RICHARD LYNCH - Cult Horror & Sci-Fi Star

Character actor Richard Lynch, who was noted for his villanious roles in numerous horror and science fiction films, was found dead at his home in Palm Springs, California, on June 19, 2012. Lynch was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 12, 1936. He was 76.  He served in the U.S. Marines in the late 1950s, and trained at New York’s Actors Studio in the 1960s. His distinctive scarred face was the result of an drug-related incident in New York’s Central Park, where he set himself on fire after a bad LSD trip in 1967. He appeared in numerous films from the early 1970s, including "Scarecrow" (1973), "The Seven-Ups" (1973), "Open Season" (1974), "The Happy Hooker" (1975), "The Premonition" (1976), "God Told Me To" (1976), "The Baron" (1977), "Stunts" (1977), "Deathsport" (1978), "Steel" (1979), "Delta Fox" (1979), "Twinkle Twinkle, Killer Kane" (aka "The Ninth Configuration") (1980), "The Formula" (1980), "The Sword and the Sorcerer" (1982), "Inferno in Diretta" (aka "Cut and Run") (1985), "Invasion U.S.A." (1985), "Savage Dawn" (1985), "Nightforce" (1987), "The Barbarians" (1987), "Little Nikita" (1988), "Bad Dreams" (1988), "High Stakes" (1989), "One Man Force" (1989), "Lockdown" (1990), "The Forbidden Dance" (1990), "Aftershock" (1990), "Return to Justice" (1990), "The Last Hero" (1991), "Alligater II: The Mutation" (1991), "Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge" (1991), "Trancers II" (1991), "Maxium Force" (1992), "Inside Edge" (1992), "Merlin" (1993), "Double Threat" (1993), "Showdown" (1993), "Necronomicon" (1993), "Loving Deadly" (1994), "Dangerous Waters" (1994), "Death Match" (1994), "Roughcut" (1994), "Scanner Cop" (1994), "Cyborg 3: The Recylcer" (1994), "Takedown" (1995),

 "Toughguy" (1995), "Dragon Fury" (1995), "Destination Vegas" (1995), "Midnight Confessions" (1995), "Vendetta" (1996), "The Garbage Man" (1996), "Werewolf" (1996), "Warrior of Justice" (1996), "Diamond Run" (1996), "Total Force" (1997), "Ground Rules" (1997), "Divine Lovers" (1997), "Under Oath" (1997), "Shattered Illusions" (1998), "Armstrong" (1998), "Love and War II" (1998), "Enemy Action" (1999), "Eastside" (1998), "Lone Tiger" (1999), "Lima: Breaking the Silence" (1999), "Strike Zone" (2000), "Death Game" (2001), "Ankle Bracelet" (2001), "Outta Time" (2002), "Crime and Punishment" (2002), "Curse of the Fourty-Niner" (2002), "Reflex Action" (2002), "Corpes Are Forever" (2003), "Final Combat" (2003), "First Watch" (2003), "Fabulous Shiksa in Destress" (2003), "Ancient Warriors" (2003), "The Mummy’s Kiss" (2003), "The Great War of Magellan" (2005), "Wedding Slashers" (2006), "Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy" (2007), Rob Zombie’s "Halloween" (2007) as Principal Chambers, "Laid to Rest" (2009), "Chrome Angels" (2009), "The Rain" (2009), "Lewisburg" (2010), "Resurrection" (2010), and "Gun of the Black Sun" (2011). He appeared frequently on television, guest-starring in episodes of "Bronk", "Switch", "Baretta", "Serpico", "The Bionic Woman", "Battlestar Galactica", "Police Woman", "The Streets of San Francisco", "Starsky and Hutch", "Barnaby Jones", "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", "A Man Called Sloane", "Charlie’s Angels", "Galactica 1980" as Xavier, "Vega$", "McLain’s Law", "The Phoenix" as Justin Preminger from 1981 to 1982, "Bring ‘Em Back Alive", "T.J. Hooker", "Manimal", "Masquerade", "Blue Thunder", "Automan", "Matt Houston", "Cover Up", "The A-Team", "The Fall Guy", "Partners in Crime", "Riptide", "MacGruder and Loud", "Scarecrow and Mrs. King", "Airwolf", "The Last Precinct", "Once a Hero", "The Law and Harry McGraw", "Werewolf",

 "CBS Summer Playhouse", "Hunter", "High Performance", "True Blue", "Dark Justice", "Jake and the Fatman", "Super Force" in the recurring role of Dr. Lothar Presley, "The Hat Squad", "Star Trek: The Next Generation", "Cobra", "Murder, She Wrote", "Thunder in Paradise", "Phantom 2040" in a voice role, "Highlander", "Baywatch", "Noi Siamo Angeli", "Thinking About Africa", "Mike Hammer, Private Eye", "Air America", "Acapulco H.E.A.T.", "Six Feet Under", and "Charmed". His other television credits include the tele-films "Roger & Harry: The Mitera Target" (1977), "Good Against Evil" (1977), "Dog and Cat" (1977), "Vampire" (1979), "Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story" (1980), "Sizzle" (1981), "White Water Rebels" (1983), "The Last Ninja" (1983), "Kojak: Flowers for Matty" (1990), and "Terminal Virus" (1995). Lynch had recently completed filming Rob Zombie’s "The Lords of Salem" (2012) at the time of his death. He and first wife, Beatrix, had a son, Christopher, who appeared with his father in the 1991 film "Trancers II", and died of pneumonia in 2005. He is survived by his second wife, Lily, who starred with him in the 1998 film "Breaking the Silence".

 

                                

RAY BRADBURY - Legendary Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer - Dead at 91

Author Ray Bradbury, who was one of the most acclaimed science fiction writers of the 20th Century, died in Los Angeles following a long illness on June 5, 2012. He was 91.  Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920. He was a voracious reader from an early age, and was soon writing his own tales. His youthful encounter with a traveling carnival performer known as Mr. Electro - who jolted him with an electrical current with the words "Live Forever" - further inspired his writing aspirations.  He began writing for science fiction fanzines in the late 1930s, and made his first professional sale to Super Science Stories in 1941. A collection of his short-stories, Dark Carnival, was published by Arkham House in 1947. His numerous works include The Martian Chronicles (1950), Fahrenheit 451 (1953), Dandelion Wine (1957), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962), The Halloween Tree (1972), Death Is a Lonely Business (1985), A Graveyard for Lunatics (1990), From the Dust Returned (2001), Let's All Kill Constance (2003), and It Came from Outer Space (2003). He also authored numerous short-story collections including The Illustrated Man (1951), The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953) which included the classic tale "A Sound of Thunder", The October Country (1955), A Medicine for Melancholy (1959), R Is for Rocket (1962), The Machineries of Joy (1964), S Is for Space (1966), I Sing the Body Electric! (1969), Long After Midnight (1976), A Memory of Murder (1984), The Toynbee Convector (1988), Quicker Than the Eye (1996), Driving Blind (1998), One More for the Road (2002), and The Cat's Pajamas: Stories (2004). Many of Bradbury's tales were adapted for EC Comics in the early 1950s. They also were dramatised on radio for the science fiction anthology series "Dimension X" and "X Minus One", and on such television series as Tales of Tomorrow, Lights Out, Out There, Suspense, CBS Television Workshop, Jane Wyman's Fireside Theatre, Star Tonight, Windows, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His screen treatment "Atomic Monster" was adapted for the 1953 film "It Came from Outer Space", and his short-story "The Fog Horn" inspired "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" (1953). He scripted John Huston's 1956 film version of Herman Melville's classic tale, "Moby Dick". Bradbury's work on the film inspired a semi-fictionalized account of his experiences with the 1992 book Green Shadows, White Whale. His short-story, "I Sing the Body Electric", was adapted for an episode of "The Twilight Zone" in 1962 and became the tele-film "The Electric Grandmother" in 1982. Francois Truffaut directed a 1966 adaptation of the novel "Fahrenheit 451", starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. Several of his short stories were collected for the 1969 film "The Illustrated Man" starring Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom, and "The Martian Chronicles" became a television mini-series with Rock Hudson in 1980. His dark fantasy novel "Something Wicked This Way Comes" became a film in 1983.  A television series, Ray Bradbury Theater, aired from 1985 to 1992, featuring adaptations of numerous Bradbury tales, and an introduction by Bradbury for each episode. The 60+ episodes were written by Bradbury and many on his earlier works including "A Sound of Thunder", "Marionettes, Inc.", "Banshee", "The Playground", "Mars is Heaven", "Usher II", "The Jar", "The Long Rain", "The Veldt", "The Small Assassin", "The Pedestrian", "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl, "Here There Be Tygers", "The Toynbee Convector", and "Sun and Shadow". Bradbury scripted a 1998 film version of "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit", and the 2005 feature "A Sound of Thunder" was losely based on his short-story of the same name. His short story also formed the basis for the 2008 film "Chrysalis". His wife of 57 years, Marguerite, predeceased him in 2003, and he is survived by their four daughters and eight grandchildren

