A big thank you to Deadline Hollywood for a very touching tribute video.
In 2024, we had to say sad and sometimes shocking goodbyes to several of our favorite stars of cinema, including Heathers and Mallrats star Shannen Doherty, The Shining Actress Shelley Duvall, Harry Potter fan-favorite Maggie Smith, Broadway and dance legend Chita Rivera, Rocky and Predator actor Carl Weathers, and the King of the Jungle, James Earl Jones.
It’s only fitting that we do our best to honor and pay our respects to those notable figures who have blessed us with so much joy over the years. Read on to remember the life and work of these wonderful people of cinema.
James Earl Jones
On Monday September 9th at the age of 93, we lost James Earl Jones, the titan of stage and screen whose unmistakable baritone voice was lent to such iconic characters as Darth Vader, Mufasa, and CNN. The actor, who famously struggled with a childhood stutter, went on to establish himself as one of the most admired American actors of all time, earning acclaim with a prolific, versatile career that spanned 60 years beginning with his 1958 Broadway debut and included over 80 film credits. Those credits include roles such as a B-52 bombardier in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 satire Dr. Strangelove, a reclusive author and tormented Red Sox fan in Field of Dreams, a blind former baseball star in The Sandlot, and the King of Zamunda Jaffe Joffer in Coming to America. While his roles in the Star Wars saga and The Lion King have secured him a permanent place atop the pop culture pantheon, it is notable that he also earned two Tony Awards for 1969’s The Great White Hope and 1987’s Fences, the Pulitzer-Prize winning drama from August Wilson. Jones also received a lifetime achievement Tony Award in 2017, and with two Emmys, a 1977 Grammy and his 2011 honorary Oscar, he is one of only a handful of actors to achieve an EGOT.
Dabney Coleman
Dabney Coleman, the veteran character actor who portrayed the villainous boss in 9 to 5, died on May 16 at the age of 92. With a career spanning nearly seven decades, Coleman started with appearances on TV shows like The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in the ‘60s. Of course known for his role as the sexist boss Franklin Hart Jr. in 9 to 5, standing out despite starring opposite iconic actresses Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda, by the time Coleman took on this role, he had already amassed a resume that included dozens of standout performances. His screen credits included Buffalo Bill, On Golden Pond, Tootsie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, You’ve Got Mail, The Beverly Hillbillies, and WarGames (pictured above).
Chita Rivera
The legendary Tony award-winning actress and singer who originated the role of Anita in West Side Story on Broadway, Rivera died on January 30 after a brief illness at the age of 91. Rivera made her first appearance as a principal dancer in the 1952 touring company of the musical Call Me Madam while only 19 before making her Broadway debut in Guys and Dolls the following year. She landed her history-making role as Anita in Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story in 1957, a portrayal that would make her an overnight sensation. Her other stage credits include originating the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago, Anna in The Rink, and Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman, the latter two seeing her win Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. With 10 nominations to her name for her performances in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Merlin, Nine, and her musical career retrospective, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Rivera is one of the most nominated stars in Tony Awards history.
Shannen Doherty
Best known for her roles on the hit TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, Doherty passed away on July 13 at the age of 53, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Shannen Doherty got her start in Hollywood as a child actress, with her first television role at age 10 and her first film role at 12. Her big break came in one of my favorite films, 1988’s Heathers, starring alongside a young Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. She would also later hit it big in another film role with Mallrats, but as stated, Doherty became a household name thanks to her work on 90210, where she played Brenda Walsh for four seasons, and Charmed, where she played Prue Halliwell for three seasons.
Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith, known as the grande dame of British theater who won two Academy Awards, mentored Harry Potter as Professor McGonagall, and embodied the sharp-tongued matriarch Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, passed away on September 27 at the age of 89. Smith was a titan of the stage in both the U.K. and the U.S. as she turned in legendary performances in productions of Othello, Private Lives, Antony and Cleopatra, Night and Day, Virginia, The Way of the World, Lettice and Lovage, The Importance of Being Earnest, Hedda Gabler, New Faces of 1956, and numerous other projects. On screen, she starred in movies such as Gosford Park, A Room With a View, Sister Act, The Secret Garden, The First Wives Club, Death on the Nile, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Clash of the Titans, and Quartet, as well as seven of the eight Harry Potter films. Smith, a six-time Oscar nominee, took home two; Best Actress for 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Supporting Actress for 1978’s California Suite. And she also had the honor of becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire bestowed upon her in 1990.
