RIP Hinton Battle

 

Hinton Battle, Tony-Winning Actor, Dead At 67

The news was confirmed by Debbie Allen.

VIBE

By Mya Abraham

January 30, 2024

 

Hinton Battle, the three-time Tony Award winning actor, has died at age 67. His cause of death is unknown.

The tragic news was confirmed by his friend, Debbie Allen, on social media. The famed dancer-actress wrote, “Today I honor Hinton Battle, my dear friend who left us to dance and sing in God’s Ensemble last night. He fought this battle to live and be creative impacting audiences and young people across the globe. Let us always hold him high in our hearts and in our mind’s eye and forever speak his name.”

Battle is best known for his role as Wayne in 2006’s Dreamgirls and as Scarecrow in the original 1975 run of The Wiz on Broadway.

Fans flooded Allen’s comments on Instagram with an outpouring of love and condolences. One wrote, “Devastated. One of the most talented humans ever to inhabit our planet. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.” Another chimed in, writing, “Heartbroken over this news. A legend in our hearts today and always.”

Battle was born in Germany on November 29, 1956. His agency regarded him as one of “Broadway’s most respected musical stars.” He studied at Washington, D.C.’s renowned Jones Haywood School of Ballet and at the School of American Ballet in New York City before launching his career on Broadway as a teenager by originating the role as Scarecrow in The Wiz.

BATTLE, Hinton

Born: 11/29/1956, Neubrücke, Rhineland Palantinate, West Germany

Died: 1/29/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Hinton Battle’s western – actor:

The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (TV) – 1987 (Joe)

RIP Gene Merlino

 

Tribute to Gene Merlino (1928-2024)

In the shadow of the studios…

By Rémi Carémel

January 21, 2024

 

I learned with sadness this week, from several of his friends, of the death on January 8, 2024 of Gene Merlino in Camarillo (California, United States). The legendary American chorister was 95 years old. In 2022, I was lucky enough to be able to get in touch with him, through his son John, to ask him questions about the English version of Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1966) in which he had participated.

Gene Merlino was born on April 5, 1928, in San Francisco, into a family of Italian origin. After graduating, he left university at the age of 22 to join various big bands, first as a saxophonist and then as an orchestra singer. He left San Francisco for Los Angeles, singing for television on The Ray Anthony Show during the 1956-1957 season, giving him national visibility.

For television, he has appeared on many variety shows: The Red Skelton Show, The Pearl Bailey Show, The Judy Garland Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Julie Andrews Hour, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, etc.

With a beautiful ambitus (sometimes singing tenor, sometimes bass-baritone), a warm timbre and beautiful talents as a performer, Gene Merlino joins the team of backup singers in Los Angeles (members of the famous Wrecking Crew) for the recordings of songs, film scores, vocal groups, etc. and became one of the most important figures in this profession.

For the song, he accompanied Frank Sinatra, the Carpenters, Sarah Vaughan, Elvis Presley, etc.

He was part of most of the major American vocal groups from the 60s to the 80s, such as the vocal quartet The Mellomen (from 1966), The Ray Conniff Singers, Paul Johnson Voices, The Johnny Mann Singers, The Ron Hicklin Singers, The Ralph Carmichael Singers, etc. Perhaps the most important of his career are the vocal quartet, the Anita Kerr Singers and the L.A. Voices, two groups with which he has received several Grammy Awards.

For the cinema, he starred with Elvis Presley in Girls and Show Business (1969) and sang the voice of John Kerr in Tea and Sympathy (1956) and Franco Nero in Camelot (1967). As he revealed to me (I invite you to read this article), Gene Merlino is also the singing voice of Guillaume Lancien in the English version of Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1966), recorded in Hollywood under the direction of Michel Legrand and Jacques Demy.

He has participated in hundreds of film music choir sessions since the 60s for Henry Mancini (Hatari!, The Great Race Around the World), Burt Bacharach (Distant Horizons), etc. from the 80s for Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid), Georges Delerue (Au fil de la vie with Bette Midler), to the 2000s (notably with the Hollywood Film Chorale of our friend Sally Stevens) for Alan Silvestri (Van Helsing), James Newton Howard (Peter Pan), Don Davis (The Matrix Revolutions), etc. For television, he sang as a soloist in several episodes of The Simpsons.

Under pseudonyms (Gene Marshall, etc.), he recorded more than 10,000 "song poems" for various specialized companies, those song lyrics written and sent by amateur lyricists who paid a certain amount to be set to music and recorded, like demos. This story resulted in a documentary: Off the Charts: The Song Poems Story (2003).

Gene Merlino has one of the longest-serving jobs in the industry (retiring around 2010, after a 60-year career). His humour and kindness make him a benevolent and encouraging elder for several generations of choristers. He's a giant of the studio who is leaving us. My most affectionate thoughts go out to his son John and to my friends and contacts who were his closest microphone mates (Sally Stevens, Jackie Ward, Bob Tebow, Ron Hicklin).

MERLINO, Gene (Eugene Merlino)

Born: 4/5/1928, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

Died: 1/8/2024, Camarillo, California, U.S.A.

 

Gene Merlino’s western – stuntman:

Three Amigos - 1986

RIP N. Scott Momaday

 

N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize winner and giant of Native American literature, dead at 89

Associated Press

By Hillel Italie

January 29, 2024

 

N. Scott Momaday, a Pulitzer Prize-winning storyteller, poet, educator and folklorist whose debut novel “House Made of Dawn” is widely credited as the starting point for contemporary Native American literature, has died. He was 89.

Momaday died Wednesday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, publisher HarperCollins announced. He had been in failing health.

“Scott was an extraordinary person and an extraordinary poet and writer. He was a singular voice in American literature, and it was an honor and a privilege to work with him,” Momaday’s editor, Jennifer Civiletto, said in a statement. “His Kiowa heritage was deeply meaningful to him and he devoted much of his life to celebrating and preserving Native American culture, especially the oral tradition.”

“House Made of Dawn,” published in 1968, tells of a World War II soldier who returns home and struggles to fit back in, a story as old as war itself: In this case, home is a Native community in rural New Mexico. Much of the book was based on Momaday’s childhood in Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico, and on his conflicts between the ways of his ancestors and the risks and possibilities of the outside world.

“I grew up in both worlds and straddle those worlds even now,” Momaday said in a 2019 PBS documentary. “It has made for confusion and a richness in my life.”

Despite such works as John Joseph Mathews’ 1934 release “Sundown,” novels by American Indians weren’t widely recognized at the time of “House Made of Dawn.” A New York Times reviewer, Marshall Sprague, even contended in an otherwise favorable review that “American Indians do not write novels and poetry as a rule, or teach English in top-ranking universities, either. But we cannot be patronizing. N. Scott Momaday’s book is superb in its own right.”

Like Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22,” Momaday’s novel was a World War II story that resonated with a generation protesting the Vietnam War. In 1969, Momaday became the first Native American to win the fiction Pulitzer, and his novel helped launch a generation of authors, including Leslie Marmon Silko, James Welch and Louise Erdrich. His other admirers would range from the poet Joy Harjo, the country’s first Native to be named poet laureate, to the film stars Robert Redford and Jeff Bridges.

“He was a kind of literary father for a lot of us,” Harjo told The Associated Press during a telephone interview Monday. “He showed how potent and powerful language and words were in shaping our very existence.”

Over the following decades, he taught at Stanford, Princeton and Columbia universities, among other top-ranking schools, was a commentator for NPR, and lectured worldwide. He published more than a dozen books, from “Angle of Geese and Other Poems” to the novels “The Way to Rainy Mountain” and “The Ancient Child,” and became a leading advocate for the beauty and vitality of traditional Native life.

