RIP Franco Freda

January 9, 2019, 12:14 pm

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Goodbye to Franco Freda, the make-up artist of the movie stars

He died at the San Jacopo Hospital in Pistoia Francesco "Franco" Freda, 94, very famous in the world of Italian cinema as a make-up artist: the funeral will be on January 9 at 2.30 pm in San Benedetto.

Firenze Settegiorni

January 8, 2019

A few years ago he settled in Pistoia, at the age of 94 Francesco "Franco" Freda disappeared, a character known in the film world as a make-up artist of the stars. He worked with Antonioni, Scola and alongside, among others, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni

Franco Freda: a great friend of Ettore Scola

The news spread quickly in the city, demonstrating the knowledge he had in Pistoia and throughout the province. At 94, after a hospitalization of almost 20 days, Francesco "Franco" Freda, a great make-up artist of the Italian cinema of the golden years, passed away at the San Jacopo Hospital.

His link with Pistoia was evidenced by the fact of having married the Pistoiese Anna Allegri, who died in 2005, and owner of the tailor's "Annamode" in Rome, who always works alongside the world of cinema. Freda has spent a lifetime behind the film sets working with directors such as Antonioni, Scola and many others as well as being alongside Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and all the most important in the cinema of our house.

The funeral of Franco Freda will be celebrated tomorrow, Wednesday, January 9, at 2.30 pm in the church of San Benedetto in Pistoia.

FREDA, Franco (Francesco Freda)

Born: 1/6/1925, Foligno, Umbria, Italy

Died: 1/8/2019, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy

Franco Freda’s westerns – make-up artist:

Navajo Joe – 1966

Vengeance is Mine – 1968

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RIP Laya Raki

January 9, 2019, 3:28 pm

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Laya Raki Randell-Wood

Dignity Memorial

Laya Raki Randell-Wood passed away peacefully in the evening of December 21, 2018, in Hollywood, California.

She was born Brunhilde Marie Jorns in Hamburg, Germany on July 27, 1927. Her mother left when Laya was only five years old. Her father remarried soon thereafter. He worked with the circus, where Laya learned acrobatics at a very young age, and performed in several circus acts. In her late teens, she partnered with fellow acrobat, Ricardo U. Partnerin, performing a 2-person dance/acrobatic act.

From there, she learned ballet and other forms of dance. She developed a passion for dance, and was best known for her exotic dances. She performed throughout NW Europe and Italy in the 1940’s to 1950. She adopted the screen name, ‘Laya Raki’, at the suggestion of her manager. In 1954, she got a major part in the movie, ‘The Seekers’, (released in the U.S. as, 'Land of Fury’), as the exotic Moari dancer, longside actor Jack Hawkins. It was shot in New Zealand, and was a big hit, bringing Laya into the spotlight.

In 1955 Laya went to London to continue her acting career. Her roles in British films and TV productions made her an international star. She gained fame and recognition for her role in the popular British TV series, ‘Crane’. In order to appear more exotic to her viewing public, she invented a story that her mother was of Indonesian/French descent. While working in London, she met a handsome Australian actor, Ron Randell. It was love at first sight. They married in September, 1957 in London. Ron was doing films in both Australia and the United States. They decided to move to the U.S. in the 1960’s, working between New York City and Los Angeles. Laya appeared in the popular TV series, ‘I Spy’, and other shows over the years in Los Angeles.

Ron, died from Alzheimer’s related problems in June of 2005. In April of 2009, Laya married Duane Wood, retired Vice President of Lockheed Aircraft International. Laya is preceded in death by her father, Wilhelm Jorns in 1963, and her brother Alvin, her first husband, Ron Randell, and second husband Duane Wood in July of 2018. She is survived by her step-daughter, Cathy, and her step-grandchildren, Tyler and Shannon.

She will be laid to rest beside her first husband, Ronald Randell, at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park.

RAKI, Laya (Brunhilde Marie Jons)

Born: 7/27/1927, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Died: 12/21/2018, Hollywood, California, U.S.A.

Laya Raki’s westerns – actress:

Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1962 (gypsy girl)

Savage Pampas – 1966 (Mimi)

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RIP Daniel Radakovich

January 9, 2019, 4:38 pm

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

January 6, 2019

Daniel Ivan Radakovich, age 60, of Moon Township, passed on Friday, January 4, 2019. Born September 27, 1958, beloved son of Daniel L. and Nancy (Fluck) Radakovich; brother of Lisa (Peter) Holsberg of New York, NY, Leslie (Neil) Olshey of Portland, OR, and Lori Radakovich of Wooster, OH; uncle of Sarah and Lukas Holsberg, Connor and James Olshey, and Katerina and Elianna Vojtkosky. He was a member of St. Catherine's Church, Crescent, and the Knights of Columbus Council #2555. Daniel was a historian, author, and actor, very involved with local theater and the arts, and active in local democratic politics and a member of MENSA. Viewing at COPELAND'S, Moon Township, 981 Brodhead Rd. on Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday Prayers of Transfer 9:20 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Catherine of Siena Church, Crescent at 10:00 a.m., followed by interment in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Hopewell Twp.

Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Jan. 6 to Jan. 7, 2019.

RADAKOVICH, Daniel (Daniel Ivan Radakovich)

Born: 9/27/1958, U.S.A.

Died: 1/4/2019, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Daniel Radakovich’s western – actor:

Black Kerchief – 2011 (sheriff)

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RIP Gregg Rudloff

January 9, 2019, 4:50 pm

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Gregg Rudloff, Three-Time Oscar-Winning Sound Mixer, Dies at 63

The Hollywood Reporter

By Carolyn Giardina, Mike Barnes

January 9, 2019

Gregg Rudloff, the prolific Hollywood sound mixer who won Academy Awards for his work on Glory, The Matrix and Mad Max: Fury Road, has died. He was 63.

A resident of Sherman Oaks, Rudloff died Sunday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coronor's office told The Hollywood Reporter. She said his death is being treated as a suicide, and the result of an autopsy is pending.

He most recently served on the experimental Orson Welles film The Other Side of the Wind (2018).

A rerecording mixer with more than 200 credits listed on IMDb, Rudloff also received Oscar noms for The Perfect Storm (2000), Argo (2012) and two films he made with director and frequent collaborator Clint Eastwood: Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and American Sniper (2014).

Rudloff and Eastwood also worked together on Honkytonk Man (1982) — the sound man's first credit — Absolute Power (1997), True Crime (1999), Letters From Iwo Jima (2006), Gran Torino (2008), Changeling (2008), Invictus (2009), Hereafter (2010), J. Edgar (2011), the Robert Lorenz-helmed Trouble With the Curve (2012) and Jersey Boys (2014).

Backstage at the 2016 Academy Awards after his victory on Mad Max: Fury Road (shared with Chris Jenkins and Ben Osmo), Rudloff talked about how pleased he was to have teamed with director George Miller.

"Working with George, not only him recognizing but embracing our passion for the use of sound in storytelling, that's what we live for, that's what gives us our fix," he said.

Director Rob Reiner hired him for This Is Spinal Tap (1984), The Sure Thing (1985), Stand by Me (1986) and The Princess Bride (1987).

Born in Los Angeles on Nov. 2, 1955, Rudloff also partnered on dozens of movies with fellow rerecording mixer John T. Reitz. They shared the Oscar (with David E. Campbell and David Lee) on The Matrix, collaborated on the sequels and did other notable films like Risky Business (1983), Footloose (1984), Bachelor Party (1984), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), White Men Can't Jump (1992), Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Space Jam (1996), The Postman (1997), Pay It Forward (2000), Catwoman (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and Superman Returns (2006).

Rudloff also won an Emmy for the 1985 miniseries An Early Frost and a Golden Reel award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors for The Matrix.

In a profile on the Technicolor website, Rudloff said, "For me it's not so much about what I've done, it's about whom I've done it with." He considered glass sculptor Dale Chihuly "an artistic influence because of the way he collaborates with his team and fellow artists."

His father, Tex Rudloff, was nominated for a sound Oscar for The Buddy Holly Story (1978) and also did They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Taxi Driver (1996), Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and History of the World: Part I (1981).

RUDLOFF, Gregg

Born: 11/2/1955, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 1/6/2019, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Gregg Rudloff’s western – re-recording mixer:

Glory – 1989

The Postman – 1997

American Outlaws - 2001

Appaloosa – 2008

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RIP Verna Bloom

January 10, 2019, 1:52 pm

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Verna Bloom, Actress in ‘Animal House,’ ‘High Plains Drifter,’ Dies at 80

Variety

By Rachel Yang

January 10,2019

Verna Bloom, who appeared in “Animal House” and worked with the likes of Martin Scorsese, died Jan. 9 in Bar Harbor, Maine, her rep confirmed to Variety. She was 80 years old.

The cause was complications of dementia, her family stated.

Although Bloom appeared extensively in theater and television, she is most noted for her film work. One of her memorable roles came in John Landis’ 1978 comedy “Animal House,” in which she appeared as the drunken, debauched wife of the beleaguered Dean Wormer. She also appeared in three films by Martin Scorsese — “Street Scenes 1970,” “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1998), and “After Hours” (1985) — and two by Clint Eastwood: “The High Plains Drifter” (1973) and “Honkytonk Man” (1982).

Bloom was born in Lynn, Mass., in 1938. After graduating from Boston University, she moved to Denver and started a local theater. Moving to New York in the mid-1960s, she starred as Charlotte Corday in the Broadway revival of “Marat/Sade” and, shortly after, on the recommendation of the writer/historian Studs Terkel, made her film debut in Haskell Wexler’s “Medium Cool” (1969), in which she played a young Appalachian mother caught up in the street violence of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. For her performance, she was nominated as both best actress and best supporting actress by the National Society of Film Critics.

Bloom fulfilled a lifelong dream by starring with Frank Sinatra in the two-part television film “Contract on Cherry Street” (1977), and then appearing in Peter Fonda’s elegiac Western “The Hired Hand” (1981).

She is survived by her husband of 49 years, screenwriter Jay Cocks (“Gangs of New York”), and her son Sam.

Donations may be made to Bonaparte’s Retreat Dog Rescue.

BLOOM, Verna (Verna Frances Bloom)

Born: 8/17/1939, Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Died: 1/9/21019, Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.A.

Verna Bloom’s westerns – actress:

Bonanza (TV) – 1969 (Ellen Masters)

The Hired Hand – 1971 (Hannah Collings)

High Plains Drifter – 1973 (Sarah Belding)

Dr. Quinn , Medicine Woman (TV) – 1993 (Maude Bray)

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RIP Fernando Luján

January 11, 2019, 2:31 pm

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Fernando Luján dies in his house in Puerto Escondido

In recent days, the actor Fernando Luján was hospitalized when suffering from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; He died at his home in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

Excelsior

1/11/2019

Actor Fernando Luján died Friday at his home in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

The actor, one of the leading figures in film and television in Mexico, stood out for his performance in soap operas such as "Los ricos también lloran", "Mirada de mujer" and in films like "Cuando los hijos regresan" and "Hombre al agua ! "

He was recently hospitalized urgently due to a COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) crisis.

His death has been confirmed by various media and it is expected that his family will soon provide more details of the event.

