RIP Elisa Ramírez

 

Madrid Diario

November 11, 2026

Obituary - Elisa Ramírez, actress

 

The Valencian actress Elisa Ramírez has died at the age of 83. Retired from all artistic activity for almost thirty years, she will be remembered for her numerous recordings for Spanish Television.

A series of programs, written by Alfredo Amestoy, caused an impact on television when she was pregnant with her son Diego. In 'El día de mañana', she monologue weekly with her offspring. But before that he had already conquered the viewer with series such as 'The Twelve Faces of Juan'; 'Historias para no dormir', 'Curro Jiménez' and, naturally, dozens of dramatic spaces of Estudio1 and Novela.

Elisa had married the actor, director and producer Diego Serrano in 1961. Years later both would form their own comedy company with which they performed, among other titles, 'Save the Dolphins', 1985; 'Toys for a Marriage', 1987; ¡A media luz los tres', 1993 or 'La mujer constante', 1997, her last stage appearance. Diego Serraño died in 2016.

She entered the cinema in 1963 although she would not have great roles until she filmed 'La Revoltosa', in 1968 and, above all, a first version of 'La Celestina', alongside Amelia de la Torre and Julián Mateos. It was one of the great commercial successes of Spanish cinema. Her last film – she barely had a filmography of 15 titles – was 'Memoirs of General Escobar', from 1984. Two years later she recorded for Televisión Española, the medium that had elevated her, a last series: 'Tristeza de amor'.

RAMIREZ, Elisa (Elisa Ramírez Sanz)

Born: 12/2/1943, Alzira, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Died: 11/10/2026, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

 

Elisa Ramírez’s western – actress:

The Son of Zorro – 1973 (Doña Conchita Herrera)

RIP Irma P. Hall

 

ACCLAIMED ACTRESS AND BELOVED DALLAS RESIDENT AND CHURCH MOTHER DR. IRMA P. HALL PASSES AWAY AT 91

Acclaimed actress Dr. Irma P. Hall, best known for her role as Big Mama Jo in Soul Food, has passed away at age 91.

Dallas Weekly

November 11, 2026

 

Acclaimed actress Dr. Irma P. Hall died on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at age 91. Best known for her role as Big Mama Jo in Soul Food, Hall enjoyed a distinguished fifty-year career in film, television, and theater. Before finding fame in Hollywood, she spent over two decades as a Dallas educator. Funeral arrangements and special tributes celebrating her extensive legacy will be announced at a later date.

DALLAS, November 11, 2026 – It is with profound sadness that the family of acclaimed actress Dr. Irma P. Hall announces her passing. Hall, 91, was an award-winning actress, beloved Dallas resident and longtime member and cherished Church Mother of Inspiring Body of Christ Church under the leadership of senior pastor, Rickie G. Rush. She passed away on Tuesday, November 10, surrounded by her loved ones.

Acclaimed actress Dr. Irma P. Hall passed away on November 10, 2026, at the age of 91.

Best known to audiences around the world for her remarkable portrayal of “Big Mama Jo” in the beloved 1997 film Soul Food, Hall built an extraordinary career spanning nearly five decades in film, television and theater. Her commanding presence and remarkable ability to bring depth and authenticity to every character made her one of Hollywood’s most respected and recognizable character actresses and a cultural icon.

Hall’s expansive body of work includes A Family Thing (1996), Soul Food (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), Beloved (1998), Patch Adams (1998), The Ladykillers (2004), Collateral (2004) and Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns (2008), among numerous other productions. She also reprised her beloved role as Mama Joe in the Soul Food television series. Her exceptional talent earned widespread critical acclaim, including an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Soul Food and a prestigious Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her performance opposite Tom Hanks in the Coen brothers’ The Ladykillers. She also received recognition from the Chicago and Kansas City film critics associations for her performance in A Family Thing and was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

One of the most iconic mother roles in film history, “A Song for Mama” by Boyz II Men was written and produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, specifically centering on Irma P. Hall’s character in Soul Food. Decades after its original release, this song is still one of the most popular and enduring Mother’s Day anthems of all time.

