RIP thread for people involved in TV

Frank Bonner has died aged 79, RIP

One of the stars of WKRP in Cincinnati and was in and directed shows from the 60's to the 00's.

https://twitter.com/THR/status/1405592867268141064?s=20

https://deadline.com/2021/06/john-paragon-dead-obituary-jambi-the-genie-pee-wees-playhouse-was-66-1234777798/?fbclid=IwAR2EMaQN14oA-hnzBkX_9aHBXeJWPPBKDDC9L7kMVG4zOjfK3z5AtTtEWpY

John Paragon, actor, writer, and director, has died aged 66. Cause of death was heart disease and chronic alcohol abuse.

He passed away in April, but his death was only reported in the last few days.

He was very, very prolific, both in TV, and in film. One of those people who's name you may not know, but who's work you were familiar with.

He started out in the Groundlings, where he met Paul Reubens and the late Phil Hartman. He'd then serve as a permanent fixture of Reuben's work on Pee Wee's Playhouse, as Jambi the Genie/ Pterri the Pterodactyl.
(He even has a small role in Pee Wee's Big Adventure). He even stepped behind the camera to direct a few episodes of Pee Wee's Playhouse.

Outside of working with Reubens, he was the voice of one the Dinks in Spaceballs (alongside Phil Hartman, Corey Burton, and Tress MacNeill), Honey I Blew up the Kid, UHF, Airplane 2, and Elvira:Mistress of the Dark amongst others.

In TV, he appeared in the aforementioned Pee Wee's Playhouse, Cheers, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and directed episodes of Silk Stalkings and Pacific Blue. He also appeared as Cedric, one half of a gay couple (the other being Bob) who memorably harass Kramer for not wearing an AIDS ribbon during an AIDS walk. Cedric is the man wearing a baseball cap.

https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1407781652277903363

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1409508526393864196

zorro2566 wrote: »

Stuart Damon has died,starred in The Champions,currently repeated on Talking Pictures TV, and General Hospital in America>

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/stuart-damon-dead-newsupdate/

That leaves only William Gaunt left alive from the main cast. Alexandra Bastedo died a couple of years ago.

zorro2566 wrote: »

She died in 2014,she was absolutely stunning!

She really was. They show The Champions on ITV4 most mornings.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/05/richard-donner-dead-91-director-superman-goonies

Richard Donner, director of films including the Lethal Weapon series, LadyHawke, Superman (1978), The Toy (which also starred the late Ned Beatty, who passed away recently), and The Goonies to name a few, has died. He was 91.

Donner was, to put it mildly, very prolific. He worked initially in TV, on shows such as the Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, Get Smart and many more.

Donner worked in nearly every genre. With the Omen, he did horror. With Superman and LadyHawke, he worked in the realm of fantasy, Maverick allowed him to direct a western as well as a comedy, and with Lethal Weapon, he essentially invented a new genre- The Buddy Cop movie.

But it was Superman that, to me, showed he was a force to be reckoned with. He approached bringing the superhero to the big screen with the same level of respect and tenacity one would have when directing an adaptation of a respected novel.
To approach the material with that much respect was unthinkable then. But the final result speaks for itsself. You see the very definition of a hero onscreen- a person who chooses to do good not just because it's the right thing to to... but because they're the only one who has their gifts. Clark Kent becomes Superman because he looks around, sees that he's the only one with the abilities to do what he can... and chooses to help. It's an amazing film in that there's no depressing origin story. It's an individual who's been shown love and kindness since his birth, and shows the same kindness in return.

In the helicopter rescue sequence, the first set piece where Clark rescues Lois in the guise of Superman, there's a very special moment, at the end-where Lois asks 'Who are you?'... and Superman responds 'A friend'. He's speaking to her, but he's also speaking to the people of the world, and to the audience. In times of strife, you don't just need a hero, you need a friend.

That movie has served as the basis of pretty much every comic book movie since- Raimi's Spider-man films heavily copied from that film. As did Wonder Woman.

Donner was a big kid at heart, something that many child actors, including the cast of The Goonies, have spoken of. He spoke to them professionally, and also didn't speak down to them. Laughed heartily, pretty much never lost the 12 year old within when working on a set.

Was always willing to listen to a great idea, according to Geoff Johns, who worked as an assistant on Lethal Weapon 4. No matter who you were, if he thought you had a great idea, he'd use it.

To get the final shot of The Omen, for example, he pulled faces and joked with the kid actor in order to get that 'final' smile shot. He seemed to always get great performances out of his child actors.
He moved into production, along with his wife Lauren Schuler Donner, in more recent times. Worked as a producer on the X-men franchise, as well as being a producer on films such as The Lost Boys.

A genuine loss to the world, and to film. RIP.

A few people have died in the last few weeks.

William Smith, actor in everything from Conan The Barbarian, to Every Which Way but Loose, to Justice League: The animated series, died aged 88. His death was announced in 5th July.

Chick Vennera died aged 74, on the 8th July. Very prolific actor, working with the likes of Richard Gere and Jeff Goldblum.

But for many people, he probably was best known as the Voice of Pesto in Goodfeathers in Animaniacs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EuCOhT0Bg8

Charlie Robinson died July 14th. He was most known for his work on Night Court. He was 75.

The comedian Tom O'Connor has died, aged 81.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57879765

Yep, my first real "baddie" was Falconetti. Boy, he was bad and Smith played him perfectly.

Back then, I thought he was called Falcon Eddie 😄

Jackie Mason, comedian and actor, has died aged 93.

https://nypost.com/2021/07/24/jackie-mason-dead-at-93/

He was fairly prolific, appearing in film and TV. Starred in films such as The Jerk, and History of the World part 1. But for many, he was probably most known for playing Rabbi Krustofsky, the father of Krusty the Klown. Mason was an ordained rabbi himself,

Jeepers, very sad.

I remember him from H&W during my watching days back in the 90s.

RIP

I know he fell on hard times after he left Home & Away. It's best not to speculate on the cause of death unless it is made public. Nobody's business but his family's. May he rest in peace.

I'm sure you meant newspaper rags shouldn't speculate.

Sad to hear about Dieter Brummer.

I lived and breathed Home and Away in the '90s. Was a big part of my childhood.

Rest In Peace.