Archive for Actors

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Clara Bow

Posted in Forest Lawn Glendale with tags , , on April 14, 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.

 

bow1July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965

 Hollywood’s first “It Girl,” silent-era starlet Clara Bow was literally the “It” girl. Her turn in the 1927 comedy “It” garnered all sorts of attention and made her a star. In fact, she would go on to appear in more than 50 films (most of which were silent) over her short 12-year career during which she was one of the top box-office draws in the country. Her foray into “talkies” was just as successful. Audiences loved her. Investors loved her. Fellow actor Rex Bell loved her. Continue reading →

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Sharon Tate

Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery with tags , on April 3, 2014 by Cade

tate1January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969

Sharon Tate was a B-Movie actress who was just on the cusp of mainstream stardom when the unthinkable happened…and made her a household name.

Tate’s career as an actress was modest, at best. She had bit parts on television shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and had major roles in cult movies like Valley of the Dolls. But her talents took some work. Being a tall, beautiful head-turner certainly helped cover over many of the confidence issues that plagued her early career. Positive reviews of her comedic performance opposite Dean Martin in 1969’s The Wrecking Crew led to a more confident Tate and her career was finally shaping up. Continue reading →

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Frances Bay

Posted in Mt. Sinai Memorial Park with tags , on March 25, 2014 by Cade

bay1January 23, 1919 – September 15, 2011

Frances Bay (née Goffman) was a Canadian actor whose early career involved radio programming for troops during World War II. She studied acting under famed coach, Uta Hagen in South Africa before settling in Los Angeles. Her career didn’t really take off until she landed parts in a number of movies and TV shows in the 1970’s and ’80’s including a turn as Fonzie’s grandmother on Happy Days. Continue reading →

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Phil Silvers

Posted in Mt. Sinai Memorial Park with tags , , on February 26, 2014 by Cade

silvers1May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985

Comedian and actor, Phil Silvers, got his start in movie houses entertaining audiences when the projectors would break down. He spent the early parts of his career on the Broadway stage and in short subject films. Made the leap to feature pictures, but found his biggest fame as Sgt. Ernest Bilko on the CBS television show You’ll Never Get Rich – which was later named The Phil Silvers Show, once it was deemed a hit. Silvers was known as “The King of Chutzpah” for his physical, slap-sticky brand of comedy. Continue reading →

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Brian Keith

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on February 14, 2014 by Cade

keith1November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997

Brain Keith began acting at the age of two. He appeared on stage, in dozens of television shows and scores of films. He is probably best known for his role in the original The Parent Trap and for his television shows Family Affair (opposite Sebastian Cabot – who is buried just across the road from Keith) and Hardcastle and McCormick. Alright, so that last one is how I best remember him, but I digress. Keith’s career boasts an impressive number of starring and guest starring roles. He was prolific and busy. In his later life, he suffered from health issues, including emphysema and lung cancer. And in 1997, his daughter, Daisy, committed suicide. Unable to deal with his health and the death of his daughter1, Keith took his own life just two months later. He was interred next to Daisy in Westwood. Continue reading →

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Sebastian Cabot

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on February 14, 2014 by Cade

cabot1July 6, 1918 – August 22, 1977

Of course, I could very easily base most of this write up on English actor Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot’s most famous role: that of valet Mr. French on the classic CBS sitcom Family Affair (opposite permanent neighbor, Brian Keith). But, I would rather devote my energy to his stunning turn as Bagheera, the wise panther in Disney’s 1967 masterpiece The Jungle Book. Without the centered and stoic Bagheera, who knows what would have become of the movie’s hero, Mowgli the mancub. Would he have succumbed to the lackadaisical and hapless ways of Baloo, doomed to drift through life without purpose or vision? Would he have been forced to unwillingly hand the secret of fire over to the likable, but dangerous King Louie? Even if he managed to evade these pitfalls, he most CERTAINLY would have been eaten by Kaa. But no, it was Cabot’s Bagheera who steered the young boy safely toward his destiny. And for that, we thank you, Sebastian. Continue reading →

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Rod Steiger

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , on December 17, 2013 by Cade

steiger1April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002

Appearing in over 100 movies, Academy Award winner Rod Steiger was about as powerful of a screen presence and you could find. His turns in such classics as Oklahoma!, On the Waterfront, In the Heat of the Night and Doctor Zhivago are woven into the fabric of the history of film. In an attempt to escape his alcoholic mother, a young Steiger joined the Navy and served in World War II. Following the war, he broke into show business via stage and live television and embarked on a 50 year career that saw him do everything from channel Napoleon Bonaparte (Waterloo) to fight off comic alien invaders (Mars Attacks!). Continue reading →

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Alvy Moore

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on December 17, 2013 by Cade

moore4December 5, 1921 – May 4, 1997

Jack Alvin Moore was a comedic actor who appeared in many television shows – from The Dick Van Dyke Show to The Mickey Mouse Club – over the course of his 40+ year career. He is probably best known for playing county agent Hank Kimball on the perennial rural-centric CBS sitcom, Green Acres. Alvy Moore died of heart failure at the age of 75. Continue reading →

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Marty Feldman

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on December 17, 2013 by Cade

feldman1July 08, 1934 – December 02, 1982

Just about everyone knows Marty Feldman and his distinctive (and ridiculous) eyes from his performance as Igor in Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Young Frankenstein. But, Feldman got his start in more famous circles even than that. As a young comedian in the U.K., Feldman appeared on television and wrote with many future comedy legends, including John Cleese and Graham Chapman – who would go on to co-found the iconic Monty Python comedy group. In fact some of Python’s more memorable sketches (“Four Yorkshiremen,” “Bookshop”) were co-written by Marty. Continue reading →

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Freddie Prinze

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , on December 16, 2013 by Cade

prinze1June 22, 1954 – January 29, 1977

Frederick Karl Pruetzel was a Hungarican (Hungarian/Puerto Rican – his word, not mine) actor and comedian who exploded onto the comedy circuit in the 1970’s. He wanted to be known as the Prince of Comedy, so he changed his name to Freddie Prinze and made people laugh. His short career was catapulted after an appearance on  The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and soon he was given his own sitcom: Chico and the Man. Continue reading →

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