27a; Variety, Feb. 21, 2000, 56.

Obituaries • 2000

106

Hayers, Sidney British film and television director Sidney Hayers died of cancer in Altea, Spain, on February 8, 2000. He was 78. Hayers began his work in films in England in the early 1940s. He worked in the sound department and served as an editor on such films as Warning to Wantons (1948), Stop Press Girl (1949), Prelude to Fame (1950), Something Money Can’t Buy (1952), Romeo and Juliet (1954), Passage Home (1955), House of Secrets (1956), A Town Like Alice (1956), High Tide at Noon (1957), The One That Got Away (1957), A Night to Remember (1958) and Tiger Bay (1959). He made his directoral debut with 1958s Violent Moment. Hayers was best known for directing two horror films in the early 1960s —Circus of Horrors (1960) and Burn, Witch, Burn (aka Night of the Eagle) (1962). His other credits include The Malpas Mystery (1960), Payroll (1961), Echo of Barbara (1961), This Is My Street (1963), Three Hats for Lisa (1965), The Trap (1966), Finders Keepers (1966), The Southern Star (1969), The Firechasers (1970), Terror from Under the House (aka The Inn of the Frightened People) (1971), Assault (1971), All Coppers Are… (1972), El Tramposo (1974), Deadly Strangers (1974), The Bananas Boat (1974), Diagnosis: Murder (1975) and One Away (1976). Hayers also served as second unit director for the allstar 1977 war film A Bridge Too Far. He worked in television extensively from the 1960s, directing episodes of The Avengers, Arthur of the Britons, The Persuaders and The New Avengers. He directed the tele-films Mister Jerico (1969), The Seekers (1979), The Last Convertible (1979), Condo-

Sidney Hayers (directing his wife, Erika Remberg, on the trapeze in Circus of Horrors).

minium (1980) and Terror at Alcatraz (1982), and episodes of such series as The Hardy Boys Mysteries, The Professionals, The Famous Five, Galactica 1980, Magnum P.I., The Greatest American Hero, The Fall Guy, T.J. Hooker, Knight Rider, Remington Steele, The A-Team, Manimal, The Master, Airwolf, Werewolf, Blue Blood, They Came from Outer Space, Acapulco H.E.A.T., Super Force and Space Precinct. Hayers was married to actress Erika Remberg.

Hayes, Chester Stuntman and actor Chester Hayes died in a fire at his Hollywood home on June 9, 2000. He was 86. Hayes was born in Spring Valley, Illinois, on November 17, 1913. He moved to Houston, Texas, at an early age and began wrestling

Chester Hayes (as Tobonga, the walking tree, menacing Tina Carver in From Hell It Came).

107 professionally in the 1930s. He relocated to California soon after, where he held the light-heavyweight title. Hayes wrestled in Hawaii near the start of World War II. He began working in films as a stuntman after the war. He was featured in such films as Julius Caesar (1953), The Veils of Bagdad (1953), Daddy Long Legs (1955) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1956). Hayes starred as the ambulatory tree, Tabanga, in the 1957 horror film From Hell It Came. He also worked on The Wonderful Country (1959), Valley of the Dragons (1961), The Great Race (1965) and The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966). He also appeared on television in episodes of Captain Midnight, Wagon Train, A Man Called Shenandoah and I Dream of Jeannie.

Haza, Ofra Israeli pop singer Ofra Haza died in a Tel Aviv, Israel, hospital of massive organ failure on February 23, 2000. She was 41. Haza was born in the Hatikva district of Tel Aviv on November

2000 • Obituaries

19, 1958. She began performing in local theater in her early teens. He first album was released in 1976. She became one of Israel’s most popular female singers, producing sixteen gold and platinum albums. Her 1985 album 50 Gates of Wisdom: Yemenite Songs, was released in the United States. She toured the U.S. the following year. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her 1982 album Kirya. Haza sang the theme song for the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 24, 2000, A20; New York Times, Feb. 24, 2000, B11; Time, Mar. 6, 2000, 23; Variety, Apr. 3, 2000, 174.

Hazard, Richard Film composer Richard Hazard died of cancer in Los Angeles on December 20, 2000. He was 79. Hazard composed music for films from the late 1940s. His credits include Radar Secret Service (950), Disc Jockey (1951), Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), Calypso Joe (1957), Some Call It Loving (1973), Nickelodeon (1976), Heroes (1977), All Night Long (1981) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). Hazard also worked on the 1960s television series Wild Wild West, and the tele-films Company of Killers (1980), The Underground Man (1974), Law and Order (1976), With This Ring (1978) and Between Two Brothers (1982). Variety, Jan. 15, 2001, 102.

Henning, Doug

Ofra Haza

Magician Doug Henning died of liver cancer in Los Angeles on February 8, 2000. He was 52. Henning was born in Fort Garry, Manitoba, Canada, on May 3, 1947. Known for his bushy mustache, long hair and flamboyant costumes, Henning starred in the Broadway rock musical The Magic Show for four years in the 1970s. He subsequently appeared on NBC in The World of Magic special, recreating Harry Houdini’s Water Torture Escape in front of a live audience. The show was a hit for the network, which brought Henning back for annual specials. The shows received seven Emmy nominations, winning one. He returned to Broadway in the 1980s, starring in the Tony-nominated Merlin and Doug Henning’s

Obituaries • 2000

108 World of Magic. Henning retired in the early 1990s, selling most of his illusions to magician David Copperfield. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 9, 2000, B1; New York Times, Feb. 9, 2000, B10; People, Feb. 21, 2000, 115; Time, Feb. 21, 2000, 27; Times (of London), Feb. 18, 2000, 27a; TV Guide, Apr. 15, 2000, 8; Variety, Feb. 14, 2000, 67.

Hercules Hercules, a grizzly bear who wrestled Roger Moore’s James Bond in the 1983 film Octopussy, died at the Big Bear Ranch in Perthshire, Scotland, of a lengthy back problem on February 8, 2000. He was 25. Hercules was born in a Scottish wildlife park and trained by Maggie and Andy Robin to appear in wrestling shows. He appeared in numerous Disney films and commercials from 1979. Hercules gained worldwide attention in 1980 when he escaped while shooting a Kleenex commercial on the Outer Hebrides Islands near Scotland. He was found 3 weeks later.

Hercules (with his trainer).

Herman, Skipper Frank

Doug Henning

Television host “Skipper” Frank Herman died in La Jolla, California, on January 4, 2000. He was 83. Herman began his career in 1956 on Los Angeles television hosting the children’s program Cartoon Carousel as “Skipper Frank” for seven years. A ventriloquist, Herman and his wooden puppet, Julius, also hosted the children’s program For Kids Only. In 1963 Herman became host of a nighttime talk show. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 13, 2000, A21.

109

2000 • Obituaries

twenty years working at CBS television. He edited such series as Mr. Novak, Outlaws, Hawaii Five-O, Storefront Lawyers, and the tele-films Visions… (1972), Dead Man on the Run (1975) and The Lady from Yesterday (1985). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 15, 2000, B6.

Hielscher, Liane

Skipper Frank Herman (with his dummy, Julius).

Herriot, Elinor

German actress Liane Hielscher died of cancer in Germany on January 26, 2000. She was 62. Hielscher was born on November 9, 1937. She starred in numerous German television series from the 1960s including Gertrud Stranitzki (1966), Ida Rogalski (1969), MS Franziska (1978) and Immer Arger mit Arno (1996). Her other television credits include episodes of Derrick, Der Kommissar and Der Alte. Hielscher also appeared in such films as The Greatest Gamble (1967), Mittsommernacht (1970), Die Supernasen (1983), Ein Irres Feeling (1984) and Hausmanner (1991).

Radio and stage actress Elinor Hirschfield Nathan, who performed under the name Elinor Herriot, died in Beverly Hills on June 17, 2000. She was 89. She was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1910. She began her career on stage in the early 1930s and was soon appearing on radio. She was featured in such early radio series as Backstage Wife, Bachelor’s Children and The Couple Next Door. She was best known for her role as the voice of Amos’ wife Ruby on radio’s Amos ’n’ Andy from the mid–1930s through the mid–1950s. She retired from radio in 1955. In the 1960s Herriot served on the Beverly Hills Board of Education. Los Angeles Times, June 19, 2000, B4; New York Times, June 29, 2000, A29.

Heymann, Ira Film and television editor Ira P. Heymann died in Los Angeles on April 11, 2000. He was 87. Heymann was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1912. He began his career at MGM, where he worked as an editor for thirty years. His film credits include The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story (1950), Challenge the Wilderness (1951), Mission of Danger (1959), Frontier Rangers (1959) and The Crimebusters (1961). He subsequently spent

Liane Hielscher

Hinton, Milt Jazz musician Milt Hinton died in a Queens, New York, hospital on December 19,

Obituaries • 2000

110 New York Times, Dec. 21, 2000, C18; Times (of London), Dec. 23, 2000, 21a.

Hitchens, Neal Actor and writer Neal Hitchens died of complications from AIDS in Los Angeles on July 17, 2000. He was 43. Hitchens began acting in the late 1970s, appearing in the television miniseries From Here to Eternity with Natalie Wood. He was also seen in episodes of Eight Is Enough, Charlie’s Angels and Hawaii Five-O. He also began writing books on film personalities including The Unabridged Marilyn, The Unabridged James Dean and All About Bette, as well as two books about AIDS and his battle with the disease, Fifty Things You Can Do About AIDS and Voices That Care. Hitchens worked as a reporter for the National Enquirer from 1988 until 1999, appearing often in that capacity on such television shows as The Joan Rivers Show and Hard Copy. Milt Hinton

2000. He was 90. Hinton was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on June 23, 1910. He moved to Chicago with his mother at an early age, where he began playing the violin. Hinton learned to play the string bass in 1929 and began playing with bands led by Eddie South, Erskine Tate and Zutty Singleton. He was soon hired by Cab Calloway, and remained with Calloway’s band for the next fifteen years. He was heard on the band’s recordings of such songs as “Pluckin’ the Bass” and “Ebony Silhouette.” Hinton left Calloway when the band broke up in 1951. In the early 1950s Hinton played briefly with Count Basie and Louis Armstrong. With the help of Jackie Gleason, Hinton began playing for television and radio and became part of Robert Q. Lewis’ television program in 1954. He played with Mitch Miller’s band on Jackie Gleason’s television series and was part of Bobby Rosengarden’s orchestra for the Dick Cavett Show in the early 1970s. Hinton also toured with such artists as Pearl Bailey and Paul Anka. Hinton appeared as himself in several films including After Hours (1961), A Great Day in Harlem (1994) and The Spitball Story (1998). He continued to record, his last album, Laughing at Life, being released in 1995.

Hite, Bob Radio announcer Bob Hite, Sr., died in a West Palm Beach, Florida, hospital on February 18, 2000. He was 86. Hite was best known for his introduction to the radio series The Lone Ranger in the 1930s. He also was heard on The Green Hornet radio series. Hite worked in New York for CBS radio as a news reporter during World War II. During the 1950s Hite was also a narrator for Bob Hite several short films including Flying Padre (1951), Teenagers on Trial (1955), Where Is Jane Doe? (1956), Phonies Beware! (1956) and Fortune Seekers (1956). He retired from CBS in 1979. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 2000, A20; New York Times, Feb. 22, 2000, A20.

111

Hobart, Rose Rose Hobart, a leading actress in the 1930s and 1940s, died at her home at the Motion Picture and Television Country Home in Woodland Hills, California, on August 29, 2000. She was 94. Hobart was born Rose Kefer in New York City on May 1, 1906. She began her career on stage, appearing on Broadway in productions of Lullaby and Death Takes a Holiday in the 1920s. She made her film debut in Frank Borzage’s production of Liliom in 1930. She was featured in over forty films during her career including A Lady Surrenders (1930), East of Borneo (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) with Fredric March, Compromised (1931), Chances (1931), Scandal for Sale (1932), The Shadow Laughs (1933), Convention Girl (1935), Tower of London (1939), Wolf of New York (1940), Susan and God (1940), A Night at Earl Carroll’s (1940), Singapore Woman (1941), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), Nothing but the Truth (1941), Mr. and Mrs. North (1941), No Hand on the Clock (1941), I’ll Sell My Life (1941), Lady Be Good

2000 • Obituaries

(1941), Gallant Lady (1942), Who Is Hope Schuyler? (1942), A Gentleman at Heart (1942), Dr. Gillespie’s New Assistant (1942), Swing Shift Maisie (1943), Salute to the Marines (1943), The Mad Ghoul (1943), Crime Doctor’s Strangest Case (1943), Air Raid Wardens (1943), Adventures of Smilin’ Jack (1943), Soul of a Monster (1944), Song of the Open Road (1944), Conflict (1945) with Humphrey Bogart, The Brighton Strangler (1945), Claudia and David (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), The Cat Creeps (1946), The Farmer’s Daughter (1947), The Trouble with Women (1947), Cass Timberlane (1947), Mickey (1948) and Bride of Vengeance (1949). Hobart’s career was cut short in the late 1940s when she became a victim of the Hollywood Blacklist after being accused of Communist sympathies by the House Un-American Activities Committee. She returned to the small screen in the 1960s, appearing on television in episodes of The Danny Thomas Show, Peyton Place, Gunsmoke, The Invaders, Cannon, The F.B.I. and Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. Hobart appeared in a student film by Steven Ramiriz entitled Rancho California in 1988, and authored her autobiography, A Steady Digression to a Fixed Point, in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 31, 2000, B8; Variety, Sept. 18, 2000, 122; Washington Post, Sept. 1, 2000, B7.

Homme, Robert Canadian television personality Robert Homme died of cancer in Toronto on May 2, 2000. He was 81. Homme was born in Wisconsin in 1919. He created the Friendly Giant children’s series for radio in 1953 in Madison, Wisconsin. He moved to Canada in 1958 where he moved the series to television. He hosted the Friendly Giant from 1958 until 1985. Variety, June 12, 2000, 51.

Hovhaness, Alan

Rose Hobart

Composer Alan Hovhaness died on June 21, 2000. He was 89. Hovhaness was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 8, 1911. He began playing the piano at an early age and learned to compose music using his own method of notation.

Obituaries • 2000

112 years at the Boston Conservatory. In the early 1950s Hovhaness conducted the New York Philharmonic’s performance of his St. Vartan symphony. His best known work, Mysterious Mountain, was composed in 1955. He incorporated musical instruments and themes from India, Japan, and Korea in future compositions which include the Arjuna Symphony (1959), Silver Pilgrimage (1963), Fra Angelico (1968), And God Created Whales (1970), Odysseus Symphony (1973) and Journey to Vega (1982). Hovhaness completed over 400 works during his career, including 67 symphonies. New York Times, June 23, 2000, A21; Time, July 3, 2000, 17; Times (of London), July 1, 24c.

Howard, Jean Robert Homme

Actress Jean Howard died at her home in Beverly Hills, California, on March 21, 2000. She was 89. Howard was born Ernestine Mahoney (some sources say Ernestine Hill) in Longview, Texas, on October 13, 1910. She came to Holly-

Alan Hovhaness

The son of an Armenian immigrant, he became interested in Armenian music, which influenced in 1936 piece Symphony No. 1, Exile. During the 1940s Hovhaness taught music, including two

Jean Howard

113 wood in 1930 and performed with the Ziegfeld Follies. She soon signed a contract with MGM, becoming a Goldwyn Girl. Howard was seen in such films as Whoopee! (1930), Broadway to Hollywood (1933), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933), Dancing Lady (1933), Break of Hearts (1935), We’re on the Jury (1937), Claudia (1943) and The Bermuda Mystery (1944). Studio mogul Louis B. Mayer was so enamored with Howard that, when she married Hollywood agent Charles K. Feldman in 1934, Mayer banned him from the studio. The Feldmans remained leading figures in Hollywood society, hosting lavish parties and entertaining powerful show business and political guests. Jean Howard also was noted as a photographer, many of whose pictures were published in the books Jean Howard’s Hollywood (1989) and Travels with Cole Porter (1991). She was divorced from Feldman in 1948, but the couple continued to live together an give lavish parties until his death in 1968. She subsequently moved to the isle of Capri, where she met and married Italian musician Tony Santoro. She returned to Beverly Hills for the last two decades of her life. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 23, 2000, A24; New York Times, Mar. 24, 2000, B9; People, Apr. 10, 2000, 177; Time, Apr. 3, 2000, 25; Variety, Mar. 27, 2000, 75.

Howard, Jean Speegle Character actress Jean Speegle Howard, the mother of director Ron Howard, died of heart and respiratory complications in Burbank, California, on September 2, 2000. She was 73. She was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, in 1927. She began her career on stage in New York in the late 1940s and married actor Rance Howard in 1949. She retired from the stage in the early 1950s to raise her sons, Ron and actor Clint Howard. She returned to acting in the mid–1980s, appearing in such films as Cocoon (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Scrooged (1988), I Don’t Buy Kisses Anymore (1992), The Paper (1994), Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995), The Power Within (1995), Black Sheep (1996), Matilda (1996), My Fellow Americans (1996), Where Truth Lies (1996), Spoiler (1997), Los Locos (197), Express: Aisle to Glory (1998), The Night Caller (1998) and A Smaller Place (2000). She was also featured in the tele-films Fall from Grace (1990), The Big One: The Great Los Ange-

2000 • Obituaries

Jean Speegle Howard

les Earthquake (1990), Search and Rescue (1994) and Runway One (1994). Her other television credits include episodes of Matlock, The Wonder Years, Married … with Children, Grace Under Fire, Deadly Games, Land’s End, Fallen Angels, Unhappily Ever After, Fired Up, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Ellen, Buff y the Vampire Slayer, Two of a Kind, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, Total Security and The Norm Show. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 6, 2000, B6.

Hughes, Steven Comic book artist Steven Hughes died after a long illness on February 18, 2000. He was in his mid–40s. Hughes, one of the leading AfricanAmerican artists in the comic book industry, was best known for his work on the Lady Death and Evil Ernie series for Chaos! Comics. He also illustrated the sequel Lady Death: Between Heaven and Hell.

Hunter Wolf, Mary Theatrical producer and director Mary Hunter Wolf died in Hamden, Connecticut, on November 3, 2000. She was 95. She began her

Obituaries • 2000

114

Steven Hughes

career in theater after college. She co-directed the 1945 Broadway musical Carib Song and helmed the 1948 production of Jean Paul Sartre’s The Respectful Prostitute. She also served as assistant director to Jerome Robbins on his 1954 adaptation of Peter Pan. She married business executive Herman Wolf in the 1950s and the couple left New York for Connecticut in 1955. She continued to work in theater and was instrumental in the opening of Stratford’s Shakespeare theater. New York Times, Nov. 13, 2000, B7; Variety, Nov. 13, 2000, 124.

Hurtz, William T. Animator and film designer William T. Hurtz died at his home in Van Nuys, California, on October 14, 2000. He was 81. Hurtz was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 7, 1919. He began working in films as an assistant animator on Walt Disney’s fantasy classic Fantasia in 1940. Hurtz was a leader the following year of an animators’ strike at Disney Studios over a lack of a regular

wage schedule. The strike lasted several months and was considered a turning point in studio treatment of animators. Hurtz worked on making training films for the military during World War II. After the war he joined UPA studio, where he designed the Oscar-winning short Gerald McBoing-Boing in 1951. He subsequently earned Academy Award nominations for the shorts Man Alive! (1952) and James Thurber’s The Unicorn in the Garden (1953). Hurtz also worked with Frank Capra’s Bell Science Series, handling animation chores for Hemo the Magnificent (1956), The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays (1957) and The Unchained Goddess (1957). He also worked with Saul Bass, directing the animation of movie titles for such films as Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Ocean’s Eleven (1960) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). Hurtz joined Jay Ward Productions in 1959, where he worked on such cartoon series as Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Adventures of Hoppity Hooper and George of the Jungle. He also directed numerous “Cap’n Crunch” cereal commercials for television. In the early 1970s Hurtz worked on several educational shorts concerning African American history including George Washington Carver, The House on Cedar Hill and The Gift of the Black Folk. In the past decade Hurtz worked on the animated feature Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland in 1991 and as a storyboard artist for the Rugrats cartoon series. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 27, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 29, 2000, 42.

Isaksson, Ulla Swedish screenwriter and novelist Ulla Isaksson died in Stockholm following a long illness on April 20, 2000. She was 83. She was born Ulla Margareta Lundberg in Stockholm on June 12, 1916. She began writing in the 1930s and her first novel, The Tree, was published in 1940. She was best known for her work with Ingmar Bergman, adapting one of her short stories for his 1958 film Brink of Life, and scripting the 1960 film The Virgin Spring. The latter received the 1960 Academy Award as best foreign film. Isaksson’s other works include the novels Paradise Square, The Birthday and The Women’s House, several of which were also adapted as films.

115

2000 • Obituaries

Ulla Isaksson

Los Angeles Times, Apr. 26, 2000, B6; New York Times, Apr. 27, 2000, B13.

Jackson, George Film producer George Jackson died of a stroke at a New York City hospital on February 10, 2000. He was 42. Jackson was born in Harlem on January 6, 1958. He began working in advertising in the early 1980s. He soon began working with Universal Pictures and, subsequently, with Richard Pryor’s Inigo production company. Jackson and Doug McHenry formed Jackson-McHenry Entertainment in the mid– 1980s. The company produced such films as Krush Groove (1985), House Party 2 (1991), New Jack City (1991), Jason’s Lyric (1994), House Party 3 (1994), Scenes for the Soul (1995), The Walking Dead (1995), A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) and Body Count (1998). Jackson also served as a producer on the 1996 television sit-com Malcolm and Eddie and the 1998 tele-film Dean Koontz’s Mr. Murder. Jackson was hired as president of Motown Records in 1997. He left Motown after a year and was working on an Internet site for minorities, the Urban Box Office Network, at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12, 2000, A18; New

George Jackson

York Times, Feb. 15, 2000, C26; Time, Feb. 28, 2000, 27.

Jaffe, Sam Agent and film producer Sam Jaffe died in Los Angeles on January 10, 1999. He was 98. Jaffe was born in New York City on May 21, 1901. He began his career in films as an office boy at Paramount–Famous Players–Laskey studio in New York. He went to Hollywood in 1923, where he worked became a production manager for Paramount. He worked for such producers as Adolph Zukor, Louis B. Mayer and Harry Cohn. He served as a producer on several films in the 1930s including Vanishing Frontier (1932), Diplomaniacs (1933), Emergency Call (1933), Flaming Gold (1933) and Ace of Aces (1933). Jaffe formed the Jaffe Agency to represent actors and directors in 1935. During his career he represented such Hollywood stars as Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, David Niven, Richard Burton, Fredric March, Barbara Stanwyck, Lee J. Cobb, Jennifer Jones and Mary Astor, and directors Raoul Walsh, Fritz Lang and Stanley Kubrick. Jaffe also produced the 1944 film The Fighting Sullivans.

Obituaries • 2000

116

He retired to London in 1959. He reentered films in 1966, producing the true story of Elsa the lioness, Born Free. He also served as executive producer for the 1973 horror film Theatre of Blood starring Vincent Price. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 14, 2000, B6; New York Times, Jan. 19, 2000, C26; People, Jan. 31, 2000, 65; Time, Jan. 24, 2000, 23; Variety, Jan. 17, 2000, 142.

Jason, Rick Actor Rick Jason, best known for starring as Lt. Gil Hanley in the 1960s television series Combat!, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Moorpark, California, on October 16, 2000. He was 74. Jason was born in New York City on May 21, 1926. Born to a wealthy family, Jason served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After his military service he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and soon made his stage debut in Hume Cronyn’s production of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. He soon went to Hollywood, where he made his film debut in MGM’s Sombrero in 1953, replacing Fernando Lamas. He also appeared in the films The Saracen Blade (1954), This Is My Love (1954), The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956), The Wayward Bus (1957), Sierra Baron (1958) and RX for Murder (1958). Jason was featured in a 1956 television comedy The Fountain of Youth with Orson Welles. He starred as insurance investigator Robin Scott in the 1960 television series The Case of the Dangerous Robin. He co-starred in Combat! with the late Vic Morrow (who was killed in a tragic helicopter accident while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1982) from 1962 to 1967. He was featured in the 1967 Japanese film Tenpo Denraiki (aka The Story of a Gun) and the 1969 thriller Color Me Dead. His other film credits include The Big Escape (1970), Day of the Wolves (1973), The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976), Partners (1982) and Illegally Yours (1988). Jason also appeared in the tele-films The Monk (1969), Who Is the Black Dahlia? (1975), The Best Place to Be (1979) and the 1989 mini-series Around the World in 80 Days. On television Jason also appeared in the recurring role of Warren Wilson in the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, and was featured in episodes of Stories of the Century, Rawhide, Alfred

Rick Jason (from Combat).

Hitchcock Presents, The Men from Shiloh, Fantasy Island, Wonder Woman, Automan, Airwolf, Matt Houston, Manimal, The Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Murder, She Wrote. Considered a Renaissance man, he enjoyed wine collecting, fishing, painting, sculpting, tropical fish breeding and other pursuits. He had recently authored his autobiography Scrapbooks of My Mind: A Hollywood Autobiography. He had attended a Combat! cast reunion in Las Vegas shortly before his death. Jason was a guest at the Memphis Film Festival two months earlier, where he and actor Ed Nelson entertained guests with a musical comedy number at the banquet. He also starred as Tonto in a recreation of a Lone Ranger radio episode at the festival. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17, 2000, B5; People, Nov. 6, 2000, 147; TV Guide, Dec. 9, 2000, 6; Variety, Oct. 30, 2000, 70.

Jefferies, Wes Film costume designer Wes Jefferies died in Palm Desert, California, on July 12, 2000. He was 93. Jefferies was born in Provo, Utah, in 1907. He began his career in films in the silent era,

117 working as a costumer for the 1929 version of The Taming of the Shrew with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. He became best known for his work with military uniforms and Indian clothing. He worked on numerous films during his career including All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Gone with the Wind (1939), Joan of Arc (1948), Wagonmaster (1950), Tarzan’s Peril (1951), Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953), War Paint (1953), Beachhead (1954), Fort Yuma (1955), Ghost Town (1955), Desert Sands (1955), Kentucky Rifle (1956), Rebel in Town (1956), Three Bad Sisters (1956), The Pharaoh’s Curse (1956), Hot Cars (1956), Crime Against Joe (1956), Emergency Hospital (1956), The Black Sleep (1956), The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), Voodoo Island (1957), Bop Girl Goes Calypso (1957), I Want to Live! (1958), China Doll (1958), Fort Bowie (1958), Hell to Eternity (1960), X-15 (1961), Sergeants Three (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Irma La Douce (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), The Satan Bug (1965), The Hallelujah Trail (1965), The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), Fitzwilly (1967), The Party (1968), The Thousand Plane Raid (1969), Gaily, Gaily (1969) and The Organization (1971). Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2000, B4; Variety, July 31, 2000, 54.

Jehan, Noor Pakistani actress and singer Noor Jehan died of heart failure in Karachi, Pakistan, on December 23, 2000. She was 74. Jehan was born in Kasur, India (now Pakistan), in 1926. She made her film debut in 1935’s Village Girl. She also became a popular singing star in Pakistan, known as the “Melody Queen.” She appeared in numerous films and recorded

2000 • Obituaries

thousands of songs during her five decade career. Her film credits also include Abe Hayat (1933), Romantic India (1936), Khandaan (1942), Nadaan (1943), Lol Haveli (1944), Dost (1944), Zeenat (1945), Badi Maa (1945), Precious Time (1946), Abidah (1948), Chanway (1951), Dupatta (1952), Gulnaar (1953), Patay Khan (1955), Neend (1958), Koel (1958) and Nai Kiran (1959). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 2000, B5; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 48.

Jennings, William Dale Novelist William Dale Jennings died of respiratory failure in Los Angeles on May 11, 2000. He was 82. Jennings was best known as the author of the novel The Cowboys, which was filmed with John Wayne and Bruce Dern in 1972. His other novels include The William Dale Jennings Ronin: A Novel Based on a Zen Myth and The Sinking of the Sarah Diamond. Jennings was also a early pioneer in the gay rights movement and a founder of the gay rights organization The Mattachine Society. New York Times, May 22, 2000, B7; Time, June 5, 2000, 37.

Jerome, Patti

Noor Jehan

Character actress Patti Jerome died in Los Angeles on September 24, 2000. She was 75. Jerome was born in New York City on August 5, 1925. She began her career singing with her sister, Joanie, before turning to acting in the early 1970s. She was featured in several films including Rancho Deluxe (1975), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), Alligator (1980) and Buddy Buddy (1981). Jerome was also seen frequently on television, appearing in the tele-films Law of the Land (1976), The Comedy Company

Obituaries • 2000

118 duced, directed and scripted the 1983 feature I Am the Cheese.

Johnson, Arnold

Patti Jerome

(1978), The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980), Schoolboy Father (1980) and Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982). Her other television credits include episodes of The Bob Newhart Show, The Streets of San Francisco, The Quest and Tucker’s Witch. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 3, 2000, B8.

Jiras, Robert Make up artist and director Robert Jiras died at his home in Vermont of a heart attack on January 7, 2000. He was 77. Jiras began working in films in the 1950s. He served as a make up artist on such features as Baby Doll (1956), The Strange One (1957), A Face in the Crowd (1957), Wind Across the Everglades (1958), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Splendor in the Grass (1961), Advise and Consent (1962), The Cardinal (1963), Lilith (1964), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Pretty Poison (1968), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), $ (1972), Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), The Front (1976), Jaws 2 (1978), Starting Over (1979), Ghost Story (1981) and The House of God (1984). Jiras also worked for CBS television, where he established the networks first makeup department. Jiras served as executive producer of the 1970 film The Boys in the Band, and was production assistant on the Warren Beatty films The Parallax View (1974) and Shampoo (1975). He also pro-

Character actor Arnold H. Johnson died in Los Angeles on April 10, 2000. He was 78. Johnson began his career on the New York stage. He was cast in the title role of Robert Downey’s 1969 film Putney Swope. He subsequently went to Hollywood where Norman Lear cast him in the recurring role of George Hutton in the 1970s television sit-com Sanford and Son starring Redd Foxx. Johnson was also seen in the films Shaft (1971), Pipe Dreams (1976), Rocky (1976), A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich (1978), American Hot Wax (1978), On the Nickel (1980), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981), Oh, God! You Devil! (1984), Racing with the Moon (1984), Weeds (1987), My Demon Lover (1987), Sunset (1988), The Seventh Sign (1988), The Five Heartbeats (1991), Menace II Society (1993) and the 1993 tele-film Rio Diablo. His other television credits include recurring roles in Family Matters as Fletcher Thomas, Homefront as Jeb Pulliam, and Buddies as Uncle Albert, and episodes of Good Times, The Jeffersons, Highway to Heaven, Amazing Stories, The Hitchhiker, Matlock and Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Arnold Johnson

119 Los Angeles Times, Apr. 14, 2000, B6; People, May 1, 2000, 20.

Johnson, Carmencita Carmen Robertson, who performed in films as Carmencita Johnson as a child actress, died in Ventura, California, from injuries suffered in an automobile accident on September 26, 2000. She was 77. Johnson appeared in several Little Rascals comedy shorts, and was featured in The Way of All Flesh (1927), The Wind (1928) with Lillian Gish, Blue Skies (1929), Wonder of Women (1929), Forbidden (1932), One Sunday Afternoon (1933), Miss Fane’s Baby Is Stolen (1933), Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934), Kid Millions (1934), Mystery Mountain (1934), These Three (1936), True Confession (1937), Quality Street (1937), Beloved Brat (1938) and Keep Smiling (1938). She worked in several Esther Williams’ water ballets in her late teens and continued to appear in several films including Young America (1942), Hol-

Carmencita Johnson (in Lillian Gish’s lap as Edward Earle looks on, from The Wind ).

2000 • Obituaries

low Triumph (1948) and A Place in the Sun (1951). She subsequently retired from films to raise her family of five children. She is survived by her husband of fifty years, Jack Robertson, who was also injured in the car crash. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 30, 2000, B6.

Johnson, Gus Jazz drummer Gus Johnson, Jr., died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Denver, Colorado, on February 7, 2000. He was 86. Johnson was born in Tyler, Texas, on November 15, 1913. He began performing professionally with jazz bands at an early age. He joined Jay McShann’s Orchestra in 1938, performing with the young Charlie Parker. Johnson served in the Army during World War II. After the war he went to Chicago where he performed with Earl Hines and Cootie Williams. He joined Count Basie’s band in 1950 and remained with Basie until 1954. He continued to perform with various bands and as a backup musician for such singers as Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. During his career he performed with such artists as Benny Goodman,

Gus Johnson

Obituaries • 2000

120

Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Lena Horne. Johnson remained an active musician until poor health ended his career in the early 1990s. New York Times, Feb. 11, 2000, B9; Times (of London), Feb. 15, 2000, 21a.

Johnson, Stretch Tap dancer Howard E. “Stretch” Johnson died at a Bronx, New York, hospital on May 28, 2000. He was 85. Johnson was born in Orange, New Jersey, on January 30, 1915. He began performing with his sister, Winnie, and brother, Bobby, as the Three Johnsons in Harlem in the mid–1930s. They were featured in such musical revues at the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater as New Faces of 1936 and Duke Ellington Revue of 1937. Johnson served in the Army during World War II, suffering a leg injury that limited his future dancing. A member of the NAACP from an early age, he became involved with the Young Communist League of Harlem. An active fighter for desegregation, he became disillusioned with the Communist Party in the 1950s. Johnson returned to school to earn a degree and subsequently became a teacher and community activist. New York Times, June 12, 2000, B7.

Jones, Derek Anson Theatrical director Derek Anson Jones died at a New York hospital of complications from AIDS on January 18, 2000. He was 38. Jones was born in Washington, D.C., in 1961. Jones directed Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play Wit, receiving a Drama Desk nomination and the Lucille Lortel Award in 1999 for his efforts. Jones also directed productions of Much Ado About Nothing, An American Daughter and Angelique. New York Times, Jan. 19, 2000, C27; Time, Jan. 31, 2000, 25; Variety, Jan. 24, 2000, 72.

Derek Anson Jones

Jones, Jonah

Stretch Johnson

Jazz trumpeter Jonah Jones died in Manhattan on April 30, 2000. He was 90. Jones was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 31, 1909. He began performing professionally in the 1920s, playing with Horace Henderson’s band from 1928. During the 1930s he performed in

121

2000 • Obituaries

Jonah Jones

bands led by Stuff Smith Lil Armstrong and Fletcher Henderson. He joined Cab Calloway’s band in 1941 and continued his association with Calloway through 1952. Leading his own group over the next decade, he performed often at the Embers in New York. Jones was also known for his recordings of show tune and earned a Grammy Award for his album I Dig Chicks in 1959. He continued to perform and record until his retirement in 1993. New York Times, May 3, 2000, B10.

Jones, Peter British actor Peter Jones died in England on April 10, 2000. He was 79. Jones was born in Wern, Shropshire, England, on June 12, 1920. He began his career on stage in the mid–1930s. By the early 1940s Jones was also writing plays and television scripts. From the 1940s he also began appearing in films, usually in comic roles. His credits include Fanny by Gaslight (1944), Dead of Night (1944), I See a Dark Stranger (1946), Vice Versa (1948), Forbidden (1948), Private Angelo (1949), The Franchise Affair (1950), Chance of a Lifetime (1950), Cairo Road (1950), The Browning Version (1951), The Magic Box (1951), Home to Danger (1951), Time Gentlemen Please! (1952), Miss Robin Hood (1952), The Long Memory (1952), Innocents in Paris (1952), The Good Beginning (1952), Affair in Monte Carlo (1952), Angels One Five (1953), The Yellow Balloon (1953), A Day to Remember (1953), Albert R.N. (1953), Red Dress (1954), For Better, for Worse (1954), John and Julie (1955), Private’s Progress (1956), Charley Moon (1956), Blue Murder at St. Trinian’s (1957),

Peter Jones

Operation Bullshine (1959), Never Let Go (1960), School for Scoundrels (1960), The Bulldog Breed (1960), Romanoff and Juliet (1961), Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961), A Stitch in Time (1963), Father Came Too! (1963), The Sandwich Man (1966), Press for Time (1966), Smashing Time (1967), Just Like a Woman (1968), Hot Millions (1968), Carry on Doctor (1968), The Return of the Pink Panther (1974), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Seven Nights in Japan (1976), The Rise of Minna Nordstrom (1976), Carry on England (1976), Chariots of Fire (1981), In Too Deep (1990), In Your Eye (1994) and Milk (1999). Jones was also a familiar face on British television, starring in such series as The Rag Trade (1961), Beggar My Neighbour (1967), Mr. Digby Darling (1969), From a Bird’s Eye View (1971), Kindly Leave the Kerb (1971), Q6 (1975), Mr. Big (19777), A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1981) as the Book, Whoops Apocalypse (1982), I Thought You’d Gone (1984) and The Mixer (1992). He also appeared in episodes of the series The Goodies, Blankety Blank, Fist of Fun, The Upper Hand, One for the Road, The Avengers, My Partner, the Ghost, Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson’s…, Midsomer Murders, The Bill and Holby City.

Obituaries • 2000

122

Jordon, Samuel Actor Samuel Lamar Jordan died of aplastic anemia in Burbank, California, on August 8, 2000. He was 31. Jordan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1969. He began his career on stage in Memphis, Tennessee, in the early 1990s. Jordan subsequently moved to Chicago, and had small roles in the film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), and episodes of the television drama series Samuel Jordon Early Edition and ER.

Joyeux, Odette French actress Odette Joyeux died of a stroke in Grimaud, France, on August 26, 2000. She was 85. Joyeux was born in Paris on December 5, 1914. She began her film career in France in the early 1930s, appearing in such films as Jean de la Lune (1932), Le Chant de l’Amour (1935), Une Femme qui se Partage (1936), Helene (1936), La Glu (1936), Grisou (1938), The Curtain Rises (1938), Youth in Revolt (1938), Notre Dame de la Mouise (1941), Love Letters (1942), Love Story (1943), The Phantom Baron (1943), Sylvie and the Phantom (1945), Lecon de Conduite (1945), Scandale (1948), Odette Joyeux La Ronde (1950),

Si Paris nous Etait Conte (1955) and Le Naif aux 40 Enfans (1958). She also starred in the 1966 French television series L’Age Heureux, which she also helped write. She was married for a time to the late French actor Pierre Brasseur, and is survived by their son, actor Claude Brasseur.

Kane, Gil Comic book artist Gil Kane died of cancer in Miami, Florida, on January 31, 2000. He was 73. Kane was born Eli Katz in Latvia on April 26, 1926. He began illustrating comic books in the early 1940s, working on Pep Comics. He soon became an assistant to Jack Kirby, working on such titles as Captain America. He began working with DC Comics in the late 1940s, illustrating Wildcat and various Western titles including Jimmy Wakely and Hopalong Cassidy. He was best known as the co-creator of the Silver Age Green Lantern and the Atom at DC in the 1950s and early 1960s. He also redesigned Captain Marvel for Marvel Comics in the mid–1960s. During his career Kane drew virtually every hero at Marvel and DC including Batman, Superman, the Flash, Daredevil,

Gil Kane (self portrait).

123

2000 • Obituaries

Conan the Barbarian, The Avengers, Ghost Rider, Dr. Strange, Adam Strange, the X-Men and Spider-Man. In the mid–1980s Kane worked with Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears on such animated cartoons as The Centurions, Chuck Norris’ Karate Kommandos, The Bionic Six and Rambo. He also drew the comic strip Starhawks. Later in his career he returned to comics, working on Superman and drawing the Jurassic Park movie adaptation for Topps. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 2, 2000, A26; New York Times, Feb. 3, 2000, C26; Time, Feb. 24, 2000, 25; Times (of London), Feb. 5, 2000, 24a.

(1952), Mission Over Korea (1953), Invaders from Mars (1953), Clipped Wings (1953), China Venture (1953) and The Caine Mutiny (1954). He also starred in the short-lived 1949 comedy television series Jackson and Jill, and costarred as Detective Hart in his father’s police drama, Rocky King, Inside Detective from 1953 to 1954. He and his wife moved to Mexico in 1971, where he produced and directed stage shows for an English-language theater they operated. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 2000, A19; New York Times, Feb. 20, 2000, 49; People, Feb. 21, 2000, 96; Variety, Feb. 14, 2000, 69.

Karns, Todd

Katz, Raymond

Actor Todd Karns, who was best known Harry Bailey, the younger brother of Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey in the 1946 fantasy classic It’s a Wonderful Life, died of cancer in Ajijic, Mexico, on February 5, 2000. He was 79. Karns, who was the son of character actor Roscoe Karns, began his film career in the early 1940s. He also appeared in Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary (1941), Eagle Squadron (1942), The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942), Good Sam (1948), My Foolish Heart (1949), The Magnificent Yankee (1950), It’s a Small World (1950), My Son John (1952), Flat Top (1952), Battle Zone (1952), Mutiny (1952), Jet Job

Television producer Raymond Katz died after a brief illness at a Los Angeles hospital on March 23, 2000. He was 83. The New York–born Katz began his career as a stage manager on Broadway. After serving in World War II he joined NBC radio, directing the Navy Hour. He soon moved to New York’s MGM radio station, where he helped create such syndicated radio programs as Maisie with Ann Sothern and Woman of the Year with Bette Davis. Katz joined with Sandy Gallin in 1970 to produce numerous specials for television featuring such stars as Paul Lynde, Dolly Parton, Cher and Mac Davis. They produced the Donny and Marie series and Lily Tomlin and Kate Smith’s Emmy-winning special Sold Out. In the 1980s they produced such telefilms as The Miracle Worker, The Diary of Anne Frank, Choices of the Heart, Family Secrets, Splendor in the Grass, Without Her Consent, Mussolini: The Untold Story and Stagecoach. Katz also produced the films Rhinestone (1984) and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), and The Debbie Allen Special for television in 1989. New York Times, Mar. 28, 2000, A21; Variety, Mar. 27, 2000, 75.

Kaufman, Margo

Todd Karns

Film and television writer Margo Kaufman died of breast cancer at her Venice, California, home on March 31, 2000. She was 46. Kaufman was the author of several humorous books including 1-800-Am-I-Nuts? and Clara, the Early

Obituaries • 2000 Years: The Story of the Pug Who Ruled My Life. She also did humorous commentaries for National Public Radio. Kaufman worked on the story for the 1979 comedy horror film Love At First Bite and scripted an episode of the television series A Different World. New York Times, Apr. 4, 2000, B8; Variety, Apr. 10, 2000, 75.

124

Margo Kaufman

Kedrova, Lila Character actress Lila Kedrova died of heart failure in Saulte St. Marie, Ontario, Canada, on February 16, 2000. She was 81. She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1918. She fled Russia with her family during the revolution, and resided in France from 1928. She began her film career in Europe in the 1950s, appearing in No Way Back (1953), Le Defroque (1954), Razzia sur la Chnouff (1955), Des Gens sans Importance

(1956), The Lovemaker (1956), Modligliani of Montparnasse (1958) and The Female (1959). She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Madame Hortense in 1964’s Zorba the Greek. Her other film credits include A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), Maigret a Pigalle (1966), Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain (1966), Penelope (1966), Le Canard en fer-blanc (1967), The Girl Who Couldn’t Say No (1969), Eliza’s Horoscope (1970), The Kremlin Letter (1970), A Time for Loving (1971), Escape to the Sun (1972), the 1972 tele-film Cool Million, Undercover Hero (1973), The Cursed Medallion (1975), Roman Polanski’s The Tenant (1976), Widow’s Nest (1977), Stop Calling Me Baby! (1977), March or Die (1977), Practice Makes Perfect (1978), The Sewers of Paradise (1979), Womanlight (1979), Tell Me a Riddle (1980), Il Turno (1981), Sword of the Valiant (1982), Blood Tide (1982), Testament (1983), Sunset People (1984), Two Men (1988), Some Girls (1989) and Next Time the Fire (1993). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 21, 2000, B6; New York Times, Apr. 20, 2000, B11; People, May 8, 2000, 211; Time, May 1, 2000, 23; Times (of London), May 5, 2000, 25a.

Keefe, Richard British documentary filmmaker Richard Keefe died of lymphoma on October 3, 2000. He was 51. Keefe was born in Bournemouth, England, on December 18, 1948. He began his career in the early 1980s, filming a campaign film for the Save the Children fund. He worked often for British television, filming segments for Utopia Limited in 1983. He made Global Village in 1984 and films the 11-part Only One Earth in 1987. Known for their environmental subject matter, Keefe’s other films include Worlds of Faith (1987), Stolen Childhood (1989), How to Save the Earth (1991), Wild India (1992), Wild Islands (1997), Wild Australasia and Africa’s Child (1999).

