RIP Günter Junghans

August 11, 2014, 10:52 am

Günter Junghans played in "Tatort" and "Police 110" in the ARD series "Weissensee" and in Helmut Dietl "Schtonk". The Leipzig also was one of the character actors of Defa. Now he has died at the age of 73 years.

Der Spiegel

By: Staff

8/11/2014

Günter Junghans participated in more than 130 film and television and has appeared in many character roles of DEFA. Among his most important early work includes the anti-war film "The Adventures of Werner Holt" (1965). In Rainer Simons of the GDR leadership forbidden cinema drama "Jadup and Boel" (1980), are discussed in the everyday shortcomings of socialism, Junghans played on the side of Kurt Bowe and Gudrun Ritter.

Junghans was born on 14 July 1941 in Leipzig. After finishing school he did an apprenticeship as a machinist in the VEB loading and transport system Leipzig plant. From 1959 to 1964 Junghans then studied acting at the Academy of German cinema in Potsdam-Babelsberg.

In addition to his film career, he was more than 25 years a member of the Ensemble of the Berliner Volksbühne. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the actor "Police 110" episodes occurred among others in Helmut Dietl's "Schtonk!" In "Klemperer" by Andreas Kleinert and several "crime scene" and. In the ARD series "Weissensee" he played the role of Colonel General Koweitz.

On Sunday Günter Junghans died after a short illness in Berlin, as the actresses Astrid Rahn Agency announced. He was 73 years old.

JUNGHANS, Günter

Born: 7/14/1941, Leipzig, Danzig, Germany

Died: 8/10/2014 Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Günter Junghan’s western – actor:

Karl May (TV) – 1992 (Heinrich Münchmeyer)

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RIP Guillermo Larrea

August 12, 2014, 9:51 am

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Death of actor Guillermo Larrea

Excelsior

August 7, 2014

The actor suffered two heart attacks, which ended his life.

MEXICO CITY, July August.- actor film, theater and television Guillermo Larrea, who developed his career in recent years in the ranks of TV Azteca, where he acted in soap operas such as The Empress and the King, died today victim of a heart attack in Los Cabos, Baja California.

In a program of shows it was reported that the actor who also worked in film, was on vacation in the tourist spot of Los Cabos, where he suffered a cardiac arrest.

He said that after receiving medical attention and was recovering when he suffered a second heart attack that caused his death.

Right now they are watching and as has been said, was in Los Cabos at a family event, had a heart attack, he was treated, had recovered, but died ", Rosario Murrieta said, who is part of the issue conducted by Patricia Chapoy where the latter said today: "What a shame and so young."

Other soap operas which are Larrea also participated Rivals by accident, TV Azteca and Televisa in 1991 in the production of Juan Osorio, selfish mothers, where he lives Memo.

The last soap opera in which he worked was Family Secrets, in which she played Enrique, same which aired from May to October 2013, starring Ofelia Medina, Anette Michel and Sergio Basañez.

Larrea began his career in 1987 with the film Sudden death and in recent years was involved in other shootings in various genres like comedy in Canela (2012) film, under the direction of Jordi Mariscal, where she shared credits with Ana Martin Isabel Yudice and Monica Dionne, among others.

In the genre of drama also filmed the tape Beyond the Light (2010), under the direction of Frank Darier Baziere, which also acted Nando Estevané, Marcela Ruiz and Roberto D'Amico.

He joined the cast of the film Cristero, whose address was given by Dean Wright, which acted Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Eva Longoria, Santiago Cabrera and Ruben Blades, among others.

He was also one of the figures appearing in unit programs What we shut Everyone women and their saint. As in the plays: Azul, Glafira Rocha and Robbers by Friedrich Schiller.

LARREA, Guillermo

Born: 19??, Mexico

Died: 8/8/2014, Los Cabos, Baja, Mexico

Guillermo Larrea’s westerns – actor:

Zapata: Amor en rebeldia (TV) – 2004

For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada – 2012 (Sergeant Humberto)

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RIP Joe Viskocil

August 12, 2014, 9:53 am

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RIP Joe Viskocil

Master special and visual effects craftsman Joe Viskocil passed away this morning in Los Angeles. He was best known for his miniature and pyrotechnic work on STAR WARS (1977), THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), THE TERMINATOR (1984), TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991). He won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996).

VISKOCIL, Joe (Joseph Viskocil)

Born: 12/21/1952

Died: 8/11/2014, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Joe Viskocil’s western SFX:

The Sierra – 2010

Love and Vengeance - 2010

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RIP Ed Nelson

August 12, 2014, 2:02 pm

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RIP Ed Nelson

New York Times

8/12/2014

Ed Nelson, a prolific actor who became a familiar face to U.S. television audiences over 40 years, notably as a star of the prime-time soap opera “Peyton Place,” died Saturday in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was 85.

Asta Hansen, a daughter-in-law, confirmed the death.

Handsome at 6 feet tall, Nelson had a prominent role on “Peyton Place” as Michael Rossi, a New York doctor who sets up practice in the fictional town of the show’s title and is quickly caught up in its romantic intrigues.

“Peyton Place,” which ran from 1964 to 1969 on ABC, was based on the 1956 novel of the same title by Grace Metalious, which was also adapted for a 1957 film with Lana Turner. The TV version also featured Dorothy Malone and a young Mia Farrow and Ryan O’Neal.

Nelson appeared in 436 episodes of “Peyton Place”; at its peak, the show was seen three times a week. He also appeared in a 1977 television movie spinoff, “Murder in Peyton Place.”

Nelson’s career began in earnest in the mid-1950s, when he appeared in low-budget films like Roger Corman’s “Attack of the Crab Monsters.” He went on to appear in scores of popular television shows, many of them westerns during the genre’s television heyday, among them “Have Gun — Will Travel,” “Bat Masterson,” “Gunsmoke,” “Rawhide” and “The Rifleman.”

His other credits included “The Detectives,” “The Untouchables,” “The Twilight Zone” (in an episode, “Valley of the Shadow,” in which he starred as a reporter who finds himself trapped in a deceptively sleepy town), “The Fugitive,” “The FBI,” “The Rockford Files” and “Quincy, M.E.”

His last screen appearance was in a small role in the 2003 film “Runaway Jury,” with John Cusack, Rachel Weisz and Dustin Hoffman.

A stage actor as well, Nelson played President Harry S. Truman in a nationally touring production of “Give ’Em Hell, Harry!”

Edwin Stafford Nelson was born on Dec. 21, 1928, in New Orleans. He attended Tulane University there but left after two years to study acting in New York City. He returned to New Orleans to work in local television before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He served in the Navy as a radioman on the light cruiser USS Dayton.

In 1972 he completed his college degree at Tulane.

Nelson, who lived in Greensboro and was recently in hospice care, is survived by his wife of 63 years, the former Patricia Miller; his daughters, Cynthia Borders, Beth Moore, Mary Sanders andAnn Bochenski; his sons, Gregory and Christopher; 14 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

NELSON, Ed (Edward Stafford Nelson)

Born: 12/21/1928, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Died: 8/9/2014, Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Ed Nelson’s westerns – actor:

Tombstone Territory (TV) – 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 (cowboy, depot clerk, Clint, Kansas Joe Barton)

Zane Grey Theater (TV) – 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 (Nelson, Jack Bowen, Albie Tantesi, Vince Harwell)

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964 (Lee Prentice, Rusk, Seth Owen, Burt Cury, Tom King)

Maverick (TV) – 1959, 1961, 1962 (2^ndclassmate, Bill Parker, Gary Harrison)

Rawhide (TV) – 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 (Kels Morgan, Chuck Whittaker, Lt. Cory Clemens, SamWeber)

Have Gun – Will Travel (TV) – 1959, 1960, 1961 (Will Gage, Ed Stacy, Pierre ‘Pete’ Deverell, Carl, Ruck)

Bat Masterson (TV) – 1959, 1961 (Jedrow, Browder)

The Rebel (TV) – 1959, 1960, 1961 (Matt, Chad, Doug, Clint Mowbree)

Black Saddle (TV) - 1959 (Lee Coogan, Roy Corey)

The Rifleman (TV) – 1960, 1961 (Stacey Beldon, Ben Travis, Ben Vargas)

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV) – 1960 (Hal Babcock)

The Deputy (TV) – 1960 (Pete McCurdy)

Riverboat (TV) – 1960 (Jim Tyler)

Outlaws (TV) – 1960 (Elmer Foss)

Valley of the Redwoods – 1960 (Dino Michaelis)

Johnny Ringo (TV) – 1960 (Kirk, Chet Tomstedter)

Laramie (TV) – 1960, 1961, 1963 (Mace, Cal Mason, Sable, Gil Harrison)

Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1961 (Andy Thorpe, Frisco Kid)

Shotgun Slade (TV) – 1961 (sheriff)

Wagon Train (TV) – 1961, 1963 (Sheriff Donovan, Burke Clayton, Al Bleecker)

Bonanza (TV) – 1962 (Garth)

The Tall Man (TV) – 1962 (Dr. Wade Parsons)

Death Valley Days (TV) – 1962 (Frank Girard)

Stoney Burke (TV) – 1962 (Nick Martin)

Wide Country (TV) – 1962 (Paul Corbello)

The Virginian (TV) – 1963 (Ralph Slocum)

The Dakotas (TV) – 1963 (John Schwimmer)

The Man from Galveston – 1963 (Cole Marteen)

Redigo (TV) – 1963 (Danny Kilpatrick)

Alias Smith and Jones (TV) – 1972 (Sheriff Frank Canton)

Kung Fu (TV) – 1973 (Sheriff Walter Raha)

Brett Maverick (TV) – 1982 (Andrew J. Tendall)

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RIP Lauren Bacall

August 12, 2014, 5:42 pm

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RIP Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall, the film and stage actress and model who was known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks, died Tuesday at the age of 89.

The celebrity news website TMZ quoted family as saying that she died at her home of a massive stroke. A separate report from cable news outlet MSNBC always quoted a family source as confirming the death.

Bacall first emerged as a leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have and Have Not (1944) and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in Bogart movies The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), as well as comedic roles in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck.

Bacall also worked on Broadway in musicals, gaining Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her performance in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.

In 1999, Bacall was ranked #20 of the 25 actresses on the 100 Stars list by the American Film Institute. In 2009, she was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award "in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures."

Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske in the Bronx, New York, the only child of Natalie Weinstein-Bacal, a secretary who later legally changed her surname to Bacall, and William Perske, who worked in sales; both of her parents were Jewish. Her mother emigrated from Romania through Ellis Island, and her father was born in New Jersey, to Polish parents.

BACALL, Lauren (Betty Joan Perske)

Born: 9/16/1924, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 8/12/2014, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A.

Lauren Bacall’s western – actress:

The Shootist – 1976 (Bond Rogers)

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RIP Arlene Martel

August 13, 2014, 4:57 pm

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Arlene Martel, Spock’s Bride-to-Be on 'Star Trek,' Dies at 78

The actress guest-starred on dozens of other TV shows, including 'Twilight Zone,''Bewitched' and

'Hogan's Heroes,' and had a romance with James Dean

Actress Arlene Martel, an exotic beauty who played the prospective bride of Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock in the only episode of NBC’s Star Trek set on the planet Vulcan, has died. She was 78.

In the episode “Amok Time,” which opened Star Trek’s second season on Sept. 15, 1967, a feverish Spock is compelled to return to his home planet, where he must “mate or die.” Martel’s character, T’Pring, was betrothed to him as a child, and the outcome of a fight between Spock and Captain Kirk (William Shatner) will decide whether she marries the logical first officer on the Starship Enterprise.

“I was just so happy to be working and playing a part that was so challenging in terms of what I had done before,” Martel said in Tom Lisanti’s 2003 book, Drive-in Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties. “I had no idea it would continue to this day. Fans purchase my Star Trek photos at conventions, where I sign autographs. I had no idea that T’Pring would be so memorable to people.”

Said Nimoy on Twitter: “Saying goodbye to T’Pring, Arlene Martel. A lovely talent.”

A native of the Bronx who was frequently billed as Arline Sax, her birth name, Martel also appeared on two episodes of The Twilight Zone, on five Hogan’s Heroes installments as French underground contact Tiger and two on Bewitched as the scary witch Malvina.

Playing women of various nationalities and ethnicities, she guest-starred on such shows as Death Valley Days, The Detectives, Route 66, The Untouchables, Cheyenne, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., My Favorite Martian, The Monkees, The Outer Limits, The Young and the Restless, Columbo, Battlestar Galactica and Brothers & Sisters.

In the 1957 Warner Bros. documentary The James Dean Story, directed by Robert Altman, Martel said she was romantically involved with the actor for years. “Once I told him I loved him, but he pretended he didn’t hear,” she says in the film. “Then he said, ‘You can’t love me. I don’t think anyone can yet.’ ”

As a teenager, Martel was accepted into the High School for the Performing Arts in New York City (where her classmates included future Bob Newhart Show actress Suzanne Pleshette) and appeared on Broadway in the 1956-57 comedy Uncle Willie opposite Norman Fell.

On the big screen, Martel appeared with Rod Taylor in Hong Kong (1961), had the lead in The Glass Cage (1964) and played a biker chick in Angels From Hell (1968). More recently, she had a small role in Adam Shankman’s A Walk to Remember (2002).

