RIP Sevda Ferdağ

 

Sevda Ferdağ died at her home in Cihangir, Istanbul, on February 17, 2024, at the age of 81. Ferdağ, who made significant contributions to Turkish cinema throughout her 81-year life adventure, had been struggling with health problems for a long time.

By Mavi Bonkuk

 

Sevda Ferdağ (15 August 1942, Balıkesir - 17 February 2024, Istanbul), Turkish actress, theater artist and singer.

Her birth name was Lütfiye Dumrul. She spent her childhood in Istanbul. She lost her father when she was in primary school. She was encouraged to act by her family, who valued art and wanted their children to become artists. She was introduced to cinema as a result of the pressure of her mother and her older sister, actress Ferda Ferdağ.

In 1958, when she was only 16 years old, she stepped into Turkish cinema with the movie “After That Day”. After the failure of her first film and the unattractive working conditions, she went to Germany with her sister. Here, she became a model for the cover pages of many magazines and received acting offers from many movie managers. When she missed her hometown, Istanbul, she returned to Turkey five years later. In 1963, she appeared in Yeşilçam again with the movie “Azrael's Messenger”. In 1964, she played the role of a belly dancer in Halit Refiğ's film “Gurbet Kuşları”.

The Yeşilçam sex craze, which emerged after the second half of the 1970s, also affected Sevda Ferdağ. In addition to comedy and arabesque films, popular movies also attracted attention. During this period, Ferdağ took part in films such as “Hop Dedik Kazım” and “Şöhret Budalası”. Ferdağ, who stayed away from being an actor with rules, appeared in more than 150 films in fifty years. She played the roles of "a vamp woman who seduces men" in many productions.

In 1979, she won the Best Actress award at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival for her role as Nesrin in the movie “Senile Son Defa”. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden Orange Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the movie “Ağır Roman”. At the 2003 Sadri Alışık Theater and Cinema Actor Awards, she was given the Honorary Award together with Orhan Aksoy.

In 2009, she was given the Golden Orange Lifetime Honor Award together with Vedat Türkali, Ülkü Erakalın and Yalçın Tura. Ferdağ said that she received his award on behalf of Halit Refiğ.

Sevda Ferdağ, who played the leading role in living room comedies and "soap operas" films and supporting actress roles in more permanent films, worked as a singer in Fahrettin Aslan's casinos to make a living during a period when interest in Turkish films decreased.

FERDAG, Sevda (Lütfiye Dumrul)

Born: 8/15/1942, Balikesir, Turkey

Died: 2/17/2024, Cihangir, Istanbul, Turkey

 

Sevda Ferdağ’s western – actress:

Kanunsuz kahraman - Ringo Kid – 1967 (Elizabeth)

RIP Gerard Barray

 

French actor Gérard Barray, hero of the swashbuckling cinema rescued by Amenábar, dies in Marbella

The heartthrob and musician ran a popular nightclub in Puente Romano with his wife, actress Teresa Lorca

Diario SUR

By Francisco Griñán

February 16, 2024

 

With his gallant bearing, he spoke perfect Spanish with a French accent. This made him a highly sought-after actor for roles with this profile in Spain. That is precisely what Alejandro Amenábar was looking for when he gave him the character of the doctor who unraveled the complicated plot of his now classic film 'Open Your Eyes' (1997). But before that, Gérard Barray was the essential hero of the swashbuckling films of the sixties, from D'Artagnan to Scaramouche, as well as giving life to Commissioner San Antonio and starring in a couple of adventure films under the orders of Robert Siodmak. After leaving the big screen, he settled in the late 70s in Marbella, where he died this Thursday, at the age of 92, accompanied by his wife, the actress Teresa Lorca, and their two children.

The couple formed by the French actor and the Sevillian performer became regulars in the summers of the Costa del Sol since the 60s, where they were seen in saraos and nightclubs, along with Sean Connery, Alain Delon, Alfonso de Hohenlohe, Jaime de Mora y Aragón, and the other great actor who rivaled Barray in the role of the swordsman Scaramouche, Stewart Granger. Later, when Gérard and Teresa settled permanently in the province of Malaga, they invested in the glamorous Puente Romano hotel, where they opened the Gerard Barray Club, one of the obligatory stops of the Marbella nightlife.

"Before he was an actor, my father was a jazz pianist in France and was a good friend of Louis Armstrong, so he would sit every night in front of the piano bar, while my mother, who was also a singer and dancer, would do the vocals. They were very iconic of that Marbella," recalls Julián Barray, who reports that the protagonist of 'The Mask of Scaramouche' and 'The Three Musketeers' will be buried next Sunday, at 12 noon, in the San Bernabé Cemetery in Marbella.

Friendship with Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi

Born in Toulouse (France) in 1931, Gerard Barray enrolled in medicine for two years, but dropped out because of his gifts for the arts. He had attended the conservatory as a teenager, where he studied music, and went to Paris to train in drama, a stay he paid for while performing as a jazz pianist in nightclubs. His dedication to music led him to compose more than fifty songs, an activity that he would recover decades later as a nightlife entrepreneur in Marbella.

His appearance as a heartthrob brought him his first roles in thrillers and dramas of the late 50s, although his popularity would reach him in the 60s when he gave life to charming heroes of swashbuckling films in a dozen feature films of great success at the box office, such as 'Captain Fracassa', 'The 3 Musketeers', 'Milady's Revenge', 'Captives of Vengeance', 'The Knight of Pardaillan', 'Scheherazade', 'The Diabolical Swordsman' and 'The Mask of Scaramouche', among others. The latter would star under the orders of Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi, who would become one of his best friends, the actor spending seasons at the filmmaker's house in Ibiza, and vice versa in Marbella.

During the filming of 'The Treasure of the Aztecs', and 'The Pyramid of the Sun God', under the orders of Hollywood director Robert Siodmak ('The Spiral Staircase'), Barray met the Sevillian actress Teresa Lorca, who rose to fame as the protagonist of the new version of 'La Revoltosa'. The daughter of a Betis player and a family of female artists, she followed the tradition. "My mother was Rocío Jurado's artistic partner as a dancer and both of them toured all the tablaos on the coast and all the way to Madrid," explains Julián Barray about his mother, who married Gérard in 1965. The actor continued to star in adventure films and gave life to Commissioner San Antonio in a saga of films, although he ended up retiring from cinema.

"When he lived in France, he produced several films and did poorly. His thing was to be in front of the camera, but he became disenchanted and threw in the towel, so we went to live in the Caribbean," recalls the actor's youngest son who, along with his mother and sister Marie, lived the American adventure. "But my mother was very Sevillian, she didn't feel comfortable and wanted to return to Spain, so they came to live in Marbella at the end of the 70s and set up the night club," says Julián about the definitive arrival of his parents to the Costa del Sol, where they not only became popular faces, but also promoted the creation of the Marbella International Film Festival which, However, it was short-lived.

Although he retired from the front line after his disappointment in cinema, from the 70s he continued to accept roles in numerous Spanish productions to embody secondary characters, such as his remembered passage in Amenábar's film 'Open Your Eyes' or the international production 'Sexy Beast' (2000), alongside Ben Kingsley. His last role was in 2006 in several episodes of the Telecinco series 'El Comisario'.

BARRAY, Gerard (Gérard Marcel Louis Baraillé)

Born: 11/2/1931, Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrénées, France

Died: 2/15/ 2024, Marbella, Andalusia, Spain

 

Gerard Barray’s westerns – actor:

Pyramid of the Sun god – 1965 (Count Alfonso di Rodriganda y Sevilla)

Treasure of the Aztecs – 1965 (Count Alfonso di Rodriganda y Sevilla)

RIP Diana Kerew

 

Diana Kerew, Emmy-Winning Television Producer, Dies at 81

Variety

By Jaden Thompson

February 14, 2024

 

Diana Kerew, an Emmy-winner television producer, died at her home in Glendale on Nov. 25 following a battle with cancer. She was 81.

Kerew executive produced more than 60 movies and miniseries for television, achieving success in the male-dominated entertainment industry and paving the way for other female producers as a mentor.

Kerew started off as a reader for David Susskind’s Talent Associates; she then became the first female producer at the company. Working for Talent Associates and later Time-Life Television as an executive producer, she worked on 16 films and miniseries. Some of these projects included the Emmy-nominated “Blind Ambition,” starring Martin Sheen, the Emmy-nominated and Peabody winner “The Wall,” and “The Bunker” which earned Anthony Hopkins an Emmy for acting.

Kerew briefly served as executive producer and vice president of television for Highgate Pictures before starting her own production company. Transitioning to focus on children’s programming, Kerew worked on several ABC “Afterschool Specials.” Two of these projects, “Starstruck” and “Cougar” took home Emmy Awards for Children’s Programming.

Kerew began working at Hearst Entertainment in 1992, where she produced more than a dozen television movies for major networks and cable outlets over the span of eight years, including “My Breast” starring Meredith Baxter and “15 and Pregnant” starring Kirsten Dunst.

In 2000, Kerew joined Alliance Atlantis Entertainment as a producer/executive producer before she was named vice president of movies and miniseries, overseeing a slate of more than 30 projects while still producing. Two of these titles include the Emmy-nominated series “Hitler: The Rise of Evil” and Jane Anderson’s “When Billie Beat Bobby,” which stars Holly Hunter as Billie Jean King.

Kerew joined Sony Television in 2003, where she produced “The Perfect Husband: The Lacy Petersen Story” for USA, “Surrender, Dorothy” starring Diane Keaton for CBS and “The Hunt for the BTK Killer,” also for CBS. Kerew’s last production was “Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America” for ABC. Beginning in 2008, Kerew served as a teacher and mentor to students at the University of Texas/Austin UTLA Center of Entertainment and Media Studies in Burbank, which was a second passion for her until her death.

Throughout her extensive career in entertainment, Kerew received multiple Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, Christopher Awards, Humanitas Awards, and an NAACP Image Award, among other nominations and accolades.

Kerew was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on Oct. 3, 1942. She attended University of California, Berkeley and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Early in her career, she worked at Joe Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival and Public Theatre and Paramount Pictures New York.

Kerew’s husband of 46 years, actor and stage manager Steven Shaw, predeceased her. Kerew is survived by two children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Kerew’s memorial service and celebration of life will be held on June 21; email kerewmemorial@gmail.com for more information. Donations may be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund and/or the Actors Fund.

KEREW, Diana (Diana Kerewshaw)

Born: 10/3/1942, Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Died: 2/14/2024, Glendale, California, U.S.A.

 

Diana Kerew’s western – assistant producer:

Goldenrod - 1976

RIP Randy Sparks

 

Randy Sparks (1933-2024)

Pilots of America

February 12, 2024

 

This one hurts 

Not only was Randy Sparks, who died Sunday at the age of 90, an innovative and creative genius in the music business, he was a close friend.

Randy was a prolific songwriter and up-and-coming folksinger in the late 1950s and early 1960s, performing in clubs and venues up and down the west coast, and recording albums solo and with his group, "The Randy Sparks Three".

In 1961 Randy decided to form a big folk group to perform and market his vast inventory of songs, much as songwriter Stephen Foster had done a hundred years earlier with a group from New York City called "Christy's Minstrels". Accordingly, Randy named his new group "The New Christy Minstrels," and began recruiting members. His goal was to combine the rough-hewn folk sound of The Kingston Trio with the rich, finely-crafted harmonies of The Norman Luboff Choir.

The new group's first album, "Presenting The New Christy Minstrels", mostly featuring Randy's own compositions, was released in 1962, and promptly won the Grammy for best album by a choral group. Right away NCM was selling out appearances at folk clubs and was signed for a season-long stint on The Andy Williams NBC variety show. In 1964 they had their own summer-replacement network TV series, which included a commercial filmed at the New York World's Fair, in which the group musically introduced a new Ford car called the Mustang. Radio stations played NCM's recordings of Randy's compositions such as "Today", "Green, Green" and "Saturday Night".

Randy sold the group in late 1964 to the managers assigned to him by Columbia Records. He preferred to stay in California to operate his own folk music night club, "Ledbetter's" in Westwood. There he formed yet another folk group, The Back Porch Majority, and auditioned new young talent including The Carpenters, Steve Martin, and a skinny kid from Texas by the name of Henry John ("Little Johnny") Deutschendorf, Jr. Randy suggested he change his last name to "Denver" (the name of one of Randy's popular NCM songs), so that (a) it would fit on the marquee, and (b) keep the same initials so John wouldn't have to buy new luggage. John objected, but that night "John Denver" was on the marquee, and nothing was ever said about it again.

From 1965 and for the next thirty years, Randy was the writer and opening act -- and closest friend -- of his own childhood folk music inspiration and hero, the great Burl Ives.

After Burl's death in 1995, Randy re-acquired the rights to The New Christy Minstrels, and gathered as many as six of the original ten NCM members, along with some great younger talent, for concerts around the country and recording new albums -- in Randy's words, "to do it right this time." He also said, "If we weren't so damn old we'd have a future!"

I was a teenager in the 1960s, but never got on the Beatles train. I loved the early 1960s acoustic folk groups, especially The New Christy Minstrels. Their album "Today" was the first record I ever bought with my own money. I collected all their albums in vinyl, and again when they came out in CD. The first concert I ever attended was in 1965, The New Christy Minstrels at the Greek Theater in Hollywood. The opening act was a young comedian named Woody Allen.

