RIP Iga Cembrzynska

 

The famous Polish actress and singer has died. She was 87 years old

Actress and singer Iga Cembrzyńska died at the age of 87. Viewers knew her from Andrzej Kondratiuk's films.

Dorzeczy

By Małgorzata Puzyr

7/30/2026

 

The information about the death of Iga Cembrzyńska was announced in social media by Fr. Andrzej Luter, who said goodbye to her with moving words. "She left. To his Andrzej and to his brother Janusz. A wonderful actress and singer died today. Personality. Goodbye dear Igo" – he wrote.

The sad news caused a wave of memories and condolences. For many years, Iga Cembrzyńska was one of the most characteristic figures of Polish cinema. Her achievements included not only film and theater roles, but also musical, composing and screenwriting.

Iga Cembrzyńska has died. Who was she?

Iga Cembrzyńska was born on July 2, 1939 in Radom. She made her debut on the big screen in 1964, playing Princess Emina in the cult film "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa" directed by Wojciech Jerzy Has. It was the beginning of a long-term career, during which she created many memorable creations.

In the following years, she appeared in acclaimed productions, such as "Salto" by Tadeusz Konwicki, "Jowita" by Janusz Morgenstern, "The Wall of Witches" by Paweł Komorowski and "The Scream" by Barbara Sass. She also collaborated with Andrzej Wajda.

A special place in the life and work of Iga Cembrzyńska was occupied by the director Andrzej Kondratiuk. They were connected not only by work, but also by great love. In the early 80s, the couple got married and remained together until the director's death in 2016.

Cembrzyńska starred in several of her husband's films, including "Hydrozagadka", "How to Do It" and "Full Moon". For the role of Stara in the film "Stardust", she was honored with the prestigious Golden Screen Award, which was one of the most important awards in her career.

In 1979, Iga Cembrzyńska and Andrzej Kondratiuk settled in Gzów near Pułtusk. It was there that the director's next films were made, m.in. "The Four Seasons", "The Spindle of Time" and "The Sundial".

The artist did not limit herself to acting. She composed music for the films "Sundial" and "Milky Way", also showing her talent as a composer. In the 1990s, she founded the company Iga Film, which produced all subsequent films by Andrzej Kondratiuk. She was also a member of the Polish Film Academy, actively participating in the life of Polish cinematography.

CEMBRZYNSKA, Iga (Maria Elizbieta Cembrzyńska)

Born: 7/2/1939, Radom, Mazowieckie, Poland

Died: 7/30/2026, Warsaw, Poland

 

Iga Cembrzynska’s western – actress:

Komedia z pomylek (TV) – 1967 (Lora Neuman)

RIP Manolo Solo

 

Spanish Actor Manolo Solo Dies at 62 After Battle With Cancer

rusSpain

By Richard Reid

July 30, 2026

 

Manolo Solo, acclaimed for roles in La isla mínima and El buen patrón, has died at 62 following cancer. The Goya-winning actor shaped Spanish cinema with over 55 films and a unique on-screen presence.

Manolo Solo, one of the most distinctive faces in Spanish cinema of the past two decades, has died at the age of 62 after a prolonged illness with cancer. Known for his roles in La isla mínima, Tarde para la ira, and El buen patrón, Solo's passing marks the end of a career that left a significant mark on the industry. His real name, Manuel Jesús Fernández Serrano, rarely appeared in credits, but his stage name became synonymous with complex, layered performances that resonated with audiences and critics alike.

Solo's journey in film began later than most, but his impact was undeniable. He appeared in 55 films from 2003 onwards, including the yet-to-be-released Una quinta portuguesa by Avelina Prat and La desconocida by Gabe Ibáñez. His work earned him a Goya Award for Best Supporting Actor in Tarde para la ira (2016) and four additional nominations, reflecting both his versatility and the respect he commanded within the industry.

Throughout his career, Solo gravitated toward roles that challenged perceptions. He often portrayed characters with a surface-level innocence masking deeper, sometimes unsettling, traits. In El buen patrón, he played a scheming supervisor with comedic undertones, while in La isla mínima, his portrayal of a troubled journalist brought him widespread recognition. Tarde para la ira saw him as a gritty, unpredictable figure, sharing the screen with Antonio de la Torre in a dynamic that highlighted their contrasting styles.

His ability to embody discomfort and ambiguity was noted by critics, especially in La desconocida, where he played a disturbing sexual predator. Reviews highlighted how Solo, often seen as a supporting actor, could dominate the screen with raw, unfiltered performances that left a lasting impression. The opening scenes of his films frequently set a tone of unease, drawing viewers into narratives that explored the darker corners of human nature.

