Robert Ellis Miller obit

Robert Ellis Miller, Director of ‘Reuben, Reuben,’ Dies at 89

He also helmed 'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter' and 'Any Wednesday.' His late wife was the documentarian Pola Miller.

 He was not on the list.

Robert Ellis Miller, the veteran director of films including 1968’s The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and 1983’s Reuben, Reuben, died Friday. He was 89.

He had been living at the Motion Picture & Television Country House in Woodland Hills, Calif., since the death of his wife, documentarian Pola Miller (nee Chasman), two years ago.

Miller’s film version of The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, the 1940 Carson McCullers novel about a deaf man’s relationship with a teenage girl in 1930s Georgia, starred Alan Arkin and introduced an unknown Sondra Locke to the screen. Both received Oscar nominations for their work, and the movie was nominated for a Golden Globe in the best drama category.

“Arkin, as Singer, is extraordinary, deep and sound,” wrote Renata Adler in a New York Times review. “Walking, with his hat jammed flat on his head, among the obese, the mad, the infirm, characters with one leg, broken hip, scarred mouth, failing life, he somehow manages to convey every dimension of his character, especially intelligence.”

Dan Bronson, the writer of HBO’s The Last Innocent Man, used Heart to teach students about the grammar of motion pictures during an earlier career as an academic. “Heart is one of the films that gave me the resolve to turn my back on tenure and ride the rollercoaster of Hollywood,” he noted in an essay about the movie. “But it did more than inspire me. It moved me.”

“Robert took over the direction of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 10 days before we started shooting,” says Arkin. “It was a bit of an emergency situation, but you would have never known it from Robert’s demeanor or the way he treated his crew and troupe of actors. He was patient and good-natured and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. We became friends during the filming and remained friends for the 50 years that have intervened. When we shot the film, it was still a time of intense segregation in the country and we were particularly proud of the fact that — in spite of shooting in Selma, Alabama, with a cast of both blacks and whites — we vowed that we would find a place for all of us to live together as the one family we felt ourselves to be. Robert helped make that happen. We tried for years to find another project to work on together, but sadly it never happened. He will be very much missed.”

Miller’s most warmly received film was the comedic drama Reuben, Reuben, starring Tom Conti as a debauched poet battling writer’s block. The picture was included in competition at Cannes — which Miller regarded as one of the highlights of his career — and earned Oscar nominations for Conti and writer Julius J. Epstein. It, too, was nominated for a Golden Globe (best drama).

“Very much in the British tradition of quality,” noted critic Emanuel Levy, “Robert Ellis Miller’s Reuben, Reuben is a modest, intimate and intelligent film, featuring an Oscar-nominated turn from Tom Conti, better known for his stage work.”

A warm, good-humored man with a love of puns and an infectious enthusiasm, Miller was fond of describing how MCA Universal’s powerful executive Lew Wasserman would confuse him with the similar-looking director Arthur Hiller. “Miller-Hiller!” he’d bark. “Hiller-Miller!”

Miller spoke warmly of Bette Davis, whom he had once directed, and whose neighbor he was in Los Angeles’ famed Colonial building, doing a spot-on imitation of the intimidating star as she would listen, hawk-like, then flick her cigarette ash across the floor, either in approval or disapproval.

An astute but generous observer of the industry, Miller recalled meeting the young Steven Spielberg, who came to visit one of his sets, and remembered how gracious the twenty-something was.

Once asked to name the greatest myth about the movie business, he replied: “That the camera never lies.”

At Harvard, Miller was president of its Dramatic Club and a member of the Hasty Pudding Society. He entered television upon graduation, assisting other major directors including Sidney Lumet before going on to helm such shows as Naked City, Route 66, The Twilight Zone and The Rogues.

His first feature was 1967’s Any Wednesday, starring Jane Fonda and Jason Robards Jr. Other credits included Sweet November, The Buttercup Chain, The Big Truck and The Girl From Petrovka. His last film was the 1996 ABC TV movie The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Miller and his wife spent several years living in London, where he helmed the Timothy Dalton starrer Hawks. Among the other A-list stars he directed were Goldie Hawn, Anthony Hopkins, Peter Ustinov, Cicely Tyson, Omar Sharif and James Coburn.

He received an Emmy Award nomination for 1961 anthology drama series Alcoa Premiere and a DGA nom for an episode of the 1963 medical drama series Breaking Point.

An active member of the Directors Guild of America, Miller was a lifetime trustee of its pension plan. He was also a charter founder of the Artists Rights Foundation and a member of the Motion Picture Academy.

“Robert Ellis Miller was a skilled and prolific television and feature director known for eliciting powerful performances, but to us here at the Guild, he was a service-oriented stalwart with a broad heart and a sharp mind who was always ready to give back to our Guild and the industry,” said DGA president Paris Barclay. “We will always be grateful for Robert’s extensive service — as an officer on the Directors Guild Foundation for 15 years; as a member of the DGA-Producers Pension and Health Plans Board of Directors for 24 years; as a founding member of the Artist Rights Foundation in 1991 and for his participation on numerous DGA committees over his almost 60-year Guild membership. Our deepest condolences to Robert’s family and friends.”

Survivors include his sister, Judith Merwin; nieces Sara Merwin and Deborah Chasman; nephews Peter Merwin, Daniel Merwin, Clifford James and Daniel Chasman; and brothers-in-law Chellis Chasman and Donald Merwin.

His funeral will take place at 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday at Sinai Chapels in Fresh Meadows, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations go to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.       

 

Filmography

 

Breaking Point (1963) - TV Series

Any Wednesday (1966)

Sweet November (1968)

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

The Buttercup Chain (1970)

Big Truck and Sister Clare (1972)

The Girl from Petrovka (1974)

Just an Old Sweet Song (1976)

Ishi: The Last of His Tribe (1978)

The Baltimore Bullet (1980)

Madame X (1981)

Reuben, Reuben (1983)

Her Life as a Man (1984)

The Other Lover (1985)

Intimate Strangers (1986)

Hawks (1988)

Brenda Starr (1989)

Bed & Breakfast (1992)

Pointman (1994)

Killer Rules (1995)

A Walton Wedding (1995)

The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue (1996)

Frank Tidy obit

Frank Tidy, Cinematographer on Ridley Scott’s ‘The Duellists,’ Dies at 84

The British veteran also worked on five films with director Andrew Davis, including 'Under Siege' and 'Steal Big Steal Little.' 

He was not on the list.

Frank Tidy, the veteran British cinematographer who shot Ridley Scott‘s The Duellists and five films for director Andrew Davis, has died. He was 84.

Tidy died Friday at a nursing home in Kent, England, after a battle with dementia, his son Patrick told The Hollywood Reporter.

Tidy served as Scott’s cinematographer on hundreds of commercials for RSA, the director’s U.K. production company with his brother Tony Scott, starting in the 1960s. Tidy’s first feature credit came on the war drama The Duellists (1977), which starred Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel and Albert Finney.

Critics admire the film for Tidy’s use of natural sources, like an open window or candlelight, to light the film. “The artfully choreographed showdowns are staged in some of the most gorgeous settings ever committed to film,” Stephen Pizzello wrote in American Cinematographer magazine after The Duellists was released on DVD. “Critic Pauline Kael praised The Duellists for its ‘Gericault-like compositions,’ and Tidy’s lighting would earn the approval of Vermeer himself.”

Scott said in his DVD commentary that he “had no concerns about how much [of the imagery] was in the shadows. Frank knew that this was what I liked … I don’t mind sometimes if [the frame] goes totally dark. Frank just really knew how far to go.”

Tidy received a BAFTA Film Award nomination for his work.

Tidy first collaborated with Davis on the Chuck Norris action film Code of Silence (1985) and then partnered with the American director on The Package (1989), starring Gene Hackman; Under Siege, toplined by Steven Seagal; Steal Big Steal Little (1995), starring Andy Garcia; and Keanu Reeves’ Chain Reaction (1996).

Tidy also shot two films helmed by Canadian Phillip Borsos: The Grey Fox (1982) and One Magic Christmas (1985).

Tidy’s film résumé also includes The Mean Season (1985), Alan Alda’s Sweet Liberty (1986), The Butcher’s Wife (1991), Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), Getting Away With Murder (1996) and Hoodlum (1997).

A native of Liverpool, Tidy began his career as a stop-motion cameraman for an animation studio in London. In 1965, he formed Valley Films with director Roger Woodburn and cinematographer Peter Biziou, and they worked extensively on commercials.

Tidy's filmography would eventually include Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Under Siege and Chain Reaction. He was a Genie Award nominee for Best Cinematography in 1986 for the film One Magic Christmas.

His son Patrick is a veteran assistant director in Hollywood who is now at work on the Kiefer Sutherland ABC drama Designated Survivor.

Survivors also include his daughter Katharine and grandchildren Sean, Ellen and Amy.

John Hurt obit

Actor John Hurt of 'Elephant Man,' 'Midnight Express' and 'Alien' dies at 77

He was not on the list.

Actor John Hurt, the gravelly voiced British actor who garnered Oscar nominations for his roles in "Midnight Express" and "The Elephant Man," has died at the age of 77, publicist Charles McDonald said Friday.


McDonald offered no other details of Hurt's passing.


Known for playing tormented characters, Hurt memorably died on screen in the 1979 space adventure "Alien" when a creature exploded from his chest during lunch in the spacecraft mess hall. CNN's "The Screening Room" in 2007 ranked it among its Top 10 favorite movie deaths.


Hurt always stayed busy, working more than six decades in television, movies and voice work in England and the United States. He recently played a priest who counsels Jacqueline Kennedy in last year's biopic "Jackie," according to IMDb.


