RIP Russ Mayberry

Russell "Russ" B. Mayberry, 86, of Fort Collins, Colo. passed away July 27, 2012 after brief illness.

He was born Dec. 22, 1925 in Duluth, Minn. to John and Ethel Mayberry.

After serving as a Naval Aviator during World War II, he attended Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill. He then began a 46 year career in the television industry, starting out as a stage hand at WBKB in Chicago. His career took him to Memphis and New York and back to Chicago and then to California.

Over the years, Russ directed numerous television shows, some of which were "Bewitched," "I Dream of Jeannie," "That Girl," "The Monkees," "Ironside," "McCloud," "Kojak," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Rockford Files," "Magnum PI," "The Fall Guy," "Miami Vice," "Matlock," and "In The Heat of the Night." He also directed many Television Pilots and Movies Of The Week.

Russ is survived his wife, Sandy of Fort Collins; his son, David (Marty) Anderson of Lake Bluff, Ill.; his daughter, Cynthia Mayberry (Jim Treydte) of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; his grandson, David Anderson; his granddaughter, Christine Anderson; and his brother, Robert Mayberry of Cambria, Calif.
He was preceded in death by his brother John Mayberry.

A Remembrance Gathering will be held on Monday, Aug. 6, 2012 at 11 a.m. at the Allnutt Drake Reception Center, 650 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins, Colo.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Directors Guild of America Foundation, 7920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046 or Waikik Aquarium, Honolulu, Hawaii.

MAYBERRY, Russ (Russell B. Mayberry)
Born: 12/22/1925, Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.A.
Died:  7/27/2012, Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.A.

Russ Mayberry's westerns - director:
The Virginian (TV) - 1970, 1971
Alias Smith and Jones (TV) - 1971
Dusty's Trail (TV) - 1973, 1974

RIP Tony Epper

Actor-stuntman Tony Epper dies at 73

Part of the Epper dynasty of Hollywood stuntmen

By Variety Staff

Tony Epper, an actor, stuntman and stunt coordinator, died July 20 at home in Idaho after a long fighter with cancer. He was 73.

His film credits as an actor include Sydney Pollack's "The Scalphunters," "Valdez Is Coming," "Lawman" Mark Rydell's "The Cowboys," "Cutter's Way," "The Beastmaster," "The Hitcher," "Christmas Vacation" and Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy."

Epper did stunt work on a large number of high-profile films including "Lethal Weapon 2," "Thelma and Louise," "Patriot Games," Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula," "The River Wild," "Waterworld," "Money Train," "Jingle All the Way," "Volcano" and "Con Air."

Epper also worked steadily in television, first appearing in an episode of "Bachelor Father" in 1958 and racking up guest roles in series including "I Spy," "The Green Hornet," "Daniel Boone," "Batman," "Gunsmoke," "Kung Fu," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "The Rockford Files," "Charlie's Angels," "The A-Team" and "MacGyver." He last appeared in 1996 in an episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as a drunken Klingon.

John Anthony Epper was born in Los Angeles on October 1, 1938, the son of actor-stuntman John Epper [1906-1992]. He did his first Hollywood work as an actor and stuntman in the early 1950s, appearing uncredited in the films "Carbine Williams," "The Story of Will Rogers" and "Ma and Pa Kettle at Home."

He was credited as second unit director on the Abel Ferrara-helmed 1986 telepic "The Gladiator."

Epper's brothers Andy [1943-2010] and Gary [1944-2007] were also actor-stuntmen but preceded him in death.

Epper is survived by his wife, Donna; two sons, Danny, an actor and stuntman, and Roger; a daughter; two step-daughters and a variety of other Epper family members who work in the business, including his sister Jeannie Epper.

EPPER, Tony (John Anthony Epper)

Born: 10/1/1938, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 7/20/2012, Utah, U.S.A.

