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1-50 of 137
- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Carroll was born in Manhattan and raised in Forest Hills, a heavily Jewish community in New York City's borough of Queens. After graduating from high school in 1942, O'Connor joined the Merchant Marines and worked on ships in the Atlantic. In 1946, he enrolled at the University of Montana to study English. While there, he became interested in theater. During one of the amateur productions, he met his future wife, Nancy Fields, whom he married in 1951. He moved to Ireland where he continued his theatrical studies at the National University of Ireland. He was discovered during one of his college productions and was signed to appear at the Dublin Gate Theater. He worked in theater in Europe until 1954 when he returned to New York. His attempts to land on Broadway failed and he taught high school until 1958. Finally in 1958, he landed an Off-Broadway production, "Ulysses in Nighttown". He followed that with a Broadway production that was directed by 'Burgess Meredith', "God and Kate Murphy", in which he was both an understudy and an assistant stage manager. At the same time, he was getting attention on TV. He worked in a great many character roles throughout the 1960s. A pilot for "Those Were The Days" was first shot in 1968 based on the English hit, "Till Death Do Us Part", but was rejected by the networks. In 1971, it was re-shot and re-cast as All in the Family (1971) and the rest is history.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jeff was born in Brooklyn and attended Erasmus High School. After high school, he took a drama course and worked in stock companies for two years. His next role was that of an officer in World War II. After he was discharged from the service, he became busy acting in radio dramas and comedies until he was signed by Universal. It was in the fifties that Jeff would become a star, making westerns and action pictures. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950). He followed this by playing the role of Cochise in two sequels: The Battle at Apache Pass (1952) and Taza, Son of Cochise (1954). While his premature gray hair and tanned features served him well in his westerns and action pictures, the studio also put him into soaps and costume movies. In his films, his leading ladies included Maureen O'Hara, Rhonda Fleming, Jane Russell, Joan Crawford, and June Allyson. Shortly after his last film Merrill's Marauders (1962), Jeff died, at 42, from blood poisoning after an operation for a slipped disc.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Tom Conway played "The Falcon" in ten of that series' entries. He starred in three Val Lewton horror classics. He appeared in comedies, musicals, two Tarzan films and even science fiction films.
He was early television's Detective Mark Saber, but Conway will probably be best remembered as George Sanders' brother.
Born into a wealthy family in pre-Bolshevik Revolution Russia, Thomas Charles Sanders might have followed his father as a rope manufacturer and inherited several estates. Had the family not been forced to flee to England, the brothers Sanders may never have added their names to the Hollywood saga.
But the Russian Revolution came, and Tom (age 13), George (age 11), sister Margaret (age 5), together with their parents, fled to England, leaving most of their wealth in the hands of the Bolsheviks.
The brothers attended Dunhurst and Bedales, private schools, and eventually Brighton College.
After college, Tom went to Northern Rhodesia where he worked in gold, copper and asbestos mines and even attempted ranching. Frustrated and "pretty well fed up to the teeth" with his failures, he borrowed passage home. In England, Conway worked as an engineer in a carburetor company and later sold safety glass.
He was discovered by a representative from a little theater group who persuaded him to join them. Conway eventually worked for the Manchester Repertory Company and toured with them in over twenty-five plays. He also appeared in BBC radio broadcasts.
Brother George persuaded him to come to Hollywood. To prevent confusion on the part of the public, they tossed a coin to see who would have to change his name. Tom lost, thereby becoming Tom Conway.
Conway began work at MGM, eventually appearing as a contract player in twelve films there, including a bit part in Mrs. Miniver (1942).
Brother George, tiring of B-film appearances in RKO's Falcon series and with better roles at two studios looming on the horizon, offered Tom his first big break. In The Falcon's Brother (1942), George was conveniently eliminated by a Nazi sniper so that Tom, as Tom Lawrence, could inherit the role. Conway played the role with even greater success than that of his brother in the next ten installments, concluding with The Falcon's Adventure (1946).
During those years, he also appeared in Val Lewton's Cat People (1942), I Walked with a Zombie (1943) and The Seventh Victim (1943). These led to two major film appearances, Universal's One Touch of Venus (1948), with Ava Gardner and Eve Arden and Warner Brothers' Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (1951).
Amidst the collapse of the studio system, Tom found his opportunities shrinking. There were to be no further major roles for him. His next film was Bride of the Gorilla (1951).
Alert to new possibilities for work, he accepted the part of homicide detective Mark Saber in the television series, Mark Saber (1951). Conway also made several mystery films in England during the same period. He played a cameo role as a bearded and be-wigged Sir Kay in Prince Valiant (1954) with two brief lines.
Back in the states, there were guest appearances on TV's Rawhide (1959), Adventures in Paradise (1959), and Perry Mason (1957).
In October, 1957, Tom turned in a brilliant performance as ventriloquist Max Collodi in Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) chilling tale "The Glass Eye". He appeared regularly as the boyfriend on the The Betty Hutton Show (1959).
Conway also lent his voice to One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). His final appearance was an uncredited part, in What a Way to Go! (1964).
Failing eyesight and prolonged bouts with alcohol took their toll on Conway in his last years. His second wife, Queenie Leonard divorced him in 1963. George Sanders broke off all contact with him over his drinking.
