As the raging dumpster-fire of the year that is 2020 finally comes to a close, our thoughts turn to the people who are no longer with us. The world of entertainment lost a lot of people this year. We paid tribute to Max Von Sydow, Ian Holm, Joel Schumacher, Ennio Morricone, Olivia de Havilland, Alan Parker, Chadwick Boseman, Diana Rigg, Sean Connery, David Prowse, and Barbara Windsor throughout the year, but there were many people whom we were unable to pay tribute to at the time of their deaths. So here we remember some of the stars- from both in front of and behind the camera- who sadly passed away this year.
Writer-director, producer, and actor Buck Henry was nominated for two Oscars during his career, in different categories: his first was for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate (1967) (shared with Calder Willingham), and his second was a Best Director nod for co-directing Heaven Can Wait (1978) with Warren Beatty. As a writer, his other scripts included Catch-22 (1970), What's Up, Doc? (1972), The Day Of The Dolphin (1973), and To Die For (1995). As an actor, Henry appeared in many films and TV shows, including The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976), Short Cuts (1993), Grumpy Old Men (1993), and Even Cowgirls Get The Blues (1993). He also created the spoof spy TV show Get Smart (1965-1970).
TV presenter and visual effects maestro, Grant Imahara worked at Industrial Light & Magic and worked as a model maker for the Star Wars prequel films (1999-2005), Galaxy Quest (1999), The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both 2003), Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003) and xXx²: The Next Level (2005). Whilst at ILM, he was also on the team that rebuilt and operated the Energizer Bunny. He hosted and built for MythBusters and produced and hosted White Rabbit Project. He was also an actor, playing Lodge in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015) and Sulu in Star Trek Continues (2013-2017)
One of the founding members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Terry Jones was an actor, writer, director, and producer. He directed three of the four Monty Python movies: Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975), Monty Python's Life Of Brian (1979) [where he also played Brian's mother and gave the iconic line "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"] and The Meaning Of Life (1983). He also directed Personal Services (1987), Erik The Viking (1989) and The Wind In The Willows (1996). He also wrote the TV series Ripping Yarns (1976-1979) and the screenplays for Labyrinth (1986) and Absolutely Anything (2015).
Born in India, Hugh Keays-Byrne moved to Australia in the early 1970s where he worked in television, film, and theatre. He played two major villains in the Mad Max franchise, playing Toecutter in the original Mad Max (1979) and Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (which was also his last film role). He also appeared in The Man From Hong Kong (1975), The Trespassers (1976), Les Patterson Saves The World (1987) and Sleeping Beauty (2011). He also appeared on television, playing Mr Stubb in Moby Dick and Grunchlk in Farscape.
Indian actor Irrfan Khan had extensive careers in both Bollywood and Western films, including the lead in Favorite [a.k.a. Maqbool] (2003)- a crime drama based on Macbeth and set in the Mumbai underworld-, Rog (2005), The Killer (2006), Billu (2009), The Lunchbox (2013) and Blackmail (2018). Khan's filmography in Hollywood films include Mira Nair's The Namesake (2006), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), the Police Inspector in Slumdog Millionaire (2008), the adult Pi in Life Of Pi (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Simon Masrani in Jurassic World (2015), and Inferno (2016)
Shirley Knight was nominated for two Best Supporting Actress Oscars during her career: the first was for playing the young daughter in The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs (1960), the second for Sweet Bird Of Youth (1962) where she played the girlfriend of Paul Newman's character. Knight's other films include Beyond The Poseidon Adventure (1979), Color Of Night (1994), Diabolique (1996), As Good As It Gets (1997), Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), Grandma's Boy (2006) and Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009). She also appeared on many US TV shows, including Murder, She Wrote, ER, and Desperate Housewives.
Whilst Michael Lonsdale will be best known to many audiences for playing the suavely villainous Hugo Drax in Moonraker (1979), this was just one highlight in a career spanning over six decades. A stalwart of French cinema since the 1960s, he was directed by such luminaries as François Truffaut, Marguerite Duras, Alain Resnais, and Louis Malle. He also appeared in many other films, including The Day Of The Jackal (1973), The Name Of The Rose (1986), The Remains Of The Day (1993), Jefferson In Paris (1995), Ronin (1998), Munich (2005), Goya's Ghosts (2006) and Agora (2009).
American playwright Terrence McNally won four Tony Awards throughout the course of his six-decade career. His first produced play was And Things That Go Bump In The Night (1964). Other plays include The Lisbon Traviata (1989), Lips Together, Teeth Apart (1991), Master Class (1995), and Deuce (2007). Three of his plays were adapted for film: The Ritz (1976), Frankie And Johnny (1991). and Love! Valor! Compassion! (1997), for which he also wrote the screenplays. He also wrote the book for the musicals Kiss Of The Spider Woman, Ragtime, The Full Monty, Catch Me If You Can, and Anastasia.
Clark Middleton made his film debut in 1990 in Bail Jumper, and went on to appear in Serendipity (2001), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), Sin City (2004), Taking Woodstock (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), and Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014). He was mentored in acting by Oscar-winning actress Geraldine Page. Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of four, he wrote and performed Miracle Mile off-Broadway, an autobiographical one-man play about dealing with the ailment. On television, he appeared in a variety of shows, including Law & Order, Fringe, Gotham, American Gods, Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Twin Peaks, and had a recurring role as DMV tracker Glen 'Jellybean' Carter in The Blacklist.
Geoffrey Palmer is one of a small number of actors to appear in both the classic and revived series of Doctor Who, appearing in two Jon Pertwee serials and the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage Of The Damned". Palmer appeared in several well-regarded sitcoms, including The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, Butterflies, and As Time Goes By. He also appeared in Clockwise (1986), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Madness Of King George (1994), Mrs Brown (1997), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Anna And The King (1999), Peter Pan (2003), W.E. (2011), and Paddington (2014)
Actor, raconteur and presenter, Nicholas Parsons was a consummate professional. Known for hosting the Radio 4 game show Just A Minute since its inception in 1967- where panellists must speak for a minute on a given subject without hesitation, repetition or deviation- and gameshow Sale Of The Century, he also appeared in Doctor In Love (1960), Carry On Regardless (1961), and Murder Ahoy (1964). On television, he played a heightened version of himself in The Comic Strip Presents... Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door (1988), a vicar struggling with his faith in the Doctor Who serial The Curse Of Fenric (1989) and as Reverend Green in the fourth series of Cluedo (1993). He was also known for his stage work, playing the Narrator in Into The Woods and The Rocky Horror Show.
Kelly Preston made her film debut in 1983 in crime thriller 10 To Midnight, and went on to appear in Christine (1983), SpaceCamp (1986), and as Arnold Schwarzenegger's girlfriend Marnie in Twins (1988). She made a strong impression in Jerry Maguire (1996) as the career-minded girlfriend to the main character, delivering a wonderful monologue proclaiming her lack of "sensitivity". Preston also appeared in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Citizen Ruth (1996), Jack Frost (1998), For Love Of The Game (1999), The Cat In The Hat (2003), and as the superheroine Jetstream in family comedy adventure Sky High (2005). She also appeared in several films alongside her husband John Travolta, including Battlefield Earth (2000), Old Dogs (2009), and Gotti (2019).
Writer, producer, actor, and director, Carl Reiner was a legend of American comedy. He created, produced, and wrote for The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966), winning several Primetime Emmys for his writing. He wrote and directed the Steve Martin films The Man With Two Brains (1982) and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1983), and also directed Oh, God! (1978), The Jerk (1979), Sibling Rivalry (1990), and Fatal Instinct (1993). As an actor, he appeared as Walt Whittaker in The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966), Field Marshal VonKluck in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, Mickey in Slums Of Beverly Hills (1998) and Saul Bloom in Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004), and Ocean's Thirteen (2007).
American character actor John Saxon made uncredited appearances in A Star Is Born (1954) and It Should Happen To You (1954) and made his first credited film appearance in Running Wild (1955). He played Roper in Enter The Dragon (1973), Lieutenant Fuller in Black Christmas (1974), and Lieutenant Thompson in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984). He reprised the role in A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) and appeared as himself in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). Other film appearances include Maximum Force (1992), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Old Dogs (2009).
Versatile Scottish comedian and actor John Sessions had successful careers on both film and television. On TV, he provided voices for satirical puppet show Spitting Image, appeared on improvisation comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and made appearances in Stella Street, Gormenghast, Doctor Who, and Victoria. Sessions' filmography included The Bounty (1984), Henry V (1989), My Night With Reg (1997), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), Gangs Of New York (2002), The Merchant Of Venice (2004), The Good Shepherd (2006), Made In Dagenham (2010), The Iron Lady (2011), Filth (2013), Mr. Holmes (2015), Legend (2015), Florence Foster Jenkins (2016), Denial (2016), and Finding Your Feet (2017).
American indie writer-director Lynn Shelton won two awards at the Film Independent Spirit Awards: she won the "Someone To Watch" Award for her second film My Effortless Brilliance (2008), and the John Cassavetes Award for Humpday (2009) which starred Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard as old friends who decide to have sex together. Her other films as director include Your Sister's Sister (2011), Outside In (2017) and Sword Of Trust (2019). She also directed for various TV shows, including New Girl, The Good Place, Fresh Off The Boat, and GLOW.
British character actor John Shrapnel made his film debut in Nicholas And Alexandra (1971), playing Petya. With a distinctive voice and great presence, Shrapnel had a career spanning six decades. Other film roles include Personal Services (1987), How To Get Ahead In Advertising (1989), 101 Dalmatians (1996), Notting Hill (1999), Gladiator (2000), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), Troy (2004), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) and The Awakening (2011). He also worked extensively in television- in a variety of shows including Apparitions, Merlin, and Midsomer Murders- and on stage (working with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company on many occasions).
As part of a comedy double-act with his wife Anne Meara, Jerry Stiller appeared on throughout the 1960s on television, notably on The Ed Sullivan Show (on which they appeared over 30 times). Stiller started his film career as Lt. Rico Patrone in The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974), and appeared in Airport 1975 (1974), The Ritz (1976), Zoolander (2001), The Heartbreak Kid (2007) and Zoolander 2 (2016). He also appeared as Wilbur Turnblad in John Waters' 1988 musical Hairspray, and also appeared in the 2007 film version of the stage musical playing Mr. Pinky. Other television roles include Arthur Spooner in The King Of Queens and as Frank Costanza in Frasier.
Stuart Whitman received his only Oscar nomination- for Best Actor- for his performance as Jim Fuller, a young man looking to rebuild his life after serving a prison sentence for child molestation, in The Mark (1961). His other film roles included The Sound And The Fury (1959), Murder, Inc. (1960), The Longest Day (1962), Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines (1965), The Treasure Seekers (1979) and Trial By Jury (1994).
Over a six-decade career, American character actor Fred Willard appeared in a variety of different films including Silver Streak (1976), Fun With Dick And Jane (1977), This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Roxanne (1987), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), American Pie: The Wedding (2003), Date Movie (2006), WALL-E (2008), and as harassed newsman Ed Harken in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and the 2013 sequel Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. He appeared in several films directed by Christopher Guest including Waiting For Guffman (1996), Best In Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006).
Other people who have passed away this year include:
- American actress Carol Arthur (Blazing Saddles, The Sunshine Boys, Robin Hood: Men In Tights)
- British writer Pip Baker (Doctor Who, The Pursuers)
- British comedian and actor Bobby Ball (Cannon And Ball, The Boys In Blue, Not Going Out)
- American actor Jay Benedict (Victor/Victoria, Aliens, The Dark Knight Rises)
- American actor Warren Berlinger (Accidental Hero, The Cannonball Run, That Thing You Do!)
- American actor Mark Blum (Desperately Seeing Susan, Crocodile Dundee, Shattered Glass)
- American actor Timothy Brown (M.A.S.H., Nashville, Frequency)
- Irish producer and Film4 head of commercial strategy Sue Bruce-Smith
- American writer and actor Jack Burns (The Muppet Movie, The Night They Raided Minsky's)
- American actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd (Clockers, Set It Off, Bulworth)
- Australian actress Zoe Caldwell (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Purple Rose Of Cairo, Lilo & Stitch)
- American cinematographer, director, and actor Michael Chapman (Raging Bull, The Fugitive, Taxi Driver)
- Indian actor Ranjit Chowdhry (Last Holiday, The Office, Bollywood/Hollywood)
- American writer Mary Higgins Clark
- American conceptual artist and production designer Ron Cobb (Star Wars, Back To The Fuiture, Conan The Barbarian)
- British actor Raphaël Coleman (Nanny McPhee, The Fourth Kind)
- British actor David Collings (Doctor Who, Sapphire & Steel, Monkey)
- British actor Ben Cross (Chariots Of Fire, A Bridge Too Far, First Knight)
- American playwright and screenwriter Mart Crowley (The Boys In The Band)
- Spanish director and producer José Luis Cuerda (The Others, Open Your Eyes)
- American writer Clive Cussler (Raise The Titanic, Sahara)
- American cinematographer Allen Daviau (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Empire Of The Sun, Bugsy)
- Libyan-born actor Mario Donatone (The Godfather Part III, King Of Kong Island, John Wick: Chapter 2)
- American actor James Drury (The Virginian, Forbidden Planet, Love Me Tender)
- American actress and singer Ja'net DuBois (Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Diary Of A Mad Housewife)
- American actor Matthew Faber (Welcome To The Dollhouse, Natural Born Killers, Palindromes)
- American actress Rhonda Fleming (Spellbound, The Spiral Staircase, The Buster Keaton Story)
- British actor Derek Fowlds (Yes Minister, The Basil Brush Show, Heartbeat)
- American actor Allen Garfield (The Conversation, Nashville, Beverly Hills Cop II)
- British producer Tony Garnett (Kes, Earth Girls Are Easy, Beautiful Thing)
- British actress Jill Gascoine (C.A.T.S. Eyes, The Gentle Touch, Confessions Of A Pop Performer)
- American Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- American writer and producer Charles Gordon (Die Hard, Rocketeer, Waterworld)
- American writer, producer, and director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Space Truckers)
- French actress and singer Juliette Gréco (The Sun Also Rises, Crack In The Mirror, Uncle Tom's Cabin)
- British theatre producer and director Terry Hands
- American actor Eddie Hassell (The Kids Are All Right, 2012, Jobs)
- American actor Richard Herd (Gleaming The Cube, Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, Get Out)
- American actor Dan Hicks (Evil Dead II, Darkman, Spider-Man 2)
- American writer and producer Silvio Horta (Ugly Betty, Urban Legend)
- British actor and comedian Roy Hudd (Up Pompeii, Coronation Street, Broadchurch)
- Welsh writer and producer Emyr Humphries
- British actor and dialect coach Andrew Jack (Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Infinity War, RED)
- American actor Anthony James (High Plains Drifter, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, Unforgiven)
- British actress Barbara Jefford (Philomena, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Saint)
- American actor Jack Kehoe (Serpico, The Sting, Midnight Run)
- American actress Paula Kelly (Sweet Charity, The Andromeda Strain, Soylent Green)
- American cinematographer and director of photography Gary B. Kibbe (Halloween II, Sixteen Candles, Big Trouble In Little China)
- British actress Rosalind Knight (Carry On Teacher, Tom Jones, Gimme Gimme Gimme)
- American playwright and screenwriter Larry Kramer (The Normal Heart, Women In Love, Lost Horizon)
- American writer and director John Lafia (Child's Play, Repo Man)
- British production designer, art director and set director Peter Lamont (Titanic, The Spy Who Loved Me, Aliens)
- American actor David L. Lander (Laverne & Shirley, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, A Bug's Life)
- British actor Philip Latham (Doctor Who, Force 10 From Navarone, Dracula: Prince Of Darkness)
- British writer John le Carré (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold)
- American actor and producer James Lipton (Inside The Actors Studio)
- American actor Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr. (Friday, Universal Soldier, The Fifth Element)
- American actor Sam Lloyd (Scrubs, Desperate Housewives, Galaxy Quest)
- American singer and actor Trini López (The Dirty Dozen, Antonio)
- American screenwriter Kurt Luedtke (Out Of Africa, Absence Of Malice, Random Hearts)
- British singer Dame Vera Lynn
- Gambian-British actor Louis Mahoney (Captain Phillips, Cry Freedom, Doctor Who)
- American actress Linda Manz (Days Of Heaven, The Game, Gummo)
- American actor Vincent Marzello (The Witches, The Spy Who Loved Me, Superman)
- British actor Michael Medwin (Never Say Never Again, The Longest Day, Scrooge)
- British actress Andrée Melly (The Belles Of St. Trinian's, The Brides Of Dracula, The Horror Of It All)
- Czech director, writer and actor Jirí Menzel (Closely Observed Trains, I Served The King Of England, Larks On A String)
- Canadian actor and voice over artist Kirby Morrow (Stargate: Atlantis, Ninjago, Dragon Ball Z)
- American actress Kellye Nakahara (Clue, Doctor Dolittle, She's Having A Baby)
- American storyboard artist, character designer and writer Sue C. Nichols (Aladdin, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Princess And The Frog)
- Italian actress and writer Daria Nicolodi (Profondo Rosso, Suspiria, Tenebrae)
- British actress Margaret Nolan (Goldfinger, Carry On Matron, No Sex Please- We're British)
- Australian writer and director George Ogilvie (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, The Crossing)
- American editor Jonathan Oppenheim (Paris Is Burning, How To Survive A Plague, The Muppets Take Manhattan)
- American actor and stunt coordinator Ernie F. Orsatti (The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Alien Resurrection)
- Czech director Ivan Passer (Ace Up My Sleeve, Cutter's Way)
- Canadian wrestler Pat Patterson
- Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki (The Exorcist, The Shining, Children Of Men)
- American talk-show host Regis Philbin (Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous, Little Nicky, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire)
- American producer and former chair of Universal Pictures Tom Pollock (Disturbia, Up In The Air, Hitchcock)
- American art director and set decorator Leslie A. Pope (Seabiscuit, Avengers: Infinity War, Django Unchained)
- American writer Charles Portis (True Grit)
- American actress, dancer and choreographer Ann Reinking (All That Jazz, Annie, Micki + Maude)
- American actor Allan Rich (Serpico, Quiz Show, Disclosure)
- American singer and actor Little Richard
- American actress Naya Rivera (Glee)
- British actor Maurice Roëves (Judge Dredd, Doctor Who, Who Dares Wins)
- American singer and actor Kenny Rogers
- British actress Annie Ross (Superman III, Throw Momma From The Train, Short Cuts)
- Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón (The Shadow Of The Wind)
- American publicist Nanci Ryder
- American producer, actor and director Ronald L. Schwary (Tootsie, *batteries not included, Scent Of A Woman)
- American actress Esther Scott (Boyz N The Hood, The Craft, Dreamgirls)
- American producer, writer, and executive Herbert F. Solow (Star Trek, Mission: Impossible)
- American actress Phyllis Somerville (Bringing Out The Dead, Little Children, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)
- Japanese actress Yûko Takeuchi (Ring, Flashforward, Miss Sherlock)
- American actress Ann E. Todd (Destry Rides Again, All This And Heaven Too, How Green Was My Valley)
- British art director Alan Tomkins (Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Saving Private Ryan, Batman Begins)
- Canadian producer and game show host Alex Trebek (Jeopardy!)
- American actor Nicholas Tucci (You're Next, The Worst Year Of My Life)
- French writer and director Albert Uderzo (Asterix and Cleopatra, The Twelve Tasks Of Asterix)
- Turkish actor Birol Ünel (Enemy At The Gates, Soul Kitchen)
- British actor Philip Voss (Octopussy, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Vicious)
- American actor Lyle Waggoner (The Carol Burnett Show, Wonder Woman, Love Me Deadly)
- American cinematographer Kent L. Wakeford (Mean Streets, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore)
- Ugandan actress Nikita Waligwa (Queen Of Katwe)
- American actor Jack Wallace (Death Wish, Boogie Nights, American Pie 2)
- American actor Lee Wallace (The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, Private Benjamin, Batman)
- American writer Charles Webb (The Graduate, The Marriage Of A Young Stockbroker, Hope Springs)
- American stunt performer Cheryl Wheeler Duncan (Die Hard 2, Demolition Man, The Mask)
- Scottish actor Hamish Wilson (Doctor Who, Greyfriars Bobby, The Wicker Tree)
- British actor Frank Windsor (Z Cars, Doctor Who, Sunday Bloody Sunday)
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