Kellogg, John

Lila Kedrova

Veteran character actor John Kellogg died in Los Angeles of complications from Alzheimer’s disease on February 22, 2000. He was 83. Kellogg began his film career in 1940, appearing in Young Tom Edison as Bill Edison. His other film

125

Richard Keefe

2000 • Obituaries

(1942), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), A Walk in the Sun (19455), The Crimson Canary (1945), Miss Susie Slagle’s (1946), Without Reservations (1946), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), Robin Hood of Texas (1947), Mr. District Attorney (1947), King of the Wild Horses (1947), The Gangster (1947), The 13th Hour (1947), Johnny O’Clock (1947), Suddenly, It’s Spring (1947), Out of the Past (1947), Sinister Journey (1948), Secret Service Investigator (1948), Fighting Back (1948), Station West (1948), Borrowed Trouble (1948), Port of New York (1949), Bad Men of Tombstone (1949), Hold That Baby! (1949), House of Strangers (1949), Samson and Delilah (1949), Twelve O’Clock High (1949), Kansas Raiders (1950), Bunco Squad (1950), Hunt the Man Down (1950), Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951), The Enforcer (1951), Come Fill the Cup (1951), Bomba and the Elephant Stampede (1951), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Rancho Notorious (1952), The Raiders (1952), Jet Job (1952), The Silver Whip (1953), Those Redheads from Seattle (1953), The Fighting Lawman (1953), Gorilla at Large (1954), Edge of the City (1957), African Manhunt (1957), Go Naked in the World (1961), Convicts Four (1963), A Knife for the Ladies (1974), Violets Are Blue.. (1986) and Orphans (1987). Kellogg was also active on television from the 1950s, appearing as Jack Chandler in the Peyton Place series from 1966 to 1967. He was also featured in the tele-films The Doomsday Flight (1966), Night Slaves (1970), The Bravos (1972), The Silence (1975), Blind Justice (1986) and Jacob Have I Loved (1989). His other television credits include episodes of The Lone Ranger, Superman, Inner Sanctum, Times Square Playhouse, Black Saddle, Tate, One Step Beyond, Stagecoach West, Maverick, The Untouchables, Lawman, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Dakotas, Rawhide, The Fugitive, Stoney Burke, The Virginian, The Outer Limits, The Invaders, Laredo, Daniel Boone, Lancer, Wild Wild West, Alias Smith and Jones, St. Elsewhere and Wiseguy.

Kelly, Fred John Kellogg

credits include High School (1940), Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940), Knockout (1941), Among the Living (1941), Glove Affair (1941), Captains of the Clouds (1942), To Be or Not to Be

Dancer Fred Kelly, the brother of legendary star Gene Kelly, died of cancer in Tucson, Arizona, on March 15, 2000. He was 83. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 2, 1916. As a dance instructor, Fred Kelly taught his brother to tap dance, and instructed a young

Obituaries • 2000

126

Fred Kelly (dancing with brother Gene).

Princess Elizabeth, later the queen, in ballroom dancing. Kelly earned three Tony awards for his performance in the 1940 Broadway production of Time of Your Life. He appeared in a small role in the 1943 film This Is the Army and was featured in 1954’s Deep in My Heart, performing the dance number “I Love to Go Swimmen with Wommen” with his brother Gene. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 2000, A20; New York Times, Mar. 17, 2000, C18; People, Apr. 3, 2000, 105; Time, Mar. 27, 2000, 27; Variety, Apr. 10, 2000, 75.

Kemmer, Joachim

Joachim Kemmer

cancer on February 1, 2000. She was 57. She was born Doris Coley in North Carolina on August 2, 1942. She began singing in high school with classmates Addie “Mickie” Harris, Shirley Alston and Beverly Lee as the Poquellos. Becoming the

German actor Joachim Kemmer died of lung cancer in Vienna, Austria, on April 27, 2000. He was 60. He was born in Brandenburg, Germany, on September 12, 1939. Kemmer was featured in such films as The Vampire Happening (1970), Meier (1985), Die Katze (1988), Spieler (1990), Waiting for Sunset (1995), Die Putzfraueninsel (1996) and An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World (1997). He also performed the voice of Humphrey Bogart when his films were dubbed into German. Kemmer was also a popular television performer, appearing in numerous German tele-films and such series as Derrick, Der Alte, Direktion City, Edgar Huter der Moral and Die Motorrad — Cops: Hart am Limit.

Kenner-Jackson, Doris Doris Kenner-Jackson, a member of the popular 1950s singing group the Shirelles, died of

Doris Kenner-Jackson (left, with The Shirelles).

127

2000 • Obituaries

Shirelles, they were signed to the Tiara label and recorded their first hit, “I Met Him on Sunday,” in 1958. They continued with the hit songs “Tonight’s the Night” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” which became the first record by a black female group to hit the top of the charts. Their other hit songs include “Mama Said” (1961), “Baby It’s You” (1962), “Soldier Boy” (1962) and “Foolish Little Girl” (1963). Though their popularity diminished with the advent of the Motown sound, they continued to perform and record through the 1960s. Shirley Alston left the group in 1975 and Addie Harris died in 1982. The surviving members continued to perform together on occasional revival shows and sang with Dionne Warwick on her 1983 recording of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6, 2000, B5; New York Times, Feb. 8, 2000, B9; People, Feb. 2, 2000, 96; Time, Feb. 14, 2000, 25; Variety, Mar. 6, 2000, 84.

Kieser, Ellwood “Bud” Father Ellwood “Bud” Kieser, a Roman Catholic priest who founded Paulist Productions, died of cancer at a Los Angeles hospital on September 16, 2000. He was 71. Kieser was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 27, 1929. He joined the Paulist order in 1950, and began a career of using the media to promote religion. Kieser founded Paulist Productions in 1968, producing the weekly dramatic series Insight. Kieser was the recipient of six Emmy Awards during his career. He also produced the 1989 film Romero, about the assassinated archbishop of San Salvador, and the tele-films The Trouble with Mother (1979), We Are the Children (1987) and Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996). Kieser was also the founder of the Humanitas Prize in 1974, honoring those in the entertainment industry who show “human values and brings the insights of the Judaic-Christian vision of man to bear on our contemporary situation.” Los Angeles Times, Sept. 21, 2000, B8; New York Times, Sept. 20, 2000, C23; Time, Oct. 2, 2000, 32; Variety, Sept. 25, 2000, 196.

Ellwood “Bud” Kieser

Kiley, Timothy Television director Timothy Kiley died of lung cancer at a Los Angeles hospital on April 29, 2000. He was 74. Kiley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1926. He began his career at a Memphis, Tennessee, television station before joining CBS-TV in New York as a stage manager and assistant director. Kiley was director of The Ed Sullivan Show from 1961 to 1969. Earning six Emmy Awards during his career, he also directed The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Sonny and Cher Show, Mac Davis Show, Star Search and the Miss America pageant. His other credits include television specials hosted by Bob Hope, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jerry Lewis and Frank Sinatra. Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2000, B8; New York Times, May 15, 2000, B8; Variety, May 8, 2000, 215. Timothy Kiley

Obituaries • 2000

128

King, Pee Wee

Kirby, Durward

Songwriter and country musician Frank “Pee Wee” King died of a heart attack in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 7, 2000. He was 86. He was born Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski in Abrams, Wisconsin, on February 18, 1914. King joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1937, performing cowboy songs, polkas and waltzes. He was often attired in western garb and included electric guitars, trumpets and drums in his country band. He appeared in small roles in several films including Flame of the West (1945) and The Rough, Tough West (1952). King was best known for co-writing the popular song “Tennessee Waltz” with Redd Stewart in 1947. The song was a hit for King and a bigger hit for Patti Page. It became a state song for Tennessee in 1965. His other hit songs include “You Belong to Me,” “Slow Poke,” “Silver and Gold,” “Changing Partners” and “Bonaparte’s Retreat.” King was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 9, 2000, A25; New York Times, Mar. 10, 2000, B9; People, Mar. 27, 2000, 77; Time, Mar. 20, 2000, 29; Variety Mar. 20, 2000, 55.

Television personality Durward Kirby, who was best known as Garry Moore’s sidekick on radio and television, died of congestive heart failure at a Fort Myers, Florida, nursing home on March 15, 2000. He was 87. Kirby was born in Covington, Kentucky, on August 24, 1912. He began his career on radio, teaming with Garry Moore after serving in World War II. The lanky Kirby worked with Moore on several television variety shows in the 1950s and 1960s. He also was an announcer for the 1950 variety series The Perry Como Show and hosted the 1951 quiz show G.E. Guest House. Kirby also served as co-host of Allen Funt’s Candid Camera in the early 1960s. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 17, 2000, A30; New York Times, Mar. 17, 2000, C19; People, Apr. 3, 2000, 105; TV Guide, Apr. 29, 2000, 6; Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 55.

Durward Kirby Pee Wee King

Kitchener, Lord Calypso musician Lord Kitchener died of kidney failure and bone marrow cancer on Feb-

129

2000 • Obituaries

Germany under Hitler’s Nazis in 1935. Klemperer began his career on screen in the mid–1950s, appearing in such films as The Wrong Man (1956), Flight to Hong Kong (1956), Death of a Scoundrel (1956), Istanbul (1957), Five Steps to Danger (1957), Kiss Them for Me (1957), The Goddess (1958), Houseboat (1958), The High Cost of Loving (1958), Operation Eichmann (1961) as Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Escape from Berlin (1962), Youngblood Hawke (1964), Ship of Fools (1965), Dark Intruder (1965) and A Star Spangled Salesman (1966). Klemperer starred as the monocled POW camp commandant in Hogan’s Heroes from 1965 to 1971, earning Emmy Awards for best supporting actor in 1968 and 1969. He again teamed with Hogan’s Heroes star Bob Crane in the 1968 comedy film The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz. Klemperer was also featured in the tele-films Wake Me When the War Is Over (1969), Assignment: Munich (1972), The Rhinemann Exchange (1977) and The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies (1981). His other television credits include

Lord Kitchener

ruary 11, 2000. He was born Aldwyn Roberts in Arima, Trinidad, on April 18, 1922. He bean performing Calypso as a teenager, coming to England in 1948. He was a popular success, singing such tunes as “London Is the Place for Me,” “Ah Bernice,” “Mamma Dis Is Mas,” “Give Me the Ting,” and “Africa My Home.” He returned to Trinidad in 1962, where he was known as the Grand Master of Calypso. New York Times, Feb. 14, 2000, B9; Times (of London), Feb. 16, 2000, 21a.

Klemperer, Werner Werner Klemperer, the balding character actor best known for his role as the bumbling prison camp commandant Colonel Wilhelm Klink on TV’s Hogan’s Heroes in the 1960s, died of cancer at his New York City home on December 6, 2000. He was 80. Klemperer was born in Cologne, Germany, on March 22, 1920, the son of renowned conductor and composer Otto Klemperer. He and his family, being Jewish, fled

Werner Klemperer (as Hogan’s Heroes’ Colonel Klink).

Obituaries • 2000

130

episodes of Captain Video, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Men into Space, Thriller, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel, How to Marry a Millionaire, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, One Step Beyond, The Alaskans, Rawhide, Overland Trail, The Untouchables, The Dakotas, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Lost in Space, Batman, Night Gallery, Love, American Style, Vega$, McMillan and Wife, Tabitha, Matt Houston, Law & Order and The Simpsons. Klemperer also performed often on stage, appearing in Broadway productions of The Insect Comedy and Dear Charles. He served as narrator for numerous symphony orchestras and earned a Tony nomination for his role in the 1988 revival of Cabaret. His last film appearance was a small part in the 1991 feature The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 8, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 8, 2000, C15; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 99; Time, Dec. 18, 2000, 25; Variety, Dec. 11, 2000, 70.

Klondike Bill Bill Soloweyko, who wrestled professionally as Klondike Bill in the 1960s and 1970s, died of a neuromuscular disease on October 3, 2000. He was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on December 1, 1931. He began wrestling professionally

in the late 1950s, sometimes known as the Brute. As Klondike Bill he teamed with Ronnie Etchison to capture the NWA Central States Tag Titles in early 1968. In the mid–1970s, he and Luke Brown held the U.S. Tag Team Title in Louisiana. Klondike Bill had been in charge of the ring crew for WCW in recent years.

Koda, Michael “Cub” Rock musician and song writer Michael “Cub” Koda died of kidney disease on June 30, 2000. He was 51. Koda was born in Detroit, Michigan, on October 1, 1948. He performed with the groups The Bone Michael “Cub” Koda Gods, The Points and The Del-Tinos. As guitarist with Brownsville Station he performed on the hit song “Smokin’ in the Boys Room.” Koda was also the co-author of the book Blues for Dummies. Los Angeles Times, July 3, 2000, B4; People, July 24, 2000, 99; Variety, July 24, 2000, 66.

Koenig, Werner

Klondike Bill (pinning another wrestler).

German film producer and distributor Werner Koenig was killed in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps near Lausanne, Switzerland, on November 12, 2000, while scouting filming locations for his new film, The Extremists. He was 37. Koenig was born in Bavaria, Germany, on April 20, 1963. He was the co-founder of Helkon Media, a German film distribution company. Koenig served as a producer on such films as 14 Days to Live (1997), No Strings Attached (1997), Werner Koenig

131

2000 • Obituaries

Endurance (1998), After the Truth (1999), Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) and the upcoming Dark Blue World. Variety, Nov. 20, 2000, 52.

Koshetz, Marina Actress and opera singer Marina Koshetz died in a Santa Monica, California, hospital on December 9, 2000. She was 88. She was born in Moscow on August 6, 1912, the daughter of opera singer Nina Koshetz and artist Alexander von Schubert. She came to the United States while in her teens and made her singing debut substituting for her mother on the Kraft Music Hall radio program. Originally billed as Marina Schubert, she began appearing in films in the early 1930s. Her credits include Little Women (1933), All the King’s Horses (1934), British Agent (1934), People Will Talk (1935), Millions in the Air (1935) and Car 99 (1935). She also continued to sing, performing with the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in the early 1940s. She was also featured in the films Holiday in Mexico (1946), No Marina Koshetz Leave, No Love (1946), Luxury Liner (1948), The Great Caruso (1951), On the Riviera (1951) and Desiree (1954). She had small roles in several films in the 1960s including Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960), The Singing Nun (1966) and The Busy Body (1967). Koshetz continued performing recitals over the next several decades. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 9, 2001, B6; Variety, Jan. 15, 2001, 102.

Kray, Reggie Reggie Kray, the British crime lord of the 1950s and 1960s, died of bladder cancer in Norwich, England, on October 1, 2000. He was 66.

Reggie Kray (right, with his twin brother Ronny).

Kray had been released from prison the previous month because of his illness. He had been serving a life sentence for murder since 1969. The twins, with their older brother Charlie, dominated the crime scene in London’s East End for two decades before their imprisonment. He and his twin brother Ronnie (portrayed by Martin and Gary Kemp in the 1990 film The Krays) authored the 1988 autobiography, Our Story. Brother Ronnie died in the Broadmoor institute for the criminally insane in 1995 and Charlie died in prison in April of 2000. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 3, 2000, B8; New York Times, Oct. 3, 2000, B10; Time, Oct. 16, 2000, 43.

Krebs, Diether German actor Diether Krebs died of lung cancer in Hamburg, Germany, on January 5, 2000. He was 52. Krebs was born in Essen, Germany, on August 11, 1947. He was a popular performer on German television from the 1970s, appearing in such series as Ein Herz und Eine Selle (1973), SOKO 5113 (1978), Cafe Wernicke (1978), St. Pauli Landungsbrucken (1979), Sketch-Up (1985), Der Elegante Hund (1987), Knastmuskik (1989), Hotel Paradies (1989) and Der Dicke und der Begier (1998). Krebs also appeared in a handful of films including Zoff (1971), Linda (1991), Go Trabi Go (1991), Mobius (1993) and Bang Boom Bang (1999).

Obituaries • 2000

132

Nathan Kroll Diether Krebs

Krishner, Richard Stage and film actor Richard Krishner died of a heart attack in Palm Springs, California, on January 23, 2000. He was 61. Krishner appeared in several films in the 1960s including The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967), Tony Rome (1967), The Detective (1968), The Boston Strangler (1968) and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). He was also seen in an episode of television’s Lost in Space in 1967. Krishner was a popular commercial actor and was featured in numerous stage productions, appearing on Broadway in Little Mary Sunshine.

Kroll, Nathan Documentary filmmaker Nathan Kroll died in Tarrytown, New York, on September 14, 2000. He was 88. Kroll was born in New York City on November 5, 1911. He became his career as a mu-

sician in the 1920s, conducting jazz orchestras and music for radio broadcasts. In 1960 Kroll created the television documentary Pablo Casals Master Class about the legendary cellist. He later produced television films for such musical artists as violinist Jascha Heifetz, tenor Luciano Pavarotti, and guitarist Andres Segovia. He produced the eight-part series Who’s Afraid of Opera? with soprano Joan Sutherland, Music at Marlboro and Toscanini: A 100th Birthday Celebration for television. Kroll also directed the 1964 documentary feature The Guns of August, based on Barbara Tuchman’s history of the early days of World War I. New York Times, Sept. 21, 2000, B14.

Kuehne, John John Kuehne, who played bass for the Monkees, died in Rockport, Texas, on February 12, 2000. He was 58. Kuehne was born in Bryan, Texas, on February 6, 1942. Using the stage name John London, Kuehne often performed backstage

133 when Michael Nesmith, David Jones, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz played songs for their hit television series from 1966 to 1968. Kuehne also appeared in small roles in several episodes. He subsequently worked as a studio musician for such artists as Linda Rondstadt, James Taylor, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, before retiring from the music industry in the early 1970s. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 2000, A31.

Kuri, Emile Academy Award-winning set decorator Emile Kuri died in Woodland Hills, California, at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital on October 10, 2000. He was 93. Kuri was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico, of Lebanese parents on June 11, 1907. He began his career in films working with director Hal Roach on the 1937 supernatural comedy Topper. He also worked as a set decorator for the Hopalong Cassidy western film series. He received Oscars for his work on William Wyler’s 1949 film The Heiress and the 1954 Walt Disney production of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Kuri served as Disney’s head decorator for two decades from 1952 and was responsible for the look of many of the Disneyland attractions. He also received an Emmy Award for his work on the sets for Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. His numerous film credits also include The Westland Case (1937), The Black Doll (1938), Cherokee Strip (1940), Doomed Caravan (1941), Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen (1942), American Empire (1942), The Kansan (1943), Border Patrol (1943), It Happened Tomorrow (1944), Forty Thieves (1944), Music in Manhattan (1944), I’ll Be Seeing You (1944), Spellbound (1945), Duel in the Sun (1946), Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), A Scandal in Paris (1946), The Paradine Case (1947), I Remember Mama (1948), State of the Union (1948), Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (1949), Dark City (1950), Riding High (1950), Fancy Pants (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), Here Comes the Groom (1951), Detective Story (1951), Jumping Jacks (1952), Carrie (1952), My Son John (1952), Shane (1953), The War of the Worlds (1953), The Actress (1953), Small Town Girl (1953), Dangerous When Wet (1953), Executive Suite (1954), Living It Up (1954), The Trouble with Harry (1955), Man in Space (1956), Westward Ho the Wagons! (1956),

2000 • Obituaries

The Great Locomotive Chase (1956), Old Yeller (1957), Johnny Tremain (1957), The Light in the Forest (1958), Tonka (1958), The Shaggy Dog (1959), Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), Pollyanna (1960), Ten Who Dared (1960), Toby Tyler (1960), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), The Parent Trap (1961), Moon Pilot (1962), Bon Voyage! (1962), Sammy the Way Out Seal (1962), The Golden Horseshoe Revue (1962), Big Red (1962), Son of Flubber (1963), Savage Sam (1963), The Incredible Journey (1963), Summer Magic (1963), The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964), Mary Poppins (1964), A Tiger Walks (1964), Those Calloways (1965), The Monkey’s Uncle (1965), That Darn Cat! (1965), Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966), Follow Me, Boys! (1966), Monkeys, Go Home! (1967), The Happiest Millionaire (1967), The Gnome-Mobile (1967), Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968), Never a Dull Moment (1968), The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968), The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968), The Love Bug (1969), Rascal (1969), The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1970), The Boatniks (1970), The Wild Country (1971), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), $1,000,000 Duck (1971), The Barefoot Executive (1971), Snowball Express (1972), Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972), Napoleon and Samantha (1972) and The Biscuit Eater (1974). Kuri retired from Disney in 1974. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 13, 2000, B8; Variety, Oct. 16, 2000, 131.

Kurts, Alwyn Australian actor Alwyn Kurts died of a heart attack and kidney failure at his home in Melbourne, Australia, on May 4, 2000. He was 84. Kurst was born in Perth, Western Australia, on October 28, 1915. Kurts was a leading stage actor from the 1950s. He was best known for his television appearances, starring as crusty Inspector Fox on the Australian crime series Homicide in the Alwyn Kurts 1960s. He was also

Obituaries • 2000

134

seen in the Australian television series Beauty and the Beast, Rush and Cop Shop. Kurts appeared in a handful of films during his career including …And Millions Will Die! (1973), The Newman Shame (1977), Tim (1979) with Mel Gibson, The Earthling (1980), Deadline (1982), Spotswood (1991), This Won’t Hurt a Bit (1993) and Road to Nhill (1997). Variety, June 5, 2000, 65.

Lamarque, Libertad Mexican actress and singer Libertad Lamarque died in Mexico City on December 12, 2000. She was 92. Lamarque was born in Rosario, Argentina, on November 24, 1908. She began her career as a singer of tango songs in Buenos Aires in 1926. She made her acting debut in the silent film Adios, Argentina in 1929. Three years later she starred in Argentina’s first sound feature, Tango. She appeared in over twenty films in Argentina including Honeysuckle, When I Return to Your Side, Help Me to Live, Closed Door, Bewitching Kisses, The Law They Forgot, In This Gray Afternoon and The Circus Procession (1944). Her success in films led to a contract offer by Paramount in 1940, which Lamarque turned down. While filming The Circus Procession Lamarque came into conflict with a young actress named Eva Duarte. Duarte married Col. Juan Peron the following year and he became president in 1946.

Libertad Lamarque

Eva Peron used her powers to end Lamarque’s film career in Argentina and she moved to Mexico. She continued to star in films there, appearing in Luis Bunuel’s The Great Casino, Music School and I, Sinner. She starred in over fifty features in Mexico and also performed in numerous television soap operas. She was most recently seen as the mother superior in the soap opera Angelface. Lamarque also continued to record through the early 1990s, releasing the album Nobody Goes Away Completely in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 15, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 25, 2000, A18.

Lamarr, Hedy Beautiful Austrian-born leading lady Hedy Lamarr was found dead at her Orlando, Florida, home on January 19, 2000. She was 86. She was born Hedwig Kiesler in Vienna, Austria, on November 9, 1913, a banker’s daughter. She entered films in Austria and Germany 1930 after being discovered by director Max Reinhardt. She made her debut in the 1930 German short Geld auf der Strasse, and appeared in small parts in the films Die Blumenfrau von Lindenau, (1931), His Majesty

Hedy Lamarr

135 King Ballyhoo (1931) and The 13 Trunks of Mr. O.F. (1931). She gained international fame in 1933 when she appeared nude in a ten minute swimming segment in Gustav Machaty’s Czech film Ecstacy. She subsequently married Austrian munitions magnate Fritz Mandl, who attempted to buy up all existing copies of the film. After her divorce from Mandl she came to the United States in 1937. She signed a contract with MGM, making her film debut with Charles Boyer in Algiers. Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful women in films, she continued to appear in such features as I Take This Woman (1940), Boom Town (1940) with Spencer Tracy, Comrade X (1940), Come Live with Me (1941), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), H.M. Pulham Esq. (1941), Tortilla Flat (1942), Crossroads (1942), White Cargo (1942) as the native beauty Tondelayo, The Heavenly Body (1944) with William Powell, The Conspirators (1944), Experiment Perilous (1944), Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945), The Strange Woman (1946), Dishonored Lady (1947) and Let’s Live a Little (1948). She was reportedly the first choice of producer Hal Wallis for female lead in 1943’s Casablanca, though the part eventually went to Ingrid Bergman. She starred in her most successful film, the biblical epic Samson and Delilah in 1949, playing Delilah to Victor Mature’s Samson. She also appeared in A Lady Without a Passport (1950), Copper Canyon (1950), the 1951 comedy My Favorite Spy with Bob Hope, The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships (1953) and The Story of Mankind (1957) as Joan of Arc. She also made a rare television appearance in 1957 in an episode of Zane Grey Theater. Her career fading, she retired from the screen after starring in 1958’s The Female Animal. Her autobiography, Ecstasy and Me, was published in 1966, though she later sued, alleging her ghost writer had distorted the manuscript. Lamarr was married six times, and her husbands included Mandl, screenwriter Gene Markey, actor John Loder, nightclub impresario Ernest Stauffler, oil tycoon W. Howard Lee and lawyer Lewis W. Boles, Jr. A 1992 book, Feminine Ingenuity, revealed that Lamarr and her friend, composer George Antheil, had developed an idea during World War II about a device that could reduce the danger of detection or jamming of radio signals. They patented their work in 1942. Though not used during the war, it was adapted in the 1980s for use in cordless phones and wireless computer links. Lamarr also made

2000 • Obituaries

headlines later in life when charged with shoplifting in 1965 and 1992, though she was exonerated of the charges. She spent her later years living quietly in a suburb of Orlando, Florida. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 20, 2000, A22; New York Times, Jan. 20, 2000, B15; People, Feb. 7, 2000, 107; Time, Jan. 31, 2000, 25; Times (of London), Jan. 20, 2000, 27a; TV Guide, Mar. 25, 2000, 8; Variety, Jan. 24, 2000, 72.

Lancaster, Stuart Character actor Stuart Lancaster, best known for his roles in Russ Meyer films, died in Los Angeles on December 29, 2000. He was 80. Lancaster was born in Evanston, Illinois, on November 30, 1920. He began his film career in the early 1960s, appearing in Russ Meyer’s exploitation films Mudhoney (1965) and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965). Lancaster was also seen in the first Billy Jack film, Born Losers (1967), as the Sheriff, and appeared in Good Morning … and Goodbye! (1967), The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet (1968), Mantis in Lace (1968), Wilbur and the Baby Factory (1969), Thar She Blows! (1969), Starlet (1969), The Satin Mushroom (1969), Precious Jewels (1969), Captain Milkshake (1969), The Long Swift Sword of Siegfried (1972), The Seven Minutes (1971), Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973), Russ Meyer’s Supervixens (1975), Goodbye, Norma

Stuart Lancaster

Obituaries • 2000

136

Jean (1976), Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell (1977), Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979), Mistress of the Apes (1981), The Loch Ness Horror (1981), Beyond the Doors (1984), The Naked Gun (1988), Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn (1989), Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Batman Returns (1992), and The Treat (1998). He also appeared on television in episodes of The Outer Limits, Branded, The Fugitive and The Invaders. Lancaster was married to actress Ivy Bethune.

Lardner, Ring, Jr. Oscar-winning screenwriter Ring Lardner, Jr., whose career was crippled when he was blacklisted after refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee’s investigation of Communism in the film industry, died of cancer at his home in Manhattan on October 31, 2000. He was 85. Lardner was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 1915, the son of baseball writer and humorist Ring Lardner. The younger Lardner began his career in Hollywood as a publicity director for producer David O. Selznick. He and Budd Schulberg helped rewrite the script for the popular film A Star Is Born in 1937. He also worked on the script for the films Nothing Sacred (1937), The Kid from Kokomo (1939), Meet Dr. Christian (1939), The Courageous Dr. Christian (1940) and Arkansas Judge (1951). Lardner earned an Academy Award for his script for the 1942 film Woman of the Year starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Lardner continued to script such films as The Cross of Lorraine (1943), Laura (1944), Tomorrow the World (1944), Brotherhood of Man (1945), Cloak and Dagger (1946), Forever Amber (1947), Brittania Mews (1949) and The Big Night (1951). Lardner had joined the Communist Party in the late 1930s. He joined his fellow members of the “Hollywood 10” in prison after refusing to cooperate with the Congressional hearings investigating leftist activities in Hollywood. He served nine months in prison, and found his career effectively ended after his release. Unable to find work in the film industry, Lardner wrote occasionally for television in London in the 1950s, notably The Adventures of Robin Hood series starring Richard Greene. Lardner also used pen names to hide his identity while working on several projects. He

Ring Lardner, Jr.

scripted the 1958 Sidney Poitier film Virgin Island as Philip Rush. His work on the films A Breath of Scandal (1960) and The Cardinal (1963) were uncredited. As the blacklist gradually subsided Lardner returned to his craft, co-scripting the 1965 film The Cincinnati Kid. He reestablished himself as a top writer in 1970, earning his second Oscar for writing the popular film M*A*S*H. He also scripted the 1977 Muhammad Ali film The Greatest. During the 1980s Lardner concentrated on writing books, authoring the novels The Ecstasy of Owen Muir and All for Love, and his memoir, I’d Hate Myself in the Morning. New York Times, Nov. 2, 2000, C23; Times (of London), Nov. 15, 2000, 25a; Variety, Nov. 6, 2000, 75; Washington Post, Nov. 2, 2000, B6.

Larionova, Alla Russian actress Alla Larionova died of heart failure in Moscow on April 25, 2000. She was 69. She was born in Moscow on February 19, 1931. A leading stage actress, she was also a popular film star from the 1940s, appearing in Life in Bloom

137 (1948) and Hostile Whirlwinds (1953). She starred in the 1953 fantasy classic Sadko (aka The Magic Voyage of Sinbad ) and 1954’s The Anna Cross. Her other film credits include The Drummer’s Fate (1954), The Main Boulevard (1956), Road of Truth (1956), Twelfth Night (1956), Legend of Polesia (1957), Fathers and Sons (1959), Resurrected Three Times (1960), Two Lives (1961), Come Here, Mukhtar! (1964), The Three Sisters (1964), Dream of an Uncle (1966), Wild Honey (1966), An Old Acquaintance (1969), Seventh Skies (1971), Young People (1971) and The Ivanov Family (1975). She returned to the screen in 1988 to appear in Forbidden Zone. Variety, May 22, 2000, 80.

Lawrence, Elizabeth Actress Elizabeth Lawrence died of cancer on June 11, 2000. She was 77. She was born in West Virginia in 1922 and began her career on stage. She made her Broadway debut in 1954, replacing Geraldine Page in The Rainmaker. She was best known for her role of Myra Murdoch Sloan in the television soap opera All My Children from 1979 to 1991, earning three Daytime Emmy nominations. She was also seen in the soap operas The Edge of Night as Constance Johnson

Elizabeth Lawrence

2000 • Obituaries

from 1961 to 1963, A World Apart as Betty Kahlman in 1970, The Doctors as Virginia Cancy from 1976 to 1978, As the World Turns as Evelyn DeWitt Lewis in 1991 and The Guiding Light as Bess Lowell from 1993 to 1994. Lawrence appeared in a handful of films during her career including Lilith (1964), Four Friends (1981), We’re No Angels (1989), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), The Butcher’s Wife (1991), The Crucible (1966), Isn’t She Great (2000) and Unbreakable (2000) with Bruce Willis. Her other television credits include episodes of Law and Order, Oz and Third Watch. Variety, June 26, 2000, 67.

Lawrence, Stephanie British actress Stephanie Lawrence was found dead at her home in southwest London on November 4, 2000. She was 50. Lawrence was

Stephanie Lawrence

Obituaries • 2000

138

born in Hampshire, England, on December 16, 1949. Best known for her performances on the stage, she made her acting debut in London at the age of 16. She achieved fame for her performance as Evita in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s popular musical in 1982. She was also featured in London productions of such plays as Starlight Express, Cats and Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. Lawrence also appeared in several films including 1973’s O Lucky Man!, The Likely Lads (1976), the 1989 production of The Phantom of the Opera and Buster (1988). On television, she was seen as Mary Magdalene in the 1983 British film Doubting Thomas. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 7, 2000, B6; Times (of London), Nov. 6, 2000, 21a; Variety, Nov. 20, 2000, 52.

City ballet, she also appeared in productions of Balanchine’s Four Temperaments (1946), Symphony in C (1948), Orpheus (1948) and La Valse (1951). She was married to Balanchine from 1952 to 1969. LeClercq also appeared in ballets by choreographer Jerome Robbins including Afternoon of a Faun (1953) and The Concert (1956). Her career was cut short in 1956 when she contracted paralytic polio during a tour of Denmark. Though LeClercq was never able to dance or walk again, she did write two books, Mourka: The Autobiography of a Cat (1964) and The Ballet Cookbook (1966). She also taught at the Dance Theatre of Harlem from 1974 to 1982. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 5, 2001, B7; New York Times, Jan. 1, 2001, A15.

LeClercq, Tanaquil

Lederer, Francis

Ballet dancer Tanaquil LeClercq died of pneumonia in a New York City hospital on December 31, 2000. She was 71. She was born in Paris on October 2, 1929 and came to New York with her family at the age of three. She soon began taking ballet lessons and performed in George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante in 1945 while still a student. Joining the New York

Leading character actor Francis Lederer died at his home in Palm Springs, California, on May 25, 2000. He was 100. Lederer was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, now the Czech Republic, on November 6, 1899. He began his career on the European stage and in the 1920s was appearing in such German silent films as The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna (1929), Mother

Tanaquil LeClercq

Francis Lederer

139 Hummingbird (1920), Pandora’s Box (1929) with Louise Brooks, and Atlantik (1929). He came to the United States in 1932 to appear on the Broadway stage. He played suave continentals in such Hollywood films as The Pursuit of Happiness (1934), Man of Two Worlds (1934), Romance in Manhattan (1935), The Gay Deception (1935), One Rainy Afternoon (1936), My American Wife (1936), It’s All Yours (1937), The Lone Wolf in Paris (1938), Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), Midnight (1939), The Man I Married (1940), Puddin’Head (1941), A Voice in the Wind (1944), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944), The Madonna’s Secret (1946), The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946), Million Dollar Weekend (1948), Surrender (1950), Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950), A Woman of Distinction (1950), Stolen Identity (1953), Lisbon (1956), The Ambassador’s Daughter (1956) and Maracaibo (1958). Two of his final roles in film were in the horror movies The Return of Dracula (1958) as Count Dracula, and Terror Is a Man (1959). Lederer appeared in a handful of television episodes during his career including The Philco Television Playhouse, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible, It Takes a Thief and Night Gallery. He remained active on stage until his death, teaching acting classes in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 27, 2000, A13; Variety, May 29, 2000, 70.

Lee, Anthony Dwain Actor Anthony Dwain Lee was shot to death by a police officer in a West Los Angeles mansion early in the morning on October 28, 2000. He was 39. Lee was attending a Halloween costume party and was killed when he pointed a fake gun at the officer. Lee was born in Redding, California, on July 17, 1961. He was featured in several films including American Strays (1996), Jim Carrey’s Liar Liar (1997) and Waterproof (1999). Lee was also seen in the tele-films Face of a Stranger (1991) and The Second Civil War (1997). His other television credits include episodes of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, NYPD Blue, Brooklyn South, The Magnificent Seven and ER. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 31, 2000, A1; People, Nov. 13, 2000, 204; Variety, Nov. 6, 2000, 75.

2000 • Obituaries

Anthony Dwain Lee

Leeds, Robert M. Film and television director Robert M. Leeds died in Hemet, California, on October 15, 2000. He was 79. Leeds was born in New York City in 1921. He began his film career while serving in the Army in Hollywood during World War II. He worked as an editor from the late 1940s on such films as Pioneer Marshal (1949), Powder River Rustlers (1949), Flame of Youth (1949), Frisco Tornado (1950), Rustlers on Horseback (1950), Vigilante Hideout (1950), Unmasked (1950), Tarnished (1950), The Missourians (1950), Wells Fargo Gunmaster (1951), Stormbound (1951), Silver City Bonanza (1951), Rodeo King and the Senorita (1951), Million Dollar Pursuit (1951), Captive of Billy the Kid (1952), Leadville Gunslinger (1952) and Breakdown (1952). During the 1950s Leeds began working with Jack Webb’s Mark VII Productions, editing the television series Dragnet, and Webb’s features Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955), The D.I. (1957), -30- (1959) and The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961). Leeds began directing television episodes for such series as The Beverly Hillbillies, 77 Sunset Strip, Adam 12, Project UFO and Sam. He also directed the 1981 tele-film The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 13, 2000, B9.

Lehman, Lew Film director and writer Lew Lehman died of a heart attack in Toronto, Canada, on March 25, 2000. He was 66. Lehman was born in Boston on April 8, 1933. He scripted several films

Obituaries • 2000

140

including Killers of the Wild (1977) and Phobia (1980). Lehman directed the 1981 horror film The Pit.

1980s. Leighton-Porter attended numerous servicemen’s reunions throughout the years. New York Times, Dec. 17, 2000, C58.

Leighton-Porter, Christabel

Leipnitz, Harald

British model Christabel Leighton-Porter died in Horsham, England, on December 6, 2000. She was 87. She was born Christabel Jane Drewry in Eastleigh, England, on April 11, 1913. She became an artist’s model in her teens. She was chosen by cartoonist Norman Pett to model for his comic strip Jane in The Daily Mirror newspaper. The blonde secret agent character was often losing her clothing during the course of her adventures, making her a favorite of British troops during World War II. Leighton-Porter also made numerous personal appearances during the war and toured with a chorus-girl show, Jane in the Mirror. She continued to model for the comic strip after the war and starred in the 1949 British film The Adventures of Jane. The comic strip came to an end in 1959, though the character was resurrected for a British television series in the early

Geman actor Harald Leipnitz died of lung cancer in Munich, Germany, on November 21, 2000. He was 74. Leipnitz was born in Germany on April 22, 1926. He was a popular film performer from the 1960s, appearing in such features as River of Evil (1963), The Endless Night (1963), The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964), The Diamond Walkers (1964), Rampage at Apache Wells (1965), The Bandits of the Rio Grande (1965), Agent 505 (1965), That Woman (1966), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), Thunder at the Border (1966), Inferno in Caracas (1966), Creature with the Blue Hand (1967), The Sweet Sins of Sexy Susan (1967), Sugar Bread and Whip (1968), Sexy Susan Sins Again (1969), Deadly Sanctuary (1969), Lady Hamilton (1969), House of Pleasure (1969), 24Hour Lover (1969), Do You Believe in Swedish Sin? (1970), Dial Love for Murder (1970), Sexy Susan Knows How…! (1970), Fight for Gold (1973), Chinese Miracle (1977), Zarliche Chaoten (1987), Der, Heiratsvermittler (1993), Pizza Arrabbiatta (1995) and Our Island in the South Pacific (1999). Leipnitz was also featured often on German television

Christabel Leighton-Porter

Harald Leipnitz

141 in such series as Immer Arger mit Arno, Der Kommissar, Derrick and Der Alte.

Leslie, Nan Actress Nan Leslie died of pneumonia in San Juan Capistrano, California, on July 30, 2000. She was 74. Leslie was born in Los Angeles on June 4, 1926. Best known for her roles in B Westerns opposite such cowboy stars as Gene Autry and Tim Holt, Leslie appeared in the films Under Western Skies (1945), I’ll Remember April (1945), George White’s Scandals (1945), The Falcon’s Alibi (1946), Sunset Pass (1946), Sister Kenny (1946), From This Day Forward (1946), Bedlam (1946), Under the Tonto Rim (1947), The Woman on the Beach (1947), Wild Horse Mesa (1947), The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947), Western Heritage (1948), Indian Agent (1948), Guns of Hate (1948), The Arizona Ranger (1948), Rim of the Canyon (1949), Pioneer Marshal (1949), Train to Tombstone (1950), No Questions Asked (1951), Iron Mountain Trail (1953), Problem Girls (1953), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1955), The Miracle of the Hills (1959) and The Crowded Sky (1960). She largely retired from films in the early 1960s, making her final screen appearance in the 1968 science fiction film The Bamboo Saucer. Leslie was also a popular television star, appearing in numerous westerns and dramas. She was featured in several episodes of

2000 • Obituaries

Annie Oakley, as Alias Annie Oakley, co-starring with her long-time friend Gail Davis. Leslie also starred as Randy Monaghan in the 1955 drama series Kings Row, was Harriet Newton in the 1950s juvenile series Fury, and was Martha McGivern in the 1957 western The Californians. Her other television credits include episodes of The Lone Ranger, The Gene Autry Show, The Roy Rogers Show, The Cisco Kid, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Zane Grey Theatre, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Circus Boy, Perry Mason, Wichita Town, Wanted — Dead or Alive, Riverboat and The Tall Man.

Levy, David Television producer David Levy died in Los Angeles after a long illness on January 25, 2000. He was 87. Levy was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1912. He began his career as a producer in radio for the series We the People in the early 1940s. He became vice president of the television division of Young and Rubicam in the 1950s and, in 1959, became vice president in charge of programming at NBC. He was involved in the creation of such series as Dr. Kildare, Bonanza and the Movie of the Week. Levy was best known as the creator and producer of the popular macabre comedy The Addams Family from 1964 to 1966. The series, based on cartoons by Charles Addams, starred John Astin and Carolyn Jones as Gomez and Morticia Addams. Levy also produced the short-lived sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton in 1966. He was also the author of several novels including The Chameleon. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2000, B6; New York Times, Feb. 6, 2000, 39; Variety, Feb. 7, 2000, 67.

Levin, Richard

Nan Leslie

British television designer Richard Levin died in England on July 2, 2000. He was 79. Levin was born on December 31, 1920. He began his career in the 1930s as an assistant director at Gaumont-British Films. Levin worked with the Air Ministry during World War II and was an exhibition designer for the Ministry of Information

Obituaries • 2000

142

David Lewis

Richard Levin

after the war. He joined BBC television in 1953 as head of design. He left his visual mark on the network over the next eighteen years, overseeing props, scenery and sets for series and specials. Levin also authored the 1960 book Television by Design. He retired in 1971.

Lewis, David Veteran character actor David Lewis, best known for his role as soap opera patriarch Edward Quartermaine on General Hospital, died in Woodland Hills, California, after a long illness on December 11, 2000. He was 84. Lewis was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 19, 1916. He began his career on stage in the 1930s and was also active on radio from the 1940s. Lewis appeared in the early children’s science fiction series Captain Video and His Video Rangers as Lieutenant Cromwell in the early 1950s. He made his film debut in 1956, and was featured in such films as That Certain Feeling (1956), The Scarlet Hour (1956), The Apartment (1960), The AbsentMinded Professor (1961), Kid Galahad (1962) with Elvis Presley, The Spiral Road (1962), A Girl

Named Tamiko (1962), Honeymoon Hotel (1964), John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965), The Boston Strangler (1968) and Generation (1969). A frequent performer on television, he guest starred in episodes of such series as Perry Mason, One Step Beyond, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Dakotas, The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Cannon, Kolchak: The Night Stalker and The Rockford Files. He also appeared regularly as Warden Crichton in the 1960s Batman television series, and was Henry Pierce on the television soap opera Bright Promise from 1969 to 1972. His other television credits include the tele-films The Doomsday Flight (1966) and Standing Tall (1978). Lewis starred as Edward Quartermaine on the popular soap opera General Hospital from 1978 until his retirement in 1993.

Lewis, Joseph H. Film director Joseph H. Lewis died in a Santa Monica, California, hospital on August 30, 2000. He was 93. Lewis was born in New York City on April 6, 1907 (some sources list 1900). He went to Hollywood in the 1920s and began his career working as a camera loader at MGM. He joined Mascot Films, later Republic Pictures, in the 1930s, becoming head of the editing department. He began directing films in the mid– 1930s, helming westerns and b-films quickly and

143

2000 • Obituaries

Show, The Defenders, Gunsmoke and Big Valley. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 11, 2000, B4.

Lewis, Ruth Actress and Hollywood gossip columnist Ruth Lewis died of cancer and complications from a stroke in Glendale, California, on September 17, 2000. She was 83. She was born Ruth Richards in Harvey, Illinois, on November 29, 1916. She began her film career in the mid–1940s, appearing in small roles 30 Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) and Where Danger Lives (1950). In the 1950s Lewis began writing a gossip column for the Los Angeles Daily News. She also became a leading fashion retailer in California in the 1960s, owning several boutiques in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 19, 2000, B6.

