Deaths: June 22

Vinnie Paul was born on 11 March 1964 in Abilene, Texas, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Triple Frontier (2019), Lethal Weapon (2016) and Heavy Metal 2000 (2000). He died on 22 June 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Alan Webb was born on 2 July 1906 in York, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Great Train Robbery (1978), The Duellists (1977) and King Lear (1970). He died on 22 June 1982 in Sussex, England, UK.

Ann Landers was born on 4 July 1918 in Sioux City, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Listen to Your Heart (1983), Day at Night (1973) and What's My Line? (1950). She was married to Jules Lederer. She died on 22 June 2002 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Chang Cheh was the leading Martial Arts director in Hong Kong in the 1970s, now with close to 100 films to his name. His has influenced other directors such as John Woo and Liu Chiau Liang, and made famous such Hong Kong stars as Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Fu Sheng and Lung Ti. Chang has declared that he will stop working after he has made his 101st film. During the 1970s, Chang was the most prolific of the directors for the now legendary Shaw Brothers Studios, and most revered works include Dynasty of Blood (1973) (aka Blood Brothers) and the awesome film which is Five Deadly Venoms (1978) (aka Five Venoms).

Chuck Mitchell was born on November 28, 1927, in Connecticut. A large, tubby and intimidating 6'3" hulk of a man with a deep voice and a scruffy demeanor, Mitchell was often cast as hostile and/or despicable characters. Mitchell was excellent as mean, sleazy and hateful brothel owner Porky in the uproariously raunchy hit comedy Porky's (1981) and its equally amusing sequel Porky's Revenge (1985). He was likewise memorable as slimy smut peddler Sam Gluckman in the gloriously trashy psycho exploitation gem Don't Answer the Phone! (1980) and sloppy restaurant owner Rocko in the hilarious Better Off Dead (1985). Mitchell had a recurring role as Big Ralph on the popular daytime soap opera General Hospital (1963). He did guest spots on such TV shows as Hill Street Blues (1981), Remington Steele (1982), The Fall Guy (1981), and Bret Maverick (1981). Besides acting, Chuck was also a singer and a stand-up comedian. Chuck Mitchell died of liver cirrhosis in Hollywood, California, on July 22, 1992.

David O. Selznick was a son of the silent movie producer Lewis J. Selznick. David studied at Columbia University until his father lost his fortune in the 1920s. David started work as an MGM script reader, shortly followed by becoming an assistant to Harry Rapf. He left MGM to work at Paramount then RKO. He was back at MGM in 1933 after marrying Irene Mayer Selznick the daughter of Louis B. Mayer. In 1936, he finally set up his own production company, Selznick International. Three directors and fifteen scriptwriters later, Gone with the Wind (1939) was released.

Deanna Lund is best known for her role as "Valerie Scott" in the two-season cult series of the 1960s: Land of the Giants (1968), produced by Irwin Allen.

Irwin Allen cast Lund in the series, when he saw her in a recently made motion picture. Lund started out as the bad girl of the series, getting herself (and others) into trouble when she searched for food in the "giant land"; and another time trying to cause a mutiny in the castaway group, in the episode, The Bounty Hunter (1969).

As the 51 episode series moved forward, Valerie became more of a team player in the castaway group. Perhaps her best line in the series came in the episode, Wild Journey (1970), when she turns to the series star and says, "Captain, nobody tells me what I can and can't do".

In 1995, Lund was interviewed about her work on "Land of the Giants" and this interview can be found on the "Land of the Giants" DVD set. In the interview, Lund explains how she "felt so silly" acting in "Giants", as she was often talking to people (aka giants) who were not actually on the set. So she was often talking to nobody at all.

Much to the delight of young male viewers of the time, Valerie was often seen wearing sexy outfits in "Giants", and in one episode, Graveyard of Fools (1970), one outfit crossed the line as too sexy, in the eyes of the network.

