RIP Tyler Christopher

 

People

By Esther Kang, Rosemary Rossi

October 31, 2023

Tyler Christopher, best known for his Emmy-nominated role General Hospital, has died. He was 50.

Paula Smith, the wife of Christopher's former GH costar Maurice Benard, confirmed the actor's death on Instagram.

"It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher," he wrote. "Tyler passed away this morning following a cardiac event in his San Diego apartment."

Benard continued, "Tyler was a truly talented individual that lit up the screen in every scene he performed and relished bringing joy to his loyal fans through his acting. Tyler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him."

Benard also noted that "Tyler was an advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol. We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father."

Christopher portrayed Nikolas Cassadine on the legendary medical soap opera from 1996 to 2016. He also played Stefan DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 2018 to 2019, winning a Daytime Emmy (and the fifth of his five career nominations) for the performance.

In 2008, Christopher married former ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo and reportedly divorced in 2021. The former couple share two children: Greysun James Christopher and Boheme Christopher. He was also previously married to Desperate Housewives alum Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.

Tyler Christopher attends the 2018 NBCUniversal Winter Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 9, 2018 in Pasadena, California.

Back in July, the actor, who was placed under the guardianship of his sister Susan Asmo Baker since 2019, spoke out about regaining control of his life in an interview with Bloomberg.

“I never thought in a million years that I would be taken advantage of by a family member,” he said.

Shortly after the article was published, Christopher captioned photo of himself on Instagram, writing, “Sharing is part of the healing process.”

Christopher was first placed under his sister's guardianship during a bout of alcohol withdrawal. He fell, hit his head and underwent life-saving surgery after internal bleeding. While Christopher was hospitalized, his sister filed for guardianship.

In a previous court filing, Christopher alleged that Asmo Baker used up to $40,000 of finances that should have been for his guardianship to pay off her own credit cards and buy her son a laptop, among other things. Asmo Baker denied the allegations.

Back in May, Christopher was arrested at the Hollywood Burbank Airport for public intoxication. He was released on $250 bail. It wasn’t his first public intoxication arrest, as Christopher was first arrested for a similar incident in 2019 when he fell asleep in the back of an Uber. He pled guilty, and a judge denied a request by law enforcement that Christopher be sentenced to an alcohol treatment program.

CHRISTOPHER, Tyler

Born: 11/11/1972, Joliet, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 10/31/2023, San Diego, California, U.S.A.

 

Tyler Chrsitopher’s western – actress:

Into the West (TV) – 2005 (Jacob Wheeler Jr., Touch the Sky)

RIP Elmar Wepper

 

BNN Network

By Sheena Oberoi

!0/31/2023

The world of entertainment is in mourning as it lost one of its pillars, Elmar Wepper, a renowned actor known for his role in the TV series ‘Der Kommissar’, who has passed away at the age of 79 due to heart failure.

 

A Storied Career

Wepper was a titan of the silver screen, with a career that spanned over six decades. He lit up living rooms across the globe with his portrayal of Inspector Harry Klein in the popular TV series ‘Der Kommissar’, which aired from 1969 to 1976. His performance as the dedicated and intelligent police inspector became an iconic benchmark in the annals of television history.

After the success of ‘Der Kommissar’, Wepper continued to weave his magic across both film and television, showcasing his versatility across a wide range of genres. His ability to breathe life into diverse characters, from dramas to comedies, won him the respect of his peers and the adulation of his audience. His last role in the remake of the classic film ‘Gefundenes Fressen’ was a testament to his enduring talent, proving that he could captivate audiences even after six decades in the industry.

The Man behind the Actor

While his acting prowess was undeniable, Wepper was as much loved for his off-screen persona. Known for his warm and friendly personality, he was a beloved figure among his colleagues and fans. His down-to-earth nature and generosity made him a beacon of support and inspiration for many aspiring actors. He was known for his professionalism on set and his willingness to help others, a true gentleman of the acting fraternity.

Remembering a Legend

Wepper’s death has left a void in the entertainment industry that will be hard to fill. His legacy is not just the characters he portrayed, but the impact he had on those who knew him and those who watched him. His talent, dedication, and contributions to the world of film and television will be celebrated and remembered for years to come.

He is survived by his wife, a son, and two grandchildren. His passing is a great loss to his family, friends, and the entertainment industry as a whole. As we remember Elmar Wepper, we celebrate a life lived to its fullest, a career brimming with remarkable performances, and a spirit that continues to inspire.

WEPPER, Elmar

Born: 4/16/1944, Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany

Died: 10/30/2023, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

 

Elmar Wepper’s westerns – voice dubber:

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1955-1975 [German voice of Tom Simcox]

Bronco (TV) 1958-1962 [German voice of Gary Winson, Joel Grey]

Bonanza (TV) 1959-1973 [German voice of Dean Stockwell, John Beck]

Ox-Bow Incident – 1964 [German voice of Ted North (1943)]

The Big Valley (TV) 1965-1969 [German voice of Robert Porter, Richard Dreyfuss, Johnny

     Crawford]

Lancer (TV) 1968-1970 [German voice of Jerry Strickler]

The Letherstocking Tales – 1969 [German voice of Paul Hover]

Cade’s County (TV) 1971-1972 [German voice of Richard Yniquez, Bur DeBenning, Tony Bill]

The Revengers – 1972 [German voice of Jorge Luke]

Trinity & Sartana Those Sons of Bitches – 1972 [German voice of Alberto Dell’Acqua]

White Fang and the Hunter – 1975 [German voice of Robert Woods]

Centennial (TV) – 1978 [German voice of Gregory Harrison]

RIP Judy Nugent

 

Judy Nugent Dies: ‘Magnificent Obsession’, ‘Adventures Of Superman’ Child Actor Was 83

DEADLINE

By Greg Evans

October 31, 2023

 

Judy Nugent, the former ’50s child actor who co-starred with Jane Wyman in Magnificent Obsession, Annette Funicello in the popular Annette serial on ABC’s The Mickey Mouse Club and flew in the arms of George Reeves’ Superman in a 1954 episode of The Adventures of Superman, died of October 26 cancer, surrounded by family at her ranch in Montana. She was 83.

Her death was announced in a family statement released by daughter-in-law Anne Lockhart, the Chicago Fire actor and daughter of Lost in Space star June Lockhart.

A Los Angeles native – she was the daughter of MGM prop man Carl Nugent – Nugent had already appeared in a handful of uncredited roles, including in the 1951 film Angels in the Outfield, when she landed her breakthrough role as Donna Ruggles in the 1949-52 TV series The Ruggles, an early family sitcom starring comic actor Charles Ruggles (Bringing Up Baby). Nugent played the twin sister of child actor Jimmy Hawkins (It’s A Wonderful Life).

After the cancelation of The Ruggles, Nugent landed guest shots on The Lone Ranger, in the film Ma and Pa Kettle At Home, and, in perhaps the role most fondly remembered by Baby Boomers, as Ann Carson, a blind girl who enters a Daily Planet contest to fly around the world with Superman in the 1954 Season 2 episode of Adventures of Superman. (Her eyesight is restored after Clark Kent/Superman uses his super vision to detect the cause of her blindness.)

