Rita Hayworth

Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery (CA) with tags , on April 27, 2013 by Cade

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October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987

Actress, dancer and all-around bombshell, Rita Hayworth, captivated Hollywood audiences throughout the 1940s and ’50s. Glamorous and talented, she was the quintessential Golden-era beauty. Her personal life was quite public and tremendously busy.  She once quipped that men “fell in love with [her iconic character] Gilda, but they wake up with me.”  She was married five times, including to actor/director Orson Welles and Prince Aly Khan.  Rita struggled with alcohol most of her life. She died from complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 68. Continue reading →

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Karl Malden

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on April 26, 2013 by Cade

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March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009

Mladen George Sekulovich was born in Chicago into a Serbian family. At the age of 22, he changed his name to Karl Malden and embarked on a 60 year film career that gave us iconic movies like A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, Gypsy and How the West Was Won.  Malden also worked in television and notably hawked American Express cards in the ’70’s and ’80’s. Continue reading →

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David Carradine

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on April 26, 2013 by Cade

Obit Carradine

December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009

He was Caine.  He was Bill.  He was the Barefoot Legend.

A prominent pop-culture figure, actor and martial artist David Carradine’s career spanned decades in television, film and even music. He is probably best known for his role in the TV series, Kung Fu, and to younger audiences, as the titular boss/revenge target in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies.

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Charles Bronson

Posted in Brownsville Cemetery with tags , , on April 21, 2013 by Cade

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November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003

Born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, Charles Bronson was a classic Hollywood tough guy.  In addition to starring turns in such iconic movies as The Dirty Dozen, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape and Death Wish, he was also a B-29 gunner in World War II. He received a Purple Heart.  He was a total badass.

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Babe Ruth

Posted in Gate of Heaven Cemetery with tags , , on April 13, 2013 by Cade

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February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948

Look, I hate the Yankees.  I have hated the Yankees my whole life.  I HATE, hate them. Hate.

But, George Herman Ruth transcends mere pinstripes.  He is perhaps the most famous baseball player of all time.  Brandishing nicknames like “The Great Bambino,” “The Sultan of Swat” and – most simply and memorably – “Babe,” he dominated the game for 20 years. Continue reading →

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Ricardo Montalbán

Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery (CA) with tags , , , on April 8, 2013 by Cade

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November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009

Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro “KHAAAANNN!” Montalbán y Merino, the Mexican-born actor who literally invented a fake type of leather, was probably best known to American television audiences as the charming Mr. Roarke on the 1970’s-’80’s ABC series, Fantasy Island. Of course, hanging out in trippy paradise with Hervé Villechaize wasn’t Montalbán’s only claim to fame. He also rose to pop-culture infamy by portraying Khan in both the TV and motion picture versions of Star Trek. Continue reading →

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Larry Fine

Posted in Forest Lawn Glendale with tags , , on April 8, 2013 by Cade

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October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975

Louis Feinberg – known to the world as Larry Fine – was a vaudeville and film entertainer who was a member of the classic comedy team, The Three Stooges. Larry was asked by creator Ted Healy to join brothers Moe and Shemp Howard1 in their stage act. He said ‘yes’ and the rest was history.

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Brittany Murphy

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on April 6, 2013 by Cade

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November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009

A performer most of her short life, Brittany Murphy moved to California from New Jersey at the age of 13.  She found roles in both television and movies with her breakout role being the character Tai in 1995’s Clueless. Murphy went on to star in a number of other box office successes such as 8 Mile, Sin City, Girl, Interrupted and Just Married (with one-time boyfriend, Ashton Kutcher.)  She also did some notable voice-over work (King of the Hill, Happy Feet) and had a pretty decent singing career.

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Thelonious Monk

Posted in Ferncliff Cemetery with tags , on April 4, 2013 by Cade

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October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982

Thelonious Sphere Monk was a composer and pianist known for his improvisational and dissonant jazz stylings.  His distinctive style (in both music and fashion) set him apart from many of his contemporaries.  With popular recordings such as “Round Midnight” and “Straight, No Chaser,” Monk’s career would span four decades and inspire countless musicians and fans.

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Brandon Lee

Posted in Lake View Cemetery with tags , on March 31, 2013 by Cade

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February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993

Brandon Lee was an actor whose life and career were both cut short during the filming of what would be his breakout role, 1994’s The Crow. The son of legendary martial artist/actor, Bruce Lee, Brandon was on the cusp of Hollywood stardom when he was killed after a prop gun on the set accidentally fired a bullet that was unknowingly lodged in the barrel. Given the mysterious circumstances surrounding his father’s death some 20 years earlier, many cried conspiracy or, at the very least, some sort of familial curse. Continue reading →

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