LUJAN, Fernando

Born: 8/23/1938, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico

Died: 1/11/2019, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico

Fernando Lujan’s western – actor:

El pueblo fantasma – 1965 (Rio Kid)

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RIP Eduardo MacGregor

January 11, 2019, 3:05 pm

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The actor Eduardo MacGregor died

The National Association of Interpreters reported that the death occurred in the month of December; He will be remembered for his work in television and film, where he worked with Luis Buñuel in 'Simón en el desierto'

Milenio

1/11/2019

The National Association of Interpreters (ANDI) informed through its social networks that the Spanish actor Eduardo MacGregor died in the month of December. The histrion developed his career in Mexico as a dubbing actor in productions such as Oz, El Poder , Carancho and El Álamo .

He also ventured into the films The Stone Book (1969), Christ 70 (1970), Blue Demon, Spies Destroyer (1968), The World of the Dead (1970) and The Jeremias (2015).

This actor also worked with director Luis Buñuel , in Simón en el Desierto , in which Silvia Pinal, Enrique Álvarez Félix and Claudio Book also participated in 1965.

The last productions in which he participated was in the short film Zipolite (2017) and the series Yago (2016) and Por Siempre ... Joan Sebastian, El Poeta del Pueblo. He studied at the Master of Arts with a Specialty in Dramatic Art at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

MacGREGOR, Eduardo (Eduardo Ferrer MacGregor)

Born: 3/10/19??, Spain

Died: 12/16/2018, Mexico

Eduardo MacGregor’s westerns – actor:

Zorro (TV) – 1959, 1960 [Spanish voice of Whit Bissell, George N. Neise]

The Alamo – 1960 [Spanish voice of Denver Pyle]

Daniel Boone (TV) – 1965 [Spanish voice of Alexander D’Arcy]

El pistolero descondido – 1967 (Empleado de Pedro)

The Two Brothers – 1971 (priest)

Jalisco nunca pierde – 1974 (banker)

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RIP Stefanos Miltsakakis

January 12, 2019, 10:40 am

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Legendary Action Actor Stefanos Miltsakakis Dies at 60

Greek Hollywood Reporter

By Tasos Kokkinidis

January 12, 2019

Hollywood just lost one of its best fighters – Stefanos Miltsakakis, the legendary Greek American fighter who became a popular bad guy in action movies, died at the age of 60 in Los Angeles on Wednesday. An excellent martial artist, Miltsikakis was suffering from heart problems lately.

Born in humble surroundings in Provatonas, a small village near the town of Alexandroupoli, northern Greece in 1959, he shot to fame fighting Jean-Claude van Damme in five Hollywood movies.

“I remember fighting as soon as I started to walk,” he said in a TV interview in 2011.

“I was raised in an environment where children were fighting, wresting with each other all day long.”

In 1973 he moved to America with his family, although they could not speak English. They settled in a studio apartment, shared with another Greek family, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He later described how as a teenager he was subject to discrimination: not speaking English and being culturally different, he was struggling to integrate himself with the local youth.

After getting into trouble, the high school free-fighting trainer encouraged him to join the school team: this changed his life forever. He won a scholarship for the State University of North Carolina and became a fighter for the All-Americans team.

In 1984, at age 24, he was selected for the Greek team at the Olympics that year, but a knee injury just before the event forced him to abandon his Olympic dreams.

This forced him to consider the idea of working in the world of cinema. In 1989 he got a small role in the film Cyborg, by Albert Pyun , where he had the chance to work with actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. He moved to Los Angeles and began a career of small character parts, especially in martial arts films.

With Van Damme he collaborated again in Lionheart (where he plays a soldier on a jeep), in La Prova (where he plays a Greek wrestler), in Maximum Risk (where he plays a killer) and in Derailed (where he plays one of the hijackers).

But Miltsakakis was also a great fighter in real life.

On September 27, 1999 he took part in the 9th Vale Tudo World Championship during which he won against judoka Joe Charles in 8:38 minutes, recording a personal record. In 2002 he participated in the 14th Vale tudo, where he won against Mariano Mendoza.

He was also a world champion in “Pagration”, an ancient Greek sport combining wresting with boxing.

After his retirement in 2011 he set up a gym in Venice CA.

He will be sorely missed by his friends and all the people who knew him over the years. In a post on Facebook Stephen Brown writes: “With a heavy heart and swollen eyes we say goodbye for now to one of the greatest human beings that ever walked this earth. He was a mentor to so many of us who was blessed to have known him.”

MILTSAKAKIS, Stefanos

Born: 3/8/1959, Provatonas, Greece,

Died: 1/9/2019, Los Angeles California, U.S.A.

Stefanos Miltsakakis’ western – actor:

The Man Who Came Back – 2008 (mean guard)

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RIP Paul Koslo

January 14, 2019, 7:06 pm

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Paul Koslo Dies: Veteran Character Actor Was 74

Deadline Hollywood

By Denise Petski

January 14, 2019

Veteran character actor Paul Koslo, known for his work in films such as The Omega Man and Vanishing Point, has died. Koslo died January 9 of pancreatic cancer surrounded by family at his home in Lake Hughes, California, his family said in a statement. He was 74.

Koslo, born in Germany and raised in Canada, began his career in his early 20s with a role in Little White Crimes, a short, in 1966. In the 1970s, he established a foothold as an actor in cult films such as Nam’s Angels aka The Losers, referenced in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, along with Vanishing Point and The Stone Killer. While he became known for more villainous roles, he appeared in an unusually

sympathetic co-starring role opposite Charlton Heston in sci-fi cult classic The Omega Man.