That same year she appeared in Magnificent Obsession and on the TV series The Life of Riley. The following years brought additional screen credits (Lassie, There’s Always Tomorrow, The Girl Most Likely) and in 1958 she had a featured role The Mickey Mouse Club‘s Annette serial, playing Jet Maypen, best friend to star Funicello.

Small roles continued through the early 1960s – 77 Sunset Strip, Sugarfoot, Rawhide and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, among others – but she largely retired from acting after marrying Gunsmoke actor Buck Tayler, son of character actor Dub Taylor, in 1961. The couple, who had four children, divorced in 1981.

Nugent is survived by daughter Tiffany; sons Matt and Cooper; daughter-in-law Anne Lockhart and grandchildren Carlyle and Zane. She was preceded in death by son Adam, who was married to Lockhart and died in 1994 at age 27 in a motorcycle accident.

NUGENT, Judy (Judy Ann Nugent)

Born: 8/22/1940, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 10/26/2023, Broadwater, Montana, U.S.A.

 

Judy Nugent’s stunt woman, western actress:

Night Stage to Galveston – 1952 (Cathy Evans)

Down Laredo Way – 1953 (Taffy Wells)

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (TV) 1953

The Lone Ranger (TV) – 1953 (

Annie Oakley (TV) 1954 (Penny)

Sugarfoot (TV) – 1959 (Charonne Wilkes)

Rawhide (TV) – 1960 (Willie Carst)

The Tall Man (TV) 1960, 1961, 1962 (June McBean)

Pony Express Rider – 1976 [stunts]

Beartooth – 1978

Cattle Annie and Little Britches – 1980 (girl on horse riding into lake) [stunts]

RIP Fernando Almada

 

Fernando Almada: A Titan of Mexican Cinema Passes Away at 96

BNN Network

By Sheena Oberoi

10/30/2023

 

A titan of Mexican cinema has exited the stage. Fernando Almada, a celebrated actor, producer, and film director, died at the age of 96, leaving a legacy that spans over a century and more than 100 films. His death was confirmed by a representative of the National Association of Actors (ANDA) in Mexico, who extended condolences to Almada’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Unraveling the Reel of a Cinematic Icon

Born on 26^th February 1929 in Mexico City, Fernando Almada displayed an affinity for the performing arts from an early age. He was the first of ‘The Almada Brothers’ to grace the big screen, making his debut in 1959 with the film ‘Miracles of San Martín de Porres.’ His brother Mario, another stalwart of Mexican cinema, joined him six years later in ‘The Riders of the Witch.’

Fernando Almada’s filmography reads like an anthology of Mexican action cinema. From ‘The Swamp Spell’ and ‘Passport to Death’ to ‘Que me entierren con la banda,’ his performances won him the hearts of audiences. He last appeared on screen in 2001’s ‘El rey de la mota’ and also collaborated with his brother Mario on the 1989 film ‘Carga blanca.’

The Man Behind the Camera

Almada’s talent was not confined to acting. He also wielded the pen as a writer and took the helm as a producer and director in several films. This dexterity behind the camera revealed another facet of his artistry, adding depth to his contributions to Mexican cinema. Almada’s last public image, shared on social media three years ago, was a poignant photograph with the late Isela Vega.

A Deep Imprint on Mexican Cinema

The Almada brothers’ impact on Mexican cinema is indelible. Their films, known for their thrilling action sequences, captivating storylines, and iconic characters, played a pivotal role in shaping the industry from the 1970s to the 1990s. Fernando’s versatility as an actor allowed him to portray a wide range of characters, from heroic cowboys to ruthless villains. His performances radiated intensity and charisma, creating an unforgettable presence on screen.

Almada’s oeuvre stretches beyond his film appearances. His commitment to storytelling made him a cherished figure in the industry, inspiring generations of filmmakers and actors. The news of his death has cast a somber shadow over fans and colleagues alike, prompting heartfelt tributes and reflections on his illustrious career.

The legacy of Fernando Almada, one of the pillars of Mexican action cinema, will continue to echo in the industry’s corridors. He will be remembered not just for his talent but also for his passion and the significant imprint he left on the world of film.

ALMADA, Fernando (Fernando Almada y Otero)

Born: 2/26/1929, Mexico City, F.D., Mexico

Died: 10/30/2023, Mexico

 

Fernando Almada’s westerns – actor:

El correo del norte – 1960

Los hijos del condenado – 1964

Los dos cuatreros – 1965 (Rafael)

Nido de Águilas – 1965 (Dionisio Menachaca)

Los jinetes de la bruja – 1966 (Roberto)

Crisol – 1967 (Doctor Mario Sánchez)

Todo per nada (Everything In Vain) – 1969 (Fernando)

Los Desalmados – 1971 (Lee)

Nido de fieras – 1971

Todo el horizonte para morir – 1971

Por Eso – 1972

Debieron ahorcarlos antes – 1974

Pistolero del diablo – 1974 (Joseph Morgan)

Pistoleros baja el sol – 1974 (Tony Landon)

El arracadas – 1978 (Doroteo Carrillo)

La venganza de un matón – 1980

El gatillo de la Muerte – 1985

El fugitivo de Sonora – 1989 (Comisario Zuñga)

Testigo silencioso – 1992

RIP Brandon Smith

 Claire Brothers Funeral Home – Houston

October, 28, 2023

 

Brandon Enoch Smith, age 71, was born August 13, 1952, and passed away October 27, 2023.

His care has been entrusted to Claire Brothers Funeral Home, 7901 Hillcroft Street, Houston, Texas 77081.

Brandon was the son of actress Chris Wilson and was born on August 13, 1952, in Harris County, Texas as Brandon Enoch Smith. He is an actor, known for No Country for Old Men (2007), Jeepers Creepers (2001) and Bernie (2011). He was married to Margaret Laurence.

SMITH, Brandon (Brandon Enoch Smith)

Born: 8/13/1952, Harris County, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 10/27/2023, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

 

Brandon Smith’s westerns – actor:

Lonesome Dove (TV) – 1989 (bartender)

The Young Riders (TV) – 1990 (Arthur Fenwick)

North & South: Book 3, Heaven & Hell (TV) – 1994 (Beecham)

Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) – 1994, 1997, 1999 (Defense Attorney, Miles Denning, Ted Magill)

The Alamo – 2004 (Lieutenant Colonel J.C. Neill)

Into the West (TV) 2004-2005 (Governor John Evans)

RIP Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm

 

My Net

10/29/2023

 

Theater artist Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm passed away. Sermet Erkin announced the news of the death of the famous theater actor with a post on his social media account.

The news of the death of theater artist Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm left his loved ones in mourning. Sermet Erkin announced the sad news about the famous name. After the news in the press, many people are looking for an answer to the question "Why did Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm die?" on the internet. Here is the biography of Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm...

Announcing the news of Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm's death with a post on his social media account, Turkish illusionist and theater actor Sermet Erkin used the following statements:

"On the day of the 100th anniversary of the Republic, we lost an artist who was almost the same age as the Republic!

