Actor Ron Thompson, best known for starring alongside Robert Blake in the ABC crime series Baretta and his performance in the iconic 1981 film American Pop, has died. He was 83. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thompson was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment on Saturday afternoon (April 13). He was discovered by his friend and former co-worker Joe Black, a filmmaker who worked with Thompson on Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018), Suffrage (2023), and many other projects. No cause of death was given. “For a man of his age, he was so full of life; he had such a presence,” Black told THR, referring to Thompson as “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.” Born on January 31, 1941, in Louisville, Kentucky, Thompson moved with his family to Miami in 1945 and soon became fascinated with acting, especially after seeing Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. Thompson’s first acting gig came in 1960 when he appeared as...
- 4/16/2024
- TV Insider
Ron Thompson, the unheralded actor who starred on Broadway for Charles Gordone in the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody and played father and son musicians for Ralph Bakshi in the animated cult classic American Pop, has died. He was 83.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
- 4/16/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ron Thompson, a veteran character actor best known for his role in Ralph Bakshi’s rotoscope film American Pop and his 1970s TV series portrayal of Detective Nopke in Baretta, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 83. No cause was given by his friend Professor Rel Dowdell of Hampton University, who confirmed the death.
Thompson had a brief career as a rock singer in the 1960s and wrote and recorded a number of singles as Ronnie Thompson.
He also originated the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Pulitzer Prize winning play No Place to Be Somebody by Charles Gordone. He also won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his 1973 lead performance in the play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941, Ron, his older brother, and parents moved to Miami, Florida in ’45. Ron began to show talents as a singer/performer at an early age,...
Thompson had a brief career as a rock singer in the 1960s and wrote and recorded a number of singles as Ronnie Thompson.
He also originated the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Pulitzer Prize winning play No Place to Be Somebody by Charles Gordone. He also won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his 1973 lead performance in the play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941, Ron, his older brother, and parents moved to Miami, Florida in ’45. Ron began to show talents as a singer/performer at an early age,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Over its half-century run, Saturday Night Live has inevitably booked some problematic hosts, including Andrew Dice Clay, (misogynist humor); Rudy Giuliani (illegal campaign activities); Robert Blake (tried for murder); Elon Musk (general insufferability and dalliance with neo Nazis) and Donald Trump (attempted overthow of the US government.)
And then there’s O.J. Simpson, who hosted in 1978, toward the end of his record-setting football career, and went on to be very credibly accused of double murder.
Though erased forever from the list of prospective return hosts, Simpson managed to make almost innumerable later appearances on the show, when Norm Macdonald used his position as anchor of “Weekend Update” to pound on Simpson mercilessly for being a vicious murderer (despite his subsequent acquittal).
According to Norm, his quest for humor (and justice) wound up getting him fired from the show. He said the late NBC West Coast President, Don Ohlmeyer, who...
And then there’s O.J. Simpson, who hosted in 1978, toward the end of his record-setting football career, and went on to be very credibly accused of double murder.
Though erased forever from the list of prospective return hosts, Simpson managed to make almost innumerable later appearances on the show, when Norm Macdonald used his position as anchor of “Weekend Update” to pound on Simpson mercilessly for being a vicious murderer (despite his subsequent acquittal).
According to Norm, his quest for humor (and justice) wound up getting him fired from the show. He said the late NBC West Coast President, Don Ohlmeyer, who...
- 4/12/2024
- by Bill Carter
- LateNighter
Actor Ashley Johnson — star of the popular web series “Critical Role” and video game franchise “The Last of Us” — has filed a lawsuit against Brian Foster, her ex-boyfriend and former “Critical Role” castmate, alleging domestic violence, sexual battery, assault, stalking, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil rights violations.
The suit was filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, with seven female plaintiffs — six named, including Johnson and her sister, Haylie Langseth, and one Jane Doe — alleging misconduct by Foster over “the last decade” that was “fueled by chronic abuse of drugs and alcohol.”
In the suit, Johnson alleges that her relationship with Foster began in October 2012 and he moved into her home soon after. By 2015, she alleges that, “on a nearly daily basis,” he would go into “a violent fit,” which included “breaking glass, punching through glass doors, breaking a gate, slamming doors, and getting in...
The suit was filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, with seven female plaintiffs — six named, including Johnson and her sister, Haylie Langseth, and one Jane Doe — alleging misconduct by Foster over “the last decade” that was “fueled by chronic abuse of drugs and alcohol.”
In the suit, Johnson alleges that her relationship with Foster began in October 2012 and he moved into her home soon after. By 2015, she alleges that, “on a nearly daily basis,” he would go into “a violent fit,” which included “breaking glass, punching through glass doors, breaking a gate, slamming doors, and getting in...
- 10/6/2023
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
Say what you want about celebrity worship, but actors loom large in the popular imagination. Millions of people around the world suspend their disbelief to follow a story and invest in its characters, and some of this investment may go toward the actors themselves. Many of us like, respect, or find some common ground with specific performers. Our connections with them vary — background, talent, personality — but a consistent one is generation. So it is lamentable when we hear of an actor aging or even dying. Why? Because it means another part of our culture and zeitgeist is fading away.
We're just over halfway through 2023, and while we haven't seen a repeat of 2016 with its flurry of celebrity deaths, numerous actors from the screen and stage are passing on. Here are the actors who have died in 2023, so far.
Read more: The 14 Best Film Acting Debuts Of All Time
Earl Boen...
We're just over halfway through 2023, and while we haven't seen a repeat of 2016 with its flurry of celebrity deaths, numerous actors from the screen and stage are passing on. Here are the actors who have died in 2023, so far.
Read more: The 14 Best Film Acting Debuts Of All Time
Earl Boen...
- 8/8/2023
- by Jack Hawkins
- Slash Film
More people watched the Oscars this year compared to 2022, and nearly all 19.9 million people who tuned in likely enjoyed the ceremony and Jimmy Kimmel’s dry, sarcastic wit enough to keep their clowning to Twitter. That is, all 19.9 million people except for two viewers who both took offense to Kimmel’s jokes about Irish people and the stereotype that they like to fight. Those people asked to speak with the manager.
“Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the chances of a fight just went way up,” Kimmel joked...
“Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the chances of a fight just went way up,” Kimmel joked...
- 4/11/2023
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
As is tradition, this year’s Academy Awards ceremony took a pause to remember those the movie industry lost over the past year. Also evidently tradition is snubbing major names. This year, notable omissions were Anne Heche, Tom Sizemore and Paul Sorvino. Now, the widow of Paul Sorvino is calling out the Oscars directly, demanding an apology and urging them to fix their mistake.
The omission of Paul Sorvino from the Oscars’ In Memoriam segment has irked fans all over, serving as yet another reminder that the Academy never gives a thorough enough presentation to some. But his widow, Dee Dee, is one of the rare family members who is actually speaking out, issuing a statement blasting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “Paul Sorvino was one of the greatest actors in cinematic history in Hollywood. It is unconscionable that he would be left out of the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars,...
