Their Stars Shone Brightly

By Larry O. Goldbeck, MD

The passage of time inevitably causes outstanding achievements and important names to be obscured or lost. However, this does not reduce their inherent value.

Over the course of many decades, the author has derived countless hours of entertainment and education through the four major American entertainment media: radio, theater, movies, and television. He feels indebted to the exceptionally talented performers of the twentieth century who have now passed into history. Recently, the author has attempted to locate a book describing all four of the entertainment media and its great performers, but none is to be found. Many books are available about only one or two media.

The author hopes that this book will spark the readers interest in the great stars of the past and propagate this forward, particularly to the younger generation. All the data in this book is publicly available piecemeal, but this book consolidates and makes it more pleasurable and easier for the reader to acquire the fun and sometimes trivial information.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524532147

Larry O. Goldbeck, MD

Larry O. Goldbeck, MD, is a semiretired physician who currently practices emergency medicine. His specialty is anesthesiology, for which he is board certified. He attended Baylor University, where he was a varsity tennis player. After graduating with a degree in chemistry, he entered Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. His postgraduate specialty training was at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. During the Vietnam conflict, Dr. Goldbeck served in the US Air Force for six years. He was stationed for almost four years at USAF Hospital, Tachikawa, Japan, serving as the director of anesthesiology and Fifth Air Force consultant. Following his discharge, he was in private practice with groups in San Francisco and Indiana before settling in Vallejo, California. He joined the naval reserve and was recalled for Desert Storm in 1991. He retired as a navy captain in 1992. Dr. Goldbeck has been married to Nancy (née Reed) for sixty-one years. They are blessed with Carol and Glenn, their children, and four wonderful grandchildren. When not working, Dr. Goldbeck stays very busy with reading, writing, attending Mensa functions, tennis, golf, travel, and family activities. When he is asked what is next, he says, “My bucket list is still quite long.”

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Larry O. Goldbeck, MD.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016912854

ISBN:   Hardcover       978-1-5245-3216-1

             Softcover         978-1-5245-3215-4

             eBook              978-1-5245-3214-7

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without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 08/12/2016

Xlibris

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Contents

Foreword

Chapter One Eleven Hundred Outstanding Deceased Entertainment Personalities Of The Twentieth Century: Radio, Stage, Movies And Tv

Chapter Two Show Biz Can Be A Family Affair

Chapter Three The Academy Awards (Oscars)

Chapter Four The Tony Awards

Chapter Five Celebrities Born In 1925

Chapter Six Births In New York City And Midwestern States

Chapter Seven Original Names Of Celebrities

Chapter Eight Famous People Who Lived Past Eighty-Eight Years

1.   Dance Celebrities

2.   Opera Singers

3.   Composers Of Music

4.   Artists, Sculptors, And Photographers

5.   Business Leaders And Philanthropists

6.   Religious Figures And Philosophers

7.   Scientists

8.   Sports Figures

9.   Military Leaders

10.   Social Activists, Reformers, And Humanitarians

Chapter Nine Famous People Who Did Not Live Past Forty

Chapter Ten Disproportionately Large Number Of Jewish Performers

Chapter Eleven The Big Sleep!

Chapter Twelve Celebrities Who Died In Airplane Accidents

Chapter Thirteen America’s Celebrity Wwii Heroes

References And Picture Credits

To the memory of my mother, who took me to many, many movies during my childhood years. Also, to my aspiring and talented granddaughter Callie Heyer, recent graduate of the University of California, Davis, in film and drama.

FOREWORD

The passage of time inevitably causes outstanding achievements and important names to be obscured or lost. However, this does not reduce their inherent value.

Over the course of many decades, the author has derived countless hours of entertainment and education through the four major American entertainment media: radio, theater, movies, and television. He feels indebted to the exceptionally talented performers of the twentieth century who have now passed into history. Recently, the author has attempted to locate a book describing all four of the entertainment media and its great performers, but none is to be found. Many books are available about only one or two media.

The author hopes that this book will spark the reader’s interest in the great stars of the past and propagate this forward, particularly to the younger generation. All the data in this book is publicly available piecemeal, but this book consolidates and makes it more pleasurable and easier for the reader to acquire the fun and sometimes trivial information.

CHAPTER ONE

Eleven Hundred Outstanding Deceased Entertainment Personalities of the Twentieth Century: Radio, Stage, Movies and TV

*Biographical sketch included

A

Abbott, Bud

Acuff, Roy

Agar, John

Aherne, Brian

Albert, Eddie

Albertson, Jack

Albright, Lola

Alda, Robert

Allbritton, Louise

Allen, Fred

Allen, Gracie

Allen, Steve*

Allyson, June

Ameche, Don*

Ames, Leon

Amsterdam, Morey

Anderson, Eddie (Rochester)

Anderson, Judith

Anderson, Marian

Andrews, Dana

Andrews Sisters: Patty, LaVerne, Maxene

Arbuckle, Roscoe (Fatty)

Arden, Eve

Arlen, Richard

Armstrong, Louis

Arnaz, Desi

Arness, James*

Arnold, Eddy

Arnold, Edward*

Arthur, Bea

Arthur, Jean

Astaire, Fred*

Astor, Mary

Atkins, Chet

Attenborough, Richard

Auer, Mischa

Aumont, Jean-Pierre

Autry, Gene

Ayres, Lew

B

Babbitt, Harry

Bacall, Lauren

Backus, Jim

Bailey, Jack

Bailey, Pearl

Bainter, Fay

Baker, Kenny

Ball, Lucille*

Balsam, Martin

Bancroft, Anne

Bankhead, Tallulah

Bari, Lynn

Barker, Lex

Barnes, Binnie

Barrymore, Diana

Barrymore, Ethel*

Barry, Gene

Barrymore, John

Barrymore, Lionel

Barthelmess, Richard

Bartholomew, Freddie

Basehart, Richard

Basie, Count

Bates, Florence

Bavier, Frances

Baxter, Anne

Baxter, Warner

Beaumont, Hugh

Beavers, Louise

Becket, Scotty

Beery, Noah, Jr.

Beery, Noah, Sr.

Beery, Wallace

Begley, Ed

Bel Geddes, Barbara

Bellamy, Ralph

Belushi, John

Benchley, Robert

Bendix, William

Bennett, Constance

Bennett, Joan

Benny, Jack*

Bergan, Edgar

Bergman, Ingrid*

Bergman, Ingmar

Berle, Milton*

Bernardi, Herschel

Bernie, Ben

Bernstein, Leonard

Betz, Carl

Bickford, Charles

Bikel, Theodore

Billingsley, Barbara

Bishop, Joey

Bixby, Bill

Black, Karen

Blackmer, Sidney

Blaine, Vivian

Blake, Amanda

Blake, Eubie

Blanc, Mel

Blocker, Dan

Blondell, Joan

Bogart, Humphrey*

Boles, John

Bolger, Ray

Bond, Ward

Bondi, Beulah

Bono, Sonny

Boone, Richard

Booth, Shirley

Borge, Victor

Borgnine, Ernest

Bosley, Tom

Bowman, Lee

Boyd, Stephen

Boyd, William

Boyer, Charles

Boyle, Peter

Bracken, Eddie

Brady, Scott

Brando, Marlon*

Brazzi, Rossano

Brel, Jacques

Brennan, Walter

Brent, George

Brewer, Teresa

Brice, Fanny

Bridges, Lloyd

Bronson, Charles

Brooks, Foster

Brothers, Joyce

Brown, James

Brown, Joe E.

Bruce, Lenny

Bruce, Nigel

Bruce, Virginia

Brynner, Yul

Buchanan, Edgar

Buchanan, Jack

Buchholz, Horst

Buckley, William

Burke, Billie

Burnette, Smiley

Burns, Bob

Burns, George

Burr, Raymond

Burton, Richard*

Butterworth, Charles

Buttons, Red

Byington, Spring

C

Cabot, Bruce

Cabot, Sebastian

Caesar, Sid

Cagney, James*

Calhern, Louis

Calhoun, Rory

Callas, Maria

Calloway, Cab

Cambridge, Godfrey

Canova, Judy

Cantinflas

Cantor, Eddie*

Capote, Truman

Capucine

Carey, Harry

Carey, Macdonald

Carlin, George

Carlisle, Kitty

Carlson, Richard

Carmichael, Hoagy

Carney, Art

Carpenter, Karen

Carradine, David

Carradine, John

Carrillo, Leo

Carroll, Georgia

Carroll, John

Carroll, Leo G.

Carroll, Madeline

Carson, Jack

Carson, Johnny*

Cash, Johnny

Cass, Peggy

Cassidy, Jack

Cassidy, Ted

Castle, Irene

Castle, Vernon

Cavallaro, Carmen

Chandler, Jeff

Chaney, Lon, Jr.

Chaney, Lon, Sr.*

Chaplin, Charles*

Charisse, Cyd

Charles, Ray

Chase, Barrie

Chevalier, Maurice

Child, Julia

Clark, Dane

Clark, Dick

Clayburgh, Jill

Clift, Montgomery

Cline, Patsy

Clooney, Rosemary

Cobb, Lee J.