The longest era of Turkish theater and dubbing art has come to an end. We have just lost our artist with the longest artistic life, our esteemed elder Jeyan Mahfi Ayral Tözüm. His funeral will be removed tomorrow after the noon prayer at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Mosque and he will be buried next to his father in the same cemetery. Condolences to the Turkish theater and its fans.

Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm was born on August 6, 1929 in Istanbul as the daughter of cinema and theater actor Necdet Mahfî Ayral.

Jeyan was named by his father Necdet Bey. He made use of Kamus-i Türki (Turkish dictionary) to come up with an interesting name that no one else had.

Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm graduated from Beyoğlu Girls' High School. He was first performed by Muhsin Ertuğrul in 1939 at the age of 8 in a world-class work called 'Peer Gynt' by Henrik Ibsen. His father took him by the hand to the theater and dubbing. He started dubbing at the age of 10 with the voiceover of a movie called "Happy Days".

He took part in nearly 100 theater plays. He starred in cinema and TV series.

Most of the female voices in old Turkish films are hers. She voiced many actors, especially Türkan Şoray, Filiz Akın, Fatma Girik, Emel Sayın, Belgin Doruk, Gülşen Bubikoğlu, Ahu Tuğba, in numerous films. The movie "The Expected Song" was produced in 1954 and starred with Jeyan Mahfi, Zeki Müren, Cahide Sonku and Hadi Hün. This is the movie where Zeki Müren first stepped on the big screen.

In 1978, she married Rauf Tözüm, a sound engineer who died in a traffic accident in 1958, and they have a daughter named İris Tözüm and a granddaughter.

She married Rauf Tözüm in 1958. He quit cinema and decided on theater acting. In 1964-65, he became the unforgettable player of the Bushbird. In 1978, he also left the theater stages. He starred in television series. He also worked as a commercial announcer on the radio for about three years.

TOZUM, Jeyan Mahfi (Fatma Mesanet Jeyan Mahfi Ayral Tözüm)

Born: 8/6/1929, Istanbul, Turkey

Died: 10/29/2023, Istanbul, Turkey

 

Jeyan Mahfi Tözüm’s westerns – actress:

Kovboy Ali – 1966 [voice of Müjgan Agrali]

Maskeli beler – 1968 [voice of Selma Güneri]

RIP Donald Forrest

 

Donald Forrest, Humboldt County Actor and Storyteller, Passes Away

Lost Coast Outpost

By Isabella Vanderheiden

October 26, 2023

 

Donald Forrest, a beloved local actor and core member of Dell’Arte International’s original ensemble of performance artists, died at his home on Wednesday due to complications from COVID-19. He was 73 years old.

“He lived a very full life,” Michael Fields, a dear friend and colleague of Forrest’s, told the Outpost in a recent phone interview. “We were roommates in the early years of Dell’Arte and we ended up doing all kinds of stuff together all over the world. He was outgoing and incredibly generous. He was a brilliant actor. I mean, just absolutely brilliant. I’ve worked with some good ones but he was at the top because he just had an innate, uncompromising ability to focus on the work.”

Forrest was born and raised in Michigan. Before making his way to Humboldt County to join Dell’Arte, he performed on Broadway and was involved in “the super alternative, Lower-East Side theater scene” in New York City “where he worked with some of the greats,” Fields said. He was also involved in the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Pickle Family Circus and Make*A*Circus.

“He was part of a lot of the movement,” Fields said. “He brought physical theater to new heights.”

Shortly after moving to Humboldt County in the mid-1970s, Forrest joined Dell’Arte, where he eventually would join Fields and Joan Schirle in sharing artistic director duties for the theater company and school. 

Eventually, he met Nancy Stephenson and the couple had a son, James Forrest. He also became a stepfather to Stephenson’s daughter, Amelia Rudnicki.

“When his son was in grade school, [Forrest] started a theater program at Blue Lake School because he had always wanted to do something with kids,” Fields said. “I would say that changed Dell’Arte’s relationship with the town. He got the eighth graders to do a play every year that he would direct and it was put on in the Carlo Theatre, you know, a full production with lights, sets, sound, everything. They felt like they were on Broadway. … A lot of those kids remember Donald to this day because of those plays.”

Forrest, along with several other locals, had a cameo in the 1995 thriller Outbreak, in which he played Mark Mauldin, according to IMDB.

Most recently, Forrest took on the title role of Terry “King” Lear in “The Logger Lear,” an original production written by Fields loosely based on “King Lear” by William Shakespeare. The play, which ran at the Logger Bar in Blue Lake just a couple of weeks ago, explored the idea of legacy and what we leave behind when we die.

“There’s a line in there about regret, and the way you lift yourself out of regret is to do the things you love,” Fields said. “And for him, acting was the love of his life. We had talked about him doing this for a while and, as we get older, we start thinking of different things – different things become important. … It’s like the last role, and it’s about the end of life.”

Fields will host a wake for Forrest at the Logger Bar in the next month or so, likely in early December.

FORREST, Donald

Born: 1950, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.

Died: 10/24/2023, Humbolt County, California, U.S.A.

 

Donald Forrest’s western – actor:

River of Skulls – 2010 (Flescher)

RIP Donald A. Baer

 

Los Angeles Times

October 29, 2023

 

Donald "Don" A. Baer, 91, passed away on October 25 in Denver, Colorado. Born in Chicago on September 26, 1932, to William and Esther Baer, Don was raised in Los Angeles, where he attended Fairfax High School before earning his bachelor's degree from UCLA. A longtime member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Don rose from the mailroom to cover every production rank associated with the DGA. Career highlights ranged from assistant director on Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain to producing and directing episodes of Lou Grant, Blue Thunder and Tales of the Gold Monkey. After retiring from the film industry, Don shared his knowledge with appreciative film students and enthusiasts at Denver University and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. An avid volunteer (from Little League president to Cub Scout leader to blood donor), he also enjoyed critiquing movies, gardening, reading, art museums and theater. He is survived by his beloved life partner Diana Arendrup, his sister Faye Ann, his children Douglas (Sheri) Baer and David (Carola) Baer, Susan Howard, five grandchildren (Bailey, Naomi, Dylan, Ilana and Olivia), extended family and many dear friends. Known for his candid opinions, sharp wit and thoughtful counsel, Don's sparkling blue eyes and heartfelt hugs will be dearly missed. Funeral service, November 1, 10 a.m. at Hillside Memorial Park.

BAER, Donald A.

Born: 9/26/1932, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 10/25/2023, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.

 

Donald A. Baer’s western – unit manager:

Stranger on the Run (TV) - 1967

RIP Matthew Perry

 'FRIENDS' STAR MATTHEW PERRY DEAD AT 54 ...After Apparent Drowning

TMZ

10/28/2023

 

UPDATE

 

6:02 PM PT -- More details are surfacing about the circumstances surrounding Matthew Perry's death ... as sources tell us he actually died at his own house after some physical activity this morning.

