Notable Passings

A number of filmmakers and other significant people who worked in and around the entertainment industry have passed on since my last news roundup on December 2nd, so I'm going to pay tribute to them separately from my new Around the Blogosphere This Week column, coming later today.

...Actress Marisa Pavan has died at the age of 91. She outlived her twin sister, actress Pier Angeli, by over half a century. Pavan was the widow of actor Jean-Pierre Aumont, who died in 2001; when they married in 1956, Aumont was the widower of actress Maria Montez, who had died in 1951. Pavan films reviewed here include DOWN THREE DARK STREETS (1954), THE BIG LAND (1954), DIANE (1956), and THE MIDNIGHT STORY (1957).

...Ellen Holly, a pioneering black actress best known as Carla Hall on the soap opera ONE LIFE TO LIFE (1968-1985), has passed on at the age of 92.

...Longtime GENERAL HOSPITAL costume designer Bob Miller, a multi Emmy winner whose work included several memorable wedding gowns for the show's leading actresses, has died of cancer. His designs included the wedding gown Felicia (Kristina Malandro Wagner) wore when she married Frisco (Jack Wagner), seen here.

...Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brothers has passed on at 86. Survivors include his brother Dick and his wife, Marcy Carriker Smothers, a Disney historian who is the author of EAT LIKE WALT: THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY FOOD and WALT'S DISNEYLAND: A WALK IN THE PARK WITH WALT DISNEY.

...Jack Hogan, who appeared in countless TV guest roles over a 35-year span, has passed away at 94. His parts included a recurring role as a judge in a dozen episodes of JAKE AND THE FATMAN (1989-90). Hogan also worked as a casting director for MAGNUM, P.I. in the early '80s.

...Actor Richard Romanus, in films from 1968 to 2003, has passed away at 80. One of his best-known roles was as a loan shark in Scorsese's MEAN STREETS (1973).

...Actor Ryan O'Neal has died at 82. He was buried next to Farrah Fawcett at Westwood Village Memorial Park. Survivors include his daughter, actress Tatum O'Neal.

...Actress Casey Kramer, the daughter of producer-director Stanley Kramer, has died at 67. Survivors include her stepmother, actress Karen Sharpe-Kramer, and her sister, actress Kat Kramer.

...Norma Barzman, who was an uncredited cowriter of the screenplay for the classic twisty noir THE LOCKET (1944), has passed away at 103. She also wrote the story for NEVER SAY GOODBYE (1946), which starred Errol Flynn and Eleanor Parker.

...Tap dancer Maurice Hines has died at 80. His film work included Francis Ford Coppola's THE COTTON CLUB (1984) alongside his brother, the late Gregory Hines.

...British actor Tom Wilkinson has passed on at the age of 75. I just rewatched him in his Oscar-nominated role in MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007) a few weeks ago.

...I was saddened to learn of the death of film historian Cari Beauchamp, author of several books including WITHOUT LYING DOWN: FRANCES MARION AND THE POWERFUL WOMEN OF EARLY HOLLYWOOD.and JOSEPH P. KENNEDY PRESENTS: HIS HOLLYWOOD YEARS. Beauchamp, who was a press secretary for California governor Jerry Brown before turning to writing, was 74. She was a regular presenter at the TCM Classic Film Festival; TCM paid tribute to Beauchamp on Twitter. I interacted with her from time to time on Twitter, where I found her friendly and informative.

...A longtime Twitter "mutual," TV interviewer Bobby Rivers, sadly died on December 26th at age 70. The news came as a shock to the Twitter classic film community, where he had last Tweeted December 18th. Again, TCM paid tribute in a Tweet. Bobby's friendly presence and film knowledge will be greatly missed on Twitter.

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