Advanced search

One of the first two contract players for Walt Disney Studios, she made her debut in Song of the South (1946) as a poor white child fascinated by the stories told by Uncle Remus. She made several more films as a child star, then left film for 8 years. She returned as an ingénue in Rock, Pretty Baby! (1956), and followed that by several more films and TV episodes, retiring from Hollywood completely at the end of 1970, except for a brief cameo in Grotesque (1988).

Terry Burnham was born on 8 August 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958), Imitation of Life (1959) and Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966). She died on 7 October 2013 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Married to Marguerite A. Thomson in 1942. Joined the US Navy as a Medical Corp Man. Marguerite gave birth to Stephanie Rye Howell on Sept. 9, 1943 after Kenneth had a leave from the navy. Divorced from Marguerite around 1945 after realising he was gay. No contact made with daughter after the age of five. Upon turning twenty-one, daughter Stephanie made phone contact with her father but no physical contact was ever made. He died by his own hands (gun) on a small boat moored in a harbor on the California coast. He left a sister as well whose name was Lee Howell.

Versatile character actress Florence Eldridge seemed often better served by the stage than by her roles in motion pictures. On the boards from the age of seventeen as a chorine in "Rock-a-Bye Baby" in 1918, she acted with touring companies and on Broadway and soon found herself playing leading parts. The Brooklyn-born actress was bitten by the acting bug at an early age and joined the Theatre Guild immediately after graduating from high school.

She first came to note in the play "Ambush"in 1921 and quickly rose to stardom as the heroine Annabelle West in "The Cat and the Canary" (1922), and as the stepdaughter in "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1922). She also portrayed the fickle Daisy Fay Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby" (1926). While on tour, Florence met the actor Fredric March whom she married after appearing with him on stage in "The Swan"(1927). Thereafter, the couple were no longer permitted to appear together on stage, their repertory company deeming it 'unromantic' for married people to portray lovers. To overcome this problem Florence and Fredric went to Hollywood in 1928, where actors with theatrical training were much in demand since the arrival of talking pictures. From here on, however, Florence would largely subordinate her career to that of her husband.

Florence had been on screen as early as 1923, her first credit being Six Cylinder Love (1923), shot in New York - a role she had previously enacted on stage. In 1929, she appeared in three films, first co-starring with her husband in The Studio Murder Mystery (1929). In the similarly titled The Greene Murder Case (1929), she bested Jean Arthur in a fight to the death on rooftops above the Hudson River. While most of her subsequent roles were small, there were two notable exceptions: Les Misérables (1935), as Fantine (again with March) , and Mary of Scotland (1936) as an implacable Queen Elizabeth I vis-à-vis Katharine Hepburn's Mary Stuart.

The inseparable Marches traveled extensively during World War II, entertaining American troops overseas. In 1942, they also made headlines on Broadway during performances of "Skin of Our Teeth", conducting a much-publicized on-stage feud with co-star Tallulah Bankhead. For the remainder of the decade, Florence alternated between stage and films. At the end of the decade, she was given one of her best screen roles, that of Lavinia Hubbard in Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest (1948), with Fredric March playing husband Marcus. She played his screen wife again for the excellent filming of the Scopes Trial, Inherit the Wind (1960).

Florence's most celebrated performance came late in her career, on Broadway, as drug-addicted Mary, half of the battling Tyrones, in Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night" (1956). For this, she won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award as Best Actress.

Born in Italy, Antony Carbone was raised in Syracuse, New York, and credits the area's cold and snow (which he hated) for his determination to move out and become an actor. He has worked on stage, in TV and in a baker's dozen movies, but his best-remembered acting credits are the exploitation flicks he made for Roger Corman (A Bucket of Blood (1959), Last Woman on Earth (1960), Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)). He was a stage director.

Al Schultz was born in 1942 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA. He is known for The Carol Burnett Show (1967), Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976) and Maude (1972). He was married to Vicki Lawrence. He died on 19 June 2024 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Dorothy Partington was born on 18 November 1922 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Tales of Wells Fargo (1957), Lawman (1958) and People on Paper (1945). She was married to George Armstrong and Charles Fredrick. She died on 5 May 2011 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Frances Belle O'Connor was born on September 8, 1914 in Granite Falls, Reville County, Minnesota. She was born without arms, but learned to use her feet in incredibly dexterous ways. Combining her physical beauty and an outgoing personality, it made her a natural for the sideshow circuit. Billed as "The Living Venus de Milo," and with her mother as manager, she worked with various circuses such as Al G. Barnes, Cole Brothers and Sells-Floto before she settled at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where she worked for over 20 years until the mid-1940s.

Frances was remarkably agile with her feet, and during her act she would smoke a cigarette, drink coffee, use a knife and fork to cut her food, dab the corners of her mouth with a napkin, all with a ballerina-like grace. The most startling part of her act was when she would demonstrate her talent with firearms, and she would close her show by signing autographs. Because her legs functioned as her arms, Frances was obviously able to show her legs a great deal, and the innocent sexual undertones of her act actually benefited her in the particularly prudish era of the 1930's. Her beauty attracted scores of men and eligible suitors, and she reputedly turned down hundreds of marriage proposals during her career.

