Friday, November 30, 2012

Martin Richards aka Morton Richard Klein

Tony- and Oscar-winning Broadway producer; the guiding force behind the original production and revival and eventual massive success of Kander and Ebb's "Chicago" -- via the New York Times.

Jakes Gerwel aka Gert Johannes Gerwel

Academic and anti-apartheid activist -- via the Washington Post.

Ken Rowe

Former MLB pitcher and long-time coach -- via Bleacher Report.

Maria Susana Flores Gomez

Beauty queen who died in shoot out with police -- via the Telegraph. This is eerily similar to the plot of a recent popular Mexican film, Gerardo Naranjo's 2011 "Miss Bala."



Simeon ten Holt

Composer -- via Gramophone.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Hal Trosky Jr.

Former MLB pitcher -- via the Chicago Tribune.

Dann Cahn

Film and TV editor -- via the L.A. Times. Best known for his work on "I Love Lucy," the first three-camera, filmed TV sitcom.

Zenaida Silva

Journalist -- via CBS News.


Dinah Sheridan aka Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg

Actress -- via the Guardian.

Stelios Votsis

Artist -- via the Guardian.


Diana Birkenfield

Emmy-winning TV and radio producer; an integral part of Jim Henson's creative team -- via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


Antoinette Olympe Bradna

Dancer and actress -- via the New York Times.


Sammy Ayala

Singer and percussionist -- via latino.foxnews.com.



Robert Blasetti

Office manager, research assistant, gardener, Yankees fan -- via lohud.com. For years, he and his wife volunteered as clowns and balloon handlers in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade; he died in costume during the event this year. The grotesque circumstances of his death brought it to wide notice; however, he was a nice guy who gave back to people. So let's stay focused on that.

Elizabeth Squires

TV and film writer and director -- via Salon.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Jan Trefulka

 Writer, translator, literary critic, publicist, and dissident -- via praguemonitor.com.

Serban Ionescu

Actor -- via foxcrawl.com.

Tom Harvey

Accompanist -- via news.drake.edu.

Michael Dunford

Composer and guitarist for Renaissance -- via Ultimate Classic Rock. In our young teens, this over-the-top symphonic prog-rock was just the ticket! Oh how we loved it . . . and then punk came in. Still, it's a fun listen --





Flora Martirosyan

Singer -- via the Armenian Weekly.

Spain Rodriguez aka Manuel Rodriguez

Underground cartoonist -- via the National Enquirer. Creator of Trashman and "Che: A Graphic Biography."



Boris Strugatsky

Science-fiction writer whose stories skewered contemporary Soviet life -- via the New York Times. His stoy "Roadside Picnic" was later adapted into Andrei Tarkovsky's great 1979 film "Stalker."

Miliki aka Emilio Aragon Bermudez

Clown, accordionist, and singer -- via Broadway World.

Arnaud Maggs

Photographer and artist -- via the CBC.

Freddy Schmidt

Former MLB pitcher -- via mlb.com.

Alcione Araujo

Writer, director, and educator -- via oglobo.com.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Mickey "Guitar" Baker aka MacHouston Baker

Guitarist -- via L'Express. (Here's a more complete writeup from the New York Times.) As half of Mickey and Sylvia, had his biggest hit with the novelty ballad "Love is Strange" in 1956.



However, he was a vital bridge between R & B and rock and roll, playing guitar on these key recordings:











Erazm Ciolek

Photojournalist -- via thenews.pl.


Bryce Bayer

Scientist and inventor; "the father of digital imaging" -- via the Philadelphia Inquirer.


Fernando Casanova aka Fernando Gutierrez Lopez aka Fred Canow

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

John Hefin

TV director -- via the Telegraph.


Anne Sullivan

Stage manager -- via Broadway World.

Marvin Miller

Union official -- via the New York Daily News. As leader of the baseball players' union, and destroyer of the infamous reserve clause, either loved or hated depending on one's labor sympathies. A revolutionary figure!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Welton Taylor

Microbiologist -- via the Chicago Tribune.


John Frederick aka John Merrick aka Frederick Stiffler

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Elizabeth W. Alexander

Film producer -- via Variety.

Austin Peralta

Jazz pianist -- via the L.A. Times.

Gene Bua

Actor and acting teacher -- via the Burbank Leader.


Anne Voss Bark aka Anne Bennett

Actress, hotelier, fly fishing expert, writer, and marriage counselor -- via the Telegraph.


Margaret Yorke aka Margaret Beda Nicholson

Crime novelist -- via the Telegraph.

Vladka Meed aka Feigele Peltel

A member of Warsaw's Jewish underground; later, a key Holocaust educator -- via the New York Times.

Bryce Courtenay

Novelist -- via the New York Times.

Elena Donaldson-Akhmilovskaya

Chess grandmaster -- via the New York Times.


Earl "Speedo" Carroll

Doo-wop vocalist -- via the New York Daily News. Best known as the singer of their biggest hit, "Speedo," Carroll ang with the group off and on for five decades, with some stints as a member of the Coasters as well.

The Cadillacs were the group that really helped doo-wop and R & B crossover to white listeners. They also pioneered the use of flashy matching stage ensembles and choreography.










Saturday, November 24, 2012

Jane Holtz Kay

Writer on the environment and architecture -- via the New York Times.


Leah Gottlieb

Swimsuit designer -- via the New York Times.

Larry Hagman aka the Mad Monk of Malibu

Actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Remembered either as a gleeful villain (J.R. in the TV drama "Dallas") or as a hapless, affable comic lead (Major Anthony Nelson in "I Dream of Jeannie"), Hagman
could actually act, as shown through his brilliant supporting performance as the translator for the U.S. President played by Henry Fonda in "Fail-Safe."

His mother was Broadway superstar Mary Martin. An epic partier, he later quit drinking alcohol and smoking (tobacco at least) and became a vegetarian.