Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ben Wada

TV director -- via The Japan Times.

Dan Filie

TV writer-producer -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Matti Mattson

Printer, union man, activist, and one of the last surviving veterans of the Fascist-fighting Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War -- via voy.com.

Terry Seabrooke

Comedy magician -- via the Telegraph.

Wilfred Sheed

Writer -- via the New York Times.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tom Gentry

Jazzman -- via the News-Herald.

Jean-Marc Cochereau

Conductor -- via Oregon Music News.

Cristian Paturca

Democracy activist -- via the Canadian Press. He wrote the protest song "Imnul Gonlailor," which became a rallying anthem for anti-Communist protestors.

Zoe Dominic

Photographer of dance and theatre -- via the Guardian.

Milton Rogovin

Photographer and social activist -- via the New York Times. He captured the lives of those at the "bottom" of society, with respect and grace.

R. Sargent Shriver

Founding head of the Peace Corps, creator of many national anti-poverty programs, ambassador -- via the New York Times. "In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. Learn more about the face of your neighbor and less about your own.”

Georgia Carroll Kyser

Model, singer and actress -- via the Chapel Hill News Observer. She was pictured in so many ads from 1936 to 1946 that she has been informally referred to as "the first supermodel."

Kay Mills

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

Michael Langham

Actor, director and influential theatrical manager -- via Playbill. He held sway at such institutions as Stratford, the Guthrie the La Jolla, and Julliard.

Eva von Berne aka Eva Plentzner von Scharneck

The last surviving silent film actress from Germany -- via voy.com.

Stephanie Glaser

Actress -- via World Radio Switzerland.

Chris Jenkyns

Writer/producer/art director -- via forum.bcdb.com. He worked primarily in animation, especially for Jay Ward ("Rocky & Bullwinkle," "George of the Jungle"), but for live-action shows such as "The Carol Burnett Show" as well.

Steve Prestwich

Drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter -- via the Daily Telegraph.

George Ogg

Guitarist -- via the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.

Alex Kirst

Drummer for the Nymphs and the Iggy Pop Band -- via the OC Weekly.

Don Kirshner

Music publisher, producer and manager -- via Billboard. "The Man with the Golden Ear" started as the manager for Connie Francis; he moved on to co-own Aldon Music, which was a large part of the Brill Building Era of songwriting -- Goffin/King, Mann/Weil, Lieber/Stoller, Neil Sedaka, Phil Spector, Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach . . . the list goes on and on. He even discovered Kansas -- the band, not the state.

He provided the music for the Saturday morning TV hit "The Monkees"; when the stars insisted on actually playing the music they sang on the show, Kirshner quit and created "The Archies," an animated music/cartoon show based on the classic comic strip. Later still, he created "In Concert"/"Don Kirshner's Rock Concert," an influential live-music series.

Some of the hits he published: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "The Locomotion," "I'm a Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville" . . .

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Flo Gibson

Recorder of audio books -- via the New York Times. She got her start as a radio actress, then moved into reading books for listeners, chalking up over 1,000 titles in the course of her career.

Toshiyuki Hosokawa

Actor -- malaysiasun.com.

Barry Hobart aka Dr. Creep

TV horror-movie show host -- via WHIOTV. He was the infamous "Dr. Creep" in Dayton, Ohio's "Shock Theater," from 1972 to 1983.

Harvey James

Rock guitarist -- via undercover.fm.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Romulus Linney

Spectacularly gifted and far-ranging playwright-- via the New York Times.

Susannah York

Beautiful and talented actress -- via the Telegraph. Best in roles in films such as "Tom Jones, "The Killing of Sister George," "they Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and "The Silent Partner."

Friday, January 14, 2011

Tommy Crain

Guitarist -- via the Tennessean. He was best known for his long-time work with the Charlie Daniels Band.

Paul Picerni

Actor in film and television -- via monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com. He will be best remembered as Lee Hobson, the right-hand man of G-man Eliot Ness, played by Robert Stack, in the early TV series "The Untouchables."

Trish Keenan

Vocalist with electronic music band Broadcast -- via contactmusic.com.

From the New York Times: "Cyberspace When You're Dead"

Rob Walker discusses the pros and cons of the digital traces we leave behind online after we die -- via the New York Times. Can we, Pharaohnically, build eternity-challenging digital pyramids that will serve as electronic monuments?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Prabhakar Panshikar

Actor -- via the Times of India.

Al Koslik

Actor -- via CBC News.

Mary Scruggs

Comedy writer, performer and teacher -- via the Chicago Tribune.

Jennie Federow York

Singer -- via Legacy.com.

John Sadovy

Photographer -- via the Telegraph.

Peter Hobbs

Actor -- via Theater Mania. This seemingly perpetually distinguished-looking performer started on the stage, but is best known most his incredible number of appearances on TV and in films, usually playing authority figures such as doctors, judges and men of the cloth. His sober appearance did not mean he couldn't be funny -- on the contrary, he was a superb and sly underplayer.

Makinti Napanangka

Artist -- via the Australian.

Joe Gores

Honored mystery writer and screenwriter -- via mediabistro.com.

John Dye

Actor -- via MSNBC.

Won-il Rhee

Digital art curator -- via www.art-it.asia.

John Modinos

Baritone -- via greece.greekreporter.com.

Ellen Stewart

Theatrical genius and visionary -- via the New York Times. She started La MaMa Experimental Theater Club in New York City in 1961. She somehow created and maintained a cooperative, forward-looking, tolerant, innovative performing space that was a major influence on the creative arts in the United States. She directed, produced, and did everything one does to keep an impossible dream alive. She did it! I met her in 1978 at a performance of "The Trojan Women" -- a show that ripped the top of my head off and redefined theatre for me. She changed my life and that of many others -- thank you, thank you, dear master! Here's a lovely portrait of her in the New York Times --