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1-16 of 16
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Tough around the edges and with a handsome durability, Alabama-bred Wayne Rogers was born in Birmingham on April 7, 1933. He graduated from Princeton with a history degree in 1954 and joined the Navy before giving acting a thought. During his military service, however, he became associated with theater by happenstance and decided to give it a try after his discharge.
Studying with renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner and dancer Martha Graham at the Neighborhood Playhouse, Rogers toiled for years in off-Broadway and regional plays ("Bus Stop", "No Time for Sergeants") and had a short stint on the daytime soap The Edge of Night (1956) before making a minor dent in films, including small roles in Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), The Glory Guys (1965) and Cool Hand Luke (1967). Rogers finally hit co-star status opposite Robert Bray in the short-lived TV western series Stagecoach West (1960) and co-produced and wrote the script for the cult sci-fi cheapie The Astro-Zombies (1968) in-between.
It wasn't until 1972, when the 39-year-old actor nabbed the role of "Trapper John," a Korean War surgeon, in the classic comedy series M*A*S*H (1972), that he found elusive stardom. Alongside Alan Alda's "Hawkeye Pierce", the TV show was a huge hit and the two enjoyed equal success at the beginning. Slowly, however, Wayne's character started getting the short end of the stick as the wry, sardonic, highly appealing Alda became a resounding audience favorite. Frustrated at turning second-banana to Alda, he quit the series (his character was discharged) after three seasons amid a contractual dispute. Mike Farrell replaced him in the cohort role of "B.J. Hunnicut" and the show enjoyed several more award-winning seasons
TV movies came Wayne's way throughout the late '70s and a couple more comedy series, including House Calls (1979), in which Wayne received a Golden Globe nomination, but nothing would equal the success he found during the M*A*S*H (1972) years. Sporadic filming in Once in Paris... (1978), The Hot Touch (1981), The Gig (1985) and The Killing Time (1987) also failed to raise his standard, nor did his starring work in the TV movies He's Fired, She's Hired (1984), The Lady from Yesterday (1985), One Terrific Guy (1986), American Harvest (1987), Drop-Out Mother (1988), Miracle Landing (1990).
Broaching the millennium, Rogers was lesser seen, but found some featured roles in such films as Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Love Lies Bleeding (1999), Frozen with Fear (2001) and Three Days of Rain (2002). He would be last glimpsed in the Hollywood-themed comedy Nobody Knows Anything! (2003) in which he also served as producer. Wayne found renewed respect as a businessman and investor in later years, managing the affairs of such stars as Peter Falk and James Caan, among others. He died on New Year's Eve of 2015 of complications from pneumonia. He was 82.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Beth Howland was born on 28 May 1941 in Brighton, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Alice (1976), A Caribbean Mystery (1983) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970). She was married to Charles Kimbrough and Michael J. Pollard. She died on 31 December 2015 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Karen Landry was born on 4 December 1950 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Peaceful Warrior (2006), Patti Rocks (1988) and JAG (1995). She was married to Chris Mulkey. She died on 31 December 2015 in Venice Beach, California, USA.- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
Growing up and living under the huge, daunting shadow of a singing icon can intimidate a son or daughter enough to want to look anywhere else to find their station in life. Those who dared to try to follow in their footsteps, such as Frank Sinatra Jr., found success branching out in other areas of music; others like the Crosby brothers, suffered from perpetual self esteem issues that led to personal tragedy; still others, like Liza Minnelli found meteoric success on their own and emulated/paralleled their famous parent's own star achievements.
"Sophisticated Lady" Natalie Cole fits into the last-mentioned category. Moreover, she ended up living a dream by dueting with her father, the late and great Nat 'King' Cole, through the use of modern technology, to multiple Grammy-winning glory. This would become the pinnacle of her musical success. Unlike Minnelli, however, her famous crooning parent, who broke many racial barriers during his way-too-short life in the limelight, did not live long enough to enjoy his daughter's rise to stardom, dying of lung cancer a little more than a week after Natalie's 15th birthday.
Stephanie Natalie Maria Cole was born on February 6, 1950, and grew up in a heavily musical atmosphere in Los Angeles' exclusive Hancock Park area. In addition to her father, mother Maria had been a background vocalist with the Duke Ellington outfit. Natalie herself grew up surrounded by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and, Frank Sinatra, who were considered family. Singing on one of her dad's Christmas albums, and performing by age 11, her father's early death brought emotional scars and perhaps induced a self-imposed lack of musical focus. The family relocated to Massachusetts and Natalie eventually took off to college, first attending and majoring in child psychology at the University of Massachusetts. The transferred to the University of Southern California before returning to her first campus and graduating in 1972. At this point, however, she decided to live her music a go again and began performing at various night spots. It was at this juncture that she gradually fell into drug addiction, including heroin use.
A breakthrough for Natalie came via her early 70s association with Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, who once worked with one of Natalie's real-life idols, Aretha Franklin. A debut album in the form of "Inseparable" came out in 1975, which included her bit hit "This Will Be" (#6 on the pop charts and a multiple Grammy winner for best R&B female vocals and "best newcomer". In 1976 producer Yancy became her husband but they divorced after only a few years and following the birth of their only child, Robert Adam Yancy. Her ex-husband died in 1985.
During the "disco era", milder hits with "Sophisticated Lady," "Mr. Melody," "I've Got Love on My Mind," "Our Love," "Stand By," "What You Won't Do for Love," and "Hold On" and "Nothing But a Fool" arrived, along with more platinum and gold albums. Acute drug problems, however, continued to hinder her progress and she eventually took time off time for recovery. In 1985, Natalie released, in what was the start of a comeback, her album "Dangerous" for Modern Records; she later lost her contract. Such as late 80s pop singles included "Jump Start My Heart," "Miss You Like Crazy", "Pink Cadillac" and "I Live for Your Love" kept her visible and on the charts.
In the midst of her ebb-and-flow R&B success, Natalie decided in 1991 to record a new CD, "Unforgettable...with Love," paying homage to her late father. With the help and encouragement of family, she re-arranged and re-recorded some of his greatest songs in the same studio that he recorded (Capitol Studios), used some of the same musicians and even recreated one of his signature songs, the title tune "Unforgettable," with a technological effect that appeared as if they were dueting together. Never before or since has this been pulled off and marketed so successfully. The CD, which met with some derision (some critics felt she was grasping for straws in a career that was going backwards), was an instant "easy listening" sensation. Not only did it sell well over 30 million copies, it would become an eight-time over platinum winner. It earned a armload of awards on Grammy night -- including "Album of the Year" and "Record of the Year".
Over time Natalie began covering jazz standards. A jazz CD in 1994 also captured a Grammy (she has racked up a total of eight Grammy awards thus far). Like her Dad, she has become a fond Christmas commodity both on TV and in the record stores. In addition, she branched out into occasional acting roles, including the social drama Lily in Winter (1994) and the autobiographical feature film Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000) in which she herself played the ups and downs of her own turbulent life. She has also made infrequent acting appearances on such shows as "I'll Fly Away," "Law & Order," "Touched by an Angel" and "Grey's Anatomy".
Natalie's private life, however, continued to show vulnerability. A second marriage to drummer Andre Fisher of Rufus fame also ended in divorce and she later married and divorced a third time to Kenneth H. Dupree, a church bishop. Natalie's older adopted sister, Carol Cole earned a modicum of distinction as an actress and celebrity for a time, but her adopted brother, Nat Kelly Cole, briefly an actor, died in 1995 at age 36 of AIDS-related complications.
Firmly content wrapping her glorious vocals around yesteryear's standards, Natalie's star contained the warm, fuzzy glow and velvet-like smoothness so reminiscent of her famous dad. She continued to shine with her CD "Still Unforgettable, in which she nursed the classics as only she can and "dueted" once again with her father on "Walking My Baby Back Home"
In July of 2008, Natalie was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver virus, Hepatitis C, which had laid dormant for decades from her early days of hard drug and alcohol use. It progressed to the point of her having a have a kidney transplant the following year. Although she continued to perform, she remained illness-prone up until her death on New Year's Eve 2015 of congestive heart failure induced by lung disease and pulmonary hypertension. Her 2000 memoir, Angel on My Shoulder, detailed much of her early addiction battles.- Ken Magee was born on 11 December 1946 in Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), Seabiscuit (2003) and The Jerk (1979). He was married to Madonna Young Magee. He died on 31 December 2015 in North Hollywood, California, USA.
- Producer
- Writer
Bob Flick was born on 5 September 1931 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Entertainment Tonight (1981) and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (1970). He died on 31 December 2015 in Pasadena, California, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Fred Ochs was born on 12 May 1947 in Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) and Dexter (2006). He died on 31 December 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.- Buddy Wayne was an actor, known for WWF Championship Wrestling (1972), Spectrum Wrestling (1977) and WWF Super Astros (1998). He died on 31 December 2015 in the USA.
- Barbara Bletcher was born on 14 July 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Jewel Robbery (1932) and Teacher's Beau (1935). She died on 31 December 2015 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Helen Blatch was born on 24 January 1934 in Hampshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Wimbledon (2004), A Picture of Katherine Mansfield (1973) and Doctors (2000). She died on 31 December 2015 in the UK.
- Richard Sapper was born on 30 May 1932 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. He was married to Dorit Polz. He died on 31 December 2015 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
- Writer
- Editor
- Soundtrack
Wesley Burrowes was born on 15 April 1930 in Co. Down, Northern Ireland, UK. He was a writer and editor, known for Rat (2000), The Riordans (1965) and Bracken (1980). He was married to Helena Ruuth and Liz Brennan. He died on 31 December 2015 in Ireland.- Valeri Ryzhakov was born on 23 December 1945. He was an actor, known for Larets Marii Medichi (1981), Pered rassvetom (1989) and Trener (1970). He died on 31 December 2015.
- Actor
- Costume Designer
Franco Casaglieri was born on 12 February 1952 in Cantagallo, Tuscany, Italy. He was an actor and costume designer, known for My Life with Stars and Stripes (2003), Tutti all'attacco (2005) and Cenci in Cina (2009). He died on 31 December 2015 in Prato, Tuscany, Italy.- Marvin Panch was born on 28 May 1926 in Oakland, California, USA. He was married to Bettie. He died on 31 December 2015 in Port Orange, Florida, USA.
- Dal Richards was born on 5 January 1918 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was married to Lorraine McAllister, Beryl Boden and Muriel Honey. He died on 31 December 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.