"I'm very much of the opinion that to work is better than not to work," he said, according to his IMDb bio. "There are others who'd say, 'No, wait around for the right thing' - and they will finish up a purer animal than me. ... Of course, I don't do everything by any means: I do turn lots of stuff down, because it's absolute crap. But I usually find something interesting enough to do."


Accolades poured in on social media.


Actor Kiefer Sutherland tweeted: "My deepest sympathies to John Hurt's family, friends and fans. He was a dear friend."


My deepest sympathies to John Hurt's family, friends and fans. He was a dear friend.

— Kiefer Sutherland (@RealKiefer) January 28, 2017


Actor Elijah Wood tweeted: "Very sad to hear of John Hurt's passing. It was such an honor to have watched you work, sir."


Very sad to hear of John Hurt's passing. It was such an honor to have watched you work, sir.

— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) January 28, 2017


Hurt was born in Shirebrook, a coal mining village in Derbyshire, England, the son of an an engineer and one-time actress and an Anglican clergyman and mathematician, IMDb said.


He trained to become a painter but, after being accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, worked on the stage in the early 1960s.


His first film role came in the "angry young man" drama "Young and Willing" in 1962 and his first major role in "A Man for All Seasons" in 1966, IMDb said.


His big break came when he portrayed the gay writer and raconteur Quentin Crisp in the mid-1970s television play "The Naked Civil Servant," which was adapted from Crisp's autobiography, IMDb said.


The good roles kept coming. He went on to play a Turkish prison inmate in "Midnight Express" in 1978 and the gentle, disfigured John Merrick in "The Elephant Man" in 1980. Those roles earned him Oscar nominations and he won a Golden Globe for best supporting actor in "Midnight Express."


He usually played characters with problems, and IMDb said he died 47 times on screen. But Hurt also also had comic roles, such as Jesus in Mel Brooks' "History of the World: Part I" in 1981, which he took on because he'd just done two serious roles and wanted to have some fun, IMDb said.


Hurt appeared in the first two Harry Potter movies, playing wand maker Garrick Ollivander, and did voice work and narration in movies like "Watership Down," "The Plague Dogs," and "Thumbelina."


Some of his top television roles included Caligula in "I, Claudius" in 1976, General Woundwort in "Watership Down" and the War Doctor in "Doctor Who."


He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Drama.


Hurt was married four times and was married to Anwen Rees-Myers when he died. Hurt was an alcoholic for years but said he quit drinking in 2005, according to IMDb.


A grand scheme never guided his life, he said.



"I've just been whipped along by the waves I'm sitting in," he said, according to IMDb. "I don't make plans at all. Plans are what make God laugh. You can make plans, you can make so many plans, but they never go right, do they?"


Filmography:


Films

Year Title Role Director Notes

1962 The Wild and the Willing Phil Corbett Ralph Thomas

1963 The Contact Max Philip Wrestler Short film

1964 This Is My Street Charlie Sidney Hayers

1966 A Man for All Seasons Richard Rich Fred Zinnemann

1967 The Sailor from Gibraltar John Tony Richardson

1969 Sinful Davey Davey Haggart John Huston

Before Winter Comes Lieutenant Pilkington J. Lee Thompson

In Search of Gregory Daniel Peter Wood

1971 10 Rillington Place Timothy John Evans Richard Fleischer Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Mr. Forbush and the Penguins Richard Forbush Roy Boulting, Arne Sucksdorff, & Alfred Viola

1972 The Pied Piper Franz Jacques Demy

1974 Little Malcolm Malcolm Scrawdyke Stuart Cooper

1975 The Ghoul Tom Rawlings Freddie Francis

La Linea del fiume Chandler Aldo Scavarda

1977 The Disappearance Atkinson Stuart Cooper

Three Dangerous Ladies Lt. Simmonds Robert Fuest Segment: "The Island"

Paperback David Bailey

East of Elephant Rock Nash Don Boyd

1978 Midnight Express Max Alan Parker Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

The Shout Anthony Fielding Jerzy Skolimowski

Watership Down Hazel Martin Rosen Voice

The Lord of the Rings Aragorn Ralph Bakshi Voice

1979 Alien Kane Ridley Scott Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

1980 The Elephant Man John Merrick David Lynch BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor

Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama

Heaven's Gate William C. Irvine Michael Cimino

1981 History of the World, Part I Jesus Christ Mel Brooks

Night Crossing Peter Strelzyk Delbert Mann

1982 Partners Kerwin James Burrows

The Plague Dogs Snitter Martin Rosen Voice

1983 The Osterman Weekend Lawrence Fassett Sam Peckinpah

1984 Champions Bob Champion John Irvin Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor

Success Is the Best Revenge Dino Montecurva Jerzy Skolimowski

The Hit Mitchell Braddock Stephen Frears Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor

Nineteen Eighty-Four Winston Smith Michael Radford Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor

Fantasporto for Best Actor (tied with Eddy Mitchell)

Valladolid International Film Festival for Best Actor (tied with Richard Burton)

1985 After Darkness Peter Hunningford Dominique Othenin-Girard & Sergio Guerraz

The Black Cauldron The Horned King Ted Berman & Richard Rich (director) Voice

1986 Jake Speed Sid Andrew Lane

1987 The Hunting of the Snark Narrator Mike Batt Voice

Rocinante Bill Ann Guedes, Eduardo Guedes

White Mischief Gilbert Colvile Michael Radford

From the Hip Douglas Benoit Bob Clark

Aria The Actor Bill Bryden Segment: "Pagliacci"

Spaceballs Kane Mel Brooks Cameo

Vincent Narrator[3] Paul Cox Voice

1988 The Bengali Night Lucien Metz Nicolas Klotz

1989 Scandal Stephen Ward Michael Caton-Jones

Little Sweetheart Robert Burger Anthony Simmons

1990 Windprints Charles Rutherford David Wicht

Romeo-Juliet La Dame aux Chats

Mercutio Armondo Linus Acosta

The Field Bird O'Donnell Jim Sheridan Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Frankenstein Unbound Dr. Joe Buchanan

Narrator Roger Corman

1991 King Ralph Lord Percival Graves David S. Ward

I Dreamt I Woke Up John Boorman's Alter Ego John Boorman

1992 Lapse of Memory Conrad Farmer Patrick Dewolf

1993 L'Oeil qui ment Anthony / Le Marquis Raúl Ruiz

Kölcsönkapott idő Sean István Poór

Monolith Villano John Eyres

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues The Countess Gus Van Sant

1994 Rabbit Ears: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp Storyteller C.W. Rogers Voice

Direct-to-video

Thumbelina Mr. Mole Don Bluth & Gary Goldman Voice

Great Moments in Aviation Rex Goodyear Beeban Kidron

Second Best Uncle Turpin Chris Menges

1995 Rob Roy John Graham, Marquis of Montrose[3] Michael Caton-Jones

Dead Man John Scholfield Jim Jarmusch

Wild Bill Charley Prince Walter Hill

Two Nudes Bathing Marquis de Prey John Boorman Short film

1997 Love and Death on Long Island Giles De'Ath[3] Richard Kwietniowski FIPRESCI Prize – Special Mention of Chicago International Film Festival (shared with: Richard Kwietniowski)

Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by a British Actor in an Independent Film

Contact S.R. Hadden Robert Zemeckis

The Climb Chuck Langer Bob Swaim

Bandyta Babits Maciej Dejczer

Tender Loving Care Dr. Turner David Wheeler Direct-to-video

1998 The Commissioner James Morton George Sluizer

Night Train Michael Poole John Lynch

All the Little Animals Mr. Summers Jeremy Thomas

1999 A Monkey's Tale Sebastian Jean-François Laguionie English dub

If... Dog... Rabbit... Sean Cooper Matthew Modine

You're Dead... Maitland Andy Hurst

2000 The Tigger Movie Mr. Narrator Jun Falkenstein Voice

New Blood Alan White Michael Hurst

Lost Souls Father Lareaux Janusz Kamiński

2001 Tabloid Vince David Blair

Captain Corelli's Mandolin Dr. Iannis John Madden

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Garrick Ollivander Chris Columbus

2002 Miranda Christian Marc Munden

Crime and Punishment Porfiry Menahem Golan

2003 Owning Mahowny Victor Foss Richard Kwietniowski

Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill Man from Maybury Hill Anthony Byrne Short film

Dogville Narrator Lars von Trier Voice

2004 Hellboy Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm Guillermo del Toro

Pride Harry John Downer Voice

2005 Short Order Felix Anthony Byrne

Valiant Felix Gary Chapman Voice

Manderlay Narrator Lars von Trier Voice

The Skeleton Key Ben Devereaux Iain Softley

Shooting Dogs Christopher Michael Caton-Jones

The Proposition Jellon Lamb John Hillcoat Nominated – Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

V for Vendetta Adam Sutler James McTeigue

2006 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Narrator Tom Tykwer Voice

2007 Boxes Le père de Fanny Jane Birkin

Hellboy: Blood and Iron Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm Victor Cook & Tad Stones Voice

Direct-to-DVD

2008 The Oxford Murders Arthur Seldom Álex de la Iglesia

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Dr. Harold Oxley[3] Steven Spielberg

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm[3] Guillermo del Toro Cameo

Outlander Hrothgar Howard McCain

Lecture 21 Mondrian Kilroy Alessandro Baricco

New York, I Love You Bellhop Shekhar Kapur Segment "Shekhar Kapur"

2009 An Englishman in New York Quentin Crisp Richard Laxton

The Limits of Control Guitar Jim Jarmusch

44 Inch Chest Old Man Peanut Malcolm Venville Nominated – London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the Year

2010 Lou Doyle Belinda Chayko

A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures Grandpa Sammy Ben Stassen Voice

Brighton Rock Phil Corkery Rowan Joffé

Ultramarines: The Movie Carnak Martyn Pick Voice

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Garrick Ollivander[3] David Yates

2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Regret Not Speaking Richard Kwietniowski

Melancholia Dexter Lars von Trier

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Control Tomas Alfredson

Immortals Old Man / Narrator Tarsem Singh

2012 Jayne Mansfield's Car Kingsley Bedford Billy Bob Thornton

In Love with Alma Cogan Master of Ceremonies Tony Britten

Sightseers Narrator – Blake's "Jerusalem" Ben Wheatley Uncredited voice

2013 Charlie Countryman Narrator Fredrik Bond Voice

Only Lovers Left Alive Christopher Marlowe Jim Jarmusch

Swan Lake 3D – Live from the Mariinsky Theatre Winter Palace / Himself Ross MacGibbon Voice

Snowpiercer Gilliam Bong Joon-ho

More Than Honey Narrator Markus Imhoof Voice

Documentary

Benjamin Britten – Peace and Conflict Narrator Tony Britten

2014 Hercules Cotys Brett Ratner

2015 A.K.A Nadia 347 Tova Ascher

The Absinthe Drinkers Antonio Argenti John Jopson

Break Jack Nicholas Moss Short film

Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure Sailor John David Stoten Voice

2016 ChickLit Francis Bonar Tony Britten

The Journey Harry Patterson Nick Hamm

Jackie The Priest Pablo Larraín

Back to Utopia Peter Panludic Fabio Wuytack Voice; posthumous international release

2017 My Name Is Lenny Leslie Salmon Ron Scalpello Posthumous release

That Good Night Ralph Eric Styles Posthumous release

2018 Damascus Cover Miki Daniel Zelik Berk Posthumous release





Television

Year Title Role Notes

1961 Drama 61–67 Private Briggs Episode: "Drama '61: Local Incident"

1962 Z-Cars James Hogan Episode: "Assault"

1963 First Night Garry Episode: "Menace"

1964 Armchair Theatre Unknown Episode: "A Jug of Bread"

Thursday Theatre Orpheus Episode: "Point of Departure"

Gideon's Way Freddy Tinsdale Episode: "The Tin God"

1964–65 ITV Play of the Week Various characters 3 episodes

1973 Wessex Tales Joshua Harlborough Episode: "A Tragedy of Two Ambitions"

1974 The Playboy of the Western World Christopher "Christy" Mahon Television film

1975 The Naked Civil Servant Quentin Crisp Television film

British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

1976 Shades of Greene Fred Episode: "A Drive in the Country"

Play for Today Alec Cassell Episode: "The Peddler"

The Sweeney Tony Grey Episode: "Tomorrow Man"

I, Claudius Caligula 5 episodes

1977 Spectre Mitri Cyon Television film

1979 Crime and Punishment Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov 3 episodes

1983 King Lear The Fool Television film

1988 Deadline Granville Jones Television film

1987–88 The Storyteller The Storyteller 9 episodes

1990 The Investigation: Inside a Terrorist Bombing Chris Mullin Television film

1991 Journey to Knock Alfred Television film

Red Fox Archie Carpenter 2 episodes

1992 Six Characters in Search of an Author The Father Television film

1993 Great Moments in Aviation Rex Goodyear Television film

1994 Picture Windows Le Compte Episode: "Two Nudes Bathing"

1995 Prisoners in Time Eric Lomax Episode: "Everyman"

Screen Two Jack Lee Episode: "Saigon Baby"

1999–2000 Watership Down General Woundwort Voice

7 episodes

2001 Beckett on Film – Krapp's Last Tape Krapp Television film

2002 Bait Jack Blake Television film

2004 The Alan Clark Diaries Alan Clark 6 episodes

Pride Harry Voice

Television film

2005 Hiroshima Narrator Voice

Documentary

2007 Masters of Science Fiction Samswope Episode: "The Discarded"

2008 Recount Warren Christopher Television film

2008–2012 Merlin The Great Dragon Voice

64 episodes

2009 The Gruffalo The Owl Voice

Television film

An Englishman in New York Quentin Crisp Television film

Berlin International Film Festival – Teddy Award

Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

2010 Whistle and I'll Come to You James Parkin Television film

Human Planet Narrator Voice

Documentary

2011 Harry's Arctic Heroes Narrator Voice

Documentary

Planet Dinosaur Narrator Voice

Documentary

The Gruffalo's Child[8] The Owl Voice

Television film

2012 Labyrinth Audric Baillard 2 episodes

The Hollow Crown: Henry V The Chorus Television film

Playhouse Presents The Ministry Voice

Episode: "The Snipist"

2013 Doctor Who War Doctor 3 episodes

2014 The Strain Professor Abraham Setrakian Unaired pilot

2015 The Last Panthers Tom Kendle 6 episodes

2016 The Pity of War: The Loves and Lives of the War Poets Siegfried Sassoon Television film

Barbara Hale - # 152

Barbara Hale, ‘Perry Mason’ Actress, Dies at 94

She was number 152 on the list.

Barbara Hale, who played secretary Della Street in the “Perry Mason” television series and movies, died Thursday. She was 94.

According to a Facebook post by her son William Katt, Hale passed away at her home on Sherman Oaks, California

“Lost my beautiful wonderful mom Barbara Hale yesterday afternoon,” Katt, star of the television series “The Greatest American Hero,” wrote Friday. “She left peacefully at her home in Sherman Oaks Ca surrounded by close family and dear friends. We’ve all been so lucky to have her for so long. She was gracious and kind and silly and always fun to be with. A wonderful actress and smart business woman she was most of all a treasure as a friend and mother! We’re all a little lost without her but we have extraordinary stories and memories to take with us for the rest of our lives.

Hale played Street, assistant to Raymond Burr’s titular lawyer, in nine seasons of the series and 30 television movies. She spent her early career under contract with RKO, and went on to star in “Higher and Higher” with Frank Sinatra, “Lady Luck” with Robert Young and Frank Morgan, “The Window,” “Jolson Sings Again,” “Lorna Doone,” and “The Far Horizons” with Charlton Heston.

“Perry Mason” aired on CBS from 1957 to 1966 and starred Burr as a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney. The show was one of the first hour-long series in television history. Hale won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1959 for playing Street, and reprised the character when “Perry Mason” was revived in the 1980s as a series of television movies by NBC.

Hale was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Among her later film roles were “Airport” and “Big Wednesday.”

Born in DeKalb, Illinois in 1922, Hale was the second child of Willa and Luther Hale. Her father was a landscape gardener. Her late husband, Bill Williams, starred in the western series “The Adventures of Kit Carson” and died in 1992. She is survived by her son William Katt, daughters Johanna Katt and Juanita King, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

In 1940, Hale was a member of the final graduating class from Rockford High School in Rockford, Illinois, then attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, planning to be an artist. Her performing career began in Chicago, when she started modeling to pay for her education.

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes

1943 Gildersleeve's Bad Day Girl at Party Getting Peavey to Donate Film debut; Uncredited

Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event Girl at Airport Uncredited

The Seventh Victim Subway Passenger Uncredited

The Iron Major Sarah Cavanaugh Uncredited

Gildersleeve on Broadway Stocking Salesgirl Uncredited

Government Girl Girl in Hotel Lobby Uncredited

Around the World Barbara Hale Uncredited

Higher and Higher Katherine Keating

1944 Prunes and Politics Short

The Falcon Out West Marion Colby

Goin' To Town Patty

Heavenly Days Angie

The Falcon in Hollywood Peggy Callahan

1945 West of the Pecos Rill Lambeth

First Yank into Tokyo Abby Drake

1946 Lady Luck Mary Audrey

1947 A Likely Story Vickie North

1948 The Boy with Green Hair Miss Brand

1949 The Clay Pigeon Martha Gregory

The Window Mrs. Mary Woodry

Jolson Sings Again Ellen Clark

And Baby Makes Three Jacqueline 'Jackie' Walsh

1950 The Jackpot Amy Lawrence

Emergency Wedding Dr. Helen Hunt

1951 Lorna Doone Lorna Doone

1952 The First Time Betsey Bennet

Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder Barbara Hale Uncredited

1953 Last of the Comanches Julia Lanning

Seminole Revere

The Lone Hand Sarah Jane Skaggs

A Lion Is in the Streets Verity Wade

1955 Unchained Mary Davitt

The Far Horizons Julia Hancock

1956 The Houston Story Zoe Crane

7th Cavalry Martha Kellogg

1957 The Oklahoman Anne Barnes

Slim Carter Allie Hanneman

1958 Desert Hell Celie Edwards

1968 Buckskin Sarah Cody

1970 Airport Sarah Demerest

The Red, White and Black Mrs. Alice Grierson

1975 The Giant Spider Invasion Dr. Jenny Langer

1978 Big Wednesday Mrs. Barlow Final film role



Television

Year Title Role Notes

1952–56 The Ford Television Theatre Marta Linden, Nora White Episodes: "The Divided Heart", "Remember to Live", "Behind the Mask"

1953 Footlights Theater Katherine Charles Episode: "Change of Heart"

1953–55 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Episodes: "Vacation for Ginny", "Tourists-Overnight"

1955 Studio 57 Ruth Episode: "Young Couples Only"

General Electric Theater Ellen Newman Episode: "The Windmill"

Screen Director's Playhouse June Waters Episode: "Meet the Governor"

Celebrity Playhouse Episode: "He Knew All About Women"

Climax! Mamie Eunson Episode: "The Day They Gave Babies Away"

Science Fiction Theatre Nancy Stanton, Pat Hastings Episodes: "Conversations With an Ape", "The Hastings Secret"

1956 The Loretta Young Show Bill's Wife Episode: "The Challenge"

Damon Runyon Theater Wendy Longfield Episode: "The Good Luck Kid"

Crossroads Jane Sherman Episode: "Lifeline"

The Millionaire Kathy Munson and Marian Munson Episode: "The Kathy Munson Story"

1956–57 Playhouse 90 Mrs. Julia Wiley, Ann Barnes, Allie Hanneman Episodes: "The Country Husband", "The Blackwell Story"

1957–66 Perry Mason Della Street Credited in all 271 episodes

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1959)

Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1961)

1959 General Electric Theater Lorraine Episode: "Night Club"

1960 Here's Hollywood Herself

1963 Stump the Stars Herself 2 episodes

1967 Custer Melinda Terry Episode: "Death Hunt"

1969 Insight Mom Episode: "A Thousand Red Flowers"

Lassie Sarah Caldwell Episode: "Lassie and the Water Bottles"

1970 The Most Deadly Game Episode: "Model for Murder"

1971 Ironside Marsha Connell Episode: "Murder Impromptu"

Adam-12 Bonnie Jessup Episode: "Pick-up"; Hale's husband Bill Williams also appears

1972 The Doris Day Show Thelma King Episode: "Doris' House Guest"

1973–78 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Mrs. Belle Kincaid, Mrs. Hanson, Mrs. Ogle, Mrs. Barlow Episodes: "Chester, Yesterday's Horse", "Flight of the Grey Wolf, Parts 1 and 2", "The Young Runaways", "Big Wednesday"

1974 Marcus Welby, M.D. Marjorie Episode: "The Faith of Childish Things"

1976 Dinah! Herself

1982 The Greatest American Hero Paula Hinkley Episode: "Who's Woo in America"

1985 Perry Mason Returns Della Street Perry Mason TV movie

1986 The Case of the Notorious Nun

The Case of the Shooting Star

1987 The Case of the Lost Love

The Case of the Sinister Spirit

The Case of the Murdered Madam

The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel

1988 The Case of the Avenging Ace

The Case of the Lady in the Lake

1989 The Case of the Lethal Lesson

The Case of the Musical Murder

The Case of the All-Star Assassin

1990 The Case of the Poisoned Pen

The Case of the Desperate Deception

The Case of the Silenced Singer

The Case of the Defiant Daughter

1991 The Case of the Ruthless Reporter

The Case of the Maligned Mobster

The Case of the Glass Coffin

The Case of the Fatal Fashion

1992 The Case of the Fatal Framing

The Case of the Reckless Romeo

The Case of the Heartbroken Bride

1993 The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal

The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host

The Case of the Killer Kiss

The Case of the Wicked Wives A Perry Mason Mystery TV movie

1994 The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle

The Case of the Grimacing Governor

1995 The Case of the Jealous Jokester

2000 Biography Herself Episode: "Raymond Burr, The Case of the TV Legend"

Hal Geer obit

Hal Geer Has Died

He was not on the list.

Hal Geer, retired cartoon executive, dies at 100

Hal Geer, a retired Warner Bros. Cartoons executive and World War II combat cameraman, passed away in Simi Valley, California on Thursday, January 26. He was 100 years old.

Born Harold Eugene Geer on September 13, 1916 in Oronogo, Missouri, Mr. Geer lived through most of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. He married his sweetheart Nancy Walker in 1939 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941, two weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As a combat cameraman in World War II he survived 86 missions flying over China with the Flying Tigers, sometimes doubling as a gunner on B-24 and B-25 planes while shooting images for newsreels. He received his battlefield commission as second lieutenant from the legendary General Claire Chennault, leader of the Flying Tigers.

After the war ended, the entertainment industry beckoned and Hal and Nancy Geer moved to Hollywood where Mr. Geer spent the next four decades working as a film editor, writer, director and producer for Walt Disney, Warner Bros. and independent production companies. He worked on 25 feature films, more than 500 television shows, 400 commercials and 100 short-subject films. Most of his career was spent at Warner Bros. working with his beloved cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote and their Looney Tunes cohorts. In 1985 Mr. Geer spearheaded a successful campaign to give Bugs Bunny his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A year later, at age 70, he announced his retirement as vice president and executive producer of Warner Bros. Cartoons.

Six years prior to his retirement , Mr. Geer's wife Nancy had passed away in 1980. He later met and in 1983 married Carol Jones, who also worked at Warner Bros. They spent the first dozen years of their retirement seeing the world from cruise ships where Mr. Geer was on the lecture circuit.

