Famous People Who Died of Lung Cancer
- Paul Newman, a name that resonates with the golden age of Hollywood, was a man who wore many hats - actor, director, producer, race car driver, and philanthropist. Born on January 26, 1925, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Newman's interest in theater began at a young age. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he embarked on his acting journey, enrolling at the Yale School of Drama and later studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York City. Newman's career took a monumental turn when he starred in the film Somebody Up There Likes Me in 1956. His piercing blue eyes and natural acting talent quickly made him one of Hollywood's leading men. Throughout his career, Newman's performances were lauded, earning him numerous accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Color of Money in 1986. He also directed several films, showcasing his knack for storytelling from behind the camera. Beyond the world of entertainment, Newman had a passion for auto racing, a hobby he picked up while filming the 1969 movie Winning. Proving his prowess on the racetrack, Newman won several national championships as a driver in the Sports Car Club of America. He combined his love for racing with his dedication to giving back, co-founding the nonprofit Newman's Own, which donates all post-tax profits to charity.
- Birthplace: Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA
- Profession: Activist, Businessperson, Entrepreneur, Film Producer, Racing driver
- Credits: Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Cars
- Walt Disney, born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, was a pioneering figure in the field of animation. His creative vision and relentless innovation transformed the entertainment industry and made him a cultural icon. From humble beginnings as a cartoonist, he went on to co-found The Walt Disney Company with his brother Roy O. Disney, establishing a multimedia empire that endures to this day. Disney's journey to success began with his first venture, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, which went bankrupt. Undeterred, he moved to Hollywood and created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. After losing the rights to Oswald due to a contract dispute, Disney came up with a new character- Mickey Mouse. The debut of Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie" in 1928 marked a critical turning point in his career. The innovative use of sound in this short film set a new standard for animated cartoons. Over the years, Disney continued to push the boundaries of technology and storytelling. He introduced the first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937. This was followed by other classics such as Cinderella, Peter Pan, and The Lion King. He also ventured into television with shows like The Mickey Mouse Club and Zorro. However, his most ambitious project was the creation of Disneyland in 1955, an amusement park that brought his imaginative world to life. Disney passed away in 1966, leaving behind a legacy of creativity and innovation that continues to inspire generations.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Profession: Businessperson, Television producer, Film Producer, Actor, Animator
- Credits: Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmatians, The Skeleton Dance
- George Harrison, widely recognized as the lead guitarist of the Beatles, was born on February 25, 1943, in Liverpool, England. From a young age, he showcased an affinity for music, particularly for guitars, which later propelled him to international stardom. Despite his humble beginnings, his talent and determination led him to become one of the most influential guitarists in the history of rock music. His work with the Beatles, from their formation in 1960 until their disbandment in 1970, brought forth a new era in music, with songs like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun" standing as timeless classics. Harrison's role in the Beatles, however, was not limited to his guitar playing. He also contributed significantly to the band's songwriting, often exploring themes of spirituality and introspection. His interest in Hinduism, Indian culture, and Eastern musical influences were evident in many of his compositions. This distinct flavor added another dimension to the Beatles' music, making it more diverse and eclectic. Post-Beatles, Harrison embarked on a successful solo career, releasing several acclaimed albums like All Things Must Pass and Living in the Material World. Beyond his musical accomplishments, Harrison was also known for his philanthropic efforts. In 1971, he organized the Concert for Bangladesh, a landmark event in the history of benefit concerts. His dedication to humanitarian causes continued throughout his life, leaving an indelible mark on the world. George Harrison passed away on November 29, 2001, but his legacy continues to inspire generations of musicians and fans alike.
- Birthplace: Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
- Profession: Film Score Composer, Record producer, Guitarist, Songwriter, Musician
- Credits: A Hard Day's Night, Let It Be, The Concert for Bangladesh, George Harrison: Living in the Material World
- Born in 1949 in New York City, Andy Kaufman was an enigmatic figure in the world of entertainment. Known for his eccentric and often unorthodox performances, Kaufman carved out a unique niche in comedy that defied conventional norms. From an early age, he exhibited an affinity for performance art, often staging home-made television shows for friends and family, foreshadowing his future career in television and film. Kaufman's fame rose exponentially with his role as Latka Gravas on the popular TV sitcom Taxi. His portrayal of the bumbling foreign mechanic won the hearts of millions, establishing his status as a household name. However, Kaufman's true passion lay beyond traditional acting roles. He thrived in creating perplexing characters that blurred the line between reality and fiction, such as his infamous lounge singer character Tony Clifton. This ability to immerse himself so deeply into his alter egos often left audiences unsure where Kaufman ended and his characters began, leading to an aura of mystery that surrounded his entire career. Despite his success, Kaufman's life was cut tragically short by a rare form of lung cancer in 1984. Yet, even his death was shrouded in uncertainty due to his history of elaborate pranks and hoaxes, leading some fans to believe it was another one of his surreal performance pieces. Regardless of the speculation surrounding his demise, Andy Kaufman's impact on the entertainment industry is undeniable. His innovative approach to comedy and performance art has influenced countless performers, solidifying his place in history as a truly unique and groundbreaking figure.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Profession: Wrestler, Comedian, Screenwriter, Actor, Writer
- Credits: Taxi,Heartbeeps,I'm from Hollywood,My Breakfast with Blassie
- Dean Martin, born as Dino Paul Crocetti on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio, is a household name renowned for his multi talented persona. Martin's career spanned across five decades, leaving a significant mark in the entertainment industry. He was a singer, actor, comedian, and film producer, making him one of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century. Martin commenced his career as a nightclub singer in the 1940s where he formed a comedic duo with Jerry Lewis. The duo enjoyed immense fame from their radio and television shows, not to mention their appearances in nightclubs and films. In the late 1950s, Martin embarked on a solo career, recording numerous contemporary pop hits including "That's Amore," "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," and "Everybody Loves Somebody." His smooth, crooning voice earned him the nickname "King of Cool". In addition to his successful singing career, Martin was also a prolific actor featuring in more than 60 films. Some of his notable roles include parts in 'The Young Lions' (1958), 'Some Came Running' (1958), 'Rio Bravo' (1959), and 'Ocean's 11' (1960). His charm and charisma led to him becoming a member of the Rat Pack, a group of actors known for their Las Vegas nightclub performances. Dean Martin passed away on December 25, 1995, but his legacy continues to live on, influencing generations of entertainers.
- Birthplace: Steubenville, Ohio, USA
- Profession: Businessperson, Songwriter, Comedian, Musician, Film Producer
- Credits: The Dean Martin Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, Goodfellas, The Big Lebowski
- Vincent Price, a name synonymous with classic horror and intrigue, carved an indelible mark in the annals of cinematic history. Born on May 27, 1911, in St. Louis, Missouri, Price hailed from a wealthy family with roots in the candy business. However, he chose a different path, one filled with theatrics and thrills. Following his graduation from Yale University, where he studied Art History and English, Price pursued his passion for theatre in London, marking the initiation of his illustrious acting career. From his early performances in London to his breakthrough role in Tower of London (1939), Price's career spanned over five decades, making him one of the most enduring actors of his time. His eerie baritone voice, paired with his unique ability to portray chilling characters, made him a cornerstone in American horror cinema. His performances in genre-defining films like House of Wax (1953), The Fly (1958), and House on Haunted Hill (1959) were instrumental in shaping the landscape of horror cinema. He also lent his voice to the title character in the animated film The Great Mouse Detective (1986), proving his versatility as an actor. Beyond his accomplishments in entertainment, Price was also an art lover and gourmet cook. He authored several cookbooks and opened an art museum in East Los Angeles, brimming with pieces from his personal collection. In essence, Vincent Price was not just an actor who played roles; he was a man who lived them. His influence is still felt today, echoed in the works of contemporary horror filmmakers and enthusiasts worldwide. His passing on October 25, 1993, marked the end of an era, yet his legacy continues to reign supreme in the realm of horror and beyond.
- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Profession: Radio personality, Actor, Voice acting, Writer, Presenter
- Credits: House of Usher, House of Wax, The Fly, The Hollywood Squares
- Robert Mitchum, an iconic figure in the realm of cinema, had a career that spanned over five decades and comprised of more than 100 films. Born in 1917 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he faced a challenging childhood marked by his father's death and subsequent financial hardships. His early life was marred by rebellion and delinquency, which led him to travel across the country during the Great Depression. This tumultuous period culminated in Mitchum landing up in a chain gang for vagrancy, an experience that left a mark on his psyche. Mitchum's arrival in Hollywood was as serendipitous as it was unexpected. Working as a stagehand and scriptwriter, he was spotted by an agent who saw potential in his rugged good looks and distinctive voice. He made his debut in the film Hoppy Serves a Writ in 1943, but his breakout role came in 1945 with The Story of G.I. Joe, earning him his first and only Academy Award nomination. Over the years, Mitchum carved out a reputation for playing anti-heroes and villains, most notably in film noir classics like Out of the Past and Night of the Hunter. His laid-back acting style, often mistaken for indifference, actually masked a methodical approach and deep understanding of character development. Off-screen, Mitchum's life was as colorful and tumultuous as his on-screen characters. In 1948, he was arrested for marijuana possession, serving a week in jail in a highly publicized case. Despite this setback, Mitchum emerged unscathed, continuing to make successful films and enjoying a long-lasting marriage with wife Dorothy Mitchum. His final appearance was in the 1997 TV miniseries James Dean: Race with Destiny, capping a unique and unforgettable career. Robert Mitchum passed away in 1997, leaving behind a legacy that remains influential in the world of film.
- Birthplace: Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
- Profession: Film Producer, Author, Actor, Composer, Singer
- Credits: The Night of the Hunter, Cape Fear, Out of the Past, Ryan's Daughter
- 1Cape Fear246 Votes
- 2Out of the Past197 Votes
- 3The Night of the Hunter258 Votes
- Donna Summer, born as LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948, was an American singer and songwriter who had a great impact on the disco era of music. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she showed a predilection for music from an early age and started singing in the church choir. Her career took a significant leap forward when she moved to Germany to perform in several musical productions, and it was during this time she adopted the stage name, Donna Summer. Summer's breakthrough arrived with the release of the single "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975, a song that was not only a commercial success but also set the tone for her career as a disco diva. Her unique style of music, often dubbed as 'erotic disco', made her a household name. The late 1970s saw her dominating the charts with hits like "I Feel Love", "Last Dance", and "Hot Stuff". Her album Bad Girls, released in 1979, showcased her versatility by blending elements from different genres like rock, soul, and funk with her signature disco style. Despite her fame in the disco scene, Summer never confined herself to a single genre. In the 1980s, she ventured into pop music, creating hits like "She Works Hard for the Money" and "This Time I Know It's for Real". Throughout her career, Summer was recognized with multiple accolades, including five Grammy Awards. She continued making music until her untimely death in 2012, leaving behind a legacy that influenced a new generation of musicians. Her contributions to music and the impact she had on the disco era ensured her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
- Birthplace: Boston, USA, Massachusetts
- Profession: Songwriter, Musician, Singer-songwriter, Lyricist, Actor
- Credits: American Hustle, Frost/Nixon, The Martian, Charlie Wilson's War
- Born on October 1, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan, George Peppard etched his name in the annals of Hollywood with a repertoire of versatile roles and charismatic performances. From his humble beginnings to his ascent to stardom, Peppard's journey was a testament to his resilience and passion for acting. Peppard kickstarted his career in the world of acting by attending the prestigious Actors Studio in New York City after serving in the United States Marine Corps. His breakthrough came with the Broadway play The Pleasure of His Company in 1958, which led to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. At MGM, he delivered noteworthy performances in films such as Home from the Hill and Breakfast at Tiffany's, demonstrating his adeptness at handling diverse characters with ease. He shared the screen with Audrey Hepburn in the latter, cementing his place among Hollywood's leading men. However, it was television that truly brought him into the limelight. In the 1980s, Peppard became a household name with the hit series The A-Team, playing the part of Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith. Despite health struggles later in life, including a battle with lung cancer, he continued to act until his death in 1994. His legacy is remembered not only for his film and television work but also for his dedication to his craft, proving that challenges could be surmounted with perseverance and commitment.
- Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Profession: Film Producer, Actor
- Credits: The A-Team, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Blue Max, How the West Was Won
- Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an iconic figure in the American music industry. Born on March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama, he embarked on a career that spanned three decades and saw him rise from a struggling nightclub singer to a world-renowned musician. Notable for his smooth baritone voice and jazz piano performances, Nat King Cole made a significant impact on the music landscape. From an early age, Cole showed an affinity for music. His family's move to Chicago when he was four years old exposed him to the city's vibrant jazz scene, fueling his passion. He formed the King Cole Trio in the mid-1940s, a group that played an essential role in elevating Cole's profile in the music arena. The trio's success led to a recording contract with Capitol Records, where Cole produced several hits like "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "The Christmas Song," and "Mona Lisa." Despite the racial prejudice he faced throughout his career, Nat King Cole broke significant barriers for African-American artists. He was the first African-American performer to host a variety television series, The Nat King Cole Show, which aired from 1956 to 1957. This achievement was a milestone in American television history, inspiring future generations of artists. Nat King Cole left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, influencing countless musicians with his exceptional talent and resilience. He passed away on February 15, 1965, but his legacy continues to resonate in the realms of jazz and pop music.
- Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama
- Profession: Pianist, Musician, Singer-songwriter, Actor, Singer
- Credits: Catch Me If You Can, Watchmen, Groundhog Day, Raging Bull
- Steve McQueen, whose birth name is Terrence Stephen McQueen, was a renowned actor born on March 24, 1930, in Beech Grove, Indiana. Raised by his grandparents and uncle after his mother became an alcoholic, McQueen faced a tumultuous and rough childhood. Despite the difficulties, he developed a keen interest in acting while attending the Boys Republic in Chino, California as a teenager. His early experiences gave him a unique perspective on life and cultivated a sense of resilience that reflected in his later performances. McQueen's acting career began with minor stage roles before transitioning to the more glamorous world of Hollywood. He achieved significant success during the 1960s and 1970s, becoming one of the highest-paid and most sought-after actors of his time. His most notable films include The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt, and The Great Escape. McQueen's performances were characterized by cool stoicism and understated intensity, which earned him the nickname "The King of Cool." Despite his successful career, McQueen's personal life was marked by multiple marriages, struggles with addiction, and a passion for racing and stunts. Notably, he performed many of his own film stunts, reflecting his love for motorsports. McQueen passed away on November 7, 1980, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico from mesothelioma, a form of cancer often associated with asbestos exposure.
