I don't add people when I know someone else is going to start a thread for them. I thought I might have to add Ron Glass, but I see he already has a thread.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/27/movies/fritz-weaver-tony-winning-character-actor-dies-at-90.html Fritz Weaver, a Tony Award-winning character actor who played a German Jewish doctor slain by the Nazis in the 1978 mini-series “Holocaust” and an Air Force colonel who becomes increasingly unstable as the nation faces a nuclear crisis in the 1964 movie “Fail Safe” died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 90. His death was confirmed by his son-in-law, Bruce Ostler. Mr. Weaver won a Tony in 1970 for his role in Robert Marasco’s drama “Child’s Play” about the malevolent environment at an exclusive Roman Catholic school for boys. ---- From the 1950s on, Mr. Weaver was a familiar presence on television shows like “Studio One,” “Playhouse 90,” “Mission: Impossible”and “Murder, She Wrote.” He appeared in two episodes of “The Twilight Zone” — “The Obsolete Man” and “Third From the Sun,” in which he played a scientist who plots to take his family aboard a rocket to escape earth before a nuclear war.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/m...-submarine-to-the-screen-dies-at-90.html?_r=0 Al Brodax, a television producer who delivered an enduring psychedelic classic when he turned the Beatles song “Yellow Submarine” into an animated film in 1968, died on Thursday in Danbury, Conn. He was 90. In the 1960s, Mr. Brodax (pronounced BROH-dax) ran the motion picture and television division of King Features Syndicate, where he produced hundreds of “Popeye” cartoons for television. Quick to see the cartoon potential of the Beatles, he sold their manager, Brian Epstein, on the idea of an animated series. “The Beatles” ran on Saturday mornings on ABC from 1965 to 1969 (in reruns for the last two years), attracting huge audiences. When “Yellow Submarine” climbed the charts in 1966, Mr. Brodax sensed that lightning might strike twice. He approached Mr. Epstein again, this time with some trepidation; the Beatles did not like “The Beatles.” But there was an opening. The group owed United Artists one more film after “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” but had lost interest in acting. An animated film, Mr. Brodax argued, would require virtually no participation by the Beatles and satisfy the conditions of their contract. “All they had to do was sign a piece of paper,” he told the website 21st Century Radio in 1994. “I’d do the work.” A deal was struck. Mr. Brodax put together a team of writers and animators who, despite constant friction and turmoil and a slender budget of $1 million, created a small miracle: a Popsicle-colored fantasia devoted to peace, love and the thrilling pulse of the Beatles’ music. Al Brodax made a brief appearance in “Yellow Submarine.”
Billy Chapin, Child Actor in ‘Night of the Hunter,’ Dies at 72 » Billy Chapin, probably best known for playing the boy who protects his kid sister and her doll containing a substantial sum of money from evil Bob Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter, has died aged 72.
Van Williams - Wikipedia » Van Williams (February 27, 1934 - November 26, 2016) was an actor best known for his television role as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet and his earlier leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series Bourbon Street Beat (1959) and its sequel, Surfside 6 (1960). He teamed for one season with the late Bruce Lee as his partner Kato, in the television series The Green Hornet, broadcast on ABC during the 1966–67 season. According to a report on Facebook, by producer Kevin Burns, Van Williams died on November 26, 2016, at the age of 82. He was reported to have worked as a firefighter in the greater Los Angeles area, in addition to his being a Reserve Deputy Sheriff, and to have suffered singed lungs and back injuries as a result.
