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RIP Norman Gimbel

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Lyricist Norman Gimbel Dead at 91. Wrote music for film and countless tv shows including Laverne & Shirley, HR Puff-n- Stuff, Happy Days many more

The Life and Times of Hollywood
December 24, 2018

Famed lyricist Norman Gimbel (born November 16, 1927) died December 19. He was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes whose writing career includes such titles as “Sway“, “Canadian Sunset“, “Summer Samba“, “The Girl from Ipanema“, “Killing Me Softly with His Song“, “Meditation“, and “I Will Wait for You“, along with an Oscarfor “It Goes Like It Goes” – from the film Norma Rae. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.

With Charles Fox, Gimbel wrote lyrics for the theme songs of many TV series, including The Bugaloos, Happy Days,Laverne & Shirley, Angie,Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Wonder Woman, the Emmy-winning theme for The Paper Chase, and the song score for Pufnstuf, the 1970 film version of the 1969–71 Saturday-morning children’s series H.R. Pufnstuf.

Early success

A native of Brooklyn, son of businessman Morris Gimbel and Lottie Gimbel,Norman Gimbel was self-taught in music and following initial employment with music publisher David Blum, progressed to become a contract songwriter with Edwin H. Morris Music. Small successes and moderate fame came as a result of lively novelty songs “Ricochet“, which was popularized in a 1953 recording by Teresa Brewerfrom which was developed the 1954 Judy Canova film Ricochet Romance, and “A Whale of a Tale“, sung by Kirk Douglas in another 1954 production, Disney‘s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Greater success was earned with Dean Martin‘s recording of “Sway”, which reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart, followed by his first big success, Andy Williams‘ rendition of “Canadian Sunset”, which scored to #1 in 1956.

Two Broadway musicals

Top songwriter Frank Loesser became Gimbel’s mentor and, through Loesser, he met composer Moose Charlap with whom he wrote the first of his numerous songs to appear in films, “Past the Age of Innocence”, from the 1951 Monogrammusical, Rhythm Inn.

At the end of the decade, he collaborated with Charlap on the only Broadway musicals for which he has written lyrics, Whoop-Up and The Conquering Hero. Whoop-Upis set within a modern-day Native American community located on a reservation. The novel which provided the basis for the show, Dan Cushman’s Stay Away, Joe, was filmed ten years later, under its original title, as a vehicle for Elvis Presley, using an unrelated screenplay and score. The show’s Joe was portrayed by Ralph Young, who achieved stardom in the 1960s and 70s as one-half of the singing duo, Sandler and Young. The production was directed by Cy Feuer and choreographed by Onna White who received a Tony nomination for her contribution to the show, with another nomination going to Julienne Marie for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Cushman, along with Feuer and Ernest H. Martin, also wrote the book of the show. Eleven of the eighteen songs by Gimbel and Charlap were heard in the first act, and the remaining seven in act two. Whoop Up opened at the Shubert Theatre on December 22, 1958 and, despite some encouraging reviews, ended after a disappointing 56 performances on February 7, 1959.

The opening night of Conquering Hero was almost two years later, on January 16, 1961. The production, at the ANTA Playhouse, had a book by Larry Gelbart, based on Preston Sturges‘ 1944 screenplay and film, Hail the Conquering Hero. It was directed by Albert Marre, choreographed by Todd Bolender and starred Tom Poston as Woodrow Truesmith, the character originated in the movie by Eddie Bracken. Ella Raines‘ Libby was portrayed by Kay Brown, and Lionel Stander, as Sgt. Murdock, took over William Demarest‘s Sgt. Heppelfinger. Act one had ten of Gimbel’s and Charlap’s fourteen songs, while four songs (and four reprises from the first act) were sung in act two. Ultimately, Hero fared even worse than Whoop-Up, closing on January 21, after only 7 performances.

Hit English-language lyrics to Brazilian and French songsEdit

In 1963, Gimbel was introduced by music publisher Lou Levy to a group of young Brazilianbossa nova composers, including Antônio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfá and Baden Powell, for whose works he started writing English-language lyrics. Most notably, he created the lyrics for Marcos Valle‘s “Summer Samba,” also known as “So Nice”, as well as Jobim’s “How Insensitive“, “The Girl from Ipanema” (turning it into a top hit for Astrud Gilberto) and “Meditation”, which has gained the status of a “classic” in the jazz and bossa nova genres. He also provided the lyrics for Frenchcomposers Michel Legrand(two themes from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg—”Watch What Happens” and the Oscar-nominated “I Will Wait for You“), Eddy Marnay and Emil Stern (“Amazing”) and singer-composer Gilbert Bécaud(“You’ll See” and other songs). He also provided the lyrics for Belgium jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans(“Bluesette”).”Only Love” sung by Nana Mouskuri – No 2 United Kingdom (Performed in a Command Performance for the Queen Mother).

Career as a lyricist of film songs and TV themesEdit

In October 1967, Norman Gimbel moved to Los Angeles, where he became active in film and television. Among the Hollywoodcomposers with whom he worked were Elmer Bernstein, Bill Conti, Jack Elliott, Charles Fox, Dave Grusin, Maurice Jarre, Quincy Jones, Fred Karlin, Francis Lai, Peter Matz, Lalo Schifrin, David Shire and Patrick Williams.

Gimbel received four Golden Globes nominations, the first of which was for the song “Circles in the Water,” with music by Francis Lai), written for the American distribution of the 1967 French film Live for Life, while the second honored “Stay” (with composer Ernest Gold), heard in the 1969 film The Secret of Santa Vittoria. The other two were for the songs “Richard’s Window,” from 1975’s The Other Side of the Mountain, and “Ready to Take a Chance Again,” used in 1978’s Foul Play. Both songs, whose lyrics Gimbel wrote to music that had been composed by Charles Fox, his most frequent collaborator, were also nominated for Oscars.

In 1973, Gimbel experienced another great success when Roberta Flack sang a cover of “Killing Me Softly with His Song“. Co-written with Charles Fox, it was originally written for LA bistro singer Lori Lieberman after she shared a poem with them that she had written after seeing Don McLean live in concert. The song won him his second Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The same year his and Fox’s “I Got a Name“, recorded by Jim Croce, from the 1973 film The Last American Hero,was voted “Best Film Song” by the Young New York Film Critics. In 1979 he had his only Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Music Composition for a Series” for The Paper Chase, which he again shared with Fox. Los Angeles theater work with Fox included a rock/pop version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the city’s Shakespeare Festival, seen at the Ford Amphitheatre, and The Eleventh, which played the Sunset Theater. The year 1980 was a banner year at the Oscars for Norman Gimbel with a win for “Best Original Song“, (“It Goes Like It Goes“), written with David Shire for the film Norma Rae.

