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1-50 of 152
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Amanda Blake was born in Buffalo, NY, of English and Scottish descent. She and her parents moved to Claremont, California, while Amanda was still in high school, and she graduated from Claremont High. She enrolled at Pomona College but, due to her avid participation in community and theater productions, she was devoting much more time to acting than her schoolwork. Amanda started on a full acting schedule, doing summer stock in New England. She followed that up with theater and radio acting in Buffalo and then movies in Hollywood. While acting in small theater and stock companies she also painted backdrops and scenery. She was still in her teens when she debuted in MGM"s Stars in My Crown (1950), and her first television role was in Double Exposure (1952). Her most famous role, however, came in 1955, when she starred in the classic western series Gunsmoke (1955) as "Miss Kitty" Russell, the feisty madame and proprietor of Dodge City's Long Branch Saloon opposite James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon.- Neville Brand joined the Illinois National Guard in 1939, bent on a career in the military. His National Guard unit was activated into federal service shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. It was while he was in the army that he made his acting debut, in Army training films, and this experience apparently changed the direction of his life. Once a civilian again, he used his GI Bill education assistance to study drama with the American Theater Wing and then appeared in several Broadway plays. His film debut was in Port of New York (1949). Among his earliest films was the Oscar-winning Stalag 17 (1953). His heavy features and gravelly voice made Brand a natural tough guy (and he wasn't just a "movie" tough guy--he was among the most highly decorated American soldiers in World War II, fighting in the European Theater against the Germans). "With this kisser, I knew early in the game I wasn't going to make the world forget Clark Gable," he once told a reporter. He played Al Capone in The George Raft Story (1961), The Scarface Mob (1959), and TV's The Untouchables (1959). Among his other memorable roles are the sympathetic guard in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and the representative of rioting convicts in Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954). Perhaps his best-known role was that of the soft-hearted, loud-mouthed, none-too-bright but very effective Texas Ranger Reese Bennett of Backtrack! (1969), Three Guns for Texas (1968), and TV's Laredo (1965).
- William Sylvester was born on 31 January 1922 in Oakland, California, USA. He was an actor, known for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Gorgo (1961) and Riding with Death (1976). He was married to Veronica Hurst and Sheila Sweet. He died on 25 January 1995 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
Born in Palo Alto, California, Tim was a physically imposing and well-known character actor from the 80's. Tim and Tom Selleck were college roommates while both attended the University of Southern California. First drafted into the NFL in 1968, his career there included playing professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles, then San Diego Chargers, and the Houston Oilers. After his football career ended in the mid 70's, Tim began acting and remained active through 1998. Tim lived another 20 years after his final appearance, passing away in his native California in December 2018.- Samantha Lewes was born on 29 November 1952 in San Diego, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Bosom Buddies (1980) and Mr. Success (1984). She was married to Tom Hanks. She died on 12 March 2002 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
Carrie Ann Morrow was born on 27 October 1958 in Hollywood, California, USA. She is known for Georgia (1995) and Freedom (1981). She died on 27 December 2016 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Byron Barr was born on 18 August 1917 in Corning, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Double Indemnity (1944), Tokyo Rose (1946) and Tarnished (1950). He died on 3 November 1966 in Sacramento County, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mary Lee was born on 24 October 1924 in Centralia, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Cowboy and the Senorita (1944), Ridin' on a Rainbow (1941) and Angels with Broken Wings (1941). She was married to Harry J. Banan. She died on 6 June 1996 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Wally Albright was born on 3 September 1925 in Burbank, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Roll Along, Cowboy (1937), Salvation Nell (1931) and Thunder (1929). He died on 7 August 1999 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Kenneth Harlan was born on 26 July 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Penalty (1920), Paradise Island (1930) and Danger Island (1931). He was married to Rosemarie Gonsalves Mirjanian, Rhea Walker, Helene Stanton, Helen (Donna) Spelner, Phyllis McClure, Doris Hilda Booth, Marie Prevost, Florence Hart and Salome F. Sanborn. He died on 6 March 1967 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Actress, singer, comedienne and dancer. Gladys Blake left home at age 14 to join a stock company in Reading, Pennsylvania, and after two years she had developed her own vaudeville act, Gresham and Blake, with Lee Gresham. Coming to California, they were booked into the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles where she was spotted by film agent Edward Small. Her first small film roles were mostly for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Director Richard Thorpe personally offered Gladys her small role in "The Earl of Chicago" in which only her legs were seen.