Gloria Stroock, who played Rock Hudson’s secretary on McMillan & Wife and appeared in films including Fun With Dick and Jane, The Competition and The Day of the Locust, has died. She was 99.
Stroock died May 5 of natural causes in Tucson, Arizona, her daughter, Kate Stern, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Stroock was married to Emmy-winning writer-producer Leonard B. Stern (Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, The Phil Silvers Show, The Honeymooners, Get Smart and much more) from 1956 until his death in 2011 at age 87.
Her late younger sister was Geraldine Brooks, a Tony nominee and Warner Bros. contract player (Cry Wolf, Embraceable You).
Stroock recurred as Maggie, the secretary of Hudson’s San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, on the final three seasons (1974-77) of McMillan & Wife, the NBC series created by her husband.
She portrayed the wife of Richard Dysart’s art director in John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust...
Stroock died May 5 of natural causes in Tucson, Arizona, her daughter, Kate Stern, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Stroock was married to Emmy-winning writer-producer Leonard B. Stern (Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, The Phil Silvers Show, The Honeymooners, Get Smart and much more) from 1956 until his death in 2011 at age 87.
Her late younger sister was Geraldine Brooks, a Tony nominee and Warner Bros. contract player (Cry Wolf, Embraceable You).
Stroock recurred as Maggie, the secretary of Hudson’s San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, on the final three seasons (1974-77) of McMillan & Wife, the NBC series created by her husband.
She portrayed the wife of Richard Dysart’s art director in John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust...
- 5/14/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Identical twins mistaken for each other, a desperately obvious crime, the production values of a 70s TV mystery … this is cheap and tedious but not without a certain knowing charm
Given that this intensely schlocky, cheap-as-chardonnay-in-a-box erotic thriller is about identical twins who are often mistaken for each other, it can’t be a mere accident that it’s coming out hot on the heels of similarly titled romcom The Idea of You, an Anne Hathaway-vehicle about a fortysomething woman falling for a 24-year-old pop star. Surely, I will not be the only person to get the two mixed up.
Interestingly, it’s sort of a toss up as to which is more enjoyable. While The Idea of You is indubitably better financed and more lushly upholstered with fancy locations, snazzier costumes and a gazillion extras, it’s air of self-seriousness is irksome. The Image of You, on the other hand,...
Given that this intensely schlocky, cheap-as-chardonnay-in-a-box erotic thriller is about identical twins who are often mistaken for each other, it can’t be a mere accident that it’s coming out hot on the heels of similarly titled romcom The Idea of You, an Anne Hathaway-vehicle about a fortysomething woman falling for a 24-year-old pop star. Surely, I will not be the only person to get the two mixed up.
Interestingly, it’s sort of a toss up as to which is more enjoyable. While The Idea of You is indubitably better financed and more lushly upholstered with fancy locations, snazzier costumes and a gazillion extras, it’s air of self-seriousness is irksome. The Image of You, on the other hand,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Actor Ron Thompson, best known for starring alongside Robert Blake in the ABC crime series Baretta and his performance in the iconic 1981 film American Pop, has died. He was 83. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thompson was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment on Saturday afternoon (April 13). He was discovered by his friend and former co-worker Joe Black, a filmmaker who worked with Thompson on Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018), Suffrage (2023), and many other projects. No cause of death was given. “For a man of his age, he was so full of life; he had such a presence,” Black told THR, referring to Thompson as “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.” Born on January 31, 1941, in Louisville, Kentucky, Thompson moved with his family to Miami in 1945 and soon became fascinated with acting, especially after seeing Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. Thompson’s first acting gig came in 1960 when he appeared as...
- 4/16/2024
- TV Insider
Ron Thompson, the unheralded actor who starred on Broadway for Charles Gordone in the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody and played father and son musicians for Ralph Bakshi in the animated cult classic American Pop, has died. He was 83.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
- 4/16/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ron Thompson, a veteran character actor best known for his role in Ralph Bakshi’s rotoscope film American Pop and his 1970s TV series portrayal of Detective Nopke in Baretta, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 83. No cause was given by his friend Professor Rel Dowdell of Hampton University, who confirmed the death.
Thompson had a brief career as a rock singer in the 1960s and wrote and recorded a number of singles as Ronnie Thompson.
He also originated the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Pulitzer Prize winning play No Place to Be Somebody by Charles Gordone. He also won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his 1973 lead performance in the play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941, Ron, his older brother, and parents moved to Miami, Florida in ’45. Ron began to show talents as a singer/performer at an early age,...
Thompson had a brief career as a rock singer in the 1960s and wrote and recorded a number of singles as Ronnie Thompson.
He also originated the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Pulitzer Prize winning play No Place to Be Somebody by Charles Gordone. He also won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his 1973 lead performance in the play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941, Ron, his older brother, and parents moved to Miami, Florida in ’45. Ron began to show talents as a singer/performer at an early age,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Very sad news today as it’s been reported that M. Emmet Walsh has died at the age of 88. No matter the size of the role, the prolific character actor always made a unique impression throughout his long career, which spanned six decades.
M. Emmet Walsh is best known for playing Bryant in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, the captain of the Los Angeles Police Department who tasks Deckard with tracking down the replicants at the beginning of the film. He told THR that the cast and crew weren’t quite sure what the make of the movie when they first saw it. “I don’t know if I really understood what in the hell it was all about,” Walsh said. “We all sat there and it ended. And nothing. We didn’t know what to say or to think or do! We didn’t know what in the hell we had done!
M. Emmet Walsh is best known for playing Bryant in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, the captain of the Los Angeles Police Department who tasks Deckard with tracking down the replicants at the beginning of the film. He told THR that the cast and crew weren’t quite sure what the make of the movie when they first saw it. “I don’t know if I really understood what in the hell it was all about,” Walsh said. “We all sat there and it ended. And nothing. We didn’t know what to say or to think or do! We didn’t know what in the hell we had done!
- 3/20/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
The premise of the 1977 sitcom "Three's Company" -- adapted from the 1973 British series "Man About the House" -- would likely never fly in 2024. Roommates Janet (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy (Suzanne Somers) require a third roommate to pay rent in their expensive Santa Monica apartment. They stumble across Jack Tripper (John Ritter), an aspiring culinary student whom they get along with. It so happens, though, that the building's landlord, Mr. Roper (Normal Fell), is ultra-conservative and refuses to let unmarried men and women share his apartments. To get around this contrived contingency, Janet and Chrissy tell Mr. Roper that Jack is gay. This satisfies the landlord but opens Jack up to homophobic jibes.
Fell eventually left the series and was replaced by the high-strung Mr. Furley, played by Don Knotts. Mr. Furley, it seems, required the charade to continue. Somers also left the show in its last two seasons and was...
Fell eventually left the series and was replaced by the high-strung Mr. Furley, played by Don Knotts. Mr. Furley, it seems, required the charade to continue. Somers also left the show in its last two seasons and was...
- 3/16/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Peter S. Fischer, the prolific television writer behind “Murder, She Wrote” and “Columbo,” passed away on Monday, his grandson Jake McElrath told TheWrap. He was 88.
“We are very lucky to have so much of his work still accessible, like pieces of him left behind,” McElrath said in a statement to TheWrap. “He was an amazing presence to have in our lives, our Pa. We are all going to miss him.”