Hall was best known globally for her iconic portrayal of Big Mama Jo in the film Soul Food.

Born Irma Dolores Player on June 3, 1935, in Beaumont, Texas, Hall was raised in Chicago before returning to Texas to pursue her education at Texas College in Tyler. Long before captivating audiences on the big screen, she dedicated more than two decades of her life to educating young people, teaching English and foreign languages in Dallas public schools. In recognition of her contributions to the arts and education, Hall received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts and Education from Texas College and was recognized as Dr. Irma Hall. The honorary degree ceremony was held at Inspiring Body of Christ Church. Her journey into acting began in an unexpected way when actor and director Raymond St. Jacques discovered her talent during a poetry reading in Dallas. She made her film debut in Book of Numbers (1973), launching a remarkable second career that would eventually take her from Dallas stages to some of Hollywood’s most notable productions.

Beyond her success in entertainment, Hall was a passionate advocate for the arts and the development of young, emerging talent. She helped establish the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre and remained deeply connected to the Dallas arts community. Her contributions to theater and the performing arts continue to be celebrated through the Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards, also known as The Irmas, an annual awards show founded in 2015 by DFW Black Arts and produced by Jiles King. The awards celebrate artistic excellence in performing and technical theater across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

While audiences knew her as a gifted actress whose performances brought laughter, tears and unforgettable moments, those closest to her knew her as a woman of tremendous faith, wisdom, compassion and generosity. A longtime member and Church Mother at Inspiring Body of Christ Church (IBOC), Hall was deeply loved by her church family. Passionate about reading and education, she frequently visited the church’s University of Dreams school, where she enjoyed reading to children and sharing her love of storytelling. She also remained actively involved in the arts through IBOC’s theater ministry.

The actress received multiple honors, including an NAACP Image Award and a Cannes Film Festival prize.

For Pastor Rickie G. Rush, Hall was much more than a beloved Church Mother. Their relationship spanned decades, beginning when he was just a teenager and she was his speech teacher. During one of their public speaking lessons, Hall made a remarkable prediction that would one day come to pass.

“When I was just 14 years old, Mother Hall looked at me during one of our public speaking lessons and told me, ‘One day, you will be my pastor.’ Little did I know then how those words would come to pass or how much she would mean to me and our church family,” said Pastor Rush. “Today, we celebrate the extraordinary life of a woman whose faith, wisdom and love touched so many. Our beloved Church Mother, Irma P. Hall, has taken her final bow on the stage of life and stepped into eternity. While we mourn her passing, we are forever grateful for the remarkable legacy she leaves behind.”

Hall leaves behind a remarkable legacy, not only through the memorable characters she brought to life, but also through the generations of entertainers, students, church members and family members whose lives were enriched by her example. Among those who cherished her most was her daughter and namesake, Irma.

“She started as a teacher in the classroom but ended up being a teacher to the world,” said her only daughter, Irma Hall Crayton. “My mom used to always say, ‘To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.’ And she was just that to many people,” Crayton added.

The Hall family extends its heartfelt appreciation for the outpouring of love, prayers and support during this difficult time and respectfully requests privacy at this time. Additional details regarding funeral services, memorial arrangements and special tributes celebrating the life and legacy of Irma P. Hall will be announced at a later date.

HALL, Irma P. (Irma Dolores Paul Hall)

Born: 6/3/1935, Beaumont, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 11/10/2026, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.

 

Irma P. Hall’s western – actress:

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (TV) 1987 (Mammy)

RIP Kimmarie Johnson

Kimmarie Johnson Dies: ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ & ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’ Actor Was 50

DEADLINE

By Greg Evans

November 5, 2026

 

Kimmarie Johnson, a model who made inroads into acting during the late 1990s and early 2000s with a small role in Dude, Where’s My Car? and an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, died Wednesday, November 4, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles following a cardiac emergency the week before. She was 50.

Her death was announced by her niece Rhonda Scott. Johnson was determined to have suffered a heart aneurysm.

Born Kim Marie Johnson on April 8, 1976, in Pittsburgh, Johnson worked as a flight attendant after college, did some modeling and, in 1992, competed in and won the Miss Pennsylvania USA beauty pageant. The following year she finished in the top five at the Miss USA beauty pageant.

After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s, Johnson continued modeling and in 1998 played the character Jane in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. In the 2000 Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott comedy Dude, Where’s My Car?, she was cast in a memorable scene as one of five aliens disguised as sexy “jumpsuit chicks.”

Also in 2000 Johnson appeared in an episode of the Pamela Anderson TV series V.I.P.

Johnson cut back on her acting career after giving birth to son Cameron Nino, now an L.A.-based musician, in 2003, but made the occasional appearance in such projects as Wanda at Large, comedy Spanish Fly and in 2017 the series Tucker’s War, her final credit.

In addition to her show business career, Johnson was an entrepreneur who in 2011 launched a skin care brand called SkinGlow by Kimmarie.

Johnson is survived by her son and niece.

JOHNSON, Kimmarie (Kim Marie Johnson)

Born: 4/8/1967, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Died: 11/4/2026, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Kimmarie Johnson’s western – actress:

Tucker’s War (TV) – 2017 (Rebekah Hamilton)

RIP Tinto Brass

 

Tinto Brass, Director of Erotic Epics ‘Caligula’ and ‘Salon Kitty,’ Dies at 93

Variety

By Nick Vivarelli

November 4, 2026

 

Italian director Tinto Brass, known for the historic erotic epics “Salon Kitty” and “Caligula,” has died. He was 93.

Brass’ family announced the news of his death on Wednesday to Italian press agency Ansa.

Born in Milan in 1933 to a Venetian family of artists, Brass first studied law before veering towards film during the late 1950s. He wound up as an archivist at the Cinémathèque Francais in Paris, where he met Roberto Rossellini and worked as an assistant on Rossellini’s war drama “General della Rovere.”

Brass made his directorial debut in 1963 with the Venice-set tale “In Capo Al Mondo,” later retitled “Chi Lavora è Perduto,” about a young unemployed man with antisocial tendencies that received enthusiastic acclaim at the Venice Film Festival. The film, however, ran into big problems with Italian censors in what became the first of many battles Brass faced with censorship for various reasons.

Brass spent the large part of the late 1960s and early 1970s in London shooting several English-language films, including 1967 erotic pop thriller “Deadly Sweet,” starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Sweden’s Ewa Aulin. Trintignant stars as a young man who discovers that his business contact has been murdered. Instead of calling the police, he decides to protect a young woman, played by Aulin, at the crime scene and pursue the real killers‚ which puts him on a collision course with the London underworld.

“Deadly Sweet” was presented out-of-competition at the 1967 Venice International Film Festival. The restored version played at Venice earlier this year as a tribute to Brass. It was followed by “Attraction” (1969) and “Dropout” (1970).

Brass broke out internationally with erotic war drama “Salon Kitty” (1976), set in a high-class Berlin brothel used by the Nazi intelligence service and starring Helmut Berger. But his best known film outside Italy is “Caligula,” which was made in 1979 and released in 1984 in a different cut from that intended by Brass. The contentious film was self-financed in 1980 by Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, who after fighting with Brass and screenwriter Gore Vidal, wrested control of the project and tossed out the script. He added adult content that he shot after the actors — which included Helen Mirren, Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud and Peter O’Toole — had finished their shoots, prompting Brass and Vidal to sue to have their names removed from the picture.

In 1983, Brass helmed “The Key,” an adaptation of a novel by Japanese author Tanizaki Junichiro starring Stefania Sandrelli, in a move towards more highbrow eroticism that played well globally. It was followed by other works focused on the journey of sexual liberation of their female characters, including “Black Angel” (2002) and “Fallo” (2003).

Brass is survived by his wife, Caterina Varzi, and children Bonifacio and Beatrice Brass.

BRASS, Tinto (Giovanni Brass)

Born: 3/26/1933, Milan, Kingdom of Italy

Died: 11/4/2026, Rome, Lazio, Italy]

 

Tinto Brass’ western – director, writer:

Yankee – 1966

RIP Lucia Modugno

 

Mourning in the world of Italian cinema: farewell to Bari actress Lucia Modugno

She had been permanently in Rome for years and was born in Bari in 1932. During his long career he has worked with important directors such as Rossellini, Avati and Fulci

Bari Today

By Nico Andrisani

November 3, 2026

 

Mourning in the world of Italian cinema: actress Lucia Modugno has died at the age of 94. She had been permanently in Rome for years and was born in Bari in 1932. A long career has seen her act in films directed by well-known directors such as Pupi Avati, Mario Bava, Roberto Rosellini, Gabriele Muccino and Lucio Fulci.

Not just a film actress

Modugno, over the years, has also been a director and writer, as well as a playwright. She has also performed in numerous plays with some of the biggest names on the national stage.

In a note, the Undersecretary for Culture expressed condolences for the artist's death: "Elegance, talent and a lot of study. Lucia Modugno was an artist who made a significant contribution to the culture of our country, able to move naturally from the big screen to the theater, to arrive in the following years also to directing and writing. With her we lose a refined professional, who worked with the greatest Italian directors, from Rossellini to Risi to Scola. My condolences to the family".

MODUGNO, Lucia

Born: 7/9/1932, Bari, Apulia, Italy

Died: 11/3/2026, Rome, Lazio, Italy

 

Lucia Modugno’s westerns – actress:

 

The Magnificent Three – 1961 (bride)

For a Few Dollars Less – 1966 (Sally)

My Name is Pecos – 1966 (Mary Burton)

Navajo Joe – 1966 (Geraldine)

 

RIP Gérard Croce

 

Le Mague

By Frederic Vignale

1/11/2026

 

Gérard Croce, the death of one of those faces without whom French cinema would not have the same flavour

There are actors whose faces we immediately know without always being able to put a name to them. Actors who can be found in a Claude Berri film, a popular comedy from the 1970s, an old television soap opera or a somewhat forgotten film. They are not necessarily at the top of the bill, do not make the covers of magazines and rarely benefit from the tributes that their careers deserve. However, they are an essential part of our cinematographic memory. Gérard Croce belonged to that family. The announcement of his death, which is circulating today, makes me want to look back on the career of this French actor whose name deserves to be better known.

Born on February 6, 1946, in Marseille, Gérard Croce had lived through several decades of cinema and television with astonishing freedom. Actor, screenwriter, producer, assistant director, he knew the show from almost every angle. His career also tells the story of a time when actors moved unabashedly from popular cinema to more ambitious productions, from light comedies to dramatic works, without considering that one genre was necessarily nobler than another.

In the early 1970s, he appeared alongside the Tramps in Les Fous du stade and Les Charlots font l'Espagne, two popular hits that belong to the collective memory of a generation. He then worked regularly with Max Pécas, notably in Les Branchés in Saint-Tropez. We can always discuss the quality of these summer comedies, their approximate scenarios and their sometimes-rudimentary humor. But they belong to a history of French cinema that it would be absurd to despise. They bear witness to an era, its tastes, its excesses, and above all a formidable gallery of actors of character.

What strikes me about Gérard Croce is precisely this ability not to let himself be locked into a register. In 1971, he was the sole performer in the short film Techniquement si simple by René Vautier, a committed filmmaker whose work is a thousand miles away from the fantasies of Saint-Tropez. And in 1993, Claude Berri gave him the role of Maigrat in Germinal, an adaptation of Émile Zola's novel. He plays an odious grocer, profiteering from the misery of the workers, a profoundly unpleasant character to whom he gives a physical presence and a disturbing credibility. A real role of composition that reminds us that a good actor does not need to occupy the entire screen to impose his presence.

His career is also inseparable from French television. He can be found in The Man Without a Face, in The Investigations of Inspector Maigret, in several television films by Jacques Fansten and in many productions that have accompanied the daily lives of viewers. He also lent his voice to the world of Asterix. All these participations testify to a particularly diversified career, built more on work and continuity than on the effects of celebrity.

But Gérard Croce was not just a face. Behind the camera, he had developed a major production activity, notably on the series Sydney Fox, the adventurer, Léa Parker and Aventure et Associés. He had also participated in the writing of the screenplay for Les Folies d'Élodie. This lesser-known dimension of his career deserves to be highlighted: some film professionals contribute as much to the making of the works as to their interpretation.

I find that our era gives far too much importance to the headliners and far too little to those who really bring the films to life. French cinema has not been built solely around its great stars. He owes a lot to these supporting roles, these immediately recognizable silhouettes, these actors capable of giving life to a character in a few minutes. They are often the first to disappear from the media's memory, even though they remain deeply inscribed in that of the spectators.

Gérard Croce belonged to that precious category of artists who did not seem to need to create a legend for themselves. He worked, changed register, went from one set to another, from one era to another. His career, sometimes uneven in his choice of films, is all the more interesting. He reminds us that cinema is also an artisanal, collective adventure, made up of loyalties, encounters and professions.

And then there's something deeply moving about seeing these actors again decades later. They appear in the course of a rebroadcast, with their voices, their gestures, their expressions. For a few moments, they take us back to our childhood, to a vanished movie theater, to a Sunday afternoon in front of the television. They become, in spite of themselves, the guardians of a time that we will never find again.

Gérard Croce was one of these faces. And that is precisely why it deserves attention.

CROCE, Gérard

Born: 2/6/1946, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

Died: 10/31/2026, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir, Centre-Val de Loire, France

 

Gérard Croce’s westerns – producer:

Queen of Swords (TV) – 2000-2001

RIP John 'Bobby' Wright

 

John ‘Bobby’ Wright, ‘Here I Go Again’ Hitmaker and McHale’s Navy Actor, Dies at 84

Wright, who died on Tuesday, Oct. 27, was the son of country musicians Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells

People

By Madison E. Goldberg

October 30, 2026

 

John “Bobby” Wright, the country music star known for his 1971 hit “Here I Go Again” and an actor on the hit 1960s sitcom McHale’s Navy, has died at 84.

Wright died at his home in Madison, Tenn., on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to his obituary. A cause of death was not made public.

Born in Charleston, W. Va. in 1942 to country icons Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells, he would later follow in his parents’ musical footsteps when they relocated to be closer to Nashville. Wright was also athletic in his youth, and played football, baseball and basketball at Madison High School.

After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, where he would later land the role of radio operator Willy Moss in McHale’s Navy, a hit ABC sitcom that ran from 1962 through 1966 about the U.S. Navy PT-73 boat during World War II in the Pacific. He starred in the show opposite Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway and Bob Hastings. Wright was the last living cast member from the show, according to his family.

Wright later made an appearance as Bud Bunnoy in an episode of Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats in 1966.

Following his stint in television acting, Wright returned to Tennessee, where he rejoined his family’s syndicated variety show. He toured with his parents and sisters as the Kitty Wells Johnnie Wright and Bobby Wright family show until 2007.

Wright would go on to find his voice as a solo artist from 1967 to 1979, when he recorded songs for Decca, ABC and United Artists Records, charting 21 singles. His 1971 song “Here I Go Again” was the highest-charting single of his career.

He is survived by his two daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister, Sue Sturdivant, ex-wife Brenda Wright Moore, and nieces and nephews.

His memorial services will be held at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

WRIGHT, John (John Robert Wright Jr.)

Born: 3/30/1942, Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.A.

Died: 10/27/2026, Madison, Tennessee, U.S.A.

 

John Wright’s westerns – actress.

Pistols 'n' Petticoats (TV) -1966 (Bud Bunnoy)

The Road West (TV) - 1966 (Kyle)

Catch the Black Sunshine – 1974