- Birthplace: Beech Grove, Indiana, USA
- Profession: Film Producer, Actor
- Credits: The Great Escape, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Papillon, Bullitt
- Gary Cooper, born Frank James Cooper on May 7, 1901, was an iconic figure in the American film industry. Raised in Helena, Montana, he made his way to Hollywood where he left an indelible mark on the world of cinema with a career that spanned over three decades. With his rugged good looks and unique understated acting style, Cooper became one of the most popular and enduring stars of his time. Cooper's film career commenced in the silent film era in the 1920s, but it was in the era of sound where he truly cemented his legacy. He starred in more than 100 films, delivering memorable performances in various genres from westerns to romantic dramas. Some of his most acclaimed roles came in films such as High Noon, Sergeant York, and The Pride of the Yankees. For his compelling portrayal of characters in these films, he received five Academy Award nominations, winning Best Actor twice - for Sergeant York in 1942 and High Noon in 1953. Beyond his illustrious film career, Cooper was known for his distinct persona which often mirrored the characters he played on screen - a strong, silent type and an embodiment of American ideals and values. His off-screen life was marked by high-profile relationships and friendships with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Cooper passed away on May 13, 1961, leaving behind an enduring legacy that continues to influence the world of cinema. His contributions to the film industry were duly recognized when he was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Film Institute.
- Birthplace: Helena, Montana, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: High Noon, Meet John Doe, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Sergeant York
- Born Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors on April 10, 1921, Chuck Connors was a man of many talents. He is best remembered as an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His athletic prowess became evident in his early years, leading him to have successful careers in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB). However, it was his acting career that brought him into the limelight, especially his role as Lucas McCain in the popular 1950s TV series The Rifleman. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Connors was raised in a working-class Irish Catholic family. His sporting skills took him to Seton Hall University on a scholarship where he excelled in both basketball and baseball. Post-college, he played for the Boston Celtics in the NBA and later for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in the MLB. His transition from sports to acting was seamless and his 6'5" stature added to his on-screen charisma. Connors made his acting debut in the film noir classic, Pat and Mike, in 1952, but it was not until his performance in The Rifleman that he gained widespread recognition. The show ran for five years and solidified Connors as a household name. Post-The Rifleman, he continued to act in a variety of roles in both television and film, showcasing his versatility as an actor. His later notable work includes roles in films such as Soylent Green and Airplane II: The Sequel.
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Profession: Basketball player, Baseball player, Screenwriter, Actor, Athlete
- Credits: The Rifleman, Soylent Green, Branded, Airplane II: The Sequel
- Don Knotts, born as Jesse Donald Knotts on July 21, 1924, in Morgantown, West Virginia, emerged as a celebrated figure in the world of entertainment. With humble beginnings as the youngest of four sons in a struggling family, Knotts' rise to fame is a testament to his perseverance and talent. A World War II veteran, he served in the U.S. Army before pursuing his passion for acting, starting his career in the late 1940s with minor roles in radio and television. However, it was his role as the comical yet lovable Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show that catapulted him to stardom, earning him five Emmy Awards. Knotts' prowess in comedy extended beyond television, solidifying his reputation in the film industry as well. His memorable performances in movies such as The Incredible Mr. Limpet, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and The Shakiest Gun in the West showcased his impeccable comedic timing and skill. Despite often being typecast as a nervous character, Knotts demonstrated versatility in his career, transitioning into dramatic roles in later years. He notably appeared in the critically acclaimed series Matlock, once again sharing the screen with Andy Griffith, and lending his voice to the animated series Scooby-Doo, as the quirky landlord, Mr. Furley. Don Knotts' impact on the entertainment industry extends well beyond his life span, as his comedic genius continues to inspire aspiring artists. He passed away on February 24, 2006, leaving behind a legacy of laughter and fond memories. From the small town in West Virginia to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Knotts' journey serves as an inspiration for many. His innate ability to make audiences laugh, paired with his humility and commitment to his craft, made him not just a well-respected actor, but a beloved figure in American popular culture.
- Birthplace: Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Profession: Comedian, Actor, Voice acting
- Credits: The Andy Griffith Show,Pleasantville,Three's Company,Chicken Little
- Raymon Lee Cramton (June 11, 1937 – July 24, 2012), known professionally as Chad Everett, was an American actor who appeared in more than 40 films and television series. He was well known for his role as Dr. Joe Gannon in the television drama Medical Center which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.
- Birthplace: South Bend, Indiana, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Mulholland Drive, Airplane II: The Sequel, Psycho, View from the Top, Wake Up
- A lovely and talented star of movie musicals for over two decades who then enjoyed an equally long run on the stage, Ann Miller was one of the prime practitioners of "machine gun tap dancing" and was capable of several hundred taps per minute. Starting in small productions from studios like RKO and Columbia, the long-legged brunette gradually worked her way up to the big-budget musical extravaganzas produced by MGM, where she received guidance from top flight choreographers like Busby Berkeley, Hermes Pan and Nick Castle, and was dubbed Ann "Legs" Miller by influential gossip columnist Walter Winchell. Though her 5 foot-7-inch frame reportedly intimidated screen partners Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, Miller's beauty and irrefutable dancing and singing abilities won her a following, thanks to hits like "Easter Parade" (1948), "On the Town" (1949), "Two Tickets to Broadway" (1951), "Small Town Girl" (1952) and "Kiss Me Kate" (1953). When her MGM contract ended in the mid-1950s, Miller took her talents to the stage and went on to star in various productions, including a hugely successful nine-year run in the musical comedy smash "Sugar Babies" alongside Mickey Rooney. Cast mostly as the second lead in her movies, she did not attain the heights of popularity enjoyed by Ginger Rogers or Eleanor Powell, but Miller was a dazzler in her own right and one of the premiere tap dancers and all-around performers in the Golden Age of movie musicals.
- Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
- Profession: Actor, Singer, Dancer
- Credits: Mulholland Drive, On the Town, That's Entertainment! III, You Can't Take It With You
- Buster Keaton, born Joseph Frank Keaton on October 4, 1895, stands as one of the seminal figures in American comedy and silent film. From humble beginnings in Piqua, Kansas, Keaton's extraordinary life journey carried him through an illustrious career in entertainment that spanned over six decades. As a child, he was immersed in the world of Vaudeville, touring with his parents' comedic act, which proved instrumental in shaping his unique brand of physical comedy, earning him the nickname The Great Stone Face. Keaton rose to prominence in the 1920s during the golden age of silent films. Recognized for his distinctive deadpan expression, a stark contrast to the exaggerated mannerisms of his contemporaries, Keaton's comedic genius lay in his ability to navigate high-risk physical stunts with a stoic demeanor. His prolific body of work includes iconic films like The General (1926), Sherlock Jr. (1924), and Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), wherein his innovative use of visual comedy contributed significantly to the evolution of cinematic language. However, the advent of sound in films ushered in a challenging phase for Keaton. He struggled to transition from silent films to "talkies," leading to a decline in his career. Despite personal and professional setbacks, including struggles with alcoholism and financial difficulties, Keaton persevered, eventually experiencing a career revival in the 1950s. His contributions to cinema were recognized with an honorary Academy Award in 1959. Buster Keaton passed away on February 1, 1966, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering comedian and filmmaker whose influence continues to resonate in contemporary cinema.
- Birthplace: Piqua, Kansas, USA
- Profession: Stunt Performer, Film Producer, Screenwriter, Film Editor, Actor
- Credits: The General, Steamboat Bill, Jr., Seven Chances, The Cameraman
- Born in California in 1914, Joe DiMaggio, affectionately known as "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," emerged as one of the most iconic figures in American sports history. He was the eighth child born to Sicilian immigrants who lived a meager existence fishing off the San Francisco bay. Despite these humble beginnings, DiMaggio rose to become an outstanding baseball player, creating a legacy that resounds throughout Major League Baseball (MLB) even decades after his retirement. DiMaggio's professional baseball career began with the San Francisco Seals, a minor league team, but his extraordinary talent couldn't be contained for long. He moved on to play for the New York Yankees in 1936, marking the start of a distinguished 13-season career in MLB. Throughout his time with the Yankees, DiMaggio set numerous records, including an unrivaled 56-game hitting streak in 1941, a record that still stands today. His consistency at bat coupled with his outstanding fielding skills won him three MVP awards and helped lead the Yankees to nine World Series titles. However, DiMaggio's life wasn't only about baseball. He served in the military during World War II, which interrupted his playing career for almost three years. His personal life also garnered significant public attention, particularly his marriage to Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. While their marriage was short-lived, it intensified the spotlight on DiMaggio's life beyond baseball. DiMaggio passed away in 1999, leaving behind a monumental legacy that transcends sport. His impact both on and off the field makes him one of the most influential figures in American sports history.
- Birthplace: USA, California, Martinez
- Profession: Baseball player, Actor
- Credits: Angels in the Outfield, Manhattan Merry-Go-Round, The First of May, Major League Baseball: All Century Team
- John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only three writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tarkington and William Faulkner), Updike published more than twenty novels, more than a dozen short-story collections, as well as poetry, art and literary criticism and children's books during his career. Hundreds of his stories, reviews, and poems appeared in The New Yorker starting in 1954. He also wrote regularly for The New York Review of Books. His most famous work is his "Rabbit" series (the novels Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; Rabbit at Rest; and the novella Rabbit Remembered), which chronicles the life of the middle-class everyman Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom over the course of several decades, from young adulthood to death. Both Rabbit Is Rich (1982) and Rabbit at Rest (1990) were recognized with the Pulitzer Prize. Describing his subject as "the American small town, Protestant middle class", Updike was recognized for his careful craftsmanship, his unique prose style, and his prolific output – he wrote on average a book a year. Updike populated his fiction with characters who "frequently experience personal turmoil and must respond to crises relating to religion, family obligations, and marital infidelity".His fiction is distinguished by its attention to the concerns, passions, and suffering of average Americans, its emphasis on Christian theology, and its preoccupation with sexuality and sensual detail. His work has attracted significant critical attention and praise, and he is widely considered one of the great American writers of his time. Updike's highly distinctive prose style features a rich, unusual, sometimes arcane vocabulary as conveyed through the eyes of "a wry, intelligent authorial voice" that describes the physical world extravagantly while remaining squarely in the realist tradition. He described his style as an attempt "to give the mundane its beautiful due".
- Birthplace: Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
- Profession: Poet, Literary critic, Novelist, Art critic, Author
- Credits: The Witches of Eastwick, The Roommate, The Music School, Pigeon Feathers, Ted Williams
- Duke Ellington, born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1899, developed into an iconic figure of the 20th century music, revered for his profound impact on the jazz genre. The son of two pianists, Ellington's musical journey began at the age of seven when he started piano lessons, but it was more than a decade later when he truly fell in love with ragtime. In his early career, he performed in various D.C. clubs before he formed "The Duke's Serenaders" in 1917, heralding the start of his professional music career. The 1920s saw Ellington move to New York City, the epicenter of jazz innovation. His band, renamed "The Washingtonians", played at the Kentucky Club where they caught the attention of agent Irving Mills. This turned out to be a pivotal moment in Ellington's career. Mills helped to secure a spot for the band at the famous Cotton Club, leading to nationwide radio broadcasts that brought Ellington's innovative, orchestral jazz sound into homes across the country. It was during this period that Ellington created some of his most lauded works including Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, and Black and Tan Fantasy. In the following decades, Duke Ellington composed thousands of scores that made a mark on American music. He became renowned for his ability to blend melodies, rhythms and subtle sonic movements into a unified whole. His unique compositions often broke down barriers between different musical genres and influenced not just jazz but the wider world of music. His illustrious career spanned more than half a century, earning him a dozen Grammy awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom among numerous other accolades. Ellington passed away on May 24, 1974, leaving behind a legacy that continues to resonate in contemporary music.
- Birthplace: Washington, D.C., USA
- Profession: Film Score Composer, Pianist, Musician, Bandleader, Lyricist
- Credits: Anatomy of a Murder, Ådalen 31, Check and Double Check, Paris Blues, NET Playhouse
- Dmitri Shostakovich, a luminary in the sphere of 20th-century classical music, was born on September 25, 1906, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. An only child in his family, Shostakovich displayed an early affinity for music, with his mother introducing him to piano lessons at the tender age of nine. His exceptional aptitude for music paved the way for his admission into Petrograd Conservatory in 1919, where he honed his craft under the tutelage of esteemed musicians like Alexander Glazunov and Maximilian Steinberg. Shostakovich first garnered international acclaim following the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 in 1926, which he composed as part of his graduation project at the conservatory. Despite the widespread socio-political unrest in Soviet Russia, Shostakovich's genius shone through in his wide-ranging body of work that included fifteen symphonies, six concerti, two operas, and a wealth of chamber music. His compositions often reflected the turmoil of his times, oscillating between expressions of fear, irony, and profound melancholy. Throughout his illustrious career, Shostakovich grappled with the stringent state control over artistic expression in the Soviet Union. He faced severe criticism from government authorities for his allegedly "formalist" style, particularly following the premiere of his opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. However, despite these challenges, Shostakovich remained unswervingly committed to his artistic vision. His resilience is perhaps most evident in his Symphony No. 5, which was met with tremendous public acclaim despite its covertly subversive undertones. Shostakovich passed away on August 9, 1975, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire musicians worldwide.
- Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russian Empire
- Profession: Conductor, Film Score Composer, Pianist, Composer, Teacher
- Credits: Children of Men, Eyes Wide Shut, Bridge of Spies, Nymphomaniac: Vol. I
- Alan King was an accomplished actor who appeared in a variety of films throughout his Hollywood career. King began his acting career appearing in various films, such as "Hit the Deck" (1955) with Jane Powell, the Jane Wyman drama "Miracle in the Rain" (1956) and the Tab Hunter comedy "The Girl He Left Behind" (1956). He also appeared in the biopic "The Helen Morgan Story" (1957) with Ann Blyth, the Alfred Lynch comedy adaptation "On the Fiddle" (1961) and "Bye Bye Braverman" (1968). His film career continued throughout the eighties in productions like the Drew Barrymore suspenseful adaptation "Stephen King's Cat's Eye" (1985), "You Talkin' to Me?" (1987) and "Memories of Me" (1988). He also lent his voice to "Pinocchio's Christmas" (1988). Film continued to be his passion as he played roles in the Jackie Chan blockbuster action film "Rush Hour 2" (2001), "Sunshine State" (2002) with Edie Falco and "Christmas with the Kranks" (2004) with Tim Allen. King's distinctive voice can be heard on "Baseball" (PBS, 1994-95). King last acted in "Mind the Gap" (2004). King was married to Jeanette Sprung. King passed away in May 2004 at the age of 77.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Profession: Comedian, Television producer, Film Producer, Screenwriter, Author
- Credits: Casino, Rush Hour 2, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Cat's Eye, Sunshine State
- Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011. With 409 victories, Paterno is the most victorious coach in NCAA FBS history. He recorded his 409th victory on October 29, 2011; his career ended with his dismissal from the team on November 9, 2011, as a result of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. He died 74 days later, of complications from lung cancer.Paterno was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brown University, where he played football both ways as the quarterback and a cornerback. He had originally planned on going to law school, but he was instead hired in 1950 as an assistant football coach at Penn State. He was persuaded to do this by his college coach Rip Engle, who had taken over as Penn State's head coach. In 1966, Paterno was named as Engle's successor. He soon coached the team to two undefeated regular seasons in 1968 and 1969. The team won two national championships—in 1982 and 1986. Paterno coached five undefeated teams that won major bowl games, and in 2007 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach. During his career, he led the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl appearances with 24 wins while turning down offers to coach National Football League (NFL) teams that included the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. After the child sex abuse scandal involving his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky broke in full in November 2011, Paterno announced that he would retire at the end of the season. However, on November 9, the Penn State Board of Trustees rejected his decision and immediately terminated his contract via a telephone call. An investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh concluded in July 2012 that Paterno concealed information relating to Sandusky's sexual abuse of young boys. The investigation also uncovered information that Paterno may have persuaded university officials to refrain from reporting Sandusky to authorities in 2001. A critique of the Freeh report composed by the law firm King & Spalding, which was commissioned by the Paterno family and included expert opinion from former U.S. attorney general and Pennsylvania governor Dick Thornburgh, among others, disputed the findings of the Freeh report concerning Paterno's involvement in the alleged cover-up and accused Freeh of making unsupported conclusions. Freeh called the critique a "self-serving report" that "does not change the facts."On July 23, 2012, the NCAA vacated all of Penn State's wins from 1998 through 2011 as part of its punishment for the child sex abuse scandal. The association eliminated 111 of the games Paterno had won, which dropped him from first to 12th on the list of winningest NCAA football coaches. In January 2013, State senator Jake Corman and state treasurer Rob McCord launched a lawsuit against the NCAA to overturn the sanctions on Penn State on the basis that Freeh had been actively collaborating with the NCAA and that due process had not been followed. As part of the settlement, the NCAA reversed its decision on January 16, 2015, and restored the 111 wins to Paterno's record.
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
- Profession: American Football coach, Coach, American football player
- Credits: 2011 Outback Bowl, 2010 Capital One Bowl, 2009 Rose Bowl, 8:Ivy League Football and America
- Oscar-Claude Monet (; French: [klod mɔnɛ]; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter, a founder of French Impressionist painting and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein air landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which was exhibited in 1874 in the first of the independent exhibitions mounted by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the Salon de Paris.Monet's ambition of documenting the French countryside led him to adopt a method of painting the same scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons. From 1883, Monet lived in Giverny, where he purchased a house and property and began a vast landscaping project which included lily ponds that would become the subjects of his best-known works. In 1899, he began painting the water lilies, first in vertical views with a Japanese bridge as a central feature and later in the series of large-scale paintings that was to occupy him continuously for the next 20 years of his life.
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Profession: Painter
- An icon of American TV, Audrey Meadows will forever live on the airwaves as Alice Kramden, the loving yet bickering wife of Ralph (Jackie Gleason) who would threaten in the body of each show, "To the Moon, Alice," yet end each episode by noting what America already knew: "Baby, you're the greatest!"
- Birthplace: Wu-ch'ang, China
- Profession: Memoirist, Actor, Banker
- Credits: The Honeymooners, That Touch of Mink, Too Close for Comfort, The Jackie Gleason Show, Invisible Diplomats
- Yul Brynner, born in 1920, was a celebrated actor of Russian origin, noted for his stoic, commanding presence and distinctive shaved head. His journey to stardom was far from conventional, with early years spent performing in the circus before transitioning into acting. Born as Yuliy Borisovich Briner in Vladivostok, Russia, Brynner's family fled the country during the political upheaval of the 1930s, which eventually led him to settle in New York City in the United States. Brynner's career truly took off when he played the iconic role of King Mongkut in The King and I, a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. His performance was widely acclaimed, earning him a Tony Award in 1952. This role became so definitive that he reprised it more than 4,500 times on stage over the course of his career. His success on stage paved the way to Hollywood where he starred in films like The Ten Commandments (1956) and Anastasia (1956), further establishing his reputation as a versatile and charismatic actor. Despite his successful career, Brynner was also known for his activism. He used his public platform to advocate against smoking after being diagnosed with lung cancer, even filming an anti-smoking public service announcement that aired posthumously. In 1985, he succumbed to the disease. His enduring legacy has been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into the Theater Hall of Fame.
- Birthplace: Vladivostok, Primorsky Province, Russia
- Profession: Television director, Musician, Actor, Writer, Photographer
- Credits: The Magnificent Seven,The Ten Commandments,Westworld,The King and I
- 1The Magnificent Seven168 Votes
- 2The King and I148 Votes
- 3The Ten Commandments120 Votes
- The biggest box office star of the 1940s and the most desired WWII pin-up girl, acting-singing-dancing triple-threat Betty Grable became the stuff of Hollywood legend after her studio reportedly insured her famously gorgeous legs for $1 million with Lloyd's of London - the same legs that were captured in one of the most iconic photographic images of the 20th century. After a decade of toiling with minor roles in dozens of films, Grable rose to fame with the musical "Down Argentine Way" (1940). From there it was on to a string of hits alongside leading men that included Victor Mature, Cesar Romero and Dan Dailey in such films as "I Wake Up Screaming" (1941), "Coney Island" (1943) and "Mother Wore Tights" (1947), respectively. So desired was the bubbly blonde that bandleader Harry James became the most envied man in America when he famously wed the pin-up queen in 1943. Grable single-handedly caused Twentieth Century stock to soar for a solid decade before the girl-next-door's Technicolor reign began to wind down. Even as the sun was setting on Grable's movie career by the early 1950s - as had her desire to continue to make movies - she enjoyed one final hit as she passed the torch to her successor and fellow Fox contract player, Marilyn Monroe, in "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953). Grable gracefully retired from film two years later and enjoyed a brief run in a hugely successful Broadway mounting of "Hello, Dolly!" in 1967 before her untimely passing six years later. While some of the films in her incredibly prolific canon may not have stood the test of time, there was no denying the joy Betty Grable brought to many fans, both at home and abroad, during that pivotal decade in American history.
- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Profession: Pin-up girl, Actor, Singer, Dancer
- Credits: How to Marry a Millionaire, The Gay Divorcee, The Dolly Sisters, I Wake Up Screaming
- 1Mother Wore Tights37 Votes
- 2My Blue Heaven15 Votes
- 3Coney Island36 Votes
- Jean Simmons, born on January 31, 1929, in London, England, was a prestigious British actress who made her mark in the world of cinema through her unparalleled acting prowess and irresistible charisma. She embarked on her cinematic journey at a very young age, making her on-screen debut with the film Give Us the Moon in 1944. However, it was her performance as a precocious Estella in David Lean's adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations in 1946 that brought her under the spotlight and paved the way for an illustrious career in acting. Simmons soon crossed over to Hollywood, where she continued to build upon her repertoire of diverse and challenging roles. She worked with some of the biggest names in the industry like Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948), for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her talent for immersing herself in her characters was evident in films like Guys and Dolls (1955), The Big Country (1958), and Spartacus (1960), where she shared screen space with Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, and Kirk Douglas respectively. Despite her successful career in Hollywood, Simmons never distanced herself from her roots, often gracing British productions with her presence. She starred in the British series The Dain Curse and North and South, proving her versatility once again. Jean Simmons breathlessly crafted a career that spanned over six decades, during which she gracefully transitioned from the ingénue roles of her early career to more mature performances in her later years. Her contribution to cinema was recognized when she was awarded an Honorary Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2003. This award served as a testament to her enduring legacy and her remarkable achievements in the world of entertainment.
- Birthplace: Crouch Hill, London, England, UK
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting, Dancer
- Credits: Spartacus, Howl's Moving Castle, Guys and Dolls, The Big Country
- 1Spartacus80 Votes
- 2Home Before Dark36 Votes
- 3Until They Sail37 Votes
- David Barry Brudnoy (June 5, 1940 – December 9, 2004) was an American talk radio host in Boston from 1976 to 2004. His radio talk show aired on WBZ radio. He was known for espousing his libertarian views on a wide range of political issues, in a manner that was courteous. Thanks to WBZ's wide signal reach, he gained a following from across the United States as well as Canada. On December 9, 2004, he succumbed to Merkel cell carcinoma after it had metastasized to his lungs and kidneys.
- Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Profession: Talk show host, Journalist
- Former jockey turned romantic leading man of the 1930s, predominantly in light comedies and occasional mysteries. Milland proved his serious dramatic abilities with an Oscar-winning role as an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend" (1945), but failed to match his success in later years. He concentrated on directing for TV and film in the 1960s and returned as a character actor in the 70s, notably in "Love Story" (1970).
- Birthplace: Neath, Wales, UK
- Profession: Television director, Actor, Film Director
- Credits: Dial M for Murder, The Lost Weekend, Markham, Love Story
- 1Dial M for Murder74 Votes
- 2The Uninvited52 Votes
- 3The Lost Weekend65 Votes
- John Francis "Jack" Buck (August 21, 1924 – June 18, 2002) was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. His play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous Halls of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the National Radio Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.
- Birthplace: Holyoke, Massachusetts
- Profession: Announcer, Sports commentator
- Not to be confused with Chris Tucker or Forest Whitaker, Forrest Tucker was a 20th century film and television actor who will be most remembered for his role as Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke on "F Troop": the mid-1960s, post-Civil War-era cavalry sitcom. The legacy is not inappropriate since Tucker appeared in westerns throughout the '40s and '50s, making his film debut in the 1940 romance "The Westerner," starring Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan. Though he made mainly B-movies with Columbia Pictures during that period (e.g., the crime drama "Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood" in 1942), he also managed to work with the big-time stars of the era, including John Wayne in "Sands of Iwo Jima" and Charlton Heston in "Pony Express." Tucker first appeared on TV in 1950's "The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre," and he participated in several more TV playhouse productions throughout the decade before branching out into guest parts on dramas and westerns, including "Death Valley Days." Back on-screen, he secured a lead role opposite Rosalind Russell in the multiple Oscar-nominated 1958 comedy "Auntie Mame," which was among the best films in which Tucker appeared; this comedic role foreshadowed his success on the sitcom "F Troop." His other big TV jobs included his co-starring role with Bob Denver, post-"Gilligan's Island," on the western comedy "Dusty's Trail," and reuniting with "F Troop" alum Larry Storch on the family comedy "The Ghost Busters" (not to be confused with the 1984 blockbuster "Ghost Busters").
- Birthplace: Plainfeild, Indiana, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Sands of Iwo Jima, Chisum, Auntie Mame, F Troop, The Yearling
- Jack Barton Adkisson Sr. (August 16, 1929 – September 10, 1997), better known by his ring name Fritz Von Erich, was an American professional wrestler, carnival attraction, wrestling promoter, and the patriarch of the Von Erich family. He was also the owner of the World Class Championship Wrestling territory.
- Birthplace: Jewett, Texas, USA
- Profession: Wrestler, American football player
- Credits: AWA All-Star Wrestling
- Alistair Cooke (20 November 1908 – 30 March 2004) was a British writer whose work as a journalist, television personality and radio broadcaster was done primarily in the United States. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and America: A Personal History of the United States, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theatre from 1971 to 1992. After holding the job for 22 years, and having worked in television for 42 years, Cooke retired in 1992, although he continued to present Letter from America until shortly before his death. He was the father of author and folk singer John Byrne Cooke.
- Birthplace: Salford, Lancashire, England, UK
- Profession: Journalist, Broadcaster, Presenter, TV Personality
- Credits: Masterpiece, Hitler: The Last Ten Days, Omnibus, America: A Personal History of the United States
- Dependable, clean-cut star who was signed by MGM while still in school, and spent most of his subsequent career with the company. Boyishly handsome, with a "perfect profile," Taylor highlighted many a light romance and was immensely popular for years after starring in "Magnificent Obsession" (1935). He eventually grew out of his pretty-boy good looks, became a solid, gritty performer, and made up for any lack of talent with a much-noted professionalism in a succession of epics ("Ivanhoe" 1951 "Knights of the Round Table" 1953) and Westerns ("The Hangman" 1959, "Cattle King" 1963) that punctuated his mature screen work. Married to Barbara Stanwyck from 1939 to 1951.