Always bright and beaming from ear to ear, Irish singer Dennis Day's name and career remains synonymous with that of Jack Benny's, working with the star comedian on radio and TV for the entire duration. It was Jack who gave him his break in 1939 and Jack who kept him employed as a singer and naive comic sidekick (his "Gee, Mr. Benny!" became a well-known catchphrase on the show). Dennis in fact would play second-banana to the comedian until Benny's death in 1974.

Dennis was christened Owen Patrick McNulty on May 21, 1917 in Bronx, New York, the son of an Ireland-born stationary engineer. The strength and promise of his lilting tenor was first discovered while performing with his glee club at St. Patrick's Cathedral High School. Graduating from Manhattan College, he first had designs on a law career and starting singing in order to earn money for tuition. By himself, he recorded "I Never Knew Heaven Could Speak" and distributed the song out to various radio producers, one of whom presented it to Mary Livingston, Benny's wife. She was so taken that she insisted he be considered for her husband's popular radio show "The Jack Benny Show". When the show's then-tenor Kenny Baker objected to being a featherbrained foil to Benny on the show and gave notice, Dennis auditioned and won a regular spot, and the idea of law school became a thing of the past. Making his debut on the Benny show on October 8, 1939, Dennis' innocent-eyed teenager (he was actually 21 at the time) often drew more laughs than Benny himself in their rapport together. His career was interrupted by World War II when he served with the Navy. He was discharged in 1946.

His cherry-cheeked, wide-eyed charm delighted scores of radio fans and the fame Dennis received from the show drew invitations to other radio programs, and eventually his own radio show "A Day in the Life of Dennis Day" in 1946. Here he played (naturally) a naive soda jerk. But he never left Benny, staying true-blue to the comedian when The Jack Benny Program (1950) transferred to TV and became an institution for a decade and a half. Dennis also showed great flair as a mimic, impersonating a number of illustrious stars such as Ronald Colman, Jimmy Durante and James Stewart on the Benny program. Dubbed "America's Favorite Irish Tenor", The Dennis Day Show (1952) took life just two years after the Benny program went on the air. It enjoyed two seasons on TV before it was canceled.

Dennis also appeared in support of Benny on film. Buck Benny Rides Again (1940), marked Dennis' movie debut and in it he sang "My Kind of Country." Other sporadic filming emphasizing his vocal prowess were for the most part "B"-level musical entertainment. He co-starred with Judy Canova in the cornball comedy Sleepy Lagoon (1943); Anne Shirley in the romantic Music in Manhattan (1944); June Haver and Gloria DeHaven in I'll Get By (1950), in which he sang "McNamara's Band" and "There Will Never Be Another You", and; the Civil War-themed Golden Girl (1951) headlining Mitzi Gaynor as entertainer Lotta Crabtree in which Dennis crooned "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" and "California Moon." Despite these agreeable outings, he never came close to becoming a musical film star perhaps because he was too identified with his cheery, naive image on radio and TV. Once he finished The Girl Next Door (1953) which again starred Ms. Haver, Dennis was nowhere to be seen on celluloid for at least another two decades. Walt Disney also welcomed Dennis' sunny tenor in his animated features The Legend of Johnny Appleseed (1948), in which Dennis sang the title song, and Melody Time (1948).

Best known for his recording of Irish tunes, including such novelty songs as "Clancy Lowered the Boom", Dennis won over the ladies with his romantic covers of such ballads as "Mam'selle," "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" and "Mona Lisa." Occasionally he was given dramatic work on TV but nothing really came of it, coming off much better as a guest in musical variety shows.

Dennis legally adopted his professional name in 1944 against his family's wishes. The strict Irish-Catholic married Peggy Almquist in 1948 and the couple had ten children (six daughters, four sons). Dennis and his family settled in Los Angeles where he became an honorary mayor of Mandeville Canyon. He and his wife also owned an antique shop in Santa Monica for a time. He continued to perform at conventions and fairs throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and was seen only occasionally in film and TV parts as he refused any work he deemed objectionable. He died at age 72 in Los Angeles from Lou Gehrig's disease.

