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1-50 of 597
- Actress
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Joanna Cameron (born Patricia Kara Cameron) was an American actress and model, whose relatively brief acting career lasted from 1969 to 1980. She is primarily remembered for portraying the superheroine Isis/Andrea Thomas in the short-lived series "The Secrets of Isis" (1975-1976). Her character was depicted as a distant descendant of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut (15th century BC). An amulet that once belonged to her ancestor bestowed on Andrea elemental powers, and turned her into a representative of the goddess Isis (from which the powers derived). The series lasted for 2 seasons, and a total of 22 episodes. Cameron also portrayed Isis in three guest appearances in the superhero series "Shazam!"(1974-1976).
Cameron attended college during the late 1960s. She befriended fellow college student Linda Hope, a daughter of the comedian Bob Hope (1903-2003). Linda introduced Cameron to her father. Bob decided to cast Cameron in the role of the main character Nancy Benson in the comedy film "How to Commit Marriage" (1969). In the film, Nancy is a 19-year-old music student who is impregnated by her boyfriend. She plans to give birth and then offer the child for adoption, while her parents conspire to adopt their grandchild without informing Nancy of its fate. This film was Cameron's film debut.
Cameron was subsequently cast as a female student in the black comedy film "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (1971). In the film, high school football coach and guidance counselor Michael "Tiger" McDrew (played by Rock Hudson) systematically seduces female students, and has flings with them. The girls are unaware that Tiger is secretly a serial killer, and that he is responsible for killing several young girls. This was the only feature film scripted by the famed television writer Gene Roddenberry.
Cameron ceased making film appearances by 1971, but she had already started being cast in guest star roles in various television series. She had a recurring role as Nurse Anne MacAndrews in the medical drama "Marcus Welby, M.D.". She also depicted an unrelated one-shot character in the same series. Cameron was a relatively familiar face to television viewers by the time she gained the lead role in "The Secrets of Isis".
Following the end of her series, Cameron resumed making guest appearances in various television series. Her most notable role in this period was playing the young journalist Gale Hoffman in the first two episodes of the superhero series "The Amazing Spider-Man" (1977-1979). Her character was determined to get an interview from the mysterious Spider-Man. Gale was unaware that Spidey was her work colleague, Peter Parker. She and Peter even traveled together on an assignment by J. Jonah Jameson.
By the late 1970s, Cameron appeared regularly in television commercials. She had become the chosen model for several brands of cosmetics, shampoo, wine, beer, pantyhose, and breath freshener. At one point, she held the record for the most appearances in commercials. She had reportedly appeared in 105 commercials within a few years. Her commercials had a combined length of 150 hours.
Cameron chose to retire from acting in 1980, at the age of 32. She subsequently worked for a decade as a nurse in the home health-care industry. She retired from this role in order to work in the marketing department of the hotel industry. Her marketing career lasted for several decades.
In October 2021, Cameron died at the age of 73. Her death was caused by complications in the aftermath of a stroke. Her death was announced to the press by Joanna Pang Atkins, Cameron's former co-star in "The Secrets of Isis". They had apparently maintained contact since the series ended. Cameron's death attracted considerable press attention, though she had remained out of the spotlight for 40 years. "The Secrets of Isis" still has a cult following, and versions of Andrea Thomas have appeared in comic books by DC Comics.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jack Lord will probably be best remembered as Steve McGarrett in the long running television series Hawaii Five-O (1968), but he was much more than that however. He starred in several movies, directed several episodes of his show, was in several Broadway productions, and was an accomplished artist. Two of his paintings were acquired by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum of Modern Art by the time he was twenty. Lord was also known for being a very cultured man who loved reading poetry out loud on the set of his TV show and as being somewhat reclusive at his Honolulu home. He met his son from his first marriage, who was killed in an accident when he was thirteen, only once as a baby.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Tall, spade-jawed, hopelessly genial balladeer/actor Jim Nabors was born in James Thurston Nabors on June 12, 1930 in Sylacauga, Alabama and raised there, graduating from the University of Alabama. A typing clerk at the United Nations in his salad days, he eventually moved to Los Angeles, California on account of his asthmatic condition and became a film cutter for NBC.
Jim was discovered on stage doing a cabaret act at "The Horn," a now defunct but then highly popular Santa Monica nightclub. Combining his gifts for classical singing and gawky hick characterizations, his highly unique schtick was either ridiculously insane or totally brilliant. Either way this garnered him notice.
Comic Bill Dana caught Jim's act and opted for the latter assessment, inviting him to audition for Steve Allen's TV variety show. Jim went on to appear on Allen's show a number of times. TV star Andy Griffith caught his silly singing "down home" gimmick as well and offered him the part of dim but lovable gas station attendant Gomer Pyle on his popular 1960s sitcom. Jim's career took off like a skyrocket. His sheepish "gawwwleee" and bug-eyed "shazzayam" expressions became part of the American vernacular and it wasn't long before the beloved character would spin off into his own sitcom. Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964) was a solid hit as the bungling, painfully naive, gentle do-gooder found himself hilariously at odds with the Marine Corps and a particularly tough Sergeant Vince Carter (played terrifically by the late Frank Sutton). The sitcom ran a respectable five seasons and Jim solidified himself as a household name.
On the downside of this TV success, Jim found himself inextricably pigeon-holed as a gullible, squeaky-clean hick. As a result, he found work elsewhere, particularly in children-oriented series for Sid and Marty Krofft and Jim Henson. He also decided to refocus on his beautiful baritone voice. Recording a number of romantic, easy listening albums, five of them went gold and one went platinum. He earned a gold record for his rendition of "The Lord's Prayer."