Tony Epper’s westerns – actor, stuntman:

Carbine Williams – 1952

Mail Order Bride - 1964 [stunts]

The Hallelujah Trail - 1965 [stunts]

The Professionals – 1966 [stunts]

Daniel Boone (TV) – 1966, 1967 (sergeant, Tate, Morgan)

Iron Horse (TV) – 1967 (One-Armed Man)

Hondo (TV) – 1967 (Running Bear)

Cimarron Strip (TV) – 1968 (Dave Kerny, Marko)

The Scalphunters – 1968 (scalphunter) [stunt coordinator, stunts]

The Wild Bunch – 1969 [stunts]

Paint Your Wagon – 1969 [stunts]

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys 1969 [stunts]

The High Chaparral (TV) – 1970 (Hanley)

Lawman – 1971 [stunts]

Valdez is Coming – 1971 (bodyguard) [stunts]

The Cowboys – 1972 (rustler) [stunts]

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid – 1972 (lumberjack) [stunts]

Ulzana’s Raid – 1972 (trooper) [stunts]

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1973 (lynch mob member)

Blazing Saddles – 1974 [stunts]

Kung Fu (TV) – 1974, 1975 (Deputy Dirk, bounty hunter)

The Master Gunfighter – 1975 [stunts]

Centennial (TV) – 1978 (bar fighter)

The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang (TV) – 1979 (Charlie Montgomery)

More Wild Wild West (TV) – 1980 (Juanita's Brother)

Cattle Annie and Little Britches - 1981 [stunt double] [stunts]

Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge - 1987 (TV) (Farnum McCloud)

Guns of Paradise (TV) – 1988, 1989 (bouncer, Federal Marshal Burnette)

Lonesome Dove (TV) – 1989 (Dixon)

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - 1991 [stunts]

The Good Old Boys (TV) - 1995 (Melvin the Goon)

 

RIP Don Bagley

RIP Don Bagley

Donald Neff Bagley

American Jazz Bassist

1927 ~ 2012

Donald Neff Bagley was born July 18,1927 in Salt Lake City the youngest son of Lewis Loraine and Laurance Elaine Bagley. He received formal training in double bass also earning degrees from Los Angeles City College and Pierce College also in Los Angeles. Professionally, Don started with the Hollywood Teenagers in 1944. He then served in the Navy from 1945 until 1949, playing with the Navy band on location as assigned. Following his time in the service, he played with Stan Kenton from 1950 until 1954 and again later in his career. Don was a much sought after and admired arranger, producer, composer and conductor and he continued to work on projects in recent years and was constantly augmenting his vast knowledge taking classes and participating in forums and workshops. In his career he worked with Burt Bacharach, Shelly Manne, Nat King Cole, Dexter Gordon among countless others. He toured with legendary jazz performers and popular artists including Julie London, June Christie and Sarah Vaughan. He arranged, played and conducted for many recordings including Carols De Christmas which went platinum. Don's work can also be heard in the many movies and T.V. shows, including the score for the first Spiderman movie. A consummate Jazz bassist, Don released three solo albums, Basically Bagley, Jazz On The Rocks and Soft Sell. He conducted several Christmas productions with The London Symphony and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Don was a member of The Songwriter's Guild, The Composers and Lyricists Guild and The American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers where he served on its board of directors. In addition, he was a long time member of musicians local 47 in Los Angeles.

Survivors include grandchildren, Jordan, Jasmin, Celestine and Chanel and 7 great grandchildren. He also leaves many nieces and nephews in the Salt Lake area who will mark his passing. He was preceded in death by his daughter Tiffani, his wife Mimi whom he married in 1951, and siblings Louis, Stuart, John (Jack), Ben, and Marjorie Turner.

Memorial services will be held in the Northridge 1st L.D.S. Ward, Northridge, Calif., Monday July 30, 2012, at 10 A.M. Graveside services will be held at Wasatch Lawn; Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wed., August 1, 2012, at 10 A.M.

BAGLEY, Don (Donald Neff Bagley)

Born: 7/18/1927, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

Died: 7/26/2012, Northridge, California, U.S.A.

Don Bagley’s western – composer:

Ole Rex - 1961

RIP Jonathan Hardy

Jonathan Hardy of Farscape dies at 71

New Zealand actor, writer, and director Jonathan Hardy died today at the age of 71.

