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- Katherine McGrath was born on 11 December 1944 in Winchester, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for General Hospital (1963), Hill Street Blues (1981) and The Immaculate Misconception (2006). She died on 17 March 2018 in Salem, Massachusetts, USA.
- Bruce Ritchey was born on 19 April 1950 in Nyassa, Oregon, USA. He was an actor, known for A Child Is Waiting (1963). He died on 17 March 2018.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
A lost man and a feral swan: it's an unlikely romance. Yet the dancer and choreographer Scott Ambler created a heart-stopping tragic hero in Matthew Bourne's landmark version of Swan Lake. Long-faced and lonely, gauche eyes staring wide, Ambler's prince was trapped in joyless royal routine and contemplating suicide when he stumbled across a moonlit flock of swans, played by an arresting cadre of bare-chested men. Ambler, who died unexpectedly aged 57, and the lead dancer, Adam Cooper, performed a wary, nuzzling duet - dangerous and romantic.
Swan Lake was an immediate sensation when it premiered in 1995, touring the West End and Broadway and putting Bourne and his company (now called New Adventures) on the map. Ambler's prince was a wrenchingly layered portrait: unloved son, disregarded figurehead and adoring lover. His bereft, almost ungainly desire carried the show's mighty emotional arc: it is one of the indelible dance-acting performances of recent decades.
Later, in his career as a theatre choreographer and movement director, Ambler set vintage athletes pounding in Chariots of Fire and fag-ash MPs cavorting in This House, and from 2009 he frequently worked with the director Rupert Goold. Their Merchant of Venice, relocated to Las Vegas, opened in 2011 for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford with a swivelling Elvis impersonator; JB Priestley's Time and the Conways achieved expressionist force. For Enron (2009), the cast visited the London Metal Exchange, noting the trading floor's jittery rhythms - described by the actor Samuel West as "somnambulance followed by 30 seconds of furious activity". Ambler built a restless vocabulary of greed without consequences, self-appointed masters of the universe arrowing around the stage.
Born in Leeds, to Phillis and William Ambler, Scott went to John Smeaton high school in the city. A sports-struck boy, he came to dance late, at 19. To his surprise, he loved it, and was soon accepted by the prestigious Rambert School in Twickenham, south-west London.
Graduating in 1984, he worked with contemporary companies such as the physical theatre company DV8 and Extemporary Dance Theatre before joining what was then Adventures in Motion Pictures in 1991. Bourne seized upon Ambler and the dancer Etta Murfitt when they entered an open audition; they soon became his closest collaborators, dancers of rare gleam and heft.
Bourne says that Ambler "was instrumental in creating [the company's] unique style". Puckish yet poker-faced, he made an immediate impression in witty short works: snobby in The Percys of Fitzrovia (1992), furtively cruising a Parisian pissoir in a revival of The Infernal Galop (original production, 1989), and playing a buttoned-up gent in Town and Country (1991), eyes downcast over his needlepoint yet finding discreetly full-hearted romance. It was touching to see this tall man lay his head on another's shoulder, soulful and trusting as a red setter; the same poignant gesture recurred in Swan Lake.
As Bourne's works grew in complexity, so did Ambler's roles. James in Highland Fling (1994) was a befuddled Glaswegian who abandons home comforts for supernatural pleasures, finally reduced to haunting the life he left behind. Ambler's buttocks flashed from under his kilt ("we could never get him to put on his underwear," Bourne remembers).
He also had a good line in spiteful brats, in Nutcracker! (1992) and Cinderella (1997), but his roles aged as he did, encompassing a gallery of failed husbands and fearsome fathers. All sneer and avarice as the Dickensian orphanage proprietor in Nutcracker!, he was also the sad-sack pig of a husband in The Car Man (2000), a padded belly swelling his vest, battered nightly with a monkey wrench. He made you realise exactly why it would be grim to be married to him - but how equally miserable it was to be him. Ambler drew you inside his characters' skins, locating a vulnerability that seeped through even the most grotesque and sinister psyches.
This was especially apparent in Play Without Words (2002) at the National Theatre, where multiple-perspective mind games play out in swinging London. Based on Joseph Losey's film The Servant, it was made in just four weeks and lacked a finale by the first night. "We had to keep the audience outside while we finished it," Ambler recalled. Yet Bourne considers the manipulative valet Prentice, cosseting and conning his young employer, to be Ambler's greatest performance - a superb display of surreptitious control until Prentice himself was wrong-footed, the predator feeling himself a fuddy-duddy.
As with all New Adventures productions, the cast immersed themselves in the gestures and physicality of old movies.
By now associate artist of the company, and having assisted Bourne on My Fair Lady (2000) and South Pacific (2002) at the National Theatre, Ambler displayed a flair for helping bodies carry atmosphere and ideas that led to his second career as a choreographer and movement director.
Ambler was, according to Goold, "full of contradictions" - a bold physical presence with a sensitive skin. Passionately committed to his work, he often burst into tears while giving notes. After a career in high-definition costume, he preferred soft plaid shirts, hair tangling amiably down his neck. Goold celebrated him as "a great, great teacher who loved seeing people express themselves through movement".
