Celebrity Deaths
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Coleman had some great stuff early on. Often imitated.
Now today we lose another great.
Actor Dennis Hopper Dies At 74
VENICE, Calif. (AP) ―
2010 Celebrity Deaths
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Dennis Hopper, the high-flying Hollywood wild man whose memorable and erratic career included an early turn in "Rebel Without a Cause," an improbable smash with "Easy Rider" and a classic character role in "Blue Velvet," has died. He was 74.
Hopper died Saturday at his Venice home, surrounded by family and friends, family friend Alex Hitz said. Hopper's manager announced in October 2009 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The success of "Easy Rider," and the spectacular failure of his next film, "The Last Movie," fit the pattern for the talented but sometimes uncontrollable actor-director, who also had parts in such favorites as "Apocalypse Now" and "Hoosiers." He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, and in March 2010, was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
After a promising start that included roles in two James Dean films, Hopper's acting career had languished as he developed a reputation for throwing tantrums and abusing alcohol and drugs. On the set of "True Grit," Hopper so angered John Wayne that the star reportedly chased Hopper with a loaded gun.
He also married five times and led a dramatic life right to the end. In January 2010, Hopper filed to end his 14-year marriage to Victoria Hopper, who stated in court filings that the actor was seeking to cut her out of her inheritance, a claim Hopper denied.
"Much of Hollywood," wrote critic-historian David Thomson, "found Hopper a pain in the neck."
All was forgiven, at least for a moment, when he collaborated with another struggling actor, Peter Fonda, on a script about two pot-smoking, drug-dealing hippies on a motorcycle trip through the Southwest and South to take in the New Orleans Mardi Gras.
On the way, Hopper and Fonda befriend a drunken young lawyer (Jack Nicholson, whom Hopper had resisted casting, in a breakout role), but arouse the enmity of Southern rednecks and are murdered before they can return home.
"`Easy Rider' was never a motorcycle movie to me," Hopper said in 2009. "A lot of it was about politically what was going on in the country."
Fonda produced "Easy Rider" and Hopper directed it for a meager $380,000. It went on to gross $40 million worldwide, a substantial sum for its time. The film caught on despite tension between Hopper and Fonda and between Hopper and the original choice for Nicholson's part, Rip Torn, who quit after a bitter argument with the director.
Hopper was married and divorced several times.
His first wife was Brooke Hayward, the daughter of actress Margaret Sullavan and agent Leland Hayward, and author of the best-selling memoir "Haywire." They had a daughter, Marin, before Hopper's drug-induced violence led to divorce after eight years.
His second marriage, to singer-actress Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, lasted only eight days.
A union with actress Daria Halprin also ended in divorce after they had a daughter, Ruthana. Hopper and his fourth wife, dancer Katherine LaNasa, had a son, Henry, before divorcing.
He married his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy, who was 32 years his junior, in 1996, and they had a daughter, Galen Grier.
Now today we lose another great.
Actor Dennis Hopper Dies At 74
VENICE, Calif. (AP) ―
2010 Celebrity Deaths
Related Stories
Dennis Hopper, the high-flying Hollywood wild man whose memorable and erratic career included an early turn in "Rebel Without a Cause," an improbable smash with "Easy Rider" and a classic character role in "Blue Velvet," has died. He was 74.
Hopper died Saturday at his Venice home, surrounded by family and friends, family friend Alex Hitz said. Hopper's manager announced in October 2009 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The success of "Easy Rider," and the spectacular failure of his next film, "The Last Movie," fit the pattern for the talented but sometimes uncontrollable actor-director, who also had parts in such favorites as "Apocalypse Now" and "Hoosiers." He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, and in March 2010, was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
After a promising start that included roles in two James Dean films, Hopper's acting career had languished as he developed a reputation for throwing tantrums and abusing alcohol and drugs. On the set of "True Grit," Hopper so angered John Wayne that the star reportedly chased Hopper with a loaded gun.
