More from Mike Barnes
James Earl Jones, Authoritative Actor and Voice of Darth Vader, Dies at 93
James Earl Jones, a commanding presence onscreen who nonetheless gained greater fame off-camera as the sonorous voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader and Mufasa, the benevolent leader in The Lion King, died Monday. He was 93. Jones, who burst into national prominence in 1970 with his powerful Oscar-nominated performance as America’s first Black heavyweight […]
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Screamin’ Scott Simon, Longtime Sha Na Na Performer, Dies at 75
Screamin’ Scott Simon, who spent 52 years as the pianist of the energetic rock ’n’ roll and doo-wop group Sha Na Na, died Thursday in Ojai after a long battle with sinus cancer, his daughter Nina Simon announced. He was 75. A member of Sha Na Na from 1970 until they quit touring in 2022, […]
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Frank Griffin, Steve Martin’s Makeup Man on ‘Roxanne’ and Much More, Dies at 95
Frank Griffin, who nosed out another makeup artist to work with Steve Martin on Roxanne, just one of the 20 movies they did together, has died. He was 95. Griffin died Wednesday of cancer at his home in Studio City, his daughter Roxane Griffin, a veteran Hollywood hairstylist (Avatar, Transparent, 80 for Brady), told The […]
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Norman Spencer, David Lean Collaborator and ‘Vanishing Point’ Producer, Dies at 110
Norman Spencer, the British producer, production manager and screenwriter who worked alongside famed director David Lean on films including Blithe Spirit, Great Expectations, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, has died. He was 110. Spencer died Aug. 16 in Wimbledon three days after his birthday, the European Supercentenarian Organisation announced. Apart […]
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James Darren, ‘Gidget’ Surfer and Cop on ‘T.J. Hooker,’ Dies at 88
James Darren, the former teen idol and pop singer who played the dreamy surfer Moondoggie in three Gidget movies before starring on television on The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker, died Monday. He was 88. Darren died in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his son Jim Moret, a correspondent for Inside Edition, told The Hollywood […]
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Betty A. Bridges, Actress and Mother of Todd Bridges, Dies at 83
Betty A. Bridges, an actress and the mother of Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges who appeared on her son’s sitcom, Hill Street Blues, Ally McBeal and many other shows, has died. She was 83. Bridges died Wednesday in hospice care at Todd’s home in Phoenix, publicist Elizabeth Much announced. During her four-decade career, Betty Alice […]
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TCM Screening ‘The Most Significant Political Films of All Time’ (Exclusive)
In the run-up to Election Day, TCM is going after the movie lovers’ popular vote by showing 50 films over nine successive Fridays under the banner Making Change: The Most Significant Political Films of All Time. The series runs Sept. 6 to Nov. 1 — four days before America votes for its next president — […]
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Jody Frisch, Former WGA and SAG-AFTRA Communications Executive, Dies at 68
Jody Frisch, a communications executive who had stints at the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, died Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, her friend Joanna Dodd Massey announced. She was 68. Frisch’s early career included work for producer Cameron Mackintosh to publicize his stage adaptations of The Phantom […]
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Phil Donahue, Pioneering Talk Show Host, Dies at 88
Phil Donahue, the talk show innovator who changed the conversation and the course of daytime television with the weekday program he hosted for nearly three decades, has died. He was 88. Donahue died Sunday night at his New York City home following a long illness, his family announced. Survivors include his wife of 44 years, That […]
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John Aprea, Actor in ‘The Godfather Part II’ and ‘Full House,’ Dies at 83
John Aprea, the charismatic character actor who portrayed the young Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather Part II and the father of John Stamos’ character on Full House, has died. He was 83. Aprea died Aug. 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his manager, Will Levine, announced. The New Jersey native appeared for director Jonathan […]
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Patt Shea, Writer on ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Archie Bunker’s Place,’ Dies at 93
Patt Shea, the Norman Lear regular who co-wrote the 1979 series finale of All in the Family and co-created and worked on two spinoffs of the fabled sitcom, Archie Bunker’s Place and Gloria, has died. She was 93. Shea died April 12 of natural causes on her birthday at her home in Sherman Oaks, her […]
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Bob Weatherwax, Lassie’s Trainer, Dies at 83
Bob Weatherwax, who trained dogs who played Lassie as a member of the famous family that also taught Hollywood hounds a thing or two in The Thin Man (Asta), The Wizard of Oz (Toto) and Old Yeller (Spike), has died. He was 83. Weatherwax died Thursday at a Veterans Administration facility in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, his […]
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