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1-50 of 101
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Towering 7' 2" tall actor who cornered the market on playing giants, intimidating henchmen, bayou swamp monsters and steel toothed villains! Kiel worked in numerous jobs including as a night club bouncer and a cemetery plot salesman, before breaking into film & TV in several minor roles in the late 1950s / early 1960s. Noted among these was the alien "Kanamit" in the classic The Twilight Zone (1959) episode "To Serve Man", and terrorizing Arch Hall Jr. while clad in a loincloth in the prehistoric caveman meets virile teenage drama Eegah (1962).
Kiel turned up in two episodes of the classic horror TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974). On one occasion playing a Native American evil spirit with the ability to transform into various animals. On his second appearance, Kiel was unrecognizable as a Spanish moss covered, Louisiana swamp monster brought to life by a patient involved in deep sleep therapy.
However, his biggest break came in 1977 when he was cast as the unstoppable, steel toothed henchman "Jaws" in the finest Roger Moore film of the Bond series The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Such was Kiel's popularity with movie audiences, that his character was brought back for the next Bond outing Moonraker (1979). However, audiences were quite split on opinions when Kiel's "Jaws" character changes sides near the film's conclusion and assists 007, Roger Moore, in saving the Earth.
Over the next few years, Kiel appeared in relatively non-demanding comedy or fantasy type films taking advantage of his physical stature and presence. Kiel then decided to try his hand behind the camera and co-wrote and produced, plus took the lead role, in the well received family movie The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1990). Demand for Kiel's unique attributes dropped very sharply in the 1990's, leading to only a handful of roles including reprising his "Jaws" character in the Matthew Broderick film Inspector Gadget (1999). In 2002, Kiel penned his informative autobiography entitled "Making it BIG in the movies". He passed away in 2014.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Considering the kind of scruffy, backwoods, uneducated, Deep-South hillbilly types he played, many people would be surprised to hear that Ken Curtis wasn't actually born in the south but in the small town of Las Animas, Colorado, the son of the town sheriff. They would probably be even more surprised to learn that he began his show business career as a singer in the big-band era, and was a vocalist in the legendary Tommy Dorsey orchestra. He entered films in the late 1940s at the tail-end of the singing-cowboy period in a series of low-budget Westerns for Columbia Pictures. When that genre died out, Curtis turned to straight dramatic and comedy parts and became a regular in the films of director John Ford (who was his father-in-law). Curtis branched out into film production in the 1950s with two extremely low-budget monster films, The Killer Shrews (1959) and The Giant Gila Monster (1959), but he is best known for his long-running role as Festus Hagen, the scruffy, cantankerous deputy in the long-running TV series Gunsmoke (1955).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Dennis Morgan was born Stanley Morner in the small town of Prentice, Wisconsin. His first jobs in Hollywood were mostly bit parts, but he scored big after playing opposite Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle (1940). He starred in films like My Wild Irish Rose (1947), God Is My Co-Pilot (1945) and The Very Thought of You (1944). He teamed up with buddy Jack Carson to do Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946), Two Guys from Texas (1948) and It's a Great Feeling (1949). His engaging performance as seaman "Jefferson Jones", with Barbara Stanwyck and a wonderful supporting cast, has made Christmas in Connecticut (1945) a holiday favorite. Morgan retired in the late 1950s, but did cameos now and then. He and his wife were married for 61 years, and he passed away in 1994. He had three children, Stanley Jr., Kristin Morgan and James.- Music Department
- Actress
- Producer
Gail Jensen was born on 5 October 1949 in Sanger, California, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Future Zone (1990), The Fall Guy (1981) and Maniac Cop (1988). She was married to David Carradine. She died on 23 April 2010 in Fresno, California, USA.- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Oscar winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient William Saroyan, who gained world fame with his classic book "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" (1934), was born in California to Armenak and Takoohi Saroyan.
With his unmistakably American literary works, deeply rooted in his Armenian heritage, William Saroyan soon established himself as one of the preeminent short story writers, playwrights and novelists in the United States.
In 1939 and 1940 William Saroyan's "My Heart's in the Highlands" and "The Time of Your Life" were staged for theater and "Love's Old Sweet Song" opened on Broadway, winning the New York Critics Circle Award.
In 1943 his MGM screenplay "The Human Comedy" was novelized and published and received great reviews, and he won the Academy Award for Best Writing Original Story for "The Human Comedy".
He wrote the lyrics of Ross Bagdasarian's famous # 1 hit song "Come On-a My House", performed by Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and Rosemary Clooney, which was featured in Madonna's "Swept Away" (2002) and Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952).
William Saroyan is one of the most important American writers of the 20th century -- along with such masters as John Updike, John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller, who admired him. Saroyan is perhaps the only major and influential writer to receive both the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy Award, and his work continues to appear on the theater stage and the silver screen worldwide.- Joyce Dahmer was born on 7 February 1936 in Columbus, Wisconsin, USA. She was married to Lionel Dahmer. She died on 27 November 2000 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Stuart Quan was born on 17 October 1962 in Fresno, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Licence to Kill (1989), Escape from L.A. (1996) and The Master of Disguise (2002). He was married to Debbie Vance Quan. He died on 9 January 2006 in Fresno, California, USA.- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Writer
Gregory Boyington served as fighter pilot in the Unites States Marine Corps in World War II. He commanded VMF-214, The Black Sheep Squadron. He shot down 28 Japanese aircraft, for which he received the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor.
He was shot down himself on January 3rd, 1944, over the St. George Channel in the Soloman Islands. He was rescued by a Japanese submarine and spent the remainder of the war as a POW.- Karen Anita Pendleton was born in Glendale and raised in North Hollywood, California. She was the youngest of three children, her sister Yvonne and brother Kent being many years older. Her father was a movie set builder, but Karen had no exposure to show business prior to the show. She took dancing lessons with Elaine Troy from age three, but had never even entered an amateur contest, let alone done professional work. She went to the audition with two other girls from her studio. Afterwards she was asked to sing; it perhaps helped that she recognized one of the judges, Jimmie Dodd, as the fellow who the week before sang at the First Presbyterian Church, which Karen and her family attended.
Karen's initial appeal lay in her slightly raspy singing voice and wide-open eyes. She was a good dancer, but that part of her talent wasn't emphasized until the later seasons. For duets, Karen was matched with either Johnny Crawford, who was also a good singer, or with Cubby when no male solo was needed. Johnny was let go midway through the first season, so for the next two and a half years she and Cubby were singing partners.
Karen was very popular in the first season, receiving enough fan mail that she was given her own mini-series entitled Karen in Kartoonland. She narrated and starred in this four-part feature that explained how animation worked. In 1956 she was tapped to appear in the Disney movie Westward Ho, the Wagons, along with Cubby, Tommy, and Doreen. Karen had slightly more screen time than the others, but just as few lines.
Karen's friends on the set tended to be the girls her own age; she didn't really interact much with the older girls. In the third season, though she was friends with Linda Hughes, she undoubtedly lost some singing parts to her. The Mouseketeer production numbers gradually shifted focus to the teenage kids, leaving Karen with less screen time. She was given the job of introducing the Annette serial episodes, and shared the Mousekartoon introductions with Cubby. When the Rainbow Road to Oz was proposed, she was cast as Polychrome, and had a short song solo and some dancing parts in the Disneyland episode promoting that film project.
When the show ended, so did Karen's career. She and Cubby had been offered a contract extension, contingent upon both re-signing, but Karen's father decided against it. She never really liked acting, only dancing and singing, and she found going to auditions an ordeal. Public school was hard for her; she was sensitive and shy, and became a target for teasing about her Mouseketeer days. She continued to work on her dancing with Elaine Troy, and helped give lessons to newcomers at the latter's North Hollywood studio. In 1959, and again in 1960, she went on the Mouseketeer tours of Australia organized by Jimmie Dodd. At odd intervals she would appear in the fan magazines, invited to a birthday bash for Cheryl, or a magazine-sponsored Mouseketeer reunion party.
Though Karen and Cubby were never romantically involved, she did go out for a while with Johnny Crawford, and in 1969 appeared on The Dating Game, where she picked Bobby Burgess as her date after recognizing his voice. After high school, Karen went to college for a while, then quit and started working at May department store as a sales clerk. She had some embarrassing encounters with folks she knew from the show, including Cheryl Holdridge, then the wealthy wife of Lance Reventlow, and with Annette's mother. She later went to work for Prudential, again as a clerk. Karen married Mike DeLaurer, a lawyer and a Marine veteran of Vietnam, in 1970. They had a daughter in 1973, but later divorced.
In 1983 Karen was in an automobile accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. An event that destroyed a dancer may have been the genesis of a new Karen. She'd always lacked confidence; now, perhaps born of frustration and anger, she forced herself to complete college, earning first a B.A., then a Master of Science degree, in Psychology, while continuing to raise her daughter. She took a full-time job at a shelter for battered women, and testified at government hearings on problems facing the handicapped. In the late 1990's she served on the Board for the California Association of the Physically Handicapped (now known as Californians for Disability Rights), and was director of the Center for Independent Living in her city. In 2004 she appeared on the Disney Treasures DVD interview conducted by Leonard Maltin with several other Mouseketeers, and in 2005 took part in the 50th Anniversary Celebration for the Mickey Mouse Club. She was also awarded a "Mousecar" (Oscar) during August 2015 for the MMC's 60th Anniversary, though she did not attend the ceremonies. Karen passed away on Sunday, October 6, 2019, leaving behind her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Janet Burston was born on 11 January 1935 in Alameda, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Calling All Kids (1943), Ginger (1946) and Blondie Goes Latin (1941). She died on 3 March 1998 in Fresno, California, USA.- Bob Mathias was born on 17 November 1930 in Tulare, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Bob Mathias Story (1954), The Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete (1960) and China Doll (1958). He was married to Gwen Alexander and Melba Wiser. He died on 2 September 2006 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Hy Anzell was born on 7 September 1923 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Deconstructing Harry (1997), Dead Bang (1989) and Annie Hall (1977). He died on 23 August 2003 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Melinda Cordell was born on 26 February 1941 in Shelby, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Greenwich Village Story (1963), Lou Grant (1977) and Quantum Leap (1989). She was married to Nicholas Pryor. She died on 7 April 2015 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Dick Contino was born on 17 January 1930 in Fresno, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Daddy-O (1958), Girls Town (1959) and The Beat Generation (1959). He was married to Leigh Snowden and Judy. He died on 19 April 2017 in Fresno, California, USA.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
- Producer
A Hollywood native (born there in 1907), seven-year-old Wesley Barry was spotted by a director at Kalem who was taken with the boy's face full of freckles, and he went on to become one of the most popular child actors in the business. Barry had been making picture for several years when director Marshall Neilan scrubbed off the layers of greasepaint that covered his freckles (the standard "solution" at the time in Hollywood to cover up facial blemishes) and let the boy's naturally wild hair grow out instead of being slicked down. Audiences were charmed by the young actor's naturalness and "all-American" looks and flocked to his films. His biggest success was Dinty (1920), but he also scored with Penrod (1922), School Days (1920) and Rags to Riches (1922). Barry was not one of those former child stars whose life fell apart after growing into adulthood; he got involved in the production end of the business and enjoyed a long career as an assistant director, producer and director in both films and television. He died in Fresno, CA, in 1994.- Buddy Douglas was born on 5 October 1929 in Sentinel. Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for California Suite (1978), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) and On the Air (1992). He died on 20 January 2000 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Allen Greer was born on 6 November 1910 in Coleraine, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Custer's Last Stand (1936), The Shadow of Silk Lennox (1935) and The Texas Rambler (1935). He died on 27 July 1956 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Buck Black was born on 10 December 1914 in India. He was an actor, known for Empty Hearts (1924), Crossed Trails (1924) and A Regular Scout (1926). He died on 25 January 1999 in Fresno, California, USA.
- John Ridgely Howard was born to William R. Howard III, and Dorothy Lamour.
In 1959, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he attended military school. His family had a close personal relationship with J. Edgar Hoover. From that friendship with "Uncle Edgar" he was influenced to pursue a career in law enforcement.
John enlisted in the United States Marine Corp the day after he graduated from Towson High School, where he became a CID investigator. After leaving the Marines, he formed a security investigation agency specializing in insurance fraud, arson investigation working throughout the United States. He was a special investigator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other government agencies. John was a member of the California Conference of Arson Investigators and their international chapter. He was an active member of Central Valley Arson Investigators.
He died in Fresno, California at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife of 30 years, Charlene DeTurk. - Carl Anthony was born as Carl Anthony Wuco. Using the stage name Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, Wuco performed an aerial stunt for the You Asked for It television show (1955): he took-off, flew and landed an airplane while thoroughly blindfolded and masked; the stunt was also featured in national news. Wuco is known for playing Patrolman Larry in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957), Johnny Ryde in The Sinister Urge (1960), and Lloyd Davis in Raw Force (1982).
- Make-Up Department
John Inzerella was born on 18 June 1936 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is known for Annie Hall (1977), The Greatest American Hero (1981) and Dead Bang (1989). He was married to Inzerella, Judy Sachi, Roz Catania and Rosalyn Catania. He died on 23 April 2007 in Fresno, California, USA.- Helen Geisel was born on 23 September 1898 in New York, USA. She was a writer, known for Design for Death (1947). She was married to Dr. Seuss. She died on 23 October 1967 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul McGuire was born on 13 March 1913 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Book of Acts Series (1957), Sea Tiger (1952) and The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951). He died on 5 May 1990 in Fresno, California, USA.- Bob Arbogast was born on 1 April 1927 in Bellingham, Washington, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour (1970), Mork & Mindy (1978) and The Nut House!! (1964). He was married to Tobi Arbogast, Joanna Arbogast and Jan Arbogast. He died on 21 March 2009 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Miki Morita was born on 1 October 1896 in Ueda City, Nagano, Japan. He was an actor, known for North of Nome (1936), The Walking Dead (1936) and Nagana (1933). He died on 3 December 1985 in Fresno, California, USA.