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1-50 of 52
- Rugged-looking James Gammon first broke into the entertainment industry not as an actor but as a TV cameraman. From there, his weatherbeaten features, somewhat menacing attitude and a tough-as-nails voice--the kind that used to be described in detective novels as "whiskey-soaked"--reminiscent of '40s noir icon Charles McGraw got him work in front of the cameras in TV westerns (though he sounds as if he's from Texas or Oklahoma, he was actually born and raised in Illinois) and he made his film debut in 1967. Not the kind of guy you'd see in a tuxedo in a Noël Coward drawing-room comedy--unless he was one of a gang holding them up--Gammon could play lighter parts also, as evidenced by his work as the manager in the baseball comedy Major League (1989) and in his regular role as Don Johnson's rambunctious father in Johnson's Nash Bridges (1996) series.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Kathryn Card was born on 4 October 1892 in Butte, Montana, USA. She was an actress, known for I Love Lucy (1951), Born to Kill (1947) and The Hucksters (1947). She was married to Erwin Foster Card. She died on 1 March 1964 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Robert Winley was born on 9 December 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Joy Ride (2001) and Near Dark (1987). He died on 21 October 2001 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Lucille Bliss was an American voice actress from New York City who was known for voicing Smurfette from The Smurfs, Anastasia from Cinderella and Ms. Bitters from Invader Zim. She voiced in other animated projects and video games including Robots and The Secret of NIMH. She passed away in November 8th, 2012.- Kam Tong was born on 18 December 1906 in Oakland, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Flower Drum Song (1961), Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966) and Have Gun - Will Travel (1957). He was married to Betty Sakata. He died on 8 November 1969 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Peter Strudwick was born on 19 January 1930 in Germany. He died on 6 March 2014 in Costa Mesa, California, USA; from cancer/sepsis/dementia. Due to his mother contracting Rubella, Strudwick was born without feet and deformed hands.
He appeared in a minor role in the 1964 movie "The Time Travelers" playing the role of a mutant human who is befriended by Merry Anders as Carol White.
He also appeared in the 1981 documentary "Being Different" where Strudwick talks about his life and accomplishments.
In 1969, he commenced jogging and ran many marathons.
He was the author of "Come Run With Me" which was released by Exposition Pr of Florida, Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S.A. in 1976. The book focuses on running - but far more importantly, it is about life. - Actress
Gloria (Maylia) Fong was born Gloria Chin in Detroit, Michigan. She married actor Benson Fong and received great reviews for her first film, Singapore (1947). She and Benson later ran the fabulous "Ah-Fong" Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills. They have five children including Pamela Kwong Fong and Lisa Fong.- Frieda Pushnik was born armless and legless after her mother had an appendix operation while pregnant. As a child she was "drafted" as a resident guest of sideshows with both "Ripley's Believe it or Not" and the "Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus". She was part of sideshows from 1933 to 1956, when such attractions were outlawed as "exploitive".
- Eileen Howe was born on 24 January 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Combat Squad (1953) and The Lone Wolf (1954). She died on 15 January 1996 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Brandon Beach was born on 18 October 1879 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was an actor, known for Under Western Stars (1938), This Theatre and You (1949) and Whirlybirds (1957). He died on 22 November 1974 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Rudy Germane was born on 24 March 1910 in Portland, Maine, USA. He was an actor, known for The Doris Day Show (1968). He died on 28 March 1997 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Dick Wesson was born on 20 February 1919 in Boise, Idaho, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Bob Cummings Show (1955), The Red Skelton Hour (1951) and My Sister Eileen (1960). He was married to Barbara Joyce Epstein, Betty Maxine Ross and Mary Evelyn Peirce. He died on 27 January 1979 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Alice Hollister born in Massachusetts in 1886. Convent educated. Became a popular figure in more than 90 silent melodrama and crime films, a dark-haired beauty, perhaps the screen's first 'vamp', joined the Kalem Film Company along with her husband pioneering cinematographer George K. Hollister, she made her film debut in 'By a Woman's Wit' under the direction of Sidney Olcott in 1911, perhaps her most important role as Mary Madeleine in 'From the Manger to the Cross' in 1912 Filmed on location in Isreal, the following year starred in 'The Vampire's Trail' directed by Robert G. Vignola, her last screen appearance as Mrs. Mayne in 'The Dancers' directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring George O'Brien at the Fox Film Co in 1925.