Fischer, who was nominated for three Emmy Awards across the duration of his career, is also known for his work on “Ellery Queen” and “The Eddie Capra Mysteries.” No further details about Fischer’s death are known at this time.
Born in 1935, Fischer’s longstanding career in Hollywood stretches back to writing 1971 TV movie “The Last Child,” before writing several TV episodes on “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law,” “Griff,” “Kojak” and “Baretta.”
The TV writer went...
“We are very lucky to have so much of his work still accessible, like pieces of him left behind,” McElrath said in a statement to TheWrap. “He was an amazing presence to have in our lives, our Pa. We are all going to miss him.”
Fischer, who was nominated for three Emmy Awards across the duration of his career, is also known for his work on “Ellery Queen” and “The Eddie Capra Mysteries.” No further details about Fischer’s death are known at this time.
Born in 1935, Fischer’s longstanding career in Hollywood stretches back to writing 1971 TV movie “The Last Child,” before writing several TV episodes on “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law,” “Griff,” “Kojak” and “Baretta.”
The TV writer went...
- 11/2/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Peter S. Fischer, the late-blooming TV writer and producer who co-created Murder, She Wrote after serving on such other crime-solving series as Columbo, Baretta and Ellery Queen, has died. He was 88.
Fischer died Monday at a care facility in Pacific Grove, California, his grandson Jake McElrath announced.
He became a prolific novelist after he exited Hollywood, writing murder mysteries, of course.
Fischer, who had worked with Columbo co-creators Richard Levinson and William Link on the iconic Peter Falk series as well as on the Jim Hutton-starring Ellery Queen, accompanied the pair to a meeting with CBS executives in 1984, he recalled in a 2011 interview.
“CBS wanted to do a murder mystery and they called Dick, who was our ringleader. He said, ‘Ok, I’ll bring the boys,'” Fischer said. “We went over there and pitched a premise called Blacke’s Magic, about a retired magician who solves mysteries. It became...
Fischer died Monday at a care facility in Pacific Grove, California, his grandson Jake McElrath announced.
He became a prolific novelist after he exited Hollywood, writing murder mysteries, of course.
Fischer, who had worked with Columbo co-creators Richard Levinson and William Link on the iconic Peter Falk series as well as on the Jim Hutton-starring Ellery Queen, accompanied the pair to a meeting with CBS executives in 1984, he recalled in a 2011 interview.
“CBS wanted to do a murder mystery and they called Dick, who was our ringleader. He said, ‘Ok, I’ll bring the boys,'” Fischer said. “We went over there and pitched a premise called Blacke’s Magic, about a retired magician who solves mysteries. It became...
- 11/2/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ex-Marine, former boxer, consummate ruffian, beloved character actor, and Academy Award nominee Burt Young has passed away, confirmed The New York Times. He was 83 years old. With a career spanning over five decades, Young's acting resume included over 160 roles, with memorable performances in films like "Chinatown," "Once Upon a Time in America," and "Back to School." Trained by the legendary Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York City, Young made a career playing Hollywood tough guys, street-smart cops, relatable working men, and as an Italian-American — of course — a mob boss.
However, it's his role as Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the "Rocky" film series that made him a household name and earned him the coveted Oscar nomination. The role allowed Young to not only shine as a complex, gifted performer but also bring his real-life experience as a professional boxer to the screen.
However, it's his role as Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the "Rocky" film series that made him a household name and earned him the coveted Oscar nomination. The role allowed Young to not only shine as a complex, gifted performer but also bring his real-life experience as a professional boxer to the screen.
- 10/19/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Say what you want about celebrity worship, but actors loom large in the popular imagination. Millions of people around the world suspend their disbelief to follow a story and invest in its characters, and some of this investment may go toward the actors themselves. Many of us like, respect, or find some common ground with specific performers. Our connections with them vary — background, talent, personality — but a consistent one is generation. So it is lamentable when we hear of an actor aging or even dying. Why? Because it means another part of our culture and zeitgeist is fading away.
We're just over halfway through 2023, and while we haven't seen a repeat of 2016 with its flurry of celebrity deaths, numerous actors from the screen and stage are passing on. Here are the actors who have died in 2023, so far.
Read more: The 14 Best Film Acting Debuts Of All Time
Earl Boen...
We're just over halfway through 2023, and while we haven't seen a repeat of 2016 with its flurry of celebrity deaths, numerous actors from the screen and stage are passing on. Here are the actors who have died in 2023, so far.
Read more: The 14 Best Film Acting Debuts Of All Time
Earl Boen...
- 8/8/2023
- by Jack Hawkins
- Slash Film
Nicolas Coster, the British-American actor who played an evasive lawyer in All the President’s Men, a fiendish kidnapper in All My Children, zany businessman Lionel Lockridge on Santa Barbara, and the father of Lisa Whelchel’s Blair Warner in The Facts of Life, died Monday at a hospital in Florida. He was 89.
His death was announced by his daughter Dinneen Coster on social media. “There is great sadness in my heart this evening, my father actor Nicolas Coster has passed on in Florida at 9:01 pm in the hospital,” Dinneen Coster wrote on Facebook. “Please be inspired by his artistic achievements and know he was a real actor’s actor!”
A cause of death was not given.
A prolific actor whose career spanned decades on television and encompassed both leading and character roles,...
His death was announced by his daughter Dinneen Coster on social media. “There is great sadness in my heart this evening, my father actor Nicolas Coster has passed on in Florida at 9:01 pm in the hospital,” Dinneen Coster wrote on Facebook. “Please be inspired by his artistic achievements and know he was a real actor’s actor!”
A cause of death was not given.
A prolific actor whose career spanned decades on television and encompassed both leading and character roles,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Lew Palter, a veteran actor and teacher who portrayed Isidor Straus in James Cameron’s Titanic, has died at the age of 94.
Palter died on May 21st of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter told The Hollywood Reporter.
In Titanic, Palter portrayed Straus, a U.S. Congressman and co-owner of Macy’s department store. He and his wife, Ida, perished on the sinking ship after refusing to board a lifeboat because there were women and children who had yet to be saved. In one of the film’s final scenes, Palter’s character embraces his wife (played by Elsa Raven) in their stateroom as water rushes in.
Wendy Rush, the wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush who died last week on a dive in a submersible to the wreck of the Titanic, is a great-great-granddaughter of the Strauses — as is the singer King Princess.
Earlier on in his career,...
Palter died on May 21st of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter told The Hollywood Reporter.
In Titanic, Palter portrayed Straus, a U.S. Congressman and co-owner of Macy’s department store. He and his wife, Ida, perished on the sinking ship after refusing to board a lifeboat because there were women and children who had yet to be saved. In one of the film’s final scenes, Palter’s character embraces his wife (played by Elsa Raven) in their stateroom as water rushes in.
Wendy Rush, the wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush who died last week on a dive in a submersible to the wreck of the Titanic, is a great-great-granddaughter of the Strauses — as is the singer King Princess.
Earlier on in his career,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Film News
Lew Palter, who played Isidor Straus in James Cameron’s Titanic and a Supreme Court justice in First Monday in October, has died. He was 94.
