Deaths: March 23
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- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty, especially for her violet eyes, with which she captured audiences early in her youth and kept the world hooked with ever after.
Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in London, England. Although she was born an English subject, her parents, Sara Taylor (née Sara Viola Warmbrodt) and Francis Taylor, were Americans, art dealers from St. Louis, Missouri. Her father had moved to London to set up a gallery prior to Elizabeth's birth. Her mother had been an actress on the stage, but gave up that vocation when she married. Elizabeth lived in London until the age of seven, when the family left for the US when the clouds of war began brewing in Europe in 1939. They sailed without her father, who stayed behind to wrap up the loose ends of the art business.
The family relocated to Los Angeles, where Mrs. Taylor's own family had moved. Mr. Taylor followed not long afterward. A family friend noticed the strikingly beautiful little Elizabeth and suggested that she be taken for a screen test. Her test impressed executives at Universal Pictures enough to sign her to a contract. Her first foray onto the screen was in There's One Born Every Minute (1942), released when she was ten. Universal dropped her contract after that one film, but Elizabeth was soon picked up by MGM.
The first production she made with that studio was Lassie Come Home (1943), and on the strength of that one film, MGM signed her for a full year. She had minuscule parts in her next two films, The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) and Jane Eyre (1943) (the former made while she was on loan to 20th Century-Fox). Then came the picture that made Elizabeth a star: MGM's National Velvet (1944). She played Velvet Brown opposite Mickey Rooney. The film was a smash hit, grossing over $4 million. Elizabeth now had a long-term contract with MGM and was its top child star. She made no films in 1945, but returned in 1946 in Courage of Lassie (1946), another success. In 1947, when she was 15, she starred in Life with Father (1947) with such heavyweights as William Powell, Irene Dunne and Zasu Pitts, which was one of the biggest box office hits of the year. She also co-starred in the ensemble film Little Women (1949), which was also a box office huge success.
Throughout the 1950s, Elizabeth appeared in film after film with mostly good results, starting with her role in the George Stevens film A Place in the Sun (1951), co-starring her good friend Montgomery Clift. The following year, she co-starred in Ivanhoe (1952), one of the biggest box office hits of the year. Her busiest year was 1954. She had a supporting role in the box office flop Beau Brummell (1954), but later that year starred in the hits The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) and Elephant Walk (1954). She was 22 now, and even at that young age was considered one of the world's great beauties. In 1955 she appeared in the hit Giant (1956) with James Dean.
Sadly, Dean never saw the release of the film, as he died in a car accident in 1955. The next year saw Elizabeth co-star with Montgomery Clift in Raintree County (1957), an overblown epic made, partially, in Kentucky. Critics called it dry as dust. In addition, Clift was seriously injured during the film, with Taylor helping save his life. Despite the film's shortcomings and off-camera tragedy, Elizabeth was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Southern belle Susanna Drake. However, on Oscar night the honor went to Joanne Woodward for The Three Faces of Eve (1957).
In 1958 Elizabeth starred as Maggie Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). The film received rave reviews from the critics and Elizabeth was nominated again for an Academy Award for best actress, but this time she lost to Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958). She was still a hot commodity in the film world, though. In 1959 she appeared in another mega-hit and received yet another Oscar nomination for Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Once again, however, she lost out, this time to Simone Signoret for Room at the Top (1958). Her Oscar drought ended in 1960 when she brought home the coveted statue for her performance in BUtterfield 8 (1960) as Gloria Wandrous, a call girl who is involved with a married man. Some critics blasted the movie but they couldn't ignore her performance. There were no more films for Elizabeth for three years. She left MGM after her contract ran out, but would do projects for the studio later down the road. In 1963 she starred in Cleopatra (1963), which was one of the most expensive productions up to that time--as was her salary, a whopping $1,000,000. The film took years to complete, due in part to a serious illness during which she nearly died.
This was the film where she met her future and fifth husband, Richard Burton (the previous four were Conrad Hilton, Michael Wilding, Mike Todd--who died in a plane crash--and Eddie Fisher). Her next films, The V.I.P.s (1963) and The Sandpiper (1965), were lackluster at best. Elizabeth was to return to fine form, however, with the role of Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Her performance as the loudmouthed, shrewish, unkempt, yet still alluring Martha was easily her finest to date. For this she would win her second Oscar and one that was more than well-deserved. The following year, she and Burton co-starred in The Taming of The Shrew (1967), again giving winning performances. However, her films afterward were box office failures, including Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), The Comedians (1967), Boom! (1968) (again co-starring with Burton), Secret Ceremony (1968), The Only Game in Town (1970), X, Y & Zee (1972), Hammersmith Is Out (1972) (with Burton again), Ash Wednesday (1973), Night Watch (1973), The Driver's Seat (1974), The Blue Bird (1976) (considered by many to be her worst), A Little Night Music (1977), and Winter Kills (1979) (a controversial film which was never given a full release and in which she only had a small role). She later appeared in some movies, both theatrical and made-for-television, and a number of television programs. In February 1997, Elizabeth entered the hospital for the removal of a brain tumor. The operation was successful. As for her private life, she divorced Burton in 1974, only to remarry him in 1975 and divorce him, permanently, in 1976. She had two more husbands, U.S. Senator John Warner and construction worker Larry Fortensky, whom she met in rehab.