Addressing a gathering of American Indian scholars in 1970, Momaday said, “Our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves.” He championed Natives’ reverence for nature, writing that “the American Indian has a unique investment in the American landscape.” He shared stories told to him by his parents and grandparents. He regarded oral culture as the wellspring of language and storytelling, and dated American culture back not to the early English settlers, but to ancient times, noting the procession of gods depicted in the rock art at Utah’s Barrier Canyon.

“We do not know what they mean, but we know we are involved in their meaning,” he wrote in the essay “The Native Voice in American Literature.”

“They persist through time in the imagination, and we cannot doubt that they are invested with the very essence of language, the language of story and myth and primal song. They are 2,000 years old, more or less, and they remark as closely as anything can the origin of American literature.”

In 2007, President George W. Bush presented Momaday with a National Medal of Arts “for his writings and his work that celebrate and preserve Native American art and oral tradition.” Besides his Pulitzer, his honors included an Academy of American Poets prize and, in 2019, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.

Momaday was married three times, most recently to Barbara Glenn, who died in 2008. He had four daughters, one of whom, Cael, died in 2017.

He was born Navarre Scott Mammedaty, in Lawton, Oklahoma, and was a member of the Kiowa Tribe. His mother was a writer, and his father an artist who once told his son, “I have never known an Indian child who couldn’t draw,” a talent Momaday demonstrably shared. His artwork, from charcoal sketches to oil paintings, were included in his books and exhibited in museums in Arizona, New Mexico and North Dakota. Audio guides to tours of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of the American Indian featured Momaday’s avuncular baritone.

After spending his teens in New Mexico, he studied political science at the University of Mexico and received a master’s and Ph.D. in English from Stanford. Momaday began as a poet, his favorite art form, and the publication of “House Made of Dawn” was an unintentional result of his early reputation. Editor Fran McCullough, of what is now HarperCollins, had met Momaday at Stanford and several years later contacted him and asked whether he would like to submit a book of poems.

Momaday did not have enough for a book, and instead gave her the first chapter of “House Made of Dawn.”

Much of his writing was set in the American West and Southwest, whether tributes to bears — the animals he most identified with — or a cycle of poems about the life of Billy the Kid, a childhood obsession. He saw writing as a way of bridging the present with the ancient past and summed up his quest in the poem “If I Could Ascend":

Something like a leaf lies here within me; / it wavers almost not at all, / and there is no light to see it by / that it withers upon a black field. / If it could ascend the thousand years into my mouth, / I would make a word of it at last, / and I would speak it into the silence of the sun.

In 2019, he was the subject of a PBS “American Masters” documentary in which he discussed his belief he was a reincarnation of a bear connected to the Native American origin story around Devils Tower in Wyoming. He told The Associated Press in a rare interview that the documentary allowed him to reflect on his life, saying he was humbled that writers continued to say his work has influenced them.

“I’m greatly appreciative of that, but it comes a little bit of a surprise every time I hear it,” Momaday said. “I think I have been an influence. It’s not something I take a lot of credit for.”

MOMADAY, N. Scott (Navarre Scott Mammedaty)

Born: 2/27/1934m Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Died: 1/24/2024, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.

 

N. Scott Momaday’s westerns, writer, consultant, himself:

House Made of Dawn – 1972 [writer]

More Than Bows & Arrows – 1978 [consultant]

The West (TV) 1986 [consultant]

Disappointment Valley: A Modern Day Western – 2017 [himself]

RIP Sandra Milo

 

Sandra Milo, Fellini's muse actress dies at the age of 90

The long career with the great directors, the loves (including the clandestine one with Craxi), the children and the TV. From Alberto Sordi to the series 'Gigolo by chance'

la Republica

By Chiara Ugolini

January 29, 2024

 

Sandra Milo has died, she was 90 years old. She passed away in her home and among the affection of her loved ones, as she had requested. This was announced by the family. 'Sandrocchia', as Federico Fellini had nicknamed her for whom she was a muse, was one of the most popular actresses in Italian cinema.

A very long career with great directors, - from Roberto Rossellini to Antonio Pietrangeli, from Sergio Corbucci to Federico Fellini, fromLuigi Zampa to Dino Risi, Luciano Salce, Duccio Tessari, Pupi Avati, Gabriele Salvatores up to Gabriele Muccino, loves, children and TV. From Alberto Sordi, with whom he made his debut in Antonio Pietrangeli's The Bachelor in 1955, to the series Gigolò per caso, released at Christmas on Prime Video, almost seventy years of cinema without ever stopping, without ever giving up. Like when, just three years ago, she went to chain herself in front of Palazzo Chigi for entertainment workers in difficulty after the pandemic. At the age of 87, she had tied herself in front of the Palace until Prime Minister Conte received her. At the age of 88 he received the David Lifetime Achievement Award and, as evidence that he had not lost his desire for cinema, he had told Repubblica that he dreamed of making a film with Matteo Garrone.

Born in Tunis on March 11, 1933 to a Tuscan mother and a Sicilian father, Salvatrice Elena Greco (this is her real name) grew up in the province of Pisa, and then moved to Viareggio as a teenager. Her first marriage was at the age of fifteen, but it was annulled by the Sacred Rota in 1948. The world of entertainment entered the life of the eighteen-year-old in 1955 when she made her film debut alongside Alberto Sordi.

Her first important role, however, came in 1959 with Roberto Rossellini's Il generale Della Rovere, which was followed by titles that have entered the history of cinema such as Antonio Pietrangeli's Adua and the Companions, Ghosts in Rome, Juliet of the Spirits and, above all, 81/2, which won an Oscar. After Rossellini's and Pietrangeli's films, Sandra Milo's career had come to a halt due to the panning in Venice of the film Vanina Vanini, based on Stendhal's short story of the same name and once again directed by Roberto Rossellini. The film was rejected by critics but it was above all his performance that suffered the fiercest criticism.

It was Federico Fellini who offered her a second chance, beginning with the actress a long professional but also sentimental partnership that led them to be lovers for 17 years.

"I was very much in love with Fellini – the actress told Repubblica – Marcello and Federico were very close friends, they told each other everything, their adventures and their love stories, so Marcello was perfectly aware of the story between me and Federico. Marcello was lighter, Federico had a greater depth, but somehow it's as if one had those parts that the other lacked, they complemented each other."

Beyond the love story, kept secret until the death of the director who was married to Giulietta Masina, it was above all from the artistic partnership that Milo obtained great satisfaction. For both films Juliet of the Spirits and 81/2 – in which she was a femme fatale – she won the Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress. The films with Fellini were followed by others in the intense sixties with Luigi Zampa in Frenesia dell'estate (1963), again with Antonio Pietrangeli in La visita (1963), Pasquale Festa Campanile and Massimo Franciosa in Le voci bianche (1964), Dino Risi in L'ombrellone (1965). She appeared in French cinema alongside Fernandel and Jean-Pierre Cassel in Jean Boyer's I Have a Crazy, Crazy, Crazy Wife and ... then I'll marry you by Philippe de Broca.

The other great clandestine love story was the one with Bettino Craxi. Politically, Sandra Milo had grown up in a fascist family, "when the war was over, everyone cried, the dead, the goods lost. But I was little, I wanted to understand what they had done wrong. In Viareggio I met a group of anarchists and I listened to them. They were talking about Marx, about socialism, I started reading Marx, Engels, Proudhon, Lenin and discovering that it was important to have a social ideal," he said. In the 1960s she became close to the Socialist Party and was very close to Pietro Nenni ("a wonderful person, a man of extraordinary humanity that today's politicians no longer have"), in the 1980s she became Craxi's lover, a secret affair that lasted a couple of years and ended for fear that her husband, Ottavio De Lollis, discover them. When Gianni Amelio Hammamet's film was released, Milo said that he didn't want to see it: "I want to remember him when he was strong and fought for his idea of Italy. I didn't want to see its decline. I want to remember him when he fought for Sigonella."

In the 1980s, the actress devoted herself more to television than to cinema, helped by her closeness to Craxi. In the 1982-1983 television season she conducted a column on costume within the in-depth program Mixer by Giovanni Minoli, but it is above all the years of Piccoli fans, an afternoon program for children that left a mark in the history of Italian television in which children sang the songs of their favorites, in the mid-eighties to make it known in many homes. But one of the most traumatic episodes of Sandra Milo's life also took place on TV when during the broadcast Love is a wonderful thing, a woman called live saying that her son, Ciro De Lollis, was seriously ill in the hospital due to a car accident, it turned out to be an atrocious prank call.

In the latter part of his career he continued to attend everything: television, cinema and theater. Among her last engagements, Pupi Avati wanted her in 2003 in his film Il cuore altrove and in 2010 Salvatores in his Happy Family, this year she participated in the documentary Roma, bella e damnata by Roberto D'Agostino. On the other hand, 8 Women and a Mystery, The Oval Bed, Steel Flowers, The Widows' Club and A Girlfriend for Daddy had arrived at the theater. In 2023 the last TV program, the second season of Quelle brave ragazze on Sky with Orietta Berti and Mara Maionchi. At Christmas she played a woman suffering from Alzheimer's who dreams of a wedding with bells in old age next to Marco Messeri, in the comedy series with Pietro Sermonti and Christian De Sica Gigolò per caso. Proving until the last that the world of entertainment was his home.

MILO, Sandra (Salvatrice Elena Greco)

Born: 3/11/1933, Tunis, French Protectorate

Died: 1/29/2024, Rome, Lazio, Italy

 

Sandra Milo’s westerns – actress:

The Bang-Bang Kid – 1967 (Gwenda Skaggel)

Dead for a Dollar – 1968 (Liz)

RIP Barrie Holand

 

Lieutenant Renz Actor Barrie Holland Dies, Aged 85 

Jedi News

By James Burns

December 29, 2023

 

Sad news to wake up to this morning, as actor Barrie Holland, Lieutenant Renz in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi who said the line “You rebel scum”, has died aged 85. We met Holland numerous times and he was always kind and considerate.

In 2008, Holland was immortalised as a Gentle Giant Ltd. Mini Bust for a Rebelscum.com exclusive that featured a sound chip with the line, “You rebel scum”.

Team Jedi News sends our condolences to his family and friends.

HOLLAND, Barrie

Born: 1938, Luton, Bedfordshire, England, U.K.

Died: 12/29/2023,

 

Barrie Holland’s western – actor:

Heaven’s Gate - 1980 (policeman)

RIP Enrique Liporace

 

Actor Enrique Liporace dies at the age of 82

The news of the death of the renowned figure of theater, cinema and national television was confirmed by the Argentine Association of Actors

La Nacion

January 27, 2024

 

The Argentine film, theater and television actor, Enrique Liporace, who also played part of his career abroad, taking his talent to countries such as Italy and Spain, died this Saturday, January 27, at the age of 82. The news was confirmed by the Argentine Association of Actors, from where they sent their condolences to family and loved ones.

The cause of his death is unknown at this time. "It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to our member, the actor Enrique Liporace, who carried out an extensive and recognized career in theater, film and television. Our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, accompanying them at this time," wrote the statement released Saturday night.

Enrique Liporace was born on June 10, 1941 and began his career in the art world when he was just a teenager. His great talent and commitment led him to become a benchmark with a career spanning more than 50 years.

Among his most remembered works is his time in plays such as More Respect Than I Am Your Mother, As the Years Go By, The Bread of Madness, Amy's Opinion and The Divine Family, among many others. While on the big screen he played in the films The Guerrillas, The Frying Pan by the Handle, Time for Revenge, The Flea in the Ear, The Slaves, The Cats, and The Accompaniment, along with many more.

On television, she participated in memorable series such as Los Roldán, Resistiré, La dueña, Historia de un clan, El marginal, Montecristo, Poliladron, Educando a Nina and Mujeres asesinas, showing her great ability to put herself in the shoes of any character.

In the last years of his life, the actor suffered various complications in terms of his health. Last year, he revealed that a COVID vaccine had taken away 50% of his vision, which led to a long absence from the art world. That complicated moment led him to live times of anguish on a physical and emotional level, until he was presented with the possibility of returning to his passion. "It paralyzed me and took away my sight," she said at the time.

"I realized that a lot of people follow me," Liporace had said in February 2023, in dialogue with LA NACION, while promoting his return to the stage with La divina familia. Surprised by his arrival on social networks, he acknowledged that he felt "very loved by the public and by the media, something that is very difficult".

After the sad news of his departure was announced, social networks were filled with comments from people who mourned the death of Enrique Liporace and remembered part of his great artistic path, which marked several generations. "What a huge shame... Our sincere greetings to their loved ones"; "What a great shame, great actor with a very particular voice color"; "Great Argentine actor, rest in peace, dear"; "A genius and heartthrob. Hug to Heaven" and "What a Great Loss. Excellent actor," were some of the messages that were read in X.

LIPORACE, Enrique

Born: 6/10/1941, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Died: 1/27/2024, Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

Enrique Liporace’s western – actor:

El grito en la sangre - 2014

RIP Rod Holcomb

 

Rod Holcomb, Emmy-Winning ‘ER’ and ‘Lost’ Director, Dies at 80

Over nearly 40 years, the career television director was behind 21 pilots with 15 going to series

 

The Wrap

By Benjamin Lindsay

January 26, 2024

Rod Holcomb, the TV director known for steering the pilot and series finale of “ER” — the latter for which he won an Emmy in 2009 — has died. He was 80 years old.

Also putting his directorial stamp on network hits like “Lost” and “The Good Wife,” Holcomb earned his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series in 1988 for “China Beach.” Over his nearly 40 years behind the camera, he directed 21 pilots with 15 going to series.

“The DGA deeply mourns the passing of Rod Holcomb — a visionary director whose impact on television direction and the creative rights of television directors cannot be overstated,” Directors Guild of America president Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement obtained by TheWrap. “Rod’s influence as a pilot director on shows like ‘China Beach’ and ‘ER,’ among many others, resonated deeply with directors and audiences alike, leaving a cultural imprint.”

Glatter continued, celebrating Holcomb for his “pioneering use of Steadicam” and other cinematic techniques on the small screen, ultimately “helping establish a visual aesthetic that continues today.”

Holcomb was also a dedicated member of the DGA, serving on seven negotiating committees and as the co-chair of the Television Creative Rights Committee.

“Rod fought to enshrine important protections so television directors could bring their own dynamic visions to life unfettered,” Glatter said. “We will miss his warm, steadfast presence — and know his caring leadership and directorial mastery will continue inspiring directors for generations. Our deepest condolences to his wife, Jane and his family.”

Holcomb got his break as a director in the 1970s directing several episodes of “The Six Million Dollar Man,” a job he worked his way up to from the ABC mail room after graduating with a film degree from San Francisco State. He went on to next direct the original “Captain America” movie in 1979.

He added to his TV movie resume in the years to come, including “A Promise to Keep” (1990), “Silverfox” (1991), “Finding the Way Home” (1991), “A Message From Holly” (1992), “Donato and Daughter” (1993) and many more. He directed the feature film “Chains of Gold” in 1991.

The hundreds of television episodes he directed over the years also included “The West Wing,” “Justified,” “Invasion,” “Numb3rs,” “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Elementary.” 

As for his work with the DGA, he served on the National Board as an alternate for 10 years, 2003–2013, and was appointed to the negotiating committees for 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014.

