Thursday, May 14, 2026

Alan Rothwell obit

Coronation Street David Barlow star, Alan Rothwell, dies aged 89

The actor died after suffering from a short illness

 

He was not on the list.


Alan Rothwell, best-known for playing David Barlow in the original cast of ITV soap Coronation Street, has died aged 89, his family told the Press Association.

The statement said: "The family of the actor Alan Rothwell wish to share the sad news of his death at the age of 89 on Thursday May 14.

"Alan was a professional radio, television, film and stage actor and director whose career spanned more than 70 years. He was one of the original cast members of Coronation Street, playing David Barlow in the very first episode broadcast in December 1960.

"He also appeared in Brookside as Nicholas Black and was a familiar face to generations of viewers as the presenter of the long-running children’s television programmes Picture Box and Hickory House.

"Alan died peacefully in hospital following a short illness. Beyond his professional achievements, he was a loving husband, father, grandfather and uncle.

"He will be fondly remembered and deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues and the many people whose lives he touched through his work."

He left the cobbles of Weatherfield behind in 1968, and had other major roles such as playing Nicholas Black in Brookside (1985–1986). He also hosted children's television programmes including Picture Box and Hickory House.

Alan also played multiple roles in Emmerdale, including a judge in 1993 and the more regular part of John Kenyon between 1997 and 1998.

He also appeared in Casualty, playing various parts over the years, as well as Heartbeat, where he played Reverend Jackson.

Issuing a statement, Coronation Street shared: "We're very sorry to hear of Alan Rothwell's passing and extend our sincerest condolences to his family at this very sad time.

"He created an iconic and memorable character in David Barlow and will forever be remembered as one of the original cast members of Coronation Street."

Actress Samia Longchambon added: "So sad to hear this. Alan was a also drama teacher at our drama school and I have such fond memories of being taught by him.. he was a wonderful man".

 

Actor

Gods Guilty Conscience the Directors Cut (2021)

Gods Guilty Conscience the Directors Cut

Short

Harry

2021

 

Kayla (2018)

Kayla

Short

Stanley

2018

 

Doctors (2000)

Doctors

4.5

TV Series

Larry TonkinsFrank LoseleyAlan Swann ...

2004–2018

6 episodes

 

Walk Like a Panther (2018)

Walk Like a Panther

5.0

Douglas

2018

 

Craig Cash and Sue Johnston in Rovers (2016)

Rovers

6.5

TV Mini Series

Stanley Bell

2016

1 episode

 

Emily Watson in A Song for Jenny (2015)

A Song for Jenny

7.1

TV Movie

Uncle Jimmie

2015

 

Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Luca Pasqualino, and Howard Charles in The Musketeers (2014)

The Musketeers

7.8

TV Series

Villager

2015

1 episode

 

Casualty (1986)

Casualty

6.1

TV Series

Anthony RaffertyBernard JonesHenry Chalmers

1998–2015

4 episodes

 

David Morrissey in The Driver (2014)

The Driver

6.9

TV Mini Series

Reg

2014

1 episode

 

Starlings (2012)

Starlings

7.3

TV Series

Brian Valentine

2012–2013

5 episodes

 

Steve Coogan in Alan Partridge (2013)

Alan Partridge

6.9

Old Man on Pier

2013

 

Shameless (2004)

Shameless

8.0

TV Series

StantonBill

2009–2013

2 episodes

 

Ashley Madekwe, Hugo Speer, Charlotte Salt, Will Young, and Theo James in Bedlam (2011)

Bedlam

6.4

TV Series

Ray Bowman

2011

1 episode

 

Gods Guilty Conscience (2010)

Gods Guilty Conscience

Short

Harry

2010

 

Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole in My Heart (2006)

Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole in My Heart

6.4

TV Movie

Addict 1

2006

 

New Street Law (2006)

New Street Law

7.3

TV Series

Dennis Smith

2006

1 episode

 

Louise Delamere, Sunetra Sarker, Kaye Wragg, and Jo Joyner in No Angels (2004)

No Angels

7.7

TV Series

Mr. Hawley

2006

1 episode

 

Titanic: Birth of a Legend (2005)

Titanic: Birth of a Legend

7.6

TV Movie

Captain Smith

2005

 

Fat Friends (2000)

Fat Friends

7.4

TV Series

Stanley

2005

1 episode

 

Alan Rothwell, Dave Spikey, Nicola Stephenson, Johnny Vegas, Iain McKee, and Janice Connolly in Dead Man Weds (2005)

Dead Man Weds

7.8

TV Series

Gerry Stringer

2005

6 episodes

 

Conviction (2004)

Conviction

7.4

TV Mini Series

Mr. Lindon

2004

2 episodes

 

Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures (1999)

Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures

8.0

Podcast Series

Byzar Janto (voice)

2004

1 episode

 

James Bolam in Harold Shipman: Doctor Death (2002)

Harold Shipman: Doctor Death

6.9

TV Movie

Alan Massey

2002

 

Patricia Hodge in The Falklands Play (2002)

The Falklands Play

7.3

TV Movie

John Wells MP (Conservative)

2002

 

Philip Glenister, David Morrissey, Sophie Okonedo, and Nicola Stephenson in Clocking Off (2000)