Continuing his working relationship with Charles Fox, Gimbel wrote lyrics for the theme songs of many TV series, including The Bugaloos, Happy Days,Laverne & Shirley, Angie,Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Wonder Woman, the Emmy-winning theme for The Paper Chase, and the song score for Pufnstuf, the 1970 film version of the 1969–71 Saturday-morning children’s series H.R. Pufnstuf.

In 1984, Gimbel was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and continued to be active in film into 2009. He has written all the songs, including “A World Without Fences” for Disney’s 2001 direct-to-video cartoon feature, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure,receiving a nomination for the Video Premiere Award, in addition to having provided song scores for The Phantom Tollbooth (1969), Where’s Poppa? (1970), A Troll in Central Park (1994) and The Thief and the Cobbler (a/k/a Arabian Knight) (1995 U.S. version). Over the years, his songs have been used in over ninety films, with some of the most popular titles, such as “The Girl from Ipanema”, heard in 1997’s Deconstructing Harry, 2002’s Catch Me If You Can, 2005’s V for Vendetta and Mr. & Mrs. Smith and 2007’s The Invasion, and “Sway” heard in 2004’s Shall We Dance?and 2046, 2006’s Bella, 2007’s No Reservations and 2008’s Paris. Additional films which used his songs include 1984’s Johnny Dangerously, (with composer John Morris), 2006’s Invincible (“I Got a Name”) and Click (“So Nice”) and the 2007 French film Roman de Gare, which featured his English-language lyrics to Gilbert Bécaud’s “You’ll See.” To date, Imdb Filmography credits Norman Gimbel with having over 646 entries of his songs in films and television.

He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences since 1970.


GIMBLE, Norman
Born: 11/16/1927, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 12/19/2018,Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A.

Norman Gimble’s westerns – songwriter, lyricist:
Chisum – 1970 [lyricist]
Barbary Coast (TV) – 1975 [songwriter]
Django Unchained – 2012 [songwriter]

RIP Sono Osato

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Sono Osato, Japanese-American Ballet Star, Is Dead at 99

New York Times
By Richard Goldstein
December 26, 2018

Sono Osato, a Japanese-American dancer who toured the world with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, carried out with the Ballet Theater in New York after which gained acclaim on Broadway within the World War II-era musicals “One Touch of Venus” and “On the Town,” was discovered useless early Wednesday at her house in Manhattan. She was 99.

Her loss of life was confirmed by her sons, Niko and Antonio Elmaleh.

In the 1930s, Ms. Osato was a groundbreaking presence in Col. Wassily de Basil’s Ballets Russes, the world’s most generally recognized ballet firm. She was the corporate’s youngest dancer when she joined, at 14; she was additionally its first performer of Japanese descent.

She danced within the early 1940s with the Ballet Theater (now American Ballet Theater), the place her dramatic projection left an influence on Antony Tudor’s ballets. She was Rosaline in his “Romeo and Juliet” and a girl of straightforward advantage in his “Pillar of Fire.”

Ms. Osato obtained a Donaldson Award for finest feminine dancer for her efficiency within the 1943 present “One Touch of Venus,” choreographed by Agnes de Mille, which starred Mary Martin because the statue of a Greek goddess that involves life in fashionable Manhattan.

She was the unique Miss Turnstiles — a takeoff on Miss Subways, an actual beauty-contest promotion that the New York transit system as soon as ran — in “On the Town,” choreographed by Jerome Robbins, through which three sailors on a 24-hour move in Manhattan expertise the fleeting romances of wartime.

But the conflict years proved a wrenching time for her, however her skilled success. Her father had been confined below navy guard in Chicago as an enemy alien. Her brother, Tim, had been enlisted to combat in Italy with the Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Ms. Osato had simply completed dancing because the Lilac Fairy within the Ballet Theater’s “Princess Aurora” on the afternoon of Dec. 7, 1941, when she discovered of the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor. She feared returning for the night efficiency.

“My heritage had by no means been hidden,” Ms. Osato recalled in a 2009 interview. “I believed, ‘Oh, my God, folks within the viewers who had a baby in Hawaii. What if somebody throws one thing at me? What’s going to occur in the event that they hiss at me?’ ”

The ballet’s administration and her boyfriend and future husband, Victor Elmaleh, persuaded her to go on once more that evening. She danced in a daze — however, as she remembered it, “nothing did occur.”

Although she was born and raised within the Midwest, Ms. Osato appeared an incongruous option to play Ivy Smith, billed because the “all-American lady,” in “On the Town.” Her father, Shoji, was a local of Japan, and her mom, Frances, was of French-Irish background.

But Ms. Osato obtained excellent opinions when the present, the primary Broadway collaboration of Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein, opened in December 1944. She was particularly gratified by the reception in mild of her ethnic background.

Ms. Osato, leaping, and different dancers performing a quantity from the Broadway musical “One Touch of Venus” because the present’s choreographer, Agnes
de Mille, watched within the background.CreditGjon Mili/The LIFE Picture Collection, by way of Getty Images

As she wrote in a memoir, “Distant Dances” (1980), “It was wonderful to me that on the top of a world conflict fought over the important political, ethical and racial points, a Broadway musical ought to characteristic, and have audiences unquestionably settle for, a half-Japanese as an all-American lady.”

Lewis Nichols, reviewing “On the Town” for The New York Times, wrote, “Miss Osato introduced down the best rafters when she appeared a yr in the past in ‘One Touch of Venus,’ and there’s no motive to exchange any of these rafters now.” He added, “Her dancing is straightforward and her face expressive.”

Sono Osato was born on Aug. 29, 1919, in Omaha, the place her father labored as a photographer. She moved along with her household to Chicago and have become enthralled by ballet at age eight when her mom took her to see Serge Diaghilev’s firm carry out “Cléopâtre” in Monte Carlo.

