Deaths: June 9

Billy Kametz was a Los Angeles-based actor originally from Hershey, PA. He came out to California to play Aladdin in the Aladdin Musical Spectacular in Disney's California Adventure for the final year of the show's 13-year run. Thereafter he was fortunate to lend his voice to cartoons, anime, video games, and commercials. Billy was most known for voicing characters such as Josuke in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Naofumi in The Rising of the Shield Hero, Galo in Promare, Ferdinand de Aegir in Fire Emblem 3 Houses, Takuto Maruki in Persona 5 Royal, White Blood Cell in Cells at Work, Osomatsu in Mr. Osomatsu, Anai in Aggretsuko, Blue in Pokemon Masters, Naoto Kurogane in BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Aoba in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nishikata in Teasing Master Takagi-Sand, Kyouya in Konosuba, Hakuno in Fate Extra, and Phil Coulson, Iron Lad, The Collector and Thor Noir in Marvel Avengers Academy, But also, from the character Colt in the video game Brawl Stars.

Adam West was born William West Anderson on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington, to parents Otto West Anderson, a farmer, and his wife Audrey V. (Speer), an opera singer. At age 10, in 1938, West had a cache of comic books; and starting in 1939, Batman, who appeared in Detective Comics, made a big impression on him--the comic hero was part bat-man (a la Count Dracula) and part world's greatest detective (a la Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes). When his mother remarried to a Dr. Paul Flothow, she took West and his younger brother, John, to Seattle. At age 14, West attended Lakeside School, then went to Whitman College, where he got a degree in literature and psychology. During his last year of college, he married 17-year-old Billie Lou Yeager.

West got a job as a disc jockey at a local radio station, then enrolled at Stanford for post-grad courses. Drafted into the army, he spent the next two years starting military television stations, first at San Luis Obispo, California, then at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Afterwards, West and his wife toured Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland and Italy's Isle of Capri. When the money ran out, he joined a childhood and college buddy, Carl Hebenstreit, who was starring in the kiddie program "The Kini Popo Show" in Hawaii. West would eventually replace Carl but not the other star, Peaches the Chimp. In 1956, he got a divorce and married a beautiful girl, originally from Tahiti, named Ngatokoruaimatauaia Frisbie Dawson (he called her "Nga" for short). They had a daughter, Jonelle (born 1957), and a son, Hunter (born 1958). In 1959, West came to Hollywood. He adopted the stage name "Adam West", which fit his roles, as he was in some westerns.

After seven years in Tinseltown, he achieved fame in his signature role as Bruce Wayne / Batman, on the wildly popular ABC-TV series Batman (1966) (though he has over 60 movie and over 80 television guest appearance credits, "Batman" is what the fans remember him for). The series, which lasted three seasons, made him not just nationally but internationally famous. The movie version, Batman: The Movie (1966), earned West the "Most Promising New Star" award in 1967. The downside was that the "Batman" fame was partly responsible for ruining his marriage, and he was typecast and almost unemployable for a while after the series ended (he did nothing but personal appearances for two years).

In 1970, he met and then married Marcelle Tagand Lear, and picked up two stepchildren, Moya and Jill. In addition, they had two children of their own: Nina West in 1976 and Perrin in 1979. You can't keep a good actor down--West's career took off again, and he appeared in 50 projects after that: movies, television movies and sometimes doing voices on television series. West wrote his autobiography, "Back to the Batcave" (1994). One of his most prized possessions was a drawing of Batman by Bob Kane with the inscription "To my buddy, Adam, who breathed life into my pen and ink creation". Beginning in 2000, West made guest appearances on the animated series Family Guy (1999), on which he played Mayor Adam West, the lunatic mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island.

On June 9, 2017, Adam West died at age 88 after a brief battle with leukemia in Los Angeles, California. On June 15, 2017, Los Angeles shone the bat-signal on City Hall, and Walla Walla shone the bat-signal on the Whitman Tower, both as a tribute to West.