- Tom Wilde or "Big Daddy", as he was known to his drama students, adored the theater. He acted in plays in San Francisco and The Music Circus and various commercials in Sacramento. After his short television career in Hollywood, he found the "dream job" of his life and became a drama teacher at Encina High School in Sacramento,CA., producing and directing classic plays such as "Guys and Dolls", "1776", which he starred, in and "Bye Bye Birdie". He lived in Sacramento, California most of his life with his adoring wife, Neva Wilde and their two children. He is the grandfather of actor/producer Jennifer Bushnell.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Michael G. Gilman was born on 14 March 1967 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is known for The Treat (1998) and Bartender (1997). He died on 26 November 2019 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Eric Lynch was born on 11 March 1975 in Rodeo, California, USA. He was an actor, known for American Dreams (2002), Fringe (2008) and In Plain Sight (2008). He died on 20 September 2014 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Cully Holland was born on 22 October 1957 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Warbirds (1988), Hardball (1989) and Dirty Love (1988). He died on 29 June 1991 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- James Sheridan was born on 29 July 1904 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Courage of the North (1935), The Power and the Glory (1918) and The Speed Reporter (1936). He died on 12 April 1961 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Samuel Bronston was born on 26 March 1908 in Bessarabia, Russian Empire [now Moldova]. He was a producer, known for El Cid (1961), The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942) and 55 Days at Peking (1963). He died on 12 January 1994 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Edwin Rochelle started out in films in the 1930s as a stand-in for smaller actors. Like many actors of the 1930s, he had an affiliation with a studio and a majority of their work came from that studio. Rochelle was the go-to stand-in for Barry Fitzgerald and other stars at RKO, and sometimes this led to upgrades where he was paid more because he would deliver dialog, and he'd have to be paid as a day player for every day that he was on set as an actor's stand-in.
By the late 1950s, Rochelle was one of the guys that was regularly used as a stand-in for various guest stars in productions filmed at Universal Studios. He would regularly be seen in westerns and dramas filmed there throughout the early 1960s. It was during one of these productions where Rochelle's life would change forever when he stood-in for actor Robert Lansing.
After he stood in for Robert Lansing, it started a friendship that lasted until Rochelle's death. Lansing would use Rochelle whenever Lansing was working, and he would usually make sure Rochelle was upgraded to a silent bit on set. Lansing would regularly take Rochelle on location with him as his assistant and would occasionally give him a credited role like in Namu, the Killer Whale (1966). This provided regular work and a steady income for Rochelle for more than a decade.
When Lansing's career started to slow down, so did Rochelle's. Rochelle decided to retire, but he still would come back for an occasional role until he passed away in 1977.- Actor
- Soundtrack
William Murphy was born on 9 January 1921 in Sacramento, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Disconnect (2012), It Happens Every Spring (1949) and Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). He died on 6 November 1989 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Ethel Ekpe was an actress, known for Heartbeats (2008), Sons of the Caliphate (2016) and Forever (1997). She died on 7 February 2024 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Amira Moustafa was born on 2 July 1922 in Cairo, Egypt. She was an actress, known for Queen of the Amazons (1946) and Dangerous Money (1946). She died on 6 July 2006 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mike Wagner was born on 14 April 1915 in Cheesequake, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Camp Runamuck (1965) and The Trouble with Girls (1969). He died on 25 March 1987 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Robert Ringwald was born on 26 November 1940 in Roseville, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Twice Upon a Time (1998). He was married to Adele Edith Frembd Ringwald. He died on 3 August 2021 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Laurie Nelson was born on 11 June 1952 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952). She was married to Sean Weatherston . She died on 10 October 2016 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Harry Martin was the son of Christian George Uhlenberg & Edith June Martin and the husband of Paulyne Peterson (b.1932-d.1927), whom he married in 1956. He was the father of Dayna D. Uhlenberg (b.1956) and Steven S. Uhlenberg (b.1958).
