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1-21 of 21
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Frederic Forrest, the Oscar-nominated character actor, was born two days before Christmas Day in 1936 in Waxahachie, Texas, the same home town as director Robert Benton. Forrest had long wanted to be an actor, but he was so nervous that he ran out of auditions for school plays. Later, at Texas Christian University, he took a minor in theater arts while majoring in radio and television studies. His parents opposed his aspirations as a thespian as it was a precarious existence, but he moved on to New York and studied with renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner. He eventually became an observer at the Actors Studio, where he was tutored by Lee Strasberg. During this time, he supported himself as a page at the NBC Studios in Rockefeller Plaza.
His theatrical debut was in the Off-Broadway production of "Viet-Rock", an anti-war play featuring music. He became part of avant-garde director Tom O'Horgan's stock company at La Mama, appearing in the infamous "Futz", among other productions. After starring in the off-Broadway play "Silhouettes", Forrest moved with the production to Los Angeles, intent on breaking into movies. While the production ran for three months and was visited by agents bird-dogging new talent, Forrest got no offers and had to support himself as a pizza-baker after the show closed. Eventually, he began auditing classes at Actors Studio West, and director Stuart Millar saw him in a student showcase production of Clifford Odets' "Watiting for Lefty" and cast him in When the Legends Die (1972). He copped a 1973 Golden Globe nomination as "Most Promising Newcomer - Male" for the role.
Forrest landed a small but very important part in "Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974). He and Cindy Williams are the two people having that titular conversation (recorded by Gene Hackman: so Forrest's voice is heard throughout the film). And Coppola wasn't done with him! Playing "Chef" in Apocalypse Now (1979) garnered Forrest the best notices of his career, and he parlayed that into Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as Best Supporting Actor for The Rose (1979), his second hit that year. He was named Best Supporting Actor by the National Society of Film Critics for both films. Then he was cast as the star in Coppola's "One From The Heart". In Apocalypse Now (1979), his character ("Chef") is yelling for the Playboy Playmates from the crowd, one of whom is played by Colleen Camp, who, four years later, would play his hippie wife in the film Valley Girl (1983).- Born in Hawthorne, California (Los Angeles area) on November 26, 1929, the former Betty Jean Striegler was part of the Meglin Kiddies troupe as a child and entered pictures in her adolescent years. Betta made her film debut at age 10 with an unbilled role of a little girl who sings Marlene Dietrich's song "Little Joe" in the classic western Destry Rides Again (1939) starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. She went on to also appear in an Our Gang short and had unbilled orphan roles in both Jane Eyre (1943) and Lydia (1941). She was also a one-time model.
The musical team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein took sharp notice of this young, attractive singing/dancing teen talent and gave her a small role in Broadway's "Carousel" in 1945. Four years later, when they were ready to cast the exotic role of "Liat" for their upcoming musical "South Pacific" starring Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, they had to look no further than darkly beautiful Betta St. John. The Broadway show was a blockbuster hit come opening night. While performing in the show's London tour at the Theatre Royale Drury Lane Theatre early in 1952, she met and worked with British opera singer and cast member Peter Grant (he played Lt. Cable). They married on November 27th of that year and remained so until his death in 1992.
The musical splash Betta made on Broadway suddenly reopened the door for some decorative film work. She made her adult debut in the second femme lead (behind Deborah Kerr) in Dream Wife (1953). In this she plays Tarji, a princess, who is courted by bachelor tycoon Cary Grant. This led to other "B"-level co-star/featured parts in a number of exotic eastern and western adventures throughout the 1950's including Miriam in the biblical epic The Robe (1953); Lady Iolanthe opposite Ricardo Montalban in The Saracen Blade (1954); Princess Johanna in The Student Prince (1954); outlaw Billy the Kid's (played by Scott Brady) love interest in The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954); a British belle in the mystery drama Alias John Preston (1955) which had a small featured role for husband Peter Grant; an alternative to "Jane" in Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) starring Gordon Scott; and a Canadian islander (she is top-billed) in the British-made High Tide at Noon (1957).