Joseph H. Lewis

economically. He directed such features as Navy Spy (1937), Courage of the West (1937), Singing Outlaw (1937), The Last Stand (1938), The Spy Ring (1938), Border Wolves (1938), Blazing Six Shooters (1940), Texas Stagecoach (1940), Boys of the City (1940), Two-Fisted Ranger (1940), That Gang of Mine (1940), The Return of Wild Bill (1940), The Man from Tumbleweeds (1940), Pride of the Bowery (1941), Arizona Cyclone (1941), Invisible Ghost (1941), Criminals Within (1941), The Silver Bullet (1942), Secrets of a Co-Ed (1942), The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942), Boss of Hangtown Mesa (1942), Bombs Over Burma (1942), Minstrel Man (1944), My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), The Falcon in San Francisco (1945), So Dark the Night (1946), The Swordsman (1948), The Return of October (1948), The Undercover Man (1949), Gun Crazy (1950), A Lady With0 out Passport (1950), Retreat, Hell! (1952), Desperate Search (1952), Cry of the Hunted (1953), A Lawless Street (1955), Man on a Bus (1955), The Big Combo (1955), 7th Cavalry (1956), The Halliday Brand (1957) and Terror in a Texas Town (1958). Lewis subsequently worked in television, where he directed episodes of such series as The Rifleman, Bonanza, The Dick Powell

Liebowitz, Jack Comics publisher Jack Liebowitz died in Great Neck, New York, on December 11, 2000. He was 100. He was born Jacob S. Liebowitz in Proskurov, Ukraine, on October 10, 1900. He came to the United States when he was ten years old. Liebowitz teamed with publisher Harry Donenfeld to begin a line of comic books in the late 1930s. They published Detective Comics in 1937, whose initials gave the company it’s name. Detective Comics was the first comic to feature a single themed issue. Batman made his debut in Detective Comics two years later. DC also published Action Comics in 1938, which marked the first appearance of Superman. DC also became the home of such comic super heroes as Green Lantern, the Flash, Jack Liebowitz

Obituaries • 2000

144

Wonder Woman, and the Justice Society of America. Liebowitz served as president of DC Comics, later National Periodical Publications, until 1967. He remained on the board of parent company Warner Communications/Time Warner until his retirement in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 15, 2000, B7; New York Times, Dec. 13, 2000, C19; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 68.

Lindsay, John V.

Lindstrom, Petter Petter Lindstrom, whose marriage to actress Ingrid Bergman ended when she left him for director Roberto Rossellini in the 1940s, died in California on May 24, 2000. He was 93. A Swedish neurosurgeon, Lindstrom was married to Bergman for ten years before she abandoned him and their daughter, Pia, in a scandalous affair with Rossellini. The couple divorced in 1950. New York Times, June 9, 2000, C23; People, June 19, 2000, 121; Time, June 12, 2000, 27; Variety, June 5, 2000, 65.

John V. Lindsay, who served as mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1974, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia at a Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, hospital on December 19, 2000. He was 79. Lindsay was born in New York City on November 24, 1921. He served as a liberal Republican Congressman from New York from 1959 until his election as mayor in 1965. His outspoken criticism of the Vietnam War during the Nixon administration led him to change parties in 1971. Lindsay ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 and was an unsuccessful Senate candidate in 1980. Lindsay was featured as a U.S. Senator in Otto Preminger’s 1975 film Rosebud. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 2000, B9; New York Times, Dec. 21, 2000, A1; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 67; Times (of London), Dec. 21, 2000, 19a.

Petter Lindstrom

Linville, Larry John V. Lindsay (right, with Peter O’Toole from Rosebud).

Actor Larry Linville, who was best known for his role as the comically neurotic Maj. Frank Burns on the popular television series M*A*S*H for five seasons, died of complications from lung cancer at a New York City hospital on April 10, 2000. He was 60. Linville was born in Ojai, California, on September 29, 1939. He began his

145

2000 • Obituaries

Fatal Pursuit (1994), Angel’s Tide (1995) and Pressure Point (1997). New York Times, Apr. 12, 2000, A29; People, Apr. 24, 2000, 106; Time, Apr. 24, 2000, 25; Times (of London), Apr. 12, 2000, 25a; TV Guide, June 3, 2000, 4; Variety, Apr. 17, 2000, 55.

Lockwood, Vera

Larry Linville

career on television in the late 1960s, appearing in episodes of Bonanza, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, The Young Lawyers, Night Gallery, Cannon and The F.B.I. He was also seen in the film Kotch (1971), and the tele-films Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), Vanished (1971) and The Night Stalker (1972). He joined the cast of M*A*S*H in 1972, starring with Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers and Loretta Swit. Linville left the series after five seasons. He starred as Major General Kevin Kelley in the short lived sit-com Grandpa Goes to Washington in 1978. He starred in several other shortlived series including Checking In as Lyle Block in 1981, Herbie, the Love Bug as Randy Bigelow in 1982, and Paper Dolls as Grayson Carr in 1984. He was also seen in the tele-films A Christmas for Boomer (1979), The Girl, the Gold Watch and Dynamite (1981), Night Partners (1983), and Crazy for You (1999), and episodes of such series as The Rockford Files, The Sixth Sense, Search, CHiPs, Supertrain, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Misfits of Science, Murder, She Wrote, Airwolf, Night Court, Dream On, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Nurses. His occasional film credits also include School Spirit (1985), Blue Movies (1988), Earth Girls Are Easy (1989), CHUD II — Bud the Chud (1989), Rock ’n’ Roll High School Forever (1990), Body Waves (1992), West from North Goes South (193), No Dessert Dad, Til You Mow the Lawn (1994), A Million to Juan (1994),

Character actress Vera Lockwood died in North Bergen, New Jersey, on July 28, 2000. She was born Elvira Visconti in Bristol, Connecticut. She began her career in films as a character actress in the early 1980s, appearing in C.O.D. (1981), Splitz (1984), Agent on Ice (1985), Mortal Sins (1990), The Freshman (1990), Out for Justice (1991), Rumpelstiltskin (1996), Love Is All There Is (1996), True Friends (1998) and Jane Austen’s Mafia! (1998). Lockwood starred as Philomena in the short lived 1990 television sit-com The Fanelli Boys and was Eleni Kanelos in the daytime soap opera Port Charles from 1998. She was also seen in the tele-films Infidelity (1987) and Sinatra (1992), and in episodes of Night Court, Doogie Howser, M.D., Murphy Brown, Grace Under Fire, ER, and NYPD Blue.

Vera Lockwood

Obituaries • 2000

146

London, Julie Singer and actress Julie London died in an Encino, California, hospital after a long illness on October 18, 2000. She had suffered a stroke five years earlier and had been in poor health ever since. She was 74. Ms. London was born Julie Peck in Santa Clara, California, on September 26, 1926. She made her film debut in 1944’s Nabonga and was soon singing with the Matty Malnech Orchestra. She was featured in several other films in the 1940s including On Stage Everybody (1945), Diamond Horseshoe (1945), A Night in Paradise (1946), The Red House (1947), Tap Roots (1948), Task Force (1949), Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and The Fat Man (1951). She had married actor Jack Webb in 1947, and the couple had two daughters before their divorce in 1953. She continued her film career in such features as The Fighting Chance (1955), The Great Man (1956), The Girl Can’t Help It (1956), Crime

Against Joe (1956), Drango (1957), Voice in the Mirror (1958), Saddle the Wind (1958), Man of the West (1958), The Wonderful Country (1959), A Question of Adultery (1959), Night of the Quarter Moon (1959), The Third Voice (1960) and The George Raft Story (1961). During the 1950s Ms. London was also a popular singer under the direction of songwriter Bobby Troupe. She recorded the popular 1955 song “Cry Me a River” and the album Julie Is Her Name. She married Troupe in 1959 and the couple remained together until his death in 1999. She also starred with Troupe on the popular television series Emergency! as Nurse Dixie McCall from 1972 until 1977. London was also seen on television in episodes of such series as Zane Grey Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Adventures in Paradise, Laramie, Rawhide, I Spy, Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Big Valley. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 19, 2000, B9; New York Times, Oct. 19, 2000, C20; People, Nov. 6, 2000, 147; Time, Oct. 30, 2000, 31; Times (of London), Oct. 20, 2000, 25a; Variety, Oct. 23, 2000, 137.

Longoria, Valerio Conjunto musician Valerio Longoria died in a San Antonio, Texas, nursing home on December 15, 2000. He was 75. Longoria was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1924, and moved to Texas as a child. He began playing the accordion at an early age, working weddings and parties. He continued to entertain while serving in the Army during World War II. Longoria made his first recording of conjunto dance music in 1946. He continued to record and perform through the 1980s. Longoria spent the last twenty years teaching accordion at the Guadalupe Cultural Center in San Antonio. New York Times, Dec. 19, 2000, C16.

Longrigg, Roger

Julie London

Novelist Roger Longrigg died at a Farnham, England, hospice on February 26, 2000. He was 70. Longrigg, who wrote novels under such various pseudonyms as Rosalind Erskine, Megan Barker, Ivor Drummond, Grania Beckford, Frank Parrish and Domini Taylor, worked in advertising before writing his first book, A High Pitched

147

2000 • Obituaries

year-old school girl recounting a true story of setting up a brothel for boys at a nearby school, his 1962 novel The Passion Flower Hotel, was his best known work. It was filmed as Leidenschaftliche Bluemchen in 1978, starring Nastassia Kinski. As Domini Taylor, he authored 1983’s Mother Love, which was adapted as a television mini-series by the BBC in 1989 starring Diana Rigg. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 2000, A20; New York Times, Mar. 20, 2000, B8; Times (of London), Mar. 16, 2000, 25a.

Love, Ula Actress Ula Love died in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 10, 2000. She was in her mid–80s. Ms. Love appeared on Broadway and in the Ziegfeld Follies. She was best known as Sylvia “Silly” Parker in the 1937 Gene Autry film Springtime in the Rockies. Her other film credits include Stand Up and Cheer (1934), The Three Mesquiteers (1936), The Trigger Trio Ula Love (1937) and Youth on Parole (1937). Valerio Longorio

Roger Longrigg

Buzz, in 1956. He continued with such popular works as Switchboard (1957), Lover Among the Bottles (1967) and The Jevington System (1973). Writing as Rosalind Erskine, supposedly a 15-

Ludlum, Edward Television director Edward Ludlum died in Los Angeles on November 21, 2000. He was 80. Ludlum was born in New York City on November 8, 1920. He began directing for the stage in 1951, helming productions of Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms, and William Inge’s The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and Come Back, Little Sheba. Ludlum also worked in television in the 1950s, directing episodes of Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer and Whispering Smith. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 25, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 26, 2000, 58; Variety, Dec. 18, 2000, 75.

Obituaries • 2000

148

Lutsik, Pyotr Russian film director and screenwriter Pyotr Lutsik died of a heart attack in Moscow on October 29, 2000. He was 40. Lutsik was born in the Ukraine in 1960. He began scripting films in the early 1990s, often partnered with Alexei Samoryadov. Lutsik’s credits include DyubaDyuba (1993), Children of the Cast-Iron Gods (1993) and Limita (1994). He also directed the 1998 film Outskirts from a script he co-wrote with Samoryadov. Variety, Nov. 6, 2000, 77.

MacColl, Kirsty British rock singer Kirsty MacColl was killed on December 18, 2000, when she was hit by a speedboat while swimming off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico. She was 41. MacColl was born in Croydon, Surrey, England, on October 10,

1959, the daughter of songwriter Ewan MacColl and dancer Jean Newlove. She began her career singing with the British punk band, the Drug Addix, before releasing her first single, “They Don't Know,” in 1979. She recorded several hit songs including 1981's “There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop (Swears He's Elvis)” and “Walking Down Madison.” Her biggest hit came with the Pogues’ 1987 Christmas song “Fairytale in New York.” She composed music for several British television series including Dream Stuffing (1984), Moving Story (1994) and Picking Up the Pieces (1998). She also appeared in an episode of the French and Saunders series in 1990. MacColl's albums include Kite (1989), Titanic Days (1994) and 2000's Tropical Brainstorm. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 20, 2000, B7; New York Times, Dec. 20, 2000, C19; Times (of London), Dec. 20, 2000, 19a; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

McCoy, Tony Actor Tony McCoy, who starred in the Edward Wood's cult horror classic Bride of the Monster with Bela Lugosi in 1956, died in August of 2000. McCoy also appeared in the 1956 film Naked Gun and was featured on television in an episode of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.

Tony McCoy (with Loretta King, visiting a hospitalized Bela Lugosi).

McCurdy, Ed Kirsty MacColl

Folksinger and songwriter Ed McCurdy died in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on March 23, 2000. He was 81. McCurdy was born in Willow

149

2000 • Obituaries

Guiding Light. She was soon helming segments of the soap, and also directed such other soap operas as As the World Turns and One Life to Live. She moved to Los Angeles in 1984, where she continued to direct for television such series as The Young and the Restless, Capitol, True Colors, Trial by Jury, Tribes and Passions. She also helmed the feature The Big Bowling Ball and was featured in a small part in the 1988 horror film Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Variety Feb. 28, 2000, 96.

McFadden, Bob Singer and voice actor Bob McFadden died of Lou Gehrig's disease in Delray Beach, Florida, on January 7, 2000. He was 76. McFadden was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, in 1923. He began his career as a nightclub singer in the late 1940s. He began doing voiceovers for commercials in the early 1960s, working with Pepperidge Farm, Geritol, Mountain Dew and Frankenberry cereal. He was also the voice of the parrot in Wisk commercials in the 1970s saying “Ring around the Ed McCurdy

Hill, Pennsylvania, in 1918. He began performing as a gospel singer on an Oklahoma City radio station before becoming a folksinger in Canada in 1946. He recorded his first album, Ed McCurdy Sings Songs of the Canadian Maritimes, in 1950. McCurdy's best known song was 1950's “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream.” His songs were recorded by such stars as Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie and Johnny Cash. During the 1960s McCurdy worked as a character actor on Canadian television. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 2, 2000, B5; New York Times, Apr. 1, 2000, A11.

McDonnell, M.J. Television director M.J. McDonnell died of ovarian cancer at her Santa Monica, California, home on January 22, 2000. She was 47. McDonnell was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1952. She began working in television in New York as a production assistant for the daytime soap opera The

Bob McFadden

Obituaries • 2000

150

collar!” He also provided voices for numerous cartoon shows including The Astronut Show as Oscar Mild, Batfink, Karate Kat, Mini-Monsters, Street Frogs, Tigersharks, Cool McCool, Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse, Milton the Monster, Silverhawks and Thundercats. New York Times, Jan. 12, 2000, B11; TV Guide, Mar. 4, 2000, 6.

McGraw, Eloise Author Eloise Jarvis McGraw died of complications from cancer in Portland, Oregon, on November 30, 2000. She was 84. McGraw was born in Houston, Texas, on December 9, 1915. She began writing children's books with 1950's Sawdust in His Shoes. She was the author of 19 books for children and young adults including the Newberry Honor books The Golden Goblet, Moccasin Trail and The Moorchild (1996). She was the recipient of the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her novel A Really Weird Summer. She also co-authored Merry-GoRound in Oz, the 40th book in the Wizard of Oz series. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 10, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 5, 2000, C23.

MacNelly, Jeff Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Jeff MacNelly died of lymphoma in a Baltimore, Mary-

land, hospital on June 8, 2000. He was 53. MacNelly was born in New York City in 1946. He began drawing editorial cartoons for The Richmond News Leader in the early 1970s. He won his first Pulitzer Prize soon afterwards in 1972. He received a second Pulitzer in 1978, and a third, while working for The Chicago Tribune, in 1985. MacNelly created the popular syndicated comic strip Shoe, about a newsroom populated by birds, in 1977. Los Angeles Times, June 9, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 9, 2000, C23; People, June 26, 2000, 157; Time, June 19, 2000, 33.

McNulty, Barney Barney McNulty, who was credited with inventing the cue cards for performers, died at his home in Studio City, California, on December 18, 2000. He was 77. McNulty was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 15, 1923. He began working as a cue card man for The Ed Wynn Show in 1949, writing lines for Wynn during an illness. During his career he worked with such stars as Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Danny Kaye, George Burns, Orson Welles, Lucille Ball and the Smothers Brothers. He also worked on numerous television variety shows, telefilms and series. His sister was actress Penny Singleton who starred in the Blondie film series. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 22, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 26, 2000, C6; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 48.

Barney McNulty

Jeff MacNelly

151

MacRae, Meredith Actress Meredith MacRae died of brain cancer at her Manhattan Beach, California, home on July 14, 2000. She was 56. MacRae was born in Houston, Texas, on May 30, 1944, the daughter of actors Gordon and Sheila MacRae. She began her career in film at the age of seven, appearing with her father in 1953’s By the Light of the Silvery Moon. In the early 1960s she was featured in several AIP films including Beach Party (1963) and Bikini Beach (1964). MacRae appeared regularly as Sally Ann Morrison Douglas on the My Three Sons television series from 1963 to 1965. The following year she starred as Billie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction, remaining with the series until 1970. She appeared in several other films including Footsteps in the Snow (1966), Norwood (1970), My Friends Need Killing (1976), Grand Jury (1976), Sketches of a Strangler (1978), Earthbound (1981), Vultures (1983) and The Census Taker (1984), and the tele-films The Werewolf of Woodstock (1975), Three on a Date (1978) and The Calendar Girl Murders (1984). Her other television credits include episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies, Love, American Style, Alias Smith and Jones, The FBI, The Rockford Files, CHiPs, The Next Step Beyond, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy and Magnum, P.I. She was also a voice actress on Batman: The Animated Series. MacRae was host of the local interview series Mid-Morning L.A. during the

Meredith MacRae

2000 • Obituaries

1980s, and created the interview series Born Famous. Los Angeles Times, July 15, 2000, B6; New York Times, July 16, 2000, 30; People, July 31, 2000, 119; TV Guide, Aug. 12, 2000, 6; Variety, July 17, 2000, 70.

McVea, Jack Saxophonist Jack McVea died of cancer in Los Angeles on December 27, 2000. He was 86. McVea was born in Los Angeles in 1914. He began performing with Lionel Hampton’s band in 1940. He formed his own jazz band four years later. McVea was best known for the 1947 hit song “Open the Door, Richard.” McVea continued to perform through the early 1990s, working often at Disneyland. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 5, 2001, B7.

Manners, Zeke Musician and radio personality Zeke Manners died in a Los Angeles hospital on October 14, 2000. He was 89. He was born Leo Ezekiel Mannes in San Francisco on October 10, 1911. Manners was best known for his work with the Beverly Hill Billies, a comedy Western swing band, that was popular on Los Angeles and New

Zeke Manners

Obituaries • 2000

152

York radio stations in the 1930s. He later formed Zeke and the City Fellers, playing similar music. Manners hosted the radio show One Man Variety Show in the 1940s and wrote over 100 songs including “The Pennsylvania Polka,” “Take My Wife Please” and “Los Angeles.” Manners was the uncle of actor-director Albert Brooks and was featured in two of his nephew’s films, Real Life (1979) and Lost in America (1985). He also appeared in the 1987 film Barfly. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 24, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 22, 2000, 49.

Manza, Ralph Character actor Ralph Manza died of complications from a heart attack at an Encinitas, California, hospital on January 31, 2000. He was 78. Manza was born in San Francisco on December 1, 1921. He began his career after serving as a medic to a troupe of entertainers during World War II. He made his film debut in a small part in 1957’s The Enemy Below. He also appeared in the films Gang War (1958), The Hunters (1958), Secret of Deep Harbor (1961), This Is Not a Test (1962), That Touch of Mink (1962), Dear Heart (1964) and What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966). Manza also appeared frequently on television. He was featured as Assistant District Attorney Al Bonacorsi in the 1959 police drama The

D.A.’s Man and was Mike Costello in the General Hospital soap opera in 1963. Manza was also seen in episodes of Perry Mason, Outlaws, Judge Roy Bean, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone, The Wide Country, The Virginian, Laredo, Honey West, Batman, Get Smart, Petticoat Junction, Gunsmoke, Family Affair, The High Chaparral and Night Gallery. He co-starred with George Peppard in the crime series Banacek, playing Jay Drury from 1972 to 1974. He was also seen as Stanke, the ambulance driver, in the 1978 short-lived comedy series A.E.S. Hudson Street, and was Padre Guardiano in the Mama Malone series in 1984. His other television credits include the tele-films The Smugglers (1968), A Cry for Help (1975), Terraces (1977), Samurai (1978) and Perfect Gentlemen (1978), and episodes of Barney Miller, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, Zorro and Son, Little House on the Prairie, CHiPs, Crazy Like a Fox, Mama’s Family, Blue Thunder, Matlock, Newhart, Anything but Love, Night Court, Beauty and the Beast, the new Twilight Zone, Seinfeld, The Nanny, Silk Stalkings, Mad About You, Home Improvement, The Home Court, Alright Already, Charmed, Friends and Boy Meets World. He also appeared in the films The Wild Party (1975), The One and Only (1978), The Cat from Outer Space (1978), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979), Love at First Bite (1979), Fatso (1980), Little Miss Marker (1980), The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), Beer (1985), Retribution (1988), 9∂ Ninjas! (1991), Mission of Justice (1992), Dave (1993), Lookin’ Italian (1994), Get Shorty (1995), Godzilla (1998) as the old fisherman, and What’s Cookin’ (2000).

Marchand, Nancy

Ralph Manza

Character actress Nancy Marchand, best known for her television roles as the Mafia matriarch in HBO’s The Sopranos and newspaper publisher Mrs. Pynchon on Lou Grant, died of lung cancer at her home in Stratford, Connecticut, on June 18, 2000. She was 72. Marchand was born in Buffalo, New York, on June 18, 1928, and began her career on stage. She starred with Rod Steiger in the 1953 television production of Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty. Marchand also appeared in segments of Philco Television Playhouse and The Naked City, and was featured on several soap operas. She was Edna Mae Carroll on The Edge of

153

2000 • Obituaries

Los Angeles Times, June 20, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 20, 2000, B9; People, July 3, 2000, 69; Time, July 3, 2000, 17; TV Guide, July 15, 2000, 4; Variety, June 26, 2000, 67.

Mark, S. Carl Radio pioneer S. Carl Mark died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 4, 2000. He was 86. He was born Sidney Mark in New York City in 1913. He began his career in radio in 1937 in Cleveland. Mark hosted the syndicated series Mutual Goes Calling through the early 1940s. He also acted in numerous radio dramas. He later became a radio executive in Tulsa. He started up Tulsa’s first FM radio station, KAKC, in 1964.

Marquand, Christian Nancy Marchand

Night in 1962, Vinnie Phillips on Love of Life from 1970 to 1974, Therese Lamonte on Another World in 1976. She also appeared in the films The Bachelor Party (1957), Ladybug, Ladybug (1963), Me, Natalie (1969), Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970) and The Hospital (1971). On television she also starred as Mary Lassiter on the shortlived drama series Beacon Hill in 1975 and was Margaret Pynchon on Lou Grant from 1977 to 1982, a role which earned her four Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She was also featured in episodes of Cheers, Spenser: For Hire, Coach, Night Court, Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street. Her other television credits include the tele-films A Touch of the Poet (1974), The Adams Chronicles (1976), Willa (1979), Some Kind of Miracle (1979), Once Upon a Family (1980), The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980), Killjoy (1981), Agatha Christie’s Sparkling Cyanide (1983) and Kiss-Kiss, Dahlings! (1992). She was also featured in the mini-series Spearfield’s Daughter (1986) and North and South II (1986). Her later film credits include The Bostonians (1984), From the Hip (1987), The Naked Gun (1988), Regarding Henry (1991), Brain Donors (1992), Jefferson in Paris (1995), Reckless (1995), Sabrina (1995) and Dear God (1996). She earned another Emmy Award for her role as Livia Soprano in The Sopranos shortly before her death.

French actor and director Christian Marquand died in Paris after a long illness on November 22, 2000. He was 73. Marquand was born in Marseilles on March 15, 1927. He began his career on stage as a comedian. He made his film debut in Jean Cocteau’s 1945 production of Beauty and the Beast. He was also featured in the films Lucretia Borgia (1953), Human Torpedoes (1954), The Wanton Contessa (1954), Atilla the Hun (1954), Doctors (1955), Lady Chatterley’s

Christian Marquand (with Brigitte Bardot).

Obituaries • 2000

154

Lover (1955), Love at Night (1956), Roger Vadim’s …And God Created Woman (1956) with Brigitte Bardot, No Sun in Venice (1957), End of Desire (1958), Temptation (1959), I Spit on Your Grave (1959), Sergeant X of the Foreign Legion (1960), Passionate Affair (1960), Love Play (1960), Les Adolescentes (1960), Crime Does Not Pay (1961), Tales of Paris (1962), Young Girls of Good Families (1962), The Longest Day (1962), Careless Love (1963), Behold a Pale Horse (1964), Lord Jim (1965), The Corrupt Ones (1967), The Road to Corinth (1968), Ciao! Manhattan (1972), The Other Side of Midnight (1977), Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), I Love You All (1980), Choice of Arms (1980), Emanuelle 4 (1984) and Next Summer (1985). He was also seen in the tele-films Victory at Entebbe (1976) and Evening in Byzantium (1978) and the mini-series Beggarman, Thief (1979). Marquand directed and scripted the 1962 film Of Flesh and Blood and directed the 1968 comedy Candy. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2000, B9; Times (of London), Dec. 4, 2000, 21a; Variety, Dec. 11, 2000, 70.

Marsh, Joan Joan Marsh, a leading lady from the 1930s who began her career in silent films as a child actress, died in Ojai, California, on August 10, 2000. She was 87. Marsh was born Nancy Ann Rosher in Porterville, California, on July 10, 1913. She was the daughter of cinematographer Charles Rosher, and made her film debut as a child in Mary Pickford silent films. Billed as Dorothy Rosher, she was featured in Hearts Aflame (1915), The Little Princess (1917), How Could You Jean? (1918), The Bond (1918), Daddy Long Legs (1919), Pollyanna (1920) and Thou Art the Man (1920). She returned to the screen a decade later as a glamorous platinum blonde. She appeared in the films The King of Jazz (1930), All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Little Accident (1930), Dance, Fools, Dance (1931), Three Girls Lost (1931), Politics (1931), Maker of Men (1931), A Tailor Made Man (1931), Shipmates (1931), Meet the Wife (1931), God Is My Witness (1931), Inspiration (1931), Are You Listening? (1932), The Wet Parade (1932), They Call It Sin (1932), That’s My Boy (1932), Bachelor’s Affairs (1932), The Man Who Dared (1933), Rainbow Over Broadway (1933),

Joan Marsh

Mark It Paid (1933), It’s Great to Be Alive (1933), Three-Cornered Moon (1933), High Gear (1933), Daring Daughters (1933), You’re Telling Me! (1934), We’re Rich Again (1934), Many Happy Returns (1934), Champagne for Breakfast (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), Dancing Feet (1936), Brilliant Marriage (1936), Life Begins in College (1937), Hot Water (1937), Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937), The Lady Objects (1938), Idiot’s Delight (1939), Fast and Loose (1939), Road to Zanzibar (1941), The Man in the Trunk (1942), Police Bullets (1942), Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943), the 1943 serial Secret Service in Darkest Africa and “Follow the Leader” (1944). She retired from the screen following her marriage to John D.W. Morrill in 1943. She had previously been married to screenwriter Charles Belden. Times (of London), Aug. 31, 2000, 19a; Variety, Sept. 25, 2000, 196.

Martelli, Otello Italian cinematographer Otello Martelli died in Rome on February 21, 2000. He was 98. Martelli, who was best known for his frequent collaborations with director Federico Fellini, was born in Rome on May 19, 1902. He began working in the Italian cinema as an assistant cameraman in silent films in the 1920s. Martelli served

155 as the newsreel cameraman covering Umberto Nobile’s 1928 expedition to the North Pole. He photographed his first feature in 1935 — Alessandro Blasetti’s Old Guard. For the next thirty years Martelli worked with Italy’s most acclaimed directors, serving as cinematographer on such films as Capitan Tempesta (1941), Loves of Don Juan (1942), In High Places (1943), Roberto Rossellini’s Paisan (1946), Giuseppe De Santis’ The Tragic Hunt (1947), Bitter Rice (1948), Ways of Love (1948), Stromboli (1949), The Golden Madonna (1949), The Glass Mountain (1949), Black Magic (1949), Variety Lights (1950) his first film with Fellini, The Flowers of St. Francis (1950), Alberto Lattuada’s Anna (1951), I Vitelloni (1953), We, the Women (1958), Sierra Morena (1953), The Road (1954), Mario Soldati’s Woman of the River (1955) starring Sophia Loren, The Swindle (1955), Lucky to Be a Woman (1956), Rene Clement’s The Angry Eye (1957), Holiday Island (1957), Jules Dassin’s Where the Hot Wind Blows! (1958), The Sea Wall (1958), Fellini’s acclaimed 1960 film La Dolce Vita, Stories of the Revolution (1960), Girl in the Window (1961), Boccaccio ’70 (1962), Cyrano et d’Artagnan (1963), La Mia Signora (1964), Three Faces of a Woman (1965) and Death Walks in Laredo (1966). Variety, Feb. 28, 2000, 96.

Martin, Don Mad magazine cartoonist Don Martin died of cancer in Miami, Florida, on January 6, 2000. He was 68. Martin was born in Clifton, New Jersey, in 1931. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and began working with Mad during the early days of the magazine in the mid–1950s. He became known for his drawings of odd-looking characters who usually meet a violently goof y demise, or Don Martin

2000 • Obituaries

inflict one on others. He created his own vocabulary of such words as “SPLOP,” “SHTOINK” and “FAGROON,” to indicate sound effects for his cartoons. Paperback collections of Martin’s cartoons sold over 7 million copies. He remained with Mad until 1987, when a conflict with founder and publisher William Gaines led him to accept a job with Cracked, a humor magazine competitor. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 8, 2000, A17; New York Times, Jan. 8, 2000, C15; People, Jan. 24, 2000, 95; Time, Jan. 17, 2000, 33.

Martin, Helen Character actress Helen Martin died of a heart attack at her Monterey, California, home on February 25, 2000. She was 90. Martin was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 23, 1909. She was best known for her role as neighbor Pearl Shay in the television sit-com 227 in the mid– 1980s. Martin also starred as Luzelle Carter in the 1978 sit-com Baby, I’m Back, and had recurring roles in the series That’s My Mama and Good Times. She began her career on stage, appearing in Broadway productions of Orson Welles’ Native Son, Deep Are the Roots, The Long Dream and Amen Corner. She was a founding member of Harlem’s American Negro Theater. She was also featured in numerous films including J.T. (1969),

Helen Martin

Obituaries • 2000

156

Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), Death Wish (1974), A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich (1978), Wacko (1981), Deal of the Century (1983), Repo Man (1984), Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Night Angel (1990), A Rage in Harlem (1991), House Party 2 (1991), Doc Hollywood (1991), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), I’m Bout It (1997), Kiss the Girls (1997), I Got the Hook Up (1998), Bulworth (1998) with Warren Beatty, and the recently completed Something to Sing About. Her other television credits include the 1977 mini-series Roots, and the tele-films Lawman Without a Gun (1977), Cindy (1978), Dummy (1979), T.J. Hooker (1982), Amos (1985), A Raisin in the Sun (1989) and Since You’ve Been Gone (1998). She was also seen in episodes of Maude, Sanford and Son, What’s Happening!!, Starsky and Hutch, Alice, Hill Street Blues, Benson, The Wayans Bros. and The Jamie Fox Show. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 28, 2000, A18; New York Times, Apr. 4, 2000, B8; People, Apr. 17, 2000, 93; Time, Apr. 10, 2000, 31; TV Guide, May 20, 2000, 6; Variety, Apr. 10, 2000, 75.

Masselink, Ben Screenwriter and novelist Ben Masselink died of prostate cancer in Los Angeles on January 13, 2000. He was 80. Masselink wrote for numerous magazines including TV Guide, Playboy and The Saturday Evening Post. He began writing for television in the 1960s, scripting episodes of Dr. Kildare, Marcus Welby, M.D., Barnaby Jones, Hawaii Five-O and Starsky and Hutch. He also scripted the 1979 tele-film Portrait of a Stripper. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 16, 2000, B6.

Massi, Nick Singer Nick Massi who performed with the group the Four Seasons died of cancer in West Orange, New Jersey, on December 24, 2000. He was 73. Massi was born Nicholas Macioci in Newark, New Jersey, in 1927. He joined Frankie Vallie’s original Four Lovers, which evolved into the Four Seasons, after performing with several other bands. The group had numerous hit records in the early 1960s including “Big Girls Don’t

Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Sherry” and “Rag Doll.” Massi left the group in 1965. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 30, 2000, B6; People, Jan. 15, 2001, 85.

Massimino, Joe Bandleader Joe Massimino died of complications from stomach cancer in California on May 24, 2000. He was 63. Massimino began his career while in his teens playing with Tommy Dorsey’s band. He toured with Dorsey for several years and later performed with Doc Severinsen, Joe Williams and Buddy Rich. He led the band for television’s The Mike Douglas Show for fifteen years until the show went off the air in 1982. Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2000, B9; Variety, June 26, 2000, 67.

Matthau, Walter Walter Matthau, the gravel-voiced Oscarwinning character actor, died of a heart attack in Santa Monica, California, on July 1, 2000. He was 79. He was born Walter Matuschanskayasky to Russian Jewish immigrants in New York City on October 1, 1920. Matthau served in the Army Air Force during World War II. After the war he attended acting classes and began appearing on stage. He soon gained a reputation on Broadway as a versatile character performer. He made his film debut in the mid–1950s, often appearing in villainous roles. He was featured in such films as The Kentuckian (1955), The Indian Fighter (1955), Bigger Than Life (1956), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957), A Face in the Crowd (1957), King Creole (1958), Voice in the Mirror (1958), Ride a Crooked Trail (1958), Onionhead (1958), Strangers When We Meet (1960), Gangster Story (1960) which he also directed, Lonely Are the Brave (1962), Who’s Got the Action? (1962), Island of Love (1963), Charade (1963), Ensign Pulver (1964), Goodbye Charlie (1964), Fail-Safe (1964) and Mirage (1965). Matthau earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1966’s The Fortune Cookie, which also marked his longtime screen partnership with actor Jack Lemmon. Matthau was featured in the 1967 comedy A

157

2000 • Obituaries

tinued to appear in such films as The Grass Harp (1994), I’m Not Rappaport (1996), Out to Sea (1997), The Odd Couple II (1998), The Marriage Fool (1998) and 2000’s Hanging Up. Matthau starred in the 1961 television series Tallahassee 7000 as Lex Rogers. He was also seen in episodes of Danger, Philco Television Playhouse, Suspense, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Alcoa Hour, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Profiles in Courage, The Naked City, Route 66, The Rogues and Insight. His other television credits include the tele-films The Stingiest Man in Town (1978), The Incident (1990), Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love (1991), Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore (1992) and Incident in a Small Town (1994). Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2000, A1; New York Times, July 2, 2000, 26; Times (of London), July 3, 2000, 21a; Variety, July 10, 2000, 50; Washington Post, July 2, 2000, C6.

Matthews, Neal, Jr. Walter Matthau

Guide for the Married Man and 1968’s The Secret Life of an American Wife and Candy. He again co-starred with Lemmon in Neil Simon’s hit The Odd Couple (1968), reprising his Broadway role as Oscar Madison. Matthau starred opposite Barbra Streisand in 1969’s Hello, Dolly! and Goldie Hawn and Ingrid Bergman in 1969’s Cactus Flower. He continued to star in such films as A New Leaf (1971), Plaza Suite (1971), Kotch (1971), Pete ’n’ Tillie (1972), Charley Varrick (1973), The Laughing Policeman (1973), Earthquake (1974) in a cameo role, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), The Front Page (1974), The Sunshine Boys (1975) with George Burns, The Bad News Bears (1976), House Calls (1978), Casey’s Shadow (1978), California Suite (1978), Hopscotch (1980), Little Miss Marker (1980), Buddy Buddy (1981), First Monday in October (1981), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), The Survivors (1983), Movers and Shakers (1985), Pirates (1986), The Little Devil (1988), The Couch Trip (1988) and Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991). He was again teamed with Jack Lemmon in the popular comedy Grumpy Old Men (1993) and the 1995 sequel Grumpier Old Men. He played Mr. Wilson in Dennis the Menace in 1993 and Albert Einstein in 1993’s I.Q. He con-

Singer Neal Matthews, Jr., died of a heart attack at his home near Nashville, Tennessee, on April 21, 2000. He was 70. Matthews was a member of the singing quartet the Jordanaires from 1953. The group sang back-up to Elvis Presley on may songs including “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” They also worked with such singers as Patsy Cline, Jimmy Dean, Ricky Nelson, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Merle Haggard. He was sidelined by a stroke in the Neal Matthews, Jr. (top, mid–1990s, but with the Jordainaires). had recently returned to performing in Las Vegas with the Jordanaires. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 24, 2000, B4.

Obituaries • 2000

158

Maxwell, William Literary editor and author William Maxwell died at his Manhattan home on July 31, 2000. He was 91. Maxwell was born in Lincoln, Illinois, on August 16, 1908. His first novel, Bright Center of Heaven, was published in 1934. Three years later Maxwell joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine. He served as an editor to such leading writers as J.D. Salinger, John Cheever, John O’Hara, Eudora Welty, Vladimir Nabokov and Frank O’Connor. Maxwell also continued to write, publishing the novels Time Will William Maxwell Darken It (1948) and the American Book Award–winning So Long, See You Tomorrow (1980). His short story collections include Billie Dyer (1992) and Over by the River. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2, 2000, A11; New York Times, Aug. 2, 2000, B9; Time, Aug. 14, 2000, 25; Times (of London), Aug. 2, 2000, 19a.

Menendez Leal, Alvaro Salvadorean playwright Alvaro Menendez Leal died in a San Salvador hospital of pancreatic cancer on April 6, 2000. He was 69. Menendez Leal was best known for his surreal play Black Light, concerning the decapitated heads of two executed prisoners that try to communicate with the living. He was a leading figure in El Salvador’s literary community. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 2000, B5.

Menkin, Lawrence Radio and television writer Lawrence Menkin died of complications from pneumonia at a

Lawrence Menkin

nursing home in Santa Clara, California, on July 18, 2000. He was 88. Menkin was born in New York City on December 25, 1911. He began his career in radio, scripting segments of such series as The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet in the 1940s. He worked in television from the early 1950s, creating the first television science fiction series, Captain Video, in 1949. He also produced the early television series Wide Wide World and Harlem Detective. Menkin was a story editor for such series as Perry Mason, Rawhide, California Patrol, Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, Dragnet, 77 Sunset Strip, The Outer Limits and Bonanza. He had small onscreen roles in the films Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). Variety, July 24, 2000, 66.

Mercer, Frances Actress and model Frances Mercer died of heart failure in Los Angeles on November 4, 2000. She was 85. Mercer was born in New Rochelle, New York, on October 21, 1915. A leading model in the 1930s, she made her film debut in 1938’s Vivacious Lady with Ginger Rogers and Jimmy Stewart. She continued to appear in such films as Blind Alibi (1938), Annabel Takes a Tour (1938), Smashing the Rackets (1938), The Mad Miss Manton (1938), Crime Ring (1938), Beauty for the Asking (1939), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) and Society Lawyer (1939). She

159 largely concentrated on stage work during the 1940s, appearing in the Broadway musicals All the Things You Are and Something for the Boys. She also hosted the New York radio program Sunday Night at Nine, and appeared in the film Picadilly Incident (1946). During the 1950s she was featured in the films There’s Always Tomorrow (1956), Pardners (1956) and Young and Dangerous (1957). She starred as Nurse Ann Talbot on the television medical drama Dr. Hudson’s Secret Journal from 1955 to 1957, and was the mother-in-law on the 1959 soap opera For Better or Worse. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 8, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 22, 2000, C19.

Meredith, Morley Baritone Morley Meredith died of cancer at a Palm Beach, Florida, hospital on February 3, 2000. Meredith was born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1922. He began performing with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and made his debut with the New York City Opera in 1956’s

Morley Meredith

2000 • Obituaries

Carmen. He debuted with the Metropolitan Opera in a production of Contes d’Hoffmann in 1962. He also performed roles in Boris Godunov, Cavalleria Rusticana, Parsifal and Tosca with the Met. He continued to perform through the 1990s.

Merrick, David Broadway theatrical producer David Merrick died in his sleep at a rest home in London on April 25, 2000. He was 88. Merrick was born David Margulois in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 27, 1911. He was trained as a lawyer, but entered show business in 1940. His first hit was a production of Fanny on Broadway in 1954. He became one of the most successful Broadway producers in history, earning six Tony Awards during his career. His numerous productions also include Look Back in Anger (1957), The World of Suzie Wong (1958), Gypsy (1959), Irma La Douce (1960), Do Re Mi (1960), A Taste of Honey (1960), Becket (1960), Carnival (1961), Luther (1962), I

David Merrick

Obituaries • 2000

160

Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962), I Do! I Do! (1966), Stop the World, I Want to Get Off (1962), Hello, Dolly! (1964) with Carol Channing, Cactus Flower (1965), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1967), Promises Promises (1968), Forty Carats (1968), Travesties (1975) and 42nd Street (1980). Merrick suffered a crippling stroke in 1983, though he continued to remain active with the stage. His last production was a 1996 version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein film State Fair. Merrick also produced several films during his career including Child’s Play (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974) with Robert Redford, Semi-Tough (1978) and Rough Cut (1980). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 27, 2000, A1; New York Times, Apr. 27, 2000, A1; People, May 15, 2000, 115; Time, May 8, 2000, 33; Times (of London), Apr. 27, 2000, 25a; Variety, May 1, 2000, 91.

Metcalfe, Jean British radio personality Jean Metcalfe died in England on January 28, 2000. She was 76. She was born in Reigate, Surrey, England, on March 2, 1923. She began her career in radio while in her teens in 1941, hosting Forces’ Favourites during World War II. She continued hosting the program for the BBC, which became Family Favourites and later, Two-Way Family Favourites, until 1964. She also hosted the BBC series Woman’s Hour during the 1950s. She returned to radio in the 1970s to host If You Think You’ve Got Problems. Times (of London), Jan. 29, 2000, 24a.

Mezzina, Dominick Film and television actor Dominick Mezzina died of emphysema at a Sherman Oaks, California, hospital on March 5, 2000. He was 40. The New Jersey-born Mezzina began acting in the 1980s. He was seen in the 1987 film Surrender with Sally Field, and in episodes of Evening Shade and MacGyver on television.

Jean Metcalfe

Milford, John Veteran character actor John Milford died on route from a Santa Monica hospital, where he had undergone treatment for melanoma, to his Brentwood, California, home, on August 14, 2000. He was 70. Milford was born in Johnstown, New York on September 7, 1929. He began his career on New York television in the 1940s, appearing in the early series What’s My Name? He made his film debut in 1955’s Marty with Ernest Borgnine. He was also featured in the films The Persuader (1957), Face of a Fugitive (1959), Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1964), Zebra in the Kitchen (1965), For Pete’s Sake (1966), The Last Challenge (1967), Joni (1980), Say Yes (1986) and 1998’s Show & Tell. Best known for his work on television, Milford starred as Sgt. Kagey in the 1963 drama series The Lieutenant and was Cole Younger in the 1965 western The Legend of Jesse James. He played Captain Dempsey in the comedy series Enos in 1980, and was Callahan on the daytime soap opera General Hospital in 1989. He

161

2000 • Obituaries

Los Angeles Times, Aug. 17, 2000, B8; People, Sept. 4, 2000, 113.

Mills, Kevin Christian rock singer Kevin Mills died in Hollywood, California, of injuries received in a motorcycle accident on December 3, 2000. He was 32. Mills was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1968. A bass player and singer, Mills was a founding member of White Heart in 1982. He joined the band Newsboys in 1986, which has earned three Grammy nominations for religious rock music. He played bass on their album Going Public. Mills also appeared in the 1991 tele-film An Inconvenient Woman. John Milford

was also seen in the tele-films The Sound of Anger (1968), The Missing Are Deadly (1974), The Aliens Are Coming (1980), The Kids Who Knew Too Much (1980), Policewoman Centerfold (1983), Wounded Heart (1995) and Broken Trust (1995). His other television credits include guest starring roles in episodes of The Texan, The Restless Gun, Wyatt Earp, Wanted — Dead or Alive, Buckskin, Men into Space, Man and the Challenge, Mystery Show, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Detectives, The Untouchables, The Rifleman, Fury, Zane Grey Theater, Law of the Plainsman, Wichita Town, Have Gun Will Travel, Two Faces West, Sugarfoot, Gunsmoke, Riverboat, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outlaws, Stagecoach West, Cheyenne, Bonanza, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, The Invaders, Captain Nice, The F.B.I., Lassie, Land of the Giants, Laramie, The Virginian, Stoney Burke, Empire, Destry, The Big Valley, A Man Called Shenandoah, Iron Horse, Family Affair, Longstreet, The Sixth Sense, Ghost Story, Cimarron Strip, The High Chaparral, Lancer, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Daniel Boone, The Magician, Planet of the Apes, The Gemini Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Bigfoot and Wildboy, The A-Team, Fame, The Phoenix, Knight Rider, Highway to Heaven, T.J. Hooker, Freddy’s Nightmares, The Client, Melrose Place, Chicken Soup for the Soul and The X Files.

Mitwali, Mustafa Egyptian actor Mustafa Mitwali died of a heart attack in Cairo on July 29, 2000. He was 51. Mitwali began his career in 1970s, appearing on stage and in television soap operas. He made his film debut in Bab Zuweila. He remained a popular star of the Egyptian stage, appearing in productions of A Witness Who Saw Nothing, Seyed, the Servant, The Leader and Bodyguard.

Montero, Germaine French singer and actress Germaine Montero died in Saint-Romain-en-Viennois, France, on June 29, 2000. She was 90. Montero was born Germaine Heygel in Paris on October 22, 1909. She began performing on stage in Spain in the late 1920s. Montero also became a popular star in French cinema, appearing in Le Soleil a Toujours Raison (1942), Casimir (1950), Operation Magali (1953), Lovers, Happy Lovers (1954), Germaine Montero Treize a Table (1956),

Obituaries • 2000

162

Don Juan (1956), Dangerous Games (1958), The Iron Mask (1962), Die Lustige Witwe (1962), Any Number Can Win (1963) and The Game Is Over (1966). He final film credits include Claude Lelouch’s Robert and Robert (1978) and The South (1982).

Montgomery, George Actor George Montgomery died of heart failure in Rancho Mirage, California, on December 12, 2000. He was 84. He was born George Montgomery Letz in Brady, Montana, on August 29, 1916. Montgomery worked as a boxer and studied interior design at the University of Montana before moving to Hollywood in the mid–1930s. He made his film debut as a stuntman in 1935’s The Singing Vagabond. Montgomery, then billed as George Letz, performed stunts and small roles numerous westerns and serials including Gene Autry’s Springtime in the Rockies (1937), Army Girl (1938), Pals in the Saddle (1938), Billy the Kid Returns (1938), Come On, Rangers (1938), Santa Fe Stampede (1938), Shine On, Harvest Moon (1938), Under Western Stars

George Montgomery

(1938), The Old Barn Dance (1938), Gold Mine in the Sky (1938), the 1938 serials The Lone Ranger and Hawk of the Wilderness, I Was a Convict (1939), Southward Ho (1939), The Night Riders (1939), Man of Conquest (1939), Wyoming Outlaw (1939), New Frontier (1939), Wall Street Cowboy (1939), South of the Border (1939), S.O.S. Tidal Wave (1939), Rough Riders’ Round-Up (1939), The Mysterious Miss X (1939), In Old Caliente (1939), Frontier Pony Express (1939), The Arizona Kid (1939), In Old Monterey (1939), HiYo Silver (1940), Young People (1940), Star Dust (1940), Jennie (1940) and Saga of Death Valley (1940). During the 1940s Montgomery graduated to larger roles, though often still starring at westerns at 20th Century–Fox. He appeared in the films The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1940), Charter Pilot (1940), The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941), The Last of the Duanes (1941), The Riders of the Purple Sage (1941), Accent on Love (1941), Cadet Girl (1941), Roxie Hart (1942), Orchestra Wives (1942), Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942), China Girl (1942), Coney Island (1943) and Bomber’s Moon (1943). Montgomery married singer Dinah Shore in March of 1943, remaining wed until their divorce in May of 1962. He served in the Army during World War II. Montgomery resumed his film career after the war ended, starring in Three Little Girls in Blue (1946), The Brasher Doubloon (1947), Lulu Belle (1948), The Girl from Manhattan (1948), Belle Starr’s Daughter (1948), Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950) as Davy Crockett, The Iroquois Trail (1950), Dakota Lil (1950), The Texas Rangers (1951), The Sword of Monte Cristo (1951), Cripple Creek (1952), Indian Uprising (1952), The Pathfinder (1953), Jack McCall, Desperado (1953), Gun Belt (1953), Fort Ti (1953), The Battle of Rogue River (1954), Masterson of Kansas (1954) as Bat Masterson, The Lone Gun (1954), Robber’s Roost (1955), Seminole Uprising (1955), Huk! (1956), Canyon River (1956), Last of the Badmen (1957), Gun Duel in Durango (1957), Street of Sinners (1957), Pawnee (1957), Black Patch (1957), Man from God’s Country (1958), Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958), Badman’s Country (1958), Watusi (1959) and King of the Wild Stallions (1959). Montgomery starred as Matt Rockford in the western television series Cimarron City from 1958 to 1959. His other television credits include episodes of Screen Directors Playhouse, Wagon Train, Hawaiian Eye, Bonanza, I Spy, Alias Smith and Jones and The Six Million

163 Dollar Man. Montgomery began working in the Philippines in the early 1960s, directing and starring in the films The Steel Claw (1961), Samar (1962), Guerrillas in Pink Lace (1964), Satan’s Harvest (1965) and Hell of Borneo (1966). He also starred in the 1966 Italian western Outlaw of Red River. He finished out the decade in the features Hallucination Generation (1966), Hostile Guns (1967), Bomb at 10:10 (1967), Strangers at Sunrise (1969) and The Daredevil (1972). Largely retired from acting, Montgomery’s later film credits include The Wild Wind (1986) and Blood, Money and Tears (1989). Montgomery was also a noted furniture designer and, from the mid–1970s, sculptor, creating bronze statues of such cowboy icons as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Ronald Reagan. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 14, 2000, B8; New York Times, Dec. 15, 2000, C18; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 67; Time, Dec. 25, 2000, 53; Times (of London), Dec. 15, 2000, 25a; TV Guide, Jan. 13, 2001, 10; Variety, Dec. 18, 2000, 75.

Moreira da Silva, Antonio Brazilian singer Antonio Moreira da Silva died in a Rio de Janeiro hospital on June 6, 2000. He was 98. Moreira was born in Rio on April 1,

Antonio Moreira da Silva

2000 • Obituaries

1902. He became a leading Brazilian samba composer and singer in the 1920s and 1930s. He was credited with the innovation of the sama do breque, or break samba, which includes the singer telling jokes or tales during his song. Moreira made over 100 recordings during his career.

Morris, Jane Novelist and celebrity biographer Jane Kesner Ardmore, who wrote under the name Jane Morris, died of complications following hip surgery in Los Angeles on August 16, 2000. She was 88. Morris wrote celebrity profiles in numerous magazines including Saturday Evening Post, Reader’s Digest, Photoplay, McCall’s and Coronet. She worked on several biographies including The Dress Doctor (1959) for Edith Head, The Self Enchanted: Mae Murray, Image of an Era (1959) and Joan Crawford’s autobiography, Portrait of Joan (1962). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 22, 2000, B6; Variety, Oct. 2, 2000, 60.

Morton, Arthur Film and television composer Arthur Morton died at his home in Santa Monica, California, on April 15, 2000. He was 91. Morton was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on August 8, 1908. He began his career in films with the music departments at Hal Roach Studios and Columbia Pictures in the 1930s. He worked on over one hundred films as a composer, arranger or orchestrator during his career including Princess O’Hara (1935), She Gets Her Man (1935), Night Life of the Gods (1935), I’ve Been Around (1935), Manhattan Moon (1935), His Night Out (1935), Lady Tubbs (1935), Theodora Goes Wild (1936), Sea Spoilers (1936), Love Before Breakfast (1936), Ace Drummond (1936), Secret Agent X-9 (1937), Tim Tyler’s Luck (1937), Riding on Air (1937), Reported Missing (1937), Radio Patrol (1937), Night Key (1937), The Man Who Cried Wolf (1937), Fit for a King (1937), The Devil’s Playground (1937), Idol of the Crowds (1937), Topper (1937), Pick a Star (1937), Swiss Miss (1938), The Crime of Dr. Hallett (1938), The Black Doll (1938), The Day the Bookies Wept (1939), Turnabout (1940), Our Russian

Obituaries • 2000

164

Front (1942), Smoky (1946), Blondie in the Dough (1947), Riders in the Sky (1949), The Walking Hills (1949), Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950), The Nevadan (1950), Chinatown at Midnight (1950), Father Is a Bachelor (1950), Mark of the Gorilla (1950), Whirl Wind (1951), Pecos River (1951), The Magic Carpet (1951), The Hills of Utah (1951), Gene Autry and the Mounties (1951), Silver Canyon (1951), Harlem Globetrotters (1951), Harem Girl (1952), Serpent of the Nile (1953), Mission Over Korea (1953), Cruisin’ Down the River (1953), Flame of Calcutta (1953), Salome (1953), The Juggler (1953), From Here to Eternity (1953), Drums of Tahiti (1954), Charge of the Lancers (1954), Pushover (1954), It Should Happen to You (1954), Count Three and Pray (1955), The Man from Laramie (1955), My Sister Eileen (1955), Kismet (1955), Tight Spot (1955), Devil Goddess (1955), Uranium Boom (1956), He Laughed Last (1956), Battle Stations (1956), Nightfall (1956), Full of Life (1956), Jubal (1956), The Last Frontier (1956), The Brothers Rico (1957), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Operation Mad Ball (1957), Pal Joey (1957), Cowboy (1958), Gunman’s Walk (1958), 1001 Arabian Nights (1959), A Hole in the Head (1959), Gidget (1959), It Happened to Jane (1959), They Came to Cordura (1959), Ocean’s Eleven (1960), Strangers When We Meet (1960), Cry for Happy (1961), Two Rode Together (1961), The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961), Swingin’ Along (1961), Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961), Who’s Got the Action? (1962), Diamond Head (1962), Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963), Critic’s Choice (1963), Take Her, She’s Mine (1963), Move Over, Darling (1963), Paris When It Sizzles (1964), What a Way to Go! (1964), Our Man Flint (1965), Von Ryan’s Express (1965), Dear Brigitte (1965), Morituri (1965), The Sand Pebbles (1966), In Like Flint (1967), The FlimFlam Man (1967), Planet of the Apes (1968), Patton (1970), The Mephisto Waltz (1971), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), The Other (1972), One Little Indian (1973), Papillon (1973), Chinatown (1974), Breakout (1975), The Terrorists (1975), The Wind and the Lion (1975), Breakheart Pass (1975), Logan’s Run (1976), The Omen (1976), MacArthur (1977), Damnation Alley (1977), Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977), Star Wars (1977), High Velocity (1977), Islands in the Stream (1977), Magic (1978), The Boys from Brazil (1978), The Swarm (1978), Capricorn One (1978), Damien: Omen II (1978), Superman (1978), Meteor (1979), Inchon (1982), Poltergeist (1982), The Challenge

(1982), First Blood (1982), Psycho II (1983), Under Fire (1983), Gremlins (1984), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Explorers (1985), Hoosiers (1986), Link (1986), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Lionheart (1987), Innerspace (1987), Rent-a-Cop (1988), The ‘burbs (1989), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Warlock (1989), The Russia House (1990), Not Without My Daughter (1991), The River Wild (1994), I.Q. (1994), The Shadow (1994), Chain Reaction (1996) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996). Morton also worked often in television on such series as Shirley Temple Storybook, The Donna Reed Show, Laramie, Black Saddle, My Three Sons, Bus Stop, Peyton Place, Daniel Boone, Medical Center, The Waltons and National Geographic specials. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 27, 2000, B8; New York Times, Apr. 24, 2000, A25; Variety, May 8, 2000, 215.

Moyes, Patricia British mystery writer Patricia Moyes died at her home in the British Virgin Islands on August 2, 2000. She was 77. Moyes was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1923. She was best known for her mysteries featuring Scotland Yard detective Henry Tibbett. He novels include Dead Men Don’t Ski, Death on the Agenda, Murder a la Mode, Murder Fantastical and Many Deadly RePatricia Moyes turns. She was the recipient of the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1970. Moyes also scripted the 1960 film School for Scoundrels. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 12, 2000, B6.

165

Mulligan, Richard Comic actor Richard Mulligan, who was best known for starring in the television comedy series Soap and Empty Nest, died of colon cancer at his Los Angeles home on September 26, 2000. He was 67. Mulligan was born in New York City on November 13, 1932. He began his career as an aspiring writer, but soon turned to acting on stage. He made his film debut in the early 1960s and was featured in such movies as Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), One Potato, Two Potato (1964), The Group (1966), The Undefeated (1969) with John Wayne, Little Big Man (1970) as Gen. George Armstrong Custer, Irish Whiskey Rebellion (1972), From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1973), Visit to a Chief ’s Son (1974), The Big Bus (1976), Scavenger Hunt (1979), Blake Edwards’ S.O.B. (1981), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and Insp. Clouseau’s father, Teachers (1984), Micki and Maude (1984), Meatballs Part II (1984), Doin’ Time (1985), The Heavenly Kid (1985) and A Fine Mess (1986). Mulligan was best known for his work on television, starring as Burt Campbell in comedy series Soap from 1977 until 1981, and earning the Emmy Award in 1980 for his performance. He received a second Emmy Award in 1989 for his role as Dr. Harry Weston on the Empty Nest sitcom, which aired from 1988 until 1995. Mulligan previously starred as Sam

Richard Mulligan

2000 • Obituaries

Garret in the short-lived 1966 comedy series The Hero and as Jeff Harmon in Diana in 1973. He also starred as Reggie Potter in 1983’s Reggie. He also appeared in the tele-films Harvey (1972), Pueblo (1973), Having Babies III (1978), Malibu (1983), Jealousy (1984), Babes in Toyland (1986), Poker Alice (1987), Lincoln (1988), Guess Who’s Coming for Christmas? (aka UFO Cafe) (1990), Neil Simon’s London Suite (1996) and Dog’s Best Friend (1997). His other television credits include guest roles on such series as The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza, The Partridge Family, Ghost Story, Most Deadly Game, Matt Helm, Little House on the Prairie, Charlie’s Angels, Hunter, The Twilight Zone, Highway to Heaven, The Golden Girls, Nurses and The John Larroquette Show. Mulligan, though unmarried at the time of his death, had been married five times. His spouses include the late actress Joan Hackett and adult film star Rachel Ryan. His survivors include his brother, director Robert Mulligan. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 29, 2000, B6; New York Times, Sept. 29, 2000, A25; People, Oct. 16, 2000, 199; Time, Oct. 9, 2000, 39; TV Guide, Nov. 4, 2000, 5; Variety, Oct., 2, 2000, 60.

Munoz, Manolo Mexican singing star Manolo Munoz died of a stroke in Mexico City on October 29, 2000. He was 59. Munoz was born in Jalisco, Mexico,

Manolo Munoz

Obituaries • 2000

166

on March 14, 1941. A popular singer from the 1960s, he released over 80 albums during his career, often recording popular rock and roll songs in Spanish. He appeared in several films in the mid–1960s including Juventud Desnuda (aka Naked Youth), Todos Somos Cobardes (aka We Are All Cowards) and La Edad de la Violencia (aka The Age of Violence).

Mustafa, Husam el-din Egyptian film director Husam el-din Mustafa died of a stroke at his home in Cairo, Egypt, on February 22, 2000. He was 64. Mustafa attended the University of Southern California and began his career in films as an assistant to Cecil B. De Mille on 1951’s The Greatest Show on Earth. He returned to Egypt in 1956, where he helmed his first feature, Enough, My Eyes. Mustafa directed nearly 100 films during his career, including the acclaimed The Bullet Still in My Pocket, Enemy Brothers, The Devils and The Black Glasses. Mustafa also directed the popular Egyptian television series The Knights, The Heroes, Ibn Hzm, The Age of the Imams and The Eagle of the East. N. Richard Nash

Nash, N. Richard Screenwriter N. Richard Nash died of a heart attack in New York City on December 11, 2000. Nash was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1913. He began writing plays in the late 1930s and his first to be produced, Parting at Imsdorf, received an award in 1940. He made his Broadway debut with 1946’s The Second Best Bed. Nash scripted several films from the late 1940s including Welcome Stranger (1947), Nora Prentiss (1947), The Sainted Sisters (1948), Dear Wife (1949), The Vicious Years (1950), The Goldbergs (1950), Mara Maru (1952) and Top of the World (1955). He wrote the original story for the 1950 film The Flying Missile and adapted 1956’s Helen of Troy. Nash’s greatest success came with the play The Rainmaker, which he adapted for the screen in 1956, starring Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn. It was remade as a tele-film in 1982. Nash also scripted 1959’s Porgy and Bess and 1976’s Dragonfly. He wrote the tele-plays for the tele-films The Parade (1984) and Between the Darkness and the Dawn (1985).

Los Angeles Times, Dec. 23, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 19, 2000, C16; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

Newland, John Actor and television director John Newland, best known for hosting the supernatural anthology series Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond in the late 1950s, died from a stroke in Los Angeles on January 10, 2000. He was 82. Newland was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 23, 1917. He began his career on stage and radio in New York as a young man. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and resumed his career in Hollywood in the late 1940s, appearing in such films as Adventures of Dusty Bates (1946), T-Men (1947), Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), Nora Prentiss (1947), Sons of Adventure (1948), Let’s Live a Little (1948), Homicide for Three (1948), The Challenge (1948) and 13 Lead Soldiers (1948). He appeared frequently on live television in the 1950s, starring as Danny Frank in the drama series

167

2000 • Obituaries

Nicholas, Harold

John Newland

One Man’s Family in 1950. He was also seen in episodes of Philco Playhouse, The Web, Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, Lights Out, Tales of Tomorrow as Dr. Frankenstein in an adaptation of Frankenstein, Kraft Television Theatre, Inner Sanctum, Science Fiction Theatre, Thriller, The Loretta Young Show and Robert Montgomery Presents. He began directing in the late 1950s, helming most of the episodes of One Step Beyond, as well as hosting. Newland worked mainly in television, directing episodes of such series as Bachelor Father, Naked City, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Daniel Boone, Star Trek, Hawaii Five-O, Harold Robbins’ The Survivors, The Young Lawyers, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, The Sixth Sense, Harry O, Police Woman, The Family Holvak, Switch, Flamingo Road, Wonder Woman, Executive Suite, Fantasy Island and Whiz Kids. He also directed and hosted the 1978 anthology series Next Step Beyond. He directed several other films including My Lover My Son (1970) and The Legend of Hillbilly John (1973), and numerous tele-films including Crawlspace (1971), The Deadly Hunt (1971), Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), A Sensitive, Passionate Man (1977), Overboard (1978) and The Suicide’s Wife (1979). He also produced the tele-films The Five of Me (1981), The Execution (1985), Arch of Triumph (1985), Timestalkers (1987) and Too Good to Be True (1988). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 17, 2000, A20; New York Times, Jan. 23, 2000, 33; Variety, Jan. 29, 2000, 29.

Harold Nicholas, younger member of the acclaimed tap dancing duo, the Nicholas Brothers, died of heart failure following surgery in a New York City hospital on July 3, 2000. He was 79. Nicholas was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on March 27, 1921. He and his brother, Fayard, began performing while children, appearing in vaudeville, nightclubs, television and over fifty films during their long careers. They made their professional debut on the Horn & Hardart Kiddie Hour on radio in 1930. Their acrobatic dance numbers were seen in such films as The Emperor Jones (1933), Kid Millions (1934), The Black Network (1936), The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1936), Down Argentine Way (1940), Tin Pan Alley (1940), The Great American Broadcast (1941), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), Orchestra Wives (1942), Stormy Weather (1943), Carolina Blues (1944), Reckless Age (1944) and The Pirate (1948), where they danced with Gene Kelly. The performed on Broadway in productions of George Balanchine’s The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 and Babes in Arms (1937). Harold Nicholas also performed the hit song “Come Rain or Come Shine” in Broadway’s St. Louis Woman in 1946. He moved to France in 1950, where he appeared in the 1964 film L’Empire de la Nuit with Eddie Constantine. Returning to the United States, Harold Nicholas continued his career after his brother’s retirement, performing in clubs and on television. He was also seen in the films Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Tap (1989), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Funny Bones (1995), and the 1992 documentary The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance. His

Harold Nicholas (right, dancing with his brother, Fayard).

Obituaries • 2000

168

marriages to actress Dorothy Dandridge and Elyanne Patronne both ended in divorce. Los Angeles Times, July 4, 2000, B4; New York Times, July 4, 2000, B7; Time, July 17, 2000, 21; Times (of London), July 6, 2000, 25a; Variety, July 10, 2000, 50.

Nitzsche, Jack Academy Award-winning songwriter Jack Nitzsche died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on August 25, 2000. He was 63. He was born Bernard Alfred Nitzsche in Chicago, Illinois, on April 22, 1937. He began his career as a musician and composer in the 1960s. He was a keyboardist on several hit songs by the Rolling Stones including “Paint It Black” and “Play with Fire.” He also worked as an arranger with producer Phil Spector in the 1960, and co-wrote the Searchers 1964 hit song “Needles and Pins” with Sonny Bono. During his career Nitzsche worked with such artists as Elvis Presley, Marianne Faithfull, the Monkees and Neil Young. He composed the soundtrack to the 1965 teen science fiction film Village of the Giants (1965). He worked often in films from the early 1970s, composing scores for Performance (1970), Greaser’s Palace (1972), The Exorcist (1973), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) which earned him an Oscar nomination, Heroes (1977), Blue Collar (1978), Hardcore (1979), When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder? (1979), Cruising (1980), Heart Beat (1980), Cutter’s Way (1981), Personal Best (1982), Cannery Row (1982), An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), earning an Academy Award for co-writing the best original song “Up Where We Belong,” Breathless (1983), The Razor’s Edge (1984), Starman (1984), Windy City (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Stripper (1985), The Whoopee Boys (1986), Streets of Gold (1986), Stand by Me (1986), 9∂ Weeks (1986), The Seventh Sign (1988), Next of Kin (1989), Revenge (1990), Mermaids (1990), The Last of the Finest (1990), The Hot Spot (1990), The Indian Runner (1991), Blue Sky (1994) and The Crossing Guard (1995). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 30, 2000, B6; New York Times, Aug. 31, 2000, C21; People, Sept. 11, 2000, 111; Times (of London), Aug. 30, 2000, 19a; Variety, Sept. 4, 2000, 70.

Nofziger, Ed Cartoonist Ed Nofziger died in Ojai, California, of injuries he received in a fall on October 16, 2000. He was 87. Nofziger was born in Porterville, California, on June 14, 1913. He began drawing cartoons while in college at UCLA. He moved to New York in the late 1930s and began drawing regularly for the Saturday Evening Post. Nofziger, a conscientious objector during World War II, worked in the forestry service. After the war he joined UPA studios where he worked on the Mister Magoo cartoons. He subsequently worked with Hanna-Barbera, drawing the Ruff and Ready comic strips. Known for his strips featuring animal characters, some of his work is collected in Cartoon Critters and Animals Are for Fun. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 2000, B6.

Nolan, John F. Actor John Nolan died in Hollywood on April 7, 2000. He was 66. Nolan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 30, 1933. He began his career on stage, appearing in productions of My Sister Eileen and Guys and Dolls. He moved to Hollywood in 1957, where he was featured in such films as The Hot Angel (1958), -30(1959), The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961) and The Big Mouth (1967). During the 1960s Nolan was also seen on television in episodes of McHale’s Navy, Adam-12 and The Brady Bunch, and the 1972 tele-film Something Evil. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 13, 2000, B8.

North, Alan Character actor Alan North died of kidney and lung cancer at a Port Jefferson, New York, hospital on January 19, 2000. He was 79. North was born in the Bronx, New York, on December 23, 1920. He began acting on stage in the 1950s, making his Broadway debut in Plain and Fancy in 1955. He also appeared in productions of Conversations with My Father, Dylan and Plaza Suite. North was best known for his role as Captain Ed Hocken in the 1982 comedy series Police Squad! with Leslie Nielsen. He also starred as Father McCaskey in the 1986 series Tough Cookies and as

169

2000 • Obituaries

Novros, Lester

Alan North

Judge Mort Harris in the Love, Sidney comedy series in 1981. He appeared as Jack Bauer in The Guiding Light soap opera in 1988 and was Dr. Sid Lerner in the short-lived series Family Album in 1993. His numerous television credits also include episodes of The Jackie Gleason Show, Studio One, Ellery Queen, Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, Spenser: For Hire and Law & Order. He also appeared in such tele-films as The Deadliest Season (1977), Muggable Mary, Street Cop (1982), Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer (1983), Concealed Enemies (1984), Liberty (1986), Act of Vengeance (1986), The Christmas Star (1986), Clinton and Nadine (1988), Eyes of a Witness (1991), Darrow (1991), and the 1993 mini-series Alex Haley’s Queen. North also appeared in many films during his career including Plaza Suite (1971), Serpico (1973), …And Justice For All (1979), The Formula (1980), Thief of Hearts (1984), Billy Galvin (1986), Highlander (1986), Rachel River (1987), The Fourth Protocol (1987), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), Lean on Me (1989), Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989), Glory (1989), Crazy People (1990), Twenty Bucks (1993), Cafe Society (1995), The Jerky Boys (1995), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), I’m Not Rappaport (1996), Abilene (1999), I’ll Take You There (1999) and The Red Door (2000). New York Times, Feb. 6, 2000, 39; Variety, Feb. 14, 2000, 69.

Documentary filmmaker Lester Novros died in Sherman Oaks, California, on September 10, 2000. He was 91. Novros was born in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1909. A student of kinetic art, Novros went to Los Angeles in 1936 to join Walt Disney Studios. He worked on several animated projects, serving as art director for the Night on Bald Mountain sequence of Disney’s classic Fantasia in 1940. In 1941 Novros and George Casey founded Graphic Films, which worked on military training films during World War II. After the war he worked on numerous shorts about space exploration including Reaching for the Stars and To the Moon and Beyond. The latter film led to his association with director Stanley Kubrick, who hired his special effects team to work on the 1968 science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Novros’ 1972 film Universe was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary. In the late 1960s Novros began filming 70mm productions for IMAX theaters. He produced, directed and scripted Voyage to the Outer Planets, Cosmos and Tomorrow in Space. A teacher of Filmic Expression at the University of Southern California for over forty years, his students included Star Wars creator George Lucas. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 2000, B6; Variety, Oct. 9, 2000, 59.

O’Brian, Patrick Irish novelist Patrick O’Brian died in Dublin hotel room on January 2, 2000. He was 85. O’Brian was born Richard Patrick Russ in London on December 12, 1914. He was best known for his series of books featuring British naval officer Jack Aubrey and his shipmate, Stephen Maturin, during the Napoleonic Wars. The duo appeared in twenty of O’Brian’s novels from 1969’s Master and Commander to 1998’s Blue at the Mizzen. New York Times, Jan. 7, 2000, A16; People, Jan. 24, 2000, 95; Time, Jan. 17, 2000, 33.

Obituaries • 2000

170

Olsen, Gary

Patrick O’Brian

Oliver William Oliver Swofford, who was better known as folk singer Oliver, died of cancer in Shreveport, Louisiana, on February 12, 2000. He was 54. Oliver began performing as a teenager, playing with the countryrock band the Good Earth. He was best known for his recording of “Good Morning, Starshine” from the Broadway hit musical Hair in 1969. Oliver He also recorded the hit song “Jean” from the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Oliver made several appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, and continued to perform until leaving show business in 1982. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 18, 2000, A29; People, Mar. 6, 2000, 109; Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 55.

British actor Gary Olsen died of cancer in Melbourne, Australia, on September 12, 2000. He was 42. Olsen was born in England on November 3, 1957. He began his career on stage while in his teens, performing with the Lumiere and Son company. After a brief stint performing with a punk rock band, Olsen began appearing in films and television in the late 1970s. He was featured in such films as Birth of the Beatles (1979), Bloody Kids (1979), Breaking Glass (1980), Outland (1981), Pink Floyd The Wall (1982), The Sender (1982), Party Party (1983), Loose Connections (1983), Winter Flight (1984), Turtle Diary (1985), Clive Barker’s Underworld (1985), Raw Deal (1986), Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989), Rapid Fire (1990), Up ’n’ Under (1998) and 24 Hours in London (2000). Olsen also appeared often on British television, perhaps best known as PC Dave Litten in the police drama The Bill from 1984 to 1985, and as Ben Porter, the plumber husband and father, in the comedy series 2.4 Children in the early 1990s. He also appeared as Tweedledum in the 1999 British television version of Alice Through the Looking Glass. His other television credits include the 1981 mini-series The Day of the Triffids, the 1987 production of Metamorphosis, and the series Wilderness Road, Prospects, Come Home Charlie and Face Them, Health and Efficiency and Pilgrim’s Rest. Olsen also guest starred in episodes of Boon, If You See God, Tell Him, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Casting Couch.

Gary Olsen (with Claire Buckfield).

171

O’Rear, James Actor James O’Rear died in Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 2000. He was 86. O’Rear was born in Frankfort, Indiana, in 1914. He began his career on stage and was a member of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater. He was featured on Broadway in productions of The Happy Time, This Is the Army and Outward Bound. He appeared in over a dozen films from the late 1940s including The Sea of Grass (1947), Brute Force (1947), Criss Cross (1949), Teenage Rebel (1956), Over-Exposed (1956), The Spirit of St. Louis (1959), Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963), Dear Heart (1964), Mister Buddwing (1965), Conrack (1974) and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974). He also appeared in the tele-films The Bait (1973) and Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case (1975). His other television credits include episodes of Gunsmoke and All in the Family.

Orr, Benjamin Rock musician Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer on October 3, 2000. He was 53. Orr was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1947. He was best known as singer and bass player for the new wave rock group The Cars, performing on such hit songs as “Drive” and “My Best Friend’s

Benjamin Orr

2000 • Obituaries

Girl.” Orr also played with the groups Milkwood and The Grasshoppers and recorded the song “Stay the Night.” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 6, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 6, 2000, A31; People, Oct. 23, 2000, 107; Time, Oct. 16, 2000, 43; Variety, Oct. 9, 2000, 59.

O’Steen, Sam Film editor and director Sam O’Steen died of a heart attack in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on October 11, 2000. He was 76. O’Steen was born in Arkansas on March 6, 1923. He served in the Coast Guard during World War II and after the war he worked in a print shop while studying film editing. He received his first credit as an assistant editor for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1957 film The Wrong Man. He was soon editing features himself in 1964 with Robin and the 7 Hoods, Kisses for My President and Youngblood Hawke. O’Steen continued to edit such films as Frank Sinatra’s None but the Brave (1965), Marriage on the Rocks (1965), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) the first of 12 films he edited for director Mike Nichols and which earned him his first of three Oscar nominations, Hotel (1967), Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Graduate (1967), Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Portnoy’s Complaint (1972), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), Polanski’s Chinatown (1974), Straight Time (1978), Hurricane (1979), Amityville II: The Possession (1982), Silkwood (1983), Heartburn (1986), Nadine (1987), Biloxi Blues (1988), Working Girl (1988), Frantic (1988), A Dry White Season (1989), Postcards from the Edge (1990), Regarding Henry (1991), Consenting Adults (1992), Wolf (1994) and Night Falls on Manhattan (1997). O’Steen also directed the 1976 film Sparkle and several tele-films including A Brand New Life (1973), I Love You, Goodbye (1974), Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975) which earned him an Emmy nomination, High Risk (1976), Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby (1976), The Best Little Girl in the World (1981) and Kids Don’t Tell (1985). Variety, Oct. 11, 2000, 76.

Obituaries • 2000

172

Owens, Patricia

Paddick, Hugh

Actress Patricia Owens, best known for her role as the leading lady in the 1958 horror classic The Fly, died in Lancaster, California, on August 31, 2000. She was 75. Owen was born in Golden, Canada, in 1925, and moved to England with her family in the early 1930s. She began working in films in the mid–1940s, appearing in such British films as Miss London Ltd. (1943), Give Us the Moon (1943), English Without Tears (1944), Things Happen at Night (1947), The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950), Old Mother Riley, Headmistress (1950), Bait (1950), Ghost Ship (1952), Crow Hollow (1952), House of Blackmail (1953), The Good Die Young (1954), Tale of Three Women (1954) and Windfall (1955). Owens came to Hollywood in 1956 where she starred in Island in the Sun (1957), Sayonara (1957), No Down Payment (1957), Alive on Saturday (1957), The Law and Jake Wade (1958), The Gun Runners (1958), The Fly (1958) with David Hedison and Vincent Price, These Thousand Hills (1959), Five Gates to Hell (1959), Hell to Eternity (1960), X-15 (1961), The Seven Women from Hell (1961), Black Spurs (1965) and The Destructors (1968). Ms. Owens also appeared in television in episodes of Colonel March of Scotland Yard with Boris Karloff, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Adventures in Paradise, The Untouchables, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Lassie, Tales of Wells Fargo and Amos Burke, Secret Agent. She retired from the screen in the late 1960s following her third marriage.

British actor Hugh Paddick died in London on November 9, 2000. He was 85. Paddick was born in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England, in August of 1915. He was a popular radio actor, performing such characters as Binky Huckerback, Brad Smallpiece and Julian on the Round the Horne radio series in the 1960s. He was featured in a handful of films in the 1960s and 1970s including School for Scoundrels (1960), We Shall See (1964), San Ferry Ann (1966), The Killing of Sister George (1968), Up the Chastity Belt (1971), Up Pompeii (1971) and That’s Your Funeral (1972). Paddick was also featured often on British television, starring as Sydney Jelliot in 1968’s Wink to Me Only and as Mr. Pettigrew in 1980’s Can We Get On Now, Please? His other television credits include the children’s series Pardon My Genie, and episodes of The Benny Hill Show, Blackadder the Third and Boon. Times (of London), Nov. 10, 2000, 25a.

Hugh Paddick

Patricia Owens (as seen by The Fly).

Palacios, Begona Mexican actress Begona Palacios, the widow of acclaimed film director Sam Peckinpah, died

173 of a liver malfunction in Mexico City on March 1, 2000. She was 58. She appeared in a handful of Mexican films in the early 1960s including The Bloody Vampire (1961), Santo vs. the King of Crime (1962), Santo vs. the Strangler (1963) and The Ghost of the Strangler (1965). She was also featured in Peckinpah’s 1965 western Major Dundee. The couple were married until Peckinpah’s death in 1984. Palacios most recently appeared as Mireya in the Mexican television soap opera La Chacala in 1998. Variety, Apr. 3, 2000, 174.

2000 • Obituaries

Patton, Frances Gray Novelist Frances Gray Patton died in Durham, North Carolina, on March 28, 2000. She was 94. She was born Frances MacRae Gray in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1906. Patton wrote numerous short stories that appeared in such publications as The New Yorker and Harper’s. Her first novel, The Finer Things of Life, was published in 1951. She was best known for her 1954 novel Good Morning, Miss Dove, which was filmed the following year with Jennifer Jones. New York Times, Apr. 2, 2000, 36.

Patterson, Frank Tenor Frank Patterson, who was featured in John Huston’s 1987 film The Dead, died of brain cancer in New York City on June 10, 2000. He was 61. Patterson was born in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, on October 5, 1938. He began his career on stage in the 1950s. He began an internationally known singer, selling millions of records and touring widely. Patterson starred as the mysterious singer in Huston’s The Dead in 1987. He was also featured in the 1996 film Michael Collins and appeared in a segment of The Tracey Ullman Show. New York Times, June 13, 2000, B15.

Frances Gray Patton

Pelletier, Louis

Frank Patterson

Film, television and radio writer Louis Pelletier died at his home in Santa Monica, California, on February 11, 2000. He was 93. Pelletier began his career in New York, where he coscripted the Broadway play Howdy Stranger. The play was adapted for the 1938 film The Cowboy

Obituaries • 2000

174

from Brooklyn. While serving in the army in the early 1940s Pelletier teamed with writer Jack Finke to script episodes for the radio series The FBI in Peace and War. The duo wrote over 500 scripts for the series during its run from 1944 until 1958. Pelletier subsequently moved to California where he scripted several family adventure films for Disney including Big Red (1962), Those Calloways (1965), Follow Me, Boys! (1966), The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968) and Smith! (1969). He later taught screenwriting classes at several California colleges. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 16, 2000, A20; Variety, Ma. 6, 2000, 84.

(1988), The Karate Kid III (1989), Repossessed (1990) and Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993). Perry was also seen in the tele-films Travis Logan, D.A. (1971), Fireball Forward (1972), Shirts/Skins (1973), Heatwave! (1974), Panic on the 5:12 (1974), Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert (1993) and Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice (1994). His television credits also include episodes of The Bill Cosby Show, Barney Miller, Highway to Heaven, MacGyver, Cheers, Murder, She Wrote, Fired Up and Seinfeld. The rotund character actor also appeared as Nemo in several episodes of the comedy series Everybody Loves Raymond. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 2000, A24.

Perry, Joseph V.

Petaja, Emil

Character actor Joseph V. Perry died of complications from diabetes in Burbank, California, on February 23, 2000. He was 69. Perry was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 13, 1931. He attended high school in Santa Monica, where he received the 1949 Glenn Ford Award. He worked on stage in the 1950s and was featured in such films as The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) with Don Knotts, Don’t Just Stand There! (1968), Fade-In (1968), The Love God? (1971), The Domino Principle (1977), The Choirboys (1977), Vibes

Science fiction author Emil Petaja died at his San Francisco home on August 17, 2000. He was 85. He was born in Montana on August 12, 1915, and began his career as a writer in the 1940s writing short stories for science fiction pulp magazines. Petaja, who sometimes wrote under the pseudonym Theodore Pine, had stores appear in such publications as Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures and Western Action. Best known for his series of novels based on the Finnish legends of the Kalevala, his works include Saga of Lost Earths, The Star Mill, Lord of the

Joseph V. Perry

Emil Petaja

175 Green Planet, The Caves of Mars and The Time Twister. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20, 2000, B5.

Peters, Jean Actress Jean Peters, who was married to billionaire Howard Hughes from 1957 until their divorce in 1970, died of leukemia in Carlsbad, California, on October 13, 2000. She was 73. She was born Elizabeth Jean Peters in Canton, Ohio, on October 15, 1926. Winning a trip to Hollywood as Miss Ohio State in 1946, she began her film career the following year, appearing with Tyrone Power in Captain from Castile. She continued to star in such films as Deep Waters (1948), It Happens Every Spring (1949), Love That Brute (1950), Anne of the Indies (1951), Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), As Young As You Feel (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952) with Marlon Brando, Wait ’Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952), O. Henry’s Full House (1952), Lure of the Wilderness (1952), Pickup on South Street (1953), Vicki (1953), Niagara (1953) with Marilyn Monroe, Blueprint for Murder (1953), Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), Broken Lance (1954) with Spencer Tracy, Apache (1954) and A Man Called Peter (1955). She abandoned her film career after her marriage to Hughes. After their divorce she wed film executive Stanley Hough in 1971. Peters had roles in the 1976 TV mini-series Arthur Hailey’s The Money-

2000 • Obituaries

changers and the 1981 tele-film Peter and Paul. She was also seen on television in an episode of Murder, She Wrote. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 21, 2000, B6; New York Times, Oct. 21, 2000, A12; People, Nov. 6, 2000, 147; Times (of London), Nov. 4, 2000, 31a; Variety, Oct. 30, 2000, 70; Washington Post, Oct. 21, 2000, B6.

Peterson, Sidney Surrealist filmmaker Sidney Peterson died in New York on April 24, 2000. He was 94. Peterson, who taught at the California School of Fine Arts, created numerous experimental films in the 1940s and 1950s. His works include The Potted Psalm (1946) and The Lead Shoes (1949). He was also the author of the books A Fly in the Pigment (1962) and The Dark of the Screen (1980). New York Times, May 8, 2000, B6.

Petkere, Bernice Singer and songwriter Bernice Petkere died on January 7, 2000. She was 93. Petkere was born on August 11, 1906. A member of the singing duo The Baby Dolls, Petkere wrote such songs as “Half a Mile Away from Home” and “Close Your Eyes.” Her songs were performed by such artists as Bing Crosby, Kate Smith and Tony Bennett. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2000, A18.

Pettiet, Christopher

Jean Peters

Actor Christopher Pettiet died of an accidental drug overdose in Los Angeles on April 12, 2000. He was 24. Pettiet was born in Dallas, Texas, on February 12, 1976. He began working in television in the late 1980s, appearing in the tele-films The Dreamer of Oz (1990), An Enemy of the People (1990), Fatal Exposure (1991), and Danger Island (1992). He also starred as Jesse James in The Young Riders from 1991 to 1992, and was Dean in the 1999 series Undressed. His other television credits include episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D., Star Trek: The Next Generation, L.A. Law, Empty Nest, Baywatch, SeaQuest DSV, Picket Fences, Touched by an Angel, Chicago Hope

Obituaries • 2000

Christopher Pettiet

176 and Judging Amy. He was also featured in a handful of films, notably Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991) as Zach Crandell. His other film credits include Point Break (1991), The Goodbye Bird (1993), Relentless IV: Ashes to Ashes (1994), Horses and Champions (1994), Carried Away (1996), Boys (1996) and Against the Law (1997).

Peverett, Lonesome Dave British rock singer Lonesome Dave Peverett died of pneumonia and complications from kidney cancer at an Orlando, Florida, hospital on February 7, 2000. He was 56. Peverett was born in Dulwich, England, on April 16, 1943. He, with drummer Roger Earl and bassist Tony Stevens, formed the British blues-rock band Foghat in 1970. They were later joined by lead guitarist Rod Lonesome Dave Peverett Price. They were best known for the hit songs “Slow Ride” and “I Just Want to Make Love to You.” The band recorded such successful albums as Fool for the City, Rock and Roll Outlaws, Night Shift and Stone Blue. The group disbanded in the 1980s, but reunited in 1993. New York Times, Feb. 14, 2000, B10; People, Feb. 21, 2000, 96; Variety, Mar. 6, 2000, 84.

Peyrefitte, Roger French novelist Roger Peyrefitte died in Paris, France, on November 5, 2000. He was 93. Peyrefitte was born in Casteres, France, in 1907. He served in the French diplomatic corps from the 1930s. Peyrefitte authored the 1944 novel Les Amities Particulieres, which was adapted into the 1964 French film This Special Friendship. He also authored the novels Roger Peyrefitte The Keys of St. Peter (1957) and The Jews (1967). Peyrefitte scripted a segment of the 1962 film The Seven Deadly Sins, and wrote the original story for the 1977 film Nest of Vipers. New York Times, Nov. 8, 2000, A25; Times (of London), Nov. 7, 2000, 25a.

Phillips, Irving W. Cartoonist and television writer Irving W. Phillips died at a Santee, California, nursing home on October 28, 2000. He was 95. Phillips was born in Wilton, Wisconsin, in 1905. He was best known for creating the popular Mr. Mum syndicated cartoon, which ran from 1958 to 1970. Two books featuring the character, The Strange World of Mr. Mum (1965) and No Comment by Mr. Mum (1971), were also written by Phillips. He also created the syndicated strip Scuffy from 1945 to 1951 and Barnaby Bungle in 1979. Phillips wrote several films in the mid–1940s including Song of the Open Road (1944), Seven Days Ashore (1944) and Delightfully Dangerous (1945). He also worked on numerous television scripts for the ABC children’s program Curiosity Shop. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 1, 2000, B6.

177

Phipps, Max Australian actor Max Phipps died of cancer in Sydney, Australia, on August 6, 2000. He was 60. Phipps was born in New South Wales, Australia, on November 18, 1939. He was a leading character actor from the mid–1970s, appearing in such films as The Cars That Ate Paris (1974), Thirst (1979), Stir (1980), Nightmares (1980), The Road Warrior (1981) with Mel Gibson as Mad Max, The Return of Captain Invincible (1983), Nate and Hayes (1983), Dead Easy (1983), Emoh Ruo (1985), Sky Pirates (1986), Dark Age (1987) and What the Moon Saw (1990). He was also a popular performer on Australian television, appearing in the mini-series The Dismissal (1983), True Believers (1988) and This Man … This Woman (1989), and the tele-films Who Killed Baby Azaria? (1983), The Blue Lightning (1986), Police State (1989), Sky Trackers (1990), Screen One: Filipina Dreamgirls (1991), Sweet Dreams (1996) and Noah’s Ark (1999). His other television credits include episodes of the series Fire, Bligh and Farscape. Variety, Aug. 14, 2000, 44.

