Obituaries

Thankfully. Seen him in recent seasons of The Goldbergs. A preferable sighting than the spate of made for TV stuff (i.e Meet the Santas).

Sad to note that the great Christopher Plummer has passed, aged 91.

Acting hero since I can remember.

A very fine actor indeed. R.I.P.

Hilly wrote:

Sad to note that the great Christopher Plummer has passed, aged 91.

Acting hero since I can remember.

Thought of you when I saw the news. RIP to a fine actor. Extraordinary CV and library of films to leave behind.

I thought of yourself also, Hilly.

I remember with particular relish his treacherous, Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general in The Undiscovered Country.

R.I.P.

Star Trek VI, Sound of Music and Battle of Britain were the first films I recall seeing of his within a short time. There's a certain delicious hamminess to his Chang in VI. It's meant to be one of his favourites.

His memoirs are probably one of the best ones out there, self-effacing, humorous and frank. The Times' obit' certainly has mined it judging by the stories and remarks. A man who didn't much care for the Hollywood sect I don't think. Did like a quote:

"For a long time, I accepted parts that took me to attractive places in the world. Rather than shooting in the Bronx, I would rather go to the south of France, crazed creature that I am, and so I sacrificed a lot of my career for nicer hotels and more attractive beaches."

Nice work if you can get it.

Am reminded of Michael Caine on Jaws : The Revenge - 'I've never seen it, but by all accounts it's terrible. I have however seen the house it bought, and it's fantastic!'.

the great George Segal passed yesterday

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56507209

Fan via Quiller, Bridge at Remagan and a few other roles. Chief reason I watched The Goldbergs to be fair. By all accounts a great guy to talk to about movies.

Jessica Walter has passed aged 80

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56527688

love her role in Play Misty for Me.

Heard via George Lazenby's twittery that Neil Connery has sadly passed, after an illness.

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/sir-sean-connerys-younger-brother-20582079

and earlier, the great Norman Lloyd.

Weirdly, I was thinking about him the other week concerning Hitchcock. Sure, 106 is not too bad an innings but reading his obit last night I couldn't help but marvel just what he did. The fact he was acting from 1923, working with Orson Welles at the Mercury Theatre (surely the last one to have done so), working with Hitch, seeing all he did and doing all he did. Quietly now that Golden Age is going away. There's a few people left, not quite 'big' names but they're there all the same but...well, words.

RIP Neil Connery

Aw man...two in a row...Lloyd I've known since first getting into Hitchcock and was so pleased he was alive and kicking into the modern age.

And I just watched Operation Kid Brother this year....dang. RIP

This years been bad for my actors -Segal, Plummer, Lloyd...fact of life of course but you expect some people to live forever.

In the past week or so two actors that are two of many to leave an impression on my film-watching life have passed.

One was Yvette Mimieux who I chiefly knew for The Black Hole and Time Machine. Both films feature classic rescue of a damsel in distress (Black Hole has the perk of her being saved from doom to a John Barry track). Though hardly one to set the screen alight in terms of career she'll always be remembered for those roles and one day I'll seek out some other films.

The other was Hardy Kruger. Though 93 it came as a shock to a few (some news stories quoting "sudden and unexpected death"). Kruger I first saw in Bridge Too Far but the likes of Flight of the Phoenix, Hatari (which used his then-ranch in Africa), Wild Geese and One that Got Away are equally memorable.
Kruger's life started out different to most in that he served in the Waffen-SS with the Hitler Youth in the dying months of the war. Lucky to make it out considering the cost of Youth in the final days.
Great actor in his way and a shame, not that I know if he was approached ever, that he did not feature in a Bond film.

It does mean with both passing the main casts of Black Hole and Time Machine are gone I believe now and the main Wild Geese as well.

Joseph Bottoms is still around from THE BLACK HOLE. Director is too. Pretty sure Rosalind Lloyd is still around, but that's getting way down on WILD GEESE's cast list ...

I agree that Kruger could have been very good in a Bond film. I know him mainly from most of the films you mention plus WRONG IS RIGHT and BARRY LYNDON.

Yvette wrote and starred in a 70s TV movie called HIT LADY that I remember being pretty okay, and it is probably the only thing the very good screenwriter Tracy Keenan Wynn ever directed. She did a tv movie remake of BELL BOOK AND CANDLE around that time as well, but I never saw that (think that she might not quite measure up to Novak ... )

I forgot about Bottoms.

I've not seen Lyndon or the other film you mention but now he was famous for the former. Off-forum I said to Fields that Kruger could've been a more physical Stromberg to Moore's Bond. A better on screen death than being shot whilst sitting at a dinner table.

I've seen the Hit Lady poster a little while ago. Looks a blast. Really need to check a few of her films out.

Lisa Loring passed away at 64 following a stroke. I loved her as Wednesday Addams.My favourite. RIP.

Burt Bacharach passed away at 94. A master of melody.

Robert Blake passed away at 89. I watched Baretta as a kid. Other than that, I remember him best from IN COLD BLOOD and LOST HIGHWAY.

Japanese artist/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who did several film scores, has passed away at the age of 71. I loved his collaboration with David Sylvian for MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR LAWRENCE.

He got to 96.

Jerry Springer wishes he hadn't done that:

Mark Margolis passed away at the age of 83.

Robbie Robertson has passed away at the age of 80.

Phantom Commander wrote:

Mark Margolis passed away at the age of 83.

He was great in Dinner Rush as an insufferable art critic.