On TV, Jim became a frequent singing/comedy guest performer on all the top prime-time variety and late night shows, including "Sonny & Cher," "The Tonight Show," "The Dean Martin Show," "The David Frost Show," and "The Joey Bishop Show." He also became the annual "good luck charm" opening season guest on close friend Carol Burnett's TV variety series during her twelve-year run. It was enough for CBS to entrust Jim with own TV variety series The Jim Nabors Hour (1968), which ran for two seasons, featured his "Gomer Pyle" co-stars Frank Sutton and Ronnie Schell, and earned him a Golden Globe nomination. A decade later, he returned to the format hosting The Jim Nabors Show (1978), which was short-lived but earned him a daytime Emmy nomination.
Another good friend, Burt Reynolds, was responsible for Jim's theater debut as Harold Hill in "The Music Man" at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre with Florence Henderson as his Marian the Librarian. Jim also appeared in comic support in a couple of Reynolds' films -- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and Stroker Ace (1983).
Nabors was seen on a limited basis in the early 1990s and his life took a serious hit in 1994 when, after years of declining health, he was forced to have a liver transplant. He has returned to the limelight very infrequently (talks shows and reunion shows), preferring the quiet, relaxing life he has in Hawaii and running a macadamia nut plantation.
On January 15, 2013, the 82-year-old Nabors came out as gay news by marrying his life partner of 38 years, Stan Cadwallader, a retired Honolulu firefighter, at a Seattle hotel after Washington became a "same sex" marriage state a month earlier. The 87-year-old died of an immune disorder on November 30, 2017.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Veteran character actor Earl Boen is probably best known for his role as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series. Other films which he appeared include Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), The Man with Two Brains (1983), Alien Nation (1988), Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000). Boen retired from screen acting in 2003, but continues his work as a voice actor in radio, animated series and video games.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Donna Butterworth was born on 23 February 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Family Jewels (1965), Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) and The Magical World of Disney (1954). She died on 6 March 2018 in Hilo, Hawaii, USA.- Lovely, buxom and shapely blonde knockout Pamela Jean Bryant was born on February 8, 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bryant attended Indiana University as a telecommunications major. Pamela was the Playmate of the Month in the April, 1978 issue of "Playboy". She had previously appeared in the September, 1977 issue of "Playboy" in a pictorial called "Girls of the Big Ten". In the wake of her "Playboy" stint, Bryant acted in a bunch of films and TV shows. Her more memorable movie roles include stuck-up sorority sister "Terri Lynn" in the hilariously raucous collegiate comedy H.O.T.S. (1979), luckless model victim "Sue Ellen" in the splendidly scuzzy psycho sleaze horror exploitation gem Don't Answer the Phone! (1980), the perky "Marcy" in the enjoyably goofy Lunch Wagon (1981), and a rare lead as former porn star "Laura Armstrong" in the straight-to-video thriller The Killing Jar (1994). Moreover, Pamela made guest appearances on episodes of such TV series as Fantasy Island (1977), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), Eight Is Enough (1977), The Incredible Hulk (1978), T.J. Hooker (1982) and Magnum, P.I. (1980). Pamela Jean went on to work as an artist in California; she was a painter who specialized in faux finish. Bryant died at age 51 from an asthma attack on December 4, 2010.
- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Though almost completely unknown, this man was one of the originators of a highly popular and groundbreaking new form of comedy and satire.
After working on the Harvard Lampoon as an undergraduate, Douglas C. Kenney co-founded the National Lampoon magazine and the National Lampoon Radio Hour.
Kenney had originally collaborated at Harvard with friend, Henry Beard, and founded the National Lampoon, where the two pooled their talents and created a radical new humor magazine. Humor that was sophomoric, rebellious, off-color, vulgar and just plain laceratingly funny.
The Lampoon's humor was considered radical. Not only was the magazine an all-time best seller - particularly the infamous cover of the gun pointed at the family pet: "If you don't buy this magazine, we'll kill this dog". Kenney had broadened his comic touch all over. He and other members of the Lampoon had written books - the most popular being the "1964 High School Yearbook Parody" in 1974 (co-edited by P.J. O'Rourke). Written like a real yearbook and spoofing all the things that make them almost embarrassing and funny in their own right, Kenney and his cohorts had certainly written a little masterpiece.
Another best-selling classic of his was the cult favorite "Bored of the Rings", a humorous little take on Mr. J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary best-seller. The book was a best-seller and thanks to the release of Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning live-action adaptation of the novel trilogy, the book got another printing. Kenney's legacy was living on.
Another piece of his was "Mrs. Agnew's Diary", that roasted the Nixon administration.- A tall, powerfully built man, Douglas Kennedy entered films after graduating from Amherst. Making his debut in 1940, he appeared in many westerns and detective thrillers, often as a villain. World War II interrupted his career, and he spent the war years as a Signal Corps officer and an operative in the OSS and US Army Intelligence. After the war he returned to Hollywood, where he began playing supporting roles in larger films and an occasional lead in a lower-budget film. He is most fondly remembered, though, by audiences of the 1950s for two roles: his western TV series Steve Donovan, Western Marshal (1955), and as one of the policemen taken over by the Martians in the sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars (1953).
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Ann Dvorak was the daughter of silent film star Anna Lehr and silents director Edwin McKim. She entered films at the start of sound, as a dance instructor for the lavish MGM musicals. She came to international prominence in Scarface (1932) with Paul Muni, but often complained about the lack of quality of her films, which led to arguments with her bosses at Warners. She married British actor Leslie Fenton in 1932, and came to Britain to make a few films. She contributed to the British war effort driving an ambulance. She retired from the screen in 1951, and died in 1979.- The most famous henchman of the entire James Bond series of spy thrillers, Harold Sakata will forever be remembered as the villainous "Odd Job" in the ultimate Bond film, Goldfinger (1964), with his lethal martial arts and steel-brimmed bowler hat. He was born Toshiyuki Sakata in Hawaii, of Japanese descent. From a young age he was a proficient sportsman who developed a keen interest in wrestling, and won a Silver Medal in weightlifting for the light heavyweight division of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Sakata then went on to become a professional wrestler, and appeared under the name "Tosh Togo" where he became a "bad guy" wrestler who allegedly threw salt in his opponent's eyes.
Although he had no acting background, Sakata came to the attention of Bond producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli when they were casting for the key role of the mute Asian villain "Odd Job". Sakata's steely gaze and powerful physique made him perfect for the role as Auric Goldfinger's (Gert Fröbe) deadly bodyguard, and the fight sequence between Sean Connery and Sakata in a glittering, gold-filled Fort Knox remains one of the highlights of the Bond series.
Unfortunately, Sakata never broke free of the "Odd Job" stereotype, and his remaining film appearances saw him cast as military figures, muscle-bound brutes or further mute bodyguards. He died from cancer in 1982, but had assured himself a very unique place in modern film history. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Dorothy Mackaill was 11 when her parents separated; she then lived with her father. A rebellious teenager, Dorothy -- who had long wanted a career in the theater -- ran away to London and finally persuaded her father to pay for her board and lessons. Her first job was in the chorus; she then traveled to Paris, where she met a Broadway choreographer, who got her a job with the Ziegfeld Follies in New York. At the Follies, Dorothy became friends with ones of its stars, Marion Davies.
By 1921 Dorothy was making movies, but she didn't become a star for three years until The Man Who Came Back (1924). Other successful films included Chickie (1925), Joanna (1925), and The Dancer of Paris (1926). Her career continued into the beginning the sound era, and her silent film The Barker (1928) was reshot as a part-talkie. The industry was in upheaval during that transitional period, and First National didn't renew Dorothy's contract when it expired in 1931. As a free agent, she made some good films at Columbia (Love Affair (1932)), Paramount (No Man of Her Own (1932)), and MGM (The Chief (1933)), but overall her career was idling. The following year brought few prospects, and she wound up making a trio of quickies for the independent market, a particularly poor example being Cheaters (1934) for low-rent Liberty Pictures. Her last part was in Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1937). With that, Dorothy retired from pictures and took care of her invalid mother.- Actress
- Producer
- Location Management
Galyn Görg was an actress, professional dancer, and producer. She is known as an actress for Point Break (1991), RoboCop 2 (1990) and Judgment Night (1993).
Galyn was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Gwyn Gorg (Gwyndolin Lee Görg), is a writer, storyteller, and educator. Her father, Alan Gorg (Alan Kent Görg), is a filmmaker, writer, and educator. Galyn has one brother, Carter, and three sisters, Gentry, Sunny, and Tagi. In addition to growing up in Los Angeles, she spent much of her childhood on the Big Island of Hawaii and on the island of Oahu. Her father is of German descent and her mother has African-American, Choctaw, Blackfoot, and Irish ancestry.
Because Galyn's parents were very involved in theater, Galyn, had the opportunity to be cast in many youth productions. She then went on to win roles in local theater productions were she excelled. Galyn's career as a dancer truly began when in Hollywood, she was awarded scholarships at the prestigious Dupree Dance Academy, Alvin Ailey Summer Program, and The Professional Dancer's Society. She studied the dance styles of Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Haitian, Afro-Samba, Afro-Cuban, West African, Hip-Hop, Hula, and Funk.
The exceptional training Galyn had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers such as, Michael Peters, Debbie Allen, Sarah Elgart, Marguerite Derricks, Otis Salid, Jaime Rogers, Franco Miseria, Bill Goodson and Vince Patterson. She then worked professionally in music videos and commercials. This led her to a very successful career as a dancer and showgirl on Italian television.- Lane Bradford was born on 29 August 1922 in Yonkers, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952), The Invisible Monster (1950) and The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958). He was married to Joan Irene Velin and Mary Schrock. He died on 7 June 1973 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Evelyn Ankers, a beautiful movie actress who was a staple of Universal's horror films in the 1940s, was born in Chile to English parents in 1918. Her parents repatriated the family back to England in the 1920s, and it was in Old Blighty that Ankers developed a desire to become an actress.
She began appearing in small roles in English movies in the mid 1930s while she was still in school. She appeared in Fire Over England (1937) with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh and in Bells of St. Mary's (1937). A beauty with talent, she soon won starring roles in the low-budget The Villiers Diamond (1938) and The Claydon Treasure Mystery (1938).
With war clouds darkening the skies over Europe, Ankers emigrated to the United States and was signed to a contract by Universal in 1940. She made her Universal debut in the Abbott and Costello comedy-horror picture Hold That Ghost (1941) before appearing in the horror film classic The Wolf Man (1941) opposite Lon Chaney Jr.. Ankers found herself cast into the horror picture ghetto, appearing in three more Chaney fright films, The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Son of Dracula (1943) and The Frozen Ghost (1945), during a period in which she was cast ashore with a sarong-less Jon Hall in The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944). She also appeared in support of Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) and The Pearl of Death (1944).
Ankers married B-movie hunk Richard Denning in 1942 and made a go articulating the anxieties of the home front while her husband was off to war. Horror flicks were popular during World War II, but after the cessation of hostilities in 1945, they went out of favor with audiences. Ankers' career, mated to the genre at Universal, suffered.
She quit Universal in 1945 and freelanced at Columbia and Poverty Row's Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) and Republic Pictures in dramas and mysteries. Evelyn co-starred with her returned husband, Richard, in the major release Black Beauty (1946) for 20th Century Fox. For PRC, she headlined Queen of Burlesque (1946) and later co-starred with Lex Barker in Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949).
As the 1950s dawned, a decade of conformity and family values, Ankers quit the movies for married life and motherhood after making The Texan Meets Calamity Jane (1950), in which she was first-billed. She was 32 years old. A decade later, Ankers came out of retirement to make one final screen appearance, in her hubby's No Greater Love (1960).
Evelyn Ankers died of ovarian cancer on August 29, 1985, twelve days after her 67th birthday.- The Asian-American actor Kam Fong, best known for his co-starring role as Chin Ho in the original Hawaii Five-O (1968) TV series, was born Kam Tong Chun on May 27, 1918 in Kalihi, Hawaii. (The name Fong was the result of a teacher incorrectly teaching him how to write his name. The name stuck and he later took it as his legal name.) After graduating from high school, he worked as a boiler-maker in the Pearl Harbor shipyard and was there on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attack on the naval base brought America into World War II.
He joined the police force in 1944, serving as cop for 16 years. While still on the force, he made his feature film debut in the B-movie Ghost of the China Sea (1958) (1958), following it up with a bit part in The Lost Missile (1958) (1958). After his retirement from the police department in 1960, he acted in community theater while working as a disc jockey and a real estate agent.
Other bit parts followed in the early '60s, but it was "Hawaii Five-O" that made him part of TV history. He appeared on the show for 10 of its 12 seasons, as well as in the 1997 Hawaii Five-O (1997) TV movie that reunited the original cast, despite Kam Fong having been killed off in season 10. His son Dennis Chun has appeared intermittently in the 2010 Hawaii Five-0 (2010) revival as SGT Duke Lukela.
Suffering from lung cancer, Kam Fong died on October 18, 2002 in Honolulu. He was 84 years old. - Producer
- Production Manager
Steve Parker was born on 6 February 1922. He was a producer and production manager, known for My Geisha (1962), John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965) and The Lords of the New Church: Holy War (1992). He was married to Miki Hasegawa and Shirley MacLaine. He died on 13 May 2001 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Wyatt Knight was born on 20 January 1955 in Mojave, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Porky's (1981), Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) and Baby Geniuses (1999). He was married to Silvina Knight, Harriet Birnholz and Jean C Kline. He died on 25 October 2011 in Maui, Hawaii, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
Born in Manchester, England in 1950, Kenneth MacDonald became one of British television's most appealing character actors in a career that spanned a quarter of a century. But his greatest claim to fame was in the role of the publican, "Mike Fisher," in the hugely successful sitcom series, "Only Fools and Horses," which ran for 15 years, 1981-1996. MacDonald played the barman foil to two street-wise London black marketeers who used the pub as their base of operations. MacDonald died of a heart attack while on holiday in Hawaii. Ironically and sadly, on the day his death was announced, it was reported that an additional series of "Only Fools and Horses" would be filmed.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Al Harrington was born on 12 December 1935 in Pago Pago, Western Samoa. He was an actor, known for Forrest Gump (1994), Hawaii Five-0 (2010) and DreamKeeper (2003). He was married to Rosa. He died on 21 September 2021 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Gardner is the son of Deane McKay, an ad executive, and Catherine. He was raised in New York and Paris. He attended Cornell University two years but left when his father died. He worked in advertising for 6 months but found that he could not stand it. At age 20, he became a sculptor and had a piece displayed in the Museum of Modern Art. In 1959, he was spotted by a Hollywood producer who convinced him to join the cast of TV's Adventures in Paradise (1959). When it was over, he decided he really did not like the celebrity spotlight and proceeded to roam the world. He hiked in the Amazon, rode camels in Egypt, and crewed on Caribbean yachts. Finally, in 1980, he met Madeleine Madigan, who became his wife. The life-long bachelor settled down and decided to become a writer.- Character actor William C. "Bill" Watson was born on October 5, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. The son of Harold and Vesta Watson, William had two brothers and a sister. Watson first began acting in both films and TV shows in the mid-1960s. Husky and tough looking, with cold eyes, curly blonde hair, and an intense laconic manner, he was often cast as mean and belligerent bad guys.
After retiring from acting in the mid-1980s Watson settled in Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii and was the proprietor of Luana of Hawaii. William Watson died at age 59 on November 5, 1997 of undisclosed causes at his home in Kauai. He was survived at the time of his death by his daughter (Mililani), sons William III and Keoni, and a brother, James Watson. - Herman Wedemeyer was born on 20 May 1924 in Hilo, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Hawaii Five-O (1968), Magnum, P.I. (1980) and Hawaii Five-O (1997). He died on 25 January 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
- Gilbert Francis Lani Damian Kauhi was born on October 17, 1937 on the Big Island of Hawaii. He was better known by the nickname his classmates gave him in high school, "Zulu". His most famous role was that of "Detective Kono Kalakaua" on the hit TV series, Hawaii Five-O (1968). The show helped launch a successful nightclub career. In 1971, he signed a 2.5 million contract to appear at C'est Si Bon Showroom in the Pagoda Hotel and Restaurant. After leaving Hawaii Five-O (1968), he wound up as a headliner for several years at Duke Kahanamoukou's in the International Market Place. After he left there in 1972, he performed at neighbor island hotels and did benefits. He even changed the spelling of his name to "Zoulou", saying it was the French Tahitian spelling. He eventually became a promotions manager for an automotive operation. He died in Hilo, Hawaii on May 3, 2004.
- Kwan Hi Lim was born on 11 July 1922 in Maui, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Uncommon Valor (1983), Magnum, P.I. (1980) and Murder, She Wrote (1984). He died on 22 December 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Michael Greene was born on 4 November 1933 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), *batteries not included (1987) and Lord of the Flies (1990). He was married to Patricia Donovan. He died on 10 January 2020 in Haiku, Hawaii, USA.- John Sylvester White was born on 31 October 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Welcome Back, Kotter (1975), Kojak (1973) and Search for Tomorrow (1951). He was married to Joan Alexander. He died on 11 September 1988 in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
- Producer
- Actress
Beth Chapman was born on 29 October 1967 in Denver, Colorado, USA. She was a producer and actress, known for Corner Gas (2004), Dog the Bounty Hunter (2003) and Hawaii Five-0 (2010). She was married to Duane 'Dog' Chapman and Keith A. Barmore. She died on 26 June 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
In his earlier days, Halliday seems to have relished the life of an adventurer. At one time he fought with the British Army during the Boer War. As a mining engineer he then dug for gold nuggets in Nevada, rapidly made a fortune and lost it as quickly. He eventually switched to the more peaceful pursuit of acting, initially in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, then in dramatic plays on Broadway from 1912 to 1936 (lastly in "Tovarich", as Prince Alexandrovitch). Though Brooklyn-born, Halliday was raised in England and often adopted an upper-crust British accent. An incisive and debonair actor with a penchant for sophisticated comedy, he received good reviews as co-star of The Woman Accused (1933) with Cary Grant and Nancy Carroll. He was very much at home playing caddish bon vivants, gleeful villains (such as in Terror Aboard (1933)) or wily arch rogues (notably Desire (1936) with Marlene Dietrich). Halliday had another pivotal role in Intermezzo (1939) and was then cast to best advantage as Katharine Hepburn's charming philanderer of a father in The Philadelphia Story (1940). He died in Honolulu, Hawaii, from a heart ailment in October 1947 at the age of 67.- Justin Tarr was born on 14 April 1940 in Amarillo, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Bullitt (1968), Massacre Harbor (1968) and The Rat Patrol (1966). He died on 26 July 2012 in Hawaii, USA.
- From 1955 - 1960, Glenn Cannon was in New York City. He appeared on Broadway in A Moon for the Misbegotten and The Good Woman of Setzuan, and Off Broadway in 20 plays, among which were the famed productions of The Three Penny Opera at the Theatre DeLys and The Iceman Cometh at Circle in the Square. His tours included leading roles in West Side Story, Tea and Sympathy, and I Can Get It for You Wholesale. His television appearances in leading and supporting roles included such network live productions as Studio One (1948), Playwrights '56 (1955), Camera Three (1955), Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951). He also worked on two motion pictures shot in New York City during this time period: Cop Hater (1958) and Mad Dog Coll (1961). (Both are still seen on late-night TV in the United States.)
From 1960 - 1965, Cannon was in Los Angeles. He appeared in supporting and starring roles on television, which included episodes of Combat! (1962), 77 Sunset Strip (1958), The Gallant Men (1962), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), Johnny Staccato (1959), No Time for Sergeants (1964), and The Outer Limits (1963).
From 1965 - 1968, Cannon was a resident actor-director-teacher with the Stanford Repertory Theatre, an Equity company of nine actors supplemented by students in Stanford's theatre program. This was a pilot project for three years funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. During his time in California, he directed 15 stage productions.
In 1968, Cannon came to the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a drama professor. Shortly thereafter, he was cast as District Attorney John Manicote in Hawaii Five-O (1968), and played this recurrent role for eight years on the CBS series. He later played Dr. Ibold for eight years on Magnum, P.I. (1980) and made several appearances in principal roles on Tour of Duty (1987) and Jake and the Fatman (1987). He subsequently acted in several made-for-television movies filmed in Honolulu and played the recurring role of Dr. Landowski on the short-lived CBS series Island Son (1989) with Richard Chamberlain. Cannon also appeared in Miracle Landing (1990), based on the real-life air accident of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, and the feature film Picture Bride (1994) that included in its cast, Toshirô Mifune and Tamlyn Tomita.
Since making Hawaii his home, in addition to teaching, Cannon has remained active in acting and directing for the stage. Presently, he has directed over 108 plays at Kennedy Theatre, Diamond Head Theatre, Manoa Valley Theatre, and other venues in Hawaii. His stage appearances in Hawaii include starring roles in Othello (as Iago), J.B. (as The Devil), The Sunshine Boys (as Willie), Death of a Salesman (as Willy Loman), Follies (as Buddy), and I'm Not Rappaport (as Nat) among others. His efforts have not gone unnoticed by the local theatre community. Cannon is the winner of a total of 11 Po'okela Awards for Excellence in Directing and another for Best Actor since the awards were instituted in 1983 by the Hawaii State Theatre Council. - Josie Over was born on 9 September 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Quincy M.E. (1976), Magnum, P.I. (1980) and Hawaii Five-O (1968). She was married to Don 'Lance' Over. She died on 24 March 1992 in Oahu, Hawaii, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
The icon of breezy island entertainment, Don Ho became synonymous with Hawaii and all it represented...colorful leis and shirts, festive luaus, strumming ukuleles, flowing palm trees, beautiful hula dancers, and, of course, the song "Tiny Bubbles". A trip to the "Aloha State" seemed incomplete unless capped by a Don Ho performance, a tourist attraction unto itself. He delighted thousands upon thousands for nearly five decades and was dubbed that island's "goodwill ambassador".
Born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako on August 13, 1930, he was one of nine children blessed with a mixed ethnic heritage that encompassed the Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and German cultures. He was a high school football star by the time he left the state to study at Springfield College in Massachusetts. Chronic homesickness had him returning to his beloved island by year's end. Attending the University of Hawaii in 1954, he earned a BA in sociology, then served with the Air Force as a fighter pilot and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in 1959.
His parents owned a cocktail lounge, Honey's, in Honolulu and Don formed a small band to entertain the customers. The place started booming with business. He progressed to bigger hotels in the area ("Dukes", which became THE most popular night spot, thanks to him) and developed his own laidback style buoyed by easy, humorous banter and, above all, talented musicians. Reprise Records caught ear of his success and signed him up. Don's popular live albums "The Don Ho Show" in 1965 and the "Don Ho--Again!" were the results. "Tiny Bubbles" (1966), which he almost didn't record, became #8 on the Billboard charts and the signature song that opened and closed all his shows. Other popular tunes in his repertoire included "Pearly Shells", "I'll Remember You" and "With All My Love".
Extending himself further inland, he enjoyed the nation's top niteries in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Chicago and New York, often breaking attendance records in the process. A frequent guest on the TV variety and night-time talk show circuits, he earned his own ABC daytime comedy-variety show, The Don Ho Show (1976) which filmed in Waikiki Beach. He made fun cameo appearances on TV too, nearly always as himself, on such popular shows as "I Dream of Jeannie", "Batman", "The Brady Bunch", "Charlie's Angels", "Fantasy Island" and "McCloud".
Although he lost major clout after his 60s and 70s musical reign and was thereafter denounced/dismissed as little more than an outdoors lounge act, Don's natural charm and obvious charisma never lost for an audience back on his own Hawaiian turf, and he was hailed as Hawaii's equivalent of the "Rat Pack" in terms of style and sustained popularity. He was also a well-known restaurateur (Don Ho's Island Grill, which opened in 1998).
Don developed heart problems (cardiomyopathy) in 2005 but did not let it prevent him from doing what he loved best. He was a mainstay in Waikiki (for over 40 years) and the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel was his official stomping grounds, ever reliable behind his trademark Hammond organ, crooning tunes and teaching enthusiastic tourists simple Hawaiian language and traditions. In 2006 he had his pacemaker replaced. He died of heart failure at age 76 on April 14, 2007. Don had ten children in all with first wife Melvia; one of his daughters, singer Hoku (their seventh child, whose name means "star" in Hawaiian), often performed with him and went on to launch her own musical career. He married Haumea Hebenstreit, who produced his show at the Beachcomber, in 2006.- Actor
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Barry Russo was born on 3 May 1925 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and manager, known for Star Trek (1966), Toma (1973) and Tombstone Territory (1957). He was married to Carol Thurston. He died on 13 December 2003 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.- Barry Curtis was born on 10 September 1943 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Champion (1955), One Desire (1955) and Captain Midnight (1954). He was married to Julie Ann Nielsen. He died on 13 January 2019 in Hilo, Hawaii, USA.
- Seth Sakai was born on 22 May 1932 in Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Pearl Harbor (2001), The Next Karate Kid (1994) and Magnum, P.I. (1980). He died on 10 May 2007 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
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Songwriter ("Let There Be Peace on Earth [Let it Begin With Me]"), composer, actress, writer, author and publisher, educated in junior college. She began her career as a radio actress, and in 1934 entered films. With her husband Sy Miller, she co-owned a music publishing company. Joining ASCAP in 1955, her chief musical collaborator was her husband, and her other popular-song compositions include "My Very Good Friend the Sandman", "I Like to Ride on My Bike", "Traffic Light Song", "Listen to the Wind", "Talk It Over With Your Heart", "Once Upon a Summertime", "High Upon a Mountain", "Still Small Voice", "Ask Your Heart to Show the Way", "Keep in Touch With Your Heavenly Father", and "Lord Loves a Laughin' Man". (Her well-known "Let There Be Peace on Earth" was used in the Crusade For Peace Program and also in a USIA film for Japan, and was awarded a George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation.)- "High Chief" Peter Maivia, originally from Samoa, wrestled for several years in Asia and the United States. He gained his greatest fame as a fan favorite in the WWF (now WWE), taking on such heels as "Superstar" Billy Graham, Ken Patera, and Ivan Koloff. Maivia though later turned into a heel himself (at the behest of manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie) towards the end of his career. Soon after, he was diagnosed with cancer and retired from active wrestling, but was busy as a wrestling promoter in Hawaii. He died of cancer in 1982, but his legacy lives on as his grandson Dwayne Johnson, has made his name as arguably the biggest star from professional wrestling ever to successfully crossover into a sustainable Hollywood acting career.
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Honey Bruce Friedman was born on 15 August 1927 in Manila, Arkansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Dance Hall Racket (1953), Princess of the Nile (1954) and Lenny (1974). She was married to Lenny Bruce, Michael Sekoian and Jeffrey Friedman. She died on 12 September 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Gloria Jean Schoonover was born on April 14, 1926 in Buffalo, New York and she and her family moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania shortly afterward. Her father owned a music store; her mother, who had been a circus bareback rider, took care of Gloria and her three siblings.
Gloria's singing ability was discovered when she was little; by 5 she was singing in the Scranton area. At 12 she was taken to an audition by Universal director Joe Pasternak, who was looking for a new child singer to replace studio icon Deanna Durbin, who was being steered into ingenue and young-adult roles. Although hundreds of Shirley-Temple-perfect girls competed, natural-looking Gloria was chosen and she and her mother headed to Hollywood.
In 1939 Gloria made her first film, "The Under-Pup", which made her an instant hit with moviegoers. Happy with their young coloratura soprano, Universal cast her in "If I Had My Way," which co-starred Bing Crosby. Next came "A Little Bit of Heaven," which many consider her best film; then a co-starring role with W.C. Fields in "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break," her most-seen film.
At this point in 1941, Gloria was at the pinnacle of her career, yet her star wasn't soaring. She had outgrown her Little Miss Fixit roles, as Durbin had a few years earlier, but Durbin was in command of the older-girl roles for the better pictures. Unsure what to do with Jean, Universal moved her to the "Hepcat" movies, which appealed to the teenagers of that day. "What's Cooking", "Get Hep to Love", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", and "It Comes Up Love," were all shot in 1942 and "Mr. Big," and "Moonlight in Vermont" followed in 1943; all were stock B-films. Like many Universal stars, Gloria had a few seconds onscreen in the war-effort picture "Follow the Boys" in 1944. After that came the rather good "Pardon My Rhythm" with Mel Torme, who became a close friend. Then in "Ghost Catchers" she was teamed with popular comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. The forgettable "Reckless Age" was next; its main distinction was as the first in which Gloria played a more mature role.
Gloria was to star in one of four episodes of Julien Duvivier's "Flesh and Fantasy," alongside such stars as Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, and Barbara Stanwyck. But the movie was found to be too long and Gloria's segment was cut out. Some additional footage was added and the result was "Destiny." Gloria's performance won rave reviews, but the actual movie met with only modest success. Gloria followed this with three more Universal films: "I'll Remember April," "River Gang," and "Easy to Look At."
At this point, on bad advice from her agent, Gloria decided to go on tour instead of renewing her Universal contract. The tour underperformed and she returned to Hollywood in 1947, but she found herself in negligible demand. Groucho Marx gave her a minor role in his film "Copacabana"; this appearance ultimately landed her four more: in "I Surrender, Dear," "Manhattan Angel," "An Old-Fashioned Girl," and "There's a Girl in My Heart."
As the 1950s began, Gloria made several singing shorts that aired during television's early days. Other than that and a few guest appearances on TV series, her acting career was virtually finished. She appeared in 1955's forgettable "Air Strike" and worked in a couple of film that were never released. Jerry Lewis found her working as a restaurant hostess and gave her a part in his movie "The Ladies' Man," which was meant to relaunch her career, but her scenes didn't make the final cut. Shortly after, she was briefly married and had a son; at that point she virtually retired from the screen and went to work for the cosmetics firm Redken until 1993, when she retired.
Gloria was reintroduced to a limelight of sorts by the magic of eBay, where her movies, some of which are in the public domain, were being sold. With her sister Bonnie's help (she handled the computer end of things, as Gloria didn't do "Windows") she got onto eBay and sold copies of the movies she appeared in, as well as signed photographs of herself (old publicity shots). Spurred by the popularity of these, she published her autobiography, "Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven" in 2005.
After her sister Bonnie's death in 2007, Gloria moved to Hawaii to live with her son and his family.- Actress
- Soundtrack
She was everything you could want in a love interest -- pretty, wholesome, reliable, true blue. Porcelain blonde Florence Rice would come to films in the mid '30s but disappear within a decade, having made little of the impression she might have made. She was introduced to the limelight practically from the beginning as the daughter of famous sportswriter, documentary producer and radio commentator Grantland Rice (1880-1954). Rice was known for his many "Grantland Rice Sportslights" shorts in the 1920s and 1930s and would win an Oscar for Best Short Subject for Amphibious Fighters (1943).
Florence, who was born in Cleveland, OH, in 1907, attended grammar and boarding schools in Englewood, NJ, and developed an early interest in acting. Gracing such Broadway stage productions as "June Moon" and "She Loves Me Not," she began appearing regularly on the big screen in the mid '30s and would work primarily for MGM in the light, sparkling comedy department over the years. Equally agreeable Robert Young would be a frequent co-star, appearing with her in such films as The Longest Night (1936), Sworn Enemy (1936), Married Before Breakfast (1937), Navy Blue and Gold (1937) and Paradise for Three (1938). Florence's best known role would come as the somewhat vapid singing ingénue (Kenny Baker was her bland male counterpart) in one of The Marx Brothers' lesser vehicles At the Circus (1939) (unlike Baker, her vocals were dubbed).
As was usually the case, Florence was overshadowed in most of her pictures by flashier dames or zany comedians. Following her role as the bride in the spooky "B" comedy The Ghost and the Guest (1943), she left films altogether and found some work waiting for her on radio and TV. Three prior marriages, including one to actor Robert Wilcox, failed, but in the postwar years she happily met and married Fred Butler and retired to Hawaii. She died of lung cancer in 1974.- Actor
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Composer, songwriter ("Mickey Mouse March"), actor, singer, guitarist and conductor, Jimmie Dodd was educated at the University of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Conservatory and Vanderbilt University. He began his career in 1933 as a guitarist and singer on radio, coming to Hollywood in 1937 to play in the Louis Prima orchestra and later become an actor. In World War II he toured the Aleutians and the China-Burma-India area for the USO with wife Ruth Carrell Dodd. He was active in television beginning in 1952 and won the MC role on the new The Mickey Mouse Club (1955) series in 1955. He left the series in 1959, beginning a tour of Australia that lasted in 1960. He also led his own dance group. Joining ASCAP in 1946, his chief musical collaborators included his wife Ruth and George Wyle and John Jacob Loeb. His other popular-song compositions include "He Was There", "Encyclopedia", "I Love Girls", "Lonely Guitar", "Mamie", "Nashville Blues", "I'm No Fool", "Rosemary", "Be a Good Guest", "Amarillo", "Hi to You", "Proverbs", "Washington" (official song of the District of Columbia), "Meet Me in Monterey" (for the Monterey Centennial), and "A Bird Is Singin' the Blues".- Music Department
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All Hawaii mourned, and more than 10,000 people turned out for a state funeral in honor of Israel Ka'anoi "Brudda Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole. The son of Henry Kalei'aloha Naniwa and Evangeline Leinani Kamakawiwo'ole, Israel was surrounded by music growing up; his uncle was Moe Keale, a very well-known and respected musician, and his parents worked at a Waikiki bar where many of the legends of Hawaiian music performed. Israel started playing music with his older brother Skippy at the age of 11, performing for tourists. One day when Israel was 15, Jerry Koko heard him as he sat playing his ukulele on a picnic table at Makaha Beach. Jerry invited Israel over to his house to play with some friends; there he met Moon Kauakahi and Jerry's brother John. After playing together for a while, the boys decided to form a group, and the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau was born. The group originally consisted of Israel, Skippy, Moon, Mel Amina (Israel's cousin) and Sam Grey. After playing local events and parties for some time, they were invited to perform on a Jerry Lewis telethon. The Makaha Sons of Ni'ihua met with great success and popularity in Hawaii, recording 10 albums over a period of 15 years. In 1993, Israel decided to leave the group and pursue his own paths. He soared as an solo performer, with his album "N Dis Life" spending 39 weeks on Billboard's World Music chart, rising as high as #8. Israel sang from his heart and soul, and his words and his high, clear voice touched the heart and soul of Hawaii. His heart and spirit were far bigger than his enormous, 700-pound frame, and he grew to be greatly loved. After a beautiful state funeral at the capital building (an honor afforded only two other people in Hawaii's history), Israel's body was cremated, and the ashes scattered at Makua Beach on the Waianae coast where he was raised. He is survived by his wife Marlene Ku'upua Ah Lo Kamakawiwo'ole, and their 14-year old daughter, Ceslianne Wehekealake'alekupuna Ah Lo Kamakawiwo'ole.- Bob Johnson was born on 4 May 1920 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He was an actor, known for Mission: Impossible (1988), The Outer Limits (1963) and Midnight (1982). He was married to Carol Winifred Read. He died on 31 December 1993 in Molokai, Hawaii, USA.
- Robert John Pittman was born on 20 January 1956 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Dennis the Menace (1959), 77 Sunset Strip (1958) and Vacation Playhouse (1963). He died in 1990 in Maui, Hawaii, USA.
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- Soundtrack
Tommy Fujiwara was born on 30 June 1932 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Hawaii Five-O (1968), One West Waikiki (1994) and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974). He was married to Colette Carter Fujiwara. He died on 25 January 2016 in Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA.- Actor
- Composer
Moe Keale was born on 3 December 1939 in Ni'ihau, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Hawaii Five-O (1968), M Station: Hawaii (1980) and The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove (1979). He died on 15 April 2002 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Joshua 'Li'iBoy' Shintani was born on 24 June 1983 in Oahu, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Shallow Hal (2001). He died on 25 November 2015 in Kauai, Hawaii, USA.- Ben Chapman was born in Oakland, California, while his Tahitian parents were on a trip to the United States. He was raised in Tahiti, relocated to the U.S. in 1940 and went to school in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Working as a Tahitian dancer in nightclubs led to his first movie job, a bit in MGM's "Pagan Love Song" (1950); other small film roles followed before Korean War duty temporarily sidetracked his modest screen career. Talent scouts from Universal-International "discovered" Chapman upon his return, and for a year he became a U-I stock player--and, at six-foot-five, an ideal choice for the finny title role in "Creature from the Black Lagoon." (Chapman is the Creature in scenes where the camera is out of water; Ricou Browning is the Creature in scenes where the camera is underwater.) In his later years, Chapman frequently commuted to autograph shows in the mainland United States.
- Richard L. Duran was born on 26 July 1948 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Back to the Future (1985), Tango & Cash (1989) and They Live (1988). He was married to Camille ?. He died on 21 January 2015 in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, USA.
- Doris (Smith) Adkisson was born on November 18, 1932 in Louisiana. She was the mother of Jackie Adkisson, Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris Von Erich. The Von Erich boys were professional wrestlers who wrestled for their father, Fritz Von Erich's promotion, World Class Championship Wrestling.(1972). All she ever wanted was a normal, quiet life and for her boys to know that home would always be there. She supported them always and even appeared on the program on occasion, always reluctantly. She and the family were greatly loved by the fans of the show and the people of Texas where the regional promotion was located. She died on October 23, 2015 in Kapaa, Hawaii, USA.