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1-12 of 12
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Gloria Mildred DeHaven was born on July 23, 1925 in Los Angeles to vaudeville headliners Carter and Flora DeHaven. Her parents made sure their daughter would be educated at the very best private schools. They also indulged her ambition to be in show business by packing her off to the Mar-Ken Professional School in Hollywood (1940-42). Diminutive of stature and dark-haired, budding musical star Gloria (her nickname then was "Glo") enjoyed collecting perfume, reading (her favorite author being Daphne Du Maurier) and listening to the big bands (particularly Tommy Dorsey). With her father's help (who was assistant director and a friend of Charles Chaplin) she finagled her first movie appearance -- an uncredited bit part in Modern Times (1936). Her first visible role was in the George Cukor-directed Susan and God (1940). A contemporary newspaper article quipped that the winsome lass was "a backstage baby, never a child star".
First and foremost, Gloria concentrated on her singing career. She developed her own nightclub act over the years and also enjoyed considerable success as a solo vocalist with the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Jan Savitt and Muzzy Marcellino. It was her singing which prompted Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to sign her under contract in 1940. During the following decade she made decent strides as a soubrette and was regularly featured as second lead in cheerful light musicals. The pick of the bunch were Thousands Cheer (1943), Step Lively (1944) (on loan to RKO, giving Frank Sinatra his first screen kiss), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Summer Stock (1950) (a typical role, as sister to the nominal star, in this case Judy Garland) and Three Little Words (1950) (in which she played her own mother, Flora Parker DeHaven, singing the Ruby & Kalmar standard "Who's Sorry Now?"). New York Times critic Bosley Crowther commented in in June 1944: "It's a toss-up between June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven as to which is the lovelier girl. Both sing and dance with springtime crispness and have such form and grace as are divine." Always a popular pin-up with American servicemen in World War II, Gloria was featured on the cover of 'Yank' magazine that very same month.
Gloria never quite managed to get first tier assignments and her career waned as musicals ceased to be a bankable commodity. In the early 1950s she attempted stronger dramatic roles but with only moderate success. By 1955, she had wisely turned to the stage for occasional appearances on Broadway. As late as 1989 she sang in cabaret at the Rainbow & Stars in New York. There was also a screen comeback of sorts with recurring roles in the soap operas Ryan's Hope (1975), As the World Turns (1956) and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976). She was one of the numerous celebrities who appeared in box office bomb Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) and guest-starred on television series, such as Gunsmoke (1955), Mannix (1967), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), The Love Boat (1977), Fantasy Island (1977), Hart to Hart (1979), Murder, She Wrote (1984) and Touched by an Angel (1994).
After a long absence, Gloria returned to motion pictures and scored a hit as Jack Lemmon's love interest in the romantic comedy Out to Sea (1997). She died of a stroke in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 30, 2016, one week after her 91st birthday.- Ritva Vepsä was born on 12 February 1941 in Helsinki, Finland. She was an actress, known for Sixtynine 69 (1969), A Time of Roses (1969) and Presidentti (1982). She was married to Yrjö Tähtelä. She died on 30 July 2016 in Helsinki, Finland.
- The actress, singer, and elocution teacher Susan Mallinson was born Susan Colledge, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire in 1942. Susan was daughter to the Chesterfield performer and elocution teacher Molly Lilian Francis and the electrical store director Sydney Colledge.
Susan was the youngest person, at that point in time, to be admitted to the Guildhall's School of Music and Drama (GSMD) course, in London, where she subsequently won the Guildhall Contralto Prize and later gained her Speech and Drama Teacher's Diploma.
Upon leaving the Guildhall, Susan was given a grant by the Spanish Franco Government to study Spanish folk songs. Susan studied with the well-known singing teacher, Conchita Badia where she was taught in the interpretation of Spanish music. She continued her learning here, in Santiago de Compostela, for two years.
On her return to England, and with financial assistance from her father, she then privately recorded an LP record with EMI. The record was never released publicly. Susan gave recitals of Spanish, Catalan and English songs all over England and Spain.
In 1980 Susan moved to the village of Holmfirth, in the Yorkshire pennines, where she opened the Susan Mallinson School of Speech and Drama, which later became known as The Speech Studio. Susan specialised in the teaching the speaking of Standard English and Received Pronunciation (RP). She taught RP to famous footballers, newscasters and the clergy. Susan also taught locally in private schools, throughout the district, including QUEGS, Wakefield Girls High School, The Mount and Rishworth School.
Susan taught a combination of voice, dramatic art, vocal presentation and public speaking skills. Susan was successful in adapting her work to each student and successfully modernised many traditional elocution techniques taught by her mother Molly Lilian Colledge. Molly was known professionally as Molly Francis. Molly, herself, was also a celebrated teacher, leading thousands of youngsters and adults to examination success in her home-town of Chesterfield.
After her separation and subsequent divorce Susan returned to acting, appearing in cameo roles as a broad Yorkshire 'Barmaid' in two series of "Last of the Summer Wine". This role lead to further and more high-profile acting roles in two Spanish films, the psychological thriller El Segundo Nombre (The Second Name) in 2002 and the musical comedy Los Managers in 2006.
Susan also began working, in her twilight years, as a guest speaker on cruise ships, including those of P&O and Fred Olsen.
With her health failing Susan returned to live in her home-town of Chesterfield, where she spent the last few years of her life teaching privately.
Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer, which upon treatment went into remission, allowing her to continue the work that she so much enjoyed. On the return of her cancer, some years later, Susan continued the battle with her health, ultimately and finally succumbing to two forms of breast and pancreatic cancer in the Summer of 2016.
Susan is survived by her wider family, who fondly remember her for all her talents. - Actress
- Additional Crew
Anne Fields was born on 26 October 1932 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She was an actress, known for A Celebration for Jimmy Logan (2001), The Good Old Days (1953) and Johnny Beattie: In the Limelight (2012). She died on 30 July 2016 in Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.- Dave Schwartz was born on 20 February 1953 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 30 July 2016 in the USA.
- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Jerome 'Jock' Levy was born on 8 January 1916 in East End, London, England, UK. He was a director and producer, known for November Victory (1955), The Hungry Miles (1955) and Hewers of Coal (1957). He was married to Jeanette Shaw. He died on 30 July 2016 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.- John Charles-Cooke was an actor, known for Statica (2008). He died on 30 July 2016 in The Broadway, Norton.
- Derek Hatfield was born on 30 August 1952 in Newcastle, New Brunswick, Canada. He was married to Patianne Verburgh. He died on 30 July 2016 in Nova Scotia, Canada.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
Oleg Dashkevich was born on 20 January 1930 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Pravda leytenanta Klimova (1982), Neznakomy naslednik (1976) and Serebryanye struny (1988). He was married to Margarita Matveyeva. He died on 30 July 2016.- Art Department
- Writer
Peter Gossage was born on 22 October 1946 in Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. He was a writer, known for Hunter's Gold (1977), Castaways (1978) and A Maui te Tipua (2010). He died on 30 July 2016 in New Zealand.- William Bell was born on 27 October 1945 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was married to Ting-Xing Ye. He died on 30 July 2016 in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Anna Rita Marchesini (Orvieto, November 19, 1953 - Orvieto, July 30, 2016) was an actress, comedy, voice actress, writer and Italian imitator. She was part of the trio with Massimo Lopez and Tullio Solenghi, who has worked continuously from 1983 to 1994 and is exceptionally reconstituted for the last time in 2008 - albeit for only three television evenings - to celebrate 25 years since the founding. After the dissolution of the Trio, the actress has continued its activities alongside Solenghi in the years 1994 - 1995, and then go alone the theater actress career.