Conway underwent cataract surgery during the winter of 1964/65. In September of 1965 Tom briefly returned to the headlines when he was discovered living in a $2-a-day room in a Venice, California flophouse. Gifts, contributions and offers of aid poured in - for a time. Conway, still standing tall and trim, his hair now white, peered owl-like through thick-lensed glasses at the newspaper cameras.
His last years were marked with further visits to the hospital. It was there that former sister-in-law Zsa Zsa Gabor visited him one day and gave him $200. "Tip the nurses a little bit so they'll be good to you," she told him. The following day, the hospital called her to say that Conway had left with the $200, gone to his girlfriend's and died in her bed.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Paul Richards was born on 23 November 1924 in Hollywood, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Monkey on My Back (1957) and The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967). He was married to Monica Keating. He died on 10 December 1974 in Culver City, California, USA.- A classy, smart-looking African-American actress who broke racial barriers in 1970s Hollywood but suffered greatly in her private life years after her TV glory days, award-winning actress Gail Fisher was born on August 18, 1935, in Orange, New Jersey, the youngest of five children. Her father, a carpenter, died when she was only two years old and the family was destitute, living in the slums ("Potters Crossing") with their widowed mother Ona Fisher. Gail was a cheerleader as a teen and found some joy performing a leading role in one of her Metuchen High School plays in Metuchen, New Jersey. Beauty pageants became a source of pride during this period, earning distinction on the beauty-pageant circuit and becoming the first African-American semifinalist in the New Jersey State Fair beauty contest. A multiple pageant winner, among her titles were "Miss Transit," "Miss Black New Jersey" and "Miss Press Photographer."
Thanks to a contest sponsored by Coca-Cola, Gail won the chance to study acting at New York's American Academy of Arts for two years. She trained under Lee Strasberg for a time and subsequently became a member (the first African-American accepted) of the Repertory Theater at Lincoln Center, where she worked with Elia Kazan and Herbert Blau. The young serene beauty also worked as a model at the time and even worked in a factory to pay bills. In 1964 she married John Levy (1912-2012), a bassist and pioneer jazz talent manager whose clients included some of the jazz world's biggest names (Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Cannonball Adderley, Betty Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Abbey Lincoln, Shirley Horn, Les McCann, Wes Montgomery). He also managed Gail's acting career. John and Gail, who was his second wife, had two children, Samara and Jole.
In 1965, teacher Herbert Blau cast Gail in a classical stage production of "Danton's Death" in 1965. Gail also understudied Ruby Dee in "Purlie Victorious" on Broadway and toured with a production of "A Raisin in the Sun". The 25-year-old broke into TV years earlier in 1959, appearing in the syndicated program "Play of the Week" entitled "Simply Heavenly," a musical starring Mel Stewart and Claudia McNeil, and also played a singer in the series "The Defenders" and a judge on daytime's "General Hospital". During the early part of the 1960s, she made history when she appeared in a nationally televised commercial for All laundry detergent and became the first black performer to be given dialogue.
The crime series Mannix (1967) starring Mike Connors was revamped in its second season due to mediocre ratings and Gail was added to the mix as Peggy Fair, Mannix's widowed secretary whose murdered husband, a cop, was a friend to the detective and who was now raising their small son alone. Sometimes Peggy would go undercover as a housekeeper or prostitute to help him solve crimes. The public immediately took to the dusky-voiced actress and the ratings soared. Any slight hint of romance between the Peggy Fair and Joe Mannix characters was never acted upon as CBS (who initially was hesitant in hiring a black woman in this role), or any other network for that matter, would not allow an interracial romance. Gail went on to win an Emmy (the first black actress to do so -- besting Susan Saint James of "McMillan and Wife" and Barbara Anderson of "Ironside") and two Golden Globe trophies (the first black actress to win this award) in the process. In between she made amiable guest appearances on such popular TV series as "My Three Sons," "Love, American Style" and "Room 222."
Once "Mannix" was canceled in 1975, however, acting offers slowed down considerably and chaos rose beneath her usually calm and controlled exterior. Not in keeping with her public image, she flew into a series of marriages and divorces and developed a major drug problem. She made tabloid headlines in 1978 when she was busted for possession of marijuana and cocaine and for using an illegal phone device. She entered rehab and eventually recovered but her career was irreparably damaged. Sporadic acting roles came in such series as "Medical Center," "Fantasy Island," "Knight Rider" and "Hotel," and the TV movie Donor (1990) and the grade-Z crime film Mankillers (1987) co-starring Edd Byrnes, but they were very few and far between. Fisher was married at least twice and had two daughters, Samara and Jole, from her marriage to John Levy, which ended in divorce in 1972 during the run of "Mannix". She briefly married second husband Robert A. Walker the following year.
Gail's battle with drug addiction contributed to her health decline. A diabetic as well, she was later diagnosed with emphysema. Gail died of renal failure in Los Angeles in 2000 at age 65 and was cremated. News of her death did not surface until four months later. Survived by brother Herbert and sister Ona, another brother, Clifton, died of heart failure twelve hours after Gail's passing. Gail was such a class act on TV. - Of Irish descent, Helena Carter pursued a master's degree in English Literature at Columbia University with which she hoped to teach, but due to her striking beauty was sidetracked into modeling, signing with the Conover agency. Renowned photographer Dick Isaacs shot some magazine covers of her that drew the notice of film studios, and soon producer Leonard Goldstein at Universal Pictures offered her a contract. She made only thirteen films before leaving show business, her best-known the cult sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars (1953).
