General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWith the sad recent deaths of Ann B Davis and Joan Lorring, some greats still with us
Luise Rainer.
Born 1910. Won back-to-back Academy Awards in 1936 and 1937. Her first Academy was one of the most controversial awards, as she won for Best Actress, yet had a limited role in the movie. While her performance was excellent, her win was more a testimony to the power of Louis B. Mayer. A non-conformist, she bucked the studio by walking town in pants and not wearing make up.
Maureen O' Hara
Born 1920. Discovered by Charles Laughton, he changed her name from FitzSimons to O'Hara because he wanted a shorter name for the marquee. Her first movie was The Playboy. Her first with Laughton was Jamaica Inn. She went on to star in How Green was My Valley, Miracle on 34th Street, Sitting Pretty, The Quiet Man, Parent Trap, and McLintock.
Though she hasn't done anything in about 15 years, she appeared in several TV shows and was in a few TV movies between 1962 and 2000.
Lauren Bacall
Probably should be mentioned first on the list, as she is one of the most iconic of the group. But I went with the eldest and then O'Hara.
Born in 1924, her career pretty much speaks for itself. Her first movie was 'To Have and Have Not' in 1944. She has appeared in The Big Sleep, Key Largo, Dark Passage and How to Marry a Millionaire between 1944-1952. Other movies of note she was in Sex and the Single Girl, Murder on the Orient Express and the Shootist (John Wayne's last film.
She acted with other all-time greats of the time, including Humphrey Bogart (who she married), Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Robert Stack, Paul Newman and Ingrid Bergman.
She still can be seen and heard on TV or the movies; she is Evelyn on Family Guy, The Grand Witch in Scooby Doo and the Goblin King, Witch of the Waste in Howl's Moving Castle and her last live action movie performance was in the Forger (2012)
Stan Freberg
Born 1926. If you don't recognize the name or (if you saw it) his face, don't be surprised. But if you remember any of the animated shows or characters, Junyer Bear, Lady and the Tramp, Speedy Gonzalez, The Three Little Bops, Wuzzles, Tiny Toon Adventures and Garfield and Friends (among others) then you've heard his voice.
William Daniels
Born 1927. A man who has made a career out of portraying the Adams', William Daniels got his start portraying John Q adams in A Woman for the Ages in 1952. He would go on to portray John Quincy in The Adams Chronicles, play John Adams in 1776 and The Rebels, as well as playing Samuel Adams in The Bastard. His movie career included parts in classics such as The Graduate, Reds, he was also in Oh God!, and *ahem, cough* The Blue Lagoon *blech* *retch*
His TV career is more vibrant and he has played many iconic characters, KITT on Night Rider, Dr. Mark Craig (St Elsewhere), Mr. (George) Feeny (Boy Meets World) and Dr. Craig Thomas (Gray's Anatomy)
He has made appearances in Touched By an Angel, Star Trek: Voyager, The Nancy Walker Show, Rockford Files, The Night Stalker, Ironside and the Closer to name a few.
Earle Hyman:
Born 1926. Primarily a Broadway performer. If the name doesn't ring any bells, this might help - he was Russell Huxtable, the grandfather on The Cosby Show.
His first Broadway show was Anna Lucasta (1949), The Merchant of Venice, and Ibsen's The Master Builder.
His movie and TV career is not as lengthy as his Broadway career, aside from the Cosby Show, he was the voice of Panthro on Thundercats
Bill Cosby
Born 1937. Most people hear the name and think the Cosby Show. But, Bill Cosby has been on TV since the mid-60's. His first series was I Spy, then the Bill Cosby Show (69-71), Cosby (96-2000) and Fat Albert. He also made regular appearances on The Electric Company.
He had a brief role in the movie 'Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'. He was in Uptown Saturday Night, Mother Jugs and Speed,and the Devil and Max Devlin
Edward Asner
Born 1929. Ed Asner is a television legend. He lended in talent and voice to numerous TV Series. His Lou Grant character has been in at least 4 TV Series (Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Phyllis and Lou Grant). He played Carl Dobson in 15 episodes of the Closer. He was Roland Daggett in Batman the Animated Series, Sgt Mike Cosgrove in Freakazoid, J Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man and he provided different voices in Gargoyles, Capt Planet and made two appearances on Johnny Bravo.
His TV career began in 1957 with an uncredited appearance as a juror in Studio One in Hollywood. He has few silverscreen movies to his credit and they're pretty much forgettable, though he was in JFK. But in addition to various TV series, he was in Roots and several TV movies.
Mary Tyler Moore
Born 1936. Speaking of Ed Asner, it's Mary. First television appearance was on a TV commercial. First appeared on the Eddie Fischer Show. Her break came as Laura Petrie on the Dick van Dyke Show. She had her own series for 8 seasons. Rhoda, Phyllis and Lou Grant all spun off from her show.
She has appeared in a few successful movies, with Ordinary People being her best movie (IMO)
Others of Note
Carl Reiner.
Born 1922. What can I say. One of the greatest comedy sketch writers of all time.
Lorretta Lynn:
Born 1932
Polly Holliday:
Born 1937. Played Flo on Alice and Lillian Patterson on Home Improvement.
Gena Rowlands
Born 1930. Her performance in A Woman Under the Influence is ranked #63 on Performance Magazines Greatest Performances of All-time
Hal Holbrook
Born 1925. No one can play an Adams like William Daniels and no one can play Lincoln better than Holbrook. Holbrook played Martin Sheen's significant other in 'That Certain Summer.' It was the first sympathetic gay character on TV.