Dick Leitsch was born on 11 May 1935 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He died on 22 June 2018 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

Her quivery, high-pitched, Southern-cracked tones were once described as sounding like "a Tweetie Pie cartoon bird strangling on peanut butter." Just the absurdity of that description fits comedienne Dody Goodman to a tee. One did not know what to make of her, but she could certainly induce laughter with a mere perplexed look, a spaced-out pause, or by opening her mouth and spouting out a silly malaprop. Her flakiness seemed so real that one wondered if that was the REAL Dody Goodman or just some savvy comedienne who knew exactly how to package herself. Maybe a little of both.

An endearing scenestealer, Dody put her own indelible patent on the feather-brained relative, inept teacher and neighborhood chatterbox, playing them all to the hilt in an over six-decade career. Her characters alway seemed lost in their own little world...whatever world that was, it must have been a sweet and happy little place for she always displayed a pleasant demeanor and had a fixed smile plastered on that rather blank face of hers. TV was Dody's choice of medium later in life and her ditsy foils became a popular addiction on prime-time and late-nite TV shows during the 1960s and 1970s.

She was born Dolores Goodman, the daughter of Dexter, a cigar factory owner, and Leona Goodman, in Columbus, Ohio on October 28, 1914. Dody's beginnings were in dance and ballet and, after traipsing off to New York in the hopes of becoming a ballerina, fell into the ballet company at Radio City Music Hall. She eventually went the Broadway route and made her debut as a ballet dancer in the short-lived musical "Viva O'Brien" in 1941. From that she continued to gain experience in the dancing ensembles of "Something for the Boys," "One Touch of Venus," Laffing Room Only," "High Button Shoes," "Miss Liberty," "Call Me Madam" and "My Darlin' Aida." A featured role in the 1953 musical "Wonderful Town" starring Tony-winner Rosalind Russell was a huge turning point, and another standout part in 1955's "Shoestring Revue" had her introducing the show-stopping novelty song "Someone Is Sending Me Flowers".

It was comedienne Imogene Coca and "Wonderful Town" director George Abbott who saw Dody's true potential as a funny girl and helped steer her towards comedy. Soon Dody was performing on 50s TV in comedy skits. With a pixie-like eccentricity that reminded one of the late great Gracie Allen, Dody's big break happened in mid-career when, at age 43, she made a chatty 1957 guest appearance on the second episode of Jack Paar's "Tonight Show" and was hired as a regular. An enormous hit with audiences, she earned an Emmy nomination in the process, but Paar dropped her from the show the following year because she had a disconcerting habit of upstaging him. She later became a well-oiled guest on game shows and on Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin's chatfests.

On stage, Dody played the Carol Burnett role in a tour of "Once Upon a Mattress" and added "Fiorello!" and the "New Cole Porter Review" to her musical comedy resume in the early 1960s. She did not return to Broadway until over a decade later with a supporting role in "Lorelei" starring Carol Channing in 1974. Two decades later she would reappear in a Broadway revival of "Grease". On the legit comedy stage, she added to the wackiness of such plays as "A Thurber Carnival," "Don't Drink the Water, "The Front Page" and "George Washington Slept Here".

An ideal showcase for her loopy talents was as Louise Lasser's mother, Martha Shumway, on the cutting edge TV satire, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976). An off-the-wall sendup of soap operas, Goodman was in her element as the title character's mother who engaged in conversation with her plants. When Lasser left the show, the cast maintained for another six months and the title was changed to Forever Fernwood (1977).

An older Dody appeared as a regular for a season on sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978) and in such teen-oriented movies as Grease (1978) and Grease 2 (1982), as well as Splash (1984) and Private Resort (1985). She also provided a regular cartoon voiceover for "Alvin & the Chipmunks" for years. On stage she earned a Drama Desk nomination for her 1984 appearance in the O'Neill play "Ah, Wilderness!" and later spent several seasons touring in the musical farce "Nunsense" -- starting out as Sister Mary Amnesia and graduating to the role of Mother Superior. At age 85 she was still kicking up her heels in one of the show's many spin-offs, "Nuncrackers," and was glimpsed occasionally as her old flaky self as a guest on "The David Letterman Show".

