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1-50 of 198
- Producer
- Actor
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One of the most popular child actors in film history, Child superstar Freddie Bartholomew was born Frederick Cecil Bartholomew in Harlesden, London, the son of Lilian May (Clarke) and Cecil Llewellyn Bartholomew. From age three, he grew up in the town of Warminster under the care of his father's unmarried sister Millicent. A precocious lad, Freddie was reciting and performing on stage at three years of age, and was soon singing and dancing as well. By age six he had appeared in his first movie, a short called Toyland (1930). Three other British film appearances and the recommendation of his teacher Italia Conti led him to be cast in the MGM film David Copperfield (1935), as the title character, resulting in a seven-year MGM contract and a move to Hollywood with his aunt. The illustrious, star-studded and highly successful David Copperfield (1935) made Freddie an overnight sensation, and he went on to star in a succession of high-quality films through 1937, including Anna Karenina (1935); Professional Soldier (1935); the riveting Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936); Lloyd's of London (1936); The Devil Is a Sissy (1936); and Freddie's biggest success, Captains Courageous (1937), opposite Spencer Tracy.
Following the success of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), Freddie's birth parents, who were strangers to him, stepped in and attempted for seven years to gain custody of him and his fortune. His aunt Millicent attempted to offset these legal expenses and payouts by demanding a raise in Freddie's MGM salary in 1937. Another slew of court cases ensued, this time over the MGM contract, and Freddie missed a critical year's work and some golden film opportunities. By the time he resumed acting work in 1938, he was well into his teens, and audiences grew less interested in literary period pieces as World War II erupted in Europe. Following Kidnapped (1938), many of his ten remaining films through 1942 were knock-offs or juvenile military films, and only two were for MGM. The best of the films after Kidnapped (1938) were Swiss Family Robinson (1940), Lord Jeff (1938), Listen, Darling (1938), and Tom Brown's School Days (1940). His salary soared to $2,500 a week making him filmdom's highest paid child star after Shirley Temple.
In 1943, Freddie enlisted in the U.S. Air Force for a year to work in aircraft maintenance, exiting with both a back injury and American citizenship.
The additional time away from the screen had not done him any favors, though, and efforts to revive his career on film were unsuccessful. His efforts performing in regional theaters and vaudeville did not spark a comeback either. Aunt Millicent left for England when Freddie married publicist Maely Daniele in 1946 against her wishes. Freddie toured a few months in Australia doing nightclub singing and piano, but when he returned to the U.S. in 1949 he switched to television, making a gradual move from performer to host to director, at New York station WPIX. In 1954, re-married to TV cookbook author Aileen Paul, he moved to Benton & Bowles advertising agency, as a television director and producer. He remarked at the time that the millions he had earned as a child had been spent mostly on lawsuits, many of which involved headline court battles between his parents and his aunt for custody of young Freddie and his money. "I was drained dry," he said.