Agar Delos was born in 1937 in Cairoma, La Paz, Bolivia. She was an actress, known for Amargo mar (1987), ¿Quién mató a la llamita blanca? (2007) and Sealed Cargo (2015). She was married to Gonzalo Murillo. She died on 9 June 2019 in La Paz, Bolivia.

Ahmed Essop is known for The Hajji (2012).

Statuesque, smart Canadian-born Alexis Smith, with her blue/green eyes and a seductively husky voice, lent a touch of class to her leading ladies of the 1940s and 1950s.

After her family moved to California, Alexis grew into a precocious talent and performed ballet in public by the age of thirteen -- dancing to 'Carmen' at the Hollywood Bowl. She later graduated with a degree in drama from Los Angeles City College having previously won an acting contest whilst still in high school. During a performance of a play on campus she was spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout and signed to a contract in 1941. Until the early 1950s she was paired with the top male stars in Hollywood, including Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Bing Crosby. While often simply decorative (as, for example, in Of Human Bondage (1946) and Stallion Road (1947)), stylishly attired by costume designers like Milo Anderson and Helen Rose in the most glamorous gowns, Alexis also proved to be a capable and spirited actress in spite of relatively few opportunities to break out of the mold of "the other woman".

Early on in her screen career the studio's publicity department touted Alexis -- much to her chagrin -- as the "Dynamite Girl". While she claimed in later years to have typecast herself (saying that few of her assigned roles ever challenged her on any level) Alexis nonetheless enjoyed good critical reviews for many of her performances. She was also popular with directors and film crews who appreciated her relaxed, professional manner on the set. Commencing her Hollywood tenure, she was cast in two films with Errol Flynn (she would make a total of four films with him): Dive Bomber (1941) and the boxing drama Gentleman Jim (1942). Though decidedly second fiddle to both the action and the charismatic Flynn, Alexis made a good first impression as the fetching romantic interest. Her next performance, in The Constant Nymph (1943) opposite Charles Boyer, was described by a reviewer as an "intelligent rendition". Her biggest hit of the mid-1940s was as Cole Porter's wife in the inaccurate--but hugely successful--biopic Night and Day (1946). She also appeared in two "noir" films with Humphrey Bogart at his most menacing: the interesting and underrated Conflict (1945) and the excellent The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947). As Clark Gable's wife in the gambling drama Any Number Can Play (1949) she was critically lauded as "genuinely appealing". In between, there were also some conspicuous failures, in particular her rather stolid performance in the period drama The Woman in White (1948). She had little to do in Here Comes the Groom (1951) and The Turning Point (1952) and her best part in the 1950s, though small, was that of Carol Wharton in The Young Philadelphians (1959).

During the 1960s, Alexis took a sabbatical from the screen to appear on stage with her husband, actor Craig Stevens (her marriage, a rare Hollywood success, lasted 49 years) in "Critic's Choice", "Cactus Flower" and "Mary, Mary". She reserved her best acting for the stage, becoming the Tony Award-winning star of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Follies" in which she played Phyllis during the 1971 run on Broadway (which landed her on the cover of the May 3 issue of 'Time' Magazine) and at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles in 1972. In 1973, she played Sylvia Fowler in a revival of Clare Boothe Luce's "The Women" and was nominated for another Tony for her leading role of Lila Halliday in "Platinum" in 1979.

Alexis was seen infrequently on television from the mid-'50s, sometimes appearing on the same show opposite her husband. She had a recurring role as the homicidal Lady Jessica Montfort in Dallas (1978) during the 1984 and 1990 seasons and was nominated for an Emmy for a guest-starring role on Cheers (1982). It was fitting, or perhaps ironic, that her last film role in The Age of Innocence (1993) was as a New York socialite, the kind of stereotypical persona she had portrayed so often in her heyday at Warners.

