Sunday, January 11, 2015

Tadeusz Konwicki

Writer and filmmaker -- via the New York Times.

Beau Kazer

Actor -- via the New York Daily News. Best remembered as Brock Reynolds in the TV soap opera "The Young and the Restless."

Bob Magruder

Actor and voice actor -- via Anime News Network.

Ted O'Connell

Guitarist -- via the Marin News.

Trevor Smith

Actor -- via the Liverpool Echo.


Taylor Negron

Actor, comedian, writer, playwright, and painter -- via Yahoo News. He was in everything, one of the most dependable character actors in Hollywood. On film and TV, he had an incesant steams of appearances in small roles that the made memorable. And, he had a wry and wonderful attitude about it. Read this lovely, funny piece by him in xojane -- "Reflections on a Life Playing Everyman." "By letting go of what you thought was going to happen in your life, you can enjoy what is actually happening. That is what I do."







Robert Stone

Novelist -- via the New York Times. He managed to marry humor, political satire, and adventure in many of his works. Among his best books are "Dog Soldiers," "A Flag for Sunrise," and "Damascus Gate."

Francesco Rosi

Director -- via Deadline. Another incredibly talented filmmaker generally unknown in America. His best work: "Salvatore Giuliano," "The Mattei Affair," his adapatation of "Carmen" in 1984, and "Christ Stopped at Eboli."



Curtis Lee

Singer and songwriter -- via the Yuma Sun. Best known for his big hit, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes."

Anita Ekberg

Sex symbol and film actress -- via the New York Times. Best known for her iconic role in Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (pictured above).

Friday, January 9, 2015

Lance Percival

Comedic actor and singer -- via Digital Spy.



Milton Hebald

Sculptor -- via the L.A. Times. His work is seen by thousands -- for instance, formerly at JFK and still outside the Delacorte in Central Park.



Robbie Bean

Teacher and activist -- via the Denver Post.

Bill Hart

Stuntman and actor -- via legacy.com.

Ramon "Ray" Gipson

Lead singer of the G-Clefs -- via the Salem News. Their big hit: "I Understand." I love "Ka-Ding-Dong."



Andrae Crouch

Gerry Fisher

Cinematographer -- via the Telegraph. I am surprised he is not better-known -- he DP'ed many excellent films, including "The Go-Between," "Man in the Wilderness," "Juggernaut," "Mr. Klein," "Wise Blood," Losey's "Don Giovanni," "Wolfen," and "Highlander." He started as a camera operator in 1947, working on films such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai," "The Sundowners," and "Cleopatra."

Terry Becker

Actor, producer, and director -- via legacy.com. AKA Solomon Becker. In front of the camera, his biggest impression was made as Chief Sharkey in the preposterous but beloved '60s TV series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."

King Sporty

Songwriter, DJ, musician, and music producer -- via soulandjazzandfunk.com. AKA Noel G. Williams. He wrote "Buffalo Soldier."



Noel Cobb

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Rod Taylor

Actor -- via Variety. An important member of Australian dramatic radio, Taylor moved on to film and TV and stage in America, and is best known for his roles in "The Time Machine," "The Birds," and "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (he was the voice of Pongo). His last screen role was a cameo as Churchill in Tarentino's "Inglorious Basterds."





Takao Saito

Cinematographer -- via Yahoo News. One of the "Kurosawa-gumi," the ensemble of actors, artists, and technicians that helped make Kurosawa's films come to life. Beginning as a camera operator on "One Wonderful Sunday" in 1947, he continued in this capacity through "Ikiru," "Seven Samurai," "I Live in Fear," "Throne of Blood," "The Lower Depths," "The Hidden Fortress," "The Bad Sleep Well," and "Yojimbo." He served as DP for "Sanjuro," "High and Low," and "Red Beard." He helped Kurosawa make the transition to color in "Dodes'ka-den," pushing through to even more amazing work in "Kagemusha," "Ran," "Dreams," and "Rhapsody in August." One of the greats.





Michele Serros

Writer -- via the L.A. Times.

Bridget Turner

Actress -- via the Telegraph.

Khan Bonfils

Actor -- via the Huffington Post.

Julia Neary

Actress and teacher -- via the Chicago Sun-Times.

Roger Kitter

Actor -- via Chortle.

Pino Daniele

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist -- via the Huffington Post.

Ganesh Patro

Playwright and screenwriter -- via greatandhra.com.

Chitresh Das

Dancer -- via Mercury News.

http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_27273521/pandit-chitresh-das-renowned-indian-dance-master-dies

Lance Diamond

Singer and musician -- via Buffalo Business Journal.

Sacvan Bercovitch

Scholar, critic, writer, and teacher -- via the New York Times.



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Yolande Donlan

Actress -- via the Guardian.

Janos Zsombolyai

Matthew Cogley

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter -- via Digital Spy.

Rene Vautier

Filmmaker -- via Ouest France. He was sentenced to prison for making anti-colonialist films, one, "Afrique 50," was banned for 40 years. See it below.

Janet Halliday Ervin

Writer -- via legacy.com.

The Charlie Hebdo killings

12 are killed at Paris satirical weekly -- via the Telegraph. The dead include several staffers from Charlie Hebdo and two police officers. This post will update periodically as more information comes in.

Here is a complete lit of victims:

Stephane "Charb" Charbonnier, artist and publishing director

Jean "Cabu" Cabut, lead cartoonist

Bernard "Tignous" Verlhac, cartoonist

Georges Wolinski, cartoonist

Bernard "Uncle Bernard" Maris, economist and columnist

Phillipe Honore, cartoonist

Michel Renaud -- former journalist

Mustapha Ourrad -- copy editor

Elsa Cayat -- columnist and analyst

Frederic Boisseau -- building maintenance worker

Franck Brinsolaro -- police officer

Ahmed Merabet -- police officer

They were humorists. They were telling jokes, provoking thought, for crying out loud. Proof positive that the people who can't take a joke are dangerous. Without humor, there's no freedom. It's ironic, but not funny, that one of the slain officers was a Muslim.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Steve Wiley

Music-store owner and music writer -- via the Arizona Republic.

Joyce Lamont

Radio host -- via KARE-TV.

Ahuti Prasad

Actor -- via the Sakshi Post.

Upendra Trivedi

Actor -- via zeenews.india.com.

Lewis Rudolph

Jeff Golub

Guitarist -- via Billboard.

Lam Po-chuen

Voice actor -- via Young Post.

Abdullah Hussain

Novelist and writer -- via the Malaysia Chronicle.

Deborah Bone

Mental health nurse -- via the BBC. The inspiration for Pulp's "Disco 2000."

Stu Miller

Former MLB pitcher -- via ESPN.