- Birthplace: Filley, Nebraska, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: The Matrix, Longmire, Focus, Vertical Limit
- 1Waterloo Bridge110 Votes
- 2Ivanhoe81 Votes
- 3Bataan48 Votes
- John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was predominantly a comic writer, his dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange remains his best-known novel. In 1971, it was adapted into a highly controversial film by Stanley Kubrick, which Burgess said was chiefly responsible for the popularity of the book. Burgess produced numerous other novels, including the Enderby quartet, and Earthly Powers. He wrote librettos and screenplays, including the 1977 TV mini-series Jesus of Nazareth. He worked as a literary critic for several publications, including The Observer and The Guardian, and wrote studies of classic writers, notably James Joyce. A versatile linguist, Burgess lectured in phonetics, and translated Cyrano de Bergerac, Oedipus Rex, and the opera Carmen, among others. Burgess also composed over 250 musical works; he considered himself as much a composer as an author, although he enjoyed considerably more success in writing.
- Birthplace: England
- Profession: Educationalist, Linguist, Poet, Librettist, Novelist
- Credits: A Clockwork Orange, Moses the Lawgiver, Cyrano de Bergerac, Vinyl, 1984: A Personal View of Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty Four'
- Roddy McDowall, born in Herne Hill, London in 1928, was a prominent figure in the world of entertainment from his early childhood until his later years. McDowall's career path was diverse, encompassing an array of titles such as actor, voice artist, film director and photographer. He began his acting journey as a child artist in England during the 1930s, before immigrating to the United States in 1940 due to the outbreak of World War II. McDowall soon established himself as a talented young actor in Hollywood with films like How Green Was My Valley and Lassie Come Home. McDowall's transition from child to adult roles occurred seamlessly, which is a testament to his versatile acting skills. In the 1960s, he was lauded for his remarkable performances in the original Planet of the Apes series, where he portrayed various characters, most notably, Cornelius and Caesar. His performances in these films proved pivotal in the evolution of science fiction cinema. Apart from this, McDowall also made notable appearances in other film and television productions like The Poseidon Adventure, Cleopatra, and Batman: The Animated Series. In addition to his acting prowess, McDowall left a profound impact on the film industry through his photography. His keen eye behind the lens captured the essence of Hollywood and its stars during the golden era. McDowall's photographs are revered today as insightful documentation of Hollywood's history. Despite his passing in 1998, Roddy McDowall's legacy lives on, continuing to inspire generations of actors, filmmakers, and photographers. His multifaceted career, spanning over six decades, remains a significant part of Hollywood's rich tapestry.
- Birthplace: Herne Hill, London, England, UK
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting, Film Director, Photographer
- Credits: Planet of the Apes,Battle for the Planet of the Apes,Escape from the Planet of the Apes,Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
- Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), better known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-born American actor, musician, and television producer widely noted for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American television series sitcom I Love Lucy, where he co-starred with his then wife, dramatic and comedic actress Lucille Ball (1911–1989). Arnaz and Ball are generally credited as the innovators of the syndicated rerun, which they pioneered with the I Love Lucy series.Arnaz and Lucille Ball co-founded and ran the television production company called Desilu Productions, originally to market I Love Lucy to television networks. After I Love Lucy ended, Arnaz went on to produce several other television series, at first with Desilu Productions, and later independently, including The Ann Sothern Show and The Untouchables. He was also renowned for leading his Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra.
- Birthplace: Santiago, Cuba
- Profession: Television director, Comedian, Television producer, Musician, Film Producer
- Credits: I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, The Untouchables, Bataan, The Long
- Stephen Jay Gould (; September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation. Gould spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In 1996, Gould was hired as the Vincent Astor Visiting Research Professor of Biology at New York University, where he divided his time teaching there and at Harvard. Gould's most significant contribution to evolutionary biology was the theory of punctuated equilibrium, which he developed with Niles Eldredge in 1972. The theory proposes that most evolution is characterized by long periods of evolutionary stability, which is infrequently punctuated by swift periods of branching speciation. The theory was contrasted against phyletic gradualism, the popular idea that evolutionary change is marked by a pattern of smooth and continuous change in the fossil record.Most of Gould's empirical research was based on the land snail genera Poecilozonites and Cerion. He also made important contributions to evolutionary developmental biology, receiving broad professional recognition for his book Ontogeny and Phylogeny. In evolutionary theory he opposed strict selectionism, sociobiology as applied to humans, and evolutionary psychology. He campaigned against creationism and proposed that science and religion should be considered two distinct fields (or "non-overlapping magisteria") whose authorities do not overlap.Gould was known by the general public mainly for his 300 popular essays in Natural History magazine, and his numerous books written for both the specialist and non-specialist. In April 2000, the US Library of Congress named him a "Living Legend".
- Birthplace: Bayside, New York City, New York, USA
- Profession: Paleontologist, Biologist, Historian, Professor, Scientist
- Credits: Darwin's Revolution in Thought
- A sturdy and earnest performer on stage, television and in numerous films, James Whitmore was a much-honored character actor and occasional lead whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the early 21st century. Versatile in almost every genre of film, Whitmore was frequently called upon to play can-do, salt of the earth characters like his combat-weary platoon leader in "Battleground" (1949) or the heroic state patrolman fighting giant ants in the sci-fi classic "Them!" (1954). Whitmore was a frequent guest star in television series and TV movies, as well as worked extensively on stage throughout his career, including solo performances as Will Rogers, Harry S. Truman and Theodore Roosevelt, which earned him the moniker "King of the One Man Show." In his seventh decade, he enjoyed a career boost with a moving performance as an elderly prisoner in "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) and a 1999 Emmy Award for "The Practice" (ABC, 1997-2004). A generation of television viewers also knew him as the on-camera spokesman for Miracle-Gro garden products. The man simply would not slow down, an actor in his soul, performing well into late eighties.
- Birthplace: White Plains, New York, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: The Shawshank Redemption, Planet of the Apes, Them!, Where the Red Fern Grows, Tora! Tora! Tora!
- With his iconic bowl haircut, quick temper and penchant for inflicting harm on his two hapless cohorts, Moe Howard was the de facto leader of The Three Stooges, one of the most beloved comedy teams of all time. Along with his brother, Shemp Howard, and Larry Fine, Moe first found fame as a member of vaudeville comedian Ted Healy's "Stooges." But it was only after younger brother Jerome - renamed "Curly" - replaced Shemp and the trio became a solo act officially known as "The Three Stooges," that they achieved massive success on a national level. For Columbia Pictures, the Three Stooges would star in nearly 200 short films over a remarkable 24 year period. Larry, Moe and Curly became an indelible part of American pop culture. Over the course of a nearly 40-year career, there were several changes in the line-up - Curly's health problems brought back Shemp, who in turn was replaced by comedian Joe Besser, who eventually gave way to "Curly Joe" DeRita. Throughout it all, though, Moe remained the constant, keeping the Stooges on course and in the public eye, even if he had to crack a few skulls along the way. While contemplating the mainstream appeal of the Three Stooges over the years, Moe offered this simple yet elegant explanation - "Our comedy is based on upsetting dignity." That they did - and hilarity ensued.
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Profession: Comedian, Screenwriter, Actor
- Credits: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Three Stooges
- Jason Robards Jr., an acclaimed American actor, is particularly known for his work in theater and film, was born in 1922 in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in a theatrical family, which played a prominent part in his decision to pursue acting. His father, Jason Robards Sr., was a successful actor himself, known for his numerous roles in Hollywood films during the 1920s and 1930s. Upon completing high school, Robards served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before embarking on a career in the performing arts. Robards' career is marked by remarkable performances in both theater and film. In Broadway, he became a stalwart figure, celebrated for his interpretations of Eugene O'Neill's characters, especially his portrayal of Hickey in The Iceman Cometh and his Tony Award-winning role as James Tyrone in Long Day's Journey Into Night. Transitioning to film, Robards continued to impress audiences and critics alike. His portrayal of the real-life Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee in All The President's Men earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a feat he repeated the following year with his role in Julia. Throughout his life, Robards was not only an influential performer but also a committed advocate for the arts. He co-founded the Actors Studio in New York City, providing a platform for young actors to hone their craft. He passed away in 2000, but his legacy continues to inspire generations of actors and performers around the world. His dedication to his craft, combined with his compelling performances, ensure his place in the pantheon of great American actors.
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting
- Credits: Once Upon a Time in the West, All the President's Men, Philadelphia, The Day After
- George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death on 6 February 1952. He became known as a symbol of British determination to win the Second World War against Germany. Known as "Bertie" among his family and close friends, George VI was born in the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria, and was named after his great-grandfather Albert, Prince Consort. As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne, and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward. He attended naval college as a teenager, and served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during the First World War. In 1920, he was made Duke of York. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. In the mid-1920s, he had speech therapy for a stammer, which he never fully overcame. George's elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936. However, Edward was forced to choose between the crown and marriage to divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. Edward abdicated to marry Simpson, and George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor. From 1939, the British Empire and Commonwealth – except Ireland – declared war on Nazi Germany. War with Italy and Japan followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively. The king and his family remained in London during the Blitz and his popularity soared as he shared the hardships of the common people. Britain and its allies were victorious in 1945, but the British Empire declined. Ireland had largely broken away, followed by independence of India and Pakistan in 1947. George relinquished the title of Emperor of India in June 1948 and instead adopted the new title of Head of the Commonwealth. He was beset by smoking-related health problems in the later years of his reign. On his death, he was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II.
- Birthplace: Norfolk, England
- Profession: Politician, Monarchy of the United Kingdom
- Imposing, ruggedly handsome lead who made his film debut in "Golden Gloves" (1940) and signed with RKO two years later. Ryan hit his stride in the late 1940s playing a string of psychopathic or hard-boiled types, notably the anti-Semitic murderer in "Crossfire" (1947) and the over-the-hill pug in the classic boxing drama, "The Set-Up" (1949). He went on to appear in a host of films through the mid-70s, often giving fine performances in decidedly mediocre vehicles. Ryan was memorable as William Holden's buddy-turned-nemesis in Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" (1969).
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Profession: Soldier, Actor
- Credits: The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen, The Longest Day, King of Kings, Battle of the Bulge
- Distinguished Soviet director whose austerely poetic, deeply personal films made him one of the most treasured artists of his generation.
- Birthplace: Zavrazhe, RSFSR, USSR
- Profession: Theatre Director, Opera Director, Screenwriter, Film Editor, Actor
- Credits: Solaris, Andrei Rublev, The Sacrifice, The Mirror
- Soul and jazz singer Lou Rawls, who sold over 40 million albums over his fantastic career, also dabbled in screen work throughout the 1960s and later in his life, appearing frequently on "Baywatch Nights" and voicing such animated series as Nickelodeon's "Hey Arnold!." Rawls sang in local choirs in his youth. After a harsh stint in the Army, he established a musical career, and by the early 1960s he was opening for The Beatles, and winning Grammys for his hot-selling records. During this period, he began getting into acting, mostly in one-off roles, on shows like the star-studded Western "The Big Valley." Rawls stepped away from the screen as he found his greatest musical success in the 1970s, with the Platinum-selling record "All Things in Time" and the wildly popular single "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." By the time the 1990s rolled in, Rawls's fame led to small-screen roles and winking cameos, and in 1995 he played the part of Lou Raymond on the beach series spin-off "Baywatch Nights." He was later asked to join the cast of the kids' animated hit "Hey Arnold! ."
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Profession: Film Score Composer, Musician, Actor, Voice acting, Singer
- Credits: Blues Brothers 2000, The Rugrats Movie, Baywatch Nights, Still Breathing, After the Game
- Benjamin Stewart Parsons (July 12, 1941 – January 16, 2007) was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst/pit reporter on SETN, TBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, and TNT. He became famous as the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup) champion, and was a 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. He was the older brother of former NASCAR driver car owner and broadcaster Phil Parsons of Phil Parsons Racing. He was nicknamed "BP" and The Professor, the latter in part because of his popular remarks and relaxed demeanor. He was the founder of Rendezvous Ridge, a winery in North Carolina, which opened shortly after his death.
- Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Profession: Commentator, Race car driver, Actor
- Credits: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Stroker Ace
- Born in small-town California, Larry Linville is best known for playing the scheming Major Frank Burns on the beloved "M.A.S.H." TV series. Linville started out as an actor by playing small parts on episodes of late-1960s television shows, including TV series "Marcus Welby, M.D. " and "Bonanza," with his most notable early role being a cop on the crime drama "Mannix." In '72, Linville joined the cast of "M.A.S.H. ," which would go on to become one of the most revered television shows of all time. While "M.A.S.H. " made Linville a minor celebrity, it also kept him very busy, with the actor appearing in little outside of the series until he departed in '77. After leaving "M.A.S.H. ," Linville often appeared in guest spots on more lighthearted comedies, including "The Love Boat" and "The Jeffersons," and never became a regular on any other ongoing program. During the late '90s, Linville developed health problems and died in 2000 of cancer. However, he is fondly remembered by his "M.A.S.H." peers and fans.
- Birthplace: Ojai, California, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Earth Girls Are Easy, C.H.U.D II: Bud the C.H.U.D., Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever, The Night Stalker, Checking In
- Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta; June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006) was an American Tejano, country and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. He is best known for his 1975 hits "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and the subsequent remake of his own "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights".