Speculative fiction fans know Hardy best as the voice of Dominar Rygel VXI, a Henson Muppe creation for "Farscape", a short but very popular science fiction television show filmed in New Zealand.

Jonathan Hardy voiced Rygel XVI in all four seasons of Farscape, Farscape: The Game, and Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.
He received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay for the 1980 film 'Breaker' Morant. Hardy also appeared on-camera as Kahaynu the builder in I Do, I Think and The Maltese Crichton.

Hardy spoke affectionately of his time as Rygel to the BBC, asserting "What else could one do to culminate a career than to become a very great international star as the voice of a Muppet?"

American viewers may not recognize the man behind the Dominar's mask, but Hardy's film credits include Mad Max (with Mel Gibson, as Commissioner Labatouche), Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (as the Man in the Moon, with singing voice dubbed by Placido Domingo), The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (with Spike Milligan), The Delinquents (with Kylie Minogue and Melissa Jaffer), and Ned Kelly (as the Great Orlando). Television includes the Australian series Prisoner, the 1989 revival of Mission: Impossible, Twisted Tales, and the TV movie The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years.

At this writing, there's no information on Hardy's cause of death. Even New Zealand news isn't up to date yet.

However, this isn't the first life-threatening situation that Hardy has faced.

Well over thirty years ago, Jonathan Hardy was to direct "The Man from Snowy River". He cast it, and suddenly collapsed, and had to have a heart transplant. Hardy said, "In that sense I've got something in common with Rygel, I've got somebody else's heart, so I'm a bit alien myself."

The speculative fiction fans around the world mourn the loss of Jonathan Hardy and his special voice for the ill-contented muppet. May his next world adventures be as fun as Rygel was to viewers.

HARDY, Jonathan
Born: 9/20/1940, Wellington, New Zealand
Died: 7/30/2012

Jonathan Hardy's westerns - actor, associate director:
Return to Snowy River - 1988 [associate director]
Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (TV) - 1996 (John Archer, Sr.)
Ned Kelly - 2003 (The Great Orlando)

RIP Tony Martin

Romantic crooner Tony Martin dies at 98

Monday - 7/30/2012, 1:26pm ET

By BOB THOMAS
Associated Press

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Crooner Tony Martin, whose career spanned from the Great Depression to the 21st century, has died in Los Angeles at 98.

Friend and accountant Beverly Scott says Martin died Friday of natural causes at his West Los Angeles home.

A romantic idol for at least one generation, his hit recordings include "I Get Ideas," "To Each His Own," "Begin the Beguine" and "There's No Tomorrow."

Although he never became a full-fledged movie star, Martin was featured in 25 films, most of them made during the heyday of the Hollywood musicals. A husky 6 feet tall and dashingly handsome, he was often cast as the lead.

Off-screen, he married two movie musical superstars, Alice Faye and Cyd Charisse. The latter union lasted 60 years, until Charisse's death in 2008.

MARTIN, Tony (Alvin Morris)
Born: 12/25/1913, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
Died: 7/27/2012, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Tony Martin's westerns - actor: 
Quincannon, Frontier Scout - 1962 (Linus Quincannon)
Death Valley Days (TV) - 1962 (Amadeo Giannini)
 

RIP Norman Alden

Amazingly busy through five decades, he was the voice of Aquaman and appeared in "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," "Kansas City Bomber," "Back to the Future" and "Ed Wood."

Norman Alden, a character actor who piled up a prodigious number of credits during his five decades in film and television, died July 27 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Los Angeles, his family reported. He was 87.

Alden appeared in several hundred television episodes, commercials and films (his family put the number at 2,500) but rarely had a regular gig, frequently playing tough guys and authority figures one show and one character at a time. Perhaps his most recognizable role was as Lou the mechanic in a series of AC Delco commercials.

Alden provided the voice of Aquaman in two Super Friends animated series in the 1970s, played outlaw Johnny Ringo in 1961 in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp opposite Hugh O'Brian and was Coach Leroy Fedders on seven episodes of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman in the mid-1970s. His character drowned face-first in a bowl of Mary's (Louise Lasser's) chicken soup.