Palter died of lung cancer May 21 at his Los Angeles home. CalArts, where Palter was a longtime faculty member, shared news of his death on Twitter.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that longtime #calartstheater faculty Lew Palter has passed away. Lew retired from @CalArts in 2013, having served our community since 1971 as an acting teacher, director, and mentor.”
Among his students at CalArts was Cecily Strong, said it was Palter who encouraged her to try out for improv/sketch comedy group The Groundlings, leading to her breakout role on SNL.
“Lew loved the craft of acting, and taught his students to do the same,” said CalArts School of Theater Dean Travis Preston in a statement. “He fostered deep curiosity, care, intellect,...
Palter died of lung cancer May 21 at his Los Angeles home. CalArts, where Palter was a longtime faculty member, shared news of his death on Twitter.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that longtime #calartstheater faculty Lew Palter has passed away. Lew retired from @CalArts in 2013, having served our community since 1971 as an acting teacher, director, and mentor.”
Among his students at CalArts was Cecily Strong, said it was Palter who encouraged her to try out for improv/sketch comedy group The Groundlings, leading to her breakout role on SNL.
“Lew loved the craft of acting, and taught his students to do the same,” said CalArts School of Theater Dean Travis Preston in a statement. “He fostered deep curiosity, care, intellect,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
In the early days of television, the “Big Three” networks ruled the small screen. ABC is the baby, entering the new medium a little behind its competitors, and finding new and creative ways to find success against two mighty opponents.
ABC found its earliest success with two programs that had begun on radio, “The Lone Ranger,” which was the network’s first big hit, and “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” a sitcom loosely based on the life of the real-life Nelson family. The latter remained on the air for 14 seasons, and was the longest-running prime-time comedy for decades, and the longest-running live action sitcom until 2021. However, ABC still struggled against the firmly established NBC and CBS, and found innovative ways to compete.
In 1954, ABC and Walt Disney struck an unprecedented deal: the network helped finance the filmmaker’s ambitious Disneyland Park, while Disney produced a weekly TV show for the network.
ABC found its earliest success with two programs that had begun on radio, “The Lone Ranger,” which was the network’s first big hit, and “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” a sitcom loosely based on the life of the real-life Nelson family. The latter remained on the air for 14 seasons, and was the longest-running prime-time comedy for decades, and the longest-running live action sitcom until 2021. However, ABC still struggled against the firmly established NBC and CBS, and found innovative ways to compete.
In 1954, ABC and Walt Disney struck an unprecedented deal: the network helped finance the filmmaker’s ambitious Disneyland Park, while Disney produced a weekly TV show for the network.
- 5/10/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
The Oscars’ annual In Memoriam segment on Sunday included a live performance of the song “Calling All Angels” by Lenny Kravitz.
The slideshow of notable deaths that streamed behind Kravitz includes names like Angela Lansbury, Ray Liotta, Jean-Luc Godard, Irene Cara, Kirstie Alley, Raquel Welch, Nichelle Nichols, Burt Bacharach, Vangelis, and many more.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story 'Rrr's "Naatu Naatu" First Song From Indian Film To Take Home Oscar; Songwriters On "Top Of The World" Related Story Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort And Kimmelot Team For Mockumentary Oscar Ad Tribute To Made-Up Film Legend "Otto Desć"
Watch the performance above.
Among those that were missing (and called out on Twitter) included Charlbi Dean, the leading actress in the Best Picture Oscar nominee Triangle of Sadness who died suddenly at age 32; Anne Heche, who died in an August car crash; Goodfellas star Paul Sorvino; and Tom Sizemore,...
The slideshow of notable deaths that streamed behind Kravitz includes names like Angela Lansbury, Ray Liotta, Jean-Luc Godard, Irene Cara, Kirstie Alley, Raquel Welch, Nichelle Nichols, Burt Bacharach, Vangelis, and many more.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story 'Rrr's "Naatu Naatu" First Song From Indian Film To Take Home Oscar; Songwriters On "Top Of The World" Related Story Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort And Kimmelot Team For Mockumentary Oscar Ad Tribute To Made-Up Film Legend "Otto Desć"
Watch the performance above.
Among those that were missing (and called out on Twitter) included Charlbi Dean, the leading actress in the Best Picture Oscar nominee Triangle of Sadness who died suddenly at age 32; Anne Heche, who died in an August car crash; Goodfellas star Paul Sorvino; and Tom Sizemore,...
- 3/13/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Kristin Bjorklund, a longtime member of the Family Feud game show producing team, died in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 5 of sepsis after undergoing a kidney transplant. She was 67.
Here death was announced by her friend Diane Hamilton.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Denise Russo Dies: 'The X-Life' Star Was 44 Related Story Robert Blake Dies: Actor In 'Baretta' And 'In Cold Blood' Was 89, Beat Real-Life Murder Rap
Starting as a production assistant when Richard Dawson hosted, Bjorklund had risen to co-executive producer by the Steve Harvey era. She also worked on the show when Ray Combs and Louie Anderson hosted.
Born in Mineola, New York on July 8, 1955, Bjorklund began her career at game show producer Goodson-Todman Productions after graduating from Dartmouth. She started working for Family Feud in 1982, first as a production assistant for the main show and its spinoff All-Star Family Feud,...
Here death was announced by her friend Diane Hamilton.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Denise Russo Dies: 'The X-Life' Star Was 44 Related Story Robert Blake Dies: Actor In 'Baretta' And 'In Cold Blood' Was 89, Beat Real-Life Murder Rap
Starting as a production assistant when Richard Dawson hosted, Bjorklund had risen to co-executive producer by the Steve Harvey era. She also worked on the show when Ray Combs and Louie Anderson hosted.
Born in Mineola, New York on July 8, 1955, Bjorklund began her career at game show producer Goodson-Todman Productions after graduating from Dartmouth. She started working for Family Feud in 1982, first as a production assistant for the main show and its spinoff All-Star Family Feud,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Legally embattled actor Alec Baldwin has asked fans to focus on late Hollywood outcast Robert Blake’s contributions to film and TV rather than Blake’s “legal entanglements.”
“Robert Blake has died. I realize that many people have had harsh feelings toward him,” Baldwin wrote on Instagram. “His life seemed to involve many dramatic legal entanglements.”
Baldwin continued, “Today, I want [to] remember him as the incredibly gifted actor he was. A child actor who made countless films in the ’40s.” He went on to name the films Treasure of the Sierra Madre, A Town Without Pity, Electra Glide in Blue, and more, as well as Blake’s Emmy-winning role in the ABC detective series Baretta.
According to Baldwin, however, Blake’s performance in 1967’s In Cold Blood “cemented his place in movie history.” He added, “The brooding, baby-faced Blake had a difficult life. However, when you watch In Cold Blood,...
“Robert Blake has died. I realize that many people have had harsh feelings toward him,” Baldwin wrote on Instagram. “His life seemed to involve many dramatic legal entanglements.”
Baldwin continued, “Today, I want [to] remember him as the incredibly gifted actor he was. A child actor who made countless films in the ’40s.” He went on to name the films Treasure of the Sierra Madre, A Town Without Pity, Electra Glide in Blue, and more, as well as Blake’s Emmy-winning role in the ABC detective series Baretta.