- Birthplace: San Benito, Texas, USA
- Profession: Guitarist, Musician, Actor, Singer
- Credits: The Milagro Beanfield War, 25 Country Classics, Country Music America: Freddy Fender and Mel McDaniel, Country Music's Best, Freddy Fender: Live at the Renaissance Center
- Frank Gorshin may have built his stage reputation on his impeccable celebrity impersonations, but as an actor, it was his manic portrayal of the quizzical super villain The Riddler on TV's "Batman" (ABC, 1966-68) that would endear him to generations of fans. After discovering his facility with mimicry at an early age, and honing his craft on the stages of the USO while in the Army, Gorshin embarked on an early career in film with small parts in such B-pictures as "Hot Rod Girl" (1956). Supporting roles in studio efforts like "Bells Are Ringing" (1960) and return visits to "The Ed Sullivan Show" (CBS, 1948-1971) throughout the 1960s increased his visibility. As the featured guest-villain on the pilot episode of "Batman" in 1966, however, Gorshin inextricably linked himself to a larger-than-life character he had no choice but to embrace in the years that followed. And there was no reason not to, as The Riddler was pure Gorshin - maniacal, mercurial, menacing and most definitely funny. A gifted actor beyond the camp of "Batman," he also impressed with a riveting performance in an episode of "Star Trek" (NBC, 1966-69), and later, in stage productions of "Jimmy" and "On the Twentieth Century." The culmination of the gifted actor-impressionist's career came with his acclaimed portrayal of comedian George Burns in 2002. A bravura one-man stage show, "Say Goodnight, Gracie," provided the perfect vehicle for Gorshin, who continued to fine-tune the role right up until his passing in 2005.
- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Profession: Comedian, Actor, Impressionist
- Credits: 12 Monkeys, Batman, Batman, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, The Meteor Man
- Born on January 31, 1937, in New York City, Suzanne Pleshette was a prominent American actress renowned for her husky voice and dark beauty. Her parents, Eugene Pleshette, a manager of network radio at ABC, and Geraldine Kaplan, an artist, played a crucial role in shaping young Suzanne's career. She began studying acting at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under the guidance of Sanford Meisner, one of the most respected acting coaches in America. Her acting career launched with stage performances in Broadway productions like Compulsion and The Cold Wind and the Warm. However, Pleshette's big break came in 1958 when she appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds, which garnered her instant fame and recognition. Despite having roles in over 40 films, she is best remembered for her role as Emily Hartley on the popular television series, The Bob Newhart Show, where her comedic timing and chemistry with co-star Bob Newhart were highly praised. Throughout her journey in the entertainment industry, Suzanne Pleshette received several accolades that include four Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations. She later expanded her professional horizon and made a successful transition to voice acting, lending her distinctive voice to animated characters in Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and Spirited Away. Despite facing personal hardships that included battling lung cancer, Pleshette continued to work until shortly before her passing on January 19, 2008, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire aspiring actresses.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting
- Credits: The Bob Newhart Show,The Birds,Spirited Away,The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride
- While he only made five pictures in his all too brief career, noted supporting actor John Cazale made the most of his brief time on screen before his life was cut short by bone cancer. Having had his start on the stage with notable performances in off-Broadway productions, Cazale was cast by director Francis Ford Coppola to play the weak and ineffectual Fredo Corleone in "The Godfather" (1972). His part was small and less fiery than those of co-stars Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan and Robert Duvall, but Cazale gave everything he had and made his moments count. Coppola cast him again as Gene Hackman's sound assistant in the paranoid thriller "The Conversation" (1974) and expanded Fredo's role significantly for "The Godfather, Par II" (1974). Cazale shined as the traitorous Fredo in the second installment, but really came into his own opposite Pacino in Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975), which marked the best collaboration between the two acting partners. After returning to the stage and falling deeply in love with a then-unknown Meryl Streep, Cazale received a terminal prognosis of bone cancer, which almost jeopardized him being cast in Michael Cimino's "The Deer Hunter" (1978). Cazale's scenes were filmed quickly and died before the film was released, leaving behind a brief legacy that included only five films, but all of which were nominated for Best Picture.
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather Part III
- One of the most influential theatrical animators of the 20th century, Tex Avery shepherded Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes series from a second-tier interest for the studio to one of the most iconic franchises in animation history thanks to such enduring characters as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. Avery's work was defined by a strong sense of visual and verbal anarchy, with characters gleefully breaking the fourth wall or the laws of nature in pursuit of a madcap ideal that married the lunacies of the Marx Brothers with the free-form structure and refusal to adhere to the sweetness and gentility that defined the work of their greatest competitor, Walt Disney Studios. Avery's shorts for Warner Bros. and later MGM, where he created the phlegmatic canine Droopy and the hot-blooded "Red Hot Riding Hood" (1943), had a profound influence on countless subsequent animated shorts and television, from Hanna-Barbera to John Kricfalusi's "Ren & Stimpy" (Nickelodeon 1991-95) to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Tex Avery continued to provide blueprints for animation writers and artists into the 21st century.
- Birthplace: Taylor, Texas, USA
- Profession: Screenwriter, Cartoonist, Animator, Voice acting, Film Director
- Credits: The Looney Tunes Show, The Kwicky Koala Show, A Day at the Zoo, All This and Rabbit Stew, Blitz Wolf
- Bald, wide-eyed character player with a raspy voice whose career reached its peak in the 1970s and early 80s with several memorable screen roles (e.g. Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" 1980) and the popular TV show "Chico and the Man" (1974-1978).
- Birthplace: Terre Haute, Indiana, USA
- Profession: Guitarist, Songwriter, Comedian, Musician, Actor
- Credits: The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Aristocats, The Transformers, Twilight Zone: The Movie
- Herbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx (February 25, 1901 – November 30, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, theatrical agent, and engineer. He was the youngest of the five Marx Brothers. He appeared in the first five Marx Brothers feature films, from 1929 to 1933, but then left the act to start his second career as an engineer and theatrical agent.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Profession: Talent agent, Comedian, Inventor, Actor
- Credits: Duck Soup, Horse Feathers, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, The Cocoanuts
- Kathryn Joosten (December 20, 1939 – June 2, 2012) was an American television actress. Her best known roles include Dolores Landingham on NBC's The West Wing from 1999 to 2002 and Karen McCluskey on ABC's Desperate Housewives from 2005 to 2012, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005 and 2008.
- Birthplace: Eustis, Florida, USA
- Profession: Nurse, Actor
- Credits: Wedding Crashers, Desperate Housewives, Bedtime Stories, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Hostage
- Prescott Sheldon Bush (May 15, 1895 – October 8, 1972) was an American banker and politician. After working as a Wall Street executive investment banker, he represented Connecticut in the United States Senate from 1952 to 1963. A member of the Bush family, he was the father of Vice President and President George H. W. Bush, and the paternal grandfather of Texas Governor and President George W. Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Bush graduated from Yale College and served as an artillery officer during World War I. After the war, he worked for several companies, becoming a minor partner of the A. Harriman & Co. investment bank in 1931. He served in several high-ranking United States Golf Association offices, including president of that organization. Bush settled in Connecticut in 1925. Bush won election to the Senate in a 1952 special election, narrowly defeating Democratic nominee Abraham Ribicoff. In the Senate, Bush staunchly supported President Dwight D. Eisenhower and helped enact legislation to create the Interstate Highway System. Bush won re-election in 1956 but declined to seek re-election in 1962, retiring from the Senate the following year.
- Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Profession: Politician, Soldier, Military Officer, Banker
- Richard Gordon Kleindienst /kline-DEENST/ (August 5, 1923 – February 3, 2000) was an American lawyer, politician, and a U.S. Attorney General during the Watergate political scandal.
- Birthplace: Arizona, USA, Winslow
- Profession: Lawyer
- Credits: All the President's Men
- Daniel David Rostenkowski (January 2, 1928 – August 11, 2010) was a United States Representative from Chicago, serving from 1959 to 1995. He became one of the most powerful legislators in Washington, especially in matters of taxation, until he went to prison. A Democrat and son of a Chicago alderman, Rostenkowski was for many years Democratic Committeeman of Chicago's 32nd Ward, retaining this position even while serving in Congress. In Washington, D.C., he rose by virtue of seniority to the rank of Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in 1981, just as the Reagan Revolution marginalized many other Democratic politicians. As Chairman of Ways and Means, he played a critical role in formulating tax policy during the Republican administration of Ronald Reagan, including the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which cut the top federal bracket to 50%, and the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which further lowered it to 28% and reduced the number of brackets to only two. He was also involved in trade policy, as well as reforms of the welfare system, health care and Social Security programsRostenkowski closed legislative deals between the toughest power brokers in the U.S., from union chiefs to corporate titans to the president himself. The book Chicago and the American Century credited Rostenkowski with securing billions of dollars for projects in Chicago and throughout Illinois. The book named him the sixth most significant politician to come from Chicago in the twentieth century.Rostenkowski's political career ended abruptly in 1994 when he was indicted on corruption charges relating to his role in the Congressional Post Office Scandal, and was then narrowly defeated for reelection by Republican Michael Patrick Flanagan. He subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud in 1996 and was fined and sentenced to 17 months in prison.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Profession: Politician
- Irvin Kershner (born Isadore Kershner; April 29, 1923 – November 27, 2010) was an American director, actor, and producer of film and television. He gained notice early in his career as a filmmaker for directing quirky, independent drama films, while working as a influential lecturer at the University of Southern California. Later in his career, he transitioned to high-budget blockbusters such as The Empire Strikes Back, the James Bond adaptation Never Say Never Again, and RoboCop 2. Through the course of his career, he received numerous accolades, and was nominated for both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Palme d'Or.
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Profession: Television director, Film Producer, Actor, Film Director
- Credits: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, RoboCop 2, The Last Temptation of Christ, Never Say Never Again, Amazing Stories
- Sophie Tucker (January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was a Ukrainian-born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century. She was widely known by the nickname "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas".
- Birthplace: Russia
- Profession: Comedian, Actor, Singer
- Credits: The Joker Is Wild, Broadway Melody of 1938, In Night and Ice, Thoroughbreds Don't Cry, Honky Tonk
Kiel Martin
Dec. at 46 (1944-1990)Born in Pittsburgh, Kiel Martin was a character actor best known for his role as Detective John LaRue on "Hill Street Blues." Martin's first screen roles were small parts on episodes of late-1960s television shows, including "Dragnet" and "The Virginian." In '69, he wed actor/singer Dean Martin's daughter, Claudia, but the marriage didn't last long. Martin had a supporting part in the Al Pacino drama "The Panic in Needle Park," but he didn't have a substantial role until he signed on to play the charming LaRue on "Hill Street Blues" in '81. During the cop drama's seven-season run, Martin appeared on episodes of "The Love Boat," and later starred on the little-seen Matthew Perry comedy "Second Chance," while also making guest spots on "Father Dowling Mysteries" and the lauded legal drama "L.A. Law." Martin, who had struggled with alcoholism for much of his adult life, died of cancer in '90, while still in his 40s, cutting a relatively prolific career short.- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Hill Street Blues, The Panic in Needle Park, Child Bride of Short Creek, Trick Baby, Moonrunners
- Roger Dean Miller (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country and pop hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me", and "England Swings", all from the mid-1960s Nashville sound era. After growing up in Oklahoma and serving in the United States Army, Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, writing such hits as "Billy Bayou" and "Home" for Jim Reeves and "Invitation to the Blues" for Ray Price. He later began a recording career and reached the peak of his fame in the mid-1960s, continuing to record and tour into the 1990s, charting his final top 20 country hit "Old Friends" with Willie Nelson in 1982. He also wrote and performed several of the songs for the 1973 Disney animated film Robin Hood. Later in his life, he wrote the music and lyrics for the 1985 Tony-award winning Broadway musical Big River, in which he acted. Miller died from lung cancer in 1992 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. His songs continued to be recorded by other singers, with covers of "Tall, Tall Trees" by Alan Jackson and "Husbands and Wives" by Brooks & Dunn; both reached the number one spot on country charts in the 1990s. The Roger Miller Museum in his home town of Erick, Oklahoma, was a tribute to Miller.
- Birthplace: Texas, Fort Worth, USA
- Profession: Musician, Singer-songwriter, Lyricist, Actor, Composer
- Credits: Robin Hood, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, Waterhole #3, Lucky Luke, That Gold Old Nashville Music
- June Antoinette Pointer (November 30, 1953 – April 11, 2006) was an American Pop/R&B singer, best known as the youngest and one of the founding members of Grammy Award–winning vocal group The Pointer Sisters.
- Birthplace: Oakland, California, USA
- Profession: Actor, Singer
- Though she initially found success on Broadway, actress Patricia Neal became a Hollywood star thanks to several memorable performances, only to see her career cut short due to a series of illnesses and personal tragedies from which she never fully recovered. Neal first gained notice on the stage with her Tony-winning performance in "Another Part of the Forest" (1947), which led to her venturing out onto the silver screen. She made her presence known with an acclaimed turn in "The Fountainhead" (1949). Neal went back to triumph on Broadway, only to return to Hollywood with two of her best films, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961) and "Hud" (1963), the latter of which earned her an Academy Award. But just as her film career was finally taking shape, Neal suffered a debilitating series of strokes while pregnant that left her paralyzed and unable to speak. With help and encouragement from husband Roald Dahl, she made a near-full recovery and returned to work, only to find film offers few and far between. She did have a critical triumph with "The Subject Was Roses" (1968). Neal remained a strong and resilient performer worthy of great respect.
- Birthplace: Packard, Kentucky, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Hud, A Face in the Crowd, In Harm's Way
- Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre both for the stage and on film. He won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, among other honors.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
- Profession: Songwriter, Librettist, Screenwriter, Lyricist, Playwright
- Credits: My Fair Lady, An American in Paris, Gigi, Paint Your Wagon, Brigadoon
- Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me", "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" and "This Ole House". She also had success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly due to problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1977, when her White Christmas co-star Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued recording until her death in 2002.