An active member of the DGA’s Political Action and Movies for Television committees, Holcomb was also the co-chair of the Television Creative Rights Committee and served on the Western Directors Council from 1995–2012.

He was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards three times in addition to his 2009 win for “ER”: in 1995 and 1997, both for “ER,” and in 1988 for ABC’s “China Beach.”

HOLCOMB, Rod (Rodney James Holcomb)

Born: 5/28/1943, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 1/24/2024, Altadena, California, U.S.A.

 

Rod Holcomb’s westerns – director:

Bret Maverick – 1984

No Man’s Land - 1984

RIP Eleanor Fazan

 Choreographer Eleanor Henta Fazan Dies at 93

Opera Wire

By Francisco Salazar

January 22, 2024

 

Famed choreographer Eleanor Henta Fazan died at the age of 93.

Born on May 29, 1930, Fazan was a Kenyan-born British actress and choreographer who trained in dancing with Sadler’s Wells Ballet and later joined the Arts Educational School.

Throughout her career, Fazan worked in cinema as a choreographer as well as actress where she appeared in “Oh! What a Lovely War,” “Heaven’s Gate,” “Willow,” “Cold Comfort Farm,” “Mrs. Henderson Presents” and “Hot Fuzz.”

Fazan also worked in the opera world and made her debut in 1974 at the Royal Opera in a production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” directed by Götz Friedrich. From there she would work with the London company and contributed to productions by Elijah Moshinsky, John Copley, Friedrich and John Schlesinger. Among the operas which she choreographed included “Peter Grimes,” “Lohengrin,” “The Rake’s Progress,” “Macbeth” “Otello,” “Attila,” “Elektra,” “Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” and “Der Rosenkavalier.” ‘

Fazan also made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1986 in a production of “Samson” and would also work on productions of “Otello.”

In 2013, Fazan was awarded the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours List for her services to dance.

FAZAN, Eleanor (Eleanor Henta Fazan)

Born: 5/29/1930, Kenya

Died: 1/22/2024, U.K.

 

Eleanor Fazan’s western – choreographer:

Heaven’s Gate - 1980

RIP Herbert Coward

 

'Cowboy' Coward of 'Deliverance' fame killed in crash

WLOS

By Denise Pridgen

January 24, 2024

 

North Carolina State Highway Patrol officials said Coward's 78-year-old girlfriend Bertha Brooks, their chihuahua and Coward's pet squirrel were also killed in the crash, which happened about 3:30 p.m. on U.S. 19/23 between Clyde and Canton.

Troopers said Coward, 85, left a doctor's office and was hit by a pickup truck driven by a 16-year-old. Neither Coward nor Brooks were wearing seat belts. Troopers said the teen driver was not speeding.

No charges have been filed.

The chilling 1972 classic “Deliverance" was shot primarily in Rabun County in northeastern Georgia, and some of the actors were locals.

“He got a real purty mouth, ain’t he?” – is one of the movie's most infamous lines, and it came from Coward, who told News 13 most of his lines were improvised.

Coward got his acting start at Ghost Town in the Sky, where he performed daily shoot-outs at the wild-west-themed amusement park.

His big break came thanks to then-budding actor, Burt Reynolds, who also worked at the Maggie Valley mountainside attraction.

COWARD, Howard (Howard Lee Caoward)

Born: 8/21/1938, Hayward County, South Carolina, U.S.A.

Died: 1/24/2024, Canton, North Carolina, U.S.A.

 

Howard Cowards’s western – producer, actor:

Ghost Town: The Movie – 2007 [producer] Harmon Teaster

RIP Gary Graham

 

Alien Nation and Star Trek: Enterprise Star Gary Graham Dies Aged 73

"Fly high into the heavens Gar!"

Alien Nation

By Wesley Yin-Poole

January 23, 2024

 

Gary Graham, best known for playing Detective Matthew Sikes in Alien Nation and Soval, the Vulcan ambassador to Earth in Star Trek: Enterprise, has died aged 73.

Graham’s ex-wife, the actor Susan Lavelle (Amazon Prime’s Dear Mother), announced the news in a post on Facebook.

“It is with deep profound sadness to say that Gary Graham, my ex-husband, amazing actor and father of our beautiful only child together, Haylee Graham, has passed away today,” Lavelle said.

“I met Gary when I was just 20 years old and he was one half of the star duo on the TV series, Alien Nation. But he had already been in movies like All the Right Moves with Tom Cruise. Of course, Gary has many more credits.

“Gary was funny, sarcastic sense of humor but kind, fought for what he believed in, a devout Christian and was so proud of his daughter, Haylee.

“Fly high into the heavens Gar! Thank you for our journey and thank you for the gifts you left me in acting, my love of horses and most importantly, our daughter.”

Graham played Detective Matthew Sikes in Alien Nation, which ran from 1989 to 1990, then returned to the role in the TV movies Alien Nation: Dark Horizon (1994), Alien Nation: Body and Soul (1995), Alien Nation: Millennium (1996), Alien Nation: The Enemy Within (1996), and Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy (1997).

He starred in Star Trek: Enterprise as the recurring character Ambassador Soval, a Vulcan ambassador to Earth, and guest-starred on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) once, playing Ocampan community leader Tanis in the Season 2 episode Cold Fire.

Graham went on to play Ragnar in the fan production Star Trek: Of Gods and Men and continued that role in 2015 fan-film Star Trek: Renegades.

GRAHAM, Gary (Gary Rand Graham)

Born: 6/6/1950, Long Beach, California, U.S.A.

Died: 1/22/2024, Spokane, Washington, U.S.A.

 

Gary Graham’s westerns – actor:

The Quest (TV) – 1976 (Aaron Jordan)

Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) – 2000 (Travis)

RIP Norman Jewison

 

Norman Jewison, ‘Moonstruck’ and ‘In the Heat of the Night’ Director, Dies at 97

Variety

By Carmel Dagan

January 22, 2024

 

Oscar-nominated film director and producer Norman Jewison, who steered the 1967 racial drama “In the Heat of the Night” to a best picture Oscar and also helmed such popular films as “Moonstruck,” “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming” and “The Thomas Crown Affair,” as well as film musicals “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Jesus Christ Superstar,” died Saturday at his Los Angeles residence. He was 97. 

His film career began with fluffy Doris Day comedies like “The Thrill of It All.” But Jewison’s social conscience began to surface with “In the Heat of the Night” and, later, the labor union drama “F.I.S.T.” and other films focusing on racial tensions such as “A Soldier’s Story” and “The Landlord” (the latter of which he only produced), though he never abandoned comedies and romances.

Jewison had his share of box office hits and was usually attuned to the audience pulse, but did not always receive critical accolades for his work. He received seven Oscar nominations but never won a competitive Oscar, though he did receive the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999.

In 1961, after successes in British, Canadian and American TV, he was chafing at the restrictions of television and moved to Hollywood to pursue a film career. His first effort was the comedy “40 Pounds of Trouble,” starring Tony Curtis. In the wake of its box office success, Universal signed Jewison to a seven-year contract. His next film was even bigger. “The Thrill of It All” starred the studio’s reigning queen, Doris Day, as did Jewison’s follow-up, 1964’s “Send Me No Flowers.”

As his film career blossomed, Jewison didn’t completely abandon television: He served as exec producer on Judy Garland’s weekly variety show.

After finishing “The Art of Love,” with James Garner, Jewison eased himself out of the Universal contract and made his first drama: Steve McQueen star vehicle “The Cincinnati Kid,” taking over from Sam Peckinpah.

His first signature success was the 1966 comedy “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,” with Alan Arkin. Jewison also produced the popular film, breezy and yet with a message of tolerance; it was Oscar-nominated for best picture.

