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Celebrating 25 Years Of The West Wing

In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

Kromm

By Kromm
in Everything Else TV

Mr. Sparkle
Message added by Mr. Sparkle,

Reminder:

This thread is for deaths of celebrities in the entertainment business only. No notices about politicians, please. 

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Bastet
Bastet

Piss up a rope, Val Kilmer.  If your physical illness got so bad that your life utterly sucked and no end to that suffering was in sight, so that suicide was or seemed to be the best of the available

wilsie
wilsie
BetterButter
BetterButter

Olivia Newton-John Has Died At 73

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Spartan Girl

Spartan Girl

26 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

RIP sir. I remember him as Ollivander in the Harry Potter films.

So do I. But I can't believe nobody has brought up The Elephant Man.

"I AM NOT AN ANIMAL! I AAM A HUMAN BEING!"

I remember watching that movie in high school and it broke my heart. Also was pissed to learn that John Merrick couldn't even have dignity in death, since his skelelton was put in a museum.

RIP

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

50 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Among other roles, William Katt also co-starred in the Perry Mason revival movies from 1985-1988, playing Perry's investigator, Paul Drake Jr., who was supposed to have been the son of the Paul Drake character from the original show.

 

45 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Yep. And he did a good job in it.

He was great--and there was history. I've always resented that he was replaced by Ken what'shisface. It was never the same.

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ennui

ennui

1 hour ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Heck even Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale played it up!

I believe there was genuine affection between the two actors. I remember Barbara saying that when the production company called to ask if she would like to play Della, and Barbara found out that Raymond would be Mason, she didn't hesitate for a moment. 

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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

(edited)

Two John Hurt performances I'll never forget, his portrayal of the mad emperor Caligula in I, Claudius and Winston in the movie adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, released in 1984.

Edited by VCRTracking
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Calvada

Calvada

I have vague memories of watching Mannix with my dad.  He loved all the cop & PI shows.  It seemed that in every episode he was knocked out as he was investigating something - he'd be sneaking into an office or a home and bang!  The villain would get him from behind with the butt of a gun or a convenient vase.  I realize this probably didn't happen in every episode, but that's what it seemed to me.  As an adult, I realize the character of Mannix would have died of CTE. 

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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

As would Jim Rockford.

7 minutes ago, Calvada said:

I have vague memories of watching Mannix with my dad.  He loved all the cop & PI shows.  It seemed that in every episode he was knocked out as he was investigating something - he'd be sneaking into an office or a home and bang!  The villain would get him from behind with the butt of a gun or a convenient vase.  I realize this probably didn't happen in every episode, but that's what it seemed to me.  As an adult, I realize the character of Mannix would have died of CTE. 

As would Jim Rockford.

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AntiBeeSpray

AntiBeeSpray

54 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

He was great--and there was history. I've always resented that he was replaced by Ken what'shisface. It was never the same.

Yea there was. I didn't. Thought that he did a good job too. One of my favorite movies had him, Perry and Della in a boat. The chemistry between them was palpable and it was a sweet little scene.

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AntiBeeSpray

AntiBeeSpray

50 minutes ago, ennui said:

I believe there was genuine affection between the two actors. I remember Barbara saying that when the production company called to ask if she would like to play Della, and Barbara found out that Raymond would be Mason, she didn't hesitate for a moment. 

Yea there was :). They were friends for years. 

leGPX1m.png

 

Them along with DD and GA, similar chemistry. Put this together originally for a Motivational poster.

 

And this is my favorite pic of her, Raymond and his significant other.

 

Is3S38N.jpg

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legaleagle53

legaleagle53

6 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Yea there was :). They were friends for years. 

leGPX1m.png

 

Them along with DD and GA, similar chemistry. Put this together originally for a Motivational poster.

 

And this is my favorite pic of her, Raymond and his significant other.

 

Is3S38N.jpg

Hmm -- I'd forgotten he was gay.

Rest in peace, Ms. Hale and Mr. Hurt.

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AntiBeeSpray

AntiBeeSpray

3 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

Hmm -- I'd forgotten he was gay.

Rest in peace, Ms. Hale and Mr. Hurt.

Yea but that didn't affect his performances in movies and such. It didn't make him as a person. It was only one aspect of who he was.