- Birthplace: Maysville, USA, Kentucky
- Profession: Actor, Singer
- Credits: The Lux Show, White Christmas': A Look Back with Rosemary Clooney, Golden Anniversary, Brooklyn
- A World War II veteran who worked numerous odd jobs before becoming an actor, Denver Pyle appeared in over 200 television programs and is best known for his role as Uncle Jesse in the popular 1980s television series "The Dukes of Hazzard." Born in Bethune, Colorado, Pyle briefly attended college before enlisting in the Merchant Marines. His first screen credit came in 1947, when he landed a small role in the high-seas adventure "Devil Ship." He worked steadily throughout the 1950s, appearing in the Western anthology series "Frontier" and on the popular family series "My Friend Flicka." Although he acted primarily in western and crime television dramas like "Gunsmoke" and "Perry Mason," Pyle also landed roles in films like "The Horse Soldiers" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." In 1963, he appeared in six episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" as Briscoe Darling, the gruff leader of a local hilbilly gang. He also appeared as Doris Day's father in three seasons of "The Doris Day Show." In 1979 Pyle enjoyed his biggest success yet, as the wise and kind-hearted Uncle Jesse on the family drama "The Dukes of Hazzard." He continued his role in the short-lived spin-off show "The Dukes," which ended after only one season. Pyle, who was terminally ill with lung cancer by the time of the reunion show in 1997, died on December 25, 1997.
- Birthplace: Bethune, Colorado, USA
- Profession: Television director, Sailor, Actor, Drummer, Voice acting
- Credits: Bonnie and Clyde, The Andy Griffith Show, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Maverick, The Great Race
- Beatrice Benaderet ( BEN-ə-DERR-ət; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American radio and television actress and voice actress. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that spanned over three decades. Benaderet first specialized in voiceover work in the golden age of radio, appearing on numerous programs while working with comedians of the era such as Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, and Lucille Ball. Her expertise in dialect and characterization led to her becoming Warner Bros.' leading voice of female characters in their animated cartoons of the early 1940s through the mid-1950s. Benaderet was then a prominent figure on television in situation comedies, first with The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show from 1950 to 1958, for which she earned two Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. In the 1960s, she had regular roles in four series up until her death from lung cancer in 1968, including the commercial successes The Beverly Hillbillies, The Flintstones, and her best known role as Kate Bradley in Petticoat Junction. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring her work in television.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting
- Credits: The Flintstones, The Beverly Hillbillies, On the Town, Petticoat Junction, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
- Having been one of the first to portray disaffected youths in a number of social dramas, director Nicholas Ray pioneered a subgenre while almost singlehandedly putting a spotlight on teenage angst. Ray perfected the character of the detached loner railing against integration into society with "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), which starred James Dean in the young actor's most iconic role before his tragic death just months before the film's release. Prior to "Rebel," Ray directed "They Live by Night" (1949), one the hallmarks of film noir, and "In a Lonely Place" (1950), which featured arguably one of Humphrey Bogart's finest performances of his career. Ray continued his exploration into the darker corners of American life with "On Dangerous Ground" (1951), before breaking away from noir with a pair of Westerns, "The Lusty Men" (1952) and the female-centric "Johnny Guitar" (1954). But it was "Rebel Without a Cause" that cemented his legacy and made him a darling of the French New Wave critics from Cahiers du Cinema, who hoisted him up as something of a filmmaking god, despite Ray's failure to achieve such success again. Struggling with drug and alcohol addiction later in life, Ray hit bottom with "Party Girl" (1958) and "The Savage Innocents" (1960), before taking a big payday to direct his final two movies, "King of Kings" (1961) and "55 Days at Peking" (1963). Ray collapsed on set of the latter film and never returned to directing Hollywood movies, only to live out the rest of his days as a professor in upstate New York. Despite the obscurity of his final years, Ray nonetheless loomed large over cinema history for both his technical and thematic influences that were felt decades later.
- Birthplace: Galesville, Wisconsin, USA
- Profession: Screenwriter, Actor, Film Director
- Credits: Rebel Without a Cause, Hair, King of Kings, Johnny Guitar, In a Lonely Place
- To moviegoers during the era of silent films, Harry Carey was the quintessential cowboy, despite having been born no closer to the frontier than the Bronx. A judge's son, Carey was pointed toward a career in law when a bout of pneumonia sent him westward to recuperate. Channeling his experiences among Montana ranch hands into a hit play, Carey parlayed his success onstage into a career in motion pictures, making his debut for D. W. Griffith in 1909. Following Griffith to Hollywood, Carey became the star of dozens of Western two-reelers in which he etched his rough-hewn characters with a leathery verisimilitude he had seen firsthand. By 1917, Carey was a bona fide movie star, earning $1,250 a week to play white-hatted Cheyenne Henry in several films for John Ford. Though his career sagged as he aged beyond the range of the average leading man, Carey enjoyed a comeback as the indefatigable "Trader Horn" (1931), a box office hit for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. While continuing to play heroes in B-Westerns, Carey enjoyed a sidebar career as a reliable character player in such contemporary urban fare as Michael Curtiz' "Kid Galahad" (1937) and Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), which netted him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Towards the end of his life he partnered for several above-average prairie dramas with rising star John Wayne, who eulogized Carey at the time of his 1947 death as the greatest Western actor of all time.
- Birthplace: Bronx, New York, USA
- Profession: Film Producer, Screenwriter, Actor
- Credits: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Red River, So Dear to My Heart, Duel in the Sun, Angel and the Badman
- Herbert Mitchell Muschamp (November 28, 1947 – October 2, 2007) was an American architecture critic.
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Profession: Architectural Critic, Critic
- A celebrated stage actor with numerous Broadway and stock company plays to his credit, George Grizzard has generally been seen as a supporting player in TV and films. The light-haired actor was often cast as politicians and men of authority, most memorably as John Adams in "The Adams Chronicles" (PBS, 1976), the ruthless Senator van Ackerman in "Advise and Consent" (1962) and the forceful defense attorney Arthur Gold in more or less annual appearances on NBC's "Law & Order."
- Birthplace: Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Flags of Our Fathers, Seems Like Old Times, Bachelor Party, Wonder Boys, From the Terrace
- Leonard Michael Greene (June 8, 1918 – November 30, 2006) was an American inventor and aerodynamics engineer who held more than 200 patents, many of which are aviation-related. He is most well known for his contributions to aviation technology, including his invention, the Aircraft Stall Warning device, which warns pilots when a deadly aerodynamic stall is imminent. To build the device, Greene established the Safe Flight Instrument Corporation in 1946. Apart from his inventive life, Greene also served as the founder and president of the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies, a think tank to address issues such as poverty and social awareness. Additionally, he co-founded the Corporate Angel Network, a charitable organization that flies patients in corporate aircraft. In 1991, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Greene died on November 30, 2006 at the age of 88 in Mamaroneck, New York. The cause was complications from lung cancer.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Profession: Inventor, Engineer
- Sylvia Maria Kristel (28 September 1952 – 17 October 2012) was a Dutch model and actress who appeared in over 50 films. She is best remembered as the eponymous character in five of the seven Emmanuelle films.
- Birthplace: Utrecht, Netherlands
- Profession: Memoirist, Model, Actor, Singer
- Credits: Private School, Private Lessons, The Concorde...Airport '79, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Nude Bomb
- Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (née Ryan; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993), also commonly known as Patricia Nixon, was an American educator and the wife of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States. During her more than 30 years in public life, she served as both the Second (1953–1961) and First Lady of the United States (1969–1974). Born in Ely, Nevada, she grew up with her two brothers in what is now Cerritos, California, graduating from high school in 1929. She attended Fullerton Junior College and later the University of Southern California. She paid for her schooling by working multiple jobs, including pharmacy manager, typist, radiographer, and retail clerk. In 1940, she married lawyer Richard Nixon and they had two daughters, Tricia and Julie. Dubbed the "Nixon team," Richard and Pat Nixon campaigned together in his successful congressional campaigns of 1946 and 1948. Richard Nixon was elected Vice President in 1952 alongside General Dwight D. Eisenhower, whereupon Pat became Second Lady. Pat Nixon did much to add substance to the role of the Vice President's wife, insisting on visiting schools, orphanages, hospitals, and village markets as she undertook many missions of goodwill across the world. As First Lady, Pat Nixon promoted a number of charitable causes, including volunteerism. She oversaw the collection of more than 600 pieces of historic art and furnishings for the White House, an acquisition larger than that of any other administration. She was the most traveled First Lady in U.S. history, a record unsurpassed until twenty-five years later. She accompanied the President as the first First Lady to visit China and the Soviet Union, and was the first President's wife to be officially designated a representative of the United States on her solo trips to Africa and South America, which gained her recognition as "Madame Ambassador"; she was also the first First Lady to enter a combat zone. Her tenure ended when, after being re-elected in a landslide victory in 1972, President Nixon resigned two years later amid the Watergate scandal. Her public appearances became increasingly rare later in life. She and her husband settled in San Clemente, California, and later moved to New Jersey. She suffered two strokes, one in 1976 and another in 1983, and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1992. She died in 1993, aged 81.
- Birthplace: Ely, Nevada
- Profession: Spokesperson, Actor, Economist, Teacher
- Credits: All the President's Men, Dancing Pirate
- Erik Belton Evers Bruhn (3 October 1928 – 1 April 1986) was a Danish danseur, choreographer, artistic director, actor, and author.
- Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Profession: Ballet Dancer, Director, Choreographer, Author, Actor
- Credits: Hans Christian Andersen, Giselle (American Ballet Theatre)
- Husky blond TV and film actor Doug McClure was best-known for his Western series, "The Virginian" (NBC, 1962-70), and for his appearances in seemingly hundreds of TV-movies from 1960 through 1994. The athletic California native spent his youth surfing and learning to ride and rope on nearby ranches. The latter skills would eventually pay off in his many roles in Westerns. McClure briefly worked on the rodeo circuit before an agent discovered him. By the late 1950s, he was modeling, appearing in commercials, on TV in a bit part in "Ivy League" (1959), with fellow neophytes Mary Tyler Moore and Arte Johnson, and in movies, "The Enemy Below" (1957). While McClure co-starred in over 20 features between his 1957 debut and his posthumously-released "Riders in the Storm" (1995), he never really achieved stardom on the big screen. His affable, laid-back personality and clean-cut but unremarkable good looks were more suited to the small screen. McClure played small roles in "Gidget" (1959) with Sandra Dee, "Because They're Young" (1960), which marked the screen debut of Dick Clark, and John Huston's Western, "The Unforgiven" (also 1960). A number of his films were either Westerns, war films or rollicking adventures. In "Shenandoah" (1965), McClure was a Confederate soldier engaged to marry James Stewart's daughter, Rosemary Forsyth. He was the younger brother of Guy Stockwell's "Beau Geste" (1966) and the leader of a group who discover dinosaurs in "The Land That Time Forgot" (1975). Among his other films were the pallid comedy "Nobody's Perfect" (1968), the fantasy "Warlords of Atlantis" (1978), with Cyd Charisse as an Atlantean, "Cannonball Run II" (1983), John Frankenheimer's political thriller "52 Pick-Up" (1986), the rock music comedy "Tapeheads" (1988) and an affectionate cameo in "Maverick" (1994).
- Birthplace: Glendale, California, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Maverick, South Pacific, Shenandoah, Cannonball Run II, Gidget
- A novelist who parlayed his experience as a Pinkerton operative into a series of taut, precisely observed detective fictions, Dashiell Hammett not only revolutionized the genre and elevated it to the stature of true literature, but heavily influenced authors and filmmakers for generations to come. Establishing himself as a short story writer in the pages of the mystery magazine Black Mask in the early 1920s, Hammett enjoyed great success with the publication of his first three novels by the end of the decade. Fame took him to Hollywood where film adaptations of "The Thin Man" (1934), "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) and "The Glass Key" (1942), made Hammett a household name and a wealthy man. Sadly, the end of the author's writing career virtually coincided with the height of his fame. After being blacklisted by Hollywood and spending several months in prison due to his left-leaning politics in 1951, the chronically ill Hammett spent his remaining years in the care of revered playwright Lillian Hellman, his on-again, off-again companion for 30 years. Long after his death, Hammett's influence could be seen in the works of such acclaimed filmmakers as Akira Kurosawa, Sergio Leone and the Coen Brothers, as well as novelists like Ross Macdonald and James Ellroy. A subject of great interest, Hammett himself was portrayed in the films "Julia" (1977) and "Hammett" (1982). While his contribution to American fiction was clear, Hammett's impact on storytelling in the mediums of film and television over the decades could not be overstated.
- Birthplace: St. Mary's County, Maryland, USA
- Profession: Novelist, Writer
- Credits: The Maltese Falcon, Miller's Crossing, The Thin Man, Watch on the Rhine, City Streets
- Victor French was widely known for his acting on the big screen. Early on in his acting career, French landed roles in various films, including the Elvis Presley western "Charro!" (1969), "Death of a Gunfighter" (1969) with Richard Widmark and "Flap" (1970) with Anthony Quinn. He also appeared in "There Was a Crooked Man" (1970) with Kirk Douglas, the John Wayne western "Rio Lobo" (1970) and the William Holden dramedy "Wild Rovers" (1971). He kept working in film throughout the seventies, starring in the thriller "The Other" (1972) with Uta Hagen, "The House on Skull Mountain" (1974) and "The Nickel Ride" (1975). He also had a part in the TV miniseries "The Golden Moment -- An Olympic Love Story" (1979-1980). French more recently appeared in "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" (NBC, 1986-87). French passed away in June 1989 at the age of 55.
- Birthplace: Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Profession: Television director, Stunt Performer, Actor
- Credits: The Magnificent Seven, Dallas, Get Smart, An Officer and a Gentleman, Gunsmoke
Thomas Schippers
Dec. at 47 (1930-1977)Thomas Schippers (9 March 1930 – 16 December 1977) was an American conductor. He was highly regarded for his work in opera.- Birthplace: Portage, Michigan, USA
- Profession: Conductor
- Claire Lee Chennault (September 6, 1890 – July 27, 1958) was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the "Flying Tigers" and the Republic of China Air Force in World War II. Chennault was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fighter-interceptor aircraft during the 1930s when the United States Army Air Corps was focused primarily on high-altitude bombardment. Chennault retired from the United States Army in 1937, and went to work as an aviation adviser and trainer in China. Starting in early 1941, Chennault commanded the 1st American Volunteer Group (nicknamed Flying Tigers). He headed both the volunteer group and the uniformed U.S. Army Air Forces units that replaced it in 1942. He feuded constantly with General Joseph Stilwell, the U.S. Army commander in China, and helped China's Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek to convince President Roosevelt to remove Stilwell in 1944. The China-Burma-India theater was strategically essential in order to fix many vital elements of the Imperial Japanese Army on the Chinese mainland to limit their use against Allied forces advancing towards Japan in the two Pacific campaigns.