Coburn, Charles

Coburn, James

Coca, Imogene

Cochran, Steve

Colbert, Claudette*

Cole, Nat King

Coleman, Gary

Collins, Gary

Colman, Ronald

Colonna, Jerry

Como, Perry*

Connors, Chuck*

Conrad, William

Conried, Hans

Conte, Richard

Contino, Dick

Convy, Bert

Coogan, Jackie

Cook, Elisha, Jr.

Cooke, Alistair

Cooper, Gary*

Cooper, Gladys

Cooper, Jackie

Corey, Wendell

Cornell, Don

Cornell, Katharine

Correll, Charles

Cosell, Howard

Costello, Lou

Cotten, Joseph

Coward, Noël

Cox, Wally

Crabbe, Buster

Crain, Jeanne*

Crane, Bob

Crawford, Broderick

Crawford, Joan*

Crenna, Richard

Crisp, Donald

Cronkite, Walter*

Cronyn, Hume

Crosby, Bing*

Crosby, Bob

Crosby, Gary

Cugat, Xavier

Cullen, Bill

Culp, Robert

Cummings, Robert*

Curtis, Tony

D

Da Silva, Howard

Daly, John

Dailey, Dan

Dandridge, Dorothy

Dangerfield, Rodney

Dantine, Helmut

Darin, Bobby

Darnell, Linda

Darwell, Jane

Davenport, Harry

Davies, Marion

Davis, Ann B.

Davis, Bette*

Davis, Joan

Davis, Ossie

Davis, Sammy, Jr.*

Dawson, Richard

Day, Dennis

Day, Laraine*

De Carlo, Yvonne

De Wolfe, Billy

Dean, James

Dean, Jimmy

DeCamp, Rosemary

Dee, Frances

Dee, Ruby

Dee, Sandra

DeFore, Don

Dehner, John

del Río, Delores

DeLuise, Dom

Demarest, William

Denning, Richard

Dennis, Sandy

Denny, Reginald

Denver, Bob

Denver, John

Derek, John

Devine, Andy

Dewhurst, Colleen

deWilde, Brandon

Dietrich, Marlene

Diller, Phyllis

Dix, Richard

Donahue, Troy

Donat, Robert

Donlevy, Brian

Donnell, Jeff

Doran, Ann

Dors, Diana

Dorsey, Tommy

Doucette, John

Douglas, Melvyn

Douglas, Paul

Downey, Morton, Jr.

Drake, Alfred

Drake, Tom

Drew, Ellen

Dru, Joanne

Duchin, Eddy

Duff, Howard

Dumont, Margaret

Duncan, Michael Clarke

Dunne, Irene

Durante, Jimmy*

Durbin, Deanna

Duryea, Dan

Dvorak, Ann

E

Ebsen, Buddy*

Eckstine, Billy

Eddy, Nelson

Edwards, Ralph

Edwards, Vince

Egan, Richard

Elam, Jack

Ellington, Duke

Elliot, Cass (Mama)

Erickson, Leif

Errol, Leon

Evans, Dale

Evans, Maurice

Everett, Chad

Ewell, Tom

F

Fadiman, Clifton

Fairbanks, Douglas

Fairbanks, Douglas, Jr.

Falk, Peter

Falkenburg, Jinx

Fall, Bernard

Farmer, Frances

Farnsworth, Richard

Farrell, Charles

Fawcett, Farrah

Faye, Alice

Faylen, Frank

Feldman, Marty

Fell, Norman

Ferrer, José

Ferrer, Mel

Fidler, Jimmie

Field, Betty

Fields, Totie

Fields, W. C.*

Finch, Peter

Fisher, Eddie

Fitzgerald, Barry

Fitzgerald, Ella*

Fitzgerald, Geraldine

Flippen, Jay C.