Yet, Solo was not confined to somber roles. In later projects like Una quinta portuguesa and Cerrar los ojos by Víctor Erice, he revealed a gentler, more luminous side, reminiscent of classic European cinema. These performances allowed him to step away from tension and present a character marked by innocence and warmth, a contrast to his earlier work. In interviews, Solo reflected on the complexity of playing both light and dark, emphasizing the importance of nuance and the appeal of characters with hidden depths.

His path to acting was unconventional. Solo worked as a DJ and messenger before dedicating himself to acting at 35, facing periods of financial uncertainty and contemplating a return to his native Seville. Despite these challenges, he persisted, eventually considering himself fortunate for the opportunities that came his way. The choice of his stage name, influenced by the early loss of his father and a youthful desire for attention, became a defining part of his identity, even as he later viewed it with a mix of embarrassment and acceptance.

Solo's story is a reminder of the unpredictable nature of artistic careers in Spain, where late bloomers can still achieve recognition and leave a legacy. His experience echoes the challenges faced by many in the creative industries, where perseverance and adaptability are often as important as talent. The Spanish film sector, which has seen both triumphs and setbacks in recent years, continues to grapple with issues of visibility and opportunity for actors outside the mainstream. For context, the entertainment world has also recently witnessed other high-profile health-related absences, such as when Kiko Rivera was forced to cancel his summer tour due to a serious medical issue, as reported in coverage of Rivera's tour suspension.

Manolo Solo's legacy is defined by his commitment to complex roles and his ability to bring authenticity to every character. His career, marked by both struggle and acclaim, stands as a testament to the enduring power of Spanish cinema and the unique voices that shape it.

SOLO, Manolo (Manuel Jesús Fernández Serrano)

Born: 1/11/1964, Algeciras, Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain

Died: 7/30/2026, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

 

Manolo Solo’s western –, actor, voice actor:

Lucky Luke: The Daltons on the Run – 1983 [Spanish voice of Jack Dalton]

A Man Called Horse – 1995 [video Spanish voice of Jean Gascon]

The Tin Star – 1995 [Spanish voice of unknown actor]

Daniel Boone (TV) – 1997 [Spanish voice of Vito Scotti]

Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory – 1999 [Spanish voice of Slim Andrews]

Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer – 2000 [Spanish voice of Gordon Mills]

Jack London – 1943 [2000 Spanish voice of Paul Hurst]

King of Texas (TV) – 2002 [Spanish voice of David Alan Grier]

Legend of Zorro (TV) – 2003 [Spanish voice of additional characters]

La cebra – 2011 (Tuerto)

RIP Kent Broadhurst

 

Kent Broadhurst, ‘Silver Bullet’ Actor and ‘Wild Iris’ Screenwriter, Dies at 86

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

July 28, 2025

 

Kent Broadhurst, the character actor who appeared in films including The Verdict, Silkwood and Silver Bullet and wrote the screenplay that led to Laura Linney's first Emmy Award, has died. He was 86.

Broadhurst died May 20 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, according to a paid obituary. He lived for the past 63 years in a building on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village.

The St. Louis native did lots of theater work during his lengthy career, making it to Broadway in revivals of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial in 1983 and A Doll's House in 1997, and he wrote many plays as well.

Broadhurst might be best known for playing the anguished father of the murdered best friend of Corey Haim's Marty Coslaw in the Stephen King-scripted horror film Silver Bullet (1985).

In an interview for the DVD, he said he arrived at a park at about 2 a.m. for the scene in which his character is taken to his dead son. "The prop department had presented [director Dan Attias] with the corpse of the boy that was just embarrassing, it was unusable," he recalled. "It looked like a window mannequin that had been smashed with a hammer and smeared with cranberry juice.

"I could see [Attias] was in such a quandary, so I said, 'I think I can give you what you need and you won't have to show anything of the terrible thing I'm confronted with.' He was so grateful, he said, 'Oh, that's great. I'll just keep the camera on you.'"

Broadhurst penned the screenplay for the 2001 Showtime telefilm Wild Iris, directed by Daniel Petrie. Linney stars as a widow who lives with her son (Emile Hirsch) and mother (Gena Rowlands) in a home that doubles as a bridal shop.

Linney received the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or a movie — it was the first of her nine Emmy career nominations and first of her four wins — while Rowlands was nominated as well.

Born in St. Louis on Feb. 4, 1940, James Kent Broadhurst graduated from the University of Nebraska and headed to New York, where he appeared off-Broadway opposite Marcia Wallace in The Fourth Wall in 1968, among many other plays.

He made his big-screen debut in Stuart Rosenberg's Brubaker (1980), starring Robert Redford, then followed with turns in Sidney Lumet's The Verdict (1982), starring Paul Newman, and Mike Nichols' Silkwood (1983), starring Meryl Streep.