- Birthplace: Commerce, Texas
- Profession: Pilot
- Henry "Harry" Hay Jr. (April 7, 1912 – October 24, 2002) was a prominent American gay rights activist, communist, and labor advocate. He was a founder of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States, as well as the Radical Faeries, a loosely affiliated gay spiritual movement. Born to an upper middle class family in England, Hay was raised in Chile and California. From an early age he acknowledged his same-sex sexual attraction, and came under the influence of Marxism. Briefly studying at Stanford University, he subsequently became a professional actor in Los Angeles, where he joined the Communist Party USA, becoming a committed activist in left-wing labor and anti-racist campaigns. As a result of societal pressure, he attempted to become heterosexual by marrying a female Party activist in 1938, with whom he adopted two children. Recognizing that he remained homosexual, his marriage ended and in 1950 he founded the Mattachine Society. Although involved in campaigns for gay rights, he resigned from the Society in 1953. Hay's developing belief in the cultural minority status of homosexuals led him to take a stand against the assimilationism advocated by the majority of gay rights campaigners. He subsequently became a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of the Gay Liberation Front in 1969, although in 1970 he moved to New Mexico with his longtime partner John Burnside. Hay's ongoing interest in American Indian religion led the couple to co-found the Radical Faeries in 1979 with Don Kilhefner and Mitchell L. Walker. Returning to Los Angeles, Hay remained involved in an array of activist causes throughout his life, and became a well-known, albeit controversial, elder statesman within the country's gay community. Hay has been described as "the Founder of the Modern Gay Movement" and "the father of gay liberation".Controversially, Hay was an active supporter of the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), a pedophile advocacy organization. He protested the group being banned from Pride parades, wearing a sign protesting the banning during the 1986 Los Angeles Pride, and boycotting New York Pride in 1994 for their refusal to include NAMBLA. He spoke out in support of relationships between adult men and boys as young as thirteen, and spoke at several NAMBLA meetings, including panels in 1984 and 1986, and another in 1994 about helping the group strategize a name change to help with their public image.
- Birthplace: England, Worthing
- Profession: Actor, Film Director, Teacher
- Credits: Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives
- Frederick McKinley Jones (May 17, 1893 – February 21, 1961) was an African-American inventor, entrepreneur, winner of the National Medal of Technology, and an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. His innovations in refrigeration brought great improvement to the long-haul transportation of perishable goods. He cofounded Thermo King.
- Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Profession: Inventor, Engineer
- Anne Shirley (born Dawn Evelyeen Paris, April 17, 1918 – July 4, 1993) was an American actress. Beginning her career as a child actress under the stage name Dawn O'Day, Shirley adopted the name of the character she played in the film adaptation of Anne of Green Gables in 1934, and achieved a successful career in supporting roles. Among her films is Stella Dallas (1937), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She retired from acting in 1944, at the age of 26. She remained in Los Angeles, where she died at the age of 75.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: The Devil and Daniel Webster, Murder, My Sweet, 4 Devils, City Girl
Laud Humphreys
Dec. at 57 (1930-1988)Robert Allan "Laud" Humphreys (October 16, 1930 – August 23, 1988) was an American sociologist and author. He is noted for his research into sexual encounters between men in public bathrooms, published as Tearoom Trade (1970) and for the questions that emerged from what many believe to be unethical research methods. He influenced generations of scholars who research issues related to sexuality and sexual identity.- Profession: Writer
- Beautiful leading lady who came to international prominence as a struggling, scantily-clad peasant in Giuseppe De Santis' neorealist drama, "Bitter Rice" (1949). Mangano later proved her ability in films by such directors as Vittorio De Sica ("Gold of Naples" 1954), Pier Paolo Pasolini ("Teorema" 1968) and Luchino Visconti ("Death in Venice" 1971). She married producer Dino DeLaurentiis in 1949 and appeared in a number of his films, as well as one--"Dune" (1985)--produced by their daughter Raffaella DeLaurentiis.
- Birthplace: Rome, Italy
- Profession: Model, Actor
- Credits: Dune, Cinema Paradiso, Death in Venice, Barabbas, The Gold of Naples
- Lincoln Kilpatrick was an American actor who appeared in "The Master Gunfighter," "NYPD Blue," and "Love of Life."
- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: The Omega Man, Soylent Green, Matt Houston, Frank's Place, Fortress
- Tamara Faye Messner (née LaValley, formerly Bakker; March 7, 1942 – July 20, 2007) was an American Christian singer, evangelist, entrepreneur, author, talk show host, and television personality. She initially gained notice for her work with The PTL Club, a televangelist program she co-founded with her then-husband Jim Bakker in 1974. Prior to founding The PTL Club, they had hosted their own puppet show series for local programming in Minnesota in the early 1970s, and Messner also had a career as a recording artist. In 1978, she and Bakker built Heritage USA, a Christian theme park.Messner would garner significant publicity when Jim Bakker was indicted, convicted, and imprisoned on numerous counts of fraud and conspiracy in 1989, resulting in the dissolution of The PTL Club. After divorcing Bakker in 1992, she remarried to Roe Messner. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1996, of which she suffered intermittently for over a decade before dying of the disease in 2007.Over the course of her career, Messner was noted for her eccentric and glamorous persona, as well as for her moral views that diverged from those of many mainstream Evangelists, particularly her acceptance of the LGBT community and reaching out to HIV/AIDS patients at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
- Birthplace: International Falls, Minnesota, USA
- Profession: Talk show host, Businessperson, Evangelist, Entrepreneur, Author
- Credits: The Surreal Life, The PTL Club
- Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings (July 29, 1938 – August 7, 2005) was a Canadian-American journalist who served as the sole anchor of ABC World News Tonight from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 2005. He dropped out of high school, yet he transformed himself into one of American television's most prominent journalists. Jennings started his career early, hosting a Canadian radio show at age 9. He began his professional career with CJOH-TV in Ottawa during its early years, anchoring the local newscasts and hosting the teen dance show Saturday Date on Saturdays. In 1965, ABC News tapped him to anchor its flagship evening news program. Critics and others in the television news business attacked his inexperience, making his job difficult. He became a foreign correspondent in 1968, reporting from the Middle East. Jennings returned as one of World News Tonight's three anchormen in 1978, and he was promoted to sole anchorman in 1983. He was also known for his marathon coverage of breaking news stories, staying on the air for 15 hours or more to anchor the live broadcast of events such as the Gulf War in 1991, the Millennium celebrations in 2000, and the September 11 attacks in 2001. In addition to anchoring, he was the host of many ABC News special reports and moderated several American presidential debates. He was always fascinated with the United States and became an American citizen in 2003. Jennings was one of the "Big Three" news anchormen, along with Tom Brokaw of NBC and Dan Rather of CBS, who dominated American evening network news from the early 1980s until his death in 2005, which closely followed the retirements of Brokaw in 2004 and Rather in 2005.
- Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Profession: Journalist, Newsreader, Screenwriter, Writer
- Credits: ABC World News, Brother's Keeper, Turning Point, Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD, Ecstasy Rising
- Frank Joseph Zamboni, Jr. (, Italian: [dzamˈboːni]; January 16, 1901 – July 27, 1988) was an American inventor and engineer, whose most famous invention is the modern ice resurfacer, with his surname being registered as a trademark for these resurfacers.
- Birthplace: Eureka, Utah
- Profession: Inventor
- Christine Jorgensen (May 30, 1926 – May 3, 1989) was an American transsexual woman who was the first person to become widely known in the United States for having sex reassignment surgery in her twenties. Jorgensen grew up in the Bronx, New York City. Shortly after graduating from high school in 1945, she was drafted into the U.S. Army for World War II. After her service she attended several schools, worked, and around this time heard about sex reassignment surgery. She traveled to Europe and in Copenhagen, Denmark, obtained special permission to undergo a series of operations starting in 1951.She returned to the United States in the early 1950s and her transition was the subject of a New York Daily News front-page story. She became an instant celebrity, using the platform to advocate for transgender people and became known for her directness and polished wit. She also worked as an actress and nightclub entertainer and recorded several songs.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Profession: Actor, Playwright
- Wilhelmina Gertrud Frieda Cooper (née Behmenburg; 1 May 1939 – 1 March 1980) was a Dutch-American model who began with Ford Models, and at the peak of her success, founded her own agency, Wilhelmina Models, in New York City in 1967.
- Birthplace: Culemborg, Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Profession: Model
- Nancy "Slim" Keith, Lady Keith (July 15, 1917 – April 6, 1990) was an American New York socialite and fashion icon during the 1950s and 1960s, exemplifying the American jet set. She and her friend Babe Paley were the thinly veiled inspiration for characters in Truman Capote's novel Answered Prayers. She is also credited with bringing Lauren Bacall to Hollywood's attention by showing her then-husband, producer Howard Hawks, a magazine cover with Bacall's picture on it.
- Birthplace: Salinas, California
- Profession: Model
- Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was an American burlesque entertainer and vedette famous for her striptease act. Also an actress, author, and playwright, her 1957 memoir was adapted into the 1959 stage musical Gypsy.
- Birthplace: USA, Washington, Seattle
- Profession: Stripper, Pin-up girl, Screenwriter, Author, Actor
- Credits: Gypsy, The Trouble with Angels, Stage Door Canteen, The Pruitts of Southampton, The Over-the-Hill Gang
Ron Lancaster
Dec. at 69 (1938-2008)Ronald Lancaster (October 14, 1938 – September 18, 2008) was an American-Canadian professional football player and coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for 16 seasons, he led the team to its first Grey Cup championship in 1966 and is the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards, attempts, completions, touchdowns, and interceptions. At the time of his retirement, he was the CFL's career leader in passing yards and still ranks sixth overall as of 2016. After his retirement as a player, he served as a head coach and general manager in the CFL; he led his teams to two Grey Cups and currently ranks fourth all-time with 142 regular season wins. He was also a colour commentator on the CFL on CBC from 1981 to 1990. At the time of his death, he was the Senior Director of Football Operations of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (1982), Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1985) and the Wittenberg University Athletic Hall of Honour (1985).- Birthplace: Fairchance, Pennsylvania, USA
- Profession: Coach, Athlete
- Credits: CFL on CBC
- Sheila Ryan was an American actress who appeared in "Great Guns," "The Gang's All Here," and "Dressed to Kill."
- Birthplace: Topeka, Kansas, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Gold Raiders, Song of Texas, Great Guns, Dead Men Tell, Charlie Chan in Rio
- Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911 – January 3, 1967) was a Dallas, Texas nightclub owner. He fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, while Oswald was in police custody after being charged with assassinating United States President John F. Kennedy and murdering Dallas policeman J. D. Tippit about an hour later. A Dallas jury found him guilty of murdering Oswald, and he was sentenced to death. Ruby's conviction was later appealed, and he was granted a new trial. However, as the date for his new trial was being set, Ruby became ill in prison and died of a pulmonary embolism from lung cancer on January 3, 1967.In September 1964, the Warren Commission concluded that Ruby acted alone in killing Oswald. Various groups believed Ruby was involved with major figures in organized crime and that he killed Oswald as part of an overall plot surrounding the assassination of Kennedy.
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
- Profession: Businessperson, Aircraft maintenance technician
- American actor David Wayne got his start on Broadway in the late 1940s, starring in hits like "Finian's Rainbow" and "Mister Roberts." Although he was a leading man on stage, in Hollywood he was more often cast in supporting roles than as the romantic lead. Some of his more memorable roles include Kip Lurie, the sly charmer attempting to woo Katharine Hepburn's Amanda Bonner from her estranged husband Adam (Spencer Tracy) in the classic romantic comedy "Adam's Rib," and as the dashing Freddie Denmark, landlord and eventual paramour of Marilyn Monroe's Pola Debevoise in the glamorous "How To Marry A Millionaire." Wayne also worked with Monroe on two of her lesser-known early films, "We're Not Married!" and the family-business farce "As Young As You Feel." By the 1960s, Wayne was supplementing his film and stage work with regular guest roles on television, including a recurring stint as the villain the Mad Hatter on the campy "Batman" series. While Wayne continued making films in the 1970s, including a memorable lead role in the Michael Crichton sci-fi thriller "The Andromeda Strain," he began working primarily as a character actor on TV, specializing in mature authority figures. He co-starred in the series "Ellery Queen," "Dallas" (where he originated the role of Digger Barnes, family patriarch Jock Ewing's business rival), and the romantic comedy "House Calls." Wayne retired in 1987 and died February 9, 1995.
- Birthplace: Traverse City, Michigan, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: The Andromeda Strain, Adam's Rib, The Apple Dumpling Gang, M, The Front Page
- Blue-blood, stage-trained actor who made his film debut in 1932. Owing to his upper-class poise and polish, Tone was pigeonholed as a tuxedoed, cafe society sophisticate in a host of mostly MGM comedies and dramas. By 1937 the tall, handsome and sensitive actor was one of Hollywood's most prominent leading men, receiving recognition for his roles in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935), "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" (1935) and "Three Comrades" (1938). Too often, though, he found himself stifled in standardized romantic leads, playing consort to dynamic star actresses, especially his then-wife Joan Crawford.
