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1-17 of 17
- The ever-impressive, chameleon-like British character actor Roy Dotrice was born on the Island of Guernsey, which is part of the United Kingdom, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of France. He was the first-born child of Louis and Neva Dotrice who prospered as bakers. The Germans occupied the island in 1940 and he and his mother and brother escaped to England.
Advancing his real age, Roy joined the Royal Air Force at age 16 and was trained as a wireless operator and air gunner. In 1942 his plane was shot down and he was captured where he served out the remainder of WWII (over three years) as a prisoner of war in Germany. He was introduced to the idea of performing when he took part in various makeshift concerts in order to raise the spirits of his fellow captives.
Following WWII and his release, Roy decided to pursue his acting ambitions. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he began appearing in English repertory where he met and married (1947) actress Kay Dotrice who at the time was performing under her given name of Katherine (Kay) Newman. Throughout the early post-war years, the couple performed together in repertory with Charles Denville and the Denville Players. At different times he was a member of the Liverpool, Manchester and Oldham repertory theatres. Also during this great time of productivity, Roy produced and directed some three hundred stage plays. He formed his own troupe, the Guernsey Theatre Company, in 1955. The highlight of his theatrical career, however, began in 1957 when Roy became a member of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford, England, (later the Royal Shakespeare Company). For the next nine years he performed in a lengthy succession of the Bard's works, first in small parts as various players, officers and gentlemen. He subsequently went on to become a notable Iago, Falstaff and Julius Caesar, among others. A popular performer, he had an uncanny ability to play much older than he was. He later went on to perform with the American Shakespearean Festival.
The notoriety he received from his abundant classical theatre experience led directly to radio, film, television and Broadway offers. Roy has appeared in a number of Broadway productions over the years, receiving a Tony nomination for his work in "A Life" and finally winning the trophy for his heralded performance in the 2000 revival of "A Moon for the Misbegotten" starring Cherry Jones and Gabriel Byrne. Known for his considerable success in one-man shows such as Abraham Lincoln, Charles Dickens, Will Rogers and Winston Churchill, his superb one-person show "Brief Lives", drawn from the Elizabethan diaries of John Aubrey, played for over 1,700 performances over a period of nearly a decade. At one time this set a record for a solo performance and was listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records".
Dotrice made his credited feature movie debut supporting Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris in The Heroes of Telemark (1965), and has since lent class and distinction to a spattering of films. Among his list of credits include the bawdy comedy Lock Up Your Daughters! (1969); the sumptuous biopic Nicholas and Alexandra (1971); the Oscar-winning Amadeus (1984), Milos Forman's adaptation of composer Mozart's life in which Roy portrayed Mozart's stern and domineering father Leopold; and The Cutting Edge (1992) as an Olympic skating coach.
Perhaps better remembered on the small screen, he appeared magnanimously as a host of monarchs including his Edward IV in The Wars of the Roses (1965) and King George IV in the syndicated miniseries Shaka Zulu (1986). To American audiences he is probably best known as Jacob Wells, the Beast's surrogate father, in the dramatic series Beauty and the Beast (1987). Dotrice was also cast in the recurring role of Father Barrett, a Catholic priest and confidante of Judge Henry Bone (played by Ray Walston), on the acclaimed Emmy-winning drama Picket Fences (1992).
Since the end of the 1970s he has lived and worked primarily in America. More recently he appeared on stage reviving his outstanding 1993 role as George Bernard Shaw in "The Best of Friends" in 2006. Millennium work included the films Alien Hunter (2003), These Foolish Things (2006), Played (2006), Go Go Tales (2007). Enjoying a recurring role on the British TV series Life Begins (2004), Roy made his last TV appearances on two 2012 episodes of "Game of Thrones" as Hallyne.
Roy's devoted wife Kay died on August 2, 2007, after 60 years of marriage. The couple has three daughters (Michele Dotrice, Karen Dotrice and Yvette Dotrice), all whom at one time or another were actresses. Karen, who is now primarily out of the business, became the best known perhaps for her childhood Disney portrayals, notably in Mary Poppins (1964). Combined, his daughters have presented him with seven grandchildren. Roy died on October 16, 2017. - Actor
- Casting Department
- Casting Director
John Dunsworth was born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, not far from the sea where he would spend much of his time on his yacht when not working. John was one of Halifax's most venerable and revered actors, appearing in countless CBC radio dramas and held leading roles in over 25 Neptune Theatre productions. In 1970, long before the days of waterfront renewal, John convinced the city of Halifax to lease to him a run-down old building by the shipyards which he turned into Pier One Theatre - Halifax's first and arguably its most successful alternative theatre company.
John first met Mike Clattenburg in the mid-1990s when he auditioned for a small role in Mike's short, One Last Shot. Halfway through shooting, John's small role blossomed into a leading part - a part that garnered him a Best Performance award from the Atlantic Film Festival. From there, John developed that role into the character Jim Lahey, the trailer park supervisor on the series Trailer Park Boys.
John's final acting credits include "Trailer Park Boys" (2001-2018), short film George (2018), and "Sir John A. And the Curse of the Anti-Quenched" (2017)
Beyond acting, John was an avid bridge player, holding master points. He also holds, until somebody proves otherwise, the Internet Scrabble record for having three 7-letter words in a row. Around town, John was easy to spot. He drove an old truck with a thousand pound winch that he would use to hauling granite. In 1987, John founded Filmworks Casting where he worked as Halifax's most successful casting director. Prior to that, John worked in the transportation industry, driving a cab for three years and working the CNR trains from Halifax and Sydney.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Sean Hughes was born on 10 November 1965 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Last Detective (2003), Sean's Show (1992) and The Commitments (1991). He died on 16 October 2017 in Highgate, London, England, UK.- Chuck Blackwell was an actor, known for Cocaine Cowboys (1979), A Poem Is a Naked Person (1974) and Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1971). He died on 16 October 2017 in Tulsa, Okalhoma.
- Jiao Ren was born on 27 December 1988 in Anshan, Liaoning, China. She was an actress, known for Xue ji chuan (2017), Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal (2015) and The Express (2017). She died on 16 October 2017 in Suzhou, China.
- Rodney Harvey was an actor, known for Englewood: The Growing Pains in Chicago (2014). He died on 16 October 2017 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Daphne Caruana Galizia died on 16 October 2017 in Bidnija, Malta.
- Richard Barclay was born in 1931. He was a producer, known for Norman Rockwell's World... An American Dream (1972), AIDS: Everything You and Your Family Needs to Know... But Were Afraid to Ask (1987) and Girls Nite Out (1982). He died on 16 October 2017 in Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City, New York, USA.
- Composer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Gottfried Böttger was born on 21 December 1949 in Hamburg, Germany. He was a composer and actor, known for Ecco noi per esempio... (1977), Geschichten aus der Zukunft (1978) and Peter Strohm (1989). He was married to Dagmar. He died on 16 October 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Sheila O'Neill was born on 5 May 1930 in Dulwich, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Summer Holiday (1963), I've Gotta Horse (1965) and Half a Sixpence (1967). She was married to Don Lawson. She died on 16 October 2017 in Chichester, West Sussex, England, UK.- Sound Department
Guy Villette was born on 22 January 1923 in Paris, France. He is known for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), Vivre sa vie (1962) and The Trial (1962). He died on 16 October 2017.- Iain Shedden was married to Christine. He died on 16 October 2017 in Sydney, Australia.
- Roomi Insha was a director, known for Rasmeduniya (2017), Mannchalay (2009) and Hasratein (2016). He died on 16 October 2017 in Karachi, Pakistan.
- Ryan Maxwell Ray was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is the youngest of two boys born to Vicki Boyls Ray and Cleo Norris Ray. Ryan attended Flour Bluff High School and studied Pre-Physical Therapy at Del Mar College as well as Business Marketing at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. Throughout high school Ryan was very active in sports, especially football, which he started as linebacker on the varsity football team both junior and senior year receiving All South Texas Honorable Mention his senior year.
As an early teen, Ryan began to practice the drums, and within a few years formed the rock band Orion Dive with his older brother Carl, who had shown natural talent at playing guitar. Before too long Orion Dive was playing at local bars and nightclubs and even recorded a demo album in Austin, Texas. Shortly after, the band members went their separate ways and Ryan quickly learned to play guitar and continues to play to this day.
Ryan's first national television appearance was as a tan lotion Model in (Episode One) "Image is Everything" guest starring Mario Lopez on the E! Channel show The Spin Crowd in 2010. More recently, Ryan was featured as "Atlas" in the music video "Hugs" featuring Pharrell by The Lonely Island comedy group formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone. The new music video, also known as a digital short, was aired on the 2014 Season Finale of Saturday Night Live.
Ryan is represented as a commercial and print model by NTA Talent Agency in Los Angeles and also owns his own Personal Training Company. He is an avid surfer and workout enthusiast. He also enjoys driving sports cars and has had formal training driving NASCAR. Ryan enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Monica of four years and their two dogs Ninja and Star. - Actor
- Director
Shunkai Yan was born on 6 June 1937 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor and director, known for A Q zheng zhuan (1981), A Tan nei zhuan (1988) and The New Stories of Du Xiaoxi (1984). He died on 16 October 2017 in China.- Set Decorator
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Thurston Edwards was born on 4 May 1955 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He was a set decorator, known for The Last Castle (2001), Iron Man 3 (2013) and Piranha 3DD (2012). He died on 16 October 2017 in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA.- Harriette Thompson was born on 27 March 1923 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA. She was married to Charles William Sydnor Thompson Jr.. She died on 16 October 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.