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Nuke Nixon
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Jesse Powell Dies: R&B Singer Was 51
Jesse Powell, the R&B singer whose hit 1996 ballad “You” rose to the upper reaches of the music charts upon its rerelease in 1999, has died at age 51. His death was announced last night by his sister, Grammy winner Tamara Powell, who said her brother passed away peacefully at his home in Hollywood. No cause of death.
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Sep 16th, 2022 04:48 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Irene Papas Dies: Actress Was 93
Irene Papas, the Greek actress who starred in such films as The Guns of Navarone, Z, Zorba the Greek and dozens of other films, playing opposite many of Hollywood’s biggest stars, died Wednesday in her hometown of Chilimodion. She was 93.
No cause of death was given, but Papas was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the mid-2010s.
Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Sports confirmed the news. “Magnificent, majestic, dynamic, Irene Papas was the personification of Greek beauty on the cinema screen and on the theater stage, an international leading lady who radiated Greekness,” Minister Lina G. Mendoni said in a statement.
Papas was a veteran of French and Italian cinema as well as Hollywood. During her nearly six-decade screen career, she starred with such screen legends as Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Burton, James Cagney, Maximilian Schell, David Niven, Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed and numerous times with Anthony Quinn
Born on September 3, 1929, Papas began acting in her teens and was an in-demand star by the mid-1950s. She starred opposite George Raft in 1953’s The Man from Cairo and went on to lead or co-star in such films during the next decade as Vortice, The Missing Scientists, Tribute to a Bad Man and The Lake of Sighs before landing a big role in the star-laden 1961 film The Guns of Navarone.
Papas then starred in the title roles of Antigone and Elektra before being cast as the Widow opposite Quinn and Alan Bates in Michael Cacoyannis’ 1964 classic Zorba the Greek. The film won three Oscars and was up for Best Picture.
Dozens of big roles followed including opposite Douglas in Brotherhood and in the 1969 Costra-Gavras political thriller Z, playing the wife of the deputy (Yves Montand). The influential film starred Jean-Louis Trintignant, who died in June.
Papas also was known for starring in Greek tragedies.
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Sep 16th, 2022 04:50 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Mark Miller Dies: Actor, Prolific Screenwriter Was 97
Mark Miller, the prolific actor and screenwriter writer best known for Please Don’t Eat The Daisies and Guestward, Ho! has died. His daughter, actress Penelope Ann Miller, confirmed the news on Twitter. He was 97.
Miller portrayed college professor Jim Nash on Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, which ran from 1965-1967 and then in syndication. The NBC-MGM sitcom, which ran for 58 half-hour episodes, was loosely based on the theatrical film of the same name starring Doris Day and David Niven. The series did well initially, but its ratings took a hit in Season 2 when it was moved opposite The Jackie Gleason Show.
Miller had substantial runs on other big shows, most notably Desilu’s Guestward Ho! on ABC in 1960. He played one half of a New York City couple, the Hootens, who relocate to a dude ranch in New Mexico. Guestward Ho! ran for one season alongside The Donna Reed Show on Thursday evenings.
The actor had a 13 episode arc as J.R. Barnett on Days of Our Lives in 1975, another 13 episodes as Howard Jones on NBC’s college-set soap Bright Promise in 1970. He did two episodes of General Hospital in 1965.
Thoughout the ’60s and ’70s, Miller had appearances on many staples of the era: I Spy, The Andy Griffith Show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents , The Patty Duke Show, The Twilight Zone, That Girl, Adam-12, Cannon, Emergency!, Barnaby Jones, Kung Fu, The Waltons, Marcus Welby, The Streets of San Francisco and more.
In the ’80s, Miller wrote episodes for a host of well-known shows including Diff’rent Strokes and The Jeffersons.
On the big screen, Miller wrote the 1995 Keanu Reeves vehicle A Walk in the Clouds, which was directed by Alfonso Arau. He also wrote and starred in 1982’s Savanah Smiles, which featured two of his daughters, Marisa and Savannah, the latter of whom inspired the film.
Miller also starred in dozens of stage productions such as Noël Coward’s Private Lives opposite Grace Kelly, Phillip Barry’s The Philadelphia Story, William Inge’s Bus Stop opposite Elaine Stritch and with Joan Blondell in Dark at the Top of the Stairs.
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Sep 16th, 2022 04:51 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Henry Silva Dies: Prolific Actor Was 95[/b]
Henry Silva, who starred in Johnny Cool, fought Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate and was one of Sinatra’s fellow thieves in Ocean’s 11, among dozens of screen roles spanning a half-century, died Wednesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 95.
An actor whose distinctive face often led to typecasting as the heavy, his 130-plus film and TV credits also include The Bravados, starring Gregory Peck (1958); Cinderfella, with Jerry Lewis (1960); the Rat Pack-led Western Sergeants 3 (1962); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Love and Bullets with Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger (1979); the Burt Reynolds pics Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1982); Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990); Steven Seagal’s first film Above the Law (1988); and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with Forest Whitaker (1999).
Along with the title role opposite Elizabeth Montgomery in Johnny Cool (1963), Silva — who was fluent in Spanish and Italian — also starred in several European pics including The Return of Mr. Moto (1965), spaghetti Western The Hills Run Red (1966), Frame Up (1968) and the World War II thriller Probability Zero (1969), The Italian Connection (1972), The Boss (1973), Kidnap (1974) and Weapons of Death (1977).
He also was a familiar presence on TV, guesting on such classic series as Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, The F.B.I., Dr. Kildare, Wagon Train, The High Chaparral, It Takes a Thief and The Streets of San Francisco.
Among Silva’s biggest roles was as Johnny Cool, a Sicilian outlaw-turned-assassin who is sent on a vengeance mission to America to eliminate his mentor’s enemies. As the body count mounts, he pairs up with a wealthy divorcée (Montgomery) who ultimately betrays him. The film’s big-name ensemble also included Rat Packers Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford, along with Telly Savalas, Jim Backus and Mort Sahl.
But Silva might be best known for his key role in John Frankenheimer’s classic political thriller The Manchurian Candidate. He played a houseboy who doubled as a communist spy. His character, Chunjin, was attacked by Sinatra’s Marco in a brutal, intense, 90-second fight scene.
Silva appeared opposite Sinatra again in the 1977 TV movie Contract on Cherry Street, and his final credit was a bit role in the star-packed 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven.
In the 1990s, Silva voiced Bane in episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.
Born on September 15, 1926, in Brooklyn, Silva got his start in Tennessee Williams’ 1953 Broadway show Camino Real, with a brief run. He then joined the Actors Studio, where Silva and classmates including Ben Gazzara, Shelley Winters and Anthony Franciosa workshopped a show titled A Hatful of Rain. A grim tale about addiction in which Silva played a dealer named Mother, it became a 1955 Broadway play that ran for nearly a year. Silva and Franciosa reprised their roles for the 1957 film adaptation.
Silva was married three times and his survivors include his sons, Scott and Michael Silva.
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Sep 17th, 2022 02:40 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Marva Hicks Dies: Singer-Actor Appeared In Broadway’s ‘The Lion King’, ‘Motown The Musical’
Marva Hicks, the singer and actor who made her Broadway debut in 1981’s Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music and most recently appeared in 2013’s Motown The Musical, died September 16 in New York City.
Her death was announced by her family. Neither a cause of death nor Hicks’ age were disclosed.
A native of Petersburg, Virginia, and graduate of Howard University, Hicks appeared in two other Broadway productions besides Lena Horne and Motown: She played Rafiki in The Lion King and, in 2004, was part of the original cast of Caroline, Or Change.
Other non-Broadway stage credits include Sophisticated Ladies with Maurice Hines and, in February of this year, in Pearl Cleage’s Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous at Hartford Stage in Connecticut. She was a member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir for two decades.
TV credits include One Life to Live, L.A. Law, the recurring role of Remy on Mad About You, Star Trek: Voyager and Madam Secretary.
As a recording artist, Hicks had a hit single in 1991 with “Never Been In Love Before.” During her career, she also sang with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.
She is survived by husband Akwasi Taha and other family members. Memorial arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
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Sep 20th, 2022 03:36 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Maury Wills Dies: Los Angeles Dodgers Great Who Had Baseball’s First 100-Steal Season Was 89
Maury Wills, whose long tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers began the year after the team moved to the West Coast in the late 1950s and included three World Series championships, died September 19 at his home in Sedona, AZ, the team said Tuesday. He was 89.
Wills, a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop, was a prolific base-stealer credited with helping to bring the craft back to baseball as an offensive strategy. After stealing 50 bases in 1960 in his first year with the Dodgers, in 1962 he became the first player in the modern age to reach 100 steals in a season, finishing with 104 to break Ty Cobb’s record that had stood for 47 years, earning him the NL MVP Award. He is 20th on baseball’s all-time steals list.
Wills was born Maurice Morning Wills on October 2, 1932, in Washington D.C., where he was a three-sport athlete in high school. He spent more than eight minor-league seasons before cracking the Dodgers roster that had been dominated at shortstop by Pee Wee Reese and then Don Zimmer.
The diminutive Wills played with the Dodgers from 1959-66, winning World Series titles in 1959, 1963 and 1965, and had stints with Pittsburgh and Montreal before returning to L.A. to play from 1969-72. He finished with a .281 batting average and 2,134 hits in 14 major-league seasons.
After working as a baseball analyst for NBC in from 1973-77, Wills managed in the Mexican leagues, resulting in a short-lived stint managing the Seattle Mariners in the 1980-81 season. After that, he stayed close to the Dodgers franchise, serving as an instructor and a legends ambassador.
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Sep 22nd, 2022 01:00 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Dale McRaven Dies: ‘Mork & Mindy’ And ‘Perfect Strangers’ Creator, ‘Dick Van Dyke Show’ Scribe Was 83
Dale McRaven, the television writer and creator of Perfect Strangers and Mork & Mindy, died on September 5. He was 83.
McRaven was at his home in Porter Ranch, California when he died. Throughout his career, he received major accolades like nominations from the Writers Guild of America Awards and the Emmys for his work on Mork & Mindy, which he co-created with Joe Glauberg and late director Garry Marshall. The ABC sitcom that starred Robin Williams and Pam Dawber lasted for four seasons.
Perfect Strangers with Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker was also created by McRaven. The ABC sitcom ran for 8 seasons with 150 episodes produced.
In his first showbiz job, McRaven was hired by Marshall in 1963 to be part of the writers for The Joey Bishop Show. McRaven would go on to write for The Dick Van Dyke Show after he was found by Sheldon Leonard at Desilu Studios who told him and Carl Kleinschmidt he was about to “change their lives.”
It was with The Dick Van Dyke Show where the writers won the Writers Guild Award for their first script, which got them to write 8 more scripts during the final season of the show. McRaven and Kleinschmidt would go on to work together for The Odd Couple, Gomer Pyle, Bill Dana and Hey Landlord.
McRaven is credited as being a star maker discovering Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Mark Hamill, Gary Busey, Bronson Pinchot, Mark Linn-Baker, David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, among others.
Other shows that McRaven produced include The Partridge Family, Texas Wheelers (1974), The Betty White Show (1978) and Angie (1979).
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Sep 26th, 2022 03:48 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Zack Estrin Dies: ‘Lost In Space’ Showrunner Was 51
Top television writer-producer Zack Estrin, known for his work as executive producer/showrunner of Lost In Space and co-executive producer on Prison Break, passed away suddenly Sept. 23 in Hermosa Beach. He was 51. Estrin, who was in good health, died of suspected cardiac arrest after collapsing while jogging on the beach. The exact cause of death is unknown pending autopsy.
“Zack Estrin was our everything,” his family said in a statement. “The best husband, father, son and friend. He loved to make everyone happy. He loved to make everyone laugh. He loved being a writer/producer and being a part of creating these shows that people enjoyed. But above all, he loved his family and friends. Thank you all for being a part of his life and ours.”
Born in Woodland, California, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Estrin graduated from USC and began his entertainment career in features as a producer on films such as Stranger Than Fiction and O, a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare Othello. He then made the transition to television, launching a writing career that would take him to the top of the showrunner ranks. His early credits included hits Charmed and Dawson’s Creek as well as cult favorite Tru Calling.
Estrin, who was well liked and respected by his peers, went on to become co-executive producer of Fox’s popular, award-winning drama series Prison Break. He served as executive producer and showrunner on ABC’s paranormal thrillers The River and The Whispers, as well as co-creator and executive producer of the network’s Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Most notably, Estrin served as executive producer and showrunner on Netflix’s reimagining of the sci-fi family adventure Lost in Space.
“Zack was our client for nearly 25 years,” WME President Ari Greenburg said in a statement. “He had a tremendously successful career and mentored so many writers. We are so proud of all his accomplishments and feel blessed to have called him a friend.”
At the time of his death, Estrin was developing new projects under his overall deal at Netflix.
“Zack was a beloved writer, producer, and partner, whose work taught us to seek adventure and trust in family. His vision and passion will be greatly missed,” Matt Thunell, Netflix VP of series, who worked closely with Estrin, said in a statement.
Estrin is survived by his wife Kari Estrin, daughters Charlotte Estrin and Chloe Estrin, his dogs Molly and Lt. Judy Hopps, and the rest of his family: mother Patricia Estrin, father Jonathan Estrin, sister Amelia Burstyn, stepbrother Dylan Arrants, and stepsisters Julie List and Laura Humphrey.
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Sep 26th, 2022 03:54 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Robert Cormier Dies: ‘Heartland’ And ‘Slasher: Solstice’ Actor Was 33
Robert Cormier, a TV and film actor whose credits include playing Finn Cotter on the long-running Canadian series Heartland as well as the Netflix horror series Slasher: Solstice died September 23. He was 33.
His family said Cormier died in “a tragic accident” in Toronto. They did not provide more details but in a statement thanked “the Critical Care team in Toronto for the compassionate care they provided Robbie and the kindness they showed our family.”
Cormier for the past two seasons played Finn on CBC’s Heartland, which has run for 15 seasons on Canadian TV and holds the record for being Canada’s longest-running one-hour drama. It is also syndicated in the U.S.
His other TV credits included ABC/Netflix’s Designated Survivor, CBS’ Ransom, and playing Winston for two episodes on Starz’s American Gods.
In film, he appeared in Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers which world premiered in 2018 at the Toronto Film Festival. Other big-screen credits include Otto in Pyrenees (2018) and Al in The Intersection (2019).
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Robert Cormier,” the Heartland production wrote on its social media accounts Tuesday. “He was a beloved member of the Heartland cast the last two seasons. On behalf of the Heartland cast and crew, our thoughts are with him and his family, who have asked for privacy during this difficult time.”
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Sep 29th, 2022 12:19 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Jim Post Dies: Singer-Songwriter Of One-Hit Wonder “Reach Out Of The Darkness” Was 82
Jim Post, who with then-wife Cathy under the band name Friend & Lover scored a Top 10 hit in 1968 with the enduring hippie anthem “Reach Out of the Darkness,” died of congestive heart failure Sept. 14 in Dubuque, Iowa. He was 82.
His death was announced to The New York Times by former wife and children’s book author Janet Smith Post.
The song, which reached #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart during the summer of 1968, is often remembered for its opening lyric, sung by Cathy Conn Post, “I think it’s so groovy now that people are finally gettin’ together.”
Like similar happy-go-lucky flower-power anthems of the era, from “Aquarius” to “Good Morning Starshine,” the Posts’ song has been used frequently in TV and film as a signifier of hippie optimism. Among its more notable appearances was in a 2013 episode of Mad Men, when the song played as the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy was being announced on TV.
Born Jimmie David Post in Houston, Post was touring Canada as a member of the folk trio the Rum Runners when he met Cathy Conn, and the two began performing and recording as the duo Friend & Lover.
The song’s title would spark a little confusion over the years: Not only is the “So Groovy” lyric more commonly remembered, the title itself was incorrect. The lyric sung by the Posts was “reach out in the darkness,” but an executive of Verve Forecast Records insisted that the wording be changed to the more optimistic-seeming “reach out of the darkness.”
Still, the song endured over the decades, featuring in such TV shows as Night Stalker, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Aquarius, in the the 1988 film 1969 and, in the Krush revamp “Let’s Get Together (So Groovy Now)” the 1992 Damon Wayans comedy Mo’ Money.
Jim and Cathy Post divorced shortly after their hit song failed to produce a successful follow-up (Cathy Conn died in 2018). Post would marry and divorce four more times, and is survived by a daughter and a grandson, according to The Times.
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Sep 30th, 2022 03:30 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Madame Wu Dies: Restaurateur To The Stars Was 106
Madame Sylvia Wu, whose Santa Monica Chinese restaurant served generations of Southern Californians and many celebrities, died on Sept. 29 at 106, her family confirmed.
In her later years, Wu stayed in the West side’s mind with cookbooks, television shows, and charity work, particularly at the City of Hope cancer center.
Her restaurant was one of the first in Southern California to offer a stylized cuisine beyond Chop Suey (although she did cater to conventional tastes as well). She was a fixture at her business, even taking telephone orders for take-out while working the room.
Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Mae West, Paul Newman, Princess Grace and many more dined at Madame Wu’s over the years. She closed the original Wilshire Boulevard restaurant in 1998, but then opened Madame Wu’s Asian Bistro & Sushi in newly opened Grove. That venture was not as successful, but Madame Wu remained dear to her longtime customers.
Survivors include sons George and Patrick and numerous grandchildren. Her husband died in 2011. The two had been married 67 years.
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Oct 2nd, 2022 09:05 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Antonio Inoki Dies: Wrestling Legend Was 79
Antonio Inoki, whose most famous moment on the world stage was an unorthodox exhibition match against boxing champion Muhammad Ali that aimed to settle which sport could beat the other, died Friday in Japan. He was 79 and no cause of death was released.
Inoki was considered a combat sports trailblazer, but also was a successful entrepreneur and politician in his native Japan, where he was one of the country’s most famous people.
In wrestling-mad Japan, Inoki was considered its most important star, selling out countless arenas and stadiums from the 1970s and on. He was also the first Japanese wrestler to win the WWF championship and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.
But all that was a prelude to the Ali exhibition on June 26, 1976, when Inoki took on the champion in a bout that was a precursor to today’s mixed martial arts matches.
In addition to the sold-out crowd of more than 14,000 at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, the exhibition fight aired on closed-circuit across the world, including more than 32,000 people at Shea Stadium in New York.
Inoki spent most of the 15-round contest on his back, kicking at Ali’s legs and landing those kicks more than 100 times. Ali took far more damage in the bout than Inoki did, and sustained serious injuries. Ali’s left leg was so badly swollen and bleeding that it led to an infection, and later had two blood clots that led to a consideration of amputation. The damage limited his mobililty for the rest of his career. .
Years later, mixed martial arts fighter Colin McGregor recalled the match. “Ali tried to reach down and punch and he ended up getting swept,” McGregor said at a media scrum before his match with boxer Floyd Mayweather. “Inoki ended up on top and the referee separated it straight away. If that moment in time was to let go for five more seconds, 10 more seconds, Inoki would have wrapped around his neck or his arm or a limb and the whole face of the combat world would have changed right there and then.”
Inoki founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1972, and was the promotion’s biggest star for more than a decade, having huge matches with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Dory Funk Jr., Big Van Vader and Bruiser Brody.
Aside from sports, Inoki started his own political party, the Sports and Peace Party, and was elected into the Japanese House of Councillors in 1989. Inoki flew to Iraq in 1996 on a one-man diplomatic mission and negotiated with Saddam Hussein the release of 36 Japanese hostages.
He was also an elected politician in the Japanese government from 2013 to 2019.
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Oct 2nd, 2022 09:07 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Sacheen Littlefeather, Activist Who Took the Stage to Decline Marlon Brando’s Oscar, Dies at 75
Sacheen Littlefeather, the activist for Native Americans who declined Marlon Brando’s Oscar for “The Godfather” on his behalf at the 1973 Academy Awards, died Sunday at 75, the Academy of Motion Pictures said. She had been suffering from breast cancer.
In June, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologized to Littlefeather for her treatment at the Oscars that night. Littlefeather attended an in-person presentation of the apology at the Academy Museum on Sept. 17.
At the Oscars, she was only given 60 seconds to read her speech on Native American rights, and was then escorted off the stage with audience members booing.
“He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award,” Littlefeather said to the Academy Awards audience in . “And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry… and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”
She was allowed to read her full speech at a later press conference, and it was printed in the New York Times. Raquel Welch, Clint Eastwood and Oscar co-host Michael Caine were among those who criticized her on-camera for disrupting the ceremony.
Littlefeather, born Marie Louise Cruz in Salinas, Calif., became interested in Native American issues in college and participated in the 1970 occupation of Alcatraz Island, adopting her name during that time.
After college, she joined SAG and reportedly met Brando, who took an interest in Native American issues, through Francis Ford Coppola who like Littlefeather, lived in San Francisco.
In a recent interview, Littlefeather told Variety what it was like to attend the Oscars on Brando’s behalf.
“It was my first time at the Academy Awards. I made it through my first hurdle, promising Marlon Brando that I would not touch that Oscar. But, as I walked off that stage, I did in the ways of courage, honor grace, dignity and truthfulness. I did so in the ways of my ancestors and the ways of Indigenous women.
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Oct 4th, 2022 12:00 AM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Loretta Lynn Dies: Country Icon And Coal Miner’s Daughter Was 90
Loretta Lynn, the country music icon who groundbreaking songs dealt candidly with poverty, women’s struggles and, in the great song “Coal Miner’s Daughter” her own life, died Tuesday at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. She was 90.
Her death was announced by her family. In a statement, Lynn’s family said she died Tuesday at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.
“Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, October 4th, in her sleep at home at her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills,” the statement reads.[/i]
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Oct 4th, 2022 03:07 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Joan Hotchkis Dies: ‘The Odd Couple’ & ‘Legacy’ Star Was 95
Joan Hotchkis, a veteran actor, writer, screenwriter and playwright, known for The Odd Couple and Legacy, died on September 27 in Los Angeles. She was 95. Her daughter Paula Chambers said Hotchkis death was due to congestive heart failure.
Hotchkis was the last surviving child of Preston Hotchkis and Katharine Bixby, civic leaders in Los Angeles with statewide and national influence throughout the last century, who led everything from the Metropolitan Water District to the California Historical Society.
After earning a B.A. in Psychology from Smith College and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street Teacher’s College, Hotchkis taught nursery school in New York before becoming an actor in 1954 at the age of 27.
She landed the leading role of Lizzie in The Rainmaker at the Players Ring theater in Hollywood. When she returned to New York she became a member of The Actors Studio and was cast in TV commercials and guest spots. This is when she met director Bob Foster, who she married in 1958 and with whom she had daughter Paula.
Hotchkis would go on to star in the soap opera The Secret Storm and in the play Streetcar Named Desire before making her Broadway debut in 1960 on Advise and Consent.
She would divorce in 1967 and move back to Los Angeles where she had guest spots on shows like Bewitched and General Hospital, among others.
She was the female lead opposite William Windom on My World and Welcome To It (1969-70), and played Dr. Nancy Cunningham, the sometime-girlfriend of Jack Klugman’s Oscar Madison, on The Odd Couple (1971).
Throughout the 1970s, she guest starred on many shows including Lou Grant, Charlie’s Angels, Mannix, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, St. Elsewhere, Marcus Welby, Barnaby Jones and The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts in 1980.
On the big screen, she had roles in The Late Liz, and Old Boyfriends, and she co-starred opposite William Holden in the film Breezy (1973), directed by Clint Eastwood, and co-starred with Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor as Anna “Mama” Hartley in the cult classic, Ode to Billie Joe (1976).
Hotchkis would go on to write the acting handbook “Not Acting Please” and became a playwright with Legacy in 1974, which she would later adapt as a film.
Shortly after finishing Legacy, Hotchkis was diagnosed with meningioma (a non-cancerous brain tumor) and had it successfully surgically removed, allowing her decades more productivity.
Surviving brain surgery changed Hotchkis’ priorities: she gave up on TV and film and returned to the stage.
Hotchkis was always very interested in social justice, supporting progressive nonprofits and mentoring bright young women from underprivileged backgrounds. She provided critical support to activists, including future head of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Torie Osborne, and defender of Ethiopian women’s rights, Bogaletch “Boge” Gebre.
As an actor, writer, producer, performance artist, philanthropist, mentor, and friend, Joan Hotchkis inspired countless people with her passion, courage, generosity and delightful blend of elegance and playfulness. She is survived by daughter Paula and many loved ones who will miss her greatly.
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Oct 4th, 2022 03:10 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Former WNBA 1st-round pick Tiffany Jackson dies at 37 after battle with breast cancer
WNBA veteran forward Tiffany Jackson died Monday night after a seven-year battle with breast cancer, the University of Texas announced. She was 37.
Jackson played four years at Texas where she became the only player in Longhorns women's basketball history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks. She was drafted No. 5 overall pick by the New York Liberty in 2007 and played three seasons there before she was traded to the Tulsa Shock in 2010.
Jackson was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer during her fourth full season with the Shock in 2015. By 2016, her cancer was in remission and she returned to professional basketball, this time in Israel. She returned to the WNBA in 2017 after signing with the Los Angeles Sparks and played one season before retiring in 2018.
She averaged 6.2 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game in 225 career games.
After her playing days ended in 2018, Jackson became an assistant coach at Texas. She was named the head coach at Wiley College, an NAIA school in Marshall, Texas, this past April.
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Oct 5th, 2022 06:44 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Sara Lee Dies: WWE Wrestler Was 30
ara Lee, winner of Season 6 of the WWE’s reality series Tough Enough, died today at age 30, her mother said. No cause was given.
“It is with heavy hearts we wanted to share that our Sara Weston has gone to be with Jesus,” Terri Lee wrote on social media. “We are all in shock and arrangements are not complete. We ask that you respectfully let our family mourn.”
Lee recently battled what she called a sinus infection but posted earlier this week that she was feeling well enough to work out.
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Oct 9th, 2022 11:01 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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Sara Lee Dies: WWE Wrestler Was 30
Sara Lee, winner of Season 6 of the WWE’s reality series Tough Enough, died today at age 30, her mother said. No cause was given.
“It is with heavy hearts we wanted to share that our Sara Weston has gone to be with Jesus,” Terri Lee wrote on social media. “We are all in shock and arrangements are not complete. We ask that you respectfully let our family mourn.”
Lee recently battled what she called a sinus infection but posted earlier this week that she was feeling well enough to work out.
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Oct 9th, 2022 11:02 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
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OK not being able to delete your own post is stupid.
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Oct 9th, 2022 11:03 PM |
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Nuke Nixon
Senior Member
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Judy Tenuta Dies: Comic & Actress Was 72
Judy Tenuta, an unconventional, often brash stand-up comic who guested on numerous TV shows and appeared in two “Weird” Al Yankovic videos, died October 6 of ovarian cancer in Studio City, CA. She was 72.
Known to fans as “The Love Goddess,” Tenuta’s stage act was delivered in a shrill, loud, sometimes gravelly voice and often included an accordion. Her style sometimes veered toward shock; one bit had an audience member near the stage open their mouth so she could drop her chewed gum in it.
During her first solo stand-up performance, Tenuta shocked the audiences by dressing up as the Virgin Mary, and after being encouraged by her friends to incorporate an accordion into her routine, she began to develop the character into her iconic persona as the wisecracking “Love Goddess.” She regularly dressed in wild costumes made up of Aphrodite dresses, feather boots, egg bras, nippy cup necklace and gauzy capes, and used a variety of props.
Along with dozens of guest roles on TV and some movies, she hosted a popular HBO special that featured contemporaries Ellen DeGeneres, Rita Rudner, Martin Short and Paula Poundstone.
Born on November 7, 1949, in Oak Park, IL, Tenuta took an improv comedy class with the Chicago improv group The Second City and shortly after began opening for other comedians in Chicago throughout the ’70s.
By the late 1980s — around the start of the “golden age” of stand-up — Tenuta was sharing stages with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Sinbad, Jay Leno, DeGeneres, Rudner and Poundstone. She also had several specials on HBO, Showtime and Lifetime and performed stand-up on such TV shows as Late Night with David Letterman, One Night Stand, The Sunday Comics, The Pat Sajak Show, Comics Unleashed, The Dennis Miller Show, Gotham Comedy Live, An Evening at the Improv and others.
Elsewhere on the small screen, she appeared on Hollywood Squares, Comedy Central Roasts, Celebrity Wife Swap, Who Wants to Date a Comedian? and Match Game, and in the documentaries I Am Sam Kinison, Stage Door Divas, Why We Laugh: Funny Women, When Stand-Up Comics Rules the World and the upcoming Stalking Emo.
Her distinctive voice led to roles in such toon fare as Duckman, Bruno the Kid, Space Ghosts Coast to Coast, Johnny Bravo and Mighty Magiswords.
Tenuta appeared in about a half-dozen episodes of CBS’ short-lived Saturday-morning series The Weird Al Show in 1997 and was in the veteran song parodist’s videos for and “White & Nerdy” and “Headline News.”
Yankovic, subject of Roku’s upcoming Weird: The Al Yankovic Story starring Daniel Radcliffe, tweeted today: “Devastated to hear of the passing of my dear, dear friend, the lovely Miss Judy Tenuta. I can’t believe she’s gone. Earth has truly lost a goddess.”
Tenuta scored back-to-back Grammy nominations for Best Spoken Comedy Album — Attention Butt Pirates and Lesbetarians (1994) and In Goddess We Trust (1995) — and also had a career onstage, appearing in The Vagina Monologues and Menopause The Musical in Los Angeles and Chicago.
She was an outspoken advocate for gay rights and has amassed a following in the LGBTQ community. During the early years of her career, Tenuta frequently performed at gay bars and clubs around Chicago, performed at and appeared as a grand marshal for numerous gay pride festivals, and even became ordained as a minister to officiate same-sex marriages.
During the past couple of years, while the world dealt with the Covid pandemic, Tenuta had been battling Stage 4 ovarian cancer. Late last year she released “Kicking Cancer’s Ass,” a video shot entirely during isolation and quarantine at home (watch it below). It become an inspiration to others and an unexpected battle cry for those who are experiencing not only cancer but other health issues, including Covid.
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Oct 9th, 2022 11:05 PM |
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