Jewison’s next film, “In the Heat of the Night,” won best picture in 1967, and he drew an Oscar nomination for directing it. Rod Steiger, playing a racist Southern sheriff, won the best actor Oscar, and Sidney Poitier created the memorable Virgil Tibbs. The film later became a popular TV series with Carroll O’Connor, and Poitier revisited his role in other films.

Jewison again worked with McQueen and rising star Faye Dunaway in the visually complex romantic caper film “The Thomas Crown Affair” — a big hit. His 1969 period comedy “Gaily, Gaily,” based on the early life of Ben Hecht, was not well received by audiences or critics.

Spending $9 million on the film version of the legendary Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof” paid off handsomely. Audiences loved it and the film was nominated for best picture and director. He next mounted an adaptation of the rock musical “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which was almost as popular.

Having developed a relationship with United Artists, Jewison also began producing films including Hal Ashby’s debut feature “The Landlord” and Ted Kotcheff’s Western “Billy Two Hats.”

His next film, 1975’s dystopian actioner “Rollerball,” starring James Caan, performed modestly. His attempt to get audiences to take Sylvester Stallone seriously in 1978’s “F.I.S.T.” as a Jimmy Hoffa-style labor organizer, however, was doomed.

Jewison bounced back in 1979 with the dark comedy “…And Justice for All,” starring Al Pacino, and also did well with the Burt-Reynolds Goldie Hawn comedy “Best Friends.” His production of “Iceman” for director Fred Schepisi did not ignite, but Jewison’s adaptation of the tense racial thriller “A Soldier’s Story” scored both with critics and audiences; he picked up another Oscar nod as one of the producers of the film, which was nominated for best picture. He tried a stage-to screen-vehicle again, 1985’s “Agnes of God,” with a starry cast including Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft.

Perhaps the biggest commercial and critical favorite of Jewison’s career was 1987’s “Moonstruck,” which won acting Oscars for Cher and Olympia Dukakis and launched the career of a young Nicolas Cage. The film was a major revenue producer for the ailing MGM and Jewison drew nominations for best picture and director.

His busy career continued with 1989 drama “In Country,” with Bruce Willis; 1991’s “Other People’s Money,” with Danny DeVito; “Only You,” starring Robert Downey Jr.; and “Bogus,” with Whoopi Goldberg, in 1996, but he scored again in 1999 with “The Hurricane,” the inspirational true story of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a man unfairly accused of murder. Denzel Washington drew a best actor Oscar nom for his performance in the title role. Jewison and other producers were nominated for a Producers Guild Award.

Jewison was still doing TV work as well. He contributed a short film to the 1994 series “Picture Windows,” in which noted directors each brought a famous painting to life; helmed the TV documentary “Comedy in the 20th Century: Funny Is Money”; and directed and exec produced a 2001 HBO adaptation of the Donald Margulies play “Dinner With Friends” that was Emmy nominated for outstanding TV movie.

Jewison’s last theatrical effort, 2003’s “The Statement,” starred Michael Caine in the story of a Nazi war criminal finally hunted down after years of protection.

With a home base in Toronto, and homes in Los Angeles and London, Jewison founded and co-chaired the Canadian Center for Advanced Film Studies.

Norman F. Jewison was born in Toronto on July 21, 1926. The son of a dry goods store owner, he later attended the Malvern Collegiate Institute and Victoria College at the University of Toronto, with a stint in the Royal Canadian Navy in between.

He gained his first entertainment experience in London as a writer for children’s shows and bit part actor at the BBC. After two years of training, he was admitted to the Canadian Broadcasting Co.’s training program. He soon became a director and producer of major variety programs such as “The Big Revue, Wayne and Shuster,” “Showtime” and “Barris Beat.”

Jewison’s success in Canadian television led to a three-year contract with CBS in New York in 1958. His first mission was to revive pop song show “Your Hit Parade.” That mission accomplished, he directed “The Andy Williams Show” and several specials including “Tonight With Belafonte,” as well as variety shows headlining Danny Kaye, Judy Garland and Jackie Gleason. In 1960 he won an Emmy for his staging of musical tribute “The Fabulous Fifties.”

His autobiography “This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me” was published in 2004. Jewison also received the Directors Guild’s lifetime achievement award in 2010.

His first wife, Margaret Ann Dixon, died in 2004. Jewison married again in 2010. He is survived by his second wife, Lynne St. David, and his children, Kevin, Michael and Jenny, and his grandchildren Ella, Megan, Alexandra, Sam and Henry.

JEWISON, Norman (Norman Frederick Jewison)

Born: 7/21/1926, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Died: 1/20/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Norman Jewison’s westerns – actor, producer:

Canadian Pacific – 1949 (Joe Podge)

Billy Two Hats – 1974 [producer]

Geronimo (TV) – 1993 [executive producer]

RIP Gastón Santos

 

Gastón Santos Pue, Mexican bullfighter and film actor, dies

Originally from San Luis Potosí, he was one of the main exponents of the art of bullfighting and earned him to participate in several feature films.

Milenio

By Víctor Hugo Durán

1/17/2024

 

The bullfighter and film actor Gastón Santos Pue, one of the main bullfighters in the history of bullfighting in Mexico in the last century,died this Wednesday at the age of 92. Family members announced the death of the native of the municipality of Tamuín, in the state of San Luis Potosí and located west of Tampico.

An expert in this art, whose modality on horseback is part of the bullfights, he participated in several running of the bulls in Mexico, Spain and Portugal. There were more than 1,348 bullfights where he participated from the first time, he took the alternative in 1954, to dedicate himself in his retirement to the breeding and training of Lusitanian horses.

Son of Gonzalo N. Santos, the governor of Potosí, in the 1950s he decided to travel to Portugal to learn about the management of the species in a bullring. When he learned this art, he received the alternative on September 2, 1954, in Campo Pequeno Square in Lisbon. A year later, he had his first meeting with the fans of the then Federal District in Plaza México.

His poise and charisma opened up the opportunity for him to participate in the cinema where there are 12 feature films between 1957 and 1971. After signing a contract with Alameda Films, several were in the Mexican Western genre, such as "The Poisoned Arrow", "The Devils of Terror", "A Bullet Is My Witness" or "The Silent", the latter alongside Luis Aguilar and Emilio "El Indio" Fernández.

Sometime later he left acting to devote himself completely to continue with the rejoneo, which he left in the eighties, although he managed to be part of posters in the Plaza "Las Ventas" in Madrid as well as in the Feria de San Marcos.

He dedicated himself full-time to his ranch "La Jarrilla" in Tamuín, with a time based in Coatzacoalcos, in the south of Veracruz.

His son of the same name dedicated himself years later to rejoneo, to reach places such as Mexico and Spain, as well as sharing an alternative with Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza, considered the greatest exponent in the world.

SANTOS, Gaston (Gastón Santos Pue)

Born: 7/12/1931, Tamuín, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Died: 1/17/2024, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

 

Gaston Santos’ westerns – actor:

La flecha envenenada - 1957 (Gastón)

El pantano de las animas - 1957 (Gastón)

El potro salvaje – 1958 (Gastón)

El Grito de la muerte (The Living Coffin) – 1959 (Gastón)

Los Diablos Del Terror (Night Riders) – 1959 (Gastón)

Una bala es mi testigo – 1960 (The Stranger)

El indomable - 1966 (Roberto Larios)

El Silencioso – 1967 (Martin)

Bang bang al hoyo – 1971 (townsman)

RIP Drew Gomber

 

Drew J. Gomber

May 18, 1949 — January 15, 2024

 

Drew J. Gomber, an esteemed Old West Historian and author of Lincoln County, New Mexico, passed away on Jan 15, 2024, leaving behind a legacy as enduring as the legends he devoted his life to.

