Don Ameche

 Don Ameche (May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993)

Ameche was a major radio entertainer, heard on such shows as Empire Builders, The First Nighter Program, Family Theater and the Betty and Bob soap opera. Following his appearances as announcer and sketch participant on The Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show. His best known television role came between 1961 and 1965, when he traveled throughout Europe with a television videotape unit and camera crew to cover a different European resident circus or ice show that was taped for presentation on a weekly series titled International Showtime on NBC. His "anchor position" was in the grandstands at the particular show being taped. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ameche directed the NBC television sitcom Julia, featuring Diahann Carroll. He was also a frequent panelist on the 1950s version of To Tell The Truth. Returning to film work in his later years, Ameche won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cocoon (1985). Don Ameche died of prostate cancer at age 85, was cremated and his ashes buried at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Asbury, IA, with his wife's family.