He became vice president of television programming in 1964, directing and producing several prominent long-running soap operas. Bartholomew retired due to emphysema by the late 1980s, and eventually moved with his third wife Elizabeth to Florida, where he died in 1992, but not before being filmed in several lovely interview segments for the lengthy 1992 documentary, MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Harry/Kurt (stage name/real name) came over to the U.S. from Germany around 1915 with his sister, Grace/Freida. Once they arrived, they worked for a man named Earles, at which time they adopted his last name. In the early 1920s, their sister Daisy/Hilda joined them and in the mid- to late 1920s, their sister Tiny/Elly arrived. The four worked in the movies while simultaneously working for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. Around 1930, the four left the movie business in favor of the circus, where they worked until the mid-1950s. During this time, they made very few film appearances (most notably The Wizard of Oz (1939) as Munchkins and Daisy's brief blink-and-you-miss-it shot in Best Picture winner The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)). The foursome retired in the mid-1950s. Grace died in 1970, Daisy in 1980 and Harry in 1985. For more info on Harry Doll/Harry Earles/Kurt Schneider, check out Steven Cox's book "The Munchkins of Oz".- Actress
Daisy Earles came to the U.S. from Germany in the early 1920s, joining her brother and sister Harry Earles and Gracie Doll. The three of them, soon joined by sister Tiny Doll, made a handful of appearances in films before retiring from the film business in 1930 in favor of working for the Ringling Brothers Circus. From 1930 until the mid-1950s, the four siblings made very few film appearances (with the exception of The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Daisy's blink-and-you-miss-it shot in Best Picture winner The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)). The four retired in the mid-1950's. Grace died in 1970, Daisy in 1980, and Harry in 1985.- Actress
- Soundtrack
E. Katherine Kerr was an actress, teacher, author, and director. In addition to her many screen roles, her Broadway credits included the ground-breaking, Pulitzer Prize-winning "No Place to Be Somebody", written and directed by Charles Gordone; Night Watch (1973) by Lucille Fletcher, directed by Fred Coe; "Mert & Phil" directed by Joseph Papp; and "Passion" by Peter Nichols.
Her off-Broadway credits include The Trojan Women (1971) by Euripides, translated by Edith Hamilton, directed by Michael Cacoyannis; "Cloud 9" by Caryl Churchill, directed by Tommy Tune; "Laughing Wild" written by Christopher Durang for Kerr and himself; and Love Letters (1999) by A.R. Gurney. Other credits as an actor include the national tour of "The Gingerbread Lady", starring Maureen Stapleton.
As an author, her works include the plays "Intelejunt Dezyne" ("The God Play") and "Juno's Swans", and the highly esteemed, life-changing "The Four Principles: A Guide for Living From Authentic Acting". She also taught privately in New York City and Connecticut.- Charles G. Martin was born on 24 September 1912 in Arlington, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Beguiled (1971), Perry Mason (1957) and Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (1957). He died on 11 March 1998 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Christine Chubbuck was born on 24 August 1944 in Hudson, Ohio, USA. She died on 15 July 1974 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Writer
- Actress
Diane Ford was born on 4 September 1955 in Waseca, Minnesota, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Deadly Closure (2010), Home Improvement (1991) and Laughing Out Loud: America's Funniest Comedians (2001). She was married to John Ford. She died on 30 April 2024 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Dunham was an American actor, who made his living in Tokyo, Japan. He is best known for his role as Antonio, Emperor of Seatopia in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) as well as his role as Mark Jackson, in Dogora or Dagora the Space Monster (1964). Dunham was living in Japan, during the Golden Age of Cinema. He was cast in many films between 1961-1974, usually as a heavy. He worked for Toho Studios, best known for their Godzilla films. Dunham was cast in their movies such as Mothra (1961), Dogora or Dagora the Space Monster (1964), The Face of Another (1966), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), and ESPY or Esupai (1974). He also acted in films such as Marines Let's Go (1961), Greed in Broad Daylight (1961), Operation Diamond (1962), Woman in the Dunes (1964), A Flight from Ashiya (1964), with actor Yul Brynner, The Green Slime (1969), The Little Adventurer (1973), with British child actor, Mark Lester. In 1966, Dunham wrote, directed, and helped produce a movie with his friend, Cliff Harrington. It was called The Time Travelers, which starred then child actress Linda Purl. Dunham credits starting Linda Purl's acting career, as this was her first film. (Linda Purl was 10-years-old at the time. She was born in the United States but was raised in Japan.) As far as what made Dunham stand out from other Caucasian actors in Japan at the time, was that he spoke fluent Japanese.
Dunham was born in Portland, Maine. He grew up in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. Born to an affluent family, his parents were Earl and Charlotte Grace(Dean)Dunham. He has an older sister named Patricia June(Dunham)Oburchay. His paternal grandparents were William and Clara Dunham, of Nova Scotia. His maternal grandfather was Henry Ellsworth Dean and his maternal grandmother was Bertha May(Chadbourne)Dean, of Worcester, Massachusetts. His maternal great grandparents were Alonzo and Almira Chadbourne, of Portland, Maine.
