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.
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.
July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981
Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was born in San Francisco to a Russian immigrant family in July of 1938. For some reason, her name was changed when she began acting at the age of 5, and the world met Natalie Wood.
A star from early on, her first major role was that of young Susan Walker in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th St. She earned 3 Academy Award nominations by the time she turned 25, starring in such classics along the way as Rebel Without a Cause, The Searchers, Splendor in the Grass and as the face and body in front of Marni Nixon’s voice in West Side Story.
December 08, 1925 – May 16, 1990
“THE ENTERTAINER” HE DID IT ALL
The inscription on Sammy Davis, Jr.’s grave marker could not be more accurate. He DID do it all. The multi-talented singer/dancer/actor/impersonator was a dynamo packed into a skinny, 5′ 5″ frame. By the age of 3, he was already performing on stage with his father, Sammy Davis, Sr. and Will Mastin as part of the Will Mastin Trio (Davis, Sr. and Mastin are also buried at Forest Lawn Glendale, right next to Sammy.) His career would see great heights despite personal setbacks. In 1954, Davis was in a serious car crash that resulted in the loss of his left eye, something he would use to his own self-deprecating sense of humor throughout his life. He found even greater fame along side pals Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in the legendary Rat Pack. The friends remained close throughout their lives and Sinatra remarked upon his death that Sammy was “one of the finest human beings I ever knew in my life.”
May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a star brighter than Katharine Hepburn. The actress’s career spanned more than 6 decades. She racked up 12 Oscar nominations for Best Actress (winning 4 – a record.) She worked with everyone from Cary Grant to Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart…and outshone all of them. She was versed in theatre, film, televison and, in later years, continued to challenge herself by taking on difficult Shakespeare roles. She is perhaps best known – to my generation, at least – for playing opposite Henry Fonda in his final role in 1981’s On Golden Pond.
Hepburn was very publicly involved with actor Spencer Tracy for many years. Continue reading
December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998
“The Chairman of the Board.” “The Voice.” “Old Blue Eyes.” Francis Albert Sinatra had a lot of names. But, mostly, everyone just called him “Frank.”
Hoboken, New Jersey’s favorite son was one of the largest entertainers in the world for decades. His smooth and unmistakable baritone catapulted him into super-stardom and made him the idol of a generation. From his early days singing with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey to his unprecedented success as a solo artist, Sinatra wowed audiences and radio listeners with his rich voice and unique phrasing.
May 20, 1908 – July 02, 1997
By all accounts, Jimmy Stewart was a pretty remarkable human being.
A talented and distinctive actor, he was often described by anyone who knew him with words like “kind” and “generous” and so on and so forth. Even Joan Crawford liked him. And she hardly liked anybody. Beyond his Hollywood persona – which garnered him countless legendary roles, 5 Oscar nominations, and Lifetime Achievement awards from just about every organization imaginable – Jimmy was also a decorated military officer and a prolific philanthropist.
They don’t make them like that anymore. Continue reading
June 01, 1926 – August 05, 1962
I mean, it’s Marilyn. How much do I have to say here?
She was perhaps the biggest sex symbol in 20th century America. She was romantically linked to baseball players, playwrights and presidents. She was the ultimate rags to riches story. She liked to party. One night, at the age of 36, she took too much Nembutal – maybe by her own choice, maybe by someone else’s – and Elton John wrote a song about her.
Goodbye, Norma Jean. Continue reading
Celebrity Graveland 