Max Phipps (from The Road Warrior).

Pierce, Justin Actor Justin Pierce was found dead in his room at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas on July 10, 2000. He had hanged himself. He was 25. Pierce was born in London, England, on March 21, 1975. He made his film debut as Casper in 1995’s Kids. He appeared in a handful of films over the past few years including A Brother’s Kiss (1997), Wild Horses (1998), Too Pure (1998), Freak Weather (1998), Pigeon Holed (1999), Sweethearts

2000 • Obituaries

of the World (1999), Next Friday (2000), King of the Jungle (2000), and Black Male (2000). He was also featured in the tele-films FirstTime Felon (1997) and This Is How the World Ends (2000), and two episodes of Justin Pierce Fox’s Malcolm in the Middle. People, July 31, 2000, 111; Time, July 24, 2000, 23; Variety, July 17, 2000, 70.

Poire, Alain French film producer Alain Poire died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, of cancer on January 14, 2000. He was 82. He was born in Pais on February 13, 1917. A lawyer, he began his career in show business as a theatrical producer in 1938. He produced over 200 films during his career including Capitaine Pantoufle (1953), The Diary of Major Thompson (1955), Marguerite de la Nuit (1955), A Man Escaped (1956), Nathalie (1957), Back to the Wall (1958), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1958), Double Agents (1959), Signe Arsene Lupin (1959), Passionate Affair (1960), Vice and Virtue (1962), Be Careful Ladies (1963), Fantomas (1964), The Great Spy Chase (1964), Man from Cocody (1966), Fantomas Against Scotland Yard (1966), The Brain (1969), Hibernatus (1969), The Scarlet Buccaneer (1971), The Troubles of Alfred (1971), Rum Runners (1971), Delusions of Grandeur (1971), The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972), The Girl in the Trunk (1973), The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1974), The Slap (1974), The Pink Telephone (1975), No Problem! (1975), We Will All Meet in Paradise (1977), An Elephant Can Be Extremely Dangerous (1977), Dracula and Son (1977), The Beach Hotel (1978), Hothead (1979), Clara and the Sweel Guys (1980), The Goat (1981), The Seventh Target (1983), Manon of the Spring (1986), The Student (1988), My Father’s Glory (1990), My Mother’s Castle (1990), Le Jaguar (1996) and The Dinner Game (1998). New York Times, Jan. 23, 2000, 32; Variety, Jan. 24, 2000, 72.

Obituaries • 2000

178

Polidoro, Gian Luigi Italian film director Gian Luigi Polidoro died when his sports car crashed into a tree on September 4, 2000. He was 71. Polidoro was born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, on February 4, 1929. He began his career in the late 1950s, directing such features as Paese d’America (1958), Overture (1958), Le Svedesi (1960), Hong Kong un Addio (1963), The Devil (1963), The American Wife (1966), Satyricon (1968), La Moglie Giapponese (1968), Instant Coffee (1974), Rent Control (1981), Claretta and Ben (1983), Below Zero (1987) and The Strawberry Girl (1998). He also directed the 1993 Italian television mini-series What Are These Little Jobs?. Variety, Sept. 25, 2000, 196.

Poppe, Nils Swedish comic actor Nils Poppe died after a long illness in Helsingborg, Sweden, on June 28, 2000. He was 92. Poppe was born Nils Einar Joensson in Malmo, Sweden, on May 31, 1908. He began his career on the Swedish stage in 1930. He appeared in over forty films from the late 1930s. He was best known internationally for his role as Jof the Jester in Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film The Seventh Seal. Nils Poppe His other film credits include Dance, My Doll (1953) and The Devil’s Eye (1960). Poppe also created the character Fabian Bom in a series of films he wrote and starred in from the late 1940s. Poppe continued to perform on stage until his retirement in 1993.

World Is Carmen Sandiego?, died of a heart attack in Windsor, California, on July 17, 2000. He was 66. Portwood worked as an animator with Walt Disney Studios from the early 1950s, working on Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty, and drawing the image of Jiminy Cricket for the Disney television program. He teamed with Lauren Elliott in the early 1980s to develop the computer game Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? to encourage young people to learn geography and history. The game inspired a children’s television game show in the 1990s. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 1, 2000, B6.

Powell, Anthony English novelist Anthony Powell died at his home in Somerset, England, on March 28, 2000. He was 94. Powell was born in London on December 21, 1905. He began writing in the late 1920s and became renowned as a leading novelist. His best known work was his set of novels, Dance to the Music of Time. The series began with A Question of Upbringing in 1951 and continued through volume twelve, Hearing Secret Harmonies, in 1975.

Portwood, Gene Gene Portwood, co-creator of the popular computer game and television series Where in the

Anthony Powell

179

2000 • Obituaries

Los Angeles Times, Mar. 30, 2000, A9; New York Times, Mar. 30, 2000, B15; Time, Apr. 10, 2000, 31.

Powell, Baden Brazilian composer and guitarist Baden Powell, who popularized the bossa nova sound, died of pneumonia and complications from diabetes in Rio de Janeiro on September 26, 2000. He was 63. He was born Roberto Baden Powell de Aquino in Varre-e-Sai, Brazil, on August 6, 1937. He began playing the guitar at an early age and was touring by the age of 10. Powell began working with poet and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes in 1961. Their composition “Samba de Bencao” was heard in the popular 1966 film A Man and a Woman. He also composed music for the films Mar Corrente (1967), Androides Inc. (1969) and A Vinganca Dos Doze (1970). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 28, 2000, B8.

Eddie Powell (as Prem, the Mummy, strangling Andre Morell in The Mummy’s Shroud ).

Aliens (1986), Willow (1988), High Spirits (1988), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Batman (1989), Nuns on the Run (1990), A Kiss Before Dying (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and Daylight (1996). Baden Powell

Powell, Eddie British actor and stuntman Eddie Powell died in England on August 11, 2000. He was 73. Powell was born in London in 1927. He worked often in Hammer horror films, appearing as Prem, the Mummy, in 1967’s The Mummy’s Shroud. He was also seen in the films She (1965), Daleks Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966), The Lost Continent (1968), The Devil Rides Out (1968), Where Eagles Dare (1969), The Boys in the Band (1978), Alien (1979), Dracula (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), Legend (1985), Enemy Mine (1985),

Price, Bernard British actor Bernard Price died in London on February 11, 2000. He was 74. Price was born in Merton, Surrey, England, on March 2, 1925. He began performing on stage while in his teens, and made his professional debut in 1944. He continued to perform on stage in England and South Africa, and worked on British television in the 1950s as a straight man for comedians Tony Hancock and Tommy Trinder. Price became a confidant and companion to British musical star Jessie Matthews, who assisted his career in the 1960s. He appeared in productions of The Music Man

Obituaries • 2000

180

Harry W. Prichett, Sr.

Bernard Price (with Jessie Matthews).

in London and Noel Coward’s Sail Away. Price was a founder of the gay careline, Icebreakers, in the late 1960s. He performed with Jessie Matthews on stage in her farewell production The Jessie Matthews Show in 1976, and cared for her during her fatal illness in 1981. Price continued to perform on stage and in music halls throughout his life. Times (of London), Feb. 14, 2000, 19a.

Prichett, Harry W., Sr. Harry W. Prichett, Sr., the creator of the popular 1950s television program Winky Dink and You, died in New York on February 5, 2000. He was 79. A graphic artist, Prichett created the first interactive program for television where a child could purchase a WinkyDink Kit (which consisted of a plastic sheet to be placed over the television Harry W. Prichett, screen, crayons, and a cloth Sr.’s, cartoon creato wipe the plastic clean). tion, Winky Dink.

With the kid viewers could assist cartoon character Winky Dink and his dog, Woofer, on their adventures by drawing helpful props on the screen. The show, which was hosted by Jack Barry and featured Mae Questel as the voice of Winky, ran on CBS from 1953 until 1957. The cartoon was briefly revived in syndication in 1969, and as a video kit in the 1990s. New York Times, Feb. 16, 2000, A25; Time, Feb. 28, 2000, 27.

Prince, Michael Actor Michael Prince died on February 19, 2000. Prince was featured in over a dozen films from the early 1970s including The Anderson Tapes (1971), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Greek Tycoon (1978), Hometown, U.S.A. (1979), Hero at Large (1980), Force Five (1981), Death Wish II (1982), Two of a Kind (1983), Second Thoughts (1983) and The Morning After (1986). He was also seen often on television, appearing in the tele-films My Old Man (1979), Walking Through the Fire (1979), Washington Mistress (1982), Sins of the Father (1985), Mistress (1987), The Haunted (1991) and Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991). Michael Prince

181 His other television credits include episodes of Little House on the Prairie, Mork and Mindy, Happy Days, The Greatest American Hero, St. Elsewhere and the new Twilight Zone.

2000 • Obituaries

2000, 93; Time, June 12, 2000, 27; Times (of London), June 3, 2000, 24c.

Pugliese, Tony Puente, Tito Bandleader Tito Puente, who was largely responsible for the mambo craze of the 1950s, died in a New York City Hospital on June 1, 2000. He was 75. Puente was born in The Bronx, New York, on April 20, 1925. A popular performer from the 1940s, Puente recorded over 100 albums during his career and earned five Grammy Awards including one in 1990 for “Mambo Birdland.” Puente’s better known songs include “Oye Como Va,” which was an early hit for Carlos Santana. Puente also appeared as himself in several films including Armed and Dangerous (1986), Radio Days (1987), Salsa (1988) and The Mambo Kings (1992). Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2000, A1; New York Times, June 2, 2000, A1; People, June 19,

Tito Puente

Tony Parisi, who wrestled professionally as Tony Pugliese, died of a heart attack at Niagara Falls on August 19, 2000. He was 58. He was born in Cosenza, Italy, in 1941, and came to Canada in the early 1950s. He began wrestling professionally in 1961. Pugliese was a WWWF tag team champion on several occasions in the mid–1960s, teaming with such wrestling stars as Johnny

Tony Pugliese

Obituaries • 2000

182

Valentine, Spiros Arion and Louis Cerdan. Pugliese also teamed with Dino Bravo and Gino Brito in the early 1980s to hold the Canadian International Tag Team Title. Pugliese subsequently retired from the ring and settled in Canada, where he operated a hotel and restaurant and occasionally promoted independent wrestling events.

Pushnik, Frieda

rangement of the cult classic song “Kookie — Lend Me Your Comb,” for 77 Sunset Strip star Edd Byrnes. Ralke also arranged music for the 1972 animated film Snoopy Come Home, and for such television series as Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 2000, A20; Variety, Feb. 28, 2000, 96.

Rampal, Jean-Pierre

Frieda Pushnik, who toured with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus as “the Armless, Legless Girl Wonder,” died of bladder cancer in Costa Mesa, California on December 24, 2000. Pushnik was born in Conemaugh, Pennsylvania, on February 10, 1923. She lost her arms and legs due to surgical complications suffered by her pregnant mother during an appendectomy. She began her personal appearances at the 1933 Frieda Pushnik World’s Fair in Chicago as part of Ripley’s Believe It or Not exhibit. She joined the sideshow at Ringling Brothers in 1943, remaining with the circus until the sideshow was closed in 1956. Pushnik appeared as the legless girl in the 1963 horror film House of the Damned.

Leading flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal died of a heart attack in Paris on May 20, 2000. He was 78. Rampal was born in Marseille, France, on January 7, 1922. He began his interest in music during the German occupation of France in World War II. He became principal flutist for the Paris Opera orchestra after the war. Rampal became one of the foremost classical musicians of his time, recording numerous styles of music. He often toured the United States, where he was largely responsible for popularizing the flute. Rampal’s recording of Claude Bolling’s “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano” remained on the Billboard charts for over ten years. Rampal also performed “Ease on Down the Road” as a duet with Miss Piggy on The Muppet Show. New York Times, May 21, 2000, 29; People, June 5, 2000, 95; Time, May 29, 2000, 44; Times (of London), May 22, 2000, 21a.

Ralke, Don Composer Don Ralke died in Santa Rosa, California, on January 26, 2000. He was 80. Ralke was a popular arranger and composer from the 1950s. He was best known for his ar-

Jean-Pierre Rampal

Ramsey, Logan Don Ralke

Character actor Logan Ramsey died in Los Angeles, California, on June 26, 2000. He was

183

Logan Ramsey

79. Ramsey was born in Long Beach, California, on March 21, 1921. A popular stage performer, he made his New York debut in 1950, and appeared in productions of such plays as Devil’s Disciple and Sweet Bird of Youth. He appeared in numerous television productions in the 1950s and 1960s including You Are There, Lights Out, Suspense, Philco Television Playhouse, Naked City, Ben Casey, Star Trek, as Claudius Marcus in the “Bread and Circuses” episode, The Second Hundred Years, It Takes a Thief, Mission: Impossible, The Big Valley and Alias Smith and Jones. He was also seen as Scofield Kilborn in The Edge of Night daytime soap opera. Ramsey also appeared in many films including Hoodlum Priest (1961), Banning (1967), Head (1968) with the Monkees, Pendulum (1968), The Reivers (1969), Childish Things (1969), The Traveling Executioner (1970), What’s the Matter with Helen? (1971), The Sporting Club (1971), Jump (1971), Glass Houses (1972), Walking Tall (1973), Busting (1974), Walking Tall Part II (1975), Red, White and Busted (1975), Farewell, My Lovely (1975), Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975), Treasure of Matecumbe (1976), Final Chapter —Walking Tall (1977), Any Which Way You Can (1980), The Beast Within (1982), Joysticks (1983), Say Yes (1986), Scrooged (1988), Pass the Ammo (1988), Meet the Hollowheads (1988), Doctor Hackenstein (1988), Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) and The Clock (1999). He was also seen in such tele-films and mini-series as The Devil and Miss Sarah

2000 • Obituaries

(1971), The Rookies (1972), Beg, Borrow or Steal (1973), Letter from Three Lovers (1973), The Law (1974), The Last Day (1975), Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan (1975), Conspiracy of Terror (1975), Testimony of Two Men (1977), Little Women (1978), Roots: The Next Generations (1979), Blind Ambition (1979) as J. Edgar Hoover, Father Damien: the Leper Priest (1980), The Monkey Mission (1981) and The Winds of War (1983). He was the warden in the short lived 1975 comedy series On the Rocks and was Joseph Anthony in the television soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1984 and 1985. His other television credits include episodes of Maude, Banacek, Kung Fu, M*A*S*H, Matt Helm, S.W.A.T., Charlie’s Angels, Mork and Mindy, Battlestar Galactica, Darkroom, Quincy, Search, Hunter, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, Knight Rider, Highway to Heaven, ALF, Night Court and Murder, She Wrote. Ramsey was married to actress Anne Ramsey from 1954, and often performed with her until her death in 1988. Los Angeles Times, June 20, 2000, B8; Variety, July 10, 2000, 51.

Rawlinson, Brian British character actor Brian Rawlinson died in Exeter, England, on November 23, 2000. Rawlinson was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England, on November 12, 1931. A popular stage performer, he was featured as Crewman Gaff in the British television series The Buccaneers in the mid–1950s. Rawlinson also appeared in the films Dangerous Exile (1957), Life in Danger (1959), Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) and No Kidding (1960). He was also seen in several film in the Carry On series including Carry on Cruising (1962), Carry On, Nurse on Wheels (1963), Carry On Cleo (1964) and Carry on Cowboy (1965). His other film credits include Ladies Who Do (1963), The Big Job Brian Rawlinson (1965), Far from the

Obituaries • 2000

184

Madding Crowd (1967), See No Evil (1971) and Sunday Pursuit (1990). Rawlinson starred as Robert Onedin in the British television series The Onedin Line in the early 1970s. He was also seen in episodes of New Scotland Yard, Heartbeat and Goodnight Sweetheart.

Rawls, Eugenia Actress Eugenia Rawls died of complications from pneumonia in Denver, Colorado, on November 8, 2000. She was 87. Ms. Rawls was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1913. She began her career on stage in the early 1930s, appearing on Broadway in a production of Lillian Hellman’s Children’s Hour in 1934. She was also featured in productions of Strange Fruit, The Shrike, The Great Sebastians, Noel Coward’s Private Lives and Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie. She became a close friend of legendary star Tallulah Bankhead and, in 1971, created Tallulah, a Memory, a onewoman tribute to the actress. Ms. Rawls was also featured on television soap operas, appearing on As the World Turns and The Guiding Light. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 14, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 19, 2000, 56.

Eugenia Rawls

Rebello, Chris Child actor Chris Rebello died of a heart attack while deer hunting in Oak Bluff, Massachusetts, on November 30, 2000. He was 37. Rebello appeared as Michael Brody, the youngest son of Roy Scheider’s character in Steven Spielberg’s classic film Jaws in 1975.

Chris Rebello (from Jaws).

Reeves, Steve Muscular actor Steve Reeves, who gained fame for his performance as Hercules in several European films in the 1950s, died of complications from lymphoma at an Escondido, California, hospital on May 1, 2000. He was 74. Reeves was born in Glasgow, Montana, on January 21, 1926. A bodybuilder, he began lifting weights at the age of 16. He won numerous bodybuilding titles including Mr. America in 1947, Mr. World in 1948 and Mr. Universe in 1948 and 1950. Reeves made his film debut in 1954, appearing in the low budget film Jail Bait (aka The Hidden Face), directed by legendary cult movie pioneer Edward D. Wood, Jr. Reeves also appeared as a bodybuilder in the 1954 musical comedy Athena. Three years later he went to Europe to star as the Roman demi-god Hercules. He also starred in the 1959 sequel Hercules Unchained. Reeves continued to play muscular heroes in such European costume epics as Giant of Marathon (1959), The White Warrior (1959), Goliath and the Barbarians (1959), The Thief of Baghdad (1960), The Last Days of Pompeii (1960), Duel of the Titans (1961),

185

2000 • Obituaries

Reichow, Otto

Steve Reeves (with Georgia Moll in The White Warrior).

Morgan the Pirate (1961), The Avenger (1962), The Shortest Day (1962), The Trojan Horse (1962), Sandokan the Great (1963), The Slave (1963) and The Pirates of the Seven Seas (1964). During the 1960s Reeves was reportedly the highest paid actor in Europe. He retired from the screen following his performance in the 1967 western A Long Ride from Hell. He subsequently lived in Switzerland before returning to the United States. His wife, Aline, served as his business manager until her death from complications from a stroke in 1989. Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2000, A3; New York Times, May 5, 2000, A24; People, May 22, 2000, 166; Time, May 15, 2000, 35; Times (of London), May 5, 2000, 23a; TV Guide, June 17, 2000, 6; Variety, May 8, 2000, 215.

Regan, Jayne Actress Jayne Regan died in Redlands, California, on March 19, 2000. She was 90. Regan was born on July 28, 1909. She was featured in over a dozen films in the 1930s including The Cactus Kid (1934), Cleopatra (1934), West on Parade (1934), Texas Jack (1935), One More Spring (1935), Ridin’ Thru (1935), Silver Bullet (1935), Dante’s Inferno (1935), Ladies in Love (1936), Stowaway (1936), Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937), Second Honeymoon (1937), This Is My Affair (1937), Walking Down Broadway (1938), Josette (1938), Always Goodbye (1938), Mr. Moto’s Gamble (1938) and Booloo (1938). She also scripted the 1934 Western Terror on the Plains.

Character actor Otto Reichow reportedly died in October of 2000. He was 96. Reichow was born in Tempelburg, Pommern, Germany, in 1904. He was featured in over fifty films from the 1940s including Arizona Gangbusters (1940), Man Hunt (1941), King of the Texas Rangers (1941), Paris Calling (1941), Paris Calling (1941), International Lady (1941), To Be or Not to Be (1942), Invisible Agent (1942), Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942), Ship Ahoy (1942), Seven Miles from Alcatraz (1942), The Pied Piper (1942), My Favorite Blonde (1942), Lucky Jordan (1942), Joan of Ozark (1942), Desperate Journey (1942), Tarzan Triumphs (1943), The Moon Is Down (1943), Hangmen Also Die (1943), Paris After Dark (1943), They Came to Blow Up America (1943), I Dood It (1943), Five Graves to Cairo (1943), First Comes Courage (1943), Bomber’s Moon (1943), Background to Danger (1943), Above Suspicion (1943), The Conspirators (1944), The Unwritten Code (1944), The Black Parachute (1944), And the Angels Sing (1944), Nob Hill (1945), Son of Lassie (1945), Paris Underground (1945), Cloak and Dagger (1946), Rendezvous 24 (1946), Dangerous Millions (1946), 13 Rue Madeleine (1946), Golden Earrings (1947), Jewels of Brandenburg (1947), Rogues’ Regiment (1948), Alaska Patrol (1949), I Was a Male War Bride (1949), When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950), Night People (1954), King Richard and the Crusaders (1954), Love Me or Leave Me (1955), Never Say Goodbye (1956), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), Istanbul (1957), Operation Mad Ball (1957), Looking for Danger (1957), Back from the Dead (1957), The Young Lions (1958), Frankenstein: 1970 (1958), Operation Eichmann (1961), Hitler (1962), Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962), The Prize (1963), 36 Hours (1964) and Otto Reichow Ulzana’s Raid (1972).

Obituaries • 2000

186

Reinach, Jacquelyn Jacquelyn Reinach, the author of the Sweet Pickles children’s books, died of lung cancer at her Los Angeles home on September 30, 2000. She was 70. She was born in Nebraska in 1930. Reinach authored over 50 books and composer nearly 600 songs during her career. She began the Sweet Pickles books in 1976, featuring such characters as Zany Zebra and Accusing Alligator. She also recorded the feminist protest song “Liberation, Now!” and the children’s song “The Consonant Song.” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 5, 2000, B10; Washington Post, Oct. 6, 2000, B7.

Tom Renesto (with fellow Assassin, Jody Hamilton).

Jacquelyn Reinach

Renesto, Tom Professional wrestler Tom Renesto died of heart failure at his Paris, Texas, home on April 25, 2000. He was 72. Renesto was best known as the masked Assassin #1 in the 1960s and 1970s, holding tag team titles in Florida, Georgia and California. Renesto unmasked and retired from wrestling in 1972. He returned to the ring in the 1980s as manager of the Mongolian Stomper in the mid–South area.

Rhine, Larry Film and television writer Larry Rhine died in a Los Angeles hospital on November 2, 2000. He was 90. Rhine wrote for such popular radio programs as Duffy’s Tavern and The Life of Riley. He scripted a handful of films from the late 1930s

including Boy Meets Joy (1939), Swing Hotel (1939), Chip of the Flying U (1940), Isle of Missing Men (1940), The Leather Pushers (1950), Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga (1941) and Who Killed Doc Robin? (1941). He was best known for his work on television, earning two Emmy nominations on such series as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Bob Hope Show, The Brady Bunch and Gimme a Break! Los Angeles Times, Nov. 2, 2000, B8; New York Times, Nov. 11, 2000, C16; Variety, Nov. 13, 2000, 124.

Rhoads, Fred Fred Rhoads, the artist for the Sad Sack comic strip for over 20 years, died in Greenwood, South Carolina, on February 20, 2000. He was 78. The comic strip was created by George Baker for the Army magazine Yank during World War II in 1942. Rhoads began drawing comics after serving in the Marines during the war. He was an assistant to Fred Lasswell, who created the Snuffy Smith comic strip. Rhoads took over drawing Sad Sack in 1954 when the character was featured in comics books by Harvey Publications. Rhoads created such characters as Senator Fastbuck and Hi-Fi for the comic. He drew Sad Sack

187 for 23 years, until he was terminated by Harvey in 1977. Rhoads later sued for back royalties he claimed he was owed by the company. He initially received a favorable verdict, which was overturned on appeal. Rhoads said his legal battles nearly bankrupted him. He was later an editorial cartoonist for the Tucson Citizen newspaper. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 26, 2000, A24.

Riabouchinska, Tatiana Russian ballerina Tatiana Riabouchinska died of heart failure in Los Angeles on August 24, 2000. She was 84. Riabouchinska was born in Moscow on May 23, 1916. She moved to Paris at an early age, where she studied with Alexander Volinine. She was chosen by choreographer George Balanchine as one of the “baby ballerinas” with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo at the age of 15. She was internationally acclaimed for her performances in such ballets as Giselle, Cotillon and Paganini. Riabouchinska provided the ballet moves to Disney artists, who incorporated her movements to the hippopotamus ballerina in the 1940 animated classic Fantasia. She

Tatiana Riabouchinska

2000 • Obituaries

also danced in the 1946 film Make Mine Music. Riabouchinska retired from the stage in the 1940s to teach dance in Southern California. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 30, 2000, B6; New York Times, Sept. 3, 2000, 40; People, Sept. 18, 2000, 191; Times (of London), Aug. 30, 2000, 19a.

Richards, Beah Veteran black character actress Beah Richards, who was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, died of emphysema in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on September 14, 2000. She was 74. Richards was born in Vicksburg on July 12, 1926. She began her career in films in the late 1950s, appearing in The Mugger (1958), Take a Giant Step (1959), The Miracle Worker (1962), Gone Are the Days (1963), Hurry Sundown (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), The Great White Hope (1970), The Biscuit Eater (1972), Mahogany (1975), Inside Out (1986), Big Shots (1987), Homer and Eddie (1989), Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and Beloved (1998). A popular television performer, she received an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on Frank’s Place in 1988. She also received an ACE Award the previous year for her role in HBO’s As Summers Die. Richards starred in The Bill Cosby Show as Rose Kincaid in 1970 and 1971, and was Aunt Ethel on Sanford and Son in 1972. She was also featured as Cynthia Palmer in the 1979 mini-series Roots: The Next Generation, and appeared in numerous telefilms including Outrage (1973), A Dream of Christmas (1973), Just an Old Sweet Song (1976), Ring of Passion (1978), A Christmas Without Snow (1980), The Sophisticated Gents (1981), Generation (1985), Acceptable Risks (1986), Capital News (1990), One Special Victory (1991) and Out of Darkness (1994). She also starred as Miss Lula in John Ritter’s comedy series Hearts Afire in 1992. Her television credits also include guest roles in such series as The Big Valley, I Spy, Hawaii FiveO, It Takes a Thief, Punky Brewster, St. Elsewhere, Highway to Heaven, 227, Hill Street Blues, The Hitchhiker, Hunter, Beauty and the Beast, Murder She Wrote, The Facts of Life, L.A. Law, Designing Women, Family Matters, Matlock, The John Larroquette Show, ER and The Practice, which had earned her another Emmy Award earlier in the year.

Obituaries • 2000

188

Beah Richards

Los Angeles Times, Sept. 16, 2000, B6; New York Times, Sept. 16, 2000, A13; People, Oct. 2, 2000, 115; Time, Sept. 25, 2000, 30; TV Guide, Oct. 28, 2000, 4; Variety, Sept. 25, 2000, 196.

Richardson, Jerome Jazz musician Jerome Richardson died in Englewood, New Jersey, on June 23, 2000. He

Jerome Richardson

was 79. Richardson was born in Sealy, Texas, on November 15, 1920. He was adopted at birth and raised in Oakland, California, where he began playing the saxophone at an early age. He began performing with Lionel Hampton’s orchestra after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He subsequently played with pianist Earl Hines. During the 1950s Richardson worked with musicians worked with such stars as Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Teri Thornton and Frank Sinatra. During his career he recorded several albums including Roamin’ with Jerome Richardson and Going to the Movies. He performed with drummer Mel Lewis and trumpeter Thad Jones from 1960 to 1970 in New York. He subsequently returned to California to work as a studio musician. His final album, Jazz Station Runaway, was recorded in 1997. Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 27, 2000, C28.

Rik, Rik L. Punk rock singer Rik L. Rik died of brain cancer in Covina, California, on June 30, 2000. He was 40. He was born Richard Elerick in 1960. He co-founded the punk band F-Word with Paul Sercu (aka Dim Wanker) in 1977. The band recorded one album, Like It or Not, and performed the songs “I Got Power” and “Do the Nihil.” Rik also performed with such groups as The Celestials, Negative Trend, The Slaves and Electric Frankenstein.

Rik L. Rik

189 Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2000, B4; Variety, July 17, 2000, 70.

Ripper, Michael British character actor Michael Ripper died after a brief illness at a London hospital on June 28, 2000. He was 87. Ripper was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, on May 22, 1913. He was best known for his character roles as cabbies, constables, and morgue attendants in such Hammer horror films as The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959), The Mummy (1959), Brides of Dracula (1960), Curse of the Werewolf (1961), The Phantom of the Opera (1961), Night Creatures (1962), Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1965), Plague of the Zombies (1965), The Reptile (1966), The Mummy’s Shroud (1966), The Lost Continent (1968), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Scars of Dracula (1970), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) and Legend of the Werewolf (1974). Ripper began his career on screen in the 1930s, appearing in such British films as Strange Adventures of Mr. Smith (1937), Fifty-Shilling Boxer (1937), Busman’s Hol-

Michael Ripper

2000 • Obituaries

iday (1937), Miracles Do Happen (1938), Merely Mr. Hawkins (1938), If I Were Boss (1938), His Lordship Regrets (1938), Easy Riches (1938), Darts Are Trumps (1938) and His Lordship Goes to Press (1939). Ripper was a popular character actor from the late 1940s and was featured in Captain Boycott (1947), Dark Road (1948), Oliver Twist (1948), The Adventures of P.C. 49 (1949), The History of Mr. Polly (1949), Your Witness (1950), Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951), Old Mother Riley’s Jungle Treasure (1951), A Case for PC 49 (1951), Treasure Hunt (1952), The Secret People (1952), Derby Day (1952), Folly to Be Wise (1953), The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953), Three Stops to Murder (1953), Alf ’s Baby (1953), Richard III (1954), The Intruder (1954), The Belles of St. Trinian’s (1954), The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954), The Rainbow Jacket (1954), The Constant Husband (1955), Secret Venture (1955), Wee Geordie (1955), X the Unknown (1956), Blonde Sinner (1956), Reach for the Sky (1956), The Green Man (1956), 1984 (1956), Enemy from Space (1957), Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957), Dangerous Youth (1957), The Steel Bayonet (1957), Not Wanted on Voyage (1957), Blue Murder at St. Trinian’s (1957), I Only Arsked! (1958), Girls at Sea (1958), Further Up the Creek (1958), The Ugly Duckling (1959), Bobbikins (1960), Jackpot (1960), Dead Lucky (1960), A Circle of Deception (1961), The Pure Hell of St. Trinian’s (1961), Petticoat Pirates (1961), A Matter of WHO (1961), The Anatomist (1961), The Pirates of Blood River (1962), A Prize of Arms (1962), The Prince and the Pauper (1962), Out of the Fog (1962), The Amorous Mr. Prawn (1962), What a Crazy World (1963), Two Left Feet (1963), The Crimson Blade (1963), The Punch and Judy Man (1963), Devil-Ship Pirates (1964), The Secret of Blood Island (1965), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), Seaside Swingers (1965), Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966), Where the Bullets Fly (1966), The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery (1966), The Deadly Bees (1966), Torture Garden (1967), Inspector Clouseau (1968), Moon Zero Two (1969), Girly (1969), That’s Your Funeral (1972), No Sex, Please —We’re British (1973), The Creeping Flesh (1973), Sammy’s Super T-Shirt (1978), Crossed Swords (1978), Danger on Dartmoor (1980), No Surrender (1985) and Revenge of Billy the Kid (1991). Ripper was also a popular performer on British television. He was featured in the 1973 television series Sir Yellow as Cedric and was Mr. Shepherd in the 1979 children’s series

Obituaries • 2000

190

Worzel Gummidge. He was also seen in episodes of O.S.S., The Vise, Ivanhoe, The Invisible Man, Four Just Men, Danger Man, Journey to the Unknown, Gideon’s Way, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Saint, My Partner, the Ghost, Doomwatch, New Scotland Yard, Hunter’s Walk, The Sweeney, George and Mildred, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, and several episodes of Jeeves and Wooster in 1990 as Drones Porter.

Robards, Jason, Jr. Oscar-winning actor Jason Robards, Jr., died of cancer at a Bridgeport, Connecticut, hospital on December 26, 2000. He was 78. Robards was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 26, 1922, the son of stage and film actor Jason Robards, Sr. The younger Robards served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Art. He began performing on stage in the early 1950s, starring in the Off-Broadway production of American Gothic in 1953. Robards gained acclaim for starring in Jose Quintero’s revival of Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh in 1956. Robards made his film debut in 1959’s The Jungle. He was also featured in such early television anthology series as The Philco Television Playhouse, Star Tonight, The Alcoa Hour, The Seven Lively Arts, Sunday Showcase and Playhouse 90 during the 1950s. He continued to appear in such films as By Love Possessed (1961), Tender Is the Night (1962), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962), Act One (1963) as George S. Kaufman, A Thousand Clowns (1965), A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966), Any Wednesday (1966), Divorce American Style (1967), The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) as Al Capone, Hour of the Gun (1967) as Doc Holliday, The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968), Isadora (1968), Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1969), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Operation Snafu (1970), Julius Caesar (1970) as Brutus, Fools (1970), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971), Johnny Got His Gun (1971), The War Between Men and Women (1972), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) as Governor Lew Wallace, The Death Merchants (1973), Mr. Sycamore (1974), and the 1975 adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s science fiction classic A Boy and His Dog. Robards won successive Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for

Jason Robards, Jr.

his roles as Ben Bradlee in 1976’s All the President’s Men and as Dashiel Hammett in 1977’s Julia. He had also remained active on stage, appearing in productions of Hughie (1964) and A Touch of the Poet (1977). Robards also starred in the tele-films The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972), The Holiday Treasure (1973), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1975), A Christmas to Remember (1978), and Haywire (1980), and an episode of the supernatural series Ghost Story in 1972. He also starred as President Richard Monckton in the 1977 mini-series Washington: Behind Closed Doors, which earned him an Emmy Award, and was President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1980 tele-film FDR: The Last Years. He continued to star in such films as Comes a Horseman (1978), Hurricane (1979), Caboblanco (1980), Raise the Titanic (1980), Melvin and Howard (1980) earning another Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Howard Hughes, The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) as President Ulysses S. Grant, Burden of Dreams (1982), Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) and Max Dugan Returns (1983). Robards starred in the controversial 1983 tele-film concerning the aftermath of a nuclear attack, The Day After, and was Soviet dissident Andre Sakharov in 1984’s Sakharov.

191 He also appeared in the 1984 television production of You Can’t Take It with You, the 1985 miniseries The Atlanta Child Murders, and the telefilms The Long Hot Summer (1985), The Last Frontier (1986), Johnny Bull (1986), Laguna Heat (1987), Norman Rockwell’s Breaking Home Ties (1987), Inherit the Wind (1988), The Christmas Wife (1988), and the 1990 mini-series The Civil War as the voice of President Grant. His film credits also include Square Dance (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), The God Mother (1988), Reunion (1989), Parenthood (1989), Dream a Little Dream (1989), Quick Change (1990), Black Rainbow (1990), Storyville (1992), The Trial (1993), Philadelphia (1993), The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) as the King, The Paper (1994), Little Big League (1994), Crimson Tide (1995), A Thousand Acres (1997), The Real Macaw (1998), Beloved (1998), Enemy of the State (1998), Heartwood (1998) and Magnolia (1999) as Tom Cruise’s estranged dying father. He had also remained active on television, appearing in the tele-films The Perfect Tribute (1991) as Abraham Lincoln, Chernobyl: The Final Warning (1991), Mark Twain and Me (1991) as Mark Twain, An Inconvenient Woman (1991), The Enemy Within (1994), My Antonia (1995), Journey (1995) and 2000’s Going Home. Robards third marriage was to actress Lauren Bacall from 1961 to their divorce in 1969. The following year he married Lois O’Connor, who survives him. He is the father of actors Jason Robards III, by his first wife, and Sam Robards by Bacall. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 27, 2000, A1; New York Times, Dec. 27, 2000, A1; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 50; Time, Jan. 8, 2001, 17; Times (of London), Dec. 28, 2000, 19a; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 46.

Roberts, Keith British science fiction author Keith Roberts died of complications from a chest infection on October 5, 2000. He was 65. Roberts was born Keith John Kingston Roberts in Kettering, Northamptonshire, England, on September 20, 1935. He began writing short stories in the early 1960s, also serving as editor of the magazine Impulse. He was best known for the alternate history novel Pavane. He wrote eight other novels, including The Furies, The Inner Wheel, The Boat

2000 • Obituaries

of Fate, The Chalk Giants and Molly Zero, and over 100 short stories during his career. His last novel, Drek Yarman, was published earlier in 2000.

Roberts, Mike British cameraman Mike Roberts died in his sleep in Bath, England, on location for Lasse Hallstrom’s film Chocolat on May 24, 2000. He was 60. Roberts was born in Woking, England, on July 20, 1939. He began working as a camera loader for Associated British Pathé in the late 1950s. During the 1960s he worked as an assistant camera operator on such films as A Man for All Seasons. He became a leading cameraman working often with such directors as Alan Parker, Roland Joffe and Neil Mike Roberts Jordan. Several of the films he worked on received Oscars for cinematography including The Killing Fields, The Mission and Mississippi Burning. He also operated the camera for such films as 1984’s Birdy, Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, The Butcher Boy and Angela’s Ashes. Variety, June 12, 2000, 51.

Robinson, Vickie Sue Singer Vicki Sue Robinson, best known for the 1976 disco hit “Turn the Beat Around,” died at her Wilton, Connecticut, home of cancer on April 27, 2000. She was 46. Robinson was born in Harlem in 1954. She began singing as a child and was featured in Broadway productions of the musicals Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. She had

Obituaries • 2000

192

Rogers, Jimmy

Vickie Sue Robinson

minor roles in several films including Going Home (1971), To Find a Man (1972) and Gangsters (1979). The released four albums from RCA Records in the 1970s, though the Grammy-nominated “Turn the Beat Around” was her only major hit. She worked on the soundtrack for the 1979 horror-comedy Nocturna. In recent years Robinson had worked as a voice-over performer and jingle singer for commercials. Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2000, B9; New York Times, May 2, 2000, C26; People, May 15, 2000, 125; Time, May 8, 2000, 33.

Roffman, Julian Canadian film producer and director Julian Roffman died in November of 2000. He was 84. Roffman directed 1959’s The Bloody Brood and the 1961 experimental horror film The Mask. Roffman also served as producer for several Canadian films including Spy in Your Eye (1966), The Blast (1969), The Pyx (1973) and 1978’s The Glove, which he also scripted.

Jimmy Rogers, the son of humorist Will Rogers, died of cancer in Claremore, Oklahoma, on April 28, 2000. He was 84. Rogers was born in New York City on July 25, 1915. He appeared with his father in several silent films including 1921’s Doubling for Romeo. RogJimmy Rogers ers later co-starred with Noah Beery, Jr. in the films Dudes Are Pretty People (1942), Calaboose (1943) and Prairie Chickens (1943). He was also featured in several Hopalong Cassidy westerns with William Boyd including False Colors (1943), Forty Thieves (1944), Lumberjack (1944), Mystery Man (1944), Riders of the Deadline (1944) and Texas Masquerade (1944). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 30, 2000, B5; New York Times, May 3, 2000, B10.

Rogers, Thelma British actress Thelma Rogers died in England on January 13, 2000. She was 75. Rogers was born in Coventry, England, on June 24, 1924. She began her career on stage and, in the early 1950s, was cast in the popular British radio series The Archers. In 1953 Rogers took over the role of Peggy Archer from June Spencer. She remained with the program until 1962, when Spencer resumed the role. Rogers continued to perform on stage, and was also seen in the British television series Coronation Street and Scotland’s Take the High Road. Thelma Rogers

193

Rogers, Wathel Animator Wathel Rogers died at his Arizona home on August 25, 2000. He was 80. Rogers began working for Disney Studios in 1939 and was an animator on such classic features as Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Bambi and Sleeping Beauty. He also worked on numerous Donald Duck shorts. He remained with Disney as an Imagineer, co-founding their model shop in 1954. He programmed numerous Audio-Animatronic figures displayed at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and worked on such exhibits as The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. Variety, Oct. 2, 2000, 60.

Rogosin, Lionel Documentary filmmaker Lionel Rogosin died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on December 8, 2000. He was 76. Rogosin was born in New York City in 1924. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before completing his education as an engineer. He began making films in the mid–1950s with the 1956 documentary On the Bowery. Nominated for an Academy Award, Rogosin next directed Come Back, Africa, concerning the apartheid system in South Africa, in 1958. He directed the 1968 anti-war film Good Times, Wonderful Times, and two films on racial injustice, Black Roots, Black Fantasy and Wood Cutters of the Deep South, in the early-1970s. His final film was Arab Israeli Dialogue in the mid–1970s. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 17, 2000, C58; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

Rosaline, Wilson Wilson Rosaline, a leading professional wrestler in Brazil who performed under a mask as the villainous Executioner, died in a Brasilia, Brazil, hospital on December 11, 2000, of gunshot wounds. He was 80. He had been shot several times after a fight with a man who had hit his daughter. Rosaline was a leading wrestler in the 1960s, who appeared under a skull mask in

2000 • Obituaries

black tights and cape. He often competed against such opponents as the Samurai and the Bronze Bull during his career.

Rose, Wally Stuntman and character actor Wally Rose died of cancer in North Hollywood on March 15, 2000. He was 88. Rose was born on May 18, 1911. He began working at Columbia studios in the late 1930s. His numerous film, serial and shorts credits include Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941), Together Again (1944), Crash Goes the Hash (1944), A Hit with a Miss (1945), Spook to Wally Rose Me (1945), Night Editor (1946), Mr. Noisy (1946), Three Loan Wolves (1946), The Killers (1946), Brute Force (1947), Flat Feat (1948), The Undercover Man (1949), The Milkman (1950), Hugs and Mugs (1950), Ma Barker’s Killer Brood (1960), The Wild Westerners (1962), Young Dillinger (1965), The Undefeated (1969), Flap (1970), Octaman (1971), What’s Up, Doc? (1972), Blazing Saddles (1974), The Day of the Locust (1975), The Gumball Rally (1976), Zero to Sixty (1978), Movie Movie (1978), The Champ (1979), The Man with Bogart’s Face (1980), The Blues Brothers (1980), Runaway Train (1985), Split Decisions (1988), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Alien Nation (1988), Action Jackson (1988), Kill Me Again (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), Peacemaker (1990), Mom and Dad Save the World (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), Sidekicks (1992), Bitter Harvest (1993), Army of One (1993), Lion Strike (1994), Zero Tolerance (1994), Magic Kid II (1994), Direct Hit (1994), Murder in the First (1995), Spy Hard (1996) and Double Tap (1997). Rose also served as stunt coordinator for the television series The Californians in the late 1950s.

Obituaries • 2000

194

Rosen, Milt Screenwriter Milt Rosen died of cancer in Northridge, California, on August 11, 2000. He was 77. Rosen was born in New York City in 1923. Rosen scripted the 1965 comedy Do Not Disturb starring Doris Day. He also worked in television, scripting episodes of Mr. Novak, CHiPs, Kate McShane, Too Close for Comfort, The Flying Nun, Lewis & Clark, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Tales of the Gold Monkey and The A-Team. A comedy writer for such performers as Milton Berle, Rosen also wrote several comedy books including The Official Book of Insults, The Second Book of Insults and A Treasury of Sports Quotes and Wisdom. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 14, 2000, B4; Variety, Oct. 9, 2000, 59.

Ross, Diana British children’s author Diana Ross died on May 4, 2000. She was 89. Ross was born aboard her father’s ship in Valetta, Malta, on July 8, 1910. She trained as a teacher and soon began to write. She authored two volumes of The World at Work in 1939. Ross married photographer Anthony Denney in 1940 and, with him, produced the experimental children’s book Uncle Anty’s Album in 1941. More children’s books followed including The Golden Hen (1942), Nursery Tales (1944) and

Diana Ross

Child of Air (1957). She was best known for her series of picture books revolving around the Little Red Engine which she began in 1942.

