december 2005 > final credits > last link on the left

Vincent Schiavelli >permalink<

Actor

Vincent Schiavelli He had a face that looked like it was designed by Gahan Wilson. Schiavelli, the droopy-eyed character actor who appeared in nearly 150 film and television roles died at his family home in Sicily, Italy.

Schiavelli first came to public attention playing "Frederickson" in Milos Forman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The film used actors and actual mental patients in the cast, and most bets placed Schiavelli in the latter category.

Schiavelli also appeared as Salieri's valet in "Amadeus," the organ grinder in "Batman Returns," as Chester in "The People vs. Larry Flynt" and as an assassin in the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies." Most will remember Schiavelli best as the subway ghost in "Ghost." At 6 foot 5 inches, Schiavelli played the tallest dwarf in film history in the 2000 made-for-TV movie "Snow White." In 1997, Vanity Fair magazine named him as one of America's best character actors.

To a younger generation, Schiavelli is best known as science teacher Mr. Vargas in "Fast Times At Ridgemont High." In the film he was married to a character portrayed by Lana Clarkson. Clarkson was found dead in the home of Phil Spector in February, 2003. Spector is currently on trial for her murder.

Schiavelli also wrote three cookbooks and many food articles for magazines and newspapers. Schiavelli's unusual appearance was due to his suffering from Marfan syndrome. Schiavelli has a Bacon number of 2.

December 26, 2005 at age 57. Lung cancer.

Birgit Nilsson >permalink<

Swedish soprano

Birgit Nilsson Nilsson's prodigious voice, unrivaled stamina and thrilling high notes made her the greatest Wagnerian soprano of the last half-century. Nilsson's career began with her debut in 1946 at the Stockholm Royal Opera as Agathe in Weber's "Der Freischutz" and continued until the mid-1980s when she retired. She was hailed as a worthy successor to her fellow Scandinavian, Kirsten Flagstad, the Norwegian who owned the Wagner repertory at the Met during the years before World War II.

Nilsson sang a wide variety of dramatic soprano roles, but her name was made on her mastery of some of the most punishing roles in operatic repertory. Chief among these was Isolde in Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," which she sang for her debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1959. She famously "outsung" three different Tristans who, after pleading illness, were prevailed upon to take her on for one act apiece so that the performance would not have to be cancelled.

Nilsson was also known for a sharp sense of humour. Unhappy with the gloomy lighting on which Herbert von Karajan insisted for his production of the "Ring" she showed up at a rehearsal on a dimly lit stage wearing a miner's helmet with a light on top.

During a piano rehearsal, when Nilsson's necklace broke, Karajan (who she called "Herbie") sarcastically asked her if they were real pearls bought with her phenomenal fees at the Metropolitan. "Oh no," came the tart reply, "they're only imitation ones that I bought out of your low fees in Vienna."

During a rehearsal of "Gotterdammerung" with Karajan, he teased her by saying she should sing from the heart, "where you have your cashbox." "Why, then," she replied, "we have something in common, Mr. Von Karajan."

Once asked what was the chief requirement for singing Isolde, Nilsson replied: "Comfortable shoes." During her frequent appearances in New York, the Met's general manager was Rudolf Bing. Nilsson, when signing a contract, was asked to name a dependent. She wrote in Bing's name.

At her peak, Nilsson amazed audiences in live performance with the unforced power of her voice, easily cutting through the thickest orchestrations, and with her remarkable breath control, which allowed her to hold onto the highest note for seemingly endless lengths of time.

After one of her frequent battle-of-the-high-note contests with tenor Franco Corelli during the second act duet from "Turandot," Corelli apparently got his revenge during their third-act love scene by biting her on the neck instead of kissing her. Nilsson is said to have telephoned to cancel her next performance with the explanation, "I have rabies."

Nilsson sang with at the Met 222 times in 16 roles, making her finale in October, 1983. She appeared 232 times at the Vienna State Opera from 1954-1982. The Vienna Philharmonic, the company's orchestra, made her an honourary member in 1999. She received from the Swedish government the Gold Medal Illis Quorum Meruere Labores ("For those whose work has deserved it"), never before awarded to a woman or to a performing artist. "With Birgit Nilsson's passing, Sweden has lost one of its greatest artists," King Carl XVI Gustaf said in a rare public statement.

