An apple for the teacher!….

Born: March 18 th, 1905 in Withington, Manchester, England
Died: June 9 th, 1958 in London, England at age 53
Cause of death: chronic asthma attack
Real name: Friedrich Robert Donatz
Marriages: Two. The first to Ella Voysey lasted 17 years before ending in divorce. They had 3 children. The second to actress Renee Anderson lasted 5 years until his death.

Remarks: Born in England to Polish parents, Robert developed his voice to overcome a childhood stutter and it was his voice that became his career. In 1930 he made his stage debut and then extended his reach into films 2 years later. Donat went to Hollywood in 1934 to make “The Count of Monte Cristo” but returned to England and thereafter made Hollywood come to him. It was his role as “Mr. Chips” that made him a legend. Robert Donat’s last screen rolejust before his untimely death was that of Yang Cheng in “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness”. His last line spoken on film was “We shall not see each other again, I think”.

Films (20) also include “”The Private Life of Henry VIII” (1933), “The Citadel” (1938), “The Young Mr. Pitt” (1942) and “Lease of Life” (1954)

 

Born: September 17 th, 1931 in the Bronx, New York
Died: June 6 th, 2005 in New York, New York at age 73
Cause of death: uterine cancer
Real name: Anna Maria Louisa Italiano
Marriages: Two. The first to Martin May ended in divorce after 4 years. The second to actor/director Mel Brooks lasted 41 years until her death. They had 1 child.

Remarks: Anne made her film debut in the 1952 film “Don’t Bother To Knock” but her real success as an actress began on Broadway with a stellar performance in the stage production of “The Miracle Worker”. She received a Tony for her efforts and then won a Best Actress Oscar for reprising that role in the film version. Another of her famous roles was that of Mrs. Robinson in the 1967 film “The Graduate” with Dustin Hoffman. It was one of three more Oscar nominations she would receive.

Films (52) also include“Demetrius and the ladiators” (1954), “The Pumpkin Eater” (1964), “The Turning Point” (1977), “The Elephant Man” (1980), “Agnes of God” (1985) and “84 Charing Cross” (1987).

 

Born: May 1 st, 1916 in Sainte-Christine, Quebec, Canada
Age: 89
Real name: Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford
Marriages: Four all ending in divorce. His first to actress/dancer Eleanor Powell lasted 16 years and produced 1 son, Peter.

Remarks: Glenn was born in Canada but his parents moved to California when he was 8. His fascination with theater came in high school and after graduation he went to work with a touring stock company. After a series of small roles, Glenn left Hollywood for the Marines in WWII. It was the film “Gilda” with Rita Hayworth that made him noticed and Westerns like “ 3:10 to Yuma” that made him a star. But the role of the courageous teacher in “Blackboard Jungle” was the hallmark of his career. He now lives with son Peter in Beverly Hills.

Films (90) also include “”A Stolen Life” (1946), “The Big Heat” (1953), “Jubal” (1956), “Pocketful of Miracles” (1961), “The Courtship Of Eddie’s Father” (1963) and “Midway” (1976).

 

Born: March 2 nd, 1919 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Age: 86
Real Name: Phyllis Lee Isley
Marriages: Three. Her first to actor Robert Walker ended in divorce after 5 years and 2 children. Her second to producer David O. Selznick ended after 14 years with his death. They had 1 daughter who committed suicide in 1976. Her third to businessman Norton Simon also left her a widow after 22 years.

Remarks: Jennifer’s parents were vaudeville performers so she had stage training early. She attended the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts(where she met her first husband) and then won a short-term contract with Republic Studio. But it was David O. Selznick (who became her second husband) that was responsible for her role in “The Song of Bernadette” (1943) and her best Actress Oscar. She received another Oscar nomination for “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” in 1955 (even though her feud with co-star William Holden hit all the gossip columns). Jennifer still lives in California attending to her late husband’s affairs.

Films (27) also include “Duel in the Sun” (1946), “Portrait of Jennie” (1948), “Carrie” (1952), “A Farewell to Arms” (1957) and “The Towering Inferno” (1974).

 

Born: July 1 st, 1899 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England
Died: December 15 th, 1962 in Hollywood, California at age 63
Cause of death: cancer
Marriages: One to actress Elsa Lanchester that lasted 33 years until his death. There were no children.

Remarks: Every performance of Charles Laughton was a classic. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and made his stage debut in London in 1926. His portrayal of Willie Marble in the stage play “Payment Deferred” in 1931 won him the same role in the film version and his first trip to Hollywood. He was awarded the Best Actor Oscar in 1933 for “The Private Life of Henry VIII” but probably is best remembered for his role as Captain Bligh in 1935’s “Mutiny on the Bounty” and as Quasimodo in the 1939 version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. In 1955 he directed his only film “Night of the Hunter”, a chilling classic with Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish. In 1950, 13 years before his death, Laughton became an American citizen.

Films (55) also include “The Sign of the Cross” (1932), “Jamaica Inn” (1939), “The Tuttles of Tahiti “(1942), The Canterville Ghost” (1944), “The Big Clock” (1948) and “The Witness for the Prosecution” (1957).

Born: September 22 nd, 1912 in Jamesport, Missouri
Died: May 28 th, 2003 in Van Nuys, California at age 90
Cause of death: natural causes
Real name: Martha Ellen Scott
Marriages: Two. The first to radio/film producer Carlton Alsop lasted 6 years before ending in divorce. They had 1 child. The second to musician/composer Mel Powell lasted 52 years until his death. They had 2 children.

Remarks: Martha made her stage debut as Emily Webb in Thornton Wilder’s original production of “Our Town” and followed that role to Hollywood for the 1940 film version and an Oscar nomination. After 1943 she left the screen for several years while she tried to keep her family together but the marriage ended in divorce. She returned to the screen shortly after her second marriage in the British film “So Well Remembered”. Martha also continued her stage work and was also active on the small screen as well. She appeared regularly for several seasons in the television daytime drama “General Hospital. Her last appearance was in the 1990 television drama “Daughters of the Streets”.

Films (21) also include “The Howards of Virginia” (1940), “One Foot in Heaven” (1941), “The Desperate Hours” (1955), “Ben Hur” (1949) and “The Turning Point” (1977).

Born: February 20 th, 1927 in Miami, Florida
Age: 78
Real Name: Sidney Poitier
Marriages: Two. The first to Juanita hardy lasted 15 years before ending in divorce. They had 4 children. His present marriage to Joanna Shimkus has produced 2 children.

Remarks: While Sidney was born in Miami (while his parents were visiting there), he was raised in the Bahamas in rather impoverished conditions. He came back to Miami at 15 with little formal education and met prejudice head on. He studied to overcome his accent and get accepted by the American Negro Theater. He was successful and even found a bit part in a Broadway production. By 1949 he had a leading role in Darryl Zanuck’s “No Way Out” and 14 years later became the first black man to win an Oscar for his performance in “Lilies of the Field”. Today Sidney Poitier is considered a tribute to his race and one of the finest actors on the silver screen.

Films (46) also include “Cry the Beloved Country” (1951), “Blackboard Jungle” (1955), “Something of Value” (1957), “A Patch of Blue” (1965), “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” (1967) and “In the Heat of the Night” (1967).

Born: December 28 th, 1934 in Ilford, Essex, England
Age: 71
Real name: Margaret Natalie Smith
Marriages: none listed
Remarks: Maggie has gone from stage triumphs in England to screen triumphs in Hollywood. Trained at the Oxford Playhouse School she made her stage debut in London in 1952. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress portrayal of Desdemona in Sir Laurence Olivier’s “Othello” (1965) but finally got her Oscar as best Actress for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”, and her second for “California Suite” (1978). But she has be become well-known to audiences of today as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series!

Films (44) also include “The Honeypot” (1967), “Travels with My Aunt” (1972), “Death on the Nile” (1978), “Sister Act” (1992), “The First Wives Club” (1996) and “Gosford Park” (2001)

Born: September 22 nd, 1902 in Bucharest, Romania
Died: October 31 st, 1988 in Malibu, California at age 86.
Cause of death: spine cancer
Real name: Jacques Haussman
Marriages: Two. The first to Zita Johann lasted 4 years before ending in divorce. No children. The second to Joan Courtney lasted 38 years until his death and produced 2 children.

Remarks: John Houseman was already extremely multi-faceted when, at 71, the Screenwriter/director/producer/teacher won his Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Harvard law professor Kingsfield. And he even took the role to television for several seasons. In the early 1940s he co-founded the Mercury Theater Players with Orson Welles but a quarrel with Welles kept his name out of the credits for his part in “Citizen Kane” (1941). Ironically the last screen appearance of this legendary actor was as the driving instructor in 1988’s “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad”!

Films (38) also include “Rollerball” (1975), “The Cheap Detective” (1978), “Wholly Moses” (1980), “Ghost Story” (1981) and “Another Woman” (1988

Born: October 22 nd, 1917 in Tokyo, Japan
Age: 88
Real name: Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland
Marriages: Four all ending in divorce. Only her second marriage to actor-producer William Dozier produced a child.

Remarks: Joan and older sister Olivia de Havilland were daughters of a British banker working in Tokyo. The girls and their mother came to California for health reasons but Joan went back later to study. By the time she returned sister Olivia had already made a name for herself in theatrical circles and Joan had some catching up to do. The feud between the sisters has been a long one. It was Alfred Hitchcock and David O. Selznick that gave Joan her big chance with Daphne DuMaurier’s “Rebecca” in 1940 and an Oscar nod(she lost to Ginger Rogers in “Kitty Foyle”). A year later she won it for herself for her role in another Hitchcock thriller “Suspicion”.

Films (46) also include “Gunga Din” (1939), “Frenchman’s Creek” (1944), “September Affair” (1950) “Ivanhoe” (1952), “Flight to Tangier” (1953) and “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” (1961).

Born: March 5 th, 1908 in Huyton, Lancastershire, England
Died: June 2 nd, 1990 in New York, New York at age 82.
Cause of death: pancreatic cancer
Real name: Reginald Cary Harrison
Marriages: Six with four ending in divorce. His first marriage to Collette Thomas (8 years) and his second to actress Lilli Palmer (14 years) each produced 1 child. His third marriage to Kay Kendall ended after 2 years with her death.

Remarks: From dashing leading man to superb character actor on stage or on screen,
Rex Harrison did it all. He was the King of Siam ( “Anna and the King ofSiam” 1946), Julius Caesar (“Cleopatra” 1963), Pope Julius II (“ The Agony and the Ecstasy” 1963) and “Doctor Doolittle” 1967. But his most memorable role had to be that of Henry Higgins, a role he did first on Broadway (he won a Tony) and then on film (he won an Oscar). One year before his death Rex Harrison was knighted at Buckingham Palace.

Films (44) also include “The Citadel” (1938), “Blithe Spirit’ (1945), “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (1947), “Midnight Lace” (1960) and “A Flea in Her Ear” (1968).

Born: April 3 rd, 1924 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Age: 82

Real Name: Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff
Marriages: Four with three ending in divorce. Her first marriage to Al Jordan lasted 3 years and produced her only child, son Terry. Her third marriage to agent Martin Melcher ended after his death but he left her bankrupt.

Remarks: One of the things Doris did best in her career was leaving her audience happy. Even in dramatic roles there was always a positive ending. The gal has heart which is surprising with some of the pain life dealt her. She began as a band singer and scored first in “soundies”* featuring Les Brown and his orchestra. Her screen debut came in 1948’s “Romance on the High Seas” but it was “Pillow Talk” in 1959, the first of a series of sex comedies with Rock Hudson that won her an Oscar nomination. Retired, Doris now spends her time with the Doris Day Animal League in Carmel, California.

Films (45) also include “Calamity Jane” (1953), “Love Me or Leave Me” (1955), “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” (1960), “That Touch of Mink” (1961) and “Caprice” (1967).

* You can find out more about “soundies” in the archives..Issue #18 Readers page