In the 1983 NBC miniseries Kennedy, starring Martin Sheen, Broadhurst portrayed Richard Paul Pavlick, the postal worker who was arrested after he stalked president-elect John F. Kennedy with the aim of assassinating him.

After appearing in Silver Bullet, which was based on King's 1983 novella, Cycle of the Werewolf, he worked on another horror film taken from a novel written by King, The Dark Half (1993), directed by George A. Romero.

His résumé also included such films as Marshall Brickman's Lovesick (1983), John Turturro's Mac (1992), Luc Besson's Léon: The Professional (1994), A Couch in New York (1996) and Boys Life 2 (1997) and TV guest spots on The Equalizer, Spenser: For Hire, Reasonable Doubts, Walker, Texas Ranger, Babylon 5, Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU.

In 2000, Broadhurst stepped in to provide the onstage narration as a hypnotherapist for a Dream Theater concert in New York that was recorded for the video album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory.

His plays included They're Coming to Make It Brighter, Lemons, The Eye of the Beholder and The Habitual Acceptance of the Near Enough; some bowed at the Humana Festival at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Broadhurst also was a painter who created more than 2,000 canvases, some of which have been exhibited at the Broadhurst Art Gallery (named for him) at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains, New York.

"Friends and colleagues often described him as a Renaissance man — thoughtful, intellectually generous and devoted to the arts in all their forms," his paid obituary notes.

BROADHURST, Kent (James Kent Broadhurst)

Born: 2/4/1940, · St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.

Died: 5/20/2026, · Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

 

Kent Broadhurst’s westerns – actor:

The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (TV) – 1991 (Sailor Johnson)

Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) - 1994 (Augie Danzig)

RIP E.J. Peaker

 

E.J. Peaker, Hello, Dolly! And That’s Life Actress, Dies At 82

The Eric Alper

July 27, 2026

 

E.J. Peaker, who played the chatty hat shop assistant Minnie Fay opposite Barbra Streisand in Hello, Dolly! and starred alongside Robert Morse on the short-lived ABC musical comedy series That’s Life, has died at 82, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Peaker died on May 16 of Alzheimer’s disease at her home in Las Vegas, her husband, pilot and musician Scott Rosen, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Born Edra Jean Peaker in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she graduated from Centennial High School in Pueblo, Colorado, before studying drama at the University of New Mexico and the University of Vienna. She built a career across film and television that spanned more than three decades, with credits including Charlie’s Angels, The Rockford Files, The Streets of San Francisco, Wonder Woman, and Quincy, M.E. She also appeared as Rose Harris on The Greatest American Hero and as Carla St. James on Madame’s Place.

Peaker was married twice, first to film producer Bob Zampino and later to accountant Steven Lee Salko, who died in 2010. In her later years, she was known as an advocate for the homeless in Encino, California.

PEAKER, E.J. (Edra Jeanne Peaker)

Born: 2/22/1940, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Died: 5/16/2026, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.

 

E.J. Peaker’s Western- actress:

Cade’s County (TV) – 1971 (Geri Randell)

RIP Dany Bravo

 

Hanna Barbera Cartoons

10/31/2025

 

Daniel Zaldivar died in Los Angeles on October 30, 2025, He was known as "Danny Bravo"was born on January 29, 1948, in Los Angeles, California. He is a former American child actor.

After a few minor film appearances, he played the title role—an Indian boy training a racehorse to earn money to build a shrine for his village—in the 1960 film “For the Love of Mike” (credited as "Danny Zaidivar"). That same year, he had a small role in the classic Western “The Magnificent Seven”. In 1962, he played the title character "Ramon," a Latino boy who featured prominently in an episode of “87th Precinct”.

For Hanna-Barbera, Danny Bravo provided the voice of Hadji—the adopted, Calcutta-raised brother of the title character—in the animated television series “Jonny Quest” (1964–1965).

BRAVO, Danny (Daniel Zaldivar)

Born: 1/29/1948, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 10/30/2025, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Danny Bravo’s westerns – actor:

For the Love of Mike – 1960 (Michael Littlebear)

The Magnificent 7 – 1960 (boy with O’Reilly)

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV) – 1963 (Kiwa)

Wagon Train (TV) – 1963 (Felipe Perez)

The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (TV) - 1969 (Prince) [voice of Chaboonu]

RIP Chuck Russell

 

Chuck Russell, Director of ‘The Mask,’ Dies at 74

Variety

By Pat Saperstein

July 24, 2026

 

Chuck Russell, who helped launch several notable careers as the director of genre films including 1994’s “The Mask” as well as “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors,” died Wednesday in the San Diego area. He was 74.