His kindness towards non-dancers made him the ideal leader of Lord of the Flies for New Adventures in 2011. It proved a life-changing project, as he and the company's male dancers mentored lads with little or no dance experience: initially in Glasgow, and then in 12 other British cities. Every body holds a story - as a dancer or teacher, Ambler had an unmatched gift of making the stories sing. Bourne acknowledged Ambler's contribution to the company by crediting him as its founder artistic associate.
He was survived by his sister, Jackie, his nephews, Gavin and Russell, and his great-nieces, Charlie-May and Sophie.- Actor
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Mike MacDonald was born on 21 June 1954 in Metz, Moselle, France. He was an actor and writer, known for The Nutcracker Prince (1990), Chasing Robert (2007) and The Funny Farm (1983). He was married to Bonnie Lee Bayes. He died on 17 March 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.- Born James Hendricks in 1949. In the late 70's Jim started in entertainment as a Disc Jockey working on a radio station in Junction City, Kansas. During his radio show that aired from 8pm to 2 am, he played it as Uncle Willie, a character Hendricks created. In 1981 there were changes in the radio station. When the DJ job ended Jim moved to New York looking to get into some other form of entertainment. Not finding the kind of work he wanted, he got a job as a New York City cab driver. While being a cabbie (1982 - 1984) he would audition for whatever parts he came across. Finally during an audition to play a new host of a show that presented old science fiction and horror movies on the USA Cable Network Jim was offered the part. Originally Jim wanted to do the show as his old character Uncle Willie, but management wanted the host to be a superhero. So Jim played this superhero called Commander USA like his character Uncle Willie. But Uncle Willie was never mentioned on any of the USA shows. But everything about Commander USA, the trench coat, cigar, the way he talked, and his mannerisms were all taken from his old character from radio. Commander USA's Groovie Movies (1985) premiered January 5, 1985. The television show lasted until 1989. During its run clips of the Commander's show could be seen in movies such as The Color of Money (1986) and Scrooged (1988). When USA Network canceled "Commander USA's Groovie Movies" Jim found only a hand full of bit parts to play on TV and movies. For a short time he appeared on Horrible Night at the Movies (1989) as a cohost and writer. Early 90's he played a warehouse foreman in a TV commercial for the electronics retail outlet, The Wiz, that his fans seem to remember. His last bit part in a movie was in The Hungry Ghosts (2009). He did show up in a few plays doing small parts. For a while he played the priest in "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" at a dinner theater. Jim died March 17, 2018 (St. Patricks Day). He was 69 still living in NYC.
- Geneviève Fontanel was born on 27 June 1936 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France. She was an actress, known for The Man Who Loved Women (1977), L'affaire Dominici (1973) and Au théâtre ce soir (1966). She was married to Jacques Destoop. She died on 17 March 2018 in Draveil, Essonne, France.
- Writer
- Actor
- Script and Continuity Department
Zdenek Mahler was born on 7 December 1928 in Batelov by Jihlava, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer and actor, known for Amadeus (1984), The Butcher of Prague (2011) and Svatba jako remen (1967). He died on 17 March 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Casting Director
- Actor
- Art Director
Philippe Elkoubi was a casting director and actor, known for Despite the Night (2015), Planetarium (2016) and Dheepan (2015). He died on 17 March 2018.- Casting Department
- Producer
- Art Director
Janet Cunningham was born on 9 March 1945 in Binghamton, New York, USA. She was a producer and art director, known for Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991), Miracle Mile (1988) and Strangers in Paradise (1984). She died on 17 March 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.- Sammy Williams was born on 13 November 1948 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Day of the Triffids (2009), The Take (2009) and God Told Me To (1976). He died on 17 March 2018 in North Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actor
- Director
Benny Fredriksson was born on 2 July 1959 in Hagersten, Sweden. He was an actor and director, known for Himmelske Händel (1994), Sammansvärjningen (1986) and Kära farmor (1990). He was married to Anne Sofie von Otter. He died on 17 March 2018 in Sydney, Australia.- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Greg Sill was born on 25 May 1954 in the USA. He is known for Justified (2010), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993) and Boomtown (2002). He was married to Marrsha. He died on 17 March 2018 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.- Producer
Robert S. Rubin was born on 22 September 1931 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Robert S. was a producer, known for Bam150 (2012). Robert S. was married to Martha A. Rubin. Robert S. died on 17 March 2018 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Costume Designer
In 1974, the husband and wife partnership acquired the Classic cinema in Notting Hill Gate, west London, turning it into art-house Mecca the Gate. They launched distribution outfit Cinegate and made their first pickups three films by the young German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder: The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971); The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant (1972); and Fear Eats The Soul (1974). These were the first Fassbinder films to be shows in Britain and brought the venue instant critical and commercial success. The Gate would go on to show classic films that others passed on, including La Cage Aux Folles (1978), and Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979). Derek Jarman's Sebastiane (1976), with Latin dialogue and subtitles, reportedly saw queues for weeks. They also brought over the young and relatively unknown Austrian bodybuilder star of Pumping Iron (1977), Arnold Schwarzenegger, who posed with David for the cover of Time Out. "He's gonna be bigger than Stallone", David foresaw at the time. There were occasional battles with the censors, notably on Nagisa Oshima's Japanese title In the Realm Of The Senses (1976) but in 1978 they opened the Gate 2 in Brunswick Square and in 1981 Gate Camden. Meanwhile, their west-London home became well known to the likes of Bernardo Bertolucci, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Wallace Shawn, Robert Kramer, Agnès Varda and Anouk Aimée. Stone was born in Brooklyn and began her film career in New York in the 1960s working in continuity and as a make-up artist on features and commercials. She did Edward G. Robinson's make-up on one of his last films and was also as an editor of Film Culture Magazine. Her marriage in 1957 to fellow New Yorker David established a lifelong personal and professional relationship. In their early years the Stones worked on two films directed by Lithuanian American avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas: Memories Of Frankenstein and The Brig, which won the grand prize at the Venice Film Festival. In 1963 her and David produced Hallelujah The Hills, directed by Adolfas Mekas, which was honoured at the Critics Week in Cannes and debuted at the first New York Film Festival. Her zeal for U.S. avant-garde filmmaking meant she helped introduce the likes of Jonas Mekas, Robert Frank and Kenneth Anger to Europe in 1961 via the Spoleto Arts Festival in Italy. In 1968 and 1969, during the height of the U.S. embargo, she went to Cuba as one of the first American filmmakers to shoot there, co-producing and co-directing two documentaries: Isle Of Youth and Companeras And Companeros. She visited Cuba several times during the 1960s and 1970s, and worked closely with local film organization ICAIC. She later distributed films by Cuban filmmakers including Humberto Solas' Lucía and Pastor Vega's Retrato De Teresa. The Stones relocated to London in the 1970s and would produce Robert Kramer movies Ice and Milestones, both of which played at Cannes. Barbara developed Mel Brooks' The Doctor And The Devils, released in 1982, and worked on scripts from Istvan Szabo, Martin Scorsese, Emile De Antonio and Bernardo Bertolucci. The couple ended their ownership of the Gate in 1986 but the famous venue, known for its beautiful auditorium, maintains the same name to this day. From 1987 to 1991, Barbara served as Director of Creative Affairs for Ideal Communications, a British production and sales company backed by U2 management, where she developed and packaged feature film and television material. She returned to independent film production in the early 1990s and produced 1995 comedy The Steal, starring Alfred Molina, and Joanna Hogg's debut feature Unrelated in 2007. Living in San Francisco for several years in the early 1990s, she was also Managing Director of the San Francisco International Film Festival, and was on the Board of Directors of the American Conservatory Theater. Late into her life, Stone continued to develop movie material, mentor aspiring filmmakers and help manage London stage venues. She passed March 17, and is survived by her children Alexandra, Jordan, Dylan and Ethan and three grandchildren Veronica, Stella and Vincent.- Keith Young was married to Elizabeth King Young. He died on 17 March 2018 in Wantagh, Long Island, New York, USA.
- János Ladik was born on 2 June 1929 in Budapest, Hungary. He died on 17 March 2018.
- Ricky Bobby was born Friday November 28, 2008 in Mays Landing, New Jersey. He spent the first three years of his life traveling the show circuit of the North East and visiting southern Florida for schutzhund training. In January of 2012 he came to make a permanent home in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Here he continued to make waves in the South Eastern show circuit and eventually found his true love in Acting, Therapy Work, and Barn Hunt. Ricky Bobby would like to thank Animal Casting Atlanta for helping him reach his dreams of becoming a Television and Movie actor.
- Additional Crew
Meyer Heller was born on 28 December 1921 in Brooklyn, New York. He is known for The Frisco Kid (1979). He was married to Judy Freedman Stockler Heller and Esther Marcovitch Heller. He died on 17 March 2018.- Frans Van Dijck was born on 31 October 1923 in Edegem, Flanders, Belgium. He died on 17 March 2018 in Heverlee, Flanders, Belgium.
- The tiny 12-year-old girl with wide, darting eyes and a big headdress, undulating across the stage in the graceful, highly stylized dance of Bali. Her arms floated and twined, as if they had no bones or joints, as she dipped and rose to the urgent syncopated gongs of a Gamelan orchestra.
In 1952 New York the young dancer had never before left her home village, Peliatan, with its small, mud-walled houses surrounded by bright green rice fields. Now she was the star of the Bali Dancers, a troupe that had traveled more than 10,000 miles into the alien worlds of the United States and Europe. Accompanied by a 40-piece gamelan orchestra in which players used mallets to produce rapid, rhythmic and hypnotic music on banks of percussion instruments.
Balinese dance, with roots in Hindu and traditional folk rituals, is central to the island's culture, performed in temples and courtyards for both religious and secular occasions. It is characterized by slight, pivoting gestures of the head, hands, fingers and especially the eyes, which are virtually performers of their own, round, intense and expressive.
On the tour, Raka Rasmi performed a delicate new dance called the Oleg Tamulilingan, or the Bumblebee, in which a male and female dancer circle each other as if courting. Audiences were ecstatic. The performances received as many as seven curtain calls.