Born to John F. Gomber and Annamay Gomber, (nee O’Neill) of Waldwick, NJ, Drew's fascination with the untamed spirit of the American frontier was sparked at an early age. His passion for preserving history led him on a remarkable journey, culminating in a distinguished career as noted historian and published author on Billy the Kid, the Lincoln County War, and other famous and infamous, history and Hollywood characters, of the 19th century American West.

As Lincoln’s resident historian, in the town Drew called home for nearly 3 decades, he painted vivid portraits of lawmen and outlaws, heroes and villains. Drew brought America’s past to life along what President Rutherford B. Hayes declared in the late 1800s, “the most dangerous street in America” ensuring the legacy of the Old West and would never fade into obscurity.

Drew also spent some time in Hollywood, as an actor, and technical consultant on films, TV, podcasts, and radio talk shows.

Drew graduated high school during the Vietnam War. Inspired by his dad’s service as a WWII pilot with the 14th Flying Tigers, Drew enlisted and served his country with honor and distinction with the United States Air Force, 36th Fighter Wing in Bitburg, Germany, a front-line NATO base during the Cold War.

On April 26th, with full military honors, Drew will be laid to rest at the peacefully beautiful, Ft. Stanton, State Veterans Cemetery near Capitan, NM, a fitting tribute to his unwavering commitment to his country.  His friends, family, and admirers are invited to gather, share memories, and pay tribute to a life well-lived. Drew leaves behind a legacy of knowledge, inspiration, and friendship that will endure for generations to come.

In lieu of flowers, Drew was an advocate for and lover of animals, we ask that donations in Drew’s honor be made to Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit, last stop hospice sanctuary for older, injured, and abandoned animals.   Which Drew supported them over the years. https://www.kindredspiritsnm.org/ 505-660-1402 / 505-471-5366

GOMBER, Drew (Drew Joseph Gomber)

Born: 5/18/1949, Waldwick, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Died: 1/15/2024, Lincoln, New Mexico, U.S.A.

 

Drew Gomber’s westerns – author, historical consultant, actor:

Lincoln County war: Heroes and villains – 1998 [author]

Wild West Tech (TV) – 2003-2005 [historical consultant]

The Plot to Kill: Jesse James (TV) – 2006 [himself]]

Gunslinger’s – 2015 [historical consultant]

Hardin – 2015 (Henry Brown)

All Things Billy – 2022 [himself]

 

RIP Peter Crombie

 

'SEINFELD' ACTOR PETER CROMBIE DEAD AT 71 ...

Played 'Crazy Joe Davola'

TMZ

1/12/2024

 

Peter Crombie -- famous for playing fan favorite "Crazy" Joe Davola on "Seinfeld" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The actor passed away Wednesday due to some sort of illness that took his life quickly, according to his ex-wife Nadine Kijner. It's unclear what ailment he might've been battling -- the rest of the details surrounding his death weren't immediately disclosed.

Peter will be best remembered for his recurring role on "Seinfeld" ...  his character "Crazy" Joe Davola appears in 5 episodes in season 4 ... with Joe terrorizing, stalking and threatening Jerry Seinfeld and even dating Elaine at one point.

Aside from his "Seinfeld" fame, Peter acted in movies like"My Dog Skip," "Natural Born Killers," "The Blob," "Se7en" and "Rising Sun," "Born on the Fourth of July" ... just to name a few. He did a lot more work in television, actually ... having made appearances on some big-time shows over the years.

In addition to 'Seinfeld, Peter starred in the TV miniseries "House of Frankenstein" ... as well as guest starring roles on TV shows like "NYPD Blue," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Diagnosis Murder," "Law & Order," "Perfect Strangers," "Spenser: For Hire," "L.A. Law," "L.A. Firefighters" and lots of others.

All in all, he had 35 acting credits to his name ... and it looks like he left showbiz around 2000.

Peter's ex-wife tells us ... "He was the kindest most caring, giving, considerate man. He was loved by everybody, generous and never had anything bad to say about anyone."

His friend Bill Stetz remembers Peter as "a gentle and loyal friend of soft words and expressive work as an actor and a writer." Peter was 71.

CROMBIE, Peter (Peter B. Crombie)

Born: 6/26/1952, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 1/10/2024, Palm Springs, California, U.S.A.

 

Peter Crombie’s western – actor:

Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) – 2000 (Detective Moody)

RIP Torsten Wahlund

 

Actor Torsten Wahlund is dead

Actor Torsten Wahlund is dead, the family confirms to Kulturnytt in Swedish Radio. He is known from "Seacrow Island", as an audiobook reader and as the Swedish voice of Dumbledore in "Harry Potter".

Dagens Nyheter

By Matilda Källén

1/16/2024

Torsten Wahlund, born in 1938, had his breakthrough as an actor in the TV trial "Youth and Crime" in 1960.

Over the years, he had roles in several major television and film productions, including the "Seacrow Island" films where he played Malin's fiancé Peter. He was also seen in TV successes such as "The Department Store", "Snoken", "Rederiet" and "Three Loves".

Most famous was Torsten Wahlund, however, as a voice actor and audiobook reader. Among other things, he did the Swedish voices for Professor Albus Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" films, Kerchak in "Tarzan" and the troll king Pappsen in "Frozen".

In the 00s, he was nicknamed "The Audiobook King". Among the books he has read are Sjöwall-Wahlöö's novels, Björn Hellberg's Sten Wall detective novels and some of CS Lewis' "Narnia" books.

In 2018, when he turned 80, Torsten Wahlund had almost 300 books read.

"Of course, I've thought about retiring, but this is so much fun. I can't help but work," he told DN the same year.

Torsten Wahlund was 85 years old.

WAHLUND, Torsten (Karl Torsten Wahlund)

Born: 2/10/1938, Engelbrekt, Stockholm, Sweden

Died: 1/16/2024, Gustav Vasa, Stockholm, Sweden

 

Torsten Wahlund’s western – actor:

Wild West Story – 1964 (Buck)

RIP Ulrich Voß

 

Glorious Generation: Voice Actor Ulrich Voß Has Died

He experienced the brutal upheaval at the Volksbühne and the brilliant Frank Castorf flow. The actor Ulrich Voß has now died at the age of 86.

Berliner Zeitung

By Ulrich Seidler

1/17/2024

Changes of artistic directors' cause stress in the theatres. If, at the same time, a social system change takes place, in the shadow of which the house is going through an existential artistic crisis, the profession of ensemble actor becomes a mental ordeal. Ulrich Voß, born in Rostock in 1938, experienced such a change at the Volksbühne. He had been involved there since 1986 and was first used in the spectacle "Prussia Games", in which Heiner Müller scenes were played throughout the house.

At the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Berlin's theatres were given another boost in importance, but then people stayed away. In 1992, the young Frank Castorf took over the house and turned it upside down. One can guess how this was discussed in the canteen by those who were already there and could not be dismissed thanks to their GDR contracts. One of Castorf's great artistic achievements, which are generally regarded as destructive, is the treatment of these very old people (not so old at the time). In addition to Ulrich Voß, these were Joachim Tomaschewsky (1919–2019), Susanne Düllmann (1928–2013), Jürgen Rothert (1936–2007), Heide Kipp (1938–2022) and many more who encountered the new generation. A clash of traditions that sparked the most beautiful sparks.