His death was confirmed by his attorney. The local fire department had responded to his house for the report of an unconscious man, according to TMZ.

Russell started out writing screenplays and working as a production manager and assistant director on independent films. He met Frank Darabont while working as an executive producer on “Hell Night,” and went on to collaborate with him.

He wrote the script for Dennis Quaid-starrer “Dreamscape,” directed by Joseph Ruben. Russell then made his directing debut on “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3,” which helped revitalize the franchise and grossed more than the first two installments as well as launching Patricia Arquette’s career. He went on to helm the cult favorite remake of “The Blob.”

For 1994’s blockbuster “The Mask,” he cast Cameron Diaz in her first movie and made Jim Carrey a household name. The film earned an Oscar nomination for visual effects.

Russell’s next films were “Eraser,” with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and “The Scorpion King,” the first leading role for Dwayne Johnson.

After several years of hiatus, Russell returned to direct “I Am Wrath” with John Travolta, the Indian action-adventure film “Junglee” and “Paradise City” with Bruce Willis and Travolta.

In 2024, he directed a remake of “Witchboard,” and told Variety at the time, “We have to humanize these things, whether it’s action or comedy or drama,” he says. “You gotta get into your performers’ heads. You gotta get their actual personality into their performances.”

He recently announced two productions with his AI company Neumorphic, “Hyperia” and “b,” which the company said were “built with generative AI across their entire production pipeline.”

RUSSELL, Chuck (Charles Russell)

Born: 5/9/1958, Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 7/22/2026, San Diego, California, U.S.A.

 

Chuck Russell’s westerns – production manager:

Incredible Rocky Mountain Race (TV) – 1977

Last of the Mohicans (TV) – 1977

RIP Richard M. Rawlings Jr.

 

Richard M. Rawlings Jr Dies: ‘Charlie’s Angels’ & ‘Desperate Housewives’ Cinematographer With Four Emmy Noms Was 82

DEADLINE

By Erik Pederson

July 21, 2024

 

Richard M. Rawlings Jr, a second-generation cinematographer with four career Emmy noms whose credits range from the original Charlie’s Angels to L.A. Law, Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives, has died. He was 82.

The American Society of Cinematographers confirmed the news but did not provide details about cause, place or date of death.

During his 30-year lensing career, Rawlings Jr won an ASC Award in 1988 for the CBS Western series Paradise, for which he also scored an Emmy nomination. His three other Emmy noms came for ABC’s Ohara in 1988, NBC’s Reasonable Doubts in 1993 and the CBS telepic Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story in 1995. He also was honored with the ASC’s Television Career Achievement Award in 2014.

Born on Oct. 9, 1943, in Los Angeles, Rawlings Jr was the son of Richard L. Rawlings, who also had a long career as a TV cinematographer including multiple seasons of Dynasty and Gilligan’s Island. The younger Rawlings got his showbiz start as a messenger at Warner Bros for three years before getting into camera work. He later assisted his father on shows including Gilligan’s Island.

The elder Rawlings was working on the classic 1970s crime drama Charlie’s Angels when its executive producer Aaron Spelling reassigned him to work on his then-new primetime soap Dynasty. That became the younger Rawlings’ big break, as he took the cinematography reins halfway through the third season of Charlie’s Angels in 1978 — hot off being a Top 5 series in all of primetime. He would stay in that role until the show wrapped in 1981.

From there, Rawlings Jr would work on dozens of primetime TV series the 1982-85, including ABC action show Matt Houston, ABC’s Stingray, NBC’s Marlee Matlin-led legal drama Reasonable Doubts and NBC’s Emmy-winning L.A. Law. He went on to lens such 2000s hits as Boston Public, Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives. Rawlings Jr also worked on a handful of TV movies, and his final credit was a 2008 episode of Boston Public.

Rawlings Jr talked about his craft in a 1995 interview with ASC’s magazine American Cinematographer. “I’ll walk onto a set that I’ve never seen before, and my original ideas change about where the lights will go and about the feeling of the scene,” he said. “Then, when I listen to the actors say the words, my ideas may change again. I always wait until the moment and then make my choices. I’m also not a technical person [in terms of] using formula to determine lighting; I don’t know how to do that. Outside, I guess the exposure and then use a meter; inside, I know exactly how much light there is because I shoot by eye. I know what 20 foot candles looks like.”

Information on survivors was incomplete.

RAWLINGS Jr, Richard M. (Richard Maxwell Rawlings Jr.)

Born: 10/9/1943, Hollywood, California, U.S.A.

Died: Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.A.

 

Richard M. Rawlings Jr’s, western – cinematographer, director.

Paradise (TV) – 1988-1991