After numerous guest appearances on TV here and in England, Betta co-starred with Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee in the British-made horror Corridors of Blood (1958) and Lee again in the horror The City of the Dead (1960), and made one more movie excursion into the jungle with Gordon Scott's Tarzan in Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) before abandoning the limelight altogether. - Actress
- Additional Crew
Roxanne Tunis was born on 13 April 1930 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Blue City (1986). She was married to Jack Watson Scheck Jr.. She died on 23 June 2023 in Oxnard, California, USA.- Make-Up Department
- Actor
Patrice Iva was born on 17 March 1963 in Saint-Paul, La Réunion, France. He was an actor, known for Wasabi (2001), The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Rollerball (2002). He died on 23 June 2023 in Paris, France.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Stunning, dark-haired '40s and '50s leading lady Margia Dean was the daughter of a Greek lawyer. Her parents moved from Athens to the US in 1913, a number of years before her birth on April 7, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois. The youngest of three girls, she was christened Marguerite Louise Skliris. Her family moved to San Francisco when she was 4 years old and by age 7 she was a working actress whose stage credits included Little Eva in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Mytyl in "The Blue Bird" and Becky Thatcher in "Tom Sawyer."
As a juvenile performer she won talent scholarships for both the Reginald Travers Repertory Company and the Henry Duffy Players companies, and at age 15 won a national Shakespearean performance contest. Margia grew up to become a dazzling beauty and began appearing in a number of pageants that would eventually attract the attention of Hollywood. She won the titles of "Miss San Francisco" and "Miss California," which led to a first-prize talent in the "Miss America" contest.
In 1944 the 22-year-old hopeful made her film debut at Republic Pictures but was not signed to a contract. She went on to freelance in other parts for both major (Columbia, MGM, Fox) and minor (Monogram, PRC) studios, where strong focus remained on her shapely figure. She made little impression until winning her first leading role in Shep Comes Home (1948) co-starring Robert Lowery for Screen Guild. Finally earning co-star billing, albeit on a second-string level, she became much more visible in her films, which included Red Desert (1949), The Lonesome Trail (1955), Villa!! (1958) and the cult classics The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), 7 Women from Hell (1961) and (her last) Moro Witch Doctor (1964). At the same time she appeared in myriad TV and theater productions, and engaged in an enviable jet-setting social life with escorts that included Prince Aly Khan.
Frustrations set in, however, as the obviously talented actress found herself almost exclusively bonded in the "B" film ranks where she could still attract audiences as a temptress or villainess. While she occasionally graced an "A" picture--including Living in a Big Way (1947) starring Gene Kelly, Take Care of My Little Girl (1951) with Jeanne Crain and Mitzi Gaynor and The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) starring Jane Russell--her roles were usually smaller in size. Although she admittedly took on a number of roles that were beneath her talent in order to pay the bills, some of her better acting appearances actually came later in her career, notably The Secret of the Purple Reef (1960) with Peter Falk and The Big Show (1961) starring Esther Williams and Cliff Robertson.
In subsequent years Margia expanded her interests to include producing at a time when few women could break into such a male-dominated field. She was the executive producer of the western The Long Rope (1961) starring Hugh Marlowe. She was also associate producer on a couple of minor '60s films made in England and produced a TV pilot. In 1965 she married second husband Felipe Alvarez, an architect by trade, whose own creative outlets included painting, writing, photography, guitar and voice, and eventually left the business.
Margia went on to become the vice-president of a major real estate firm, a Beverly Hills restaurateur and a Brentwood dress shop owner. Happily married to Alvarez for 40+ years, the couple has retired blissfully to the Southern California area. The still-vivacious octogenarian is glimpsed from time to time at film festivals and nostalgia conventions. Had a few more lucky breaks and some better career decisions come her way, there is no telling what kind of "A"-level heights lovely Margia Dean might have attained. Still, she remains a viable and entertaining footnote in Hollywood's past.- Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Sheldon Harnick was born on 30 April 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and composer, known for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Election (1999) and Beautiful Boy (2018). He was married to Margery Gray, Elaine May and Mary Elizabeth Boatner. He died on 23 June 2023 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Malcolm Mowbray was born on 24 June 1949 in Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for A Private Function (1984), Meeting Spencer (2011) and The Revengers' Comedies (1998). He was married to Valerie Hill. He died on 23 June 2023 in the UK.- Actor
- Production Designer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Barry O'Rourke was an Irish actor and screenwriter. His credits included the lead in Mafia III (2016) (the video), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005), Perfidious (2020), Darling Nikki (2019), and Smartass (2017) and a lead in Faces On Mars, and supporting roles in 'South of Hope Street' and 'The Ninth Cloud'.
