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1-50 of 216
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Born as George Victor Bishop in 1932. He changed his name to Edward when he became a professional actor, as there was already an actor named George Bishop. Raised in Peekskill, New York through high school. Served in the US Army 1952-1954, worked as a disc jockey on Armed Forces Radio at St Johns' Newfoundland. Planned for a career in Business Administration and went back to school at Boston University. Decided he didn't like Business Administration and enrolled in Boston University Theater Division (1956). Graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. Won a scholarship to study drama at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1960. Started his professional acting career in July 1961. Married his second wife, the economist Hilary Preen at Caxton Hall in 1962. Met Hilary in Trafalgar Square when he was visiting places of interest in London. They had four children, who were born in 1964 (Daniel, who later died in a car crash), 1967 (Georgina), 1968 (Jessica) and 1971 (Serina). They lived in Napton on the Hill, a little village in Warwickshire, where he bought a large old house in 1980. Here he founded Napton Open Air Theatre and Napton Little Theatre, which staged high quality village productions. He later lived with his third wife, Jane Skinner, at East Molesey. Ed became a grandfather in 1994. He was a keen anti-war campaigner, addressing meetings in Manchester and attending demonstrations at arms fairs. He notably crashed one such fair dressed as General Pinochet, along with four other dictators that Britain had supplied arms to - and who had subsequently turned nasty: General Galtieri, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler and Ivan the Terrible. It made the national news.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Elissa Landi was born in Venice, Italy on December 6, 1904. From an early age, she wanted to be an actress and writer. Her acting career started at the Oxford Repertory Company and on London's West End performing with actors such as Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. She played Desdemona in "Othello" and appeared in plays with and by Noel Coward (most notably "Blithe Spirit, in which she was forced to enter through the fireplace when the door jammed). She made her London debut in "The Storm," which lasted for five months and for which she received rave reviews for her performances. That led to meaty leads in "Lavendar Ladies" and other plays. European film producers took notice of the photogenic beauty, and Elissa starred in eight films over the next two years. Her first film was the German-made Synd (1928). Her career didn't impress critics, though, until she played Anthea Dane in The Price of Things (1930). She felt that she would make more headway in the U.S., so she went to New York in 1931 to star in the stage version of "A Farewell to Arms." Although the play made no huge impression, Hollywood sat up and took notice, and she soon appeared in Body and Soul (1931) opposite Charles Farrell. However, it wasn't until Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic The Sign of the Cross (1932) that many moviegoers got their first glimpse of Elissa, and they were enthralled, although she was among such heavyweight stars as Claudette Colbert, Fredric March, Charles Laughton, and Vivian Tobin. Completed in under eight weeks, the film was a smash hit. After A Passport to Hell (1932) and Devil's Lottery (1932), Elissa scored again in The Warrior's Husband (1933), a film about the intrigues and intricacies of the old Roman Empire that starred Marjorie Rambeau and Ernest Truex. In 1934 Elissa co-starred with Robert Donat in the classic The Count of Monte Cristo (1934). The next year saw Elissa as world-class singer Lisa Robbia, (singing voice dubbed by Nina Koshetz) in Enter Madame! (1934) with Cary Grant, the era's greatest leading man. In Cary Grant's biography, he mentions seeing Elissa at a typewriter, pursuing her other passion, writing, between takes throughout the filming process. After a mediocre role in Mad Holiday (1936), Elissa had a better part as the tormented Selma Landis in the hit After the Thin Man (1936), the second film in the series. She appeared in only three movies after that, the last being the low-budget Corregidor (1943) for bottom-of-the-barrel Producers Releasing Corporation. When that picture was completed, Elissa left films behind and concentrated on writing; she produced six novels and poetry volumes. After Hollywood she concentrated on Broadway, regional theater, and summer stock near Kingston, New York, where she lived with her husband Curtis Thomas and their daughter. Elissa succumbed to cancer on October 21, 1948 at just 43 years old.- Glamour model and actress Debbie Linden was born on February 22, 1961 in Glasgow, Scotland. The daughter of cabaret entertainer Neil Linden and Rosemary Linden, Debbie attended stage school and initially wanted to be a dancer (she studied both tap and ballroom dancing as a means of preparing herself for a career in show business). Linden instead went on to become a topless model and Page 3 girl. Debbie first began acting in both films and TV shows in the late 1970's; she's probably best known for her recurring role as Old Mr. Grace's saucy secretary on the hit comedy series Are You Being Served? (1972). Sadly, Linden had problems with anorexia as well as drug and alcohol addiction which started at age 13 when she began taking slimming pills to control her weight. Debbie died at home at the tragically young age of 36 from a heroin overdose on October 5, 1997. Her boyfriend Russell Ainsworth was acquitted of manslaughter charges, but was still sentenced to two and a half years in prison for supplying the drugs that killed her.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
The son of a hardware merchant and cousin of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, Robert Hutton was born in Kingston, New York, and attended Blair Academy in New Jersey. For several seasons the future film actor was a leading man and director with the Woodstock Playhouse stock company in New York. He supplemented his income by posing for the photographic illustrations in sensational magazines and tabloids like "Modern Confessions". He spent several years as a Warner Brothers contract player, but went through some lean times after he left the studio and even considered going into some other field. Hutton stuck with show business, working in movies, TV and even doing some writing and directing. After working in England for several years he returned to the US and settled again in Kingston, NY, where he was born. He suffered a broken back in an in-home fall and spent his last days in a nursing-care facility. He told an interviewer, "I lived a fantasy in Hollywood. I met and worked with so many people now considered legends. And then, just when I wondered why I was even alive, I broke my back, and the Lord opened up a whole new world of opportunity for me". Hutton wrote an autobiography but it was never published because (according to Hutton) he wouldn't dish dirt on the stars he knew.- Sheila Burrell was born on 9 May 1922 in Blackheath, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Cold Comfort Farm (1995), Paranoiac (1963) and The Feathered Serpent (1976). She was married to David Sim and Laurence Payne. She died on 19 July 2011 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK.
- Margaret Johnston was born on 10 August 1918 in Coolangatta, New South Wales, Australia. She was an actress, known for Sebastian (1968), A Man About the House (1947) and Kraft Theatre (1947). She was married to Albert Parker. She died on 29 June 2002 in Kingston upon Thames, England, UK.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Paul Eckstein has been writing, producing and acting for over 40 years. He grew up in Brooklyn then graduated from Brown University with degrees in International Relations and Creative Writing. He went on to immerse himself in New York City Theatre where he was a founding member of the Naked Angels Theatre Co., acted on Broadway, Shakespeare in the Park and Minneapolis' Guthrie Theatre. He spent a decade cutting his chops originating, collaborating, writing, directing, and developing dozens of plays, films and TV shows. Paul completed production of season two of the acclaimed hit Godfather of Harlem (2019) which he co-created, starring Forest Whitaker and Giancarlo Esposito on EPIX. Prior to that, Paul lead the writer's room on the first year of the Netflix hit drama Narcos (2015). Paul also wrote and produced the Disney/ABC biblical epic Of Kings and Prophets (2016) on location in South Africa. His other writing credits include: Street Time (2002) (Showtime), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) (NBC), The Dead Zone (2002) (USA). As a movie producer, Paul co-produced the MGM/UA film Hoodlum (1997) starring Laurence Fishburne and Andy Garcia. These are some of a long list of projects Paul has worked on over the years that emphasize history, high stakes, excellence in execution with a focus on stories and culture from people of color.- Billy Pearson was born on 19 May 1920 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Boots Malone (1952), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) and Cool and Lam (1958). He was married to Margaret Ann Crecca, Olive Myra Nicholson, Darlene McConnell and Maria Enriqueta Cabanillas. He died on 28 November 2002 in Kingston, New York, USA.
- Barbara Mitchell was born on 4 October 1929 in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for For the Love of Ada (1972), The Larkins (1958) and Beryl's Lot (1973). She was married to Rex Graham. She died on 9 December 1977 in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK.
