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- Actress
- Soundtrack
In America, the early performing arts accomplishments of young Maureen FitzSimons (who we know as Maureen O'Hara) would definitely have put her in the child prodigy category. However, for a child of Irish heritage surrounded by gifted parents and family, these were very natural traits. Maureen made her entrance into this caring haven on August 17, 1920, in Ranelagh (a suburb of Dublin), Ireland. Her mother, Marguerita Lilburn FitzSimons, was an accomplished contralto. Her father, Charles FitzSimons, managed a business in Dublin and also owned part of the renowned Irish soccer team "The Shamrock Rovers." Maureen was the second of six FitzSimons children - Peggy, Florrie, Charles B. Fitzsimons, Margot Fitzsimons and James O'Hara completed this beautiful family.
Maureen loved playing rough athletic games as a child and excelled in sports. She combined this interest with an equally natural gift for performing. This was demonstrated by her winning pretty much every Feis award for drama and theatrical performing her country offered. By age 14 she was accepted to the prestigious Abbey Theater and pursued her dream of classical theater and operatic singing. This course was to be altered, however, when Charles Laughton, after seeing a screen test of Maureen, became mesmerized by her hauntingly beautiful eyes. Before casting her to star in Jamaica Inn (1939), Laughton and his partner, Erich Pommer, changed her name from Maureen FitzSimons to "Maureen O'Hara" - a bit shorter last name for the marquee.
Under contract to Laughton, Maureen's next picture was to be filmed in America (The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)) at RKO Pictures. The epic film was an extraordinary success and Maureen's contract was eventually bought from Laughton by RKO. At 19, Maureen had already starred in two major motion pictures with Laughton. Unlike most stars of her era, she started at the top, and remained there - with her skills and talents only getting better and better with the passing years.
Maureen has an enviable string of all-time classics to her credit that include the aforementioned "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," How Green Was My Valley (1941), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Sitting Pretty (1948), The Quiet Man (1952), and The Parent Trap (1961). Add to this the distinction of being voted one of the five most beautiful women in the world and you have a film star who was as gorgeous as she was talented.
Although at times early in her career Hollywood didn't seem to notice, there was much more to Maureen O'Hara than her dynamic beauty. She not only had a wonderful lyric soprano voice, but she could use her inherent athletic ability to perform physical feats that most actresses couldn't begin to attempt, from fencing to fisticuffs. She was a natural athlete.
In her career Maureen starred with some of Hollywood's most dashing leading men, including Tyrone Power, John Payne, Rex Harrison, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Brian Keith, Sir Alec Guinness and, of course, her famed pairings with "The Duke" himself, John Wayne. She starred in five films with Wayne, the most beloved being The Quiet Man (1952).
In addition to famed director John Ford, Maureen was also fortunate to have worked for some other great directors in the business: Alfred Hitchcock, William Dieterle, Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Jean Renoir, John M. Stahl, William A. Wellman, Frank Borzage, Walter Lang, George Seaton, George Sherman, Carol Reed, Delmer Daves, David Swift, Andrew V. McLaglen and Chris Columbus.
In 1968 Maureen found much deserved personal happiness when she married Charles Blair. Gen. Blair was a famous aviator whom she had known as a friend of her family for many years. A new career began for Maureen, that of a full-time wife. Her marriage to Blair, however, was again far from typical. Blair was the real-life version of what John Wayne had been on the screen. He had been a Brigadier General in the Air Force, a Senior Pilot with Pan American, and held many incredible record-breaking aeronautic achievements. Maureen happily retired from films in 1973 after making the TV movie The Red Pony (1973) (which on the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence) with Henry Fonda. With Blair, Maureen managed Antilles Airboats, a commuter sea plane service in the Caribbean. She not only made trips around the world with her pilot husband, but owned and published a magazine, "The Virgin Islander," writing a monthly column called "Maureen O'Hara Says."
Tragically, Charles Blair died in a plane crash in 1978. Though completely devastated, Maureen pulled herself together and, with memories of ten of the happiest years of her life, continued on. She was elected President and CEO of Antilles Airboats, which brought her the distinction of being the first woman president of a scheduled airline in the United States.
Fortunately, she was coaxed out of retirement several times - once in 1991 to star with John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991) and again, in 1995, in a made-for-TV movie, The Christmas Box (1995) on CBS. In the spring of 1998, Maureen accepted the second of what would be three projects for Polson Productions and CBS: Cab to Canada (1998) - and, in October, 2000, The Last Dance (2000).
On St. Patrick's Day in 2004, she published her New York Times bestselling memoir, 'Tis Herself, co-authored with her longtime biographer and manager Johnny Nicoletti.