In 1959, Taylor converted to Judaism, and continued to identify herself as Jewish throughout her life, being active in Jewish causes. Upon the death of her friend, actor Rock Hudson, in 1985, she began her crusade on behalf of AIDS sufferers. In the 1990s, she also developed a successful series of scents. In her later years, her acting career was relegated to the occasional TV-movie or TV guest appearance.
Elizabeth Taylor died on March 23, 2011 in Los Angeles, from congestive heart failure. Her final resting place is Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Glendale, California.- Alberto Ongaro was born on 22 August 1925 in Venice, Veneto, Italy. He was a writer, known for Il mistero del morca (1984), My Dearest Friends (1998) and The Gamble (1988). He died on 23 March 2018 in Venice, Veneto, Italy.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Special Effects
Alfio Contini was born on 19 September 1927 in Castiglioncello, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy. He was a cinematographer, known for Beyond the Clouds (1995), Uno scandalo perbene (1984) and The Easy Life (1962). He died on 23 March 2020 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Apple Gabriel was born on 24 April 1955 in Jamaica. He died on 23 March 2020 in the USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Auti Angel was born on 15 October 1969 in San Diego, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Only Human (2019), Musical Chairs (2011) and Hollywood Sex Wars (2011). She was married to Eric 'Stretch Boogie' Rivera. She died on 23 March 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Brendan O'Brien was born in Hollywood, California, as the son of actors Edmond O'Brien and Olga San Juan. He first got his start as an actor with a supporting role in the TV movie Honor Thy Father (1973), then followed it up with subsequent appearances in films like 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998), P.U.N.K.S. (1999), and Race to Space (2001). O'Brien's biggest claim to fame, however, arrived when he was contacted by Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin to provide voices for the company's then-upcoming video game Crash Bandicoot (1996) for the PlayStation, in which he provided the voices of the title character, Doctor Neo Cortex, and Doctor Nitrus Brio. Following the game's release, he would continue to voice Crash in subsequent installments up until the release of Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001), and would also provide voices for the HBO series Spicy City (1997) and Spawn (1997).
On March 23, 2023, O'Brien died at the age of 60. Among one of his last roles was an appearance on the TV show Riverdale (2017) in 2020, in which he played a math teacher. By the time he died, the role of Crash Bandicoot has since been passed on to numerous other voice actors, with Chip Chinery, Steve Blum, and Jess Harnell being among them.- Chase Tatum was born on 3 November 1973 in Kennesaw, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Who's Your Caddy? (2007), Creature from Black Lake (1976) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). He died on 23 March 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
- Cheikh Gueye was born in 1968 in Senegal. He was an actor, known for Zama (2017). He died on 23 March 2020 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Chico Anysio was born on 12 April 1931 in Maranguape, Ceará, Brazil. He was an actor and writer, known for The Time and Turn of Augusto Matraga (2011), Escolinha do Professor Raimundo (1990) and Tieta of Agreste (1996). He was married to Malga di Paula, Zélia Cardoso de Mello, Alcione Mazzeo, Nancy Wanderley, Rose Rondelli and Regina Chaves. He died on 23 March 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- Writer
- Producer
- Art Department
Coslough Johnson was born on 8 November 1931 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967), The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971) and The Sonny and Cher Show (1976). He was married to Mary Jane Ferguson. He died on 23 March 2023 in California, USA.- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
Cristóbal Balenciaga was born on 21 January 1895 in Getaria, País Vasco, Spain. He was a costume designer, known for Como dos gotas de agua (1964), Pecado de amor (1961) and Lecciones de buen amor (1944). He died on 23 March 1972 in Jávea, Alicante, Spain.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Dafydd Hywel was born on 4 December 1945 in Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Off to Philadelphia in the Morning (1978) and The Blackheath Poisonings (1992). He died on 23 March 2023 in Wales, UK.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Dave Brockie was born on 30 August 1963 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and director, known for Digging Up the Marrow (2014), Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) and Empire Records (1995). He died on 23 March 2014 in Richmond, Virginia, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
British stage and screen actor whose characters typically displayed indecision or timidity, usually mild-mannered or naive types who tended to come to a sticky end somewhere along the line. Collings began acting professionally with the Liverpool Repertory Theatre in the early 60s. Though having never attended drama school, he nonetheless segued successfully into television work following the advice of a fellow actor. On screen from 1965, he initially appeared in several prominent cop shows (Z Cars (1962), Softly Softly (1966)) but became ultimately best known for his work in science fiction, often having undergone extensive alien make-up. He was notable as an alien kidnap victim turned into a human bomb in The Psychobombs (1970) and as a 'Vogan' renegade scientist out to destroy (and, of course, expiring in the process) the perennial robotic nemesis in Revenge of the Cybermen. Having enjoyed the experience, he popped up twice more in Doctor Who (1963) instalments: as the driver of a mining vehicle on an extraterrestrial world who suffers from the unfortunate malady 'robophobia' while confronting The Robots of Death and as the titular antagonist (on this occasion playing an immortal, but mutated and disfigured alien scientist) in Mawdryn Undead.