According to Baldwin, however, Blake’s performance in 1967’s In Cold Blood “cemented his place in movie history.” He added, “The brooding, baby-faced Blake had a difficult life. However, when you watch In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
Emmy-winning actor Robert Blake died Thursday (March 9) at age 89, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles. His niece Noreen Austin said that he had been battling heart disease. Blake had a career lasting 60 years but will forever be remembered for the dramatic murder trial and his acquittal over the shooting death of his second wife Bonny Lee Bakley in 2001. Blake’s best known role was as star of the ABC show Baretta in which he played undercover New York City detective Tony Baretta. It aired for four seasons in the mid 1970s. His quirky character was fond of disguises and carrying a pet cockatoo on his shoulder. The show had often quoted catchphrases, including “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” and “You can take that to the bank.” Following Blake’s death Alec Baldwin posted a tribute on Instagram, urging people to...
- 3/10/2023
- TV Insider
Robert Blake — the actor best known for his roles on “Baretta” and in the film “In Cold Blood”, as well as for being tried and acquitted of his wife’s murder in a high-profile case — has died. He was 89.
Blake’s niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed the news in a public obituary, sharing that Blake died from heart disease in Los Angeles on Thursday, surrounded by his family.
Blake’s career began in childhood when he started acting in MGM’s “Our Gang” short films, a.k.a “The Little Rascals”. Blake managed to maintain his career through his teens, and after getting drafted into the Army, Blake returned to acting in his mid-20s.
Read More: Tom Jackson, 'Queer Eye' Season 1 Fan Favorite, Dead at 63 After Cancer Battle
He was one of the first child stars to gain fame and take on serious roles as an adult actor,...
Blake’s niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed the news in a public obituary, sharing that Blake died from heart disease in Los Angeles on Thursday, surrounded by his family.
Blake’s career began in childhood when he started acting in MGM’s “Our Gang” short films, a.k.a “The Little Rascals”. Blake managed to maintain his career through his teens, and after getting drafted into the Army, Blake returned to acting in his mid-20s.
Read More: Tom Jackson, 'Queer Eye' Season 1 Fan Favorite, Dead at 63 After Cancer Battle
He was one of the first child stars to gain fame and take on serious roles as an adult actor,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Robert Blake, the Emmy-winning actor who became a Hollywood outcast when he was tried and acquitted in the 2001 murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, has died at 89.
A statement by his niece on Thursday (March 9th) via The Associated Press shared that “Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.”
Robert Blake, born Michael James Gubitosi on September 18th, 1933, launched his acting career as child star on The Little Rascals series Our Gang. After serving in the army and suffering from drug addiction, he transitioned to mature roles in films like 1967’s In Cold Blood.
From 1975 to 1978, Blake played the titular detective on ABC’s Baretta, which earned him an Emmy for Lead Actor in its debut season and another nomination in 1977. The role also made catchphrases out of “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” and “You...
A statement by his niece on Thursday (March 9th) via The Associated Press shared that “Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.”
Robert Blake, born Michael James Gubitosi on September 18th, 1933, launched his acting career as child star on The Little Rascals series Our Gang. After serving in the army and suffering from drug addiction, he transitioned to mature roles in films like 1967’s In Cold Blood.
From 1975 to 1978, Blake played the titular detective on ABC’s Baretta, which earned him an Emmy for Lead Actor in its debut season and another nomination in 1977. The role also made catchphrases out of “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” and “You...
- 3/10/2023
- by Bryan Kress
- Consequence - Film News
Michael James Gubitosi, more famously known as Robert Blake, died at the age of 89 in Los Angeles from heart disease. The news comes from Blake's niece Noreen Austin and was reported by Deadline. Blake was a Hollywood lifer, getting his start as a child in the MGM film "Bridal Suite" before assuming the role of Porky in the "Our Gang" and "The Little Rascals" shorts from 1939 to 1944. He continued performing well into his teen years, taking a brief hiatus in his 20s after he was drafted into the United States Army.
Blake reportedly developed a severe substance abuse problem in the years that followed but turned back to acting to get his life on track. He re-emerged playing more adult, dramatic roles, appearing in films like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "In Cold Blood," and a string of studio Westerns under the stage name "Bobby Blake." He would eventually pivot...
Blake reportedly developed a severe substance abuse problem in the years that followed but turned back to acting to get his life on track. He re-emerged playing more adult, dramatic roles, appearing in films like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "In Cold Blood," and a string of studio Westerns under the stage name "Bobby Blake." He would eventually pivot...
- 3/10/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
It was announced today that controversial actor Robert Blake has died at the age of 89. His niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed that he died at his Los Angeles home after a longtime battle with heart disease. Blake was best known for his roles in Richard Brooks’ adaptation of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, David Lynch’s Lost Highway, and for starring in the 1970s detective series Baretta.
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Robert Blake, the Emmy-winning film and television star who participated in over half a century’s worth of Hollywood history, has died at the age of 89. The news was confirmed by the Associated Press.
Born in New Jersey in 1933, Blake began working in film as a child actor in the late 1930s. His first onscreen role came in the form of an uncredited appearance in Wilhelm Thiele’s 1939 film “Bridal Suite.” He continued to work steadily throughout the 1940s and 1950s, memorably appearing as a child selling lottery tickets who gets a drink thrown in his face in 1948’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Blake was one of the first child stars to successfully transition into adult roles. After a string of guest spots on popular 1960s TV shows, he was working as a leading man by the end of the decade. He memorably played Perry in Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation of “In Cold Blood,...
Born in New Jersey in 1933, Blake began working in film as a child actor in the late 1930s. His first onscreen role came in the form of an uncredited appearance in Wilhelm Thiele’s 1939 film “Bridal Suite.” He continued to work steadily throughout the 1940s and 1950s, memorably appearing as a child selling lottery tickets who gets a drink thrown in his face in 1948’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Blake was one of the first child stars to successfully transition into adult roles. After a string of guest spots on popular 1960s TV shows, he was working as a leading man by the end of the decade. He memorably played Perry in Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation of “In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Actor Robert Blake, who starred in the 1967 classic film In Cold Blood and Treasure of the Sierra Madre in 1948, has died at the age of 89, Deadline reports.
The controversial actor died from heart disease in Los Angeles, his niece Noreen Austin confirmed to the outlet.
Born Michael James Gubitosi on Sept. 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake began acting at a young age with his two siblings as the “The Three Little Hillbillies.” His family moved to California in 1938, and Blake, along with his siblings, worked as movie extras in Los Angeles.
The controversial actor died from heart disease in Los Angeles, his niece Noreen Austin confirmed to the outlet.
Born Michael James Gubitosi on Sept. 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake began acting at a young age with his two siblings as the “The Three Little Hillbillies.” His family moved to California in 1938, and Blake, along with his siblings, worked as movie extras in Los Angeles.
- 3/10/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Actor Robert Blake, who starred in the 1970s cop show Baretta and was later acquitted of killing his wife in a high-profile murder trial, has died at the age of 89. He died on Thursday from heart disease, his niece tells our sister site Deadline.
Blake began his Hollywood career as a child actor, playing Mickey in MGM’s Our Gang shorts, later known as the Little Rascals. The young Blake also appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film and shared a scene with Humphrey Bogart in the 1948 classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
More from TVLineShadow and Bone Stars Talk Six of Crows' Struggles,...
Blake began his Hollywood career as a child actor, playing Mickey in MGM’s Our Gang shorts, later known as the Little Rascals. The young Blake also appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film and shared a scene with Humphrey Bogart in the 1948 classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
More from TVLineShadow and Bone Stars Talk Six of Crows' Struggles,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Actor Robert Blake, born Michael James Gubitosi, died Thursday at the age of 89 in Los Angeles from heart disease.
Blake’s 60-year-plus career in Hollywood included a gig in “Our Gang” as a child, and a role in “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” in 1948 all the way through David Lynch’s cult classic “Lost Highway” in 1997.
In terms of his onscreen work, he is best known for playing convicted murderer Perry Smith in the feature film adaptation of “In Cold Blood.” The 1967 classic is based on Truman Capote’s groundbreaking nonfiction book, which is often considered the first modern true crime novel.
His most iconic television work included four seasons playing the title role in ABC’s undercover cop action drama “Baretta,” for which he earned an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1977. Blake also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” as a reoccurring guest...
Blake’s 60-year-plus career in Hollywood included a gig in “Our Gang” as a child, and a role in “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” in 1948 all the way through David Lynch’s cult classic “Lost Highway” in 1997.
In terms of his onscreen work, he is best known for playing convicted murderer Perry Smith in the feature film adaptation of “In Cold Blood.” The 1967 classic is based on Truman Capote’s groundbreaking nonfiction book, which is often considered the first modern true crime novel.
His most iconic television work included four seasons playing the title role in ABC’s undercover cop action drama “Baretta,” for which he earned an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1977. Blake also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” as a reoccurring guest...
- 3/10/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Robert Blake, who played the crazed real-life killer Perry Smith in Truman Copote’s In Cold Blood and the popular TV cop Tony Baretta before a sensational Hollywood murder trial destroyed his career, has died. He was 89.
Blake, who got his start as a child star in the 1940s in the Our Gang comedy shorts at MGM, died Thursday at his Los Angeles home after a long battle with heart disease, his niece, Noreen Austin, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On the night of May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley, Blake’s wife of six months and the mother of his young daughter, was fatally shot twice at point-blank range while she sat in their car after they had dined at Vitello’s, an Italian restaurant in Studio City. (The actor said he had gone back into the restaurant to retrieve a revolver he had left behind.)
Nearly four years later, including a year spent in jail,...
Blake, who got his start as a child star in the 1940s in the Our Gang comedy shorts at MGM, died Thursday at his Los Angeles home after a long battle with heart disease, his niece, Noreen Austin, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On the night of May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley, Blake’s wife of six months and the mother of his young daughter, was fatally shot twice at point-blank range while she sat in their car after they had dined at Vitello’s, an Italian restaurant in Studio City. (The actor said he had gone back into the restaurant to retrieve a revolver he had left behind.)
Nearly four years later, including a year spent in jail,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Robert Blake, a man with a long and complex legacy, has died, a representative for his son-in-law Gregg Hurwitz confirmed to Variety. The former child actor was best known for his Emmy-winning role as the cockatoo-owning undercover cop in the popular 1970s TV series “Baretta” and, more infamously, for his trial following the 2001 murder of his wife. He was 89.
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Blake, the controversial actor who won a Lead Actor Emmy for Baretta and starred in films including In Cold Blood and Lost Highway before a murder trial ended his career, died today of heart disease in Los Angeles. He was 89. His niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed the news.
Blake’s long career ranged from a childhood stint in “Our Gang” at age 5 through major films and television before he was acquitted of murder in the 2001 death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
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Over the course of 60+ years of working in Hollywood, Blake appeared in such classic films as Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) alongside Humphrey Bogart; In Cold Blood (1967) with John Forsythe...
Blake’s long career ranged from a childhood stint in “Our Gang” at age 5 through major films and television before he was acquitted of murder in the 2001 death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
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Over the course of 60+ years of working in Hollywood, Blake appeared in such classic films as Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) alongside Humphrey Bogart; In Cold Blood (1967) with John Forsythe...
- 3/10/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The famed star of stage and screen, Carole Cook, has died of heart failure at the age of 98. Born Mildred Francis Cook, the actor was given the stage name Carole by her longtime friend and mentor Lucille Ball and it stuck for her entire 60-year career.
Starting in the late 1950s, Cook was a staple on television, appearing on shows like "U.S. Marshalls," "The Lucy Show," "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "McMillan & Wife," "Maude," "Baretta," "Charlie's Angels," "Kojak," "The Love Boat," "Murder, She Wrote," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Dynasty," to name but a small sampling of her credits list.
She was almost as prolific on the stage as she was on television, appearing in a ton of big-name shows. She notably was the second actor to fill in for the role of Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!" after Carol Channing and appeared in shows on and off Broadway...
Starting in the late 1950s, Cook was a staple on television, appearing on shows like "U.S. Marshalls," "The Lucy Show," "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "McMillan & Wife," "Maude," "Baretta," "Charlie's Angels," "Kojak," "The Love Boat," "Murder, She Wrote," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Dynasty," to name but a small sampling of her credits list.
She was almost as prolific on the stage as she was on television, appearing in a ton of big-name shows. She notably was the second actor to fill in for the role of Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!" after Carol Channing and appeared in shows on and off Broadway...
- 1/12/2023
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
Carole Cook, a veteran stage and screen actor who was a protégé of Lucille Ball, has died in Beverly Hills, Calif., of heart failure. She was 98.
Cook was known for her guest roles on “The Lucy Show” from 1963-68 and “Here’s Lucy” from 1969-74. She began her acting career in 1959 when Ball requested she appear in an episode of “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” titled, “The Desilu Revue.”
In films, Cook was known for her role as Molly Ringwald’s Grandma Helen in the 1984 John Hughes rom-com, “Sixteen Candles.” She also appeared in “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” “Palm Springs Weekend,” “American Gigolo,” “The Gauntlet,” “Grandview, U.S.A.,” “Summer Lovers” and “A Very Sordid Wedding.”
In addition to her television work with Ball, Cook guest starred on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” “U.S. Marshal,” “Daniel Boone,” “My World and Welcome to It,” “That Girl,” “Baretta,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “Charlie’s Angels,...
Cook was known for her guest roles on “The Lucy Show” from 1963-68 and “Here’s Lucy” from 1969-74. She began her acting career in 1959 when Ball requested she appear in an episode of “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” titled, “The Desilu Revue.”
In films, Cook was known for her role as Molly Ringwald’s Grandma Helen in the 1984 John Hughes rom-com, “Sixteen Candles.” She also appeared in “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” “Palm Springs Weekend,” “American Gigolo,” “The Gauntlet,” “Grandview, U.S.A.,” “Summer Lovers” and “A Very Sordid Wedding.”
In addition to her television work with Ball, Cook guest starred on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” “U.S. Marshal,” “Daniel Boone,” “My World and Welcome to It,” “That Girl,” “Baretta,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “Charlie’s Angels,...
- 1/12/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Ronald Dennis, the Broadway performer who indelibly played dancer Richie Walters in the original 1975 cast of A Chorus Line and introduced one of the show’s musical highlights in “Gimme the Ball,” died Dec. 17 following a lengthy illness. He was 78.
A longtime advocate for AIDS awareness and charities after being diagnosed HIV-positive in 1984, Dennis served on the Broadway Cares Advisory Council and was the Senior Advisor for the Black Men’s HIV Medication Adherence Board at Apla/Project Rise.
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Dennis already had appeared on Broadway as a dancer in 1964’s Hello, Dolly! starring Pearl Bailey and Micki Grant’s 1972 Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope when his signature role came into his life. As Richie in A Chorus Line,...
A longtime advocate for AIDS awareness and charities after being diagnosed HIV-positive in 1984, Dennis served on the Broadway Cares Advisory Council and was the Senior Advisor for the Black Men’s HIV Medication Adherence Board at Apla/Project Rise.
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Dennis already had appeared on Broadway as a dancer in 1964’s Hello, Dolly! starring Pearl Bailey and Micki Grant’s 1972 Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope when his signature role came into his life. As Richie in A Chorus Line,...
- 12/20/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Towards the end of a long conversation about the late Tony Sirico, who so memorably played Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos, the show’s creator, David Chase, told Rolling Stone, “The fans loved him. They were crazy about him!”
Why was that?
“You know what it was: him!” Chase said plainly. “He was great. He was always surprising, or outrageous.”
Chase had lots of fond memories of Sirico, who died on July 8 at age 79. Below, he discusses the “precious little separation” between Sirico and his wiseguy alter ego, how Sirico...
Why was that?
“You know what it was: him!” Chase said plainly. “He was great. He was always surprising, or outrageous.”
Chase had lots of fond memories of Sirico, who died on July 8 at age 79. Below, he discusses the “precious little separation” between Sirico and his wiseguy alter ego, how Sirico...
- 7/9/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Steve Restivo, an actor in Garry Marshall films and the former co-owner of Vitello’s, the Studio City restaurant that hosted Baretta star Robert Blake and his wife just before she was fatally shot, has died. He was 81.
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
- 11/24/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Steve Restivo, an actor in Garry Marshall films and the former co-owner of Vitello’s, the Studio City restaurant that hosted Baretta star Robert Blake and his wife just before she was fatally shot, has died. He was 81.
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
- 11/24/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Val Bisoglio, a character actor who played John Travolta’s father in Saturday Night Fever, appeared opposite Jack Klugman on all eight seasons of Quincy, M.E. and had an arc on The Sopranos has died. He was 95.
His wife Bonnie Bisoglio said the actor died October 18 of Lewy body dementia at his home near San Olivos, CA.
Born on May 7, 1926, in Manhattan, Bisoglio began his screen career with guest roles on series including Bonanza and Mayberry R.F.D. By the early 1970s, he appeared on such popular TV fare as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, The Partridge Family, Mannix and Love, American Style. He landed his first series-regular role on the short-lived CBS sitcom Roll Out in 1973.
He scored a second series-regular gig on a CBS sitcom, Working Stiffs, playing the owner of a Chicago office building where his sons — played by Michael Keaton and Jim Belushi — worked as janitors.
His wife Bonnie Bisoglio said the actor died October 18 of Lewy body dementia at his home near San Olivos, CA.
Born on May 7, 1926, in Manhattan, Bisoglio began his screen career with guest roles on series including Bonanza and Mayberry R.F.D. By the early 1970s, he appeared on such popular TV fare as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, The Partridge Family, Mannix and Love, American Style. He landed his first series-regular role on the short-lived CBS sitcom Roll Out in 1973.
He scored a second series-regular gig on a CBS sitcom, Working Stiffs, playing the owner of a Chicago office building where his sons — played by Michael Keaton and Jim Belushi — worked as janitors.
- 10/29/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Frank Lupo, the TV writer-producer who was a frequent collaborator with Stephen J. Cannell in the 1980s on such high-octane dramas as “The A-Team,” “Hunter” and “Wiseguy,” has died. He was 66.
Lupo died Feb. 18 at his home in Florida, according to his sister, Linda Joy Sullivan.
Lupo’s work in TV took off in the late 1970s when he wrote for such series as “Battlestar Galactica,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “B.J. and the Bear” and “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo.”
Lupo worked on the Universal Television lot in the same era as Cannell, the prolific showrunner behind “The Rockford Files” and “Baretta.” Lupo wrote several episodes of Cannell’s ABC dramedy “The Greatest American Hero.”
Lupo and Cannell then co-created “The A-Team,” the action-drama with touches of comedy that became a massive hit for NBC in 1983. Cannell, who died in 2010, famously took the bold step of launching his own independent production banner on the back of “A-Team.
Lupo died Feb. 18 at his home in Florida, according to his sister, Linda Joy Sullivan.
Lupo’s work in TV took off in the late 1970s when he wrote for such series as “Battlestar Galactica,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “B.J. and the Bear” and “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo.”
Lupo worked on the Universal Television lot in the same era as Cannell, the prolific showrunner behind “The Rockford Files” and “Baretta.” Lupo wrote several episodes of Cannell’s ABC dramedy “The Greatest American Hero.”
Lupo and Cannell then co-created “The A-Team,” the action-drama with touches of comedy that became a massive hit for NBC in 1983. Cannell, who died in 2010, famously took the bold step of launching his own independent production banner on the back of “A-Team.
- 3/7/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Caesar Cordova, a character actor who appeared with Al Pacino in “Scarface” and “Carlito’s Way,” died of natural causes Wednesday in Atlantic City, N.J. He was 84.
His son, actor Panchito Gomez “American Me,” “Mi Vida Loca”), announced his death.
In Brian de Palma’s “Scarface,” Cordova played the taco cook at the El Paraiso lunch stand. Though the film was set in Miami, the scene was actually shot in downtown Los Angeles. In “Carlito’s Way,” he played the barber.
Cordova was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. He also appeared on Broadway with Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?”
His film credits include “Where the Buffalo Roam,” opposite Peter Boyle and Bill Murray, “Nighthawks” with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams and “Shark’s Treasure,” where he appeared opposite Cornel Wilde, who also wrote and directed the film.
On television, he had guest appearances on “Kojak,...
His son, actor Panchito Gomez “American Me,” “Mi Vida Loca”), announced his death.
In Brian de Palma’s “Scarface,” Cordova played the taco cook at the El Paraiso lunch stand. Though the film was set in Miami, the scene was actually shot in downtown Los Angeles. In “Carlito’s Way,” he played the barber.
Cordova was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. He also appeared on Broadway with Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?”
His film credits include “Where the Buffalo Roam,” opposite Peter Boyle and Bill Murray, “Nighthawks” with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams and “Shark’s Treasure,” where he appeared opposite Cornel Wilde, who also wrote and directed the film.
On television, he had guest appearances on “Kojak,...
- 8/28/2020
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Allan Rich, an actor who was caught up in the Hollywood Blacklist of the 1950s but went on to have a 50-year film and TV career, has died. He was 94. His family said he died August 22 of progressive dementia at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, NJ, which is run by the Actors Fund.
A character actor with an instantly recognizable face, Rich had more than 130 roles in television and film, ranging from Serpico and The Gambler to some of the 1970s’ biggest TV shows and a memorable turn on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also had supporting roles in four Broadway shows during the 1940s and ’50s before he was blacklisted.
Born on February 8, 1926, in the Bronx, Rich was a rising stage actor in the early 1950s when he name came up during the House Un-American Activities Committee led by Sen. Joseph McCarthy because the actor’s Theater Action...
A character actor with an instantly recognizable face, Rich had more than 130 roles in television and film, ranging from Serpico and The Gambler to some of the 1970s’ biggest TV shows and a memorable turn on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also had supporting roles in four Broadway shows during the 1940s and ’50s before he was blacklisted.
Born on February 8, 1926, in the Bronx, Rich was a rising stage actor in the early 1950s when he name came up during the House Un-American Activities Committee led by Sen. Joseph McCarthy because the actor’s Theater Action...
- 8/25/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Allan Rich, who was blacklisted in Hollywood early in his career and later found his niche as a versatile character actor in hundreds of roles, died on Aug. 22 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, N.J. He was 94.
Rich’s notable feature film credits included playing district attorney Herman Tauber in Sidney Lumet’s “Serpico,” Judge Juttson in Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad,” and television executive Robert Kintner in Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” for which The New York Times reviewed his performance as having “the gruff assurance of a real executive.”
Rich was born Benjamin Norman Schultz on Feb. 8, 1926, in New York’s the Bronx. In 1943 he made his Broadway debut in “I’ll Take the High Road,” produced by Milton Berle. He became lifelong friends with Berle and went on to work with Edward G. Robinson, Claude Raines, Ralph Bellamy, Jack Palance, Kim Hunter and Henry Fonda.
Rich’s notable feature film credits included playing district attorney Herman Tauber in Sidney Lumet’s “Serpico,” Judge Juttson in Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad,” and television executive Robert Kintner in Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” for which The New York Times reviewed his performance as having “the gruff assurance of a real executive.”
Rich was born Benjamin Norman Schultz on Feb. 8, 1926, in New York’s the Bronx. In 1943 he made his Broadway debut in “I’ll Take the High Road,” produced by Milton Berle. He became lifelong friends with Berle and went on to work with Edward G. Robinson, Claude Raines, Ralph Bellamy, Jack Palance, Kim Hunter and Henry Fonda.
- 8/24/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Shout! Factory has struck a distribution deal with Stephen J. Cannell Productions Inc that will give Shout! a mix of worldwide, domestic and international broadcast and streaming rights to the prolific TV creator’s catalog of 1970s-1990s shows including 21 Jump Street, Hunter, Wiseguy, The Commish, The Greatest American Hero and Riptide.
With the deal, Shout! will bring the vast library that totals more than 20 TV series and movies and 900 hours of programming to to broadcast and streaming platforms across territories. Terms were not disclosed.
Previously, MeTV owner Weigel Broadcasting had licensed Cannell’s 21 Jump Street, Booker, Hunter, Wiseguy and Commish.
The deal is the latest to fuel Shout!’s strategy of all-rights acquisitions and worldwide distribution of programming across broadcast and multiple digital streaming platforms, with an eye on reinvigorate and create additional long-term value of pop-culture brands. Previous pacts include with Sesame Workshop and ITV Global Entertainment.
With the deal, Shout! will bring the vast library that totals more than 20 TV series and movies and 900 hours of programming to to broadcast and streaming platforms across territories. Terms were not disclosed.
Previously, MeTV owner Weigel Broadcasting had licensed Cannell’s 21 Jump Street, Booker, Hunter, Wiseguy and Commish.
The deal is the latest to fuel Shout!’s strategy of all-rights acquisitions and worldwide distribution of programming across broadcast and multiple digital streaming platforms, with an eye on reinvigorate and create additional long-term value of pop-culture brands. Previous pacts include with Sesame Workshop and ITV Global Entertainment.
- 3/11/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Virginia Leith, the star of Stanley Kubrick’s first movie “Fear and Desire,” has died at the age of 94.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Leith died at her home in Palm Springs, California on Nov. 4 after a brief illness.
Kubrick’s 1953 film served as Leith’s acting debut, though the director famously disavowed the work, at one point referring to it as a “bumbling amateur film exercise.” Leith, whose character in the war film is unnamed, appeared as a young girl killed by a soldier.
Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2019 (Photos)
After her role in “Fear and Desire,” Leith signed as a contract player with 20th Century Fox, going on to appear in “On the Threshold of Space,” “Violent Saturday,” “A Kiss Before Dying” and “Toward the Unknown.”
She played the lead role in Joseph Green’s “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die” as the wife of a mad...
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Leith died at her home in Palm Springs, California on Nov. 4 after a brief illness.
Kubrick’s 1953 film served as Leith’s acting debut, though the director famously disavowed the work, at one point referring to it as a “bumbling amateur film exercise.” Leith, whose character in the war film is unnamed, appeared as a young girl killed by a soldier.
Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2019 (Photos)
After her role in “Fear and Desire,” Leith signed as a contract player with 20th Century Fox, going on to appear in “On the Threshold of Space,” “Violent Saturday,” “A Kiss Before Dying” and “Toward the Unknown.”
She played the lead role in Joseph Green’s “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die” as the wife of a mad...
- 11/13/2019
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Virginia Leith, a model and actress who starred in Stanley Kubrick’s debut feature Fear and Desire, has died. She was 94.
She passed away in Palm Springs on November 4 after a brief illness, according to family spokesperson Jane Chalmers.
Leith met Kubrick when he was a photographer and shot her for the cover of Look magazine. Once Kubrick made the transition to film, he cast her in Fear and Desire as a “half-animal” peasant girl captured and eventually killed by a soldier played by Paul Mazursky. The 1953 war film generated lukewarm interest at the box office, and after distributor Joseph Burstyn died, it was taken out of circulation.
Kubrick was no fan of the finished product and was said to have destroyed the original negative. He released a statement through Warner Bros., calling the movie “a bumbling amateur film exercise.”
In 1954 Leith became a contract player for 20th Century Fox...
She passed away in Palm Springs on November 4 after a brief illness, according to family spokesperson Jane Chalmers.
Leith met Kubrick when he was a photographer and shot her for the cover of Look magazine. Once Kubrick made the transition to film, he cast her in Fear and Desire as a “half-animal” peasant girl captured and eventually killed by a soldier played by Paul Mazursky. The 1953 war film generated lukewarm interest at the box office, and after distributor Joseph Burstyn died, it was taken out of circulation.
Kubrick was no fan of the finished product and was said to have destroyed the original negative. He released a statement through Warner Bros., calling the movie “a bumbling amateur film exercise.”
In 1954 Leith became a contract player for 20th Century Fox...
- 11/13/2019
- by Anita Bennett
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress and model Virginia Leith, who starred in Stanley Kubrick’s first film “Fear and Desire,” which he later disavowed, has died. She was 94.
According to family spokesperson Jane Chalmers, Leith died after a brief illness at her home in Palm Springs, Calif. on Nov. 4.
Born on Oct. 15, 1925, Leith met Kubrick in the 1950s when he shot her for the cover of Look magazine.
“Fear and Desire,” which received moderately positive critical reviews upon its release, was not a box office success. After distributor Joseph Burstyn died, the film fell out of circulation and Kubrick is said to have destroyed the original negative and any other prints he could find. Some original prints still exist, however, and Film Forum organized a screening in 1994. Kubrick released a statement through Warner Bros. at the time, calling it “a bumbling amateur film exercise” and urging press not to attend.
Following her appearance in “Fear and Desire,...
According to family spokesperson Jane Chalmers, Leith died after a brief illness at her home in Palm Springs, Calif. on Nov. 4.
Born on Oct. 15, 1925, Leith met Kubrick in the 1950s when he shot her for the cover of Look magazine.
“Fear and Desire,” which received moderately positive critical reviews upon its release, was not a box office success. After distributor Joseph Burstyn died, the film fell out of circulation and Kubrick is said to have destroyed the original negative and any other prints he could find. Some original prints still exist, however, and Film Forum organized a screening in 1994. Kubrick released a statement through Warner Bros. at the time, calling it “a bumbling amateur film exercise” and urging press not to attend.
Following her appearance in “Fear and Desire,...
- 11/13/2019
- by Erin Nyren
- Variety Film + TV
For the first time since 1976, the Golden Globe Awards did not nominate any past nominees for Best Drama Series. The nominees are four new dramas and one returning drama that the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. had not previously acknowledged in the top category (“The Americans”).
Incumbent nominees “The Crown,” “Game of Thrones” and “Stranger Things” were ineligible because they did not air in 2018; fellow incumbent “The Handmaid’s Tale” was relegated to nominations for its actresses and the other incumbent “This is Us” was shut out for the first time.
Eligible past winners “The Affair,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Mr. Robot” were also snubbed as were eligible past nominees “Empire” and “House of Cards.” “Outlander” and “Westworld” were the only past Best Drama Series nominees other than “The Handmaid’s Tale” to factor into the nominations; they also received recognition only for their actresses.
SEEour editors react to the Golden Globe television nominations.
Incumbent nominees “The Crown,” “Game of Thrones” and “Stranger Things” were ineligible because they did not air in 2018; fellow incumbent “The Handmaid’s Tale” was relegated to nominations for its actresses and the other incumbent “This is Us” was shut out for the first time.
Eligible past winners “The Affair,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Mr. Robot” were also snubbed as were eligible past nominees “Empire” and “House of Cards.” “Outlander” and “Westworld” were the only past Best Drama Series nominees other than “The Handmaid’s Tale” to factor into the nominations; they also received recognition only for their actresses.
SEEour editors react to the Golden Globe television nominations.
- 12/7/2018
- by Riley Chow
- Gold Derby
Robert Blake will take a walk down the aisle a third time ... 12 years after a jury acquitted him of murdering his second wife. We've learned the 83-year-old "Baretta" star was at the Beverly Hills Courthouse Thursday and filled out a marriage license application. He was there with the woman he will marry ... 55-year-old Pamela Hudak. We're told the 2 have known each other for decades and dated back in the day. Blake and his second wife,...
- 3/10/2017
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Don Calfa, perhaps best known for his role as mortician Ernie Kaltenbrunner in 1985’s Return Of The Living Dead, has died. The news was made public on the actor’s Facebook page. He was 76.
According to his biography, the Brooklyn-born Calfa intended to pursue a career in fine arts before deciding on acting. After seeing Rebel Without A Cause, Calfa dropped out of high school to study at Irwin Piscotor’s The Dramatic Workshop. His first credited role is that of “Priest” in Robert Downey, Sr.’s No More Excuses in 1968. Calfa cut his teeth throughout the ‘70s, guest starring on Baretta, Kojak, The Streets Of San Francisco, and Barney Miller. “I have one record to my name,” Calfa revealed in a 2008 interview with Cult Radio A Go Go. “I did more guest appearances on Barney Miller than anyone. Never a recurring character, but a different ...
According to his biography, the Brooklyn-born Calfa intended to pursue a career in fine arts before deciding on acting. After seeing Rebel Without A Cause, Calfa dropped out of high school to study at Irwin Piscotor’s The Dramatic Workshop. His first credited role is that of “Priest” in Robert Downey, Sr.’s No More Excuses in 1968. Calfa cut his teeth throughout the ‘70s, guest starring on Baretta, Kojak, The Streets Of San Francisco, and Barney Miller. “I have one record to my name,” Calfa revealed in a 2008 interview with Cult Radio A Go Go. “I did more guest appearances on Barney Miller than anyone. Never a recurring character, but a different ...
- 12/2/2016
- by Mike Vanderbilt
- avclub.com
Before 1996, "Mission: Impossible" was a long-since-cancelled TV spy series, beloved by Boomers but forgotten by anyone younger. Today, of course, it's a popular Tom Cruise movie franchise, known for its twisty plotting and jaw-dropping stunt sequences, whose five installments to date have grossed $935 million in North America and $2.8 billion worldwide.
The change came, of course, with the release of Cruise's first "Mission: Impossible" 20 years ago, on May 22, 1996. Since then, Brian De Palma's clever, convoluted blockbuster has been watched and copied plenty. And while some of the spy franchise's secrets have become widely known, there are still some that have remained classified -- until now.
1. "Mission: Impossible" marked Cruise's debut as a producer. In a deal that would become his then-customary contract, he took no money up front but negotiated a lucrative percentage of the theatrical and video gross profits, reportedly as high as 22 percent. Cruise reportedly pocketed an estimated $70 million for the first "Mission.
The change came, of course, with the release of Cruise's first "Mission: Impossible" 20 years ago, on May 22, 1996. Since then, Brian De Palma's clever, convoluted blockbuster has been watched and copied plenty. And while some of the spy franchise's secrets have become widely known, there are still some that have remained classified -- until now.
1. "Mission: Impossible" marked Cruise's debut as a producer. In a deal that would become his then-customary contract, he took no money up front but negotiated a lucrative percentage of the theatrical and video gross profits, reportedly as high as 22 percent. Cruise reportedly pocketed an estimated $70 million for the first "Mission.
- 5/24/2016
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
By Don Stradley
Charles Bronson was 55 at the time of “St Ives” (1976). He was just a couple years past his star-making turn in “Death Wish”, and was enjoying a surprising run of success. I say surprising because Bronson had, after all, been little more than a craggy second banana for most of his career. Now, inexplicably, he had box office clout as a leading man. In fact, Bronson reigned unchallenged for a few years as the most popular male actor in international markets. Yes, even bigger than Eastwood, Newman, Reynolds, Redford, or any other 1970s star you can name. Many of Bronson’s movies were partly financed by foreign investors, for even if his movies didn’t score stateside, they still drew buckets of money in Prague or Madrid. Some have suggested that his popularity on foreign screens was due to how little he said in his movies (there was...
Charles Bronson was 55 at the time of “St Ives” (1976). He was just a couple years past his star-making turn in “Death Wish”, and was enjoying a surprising run of success. I say surprising because Bronson had, after all, been little more than a craggy second banana for most of his career. Now, inexplicably, he had box office clout as a leading man. In fact, Bronson reigned unchallenged for a few years as the most popular male actor in international markets. Yes, even bigger than Eastwood, Newman, Reynolds, Redford, or any other 1970s star you can name. Many of Bronson’s movies were partly financed by foreign investors, for even if his movies didn’t score stateside, they still drew buckets of money in Prague or Madrid. Some have suggested that his popularity on foreign screens was due to how little he said in his movies (there was...
- 1/2/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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