Shirley Booth and Hattie McDaniel

Who died on this date:

Actress Shirley Booth was born on August 30, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York. Primarily a theatre actress, Booth's Broadway career began in 1925. Her most significant success was as Lola Delaney, in the drama Come back, Little Sheba, for which she received a Tony Award in 1950. She made her film debut, reprising her role in the 1952 film version for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Despite her successful entry into films, she preferred stage acting, and made only four more films. From 1961 until 1966, she played the title role in the sitcom Hazel, for which she won two Emmy Awards, and was acclaimed for her performance in the 1966 television production of The Glass Menagerie. She retired in 1974 and died on October 16, 1992 after a brief illness at her home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She is interred at Mount Hebron Cemetery, Montclair, New Jersey.

On October 26, 1952, actress Hattie McDaniel died. She was the first African-American to win an Academy Award was born in Wichita, Kansas. She began her career in show business in the 1910’s as a band vocalist, continued into radio, then into film, and television. Her award winning film career produced ninety-five motion pictures from 1932 to 1949. She is primarily known for playing house servant roles and is perhaps best recognized as Mammy – the house keeper in Gone with the Wind (1939). It was for this role that she won the best supporting actress Oscar in 1940. Her other notable films include: The Golden West (1932), Judge Priest (1934), The Little Colonel (1935), Show Boat (1936), The Mad Miss Manton (1938), The Shining Hour (1938), and Song of the South (1946). 

McDaniel died on October 26, 1952 at the Motion Picture and Television County Home in Woodland, Hills, California after a long battle with breast cancer. Her funeral service was held at the Independent Church of Christ in Los Angeles where numerous Hollywood dignitaries were in attendance. Outside the church thousands of people waited to pay their last respects to the famed actress. It was McDaniel’s express final wish to be buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, but she was denied such a request due to racial bias at the time. Instead she was interred at Angelus Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. Her unassuming grave is located near the front entrance to the cemetery. On the forty-seventh anniversary of her death, October 26, 1999, a memorial cenotaph marker was placed at Hollywood Forever Cemetery by relatives, partially fulfilling her final wish. 

Vicent Price

Who died on this date:

On October 25, 1993, actor Vincent Price died. He was born on May 27, 1911 in St.Louis, Missouri. He made his film debut in 1938 with Service de Luxe and established himself in the film Laura (1944). He also appeared in Brigham Young (1940), as well as The Keys of the Kingdom (1944). Price best known for his horror films such as The Tower of London (1939), House of Wax (1953), The Fly (1958), Return of the Fly (1959), and House on Haunted Hill (1959). In the 1960s, Price had a number of low-budget successes with Edgar Allan Poe adaptations of House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Tales of Terror (1962), and The Raven (1963). He also appeared on numerous televison shows, one of his favorites was playing Egghead in the Batman series. In the 1960s, he began his role as a guest on the game show Hollywood Squares, even becoming a semi-regular in the 1970s, including being one of the guest panelists on the finale in 1980. Price was a lifelong smoker and suffered from emphysema and Parkinson’s disease, which contributed to his retirement from show business. He died of lung cancer on October 25, 1993 and his ashes were scattered off Point Dume in Malibu, California.

Diana Dors and Al Jolson

Who was born on this date:

Actress Diana Dors was born on October 23, Swindon, England. She was considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood. She studied at London Academy of Dramatic Arts. She often played characters suffering from unrequited love, perhaps an unfortunate parallel to her private life. By the mid 1950s, Dors was known as "the English Marilyn Monroe." She had significant acting ability, which was destined never to be fully utilized (most of her later work is made up of sex-themed comedies. Dors appeared in dozens of film and television shows from the late 1940s through the 1970s. She died on May 4, 1984 from ovarian cancer and is buried at Sunningdale Catholic Cemetery in Sunningdale, England.

Who died on this date:

On October 23, 1950, actor Al Jolson died. He was born on May 26, 1886 in Seredzius, Lithuania. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer.” His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized a large number of songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach.” In the 1930s, he was America's most famous and highest paid entertainer. Although he's best remembered today as the star in the first (full length) talking movie, The Jazz Singer in 1927, he later starred in a series of successful musical films throughout the 1930s. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with the 1946 Oscar-winning biographical film, The Jolson Story. A sequel, Jolson Sings Again, was released in 1949, and was nominated for three Oscars. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jolson became the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II, and again in 1950 became the first star to perform for in Korea, doing 42 shows in 16 days. He died on October 23, 1950, just weeks after returning to the U.S., partly due to the physical exertion of performing and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Anna Neagle, Bela Lugosi, Burt Lancaster and Jane Wyatt

Who was born on this date:

Actress Anna Neagle was born on October 20, 1904 in Forest Gate, Essex, England.She was a box-office sensation in British films for over 25 years. She was noted for her lightweight musicals, comedies and historical dramas. She won several awards as Britain's favorite actress and biggest female box-office draw. Almost all of her films were produced and directed by Herbert Wilcox, whom she married in 1943. Her first film was Goodnight Vienna (1932) but she was renowned for her portrayals of real-life British heroines in films including Nell Gwynn (1934), Victoria the Great (1937), Sixty Glorious Years (1938) and Nurse Edith Cavell (1939). Other film credits include Bitter Sweet (1933), The Three Maxims (1937), Sunny (1941), Forever and a Day (1943), Piccadilly Incident (1947), Lilacs in the Park (1953), and King’s Rhapsody (1955). Although plagued by Parkinson’s disease in her later years, Neagle continued to be active. She died on June 3, 1986 and is buried at the City of London Cemetery.

