Archive for Actors

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Danny Kaye

Posted in Kensico Cemetery with tags , , , on September 12, 2013 by Cade

kaye1January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987

Danny Kaye was a actor, singer and comedian known for his physical comedy and rapid-patter nonsensical singing. Born in Brooklyn, David Daniel Kaminsky was destined to be an entertainer from an early age. As a teenager, he worked on vaudeville stages and in pantomime acts. He went on to star in films, television programs and on Broadway. He was given his own, short-lived radio program in 1945 which co-starred Eve Arden (with whom he also had a romantic relationship) and Harry James. Continue reading →

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Eve Arden

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on September 12, 2013 by Cade

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April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990

Eve Arden (born Eunice M. Quedens) was a stage, radio and screen actress who famously played the title role in the the radio, television AND film versions of Our Miss Brooks. Arden’s natural wit and ease with comedy made her instantly likable and immensely popular. In addition to Brooks, she was also often seen on stage in New York and Chicago (she made her Broadway debut in the 1934 version of the Ziegfeld Follies) and appeared in over 60 films and dozens of television shows. Continue reading →

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Michael Clarke Duncan

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

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December 10, 1957 – September 3, 2012

Michael Clarke Duncan was an actor known for his massive size.  His breakout role as a gifted death-row inmate in 1999’s The Green Mile earned him an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination.  Duncan started off his career pulling bodyguard and security jobs until he was motivated to pursue acting.  He appeared in a number of films and television shows – often playing amiable and jolly characters that juxtaposed his intimidating 300 pound frame. Continue reading →

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Sandra Dee

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , on September 5, 2013 by Cade

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April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005

A model and actress known for her roles as wholesome ingenues, Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck) was probably most famous for her marriage to and divorce from ill-fated singer, Bobby Darin.  Her career spanned nearly 40 years, but the bulk of the last 20 were spent much out of the public eye due to constant health issues. She battled anorexia (that stemmed from her early days as a model,) depression and alcoholism throughout her life. Continue reading →

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Buster Keaton

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on August 7, 2013 by Cade

keaton1October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966

Joseph Frank Keaton, known to the world as “Buster,” was one of the biggest names in comedy throughout the silent film era of the late 1910’s and ’20’s. Keaton got his start as a boy in vaudeville being thrown around stage by his father…seriously. His time spent onstage with his parents taught a young Buster the art of physical comedy. A talent which he would parlay into film and go on to become one of the most iconic comedians of all time.  His classic deadpan expression belied the hysterical goings-on around him in most of his films which only made them funnier. Continue reading →

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Peter Falk

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

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September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011

Despite a successful acting career on both stage (The Iceman Cometh, The Prisoner of Second Avenue) and screen (The Great Race, The Princess Bride), Peter Falk will always, ALWAYS be associated with one name and one name only: Columbo. Falk starred as the fog-headed, cigar-chomping detective from 1968 until 2003. With his trademark squint (the result of having a glass eye from the age of 3) and lackadaisical approach to solving mysteries (“Oh, just one more thing…”), Falk turned Columbo into one of the most memorable television characters of all time. Continue reading →

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Spencer Tracy

Posted in Forest Lawn Glendale with tags , , on June 17, 2013 by Cade

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April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (real name) was a fixture in the so-called “Golden Age” of Hollywood. The Milwaukee-born actor was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor nine times. He won twice. His onscreen partnership with Katharine Hepburn as well as their “private” decades-long affair made for, perhaps, the biggest Hollywood romance of the 20th century. The pair made 9 movies together and shared a 26 year relationship despite Tracy still being married to his estranged wife, Louise.  Ah, but it’s Hollywood. Who cares?  What’s important is that Spencer Tracy is routinely mentioned in conversations about the greatest actors of all time. Continue reading →

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Telly Savalas

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on June 8, 2013 by Cade

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January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994

Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas was probably best know as the lollipop-chomping title character in the popular CBS drama Kojak.  Of course, he did a lot of other things, including co-starring roles in The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes and – as supervillain, Ernst Blofeld – in the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He also was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance opposite Burt Lancaster in The Birdman of Alcatraz. Continue reading →

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Burt Lancaster

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on June 8, 2013 by Cade

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November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994

It’s the age-old Hollywood story: Athletic boy grows up to become a circus acrobat, joins the military and becomes a film legend. Standard stuff, really.

Burt Lancaster was a tall, muscular actor who started off his long career playing tough guy roles. Eventually, he managed to land roles with more depth like Sergeant Warden in From Here to Eternity or his Academy Award winning titular character in Elmer Gantry. Lancaster was so serious about taking on roles with more substance that he often took pay cuts to play better characters. He even put his own money into projects he truly believed in.  All in all, he made over 60 films throughout his career. Not bad for a kid who started off as a gymnast. Continue reading →

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Donna Reed

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on June 8, 2013 by Cade

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January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986

Donna Belle Mullenger was born in Iowa, moved to Los Angeles to attend college and accidentally became a Hollywood superstar. After being noticed on stage in school productions, she was offered a number of screen tests and eventually a contract with MGM studios. She changed her name to Donna Reed and went on to star in immortal classic films like From Here to Eternity (for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress) and It’s a Wonderful Life opposite Jimmy Stewart. Continue reading →

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