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legaleagle53

legaleagle53

Just now, AntiBeeSpray said:

Yea but that didn't affect his performances in movies and such. It didn't make him as a person. It was only one aspect of who he was.

Oh, I know that, and I agree.  To be honest, I was surprised to learn that he was gay precisely because he had amazing chemistry with everyone, and I would never have known it if I hadn't been told.  For that matter, I wouldn't have cared, which is probably why I forgot about it in the first place.

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AntiBeeSpray

AntiBeeSpray

Just now, legaleagle53 said:

Oh, I know that, and I agree.  To be honest, I was surprised to learn that he was gay precisely because he had amazing chemistry with everyone, and I would never have known it if I hadn't been told.  For that matter, I wouldn't have cared, which is probably why I forgot about it in the first place.

Yea exactly. He was a decent person and a good actor. Same here. What matters is who he was as a person overall.

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

(edited)

What I found absolutely amazing, was that in an interview in the first season dvd, Barbara said she loved Raymond like a brother; that's what their relationship was like, and yet...the chemistry between them, during the original show and even in the movies...that was no sibling chemistry. The original never addressed whether Perry and Della had any romantic feelings for each other, though, through their actions, I got the feeling it was more than just boss/employee and good colleagues. It wasn't until the movies, over 20 years later, that they finally did, and the movie ended with Perry kissing Della. I'm blanking on the name of the movie.  And frankly, I appreciated that the show never went there. I was very happy with the show the way it was.

Edited by GHScorpiosRule
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AntiBeeSpray

AntiBeeSpray

(edited)
11 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

What I found absolutely amazing, was that in an interview in the first season dvd, Barbara said she loved Raymond like a brother; that's what their relationship was like, and yet...the chemistry between them, during the original show and even in the movies...that was no sibling chemistry. The original never addressed whether Perry and Della had any romantic feelings for each other, though, through their actions, I got the feeling it more than just boss/employee and good colleagues. It wasn't until the movies, over 20 years later, that they finally did, and the movie ended with Perry kissing Della. I'm blanking on the name of the movie.  And frankly, I appreciated that the show never went there. I was very happy with the show the way it was.

Exactly! And he loved her in return. It was the Case of the Telltale Talkshow Host. I did too, but I loved that they hinted at it lol. I remember an interview (wish I could find it!) where Raymond was commenting about those who loved the romance and those who didn't, and he said it was around 50/50 on it. It was a cute interview. I'm not sure if it was from the same one or not, but he also appreciated the young fans who found the show as well. Made me proud to be a fan after reading that comment by him :). I'm glad that they respected the fans as much as they did.

Just re-found some good quotes from both him and her:

From a US  Magazine article -- 1990 (Raymond Burr)

It must have been a strange feeling working with Barbara Hale again.

It happened that the very first scene we shot was in the courtroom.  And we looked at each other and started to laugh, because there is no other way of wiping 25 years off of your life.  Suddenly all the terrible things that have happened are gone and you are doing all the lovely things you did long ago.

You and Hale have remained friends through the years, haven't you?

I have been very fortunate.  I don't have 25 friends, but the ones I have...

You keep.

Yes.  It's just that I'm brilliant about finding people who are patient with me.  Don Galloway of Ironside is still one of my closest friends.  And Barbara certainly.  When we started, if she wasn't married I'm sure we would have been married now. <-- this quote stood out to me. Talk about one heck of a complement, certainly didn't see this one coming at all. Aww, is all I could think in regards to it.

In real life?

In real life.  If you have a very close friend as attractive as Barbara Hale you try everything in the world to marry her.  But she was very happily married and still is. <-- same here in regards to this one.

From Tv Guide -- 1993 (Barbara Hale)

Burr refused to talk about his illness, even to Hale.  "We made a joke out of it," said Hale.  "I had broken my hip and had to be in a wheelchair. He told me to come on over to his wheelchair and we'd make it a wheelchair for two." (this one is just made of win, hands down, laughed my butt off at it... just priceless and can kind of see that one ;), so much innuendo...)  Hale last saw Burr when she wheeled him, in that chair, to his car on the last day of shooting.  "I hugged him and gave him a flower--a wilted rose.  I didn't want to be too sentimental."  But as she spoke, she broke into tears.  "It is possible to have two dear loves in your life.  I did.  My husband and Raymond Burr.  Raymond was one of the funniest, wittiest men I have ever met." <-- felt the same way about this quote. So beautiful and thoughtful.

