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1-14 of 14
- Actor
- Producer
Just as strapping (6' 3") and amiably handsome as his actor/father, Joel McCrea, Jody was born Joel Dee McCrea on September 6, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, and bore a strong resemblance to his famous namesake. The oldest of three children, his mother was actress Frances Dee and his two younger brothers are David McCrea and Peter McCrea. Jody had little interest in the entertainment field until his early 20s when he began appearing in minor film roles. Making his unbilled debut in Lucy Gallant (1955), he was afforded the opportunity of first working with his dad in the films The First Texan (1956) and Trooper Hook (1957). He moved up to co-star status in the short-lived TV western series Wichita Town (1959), which again starred his dad.
From there, he found employment in other western and action films including Lafayette Escadrille (1958), All Hands on Deck (1961), The Broken Land (1962) and Young Guns of Texas (1962). However, he is most fondly remembered for his recurring comic role as the dim-eyed, carefree lug "Deadhead" (later named "Bonehead") in a number of the frivolous "Beach Party" flicks, starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, which were released by American International Pictures between the years 1963 and 1965. As a trivia note, Jody was the only cast member other than Robert Cummings who could really surf.
Jody appeared on TV over the years as well and kept his genial personality an attractive trademark. Although he secured a footing in the business, McCrea found it difficult to escape the shadow of his father, especially in western drama, but comedy served as a welcome individualistic approach. Nevertheless, outside of performing occasionally in community theater over the next few years, McCrea decided to retire from acting altogether in 1970 after appearing in and producing the film Cry Blood, Apache (1970). For the remaining decades, he became a cattle rancher in New Mexico. His wife of 20 years, Dusty McCrea (aka Dusty Iron Wing), who appeared as the Indian "Dancing Moon" in the film Windwalker (1980), died of complications from diabetes in 1996. Jody passed away in 2009 of cardiac arrest at his Roswell ranch.- This svelte, sultry-eyed brunette made a mark in one significant (some consider "ultimate") film noir classic helmed by Robert Aldrich in the mid-1950s -- and then, within a short time, she vanished. Another in the long line of pretty and promising actresses who traded in their career for marriage to a well-established Hollywood industry member, Maxine Cooper would be spotted on camera here and there after that but, for all intents and purposes, she settled into her life as Mrs. Sy Gomberg and the mother of two daughters, Marsha (born in 1958) and Katherine (born in 1964).
Maxine was born on May 12, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Richard, a General Electric distributor, and Gladys Cooper. She took college studies at Bennington College in Vermont, and while there became drawn to the theater. She moved West in the mid-1940s and furthered her training at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. In 1946, she went to Europe to entertain the soldiers and decided to settle in England, appearing on the BBC-TV and in a number of London theater productions for nearly five years.
Maxine eventually returned to Los Angeles and broke into TV here with featured roles in such popular shows as "Dragnet," "Perry Mason" and "The Twilight Zone". She was noticed by film director Aldrich while appearing in a Los Angeles stage production of "Peer Gynt" and he cast her in what would be his seminal "B" noir Kiss Me Deadly (1955). Loosely based on the Mickey Spillane novel, Maxine made an enduring impression as Velda, faithful gal Friday to cynical private eye Mike Hammer (played by Ralph Meeker). The movie not only marked the film debut of Maxine, but also that of Cloris Leachman, whose ill-fated blonde sets the story in motion. Maxine never again made the same kind of impression in films. Within a couple of years she would retire. She did, however, appear rather obscurely in two more films for Aldrich -- the Joan Crawford starrer Autumn Leaves (1956), and, years after her self-imposed retirement, the Grand Guignol classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), which also starred Crawford and Bette Davis. She also was seen much later in the TV-movie High Ice (1980), written by her husband.
Maxine married Oscar-nominated writer Sy Gomberg near Reno, Nevada, in 1957, and that was essentially that. Although her primary focus was raising her family, she also became a strong supporter of civil rights. She and her husband were among those who helped organize and represent the Hollywood film and TV contingency during the 1960s march on Montgomery, Alabama, alongside Martin Luther King. She also became an active protester of the Vietnam War and nuclear armament.
In later years Maxine pursued photography as a hobby. Some of her photographs were used as illustrations in the popular Howard Fast book "The Art of Zen Meditation". Her husband, who contributed to Collier's Weekly and the Saturday Evening Post and who taught screenwriting at the University of Southern California for over ten years, preceded her in death, suffering a massive heart attack at age 82 in 2001. Maxine passed away of natural causes less than a decade later on April 4, 2009, at her Los Angeles home. - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Qaid Al-Nomani was born on 11 June 1946 in Wasit, Iraq. He was an actor and writer, known for Baghdad Texas (2009), Three Kings (1999) and Arrested Development (2003). He died on 4 April 2009 in the USA.- Art Department
- Animation Department
Romeo Francisco was born on 29 May 1941. He is known for The Transformers: The Movie (1986), RoboCop: Alpha Commando (1998) and Dino-Riders (1988). He died on 4 April 2009.- Bernice Novack was born on 2 December 1921 in New York City, New York, USA. Bernice was married to Ben Novak. Bernice died on 4 April 2009 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
- Irina Likso was born on 14 April 1920 in Vitebsk, RSFSR [now Belarus]. She was an actress, known for Man of Music (1952), Krylya (1956) and Gore ot uma (1952). She died on 4 April 2009 in Moscow, Russia.
- Armand Tanny was born on 5 March 1919 in Rochester, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Muscle Beach Then and Now (2011). He was married to Shirley Luvin. He died on 4 April 2009 in Westlake Village, California, USA.
- Make-Up Department
Babs From was born on 21 November 1916 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is known for Jeg elsker blåt (1968), Jazz All Around (1969) and The Girls Are Willing (1958). She died on 4 April 2009.- Producer
- Writer
Charles Teitel was born on 23 September 1915 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Deep Jaws (1976) and True Gang Murders (1961). He was married to Esther Teitel. He died on 4 April 2009 in Laguna Woods, California, USA.- Tony D. was born on 28 June 1966 in Ewing, New Jersey, USA. He was a composer, known for Poor Righteous Teachers: Rock Dis Funky Joint (1990), Tony D.: E.F.F.E.C.T. (1990) and Tony D.: Check the Elevation (1991). He died on 4 April 2009 in Hamilton, New Jersey, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
Perry Knudsen was born on 19 February 1931 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor, known for Musikken var af ... (1968), Forelsket i København (1960) and Komtessen (1961). He died on 4 April 2009 in Denmark.- Isolda Cresta was born on 18 June 1929 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was an actress, known for Um Ramo para Luíza (1965), A Noiva da Cidade (1978) and Viagem aos Seios de Duília (1965). She died on 4 April 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Gonzalo Alonso Olave Alcaide was born in Santiago, Chile. He studied at the Liceo Manuel Barros Borgoño and later attended Instituto Profesional DuocUC. From the age of 16, Gonzalo modeled for Chilean and international television advertisements, and was the second male to appear nude in a Chilean advertisement.[1]
In 2007, he debuted as an actor in the role of Sebastián "Boogie" Cuevas in the TV series Lola by Canal 13. At the same time, Gonzalo acted in theatre with his company "La Marcha".[2] After Lola ended, in March 2009, Gonzalo appeared as the lead in the TV series Mis Años Grossos, as the Chilean version of Eric Forman from That '70s Show.
On April 4, 2009, Gonzalo was involved in a motorcycle accident on San Ignacio Street, Santiago. A car hit him, causing serious injuries. He was taken to Hospital Barros Luco where he later died.[3][4] On 7 April 2009, Gonzalo Olave was buried in the Cementerio General de Santiago. - Chano Lobato was born in 1927 in Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain. He died on 4 April 2009 in Seville, Andalucía, Spain.