Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Nancy Anderson
Former West Coast editor of Photoplay magazine -- via Variety. Her friends included John Wayne, Walt Disney and Elvis Presley.
Purushottama Lal aka P. Lal
Poet, publisher, writers' mentor and translator -- via merinews.com. He is best known for his complete English translation of the Mahabarata.
Addison Powell (Shelburne)
Actor on stage, in film and television -- via legacy.com and the Burlington Free Press. He won an Obie for his work in a production of "The Iceman Cometh." He could be seen in TV series as varied as "Gunsmoke," "Law and Order," "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Dark Shadows." Most memorably, he played an assassin in "Three Days of the Condor" and could be seen in fare such as the original "The Thomas Crown Affair."
Nicholas Bornoff
Writer -- via the Independent. Apotheosized as "the Odysseus of Japanese sex" for his non-fiction work "Pink Samurai."
Sam Holmes
Extraordinary range of experiences: Pullman porter, Negro Leagues baseball player, manager for club whose members were excluded by others because of their faith -- via the Denver Post.
Henryk Gorecki
Composer -- via the Guardian. One of the great composers of the 20th century, albeit one of many whose use of atonality and serialism made their music irritating and incomprehensible to the general public. However, his Third Symphony, the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs," which testified to the Holocaust, became one of the greatest-selling compositions of the last 50 years. The public caught up with him.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
James Mwandha
Minister of the Ugandan Parliament and disability rights activist -- via disabledfeminists.com.
Dino De Laurentiis
Legendary, award-winning film producer -- via AFP. He made some the best and worst and strangest films in history. The good: "Bitter Rice," "La Strada," "Nights of Cabiria," "Serpico," "The Bounty," "Blue Velvet," "Army of Darkness." The bad: "Dune" (at least the release cut), "Mandingo," "Lipstick," "Orca," the 1976 "King Kong," "Death Wish," "Year of the Dragon." The just plain weird: "Barbarella," "Danger: Diabolik," the 1980 "Flash Gordon," "Goliath and the Vampires," numerous Italian sex farces, and the Conan movies. What a career!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
George Estock
Pitcher for the 1951 Boston Braves -- via Bill Schenley and http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries.
Paul Hammond
Dancer and choreographer -- via the Herald Sun. Look closely and you wil see him performing in the classic film "The Red Shoes"!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Jack Levine
Painter who was not afraid of the human figure, or making a political point, or stepping on toes -- via the New York Times.
Noel Taylor aka Harold Alexander Taylor Jr.
Award-winning costume designer for stage, film and television -- via the L.A. Times. Interesting sidebar -- a privileged youth, he summered in Austria in the 1930s. He saw the rise of Hitler, and out of conscience he raised $200,000 to help the Jews escape. Finally, he was caught organizing against the Nazis and thrown out of the country. An honorable man.
Jay Van Noy
Respected BYU coach who played six games with the Cardinals in 1951 -- via the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Princess Irmingard of Bavaria
Her family knew Hitler was nuts and dangerous, and fought his rise to power. Of course, he put them all in concentration camps. Somehow, she survived! Via the Telegraph
Don Liberto
Actor/singer/dancer worked on stage, in radio and on television -- via http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries. His first Broadway credit? 1937.
Richmond Harding
Film and television director and producer -- via the Telegraph. He learned the trade on pivotal British films such as "Tight Little Island," "The Blue Lamp" and "Passport to Pimlico." He moved on to classic TV series like "The Avengers" and "Z Cars." He's supposedly the one who put Cathy Gale in the catsuit. Oh, you devil!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Charles Reynolds
"The magician's magician" -- via the New York Times. He produced, directed, invented and conceived some of stage magic's most impressive tricks and illusions,including sawing some one in half with a length of rope and two ways to make an elephant disappear.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Geoffrey Crawley
Photographic scientist -- via the New York Times. He was also a skilled pianist, linguist, editor, chemist and inventor. His claim to fame was debunking the "Cottingley fairies mystery" of 1917-1920, in which faked photographs purported to show fairy creatures. Crawley almost hated to tell the world his findings; he understood the human need to believe in the mythic.
Shirley Verrett
Amazing mezzo and soprano of the opera and concert hall -- via the New York Times. Another glorious singer who could actually ACT! Her Lady Macbeth is justly renowned, as was her Norma, Aida, Tosca and Dido. One of my touchstone recordings, and one I play when I am trying to convince others how exciting and beautiful opera is, is her 1975 live concert recording of "La Favorita" with Alfredo Kraus, Pablo Elvira, Barabara Hendricks and James Morris, under the baton of Eve Queler. I urge all to learn more about her work: below is her exquisite rendition of Mozart's "Exultate Julbilate."
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