Appearing at special events past the age of 90, she died peacefully on June 22, 2008, at the Englewood, New Jersey Hospital and Medical Center. Declining health had forced her to move into assisted living (Lillian Booth Actors' Fund Home) in Englewood back in October of 2007. The unmarried Dody was survived by several nieces and nephews.

Don Henderson was born on 10 November 1931 in Leytonstone, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Brazil (1985) and No Escape (1994). He was married to Shirley Stelfox and Hilary. He died on 22 June 1997 in Warwick, Warwickshire, England, UK.

Prolific composer of film and television scores, educated at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He has also composed the musical scorings for a number of industrial motion pictures. Joining the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1963, his chief musical collaborator has been Gene Kauer. For more titles composed by Mr. Lackey, check the ASCAP database at http://www.ascap.com .

Fofó was born on 8 February 1923 in Madrid, Spain. He was an actor and writer, known for El gran circo de TVE (1973), Turu, the Wacky Hen (2019) and El nieto del Zorro (1948). He died on 22 June 1976 in Madrid, Spain.

Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Johanna (Geilus) and Fritz Austerlitz, a brewer. Fred entered show business at age 5. He was successful both in vaudeville and on Broadway in partnership with his sister, Adele Astaire. After Adele retired to marry in 1932, Astaire headed to Hollywood. Signed to RKO, he was loaned to MGM to appear in Dancing Lady (1933) before starting work on RKO's Flying Down to Rio (1933). In the latter film, he began his highly successful partnership with Ginger Rogers, with whom he danced in 9 RKO pictures. During these years, he was also active in recording and radio. On film, Astaire later appeared opposite a number of partners through various studios. After a temporary retirement in 1945-7, during which he opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Astaire returned to film to star in more musicals through 1957. He subsequently performed a number of straight dramatic roles in film and TV.

Gary David Goldberg was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 25, 1944. After a prolonged and checkered collegiate career, which began at Brandeis University in 1962 and ended at San Diego State University in 1975 (with many other schools in between), he moved to Hollywood to try to make it as a writer.

In 1976 he landed his first "real" job at MTM as a writer for "The Bob Newhart Show." Remaining at MTM, he moved over to become story editor and then producer of "The Tony Randall Show," and then in 1978, producer of "Lou Grant." In 1980 he created and executive produced "The Last Resort," also for MTM.

In 1981, Goldberg left MTM to form his own company, UBU Productions. Under this banner, he created nine television series, including the enormously successful "Family Ties," which ran on NBC 1982-1989, and the critically acclaimed "Brooklyn Bridge" which aired on CBS 1991-1993. In association with DreamWorks, UBU produced "Spin City" which ran for six seasons on ABC.

Goldberg has been the recipient of numerous honors during his career, including an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe as co-producer of "Lou Grant" and an Emmy Award as writer of the "Family Ties" episode "'A,' My Name is Alex"; five additional Emmy nominations for "Lou Grant" and "Family Ties"; a Peabody for "Lou Grant"; two Writers Guild Awards, one for an episode of "M*A*S*H*" and another for the "'A,' My Name is Alex" episode of "Family Ties"; five Writers Guild nominations for episodes of "Lou Grant," "Making the Grade," and "Family Ties"; five Humanitas Awards for "Lou Grant," and "Family Ties," as well as five additional Humanitas nominations, the Producers Guild Award as Producer of the Year in 1991 and the Valentine Davies Award from the Writers Guild in 1998 for his contributions to the entertainment industry and the community-at-large. In 2002 he won the Award of Excellence at Banff's World Television Festival. And, in 2003 he was honored with the Outstanding Television Writer Award at the Austin Film Festival. Goldberg is a member of the Broadcasting Magazine Hall of Fame.