Clocking Off

7.7

TV Series

Solicitor

2002

1 episode

 

Bob & Rose (2001)

Bob & Rose

7.8

TV Mini Series

Registrar

2001

 

Wilmot

TV Series

Mr. Ronson

1999–2000

13 episodes

 

Queer as Folk (1999)

Queer as Folk

8.2

TV Series

Dudley Jackson

2000

1 episode

 

Katy Cavanagh-Jupe in Stanton Blues (1998)

Stanton Blues

8.4

TV Series

Norris Harding

1999

1 episode

 

Keeley Hawes in The Cater Street Hangman (1998)

The Cater Street Hangman

6.9

TV Movie

Duty Sergeant

1998

 

Emmerdale Farm (1972)

Emmerdale Farm

4.9

TV Series

John KenyonJudge

1993–1998

9 episodes

 

Susan Hampshire in The Grand (1997)

The Grand

7.5

TV Series

Paul Fairfax

1997

1 episode

 

Peter England and Madeleine Howard in Matt's Million (1996)

Matt's Million

7.5

TV Mini Series

Mr. Evans

1996

1 episode

 

Dominic Monaghan and Patricia Routledge in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1995)

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

7.6

TV Series

Dr. FisherPeter Stone

1996

2 episodes

 

Nick Berry in Heartbeat (1992)

Heartbeat

6.9

TV Series

VicarReverend Jackson

1994–1995

5 episodes

 

Reunion (1995)

Reunion

Man Feeding Ducks

1995

 

Harry (1993)

Harry

6.2

TV Series

Buxton

1995

3 episodes

 

Roy Barraclough, Shona Lindsay, and Paul Shane in Mother's Ruin (1994)

Mother's Ruin

6.3

TV Series

Piano Tuner

1994

1 episode

 

Colin Buchanan, Caroline Catz, Adrian Hood, and Alistair McGowan in All Quiet on the Preston Front (1994)

All Quiet on the Preston Front

8.1

TV Series

Mr. Dearman

1994

1 episode

 

Tom Baker and Sue Johnston in Medics (1990)

Medics

6.5

TV Series

Examiner

1992

1 episode

 

Paul Bown and Emma Wray in Watching (1987)

Watching

7.5

TV Series

Vicar

1992

1 episode

 

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991)

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

8.7

TV Series

Tronson, The Butler

1992

1 episode

 

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (1991)

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

8.5

TV Movie

(voice)

1991

 

How We Used to Live (1968)

How We Used to Live

8.3

TV Series

Amos

1990

4 episodes

 

Bruno Brookes, Rebecca Callard, Elspeth Charlton, Jennifer Luckraft, Tim Vincent, and Tim Stanley in Children's Ward (1989)

Children's Ward

6.8

TV Series

Dr. Davies

1989

2 episodes

 

Screen Two (1984)

Screen Two

6.7

TV Series

Vicar

1989

1 episode

 

Peter Davison, Carol Drinkwater, Robert Hardy, and Christopher Timothy in All Creatures Great & Small (1978)

All Creatures Great & Small

8.4

TV Series

Hubert Merrick

1988

1 episode

 

Brookside (1982)

Brookside

6.6

TV Series

Nicholas BlackCommunity Lawyer

1985–1986

57 episodes

 

Cilla Black in Cilla's Comedy Six (1975)

Cilla's Comedy Six

6.6

TV Series

Barry Fosset

1975

1 episode

 

Play for Today (1970)

Play for Today

7.8

TV Series

FisherPlanning officer

1970–1973

2 episodes

 

Zeppelin (1971)

Zeppelin

6.1

Brandner

1971

 

John Flanagan, Heather Page, and Gareth Thomas in Parkin's Patch (1969)

Parkin's Patch

7.8

TV Series

Jack Kenny

1969

1 episode

 

Crime Buster (1968)

Crime Buster

TV Series

Quin

1968

1 episode

 

Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)

Coronation Street

5.6

TV Series

David Barlow

1960–1968

250 episodes

 

ITV Play of the Week (1955)

ITV Play of the Week

6.7

TV Series

David ShieldsDavid Lonsdale

1961–1965

2 episodes

 

John Gregson in Gideon C.I.D. (1964)

Gideon C.I.D.

8.2

TV Series

Bill Rose

1964

1 episode

 

No Hiding Place (1959)

No Hiding Place

7.5

TV Series

Terry Baker

1964

1 episode

 

John Gregson in First Night (1963)

First Night

7.8

TV Series

Ted

1964

1 episode

 

The Villains

TV Series

Eddie Machin

1964

1 episode

 

Nothing But the Best (1964)

Nothing But the Best

6.5

Young Man

1964

 

John Barrie and William Gaunt in Sergeant Cork (1963)

Sergeant Cork

7.6

TV Series

Mr. Carney

1964

1 episode

 

Friday Night

TV Series

Cunliffe Jr.

1963

1 episode

 

Maupassant (1963)

Maupassant

6.3

TV Series

Cesar

1963

1 episode

 

Z Cars (1962)

Z Cars

7.1

TV Series

Eddie Cross

1963

1 episode

 

Top Secret (1961)

Top Secret

6.5

TV Series

Mike

1961–1962

26 episodes

 

Max Adrian and Bruce Prochnik in Oliver Twist (1962)

Oliver Twist

7.4

TV Mini Series

Charley Bates

1962

8 episodes

 

Citizen James (1960)

Citizen James

7.2

TV Series

Ron

1961

1 episode

 

Two Living, One Dead (1961)

Two Living, One Dead

7.2

Karlson

1961

 

Alan Rothwell and Carol White in Linda (1960)

Linda

6.2

Phil

1960

 

Probation Officer (1959)

Probation Officer

6.3

TV Series

Ken Austin

1960

1 episode

 

Bob Dylan, David Warner, Ursula Howells, Reg Lye, James Mellor, and Maureen Pryor in The Madhouse on Castle Street (1963)

BBC Sunday-Night Play

8.4

TV Series

Harry Hardcastle Jr.

1960

1 episode

 

Kay Callard and John Turner in Knight Errant Limited (1959)

Knight Errant Limited

5.8

TV Series

Arcade attendant

1960

1 episode

 

Behold, the King

TV Movie

Boy Shepherd

1957

 

The Claverdon Road Job

TV Movie

Ernest Armitage

1957

 

The Appleyards (1952)

The Appleyards

6.8

TV Series

Leslie Holmes

1957

2 episodes

 

Additional Crew

Christopher Eccleston, Kate Hardie, Rhys Ifans, and Saskia Reeves in Heart (1999)

Heart

6.4

adr artist

1999

 

Self

The Corrie Years (2011)

The Corrie Years

6.0

TV Series

Self

2011

2 episodes

 

Eamonn Andrews in This Is Your Life (1955)

This Is Your Life

6.4

TV Series

Self

1995

1 episode

 

Picture Box (1966)

Picture Box

8.1

TV Series

Self - Presenter

1968–1989

565 episodes

 

Patsy Rowlands in Those Wonderful TV Times (1976)

Those Wonderful TV Times

5.6

TV Series

Self

1978

1 episode

 

Daisy, Daisy (1978)

Daisy, Daisy

TV Series

Self - Presenter

1978

25 episodes

 

Hickory House (1973)

Hickory House

7.8

TV Series

Self - Presenter

1973–1977

125 episodes

 

The Burke Special (1972)

The Burke Special

7.4

TV Series

Self - Actor

1974

1 episode

 

Helen Atkinson Wood, Nell Campbell, Simon Hickson, Brian Travers, and Trevor Neal in Juke Box Jury (1959)

Juke Box Jury

7.4

TV Series

Self - Panellist

1961

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Helen Flanagan and Sally Dynevor in Coronation Street Icons (2019)

Coronation Street Icons

6.1

TV Series

Self - David Barlow (archive footage, uncredited)

2020

1 episode

 

Coronation Street at Christmas (2019)

Coronation Street at Christmas

6.0

TV Special

Self - David Barlow (archive footage, uncredited)

2019

 

Jean Alexander, Thelma Barlow, Roy Barraclough, Stephen Beckett, Elizabeth Dawn, Betty Driver, Vicky Entwistle, Julie Goodyear, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Sherrie Hewson, Sue Johnston, Barbara Knox, Sarah Lancashire, Bernard Latham, Maureen Lipman, Jennie McAlpine, Bryan Mosley, Sara Roache, Sue Nicholls, Tina O'Brien, Wendi Peters, Doris Speed, Debra Stephenson, William Tarmey, Bill Waddington, Denise Welch, Sally Dynevor, Helen Worth, Bernard Youens, Benny Young, Sally Lindsay, Jenny Platt, Rebecca Pike, and Katherine Kelly in The Stars of the Street: 50 Years, 50 Classic Characters (2010)

The Stars of the Street: 50 Years, 50 Classic Characters

6.1

Video

David Barlow (archive footage)

2010

 

Coronation Street: Through the Keyhole (1999)

Coronation Street: Through the Keyhole

Video

David Barlow (archive footage)

1999

 

Women of Coronation Street (1998)

Women of Coronation Street

7.7

Video

David Barlow (archive footage)

1998

 

The Coronation Street Character Collection (1995)

The Coronation Street Character Collection

TV Series

David Barlow (archive footage)

1995

1 episode

 

Christmas in the Street (1968)

Christmas in the Street

TV Special

Self - David Barlow (archive footage)

1968

 

Claudine Longet obit

Claudine Longet, Singer-Actress Who Shot Skier Spider Sabich, Dies at 84

Married to Andy Williams, she recorded pop albums and starred with Peter Sellers in ‘The Party’ before being convicted of criminally negligent homicide. 

She was not on the list.


Claudine Longet, the French-born singer, actress and ex-wife of Andy Williams who was at the center of a scandalous 1976 trial and media circus after she fatally shot her boyfriend, Olympic skier Spider Sabich, has died. She was 84.

Her death was reported Thursday by her nephew Bryan Longet. No details of her death were immediately available.

The enchanting, doe-eyed Longet recorded albums of breathy pop for A&M Records before she sang the Henry Mancini-Don Black song “Nothing to Lose” in Blake Edwards’ The Party (1968), in which she portrayed an aspiring actress alongside Peter Sellers.

A onetime Las Vegas showgirl, Longet had married “Moon River” crooner Williams in December 1961 and appeared on his long-running NBC variety show and Christmas specials, often with their three children.

After she and Williams divorced in 1975, Longet and the kids were living with the California-born Sabich at his chalet in Starwood, Colorado, when she shot him on March 21, 1976, in his bathroom with a .22-caliber German‐made gun that had been purchased by his father. She claimed the gun accidentally discharged as he was showing her how it worked.

Longet was with the 31-year-old Sabich in the ambulance when he died on the way to the hospital from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. A month later, she was charged with reckless manslaughter and faced as many as 10 years in prison.

At her Aspen trial, Williams escorted her to and from the courtroom, testified on her behalf and provided legal assistance. “I thought it was unfair, I thought she was innocent, I thought it was an accident,” he told Cynthia Bowers in a 2009 interview for CBS Sunday Morning.

With the prosecution facing significant hurdles because of mishandled evidence and illegal search practices, a jury after four days of testimony and 3 1/2 hours of deliberations convicted Longet, 36, of criminally negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, in January 1977. She was given two years’ probation, fined $250 and sentenced to 30 days in jail (she was able to serve most of her sentence on weekends).

The Sabich family later filed a civil suit against Longet for $1.3 million, but the case was settled out of court. Longet agreed not to speak publicly about Sabich or the murder and to never publish a book about her life and the trial, and her career as a singer and actress was done.

Claudine Georgette Longet was born in Paris on Jan. 29, 1942. Her father was a businessman specializing in X-ray technology; her mother was a doctor. She was in a production of The Turn of the Screw when she was 10, then appeared on French television and in plays in Milan and Venice.

Hired by nightclub impresario Lou Walters (Barbara Walters’ father), Longet had moved to Las Vegas and was dancing in a Folies Bergère revue at the Tropicana in 1960 when she first met Williams alongside a highway in town.

“My manager and I were driving down there and we saw this lovely girl and her girlfriend, who was also quite pretty, pushing this car,” he told Bowers. “And so, being gallant — and also because they looked pretty good — we stopped to see if we could help them.”

They started dating, and after Williams proposed to her in Paris — she had returned home to her parents, who were alarmed that she was dating an older man — they wed at a church in Bel-Air on Dec. 15, 1961 (she was 19, he was 34).

In 1963, Longet appeared for the first time on The Andy Williams Show and acted on episodes of McHale’s Navy and Dr. Kildare. She later guest-starred on installments of Combat!, 12 O’Clock High, Mr. Novak and Hogan’s Heroes before playing a novelist named Nicole who has a romance with Ben Gazzara’s character on the first-season finale of NBC’s Run for Your Life.

On the May 1966 episode, Longet mimicked playing the guitar and sang an English-French version of the bossa nova song “Meditation.” That got her a contract at Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss’ new A&M label, which released “Meditation” as a single. Her first album, 1967’s Claudine, produced by Tommy LiPuma, sold more than a million copies.

She would record three more LPs for A&M before jumping to Williams’ new Barnaby imprint for 1969’s We’ve Only Just Begun. She and her husband separated around that time — “We just sort of grew apart, I was never home … it was all my fault, I just didn’t take care of my marriage,” he said — though she would continue to appear on his TV shows through 1974. (Her last album was 1972’s Let’s Spend the Night Together.)

Meanwhile, Longet also showed up in the 1965 McHale’s Navy feature and Massacre Harbor (1968) and on TV in The Name of the Game, The F.B.I., The Bold Ones, Love, American Style, Alias Smith and Jones and The Streets of San Francisco.

Longet and Williams were close friends of Robert F. Kennedy and his wife, Ethel, and they were watching his televised primary victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles upstairs in the senator’s suite on June 4, 1968.

After Kennedy was shot shortly after midnight in the hotel by Sirhan Sirhan, the couple joined RFK’s family and other friends at Good Samaritan Hospital, and they were there when he was pronounced dead on June 6, nearly 26 hours after the shooting.

Longet and Williams attended Kennedy’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York on June 8 — Williams and a choir performed “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” — and were on the funeral train that took his body to the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington for burial.

She and charismatic Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, who was the model for Robert Redford’s character in Downhill Racer (1969), first met in 1972 at a celebrity skiing exhibition in Bear Valley, California.

At the time of the shooting, they had been living together for a couple of years but their relationship was on the rocks, as she wrote in her diary. (Since officers failed to attain a search warrant, that evidence was inadmissible in court.)

After her sentencing, Longet told reporters she was not bitter. “Because of the many cards and letters I’ve received, the prayers, I feel very good about everybody,” she said.

Her case was spoofed on Saturday Night Live in April 1976 when sportscasters played by Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin offered play-by-play of skiers being “accidentally shot” by Longet while competing in “The Claudine Longet Invitational” in Vail, Colorado. Announcer Don Pardo would read an apology on the air the next week.

The Rolling Stones also recorded a derisive song called “Claudine” for Some Girls that didn’t make it on their 1978 album, apparently for legal reasons.

Longet and one of her defense attorneys, Ronald Austin, moved in together shortly after her sentencing — he was married with two children at the time — and they wed in June 1985, remaining in the Aspen area on a 5.4-acre estate for years before moving to Hawaii.

She had three children with Williams, sons Christian and Bobby (who was named for RFK) and daughter Noelle, who reportedly died in 2023.

 

Actress

The Legendary Curse of the Hope Diamond

6.6

TV Movie

Marie Antoinette

1975

 

The Streets of San Francisco (1972)

The Streets of San Francisco

7.3

TV Series

Michelle Carl

1973

1 episode

 

Henry Mancini in The Mancini Generation (1972)

The Mancini Generation

TV Series

1973

2 episodes

 

Pete Duel and Ben Murphy in Alias Smith and Jones (1971)

Alias Smith and Jones

7.6

TV Series

Michelle Monet

1971

1 episode

 

Dick Martin and Dan Rowan in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

8.0

TV Series

Guest Performer (uncredited)

1971

2 episodes

 

How to Steal an Airplane (1971)

How to Steal an Airplane

7.2

TV Movie

Michelle Chivot

1971

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

6.8

TV Series

Susan (segment "Love and the Minister")

1970

1 episode

 

The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969)

The Bold Ones: The Lawyers

7.1

TV Series

Suzanne Rockford

1969

1 episode

 

The F.B.I. (1965)

The F.B.I.

7.4

TV Series

Danielle Chabrol

1969

1 episode

 

The Name of the Game (1968)

The Name of the Game

7.6

TV Series

Lianne Jevret

1968

1 episode

 

The Party (1968)

The Party

7.4

Michele Monet

1968

 

Ben Gazzara in Run for Your Life (1965)

Run for Your Life

7.6

TV Series

Nicole

1966–1967

2 episodes

 

Combat! (1962)

Combat!

8.4

TV Series

ClaudetteBabette

1964–1967

2 episodes

 

The Rat Patrol (1966)

The Rat Patrol

7.4

TV Series

Marianne Bertaine

1966–1967

2 episodes

 

John Banner, Robert Clary, Bob Crane, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, Larry Hovis, and Werner Klemperer in Hogan's Heroes (1965)

Hogan's Heroes

7.8

TV Series

Michelle

1966

1 episode

 

12 O'Clock High (1964)

12 O'Clock High

8.1

TV Series

Liane GoletSuzanne Arnais

1965–1966

2 episodes

 

Ernest Borgnine, Carl Ballantine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, and Yoshio Yoda in McHale's Navy (1965)

McHale's Navy

6.3

Andrea Bouchard

1965

 

James Franciscus in Mr. Novak (1963)

Mr. Novak

7.4

TV Series

Shahri Javid

1965

1 episode

 

Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963)

Kraft Suspense Theatre

7.7

TV Series

Marie Ange

1964

1 episode

 

Dr. Kildare (1961)

Dr. Kildare

7.0

TV Series

Mme. Dupres

1963

1 episode

 

McHale's Navy (1962)

McHale's Navy

7.4

TV Series

Yvette Gerard

1963

2 episodes

 

Writer

The Andy Williams Christmas Show

TV Special

Writer

1974

 

The Andy Williams Christmas Special

8.9

TV Special

Writer

1973

 

Soundtrack

Pensando Sin Cansarme (2023)

Pensando Sin Cansarme

Podcast Series

performer: "Love is Blue" (L'Amour est Bleu)

2023

1 episode

 

Rose Hotel (2021)

Rose Hotel

6.8

Short

performer: "My Favorite Things"

2021

 

Hannelore Elsner, Uschi Glas, and Jutta Speidel in Club der einsamen Herzen (2019)

Club der einsamen Herzen

6.1

TV Movie

performer: "Sugar Me"

2019

 

Chuck, Lost Object Found (2018)

Chuck, Lost Object Found

performer: "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye"

2018

 

Julie Delpy, Dany Boon, Karin Viard, and Vincent Lacoste in Lolo (2015)

Lolo

5.7

performer: "Small Talk"

2015

 

Tomas von Brömssen, Josefin Neldén, Jonathan Andersson, Adam Lundgren, and Disa Östrand in Shed No Tears (2013)

Shed No Tears

6.9

performer: "Nothing to Lose"

2013

 

James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Danny McBride in Pineapple Express (2008)

Pineapple Express

6.9

performer: "Love is Blue" (L'Amour est Bleu)

2008

 

Daddy Cool (2008)

Daddy Cool

5.0

performer: "Love is Blue" (L'Amour est Bleu)

2008

 

Michael Douglas, Candice Bergen, Albert Brooks, Ryan Reynolds, Lindsay Sloane, and Maria Ricossa in The In-Laws (2003)

The In-Laws

5.8

performer: "Un Homme et une Femme"

2003

 

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

The Kid Stays in the Picture

7.3

performer: "Wanderlove"

2002

 

Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham in Gilmore Girls (2000)

Gilmore Girls

8.2

TV Series

performer: "God Only Knows" (uncredited)

2001

1 episode

 

How to Steal an Airplane (1971)

How to Steal an Airplane

7.2

TV Movie

performer: "Sadness of a Happy Time"

1971

 

Flip (1970)

Flip

7.4

TV Series

performer: "C'est si bon"

1971

1 episode

 

A Flea in Her Ear (1968)

A Flea in Her Ear

5.5

performer: "A Flea in Her Ear"

1968

 

The Party (1968)

The Party

7.4

performer: "Nothing to Lose"

1968

 

Ben Gazzara in Run for Your Life (1965)

Run for Your Life

7.6

TV Series

performer: "Quand tu m'as Parlé" (Insensatez)performer: "Un Amour, un Sourire, une Fleur" (Meditação)

1966–1967

2 episodes

 

The Andy Williams Show (1962)

The Andy Williams Show

7.4

TV Series

performer: "My Favorite Things"performer: "Sunrise, Sunet", "What now my Love ?" (Et Maintenant), "My Guy"

1966

2 episodes

 

Self

Biography (1987)

Biography

7.7

TV Series

Self (voice)

2003

1 episode

 

E! True Hollywood Story (1996)

E! True Hollywood Story

6.5

TV Series

Self

2000

1 episode

 

Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan in Good Morning America (1975)

Good Morning America

4.4

TV Series

Self

1977

1 episode

 

Johnny Carson in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

8.5

TV Series

Self - Guest

1968–1975

2 episodes

 

The Andy Williams Christmas Show

TV Special

Self - Singer

1974

 

Merv Griffin in The Merv Griffin Show (1962)

The Merv Griffin Show

6.6

TV Series

Self

1972–1974

5 episodes

 

The Andy Williams Christmas Special

8.9

TV Special

Self - Singer

1973

 

Dean Martin Presents: The Bobby Darin Amusement Co. (1972)

Dean Martin Presents: The Bobby Darin Amusement Co.

TV Series

Self

1972

1 episode

 

Jeff Lowe in The American Sportsman (1965)

The American Sportsman

8.1

TV Series

Self

1972

1 episode

 

Andy Williams, The Osmonds, Bobby Williams, Dick Williams, and Christian Williams in The Andy Williams Christmas Show (1971)

The Andy Williams Christmas Show

8.4

TV Special

Self

1971

 

Monsanto Presents Mancini

TV Special

Self - SingerSelf - Host

1971

 

Don Knotts in The Don Knotts Show (1970)

The Don Knotts Show

7.5

TV Series

Self

1971

1 episode

 

Flip (1970)

Flip

7.4

TV Series

Self

1971

1 episode

 

The Andy Williams Show (1969)

The Andy Williams Show

7.9

TV Series

Self

1969–1970

5 episodes

 

Tom Jones in This Is Tom Jones (1969)

This Is Tom Jones

7.8

TV Series

Self

1969

1 episode

 

The Andy Williams Magic Lantern Show Company

TV Special

Self

1969

 

Andy Williams and The Williams Brothers in The Andy Williams Christmas Special (1968)

The Andy Williams Christmas Special

7.8

TV Special

Self - Singer

1968

 

The Andy Williams Christmas Show (1967)

The Andy Williams Christmas Show

8.0

TV Special

Self - Singer

1967

 

Love, Andy

TV Special

Self

1967

 

Mondo Hollywood: Hollywood Laid Bare! (1967)

Mondo Hollywood: Hollywood Laid Bare!

6.0

Self (uncredited)

1967

 

The Andy Williams Show (1962)

The Andy Williams Show

7.4

TV Series

Self

1963–1967

6 episodes

 

Jack Benny in The Jack Benny Program (1950)

The Jack Benny Program

8.5

TV Series

Self

1964

1 episode

 

Joey Bishop in The Joey Bishop Show (1961)

The Joey Bishop Show

6.6

TV Series

Self (as Mr. and Mrs. Andy Williams)

1964

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Compression (1995)

Compression

6.4

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2023

1 episode

 

Power, Privilege & Justice (2002)

Power, Privilege & Justice

8.1

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2006

1 episode

 

City Confidential (1998)

City Confidential

8.6

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2003

1 episode

 

Christopher George, Claudine Longet, and Gary Raymond in Massacre Harbor (1968)

Massacre Harbor

6.7

Marianne (archive footage)

1968

 


Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Clarence Carter obit

“Patches” and “Strokin'” hitmaker Clarence Carter dies

 

He was not on the list.


(May 14, 2026) Most soul music fans can’t remember a time when Clarence Carter wasn’t there. From his monster hitmaking days in the 60s and early 70s to his decades as one of the elder statesmen of Southern Soul Music, Carter has been a constant part of our lives. We’re sad to report that our friends at the Southern Soul newsletter The Boogie Report informed us today that Mr. Carter has died at age 90.

Carter was a singer, guitarist and songwriter whose music has moved easily between deep blues, country-soul, gospel fervor and earthy humor. Born January 14, 1936, in Montgomery, Alabama, Carter was blind from birth and studied at Alabama State University, where he earned a music degree.

After early recordings with Calvin Scott as Clarence & Calvin and the C&C Boys, Carter found his footing at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, where his rich baritone and bluesy guitar became part of the classic Southern soul sound. His first major solo success came with “Slip Away,” a million-selling 1968 hit (which has been streamed nearly 50 million times on Spotify alone), followed by another gold record, “Too Weak to Fight.”

Carter’s biggest pop moment came in 1970 with “Patches,” a dramatic story-song of a son forced to grow up early that reached the upper reaches of both the pop and R&B charts and became his third gold record. Other key hits included “Tell Daddy,” which helped inspire Etta James’s answer record “Tell Mama,” “Snatching It Back,” “The Feeling Is Right,” “I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone,” the holiday favorite “Back Door Santa.” Later in his career, he scored another monster hit with his signature Southern soul party record, “Strokin’.”

On the awards front, Carter was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2003, and he was nominated twice for a Grammy Award.

For more than six decades, Clarence Carter remained a towering figure in soul and blues, and he will be greatly missed.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Barry W. Blaustein obit

Beyond the Mat Filmmaker and Comedy Writer Barry Blaustein Passes Away

 He was not on the list.


Comedy writer and filmmaker Barry Blaustein, best known among wrestling circles as the director of the renowned documentary Beyond the Mat, has passed away. He was 72 years old.

Blaustein died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was told last month that he was in stage four of the disease. He had also been dealing with Parkinson’s Disease, which he was diagnosed with in mid-2016. Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, where Blaustein was a longtime professor, announced the news of his passing, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Dodge College Dean Stephen Galloway said in a statement to THR, “It was one of the great pleasures of my life to know Barry.” Galloway continued, “He faced his declining health with a level of stoicism I’ve never seen and kept his warmth and humor throughout. Even when he could no longer drive, he kept on teaching. It’s a sign of how beloved he was that a group of faculty created a shuttle service to take him back and forth to Chapman. He’s irreplaceable. We’ll miss him enormously.”

Blaustein wrote, directed, and produced the 1999 wrestling-themed documentary, Beyond the Mat, released in 1999. The filmmaker called it “the favorite thing he had ever done.” It was among the 12 finalists for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature that year.

He also helmed the 2005 comedy, The Ringer, starring Johnny Knoxville, Brian Cox, and Katherine Heigl, and the dysfunctional family dramedy Peep World in 2010. The feature starred Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, and Ben Schwartz.

Blaustein grew up on Long Island, New York, and later became a writer for Saturday Night Live right before its sixth season, when Eddie Murphy was new to the show as well. Blaustein and David Sheffield became writing partners and were promoted to head writers and then to supervising producers before leaving the show in 1983.

Having clicked with Murphy, Blaustein and Sheffield became the comedian’s longtime writing partners, as they started writing exclusively for him, creating some of Murphy’s most memorable work, including his 1988 hit movie, Coming to America. Sheffield and Blaustein are also both credited as co-writers for the 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor and its 2000 sequel, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.

Sheffield and Blaustein also reunited with Murphy one last time to collaborate on the sequel, Coming 2 America, which was released in 2021. On SNL, they devised some of Murphy’s most memorable skits, including riffs on Gumby, Buckwheat of Little Rascals, and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Some of their other memorable SNL skits for Murphy also included Murphy as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and the pitchman Velvet Jones.

Barry Blaustein Took Years To Get Beyond the Mat Made

Blaustein reportedly spent two years getting funding and approval for Beyond the Mat. He then spent another year traveling around the country following WWE wrestlers, including WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, the late Terry Funk, and Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Vince McMahon was notably unhappy with the documentary feature, and at one point, threatened to sue the movie from ever being seen.

Blaustein is survived by his wife Debraa, whom he married in 2021; his children, Corey and Kasey; and his granddaughter, Daisy.

On behalf of 411, we send our condolences to the friends and family of Barry Blaustein.

 

Writer

James Earl Jones, Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Paul Bates, Shari Headley, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Clint Smith, Akiley Love, Bella Murphy, Jermaine Fowler, Teyana Taylor, Rotimi, Nomzamo Mbatha, and KiKi Layne in Coming 2 America (2021)

Coming 2 America

5.3

story byscreenplay by

2021

 

Saturday Night Live (1975)

Saturday Night Live

8.0

TV Series

writerwritten byadditional sketches by (as Barry Blaustein, as Barry Blaustein, as Barry Blaustein) ...

1980–2019

56 episodes

 

Adam Heatherly, David Longest, Bob Meyer, Josh Martin, Ruth Rhett Bennett, and Alex Rose Wiesel in Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals (2009)

Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals

7.1

writer

2009

 

Gabrielle Union, Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, and Regina Hall in The Honeymooners (2005)

The Honeymooners

3.5

written by

2005

 

Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

4.5

storyscreenplay

2000

 

Mick Foley, Noelle Foley, Terry Funk, and Dwayne Johnson in Beyond the Mat (1999)

Beyond the Mat

7.6

narrative written by

1999

 

Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996)

The Nutty Professor

5.7

screenplay

1996

 

Eddie Murphy in Boomerang (1992)

Boomerang

5.7

screenplay by

1992

 

CBS Summer Playhouse (1987)

CBS Summer Playhouse

6.6

TV Series

screenplay

1989

1 episode

 

What's Alan Watching? (1989)

What's Alan Watching?

6.2

TV Special

Writer

1989

 

Eddie Murphy in Coming to America (1988)

Coming to America

7.1

screenplay

1988

 

Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach (1988)

Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach

4.6

characters (uncredited)

1988

 

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol

5.0

characters (uncredited)

1987

 

Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)

Police Academy 3: Back in Training

5.4

characters (uncredited)

1986

 

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985)

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

5.8

written by (as Barry Blaustein)

1985

 

Mike Douglas in The Mike Douglas Show (1961)

The Mike Douglas Show

7.0

TV Series

writerWriter

1979–1981

21 episodes

 

Script and Continuity Department

Michael C. Hall, Kate Mara, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, and Ben Schwartz in Peep World (2010)

Peep World

5.6

script revisions (uncredited)

2010

 

Saturday Night Live (1975)

Saturday Night Live

8.0

TV Series

script supervisorscript coordinator

1981–1984

42 episodes

 

Producer

Adam Heatherly, David Longest, Bob Meyer, Josh Martin, Ruth Rhett Bennett, and Alex Rose Wiesel in Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals (2009)

Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals

7.1

producer

2009

 

Mick Foley, Noelle Foley, Terry Funk, and Dwayne Johnson in Beyond the Mat (1999)

Beyond the Mat

7.6

producer

1999

 

Eddie Murphy in Boomerang (1992)

Boomerang

5.7

co-producer

1992

 

What's Alan Watching? (1989)

What's Alan Watching?

6.2

TV Special

co-producer

1989

 

Saturday Night Live (1975)

Saturday Night Live

8.0

TV Series

supervising producer

1983–1984

21 episodes

 

Director

Michael C. Hall, Kate Mara, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, and Ben Schwartz in Peep World (2010)

Peep World

5.6

Director

2010

 

Adam Heatherly, David Longest, Bob Meyer, Josh Martin, Ruth Rhett Bennett, and Alex Rose Wiesel in Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals (2009)

Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals

7.1

Director

2009

 

Geoffrey Arend, Johnny Knoxville, Jed Rees, John Taylor, and Leonard Earl Howze in The Ringer (2005)

The Ringer

5.8

Director

2005

 

Mick Foley, Noelle Foley, Terry Funk, and Dwayne Johnson in Beyond the Mat (1999)

Beyond the Mat

7.6

Director

1999

 

Actor

Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

4.5

Man in Bathroom

2000

 

Eddie Murphy in Coming to America (1988)

Coming to America

7.1

Man in Line (uncredited)

1988

 

Saturday Night Live (1975)

Saturday Night Live

8.0

TV Series

Bar Patron (uncredited)

1981

1 episode

 

Soundtrack

James Earl Jones, Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Paul Bates, Shari Headley, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Clint Smith, Akiley Love, Bella Murphy, Jermaine Fowler, Teyana Taylor, Rotimi, Nomzamo Mbatha, and KiKi Layne in Coming 2 America (2021)

Coming 2 America

5.3

writer: "Fresh Peaches & Sugarcube Rap", "She's Your Queen"

2021

 

Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

4.5

writer: "He Has To" (Mariachis)

2000

 

Additional Crew

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Beverly Hills Cop III

5.5

additional material (uncredited)

1994

 

Thanks

Opening Night (2025)

Opening Night

Short

very special thanks

2025

 

Kerry David, Francis K. Sullivan, Emer Kinsella, Felipe Vargas, and Jenna Boss in Open Secret (2025)

Open Secret

8.2

special thanks

2025

 

Ree Johnson in American Letters (2018)

American Letters

7.3

Short

special thanks

2018

 

The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man (2018)

The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man

7.1

special thanks

2018

 

Monty Comes Back (2016)

Monty Comes Back

6.6

special thanks

2016

 

I Am Santa Claus (2014)

I Am Santa Claus

6.5

special thanks

2014

 

Greetings from Florida! (2014)

Greetings from Florida!

8.4

Short

special thanks

2014

 

Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who (2007)

Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who

8.1

special thanks

2007

 

Rib Shack (2005)

Rib Shack

5.8

Short

special thanks

2005

 

Vamp (1986)

Vamp

5.9

very special thanks (as Barry Blaustein)

1986

 

Self

Eddie Murphy in Being Eddie (2025)

Being Eddie

6.9

Self - Writer (as Barry Blaustein)

2025

 

The A2theK Wrestling Show (2020)

The A2theK Wrestling Show

Podcast Series

Self

2022

1 episode

 

The Movies That Made Us (2019)

The Movies That Made Us

7.7

TV Series

Self - Writer

2021

1 episode

 

That's the Fxxking Trailer (2020)

That's the Fxxking Trailer

TV Series

Self

2021

3 episodes

 

The Gary & Kenny Show (2021)

The Gary & Kenny Show

TV Series

SelfSelf - Guest

2021

 

Prince-ipal Photography: The Coming Together of America

6.3

Video

Self

2007

 

The 3th Indie Producers Awards Gala

TV Special

Herself

2005

 

Dinner with the Legends 'Beyond the Mat'

7.0

Video

Self

2004

 

Mick Foley, Noelle Foley, Terry Funk, and Dwayne Johnson in Beyond the Mat (1999)

Beyond the Mat

7.6

Self - Narrator

1999

 

Saturday Night Live (1975)

Saturday Night Live

8.0

TV Series

Self - crewmember (uncredited)

1982

1 episode