- Carolyn Craig was born Adele Ruth Crago on October 27, 1934, in Green Acres, New York. Her father, Clarence, was an engineer and her mother, Ruth, was a housewife. The family moved to Santa Barbara, California, when she was child. Carolyn started her career acting at the Santa Barbara Community playhouse. In 1955 she appeared in the television movie Edgar Allan Poe At West Point. The beautiful brunette also modeled for series of photos where she portrayed a "healthy housewife". Her big break came when she played Elizabeth Taylor's sister in the 1956 drama Giant. Then she had the leading role in the film noir Portland Expose. On September 30, 1957 she married businessman Charles Graham. The couple had a son named Charles Edward. Carolyn costarred with Vincent Price in the 1959 horror film House On Haunted Hill.
She also appeared on numerous television shows including Perry Mason, The Rifleman, and The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp. Because she looked so young she was often cast as teenagers. Her marriage to Charles ended in 1961. Although many of her performances got good reviews, she never became an A-list star. She joined the cast of the soap opera General Hospital in 1963. The following year Carolyn married Arthur France Bryden, the manager of a car dealership. Her final acting role was in a 1967 episode of the TV show T.H.E. Cat. She divorced Arthur in the spring of 1970 and fell into a deep depression. On December 12, 1970, she committed suicide by shooting herself in her Culver City home. She was thirty-six years old. Carolyn was buried in an unmarked grave at Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, California. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Born Walker Smith, Jr., he borrowed the name of a fighter named Ray Robinson to box as an amateur so his mother wouldn't find out. Undefeated as an amateur boxer, 85-0, with 69 knockouts, 42 of them in the first round. Turned pro in 1940 and won his first 40 fights. Lost his first fight by decision to Jake LaMotta. Robinson would defeat LaMotta five out of six times. He joined the U.S. Army and boxed countless exhibitions alongside World Heavyweight Champ Joe Louis. Robinson won his next 93 straight fights. He was a six-time world champion, winning the Welterweight Title and then the Middleweight Title five times. His career lasted 25 years. He defeated many of the greatest boxing champions of his day, among them LaMotta, Kid Gavilan, Gene Fullmer, Carmen Basilio, Randolph Turpin and Carl "BoBo" Olsen. Only stopped once in over 200 fights. Scored over 100 knockout victories. Lost his last fight to Joey Archer in 1965. Friends with Frank Sinatra. Once owned an entire city block in Harlem. Spent millions on a jet-setting lifestyle.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Charles Kimbrough was born on 23 May 1936 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Murphy Brown (1988) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002). He was married to Beth Howland and Mary Jane Wilson. He died on 11 January 2023 in Culver City, California, USA.- A legendary stage actress and character player in early films, Lucille La Verne is one of those forgotten legends who seem to fade as the years go on. However, at her prime she was one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation.
Lucille La Verne Mitchum was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on November 7, 1872. Little is known about her family. She made her stage debut at the local summer stock theater in 1876. The production was called "Centennial" in honor of America's 100th birthday, and the three-year old Lucille was among a handful of child extras in the play. In 1878 she returned to play another child part. She continued to return every summer, sort of becoming the playhouse's resident child star. She quickly proved herself a talented actress, and as she got older she was given better parts. She won great acclaim when during the summer of 1887 she played both Juliet and Lady Macbeth--at only 14 years of age.
On the night of her 16th birthday in 1888, made her Broadway debut with a supporting role in "La Tosca". The play closed after four weeks. In the fall of 1889 she performed with a stock company in Washington, DC, where she played May in "May Blossom" and Chrissy Rogers in "The Governess". She also toured as Ethel in "Judge Not". Her breakthrough performance was a limited-run Broadway revival of "As You Like It" with an all-female cast in March 1894, and she won much acclaim for her performance as "Corin". In the 1894-95 season, she played Patsy in Frank Mayo's Broadway production of Mark Twain's "Pudd'nhead Wilson". She also scored great success by playing the female lead roles in three different acclaimed touring productions over the next three years: "Notre Dame" (1895-96), "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1897-98) and "Lady Windermere's Fan" (1897-98). In 1898 La Verne was made manager and director of the newly built Empire Theater in Richmond, VA. She staged five shows every season, and received mostly rave reviews. She played everything from leading roles in "Hedda Gabbler" and "Antigone" to character parts such as "Ma Frochard" in "The Two Orphans." She also wrote an adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", which she first staged in 1900, and her version was used by several other theaters in the early 1900s. She received much acclaim for her work at the Empire, and even received the Woman of the Year Award from the Virginia Women's Society in 1901.
She stepped down from the Empire Theater at the end of the 1903-04 season to make her London debut in a comic supporting role in the play "Clarice". She again received acclaim and repeated her success in the Broadway production three months later. She remained a staple of the Broadway stage for the next several years, specializing in character parts. She also returned on occasion to stock theaters to act and direct. She made her film debut in 1914 in Butterflies and Orange Blossoms (1914). From then on she would divide her time between film and the stage. She was used in film frequently by D.W. Griffith for various character parts. While she was a versatile actress, her most memorable parts in film were always those of vengeful women.
Her greatest stage triumph was the creation of the Widow Caggle role in the original Broadway production of "Sun Up". After the Broadway engagement she directed, as well as continued to perform, in the US and European tours of the play. She also recreated her role for the film version (Sun-Up (1925)). In 1927 Broadway's Princess Theater was renamed the Lucille La Verne Theater in her honor, and she was named manager and director. For her first outing as a Broadway producer and director she chose an original play called "Hot Water", giving herself the role of Jessica Dale. The play received mixed reviews and closed rather quickly. Later that same season she launched a revival of "Sun Up" repeating her Widow Caggle role, but it also closed quickly. Since the theater had lost money, she was let go as manager and the name reverted to being the Princess Theater. Upset, she moved to California for the time being to make more movies.
By 1928 she had already established herself as a good character actress in silent films and made the transition easily to talkies. As with her stage career, however, she tended to get typecast as unlikable women, despite her acclaim on Broadway for being able to play almost any character type. She did not abandon the stage entirely, however, and appeared frequently in regional productions in Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1936 she returned to Broadway in the lead role of the thriller "Black Widow". Despite the rave reviews she received, the play itself got mixed reviews and closed after just a few performances. It would be her last stage production. La Verne quickly returned to Hollywood to take on her most famous role. She voiced both the Wicked Queen and her alter ego, the Old Hag in Walt Disney's first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). She also worked as a live-action model for the artists.
After working on "Snow White", Lucille La Verne retired from acting and became co-owner of a successful nightclub. She died at age 72 of cancer on March 4, 1945, in Culver City, CA. - Actor
- Soundtrack
First came to notice as a contestant on Groucho Marx's quiz show, You Bet Your Life (1950). His highly amusing personality won him bit parts in films, and he continued to work as a minor supporting player for years. He is the brother of Jose Gonzales-Gonzales. His most famous role was on John Wayne's movie Rio Bravo (1959).- Don Kelly was born on March 17, 1924 in New York City, New York, USA as Donald Patrick Kelly to Robert T. Kelly and Rachel Marie Knudsen. He was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Don was an actor, known for Bombers B-52 (1957), Tank Battalion (1958), and The Hostage (1967), his final starring role. The Hollywood Reporter sated in its film review that "the film owes its vitality primarily to the dynamic forces of the murderer, Bull, played by Don O'Kelly." He appeared in numerous television westerns including Bat Masterson, Cheyenne, The Virginian, and Bonanza. He died on October 2, 1966 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Mr. McLean appeared for years on television commercials as the Marlboro Man. After he learned he had cancer, he became an anti-smoking crusader. At a meeting of stockholders of Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro, Mr. McLean asked them to limit their advertising. In addition to his movie credits, Mr. McLean also appeared on the television programs 'Tate', 'Bonanza', 'The Westerner', 'The High Chaparral', 'The Virginian', and 'Gunsmoke'.
- Actress
Joan Tabor was born on 16 September 1932 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. She was an actress, known for Dante (1960), The Red Skelton Hour (1951) and Espionage: Far East (1961). She was married to Broderick Crawford and Abraham David Gold. She died on 18 December 1968 in Culver City, California, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Sheldon Allman was born on 8 June 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for George of the Jungle (1997), Bio-Dome (1996) and Monster Mash: The Movie (1995). He was married to Lorraine Snedden Wilms. He died on 22 January 2002 in Culver City, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Tubby 5' 10 1/2" character actor Bruno VeSota had a remarkably long, varied and impressive career acting and directing in the mediums of stage, radio, movies and television. He was born Bruno William VeSota on March 25th, 1922 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the second of three sons born to Lithuanian immigrants Kasmir and Eleanora VeSota. Bruno first began acting in the 7th grade while attending the Catholic parochial school St. George's. He made his stage debut as the villain in the children's play "Christopher's Orphans." At age 19 VeSota went to the Hobart Theatre in Chicago where he learned the basics on acting, make-up and direction. He made his stage directorial debut with a production of "Richard III" and went on to direct everything from the classics to light comedies. After briefly working in Lithuanian radio in the 40s Vesota did a longer stint on English-language radio. He even provided the voice of Winston Churchill for a radio production. Moreover, Bruno joined the Actors Company of Chicago and continued to perform on stage. VeSota then worked in live television in Chicago in 1945. He directed over 2,000 live TV programs and acted in some 200 more. VeSota moved to Hollywood, California in 1952. Bruno began acting in films in 1953. He achieved his greatest cult feature popularity with his frequent and delightful appearances in a bunch of hugely enjoyable low-budget Roger Corman exploitation pictures. Bruno was especially excellent as Yvette Vickers' angry cuckolded husband in the Grade B monster classic "Attack of the Giant Leeches." Other notable movie roles include a disgusting slob junkyard owner who sells stolen automobile parts on the side in "The Choppers," a bartender in "The Haunted Palace," a hapless night watchman who becomes a victim of "The Wasp Woman," a snobby coffeehouse regular in the hilarious black comedy gem "A Bucket of Blood," a perverse oddball named Mr. Donald Duck from Duluth in "Single Room Unfurnished," a nervous innkeeper in "The Undead," a Russian spy in "War of the Satellites," a minister in "Hell's Angels on Wheels," a cultured gangster in "Daddy-O," and a brutish loan enforcer in "Carnival Rock." Bruno narrated the atrocious cheapie clunker "Curse of the Stoned Hand" for notorious schlockmeister Jerry Warren. He also worked on the make-up and has a bit part in Curtis Harrington's nicely spooky "Night Tide." VeSota does a cameo in Steven Spielberg's made-for-TV fright feature "Something Evil." Bruno directed three movies: the entertainingly lurid crime potboiler "The Female Jungle," the fun alien invasion entry "The Brain Eaters," and the silly spoof "Invasion of the Star Creatures." VeSota had a recurring role as a bartender in a handful of episodes of the hit Western TV show "Bonanza." Among the TV shows VeSota had guest spots on are "Kojak," "McMillan and Wife," "Hogan's Heroes," "Mission: Impossible," "It Takes A Thief," "Hondo," "Branded," "My Mother the Car," "The Wild, Wild West," "The Untouchables," and "Leave It to Beaver." VeSota had six children with his wife Genevieve. Bruno VeSota died of a heart attack at age 54 on September 24th, 1976.- Dale Ishimoto was born on 3 April 1923 in Delta, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), King Rat (1965) and Kung Fu (1972). He was married to Miiko Taka. He died on 4 March 2004 in Culver City, California, USA.
- Gladys Lloyd was born on 11 October 1895 in Yonkers, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Two Seconds (1932) and Smart Money (1931). She was married to Edward G. Robinson and Ralph Lent Westervelt. She died on 6 June 1971 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Teasdale trained for the stage at the New York School of Expression. Acting on the stage from 1924, and after appearing in the stage play "The Constant Wife" with Ethel Barrymore in 1927, Teasdale was offered a film contract. In films, she often played society wives, the 'other woman' and second leads in comedies. Teasdale married actor Adolphe Menjou in 1935, a union that lasted until his death in 1963. In the late 1940s Teasdale and her husband appeared on a popular radio show which lasted into the 1950s. Following Menjou's death, she busied herself with her hobby of costume design.- Editor
- Director
- Writer
Ezequiel's career began as an intern for producer Tova Laiter at Paramount Pictures for the movie Varsity Blues. Along with his writing partner Lee Alfred II, they presented to her artwork, a trailer, an original short film and feature length screenplay for a project titled "Red Hood" -- Mrs. Laiter set it up at Walt Disney Pictures and he became a Hollywood screenwriter at the age of 22. Ezequiel has had the earned privilege of working with Hollywood legends such as, Albert S. Ruddy (Oscar award winning producer of The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby, The Offer), on films starring Tom Hanks, Kim Basinger, Paul Walker, John Voight Ali Larter and many more! His unique writing style of characters has attracted huge Hollywood stars such as Johnny Depp and George Lopez. He has directed several award winning short films and music videos, directed two indie flicks, has produced independent features and continues to work as a signatory WGAw. screenwriter/filmmaker with a unique voice in cinema that dares to not only break all the rules, but to re-invent them!- Actor
- Soundtrack
Lee Phelps was born on 15 May 1893 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Anna Christie (1930), Scouts to the Rescue (1939) and The Girl from Rio (1939). He was married to Mary Warren. He died on 19 March 1953 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Sybil Seely was born on 2 January 1900 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for One Week (1920), Love, Honor and Behave! (1920) and Down on the Farm (1920). She was married to Jules Furthman. She died on 26 June 1984 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Producer
- Writer
- Production Manager
Danny Lerner was born in Israel, his industry career started with working in the distribution of films: he went on to manage a cinema chain and subsequently moved into production when he joined Nu World Productions in 1986.
Since then, he has produced over 70 films, shot on location in South Africa, Namibia, Israel, Mexico, Bulgaria, Canada and United States.
In 2003, he found a Tosca Pictures with a long time friend, Les Weldon with whom he's written and produced many movies. Both of them continue to work closely on many future projects.
His directorial credits include "Traitor's Heart" (1999) with Bryan Genessse and "Shark Zone" (2003) with Dean Cochran, which was followed by "Raging Sharks" (2005), "Rin Tin Tin" (2006), "Shark in Venice" (2007) and "Direct Contact" (2008) with Dolph Lundgren.- Actor
- Writer
Dennis Wolfberg was born on 29 March 1946 in New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Quantum Leap (1989), The Clairvoyant (1982) and Teacher Teacher (1990). He was married to Jeannie McBride. He died on 3 October 1994 in Culver City, California, USA.- Sound Department
- Director
- Actor
Douglas Shearer came to MGM to visit his sister, Norma Shearer, and was hired as an assistant in the camera department. When MGM decided to make sound pictures, Douglas was appointed head of the sound department. In 1928, Douglas took the silent 'White Shadows in the South Seas' to a New Jersey recording studio where he added sound effects and music. As was common in the early days, the music and sound effects were recorded, but not the dialogue. In 1929, Douglas came up with the idea of playing the sound track for a musical number so that it would be filmed in sync with the music. The film was The Broadway Melody (1929) which won the Best Picture Oscar for 1929. It was an 'All-Talking! All-SingingAll-Dancing!' movie. Douglas won his first oscar for sound recording with The Big House (1930). Douglas became one of the most innovative men in the sound field and MGM became well known for the quality of the sound in their pictures. He would develop or improve recording systems and reduce any unwanted noise. Overall, Douglas would win 12 oscars for Best Sound Recording. In 1959, he would receive an Oscar for helping co-develop MGM's Camera 65 wide screen system. His career as Recording Director would end in 1955 when he was promoted to director of technical research at MGM. He would hold this office until his retirement in 1968.- Lenita Lane was born on 16 December 1901 in Parnassus, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Bat (1959), The Mad Magician (1954) and While America Sleeps (1939). She was married to Crane Wilbur. She died on 15 March 1995 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Miliza's father was Arthur Korjus, a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Russian Army and later Chief of Staff to the War Minister of Estonia. The Estonian branch of her family was of Swedish descent, having settled in Estonia during the middle of the seventeenth century when the country was ruled by Sweden. The original Swedish spelling of the family name was "Corjus" but later came to be spelled "Korjus" in Estonian. Miliza's mother was Anna Gintowt, who was descended from Lithuanian-Polish nobility. Miliza was the fifth of six children (she had one brother, and four sisters). Her mother and father separated during World War I and in 1918 she moved to Kiev with her mother and sisters. Miliza received her musical education at the Kiev Conservatory.
While still in her teens, she joined the Dumka Chorus in Kiev and toured the Soviet Union. During a visit to Leningrad in 1927, she crossed the border into Estonia and joined her father and brother who had settled there after Estonia won its independence from Russia. Under her father's guidance (he played the violin and greatly admired opera), she began making concert appearances in the Baltic states. In 1929 she married Dr. Kuno Foelsch, a physicist, and moved to Germany. She continued her concert career there and was eventually engaged by the Berlin State Opera in 1933. Her operatic appearances and recordings quickly propelled her to the forefront of European singers. Her records were heard by Irving Thalberg of MGM who signed her "sight unseen" to a 10 year film contract. She arrived in Hollywood in March of 1936. Thalberg's death in September of that year delayed production of her first film, and it was not until May of 1938 that she started work on The Great Waltz (1938). The film was well received and she was nominated for an Academy Award, one of the few singers of the period to be so honored. As a vehicle for her second picture, MGM bought the screen rights to the novel "Sandor Rozsa", a story based on the outlaw of the early 19th century who ambushed the wealthy as they traveled between Budapest and Vienna (a kind of Hungarian Robin Hood). The working title of the picture was "Guns and Fiddles" with music derived from Liszt and arranged by Emmerich Kalman. Her co-stars were to be Robert Taylor (as Sandor Rozsa), Hedy Lamarr and Franchot Tone. On May 28, 1940, just two weeks before the scheduled production date of this new picture, she was seriously injured in an auto accident. Her left leg was so badly crushed that the doctors at first considered amputation. However, after several months in hospital, where she underwent numerous operations and bone grafts, she did recover use of the leg.
By the summer of 1941 she had sufficiently recovered to undertake a concert tour of South America. The tour began in Mexico and shortly afterward the U.S. entered World War II. Having spent her youth in war and revolution, she decided to remain in Mexico for the duration. She made one film there, Caballería del imperio (1942) ("Imperial Chivalry"). She returned to the U.S. in October of 1944 to appear at Carnegie Hall. Eventually, she settled in Los Angeles and made concert appearances throughout North America. In 1952, she married Dr. Walter Shector, a physician, and retired from the stage, preferring instead to make recordings. She remained a bright fixture in southern California society and was greatly admired and sought out by visiting artists such as Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills. She died of heart failure in August, 1980.- Joan Blair was born on 8 June 1903 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Deadline for Murder (1946), Poppa Knows Worst (1944) and New Orleans (1947). She was married to David A. Coplin, John B. Mayes and Kubec Glasmon. She died on 9 January 1997 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Burlesque dancer and stripper Betty Jane Rowland was born on January 23, 1916 in Columbus, Ohio. Her father was an accountant who lost his job during the Great Depression. Betty and her sisters Dian and Roz Elle all started out as dancers in vaudeville before making the transition into burlesque. Rowland performed at the famous club Minsky's in New York City, where she earned the nickname "Ball of Fire" from both her flaming red hair and hot and fast style of dancing. After New York shut down its burlesque houses in 1938, Betty moved to Los Angeles, California to continue her career in burlesque. Rowland had several run-ins with the law throughout her burlesque career: In 1952 two police officers closed her show at a downtown burlesque theater after the manager refused to let them in for free and she spent three weeks in a Lincoln Heights jail before going on to embark on a nationwide burlesque tour. In the wake of retiring from the burlesque circuit in the mid-1960's, Betty helped run various bars, worked as a hostess at the French restaurant Anisette in Santa Monica, California; and settled down to live in a one bedroom apartment in Brentwood, California
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Marion Bell was born on 16 November 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Ziegfeld Follies (1945), Down in the Valley (1950) and NBC Television Opera Theatre (1949). She was married to Tom Charlesworth, Alan Jay Lerner and Jack Charles Hollimon. She died on 14 December 1997 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
- Editor
Fred Karlin was born on 16 June 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Fred was a composer and editor, known for Westworld (1973), Licorice Pizza (2021) and Lovers and Other Strangers (1970). Fred was married to Megan Wells-Stagg. Fred died on 26 March 2004 in Culver City, California, USA.- Dudley Field Malone has served as William Jennings Bryan's Third Assistant Secretary when the Great Commoner was Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of State. After that Malone was an international divorce lawyer. In 1925 Malone was one of the lawyers who defended John T. Scopes in the famous "Monkey Trial". Responding to Bryan's argument against admitting scientific testimony, Malone gave the greatest speech of the trial in defense of Academic Freedom.
- Robert McWade was born on 25 January 1872 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Kennel Murder Case (1933), The Dragon Murder Case (1934) and Anything Goes (1936). He was married to Almina Lee. He died on 19 January 1938 in Culver City, California, USA.
- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gile Steele was born on 24 September 1908 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was a costume designer, known for The Heiress (1949), The Merry Widow (1952) and Kind Lady (1951). He died on 16 January 1952 in Culver City, California, USA.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Art Director
Renowned cinematographer Joseph August began his film career not as a cameraman but as a wrangler--he was born and raised in Colorado--at Inceville, the studio begun by pioneering producer/director Thomas H. Ince. He soon switched careers, becoming an assistant to cinematographer Ray C. Smallwood. He shot his first film, Lure of the Violin (1913), in 1912. His reputation became such that only three years later he was picked as "official" cameraman for western star William S. Hart, shooting more than 40 of Hart's westerns. When Hart retired August went to Fox, where he worked with director John Ford, who appreciated August's expertise at outdoor photography. August was also known for his affinity for and facility with low-key lighting, a technique he initially developed out of necessity, since the types of lighting units that could light up a set were expensive, extremely hot and not particularly efficient when August first started out as a cameraman.
He and Ford developed both a professional and personal relationship, and during World War II August joined Ford in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the modern-day CIA. Both Ford and August were wounded while shooting combat for the documentary The Battle of Midway (1942).
In addition to his other accomplishments, August was also a founding member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Charles Eastman was born on 18 September 1929 in Hollywood, California, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The All-American Boy (1973), Second-Hand Hearts (1980) and Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970). He died on 3 July 2009 in Culver City, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
A former attorney and professional singer, James V. Kern started out as a screenwriter and eventually turned to directing. His directorial output consisted of mostly routine "B" pictures, but he found his niche in television, where he directed hundreds of series episodes; he was one of the house directors on I Love Lucy (1951) and My Three Sons (1960).- Bennett Ohta was born on 20 December 1934 in Holualoa, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for The Golden Child (1986), Noble House (1988) and Under the Rainbow (1981). He died on 26 October 2013 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Rudy Liberace was born on 29 June 1930 in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. He was married to Isabel Liberace. He died on 30 April 1967 in Culver City, California, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
J. Lewis Smith was born on 24 May 1906 in Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for To Please a Lady (1950), The Lieutenant (1963) and The Mickey Rooney Show (1954). He died on 12 September 1964 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Casting Director
Fred A. Datig was born on 23 October 1891 in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, USA. Fred A. was a casting director, known for The Cheerful Fraud (1926), Why Bring That Up? (1929) and Rolling Home (1926). Fred A. was married to Celia Villa. Fred A. died on 11 December 1951 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
J. Walter Smith was an actor and writer, known for Abar (1977). He died on 28 May 2017 in Culver City, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Guy Hedlund was born on 21 August 1884 in Portland, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Hungry Happy's Dream (1916), Winning Back His Love (1910) and A Flash of Light (1910). He was married to Blanche E. and Edith Randle (performer). He died on 29 December 1964 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Herbert W. Spencer was born on 7 April 1905 in Santiago, Chile. He was a composer, known for Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and Superman (1978). He was married to Diana Reid Spencer. He died on 18 September 1992 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Wilson Wood was born on 11 February 1915 in Huron, North Dakota, USA. He was an actor, known for Singin' in the Rain (1952), Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952) and Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962). He was married to Martha. He died on 23 October 2004 in Culver City, California, USA.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Songwriter ("Love Is a Simple Thing") and author, educated at Hollywood High School in California. She wrote songs for films and for the Broadway revues "Who's Who", "New Faces of 1952", and "New Faces of 1956". Joining ASCAP in 1952, her chief musical collaborators include Arthur Siegel and Richard Lewine. Her other popular-song compositions include "Penny Candy", "Monotonous", "The Boy Most Likely to Succeed", "Let's Hold Hands", "I Want You to Be the First to Know", "He Takes Me Off His Income Tax" and "Rinka Tinka Man".- Thelma Hill was born Thelma Floy Hillerman in Emporia, Kansas. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California during her early teen years. Living just blocks from the Mack Sennett studio, Thelma became one of the star struck, wide eyed girls who hung out near the studio peering through the gates. It took her five years, but eventually, using her womanly wiles, she weaseled her way through the gates and quickly caught the eye of Sennett himself and F. Richard "Dick" Jones, a producer and director who would work with Thelma in over a dozen films.
Thelma did bit parts and extra work throughout her school years, working weekends and during vacations. Because of her youth, beauty, and spunk, she quickly became "everybody's protégé."
When Mack Sennett revived his famous "Bathing Girls," Thelma the first to don the suit, as most of her parts up till then had been in bathing suits. In her first movie, "Picking Peaches," she had dived off a pier.
Because of her "mah jongg" bathing suit, she became quickly known as the "Mah Jongg Bathing Girl," although she'd already carried around a nickname since her first days on the set: "Pee-Wee," the little black-eyed youngster who grew up on the old lot.
As she matured she was hired to double for Mabel Normand, who, because of a roaring cocaine habit often showed up late for work or not at all. It was about this time that Thelma became a flapper; a style of women who were known for their androgynous bodies, flimsy and revealing clothing, and the traditional male behaviors smoking, heavy drinking, and casual sex. It was the drinking that eventually led to Thelma's downfall. Near the end of her first year in film, 1924, her big break came when she got the lead opposite Ralph Graves in the two reel comedy "Love's Sweet Piffle" directed by Edgar Kennedy.
Thelma was the first Sennett bathing beauty, and one of the few, to make it into feature films. She starred opposite Ben Turpin in "The Prodigal Bridegroom," and got one of the two female leads in the hilarious Laurel & Hardy "Two Tars" in 1928.
When Hollywood brought Jimmy Murphy's comic strip "Toots and Casper" to life on the big screen, Thelma got top billing opposite Bud Duncan as Casper, with Cullen Johnson as Buttercup and George Gray as Casper's boss. The series ran from 1927 through 1929.
One biographer wrote that she starred opposite a solo Stan Laurel (in "Pie-Eyed") but calling 24 seconds on the screen as a starring role seems a stretch.
Everyone in Hollywood knew Thelma was a real trooper with a knack for comedy. She willingly dropped her good looks to don thick black-rimmed glasses and a wild hairdo and work on two reel comedies rather than full length dramatic films. No part was too small for her. Later, during talkies, she played a bit part of a patient in the waiting room in W. C. Fields' "The Dentist." Today, all copies have been so cut up and repaired that her short scene has been lost.
She left Mack Sennett for a short stint with the Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) (also known as FBO Pictures Corporation) in 1927, and afterwards was signed by MGM to play a role in "The Fair Coed." It was about this time that she got engaged to St. Elmo Boyce, her director on the "Toots and Casper" shorts and a former Sennett cinematographer. Boyce and Hill both had drinking problems, Boyce having DUI arrests on his record. The relationship and Boyce's career began to fizzle and Boyce committed suicide in 1930 by poisoning. He'd just finished work on Columbia Pictures' most expensive film to date, "Dirigible."
Thelma Hill did not make the transition to talkies well. Her drinking and depression were starting to take their toll. She began working free lance for a variety of studios. She had made over 20 films in 1929, but with the advent of talkies and the end of frenetic slapstick comedy, she would work on just seven films over the next five years.
Her first sound film was "The Golfers" with the Sennett studios. Her next role was in a musical called "Two Plus Fours" featuring Bing Crosby as one of the Rhythm Boys. She took a small role in Frank Capra's drama, "The Miracle Woman," starring Barbara Stanwyck, a few more small, uncredited parts, one short educational film starring a very, very young Shirley Temple, and ended her career in 1934 at "The Lot of Fun," Hal Roach Studios, in the movie "Mixed Nuts." Her role was small, but unforgettable as she becomes the target of a professor of entomology's Arabian Sand Fleas.
She married John Sinclair (I), W. C. Fields' stunt double and gag writer, and settled into the role of housewife less than ten minutes away from the original Mack Sennett studios.
Whether fueled by her depression or her husband's hanging around with W. C. Fields, famous for his drinking, Thelma drank away her health and youth and died before her thirty-second birthday in 1938.
Biographers mistakenly attribute her cause of death to acute alcohol poisoning (erroneously reported as a "stomach ailment" in her obituary), but records show she had spent the last month of her life at the Edward Merrill Sanitarium (mistakenly listed in Culver City; actually in Venice, CA). She had been diagnosed with chronic alcoholism in 1932 and with pellagra (a B-vitamin deficiency, specifically niacin, often found in alcoholics) in 1937. The effects of malnutrition caused by alcoholism affect all organs in the body, and her official cause of death following an autopsy was cerebral hemorrhage.
Her body was cremated and the ashes were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. - Director
- Editor
- Producer
Bud Pollard was born on 12 May 1895 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was a director and editor, known for Girls for Sale! (1927), The Horror (1932) and The Dead March (1937). He died on 16 December 1952 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Isabel O'Madigan was born on 16 October 1871 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Bab's Diary (1917), The Egg and I (1947) and Bab's Matinee Idol (1917). She died on 23 January 1951 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Henry Deas was an actor, known for Two-Minute Warning (1976), Wonder Woman (1975) and Switch (1979). He died on 6 August 2023 in Culver City, California, USA.