Fast forward to fall 2002. Randy appeared on the PBS special "This Land Is Your Land" with a couple of other members of the old group, under the name "Randy Sparks & The Minstrels". That was the first I knew they were still alive, let alone performing. I looked online to see where I might be able to catch them in concert. It would be in late January 2003, in Modesto, California, a mere 663 miles from my home in Vancouver WA. I told my wife, "You can go with me if you want, but I'm going."

I met Randy after the show. I told him we'd driven all the way from Vancouver WA (as if anybody had ever heard of it) to be there. He said, "Vancouver! That's where I started the group in 1961." Who knew?

A couple of months later I sent Randy an e-mail, suggesting he consider doing a "Homecoming Concert" in Vancouver. Ten minutes later the reply: "Rent a theater and we'll be there." At that moment I became a concert producer. It was my show -- advertising (radio and print), promotion, ticket sales, program design -- everything.

The funny part of that was, during the months we were putting the Vancouver show together, the movie A Mighty Wind came out. If you didn't see it, it was a comedy about a reunion concert of '60s-era folk acts, including one called "The New Main Street Singers", an obvious parody of NCM. My son saw it and said, "Dad, you're living a movie!"

The concert was in September 2003. We sold out all 546 seats. The story on the front page of the local paper was headlined, "A Mighty Coincidence."

I put together a few more shows for them in the Northwest, and one here in Phoenix after we moved here in 2017.

Whenever I showed up at one of their concerts, Randy had me come up with my guitar and join the group for the finale, "This Land Is Your Land". Once I even was with them on the main stage of a Carnival cruise ship. Whoda thunkit?

Randy Sparks' music is fun, positive, and always historically accurate. He was one of those people I admire, who are in awe of their surroundings and observant of everything. I once told him I learned more of American history and geography from his music than I ever did in school (true!).

SPARKS, Randy (Lloyd A. Sparks)

Born: 7/29/1933, Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.A.

Died: 2/11/2024,

 

Randy Sparks’ westerns – actor, singer, composer:

The Young Land – 1959 (singer)

Colt .45 (TV) - 1960

Outlaws (TV) – 1961 (Cousin Sonny)

Advance to the Rear – 1964 [song, composer]

Destry (TV) 1964 [composer]

Hang Your Hat on the Wind - 1969 [composer]

RIP Sasha Montenegro

 

Sasha Montenegro has died at the age of 78 after suffering a stroke

Nabila López Portillo confirmed that the first actress suffered from lung cancer

 

infobae

By Cinthia Salvador

February 15, 2024

 

During the night of Wednesday, February 14, Nabila López Portillo reported the death of her mother, Sasha Montenegro. According to initial reports, the 78-year-old actress was hospitalized after suffering a stroke at her home in Cuernavaca, Morelos; The incident occurred during the morning of this day and was derived from the cancer in the lungs that she suffered.

Montenegro, who gained fame through her appearances in Mexican cinema during the 1970s and 1980s, was treated in an emergency room after medical services were called.

Sasha Montenegro, born in Bari, Italy, adopted Mexico as her home from an early age, consolidating herself years later as one of the most emblematic figures of national cinema. She also worked alongside other great artists and contributed to some of the most memorable Mexican film industry productions of the time.

It should be remembered that her health was a cause for concern in the past, however, the cancer she suffered from was not revealed until her death, on February 14, 2024.

The artistic community, as well as her followers, expressed their condolences to Montenegro's family, who thanked the expressions of affection and asks for respect and privacy in these difficult times.

Her real name is Aleksandra Aćimović Popović and during the 70's she made her debut in Mexican cinema with the film, "Un sueño de amor". When her career was booming, she became romantically involved with the former president of Mexico, José López Portillo.

In 1995 they got married and since then her appearances in the media were fleeting and she gradually retired completely from film. Until she was 78 years old, she maintained a private life away from the spotlight.

MONTENEGRO, Sasha (Alexandra Aćimović Popović)

Born: 1/20/1948, Bari, Puglia, Italy

Died: 2/14/2024, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico

 

Sasha Montenegro’s westerns – actress:

Duelo al atardecer – 1973

Pistoleros baja el sol – 1974 (Martha Larsen)

Pistoleros de la Muerte – 1975

RIP Alec Mills

 

Alec Mills 1932 - 2024

British Society of Cinematographers

February 13. 2024

 

Alec was born in 1932 and had a keen interest in the cinema as a boy. Leaving school at 14, he got a job as a tea boy at Carlton Hill Studios, a small outfit in Maida Vale and later, clapper loader. He worked there for two years mostly on B movies such as Eyes That Can Kill (1947 d. Richard Grey, ph. Ray Densham) and The Monkey’s Paw (1948 d. Norman Lee, ph. Bryan Langley BSC) before he was called up for National Service.

On his return, he worked on several movies with DP Harry Waxman BSC, from whom he says he learned a great deal. Waxman photographed Alec’s first film as focus puller: Contraband Spain (1953 d. Lawrence Huntingdon). Many films followed, including Robbery Under Arms (1957 d. Jack Lee, ph. Harry Waxman), Guns at Batasi (1964 d. John Guillerman, ph. Douglas Slocombe OBE BSC) and Blow-Up (1966 d. Michelangelo Antonioni, ph. Carlo di Palma AIC).

Alec worked a lot for Walt Disney; as focus puller on Kidnapped (1960 d. Robert Stevenson), Greyfriars Bobby (1961 d. Don Chaffey) and The Moon-Spinners (1964 d. James Neilson) all of which were photographed by Paul Beeson BSC. He then operated on Guns in the Heather (1969 d. Robert Butler) photographed by Mike Reed BSC, which led to him to operate on 20 episodes of the television series The Saint (1966).

In 1969, Alec operated his first James Bond movie; On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, photographed again by Mike Reed, followed by five more Bond features. In 1971, Alec was main unit operator on Roman Polanski’s Macbeth together with cinematographer Gil Taylor BSC. ‘It was particularly exacting both mentally and physically.’

In 1981, Alec graduated to cinematographer on The Island Adventure (d. Anthony Squire). ‘Your first job as a DP is always scary, but I was working for free for producer, Stanley O’Toole, to get a credit.’

His biggest challenge as a cinematographer came on Shaka Zulu (1986 d. William Faure), a ten-part television series shot entirely in South Africa. But it was this production that convinced Cubby Broccoli that he could shoot the two James Bond films The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), both directed by John Glen.

In 1990, Mills directed two films, Bloodmoon and Dead Sleep, both photographed by Australian cinematographer, John Stokes ACS, after which he returned to cinematography. His last feature was The Point Men (2001 d. John Glen)

Alec was made an associate member of the BSC in 1977 and a full member in 1984. He served on the board of governors from 1998 to 2009.

Alec Mills

Born: 5/10/1932, London, England, U.K.

Died: 2/12/2024, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, U.K.

 

Alec Mills’s westerns – cameraman, focus puller:

Robbery Under Arms – 1957 [focus puller]

The Valley of Gwangi – 1969 [camera man]

The Hunting Party – 1971 [camera man]

RIP Alain Dorval

 

Alain Dorval, the French voice of Sylvester Stallone, has died at the age of 77

Actor Alain Dorval, the French voice of Sylvester Stallone and father of Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, died at the age of 77 on Monday night, his family told AFP on Tuesday.

France Bleu

Tuesday 13 February 2024

 

His deep voice will remain in the memory of many moviegoers. Actor Alain Dorval, the French voice of Sylvester Stallone and father of Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, died on Monday night, AFP learned from his family. The 77-year-old died at Gustave Roussy Hospital, a cancer center in the Paris region, "after so many years of fighting the disease," a statement said.

Having studied at the Cours Simon and the Paris Conservatory of Dramatic Art, Alain Bergé, his real name, has made his mark as the voice of Sylvester Stallone, whom he has dubbed in some thirty films, including the Rocky and Rambo franchises.

He was also the voice double for American actors Nick Nolte ("48 Hours") and Danny Aiello ("Radio Days"). The actor had also lent his voice to heroes of animated films, such as Tiger in the Fievel saga or Pat Hibulaire in Goofy and Max. He could also be heard on the album "Enfantillages 4" by Aldebert, star of children's songs.

A Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, he "had just returned to the stage to give a reading of Camus' The Fall and was currently directing Molière's L'école des femmes," his family said.

DORVAL, Alain (Alain Bergé)

Born: 8/9/1946, Algiers, Algeria

Died: 2/13/2024, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France

 

Alain Dorval’s westerns – voice dubber, actor:

Reprisal! – 1956 [French voice of Philip Breedlove]

Face to Face – 1967 [French voice of William Berger]

The Wild Wild West (TV) 1967 [French voice of Eddie Fontaine]

Winchester 73 (TV) [French voice of John Hoyt]

The Price of Death – 1971 [French voice of Luigi Casellato]

Cry for Me Billy – 1972 [French voice of unknown actor]

Triumphs of a Man Called Horse – 1983 [French voice of Miguel Ángel Fuentes]

Silverado – 1985 [French voice of Scott Glenn]

Fievel Goes West – 1991 [French voice of Tiger]