Allen Ludden was born on 5 October 1917 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Password (1961), It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! (1975) and Futureworld (1976). He was married to Betty White and Margaret Frances McGloin. He died on 9 June 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Angelina Pagano was born on 3 December 1888 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was an actress, known for Casa de muñecas (1943), Madame Bovary (1947) and Historia del 900 (1949). She died on 9 June 1962 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Ann Willis was born on 14 November 1939 in Cranston, Rhode Island, USA. She was an actress, known for Train Ride to Hollywood (1975), Mission: Impossible (1966) and The River Pirates (1988). She was married to Peter Ratray. She died on 9 June 2021 in New York City, New York, USA.

Beverly Michaels was born on 28 December 1928 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Wicked Woman (1953), East Side, West Side (1949) and Crashout (1955). She was married to Russell Rouse and Voldemar Vetluguin. She died on 9 June 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Bushwick Bill was born under the name Richard Stephen Shaw in Kingston, Jamaica, on December 1, 1966. His father is a merchant marine, and his mother a maid. According to a source from the Houston Chronicle, he is a high school dropout, and reads at the fourth grade level. He has failed a majority of courses in his freshman year in high school. Like actors Billy Barty and Herve Villechaize, he is a dwarf. His stage name came from the Brooklyn district that he lived in.

Camilla Ah Kin was an actress, known for All Saints (1998), Stupid Stupid Man (2006) and Going Home (2001). She died on 9 June 2023 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Charles Dickens' father was a clerk at the Naval Pay Office, and because of this the family had to move from place to place: Plymouth, London, Chatham. It was a large family and despite hard work, his father couldn't earn enough money. In 1823 he was arrested for debt and Charles had to start working in a factory, labeling bottles for six shillings a week. The economy eventually improved and Charles was able to go back to school. After leaving school, he started to work in a solicitor's office. He learned shorthand and started as a reporter working for the Morning Chronicle in courts of law and the House of Commons. In 1836 his first novel was published, "The Pickwick Papers". It was a success and was followed by more novels: "Oliver Twist" (1837), "Nicholas Nickleby" (1838-39) and "Barnaby Rudge" (1841). He traveled to America later that year and aroused the hostility of the American press by supporting the abolitionist (anti-slavery) movement. In 1858 he divorced his wife Catherine, who had borne him ten children. During the 1840s his social criticism became more radical and his comedy more savage: novels like "David Copperfield" (1849-50), "A Tale of Two Cities" (1959) and "Great Expectations" (1860-61) only increased his fame and respect. His last novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", was never completed and was later published posthumously.

Clifford Evans was born on 17 February 1912 in Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for The Kiss of the Vampire (1963), Courageous Mr. Penn (1942) and Mutiny on the Elsinore (1937). He was married to Hermione Hannen. He died on 9 June 1985 in Welshpool, Wales, UK.

Cooper Noriega was born on 28 June 2002 in Laguna Beach, California, USA. He died on 9 June 2022 in Burbank, California, USA.

Composer, conductor and educator. He was educated at the College of the Pacific, Columbia University, San Jose State College (BA), Brigham Young University (MA), and the University of Rochester (Ph.D.). He also studied with Ernst Toch, Howard Hanson, Bernard Rogers, and LeRoy Robertson. He conducted the orchestra and choral groups at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and various school and civic concerts and festivals including Tanglewood in 1957. He was also the guest conductor for the Utah Symphony, and on recordings. He was the music director for the Mormon Male Chorus (on radio and on tour) in 1941 and 1942, the San Jose Light Opera in 1942-1943, and the Beloit (Wisconsin) Civic Symphony, 1963-1964. He joined the faculty of Brigham Young University in 1948, and and assumed the chairmanship of the music department in 1960. Joining ASCAP in 1963, his chief musical collaborator was Arnold Sundgaard.