- Cinematographer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
Jack Couffer was born on Dec 7, 1924, in Upland, California. While growing up near the foothills in Glendale, he became fascinated with natural history and raised hawks, owls, squirrels, skunks and coyotes. During his high school years he worked afternoons as a student assistant at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. It was on his 17th birthday, during a museum collecting trip to California's Channel Islands, that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The museum party was marooned for two weeks on Santa Rosa Island, as all West Coast ports were immediately closed following the attack. At the museum Jack's mentor, an expert on bats, was approached by the War Department to research a secret project that would use bats as carriers of miniature incendiary bombs. As part of this team Jack was drafted into the army in June 1943, a few months before high school graduation. Half of his military service was spent on this seemingly nutty, but surprisingly valid, idea. Jack has written of this bizarre scheme in his book "Bat Bomb, World War II's Other Secret Weapon". The remainder of his military duty was as a crewman on high-speed PT-type air-sea rescue boats.
After the war he worked for a few years as a commercial fisherman and paid crewman on yachts. In December 1947 he married Joan Burger. Shortly thereafter, while living aboard their schooner, he enrolled at the University of Southern California to major in zoology. However, he attended a lecture in the new Department of Cinema Studies and fell to the exciting teaching gift of department head Slavko Vorkapich. Jack collaborated with two fellow students, Conrad Hall and Marvin R. Weinstein, in a class project that won the first (now annual) ASC student film award and sold to TV. Flush with this success, the partners formed a production company, Canyon Films, and became entrepreneurs while still university students. At USC Jack became friends with practicing filmmaker/instructors Irving Lerner, Andrew Marton, Laslo Benedek and Stirling Silliphant. Lerner employed the partners of Canyon Films as the production team on a feature shot in South Carolina called Edge of Fury (1958). There Jack met young actress Jean Allison, who 45 years, three husbands (and two wives) later he would meet again. His son, Mike Couffer, now a biologist, was born January 7, 1962, and, as a teenager, collaborated with his father on a series of natural history adventure books for children.
With his abilities as both a naturalist and film maker, Jack joined Walt Disney Studios as a cameraman on the early "True-Life Adventure" series. One of the great experiences of their early careers was a Disney assignment in what was then one of the most remote and least-visited spots on earth. Jack and Conrad and a helper sailed a 32-foot ketch to the Galapagos Islands where they lived off the land and filmed wildlife for nearly a year. Jack worked at Disney for more than ten years in a variety of functions--writer, director, producer, cameraman--and participated there in the making of more than two dozen movies. He separated from Joan in 1975. Since then, he has worked on TV and feature films for most of Hollywood's major production companies and many independents. He has published 11 books of both fiction and non-fiction. His travels took him to Africa in 1972, where he fell in love with the country and a lady at the same time. He lived in Kenya for 32 years and 'Marchesa Sieuwke Bisleti' was his companion until her death in February 2005. Jack is now sharing his life in California with retired actress Jean Allison (Toorvald) who was the ingénue in the first feature film he shot.- Claiborne Cary was born on 17 February 1932 in Lone Tree, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Law & Order (1990), Boston Common (1996) and Doctor Franken (1980). She was married to Charles Mitchell Northrop and Robert Haywood Cary II. She died on 20 March 2010 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Bridget Carr was born on 29 July 1928 in Toledo, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for That Midnight Kiss (1949), Please Believe Me (1950) and Mark of the Renegade (1951). She was married to Robert Hutton. She died on 29 October 2017 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Paula Kelly was born on 6 April 1919 in Grove City, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Red Skelton Hour (1951), Frontier Frolic (1946) and My Music: The Big Band Years (2009). She was married to Richard L. Turner and Harold Dickinson. She died on 2 April 1992 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Mike Bell was born on 18 March 1971 in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for WWE Raw (1993), WWF Challenge (1986) and UPW: Rage on the River: Unleashed (2003). He died on 14 December 2008 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Stunts
- Actress
Helen Thurston was born on 24 June 1909 in Oregon, USA. She was an actress, known for I Married Joan (1952) and Man Without a Gun (1957). She was married to James Fawcett. She died on 23 April 1979 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
The popular singer and saxophone player began with the Ben Young Orchestra (1935-1937), and joined the Miller band in 1938, becoming one of the bands's most popular personalities and soloists (though he was not seen or even referred to in The Glenn Miller Story). His personality and talents led him to the top of the Downbeat and Metronome magazine polls, with his vocal work on "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo", and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree". In 1946, Glenn Miller's widow requested that Tex take the orchestra back out on road trips, and the band, under Tex, had a string of Top 10 hits. But disputes arose between the band's manager/producer (who wanted to keep the band's music in the pre-war mode) and Tex, who wanted to introduce new music and sounds. Tex left to start his own band, which became "Tex Beneke and His Orchestra: Playing the Music Made Famous by Glenn Miller", with his first album, "Shooting Star" (released on Magic Records in 1948), where Tex could express his desire for fresh sounds while still perpetuating the classic Glenn Miller trademarks. He worked consistently into the 1990s, making personal live appearances, playing his own kind of music in the style we still closely identify with the Miller sound.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Clyde McLeod has been a movie extra since 1938. He's been directed by Charles Chaplin, Frank Capra, and Cecil B. DeMille. He's been a stand in for such actors as Anthony Quinn, Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson, Tex Ritter, among others. Becoming a principal actor has never been his goal. "I got into the business because it was what my mother wanted me to do," said McLeod in 1985. For McLeod, show business is a family tradition that dates back to the 18th Century, when his ancestors, the Stickneys, played Shakespearean jesters on the stage. His grandmother was a bareback rider in traveling circuses. His mother, Emily Stickney, was a bareback rider with the Barnum & Bailey Circus and starred in the original stage version of "Polly of the Circus" in 1900. McLeod's father, Tex, worked in "cheap" vaudeville shows in the early '20s.
For ten years, he commuted from his ranch in Fallbrook to Los Angeles, totaling 130 miles each way.
He later spent his life living with Patricia Enns, another extra who worked in various films during the 1950s and 60s, such as "Artist and Models."- Deannie Best was born Willia Dean Doughty on September 25, 1926 in Altus, Oklahoma. Her parents divorced when she was three years old. When she was a teenager Deannie moved to Hollywood and was chosen to be one of the famous Goldwyn Girls. On April 12, 1944 she married Greg Balzer but they divorced soon after. Tragically in September of 1944 her mother, Willia Best, was murdered at the age of thirty-five. Deannie appeared in films Wonder Man and The Big Sleep. She went on a USO tour with Kay Kayser's troupe in 1945. Deannie was briefly engaged to yacht salesman Willis Hunt (who had previously been married to Carole Landis). In 1948 she had a supporting role in the Charlie Chan mystery Shanghai Chest. That same year she married Hollywood attorney Albert Pearlson. The marriage was annulled a few months later but the couple remarried on March 7, 1949. Deannie decided to quit acting and became a housewife. In the Fall of 1949 she suffered a miscarriage. She divorced Albert in 1952 and married James Neil Kennedy, a soldier.
Sadly in June of 1953 Deannie gave birth to a premature daughter who died. She and James split up in 1957 shortly before their daughter Dru was born. Deannie reunited with her ex-fiance Willis Hunt and married him in July of 1965. The following year he legally adopted her nine year old daughter Dru. Unfortunately Willis had a drinking problem and was abusive. On December 14, 1969 Deannie and Willis got into a violent argument at their Newport Beach home. During a struggle Deannie picked up a butcher knife and stabbed Willis. He died at the hospital that evening. Deannie was arrested and charged with manslaughter. After a brief trial in November of 1970 she was found innocent on all charges. Deannie continued to live in California. She died on May 16, 2000 at the age of seventy-three. - Burlesque dancer Ricki Covette was born Irene Siewert Jewell on February 26, 1925 in Onoway, Alberta, Canada. Covette grew up on a homestead in rural Canada with aspirations of being a singer and dancer. Through a combination of training, hard work, and professionalism, Ricki eventually moved to America to make her dream of becoming a dancer come true. A statuesque blonde who stood at a towering 6'8", Covette was often billed as a Glamazon, an Amazon woman, or The World's Tallest Exotic Dancer in a career as a headliner at nightclubs that flourished and thrived throughout the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's, with a stellar run of 82 weeks in total at The Show Bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana rating as a definite career highlight. She was voted Miss Burlesk in 1955 and played Gymnasia in a 1963 touring production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." In the wake of retiring from the burlesque circuit, Ricki went on to work in real estate and, in her later years, was a volunteer at the Costa Mesa Senior Center in Costa Mesa, California. Moreover, Covette donated six of her personal albums to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in October, 2014. She died at age 90 on February 12, 2016 in Costa Mesa, California.
- Olga Fikotová was born on 13 November 1932 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was married to Hal Connolly. She died on 12 April 2024 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Jim Pond was born on 19 November 1958 in San Diego, California, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Half & Half (2002), Living Single (1993) and Madman of the People (1994). He died on 3 January 2019 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Art Director
- Cinematographer
- Art Department
A graduate in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, Haas spent his first two years in Hollywood at the art department of Famous Players Lasky (1919-21), as a set designer and builder. He received early acclaim from the journal American Architect for a town in Elmhurst, New York, he had constructed for the movie The Copperhead (1920), and subsequently detailed to show its ageing process over a period of six decades. After several years of freelance work, Haas joined First National (1925-26) and Fox (1927-28), before settling at Warner Brothers in 1929. Until his retirement in 1950, he handled most of the A-grade output at Warners, along with Anton Grot. This included many of Bette Davis's lavishly produced, popular melodramas, such as Dark Victory (1939), Now, Voyager (1942) and Mr. Skeffington (1944).