Dunham graduated from a private school called Noble and Greenough School, in Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1949. He was later accepted into Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. While at William's College, he played for the J.V. squash and lacrosse teams. He belonged to the Delta Kapa Epsilon fraternity. He graduated from Williams College in 1953, with his Bachelor's degree in Art History.
After graduating from Williams College, Dunham joined the United States Marine Corps. After graduating from the U.S. Marine Corps' Officer Candidate School, he was sent to Yokohama, Japan in 1953. He served for two years as a 2nd Lieutenant of the Military Police. After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps, he returned to home to to work for his father's Pontiac dealership. After only nine months, he went back to Tokyo, Japan. Later, he attended correspondence school, to learn how to speak Japanese. In the late 1950s, he opened up his own import and export business called Pan Commercial Ltd., where he exported shoes. He was one of the top 5 exporters of shoes, in Japan.
In the early 1960s, Dunham worked as a coordinator for Hino Motors. He was introduced to American race car designer and race car driver Pete Brock, through Hino Motors. (Brock had designed the Hino Contessa 900GT and the Hino Contessa 1300, for Hino Motors. In addition, he designed the Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe for Carroll Shelby at Shelby American.) Dunham had previous experience, racing cars on the upstate New York's dirt racing circuit. Both Dunham and Brock started racing the Hino Contessa in both Del Mar and Riverside, California, and were gaining a lot of attention with this compact, yet speedy car. On October 10, 1964, Dunham raced the Hino Contessa 1300 GT at the Riverside GP (California) and placed second in G class. On November 1,1964, he won first place at Willow Springs Hill climb (California), in the 1100cc class, with Peter Brock placing second. Then, in November 22, 1964, Dunham raced the Hino 900 GT and got 1st in class and 6th in total at the Del Mar race. Unfortunately for both Dunham and Brock, Hino was bought out by Toyota. Toyota decided to end the manufacturing of the Hino Contessa. (The original plan was for Dunham and Brock to have the exclusive distributorship of the Hino Contessa and bring it to the United States.) Later, Dunham returned to Japan and raced both motorcycles and cars on Japan's Suzuka Circuit and the Fuji Speedway. Dunham's racing talents later led him to work as a stunt man, for the Japanese film industry. Because of his diverse background and his ability to speak Japanese fluently, his opportunities multiplied. This is what helped jump start Dunham's acting career. In 1980, Dunham was interviewed about his career as an actor/stunt man and race car driver for The Cape Cod Times newspaper. In the article, he had stated to the reporter: I never really took acting, too seriously. Dunham also starred in several Japanese and American commercials, for various soft drinks.
(American race car designer and race car driver Pete Brock, of Brock Racing Enterprises or BRE, is not be confused with the Australian race car driver Peter Brock. Ironically, Peter Brock died on September 8, 2006, while racing the Shelby Daytona Cobra coupe, which had been designed by American race car designer and driver, Pete Brock.)
Dunham also authored three books: Tokyo Unzipped, The Art of Being Japanese, and Alice in Blunderland, which he published under the name Bob Dunham. His books were all satirical novels, made to poke fun of the common stereotypes Americans have of the Japanese culture.
Dunham lived in Tokyo for over 22 years. His first wife was Diane Drown of Natick, Massachusetts. They were married for a year and were quickly divorced. In 1954, Dunham married a Japanese woman named Keiko. They had two children, Barbara Ann (Dunham) Subayashi and Daniel Alan Dunham. They divorced in 1968. Later, Dunham met a Japanese fashion model, named Setsuko Sazawa. They were married in February 1969. They had two children, Emiko Jade (Dunham) Frost and Marcia (Dunham) Narita. Later, Dunham and his wife Setsuko moved to Denenchofu, an affluent suburb of Tokyo, Japan, where they lived from 1973-75. In 1975, Dunham moved his family to the United States, due to the energy crisis and lack of acting work. Dunham and hs family moved to Truro, Massachusetts, an isolated area of Cape Cod. Later, he became a freelance writer, often contributing material to such magazines as Car and Driver, Road and Track, and The Saturday Evening Post.
