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1-16 of 16
- Cynthia Lynn was born on 2 April 1937 in Riga, Latvia. She was an actress, known for Hogan's Heroes (1965), Mission: Impossible (1966) and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974). She died on 10 March 2014 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- A statuesque and striking actress with vaguely reptilian aspects, at once sinister and alluring; a smile never more than a whisker away from a sneer and a commanding, imperious presence suggesting innate superiority. Difficult to cast, Patricia Laffan seemed destined to portray the villainous or the eccentric. The daughter of Irish rubber planter Arthur Charles Laffan (1870-1948) and London-born Elvira Alice née Vitali (1896-1979), Patricia was schooled at the Institut français du Royaume-Uni in London and trained in dramatic arts at the prestigious Douglas-Webber School. She emerged on stage in 1937 and made her screen debut by 1945. In between a cluster of nondescript or uncredited roles, we remember her for two indelible cinematic performances: first, as that sumptuously decadent, scheming, malicious Empress Poppaea in MGM's epic blockbuster Quo Vadis (1951) -- sardonic and disdainful in her delivery, at times running close to overshadowing even the great Peter Ustinov in his most famous role as Nero. One of her lavish outfits included a 14 carat gold dress designed by Herschel McCoy. A contemporary BBC interview with Laffan also recounts an incident during the making of Quo Vadis. In this, the actress, while reclining on a divan next to a couple of cheetahs at the end of a love scene with Robert Taylor, was set upon by one of the not so tame cats but managed to escape with a torn dress (the gold one ?) -- "on the other hand, the lions in the arena scene were so bored that they went to sleep in the shade instead of looking hungrily at the Christians".
Laffan's other fondly remembered showing on screen was in the campy Devil Girl from Mars (1954), a typically low-budget Danziger Brothers attempt at emulating the success of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Justifiably derided at the time (for such valid reasons as inane writing, lacklustre direction and props acutely reminiscent of kitchen appliances), it has become a surprising cult touchstone for sci-fi aficionados. Why? Certainly because of the picture's sole meritorious component: Patricia Laffan as the Martian invader Nyah, exotically made up, outfitted in PVC jumpsuit, miniskirt, Darth Vader-style cape and skullcap and making the most of her scenes, delivering her lines with practised cold, languid authority.
Sadly underused, there were to be few other roles of note for this commanding actress in the wake of 'Devil Girl', except, perhaps, for an integral bit in the enjoyable psychological thriller 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956). Subsequent TV appearances saw her mostly confined to conventional aristocratic ladies in period or crime dramas. Patricia Laffan retired from the screen in 1965, apparently to a quiet life in Chelsea, London, where she may have pursued her passions for fast cars, story-writing and breeding bull terriers. - Eileen Colgan was born on 20 January 1934 in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland. She was an actress, known for Far and Away (1992), My Left Foot (1989) and The Secret of Roan Inish (1994). She died on 10 March 2014 in Ireland.
- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Don Ingalls was born on 29 July 1918 in Humboldt, Nebraska, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Fantasy Island (1977), Star Trek (1966) and Honey West (1965). He died on 10 March 2014 in Olympia, Washington, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard Hayes was born on 5 January 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Radio Days (1987), Two Girls Named Smith (1951) and The Jerry Lester Show (1963). He was married to Monique Tenenbaum and Peggy Ann Garner. He died on 10 March 2014 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
Roldan Aquino was born on 2 May 1942 in the Philippines. He was an actor and director, known for Burlesk Queen (1977), Canary Brothers of Tondo (1992) and Nasaan ang katarungan? (1969). He died on 10 March 2014 in the Philippines.- Writer
Joe McGinniss was born in New York City in 1942. After finishing high school, he attended Holy Cross College in Worchester, Massachusetts, where he worked for the school newspaper and, during summers, the Port Chester Daily Item. After graduating from Holy Crossin 1964, McGinniss worked as a reporter for the Worcester Telegram,where he realized that he had a talent worth pursuing.
