James Lipton obit

James Lipton, Creator and Host of 'Inside the Actors Studio,' Dies at 93

He was not on the list.

Before he hosted long-running Bravo series, Lipton played the Lone Ranger's nephew on the radio and wrote TV scripts and Broadway lyrics.

James Lipton, the elegant, articulate wordsmith and theater academic whose desire to give his acting students a greater insight into their art led to the popular Bravo series Inside the Actors Studio, has died. He was 93.

Lipton passed away early Monday at his home in Manhattan from bladder cancer, his wife, Kedakai Mercedes Lipton, told The Hollywood Reporter.

"He lived each day as if it were his last," Kedakai Lipton said in a statement to THR. "His work was his passion, loved what he did and all the people he worked with. He empowered people to do their best, and hopefully his spirit, curiosity and passion will live on."

Conceived by Lipton in 1994, Inside the Actors Studio was created to serve as a thinly disguised master class for the students of the Actors Studio Drama School, a joint venture of the Actors Studio and The New School. With Paul Newman as its initial guest, each one-hour program featured a top performer in an intimate and in-depth one-on-one interview with Lipton.

Nearly 300 subjects, including many Oscar and Emmy winners, shared the secrets of their craft with Lipton and his audience of students before the TV cameras. The show became one of cable's longest-running series.

"James Lipton was a titan of the film and entertainment industry and had a profound influence on so many," Frances Berwick, president of NBCU Lifestyle Networks and home to Bravo, said in a statement on Monday. "I had the pleasure of working with Jim for 20 years on Bravo's first original series, his pride and joy Inside the Actors Studio. We all enjoyed and respected his fierce passion, contributions to the craft, comprehensive research and his ability to bring the most intimate interviews ever conducted with A-list actors across generations. Bravo and NBCUniversal send our deepest condolences to Jim's wife, Kedakai, and all of his family."

As Lipton told THR's Scott Feinberg in June 2016: "If you had put a gun to my head and said, 'I will pull the trigger unless you predict that in 23 years, Inside the Actors Studio will be viewed in 94 million homes in America on Bravo and in 125 countries around the world, that it will have received 16 Emmy nominations, making it the fifth-most-nominated series in the history of television, that it will have received an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series and that you will have received the Critics' Choice Award for best reality series host — predict it or die,' I would have said, 'Pull the trigger.' "

Lipton did all of his own research in preparation for each interview. A lover of words, he was known for his intricately crafted questions and precise manner of delivery. His style was so distinctive, it led to a number of parodies, most notably Will Ferrell's dead-on imitation in a series of Saturday Night Live sketches.

"I love it. It's very flattering," Lipton said during a 2012 CNN interview. "I think he's got me cold."

Filmography

Films

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1953      The Big Break     Marty   

2005      Bewitched           Himself                

2008      Bolt        The Director       Voice only

Igor        Himself                 Voice only

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1951      Pulitzer Prize Playhouse                Himself                 Episode: "The Silver Cord

Armstrong Circle Theatre              Himself                 Episode: "Mountain Song"

1952      CBS Television Workshop              Himself                 Episode: "My Eyes Have a Cold Nose"

1952–1962          The Web              young fugitive    Episode: "The Boy in the Front Row"

You Are There    Michelangelo     Episode: "The Recognition of Michelangelo"

1953      Guiding Light      Dr. Dick Grant    3 episodes

1954      Inner Sanctum   Tony      Episode: "Guilty Secret"

The Goldbergs   Lotzi       Episode: "August 10, 1954"

1994–2018          Inside the Actors Studio                 Himself                 Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Host

2002, 2011          The Simpsons    Himself                 2 episodes

2004–2005, 2013, 2019                 Arrested Development Warden Stefan Gentles 6 episodes

2005      Cold Squad          Uniform Cop      Episode: "Borders"

2006      Joey       Himself                 Episode: "Joey and the Actors Studio "

2008      According to Jim               Devil      Episode: "The Devil Went Down to Oak Park"

2009      Family Guy          Himself                 Episode: "Spies Reminiscent of Us"

Saturday Night Live         Himself                 Episode: "Bradley Cooper/TV on the Radio"

2012      Celebrity Apprentice       Himself                 Episode: "Getting Medieval"

Glee       Himself                 Episode: "Goodbye"

Suburgatory       Dr. Richard Rohl                Episode: "Down Time"

