Deaths: January 26

Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy, Bryant was recognized as the top American high-school basketball player while at Lower Merion. The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, he declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.

In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault;with the alleged victim being a 19 year old hotel employee. Criminal charges were later dropped after the accuser failed to testify, and a lawsuit was settled out of court, with Bryant issuing a public apology and admitting to a sexual encounter while maintaining the interaction was consensual. The accusation briefly tarnished Bryant's reputation, resulting in the loss of several of his endorsement contracts.

After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. On January 22, 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points; the second most points scored in a single NBA game, behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. Bryant led the team to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, both times being named NBA Finals MVP. He continued to be among the top players in the league through the 2012-13 season, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon at age 34. His next two seasons were cut short by injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his #8 and #24 jerseys, making him the only player in NBA history to have multiple jerseys retired by the same franchise.

The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the second most all time, and he has the most consecutive appearances as a starter. Bryant's four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. He gave himself the nickname "Black Mamba" in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. He won gold medals on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. In 2018, he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball (2017).

Bryant died, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in 2020. A number of tributes and memorials were subsequently issued, including renaming the All-Star MVP Award in his honor.

He was. 5× NBA champion (2000-2002, 2009, 2010); 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010); NBA Most Valuable Player (2008); 18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000-2016); 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011); 11× All-NBA First Team (2002-2004, 2006-2013); 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001); 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005); 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006-2011); 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)

Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abe Vigoda proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing.

Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, a tailor -- both Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a tailor on the Lower East Side. He made his first stage appearance at the age of 17 and plodded away in small theater shows for over 20 years. For the majority of film-goers, Vigoda first came to prominence in The Godfather (1972) as the double-crossing Tessio, pleading to no avail with Robert Duvall to save his life "for old times' sake". Vigoda had roles in a few nondescript TV films before landing the plum role of the dour, unsmiling, urinary tract-tormented Sgt. Phil Fish on the sitcom Barney Miller (1975), his best-known role. The character of Fish proved popular enough to be spun off to his own (albeit short-lived) series, Fish (1977).

With his long, blank, rarely smiling face, he remained in high demand in mafioso-type roles, and for a while in the mid-1980s, he was mistakenly believed to have been dead, leading a producer to remark, "I need an Abe Vigoda type actor", not realizing Vigoda was still alive. The 1990s and beyond became busy again for Vigoda, making appearances in North (1994), The Misery Brothers (1995), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), and Crime Spree (2003). He continued acting into his 90s, surprising audiences with his entertaining style.

Vigoda died in his sleep on January 26, 2016, , a month before his 95th birthday, in suburban Woodland Park, New Jersey. He was interred in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.

Albert Rémy was born on 9 April 1915 in Sèvres, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France. He was an actor and director, known for The 400 Blows (1959), The Train (1964) and Gigot (1962). He died on 26 January 1967 in Paris, France.

Alfredo da Silva was born on 20 February 1935 in Bolivia. He died on 26 January 2020 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.

Barbara Hale was born on April 18, 1922 in DeKalb, Illinois, to Wilma (née Colvin) and Luther Ezra Hale, a landscape gardener. She had one sister, Juanita. As a young girl, she intended to major in art and drawing but to work her way through The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, she began her professional career as a model for a comic strip called "Ramblin' Bill."

Hale is best remembered as Della Street, long-time secretary to attorney Perry Mason on the TV series Perry Mason (1957) from 1957 to 1966 and again in over 25 Perry Mason TV movies from 1985 to 1995. She married actor Bill Williams in 1946. He was best remembered for his portrayal of Kit Carson in The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951) from 1951 to 1955. The couple had three children - two daughters: Jody (born in 1947), Juanita (born in 1953), and, in 1951, a son, William Katt (the spitting image of his father), and actor in his own right, probably best known as the titular character's ill-fated prom date in the film Carrie (1976) and, later, as Ralph Hinkley, the klutzy superhero on the quirky 1980s adventure series The Greatest American Hero (1981) (from 1981 to 1986).

Colin Vearncombe was born on 26 May 1962 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Starter for 10 (2006), The Pier (2011) and Es ist nur eine Phase, Hase (2021). He was married to Camilla. He died on 26 January 2016 in Cork, Ireland.

Bob Shane was born on 1 February 1934 in Hilo, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for M Squad (1957), Playhouse 90 (1956) and Convoy (1965). He was married to Barbara (Bobbie) Lynn Childress and Louise Glancy Brandon. He died on 26 January 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Charlie Louvin was born on 7 July 1927 in Section, Alabama, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Jesus' Son (1999), Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001) and The Slaughter Rule (2002). He was married to Betty Harrison. He died on 26 January 2011 in Wartrace, Tennessee, USA.

Christian Brando was born on 11 May 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Unmasked Part 25 (1988), I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968) and The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968). He was married to Deborah Presley Brando and Mary McKenna. He died on 26 January 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Clare Fischer was born on 22 October 1928 in Durand, Michigan, USA. He is known for Do the Right Thing (1989), Under the Cherry Moon (1986) and Girl 6 (1996). He was married to Donna Van Ringelesteyn and Zoe Ann Routsos. He died on 26 January 2012 in Burbank, California, USA.

David Byrd was born on 3 September 1932 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Tango & Cash (1989), Lost Highway (1997) and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). He was married to Anne Gee Byrd. He died on 26 January 2001 in Studio City, California, USA.

Dimitra Arliss' acting career began at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, she first caught audience's eyes appearing in Arthur Kopit's Broadway play "Indians", she played a Native American character who spoke with an Italian accent. While she continued acting on stage, she began to appear in several television and film productions, such as The Sting (1973), Xanadu (1980), Firefox (1982) and It's My Party (1996). To horror film aficionados, Dimitra is best remembered as Dahnya in Bless the Child (2000); it would be her last film before dying from complications of a stroke, she died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 79.

