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Gil Stratton was originally billed as Gil Stratton, Jr. He had a young, wholesome juvenile look when, at the age of 19, he debuted on Broadway creating the role of Bud Hooper in the 1941 Broadway musical "Best Foot Forward", in which he sang and danced.
Stratton continued working in New York on stage and in radio, which got him his first featured film role with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in Girl Crazy (1943). More films roles soon followed, usually playing himself in such movies as Dangerous Years (1947) and Half Past Midnight (1948). In Stalag 17 (1953) he made a noteworthy impression as "Cookie", the stuttering narrator. His small physical stature landed him the part of "Mousie", a smaller member of Marlon Brando's motorcycle gang in The Wild One (1953).
He next played "Junior Jackson" in the 1954 sitcom That's My Boy (1954), which got the attention of management at the local Los Angeles CBS affiliate KNXT, and they offered him regular work as the daily sportscaster. That job wound up lasting more that 20 years and garnered him the reputation as one of the best sportscasters in the business.
Being in Los Angeles also afforded Stratton the opportunity to continue work in films, often playing himself as an announcer, most notably in Mae West's last film, Sextette (1977). Although officially retired and living in Hawaii (where he moved in 1984), Stratton still occasionally keeps his hand in the film and TV business, such as his role as a café manager in the not particularly well received Dismembered (2003). He maintains a home in the Toluca Lake area of Los Angeles, but spends most of his time in Hawaii, where he also owns a radio station.- Actress
Vija Artmane has been called the legend of Latvian theatre and cinema.
She was born Alida Fritsevna Artmane, on July 21, 1929, in a village near Tukums, Latvia. Her father, Fritsis Artmane, was of Batic German ancestry, and he died four months before she was born. Her Polish mother, Anna Zaborska, survived by doing seasonal agricultural jobs. Young Artmane grew up playing in the fields, she was fond of wild flowers and learned to make flower arrangements and dolls. At the age of 10, young Artmane became a shepherd girl. She worked with a herd of cows for five years, and survived until the end of the Second World War. In 1946 she graduated from school and had a dream of becoming a lawyer in order to make the world a better place, but her passion for acting prevailed.
In 1946 she moved to Riga, and changed her first name to Vija, beginning her studies at the Daile Theatre Second Studio. From 1946 - 1949 Vija Artmane studied acting under the tutelage of the legendary Latvian theatre director Eduard Smilgis. From 1949 to 1999 Artmane was a permanent member of the troupe at the Daile Theatre in Riga. Her most memorable stage works were Juliet in 'Romeo and Juliet' (1953), and Ofelia in 'Hamlet' among other Shakespeare's plays. Vija Artmane had also created important roles in Latvian plays such as 'Indulis and Arija' and 'Fire and Night' under direction of by Janis Rajnis. She was critically acclaimed for her passionate performance as Anna Karenina in the eponymous play by Lev Tolstoy directed by Eduard Smilgis; she also played in Tolstoy's 'War and Peace', in Gogol's 'Dead Souls', and other classic Russian plays. From 1998 to 2000 she worked with the New Riga Theatre. There she appeared in the title role in stage production of 'Queen of Spades' based on the eponymous drama by Alexander Pushkin.
In 1956 Artmane made her film debut in 'Posle shtorma' (1957) (aka.. After the Storm). In 1963 she shot to fame in the Soviet Union with her leading role as Sonya, a beautiful and loving mother, in Rodnaya krov (1964). After that film Artmane was nicknamed "Mother-Latvia" in her homeland. Her film career was highlighted with such roles as Veda Kong in Tumannost Andromedy (1967), as Catherine the Great in Pugachev (1979), as Julia Lamber in Teatris (1978) and other film works. Artmane appeared as herself in documentary on her biography titled 'Conversation with the Queen' (1980) which was produced at the Riga Film Studio.
Vija Artmane received the title of National Actress of Latvia, and was designated People's Artist of the USSR in 1969. In 1999 Vija Artmane was awarded by the Culture Ministry of Latvia for her contribution to the art of theatre and cinema. In 2003 she received a special Theatre Prize for her long-standing contribution to Latvian culture. Vija Artmane was married to actor Arturs Dimiters and the couple had two children, a son and a daughter. In 2004 she published a book of memoirs titled 'The moments of my life'. She died on October 8, 2008 of natural causes and was laid to rest in Pokrovsky cemetery in Riga, Latvia.- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Composer ("'Batman' Theme), conductor, arrager and trumpeter, educated in high school and through private music study. He was a trumpeter and arranger with dance orchestras including those of Harry James, Woody Herman, and Charlie Spivak between 1941 and 1951. He was a staff arranger and arranger for the "Arthur Godfrey Show" and the "Kate Smith Show" over ABC, and also formed his own orchestra, playing theatres, hotels, clubs and colleges, and made many recordings. Joining ASCAP in 1953, his oher popular song and instrumental compositions include "Coral Reef", "Cute", "Plymouth Rock", "Buttercup", "Two for the Blues", "Oh What a Night for Love", "Cherry Point", "The Kid from Red Bank", "Repetition", "Splanky", "Sunday Morning", "Hot Pink", "Little Pony", "Lake Placid", "Why Not?", "Blowin' Up a Storm", "I'm Shoutin' Again", "Eee Dee", "Jump for Johnny", "The Long Night", "The Good Earth", "Wildroot", "Late Date", "It's Always Nice to Be With You", "I Must Know", and "Girl Talk".- Actor
Dariusz Siatkowski was born on 31 July 1960 in Koszalin, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Kogel-mogel (1988), Galimatias, czyli kogel-mogel II (1989) and Trójkat bermudzki (1988). He died on 11 October 2008 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland.- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Influential British television executive and producer who began as a film critic and assistant editor for Movie magazine (1962-64). The son of an English teacher (father) and a librarian (mother), Mark Shivas abandoned a legal career to join Granada Television in 1963 as assistant to the head of the story department. He went on to become both director and producer at Granada before moving on to the BBC where he served, respectively, as head of drama (1988-93) and of films (1993-97). In the latter capacity, he worked as executive producer on some twenty motion pictures. During his distinguished career, Shivas won three BAFTA awards and two Emmys for some of the most highly regarded drama productions of the period: The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), The Edwardians (1972), Rogue Male (1976), The Glittering Prizes (1976) , Telford's Change (1979) and Cambridge Spies (2003). Among his few critical failures was the poorly conceived and written miniseries The Borgias (1981). Shivas's wide range of film credits include the exceedingly 'British' A Private Function (1984) and The Witches (1990). In 1997, Shivas established his own production company, Perpetual Motion Pictures. He served for the British Film Academy as Chairman of the Short Film Jury from 2002 to 2007.- Actor
- Writer
Charles M. Runyon was born on 10 August 1922 in San Diego, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Chucko the Clown (1954), Chucko the Clown (1962) and Hollywood Christmas Lane Parade of the Stars (1960). He was married to Mildred Runyon. He died on 11 October 2008 in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA.
