Deaths: January 28

He was born in the back of a Chevy station wagon being driven by this late father one starry night in September blazing across a desolate West Texas highway trying to find any town with a hospital for his mother to give birth to Danny. Unable to, his dad took command just as he'd done for four consecutive years of war in the Pacific Theater in World War II, and Danny was delivered while his mother held a flashlight on herself for his dad to see . Since then he has been in the spotlight for much of his life. When he was five years old he knew he wanted to be an actor in movies. On Saturday mornings beginning at the age of seven his mother put him on a Continental Trailways Bus (being driven by "Red") from the small South Central Texas town where is lived bound for Houston to study with a later known national authority in children's theater, the late Jeannine Wagner. She taught at the original and famous Alley Theater. His life until graduating from college revolved around theater. When he was ten, having seen James Cagney in Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), he knew his goal was to become a character actor in movies. With the idea and support of his fifth-grade teacher, at the age of ten he was offered the opportunity to study theater in the summers at Southwest Texas University in San Marcos, Texas. He was the youngest student ever admitted to the university's summer theater program. He attended every summer for six years. At 16 he accepted the opportunity to direct at the university. He selected "Hello Out There" by William Sayoran. Graduate students at the university and high school drama teachers attending summer theater courses at the university from across Texas were the other directors. He remained very active in speech and theater in high school, winning numerous local, regional and state competitions in public speaking, debate and theater as an actor. When a junior in high school he was scouted by the theater department at the University of Texas and offered a full scholarship there in drama. Instead, he entered Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, to work with famed theater director Paul Baker. However he graduated from Emerson College in Boston. Danny did not act in his first film or television project until he had graduated from law school, became a felony prosecutor in the district attorney's office in Corpus Christi, Texas, and later an Assistant US Attorney and was already in private practice in Houston, Texas. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney he pioneered the federal criminal prosecutions of film piracy (criminal copyright infringement) in the United States Fifth Circuit, worked with the U.S. Congress to raise the criminal penalty for copyright infringement from a misdemeanor to a felony, is responsible for originating and initiating the anti-piracy warning appearing at the beginning of all commercial videotapes and DVDs and trying the largest film piracy case then to date to a jury verdict where the defendant received federal prison time ; United States of America vs. Ralph Smith. Those achievements earned him the John Marshall Award from the U.S. Department of Justice. A story on the film piracy case was a "60 Minutes" segment titled "Who Stole Superman" A short biography of Danny's career as a lawyer, including his service as an immigration judge in Atlanta, Georgia, is published in the 1985/1986 edition of "Who's Who in American Law".

What motivated Danny back into theater and later to pursue a second career in film and television as an actor was the realization, after his dad died at age 61, that life can be truly short, and he should try to achieve his unrealized life-long ambition. He returned to the stage. His theater work resulted in an offer of a co-star role in his first television movie The Return of Desperado (1988) starring Robert Foxworth and Billy Dee Williams, on NBC. Danny still makes his home in Houston, Texas and works all over North America, including Canada. He also maintains international visibility as an award-winning and published stills photographer. He was once awarded the Kodak International Photography Award for his work in black and white, and was once named Texas Photographer of the Year by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. He has numerous book and magazine credits. In 2009 he created "Operation Grateful" , a photo project in which he shoots family photographic portraits for free and sends them to those family members serving as military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007 Danny founded the non-profit organization Carolyn's Hope, in memory of his late mother. The mission of that not-for-profit organization is to educate the public and law enforcement on identifying, exposing and combating domestic elder abuse, neglect, and the financial exploitation of vulnerable elderly people. His most recent theatrical stage work was in 2008 in a play directed by Richard Benjamin at the Falcon Theater in Burbank, California where he co-starred with Ed Asner, Paula Prentiss, and Laine Kazan in "A Step Out of Time". He is in private practice in Houston, Texas as a criminal defense lawyer representing juvenile clients charged with criminal offenses.

