RIP Victoria Jones

 

Tommy Lee Jones' daughter found dead in San Francisco hotel

USA TODAY

By Anna Kaufman

January 2, 2026

 

A woman found dead in the hallway of a San Francisco hotel in the early hours of New Year's Day has been identified as Victoria Jones, the daughter of award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones. She was 34.

The San Francisco Fire Department confirmed the woman's identity with The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, Jan. 2, noting no cause of death had been announced.

In an email to USA TODAY Jan. 2, the San Francisco Fire Department confirmed that personnel had responded to a medical emergency at the Fairmont Hotel just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 1. Upon arrival, paramedics performed an assessment and declared the person deceased, the SFFD reports.

Both the San Francisco police and the medical examiner's office were then called to the scene. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Lee Jones.

Victoria followed in her father's footsteps, appearing in several films as a child and young adult, including 2005's "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada," which he directed. She turned away from acting in later years.

Lee Jones, 79, is a celebrated actor known for roles in films like "The Fugitive," "JFK," the "Men in Black" trilogy and "In The Valley of Elah." Victoria is one of two children shared by the actor and is ex-wife, Kimberlea Cloughley. The pair, who were married from 1981 to 1996, also share a son, Austin Jones, 43.

Lee Jones married his current wife, Dawn Laurel, in 2001.

JONES, Victoria (Victoria Kafka Jones)

Born: 4/21/1991, Camp La June, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Died: 1/1/2026, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

 

Victoria Jones’ westerns – actress:

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada – 2005 (immigrant girl)

The Homesman – 2014 (woman)

Yuen Cheung-yan

 

Hong Kong actor and action choreographer Yuen Cheung Yan dies at 68

Dimsum Daily Newsroom

January 2, 2026

 

Hong Kong action choreographer and actor Yuen Cheung Yan, who was known for playing iconic supporting roles in movies, has died at the age of 68. The territory’s media reported that he died from illness, without elaborating.

His widow issued an obituary confirming that Yuen died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Jan 1. The wake will be held at Universal Funeral Parlour on Feb 1, with the funeral held the next day.

One of Yuen’s most memorable roles was in Kung Fu Hustle (2004), which was directed by and starred Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Chow. In the action comedy, Yuen played a mysterious beggar who tricked Chow’s underdog character into buying the Buddha’s Palm manual.

Another role was in Hong Kong action comedy King Of Beggars (1992), directed by Hong Kong film-maker Gordon Chan and starring Chow. Yuen played a beggar teaching the martial arts move Sleeping Arhat Fist, with his humorous and witty performance winning the hearts of movie fans.

Yuen hailed from a family of martial artists.

He was the son of Hong Kong actor and action choreographer Yuen Siu Tien, who died in 1980 at the age of 68. Yuen Cheung Yan was also the younger brother of renowned Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and film director Yuen Woo Ping, 80, who has worked on both Hong Kong and Hollywood movies.

Yuen Cheung Yan trained in martial arts from a young age and was a core member of the Yuen brothers’ production team, known as Yuen Family. He not only acted, but also served as action choreographer and director for numerous films.

He followed his brother Yuen Woo Ping to Hollywood, working as a martial arts choreographer on films like Charlie’s Angels (2000) and Daredevil (2003).

Hong Kong film director Lee Lik Chi and action star Donnie Yen paid tribute to Yuen Cheung Yan on social media.

“Remembering Master Yuen Cheung Yan,” Lee wrote, posting several photos of him.

Yen wrote: “From our youthful encounter in Drunken Tai Chi (1984) to our recent collaboration in Sakra (2023). Brother Cheung Yan, your legacy shines in cinema as your spirit lives on. We will cherish your memory forever. Rest in peace.”

CHEUNG-YAN, Yuen

Born: 1957, Guangzhou, China

Died: 1/1/2026, Hong Kong China

 

Yuen Cheung-yan’s western – actor:

The Stranger and the Gunfighter – 1974 (constable)

RIP Tim Robertson

 

Tim Robertson Prolific actor / director / writer, best known for Chances, Power without Glory, Prisoner, and Stingers, has died aged 81.

TV Tonight

By David Knox

January 2, 2026

 

British born Robertson enjoyed a long career in Australian stage and screen, joining the Australian Performing Group at the Pram Factory in Melbourne in 1972. This included the second ever production of Dimboola, directed by David Williamson.

His TV work was prolific in the 1970s including roles in Matlock Police, Homicide, Rush, Division 4, Cash & Company, Tandarra, Bluey, Against the Wind, The Sullivans, Skyways, Cop Shop.

In Frank Hardy’s Power Without Glory he played Arthur West for 14 episodes.

Work continued in the 1980s in Young Ramsay, Scales of Justice, Special Squad, Carson’s Law, Vietnam, Rafferty’s Rules, The Heroes, Round the Twist, Neighbours and A Thousand Skies. He had various roles in Prisoner and 16 episodes of Australia You’re Standing In It.

