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1-50 of 151
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Amanda Blake was born in Buffalo, NY, of English and Scottish descent. She and her parents moved to Claremont, California, while Amanda was still in high school, and she graduated from Claremont High. She enrolled at Pomona College but, due to her avid participation in community and theater productions, she was devoting much more time to acting than her schoolwork. Amanda started on a full acting schedule, doing summer stock in New England. She followed that up with theater and radio acting in Buffalo and then movies in Hollywood. While acting in small theater and stock companies she also painted backdrops and scenery. She was still in her teens when she debuted in MGM"s Stars in My Crown (1950), and her first television role was in Double Exposure (1952). Her most famous role, however, came in 1955, when she starred in the classic western series Gunsmoke (1955) as "Miss Kitty" Russell, the feisty madame and proprietor of Dodge City's Long Branch Saloon opposite James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon.- Neville Brand joined the Illinois National Guard in 1939, bent on a career in the military. His National Guard unit was activated into federal service shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. It was while he was in the army that he made his acting debut, in Army training films, and this experience apparently changed the direction of his life. Once a civilian again, he used his GI Bill education assistance to study drama with the American Theater Wing and then appeared in several Broadway plays. His film debut was in Port of New York (1949). Among his earliest films was the Oscar-winning Stalag 17 (1953). His heavy features and gravelly voice made Brand a natural tough guy (and he wasn't just a "movie" tough guy--he was among the most highly decorated American soldiers in World War II, fighting in the European Theater against the Germans). "With this kisser, I knew early in the game I wasn't going to make the world forget Clark Gable," he once told a reporter. He played Al Capone in The George Raft Story (1961), The Scarface Mob (1959), and TV's The Untouchables (1959). Among his other memorable roles are the sympathetic guard in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and the representative of rioting convicts in Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954). Perhaps his best-known role was that of the soft-hearted, loud-mouthed, none-too-bright but very effective Texas Ranger Reese Bennett of Backtrack! (1969), Three Guns for Texas (1968), and TV's Laredo (1965).
- William Sylvester was born on 31 January 1922 in Oakland, California, USA. He was an actor, known for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Gorgo (1961) and Riding with Death (1976). He was married to Veronica Hurst and Sheila Sweet. He died on 25 January 1995 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Samantha Lewes was born on 29 November 1952 in San Diego, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Bosom Buddies (1980) and Mr. Success (1984). She was married to Tom Hanks. She died on 12 March 2002 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
Born in Palo Alto, California, Tim was a physically imposing and well-known character actor from the 80's. Tim and Tom Selleck were college roommates while both attended the University of Southern California. First drafted into the NFL in 1968, his career there included playing professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles, then San Diego Chargers, and the Houston Oilers. After his football career ended in the mid 70's, Tim began acting and remained active through 1998. Tim lived another 20 years after his final appearance, passing away in his native California in December 2018.- Additional Crew
Carrie Ann Morrow was born on 27 October 1958 in Hollywood, California, USA. She is known for Georgia (1995) and Freedom (1981). She died on 27 December 2016 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mary Lee was born on 24 October 1924 in Centralia, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Cowboy and the Senorita (1944), Ridin' on a Rainbow (1941) and Angels with Broken Wings (1941). She was married to Harry J. Banan. She died on 6 June 1996 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Wally Albright was born on 3 September 1925 in Burbank, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Roll Along, Cowboy (1937), Salvation Nell (1931) and Thunder (1929). He died on 7 August 1999 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Actress, singer, comedienne and dancer. Gladys Blake left home at age 14 to join a stock company in Reading, Pennsylvania, and after two years she had developed her own vaudeville act, Gresham and Blake, with Lee Gresham. Coming to California, they were booked into the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles where she was spotted by film agent Edward Small. Her first small film roles were mostly for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Director Richard Thorpe personally offered Gladys her small role in "The Earl of Chicago" in which only her legs were seen.- Byron Barr was born on 18 August 1917 in Corning, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Double Indemnity (1944), Tokyo Rose (1946) and Tarnished (1950). He died on 3 November 1966 in Sacramento County, California, USA.
- Kenneth Harlan was born on 26 July 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Penalty (1920), Paradise Island (1930) and Danger Island (1931). He was married to Rosemarie Gonsalves Mirjanian, Rhea Walker, Helene Stanton, Helen (Donna) Spelner, Phyllis McClure, Doris Hilda Booth, Marie Prevost, Florence Hart and Salome F. Sanborn. He died on 6 March 1967 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Michael G. Gilman was born on 14 March 1967 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is known for The Treat (1998) and Bartender (1997). He died on 26 November 2019 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Edwin Rochelle started out in films in the 1930s as a stand-in for smaller actors. Like many actors of the 1930s, he had an affiliation with a studio and a majority of their work came from that studio. Rochelle was the go-to stand-in for Barry Fitzgerald and other stars at RKO, and sometimes this led to upgrades where he was paid more because he would deliver dialog, and he'd have to be paid as a day player for every day that he was on set as an actor's stand-in.
By the late 1950s, Rochelle was one of the guys that was regularly used as a stand-in for various guest stars in productions filmed at Universal Studios. He would regularly be seen in westerns and dramas filmed there throughout the early 1960s. It was during one of these productions where Rochelle's life would change forever when he stood-in for actor Robert Lansing.
After he stood in for Robert Lansing, it started a friendship that lasted until Rochelle's death. Lansing would use Rochelle whenever Lansing was working, and he would usually make sure Rochelle was upgraded to a silent bit on set. Lansing would regularly take Rochelle on location with him as his assistant and would occasionally give him a credited role like in Namu, the Killer Whale (1966). This provided regular work and a steady income for Rochelle for more than a decade.
When Lansing's career started to slow down, so did Rochelle's. Rochelle decided to retire, but he still would come back for an occasional role until he passed away in 1977.- Eric Lynch was born on 11 March 1975 in Rodeo, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Fringe (2008), American Dreams (2002) and In Plain Sight (2008). He died on 20 September 2014 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Cully Holland was born on 22 October 1957 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Warbirds (1988), Hardball (1989) and Dirty Love (1988). He died on 29 June 1991 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Louise Lorraine's small stature and delicate beauty seemed hardly the qualities to be desired in a serial heroine, but she starred in 11 of the physically demanding, action-filled cliffhangers, and showed as much spirit as, and in some cases more than, many of her colleagues in that genre. Louise's entry into the film industry came about when a photography salesman knocked on the door of the suburban Los Angeles home she lived in with her widowed mother and five siblings. The 13-year-old Lorraine answered it, and the salesman was so impressed by her look and demeanor that he told her mother she should be in the movies, and he had a contact at the Ince Studio who could arrange it. At first, Louise's mother refused to let her daughter enter the film industry but eventually gave in. Louise started out in two-reel comedies for independent studios, and then alternated among Universal, MGM and Warner Bros. She left the screen after making her second sound movie n 1930, ostensibly to devote her time to her second husband (her first was cowboy actor Art Acord) and two children. She died in 1981.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Samuel Bronston was born on 26 March 1908 in Bessarabia, Russian Empire [now Moldova]. He was a producer, known for El Cid (1961), The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942) and 55 Days at Peking (1963). He died on 12 January 1994 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
William Murphy was born on 9 January 1921 in Sacramento, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Disconnect (2012), It Happens Every Spring (1949) and Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). He died on 6 November 1989 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Carmelita Jackson died on 6 April 2009 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Grace Ford was born on 23 May 1913 in El Dorado, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for The Devil-Doll (1936), Between Two Women (1937) and Big City (1937). She was married to Henry Salvatori. She died on 5 May 1990 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mike Wagner was born on 14 April 1915 in Cheesequake, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Camp Runamuck (1965) and The Trouble with Girls (1969). He died on 25 March 1987 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Robert Ringwald was born on 26 November 1940 in Roseville, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Twice Upon a Time (1998). He was married to Adele Edith Frembd Ringwald. He died on 3 August 2021 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Estelle Jewell was born on 5 December 1927 in Oakland, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Shadow of a Doubt (1943). She was married to Robert Vincent Klein. She died on 4 April 1992 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Editorial Department
- Music Department
Jim Ladd was born on 17 January 1948 in Lynwood, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Say Anything (1989), Tequila Sunrise (1988) and Defendor (2009). He was married to Helene Hodge. He died on 17 December 2023 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Lul Jody was born on 22 November 2000. He was an actor, known for Lul Jody: Lifestyle (2018), Marbells x Lul Jody x Numba 9: Life Trife (2018) and TSG Dondada x Lul Jody: Cook Shit (2020). He died on 6 June 2020 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Susan Johnson was born on 6 July 1927 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Sister Act (1992), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and I Love Lucy (1951). She was married to Robert Pastene and Chet Kehn. She died on 24 February 2003 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Harry Martin was the son of Christian George Uhlenberg & Edith June Martin and the husband of Paulyne Peterson (b.1932-d.1927), whom he married in 1956. He was the father of Dayna D. Uhlenberg (b.1956) and Steven S. Uhlenberg (b.1958).