Andre "the Anti-Giant" Arruda was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, on March 11, 1983, and moved to Toronto in 2001 to attend Humber College's School of Comedy writing and Performance program. He was slightly more than 3 feet tall. Born with syndrome, a genetic disease associated with dwarfism that makes it difficult to walk.

He was hit by a car when he was driving his scooter (totaled) in 2008. Later, Andre did a fundraiser for a mobile scooter, dubbed "A-pod."

On the Internet, Andre had a series on "Vice" in 2015, "Standing Up With Andre Arruda". One of final projects is a documentary called ",Andre: The Anti-Giant" scheduled to hit the film festival circuit in 2017, and released online by Bravo Canada.



Refs Toronto Star "Andre 'Anti-Giant' Arruda was the 'little man who gave us some big laughs'" URL: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2017/01/30/andre-anti-giant-arruda-was-the-little-man-who-gave-us-some-big-laughs.html

Hollywood Reporter. "Andre Arruda, Actor and Comic, Dies at 33" URL: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/andre-arruda-dead-actor-comic-was-33-970588

Blog: : "Andre H. Arruda Was here" URL: http://www.antigiant.com/wordpress

Grew up in Småland outside Vimmerby in the south of Sweden. Her first book came out in 1944, and she made a breakthrough the following year with the stories about Pippi Longstocking. Countless stories about Pippi and other characters of Astrid's imagination and excellent story telling ability were translated to at least 55 languages and told to millions of children all over the world. Many of the stories were adapted for TV and even the big screen. She moved to Stockholm early, and she died peacefully in her home after a brief illness on January 28, 2002 at the age of 94.

Benito Quinquela Martín was born on 1 March 1890 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor, known for He nacido en la ribera (1972) and Buenos Aires en relieve (1954). He died on 28 January 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He was educated at Rugby where he became interested in acting. He spent a year in Canada studying agriculture then returned to England and taught at a prep school in Surrey. In 1950 he joined the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and on completing the course joined and toured with Dundee Repertory Theatre.

Burt Mustin was a salesman most of his life, but got his first taste of show business as the host of a weekly radio variety show on KDKA Pittsburgh in 1921. He appeared onstage in "Detective Story" at Sombrero Playhouse in Phoenix Arizona, and played the janitor in the movie version, (Detective Story (1951)), after moving to Hollywood. Hundreds of screen appearances later, he announced his retirement while filming an episode of Phyllis (1975). In the episode, his character married Mother Dexter, played by actress Judith Lowry. Lowry died one month before, and Mustin died one month after the episode aired.

César Isella was born on 20 October 1938 in Salta, Argentina. He was a composer and actor, known for La edad del sol (1999), Hasta donde llegan tus ojos (1995) and Retrato en vivo (1979). He died on 28 January 2021 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Charlita was born on 5 July 1921 in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), The Naked Dawn (1955) and Mission: Impossible (1966). She died on 28 January 1997 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA.

Chris Doleman was born on 16 October 1961 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was married to LaTresa Cunningham and Toni Marie Yuille. He died on 28 January 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Christopher Lewis was born on August 1, 1944 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Christopher Paul Lewis. He is a director and writer known for co-producing and directing the first feature films made exclusively for home video release; Blood Cult (1985), The Ripper (1986) and Revenge (1986).

He is co-producer and director of the television feature film Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective (1990), and documentary films produced by The Entertainment Group including; Still Swingin' (1994), The Psychic Connection: Exploring the Spiritual Link Between People and Animals (1998), Journey Down Route 66 (1994), Hauntings Across America (1996), Haunted Places (1997), and is an unaccredited co-screenwriter of "All The Kind Strangers" (1974).

He has been married to his producing partner Linda Lewis since May 29, 1976.

Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem, New York City, where she was raised by her devoutly religious parents, who had come from the Caribbean island of Nevis. Her mother Theodosia was a domestic worker and her her father William was a carpenter and painter. Tyson was discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony Magazine, and with her stunning looks she quickly rose to the top of the modeling industry. In 1957 she began acting in Off-Broadway productions. She had small roles in feature films before she was cast as Portia in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968). Four years later, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her sensational performance in the critically-acclaimed film Sounder (1972). In 1974, she went on to portray a 110-year-old former slave in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), which earned her two Emmy Awards. She also appeared in the television miniseries Roots (1977), King (1978), and A Woman Called Moses (1978). While Cicely has not appeared steadily onscreen because of her loyalty to solely portraying strong, positive images of Black women, she is definitely one of the most talented, beautiful actresses who ever graced stage or screen.

Coco Schumann was born on 14 May 1924 in Berlin, Germany. He was married to Gertraud Goldschmidt. He died on 28 January 2018 in Berlin, Germany.

Diler Saraç was born in 1937 in Izmir, Turkey. She was an actress, known for King of the Doormen (1976), Birkaç Güzel Gün Için (1984) and Kin (1974). She died on 28 January 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Stalwart American actor Donald Adam May is best known to television viewers as dapper crime fighting District Attorney Adam Drake in the long-running mystery soap opera The Edge of Night (1956). Donald was born in Chicago, one of four siblings, to Texan oil businessman Harry S. May and his wife Leontine. He attended school in Houston, and, in 1949, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. His first professional acting gig was in a play with a stock company in Albany, New York. Donald subsequently appeared in a few promotional films for the Signal Corps and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy, eventually serving as a gunnery officer (ensign) on a destroyer during the Korean War. Following his demobilisation in 1955, he returned to New York to resume work on the repertory stage. The following year, he starred as a cadet in the CBS anthology TV series West Point (1956) (a show supposedly based on factual events). With a Warner Brothers contract in hand, Donald and his then wife (Yale graduate and former stage actress Ellen Cameron) relocated to Hollywood at the end of the decade. Henceforth, his rugged good looks were gainfully employed in essaying men of integrity, the 'white hat' wearers in westerns and crime dramas.

After appearing in an episode of Sugarfoot (1957), Donald played the lead in four segments of the western series Colt .45 (1957) (temporarily replacing Wayde Preston) and had further guest spots in 77 Sunset Strip (1958) and Cheyenne (1955). The next acting assignment -- his most prominent leading role to date -- was as New York reporter Pat Garrison, chronicling gangland crime in The Roaring 20's (1960). This prohibition era action series ran for two seasons and co-starred Dorothy Provine, Rex Reason and John Dehner. If it failed to do better in the ratings, it should be remembered that it was going up against and being compared to The Untouchables (1959) (which was being presented in a semi-documentary style and appeared to the viewing public as 'more authentic').

From the mid-60s, Donald May was probably one of the busiest actors in showbiz, dividing his time between the New York off-Broadway stage and acting on The Edge of Night, which was a New York-based live broadcast. By the time the series had run its course, Donald had managed to rack up an impressive 2840 episodes as Adam Drake over a period of ten years. Not finished with soaps yet, he later had further recurring roles in Falcon Crest (1981), and, as a romantic lead, in Texas (1980) (which starred his second wife, the actress Carla Borelli).

Donald retired from screen acting in 1993 and died at the age of 94 on January 28 2022.

American actress and performer Dyanne Thorne began her career in show business as a band vocalist and New York stage actress. Before breaking onto the silver screen, she was popular as a comedic sketch artist/talking foil. Comedy albums, with Allen & Rossi, Vaughn Meader and Loman & Barkley earned her appearances on many T.V variety shows such as "The Tonight Show", "Red Skelton", "Steve Allen", "Merv Griffin", and with Tim Conway at Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.

Filmed in New York City, Dyanne Thorne's first major film role was in Norman C. Chaitin's Encounter (1965), which was also an early screen credit for Robert De Niro. Moving to Hollywood to appear on T.V.'s Star Trek (1966), and star as yet another villainess in Crown International's thriller Point of Terror (1971), opened the door to several more movie roles.