On returning house, Ms. Osato attended ballet courses. In 1934 she was taken on by Colonel de Basil’s firm at an audition in Chicago. In November 1940 she danced with that firm in Manhattan because the Siren in David Lichine’s newly choreographed model of “The Prodigal Son.”

“Her unique magnificence and her grasp of the temper and method of the choreographer make her utterly and delightfully proper,” John Martin wrote in The Times.

Ms. Osato joined the Ballet Theater quickly afterward. Although she loved success in New York, the navy and the federal authorities barred her from going with the troupe on its excursions to Mexico and California due to her Japanese background.

She left “On the Town” within the fall of 1945 and was changed by Allyn Ann McLerie. She made solely sporadic appearances after that having determined to dedicate her time to her household.

In her later years, Ms. Osato, who lived in Manhattan, was a significant benefactor of Career Transition for Dancers, which helps skilled dancers practice for brand new careers when their performing days finish. In the autumn of 2014, she attended a efficiency of the Broadway revival of “On the Town,” through which her function was performed by Megan Fairchild.

In addition to her sons, she is survived by three grandchildren. Her husband, Mr. Elmaleh, whom she married in 1943 and who grew to become an actual property developer with many properties in New York, died in 2014. Later in life she cut up her time between her properties in Manhattan and in Bridgehampton, on Long Island.

After the emotional turmoil of wartime, Ms. Osato was exhilarated when Germany surrendered; her father had been freed and her brother had survived the combating in Italy.

On May eight, 1945 — V-E Day — she was searching the home windows of the Martin Beck Theater, the place the Navy boys of “On the Town” have been nonetheless romping by New York within the treasured hours earlier than their ship headed off to conflict.

“We noticed crowds of women and men, in uniform and out, hugging, dancing and shouting,” Ms. Osato wrote in her memoir. “That day the truth outdoors within the streets blended gloriously with our glimpse onstage of the preciousness of our todays within the face of our unknown tomorrows. Joy and tearful aid engulfed the theater and the town.”


OSATO, Sono
Born: 8/29/1919, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.
Died: 12/26/2018, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A.

Sono Osato’s western – actress:
The Kissing Bandit – 1948 (Bianca)

RIP Herb Ellis

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Old Time Radio Lovers
December 28, 2018

"Sorry to report the passing of Old Time Radio actor-director Herb Ellis (Dragnet). Our mutual friend Peggy Webber just posted: "Many of our excellent actors have passed recently. But we have just lost one of the ones most deserving of being called an actor He was and is Herb Ellis. He died this morning at his home in San Gabriel [CA]. May God rest his soul. He was an angel to all who knew him. Never have so many owed so much to one man. He never sought credit. But did so much behind the scenes."

Actor Herb Ellis was born January 17, 1921. Ellis was a frequent collaborator of Jack Webb; in fact, the two co-wrote a television pilot called Joe Friday, Room Five that ultimately formed the basis for Dragnet. Ellis was the first actor to play Officer Frank Smith on Dragnet; he played the role for eight episodes before Ben Alexander stepped in for the duration of the show’s run. Ellis appeared in other background roles on Dragnet as well as on Dangerous Assignment, Escape, and Tales of the Texas Rangers. Ellis also did a single-episode stint as Archie Goodwin opposite Sydney Greenstreet in The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe.

On television, Ellis appeared on the 1967 version of Dragnet, as well as The Fugitive, The Andy Griffith Show, and (seen above opposite Craig Stevens) in a recurring role on Peter Gunn.


ELLIS, Herb (Herbert Siegel)
Born: 1/7/1921, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Died: 12/26/2018, San Gabriel, California, U.S.A.

Herb Ellis’ westerns – actor:
Frontier (TV) – 1956 (Nelson)
The Sheriff of Cochise (TV) – 1956
Riverboat (TV) – 1960 (Papite Roger)
U.S. Marshal (TV) – 1960 (Deputy Sheriff ‘Stoney’ Stone
Iron Horse (TV) – 1967 (Trundle)
Hang ‘Em High – 1968 (Swede)

RIP Robert Kerman

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Cannibal Holocaust’s Robert Kerman Has Passed Away

Horror Society
By MGDSQUAN
December 27, 2018

Confirmed by his brother David Kerman, pornographic performer and horror film actor Robert Kerman has passed away. He was 71 years old at the time of his passing.

Robert Kerman was one of the top performers during The Golden Age of pornographic movies. He starred in over 150 adult pictures between 1978 to 1988, all while trying to make it in Hollywood as an independent actor.

In between his xxx-rated projects, Kerman starred in a number of horror films as Professor Harold Monroe in Cannibal Holocaust (1980), as Mark Butler in Eaten Alive (1980) and as Lt. Rizzo in Cannibal Ferox (1981). He also held very small roles in The Clairvoyant (1982), Death Mask (1984), Night of the Creeps (1986) and Spider Man (2002).

Robert had been ill for quite some time. Diabetes, kidney problems and depression are some of the health problems he faced. He had been in and out of nursing homes and medical facilities the past few years. His problems are all gone now and he is at peace. Remember him doing something he loved doing and was very good at - acting.


KERMAN, Robert (Robert Charles Kerman)
Born: 12/16/1947, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 12/27/2018, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Robert Kerman’s western – actor:
The Pussycat Ranch – 1978 (lawyer Jones)

RIP Børge Ring

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Danish Animator Børge Ring Dies at 97

Animation Magazine
By Ramin Zahed
December 28, 2018

Beloved Danish animator, comic artist and musician Børge Ring has passed away at age 97. Best known for directing the Oscar-winning short Anna and Bella (1984) and the Oscar-nominated Oh My Darling (1978), Ring also worked on an impressive list of animated features, such as Heavy Metal, The Smurfs and the Magic Flute, We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story and Lucky Luke: Ballad of the Daltons.

Ring began his career as an animator on Ove Sevel’s 1948 project Tallenes Tale. He was also hired as an animator on Bill Melendez’s famous special It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966). The talented animator also worked on several Asterix movies, including Asterix and Cleopatra (1968), The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976), Asterix in Britain (1986) Asterix and the Big Fight (1989) and Asterix in America (1994). His other notable credits include Valhalla (1986) and Enzo D’Alo’s Momo (2001). Ring collaborated with his wife Joanika on the short Run of the Mill (1999), which tells the story of a man who gets addicted to drugs. The project received the UNICEF Children’s Award the following year.

