Deaths: March 15
List activity
1.1K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
50 people
- Character actress Helen Lindsay was born of British parentage as Helen Jane Charley in Coimbatore, a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Little is known about her early life, but she made her stage debut as a snake charmer in a 1952 production of Pinocchio at the Library Theatre in Manchester. Her first screen appearance followed a year later. Lindsay specialized in playing haughty royals, dignified noblewomen and imperious or snobby society matrons, often in period drama adapted from literary classics. Her stage roles have included Lady Benbow in Thark (the fourth of the Aldwych farces), Princess Tugo-Ukhovsky in Chatsky and Mme de Rosemonde in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (with the Royal Shakespeare Company, 1993). Busiest on television, Lindsay was notable as the proud Estella, Magwich's daughter, in an early BBC adaptation of Great Expectations (1959), the kindly teacher Miss Temple in Jane Eyre (1970) and as Lady Constantia Lorridaile in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1995). Her performances enriched numerous TV series, ranging from The Avengers (1961) to Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), from All Creatures Great and Small (1978) to Foyle's War (2002). Her prolific gallery of historical personae have included the Countess of Leicester and Pembroke, Eleanor de Montfort, in Churchill's People (1974), Queen Yolande of Aragon in The Disputation (1986) and the Dowager Queen Maria de Medici in an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney (1997).
Helen Lindsay retired from acting in 2009. She was married to the art director and production designer Alan Pickford (best known for his work on The Jewel in the Crown (1984)) who predeceased her in 2002. - A long long career. 140 roles in films ('I Want to Live', 'The Glory Guys', 'The Cat from Outer Space'...) and on television ('Bachelor Father', 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', 'Lux Video Theatre'...). And many many radio shows ('This Is Your FBI', 'Dangerous Assignment', 'Suspense, 'The Whistler '...). There is no denying Alice Backes was a hard worker. Not to mention the fact that she was a gifted violinist, that she joined the Women's Branch of the Naval Reserve during the War, and that she contributed all her adult life to various charities, including after she retired from acting. Born in 1923, young Alice graduated from high school before attending the University of Utah. After the War, Alice Backes decided to move to Hollywood where she quickly earned small parts in films, TV series and radio programs. From then on - and for nearly five decades - she would work steadily, specializing in character roles. Her rather commonplace physical appearance (though she was tall by Hollywood standards) enabled her to get effortlessly inside everyday life characters such as nurses, doctors, dentists, librarians, waitresses, judges, farmer's wives... Only once in her career did she embody a historical character, and that was Hedda Hopper, in 'Gable and Lombard'. Alice Backes finally retired in 1997 after a last appearance in a 'Columbo' episode, a nice vehicle for a last hurrah. She died ten years later.
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ann Sothern's film career started as an extra in 1927. Originally a redhead, she began to bleach her hair blonde for comedy roles. After working at MGM and on Broadway, Ann was signed by Columbia Pictures for Let's Fall in Love (1933). The next year she would work with Eddie Cantor in his hit Kid Millions (1934). For the next two years, Ann would appear in a number of "B" pictures until she was dropped by Columbia in 1936. She then went to RKO, where the quality of her films did not improve. She appeared in a series of "B' pictures movies with Gene Raymond, but her career was going nowhere. In 1938 she left RKO and played the tart in Trade Winds (1938), which got her a contract at MGM. She was given the lead in a "B" comedy about a brassy, energetic showgirl not salesgirl--originally intended for Jean Harlow--that wound up becoming a huge hit and spawned a series of sequels that ran until 1947: Maisie (1939). Ann also appeared in such well received features as Brother Orchid (1940), Cry 'Havoc' (1943) and A Letter to Three Wives (1949). After 1950 the roles dried up and Ann turned to television and another hit series, playing the meddlesome Susie in the 1953 series Private Secretary (1953). The series was canceled in 1957 and Ann came back in The Ann Sothern Show (1958), which ran from 1958 to 1961. In 1965, she would be the voice of the 1928 Porter in the camp classic My Mother the Car (1965). While the 1970s and 1980s were relatively quiet for Ann, she would be nominated for an Academy Award for her role as the neighbor of Lillian Gish and Bette Davis in The Whales of August (1987).- Aristole Onassis was an ethnic Greek born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire in what is now Turkey, who became a billionaire shipping tycoon when the number of billionaires could be counted on one hand. He is known to history as the second husband of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.
He was the son of Socrates Onassis, a ship owner with a modest fleet of 10 ships manned by 40 sailors. The relative wealth of his father got the young Ari a good education, and he became fluent in English, Spanish and Turkish. In the aftermath of World War One, when the Ottoman Empire was broken up by the victorious Allies and modern Turkey was created by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, many ethnic Greeks were expelled from the new country. The Onassis family fled to Greece as refugees.
Aristotle Onassis emigrated to Argentina in 1923 with 60 dollars (approximately $800 in 2011 dollars, when factored for inflation). He became an importer of Turkish tobacco and eventually became an owner of ships. Eventually, he held Argentine and Greek passports and dual citizenship.
Onassis switched to transporting oil for the major petroleum companies, who could save money by not owning their own fleets. It was the introduction of the supertanker to transport Middle Eastern oil that made Onassis one of the richest men in the world. A supertanker could be paid for with one six-month lease, meaning that the majority of the 20-year life-span of a tanker could result in extraordinary profits. Onassis invested his vast fortune wisely, including in the petroleum industry itself, transportation, and other businesses.
Outside of the business world, Aristole Onassis was little known, and if he was known at all, it was for his romance with the opera singer Maria Callas. However, his 1968 marriage to the widow of the late President John F. Kennedy made him a world-wide figure whose life was chronicled in newspapers around the globe. - Arturo Bonín was born on 11 November 1943 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor, known for Rebelde Way (2002), Amor mío (2005) and Vidas robadas (2008). He died on 15 March 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Blanquita Amaro was born on 30 June 1923 in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. She was an actress, known for Bésame mucho (1945), Embrujo antillano (1946) and Una cubana en España (1951). She died on 15 March 2007 in Miami, Florida, USA.- Carlos Menem Jr. died on 15 March 1995 in Ramallo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Clarissa Dickson Wright was an English celebrity chef, television personality, businesswoman and a former barrister. She was best known as one half, along with Jennifer Paterson, of the incredibly popular television series, Two Fat Ladies. Having trained as a lawyer, Dickson Wright was the youngest woman ever to be called to the Bar.
At the age of 11, Clarissa was sent to Sacred Heart School. After school Clarissa studied for the Bar at Gray's Inn, while pursuing a law degree at University College London.
She practiced successfully as a barrister for several years. However, she found cookery to be her true calling when she worked at Books for Cooks in London's Notting Hill while recovering from 12 years of alcohol abuse.
During her time in Edinburgh, television producer Patricia Llewellyn asked her and Jennifer Paterson if they wanted to make a television programme; they made a pilot in autumn 1994. After the pilot, BBC2 commissioned a series of Two Fat Ladies. Three successful series were made and shown around the world. Paterson died in 1998 mid-way through the fourth series and Clarissa refused to make another series after her co-star's death.
She also appeared with Johnny Scott in Clarissa and the Countryman from 2000 to 2003 and played the gamekeeper in the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous in 2003. In 2005, Dickson Wright took part in the BBC reality television show Art School.
Dickson Wright has campaigned for the Countryside Alliance and was the first female Rector of the University of Aberdeen. Her autobiography, Spilling The Beans, was published in September 2007.
In 2008, she presented a one-off documentary for BBC Four, Clarissa and the King's Cookbook, where she makes recipes from a cookbook dating to the reign of Richard II.
During her cooking career, Clarissa ran her own catering business, worked on a yacht in the Caribbean and served 60 meals a day at her London luncheon club. She also became one of only two women in England to become a guild butcher. She was represented in the UK by Useful Talent who are specialists in celebrity-led endorsements. - Actress
Daisy Earles came to the U.S. from Germany in the early 1920s, joining her brother and sister Harry Earles and Gracie Doll. The three of them, soon joined by sister Tiny Doll, made a handful of appearances in films before retiring from the film business in 1930 in favor of working for the Ringling Brothers Circus. From 1930 until the mid-1950s, the four siblings made very few film appearances (with the exception of The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Daisy's blink-and-you-miss-it shot in Best Picture winner The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)). The four retired in the mid-1950's. Grace died in 1970, Daisy in 1980, and Harry in 1985.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
David Brenner was born on 4 February 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Worth Winning (1989), Theory of a Deadman: Not Meant to Be (2009) and Modern Family (2009). He was married to Ruth Davey, Elizabeth Slater and Geraldine (Geri) Judith Leno. He died on 15 March 2014 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Dominique Noguez was born on 12 September 1942 in Bolbec, Seine-Maritime, France. He was a writer and actor, known for Fotomatar (1979), Happy End (2009) and Tosca (1978). He died on 15 March 2019 in Paris, France.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
The "fastest gun in all the West" and the poster boy for "tall, dark and handsome:, Don Durant was best known for his title role in the CBS western series Johnny Ringo (1959). Born Donald Allison Durae on November 20, 1932, in Long Beach, California, he spent some of his youth in Riverside as well as on a large cattle ranch in Elko, Nevada. His first foray into show business was hosting his own radio program over KPRO in Riverside while still in high school. He served first in the US Naval Reserve and then in the army--for a few weeks he was actually in both branches of the military at the same time.
By 1953 Don was touring in plays and singing at the Sands and the Sahara in Las Vegas. In 1954 he signed on with CBS as a bit player and singer, appearing on shows like The Jack Benny Program (1950), The Red Skelton Hour (1951), Shower of Stars (1954), General Electric Theater (1953), You Are There (1953) and You Bet Your Life (1950). Many of these shows were done live. He began to study with acting coach Estelle Harmon.
Don also toured as lead vocalist with Tommy Dorsey and Frankie Carle. In 1955 he began an important association with Ray Anthony, one of the last of the big-band leaders. He appeared as a regular featured singer in the live 1956-57 ABC series The Ray Anthony Show (1956) and released an album on Capitol Records with Anthony. He also recorded his own compositions on Fabor Records, "Seal Rock" and "Love Me Baby." During this period he headlined at the Hollywood Bowl and the fabled Mocambo nightclub.
The 1957 drive-in flick She Gods of Shark Reef (1958), produced and directed by the fabled Roger Corman, was his first starring role. That year he was among a group of actors shooting an extended commercial in Monterey, California, introducing the new 1958 Fords. One of the actresses was a lovely petite blonde, Trudy Wroe, noted for her role on the television version of Big Town (1950). They shot a sequence on horseback together, and began dating.
After appearances on shows like Wagon Train (1957), Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (1955), Climax! (1954), Studio 57 (1954), Suspicion (1957), Perry Mason (1957), Trackdown (1957), Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1956), Maverick (1957) and Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958), Don filmed a pilot with Jane Russell called "MacCreedy's Woman." Dick Powell saw him in that and cast him as gunslinger-turned-sheriff Johnny Ringo in a pilot aired on Zane Grey Theatre (1956). The series sold and began production in early 1959 with Aaron Spelling at Four Star studios. Mark Goddard, Karen Sharpe (later the wife of producer Stanley Kramer) and Terence de Marney filled out the cast. Don and Trudy wed on February 28 of that year.
"Johnny Ringo" was canceled after one season due to sponsorship problems. Along with other Four Star westerns, it has run more or less continuously in syndication since 1964. It was the only prime-time network western to feature a theme song (released by RCA) solely composed and performed by the star. More toys were licensed for this show than any other adult TV Western. Don later signed with Revue Studios and had guest appearances in The Twilight Zone (1959), The Virginian (1962), Wagon Train (1957), Wide Country (1962), Arrest and Trial (1963) and Laramie (1959), among others.
Disappointed in the roles he was offered, and after a summer stint as host of Youth Panorama, Don left the business late in 1964 to pursue a more stable career in real estate and financial management. He presided over the Beverly Hills office of Fred Sands Realty before forming his own company. He served for many years as president of the Southern California Mobile Home Park Owners' Association, and developed a condominium complex in Palm Desert. He and Trudy continued to live in Encino until 1998, when they relocated to Dana Point.
Don was an avid sportsman, deep-sea fisherman and golfer and deeply involved in Republican politics. He and Trudy traveled extensively in recent years. Now and then he attended autograph shows and conventions, where he would strap on his famous LeMat pistol from the series, much to the delight of fans. Don was a true cowboy, an expert shooter, and one of the best natural horsemen in Hollywood. Perhaps the fact that the actor was genuinely good to the bone came through in his portrayal of Johnny Ringo. It is that authenticity that sets him apart. He was a notably kind, warm and gracious man, unfailingly honest, and will be missed by family, friends and fans alike.
He is survived by wife Trudy; daughter Heidi and her husband Chris Albus of Raton, New Mexico; son Jeffrey and wife Shelly and their children Daniella and Toren of San Diego.- Enrique Morea is known for All for Tennis (2003) and Red Clay Heroes (2016).
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Erwin C. Dietrich was the most successful and influential movie "entrepreneur" in Switzerland for decades. Already in his teenage years he was interested in movies and observed all happenings in Hollywood from his home in St. Gallen. He quit his dream of becoming an actor rather early on and instead started focusing on his sense for artistic trends appealing to audiences. Starting in 1955 he began producing movies, first with his company "Urania": The movies THE MAN IN THE BLACK DERBY and MODEL HUSBAND starring popular Swiss comedian Walter Roderer turned into big successes that still haven't lost their popularity. At around the time where the "Edgar Wallace" thrillers became popular in Germany, Erwin brought NYLON NOOSE and STRANGLER OF THE TOWER starring German movie stars, such as Dietmar Schönherr, to the cinemas. Movies in the mid-60s increasingly included more sexually open themes, a trend Erwin could not and did not want to miss out on. An early example is ST. PAULI BETWEEN NIGHT AND MORNING he produced, which is characterized by an almost artistic arc between common thriller story and the newly discovered erotic appearance. It is exactly those examples that are highly respected by movie buffs around the world and are being rediscovered in his early productions. Later, Erwin achieved significant commercial success with his directorial debut in 1968, the movie adaptation of Guy De Maupassant's novel THE COLONEL'S NIECES with the same title. With this movie he hit the nerve of movie-goers and despite the massively censored scenes the audience showed up in droves. Over 45 more movies followed until 1980. Movies that he either directed or produced, often using pseudonyms such "Michael Thomas" or "Manfred Gregor" under the umbrella of newly "Elite-Film" (later: "Ascot Film GmbH"). Most of these movies came to life in a very informal environment, with a small crew in his studios in Rümlang, where the set pieces were rearranged on the fly. Some highlights can be found, in particular those starring Ingrid Steeger or French erotic star number one, Brigitte Lahaie. These movies have meanwhile advanced to cult status and are long running favorites at movie festivals and in home cinemas worldwide. Erwin often mentioned his favorite movie to be his remake of THE COLONEL'S NIECES, starring Brigitte Lahaie. Jess Franco, who for years has been ridiculed as a cheap grunge director and yet in the end received the "Goya" award, the Spanish Oscar, made 17 movies in this work period with Erwin C. Dietrich and called it the most productive and pleasant period of his career. Movies such as LOVE LETTERS OF A PORTUGUESE NUN or JACK THE RIPPER with divine performances by Klaus Kinski are now highly praised by movie buffs worldwide, incl. industry friends and fans such as Joe Dante and Quentin Tarantino (who once called Erwin the "Swiss Roger Corman"). On top of that Erwin's movie distribution business "Avis" which brought over 400 movies to local cinemas, flourished. He jumped on the "exploitation movie" bandwagon alone, yet this was not enough for movie buff Erwin. He was looking to get recognized at festivals and by the elite of film critics. And he got it. THE STORY OF PIERA produced by him and directed by Marco Ferreri, starring Isabelle Huppert and Marcello Mastroianni, may not have been a commercially comparable success to Erwin's other productions but it turned into a huge hit at the festivals, and Hanna Schygulla received the "Golden Palm" in Cannes for her performance. Even on an international level things looked up: the action spectacle THE WILD GEESE which he co-produced with Euan Lloyd from Britain, catapulted Erwin into an A-league that was unknown at that time, and garnered him international recognition. In addition, the star-studded cast that included Richard Harris, Roger Moore, Richard Burton, and Hardy Krüger did its share; the movie was seen by 4 million movie-goers in Germany alone and advanced to become a huge blockbuster in 1978, ultimately winning the "Goldene Leinwand" award. Following this success Erwin launched similar additional big productions on the big screen, including ESCAPE TO ATHENA and THE SEA WOLVES. Convinced by their success Erwin began production along with business partner Peter Baumgartner (and Peter's dubbing studios in Berlin, "Cinephon") three action spectacles to be shot in the Philippines. Emphasized by a gigantic marketing campaign (including an ecstatic Klaus Kinski dominating the promo tour) he released in the mid-80s the "mercenary trilogy" consisting of CODENAME WILDGEESE, COMMANDO LEOPARD and THE COMMANDER on the big screen. The Hollywood cast including Klaus Kinski, Ernest Borgnine, and Lee Van Cleef impressed everyone. During that time he also opened up the first cinema-multiplex in Switzerland called "Capitol". Later he expanded it with the "Cinemax". In the beginning of the 90s, after the dance movie DANCE ACADEMY 2 - DANCE TO WIN, the two Swiss comedies EIN SCHWEIZER NAMENS NÖTZLI and DER DOPPELTE NÖTZLI, as well as over 100 other productions, Erwin retired from the active movie production business and committed himself to his movie distribution company "Ascot-Elite" which was taken over by his children a few years ago and still today this largest independent movie distributor in Switzerland is managed by them. At last, Erwin C. Dietrich led the supervisory board and every morning he reviewed the box office results of the previous day. He passionately committed himself to the digital restoration of his cinematic legacy to preserve it for all future generations.- Fabian Matus was born on 20 December 1958 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He died on 15 March 2019 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Hailed by Gene Autry as the 'perfect western actress', diminutive, pig-tailed Betty Jeanne Grayson had all the genre's prerequisite attributes. The daughter of a prominent Arkansas physician (who went on to became State Health Officer), she had been trained in drama and dance at the University of Texas. More pertinently, she was of an athletic disposition, a keen swimmer, golfer and tennis player. She was also an ace rider (to the extent of performing in rodeos), as well as an expert trick shot. Her arrival in Hollywood happened some time in 1946. Thereafter, sources vary as to how she got into movies. One account has her being spotted by an MGM talent scout while working as a hat check girl, while another asserts that she had previously met Autry while performing amateur dramatics at a camp show for the Army Air Force. The story further goes, that Autry (who was serving in the military at the time) was so impressed with her, that he told her to look him up later at Columbia studios.
Gail's looks, feisty personality and tomboyish aptitudes soon got her cast in outdoorsy films. She went on to co-star opposite Autry (who prompted her change of name to 'Gail Davis') in fifteen of his films, as well as appearing at least a dozen times as different characters on his TV show. Gail tended to do all of her own stunts. She became sufficiently popular for Autry to produce Annie Oakley (1954) (through his Flying A Productions), starring Gail as the gun-toting titular heroine, invariably disarming (rather than killing) assorted screen villains with her Single Action Army Colt. Gail thus achieved an additional measure of prominence by becoming the first female to command the nominal lead in a western TV series. For this, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.- Günter Hoffmann was born on 4 October 1951 in Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany. He died on 15 March 1984 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Born in Providence, Lovecraft was a sickly child whose parents died insane. When he was 16, he wrote the astronomy column in the Providence Tribune. Between 1908 and 1923, he wrote short stories for Weird Tales magazine and others. He died in Providence, in poverty, on March 15, 1937. His most famous novel is considered to be "At the Mountains of Madness", about an expedition to the South Pole, which discovers strange creatures beneath a mountain.
- H.W. Gim was born on 22 January 1908 in China. He was an actor, known for True Grit (1969), Paint Your Wagon (1969) and I Spy (1965). He died on 15 March 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Janet Sarno received her MFA from the Yale Drama School where she twice won the Hill Award for Excellence in Acting. She appeared on Broadway in Dylan, Equus, Knockout, The Apple Doesn't Fall, and Fish in the Dark.
Off-Broadway, she appeared in Six Characters in Search of an Author, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, Sweatshop, Mama's Little Angels, Marlon Brando Sat Right Here (Villager Award), Everyday a Visitor, and Chasing Jack.
She spent fourteen summers at Williamstown Summer Theatre in leading roles. She taught acting and directed the Limelighters Theatre Group.
. - Director
- Producer
- Writer
Jeremy Marre was born on 7 October 1943 in London, England, UK. He was a director and producer, known for Latin Music USA (2009), American Masters (1985) and Roots Rock Reggae (1979). He was married to Diana Silman. He died on 15 March 2020 in London, England, UK.- James Connor Dornan (5 February 1948 - 15 March 2021) was a Northern Irish obstetrician and gynecologist, ho was also a professor and frequently lectured both nationally and internationally, holding the Chair in Fetal Medicine at Queens University Belfast and that in Health & Life Sciences at the Ulster University. Dornan was born in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. His father, also Jim, was an accountant who served as the General Manager of the Northern Ireland Institute for the Disabled. His mother, Clare, was the first Occupational Therapist in Northern Ireland.
Dornan attended Bangor Grammar School and from there went on to study medicine at Queen's University Belfast where he was mentored by Harith Lamki, Buster Holland and Ken Houston.
Qualifying in 1973, he did his Houseman's year in the Belfast City Hospital before training in his chosen career. He once considered acting as a career. In 1976, he was seconded to Queens University in Kingston, Canada as a perinatal resident. On returning to Northern Ireland, he rotated around the province to complete his training and obtain an Honours MD from Queens in 1981 for his research into Fetal Breathing. In 1986, he was appointed a consultant Senior Lecturer and subsequently Reader, before he followed Professor Graham Harley at the Royal Maternity Hospital. Dornan continued his research interests while a full-time NHS consultant, a post he retained until his retirement from that service in 2012. He published widely in peer reviewed journals on the subject of assessment of fetal well being.
In 2004, Dornan was elected Senior Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London, having been on its Council as a Fellow for the previous five years. This was issued with the particular responsibility for developing Global health initiatives. Amongst them was the establishment of an emergency obstetrician that provides lifesaving skills for medics, midwives and nurses in under-resourced countries, while working closely with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Dornan embarked on a project of non-clinical writing with his book, An Everyday Miracle, which was published in September 2013 by Blackstaff Press.
He appeared in the third series of the ITV drama Marcella (2016), which stars Anna Friel. He also played a policeman in The Fall (2013), in which his son Jamie Dornan played a serial killer. - Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Joe Gray was born on 5 May 1912 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Miracle Kid (1941), The Leather Saint (1956) and Flesh and Fury (1952). He died on 15 March 1971 in Mexico.- Kay Harding was born on 5 January 1924 in Cushing, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for The Mummy's Curse (1944), The Scarlet Claw (1944) and Weird Woman (1944). She was married to Donald Patterson. She died on 15 March 1984 in Santa Clara, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Larry Thor was born on 27 August 1916 in Lundar, Manitoba, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Zero Hour! (1957) and The Fast and the Furious (1954). He was married to Jean Howell. He died on 15 March 1976 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
Leónidas Barletta was born on 30 August 1902 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a director and writer, known for Los afincaos (1941). He died on 15 March 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Michael Getler was born on 13 November 1935 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Sandra Curhan. He died on 15 March 2018 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mike Porcaro was born on 29 May 1955 in South Windsor, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for Dune (1984), Inside Moves (1980) and American Heart (1992). He was married to Cheryl. He died on 15 March 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Mike Thalassitis was born on 19 January 1993 in London, England, UK. He died on 15 March 2019 in Edmonton, London, England, UK.
- Actor, playwright and screenwriter Miles Malleson's list of credits reads like a history of British cinema in the first half of the 20th century. Born in Croydon in Surrey, he was educated at Brighton College in Sussex and Emmanuel College Cambridge. He had intended to become a schoolmaster but he opted instead for the stage and went into repertory theatre in Liverpool and then onto the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.
He wrote his first play in 1913 and, in contrast to the characters he often portrayed on screen, held socially progressive views which were often reflected in his work. His output included two plays about the First World War, "D Company" and "Black Eill", and one about the Tolpuddle Martyrs. He also worked as a screenwriter on two documentaries for Paul Rotha, Land of Promise (1946) and World of Plenty (1943).
Following the outbreak of The Great War in July 1914 Malleson enlisted in the British Army as a Private (No. 2227) in the 1/1st (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers). He served from 5th September 1914 until receiving a medical discharge in 1915, which included a period spent in Egypt. Malleson made no secret of his objection to the war as both a member of the Independent Labour Party and a supporter of the No-Conscription Fellowship.
His most prolific period as a screenwriter was in the 1930s and 1940s, initially on historical subjects like Nell Gwyn (1934), Rhodes (1936), and Victoria the Great (1937). In many of these films he also began appearing in supporting roles, and from the mid-'30s onward he found himself in increasing demand as an actor as well as a writer. Over the next 30 years he appeared in nearly 100 films, featuring in everything from Alfred Hitchcock thrillers and Ealing comedies to Hammer horrors.
Usually cast as a befuddled judge or a doddering old doctor, academic or other local eccentric, he first caught audiences' imagination as the hearse driver in the Ealing chiller compendium Dead of Night (1945), after which he began to get bigger and better parts. He was particularly memorable as the philosophical hangman in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), Canon Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Dr. McAdam in Folly to Be Wise (1952), the barrister Grimes in Brothers in Law (1957) and as Windrush Sr. in Private's Progress (1956) and I'm All Right Jack (1959).
Towards the end of his career he continued to appear in cameo roles in comedy films, and made several appearances in Hammer horror films including Horror of Dracula (1958) and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), before failing eyesight forced him into retirement in his late 70s. - Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Nate Dogg was born on 19 August 1969 in Long Beach, California, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for Real Steel (2011), I Spy (2002) and The Fast and the Furious (2001). He was married to La Toya. He died on 15 March 2011 in Long Beach, California, USA.- Producer
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Norman Steinberg was born on 6 June 1939 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Blazing Saddles (1974), Doctor Doctor (1989) and Raising Dad (2001). He died on 15 March 2023 in Hudson, New York, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Cambridge-educated Paul Cavanagh appeared in pictures as the epitome of the debonair, well-dressed Englishman. The former barrister and Royal Canadian Mountie turned to acting in 1924 and had a starring role on Broadway in 'Scotland Yard' (1929). His film career began in 1928 and lasted just over three decades. During that time, he portrayed charming grifters (The Notorious Sophie Lang (1934), stalwart leading men (Mae West's love interest in Goin' to Town (1935), as well as the occasional murder victim or dastardly swine (as Martin Arlington in Tarzan and His Mate (1934). He was at his best however, as the urbane older husband of Joan Crawford in the brilliant Humoresque (1946), tolerating the antics of his neurotic wife - and Oscar Levant's wisecrack ("Does your husband interfere with your marriage?") with nothing but bemused languor.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Polly Walters was born on 15 January 1913 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Blonde Crazy (1931), Smart Money (1931) and Young Bride (1932). She died on 15 March 1994 in New York City, New York, USA.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
René Clair was born on 11 November 1898 in Paris, France. He was a writer and director, known for Man About Town (1947), Beauties of the Night (1952) and The Grand Maneuver (1955). He was married to Bronia Clair. He died on 15 March 1981 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Ron Silver was born on 2 July 1946 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Timecop (1994), Reversal of Fortune (1990) and Find Me Guilty (2006). He was married to Lynne Miller. He died on 15 March 2009 in New York City, New York, USA.- Rosita Contreras was born on 15 March 1913 in Argentina. She was an actress, known for Melodías porteñas (1937), La canción que tú cantabas (1939) and North Wind (1937). She died in 1962 in Argentina.
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
After his mother committed suicide, he lived with his grandmother. When he was 12, he joined Sir Philip Game Boys Club in Croydon, run by an ex-pro music hall performer, where his interest in theatre began. His grandmother took him to the theatre and the first show he remembers was with G.H. Elliott at the Croydon Empire. He worked at a market stall for pocket money, then at 15, in a boys' club concert where he was seen by Michael Bentine, who advised him to take up show business as a career - but first he had to do his military service. After that, he took his first step on the show business ladder by forming a double act with a friend from the boys club. Much later in his career, he became the chairman of the Entertainment Artists Benelovent Association. His first marriage was to Ann, whom he divorced in 1983, then married Debbie.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sally's parents were both amateur ballroom dancers, so it was no surprise when Sally developed an interest in dancing. She entered dance classes by the first grade and was signed by MGM upon her graduation from high school. In 1945, she moved with her parents to Hollywood, where Sally worked on the dances used in the films Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) and The Kissing Bandit (1948). Soon unemployed, she worked in small roles until she teamed with Ida Lupino, who was producing and directing small films at the time, and Sally was cast in the lead role of Not Wanted (1949). The picture was a critical and commercial success, and Sally also received critical acclaim for her role. After appearing in a few more Lupino movies, including Never Fear (1950), Sally returned to MGM, where she was cast in movies with stars such as Boris Karloff and Red Skelton. When her husband, Milo O. Frank Jr., moved to New York, she went with him. There, she worked in summer stock and on Broadway in the stage play "The Seven Year Itch". Sally appeared in only a couple of movies after that, but she again worked with Ida Lupino in While the City Sleeps (1956).- Actor
- Director
Sameer Kakkar was born on 9 August 1952 in India. He was an actor and director, known for Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), Takkar (1995) and Khel Shuru (2006). He died on 15 March 2023 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.- Sergio Velazco Ferrero was born on 14 February 1940 in Máximo Paz, Argentina. He was an actor, known for La discoteca del amor (1980), Los superagentes contra los fantasmas (1986) and El veraneo de los Campanelli (1971). He died on 15 March 2020 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Silvio Oltra was born on 26 February 1958 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He died on 15 March 1995 in Ramallo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Director
- Producer
- Production Manager
Stuart Rosenberg was born on 11 August 1927 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Cool Hand Luke (1967), Question 7 (1961) and The Defenders (1961). He was married to Margot Pohoryles. He died on 15 March 2007 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Prototype of the sexy cheeky French lady, Suzy Delair was discovered by Henri-Georges Clouzot, who became her companion and gave her two memorable roles : Mila Malou, inspector Wens' unbearable girlfriend in two films, Le dernier des six (1941), which he wrote, and The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942), which he penned and directed; and the mythical one of Jenny Lamour, a frivolous music-hall singer prepared to do anything to become famous who makes her poor husband insanely jealous in Jenny Lamour (1947). The rest of her filmography is rather disappointing, with a few exceptions such as Jean Grémillon's White Paws (1949) , where she is -once again - an unfaithful companion ; Gervaise (1956), René Clément's masterpiece as Gervaise's obnoxious rival or Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers (1960), another cinema milestone, even if her part in this film is minor. An excellent singer (Who has forgotten "Avec son tra la la"?), delightful in operettas, Suzy Delair could hardly choose between her two careers. This may be the reason why she missed out on more great roles than she finally interpreted. Nevertheless, Mila Malou and Jenny Lamour are now part of the French film heritage. Not everybody can boast having left such an imprint on several generations of movie-goers.- Writer
- Actress
- Sound Department
Sylvia Anderson is the co-creator of a string of hit TV shows through the late 1950s, 1960s and 70s. Her most memorable contribution as an actress is the voice of Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds - one of many series she co-created with former husband Gerry Anderson. Sylvia's talents are evident in the characterization throughout their various series. She was against Martin Landau and Barbara Bain being cast in Space: 1999 (1975) but was overruled by ITC chief Lew Grade.
The forgotten heroine of Britain's famous TV shows, she's had to watch former husband Gerry take most of the limelight over the years. A fascinating woman with overwhelming talent, she now represents the American network HBO in Pinewood Studios in London, England.- In a career than spanned eight decades, Thora Hird was widely-regarded as one of Britain's finest character actresses. She made over 100 films as well as starring in a host of TV comedies and, as a straight actress, excelled in the works of playwright Alan Bennett. Even in her 90s, she was working almost daily.
Born in Morecambe, Lancashire, the daughter of the manager of the local Royalty Theatre, she was carried on to the stage in a melodrama at the age of eight weeks. When old enough, she joined the Royalty's theatre company, although she kept a day job as a cashier in a grocery store. "I spent 10 years working in that grocery store", she recalled, "and I've played nearly all the customers I used to serve - maids, landladies, cleaners, forthright parents. When I'm acting, I'll do some little thing I've remembered, so simple". At the theatre, she appeared in over 500 plays and, in 1941, the comedian George Formby, on a visit to the theatre, recommended her to Michael Balcon at Ealing Film Studios. Put under contract, she first appeared in Black Sheep of Whitehall (1942) with Will Hay and a string of comedy films and dramas followed. In the same vein as the saucy seaside postcards of her Morecambe birth, Hird was usually cast as the all-seeing boarding house landlady, a gossiping neighbour or a sharp tongued mother-in-law.
In the 1950s, Hird was under contract to the Rank Organisation and was established as a major character actress. She worked with some of Britain's finest directors, including Herbert Wilcox, Lewis Gilbert and John Schlesinger but, by her own account, was not easily awed. "I've appeared in hundreds of films and television things and, in some cases, I literally mean 'appeared' around the door, that was all. Like anybody earning a living, I took most of the work that came along". She gave outstanding performances in Simon and Laura (1955) and The Entertainer (1960), opposite Laurence Olivier, but one of her best- remembered roles was that of the monstrous TV-addicted mother in A Kind of Loving (1962).
As her career progressed, she frequently returned to the stage, often in comedies, with comedians such as Arthur Askey and Harry Secombe, and, in 1964, she was memorably team with the comedian Freddie Frinton in the TV series, Meet the Wife (1963). She starred in a succession of hit TV comedies throughout the 70s and 80s but proof of her talent as a straight actress came in 1987, when she starred in Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologue, A Creamcracker under the Settee for which she won a BAFTA award. She wrote several volumes of autobiography, including "Scene and Hird" and "Not in the Diary" and, in 1995, was the subject of a South Bank Show (ITV) monograph. One of the show's contributors, the actor Alan Bates, said of her, "Thora always had a grasp of her character immediately. She didn't have to work herself into a state to get it right. She is a naturally funny woman whose comedy is on the edge of tragedy. It's instinctive and very understanding of life itself". - Director
- Writer
- Actor
Tone Brulin was born on 11 May 1926 in Antwerp, Belgium. He was a director and writer, known for Bolletje en Bonestaak (1955), Twee is te weinig, drie is te veel (1966) and Arm zonder hoofd (1955). He was married to Dora van der Groen. He died on 15 March 2019 in Malaysia.- Wolf Kahn was born on 4 October 1927 in Stuttgart, Germany. He was married to Emily Mason. He died on 15 March 2020 in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Physically imposing, intense Yaphet Kotto was one of the few actors of his generation to succeed in breaking racial stereotypes in Hollywood. He was born in Harlem, New York, the son of Gladys, a nurse and army officer, and Abraham Kotto, a businessman-turned-construction worker. His father was a Cameroonian immigrant, of royal ancestry (his great-grandfather had been a king in pre-colonial days), and his mother's family was from Antigua and Panama. Yaphet, whose first name means "beautiful" in Hebrew, was raised in the Jewish faith. After his parents divorced, he was brought up by his grandparents in the tough Bronx district of New York. He also had an aunt in showbiz who ran a dance academy. Among her alumni were Marlon Brando and James Dean. In fact, it was Brando's performance in On the Waterfront (1954) which inspired Kotto to go into acting.
He began acting on stage in 1958 with little theatrical experience, making his debut in the title role of Othello, a role he eventually reprised on screen in 1980. He also appeared on Broadway as understudy to James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope. After joining the Actor's Studio, Kotto commenced his screen career and soon gathered critical recognition with several edgy performances across diverse genres. From playing a barkeeper in 5 Card Stud (1968) and a thief in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), he moved on to juicier supporting roles as the evil Kananga/Mr. Big in the James Bond thriller Live and Let Die (1973), Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the telemovie Raid on Entebbe (1976) and the ill-fated Nostromo engineer Parker in Alien (1979). Kotto also starred as a street-smart Detroit car worker in Blue Collar (1978) and had a recurring role as a senior detective on television's long-running crime series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) (in addition to penning several scripts for the show). He was even on a Paramount shortlist for the coveted role of Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), alongside Mitchell Ryan and Roy Thinnes). He apparently spurned the role for fear of being typecast, but came to rueing that decision in later years. For the same reason Kotto had also turned down the part of Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise (which went to Billy Dee Williams).
Kotto died on March 15 2021 in Manila, Phillipines at the age of 81.