Martel was married three times, including to actors Boyd Holister and Jerry Douglas, a longtime player on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless.

In addition to Jod, survivors include daughter Avra Douglas, a former assistant of Marlon Brando’s and an executor of the actor’s estate; son Adam Palmer; and grandchildren Molly Rose and Dashiell.

Memorial services are pending. The family asks that donations be made to the organization Cure Autism Now.

Martel died Tuesday from complications of a heart attack at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, her son, Jod Kaftan, told The Hollywood Reporter.

MARTEL, Arlene (Arline Greta Sax)

Born: 4/14/1936, Bronx, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 8/12/2014, Santa Monica, California, U.S.A.

Arlene Martel’s westerns – actress:

The Restless Gun (TV) – 1958 (Sister Theresa)

Death Valley Days (TV) – 1960 (Julia)

The Rebel (TV) – 1960 (Molly Keller)

Gunslinger (TV) – 1961 (Laurie)

Have Gun – Will Travel (TV) – 1961 (Princess Alisna Serafina)

Cheyenne (TV) – 1962 (Little Fawn)

Iron Horse (TV) – 1966 (Noshima)

The Wild Wild West (TV) – 1967 (Erika)

Here Come the Brides (TV) – 1970 (Astasia)

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1975 (Quanah)

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RIP Lew Brown

August 14, 2014, 9:36 am

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LEW BROWN, at 89 years young, gently passed Sunday morning July 27, 2014 at the VA Hospital La Jolla, CA. as unexpected raindrops fell from the clouds.

LEW GENE BROWN was a loving, giving, devoted husband for 33+ years to his beloved wife Dee “Deana” Brown.

Inspirational and supportive Dad (POP) to his children, Greg Browne (wife Lyn), Chris Brown (wife Gail), Suzon Schweitzer, Stephen Brown (wife Lorna), Shelly Kramer (husband Dave), Maura Duffy, John Prater (wife Stacy) and Lynn Saks (husband Adam).

Caring and involved Grandfather (PaPa) to Kristen Linden, Aaron Brown, Pablo and Monte Martin, Ava and Allen Kramer, Tony Bergamini, Joshua and Zachary "Lew" Prater, Tyler, Dylan and Cassandra Saks.

Charming and feeling Great Grandpa to Catherine, Julie, Calista and Alexandra Neuman, Isabella and Natalia Pena-Martin.

Loyal Brother to George Brown and Tom Brown (wife Viola) and loyal Brother-in-law to Juanita Brown.

Endearing Uncle to Jennifer Grace, Kevin Brown (wife Carol), Kimberly Brown-Whale (husband Richard), Judy Brown and Dennis Brown (wife Sarah).

He loves cooking breakfast for Dee and letting her cleanup, letting people know how special they really are and how much he cares for them, being kind, generous, always willing to help anyone, all little children for their innocence, singing when coming into a room, reciting poems, plays and other works deeply embedded in his brain, working/playing on his computer, doing genealogy, solving Sudoku, listening to music that the bass/drums don’t drown out the vocal or song, watching CNN, baseball, golf, educational programs and eating food that tastes really good.

Served his country as a Marine Corporal in WWII on the Pacific Front, Saipan, Tinian, Rota, other small islands and awarded a Purple Heart from Iwo Jima for shrapnel in his neck to this day.

As well as his extensive involvement with the Maui Democratic Party.

Served his God in service to others by his longtime community works on Maui as a 32 degree Mason, a 33 degree Scottish Right, a Shriner.and with Kihei-Wailea Rotary, Women Helping Women, Ke Hale aka Ola, Hale Kau Kau, Maui Friends of the Library, Read to Me, Junior Achievement, Kihei Charter School, Maui Special Olympics, Maui Bowl, Christmas Tour of Homes, played Santa Claus for non-profit agencies/hotels and a Disaster Volunteer with the American Red Cross serving for almost 10 months after 9/11 in Washington DC.

After WWII he returned home to Norman Oklahoma and graduated from Oklahoma University stopping to teach for 1 year High School English Literature in Ava, Missouri before moving on to New York to begin his life work as a character actor. Moving to Hollywood CA in 1951 to work on stage and in TV and films doing his first Gunsmoke in 1956 and continued performing in hundreds of various roles such as Dragnet, Days of Our Lives, Topaz until he retired in 1990 Doing one more role on Maui in a Swedish film called “Gone to Maui” (Dee had a small part).

His career shined brightly without to much notice but his legacy lives on as he is seen in all the countless reruns of his hundreds of works in both color and black and white!

BROWN, Lew (Lew Gene Brown)

Born: 3/18/1925, Goltry, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Died: 7/27/2014, La Jolla, California, U.S.A.

Lew Brown’s westerns – actor:

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974 (Sam Fraser, Will Aper, Jim Bride, Nate, Red Lime, Andy Coe, Frank Dill, Eli Wall, Fred, outlaw, Ben Paisley,

Frank Holtz, Weaver, Smith, Reeves, Beeton)

Two Faces West (TV) – 1960 (Bray)

Maverick (TV) – 1960 (Jeb Carteret)

Laramie (TV) – 1960, 1962 (Tucker)

Outlaws (TV) – 1961 (Deputy Marshal Miller)

Rawhide (TV) – 1961, 1965 (Trevor, Gorman, sentry)

Have Gun – Will Travel (TV) – 1962 (Michael Mahoney)

Stoney Burke (TV) – 1962 (trooper)

Empire (TV) – 1963 (Cord)

Bonanza (TV) – 1964, 1972 (Liege, conductor)

Death Valley Days (TV) – 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969 (David Neal, Cory Jones, Danny)

The Wild Wild West (TV) – 1965, 1967 (henchman, guard)

Cimarron Strip (TV) – 1967, 1968 (deputy, Slavin)

The Virginian (TV) – 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 (Dowdy, Deputy Ellis, Dink, Clint

Timmins, Gummery, Alfie)

The Outcasts (TV) – 1968 (cowboy)

The High Chaparral (TV) – 1970 (Parsons)

Cutter’s Trail (TV) – 1970 (sentry)

Alias Smith and Jones (TV) – 1971 (Frank Johnson)

Hec Ramsey (TV) – 1974 (supply sergeant)

Little House on the Prairie (TV) – 1975 (Ledbetter)

Kenny Rogers as the Gambler (TV) – 1980 (Jonson)

Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang – 1982 (Leonard Sharp)

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RIP Columba Dominguez

August 14, 2014, 4:31 pm

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Mexican Film Legend Columba Dominguez Dies at 85

Hollywood Reporter

By John Hecht

8/14/2014

She worked under surrealist great Luis Bunuel

MEXICO CITY – Mexican actress Columba Dominguez, who worked with director Luis Bunuel during Mexico's golden age of cinema, died at 85 on Wednesday of unknown causes.

