In Remembrance---2009

[GrayLinnorm]

Betty Freeman, who supported avant-guarde musicians like John Cage and Phillip Glass, died over the weekend from pancreatic cancer. She was 87.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Ned Tanen, who was head of both Universal Pictures and Paramount, died Monday. He was 77.

Tanen also founded Uni Records. Among the long string of movies that he produced are E.T.: The Extra-Terrestial, Sixteen Candles, Coal Miner's Daughter, The Breakfast Club, Top Gun, and Ghost.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Gedalio Grinberg, who founded the watch company Movado Group Inc., died Sunday. He was 77.

 

[Villano]

Director Ray Dennis Steckler, best known for films like "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies", "Rat Pfink a Boo Boo", and "Wild Guitar", died on January 7th. He was 71.

Also passing away on the same day, Bob Wilkins, creator and original host of TV's "Creature Features". He was 76.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Actress Cheryl Holdrige died last Tuesday of lung cancer. She was 64.

Holdrige started out as a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club. She played Wally Cleaver's girlfriend on Leave It to Beaver for two seasons, and had guest roles on other shows, including The Rifleman and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Veteran actor Steven Gilborn died January 2 of cancer. He was 72.

Gilborn worked on television (E.R., The West Wing, The Wonder Years, NYPD Blue), film, and stage, but is probably best known for playing Ellen DeGeneres' father on Ellen.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

French film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor Claude Berri died today after a stroke. He was 74.

Berri won an Oscar for his short film Le Poulet. He produced Roman Polanski's film Tess and worked on Jean de Florette and Germinal (the most expensive French film at the time).

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Harry Endo, who played Che Fong on Hawaii Five-O, died last Friday. He was 87.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Theatrical director Tom O'Horgan, who created Hair, died Sunday. He was 84.

O'Horgan won three Drama Desk Awards and was nominated for a Tony. He also helped discover Frederic Forrest, Ben Vereen, and Ron Perlman.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Pedro "Cuban Pete" Aguilar, one of the leading mambo dancers, died yesterday. He was 81.