The omission of Paul Sorvino from the Oscars’ In Memoriam segment has irked fans all over, serving as yet another reminder that the Academy never gives a thorough enough presentation to some. But his widow, Dee Dee, is one of the rare family members who is actually speaking out, issuing a statement blasting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “Paul Sorvino was one of the greatest actors in cinematic history in Hollywood. It is unconscionable that he would be left out of the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars,...
- 3/14/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
As far as this year’s Oscars goes, it was undoubtedly the year of the comeback.
It was a huge comeback for Best Actor and Supporting Actor winners Brendan Fraser and former child actor Ke Huy Quan (who co-starred way back in in 1991’s Encino Man) who in 2023 have risen — finally — to the pinnacle of their profession.
Related Story Oscars: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Takes Best Picture & Six Others – Full Winners List Related Story Ke Huy Quan Says He Honored His Mom By Reclaiming Birth Name As An Adult Actor; Declares "Goonies Never Say Die" – Oscars Backstage Related Story 'Everything Everywhere's Dan Kwan & Jonathan Wang On Meeting Moment Of "Mental Health Crisis" With "A Shotgun Blast Of Joy And Absurdity And Creativity" – Oscars Backstage (L-r) Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis
It was also a huge comeback for actresses in their 60s, Best Actress Michelle Yeoh and Supporting Actress Jamie Lee Curtis,...
It was a huge comeback for Best Actor and Supporting Actor winners Brendan Fraser and former child actor Ke Huy Quan (who co-starred way back in in 1991’s Encino Man) who in 2023 have risen — finally — to the pinnacle of their profession.
Related Story Oscars: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Takes Best Picture & Six Others – Full Winners List Related Story Ke Huy Quan Says He Honored His Mom By Reclaiming Birth Name As An Adult Actor; Declares "Goonies Never Say Die" – Oscars Backstage Related Story 'Everything Everywhere's Dan Kwan & Jonathan Wang On Meeting Moment Of "Mental Health Crisis" With "A Shotgun Blast Of Joy And Absurdity And Creativity" – Oscars Backstage (L-r) Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis
It was also a huge comeback for actresses in their 60s, Best Actress Michelle Yeoh and Supporting Actress Jamie Lee Curtis,...
- 3/13/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s official. Jimmy Kimmel has cemented his place as one of the great Oscar hosts. His third turn as emcee was exactly what was needed. The late night host and Emmy winner has officially joined the ranks of Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, and, dare I say, Billy Crystal as one of the most accomplished and polished to do the job. Thankfully, Kimmel didn’t have to carry the entire show on his back. The 95th Oscar ceremony was fast-paced, emotional, and other than a few minor quibbles, was as strong a ceremony as one could ask for.
But we have to start with Kimmel. A host’s impact is determined primarily by their monologue, and Kimmel’s was first rate. It was not groundbreaking, but the role of an Oscar host is not to reinvent the wheel. Kimmel’s monologue was classy — pointed and biting without ever resorting to meanness.
But we have to start with Kimmel. A host’s impact is determined primarily by their monologue, and Kimmel’s was first rate. It was not groundbreaking, but the role of an Oscar host is not to reinvent the wheel. Kimmel’s monologue was classy — pointed and biting without ever resorting to meanness.
- 3/13/2023
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
No, no one got slapped at this year’s Oscars — but then again, there’s something to be said for a little bit of unscripted chaos.
It’s been a strange couple of years for the Academy Awards: The 2021 ceremony was an awkward, socially distanced Covid-era affair that sunk to a new ratings low (just 10.4 million total viewers), and last year’s ceremony featured an all-time shocker when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock live on stage — and saw a huge 60 percent surge in total viewership. It’s too early to tell how this year’s broadcast will do, but I...
It’s been a strange couple of years for the Academy Awards: The 2021 ceremony was an awkward, socially distanced Covid-era affair that sunk to a new ratings low (just 10.4 million total viewers), and last year’s ceremony featured an all-time shocker when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock live on stage — and saw a huge 60 percent surge in total viewership. It’s too early to tell how this year’s broadcast will do, but I...
- 3/13/2023
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
The Oscars’ annual In Memoriam segment on Sunday included a live performance of the song “Calling All Angels” by Lenny Kravitz.
The slideshow of notable deaths that streamed behind Kravitz includes names like Angela Lansbury, Ray Liotta, Jean-Luc Godard, Irene Cara, Kirstie Alley, Raquel Welch, Nichelle Nichols, Burt Bacharach, Vangelis, and many more.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story 'Rrr's "Naatu Naatu" First Song From Indian Film To Take Home Oscar; Songwriters On "Top Of The World" Related Story Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort And Kimmelot Team For Mockumentary Oscar Ad Tribute To Made-Up Film Legend "Otto Desć"
Watch the performance above.
Among those that were missing (and called out on Twitter) included Charlbi Dean, the leading actress in the Best Picture Oscar nominee Triangle of Sadness who died suddenly at age 32; Anne Heche, who died in an August car crash; Goodfellas star Paul Sorvino; and Tom Sizemore,...
The slideshow of notable deaths that streamed behind Kravitz includes names like Angela Lansbury, Ray Liotta, Jean-Luc Godard, Irene Cara, Kirstie Alley, Raquel Welch, Nichelle Nichols, Burt Bacharach, Vangelis, and many more.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story 'Rrr's "Naatu Naatu" First Song From Indian Film To Take Home Oscar; Songwriters On "Top Of The World" Related Story Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort And Kimmelot Team For Mockumentary Oscar Ad Tribute To Made-Up Film Legend "Otto Desć"
Watch the performance above.
Among those that were missing (and called out on Twitter) included Charlbi Dean, the leading actress in the Best Picture Oscar nominee Triangle of Sadness who died suddenly at age 32; Anne Heche, who died in an August car crash; Goodfellas star Paul Sorvino; and Tom Sizemore,...
- 3/13/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
John Travolta introduced the Oscars In Memoriam segment, tearing up while remembering his “Grease” co-star Olivia Newton-John.
“They’ve made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to,” a visibly emotional Travolta said before the video montage began.
The Oscars recognized the actors and filmmakers we lost over the past year in the annual In Memoriam segment, which this year unfurled to the sound of Lenny Kravitz playing “Calling All Angels.” The emotional segment is a viewer favorite, but omissions of high-profile Hollywood figures spark annual debate.
This year, Twitter lit up with people they thought should have been included during the show, including Anne Heche, “Triangle of Sadness” star Charlbi Dean and Paul Sorvino. However, all three were memorialized on the Oscars website.
Among the other stars not mentioned on-screen were Leslie Jordan, Gilbert Gottfried, Tom Sizemore and Cindy Williams.
The show is...
“They’ve made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to,” a visibly emotional Travolta said before the video montage began.
The Oscars recognized the actors and filmmakers we lost over the past year in the annual In Memoriam segment, which this year unfurled to the sound of Lenny Kravitz playing “Calling All Angels.” The emotional segment is a viewer favorite, but omissions of high-profile Hollywood figures spark annual debate.
This year, Twitter lit up with people they thought should have been included during the show, including Anne Heche, “Triangle of Sadness” star Charlbi Dean and Paul Sorvino. However, all three were memorialized on the Oscars website.
Among the other stars not mentioned on-screen were Leslie Jordan, Gilbert Gottfried, Tom Sizemore and Cindy Williams.
The show is...
- 3/13/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Kristin Bjorklund, a longtime member of the Family Feud game show producing team, died in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 5 of sepsis after undergoing a kidney transplant. She was 67.
Here death was announced by her friend Diane Hamilton.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Denise Russo Dies: 'The X-Life' Star Was 44 Related Story Robert Blake Dies: Actor In 'Baretta' And 'In Cold Blood' Was 89, Beat Real-Life Murder Rap
Starting as a production assistant when Richard Dawson hosted, Bjorklund had risen to co-executive producer by the Steve Harvey era. She also worked on the show when Ray Combs and Louie Anderson hosted.
Born in Mineola, New York on July 8, 1955, Bjorklund began her career at game show producer Goodson-Todman Productions after graduating from Dartmouth. She started working for Family Feud in 1982, first as a production assistant for the main show and its spinoff All-Star Family Feud,...
Here death was announced by her friend Diane Hamilton.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Denise Russo Dies: 'The X-Life' Star Was 44 Related Story Robert Blake Dies: Actor In 'Baretta' And 'In Cold Blood' Was 89, Beat Real-Life Murder Rap
Starting as a production assistant when Richard Dawson hosted, Bjorklund had risen to co-executive producer by the Steve Harvey era. She also worked on the show when Ray Combs and Louie Anderson hosted.
Born in Mineola, New York on July 8, 1955, Bjorklund began her career at game show producer Goodson-Todman Productions after graduating from Dartmouth. She started working for Family Feud in 1982, first as a production assistant for the main show and its spinoff All-Star Family Feud,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Legally embattled actor Alec Baldwin has asked fans to focus on late Hollywood outcast Robert Blake’s contributions to film and TV rather than Blake’s “legal entanglements.”
“Robert Blake has died. I realize that many people have had harsh feelings toward him,” Baldwin wrote on Instagram. “His life seemed to involve many dramatic legal entanglements.”
Baldwin continued, “Today, I want [to] remember him as the incredibly gifted actor he was. A child actor who made countless films in the ’40s.” He went on to name the films Treasure of the Sierra Madre, A Town Without Pity, Electra Glide in Blue, and more, as well as Blake’s Emmy-winning role in the ABC detective series Baretta.
According to Baldwin, however, Blake’s performance in 1967’s In Cold Blood “cemented his place in movie history.” He added, “The brooding, baby-faced Blake had a difficult life. However, when you watch In Cold Blood,...
“Robert Blake has died. I realize that many people have had harsh feelings toward him,” Baldwin wrote on Instagram. “His life seemed to involve many dramatic legal entanglements.”
Baldwin continued, “Today, I want [to] remember him as the incredibly gifted actor he was. A child actor who made countless films in the ’40s.” He went on to name the films Treasure of the Sierra Madre, A Town Without Pity, Electra Glide in Blue, and more, as well as Blake’s Emmy-winning role in the ABC detective series Baretta.
According to Baldwin, however, Blake’s performance in 1967’s In Cold Blood “cemented his place in movie history.” He added, “The brooding, baby-faced Blake had a difficult life. However, when you watch In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
Four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz will perform for Sunday’s emotional “In Memoriam” segment on the Oscars 2023 ceremony. While only 40-50 people are generally remembered for the television ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC, over 200 people will be recognized on the Academy’s webpage starting that evening.
SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers
Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:
Mary Alice (actor)
Gil Alkabetz (animator)
Kirstie Alley (actor)
Burt Bacharach (composer)
Angelo Badalamenti (composer)
Simone Bär (casting director)
Joanna Barnes (actor)
Carl A. Bell (animator)
Jeff Berlin (sound)
David Birney (actor)
Bruce Bisenz (sound)
Robert Blake (actor)
Eliot Bliss (sound)
Nick Bosustow (shorts)
Albert Brenner (production designer)
Tom Bronson (costume designer)
James Caan (actor)
Michael Callan (actor)
Donn Cambern (editor)
Irene Cara (songwriter)
Gary W. Carlson (sound)
Marvin Chomsky...
SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers
Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:
Mary Alice (actor)
Gil Alkabetz (animator)
Kirstie Alley (actor)
Burt Bacharach (composer)
Angelo Badalamenti (composer)
Simone Bär (casting director)
Joanna Barnes (actor)
Carl A. Bell (animator)
Jeff Berlin (sound)
David Birney (actor)
Bruce Bisenz (sound)
Robert Blake (actor)
Eliot Bliss (sound)
Nick Bosustow (shorts)
Albert Brenner (production designer)
Tom Bronson (costume designer)
James Caan (actor)
Michael Callan (actor)
Donn Cambern (editor)
Irene Cara (songwriter)
Gary W. Carlson (sound)
Marvin Chomsky...
- 3/10/2023
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Emmy-winning actor Robert Blake died Thursday (March 9) at age 89, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles. His niece Noreen Austin said that he had been battling heart disease. Blake had a career lasting 60 years but will forever be remembered for the dramatic murder trial and his acquittal over the shooting death of his second wife Bonny Lee Bakley in 2001. Blake’s best known role was as star of the ABC show Baretta in which he played undercover New York City detective Tony Baretta. It aired for four seasons in the mid 1970s. His quirky character was fond of disguises and carrying a pet cockatoo on his shoulder. The show had often quoted catchphrases, including “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” and “You can take that to the bank.” Following Blake’s death Alec Baldwin posted a tribute on Instagram, urging people to...
- 3/10/2023
- TV Insider
Robert Blake — the actor best known for his roles on “Baretta” and in the film “In Cold Blood”, as well as for being tried and acquitted of his wife’s murder in a high-profile case — has died. He was 89.
Blake’s niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed the news in a public obituary, sharing that Blake died from heart disease in Los Angeles on Thursday, surrounded by his family.
Blake’s career began in childhood when he started acting in MGM’s “Our Gang” short films, a.k.a “The Little Rascals”. Blake managed to maintain his career through his teens, and after getting drafted into the Army, Blake returned to acting in his mid-20s.
Read More: Tom Jackson, 'Queer Eye' Season 1 Fan Favorite, Dead at 63 After Cancer Battle
He was one of the first child stars to gain fame and take on serious roles as an adult actor,...
