July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004
In the history of the world, it is entirely likely that no one has become more famous for taking a shower.
Janet Leigh’s most notable role, obviously, was as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Legend has it that she was never again able to take a shower after making the movie. True or not, it makes for a good yarn.
June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010
Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz) was a devilishly handsome man. His looks and his broad range certainly made him one of the biggest stars of the 1950’s and 60’s. He garnered attention with Oscar nominated dramatic roles (The Defiant Ones) as well as classic comedic turns (Some Like It Hot1 alongside Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe – directed by Billy Wilder) as well as more than 100 other projects. He was also an avid painter – something he continued to do later in life, claiming to enjoy it more than making movies.
August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970
Though a prolific stage, screen and radio actress, Mary William Ethelbert Appleton “Billie” Burke is remembered for two things: 1) she was married to legendary Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld and 2) she played Glinda the Good Witch in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. Personally, I believe she should be remembered for her glorious birth name above all else.
June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975
Larry, Moe and Curly.
Three names that almost anyone should recognize. The Three Stooges were a huge box office draw for more than 40 years. Their manic slapstick was the stuff of male adolescent fantasy. They eye-gouged and “wub-wub-wub”ed into the American pop-culture landscape and became a permanent fixture…even decades after all of them left us. At the, and I use this term very loosely, grounded center of the trio, was always Moe (born Moses Horowitz.) He was the “brains.” He was the leader, his trademark bowl haircut always jostling with every cartoonish reaction to his compatriots.
September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003
Few actors get to enjoy the kind of universal success that John Ritter did. Whether on television (Three’s Company, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter) or film (Problem Child, Noises Off, Sling Blade) Ritter was always charming.
Alas, charm can only get you so far. And an undetected congenital heart defect will make sure you don’t get too far at all. Continue reading
October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004
Despite a prolific career both on and Off-Broadway, Jerry Orbach was probably best known for his work as Lt. Lennie Briscoe on NBC’s Law & Order…or, more likely, as Baby’s father in 1987’s Dirty Dancing. He was also, for those that care, the voice behind everyone’s favorite singing and dancing candlestick, Lumière, in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989
Best known for the hilarious characters she created as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, Gilda Radner was a beloved comedienne and actress. Her exposure on SNL as well as movie roles and Broadway shows made her one of the most popular comic actors of the 1970s and ’80s. She was married twice, most notably to actor Gene Wilder.
October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953
American playwright Eugene O’Neill was literally born on Broadway – the Bartlett Hotel, to be precise – and found a figurative home there for his entire life churning out more than 30 full-length plays including the classics The Iceman Cometh, A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, A Moon for the Misbegotten and Mourning Becomes Electra.
O’Neill won many awards for his works, including several Pulitzers and a Nobel Prize for Literature. Continue reading
April 25, 1918 – June 15, 1996
A celebrated jazz vocalist, “Lady Ella” Fitzgerald was known as the “Queen of Jazz” and the “First Lady of Song.” She earned 13 Grammy awards as well as a number of other honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ella’s unmistakable voice is often praised for its pure tone and flawless diction.
May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979
Who would have guessed that a little boy named Marion would grow up to become the quintessential American badass? Yet, that’s exactly what John Wayne did. “The Duke” personified masculinity in everything he did. Whether portraying war heroes in The Flying Leathernecks or The Green Berets or classic icons of the old west in…every…Western…ever…made, he was always John Wayne, and he was always awesome.
Celebrity Graveland 