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1-10 of 10
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Armed with an entrancing whiskey-like voice that complemented her stunning, creamy blonde looks, Southern-bred beauty Joanna Moore had so much going for her when her film and TV career first took off in the late 1950s. Sadly, what began as an exciting Hollywood carnival ride would all too soon careen out of control and turn into a dangerous and tragic rollercoaster ride filled with personal and professional ups and downs.
Born Dorothy Joan Cook on November 10, 1934 in Americus, Georgia, Joanna was the elder daughter of Dorothy Martha (née English) and Henry Anderson Cook III. A fatal car accident in 1941 took the lives of both her mother and her baby sister. When her father died from his severe injuries a year later, 7-year-old Joanna lived with her grandmother; when the lady grew too feeble to look after her, Joanna was adopted locally by a well-to-do family who changed her name from Dorothy to Joanna. In 1951, the 16-year-old girl married another teenager, Willis Moore, and divorced him within the year. She later enrolled at Agnes Scott, a women's college in Decatur, Georgia (near Atlanta).
Around this time, Joanna won a local Georgia beauty contest that would take her straight to Hollywood. Spotted at a party by a Universal producer, the actress was tested and quickly signed. A brief, impulsive marriage (1956-1957) to minor actor Don Oreck also occurred during this early career stage. She began as a lovely presence on such TV anthologies as "Lux Video Theatre," "Goodyear Theatre," "Studio One in Hollywood" and "Kraft Theatre," and also found work in top female lead and second lead roles in "B" movies. She started out promisingly as handsome George Nader's love interest in the film noir Appointment with a Shadow (1957), directed by Richard Carlson wherein both play crime reporters--he with an alcohol problem. She followed this with second femme roles in both the western comedy Slim Carter (1957) starring Julie Adams and Jock Mahoney as the title country singer, and the romantic drama Flood Tide (1958), which reunited her with Nader.
After Orson Welles gave her a small cryptic role in his classic film noir Touch of Evil (1958), Joanna went on to a secondary femme role in the Audie Murphy western Ride a Crooked Trail (1958) and co-starred as Arthur Franz's fiancée in the cult sci-fi horror programmer Monster on the Campus (1958) with Franz playing a Jekyll-and-Hyde college professor who turns ape caveman-like thanks to his radioactive exposure. She ended the decade with another second femme role in an "A" picture--The Last Angry Man (1959) starring Oscar-nominated Paul Muni as a Jewish doctor and featuring Joanna in a romantic subplot involving married TV producer David Wayne.
In the early 1960s, Joanna suffered severe auditory nerve loss (otosclerosis) to the point of having to read lips. An operation thankfully restored her hearing (in one ear) in 1962. By this time, Joanna had moved more towards TV and enjoyed guest parts on such dramatic shows as "Bourbon Street Beat," "Maverick," "The Rifleman," "Bat Masterson," "Tales of Wells Fargo," "The Rebel," "Adventures in Paradise" and "The Untouchables," with a few comedy shows such as "Bachelor Father" and "The Real McCoys" thrown in for good measure.
Joanna went on to portray more than a few wily females on screen as she did with her neurotic "Miss Precious" in the drama Walk on the Wild Side (1962), sexy "Alisha Claypoole" in the Elvis Presley vehicle Follow That Dream (1962), and Southern belle "Desiree de La Roche" in the light-hearted Disney comedy Son of Flubber (1962). She played the same kind of crafty gals on such TV shows as "Perry Mason," "Route 66," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Bewitched", and "The Wild Wild West." She is perhaps best remembered, however, for her down-home benevolent role of Peggy, the four-episode girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) in the third season of TV's The Andy Griffith Show (1960).
At the peak of her career, Joanna married her third husband, "Prince Charming" actor Ryan O'Neal, on April 3, 1963. O'Neal would soon make a huge TV impact as handsome but troubled "Rodney Harrington" on the prime time soaper Peyton Place (1964). The exceptionally good-looking couple became a popular Hollywood twosome and went on to have two children who also became actors: Tatum O'Neal and Griffin O'Neal. Joanna's marriage to O'Neal was stormy, to say the least, and they divorced in February 1967.
Joanna went into a gradual, deep decline after her divorce from O'Neal. Depression set in and she developed a severe amphetamine and alcohol addiction. Multiple arrests over time for drunk driving (one much later resulted in the loss of three fingers) led to her losing custody of her children in 1970. That same year she checked into a state hospital for psychiatric treatment. Sadly, both her children, Tatum and Griffin, would battle similar substance abuse problems as adults. There was also talk that Joanna was growing more and more bizarre, living in self-styled communes and isolating herself from any Hollywood contact. She went on to marry and divorce a third and fourth time.
For awhile Joanna managed to stay afloat on both film with such occasional second-string offers as the sci-fi chiller Countdown (1967); the comedy caper Never a Dull Moment (1968); the "bikersploitation" yarn J.C. (1972) and the all-star thriller The Hindenburg (1975). She also co-starred in the TV adaptation of Three Coins in the Fountain (1970) with Yvonne Craig and Cynthia Pepper and was seen fairly regularly on such late 1960's TV programs as "The Virginian," "Judd for the Defense," "The High Chaparral," "The F.B.I.," "The Name of the Game," "The Waltons," "Kung Fu," "Bronk," "Police Story," "Petrocelli", and "The Blue Knight."