At the age of 99, Mr. Geer wrote and published his memoirs in a book entitled The Life, Times and Tales of Hal Geer. He presented personalized copies of his book to each of the more than 60 guests who attended his 100th birthday celebration held on September 11, 2016. In his memoirs he wrote:

"I don't know what the purpose of life is. We try to do the best we can while we exist. My purpose was to make the world a better place. I know I made some people happy. I want to be remembered for the things I've done: combat photographer, newsreels and historical films. I hope I also entertained people and brought some laughter into their lives."

Hal Geer is survived by his wife Carol, daughter Nancy Matthews, son Wally Geer and stepdaughter Brenda Lee Jones, grandchildren Christo Kuzmich and Jamie Jones, and great- grandchildren Matthew Jones, Savannah Jones, Whitney Kuzmich and Sylvia Kuzmich, who will all remember him for making them happy and bringing laughter into their lives.

The memorial service will be Saturday, February 11, at 10:00 am at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, 5600 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Simi-Conejo Valley Chapter of the Military Association of America, P.O. Box 940482, Simi Valley, CA 93094-0482.

 

Producer

The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour (1985)

The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour

8.3

TV Series

executive producer (1985)

1985–1986

 

Mel Blanc in Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (1983)

Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island

6.9

executive producer

1983

 

Ounce of Prevention (1982)

Ounce of Prevention

7.8

Short

producer

1982

 

Bugs Bunny's Mad World of Television (1982)

Bugs Bunny's Mad World of Television

6.5

TV Movie

executive producer

producer

1982

 

Mel Blanc in The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981)

The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie

7.1

executive producer

1981

 

Bugs Bunny: All American Hero (1981)

Bugs Bunny: All American Hero

7.7

TV Movie

executive producer

1981

 

Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special (1980)

Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special

6.2

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special (1980)

The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special

7.2

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

Mel Blanc in Daffy Duck's Easter Show (1980)

Daffy Duck's Easter Show

5.6

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

The Chocolate Chase (1980)

The Chocolate Chase

5.5

TV Short

executive producer (uncredited)

1980

 

The Yolks on You (1980)

The Yolks on You

5.9

TV Short

executive producer (uncredited)

1980

 

Daffy Flies North (1980)

Daffy Flies North

6.0

TV Short

executive producer (uncredited)

1980

 

Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979)

Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales

6.9

TV Short

executive producer

1979

 

Fright Before Christmas (1979)

Fright Before Christmas

6.3

TV Short

executive producer (uncredited)

1979

 

Freeze Frame (1979)

Freeze Frame

6.6

TV Short

executive producer (uncredited)

1979

 

Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol (1979)

Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol

6.7

TV Short

producer

1979

 

Bugs Bunny's Holiday Diet (1979)

Bugs Bunny's Holiday Diet

6.4

TV Movie

executive producer

1979

 

The Bugs Bunny Mother's Day Special (1979)

The Bugs Bunny Mother's Day Special

7.0

TV Movie

executive producer

1979

 

Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers (1979)

Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers

6.5

TV Movie

executive producer

1979

 

How Bugs Bunny Won the West (1978)

How Bugs Bunny Won the West

7.5

TV Movie

executive producer

1978

 

The Daffy Duck Show

7.5

TV Series

executive producer

1978

 

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show (1978)

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show

8.3

TV Series

executive producer

1978–1985

 

Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special (1977)

Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special

6.8

TV Movie

executive producer

1977

 

Bugs Bunny in Space (1977)

Bugs Bunny in Space

7.1

TV Movie

executive producer

1977

 

Bugs Bunny's Easter Special (1977)

Bugs Bunny's Easter Special

6.8

TV Special

executive producer

1977

 

Camera and Electrical Department

Chimp & Zee (1968)

Chimp & Zee

4.8

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

3 Ring Wing-Ding (1968)

3 Ring Wing-Ding

4.9

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

See Ya Later Gladiator (1968)

See Ya Later Gladiator

4.9

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

Feud with a Dude (1968)

Feud with a Dude

5.0

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

Skyscraper Caper (1968)

Skyscraper Caper

5.9

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

Big Game Haunt (1968)

Big Game Haunt

4.4

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

Norman Normal (1968)

Norman Normal

5.8

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

Hocus Pocus Powwow (1968)

Hocus Pocus Powwow

4.6

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1968

 

Fiesta Fiasco (1967)

Fiesta Fiasco

5.6

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1967

 

Merlin the Magic Mouse (1967)

Merlin the Magic Mouse

4.6

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1967

 

Cool Cat (1967)

Cool Cat

4.8

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1967

 

Go Away Stowaway (1967)

Go Away Stowaway

5.7

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1967

 

Rodent to Stardom (1967)

Rodent to Stardom

5.6

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1967

 

Speedy Ghost to Town (1967)

Speedy Ghost to Town

5.4

Short

animation camera (uncredited)

1967