Floren, Myron

Flynn, Errol

Foch, Nina

Foley, Red

Fonda, Henry*

Fontaine, Joan*

Fontaine, Lynn

Fontanne, Margo

Foote, Shelby

Foran, Dick

Ford, Glenn*

Ford, Tennessee Ernie

Forsythe, John

Foster, Preston

Foster, Susanna

Foxx, Redd

Franciosa, Anthony

Francis, Arlene

Francis, Kay

Franciscus, James

Frawley, William

Freeman, Mona

Froman, Jane

Funicello, Annette

Funt, Allen

Furness, Betty

G

Gable, Clark*

Gabor, Eva

Gabor, Magda

Gandolfini, James

Garbo, Greta

Gardiner, Reginald

Gardner, Ava

Garfield, John

Gargan, William

Garland, Beverly

Garland, Judy*

Garner, James*

Garner, Peggy

Garrett, Betty

Garroway, Dave

Garson, Greer

Gassman, Vittorio

Gaynor, Janet

Gazzara, Ben

Geer, Will

Gibb, Andy

Gibb, Maurice

Gibb, Robin

Gibson, George

Gibson, Henry

Gingold, Hermione

Gish, Dorothy

Gish, Lillian*

Gleason, Jackie

Gleason, James

Gobel, George

Goddard, Paulette

Godfrey, Arthur

Goodman, Benny

Goodwin, Bill

Gorcey, Leo

Gordon, Ruth

Gormé, Eydie

Gorshin, Frank

Gosden, Freeman

Goulet, Robert

Gowdy, Curt

Grable, Betty*

Grahame, Gloria

Granger, Farley

Granger, Stewart

Grant, Cary*

Granville, Bonita

Graves, Peter

Grayson, Kathryn

Greene, Lorne

Greene, Richard

Greenstreet, Sydney

Greenwood, Charlotte

Greer, Jane

Grey, Virginia

Griffin, Merv

Griffith, Andy*

Guardino, Harry

Guinness, Alec

Guthrie, Woody

Gwenn, Edmund

Gwynne, Fred

H

Hackett, Buddy

Hagman, Larry

Hale, Alan, Jr.

Hale, Alan, Sr.

Haley, Jack

Hall, Jon

Hamilton, Margaret

Hardwicke, Cedric

Hardy, Oliver

Harlow, Jean

Harris, Julie*

Harris, Phil

Harris, Richard

Harrison, George

Harrison, Rex

Hart, William S.

Harvey, Laurence

Harvey, Paul

Haver, June

Havoc, June

Hawkins, Jack

Hayden, Sterling

Haydn, Richard

Hayes, George (Gabby)

Hayes, Helen*

Haymes, Dick

Hayward, Louis

Hayward, Susan

Hayworth, Rita

Heatter, Gabriel

Heflin, Van

Heidt, Horace

Henie, Sonja

Henreid, Paul

Hepburn, Audrey*

Hepburn, Katharine*

Hersholt, Jean

Heston, Charlton*

Hildegarde

Hill, Arthur

Hill, Benny

Hitchcock, Alfred

Hodiak, John

Hoffman, Philip Seymour

Holden, Fay

Holden, William*

Holiday, Billie

Holliday, Judy

Holly, Buddy

Holm, Celeste

Holt, Jack

Holt, Tim

Hope, Bob*

Hopkins, Miriam

Hopper, Hedda

Hopper, William

Horne, Lena*

Horton, Edward Everett

Houseman, John

Houston, Whitney

Howard, John

Howard, Leslie

Howard, Trevor

Hudson, Rock

Hull, Henry

Hunter, Jeffrey

Hunter, Kim

Husing, Ted

Hussey, Ruth

Huston, John

Huston, Walter

Hutton, Betty

Hutton, Jim

Hutton, Robert

Hyer, Martha

I

Ireland, Jill

Ireland, John

Irwin, Steve

Iturbi, José

Ives, Burl

J

Jackson, Gordon

Jackson, Michael

Jaeckel, Richard

Jaffe, Sam

Jagger, Dean

James, Brion

Janssen, David

Jeffries, Lionel

Jenkins, Allen

Jenkins, Peter

Jessel, George

Johnson, Ben

Johnson, Van

Johnston, Jay

Jolson, Al

Jones, Allan

Jones, Buck

Jones, Carolyn

Jones, Jennifer

Joplin, Janis

Jordan, Jim

Jordan, Miriam

Jory, Victor

Joslyn, Allyn

Juliá, Raúl

Jurado, Katy

Jürgens, Curd

K

Kahn, Madeline

Kaltenborn, H. V.

Karloff, Boris*

Kasem, Casey

Kaufman, Andy

Kaye, Danny

Keaton, Buster

Keel, Howard

Keeler, Ruby

Keeshan, Bob (Captain Kangaroo)

Keith, Brian

Keith, Robert

Kellaway, Cecil

Kelly, Emmett

Kelly, Gene*

Kelly, Grace

Kelly, Jack

Kelly, Nancy

Kelly, Patsy

Kelly, Paul

Kennedy, Arthur

Kennedy, Edgar

Kerr, Deborah

Kerr, John

Keyes, Evelyn

Khaury, Herbert (Tiny Tim)

