Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-15 of 15
- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Joseph Damiani, a.k.a José Giovanni, was born on June 22th, 1923, to a Corsican family. He did many little jobs when he was a teenager. Washing dishes in a train-restaurant, lumberjack, coal miner, waiter in a hotel restaurant of Chamonix. He was arrested for fraud and condemned to one year in jail in 1932. During WWII, in 1943, he was a high mountain junior guide but contrary to the official version he was never in the Resistance (Joseph Damiani a.k.a José Giovanni lied all this life about this). In 1944 he came to Paris and got closer to his uncles Ange Santolini, a gangster and Paul Damiani, a Militiaman. He joined himself the Parti Populaire Français (PPF), a fascist party. Joseph Damiani was a collaborationist and a Militiaman and participate to the arrestation of many people who refuse the STO (forced work for the nazi in Occupied France). In August 1944, he pretended he was a german police officer with an accomplice and stole two jewish merchants in Lyon, France. He will later be charged during his trial with facts of kidnapping, torture, robbering and assassination (Roger and Jules Peugeot, May 1945).
He and his accomplice Georges Accad were arrested in June 1945. An other accomplice, Jacques Ménassole, commited suicide to avoid arrest. Paul Damiani was arrested too but escaped during a reconstruction of the Peugeot case. He will be fatally shot in Nice by mobsters in 1946. Joseph Damiani was judged a first time in Marseille in July 1946 for treason and sentenced to 20 years of prison. He tried to escape in 1947 but failed. He was judged a second time in July 1948 for the murder of the Peugeot brothers and was sentenced to death with Georges Accad. After months spent in the death row, they were pardoned by french president Vincent Auriol in 1949 and the death sentence was commuted to life sentence.
In 1956, Joseph was freed. He spend a long time in jail writing, and one of the first things he did after being back to free life was to send his book to editors. They were immediately impressed by "Le trou" ("The hole", slang for prison) and under his "nom de plume", the talented "José Giovanni" was soon published and appreciated. Director Jacques Becker bought the rights of the book and directed it in 1959.
That's how José Giovanni entered the cinema world. He became a well-known dialogue writer, scenarist too, working many times with Jacques Becker. Then he directed his first movie in 1966, "La loi des survivants", while he was still writing novels about gangsters, cops, prison and manly friendship... Some of his films (many are based from his own novels) include Le Rapace (1968), La Scoumoune (1972), Le Gitan (1975) and Le Ruffian (1983). One of his favourite actors was Alain Delon, whom he directed many times. He directed some great French actors as Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura or Jean-Paul Belmondo.
His death row experiment marked him very much. He was, of course, for the abolition of the death penalty and he showed it in many movies. "Deux hommes dans la ville" (1973) ends with an execution, Claude Brasseur's character in "Une robe noire pour un tueur" is supposed to be guillotined at the beginning of the movie... In 1995, he wrote "Il avait dans le coeur des jardins introuvables" (He had in his heart gardens which no one could find), which is the story of his life as a death condemned, and the struggle of his father against the son's doom. Later, in 2001, he directed Bruno Cremer in "Mon père", his own adaptation of his own novel. That was his last movie.
Living in Switzerland with his wife and children since 1969, Giovanni wrote 20 novels, 2 memories' books, 33 scripts, and directed 15 movies and 5 TV movies. After four days spent in the hospital of Lausanne, José Giovanni died at 2 p.m, on April 24th, 2004 from a brain hemorrhage.- Robert McBain was born on 9 October 1932 in Wembley, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Armchair Cinema (1973) and High & Dry (1985). He was married to Maggie Henderson, Patricia Brake and Ann Clarke. He died on 24 April 2004 in London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mahmoud Moursy was born on 7 June 1923 in Alexandria, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Ana el hareb (1962), El khaena (1965) and The Cost of Freedom (1964). He was married to Samihah Ayyoob. He died on 24 April 2004 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actor
- Stunts
Joe Ferrante was born on 26 November 1917 in Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for Escape to Burma (1955), The Untouchables (1959) and The Rare Breed (1966). He died on 24 April 2004 in Joseph, Oregon, USA.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Raven haired beauty, whose intellect and impressive abilities is only exceeded by her popularity. Widely regarded as possessing a remarkable aptitude and passion for dance, Ashley grew up living with her father in the Bay Area of Northern California. She began taking dance lessons when she was about six. Able to duplicate any dance step or movement with little effort or study, she was considered a natural talent. Joining a local cheerleader squad a few years later, she and her fellow cheerleaders were sent to Florida for the National Championships, after garnering a State title in California. Amazingly, by junior high school, she was already being recognized by her mentors and peers as a highly competent and skilled choreographer. Working closely with her father on location, during numerous film shoots, she developed a love for the movies. Thus initiating the dramatic side of her artistic talents, where she later excelled in acting, producing, and even directing in her High School.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Make-Up Department
Feridun Karakaya was born in 1928 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Cilali Ibo: Avrupada (1970), Ates Riza (1958) and Görünmeyen adam Istanbul'da (1955). He died on 24 April 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Vladimir Bychkov was born on 5 January 1929 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was a director and actor, known for Dostoyanie respubliki (1972), The Life and Ascension of Yuras Bratchik (1967) and Osenniy podarok fey (1984). He died on 24 April 2004 in Moscow, Russia.- Frankie Scott is a singer, dancer, model, actress, and comedienne. Scott stepped into the entertainment field as a model in Atlanta, Ga. in the late thirties. She married country music pioneer Ramblin' Tommy Scott in 1940 shortly before he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. She became a fixture on radio and Scott's road show dancing, singing and stepping into the shoes of the Minnie Pearl style character "Clarabelle," which she portrayed on radio and in several film shorts. When Tommy Scott ventured west to Hollywood, Frankie joined him co-starring in the Edward Dymytrk film "Trail of the Hawk," as well as films "Mountain Capers," "Hillbilly Harmony," "Southern Hayride," among others. When the Ramblin' Tommy Scott TV show, credited as being the first country music television series, hit the airwaves on television in the late forties, she debuted as a television pioneer dancing, singing and doing comedy on the variety series. She returned to television in the 1950s when Scott's Smokey Mountain Jamboree hit the airwaves airing in syndication around the country. Early television appearances also include Johnny Carson. She is the subject of Tommy Scott's top twenty Billboard hit "Rosebuds and You." In the 1960s, Scott retired from performing on stage and took a role as co-producer of Scott's road show, "Doc" Scott's Last Real Old Time Medicine Show, which included co-stars such as western film star Col. Tim McCoy, Al "Fuzzy" St. John, Sunset Carson, Billy Grammar, Junior Samples, Clyde Moody, In the Heat of the Night star Randall Franks among others. The show, founded by "Doc" V. O. Chamberlain in 1890, has performed over 29,000 times in towns across America and Canada up to the present.
- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Manolo García was born on 15 December 1932 in Madrid, Spain. He was a director and actor, known for Baila conmigo (1992), Confidente de secundaria (1996) and El hogar que yo robé (1981). He died on 24 April 2004 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico.- Richard Svare was born on 28 March 1930. He was an actor, known for Pretty Smart (1987), Olympus Force: The Key (1988) and Bare et liv - historien om Fridtjof Nansen (1968). He died on 24 April 2004 in Seattle, Washington, USA.
- Othman Abdul Menem was born on 15 June 1941 in Mansoura, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Batal men Waraq (1988), Sawwaq el-Hanem (1993) and Al-Shariss (1992). He died on 24 April 2004 in Cairo, Egypt.
- Tom Carter Jr. was born on 31 October 1954 in Milan, Tennessee, USA. He died on 24 April 2004 in Iraq.
- Mugge was an actor, known for Pigen og pressefotografen (1963), Fup eller fakta (1966) and Den 6. sans (2002). He died on 24 April 2004.
- Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Ross was born on 6 August 1916 in New York City, New York, USA. Ben is known for American Masters (1985). Ben died on 24 April 2004 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.- Music Department
Ambrose Russo was born on 3 November 1916 in San Francisco, California, USA. He died on 24 April 2004 in Marina del Rey, California, USA.