He also married five times and led a dramatic life right to the end. In January 2010, Hopper filed to end his 14-year marriage to Victoria Hopper, who stated in court filings that the actor was seeking to cut her out of her inheritance, a claim Hopper denied.
"Much of Hollywood," wrote critic-historian David Thomson, "found Hopper a pain in the neck."
All was forgiven, at least for a moment, when he collaborated with another struggling actor, Peter Fonda, on a script about two pot-smoking, drug-dealing hippies on a motorcycle trip through the Southwest and South to take in the New Orleans Mardi Gras.
On the way, Hopper and Fonda befriend a drunken young lawyer (Jack Nicholson, whom Hopper had resisted casting, in a breakout role), but arouse the enmity of Southern rednecks and are murdered before they can return home.
"`Easy Rider' was never a motorcycle movie to me," Hopper said in 2009. "A lot of it was about politically what was going on in the country."
Fonda produced "Easy Rider" and Hopper directed it for a meager $380,000. It went on to gross $40 million worldwide, a substantial sum for its time. The film caught on despite tension between Hopper and Fonda and between Hopper and the original choice for Nicholson's part, Rip Torn, who quit after a bitter argument with the director.
Hopper was married and divorced several times.
His first wife was Brooke Hayward, the daughter of actress Margaret Sullavan and agent Leland Hayward, and author of the best-selling memoir "Haywire." They had a daughter, Marin, before Hopper's drug-induced violence led to divorce after eight years.
His second marriage, to singer-actress Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, lasted only eight days.
A union with actress Daria Halprin also ended in divorce after they had a daughter, Ruthana. Hopper and his fourth wife, dancer Katherine LaNasa, had a son, Henry, before divorcing.
He married his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy, who was 32 years his junior, in 1996, and they had a daughter, Galen Grier.
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This is a real strange one:
Electric Light Orchestra’s Mike Edwards Killed
The 62-year-old, who had reportedly been teaching cello lessons in Devon, died instantly. Police are looking into the hay bale’s origin; they suspect it fell from a tractor working the farmland along the A381.
Swerving to avoid the hay bale, Edwards crashed his white van into another vehicle, but its driver was unharmed.
News of Edwards’ death took several days to break publicly, as police worked to identify his body.
Sergeant Steve Walker, of the Devon and Cornwall police traffic unit, told The Guardian, “This was a tragic accident and we have now identified the victim as Michael Edwards, a founder member of ELO. We have used photographs and YouTube footage to identify him, but we now need help contacting his family for formal identification. We don't believe he was ever married, and we have identified an ex-girlfriend, but she is currently abroad.”
A founding member of British rock band ELO, Edwards played cello for the band from 1972 until 1975. Along with his sonic contributions, he added visual interest to the band with his dynamic stage presence, which included plucking the strings of his instrument with a piece of citrus fruit and donning flamboyant costumes. During many live ELO performances, Edwards’ cello would explode as part of a pyrotechnics display.
On Monday, ELO drummer Bev Bevan reminisced to the BBC about his former band member.
“[Edwards] was a chubby little chap with a big black beard and the most amazing grin," said Bevan. “He became a bit of an extrovert and very popular with the Americans … It was hard to find cellists to play in a rock and roll band because they had to be classically trained. They immediately went on long American tours with us and it was a startling change of lifestyle playing cello in a classical orchestra and playing in a rock and roll band.”
Electric Light Orchestra’s Mike Edwards Killed
Electric Light Orchestra cellist Mike Edwards died Friday (September 3) during a freak accident near Devon, England, when a 1,323 lb. circular bale of hay rolled down a hillside, over a hedge and onto the van he was driving.
The 62-year-old, who had reportedly been teaching cello lessons in Devon, died instantly. Police are looking into the hay bale’s origin; they suspect it fell from a tractor working the farmland along the A381.
Swerving to avoid the hay bale, Edwards crashed his white van into another vehicle, but its driver was unharmed.
News of Edwards’ death took several days to break publicly, as police worked to identify his body.