Ross, Stanley Ralph Films and television writer, producer and actor Stanley Ralph Ross died of cancer in Los Angeles on March 16, 2000. He was 64. Ross began his career in advertising before going into films. Ross was featured in such movies as John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), Tony Rome (1967), Sleeper (1973), Candy Stripe Nurses (1974), Romantic Comedy (1983), The Boss’ Wife (1986), Side Out (1990) and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997). He was also seen on television in the tele-films Sky Heist (1975), Helter Skelter (1976) and Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice (1994), and episodes of Batman, Banacek, The Facts of Life, Falcon Crest and Superior Court. Ross scripted the 1969 film Follow Me (1969), and wrote the tele-films Coffee, Tea or Me? (1973), Death Among Friends (1975), Sky Heist (1975), The New Original Wonder Woman (1975), Murder at the Mardi Gras (1977), Three on a Date (1978), Gold of the Amazon Women (1979) and For the Love of It (1980). He also wrote numerous episodes of such series as Batman, The Monkees, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Banacek, All in the Family, Colombo and KIDS Incorporated. Ross was also a leading voice actor, portraying Perry White in the Superman animated series. He was also heard in G.I. Joe, Richie Rich, Challenge of the

Stanley Ralph Ross

195 Superfriends, InHumanoids, the Family Dog episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, and the animated mini-series Red Planet in 1994. Ross was the voice of the Pitbull and Doberman in 1998’s Babe: Pig in the City. Ross, with Jay Robert Nash, was the author of the multi-volumed film reference work, The Motion Picture Guide. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 19, 2000, B6; Variety, Mar. 27, 2000, 75.

Rossi, Franco Italian film director Franco Rossi died in Rome of a stroke on June 5, 2000. He was 81. Rossi was born in Florence, Italy, on April 28, 1919. He began his career working on stage and radio before becoming an assistant to such directors as Mario Camerini and Renato Castellani. Rossi made his directorial debut in 1952 with I Falsari (aka The Counterfeiters). He continued to direct such films as Camicie Rosse (aka Red Shirts) (1952), Solo per te Lucia (1952), Il Se-

2000 • Obituaries

duttore (aka The Seducers) (1954) with Alberto Sordi, Amici per la Pelle (aka The Woman in the Painting) (1955), Amore a Prima Vista (1958), Calypso (1958), Morte di un Amico (aka Death of a Friend) (1959), Smog (1962), Nude Odyssey (1962), Three Nights of Love (1964), Controsesso (1964), High Infidelity (1964), Le Bambole (aka The Dolls) (1965), I Complessi (1965), Le Streghe (aka The Witches) (1966), Non Faccio la Guerra, Faccio l’Amore (1966), A Rose for Everyone (1967), Caprice Italian Style (1968), Giovinezza, Giovinezza (1969), Turn the Other Cheek (1974), Virginity (1976), Come una Rosa al Naso (1976), L’Altra Meta del Cielo (1977), Storia d’Amore e d’Amicizia (1982) and Il Campione Ebreico (1982). Rossi also was well known for his work on Italian television, directing Dino De Laurentiis’ production of The Odyssey as a mini-series in 1969. He also directed adaptations of Virgil’s The Aeneid, Young Garibaldi, Quo Vadis? and A Boy Named Jesus for television. Variety, June 12, 2000, 51.

Roth, Marty Television writer Marty Roth died in Los Angeles on March 24, 2000. He was 75. Roth began has career as a skit writer for such comics as Milton Berle and Sid Caesar. Roth began scripting television episodes in the 1960s, working on such series as My Favorite Martian, McHale’s Navy, I Dream of Jeannie, Hart to Hart, Mannix, The Dukes of Hazzard and Three’s Company. Roth also wrote the story for the 1970 comedy film The Boatniks. Variety, Apr. 24, 2000, 76.

Rothman, Frank

Franco Rossi

Frank Rothman, the former chairman of MGM studios, died of complications following surgery at a Los Angeles hospital on April 25, 2000. He was 73. Rothman was a leading attorney whose notable cases included defending the National Football League in a 1986 antitrust action. He was named chairman and chief executive of MGM in 1982 by his longtime client Kirk Kerkorian. Rothman return to practice law after Kerkorian sold the studio in 1986. Variety, May 1, 2000, 91.

Obituaries • 2000

196

Roulien, Raul

Russianoff, Penelope

Brazilian actor Raul Roulien died of pneumonia in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on September 8, 2000. He was 94. He was born Raul Pepe Acolti Gil in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 8, 1905. Roulien appeared in a handful of films in Hollywood during the 1930s including Delicious (1931), State’s Attorney (1932), The Painted Woman (1932), Careless Lady (1932), Flying Down to Rio (1933), It’s Great to Be Alive (1933) and The Raul Roulien World Moves On (1934). He was also featured in such Spanish language films as El Ultimo Varon Sobre la Tierra (1933), Primavera en Otono (1933), No Dejes la Puerta Abierta (1933), Grenadiers of Love (1934), I’m Crazy About You (1935) and He Trusted His Wife (1935). Roulien subsequently returned to Brazil where, in the 1960s, he directed such Brazilian television series as A Muralha (1961), Quando Menos Se Espera (1963) and Conflicto (1963).

Psychotherapist Penelope Russianoff died in New York on August 28, 2000. She was 82. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 3, 1917. Known for her counseling that women should be able to cope with life with men or marriage, she was the author of several books including Why Do I Think I Am Nothing Without a Man? (1982) and When Am I Going to Be Happy? (1989). Russianoff was cast by director Paul Mazursky as Tanya, the therapist for Jill Clayburgh’s character, in the 1978 film An Unmarried Woman. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 10, 2000, B5; New York Times, Sept. 5, 2000, C13.

Rupp, Jacques Disney designer Jacques Wellington Rupp died of cancer in Seattle, Washington, on August 22, 2000. He was 79. Rupp began working for Disney in the early 1950s, and designed the series titles featuring Tinker Bell for the television series The Wonderful World of Disney. He also designed the original Disneyland logo and costumes used for several of the rides. Rupp also was a layout artist for the 1955 Disney film classic Lady and the Tramp. Rupp subsequently worked with several other animation studios and was involved in the creation of animated cartoons featuring Mr. Magoo and Superman. In the early 1970s he became staff artist for Seattle Times newspaper. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 25, 2000, B6.

Penelope Russianoff

197

Ryan, Fran Veteran character actress Fran Ryan died in Burbank, California, on January 15, 2000. She was 73. She was born in Los Angeles on November 29, 1926, and began her career on stage at the age of six. She began working in television with Red Skelton in the 1950s. She was seen as Aggie Thompson in the 1968 series The Doris Day Show and was Doris Ziffel on Green Acres in 1969. She starred as Gertrude Gouch in the Sid and Marty Krofft children’s show Sigmund and the Sea Monsters in 1974. Ryan was also featured in the long-running television Western Gunsmoke as Miss Hannah in 1974 and 1975 and was Sister Agatha on the daytime soap opera General Hospital in 1979. She also appeared as Mrs. Belmont in the short-lived sit-com No Soap, Radio in 1982, and as Tillie Russell in The Wizard in 1986. Her numerous television credits also include the telefilms Hog Wild (1974), Stalk the Wild Child (1976), Deadly Game (1977), Goldie and the Boxer (1979), The Adventures of Nellie Bly (1981), Johnny Belinda (1982), Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice (1982), Ghost Dancing (1983), Father of Hell Town (1985), Hollywood Wives (1985), Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987), Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again (1990) as Miss Grundy, Thanksgiving Day (1990) and River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene (1993), and episodes of Batman, The

Fran Ryan

2000 • Obituaries

Beverly Hillbillies, I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, Night Gallery, Nichols, Marcus Welby, M.D., Salvage-1, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, Barney Miller, CHiPs, Taxi, Laverne and Shirley, Three’s Company, Manimal, Hill Street Blues, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, The Quest, Father Murphy, Night Court, Murphy Brown, Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, Highway to Heaven, Quantum Leap, Forever Knight and The Commish. She also appeared in supporting roles in numerous films during her career including $1,000,000 Duck (1971), Scandalous John (1971), How to Seduce a Woman (1974), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), The Great Brain (1978), Big Wednesday (1978), Straight Time (1978), Rocky II (1979), Christmas Mountain (1980), The Long Riders (1980), Stripes (1981), Savannah Smiles (1982), Tough Enough (1983), Eyes of Fire (1983), Mystique (1983), Private School (1983), The Sure Thing (1985), Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider (1985), Rebel Love (1986), Stewardess School (1987), Lucky Stiff (1988), Out Cold (1989), Chances Are (1989) and Suture (1993). Ryan also worked as a voice actor in commercials and on such animated series as Devlin, Hong Kong Phooey and Little Dracula. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 28, 2000, B6.

Salkow, Sidney Film and television director Sidney Salkow died in Valley Village, California, on October 18, 2000. He was 91. Salkow was born in New York City on June 16, 1909. He began working on stage as a child and subsequently worked as a theatrical director. He helmed two Broadway plays before going to Hollywood in the early 1930s. He directed such features as Four Days’ Wonder (1936), Girl Overboard (1937), That’s My Story (1937), Behind the Mike (1937), Storm Over Bengal (1938), The Night Hawk (1938), Zero Hour (1939), Woman Doctor (1939), Street of Missing Men (1939), She Married a Cop (1939), Flight at Midnight (1939), Fighting Thoroughbreds (1939), The Lone Wolf Strikes (1940), The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940), Girl from God’s Country (1940), Cafe Hostess (1940), Time Out for Rhythm (1941), Tillie the Toiler (1941), The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance (1941), The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date (1941), The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942), Flight Lieutenant (1942), City Without Men (1943) and

Obituaries • 2000

198

The Boy from Stalingrad (1943). He served in the Marines during World War II, working with a documentary film crew. After the war he resumed his film career, helming Faithful in My Fashion (1946), Millie’s Daughter (1947), Bulldog Drummond at Bay Sidney Salkow (1947), Sword of the Avenger (1948), Fugitive Lady (1949), Shadow of the Eagle (1950), Scarlet Angel (1952), The Golden Hawk (1952), The Pathfinder (1953), Jack McCall Desperado (1953), Prince of Pirates (1953), Raiders of Seven Seas (1953), Sitting Bull (1954), Robber’s Roost (1955), Las Vegas Shakedown (1955), Gun Brothers (1956), The Iron Sheriff (1957), Chicago Confidential (1957), Gun Duel in Durango (1957), The Big Night (1960), Twice-Told Tales (1963), The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Quick Gun (1964), Blood on the Arrow (1964), The Great Sioux Massacre (1965) and The Murder Game (1965). Salkow also worked in television, helming episodes of such series as Maverick, Bronco, The Addams Family and The Overland Trail.

Lionel Salter

Salter, Lionel British musician Lionel Salter died on March 2, 2000. He was 85. Salter was born in London on September 8, 1914. He began performing professionally at the age of twelve and was recording at age fourteen. During the 1930 Salter worked often in films, serving as an orchestrator and pianist with British studios. He subsequently began working with the BBC, conducting the BBC Theatre Orchestra. Salter broadcasted on the BBC’s Music Magazine after World War II. He became head of television music at the BBC in 1956. He held several other positions with the network until his retirement in 1974. Shobhana Samarth

Samarth, Shobhana Indian actress Shobhana Samarth died of cancer in a hospital in Pune, western India, on

February 9, 2000. She was 83. She was born on November 17, 1916. She was considered one of the most beautiful actresses in Indian films. She was best known for her role as the Hindi goddess Sita

199 in the 1943 film Ram Rajya. Often playing mythological characters, she was seen in The Meeting of Bharat (1942), The Ideal Rule of Rama (1943), The Venerable Anasuya (1943), Urvashi (1946), and many other films. She formed Shobhana Pictures in the early 1950s, directing two films —Our Daughter (1950) and Beautiful Woman (1960). Two of her daughters, Nutan and Tanuja, were prominent actresses in the 1960s and 1970s, and her granddaughter, Kajol, was currently a top Indian star.

Sanchez, Cuco Mexican singer and actor Cuco Sanchez died of liver failure in Mexico City on September 29, 2000. He was 79. He was born Jose del Refugio Sanchez Saldana in Altamira, Mexico, in 1921. He began recording at the age of 13 and was signed by Mexico’s leading media company in 1940. He composed and sang over 200 songs during his career and was featured in numerous Mexican films. His screen credits include Para que la Cuna Apriete (1950), La Escondida (1956), Los

Cuco Sanchez

2000 • Obituaries

Amantes (1956), El Organillero (1957), Sucedio en Mexico (1957), Nacida Para Amar (1958), Miercoles de Ceniza (1958), Ferias de Mexico (1958), The Soldiers of Pancho Villa (1958), Las Cuatro Milpas (1958), El Hombre de Alazan (1959), El Centauro del Norte (1960), Paloma Herida (1963), Las Chicas Malas del Padre Mendez (1971) and El As de Oros (1972). Sanchez also appeared in the Mexican television series Simplemente Maria and Maria Mercedes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 9, 2000, B4; Variety, Nov. 27, 2000, 71.

Sandys, Pat British television producer Pat Sandys died in London on May 19, 2000. She was 73. Sandys was born Patricia Mary Trotter in Nottingham, England, on July 26, 1926. She began working on stage in her teens, becoming a stage director for a repertory company in Glasgow. During the 1950s she appeared in several British television series and had small part in the 1952 film Castle in the Air. She married actor Philip Bond in 1959 and began working as a script reader for London ITV. She became head of scripts at Yorkshire Television in 1968. She began producing for tele-

Pat Sandys

Obituaries • 2000

200

vision in the early 1980s, overseeing the tele-films The Marquise (1980) and Pygmalion (1981). She also scripted the tele-films Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (1980), The Seven Dials Mystery (1982) and The Secret Adversary (1982). She was a producer for the popular British police drama series The Bill from 1988. Her other credits include the telefilms Dreams Lost, Dreams Found (1987), The Lady’s Not for Burning (1987), Sun Child (1988) and Love with the Perfect Stranger (1988).

Sautet, Claude French film director Claude Sautet died of liver cancer in Paris on July 22, 2000. He was 76. Sautet was born in Montrouge, France, on February 23, 1924. He began working in films as a script doctor and screen writer in the late 1940s. Sautet scripted and served as assistant director to George Franju on the 1959 French horror classic Eyes Without a Face (aka The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus). Sautet directed the 1960 film The Big Risk. His other directoral credits include The Dic-

tator’s Guns (1964), The Things in Life (1969), Max (1971), Cesar and Rosalie (1972) which he also appeared in, Vincent Francois, Paul and the Others (1974), Mado (1976), A Simple Story (1978), A Few Days with Me (1988), A Heart in Winter (1992) and 1995’s Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud. Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2000, B8; New York Times, July 28, 2000, A19; Times (of London), July 25, 2000, 19a; Variety, July 31, 2000, 54.

Schloat, G. Warren, Jr. Illustrator G. Warren Schloat, Jr., died in an Escondido, California, hospital on July 30, 2000. He was 86. Schloat was a popular children’s book author and illustrator whose works include Fay Gow, a Boy of Hong Kong, The Wonderful Egg, Andy’s Wonderful Telescope and Playtime for You. Schloat also worked with Walt Disney Studios as an animator from 1939 to 1945, where he participated in the production of such classic films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Dumbo. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 15, 2000, B6.

Schmidhauser, Hannes Swiss character actor Hannes Schmidhauser died in Lugano, Switzerland, of heart failure on

Claude Sautet

Hannes Schmidhauser

201 January 29, 2000. He was 73. Schmidhauser was born in Locarno, Switzerland, on September 9, 1926. A popular film star from the 1950s, he was featured in Uli, de Knecht (1954), Uli, der Pachter (1955), Zwischen uns die Berge (1956), Heidemarie (1956), Model Husband (1959), Wilhelm Tell (1960), Seelische Grausamkeit (1962), The Invisible Terror (1963), Class Reunion (1988) and General Sutter (1999). Schmidhauser also starred as Linus Caduff in the 1994 German television series Die Direktorin.

Schulz, Charles Cartoonist Charles Schulz, who created the popular Peanuts comic strip, died after a battle with colon cancer in Santa Rosa, California, on February 12, 2000. He was 77. Schulz was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November 26, 1922. He began drawing professionally during World War II, selling cartoons to the Catholic comic magazine Timeless Topix. In the late 1940s Schulz began the cartoon panel Li’l Folks for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which featured early versions of

Charles Schulz

2000 • Obituaries

many of the Peanuts gang. Li’l Folks went into syndication with United Features as a comic strip, appearing nationally as Peanuts in October of 1950. Schulz was displeased with the retitling, but continued to draw and write the strip for nearly fifty years. Peanuts introduced the world to such characters as much put-upon Charlie Brown, his Walter Mittyish dog Snoopy, ascerbic Lucy Van Pelt and her blanket-holding brother, Linus, pianist Schroeder, ill-kempt Pig Pen, and Snoopy’s bird friend, Woodstock. The strip was adapted into numerous television animated specials, beginning with 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. Other specials include It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), Charlie Brown’s All-Stars (1966), You’re In Love, Charlie Brown (1967), He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968), It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969), the 1969 feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Play It Again, Charlie Brown (1971), You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972), A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1972), the 1972 feature Snoopy, Come Home (1972), There’s No Time for Love, Charlie Brown (1973), It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974), It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown (1974), You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975), Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975), It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976), What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! (1977), It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977), You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown (1979), It’s an Adventure, Charlie Brown (1980), the 1980 feature Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don’t Come Back!), It’s Magic, Charlie Brown (1981), What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown? (1983), Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? (1983), It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984), Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! (1985), Why, Charlie Brown, Why? (1990) and You’re in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown! (1993). A successful stage play, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, also featured the Peanuts gang. Schulz’s failing health forced him to announce his retirement from the comic strip in late 1999. His last daily comic ran in January of 2000 and the publication of his farewell Sunday strip coincided with the morning of his death. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13, 2000, A1; New York Times, Feb. 14, 2000, A1; People, Feb. 28, 2000, 52; Time, Feb. 21, 2000, 27; Times (of London), Feb. 14, 2000, 19a; Variety, Feb. 21, 2000, 56.

Obituaries • 2000

202

Seidel, Stan

Shannon, Bob “Shamrock”

Screenwriter Stanford Clarke “Stan” Seidel died of complications from Crohn’s Disease in a Los Angeles hospital on July 14, 2000. He was 48. Seidel was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1952. He scripted the recently completed 2000 film One Night at McCool’s. He also worked on television, scripting episodes of True Colors and Where I Live. Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2000, B6; Variety, July 24, 2000, 66.

Radio announcer Bob “Shamrock” Shannon died on August 15, 2000. He was 79. Shannon was born in West Allis, Wisconsin, in 1920, and began his career as a radio announcer there in 1938. He served in the military during World War II, and came Hollywood after the war. He joined CBS radio network in the late 1940s, where he was heard on such shows as The Jimmy Durante– Garry Moore Show and Mayor of the Town with Lionel Barrymore. Shannon hosted the radio quiz show The Man Says Yes from 1949 to 1954. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 10, 2000, B5.

Seven, Bruce Adult film director Bruce Seven died of complications from a stroke on January 15, 2000. Best known for his films starring Ginger Lynn for Vivid in the 1980s, Seven also directed his wife, Bionca, in a series of films entitled Takin’ It to the Limits. His credits include Lips on Lips, Jaded, Perverse Addictions, Project Ginger, Gentlemen Prefer Ginger, Finer Things in Life, Eye of the Tigress, Buttwoman, Incredible Edible Christy Canyon, Hard Rockin’ Babes, Hard Riders, Ghost Lusters, Savage Revenge, Snatched to the Future, Shadows in the Dark, Wet ’n’ Working, Rocky Porno Video

Bob “Shamrock” Shannon

Shelton, Joy

Bruce Seven

Show and World According to Ginger.

British actress Joy Shelton died in England of complications from emphysema on January 28, 2000. She was 77. Shelton was born in London on June 3, 1922. She began her career on stage and was featured in several films in the 1940s including Millions Like Us (1943), Waterloo Road (1944) with John Mills and Stewart Granger, Bees in Paradise (1944), Send for Paul Temple (1946),

203

Joy Shelton

Uneasy Terms (1948), No Room at the Inn (1948), Once a Sinner (1950) and Midnight Episode (1950). She became well known in the late 1940s for her role in the BBC radio series PC 49. She also starred in the film version of the series, A Case for PC 49 in 1951. She continued to perform on stage and television, and was seen in a handful of films including Emergency Call (1952), Impulse (1954), No Kidding (1960), Five Golden Hours (1961) and H.M.S. Defiant (1962). She made her final performance in a television production of The Darling Buds of May in 1991. Shelton was married to actor Sidney Tafler from 1941 until his death in 1979.

Shenson, Walter Walter Shenson, who produced the popular Beatles films A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965), died of complications from a stroke at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on October 17, 2000. He was 81. Shenson was born in San Francisco on June 22, 1919. He began his film career working as a publicist for Paramount and

2000 • Obituaries

Columbia after serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He served as producer for the 1948 film Inner Sanctum, and produced and scripted 1951’s Korea Patrol. Shenson went to London in the late 1950s to work for Columbia’s overseas Walter Shenson publicity. He produced several films there including The Mouse That Roared (1959), A Matter of Who (1961) and The Mouse on the Moon (1963), before closing a deal with Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein to make a movie starring the popular rock stars. Shenson continued to produce such films as Don’t Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1967), 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968), Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973), The Chicken Chronicles (1977), Reuben, Reuben (1983) and Echo Park (1986). Shenson also directed the 1971 comedy Welcome to the Club. His last producer’s credit was the 1996 tele-film Ruby Jean and Joe. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 22, 2000, B5; Times (of London), Oct. 21, 2000, 31c; Variety, Oct. 23, 2000, 137.

Shepard, Mary Illustrator Mary Shepard died in London on October 4, 2000. She was 90. She was born in England on December 25, 1909, the daughter of famous artist E.H. Shepard. She was best known for her work with author P.L. Travers, illustrating 1934’s Mary Poppins and its sequels. Her illustrations were adapted by Disney for the 1964 film version of Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews as the perfect nanny. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 3, 2000, B8; New York Times, Oct. 2, 2000, B8. Mary Shepard

Obituaries • 2000

204

Sholem, Lee Director Lee Sholem died on August 19, 2000. He was 99. Sholem began working in Hollywood as an assistant editor in the 1930s. He made his directoral debut in the late 1940s with Tarzan’s Magic Fountain (1949). The following year he directed Tarzan and the Slave Girl. Known as “Roll ’Em,” Sholem due to his ability to keep a production on schedule, he directed the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men starring George Reeves. Sholem also directed numerous episodes of the subsequent television series featuring Reeves as the Man of Steel. Sholem’s other film credits include Redhead from Wyoming (1953), The Stand at Apache River (1953), Tobor the Great (1954), the Jungle Jim films Jungle Man-Eaters (1954) and Cannibal Attack (1954), Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955), Pharaoh’s Curse (1956), Emergency Hospital (1956), Crime Against Joe (1956), Sierra Stranger (1957), Hell Ship Mutiny (1957) and The Louisiana Hussy (1959). Sholem primarily worked in television from the late 1950s, directing episodes of Men into Space, Maverick, Lawman, Colt .45, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot and Bronco. His final film credits were Catalina Caper (1967) and the 1967 science fiction film The Doomsday Machine.

devoting his music to spiritual matters. His final album, God’s Calypsonian, was released shortly before his death. Los Angeles Times, July 16, 2000, B6.

Showalter, Max Film, stage and television character actor Max Showalter, who also performed under the name Casey Adams, died of cancer in Middletown, Connecticut, on July 30, 2000. He was 83. Showalter was born in Caldwell, Kansas, on June 2, 1917. He began his career on stage, performing with the Pasadena Playhouse in California. He made his debut on Broadway in the 1938 production of Knights of Song. Showalter served in the Army during World War II, appearing in productions of This Is the Army. He made his film debut in 1949’s Always Leave Them Laughing with Milton Berle. He also appeared regularly in the 1949 variety television series The Swift Show. Showalter also appeared in the films With a Song in My Heart (1952), Stars and Stripes Forever (1952), What Price Glory (1952) with James Cagney, My Wife’s Best Friend (1952), Destination Gobi (1953), Vicki (1953), Niagara (1953) with

Shorty I, Ras Singer Ras Shorty I died of bone cancer on July 12, 2000. He was 58. He was born Garfield Blackman in Lengua, Trinidad, on October 6, 1941. He began singing at the age of seven and had his first major hit, “Cloak and Dagger,” in 1963. He was a founder of the Soca song style, a fusion between calypso and funk. He became internationally known with his 1974 album Endless Vibrations. In the late 1970s Shorty formed the group Ras Shorty I the Love Circle,

Max Showalter

205 Marilyn Monroe, Dangerous Crossing (1953), Night People (1954), Down Three Dark Streets (1954), Naked Alibi (1954), The Return of Jack Slade (1955), The Indestructible Man (1956) with Lon Chaney, Jr., Never Say Goodbye (1956), Bus Stop (1956), Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957), The Monster That Challenged the World (1957), The Female Animal (1957), Voice in the Mirror (1958), The Naked and the Dead (1958), It Happened to Jane (1959), Elmer Gantry (1960), Return to Peyton Place (1961), Summer and Smoke (1961), Bon Voyage! (1962), The Music Man (1962), My Six Loves (1963), Move Over, Darling (1963), Fate Is the Hunter (1964), Sex and the Single Girl (1964), How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Lord Love a Duck (1966), The Moonshine War (1970), The Anderson Tapes (1971), Bonnie’s Kids (1973), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), 10 (1979) with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek, Sixteen Candles (1984) as Molly Ringwald’s grandfather, and Racing with the Moon (1984). Showalter starred as Gus in the short-lived 1980 television sit-com The Stockard Channing Show. He was also seen on television in episodes of Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, Gunsmoke, Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Stagecoach West, Empire, Perry Mason, Bewitched, Kojak, The Incredible Hulk and The Bob Newhart Show. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2, 2000, B6; New York Times, Aug. 2, 2000, C21; People, Aug. 14, 2000, 115; Variety, Aug. 14, 2000, 44.

Shuker, Gregory B. Documentary filmmaker Gregory B. Shuker died of liver cancer in New York on March 29, 2000. He was 67. Shuker worked as a reporter for Life magazine until 1959, when he began working in documentary films. He was the creator of the film The Chair, about a prisoner scheduled for execution, and Free at Last, concerning the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The latter earned an Emmy Award. Shuker also made the film Faces in November about the funeral of President Kennedy, 1965’s Letters from Vietnam and a 1967 television special Twiggy: Why? Los Angeles Times, Apr. 4, 2000, B6; New York Times, Apr. 3, 2000, B8.

2000 • Obituaries

Sigman, Carl Songwriter Carl Sigman died at his home in Manhasset, New York, on September 26, 2000. He was 91. Sigman was born in Brooklyn on September 24, 1909. A lawyer, Sigman began writing lyrics to songs in the 1930s. During his career he wrote words to such popular tunes as “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” “What Now My Love,” “Where Do I Begin,” “Dream Along with Me,” “Ebb Tide,” “Buena Sera,” “It’s All in the Game,” “Arrivederci, Roma,” and “Enjoy Yourself.” He wrote the lyrics for the theme of 1950s television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, and the 1970 film Love Story. His songs were also heard in such films as The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Diner (1982), Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) and Any Given Sunday (1999), and were recorded by such artists as Frank Carl Sigman Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Vic Damone, Nat King Cole, the Andrews Sisters and Perry Como. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 2000, B6; New York Times, Sept. 30, 2000, A18; Time, Oct. 9, 2000, 39; Times (of London), Oct. 6, 2000, 25a.

Simon, Al Television producer Al Simon died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Beverly Hills, California, on May 23, 2000. He was 88. Simon was born in New York on November 11, 1911. He began working in television in 1946, writing for the Truth or Consequences game show. Simon pioneered the use of motion-picture cameras on 35-millimeter film to record the show, allowing for better picture quality for rebroadcast. The technique was subsequently used for the sitcoms I Love Lucy and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. Simon was president of Filmways Productions in the 1960s, where he was involved

Obituaries • 2000

206

with such series as The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Ed, Green Acres and Petticoat Junction. New York Times, May 28, 2000, 33; Variety, May 29, 2000, 70.

Sinclair, Mary Actress Mary Sinclair died in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 5, 2000. She was 78. Born in San Diego, California, in 1922, she went to New York to become a model in the 1940s. She was married to playwright George Abbott from 1946 until 1951. She was given a contract by CBS television by William S. Paley in the late 1940s and was featured in such series as Studio One, Lights Out, Suspense, Out There, Tales of Tomorrow, Playhouse 90, The U.S. Steel Hour, The Untouchables, Woman with a Past, Robert Montgomery Presents, Climax! and One Step Beyond. She also appeared in the 1953 film Arrowhead with Charl-

ton Heston and Brian Keith. She largely retired from acting in the 1960s. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 9, 2000, B8; New York Times, Nov. 14, 2000, B15; Variety, Nov. 27, 2000, 71.

Singh, K.N. Indian Hindi actor K.N. Singh died at his Bombay, India, home after a long illness on January 31, 2000. He was 91. Singh was known as the gentleman villain in numerous films since the 1930s. He was born Krishan Narayan Singh in Dehradun, India, on September 4, 1909. He was a lawyer before entering films in 1937. He often played pipesmoking villains in over 200 films during his career. His numerous credits include Humayun (1945), Singaar (1949), The Monsoons (1949), Hulchul (1951), The Tramp (1951), The Net (1952), Storms (1952), Armaan (1953), Howrah Bridge K.N. Singh (1958), That Which Runs Is a Car (1958), Barsaat Ki Raat (1960), Passport (1961), Raaka (1965), The Guide (1965), Shart (1969), Jigree Dost (1969), Himmat (1970), Loafer (1973) and Prem Kahani (1975). Variety, Feb. 21, 2000, 56.

Siodmak, Curt

Mary Sinclair

Screenwriter and director Curt Siodmak, who created the classic Universal monster The Wolf Man in 1941, died at his home in Three Rivers, California, on September 2, 2000. He was 98. Siodmak was born in Dresden, Germany, on August 10, 1902. He began his film career while working as a journalist and serving as an extra in Fritz Lang’s science fiction classic Metropolis in 1926. Siodmak and his brother, director Robert Siodmak, helmed the 1929 German silent film People on Sunday. He scripted several other German films including Looking for His

207

2000 • Obituaries

Magic Fountain (1949). Siodmak directed and scripted the 1951 horror film Bride of the Gorilla and the 1953 science fiction classic The Magnetic Monster. His novel, Donovan’s Brain, was again filmed in 1953 starring Lew Ayres, Nancy David Reagan and Gene Evans. He continued to write for such films as Riders to the Stars (1954), Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956). He directed and scripted the films Curucu, Beast of the Amazons (1957) and Love Slaves of the Amazons (1957). Siodmak worked as director and scripter on the unaired television series 13 Demon Street, several segments of which were edited together for the 1962 film The Devil’s Messenger. He scripted the 1962 film Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace, and Donovan’s Brain was again adapted as a 1962 British film, The Brain. Siodmak directed and scripted 1967’s Ski Fever. His novel, Hauser’s Memory, was adapted as a tele-film in 1970. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 2000, B6; New York Times, Nov. 19, 2000, 56; Variety, Sept. 18, 2000, 122.

Curt Siodmak

Murderer (1931) and F.P. 1 Doesn’t Answer (1932) before leaving Nazi Germany in 1933. He resided in France and England for several years, scripting several films including The Tunnel (1935) and It’s a Bet (1935). He settled in the United States in 1937. Siodmak became best known for his work on horror and science fiction films. He scripted or wrote the story for over forty films including Non-Stop New York (1937), Her Jungle Love (1938), Black Friday (1940) with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, The Invisible Man Returns (1940), The Ape (1940), The Invisible Woman (1940), The Wolf Man (1941) with Lon Chaney, Jr., Pacific Blackout (1941), Aloma of the South Seas (1941), Invisible Agent (1942), London Blackout Murders (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), Val Lewton’s I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Son of Dracula (1943) with Lon Chaney, Jr., The Purple V (1943), The Mantrap (1943), False Faces (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), The Lady and the Monster (1944) based on his novel Donovan’s Brain, The Climax (1944) with Boris Karloff, Shady Lady (1945), Frisco Sal (1945), The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) with Peter Lorre, Berlin Express (1948) and Tarzan’s

Sklena, Vincent Film and television editor Vincent Sklena died of a heart attack at his Hollywood home on May 23, 2000. He was 56. Sklena was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1943. He received the Emmy Award for editing the 1979 tele-film The Late Great Me. He also edited the 1984 film Breakin’. Sklena produced, wrote and edited several documentaries including Images of Oliver Wood and The Art of Deception: Hitler, Savior or Satan. Variety, July 24, 2000, 66.

Sladek, John Science fiction writer John Sladek died at his home in Edina, Minnesota, on March 10, 2000. He was 62. Sladek was born on December 15, 1937. He began writing in the late 1960s,

John Sladek

Obituaries • 2000

208

collaborating with Thomas Disch on such novels as Black Alice. He became involved with the Science Fiction New Wave movement in England, writing the novels Mechasm (1968) and The Muller-Fokker Effect (1970). He was best known for his robot novels, Roderick (1980) and Roderick at Random (1983). His other works include 1983’s Tik-tok and 1989’s Bugs.

Smidt, Burr Film and television art director William Burr Smidt, III, died of cancer at his home in Venice, Florida, on November 14, 2000. He was 73. Smidt was born in Venice in 1927. He began working in television at NBC in 1949. He received Emmy nominations for his work on The Power and Glory, Cyrano de Bergerac and Sadler’s Wells company production of Sleeping Beauty. He also served as art director for The Littlest Angel on Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1969. Smidt was nominated for an Academy Award for his art director of 1962’s Requiem for a Heavyweight. He also served as art director for the films Young Savages (1961) and A Thousand Clowns (1965). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2000, B6; Variety, Dec. 4, 2000, 84.

Smith, Jerome Rock guitarist Jerome Smith was killed on August 2, 2000, when he was crushed by a bulldozer he was operating after falling off of it. He was 47. Smith was born on June 18, 1953. He was the rhythm guitarist for KC & the Sunshine Band, performing the songs “That’s the Way (I Like It)” and “Get Down Tonight.” People, Aug. 21, 2000, 87.

Solie, Gordon Legendary wrestling commentator Gordon Solie died of throat cancer at his home in New Port Richey on July 27, 2000. He was 71. Solie was born in Minneapolis in 1929. He began his career in radio in Florida in the early 1950s as a disc jockey, and was soon announcing for auto racing and professional wrestling events. He

Gordon Solie

began well known throughout the state as the voice of Championship Wrestling from Florida, announcing matches with such stars as Jack and Jerry Brisco, Dory Funk, Jr., Dusty Rhodes and Hiro Matsuda. He gained a national reputation with cable station WTBS as an announcer for NWA and WCW events. Solie retired from broadcasting in 1995.

Sonego, Rodolfo Italian screenwriter Rodolfo Sonego, died in a Rome hospital of injuries suffered in a fall on October 15, 2000. He was 79. Sonego was born in Cavarzano, Italy, on February 27, 1921. He began his scripting career in the early 1950s, working with Alberto Lattuada on Anna (1951). Sonego often worked with Italian comic actor Albert Sordi, writing over fifty films for Sordi’s comic characters. His numerous film credits include The Beach (1953), Camilla (1954), Toto and Carolina (1955), Nero’s Mistress (1956), Il Marito (1957), Love on the Riviera (1958), The Moralist (1959), Wild Cats on the Beach (1959), The Traf-

209 fic Policeman (1960), Gastone (1960), …And Suddenly It’s Murder! (1960), Girl in the Window (1961), A Difficult Life (1961), The Italian Brigands (1961), The Devil (1963), The Commandment (1963), The Flying Saucer (1964), The Dolls (1965), Three Faces of a Woman (1965), Thriller (1965), I Complessi (1965), The Queens (1966), An Italian in America (1967), Girl with a Pistol (1968), The Scientific Cardplayer (1972), A Brief Vacation (1973), Turn the Other Cheek (1974), Strange Occasion (1976), A Common Sense of Modesty (1976), Lover, Wife (1977), The Cat (1977), The Witness (1978), Catherine and I (1981), I Know That You Know That I Know (1982), Journey with Papa (1982), Everybody in Jail (1984), The Lie (1984), Great! (1986), A Taxi Driver in New York (1987), The Miser (1989), Christmas Vacation ’91 (1992), Acquitted for Having Committed the Deed (1992), Nestor’s Last Trip (1994) and Forbidden Encounters (1998). Variety, Oct. 30, 2000, 70.

Sperdakos, George Character actor George Sperdakos died in Bridgehampton, New York, on July 21, 2000. He was 68. The Greek-Canadian actor began his career in films in the late 1950s. He was featured in The Bloody Brood (1959), The War Lover (1962), What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968), Number One (1969), Journey (1972), My Pleasure Is My Business (1974), The Other Side of Midnight (197), Resurrection (1980), Cross Country (1983), Cocktail (1988), Mindfield (1989), Married to It (1991), White Light (1991), Murder at 1600 (1997), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) and Dirty Work (1998). He was also a popular performer on television, appearing in the tele-films The Psychiatrist: God Bless the Children (1970), The Execution of Private Slovik (1974), The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976), Exo-Man (1977), Kill Me If You Can (1977), Columbo: The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case (1977), Jimmy B. & Andre (1980), Devlin (1992), Deadly Matrimony (1992) and Sealed with a Kill (1999). His other television credits include episodes of The Unforeseen, The Saint, Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible, Cimarron Strip, Land of the Giants, It Takes a Thief, Ellery Queen, S.W.A.T., Starlost, Charlie’s Angels, Katts and Dog, Friday the 13th, F/X: The Series and The Hunger.

2000 • Obituaries

Speriglio, Milo Private detective Milo Speriglio died of lung cancer at his home in Encino, California, on April 30, 2000. He was 62. Speriglio, who claimed that watching Peter Gunn on television lured him into the detective business, was known for his work on several celebrity cases. He investigated the deaths of screen legend Marilyn Monroe and television’s Superman, George Reeves, disputing the official version of their deaths. Milo Speriglio Speriglio claimed that Monroe was murdered, and authored several books about his investigations. Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2000, B1; New York Times, June 5, 2000, A26.

Sprang, Dick Dick Sprang, who served as artist for numerous Batman comics from the 1940s through

Dick Sprang

Obituaries • 2000

210

the 1960s, died after a long illness in Prescott, Arizona, on May 10, 2000. He was 84. Sprang was born in Fremont, Ohio, in 1915. He was a commercial artist for newspapers and billboards in the 1930s before joining DC comics in 1941. He became one of several ghost artists to illustrate Batman’s adventures, though creator Bob Kane’s name still appeared as artist in the credits. Sprang continued to draw the character in hundreds of adventures of the caped crusader in Batman and Detective Comics for over twenty years. He illustrated the first Riddler story in 1948 and designed the 1950 version of the Batmobile. Sprang’s work was considered by many to be the consummate Batman artist of the period. Sprang retired from comics in 1963. Fan appreciation for his work make him a popular comic convention guest from the 1980s and he returned to DC to draw several Batman comic covers in the early 1990s.

Staples, Pops Roebuck “Pops” Staples died in Chicago, Illinois, of injuries suffered in a fall on December 19, 2000. He was 84. Staples was born in Winona, Mississippi, on December 28, 1915. He was the patriarch of The Staple Singers, singing with his children Pervis, Mavis and Cleotha.

Pops Staples (with the Staple Singers).

They began recording in 1953, having numerous hit songs including “Respect Yourself,” “Heavy Makes You Happy,” “Let’s Do It Again” and “I’ll Take You There.” Staples also continued a solo career, recording the album Peace to the Neighborhood in 1992, and receiving a Grammy award for best contemporary blues album with 1994’s Father, Father. Staples was featured in several films including The Last Waltz (1978), True Stories (1987) and 1997’s Wag the Dog. He also appeared in the 1970 tele-film The Psychiatrist: God Bless the Children. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 20, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 22, 2000, A24; People, Jan. 8, 2001, 68; Times (of London), Dec. 21, 2000, 19a.

Stevens, Craig Actor Craig Stevens, who was best known for his role as Peter Gunn in the 1950s television series, died of cancer in Los Angeles on May 10, 2000. He was 81. Stevens was born Gail Shikles, Jr. in Liberty, Missouri, on July 8, 1918. He moved to California in the early 1940s and was soon signed to a contract with Warner Bros. He was featured in such films as Steel Against the Sky (1941), Law of the Tropics (1941), The Body Disappears (1941), Affectionately Yours (1941), Dive Bomber (1941), At the Stroke of Twelve (1941), Spy Ship (1942), Secret Enemies (1942), The Hidden Hand (1942), Jap Zero (1943), Three Cadets (1943), Since You Went Away (1944), The Doughgirls (1944), Hollywood Canteen (1944), Roughly Speaking (1945), God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), Too Young to Know (1945), Humoresque (1946), The Man I Love (1946), Love and Learn (1947), That Way with Women (1947), The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) and Night Unto Night (1949). Stevens remained a popular leading man in the 1950s, appearing in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), Blues Busters (1950), Drums in the Deep South (1951), The Lady from Texas (1951), Katie Did It (1951), Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Murder Without Tears (1953), Let’s Sing a Stephen Foster Song (1953), Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), The French Line (1954), Duel on the Mississippi (1955), The Deadly Mantis (1957) and Buchanan Rides Alone (1958). Stevens starred as private detective Peter Gunn on television from 1958 until 1961. He subsequently starred in the short lived drama series Man of the World as

211

2000 • Obituaries

Jack Benny as the singer for Benny’s NBC radio show in 1944, after singer Dennis Day left the show to serve in the U.S. Navy. Stevens remained with Benny’s program until Day returned in March of 1946.

Stewart, Freddie

Craig Stevens (from The Deadly Mantis).

Michael Strait in 1962, and Mr. Broadway as Mike Bell in 1964. He reprised his role as Peter Gunn in the 1967 film Gunn. He also appeared in the film The Limbo Line (1968), and the tele-films McCloud: Who Killed Miss U.S.A.? (1970), The Snoop Sisters (1972), The Elevator (1974), Killer Bees (1975), The Love Boat II (1977) and Secrets of Three Hungry Wives (1978). He was featured as Walter Carlson in the 1975 television series The Invisible Man with David McCallum, and was Asher Berg in the 1976 mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man. Stevens starred as Craig Stewart in the 1981 season of Dallas, and was featured in the 1981 comedy film S.O.B. He also appeared in the telefilms Condor (1986), Supercarrier (1988) and Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair (1988). Stevens’ numerous television credits also include episodes of The Lone Ranger, Science Fiction Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, The Men from Shiloh, Alias Smith and Jones, Here’s Lucy, Gunsmoke, Harry O, Starsky and Hutch, Ghost Story, Search, Ellery Queen, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Project UFO, The Incredible Hulk, Happy Days, Fantasy Island and Murder, She Wrote. Stevens was married to actress Alexis Smith from 1944 until her death in 1993. Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 13, 2000, A15; People, May 29, 2000, 99; Time, May 22, 2000, 33; TV Guide, July 1, 2000, 7; Variety, May 22, 2000, 80.

Stevens, Larry Singer Larry Stevens died of cancer on April 5, 2000. He was 77. Stevens was hired by

Actor Freddie Stewart died in Woodland Hills, California, on August 15, 2000. Stewart was featured in a series of Monogram films from the mid–1940s including Junior Prom (1946), Freddie Steps Out (1946), High School Hero (1946), Louisiana (1947), Vacation Days (1947), Sarge Goes to College (1947), Campus Sleuth (1948), Music Man (1948) and Smart Politics (1948).

