Archive for Actors

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Yves Montand

Posted in Père Lachaise Cemetery with tags , , on October 2, 2023 by Cade

October 13, 1921 – November 09, 1991

Italian-born French singer and actor Yves Montand dropped out of school at age 11 to help his family make ends meet. He spent his spare time in movie theatres watching American comedies and westerns and decided he wanted to become a performer. He worked his way up through local amateur nights and eventually landed in Paris where he met the legendary singer Édith Piaf. Under Piaf’s guidance, Montand became a popular crooner and a successful career was launched.
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Peter Sellers

Posted in Golders Green Crematorium with tags , , on August 7, 2023 by Cade

September 08, 1925 – July 24, 1980

“There is no me. I do not exist. There was a me once, but I had it surgically removed.” -Peter Sellers, The Muppet Show (1978)

The backlots and back alleys of the entertainment industry are full of funny people who are quietly battling demons. Occasionally, a generational talent comes along that consistently delights audiences…all the while dealing with internal struggles like depression or substance abuse. The funny façade is oftentimes just that: a façade. You saw it with superstars like Chris Farley, Robin Williams, John Belushi, Richard Pryor…and Peter Sellers.

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Rachel Kempson

Posted in Saint Peter's Episcopal Cemetery with tags , , on March 20, 2023 by Cade

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May 28, 1910 – May 24, 2003

Rachel Kempson was an English actress who was as well regarded for her work on stage and screen as she was for launching an acting dynasty. Classically trained at RADA and a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Kempson married matinee idol – and son of actors – Michael Redgrave in 1935. The couple starred together in a number of productions throughout their long careers. They had 3 children, Vanessa, Corin and Lynn Redgrave…all of whom forged their own, successful acting careers.
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Robert Reed

Posted in Memorial Park Cemetery (IL) with tags , on February 6, 2023 by Cade

October 19, 1932 – May 12, 1992

There is no shortage of irony in the fact that the actor portraying “America’s Dad” – beloved television character, Mike Brady – wanted to be literally anywhere but there in that iconic TV house, with his iconic TV family. Robert Reed was a classically trained Shakespearean actor who studied at the Royal Academy of  Dramatic Arts (RADA) and made a name for himself replacing Robert Redford in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park on Broadway. Barefoot, along with a growing handful of successful television appearances, gained him a contract at Paramount Pictures and the opportunity to star in a new, ground-breaking sitcom called The Brady Bunch.

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Elaine Stritch

Posted in Memorial Park Cemetery (IL) with tags , on November 7, 2022 by Cade

February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014

Widely considered one of the greatest performers in Broadway history, Elaine Stritch spent more than six decades on stages all around the world. She appeared in early classics like Pal Joey and William Inge’s Bus Stop, but found a major breakthrough in 1961 with her groundbreaking performance in Sail Away by Noël Coward. In 1970, she appeared in the original production of Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece Company, in which she originated the now-classic “The Ladies Who Lunch” which would become one of her signature songs. She was nominated for 5 Tony Awards throughout her career, winning once.

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Ed Asner

Posted in Sheffield Cemetery with tags , , on October 24, 2022 by Cade

November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021

For 12 years, American TV audiences tuned in by the millions to delight in and be entertained by the curmudgeonly but loveable character, Lou Grant. Grant first appeared in the all-time classic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and was then given his own spin-off fittingly entitled Lou Grant. Ed Asner became a household name with his portrayal of the gruff but ultimately caring Grant. He won 5 of his 7 Emmy awards for the role, spanning both series. And he is one of only two actors to win Emmys for the SAME role in both a comedy and a drama.

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Susie Garrett

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (MI) with tags , on October 10, 2022 by Cade

December 29, 1929 – May 24, 2002

Susie Garrett was an actress and singer who grew up singing in jazz clubs in Detroit. In addition to singing, she enjoyed acting and appeared in a number of plays. By the 1980’s Susie’s younger sister, Marla Gibbs, had forged a career in television and was co-starring on the hit CBS sitcom, The Jeffersons. Garrett made a couple of walk-on appearances on the show and, in 1984, was offered a featured role on the new NBC show Punky Brewster.

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Harold Ramis

Posted in Shalom Memorial Park with tags , , , on September 19, 2022 by Cade

November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014

Every so often, I come across a post that I dread writing. Usually it’s because it features the life – and death, naturally – of someone I regard very highly. This is one of those posts. At any given moment, if you ask me what my favorite movie is, somewhere north of 2/3 of the time my answer will be the 1984 classic Ghostbusters. The characters in that movie were giants to me as a kid and Egon Spengler was always, always my favorite. Egon was, of course, played by legendary actor/writer/director Harold Ramis…who also wrote the movie.

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George Peppard

Posted in Northview Cemetery with tags , on August 15, 2022 by Cade

October 1, 1928 – May 8, 1994

American pop culture in the 1980’s was chock-full of iconic catchphrases.

“Where’s the beef?”
“I pity the fool!”
“Whatchu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”
“I love it when a plan comes together.”

The latter is attributed to the character Col. John “Hannibal” Smith from the hit NBC action series, The A-Team. Hannibal, the snarky, cigar-chomping leader of the titular renegade commando unit, was played genially by veteran of the stage and screen, George Peppard.

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Ava Gardner

Posted in Sunset Memorial Park with tags , on June 20, 2022 by Cade

December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990

“She can’t sing, she can’t act, she can’t talk, she’s terrific!”
– Louis B. Mayer

In 1946, movie audiences were properly introduced to Hollywood’s newest femme fatale when Robert Siodmak’s The Killers opened. The film noir classic was the screen debut of Burt Lancaster…and it was the first time audiences really got to see and know Ava Gardner.

Discovered by a peripheral MGM talent scout thanks to her portrait being displayed in a New York City photo studio window, young Ava – who had never even thought about acting – suddenly found herself with a contract in hand in Los Angeles. She learned her trade with bit parts at MGM and worked with acting and dialect coaches to overcome her heavy North Carolina drawl. Five years of toiling in dozens of pictures and improving her talents finally led to a leading role in The Killers and audiences loved her.

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