Sergeant Steve Walker, of the Devon and Cornwall police traffic unit, told The Guardian, “This was a tragic accident and we have now identified the victim as Michael Edwards, a founder member of ELO. We have used photographs and YouTube footage to identify him, but we now need help contacting his family for formal identification. We don't believe he was ever married, and we have identified an ex-girlfriend, but she is currently abroad.”
A founding member of British rock band ELO, Edwards played cello for the band from 1972 until 1975. Along with his sonic contributions, he added visual interest to the band with his dynamic stage presence, which included plucking the strings of his instrument with a piece of citrus fruit and donning flamboyant costumes. During many live ELO performances, Edwards’ cello would explode as part of a pyrotechnics display.
On Monday, ELO drummer Bev Bevan reminisced to the BBC about his former band member.
“[Edwards] was a chubby little chap with a big black beard and the most amazing grin," said Bevan. “He became a bit of an extrovert and very popular with the Americans … It was hard to find cellists to play in a rock and roll band because they had to be classically trained. They immediately went on long American tours with us and it was a startling change of lifestyle playing cello in a classical orchestra and playing in a rock and roll band.”
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America loses one of its Mom’s.
Leave It to Beaver's Barbara Billingsley Loved Being America's Mom
By Stephen M. Silverman
Saturday October 16, 2010 11:00 PM EDT
The cast of Leave It to Beaver, in 1957: (from top) Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers
CBS/Landov
FacebookTwitterE-mailThey were the Modern Family of their time, back when cars sported tailfins, Americans raced the Russians to the moon and everybody liked Ike.
They were the Cleavers, delivering a bit of sanitized Americana every week on the TV sitcom Leave It to Beaver: stalwart dad Ward, hormonal older brother Wally, trouble-prone kid brother Theodore (better known as "the Beaver," for his oversized front teeth), and the always perfectly coiffed, calm and collected mother, June, played by actress Barbara Billingsley.
Billingsley, 94, died early Saturday morning at her home in Santa Monica, Calif., after a long illness.
"Barbara was a patient advisor and teacher. She helped me along this challenging journey through life by showing me the importance of manners and respect for others," Jerry Mathers, 62, who played the Beaver from 1957-63, said in a statement. "She will be missed by all of her family, friends, fans and, most especially, by me."
"She was as happy as a lark being recognized as America's mom," Tony Dow, 65, who played Wally, told CNN. "She had a terrific life and had a wonderful impact on everybody she knew, and even people she didn't know."
Like a Death in the Family
Though Beaver became an iconic show whose reruns on cable networks also proved popular to subsequent generations, to Baby Boomers, Billingsley's death is like losing a close relative. Indeed, her June Cleaver was the last of a line idealized TV moms, one prettier than the next: Harriet Nelson, of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; Jane Wyatt's Margaret Anderson, of Father Knows Best; and Donna Reed's Donna Stone, of The Donna Reed Show.
Told from the boys' point of view, Leave It to Beaver made the jokes take a backseat to the moral lessons of the day. Like the later The Andy Griffith Show, what Leave It to Beaver provided was comfort – which is why Billingley's casting in the 1980 movie spoof Airplane! as the passenger who spoke jive was so jolting – and hysterical.
Born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles, Billingsley had been a model in New York before being signed as an MGM contract player. She appeared on various TV shows ranging from dramas to comedies before the Cleaver clan gathered on CBS in 1957. The following year the show moved to ABC, where it remained until the end of its run.
Billingsley was married three times, and her first husband, restaurateur Glenn Billingsley, was a nephew of Sherman Billingsley, who owned New York's famed Stork Club. Her other husbands, both of whom predeceased her, were director Roy Kelino and Dr. William Mortenson.
Glenn and Barbara Billingsley, who divorced in 1947, had two sons, Drew and Glenn, Jr., who survive her, as do four grandchildren – as well as the untold millions who will always envision her in the kitchen, wearing apron and pearls, and saying, "Ward, I'm worried about the Beaver."