Actor Bela Lugosi was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania. Lugosi made 12 films in Hungary between 1917 and 1918 before leaving for Germany. There he began appearing in a small number of well received films. Lugosi left Germany in October 1920 and immigrated to the United States. His first American film role came in the 1923 melodrama The Silent Command. Several more silent roles followed, as villains or continental types, all in productions made in the New York area.  

Lugosi was approached in the summer of 1927 to star in a Broadway production of Dracula. The production was successful, running 261 performances before touring. Despite his critically acclaimed performance on stage, Lugosi was not Universal Pictures first choice for the role of Dracula when the company optioned the rights to the Deane play and began production in 1930. A persistent rumor asserts that Lon Chaney was Universal's first choice for the role, and that Lugosi was chosen only due to Chaney's death shortly before production. This is questionable, because Chaney had been under long-term contract to MGM since 1925, and had negotiated a lucrative new contract just before his death. Through his association with Dracula (in which he appeared with minimal makeup, using his natural, heavily accented voice), Lugosi found himself typecast as a horror villain in such movies as Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Raven, and Son of Frankenstein for Universal, and the independent White Zombie. His accent, while a part of his image, limited the roles he could play.  

Regardless of controversy, five films at Universal, The Black Cat, The Raven, The Invisible Ray, Son of Frankenstein, Black Friday and two at RKO Pictures, You'll Find Out and the Body Snatcher, all paired Lugosi with Boris Karloff. Despite the relative size of their roles, Lugosi inevitably got second billing, below Karloff. Lugosi's attitude toward Karloff is the subject of contradictory reports, some claiming that he was openly resentful of Karloff's long-term success and ability to get good roles beyond the horror arena, while others suggested the two actors were for a time, at least good friends.  

Late in his life, Bela Lugosi again received star billing in movies when filmmaker Ed Wood, a fan of Lugosi, found him living in obscurity and near-poverty and offered him roles in numerous films. Lugosi died of a heart attack on August 16, 1956, while lying on a couch in his Los Angeles home. The rumor that Lugosi was clutching the script for The Final Curtain, a planned Ed Wood project, at the time of his death is not true. Lugosi was buried wearing one of the Dracula Cape costumes, per the request of his son and fourth wife at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City. Contrary to popular belief, Lugosi never requested to be buried in his cloak; his son confirmed on numerous occasions that he and his mother, Lillian, actually made the decision but believed that it is what his father would have wanted.

Who died on this date:

On October 20, 1994, actor Burt Lancaster died. He was born on November 2, 1913 in New York City. He was noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile (which he called "The Grin"). After initially building his career on "tough guy" roles Lancaster abandoned his "all-American" image in the late 1950s in favor of more complex and challenging roles, and came to be regarded as one of the best actors of his generation as a result. Lancaster was nominated four times for Academy Awards and one once for Elmer Gantry in 1960. Other notable film credits include The Killers (1946), Marty (1955), The Kentuckian (1955), Trapeze (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Midnight Man (1974), and Atlantic City (1980). In 1953, Lancaster played one of his best remembered roles with Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity. It was named one of "AFI's top 100 Most Romantic Films" of all time. Lancaster vigorously guarded his private life. He was married three times. His first two marriages ended in divorce. He claimed to have been romantically involved with Deborah Kerr during the filming of From Here to Eternity. However, Ms. Kerr had stated that while there was a spark of attraction, nothing ever happened. He also had an affair with Joan Blondell and Shelly Winters. He was plagued by numerous illnesses in later life and died from a heart attack on October 20, 1994 at his Century City home. He was cremated and his ashes were buried under a large oak tree in Westwood Memorial Park.

On October 20, 2006, actress Jane Wyatt died. She was born on August 12, 1910 in Campgaw, New Jersey. She is best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the television comedy of the 1950s, Father Knows Best. Wyatt made the transition from stage to screen and was placed under contract at Universal, where she first starred in Lost Horizon (1937). Other film appearances included Gentleman’s Agreement, None but the Lonely Heart, Bommerang, and Our Very Own. For many people, Wyatt is best remembered for her television roles. Jane Wyatt died on October 20, 2006 at her home in Bel-Air, California and is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

Evelyn Venable and Julie London

I will be signing copies of my books this Saturday, October 22, 2011 at the annual Santa Ana Historical Preservation cemetery tour at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, California from 10-3...click link for more info http://www.santaanahistory.com/index.html

Who was born on this date:

Actress Evelyn Venable was born on October 18, 1913in Cincinnati, Ohio. Actress of the 1930s and 1940s, she was signed to a contract by Paramount Studios in 1932. Film credits include Death Takes a Holiday (1934), The Little Colonel (1935) and Streamline Express (1935). She was also the voice of the Blue Fairy in Disney’s Pinocchio (1940). In 1943 Venable retired from acting so that she could spend time with her family. She resumed her studies at UCLA and became a faculty member there, teaching ancient Greek and Latin and organizing the production of Greek plays within the Classics department. She died of cancer on November 15, 1993 and her remains were cremated and scattered.

Who died on this date: 

On October 18, 2000, actress Julie London died. She was born on September 26, 1926 in Santa Rosa, California. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years. It concluded with the female lead role of nurse Dixie McCall on the TV series, Emergency (1972–1979), co-starring her real-life husband Bobby Troup, and produced by her ex-husband Jack Webb. Her widely regarded beauty and poise (she was a pinup girl during World War II) contrasted strongly with his pedestrian appearance and streetwise acting technique (much parodied by impersonators). Primarily remembered as a singer, London also made more than 20 films. One of her strongest performances came in Man of the West (1958), starring Gary Cooper. She performed on many television shows including Rawhide and the Big Valley. Her early film career did not include any singing roles. She recorded 32 albums in a career that began in 1955 and Billboard named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957. London's most famous single, "Cry Me a River", became a million-seller after its release in December 1955.  London performed the song in the film The Girl Can’t Help It (1956). London suffered a stroke in 1995 and was in poor health until her death on October 18, 2000 in Encino, California. She is interred next to Troup at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Linda Darnell and Deborah Kerr

