Archive for Actors

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Jane Greer

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on September 9, 2018 by Cade

September 9, 1924 – August 24, 2001

“Mine is a sissy name. It’s too bo-peepish, ingenueish, for the type of role I’ve been playing.”

When Bettejane Greer legally changed her first name to just “Jane,” she was not wrong in her observation. RKO Picture’s ‘woman with the Mona Lisa smile’ was well-known for her femme fatale roles – most notably, opposite Robert Mitchum in the film noir classic Out of the Past – and enigmatic, hard shell characters. A Bettejane, she was most certainly not. Greer was a model, a singer and an actress whose career spanned more than half a century. Continue reading →

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Florence Henderson

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on August 27, 2018 by Cade

henderson1February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016

It can be hard to go your entire career being associated with one character or one performance. For Florence Henderson, being the spokesperson for Wesson cooking oil for 2 decades was a defining persona and the kind of role every struggling actor covets. A gifted stage actress and singer, Henderson made a splash early on with performances on Broadway and televised productions of musicals. She appeared in game shows and on talk shows and was instantly recognizable in any household thanks to her long tenure with Wesson.

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Mickey Rooney

Posted in Hollywood Forever Cemetery with tags , on August 22, 2018 by Cade

September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014

Mickey Rooney was one of the most enduring figures of the classic age of Hollywood. He got his start as a child in vaudeville and quickly found success in film. By the age of 25, he was one of MGM’s biggest and most successful stars. He starred in 14 Andy Hardy movies and began working with another young star on the rise by the name of Judy Garland. Together, Mickey and Judy made 10 films together and both careers were catapulted. After serving in the Special Services during World War II, Mickey’s career waned…if you can call 60 more years of being loved by millions “waning.” As an adult, he remained short of stature, so he never made the transition to leading man roles. But, that didn’t stop the Mick. Continue reading →

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Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on January 17, 2017 by Cade

fisher_reynolds2
October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016
April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016

Carrie Fisher was born into Hollywood royalty. Her father was crooner Eddie Fisher and her mother was actress and iconic girl-next-door, Debbie Reynolds. Onstage from the very beginning, she enjoyed a very successful career. She will forever be linked to her most indelible character, Princess Leia from the blockbuster Star Wars film franchise. But, she was more than a strong, rebellious princess. Fisher was a fearless comedic actor and writer. She wrote critically-acclaimed screenplays and novels and was for a time, the go-to “script doctor” in the industry. She overcame personal demons stemming from drug abuse and bi-polar disorder and always, always, kept her wit. Continue reading →

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Tony Randall

Posted in Westchester Hills Cemetery with tags , , on October 21, 2015 by Cade

randall2February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004

When an actor has the fortune of landing a successful and iconic role, it’s never entirely fair when the public places said actor into the pigeonhole of that role for the rest of his/her career. Despite any other accomplishments, the actor is constantly equated to that one role and is often forced to accept the public’s unwillingness to move on in order to continue to make a livelihood. Tony Randall is one of the prime examples of spending an entire career in the shadow of an iconic role.  And that role, of course, was….the voice of the brain gremlin in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

Kidding, of course. Continue reading →

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Ron Silver

Posted in Westchester Hills Cemetery with tags , on October 19, 2015 by Cade

silver2July 2, 1946 – March 15, 2009

Ron Silver was an actor, director and political activist who was known for his television roles that included appearances on Rhoda, Wiseguy and The West Wing. He also served as the president of the Actor’s Equity Association – the live theatre labor union – for nearly a decade. In addition to his many professional credits, he was very outspoken in the political arena, particularly in regard to issues surrounding Israel. Continue reading →

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Alan Ladd

Posted in Forest Lawn Glendale with tags , , on May 22, 2014 by Cade

Disclaimer: The last time I visited Forest Lawn Glendale and the Freedom Mausoleum, this blog wasn’t even a thought in my mind. So, there were a number of graves I visited but didn’t photograph. I hesitated to write a post about these celebrities, but, in the end, figured “why not?”. This is one of those posts.

 

ladd1September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964

Alan Walbridge1 Ladd was an athletic young man who struggled to catch a break in the film industry (due, largely, to his lack of height.) But, once he did, he came to personify the genres in which he worked. After a bit part in a small film called Citizen Kane, Ladd found steady work in westerns and gangster movies throughout the 1940’s and ’50’s. It was the former that landed him his most iconic role, that of the titular drifter in Shane. Alan often costarred with the beautiful – and equally diminutive – Veronica Lake. The pair made seven films together. Many of which are Film Noir classics. Continue reading →

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Natasha Richardson

Posted in Saint Peter's Episcopal Cemetery with tags , , , on May 8, 2014 by Cade

richardson1May 11, 1963 – March 18, 2009

“Darling. I’ve taken a tumble in the snow.”

Natasha Jane Richardson was born into an incredibly famous and talented family. Her mother is actress Vanessa Redgrave and her father director Tony Richardson. Her great-grandfather, maternal grandparents, aunt and sister are all in the business. Of course, she was going to be an actor. Natasha’s career spanned 5 decades. She is perhaps best known for her films The Parent Trap, Maid in Manhattan and Nell and for her Tony-winning performance as Sally in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret.Richardson was married twice, most notably to Irish actor, Liam Neeson.

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Lynn Redgrave

Posted in Saint Peter's Episcopal Cemetery with tags , , on May 6, 2014 by Cade

redgrave1March 08, 1943 – May 02, 2010

As a prominent third generation member of the famous British acting family, Lynn Rachel Redgrave followed – alongside sister, Vanessa – in the footsteps of her grandfather, Roy, and her mother and father, Rachel and Michael as a performer. Trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Lynn quickly made a splash in regional theatre and on the West End. The transition to film was natural and her early roles in such classics as Tom Jones and Gregory Girl earned her high praise and award nominations. Continue reading →

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Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond

Posted in Forest Lawn Glendale with tags , , , on April 23, 2014 by Cade

Disclaimer: The last time I visited Forest Lawn Glendale and the Freedom Mausoleum, this blog wasn’t even a thought in my mind. So, there were a number of graves I visited but didn’t photograph. I hesitated to write a post about these celebrities, but, in the end, figured “why not?”. This is one of those posts.

 macdonald1June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965

Jeanette MacDonald was one of the most popular singer/actresses throughout the golden age of the Hollywood musical. Her legendary professional partnership with Nelson Eddy produced memorable classics (including Naughty Marietta and Sweethearts) for MGM. Rumors of off-screen romance plagued the duo throughout their lives. After her death from multiple heart ailments at the age of 61, Eddy all but confirmed the rumors were true. MacDonald was a powerful soprano who worked her way out of the Broadway chorus lines to become one of the most successful screen performers of her era. She used her talent and influence to help introduce opera to many who had never heard it before. When not making movies, she toured extensively giving concerts all around the world and was noted for her work with the U.S. Army throughout World War II. In addition to her maybe/maybe not secret affair with Nelson, she was married to… Continue reading →

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