Emanuel Goldenberg arrived in the United States from Romania at age ten, and his family moved into New York's Lower East Side. He took up acting while attending City College, abandoning plans to become a rabbi or lawyer. The American Academy of Dramatic Arts awarded him a scholarship, and he began work in stock, with his new name, Edward G. Robinson (the "G" stood for his birth surname), in 1913. Broadway was two years later; he worked steadily there for 15 years. His work included "The Kibitzer", a comedy he co-wrote with Jo Swerling. His film debut was a small supporting part in the silent The Bright Shawl (1923), but it was with the coming of sound that he hit his stride. His stellar performance as snarling, murderous thug Rico Bandello in Little Caesar (1931)--all the more impressive since in real life Robinson was a sophisticated, cultured man with a passion for fine art--set the standard for movie gangsters, both for himself in many later films and for the industry. He portrayed the title character in several biographical works, such as Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) and A Dispatch from Reuters (1940). Psychological dramas included Flesh and Fantasy (1943), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window (1944)and Scarlet Street (1945). Another notable gangster role was in Key Largo (1948). He was "absolved" of allegations of Communist affiliation after testifying as a friendly witness for the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy hysteria of the early 1950s. In 1956 he had to sell off his extensive art collection in a divorce settlement and also had to deal with a psychologically troubled son. In 1956 he returned to Broadway in "Middle of the Night". In 1973 he was awarded a special, posthumous Oscar for lifetime achievement.

Elizabeth Hawley was born on 9 November 1923 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She died on 26 January 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Ernst Stankovski was born on 16 June 1928 in Vienna-Hernals, Austria. He was an actor and writer, known for The Good Soldier Schweik (1960), Hilfe, ich liebe Zwillinge (1969) and Der Opernball (1971). He was married to Anna Luise Schubert and Ida Krottendorf. He died on 26 January 2022 in Klosterneuburg, Austria.

Ethelreda Leopold was born on 2 July 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Hart to Hart (1979), He Stayed for Breakfast (1940) and Race Suicide (1938). She was married to Joe Pine. She died on 26 January 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Gene Coogan was born on 30 August 1909 in Essex, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Peter Gunn (1958), Panic! (1957) and The Silent Service (1957). He was married to Linda Landi. He died on 26 January 1972 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was an American middle school basketball player that attended Harbor Day School in Newport Beach, California. Born in Los Angeles, California to Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant, Gianna was raised with her older sister Natalia and two younger sisters, Bianka and Capri. Her mother was a model and her father won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. Gianna and her father died on January 26 2020, in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California.

Gladys Horton was born on 30 May 1945 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. She was married to Sammy Coleman and Hubert Johnson. She died on 26 January 2011 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.

Thomas Glenn Langan spent most of his early life in his home town of Denver, Colorado. After completing his education he acted in local repertory companies before moving to New York. In 1942, he appeared on Broadway opposite Luise Rainer in J.M. Barrie's "Kiss for Cinderella". He garnered good critical reviews which led to a contract with 20th Century Fox the following year. With many top leading men of the era away on wartime duties, the tall, muscular Langan filled the gap in several A-grade productions.

Langan was usually seen in the role of the stalwart professional man, appearing to best advantage as a French professor in the romantic Margie (1946), a devoted young doctor protecting Gene Tierney from the evil machinations of Vincent Price in Dragonwyck (1946), and as one of the psychiatrists looking after demented patient Olivia de Havilland in the The Snake Pit (1948). Langan was also gainfully employed in escapist adventure, essaying a square-jawed privateer captain in Forever Amber (1947) and starring as Edmund Dantes -- descendant of the original protagonist of Alexandre Dumas -- in the updated and modernised, Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949).

In spite of these boosts to his career, his sturdy good looks and rugged appeal, Langan's popularity gradually waned by the early 1950s. He spent the next decade appearing on various television episodes and eventually achieved a kind of cult status as the irradiated 60-foot hero of Bert I. Gordon's often hilarious schlock sci-fi The Amazing Colossal Man (1957). After winding down his screen career in the 60s, Langan re-invented himself as a successful real estate salesman. He was married for forty years to the actress Adele Jergens.

Gordon McLauchlan was born on 9 January 1931 in New Zealand. He died on 26 January 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Gordon Oliver was born on 27 April 1910 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for The Spiral Staircase (1946), The Marines Are Here (1938) and Jezebel (1938). He was married to Elsa E. Cover. He died on 26 January 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Grace Moore, the internationally famous star of the Metropolitan Opera, Broadway, motion pictures, radio and recordings, was born December 5, 1898, in Del Río near Newport, Tennessee. Her family moved to Jellico when she was a young girl. She attended Jellico High School where she was captain of the girls basketball team in 19l6. She was selected by Florenz Ziegfeld of Ziegfeld Follies fame as one of the ten most beautiful women in the world. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her motion picture, "One Night of Love", and was the subject of a movie titled, "So This is Love", in which Kathryn Grayson portrayed the "Tennessee Nightingale", as Grace was called. She died tragically in an airplane crash in 1947 at the height of her career.

Guy Raymond was born on 1 July 1911 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Undefeated (1969), Bandolero! (1968) and Gypsy (1962). He was married to Ann Morgan Guilbert and Evelyn L. Scher. He died on 26 January 1997 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Hal Geer was born on 13 September 1916 in Oronogo, Missouri, USA. He was an editor and producer, known for Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers (1979), How Bugs Bunny Won the West (1978) and Bugs Bunny: All American Hero (1981). He was married to Carol Jones and Nancy Walker. He died on 26 January 2017 in Simi Valley, California, USA.