- Lois Kelly-Miller was born on 15 October 1917 in Crossroads, Saint Andrew, Jamaica. She was an actress, known for Meet Joe Black (1998). She died on 8 April 2020 in Kingston, Jamaica.
- Alan Rowe was born on 14 December 1926 in Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for Les Misérables (1967), Heil Caesar! (1973) and Morgan's Boy (1984). He died on 21 October 2000 in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK.
- Marcus Powell was born on 23 November 1909 in Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Time Bandits (1981), The Elephant Man (1980) and Top Secret! (1984). He died in 1991 in Kingston upon Thames, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Frederick Neumann was born on 17 May 1926 in Sugar Island, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Reversal of Fortune (1990), Madman (1981) and Working Girls (1986). He was married to Honora Ferguson. He died on 27 November 2012 in Kingston, New York, USA.- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Playwright and author of sophisticated screenplays, a graduate of Bard College and Columbia University Law School. Howard Koch started out as a practicing lawyer in Hartsdale, New Jersey, but soon found himself dissatisfied with his career choice and began to write plays on the side. His first two efforts flopped on Broadway (respectively in 1929 and 1933). Nonetheless, Koch continued, undaunted, and had his first critical success with "The Lonely Man", produced at the Blackstone Theater in Chicago in 1937. On the strength of this work he was engaged by John Houseman to write dramatic material for Orson Welles' "Mercury Theater on the Air" radio program (his starting salary was $75 for roughly sixty pages of script). Koch re-wrote H.G. Wells sci-fi story "War of the Worlds" as "Invasion from Mars" for the famous Halloween broadcast that "panicked America". It had such an effect on the public that the "New York Times" ran the headline "Many Flee Homes to Escape 'Gas Raid From Mars'".
The following year Koch moved to Hollywood and was signed to a screenwriting contract by Warner Brothers (1939-1945). He achieved lasting fame through his felicitous collaboration with brothers Philip Epstein and Julius J. Epstein in adapting Murray Burnett's adaptation of the obscure play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" to the now classic Casablanca (1942). The Epsteins concentrated on the dialogue while Koch worked out the dramatic continuity. The three subsequently shared the 1943 Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Koch sold his Oscar at auction in 1994 for $184,000 in order to fund a granddaughter's school tuition). Before and after "Casablanca", Koch worked on a variety of other subjects, turning out polished screenplays for Errol Flynn's hugely entertaining swashbuckler The Sea Hawk (1940), an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's steamy melodrama The Letter (1940), the patriotic flag-waver Sergeant York (1941) and the George Gershwin biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945). His own personal favorite was his script for Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), a tender story of unrequited love set in Vienna.
Koch's reputation was sadly tarnished as a result of his work on Mission to Moscow (1943), the account of Joseph E. Davies, a former US ambassador to Russia. Although he was not particularly happy with this assignment, Koch was coerced into it by studio boss Jack L. Warner, who, in turn, was under pressure from the U.S. government to produce a picture that showcased the efforts of the Soviet Union in the fight against Nazi Germany. However, in 1947, at the height of the Red-baiting hysteria stirred up by senator Joseph McCarthy, Warner testified as a "friendly" witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), charged with "rooting out" Communist influence in the motion picture industry. Warner named Koch and other "liberals" as being Communist sympathizers, using the pro-Russian content of "Mission to Moscow" as "proof". This resulted in Koch becoming one of the so-called "Hollywood Nineteen" and finding himself being blacklisted by the industry in 1951. Unable to earn a living, he had little choice but to leave the country. Like other writers and directors in the same position, he moved to England where he continued to write screenplays under a pseudonym ("Peter Howard"). Returning to the US five years later, he bought a property near Woodstock, NY, and resumed writing plays for regional productions (as well as occasional film scripts).