Ring was also a celebrated comic-book artist — Distel and Kobus en Kachelmans, were two of his best-known titles. He also illustrated several Chip ‘n’ Dale comics for the Dutch version of Donald Duck comics in the 1980s. A talented musician, he also wrote the music for two of his own shorts, Run of the Mill and Oh My Darling.

Ring worked on the animated credits of Blake Edwards’ 1983 movie, Curse of the Pink Panther. His last official credit was as storyboard artist for the 2008 BAF/Lionsgate fairytale mash-up feature Happily N’Ever After. He received the Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award at the Annie Awards in 2012. You can order Ring’s autobiography from his website.


RING, Børge
Born: 2/17/1921, Ribe, Denmark
Died: 12/27/2018, Overlangel, Holland

Børge Ring’s westerns – animator:
Lucky Luke: Ballad of the Daltons – 1978
Asterix in America - 1994

RIP Agneta Eckemyr

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Actress Agneta Eckemyr has died

Fashion designer and actor Agneta Eckemyr has died in Alzheimer's disease, confirms her ex Staffan Scheja to Aftonbladet.

Expressen
By Moa Lindstedt
December 29, 2018

The actor and fashion designer Agneta Eckemyr was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2012.

In the last few days she died from the disease at 68 years old, declares her former partner pianist Staffan Scheja.

- I regret that she had to go away in such a young age, it is very sobering. She was very ill the last year, says Staffan Scheja to Aftonbladet.

The couple got their son Daniel Scheja together.

Agneta Eckemyr was born in Karlsborg in 1950 and started her successful career as a model. After moving to the United States in the seventies she received roles in Walt Disney films.

Even at home, her acting career went well. Agneta Eckemyr played among others against Sven-Bertil Taube in "The Lion and the Maiden" from 1975.

In the eighties, Agneta Eckemyr ran a clothing store in New York and acted as a fashion photographer.

In 2014, the documentary "Penthouse North" was sent about Agneta Eckemyr's life in New York and her then difficult situation. She was threatened by eviction from her spatial floor overlooking Central Park and her finances were anything but good. She is forced, among other things, to go to the social assistance to get food coupons, something that was portrayed in the near and unmade documentary.


ECKEMYR, Agneta (Agneta Marie-Anne Eckemyr)
Born: 7/2/1950, Karlsborg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden
Died: 12/29/2018, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Agneta Eckemyr’s westerns – actress:
And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars – 1968 (stagecoach passenger)
Blindman – 1971 (Pilar)



RIP Stelvio Rosi

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Italian film actor and video producer Stelvio Rosi died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on December 19, 2018. He was 80. Born in Rome, Italy on August 1, 1938, Rosi made his film debut as a child actor in 1942, in Ferdinando Maria Poggioli's “Yes, Madam”. He reprised his acting career in the early 1960s and was initially used almost exclusively in teen comedies and musicals. In 1968 he changed his image and his name and to Stan Cooper and was cast in the leading roles in a number of genre films, often adventure, war films and Spaghetti westerns. He worked several times with director José Luis Merino. In 1973 he retired from his acting career and moved to South America, where among other things he worked as a film and video producer in Rio de Janeiro. Rosi appeared in five Euro-westerns.


ROSI, Stelvio
Born: 8/1/1938, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Died: 12/19/2018, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Stelvio Rosi’s westerns – actor;
Paths of War - 1969 (Lieutenant Martin/Morgan)
Another Dollar for the McGregors – 1970 (Ross Steward) [as Stan Cooper]
The Great Treasure Hunt – 1972 (Sam Madison) [as Stan Cooper]
Stay Away from Trinity When He Comes to Eldorado – 1972 (Carter) [as Stan Cooper]
 You're Jinxed, Friend You've Met Sacramento - 1972 (Hike) [as Stan Cooper]

RIP Rosenda Monteros

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The actress Rosenda Monteros dies

Capital 21
December 30, 2018

This night the news that the actress Veracruz Rosenda Monteros died at 83 years of age was released.

 Monteros was born on August 31, 1935. She was recognized in the national dramatic theater, and mainly for her role as 'Petra' in the American film 'The Magnificent Seven'.

 In 1990 she received the recognition of the Mexican Association of Theater Critics for the record of 263 theater performances, and in 2003 she won the Best Actress award in Classic Theater of the Golden Age.

 Some of the films he participated in were 'The Corpse Collector', 'Los perros de Dios' and 'La Casa de Bernarda Alba'.  The last telenovelas in which he participated were 'When the children leave' and 'Love is not how they paint'.

 José Alfonso Suárez del Real, head of the Secretariat of Culture of the capital, lament the death of the actress, through his twitter account:


MONTEROS, Rosenda (Rosa Méndez Leza)
Born: 8/31/1935, Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
Died: 12/29/2019, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico

Rosenda Monteros’ westerns – actress:
Villa! – 1958 (Marianna Villa)
The Magnificent 7 – 1960 (Petra)
The Indians (TV) – 1964 (Wany)
Savage Pampas – 1966 (Rucu)
My Friend Winnetou (TV) – 1980 (Hehaka Win)


RIP Cesáreo Estébanez

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The actor Cesáreo Estébanez dies at age 77

20 minutos
12/30/2018

Valéria actor Cesáreo Estébanez died Sunday in Alcalá de Guadaira (Seville), where he lived with his wife, at 77 years of age, as confirmed by the Union of Actors and Actresses on Twitter.

The Valladolid actor, famous among other roles for playing Sergeant Romerales in Farmacia de guardia, whose hoarse voice was very popular, lived in Alcalá for more than twenty years.

Estébanez had a long professional career, with roles in films and series such as Estudio 1, La forja de un rebelde, Menudo es mi padre, Turno de oficio: diez años después, Médico de familia, Siete vidas, Periodistas, Manolito Gafotas, Hospital Central, Los hombres de Paco, Herederos and Escenas de matrimonio".

The versatile artist, who alternated drama with comedy, worked throughout decades of career under the command of the greatest directors of Spanish cinema, such as Vicente Aranda, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, Antonio Giménez Rico, Mario Camus, Carlos Saura or Pilar Miró, among others.

In 1993 he was recognized with the Award of the Union of Actors for the best television secondary for the role of Sergeant Romerales.

