Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-24 of 24
- Actor
- Soundtrack
The gangly York is best remembered as the first and most frustrated "Darrin Stephens" on the long-running TV series Bewitched (1964). He left the series in 1969 because of a chronic back ailment. He later founded Acting for Life, a private fund-raising effort for the homeless which he managed from his home, where he was bedridden with a degenerative spine injury.- He was married to Peggy - real name Margaret - and they divorced when their son Anthony was young. Blackie has two children - Anthony who was born in 1962, and James, who was born in 1991. He lived in Los Angeles for many years and whilst living there, he changed his name from John Kiedis to Blackie Dammett. He raised wolves and wolf hybrids in Michigan in the 1990s. In 2007, he moved to Portland, Oregon.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bobby DeBarge was born on 5 March 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Shaft (2019), Punky Brewster (1984) and American Bandstand (1952). He was married to Teri DeBarge. He died on 16 August 1995 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
David Lasley's prolific career as a singer/songwriter spans more than 30 years. He is best-known for the hundreds of songs he has written for artists such as Anita Baker ("You Bring Me Joy"), Maxine Nightingale ("Lead Me On"), Patti LaBelle ("Come What May", "I Don't Go Shopping"), Aretha Franklin ("There's a Star for Everyone"), Boz Scaggs ("Jojo"), Tina Turner, Whitney Houston and many more. His work as a background vocalist is equally auspicious. Most familiar for his more than 24 years singing with pop/folk icon James Taylor, Lasley has also backed such artists as Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett, Ringo Starr, Cher, Chaka Khan, and countless others. Lasley's tremendous talent as a solo performer matches his stature as a songwriter, vocal arranger and background vocalist and in 2000, he issued Back to Blue-Eyed Soul, a retrospective of his work featuring rare recordings dating back to 1966.- Janet Simpson was born on 14 May 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Hardcore (1979), Switched at Death and Haunted Hospitals (2018). She was married to William D. Simpson. She died on 4 February 2023 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Douglas Alan-Mann was born on 10 June 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Endless Love (1981), Up Against the Wall (1991) and Music Box (1980). He died on 22 April 2011 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Ralph Baldwin was born on 6 June 1912 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He was married to Lois Virginia Johnston. He died on 23 October 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Actress
- Director
Violet MacMillan was born on 4 March 1885 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. She was an actress and director, known for The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914), His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914) and The Girl Who Won Out (1917). She was married to John Hall Folger (industrial executive) and Frank Edward Clark. She died on 29 December 1953 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.- Ray Quinn was born on 4 February 1921 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Highway Patrol (1955), Medic (1954) and Death Valley Days (1952). He died on 1 January 1996 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Henry VandenBroek was born on 23 June 1923 in Zeist, Utrecht, Netherlands. He was an actor, known for Hardcore (1979). He was married to Jacoba 'Coby' Marie VandenBroek. He died on 17 August 2014 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Arthur H. Vandenberg was born on 22 March 1884 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He was married to Hazel Whittaker and Elizabeth Watson. He died on 18 April 1951 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Afro-American jazz musician and composer. A hard-driving, modern-intoned tenor saxophonist, he began with the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra and then worked during the mid- and late 1930's with Fate Marable and Dewey Jackson in the St. Louis area. In 1940, he joined Jay McShann in Kansas City, playing in the same section of the band as Charlie Parker. After a spell with Andy Kirk in New York, 1943-47, he returned to St. Louis, leading his own small combo. Forrest had a massive hit with the all-time jazz standard "Night Train", which, however, owed much to a composition by Duke Ellington, "Happy-Go- Lucky Local". He was part of Ellington's organisation for one year, from 1949 to 1950. During the next three decades, Forrest became a prolific free-lance recording artist, who often combined elements of bebop and R&B with mainstream jazz. After leading several groups of his own, he worked with Count Basie and the Clarke-Boland Big Band in the 1970's.
- Tae Sims was born on 8 February 1992. He was an actor, known for Tae Sims x Rollie Remo: Cant Lose (2021). He died on 25 November 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Fuego Lee was an actor, known for Fuego Lee: Two Times (2018), Fuego Lee: Wit Us (2019) and Young Mari x Fuego Lee: Rule Number One (2019). He died on 20 June 2021 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Actress
Margery Fife was born on 10 November 1916 in the USA. She was an actress. She died on 21 April 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.- Merre led a mostly quiet life for most of her life while living in the area around Big Rapids, MI. She moved out of state after getting married out of high school. However, her father's death via Huntington's fared ill for all of the children - and she later discovered she had inherited her father's affliction. After a tragic incident of being hit by a car, her Huntington's kicked into overdrive, severely debilitating her. This caused problems in her marriage, leading to a bitter divorce in the mid-2000s.
With nowhere to go except back to her mother's home, Merre later met and befriended the founder of Dozerfleet Productions, who developed romantic interest in her. The two remained friends, though the latter's romantic ambitions were left unfulfilled.
A slip-and-fall accident in 2019 resulted in severe head trauma, exacerbating her Huntington's even further and leaving her bedridden. Doctors predicted she only had a few months to live. In spite this, she endured until July of 2020, almost a full year after her head trauma incident. She was receiving physical therapy under a government program looking into Huntington's research. When that program was nixed amid covid hysteria, her therapy was canceled. She was placed on palliative-only care, with the actual care quality she received growing less adequate by the month.
She died one day before doctors were planning to "pull the plug." Due to state covid restrictions, she was not allowed any visitors. Her mother, Terry Bowmaster, died earlier that same day, from a heart attack.
Posthumously, she was made the mascot of "The Sims 4: Oughties Big Rapids Living Stuff," a custom stuff pack for The Sims 4 themed around life in the mid-to-late 2000s for students and alumni of Ferris State University. Both a photograph of her and a Sim replica of her were used in the video trailer for this custom game pack on YouTube, where she portrayed both herself and the "Ghost of Big Rapids Living Spirit Past."
In the trailer, she urges bored college Sims to give Big Rapids living a try, if they want something more interesting and realistic than the experience that comes with EA and Maxis' official "Discover University" expansion pack.
The final scenes in the trailer are dedicated to her memory, with a eulogy offered atop the tearful-sounding "Carry On" by Unlisted's former lead singer, David McNeil.
The real Merre was eventually buried not far from her former home, with arrangements having been made at the Mohnke Funeral Home in downtown Big Rapids by her surviving brothers. - Tyler M. Blakslee died on 23 July 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Actress
Margery Sue Fife, (screen name "Marston") was born in Westchester, NY, along with her twin sister Marion, aka "GoGo". Her younger brother Ross (named after their father) was born in 1924. After graduating from high school, their father said he would pay for them to go to college, or he would pay for them to go on a trip around the world. Their father believed that either decision would give them a good education and would help them in becoming more mature and responsible. Of course, the twins chose the trip. The girls boarded the Queen Mary at New York's harbor for their trip around the world and memories that lasted a lifetime. Aboard the ship, Muffy met William Freund. They fell in love and married shortly after their voyage. Willie lived in England and was in the Royal Air Force (RAF), so they made their home there, living next door to Sir Winston Churchill. Although Muffy loved Willie, he was never home since WWI was underway and Willie was off fighting for England. After being alone in England for two years and far away from her family and friends in the United States, Muffy told Willie that she was extremely lonely and wanted to live closer to her friends and family. Willie understood, since he had no idea how long the war was going to last and when he would be able to settle down and live a normal life again. Although sad, he knew that she would never be happy living in England all alone and away from her loved ones. They went their separate ways and Muffy moved to New York to be closer to her twin sister and the rest of her family and friends. After the war was over, Willie went back home, met and married Marjory Dyson and they had one child together, Elizabeth. Willie passed away in England in 1963. It was also during this time that Muffy signed up with the Powers Modeling Agency, a prestigious New York modeling agency, and began her modeling career. She was sought after in New York, Paris and London. Muffy was hired to represent many brand products such as Hires root beer, Pepsi Cola, Kodak and like her girl friend, Esther Williams, was on the cover of Life Magazine in the early 1940's. She ended up in Hollywood and used the screen name "Margery Marsden". She had a screen test for Warner Bros Studio, was chosen to be one of the Amazon women in "Tarzan and the Amazons" in 1945. Muff was good friends with Johnny Weissmuller. Muffy met Walter Stecker in California, fell in love, and married in 1946 and moved to Michigan, where Walter had grown up. Walt and Muffy raised four children (Walter III, Ross, Richard, and Marion) and retired to Siesta Key, Florida in the late 1970's. They moved back to Michigan in the late 1990's to be closer to their children. Muffy passed away at the age of 93 on April 21, 2010, but will be deeply missed by all who knew her. She enjoyed swimming, writing stories, poems, music and had a great sense of humor. Muffy truly loved life and lived it with a vibrant energy and positive joy. Her quick sense of humor kept our lives full with fun, laughter and an endearing playfulness.- Peter Secchia was born on 15 April 1937 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA. He was a producer, known for Gerald R. Ford: A Test of Character (2016), The Mike Douglas Show (1961) and Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History (2004). He was married to Joan Peterson. He died on 21 October 2020 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Art Department
Richard Westra was born on 20 November 1948 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Richard is known for 7 Stones (2012). Richard died on 6 September 2023 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.- Diet Eman was born on 30 April 1920 in The Hague, Netherlands. She was married to Egon Erlich. She died on 3 September 2019 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Theodore Robert Grevers was born in 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He died on 12 June 2012 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
- Dennis had a very satisfying career as a civil engineer, working around the country and overseas. In 1999, while living in Flagstaff Arizona, he auditioned for a role (Roy Cohn) at a Northern Arizona University Production of "Angels in America," on a whim. He got it and the bug bit him hard and fast! He began acting in local stage productions, indie films and hosting events on the side. Finally, in early 2014, he took the leap, quit the engineering world and entered the acting one. He dove headfirst into acting classes, auditions, background work, student films, and LA Theater.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Tylan Brock was born on 31 December 1992 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and director, known for The Mole (2012), The Beauty Inside (2012) and The Unraveling Reel (2012). He died on 4 October 2020 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.