In his memoirs, "As Time Goes By", Koch recalled how, early in the casting process, the stars of "Casablanca" were slated to be Dennis Morgan (!), Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan (in the Paul Henreid role of Victor Laszlo). Our appreciation of the classic film would have been rather different . . .- Actor
- Additional Crew
Paddy Ward was born in 1924. He was an actor, known for Waking Ned Devine (1998), Casanova (2005) and Victor/Victoria (1982). He was married to Deddie Davies. He died on 15 January 2011 in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK.- Isabelle Lucas was born on 3 December 1927 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was an actress, known for Outland (1981), The Fosters (1976) and The Sender (1982). She was married to Maurice Jennings. She died on 24 February 1997 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK.
- Actor
- Writer
Heywood Hale Broun was born on 10 March 1918 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for HouseSitter (1992), Omnibus (1952) and Tales of Tomorrow (1951). He was married to Jane Lloyd-Jones. He died on 5 September 2001 in Kingston, New York, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Peter Tosh was born on 19 October 1944 in Grange Hill, Jamaica. He was an actor and composer, known for Savages (2012), Pineapple Express (2008) and Lords of Dogtown (2005). He died on 11 September 1987 in Kingston, Jamaica.- James Garbutt was born in 1925 in Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Superman (1978), When the Boat Comes In (1976) and The Onedin Line (1971). He died on 5 April 2020 in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK.
- Joseph Kesselring was born on 21 June 1902 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men (1933) and The Best of Broadway (1954). He was married to Charlotte Elsheimer. He died on 5 November 1967 in Kingston, New York, USA.
- Philip Ray was born on 1 November 1898 in Streatham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Starr and Company (1958), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1960) and Sons and Lovers (1960). He died on 11 May 1978 in Kingston-upon-Thames, England, UK.
- Director
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Eadweard Muybridge was born in Kingston upon Thames, England, to John and Susanna Muggeridge. At the age of 20 he immigrated to the United States as a bookseller, first to New York City, then to San Francisco. In 1860, he planned a return trip to Europe, but suffered serious head injuries en route in a stagecoach crash in Texas. He spent the next few years recuperating in Kingston upon Thames, where he took up professional photography, learned the wet-plate collodion process, and secured at least two British patents for his inventions. He returned to San Francisco in 1867, a man with a markedly changed personality. In 1868, he exhibited large photographs of Yosemite Valley, and began selling popular stereographs of his work. His great breakthrough came in 1872 when he was hired by wealthy American businessman and former California governor Leland Stanford, who later founded Stanford University. Stanford was interested in whether horses lifted all legs off the ground at once during trotting, and Muybridge was engaged to take photographs to settle the point. Although the experiment proved inconclusive at the time, Muybridge was re-engaged for further photographic studies in 1878. Using a battery of 12 cameras set side by side and a specially marked fence along the racetrack to pinpoint the horse's precise movements, Muybridge effectively created the first true study of motion. By January 1880 he invented zoopraxiscope to project his famous chronophotographic pictures in motion and thus prove that these were authentic. The projector used glass disks onto which Muybridge had an unidentified artist paint the sequences as silhouettes. Later, his more-detailed images were hand-coloured and marketed commercially. A device he developed was later regarded as an early movie projector, and the process was an intermediate stage toward motion pictures or cinematography. From 1883 to 1886, he entered a very productive period at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, producing over 100,000 images of animals and humans in motion. In his later years, Muybridge gave many public lectures and demonstrations of his photography and early motion picture sequences, travelling frequently in England and Europe to publicise his work in cities such as London and Paris. He also edited and published compilations of his work (some of which are still in print today), which greatly influenced visual artists and the developing fields of scientific and industrial photography. He retired to his native England permanently in 1894. In 1904, the year of his death, the Kingston Museum opened in his hometown, and continues to house a substantial collection of his works in a dedicated gallery.- Kathleen Stuart was born on 9 December 1925 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for William Comes to Town (1948), Dead on Course (1952) and Just William's Luck (1948). She was married to Michael Balfour. She died on 11 May 1972 in Kingston-upon-Thames, England, UK.
- Writer
- Actor
John Warren was born on 13 November 1916 in England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Up the Creek (1958), Further Up the Creek (1958) and Hell Below Zero (1954). He died in 1977 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK.- Carlton Grant Jr. was an actor, known for Shottas (2002). He died on 23 August 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica.