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As a film character actor, Klugman was the epitome of the everyman. He was one of the pioneers of television acting in the 1950s, and is best remembered for his 1970s TV work as Oscar Madison on The Odd Couple (1970) and as the medical examiner on Quincy, M.E. (1976).

WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen actor were all inclusions on the resume of this perpetually busy US actor who didn't get in front of the cameras until around the time of his fortieth birthday. The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors.

Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, to Louise Marie (Leonard), a laundress, and James Gerald Durning. His father was an Irish immigrant and his mother was of Irish descent. Durning first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. He scored minor roles over the next decade until he really got noticed by film fans as the sneering, corrupt cop "Lt. Snyder" hassling street grifter 'Robert Redford' in the multi award winning mega-hit The Sting (1973). Durning was equally entertaining in the Billy Wilder production of The Front Page (1974), he supported screen tough guy Charles Bronson in the suspenseful western Breakheart Pass (1975) and featured as "Spermwhale Whalen" in the story of unorthodox police behavior in The Choirboys (1977).

The versatile Durning is equally adept at comedic roles and demonstrated his skills as "Doc Hopper" in The Muppet Movie (1979), a feisty football coach in North Dallas Forty (1979), a highly strung police officer berating maverick cop Burt Reynolds in Sharky's Machine (1981), and a light footed, dancing Governor (alongside Burt Reynolds once more) in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). Durning continued a regular on screen association with Burt Reynolds appearing in several more feature films together and as "Dr. Harlan Elldridge" in the highly popular TV series Evening Shade (1990). On par with his multitude of feature film roles, Durning has always been in high demand on television and has guest starred in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), Monk (2002) and Rescue Me (2004). Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television movies.

Richard Rodney Bennett was an eclectic composer of serious orchestral works, jazz songs and music for stage and screen. Of the former, his most famous compositions include a First Symphony, a piano concerto and four string quartets. Among the latter are scores for operas, such as the dramatic "The Mines of Sulphur" and the more light-hearted and satirical "A Penny for a Song". Born into an artistic family (his mother was a pianist and composer, his father a writer of children's books), Bennett wrote a cantata, "Put Away the Flutes", while still in his early teens. He enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1953, graduating three years later. He subsequently continued his studies under the avant garde French composer/conductor Pierre Boulez in Paris, eventually becoming adept at fusing jazz and serial techniques, in addition to mastering jazz piano.

Comfortable in varied genres, some of his best film music is strongly jazz tinged, notably The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967). Other well-known scores include the romantic, melodic themes for Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974), the latter two garnering both Oscar and Grammy Award nominations ("Orient Express" also winning a BAFTA). From 1979, Bennett was based in New York, where his Second Symphony had been commissioned by Leonard Bernstein eleven years earlier (Bernstein eventually became one of his referees for a green card, Stephen Sondheim, another). Bennett's predilection for jazz was given free reign in the 1990's, when he began to play jazz piano in cabaret, including at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London and a season at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel, invariably accompanied by vocalists Claire Martin or Marian Montgomery. He had also held the international chair of composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1994 to 2000.

Christopher Robbins was born on 19 November 1946 in Bristol, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Air America (1990), Entertainment Tonight (1981) and The Legendary Brian Desmond Hurst (2005). He died on 24 December 2012 in London, England, UK.

Lee Hartman was born on 21 February 1930 in North Apollo, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Night of the Living Dead (1968), Story of the Christmas Toys as told by Mel Torme (1990) and The Affair (1971). He died on 24 December 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Pat Lovett was born on 16 August 1945 in Woolwich, London, England, UK. She was an actress and talent agent, known for Half a Sixpence (1967), The Jazz Age (1968) and Music for You (1951). She died on 24 December 2012 in the UK.

Valentin Kozachkov was born on 2 February 1934 in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He was an actor and director, known for Tovarishch pesnya (1966), Zolotye tufelki (1981) and Yesli yest parusa (1969). He died on 24 December 2012.

Joyce Golding was born on 28 July 1928 in London. She was an actress, known for Trouble in the Air (1948), The Good Old Days (1953) and Vera Lynn Sings (1955). She was married to Fred Squires. She died on 24 December 2012 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Julie Anne Ford was born on 10 October 1931 in Hurstville, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was a producer and writer, known for Divorce Court (1967), The Unloved (1968) and A Halo for Athuan (1999). She was married to Joseph Kevin Ford. She died on 24 December 2012 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Ray Collins was born on 19 November 1937 in Pomona, California, USA. He died on 24 December 2012 in Claremont, California, USA.

Jean-Louis Blèze was born on 1 August 1927 in Sarrouilles, Hautes-Pyrénées, France. He was an actor, known for L'île au coquelicot (1970), Trente-Six Chansons (1956) and Le palmarès des chansons (1965). He died on 24 December 2012 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France.

Elinor Cushingham was born on 29 June 1920 in Portland, Oregon, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Warren Anthony Harbula. She died on 24 December 2012.

Doc Dachtler was born on 30 April 1947 in Lansing, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for No Pain, No Gain (2004) and Pastor Shepherd (2010). He was married to Jody Ann Saari. He died on 24 December 2012 in South Dakota, USA.

Othmar Schneider was born on 27 August 1928 in Lech am Arlberg, Vorarlberg, Austria. He died on 24 December 2012.

Jindriska Smetanová was born on 26 October 1923 in Rosice, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was a writer, known for Kruh (1959), Our Mr. Foerster Died (1963) and Konec velké epochy (1966). She was married to Pavel Smetana. She died on 24 December 2012 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Jacques Boivin was born on 26 April 1947 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. Jacques was an actor, known for Ode à la vidéo (1983). Jacques was married to Fiammetta Ortega. Jacques died on 24 December 2012 in Paris, France.

Ivan Petrov was born on 29 March 1926 in Rykovo-Sloboda village, Ryazan Oblast, Soviet Union [now Zaokskoye, Russia]. He was an actor, known for Anxiety (2024). He died on 24 December 2012 in Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia.

Eliska Kucharová was born on 2 October 1928 in Pysely u Prahy, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Barbora Hlavsová (1943), Tanecnice (1943) and Karel a já (1942). She died on 24 December 2012 in Lázné Letiny, Czech Republic.