He served his country in both WWII and in Korea and later, in 1951, graduated from The College Of The Pacific in Stockton, California.
Harry Martin, began his television career at Sacramento's KCCC TV as announcer/director and children's show host "Bonanza Bill".
In 1956 he moved to Sacramento's KCRA (where he would work for 33 years) to work as announcer/director and popular children's show host "Captain Sacto". Each show began with a shot of Harry landing a jet and radioing to the tower "Tell all the boys and girls I'm coming in!" After 7 years as "Captain Sacto", he became the afternoon movie host of "Martin at the Movies."
He then became an anchorman at KCRA and then was assigned the job of entertainment reporter. His "Show Biz" reports were also syndicated in Phoenix and the Bay Area.
He was the first person to film the Hollywood Playboy Mansion. He interviewed close to 2,000 celebrities including: Arnold Schwarzenegger; Ronald Reagan; Tom Hanks, Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Bill Cosby and Tom Cruise. He was the first person to ever interview Goldie Hawn and the last person to interview Boris Karloff.
Harry was 81 years old at the time of his passing. - Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Chi Cheng was born on 15 July 1970 in Davis, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Law Abiding Citizen (2009), Valentine (2001) and House of Wax (2005). He died on 13 April 2013 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Lul Jody was born on 22 November 2000. He was an actor, known for Lul Jody: Lifestyle (2018), Marbells x Lul Jody x Numba 9: Life Trife (2018) and TSG Dondada x Lul Jody: Cook Shit (2020). He died on 6 June 2020 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Estelle Jewell was born on 5 December 1927 in Oakland, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Shadow of a Doubt (1943). She was married to Robert Vincent Klein. She died on 4 April 1992 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Susan Johnson was born on 6 July 1927 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Sister Act (1992), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and I Love Lucy (1951). She was married to Robert Pastene and Chet Kehn. She died on 24 February 2003 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Anthony De Fonte was born on 23 October 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989) and Deadly Alliance (1982). He died on 19 July 2004 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Margaret Bert was born on 4 June 1896 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Campus Sleuth (1948), Panic! (1957) and Sarge Goes to College (1947). She died on 1 May 1971 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
Jieno Moxzer was born on 22 September 1913 in Panama. He was an actor. He died on 11 April 1994 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Carmelita Jackson died on 6 April 2009 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bris was born on 9 October 1995. He was an actor, known for Bris: Panhandling (2019), Bris: Sparked a Fuse (2019) and Young Slo-Be x Bris: 2142 (2019). He died on 21 June 2020 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Louise Lorraine's small stature and delicate beauty seemed hardly the qualities to be desired in a serial heroine, but she starred in 11 of the physically demanding, action-filled cliffhangers, and showed as much spirit as, and in some cases more than, many of her colleagues in that genre. Louise's entry into the film industry came about when a photography salesman knocked on the door of the suburban Los Angeles home she lived in with her widowed mother and five siblings. The 13-year-old Lorraine answered it, and the salesman was so impressed by her look and demeanor that he told her mother she should be in the movies, and he had a contact at the Ince Studio who could arrange it. At first, Louise's mother refused to let her daughter enter the film industry but eventually gave in. Louise started out in two-reel comedies for independent studios, and then alternated among Universal, MGM and Warner Bros. She left the screen after making her second sound movie n 1930, ostensibly to devote her time to her second husband (her first was cowboy actor Art Acord) and two children. She died in 1981.
- Grace Ford was born on 23 May 1913 in El Dorado, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for The Devil-Doll (1936), Between Two Women (1937) and Big City (1937). She was married to Henry Salvatori. She died on 5 May 1990 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Buzz Sawyer was born on 14 June 1959 in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for WWF All-Star Wrestling (1972), UWF Power Pro Wrestling (1984) and World Class Championship Wrestling (1972). He died on 7 February 1992 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Editorial Department
- Music Department
Jim Ladd was born on 17 January 1948 in Lynwood, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Say Anything (1989), Tequila Sunrise (1988) and Defendor (2009). He was married to Helene Hodge. He died on 17 December 2023 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
Brian Farnon was born on 27 November 1911 in Toronto, Canada. He was an actor, known for BBC Show of the Week (1965), The Spike Jones Show (1957) and The Polka Parade (1955). He was married to Gloria Lynn Hart, Dorothy Cavin and Rita Oehmen. He died on 28 May 2010 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Actor
- Sound Department
- Soundtrack
Jack Mack was born on 28 April 1952 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Tuff Turf (1985), First Time Flippers (2013) and Jack Mack and the Heart Attack: Hooray for the City (1982). He was married to Debbie. He died on 4 February 2003 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Chandler Sprague was born on 26 May 1886 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Always (1989), A Guy Named Joe (1943) and Menace (1934). He was married to Myrna P.. He died on 15 November 1955 in Sacramento, California, USA.- Jack McDonald was born on 17 September 1880 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Last of the Mohicans (1920), Lorna Doone (1922) and Show Boat (1929). He died on 19 June 1941 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Jacob Sarvetnick was a child prodigy on the violin, destined to become Jan Savitt, leader of a popular swing band. Of Russian-Jewish ancestry, his father had variously worked as a motor mechanic and as a drummer in Tsar Nicholas II's Imperial Regimental Orchestra. In the U.S. from the age of fifteen, Jan became the youngest musician to play in the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, and, from there, he advanced to concert master for the great Leopold Stokowski. In the wake of multiple scholarships and being recipient of the Philharmonic Society's Gold Medal Award, he was soon leading his own string quartet. In 1935, after graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music with a B.A., Jan suddenly decided to forsake classical for popular music and organise a dance band. He was eventually engaged by Philadelphia radio station KYW as musical director. The resulting national broadcasts proved popular with audiences and 'Jan Savitt & His Top Hatters' (so named, because their ensemble uniform consisted of white tie, tails and top hat) soon became one of the most highly rated big bands in America, playing the swank hotels, theatres and ballrooms. The band featured a unique beat called 'shuffle rhythm' (which may, or may not, have been originated by another bandleader, Henry Busse).
The 'Top Hatters' comprised between fifteen and eighteen musicians, plus vocalists. Famous sidemen included trombonist and future television composer Earle Hagen, drummer Nick Fatool and trombonist Urbie Green. Among the vocalists were Carlotta Dale, future movie actress Gloria DeHaven and Bon Bon (aka George Tunnell), the first black musician to work long-term in a white orchestra. Jan's theme song was "Quaker City Jazz". Other unique compositions for the band included the swinging "720 In the Books" (by arranger Johnny Watson), "Meadowbrook Shuffle", "It's a Wonderful World" and "Now and Forever". Jan also had noteworthy hits with his interpretation of "Tuxedo Junction" and "Make Believe Island". By the early 1940's, he added swing versions of classical compositions (mostly arranged by Jack Pleis), such as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "Prelude to Carmen" and Claude Debussy's "Afternoon of a Faun" to his repertoire. The band was featured in several B-movies, released by Warner Brothers and Columbia.
After World War II, Jan was forced to reduce the size of his band (now based on the West Coast) to eight musicians, due to tax debts. In 1948, on his way to a one-nighter in Sacramento, he suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and later died in a local hospital at the age of just thirty-six.- Bob Hattoy was born on 1 November 1950 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He died on 4 March 2007 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Burke was born on 20 August 1907 in Connecticut, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for Burke's Law (1963), Dante (1960) and Ensign O'Toole (1962). He died on 20 January 1976 in Sacramento, California, USA.- From 1976 to 1990, LaBrie was a local icon and the most televised businessman in town. He greeted night owls watching late-night movies on Channel 40 with his signature "Night Comfort".
LaBrie would introduce movies, offer reviews and interview visiting celebrities, from actors George Peppard to Debbie Reynolds. And amid backdrops of a comfy leather chair, soothing string music and varnished water bed furnishings, the owner of LaBrie's Sleep Center in Sacramento extolled the relaxing benefits of sleeping on water.
He became so well known that the likes of comedian Bill Cosby parodied LaBrie's commercials for California water bed relaxation - which LaBrie softly delivered in his signature East Coast accent. LaBrie's commercial spots were aired across the West, drawing in movie viewers and attracting customers for LaBrie's water bed empire, which eventually totaled six stores, including three in Sacramento and one each in Stockton, Fairfield and Pleasant Hill.
Before going into the water bed business, LaBrie graduated from Michigan State University and taught eighth-grade math, science and sex education in a small town in Michigan. In 1970, seeking a warmer climate, he moved to Berkeley and went to work for a water bed retail chain - pitching the mattress of the counter-culture. He later opened his store in Sacramento.
LaBrie died of a natural but undetermined cause on Dec. 28, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office. - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Motion picture Director/Writer and Novelist Greg William Stechman, whose influences include Pier Pasolini's "Salo", Wes Anderson's "Rushmore," as well as novelists such as David Sedaris and Stephen King, is a native Sacramentan and resides in Northern California. He is the owner Burning Grounds Motion Entertainment with filmmakers Lacie Oakley and Jon Rogers. Stechman graduated from CSU Sacramento in 2003 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Organizational Communication. During his years in college, Stechman worked extensively in multimedia, assisting New York Times Bestselling author Steve (MEG, The Loch) Alten in producing promotional films for his novels and developing his feature films. Stechman produced the short film "trans-pose" in 2003, and directed music videos for Sacramento bands Shortie ("Something Else") and Bonzai Empire ("Freworks") in 2004. During his senior year at CSU Sacramento State, Stechman wrote and directed the independent feature "Michael and Claire: A Portrait Of Love and Dreams". Stechman has just completed principal photography on the dramatic horror film "Threading Over Dark" and the film is currently in post production, the projected release date being late 2006. Stechman is currently adapting three of Bram Stoker Award Finalist Michael Laimo's novels "The Demonologist", "Deep In The Darkness", and "Atmosphere". He is preparing to shoot his second feature film in April-May 2006 in Northern California and is working on a fictional novel.- Paulyne Peterson, was the daughter of Charles Hartley Peterson & Reba E. Rowell and was married to Harry Martin Uhlenberg in 1956. She was the mother of Dayna D. Uhlenberg (b.1956) and Steven S. Uhlenberg (b.1958). Peterson passed away from cancer in August 2007. Peterson was seen in an episode of Bob Wilkins "Creature Features" appearing with her husband Harry Martin in their home. The clip may be seen in the DVD "The Bob Wilkins Lost Film Collection".
- Shirley Monticue was born on 11 October 1934 in Osnaburg, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Perry Mason (1957) and Mr. Lucky (1959). She died on 25 October 1980 in Sacramento, California, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Bill Burch was born on 30 October 1918 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Profile of a Race Driver (1968), The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1962) and The All New Truth or Consequences (1950). He was married to Yvonne King and Rebecca Jenkins Endres. He died on 1 October 2005 in Sacramento, California, USA.