O'Connor appeared with numerous other human oddities in Freaks (1932), and performed various daily tasks which were complete normal to her. During the sequence at the wedding feast, she wears a pretty costume that had no sleeves at all, leaving her shoulders entirely bare and revealing the smooth skin where her arms would be. Unfortunately, this was Frances' only screen appearance.

Shortly after her mother passed away, Frances lost interest in the rigours of traveling and performing, and decided to completely retire from show business, disappeared into obscurity almost overnight. She spent the remainder of her days with her favorite hobby, knitting and sewing, and despite having many suitors in her lifetime, she never married and had no children. She passed away on January 30, 1982 in Long Beach, California at the age of 67.

Bruno Falcon was born on 10 June 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), Moonwalker (1988) and Thumbelina (1994). He died on 2 July 2022 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Elizabeth Kerr was born on 15 August 1912 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Mork & Mindy (1978), Frankie and Johnny (1991) and Going Berserk (1983). She died on 13 January 2000 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Taylor Poulin was born in 1992. He was an actor, known for Dog Pound (2010). He died on 23 September 2022 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Born in Illinois in 1912, Helen Vlahakis, later known as Joan Valerie soon settles down in Hollywood, where she studied drama at the famous Pasadena Playhouse. Darryl F. Zanuck discovered her there but gave her parts only in B movies, although in pleasant ones. By way of example, she was the charming blonde in office in John Ford's "Submarine Patrol" (1938), "Charles Chan at the Wax Museum" (also 1940), "Rio Rita" (1942). By the end of the nineteen forties her contributions had become thinner and, after marrying with Greek producer Paris Methusis, she finally gave up acting. Her happy life as Mrs. Methusis came to a tragic end when, in her late sixties, she died in the aftermath of a car accident.

Slim, lovely and sultry brunette British beauty Karen Mayo-Chandler brought a winning blend of sexiness and classiness to a handful of enjoyably lowbrow exploitation features made in the 80s and 90s. Karen was born on April 18, 1958 in Sutton, Surrey, England. Slender and elegant, with blue eyes and brown hair, Karen started out as a model in Europe and then went to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. She had a small part as a receptionist in the smash hit blockbuster "Beverly Hills Cop." Mayo-Chandler's most memorable movie roles include enticing psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Gotbottom in the amusing "Hamburger ... The Motion Picture," luscious stripper Cassandra in "Stripped to Kill II: Live Girls," and foxy model Barbara in the nifty murder mystery slasher thriller "Out of the Dark." Karen worked twice for prolific B-flick director Jim Wynorski: she's at her spirited best as Diana Farrow in the delightfully outrageous "Hard to Die" and has a brief pre-credits cameo in "976-Evil II." Mayo-Chandler made guest appearances on the TV shows "ITV Playhouse," "Strangers," and "Bring 'Em Back Alive." She had a recurring role on the popular daytime soap opera "The Young and the Restless." She was a onetime girlfriend of Jack Nicholson and continued to act in films up until the late 90s. Karen Mayo-Chandler died at the tragically young age of 48 from breast cancer on July 11, 2006.

Carolyn Conwell was born on 16 May 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Torn Curtain (1966), The Boston Strangler (1968) and The Young and the Restless (1973). She died on 22 October 2012 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Bob Kortman was born on 24 December 1887 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Arabian Love (1922), Another Man's Boots (1922) and The Last of the Mohicans (1932). He was married to Gonda Durand and Nellie Vignonette Varain. He died on 13 March 1967 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Nate Dogg was born on 19 August 1969 in Long Beach, California, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for Real Steel (2011), I Spy (2002) and The Fast and the Furious (2001). He was married to La Toya. He died on 15 March 2011 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Damon Douglas was born on 20 April 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Massacre at Central High (1976), Bad Company (1972) and The Rookies (1972). He was married to Gail Bryson. He died on 29 October 2006 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Jim Knaub was born on 5 January 1956 in Corona, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Airwolf (1984), The Fall Guy (1981) and Code Red (1981). He died on 17 November 2024 in Long Beach, California, USA.

Dick Hammer was a Los Angeles County Fire Captain hired to portray the Captain of LA County Fire Station 51 during the first season of Emergency! (1972). He was a former Starting Guard for the University of Southern California (USC)'s 1953-43 basketball team and was a member of the US Olympic Volleyball team at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games.

Before taking and passing the firefighter's exam in 1959, he was employed as the Director of Recreation for his home town of Long Beach. Before and during his career as a firefighter, Hammer did film and commercial work , including over 100 commercials. He was personally invited to audition for Emergency! (1972) by the show's producer, Robert A. Cinader. However, the shooting schedule for the show interfered with his work as a firefighter, and he left the series during the first season after ten episodes.

Hammer died in Long Beach, California on October 20, 1999, aged 69, from lung cancer.

Academy Award-winning composer (score, Pinocchio (1940), conductor, songwriter ("When You Wish Upon a Star" [Academy award, Best Song, 1940) and arranger Leigh Harine was educated at the University of Utah. He was a music student of J. Spencer Cornwall. He arranged the first transcontinental broadcast from Los Angeles in 1932, and that year joined the Walt Disney Studios. From 1941 he freelanced among various Hollywood studios. He joined ASCAP in 1940. His other popular song compositions include "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee", "Give a Little Whistle" and "Jiminy Cricket".

Harold Cannon was born on 23 June 1938 in Eveleth, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Short Term 12 (2013), NCIS (2003) and JAG (1995). He died on 24 February 2023 in Long Beach, California, USA.

British novelist James Hilton was born in Leigh, Lancashire, England, in 1900. His father was a schoolmaster. Hilton graduated from Cambridge University in 1921, having already written his first novel, "Catherine Herself" (written in 1918, it wasn't published until 1920). After graduation he wrote a twice-weekly column for "The Dublin Irish Independent", which he continued to do for several years. In 1931 he wrote the novel "And Now Good-Bye", which was quite successful and brought him, as he once said, "a good return". In 1933 he was approached by the editor of "The British Weekly" magazine and asked to write a short-story for the magazine's Christmas issue, for which he had a deadline of just two weeks. As the deadline approached he still hadn't a clue as to what kind of story to write, so one night he decided to take a bicycle ride to clear his head. When he came back he had the inspiration to write what eventually became the international best-seller "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (a story based on the career of his father). He finished the story in four days. His editor at the magazine was so impressed with it that he recommended the magazine's parent company, a major publishing house, publish the story in the American market, which was much more profitable than the British market. The company arranged for the story to be published in the American magazine "The Atlantic Monthly" in its April 1934 issue. It garnered such attention from both readers and reviewers--noted critic Alexander Woollcott effusively praised it in his "New Yorker" column and on his radio show--that just two months later it was published in book form and became a huge international hit, and was later made into a movie now regarded as one of the classics of modern cinema, Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939).

Hilton turned out a string of highly regarded novels that were turned into highly regarded films--Knight Without Armor (1937), Lost Horizon (1937), Random Harvest (1942)--and eventually moved to the US. He died in Long Beach, CA, in 1954 of liver cancer.

She is the great niece to Andrew Waldron (1847-1932). Andrew was the brother to her paternal grandmother, Laura Ann Waldron. Sher formed part of the Thespian Family Players and the Queen City Singers during the Civil War, performing first in Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, Augusta, GA, and Richmond, VA. She was the wife of Henry Farmer. Their son, Edwin Farmer, was a child prodigy and concert pianist. He married Ethel Parrot, as they were the parents to Virginia.

A pretty and promising Australian-born actress in Hollywood films from the early 1930s, pinch-cheeked Mary Maguire was born Helene Teresa ("Peggy") Maguire in Melbourne, one of five children born to footfall player and boxer turned hotelier Michael "Mick" Maguire. One of her sisters became actress Joan Shannon.

A student at the Academy of Mary Immaculate in Fitzroy, the fresh-faced actress made her film bow unbilled in the film Diggers in Blighty (1933). Billed as "Peggy Maguire" in her second film Heritage (1935) directed by Charles Chauvel, who discovered her, she received good reviews for this and earned another fine role opposite Charles Farrell in The Flying Doctor (1936) in which she changed her stage moniker to "Mary Maguire".

In the United States from August of 1936, Warner Bros. signed her to a seven-year contract and cast her in That Man's Here Again (1937) co-starring Tom Brown. Other roles came her way with Confession (1937) and Alcatraz Island (1937) and Sergeant Murphy (1938). Warner Bros. released her from her contract when she refused a role in Mystery House (1938).

Fox signed her up briefly in 1938 and cast her as the lead in Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938), the Gracie Fields musical Smiling Along (1938) and in The Outsider (1939). From there she signed up with British Picture Corp. and starred in False Rapture (1939) with Otto Kruger and Mad Men of Europe (1940) with Edmund Gwenn.

Marriage and the birth of a child joyously interrupted her career, but when the child died suddenly in infancy, the devastated Mary returned to work and was cast in the British film This Was Paris (1942) starring Ann Dvorak and Ben Lyon, but no other future films came her way.

A second marriage to Philip Henry Legarra in 1945 prompted a sudden move back to the States where he worked as an engineer. An attempt to resurrect her film career failed. The marriage lasted until his death in 1971 and Mary passed away three years later, interred alongside her husband at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.

A pioneer in the medium of video art, Bill Viola's work explores the spiritual and perceptual side of human experience. Since 1970 he has created videotapes, architectural video installations, sound environments, electronic music performances and pieces for television. Works include Hatsu yume (1981), I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like (1986), The Passing (1991), and installations Room for St. John of the Cross (1983), The Messenger (1996) and The Quintet of the Astonished (2000), recently shown at the National Gallery, London in "Encounters, New Art from Old". A 25-year survey exhibition of his work organized by The Whitney Museum of American Art recently traveled to 6 institutions in the USA and Europe. MacArthur Fellow.