Ray Bradbury was unique - his works were a mixture of childhood exhilaration and fears, and adult anxieties and triumphs.  He was largely responsible for bringing science fiction and fantasy tales to mainstream America from the 1940s.  He, with Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Fredrick Pohl and a handful of others, inspired generations of readers into the Space Age and beyond.  Bradbury was a popular media figure in the 1960s, when science fiction was rapidly become science fact.  He was perhaps at his best when commenting at the time of the June 1969 lunar landing -"...it's the night when we become immortal-when we begin the steps that will enable us to live forever. Now, if you don't know this, you don't know anything about space. To hell with all the political talk. To hell with all the military talk. To hell with all this nonsense that you're giving me about the funds and priorities and all this.  The money that's spent on this is miniscule compared to the money wasted on our war efforts the last 10 or 15 years.  "Give me the pittance to work with because I have long views, and I want you to have the long views with me; and the long view is this-at the center of all of our theologies, at the center of all of our philosophies for thousands of years, people have said, 'Why live? Why bother? What's the use if we're going to stay here and die and our philosophies be buried and stuffed in our mouths?  What's the use? What is it all about?'  Suddenly the space ship comes along-the gift we give ourselves and the total race the gift of life, as mysterious as it is. We've been trying to figure it out for thousands of years now. We've had to take it on faith from the theologians and on data from the scientists, and we are still so ignorant..."We are still the ape man in the cave, and we have this torch given us - the rocket ship. Now, for God's sake, we use it to light the universe with. We don't know what's out there. We know it's pretty empty. And our part of the universe is full of us and this gift. I want that gift to go on. I want mirror images of myself and my children's children's children to go on.  All of you. Now, we can't stay here and die, that's for sure.  We are a danger to ourselves. We must go off to other worlds. We will go to the moon. We will go to Mars.  We will go beyond Jupiter. We will be going beyond our own solar system and eventually, sometime in the next 100, 500, 1,000 years, we will build those starcraft we've been speaking of and head for stars so far away they are impossible to imagine. "That's what it's all about. It's huge. It's a long-range thing. And the things that we do here on earth right now are housekeeping. I want to do them both! I want to clean up the house and improve the civil disputes and help the people, but help them also to survive not for 100 years, not for 1,000 years but for the 2 billion years that will be the Age of Apollo which opens before us this very instant."

KANETO SHINDO - Japanese Film Director - Onibaba & Kuroneko - Dead at 100

Japanese film director and writer Kaneto Shindo, who helmed the 1960s ghost story "Onibaba", died in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 29, 2012. He was 100.  Shindo was born in Hiroshima on April 22, 1912. He embarked on a career in film in the mid-1930s with Shinko Kinema in Kyoto. He soon moved with Shinko to Tokyo where he worked under Hiroshi Mizutani in the art department. He served as art director for several films in the late 1930s and was soon writing scripts for such films as "Mojo-Tsukai no Shimai" (1941) and "Hokkyokuko" (1941). He served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, but his physical exam relegated him to cleaning building used by the military. He returned to the cinema after the war, joining the Shochiku Film Company. He worked frequently as screenwriter for director Kozaburo Yoshimura, and had a hit with 1947's "A Ball at the Anjo House". They teamed with actor Taiji Tonoyama to form the independent production company Kindai Eiga Kyokai in 1950, and Shindo made his directorial debut with the semi-autobiographical "The Story of a Beloved Wife" the following year. He also directed the 1952 film "Avalanche", and "Children of Hiroshima", about the dropping of the atomic bomb on his hometown, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953. He also helmed "Shukuzu" (1953), "Onna no Issho" (1953), "Dobu" (1954), "Okami" (1955), "Gin Shinju" (1956), "Ryuri no Kishi" (1956), "Joyu" (1956), "Umi no Yarodomo" (1957), "Kanashimi wa Onna Dakeni" (1958), "Lucky Dragon Number 5" (1959), and "Hanayome-san wa Sekai-Ichi" (1959). He earned internation success with 1960's "The Naked Island" which starred his frequent leading lady Nobuko Otowa. Shindo followed his success with the socially relevant films "Ningen" (1962) and "Mother" (1963), before helming the acclaimed supernatural horror film "Onibaba" in 1964. His other film credits include "Akuto" (1965), "Lost Sex" (1966), "Libido" (1967), the horror film "Kuroneko" (aka "Black Cat") (1968),

