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1-7 of 7
- Actor
- Soundtrack
The character actor Andrew Keir (originally Andrew Buggy) was born in 1926 in the coal-mining town of Shotts in Lanarkshire, Scotland, of Irish Catholic extraction, and raised there with his five brothers John, Tom, Michael, Patrick, and Hugh, and a sister, Maggie. The son of a coal miner, Keir worked in the coal mines from age 14 to 20, at which point he joined the Glasgow Citizen's Theatre to train as an actor. Shortly thereafter, Keir established himself professionally in British theater, television, and film, debuting in The Lady Craved Excitement (1950). His bluff, no-nonsense demeanor was perfect for authoritarian and military roles, especially Roman soldiers, as in Cleopatra (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), and The Viking Queen (1967).
He hooked up with Hammer Productions early on (his debut film) and continued the association in a number of horror films, e.g., Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971). One of his best-known and most popular performances was that of the title role in Quatermass and the Pit (1967). Keir made numerous appearances in television throughout his career, notably in Adam Smith (1972) and in the Australian series The Outsiders (1976). Keir, true to his heritage, frequently played Scotsmen, especially in the latter part of his career.- Glamour model and actress Debbie Linden was born on February 22, 1961 in Glasgow, Scotland. The daughter of cabaret entertainer Neil Linden and Rosemary Linden, Debbie attended stage school and initially wanted to be a dancer (she studied both tap and ballroom dancing as a means of preparing herself for a career in show business). Linden instead went on to become a topless model and Page 3 girl. Debbie first began acting in both films and TV shows in the late 1970's; she's probably best known for her recurring role as Old Mr. Grace's saucy secretary on the hit comedy series Are You Being Served? (1972). Sadly, Linden had problems with anorexia as well as drug and alcohol addiction which started at age 13 when she began taking slimming pills to control her weight. Debbie died at home at the tragically young age of 36 from a heroin overdose on October 5, 1997. Her boyfriend Russell Ainsworth was acquitted of manslaughter charges, but was still sentenced to two and a half years in prison for supplying the drugs that killed her.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Brian Pillman makes the list of a long line of tragic deaths in wrestling. He had endured 36 throat operations as a child. Pillman played football in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984 and in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders. It was in Calgary where he met Owen Hart (who also died at a relatively early age) and started his wrestling career for Stampede Wrestling. Pillman's major titles include the Tag Team Championship, the US Tag Team Championship, and the Light Heavyweight Championship. Pillman also suffered a terrible broken leg that deeply hurt his career. He died at the age of 35 while still being an active wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Arthur Tracy was one of the most famous of all recording stars of the 1930s and '40s. With his suave style and sentimental ballads he captured the hearts of housewives in both America and Great Britain. His voice was both a baritone and a tenor, which he described as "bari-tenor", and he claimed that the biggest influence on his singing was Enrico Caruso.
Born in the Ukraine, he emigrated to America at the age of six with his parents. The family was poor and he received little education and no musical training. Once asked how he became known as "The Street Singer", he said it was because he had sung in the streets of Philadelphia for pennies. One of his most enduring hits was the song "Pennies from Heaven".
As a teenager he began singing in operettas and quickly became a headliner in vaudeville, appearing with such stars as Will Rogers and W.C. Fields. Columbia Records put him under contract and a stream of hits followed, such as "Roses of Picardy" and "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie".
On radio he co-starred with Groucho Marx, Jack Benny and Bing Crosby, and in Hollywood he made a special guest appearance in The Big Broadcast (1932). He went to London where he topped the bill at the London Palladium, and while in Britain made several films including Backstage (1937) alongside Anna Neagle, followed by The Street Singer (1936) with Margaret Lockwood, and Follow Your Star (1938) with Lilli Palmer.
He returned to America in 1940 but gradually his style of singing had become passé and he was forced into semi-retirement. During the 1960s he made something of a comeback and record companies in both America and Britain started to re-release most of his material. In 1996 he was awarded a gold CD to mark the huge sales of his records over 60 years.- Federico Gallo was born on 7 July 1930 in Barcelona, Spain. He was an actor, known for Hilo directo (1968), La mentira tiene cabellos rojos (1962) and Once pares de botas (1954). He was married to Marisol González. He died on 5 October 1997.
- Meredith F. Burrill was born on 23 December 1902 in Houlton, Maine, USA. He was married to Nellie Bannister and Betty Didcoct. He died on 5 October 1997 in Washington, USA.
- Cathérine Gora was born on 21 May 1917 in Góra, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. She was an actress, known for Tempest in the Flesh (1954). She was married to Ragnar Appelqvist. She died on 5 October 1997 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.