VOß, Ulrich

Born: 6/8/1938, Rostock, Mecklenburg, Vorpommern, Germany

Died: 1/17/2024, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

 

Ulrich Voß’ westerns – voice dubber:

The Lone Ranger (TV) 1949-1956 [German voice of Frank Fenton, Clancy Sooper, Robert Carson, Paul Birch, Stanley Andrews, Hugh Prosser, Herbert Lytton, Terry Frost]

Daniel Boone – 1966, 1968 (Robert Middleton, Charles Drake)

Boot Hill – 1969 [German voice of Bud Spencer]

Alaska Kid (TV) – 1993 [German voice of Baadur Tsuladze]

Dead Man – 1995 [German voice of Robert Mitchum]

RIP Lynne Marta

 

Lynne Marta, Actress in ‘Joe Kidd,’ ‘Footloose’ and ‘Love, American Style,’ Dies at 78

She also made multiple appearances on such shows as ‘The F.B.I.,’ ‘Medical Center,’ ‘Barnaby Jones’ and, notably, ‘Starsky & Hutch.’

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

January 16, 2024

 

Lynne Marta, the actress who appeared in films including Joe Kidd and Footloose, as a regular on Love, American Style and as a guest star on dozens of other TV shows, has died. She was 78.

Marta died Thursday in her Los Angeles home after a battle with cancer, her friend Chris Saint-Hilaire told The Hollywood Reporter.

The New Jersey native also showed up on episodes of such Aaron Spelling-produced series as The Mod Squad, The Rookies, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, Vega$ and Matt Houston and on Quinn Martin productions like The F.B.I., Dan August, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, The Manhunter and Caribe.

As the companion of a wealthy landowner (Robert Duvall), Marta caught the eye of a bounty hunter (Clint Eastwood) in John Sturges’ Joe Kidd (1972), and she portrayed Lulu Warnicker, the aunt of Kevin Bacon’s Ren, in the Herbert Ross-directed Footloose (1984).

The younger of two daughters, Marta was born on Oct. 30, 1945, in Somerville, New Jersey. Her father, George, was commissioner of air and water pollution for the State of New Jersey.

She started her career on the syndicated teen dance program The Lloyd Thaxton Show, landed on episodes of Gidget and The Monkees in 1966 and worked on 18 episodes of the first season (1969-70) of the ABC anthology series Love, American Style.

Marta starred on a 1973 pilot for an ABC sci-fi series, Genesis II, that was written by Gene Roddenberry, but the show was not picked up.

Her TV résumé also included Then Came Bronson, Gunsmoke, Kojak, Medical Center, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Rockford Files, Knight Rider, Designing Women and Law & Order and work on the soap operas Passions, The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives.

And she appeared in the films Red Sky at Morning (1971), Help Me … I’m Possessed (1974), Blood Beach (1980) and Three Men and a Little Lady (1990).

Marta had what People in 1983 described as an “open relationship” with Starsky & Hutch star David Soul while he was married to actress Karen Carlson. “All through the Starsky & Hutch years, David and Lynne lived together but spent time with other people,” the magazine noted.

She appeared with him in 1977 on his David Soul and Friends TV special.

Survivors include her sister, MJ, and her cat, Mr. Peaches.

In July 1989, Marta was in her apartment a few feet down the hall from where young actress Rebecca Schaeffer was fatally shot by obsessed fan Robert John Bardo.

“The door shook, the wall shook,” she said in testimony reported by the Los Angeles Times. “The cat went up into the air. I fell to my knees and crawled into the bedroom. Then, I heard Rebecca’s first scream.

“She was still screaming while I was talking to 911,” she continued. “By the time I got to the door, she was wailing. I opened the small hatch in my door. There was a smell I’ll never forget: the smell of gunfire. It was quiet except for light moaning.”

MARTA, Lynne

Born: 10/21/1948, Somerville, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Died: 1/11/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A

 

Lynne Marta’s westerns – actress:

Joe Kidd – 1972 (Elma)

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1973 (Prudence Bennet)

RIP Dana Ghia

 THE OBITUARY OF THE RIGHTEOUS - DANA GHIA, 92 YEARS OLD

Dag.Spia

January 15, 2024

Marco Giusti

 

Dana Ghia, actress in about thirty films in the '60s and '70s, from "Queimada" to "They Kept Calling Him Trinity", from "The Priest's Wife" to "The Murderer and the Cop", model and singer since the '50s, is leaving. Milanese, tall, beautiful, slender and above all blonde, indeed very blonde when the public saw her in 1959 at the VII Festival of Naples singing "Ammore celeste" together with Arturo Testa. With a voice that is not particularly extensive but decidedly sexy, as described by the American chronicles in 1958 during her tour in America and Canada as a discovery of Luciano Tajoli struggling with the Italian versions of international hits such as "Secret Love" and "Catch a Falling Star".

Protagonist at the time of spaghetti westerns often under the name of Ghia Arlen or Dana Madigan, he was unable to obtain in the following years, in the comedy of the masters, Ettore Scola ("Il commissario Pepe"), Dino Risi ("Il giovane normale", "La moglie del prete"), in the thrillers of Antonio Margheriti, Tonino Valerii, Ferdinando Baldi, or in the sexy comedy, "Sins of youth" by Silvio Amadio, equally significant roles, also due to the arrival of new stars. Born as Felicita Ghia in Milan in 1932, she began a very early career as a model that she alternated with that of singer and actress, between theater, TV, night club.

She made her debut on the small screen of Rai as a singer in the program "Primo applauso" in 1956. The following year, at the Velletri Festival, the dress was more noticeable, a sort of pleated trousers called "Hana Ogi" in honor of the character played by Mijko Taka in "Sayonara". He then made a series of tours around the world, in England where he made his debut on TV with the BBc show of new faces "New Faces" in 1959, even in Russia where he sang "Il pericolo numero 1" and a choice of classic Neapolitan songs. We find her in the theater with Carlo Dapporto in 1962 in the variety show "Babilonia", in 1963 and 1964 in the successful "Scanzonatissimo" by Dino Verde, a political satire show with Antonella Steni, Elio Pandolfi, Rossella Como.

She made her debut in cinema with "Forbidden Temptations" by Osvaldo Civiranoi in 1963, then we find her again as a singer in "Questo pazzo, pazzo mondo della canzone" in 1965, followed by a series of good Italian westerns, "Deguejo" by Giuseppe Vari with Giacomo Rossi Stuart where she was given the name of Ghia Arlen, "Four Dollars of Revenge" by Jaime Jesus Balcazar with Robert Woods, "The Last Killer" by Giuseppe Vari with George Eastman and Anthony Ghidra, who was actually called Dragomir Ghidra, "El desperado" by Franco Rossetti with Andrea Giordana. More dramatic, but not as a protagonist, is the role she is entrusted with in "Tomorrow we are no longer here" by Brunello Rondi with Ingrid Thulin, Robert Hoffman, Maria Grazia Buccella.

In "Today to Me Tomorrow to You" by Tonino Cervi with Bud Spencer and Tatsuya Nakadai, she becomes "Diana Madigan", but she is the only woman in the film. We find her again in "The Wrath of God" by Alberto Cardone with the American Brett Halsey. It changes genre in "Vacanze sulla Costa Smeralda" by Ruggero Deodato with Silvia Dionisio and Little Tony. He then starred in the important "Queimada" by Gillo Pontecorvo with Marlon Brando, in the successful "Il commissario Pepe" by Ettore Scola, in two films by Dino Risi, "The Young Normal" and "The Priest's Lover". He shot a series of successful thrillers, "A butterfly with bloody wings", "My dear murderer" by Tonino Valerii, "Death in the eyes of the cat" by Antonio Margheriti, "Nine guests for a crime" by Ferdinando Baldi. But we also find it in "They Kept Calling Him Trinity" by E.B. Clucher with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, "You're Jelly, Man, You've Met Sacramento".