In 1975, Dyanne married composer, conductor, musician and actor Howard Maurer. She and husband Howard starred in five films together throughout the years. The duo also co-produced and starred in several Las Vegas Strip showroom productions over a span of three decades and their careers took them around the world. Both Dyanne and Howard returned to the screen in 2013 after a 25 year absence to star together in indie horror films House of Forbidden Secrets (2013) and House of the Witchdoctor (2013).

As an actress, Dyanne Thorne was best known for her characterisation of the heinous international dominatrix, soldier of fortune, Ilsa. After her debut as Ilsa in Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975), she reprised the role in sequels Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977) and unofficial entry Ilsa, the Wicked Warden (1977) by director Jesús Franco. Her performance as Ilsa turned the series into a cult favourite amongst horror and exploitation fans, with Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977) earning a special screening at Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 2018. Following her film career, Dyanne, alongside husband Howard, served as a church ordained, non-denominational minister In Las Vegas. The husband and wife team created "A Scenic Outdoor Wedding" as an alternative to commercial chapel weddings, with couples travelling from across the globe to be married by "Ilsa".

Frank Biancamano was born on 16 October 1928 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for At Mother's Request (1987), The Death Collector (1976) and Law & Order (1990). He was married to Joanne McHugh. He died on 28 January 2022 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.

Frantisek Vlácil was born on 19 February 1924 in Cesky Tesin, Moravian-Silesian, Czech Republic. He was a director and writer, known for Marketa Lazarová (1967), The Valley of the Bees (1968) and Adelheid (1969). He died on 28 January 1999 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Gene Sharp was born on 21 January 1928 in North Baltimore, Ohio, USA. He died on 28 January 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

A look at Black Sabbath's photo shoots and live concerts would easily lead one to believe that the band consists of only four members. But make no mistake, they do in fact have a 5th member: their behind-the-stage keyboard player Geoff Nicholls. Before joining Black Sabbath in 1979, Nicholls played for Quartz, a band whose 1977 album was produced by Tony Iommi. Nicholls has played on every Black Sabbath album since 1980's "Heaven And Hell". He has made very significant writing contributions to Black Sabbath, most predominantly on the album "Seventh Star". He is the only member other than Tony Iommi to have played with every other past and present member of Black Sabbath, playing keyboards with every single reunion or other line-up change over the years. Whether he's credited on the albums as an equal member or an "additional musician", this invisible 5th member of Black Sabbath has seen it all. His interviews are constantly quoted throughout Gary Sharpe-Young's "Never Say Die!", an incredibly revealing book about Black Sabbath's turbulent 1979-1997 history.

Gerri Lawlor was an actress, known for Tower Heist (2011), The Sims (2000) and Billionaire Boys Club (2018). She died on 28 January 2019 in San Francisco, California, USA.

Graciela Orozco was born on 24 November 1935 in San Pedro Tlalcuapan, Tlaxala, Mexico. She was an actress, known for La cebra (2011), San Simón de los Magueyes (1973) and Euthanasia Club (2005). She died on 28 January 2022 in Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.

Guitar Gabriel was born on 17 August 1937 in Bellvue, Louisiana, USA. He was married to Gloria Ann Dargin. He died on 28 January 2017 in Opelousas, Louisiana, USA.

Gustavo Iaies was born on 22 January 1963 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He died on 28 January 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hal Smith was born on 24 August 1916 in Petoskey, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Great Race (1965), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) and The Andy Griffith Show (1960). He was married to Harriet Louise Curtis and Vivian Marie Angstadt. He died on 28 January 1994 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Harriet Frank Jr. was born on 2 March 1923 in Portland, Oregon, USA. She was a writer and producer, known for Hud (1963), The Cowboys (1972) and Norma Rae (1979). She was married to Irving Ravetch. She died on 28 January 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.