Margaret Whitton Dies: ‘Major League’ Actress & Producer-Director Was 67 » Margaret Whitton, the actress, director and producer who is probably best know for playing the money-grubbing owner of the Cleveland Indians in two Major League movies, has died after a battle with cancer. She was 67. Her film credits include The Secret Of My Success, 9 1/2 Weeks and Mel Gibson’s Man Without A Face. She began her career on the stage, with credits there including The Public Theater’s production of Dirty Tricks, starring Judith Ivey as Martha Mitchell. She made her directorial debut with 2011’s A Bird On The Air, a Robert Towne adaptation of Joe Coomer’s novel. Whitton most recently was a partner with Steven Tabakin in Tashtego Films, a New York-based film, TV and new media production company. She was an associate producer of the documentary Been Rich All My Life and co-exec producer of Casting By, a 2012 docu on casting directors. In the Major League movies she played Rachel Phelps the Vegas dancer-turned-baseball owner who inherited the team from her late husband tried to make them awful enough to relocate them to warmer Miami. The 1989 original movie starred Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert and Rene Russo and is considered one of the best baseball movies of all time. There was a 1994 sequel. Whitton’s bio on the Tashtego website says she wrote about baseball for publications including the New York Times, The Village Voice, New York Newsday and The National.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/books/e-r-braithwaite-author-of-to-sir-with-love-dies-at-104.html E. R. Braithwaite, a Guyanese author, diplomat and former Royal Air Force pilot whose book “To Sir, With Love,” a memoir of teaching in London’s deprived East End, was adapted into a hit 1967 film starring Sidney Poitier, died on Monday in Rockville, Md. He was 104.
There is no news source yet, but Wikipedia is reporting that actress Susan Cummings has died at the age of 91. The Bavarian-born blonde appeared in many TV programs in the 50s and 60s, especially westerns. But she will always be remembered for uttering one line of dialogue in an episode of The Twilight Zone.
I have belatedly learned of the death of actor Charles Briles at age 70. Briles is best remembered as Eugene, the fourth Barkley brother on The Big Valley. Briles was drafted shortly after production began and was written out of the series. Charles Briles, Rarely Seen Son on 'The Big Valley,' Dies at 70 »
Rest in Peace: George Kosana - Dread Central » Actor George Kosana, known primarily for his role as the sheriff in the 1968 cult classic Night Of The Living Dead, died on January 2, 2017. He was 81. The news comes via John Russo on Facebook, who writes, “My close friend George Kosana, who played the sheriff in NOTLD, has regrettably passed away after a long battle with various illnesses. He will be greatly missed by me, by his fellow NOTLD cast and crew members and by his many fans. For the past few days, I have been constantly reliving my many good and often funny remembrances of him.”
Francine York, Alluring Actress of the 1960s, Dies at 80 » Francine York, the statuesque actress who showed off her sexuality as The Bookworm's moll on Batman and in such films as It's Only Money, Cannon for Cordoba and The Doll Squad, has died. She was 80. York died Friday morning at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, Calif., after a battle with cancer, her friend, television producer Pepper Jay, told The Hollywood Reporter. A native of Aurora, Minn., York appeared in scores of TV shows, from Rescue 8 in 1959 to The Mindy Project in 2015. She played a seductive Venus de Milo on an episode of Bewitched, a bake-off contestant on The Odd Couple and an ex-prostitute/blackmailer on Days of Our Lives. She also appeared in five different roles on Burke's Law, a series renown for featuring gorgeous guest-stars. York was memorable as the willowy Lydia Limpet, the henchwoman of The Bookworm (Roddy McDowall), in a first-season installment of ABC's Batman in 1966. She uses a boring book to lure Robin to sleep and gets to ride in the Batmobile. "Everybody wanted to work on Batman and ride in that car," she told Tom Lisanti in his book Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema. She played a sexpot for Jerry Lewis in It's Only Money (1962), and In Cannon for Cordoba (1970), starring George Peppard, she did a nude scene and a belly dance. The Doll Squad (1973) saw her fronting a team of gorgeous female assassins aiming to stop a megalomaniac (Michael Ansara) from destroying the world. Many see that movie as the precursor to Charlie's Angels. York's other notable film appearances include Bedtime Story (1964), opposite Marlon Brando and David Niven, and Elvis Presley's Tickle Me (1965). She turned in a well-received performance as Marilyn Monroe in Marilyn: Alive and Behind Bars (1992) and played Nicolas Cage's mother-in-law in The Family Man (2000). ========== York also was known as a gourmet cook and fitness and nutrition expert who hosted lavish parties in Hollywood. She was the decade-long companion of director Vincent Sherman (The Young Philadelphians) until his death in 2006. Never married, she is survived by her nieces Delinda, Gina and Ava and nephew Dominic; grandnieces Ashley, Candice, Holly, Daliss and Isabella Negrete; and grandnephew Franklin. York was polishing off her autobiography at the time of her death.