Kibbee, Guy

Kilbride, Percy

Kiley, Richard

Kilgallen, Dorothy

King, Charles

King, Wayne

Kinski, Klaus

Klein, Evelyn Kaye

Klemperer, Werner

Klugman, Jack

Knight, Ted

Knotts, Don

Knox, Alexander

Korman, Harvey

Kovacs, Ernie

Kruger, Otto

Kulp, Nancy

Kyser, Kay

L

La Rosa, Julius

Ladd, Alan

Lahr, Bert

Laine, Frankie

Lake, Arthur

Lake, Veronica

Lamarr, Hedy

Lamas, Fernando

Lamour, Dorothy

Lancaster, Burt*

Lanchester, Elsa

Landis, Carole

Landon, Michael

Lane, Allan

Lane, Charles

Lane, Lola

Lane, Priscilla

Lane, Rosemary

Lange, Hope

Langford, Frances

Lanza, Mario

Laughton, Charles*

Laurel, Stan

Lawford, Peter

Learned, Michael

Lee, Bruce

Lee, Dixie

Lee, Johnny

Lee, Peggy

Leigh, Janet

Leigh, Vivien

Lemmon, Jack*

Lennon, John

Leonard, Sheldon

Levant, Oscar

Lewis, Shari

Lewis, Ted

Liberace

Lindfors, Viveca

Linkletter, Art

Livingstone, Mary

Lloyd, Harold, Jr.

Lloyd, Harold, Sr.

Lockhart, Gene

Loder, John

Lombard, Carole

Lombardo, Guy

London, Julie

Long, Richard

Lord, Jack

Lorre, Peter

Louise, Anita

Lovejoy, Frank

Lowe, Edmund

Loy, Myrna

Ludden, Allen

Lugosi, Bela

Lukas, Paul

Lund, John

Lunt, Alfred

Lupino, Ida

Lynde, Paul

Lynn, Diana

M

Mac, Bernie

MacArthur, James

MacDonald, Jeanette

MacMurray, Fred

MacRae, Gordon

Mack, Ted

Madison, Guy

Magnani, Anna

Magnante, Charles

Main, Marjorie

Malden, Karl

Mancini, Henry

Mangano, Silvana

Mansfield, Jayne

Marceau, Marcel

March, Fredric

March, Hal

Marchand, Nancy

Marlowe, Hugh

Marshall, E. G.

Marshall, Herbert

Martin, Dean*

Martin, Mary

Martin, Tony

Marvin, Lee

Marx, Groucho*

Mason, James

Massey, Ilona

Massey, Raymond*

Mastroianni, Marcello

Matthau, Walter

Mature, Victor

Maxwell, Marilyn

Maynard, Ken

Mayo, Virginia

McCallister, Lon

McCambridge, Mercedes

McClure, Doug

McCrea, Jody

McCrea, Joel

McDaniel, Hattie

McDonald, Marie

McDowall, Roddy

McFarland, George (Spanky)

McGavin, Darren

McGiver, John

McGuire, Dorothy

McHugh, Frank

McLaglen, Victor

McNally, Stephen

McNeill, Don

McQueen, Butterfly

McQueen, Steve*

Meadows, Audrey

Medford, Kay

Meek, Donald

Meeker, Ralph

Melchior, Lauritz

Menjou, Adolphe

Mercouri, Melina

Meredith, Burgess*

Merkel, Una

Merman, Ethel*

Merrill, Gary

Merrill, Robert

Mifune, Toshiro

Milland, Ray

Miller, Ann

Miller, Glenn

Miller, Mitch

Mills, John

Mineo, Sal

Miranda, Carmen

Mitchell, Cameron

Mitchell, Thomas

Mitchum, Robert*

Mix, Tom

Monroe, Marilyn*

Monroe, Vaughn

Montalbán, Ricardo

Montand, Yves

Montez, Maria

Montgomery, Elizabeth

Montgomery, George

Montgomery, Robert

Moore, Clayton

Moore, Dudley

Moore, Grace

Moore, King

Moore, Victor

Moorehead, Agnes*

Morgan, Dennis

Morgan, Frank

Morgan, Harry (Henry)

Morgan, Helen

Morgan, Ralph

Morita, Pat

Morley, Robert

Morris, Chester

Morris, Greg

Morris, Wayne

Morrow, Vic

Mostel, Zero

Mowbray, Alan

Muni, Paul

Murphy, Audie

Murphy, George

Murray, Arthur

Myerson, Bess

N

Nagel, Anne

Nagel, Conrad

Naish, J. Carrol

Napier, Charles

Neal, Patricia

Nelson, Gene

Nelson, Harriet

Nelson, Ozzie

Nelson, Rick

Newley, Anthony

Newman, Paul*

Newton, Robert

Nielsen, Leslie

Niven, David

Noble, Ray

Nolan, Lloyd

Noonan, Tommy

Novarro, Ramon

Nureyev, Rudolf

O

Oakie, Jack

Oberon, Merle

O’Brien, Edmond

O’Brien, Pat

O’Brien, Virginia

O’Connell, Arthur

O’Connell, Helen

O’Connor, Carroll*

O’Connor, Donald

O’Herlihy, Dan

O’Keefe, Dennis

Oland, Warner

Oliver, Edna May

Olivier, Laurence*

O’Neal, Patrick

Orbach, Jerry

O’Shea, Michael

O’Sullivan, Maureen

O’Toole, Peter

Ouspenskaya, Maria

Owen, Reginald

P

Paar, Jack

Page, Geraldine

Palance, Jack

Palmer, Lilli

Parker, Eleanor

Parker, Fess

Parks, Bert

Parks, Larry

Parsons, Louella

Patrick, Gail

Patrick, Lee

Pavarotti, Luciano

Payne, John*

Pearl, Minnie

Peary, Harold

Peck, Gregory*

Peerce, Jan

Penner, Joe

Peppard, George

Perkins, Tony

Peters, Jean

Phoenix, River

Pickford, Mary

Pidgeon, Walter

Pinza, Ezio

Pitts, ZaSu

Pleasence, Donald

Pleshette, Suzanne

Plimpton, George

Plimpton, Martha

Ponti, Carlo

Poston, Tom

Powell, Dick

Powell, Eleanor

Powell, William

Power, Tyrone

Presley, Elvis*

Preston, Robert

Price, Vincent

Prima, Louis

Prowse, Juliet

Pryor, Richard

Purdom, Edmund

Q

Quayle, Anthony

Quinn, Anthony

Quintanilla, Selena

R

Radner, Gilda

Raft, George

Raines, Ella

Rains, Claude

Raitt, John

Randall, Tony

Rathbone, Basil

Rawls, Lou

Ray, Aldo

Ray, Johnnie

Rayburn, Gene

Raye, Martha

Raymond, Gene

Reagan, Ronald

Redgrave, Lynn*

Redgrave, Michael

Reed, Donna

Reed, Oliver

Reed, Robert

Reeve, Christopher

Reeves, George

Reilly, Charles Nelson

Remick, Lee

Rennie, Michael

Reynolds, Marjorie

Richardson, Ralph

Ritchard, Cyril

Ritter, John

Ritter, Tex

Ritter, Thelma

Rivers, Joan

Robards, Jason, Jr.

Robertson, Cliff

Robertson, Dale

Robeson, Paul

Robinson, Bill

Robinson, Edward G.*

Robson, May

Rockwell, Robert

Rogers, Ginger*

Rogers, Roy

Rogers, Will

Roland, Gilbert

Roman, Ruth

Romero, Cesar

Rooney, Andy

Rooney, Mickey*

Ross, Lanny

Ross, Marion

Rowan, Dan

Ruggles, Charles

Russell, Gail

Russell, Jane

Russell, Rosalind

Russert, Tim

Rutherford, Ann

Ryan, Robert

Ryan, Peggy

S

Saint, Eva Marie

Sakall, S. Z. (Cuddles)

Sales, Soupy

Sanders, George

Sargent, Dick

Savalas, Telly

Scheider, Roy

Schell, Maria

Schell, Maximilian

Schneider, Romy

Scofield, Paul

Scott, George C.

Scott, Martha

Scott, Randolph

Scott, Zachary

Seberg, Jean

Sellers, Peter

Serling, Rod

Sevareid, Eric

Shaw, Artie

Shaw, Robert

Shearer, Norma

Shearing, George

Sheen, Bishop Fulton

Sheldon, Sidney

Sheridan, Ann

Shields, Arthur

Shore, Dinah*

Sidney, Sylvia

Signoret, Simone

Sills, Beverly

Silverheels, Jay (Tonto)

Silvers, Phil

Simmons, Jean

Simms, Ginny

Sinatra, Frank*

Singleton, Penny

Skelton, Red

Slezak, Walter

Sloane, Everett

Smith, Alexis

Smith, Kate

Sothern, Ann

Spitalny, Phil

St. John, Al (Fuzzy)

Stack, Robert

Stanwyck, Barbara*

Stapleton, Jean*

Stapleton, Maureen

Steiger, Rod

Stephens, Robert

Sterling, Jan

Stevens, Craig

Stevens, Inger

Stewart, James*

Stone, Ezra

Stone, Lewis

Stone, Milburn

Storm, Gale

Strasberg, Lee

Strasberg, Susan

Strauss, Robert

Stritch, Elaine

Sullavan, Margaret

Sullivan, Barry

Sullivan, Ed

Summerall, Pat

Swanson, Gloria

Swayze, Patrick

Switzer, Carl (Alfalfa)

T

Talbot, Lyle

Tamiroff, Akim

Tandy, Jessica

Tate, Sharon

Taylor, Don

Taylor, Elizabeth*

Taylor, Robert

Tebaldi, Renata

Temple, Shirley

Templeton, Alec

Terry-Thomas

Thaxter, Phyllis

Thomas, Danny*

Thomas, Lowell

Thompson, Marshall

Tierney, Gene

Tilton, Martha

Tobias, George

Todd, Michael

Todd, Richard

Tone, Franchot

Totter, Audrey

Tracy, Spencer*

Travers, Henry

Treacher, Arthur

Trevor, Claire

Tubb, Ernest

Tucker, Forrest

Tucker, Orrin

Tucker, Richard

Tucker, Sophie

Tufts, Sonny

Turner, Lana*

Turpin, Ben

U

Urich, Robert

Ustinov, Peter

V

Vadim, Roger

Valentino, Rudolph

Vallée, Rudy

Van, Bobby

Van Cleef, Lee

Van Fleet, Jo

Vance, Vivian

Varney, Jim

Vaughan, Sarah

Veidt, Conrad

Vélez, Lupe

Vera-Ellen

Verdon, Gwen

Vernon, John

Vickers, Martha

Vidal, Gore

Villechaize, Hervé (Tattoo)

von Stroheim, Erich

von Sydow, Max

von Zell, Harry

W

Wade, Ernestine

Waggoner, Lyle

Waite, Ralph

Walker, Nancy

Walker, Robert

Wallace, Mike

Wallach, Eli

Walsh, J. T.

Walston, Ray

Warden, Jack

Waring, Fred

Warner, H. B.

Warner, Jack

Warrick, Ruth

Waters, Ethel

Wayne, David

Wayne, John*

Webb, Clifton

Webb, Jack

Webber, Robert

Weissmuller, Johnny

Welk, Lawrence*

Welles, Orson*

Wences, Señor

West, Mae*

Weston, Jack

Whiteman, Paul

Whitmore, James

Widmark, Richard

Wilcox, Harlow

Wilde, Cornel

Wilding, Michael

Will, Chill

Wills, Bob

Williams, Andy*

Williams, Bill

Williams, Esther

Williams, Hank

Williams, Robin

Williams, Spencer

Wilson, Don

Wilson, Dooley

Wilson, Flip

Winchell, Walter

Windom, William

Windsor, Marie

Winninger, Charles

Winters, Jonathan

Winters, Shelley

Wood, Natalie

Woods, Donald

Woolley, Monty

Wray, Fay

Wright, Teresa

Wyatt, Jane

Wyman, Jane

Wynn, Ed

Wynn, Keenan

Wynter, Dana

Y

Young, Alan

Young, Gig

Young, Loretta

Young, Robert

Young, Roland

Youngman, Henny

Z

Zimbalist, Efrem, Jr.

Alphabetical Listing of the Ninety Subjectively Chosen Celebrities for Brief Biographical Sketches

A

Allen, Steve

Ameche, Don

Arness, James

Arnold, Edward

Astaire, Fred

B

Ball, Lucille

Barrymore, Ethel

Benny, Jack

Bergman, Ingrid

Berle, Milton

Bogart, Humphrey

Brando, Marlon

Burton, Richard

C

Cagney, James

Cantor, Eddie

Carson, Johnny

Chaney, Lon, Sr.

Chaplin, Charles

Colbert, Claudette

Como, Perry

Connors, Chuck

Cooper, Gary

Crain, Jeanne

Crawford, Joan

Cronkite, Walter

Crosby, Bing

Cummings, Robert

D

Davis, Bette

Davis, Sammy, Jr.

Day, Laraine

Durante, Jimmy

E

Ebsen, Buddy

F

Fields, W. C.

Fitzgerald, Ella

Fonda, Henry

Fontaine, Joan

Ford, Glenn

G

Gable, Clark

Garland, Judy

Garner, James

Gish, Lillian

Grable, Betty

Grant, Cary

Griffith, Andy

H

Harris, Julie

Hayes, Helen

Hepburn, Audrey

Hepburn, Katharine

Heston, Charlton

Holden, William

Hope, Bob

Horne, Lena

K

Karloff, Boris

Kelly, Gene

L

Lancaster, Burt

Laughton, Charles

Lemmon, Jack

M

Martin, Dean

Marx, Groucho

Massey, Raymond

McQueen, Steve

Meredith, Burgess

Merman, Ethel

Mitchum, Robert

Monroe, Marilyn

Moorehead, Agnes

N

Newman, Paul

O

O’Connor, Carroll

Olivier, Laurence

P

Payne, John

Peck, Gregory

Presley, Elvis

R

Redgrave, Lynn

Robinson, Edward G.

Rogers, Ginger

Rooney, Mickey

S

Shore, Dinah

Sinatra, Frank

Stanwyck, Barbara

Stapleton, Jean

Stewart, James

T

Taylor, Elizabeth

Thomas, Danny

Tracy, Spencer

Turner, Lana

W

Wayne, John

Welk, Lawrence

Welles, Orson

West, Mae

Williams, Andy

Steve Allen

Stephen Valentine Patrick William Steve Allen was born in New York City on December 26, 1921. His parents were vaudeville comedians (known as Montrose and Allen).

Steve is best known and remembered as an iconic American television personality, but his career in the entertainment world was multifaceted. Without exaggeration, he was the most productive person in the twentieth-century world of the arts, possibly the most productive ever in history. The 1985 edition of the Guinness Book of Records honored him by listing him as the most prolific musical composer of modern times. He actually wrote more than ten thousand songs. Many became popular hits like Impossible, Cool Yule, The Gravy Waltz, Theme from Picnic, and This Could Be the Start of Something Big (which he heard in his head while dreaming). Steve always carried a small tape recorder and immediately used it to record ideas that came to him throughout the day (and night). These thoughts on tape were used for comedy skits, books, and songs. His mind was keen and always in operation.

He wrote and published fifty-four books on a variety of topics, ranging from children’s stories to social issues to religion. Several of his books, in some way, dealt with religion. He was highly critical of organized religion and belonged to humanist and skeptical organizations that challenged traditional concepts. Nine of his books were mystery novels, and two were collections of poems.

For the musical theater, he wrote the score and lyrics for seven shows: The Bachelor, Sophie, Belle Starr, The Alchemist, Seymour Glick Is Alive but Sick (a satire), Alice in Wonderland, and his version of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.

Steve had only three years of piano lessons but was regarded as a first-class jazz pianist. There is an album (Concord), Steve Allen Plays Jazz Tonight, featuring him at the piano.

He started his career as a radio announcer in Phoenix. He dropped out of college (now Arizona University) in Tempe, Arizona, to take the job. After a brief stint in the U.S. Army, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began a radio comedy show called Smile Time. In 1949, he started his TV work as an announcer for wrestling. He was in a movie in 1949 called Down Memory Lane.

The Steve Allen Show began on television in 1950 and lasted two years. For this show, he moved to New York City. He was a regular guest on John Daly’s What’s My Line?, which aired from New York.

In 1954, Steve Allen created The Tonight Show, which is now the longest running TV show. In 1957, he moved on, and Jack Paar continued to host the show until he was replaced by Johnny Carson. Steve started the man on the street interviews for The Tonight Show.

The primetime Sunday-night variety hour The Steve Allen Show was begun in 1956. It ran for four years (pitted against The Ed Sullivan Show). The show’s regulars included Tom Poston, Louis Nye, and Don Knotts, all at that time relatively unknown performers. They would all later go on to stardom. For this show, he had many famous guests. One of them was his friend and future successor (after Paar) Johnny Carson. Allen’s Answer Man routine would later be used by Carson and be known as Carnac the Magnificent. Also, in 1956, Steve Allen starred in the movie The Benny Goodman Story, playing the title role, costarring Donna Reed.

As a comedian, Steve Allen was the master of ad-libs. His razor-sharp, excellent mind enabled him to quickly think of funny things to interject. Once, he said, I laugh when I ad-lib for the same reason that the audience laughs. I’ve never heard that joke before.

Allen hosted a number of television shows from 1960 to 1980, including The New Steve Allen Show, I’ve Got a Secret, The Steve Allen Comedy Hour (which debuted Rob Reiner and Ruth Buzzi), Steve Allen’s Laugh-Back, and the exceptional, well-thought-of PBS show Meeting of Minds, which ran from 1977 to 1981. In 1986, Steve Allen was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Steve was 6'3" and weighed about 200 pounds. He married Dorothy Goodman in 1943, and they had three sons. Divorce came after nine years. The actress Jayne Meadows became his second wife, and they had one son, Bill. At the time of Steve’s death,