After this, however, Joanna's personal life unravel dramatically, which spilled into her professional career. By the late 1970s, Joanna, still abusing drugs and alcohol, had to be supported financially by daughter, Tatum, now an Oscar-winning film star. Little was heard for nearly a decade when it was learned that the actress was living in the Palm Springs area (Indian Wells) involving herself in small theater projects.
A long-time smoker, Joanna was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1996 and died a year later on November 22, 1997, age 63, with Tatum by her side. She was interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in her hometown of Americus, Georgia. In 2015, grandson Kevin Jack McEnroe (son of Tatum and her then-husband/tennis star John McEnroe) published a gripping novel entitled "Our Town," a "fictionalized account" of the damaging effects of substance abuse on a family. It is said to be strongly based on his own grandmother's devastating struggles.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Michael Hutchence is one of the greatest singers and performers in Australia's history, with a career that spanned 20 years. Born to Kelland Hutchence and Patricia Hutchence (a film and television make-up artist), Michael was the second of three children. He grew up in Hong Kong, USA, and Australia, and often hung out with his mother on film sets, getting to meet many famous people including his former classmate, Nastassja Kinski. When his parents split in 1976, Michael went with his mother to live in America for a while, but finding the fast-paced lifestyle too hectic, he moved back to Australia to live with his father. He attended high school in Sydney, becoming friends with another student, Andrew Farriss. Andrew performed regularly in two bands, Doctor Dolphin and The Farriss Brothers, and at some point invited Michael to sing with them. After graduating, they recruited two more members, Garry Beers and Kirk Pengilly, and immediately started touring pubs as The Farriss Brothers. They were later signed for a record deal on condition that they changed their name to INXS, which was a reflection of their lifestyle, always in excess.
Their first three albums were only minor sellers, but when 'The Swing' was released in 1984, it debuted at number one in Australia, and went double platinum. Their 1987 album 'Kick' had huge radio airplay, brought them an American number one hit ("Need You Tonight") and sold millions of albums worldwide.
However, Michael led a life of constant excess, which included women, drugs and alcohol, and sadly after 'Kick', the band proved to be not as popular as they once had been. Michael attempted a film career, but his first film Dogs in Space (1986) earned an 'R' rating, completely alienating it from teenagers, its intended audience. His second film Frankenstein Unbound (1990) did not showcase his talent either, as he had little more than a walk-on role.
All the while, his personal and professional life was falling apart. He fell in love with and later lived with Bob Geldof's wife, Paula Yates, which tainted his career. They had a daughter together, Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof. In 1997 he met up with Michael Douglas to discuss his songs being used in Face/Off (1997). Hutchence wanted to know from Douglas what steps he should take to further advance himself in the film industry. Douglas advised him, but Michael could not handle the pressure of being a fading rock star, and when his latest album 'Elegantly Wasted' was a flop, Michael took the steps that ended his career. Michael once said that he was "just a man" -- and that is all he ever was.- Casting Director
- Actor
Thomas Palmer was a character actor in early television, Broadway and films. Palmer, originally from Toronto, appeared in such quality dramatic series on the small screen as "Philco Playhouse," "U.S. Steel Hour," "Kraft Theatre," "Armstrong Circle Theatre," "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One." As television developed, he also had guest roles on "Perry Mason," "Wyatt Earp," "Twilight Zone" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." On daytime television, Palmer appeared regularly as Bert Fowler on "The Young and the Restless." After working in such British films as "The Life and Death of Colonel Clump," he was cast in such Hollywood motion pictures as "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Two Weeks in Another Town." He also acted on stage in London and on Broadway, including the plays "I Know My Love" with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, "Joan of Lorraine" with Ingrid Bergman, "MacBeth" with Michael Redgrave and "Galileo" with Charles Laughton.- George MacFarland was born on 11 October 1911 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Varsity Show (1937). He died on 22 November 1997 in Melbourne, Florida, USA.
- Thomas Palmer was born on 26 October 1912 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) and Einer wird gewinnen (1964). He died on 22 November 1997 in Sandpoint, Idaho, USA.
- Marian Maksymowicz was born on 3 May 1936 in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Wielkopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for The Dead Cast a Shadow (1979) and W starym dworku czyli niepodleglosc trójkatów (1984). He died on 22 November 1997 in Zabrze, Slaskie, Poland.
- Johnnie Morris was born on 5 July 1923 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Barefoot Boy (1938) and Sons of the Legion (1938). He died on 22 November 1997 in Castro Valley, California, USA.
- Paula Heminghaus was born on 31 December 1897 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for The Pirates of Penzance (1939). She died on 22 November 1997 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
György Kardos G. was born on 10 May 1925 in Budapest, Hungary. He was a writer, known for Patika (1994), Robog az úthenger (1977) and Mese habbal (1979). He died on 22 November 1997 in Budapest, Hungary.- Jerome Mintz was born on 29 March 1930 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director, known for Carnaval de Pueblo (1987). He died on 22 November 1997 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.