Collings also specialised in period drama, particularly effective as the often mistreated and underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit in Scrooge (1970), the spy John Barsad (aka Solomon Pross) in A Tale of Two Cities (1980), the Russian liberal politician Pavel Nikolayevich Milyukov in Fall of Eagles (1974) and British Tory Prime Minister William Pitt in the miniseries Prince Regent (1979). On stage, he portrayed Lord Stanley in a National Theatre production of Richard III and the King of France in Henry V at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. He provided the voice for Legolas in the BBC 4 radio serial The Lord of the Rings.- David Early was born on 30 May 1938 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Creepshow (1982), Dawn of the Dead (1978) and One for the Money (2012). He died on 23 March 2013 in Clearwater, Florida, USA.
- David Kossoff was born on 24 November 1919 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Mouse on the Moon (1963), The Mouse That Roared (1959) and Chance Meeting (1954). He was married to Margaret Jenkins. He died on 23 March 2005 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Dayton Lummis was born on 8 August 1903 in Summit, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Wrong Man (1956), Julius Caesar (1953) and Flight That Disappeared (1961). He was married to Dorothy Caldwell Lewis and Charlotte E. Young. He died on 23 March 1988 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
- Actress
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Debbie Lee Carrington was born on 14 December 1959 in San Jose, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Men in Black (1997), Total Recall (1990) and Bedtime Stories (2008). She died on 23 March 2018 in Pleasanton, California, USA.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Del Lord was born on 7 October 1894 in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. He was a director and producer, known for What Price Vengeance (1937), Barnum Was Right (1929) and Idle Roomers (1944). He died on 23 March 1970 in Calabasas, California, USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Delores Taylor was born on 27 September 1932 in Winner, South Dakota, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Billy Jack (1971), Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977) and The Trial of Billy Jack (1974). She was married to Tom Laughlin. She died on 23 March 2018 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
A screenwriter, playwright & producer originally from New York City, Denis McGrath's writing has taken him from Vancouver to St. John's and from L.A. to Cape Town. He's written drama, comedy, docs, animation and video games, and hopes one day to write exclusively for cell phones.
Denis won a WGC Screenwriting Award for his miniseries Across The River to Motor City, and was nominated for a second WGC Award for Less Than Kind, an award he lost to his wife. Ouch.
He's served as the Executive Producer in Residence at the Canadian Film Centre, (2011) contributed to CBC Radio, blogged & podcasted extensively on the subject of Canadian TV, and taught at Ryerson University. (1995-2006). He has served on the Council of the Writers Guild of Canada, (2008 - ) and is Chair of the Editorial Board of Canadian Screenwriter Magazine (2008 -).- Actress
- Producer
Denise DuBarry was born on 6 March 1956 in Killeen, Texas, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Being There (1979), Black Sheep Squadron (1976) and Monster in the Closet (1986). She was married to William Ferrill Hay, Gary Lockwood and Connolly Kamornick Oyler. She died on 23 March 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Desmond T. Doss was born on 7 February 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. He was married to Frances Duman and Dorothy Pauline Schutte. He died on 23 March 2006 in Piedmont, Alabama, USA.
- Platinum blonde with villainess-type features. She received positive criticism for her rol in the movie Con el sudor de tu frente, but never regained leading roles in films (except for the unscreened Goleta austral, where she played a Marilyn Monroe type).
- DuShon Monique Brown was born on 7 December 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Prison Break (2005), Chicago Fire (2012) and Electric Dreams (2017). She died on 23 March 2018 in Olympia Fields, Illinois, USA.