"Operation Negligee" (1968), "Heat Wave Island" (1969), "Strange Affinity" (1970), "Live Today, Die Tomorrow!" (1970), "Kanawa" (1972), "Sanka" (1972), "Love Betrayed" (1973), "My Way" (1974), the 1975 documentary "Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director", "The Life of Chikuzan" (1977), "The Strangling" (1979), "Edo Porn" (1981), "The Horizon" (1984), "Black Board" (1986), "Tree Without Leaves" (1986), "Sakura-tai Chiru" (1988), "The Strange Tale of Oyuki" (1992), "A Last Note" (1995), "Will to Live" (1999), "By Player" (2000), "Owl" (2003), "Teacher and Three Children" (2008), and "Postcard" (2010). His son, Jiro Shindo, produced several of his later films, and granddaughter Kaze Shindo also became a film director and writer.

RICHARD DAWSON - Family Feud Host & Running Man Villain - Dead at 79

British-born comedian Richard Dawson, who was best known as host of the "Family Feud" game show, died of complications of esophageal cancer in Los Angeles on June 2, 2012. He was born Colin Lionel Emm in Gosport, Hampshire, England, on November 20, 1932. He began his career as a comedian in England under the name Dickie Dawson. He married actress Diana Dors in 1959 and came to the United States in the early 1960s. He was featured in a handful of films including "The Longest Day" (1962), "Promises! Promises!" (1963), "King Rat" (1965), "Out of Sight" (1966), "Munsters, Go Home!" (1966), and "The Devil's Brigade" (1968). He also appeared on television in episodes of "The Jack Benny Program", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Outer Limits" (in "The Invisibles" episode), "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", and "Mr. Terrific". Dawson had seperated from Dors several years before their divorce in 1966. He was noted for his role as Cpl. Peter Newkirk in the popular comedy series "Hogan's Heroes", starring Bob Crane, from 1965 to 1971. He was a regular performer on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" from 1971 to 1973, and was Richard Richardson on the sit-com "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" from 1973 to 1974. He also guest-starred in episodes of "McCloud", "Lover, American Style", "Wait Till Your Father Comes Home", "The Odd Couple", "McMillan & Wife", "Fantasy Island", and "The Love Boat", and appeared in the 1978 tele-filn "How to Pick Up Girls!". Dawson became best known for his work in television game-shows, becoming a regular panelist on the popular "Match Game" from 1973 to 1978 with host Gene Rayburn, and fellow stars Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly. He hosted the short-lived game show "Masquerade Party" in 1974, and became the first host of "Family Feud" in 1975. He earned a Daytime Emmy Award in 1978, and his kissing of female contestants became his trademark. He remained with the series until it was canceled in 1985. Dawson starred in the 1987 science fiction film "The Running Man" with Sylvester Stallone, playing Damon Killian, the host of a deadly futuristic game show. He returned to "Family Feud" for a season in 1994, before retiring from show business. He married Gretchen Johnson in 1991, who he had met when she was a "Family Feud" contestant a decade earlier. She and their daughter survive him, as do his two sons from his previous marriage.



JANET CARROLL - Tom Cruise's Mother in Risky Business - Dead at 71

Actress Janet Carroll, who was featured as Tom Cruise’s mother in her film debut in 1983’s "Risky Business", died on May 22, 2012. She was born in Chicago on December 24, 1940. She appeared frequently on stage, film, and television from the early 1980s. Her film also credits include "Secret Admirer" (1985), "The Killing Time" (1987), "Astronomy" (1988), "Memories of Me" (1988), "The Platnuim Triangle" (1989), "Family Business" (1989), "Talent For the Game" (1991), "Born to Be Wild" (1995), "Destiny Turns on the Radio" (1995), "Timemaster" (1995), "Ugly Naked People" (1999), "Forces of Nature" (1999), "The Omega Code" (1999), "All You Need" (2001), "Changing Hearts" (2002), "Enough" (2002), "The Marriage Undone" (2002), "The Substitute Waiter" (2004), "Confession" (2005), "Living ‘til the End" (2005), "Beyond the Quest" (2007), "(Untitled)" (2009), and "What Happens Next" (2011). Carroll was also featured in the tele-films "Chicago Story" (1981), "Getting Physical" (1984), "The Right of the People" (1986), "Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story" (1986), "Bluffing It" (1987), "Sharing Richard" (1988), "When He’s Not A Stranger" (1989), "Daughters of Privilage" (1991), "One Special Victory" (1991), "Betrayed: A Story of Three Women" (1995), and "Christmas Spirit" (2011). Her other television credits include episodes of "The Devlin Connection", "Knight Rider", "Spencer", "Alice", "Cagney & Lacey", "Double Dare", "Mary", "The Twilight Zone", "You Again?", "Hill Street Blues", "The Golden Girls", "Designing Women", "A Year in the Life", "227", "Buck James", and "21 Jump Street". She was featured as Carol Danzig in the series "The Bronx Zoo" from 1987 to 1988, and appeared in the recurring role of anchorman Jim Dial’s wife, Doris, in "Murphy Brown" from 1990 to 1996. She was Gary, Al Bundy’s boss at the shoe store, in "Married with Children" from 1994 to 1997, and was Marion Shaw in "Melrose Place" from 1993 to 1997. She also appeared in episodes of "L.A. Law", "Jake and the Fatman", "Quantum Leap", "The Boys", "The Famous Teddy Z", "Mancuso, FBI", "Glory Days", "Life Goes On", "Empty Nest", "Pacific Station", "Reasonable Doubts", "The Hat Squad", "The Mommies", "Boy Meets World", "Matlock", "The Bonnie Hunt Show", "Coach", "Pacific Blue", "Touched By An Angel", "The Closer", "Living in Captivity", "Maggie", "Cupid", "Frank Leaves For the Orient", "7th Heaven", "Time of Your Life", "3rd Rock From the Sun", "Beverly Hills, 90210", "The Norm Show", "Dead Last", "Ally McBeal", "Pasadena", "Judging Amy", "Still Standing", "Scrubs", "Brothers & Sisters", "Six Degrees", "The Clown Project", and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit".

FREDERICK E. SMITH - Author of "Devil Doll" (1964) & the 633 Squadron Series

British author Frederick E. Smith died of a heart attack in Bourneouth, England, on May 15, 2012.  He was 93.  His 1951 short story about a diabolical ventriloquist was adapted for the 1964 horror film "Devil Doll" starring Bryant Haliday.  Smith's experiences while serving in the Royal Air Force inspired his 1956 novel "633 Squadron", which was adapted for a film starring Cliff Robertson in 1964.  He later penned several spin-off from 1975's "Operation Rhine Maiden" through 2007's "Operation Safeguard".  He was the author of numerous other books including "Of Masks and Minds" (1954), "Laws Be Their Enemy" (1955), "Lydia Trendennis" (1957), "The Sin and the Sinners" (1958), "The Grotto of Tiberius" (1961), "The Other Cousin" (1962) and "Temptation Isle" under the pseudonym David Farrell, "The Devil Behind Me" (1962), "The Dark Cliffs" (1962), "The Storm Knight" (1966), "A Killing for the Hawks" (1966), "Strange Enemy" (1967) again as Farrell, "The Wider Sea of Love" (1969), the 1970 novelization of the film "Waterloo", "See How We Run" (1972), three novelizations of the television series "The Persuaders!" in 1972, "The Tormented" (1974), "Saffron's War" (1975), "Saffron's Army" (1977), "Saffron's Trials" (1996), "The War God" (1980), "The Obsession" (1984), "Rage of the Innocents" (1986), "A Meeting of Stars" (1987), "In Presence of my Foes" (1988), and "Years of the Fury" (1989). He published two volumes of memoirs, "A Youthful Absurdity" (2011) and "An Author's Absurdities" (2012).

JEROME ROSS - Television Writer - Way Out & The Outer Limits

Television writer Jerome Ross died on February 11, 2012. He was 101. Ross was born in New York City on February 10, 1911.  He became a leading writer in the early days of television, penning episodes of such series as “The Philco Television Playhouse”, “Mister Peepers”, “Robert Montgomery Presents”, “Medallion Theatre”, “The Star and the Story”, “Appointment with Adventure”, “Goodyear Television Playhouse”, “Matinee Theatre”, “The Ford Television Theatre”, “The Alcoa Hour”, “Studio One”, “General Electric Theater”, “Perry Mason”, “The Untouchables”, “Way Out” (the episode "20/20"), “Armstrong Circle Theatre”, “Naked City”, “The Defenders”, “Saints and Sinners”, “The DuPont Show of the Week”, “Breaking Point”, “The Outer Limits” ("The Man with the Power" episode starring Donald Pleasence), “Arrest and Trial”, “Kraft Suspense Theatre”, “Dr. Kildare”, “The Fugitive”, “Alfred Hitchcock Hour”, “The Bing Crosby Show”, “The Long, Hot Summer”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Felony Squad”, “Mannix”, “The Mod Squad”, “Hawaii 5-O”, “Marcus Welby, M.D.”, “The Paper Chase”, and “Young Maveick”.