William Peter Blatty, Author of ‘The Exorcist,’ Dies at 89 — Report » William Peter Blatty, author of “The Exorcist,” died last night at the age of 89, according to close friend and “Exorcist” director William Friedkin. Blatty first rose to prominence with his 1971 novel “The Exorcist,” about the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and the two priests who attempt to exorcise the demon. He later adapted the book into the script for the 1973 film, directed by William Friedkin. “The Exorcist” was a huge critical and commercial success. It was nominated for ten Oscars, with Blatty winning an award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Philip Saville - Wikipedia » I have belatedly learned of the death of British director Philip Saville. Most of his work (almost entirely for TV) is unfamiliar to this Yank, however he made a celebrated Hamlet on location at Elsinore Castle in Denmark for the quadricentennial (is that a word?) in 1964. Christopher Plummer played the title role; I believe this remains Michael's Caine's only performance in Shakespeare. Saville also played a curious but notable role in popular music of the '60s. In 1963 he produced a TV drama called Madhouse on Castle Street, and cast a little-known American folksinger named Bob Dylan, flying him over especially for the broadcast. This was Dylan's first acting appearance; unfortunately it is now lost.
WHAS legend Milton Metz dies at 95 » LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- It is with great sadness that we report the death of WHAS TV and Radio legend, Milton Metz. He died peacefully in Louisville at the age of 95. Milton became one of this area's most recognized personalities, first heard on WHAS Radio in 1946. He helped put Channel 11 on the air. In fact, he was one of the first faces you saw on Channel 11 in 1950. Milton just celebrated his 95th birthday in September in rehab. The WHAS Crusade for Children staff brought him a cake. More than 300 viewers mailed get well cards to him after he had fallen and broken his shoulder in the summer and was in recovery last August. He loved every card and letter, and along the way, he always told me that he was getting wonderful care. His trailblazing nighttime radio show called “Metz Here” was one of the first nighttime talk shows in the United States. It ran from 1959 to 1993. He also hosted “Omelet” on WHAS-TV, an interview program that aired before the Noon News on WHAS-TV. He picked Faith Lyles as his co-host. He retired from WHAS AM in 1993 but kept doing ads for TV and Radio. He came to Louisville from Columbus, Ohio and married his beloved wife Mimi whom he met in Louisville. She died last April. He is survived by his son Perry Metz. I really only know of him through promos for his show that ran during Joe Donovan's Rock & Roll Revival program, which I listened to devotedly in the '90s. But I do realize he was very well-known in that area.
I remember he was witness to a scary incident between Rebecca Schaeffer and her 'boyfriend' that eerily foretold her demise. I always thought he was a really good, dependable character actor.
Death takes a Holiday Bob Holiday - Wikipedia » Bob Holiday (November 12, 1932 – January 27, 2017) was an American actor best known for playing Superman in the 1966 Broadway musical It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! Historically, Holiday was the next "live-action" Superman after George Reeves. Holiday played Superman more than any other actor, having played the role in over 140 performances, as well as several live appearances in character. From 1999 until his death in 2017, he reigned as the eldest surviving, live-action Superman. D R E W • F R I E D M A N: "It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's SUPERMAN", the 1966 Broadway Musical »
David Shepard (1940-January 31, 2017, New York City) was a film preservationist whose company, Film Preservation Associates, is responsible for many high quality video versions of silent films. Some come from the Blackhawk Films library (also owned by David Shepard) and others from materials owned by private collectors and film archives around the world. Shepard began restoring films when he joined the American Film Institute in 1968 as one of their first staff members. In 1987, he bought the Blackhawk Films library. David Shepard, right, (with Kevin Brownlow, 2010) David Shepard (film preservationist) - Wikipedia »
Irwin Corey - Wikipedia Class dismissed, Professor "Professor" Irwin Corey (July 29, 1914 – February 6, 2017) was an American comic, film actor and activist, often billed as "The World's Foremost Authority". He introduced his unscripted, improvisational style of stand-up comedy at the well-known San Francisco club, the hungry i. Lenny Bruce once described Corey as "one of the most brilliant comedians of all time".
Alec McCowen obituary Alec McCowen, who played the detective in Hitchcock's Frenzy and the nephew in Travels With My Aunt, has died at the age of 91
