Deaths: July 4

Barry White first made his mark in the music business in the 1960s as a session musician, even serving for a spell as an A&R man for a small, independent Los Angeles record label. He first hit it big in 1973 with a series of albums and singles emphasizing lush orchestrations and elaborate production values, over which he laid down his big bass voice. In 1973 and 1974 alone, he sold US$16 million worth of records--not only on his own but also as the conductor and composer of instrumental records (as The Love Unlimited Orchestra) and as the primary producer and songwriter of the female vocal trio Love Unlimited (one of whom, Glodean White, became his second wife). 1974 was a prolific year for White, during which he composed the score of Together Brothers (1974) and acted in Coonskin (1974).

After a particularly pronounced fallow period in the 1980s, he rebounded in the 1990s with a series of critically and commercially acclaimed records and he beefed up his presence on TV somewhat with a famous guest appearance on The Simpsons (1989), a recurring role on Ally McBeal (1997), and a series of commercials in which he parodied his image and persona.

Abbas Kiarostami was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1940. He graduated from university with a degree in fine arts before starting work as a graphic designer. He then joined the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, where he started a film section, and this started his career as a filmmaker at the age of 30. Since then he has made many movies and has become one of the most important figures in contemporary Iranian film. He is also a major figure in the arts world, and has had numerous gallery exhibitions of his photography, short films and poetry. He is an iconic figure for what he has done, and he has achieved it all by believing in the arts and the creativity of his mind.

André Claveau was born on 29 December 1911 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for French Cancan (1955), Coeur-sur-Mer (1950) and Lacombe, Lucien (1974). He died on 4 July 2003 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France.

They didn't come packaged any sweeter or lovelier than Anne Shirley, a gentle and gracious 1930s teen film actress who didn't quite reach the zenith of front-rank stardom and retired all too soon at age 26. On film as a toddler, she went through a small revolving door of marquee names before legally settling (at age 16) on the name Anne Shirley, the name of her schoolgirl heroine in Anne's most famous film of all -- Anne of Green Gables (1934).

Manhattan-born Anne was christened Dawn Evelyeen Paris on April 17, 1918. Her father died while she was still a baby, and she and her widowed mother lived a very meager New York existence at first. At the age of 16 months, the child was already contributing to the household finances as a photographer's model, using sundry different monikers, including Lenn Fondre, Lindley Dawn and Dawn O'Day. With this source of monetary inspiration, her mother sought work for her daughter in films as well, and at the age of 4, Anne (billed as Dawn O'Day) made her first feature with The Hidden Woman (1922). She showed enough promise in the film Moonshine Valley (1922), as a young girl who manages to reunite her separated parents, that she and her mother made a permanent move from New York to California. Scarce work for such a young child, but Anne managed to find it with minor roles in The Rustle of Silk (1923) and The Spanish Dancer (1923) for Paramount Pictures. During her adolescence she often appeared as the leading stars' daughter in films such as Mother Knows Best (1928) with Madge Bellamy, Sins of the Fathers (1928) starring Jean Arthur and Liliom (1930) with Charles Farrell. Oftentimes she would play the female star of the film as a child, such as Janet Gaynor's in 4 Devils (1928), Frances Dee's in Rich Man's Folly (1931) and Barbara Stanwyck's in So Big! (1932).

After a rash of unbilled parts, Anne was used by Vitaphone for a series of 1930s short subjects. By her teen years she had developed before the very eyes of Hollywood into a petite and lovely young brunette. Casting agents took notice. Following roles in Rasputin and the Empress (1932) with the three Barrymores and The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933) starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young, Anne was tested among hundreds of young aspirants and captured the role of Anne Shirley in Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel Anne of Green Gables (1934), imbuing the character with all the spirit and charm (not to mention talent) necessary. She officially became a teen celebrity after changing her moniker for the final time in conjunction with the release of the film.

Prominent misty-eyed ingénue leads came her way as a result of playing a swamp girl in Steamboat Round the Bend (1935) alongside Will Rogers and in M'Liss (1936) opposite John Beal, but her resume became littered with meek B-level comedies and weak dramas, such as Chasing Yesterday (1935), Too Many Wives (1937) and Meet the Missus (1937), that did little to advance her career. Finally at age 19, she found a role to match her "Green Gables" success playing Barbara Stanwyck's daughter in the classic weeper Stella Dallas (1937). The interaction between the two was magical, and both Barbara and Anne were nominated for Oscars (Anne in the supporting category) for their superb portrayals . Both lost, however, to Luise Rainer and Alice Brady, respectively.

During this time of major success, Anne met and eventually married actor John Payne in 1937. The popular Hollywood couple had one child, Julie Payne, who became an actress for a time in the 1970s. Her subsequent career was full of promise, but with every quality picture bestowed upon her, such as Vigil in the Night (1940) and The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), came a faltering one that hurt her career, including Career (1939) and West Point Widow (1941). Especially disappointing was her long-anticipated "Green Gables" sequel Anne of Windy Poplars (1940), which received very lackluster reviews.

The still-young actress finished on top, however, opposite Dick Powell in the classic movie mystery Murder, My Sweet (1944). Divorced from John Payne in 1943 and tiring of the Hollywood rat race she had endured since a child, however, Anne decided to end her career after her second marriage, to the movie's producer Adrian Scott, in 1945. Never an ambitious actress, Anne stayed with her career as long as she did primarily to please her mother. Her three-year marriage to Scott was unable to withstand the legal troubles of her husband's 1947 blacklisting (he was one of the "Hollywood 10" imprisoned during the McCarthy era for his communist affiliations). Her 1949 marriage to screenwriter Charles Lederer, the nephew of actress Marion Davies, was her longest and most fulfilling. Their son, Daniel, was born the following year. He inherited his father's writing talent and grew up to become a poet.

Never tempted to resume her career at any time, she remained a charming and gracious socialite in the Hollywood circle. A painter on the side, she at one point entertained the thought of becoming a behind-the-scenes worker, such as a dialogue coach, but it was never pursued aggressively. Her husband's sudden death in 1976 triggered a severe emotional crisis for Anne, who turned for a time to alcohol. Recovered, she lived the rest of her life completely out of the limelight, dying in 1993 of lung cancer at age 75. Her granddaughter by daughter Julie (via her marriage to screenwriter Robert Towne) is the actress Katharine Towne, who has appeared in such films as Mulholland Drive (2001).

Not as well remembered as an actress of her award-worthy caliber should be, perhaps had Anne Shirley given Hollywood a longer tryout and added a bit more bite to her rather benign, sweetly sentimental image, her star would be brighter today. Nevertheless, her film work has unarguably brightened the silver screen.

Arturo Fernández was born on 21 February 1929 in Gijón, Asturias, Spain. He was an actor, known for Truhanes (1983), Los cuervos (1961) and ¡Cómo sois las mujeres! (1968). He was married to Carmen Quesada and María Isabel Sensat Marqués. He died on 4 July 2019 in Madrid, Spain.

Astor Piazzolla was born on 11 March 1921 in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a composer and actor, known for 12 Monkeys (1995), The French Dispatch (2021) and Raw Deal (1986). He died on 4 July 1992 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Bob Ross was born on 29 October 1942 in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. He was married to Lynda Lucille Freeman, Jane Ross and Vicky Ross. He died on 4 July 1995 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Brandis Kemp was born on 1 February 1944 in Palo Alto, California, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Clifford (1994), AfterMASH (1983) and Remington Steele (1982). She was married to Mark Blankfield. She died on 4 July 2020 in Los Feliz, California, USA.

Best remembered as the second talking-era "Jane" (following Maureen O'Sullivan) of the durable Tarzan jungle film series and the only one in the sound era to play the role opposite two different Tarzan's (Johnny Weissmuller and Lex Barker, lovely Brenda was born Betty Leabo in Missouri, raised in Los Angeles, and nicknamed "Graftina" by her father when she was a girl. Attending UCLA for four years, the lovely blonde became a photographer's model to help pay her tuition. A 20th Century-Fox talent scout noticed a fashion layout of her and immediately signed her on.

The studio changed her name to "Brenda Joyce" after silent star Alice Joyce and immediately gave her an impressive movie debut with The Rains Came (1939) starring Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy in which she received fine reviews. Building her up to the public as a sexy single girl, she was subsequently showcased in Here I Am a Stranger (1939) opposite Richard Greene and partnered with John Payne in Maryland (1940).