Other credits included All the Rivers Run II, Skirts, The Flying Doctors, Time Trax, Ocean Girl, Halifax fp, Snowy River: The McGregor Saga, Kangaroo Palace, Thuderstone, Beastmaster, Shock Jock, Stingers, CrashBurn and Last Man Standing. In Chances he played Jack Taylor for a whopping 90 episodes.

His film credits were equally impressive including The Cars that Ate Paris, Petersen The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Dimboola, The Last of the Knucklemen, Phar Lap, Bliss, Jenny Kissed Me, Kangaroo, The Year My Voice Broke, Evil Angels, The Big Steal, Bodysurfer, Amy, He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, Holy Smoke and The Eye of the Storm.

He also wrote and directed in theatre, including lyrics for the ill-fated musical Manning Clark’s History of Australia – The Musical in 1988.

ROBERTSON, Tim

Born: 6/16/1944, Braintree, Essex, England, U.K.

Died: 1/2/2026, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

 

Tim Robertson’s westerns – actor:

Rush (TV) – 1974 (Constable Calvin)

Cash and Company (TV) – 1975 (Reed)

Tandarra – 1976 (storekeeper)

Against the Wind (TV) – 1978 (Holt)

All the Rivers Run II (TV) – 1990 (Blackwell)

Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (TV) – 1995 (Trooper John Clark)

RIP Candy Raymond

 

Actor Candy Raymond, best known for Number 96 and Prisoner has died.

TV Tonight

By David Knox

January 1, 2026

 

Actor Candy Raymond, best known for Number 96 and Prisoner has died, aged 75.

Much of her work was through out the 1970s and 1980s in Australian film and television.

In Number 96 she played Jill Sheridan, presented as a sex symbol, a wild child who tried to seduce a priest and featuring in several controversial nude sequences.

This followed various episode work in Riptide, Skippy, Matlock Police and Division 4.

She featured in 6 episodes of Norman Gunston’s Checkout Chicks, then The Sullivans, Bluey, Young Ramsay, Chopper Squad, Cop Shop and Kingswood Country.

By 1981 she played Sandra Hamilton, a friend of Betty Bobbitt’s Judy Bryant in Prisoner, for 8 episodes.

Other TV credits included Shout: The Johnny O’Keefe Story, The Great Bookie Robbery, Hey Dad, The Flying Doctors, Rafferty’s Rules, and winning an AFI for her performance in the TV Movie Breaking Up (1985).

Her film credits include Alvin Rides Again, Don’s Party, The Getting of Wisdom and Ginger Meggs.

RAYMOND, Candy (Candida Raymond)

Born: 1950, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Died: 12/?/2025, Bowral, New South Wales, Australia

 

Candy Raymond’s western – actress:

The Phantom Gunfighter - 1970

RIP Isiah Whitlock Jr.

 

Isiah Whitlock Jr., ‘The Wire’ and ‘Veep’ Actor, Dies at 71

Variety

By Ethan Shanfield

December 30, 2025

 

Isiah Whitlock Jr., an actor best known for playing the corrupt state senator Clay Davis on “The Wire,” died on Tuesday in New York, Variety has confirmed. He was 71.

His manager, Brian Liebman, shared the news of his passing on Instagram, writing: “It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr. If you knew him — you loved him. A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.”

Indiana-born Whitlock was a prolific character actor who was a frequent collaborator of Spike Lee, appearing in his films “BlacKkKlansman,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “She Hate Me,” “25th Hour,” “Red Hook Summer” and “Chi-Raq.”

Across many of his projects, he developed the catchphrase “sheeeeee-it,” an elongated pronunciation of the word “shit.” It started in “She Hate Me” and “25th Hour,” and then the writers of “The Wire” began incorporating it into the HBO series. Whitlock said he could be stopped on the street two to three times per day by fans asking him to say the catchphrase. In a meta turn, Whitlock got to play a man obsessed with “The Wire” in the 2011 comedy “Cedar Rapids.”

Whitlock also played a doctor in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” and had roles in “Chappelle’s Show,” “Pieces of April,” “Enchanted” and Pixar’s “Cars 3” and “Lightyear.” He also lent his voice to “Hoppers,” Pixar’s animated sci-fi comedy due in 2026.

In Seasons 2 through 4 of “Veep,” Whitlock played George Maddox, the U.S. Secretary of Defense who runs against Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character Selina Meyer in the 2016 primaries.

WHITLOCK Jr., Isiah (Isiah Z. Whitlock)

Born: 9/13/1954, South Bend Indiana, U.S.A.

Died: 12/30/2025, New York, U.S.A.

 

Isiah Whitlock Jr’s, western – crew member:

Red Dead Redemption II - 2018

RIP Carmen De Lavallade

 

Carmen de Lavallade, trailblazing dancer and cultural icon, dies at 94

Carmen de Lavallade, a groundbreaking dancer, choreographer and actress whose six-decade career reshaped modern dance and theater while breaking racial barriers, died Monday in New Jersey. She was 94.