The native of Fort Worth, Texas, got his start on The Bob Cummings Show in 1957 and would appear in scores of TV series like Honey West, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Fay, My Three Sons, My Favorite Martian, The Big Valley, The Streets of San Francisco, The Rookies, Adam-12, Combat!, Charlie's Angels, JAG and Batman, where he played one of the Joker's henchmen.

On film, Alden voiced Sir Kay in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963), was roller derby skater "Horrible" Hank Hopkins in Raquel Welch's Kansas City Bomber (1972) and had roles in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), Semi-Tough (1977), Back to the Future (1985), They Live (1988), Ed Wood (1994), Patch Adams (1998) and K-Pax (2001).

Following a tour of duty in Europe during World War II, Alden attended Texas Christian University and worked at KXOL Radio as a disc jockey. He left Fort Worth in his early twenties to go to New York, won Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts and moved to Los Angeles.

Survivors include his children Brent and Ashley, his grandson Zooey and his longtime life partner, Linda Thieben.

A celebration of his life will be held in Los Angeles in August and in Fort Worth in September. The family asks that in a donation in Alden's name be made to TCU's drama department; to the department of cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles; or to the Frostig Center in Pasadena.

ALDEN, Norman (Norman Adelberg)

Born: 9/13/1924, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 7/27/2012, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Norman Alden’s westerns – actor:

Circus Boy (TV) – 1957 (Pierre Manelli)

Yancy Derringer (TV) – 1958 (Crenshaw)

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (TV) – 1958, 1959 (Black Cloud)

Pony Express (TV) – 1959

The Texan (TV) – 1959 (Ryan)

Bonanza (TV) – 1960, 1961 (Poke, Teller)

Bronco (TV) – 1961 (Shad Welty)

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV) – 1961 (Johnny Ringo)

Lawman (TV) – 1961 (Charley)

Cheyenne (TV) – 1962 (Paul Thomas)

The Rifleman (TV) – 1962 (Duff)

The Dakotas (TV) – 1963 (Paul Thomas, Jim Barton)

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV) – 1963 (Broken  Mouth)

Temple Houston (TV) – 1964 (Carlton Owens)

Rango (TV) – 1967 (Captain Horton)

The Big Valley (TV) – 1967 (Jeff Bowden)

The Guns of Will Sonnett (TV) – 1967 (Clay Dixon)

Iron Horse (TV) – 1967  (Rafe Benton)

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973 (Purlie Loftus, Deke Franklin, Berber, Amos Potter, Tom Hart)

The Great Bank Robbery 1969 (The Great Gregory)

The Trackers (TV) – 1971 (Pete Dilworth)

Kung Fu (TV) – 1973 (Sheriff Crossman)

RIP Eddie Nichols

Jan 24, 1931 - July 23, 2012 OKLAHOMA CITY Edward Lee Nichols was born in Hollywood, CA January 24, 1931. He attended Hollywood High School and the Little Red School House. He was the son of Carl Nelson and Henrietta Louise Booth Nichols. During the depression, Ed and his six siblings were child actors. Ed worked for G.M. and owned a carpet retail store. Ed was preceded in death by Delores June Smith; and son, Douglas Edward Nichols. He is survived by his wife, Amanda Hilton Nichols; daughter, Diane Lea Ayers & husband; grandchildren, Curtis Ayers and Nicole Maingi; great-grandchild, Adelynn Maingi; and stepchildren, Douglas Hilton Low and Amanda Montgomery. Memorial services will be held at the Sportsman's Club, 4001 N.W. 39 St., OKC, Thursday, July 26 at 1 p.m.

Published in The Oklahoman on July 25, 2012

NICHOLS, Eddie (Edward Lee Nichols)
Born: 1/24/1931, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Died: 7/23/2012, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Eddie Nichols' western - actor:
Buffalo Bill - 1944 (boy at shooting gallery)

RIP R.G. Armstrong

R.G. Armstrong passed away in his sleep on July 27, 2012. He was 95. Born Robert Golden Armstrong on April 7, 1917 in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there he was frequently performing on stage with the Carolina Playmakers. Although his mother had hoped he would follow the ministry, ffter graduating, R.G. headed to New York, where his acting career really took off. In 1953 he, along with many of his Actor's Studio buddies, was part of the cast of "End As a Man" -- this became the first play to go from off-Broadway to Broadway. The following year, R.G. got his first taste of movies, appearing in “Garden of Eden” (1954). However, he returned to New York and the live stage. He received great reviews for his portrayal of Big Daddy in the Broadway production of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" in 1955. In 1958 he took the plunge to Hollywood and appeared in two movies, a TV series, and numerous guest appearances on TV shows that year, usually in westerns such as "The Rifleman" (1958), "Have Gun - Will Travel" (1957) and "Zane Grey Theater" (1956), among others. He would go on to appear in 80 movies and three TV series in his career, and guest-starred in 90 TV series, many of them westerns, often as a tough sheriff or a rugged land baron. R.G. was a regular cast member in the TV series "T.H.E. Cat" (1966), playing tough, one-handed Captain MacAllister. Although most of us remember R.G. as a regular in several Sam Peckinpah films, the younger generation knows him as spooky Lewis Vandredi, who just wouldn't let the main characters have a good night's sleep on the "Friday the 13th" (1987) TV series. Finally retiring after six successful decades in show business, his last film appearance was in the TV western film “Purgatory” (1999). Mr. Armstrong had been blind for the past few years he enjoyed listening to old radio programs and the Encore westerns channel. Armstrong received a Golden Boot award in 1999. R.G. appeared in one Euro-western as Honest John in “My Name is Nobody” (1973).

ARMSTRONG, R.G. (Robert Golden Armstrong)

Born: 4/7/1917, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.A.

Died: 7/27/2012, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

R.G. Armstrong’s westerns – actor:

Jefferson Drum (TV) – 1958 (Kreiger)

From Hell to Texas – 1958 (Hunter Boyd)

Have Gun – Will Travel (TV) – 1958 (Marshall Tom Jaffey, Mayor S.J. Lovett)

The Californians (TV) – 1958 (Malone)

The Rifleman (TV) – 1958 (Sheriff Fred Tomlinson)

Bronco (TV) – 1958 (Reverend Hardin)

Zane Grey Theater (TV) – 1958 (Sheriff Fred Tomlinson, Sheriff Les Houghton)

Sugarfoot (TV) – 1958, 1959 (Clay Calhoun, Lou Stoner)

The Texan (TV) – 1958, 1959 (Cliff Clifford, Big Sam Aldridge)

Black Saddle (TV) – 1959 (Ben Dawes)

U.S. Marshal (TV) – 1959 (Link Thompson)

No Name on the Bullet – 1959 (Asa Canfield)

Lawman (TV) – 1959 (Gabe Dallas)Major Ben Rogers)

Wanted Dead or Alive (TV) – 1959 (Asa Wynter)

Riverboat (TV) – 1959 (Rothgate)

Maverick (TV) – 1959, 1960 (Colonel Karl Bent, Wellington Cosgrove)

Rawhide (TV) – 1959, 1960, 1962, 1965 (Enoch Talby, Burke, Gantry Hobson, Sheriff John Keeley)

Bonanza (TV) – 1959, 1961, 1966 (Andrew Holloway, Nathan Clay, Colonel Keith Jarrell)

The Westerner (TV) – 1960 (Shell Davidson)

Ten Who Dared – 1960 (Oramel Howland)

The Tall Man (TV) – 1960 (Neal Bailey)

Cheyenne (TV) – 1960, 1961 (Angus Emmett, Nathanael Grimm)

Laramie (TV) – 1960, 1961, 1962 (Matthews, Sam Jarrad, Jud, Marshal Al Dawson, Vic Prescott)

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV) – 1961 (Joe Taylor)

Bat Masterson (TV) – 1961 (Marshal William MacWilliams)

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967 (Capt. Benter, Major, Jud Briar, Argonaut, Carl Anderson)

Frontier Circus (TV) – 1962 (Uriah Foster)

Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1962 (Hanson)

Ride the High Country – 1962 (Joshua Knudsen)

Wagon Train (TV) – 1962 (John Muskie, General Kirby)

The Wide Country (TV) – 1963 (Charlie Devlin)

Death Valley Days (TV) – 1963, 1965 (Steve, Bundage)

The Virginian (TV) – 1963, 1967 (Ben Winters, Frederick Harley)

He Rides Tall – 1964 (Joshua 'Josh' McCloud)

Major Dundee – 1965 (Reverend Dahlstrom)

The Big Valley (TV) – 1965 (Wallace Miles)

El Dorado – 1966 (Kevin MacDonald)

Cimarron Strip (TV) – 1967 (William Payne)

The Guns of Will Sonnett (TV) – 1967 (Collin Atwood)

Daniel Boone (TV) – 1967, 1968 (Jarvis, Joseph Garth)

Lancer (TV) – 1968 (Gant Foley)

Here Come the Brides (TV) – 1969 (Lijah)

The Ballad of Cable Hogue – 1970 (Quittner)

The McMasters – 1970 (Watson)

The High Chaparral (TV) – 1970 (Henderson)

J.W. Coop – 1971 (Jim Sawyer)

Alias Smith and Jones (TV) – 1971 (Max)

Justin Morgan Had a Horse – 1972 (Squire Fisk)

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid – 1972 (Clell Miller)

Hec Ramsey (TV) – 1972 (Ben Ritt)

Cotter – 1973

Gentle Savage – 1973 (Rupert Beeker)

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid – 1973 (Ollinger)

Running Wild – 1973 (Bull)

My Name is Nobody – 1973 (Honest John)

Boss Nigger – 1975 (Mayor Griffin)

The Legend of the Golden Gun – (TV) – 1979 (Judge Harrison Harding)

The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang (TV) – 1979 (Leland Stanford)

The Shadow Riders (TV) – 1982 (Sheriff Miles Gillette)

Lone Wolf McQuade – 1983 (T. Tyler)

Red Headed Stranger – 1986 (Sheriff Reese Scoby)

Independence (TV) – 1987 (Uriah Creed)

Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) – 1994 (Frank Dodge)

Purgatory (TV) – 1999 (coachman)

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (TV) -2004 [himself]

RIP Lupe Ontiveras

Actress Lupe Ontiveros passed away in Los Angeles

Actress, producer, and activist Lupe Ontiveros passed away Thursday evening (July 26). She was a familiar face in film for her participation in movies like “Zoot Suit,” “As Good As It Gets,” “Greetings from Tucson,” and “Selena.”

Ontiveros was recently seen in good spirits at the 2012 NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) celebration in Studio City, posing for pictures on the red carpet with Rita Moreno, Dolores Huerta, and other Latino celebrities.

View slideshow: Lupe Ontiveros passed away

Ontiveros received the NALIP Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, when actor Edward James Olmos described her as a consummate and prolific artist, “as good as it gets.”

Ontiveros was born September 17, 1942 in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of middle-class Mexican immigrants.

According to a Fox news report, she was suffering from liver cancer. The news of her death was unexpected and has shocked her fans. She will be missed.

ONTIVERAS, Lupe

Born: 9/17/1942, El Paso, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 7/26/2012, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Lupe Ontiveras' western - actress:

Rio Diablo (TV) - 1993 (Ducna)

RIP Paco Moran

Francisco Moran Ruiz, better known as Paco Morán, died on Monday July 23, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. He was to 81 years old as reported by the Ministry of Culture of the Generalitat. Moran died from a pulmonary emphysema at the Clinica del Pilar of Barcelona

Moran, was born in Almodóvar del Río, Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain on November 9, 1930. He ​​joined the Conservatory of Music and Declamation of Cordoba at the age of 17, where he studied drama , and later co-founded the Spanish Theatre University along with other peers, which performed works by renowned artists worldwide.

In 1957, he was a stage announcer at Radio Cordoba and then moved to Madrid and joined the players box National Radio of Spain and WIN Spanish Television, where he starred in more than 2,500 programs. But theater was his vocation and where he loved to perform.

In the 70′s he moved to Barcelona, ​​where he enjoyed great success in winning plays for the Catalan public with representation from 1994 to 1999 of “The Odd Couple”, by Neil Simon, with the actress Joan Pera. He was also highlighted in other plays such as “Every Sheep with Their Partner” (1973), “Semicolon” (1987) and “The Cage of Flies” (2002).

MORAN, Francisco (Francisco Morán Ruiz)

Born: 11/9/1930, Almodóvar del Río, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain

Died: 7/23/2012, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Francisco 'Paco' Moran's westerns- actor, voice dubber:

Torrejón City – 1962 (Mac) [as Paco Moran]

Four Bullets for Joe - 1963 (John) [as Frank Moran]

A Fistful of Knuckles - 1965 (Don Ramon Cocos) [as Paco Moran]

The Big Gundown - 1966 [Spanish voice of Antonio Molino Rojo]

Fort Yuma Gold - 1966 [Spanish voice of Jacques Sernas]

Ringo’s Big Night – 1966 (Black Norton)

A Man, a Colt – 1967 (Diego) [as Paco Morán]

A Train for Durango – 1969 [Spanish voice of Aldo Sambrell]

RIP Chad Everett

Medical Center  star Chad Everett has died. He was 75.

The actor died in his Los Angeles home Tuesday after a year-and-a-half-long battle with lung cancer, Everett's daughter, Katherine Thorp told the Associated Press.

Everett, who was born Raymon Lee Crampton, rose to fame playing Dr. Joe Cannon on Medical Center, a role which earned him two Golden Globe nods and an Emmy nomination.

He has since appeared alongside Naomi Watts in "Mulholland Drive" and on "Supernatural", portraying an older version of Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles). He most recently appeared on Castle.

Everett is survived by two daughters and six grandchildren. He was married to actress Shelby Grant, who also appeared on Medical Center, for 45 years until her passing last year.


EVERETT, Chad (Raymon Lee Cramton)
Born: 6/11/1936, South Bend, Indiana, U.S.A.
Died: 7/24/2012, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Chad Everett’s westerns – actor:
Bronco (TV) – 1960, 1962 (Lt. Finley, Deputy Johnny Davis)
Maverick (TV) – 1961 (Lt. Gregg)
Lawman (TV) – 1961 (Jim Austin, Cole Herod)
Cheyenne (TV) – 1962 (Deputy Del Stark)
The Dakotas (TV) – 1963 (Deputy Del Stark)
Redigo (TV) – 1965 (Chick)
Branded (TV) – 1965 (Adam Manning)
The Last Challenge – 1967 (Lot McGuire)
Return of the Gunfighter – 1967 (Lee Sutton)
Centennial (TV) – 1978-1979 (Maj. Maxwell Mercy)

RIP Frank Pierson

Frank Pierson, who won an Academy Award for best original screenplay for Dog Day Afternoon, and who was nominated for two Academy Awards for adapted screenplay for Cat Ballou and Cool Hand Luke, died Monday in Los Angeles of natural causes following a short illness. More recently, Pierson served as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science from 2001-05. He was 87.

Pierson was currently working as writer and consulting producer on Mad Men and had served the same duties on several episodes of The Good Wife.

"Young rock 'n rollers always look to the old bluesmen as models of how to keep their art strong and rebellious into older years. For screenwriters, Frank has been our old blues master for a long time. From great, great movies like Cat Ballou, Cool Hand Luke and Dog Day Afternoon, to his joining the writing staffs of The Good Wife and Mad Men well past his 80th birthday, he's always shown us -- better than anyone else -- how to do it with class, grace, humor, strength, brilliance, generosity and a joyful tenacity," said Academy governor of the writers branch Phil Robinson in a statement.

"He was both a great and a good man, I miss him already and feel very, very lucky to have known him," he said.

Pierson won Emmy awards for TV directing: Truman (1995) and Conspiracy (2001). He also garnered a CableACE award for Citizen Cohen (1992), a biopic on the notorious Red baiter Roy Cohn.

A man of long-term service to the industry, Pierson received the Writers Guild of America’s top three honors – Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement, Valentine Davies Award and Edmund H. North Award. He served as president of the WGA from 1981-83 and 1993-95. Pierson also taught at the Sundance Institute for the summer labs, as well as served as the artistic director of the American Film Institute.

Pierson himself had a pedigreed and broad cultural background. He was born on May 12, 1925 in Chappaqua, New York and was educated at Harvard University. He subsequently served as a correspondent for Time magazine. Following that journalistic stint, he became a story editor for various TV shows. Following a robust TV writing career, he launched into directing. While always continuing to write, he made his film directing debut with The Looking Glass War in 1969. He also directed the 1976 version of A Star Is Born, starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and directed King of the Gypsies in 1978.

His additional screenwriting credits, include a wide range of movies, including: The Anderson Tapes, Presumed Innocent, In Country, The Looking Glass War, The Happening and King of the Gypsies.

In more recent years, Pierson focused his energies on TV, distinguishing himself with such projects as Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee (1994). His TV career began during the halcyon days of the ‘50s. He had written for TV for more than 40 years, beginning in the ‘50s with such renown series as Have Gun Will Travel, Route 66 and Naked City.

In addition, he has served the WGA in a number of capacities, either chairing or serving as a member of more than 25 WGA committees, including: Negotiating, Professional Status of Writers, Screen Credits, Laurel Award and Awards Show, among others.

Pierson is a past member of the board of the Los Angeles Theater Center, as well as a lecturer at the USC School of Cinema and Television. More recently, he served on the boards of a variety of organizations, including: Artists Rights Foundation and Humanitas Foundation.

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In an interview for the WGA conducted by Alan Waldman in 2003, Pierson lamented the current downslide in script quality: “I’m really disturbed about two things today. One is that among the big audience pictures, which are being financed by the major studios, the range of subject mater is so narrow and is aimed at a particularly small and not especially demanding audience ….The other thing, which I see with the people that I am teaching, is a matching impoverishment of the language of films …. For most of my students now, film history began with Steven Spielberg. Ironically, Steven himself was brought up studying the film of people who had a very board literary and liberal arts background.”

For his adaptation of Cat Ballou, Pierson was also honored by the Berlin International Film Festival with an honorable mention notice. In 1987, he was tributed by the Virginia Film Festival with a special screening of Cool Hand Luke.

Pierson is survived by his wife Helene, his children Michael and Eve and five grandchildren.

A private funeral for the family will be held this week. A public memorial will be planned in the near future. The family requests that contributions be made to Stand Up 2 Cancer.

PIERSON, Frank (Frank Romer Pierson)
Born: 5/12/1925, Chappaqua, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 7/23/2012, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Frank Pierson's westerns - producer, director, screenwriter:
Have Gun - Will Travel (TV) - 1959-1963 [producer, director, screenwriter]
Cat Ballou - 1965 [screenwriter]
Nichols (TV) - 1971-1972 [producer, director, screenwriter]

RIP MIchael Lipton

Michael Lipton, 86, of Englewood, New Jersey, died on February 10 at The Lillian Booth Actors Home of The Actors Fund in Englewood.

Born in in Queens, N.Y., Lipton is well known to soap opera fans for his roles as Neil Wade in AS THE WORLD TURNS, Dr. Stan Kurtz in SOMERSET, and Augustus Harper in ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Lipton left AS THE WORLD TURNS in 1967 after a five-year run to devote more time to his love for the theater. The show killed the character of Neil off leaving Penny Hughes Baker Wade (Rosemary Prinz) a widow for a second time in five years, each time just after the man she loved finally found their niche in life. With Neil, his was his success retail venture running the bookstore.

Lipton returned to soaps but managed to fill his resume over the years with numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regional theater productions including "Loose Ends," "Inquest," "Wake Up, Darling" and "Caesar and Cleopatra."

Lipton is survived by nephews and nieces.

Arrangements were by Eden Memorial Chapels, Fort Lee.

LIPTON, Michael
Born: 4/27/1925, Queens, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 2/10/2012, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Michael Lipton's westerns - actor:
The Restless Gun (TV) - 1959 (Arch Tatum)
Buckskin (TV) - 1958-1959 (Ben Newcomb)
Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV) - 1960 (Arthur Pierce Madison)