Dominguez, recipient of a lifetime achievement award at Mexico's Ariel Awards ceremony last year, appeared in more than 60 films and TV series throughout a career that spanned six decades. She is best known for the lead role in the Bunuel drama The River and Death, and for Pueblerina, a romantic drama from renowned writer-director Emilio Fernandez.

Dominguez's nephew Giuliano Molina, who made the announcement of the death via Twitter, posted a picture Wednesday of his aunt and Fernandez having drinks with Marilyn Monroe.

Dominguez was a second cousin of Babel screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga.

The film academy here said in a statement that Mexican cinema has lost one of its great icons.

DOMINGUEZ, Columba (Columba Dominguez Alarid)

Born: 3/4/1929, Guaymas, Sonoroa, Mexico

Died: 8/13/2014, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico

Columba Dominguez’s westerns – actress:

El caudillo – 1957

Viva la parranda – 1960

Duelo indio - 1961

Enterrado vivo – 1961

The Coup de Grace - 1961

My Son, the Hero – 1961 (la viuda)

Duelo de pistoleros – 1966 (Lola)

Ambicion sangrienta - 1968

Soy el hijo delgallero – 1978

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RIP Marjorie Stapp

August 16, 2014, 10:08 am

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Marjorie Stapp was born on September 17, 1921 and passed away on Monday, June 2, 2014.

Marjorie was an American actress who was mainly in low-budget pictures. She began her film career when she signed a contract with the film studio 20th Century-Fox in the 1940s. Her first screen appearance was in The Kid from Brooklyn, a film starring Danny Kaye. This was followed by another minor appearance in Linda Be Good in 1947. Eventually, she landed a leading role in the Western movie The Blazing Trail alongside Charles Starrett.

Throughout the 1950s until the 1990s, she appeared in both films and television, including Cheyenne, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Dragnet, Elmer Gantry, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, 77 Sunset Strip, The Brady Bunch, Quantum Leap and Columbo.

Marjorie retired from acting in 1991. She married Bob Browne and moved to Los Angeles, then North Carolina and eventually back to Los Angeles. Marjorie was a resident of Laguna Woods, California at her passing.

STAPP, Marjorie

Born: 9/17/1921, Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.A.

Died: 6/2/2014, Laguna Woods, California, U.S.A.

Marjorie Stapp’s westerns – actress:

Rimfire – 1949 (Mary)

The Blazing Train – 1949 (Janet Masters)

Laramie – 1949 [scenes deleted]

Death Valley Days (TV) – 1953

The Far Country – 1954 (girl)

Cheyenne (TV) – 1956 (Betty Baker)

Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend -1957 (townswoman)

26 Men (TV) – 1957 (Kit Thompson)

Gun for a Coward – 1957 (Rose)

The Saga of Hemp Brown – 1958 (Mrs. Ford)

Tales of the Texas Rangers (TV) – 1958 (Stacey Walker)

The Rebel (TV) – 1960 (Mabel)

The Wild Westerners – 1962 (saloon dancer)

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RIP Alan Landsburg

August 17, 2014, 8:24 am

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Alan Landsburg passes

Standarbred

Staff

August 16, 2014

Alan Landsburg, a television writer, producer and director who in later years focused on improving horse racing as a racing commissioner and industry leader, died Thursday at the age of 81.

Mr. Landsburg graduated from New York University with a degree in communications and then honed his skills in the U.S. Army as a writer, director, and producer of special events for the American Forces Network in Europe. Following his discharge in 1956, this broadcasting experience helped him become one of the youngest directors ever when he joined the NBC radio affiliate in New York at the age of 21. From there he moved to Los Angeles in 1961 to join the new Wolper Productions, which was his opening into television.

An Emmy Award winner and Oscar nominee, he was responsible for more than 2,000 hours of network programming, including the “Biography” series, “National Geographic” specials, “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau,” and “That’s Incredible.” He frequently addressed important social issues in his films. Spousal abuse, rape, religious intolerance, child sexual abuse, breast cancer, and AIDS were some of the important subjects that Mr. Landsburg treated with candor, intelligence, and sensitivity. “Bill” starred Mickey Rooney as a man with mental retardation struggling to re-integrate into society after being institutionalized.

Mr. Landsburg purchased his first share in a thoroughbred in 1977 and went on to own and race more than 400 horses. In 1993 he became a founding director of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), which sought better representation for the owners of California racehorses. He also served on a number of volunteer committees for the California Horse Racing Board. He was appointed to the CHRB in 2000 by Governor Gray Davis to a term that expired January 1, 2004. He served as chairman in 2001 and 2002.

Mr. Landsburg donated his time and expertise in the production of several videos promoting the horse racing industry, including one for the CHRB titled “Protecting Racing’s Integrity.” He also made a video for the TOC that demonstrated to the Legislature just how important racing is to California.

"Our industry has lost a true leader and compassionate friend,” said CHRB Chairman Chuck Winner. “Alan always strived to do what was best for people and animals alike. I personally, like so many of us, will miss him."

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Alan Landsburg.

LANDSBURG, Alan (Alan William Landsburg)

Born: 5/10/1933, White Plains, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 8/14/2014, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Alan Landsburg’s western – executive producer:

The Chisolms (TV) – 1979-1980

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RIP Imogen Bain

August 19, 2014, 12:16 pm

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The Stage People

By Michael Quinn

August 12, 2014

Obituary: Imogen Bain

The daughter of actor Jessie Evans and director Donald Bain, Imogen Bain overcame childhood dyslexia to follow them on to stage, television and film.

As a child actor, she played Leonard Rossiter’s daughter in Peter Everett’s The Baby’s Name Being Kitchener for the BBC’s Thirty-Minute Theatre in 1973.

After studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Bain made her professional debut in Sheila Hancock’s 1981 revival of Otway’s The Soldier’s Fortune for the Cambridge Theatre Company.

The following year, she appeared in Once a Catholic at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, and in 1984 made her West End debut in Daisy Pulls It Off at the Globe Theatre. In 1986, she returned to the West End in Blithe Spirit at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Bain’s National Theatre appearances included Richard Eyre’s 1992 revival of The Night of the Iguana and opposite Judi Dench in Sam Mendes’ production of Edward Bond’s The Sea (1991). At the Almeida Theatre, Bain shared the stage with Alan Bates in Thomas Bernhard’s The Showman in 1993. More recently, she appeared in West Yorkshire Playhouse’s 2006 revival of Hedda Gabler.

Her film career began in the gritty 1982 drama Scrubbers. Other notable appearances included Hollywood blockbusters Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves (1991), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), and Steven Berkoff’s 1994 adaptation of Decadence.

Bain’s television roles ranged from Casualty, The Bill, New Tricks, Waking the Dead and Doctors to Little Dorrit, Little Britain, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Ripper Street.

Together with Andrea Brooks, she formed the Good Luck Company in 1984 and produced a series of lunchtime theatre performances that included Pinter’s The Lover, Sartre’s Huis Clos and a one-man show by Ian Puleston-Davies. In her own one-woman show, Happy Hour (written by Nicholas Reader), she played three characters. In recent years, Bain gave classes at the Actors Centre.

Imogen Bain was born in London on April 17, 1959. She died, aged 55, on July 5. She is survived by her husband, the actor Simon Holmes.

BAIN, Imogen

Born: 4/17/1959, London, England, U.K.

Died: 7/5/2014, London, England, U.K.

Imogen Bain’s western – actress:

Red Dwarf (TV) – 1993 (Lola)

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RIP Jerome Ehlers

August 19, 2014, 12:48 pm

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RIP Jerome Ehlers

The West Australian

August 11, 2014

EHLERS (Jerome ): (Son of Frank and Berenice, deceased). After a 10 month battle, Jerome passed away in Sydney on Saturday evening. Our bigger than life brother was, even in death, witty, outrageous courageous and caring. Our hearts are with Elly, Ethan and Jackson. We will miss you, our loving brother. Steffen, Andrea, Rod and Mike.

EHLERS, Jerome

Born: 12/20/1958, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Died: 8/92014, Sydney, New South Wales Australia

Jerome Ehlers’ westerns – actor:

Quigley Down Under – 1990 (Coogan)

Ned Kelly – 2003 (Sheriff Trooper)

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RIP Tom Pevsner

August 20, 2014, 9:06 am

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RIP Tom Pevsner

Thomas ‘Tom’ Pevsner a British producer, director and assistant director died on August 19^th 2014. Pevsner was born in Dresden, Germany and began his career in the film industry as an assistant director at the beginning of the 1950s. As such, he worked until 1970. In 1962, made his directional debut with the German comedy film “Finden sie, daß Constanze sich richtig verhält?”. Lilli Palmer and Peter van Eyck starred in the film.

From the mid-1960s Pevsner operated as a producer, which he invariably became an Associate Producer in appearance. An example of this is the film adaptation Dracula. From 1979 to 1981 he was involved in this function on several James Bond films, his first film was James Bond 007 “For Your Eyes Only”. This was followed by “Octopussy” (1983), “A View to a Kill (1985) and two films with Timothy Dalton in the lead role: “The Living Daylights” (1987) and “License to Kill” (1989). For the 1995 Bond film “Goldeneye” Pevsner served as executive producer. After he retired from the film business he was only seen in documentaries about the James Bond films.

PEVSNER, Tom (Thomas Pevsner)

Born: 10/12/1926, Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Died: 8/19/2014, U.K.

Tom Pevsner’s westerns – production manager:

Doc – 1971

The Spikes Gang - 1974

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RIP Brian G. Hutton

August 20, 2014, 4:28 pm

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Brian G. Hutton, Director of ‘Where Eagles Dare,’ ‘Kelly’s Heroes,’ Dies at 79

Variety

By Carmel Dagan

August 20, 2014

Brian G. Hutton, who directed Clint Eastwood in the WWII actioners “Where Eagles Dare” (1968) and “Kelly’s Heroes” (1970) and also directed Elizabeth Taylor in two films, has died. He was 79.

“Where Eagles Dare,” a thriller based on the Alistair McLean novel, also starred Richard Burton, while “Kelly Heroes,” a heist film masquerading as a war film, sported a large ensemble cast that included Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O’Connor and Donald Sutherland.

Hutton’s 1972 drama “X, Y and Zee” starred Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine and Susannah York concerned an an architect, his mistress, and the wife intent on breaking them at all costs. Follow-up film “Night Watch,” starring Taylor and Laurence Harvey, was a thriller.

Hutton did not direct again until 1980’s Lawrence Sanders adaptation “The First Deadly Sin,” starring Frank Sinatra as a New York police detectice and Faye Dunaway as his dying wife.

His final directorial effort was the 1983 adventure romance “High Road to China,” starring Tom Selleck and Bess Armstrong.

Hutton made his feature directorial debut with 1965’s “Wild Seed,” a sensitive romantic drama. The following year he helmed “The Pad and How to Use It,” a comedy based on a play by Peter Shaffer.

While Hutton directed nine films, he actually spent more of his career as an actor. He appeared in the John Sturges Westerns “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and “Last Train from Gun Hill,” starring Douglas; the Roger Corman movie “Carnival Rock”; Elvis Presley pic “King Creole”; the 1958 crime drama “The Case Against Brooklyn,” starring Darren McGavin; and Frank Borzage’s “The Big Fisherman.”

Hutton also guested on a number of Western-themed TV series including “Gunsmoke,” “Have Gun — Will Travel,” “Rawhide,” “Wagon Train,” as well as on “Playhouse 90″ and “Perry Mason,” among other shows.

Hutton was born in New York City, and in addition to his own acting and directing, he also ran an acting class at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. In the mid-’80s he left showbiz for a career in real estate.

HUTTON, Brian G.

Born: 1935, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 8/19/2014, Los Angeles, California

Brian G. Hutton’s westerns – actor:

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1956 (Joe Trimble)

Gunfight at O.K. Corral – 1957 (Rick)

The Sheriff of Cochise (TV) – 1957 (Sam)

Sugarfoot (TV) – 1958 (The Kid)

Last Train from Gun Hill – 1959 (Lee Smithers)

Black Saddle (TV) – 1959 (David Trench McKinney)

Law of the Plainsman (TV) – 1959 (Johnny Q)

Rawhide (TV) – 1961 (Chandler)

Have Gun – Will Travel (TV) – 1961 (Adam/Sam Marakian)

The Rifleman (TV) – 1961 (Billy Benson, Deecie)

Wagon Train (TV) – 1961 (wagon train member)

Shotgun Slade (TV) – 1961

Frontier Circus (TV) – 1961 (Greg Andrews)

Geronimo – 1962 (Indian scout)

Laramie (TV) – 1962 (Ross)

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RIP Michael A. Hoey

August 20, 2014, 4:38 pm

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RIP Michael A. Hoey

Michael A. Hoey, who wrote the screenplays for a pair of Elvis Presley films and was the architect behind the 1966 cult science-fiction movie The Navy vs. the Night Monsters, has died. He was 79.

Hoey, the son of English actor Dennis Hoey — who played the bumbling Inspector Lestrade in the 1940s Universal Pictures series of Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce — died Sunday of cancer at his home in San Clemente, Calif., his son Dennis told The Hollywood Reporter.

Michael Hoey also produced, wrote, directed and edited several episodes of the 1980s music drama series Fame, based on the Alan Parker box-office hit. He earned two Emmy Award nominations for his work on the show and wrote a behind-the-scenes book about the series that was published in 2010.