We're told Matthew came home sometime in the AM after a 2-hour round of pickleball, and that he sent his assistant out on errand shortly thereafter. We're told when the assistant returned about 2 hours later, he discovered Matthew unresponsive ... and called 911.

Unclear if what Matthew was doing before his passing played any role in his death at this point -- the investigation into his death is underway.

Matthew Perry -- one of the stars of 'Friends' -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the actor was found Saturday at an L.A.-area home ... where we're told he appears to have drowned. Our sources say first-responders rushed over on a call for cardiac arrest. It's unclear where exactly on the grounds this happened.

Our sources say he was found in a jacuzzi at the home ... and we're told there were no drugs found at the scene. We're also told there is no foul play involved.

Perry is most famous for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit '90s sitcom, which ran for 10 seasons ... and with him in all 234 episodes. His character was a fan fave, as was performance -- mannerisms and lines of which have gone on to be recreated and spoofed by fans all over the world. One comes to mind, in particular ... "Could (blank) BE more .."

While 'Friends' was his biggest claim to fame ... MP had starred/guest starred in countless other TV shows over the years -- such as 'Boys Will Be Boys,' 'Growing Pains,' 'Silver Spoons,' 'Charles in Charge,' 'Sydney,' 'Beverly Hills, 90210,' 'Home Free,' 'Ally McBeal,' 'The West Wing,' 'Scrubs,' 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,' 'Go On,' 'The Odd Couple' and more.

He had also acted in a handful of memorable films (mostly comedy) ... like 'Fools Rush In,' 'The Whole Nine Yards,' 'Three to Tango,' 'The Kid,' '17 Again,' 'Getting In,' and many others. He's been off the scene more recently ... not having acted since a TV mini series in 2017.

While his onscreen persona was affable and upbeat, Matthew suffered mightily behind the scenes -- notably, from his addiction to drugs and alcohol ... pain killers, specifically. He was hooked on Vicodin for years -- even while on 'Friends' -- and had been in and out of rehab.

Matthew opened up about this painful chapter of his life in a memoir he put out last year -- where he detailed the struggles he had ... including his clear weight-loss/gain on the show.

During his press run for his book ... Matthew did a number of interviews where he got incredibly emotional -- including one with Diane Sawyer, where he detailed his story.

While Perry appeared to be clean and sober a year ago, the year prior -- when he and the other cast members were plugging the 'Friends' reunion show -- drew concern from fans ... as they felt he appeared unwell, at times slurring his words and looking a bit out of it.

On top of his substance use ... Matthew also dealt with health issues, some of which were serious and required hospitalizations. One such incident stemmed from a gastrointestinal perforation -- which forced him to undergo emergency surgery ... but he luckily recovered.

Matthew never married, but he was briefly engaged to Molly Hurwitz a couple years ago ... which came to an end after only 6 months. Before that, he'd been linked to Lizzy Caplan.

He was 54 years old.

RIP

PERRY, Matthew (Matthew Langford Perry)

Born: 8/19/1969, Williamstown, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Died: 10/28/2023, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Matthew Perry’s westerns – actor:

Almost Heroes – 1998 (Leslie Edwards)

Fallout: New Vegas – 2010 [voice of Benny]

RIP Joan Evans

 

Joan Evans, Actress in ‘On the Loose,’ ‘Skirts Ahoy!’ and ‘Edge of Doom,’ Dies at 89

When she was 14, the goddaughter of Joan Crawford was accidentally shot on the set by Farley Granger while making her first movie, ‘Roseanna McCoy.’

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

October 28, 2023

 

Joan Evans, the daughter of screenwriters and goddaughter of Joan Crawford, who starred opposite Farley Granger in her first three films and with Audie Murphy in a pair of Westerns, has died. She was 89.

Evans died Oct. 21 in Henderson, Nevada, her son, John Weatherly, told The Hollywood Reporter.

She also toplined the Charles Lederer-directed On the Loose (1951), playing a suicidal teenager in the drama written by her parents, Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert; portrayed Irene Dunne’s daughter in the fantasy It Grows on Trees (1952); and enlisted in the U.S. Navy with Esther Williams in the musical comedy Skirts Ahoy! (1952).

Evans played the love interest of Granger’s character in the title role of Roseanna McCoy (1949), a drama loosely based on the family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. The two worked together again in the 1950 releases Our Very Own and Edge of Doom, a bleak film noir directed by Mark Robson.

The actress later starred with Murphy in Column South (1953), helmed by future Tonight Show director Fred De Cordova, and No Name on a Bullet (1959), helmed by Jack Arnold.

Named for Crawford, Joan Katherine Eunson was born on July 18, 1934, in New York. Her mom had begun her career as a Hollywood journalist and publicist at MGM, where Crawford first found fame, and she would go on to write many articles about the actress while at Photoplay magazine.

“They were best friends,” Evans noted in an entertaining interview with Foster Hirsch in 2013.

Evans had been on the stage but was only 14 when she went to work on Roseanna McCoy for producer Samuel Goldwyn. He had signed her to a contract in 1948 and put her in the movie after firing Cathy O’Donnell, who had married the brother of William Wyler, who left Goldwyn to launch his own production company.

While director Nicholas Ray was doing reshoots on the film, Evans was “accidentally shot very, very seriously” in the arm by Granger when a gun he was carrying discharged in the hills outside Columbia, California, she told Hirsch. She needed emergency surgery and was hospitalized.

Days after she had turned 18, Evans and her boyfriend, car dealer Kirby Weatherly, then 26, were invited to Crawford’s Brentwood home for dinner, and after their meal, the Mildred Pierce star decided that the couple should get married — that night. Crawford called a judge over to perform the ceremony, and Evans and Weatherly were wed minutes after midnight on July 24, 1952.

“The head of publicity at Goldwyn had said to me, ‘Joan, I don’t care what you do, just don’t call me in the middle of the night and tell me you’re married,’” she said. “So, I called him in the middle of the night and told him I was married.”

Her parents did not want this to happen and were furious with Crawford, never to speak with her again.

Some speculate that Crawford went against Eunson and Albert’s wishes because they had recently written the screenplay for The Star (1952), which featured Bette Davis in an Oscar-winning turn as an aging, washed-up actress desperate to reignite her career. Davis said she based the character on her bitter rival, Crawford.

Evans and Weatherly were together until his death on Jan. 1. Their marriage “wasn’t the mistake that my parents foretold,” she said.

Meanwhile, she remained close with Crawford until her 1977 death and said she never witnessed any evidence of “Mommie Dearest” behavior from her.

“I saw a wonderful, darling friend who was generous to the max to everyone, certainly to me,” she told Hirsch. “When I was a little girl, I traveled on the train from New York to California with Joan; now that would bring out the worst in any great actress, [and it didn’t].”

Evans also appeared in such other films as The Outcast (1954), A Strange Adventure (1956), The Flying Fontaines (1959) and The Walking Target (1960), and on TV shows including Climax!, The Millionaire, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Wagon Train, Zorro, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Tall Man and Laramie.

EVANS, Joan (Joan Katherine Eunson)

Born: 7/18/1934, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 10/21/2023, Henderson, Nevada, U.S.A.