Leave It to Beaver's Barbara Billingsley Loved Being America's Mom
By Stephen M. Silverman
Saturday October 16, 2010 11:00 PM EDT
The cast of Leave It to Beaver, in 1957: (from top) Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers
CBS/Landov
FacebookTwitterE-mailThey were the Modern Family of their time, back when cars sported tailfins, Americans raced the Russians to the moon and everybody liked Ike.
They were the Cleavers, delivering a bit of sanitized Americana every week on the TV sitcom Leave It to Beaver: stalwart dad Ward, hormonal older brother Wally, trouble-prone kid brother Theodore (better known as "the Beaver," for his oversized front teeth), and the always perfectly coiffed, calm and collected mother, June, played by actress Barbara Billingsley.
Billingsley, 94, died early Saturday morning at her home in Santa Monica, Calif., after a long illness.
"Barbara was a patient advisor and teacher. She helped me along this challenging journey through life by showing me the importance of manners and respect for others," Jerry Mathers, 62, who played the Beaver from 1957-63, said in a statement. "She will be missed by all of her family, friends, fans and, most especially, by me."
"She was as happy as a lark being recognized as America's mom," Tony Dow, 65, who played Wally, told CNN. "She had a terrific life and had a wonderful impact on everybody she knew, and even people she didn't know."
Like a Death in the Family
Though Beaver became an iconic show whose reruns on cable networks also proved popular to subsequent generations, to Baby Boomers, Billingsley's death is like losing a close relative. Indeed, her June Cleaver was the last of a line idealized TV moms, one prettier than the next: Harriet Nelson, of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; Jane Wyatt's Margaret Anderson, of Father Knows Best; and Donna Reed's Donna Stone, of The Donna Reed Show.
Told from the boys' point of view, Leave It to Beaver made the jokes take a backseat to the moral lessons of the day. Like the later The Andy Griffith Show, what Leave It to Beaver provided was comfort – which is why Billingley's casting in the 1980 movie spoof Airplane! as the passenger who spoke jive was so jolting – and hysterical.
Born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles, Billingsley had been a model in New York before being signed as an MGM contract player. She appeared on various TV shows ranging from dramas to comedies before the Cleaver clan gathered on CBS in 1957. The following year the show moved to ABC, where it remained until the end of its run.
Billingsley was married three times, and her first husband, restaurateur Glenn Billingsley, was a nephew of Sherman Billingsley, who owned New York's famed Stork Club. Her other husbands, both of whom predeceased her, were director Roy Kelino and Dr. William Mortenson.
Glenn and Barbara Billingsley, who divorced in 1947, had two sons, Drew and Glenn, Jr., who survive her, as do four grandchildren – as well as the untold millions who will always envision her in the kitchen, wearing apron and pearls, and saying, "Ward, I'm worried about the Beaver."
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re: Celebrity Deaths
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re: Celebrity Deaths
Not such a Happy Day.
Tom Bosley's turn.
'Happy Days' dad Tom Bosley dies at 83
Celebrity website TMZ.com and Access Hollywood are reporting that actor Tom Bosley has died at 83.
Bosley famously starred on the television series "Happy Days."
TMZ reports that family members said Bosley had been battling a staph infection.
"I saw him before I ever got to Hollywood on Broadway, and he was great," former "Happy Days" co-star Henry Winkler told TMZ. "And then I got to act with him for 10 years and he was great. Tom Bosley was our mentor. He was a true artist."
Scott Baio told TMZ: "He was a good man who taught me a lot about the business and business itself. He was a professional guy ... I'm sad."
Tom Bosley's turn.
'Happy Days' dad Tom Bosley dies at 83
Celebrity website TMZ.com and Access Hollywood are reporting that actor Tom Bosley has died at 83.
Bosley famously starred on the television series "Happy Days."
TMZ reports that family members said Bosley had been battling a staph infection.