During its run, "Brooklyn Bridge" received several honors -- a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series, one Humanitas Prize and an additional Humanitas nomination for enriching television; a Christopher Award, two Viewers for Quality Television awards for Best Comedy, and eight Emmy nominations.

In 1989, Goldberg made his feature film debut when he produced and directed Universal Pictures' Dad (1989), starring Jack Lemmon. He also wrote the screenplay, which was adapted from the novel of the same name by William Wharton. His second feature film, Bye Bye Love (2008), starred Paul Reiser, Matthew Modine, and Randy Quaid, as three divorced fathers on a weekend, all with custody of their children.

In August of 2005 Warner Bros. released Must Love Dogs (2005) starring Diane Lane and John Cusack which Goldberg wrote and directed, adapting the Claire Cook novel of the same name.

Gary Goldberg is married to Diana Meehan. They have two children, Shana and Cailin.

George Denis Patrick Carlin was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, to Mary (Bearey), a secretary, and Patrick John Carlin, an advertising manager for The Sun; they had met while working in marketing. His father was from Donegal, Ireland, and his mother was Irish-American. His parents divorced when he was two months old, and he was raised by his mother. The long hours the mother worked left the young George by himself for long hours every day, providing him (in his own words), the time he needed to think about various subjects, listen to radio, and practice his impersonations, that where acclaimed by his mother and coworkers since an early age. Carlin started out as a conventional comedian and had achieved a fair degree of success as a Bill Cosby style raconteur in nightclubs and on TV until the late 1960s, when he radically overhauled his persona. His routines became more insightful, introducing more serious subjects. As he aged, he became more cynic and bitter, unintentionally changing his stage persona again in a radical way throughout the '90s. This new George Carlin, usually referred to as the late George Carlin, is one of the most acclaimed and enjoyed by the public and critics. Carlin's forte is Lenny Bruce-style social and political commentary, spiced with nihilistic observations about people and religion peppered with black humor. He is also noted for his masterful knowledge and use of the English language. Carlin's notorious "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine was part of a radio censorship case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978.

Gunter Gabriel was born on 11 June 1942 in Bünde, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was an actor, known for Dirndljagd am Kilimandscharo (1983), Andi Ommsen ist der letzte Lude (2003) and Horst Schlämmer - Isch kandidiere! (2009). He was married to Carin Grundmann, ??? and Gabriele. He died on 22 June 2017 in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Harry Rabinowitz was born on 26 March 1916 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was a composer and actor, known for Masters of the Universe (1987), Time Bandits (1981) and Death and the Maiden (1994). He was married to Mary (Mitzi) Cooper Scott and Lorna Thurlow Anderson. He died on 22 June 2016 in France.

Hartmut Neugebauer was born on 2 September 1942 in Zirke, West Prussia, Germany. He was an actor, known for Super Witch of Love Island (1980), Contamination (1980) and Code Name: Wild Geese (1984). He died on 22 June 2017 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

Holly Lewis was born on December 26, 1965 in Grand Island, Nebraska. The daughter of Cortez and Rita Lewis, Holly grew up in Litchfield, Nebraska participating in such activities as speech, drama, and athletics. Lewis won the outstanding performer in a Nebraska State one-act play production in 1983. After graduating from Arizona University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Holly moved to San Francisco, California to work in commodity brokering. Lewis eventually quit that particular job and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a more fulfilling career as both an actress and a film producer. Besides acting in an assortment of movies and television shows, Holly also acted in TV commercials for Prilosec (as an obsessed football fan character who was subsequently featured in numerous print ads), Dave's Place, and American Express. In addition, Lewis wrote and produced as well as starred in the short film Oscar (2004) in collaboration with her husband Raider Rhotenacher. In her spare time Holly enjoyed taking daily strolls and climbing mountains (she scaled twelve out of thirteen of the highest peaks in Southern California including Mt. Whitney, which is the highest mountain in forty-eight contiguous states). Lewis died at the tragically young age of forty-six at her home in Murdock, Nebraska on June 22, 2012. She was survived by her husband Raider Rhotenacher, parents Cortez and Rita, brother Mark, and sister Lori.

