Thursday, October 10, 2013

Scott Carpenter

Astronaut, test pilot, and aquanaut -- via the New York Times. One of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Carpenter hailed from Boulder, Colorado. The park in his name in town sports a space-themed playground equipment, including a rocket-shaped climbing gym.




Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Andy "Handy Andy" Pafko

Former MLB outfielder -- via ABC News. A four-time All-Star, he was also in left field when Bobby Thomson hit "The Shot Heard 'Round the World."



Joanna Chmielewska aka Irena Kühn Becker

Novelist and screenwriter -- via chmielewska.com.

Hilton A. Green

Film producer and assistant director -- via legacy.com.


John Stephenson aka August John Vercruyssen

Actor and voice artist -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com. Best known as the voice of Mr. Slate on "The Flintstones," he also voiced Dr. Quest on "Jonny Quest" for the show's first five episodes.




Kokontei Shinba aka Yoshino Keiichi

Rakugo storyteller -- via MSN Japan. A rakugo storyteller is a lone performer who relates long and complex comic stories. Kokontei Shinba is an honorific title, passed from rakugo master to rakugo master. This performer is the ninth to bear the name.

Senen Suarez

Guitarist, composer, and writer -- via El Diario de Cuba.





Ruth Mary Rogan Benerito

Chemist and textile scientist; developed "permanent press" cotton -- via the New York Times.

Edward "Butch" Warren

Double-bassist -- via the Washington Post. He played with EVERYBODY!









Yakkum Sakurazuka

Comedian and voice actor -- via Anime News Network.




Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Carlo Lizzani

Film director, screenwriter, and critic -- via La Repubblica.



Bill Eppridge

Photojournalist -- via the New York Times. Most famously, he took the heartbreaking photo of Robert Kennedy dead on the floor of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.



Bill Eppridge - The Importance of the Still Image from Summit Series of Workshops on Vimeo.

Vo Nguyen Giap

Guerrilla and military leader -- via the BBC. I normally don't include warriors, but hey. This guy had no training, and terrible resources. Facing enormous odds, he first kicked France's ass and then America's. That's damn good work!

Frank D'Rone

Singer and guitarist -- via the Chicago Tribune.



Giuliano Gemma

Actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter.






Phil Chevron aka Philip Ryan

Songwriter, guitarist, singer, and multi-instrumentalist with the Pogues -- via rte.ie. He wrote "Thousands Are Sailing" and "Lorelei," among many others! Although Shane MacGowan is the well-publicized, dysfunctional face of the group, Phil was really the anchor. Love you, man!








Monday, October 7, 2013

Patrice Chereau

Opera and theater director, filmmaker, actor, and producer -- via Liberation. His groundbreaking production of the Ring cycle at Byreuth in 1976 paved the way (for better or worse) for an age of "director's theater" (Regietheater).

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Anthony Hinds aka John Elder

Film producer and screenwriter; the father of "Hammer horror" -- via the Telegraph. The son of the Hammer film studio's father, he made the momentous decision to make a feature film of the BBC-TV sci-fi series "The Quatermass Experiment," courting the then-infamous "X" film-rating certificate for adults only. He then moved on to color in "The Curse of Frankenstein," bringing together great team members such as Jimmy Sangster, Terrence Fisher, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Bernard Robinson, and James Bernard, focusing on "color, sex, and death" (much tahnks the Telegraph for these insights!). His inspiraton vreated some of the favorite creepy-crawlies of my youth!

Israel Gutman

Historian and Holocaust survivor -- via the Washington Post.

Ramblin' Tommy Scott aka "Doc" Tommy Scott

Country and bluegrass musician, singer, comic, entrepreneur, actor, and ventriloquist -- via the Chatanoogan.





Lawrence Goodwyn

Historian and activist -- via the New York Times.

Sidney Lanier

Theater producer, minister -- via the New York Times.