His body will be transferred to the Palencia funeral home and the chapel will open at 7.30 pm this Sunday. Tomorrow will be the funeral, at 12.45, in the parish church of San Lazaro de Palencia.

The Union of Actors and Actresses lamented in their Twitter account the death of the artist, whose charisma has stood out.


ESTEBANEZ, Cesáreo (Cesáreo Estébanez Bueno)
Born: 1941, Palazuelo de Vedija, Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain
Died: 12/30/2018, in Alcalá de Guadaira, Seville, Spain

Cesáreo Estébanez’s westerns – actor:
The Return of El Coyote – 1998 (drunk)
800 Bullets - 2002 (Andrés)

RIP Tom Williams

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Stu's Show
By Stu Shostak
December 30, 2018

My dear, close friend, and frequent guest of "Stu's Show", Tom Williams, passed away on Friday morning. He was 89. Tom had an unbelievably versatile career - he was an actor, a voiceover artist, a producer (of "Adam-12" for its last two seasons), and was personal assistant to Jack Webb during the 1960s reincarnation of "Dragnet". I am heartbroken. He spent Thanksgiving with Jeanine and I, and he was fine. Now he's gone. The family is requesting privacy right now, but feel free to post comments below if you wish.


WILLIAMS, Tom (Thomas Williams)
Born: 8/15/1929, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
Died: 12/28/2018, Woodland Hills, California, U.S.A.

Tom Williams’ westerns – actor:
F Troop (TV) – 1966 (bank teller)
Barbary Coast (TV) – 1975 (cowboy)
Rough Riders – 1997 (sergeant)

RIP Don Lusk

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Don Lusk (1913-2018)

Animation Scoop
By Jerry Beck
December 30, 2018

Disney Legend Don Lusk has passed away today at age 105 – reported by his dear friend Navah Paskowitz-Asner (Ed Asner’s son’s wife) on her Facebook page this morning. Lusk was hired by The Walt Disney Company in 1933 and he became an animator in 1938 on Ferdinand The Bull. His animation graced key scenes in Bambi, Song of the South, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. He is best known for his work on the Fish Dance in “The Nutcracker Suite” in Fantasia, Cleo the goldfish in Pinocchio, the title character in Alice in Wonderland and Wendy in Peter Pan.

Lusk left Disney in 1960, but continued to work as an animator during the 1960s and 1970s, on UPA’s Gay Purr-ee (1962), A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969), and freelanced for Bill Melendez and Walter Lantz studios. He spent 23 years at Hanna-Barbera, directing everything from Scooby Doo to Yo Yogi!, working well into the 1990s.

In the early 1990s, Lusk retired after a career that spanned 60 years. He received a Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement at the Annie Awards in 2015. He was a friend to many in the industry and a legend in the field. He will be sorely missed.


LUSK, Don (Donald Ross Lusk)
Born: 10/28/1913, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Died: 12/30/2018, San Clemente, California, U.S.A.

Don Lusk’s westerns – animator:
The Man from Button Willow – 1965
The New Adventures of Huck Finn (TV) - 1968

RIP Brian Garfield

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Mysterious Press
1/2/2019

We're very sad to share the news that author Brian Garfield died on Dec. 29. Garfield was an award winning author, screenwriter, and film producer. He wrote more than 70 novels, a mix of Westerns, mystery, and non-fiction, including Death Wish and Hopscotch.

Brian Garfield was one of the country’s most prolific writes of thrillers, westerns and other genre fiction. Raised in Arizona, Garfield found success at an early age, publishing his first novel when he was only eighteen. After time in the Army, a few years touring with a jazz band, and a Master’s Degree from the University of Arizona, he settled into writing full time.

Garfield is a past president of the Mystery Writers of America and the Western Writers of America, and the only author to have held both offices. Nineteen of his novels have been made into films, including Death Wish (1972), The Last Hard Men (1976) and Hopscotch (1975), for which he wrote the screenplay. To date, his novels have sold over twenty million copies worldwide. He and his wife live in California. You can find his website at this link.

Funeral arrangements are pending, with a memorial service to be announced. He is survived by his wife, Bina, his cousins Gywnne Glenn, Rebecca and Elizabeth Allen, and numerous Garfield cousins. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be sent to The Wildlife Waystation, Sylmar, Calif.

Brian was a fantastic writer and we were honored to publish an extensive portion of his backlist, which you can find here.

Pen names used Bennett Garland, Alex Hawk, John Ives, Drew Mallory, Frank O'Brian,  Jonas Ward, Brian Wynne, Frank Wynne


GARFIELD, Brian (Brian Francis Wynne Garfield)
Born: 1/26/1939, New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 12/29/2018, U.S.A.

Brian Garfield’s westerns – novelist:
Range Justice - 1960
The Arizonans – 1961
Massacre Basin – 1961
Arizona Rider - 1962
The Big Snow – 1962
The Lawbringers – 1962
7 Brave Men - 1962
Trail Drive – 1962
Apache Canyon – 1963
Dragoon Pass – 1963
High Storm - 1963
Vultures in the Sun – 1963
The Last Outlaw – 1964
Mr. Sixgun - 1964
Rails West – 1964
Rio Concho – 1964
The Vanquished – 1964
Lynch Law Canyon – 1965
The Night It Rained Bullets – 1965
The Bravo - 1966
Bugle & Spur - 1966
Call Me Hazard – 1966
The Lusty Breed – 1966
The Wolf Pack – 1966
A Badge for a Badman - 1967
The Proud Riders – 1967
Rio Chama – 1967
Arizona – 1968
Brand of the Gun – 1968
Savage Guns – 1968  
Big Country, Big Men - 1969
Gundown – 1969
The Hit - 1970
Sliphammer - 1970
Valley of the Shadow – 1970
Tripwire – 1973
The Threepersons Hunt - 1974
The Last Hard Men – 1976
Fear in a Handful of Dust - 1978
Wild Times – 1980
Manifest Destiny - 1989
Cemetery Jones and the Tombstone War - 1990

RIP Patrice Martinez

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RIP Patrice Martinez

American film, TV actress Patrice Martinez died in Burbank, California on December 25, 2018. She was 55. Martinez was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on June 12, 1963 and will be remembered for her leading role in “The Three Amigos” (1986) as Carmen but most of all as Victoria Escalante on the 1990-1993 TV series 'The New Zorro' starring Duncan Regehr. Patrice also appeared as Kish-Kao-Ko in 1998 German TV film 'Winnetous Rückkehr' with Pierre Brice.


Valley Funeral Home
Patrice Martinez 2018
Posted on December 27, 2018

OBITUARY Patrice Martinez was born on June 12, 1963 and passed away on December 25, 2018


MARTINEZ, Patrice
Born: 6/12/1963, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A.
Died: 12/25/2018, Burbank, California, U.S.

Patrice Martinez’s westerns – actress:
The Three Amigos – 1986 (Carmen)
The New Zorro (TV) – 1990-1993 (Victoria Escalante)
Zorro: A Conspiracy of Blood – 1996 (Victoria Escalante)
Zorro: The Legend Begins – 1996 (Victoria Escalante)
Winnetous Rückkehr (TV) – 1998 (Kish-Kao-Ko)

RIP Josep Maria Ullod

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Josep Maria Ullod dies, the voice of 'Perry Mason' and 'Ironside'


El Punt AVUI
January 2, 2019

Actor and dubber Josep Maria Ullod (1944-2019) has died at 74, according to the Association of Actors and Professional Directors of Catalonia (AADPC).

The actor and bender Josep Maria Ullod, the voice of characters like Perry Mason or Ironside, has died at 74 years of age, as reported by the Association of Actors and Professional Directors of Catalonia (AADPC), which has lamented his loss and extended the condolences to family and friends.

Born in 1944, Josep Maria Ullod obtained his first role in the field of dubbing as Brian Dennehy in 'Acorralado'

His serious voice, however, is associated with Canadian actor Raymond Burr, who starred in Perry Mason and Ironside, among other films and television series.

Throughout his career he was the usual voice of actors such as Paul Sorvino or Philip Bosco

Josep Maria Ullod, married and father of two children, also doubled in Catalan other actors such as Ben Gazzara, Arthur Kennedy or Anthony Quinn. The farewell ceremony of Ullod will be held this Thursday at the funeral home in Badalona (Barcelona).


ULLOD, Josep Maria (Josep María Ullod Lledós)
Born: 1944, Spain
Died: 1/1/2019, Barcelona, Barcelona,Catalonia, Spain

Josep Maria Ullod’ westerns – Spanish voice dubber:
Wildside (TV) – 1988 [voice of Martin Kove]
Young Billy Young – 1989 [voice of Robert Mitchum]
Back to the Future III – 1990 [voice of Hugh Gillin]
Tombstone – 1994 [voice of Tony O’Quinn]
Wyatt Earp – 1994 [voice of David L. Stone]
Balto - 1996 [voice of doctor]
Dead Man – 1996 [voice of Billy Bob Thornton]
Grizzly Mountain – 1998 [voice of Dan Haggerty]
The Mask of Zorro – 1998 [voice of Tony Amendola]
The Jack Bull – 1999 [voice of L.Q. Jones]
Big Jake – 2001 [voice of John Wayne]
Sierra – 2009 [voice of Erskine Sanford]

RIP Richard Marks

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Richard Marks, Four-Time Oscar-Nominated Film Editor, Dies at 75

The Hollywood Reporter
By Mike Barnes
1/4/2019

He worked on such films as 'Apocalypse Now,''Terms of Endearment,''Serpico,''Dick Tracy' and 'You've Got Mail.'

Richard Marks, the acclaimed film editor who received Oscar nominations for his work on Apocalypse Now and three James L. Brooks features, has died. He was 75.

His death was confirmed by American Cinema Editors spokeswoman Jenni McCormick. No details were immediately available.

Marks was nominated along with Walter Murch, Gerald B. Greenberg and Lisa Fruchtman for Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) — contracted for six months, he spent three years on that project, much of that time in the Philippines — and for the Brooks classics Terms of Endearment (1983), Broadcast News (1987) and As Good as It Gets (1997).

In fact, he edited all six of Brooks' feature directorial efforts, including I'll Do Anything (1994), Spanglish (2004) and How Do You Know (2010), Marks' final credit.

Marks also cut Coppola's The Rain People (1969) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) as well as the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991).

Known for working in a wide range of genres, he won the career achievement award from ACE at the 2013 Eddie Awards.

"Anyone who can go from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai to Pretty in Pink to Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead will never have to worry about being pigeonholed," Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan said in his introduction to Marks at that event.

When his mother wanted to know just what he did for a living, Marks told her, "I take out the bad parts." He also said that a film "is never finished, only abandoned."

In a spectacular career, Marks worked with Elia Kazan on his final movie, The Last Tycoon (1976); with Nora Ephron on You've Got Mail (1998) and Julie & Julia (2009); with Sidney Lumet on Serpico (1973); with Warren Beatty on Dick Tracy (1990); with Penny Marshall on Riding in Cars With Boys (2001) and, as a producer, on Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986); with Mike Nichols on What Planet Are You From? (2000); and with Herbert Ross on Pennies From Heaven (1981) and Max Dugan Returns (1983).

His résumé also includes Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), St. Elmo's Fire (1985) and Father of the Bride (1991).

Born on Nov. 10, 1943, in New York, Marks left college with a degree in English lit and no idea what he wanted to do for a living. He spent his early days in the business running film cans around Manhattan.

Film editing fit with his detail-oriented personality, he said, and he wound up serving as an assistant editor on Rain People. He then became a protege of famed editor Dede Allen, working for her on Alice's Restaurant (1969) and Little Big Man (1970) and then as her co-editor on Serpico.

"Dede loved to talk to her assistants as she worked, to explain and to teach and to include them in the process," he said at the 2013 Eddie Awards. "It was because of her generosity to me and to so many others that I made a promise to myself to try to give back some of what I had received from her."

He taught film editing at UCLA for a dozen years or so.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara, a film editor, whom he married in January 1967. They had a daughter, Leslie.


MARKS, Richard
Born: 11/10/1943, New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 12/31/2018

Richard Marks’ westerns – film editor, associate editor, sound editor:
Little Big Man – 1970 [associate editor]
‘Doc’ – 1971 [sound editor]
The Blue Hotel (TV) – 1977 [film editor]

RIP Sandy Gibbons

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Sanford Gibbons

The Arizona Republic
January 6, 2019

Phoenix - Sanford Gibbons lived the life he wanted to live - father, actor, singer, ad man, writer, director and producer.

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri and attended St. Benedict's College in Atkinson, Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Dramatics. (While he considered entering the priesthood at the Benedictine college, he later quipped that when he learned what "nun" actually meant (none) he abandoned that vocation.

He enlisted in the US Army and was recruited by actor Robert Blake to join the Armed Forces Radio Service in Anchorage, Alaska. He had a television variety show while in Anchorage, played guitar, and sang western and folk music in numerous clubs in the area, where he met his first wife, Julie. About that time Elvis became popular and crowds appreciated when Sandy sang Elvis tunes. He had a "hit" record during this period, "Rocka' My Soul."

He was honorably discharged from the Army and moved to Hollywood where he performed in a musical comedy for two years. His first screen role was in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." He joined the Screen Actors Guild, eventually becoming a board member, and later, President of Arizona SAG for several years. He went on to perform in over 55 major motion pictures (including Tombstone, Tin Cup, Used Cars, A Star Is Born, and Lightning Jack), and numerous television productions, including a recurring role on Little House on the Prairie. In Arizona he was a news anchor on KPHO; and program producer, director and host of "Dialing for Dollars." On the Bill Heywood radio show, Sandy provided the characters that Bill interviewed including Ranger Bob and Lewis Luscious. He coached acting and wrote a book, Show Biz: Voice and Talent Work Anywhere, in which he shares his experiences with many major stars and what they taught him about show biz. He was in two new movies in the past year and, in the last week of his life, was rehearsing to star in a new play.

For years, Sandy hosted "the Wallace Luncheon" every Friday, gathering with Bill "Wallace" Thompson and a rotating cast of characters -including a core group of longtime Phoenix area "personalities" and a host of friends and family. He was an active member in the Creative Living Fellowship and recently completed his term on their Board of Directors.

He is survived by (and survived) four children; Jim Gibbons, Elizabeth Erwin, Margery Gibbons, and Sue Welch; grandchildren Sedona, Morgan, Jeremiah, Sandra, Brandon, Julie, Vera, Della, and Jack; and 16 great grandchildren.

His Celebration of Life will be observed at the Creative Living Fellowship (6530 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, AZ) at 2 p.m., Friday, January 4, 2019


GIBBONS, Sandy (Sanford Gibbons)
Born: 9/5/1933, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.
Died: 12/29/2018, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

Sandy Gibbons’ westerns – actor:
Wanted: The Sundance Woman (TV) – 1976
Incredible Rock Mountain Race (TV) – 1977 (Virginia City Sheriff)
Little House on the Prairie (TV) – 1979 (Gregory)
High Noon Part II: The Return of Will Kane (TV) – 1980 (Frank Stam)
Father Murphy (TV) – 1981, 1983 (bartender)
They Call Me Renegade – 1987 (horse dealer)
The Young Riders (TV) – 1989, 1991 (bartender, rodeo announcer)
Four Eye and Six Guns (TV) – 1992 (conductor)
Tombstone – 1993 (Father Feeney)
Gunsmoke: One Man’s Justice (TV) – 1994 (Sheriff Deke Clamber)
Lightning Jack – 1994 (South Fork Sheriff)
Redemption – 2009 (Adams)

RIP Abdul Salaam El Razzac

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Actor and founding member of Penumbra Theatre dies at 74

Star Tribune
By Rohan Preston
January 5, 2019

It's not the kind of exit actor Abdul Salaam El Razzac would have wanted.

A tall, magnetic performer who was in Penumbra Theatre's very first main stage show and has been a pillar of the storied acting company ever since, El Razzac was driving from California to Tucson on Christmas Day for the first day of rehearsal for "Two Trains Running," the August Wilson play that promised to reunite him with his Penumbra running buddies. Feeling short of breath, he called his wife and told her he was going to pull into a gas station and would ring her back.

He never did.

"They found him dead at the gas station," said his wife, Suzanne Deerly-Johnson. "He had a heart attack brought on by his COPD. It's unfathomable."

El Razzac was 74.

"It's still a shock to all of us," said Penumbra founder Lou Bellamy, who is directing "Two Trains" at the Arizona Theatre Company. "We were supposed to start rehearsal the next day. El Ra died coming to do what he most loved."

And that would be on stage, at St. Paul's Penumbra, where he acted in scores of shows, but also elsewhere in the country as he carried theater's jazz ethos that he helped define. El Razzac was a master of the August Wilson canon, playing street-wise philosopher figures. He knew the characters well, he told the Star Tribune in 2011, because Wilson wrote his plays with his Penumbra company in mind.

And the two men shared a purpose and mission. For El Razzac, as for Wilson, theater wasn't about escapist entertainment. It was a way of showing the majesty of ordinary people, especially African-Americans. "He had such dignity and strength, and he was black to the bust," said Bellamy.

That El Razzac became an actor was a testament to his work ethic and his will. He had a lifelong speech impediment, a sibilant "s," that he used as inspiration, said actor Terry Bellamy, a lifelong friend who appeared in "80 to 90" shows with El Razzac.

That drive was something he learned growing up in Cleveland as the son of a postal worker and a homemaker. Born Allen Johnson, he spent six years in the Air Force stationed in Korea during the Vietnam War. "He was proud of his service to his country and always wanted to make it better," said James Craven, another actor.

El Razzac moved to the Twin Cities to pursue acting with a company he co-founded, Mutima. The company eventually folded as he became a Penumbra mainstay. He lived for more than 20 years in the Twin Cities and considered the metro his hometown even though he moved to California in 1989 to further his acting career.

He had small roles in such films as "Terminator II,""Malcolm X" and "Pretty Woman." But his heart belonged to the stage, he told the Star Tribune, especially when he got a chance to essay August Wilson characters.

"August wrote those plays partly about us," he said.

"Whenever I'm out directing, I always get one of those veteran company members if I can, and they anchor the production," said Lou Bellamy. "August wrote all those plays with a wise elder with an African link. Abdul fit that perfectly."

Besides his wife, he is survived by three children in Cleveland: Mia, Akawasiba and Tina Johnson, and stepson Nagai Deerly of Phoenix.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday in Long Beach, Calif. Penumbra will schedule a remembrance later.