The opera singer is not to be confused with Brigitte Nielsen, another wearer of large breast decoration. Nilsson has a Bacon number of 3.

December 25, 2005 at age 87.

Argentina Brunetti >permalink<

Actress

Argentina Brunetti She was born and baptised on the stage of the Arbeo Theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1907. Literally born into an acting family, Brunetti's career not only included over 130 film and television appearances but she was also a song writer, radio script writer and talk show host, Voice of America interviewer, Hollywood Foreign Press journalist, author and blogger.

Most movie fans will remember Brunetti as "Mrs. Martini" in the holiday classic "It's A Wonderful Life." Some reports indicated that she was the last surviving adult cast member of the film, but Charles Lane who was one year older when he made the film will hopefully be celebrating his 101st birthday in January, 2006.

Brunetti also appeared in the movies "The George Raft Story," "Holiday in Havana," and "My Cousin Rachel." She had recurring roles on TV's "General Hospital," and appeared on "Fantasy Island," "Kojak," "The Flying Nun," "Ironside," "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Fugitive," "Ben Casey," "Rawhide," "Route 66," "Wagon Train," "The Untouchables," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Quincy," "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza."

Behind the scenes, Brunetti was an interviewer for Voice of America, interviewing American actors for broadcast in Italy during World War II. She also provided the dubbed voices for American actors in films released in Italy. She recently published a novel "In Sicilian Company" about her theatrical family. Brunetti was once awarded the title of "Cavalier of the Republic" by the Italian government for her positive film portrayals of Italians and Italian Americans. Her son, Mario, plans to continue her show business blog. Brunetti has a Bacon number of 2.

December 20, 2005 at age 98.

Phyllis Gretzky >permalink<

Hockey mom

Canadians fiercely embrace hockey as their national pastime. Ice sheets across the country are filled year-round with kids chasing a common dream -- to play in the National Hockey League and to win a Stanely Cup. In the stands are their parents -- moms and dads giving freely of their time while being generous in their support. Canada mourns the loss of one of the greatest and least-known hockey moms -- Phyllis Gretzky.

"Throughout my career, she was in the background but she was the glue," Wayne Gretzky said of his mother. The holder of 53 individual entries in the NHL record book had suffered personal loss before. In 1991, a stroke robbed Wayne's father Walter of his memories of Wayne's glory days when he played for the Edmonton Oilers, winning four Stanley Cups.

Phyllis Hockin was fifteen when she met Walter, then eighteen, at a wiener roast on the Gretzky family farm. "I took one look and knew she was the one for me," Walter Gretzky wrote in his book. Wayne was their first-born and he learned how to play hockey on a backyard rink behind their Brantford, Ontario home.

Like other hockey moms, Phyllis knew of personal sacrifice. Drives to early-morning practices and new skates in favour of new drapes were all part of the territory. While Walter was at ease dealing with his son's successes, Phyllis looked after the finances, preferring to stay in the background.

Phyllis would quietly put up with the attention her son brought. Fans would stop her as she made her way around town while tolerating those who pulled tufts of grass from their house as souvenirs. A Cadillac Wayne once bought was hardly used. His offer of a new house was converted into a simple addition to their Brantford home. Janet Gretzky bought Phyllis a pool and Phyllis saw to it that it would be used as an ice surface during winter.

December 19, 2005 at age 64. Lung cancer and pneumonia.

Patricia Anne Van Tighem >permalink<

Bear attack victim

Patricia Anne Van Tighem In 1983, Patricia and her husband, Trevor Janz, were hiking in Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park when they came upon a female grizzly and her cubs. The couple upset the grizzly and both Patricia and her husband were badly mauled as a result.

For twenty-two years Van Tighem suffered from the aftermath of the attack. Despite recovering from her injuries and enduring the best of attempts at facial reconstruction, Patricia was challenged whenever she went out in public.

"I often met with people who couldn't look at me or raised their voice or treated me like I was mentally handicapped," Patricia once said. "It was quite a challenge to assert myself over and over again to get that respect that used to be a given."

Van Tighem's facial disfigurements and reconstructive surgery became the focus of her best-selling book "The Bear's Embrace." She also went on to establish a branch of AboutFace which supports people with facial disfigurements.

December 19, 2005 at age 47. Suicide.

Ron Mix >permalink<

Mover

Ron Mix At an age when most folks retire, Ron Mix kept on moving. It was something he had done all his life.

In the 1960s, Ron took over his father's building-moving business, Mix the Mover, moving everything from grain elevators to schools. Four years ago, Mix moved to Kenner, Louisiana from their acreage in northeast Edmonton. Ron took on a job moving and repairing oil tanks for southern refineries.

When Hurrican Katrina struck, Mix got involved with re-building his newly-adopted state's infrastructure. He died after being crushed beneath a fallen oil tank on a storage platform.

In addition to the moving business, Mix also owned a construction company and a video outlet, Crown Video -- a leading Christian video producer. Mix ran for Parliament in the 1993 federal election as a Reform party candidate in Edmonton North. He finished second to Liberal John Loney by only 83 votes. He gave up the party's nomination before the 1997 federal election to make way for fellow Reformer Deborah Grey.

December 16, 2005 at age 68. Industrial accident.

Walter Haut >permalink<

Army press information officer

RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region In early July 1947, Walter Haut's U.S. Army base commander Col. William Blanchard dictated a news release about a recovered flying saucer found on a farm near Roswell, New Mexico. He ordered Haut to issue it. The resulting headline is still circulating around the globe to this day.

"RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region" reported the Roswell Daily Record newspaper in a bold headline run in its July 8, 1947 issue. Trying to put the cap back on the public speculation bottle, the Army quickly released a retraction, stating the item of interest was only a weather balloon. Two generations of UFOlogists have since begged to differ.

While Haut said he never was told exactly where the flying disc reported in his news release was found nor did he ever see a UFO, but he remained a believer. Haut, Max Littell and Glen Dennis, a mortician's assistant, opened the International UFO Museum and Research Center in 1991. More than 2 1/2 million people have visited the museum since its opening.

Haut resigned from the military late in 1948. He became an insurance agent and later owned an art and frame shop.

In the years since the "Roswell incident," numerous books and movies have been released concerning what actually took place in 1947. A summary of public debate can be found at Wikipedia's Roswell UFO incident entry. "RAAF" stood for "Roswell Army Air Field."

December 15, 2005 at age 83.

Gerry Humphries >permalink<

Singer for The Loved Ones

Gerry Humphries Humphries was born in London and moved to Australia when he was 15. He quickly became involved with Melbourne's jazz and folk scene and was soon playing in a band called the Red Onions Jazz Band. When the British Invasion washed over the world, Humphries with fellow Onions Ian Clyne and Kim Lynch joined up with Rob Lovett and Gavin Anderson, both ex of Wild Cherries, and formed The Loved Ones.

While most groups jumping on the beat bandwagon started from scratch, Humphries and his mates were already seasoned musicians. The band released a single, also called "The Loved Ones," and it became a Oz rock standard (even INXS remade it twice). They followed their breakout song with two other hits, "Everloving Man" and "Sad Dark Eyes," which also lived on in cover versions.

Their record label, W&G Records, wasn't prepared for the sudden success the band found. By the time a proper album was recorded, "Magic Box," the group endured personnel changes and folded in 1967 after two tumultuous years.

Humphries hung around the music scene, tried management and formed "Jerry and the Joy Boys," a play-anything band. In 1977, he returned to London and gave up music to work as a hospital orderly. The Loved Ones reformed briefly and recorded a live session in 1987. A documentary, "Gerry Humphreys - the Loved One," was shown at the 2000 Melbourne International Film Festival.

Announced December 6, 2005 at age 63. Heart attack.

Gregg Hoffman >permalink<

Producer

Gregg Hoffman In January 2003, Hoffman had just become comfortable in his position at Evolution Entertainment when he came across a gory eight-minute short film made by James Wan and Leigh Whannell. He was convinced it could make a fortune if it was turned into a full-length feature. The film became "Saw" and it also became the "Halloween" of 2004, grossing more than $102 million in box office and DVD receipts.

Born in Phoenix, Hoffman attended American University in Washington studying communications, law and economics. Arriving in Hollywood in 1986, he started out as an assistant at PRO Filmworks, an independent production company. By 1995 he was hired by Disney, developing such live-action children's films as "Inspector Gadget," "101 Dalmatians" and "The Parent Trap." He soon rose to senior vice president of production, earning a producer credit on Disney's "George of the Jungle."

By 2003, Hoffman joined longtime friends Oren Koules and Mark Burg forming their own management and production company, Evolution Entertainment. After investing $1 million in "Saw," they formed Twisted Pictures with plans to make low-budget horror movies -- a favourite genre of Hoffman's. The sequel "Saw II" netted $85 million in its first six weeks of release.

The success of the "Saw" films led to development deals with Lions Gate and Dimension Films. At the time of his death, Hoffman was working on "Saw III" and "Crawlspace," a remake of a 1970s made-for-TV thriller. Twisted Pictures had two films in post-production: "Catacombs" and "Silence."

Hoffman complained of neck pain and was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital where he unexpectedly died.

December 4, 2005 at age 42. Autopsy pending.

Allan Waters >permalink<

Broadcaster

In 1945, 1050 CHUM signed on the air in Toronto becoming the city's fifth AM station. For nearly a decade it placed fifth-last in the ratings. In 1954, Allan Waters sold his shares in two packaging companies and bought the station outright. He soon made Canadian radio history and his vision continues to be at the forefront of the 500-channel lineup.

Up until the 1950s, radio in Canada consisted of the CBC and a rag-tag group of independent stations who were restricted to non-network broadcast programming. Most stations were broadcasting "shows" -- usually live programs catering to various interests and tastes. It was a fit that did not suit Waters or CHUM well. At about this time, other stations in Canada were starting to experiment with the simple playing of popular records with program hosts known as "disc jockeys."

In 1954, Hal Yerxa turned his Camrose, Alberta station CFCW over to the exclusive broadcasting of country and western music, becoming Canada's first 24-hour country station. Waters took notice and also looked south where American stations had great success playing a limited number of contemporary new records in rotation day and night. On May 27th, 1957, Waters and CHUM brought Top 40 radio to Canada and Canadian format radio was born. It was only the beginning of history.

The baby boom saw a new age group with disposable income: the teenager. The record industry saw that radio was the best tool available to create million sellers. Top 40 radio became the dominant format throughout the 1960s as revenue kept pace with a growing audience.

Waters added CHUM-FM in 1963, and soon began buying up radio and TV stations across the country. In 1977, Moses Znaimer's independent Toronto UHF TV station Citytv was in financial straits. Waters bought the station and took its founder on board.

Znaimer literally turned television inside out and helped Waters' little radio station that could become a major force in Canadian TV. In 1984, Znaimer and CHUM launched Much Music, followed by Musique Plus, Much More Music and several other off-shoots. CHUM launched Bravo, an arts channel, in 1995, Space in 1997 as well as Canadian Learning Television, Star TV, Fashion Television, Book Television and Sex TV. All told, the CHUM empire now owns and operates 33 radio stations, 12 television stations and 21 specialty channels.

In 1988, Allan Waters was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Broadcast Hall of Fame. In 1993, he was awarded the prestigious Gold Ribbon for Broadcast Excellence. He was the first broadcaster to be honoured with the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award for contributions to the Canadian music industry, and was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.

Waters stepped down from the position of chairman and president of CHUM in December, 2002 but remained as a board director until October, 2005. On his retirement, he became an honourary director.

For more about Waters and his legacy, read Howard Christensen's extensive article in Broadcast Dialogue's February issue.

December 3, 2005 at age 84.

John Iannacone >permalink<

Sky sailor

John Iannacone After World War I, the U.S Navy ran a rigid airship program. The promise of lighter-than-air craft technology had led the Navy to develop a new breed of airmen, hence the class of "sky sailor."