McGinniss then worked as a sportswriter for The Philadelphia Bulletin, and soon its competitor The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he became a columnist in 1966. Two years later, in 1968 McGinniss stumbled upon a story that would become his first book. While working on a profile of Howard Cosell for TV Guide, McGinniss learned that a friend of Cosell's had the advertising account for Hubert Humphrey's presidential campaign. Humphrey would not cooperate with McGinniss, but Richard Nixon's campaign advisor's allowed him to observe first-hand the process of "selling" a president to the public. The book, The Selling of the President, was published in 1969. It earned him various positive critic reviews and put his name on the New York Times bestseller list overnight. McGinniss's next book, The Dream Team, published in 1972, was the story of a successful young novelist who ends up unhinged by his obsession with horse racing, women, and alcohol. Its reception was something of a letdown.
In the next book, Heroes, published in 1976, McGinniss mixed journalism with memoir. Critics gave the book mixed reviews, but the book earned him respect as an honest writer on a quest for self-understanding. Going to Extremes, published in 1980, was an account of his adventures and misadventures in Alaska. The book was a critical success and landed on the front page of the New York Times Book Review.
McGinniss's big commercial break came in 1979 when he met Jeffrey MacDonald, a former Green Beret U.S. Army doctor accused of murdering his wife and two daughters back in 1970. The doctor agreed to let McGinniss write a book about his murder trial. MacDonald was convicted of the triple murder and sentenced to life in prison. McGinniss researched MacDonald's case for three more years. Fatal Vision (1984), published in 1983. Fatal Vision was an immediate bestseller, which sold three million copies and earned McGinniss a place in the author's guild of the world. The book angered the imprisoned MacDonald so much that he sued McGinniss for breach of contract, claiming McGinniss wrote a book full of "contradictions and fabrications" portraying MacDonald as guilty when he, to his day, claims that he was wrongfully convicted. After a mistrial in 1987 the case was settled out of court.
McGinniss followed the success of Fatal Vision with two more real-life crime dramas. Blind Faith (1990), published in 1989, and Cruel Doubt (1992), published in 1991, were more or less part of a trilogy of crime dramas featuring dysfunctional families driven to extreme measures of murder. McGinniss's next book, published in 1993, was The Last Brother, a biography of Ted Kennedy.
McGinniss was offered a $1 million advance by his publisher to write a book on the O.J. Simpson criminal trial. The former football player was charged with the double murder of his ex-wife and a friend of hers. But in the end, despite being present throughout the long trial from January to October 1995, McGinniss declined to write any book on the case and gave back the $1 million, calling the trial: "a farce from start to finish," and the verdict: "a mockery of justice."
McGinniss traveled to Italy in 1996 where he wrote The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, which detailed the dramatic life and times of an Italian football (soccer) team. In 2004, McGinniss published The Big Horse, a compelling nonfiction account of a colorful thoroughbred trainer's one big success. In Never Enough (2007) McGinniss returned to true-crime with the critically acclaimed story of another family murder, this time a rich, unhappy wife who kills her investment banker husband in Hong Kong so she can be with her blue-collar lover.
McGinniss lived in Western Massachusetts. He died on March 10, 2014 from complications of inoperable prostate cancer at the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.- Michel Francini was born on 14 March 1921 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for Rush Hour 3 (2007), Micmacs (2009) and Playtime (1967). He died on 10 March 2014 in Paris, France.
- Geoffrey Forward was an actor, known for Favorite Son (1988), The Eliminator (2004) and Deadly Dreams (1988). He died on 10 March 2014 in Topanga, California, USA.
- Marian Yvonne Stewart died on 10 March 2014 in Murrieta, California, USA.
- Actor
- Art Department
- Producer
Scott Bussell was born on 23 July 1966 in the USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Pride (2011), Remember to Breathe (2013) and The Human Contract (2008). He died on 10 March 2014 in West Hollywood, California, USA.- Luis Nieves Falcón was born on 29 December 1929 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Luis died on 10 March 2014 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Executive
Edward A. Jupin was born on 10 September 1957 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. Edward A. was an executive. Edward A. died on 10 March 2014 in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Tadeusz Pietrzak was born on 27 August 1926 in Duranów, Mazowieckie, Poland. Tadeusz was a writer, known for Pulapka (1971), Podziemny front (1965) and Powrót doktora von Kniprode (1966). Tadeusz died on 10 March 2014 in Poland.- Domingo Tessier was born on 13 August 1918 in Punta Arenas, Chile. He was an actor and writer, known for Alguien por quien vivir (1982), La dama de la muerte (1946) and El ídolo (1952). He was married to Bélgica Castro. He died on 10 March 2014.
- Richard De Vere was born on 18 June 1967 in the UK. He died on 10 March 2014 in Thailand.