Stewart, Nick Black comic actor Nick Stewart who starred as Lightnin’ on TV’s Amos ’n’ Andy died at his son’s home in Los Angeles on December 18, 2000. He was 90. Nicodemus Stewart was born in New York City on March 15, 1910. He began performing on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920s, appearing in such venues as the Cotton Club. Sometimes credited as Nicodemus, he began his film career in the 1930s. He was featured in such films as Go West Young Man (1936), Dark Manhattan (1937), Mind Your Own Business (1937), Stormy Weather (1943), My Son, the Hero (1943), Hoosier Holiday (1943), The Heavenly Body (1943), False Faces (1943), Cabin in the Sky (1943), Follow the Boys (1944), Gildersleeve’s Ghost (1944), Dakota (1945), She Wouldn’t Say Yes (1945), I Love a Bandleader (1945), Colonel Effingham’s Raid (1945), Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945), Night and Day (1946), Centennial Summer (1946), Behind Green Lights (1946), Night Train to Memphis (1946), Down to Earth (1947), The Voice of the Turtle (1947), No Holds Barred (1952), Carmen Jones (1954), Thunder over Sangoland (1955), Flame of the Islands (1955), Tarzan’s Fight for Life (1958) and It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). Stewart also performed the voice of Br’er Bear in the 1946 Disney animated film Song of the South and appeared in the 1950s television series Ramar of the Jungle as Willy-Willy. As Nick O’Demus, he was best known as the slow-moving

Obituaries • 2000

212 married editor Virginia Stone in 1946 and, during the 1950s, she assisted him in editing and producing films. Stone’s credits include Liebenstraum (1928), Shadows of Glory (1930), Hell’s Headquarters (1932), The Girl Said No (1937), Stolen Heaven (1938), Say It in French (1938), The Great Victor Herbert (1939), There’s Magic in Music (1941), Stormy Weather (1943), Hi Diddle Diddle (1943), Sensations of 1945 (1944), Bedside Manner (1945), The Bachelor’s Daughters (1946), Fun on a Weekend (1947), Highway 301 (1950), The Steel Trap (1952), Confidence Girl (1952), A Blueprint for Murder (1953), The Night Holds Terror (1955), Julie (1956), Cry Terror (1958), The Decks Ran Red (1958), The Last Voyage (1960), Ring of Fire (1961), The Password Is Courage (1962), Never Put It in Writing (1964), The Secret of My Success (1965), Song of Norway (1970) and The Great Waltz (1972). New York Times, Dec. 2, 2000, A19; Variety, Nov. 27, 2000, 71.

Nick Stewart

janitor Lightnin’ in the 1950s television sit-com Amos ’n’ Andy. His final film credits were 1976’s Silver Streak and 1987’s Hollywood Shuffle. Stewart was also the founder of Los Angeles’ Ebony Showcase Theater. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 2000, B8; New York Times, Dec. 26, 2000, C5; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

Stone, Andrew

Andrew Stone

Film director Andrew L. Stone died on June 9, 2000. He was 97. Stone was born in Oakland, California, on July 16, 1902. He began working at Universal Studios in 1918. He made his directoral debut in the 1920s, helming The Elegy (1927). Stone often produced and scripted his own films. He

Stone, Robinson Actor Robinson Stone died in New York on May 11, 2000. He was born Robert W. Stone in Chicago on April 25, 1919. He was 81. Stone was best known for his stage performances on Broadway in productions of Othello, Cyrano de Bergerac, Macbeth and 20th Century. Stone also played the mute, Joey, in Billy Wilder’s 1953 film Stalag 17. He also worked for the Today show as a talent coordinator for Dave Garroway. New York Times, May 20, 2000, B11.

Sunal, Kemal Turkish comic actor Kemal Sunal died of a heart attack in Istanbul after boarding an airplane headed for a film location in Trabzon on July 3, 2000. He was 55. Sunal, who was terrified of flying, had been persuaded to make the journey and his phobia was thought to have been a cause of his heart attack. The popular star began his career on stage in the 1960s and made his film debut in the early 1970s. He appeared in over 80 films during his career including Polizei (1988) and 1999’s Propaganda. He was best known for his bumbling comic character Saban the Cow. Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2000, B8.

213

2000 • Obituaries

Kemal Sunal Norman Swallow

Swallow, Norman British documentary filmmaker Norman Swallow died in London on December 5, 2000. He was 79. Swallow was born in Eccles, Lancashire, England, on February 16, 1921. He began his career as a radio producer for the BBC in the late 1940s, working on such series as Speaking Personally. He began producing documentary films for BBC television in the 1950s. Swallow and Denis Mitchell oversaw the series This England, and produced the documentary A Wedding on Saturday in 1964. His other works include Ten Days That Shook the World (1967), The Christians (1977), Clouds of Glory: William and Dorothy (1978), Clouds of Glory: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1978) and Television (1985). Times (of London), Dec. 11, 2000, 21a.

Swinburne, Nora British actress Nora Swinburne died in England on May 1, 2000. She was 97. Swinburne was born in Bath, Somerset, England, on July 24, 1902. She began her career on stage as a dancer at the age of 10. She made her debut in silent films in 1920, beginning as a leading lady and later graduating into supporting and character roles. Her credits include Saved from the Sea (1920), The Fortune of Christina McNab (1921), Branded (1921), Hornet’s Nest (1923), The Unwanted (1924), His Grace Gives Notice (1924), Caste (1930), Alf ’s Button (1930), These Charming People (1931), Potiphar’s Wife (1931), A Man of Mayfair (1931), A Voice Said Goodnight (1932), Bill, the Conqueror (1932), White Face (1933), Too Many Wives (1933), Perfect Understanding (1933), The Office Wife (1934), Boomerang (1934), Lend Me Your Husband (1935), Dante’s Inferno (1935), The Lonely Road (1936), Jury’s Evidence (1936),

Obituaries • 2000

214

Nora Swinburne

Gay Adventure (1936), Dinner at the Ritz (1937), Lily of Laguna (1938), The Citadel (1938), They Flew Alone (1941), It Happened to One Man (1941), The Farmer’s Wife (1941), The Man in Grey (1943), Dear Octopus (1943), Fanny by Gaslight (1944), They Knew Mr. Knight (1945), Jassy (1947), The Blind Goddess (1948), Quartet (1949), Marry Me (1949), Landfall (1949), Fools Rush In (1949), Christopher Columbus (1949), Good Time Girl (1949), The Bad Lord Byron (1949), My Daughter Joy (1950), The River (1951), Quo Vadis? (1951), Betrayed (1954), The End of the Affair (1955), Helen of Troy (1956), Strange Awakening (1958), Third Man on the Mountain (1959), Conspiracy of Hearts (1960), A Man Could Get Killed (1966), Interlude (1968) and Anne of the Thousand Days (1969). During the 1960s Ms. Swinburne was seen on the British television series The Forsyte Saga as Aunt Hester Forsyte. Times (of London), May 9, 2000, 21a.

Swink, Robert E. Film editor Robert Swink died in Santa Maria, California, on August 15, 2000. He was

82. He was born in Rocky Ford, Colorado, in 1918. He began working for RKO in 1936 and began editing films in the early 1940s. His numerous film credits include Passport to Destiny (1944), Action in Arabia (1944), Heavenly Days (1944), Step by Step (1946), Criminal Court (1946), The Long Night (1947), The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947), I Remember Mama (1948), Make Mine Laughs (1949), Adventure in Baltimore (1949), Riders of the Range (1950), Storm Over Wyoming (1950), Rider from Tucson (1950), Never a Dull Moment (1950), Dynamite Pass (1950), Double Deal (1950), The Company She Keeps (1950), Detective Story (1951), Carrie (1952), The Narrow Margin (1952), William Wyler’s Roman Holiday (1953) which earned him an Oscar nomination, Witness to Murder (1954), The Desperate Hours (1955), Crashout (1955), Friendly Persuasion (1956), The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), The Children’s Hour (1961), Captain Sinbad (1963), The Best Man (1964), The Collector (1965), How to Steal a Million (1966) and The Flim-Flam Man (1967). Swink received a second Academy Award nomination for editing Barbra Streisand’s 1968 film Funny Girl. He also edited Skyjacked (1972), John Wayne’s The Cowboys (1972), Papillon (1973), Lady Ice (1973), Three the Hard Way (1974), Rooster Cogburn (1975), Midway (1976), Islands in the Stream (1977), Gray Lady Down (1978), The Boys from Brazil (1978) which garnered him another Oscar nomination, The InLaws (1979), Going in Style (1979), Sphinx (1981) and Welcome Home (1989). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 22, 2000, B6; Variety, Aug. 28, 2000, 126.

Sydney, Derek British character actor Derek Sydney died of a heart attack in San Marcos, California, on June 18, 2000. He was 80. Sydney was born in London, England, on January 11, 1920. He began his film career in England in the early 1950s. Sydney was seen in such films as Hot Ice (1952), Malaga (1954), The Constant Husband (1955), A Kid for Two Farthings (1955), Passport to Treason (1955), Man of the Moment (1955), Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), The Black Tent (1956), Seven Waves Away (1957), Violent Stranger (1957), Man from Tangier (1957), The Crawling Eye (1958), The Treasure of San Teresa (1959), Sands

215

Derek Sydney (from an episode of Doctor Who).

2000 • Obituaries

of the Desert (1960), Make Mine Mink (1960), Hand in Hand (1960), Carry on Spying (1964) and Carry on Up the River (1968). He also appeared on British television in episodes of The Invisible Man, Danger Man, Ivanhoe, Crane, The Saint, The Champions and Doctor Who.

Taffel, Bess Screenwriter Bess Taffel died of a stroke at a Los Angeles hospital on July 21, 2000. She was 85. She was born in New York City in an performed on stage in the Yiddish theatre as a child. Moving to California in the late 1930s, she became involved with the Hollywood Theater Alliance and began her career as a writer. She worked in the script department of RKO studios for several years. Taffel scripted several films including Badman’s Territory (1946), A Likely Story (1947) and Elopement (1951). Her Hollywood career ended in the early 1950s when she was blacklisted for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee. She is survived by her husband, production designer Robert Boyle. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 4, 2000, B6.

Talbott, Gloria Actress Gloria Talbott died in a Glendale, California, hospital on September 19, 2000. She was 69. Ms. Talbott was born in Glendale, California, on February 7, 1931. She began her career in films in the early 1950s, appearing in Desert Pursuit (1952), Northern Patrol (1953), Border City Rustlers (1953), We’re No Angels (1955), Lucy Gallant (1955), Crashout (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1955), The Young Guns (1956), Strange Intruder (1956), Taming Sutton’s Gal (1957), The Oklahoman (1957) and The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm (1957). She was best known for her roles in a quartet of horror and sci-

Gloria Talbott

ence fiction films, appearing in the title role in Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957), co-starring with Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Cyclops, and starring in I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) and The Leech Woman (1960). Her other films credits include Cattle Empire (1958), The Oregon Trail (1959), Girls Town (1959), Alias Jesse James (1959), Oklahoma Territory (1960), The Crimebusters (1961), Arizona Raiders (1965) and An Eye for an Eye (1966). Talbott starred as Priscilla Bishop in the Annie Oakley television series in the 1950s, and was Abbie Crandall several episodes of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp in 1955. She also guest starred in episodes of Wild Bill Hickok, The Cisco Kid, The Gene Autry Show, The Roy Rogers Show, Superman, Conflict, Cowboy G-Men, You Are There, West Point, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Gunsmoke, Frontier, Zane Grey Theater, The Restless Gun, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Bat Masterson, Perry Mason, Whispering Smith, Tales of Wells Fargo, Zorro, Cimarron City, Rawhide, Riverboat, Bonanza, Laramie, The Law of the Plainsman, The Rebel, Whispering Smith, Death Valley Days, Bronco, Frontier Circus, Lassie and Wagon Train. She largely retired from films in the mid–1960s, but was featured in a 1985 video release Attack of the B-Movie Monsters with other stars of 1950s horror films. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 23, 2000, B4.

Obituaries • 2000

216

Tanaka, Toru Character actor and professional wrestler Professor Toru Tanaka died of a heart attack in Lake Forest, California, on August 22, 2000. He was 70. Tanaka was born Charles Kalani in Honolulu, Hawaii, on January 6, 1930. He served in the U.S. Army from 1955 until 1966, and entered professional wrestling the following year. He teamed with Mitsu Arakawa as the Rising Suns in the WWWF, winning the tag team championship. He again held the WWWF tag team titles with Mr. Fuji in the early 1970s. Tanaka also held championship belts in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee. He began appearing in films in the early 1980s, and left wrestling to pursue his acting career full-time later in the decade. His film credits include An Eye for an Eye (1981), Revenge of the Ninja (1983), Off the Wall (1983), Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984), Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985), Volunteers (1985), Shanghai Surprise (1986), Bad Guys (1986), The Running Man (1987) with Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Catch the Heat (1987), Dead Heat (1988), Hyper Space (1989), Black Rain (1989), Tax Season (1990), Darkman (1980), The Perfect Weapon (1991), Alligator II: The Mutation (1991), 3 Ninjas (1992), Martial Law (1992) and Last Action Hero. Tanaka appeared on television in the tele-film Deadly

Game (1991), and guested in episodes of Fantasy Island, Bring ’Em Back Alive, Little House on the Prairie, The A-Team, Airwolf, Wizards and Warriors, The Wizard and The Tracey Ullman Show.

Taylor, Johnnie Singer Johnnie Taylor died of a heart attack at a Charleton, Texas, hospital on May 31, 2000. He was 62. Taylor was born in Crawfordsville, Arkansas, on May 5, 1938. He began his career singing with a gospel group. In 1957 Taylor joined Sam Cooke in the Soul Stirrers. He was signed by Stax Records after Cooke’s death in 1964. He had a hit song in 1968 with “Who’s Making Love,” but was best known for 1976’s “Disco Lady.” Taylor’s most recent album, Gotta Get the Groove Back, was released in late 1999. Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 18, 2000, 31; People, June 19, 2000, 121; Times (of London), June 8, 2000, 25a.

Johnnie Taylor

Taylor, Samuel Toru Tanaka

Playwright and screenwriter Samuel Taylor died of heart failure in Blue Hill, Maine, on May 26, 2000. He was 87. Taylor was born

217 Samuel Albert Tanenbaum in Chicago on June 13, 1912. Taylor began working in theater in the 1930s and scripted episodes of The Aldrich Family for radio. He was best known for scripting the 1954 film Sabrina starring Humphrey Bogart and Samuel Taylor Audrey Hepburn. He also scripted Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller Vertigo. Taylor’s other film credits include The Monte Carlo Story (1956), The Eddy Duchin Story (1956), The Pleasure of His Company (1961), Goodbye Again (1961), Three on a Couch (1966), Rosie! (1968), Hitchcock’s Topaz (1969), The Love Machine (1971) and Avanti (1972). Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2000, B9; New York Times, May 30, 2000, B8; Variety, June 5, 2000, 65.

Thomas, Bill Oscar-winning costume designer Bill Thomas died of a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on May 30, 2000. He was 79. Thomas was born in Chicago in 1920 and went to Hollywood after serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Thomas worked on hundreds of films during his career, winning an Academy Award for his work on Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 epic Spartacus. Thomas was also nominated for Oscars for his work on Seven Thieves (1960), Babes in Toyland (1961), Bon Voyage! (1962), Toys in the Attic (1963), Ship of Fools (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), The Happiest Millionaire (1967) and The Hawaiians (1970), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). His numerous credits also include Undercover Girl (1950), Mystery Submarine (1950), Kansas Raiders (1950), The Desert Hawk (1950), You Never Can Tell (1951), The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), The Cimarron Kid (1951), Apache Drums (1951), Tomahawk (1951), Air Cadet (1951), Yankee Buccaneer (1952), Untamed Frontier (1952), The Raiders (1952), No Room for the Groom (1952), It Grows on Trees (1952), The Duel

2000 • Obituaries

Bill Thomas (with Lana Turner).

at Silver Creek (1952), Bonzo Goes to College (1952), The Black Castle (1952), Meet Danny Wilson (1952), Flesh and Fury (1952), Tumbleweed (1953), The Stand at Apache River (1953), The Man from the Alamo (1953), Back to God’s Country (1953), Desert Legion (1953), The Mississippi Gambler (1953), East of Sumatra (1953), The Yellow Mountain (1954), Magnificent Obsession (1954), Smoke Signal (1955), The Benny Goodman Story (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1955), Sign of the Pagan (1955), Cult of the Cobra (1955), Captain Lightfoot (1955), The Purple Mask (1955), Written on the Wind (1956), I’ve Lived Before (1956), Congo Crossing (1956), The Rawhide Years (1956), Walk the Proud Land (1956), Slim Carter (1957), The Girl in the Kremlin (1957), The Female Animal (1957), Battle Hymn (1957), Mister Cory (1957), Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957), Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), Twilight of the Gods (1958), The Thing That Couldn’t Die (1958), The Restless Years (1958), Once Upon a Horse… (1958), Day of the Bad Man (1958), Touch of Evil (1958), The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958), Kathy O’ (1958), Pillow Talk (1959), Curse of the Undead (1959), No Name on the Bullet (1959), Beloved Infidel (1959), Never Steal Anything Small (1959), Imitation of Life

Obituaries • 2000

218

(1959), The Leech Woman (1960), Wake Me When It’s Over (1960), North to Alaska (1960), One Foot in Hell (1960), The Parent Trap (1961), Moon Pilot (1962), Son of Flubber (1963), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Those Calloways (1965), Cat Ballou (1965), That Darn Cat! (1965), Lt. Robinson Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966), Follow Me, Boys! (1966), Monkeys, Go Home! (1967), The Gnome-Mobile (1967), The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967), The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968), Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968), Never a Dull Moment (1968), The Gypsy Moths (1969), The Love Bug (1969), The Undefeated (1969), The Seven Minutes (1971), Oklahoma Crude (1973), Island at the Top of the World (1974), Breakout (1975), Logan’s Run (1976), Pete’s Dragon (1977), The Black Hole (1979) and The Formula (1980). Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2000, B6; New York Times, June 9, 2000, C22; Variety, June 5, 2000, 65. Rose Marie Thomas (with husband Danny).

Thomas, Paul Actor Emmanuel Paul Thomas died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on May 20, 2000. He was 65. Thomas was born in Bessemer, Alabama, in 1935. He began his career on stage in the 1960s. He had small parts in the 1966 spy spoof The Last of the Secret Agents? and the 1978 tele-film A Woman Called Moses. Thomas was also seen in several television series including Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible and Batman, and the daytime soap opera General Hospital. Thomas was better known as the owner and chef at the San Francisco restaurant Josephine’s and as caterer to the stars. Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2000, B7.

Thomas, Rose Marie Singer Rose Marie Thomas, the widow of comedian Danny Thomas, died at her home in Beverly Hills, California, on July 12, 2000. She was 85. She was a popular radio singer in Detroit when she met and married Danny Thomas in 1936. The couple had three children, Margo, Terre and Tony. She took over as president of ALSAC, the fund-raising arm of St. Jude Chil-

dren’s Research Hospital, following Danny Thomas’ death in 1991. Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2000, B8; People, July 31, 2000, 111; Variety, July 17, 2000, 70.

Thompson, Maurice Television director Maurie A. Thompson died of cancer at his Irvine, California, home on August 7, 2000. He was 83. Thompson worked Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions from 1951 until the mid–1960s. He began working as a script clerk, then a camera coordinator. Thompson also appeared in the “Vitameatavegamin” commercial episode of I Love Lucy. He directed The Lucy Show in the mid–1960s, receiving an Emmy Award in 1967. He later directed episodes of the sit-com The Mothers-in-Law. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 12, 2000, B6; Variety, Oct. 9, 2000, 59.

Thompson, Tommy Film director Tommy Thompson died of a heart attack in Baker, California, on March 3, 2000. He was 73. Thompson began his career in

219

2000 • Obituaries

the 1950s as first assistant director on the I Love Lucy television series. He went on to produce such television series as The Lucy Show, Designing Women, Hearts of Fire and Evening Shade. Thompson also served as assistant director on numerous films, particularly with director Robert Altman. His film credits include McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), California Split (1974), Thieves Like Us (1974), Nashville (1975), Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976), The Late Show (1977), Remember My Name (1978), A Weddings (1978), Quintet (1979), A Perfect Couple (1979), Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981), The Entity (1981), Man, Woman and Child (1983), Twice in a Lifetime (1985), Black Widow (1986), Cookie’s Fortune (1999) and Dr. T and the Women (2000). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 8, 2000, A32; Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 55.

Thomson, Norman Actor Norman Thomson died of congestive heart failure in Pasadena, California, on February 3, 2000. He was 84. Thomson was a founding member of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre, and performed on radio in Welles’ broadcast of War of the Worlds. Thomson also appeared in a handful of films including Terry of the “Times” (1930), The Lady from Shanghai (1948) and The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958). He became an entertainment director for the Defense Department after World War II, spending 30 years in Tokyo booking acts for U.S. servicemen. He also began writing novels under the name Earl Norman, including Hang Me in Hong Kong. Thomson retired to Los Angeles in 1978. Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 57.

Thornton, Teri Jazz singer Teri Thornton died at the Actors’ Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on May 2, 2000. She was 65. Thornton was born Shirley Enid Avery in Detroit in 1934. She began her professional career in Chicago in the 1950s performing with Cannonball Adderley and Johnny Griffin. Her 1961 album Devil May Care

Teri Thornton

was a success. The following year she had a hit with the song “Somewhere in the Night,” resulting in her performing on The Ed Sullivan Show. Personal problems with drugs and alcohol damaged her career in the late 1960s. She began performing again in 1979, playing at small clubs in New York. Diagnosed with cancer in 1998, she continued to perform, recording her final album I’ll Be Easy to Find the year before her death. New York Times, May 7, 2000, 55.

Titov, Gherman Russian cosmonaut Gherman Titov died of carbon monoxide poisoning at his home in Moscow on September 20, 2000. He was 65. Titov was born in Barnaul, Russia, on September 11, 1935. Titov became the first man to orbit the earth more than once as pilot of the Vostok 2 spacecraft on August 6, 1961. He was the fourth man to enter space, following Russian Yuri Gagarin, and Americans Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom. Titov was featured in the 1998 television mini-series Cold War.

Obituaries • 2000

220

Tomlinson, David

Gherman Titov

Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 2000, B6; New York Times, Sept. 22, 2000, A25; Times (of London), Sept. 22, 2000, 25a.

Tokuma, Yasuyoshi Japanese film producer Yasuyoshi Tokuma died in a Tokyo, Japan, hospital on September 20, 2000. He was 78. Tokuma became president of Tokuma Shoten Co. publishing house in 1954, after working as a newspaper reporter. He became president of the Japanese film company, Daiei, in the mid–1970s. Tokuma served as producer on such Japanese features as Gamera Super Monster (1980), Irezumi (1982), The Go Masters (1982), Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (aka Warriors of the Wind) (1984), Tokyo Blackout (1987), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), The Silk Road (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Ju Dou (1990), Not Yet (1993), the popular animated film Princess Mononoke (1997), Ping Pong Bath Station (1998), Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) and The City of Lost Souls (2000).

British actor David Tomlinson, best known for his role as George Banks in the 1964 Disney fantasy Mary Poppins, died of a stroke in Buckinghamshire, England, on June 24, 2000. He was 83. Tomlinson was born in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, on May 7, 1917. He began his career on stage in the mid–1930s and began appearing in British films soon afterwards. His credits include Quiet Wedding (1940), Garrison Follies (1940), Pimpernel Smith (1941), My Wife’s Family (1941), Name, Rank and Number (1941), The Way to the Stars (1945), I See a Dark Stranger (1946), School for Secrets (1946), Journey Together (1946), Fame Is the Spur (1946), Master of Bankdam (1937), My Brother’s Keeper (1948), Miranda (1948), Broken Journey (1948), Warning to Wantons (1948), Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948), Love in Waiting (1948), Vote for Huggett (1949), Marry Me (1949), Landfall (1949), Helter Skelter (1949), The Amazing Mr. Beecham (1949), The Wooden Horse (1950), So Long at the Fair (1950), The Magic Box (1951), Hotel Sahara (1951), Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951), Made in Heaven (1952), Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? (1952), Castle in the Air (1952), All for Mary (1955), Three Men in a Boat (1956), Carry on Admiral (1957), Up the Creek (1958), Further Up the Creek (1958) and Follow That Horse! (1960). He remained popular character actor in the 1960s in such films as Tom Jones (1963), The Truth About Spring (1964), The Liquidator (1965), War Gods of the Deep (1965), Disney’s The Love Bug (1969), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Wombling Free (1977), The Water Babies (1978) and Dominique (1978). Tomlinson retired from the screen after his performance in 1980’s The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu with Peter Sellers. Los Angeles Times, June 25, David Tomlinson 2000, B5; New York

221 Times, June 26, 2000, B7; People, July 10, 2000, 113; Time, July 3, 2000, 17; Times (of London), June 26, 2000, 21a; TV Guide, July 29, 2000, 4.

Tovey, Arthur Character actor Arthur Roland Tovey died at his Van Nuys, California, home on October 20, 2000. Tovey was born on November 16, 1904. He began his career in films in 1922’s Yolanda. He continued to appear in bit parts and small roles over the next seventy years. Tovey served as Leslie Howard’s double for the 1939 classic Gone with Arthur Tovey the Wind. He also appeared in small roles in 1932’s The Mummy with Boris Karloff, Something to Live for (1952), A Man Called Peter (1955), The Tattered Dress (1957), Jailhouse Rock (1957) with Elvis Presley, Willard (1971), Who’s That Girl? (1987) with Madonna and the 1996 tele-film To the Ends of Time. Tovey’s other television credits include episodes of such series as Married … With Children and ER. Variety, Nov. 27, 2000, 71.

Tranter, Nigel Scottish author Nigel Tranter died of influenza at his home in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, on January 8, 2000. He was 90. Tranter was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 23, 1909. He began working as an architectural restorer and published his first book, The Forticles and Early Mansions Nigel Tranter of Southern Scot-

2000 • Obituaries

land in 1934. His next book, Trespass, was a romantic novel set in the Scottish Highlands. After serving in the British military during World War II, Tranter began writing full time. He authored several children’s books and romances, plus over a dozen Western novels under the pseudonym Nye Tredgold. He soon became known for his historical novels, beginning with The Queen’s Grace (1953), concerning Mary, Queen of Scots. He also authored a trilogy about Rob Roy, commencing with MacGregor’s Gathering in 1957. His novel, The Bridal Path, was adapted to film in 1959. He also wrote novels concerning such historical characters as Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, King James II, Macbeth, the Black Douglases, and numerous others. He continued to write until his death, producing over 130 books during his career. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 11, 2000, A18; Times (of London), Jan. 11, 2000, 21a.

Trent, Sybil Radio actress Sybil Trent died at her Manhattan home of lymphoma on June 5, 2000. She was 73. Trent was born in Brooklyn on September 22, 1926. She began her career in show business as a child, hosting the radio program Baby Sybil Elaine and Her Kiddie Revue at the age of six. She was also seen in over twenty short films in the 1930s and had small roles in several Sybil Trent features including Keep ’Em Rolling (1934) and The People’s Enemy (1935). She appeared on Broadway in a production Billy Rose’s Jumbo. She hosted the Saturday-morning children’s show Let’s Pretend from 1935 to 1954. Trent was also heard in such radio programs as We Live and Learn, Stella Dallas as Countess Marla Darnell, Under Arrest, March of Games, David Harum, Front Page Farrell and Gangbusters. New York Times, June 7, 2000, C23; Variety, July 10, 2000, 51.

Obituaries • 2000

222

Trevor, Claire Oscar-winning actress Claire Trevor died at a Newport Beach, California, hospital on April 8, 2000. She was 91. She was born Claire Wemlinger in New York City on March 8, 1909. She began her career on stage in the late 1920s and made her Broadway debut in 1931. She went to Hollywood two years later, signing a contract with 20th Century–Fox. She was featured in numerous films including Jimmy and Sally (1933), Life in the Raw (1933), The Last Trail (1933), The Mad Game (1933), Wild Gold (1934), Hold That Girl (1934), Elinor Norton (1934), Spring Tonic (1935), Navy Wife (1935), Black Sheep (1935), Baby Take a Bow (1935), Dante’s Inferno (1935), Star for a Night (1936), The Song and Dance Man (1936), My Marriage (1936), Fifteen Maiden Lane (1936), Career Woman (1936), Human Cargo (1936), To Mary — with Love (1936), Second Honeymoon (1937), One Mile from Heaven (1937), King of Gamblers (1937), Big Town Girl (1937), Time Out for Romance (1937), Dead End (1937) earning an Oscar nomination for supporting actress, Walking Down Broadway (1938), Valley of the Giants (1938), Five of a Kind (1938), The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938), John Ford’s western classic Stagecoach (1939) with John Wayne, I Stole a Million (19390, Allegheny Uprising (1939), Dark Command (1940), Honky Tonk (1941), Texas (1941), Crossroads (1942), Street of Chance (1942), The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942), Good Luck, Mr. Yates (1943), The Desperadoes (1943), The Woman of the Town (1944), Murder, My Sweet (1944), Johnny Angel (1945), The Bachelor’s Daughters (1946), Crack-Up (1946), Born to Kill (1947), The Velvet Touch (1948), Raw Deal (1948) and The Babe Ruth Story (1948). Trevor earned the 1948 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as gangster Edward G. Robinson’s alcoholic girlfriend, Gaye Dawn, in Key Largo. She continued to appear in such films as The Lucky Stiff (1949), Borderline (1950), Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951), Best of the Badmen (1951), Stop, You’re Killing Me (1952), My Man and I (1952), Hoodlum Empire (1952), The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953), The High and the Mighty (1954) which earned her another Academy Award nomination, Man Without a Star (1955), Lucy Gallant (1955), The Mountain (1956), Marjorie Morningstar (1958), Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), The Stripper (1963), How to Mur-

Claire Trevor

der Your Wife (1965) and The Cape Town Affair (1967). She also appeared frequently on television from the 1950s, earning an Emmy Award in 1956 for her performance in Dodsworth with Fredric March. She was also featured in episodes of such series as Ford Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Producers’ Showcase, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Wagon Train, The Untouchables, The U.S. Steel Hour, The Investigators and Dr. Kildare. She largely retired from films in the late 1960s, but returned to the screen for 1982’s Kiss Me Goodbye. She was also seen on television in episodes of The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote, and the 1987 tele-film, Norman Rockwell’s Breaking Home Ties. Trevor was married to producer Milton Bren from 1948 until his death in 1979. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 2000, B1; New York Times, Apr. 10, 2000, B7; People, Apr. 24, 2000, 97; Time, Apr. 17, 2000, 23; Times (of London), Apr. 10, 2000, 19a; Variety, Apr. 27, 2000, 55.

Trevor, Muriel Children’s author Muriel Trevor died on January 12, 2000. She was 80. She was born in England on April 15, 1919. She began writing chil-

223 dren’s stories in the 1950s, penning Sun Faster Sun Slower (1955), Merlin’s Ring (1957), The Other Side of the Moon (1957), The Sparrow Child (1958) and The Rose-Round (1963). She also authored several adult novels concerning the Saxon Muriel Trevor invasion. These works include The Last of Britain (1956), The New People (1957) and 1986’s The Golden Palaces. Trevor was also known for her biographies, particularly two volumes on Cardinal Newman, Newman: The Pillar of Cloud and Newman: Light in Winter. She also wrote the biographies Pope John (1967) about Pope John XXIII and Shadow of the Crown (1988) about King James II.

Trout, Robert Veteran newscaster Robert Trout died of congestive heart failure in Manhattan on November 14, 2000. He was 91. Trout was born Robert Albert Blondheim in Wake County, North Carolina, on October 14, 1909. He began his career in radio in the late 1920s in Alexandria, Virginia. He worked as an announcer and staff reporter, before joining Edward R. Murrow’s team at CBS in New York in 1932. He was a leading broadcast journalist on radio from that point forward, covering World War II, various political conventions, and reporting from Times Square on New Years’ Eve. Trout also worked in television, hosting the 1948 game show Who Said That? and the 1952 public affairs proRobert Trout gram Presidential

2000 • Obituaries

Timber. He also narrated several CBS documentaries. Trout teamed with Roger Mudd as a coanchor on CBS News briefly in the 1960s. Trout retired from full-time reporting in 1996 but continued to broadcast up until his death, delivering essays for All Things Considered on National Public Radio. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 15, 200, B7; New York Times, Nov. 15, 2000, B14; People, Nov. 27, 2000, 153; Time, Nov. 27, 2000. 27; Variety, Nov. 20, 2000, 52.

Tsuruta, Jumbo Japanese professional wrestler Tomomi “Jumbo” Tsuruta died in a Manila, the Philippines, hospital after going into shock during liver transplant surgery, on May 13, 2000. He was 49. Tsuruta was born in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, on March 25, 1951. He was a member of the national wrestling team for the 1972 OlymJumbo Tsuruta pics in Munich. The following year he made his debut as a professional wrestler with All Japan Pro-Wrestling. He was regarded as a successor to legendary Japanese wrestler Giant Baba. Tsuruta held many Japanese titles and was the American Wrestling Alliance (AWA) heavyweight champion for several months in 1984. Tsuruta was hospitalized on several occasions in the early 1990s while suffering from hepatitis B. He retired from the ring in March of 1999.

Tunstrom, Goran Swedish novelist Goran Tunstrom died at his home in Stockholm on February 5, 2000. He was 62. Tunstrom was born in Karlstad, Sweden, in 1937. He began writing in the 1950s, publishing a collection of poems in 1958. He subse-

Obituaries • 2000

224

quently authored over 40 other works, including novels, plays and poetry. His 1983 novel Juloratoriet was translated as The Christmas Oratorio in the United States in 1994, and produced as a film in 1996. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 2000, A20; New York Times, Feb. 20, 2000, 49.

Turgeon, Peter Actor Peter Turgeon died in Stony Brook, New York, at the Long Island State Veterans Home on October 6, 2000. He was 80. Turgeon was born Boyd Higginson Turgeon on December 25, 1919. He began his career on stage in 1940, playing one of he children in a production of Life with Father. He served with the Army Air Corps during World War II and resumed his career on stage after the war. He was featured in productions of Call Me Mister, The Beggar’s Opera, Brigadoon and Little Me. Turgeon was also seen in several films including The World of Henry Orient (1964), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Dear Heart (1964), The Dove (1968), Last Summer (1969), Me. Natalie (1969), Airport (1970), The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972), From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1973) and American Gigolo (1980). On television he was best known as Dr. Dave Woodard on the gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows in 1967. He also appeared in

the soaps The Edge of Night and General Hospital, and the 1979 tele-film Anatomy of a Seduction. His other television credits include episodes of Naked City and L.A. Law. During the 1980s Turgeon was an actor director and writer with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut and the John Drew Theater in East Hampton, New York.

Turrentine, Stanley Jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine died of a stroke on September 11, 2000. He was 66. Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 5, 1934, the son of The Savoy Sultans’ musician Thomas Turrentine. He was a member of the Four Bees and a Bop. During his career he worked with such musicians as Ray Charles, Tadd Dameron and Lowell Fulson. Turrentine’s hit recordings include “Sugar,” “The Soul Is Willing,” “Soul Shoutin’” and Stanley Turrentine “God Bless the Child.” Los Angeles Times, Sept. 14, 2000, B8; New York Times, Sept. 14, 2000, B11; People, Oct. 2, 2000, 115; Time, Sept. 25, 2000, 30; Times (of London), Sept. 14, 2000, 21a; Washington Post, Sept. 13, 2000, B7.

Ulmer, Shirley

Peter Turgeon

Shirley Kassler Ulmer, the widow of acclaimed director Edgar G. Ulmer, died in Los Angeles on July 6, 2000. She was 86. She was born in New York City on June 12, 1914. She accompanied her family to California in the early 1930s, where she worked in Hollywood as a script supervisor. She married film producer Max Alexander, a nephew of Carl Laemmle, before meet-

225 ing and falling in love with director Edgar G. Ulmer. She subsequently divorced Alexander and married Ulmer. As Shirley Castle, she worked as a script supervisor on most of her husband’s films and assisted in writing the screenplays for several including From Nine to Nine (1935), Moon Over Harlem (1939), The Light Ahead (1939) and American Matchmaker (1940). Ms. Ulmer continued to work as a script supervisor for television in the 1950s and 1960s, contributing to such Shirley Ulmer series as The Lone Ranger, My Private Secretary, Batman, S.W.A.T. and CHiPS. Edgar Ulmer died on Sept. 30, 1972. She is survived by their daughter, actress Arianne Ulmer. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 14, 2000, B4; Variety, Aug. 21, 2000, 44.

Vadim, Roger French film director Roger Vadim, whose films were closely tied to the women in his life, died in Paris of cancer on February 11, 2000. He was 72. He was born Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov in Paris on January 26, 1928. He began his career on stage in the mid–1940s, and began working in films as an assistant to director Marc Allegret in 1947. During the early 1950s Vadim worked as a journalist for Paris Match and directed several television programs He made his film debut in 1956, directing Brigitte Bardot, in And God Created Woman. The story of a young married woman’s search for sexual freedom was an international success. His marriage to Bardot, which began in 1952, ended shortly after the

2000 • Obituaries

film’s release, but he continued to feature her in such subsequent films as The Night Heaven Fell (1957), Only for Love (1961), Warrior’s Rest (1962) and her final feature Ms. Don Juan (1973). Vadim also directed and scripted 1957’s No Sun in Venice before marrying actress Annette Stroyberg, whom he starred in his 1959 version of Dangerous Liaisons and his 1960 horror film Blood and Roses. His marriage to Stroyberg lasted four years, and produced a daughter, Nathalie. Vadim continued to direct, and often script, the films Please Not Now! (1961), the Pride segment of 1962’s Seven Capital Sins, Love on a Pillow (1962), Vice and Virtue (1962) starring his lover and mother of his second child, actress Catherine Deneuve, Naughty Chateau (1963), Circle of Love (1964) and The Game Is Over (1966). Vadim married actress Jane Fonda in 1967. She starred in his Metzengerstein segment of the 1968 anthology film Spirits of the Dead, based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. He next directed Fonda as the scantily clad comicstrip space heroine Barbarella in 1968. Their marriage ended in 1973. Vadim directed the 1971 film, the black comedy, Pretty Maids All in a Row starring Rock Hudson, in Hollywood. Vadim also directed Helle (1971), Charlotte (1974), Game of Seduction (1976), Night Games (1980) starring Cindy Pickett, The Hot Touch (1981), Come Back (1983) and Surprise Party (1983). He remade And God Created Woman with Rebecca de Mornay in the Bardot role in 1988. His final films include The Mad Lover (1991) and Safari (1991). He also worked on television, directing an episode of The Hitchhiker and the French tele-films La Nouvelle Tribu (1996) and Mon Pere Avait Raison (1996). Vadim was also seen onscreen as an actor in several films during his career including Sweet and

Roger Vadim (with Brigitte Bardot).

Obituaries • 2000

226

Sour (1963), Ciao! Manhattan (1972), Charlotte (1974), Rich and Famous (1981) and Into the Night (1985). His autobiography, Memoirs of the Devil, was published in 1986. Vadim is survived by his fifth wife, actress Marie-Christine Barrault. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12, 2000, A18; New York Times, Feb. 12, 2000, B8; People, Feb. 28, 2000, 69; Time, Feb. 21, 2000, 27; Times (of London), Feb. 12, 2000, 24c; Variety, Feb. 14, 2000, 67.

Valletti, Cesare Italian tenor Cesare Valletti died in Genoa, Italy, on May 13, 2000. He was 78. Valletti was born in Rome in 1922. He began his professional career as Alfredo in Verdi’s Traviata in Bari, Italy, in 1947. Known as one of Italy’s leading lyric tenors, he performed roles in productions of Madame Butterfly, Don Pasquale and Don Giovanni. He made his Metropolitan Opera deCesare Valletti but in Don Giovanni in 1953, remaining with the Met until 1960. He subsequently returned to Europe where he continued to perform until his retirement in 1968. New York Times, May 20, 2000, B11.

Van Vogt, A.E. Science fiction writer A.E. Van Vogt died at a Los Angeles convalescent home on January 26, 2000. He was 87. Van Vogt was born in Winnipeg, Canada on April 26, 1912. He began his career writing for science fiction magazines in the late 1930s, authoring such stories as Black Destroyer (1939) and Discord in Scarlet (1939), both of which became part of his Voyage of the Space Beagle story. He also authored Repetition (1940),

Vault of the Beast (1940), the classic novel Slan (1940), The World of Null A (1945), The Weapon Shops of Isher (1949), The War Against the Rull (1959) and Rogue Ship (1965). He was married to fellow author E. Mayne Hull, and they collaborated on several stories together including A.E. Van Vogt The Winged Man (1944). She died in 1975. Van Vogt became involved with L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetic Foundation in the 1950s. His story, Black Destroyer, was widely considered as the inspiration for the 1979 film Alien. Several of Van Vogt’s work were also adapted for television including The Evil Within on Tales of Tomorrow in 1953, Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay on Night Gallery in 1971, and Research Alpha on cable’s Welcome to Paradox in 1998. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2000, B6; New York Times, Feb. 4, 2000, A27.

Varney, Jim Comic actor Jim Varney, best known for his portrayal of the amiable rube Ernest P. Worrell on commercials and in films, died of lung cancer at his home in White House, Tennessee, on February 10, 2000. He was 50. Varney was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 15, 1949. He began his career on stage, appearing in productions of Shakespeare and Off-Broadway plays. Varney appeared regularly in several television variety series including The Johnny Cash Show in 1976, Pink Lady in 1980 and Pop! Goes the Country in 1982. He was also seen as Virgil Sims in the 1977 comedy series Fernwood 2-Night, and was Seaman Broom in Operation Petticoat from 1977 to 1979. Varney also appeared as Evan Earp in the comedy adventure series The Rousters in 1983. He became famous for his series of regional commercials in the 1980s where his well-meaning busybody character Ernest would torment neighbor Verne, often asking “KnowhutImean?” He

227

Jim Varney (from Ernest Scared Stupid ).

continued to play the character such films as Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest Goes to Jail (1990), Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Ernest Rides Again (1993), Your World as I See It (1994), Ernest Goes to School (1994), Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), Ernest Goes to Africa (1997) and Ernest in the Army (1998). Varney also played Jed Clampett in the 1993 film version of the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies, and was the voice of Slinky Dog in the Disney animated films Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999). Varney also voice the role of Gus Holder in the 1997 animated film Annabelle’s Wish, based on Dan Henderson’s short story Clarabelle, the Christmas Cow. His other film credits include Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1986), Fast Food (1989), Wilder Napalm (1993), The Expert (1994), Snowboard Academy (1996), 100 Proof (1997), 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998), Treehouse Hostage (1999) and Existo (1999). He was also seen or heard on television in episodes of Alice, Roseanne, Duckman and The Simpsons. He was diagnosed with cancer in August of 1998, but recovered sufficiently to perform in the upcoming film Daddy and Them with Billy Bob Thornton. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 11, 2000, A48; New York Times, Feb. 11, 2000, B10; People, Feb. 28, 2000, 128; Time, Feb. 21, 2000, 27; Variety, Feb. 24, 2000, 67.

2000 • Obituaries

1925, to a family in show business. Verdon suffered from a childhood illness and wore corrective braces to straighten out her misshapen legs. Her dancing style was largely influenced from the braces she had to wear. She began performing at an early age and achieved acclaim with her performance in Bob Fosse’s Damn Yankees in 1955. She subsequently starred as Lola in the film version of Damn Yankees! in 1958. Verdon was also seen in Broadway productions of Chicago, Sweet Charity, Redhead and New Girl in Town. She married director and choreographer Fosse in 1960. The couple split up in the early 1970s, though never divorced. Fosse died in 1987. Verdon was featured in small roles in several films in the 1950s including David and Bathsheba (1951), On the Riviera (1951), Meet Me After the Show (1951), The Merry Widow (1952), Dreamboat (1952), The Mississippi Gambler (1953), The I Don’t Care Girl (1953), The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953) and Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955). She performed the role of Judith Kingsley Sawyer in the daytime soap opera All My Children in 1982. She was also seen in the tele-films The Deadly Visitor (1973), Legs (1983), The Jerk, Too (1984), The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994), In Cold Blood (1996) and Best Friends for Life (1998). Her other television credits include guest roles on Goodyear Television Playhouse, Front Page Challenge, M*A*S*H, Fame, Magnum, P.I., All Is Forgiven, The Equalizer, Dream On, Homicide: Life on the Street, The Cosby Mysteries and Touched by an Angel. Her film credits also include The Cotton Club (1984), Cocoon (1985), Nadine (1987), Cocoon: The Return (1988), Alice (1990), Marvin’s Room (1996), Walking Across Egypt (2000) and Bruno (2000). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 29, 2000, B8; New

Verdon, Gwen Actress and dancer Gwen Verdon died in her sleep at her daughter’s home in Woodstock, Vermont, on October 18, 2000. She was 75. She was born in Culver City, California, on January 13,

Gwen Verdon (with Don Ameche from Cocoon).

Obituaries • 2000

228

York Times, Oct. 19, 2000, C21; People, Nov. 6, 2000, 179; Time, Oct. 30, 2000, 31; Times (of London), Oct. 26, 2000, 23a; Variety, Oct. 23, 2000, 136.

in the Santa Claus Suit (1978), and the films Network (1976) and Last Embrace. Von Scherler was appeared in the 1995 film Party Girl, directed by her daughter Scherler Mayer.

