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1-12 of 12
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Peter Potter was born on 14 April 1905 in Henryetta, Oklahoma, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Prison Train (1938), ITV Television Playhouse (1955) and Drama 61-67 (1961). He was married to Beryl Davis and Rebel Randall. He died on 17 April 1983 in Palm Springs, California, USA.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Felix Pappalardi was born on 3 October 1938 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He is known for Snowpiercer (2013), Vanishing Point (1971) and Next (2007). He was married to Gail Collins. He died on 17 April 1983 in New York City, New York, USA.- Siegfried Müller was a soldier with Nazi Germany's Wermacht during World War II who made a name for himself as a mercenary in Africa during the 1960s. Born in 1920, the teenager joined the Wehrmacht (Defense Forces) in 1939 and fought during the entire war, participating in campaigns in Poland, the Eastern Front and France. A wounded Müller was captured by American forces and served as a conscript laborer in the Army's Civilian Labor Group (CLG) until 1947, eventually joining the outfit's security services, where he became a lieutenant. Blocked from joining the West German Army, he traveled to north Africa in the 1950s, where he worked for the British oil company B.P. clearing German mines in the Sahara Desert from World War II.
After emigrating to South Africa in 1962, he became a mercenary in the Congo, fighting with "Mad" Mike Hoare's mercenary outfit as an officer. He became famous in the Congo, as he wore the Iron Cross he had won in 1945 as part of his uniform. Being of Nazi era vintage, his Iron Cross featured a swastika in the center. This brought him international attention, and an East German documentary film crew made a film about him in the Congo, "The Laughing Man" (1966). Known as "Kongo" Müller, he became a symbol of Western neo-colonialsm, and also was featured in the 1965 documentary Kommando 52 (1965).
In the documentary "The Laughing Man", Müller claims that he and his fellow mercenaries are in Africa to fight for "the Western ideology of freedom." He claims that the Iron Cross with swastika "has nothing to do with my political position," then compares South Africa's apartheid system as to "the Jews and the Germans in the Third Reich." He later refers to West Germany as "the Reich" before apologizing and correctly identifying it as "the Federal Republic" of Germany.
Müller was the inspiration for the character Heinlein in "Dark of the Sun" (1968). Whereas Heinlein in the movie was a humorless sadist who was on the make, the real Müller was known for his jocular personality (thus the moniker "The Laughing Man"). Though he came across as something of a buffoon in the documentary, he was in reality a highly effective (and murderous) mercenary.
Siegfried Müller died in South Africa of stomach cancer in 1983. - Sandra Gabbert was born on 7 March 1966 in Seattle, Washington, USA. She died on 17 April 1983 in Seattle, Washington, USA.
- Glikeriya Bogdanova-Chesnokova was a popular Russian comedienne, dancer and singer who performed about three thousand concerts for the servicemen during the Second World War, and was also known for her hilarious gags and funny faces, notably in the film Mister Iks (1958).
She was born Glikeria (Lika) Vasilevna Bogdanova on May 16, 1904, in Russia (at that time the Russian Empire). Her parents were of mixed Ukrainian and Siberian Cossacs ancestry. She attended Gymnasium in St. Petersburg and was fond of theatre and arts; her mother arranged for her regular visits to the Mariinsky Opera in St. Petersburg. In 1917, at age 13, she made a reckless move by joining the revolutionary crowd on their way to storm into the Tsar's Winter Palace during the Russian Revolution.
From 1919-1922 she studied acting at Academic School of Russian Drama at Aleksandrinsky (now Pushkin) Theatre in St. Petersburg; she was also seriously engaged in comedy, vocal and dance classes. Her classmates were such actors as Nikolay Cherkasov, Yuri Tolubeev, Nikolai Simonov, Boris Chirkov, Aleksandr Borisov, Vasili Merkuryev, Konstantin Adashevsky, and other notable actors. In 1920, while a student, she made her stage debut as Lucille in Molière's 'Le bourgeois gentilhomme' on the Aleksandrinsky stage. From 1920-1924 she was a permanent member of the troupe at Aleksandrinsky Theatre. At that time she married a fellow actor, Dmitri Vasilchikov, and they had one daughter, named Lidia. From 1924-1930 she worked together with her actor/director husband, with a touring troupe, then at Kharkov State Theatre of Musical Comedy, albeit her first marriage did not work, and she returned to St. Petersburg (then Leningrad).
From 1932 - 1941 she was a stand-up comedienne and a singer in Leningrad. At that time she worked with the legendary Leonid Utyosov and his "Tea-Jazz" Big Band at the Leningrad Music Hall. Her numerous performances with Leonid Utyosov helped her professional and personal growth. Maestro Leonid Utyosov was very happy to have her as a principal star, as he commented, "Lika can make people laugh just by making one of her funny faces, and then... she begins to dance..." Although, she did not have a pretty face, Bogdanova-Chesnokova was adored by public and critics alike: for her hilarious gags, for her funny and grotesque masks, and for her effortless style. She also had numerous successful performances with the Leningrad Theatre of Miniatures under the leadership of Arkady Raykin. At that time she was married to actor Semen Chesnokov, and their daughter, named Olga, was born in 1940. Although, she was already a popular stage actress, she had trouble being accepted by the rigid Soviet film community during the 1930s. She made her film debut as an uncredited cabaret actress in Spring Song (1941).
Bogdanova-Chesnokova performed before the soldiers who defended the city of Leningrad besieged by the Nazis, during the Second World War. It is believed that she gave about three thousand performances, often giving three or four full shows daily. At that time she worked with a small troupe of actors, and they were constantly moving along the front-lines around Leningrad, and also performed shows at hospitals to lift the spirits of the wounded veterans. One night during her performance, the Nazis started a deadly bombing attack, her troupe was trying to escape in a truck, but the driver got killed. Bogdanova-Chesnokova, who never had driven a car before, jumped in the driver's seat and managed to escape from the inevitable death and saved the lives of her fellow actors. For that feat she was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner.
From 1945-1983 she was a permanent member of the troupe at the Musical Comedy theatre in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). Her most memorable stage performances were in classic musical comedies by Johann Strauss, Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár, and Isaak Dunaevskiy, as well as in many other plays and shows. During the 50s she also performed in the popular stand-up comedy number with Boris Vyatkin, they had numerous gigs at the Leningrad Circus for three years, and toured about the Soviet Union. At that time she emerged as an important character actress and gave memorable performances in such films as Tiger Girl (1955) , Mister Iks (1958) , and Twelve Chairs (1971) among other films.
Bogdanova-Chesnokova was designated Honorable Actor of Russia (1965), People's Actor of Russia (1970), and was awarded the State Prize of the USSR. She received numerous decorations, including the Order of the Red Banner. She died on April 17, 1983, and was laid to rest in the Necropolis of Masters of Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her artistic tradition and heritage is carried on by her grandson, Yuri Borisovich Pravikov, who is a writer in Russia. A comprehensive biography of Bogdanova-Chesnokova was written by Sergei Kapkov, and was published in Russia in 2004. - Kimi-Kai Pitsor was born on 21 October 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She died on 17 April 1983 in Seattle, Washington, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Thomas L. Thomas was born on 23 February 1911 in Maesteg, Mid-Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Voice of Firestone (1949), Cavalcade of Stars (1949) and The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950). He was married to Celia Goshinksi. He died on 17 April 1983 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.- Ilja Glusgal was born on 24 July 1921 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Geld aus der Luft (1954), Tanzende Sterne (1952) and Die Blume von Hawaii (1953). He died on 17 April 1983 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Chris Sheen was born on 8 December 1908 in Tibshelf, Derbyshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Skimpy in the Navy (1949) and Gay Life (1980). He died on 17 April 1983 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Director
Balys Bratkauskas was born on 6 June 1923 in Jurgiskis, Lithuania. He was an actor and director, known for Tadas Blinda (1972), Kai susilieja upes (1961) and Julius Janonis (1959). He died on 17 April 1983 in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, USSR [now Lithuania].- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Eric Besche was born on 20 May 1914 in London, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for The Interrupted Journey (1949), Murder Will Out (1952) and The Brain (1962). He died on 17 April 1983 in London, England, UK.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Konstanty Gordon was born on 4 August 1917 in Warsaw, Poland. Konstanty was a director and writer, known for 40 dni Wroclawskiej Fabryki Wagonów (1947), Zakazane piosenki (1947) and Sztuka ulicy (1957). Konstanty died on 17 April 1983 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.