Author: John

Famed Russian actor Yankovsky dies at 65

MOSCOW (AFP) — Oleg Yankovsky (February 23, 1944 – May 20, 2009) a popular Russian actor best known internationally for his work with dissident Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, died of cancer Wednesday aged 65.

Yankovsky died early Wednesday morning after a long battle with the illness, said Yulia Kosereva, a spokeswoman for Moscow’s Lenkom theatre where the actor had worked since 1973.

"He had cancer. He had been fighting it for more than half a year," Kosereva told AFP.

The renowned stage and screen actor was born in 1944 in Kazakhstan after his family was exiled there under the brutal dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. His father died in a Gulag labour camp in the Central Asian republic.

Oleg Yankovsky

Yankovsky left Kazakhstan in his youth and received a drama education in the southern Russian city of Saratov before being invited to join the troupe of Lenkom, one of Moscow’s top theatres.

Tall with an aristocratic manner, Yankovsky appeared in scores of films starting in the 1960s and was beloved by Soviet and Russian audiences.

Internationally, Yankovsky was perhaps best known for his roles in two films by art-house master Tarkovsky, "The Mirror" and "Nostalgia," the latter of which was filmed in Italy.

The actor died just as his last film — "Tsar," a historical epic about Russia’s infamous 16th-century ruler Ivan the Terrible — was on the programme at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said he and his family were "shaken" by Yankovsky’s death.

"For many years we were friends with him. We loved him as an actor — an actor who was undoubtedly extraordinary — and respected him very much as a person," Gorbachev was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

Yankovsky’s funeral was set to take place on Friday, said Lenkom spokeswoman Kosereva.

The actor is to be buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, one of the most prestigious graveyards in Russia and the final resting place of many other artists and authors including playwright Anton Chekhov.

Wayne Anthony Allwine (February 7, 1947 – May 18, 2009) was an American voice actor, a sound effects editor and foley artist for Walt Disney Studios and the third voice of Mickey Mouse, a role he assumed from Jimmy MacDonald. Allwine was born in Los Angeles, California.

Allwine was married to Russi Taylor, the current voice of Minnie Mouse. They wed in Hawaii in 1991. They were both named Disney Legends in 2008.

Death of Wayne Allwine
Allwine died Monday May 18, 2009 from complications from diabetes.

Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (June 9, 1964 – May 15, 2009) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association and a smooth jazz bass guitarist and a member of the Oklahoma Tourism Board. Tisdale and wife Regina have four children.

Death of Wayman Tisdale
Tisdale died from cancer on the morning of May 15, 2009, at age 44, at St. John’s Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Basketball Career
As a center and power forward, Tisdale averaged over 15 points and six rebounds per game in a 12-season professional career with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. His best season was in 1989-90 with the Kings, when he averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Tisdale and Mitch "The Rock" Richmond combined to one of the most dynamic duos in the NBA. In 1997, Tisdale retired to focus on his musical career.

Music Career
Tisdale released his debut CD, Power Forward, in 1995. In 2002, he was awarded the Legacy Tribute Award by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. In an ESPN internet chat, Tisdale claims his musical influences include funk bands of the 1970s

May 13th 2009 myspace bulletin: "On Tuesday, May 12th, 2009, at 9pm (local time), the sudden feeling of physical discomfort that hit the singer of Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan, just a few minutes before going on stage for the band’s performance, resulted in his immediate transfer to the hospital and the postponement of the band’s show.

Even though everyone hoped for the singer’s speedy recovery and the rescheduling of the band’s show for May 13th, 2009, according to the information received by the band’s management and the doctor on duty, the artist’s health condition does not allow it.

Shortly, a new announcement will follow that will regard either a new date for the show of Depeche Mode, or its final cancellation.

The show’s organizers kindly request that all you ticket holders keep your tickets as these will guarantee you your entrance if a new show date is scheduled or will allow you to get a refund in the event that the show is cancelled altogether.

Guitarist and songwriter Stephen Bruton, who had played with Kris Kristofferson for nearly 40 years and whose songs had been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett and others, has died. He was 60.

Bruton died Saturday of complications of throat cancer in Los Angeles,

Stephen Bruton Guitar Solo

Wayne "Ean" Evans (died May 6, 2009) was the bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd from 2001 until his death. He joined the band following the death of Leon Wilkeson.

Death of Ean Evans
In late 2008 Ean was diagnosed with cancer. Lynyrd Skynyrd is carrying on their 2009 tour with a replacement and Johnny Van Zant asked audiences to pray for Evans.

Evans died on May 6, 2009 in Mississippi, following his battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Eva and their two daughters, Sydney and Andrea.

Lynyrd Skynyrd
Following the death of Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson, the call came to Ean to continue on for his fallen friend. He joined the current line up of Lynyrd Skynyrd on August 11, 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, carrying on for Leon, beginning his own chapter of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Legacy.

 

Jane Randolph, born Jane Roemer (October 30, 1915 – May 4, 2009), was an American film actress. She was born in Youngstown, Ohio and died in Gstaad, Switzerland.

After growing up in Kokomo, Indiana, she moved to Hollywood in 1939 in an attempt to start a movie career. She was eventually picked up by Warner Bros. and appeared in bit movie roles in 1941.

She made 20 films between 1941 and 1948, then married Jaime del Amo, who would help develop Del Amo Shopping Center on family land in Torrance. 

In 1942, RKO picked up the contract of the poised actress and she received a leading lady role in Highways by Night (1942). She became known for her roles in film noir, which included Jealousy (1945) and Railroaded! (1947), and in a few popular but inexpensive horror films, including Cat People (1942) and The Curse of the Cat People (1944).

One of her last movies was the comic thriller Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). A year later she married and retired to Spain and began the life of a socialite. In later years she returned to Los Angeles, but also maintained a home in Switzerland.

Death of Jane Randolph
Jane Randolph died May 4 in Gstaad, Switzerland, after surgery on a broken hip.
Jane Randolph was 93 at the time of her death

Cat People – Original Trailer 1942

Dominick "Dom" DeLuise (August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009) was a Golden Globe – nominated American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, and chef. He is the husband of actress Carol Arthur, and the father of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise, and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise

Death of Dom DeLuise
Dom DeLuise died in his sleep, peacefully, at Los Angeles hospital after a long illness.
Dom DeLuise was 75 years old at the time of his death.

DeLuise is probably best known as a regular in Mel Brooks’s films. He appeared in The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World, Part I, Spaceballs & Robin Hood: Men in Tights. In Silent Movie (1976), Brooks plays a film director and his strange friends, DeLuise (as "Dom Bell") and Marty Feldman, struggle to produce the first major silent film in forty years. Brooks’s late wife, actress Anne Bancroft, directed Dom in Fatso (1980). He also had a cameo in Johnny Dangerously as the Pope, and in Jim Henson’s The Muppet Movie as a wayward Hollywood talent agent who comes across Kermit the Frog singing "The Rainbow Connection" in the film’s opening scene.

Dean Martin & Dom DeLuise

Dom DeLuise’s Filmography & TV works on next page

Filmography
tom thumb (1958)
Diary of a Bachelor (1964)
Fail-Safe (1964)
The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)
The Busy Body (1967)
What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968)
The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Norwood (1970)
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971)
Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother (1975)
Silent Movie (1976)
The World’s Greatest Lover (1977)
Sextette (1978)
The End (1978)
The Cheap Detective (1978)
The Muppet Movie (1979) (cameo)
Hot Stuff (1979) (also director)
The Last Married Couple in America (1980)
Fatso (1980)
Wholly Moses (1980)
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)
History of the World, Part I (1981)
The Cannonball Run (1981)
Peter-No-Tail (1981) (voice in English dubbed version)
The Secret of NIMH (1982) (voice)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
Cannonball Run II (1984)
Johnny Dangerously (1984)
Haunted Honeymoon (1986)
An American Tail (1986) (voice)
A Taxi Driver in New York (1987)
Spaceballs (1987) (voice only)
Going Bananas (1988)
Oliver & Company (1988) (voice)
The Princess and the Dwarf (1989)
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) (voice)
Loose Cannons (1990)
Driving Me Crazy (1991)
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) (voice)
Munchie (1992) (voice only)
The Magic Voyage (1992) (voice)
Almost Pregnant (1992)
The Skateboard Kid (1993) (voice only)
Happily Ever After (1993) (voice)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
Don’t Drink the Water (1994)
The Silence of the Hams (1994)
A Troll in Central Park (1994) (voice)
All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996) (voice)
Red Line (1996)
Boys Will Be Boys (1997)
The Good Bad Guys (1997)
Between the Sheets (1998) (Cameo)
The Godson (film) (1998)
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island (1998) (voice)
Baby Geniuses (1999)
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999) (voice)
Lion of Oz (2000) (voice)
The Brainiacs.com (2000)
It’s All About You (2001)
Always Greener (2001)
My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding Reception (2001)
Remembering Mario (2003) (voice only)
Girl Play (2004)
Breaking the Fifth (2004)
Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm (2006) (voice)

Television
Amazing Stories (TV series) (1 Episode Guilt Trip)
The Entertainers (1964–1965)
The Dean Martin Summer Show (regular performer in 1966)
The Dom DeLuise Show (1968) (summer replacement for Jackie Gleason)
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (regular performer from 1971 – 1972)
The Roman Holidays (1972) (cancelled after four months)
The Dean Martin Show (regular performer from 1972 – 1973)
Lotsa Luck (1973–1974)
Only with Married Men (1974)
The Muppet Show (1977) [Guest]
Happy (1983) (also executive producer)
The Dom DeLuise Show (1987 – 1988)
21 Jump Street (1989)
Die Laughing (1990)
Timmy’s Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas (1991) (voice)
Fievel’s American Tails (1991 – 1992) (voice)
Candid Camera (host from 1991 – 1992)
The Ren & Stimpy Show (cast member from 1993 – 1995) (voice)
Married… With Children (1993) (voice)
Burke’s Law (1994–1995)
seaQuest DSV (1994)
Tin Soldier (1995)
Shari’s Passover Surprise (1996)
3rd Rock from the Sun (1997)
Dexter’s Laboratory
Cow and Chicken
Hercules: The Animated Series
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1998)
All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (1996 – 1999) (voice)
Charlie Horse Music Pizza (1998 – 1999)
Stargate SG-1 episode "Urgo" (2000)
Robot Chicken (2005) (guest voice)
"Spaceballs: The Animated Series" (2008) (voice)

On May 3, 2009, the two year anniversary of the release of his shirtless hamburger eating exploits, David Hasselhoff was rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning with a blood alcohol concentration of .39, almost 5 times the legal limit.

Jack French Kemp, (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician and professional football player. In the 1996 election, he was Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole’s running mate for Vice President. He had previously contended for the presidential nomination in the 1988 Republican primaries. Kemp began his political career with nine terms as a Congressman for Western New York, from 1971 to 1989, and subsequently served as Housing Secretary in the George H. W. Bush administration.

Death of Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp died of Cencer at the age of 73

Before politics, Kemp was a professional quarterback for 13 years in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), and American Football League (AFL). He served as captain of both the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills and earned the AFL Most Valuable Player award in 1965 after leading the Bills to a second consecutive championship. He played in the AFL for all 10 years of its existence, appeared in its All-Star game seven times, played in its championship game five times, and set many of the league’s career passing records. Kemp also co-founded the AFL Players Association, for which he served five terms as president. During the early part of his football career, he served in the United States Army Reserve.

After his days in political office, Kemp remained active as a political advocate and commentator, and served on corporate and non-profit organization boards. He also authored, co-authored, and edited several books. He promoted American football and advocated for retired professional football players. Kemp was the benefactor of Pepperdine University’s Jack F. Kemp Institute of Political Economy. In January 2009, he was diagnosed with cancer.