On May 6, 1937, the largest aircraft ever built -- the German LZ 129 Hindenburg dirigible -- was coming into Lakehurst, New Jersey for mooring. The size of three Boeing 747s placed end-to-end, the Hindenberg had logged over 200,000 miles without incident. All that was about to change. As the craft was about to be attached by mooring lines it burst into flames.

John Iannacone was a petty officer with a ground crew when the Hindenburg exploded. 36 people died as a result, but the toll may have been higher had Iannacone not helped carry survivors clear of the flames.

Iannacone later served in the Navy's aircraft carrier fleet and during World War II hunted German U-boats from blimps. He spent 44 years with the Navy as a chief petty officer and civilian worker. He was a popular guest at gatherings associated with the Navy's Lakehurst Historical Society, and was often asked to sign autographs and appear in photographs with children.

For more about the zeppelin accident and its surrounding controversies, visit Wikipedia's Hindenburg disaster entry.

December 2, 2005 at age 94. Heart attack.

Jack Colvin >permalink<

Actor

Character actor Jack Colvin will be best remembered for his role playing tabloid reporter Jack McGee in the 1970s television series "The Incredible Hulk." Colvin was the guy to which Bill Bixby said the immortal words, "Don't make me angry, Mr. McGee. You won't like me when I'm angry!"

Colvin was dubious about signing on with the show but after reading two scripts he knew the series would find an audience. "People identify tremendously with the frustration, the rage and the anger that breaks out in a man," he once said.

"The Incredible Hulk" series was based on the Marvel Comic of the same name and it ran from 1977 to 1982 on CBS. In addition to Bixby, the show starred bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno as his un-jolly green giant alter-ego. Colvin also directed several episodes of the series.

As an actor, Colvin also appeared in the series "The Rat Patrol," "Kojak," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "The Rockford Files," "Quincy," "Cagney and Lacey" and "Murder, She Wrote." His film credits include "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean," "Scorpio" and "Rooster Cogburn." Colvin has a Bacon number of 2.

December 1, 2005 at age 71. Complications following a stroke suffered October 22.

Lady Mills (Mary Hayley Bell) >permalink<

Actress, writer

Juliet, John & Mary, and Hayley Mills Mary Hayley Bell gave up a promising career as an actress in 1941 when she married John Mills. The two had met when Mills was touring the Far East where Bell was living in 1930. Bell's father was an official in the Chinese customs service, and she rescued Mills on the tennis court after he had drunk too much of her father's lethal punch. They married a decade later in January, 1941.

Bell forsook her career to stay at home and raise her three children Juliet, Hayley and Jonathan. Julie and Hayley entered the family tradition and became established actors in their own right.

As a child, Bell was drawn to writing fanciful plays. Staying at home during World War II, Bell and her husband heard a radio broadcast about the French resistance and a group of British airmen shot down over occupied France. At John's urging, Bell wrote her first play, "Men in Shadow." Prior to being performed, Britain's security service had Bell remove details of certain resistance escape routes. The play starred Mills and it broke records by being performed simultaneously in London, New York and Moscow. She followed with one of Britain's most successful post-war plays, "Duet for Two Hands."

Bell's best known work, the novel "Whistle Down the Wind," was turned into a successful 1961 film starring daughter Hayley as one of three farm children who mistake an escaped murderer for Jesus Christ. Andrew Lloyd Webber later turned it into a stage musical. Bell also co-wrote the 1965 film "Sky West and Crooked," with John Mills directing and Hayley starring as a retarded girl who falls in love with a gypsy.

In 1968 Bell wrote an autobiography, "What Shall We Do Tomorrow?" and in 1981 released a book about the family dog, a Yorkshire called Mr. Chips. She also wrote "The Winged Boy," set to be filmed in 2006.

Sir John Mills died in April, 2005. Due to the advanced stage of her illness, Bell was unable to attend the funeral of her husband of 64 years. Hayley Bell has a Bacon number of 2.

December 1, 2005 at age 94. Alzheimer's disease.

final credits - december 2005