My Life , My Blog

  Larry King, born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger (November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) He was a television host, radio host, and paid spokesman, whose work was recognized with awards including two Peabody awards, an Emmy award, and 10 Cable ACE Awards. King began as a local Florida journalist and radio interviewer in the 1950s and 1960s, and gained prominence beginning in 1978 as host of The Larry King Show, an all-night nationwide call-in radio program heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System. From 1985 to 2010, he hosted the nightly interview television program Larry King Live on CNN. From 2012 to 2020, he hosted Larry King Now aired on Hulu, Ora TV, and RT America. He continued to host Politicking with Larry King, a weekly political talk show which aired weekly on the same two channels from 2013 until his death in 2021. King received many awards during his life, including several Cable ACE Awards, Peabody Awards and lifetime achievement awards. He guest starred in episodes of Arthur, 3...

  Lisa Marie Presley (February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023) She was the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, as well as the sole heir to her father's estate. Presley developed a career in the music business and issued three albums: To Whom It May Concern in 2003, Now What in 2005, and Storm & Grace in 2012. Her first album reached Gold certification with the Recording Industry Association of America. Presley also released non-album singles, including duets with her father using tracks he had released before he died. The father and daughter were extremely close, with Elvis once flying her out to Idaho after she said she had never seen snow. Her father named his 1958 Convair 880 private jet “the Lisa Marie.” Presley was married to musician Danny Keough, singer Michael Jackson, actor Nicolas Cage, and music producer Michael Lockwood. She had four children, including Benjamin Keough (who predeceased her). On January 12, 2023, Presley suffered c...

  William Garson Paszamant, known as Willie Garson. (February 20, 1964 – September 21, 2021) He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. His first break in Hollywood was in guest roles on TV shows such as "Cheers" and "Family Ties." He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the HBO series Sex and the City and in the related films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2, Mozzie in the USA Network series White Collar from 2009 to 2014, Ralph in the 2005 romantic comedy Little Manhattan, Gerald Hirsch in the reboot of Hawaii Five-0, and Martin Lloyd in the sci-fi series Stargate SG-1. Garson also appeared in three movies from the Farrelly brothers—Kingpin, There's Something About Mary, and Fever Pitch. His other film credits include Groundhog Day, Just Like Heaven, The Rock, Fortress 2: Re-Entry, Being John Malkovich, Freaky Friday, Labor Pains, and Out Cold. He made a cameo in the end credits of Jackass Number Two, with the full context of the ca...

  Kirk Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch (December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) He made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950's, known for serious dramas, including westerns and war movies. During his career, he appeared in more than 90 movies, which include The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954), Paths of Glory (1957), The Vikings (1958), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Devil's Disciple (1959), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), Spartacus (1960), Lonely are the Brave (1962) and Seven Days in May (1964), among others. He received his first Oscar nomination (Best Actor) for his role in Champion (1949). In 1955, he established Bryna Productions, which began producing films as varied as Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960). In those two films he collaborated with the then-relatively-unknown director Stanley Kubrick, takin...

  Mary Wilson (March 6, 1944 – February 8, 2021) She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of The Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. chart history, as well as one of the all-time best-selling girl groups in the world. The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ten of which Wilson sang backing vocals for. Wilson remained with the group following the departures of other original members, Florence Ballard in 1967 and Diana Ross in 1970, though the group disbanded following Wilson's own departure in 1977. Wilson later became a New York Times best-selling author in 1986 with the release of her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which set records for sales in its genre, and later for the autobiography Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together. Continuing a successful career as a concert performer in Las Vegas, Wilson also worked in activism, fig...