Who was born on this date:

Actress Linda Darnell was born on October 16, 1923 in Dallas, Texas. Darnell was a model as a child, and progressed to theater and film acting as an adolescent. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in 1939, and appeared in supporting roles in big budget films throughout the 1940s. She rose to fame with co-starring roles opposite Tyrone Power in adventure films and established a main character career after her role in Forever Amber (1947). Furthermore, she won critical acclaim for her work in Unfaithfully Yours (1948) and A Letter to Three Wives (1949). Notorious for her unstable personal life, Darnell was incapable of dealing with Hollywood, and landed in a downward spiral of alcoholism, unsuccessful marriages and highly publicized or scandalous affairs. She failed to receive recognition from the industry and its critics, and disappeared from the screen in the 1950s. She died on April 10, 1965 in a house fire in Glenview, Illinois and her ashes are interred at Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett, Pennsylvania.

Who died on this date:

On October 16, 2007, actress Deborah Kerr died. She was born on September 30, 1921 in Glasgow, Scotland. She was a highly successful British, television and film actress who was nominated six times for an Academy Award for Best Actress but never won. In 1994, however, she was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for her impeccable grace and beauty, and dedication as an actress in motion pictures in which she always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance. Her films include The King and I, An Affair to Remember, From Here to Eternity, The Innocents, Black Narcissus, heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Separate Tables. She was married twice and is alleged to have had numerous affairs. Some of Kerr's leading men have stated in their autobiographies that they had an affair or romantic fling with her. The actor Stewart Granger claimed that Kerr seduced him in the back of his chauffeur-driven car at the time he was making Caesar and Cleopatra. Likewise Burt Lancaster claimed that he was romantically involved with her during the filming of From Here to Eternity in 1953. But there has been no independent corroboration of either actor's claims. Deborah Kerr died from the effects of Parkinson’s disease October 16, 2007 in Botesdale, Suffolk, England. Her burial location is unknown.

Jane Darwell and Pat O'Brien

Who was born on this date:

Actress Jane Darwell was typecast as the matronly grandmother type for most of her film career, the award winning actress of stage and film was born Mary “Patti” Woodward on October 15, 1879 in Palmyra, Missouri. Her father a high level rail road executive disapproved of initial foray into show business as a mezzo-soprano opera singer. Not wanting to offend him or the family, she changed her name. Her true calling came late, when in 1912, at the age of thirty-three, Darwell made her stage acting debut. A year later, she began a successful motion picture career that would span five decades (1913-1964), that included nearly two hundred film and television appearances. She won the Academy Award for best supporting actress in 1941 for her portrayal of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Darwell was able to make a smooth transition from silent films to talking pictures because of her versatility as a character actress, notable film credits include: Tom Sawyer (1930), Curly Top (1935), The Zero Hour (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), and Three Godfathers (1948). In 1964, she appeared in her final motion picture. Walt Disney personally persuaded her to come out of retirement to play the memorable role of “the bird woman” in Mary Poppins. Jane Darwell died at age eighty-seven on August 13, 1967 from a heart attack at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. Jane Darwell is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Who died on this date:

On October 15, 1983, actor Pat O’Brien died. He was born on November 11, 1899 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. O’Brien appeared with James Cagney in nine feature films, including Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and Cagney’s last film, Ragtime (1981). The two originally met in 1926 and became lifelong friends. O'Brien began appearing in movies (many times playing Irish cops or priests) in the 1930s, in the original version of The Front Page (1931). O’Brien may be best remembered for his role as a police detective in Some Like It Hot and the title role of a football coach in Kute Rockne, All American (1940. O’Brien’s movie career more or less ended in the early 1950s but still managed to get work in television. O’Brien died from a heart attack on October 15, 1983 and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Lillian Gish, Bing Crosby and Keenan Wynn

Who was born on this date:

Actress Lillian Gish was born on October 14, 1893 in Springfield. Ohio. Her stage, film and television career spanned 7 decades from 1912 to 1987. In 1912, Mary Pickford introduced Gish to D.W. Griffith, and helped get her a contract with Biograph Studios. She would soon become one of America's best-loved actresses. Her film debut was in 1912’s, An Unseen Enemy and she went on to star in many of Griffith's most acclaimed films, including The Birth of a Nation (1915). Having appeared in over 25 short films and features in her first two years as a movie actress, Lillian became a major star, becoming known as "The First Lady of the Silent Screen" and appearing in lavish productions, frequently of literary works. With her debut in talkies only moderately successful, she acted on the stage for the most part in the 1930s and early 1940s.  

Returning to movies, Gish was nominated for a best supporting actress Academy Award in 1946 for Duel in the Sun. She appeared in films from time to time for the rest of her life, notably in Night of the Hunter (1955). Gish received a Honorary Academy Award in 1971 "For superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures." Her last film role was in 1977’s, The Whales of August at the age of 93.Gish never married and had no children. The association between Gish and D. W. Griffith was so close that some suspected a romantic connection, an issue never acknowledged by Gish, although several of their associates were certain they were at least briefly involved. For the remainder of her life, she always referred to him as "Mr. Griffith." She maintained a very close relationship with Mary Pickford, for her entire life. Another of her closest friends was actress Helen Hayes. Gish died in her sleep on February 27, 1993 and is interred at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York City.

Who died on this date: 

On October 14, 1977, actor Bing Crosby died. The singer, comedian, and actor was born Harry Lillis Crosby on May 2, 1903 in Tacoma, Washington. His trade mark nickname “Bing” was a derivative of a character named “Bingo” in the comic strip “Bingville Bugle,” the comic strip was a favorite of the young crooner. He never formally studied music but in his first year of college with a few buddies formed a small band called the “Musicaladers.” The group had some success and it was decided that they would go to Los Angeles and pursue a vaudeville career. During a successful two year tour of the country under the name “The Rhythm Boys,” they were discovered by band leader Paul Whiteman. Bing and his band mates toured with Whiteman for three years and it was with this band that Bing got his first taste of Hollywood, appearing in Whiteman’s motion picture, King of Jazz (1930). Bing and the Rhythm Boys then joined band leader Gus Arnheim at the Cocoanut Ballroom at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was here that Bing became known to the Hollywood crowd, and it was Mack Sennett, who signed him to a contract with Paramount Pictures. In a series of short subject films, Crosby was heard singing and this lead to his first musical recording contract with Brunswick Records. Later, a regular singing gig developed with CBS Radio and shows at the Paramount Theater in New York City. Moving back to the West Coast in 1932, Crosby appeared in his first feature film role, The Big Broadcast, a motion picture that would launch him into superstardom. Crosby would go on to appear in over fifty feature films, including twenty “Road” movies in which he appeared with his good friend, Bob Hope.  

His most famous movie role was that of Father O’Malley in Going My Way (1944), for which he won the best actor Academy Award. He would go on to recreate the successful role in two subsequent films, The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and Say One for Me (1959), his other notable motion picture film credits include: Too Much Harmony (1933), Mississippi (1935), Anything Goes (1936), Pennies From Heaven (1936), Holiday Inn (1942), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949), The Country Girl (1954) and High Society (1956). Another of Crosby’s most famous movies is the holiday favorite, White Christmas (1954); in it he sings the title track from the film. Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” This song became his most popular and recognizable hit of his musical career. Crosby was nominated for two additional best actor Academy Awards for The Bell’s of St. Mary’s (1945) and The Country Girl (1954).  

Crosby’s personal life was not as successful as his professional one, in 1943, his Toluca Lake home was destroyed by fire, in 1952, his first wife Dixie Lee, died at the age of forty from cancer, he was criticized by his eldest son Gary in his book “Going My Own Way” (1983), in which Bing was characterized as an abusive and violent father. His four sons from his first marriage all died tragically, Lindsay and Dennis committed suicide, Gary from lung cancer and Phillip from a heart attack.  

In 1957, Crosby married for a second time, Kathryn Grant was a young actress thirty years his junior. The couple had three children, Harry, Nathaniel, and Mary, the later is an actress of some note. It is speculated that because of Crosby’s regret over the way he treated his first family, he became a better husband and doting father the second time around.  On October 14, 1977, after finishing an eighteen hole round of golf in Madrid, Spain, the acclaimed actor collapsed and died from a massive heart attack. He was in Spain for some rest and relaxation after completing a successful run at the London Palladium. He died while doing what he loved best. Golf was his passion. His body was flown back to the United States accompanied by his eldest son, Gary. A private funeral mass for only immediate family and few close friends, including Bob Hope, was held in the rectory chapel of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westwood. The forty-minute service included organ music in which some of Bing’s greatest hits were played. Bing Crosby is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.

On October 14, 1986, actor Keenan Wynn died. He was born on July 27, 1916 in New York City. Wynn appeared in hundreds of films and television shows between 1934 and 1986. He died on October 14, 1986 from pancreatic cancer and is buried at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Cornel Wilde and Clifton Webb

Who was born on this date:

Actor Cornel Wilde was born on October 13, 1912 in Prievidza, Hungry. He had several small film roles until he played the role of Fredric Chopin in 1945's A Song to Remember, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor.. In 1945 he also starred in A Thousand and One Nights. He spent the rest of the decade appearing in romantic and swashbuckling films, but he also appeared in some significant films noir, opposite Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Road House (1948) and Shockproof (1949). He produced, directed, and starred in The Naked Prey (1966), in which he played a naked man being tracked by hunters from an African tribe affronted by the behavior of members of a safari party. Wilde's other notable directing efforts include Beach Red (1967) and No Blade of Grass (1970). He was married to actresses Patricia Knight and Jean Wallace. He died from Leukemia on October 16, 1989 and was buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Who died on this date: 

On October 13, 1966, actor Clifton Webb died. He was born on November 19, 1889 in Beech Grove, Indiana. He is best known for his Oscar nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor’s Edge and Sitting Pretty. Webb was a Broadway mainstay between 1913 and 1947, the tall and slender performer who sang in a clear, gentle tenor, appeared in 23 Broadway shows. Webb was in his mid-fifties when he was chosen to play the elegant but evil radio columnist Waldo Lydecker, who is obsessed with Gene Tierney’s character in the 1944 film noir, Laura. The never married Webb lived with his mother until her death at age ninety-one in 1960. Because of health problems, Webb spent the last five years of his life as a recluse at his home in Beverly Hills. He died from a heart attack on October 13, 1966 and is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Jean Wallace and Tom Mix

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Actress Jean Wallace was born on October 12, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. She began her career as a model then got her first small movie role at the age of seventeen. She was married two times; once to her Jigsaw co-star Franchot Tone from 1941 to 1948 and once to actor Cornel Wilde (her co-star in The Big Combo and Lancelot and Guinevere) from 1951 to 1981. She attempted suicide in 1946 with sleeping pills, and in 1949 with a self inflicted knife wound. Wallace died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage on February 14, 1990 and is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Who died on this date:

On October 12, 1940, actor Tom Mix died. He was born on January 6, 1880 in Mix Run. Pennsylvania. He was a star of many early western movies, making 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features. He was Hollywood’s first Western megastar and is noted as having helped define the genre for all cowboy actors who followed. On the afternoon of October 12, 1940, Mix was killed a one car accident near Florence, Arizona. Mix is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale.

Olive Deering, Chico Marx and Bonita Granville

Who was born on this date:

Oliver Deering (left) from The Ten Commandments

Actress Olive Deering was born on October 11, 1918 in New York City. She was an actress of the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. Her first stage role was a walk on bit role in Girls in Uniform (1933). Other film credits include Shock Treatment, Caged and Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and Delilah as Miriam, a role she reprised in DeMille's The Ten Commandments. Deering appeared on many radio programs, and more than 200 television programs. She died on March 22, 1986 in New York City and is buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.

Who died on this date: 

On October 11, 1961, actor/ comedienne Chico Marx died. He was born on March 22, 1887 in New York City. He along with his brothers formed the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and hat. As the first-born of the five Marx Brothers, he also played an important role in the management and development of the act, at least in its early years.

The Marx Brothers' second-to-last film, A Night in Casablanca (1946), was made for Chico's benefit since he had filed for bankruptcy a few years prior. Because of his out-of-control gambling, the brothers finally took the money as he earned it and put him on an allowance, on which he stayed until his death. Chico Marx died of arteriosclerosis on October 11, 1961: he was the eldest brother and the first to pass away. During his lifetime, his year of birth had commonly been given as 1891 instead of the true year of 1887; as a result, obituaries reported his age at the time of his passing as 70 rather than 74. He is interred at Forest Lawn Glendale, near the crypt of his younger brother Gummo.

On October 11, 1988, actress Bonita Granville died. She was born on February 2, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. She made her film debut at the age of nine in Westward Passage (1933). Over the next couple of years she played un-credited supporting roles in such films as Little Woman (1933) and Anne of Green Gables (1934) before playing the role of Mary in These Three (1936), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress. Despite this success, and although she continued to work, the next few years brought her few opportunities to build her career. In 1938, she starred as the saucy mischievous daughter in the multi-Academy Awards nominated hit comedy film Merrily We Live and as girl detective Nancy Drew in the hit film Nancy Drew, Detective. As a young adult, she was once again cast in supporting roles, often in prestigious films such as Now, Voyager (1942), as well as two Andy Hardy films with Mickey Rooney, Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) and Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946). Her career began to fade by the mid-1940s. Bonita died on October 11, 1988 in Santa Monica, California and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Helen Hayes, Richard Jaeckel, Ed Wood, Orson Welles, Victoria Horne and Yul Brynner

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Helen Hayes known as “the First Lady of the American theater” was born Helen Hayes Brown on October 10, 1900 in Washington, District of Columbia. The diminutive star was an award winning actress of stage, film and television. Her show business career spanned seven decades from 1931 to 1985. Hayes had a very disciplined stage technique but was never totally at ease in Hollywood or with the star system. As a result she never fully embraced the screen but she adored the theater. Although her film appearances were few in quantity they were almost always high in quality. Her major film credits include; Arrowsmith (1931), A Farewell to Arms (1932), Another Language (1933), Night Flight (1933), Crime Without Passion (1934), Vanessa: Her Love Story (1935), and Airport (1970). She won two Academy Awards, first in 1932 for best actress, playing the role of a prostitute in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931), which was her debut on the big screen. A second Oscar win was for best supporting actress and it came forty years later, in 1970’s Airport. She was nominated for numerous other awards including nine Emmy awards (winning one), two Golden Globes, and three Tony Award wins. Helen Hayes died on March 17, 1993 at the Nyack Hospital in Nyack, New York from heart failure at age ninety-two. Her funeral was held at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Nyack. The funeral mass was attended by nearly five hundred mourners and was officiated by Cardinal John J. O’Connor. She is buried in a simple grave at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Nyack, New York.

Actor Richard Jaeckel was born on October 10, 1926 in Long Island, New York. During his fifty years in movies & television, he was known as one of Hollywood's best known character actors. Jaeckel got his start in the business at the age of seventeen while working as a mail clerk at 20th Century Fox studios in Hollywood. A casting director auditioned him for a key role in the 1943 film Guadalcanal Diary, Jaeckel got the role and settled into a lengthy career in supporting parts. He starred in two of the most remembered war films of 1949, Battleground and Sands of Iwo Jima with John Wayne. One of Jaeckel's shortest film roles was in The Gunfighter, in which his character is killed by Gregory Peck's character in the opening scene. He also played the role of Turk, the roomer's boyfriend, in the Oscar-winning 1952 film Come Back, Little Sheba, co-starring with Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster, and Terry Moore. In 1960, he appeared as Angus Pierce in the Western Flaming Star which starred Elvis Presley. He played Lee Marvin's able second-in-command in The Dirty Dozen for director Robert Aldrich. Jaeckel appeared in several other Aldrich films, including Attack, Ulzana's Raid and Twilight's Last Gleaming. In 1972, Jaeckel received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sometimes a Great Notion. In his later years, Jaeckel was known to TV audiences as Lt. Ben Edwards on the NBC series Baywatch. He also co-starred on Robert Urich's ABC series Spenser: For Hire in the role of Lieutenant Martin Quirk. On June 14, 1997, Jaeckel died after a three-year battle with melanoma, at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Director Ed Wood was born on October 10, 1924 in Poughkeepsie, New York. In the 1950s, Wood made a number of low-budget films, now enjoyed for their technical errors, unsophisticated special effects, large amounts of ill-fitting dialogue, eccentric casts and outlandish plot elements, although his flair for showmanship gave his projects at least a modicum of critical success. Wood's popularity waned soon after his biggest name star Bela Lugosi died. He was able to salvage a saleable feature from Lugosi's last moments on film, but his career declined thereafter. His infamy began two years after his death, when he was awarded a Golden Turkey Award as Worst Director of All Time. The lack of filmmaking ability in his work has earned Wood and his films a considerable cult following. He died on December 10, 1978 in Los Angeles and his ashes were scattered at sea.

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On October 10, 1985, actor/ director Orson Welles died. He was born on May 6, 1915in Kenosa, Wisconsin.  He is noted for his innovative dramatic productions as well as his distinctive voice and personality, Welles is widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished dramatic artists of the twentieth century, especially for his significant and influential early work, despite his notoriously contentious relationship with Hollywood. His long career in film is noted for his struggle for artistic control in the face of pressure from studios. Many of his films were heavily edited and others left unreleased. After directing a number of high-profile theatrical productions in his early twenties, including Macbeth and The Cradle Will Rock, Welles found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a 1938 radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds performed for the radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was reported to have caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was occurring, although these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated. His first film with RKO, Citizen Kane (1941) is often considered the greatest film ever made. Several of his other films, including The Magnificient Ambersons (1942), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Touch of Evil (1958), Chimes at Midnight (1965), and F for Fake (1974). He died on October 10, 1985 in Los Angeles, his ashes were given to family with final disposition being unknown.

On October 10, 2003, actress Victoria Horne died. She was born on November 1, 1911in New York City. She was a character-actress, who appeared in 49 films (uncredited in 25 of these) during the 1940s and 1950s. Her film credits include Blue Skies, Forever Amber, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, and perhaps her best-known film roles were as Myrtle Mae Simmons in the 1950’s Harvey, and as Roberta in the 1952 Three Stooges short Cuckoo on a Choo Choo. She was married actor Jack Oakie. She died on October 10, 2003 and is buried at Forest Lawn Glendale.

On October 10, 1985, actor Yul Brynner died. He was born on July 11, 1920 in Primorsky Krai, Russia. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on stage. He is also remembered as Rameses II in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille film The Ten Commandments, General Bounine in Anastasia and Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven. Brynner was noted for his distinctive voice and for his shaven head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it for his initial role in The King and I. Brynner is one of only nine people who have won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for the same role. Brynner was married four times, the first three ending in divorce. He fathered three children and adopted two. According to Marlene Dietrich's daughter Maria Riva (as she wrote in her memoir Marlene Dietrich, 1994), he had a passionate affair with the famous actress during the first production of The King and I. Brynner died of lung cancer on October 10, 1985, in New York City. Knowing he was dying of cancer, Brynner starred in a run of farewell performances of his most famous role, The King and I, on Broadway from January 7 to June 30, 1985. Throughout his life, Brynner was often seen with a cigarette in his hand. In January 1985, nine months before his death, he gave an interview on Good Morning America, expressing his desire to make an anti-smoking commercial. A clip from that interview was made into just such a public service announcement by the American Cancer Society, and released after his death; it includes the warning "Now that I'm gone, I tell you, don't smoke. Whatever you do, just don't smoke. If I could take back that smoking, we wouldn't be talking about any cancer. I'm convinced of that." He is interred, in France, on the grounds of the Saint-Michel-de-Bois-Aubry Russian Orthodox monastery, near Luzé.

Nance O'Neil and Nigel Bruce

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Actress Nance O'Neil was born on October 8, 1874 in Oakland, California. She was star of the stage, silent era and early talkies and was dubbed the American Sarah Bernhardt. In Hollywood, O'Neil began by working in silent movies and she successfully made the transition to sound films, appearing in movies such as Ladies of Leisure, Royal Bed, and The Rogue Song (all in 1930), Cimarron and Transgression (in 1931), and False Faces (1932), her last film.

Lizzie Borden

In 1904, O'Neil met the infamous accused/ acquitted double murder, Lizzie Borden in Boston. The two developed a close friendship, and rumors have persisted with no concrete proof that they were lesbian lovers. In 1916 O'Neil married Alfred Hickman, a British-born film actor who was previously married to actress Blanche Walsh. He died in 1931. Hickman and O'Neil costarred as Nicholas and Alexandra in the silent film, The Fall of the Romanovs (1917). Nance O'Neil died on February 7, 1965 and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale.

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On October 8, 1953, actor Nigel Bruce died. He was born on February 4, 1895 in England. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone. He is also remembered for his roles in the Alfred Hitchcock films Rebecca and Suspicion.Nigel Bruce typically played buffoonish, fuzzy-minded gentlemen. During his film career, he worked in 78 films, including Treasure Island (1934), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), Lassie Come Home (1943), and The Corn is Green (1945). Bruce participated in two landmark films: Becky Sharp, the first feature film in full Technicolor, and Bwana Devil, the first 3D feature. Bruce died from a heart attack on October 8, 1953 and his ashes are interred at the Chapel of the Pines Crematorium in Los Angeles.

June Allyson, Diana Lynn and Andy Devine

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Actress June Allyson was born on October 7, 1917 in the Bronx, New York. Interspersing jobs in the chorus line at the Copacabana Club with acting roles at Vitaphone, red-headed Allyson landed a chorus job in the Broadway show Sing out the News in 1938. The legend is that the choreographer gave her a job and a new name: Allyson, a family name, and June, for the month, although like many aspects of her career resume, the derivation was highly unlikely as she was already dubbing herself as "June Allyson" prior to her Broadway engagement and has even attributed the name to a later director. Allyson subsequently appeared in the chorus in Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II's Very Warm for May (1939). When Vitaphone discontinued New York production in 1940, Allyson returned to the New York stage to take on more chorus roles in Rodgers and Hart's Higher and Higher (1940) and Cole Porter's Panama Hattie (1940). Her dancing and musical talent led to a stint as an understudy for the lead, Betty Hutton, and when Hutton contracted measles, Allyson appeared in five performances of Panama Hattie. Broadway director George Abbott caught one of the nights, and offered Allyson one of the lead roles in his production of Best Foot Forward (1941).  

During World War II, after her appearance in the Broadway musical, Allyson was selected for the 1943 film version of Best Foot Forward. When she arrived in Hollywood, the production had not started so MGM "placed her on the payroll" of Girl Crazy (1943). Despite playing a "bit part," Allyson received good reviews as a sidekick to Best Foot Forward's star, Lucille Ball. Another musical, Thousands Cheer (1943) was again a showcase for her singing and dancing, albeit still in a minor role. As a new starlet, although Allyson had already been a performer on stage and screen, she was presented as an "overnight sensation,” with Hollywood press agents attempting to portray her as an ingénue, selectively slicing almost a decade off her true age. Studio bios listed her variously as being born in 1922 and 1923.  

Allyson's breakthrough was in Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) where the studio image of the "girl next door" was fostered by her being cast alongside long-time acting chum, Van Johnson, the quintessential "boy next door." As the "sweetheart team," Johnson and Allyson were to appear together in four later films. Allyson's early success as a musical star led to several other postwar musicals, including Two Sisters from Boston (1946) and Good News (1947). Allyson also played straight roles such as Constance in The Three Musketeers (1948), the tomboy Jo March in Little Women (1949), and a nurse in Battle Circus (1953). On her arrival in Hollywood, studio heads attempted to enhance the pairing of Van Johnson and Allyson by sending out the two contracted players on a series of "official dates" which were highly publicized and led to a public perception that a romance had been kindled. Although dating David Rose, Peter Lawford and John F. Kennedy, Allyson was actually being courted by movie heartthrob and powerful Hollywood "player" Dick Powell, who was 13 years her senior and had been previously married to Mildred Maund and Joan Blondell.  

On August 19, 1945, Allyson caused MGM studio chief, Louis B. Mayer some consternation by marrying Dick Powell. The couple briefly separated in 1961, but reconciled and remained married until his death on January 2, 1963. Powell's wealth made it possible for Allyson to effectively retire from show business after his death, making only occasional appearances on talk and variety shows. Allyson returned to the Broadway stage in 1970 in the play Forty Carats and later toured in a production of No, No Nanette. Following hip-replacement surgery in 2003, Allyson's health began to deteriorate. She died on July 8, 2006 from pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis at her home in Ojai, California. Her cremated remains were given to family and eventual disposition is unknown.

Actress Diana Lynn was born on October 7, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. She was considered a child prodigy because of her exceptional abilities as a pianist at an early age, and by the age of 12 was playing with the Los Angeles Junior Symphony Orchestra. She made here Hollywood film debut playing piano in They Shall Have Music (1939) and was once again back at the keyboard in There's Magic in Music (1941), when it was decided that she had more potential than she had been allowed to show. Paramount Pictures cast her in films that allowed her personality and skills as an actress to shine. Her comedic scenes with Ginger Rogers in The Major and Minor (1942) were well received, and in 1944 she scored an outstanding success in The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944). She also appeared in Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944), Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946), My Friend Irma (1949), and Bedtime for Bonzo (1951). She acted frequently in television guest roles throughout the 1960s. By 1970, she had virtually retired from acting and had relocated to New York. Paramount offered her a part in a new film, and after some consideration she accepted the offer and moved back to Los Angeles. Before filming started, she suffered a stroke and died nine days later on December 18, 1971. Lynn was buried at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City.

Actor Andy Devine was born on October 7, 1905 in Flagstaff, Arizona. He was a character actor and comic cowboy sidekick known for his distinctive raspy voice. He appeared in more than 400 films and his notable roles included ten films as sidekick "Cookie" to Roy Rogers, a role in Romeo and Juliet (1936), A Star is Born (1937), Stage coach (1939), Island in the Sky (1953), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). He also worked in radio and television. Devine died from leukemia on February 18, 1977 in Orange, California. His ashes were given to family and final disposition is unknown.

Janet Gaynor, Carole Lombard and Bette Davis

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Actress Janet Gaynor was the first winner of the Academy Award for lead actress and the youngest ever to win the award (until Marlee Matlin in 1986). She was born Laura Gainer on October 6, 1906 in Philadelphia. Gaynor had a long career in show business with over sixty film, theater, and television credits from 1924 until 1981. She was one of Hollywood’s top stars from the late 1920’s through the 1930’s. The classic virgin-heroine type on screen, her personal life mirrored her on screen persona. A devout Quaker, Gaynor lived at home with her mother until she got married. She was one of the few actresses to successfully move from silent pictures to talkies. Gaynor’s major film credits include; High Society Blues (1930), Daddy Long Legs (1931), State Fair (1933), The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935), and A Star is Born (1937).  

Gaynor won the lead actress Academy award (1927-1928) for performances in three films, Sunrise (1927), 7th Heaven (1927), and Street Angel (1928). During the first years of the Academy Awards, actors and actresses could win for multiple films. Gaynor’s award winning performances during 1927-1928, were a real challenge to box office champ, Gloria Swanson’s dominance. Gaynor was nominated for a second best actress Academy Award in 1937 in A Star is Born, but lost to Luise Rainer.                            

At the peak of her film career in 1938, Gaynor abruptly retired from films and married MGM dress designer Gilbert Adrian. Her retirement from show business lasted until 1959, when she returned to the Broadway stage in Midnight Sun. On September 5, 1982, Gaynor was seriously hurt in an automobile accident in San Francisco, which also injured fellow actress Mary Martin. Unfortunately, Gaynor never fully recovered from these injuries. Chronic illness followed the accident and on September 14, 1984, almost two years after the tragic car crash, Gaynor died from pneumonia at a Palm Springs, California area hospital. In accordance with her final wishes, there was no memorial or funeral service. Gaynor is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to her first husband, Gilbert Adrian in the Garden of Legends.

Actress Carole Lombard was born on October 6, 1908 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was known as the Queen of the 1930s screwball comedies. Lombard made her film debut at the age of twelve after in A Perfect Crime (1921). In the 1920s, she worked in several low-budget productions. Lombard achieved a few minor successes in the early 1930s but was continually cast in second-rate films. It was not until 1934 that her career began to take off. That year, director Howard Hawks encountered Lombard at a party and became enamored with her saucy personality, thinking her just right for his latest project. Film credits include Bolero (1934), My Man Godfrey (19336), for which she earned a best actress Academy Award nomination, Nothing Sacred (1937), Fools for a Scandal (1938), Made for Each other (1939), Vigil in the Night (1940), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941),  and To Be or Not to Be (1942). 

In October 1930, Lombard met William Powell. They had worked together in the films Man of the World and Ladies' Man. Unlike many of Lombard's other suitors at the time, Powell was urbane and sophisticated. He also appreciated her blunt personality and bawdy sense of humor. They married on June 26, 1931.She did not believe their sixteen-year age difference would present a problem, but friends felt they were ill-suited, as Lombard had an extroverted personality while Powell was more reserved. They divorced in 1933, but remained good friends and worked together without acrimony, notably in My Man Godfrey. In 1934, following her divorce from Powell, she carried on relationships with actors Gary Cooper and George Raft. Also during 1934, Lombard met and began a serious affair with crooner Russ Columbo. Columbo reportedly proposed marriage, but was killed in a freak shooting accident at the age of 26. To reporters, Lombard said Columbo was the love of her life.

Lombard's most famous relationship came in 1936 when she became involved with actor Clark Gable. They had worked together previously in 1932, but at the time Lombard was still happily married to Powell and knew Gable to have the reputation of a roving eye. They were indifferent to each other on the set and did not keep in touch. It was not until 1936, when Gable came to the Mayfair Ball that Lombard had planned, that their romance began to take off. Gable, however, was married at the time to oil heiress Ria Langham, and the affair was kept quiet. The situation proved a major factor in Gable accepting the role of Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, as MGM head Louis B. Mayer sweetened the deal for a reluctant Clark Gable by giving him enough money to settle a divorce agreement with Langham and marry Lombard. Gable divorced Langham on March 7, 1939 and proposed to Lombard in a telephone booth at the Brown Derby. On March 29, 1939, during a break in production on Gone with the Wind, Gable and Lombard drove out to Kingman, Arizona and were married in a quiet ceremony with only Gable's press agent, Otto Winkler, in attendance.

When the US entered World War II at the end of 1941, Lombard traveled to her home state of Indiana for a War bond rally with her mother, Bess Peters, and Clark Gable's press agent, Otto Winkler. After raising over $2 million in defense bonds, Lombard addressed her fans, saying: "Before I say goodbye to you all, come on and join me in a big cheer! V for Victory!" On January 16, 1942, Lombard, her mother, and Winkler boarded a a DC-3 airplane to return to California. After refueling in Las Vegas took off and 23 minutes later, crashed into "Double Up Peak" near the 8,300 ft level of Mt. Potosi, 32 statute miles southwest of Las Vegas. All 22 aboard, including 15 army servicemen, were killed instantly. Shortly after her death at the age of 33, Gable (who was inconsolable and devastated by her loss) joined the U.S. Army Air Corp. Lombard is interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale. Although Gable remarried, he was interred next to her when he died in 1960.

Who died on this date: 

On October 6, 1989, actress Bette Davis died. She was known as “the First Lady of the American Screen.” Davis was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts. An outgoing child, the young Bette Davis was destined for a career on the stage and film. She studied and excelled in acting under famed drama coach John Murray Anderson. In 1929, Davis made her successful Broadway stage debut in Broken Promises. It was in this performance that Hollywood began to take notice of the future award winning actress. In 1930, studio executives at Universal Pictures who offered her a contract and her film debut followed the next year (1931) in Bad Sister. The next few pictures that followed were less than successful for Davis and she was dropped by Universal Pictures. Fortunately, Warner Brothers gave her a second chance; she co-starred alongside Academy Award winning actor George Arliss in The Man Who Played God (1932). This began what would become a successful eighteen year association with Warner Studios. This relationship was very contentious; she often fought with studio head Jack Warner over top movie roles and even sued the studio in an attempt to break her contact. Davis’ storied film career spanned nearly six decades 1931 to 1989, and included over one hundred and twenty television and motion picture performances. Her first big smash hit came in 1934’s, Of Human Bondage, loaned out to RKO Pictures by Warner Studios; Davis cemented her place in Hollywood lore by playing the role of the sullen heroine, Mildred Rogers for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.

During her legendary film career, Davis was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won twice, her nominated films include: Of Human Bondage (1934), Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), Now, Voyager (1942), Mr. Skeffington (1944), All About Eve (1950), The Star (1952) , and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962). In 1935, Davis won the first of two best actress Oscars for her portrayal of Joyce Heath in Dangerous and won a second award in 1938 in Jezebel. During the late 1930’s through the mid-1940’s, Davis’ stature in the film industry grew with every film but by the end of the decade, her career began to wane and seemed headed for oblivion. A renaissance occurred when she co-starred alongside Anne Baxter in 1950’s best picture, All About Eve. Her performance in this film is considered by many to be one of the greatest of all time. During her storied film career she reigned as one of the most successful and durable stars having clawed and scratched her way to the top the film business. The award winning actress known for her toughness, huge eyes and haute acting style died on October 6, 1989 in Neuilly, France from breast cancer. Davis’ ornate crypt is found at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills outside of the Court of Remembrance. Her epitaph reads; Bette Davis, April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989; “She did it the hard way.”