The son of Noel and Bernadette (Kennedy) O'Rourke, he had two brothers, Noel and Brian, and a sister, Anne.
Barry O'Rourke died of undisclosed causes in Sligo, Ireland, in 2023. His funeral Mass was held in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo. He was interred in Saint Patrick's Cemetery, Scarden, Strandhill Road, Sligo.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Willem Nijholt was born on 19 July 1934 in Gombong, Kedoe, Dutch East Indies [now Gombong, Central Java, Indonesia]. He was an actor and director, known for Oebele (1968), Havinck (1987) and Rouw past Electra (1980). He died on 23 June 2023 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Jerry Segal was born on 3 July 1927 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He was a writer, known for Die Laughing (1980), One on One (1977) and Walk Proud (1979). He was married to Ann Benson. He died on 23 June 2023 in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
Troels II Munk was born on 19 October 1944 in Denmark. He was an actor and director, known for After the Wedding (2006), Forbrydelsen (2007) and Bubbles (2011). He was married to Pia Rosenbaum. He died on 23 June 2023 in Frederiksberg, Denmark.- Luís Aleluia was born on 23 February 1960 in Setúbal, Portugal. He was an actor and writer, known for Sunset: The Mystery of the Necklace of São Cajó (2023), Bem-Vindos a Beirais (2013) and Pôr do Sol (2021). He was married to Zita Favretto. He died on 23 June 2023 in Sintra, Portugal.
- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kunto Ojansivu was born on 22 December 1959 in Rovaniemi, Finland. He was an actor and director, known for Sibelius (2003), Tonttu Toljanteri: Tonttulan elämää (2000) and Tonttu Toljanterin joulupulma (1998). He was married to Satu Sikanen and Anna-Maija Ojansivu. He died on 23 June 2023 in Finland.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jesse McReynolds was born on 9 July 1929 in Carfax, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for My Fool Heart, Nashville (2012) and The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). He was married to Joy Tipton and Darlene McCoy. He died on 23 June 2023 in Gallatin, Tennessee, USA.- Pravin Raja Karale was a director, known for Haa Mee Maratha (2018), Wah Kya Scene Hai (1993) and Tujhich Re (2019). Pravin Raja died on 23 June 2023 in Pune, India.
- Rino Brezina was born on 9 June 1951. He was an actor, known for Nya tider (1999), Wallander (2005) and The White Lioness (1996). He died on 23 June 2023 in Sweden.
- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Music Department
Miriam Arsham was born on 6 September 1920 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. She was an editor, known for Nanook of the North (1922), The Medium (1951) and Jascha Heifetz Master Classes (1962). She died on 23 June 2023 in Edgewater, New Jersey, USA.- Music Department
Mickey Gravine was born on 5 August 1932 in Archibald, Pennsylvania, USA. Mickey was married to Marie Rose. Mickey died on 23 June 2023 in Toms River, New Jersey, USA.- Hilda Warbrick is the maternal grandmother of Cometan and wife of William Warbrick. Born as Hilda Cottam on 29th August 1937 in the village of Higher Walton in Lancashire, Hilda suffered many tragedies in her childhood, the first involved the death of her mother Jane Turner when she was four years old and the second involved the death of her father Richard Cottam when she was just twenty. Hilda went on to marry William Warbrick on 17th May 1958 at St Patrick's Church in Higher Walton and they had two daughters together, named Karen and Louise. Hilda had and continues to hold a central place in the childhood and upbringing of Cometan and likely influenced Cometan's love of learning and his dedication to his education.
- Hans Sidén was born on 12 October 1935 in Sundsvall, Sweden. He died on 23 June 2023 in Västra Götaland, Sweden.
- Krystyna Froelich was born on 24 February 1934 in Poland. She was an actress, known for Eminent Domain (1990), Zagrozenie (1976) and Television Theater (1953). She died on 23 June 2023.