Anne Wedgeworth:
Born 1934. Who is this? You may ask. Frenchy in Scarecrow (1973), Katie (Bang the Drum Slowly), Audrey Conner (Roseanne), Merleen Eldridge (Evening Shade TV Series)
Rose Marie
Born 1923. Dick van Dyke Show. Murphy Brown. Doris Day Show. Began her career in Vaudeville. She told Candice Bergen "I worked with your father in vaudeville when he was doing a doctor sketch." Bergen told her it was impossible because she was too young. Rose Marie her that she was the headliner and her father was the opening act.
Donna Douglass
Born 1933. Elly Mae Clampett
June Lockart
Born 1925. Best known as Maureen Robinson on Lost in Space. Also starred in Petticoat Junction, Lassie and made regular appearances on Robert Montgomery Presents
John Astin
Born 1930. He's Creepy and he's Kookie he's Gomez Adams. He's also the Riddler, Randy Pruitt, Buddy Ryan, Radford and Terry Duke Teztloff and Dr Gangreen
Marion Ross
Born 1924. Happy Days
Chloris Leachman
1926. It's Phyllis.
Betty White:
Born 1922. Sue Anne Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore Show (impressive how much talent was on the show and how ling lived they are). The Betty White Show, Golden Girls, Mama's Family, Bob, The 70's Show, Boston Legal, Bold and Beautiful, Pound Puppies and Hot in Cleveland.
With the exception of about 3 years, she has worked regularly on TV Series (multiple appearances as the same character) non-stop for about 45 years.
Skittles
(153,113 posts)Carol Burnett, 1933
rpannier
(24,328 posts)I would add them to the list, but you mentioning it gets the info out there
Thanks
on edit:
That's a tremendous amount of talent that will be passing away in the next 5 years (though not all will go, many of them probably will.
Brother Buzz
(36,375 posts)1921 (age 93)
Journeyman
(15,024 posts)Silent3
(15,147 posts)...back when he was playing Fish on the Barney Miller Show. Maybe it's just that I was in my early teens at that time, but he seemed very old all the way back then, and as the character Fish, Vigoda certainly played up the idea of being old, with a failing body.
I know perception of age has changed a lot over the years, but it's hard for me to remember if people generally considered mere mid fifties to be so ancient back in the 70s, or if Vigoda was playing the character as being older than he, the actor, really was.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Eli Wallach, age 98, b. 1915. Won honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement but perhaps most recognizable for his role in "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly".
Olivia de Havilland, age 96, b. 1916. Two-time Academy Award winner and sister of Joan Fontaine, also a 2 time winner and who passed away about 6 months ago.
Patrick MacNee, age 92, b. 1922. "Steed, John Steed" of the classic BBC series, The Avengers.
edbermac
(15,933 posts)87 and 88
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Kirk Douglas, age 96; Christopher Lee, 92; Richard Attenborough, 90; Eva Marie Saint, 89; Angela Lansbury, 88; Honor Blackman, 88; Harry Belafonte, 87; Roger Moore, 86; Max Von Sydow, 85; Martin Landau, 85.
Mnemosyne
(21,363 posts)birthday! It's not bad at all.
Rock on Mr. Lee!
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)Last edited Mon Jun 2, 2014, 07:11 AM - Edit history (3)
James Garner 1928
Shirley Mae Jones 1934
Elizabeth Montgomery 1933
Margaret O'Brien 1937
Julie Andrews 1935
Leslie Caron 1931
Sidney Poitier 1927
Leme
(1,092 posts)but Kim Novak is still here , I think she was born Valentine's Day 1933.
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)Kim is exactly eight years older than I.
pink-o
(4,056 posts)She died of cancer in 1995. From all accounts, she was a total class act and her co stars said great to work with.
"Bewitched" is called the gayest show of 60s TV, since just about everyone except Liz was that persuasion. (Even one of the Tabitha twins came out as gay when she grew up. ) The subtext was great on that show, probably why it lasted so long.
BlueMTexpat
(15,365 posts)Born September 5, 1929: American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide bestseller and reached number one on the Billboard pop album chartit remains the 20th best-selling comedy album in history.
randome
(34,845 posts)He is definitely the king of self-mockery!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it."
Tony Randall, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)[/center][/font][hr]
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress and singer. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards, which include an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award. She also was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.
brooklynite
(94,333 posts)rpannier
(24,328 posts)Is she Betty Davis, Joan Crawford or Meryl Streep great? No
TBF
(32,004 posts)she certainly was a memorable character!
Leme
(1,092 posts)and Barbara Hale,92, of several movies and of course, Perry Mason.
-
also, Zsa Zsa Gabor, 97; Delores Hope,105;June Foray (Rocky the Flying Squirrel),96; Alan Young ,(Wilburrrrr)94; Jayne Meadows,93; Nanette Fabray 93; Noel Neill (Lois Lane, tv) 93.
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,153 posts)She basically was that. And people like that.
I mean, who couldn't like Alice the maid?
TBF
(32,004 posts)also of Brady fame, is now 80. Also, IRL, she and Shirley Jones (the Partridge Family mom) were friends. Shirley is also 80 now. They were both Broadway stars prior to their hit TV shows.
In 2009 they joined together to do symphony concerts in Indianapolis:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Florence-Henderson-and-Shirley-Jones-Team-for-Indianapolis-Symphony-Orchestra-Concerts-20090427#.U4xeFiiwWWY
Leme
(1,092 posts)TBF
(32,004 posts)and brady bunch were in syndication by the time I was watching them - these ladies are 30+ years older than me. I actually used to get them confused when I was young. No idea if they were competitors at one point. It would make sense that they might have tried out for some of the same roles.
Mnemosyne
(21,363 posts)Leme
(1,092 posts)rpannier
(24,328 posts)Thanks
lpbk2713
(42,736 posts)He was a regular on Ed Sullivan. And I remember him from Car Wash.
Gidney N Cloyd
(19,819 posts)Never saw his Lincoln turn back in the 70's.