Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-22 of 22
- John Roper was born on 19 March 1945 in Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Topaz (1969), The Streets of San Francisco (1972) and Thieves Like Us (1974). He died on 27 April 2007 in Summit, Ohio, USA.
- John DeLorean was the legendary American automobile executive whose non-conformity and taste for the limelight derailed his likely ascension to the presidency of General Motors, which seemed predestined after his meteoric rise up through the ranks for the world's biggest car manufacturer. DeLorean, in sync with his times, had a distaste for the "Establishment" as embodied in the G.M. bureaucracy, which he found stifling. By leaving GM to establish his own car company, DeLorean set in motion a turn of the wheel of fate that would revolve him from the top of the industry to the bottom in less than a decade.
John Zachary DeLorean was born on January 6, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest of the four sons of Zachary DeLorean, a Romanian immigrant who worked as a millwright at Ford Motor Co., and his wife Kathryn Pribak, a Hungarian immigrant who worked at General Electric. DeLorean grew up in a tough, working class neighborhood, though because both parents were employed during the Great Depression, his life wasn't as harsh as that experienced by many of his peers. His parents divorced in 1942 due to his father's alcoholism and propensity for violence.
Young John won a scholarship to Lawrence Institute of Technology, which had produced many automobile designers for the auto industry. However, World War II intervened: Drafted in 1943, DeLorean spent three years in the Army. He went back to school after the war and earned a B.S in mechanical engineering while working part-time for Chrysler. After a short stint as a life insurance salesman after graduation, he returned to Chrysler. (To many of his critics, DeLorean would remain a salesman whose main product he pitched was himself.) From Chrysler, he moved on to Packard, but the imminent failure of the once-prestigious car maker lead him to accept a job offer at G.M., where he made his fortune.
Credited with creating the first "muscle car", the Pontiac G.T.O., DeLorean at 40 became the youngest divisional head in G.M. history when he was appointed president of the division in 1965. Eventually, he was moved to head the troubled Chevrolet Div., the biggest and most important component of G.M. He successfully reorganized Chevrolet, which was in a slump, and was rewarded by being named vice president of car and truck production, a stepping stone to the presidency of the entire company. However, DeLorean's non-conformist lifestyle, his taste for the limelight, and his relentless self-promotion didn't sit well with all of G.M.'s top brass. He could have remained at the company and likely would have achieved the presidency, but he found the company stifling. In 1973, DeLoran quit G.M. with the idea of forming his own car company. However, at first, he accepted the presidency of the National Alliance of Businessmen, a trade group organized by the federal government and the auto industry, including G.M., thus maintaining his links to the industry. (In 1979, when he was on the verge of launching De Lorean Motor Co., he published an expose of his time at the company, "On a Clear Day, You Can See General Motors". The book would eventually sell over a million-and-a-half copies.)
The year following his departure from G.M., DeLorean married his third wife, fashion model, cover girl and actress Cristina Ferrare, who was 25 years his junior. A media celebrity since the 1960s, DeLorean had long been moving in show business circles, and met Ferrare at a charity event. Ferrare's sole leading role in motion pictures would prove to be the B-horror movie "Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975), a cheapen shot in Mexico featuring his beautiful, young wife as a bisexual vampire. (The movie flopped despite the erotic nude scenes featuring the new Mrs. DeLorean).
DeLorean's dream of creating his own company finally became a reality when the British Labour Government of James Callaghan came up with nearly 100 million pounds in financing to build a factory in Northern Ireland to produce a DeLorean-designed futuristic sports-car, which would be known as "The De Lorean". (The car, with its 304 grade stainless steel body and gull-wing doors hearkening back to the 1960 Mercedes coupe, later would be immortalized in the Back to the Future (1985) movie trilogy). As his wife Cristina's career as a TV personality rose, DeLorean's business fortunes crashed. The car company that bore his name went bankrupt. In 1982, a desperate John DeLorean was trapped in a sting operated by the F.B.I. and charged with trafficking in cocaine, to raise money to refinance his car company.
After his arrest, both DeLorean and Ferrare became born-again Christians. Ferrare stood by her husband during the two year legal ordeal that followed, and DeLorean eventually was acquitted in August 1984, successfully using a defense of entrapment. However, his wife had realized her marriage had been, in her own words, "shallow" and "make-believe", and she had known their marriage was over long before it was officially ended. After DeLorean's acquittal, Ferrare sought a divorce, which was granted in 1985. Ferrare, that same year, married entertainment industry executive Tony Thomopoulos, whom she has been married to for 22 years and has been the stepfather to her two children by DeLorean. .