"I saw him before I ever got to Hollywood on Broadway, and he was great," former "Happy Days" co-star Henry Winkler told TMZ. "And then I got to act with him for 10 years and he was great. Tom Bosley was our mentor. He was a true artist."
Scott Baio told TMZ: "He was a good man who taught me a lot about the business and business itself. He was a professional guy ... I'm sad."
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re: Celebrity Deaths
Originally Posted by InfernoRedXfire
Her roll was a good bit in that classic movie
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Originally Posted by tighed1
Not such a Happy Day.
Tom Bosley's turn.
'Happy Days' dad Tom Bosley dies at 83
Celebrity website TMZ.com and Access Hollywood are reporting that actor Tom Bosley has died at 83.
Bosley famously starred on the television series "Happy Days."
TMZ reports that family members said Bosley had been battling a staph infection.
"I saw him before I ever got to Hollywood on Broadway, and he was great," former "Happy Days" co-star Henry Winkler told TMZ. "And then I got to act with him for 10 years and he was great. Tom Bosley was our mentor. He was a true artist."
Scott Baio told TMZ: "He was a good man who taught me a lot about the business and business itself. He was a professional guy ... I'm sad."
Tom Bosley's turn.
'Happy Days' dad Tom Bosley dies at 83
Celebrity website TMZ.com and Access Hollywood are reporting that actor Tom Bosley has died at 83.
Bosley famously starred on the television series "Happy Days."
TMZ reports that family members said Bosley had been battling a staph infection.
"I saw him before I ever got to Hollywood on Broadway, and he was great," former "Happy Days" co-star Henry Winkler told TMZ. "And then I got to act with him for 10 years and he was great. Tom Bosley was our mentor. He was a true artist."
Scott Baio told TMZ: "He was a good man who taught me a lot about the business and business itself. He was a professional guy ... I'm sad."
Tom will be missed as well, He did many cartoon voices over the years.
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re: Celebrity Deaths
Originally Posted by Erzer
Tarzan's son dies - Johnny Sheffield at 79
Yikes!
The Tales of Tarzan seem so Timeless
Hard to believe “Boy” was 79.
RIP Johnny
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Original "Five-O" Danno, James MacArthur, Dies at 72
Though most remember him as Danno, He had a long list of credits.
Original "Five-O" Danno, James MacArthur, Dies at 72 - ABC News
RIP
“Book ‘Em, Danno”
Though most remember him as Danno, He had a long list of credits.
Original "Five-O" Danno, James MacArthur, Dies at 72 - ABC News
RIP
“Book ‘Em, Danno”
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re: Celebrity Deaths
She wasn't much of a contribution to society, but lived a life that inspired a movie: Bambi dies
Besides, I can't help shedding a tear when a Pboy bunny dies.
Besides, I can't help shedding a tear when a Pboy bunny dies.
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re: Celebrity Deaths
Leslie Nielsen dies at age 84:
Airplane And Naked Gun Film Star Actor Leslie Nielsen Dies In Florida Hospital Aged 84 | Showbiz News | Sky News
I sure enjoyed the funny movies that he was in.
Airplane And Naked Gun Film Star Actor Leslie Nielsen Dies In Florida Hospital Aged 84 | Showbiz News | Sky News
I sure enjoyed the funny movies that he was in.
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Mr. Nielson wil be missed.
For now we will need this. No disrespect intended.
YouTube - "Airplane Movie" - Autopilot
For now we will need this. No disrespect intended.
YouTube - "Airplane Movie" - Autopilot
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re: Celebrity Deaths
Originally Posted by itsky
Leslie Nielsen dies at age 84:
Airplane And Naked Gun Film Star Actor Leslie Nielsen Dies In Florida Hospital Aged 84 | Showbiz News | Sky News
I sure enjoyed the funny movies that he was in.
Airplane And Naked Gun Film Star Actor Leslie Nielsen Dies In Florida Hospital Aged 84 | Showbiz News | Sky News
I sure enjoyed the funny movies that he was in.
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re: Celebrity Deaths