He served his country in both WWII and in Korea and later, in 1951, graduated from The College Of The Pacific in Stockton, California.
Harry Martin, began his television career at Sacramento's KCCC TV as announcer/director and children's show host "Bonanza Bill".
In 1956 he moved to Sacramento's KCRA (where he would work for 33 years) to work as announcer/director and popular children's show host "Captain Sacto". Each show began with a shot of Harry landing a jet and radioing to the tower "Tell all the boys and girls I'm coming in!" After 7 years as "Captain Sacto", he became the afternoon movie host of "Martin at the Movies."
He then became an anchorman at KCRA and then was assigned the job of entertainment reporter. His "Show Biz" reports were also syndicated in Phoenix and the Bay Area.
He was the first person to film the Hollywood Playboy Mansion. He interviewed close to 2,000 celebrities including: Arnold Schwarzenegger; Ronald Reagan; Tom Hanks, Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Bill Cosby and Tom Cruise. He was the first person to ever interview Goldie Hawn and the last person to interview Boris Karloff.
Harry was 81 years old at the time of his passing. - Cinematographer
- Director
- Producer
Frank Casanova was born in 1947 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Frank was a cinematographer and director, known for Beatrice & the Bike Thief (2009), Missing the Bus (2001) and Broadway Romance (2002). Frank died on 19 October 2023 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Anthony De Fonte was born on 23 October 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989) and MacGyver (1985). He died on 19 July 2004 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Margaret Bert was born on 4 June 1896 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Campus Sleuth (1948), Panic! (1957) and Sarge Goes to College (1947). She died on 1 May 1971 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Bill Burch was born on 30 October 1918 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Profile of a Race Driver (1968), The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1962) and The All New Truth or Consequences (1950). He was married to Yvonne King and Rebecca Jenkins Endres. He died on 1 October 2005 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Florence Dagmar was born on 22 October 1895 in Portland, Oregon, USA. She was an actress, known for The Call of the North (1914), Young Romance (1915) and The Country Boy (1915). She was married to Raymond Louis Somers. She died on 7 May 1986 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bris was born on 9 October 1995. He was an actor, known for Bris: Panhandling (2019), Bris: Sparked a Fuse (2019) and Young Slo-Be x Bris: 2142 (2019). He died on 21 June 2020 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Tom Wilde or "Big Daddy", as he was known to his drama students, adored the theater. He acted in plays in San Francisco and The Music Circus and various commercials in Sacramento. After his short television career in Hollywood, he found the "dream job" of his life and became a drama teacher at Encina High School in Sacramento,CA., producing and directing classic plays such as "Guys and Dolls", "1776", which he starred, in and "Bye Bye Birdie". He lived in Sacramento, California most of his life with his adoring wife, Neva Wilde and their two children. He is the grandfather of actor/producer Jennifer Bushnell.