As producer

Year       Title       Role

1977      Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Gala     Executive producer

1978      Happy Birthday, Bob       Executive producer

1979      Bob Hope on the Road to China Producer

1981      American Dance Machine Presents a Celebration of Broadway Dance       Executive producer

1985      Mirrors                 Producer

1987      Bob Hope Salutes the U.S.A.F. 40th Anniversary Executive producer

1988      Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC       Executive producer

1989      Bob Hope's Birthday Spectacular in Paris                Executive producer

1994–2018          Inside the Actors Studio                 Executive producer

As writer

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1952      Guiding Light      Head writer       

1956      The Edge of Night             Writer  

1960      The United States Steel Hour      Writer   Episode: "The Charlie and the Kid"

1963      The Doctors        Writer  

1965      Another World Head writer       

1970      The Best of Everything   Head writer       

1972      Return to Peyton Place Head writer       

1978      Happy Birthday, Bob       Writer  

1979      All-Star Birthday Party for Bob Hope... at Sea       Writer  

1982      All-Star Birthday Party at Annapolis          Writer  

1985      Mirrors                 Writer  

1985      Copacabana        Writer   Teleplay story and teleplay

1984–1987          Capitol Head writer       

1987      Bob Hope Salutes the U.S.A.F. 40th Anniversary Writer  

1989      Bob Hope's Birthday Spectacular in Paris                Writer  

1994–2018          Inside the Actors Studio                 Writer  

David SCHURMANN Obituary

 

He was not on the list.

DAVID ROBERT SCHURMANN June 7, 1943 - Mach 2, 2020 David was so proud to have been an actor and director, professionally employed for over fifty years. He was a distinguished member of the acting ensemble at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the- Lake, Ontario for decades. A consummate gentleman, his easy generosity with his fellow artists made David a natural mentor to the generation of actors that followed. In addition to the success he found in his career, David was fulfilled in his personal life and deeply devoted to his wife of 35 years, Maureen del Degan. David came from an extraordinary family that will miss him profoundly. He leaves behind his nephew Carl Schurmann. Late Fragment by Raymond Carver And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth.

Schurmann was born on June 7, 1943 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for Blind Date (2019), Side Effects (1994) and Warehouse 13 (2009). He was married to Maureen del Degan. He died on March 2, 2020 in Parkdale, Ontario, Canada.

 

Director

Blind Date

Short

Director (as David Schumann)

2019

 

Writer

Blind Date

Short

Writer (as David Schumann)

2019

 

Actor

Yannick Bisson, Thomas Craig, Helene Joy, Jonny Harris, and Georgina Reilly in Murdoch Mysteries (2008)

Murdoch Mysteries

8.2

TV Series

Judge Matthews

Judge

2013–2017

4 episodes

 

Rogue (2013)

Rogue

6.9

TV Series

Mack Nemoy

2016

1 episode

 

Nia Long, Monica Calhoun, Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Melissa De Sousa, Regina Hall, and Harold Perrineau in The Best Man Holiday (2013)

The Best Man Holiday

6.6

Elliot

2013

 

Enuka Okuma, Gregory Smith, Charlotte Sullivan, Missy Peregrym, and Travis Milne in Rookie Blue (2010)

Rookie Blue

7.7

TV Series

Merle Robbins

2013

1 episode

 

Saul Rubinek, Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, and Allison Scagliotti in Warehouse 13 (2009)

Warehouse 13

7.6

TV Series

Race Horse Owner

2013

1 episode

 

A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

8.4

TV Series

O. V. Bragan

Frank Erskine Sr.

Director #2 ...

2001–2002

16 episodes

 

Peter Sallis in M.U.G.E.N (1999)

M.U.G.E.N

7.3

Video Game

1999

 

Side Effects

5.9

TV Series

Brent Titticombe

1996

2 episodes

 

Avonlea (1990)

Avonlea

8.5

TV Series

Colonel

1996

1 episode

 

Sean Hewitt, Lydia Zajc, Stacey Arnold, and David Collard in Read All About It! (1979)

Read All About It!

8.1

TV Series

Sir Isaac Brock

1981

2 episodes

 

Riel (1979)

Riel

6.4

TV Movie

English Officer

1979

 

Marie-Anne (1978)

Marie-Anne

6.4

John Rowand

1978

 

Horse Latitudes (1975)

Horse Latitudes

TV Movie

1975

 

The Great Niagara (1974)

The Great Niagara

6.6

TV Movie

Young Mountie

1974

 

Pierre Berton in The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway (1974)

The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway

8.7

TV Mini Series

J.H.E. Secretan

1974

1 episode

 

Norman Corwin Presents (1971)

Norman Corwin Presents

7.1

TV Series

1972

1 episode

 

Kate Reid in The Whiteoaks of Jalna (1972)

The Whiteoaks of Jalna

7.2

TV Series

Philip I (1973)

1972

 

Power Trip

TV Movie

1969

 

Festival (1960)

Festival

5.8

TV Series

Rubin

Captain Narvinski

1968–1969

2 episodes

 

John Vernon in Wojeck (1966)

Wojeck

8.1

TV Series

1968

1 episode

 

Illegal Abortion (1966)

Illegal Abortion

1966

 

Peter Cushing in The Caves of Steel (1964)

Story Parade

5.5

TV Series

Fahnleinfuhrer Hinrichs

1965

1 episode

 

Editor

Woke Up Crying

7.8

Short

Editor (as David Schumann)

2010

 

Self

The World's a Stage with John Neville

TV Movie

Self

2007

Jack Welch obit

Jack Welch, former General Electric CEO who built company into a powerhouse, has died

He was not on the list.

Jack Welch, who built General Electric into an industrial and financial powerhouse and became known for an aggressive management style, has died. He was 84.

The cause of death was renal failure, his wife, Suzy Welch, told The New York Times.

Welch, who was chairman and CEO of GE from 1981 to 2001, presided over a huge increase in the company's stock and operations.

Named "Manager of the Century" by Fortune in 1999, Welch became known for his willingness to make big bets, slash jobs and sell businesses. He also published best-selling business books like "Winning" and "Jack: Straight from the Gut" and began a second career as a corporate leadership guru.

"If you grew up in business in the '90s, early 2000s, Jack Welch had a huge impact on the way you approach business," said Timothy Hubbard, assistant professor of management at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, who studies CEOs.

Welch left an imprint on business strategy and corporate governance that "you see ripple through companies even today," Hubbard said. "I still refer students to his book."

The year before Welch became CEO, GE posted about $27 billion in revenue. In his last full year as CEO, the company had nearly $130 billion in revenue, having recently achieved the title as the most valuable company in the world. Its total market capitalization climbed from $14 billion to $410 billion.

Welch, who was born in 1935, joined GE as a chemical engineer in 1960 after earning degrees from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Illinois.

He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the company's youngest vice president in 1972 and earning the title of vice chairman in 1979. He soon succeeded Reginald Jones, becoming the company's eighth chairman and CEO.

Welch shook up the company, laying off tens of thousands of employees in his first five years. That earned him the unwanted nickname “Neutron Jack,” after the nuclear weapon that kills people but leaves buildings largely intact. Welch bristled at the name, insisting that successful companies needed to be agile.

During his reign, GE also acquired companies like RCA, which then owned NBC, and investment bank Kidder Peabody.

Welch’s results-driven management approach and hands-on style were credited with helping GE turn a financial corner.

"He definitely had a strategy where the lowest-performing employees were filtered out of the company, and this is one area that a lot of people didn't like," Hubbard said. "A number of companies adopted that type of strategy."

He went by the motto "fix it, close it or sell it," which he said he got from management consultant Peter Drucker.

While Welch is credited with building GE into a massive company, transforming it from a maker of appliances and light bulbs into an industrial and financial services powerhouse, he also made mistakes along the way.

For example, the company's GE Capital division grew too large under his wing, Hubbard said, and the company is still trying to excise that part of the business from its balance sheet.

Along with Welch’s fame came greater scrutiny. Welch found himself defending his retirement compensation from GE. Amid a wave of corporate scandals, details of Welch’s GE perks emerged in court papers amid his divorce from his wife of 13 years, Jane Beasley, in 2002. He received millions of dollars in benefits, including unlimited personal use of GE’s planes, office space and financial services.

After the perks became public, Welch reimbursed the company for many of them and paid for the use of aircraft and other services.

Despite his reputation for being willing to let people go, Welch described his management philosophy as betting on the right people.

"I think strategy, execution and people all go together, and if you don’t get the people right, the strategy doesn’t matter. And if you don’t get the people right, you won’t get the execution. So you’re dead," he said.

Jeff Immelt, who succeeded Welch as CEO, said Monday in a statement that "Jack was always direct, but his frankness was appealing and effective. His informality and accessibility made GE a team."

Immelt, who retired from GE in 2017, is now chairman of Tuya Global Strategic Committee.

“Today is a sad day for the entire GE family," GE Chairman and CEO Larry Culp said in a statement. "Jack was larger than life and the heart of GE for half a century. He reshaped the face of our company and the business world."

On Monday, Culp recalled his last encounter with Welch.

"When I last saw him, what I remember most vividly was when he asked me, ‘So how exactly are you running the company?’ Jack was still in it – committed to GE’s success," Culp said.

Welch is survived by his third wife, Suzy Welch, and four children from his first marriage. Jack and Suzy Welch wrote a regular column together and management books, including "Winning" in 2005.

Trudy Melvin

R.I.P. Trudy Melvin, keeper of the flame for Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes

 She was not on the list.

(March 1, 2020) She was the daughter of musical royalty, and she worked over the past two decades to keep her father’s musical dream alive. We are sad to inform SoulTrackers of the death of Trudy Melvin, the offspring of soul icon Harold Melvin, who has been keeping Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes going for the 23 years since her father’s death, managing the legendary group.

The Blue Notes, now consisting of lead singer Donnell “Big Daddy” Gillespie, John Morris, Dave Echo, Tyrone Burwell and Keith Matthews, continue to perform regularly in multi-act soul music shows with such groups as The Chi-Lites, The Stylistics, and Blue Magic. Trudy and her four siblings grew up among the giants of Philadelphia soul, and she continued to love and honor that music to the day of her death.

While casual Soul Music fans associate Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes solely with the classic period of their association with Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International Records from 1972-76, the group had been around in Philadelphia for twenty years before hooking up with PIR.  With Melvin as lead vocalist and principal songwriter, the group, with various personnel changes, remained principally a regional act in the 50s and 60s, scoring only a few minor Soul hits.

Then in the late 60s Melvin discovered Theodore (Teddy) Pendergrass, a young drummer for the Cadillacs, and recruited him as a member of the Blue Notes’ backing band.  Ultimately Teddy’s vocal talents led him into the group as its lead singer and brought the group to the attention of the blazing hot songwriters/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who signed the group to their PIR label in 1971.  Success was immediate, as the group scored on two smash ballads in 1972, “I Miss You” (later covered by David Ruffin) and the now classic “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (later taken to #1 by Simply Red).  With the latter release Pendergrass quickly emerged as one of the bright young stars of Soul Music, with his distinctive sexy, growling voice ripping through Gamble & Huff’s highly orchestrated, sophisticated material.  1973 brought the group its first dance hit, “The Love I Lost,” and another smash album.

By 1975’s “Wake Up Everybody” and “Bad Luck,” Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were Soul Music royalty, on par with the O’Jays and the Stylistics.  However, it appeared incongruent that the group name continued to spotlight Melvin while the vocal and visual highlight was the handsome lead singer, Pendergrass.  The issue came to a head in 1976, and Pendergrass left the group for what would be a very successful solo career.  Gamble & Huff stuck with Pendergrass the solo artist, and the Blue Notes were soon off to MCA Records to try and recover from the loss of their lead singer.

The group’s first post-Pendergrass album, Reaching For The World was clearly structured to sound like their work on PIR, but neither the material nor new lead singer David Ebo could match the Gamble & Huff/Pendergrass combination, and the title cut barely snuck into the Soul top 10.  It was the group’s last hit.  Sporadic group member Sharon Paige (who had dueted with Pendergrass on the previous hit “I Hope That We Can Be Together Soon”) took a more prominent role on the group’s next LP, 1980’s The Blue Album, but it barely charted.   More shake-ups led to a new group composition that lasted nearly a decade, consisting of Melvin, Rufus (Fuss) Thorn, Bill Spratley, Dwight (Blackey) Johnson and new lead singer Gil Saunders.  This line-up released Talk It Up (Tell Everybody) on Philly World Records, but the disc generated little interest domestically (though it received some minor overseas airplay).  By the early-90s, Melvin and a rotating posse of Blue Notes had become permanent fixtures on the oldies circuit.

Sadly, Melvin died in 1997 at age 57. But the group has continued to perform, tour and even record ever since, with Trudy playing an important role in managing their work. Today we say a sad goodbye, and thank her for her work keeping Philadelphia soul music alive.