Friday, November 19, 2010

Freddy Beras Goico

Comedian, writer and activist -- via the New York Daily News.

Claudio Obregon

Actor of stage, screen and television -- via El Universal.

Aram Schefrin

Musician, writer and lawyer -- via the Providence Journal.

Harry Whitaker

Jazz pianist -- via revivalist.okayplayer.com. Here is a comprehensive tribute to his life, personality and work from Andrew Mason at Wax Poetics.

Jean Paul Toulon

Member of punk novelty band Old Skull -- via PunkNews.org.

N. Viswanathan

Actor -- via Haryana News.

William Self

TV producer -- via the L.A. Times. After many years as a film actor in bit parts, he turned to television and ran a number of hit shows -- "Batman," "The Green Hornet," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "The Time Tunnel," "Land of the Giants," "Daniel Boone," and more.His work had a big influence on my impressionable young mind. Thanks, Bill! Here's Part 1 of an extensive interview with him about his career:

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Roberto Risso aka Robert Rice aka Pietro Roberto Straub

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Jonathan Harner aka Scott A. Solano

Public health advocate -- via the Denver Post

Maureen Muggeridge

Geologist who discovered the world's largest diamond deposit -- via the Telegraph.

Marshall Lumsden

Writer and editor -- via the L.A. Times

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Sachi Shimizu

Broadway chorus performer -- via Broadway World.

Larry Evans

Chess master, and Grandmaster -- via the United States Chess Federation

Mimi Perrin

Jazz pianist, vocalist and translator -- via qobuz.com. Her biggest claim to fame will be as the founder of Les Double Six, a a capella group that covered jazz standards. Some of its members later developed the better-known Swingle Singers.

Harold Earl "Dutch" Bamberger

Played three games with the New York Giants in 1948 -- via Bill Schenley, http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries and the Reading, PA Eagle.

Mary Long Young

An affectionate and eloquent tribute from a loving child -- via the Knoxville News Sentinel and Legacy.com.

Frederick Alvin "Allie" Briggs

Doughnut shop owner and amateur baseball enthusiast -- via the Providence Journal. He was a friend of Ted Williams, and built a baseball diamond in his back yard, which he let teams play on free of charge.

Carol Sills Davis

Activist who fought racism and poverty -- via mlive.com.

Bernard Davies

Sherlock Homes scholar -- via the Telegraph.

Marcelino Camacho

Trade unionist who fought Franco -- via the Guardian.

Hugh Logan Blackett

Forester and forestry consultant -- via the Independent. He worked arduously to promote conservation and industry accountability.

Breck Wall aka Billy Ray Wilson

Comedian and producer of long-lived "Bottoms Up" burlesque review -- via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Ektor Kaknavatos

Poet -- via enet.gr.

Amos Lavi

Actor -- via ynet.co.il.

Phillip "Flippy" Hoffman

Pioneer American surfer and textile manufacturer -- via the L.A. Times

Edmond Amran el Maleh

Writer -- via Agence Maghreb Arabe Presse.

Tetsuro Hoshino

Lyricist -- via ant-network.com.

Allan R. Sandage

Astronomer -- via Astronomy Now.

Fred Goldhaber

Educator and mentor to many LGBT youths -- via the New York Times.

Roberta Sykes

Activist, writer and professor -- via the Sydney Morning Herald.

You Dong-sook

Actor Tae-Hee One, director Eunhee Huh and actress Dong-Sook You attend the 'My Heart Beats' premiere during The 5th International Rome Film Festival at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 29, 2010 in Rome, Italy. [Getty Images]
Actress -- via the Joong Ang Daily.

Ronni Chasen

Hollywood publicist -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Here is a comprehensive tribute to her from Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood, with links to other related stories. This respected industry veteran was murdered in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Nov. 16. She was found in her crashed vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

Messy Mya aka Anthony M. Barre

Rapper/comedian -- via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He was gunned down at St. Anthony and Rocheblave in the 7th Ward on Sunday night.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Jack LeMaire

Actor, musician and standup comic -- via Variety. He started off in vaudeville as a toddler; he played guitar with Dizzy Gillespie, among many others. He acted in TV -- he ended up playing Colonel Sanders for a few years.

Marie "Baby Marie" Osborne Yeats aka Helen Alice Myres

First child star of American film -- via Classic Images and groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries. After her early acting career, she moved on to stand-in work, and eventually became a highly regarded costumer on films such as "The Way WE Were" and "The Godfather: Part II."

Ed "Spanky" Kirkpatrick

Outfielder and pinch-hitter, primarily for the Angels -- via the L.A. Times

How can I miss you if you won't go away?

A story in Slate magazine today gives graphic evidence that life spans are lengthening across the globe, and that years in good health are increasing also. I present it as food for thought: do our medical advances jeopardize resources for the young? Is there a "just" length of life? And do these statistics bear up in the vast majority of the world, in which basic medical care isn't remotely commonplace?

Theodore W. Kheel

Labor negotiator -- via Bloomberg News.

Robert D. Jackson

Labor negotiator -- via the Kalamazoo News.

Roberto Pregadio

Composer and musician -- via lastampa.it. A prolific composer for film, his "Forgotten Pistolero" music (see video link below) is celebrated:

Donald McNarry

Miniature shipbuilder - via the Telegraph. The precision and verisimilitude of the his work made it highly prized by museums and private collectors.

Erik Knatterud

Teacher and cryptozoologist -- via Cryptomundo.

Lisa Michelle Kemp

Gospel singer -- via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Sandra Archer

Actress who was an integral part of the San Francisco Mime Troupe -- via the San Francisco Chronicle.

Saturday, November 13, 2010