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Peter Pohlenz was born on 5 September 1912 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Edge of Darkness (1943), Hotel Berlin (1945) and Hostages (1943). He died on 16 February 1993 in Sacramento, California, USA.- James Sheridan was born on 29 July 1904 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Courage of the North (1935), The Power and the Glory (1918) and The Speed Reporter (1936). He died on 12 April 1961 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
Brian Farnon was born on 27 November 1911 in Toronto, Canada. He was an actor, known for BBC Show of the Week (1965), The Spike Jones Show (1957) and The Polka Parade (1955). He was married to Gloria Lynn Hart, Dorothy Cavin and Rita Oehmen. He died on 28 May 2010 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actor
- Executive
As a child growing up in Depression era Columbus, Ohio, Wilson often staged his own versions of popular movies in the family basement. Among his more memorable "productions" was a version of Bring 'Em Back Alive. The movie focused on real life wild game hunter Frank Buck, who captured live animals for zoological societies. Wilson's basement version featured Buck actually bringing dead animals back to life!- Jack McDonald was born on 17 September 1880 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Last of the Mohicans (1920), Lorna Doone (1922) and Show Boat (1929). He died on 19 June 1941 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Sound Department
- Soundtrack
Jack Mack was born on 28 April 1952 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Tuff Turf (1985), First Time Flippers (2013) and Laverne & Shirley (1976). He was married to Debbie. He died on 4 February 2003 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Estrild Raymona Myers, an unlikely show biz name, would become internationally known as "Ramona." Her mother simply wanted to name her after her father, 17-year-old Raymond P. Myers, and the nearest name to it was Ramona. Raymond's wealthy parents believed that his bride, Rachel DeCamp, was below the social level of their teenage son. They annulled the marriage, unaware that fifteen-year-old Rachel was carrying Raymond's child. Rachael and infant Ramona moved across the border to Ashland, Kentucky, where she met her future husband, Charles C. Payne. Ramona told a reporter that her professional début took place at the age of 12 in Kentucky, when she was asked to play with a dance orchestra. The Paynes soon made their home in Kansas City, Missouri, where young Ramona attended school at St. Agnes Academy. According to an old press release, the only black marks on her school record were for sneaking out from time to time to play piano in a Kansas City movie house. At station WDAF she became staff pianist for the Kansas City Night Hawk Frolic where, for a three-year period, she played in the company of many great performers. From there she went to Pittsburgh, Pa., and became 10 of the Twenty Fingers of Sweetness, a program sponsored by Swans Down Sugar on Westinghouse station KDKA. After hearing her on the radio, the renowned bandleader Don Bestor engaged 16-year-old Ramona as featured singer and pianist when he took his recording and stage orchestra on a coast-to-coast tour. Her appearances with Bestor's group led to her own stage act on vaudeville circuits such as Keith, Orpheum and Loew's. In February, 1931 Ramona joined WLW in Cincinnati, "The Nation's Station," along with singer Seger Ellis, where she played on such programs as King Edward Cigar Band, Sohio Night Club and Werk's Bubble Blowers. At this time Paul Whiteman had the most famous orchestra in the world. He was paying Mildred Bailey $350 a week, sweetened by $600 from NBC. In the spring of 1932 Whiteman was doing five shows a day at a theatre engagement in Cincinnati. While relaxing in his dressing room, he tuned in WLW and heard Ramona singing in Spanish. A short time later he tuned in and heard her accompanying an Irish singer. Another time he tuned in and caught her accompanying her own singing. At a meeting arranged with Ramona, Whiteman asked her to join him when he opened in New York. Meanwhile, Mildred Bailey, after singing "We Just Couldn't Say Good-bye" on a Whiteman record, left in a flurry of lawsuits and joined CBS. Ramona stepped in and accepted a two-year contract at $125 a week (about one third what Whiteman was paying Bailey). Whiteman's original intention was to pair Ramona with crooner Red McKenzie, billing them as "Red & Ramona," but McKenzie had plans for his own orchestra. Ramona's recording début was on August 16, 1932, when she recorded "I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan." The ornate black and gold RCA-Victor label read: "Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, Featuring Ramona and Her Grand Piano." Over the next five years Ramona would be presented and managed by Paul Whiteman. In concert halls, magazines, movie theaters, auto shows, night clubs, county fairs, films, on records and network radio, she would shine with the greatest names in show business. Ramona's most important radio appearances were on the Kraft Music Hall, which made its début on NBC in 1933. The stars were Al Jolson and Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. Ramona's four years with Whiteman were her most illustrious. Her shapely figure, charming voice and vivacious personality added glamour to the already famous Whiteman cast of characters. She went by one name only, as did the Broadway actress Tamara, the French entertainer Mistinguett and, most assuredly, the incomparable Hildegarde. At some point she married quick-witted horn player Howard Davies, and was known by some as Ramona Davies. In 1936 the Whiteman orchestra was hired by producer Billy Rose to appear in his extravaganza Casa Mañana for the Fort Worth Frontier Centennial Exposition. For the entire summer the orchestra moved to Texas to play the nationally acclaimed show. It was during Casa Mañana that Whiteman hired Ken Hopkins, a handsome young arranger, to write orchestrations. Ramona, recently divorced from Howard Davies, married Hopkins before the year ended. Ramona was one of many performers managed by Whiteman's Artists Management Bureau. She sued Whiteman in 1937 accusing him of charging large fees for her services and giving her too little of it. On February 16, 1937, Justice Joseph M. Callahan of the Supreme Court ruled in Whiteman's favor, and he let her out of her contract early. Joan Edwards, niece of Gus Edwards, eventually replaced her. Ramona sailed to Europe on the luxurious Normandie to reap the benefits of her fame. On October 13, 1937, she began a choice engagement in London, headlining with Jack Harris at Ciro's Club on Orange Street. Ramona's London engagement was supposed to be for four weeks, but it was extended to six months. During her stay she gave a command performance for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Ramona returned to New York in 1938, and with her husband Ken's help, she formed a 12-piece all-male band. Ramona soon learned that a national career without Whiteman's help was infinitely more difficult. Competition in Ramona's professional relationship with Hopkins led to his drinking, and their marriage felt the strain. Ramona met announcer Al Helfer (1912-1975) while doing her 15-minute radio show in Manhattan. They were married in Baltimore, Maryland, and Ramona worked until the time their only child, Ramona was born. Ramona's last network radio appearance may have been on ABC's Piano Playhouse on October 19, 1946. The radio network beckoned again from Manhattan, only this time it was not for Ramona and her Grand Piano. Her husband Al was in great demand as a sports announcer. The family was so close-knit the parents moved to Denver to be near daughter Mona when she studied flute and voice at Denver University. By now her love of family had greatly overshadowed her show business yearnings and her husband's radio career surpassed hers. He was celebrated for making the annual presentation, beginning in 1947, of the famous Heisman Memorial Trophy. When Al Helfer retired, around 1969, he and Ramona moved to a house by a golf course near Sacramento, California. After an eight-month bout with cancer, Ramona died in Mercy San Juan Hospital in Sacramento. She was 63.- Additional Crew
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
Michael Parkhurst was born on 13 April 1933 in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA. He was an assistant director and director, known for Moonfire (1970), Movin' On (1974) and Hot Under the Collar (1992). He died on 23 July 2014 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Don Rogers was born on 17 September 1962 in Texarkana, Arkansas, USA. He died on 27 June 1986 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Doris Schroeder was born on 7 February 1893 in Far Rockaway, New York, USA. Doris was a writer, known for The Silent Avenger (1927), The Wolf and His Mate (1918) and Her Night of Nights (1922). Doris was married to George D. Green. Doris died on 4 January 1981 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Elsie Oakes Barber was born on 6 September 1914 in Massachusetts, USA. Elsie Oakes was a writer, known for Angel Baby (1961). Elsie Oakes died on 12 August 1996 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Larry Okendo was born on 26 March 1922. He died on 20 July 2017 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Doris Kenner-Jackson was born on 2 August 1941 in Goldsboro, North Carolina, USA. She was an actress, known for Because I Said So (2007), It's Little Richard (1964) and 20 Years of Rock & Roll (1975). She was married to Wallace Jackson and Alfonza Kenner. She died on 4 February 2000 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Chi Cheng was born on 15 July 1970 in Davis, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Law Abiding Citizen (2009), Valentine (2001) and House of Wax (2005). He died on 13 April 2013 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Buzz Sawyer was born on 14 June 1959 in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for WWF All-Star Wrestling (1972), UWF Power Pro Wrestling (1984) and World Class Championship Wrestling (1972). He died on 7 February 1992 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Amber Norman was born on 6 June 1901 in Logan, Utah, USA. She was an actress, known for Hell's Four Hundred (1926), La cautivadora (1931) and The Midnight Adventure (1928). She was married to Floyd Canada Curley Dills and ? Dills. She died on 21 October 1972 in Sacramento County, California, USA.