The Grio

By Janeé Bolden

December 30, 2025

 

Carmen de Lavallade, the elegant and fearless performer whose artistry moved effortlessly across dance, theater, film, and television — and who helped open doors for generations of Black artists — has died. She was 94.

Her son, Léo Holder, confirmed that de Lavallade died Monday in a New Jersey hospital following a short illness.

Over a career that spanned more than six decades, de Lavallade became one of the most respected figures in American performing arts, working alongside luminaries including Alvin Ailey, Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Agnes de Mille, Josephine Baker, and her husband of 59 years, artist and performer Geoffrey Holder.

Known for her long, willowy frame and striking stage presence, de Lavallade continued performing well into her 80s, defying both ageism and industry expectations. Duke Ellington once famously called her “one of the most ravishing women in the world.”

Born Carmen Paula de Lavallade on March 6, 1931, in Los Angeles, she was raised in a culturally diverse environment that shaped her worldview and artistic curiosity. She was mentored early by her cousin Janet Collins, the first Black ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera, whose perseverance in the face of racism left a lasting impression on her.

De Lavallade trained with modern dance pioneer Lester Horton and performed with his multiracial company at a time when such integration was rare. Despite barriers that limited where and with whom Black dancers could perform, she went on to work with major institutions, including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem, and the Metropolitan Opera.

Her artistry extended beyond the stage. She appeared in films like ‘Carmen Jones,’ performed in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, and spent a decade at Yale University as a performer, choreographer, and adjunct professor, teaching students who would go on to shape theater and film — including a young Meryl Streep.

On social media, her death was mourned by entertainers and fans alike.

Alongside Geoffrey Holder, whom she married in 1955, de Lavallade also used her work as a form of activism, aligning with the civil rights movement through creative expression rather than slogans. Together, they choreographed signature works, including her celebrated solo “Come Sunday,” set to Black spirituals.

Even as her body changed with age, de Lavallade remained committed to movement, reflection, and performance. She gave her final performance at 88 and continued to speak candidly about aging, artistry, and adaptation.

Carmen de Lavallade is survived by her son, her older sister Yvonne de Lavallade Davis, and her extended family.

DeLAVALLADE, Carmen (Carmen Paula De Lavallade)

Born: 3/6/1931, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 12/29/2025, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A.

 

Carmen DeLavallade’s westerns – actress, voice actress:

Lone Star – 1996 (Carolyn)

Red Dead Redemption II – 2018 [voice of Soothsayer)

RIP Brigitte Bardot

 Sixties 'sex kitten', animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot dead at 91

Bardot had been hospitalized in late October for a minor surgical procedure

FOX News

By Ashley Carnahan

December 28, 2025

 

Legendary French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died at 91, her foundation announced Sunday.

"The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation," it said in a statement to the French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Bardot had been hospitalized briefly in late October at Saint-Jean Hospital in Toulon, where she underwent a minor surgical procedure, according to a statement from her office to AFP.

The iconic actress became known in the 1950s and 1960s for her "sex kitten" image, a label that came to define her on-screen persona.

Bardot rose to international fame following the 1956 film "And God Created Woman," a box office success that transformed her into a global sex symbol.

She worked with leading directors of her generation, including Jean-Luc Godard, Henri-Georges Clouzot and Louis Malle. Bardot is best known for films such as "La Vérité," "Contempt (Le Mépris)" and "Viva Maria!".

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bardot as a symbol of freedom, saying France had lost a "legend of the century."

"Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. French existence, universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century," he wrote on X.

Bardot famously stepped away from the spotlight in 1973 at the height of her career, later saying simply that she had "had enough."

"There was some exhaustion there, not just from the pace of work, but just [being] the endless subject of a camera lens, whether it’s a still camera lens or a movie lens," James Clarke, a U.K.-based author and author of the photo book "Being Bardot," told Fox News Digital earlier this year. "That is one of the things that come[s] out a little bit [in this book]. . . . She got to that point where it’s just like, ‘I’ve kind of done it and 20 years has been sufficient.'"

Bardot said in a new 90-minute eponymous documentary "Bardot," which began screening in France earlier this month, that she did not care if people remembered her and hoped instead they would remember the "respect we owe to animals," according to The Sunday Times.

"The more I advance in my life, the more I fear humans. I’m more animal than human," she said.

Bardot was married four times and is survived by her son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier.

BARDOT, Brigitte (Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot)

Born: 9/28/1934, Paris, Île-de-France, France

Died: 12/28/2025, Saint-Tropez, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

 

Brigitte Bardot’s westerns – actress:

Viva Maria! - 1965 (Maria Fitzgerald O’Malley)

Shalako - 1968 (Countess Irina Lazaar)

The Legend of Frenchie King - 1971 (Louise ‘Frenchie King’ Miller)