 

Joan Evans’s westerns – actress:

Colum South – 1953 (Marcy Whitlock)

The Outcast – 1954 (Judy Polsen)

Cheyenne (TV) – 1958 (Lilac Allen)

No Name on the Bullet – 1959 (Anne Benson)

Wagon Train (TV) – 1959 (Sarah Sinclair)

Zorro (TV) 1959 (Leonor)

The Rebel (TV) 1960 (Cassie)

Laramie (TV) – 1961 (Julie Wade)

Outlaws (TV) 1961 (Molly Moore)

Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1961 (Kathy Danielson)

The Tall Man (TV) 1961 (Lou Belle Martin)

 

RIP Richard Moll

 

Richard Moll, Bull the Bailiff on ‘Night Court,’ Dies at 80

Shaving his head for a movie helped him get the part of a lifetime, and he spent nine seasons on the hit NBC sitcom.

 

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

October 27, 2023

Richard Moll, the fun-loving actor who portrayed the towering and tenderhearted bailiff Aristotle Nostradamus “Bull” Shannon on all nine seasons of the popular NBC sitcom Night Court during its original run, has died. He was 80.

Moll died peacefully Thursday at his home in Big Bear Lake, California, a family spokesperson announced.

Suitable for his 6-foot-8 frame, Moll played an abominable snowman alongside Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach in the comedy feature Caveman (1981), and he was a scary, decomposing Vietnam veteran in the horror film House (1986).

Moll also did lots of voiceover work, with a regular gig as the immortal bodyguard Norman on the syndicated series Mighty Max and turns as Harvey Dent/Two-Face for three Batman cartoons.

Moll had a shaved head — he did that to play the warrior Hurok in the sci-fi film Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983) — when he auditioned for the role of Shannon on Night Court, created by Reinhold Weege.

“They said ‘Richard, the shaved head looks good. Will you shave your head for the part?” he recalled in a 2010 interview. “I said, ‘Are you kidding? I’ll shave my legs for the part. I’ll shave my armpits, I don’t care.'”

With Night Court being nominated three times for the Emmy for outstanding comedy series, Moll came up with a catchphrase — “Oooo-kay” — as he appeared on all but one of the show’s 193 episodes from 1984-92 alongside the likes of Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Charlie Robinson and Markie Post.

Moll was not involved with the Larroquette-toplined Night Court reboot that returned to NBC for the 2022-23 season.

The youngest of three children, Charles Richard Moll was born in Pasadena on Jan. 13, 1943. His mother, Violet, was a nurse and his father, Harry, a lawyer.

A history and psychology major at the University of California at Berkeley, he graduated in 1964, then worked as a deputy probation officer in Alameda County and in ladies’ hosiery at a store in San Francisco.

He came to Los Angeles in 1968 to pursue acting but found the going tough at first. He got to play a cannibal in a Hertz commercial opposite Don Adams and then Joseph Smith in a 1977 biopic about Brigham Young before landing parts in episodes of Welcome Back, Kotter and The Rockford Files.

In 1979, Moll was cast as a gangster in the two-part Happy Days episode “Fonzie’s Funeral,” and that led to appearances on two other Garry Marshall-created shows, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy.

He filled out his résumé with work in films including Hard Country (1981) and Ralph Bakshi’s American Pop (1981) and on such TV shows as The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, B.J. and the Bear, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, T.J. Hooker, Alice and The Dukes of Hazzard before landing on Night Court.

Bull was going to be “very hard-edged,” he told People magazine in 2003, “but I think they saw something in me to make him a lot softer.” At the Manhattan Municipal Criminal Court, his character sweetly bonded with female bailiffs Selma Hacker (Selma Diamond, who died between seasons two and three), Flo Kleiner (Florence Halop, who died between seasons three and four) and Roz Russell (Marsha Warfield).

Moll also played himself in 1987 on a two-part episode of NBC’s The Facts of Life and recurred as The Drifter on the 1999-2002 Nickelodeon comedy 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd.

He also showed up on Highlander, Babylon 5, Married … With Children and Anger Management and in the films The Flintstones (1994), But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) and Scary Movie 2 (2001).

An avid bird watcher and nature lover, Moll was married and divorced twice; his second wife, Susan, was a daughter of Milton Berle’s third and last wife, Lorna Adams. Survivors also include his children, Chloe and Mason, and his stepchildren, Cassandra and Morgan.

MOLL, Richard (Charles Richard Moll)

Born: 1/13/1943, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.

Died: 10/26/2023, Big Bear, California, U.S.A.

 

Richard Moll’s westerns – actor:

Brigham – 1977 (Joseph Smith)

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

Best of the West (TV) – 1981 (Billy Blackmore)

Bret Maverick (TV) – 1981 (Sloate)

Savage Journey (TV) – 1983 (Joseph Smith)

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (TV) – 1994, 1995 (John)

The Adventures of Smoke Bellew (TV) – 1995

The Legend of Calamity Jane (TV) – 1997 [additional English voices]

Outlaws – 1997 [English voice of ‘Gentleman’ Bob Graham]

The Ransom of Red Chief (TV) – 1998 (Filthy McNasty)

 

RIP Stephen Kandel

 

New York Times

October 24, 2023

KANDEL--Stephen. We are sad to announce the passing of Stephen Kandel of Boston, Massachusetts. He died at the age of 96 on October 21, 2023. Stephen passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and is survived by his wife, Anne, his four children, Jessica, Anthony, Elizabeth, and Joanna, and his eleven grandchildren. Stephen was known as the most prolific writer in Hollywood. His vast filmography includes series such as Star Trek, MacGyver, Mission Impossible, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hart to Hart, Iron House, Six Million Dollar Man, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, and many others. He also wrote the feature films Cannon For Cordoba and The Battle of The Coral Sea and won the Humanitas Award for his television movie Sonrise. He began his career in Hollywood in 1958, writing Sea Hunt.

KANDEL, Stephen

Born: 4/30/1927, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 10/21/2023, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

 

Stephen Kandel’s westerns – writer:

Frontier Gun - 1958

Tombstone Territory (TV) – 1959

Empire (TV) 1962m 1963

The Wild Wild West (TV) – 1965, 1968

Iron Horse (TV) – 1966, 1967, 1968

Scalplock (TV) - 1966

Cimarron Strip (TV) 1967

The Outcasts (TV) 1969

Cannon for Cordoba – 1970

Alias Smith and Jones (TV) – 1971

Bearcats! (TV) – 1971

Winchester ’73 (TV) 1973

RIP Cedric Jones

 

Community honors late Manhattan Beach gym owner, life coach Cedric Jones

Sports Keeda

By Pallabi C. Samal

October 25, 2023

 

Actor and personal trainer Cedric "Beastie" Jones has died at 46, his firm Beastie Boxing confirmed on social media and its website. According to the site, he passed away on October 16, 2023. The page, titled “IN LOVING MEMORY OF CEDRIC “BEASTIE” JONES,” describes him as someone who “had done it all.” It further reads:

“Cedric was a loving father, devoted husband, caring son, brother, community leader, trainer, a father figure to many, and an incredible friend who inspired us daily.”

