CESAR ROMERO - January 1

Played the Joker in the Batman TV series.
Now here's a joke for you, Cesar:
Happy New Year - you're dead!
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PAT BUTTRAM - January 8

Comic relief sidekick in some movie westerns, but much
more known as Mr. Haney the junk salesman in Green Acres.
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HARRY NILSSON - January 15

Singer/songwriter. Also did the TV animation classic The Point.
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TELLY SAVALAS - January 22

Kojak.
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CLAUDE AKINS - January 27

Sheriff Lobo.
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JOSEPH COTTON - February 6

Actor in Citizen Kane.
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JACK KIRBY - February 6

(Same day as Joseph Cotton.)
Artist and writer in a career spanning over 60 years,
with Stan Lee he co-created many characters for Marvel:
The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Thor, Sgt. Fury, and The Avengers.
(With Joe Simon he also created Captain America.)
Not surprisingly, Kirby was dubbed the king of comics!
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SORRELL BOOKE - February 11

Played Boss Hogg on the Dukes Of Hazzard.
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WILLIAM CONRAD - February 11

Movie character actor, star of the Nero Wolfe TV detective series, and voice over artist.
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BILL HICKS - February 26

One of the greatest standup comedians of all time,
ranked right up there with Bruce, Sahl, Pryor, Maher, and Carlin.
[C.O.D.: Pancreatic cancer.]
See, Billy boy? All that worrying you did
about smoking was a total waste of time!
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ANITA MORRIS - March 3

Actress.
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JOHN CANDY - March 4

SCTV alumni, who later also starred in Splash, Stripes, Summer Rental,
The Great Outdoors, Planes, Trains And Automobiles, and Delirious.
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MELINA MERCOURI - March 6

Star of classic Greek comedy Never On Sunday.
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MACDONALD CAREY - March 21

Did many films, and played Dr. Tom Horton on the
soap opera standard Days Of Our Lives for many years.
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DACK RAMBO - March 21

(Same day as MacDonald Carey.)
Co-star of The Guns Of Will Sonnet.
[C.O.D.: AIDS.]
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BETTY FURNESS - April 2

1950s "consumer reporter" (pitch woman) on many TV commercials.
(Missed April Fools Day by just 24 hours.)
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KURT COBAIN - April 8

Musician who headed up the grunge rock group Nirvana.
[C.O.D.: Suicide.]
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RICHARD NIXON - April 22

Crook who incorrectly became US President,
then correctly resigned.
(Long story, not worth our time to go into.)
[Age: 81.]
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DAVID LANGTON - April 25

Richard Bellamy in Upstairs, Downstairs.
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GEORGE PEPPARD - May 8

Co-star with Audrey Hepburn of Breakfast At Tiffany's,
and star of the A Team TV series..
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GILBERT ROLAND - May 15

Best known as an actor in The Miracle Of Our Lady Of Fatima.
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ROYAL DANO - May 15

(Same day as Gilbert Roland.)
Usually played country types, most notably
several stints as President Abraham Lincoln.
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HENRY MORGAN - May 19

Mainly known from the TV game show I've Got A Secret.
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JACKIE KENNEDY - May 19

(Same day as Henry Morgan.)
Widow of JFK and Aristotle Onasis.
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BARRY SULLIVAN - June 6

Character actor.
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HERBERT ANDERSON - June 11

Played the father on the Dennis The Menace TV series.
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HENRY MANCINI - June 14

Wrote popular and haunting movie and TV tunes, notably Moon River,
the themes for the Pink Panther, Peter Gunn, and Soldier In the Rain.
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CAMERON MITCHELL - June 29

Actor in many 1950s films, including Murders In The Rue Morgue.
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DICK SARGENT - July 8

Second actor to play husband Darren in the TV series Bewitched.
[C.O.D.: AIDS.]
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PETER CUSHING - August 11

Fine actor in British suspense films and the Star Wars movie series.
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DR. LINUS PAULING - August 19

Brilliant scientist who heavily contributed to the charting of DNA molecules.
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JAMES CLAVELL - September 7

Wrote Shogun, Tai-Pan and tons of other phonebook-sized tomes.
Did this guy ever take a coffee break? Sheesh!
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DENNIS MORGAN - September 7

(Same day as James Clavell.)
Old school actor.
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PATRICK O'NEAL - September 9

Actor.
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JESSICA TANDY - September 11

Actress in Driving Miss Daisy. Also acted for
many years with her husband Hume Cronyn.
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TOM EWELL - September 12

Played Marilyn Monroe's neighbor in The Seven Year Itch.
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JACK DODSON - September 16

Known mainly as TV's Howard Sprague,
the County Recorder on The Andy Griffith Show.
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JULE STYNE - September 20

Composer for the musical Gypsy, he also wrote standards like
"Don't Let It Rain On My Parade" and "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend."
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ROBERT BLOCH - September 23

Author of Psycho.
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HARRIET NELSON - October 2

Co-star of the TV series The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet.
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DUB TAYLOR - October 3

(Must have heard about Harriet Nelson the day before.)
Acted frequently in western movies, often seen wearing a goofy bowler hat.
[Age: 87.]
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MARTHA RAYE - October 19

Wide-mouthed comic film star from the 1930s and '40s.
[Age: 78.]
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BURT LANCASTER - October 20

Star of many great movies, including Elmer Gantry,
The Rainmaker, Trapeze, and Birdman Of Alcatraz.
[Age: 80.]
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ROBERT LANSING - October 23

Star of many B-movies, and the Twelve O'Clock High TV series.
Also played Gary Seven on an episode of Star Trek.
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RAUL JULIA - October 24

Played husband Gomez in two Addams Family movies.
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MILDRED NATWICK - October 25

(Must have heard about Raul Julia the day before.)
Old school actress, and relative of
Grim Natwick, creator of Betty Boop.
[Age: 86.]
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NOAH BEERY JR. - November 1

Played James Garner's dad on the popular
private eye TV series The Rockford Files.
[Age: 81.]
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MICHAEL O'DONOGHUE - November 8

Editor of the magazine National Lampoon, and writer
and semi-regular performer on Saturday Night Live.
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CARMEN MCRAE - November 10

Jazz singer who also acted in Roots: The Next Generation.
Plus she cut an album with Sammy Davis Jr.
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CAB CALLOWAY - November 18

Fabulous band leader featured in The Blues Brothers.
"This is the story of Minnie the Moocha -
she was a lowdown hoochie cootcha!"
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TOMMY BOYCE - November 23

Wrote songs for The Monkees rock group with his partner
Bobby Hart, most famously "The Last Train To Clarksville."
[C.O.D.: Suicide.]
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JERRY RUBIN - November 28

One of the "radicals" in the Chicago Seven,
who were put on trial during the '60s and WON.
[C.O.D.: Killed in a "traffic accident."]
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ROSSANO BRAZZI - December 24

Actor and singer who starred in the movie musical South Pacific.
Happy Christmas Eve - you're dead!
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= WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR THIS YEAR, FOLKS! BUT STAY TUNED - YOU KNOW THE GRIM REAPER AIN'T DONE WITH THOSE CELEBS YET! MEANWHILE, ON THE UPPER RIGHT YOU CAN ALWAYS CHECK OUT THE LIST OF LATE LAMENTED LAYABOUTS FROM OTHER YEARS! ENJOY! =