On November 4, 2014 Maureen was honored by a long overdue Oscar for "Lifetime Achievement" at the annual Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards.
Maureen O'Hara was absolutely stunning, with that trademark red hair, dazzling smile and those huge, expressive eyes. She has fans from all over the world of all ages who are utterly devoted to her legacy of films and her persona as a strong, courageous and intelligent woman.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
George Harris Kennedy, Jr. was born on February 18, 1925 in New York City, to Helen (Kieselbach), a ballet dancer, and George Harris Kennedy, an orchestra leader and musician. Following high school graduation, Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 with the hope to become a fighter pilot in the Army Air Corps. Instead, he wound up in the infantry, served under General George S. Patton and distinguished himself with valor. He won two Bronze Stars and four rows of combat and service ribbons.
A World War II veteran, Kennedy at one stage in his career cornered the market at playing tough, no-nonsense characters who were either quite crooked or possessed hearts of gold. Kennedy notched up an impressive 200+ appearances in both television and films, and was well respected within the Hollywood community. He started out on television Westerns in the late 1950s and early 1960s (Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Rawhide (1959), Maverick (1957), Colt .45 (1957), among others) before scoring minor roles in films including Lonely Are the Brave (1962), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965).
The late 1960s was a very busy period for Kennedy, and he was strongly in favor with casting agents, appearing in Hurry Sundown (1967), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and scoring an Oscar win as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cool Hand Luke (1967). The disaster film boom of the 1970s was also kind to Kennedy and his talents were in demand for Airport (1970) and the three subsequent sequels, as a grizzled police officer in Earthquake (1974), plus the buddy/road film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) as vicious bank robber Red Leary.
The 1980s saw Kennedy appear in a mishmash of roles, playing various characters; however, Kennedy and Leslie Nielsen surprised everyone with their comedic talents in the hugely successful The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), and the two screen veterans exaggerate themselves again, in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). From 1988-1991, he also played Ewing family nemesis Carter McKay on the CBS prime-time soap opera Dallas (1978).
Kennedy also played President Warren G. Harding in the miniseries Backstairs at the White House (1979) and had a long standing role on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless (1973). He remained busy in Hollywood and lent his distinctive voice to the animated Cats Don't Dance (1997) and the children's action film Small Soldiers (1998). A Hollywood stalwart for nearly 50 years, he is one of the most enjoyable actors to watch on screen. His last role was in the film The Gambler (2014), as Mark Wahlberg's character's grandfather.
George Kennedy died of natural causes in Middleton, Idaho on February 28, 2016, only ten days after his 91st birthday.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Patty Duke was born Anna Marie Duke on December 14, 1946 in Elmhurst, Queens County, New York, to Frances Margaret (McMahon), a cashier, and John Patrick Duke, a cab driver and handyman. She was seven eighths Irish and one eighth German. Her acting career began when she was introduced to her brother Ray Duke's managers, John and Ethel Ross. Soon after, Anna Marie became Patty, the actress. Patty started off in commercials, a few movies and some bit parts. Her first big, memorable role came when she was chosen to portray the blind and deaf Helen Keller in the Broadway version of "The Miracle Worker". The play lasted almost two years, from October 19, 1959 to July 1, 1961 (Duke left in May 1961).
In 1962, The Miracle Worker (1962) became a movie and Patty won an Academy Award for best supporting actress. She was 16 years old, making her the youngest person ever to win an Oscar. She then starred in her own sitcom titled The Patty Duke Show (1963). It lasted for three seasons, and Patty was nominated for an Emmy. In 1965, she starred in the movie Billie (1965). It was a success and was the first movie ever sold to a television network. That same year, she married director Harry Falk. Their marriage lasted four years. She starred in Valley of the Dolls (1967), which was a financial but not a critical success. In 1969, she secured a part in an independent film called Me, Natalie (1969). The film was a box-office flop, but she won her second Golden Globe Award for her performance in it. In the early 1970s, she became a mother to actors Sean Astin (with writer Michael Yell) and Mackenzie Astin (with actor John Astin).
In 1976, she won her second Emmy Award for the highly successful mini-series, Captains and the Kings (1976). Other successful TV films followed. She received two Emmy nominations in 1978 for A Family Upside Down (1978) and Having Babies III (1978). She won her third Emmy in the 1979 TV movie version of The Miracle Worker (1979), this time portraying "Annie Sullivan".
In 1982, she was diagnosed with manic-depressive illness. In 1984, she became President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). In 1986, she married Michael Pearce, a drill sergeant whom she met while preparing for a role in the TV movie, A Time to Triumph (1986). In 1987, she wrote her autobiography, "Call Me Anna". In 1989, she and Mike adopted a baby, whom they named "Kevin". Her autobiography became a TV movie in 1990, with Patty playing herself, from her 30s onward. In 1992, she wrote her second book, "A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depression Illness".
Duke had a long and successful career. She was a political advocate on, among other issues, the Equal Rights Amendment, AIDS awareness, and nuclear disarmament. She died on March 29, 2016, aged 69, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, of sepsis from a ruptured intestine.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Jack Bannon was born on 14 June 1940 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Little Big Man (1970), L.A. Heat (1996) and Hard Vice (1994). He was married to Ellen Travolta and Kathleen Larkin. He died on 25 October 2017 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ann Sothern's film career started as an extra in 1927. Originally a redhead, she began to bleach her hair blonde for comedy roles. After working at MGM and on Broadway, Ann was signed by Columbia Pictures for Let's Fall in Love (1933). The next year she would work with Eddie Cantor in his hit Kid Millions (1934). For the next two years, Ann would appear in a number of "B" pictures until she was dropped by Columbia in 1936. She then went to RKO, where the quality of her films did not improve. She appeared in a series of "B' pictures movies with Gene Raymond, but her career was going nowhere. In 1938 she left RKO and played the tart in Trade Winds (1938), which got her a contract at MGM. She was given the lead in a "B" comedy about a brassy, energetic showgirl not salesgirl--originally intended for Jean Harlow--that wound up becoming a huge hit and spawned a series of sequels that ran until 1947: Maisie (1939). Ann also appeared in such well received features as Brother Orchid (1940), Cry 'Havoc' (1943) and A Letter to Three Wives (1949). After 1950 the roles dried up and Ann turned to television and another hit series, playing the meddlesome Susie in the 1953 series Private Secretary (1953). The series was canceled in 1957 and Ann came back in The Ann Sothern Show (1958), which ran from 1958 to 1961. In 1965, she would be the voice of the 1928 Porter in the camp classic My Mother the Car (1965). While the 1970s and 1980s were relatively quiet for Ann, she would be nominated for an Academy Award for her role as the neighbor of Lillian Gish and Bette Davis in The Whales of August (1987).- Actor
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Born August 5th, 1887 in England, Reginald Owen was among Hollywood's busier character actors, making more than 80 films. He was educated in England at Sir Herbert Tree's Academy of Dramatic Arts. Owen excelled and made his professional debut also in England at the age of 18. He came to New York in the early 1920s and started working on Broadway by 1924. He left New York in 1928 and moved to Hollywood, hoping to make it in films. In 1929, he landed his first role in The Letter. In 1932 he played Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes. Although, he didn't get many leading roles, he did get to work with some of Hollywood's most beautiful leading ladies like, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Jeanette MacDonald (Owen's personal favorite), Barbara Stanwyck and Elizabeth Taylor. Owen continued to work into his 70s and 80s making family classics, such as Mary Poppins (1964) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). He died in 1972 at the ripe age of 85 of natural causes.- Ernest Hemingway was an American writer who won the Pulitzer Prize (1953) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1954) for his novel The Old Man and the Sea, which was made into a 1958 film The Old Man and the Sea (1958).
He was born into the hands of his physician father. He was the second of six children of Dr. Clarence Hemingway and Grace Hemingway (the daughter of English immigrants). His father's interests in history and literature, as well as his outdoorsy hobbies (fishing and hunting), became a lifestyle for Ernest. His mother was a domineering type who wanted a daughter, not a son, and dressed Ernest as a girl and called him Ernestine. She also had a habit of abusing his quiet father, who suffered from diabetes, and Dr. Hemingway eventually committed suicide. Ernest later described the community in his hometown as one having "wide lawns and narrow minds".
In 1916 Hemingway graduated from high school and began his writing career as a reporter for The Kansas City Star. There he adopted his minimalist style by following the Star's style guide: "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative." Six months later he joined the Ambulance Corps in WWI and worked as an ambulance driver on the Italian front, picking up human remains. In July 1918 he was seriously wounded by a mortar shell, which left shrapnel in both of his legs causing him much pain and requiring several surgeries. He was awarded the Silver Medal. Back in America, he continued his writing career working for Toronto Star . At that time he met Hadley Richardson and the two married in 1921.
In 1921, he became a Toronto Star reporter in Paris. There he published his first books, called "Three Stories and Ten Poems" (1923), and "In Our Time" (1924). In Paris he met Gertrude Stein, who introduced him to the circle that she called the "Lost Generation". F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thornton Wilder, Sherwood Anderson and Ezra Pound were stimulating Hemingway's talent. At that time he wrote "The Sun Also Rises" (1926), "A Farewell to Arms" (1929), and a dazzling collection of Forty-Nine stories. Hemingway also regarded the Russian writers Lev Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Turgenev and Anton Chekhov as important influences, and met Pablo Picasso and other artists through Gertrude Stein. "A Moveable Feast" (1964) is his classic memoir of Paris after WWI.
Hemingway participated in the Spanish Civil War and took part in the D-Day landings during the invasion of France during World War II, in which he not only reported the action but took part in it. In one instance he threw three hand grenades into a bunker, killing several SS officers. He was decorated with the Bronze Star for his action. His military experiences were emulated in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1940) and in several other stories. He settled near Havana, Cuba, where he wrote his best known work, "The Old Man and the Sea" (1953), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature. This was adapted as the film The Old Man and the Sea (1958), for which Spencer Tracy was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor, and Dimitri Tiomkin received an Oscar for Best Musical Score.
War wounds, two plane crashes, four marriages and several affairs took their toll on Hemingway's hereditary predispositions and contributed to his declining health. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and insomnia in his later years. His mental condition was exacerbated by chronic alcoholism, diabetes and liver failure. After an unsuccessful treatment with electro-convulsive therapy, he suffered severe amnesia and his physical condition worsened. The memory loss obstructed his writing and everyday life. He committed suicide in 1961. Posthumous publications revealed a considerable body of his hidden writings, that was edited by his fourth wife, Mary, and also by his son Patrick Hemingway. - Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jay Pickett was born on 10 February 1961 in Spokane, Washington, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Soda Springs (2012), Abandoned (2010) and Port Charles (1997). He was married to Elena Marie Bates. He died on 30 July 2021 in Oreana, Idaho, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lovely and ethereal in looks, and quite unassuming in nature, 1930s actress Evelyn Venable was born in 1913 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she grew up and received her schooling. Both her father, Emerson Venable, and grandfather were writers/teachers. In her high school drama department, Evelyn played the top leads in their productions of "Romeo and Juliet" (Juliet) and "As You Like It" (Rosalind). Critics were so bowled over by her performances that she was cast in a professional production of "Dear Brutus" in the nearby area. Following graduation, she earned a four-year non-acting scholarship to Vassar but left after the first year to study at the University of Cincinnati. After college the acting bug returned. Encouraged by classical actor/director Walter Hampden, who was a family friend, he invited her to join his touring company where she eventually performed Ophelia to his Hamlet and Roxanne to his Cyrano. Film scouts at Paramount caught these productions and invited her to Hollywood.
Evelyn made her film debut with Cradle Song (1933) and proceeded to take on sensitive, soft-spoken leads or second leads in a number of "A" class fare including Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934) with Pauline Lord; the classic fantasy Death Takes a Holiday (1934) starring Fredric March, which is deemed her best role; David Harum (1934) and The County Chairman (1935), both Will Rogers' vehicles; and Alice Adams (1935) starring Katharine Hepburn in the title role. In each of these Evelyn looked simply luminous and proved most able, but perhaps her modest, rather delicate nature didn't carry off enough weight to make her a star. In any event, she was thereafter relegated to working at "poverty-row" studios. She started appearing in movies with titles that indicated a downhill slide was imminent -- Vagabond Lady (1935), Streamline Express (1935), North of Nome (1936), Racketeers in Exile (1937), The Headleys at Home (1938) and Hollywood Stadium Mystery (1938). One bright spot would be her sooth voicing of the "Blue Fairy" in the Disney animated classic Pinocchio (1940).
By this time, Evelyn had married Hal Mohr, the Oscar-winning cinematographer she had met on the set of one of Will Rogers' films, and bore him two daughters, Dolores and Rosalia. Interest waned for the actress, who decided that family came first and completely retired after appearing opposite Stuart Erwin Jr. in the light comedy He Hired the Boss (1943). Evelyn gamely returned to college (UCLA) where she studied Greek and Latin and attained a Master's degree. Invited to join the UCLA staff as a drama instructor, she stayed there contentedly for decades. She and Mohr lived in Brentwood, California in later years and enjoyed a 40-year marriage that lasted until his death in 1974. Evelyn died in Idaho of cancer in 1993.- Bebe Kelly was born on 28 September 1935 in Manitoba, Canada. She was an actress, known for Then Came Bronson (1969), Fangs (1974) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972). She died on 27 February 2012 in Caldwell, Idaho, USA.
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Chad Stuart was born on 10 December 1941 in Windermere, Cumbria, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for The Jungle Book (1967), Men in Black³ (2012) and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019). He was married to Judy Shelly, Victoria (Jill) Gelt Gibson and Valerie Romero. He died on 20 December 2020 in Hailey, Idaho, USA.- In her brief but noted screen career in the late 1950s, vivacious blonde Sally Fraser ran screaming from spiders, aliens, monsters and giants and straight into minor cult filmdom. While not handed many roles that would show off her true acting mettle, Sally, whose slight resemblance to Marjorie Lord was noticeable, nevertheless photographed beautifully and was captivating enough to leave her mark in 1950s films.
Born in Williston, North Dakota, on December 12, 1932, she moved to Southern California with her family (the youngest of five children) after spending a few years in Minneapolis. Her father subsequently bought and operated a feed store in the Canoga Park area of Los Angeles and worked there after school. As a young girl she expressed an interest in singing and joined her church choir while taking voice lessons. Spotted after singing on a local TV show, the pert beauty was encouraged to take drama courses and started to gain experience in local and summer stock plays, including "Bus Stop" with Marie Wilson, "Separate Tables" with Don Porter and Signe Hasso and "The Moon Is Blue".
Finding a theatrical agent Sally's move into television came as a result of her singing skills (in a way). It was a TV version of "A Christmas Carol" starring Fredric March as Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as Marley's Ghost. She played both Belle and The Ghost of Christmas Past but her singing voice would be dubbed by operatic diva Marilyn Horne. She went on to appear in a number of western shows such as The Gene Autry Show (1950), Annie Oakley (1954) and Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951). A vivacious presence in lighter fare, Sally made guest appearances on "December Bride," "Bachelor Father," "Mr. Lucky" and took her last job in the late 1960s in "Lassie".
As for films, following a bit role in her debut film All I Desire (1953), she nabbed the female lead opposite Edmund Gwenn and a canine in the sentimental fantasy It's a Dog's Life (1955). Sally quickly found herself pocketed in low-budget 50s sci-fiers. She played the wife of Peter Graves who becomes possessed by aliens in the Roger Corman quickie It Conquered the World (1956); the brave sister of the colossal man in War of the Colossal Beast (1958); and a mother protecting her baby in The Spider (1958). Others included Giant from the Unknown (1958), the racing car programmer Roadracers (1959), and Dangerous Charter (1962). Rare quality films also came her way such as Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) and the Burt Lancaster starrer Elmer Gantry (1960), but her roles would be minuscule.
Fraser continued to work on stage ("Jenny Kissed Me" with Rudy Vallee and "the musical "Of Thee I Sing" with George D. Wallace) and TV and well into the 60s until she decided to retire to raise her family.
Her husband, Allan Johnson, ran a manufacturing business for some time. They eventually moved to Harrison, Idaho in the 80s and lived on a cattle ranch. She died there on January 13, 2019, at age 86. - Actor
- Stunts
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Epper was born on 1 October 1938 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Hitcher (1986), Volcano (1997) and Beverly Hills Cop (1984). He was married to Donna Epper. He died on 20 July 2012 in Salmon, Idaho, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Steve Harwell was born on January 9, 1967 in Santa Clara, California, USA as Steven Scott Harwell. In 1994 Steve Harwell formed a rock band callled Smash Mouth and they released their first album Fush Yu Mang with the song "Walkin' on the Sun" which became a big hit along with the remake song "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by the group "War". Later on he released an album in 1999 called Astro Lounge with their song "All Star" and "Then the Morning Comes" which became a hit on the Billboards chart. In 2001 Steve Harwell appeared in the 2001 American Comedy film "Rat Race" as a cameo guest. Later that year, an album called "Smash Mouth" was released with the remake song "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees but was delayed due to the death of Steve Harwell's son Presley Scott Harwell who died that year. He also released the song "Getting Better" for "The Cat in the Hat" 2003 film. He also released the credit song I wanna be like you" for the 2003 Disney movie "The Jungle Book 2". He also composed 2 songs "Beside Myself" and "Everything Just Crazy" for the 2013 South Korean cartoon film "Pororo, the Racing Adventure". In 2016 during his live concert tour on Stage, Steve Harwell collapsed on stage and was rushed to the hospital. He later recovered and continues his rock music tours up until 2023. One of his last concerts on stage was at the Orem Utah Scera Shell concert on May 27, 2023. On September 4, he died in Bosie Idaho from liver failure.- Tom studied the Stanislavsky Method of acting under his father, Jovan Popovic at the King's Opera House in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Born in Belgrade, he came to the United States at the age of fifteen.
He attended school in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Salzburg, Austria, Chicago and Los Angeles. Tom also served in the U.S. Army in Korea.
He enjoys snow skiing, soccer, ping pong, tennis, swimming, and track and field. - Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Jackson Gillis was the middle son of three boys born to Ridgway M. Gillis (a civil engineer for the Washington State Highway Department) and Marjorie Lyman. In the late 1920s the Gillis family moved to California, settling first in Fresno then in Sacramento, where he grew up before attending and graduating from Stanford University. In July 1941 he married stage actress Patricia Cassidy.