John DeLorean never recovered professional from the failure of his car company. His public image went from that of renegade and maverick, an automotive Ted Turner, someone who bucked the System, to pathetic loser. If nothing succeeds in America like success, nothing dehumanizes an American "hero" of the moment like failure. DeLorean was plagued for years by investors' lawsuits linked to the collapse of De Lorean Motor Co., and in 1999, he was forced to declare bankruptcy. By the time of his death of a stroke in 2005, at the age of 80, he was largely a forgotten man, remembered mostly as a victim of his own hubris. F. Scott Fitzgerald had said there are no second acts in America, and John DeLorean proved to be the living proof of the wisdom of those words. - Michael Lewis was born on 20 June 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Saint Joan (1967) and The Holy Terror (1965). He died on 6 March 1975 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Bob Montgomery was born on 12 May 1937 in Lampasas, Texas, USA. He is known for Natural Born Killers (1994), Phenomenon (1996) and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). He was married to Carol Cox and Cathy Hammond. He died on 4 December 2014 in Lee's Summit, Missouri, USA.- Pierson Dean Phillips was the only child of Hilaire Phillips and Travis Phillips. He grew up in Independence, Missouri where he attended Nativity of Mary Catholic School. He was accepted as a student at Rockhurst High School as a member of the class of 2023 and dreamed of being on the debate team. Pierson was a passionate public speaker and spoke at many events including The Children's Services Fund Coalition, The Missouri GFWC State Convention, The 2017 Speak Up Walk, Comprehensive Mental Health Services Annual Luncheon, Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation Panel Discussion, and the GFWC International Convention in 2018. He spoke candidly and passionately about mental illness and what it was like to live with suicidal thoughts. In 2018 he was named as one of the stars in Just Like You Films Anxiety and Depression, a project he wholeheartedly supported and helped raise money for. On January 21, 2019, right before filming began, Pierson lost his battle with anxiety and depression and died by suicide. He was 14 years old. His family started The Pierson Project in his memory and continue to educate and advocate for suicide prevention. On September 1, 2021, Comprehensive Mental Health Services honored Pierson's legacy of advocating for youth mental health by naming their newest facility the Pierson D. Phillips Building. His story is also told in Chronicle.
- Actor
- Composer
- Director
Pat DiNizio was born on 12 October 1955 in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Backdraft (1991), Bull Durham (1988) and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). He died on 12 December 2017 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.- Richard S. Shaver was born on 7 October 1907 in Berwick, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 5 November 1975 in Summit, Arkansas, USA.
- Walter Cartier started out young in boxing. He gave boxing exhibitions with his twin brother, Vincent Cartier, at the Woodstock, Connecticut, Country Fair, which were referred by their older brother. In the Navy, the Cartiers gave fighting exhibitions at venues like the Chicago Pier. After serving in WWII, he went to train to be a professional prizefighter. After being photographed for Look Magazine's "Prizefighter, " he was in director Stanley Kubrick's debut film, Day of the Fight (1951). After that, he landed some small roles in TV and movies, and died at the age of 73 in 1995.
- John Bilyeu was born on 14 December 1924 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Santa's Christmas Circus (1966). He was married to Doris Bilyeu and Jenny Bilyeu. He died on 25 March 2015 in Lee's Summit, Missouri, USA.
- Michael Ebert was born in 1965 in Rahway, New Jersey, USA. Michael is known for Blood Ties (2013). Michael died on 12 May 2019 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.
- Louise Huntington was born on 1 December 1904 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Viking (1931), Perils of Our Girl Reporters (1916) and Fair Warning (1931). She died on 2 June 1997 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Anne Triola was born on 25 September 1920 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Lullaby of Broadway (1951), Without Reservations (1946) and Moon Over Las Vegas (1944). She was married to Ralph Quartaroli. She died in 2012 in Lee's Summit, Missouri, USA.- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Rich "Lowtax" Kyanka was born May 11, 1976 in Charlottle, North Carolina. After attending College at He is the creator and owner of SomethingAwful.com, which he started in 1999 as a way to vent about his current employer. The site soon grew to be one of the most popular sites online and helped to shape internet culture starting in the early 2000's.
Rich is a webmaster, writer, musician, director, and sound tech. He resides in Lee's Summit, MO with his wife, Ashli Kyanka and his three daughters.- Betty Recklaw was born in Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Win That Girl (1928) and The Dancers (1925). She died in 2002 in Summit, Ohio, USA.
- Ralph H. Shively was born on 22 September 1927 in Mt. Summit, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Hoosiers (1986). He was married to Phyllis June Sidwell. He died on 7 June 2009 in Mt. Summit, Indiana, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
Jimmy Joyce was born on 29 April 1923. He was a composer, known for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967), The CBS Newcomers (1971) and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967). He died on 5 January 1979 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.- Mark Eaton was born on 24 January 1957 in Inglewood, California, USA. He was an actor, known for NBA on NBC (1990), Church Ball (2006) and NB80's (2011). He was married to Teri. He died on 28 May 2021 in Summit County, Utah, USA.
- Vince Felber was born on 25 February 1962 in Akron, Ohio, USA. He died on 7 March 2020 in Summit County, Ohio, USA.
- Ralph Theodore was born on 25 December 1883 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Angels Over Broadway (1940), The Last Mile (1932) and The Dance of Life (1929). He died in 1965 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.
- Dick Tidrow was born on 14 May 1947 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was married to Mary Jo Molinaro. He died on 10 July 2021 in Lee's Summit, Missouri, USA.
- Patricia Sinnott was born on 20 January 1929 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Aladdin (1951), Camera Three (1955) and Soldier in Love (1967). She was married to Bruce Strasser. She died on 20 August 2009 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.
- Bob Dunn was born on 5 March 1908 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He died on 31 January 1989 in Summit, New Jersey, USA.