  Ivan Reitman OC (October 27, 1946 – February 12, 2022) Ivan Reitman was born in Komárno, Czechoslovakia, on October 27, 1946, the son of Klara and Ladislav "Leslie" Reitman. Reitman's first producing job was with the then-new station CITY-TV in Toronto. CITY was also the home of the first announcing job of his later friend and collaborator Dan Aykroyd. Reitman's first commercial film ventures were as producer of two films for director David Cronenberg, Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977). His big break came when he produced National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978 and directed Meatballs in 1979. From there, he directed and produced a number of comedies including Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Legal Eagles (1986), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Dave (1993), Junior (1994), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Evolution (2001), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), and No Strings Attached (2011). Reitman married Geneviève Robert in 1976. He had ...

  Stella Stevens, born Estelle Eggleston (October 1, 1938 – February 17, 2023) She began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), The Nutty Professor (1963), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), The Silencers (1966), Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Stevens also appeared in numerous television series, miniseries, and movies, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960, 1988), Bonanza (1960), The Love Boat (1977, 1983), Hart to Hart (1979), Newhart (1983), Murder, She Wrote (1985), Magnum, P.I. (1986), Highlander: The Series (1995), and Twenty Good Years (2006). In 1960, she won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress. In addition, Stevens appeared in three Playboy pictorials, and was Playmate of the Month for January 1960. Stevens also appeared in several stage productions, including a touring production of an all-female version of Neil Si...

Julie Adams, born Betty May Adams (October 17, 1926 – February 3, 2019) Adams was an actress, primarily in television. She starred in a number of films in the 1950s, including Bend of the River and Creature from the Black Lagoon. She was also known for her roles as Paula Denning on Capitol and as Eve Simpson on Murder, She Wrote. In 1946, at the age of 19, she was crowned "Miss Little Rock" and then moved to Hollywood, California to pursue her acting career. Her first movie role was a minor part in Red, Hot and Blue (1949), followed by a leading role in the Lippert western The Dalton Gang (1949). Adams was featured as the bathing beauty Kay Lawrence in the science-fiction film Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Adams co-starred in 1950s films opposite some of Hollywood's top leading men, including with James Stewart in 1952's Bend of the River, with Rock Hudson in The Lawless Breed (1953) and One Desire (1955), with Tyrone Power in The Mississippi Gambler (1953), ...

  Thomas Morgan Woodward (September 16, 1925 – February 22, 2019) Woodward was an actor who is best known for his recurring role as Marvin "Punk" Anderson on the television soap opera Dallas and for his portrayal of Boss Godfrey, the sunglasses-wearing "man with no eyes", in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke. On another television series, Gunsmoke, he can be seen in 19 episodes, the most guest appearances of any actor on that long-running Western. He served in the Korean War as a lieutenant in special services . His acting debut came in the 1956 film "The Great Locomotive Chase". Besides "Cool Hand Luke", he went on to appear in other such films as "Gunpoint" (1966), "Firecreek" (1968), "The Sword of Ali Baba" (1968), "Final Chapter: Walking Tall" (1977), "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980), and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1985). He also made his television debut in 1956 on the series "Z...

  Nathaniel Taylor (March 31, 1938- February 27, 2019) Taylor was a television actor, best known for his recurring role as Rollo Lawson in the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son, a role he later reprised on its short-lived 1980-1981 spin-off Sanford. He later played the first version of Jim-Jam with Redd Foxx on the 1986 series The Redd Foxx Show. Later, he played Rerun's (Fred Berry) brother-in-law Ike in the sitcom What's Happening!!. Taylor also appeared in the films Trouble Man (1972), Willie Dynamite (1974), and Passing Through (1977). Taylor was married twice, and had seven children. According to his friend, entertainer/promoter Alonzo Williams, Taylor suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized on Saturday, and died at UCLA Medical Center on February 27th, 2019, age 80. He is interred at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.  