Blake’s niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed the news in a public obituary, sharing that Blake died from heart disease in Los Angeles on Thursday, surrounded by his family.
Blake’s career began in childhood when he started acting in MGM’s “Our Gang” short films, a.k.a “The Little Rascals”. Blake managed to maintain his career through his teens, and after getting drafted into the Army, Blake returned to acting in his mid-20s.
Read More: Tom Jackson, 'Queer Eye' Season 1 Fan Favorite, Dead at 63 After Cancer Battle
He was one of the first child stars to gain fame and take on serious roles as an adult actor,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Robert Blake, the Emmy-winning actor who became a Hollywood outcast when he was tried and acquitted in the 2001 murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, has died at 89.
A statement by his niece on Thursday (March 9th) via The Associated Press shared that “Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.”
Robert Blake, born Michael James Gubitosi on September 18th, 1933, launched his acting career as child star on The Little Rascals series Our Gang. After serving in the army and suffering from drug addiction, he transitioned to mature roles in films like 1967’s In Cold Blood.
From 1975 to 1978, Blake played the titular detective on ABC’s Baretta, which earned him an Emmy for Lead Actor in its debut season and another nomination in 1977. The role also made catchphrases out of “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” and “You...
A statement by his niece on Thursday (March 9th) via The Associated Press shared that “Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles.”
Robert Blake, born Michael James Gubitosi on September 18th, 1933, launched his acting career as child star on The Little Rascals series Our Gang. After serving in the army and suffering from drug addiction, he transitioned to mature roles in films like 1967’s In Cold Blood.
From 1975 to 1978, Blake played the titular detective on ABC’s Baretta, which earned him an Emmy for Lead Actor in its debut season and another nomination in 1977. The role also made catchphrases out of “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” and “You...
- 3/10/2023
- by Bryan Kress
- Consequence - Film News
Michael James Gubitosi, more famously known as Robert Blake, died at the age of 89 in Los Angeles from heart disease. The news comes from Blake's niece Noreen Austin and was reported by Deadline. Blake was a Hollywood lifer, getting his start as a child in the MGM film "Bridal Suite" before assuming the role of Porky in the "Our Gang" and "The Little Rascals" shorts from 1939 to 1944. He continued performing well into his teen years, taking a brief hiatus in his 20s after he was drafted into the United States Army.
Blake reportedly developed a severe substance abuse problem in the years that followed but turned back to acting to get his life on track. He re-emerged playing more adult, dramatic roles, appearing in films like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "In Cold Blood," and a string of studio Westerns under the stage name "Bobby Blake." He would eventually pivot...
Blake reportedly developed a severe substance abuse problem in the years that followed but turned back to acting to get his life on track. He re-emerged playing more adult, dramatic roles, appearing in films like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "In Cold Blood," and a string of studio Westerns under the stage name "Bobby Blake." He would eventually pivot...
- 3/10/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
It was announced today that controversial actor Robert Blake has died at the age of 89. His niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed that he died at his Los Angeles home after a longtime battle with heart disease. Blake was best known for his roles in Richard Brooks’ adaptation of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, David Lynch’s Lost Highway, and for starring in the 1970s detective series Baretta.
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Robert Blake, the Emmy-winning film and television star who participated in over half a century’s worth of Hollywood history, has died at the age of 89. The news was confirmed by the Associated Press.
Born in New Jersey in 1933, Blake began working in film as a child actor in the late 1930s. His first onscreen role came in the form of an uncredited appearance in Wilhelm Thiele’s 1939 film “Bridal Suite.” He continued to work steadily throughout the 1940s and 1950s, memorably appearing as a child selling lottery tickets who gets a drink thrown in his face in 1948’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Blake was one of the first child stars to successfully transition into adult roles. After a string of guest spots on popular 1960s TV shows, he was working as a leading man by the end of the decade. He memorably played Perry in Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation of “In Cold Blood,...
Born in New Jersey in 1933, Blake began working in film as a child actor in the late 1930s. His first onscreen role came in the form of an uncredited appearance in Wilhelm Thiele’s 1939 film “Bridal Suite.” He continued to work steadily throughout the 1940s and 1950s, memorably appearing as a child selling lottery tickets who gets a drink thrown in his face in 1948’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Blake was one of the first child stars to successfully transition into adult roles. After a string of guest spots on popular 1960s TV shows, he was working as a leading man by the end of the decade. He memorably played Perry in Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation of “In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Actor Robert Blake, who starred in the 1967 classic film In Cold Blood and Treasure of the Sierra Madre in 1948, has died at the age of 89, Deadline reports.
The controversial actor died from heart disease in Los Angeles, his niece Noreen Austin confirmed to the outlet.
Born Michael James Gubitosi on Sept. 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake began acting at a young age with his two siblings as the “The Three Little Hillbillies.” His family moved to California in 1938, and Blake, along with his siblings, worked as movie extras in Los Angeles.
The controversial actor died from heart disease in Los Angeles, his niece Noreen Austin confirmed to the outlet.
Born Michael James Gubitosi on Sept. 18, 1933 in Nutley, New Jersey, Blake began acting at a young age with his two siblings as the “The Three Little Hillbillies.” His family moved to California in 1938, and Blake, along with his siblings, worked as movie extras in Los Angeles.
- 3/10/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Actor Robert Blake, who starred in the 1970s cop show Baretta and was later acquitted of killing his wife in a high-profile murder trial, has died at the age of 89. He died on Thursday from heart disease, his niece tells our sister site Deadline.
Blake began his Hollywood career as a child actor, playing Mickey in MGM’s Our Gang shorts, later known as the Little Rascals. The young Blake also appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film and shared a scene with Humphrey Bogart in the 1948 classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
More from TVLineShadow and Bone Stars Talk Six of Crows' Struggles,...
Blake began his Hollywood career as a child actor, playing Mickey in MGM’s Our Gang shorts, later known as the Little Rascals. The young Blake also appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film and shared a scene with Humphrey Bogart in the 1948 classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
More from TVLineShadow and Bone Stars Talk Six of Crows' Struggles,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Actor Robert Blake, born Michael James Gubitosi, died Thursday at the age of 89 in Los Angeles from heart disease.
Blake’s 60-year-plus career in Hollywood included a gig in “Our Gang” as a child, and a role in “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” in 1948 all the way through David Lynch’s cult classic “Lost Highway” in 1997.
In terms of his onscreen work, he is best known for playing convicted murderer Perry Smith in the feature film adaptation of “In Cold Blood.” The 1967 classic is based on Truman Capote’s groundbreaking nonfiction book, which is often considered the first modern true crime novel.
His most iconic television work included four seasons playing the title role in ABC’s undercover cop action drama “Baretta,” for which he earned an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1977. Blake also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” as a reoccurring guest...
Blake’s 60-year-plus career in Hollywood included a gig in “Our Gang” as a child, and a role in “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” in 1948 all the way through David Lynch’s cult classic “Lost Highway” in 1997.
In terms of his onscreen work, he is best known for playing convicted murderer Perry Smith in the feature film adaptation of “In Cold Blood.” The 1967 classic is based on Truman Capote’s groundbreaking nonfiction book, which is often considered the first modern true crime novel.
His most iconic television work included four seasons playing the title role in ABC’s undercover cop action drama “Baretta,” for which he earned an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1977. Blake also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” as a reoccurring guest...
- 3/10/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Robert Blake, who played the crazed real-life killer Perry Smith in Truman Copote’s In Cold Blood and the popular TV cop Tony Baretta before a sensational Hollywood murder trial destroyed his career, has died. He was 89.
Blake, who got his start as a child star in the 1940s in the Our Gang comedy shorts at MGM, died Thursday at his Los Angeles home after a long battle with heart disease, his niece, Noreen Austin, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On the night of May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley, Blake’s wife of six months and the mother of his young daughter, was fatally shot twice at point-blank range while she sat in their car after they had dined at Vitello’s, an Italian restaurant in Studio City. (The actor said he had gone back into the restaurant to retrieve a revolver he had left behind.)
Nearly four years later, including a year spent in jail,...
Blake, who got his start as a child star in the 1940s in the Our Gang comedy shorts at MGM, died Thursday at his Los Angeles home after a long battle with heart disease, his niece, Noreen Austin, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On the night of May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley, Blake’s wife of six months and the mother of his young daughter, was fatally shot twice at point-blank range while she sat in their car after they had dined at Vitello’s, an Italian restaurant in Studio City. (The actor said he had gone back into the restaurant to retrieve a revolver he had left behind.)
Nearly four years later, including a year spent in jail,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Robert Blake, a man with a long and complex legacy, has died, a representative for his son-in-law Gregg Hurwitz confirmed to Variety. The former child actor was best known for his Emmy-winning role as the cockatoo-owning undercover cop in the popular 1970s TV series “Baretta” and, more infamously, for his trial following the 2001 murder of his wife. He was 89.
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Blake, the controversial actor who won a Lead Actor Emmy for Baretta and starred in films including In Cold Blood and Lost Highway before a murder trial ended his career, died today of heart disease in Los Angeles. He was 89. His niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed the news.
Blake’s long career ranged from a childhood stint in “Our Gang” at age 5 through major films and television before he was acquitted of murder in the 2001 death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
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Over the course of 60+ years of working in Hollywood, Blake appeared in such classic films as Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) alongside Humphrey Bogart; In Cold Blood (1967) with John Forsythe...
Blake’s long career ranged from a childhood stint in “Our Gang” at age 5 through major films and television before he was acquitted of murder in the 2001 death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Tom Jackson Dies: 'Queer Eye' Reboot Season One Makeover Recipient Was 63 Related Story Ed Fury Dies: Bodybuilder Actor Of 'Ursus' Sword & Sandal Low-Budget Epics Was 94
Over the course of 60+ years of working in Hollywood, Blake appeared in such classic films as Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) alongside Humphrey Bogart; In Cold Blood (1967) with John Forsythe...
- 3/10/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
I rarely do character-style posters in this column; however, Mia Goth is having a moment, so here we are. Design house AVPrint did a series of posters for Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool, in ultra-tight closeup with a very high grain. This one, for Ms. Goth, gives me major 'Robert Blake in David Lynch's Lost Highway' vibes. If your aim is to creep out the viewer, one can hardly do better than evoke that particular scene. Goth's particularly expressive face was put to superb use in last year's Ti West slasher double-feature, X and Pearl, particularly in the latter, where she has a lengthy, unbroken scene in close-up. The remainder of the design features bold block caps with her name, the film's title at the bottom at a...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/20/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Hollywood finally decided to get serious about the Korean War debacle with a pro-Army, anti-politics battle epic that blames our own negotiators as much as the enemy. Director Lewis Milestone and star Gregory Peck lead a full company of favorite actors in a gritty story of ugly combat in absurd conditions: die taking territory today, give it back to the enemy later.
Pork Chop Hill
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 196
1959 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date December 28, 2022 / Available from [Imprint] / au 34.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, George Peppard, Carl Benton Reid, James Edwards, Bob Steele, Woody Strode, George Shibata, Norman Fell, Robert Blake, Lew Gallo, Biff Elliot, Charles Aidman, Barry Atwater, Leonard Graves, Martin Landau, Ken Lynch, Chuck Hayward, Gavin MacLeod, Bert Remsen, Buzz Martin, William Wellman Jr., Titus Moede, Harry Dean Stanton, Clarence Williams III..
Cinematography: Sam Leavitt
Production Designer: Nicolai Remisoff
Art Director: Edward G. Boyle
Production Illustrator:...
Pork Chop Hill
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 196
1959 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date December 28, 2022 / Available from [Imprint] / au 34.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, George Peppard, Carl Benton Reid, James Edwards, Bob Steele, Woody Strode, George Shibata, Norman Fell, Robert Blake, Lew Gallo, Biff Elliot, Charles Aidman, Barry Atwater, Leonard Graves, Martin Landau, Ken Lynch, Chuck Hayward, Gavin MacLeod, Bert Remsen, Buzz Martin, William Wellman Jr., Titus Moede, Harry Dean Stanton, Clarence Williams III..
Cinematography: Sam Leavitt
Production Designer: Nicolai Remisoff
Art Director: Edward G. Boyle
Production Illustrator:...
- 1/14/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Michael Levin, who portrayed the fiery reporter Jack Fenelli on all 13-plus years of the ABC daytime soap opera Ryan’s Hope, has died. He was 90.
Levin died Jan. 6 of natural causes at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York, his son Jason Levin told The Hollywood Reporter.
Levin also appeared on Broadway in 1965 in The Royal Hunt of the Sun opposite David Carradine as well as in three 1970 plays: Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real (with Al Pacino), Sam Shepard’s Operation Sidewinder (with Garrett Morris) and Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan (with Colleen Dewhurst).
Ryan’s Hope, which ran from July 1975 to January 1989, starred Helen Gallagher and Bernard Barrow as wife and husband Johnny and Maeve Ryan, who run a New York City tavern called Ryan’s across the street from a hospital.
According to IMDb, Levin appeared on 1,074 episodes of the soap, including the first one and the last one.
Levin died Jan. 6 of natural causes at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York, his son Jason Levin told The Hollywood Reporter.
Levin also appeared on Broadway in 1965 in The Royal Hunt of the Sun opposite David Carradine as well as in three 1970 plays: Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real (with Al Pacino), Sam Shepard’s Operation Sidewinder (with Garrett Morris) and Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan (with Colleen Dewhurst).
