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, March 4, 2011
Fateh Singh Rathore
Animal conservationist -- via the Telegraph. He risked death and bodily harm to save tiger populations in India.
Rosemary Gill
Children's television producer -- via the Telegraph. Her expert ministrations helped make the British show "Blue Peter" a long-lasting success.
Paul Marcus
TV director, script editor and producer -- via the Guardian. Among his distinctive creations: "Maigret" with Michael Gambon, and "Prime Suspect" with Helen Mirren.
Paquito Diaz aka Francisco Bustillos Diaz
Film actor and director -- via the Manila Bulletin. An iconic villain in the Philippines movie industry, he could play comedy as well.
Walter Zacharius
Publisher -- via the Wall Street Journal. From romance novels to "instant" books to smut to born-again Christian sci-fi, he printed it all!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Hazel Rowley
Biographer -- via the Australian. Here is her brilliant account of trying to get her biography of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir published in France --
Scott "Red" Cary
Pitched for the 1947 Senators -- via Bill Schenley and groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries.
Henry Africa aka Norman Jay Hobday
Creator of the fern bar -- via the San Francisco Chronicle. Although the title to this creation, a swanky and overdecorated type of establishment that catered to upscale singles in the late 1970s and early 1980s, is disputed by another San Francisco institution, Perry's, Africa holds the distinction to date. (The lemon drop martini was created in his place as well.)
Wally Yonamine
Athlete -- via the Daily Yomiuri. He was the first Japanese American to play pro football, for the 49ers, in 1947. He then played pro baseball for the Yomiuri Giants and the Chunichi Dragons. He is the only American in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Eddie Brandt
Pianist -- writer -- cartoonist -- movie memorabilia expert -- owner of Saturday Matinee video store, a trove of obscure gems. Via the Hollywood Reporter.
Eugene Fodor
Violinist -- via violinist.com. A child prodigy from Denver, Fodor was the first American to win the Tchaikovsky in Moscow, in 1974. His later life was marred by substance abuse, but he kept turning out brilliant performances as late as 2008.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Jane Russell
Actress -- via the Hollywood Reporter. A buxom beauty of a film star, she could act but was rarely given the opportunity to do so. She was so breathtakingly attractive that her pairing with Marilyn Monroe in "gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is still a kitschy classic.
She started with a bang in the Howard Hughes drama "The Outlaw":
She did good work in "The Paleface," "His Kind of Woman," and "The Tall Men."
In later life, she became a spokesperson for the Playtex 18-Hour Bra, "for us full-figured gals."
For someone who was judged primarily for her appearance, she displayed great panache on camera. The best analysis of her career is here in the L.A. Times --
She started with a bang in the Howard Hughes drama "The Outlaw":
She did good work in "The Paleface," "His Kind of Woman," and "The Tall Men."
In later life, she became a spokesperson for the Playtex 18-Hour Bra, "for us full-figured gals."
For someone who was judged primarily for her appearance, she displayed great panache on camera. The best analysis of her career is here in the L.A. Times --
Annie Girardot
Actress in film and television -- via contactmusic.com. She was in such landmark films as "Rocco and his Brothers," "The Piano Teacher" and "Cache."
Gary Winick
Director and producer -- via MTV. Among his films: "Tadpole," "13 Going on 30," the live-action "Charlotte's Web" and "Letters to Juliet." As usual, the most effective overview of his career comes from the L.A. Times --
Rob Samsel
Comic-book shop owner, and early writer and editor for Wizard Magazine -- via bleedingcool.com.
Oscar obit reel: who they left out
An interesting bit from E! Online -- who got left out of the Oscar death reel? Why? Deadline Hollywood weighed in as well . . .
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Mark Tulin
Bassist -- via ryanfunk.wordpress.com. His career stretched from the Electric Prunes to Smashing Pumpkins.
Suze Rotolo
Teacher, painter and illustrator -- via the New York Daily News. She will be forever remembered as the girl on the cover of Bob Dylan's "The Freewheeling Bob Dylan" album; she was his girlfriend and muse for a time.
Andy Jurinko
Artist who specialized in art on the subject of baseball. He was a Phillies fan -- via the New York Times.
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