Norman Jewison
Norman Jewison, a versatile Canadian filmmaker who directed some of the 20th century’s most beloved movies, including In the Heat of the Night and Moonstruck, passed away January 20 at the age of 97. Beginning his career working with stars like Judy Garland, Danny Kaye, Harry Belafonte, and Jackie Gleason on television specials, Jewison went on to helm a wide variety of popular films in multiple genres, including Fiddler on the Roof, The Thomas Crown Affair, Rollerball, The Cincinnati Kid, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Jewison received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999, and his films won a total of 12 Oscars from 41 nominations, including a Best Picture Oscar for In the Heat of the Night.
Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands, the legendary actress known for her powerful performances in films such as A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria passed away on August 14 at the age of 94 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. Immensely talented, her charm and grace will be missed in Hollywood and with audiences alike.
Bob Newhart
One of television’s most revered comedic actors of all time, Bob Newhart, passed away on July 18 at the age of 94 after a series of short illnesses. Newhart enjoyed a career that spanned 60 years, from his early days as a stand-up on The Ed Sullivan Show to his cameos as the beloved Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory. With pitch-perfect timing and deadpan delivery, Newhart was a timeless comic force. The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, his first comedy album, won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1961, while Newhart was named Best New Artist. With his work in stand-up catching fire, NBC soon noticed and gave him a variety show in 1961. The program only lasted one season, but it showed Hollywood he had the chops for hosting, and for busting chops. He then went on to help emcee on The Entertainers, The Dean Martin Show, Ed Sullivan, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Newhart would go on to lead the eponymous sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, the latter of which is known for its iconic ending. Newhart also enjoyed a nice film career as well with fun roles in Elf and The Rescuers just to name a couple.
Shelley Duvall
Shelley Duvall, the star actress of several Robert Altman movies and evader of the ax-swinging Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, passed away July 11 due to complications from diabetes. She was 75. Duvall was discovered by Robert Altman, who cast her in his 1970 movie, Brewster McCloud, which would be the first of seven films that the pair would work on together over the next seven years, including 1975’s Nashville, 1977’s 3 Women, and 1980’s Popeye. She also etched her name into the horror genre as Wendy Torrance in The Shining, an extremely taxing role that had her starring opposite Jack Nicholson. Outside of film, Duvall also created, hosted, and executive produced several popular children’s television programs throughout the 1980s, including Faerie Tale Theatre, Nightmare Classics, and Tall Tales & Legends. After an illustrious career, Duvall retired from acting in 2002.
Teri Garr
Teri Garr, the Academy Award-nominated actress known for her quirky comedic roles in films such as Tootsie and Young Frankenstein, passed away on October 29, at the age of 79. Beginning her career as a dancer, Garr appeared in a number of Elvis Presley movies and landed bit parts on The Andy Griffith Show, Batman, and Star Trek before securing her big film break in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 neo-noir The Conversation. That, of course, led to her scene-stealing role in Mel Brooks’ comedy-horror classic Young Frankenstein as Inga, the assistant to Gene Wilder’s Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, and then memorable turns in Oh, God!, Tootsie, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and Mr. Mom. Certainly known for her comedic work, which I remember fondly, Garr also showcased her dramatic chops in films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion, and The Escape Artist. Her numerous other screen credits included The Odd Couple, M*A*S*H, The Sonny and Cher Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and Maude.
Roger Corman
Roger Corman, the director, producer, and distributor behind numerous low-budget horror, science fiction, and crime films, who had a Hollywood career spanning eight decades, passed away at the age of 98. Corman was the visionary behind the cult classics such as 1964’s The Masque of the Red Death and the original The Little Shop of Horrors, from 1960, which earned him the nicknames “King of the Bs” and “The Pope of Pop Culture”. Corman worked his way up in the film industry after getting his start in the mail room at 20th Century Fox in 1950. He made his first feature film in 1954, then produced and directed several B movies across a number of then-popular genres: Westerns, science fiction creature features, and the rock ‘n’ roll teen pictures. In the ‘60s, Corman would transition into the decade’s counterculture fare with films such as 1966’s The Wild Angels and 1967’s The Trip. Corman’s biggest contribution to the industry was as a producer, opening the doors for a number of young and then-untested talents, a list that includes, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Joe Dante, Stephanie Rothman, and James Cameron. At the time of his death, Corman had a producer credit on an astonishing 495 films.
Martin Mull
Martin Mull, the comedian and actor known for his roles in Clue (pictured above), Roseanne, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Arrested Development, among many others, passed away on June 27 at the age of 80 after an undisclosed illness. Mull originally gained notoriety for his performances on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and its spinoffs, Fernwood 2 Night and America 2 Night. In 1985, he co-wrote and starred in the mockumentary The History of White People in America alongside frequent collaborator Fred Willard. Some of Mull’s most memorable roles include Colonel Mustard in the 1985 cult comedy Clue, Gene Parmesan on Arrested Development, Russell on Two and a Half Men, and he voiced the main villain Vlad Plasmius on the animated series Danny Phantom. Mull, notably earned an Emmy nomination in 2016 for his work on Veep playing Bob “The Eagle” Bradley. Other onscreen credits include The Ellen Show, Dads, Life in Pieces, Serial, FM, Mr. Mom, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Jingle All the Way.
Anouk Aimee
Anouk Aimee, France’s leading lady who worked with auteurs the likes of Frederico Fellini, Sidney Lumet, Jacques Demy, and Bernardo Bertolucci, passed away on June 18 at the age of 92. The Oscar-nominated actress may be best known for her role in Claude Lelouch’s beloved 1966 romance, A Man and a Woman, where she starred opposite Jean-Louis Trintignant. Following its release, Aimee achieved international acclaim, which included winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Overall, the film won the Palme d’Or at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, a Golden Globe, and two Academy Awards. Aimee’s other notable performances include one of my personal favorites Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, Bertolucci’s Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man, Lumet’s The Appointment, Robert Altman’s Pret-a-Porter, and Agnes Varda’s A Hundred and One Nights.
Robert Towne
Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of the neo-noir classic Chinatown, passed away on July 1 at the age of 89. The prolific screenwriter, Towne was best known for his mid-70s stretch of hits that included Chinatown, Shampoo, and The Last Detail. Widely known as a script doctor, he was also called upon to fix scripts or add scenes to movies such as The Godfather and Bonnie Clyde. His other titles included Days of Thunder, The Firm, the first two entries in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Tequila Sunrise, and Ask the Dust. Busy even in his later years, he also served as a consulting producer on Mad Men.
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers, the former pro football player turned actor best known for his work in the Rocky movies, passed away on February 1 at the age of 76. After an NFL career with the Oakland Raiders, Weathers rose to prominence portraying rival boxer Apollo Creed in Rocky, serving as the antagonist in the original 1976 film and the 1979 sequel Rocky II before becoming a friend and ally to Sylvester Stallone’s titular character in Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985). His numerous other film appearances include Predator, Happy Gilmore, Semi-Tough, Action Jackson, and voice work in Toy Story 4.
Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland, the venerated actor whose career spanned seven decades, passed away at the age of 88 earlier this year. Sutherland’s career started with small, unnamed roles in British television before landing small parts in low-budget horror films, that included 1964’s Castle of the Living Dead and 1965’s Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. His breakout role came in the way of Robert Aldritch’s The Dirty Dozen, going on to achieve further success as Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman’s 1970 war comedy, M*A*S*H. He continued a career that included star turns in such hits as Don’t Look Now, Kelly’s Heroes, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, JFK, Six Degrees of Separation, The Italian Job, Horrible Bosses, and Pride and Prejudice. He is also noted for playing the Hunger Games series antagonist President Coriolanus Snow across the franchise’s original four movies. Sutherland earned both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role in the detective drama, Citizen X, and an additional Golden Globe for the HBO series, Path to War.