Assigned as intelligence officer with the 184th Infantry Regiment, Gillis served in the Pacific during WWII; after leaving the Army as a lieutenant colonel at the end of the war, he returned to writing for radio, most prominently "Let George Do It." From there he moved into television, writing many episodes of such series as Perry Mason (1957) (for which he was also associate producer), Lassie (1954), Racket Squad (1950) and The Mickey Mouse Club (1955). He was a regular writer on the "Columbo" series starring Peter Falk and was nominated for an Emmy for one of scripts for that series.
After more than 40 years of writing television scripts, Jackson Gillis retired from the business in 1996 and he and his wife moved to a small town in Idaho.- James Lemp was born on 2 August 1938 in the USA. He was an actor, known for WarGames (1983), Assassination (1987) and The Fall Guy (1981). He died on 6 November 2012 in Boise, Idaho, USA.
- Bill Buckner achieved baseball immortality and infamy among Boston Red Sox fans (collectively known as The Red Sox Nation) when as Red Sox first baseman, he let a ball weakly hit by Mookie Wilson scoot between his legs during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series (1986). The spectacular bone-headed play gave the one-strike-away-from-losing New York Mets new life, and they went on to win Game 6 and the World Series in seven games. Buckner's unbelievable play prolonged the "Curse of the Bambino" that had plagued the Nation for 66 years, after Babe Ruth had been sold by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee to the New York Yankees. The following year, the Sporting News' annual baseball supplement featured a cover photo of Buckner's miscue with the headline, "Can Anyone Doubt the Red Sox Hex"? The Nation took it so hard that a retired Buckner was forced to move out of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as his children were being harassed by young Red Sox fans.
- Dale Critchlow was born on 27 October 1929 in Pleasant View, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Church Ball (2006). He was married to Glenna Marie Hunsaker. He died on 18 February 2022 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Beautiful Marie Devereux was photographed partially nude when she was still a teenager. During the 1950s she became a regular nude model in magazines, but she also had a brief career in films, usually playing sexy girls in comedies, dramas and horror films, a few of which were directed by distinguished filmmakers. After appearing in Terence Young's "Serious Charge", she was seen to good advantage in three Hammer Film productions: first, under the direction of genre master Terence Fisher, she played a follower of goddess Kali in "The Stranglers of Bombay" (1959), and she was one of the "Brides of Dracula" (1960); these were followed in 1962 by John Gilling's "The Pirates of Blood River", in which she played a village girl. She was also in Guy Green's highly praised drama "The Mark (1961), and then traveled to Italy to work as Elizabeth Taylor's stand-in in "Cleopatra" (1963), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Devereux went to Hollywood after the production closed in Rome, and appeared in television and two cult movies directed by Samuel Fuller, "Shock Corridor" (1963) and "The Naked Kiss" (1964). After these roles she decided to marry and have children in the United States, and retired from films.- Actor
- Soundtrack
William Janney was born on 15 February 1908 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Two Seconds (1932), The World Changes (1933) and Sweepstake Annie (1935). He was married to Lola Marie Lockwood, Venice Bernadine Camp and Madlin Mansfield Hobbs. He died on 22 December 1992 in Payette, Idaho, USA.- Poppy Wilde was born on 5 December 1914 in Oakland, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Gold Diggers in Paris (1938). She died on 1 August 2000 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA.
- Bradley Hollibaugh was born on 23 November 1966. He was an actor, known for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007), The Big Bang (2010) and Finding Bliss (2009). He died on 11 April 2021 in Idaho, USA.
- Mary Currier was born on 9 August 1904 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for The Valley of Decision (1945), Everything's on Ice (1939) and Voodoo Man (1944). She was married to Edward Hanes Currier. She died on 25 March 1997 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA.
- Carmelita Pope was born on 15 April 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Amazing Spider-Man (1977), General Hospital (1963) and They Stand Accused (1949). She was married to William Wood and Howard Charles Ballenger II. She died on 3 April 2019 in Boise, Idaho, USA.
- Lynette Culver was born on 31 July 1962 in Renton, Washington, USA. She died on 6 May 1975 in Pocatello, Idaho, USA.
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Charles E. Sellier Jr. founder and president of Grizzly Adams Productions, Inc., was an acclaimed producer, writer and director in the independent film industry. Sellier skillfully pioneered market testing and "four-walling"--renting a theater to show his films, thereby enabling him to keep all the profits for himself--garnered him the distinction of having more pictures in the Top 50 independent grossers than any other independent producer in the 1970s. Sellier's techniques enabled him to achieve a commanding 52% success rate in the domestic theatrical market, during a time when the major studios only averaged one in seven. Joel Kotkin wrote in the Washington Post, "Today, Charles Sellier is the first of a series of new family filmmakers that is hitting Hollywood right where it hurts--the box office". The Wall Street Journal claimed Sellier "cleans up by marketing films like selling soap--the Utah moviemaker pre-tests his product and hasn't failed yet." When Variety listed its "Champs Among Bantamweights" in July of 1981, Sellier's name appeared on the list more than that of any producer. Included in its top 50 films were nine Sellier productions: In Search of Noah's Ark (1976), Beyond and Back (1978), The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1974), Chariots of the Gods (1970), The Mysterious Monsters (1975), In Search of Historic Jesus (1979), The Bermuda Triangle (1978), Hangar 18 (1980) and The Adventures of Frontier Fremont (1975). A tenth Sellier success soon appeared on that list: The Boogens (1981). After a lengthy meeting between Orson Welles and Sellier, Mr. Welles commented, "Young man, you are light-years ahead of the rest of the industry."
Not content simply with unprecedented success in theatrical features, Sellier began using similar audience preference studies in the area of television programming. In 1976 he created the The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1977) television concept, and in January 1977 the series began airing on the NBC. "Grizzly Adams" became an instant success, beating out the highly popular The Bionic Woman (1976) in six short weeks. As a result, "Grizzly Adams" entertained television audiences throughout the rest of the 1970s, and earned Sellier the reputation of being a major contributor to prime time television. Paul Klein, NBC's volatile programming chief at that time, lauded Sellier as a "brilliant and amazing innovator."
In 1980 Sellier was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the television film The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1980). In 1986 Universal Studios put Sellier under contract as supervising producer for a series of movies-of-the-week that garnered high ratings, including the hugely popular six two-hour "Desperado" specials, which received a National Cowboy Hall of Fame award in 1989. In the early 1990s Sellier went on to create and produce two specials for CBS--Ancient Secrets of the Bible (1992) and the pilot "Miracles and Other Wonders". Both performed well in the ratings and the network responded with a multimillion-dollar contract for an additional 10 hours of primetime shows.
Starting in 2001, Sellier began writing and producing investigative documentaries for television and DVD for both the secular and Christian markets. In 2008 he wrote and produced what was to be his final film, the wilderness feature _Friends for Life (2006)_ (qv(, which has received over 30 independent film awards.
Along with his extensive film record, Charles E. Sellier Jr. authored many best-selling books including "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams", "Hangar 18", "In Search of Noah's Ark" (four weeks on the New York Post list), "The Lincoln Conspiracy" (22 weeks on the New York Times list), "The Conspiracy to Kill the President" and "Miracles and Other Wonders", to name just a few.
Charles E. Sellier was passionate about his profession as a filmmaker, served as an innovative industry leader and was a mentor and role model for those who had the pleasure of working with him over a career that spanned more than four decades. Mr. Sellier died on January 31, 2011 - survived by his wife, Julie Magnuson and his son, William Sellier. Chuck is missed by many, but his legacy lives on through the characters he brought to life, the careers he launched, and the stories he penned.- Addison Morgan was born on 1 June 2000 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. She was an actress, known for Places (2018), High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019) and When Alex Met Jordan (2020). She died on 28 July 2020 in Nampa, Idaho, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
Gary Downey was born on 21 December 1938 in Gooding, Idaho, USA. He was an actor, known for Ice Station Zebra (1968), Star Trek (1966) and Coming Home (1978). He died on 30 December 1979 in Boise City, Idaho, USA.- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
William N. Panzer was born on 6 September 1942 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), Highlander (1992) and Highlander (1986). He died on 17 March 2007 in Sun Valley, Idaho, USA.- Bob Templeton was born on 18 November 1918 in Mount Vernon, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Flight to Tangier (1953) and Science Fiction Theatre (1955). He died on 5 June 2007 in Gem County, Idaho, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Jack Hayes was born on 8 February 1919 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a composer, known for The Color Purple (1985), Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). He was married to Juanita Daniel Hayes. He died on 24 August 2011 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Robert Chenault was born on 7 October 1924 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was a producer and director, known for ABC Weekend Specials (1977), ABC Afterschool Specials (1972) and Deceptions (1985). He was married to Cynthia Chenault and Maxine Doviat. He died on 11 September 2009 in Idaho, USA.- Katharine Graham was one of the most powerful women in American media. Her multi-millionaire father, Eugene Meyer, purchased The Washington Post in 1933. After much success in restoring the down-and-out Post, he died in 1946 and left the newspaper to Graham's husband. However, her husband suffered from alcoholism and depression, and committed suicide in 1963. With 4 young children, Graham became president of the company, at a time when most women were in charge of their households and little else. In 1969, Graham was named the Post's publisher, a title she held for a decade.
