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1-24 of 24
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Joe Diffie was born on 28 December 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Twister (1996), All My Friends Are Cowboys (1998) and The Beverly Hillbillies (1993). He was married to Tara Terpening Diffie, Theresa Crump, Debbie Jones and Janise Parker. He died on 29 March 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Ken Shimura was born on 20 February 1950 in Higashimurayama, Japan. He was an actor and writer, known for Ken Shimura's Idiot Feudal Lord (1986), Za.Dorifutazu no kamo da!! Goyo da!! (1975) and Railroad Man (1999). He died on 29 March 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Krzysztof Penderecki was a Polish composer and conductor, whose music was often used in film. He seldom composed original film scores. Among the most notable films to use Penderecki's music are "The Exorcist" (1973), "The Shining" (1980), "Wild at Heart" (1990), "Fearless" (1993), "Inland Empire" (2006), "Children of Men" (2006), and "Shutter Island" (2010),
Penderecki was born in the town of Debica, in the historic province of Lesser Poland. His parents were the lawyer Tadeusz Penderecki and his wife Zofia. Tadeusz was an amateur violinist and pianist. Penderecki was a grandson of bank director Robert Berger, who had a side-career as a painter. Robert's father was Johann Berger, a German Protestant from Breslau (modern Wroclaw), who converted to Catholicism in order to marry a Catholic girl. Penderecki's grandmother Stefania was an Armenian from the town of Stanislau in Austria-Hungary (modern Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine).
Penderecki was 6-years-old when World War II begun. The Penderecki family had to move out of their apartment, as it was confiscated for use by the Ministry of Food. Penderecki's education was disrupted by the War. He started attending grammar school in 1946, at the age of 13. He graduated in 1951.
Penderecki started studying violin during his school years. His first teacher was military bandmaster Stanislaw Darlak, who also led a local orchestra in Debica. In 1951, Penderecki enrolled at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, where he continued his music studies. Stanislaw Tawroszewicz trained him as a violinist, while Franciszek Skolyszewski taught him music theory.
In 1954, Penderecki enrolled at the Academy of Music in Kraków. Having mostly completed his violin lessons, his education was focused entirely on the composition of new music. His original mentor was composer Artur Malawski, who was primarily known for choral and orchestral works. Malawski died in 1957, before Penderecki completed his lessons. His new mentor was composer Stanislaw Wiechowicz (1893-1963), who often drew inspiration from Polish folk music.
Penderecki graduated from the Academy of Music in 1958, and was immediately offered a teaching position there. He took the offer. He started publishing his original compositions, which were mostly influenced by the works of Pierre Boulez, Igor Stravinsky, and Anton Webern. His works "Strophen", "Psalms of David", and "Emanations" premiered in 1959, and were critically well-received.
His first work to actually receive international recognition was "Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima" (1960), written for 52 string instruments. His next notable work was the controversial "Fluorescences" (1962) written for the Donaueschingen Festival in Germany. He experimented with using percussion instruments which were unusual for classical music, such as "a Mexican güiro", typewriters, and gongs.
His experimental phase lasted through the 1960s, and he was seen as part of the avant-garde scene. By the early 1970s, Penderecki started incorporating more influences from the music of post-Romanticism, and his works were seen as more traditional. Meanwhile he had become one of Poland's most notable composers, He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1964, and the Commander's Cross of the Order in 1974.
In the mid-1970s Penderecki became a professor at the Yale School of Music. His music became more melodic. His "Symphony No. 2, Christmas" (1980) was "harmonically and melodically quite straightforward", and made frequent uses of the tune used in an older Christmas carol, "Silent Night" (1818) by Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863). He explained his renunciation of the avant-garde, as he viewed the novelty of the music as "more destructive than constructive".
In 1980, the Polish trade union "Solidarity" commissioned to compose music commemorating those killed in anti-government riots at the Gdansk shipyards. Penderecki initially composed "Lacrimosa" for the occasion. He was inspired enough to expand the work to one of his most famous compositions, "Polish Requiem". He revised it several times between 1980 and 2005.
By the 2000s, Penderecki won many international awards and his fame was well-established. He started working on a number of compositions which were never finished, in part due to poor health. His plans included an opera version of the French tragedy play "Phèdre" (1677) by Jean Racine (1639-1699), and a composition commemorating the Armenian Genocide's centennial.
In March 2020, Penderecki died in his home in Kraków, Poland, following a long illness. He was 86-years-old, and several of his compositions were regarded among the famous film music of the 20th century.- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Jean-Louis Roy was born in 1938 in Lugano, Switzerland. He was a writer and director, known for The Unknown Man of Shandigor (1967), Black Out (1970) and Talou (1980). He died on 29 March 2020 in Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Alan Merrill was the singer and songwriter of the original version of the 1975 Arrows version of the classic song "I love rock n roll." The song has since been covered by Joan Jett and Britney Spears. Alan Merrill started his career as a foreign domestic pop-star in the Japanese market, and was based in Tokyo. He was the first foreign artist to break into the Japan rock scene successfully, having hit records both solo, and with his bands Vodka Collins, and The Lead. He worked in Japan from 1968 until 1973, when he left Tokyo to try for a shot at stardom in the UK. He formed a hit band (The Arrows) in England and was in the BBC top ten charts within six months of arriving there. Alan Merrill's band The Arrows had a popular weekly television series in the UK, 1976-77 on the Granada-ITV network. He also had several hit singles with the band and was the lead singer. Merrill has written songs for artists such as Lou Rawls, Rick Derringer, Freddie Scott, Joan Jett, Britney Spears, Runner, 5ive, and of course, The Arrows. The acting came about when Merrill was asked to write a theme song for the pilot film of Encyclopedia Brown, which he did. A song called "Who Done It?". The producer was so impressed with him that he asked Merrill to act in the pilot feature length film "Encycopedia Brown (Case of the missing time capsule)" and he agreed. The pilot aired on HBO almost 200 times, and was a success, launching the series. The People magazine review said that Merrill was one of the best actors in the production. Alan Merrill continued to make fun, energetic rock 'n roll records.- William Weber was born on 13 April 1940 in New York, USA. He died on 29 March 2020 in Delray Beach, Florida, USA.
- José María Galante was born on 27 April 1948 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. He died on 29 March 2020 in Madrid, Spain.
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Paravai Muniyamma was born on 25 June 1937 in Paravai, Madurai, British India. She was an actress, known for Dhool (2003), Kadhal Sadugudu (2003) and Thoranai (2009). She died on 29 March 2020 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.- Michael Jones was born on 11 June 1951 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He died on 29 March 2020 in Portland, Oregon, USA.
- Jim Quinlan was born on 1 May 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a writer, known for Michael (1996). He died on 29 March 2020 in Bradenton, Florida, USA.
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Yuri Bondarev was born on 15 March 1924 in Orsk, Orenburg Governorate, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Orenburg Oblast, Russia]. He was a writer, known for Bereg (1984), 49 Days (1962) and Osvobozhdenie: Ognennaya duga (1970). He was married to Valentina Bondareva. He died on 29 March 2020 in Moscow, Russia.- Patrick Devedjian was born on 26 August 1944 in Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France. He was married to Sophie Vanbremeersch. He died on 29 March 2020 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France.
- Joseph O'Hare was born on 12 January 1931 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He died on 29 March 2020 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Actor
Leszek Ptaszynski was born on 26 August 1960. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Television Theater (1953). He died on 29 March 2020 in Deblin, Lubelskie, Poland.- Simone Sylvestre was born on 16 September 1923 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France. She was an actress, known for Mademoiselle from Paris (1955), Pétrus (1946) and Razzia (1955). She died on 29 March 2020 in Bruffière.
- Composer
- Director
Claude Abadie was born on 16 January 1920 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France. He was a composer and director, known for Smash en direct (1962), Ballon vole (1960) and Jojo d'Aval (1970). He died on 29 March 2020.- Jean François Césarini was born on 30 September 1970 in Avignon, Vaucluse, France. He was an actor, known for La chair et les volcans (2014). He died on 29 March 2020 in Paris France.
- Gonzalo Curiel was born on 10 January 1939 in Mexico City, Mexico. He was an actor, known for ¡Camarena vive! (1990) and Mi querido Tom Mix (1992). He died on 29 March 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Composer
- Music Department
Dave Hildinger was born on 19 November 1928 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He was a composer, known for Fernfahrer (1963), Schwäbische Geschichten (1963) and Flug in Gefahr (1964). He died on 29 March 2020.- Writer
- Actress
Beryl Bernay was born on 2 March 1926 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1950), Law & Order (1990) and Birthday House (1963). She died on 29 March 2020 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Chad Capule died on 29 March 2020 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA.
- Jim Lambright was born on 26 April 1942 in Everett, Washington, USA. He was married to Lynne. He died on 29 March 2020 in the USA.
- Henri Tincq was born on 2 November 1945 in Fouquières-lès-Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France. He died on 29 March 2020 in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Île-de-France, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Jane McArthur was born on 20 August 1929 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Search for Tomorrow (1951), Playhouse 90 (1956) and West Point (1956). She was married to James H. Tuttle. She died on 29 March 2020 in New York City, New York, USA.