Von Scherler, Sasha

Vorhaus, Bernard

Actress Sasha von Scherler died of lung disease in a New York City on April 15, 2000. She was 65. Von Scherler was born in New York on December 12, 1934. She began her career on stage in the mid–1950s, and performed in productions of Admirable Bashville, Eugene O’Neill’s Great God Brown, Joseph Papp’s Twelfth Night and Trelawney of the Wells over the next two decades. She appeared on the television soap opera Love Is a Many Splendored Thing in the early 1970s. She was also seen in the tele-films F. Scott Fitzgerald and “The Last of the Belles” (1974) and The Man

American film director Bernard Vorhaus died in London on November 23, 2000. He was 95. Vorhaus was born in New York City on December 25, 1904. He worked briefly as a writer at Paramount and MGM on such films as Steppin’ Out (1925), Money Talks (1926) and No Other Woman (1928), before leaving Hollywood for England. Vorhaus began directing in the early 1930s, helming such features as On Thin Ice (1933) which he also scripted, Money for Speed (1933), The Ghost Camera (1933), The Night Club Queen (1934), Vagabond Violinist (1934), Blind Justice (1934), Ten Minute Alibi (1935), Street Song (1935), Dark World (1935), The Last Journey (1936), Hideout in the Alps (1937) and Cotton Queen (1937). He subsequently returned to the United States to work for Republic Studios. His film credits include King of the Newsboys (1938), Tenth Avenue Kid (1938), Way Down South (1939), Meet Dr. Christian (139), Fisherman’s Wharf (1939), The Courageous Dr. Christian (1940), Three Faces West (1940) with John Wayne, Lady from Louisiana (1941), Hurricane Smith (191), Angels with Broken Wings (1941), The Carter Case (1942), Ice-Capades Revue (1942) and The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine (1942). Vorhaus joined the Army Air Force during World War II, where he worked on propaganda films for the military. After the war he resumed his career, directing

Sasha Von Scherler

Bernard Vorhaus

229 Bury Me Dead (1947), Winter Wonderland (1947), The Amazing Mr. X (1948), So Young, So Bad (1950), Pardon My French (1951) and Luxury Girls (1953). In the early 1950s Vorhaus’ name was given to the House Un-American Activities Committee and he was blacklisted. He subsequently settled in England. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 5, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 2, 2000, A19; Times (of London), Nov. 27, 2000, 21a; Variety, Dec. 11, 2000, 70.

Waddington, Bill

2000 • Obituaries

to Memphis to complete her education and married Dr. John Hummel in 1948. She performed in several local productions and was host of Miss America Matinee in 1953, the first local daytime program in Memphis. The following year she hosted the daytime program The Lady of the House.

Barbara Walker Hummel

British actor Bill Waddington died in a South Yorkshire, England, hospital after a long illness with Parkinson’s disease on September 9, 2000. Waddington was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, on June 10, 1916. He began his career as a stage comic performing for the British troops during World War II. He continued his career after the war, performing on music hall stages and radio. He was also featured in the British television series A Family at War (1970), Fallen Hero (1978) and Dead Ernest (1982). He was largely retired when he was cast in his best known role as Percy Sugden, the community center grumpy caretaker, for the popular series Coronation Street in 1983. He remained with the series for fourteen years before, before Bill Waddington leaving Coronation Street in 1997.

Edward Craven Walker, who invented the 60s kitsch lava lamps and produced several nudist films in the late 1950s, died of cancer in London on August 15, 2000. He was 82. Walker was born in Singapore in 1918. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He became an advocate of nudism in the 1950s, producing several films including Eves on Skis (1958) and Traveling Light Edward C. Walker (1960). Walker created the lava lamp, which he called the Astro Lamp, in 1963, which remained a popular product for the youth culture throughout the decade. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21, 2000, B6; Times (of London), Aug. 21, 2000, 19a.

Walker Hummel, Barbara

Walker, Susan

Barbara Walker, Miss America of 1947, died of heart failure at a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on June 7, 2000. She was 74. She was selected as Miss Memphis in 1947 and won the Miss America title several months later. Turning down stage and screen offers, Walker returned

Emmy Award-nominated television producer Susan Walker died of respiratory failure in Los Angeles on February 14, 2000. She was 50. Walker worked on numerous television documentaries and specials on such Hollywood related subjects as Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Natalie

Walker, Edward C.

Obituaries • 2000

230

Wood, Rock Hudson, Disney animation and the Muppets. She also worked on television reunion specials of The Andy Griffith Show and Jackie Gleason’s The Honeymooners. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 18, 2000, A29.

Waller, Kenneth British actor Kenneth Waller died in London, England on January 28, 2000. He was 72. Waller was born in Huddersfield, England, on November 5, 1927. He began his career on stage, appearing in numerous theatrical productions from the 1950s. He was soon performing on television in such series as Doctor Who, Juliet Bravo, Roll Over Beethoven, Boon and All Creatures Great and Small. He was best known for his role as Mr. Grace, the store owner, in the comedy series Are You Being Served? in the early 1980s. He also appeared in the series Big Deal, Coronation Street and Bread as Grandad. Waller was featured in a handful of films during his career including Room at the Top (1959), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Scrooge! (1970), The Love Pill (1971), Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Carry on Behind (1975). Times (of London), Feb. 2, 2000, 23a.

Walsh, Sean Fallon Irish-American actor Sean Fallon Walsh died of prostate cancer in Bay Village, Ohio, on April 24, 2000. He was 65. Walsh was born in Rocky River, Ohio, in 1934. He began his career on stage in the 1950s and made his debut in New York in the 1962 production of Mr. Roberts. Walsh starred with James Earl Jones in the Broadway production of The Great White Hope in 1969. He moved to Hollywood in the early 1970s, appearing on television in episodes of such series as Charlie’s Angels, Fernwood 2Night, Barnaby Jones and M*A*S*H. Walsh was also seen in the 1977 tele-film The Christmas Coal Mine Miracle and the 1978 film Blue Collar with Richard Pryor. He remained active on the stage in California, appearing in a production of Sea Marks in 1998.

Sean Fallon Walsh

Wayne, Toni Mary Antonia “Toni” Wayne, the daughter of film legend John Wayne, died on December 6, 2000. She was 64. She was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 25, 1936, to Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Saenz. They were divorced in 1945. Toni Wayne had a small part in her father’s 1952 film The Quiet Man. Kenneth Waller

231

Webb, J. Watson, Jr. Film editor J. Watson Webb died at his home in Brentwood, California, on June 10, 2000. He was 84. Webb was born in New York City on June 9, 1916. He went to Hollywood in the early 1940s, where he worked as a film editor. Webb rose to head 20th Century–Fox’s editing department. His numerous film credits include The Perfect Snob (1941), Moon Over Her Shoulder (1941), It Happened in Flatbush (1942), Over My Dead Body (1942), That Other Woman (1942), A Gentleman at Heart (1942), Dixie Dugan (1943), Wing and a Prayer (1944), The Lodger (1944), Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944), State Fair (1945), Where Do We Go from Here? (1945), Razor’s Edge (1946), Sentimental Journey (1946), The Dark Corner (1946), Mother Wore Tights (1947), Kiss of Death (1947), The Luck of the Irish (1948), Call Northside 777 (1948), A Letter to Three Wives (1949), You’re My Everything (1949), Father Was a Fullback (1949), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), Broken Arrow (1950), The Jackpot (1950), I’ll Get By (1950), On the Riviera (1951), Meet Me After the Show (1951), Love Nest (1951) and With a Song in My Heart (1952). Webb succeeded his mother as president of the Shelburn Museum in Vermont in 1960. He served as chairman of the museum board from 1977 until his resignation in 1996. Los Angeles Times, June 14, 2000, B6.

2000 • Obituaries

Ducktales, Disney’s Wuzzles, Goof Troop, Darkwing Duck, Chip ’n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers, and series based on The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Webster was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1980s. He retired from Disney in 1992. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2000, A14; Variety, Jan. 31, 2000, 29.

Weinberger, Janet “Jake” Television writer Janet “Jake” Weinberger died of cancer at a Santa Monica, California, hospital on May 19, 2000. She was 46. She worked with her husband, Mike Weinberger, on numerous television scripts for such series as Growing Pains, Just the Ten of Us, The Tortellis and Thunder Alley. Variety, June 19, 2000, 83.

Weintraub, Sy Film producer Sy Weintraub died in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer on April 4, 2000.

Webster, Michael Cartoon animator Michael Webster died of complications from pneumonia at his home in Port Townsend, Washington, on January 22, 2000. He was 60. He was born in Los Angeles in 1939, the son of Republic screenwriter Marriott Coates Webster. He began working in films in the late 1950s as an assistant to animator Art Babbitt. He subsequently worked with Hanna Barbera, where he assisted in animating The Flintstones. Webster also worked in animated commercials with such characters as the Jolly Green Giant, Charlie the Tuna and Tony the Tiger. He joined Walt Disney’s television animation division in 1984, where he oversaw production of such television series as The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears,

Sy Weintraub

Obituaries • 2000

232

He was 77. Weintraub served as producer of seven Tarzan films in the 1950s and 1960s. He produced Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure (1959) and Tarzan the Magnificent (1960), starring Gordon Scott as Edgar Rice Burroughs’ jungle hero. Jock Mahoney took over the role in Weintraub’s production of Tarzan Goes to India (1962) and Tarzan’s Three Challenges (1963), and Mike Henry starred in Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966), Tarzan and the Great River (1967) and Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968). Weintraub also served as executive producer for two Sherlock Holmes films starring Ian Richardson as the master detective — The Hound of the Baskerville (1983) and The Sign of Four (1983). New York Times, Apr. 10, 2000, 7; Variety, Apr. 10, 2000, 75.

sents, The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, Batman, Ironside, It Takes a Thief, Burke’s Law, Hawaii Five-O, The Immortal, M*A*S*H, Happy Days, Petrocelli, Planet of the Apes, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, S.W.A.T., Starsky and Hutch, Mannix, Barbary Coast, Charlie’s Angels, The Andros Targets, The Man from Atlantis, CHiPs, The Love Boat, Kingston: Confidential, Fantasy Island, Delta House, Beyond Westworld, Hill Street Blues, Simon & Simon, T.J. Hooker, Bring ’Em Back Alive, Matt Houston, Remington Steele, Crazy Like a Fox, MacGyver, The Highwayman and Freddy’s Nightmares. He also directed the tele-films No You See It, Now You Don’t (1968), The Millionaire (1978) and The Munsters’ Revenge (1981). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 3, 2000, B8.

Weis, Don

Wells, George

Film and television director Don Weis died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on July 26, 2000. He was 78. Weis was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 13, 1922. He began his career working at MGM in the early 1950s. Weis directed such features as Bannerline (1951), It’s a Big Country (1951), A Letter from a Soldier (1951), You for Me (1952), Just This Once (1952), I Love Melvin (1953), A Slight Case of Larceny (1953), Remains to Be Seen (1953), Half a Hero (1953), The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), The Adventures of Haji Baba (1954), Ride the High Iron (1956), The Gene Krupa Story (1959), Critic’s Choice (1963), Pajama Party (1964), Looking for Love (1964), Billie (1965) with Patty Duke, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966), The King’s Pirate (1967), Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (1968) and Zero to Sixty (1978). Weis primarily worked in television from the 1960s, helming episodes of such series as Alfred Hitchcock PreDon Weis

Oscar-winning screenwriter George Wells died in Newport Beach, California, on November 29, 2000. He was 91. Wells was born in New York City on November 8, 1909. He began his career in radio, writing scripts for The Jack Pearl Show and Lux Radio Theater. He joined MGM in 1943, where he scripted numerous musicals. Wells credits include The Show-Off (1946), ’Till the Clouds Roll By (1947), Merton of the Movies (1947), The Hucksters (1947), Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), Three Little Words (1950), The Toast of New Orleans (1950), Summer Stock (1950), Texas Carnival (1951), It’s a Big Country (1951), Excuse My Dust (1951), Angels in the Outfield (1951), Lovely to Look At (1952), Everything I Have Is Yours (1952), I Love Melvin (1953), Designing Women (1957) which earned him an Academy Award, Don’t Go Near the Water (1957), Party Girl (1958), The Gazebo (1959), Ask Any Girl (1959), Where the Boys Are (1960), The Honeymoon Machine (1961), The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962), Three Bites of the Apple (1967), The Impossible Years (1968) and Cover Me Babe (1970). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2000, B8; New York Times, Dec. 6, 2000, C19; Variety, Dec. 11, 2000, 70.

233

Wells, Mary K. Actress Mary K. Wells, who was best known for her roles on daytime soap operas, died in Manhattan of complications from a colon infection on August 14, 2000. She was 79. Wells was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 1, 1920. She began her career at Paramount in the mid– 1940s, appearing in such films as Here Come the Waves (1944) and The Searching Wind (1946). She soon moved to New York, where she performed on the Broadway stage and on television. She starred as reporter Lorelei Kilbourne in the 1950 television drama series Big Town, and was featured often in episodes of Robert Montgomery Presents, Philco TV Playhouse, Playhouse 90 and The Milton Berle Show. She began working in soap operas soon afterwards, starring as Ellie Crown in Love of Life from 1955 to 1956, and playing Louise Cole in As the World Turns in 1956. Wells starred as Louise Capice in the crime soap opera The Edge of Night from 1961 to 1970. She briefly portrayed Nola Hollister in The Secret Storm in 1971, and as Hannah Cord in Return to Peyton

Mary K. Wells

2000 • Obituaries

Place from 1972 to 1974. She subsequently wrote for the All My Children soap opera, receiving two Emmy Awards during the 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 18, 2000, B6; TV Guide, Oct. 7, 2000, 4.

Welsh, Bill Bill Welsh, television personality and longtime president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, died at his home in Hollywood of an aortic aneurysm on February 27, 2000. He was 88. Welsh was born in Greeley, Colorado, in 1911. He worked on the radio in Denver from the mid– 1930s before going to Hollywood in 1944. He began working as a sportscaster at KTLA television, becoming director of sports and special events in 1951. Welsh had small parts in over a dozen films in the 1950s including The Las Vegas Story (1952), The Atomic Kid (1954) and Dragstrip Girl (1957). He also appeared on television in episodes of Emergency! and Kolchak: The Night Stalker in the 1970s. He also announced for the telecasts of the annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl games. As president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce from 1980 until 1990, Welsh hosted over 3000 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies. He also received his own star in the Walk of Fame.

Bill Welsh

Obituaries • 2000

234

Los Angeles Times, Feb. 29, 2000, B1; Variety, Mar. 6, 2000, 84.

Wessely, Paula Leading Austrian stage and screen actress Paula Wessely died in a Vienna hospital on May 11, 2000. She was 93. Wessely was born in Vienna on January 20, 1907. She began her 60-year career on stage in the mid–1920s. She became one of Austria’s best known stars and was featured in several films during the 1930s including So Endete Eine Liebe (1934), Masquerade in Vienna (1934), Episode (1935), Harvest (1936), Maria Ilona (1930) and Ein Leben Lang (1940). She was popular with the Nazi propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, before and during World War II, and was used in several German wartime films including Heimkehr (aka Homecoming) (1941). Despite some criticism for her affiliations with the Nazis, her career continued to thrive after the war. She performed with the Vienna Burghteater, appearing in productions of Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart, Henryk Ibsen’s John Gabriel Borkman and Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie. She also continued to perform on screen in such

films as Leckerbissen (1948), Der Engel mit der Posaune (1948), Cordula (1950), Vagabunden der Liebe (1950), Maria Theresia (1951), Ich und Meine Frau (1953), Wenn du Noch Eine Mutter Hast (1954), Die Wirtin zur Goldenen Krone (1955), Bewildered Youth (1957), Die Unvollkommene Ehe (1959), Der Bauer als Millionar (1961) and Jedermann (1961). Wessely continued to perform on stage into the 1980s. She was married to leading Austrian actor Attila Horbiger, who died in 1987, and was the mother of actress Christiane Horbiger. Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2000, B6; New York Times, May 15, 2000, B8.

Wheels, Helen Rock singer and song writer Helen Wheels died of an infection following neck surgery on January 17, 2000. She was 50. She was born Helen Robbins in Queens, New York, on May 6, 1949. She was the founder of The Helen Wheels Band, whose songs include “Room to Rage” and “Carry My Own Weight.” Wheels also performed with the bands Static Cling and The Skeleton Crew and was a songwriter for Blue Oyster Cult.

Helen Wheels

Paula Wessely

235

White, Miles Stage and film costume designer Miles White died New York on February 17, 2000. He was 85. White was born in Oakland, California, in 1914. He moved to New York in the 1930s and made his Broadway debut designing costumes for Right This Way in 1938. White subsequently worked on George Abbot’s production of Best Foot Forward. He also designed costumes for Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne’s The Pirate, Sonja Henie’s ice shows an the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He received acclaim for his designs for the hit Rogers and Hammerstein Broadway musical Oklahoma! in 1943. He again designed for Rogers and Hammerstein, creating costumes for Carousel in 1945. He worked on several films in the 1940s, including Up in Arms (1944) and The Kid from Brooklyn (1946). Because of his knowledge of circus costumes, he was hired by Cecil B. de Mille to work on the 1952 film The Greatest Show on Earth. White received an Oscar nomination for his designs. He was also nominated for Academy Awards for his work on There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) and Mike Todd’s Around the World in Eighty Days (1956). White received Tony Awards for his costumes for

2000 • Obituaries

Bless You All (1950) and Jule Styne’s Hazel Flagg (1953). White also worked on productions of Bloomer Girl, Jamaica, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Take Me Along, and his final Broadway show, Tricks, in 1973. New York Times, Feb. 19, 2000, A13; Variety, Mar. 20, 2000, 55.

Wicki, Bernhard Swiss film director and actor Bernhard Wicki died of heart failure at his home in Munich after a long illness on January 5, 2000. He

Bernhard Wicki

Miles White

was 80. Wicki was born in St. Polten, Austria, on October 28, 1919. began his career on stage before debut in the 1950 German film Der Fallende Stern. He also appeared in the films Circus of Love (1954), The Last Bridge (1954), Die Mucke (1954), The Eternal Waltz (1955) as Johann Strauss, Kinder Mutter und Eine General (1955), Konigin Luise (1957), The Affairs of Julie (1957), Restle Night (1958), The Cat (1958), The Night (1961) and Of Wayward Love (1962). Wicki began directing in the late 1950s, receiving acclaim for the

Obituaries • 2000

236

1959 war film The Bridge. He also directed Das Wunder des Malachias (1961), the German sequences for The Longest Day (1962), The Visit (1964), Code Name Morituri (1965), Das Falsche Gewicht (1971), Die Eroberung der Zitadelle (1977), Die Grunstein-Variante (1985), The Spider’s Web (1989) and Success (1990). Wicki also continued to make occasional appearances as an actor in such films as Crime and Passion (1976), The Left-Handed Woman (1977), The Man in the Rushes (1978), Despair (1978), Deathwatch (1979), Domino (1982), A Love in Germany (1983), Dangerous Moves (1984), Paris, Texas (1984), Killing Cars (1985), Maisie Ward (1985), Success (1991) and Das Geheimnis (1992). New York Times, Jan. 17, 2000, B7; Variety, Jan. 17, 2000, 142.

Wills, Frank

2000. Wills portrayed himself in the 1976 film about the break-in and subsequent cover-up, All the President’s Men, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 29, 2000, B6; New York Times, Sept. 29, 2000, A25; People, Oct. 16, 2000, 133; Time, Oct. 9, 2000, 39; Washington Post, Sept. 29, 2000, B7.

Wills, Luke Luther J. “Luke” Wills died in a Las Vegas hospital on October 21, 2000. He was 80. Wills was born in Memphis, Texas, on September 10, 1920. A Western swing musician her performed with his brother as part of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Wills was featured in the 1943 film Silver City Raiders. A member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, he also worked with such artists as Evelyn McKinney and Billy Bowman.

Frank Wills, the security guard who discovered the break in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel in 1972, which led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon two years later, died of a brain tumor in Augusta, Georgia, on September 27,

Luke Wills (left, with brothers Johnnie, Bob and Billy Jack).

Wilson, Lewis

Frank Wills

Actor Lewis Wilson, best known as the screen’s first Batman, reportedly died in the fall of 2000. He was 80. Wilson starred as the comic book crimefighter and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, in the 1943 serial Batman. Douglas Croft was his sidekick, Robin, and J. Carrol Naish played the villainous Dr. Daka. Wilson was also featured in the films Redhead from Manhattan (1943), The Racket Man (1943), First Comes Courage (1943), Once Upon a Time (1944), There’s Something About a Soldier (1944), Sailor’s Holiday (1944) and Wild Women (1951). Wilson also performed on

237

Lewis Wilson (as Batman, with Douglas Croft as Robin).

stage and in early television. After his retirement from the screen, he preferred to not discuss his career in films. Survivors include his son, Michael G. Wilson, the executive producer of the James Bond series.

Windsor, Marie Marie Windsor, a leading actress from the 1940s who became known as “Queen of the Bs” for her starring roles in numerous B films, died

Marie Windsor

2000 • Obituaries

in Beverly Hills, California, on December 10, 2000. She was born Emily Marie Bertelson on December 11, 1922, in Marysvale, Utah. Educated at Brigham Young University, she received theatrical training from legendary character star Maria Ouspenskaya. She began appearing in films in the early 1940s with small roles in such features as All American Co-Ed (1941), The Big Street (1942), Smart Alecks (1942), Eyes in the Night (1942), Pilot #5 (1943), Chatterbox (1943), Follow the Leader (1944), The Hucksters (1947), Song of the Thin Man (1947), On an Island with You (1948) and The Three Musketeers (1948). From the late 1940s she graduated to leading roles in numerous film noir and western classics. She was seen in Force of Evil (1948), The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), Outpost in Morocco (1949), Hellfire (1949), The Showdown (1950), Frenchie (1950), Double Deal (1950), Dakota Lil (1950), Two Dollar Bettor (1951), Little Big Horn (1951), Hurricane Island (1951), Outlaw Women (1952), The Jungle (1952), The Sniper (1952), Japanese War Bride (1952), The Narrow Margin (1952), The Tall Texan (1953), Trouble Along the Way (1953), The City That Never Sleeps (1953), USSR Today (1953), So This Is Love (1953), The Eddie Cantor Story (1951), the 1953 science fiction cult classic Cat-Women of the Moon, Hell’s Half Acre (1954), The Bounty Hunter (1954), Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955), Swamp Women (1955), The Silver Star (1955), No Man’s Woman (1955), TwoGun Lady (1956), Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing (1956), The Unholy Wife (1957), The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), The Story of Mankind (1957), The Parson and the Outlaw (1957), Day of the Bad Man (1958), Paradise Alley (1961), The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1962), Critic’s Choice (1963), Mail Order Bride (1964), Bedtime Story (1964), Chamber of Horrors (1966) and The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969). A popular character actress from the 1960s, Windsor continued to appear in the films One More Train to Rob (1971), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), Cahill: U.S. Marshal (1973), The Outfit (1974), Hearts of the West (1975), Disney’s Freaky Friday (1977), The Perfect Woman (1978), Lovely but Deadly (1981) and Commando Squad (1987). She also appeared in the tele-films Wild Women (1970), Manhunter (1974), Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) and J.O.E. and the Colonel (1985). Ms. Windsor starred as Billie Costello in the short-lived 1988 television series Supercarrier. Her numerous television credits also

Obituaries • 2000

238

include guest roles in such series as Lassie, Stories of the Century, Science Fiction Theatre, Target, Cheyenne, The Californians, Maverick, Perry Mason, Yancy Derringer, Bat Masterson, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wyatt Earp, Rawhide, The Deputy, The Alaskans, The Rebel, Whispering Smith, Bronco, Lawman, Destry, Branded, The Rogues, The Legend of Jesse James, Bonanza, Batman, Adam-12, Alias Smith and Jones, Hec Ramsey, Charlie’s Angels, Project UFO, Fantasy Island, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Incredible Hulk, Simon & Simon, Tales from the Darkside and Murder, She Wrote. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 13, 2000, B6; New York Times, Dec. 14, 2000, C20; Time, Dec. 25, 2000, 53; Variety, Jan. 1, 2001, 47.

numerous stage productions and was featured as martini-drinking General Hammond in Robert Altman’s 1970 film M*A*S*H and in several episodes of the popular television series that followed. Wood was also seen in Altman’s 1970 film Brewster McCloud and as the psychiatrist in the 1971 black comedy Harold and Maude. He also appeared in the films Bank Shot (1974) and Tightrope (1984), and the tele-films The Glass House (1972) and It Couldn’t Happen to a Nicer Guy (1974), False Witness (1989) and Annie: A Royal Adventure! (1995). Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2000, B7.

Woods, Bill Wood, G. Character actor G. Wood died of congestive heart failure in Macon, Georgia, on July 24, 2000. He was 80. Wood attended Yale Drama School before serving in World War II, where he wrote and directed stage shows in London for the Army. After the war Wood performed on stage in New York and was a founding member of the Circle in the Square theatrical company. He wrote several musical productions including F. Jasmine Addams, Scarecrow Richard, and The King and the Duke. He performed character parts in

G. Wood

Country musician Bill Woods died on April 30, 2000. He was 75. Woods was born in Denison, Texas, on May 12, 1924. He began performing professionally in the early 1940s in Bakers-

Bill Woods (playing fiddle with the Orange Blossom Playboys).

239 field, California. He played the piano and fiddle for singer Tommy Duncan before forming his own group, the Orange Blossom Playboys band. They performed regularly at Bakersfield’s Blackboard Cafe during the 1950s and 1960s. He had a hit record with 1963’s “Truck Drivin’ Man” and subsequently appeared on television and concerts with Merle Haggard. Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2000, B6; Variety, May 8, 2000, 215.

2000 • Obituaries

ular Seven Turns in 1990. Woody and two other band members left the group in 1997 to perform with the musical trio Gov’t Mule. He had recorded five albums with Gov’t Mule before his death. New York Times, Aug. 28, 2000, B6; People, Sept. 18, 2000, 191; Times (of London), Aug. 31, 2000, 19a.

Worth, Lothrop Woody, Allen Douglas Allen Woody, the ex-bassist for the Allman Brothers Band rock group, was found dead in a Queens, New York, motel on August 26, 2000. He was 43. Woody was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 2, 1956. He was bassist for the Artimus Pyle Band before he joined the Allman Brothers in 1989 after the group had reformed following a breakup of seven years. He performed on several albums including the pop-

Cinematographer Lothrop Worth died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California on March 15, 2000. He was 96. Worth was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, in 1903. He began his career as a still photographer in the late 1920s, before working in films as a camera operator and cinematographer. Worth served as cinematographer on such films as Fort Ti (1952), Gog (1954), Battle Taxi (1955), I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957), Unwed Mother (1958), Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966), Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966), Hostile Guns (1967) and Fort Utah (1967). He also worked on the 1960s television series I Dream of Jeannie. Variety, Mar. 27, 2000, 75.

Wright, Robert Brown Television producer Robert Brown Wright was killed in an automobile accident in Utah on June 26, 2000. He was 73. Wright co-founded the Bob Banner Associates production company in the late 1950s and served as an associate producer for The Garry Moore Show. He began working with Carol Burnett in the 1960s, producing The Carol Burnett Show and many of her television specials over the next three decades. Wright also served as producer for the series Mama’s Family, The Building and The Bonnie Hunt Show. He retired in the mid–1990s. Variety, July 17, 2000, 70.

Yamamura, So Allen Woody

Japanese actor So Yamamura died of a heart attack at a Tokyo hospital on May 26, 2000. He

Obituaries • 2000

240

was 90. He was born Yoshida Koga in Tenri, Japan, on February 24, 1910. He made his film debut in 1946’s As Long As I Live. He was also featured in the films The Love of Sumako the Actress (1947), The Munekata Sisters (1950), A Picture of Madame Yuki (1950), Lady Musahino (1951), Tokyo Story (1953), The Crab-Canning Ship (1953) which he also directed and scripted, Sound of the Mountain (1954), The Empress Yang Kwei Fei (1955), Early Spring (1956), Tokyo Twilight (1957), Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1957), The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958), The Human Condition (1959), The Country Doctor (1960), The Last War (1961), The Inheritance (1962), Wish Beauty and Sorrow (1965), Kiska (1965), The Emperor and the General (1967) and School for Sex (1968). Yamamura appeared as Admiral Yamamoto in the 1970 film about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora!. He was featured in 1974’s The Last Days of Planet Earth and Antarctica (1983). He also appeared in the 1986 comedy Gung Ho and was the Prime Minister in 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidrah. Yamamura was also a popular television actor in Japan from the 1960s.

Yates, Paula British television personality Paula Yates was found dead in her London apartment on September 17, 2000. She was 40. Yates was born in Colwyn Bay, Clwyd, Wales, on April 24, 1960. She was featured on the British television music program The Tube in the early 1980s and starred in The Big Breakfast from 1994 to 1996, where she interviewed celebrities from her bed. She collaborated with Andy Warhol on a book of photographs entitled Rock Stars in Their Underpants. Yates was married to pop musician Bob Geldof for eighteen years. After their divorce, she was involved with INXS singer Michael Hutchence until his suicide in 1997. Los Angeles Paula Yates Times, Sept. 18,

2000, B4; New York Times, Sept. 19, 2000, B8; People, Oct. 2, 2000, 87; Time, Oct. 2, 2000, 32; Times (of London), Sept. 18, 2000, 19a; Variety, Sept. 25, 2000, 196.

Yefremov, Oleg Russian stage and film director and actor Oleg Yefremov died of lung disease in Moscow on May 24, 2000. He was 72. Yefremov was born in Moscow on October 1, 1927. He began his career on the Russian stage in the 1950s and was a founder of the Sovremennik Theater in 1957. He also became a leading actor in Soviet films, appearing in The First Echelon (1955), The Tight Knot (1956), Close to Us (1957), Stories About Lenin (1957), Hard Happiness (1958), The Soldiers Marched On (1958), Mission (1961), My Younger Brother (1962), The Alive and the Dead (1963), Cheka Employee (1963), The Girl and the Burglar (1965), The Bridge Is Built (1965) which he also directed, Beware of the Car (1967), Three Poplars at Plyushika (1967), Save the Drowning Man (1967), Touches on the Portrait (1967), Once More About Love (1968), Only Three Nights (1969), Five Days of Rest (1969), Mama Married (1969), The Deer King (1969), Burn, Burn, My Star (1969), The Polunin Case (1970) and The Flight (1970). Yefremov became director of the Moscow Art Theater in 1970, a post he remained in for thirty years. He also continued to appear in such films as You and Me (1971), Hello and Goodbye (1972), Responsible for Everything (1972), A Man at His Place (1972), Pyotr Martynovich and the Years of Big Life (1974), Moscow, My Love (1974), There, Beyond the Horizon (1975), Golden Mine (1977), Enemies (1977), Open Book (1977), The Investigation Commission (1978), When I Will Become a Giant (1978), Poem of Wings (1979), Once Upon a Time Twenty Years Later (1980), Storm Warning (1981), Traffic Officer (1982), Extend, Extend FascinaOleg Yefremov tion… (1984), Be

241 Careful, Vasilyok (1985), From Pay to Pay (1986), First Encounter — Last Encounter (1987), Flight of a Bird (1988), Stranded (1989), The Hat (1990), And the Wind Returneth (1991), Angelica’s Passion (1993), What a Mess! (1995), Ah, What This Night I For (1997) and Compositions for Victory Day (1999). New York Times, June 3, 2000, A11.

Yohe, Thomas Thomas G. Yohe, the co-creator of the Emmy Award winning children’s musical cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock, died of pancreatic cancer in Norwalk, Connecticut, on December 21, 2000. He was 63. Yohe was born in Flushing, New York, in 1937. He worked in advertising and was art director with the McCaffrey & McCall agency in 1971 when he was offered the Schoolhouse Rock assignment. He and partner George Newall produced over forty short cartoons which ran on ABC during regular animated series from 1973 to 1985. Yohe worked also worked as an artist on

Thomas Yohe

2000 • Obituaries

the series and co-wrote some of the songs with Bob Dorough. The series, designed to help children understand the fundamentals of grammar, math, history and civics, including such catchy numbers as “Conjunction Junction (What’s My Function”), Sufferin’ Til Suffrage” and “Zero My Hero.” The series was awarded four Emmys for outstanding children’s information series during its run. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 26, 2000, B4; New York Times, Dec. 26, 2000, C6; People, Jan. 15, 2001, 85.

Yokozuna Rodney Anoia, who wrestled professionally as Yokozuna, was found dead of heart failure in a London hotel room on October 23, 2000. He was 34. He was born on October 2, 1966. The San Francisco native was the son of Sika, one of the legendary Samoan wrestlers from the 1970s. Rodney Anoia began his career in wrestling as Kokina Maximus in 1984, competing in the AWA and Japan. He joined the WWF in October of 1992 as Yokozuna, a Japanese word meaning “Grand Champion.” He was a ring villain managed by Mr. Fuji who used a “Banzai Drop” to splash his ring opponents with his massive weight. Yokozuna briefly held the WWF World Championship after defeated Bret Hart at the 1993 Royal Rumble. He subsequently lost the belt to Hulk Hogan, but regained the title from Hogan two months later. He remained WWF Champion until March of 1994, when he was de-

Yokozuna

Obituaries • 2000

242

feated by Bret Hart. He later teamed with Hart’s brother, Owen (who was killed in a tragic accident entering the ring in May of 1999), and the duo held the WWF Tag Team Titles from April until September of 1985. Yokozuna left the WWF the following year, but continued wrestling on the independent circuit. His weight had reportedly reached over 700 pounds. At the time of his death, he was being considered for a return engagement with the WWF if he could pass the required physical. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 28, 2000, B7.

Yoshimura, Kozaburo Japanese film director Kozaburo Yoshimura died of heart failure at his Yokohama, Japan, home on November 7, 2000. He was 89. Yoshimura was born in Hiroshima on September 9, 1911. He began working with Shochiku Studio in 1929 as an apprentice to director Yasujiro Shimazu. He made his directorial debut in 1934 with the short film Stealthily Doing Business in Crisis. His feature film debut was five years later with Women Should Keep Their Households (1939). He also directed Danryu (aka Warm Current) (1939) and The Story of Tank Commander Nishizumi (1940). After World War II Yoshimura continued to direct such films as Guys Who Ate an Elephant, The Ball at the Anjo House (1947) and The Bright Day of My Life (1948). Yoshimura founded the first independent film studio in Japan, Kinda Eiga Kyokai, in 1950. His other film credits include Fake Dress-Up (1951), Before Dawn (1953), Cape Ashizuri (1954), An Osaka Story (1957), A Night to Remember (1972), When Women Lie (1963), Mountain Ranges in My Heart (1966), The House of the Sleeping Virgins (1968) and Tattered Flag (1974). He subsequently retired from directing. Variety, Nov. 13, 2000, 124.

Young, Buck Actor Buck Young died of cancer in North Hollywood, California, on February 9, 2000. He was 78. Young, who was married to serial star Peggy Stewart for the past 48 years, began his career as a supporting actor in films in the late

Buck Young

1940s. Young was featured in numerous movies including Angel Face (1952), Money from Home (1953), The French Line (1954), Not with My Wife, You Don’t! (1966), The Young Warriors (1967), Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1969), The Late Liz (1971), Pickup on 101 (1972), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Breezy (1973), Mitchell (1975), Two Minute Warning (1976), Black Sunday (1976), Claws (1977), Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), The Lady in Red (1979), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Sam’s Son (1981), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Death Wish II (1982) and Last Resort (1986). Young also appeared frequently on television. He was seen in the tele-films Weekend of Terror (1970), They Call It Murder (1971), The Stranger (1973), It’s Good to Be Alive (1974), Crossfire (1975), Sky Heist (1975), Katherine (1975), Hustling (1975), Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby (1976), Mayday at 40,000 Feet! (1976), The Hostage Heart (1977), Little Mo (1978), The New Adventures of Heidi (1978), The Millionaire (1978), Ike (1979), The Night the Bridge Fell Down (1980), Scruples (1980), Fun and Games (1980), The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980), The Five of Me (1981), Stand by Your Man (1981), Rehearsal for Murder (1982), It Take These Men (1983), Outrage! (1986), Tarzan in Manhattan (1989) and Columbo: A Bird in the Hand (1992). Young’s other television credits include episodes

243 of The Real McCoys, Wyatt Earp, Hotel de Paree, Bat Masterson, The Rebel, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, Daniel Boone, Lancer, Hogan’s Heroes, The Virginian, The Fugitive, M*A*S*H, Kojak, Emergency!, The Streets of San Francisco, The Rockford Files, How the West Was Won, Charlie’s Angels, Project UFO, Time Express, Next Step Beyond, The Fall Guy, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Highway to Heaven and MacGyver.

Young, Loretta Actress Loretta Young, who starred in films from the silents and received an Oscar for best actress in 1947 for The Farmer’s Daughter, died of ovarian cancer at the home of her sister Georgiana Montalban and actor Ricardo Montalban early on the morning of August 12, 2000. She was 87. She was born Gretchen Michaela Young in Salt Lake City, Utah, on January 6, 1913. She began her long career in films as a child extra at the age of four, appearing in The Primrose Ring (1917), The Only Way (1919) and The Sheik (1921). She interrupted her acting to attend a convent school, but resumed her career at the age of 14 with a small part in Mervyn LeRoy’s Naughty but Nice (1927) with Colleen Moore, accepting the role when her older sister, actress Polly Ann Young, was unavailable for the part. Signing with First National, she went on to appear in over 100 films during her career including Her Wild Oat (1927), The Whip Woman (1928), The Magnificent Flirt (1928), The Head Man (1928), Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) with Lon Chaney, Scarlet Seas (929), Seven Footprints to Satan (1929), The Squall (1929), The Girl in the Glass Cage (1929), Fast Life (1929), The Careless Age (1929), The Forward Pass (1929), The Show of Shows (1929), Loose Ankles (1930), The Man from Blankley’s (1930), Show Girl in Hollywood (1930), The Second Floor Mystery (1930), Road to Paradise (1930), Kismet (1930), The Truth About Youth (1930), The Devil to Pay! (1930) with Ronald Colman, The Right of Way (1931), Three Girls Lost (1931), Big Business Girl (1931), Platinum Blonde (1931), The Ruling Voice (1931), I Like Your Nerve (1931), Beau Ideal (1931), The Hatchet Man (1932) with Edward G. Robinson, Week-end Marriage (1932), Life Begins (1932), They Call It Sin (1932), Taxi! (1932), Play Girl (1932), Grand Slam (1933), Zoo in Budapest

2000 • Obituaries

(1933), The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933), Midnight Mary (1933), Man’s Castle (1933), She Had to Say Yes (1933), Heroes for Sale (1933), Employees’ Entrance (1933), The Devil in Love (1933), Born to Be Bad (1934) with Cary Grant, Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934), The White Parade (1934), The House of Rothschild (1934) with George Arliss, Caravan (1934) with Charles Boyer, The Call of the Wild (1935) with Clark Gable, Clive of India (1935), Shanghai (1935), Cecil B. DeMille’s The Crusades (1935), The Unguarded Hour (1936), Ramona (1936), Private Number (1936), Ladies in Love (1936), Love Is News (1937), Cafe Metropole (1937), Wife, Doctor and Nurse (1937), Second Honeymoon (1937), Love Under Fire (1937), Four Men and a Prayer (1938), Three Blind Mice (1938), Suez (1938), Kentucky (1938), Wife Husband and Friend (1939), The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939) which also featured her sisters Polly Ann Young, Sally Blane and Georgiana Young, Eternally Yours (1939), He Stayed for Breakfast (1940), The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940), The Lady from Cheyenne (1941), The Lady from Cheyenne (1941), The Men in Her Life (1941), Bedtime Story (1941), China (1943), A Night to Remember (1943), Ladies Courageous (1944), And Now Tomorrow (1944), Along Came Jones (1945), The Perfect Marriage (1946), The Stranger (1946) and The Bishop’s Wife (1947) with David Niven and Cary Grant. She received the Academy Award for her performance in 1947’s The Farmer’s Daughter, and continued to star in such films as Rachel and the Stranger (1948) with Robert Mitchum, The Accused (1948), Mother Is a Freshman (1949) and Come to the Stable (1949), which earned her another Oscar nomination. She made a handful of films in the early 1950s including Key to the City (1950), Half Angel (1951), Cause for Alarm (1951), Paula (1952), Because of You (1952) and It Happens Every Thursday (1953), before ending her film career for television. She began hosting and starring in the anthology drama series The Loretta Young Show (known as Letters to Loretta during its first season) in 1953, becoming well known for the beautiful gowns she would wear during the opening segment of the program. She was nominated for seven Emmy Awards for her work on the series, winning in 1954, 1956 and 1959. The series ended in 1961 and the following season she returned with The New Loretta Young show, a drama series about a widow with seven children. The show was short

Obituaries • 2000

244

Young, Paul Rock singer Paul Young died of a heart attack on July 15, 2000. He was 53. Young was born on June 17, 1947. He began performing with the Toggery Five in Manchester, England, in the mid–1960s. During the 1970s Young joined the band Gyro as lead singer. Several years later he was a founder of the group Sad Cafe, whose albums include Fanx Ta Ra, Misplaced Ideals and La Di Da. He joined former Genesis bass player Mike Rutherford’s new group, Mike and the Mechanics, in 1985. The group recorded such hits as “All I Need Is a Miracle” and “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground).” Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2000, B6; People, Aug. 7, 2000, 91; Variety, July 24, 2000, 66.

Loretta Young

lived and was canceled at the end of the season. She retired from acting to devote her life to charity fundraisers and producing a line of beauty products. Young returned briefly to television in the mid–1980s, appearing in the tele-films Christmas Eve (1986) and Lady in the Corner (1989), and narrating 1994’s Life Along the Mississippi. Young was briefly married to actor Grant Withers in the early 1930s. She married broadcasting executive Thomas Lewis in 1940, with whom she had two children, Christopher and Peter. The couple were separated many years before their divorce in 1969. She was married to fashion designer Jean Louis from 1993 until his death in 1997. Young’s adopted daughter, actress Judy Lewis, claimed in a 1994 book, Uncommon Knowledge, that her birth was the result of an affair between Young and Clark Gable, though Young’s spokesmen denied the allegations. Sisters Polly Ann Young and Sally Blane both died in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 2000, B1; New York Times, Aug. 13, 2000, 39; People, Aug. 28, 2000, 117; Time, Aug. 21, 2000, 20; Times (of London), Aug. 14, 2000, 19a; Variety, Aug. 21, 2000, 44; Washington Post, Aug. 13, 2000, C8.

Paul Young

Zapponi, Bernardino Italian screenwriter Bernardino Zapponi died of cardiac arrest in a Rome clinic on February 11, 2000. He was 73. Zapponi was born in Rome in 1927. He began working in films in the late 1960s, co-scripting Toby Dammit, the Fed-

245 erico Fellini segment of the 1968 anthology film Spirits of the Dead, based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Zapponi also worked with Fellini on the script for 1969’s Fellini Satyricon. His other films with Fellini include The Clowns (1972), Fellini’s Roma (1976) and City of Women (1980). Zapponi also scripted such films as Caprice Italian Style (1968), Dino Risi’s Verno Nudo (1969), The Magnificent Bandits (1970), The Priest’s Wife (1971), Stardust (1973), Down the Ancient Staircase (1975), Duck in Orange Sauce (1975), Dario Argento’s 1975 horror film Deep Red, Too Much Fear (1976), The Forbidden Room (1977), Viva Italia! (1978), Traffic Jam (1978), Dear Papa (1979), Piso Pisello (1981), I’m a Paranormal Phenomenon (1985), Paprika (1989), I’ll Be Going Now (1992) and All Women Do It (1992). Variety, Feb. 21, 2000, 56.

2000 • Obituaries

Zingarelli, Italo Italian film producer Italo Zingarelli died in Rome on April 29, 2000. He was 70. Zingarelli produced such notable Italian spaghetti westerns as Gunmen of the Rio Grande (1964) which he also scripted, Johnny Yuma (1966), Hate for Hate (1967), The Five Man Army (1969), They Call Me Trinity (1970) and Trinity Is Still My Name (1974). He also produced the action films Legions of the Nile (1959), Ursus (1961), Gladiators 7 (1962), The Invincible Seven (1965), and the horror films The Blancheville Monster (1963) and Amuck! (aka Maniac Mansion) (1972). His other film credits as producer include Night of the Full Moon (1954), Season of the Sense (1968), The Sexual Revolution (1968), and I’m for the Hippopotamus (1979) which he scripted and directed. Variety, May 22, 2000, 80.