Dunham lived all over Cape Cod, Massachusetts, between 1975-1987. He lived in Truro, Wellfleet, South Orleans, and Brewster, Massachusetts. In 1984, he divorced his third wife Setsuko and moved back to Truro, Massachusetts. In 1987, he moved to a gated community in Sarasota, Florida. He was very active in local theater productions in Sarasota. In 1998, he directed a movie called, Samantha. It was based on a short story he wrote many years ago in Japan called, The Nine Lives of Miss Hama's Cats. (The movie was completed two years later but was never sold.)
Dunham passed away alone in his home, sometime in late July 2001. His body was discovered in his home in Sarasota, on August 6, 2001, by the Sarasota Sheriff's Office. He died from a massive stroke, at the age of 70. Dunham is buried at the National Cemetery in Bourne, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.- Actress
Tiny Doll was born on 23 July 1914 in Stolpen, Germany. She was an actress. She died on 6 September 2004 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Ruth Béate Landers was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Shortly after Kristallacht, Ruth, her mother, sister, grandmother and grandfather, the surviving members of her family, fled Germany via Italy, on a ship bound for war-torn Shanghai, China. She spent her childhood in the abject poverty of the Shanghai Ghetto. She arrived in the USA in 1948.
By the time she was in her mid-20s, she had founded her own national printing company, Office Research Corporation. In addition to managing the careers of her daughters and others and being the tour manager for Audrey's concerts worldwide to support her recording career, in the 1980s, Ruth began to produce network TV pilots, infomercials, and music videos. She produced films for MGM and Paramount, and then, in the 1990s to 2000s, she produced the award-winning children's musical educational TV series, The Huggabug Club, which she donated to Public Television. She co-founded the Landers Star Collection, providing affordable fashion to women of all ages and sizes, which was another successful venture, via Home Shopping Europe, QVC, and ShopNBC.
She was survived by her daughters, Audrey Landers and Judy (Landers) Niedenfuer, her grandchildren (Daniel Landers, Adam Landers Berkowitz, Lindsey Landers Niedenfuer, Kristy Landers Violette), her great grandchildren (Sawyer, Evangeline and Hendricks), and her sister, Esther Blum.- Lois Duncan was born on 28 April 1934 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was a writer, known for I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) and Down a Dark Hall (2018). She was married to Don Arquette and Joseph "Buzz" Cardozo. She died on 15 June 2016 in South Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Actor
Terrence McNally was born on 3 November 1938 in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for American Playhouse (1980), Frankie and Johnny (1991) and The Ritz (1976). He was married to Thomas Kirdahy. He died on 24 March 2020 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Emmett Kelly was born on 9 December 1898 in Sedan, Kansas, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for General Electric Theater (1953), Wind Across the Everglades (1958) and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). He was married to Elvira Gebhardt, Mildred Richey and Eva Mae Moore (actress). He died on 28 March 1979 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Charlie White was born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He credits the town for shaping the career that he has had. In the 1920s, Perth Amboy was a town where plays that were bound for Broadway were tried out on audiences. They'd rehearse the play in New York and then bring actors and scenery to Perth Amboy and try it out for a week there. After getting out of the Army, Charlie graduated Rutgers University and then studied under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City. Following his dream to Los Angelas he appeared in a number of films before returning to Broadway. He settled into retirement enjoying guest spots on many television shows and the company of his many friends.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Script and Continuity Department
Annabelle Weenick was born on 5 November 1924. She was an actress, known for Common Law Wife (1961), Cop & ½ (1993) and Don't Look in the Basement (1973). She was married to Burton Weenick. She died on 27 August 2003 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Gene Okerlund was born on 19 December 1942 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for WrestleMania III (1987), WrestleMania X-Seven (2001) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). He was married to Jeanne Ellen Zulawnik. He died on 2 January 2019 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Producer
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Boris Malden was born on 15 May 1947 in London, England, UK. He was a producer and production manager, known for House of Cards (2013), Justified (2010) and Franklin & Bash (2011). He was married to Elizabeth. He died on 12 April 2024 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Albert Stratton was born on 23 October 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Baywatch (1989) and Wonder Woman (1975). He died on 26 April 2011 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- MacKinlay Kantor was born on 4 February 1904 in Webster City, Iowa, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Gun Crazy (1950) and Happy Land (1943). He was married to Florence Irene Layne. He died on 11 October 1977 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Cora Lee Day was born on 15 April 1914. She was an actress, known for What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Daughters of the Dust (1991) and A Worn Path (1994). She died on 1 November 1996 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Actress
Gracie Doll was born on 12 March 1899 in Stolpen, Germany. She was an actress. She died on 8 November 1970 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Elizabeth Young was born on 3 September 1913 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Queen Christina (1933), Big Executive (1933) and East of Java (1935). She was married to Joseph L. Mankiewicz. She died on 2 March 2007 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Writer
Clifford Irving was born on 5 November 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Fake!, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963) and The Hoax (2006). He was married to Julie Anne Schall, Maureen Earl, Edith Sommer, Fay Brooke Ward, Claire Lydon and Nina Wilcox. He died on 19 December 2017 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Duchess Tomasello was an actress, known for Passenger 57 (1992), Zeus and Roxanne (1997) and Thunder in Paradise (1994). She died on 5 August 2004 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Internationally acclaimed author John Jakes was born and raised in Chicago. He graduated from DePauw University with a degree in creative writing and later also added an M.A. in literature from Ohio State to his résumé. Jakes worked as a copywriter for advertising agencies for sixteen years before making the decision to become a full-time author of fiction. His first published work in 1950 was for pulp magazines like Amazing Stories. His made his breakthrough in 1973 when he received a $15,000 advance payment from a paperback publisher to begin work on The Kent Family Chronicles, a series of eight novels detailing the lives of a fictional American family through 200 years of history. By the time the final volume hit the shelves, more than 30 million copies had been sold. Jakes wrote all of his manuscripts on a typewriter he had purchased for $35 in 1955.
By the late 70s, Jakes had published more than 200 stories of science fiction, fantasy, crime and the Wild West, in addition to 50 novels, of which six (set during the Roman/Biblical era) appeared under the pseudonym Jay Scotland (his other frequent aliases were Robert Hart Davis and J. X. Williams). Ultimately his best known work has been the epic, bestselling North and South trilogy. This Pulitzer-prize nominated saga of two families, the Hazards (pioneering Yankee industrialists) and the Mains (traditional Southern plantation owners) and their relationship during the Civil War and its aftermath was adapted by ABC-TV as a miniseries. An all-star cast was headed by Patrick Swayze (as Orry Main) and James Read (as George Hazard). Sadly, the superior production values so evident in the filming of Book One rather diminished in the subsequent instalments. Script and most of the acting, however, were excellent throughout. Both books and series also benefitted greatly from the author's meticulous research and his adherence to the historical record and his uncanny ability to make his characters believably human, be it for good or bad. Jakes has been popularly dubbed "America's history teacher" and "the people's author".
John Jakes lived and worked for many years in Hilton Head, South Carolina, before relocating to Bird Key in Sarasota, Florida. His wife Rachel briefly appeared as Mary Todd Lincoln in North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985). They had four children. Jakes died at the age of 90 on March 11 2023.