Under Katharine Graham's leadership, The Washington Post became known for its hard-hitting investigations, including the publication of the Pentagon Papers (against the advice of the Post's lawyers), followed by Woodward and Bernstein's reporting of the Watergate scandal. Graham and her paper are often credited with bringing about the fall of President Richard Nixon.
Graham served as the Washington Post Co.'s chief executive officer and chairman of the board from 1973-91. Though she retired in 1991, she remained chairman of the company's executive committee until her death. Graham wrote her memoirs, "Personal History," in 1997, which won the Pulitzer Prize for biography. She was injured in a fall in Idaho in June 2001, and died the following month at age 84. - Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Paul Revere was born on 7 January 1938 in Harvard, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Santee (1973), Where the Action Is (1965) and Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955-1970) (2000). He was married to Eileen Elizabeth (Sydney) Mohrman, Sandra Sue Campbell and Sharon Kennel. He died on 4 October 2014 in Garden Valley, Idaho, USA.- Della Pringle was born on 20 August 1870 in Trenton, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for The Butterfly Girl (1917), Haystacks and Steeples (1916) and His Widow's Might (1917). She died on 9 November 1952 in Boise, Idaho, USA.
- Thomas Palmer was born on 26 October 1912 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) and Einer wird gewinnen (1964). He died on 22 November 1997 in Sandpoint, Idaho, USA.
- Stephen R. Covey was born on 24 October 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was a writer, known for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1996) and Jobbing (2006). He was married to Sandra Merrill. He died on 16 July 2012 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
- Don Ciccone was born in 1946 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons: December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) (1975) and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons: Who Loves You (1975). He died on 8 October 2016 in Ketchum, Idaho, USA.
- Shirley Ramey was born on 13 November 1938. She died on 5 April 2017 in Trestle Creek, Idaho, USA.
- American novelist Vardis Fisher was born in Utah in 1895. His parents were Mormon converts--although he later became an atheist and remained so for the rest of his life--who were among the members of the Mormon wagon train that traveled west with Mormon founder Joseph Smith. He graduated from the University of Utah and got his M.A. and PhD from the University of Chicago. He began having his works published in the late 1920s, and in 1935 he was appointed head of the Federal Writers Project in Idaho. A prolific writer, he turned out a long string of novels, biographies and poetry books, his best known probably being 1965's "The Mountain Man", a novel based on the exploits of a real-life mountain man named Crow Killer Johnson--so named because he made it his life's work to kill as many Crow Indians as possible, after a Crow raiding party had murdered his wife--in the mid-19th century, which was later turned into a hit movie with Robert Redford called Jeremiah Johnson (1972).
- Richard Butler was born on 23 February 1918 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He died on 8 September 2004 in Hayden, Idaho, USA.
- DeOrr Kunz Jr. was born on 30 December 2012 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA. He died on 15 July 2015 in Leadore, Idaho, USA.
- Eleanor Blevins was born on 27 April 1894 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. She was an actress, known for A Friend in Need (1914), The Valley of Humiliation (1915) and The Love Transcendent (1915). She was married to Ralph L. Albaugh and Herbert D. Betts. She died on 30 September 1973 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
- Harold Buckley was born on 4 April 1896 in Westfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was a writer, known for Air Devils (1938), The Black Doll (1938) and Sinners in Paradise (1938). He died on 13 June 1958 in Rigby, Idaho, USA.
- Lewis Croft was born on 2 May 1919 in Shelley, Idaho, USA. He was an actor, known for We're Off to See the Munchkins (1993). He was married to Eva ? and Delores Del Rio. He died on 29 April 2008 in Shelley, Idaho, USA.
- Additional Crew
Dick Rutan was born on 1 July 1938 in Loma Linda, California, USA. He is known for The Magic of Flight (1996), Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project (2014) and 60 Minutes (1968). He was married to Kristin Cremer and Geraldine. He died on 3 May 2024 in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, USA.- John Salter Jr. was born on 14 February 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was married to Eldri. He died on 7 January 2019 in Pocatello, Idaho, USA.
- Tammy Daybell was born on 4 May 1970. She was married to Chad Daybell. She died on 19 October 2019 in Salem, Idaho, USA.
- Director
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Dick Barrymore was born on 21 October 1933 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a director and cinematographer, known for The Last of the Ski Bums (1969), Ski West, Young Man (1961) and Once in a Lifetime (1970). He died on 1 August 2008 in Ketchum, Idaho, USA.