His more villainous roles included films Joe Kidd in 1972, opposite Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson-starrer Mr. Majestyk in 1975 and The Drowning Pool in 1975, starring Paul Newman. He went on to a solid supporting actor role as a Jewish concentration camp survivor in critically praised Voyage of the Damned in 1976 and played the mayor in 1980’s Heaven’s Gate.

His TV credits included The Rockford Files, Mission: Impossible, The Incredible Hulk, Quincy, M.E., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, T. J. Hooker, The A-Team, The Fall Guy, Dallas and Hunter. He was also in film Loose Cannons (1990) with Gene Hackman and Dan Aykroyd (see photo above) and appeared as the Russian battle-robot pilot Alexander in the cult science fiction film Robot Jox (1990).

Koslo is survived by his wife, Allaire and daughter Chloe.

KOSLO, Paul (Manfred Koslowski)

Born: 6/27/1944, Germany

Died: 1/9/2019,

Paul Koslo’s westerns – actor:

Scandalous John – 1971 (Pipes)

Bearcats (TV) – 1971 (Billy Ray Joiner)

Joe Kidd – 1972 (Roy)

The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (TV) – 1972

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1974 (Cory)

Rooster Cogburn – 1975 (Luke)

How the West Was Won (TV) – 1979 (Jobe)

The Sacketts (TV) – 1979 (Kid Newton)

Heaven’s Gate – 1980 (Mayor Charlie Lezak)

Bret Maverick (TV) – 1982 (Fletcher Mayberry)

Kenny Rogers as the Gambler: The Adventure Continues (TV) – 1983 (Holt)

Wildside (TV) – 1985 (Sven Johnson)

Conagher (TV) – 1991 (Kiowa Staples)

Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) – 1998 (Matthew Leach)

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RIP Carol Channing

January 15, 2019, 7:38 am

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Bidding Farewell To 'Hello, Dolly!': Actress Carol Channing Dies At 97

NPR

January 15, 2019

Carol Channing's trademark platinum blond hair framed a face that always seemed to be smiling, her wide-eyed innocent style belied a very savvy mind, and her voice was unmistakable. She died Tuesday morning, her publicist told Broadway World. She was 97 years old.

Born in Seattle in 1921, Channing's parents were Christian Scientists. She recalls that she got her first glimpse of backstage delivering copies of The Christian Science Monitor to theaters.

"It came over me that I was looking at the stage and backstage of a cathedral, a temple, a mosque, a mother church," Channing wrote in her memoir Just Lucky, I Guess. "I know I'm using adult words to describe a child's feelings, but I don't know how else to tell you this simple reaction of a child to a holy place."

Channing's near-religious connection to her audience gave her an astounding amount of energy, and she grew irritated with those who tried to diminish the importance of theater in people's lives.

"Live theater is something that can't possibly die because we're working on their metabolism," said Channing. "Some nights they're hyper, some nights they're slow, some nights they're sleepy, we have to nurse them; we have to find the way in to communicate with them. ... It's an electric thing for the performer; it's like plugging me in the wall."

Channing's first great role was also her first big break as Lorelei Lee in the 1949 original Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But the role with which Channing will always be identified is Dolly.

CHANNING, Carol

Born: 1/31/1921, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Died: 1/15/2019, Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.A.

Carol Channing’s western – actress:

The First Traveling Saleslady - 1956 (Molly Wade)

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RIP Victor Campos

January 15, 2019, 9:38 am

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Film and TV, actor Victor Campos passed away at the age of 83 on October 15, 2018 from prostate cancer. Capos was born on January 15, 1935 in New York City, New York. He was of Spanish (Castilian), Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage. He began his acting career in 1966 and some of his credits include the TV-Series "Hawk", "The FBI", "The Rookies", "The Mod Squad", "Kojak", "Doctors Hospital", "Cades County" the film "The Adversary", "Black Sunday""Scarface", "Juice""Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor", "Shallow Ground" and "Locker 13" to name a few. Victor Campos died on October 15th, 2018 in Sherman Oaks,Ca. He is survived by his daughter Lee Campos Montesino, his grandchildren Tristen Montesino and Trenten Montesino, his sisters, Laura Romano, Elba Campos, Roseanna Rizzo, his nieces Lisa Rose, Kim Libretta, Grace Rizzo and nephew Josiah Rizzo.

CAMPOS, Victor

Born: 1/15/1935, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 10/15/2018, Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.A.

Victor Campos’ westerns – actor:

The High Chaparral (TV) – 1969 (Lieutenant Garcia)

Bonanza (TV) – 1970 (gunman)

Lancer (TV) – 1970 (Julio)

The Master Gunfighter – 1975 (Maltese)

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RIP Arell Blanton

January 15, 2019, 9:55 am

≫ Next: RIP Maty Huitrón

≪ Previous: RIP Victor Campos

Memory Alpha

Actor Arell Blanton played Lieutenant Dickerson in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Savage Curtain". Among his acting resume are films such as Blood Mania (1970), House of Terror (1975), Pennies from Heaven (1981, with Nancy Parsons, Jim Boeke, and William Frankfather), Code of Vengeance (1985, with Chad Allen and George Aguilar), Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story (1992, with Erich Anderson, Marc Alaimo, and Jack Shearer), King Cobra (1999, with Joseph Ruskin), and A Day Without a Mexican (2004, with Todd Babcock, Brian Brophy, and Maureen Flannigan).

Blanton has also guest starred in television series such as Adam-12 (1969), Starsky & Hutch (1979, with David Soul and Malachi Throne), Knight Rider (1983-1984, with Patricia McPherson, Mary McCusker, Joel Kramer, Allan Graf, and Spike Silver), Matlock (1990, with Earl Boen, Roger Aaron Brown, and James Cromwell), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1996), Dark Skies (1996-1997, with Conor O'Farrell, Roger Aaron Brown, Raphael Sbarge, Art Chudabala, Brian Cousins, Jennifer Hetrick, and Jeri Ryan), Ally McBeal (1998, with J. Patrick McCormack, Marty Rackham, and Dina Meyer), 10-8:Officers on Duty (2003, with Max Grodénchik and Derek Mears), and had a recurring role as Bob in That's Life (2000-2001, starring Paul Sorvino and Kristin Bauer).

In the '70s he also worked as an assistant director and composer. Blanton died on 21 September 2018. (Screen Actors Guild Magazine, Special Edition 2019, p. 89)

BLANTON, Arell

Born: 11/2/1943, U.S.A.

Died: 9/21/2018, U.S.A.

Arell Blanton’s western – actor:

The Virginian (TV) – 1969 (Tom Rawlins)

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RIP Maty Huitrón

January 15, 2019, 8:50 pm

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The actress Maty Huitrón dies, mother of Carla Estrada

Univision

January 14, 2019

The actress died at age 82 in Mexico City. In 2014 he was diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema.

The actress Maty Huitrón died on Monday, January 14 in Mexico City at 82 years old, this was announced by the entertainment program '¡Cuéntamelo ya!'.

"We send our condolences to the producer Carla Estrada, because her mother has died the actress Maty Huitrón, at the age of 82. Until now it is known that there will be a body mass present in - informed the presenter Cynthia Urias.

So far the details of the death are unknown. However, in 2014 she was diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema, for which the artist had to breathe with the help of an oxygen tank 24 hours a day. Due to the disease decided to move away from the scenarios.

For more than 20 years he directed the Casa del Actor and participated in almost 30 telenovelas, as well as several plays.

Maty Huitrón was part of the cast of some of the successful telenovelas produced by his daughter Carla Estrada, among which are: 'Real love' (2003), 'The privilege of love' (1998), 'Lazos de amor' (1995) ) and 'Mothers egoístas' (1991), just to mention some.

HUITRON, Maty

Born: 1/30/1936, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico

Died: 1/14/2019, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico

Maty Huitrón’s western – actress:

Crisal – 1967 (Maria)

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RIP Bill Anagnos

January 16, 2019, 2:48 pm

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William G. Anagnos

The Daily Freeman

January 17, 2019.

RED HOOK- William G. Anagnos, 60, a lifelong Red Hook resident, has performed his last stunt by rolling one into the Gates of Heaven. Bill passed on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 after a long fought battle with cancer. Born on August 19, 1958, in Rhinebeck, N.Y., he was the son of Jeanette (Lampariello) Anagnos of Red Hook and the late William H. Anagnos. Bill is a graduate of the Red Hook Central Schools. At the age of 16, Bill toured with the “Joey Chitwood Thrill Show”, as a motorcycle stunt rider. Bill broke into the motion picture industry in 1976- doubling for John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever”. He appeared in hundreds of movies, commercials, and TV shows; doubling for and working with prominent actors and actresses, such as; Paul Newman, Patrick Swayze, Robin Williams, Robert Downey, Jr., Farah Fawcett, Angelina Jolie, and many more. Bill made his mark in the stunt world, and was known to all as the “Wheelman of the East Coast”. There was not a vehicle he could not drive, wreck or rollover. He was a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild. Locally, Bill developed, owned, and operated a bulk water facility in Red Hook called Cokertown Springs. Bill was a talented mechanic and fabricator. He could build or fix just about anything. Along with his mechanical talents, all will miss his kindness, compassion, and humble demeanor. He was an amazing man, father, son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, and friend. In addition to his loving Mmother, Jeanette; his is survived by his two loving children, Nicole Kristine Anagnos, and William John Anagnos, both of Albany, N.Y.; his brother and sister-in-law, Jeffrey and Maryellen “Gidget” Anagnos and their two sons, Samuel and William D. Anagnos, all of Red Hook; along with extended family, and countless friends, and colleagues. The Anagnos family cannot thank all of Bill’s friends- and you know who you are- that stood by his side. Our gratitude is with you all! This world has lost an amazing man and he will truly be missed, but never forgotten. A longer life was the one and only stunt Bill could not accomplish…but he sure gave it his all. Friends may call at the Burnett & White Funeral Homes on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, from 3 to 7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, at St. Christopher’s Church, Red Hook, N.Y. Father Patrick Buckley will officiate. Burial will be in the Anagnos family plot at St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery, Red Hook. Memorial donations may be made in William’s memory to the St. Christopher’s Church, 7411 S. Broadway, Red Hook, N.Y., 12571. Arrangements are under the direction of Burnett & White Funeral Homes 7461 S. Broadway, Red Hook, N.Y. For directions, or to sign the online guest book, please visit www.Burnett-White.com.

ANAGNOS, Bill (William G. Anagnos)

Born: 8/19/1958, Rhinebeck, New York., U.S.A.

Died: 1/15/2019, Red Hook, New York, U.S.A.

Bill Anagnos’s westerns – stunts:

The Cowboy Way – 1994

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RIP Robert W. Christiansen

January 17, 2019, 2:47 pm

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Bob Christiansen, Emmy-Winning 'Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman' Producer, Dies at 85

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

1/17/2019

He also worked on 'Queen of the Stardust Ballroom' and telefilms directed by Nicolas Roeg and Maya Angelou.

Bob Christiansen, an Emmy-winning producer on Cicely Tyson's The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman who guided other high-profile telefilms starring Bette Davis, Alan Alda, James Caan and Alfre Woodard, has died. He was 85.

Christiansen died Dec. 4 of complications from cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, family friend Joie Gould Gati told The Hollywood Reporter.

He worked in the THR sales department in the 1960s before becoming a producer.

With Rick Rosenberg at Chris/Rose Productions, Christiansen also produced telefilms that included 1972's The Glass House, based on a Truman Capote story and starring Alan Alda; 1975's Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, toplined by Maureen Stapleton and Charles Durning; 1979's Stranger: The Story of a Mother and Daughter, featuring Davis and Gena Rowlands; and 1993's Heart of Darkness, starring John Malkovich and Tim Roth and directed by Nicolas Roeg.

For 1974's The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Tyson became the first African-American to win a lead actress Emmy when she was honored for her astonishing performance as a woman who ages from 23 to 110 — from the 1850s to the civil rights era. The CBS telefilm raked in nine Emmys in all.

Christiansen and Rosenberg also received producing noms in 1978 for A Death in Canaan, starring Stefanie Powers and directed by Tony Richardson; in 1985 for Robert Kennedy and His Times, starring Brad Davis; and in 1988 for the Gore Vidal miniseries Lincoln, featuring Sam Waterston and Mary Tyler Moore.

The pair also produced 1980's Hide in Plain Sight, starring James Caan; 1986's As Summers Die, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Bette Davis and Scott Glenn; 1989's The Heist, featuring Pierce Brosnan and Tom Skerritt; 1998's Down in the Delta, starring Woodard and Wesley Snipes and directed by Maya Angelou; and 2008's Accidental Friendship, starring Chandra Wilson.

Chris/Rose projects received more than 40 Emmy noms, and their 2000 telefilm The Crossing, starring Jeff Daniels, won a Peabody Award.

Born on Oct. 24, 1933, in Porterville, California, Christiansen served with the U.S. Marines before coming to Los Angeles in the '60s. Chris/Rose's first effort was the 1970 feature Adam at 6 A.M., which starred Michael Douglas and was executive produced by Steve McQueen.

Survivors include his wife, Sandy; children Mark, Julie and Tim; daughter-in-law Barbara; and grandchildren Mason and Sadie.

CHRISTIANSEN, Robert W. (Robert W. Christiansen)

Born: 10/24/1933, Porterville, California, U.S.A.

Died: 12/4/2018, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Robert W. Christiansen’s western – producer:

Lincoln – 1988 (TV)

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RIP Windsor Davies

January 19, 2019, 7:36 am

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Windsor Davies: It Ain't Half Hot Mum actor dies aged 88

BBC News

January 19, 2019

Actor and star of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Windsor Davies, has died.

Davies, 88, who was best known as the sergeant major in the TV series, died on Thursday, his family said.

Born in Canning Town, London, he returned to his father's home village, Nant-y-Moel in Bridgend County, when World War Two broke out.

His daughter Jane Davies said he and her mother, who died in September, left a family "who will all remember them with love, laughter and gratitude".

The couple, who were married for 62 years, had retired to France. They had five children.

It Ain't Half Hot Mum co-star Melvyn Hayes, who played Gunner/Bombardier Gloria Beaumont, called him "one of the good guys".

Paying tribute to Davies, he said: "I considered him my best friend, even though we hadn't been in contact for many years.

"To work with him was a pleasure, a sheer delight because he was so generous in his work.

"You couldn't buy him a drink because you'd go into a public house and they'd say 'Windsor has put some money behind the counter for you'.

"He was nothing like the character he played - he was a charming, quietly-spoken, gentle human being."

Davies and It Ain't Half Hot Mum co-star Don Estelle also enjoyed a number one hit in 1975 when they recorded a version of Whispering Grass in character, a novelty hit which sold more than one million copies.

Blackadder star Sir Tony Robinson paid tribute to Davies by quoting lyrics from Whispering Grass, while Downton Abbey actor Paul Putner said he was a "gifted actor" and "one of most generous, lovely blokes you could ever wish to meet".

'Allo 'Allo and Emmerdale star Vicki Michelle shared a picture of herself with Davies and tweeted he was one of her "favourite people", and a "genuinely lovely generous man" with a "huge presence and a huge heart".

The Veterans Charity tweeted: "RIP Windsor Davies, a National Serviceman who served in Egypt and Libya with the East Surrey Regiment."

Davies also starred alongside Donald Sinden as two rival antique dealers in the long-running ITV sitcom Never The Twain.

Although overshadowed by It Ain't Half Hot Mum, it ran for more than 60 episodes.

In 1978, Davies also featured in one-off BBC drama Grand Slam, which gained cult status and was still fondly remembered years later - gaining a new lease of life with a DVD release.

Davies, who retired from acting in his 70s, was also the voice of Sergeant Major Zero in the 1980s sci-fi series Terrahawks. As well as stage appearances, he had roles in more than 20 films, including two Carry Ons.

But he will be remembered most fondly for playing Battery Sergeant Major "Shut Up" Williams in It Ain't Half Hot Mum, which ran for 56 episodes between 1974 and 1981.

DAVIES, Windsor

Born: 8/28/1930, Canning Town, London, England, U.K.

Died: 1/17/2019, France

Windsor Davies’ western – actor:

Hawkeye the Pathfinder (TV) – 1973 (Sergeant Dunham)

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RIP Daniel C. Striepeke

January 19, 2019, 2:46 pm

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Dan Striepeke, Oscar-Nominated Makeup Artist on 'Forrest Gump' and 'Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 88

The Hollywood Reporter

By: Mike Barnes

January 19, 2019

He worked on 'Spartacus,' the 'Planet of the Apes' movies, TV's 'Mission: Impossible' and with Tom Hanks on 16 films.

Dan Striepeke, who served as Tom Hanks'"cosmetic consigliere" on 16 films, including Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan, for which the makeup artist earned his two Oscar nominations, has died. He was 88.

Striepeke's death was reported on Facebook by Michael Key, an Emmy-winning makeup artist and founder of Make-Up Artist magazine. No details of his death were immediately available.

The former head of the makeup department at 20th Century Fox, Striepeke at the studio worked on the original Planet of the Apes movies; on other films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and the Oscar best picture winner Patton (1970); and on the CBS series Mission: Impossible, where he helped design the spy series' famous latex "peel off" masks.

In addition to the best picture winner Forrest Gump (1994) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), Striepeke fixed up Hanks in Dragnet (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Turner & Hooch (1989), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Apollo 13 (1995), That Thing You Do! (1996), The Green Mile (1999), Cast Away (2000), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Road to Perdition (2002), The Terminal (2004), The Ladykillers (2004) and The Da Vinci Code (2006).

Hanks called Striepeke "his cosmetic consigliere" in a love letter that he wrote in 2006 for The New York Times upon the makeup artist's retirement following his work on The Da Vinci Code.

"Most civilians — people who don't make movies for a living — think makeup men are little more than hovering sprites who powder noses," wrote Hanks. "But they are true artists, often unsung, who imprint films with the soft touch of their brushes and the hard work of their craft. Their creation, which will be examined on the big screen for as many years as the film holds its audience, is the most physical manifestation of an actor's interpretation of his role.

"Trust is required of both parties, in the instincts of the actor and in the skills of the makeup man. In a partnership any actor would envy, Danny protected the exterior finish of my characters so I could ponder my roles without having to explain things that can't be explained anyway."

Hanks' son, actor Colin Hanks, said on Twitter of Striepeke: "Never met a kinder man in my life."

Born on Oct. 8, 1930, and raised in Santa Rosa, California, Striepeke came to Los Angeles when he was 19 and landed a job at the fledgling TV station KTTV. After enlisting in the U.S. Air Force and serving for four years, he assisted on the famed 1956 films Around the World in 80 Days, Giant and Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments.

Striepeke in 1959 was given the reins of the makeup lab at Universal Pictures before contributing to Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus and to John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven, both released in 1960.

After being chosen by the retiring Ben Nye in late 1967 to be his successor as head of the makeup department at 20th Century Fox, Striepeke took on the daunting challenge of making the characters believable in Planet of the Apes (1968).

He "sculpted individual chin pieces that married perfectly to the face components, resulting in a fit that allowed articulated speech," James C. Udel wrote in his 2013 book The Film Crew of Hollywood. The movie's makeup designer, John Chambers, won an Academy Award, only the second given for makeup.

Striepeke left the studio to write and produce the snake movie Sssssss (1973) before returning a couple years later and then becoming a free-lancer. He entered into an exclusive relationship with Hanks in the late 1980s.

His résumé also included the TV shows Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip and other films including Follow That Dream (1962), The Sound of Music (1965), Hello, Dolly! (1969), MASH (1970), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), best picture winner The Deer Hunter (1978), Grease (1978), My Favorite Year (1982), Harry and the Hendersons (1987) and Lost in Yonkers (1993).

STRIEPEKE, Daniel C. (Daniel Charles Striepeke)

Born: 10/8/1930, Sonoma, California, U.S.A.

Died: 2019

Daniel C. Striepeke’s westerns – make-up artist:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – 1960

Invitation to a Gunfighter – 1964

Bandolero - 1968

The Undefeated – 1969

When Legends Die - 1972

Silverado - 1985

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RIP Andrew V. Vajna

January 20, 2019, 7:38 am

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Hungarian-born American film producer Andy Vajna dies at 74 in Budapest

Xinhuanet

1/20/2019

Andrew G. Vajna, the Hungarian-born American film producer known for blockbusters such as Terminator or Rambo, has died at the age of 74 in his Budapest home, the Hungarian National Film Fund (NFA) announced here in a statement on Sunday.

"At the age of 74, Andy Vajna, the dominant figure of the Hungarian and international film industry, film producer and government commissioner responsible for the development of the national film industry, died in his home in Budapest," NFA announced.

Andy Vajna was born in 1944 in Budapest. In 1956 he escaped from Hungary at the age of 12 and emigrated to Canada with the help of the Red Cross, and eventually ended up in Los Angeles. He studied at the University of California (UCLA) and began working at the University's Motion Picture Department. Later he started a photography business, then founded a company manufacturing wigs in Hong Kong where he also operated a film theatre.

Andy Vajna was one of the world's most prestigious producers. As a producer, 59 films are associated with his name, including world-renowned and acclaimed works such as the Rambo Films, Die Hard, Angel Heart, Terminator, Evita or Jacob's Ladder among others.

"Andy Vajna never forgot his Hungarian roots and always paid attention to the domestic film industry. As a powerful government commissioner, he has been working for the Hungarian film industry since 2011, and under his direction the Hungarian film has risen to the forefront of the world," the statement underlined.

After the consolidation of the film support system, he was responsible for the creation of the Hungarian National Film Fund, responsible for such great Hungarian films as The son of Saul, which earned the Oscar for best foreign film in 2016.

His mission with the film fund was to contribute to the production of Hungarian films or co-productions that provide art and entertainment for moviegoers and bring significant success both domestically and on an international level.

Under the Vajna era, Hungarian movies financed by the Hungarian National Film Fund won altogether more than 130 international awards while the number of foreign films produced in Hungary increased significantly.

Vajna had also a powerful media portfolio, of which the most important element was commercial television channel TV2.

VAJNA, Andrew G. (András György Vajna)

Born: 8/1/1944, Budapest, Hungary

Died: 1/20/2019, Budapest, Hungary

Andrew G. Vajna’s westerns – executive producer:

Extreme Prejudice – 1987

Tombstone - 1993

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RIP Harald Halgardt

January 21, 2019, 7:24 am

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German voice actor Harald Halgardt who took over from Alf Marholm as the voice of Count von Count on Sesamstrasse, the German co-production of Sesame Street died on January 19, 2019. He was 91. Halgardt began his dubbing career around 1999 with Elmo rettet Weihnachten (the German dub of Elmo Saves Christmas) and continued until some point after 2010 (replaced by Peter Kirchberger).

Born in Bremen on August 5, 1927, Halgardt acted in films produced by DEFA (the German film agency) beginning in the 1950s, as well as stage work. Most of his dubbing work had been done in Hamburg, often as authority figures, grandfatherly types, clergymen, and other older men. He voiced Dabbs Greer as Reverend Alden in the reruns of Little House on the Prairie, Stafford Repp as Chief O'Hara on Batman, Ken Russell on Marple, Bob Hope and other guests on The Golden Girls, and Martin Landau in The Return of the Six-Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman.

On radio, Halgardt was often heard in crime dramas, as well as children's plays (the mayor in The Magic Pudding serial) and the 2000 adaptation of Pope Joan (as Eustathius). Audio books included the Three Investigators and Famous Five series. He dubbed Chief Quigley in the Inspector Gadget cartoons and lawyer Thrawtle in the video game Escape from Monkey Island.

HALGARDT, Harald

Born: 8/5/1927, Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Died: 1/19/2019, Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Harald Halgardt’s westerns – voice dubber:

Little House on the Prairie ? [German voice of Dabbs Greer]

Heaven’s Gate – 1980 [German voice of Joseph Cotton]

Gods and Generals – 2003 [German voice of Malachy McCourt]

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RIP Del Henney

January 23, 2019, 6:52 am

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Del Henney, actor known for Straw Dogs and many TV roles

The Herald

By Toby Hadoke

January 22, 2019

DEL Joseph Henney, who has died aged 83, was a subtle, understated actor capable of projecting burning intensity whilst seemingly doing very little. His impressive screen career often found him playing roles of simmering masculinity or cold villainy.

Perhaps his most enduring role is Charlie Venner in Sam Peckinpah’s violent feature film Straw Dogs (1971), in which Dustin Hoffman’s ineffectual American mathematician is besieged by thuggish locals in an isolated Cornish farmhouse. The film’s most controversial scene involves Venner sexually assaulting Susan George’s character, Amy. Despite the encounter’s violent initiation Venner’s powerful masculinity ultimately stirs her enjoyment, and Henney’s complex characterisation complements the film’s ambiguous morality well.

Born in Anfield, Liverpool, he was educated at the Liverpool Collegiate before joining the army. He then subsidised his love of amateur dramatics with various manual jobs and it was whilst washing dishes at Butlin’s that he was encouraged by a fellow employee (Jimmy Tarbuck, impressed by Henney’s deft impressions of American film stars) to consider a professional acting career.

Emboldened, he won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and upon graduating in 1965 was awarded the medal for the student with the most potential. A middleweight with the Maple Leaf Boxing Club in Bootle in the late 1950s, his sportiness helped with early television breaks - he debuted in the football soap United (1966), starred in Colin Welland’s rugby play Bangelstein’s Boys (1969, directed by John MacKenzie) and had a stint in Coronation Street as Weatherfield FC’s star player (1971).

He also guested in most popular television of the period, including three parts in Z-Cars (1970/72/78), two in The Professionals (1978/83) and three in Juliet Bravo (1980/82/84). He played the lead character’s father in A Woman of Substance (1985) and DI Cossall in Resnick (1992/93) and popped up in everything from The Expert (1968) to Midsomer Murders (2001). He was especially memorable as a smoothly arrogant criminal in The Sweeney (1975) and an affable colonel who becomes a cold instrument of murder in Doctor Who (Resurrection of the Daleks, 1984).

Fallen Hero, about a Welsh rugby player injured at the height of his career and having to come to terms with a new life of hard work and bad luck, ran for two series (1978-79). Henney brought a sympathetic edge to the initially macho and misogynistic lead character, Gareth Hopkins. In real life, he studied for an external English degree whilst starring in the show (he had also written a play for BBC2 in 1976).

His film work was sporadic but included Villain (with Richard Burton, 1971), Going Off Big Time (2000) and Devil’s Playground (2010).

The camera loved his piercing eyes and understated simmering, but he was no less effective on the stage. He had a successful stint with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre in 1965 and then played an impressive roster of roles at the Edinburgh Lyceum: Iago in Othello, Biff in Death of a Salesman, Andrei in Three Sisters and and McCann in The Birthday Party.

Other theatre highlights included the lead in John Lennon’s play In His Own Words (Liverpool, 1969), Lenny in The Homecoming (Oxford, 1966), Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire (Gate Theatre, Dublin, 1980), Claudius in Lindsay Anderson’s Hamlet (Theatre Royal, Straford, 1981), and Eddie (a role he’d also played for the BBC) in A View From the Bridge (Ipswich). West End credits included The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Saville Theatre, 1969) and Sleuth (Garrick Theatre, 1973).

He is survived by his partner, the actress Rosemary McHale, and children Tracy, Stella and Jack from previous relationships.

HENNEY, Del (Del Joseph Henney)

Born: 7/24/1935, Anfield, Liverpool, England, U.K.

Died: 1/14/2019, U.K.

Del Henney’s western – actor:

The Mad Trapper (TV) – 1972 (The Mad Trapper)

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