Source: http://www.perrymasontvseries.com/justine/magazines.htm

Edited by AntiBeeSpray
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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

He was great--and there was history. I've always resented that he was replaced by Ken what'shisface. It was never the same.

Ken was the character name--Ken Malansky. Ken was Perry's investigator/investigator for the lawyer characters subbing for Perry in the TV movies shot after Raymond Burr's death through the end of the movie series. But Ken also went to law school as the movies progressed (at least 1 movie involved the murder of 1 of his law school classmates with Ken & 1 or more other classmates as suspects in the murder), though I can't remember if he ever actually graduated or not.

Ken was played by William R. (Formerly Billy) Moses, who had been best known before that as the son of Susan Sullivan & Robert Foxworth's characters in Falcon Crest. I think his character name there was Cole Gioberti.

And in real life, William was once married to actress Tracy Nelson, daughter of Rick, niece of David, & granddaughter of Ozzie & Harriet. She & William had a daughter, Remington (Remi). Tracy also appeared in at least 1 of the Perry Mason movies with her then-husband.

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roseha

roseha

6 hours ago, ennui said:

Oh, no!  :(

RIP, Barbara. I guess Perry needed you.

ETA I always loved the subtext with Perry and Della. Always having dinner together. In one episode, Della needed $25,000 and Perry wrote her a check, no questions asked. 

Oh  I am so sad.  But it is sweet to think of that great Perry cast all together again.   I was watching the original show just tonight over dinner, as I do more often than not.  I am so glad MeTV brought it back, I never saw it the first time around, and it wasn't rerun often like so many other shows.

Rest in peace Barbara Hale.  You always seemed like such a lovely person.  and I too loved the chemistry between Perry and Della.

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

2 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

Ken was the character name--Ken Malansky. Ken was Perry's investigator/investigator for the lawyer characters subbing for Perry in the TV movies shot after Raymond Burr's death through the end of the movie series. But Ken also went to law school as the movies progressed (at least 1 movie involved the murder of 1 of his law school classmates with Ken & 1 or more other classmates as suspects in the murder), though I can't remember if he ever actually graduated or not.

Ken was played by William R. (Formerly Billy) Moses, who had been best known before that as the son of Susan Sullivan & Robert Foxworth's characters in Falcon Crest. I think his character name there was Cole Gioberti.

And in real life, William was once married to actress Tracy Nelson, daughter of Rick, niece of David, & granddaughter of Ozzie & Harriet. She & William had a daughter, Remington (Remi). Tracy also appeared in at least 1 of the Perry Mason movies with her then-husband.

I know who Ken was and that was the character's name. I just didn't feel like looking up the correct spelling of his last name. I am also aware of who his ex-wife is.

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GreekGeek

GreekGeek

Sad to hear about Connors and Hale, but they had good long lives. John Hurt makes me really sad, OTOH. I suspected when he announced that he had pancreatic cancer that his time with us wouldn't be much longer. I followed his career closely since I saw him as Caligula in the 70's. His monologue about trying to kill his predecessor Tiberius was incredible, and his crazy antics were hilarious until they became terrifying. I saw  Alien just for him, and I felt robbed when he...you know. I never saw Spaceballs and did not realize he did a cameo spoofing his famous scene. Mel Brooks apparently liked giving him cameos; he turned up as Jesus at the Last Supper in History of the World Part 1. 

I quote from Pauline Kael's review of him in Midnight Express: "Hurt, however, as he demonstrated on television--as Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and as Caligula in I, Claudius--is a truly great interpreter of eccentrics; he has such inner force that he can play the most passive of roles...and still transfix the audience."

I was lucky to see him in Krapp's Last Tape at the Brooklyn Academy of Music a few years ago. I last saw him onscreen as Jackie Kennedy's priest in Jackie, where he was genuinely wise and caring. I'll miss seeing him, but he was so prolific that there are probably many fine performances I haven't seen yet.

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MissAlmond

MissAlmond

(edited)

WTH??  All right after Mary!?!?!?!?!?

Not John Hurt, whom I first noticed in "10 Rillington Place" back in the days when, during the week, movies would air on TV after school hours.

Not Barbara Hale.

Not Mike Connors.

Not all happening within the span of the same weekend.

Well, damn. 

ETA:

Add another one.  Riva looked fabulous at the 85th Academy Awards. 

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/28/emmanuelle-riva-french-icon-who-starred-in-amour-dies-aged-89

Edited by MissAlmond
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roamyn

roamyn

14 hours ago, kittykat said:

Aw man RIP John Hurt.  After a slow start, way to catch up 2017.

So many great movies he was in.

Yeah - cut it out 2017!  You don't need to prove anything to 2016.

I loved Joh Hurt.  He was great.

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DollEyes

DollEyes

Losing Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara Hale and Mike Connors in the same week is horrific, to say the least. All 3 of them had shows that I watched and loved back in the day and lived rich, full lives. 

 Losing John Hurt on top of that is even worse. I've been a fan of his for decades. Hurt made great movies greater and some bad movies better. He was definitely one of the few good things about The Skeleton Key, Kate Hudson's 2005 shit fest about a Louisiana nurse who cares for a patient played by Hurt who lives in a haunted house. 

Here's the clip of Hurt's cameo in Spaceballs:

Oh, No-Not Again

RIP, Barbara, Mike and John.

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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

6 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

I never saw Spaceballs and did not realize he did a cameo spoofing his famous scene. Mel Brooks apparently liked giving him cameos; he turned up as Jesus at the Last Supper in History of the World Part 1. 

Mel also produced The Elephant Man. About the Spaceballs cameo, John Hurt told the Onion AV Club:

Quote

 Mel [Brooks] called and said, “Look, John, I’m doing this little movie and there’s a bit in there that has to do with Alien, so come on over.” He made it sound like a bit of a picnic. He also did that to me on History Of The World: Part I [in which Hurt plays Jesus]. He always does that. “Come on, I’ll give you a couple grand, we’ll put you up in a nice hotel, you’ll have a good time, and then you can go back again.” And when you get there, you suddenly realize, it’s a $3 million scene—God knows how much the animatronic singing and dancing alien cost—and they couldn’t possibly have done it if it hadn’t been for you. What I’m saying is, I think he got me rather cheap. [Laughs.]

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Angeltoes

Angeltoes

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Did anyone else watch CBS' special on MTM tonight?

You mean the "How Does MTM's Death Affect Oprah?" show?  I knew where it was going as soon as they showed Gayle King as the emcee.  It was an eye-roller that she and Oprah tried to act like Gayle was just another reporter asking her questions.  Please, you two, everybody knows you've been BFFs for decades. 20/20 did a better salute to Mary.

The best thing I ever heard about Raymond Burr was that he went to Vietnam to visit the troops.  He would ask each service person that he met for the phone number of their mother/father/sibling/spouse.  He promised that he would call each number and say that he had seen their loved one in VIetnam and they were alive and well and pass on any messages.  All the troops would roll their eyes thinking he was just blowing smoke, but he went back to the States with pockets full of numbers and called every single one.  That says who Mr. Burr was. 

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Popples

Popples

4 minutes ago, Angeltoes said:

The best thing I ever heard about Raymond Burr was that he went to Vietnam to visit the troops.  He would ask each service person that he met for the phone number of their mother/father/sibling/spouse.  He promised that he would call each number and say that he had seen their loved one in VIetnam and they were alive and well and pass on any messages.  All the troops would roll their eyes thinking he was just blowing smoke, but he went back to the States with pockets full of numbers and called every single one.  That says who Mr. Burr was. 

That's absolutely astonishing and lovely. I do wonder how many of the soldiers' families were like, "Raymond Burr? Sure you are. No, really, who is this?"

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bmasters9

bmasters9

4 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

 20/20 did a better salute to Mary.

Indeed they did, and they talked more about her production label than that CBS show did-- they showed clips of several of the shows that her label was behind (Phyllis, Rhoda, The Bob Newhart Show, and the title cards of Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere), and even celebrated the cat who was the face thereof-- Mimsie and her trademark meow, a parody of MGM and that trademark lion and its roar.

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GreekGeek

GreekGeek

On 1/28/2017 at 7:02 AM, MissAlmond said:

WTH??  All right after Mary!?!?!?!?!?

Not John Hurt, whom I first noticed in "10 Rillington Place" back in the days when, during the week, movies would air on TV after school hours.

Not Barbara Hale.

Not Mike Connors.

Not all happening within the span of the same weekend.

Well, damn. 

ETA:

Add another one.  Riva looked fabulous at the 85th Academy Awards. 

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/28/emmanuelle-riva-french-icon-who-starred-in-amour-dies-aged-89

I was rooting for Riva to win the Oscar for Amour and was irked when she lost to Jennifer Lawrence. I rented Blue and Hiroshima Mon Amour just to see some of her earlier work. R.I.P.

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NutMeg

NutMeg

The first movie I saw John Hurt in was Scandal, and that's why it's always as the character he played there that I'll remember him. At the time, it seemed clear to me that he and Joanne Whalley gave real depth to their characters and as such carried that whole movie.

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SmithW6079

SmithW6079

On 1/28/2017 at 3:13 PM, Angeltoes said:

You mean the "How Does MTM's Death Affect Oprah?" show?  I knew where it was going as soon as they showed Gayle King as the emcee.  It was an eye-roller that she and Oprah tried to act like Gayle was just another reporter asking her questions.  Please, you two, everybody knows you've been BFFs for decades. 20/20 did a better salute to Mary.

Oh god, I turned it off 10 minutes in when I realized it was all about Oprah. Way to co-opt Mary Tyler Moore's death you narcissist.

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bmasters9

bmasters9

4 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Oh god, I turned it off 10 minutes in when I realized it was all about Oprah. Way to co-opt Mary Tyler Moore's death you narcissist.

True; Oprah was supposed to be celebrating what Mary Tyler Moore meant to America-- films, shows (Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore among her foremost) and the like, not turning it into just another shillfest for all things Oprah.

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rur

rur

(edited)
1 hour ago, bmasters9 said:

Why would Oprah make that less about MTM and more about Oprah?!

It's just my opinion, but I think it was Gayle King, the person who has parlayed being Oprah's best friend into a career of her own, hosting a show where she could take center stage as Oprah's best friend by interviewing Oprah about MTM. 

I know the show was put together hastily, but, sheesh, anyone with half a brain would know that the folks watching would want to see more MTM clips and less Oprah. I blame Gayle for this, though, not Oprah.

Edited by rur
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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

On 1/27/2017 at 10:50 PM, AntiBeeSpray said:

Yea there was. I didn't. Thought that he did a good job too. One of my favorite movies had him, Perry and Della in a boat. The chemistry between them was palpable and it was a sweet little scene.

The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel ran a marathon of some of the Perry Mason movies from 9AM Eastern yesterday morning until 1AM Eastern this morning. I don't know if it was preplanned, so the timing was an interesting coincidence what with Barbara Hale's death on Friday, or if it was aired because of her death.

But the last movie they aired was the 1 which ended with this scene described above--I think it had to do with Perry & Ken being in a fishing tournament, or simply going fishing, when they got the call to defend the accused (who happened to be a friend of Perry's, of course, as was the deceased), & Della had been ticked off because they wouldn't let her go with them. The end scene was the resumption of the trip after the trial. Anyway, the movie it's in is The Case of the Skin Deep Scandal, where Morgan Fairchild played a cosmetics queen who supposedly invented a face cream which would make you look at least 20 years younger (she was claiming to be in her 60's to sell the cream but was really 40) & her character was the victim.

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Ohwell

Ohwell

2 hours ago, rur said:

It's just my opinion, but I think it was Gayle King, the person who has parlayed being Oprah's best friend into a career of her own, hosting a show where she could take center stage as Oprah's best friend by interviewing Oprah about MTM. 

I know the show was put together hastily, but, sheesh, anyone with half a brain would know that the folks watching would want to see more MTM clips and less Oprah. I blame Gayle for this, though, not Oprah.

Nah.  I blame them both.  I'm pretty sure Oprah could have told Gayle, her BFF, to put together a show that was more about MTM than herself (Oprah).    

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