Archive for Actors

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Bela Lugosi

Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery (CA) with tags , on October 1, 2013 by Cade

lugosi1October 20, 1882 – August  16, 1956

Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó was born in Lugos, Hungary (now, Romania) in 1882. He acted on stage and in films in his native country before fleeing to Germany, and eventually, the U.S.A. He changed is name to Lugosi (after his hometown) and made a career of playing one of the most recognizable monsters in pop culture history. As far as I am concerned, Bela Lugosi – with his eastern European accent and steely glare – WAS Count Dracula. You can’t convince me otherwise (except for the fact that he is dead, as evidenced by his presence in this blog – though he WAS buried in a cape1.)

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Isabel Sanford

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

sanford1August 29, 1917 – July 9, 2004

Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford wanted to be an actress. Her mother forbade it. But, that didn’t stop her. Sanford, now going by “Isabel,” pursued acting anyway and eventually found herself in Hollywood. After landing a supporting role in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? opposite Tracy and Hepburn, she was cast in the role that would change her life and define her career. For fourteen years (and a few more times after the fact – ’cause…money) Isabel played Louise “Weezy” Jefferson alongside Sherman Hemsley’s George in Norman Lear’s immensely popular TV show All in the Family and the eventual, eponymous spin-off, The Jeffersons. Continue reading →

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Cesar Romero

Posted in Inglewood Park Cemetery with tags , on September 26, 2013 by Cade

romero1February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994

Known to some as The Cisco Kid, to others as Falcon Crest‘s Peter Stavros, and almost universally as The Joker from the 1960’s Batman television series, Cesar Romero was everywhere for a good number of years.  His other credits included Freddie Prinze’s absent father on Chico and the Man and a slew of Latin lover roles. Romero was also a dancer and comedian and appeared in lighthearted musicals such as Springtime in the Rockies – with fellow Golden West resident, Betty Grable. But, it is likely The Joker for which he is most remembered. The toothy grin, white face paint and trademark cackle are pop-culture mainstays. Cesar, a lifelong “confirmed bachelor,” died on New Year’s Day in 1994. Continue reading →

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Dominique Dunne

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on September 24, 2013 by Cade

dunne1November 23, 1959 – November 4, 1982

Not all Hollywood stories have happy endings.

Dominique Dunne was a rising star who had appeared in a number of television shows when her life was cut short by a jealous and possessive ex-boyfriend.  Dunne – the daughter of writer Dominick Dunne and sister of director/producer Griffin Dunne – appeared in the 1981 horror classic Poltergeist. This was to be her first and only feature film appearance.  She was cast in and was in rehearsals for a new mini-series, V, when she was attacked and strangled on her front porch by her estranged boyfriend. Continue reading →

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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

duncan1

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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