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1-7 of 7
- Michael Jeffers may be relatively unknown although he will forever go down as a small note in Hollywood history as the president of the Screen Extras Guild who halted production of movies for a 24 hour period in 1945 in protest because stuntmen and bit part actors were getting extra work however extras were not obtaining bit part or stunt work. He also led a further protest in 1946.
While acting as the bargaining agent for the SEG he was a thorn in the side of the Screen Actors Guild. After being informed that people affiliated with the Screen Extras Guild had restricted voting rights Jeffers sued in a attempt to be able to vote on such matters.
As a result of this action, he received little work because a letter was sent around hinting he had communist ties and that he was trying to drive a wedge in the Screen Extras Guild. He fought in court from 1950 to 1958 trying to restore his name so he could receive more work and recover damages for wages he lost as result of the letter.
He later went on to appear in scores of westerns in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, eventually accumulating over 600 credits. - Violet Horner, the second daughter of music hall performers Sidney Herbert Horner (born Wales) and Pauline Tranter (born Belfast), grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she performed in amateur productions and was discovered singing in a church choir when she first got into film. In an interview (Gertrude M. Price, "Went From Church Soloist to Leading Lady," (Chicago) "Day Book", 21 January 1913, pp. 30-32), when asked about whether her life as an actress was different as her work as a church soloist, Horner stated "Yes, it was certainly a jump and something different...But I wanted more excitement and a chance to climb over the fence and look out over the world. That's why I took up pictures." After her movie career faded, she went into vaudeville as a singer until her second marriage to a Brooklyn dentist, and until their retirement to Florida, spent her time giving voice and acting lessons and putting on amateur productions with various local groups including the Ladies Auxiliary of her husband's American Legion Post.
- William Seward Burroughs III, or "Billy" Burroughs, was the son of Beat writer William S. Burroughs and Joan Vollmer. He wrote three novels: "Speed," "Kentucky Ham," and the unfinished "Prakriti Junction." Billy was a methamphetamine/methedrine addict for much of his life, and was arrested several times for forging prescriptions.
In 1976, Burroughs Jr. underwent a liver-transplant, due to cirrhosis of the liver caused by chronic alcoholism, and remained the rest of his life as an invalid as a result. His health greatly deteriorated after the operation, as he refused to give up drinking. He died in Florida in 1981, after being found in a shallow ditch. His life is chronicled in his biography "Cursed from Birth," edited by David Ohle, which includes material from the unfinished "Prakriti Junction." - Arthur Cadwell Jr. was born on 16 August 1909 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Sapho (1913) and The Inner Man (1922). He died on 15 January 2000 in Volusia County, Florida, USA.
- Handsome Norman Astwood was a talented actor and singer from the 1920s to the early 1940s. He also became a leading actor of the race film genre (Black Cinema) in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Norman Astwood was born in the British West Indies and was educated at Wolmer's. He was a Jamaican who grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and in 1912, he and his family was one of millions who immigrated to America through the legendary Ellis Island. Norman was furthered educated at the City College in New York. When the first world war broke out Norman enlisted and served as an aviator in the British Army, being commissioned as Leuitantant. In the 1920s, Norman returned to the United States after the war and launched his career as an actor, singer, and overall entertainer on stage, radio, and later screen. Norman earned his first success in one of the first popular black Broadway musical comedies "Blackbirds of 1926." In 1929, Norman went to England with the Lew Leslie Blackbirds revue which had a highly successful run in London.
Singing was another one of Norman's talents, he sung at various popular venues and on the radio in the 1930s, awing audiences with his dynamic and heartfelt singing. In 1935, Norman appeared as master of ceremonies in the Universal film short "Harlem Bound" and he sung the emotional "Machinery." Norman attained screen success as an actor (when he was in his late 30's) in race films a.k.a Black Cinema films, "Paradise In Harlem," "Sunday Sinners" and "Murder on Lenox Avenue": these were the best films of the genre partly because of Norman's dominating presence and talent. Race films were the only films Norman could display his talent since he was too light and not the Stepin Fetchit type to appear in Hollywood films. In only three films Norman showed more acting skills then most in numerous films; his naturalness, convincingness, great knack for timing, and powerful presence and strong voice brought his characters alive always giving a pleasing, complimentary performance. Norman usually portrayed tough, intimidating, macho types and played them perfectly. He played men you love to hate but he added charm, magnetic appeal, and his rugged good looks that drew audiences to him and made him attractive. He was the Clark Gable of race films. To add to his image he had a distinct accented voice that he became very known for. When not acting, throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Norman entertained at various premier nightclubs and theaters like the famed Apollo theater.
In World War II, Norman served as a captain in the U.S. Army and he still performed during the war but retired from show business before the war ended. - Additional Crew
Mark Adams was born in 1983 in the USA. He is known for Nitro Circus (2009). He died on 26 January 2012 in Volusia County, Florida, USA.- Actress
Rosa Rita Varella was born in 1924 in Clarkdale, Arizona, USA. She was an actress. She died on 3 February 2012 in Volusia County, Florida, USA.