Ryan’s Hope, which ran from July 1975 to January 1989, starred Helen Gallagher and Bernard Barrow as wife and husband Johnny and Maeve Ryan, who run a New York City tavern called Ryan’s across the street from a hospital.
According to IMDb, Levin appeared on 1,074 episodes of the soap, including the first one and the last one.
- 1/14/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Extensively researched with the help of childhood chum Harper Lee, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood was a true-life horror story written in a poet’s voice. There’s poetry in Richard Brooks’s 1967 movie adaptation as well, thanks to cinematographer Conrad Hall who contributes some of the finest black and white imagery in movie history. Robert Blake and Scott Wilson are terrifying as the killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock.
The post In Cold Blood appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post In Cold Blood appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 1/10/2023
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
This might be the biggest Blu-ray column we've ever published here. I tell you this for no real reason, I just want to impress you. In this latest Blu-ray round-up, we have the newest Jordan Peele movie, a David Lynch horror masterpiece headed to 4K from the Criterion Collection, Brad Pitt making terrible jokes in between okay fight scenes, Idris Elba fighting a lion, a suburban family fighting some ghosts, and much more. Keep those discs spinning.
Nope
One of the best movies of the year, Jordan Peele's "Nope" is at first blush a film about aliens and UFOs. But as usual, Peele has a lot more on his mind — specifically, the way we, as humans, approach spectacles and dare to push back against things that we should probably leave alone. This is Peele's slickest movie yet, with the filmmaker going into full Spielberg mode to create the type of thrilling flick that's funny,...
Nope
One of the best movies of the year, Jordan Peele's "Nope" is at first blush a film about aliens and UFOs. But as usual, Peele has a lot more on his mind — specifically, the way we, as humans, approach spectacles and dare to push back against things that we should probably leave alone. This is Peele's slickest movie yet, with the filmmaker going into full Spielberg mode to create the type of thrilling flick that's funny,...
- 10/19/2022
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Louise Fletcher, the sweet actress from Alabama who won an Academy Award for her turn as the heartless Nurse Ratched — one of the most reviled characters in movie history — in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died. She was 88.
Fletcher died Friday of natural causes at her home in Montdurausse, France, her son Andrew Bick told The Hollywood Reporter. She had survived two bouts with breast cancer.
A daughter of deaf parents — she made one of the most touching acceptance speeches in Oscar history — Fletcher also starred as a psychiatrist in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and played opposite Peter Falk amid the star-studded ensemble in The Cheap Detective (1978).
On television, she portrayed the religious leader Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and received Emmy nominations in 1996 and 2004 for her guest-starring stints on Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia, respectively.
Louise Fletcher, the sweet actress from Alabama who won an Academy Award for her turn as the heartless Nurse Ratched — one of the most reviled characters in movie history — in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died. She was 88.
Fletcher died Friday of natural causes at her home in Montdurausse, France, her son Andrew Bick told The Hollywood Reporter. She had survived two bouts with breast cancer.
A daughter of deaf parents — she made one of the most touching acceptance speeches in Oscar history — Fletcher also starred as a psychiatrist in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and played opposite Peter Falk amid the star-studded ensemble in The Cheap Detective (1978).
On television, she portrayed the religious leader Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and received Emmy nominations in 1996 and 2004 for her guest-starring stints on Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia, respectively.
- 9/24/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Towards the end of a long conversation about the late Tony Sirico, who so memorably played Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos, the show’s creator, David Chase, told Rolling Stone, “The fans loved him. They were crazy about him!”
Why was that?
“You know what it was: him!” Chase said plainly. “He was great. He was always surprising, or outrageous.”
Chase had lots of fond memories of Sirico, who died on July 8 at age 79. Below, he discusses the “precious little separation” between Sirico and his wiseguy alter ego, how Sirico...
Why was that?
“You know what it was: him!” Chase said plainly. “He was great. He was always surprising, or outrageous.”
Chase had lots of fond memories of Sirico, who died on July 8 at age 79. Below, he discusses the “precious little separation” between Sirico and his wiseguy alter ego, how Sirico...
- 7/9/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
In revisiting the tale of fugitive lovers on the run in California’s High Desert, the makers of “The Last Manhunt” sought to correct a story that has remained very much alive for the indigenous Chemehuevi people of the region for more than 100 years.
Produced by Jason Momoa’s On the Roam and directed by Christian Camargo from a script by Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, “The Last Manhunt” opens this year’s inaugural Pioneertown International Film Festival, which takes place May 27-29. The historic movie-set town, home to the popular Pappy & Harriet’s music club, is located near the actual site of the events that transpired in 1909 in and around Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park.
It was there that Willie Boy met and fell in love with Carlota, the daughter of local tribal chief William Mike. After a confrontation that ends in the death of her father, Willie Boy...
Produced by Jason Momoa’s On the Roam and directed by Christian Camargo from a script by Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, “The Last Manhunt” opens this year’s inaugural Pioneertown International Film Festival, which takes place May 27-29. The historic movie-set town, home to the popular Pappy & Harriet’s music club, is located near the actual site of the events that transpired in 1909 in and around Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park.
It was there that Willie Boy met and fell in love with Carlota, the daughter of local tribal chief William Mike. After a confrontation that ends in the death of her father, Willie Boy...
- 5/25/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
With cinema immortalizing its performers no matter how big or small, it's no surprise that the beginnings of many movie stars can be found in the nooks and crannies of major films. Before she was running from alien robots in Michael Bay's "Transformers," Megan Fox could be caught dancing under a waterfall (at a concerning age 15) in Bay's "Bad Boys II." Reaching farther back, a young Robert Blake is visible selling a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."
Overseas, the Hong Kong film industry made liberal use of numerous skilled performers in their expansive martial arts productions,...
The post This Was Jackie Chan's Favorite Part of Filming Enter The Dragon appeared first on /Film.
Overseas, the Hong Kong film industry made liberal use of numerous skilled performers in their expansive martial arts productions,...
The post This Was Jackie Chan's Favorite Part of Filming Enter The Dragon appeared first on /Film.
- 4/19/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Steve Restivo, an actor and former co-owner of Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City, Calif., died on Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a year-long battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy confirmed. He was 81.
Restivo was an actor for over 50 years. He was known for frequent roles as one of Garry Marshall’s acting troupe alongside Hector Elizondo and Larry Miller, appearing in films including “Nothing in Common” (1986), “Beaches” (1988), “Pretty Woman” (1990), “Frankie and Johnny” (1991), “Exit to Eden” (1994), “The Other Sister” (1999), “The Princess Diaries” (2001), “Raising Helen” (2004) and “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” (2004). He also guest-starred in television shows such as “Quincy M.E.,” “Cover Up,” “Remington Steele,” “Nowhere Man” and “The New Adam-12.”
He and his brother Joe Restivo had owned Vitello’s for nearly 30 years before the murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, the wife of Emmy-winning actor Robert Blake, outside the restaurant in 2001. Blake was...
Restivo was an actor for over 50 years. He was known for frequent roles as one of Garry Marshall’s acting troupe alongside Hector Elizondo and Larry Miller, appearing in films including “Nothing in Common” (1986), “Beaches” (1988), “Pretty Woman” (1990), “Frankie and Johnny” (1991), “Exit to Eden” (1994), “The Other Sister” (1999), “The Princess Diaries” (2001), “Raising Helen” (2004) and “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” (2004). He also guest-starred in television shows such as “Quincy M.E.,” “Cover Up,” “Remington Steele,” “Nowhere Man” and “The New Adam-12.”
He and his brother Joe Restivo had owned Vitello’s for nearly 30 years before the murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, the wife of Emmy-winning actor Robert Blake, outside the restaurant in 2001. Blake was...
- 11/24/2021
- by Katie Song
- Variety Film + TV
Steve Restivo, an actor seen in Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries and more, who also formerly co-owned Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City, CA, died at West Hills Hospital on November 5, after a year-long battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19. He was 81.
Confirming Restivo’s passing to Deadline was his son Roy, a former 20-year senior television executive at NBCUniversal.
Restivo enjoyed a screen career of more than 50 years, finding frequent roles alongside the likes of Hector Elizondo and Larry Miller in the films of Garry Marshall, including Beaches (1988), Nothing in Common (1986), Pretty Woman (1990), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Exit to Eden (1994), The Other Sister (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001), Raising Helen (2004) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).
The actor also appeared in films including The Skateboard Kid 2, Inner Sanctum II, Hard Bounty and Sammy-Gate, finding guest-starring roles on the TV side in Quincy M.E., Cover Up, Remington Steele, The New Adam-12 and Nowhere Man.
Confirming Restivo’s passing to Deadline was his son Roy, a former 20-year senior television executive at NBCUniversal.
Restivo enjoyed a screen career of more than 50 years, finding frequent roles alongside the likes of Hector Elizondo and Larry Miller in the films of Garry Marshall, including Beaches (1988), Nothing in Common (1986), Pretty Woman (1990), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Exit to Eden (1994), The Other Sister (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001), Raising Helen (2004) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).
The actor also appeared in films including The Skateboard Kid 2, Inner Sanctum II, Hard Bounty and Sammy-Gate, finding guest-starring roles on the TV side in Quincy M.E., Cover Up, Remington Steele, The New Adam-12 and Nowhere Man.
- 11/24/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve Restivo, an actor in Garry Marshall films and the former co-owner of Vitello’s, the Studio City restaurant that hosted Baretta star Robert Blake and his wife just before she was fatally shot, has died. He was 81.
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
- 11/24/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Steve Restivo, an actor in Garry Marshall films and the former co-owner of Vitello’s, the Studio City restaurant that hosted Baretta star Robert Blake and his wife just before she was fatally shot, has died. He was 81.
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
Restivo died Nov. 5 at West Hills Hospital after a yearlong battle with lung cancer and complications from Covid-19, his son Roy Restivo, a former television executive at NBCUniversal, announced.
For Marshall — who frequently dined at Vitello’s — Restivo appeared as Count Vitello in The Princess Diaries films released in 2001 and 2004 and also worked for the director in Nothing in ...
- 11/24/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The novelization of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood” is here, with some shocking revelations about its amiable, hippie-beating hero, Cliff Booth.
Although the 2019 film shows the veteran stuntman — played by Brad Pitt in an Oscar-winning performance — casually exchanging blows with Bruce Lee and pounding the Manson Family to a pulp, many fans will be surprised to learn that not only has Cliff killed before, but many times.
One of the lingering questions posed by the movie was what exactly happened to Cliff’s wife, whose fate is hinted at in a brief, ambiguous flashback. If you believe the on-set gossip in the movie, then he did kill her. But if you’re like Cliff’s pal/employer Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), then you’d much rather believe he saves his fists of fury for the bad guys.
Well, according to the new novel written by Tarantino himself,...
Although the 2019 film shows the veteran stuntman — played by Brad Pitt in an Oscar-winning performance — casually exchanging blows with Bruce Lee and pounding the Manson Family to a pulp, many fans will be surprised to learn that not only has Cliff killed before, but many times.
One of the lingering questions posed by the movie was what exactly happened to Cliff’s wife, whose fate is hinted at in a brief, ambiguous flashback. If you believe the on-set gossip in the movie, then he did kill her. But if you’re like Cliff’s pal/employer Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), then you’d much rather believe he saves his fists of fury for the bad guys.
Well, according to the new novel written by Tarantino himself,...
- 6/29/2021
- by Alex Noble
- The Wrap
[Editor’s note: Spoilers follow for the plot of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” novel.]
One of the biggest mysteries of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is whether Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth murdered his wife, Billie. Rumors about his wife’s mysterious demise swirl around the stuntman, with Mike Moh’s Bruce Lee showing recognition when a crew member says Booth “killed his wife and got away with it.” But it’s only in Tarantino’s “Hollywood” novel, out now, which the director has described as a “complete rethinking of the movie,” that we get a definitive answer about what happened.
Cliff’s culpability for the crime has been hotly debated since the film was released in July 2019. Brad Pitt himself said he knew the definitive answer — that Tarantino had told him — and certainly characters in the world of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” believe Cliff is guilty. Husband...
One of the biggest mysteries of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is whether Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth murdered his wife, Billie. Rumors about his wife’s mysterious demise swirl around the stuntman, with Mike Moh’s Bruce Lee showing recognition when a crew member says Booth “killed his wife and got away with it.” But it’s only in Tarantino’s “Hollywood” novel, out now, which the director has described as a “complete rethinking of the movie,” that we get a definitive answer about what happened.
Cliff’s culpability for the crime has been hotly debated since the film was released in July 2019. Brad Pitt himself said he knew the definitive answer — that Tarantino had told him — and certainly characters in the world of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” believe Cliff is guilty. Husband...
- 6/29/2021
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Forty years ago this week, the soundtrack to Neil Diamond’s The Jazz Singer arrived in record stores. The album was an enormous success due to hit singles “Love on the Rocks,” “Hello Again,” and “America,” even if the movie itself — which starred Diamond as a cantor who rebels against his strict, religious father by making pop music — was far less successful.
Diamond’s dreams of movie stardom go all the way back to the early Seventies when he unsuccessfully auditioned to play Lenny Bruce in Bob Fosse’s Lenny,...
Diamond’s dreams of movie stardom go all the way back to the early Seventies when he unsuccessfully auditioned to play Lenny Bruce in Bob Fosse’s Lenny,...
- 11/10/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Welcome to this week’s review of Monday Night Raw, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and Styx does not suck! You suck! Dennis DeYoung is not a pussy! You’re a pussy! We have night two of the WWE Draft, because it’s time to shuffle the deck and get the same results afterwards. Are you ready to dance? Too f—king bad! Dance! Raw starts…dance damn it! Dance!
Match #1: Kevin Owens def. Aleister Black – No Disqualification Match The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Kevin Owens and Aleister Black wasted no time going right after each other before the bell could even ring. In a brutal, anything-goes battle, Owens and Black threw everything they could get their hands on at each other as they brawled around ringside. Black slammed Owens into the commentary desk before tables and chairs littered the ring. Owens set up a pile of chairs,...
Match #1: Kevin Owens def. Aleister Black – No Disqualification Match The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Kevin Owens and Aleister Black wasted no time going right after each other before the bell could even ring. In a brutal, anything-goes battle, Owens and Black threw everything they could get their hands on at each other as they brawled around ringside. Black slammed Owens into the commentary desk before tables and chairs littered the ring. Owens set up a pile of chairs,...
- 10/13/2020
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
Lucy forgot her glasses, CBS was the king of the networks with 55 major nominations and three film legends found love among Emmy voters. The 27th Emmy Awards was held on May 19, 1975, and was the first of four ceremonies in its 72-year history without a host; however, the evening was not without laughs. Let’s flashback to the Emmys 45 years ago.
Leave it to the first Queen of Television Comedy to provide some entertainment for the host-less evening. Lucille Ball was given the honor of announcing the winner for Best Comedy Series, but the 63-year-old forgot her eyeglasses. After fumbling with the envelopes, she despaired that she was “really in trouble.” But an old friend and fellow comedy legend came to her aid — Milton Berle jumped onstage and offered an empty wine glass to look through. Did our favorite redhead forget her glasses, or did this comic duo plan the laughs?...
Leave it to the first Queen of Television Comedy to provide some entertainment for the host-less evening. Lucille Ball was given the honor of announcing the winner for Best Comedy Series, but the 63-year-old forgot her eyeglasses. After fumbling with the envelopes, she despaired that she was “really in trouble.” But an old friend and fellow comedy legend came to her aid — Milton Berle jumped onstage and offered an empty wine glass to look through. Did our favorite redhead forget her glasses, or did this comic duo plan the laughs?...
- 9/4/2020
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
MSNBC dishes up dozens of short news segments to its viewers over the course of a single day. Now the network may have a chance to go long.
The cable-news outlet will air “The Way I See It,” a documentary about former White House photographer Pete Souza, on Friday, October 9 at 10 p.m. eastern, after Rachel Maddow’s broadcast that night. The film, from corporate sibling Focus Features, will first be released in theaters on September 18, and will be co-presented by MSNBC Films – a revived moniker that spotlights some of NBCUniversal’s growing ambitions in the long-form space.
Executives see MSNBC Films as a place for top filmmakers to collaborate on “in-depth storytelling about important events,” says Liz Cole, president of NBC News Studios, the production unit of NBC News, in an interview. “High-stakes drama, humor, insight into the country’s cultural divide, iconic personalities, economic ups and downs – these...
The cable-news outlet will air “The Way I See It,” a documentary about former White House photographer Pete Souza, on Friday, October 9 at 10 p.m. eastern, after Rachel Maddow’s broadcast that night. The film, from corporate sibling Focus Features, will first be released in theaters on September 18, and will be co-presented by MSNBC Films – a revived moniker that spotlights some of NBCUniversal’s growing ambitions in the long-form space.
Executives see MSNBC Films as a place for top filmmakers to collaborate on “in-depth storytelling about important events,” says Liz Cole, president of NBC News Studios, the production unit of NBC News, in an interview. “High-stakes drama, humor, insight into the country’s cultural divide, iconic personalities, economic ups and downs – these...
- 9/1/2020
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome back to Let’s Scare Bryan to Death! This month, I’m talking to director Jennifer Reeder, whose film Knives and Skin made my list of favorites from 2019. It’s a beautifully off-kilter movie that presents everything in a surreal atmosphere, as Reeder both disorients us but also gives us clues for how to settle into the film’s wavelength.
It’s no big surprise, then, that Reeder’s film selection for this month is David Lynch’s Lost Highway, another movie known for messing with audience expectations for narrative structure. While Knives and Skin has been compared to other Lynch stories Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, Reeder says Lost Highway was much more in the forefront of her mind when she made her film.
Lost Highway is a neo-noir-meets-erotic-nightmare that follows Fred Madison (Bill Pullman), a brooding jazz musician who wakes up one morning to receive a cryptic...
It’s no big surprise, then, that Reeder’s film selection for this month is David Lynch’s Lost Highway, another movie known for messing with audience expectations for narrative structure. While Knives and Skin has been compared to other Lynch stories Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, Reeder says Lost Highway was much more in the forefront of her mind when she made her film.
Lost Highway is a neo-noir-meets-erotic-nightmare that follows Fred Madison (Bill Pullman), a brooding jazz musician who wakes up one morning to receive a cryptic...
- 8/19/2020
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
In 2000, Bonnie Lee Bakely married actor Robert Blake. The marriage was Bonnie’s tenth, and Robert’s second. Within a year of making their vows, Bonnie was shot while sitting in Blake’s car outside a Los Angles restaurant. Blake was subsequently charged with murder, solicitation of murder, and conspiracy. Seven months after a jury acquitted him of all crimes, Blake was found liable of wrongful death during a lawsuit instigated by Bonnie’s surviving children. Her death, however, remains officially unsolved. 1. She dreamed of becoming a model Bonnie was born to Marjorie and Edward Bakely in New Jersey. At the age
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Bonnie Lee Bakley...
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Bonnie Lee Bakley...
- 10/23/2019
- by Dana Hanson-Firestone
- TVovermind.com
Mill Creek and Kit Parker have raided the Columbia vault once again in search of Noir Gold from the ‘fifties. Their selection this time around has a couple of prime gems, several straight crime thrillers and domestic jeopardy tales, and also a couple of interesting Brit imports. They aren’t really ‘Noir’ either, but they’re still unexpected and different. The top title is Don Siegel’s incomparable The Lineup, but also on board is a snappy anti-commie epic by André De Toth. Get set for a lineup of impressive leading ladies: Diana Dors, Arlene Dahl, Anita Ekberg — and the great Colleen Dewhurst as a card-carrying Red!
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection Volume 3
The Shadow on the Window, The Long Haul, Pickup Alley, The Tijuana Story, She Played with Fire, The Case Against Brooklyn, The Lineup, The Crimson Kimono, Man on a String
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1957 -1960 / B&w...
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection Volume 3
The Shadow on the Window, The Long Haul, Pickup Alley, The Tijuana Story, She Played with Fire, The Case Against Brooklyn, The Lineup, The Crimson Kimono, Man on a String
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1957 -1960 / B&w...
- 9/10/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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