Hope Summers could portray a friendly neighbor or companion as she did for Frances Bavier's Aunt Bee character on many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (1960) or a seemingly amiable satanist in Rosemary's Baby (1968).

Born in Mattoon, Illinois, she developed an early interest in the theater. Graduating from Northwestern School of Speech in Evanston, Illinois, she subsequently taught speech and diction there. This, in turn, led to her the head position in the Speech Department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, teaching students privately on the side as well. In the 1930s Hope began to focus on acting. She found work in community and stock theaters in Illinois and earned some notice for putting on one-woman shows such as "Backstage of Broadway." She made use of her vocal eloquence by building up her resumé on radio, performing in scores of dramatic shows, including "Authors' Playhouse," "First Night," "Ma Perkins", and "Step-Mother".

In 1950 Hope transferred her talents to the new medium of television and earned a regular role on the comedy series Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel (1950). By the age of 50 she was customarily called upon to play slightly older than she was, appearing in a number of minuscule matron roles in such films as Zero Hour! (1957), Hound-Dog Man (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Spencer's Mountain (1963), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), Charley Varrick (1973) and her last, Foul Play (1978). She never had any major stand-out roles in movies; TV would be a more prolific choice of medium. Her gently stern, old-fashioned looks allowed her to be a part of many small-town settings, including Dennis the Menace (1959) and Petticoat Junction (1963), and in various western locales such as Maverick (1957) and Wagon Train (1957).

She played a rustic regular for many years on The Rifleman (1958). Usually assigned to play teachers, nurses and other helpful, nurturing types, her characters were also known to be inveterate gossips. Hope worked until close to the end of her life, passing away from heart failure in 1979.

James Horner began studying piano at the age of five, and trained at the Royal College of Music in London, England, before moving to California in the 1970s. After receiving a bachelor's degree in music at USC, he would go on to earn his master's degree at UCLA and teach music theory there. He later completed his Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory at UCLA. Horner began scoring student films for the American Film Institute in the late 1970s, which paved the way for scoring assignments on a number of small-scale films. His first large, high-profile project was composing music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), which would lead to numerous other film offers and opportunities to work with world-class performers such as the London Symphony Orchestra. With over 75 projects to his name, and work with people such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Oliver Stone, and Ron Howard, Horner firmly established himself as a strong voice in the world of film scoring. In addition, Horner composed a classical concert piece in the 1980s, called "Spectral Shimmers", which was world premiered by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Horner passed away in a plane crash on June 22, 2015, two months short of his 62nd birthday.

Jerry Carrigan was born on 13 September 1943 in Florence, Alabama, USA. He was married to Vickie. He died on 22 June 2019 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

Belonging to an important family clan in Wisconsin, Joseph Losey studied philosophy but was always interested in theater and thus worked together with Bertolt Brecht. After directing some shorts for MGM, he made his first important film, The Boy with Green Hair (1948), for RKO. While he was filming The Prowler (1951) in Italy he was summoned to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee, the congressional committee charged with "rooting out" Communist "subversion" in the motion picture industry. Unwilling to subject himself to the committee's well-known intimidation tactics, Losey decided to seek exile in Great Britain. In the following years he used a pseudonym--"Joseph Walton"--for his films, which were of minor quality. He regained his prestige with the thrillers Chance Meeting (1959), The Concrete Jungle (1960) and Eva (1962). From that point on his films varied between top-quality work like Accident (1967) and much lower-quality projects such as Modesty Blaise (1966), which was a box-office success, and Galileo (1975), which wasn't.

Juan Luis Galiardo was born on 2 March 1940 in San Roque, Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain. He was an actor and producer, known for El caballero Don Quijote (2002), Familia (1996) and El vuelo de la paloma (1989). He was married to María Elías and Juana Prieto. He died on 22 June 2012 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain.