December 5, 1921 – May 4, 1997
Jack Alvin Moore was a comedic actor who appeared in many television shows – from The Dick Van Dyke Show to The Mickey Mouse Club – over the course of his 40+ year career. He is probably best known for playing county agent Hank Kimball on the perennial rural-centric CBS sitcom, Green Acres. Alvy Moore died of heart failure at the age of 75. Continue reading
July 08, 1934 – December 02, 1982
Just about everyone knows Marty Feldman and his distinctive (and ridiculous) eyes from his performance as Igor in Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Young Frankenstein. But, Feldman got his start in more famous circles even than that. As a young comedian in the U.K., Feldman appeared on television and wrote with many future comedy legends, including John Cleese and Graham Chapman – who would go on to co-found the iconic Monty Python comedy group. In fact some of Python’s more memorable sketches (“Four Yorkshiremen,” “Bookshop”) were co-written by Marty. Continue reading
October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998
He created Batman. What have you done? Continue reading
December 2, 1859 – March 29, 1891
The father of the post-impressionist movement known as “pointilism”, Georges-Pierre Seurat is one of the most recognizable French impressionist painters. His masterworks like A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884–1886) and Bathers at Asnières (1883) stand as monuments to the late 19th century French collection as much as any Monet or Cézanne piece. His direct impact on the world of art was confined to a mere 31 years. Seurat died at that age of undisclosed causes in Paris. Continue reading
May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994
Maybe, just maybe you have heard about the death of Nicole Brown Simpson.
Born in Germany, Nicole Brown’s family moved to California when she was young. She dabbled in acting, modeling and photography and lived the quintessential Orange County affluent life. When she was just 18, she met former football star O.J. Simpson. The two began a long relationship and were married seven years later. They had two kids together. However, the relationship – apparently – wasn’t all roses and sunshine. I know, right?
June 22, 1954 – January 29, 1977
Frederick Karl Pruetzel was a Hungarican (Hungarian/Puerto Rican – his word, not mine) actor and comedian who exploded onto the comedy circuit in the 1970’s. He wanted to be known as the Prince of Comedy, so he changed his name to Freddie Prinze and made people laugh. His short career was catapulted after an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and soon he was given his own sitcom: Chico and the Man. Continue reading
September 26, 1895 – November 24, 1980
Some people are typecast from birth. For George Raft (Ranft), he was born to play a gangster. The rugged character actor was also an adept dancer and was a solid box office draw during his early career. But, when you are even friends with legit gangsters in real life, sometimes the image is hard to shake. Still, he turned it to his advantage, appearing opposite other perennial screen gangsters like Jimmy Cagney, he was poised to break through to be one of the biggest leading men of his generation. Continue reading
January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959
A handsome tenor with an astounding voice, Mario Lanza took various stages and – ultimately – Hollywood by storm in the late 1940’s and ’50’s. His ability to bring heavy doses of charm and romanticism to his roles set him apart from many of his contemporaries. He was discovered by Louis B. Mayer at a 1947 performance at the famous Hollywood Bowl. Mayer immediately signed Lanza to a multi-year contract with MGM. He appeared in films like The Great Caruso, The Toast of New Orleans and Because You’re Mine churning out popular recordings from each.
July 3, 1878 – November 5, 1942
George Michael Cohan was – to put it simply (and to steal mercilessly from many before me) – “the man who owned Broadway.” The son of Irish Catholic performers, Cohan grew up on stage as a member of the family vaudeville act, The Four Cohans. At an early age, he began writing his own skits…and then his own songs. Fast forward a few years and little George had over 300 songs to his credit, including classics like “The Yankee Doodle Boy,” “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Over There.” Continue reading
May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965
Malcolm X was a controversial religious and civil rights activist during the tumultuous American 1950’s and ’60’s. A leader in the Nation of Islam, Malcolm – also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz – rose to prominence as the very public face of the very outspoken group. His views on race relations were seen by many as inflammatory and racist in their own ways. The Nation of Islam’s belief in Black supremacy and the the “white devil” did little to quell the controversy. In 1964, he split from the Nation and converted to Sunni Islam. The split was contentious and he received a number of death threats for his repudiation of the Nation’s teachings. Continue reading
Celebrity Graveland 