Very cute and tiny (only five feet) blonde Dakota Skye was born on April 17, 1994 in Tampa, Florida. Skye not only was in the color guard and marching band in high school (she played the trumpet), but also was a cheerleader and did both ballet and gymnastics when she was really young. Dakota lost her virginity at age thirteen and attended school in Florida before eventually moving to Kentucky. Skye briefly worked as an overnight stocker for the major retail outlet Walmart prior to starting out in the adult entertainment industry at age eighteen as a web-cam girl. Dakota first began performing in explicit hardcore fare in her late teens in 2013. Among the top companies Skye has appeared in X-rated features for are Mile High, Evil Angel, Digital Sin, Lethal Hardcore, Bang Productions, and Pulse Distribution. Moreover, Dakota has also worked for such adult websites as BangBros, Mofos, Team Skeet, and Reality Kings.

Esteban Mellino was an Argentine actor, creator of "Teacher Lambetain", the intimate personage who made him famous on TV and theater. Mellino was getting out of a jam himself as the director of the "Mellino Group", an initiatory multimedia that was agglutinating radio, publishing, TV and musical projects. The comedian won popularity during years '80, in TV programs like "Badía and Cía.", with his personage Lambetain. In cinema, he took part in films as "Los matamonstruos en la mansión del terror" (1987) and "Tacos altos" (1985). On TV, he was for last time in "You are my life" (Sos mi vida), in 2006. Beyond TV, his career was signed by teaching and theatre. Since 1965 Mellino worked in almost forty theater pieces, like "Salven a Sebastián" (Save Sebastian), "La nube" (The cloud), "Cómo querés que te quiera" (How do you want I love you), "Dalequevá", "Tarado se necesita", "Mellino a cara limpia" (Mellino to clean face), "Fuerte y al medio", "Angeles" (Angels) y "Loco" (Crazy),between other. He made radio and poetry; he composed musical topics for "Alma y Vida", a musical group very known in the '70s, where it was singing his brother Carlos; he was a teacher of actors and founded and productor of several artistic initiatives. Along his extensive career, Mellino obtained the prizes "Estrella de mar" and "Neptune", "The Lennon of the Peace" (1986/87), "The Latin American Prize to the Educational Excellence" (2005).

Françoise Bonnot was born on 17 August 1939 in Bois-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France. She was an editor and actress, known for Z (1969), Missing (1982) and Across the Universe (2007). She was married to Henri Verneuil. She died on 9 June 2018 in Paris, France.

Grandon Rhodes was born on 7 August 1904 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956), Born Yesterday (1950) and Tripoli (1950). He was married to Ruth Lee and Eveta (Knudsen) Bryant. He died on 9 June 1987 in Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Harold Lloyd Jr. was born on 25 January 1931 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Frankenstein's Daughter (1958), Married Too Young (1962) and Mutiny in Outer Space (1964). He died on 9 June 1971 in North Hollywood, California, USA.

Harry Lewis was born on 1 April 1920 in Hollywood, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Key Largo (1948), Bomba on Panther Island (1949) and Gun Crazy (1950). He was married to Marilyn Lewis. He died on 9 June 2013 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.

Joe Hamilton was born on 6 January 1929 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a producer and director, known for The Carol Burnett Show (1967), Sills and Burnett at the Met (1976) and The Sammy Davis, Jr. Show (1966). He was married to Lee Troggio, Carol Burnett and Gloria M. Hartley. He died on 9 June 1991 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

John Heyman was born on 27 April 1933 in Leipzig, Germany. He was a producer and executive, known for Black Gunn (1972), The Go-Between (1971) and Privilege (1967). He was married to Nizza Heyman, Norma Farnes and Norma Heyman. He died on 9 June 2017 in New York City, New York, USA.

José López Rega was an actor, known for Escenas de la Historia de un País (2011). He died on 9 June 1989 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Julee Cruise was born on 1 December 1956 in Creston, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Blue Velvet (1986) and Scream (1996). She was married to Edward Grinnan. She died on 9 June 2022 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA.