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1-18 of 18
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Deadpan comedian Charles Sidney Grodin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania of Russian/Polish ancestry and raised in a Jewish orthodox home. He attended the University of Miami but dropped out, opting instead for the life of a struggling actor. The movie A Place in the Sun (1951) was said to have steered him towards his chosen profession. In his own words: "It was two things. One is I think I developed an overwhelming crush on Elizabeth Taylor. And two, Montgomery Clift made acting look like 'Gee, well that looks pretty easy - just a guy talking.'".
After a spell with Uta Hagen (1956-59), he attended Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio before making his stage debut on Broadway in 1962. Though he appeared on screen from as early as 1954, Grodin did not make a great deal of headway in this medium until he attracted critical notice playing the small but crucial role of obstetrician Dr. C.C. Hill in Rosemary's Baby (1968). More substantial roles soon followed. His first major starring turn was in The Heartbreak Kid (1972), a black comedy written by Neil Simon and directed by Elaine May. Grodin managed to inject charm and humanity in what was essentially an egotistical central character. Film reviewer Roger Ebert praised his performance, describing the actor as a "kind of Dustin Hoffman-as-overachiever", an opinion which was echoed by Vincent Canby of the New York Times. Ironically, Grodin had earlier turned down the pivotal role in The Graduate (1967) which propelled Hoffman to stardom (he also -- probably unwisely -- spurned the role of oceanographer Matt Hooper in Jaws (1975) which instead went to Richard Dreyfuss).
Grodin's ultimate breakthrough came on the Broadway stage in "Same Time Next Year" (1975) (opposite Ellen Burstyn), a hugely successful romantic comedy about two people, each married to someone else, who conduct an extramarital affair for a single day over the course of 24 years in the same room of a northern Californian inn. Though the two leads left the show after seven months, Grodin was now much sought-after in Hollywood as a droll comic actor and cast in a string of hit comedies: Heaven Can Wait (1978), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Lonely Guy (1984) and Midnight Run (1988). He also appeared to sterling effect in the underrated farce The Couch Trip (1988), in which he co-starred with Walter Matthau and Dan Aykroyd as the brittle psychiatrist and radio host Dr. George Maitlin. Arguably his most popular box office success was opposite the titular Saint Bernard canine in the family-oriented comedy Beethoven (1992). Despite less than enthusiastic critical reviews, the film was a hit with audiences, grossed $147.2 million worldwide and spawned a sequel.
In the mid-1990s, Grodin reinvented himself as a television host (The Charles Grodin Show (1995)) and political commentator. He made frequent guest appearances on talk shows with Carson or Letterman, typically adopting the persona of a belligerent tongue-in-cheek character to facilitate "comically uncomfortable situations on the set". Grodin was also a prolific author, both of fiction and non-fiction. An autobiography was entitled "It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business" (1989). Charles Grodin died at age 86 of bone marrow cancer on May 18, 2021 at his home in Wilton, Connecticut.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jane Powell was singing and dancing at an early age. She sang on the radio and performed in theaters before her screen debut in 1944. Through the 1940s and 1950s, she had a successful career in movie musicals. However, in 1957, Jane's career in films ended, as she had outgrown her innocent girl-next-door image. She made brief returns to acting in front of the camera -- on television, in commercials, and in a workout video. She also had a variety of roles on stage after the end of her movie career, including the musicals "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music," "Oklahoma!," "My Fair Lady," "Carousel," and a one-woman show "The Girl Next Door and How She Grew," from which she took the title of her 1988 autobiography.- David Canary was born on 25 August 1938 in Elwood, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for All My Children (1970), One Life to Live (1968) and Hombre (1967). He was married to Maureen Maloney and Julie M. Anderson. He died on 16 November 2015 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Dickie Moore made his acting and screen debut at the age of 18 months in the 1927 John Barrymore film The Beloved Rogue (1927) as a baby, and by the time he had turned 10 he was a popular child star and had appeared in 52 films. He continued as a child star for many more years, and became the answer to the trivia question, "Who was the first actor to kiss Shirley Temple on screen?" when that honor was bestowed upon him in 1942's Miss Annie Rooney (1942). As with many child actors, once Dickie got older the roles began to dry up. He made his last film in 1952, but was still in the public eye with the 1949 to 1955 TV series Captain Video and His Video Rangers (1949). He then retired from acting for a new career in publicity. He later produced industrial shows.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jimmy Blaine was born on 26 December 1924 in Greenville, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Junior Edition (1951), The Billy Daniels Show (1952) and Stop the Music (1949). He died on 18 March 1967 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Beautiful, vibrant, and talented actress and singer Vicki Sue Robinson was born on May 31, 1954 in Harlem, New York City and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of white folk singer Jolly Robinson and black Shakespearean actor Bill Robinson. (Robinson was actually part white, part black, and part Native American.) Vicki made her first public appearance at age six in 1960 singing harmonies with her mother on stage at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. At age sixteen Robinson was featured as a cast member in the Broadway stage production of the hit hippie counterculture musical "Hair." (Her other stage credits include a 1973 Broadway stage production of "Jesus Christ, Superstar," plus stage productions of the plays "Soon," "Long Time Coming, Long Time Gone," and "Voices from the Third World.") Vicki made her professional singing debut singing backing vocals on Todd Rundgren's album "Something, Anything." She acted in the movies "Going Home," "To Find a Man," "Hoodlums," and "Red Lipstick."
Robinson scored her greatest smash success with the rousing disco anthem "Turn the Beat Around" in 1976; the song was a #1 hit on the disco charts and peaked at #10 on the Billboard pop charts. Vicki was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Turn the Beat Around" and was named the best new disco artist of the year by "Billboard" magazine. Although she never managed to either match or surpass the success of "Turn the Beat Around," Vicki nonetheless still had a long, varied and respectable show business career throughout the 80's and 90's. She contributed the pulsating tune "Nighttime Fantasy" to the soundtrack of the flop vampire horror comedy "Nocturna." Robinson not only sang commercial jingles for such high profile clients as Gillette Razors, General Motors, Maybelline, Sprite, Downey Fabric Softener, Doublemint Gum, and Folgers Coffee, but also worked as a session singer on albums for such artists as Cher, Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper, and RuPaul. (She also sang backing vocals on Irene Cara's 1980 monster hit song "Fame.") In 1983 Vicki had a Top 5 hit in Australia with her disco cover of the classic Lulu song "To Sir, With Love." She supplied the singing voice for actress Kath Soucie on the cartoon TV series "Jem." The substantial success of Gloria Estefan's 1994 cover of "Turn the Beat Around" sparked a resurgence in Robinson's career: She not only made guest appearances on numerous talk shows, but also recorded the song "My Stomp, My Beat" for the soundtrack of the film "Chasing Amy," embarked on a well-received world tour with fellow disco veterans Gloria Gayner, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Thelma Houston, and the Village People, and starred in her own acclaimed Off-Broadway stage show called "Vicki Sue Robinson: Behind the Beat" in 1999. Vicki Sue Robinson died from cancer at the tragically young age of 45 on April 27, 2000 at her home in Wilton, Connecticut.- Michael Duane was born on 12 April 1914 in Dunkirk, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Keeper of the Bees (1947), Alias Mr. Twilight (1946) and The Return of the Whistler (1948). He was married to Phyllis Ann Ellerman. He died on 26 March 1963 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.
- Joan Potter was born on 5 March 1926 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress, known for Kraft Theatre (1947), The Doctors (1963) and The Bramble Bush (1960). She died on 14 March 2008 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.
- Soundtrack
Iola Brubeck was born on 14 August 1923 in Corning, California, USA. She was married to Dave Brubeck. She died on 12 March 2014 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.- Make-Up Department
Stephen G. Bishop was born on 25 September 1948 in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. He is known for Striptease (1996), Across the Universe (2007) and Meet Joe Black (1998). He died on 3 June 2015 in Wilton Manors, Florida, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Gene Williams was born on 26 February 1926 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Sticky My Fingers... Fleet My Feet (1970), Johnny Long and His Orchestra (1942) and Columbia Thrills of Music 9952: Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra (1947). He died on 12 February 1997 in Wilton Manors, Florida, USA.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
He was performing on stage and as a DJ when he began his broadcasting career with RTÉ Radio Cork in 1979. He spent 20 years presenting local current affairs and arts programme Corkabout. He created the comedy and satire series Shortt Circuit, The Usual Suspects and Bull Island, which was later adapted for television, as well as producing a number of documentaries. McCarthy's television credits included Live at 3, PM Live and Down Here with a View to Above. He retired from RTÉ in December 2015, by which stage he was presenting Late Date on RTÉ Radio One.- Richard Hottelet was born on 22 September 1917 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for The Twentieth Century (1957), Years of Crisis (1950) and You Are There (1953). He was married to Ann Delafield. He died on 17 December 2014 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.
- Jim Kiick was born on 9 August 1946 in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Miami Vice (1984), The Last Match (1991) and American Gladiators (1989). He died on 20 June 2020 in Wilton Manors, Florida, USA.
- Christopher Sergel was born on 7 May 1918 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. Christopher was a writer, known for Winesburg, Ohio (1973). Christopher died on 7 May 1993 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.
- Writer
- Art Department
Douglas Curtis 'Curt' Swan (1920-1996) was an American comics artist, most associated with Superman during the period fans call the "Silver Age" of comic books. Swan succeeded Wayne Boring and was the primary artist on Superman comics for 30 years, has probably added more history to the Superman universe than any other artist in DC history.
In his three decades as the main Superman artist (1950s-1980s), Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories, and also worked on Action Comics, Jimmy Olsen, Man of Steel, Lois Lane, World's Finest and Legion of Super-Heroes features, among others. He was penciling Tommy Tomorrow, Gangbusters, and covers for Superboy. The legendary artist responsible for the creation of Nightwing, Supergirl, Titano and a slew of other popular DC characters.- He was a U.N. diplomat whose negotiations helped resolve some of the worst international crises of the 1980s and 1990s, including the Iran-Iraq war and the kidnappings of Westerners, including Terry Anderson, by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
He studied political science at the University of Padua, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the universities of Prague and Amsterdam. - Art Department
Dick Hodgins was born on 9 May 1931 in Binghamton, New York, USA. Dick is known for Murder, She Wrote (1984). Dick died on 3 April 2016 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA.