Saturday, April 5, 2014

Peter Matthiessen

Writer and naturalist -- via the New York Times. One of my favorite writers, a master of both fiction and non-fiction -- "Th Snow Leopard," "At Play in the Fields of the Lord," the Watson trilogy, "Blue Meridian," and "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse." Zen priest, CIA agent, industrial fisherman, explorer . . . he lived a lot of life.






Friday, April 4, 2014

Anja Niedringhaus

Photojournalist -- via the New York Times.

Richard Bennett

Doctor who helped those no one else did -- via the Guardian.

Ann Howard aka Ann Pauline Swadling

Mezzo-soprano -- via the Telegraph.

Bill Knott

Poet -- via the New Yorker.

Rivka Haut

Activist who fought for Jewish women's rights -- via The Jewish Week.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Jerry Biggs

Actor -- via the McKinney Courier-Gazette.

Jürg Neuenschwander

Organist -- via SRF.

Eva Vezer

Film promoter -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Mon Levinson

Sculptor -- via the New York Times.

Birgitta Valberg

Actress -- via news.cision.com. Best known for her role as Mareta, the daughter in Bergman's "The Virgin Spring."




Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Manju Mahat

Folk singer -- via My Republica.

Zara Gretti aka Margret Mary-Joseph

Singer and rapper -- via channelstv.com.

Gina Pellon

Artist -- via Cafe Fuerte.

P Ramdas

Director -- via The Hindu Business Line.

Oldrich Skacha

Photographer -- via the Miami Herald.

Joe Frazier

From left, Mike Kobluk, Chad Mitchell, and Joe Frazier.
Singer and priest; part of the most famous iteration of the Chad Mitchell Trio -- via vintagevinylnews.com. The Trio's repertoire of slick folk-song adaptations and wry satire were just the thing for the college crowd during the days of the Urban Folk Scare of the 1960s; for me, the group epitomizes harmony singing, and wonderfully phrased solos as well.






Lawrence Teacher

Publisher and artist -- via the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Josep Maria Andreu

Poet -- via enderrock.cat.

Horace Havemeyer III

Publisher of Metropolis architecture magazine -- via Metropolis.

Horace Havemeyer III 40 years in Architectue Publishing from Metropolis Magazine on Vimeo.

Dirk Wallace Craft

TV director -- via TV Guide.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Eddie Lawrence aka The Old Philosopher aka Lawrence Eisler

Wikipedia says "monologist, actor, singer, lyricist, playwright, director and television personality" . . . He perfected a gimmick that would serve him for decades -- the comic persona of The Old Philosopher. His nutty soliloquy was a hit in 1956, and it still cracks me up. "NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP!" -- via the New York Times.



John "Sonny" Ruberto

Former MLB player -- via the Staten Island Advance.

Matty Blades aka Matthew Henshaw

Sword-swallower -- via The West Australian.






Derek Martinus

TV director best known for his 'Doctor Who' efforts -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Marc Platt aka Marcel LePlat

Dancer and actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter. He was trained by and danced for Massine at the Ballet Ruse de Monte Carlo. He had significant roles in film and on stage -- he was one of the brothers in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," and was the original Dream Curley in the Agnes DeMille ballet portion of "Oklahoma!" in 1943.

Here he is with Katharina Sergava in the original production of "Oklahoma!"


Marc Platt - Dream Curly, 2005 from Todd Sivard on Vimeo.




Jeffery Dench

Actor -- via The Stage.

Lorenzo Semple, Jr.

Screenwriter and playwright -- via the L.A. Times. After writing much for TV, his career took off when he created the original "Batman" series in 1966. He was equally adept at writing thrillers and dramas ("The Parallax View," "The Super Cops," "Papillon," "Never Say Never Again," "The Drowning Pool," "Three Days of the Condor") and "comic-book" films such as the De Laurentiis "King Kong," the 1980 "Flash Gordon," and "Sheena."



Kate O'Mara

Actress -- via the Guardian. Best remembered in America for soap opera work, she was a Hammer heroine ("The Vampire Lovers," "The Horror of Frankenstein") and a memorable role in the Doctor Who series as The Rani, a renegade time lord.






Jonathan Schell

Writer and anti-nuclear activist; author of "The Fate of the Earth" -- via the New York Times.

George de Vincent

Photographer -- via the Washington Post.

Felix Fibich

Dancer and choreographer -- via the New York Times.