- Birthplace: Niagara Falls, New York, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Mutiny on the Bounty, Every Girl Should Be Married, In Harm's Way, Fast and Furious, Dangerous
- Black actor and former pro football player and wrestler who made his film debut in the early 1940s. 6'4" tall and weighing in at 210 pounds, Strode lent his imposing presence to a number of mostly peripheral roles, such as Kirk Douglas' sparring partner in "Spartacus" (1960), though he got a chance to flex his underused acting muscles as a soldier wrongly accused of rape in John Ford's "Sergeant Rutledge" (1960).
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Profession: Wrestler, Actor, American football player
- Credits: Once Upon a Time in the West, Spartacus, The Ten Commandments, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Professionals
- Meyer Lansky (born Meier Suchowlański; July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983), known as the "Mob's Accountant", was an American major organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States.Associated with the Jewish mob, Lansky developed a gambling empire that stretched across the world. He was said to own points (percentages) in casinos in Las Vegas, Cuba, The Bahamas and London. Although a member of the Jewish mob, Lansky undoubtedly had strong influence with the Italian-American Mafia and played a large role in the consolidation of the criminal underworld. The full extent of this role has been the subject of some debate, as Lansky himself denied many of the accusations against him.Despite nearly fifty years as a member-participant in organized crime, Lansky was never found guilty of anything more serious than illegal gambling. He has a legacy of being one of the most financially successful gangsters in American history. Before he fled Cuba, he was said to be worth an estimated $20 million (equivalent to $189 million in 2018). However, when he died in 1983, his family was shocked to learn that his estate was worth around $57,000.
- Birthplace: Grodno, Belarus
- Profession: Gangster
- Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One", she won four Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. She was given an NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989. Critic Scott Yanow wrote that she had "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century".
- Birthplace: USA, Newark, New Jersey
- Profession: Singer
- Credits: Murder, Inc., Count Basie at Carnegie Hall, The Ladies Sing the Blues, Masters of American Music: Sarah Vaughan: The Divine One
- Tony Jay was an English actor who appeared in "Beauty and the Beast," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Twins
- Birthplace: London, England, UK
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting, Singer
- Credits: Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Time Bandits, Treasure Planet
- Vincent Schiavelli was an American actor who appeared in "Ghost," "Batman Returns," and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting, Writer
- Credits: Fast Times at Ridgemont High, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Batman Returns, Ghost, Tomorrow Never Dies
Hugo Banzer
Dec. at 75 (1926-2002)Hugo Banzer[1] Suárez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈuɣo banˈseɾ ˈswaɾes]; May 10, 1926 – May 5, 2002) was a Bolivian politician, military general and President of Bolivia. He held the Bolivian presidency twice: from 1971 to 1978, as a dictator; and then again from 1997 to 2001, as constitutional President.- Birthplace: Concepción, Santa Cruz
- E. G. Marshall (born Everett Eugene Grunz, June 18, 1914 – August 24, 1998) was an American actor, best known for his television roles as the lawyer Lawrence Preston on The Defenders in the 1960s and as neurosurgeon David Craig on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors in the 1970s. Among his film roles he is perhaps best known as the unflappable, conscientious "Juror #4" in Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama 12 Angry Men (1957). He played the President of the United States in Superman II (1980). Marshall was also known as the host of the radio drama series, CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974–82).
- Birthplace: USA, Minnesota, Owatonna
- Profession: Activist, Actor
- Credits: Superman II, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 12 Angry Men, Creepshow, Nixon
- Burly, tough-guy leading man and character actor famous as the hard-drinking, hardworking Buck Cannon on the TV series "High Chaparral." Mitchum began appearing in films in 1945 and, after playing many character roles and occasional leads in B action films and Westerns, began to make some headway after playing Happy, one of Willy Loman's (Fredric March) sons in a film adaptation of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" (1951). A breakthrough into big-budget, big-star films came when he was one of the three male consorts paired up with Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall in "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953). (He got Grable.) Prominent leads--as in "Love Me or Leave Me" (1955), opposite Doris Day and James Cagney--continued for a number of years, though Mitchell also frequently played second lead, romantic rival, supportive chum or sometime supporting villain in many films as well.
- Birthplace: Dallastown, Pennsylvania, USA
- Profession: Soldier, Actor, Pastor, Voice acting
- Credits: My Favorite Year, The High Chaparral, The Swarm, The Robe, They Were Expendable
- Barbara Seaman (September 11, 1935 – February 27, 2008) was an American author, activist, and journalist, and a principal founder of the women's health feminism movement.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Profession: Journalist, Author, Social activist
- Eugene Edward Wood (October 20, 1925 – May 21, 2004) was an American television personality, known primarily for his work as an announcer on various game shows. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced many game shows, primarily Mark Goodson–Bill Todman productions such as Family Feud, Card Sharks, Password, and Beat the Clock. Wood also served a brief stint as a host on this last show, and on another show, Anything You Can Do. After retiring from game shows in 1996, Wood worked as an announcer for the Game Show Network until his retirement in 1998.
- Birthplace: Quincy, Massachusetts, USA
- Profession: Announcer, Television producer, Game Show Host, Actor, Writer
- Credits: The Price Is Right, Family Feud, Match Game, Password, Win
- James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete and four-time gold medalist in the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump, and was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history". He set three world records and tied another, all in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan—a feat that has never been equaled and has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport". He achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4 × 100 meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the Games and, as a black man, was credited with "single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy", although he "wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either".The Jesse Owens Award is USA Track and Field's highest accolade for the year's best track and field athlete. Owens was ranked by ESPN as the sixth greatest North American athlete of the 20th century and the highest-ranked in his sport. In 1999, he was on the six-man short-list for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Century.
- Birthplace: USA, Alabama, Oakville, Alabama
- Profession: Athlete
- Credits: The Negro Soldier
- Compact, reliable, likable leading man of the 1930s and 40s, often as a cop, detective or gangster, primarily in low-budget action films, many of them quite good. Once dubbed "Hollywood's most popular forgotten man" by "This Week" magazine in 1949, Nolan--handsome, but not of the glamourous, pretty-boy type--gave good value for one's money in fine B-films like "King of Gamblers" (1937), "Michael Shayne, Private Detective" (1940) and "Buy Me That Town" (1941). He also played important supporting roles in more expensive films including "The House on 92nd Street" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (both 1945), and was especially fine as the father in a study of drug addiction, "A Hatful of Rain" (1957). Often taken for granted, Nolan finally enjoyed sizable acclaim on both Broadway and television in the mid-50s as the neurotic, dictatorial Captain Queeg in "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial." Later in life the prolific Nolan played many character roles; whether sympathetic or villainous, he retained the forceful, no-nonsense persona which marked most of his work. He co-starred with Diahann Carroll from 1968 to 1971 as the cantankerous but kindly Dr. Morton Chegley on the gentle sitcom "Julia," and, at the end of his distinguished career, contributed a striking performance as Mia Farrow's father in Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986).
- Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Hannah and Her Sisters, Airport, Earthquake, Susan Slade, Julia
- Glenn Strange was an American actor who appeared in "Gunsmoke," "Mission to Moscow," and "The Lone Ranger."
- Birthplace: Weed, New Mexico, USA
- Profession: Actor, Farmer
- Credits: Red River, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Gunsmoke, Marty, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
- Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and football manager. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich Town F.C. Robson's professional playing career as an inside forward spanned nearly 20 years, during which he played for three clubs: Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, and, briefly, Vancouver Royals. He also made 20 appearances for England, scoring four goals. After his playing career, he found success as both a club and international manager, winning league championships in both the Netherlands and Portugal, earning trophies in England and Spain, and taking England to the semi-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, which remained the national team's best run in a World Cup since 1966 until they reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. His last management role was as a mentor to the manager of the Republic of Ireland national team. Robson was created a Knight Bachelor in 2002, was inducted as a member of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003, and was the honorary president of Ipswich Town F.C. From 1991 onwards, he suffered recurrent medical problems with cancer, and in March 2008, put his name and efforts into the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, a cancer research charity which has so far collected over £12 million (March 2018). In August 2008, his lung cancer was confirmed to be terminal; he said, "My condition is described as static and has not altered since my last bout of chemotherapy... I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute." He died just under a year later.
- Birthplace: Sacriston, United Kingdom
- Profession: Coach, Footballer, Consultant
- Nancy Walker (May 10, 1922 – March 25, 1992) was an American actress and comedian of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director (such as of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, on which she also made several guest appearances). During her five-decade long career, she may be best remembered for her long-running roles as Mildred on McMillan & Wife and Ida Morgenstern, who first appeared on several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later became a prominent recurring character on the spinoff series Rhoda.
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Profession: Jazz Pianist, Actor, Film Director
- Credits: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murder by Death, Rhoda, Family Affair, Can't Stop the Music
- An actress renowned within Hollywood circles, but who has never connected on successful TV series or become more of a "Don't I know you?," Lois Nettleton has appeared in regular roles in several series and been featured in movies. She may be best recalled for guest appearances on top TV series: such as when she played the station manager with the hots for Lou Grant on an episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (CBS), or Dorothy's lesbian friend who falls for Rose on an episode of "The Golden Girls" (NBC). Nettleton, whose appearance can come across as fraught, anxious, or strong, studied at the Goodman Theatre in her native Chicago and at the Actors Studio in New York. She made her Broadway debut in 1949 in "The Biggest Thief in Town" and understudied Barbara Bel Geddes as Maggie in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955). She made her TV debut while still a New York stage actor in anthology series produced there as well as on the soap opera "The Brighter Day" (1954). Nettleton won attention after starring on Broadway in "God and Kate Murphy" (1959), which led to her first feature film of significance, "Period of Adjustment" (1962), in which she was in a troubled marriage with Anthony Franciosa. Along with Delores Hart, she was a flight attendant who falls in love on a TransAtlantic flight in "Come Fly With Me" (1963). To satisfy his late father's wishes, Keir Dullea married a widowed Nettleton in "Mail Order Bride" (1964). Additionally, she played a schoolmarm with surprise sexuality in "Dirty Dingus McGee" (1970). Nevertheless in the last two decades, film roles became sporadic. Nettleton was in support of Maximilian Schell in "The Man in the Glass Booth" (1975) and oddly cast as the hard-working but under-loved Dulcie Mae in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982), proving she was incapable of giving a bad performance. By 1994, Nettleton's feature film canon included such lesser efforts as "Mirror Mirror 2: Raven Dancer," a low-budget effort in which she was the evil sister.
- Birthplace: Oak Park, Illinois, USA
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting
- Credits: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, A Face in the Crowd, In the Heat of the Night, Centennial, Mirror
- Vivacious, immensely likable character player, memorable as dizzy blondes, wisecracking gold-diggers and hard-boiled gangster's molls in a string of 1930s melodramas and musicals. Starting with "Smart Blonde" (1936), Farrell starred as Torchy Blane, enterprising woman reporter, in a series of seven B pictures.
- Birthplace: Enid, Oklahoma, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Little Caesar, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Johnny Eager, Kissin' Cousins, Ben Casey
- Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a lawyer, politician and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan's creation on 14 August 1947, and then as Pakistan's first Governor-General until his death. He is revered in Pakistan as Quaid-i-Azam ("Great Leader") and Baba-i-Qaum, "Father of the Nation"). His birthday is considered a national holiday in Pakistan.Born at Wazir Mansion in Karachi, Jinnah was trained as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in London. Upon his return to British India, he enrolled at the Bombay High Court, and took an interest in national politics, which eventually replaced his legal practice. Jinnah rose to prominence in the Indian National Congress in the first two decades of the 20th century. In these early years of his political career, Jinnah advocated Hindu–Muslim unity, helping to shape the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the All-India Muslim League, in which Jinnah had also become prominent. Jinnah became a key leader in the All India Home Rule League, and proposed a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims. In 1920, however, Jinnah resigned from the Congress when it agreed to follow a campaign of satyagraha, which he regarded as political anarchy. By 1940, Jinnah had come to believe that Muslims of the Indian subcontinent should have their own state. In that year, the Muslim League, led by Jinnah, passed the Lahore Resolution, demanding a separate nation. During the Second World War, the League gained strength while leaders of the Congress were imprisoned, and in the elections held shortly after the war, it won most of the seats reserved for Muslims. Ultimately, the Congress and the Muslim League could not reach a power-sharing formula for the subcontinent to be united as a single state, leading all parties to agree to the independence of a predominantly Hindu India, and for a Muslim-majority state of Pakistan. As the first Governor-General of Pakistan, Jinnah worked to establish the new nation's government and policies, and to aid the millions of Muslim migrants who had emigrated from the new nation of India to Pakistan after independence, personally supervising the establishment of refugee camps. Jinnah died at age 71 in September 1948, just over a year after Pakistan gained independence from the United Kingdom. He left a deep and respected legacy in Pakistan. Innumerable streets, roads and localities in the world are named after Jinnah. Several universities and public buildings in Pakistan bear Jinnah's name. According to his biographer, Stanley Wolpert, he remains Pakistan's greatest leader.
- Birthplace: Karachi, Pakistan
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
- Tall, approachable American leading man and character actor who, after enjoying radio success in the late 1930s and Broadway success in "Lady in the Dark" (1941), moved to Hollywood in the 40s and made the extremely enjoyable Anthony Mann "B" film, "Dr. Broadway" (1942). Like George Brent a decade earlier, Carey provided amiable, gentlemanly support to female stars who were generally more dominant and dynamic, including Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, Betty Hutton, Betty Grable, Anne Baxter, Shelley Winters and Claudette Colbert. The leathery, relaxed Carey continued into the 50s, appearing mostly in such modest Westerns as "The Great Missouri Raid" (1951), "Outlaw Territory" (1953) and "Man or Gun" (1958).
- Birthplace: Sioux City, Iowa, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Shadow of a Doubt, Days of Our Lives, American Gigolo, Wake Island, Stranger in Our House
- Edmund Lowe was an American actor who appeared in "In Old Arizona," "Transatlantic," and "Every Day's a Holiday."
- Birthplace: San Jose, California, USA
- Profession: Actor
- Credits: Dinner at Eight, The Wings of Eagles, In Old Arizona, Heller in Pink Tights, Dillinger
