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Passings 2007: Stage/TV/Film

/ Stage, TV & Film

A.I. Bezzerides, 98

Film noir screenwriter ("Kiss Me Deadly.") Jan. 1.
Yvonne De Carlo, 84

The vampire mom on "The Munsters." Jan. 8. |
Carlo Ponti, 94

Italian producer who discovered - and married - Sophia Loren. Jan. 9.
Darlene Conley, 72

Actress; feisty fashion mogul Sally Spectra on "The Bold and the Beautiful." Jan. 14.
Ron Carey, 71

Played cocky, height-challenged policeman on "Barney Miller." Jan. 16.
Danny Finegood, 52

Prankster known for creative alterations of the Hollywood sign (Hollyweed, Ollywood, etc.) Jan. 22. Multiple myeloma.
Liz Renay, 80

Colorful cult movie actress (John Waters' "Desperate Living.") Jan. 22.
Bob Carroll Jr., 87

TV writer for Lucille Ball's shows. Jan. 27.
Tige Andrews, 86

Emmy-nominated actor; the captain in charge of "The Mod Squad." Jan. 27.
Sidney Sheldon, 89

Stage, screen writer turned best-selling novelist ("The Other Side of Midnight.") Jan. 30.
Barbara McNair, 72

Pioneering black singer-actress; had her own TV variety show. Feb. 4.
Anna Nicole Smith, 39

Model and sometime actress. Feb. 8. Accidental overdose of medication. |
Ian Richardson, 72

Actor; played Jean-Paul Marat in "Marat/Sade" on Broadway and the screen. Feb. 9.
Ellen Hanley, 80

Played Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's first wife in the Pulitzer-winning musical "Fiorello!" Feb. 12.
Walker Edmiston, 81

The voice of Ernie the Keebler elf in TV commercials. Feb. 15.
Janet Blair, 85

Vivacious Hollywood actress in 1940s musicals and comedies ("My Sister Eileen.") Feb. 19.
Fons Rademakers, 86

Dutch film director whose 1986 "De Aanslag" ("The Assault") won Oscar as best foreign language film. Feb. 22.
Vilma Ebsen, 96

She danced in "Broadway Melody of 1936" with her brother Buddy. March 12.
Stuart Rosenberg, 79

TV, film director ("Cool Hand Luke.") March 15.
Charles Harrelson, 69

Actor Woody Harrelson's father, sentenced to life for killing a federal judge. March 15.
Richard Jeni, 49

Standup comedian, frequently "Tonight Show" guest. March 10. Apparent suicide.
Betty Hutton, 86

Singer-actress who brought brassy vitality to Hollywood musicals ("Annie Get Your Gun.") March 11.
Calvert DeForest, 85

Played bespectacled nebbish Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's shows. March 19.
Calvin Lockhart, 72

Played underworld figures in 1970s
blaxploitation films. March 29.
Bob Clark, 67

Film director known for holiday classic "A Christmas Story." April 4.
Edward Mallory, 76

Portrayed angst-ridden Dr. Bill Horton on soap opera "Days of Our Lives." April 4.
Stan Daniels, 72

Emmy-winning TV writer and producer ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Taxi.")
George Jenkins, 98

Art director; won Oscar for "All the President's Men." April 6.
Barry Nelson, 89

MGM contract player; later first actor to play James Bond on screen. April 7.
Roscoe Lee Browne, 81

Emmy-winning actor known for rich voice, dignified bearing. April 11.
Kitty Carlisle Hart, 96

Singer-actress; career spanned Broadway, opera, television and film ("A Night at the Opera.") April 17. |
Anne Pitoniak, 85

Tony-nominated actress ("`night, Mother.") April 22.
Jack Valenti, 85

Film industry lobbyist; instituted modern movie ratings system. April 26. |
Dabbs Greer, 90

Character actor; played minister in "Little House on the Prairie." April 28.
Tom Poston, 85

The tall, pasty-faced TV comic whose characters were clueless. ("Newhart.") April 30.
Bernard Gordon, 88

Screenwriter, blacklisted in the 1950s. ("55 Days at Peking.") May 11.
Carl Wright, 75

Tap dancer turned actor ("Barbershop," "Big Momma's House.") May 19.
Charles Nelson Reilly, 76

Tony Award winner; known for ribald TV game show appearances. May 25.
Gretchen Wyler, 75

Broadway actress ("Silk Stockings.") May 27.
Mala Powers, 75

Actress; played Roxanne to Jose Ferrer's "Cyrano de Bergerac." June 11.
Don Herbert, 89

Television's "Mr. Wizard." June 12.
Ingmar Bergman, 87

Swedish filmmaker; one of the greatest in cinema history ("The Seventh Seal," "Cries and Whispers.") July 30. |
Michelangelo Antonioni, 94

Italian filmmaker whose depiction of modern-day malaise made him a symbol of art-house cinema ("Blow-Up," "L'Avventura.") July 30.
Sembene Ousmane, 84

Father of Senegalese cinema; one of the pioneers of the art in Africa. June 9.
Joel Siegel, 63

Longtime "Good Morning America" movie critic. June 29.
Edward Yang, 59

Taiwan fim director; "Yi Yi (A One and a Two)," honored at Cannes in 2000. June 29.
Charles Lane, 102

Prolific character actor whose face was recognizable to generations of moviegoers. July 9.
Bill Flemming, 80

Longtime ABC Sports broadcaster. July 20.
Tammy Faye Messner, 65

Helped then-husband Jim Bakker build a TV evangelism empire that later collapsed in disgrace; reality TV performer. July 20. Cancer. |
Laszlo Kovacs, 74

Influential cinematographer ("Easy Rider," "Five Easy Pieces.") July 22.
Ulrich Muehe, 54

German actor acclaimed for role in Oscar-winning "The Lives of Others." July 22. Stomach cancer.
William J. Tuttle, 95

Oscar-winning movie makeup artist. July 27.
Michel Serrault, 79

French actor; "La Cage aux Folles" made him internationally known. July 29.
Tom Snyder, 71

Late-late night TV talk show host with a robust laugh, trademark cloud of cigarette smoke. July 29.
Frank Rosenfelt, 85

MGM chief who helped green-light "Network," "Doctor Zhivago." Aug. 2.
Stanley Myron Handelman, 77

Comic known for subtle humor, trademark oversized glasses. Aug. 5.
Mel Shavelson, 90

Screenwriter-director twice nominated for best-screenplay Oscars ("The Seven Little Foys," "Houseboat.") Aug. 8.
Miyoshi Umeki, 78

Oscar-winning actress ("Sayonara.") Aug. 28.
Marcia Mae Jones, 83

Child actress; Shirley Temple's pal in "Heidi." Sept. 2.
Percy Rodrigues, 89

Pioneering black actor; played a neurosurgeon on "Peyton Place." Sept. 6.
Jane Wyman, 90

Won Oscar as deaf rape victim in "Johnny Belinda"; later in TV's "Falcon Crest." Ronald Reagan's ex-wife. Sept. 10.
Brett Somers, 83

Actress-comedian; amused "Match Game" viewers in the 1970s. Sept. 15.
Alice Ghostley, 81

Tony-winning actress ("The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window.") Sept. 21.
Marcel Marceau, 84

French master of pantomime who transformed silence into poetry. Sept. 22.
Charles Griffith, 77

Wrote screenplay for "Little Shop of Horrors." Sept. 28.
Martin Manulis, 92

Producer of the TV classic "Playhouse 90." Sept. 28.
Lois Maxwell, 80

Miss Moneypenny in 14 James Bond movies. Sept. 29.
George Grizzard, 79

Tony-winning Broadway actor ("A Delicate Balance.") Oct. 2.
Enrico Banducci, 85

His San Francisco nightclub, the hungry i, hosted comedians such as Mort Sahl. Oct. 9.
Carol Bruce, 87

Tony-nominated actress ("Do I Hear a Waltz?") Oct. 9.
Deborah Kerr, 86

Actress who kissed Burt Lancaster on a beach in "From Here to Eternity" and danced with Yul Brynner in "The King and I." Oct. 16. |
Joey Bishop, 89

Stone-faced TV and nightclub comedian; last of the Rat Pack. Oct. 17. |
Lowell Smith, 56

Dance Theater of Harlem member known for forceful but fluid body movements. Oct. 22. Lung cancer.
Friedman Paul Erhardt, 63

Television's "Chef Tell." Oct. 26.
Robert Goulet, 73

Baritone made Broadway debut in "Camelot;" won Tony in 1968 for "The Happy Time." Oct. 30. |
Igor Moiseyev, 101

Choreographer who transformed folk dance into a legitimate art, showcasing Russian culture. Nov. 2.
Dick Wilson, 91

Played the fussy, mustachioed grocer who begged customers "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin." Nov. 19.
Marcel Marceau, 84

French master of pantomime who transformed silence into poetry. Sept. 22.
Laraine Day, 87

Actress in nearly 50 films including Hitchcock thriller "Foreign Correspondent." Nov. 10.
Delbert Mann, 87

Directed "Marty," classic lonely-guy teleplay that became Oscar-winning film. Nov. 11.
Peter Zinner, 88

Film editor on "The Godfather"; won Oscar for "The Deer Hunter." Nov. 13.
Ronnie Burns, 72

George Burns and Gracie Allen's son; played himself on their TV show. Nov. 14.
Paul Wasserman, 73

Celebrity publicist; clients included Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, Jack Lemmon. Nov. 18.
Dick Wilson, 91

Played the fussy, mustachioed grocer who begged customers "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin." Nov. 19.
Fernando Fernan Gomez, 86

Actor-director; one of Spain's most beloved entertainers. Nov. 21.
Maurice Bejart, 80

Avant-garde French choreographer. Nov. 22.
Michael Kidd, 92

Choreographer whose athletic dances ("Seven Brides for Seven Brothers") won him five Tonys and a special Oscar. Dec. 23.
Passings 2007

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