  Gerald Norman Springer (February 13, 1944 – April 27, 2023) Born in London, England, during World War II to refugees escaping the Holocaust, Springer was raised in Queens, New York City. He attended Northwestern University School of Law, qualified as a lawyer, and first became actively involved in politics working for the campaign of Robert Kennedy in 1968. A Cincinnati City Council member, Springer served as the 56th Mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978. He then worked as a local news anchor in Cincinnati where he won several Regional Emmy Awards for commentary. Springer was best known for hosting the tabloid talk show Jerry Springer from 1991 to 2018. He also debuted the Jerry Springer Podcast in 2015. From 2007 to 2008, he hosted America's Got Talent, and from 2019 until 2022, Springer hosted the courtroom show Judge Jerry. Springer appeared in an episode of Married... with Children as the host of a talk show called The Masculine Feminist, in which he advocated for women gett...

Gavin MacLeod, born Allan George See (February 28, 1931 – May 29, 2021) MacLeod's career began in films in 1957. In 1965, he played opposite Peter Mann in The Sword of Ali Baba. He went on to play alongside Anthony Franciosa in A Man Called Gannon (1968), with Christopher George in The Thousand Plane Raid, and opposite Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, and Carroll O'Connor in Kelly's Heroes (1970). MacLeod achieved continuing television success co-starring opposite Ernest Borgnine on McHale's Navy (1962–1964) as Joseph "Happy" Haines, and on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977) as Murray Slaughter. He also starred on ABC's The Love Boat (1977–1986), in which he was cast as Merrill Stubing, the ship’s captain. MacLeod and his second wife were hosts on the Trinity Broadcasting Network for 17 years, primarily hosting a show about marriage called Back on Course. In the 2000s MacLeod guested on several TV series, including "Oz", “The King of Queens,” “J...

  Anthony Dominick Benedetto, known professionally as Tony Bennett (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023) Bennett amassed many accolades throughout his career, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. He was named an NEA Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree, and was the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York. Bennett began singing at an early age. He fought in the final stages of World War II as a U.S. Army infantryman in the European Theater. Afterward, he developed his singing technique, signed with Columbia Records and had his first number-one popular song with "Because of You" in 1951. Several popular tracks such as "Rags to Riches" followed in early 1953. He then refined his approach to encompass jazz singing. He reached an artistic peak in the late 1950s with albums such as The Beat of My Heart and Basie Swings, Bennett Sings. In 1962, Bennett recorded his signature song, ...

  John Saxon, born Carmine Orrico (August 5, 1935-July 25, 2020) He was an actor and martial artist who has worked on more than 200 projects during a span of 60 years. Saxon is known for his work in westerns and horror movies, often playing police officers and detectives. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Saxon studied acting with Stella Adler before beginning his career as a contract actor for Universal Pictures, playing in such movies as Rock, Pretty Baby (1956) and Portrait in Black (1961). During the 1970's and 1980's, he would establish himself as a character actor, frequently portraying law enforcement officials in horror movies such as Black Christmas (1974), Dario Argento's Tenebrae (1982), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). In addition to his roles in horror movies, Saxon co-starred with Bruce Lee in the martial arts movie Enter the Dragon (1973), and has supporting roles in the westerns Death of a Gunfighter (1969) and Joe Kidd (1972), as well as the adven...

  Patricia Eva "Bonnie" Pointer (July 11, 1950 - June 8, 2020) She was a singer, most notable for being a member of the Grammy Award–winning vocal group. Bonnie and youngest sister June began singing together as teenagers and in 1969 the duo had co-founded The Pointers (otherwise known as The Pair). After Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed their name to The Pointer Sisters and recorded several singles for Atlantic Records between 1971 and 1972. In December 1972, they recruited oldest sister Ruth and released their debut album as The Pointer Sisters in 1973. Their self-titled debut yielded the hit "Yes We Can Can". Between 1973 and 1977, the Pointers donned 1940s fashions and sang in a style reminiscent of The Andrews Sisters; they also melded the sounds of R&B, funk, rock and roll, gospel, country and soul. In 1977, Bonnie left the group to begin a solo career. In 1978, Bonnie signed with Motown and in the same year, Bonnie released "Heaven M...

  Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett (February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) Fawcett began her career in 1968 in commercials and guest roles on television. During the 1970s, she appeared in numerous television series, including recurring roles on Harry O (1974–76), and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974–78) with then husband, film and television star Lee Majors. She rose to international fame when she posed for her iconic red swimsuit poster and starred as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of Charlie's Angels. In 1983, Fawcett received positive reviews for her performance in the Off-Broadway play Extremities. She was subsequently cast in the 1986 film version and received a Golden Globe nomination. She received two Emmy Award nominations for her roles in TV movies, as a battered wife in the 1984 film The Burning Bed and as real-life murderer Diane Downs in the 1989 film Small Sacrifices. Her 1980s work in TV movies also earned her four additional Golden Globe nominations. In 1996...

  James Edmund Caan (March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) While studying at Hofstra University, Caan became intrigued by acting and was interviewed for, accepted to, and enrolled in New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where he studied for five years. One of his instructors was Sanford Meisner. "I just fell in love with acting", Caan later recalled. "Of course all my improvs ended in violence." After early roles in Howard Hawks's El Dorado (1966), Robert Altman's Countdown (1967) and Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People (1969), he came to prominence playing his signature role of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather (1972), following which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. He reprised the role of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974) with a cameo appearance at the end. In addition, Caan had significant roles in films such as Brian's Song (1971),...

  Jackie Mason, born Yacov Moshe Maza (June 9, 1928 – July 24, 2021) Mason was a stand-up comedian and film and television actor. He is ranked No. 63 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all-time. His 1986 one-man show The World According to Me won a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, an Ace Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy nomination. Later, his 1988 special Jackie Mason on Broadway won another Emmy Award (for outstanding writing) and another Ace Award, and his 1991 voice-over of Rabbi Hyman Krustofski in The Simpsons episode "Like Father, Like Clown" won Mason a third Emmy Award. He had written and performed in six one-man shows on Broadway. In 1961, the comic got a big break, an appearance on Steve Allen’s weekly television variety show. His success brought him to “The Ed Sullivan Show” and other programs. He was banned for two years from the “Sullivan” show when he allegedly gave the host the finger when Sullivan signaled to him to ...

  King Henry IV died in 1413, and it was his last wish to be buried in Canterbury Cathedral rather than Westminster Abbey. He had always had an affinity for Thomas Becket’s cult, which was still thriving at the time, and wanted to be buried adjacent to his shrine. The body made the journey from London to Kent and was finally laid to rest on the north side of Trinity Chapel. A rumour began a few weeks after the King’s death that stated that during a dinner party toasting the late King’s life, one guest was reported to have said: "God knows whether he was a good man; but this I know for certain: while his body was conveying in a small vessel from Westminster towards Canterbury to be buried there, I was one of three persons who threw the corpse into the sea, between Berking and Gravesend." The rumour went on to say that a storm had been raging at the time, and it was thought the body was considered a bad omen by those onboard, so it was thrown overboard to appease the superstiti...

  Is Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? .  She may be ancient Egypt’s most famous face, but the quest to find the eternal resting place of Queen Nefertiti has always been hotly sought after. It remains to this day, one of Egypt’s most outstanding mysteries.  In 2015, Egyptologist Dr. Nicholas Reeves, first suspected there were still undiscovered chambers lying inside the tomb of Tutankhamun. These chambers may possibly hold the mummy of Nefertiti. Do the remains of the ancient world’s most famous woman lie concealed in the Valley of the Kings? Frustratingly close to the tomb of her step-son, Tutankhamun?  Does the tomb of Egypt’s most beautiful and enigmatic Queen, really be inches from the most well-known and visited tomb in the world? Or does she lie in the Valley of the Queens, a nearby cemetery once used for royal Egyptian women?  The Valley of the Queens was known in ancient times as Ta-Set-Neferu, “The Place of Beauty”. It would only be fitting ...