Ken Page
Ken Page, the veteran Broadway actor who starred in Cats, The Wiz, and Ain’t Misbehavin’, and also contributed his instantly recognizable voice to The Nightmare Before Christmas, passed away on September 30 at the age of 70. Page began his pursuit of the arts as an elementary school student, and went on to attend Fontbonne College on a full scholarship, where he majored in theater. While attending Fontbonne, Page landed his first paid gig as an ensemble member of the St. Louis Municipal Opera (The Muny). Relocating to New York in 1974, two years later he made his Broadway debut in an all-Black revival of Guys and Dolls. The following year he would understudy and eventually portray the role of the Cowardly Lion in the original Broadway production of The Wiz. His success would continue in 1978, when Page was featured as an original cast member in the Fats Waller musical Ain’t Misbehavin’. He was awarded the Drama Desk Award for his performance in the cabaret-style show and would reprise his role for an NBC television special and the 1988 revival. He then originated the role of Old Deuteronomy in the first Broadway production of Cats. Over the years, Page also accrued several onscreen credits, most notably among them was voicing Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas, the cult classic stop-motion Disney film from Tim Burton and director Henry Selick. Busy all the way to the end, Page returned to The Muny for the 2024 productions of Les Miserables and Waitress.
Bill Cobbs
Bill Cobbs, the prolific character actor who made appearances in the films Night at the Museum (pictured above) and Demolition Man, as well as the television series The Sopranos, passed away on June 25, at the age of 90. The former military veteran spent a half-century in Hollywood and earned a Daytime Emmy for his work as Mr. Hendrickson on Dino Dana, a Canadian educational show for children.
M. Emmet Walsh
M. Emmet Walsh, the actor best known for his portrayal of private detective Loren Visser in Blood Simple, passed away March 19 of cardiac arrest at the age of 88. Recognizable for his wry delivery and gruff persona, the beloved character actor with over five decades in the industry under his belt, Walsh appeared in 119 feature films and accrued over 250 television production credits. Making his screen debut in 1969, his breakthrough came several years later with 1977’s Slap Shot. Recent film roles include a security guard in Knives Out and as Granddaddy Roy Gemstone on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones. Other memorable credits include Critters, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, the Julia Roberts-led My Best Friend’s Wedding, and the 1979 comedy, The Jerk. However, he was best known for his role in the Coen Brothers’ debut Blood Simple, in which he plays a crooked private detective who kills his client and then frames the client’s cheating wife for murder.
Glynis Johns
Glynis Johns, the actress who played the dedicated suffragette mother Winifred Banks in the original Mary Poppins, passed away on January 4 at the age of 100. The British actress was recruited by legendary Walt Disney himself for the beloved 1964 musical starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in which Johns’ character begins the film with a rousing performance of “Sister Suffragette.” Johns career was highlighted by earning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Sundowners and winning a Tony Award for the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, in which she sang “Send in the Clowns.”
Jim Abrahams
Jim Abrahams, the writer-director known for the influential comedies Airplane!, Police Squad!, and The Naked Gun, films he produced and directed along with brothers Jerry and David Zucker, passed away November 26 at the age of 80. Known together as ZAZ, Abrahams and the Zucker brothers, made their big screen debut by penning the script for 1977’s The Kentucky Fried Movie, the John Landis-directed sketch comedy film. The trio of childhood friends from Wisconsin would next team up for Airplane!, a disaster comedy that they wrote and directed together, showcasing their penchant for zany parody. From there, they created the 1982 television series Police Squad!. Though the series only aired six episodes before being cancelled, the series received high critical acclaim and earned two Emmy nominations. They continued their partnership with the films Top Secret and Ruthless People before their short-lived show was revived in the form of 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad. Outside of the partnership, Abrahams directed the Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin comedy, Big Business and the Winona Ryder-led Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael before he created another spoof franchise with 1991’s Hot Shots! and it’s 1993 sequel, both of which starred Charlie Sheen. He also went on to helm the spoof film Jane Austen’s Mafia, and co-wrote 2006’s Scary Movie 4.
Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis, the actor and comedian widely hailed for his neurotic humor, his distinctive delivery, and his long-running role as a fictionalized version of himself on the television series Curb Your Enthusiasm, passed away February 27 at the age of 76 after suffering a heart attack. Lewis first rose to prominence with his stand-up work in the ‘70s and ‘80s, becoming a regular fixture on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. He worked on Curb Your Enthusiasm with his longtime friend Larry David from the show’s first episode in 2000, meanwhile his numerous screen credits included one of my favorites, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Leaving Las Vegas, 7th Heaven, Two and a Half Men, The Simpsons, Alias, Everybody Hates Chris, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bojack Horseman, She’s Funny That Way, and Sandy Wexler.
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty, the actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of Weir family patriarch on Freaks and Geeks, after serving several years as a writer/performer of SCTV, passed away April 1 at the age of 82 following a brief illness. Flaherty began his career at the legendary Second City comedy troupe in Chicago. After a year appearing on the National Lampoon Radio Hour, he relocated to Toronto where he starred on the hit Canadian sketch comedy show, SCTV, as one of its original writer/performers. The list of fellow comic performers of the sketch comedy show also included Eugene Levy, John Candy, Dave Thomas, Catherine O’Hara, Rick Moranis, and many more. Flaherty went on to appear in several television series, including one of his most memorable roles as the embarrassing, yet well-intentioned Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks. He is also noted for his brief but memorable appearances in several hit films, including Happy Gilmore (pictured above) and Back to the Future Part II.
Louis Gossett Jr.
Louis Gossett Jr., the prolific character actor best known for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman (pictured above) and the original Roots miniseries, passed away March 29 at the age of 87. Gossett’s career began on the stage, where he appeared in the original Broadway run of A Raisin in the Sun alongside Sidney Poitier; he then made his film debut in the 1961 movie adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play. His screen breakthrough came with his portrayal of the character Fiddler in Roots, which earned him an Emmy Award. A few years later, Gossett won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman, notably becoming the first black actor to win a supporting Oscar and only the second to win an acting Oscar at all, following his old cast mate Poitier.
Jon Landau
Jon Landau, the Golden Globe and Oscar-winning producer who notably worked closely with director James Cameron on Titanic and his Avatar films, passed away on July 5 in Los Angeles at the age of 63. Born into the industry to producer parents, Landau studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles and later worked as a production manager on such titles as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Dick Tracy. At the age of 29, he became the executive vice president of feature film production at 20th Century Fox, where he oversaw films that included the likes of Home Alone, Die Hard 2, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Last of the Mohicans, and Speed. Famously, his collaborations with Cameron would result in three of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Titanic, which won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, became the first movie to gross more than $1 billion globally following its 1997 release. Eventually the film would earn a record $1.84 billion, and the next film they made together, Cameron’s science-fiction epic Avatar would surpass that number. Then the 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, raked in $2.32 billion worldwide and became the third-highest-grossing film of all time. Landau was also the chief operating officer of Cameron’s production studio, Lightstorm Entertainment, and was the driving force behind Disney World’s Avatar attraction. In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Cameron paid tribute to his friend with this statement: “A great producer and a great human being has left us. Jon Landau believed in the dream of cinema. He believed that film is the ultimate human art form, and to make films you have to first be human yourself. He will be remembered as much for his vast generosity of spirit as for the movies themselves.”
Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson, the legendary country singer-songwriter and acclaimed actor, passed away on September 28 at the age of 88. With a career in music and film spanning over half a century, Kristofferson released 18 studio albums and appeared in dozens of theatrical and television movies between the 1970s and the 2010s. Nominated for 13 competitive Grammys, he won three, and was also nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe. With a gravelly voice and complex, poetic lyricism that made him a favorite among his contemporaries, Kristofferson took the ‘70s by storm, releasing several albums that decade. He then spent the later part of that decade launching his acting career. He displayed a unique balance of ruggedness and sensitivity that made him a beloved figure in both leading and supporting roles. Kristofferson, the actor, is best known for his role in 1976’s second remake of A Star Is Born, starring Barbra Streisand. The movie was the second highest-grossing film of the year behind Rocky, and netted Kristofferson a Golden Globe for Best Actor. The film’s soundtrack was also an enormous success, as it sold nearly 15 million copies worldwide and won an Oscar and a Grammy.
John Amos
John Amos, the actor who cemented himself as one of America’s most beloved sitcom dads in the television series Good Times, and then went on to play the pivotal role of adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries Roots, passed away August 21 at the age of 84. Amos’ acting career skyrocketed when he landed the role of weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. From there, his comedic talents were showcased in CBS’ Good Times, a spin-off of Maude and All in the Family. Making history, the Norman Lear program was the first television show to follow an African American, two-parent household. Amos’ portrayal of James Evans Sr., a hardworking and devoted father figure, charmed many American viewers for three seasons before being killed off in the season four premiere. Amos next landed a role in the 1977 miniseries Roots, which became a national sensation and earned 37 Emmy nominations. Amos remained a television staple throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, working steadily as a guest star and in recurring roles on Hunter, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and In the House. He also gained acclaim for his role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing. Certainly known for his television roles, Amos’ film resume included Coming to America, The World’s Greatest Athlete, The Beastmaster, Die Hard 2, For Better or Worse, The Players Club, and Because of Charley.
John Ashton
John Ashton, the actor who starred as Sgt. John Taggart in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, passed away peacefully on September 26 at the age of 76. Ashton was a prolific actor with over 200 credits in film and television over his career. Earlier gigs included roles in the 1973 horror film An Eye for an Eye, the Oscar-winning comedy Breaking Away, and the sixth entry in the King Kong franchise, 1986’s King Kong Lives. However, it is the portrayal of Sgt. Taggart, the gruff, by-the-books police officer paired with Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley in 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, it’s 1987 sequel, Beverly Hills Cop II, and 2024’s Netflix-produced follow-up, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, that serves as the role Ashton is most recognizable for. Ashton also appeared in two John Hughes films, the first as the father of Eric Stoltz’ Keith Nelson in the 1987 comedy Some Kind of Wonderful, followed by the writer-director’s 1988 romantic comedy, She’s Having a Baby. Ashton’s additional credits include starring opposite Robert De Niro in Midnight Run, Little Big League with Luke Edwards, and a role in 2007’s Ben Affleck-directed drama, Gone Baby Gone. Meanwhile, on the small screen, Ashton made appearances in episodes of Columbo, M*A*S*H, Mr. Sunshine, The A-Team, JAG, Fairly Legal, and The Finder. He also headlined the short-lived NBC drama Hardball alongside Richard Tyson.
David Soul
David Soul, the actor who helped popularize one of the most iconic television series of the 1970’s in Starsky & Hutch passed away on January 4 at the age of 80. From 1975 to 1979, Soul starred as Kenneth Richard “Hutch“ Hutchison opposite Paul Michael Glaser’s David Michael Starsky in Starsky & Hutch. Combined with his acting career, Soul also released five albums and a series of successful singles, including the 1976 rock hit “Don’t Give Up on Us,” which reached number one in the U.S.
Albert S. Ruddy
Albert S. Ruddy, the best picture award winning producer of 1973’s The Godfather and 2005’s Million Dollar Baby, passed away May 25 at the age of 94. Before the two-time Oscar winner made his successful jump into film, the producer co-created the 1960’s sitcom Hogan’s Heroes. Ruddy’s additional credits include The Cannonball Run, The Longest Yard, and Ladybugs.
As an act of paying tribute to the entertainers who made an impact on me over the years, this is to serve as a fond remembrance. I am certain that I will have missed someone that you would like to remember. If so, feel free to drop a line in the comments below.
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