Hoey penned the scripts for the Presley films Stay Away, Joe and Live a Little, Love a Little, both released in 1968. For the latter, he worked with director Norman Taurog, who also helmed the teen comedy Palm Springs Weekend (1963), a film that Hoey produced.

In The Navy vs. the Night Monsters, a staff manning a weather station on an isolated island fights for survival against a carnivorous plant-like species that spews acid, moves around at night and reproduces quickly.

The cast included Anthony Eisely, Mamie Van Doren, Bobby Van and Billy Gray, best known as the son on Father Knows Best. Jack Broder produced (with an uncredited assist from Roger Corman) and gave the movie what Hoey once called its “abominable” title.

“I remember the day when I was rehearsing and Jack Broder walked in and announced what the new title was going to be,” Hoey told author Tom Weaver. “The entire cast was ready to walk out. They were furious.”

In the interview with Weaver, Hoey said the film had a 10-day shooting schedule and cost $178,000 to make.

Born in London and raised in Beverly Hills, Hoey began his Hollywood career as an editor, working for such top-notch directors as John Ford, George Cukor and Fred Zinnemann. Studio head Jack Warner made him a producer for Palm Springs Weekend, which starred Troy Donahue, Robert Conrad, Stefanie Powers and Connie Stevens.

Hoey later would direct episodes of Dallas, Falcon Crest, Murder, She Wrote and Crossroads Café; wrote for the shows The Rat Patrol, Get Christie Love! and McCloud; and served for years as executive producer of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

He also wrote the books Elvis, Sherlock and Me: How I Survived Growing Up In Hollywood; Sherlock Holmes and the Fabulous Faces: The Universal Pictures Repertory Company; and Elvis’ Favorite Director: The Amazing 52-Year Career of Norman Taurog.

He served two four-year terms as a governor on the board of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the WGA honored him with its prestigious Morgan Cox Award in 1997.

Hoey asked that his film books be donated to the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he taught editing as an adjunct professor.

In addition to his son Dennis, a former Hollywood makeup artist and producer of TV commercials,

survivors include his daughters Lauren and Karin.

The family plans a small memorial service, with his ashes scattered at sea.

HOOEY, Michael A.

Born: 9/8/1934, London, England, U.K.

Died: 8/17/2014, San Clemente, California, U.S.A.

Michael A. Hooey’s westerns – writer, assistant film editor, dialogue coach:

Sergeant Rutledge – 1960 [assistant film editor]

Tickle Me – 1965 [dialogue coach]

Stay Away Joe – 1968 [writer]

The North Star – 1996 [film editor]

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RIP Florian Flicker

August 24, 2014, 10:08 am

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Filmmaker Florian Flicker deceased

Der Standard

August 24, 2014

The award-winning Salzburg filmmaker died shortly after his 49th birthday in Vienna to severe disease

Vienna -. Austrian writer and director Florian Flicker is dead Prism Film Production Company announced, Flicker died on Saturday afternoon, just two days after his 49th birthday, in Vienna after a short bout with a severe cancer.

Born in Salzburg Flicker known for his award-winning feature film "The Raid" (2000) with Roland Daeringer, Josef Hader and Joachim Bißmeier. Last time was his "Devil Woman"–an adaption of a "frontier" for the cinema, which was awarded three times by the Austrian Film Prize 2013, including that which won for best screenplay.

Flicker’s beginnings were in experimental film and expanded cinema, with "Half the World" in 1993 he put out his first feature film. In 1998, he released his road movie "Suzie Washington" which was awarded the Best Austrian film. In 2000 he followed with "The Raid" his best-known film.

Flicker was successful not only in feature films, but also made himself a name as a documentarian. In 2006 his listed at the Hof Film Festival, as well as diagonal-opening documentary about the Lower Austrian town of Western tourist attraction "No Name City". And flicker in 1997 had submitted a work off of fictional paths with a film about the New Folk Music Group Attwenger.

Also at the theater it led flicker, so he staged twice in 2008 at the Vienna Schauspielhaus ("July" and "The Strudlhofstiege, Episode 8"). He also taught in the new millennium, among others at the Vienna

Film Academy, compiled reports and written with Dolphins also a radio play for the NDR.

The movie was resting at this time. Only twelve years after "The Raid" put Flicker with "frontier" again in 2012 before a full-length feature film. In addition to the Austrian Film Prize this was after its local premiere at the film festival awarded Sarajevo and landed on the long list of European Film Awards later.

Flicker had two more movies, a comedic and political, in preparation before now overtook him cancer. On the Saturday afternoon Florian Flicker succumbed at just 49 years of his suffering.

FLICKER, Florian

Born: 8/21/1965, Salzburg, Germany

Died: 8/23/2014, Vienna, Austria

Florian Flicker’s western – director, screenwriter, actor:

No Name City - 2006

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RIP Richard Attenborough

August 24, 2014, 2:33 pm

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Richard Attenborough, Oscar-Winning Director of ‘Gandhi,’ Dies at 90

Variety

Carmel Dagan

August 24, 2014

Richard Attenborough, who was honored for his helming and production of the 1982 Oscar best picture “Gandhi” but was best known to American audiences for his role in Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” and its first sequel as park creator John Hammond, died on Sunday, his son tells BBC News. He was 90.

The stocky British filmmaker was awarded a life peerage by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 for his stage work and for his efforts behind and in front of the camera to promote British cinema.

While Attenborough had been a prominent character actor in his native country since the early 1940s, he also achieved much as a producer, motion picture executive and cultural impresario. At various times he was chairman of the British Film Institute, Channel 4, Goldcrest Films, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and Capital Radio and a director of the Young Vic and the British Film Institute. In the late ’70s, he helped preserve and restore London’s Duke of York Theater.

A career in film directing began in 1969 with an adaptation of Joan Littlewood’s biting musical satire “Oh! What a Lovely War.” Few of his directing efforts achieved the stature of “Gandhi,” which he had championed for more than 20 years. But there were noteworthy attempts to deal with historical and biographical subjects including “Cry Freedom,” about South African apartheid; “Chaplin,” a biography of the immortal screen comic; and “Shadowlands,” based on William Nicholson’s play focusing on British writer C.S. Lewis.

“I have no interest in being remembered as a great creative filmmaker,” he once said. “I want to be remembered as a storyteller.”

Despite more than 50 years as a stage and screen actor — including supporting roles in adventure pics “The Flight of the Phoenix” (1965) and “The Sand Pebbles” (1966) and “Doctor Dolittle” (1967) — it was only in 1992 that Attenborough achieved widespread international recognition for his starring role in “Jurassic Park,” the largest-grossing film ever at the time. (Later acting credits included Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” and the Cate Blanchett starrer “Elizabeth.”)

