Date of Death between 1983-01-01 and 1983-12-31 (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)
1. Carolyn Jones
Actress | The Man Who Knew Too Much
Carolyn Jones was born April 28, 1930, in Amarillo, Texas. Her mother was Jeannette and her sister was Bette (Moriarty). She was an imaginative child, much like her mother. In 1934, her father abandoned the family and her mother moved them in with her parents, also in Amarillo. As a child Carolyn ...
2. Norma Shearer
Actress | The Divorcee
She won a beauty contest at age fourteen. In 1920 her mother, Edith Shearer, took Norma and her sister Athole Shearer (Mrs. Howard Hawks) to New York. Ziegfeld rejected her for his "Follies," but she got work as an extra in several movies. She spent much money on eye doctor's services trying to ...
3. Gloria Swanson
Actress | Sunset Blvd.
Gloria Swanson was born Gloria May Josephine Svensson in Chicago, Illinois. She was destined to be perhaps one of the biggest stars of the silent movie era. Her personality and antics in private definitely made her a favorite with America's movie-going public. Gloria certainly didn't intend on ...
4. David Niven
Actor | Murder by Death
James David Graham Niven was born on the feast day of St David. Following Niven senior's death at Turkey's infamous Suvla Bay, Niven's mother went on to marry his biological father, the Conservative politician Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt, but it was years before the true father/son relationship was ...
5. Joan Hackett
Actress | The Last of Sheila
Joan Hackett was never one of your conventional leading ladies. Directors sometimes found her difficult to work with. Yet this strong-minded perfectionist had an unquenchable individuality that came through in her performances, and she never hesitated to appear unglamorous whenever the role ...
6. Louis de Funès
Actor | Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob
Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza was born on July 31, 1914, in Courbevoie, France. His father, named Carlos Luis de Funes de Galarza, was a former lawyer of Seville, Spain, who became a diamond cutter. His mother, named Leonor Soto Reguera, was of Spanish and Portugese extraction.
Young Louis...
7. Ralph Richardson
Actor | Doctor Zhivago
Sir Ralph Richardson was one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century English-language theater, ascending to the height of his profession in the mid-1930s when he became a star in London's West End. He became the first actor of his generation to be knighted. He became Sir Ralph in 1947, and was ...
8. Christopher George
Actor | El Dorado
Solidly built, boyishly handsome American leading-man, Christopher George was the son of Greek immigrants. Weaned on stories of the legendary Greek heroes, George and his brother Nick (later a prominent fashion photographer) both quit high school to join the Marines. Completing his education after ...
9. Slim Pickens
Actor | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Slim Pickens spent the early part of his career as a real cowboy and the latter part playing cowboys, and he is best remembered for a single "cowboy" image: that of bomber pilot Maj. "King" Kong waving his cowboy hat rodeo-style as he rides a nuclear bomb onto its target in the great black comedy ...
10. Luis Buñuel
Writer | Belle de jour
The father of cinematic Surrealism and one of the most original directors in the history of the film medium, Luis Buñuel was given a strict Jesuit education (which sowed the seeds of his obsession with both religion and subversive behavior), and subsequently moved to Madrid to study at the ...
11. Fay Spain
Actress | The Godfather Part II
Fay Spain was was your typical B-movie drive-in bad girl - sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette, always bodacious. A tease, a taunt, and a temptress throughout most her career, Fay Spain was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1932, as Lona May Spain to R.C. Spain and Arminta Frances Cochran. She headed ...
12. Paul Fix
Actor | Giant
Paul Fix, the well-known movie and TV character actor who played "Marshal Micah Torrance" on the TV series The Rifleman (1958), was born Peter Paul Fix on March 13, 1901 in Dobbs Ferry, New York to brew-master Wilhelm Fix and his wife, the former Louise C. Walz. His mother and father were German ...
13. Simon Oakland
Actor | Psycho
One of the movies' most memorable tough guys, Simon Oakland actually began his career as a concert violinist, turning to acting in the late 1940s. After a long string of roles in Broadway hits, including "Light Up the Sky," "The Shrike" and "Inherit the Wind," Oakland made his film debut as the ...
14. William Demarest
Actor | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
A stocky, serious-looking character, Carl William Demarest started off in vaudeville in 1905 along with two older brothers. At one time he also performed in a stage act with his wife Estelle Collette (billed as 'Demarest and Collette') and then moved on to Broadway. He entered movies in 1926 and ...
15. Raymond Massey
Actor | Arsenic and Old Lace
Educated at the University of Toronto & Balliol College, Oxford, he joined the Canadian Field Artillery in World War I, served in France & was wounded. His first appearance was in a stage production in Siberia, during the multi-nation intervention of 1918 - 1919. Raymond returned to Canada & his ...
16. Michael Conrad
Actor | Hill Street Blues
Michael Conrad was a powerfully built, towering New York-born American character actor, best known for his role as the pompous but beloved desk sergeant Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues (1981), for which he won two Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Emmy Awards (1981, 1982). He also ...
17. Robert Aldrich
Director | Emperor of the North Pole
Robert Aldrich entered the film industry in 1941 when he got a job as a production clerk at RKO Radio Pictures. He soon worked his way up to script clerk, then became an assistant director, a production manager and an associate producer. He began writing and directing for TV series in the early ...
18. George Cukor
Director | My Fair Lady
George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, better known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He once won the Academy Award for Best Director, and was nominated other four times for the same Award.
In 1899, George Dewey Cukor was born on the Lower East Side of...
19. Faye Emerson
Actress | Between Two Worlds
Synonymous with chic, the ever-fashionable Faye Emerson certainly qualified as one of the "first ladies" of TV glamour. Bedecked in sweeping, rather low-cut gowns and expensive, dangling jewelry, she was a highly poised and stylish presence on the small screen during its exciting "Golden Age". An ...
20. Buster Crabbe
Actor | Buck Rogers
Buster Crabbe graduated from the University of Southern California. In 1931, while working on That's My Boy (1932) for Columbia Pictures, he was tested by MGM for Tarzan and rejected. Paramount Pictures put him in King of the Jungle (1933) as Kaspa, the Lion Man (after a book of that title but ...
21. John Williams
Actor | Dial M for Murder
John Williams was a tall, urbane Anglo-American actor best known for his role as Chief Inspector Hubbard in Dial M for Murder (1954), a role he played on Broadway, in Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1954 film, and on television in 1958. Playing Hubbard on the Great White Way brought him the 1953 Tony ...
22. John Le Mesurier
Actor | The Italian Job
The son of a solicitor, British character actor John Le Mesurier attended public school in Dorset, England, before embarking on a career in law. However, acting was his true calling, and at age 20, with his parents' approval, he began his acting career by studying drama at the Fay Compton School of...
23. Pat O'Brien
Actor | Some Like It Hot
Although he came to be called "Hollywood's Irishman in Residence"--and, along with good friends James Cagney, Allen Jenkins, Frank McHugh and a few others were called "The Irish Mafia"--and he often played Irish immigrants, Pat O'Brien was US-born and -bred. As a young boy the devoutly Roman ...
24. Jan Clayton
Actress | Lassie
Jan Clayton was born on August 26, 1917 in Tularosa, New Mexico, USA. She was an actress, known for Lassie (1954), This Man's Navy (1945) and Flight Angels (1940). She was previously married to George Greeley, Robert Warren Lerner and Russell Hayden. She died on August 28, 1983 in West Hollywood, ...
25. Arthur Space
Actor | The Big Noise
Arthur Space was born on October 12, 1908 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Big Noise (1944), The Bat People (1974) and Terror at Red Wolf Inn (1972). He was previously married to Mary (Mollie) Campbell. He died on January 13, 1983 in Hollywood, California, USA.
26. Patrick O'Moore
Actor | Conflict
Patrick O'Moore was born on April 8, 1909 in Dublin, Ireland. He was an actor, known for Conflict (1945), The Twilight Zone (1959) and Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1947). He was previously married to Zelma O'Neal and Maggi O'Moore. He died on December 10, 1983 in Van Nuys, California, USA.
27. Walter Slezak
Actor | Lifeboat
Tall, portly Viennese character actor Walter Slezak simultaneously pursued two different careers after his arrival in America in 1930: one, as a star of musical comedy on the stage, and another, as a portrayer of villains, impish rogues or pompous buffoons on screen.
Walter was born in May 1902 in ...
28. Paul Mace
Actor | Paradise Alley
Paul Mace was born on April 4, 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Paradise Alley (1978), The Lords of Flatbush (1974) and The Panic in Needle Park (1971). He was previously married to Judy Ann Jordan. He died on August 12, 1983 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
29. Dolores del Rio
Actress | Las abandonadas
Dolores del Rio was the one of the first Mexican movie stars with international appeal and who had meteoric career in the 1920s/1930s Hollywood. Del Rio came from an aristocratic family in Durango. In the Mexican revolution of 1916, however, the family lost everything and emigrated to Mexico City, ...
30. Vaughn Taylor
Actor | Psycho
Reedy, balding, often bespectacled American character actor with pencil-thin moustache, once described as the man with TV's 'most deceptive face'. He looked like - and was - a certified public accountant, graduate from Northeastern University. A struggling actor in his youth, he worked in stock, ...
31. Anthony Costello
Actor | Night Moves
Born in Andover, Massachusetts to Dorcas (nee Curley; 07 Jan 1915-12 Oct 1993) and Phillip Anthony Costello (07 Dec 1912-09 Jun 2000). He grew up in Andover with his brother Michael.
After he graduated in 1955, from Phillips Andover Academy, Anthony went to both the Rhode Island School of Design, ...
32. Mike Kellin
Actor | Midnight Express
Burly, coarse, raspy-voiced Mike Kellin was often cast as a tough cop, gangster, or soldier, usually a corporal or sergeant, so it may be surprising to some that during his stint in the US Navy during World War II he was a Lieutenant Commander.
Though he seemed to be straight out of the tenements of...
33. Doodles Weaver
Actor | The Birds
Well-remembered at Stanford for his many pranks and practical jokes. Was an occasional guest on Rudy Vallee radio program and Kraft Music Hall in the late 1930s and early 40s. Performed in clubs nationwide. He specialized in manic comic sports narrations, often using his friends' names as ...
34. Michael Witney
Actor | Star Trek
Michael Witney was born on November 21, 1931 in Ticonderoga, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek (1966), Darling Lili (1970) and 'Doc' (1971). He was previously married to Twiggy and Donna (JoJo) Collette Bailey. He died on November 30, 1983 in New York City, New York, USA.
35. Tammy Lynn Leppert
Tammy Lynn Leppert was an American beauty queen and model. She had a few acting roles in the early 1980s but mysteriously disappeared at the age of 18. Her disappearance has generated much publicity, and her case remains open.
In 1965, Leppert was born in Rockledge, Florida. The city was a ...
36. John Gallaudet
Actor | In Cold Blood
John Gallaudet was born on August 23, 1903 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for In Cold Blood (1967), Side Street (1950) and Murder Is News (1937). He was previously married to Constance Helen MacKenzie and Wynne Gibson. He died on November 5, 1983 in Los Angeles, ...
37. Maurice Ronet
Actor | Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
Maurice Ronet was born on April 13, 1927 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Elevator to the Gallows (1958), The Fire Within (1963) and Purple Noon (1960). He was previously married to Maria Pacôme. He died on March 14, 1983 in Paris, France.
38. James Hayter
Actor | Oliver!
The son of a police superintendent in India, the character actor James Hayter was educated in Scotland, where he was urged into acting by his headmaster. After one year (1924-5) at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts in London, he performed in repertory theater, eventually appearing in The West ...
39. Leora Dana
Actress | Tora! Tora! Tora!
Character actress Leora Dana was born on April 1, 1923. She got a late start in acting, at age 33, with Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (1957) as Annie Fry. Although this fine actress made only 19 films, many were plum roles. One of the films where Leora stood out was Some Came Running (1958), ...
40. Marcel Dalio
Actor | Sabrina
Sunday, November the 20th is the anniversary of Marcel Dalio's death in 1983. It was the end of a serendipitous life. You know him. He was a citizen of the world. Born Israel Moshe Blauschild, in Paris, in 1900, he became a much sought-after character actor. His lovely animated face with its great ...
41. Fifi D'Orsay
Actress | Nabonga
Although she made her career playing the quintessential Parisian coquette, Fifi D'Orsay was actually a Canadian. She was born Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Québec, in 1904. At the age of 20 she arrived in New York, determined to become an actress. She was met by Helen Morgan, whom she knew from ...
42. Karen Carpenter
Soundtrack | Paul Williams: Still Alive
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Karen Carpenter moved with her family to Downey, California, in 1963. Karen's older brother, Richard Carpenter, decided to put together an instrumental trio with him on the piano, Karen on the drums and their friend Wes Jacobs on the bass and tuba. In a battle of the...
43. Rod Cameron
Actor | G-Men vs. The Black Dragon
The well-worn phrase "Tall in the saddle" is certainly one easy way of describing (and perhaps pigeon-holing) leathery, wiry-framed 1940s and early 1950s western film star Rod Cameron, although he proved quite capable in crime stories, horrors and even swing-era musicals.
The 6'4" Canadian-born ...
44. James Hayden
Actor | Once Upon a Time in America
James Hayden was born on November 25, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Nesting (1981) and The First Deadly Sin (1980). He was previously married to Barbara Daniels. He died on November 8, 1983 in New York City, New York, USA.
45. Alice White
Actress | Show Girl in Hollywood
This Hollywood High graduate began her career as a secretary and script girl, working for Josef von Sternberg and Charles Chaplin. A sexy and bubbly player, she was repeatedly miscast as a singer-dancer. She toured the vaudeville circuit after her career spluttered, returning to Hollywood only to ...
46. Mary Livingstone
Actress | This Way Please
Grew up in Vancouver, B.C., where she graduated from King George High School. Claims to have first seen future husband and comedy partner Jack Benny perform at the city's famed Orpheum Theatre during the Vaudeville days. Benny toured extensively and played the Orpheum often before hitting it big in...
47. Johnnie Davis
Soundtrack | Hollywood Ending
Johnnie Davis was born on May 11, 1910 in Brazil, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Hollywood Ending (2002), Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938) and Garden of the Moon (1938). He died on November 28, 1983 in Pecos, Texas, USA.
48. Tennessee Williams
Writer | A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams met long-term partner Frank Merlo in the summer of 1948 (Merlo died of lung cancer in the fall of 1963). Though separated briefly in 1961 and again in 1962, the two were partners for 15 years. Merlo acted as his personal manager/secretary.
Williams spent much of his most prolific ...
49. Peter Arne
Actor | Straw Dogs
Peter Arne was for a short time the perfect villain in British film. After a couple of roles in war movies (The Purple Plain (1954) and The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)) and a Tarzan movie (Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957)) he became a villain in Strangers' Meeting (1957). From than on he continued ...
50. Judy Canova
Actress | Louisiana Hayride
Raucous singing and yodeling and loads of cornpone humor was pretty much the whole shebang when it came to singer/comedienne Judy Canova. Her outlandish image may be considered tacky and/or offensive by today's measure, but back in the 1930s and 1940s it really worked! By the time she left the ...