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1-16 of 16
- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Vanity was a glamorous Canadian model and lead singer of the all-girl group "Vanity 6." She specialized in playing sultry female characters often in trouble with the law.
Vanity was born Denise Katherine Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Helga Senyk and James Levia Matthews. She was of African and German descent. Vanity first appeared on screen in the biographical tale of writer Jack London titled Klondike Fever (1979), before venturing into more gritty territory such as the slasher film Terror Train (1980), the very odd chick flick Tanya's Island (1980), a B-grade martial arts film entitled The Last Dragon (1985) and the totally weird Never Too Young to Die (1986).
However, her best two performances were as the naive stripper assisting blackmail victim Roy Scheider in the under-rated thriller 52 Pick-Up (1986) and as a seductive, smart-talking nightclub singer teaming up with cop Carl Weathers to defeat murderous car tycoon Craig T. Nelson in the violent Action Jackson (1988).
Unfortunately, the remainder of Vanity's film work was of the "straight-to-video" variety and she only scored minor roles in several low-budget thrillers such as Neon City (1991) and Da Vinci's War (1993). In late 1995, Vanity turned her back on Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and dedicated her life to the Christian faith.
Vanity, who suffered from sclerosis encapsulating peritonitis, died on February 15, 2016 in Fremont, California.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
George Gaynes was born in Helsinki in May, 1917, which was then the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland. The Grand Duchy was part of the Russian Empire, which was in a state of collapse at the time of Gaynes' birth. The Emperor Nicholas II of Russia had abdicated the throne on March 15, two months prior to Gaynes' birth, and the Empire was in the process of splintering.
His family left the country, and George was primarily raised in France, England, and Switzerland. Neither of his parents was Finnish. His father Gerrit Jongejans was a Dutch businessman, and his mother Iya Grigorievna de Gay was a Russian artist. George attended college in the vicinity of Lausanne, Switzerland and graduated in 1937. He then attended a music school in Milan, Italy for about a year.
In 1940, George Gaynes was living in France, during the time of the Battle of France in World War II. The Battle ended in defeat for the French Third Republic and the country was occupied by Nazi Germany. George attempted to flee the occupation authorities, by crossing the Pyrenees mountains into neutral Spain. He was arrested by the Spanish authorities for illegally crossing the border, but was soon released.
In 1943, George joined the Royal Netherlands Navy. With the Netherlands under German occupation, the headquarters of the Navy had moved to London, in the United Kingdom. George had no previous military experience, but he was noticed for multilingual skills. He fluently spoke Dutch, English, French, Italian and Russian. He was soon detached to the (British) Royal Navy to serve as a translator.
During his naval service in World War II, George took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Battle of Anzio in the Italian Campaign, and the Adriatic Campaign. The War ended in 1945 and George was honorably discharged in July, 1946. His highest military rank was that of a sergeant.
In 1946, George briefly returned to living in France. He was approached by an American theater director with the offer to play a part in a musical. He took the offer and moved to New York City, where he started appearing in Broadway musicals. He applied for American citizenship and officially became a citizen in 1948.
From the late 1940s to the early 1960s, George Gaynes was primarily a theatrical actor. His roles included various musicals, dramas, and comedies. One of his better-known roles was that of Henry Higgins in the theatrical version of ''My Fair Lady'', which went on a successful tour in 1964.
In the early 1960s, George started appearing as a character actor in various television series. He was also offered a number of film roles. His career unexpectedly took off in the 1980s, with a major part in the television series Punky Brewster (1985) and another one in the then-popular film series "Police Academy" from 1984 to 1994. In Police Academy (1984), his role was that of Commandant Eric Lassard, the titular leader of the Academy. He played the role in all 7 films of the series, though he only had a featured part in the fifth film. This was probably his most memorable role and gained him celebrity recognition for the first time.
In the 1990s, his career slowed down again, with only a few film appearances. He only played in a single film through the 2000s, Just Married (2003), and then retired. He was 86-years-old and could no longer play physically demanding roles. He spend 13 years in retirement before he died of natural causes in 2016.- Art Director
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Mary Dodson was born on 24 September 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an art director, known for Thief (1981), Murder, She Wrote (1984) and Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1979). She was married to Jack Dodson. She died on 15 February 2016 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.- Dina Paisner was born on 7 April 1919 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Saint (1962), Nude in Charcoal (1961) and Pretty Boy Floyd (1960). She died on 15 February 2016 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Berj Fazlian was born in Istanbul. He was an actor, known for Bint El-Hares (1968), Safar barlek (1966) and Next of Kin (1984). He was married to Sirvart Fazlian. He died on 15 February 2016 in Beirut, Lebanon.
- Frankie Holmes was born in 1922 in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Little Big Time (1968), Dad's Army (1968) and Hugh and I (1962). He died on 15 February 2016 in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England, UK.
- Art Department
- Make-Up Department
- Visual Effects
Anthony Fredrickson is known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Dick Tracy (1990). He was married to Penny Smartt-Juday. He died on 15 February 2016 in Elkhart, Indiana, USA.- Jerzy Gralek was born on 23 June 1946 in Sosnowiec, Slaskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Krew z krwi (2012), Pan Tadeusz (1999) and General. Zamach na Gibraltarze (2009). He died on 15 February 2016 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jean Rabier was born on 16 March 1927 in Montfort-l'Amaury, Île-de-France, France. He was a cinematographer, known for Elevator to the Gallows (1958), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The 400 Blows (1959). He died on 15 February 2016 in Port-de-Bouc, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.- Chi-Tung Yu was born in 1935 in Taiwan. He was an actor, known for Yi Yi (2000), A Confucian Confusion (1994) and Taipei 21 (2004). He died on 15 February 2016 in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Marissa Rodriquez was born on 17 April 1990 in Austin, Texas, USA. She died on 15 February 2016 in Austin, Texas, USA.
- Tad Foote was born on 15 December 1937 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He died on 15 February 2016 in Cutler Bay, Florida, USA.
- Additional Crew
Andrea Grefe was born on 19 November 1948 in New York City, New York, USA. Andrea is known for Chapter 27 (2007) and Mel Brooks Live at the Geffen (2015). Andrea died on 15 February 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Producer
- Writer
Berman Swarttz was born on 8 June 1915 in Pennsylvania, USA. Berman was a producer and writer, known for Duffy of San Quentin (1954), Jennifer (1953) and The Steel Cage (1954). Berman was married to Marcella Fromberg, Jewell Lain and Ruth I. Selznick. Berman died on 15 February 2016 in California, USA.- Irina Ditts was born on 29 July 1952. She was an actress, known for Ya khochu pet (1980), Lyubi menya, kak ya tebya (1986) and Lyubov s privilegiyami (1989). She died on 15 February 2016.
- Daigo Narashino was an actor, known for The Bird House (2014). He died on 15 February 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.