In the late 1950s, in an effort to enhance the quality of his movie assignments, Attenborough united with writer-director Bryan Forbes to create Beaver Films. Their first effort, 1960’s “The Angry Silence,” was a sharply defined working-class drama, part of the new generation of realistic British films. In addition, Beaver produced “The League of Gentlemen,” “Whistle Down the Wind,” “The L-Shaped Room” and “Seance on a Wet Afternoon” between 1961 and 1964. The last film, in which Attenborough co-starred with Kim Stanley, brought him the British Academy Award along with his work in “Guns at Batasi.” The positive reception for “Seance” in the U.S. coupled with his supporting role in hit WWII actioner “The Great Escape” in 1963 led to a career as a Hollywood character actor starting with “The Flight of the Phoenix” (1965) and “The Sand Pebbles” (1966).

In 1967 he appeared in the big-budget musical “Doctor Dolittle,” which brought him a Golden Globe for supporting actor.

With the help of British actors including Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, John Mills and Michael Redgrave, Attenborough was able to persuade Paramount Pictures to bank his debut directing effort, an adaptation of Joan Littlewood’s WWI fantasia “Oh What a Lovely War.” Though not a financial success in the U.S., the film was honored with a Golden Globe and six British Academy Awards.

Attenborough continued to act in films through the early ’70s in such efforts as “David Copperfield,” “A Severed Head,” “Loot” and the chilling “10 Rillington Place,” in which he played a mass murderer. By 1972 he had the money to shoot biographical adventure “Young Winston,” based on the early life of Winston Churchill. The pic was well received, but his next film, 1977’s “A Bridge Too Far,” sported an international name cast but was a $25 million flop.

To produce and direct his next film, a biography of the life of Indian pacifist leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, Attenborough beat the bushes for 20 years and redoubled his efforts only after Lean abandoned a similar project. He turned down an offer to be associate director of Britain’s National Theater, mortgaged his house, sold his cars, pawned his paintings, took on a number of subpar roles in films such as “Brannigan,” “Rosebud” and “Ten Little Indians” and made a poor directing choice in “Magic” for producer Joseph E. Levine, basically done as a favor to interest Levine in financing “Gandhi.”

With the help of Goldcrest Films and Indian’s National Film Development Corp., Attenborough had financing in hand by the end of the 1970s. He passed on several prominent actors such as Alec Guinness and Dustin Hoffman to cast a highly regarded Royal Shakespeare Company actor, Ben Kingsley, who was part Indian.

The film copped eight Oscars, including two for Attenborough as best director and for producing the best picture. Attenborough detailed his struggle to make the film in a book, “In Search of Gandhi,” published in 1982.

In 1985, he was named chairman of Goldcrest just after he completed work on a failed film adaptation of the Broadway musical “A Chorus Line.” His next film, also a personal project, was “Cry Freedom,” the story of British journalist Donald Woods (played by Kevin Kline) and South African activist-martyr Steven Biko (a role for which Denzel Washington received a supporting actor Oscar nomination).

His 1992 biopic “Chaplin” was less successful, though Robert Downey Jr. drew a deserved Oscar nomination for best actor. The following year Attenborough directed Anthony Hopkins and Oscar nominated Debra Winger in “Shadowlands,” which proved both a commercial and critical success.

That was the same year Attenborough’s face finally become familiar across America (and the world) in “Jurassic Park,” Spielberg’s monumental blockbuster based on Michael Crichton’s novel. It was his first acting assignment in 13 years and led to further work in front of the camera: He played Kris Kringle in John Hughes’ remake of “The Miracle on 34th Street” for the Fox Network, and over the

next several years appeared in roles in Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet,” the Cate Blanchett starrer “Elizabeth” and telepic “The Railway Children” (2000). In 2006 he appeared in “Welcome to World War One,” a documentary about the making of “Oh! What a Lovely War.”

Attenborough was still directing, too. In 1996 he helmed “In Love and War,” starring Chris O’Donnell and Sandra Bullock in the story of the young Ernest Hemingay and a nurse he loved after he was injured in WWI. His 1999 film “Grey Owl” starred Pierce Brosnan as a Canadian fur trapper who became a conservationist. Attenborough attempted a film that, like “Gandhi,” carried a sociopolitical message, but Variety called the direction “old fashioned.”

After an absence of eight years, Attenborough directed the sentimental tale “Closing the Ring” (2007), starring Christopher Plummer and Shirley MacLaine.

In May 2012 Attenborough teamed with Martin Scorsese and Anthony Haas to develop the film “Silver Ghost,” a drama based on the true story of the founding of Rolls Royce. Attenborough was to direct, but he was in rapidly declining health after suffering a stroke in 2008 that left him in a wheelchair.

The oldest son of an Anglo-Saxon scholar and university administrator, Attenborough was the eldest of three sons. (Brother David is a naturalist behind many acclaimed BBC documentary series). His mother, the former Mary Clegg, was the daughter of art historian Samuel Clegg.

Born in Cambridge, he was already involved in amateur theatrics by his teens. In 1940 Attenborough won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, making his professional debut while still a student in a production of Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah Wilderness!” In 1942 he made his screen debut in Noel Coward’s “In Which We Serve,” directed by David Lean.

RADA honored him with the Bancroft Medal for fine acting in 1942 and, upon leaving school, he made his West End debut in Clifford Odets’ “Awake and Sing.” Significant roles in productions of “Twelfth Night” and “Brighton Rock” followed before Attenborough enlisted in the Royal Air Force, becoming part of its film unit. He also flew film reconnaissance missions over Germany during the war.

In 1946 he signed a contract with producers John and Ray Boulting. He reprised his stage role in the film version of “Brighton Rock,” followed by “The Guinea Pig” in 1948 and “The Gift Horse” in 1952.

His film career sputtered in the 1950s: Projects like “Eight O’Clock Walk” and “The Baby and the Battleship” were abysmal. So he returned to the stage in “To Dorothy, a Son,” “Double Image” and Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” (appearing in the original cast as Detective Sergeant Trotter), which became England’s longest-running show.

Beginning in 1956, the film side picked up when he appeared for the Boultings in a series of social satires including “Private’s Progress” and “I’m All Right, Jack.”

His autobiography “Entirely Up to You, Darling” was published in 2008.

Attenborough was married in early 1945 to actress Sheila Sim, with whom he had three children, Jane, Charlotte and Michael, all of whom worked in the performing arts.

ATTENBOROUGH, Richard Lord (Richard Samuel Attenborough)

Born: 8/29/1923, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, U.K.

Died: 8/24/2014, West London, England, U.K.

Richard Attenborough’s western – director:

Grey Owl – 1999

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RIP Stephen Lee

August 27, 2014, 5:27 pm

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Stephen Lee, Character Actor in ‘Burlesque,’ ‘The Negotiator,’ Dies at 58

Variety

Carmel Dagan

August 27, 2014

Stephen Lee, a talented character actor who spent more than three decades in the business, died of a heart attack on August 14. He was 58.

Some of his more notable credits include the films “Burlesque” (2010), with Cher and Christina Aguilera; “The Negotiator” (1998), with Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey; and, much earlier, 1983’s “WarGames” with Matthew Broderick.

Lee also did a great deal of TV work, with credits dating back to “Hart to Hart” in 1981 and “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “Who’s the Boss?” in 1984.

The actor’s more recent TV credits include “NCIS,” “Numbers,” “Bones” and “Ghost Whisperer,” and he worked last in 2010.

On the way he appeared on such TV shows as “thirtysomething,” soap “Santa Barbara,” “Family Ties,” “Night Court,” “Roseanne,” “Quantum Leap,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Grace Under Fire,” “Babylon 5,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Seinfeld.”

Other films in which he appeared included “La Bamba” and “RoboCop 2.”

LEE, Stephen

Born: 11/11/1955, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Died: 8/14/2014, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Stephen Lee’s westerns – actor:

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (TV) – 1983 (Jimmy

Dream West (TV) – 1986

Guns of Paradise (TV) – 1989 (Jacob Brandt)

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RIP Bill Stratton

August 28, 2014, 9:22 am

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William (Bill) Stratton, 83, Faria Beach, Ventura. The world lost one of its most creative minds on August 20, 2014. Bill Stratton, aka Kahuna to his grandchildren, paddled out from his beach house one last time, with his children by his side, the sound of classical music in his ears and the taste of a martini on his lips.

An original ad man of the early 1960's, Bill was responsible for developing the persona of characters like Tony the Tiger for television advertising. The leaden skies of Chicago and the high mortality rate of the advertising business led him to California and screen writing for television. He wrote several movies-of-the-week, including Voyage of the Yes, collaborating with Johnny Cash on The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James and The Baron and the Kid, writing and producing American Harvest, writing A Son's Promise and the final installment of the Gunsmoke series: The Long Ride. Bill was the longest standing writer for the original Hawaii Five-0 television series, worked as a staff writer for Aaron Spelling on shows such as Vegas and Hart to Hart, and contributed dozens of scripts to other shows including Rockford Files, Harry O, Blue Knight, Mod Squad, and Storefront Lawyers. He created the pilot and wrote scripts for the series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, starring Stacey Keach. He continued writing manuscripts and memoirs in his retirement. He received the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe award for mystery writing in 1983.

Bill was popular in the television industry for his ability to create original stories with authentic dialogue, repudiating the trite and formulaic. The well spring for his creativity was the Pacific Ocean where he surfed or swam almost daily at his beloved Pitas Point for the past 5 decades. He was an avid tennis player -- one of the original founders of the Ojai Valley Racquet Club. For those who knew him, his door was always open: with wickedly strong coffee brewing, he was open to frank discussions on topics including history, politics and personal development.

Born in 1930 in Kansas City, Missouri, Bill served in the Korean War, was a journalism major at Kansas State University, was married to Donna Lee MacDougall and then Sandra Freeman. His surviving family comprises Hall and Alicia Stratton of Oak View, their sons Layne and Robert; Anna Stratton of Washington DC; Shelby and Emily Fleming of Alexandria VA, their son Nathan; and Sheryl Stratton of Falls Church VA, her children, Jay, Sarah and Sabrina; Doug and Liz Freeman of Basalt CO and Ventura; and Bob and Debbie Freeman of Salt Lake City UT, their sons Jacob and Andrew.

He requested his obituary state: The curmudgeon of Faria Beach succumbed after a long heroic struggle with poison oak during which he learned that "that man is rich who has a scratch for every itch."

A memorial service will be held this fall. Please contact sheryl.stratton@verizon.net for details.

STRATTON, Bill (William Stratton)

Born: 11/11/1930, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.

Died: 8/20/2014, Faria Brach, Ventura, California, U.S.A.

Bill Stratton’s western – screenwriter:

Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (TV) – 1993

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RIP Bryce Dion

August 29, 2014, 10:24 am

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Massachusetts native Bryce Dion, 'Cops' TV show crew member killed by police while filming in Nebraska, was born in Lawrence

Mass.live

Conor Berry

August 28, 2014

LAWRENCE — Bryce Dion, the "Cops" TV show crew member killed by police while filming in Nebraska this week, was born in Lawrence and attended St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune reports.

Dion, 38, was the first crew member to die in the line of duty in the history of the 25-year-old show, according to its producers.

"We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragedy and our main concern is helping his family in any way we can," Langley Productions, which produces Cops, said in a statement.

It was a bullet from an Omaha police officer's gun that killed the Massachusetts native, who was a sound technician for the popular program "starring the men and women of law enforcement."

He was killed by "friendly fire," police Chief Todd Schmaderer said, calling Dion a "friend" of the Omaha Police Department. The death has cast a pall over the department. "Bryce was their friend," Schmaderer said, adding that officers were "taking this very hard."

"Cops" had been working with police in Nebraska's largest city since June, USA Today reports, and many officers had become friendly with the TV crew. "This is especially difficult for them," Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said.

Tim Bresnahan, a former sports reporter for the Eagle-Tribune, said Dion was a Lawrence native who graduated from St. John's Prep with Bresnahan. Dion's mother lives in Haverhill, according to the Lawrence newspaper.

Dion and "Cops" cameraman Michael Lee were with Omaha officers when they responded to a restaurant robbery, during which the gunman also was shot and killed by police.

The suspect, 32-year-old Cortez Washington, was a prison parolee from Kansas who was armed with an authentic-looking Airsoft pellet gun that was mistaken for the real deal, the Daily News reports.

Dion was accidentally hit as officers opened fire on Washington as the suspect fled from a Wendy's restaurant in Omaha, a city of more than 421,000 people. The incident remains under investigation.

John Langley, the creator and producer of "Cops," reminded people that the show is as real as real can get. "'Cops' truly is a reality show. It's not manipulated, it's not managed," he said at a press conference Wednesday. "It's all true, it's all real, it happens as it happens."

Fans posted condolences on the reality show's Facebook page, which now features a black band over the program's logo.

"The best thing to honor (Dion) would be to continue filming episodes in his honor. Canceling is not what he would have wanted. May he RIP and prayers to his family," Christian Miner said.

"It breaks my heart that you have lost one of your best," Robert Grimm posted. "It is a stark example of the circumstances that police face daily and the evil they encounter. ... My condolences for your loss."

DION, Bryce (Bryce David Dion)

Born: 1976, Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Died: 8/27/2014, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.

Bryce Dion’s western – sound mixer:

Shiloh Falls - 2007

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