To pay him tribute, BEASTIE organized a Memorial Beach Workout and a BEASTIE Beach Memorial Run. The cause of Jones’ death has not been revealed yet.

Cedric "Beastie" Jones strolled the streets of Compton for over a year

Cedric "Beastie" Jones, who boasted around 107K followers on Instagram, has appeared in several films and TV shows like Marshall County (2013), Southpaw (2015), The Magnificent Seven (2016), Princess of the Row (2019), The Terminal List (2022), and Emancipation (2022), among others.

He was a close friend of actor Chris Pratt, with whom he starred in The Magnificent Seven and The Terminal List. In the latter, Jones portrayed the character of a security guard to Pratt's US Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander James Reece. When the Amazon Prime Video series was released, Jones wrote that it was a "pleasure" to work with the Marvel actor.

Calling him “down to earth,” Cedric "Beastie" Jones narrated how Pratt “actually stopped filming to pray for my wife and kids while on set because of an accident.” Chris Pratt is yet to react to Jones’ death, while his most recent Instagram post is about his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger.

As per the California-based portal Southbay, Cedric "Beastie" Jones “grew up in Georgia during the ’70s” and “was the class clown at school with big dreams to be an entertainer.”

Born on September 14, 1977, he enrolled himself in theatre, ballet, and ballroom dancing to sharpen his skills. As a professional dancer at 17, Jones performed alongside artists like OutKast and Ludacris, added the Beastie Boxing website.

Eventually, he discovered his love for training and Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles from New York. In three months, Jones was rendered penniless and became a homeless man in Compton, California.

He was on the streets for over a year when suddenly, a stranger extended him the help that changed his life. Jones told the portal how the stranger, Ethel Smith, was the catalyst behind his success. He shared with Southbay:

“She saw me asking a guy outside a restaurant for food. She heard my thick country accent and said to me, ‘You are as country as I have ever heard.’ She asked me a few questions about why I was homeless, and when she heard my story she offered me a job at a temp agency. She was the vice president of the agency, and she really looked after me.”

A chance meeting with Fausto De Latorre, a boxing coach, got him employment. The combined result of the two turned the tables for the Hollywood actor. At 37, he founded B Moved Foundation and BEASTIE. While BEASTIE is located in Manhattan Beach, B Moved Foundation is in Los Angeles County, California.

Cedric "Beastie" Jones is survived by his spouse, fashion stylist Barbie Jones, and three children, Brooklyn, Braxton, and Bryston. They are reportedly “in shock” right now and have not issued any official statement.

JONES, Cedric

Born: 9/14/1977, Georgia, U.S.A.

Died: 10/18/2023, Manhattan Beach, California, U.S.A.

 

Cedric Jones’ western – stunts:

The Magnificent Seven - 2016

RIP Rusty Richards

 

Facebook

Amy Jo (Richards) Ellis

August 5, 2023

 

Rusty Richards was a real deal cowboy. He sang with the Sons of the Pioneers, trained horses, was a stunt man in old westerns, and he also made really tasty peanut butter toasties. He was gruff and said phrases like “cowboy up”, and he was funny and kind and got bashful when you asked him to sing one of his songs he hadn’t practiced recently. His last words to me were so loving and supportive, I can’t believe how lucky I am to have that memory as a souvenir of my larger than life Grampa. I’ll miss him singing around the campfire the most. The sound of his voice dancing with his booming guitar strings, while the sun sank behind the hills and the crickets joined in. I love you, Grampa. Happy Trails.

Rusty Richards was a cowboy who sang and a gifted writer of cowboy songs. Known for his recordings and appearances as a celebrity and headliner at many Western events, no one in Western music was more loved and appreciated than Rusty Richards.

His career had been a long and fascinating one. He was a real cowboy growing up in Modjeska Canyon, California, as well as a reel cowboy. As a young man in Hollywood, Rusty worked as a "riding-shooting" cowboy and stuntman in many Western films and TV shows, such as Rawhide, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Have Gun-Will Travel, etc. He won numerous rodeo awards, including buckles and the last Ben Johnson Saddle. In addition, he was widely known for his abilities as a horse trainer.

During his long career in Western music, Rusty sang tenor with the Sons of the Pioneers for a span of 20 years, beginning in 1963. He was the Pioneers’ first true yodeler since Roy Rogers. While with the group they performed worldwide garnering many awards. To mention just a few; they were inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, their star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, they were declared a National Treasure by the Smithsonian Institution, and they were awarded the Best Touring Band by the Academy of Country Music.

Earlier, at age 16, Rusty had a TV program in LA, Song Trails with Rusty Richards, which was followed by a stint in the Marines and he had his own all Japanese Band in Yokosuka, Japan. He met and married Amy Richards, from Silverado Canyon and they raised four children: Jenny, Jason, Molly and Amy Jo. He recorded his first solo LP for Shasta Records, and it was re-issued as A Country Pioneer on CD by Varese Sarabande in 2003.

He composed hundreds of outstanding Western songs, some of which have been recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers, the Reinsmen, Robert Wagoner, Dinah Shore and other leading artists.

Rusty’s first solo all-Western CD, The American Cowboy, has long been recommended by critics as a "must" for any Western music collection. His latest album, Trails Old and New, features all original material written and beautifully performed by Rusty.

As a solo performer Rusty has received numerous awards and honors. The National Western Film Festival in Ogden, Utah presented The Golden Lariat Award to him. He was given the Pioneer Award by the California Country Music Association, the Cowboy Spirit Award by the National Festival of the West, and The Ben Johnson Award by the Western Film Festival in Sonora, California. In 2002 Rusty received the prestigious Aguirre-Moiso Buckle awarded by the Portola Ride, in 2004 Rusty was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame. In April of 2004 the historic Portola Ride was dedicated to Rusty and August 15, 2009, was declared Rusty Richards Day in Modjeska Canyon.

Rusty wrote the life story of his close friend, the legendary rodeo superstar, Casey Tibbs. The book is available as a hardbound limited edition!

Rusty's songwriting has been equaled by his talent for book writing and as Baxter Black put it, "Casey Tibbs touched a lot of people, he was larger than life. That Rusty Richards has a way with words is like saying Casey Tibbs could ride a bronc. It’s appropriate that Casey’s biography has been written by a cowboy who is his equal."

RICHARDS, Rusty (Vincent R. Richards)

Born: 11/15/1933, Modjeska, California, U.S.A.

Died: 8/5/2023, Irvine, California, U.S.A

 

Rusty Richards – writer, stuntman, actor.

Rawhide (TV) 1959 (wrangler)

Riverboat (TV) 1960 (fight spectator)

How the West Was Won – 1962 [stunts]

30 Minutes at Gunsight (TV) – 1963 (wrangler)

The Ballad of Whistler’s Creek – 2019 (narrator)

The Unspoken Badge – 2021 [songwriter]

RIP Richard Roundtree

 

Richard Roundtree Dies: ‘Shaft’ Star Was 81

DEADLINE

By Nellie Andreeva

October 24, 2023

 

Richard Roundtree, who broke ground with his signature role in the Shaft movie franchise, passed away this afternoon, Oct. 24, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer with his family at his bedside. He was 81.

Roundtree’s career spanned five decades and included everything from his most popular blaxploitation role to a very early appearance on As the World Turns in 1956 to being a Season 2 main cast member on Ava DuVernay’s OWN series Cherish the Day last year.

He is best known for playing detective John Shaft in the 1971 action thriller and its sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973) as well as the short-lived 1973 Shaft TV series.

For his performance in the original film, Roundtree was nominated for a New Star of the Year Golden Globe and hailed as the first Black action hero. More importantly, the films made Shaft a cultural hero, a symbol of Black power onscreen, at the box office and beyond. Even the Academy took notice, as Isaac Hayes’ propulsive “Theme from Shaft” won the Oscar that year for Best Song – Original for the Picture.

Roundtree and his signature role had a profound effect on filmmakers both Black and white.

Decades later, the actor reprised his role in the 2000 John Singleton movie Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson and the 2019 Tim Story-directed sequel.

Quentin Tarantino’s entire filmography is steeped in his love for blaxploitation. Kerry Washington‘s character Brunhilde von Shaft in Django Unchained not only shares a name with Roundtree’s hero but was written by Tarantino as an ancestor of John Shaft.

In 2000, Shaft was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It was cited for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Shortly thereafter, Shaft was named one of the best films ever made by the New York Times.

Roundtree’s many film credits also include the 1981 Inchon, in which he appeared opposite Laurence Olivier and Ben Gazzara, the 1984 City Heat opposite Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds as well as Se7en, George of the Jungle, Body of Influence, Amityville: A New Generation and What Men Want. He was last seen last year in the Paul Weitz comedy Moving On.

On television, Roundtree played slave Sam Bennett in the acclaimed 1977 miniseries Roots. He had major roles on such series as Generations, 413 Hope St., Alias, Diary of a Single Mom, Buddies, Desperate Housewives, Soul Food, Being Mary Jane, and Family Reunion.

Roundtree’s death was confirmed to Deadline by his agency, Artists & Representatives, and his longtime manager, Patrick McMinn.

“Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” the agency said in a statement. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

ROUNDTREE, Richard Arnold

Born: 7/9/1942, New Rochelle, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 10/24/2023, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Richard Roundtree’s westerns – actor:

Charley-One-Eye – 1972 (The Black Man)

Outlaws (TV) – 1987 (Isaiah 'Ice' McAdams)

Bad Jim – 1990 (Julyt)

The Young Riders (TV) – 1991 (Calvin)

Bonanza: The Return – 1993 (Jacob Briscoe)

Bonanza: Under Attack (TV) – 1995 (Jacob)

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (TV) 1998 (‘Barracuda’ Jim Barnes)

Set Apart – 2009 (J.T.)

 

RIP Les Dayman

 

Prolific actor Leslie Dayman, best known for E Street, Homicide and Prisoner has died.

TV Tonight

By David Knox

October 24, 2023

 

Prolific actor Leslie Dayman, best known for E Street, Homicide and Prisoner has died, aged 85.

The son of VFL footballer Les Dayman, he started a career in theatre in 1955, and thereafter worked as an actor, director and narrator.

Dayman played Sergeant George Sullivan in E Street from 1989 – 1993, head of the Westside police force and described as the backbone of the community, fighting for justice and love of Martha’s (Cecily Polson) life.

He once said, “One of the best storylines I was involved in was featured early in E Streets’ run – where George’s old mate, a retired police officer of high rank is found guilty of a crime – a hit and run I think! George found out and was in an awful dilemma, turned back to the booze but bounced back after doing what he had to do…

“One of the more hilarious consequences of public recognition was the fact I was often mistaken for Brian Wenzel, who was in the long running TV show A Country Practice and vice versa.”

He featured as Sen. Det. Bill Hudson on Homicide from 1966 – 1968 as Geoff Macrae on Prisoner, one of three male prisoners in a 6-month story arc, from 1984 – 1985 and as ruthless shady businessman Roger Carlyle in Sons & Daughters the same year.

Dayman had a prolific career in famed Australian shows including Division 4, The Last Outlaw, I Can Jump Puddles, Cop Shop, Holiday Island, Bellamy, Sara Dane, Bodyline, Possession, Special Squad, Sons & Daughters, The Last Frontier, Willing & Abel, Rafferty’s Rules, Blue Murder, A Country Practice, Big Sky, Water Rats, Stingers, Blue Heelers, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and All Saints.

Films included Gallipoli, Holy Smoke, Oscar & Lucinda, Molly, and The Silence.

He also acted in many South Australian Theatre Company productions and was its director from 1968 to 1969.

DAYMAN, Les (Leslie Ernest Dayman)

Born: 1/19/1938, Footscray, Victoria, Australia

Died: 10/20/2023, Australia

 

Les Dayman’s westerns – actor:

The Last Outlaw – 1980 (Jack Lloyd)

The Last Frontier (TV) – 1986 (Bowman)

RIP Elizabeth Hoffman

 

Elizabeth Hoffman Dies: ‘Sisters’ Star Was 97

TV insider

By Meredith Jacobs

October 23, 2023

 

Elizabeth Hoffman, best known for starring in NBC‘s Sisters in the ’90s (pictured above), died at the age of 97.

The veteran actress passed away on August 21 in her home in Malibu, according to her son Chris (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Hoffman was born on February 8, 1926, and started out in theater before her first onscreen role came via Little House of the Prairie; she appeared in three episodes of the series from 1980 to 1981. She also appeared in the film Fear No Evil in 1981. In the years following her episodes of Little House on the Prairie, Hoffman appeared on shows such as The Greatest American Hero, The Winds of War, The A-Team, Blue Thunder, and Hunter. Her other TV roles included L.A. Law, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Matlock, and thirtysomething, leading up to the aforementioned NBC series. Hoffman played Eleanor Roosevelt in two miniseries, The Winds of War in 1983 and War and Remembrance, which aired from 1988 to 1989.

On Sisters, Hoffman starred as Beatrice “Bea” Reed Ventnor, the mother of four daughters played by Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember, and Julianne Phillips (pictured below). Hoffman’s Bea was in 87 episodes of the series, which ran six seasons from 1991 to 1996 and focused on her daughters taking care of her when she used alcohol to cope with the death of her husband. The show followed the triumphs, tribulations, and tragedies of those daughters and their families in Winnetka, Illinois. Her last onscreen credit came in two episodes of Stargate SG-1 in 1997 and 1998.

Hoffman’s film roles included Nuts, Born on the Fourth of July, and the TV movies Do You Remember Love, Elvis and Me, and The Great Pretender, The River Wild, and Dante’s Peak.

Hoffman is survived by her sons Chris and Paul and her grandchildren Erica, Alison, Lauren, and Lily.

HOFFMAN, Elizabeth

Born: 2/8/1926, Corvalis, Oregon, U.S.A.

Died: 8/21/2023, Malibu, California, U.S.A.

 

Elizabeth Hoffman’s western – actress:

Little House on the Prairie (TV) – 1980, 1981

RIP Elaine Devry

 

Elain Davis

January 10, 1930 — September 20, 2023

Grants Pass

Elaine Davis, age 93, of Grants Pass, died September 20, 2023 at her home.

A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m., October 7, 2023 at Hull & Hull Funeral Directors.

Interment will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park.

Elaine Davis was born Thelma Elaine Mahnken on January 10, 1930 in Compton, California to Fred P. and Hortense Mahnken in Compton, California, where she was raised. Her brother, Jeff, was three years her senior. She began to model at age fifteen. She graduated from Compton High School and later attended Compton Junior College, where she was homecoming queen.

After marrying her high school boyfriend, Dan Ducich, in 1948, the couple lived in Butte, Montana, until their 1952 divorce, upon which she returned to California, working as a carhop at the Dolores Drive-In on Wilshire Boulevard.

Career

She was billed as Elaine Davis in her early acting roles, including her first film, The Atomic Kid, in which she and Rooney co-starred. She appeared in films such as China Doll (1958) and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). Devry made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the title role of defendant Janice Wainwright in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Shapely Shadow." That same year, she appeared with actor John Clarke in a commercial for Kool cigarettes.

She also appeared in many television series, including Death Valley Days in the episode "Yankee Confederate" with Tod Andrews, Bonanza in the episode "The Search" S6 E21 1965), 77 Sunset Strip, Burke's Law, Family Affair, I Dream of Jeannie, Marcus Welby, M.D., Dragnet, and Tales of Wells Fargo. She appeared on My Three Sons on season 10, episode 1 as Millicent Sawyer, a single woman who was set up on a date with Steven Douglas by his daughter-in-law Katie, but instead he meets Barbara and falls in love.

Devry married Dan Ducich, her high school boyfriend, in Butte, Montana, in September 1948. The following year, Ducich was convicted of multiple robberies in Los Angeles and sentenced to five years' probation. The couple resided in Butte, but divorced in 1952. She also had a six-year marriage to actor Mickey Rooney, whom she met in 1952, and married on November 15, 1952, in Las Vegas. The couple had a son and a daughter and divorced in 1958. Speaking in 1967, Devry said that although she liked Rooney "very much", she was still in love with her first husband, but that he did not care. She thought in time that she could "learn to love him", but that she was "young and foolish" and by the end, had enough. Following her eight years of marriage, she expressed to being "marriage shy", despite numerous proposals from other actors but that she was "afraid to take the chance". Despite claims from Rooney that she received a $125,000 mansion, a summer home and a 10-year annual $21,000 alimony in divorce settlement, she disputed the claim, saying that she instead received a $75,000 studio home with a $45,000 mortgage, a summer home and that the alimony was only $21,000 in the first year.

She was married to actor Will J White until his death on April 23, 1992 in Grants Pass, Oregon. Since 2005, Devry has lived on a ranch in Oregon until her passing on September 20, 2023.

DEVRY, Elaine (Thelma Elaine Mahnken)

Born: 1/10/1930, Compton, California, U.S.A.

Died: 9/20/2023, Grants Pass Oregon, U.S.A.

 

Elaine Devry’s westerns – actress:

Death Valley Days (TV) – 1960 (Belle Waverly)

Laramie (TV) – (TV) 1960 (girl from Chicago)

Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1961 (Carolyn Robbins)

Bonanza (TV) – 1965 (Valerie)

Cheyenne Social Club – 1970 (Pauline)

RIP Marzia Ubaldi

 

Farewell to Marzia Ubaldi. The actress lived in Capitone, together with Gastone Moschin she had founded the acting academy in Terni

Il Messaggero

October 21, 2023

 

NARNI Farewell to Marzia Ubaldi. Eighty-five years old, the actress, ex-wife of Gastone Moschin, had chosen to live in Narni for many years now.

Here, together with their daughter Emanuela, he had set up a chihuahua farm.

Born in Milan on June 2, 1938, Ubaldi began her acting career at the Piccolo in Milan. A career between cinema, theatre and the small screen. From Giallo sera to La coscienza di Zeno, to I Cesaroni to Suburra.

In 2003, in Terni, together with her ex-husband and daughter Emanuela, she founded the Mumos school of theatrical, television and film acting, of which all three were teachers. An experience that went on for a decade, until spring 2013.

The funeral will be held on Monday, October 23 at 11 a.m. at the Madonna del Ponte church, in Via del Santuario in Narni Scalo.

UBALDI, Marzia

Born: 6/2/1938, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Died: 10/20/2023, Narni, Umbria, Italy

 

Marzia Ubaldi’s westerns – voice dubber:

El Puro – 1969 [Italian voice of Rosalba Neri]

Challenge to White Fang – 1974 [Italian voice of Virna Lisi]

White Fang (TV) – 1993-1994 [Italian voice of Lee Grant]

RIP Robert George

 

Producer Bob George Dies in Bike Accident at 51

The Hollywood veteran produced several Drake Doremus-directed films such as “Zoe” and “Newness”

 

The Wrap

By Scott Mendelson

October 20, 2023

Veteran Hollywood producer Bob George has died after a bike accident in Los Angeles. He was 51.

The filmmaker, who produced Drake Doremus-directed films such as “Endings, Beginnings,” “Zoe” and “Newness,” was struck by a car while riding his bicycle in Silver Lake. He died Tuesday, according to writer-director Ben York Jones, who confirmed his colleague’s death via an Instagram post. TheWrap has also reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department.

That post stated “We lost beloved and sweet and virtuous Bob George this week. Bob was a friend and collaborator. He produced ‘Newness’ and projects that had yet to be realized. His smile was undeniable and his demeanor was reverent. He was quietly kooky and eager to laugh. I loved Bob. He passed suddenly in a bicycle accident on Tuesday.”

The statement written by the “Newness” writer ended, “He rode his bike everywhere. He rides on in our hearts, which break for his partner Yasmine, his family, and the loss of our friend.”

Robert Joseph George Jr. was born in Peoria, Illinois. He began his career in the film industry as a production accountant on films like Disney-distributed tentpoles like “Armageddon” in 1998 and “Pearl Harbor” in 2001. He would serve as a production consultant for the first two “Divergent” films in 2014 and 2015 and would again serve as production accountant on “The Spy Who Dumped Me” in 2018.

George produced his first film, “Newness,” in 2017. The Nicholas Hoult/Laia Costa premiered on Netflix in November 2017 following a debut at that year’s Sundance Film Festival. His next Doremus-directed film. “Zoe,” featured Ewan McGregor and Léa Seydoux. It was picked up by Amazon in 2018 following a Tribeca premiere.

“Endings, Beginnings,” starring Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan, also debuted at Toronto (in 2019) before getting picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

George is survived by his wife, Yasmine Nasser Diaz and his sister Jennifer.

GEORGE, Robert (Robert Joseph George Jr.)

Born: 10/16/1972, Peoria, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 10/17/2023, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A

 

Robert George’s western – producer:

The Lone Ranger - 2013