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1-11 of 11
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Signifying intelligence, eloquence, versatility and quiet intensity, one of the more important, critically acclaimed black actors to gain a Hollywood foothold in the 1970s was Paul Winfield. He was born in 1939 in Dallas, Texas, where he lived in his early years before moving with his family to Los Angeles' Watts district. He showed early promise as a student at Manual Arts High School, earning distinction with several performance awards. As a senior, he earned his first professional acting job and extended his theatrical education with a two-year scholarship to the University of Portland in Oregon. Subsequent scholarships led to his studies at Stanford and Los Angeles City College, among other colleges. He left U.C.L.A. just six credits short of his Bachelor's degree.
Paul's first big break came in 1964 when actor/director Burgess Meredith gave him a role in Le Roi Jones' controversial one-act play "The Dutchman and the Toilet". Director Meredith cast him again four years in "The Latent Heterosexual" with Zero Mostel. Although he won a contract at Columbia Pictures in 1966 and built up his on-camera career with a succession of television credits, he continued to focus on the legitimate stage. A member of the Stanford Repertory Theatre, he concentrated on both classic and contemporary plays. In 1969, Paul joined the Inner City Cultural Center Theatre in Los Angeles for two years, which offered a drama program for high school students.
In the late 1960s, Paul redirected himself back to performing on television and in films with guest work in more than 40 series on the small screen, including a boyfriend role on the first season of the landmark black sitcom Julia (1968) starring Diahann Carroll. In films, he was given a featured role in the Sidney Poitier film The Lost Man (1969), and earned comparable roles in R.P.M. (1970) and Brother John (1971) before major stardom occurred.
1972 proved to be a banner year for Paul after winning the male lead opposite Cicely Tyson in the touching classic film Sounder (1972). His towering performance as a sharecropper who is imprisoned and tortured for stealing a ham for his impoverished family earned him an Oscar nomination for "Best Actor" -- the third black actor (Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones preceded him) to receive such an honor at the time.
From there a host of films and quality television roles began arriving on his doorstep. In mini-movies, Paul portrayed various historical/entertainment giants including Thurgood Marshall, Don King and baseball's Roy Campanella, and was Emmy-nominated for his portrayal of Martin Luther King, Jr. in King (1978) with Sounder co-star Cicely Tyson as wife Coretta. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he earned solid distinction in such prestige projects as Backstairs at the White House (1979), Roots: The Next Generations (1979) (another Emmy nomination), The Sophisticated Gents (1981), The Blue and the Gray (1982), Sister, Sister (1982), James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985), Under Siege (1986) and The Women of Brewster Place (1989).
Although the big screen did not offer the same consistent quality following his breakthrough with Sounder, he nevertheless turned in strong roles in Conrack (1974), Huckleberry Finn (1974), A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1977) (again with Ms. Tyson), Damnation Alley (1977), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and White Dog (1982).
Surprisingly, Paul never achieved the promise of a Sidney Poitier-like stardom and his roles diminished in size. Relegated to character roles, he still appeared in such quality television as Breathing Lessons (1994), although he was not the major focus. After two nominations, he finally won the Emmy for a guest performance as a judge on Picket Fences (1992). Paul's showier work at this period of time included the film Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (1999) and a surprise cross-dressing cameo as Aunt Matilda in Relax... It's Just Sex (1998).
On stage, Paul graced such productions as "Richard III" (at New York's Lincoln Center Theatre), "Othello", "The Merry Wives of Windsor", "The Seagull", "A Few Good Men", "Happy Endings" and "Checkmates", which became his sole Broadway credit. Paul also served as Artist in Residence at the University of Hawaii and subsequently at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
In his final years, Winfield narrated the A&E crime series City Confidential (1998), appeared as a teacher in a television adaptation of his earlier success Sounder (2003), and enjoyed a recurring role as Sam for many years on the series Touched by an Angel (1994).
Suffering from obesity and diabetes in later life, Paul Winfield passed away from a heart attack at age 64 in 2004, and was survived by a sister, Patricia. His longtime companion of 30 years, set designer and architect Charles Gillan Jr. predeceased him by two years.- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Art Department
Michael Stringer was born on 26 July 1924 in Singapore. He was a production designer and art director, known for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Casino Royale (1967) and A Shot in the Dark (1964). He was married to Layne. He died on 7 March 2004 in Eastbourne, England, UK.- Ted Mark was born on 19 October 1928 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for The Man from O.R.G.Y. (1970). He died on 7 March 2004 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Producer
- Editor
- Director
Isaac Kleinerman was born on 21 July 1916 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and editor, known for The Twentieth Century (1957), The Unknown War (1978) and Victory at Sea (1954). He was married to Linda Richardson. He died on 7 March 2004 in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico.- Mimi D'Estée was born on 9 February 1908 in France. She was an actress, known for Les amoureuses (1993), Straight for the Heart (1988) and The Fortress (1947). She was married to Henri Deyglun. She died on 7 March 2004 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Music Department
Arthur L. Frantz was born on 21 June 1906 in Canton, Illinois, USA. Arthur L. was married to Ruth Davis (Schooler) Wright, Dorothy Louise (Truse) Dunn and Anna Marie (Macosko) Trader. Arthur L. died on 7 March 2004 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.- Ingeburg Kanstein was born on 28 September 1939 in Ratingen, Germany. She was an actress, known for Sonderdezernat K1 (1972), Tatort (1970) and Fernfahrer (1963). She died on 7 March 2004 in Hamburg, Germany.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Janko Hocevar was born on 21 December 1921 in Ljubljana, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He was an actor and assistant director, known for A Dance in the Rain (1961), Lucija (1965) and Här kommer bärsärkarna (1965). He died on 7 March 2004.- Kiki McCabe was born on 22 September 1928 in Jackson Township, Iowa, USA. Kiki was a writer, known for All My Children (1970), Another World (1964) and Guiding Light (1952). Kiki died on 7 March 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
- John Henry Williams (August 27, 1968 - March 6, 2004) was the only son of the legendary Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams, whom many believe ranks with Babe Ruth as the greatest baseball hitter ever. John Henry and his sister Claudia saw little of their father until John Henry moved in with him after Ted's long-time girlfriend died.
With a degree in marketing from the University of Maine, John Henry set out to market his father in the booming memorabilia market of the 1990s. He became increasingly controversial for what was seen as the exploitation of his father, which made Ted seem increasingly ridiculous. Many collectors of Ted Williams memorabilia sold by John Henry have questioned their authenticity.
Though John Henry had failed to make the University of Maine baseball team, Ted pulled strings with the Boston Red Sox to have them place his 33-year old son on their rookie team in the Gulf Coast League in 2002. Seemingly, this was part of John Henry's alleged idea that baseball talent was inherited, as it had been in the cases of Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., and later, Prince Fielder, all of whom had fathers who had been star baseball players.
John Henry's first season in pro baseball entailed two games, with no hits in six at bats, his season ending early when he broke his ribs crashing into the stands in an attempt to catch a foul ball. (The following year, John Henry was signed by the Schaumburg Flyers of the independent Northern League, but he was released in spring training. Later during the 2003 season, John Henry played for two teams in the independent Southeastern League, hitting a dismal .115 in 40 games.) John Henry was seen, correctly, as cashing in on the aura of his father's legend, but no one was quite sure why.
John Henry Williams won his place in baseball infamy after his father Ted died on July 5, 2002. John Henry took over all responsibility for his late father, and announced that there would be no funeral for the man who was one of the most popular ex-players in baseball history. Instead, John Henry had his father's body frozen, i.e., put into cyronic suspension, at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona. The development was bitterly opposed by Ted's daughter by his first wife, Barbara Joyce (Bobbie Jo) Ferrell, who launched a lawsuit.
Bobbie Joe went public, claiming that her father, Ted Williams, had wanted to be cremated. She believed that John Henry was scheming to sell Ted's DNA. (In a sport roiled by accusations that superstar Barry Bonds was taking human growth hormone, anything was possible.) The revelation by "Sports Illustrated" that Ted Williams' body had been decapitated, and only the head was preserved, and that the head reportedly had cracked apart, caused a media sensation. Bobbie Joe eventually withdrew her lawsuit after a judge agreed that a $645,000 trust would be distributed equally among Ted's three children.
John Henry Williams eventually was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, which likely had been inherited from his father. (Ted's brother had died from the disease in 1960.) He began chemotherapy and underwent a bone marrow transplant donated from his sister Claudia, but the treatments failed to take hold. He died on March 6, 2004 at the UCLA Medical Center. He was 35 years old. Following his death, John Henry was put into cryonic suspension along with his father at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. - Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Viktor Listopadov was born on 5 April 1923. Viktor was a cinematographer, known for Bezumnyy den (1956), Zelyonyy ogonyok (1964) and Snezhnaya skazka (1960). Viktor died on 7 March 2004 in Moscow, Russia.