The studio didn't take kindly to her impulsive 1941 marriage to army husband Owen Ward and supposedly punished her by relegating her to "B" films. Three children were the result of this first marriage -- Pam, Timothy and Beth. Brenda eventually lost interest in her career, but was coaxed back to the film set when brunette Maureen O'Sullivan left the Tarzan series and Johnny Weissmuller approved the athletic beauty as his new blonde swinging mate. Beginning a four-year excursion with the film Tarzan and the Amazons (1945), Brenda continued on as Jane after Weissmuller left (actor Lex Barker took over), but finally decided enough was enough. Brenda left after her fifth movie, Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949), and just walked away -- never to return.

Following her movie career, Brenda moved to the Washington D.C. area and worked with the Refugee Services for nearly 10 years in which she helped displaced persons find employment and places to live. This line of work eventually had her relocate to the Carmel, California area and she worked with Catholic Resettlement in Seaside, California (near Monterey). Besieged by personal and health problems in later years, she endured a painful divorce from Ward in 1960 after 19 years of marriage. She was then married and divorced twice more. Suffering from dementia in her twilight years, she stayed with her children at various stages until she was forced to be institutionalized in a nursing home in Santa Monica, California. Brenda died there of complications from pneumonia on Independence Day in 2009.

Carmen Campagne was born on 8 September 1959 in Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was a writer and composer, known for Gala de l'ADISQ (1979), Carmen Campagne: Un bon chocolat chaud (1995) and Galala (2015). She was married to Jean Fortier. She died on 4 July 2018 in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, Canada.

Carol Lee Scott was born on 20 December 1942 in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Emu's World (1982), Grotbags (1991) and E.M.U. TV (1989). She was married to Bill Ling. She died on 4 July 2017 in England, UK.

Carola Braunbock was born on 9 January 1924 in Vseruby, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Der Untertan (1951), Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973) and Frau Venus und ihr Teufel (1967). She died on 4 July 1978 in East Berlin, East Germany.

Chris Cline was a self-made billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist and political donor once called the "King of Coal". A well-known philanthropist and Republican donor who began working in the coal industry in West Virginia in 1980 at the age of 22, he rapidly rose through the industry ranks, founding an energy development group, the Cline Group, in 1990. Governor Jim Justice (R-WV) told The Washington Post that when Cline was in his early 20s, he bought the deep-mining company Pioneer Fuel Corporation from Justice's father. In 2006, he founded Foresight Energy to develop and operate mines in Illinois.

The youngest of three sons, he started working in the mines at age 15. Cline attended Brenton Elementary School in Wyoming County, WV, where he lived after moving from Isaban (McDowell County, WV). The 1976 graduate of Baileysville High School attended Marshall University (Huntington, West Virginia) but dropped out.

His first business opportunity came early, when Chris was 22 and his dad, who by then shared ownership of a mine, fell ill. His father's partner was ready to buy the other half of the mine until Chris came home and purchased it with $50,000 he borrowed. The younger Cline reportedly sensed a shift on the horizon. Regulations were moving toward requiring plants to scrub the coal they burned. If they were going to scrub it, they had no need to be picky about how much sulfur was in it. The bet fueled a business that began in Appalachia then took him to Illinois and, later, Canada.

Cline, his daughter, their pilot, and four others were killed in a helicopter crash on July 4, 2019, shortly before his 61st birthday. His net worth was estimated at $1.8 billion.

Daniel Mickelson was born on 4 October 1997 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for The Killer Clown Meets the Candy Man (2019) and Mani (2017). He died on 4 July 2021 in the United States.

Daniel Quinn is from Milwaukee, where his father Roger worked for Pabst Brewing Company as a sales manager and his mother Rosemary owned and operated an employment agency. He was raised in Wisconsin with his two older sisters, Kathleen and Colleen. He began performing at the age of eight, appearing as Kurt in The Sound of Music. That same year he formed his first garage band, on drums. At the age of 10 he appeared as Winthrop in The Music Man and started marching in a drum and bugle corps, eventually joining the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from La Crosse, Wisconsin. He also appeared in commercials, starring as the "Big Boy" for the hamburger chain's local franchise, Marc's Big Boy. The stage was set.

Part of the Quinn family owned dairy farms outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Daniel spent many days as a child. He began riding horses at the age of 6, sparking his lifelong passion for horses - Daniel would make good use of his equestrian skills later in his acting career, as he has starred in four western film productions.

At 17, he became a member of the International Thespian Society and traveled to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. While in Europe, he also studied at the Royal Shakespeare Company school at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Returning from London, Daniel appeared in several regional productions, including The King and I, Carousel, and a local production of West Side Story. During that production he met and fell in love with a ballet dancer in the Milwaukee Ballet. Daniel began to dance classically. With his musical background and his passion for dance as a firm foundation, he soon joined the Milwaukee Ballet Company, performing a season of The Nutcracker.

At the age of 19, he became deeply immersed in the strict discipline of classical dance. Daniel then moved to New York City to pursue his artistic dreams, making a brief stop on scholarship with the Harkness School of Ballet where he was mentored by ballet master David Howard. He was then accepted on scholarship into the New York City Ballet's School of American Ballet at Juilliard and while in the school, was honored to have George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins choreograph original pieces on him. As an apprentice, for two years he danced selected pieces with the New York City Ballet Company. During that time, Daniel was seen by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, and asked to dance as a soloist for one season in the Joffrey ll Ballet Company. The main Joffrey Ballet Company was disbanded during that time.

In 1980, Jerome Robbins revived the Broadway production of West Side Story. Daniel returned to his roots in musical theater, making his Broadway debut at the Minskoff Theatre. Daniel starred in the role of Gee-tar, with the Big Deal understudy. Quickly, Daniel moved into the role of Big Deal with the Riff understudy, and then go on as Riff. Two weeks after West Side Story closed, Daniel booked Robert Moore's Broadway production of Woman of the Year with Lauren Bacall and Harry Guardino at the Palace Theatre, opening in the original cast ensemble. During the show's run, he was asked to perform the role of Riff in the European Broadway tour of West Side Story. He toured four months throughout Italy and Monte Carlo, ending up in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet for a sold out nine month run. He then returned to the U.S. and back into Woman of the Year, where he assumed the role of Alexi Petrokov. After Woman of the Year closed in 1984, Daniel began performing in several television commercials and music videos.

Daniel's friend and mentor, actor Paul Sorvino, guided him into studies with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse and Wynn Handman at Carnegie Hall. In 1985, Sorvino cast and directed Daniel in the off Broadway revival of The Rainmaker, where he played the role of Jim Curry, opposite Gary Sandy.

In 1987 Daniel appeared in the original off-Broadway play Out in America, opposite Daryl Hannah. Also in 1987, he performed in The Adventures of William Tell and the television series Crossbow, shot in France.

In 1988, director John Frankenheimer brought Daniel to Los Angeles for his first major feature film, Dead Bang. Within months, Daniel had landed guest starring roles in several episodics and movies, including a three-part Hunter with Fred Dryer, a two-part Matlock with Andy Griffith, China Beach, and several movies of the week. Daniel appeared in NBC's first season of Baywatch and was asked back for several episodes when the show went to USA cable network.

The first major film Daniel shot after arriving in LA was David Lynch's Wild at Heart. Lynch hand-picked him for the role of Tom Mix. He then shot Pierre David's Scanner Cop in 1993, in which he originated the starring role of the police scanner Samuel Staziak, a role which he reprised in Scanner Cop 2, also released as Scanners: The Showdown.

In 1992 Daniel was presented for an Emmy nomination for the role of Emilio in Jackie Collins' Lady Boss. Daniel continued to show his dramatic range in several television series including NYPD Blue, opposite Dennis Franz, ER opposite Julianna Margulies, Crossing Jordan, opposite Jill Hennessy, The X-Files, opposite David Duchovny, Without a Trace, opposite Anthony LaPaglia, and, more recently, in Criminal Minds, opposite Joe Mantegna. One of the highlights of Daniel's acting career was appearing in Diagnosis: Murder opposite one of his childhood idols, Dick Van Dyke.

In 2003 he landed contract roles on The Young and the Restless and Port Charles. He was again presented for an Emmy nomination for the role of Ralph Hunnicutt on The Young and the Restless.

Other film appearances include Louis L'Amour's Conagher, opposite Sam Elliott, The Last Outlaw, opposite Mickey Rourke, Miracle at Sage Creek, opposite David Carradine, Raising Flagg, opposite Alan Arkin, and The Avenging Angel, opposite James Coburn and Tom Berenger.

Daniel then filmed six episodes of the new television show twentysixmiles. The show shot on Catalina Island with Daniel as a series lead opposite John Schneider. The show is currently can be found on the website Hulu.com. His portrayal of the role of Dirk Stillwell allowed Daniel to return to his musical roots, not only acting in the production, but also playing drums and singing.

Daniel then completed the feature film Rubber" (2010 film), starring opposite Wings Hauser, for French director Quentin Dupieux. Rubber did well at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where it was acclaimed as a future sci-fi cult classic. Rubber was sold for international theatrical distribution.

Next, Karaoke Man, which was filmed in Los Angeles, where Daniel worked opposite Brian Dietzen and Bug Hall, and was directed by Mike Petty.

Daniel then starred in the political thriller, "Codex", directed by Norwegian film maker, Hawkon Gundersen. Daniel played opposite long time friend and colleague, Denice Duff. Daniel and Denice worked together in 2002 on The Young and the Restless as CBS contract performers, where they played husband and wife Ralph, and Amanda.

In the fall of 2012, Daniel appeared in the critically acclaimed Fox / Searchlight film The Sessions, with Oscar nominees John Hawkes and Bill Macy, and Oscar winner Helen Hunt. Written and directed by Ben Lewin. The film garnered Golden Globe, SAG, and Oscar nominations.

In 2012, Daniel was re-united with French director Quentin Dupieux in the comedy Wrong Cops, opposite Mark Burnham, Eric Judor, Steve Little, and Marilyn Manson. Wrong Cops first three chapters had its premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival 2013. Wrong Cops released theatrically in mid December 2013.

Daniel has filmed the suspense/thriller Independent feature film Story of Eva, in which he plays the role of psychologist Dr. Cornelius. The film was released in the January of 2015.

In 2014, Daniel completed two Blanc/Biehn Productions feature film Fetish Factory, playing fetish "Footman", a horror/comedy, and Psychophonia, playing Detective Alex Becker, in a psychological suspense thriller. Daniel is also set to star in two other Blanc/Biehn Productions feature films, Fembot, a SCI FI romantic comedy, and The Lincoln, an edgy road trip thriller.

Quinn has had roles that embrace the full diversity of the human condition, inspired by a wide-range of directors, teachers, artists and mentors.

Daniel was a leading force against the closure of the Motion Picture Home's Long Term Care Unit. Daniel served as an activist for the rights of Motion Picture and Television Industry elderly. As a leader in his advocacy for the Motion Picture and Television Fund's fabled Motion Picture Home's Long Term Care unit, Daniel was a critical element in organizing and speaking at several awareness events, fund raisers, and rallies. Daniel's vociferous and focused protection of his mother Rosemary's (and 137 other residents) status of care, led to the overturning of any attempt to close the 'nursing home' that has been home to aged members of the entertainment industry for over 90 years. Daniel worked closely with SAG Hollywood Board members to first gain the support of the Screen Actors Guild Union. Attending most of the 2009 and 2010 SAG Hollywood Board meetings, Daniel then spoke on the dais to the SAG National Board members, urging for their support to insure the future of the Long Term Care unit at the MPTF, his words were welcomed to a successful SAG National Board vote to stand by the historic mission in providing a safe haven for Industry members in need of long term care. Daniel then secured the support of the Teamsters Union, to build a powerful Industry pushback on the MPTF's plans to shutter the Long Term Care unit of the Home. Daniel was instrumental in returning the meaning of 'we take care of our own' to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

Daniel resides in Los Angeles, where his story is ongoing.

David Lewis Yewdall was born on 30 October 1950 in Springfield, Missouri, USA. He is known for Starship Troopers (1997), The Fifth Element (1997) and Escape from New York (1981). He was married to Lisa Howes Yewdall and Lisa. He died on 4 July 2017 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.

Eduardo Fajardo was born on 14 August 1924 in Meis, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. He was an actor, known for Django (1966), The Murder Mansion (1972) and Ace of Hearts (1975). He was married to Carmelita González. He died on 4 July 2019 in Mexico.

'Eric Sykes' started as a radio scriptwriter but he soon found he could perform as well as write. The slight handicap of being very hard of hearing doesn't interfere with his wonderful comic timing. The spectacles he wears have no lenses but contain a bone conducting hearing aid.

Eva Gabor was born on February 11, 1919 in Budapest, Hungary, to Jolie Gabor (née Janka Tilleman) and Vilmos Gabor (born Farkas Miklós Grün), a soldier. Her older siblings were Magda Gabor, an actress, and Zsa Zsa Gabor, an actress and socialite. Her parents were both from Jewish families. She went to Hollywood, California, to act in the 1930s. Her mother escaped from Nazi-occupied Budapest in the 1940s, also settling in the U.S.

Eva appeared both in films and on Broadway in the 1950s, as well as in several "A"-movies, including The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954), starring Elizabeth Taylor, and Artists and Models (1955), which featured Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

In 1953, she was given her own television talk show, The Eva Gabor Show (1953). Throughout the rest of the 1950s and early 1960s, she appeared on television and in movies. She appeared on one episode of the mystery series Justice (1954), and was on the game show What's My Line? (1950) as the "mystery challenger". Her film appearances during this period include a remake of My Man Godfrey (1957), Gigi (1958) and It Started with a Kiss (1959).

However, she is best remembered as Lisa Douglas, the socialite turned farm wife on Green Acres (1965) with co-star Eddie Albert playing her attorney husband Oliver Wendell Douglas. Eva Gabor died at age 76 from respiratory failure and pneumonia on July 4, 1995 in Los Angeles, California.

Eva Mozes Kor was born on 30 January 1934 in Portz, Romania. She was a producer, known for C.A.N.D.L.E.S.: The Story of the Mengele Twins (1990), Forgiving Dr. Mengele (2006) and Eva: A-7063 (2018). She was married to Michael Kor. She died on 4 June 2019 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.

No shrinking violet this one, but despite her talent, vivacity and sheer drive, lovely and alluring blonde Evelyn Keyes would remain for the most part typed as a "B" girl on the silver screen. In spite of her ripe contributions to such superior pictures as Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), The Jolson Story (1946), Mrs. Mike (1949), The Prowler (1951) and 99 River Street (1953), she received no significant awards during her career. In fact, film-goers seem to remember her best not for one of these exceptional co-starring parts, but for her bit role as Scarlett O'Hara's kid sister in Gone with the Wind (1939), American's most beloved epic film. Evelyn also kept Hollywood alive and kicking with two sensationalistic memoirs that chronicled her four dicey marriages, numerous affairs with the rich and famous, and negative takes on the Hollywood studio system.

Evelyn Louise Keyes was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on November 20, 1916 (for decades she would deceive the public as to her real age). Her father died when she was two, and she and her only brother and three sisters grew up living with her mother and her grandmother in Atlanta, Georgia. Taking voice, dance and piano lessons, she was hopeful of becoming a ballerina. Instead, she entered a beauty pageant or two and worked as a chorus girl before relocating to California at age 20. Shortly after her arrival in Los Angeles, a chance meeting with the legendary Cecil B. DeMille led to a Paramount Pictures contract. Stories differ as to how she met De Mille. Hollywood folklore has it that she was "discovered" by a talent scout in true Lana Turner fashion while eating at a restaurant. Another, more believable story has it that she hooked up with one of De Mille's former writers, which led to an introduction.

Nevertheless, she was groomed as a starlet and initially placed in bit and/or unbilled roles. De Mille first gave her a small part in his pirate epic The Buccaneer (1938), then placed her rather obscurely in his sprawling railroad saga Union Pacific (1939). It was David O. Selznick who gave her the bit part of whiny, bratty Suellen O'Hara, who loses her beau to the more calculating Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind". This led directly to her signing with Columbia Pictures. In 1938, just prior to the filming of GWTW, she married businessman Barton Bainbridge, her first of four. The marriage soured within a year or so, however, after she took up with Budapest-born director Charles Vidor, who directed three of her pictures: The Lady in Question (1940) (her first at Columbia), Ladies in Retirement (1941) and The Desperadoes (1943). This second marriage lasted about as long as the first (1943-1945), supposedly due to Vidor's infidelities.

At Columbia Evelyn hit pin-up status and sparked a number of war-era pictures. She played Boris Karloff's daughter in the crime horror Before I Hang (1940) and a blind woman who befriends the hideously scarred Peter Lorre in the excellent The Face Behind the Mask (1941). Still, she could not rise above her secondary status. For every one nifty "B" picture that could propel her into the higher ranks, such as Dangerous Blondes (1943), there was always a low-caliber western (Beyond the Sacramento (1940)), adventure (A Thousand and One Nights (1945)) or musical (The Thrill of Brazil (1946)) lurking about to keep her humble.

In the post-war years, a third tempestuous but highly adventurous marriage (1946-1950) to Hollywood titan John Huston made the tabloid papers practically on a weekly basis. They divorced after four years. She did some of her best work during this period, particularly as the wife of Al Jolson opposite Larry Parks' splendid impersonation. She also showed she had a strong range and earned snappy notices alongside Dick Powell in the film noir Johnny O'Clock (1947) as well as the title comedy character in The Mating of Millie (1948) co-starring Glenn Ford.

Her last (and just as questionable) marriage was to another "father figure" type, musician Artie Shaw, a womanizer if ever there was one who had already had been discarded by trophy wives Ava Gardner and Lana Turner (and five others) by the time he and Evelyn married in 1957. She had pretty much put her career on the back burner by this point. Surprisingly, this marriage lasted longer than any of their previous ones. The couple separated in the 1970s but did not divorce until 1985.

Evelyn returned to the acting fold every once in while. Scarcely on stage (she once played Sally Bowles in a theatrical production of "I Am a Camera" in 1953), she joined up with Don Ameche in a 1972 tour of the musical "No, No, Nanette". She also would show up on an episode of The Love Boat (1977) or Murder, She Wrote (1984) every now and then. She remained childless (there was one adopted child, Pedro, by Huston, but they were estranged).

Very much the traveler, Evelyn lived sporadically all over the world, including France, England and Mexico, and spoke Spanish and French fluently. She was also a writer and published a Hollywood-themed novel in her later years. Her GWTW association and tell-all memoirs in 1977 and 1991 kept her a point of interest right up until the end. Not surprisingly, this firecracker of a lady passed away on the 4th of July -- at age 91 of uterine cancer at an assisted-living residence in Montecito, California.

Boston-born Franklyn Farnum was on the vaudeville stage at the age of 12 and was featured in a number of theatre and musical productions by the time he entered silent films near the age of 40. He appeared to be at his most comfortable in the saddle, his career dominated mostly by westerns. Some of his more famous films include the serial Vanishing Trails (1920) and features The Clock (1917), The Firebrand (1922), The Drug Store Cowboy (1925) and The Gambling Fool (1925). In 1925 he left films, but returned five years later at the advent of sound, only to find himself billed much further down the credits, if at all. He continued on, however, in these obscure roles well into the 1950s. Largely forgotten today, he is not related to silent actors and brothers Dustin Farnum and William Farnum. One of his three wives was the ill-fated Alma Rubens, to whom he was briefly married in 1918. Farnum passed away from cancer in 1961.

Grant Richards was born on 21 December 1911 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Night of Mystery (1937), My Old Kentucky Home (1938) and The Untouchables (1959). He was married to Jean Stevens and Joan Valerie. He died on 4 July 1963 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

A new book, "McColl of the Wild"

McColl, a familiar face in Scottish televsion comedy for more than 20 years, passed away in 2013 following a battle with cancer.

He rose to national prominence during the 1980s and 1990s with roles in sitcoms 'City Lights' and 'Rab C Nesbitt'.

He was cast in Martin Scorsese's blockbuster movie 'Gangs of New York'

Before he died, McColl had begun recording the ups and downs of his colourful career in what was to be his autobiography.

However, although McColl started the process of recording his own life, the onset of his illness meant he was not able to complete the book himself.

As a result, the task fell to his sister, Martha Brindley, who acted as McColl's carer during his final months.

McColl himself chose the title for the book, 'McColl of the Wild', which also deals with some of the difficulties he faced during his life.

Jack Haig was born on 5 January 1913 in Streatham, Lambeth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for 'Allo 'Allo! (1982), The Gnomes of Dulwich (1969) and Hugh and I (1962). He was married to Sybil E Dunn. He died on 4 July 1989 in Hampstead, Camden, London, England, UK.