Haas's best work is exemplified by Jezebel (1938), a romantic period drama set around the time of the Civil War, for which he built an authentic-looking Louisiana plantation house on the Warner Brothers ranch, some thirty miles from the main studio. The picture cost $1,073,000 to make, but still brought in a substantial profit. By contrast, for The Maltese Falcon (1941), Haas and director John Huston were allocated the standard gangster film budget of $300,000 (and a shooting schedule of six weeks). Still, Haas managed to fulfill the studio's missive of 'not overlooking a single detail'. He effectively established the standard for the look and atmosphere of subsequent films noir, particularly in terms of his claustrophobic sets, and in juxtaposing the austere, somewhat seedy interiors of Spade's office with the opulence of the hotel rooms and lobby.- Actress
Evalene Bankston was born on 26 March 1919 in Bogalusa, Louisiana, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Leo Gorcey. She died on 14 June 2007 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Ken Garcia was an actor and director, known for D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F. (2012), Emily's Reasons Why Not (2006) and Fashion House (2006). He died on 12 June 2012 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Rowland Brown was born on 6 November 1897 in Akron, Ohio, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Blood Money (1933) and Hell's Highway (1932). He was married to Karen van Ryan and Marie Helis. He died on 6 May 1963 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Editor
- Editorial Department
Nick DeMaggio was born on 27 December 1890 in Costa Mesa, California, USA. He was an editor, known for Night and the City (1950), Pickup on South Street (1953) and The Bride Wore Crutches (1940). He died on 23 January 1981 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Irv Weinstein was born on 29 April 1930 in Rochester, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Hide in Plain Sight (1980) and Chef's Cent'anni (2023). He was married to Elaine. He died on 26 December 2017 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Ethel Ullman was born on 7 November 1895 in Indiana, USA. She was an actress, known for The Gentle Intruder (1917), Whose Wife? (1917) and The Dividend (1916). She died on 14 May 1980 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Cinematographer
William Nobles was born on 23 December 1892 in Waubay, South Dakota, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for Air Police (1931), Devil on Deck (1932) and The Lost Jungle (1934). He died on 24 November 1968 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Henry Vroom was born on 24 December 1916 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Lost Trail (1945). He died on 11 September 1969 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Actress
Gilda Fontana was born on 2 February 1929 in Mexico. She was an actress. She died on 31 October 2013 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Sound Department
Max M. Hutchinson was born on 4 April 1905 in Iowa, USA. He is known for Half Past Midnight (1948), Leave It to the Irish (1944) and Swing Hostess (1944). He died on 25 July 1975 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Viola Smith was born on 29 November 1912 in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1942), Frances Carroll & 'the Coquettes' (1940) and The Girls in the Band (2011). She died on 21 October 2020 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Dorothy Bostwick was born on 2 December 1905 in New York, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) and Ironside (1967). She was married to Harold Bostwick and Benny Davis. She died on 25 May 1991 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Gene Knight was born on 14 April 1925 in Santa Clara, California, USA. He was an actor, known for MacGyver (1985), Warm Summer Rain (1989) and Dallas (1978). He died on 9 July 2011 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
McElbert Moore was born on 2 July 1892 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. McElbert was a writer, known for There's a Girl in My Heart (1949), Ever Since Venus (1944) and Shamrock Hill (1949). McElbert died on 10 April 1972 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- George Metkovich was born on 8 October 1921 in Angel's Camp, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Three Little Words (1950) and The Winning Team (1952). He died on 17 May 1995 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Spud Melin was born on 30 December 1924 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He died on 28 June 2002 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Sound Department
- Actor
- Additional Crew
George D. Ellis was born on 12 June 1898 in Franklin, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Music for Madame (1937), Peach O'Reno (1931) and Behind Office Doors (1931). He died on 2 October 1973 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Florence Stone Fevergeon was born on 6 August 1913 in Pasadena, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Mystery Men (1999), Tomcats (2001) and Witchcraft (1988). She died on 7 October 2011 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Mattison was born on 9 July 1890 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He was a production manager and assistant director, known for South Sea Woman (1953), El cantante de Napoles (1935) and Lightning Strikes Twice (1951). He died on 23 July 1967 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Special Effects
Pat Patterson was born in 1915 in Brazil, Indiana, USA. He is known for Escape from New York (1981), In Dangerous Company (1988) and Omega Cop (1990). He was married to Irene Marie. He died on 24 October 1989 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Jill Naismith was born on 24 February 1907 in Islington, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Crowning Glory (1936). She was married to Schubert Ely Smith. She died on 18 November 1978 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Andy Carey was born on 18 October 1931 in Oakland, California, USA. He was married to Susie. He died on 15 December 2011 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Actress
Iris Bocignon was born on 26 July 1924 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Roy E. Lovitt. She died on 22 January 2021 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Actress
Brenda Lomas was born on 29 September 1940 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Tom L. Dittman, Gerald W Rogers and Larry J McBride. She died on 2 November 2009 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.