"Because of his knowledge, his clarity, his work ethic and example, he was a teacher onstage and off," said Jevetta Steele, who played the title character in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at the Guthrie Theater with El Razzac as Toledo, the piano player and band philosopher. "He was the consummate professional who always thought we could do it better. And because of him, we did."


SALAAM EL RAZZAR, Abdul (Allen Johnson II)
Born: 5/8/1944, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Died: 12/25/2018, California, U.S.A.

Abdul Salaam El Razzac’s western – actor:
Glory – 1989 (‘A’ Company soldier)

RIP Lynne Brooks

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Gainesville Times
October 18, 2018

Lynne Maelene Brooks, 89, was born on Nov. 12, 1928 in San Antonio, Texas. She passed peacefully after a long illness. She was a renowned Hollywood Make-Up Artist for 30 years. In 1990 she won an Emmy Award for her work on the Fox series "Alien Nation." Some of her most famous work was done on the movies "Animal House,""Lethal Weapon,""Coneheads" and "Dick Tracy."

She is survived by her three children, Beverly Gilbert, Daniel Brooks and Karen Brooks; and also by her five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

Memorial Park Funeral Home, 2030 Memorial Park Road, Gainesville, GA 30504 is in charge of arrangements.

Send online condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com


BROOKS, Lynne (Lynne Maelene Brooks)
Born: 11/12/1928, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
Died:  10/12/2018, Gainesville, Georgia, U.S.A.

Lynne Brooks westerns – makeup artist:
Fair Play (TV) – 1972
Big Bad John - 1990

RIP William Morgan

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William Morgan Sheppard death: Star Trek and Doctor Who actor dies aged 86

The actor played four different roles in the 'Star Trek' franchise and featured in an episode of 'Doctor Who'


Independent
By Clarisse Loughrey
January 7, 2019

British actor and voice actor William Morgan Sheppard has died aged 86.

He is best-known for his work on Star Trek across the years, playing the Rura Penth commandant in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the chief Vulcan Science Council minister in 2009’s Star Trek, Data’s “grandfather” Ira Graves in The Next Generation episode “The Schizoid Man,” and as Quatai in the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Bliss.”

He appeared in the opening episode of series six of Doctor Who, in an episode titled “The Impossible Astronaut”. In it, he played the older version of the character Canton Everett Delaware III, while his son, Mark Sheppard, played the younger version.

The two also starred as older and younger versions of the same character on NCIS.
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In a statement posted on Instagram, his son said: “We went to spend some time with my father today. Though he couldn’t speak, we held hands, he laughed and was so happy to see us. We left and came home.

“A good day. He was rushed to hospital and passed at 6:30pm, my mother by his side. I am so grateful that he didn’t have to suffer any longer. Thank you for all your kind thoughts, love and prayers.”

Born in 1932, Sheppard graduated from RADA (the Royal Academy Drama of Art) in 1958, before serving 12 years as an associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appearing in Broadway productions of Marat/Sade and Sherlock Holmes.

Other roles include Blank Reg on the TV series Max Headroom and Confederate general Isaac Trimble in the films Gettysburg and Gods and Generals.

He also played two different roles on the series Babylon 5, the soul hunter in the episode of the same name and Narn war leader G’Sten, an uncle of main character G’Kar, in “The Long Twilight Struggle”.


MORGAN, William (William Morgan Sheppard)
Born: 8/24/1932, London, England, U.K.
Died:1/6/2019, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

William Morgan’s westerns – actor, voice actor:
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (TV) – 1987 (Digger McCloud)
Outlaws – 1997 [voice of ‘Bloodeye’ Tim]
Gods and Generals – 2003 (General Isaac Trimble)
Love’s Long Journey (TV) – 2005 (Scottie)
Love’ Abiding Joy – 2006 (Scottie)

RIP Morton Packard "Packy" Smith

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Tennessean
January 9, 2019

Nashville - beloved by family and friends; writer, publisher, producer, and renowned collector of Western movies and artifacts; possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of Hollywood movie and Nashville music history—died following a brief illness in Nashville on Monday, December 17, at the age of 77.

Packy, born to Blanton and Izora Widener Smith on September 28, 1941, grew up in the Nashville suburb of Inglewood. He attended Montgomery Bell Academy and Western Kentucky University, where he received a BA and Master's degree in library science.

An early interest led to a lifelong career collecting, selling, and analyzing Western movies and music. He authored numerous scholarly articles; wrote, co-wrote, produced, and edited books including Hopalong Cassidy and 30 Years on the Road with Gene Autry; and launched Riverwood Press, publishing the work of others in the field.

Packy co-founded the Western Film Festival and more recently the Lone Pine Film Festival, where he was instrumental in obtaining guests and procuring rare movies shown at events over the last three decades. He served on the board of directors of the Museum of Western Film History, also in Lone Pine, and co-produced a season of the Roy Rogers "Happy Trails Theatre" television show for the Nashville Network.

Packy's enthusiasm for the Western—not only in films but in art, books, and music—was unlimited, and it informed just about everything he did professionally for many years. Packy not only loved Westerns; he loved people who love Westerns, and he happily shared his enthusiasm with family members young and old. His passing leaves behind a veritable legion of heartbroken friends and colleagues, who remember his dry sense of humor, boundless curiosity, and big heart. He will be missed more than we can possibly say.

Packy is survived by his wife Cathleen Crank Cagney Smith; children Tony (Sherry), Jeff, Cathy Sloman (Chris), and Izora Druckenmiller (Dan); stepchildren Kim Hale and John Cagney (Sheryl); siblings Blanton Smith Jr. (Nancy) and Judy Baker Tuttle (Stan); and ten loving grandchildren. He was predeceased by siblings Robert Pippin, Bette Pippin Thomasson, and Gloria Pippin Boyd.

A Celebration of Life will be held on January 12, 2019, at The Pavilion at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens at 11:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to Alive Hospice, Museum of Western Film History, the Democratic Party, or your favorite charity.


SMITH, Packy (Morton Packard Smith)
Born: 9/28/1941, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Died:12/17/2018, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Packy Smith – author:
Don Miller's Hollywood Corral: A Comprehensive B-Western Roundup - 1993
Hopalong Cassidy: On the Page, On the Screen (Museum of Western Film History) – 2016
30 Years on the Road with Gene Autry: Recollections - 2016
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