PATRICIA BRESLIN - Leading Lady in Homicidal and Twilight Zone

Actress Patricia Breslin died after a long illness in a Baltimore, Maryland, hospital on October 12, 2011. She was 80.  Breslin was born in New York City on March 17, 1931. She began her career on the New York stage and made her television debut as Juliet in a 1949 production of Romeo and Juliet". She also appeared in episodes of "The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse", "Broadway Television Theatre" in a 1952 production of "Rebecca", "Kraft Theatre", "Suspense", "Hallmark Hall of Fame", "Armstrong Circle Theatre", "The Mask", "Studio One", "The Web", "Robert Montgomery Presents", "The Best of Broadway" in "Arsenic and Old Lace" in 1955, "Justice", "Appointment with Adventure", "Schiltz Playhouse", and "Alcoa Theatre". She starred as Mandy Miller on the comedy series "The People’s Choice" with Jackie Cooper from 1955 to 1958. She continued to appear in such series as "Maverick", "The Millionaire", "The Rifleman", "The Rebel", "The New Breed", "Tales of Wells Fargo", "Adventures in Paradise", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Thriller", "Bonanza", "Stoney Burke", "Saints and Sinners", "Perry Mason", "Twilight Zone" guest starring with William Shatner in the 1960 episode "Nick of Time", "The Dick Powell Theatre", "Dr. Kildare", "The Greatest Show on Earth", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", and "The Virginian". She starred as Laura Brooks in the prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place" from 1964 to 1965, and was Nurse Meg Bentley on the daytime soap "General Hospital" in 1966. She appeared in several films including "Go, Man, Go!" (1954), "Andy Hardy Comes Home" (1958), the William Castle thriller "Homicidal" (1961) as Miriam, Webster, and "I Saw What You Did" (1965). She married NFL team owner Art Modell in 1969, and returned from acting. She and her husband were active in the arts and philanthropy in Cleveland where he owned the Cleveland Browns. She continued her philanthropic endeavors when Modell moved his football team to Baltimore in 1996.

COBINA WRIGHT, JR - Charlie Chan Star

Actress Cobina Wright, Jr., who starred in a handful of films in the early 1940s, died in Solvang, California, on September 1, 2011. She was 90.  Wright was born in New York City on August 14, 1921. Her mother was society columnist Cobina Wright, Sr., who pushed her daughter into a career in show business. She worked as a model and performed on radio. She was also featured in the films "Small Town Deb" (1941), "Murder Among Friends" (1941), "Moon Over Miami" (1941), "Accent on Love" (1941), "Charlie Chan in Rio" (1941), "Week-End in Havana" (1941), "Right to the Heart" (1942), "Footlight Serenade" (1942), and "Something to Shout About" (1943). She married Palmer Beaudette in 1941, and soon retired from show business to raise a family. She was widowed when Beaudette died in 1968.

MARILYN NASH - Chaplin Leading Lady

with Chaplin

 

Actress Marilyn Nash, who was Charles Chaplin’s leading lady in the 1947 film "Monsieur Verdoux", died on October 8, 2011. She was 84.  Nash was born in Detroit, Michigan, in October of 1926. She met Chaplin while visiting Los Angeles in the late 1940s, and he cast her as Girl in "Monsieur Verdoux". Nash made only one further film, the 1951 sci-fi feature "Unknown World". She also appeared in episodes of "Hopalong Cassidy" and "Medic", and performed in numerous stage productions. Her first husband was screenwriter and producer Philip Yordan. She later was featured in the 2007 documentary "Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story", about the exploitation film legend who had been a friend of her and her husband.



CHARLES NAPIER - Star Trek Hippie & Hannibal Lecter Victim

Veteran character actor Charles Napier, whose career ranged from "hero" in Russ Meyer's sexploitation classics, to Hannibal Lecter's victim in "Silence of the Lambs", died in a Bakersfield, California, hospital on October 5, 2011. He was 75. Napier was born in Scottsville, Kentucky, on April 12, 1936. He began his career in the late 1960s, and was noted for his roles in such cult exploitation classics as "Cherry, Harry & Raquel!" (1970), "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970), and "Supervixens" (1975) for director Russ Meyer. His numerous film credits also include "The Hanging Jake Ellis" (1969), "The Seven Minutes" (1971), "Love and Kisses" (1971), "Moonfire" (1973), "Thunder and Lightning" (1977), "Handle With Care" (1977), "Last Embrace" (1979), "The Blues Brothers" (1980) as dim-witted country singer Tucker McElroy, "Melvin and Howard" (1980), "Wacko" (1982), "China Lake" (1983), "In Search of a Golden Sky" (1984), "Swing Shift" (1984), "Rambo: First Blood Part II" (1985) as the villain Murdock, "Instant Justice" (1986), "Something Wild" (1986), "The Night Stalker" (1987), "Camping del Terrore" (1987), "Deep Space" (1988), "Married to the Mob" (1988), "Hit List" (1989), "Alien from the Deep" (1989), "One Man Force" (1989), "The Last Match" (1990), "Cop Target" (1990), "After the Condor" (1990), "Dragonfight" (1990), "Ernest Goes to Jail" (1990), "Miami Blues" (1990), "Future Zone" (1990), "Maniac Cop 2" (1990), "The Grifters" (1990), "Killer Instinct" (1991), "Under Surveillance" (1991)

 "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991) as Hannibal Lecter victim Lt. Bill Boyle, "Indio 2 - La Rivolta" (1991), "Soldier’s Fortune" (1991), "Lonely Hearts" (1991), "Frogtown II" (1992), "Center of the Web" (1992), "Mean Tricks" (1992), "Eyes of the Beholder" (1992), "National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1" (1993), "Skeeter" (1993), "Philadelphia" (1993) as Judge Garnett, "Silent Fury" (1994), "Body Shot" (1994), "To Die, To Sleep" (1994), "Silk Degrees" (1994), "Raw Justice" (1994), "Savage Land" (1994), "Fatal Choice" (1995), "Felony" (1995), "Hard Justice" (1995), "Ripper Man" (1995), "3 Ninjas Knuckle Up" (1995), "Jury Duty" (1995), "Ballistic" (1995), "Alien Species" (1996), "Billy Lone Bear" (1996), "Expert Witness" (1996), "Original Gangstas" (1996), "The Cable Guy" (1996), "No Small Ways" (1997), "Macon County Jail" (1997), "Riot" (1997), "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" (1997), "Steel" (1997), "Centurion Force" (1998), "Armstrong" (1998), "Second Chances" (1998), "Beloved" (1998), "Los Gringos" (1999), "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999), "The Big Tease" (1999), "Pirates of the Plain" (1999), "Lima: Breaking the Silence" (1999), "Never Look Back" (2000), "Cypress Edge" (2000), "Very Mean Men" (2000), "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" (2000), "The Thief and the Stripper" (2000), "Forgive Me Father" (2001), "The Hunter’s Moon" (2001), "Down ‘n Dirty" (2001), "Extreme Honor" (2001), "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" (2002) as the voice of Roy, "Dinocroc" (2004), "The Manchurian Candidate" (2004), "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), "Suits On the Loose" (2005), "The Kid & I" (2005), "Annapolis" (2006), "Your Name Here" (2008), "bgFATLdy" (2008), "One-Eyed Monster" (2008), "The River Bridge" (2008), "Shadowheart" (2009), "Life Blood" (2009), and "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" (2009). Napier appeared frequently on television from the 1960s. He was featured as Adam, an alien hippie, in the 1969 "Star Trek" episode "The Way to Eden". he was also seen in episodes of "Mannix", "Hogan’s Heroes", "Mission: Impossible", "Kojak", "The Streets of San Francisco", "Baretta", "The Rookies", "Black Sheep Squadron", "Delvecchio", "The Rockford Files", "The Oregon Trail" as Luther Sprague in 1977, "Starsky and Hutch", "B.J. and the Bear" in the recurring role of Hammer, "Walking Tall", "Concrete Cowboys", "Private Benjamin", "The Incredible Hulk", "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers", "Knight Rider", "Simon & Simon", "CHiPs", "Tales of the Gold Monkey", "Dallas" in the recurring role of Carl Daggett, "Gun Shy", "The Dukes of Hazzard", "Night Court", "Wiz Kids", "The A-Team", "Street Hawk", the sci-fi western "Outlaws" as Wolfson Lucus in 1986, "Guns Of Paradise", "L.A. Law", "The Golden Palace", "Renegade", "Coach", "Rebel Highway", "Murder, She Wrote", "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman", "Hudson Street", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", "Pacific Blue", "George & Leo", "Party of Five", "The Magician", "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Roswell", "Diagnosis Murder", "The Practice", "Son of the Beach", "The 4400", "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "Monk", "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and "Cold Case". He also appeared in the tele-films "Alien Attack" (1976), "Ransom for Alice!" (1977), "Big Bob Johnson and His Fantastic Speed Circus" (1978), "Gridlock" (1980), "The Blue and the Gray" (1982), "The Outlaws" (1984), "The Cartier Affair" (1984), "The Incredible Hulk Returns" (1988), "War and Remembrance" (1989), "Treacherous Crossing" (1992), "John Carpenter Presents Body Bags" (1996), " Max Is Missing" (1995), "Trash" (2003), and "Fielder’s Choice" (2005). Napier was also a popular voice actor in animated productions, with roles in "The Critic" as Duke Phillips, "The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest", "Jumanji", "Superman" as General Hardcastle, "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command", "Men in Black: The Series" as Zed, "God, the Devil and Bob", "The Legend of Tarzan", "The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai", "Justice League", "The Simpsons", "The Batman", "Squidbillies", "Ned’s Declassified", "School Survival Guide", and "Archer". His autobiography, "Square Jaw and Big Heart", was released earlier in 2011.



BETTY LUSTER - MST3000's Mr. B Natural

Dancer Better Luster died in Florida on May 25, 2011. She was 89.  She was born on April 27, 1922. She began performing with a dance troupe in the late 1930s, and was featured in a small role on Broadway in a 1940 production of Irving Berlin’s "Louisiana Purchase". She was a hostess for the 1950 television gameshow "Sing It Again", and was a regular performer on the variety series "Seven at Eleven". She returned to Broadway in "The Wayward Saint" in 1955. She became best known for her title role in 1957’s "Mr. B Natural" as a hep pixie who encourages high school students to pursue music in an educational short sponsored by a musical instrument manufacturer. The short achieved fame when it was included in a 1991 episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Luster retired from show business in the late 1950s.

ANDREW LASZLO - Star Trek V Cinematographer

 

Cinematographer Andrew Laszlo died in Montana on October 7, 2011. He was 85.  Laszlo was born in Papa, Hungary, on January 12, 1926. He began working as a camera apprentice at a Budapest film studio prior to World War II. He and his family were sent to a Nazi concentration camp during the war, and he was the only survivor. He came to the United States in 1947 and worked as a freelance photographer. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a combat photographer during the Korean War. Laszlo produced industrial films before becoming a camera operator and cinematographer for television in the late 1950s, working on such series as "The Phil Silvers Show", "Naked City", and "Coronet Blue". He made his feature film debut as cinematographer for 1964’s "One Potato, Two Potato", and filmed the 1966 documentary "The Beatles at Shea Stadium". He also photographed the films "You’re a Big Boy Now" (1966), "The Night They Raided Minsky’s" (1968), "Popi" (1969), "The Out of Towners" (1970), "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970), "The Owl and the Pussycat" (1970), "Jennifer on My Mind" (1971), "To Find a Man" (1972), "Class of ‘44" (1973), "Cool Red" (1976), "Thieves" (1977), "Somebody Killed Her Husband" (1978), "The Warriors" (1979), "The Funhouse" (1981), "Southern Comfort" (1981), "I, the Jury" (1982), "First Blood" (1982), "Streets of Fire" (1984), "Thief of Hearts" (1984), "That’s Dancing!" (1985), "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" (1985), "Poltergeist II: The Other Side" (1986), "Innerspace" (1987), "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989), "Ghost Dad" (1990), and "Newsies" (1992). He also filmed the television productions "Teacher, Teacher" (1969), "Back Water Gold" (1970), "The Man Without a Country" (1973) which earned him an Emmy Award nomination, "Miracle on 34th Street" (1973), "Hunters of the Reef" (1978), "The Dain Curse" (1978), "Top of the Hill" (1980), the 1980 mini-series "Shogun" earning another Emmy nomination, "Thin Ice:" (1981), and "Love Is Forever" (1983).

DAVID HESS - Last House on the Left Arch-Villain

Actor and songwriter David Hess died on October 8, 2011. He as 69.  Hess was born in New York City on September 19, 1942. He began his career as a singer songwriter in the 1950s under the name David Hill. He for worked Shalimar Music where he penned such songs as "Start Movin’" for Sal Mineo, "Rockin’ Shoes" for the Ames Brothers, and several tunes for Elvis Presley. He wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzales" under the name David Dante in 1962. He joined Mercury records later in the decade, where he wrote the rock opera "The Naked Carmen". He made his film debut in Wes Craven’s 1972 horror classic "The Last House on the Left", starring as the vile killer Krug Stillo. He also composed the soundtrack for the film. He worked frequently in Europe in the 1970s, and continued to be seen in such films as "Montana Trap" (1976), "The Swiss Conspiracy" (1976), "The Naked Prey" (1977), "Avalanche Express" (1979), "House on the Edge of the Park" (1980),

 "Swamp Thing" (1982) as Ferret, "White Star" (1983), "Armed and Dangerous" (1986), "Let’s Get Harry" (1986), "Camping del Terrore" (1987), "SindromeVeneziana" (1989), "Omicidio a Luci Blu" (1991), "Buck ai Confini del Cielo" (1991), "Jonathan Degli Orsi" (1995), "Nutcracker" (2001), "Zombie Nation" (2004), "Zodiac Killer" (2005), "The Absence of Light" (2006), "Used" (2007), "Go Together" (2007), and "Smash Cut" (2009). Hess was also seen in the tele-film "21 Hours at Munich" (1976), "Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls" (1981), "Sadat" (1983), "Ocean" (1989), and "A Fatal Assignment" (1991). His other television credits include episodes of "Baretta", "Knight Rider", "Manimal", "The Fall Guy", "The A-Team", "Noi Siamo Angeli", and "Royal Pains". He also continued his music career, releasing two albums in the 2000’s.