In 1972 she starred with Maria Grazia Spina in the second episode of Piero Nelli's "Storie italiane" on Rai Uno. She is not suitable for sexy comedy, which she frequents with "La svergognata" by Giuliano Biagetti with Leonora Fani and "Sins of youth" by Silvio Amadio with Gloria Guida. We find it again in "The Bloody Medallion", a horror film by Massimo Dallamano, in "The Murderer and the Cop" by Umberto Lenzi in 1976. He returns to the western with "California" by Michele Lupo with Giuliano Gemma, which is his last film for the cinema. On TV in 1984 he still shoots for TV the Italian-French co-production series "La camera delle signore" directed by Yannick Andréi. He disappears from the world of entertainment. And she passed away at the age of 92 in Mori in Trentino, where she had retired.

GHIA, Dana (Felicita Ghia)

Born: 7/13/1932, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Died: 1/15/2024, Mori, Trentino, Italy

 

Dana Ghia’s westerns – actress:

Deguello – 1965 (Jenny Slater) [as Ghia Arlen]

$4.00 of Revenge – 1966 (Mercedes)

The Dirty Outlaws - 1967 (Lucy)

Django, the Last Killer – 1967 (Lola)

Today We Kill… Tomorrow We Die! -1968 (Mirana Kiowa) [as Diana Madigan]

The Wrath of God – 1968 (Lena/Jane Harris)

You're Jinxed, Friend You've Met Sacramento – 1970 (Rosy/Rosie)

Trinity Is STILL My Name! - 1971 (Perla’s/Pearl’s mother)

California – 1977 (Mrs. Preston)

RIP José Lifante

 

Catalan actor José Lifante dies at the age of 80

He had a long career as a supporting actor in film, theatre and television

 

onda vasca

By TALDEA MULTIMEDIA NEWS

January 16, 2024

 

The Catalan actor José Lifante (Barcelona, 1943) died on Tuesday at the age of 80 at the Hospital Clínico de Madrid after being admitted for a blood clot, according to the association of performers AISGE on the social network X.

With a long career as a supporting actor in film, theatre and television, Lifante worked with directors such as Luis García Berlanga, Pilar Miró, Jorge Grau or Eloy de la Iglesia and his face became known thanks to series and television programmes such as 'Cuéntame' or 'La bola de cristal'.

He made his film debut with two small roles in 'Juventud a la intemperie' (1961) by Ignacio F. Iquino and 'Los amugadores' (1962), by Francisco Rovira Beleta, but his early years were mainly dedicated to the theater.

During the 70s he made a career in fantasy cinema and the B series of the time, including the cult film 'Don't desecrate the sleep of the dead' (1974) by Jorge Grau, one of the first zombie films made in the State.

He touched all genres: comedies, historical films, westerns, thrillers and even films of social criticism. Among his most important titles are 'Patrimonio nacional' (1981) byLuis García Berlanga, 'Miedo a salir de noche' (1980) by Eloy de la Iglesia or 'El perro del hortelano' (1996) by Pilar Miró.

He also participated, alongside Robin Williams and Uma Thurman, in 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' (1988), directed by Terry Gilliam.

Television

In television, he began in the 80s in programs such as 'The Crystal Ball' and series such as 'Media naranja' or 'Segunda enseñanza'; in the 90s in 'Makinavaja', 'Las chicas de hoy en día' or 'Farmacia de guardia' and, more recently in 'Aquí no hay quien viva', 'Amar es para siempre', 'Cuéntame' and 'Los Serrano'.

The last series in which she participated were 'Ana Tramel. The Game' and 'The Last Show'.

LIFANTE, José (José Ruiz Lifante)

Born: 6/3/1943, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Died: 1/16/2024, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

 

José Lifante’s western – actor:

The Sons of Trinity – 1995 (Verdugo)

RIP Jeanene Ambler

Neptune Society

Hollywood Film Editor Jeanene Ambler died in North Hollywood, California on January 10, 2024. She was 89. Born on February 15, 1935. She was an editor, known for ‘Quincy M.E.’ (1976), ‘The Trials of Rosie O'Neill’ (1990) and ‘Cagney & Lacey’ (1981). She was married to Earle C. Ross from 1962-1968 and has one child.

AMBLER, Jeanene (Jeanene Jan Ambler)

Born: 2/15/1935,

Died: 1/10/2024, North Hollywood, California, U.S.A.

 

Jeanene Ambler’s western – film editor:

The Barbary Coast (TV) - 1975

RIP Conrad E. Palmisamo

 

Conrad Palmisano, Stuntman and Coordinator Behind ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ and ‘Rush Hour’ Sequels, Dies at 75

Variety

By Jaden Thompson

January 11, 2024

 

Conrad Palmisano, a veteran Hollywood stuntman, stunt coordinator and director, died on Jan. 10. He was 75.

Palmisano’s stunt credits include over 200 projects across several decades. He worked on a wide range of film and television titles across a myriad of genres, from “The Jerk” (1979) to “Set It Off” (1996) to “21 Jump Street” (2012).

Palmisano was a frequent collaborator with director Brett Ratner, having served as stunt coordinator and second unit director on the action-comedy films “Rush Hour 2” (2001), “Rush Hour 3” (2007), “Red Dragon” (2002) and “After the Sunset” (2004), among other projects. The popular “Rush Hour” franchise, known for frequent action and stunt sequences, starred Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as LAPD officers with opposing personalities who must work together on international missions.

Palmisano also served as stunt coordinator on “Weekend at Bernie’s” (1989), “RoboCop 3” (1993), “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), “Batman Forever” (1995), “Romeo Must Die” (2000), “No Strings Attached” (2011) and “My Sister’s Keeper” (2009), among many other projects.

In addition to a lengthy filmography, some of Palmisano’s numerous television credits include “Jag,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Chaos,” “Bosch” and “NCIS.”

In a 2021 interview with Variety celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Stuntmen’s Association — for which he served as president multiple times — Palmisano reflected on his career alongside colleagues Bob Herron, Alex Daniels and Terry Leonard.

He shared of his on set experiences, “We live our lives between two words: ‘action’ and ‘cut.’ When you start, they don’t give you the death-defying stunts. You might get knocked down or a flying stunt, and as you progress, they start hiring you. But it is the adrenaline rush. Richard Burton once complained to me. He said, ‘I do a soliloquy of Shakespeare and I don’t get anything out of the crew. You fall down a flight of stairs, everyone applauds.’ I said, “What are you complaining about, you’re married to Elizabeth Taylor.'”

Palmisano was also a member of the Academy and advocated for the institution to recognize the work of stuntmen at the Oscars. He was also a SAG-AFTRA board member – stunt and safety.

He said in the same Variety interview, “The Academy, back in the day, was trying to stop the unionization of Hollywood. The Academy would negotiate salaries for actions and that’s part of the reason that stuntmen are in the Screen Actor’s Guild; they would go out to the stuntmen ranches down on those long dirt roads, to have meetings because studio security would follow people to find out who was trying to form a union. We were involved with the Guild from the beginning, and the Academy doesn’t want to form another category for whatever reason.”

Palmisano was born on May 1, 1948 and was raised in the San Fernando Valley. He joined the Marines at the age of 17 and served in the Vietnam War before getting involved in Hollywood. Last year, the Taurus World Stunt Awards recognized Palmisano with a lifetime achievement award.

Palmisano passed away surrounded by family. He is survived by three daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

PALMISANI, Conrad E. (Conrad Earl Palmisano)

Born: 5/1/1948, Santa Rosa, California, U.S.A.

Died: 1/10/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Conrad E. Palmisano’s westerns – stuntman, stunt coordinator, assistant director:

Cat Ballou (TV) – 1971 [stunts]

The Electric Horseman – 1979 [stunts]

The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang (TV) – 1979 [stunts]

The Legend of the Golden Gun (TV) – 1979 [stunts]

The Yellow Rose (TV) – 1983 [stunts]

The Cowboy Way – 1994 [stunt coordinator, assistant director]

Texas Rising (TV) – 2015 [assistant director]