Legendary Actor Mickey Rooney Has Passed Away at Age 93 … Rest in Peace

Another one of our great actors from the Golden age of Hollywood has passed away …

Mickey Rooney, the iconic actor whose prolific career on stage and screen that spanned eight decades, has died at the age of 93 on Sunday.  Rooney died Sunday of natural causes at age 93 surrounded by family at his North Hollywood home. He was born Joseph Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York and began his acting career shortly after his first birthday, appearing on vaudeville stages with his parents. Rooney’s career is a who’s who of movies such as Boy’s Town, Babes in Arms, National Velvet, The Bold and the Brave, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Bill and of course his role in numerous films as the original Andy Hardy with actress Judy Garland. EIGHT DECADES!!!  They do not make them like this anymore.

Mickey Rooney:  September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014, Rest in Peace

Mickey Rooney and Judy-Garland from ‘Babes on Broadway’ together again in Heaven

As adept at comedy as drama and an excellent singer and dancer, Rooney was regarded as the consummate entertainer. During a prolific career on stage and screen that spanned eight decades (“I’ve been working all my life, but it seems longer,” he once said), he was nominated for four Academy Awards and received two special Oscars, the Juvenile Award in 1939 (shared with Deanna Durbin) and one in 1983 for his body of work.

He also appeared on series and TV and in made for television movies, one of which, “Bill,” the touching story of a mentally challenged man, won him an Emmy. He was Emmy nominated three other times. And for “Sugar Babies,” a musical revue in which he starred with Ann Miller, he was nominated for a Tony in 1980.

‘Yankee Doodle Boy’

Both in his professional and personal life Rooney withstood many peaks and valleys. He was married eight times — first and most famously to his MGM co-star Ava Gardner — and filed for bankruptcy in 1962, having gone through the $12 million he had earned. And until middle age, he was never able to quite cast off his popularity as a juvenile. Nonetheless, Rooney’s highs more than compensated for his lows. Via his “Andy Hardy” series of films, the five-foot-three Rooney came to embody the virtues of small-town American boyhood. Those films and a series of musicals in which he co-starred with Judy Garland made him the nation’s biggest box office attraction for three years running.

From Hollywood.com – The Tributes pour in for acting icon, Mickey Rooney.

Tributes are flooding in from celebrities following the death of Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney on Sunday (06Apr14). The acting veteran, whose career spanned over nine decades, passed away aged 93. His cause of death has not been released. Stars took to their Twitter.com pages to mourn the actor and pay their respects on Sunday. Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin wrote, “A lovely man, talented actor & friend, Mickey Rooney has passed at 93. He is with his dear friend Judy Garland putting on shows in heaven”. Star Trek actor William Shatner adds, “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Mickey Rooney.

Daily Commentary – Friday, March 28, 2014 – Homeland Star James Rebhorn Wrote His Own Obituary

• Dying of melanoma, his obituary focuses on his family and the support he received from others throughout his acting career

Actor James Rebhorn Who Appeared in “Independence Day”, “Scent of a Woman” & “Homeland” Dies at Age 65 of Melanoma … Rest in Peace

Character actor James Rebhorn dies far too young at age 65 …

Actor James Rebhorn, who appeared in dozens of popular movies like ‘Independence Day’, ‘Scent of a Woman’ and ‘Meet the Parents’, and television shows like Showtime hit “Homeland,” died on Friday at his home in South Orange, N.J. at the age of 65 from skin cancer. As reported at TMZ, Rebhorn’s wife Rebecca said that James Rebhorn was diagnosed with melanoma in 1992 and he had been getting treatments ever since. Rest in Peace.

James Rebhorn discusses the power of his Liberal Arts Education at Wittenberg University

Veteran character actor James Rebhorn, known for his roles in “Homeland,” “White Collar” and dozens of TV shows and films over a five-decade career, has died of melanoma, his wife, Rebecca Linn, said Sunday. Rebhorn died Friday at his home in South Orange, N.J., at the age of 65.

Able to perform in comedies or dramas, as well as on stage, TV or film, the Philadelphia native racked up an impressive list of credits, including playing the father of Claire Danes’ character on “Homeland.”

His film roles included such titles as “Silkwood,” “Shadows and Fog,” “Basic Instinct,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Independence Day,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Game,” “Far From Heaven” and “Cold Mountain.” Recent film appearances included “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” “Sleepwalk With Me,” “Real Steel” and “The Box.”

Rebhorn was a character actor for five decades in New York and Hollywood. You may not know the name, but you certainly will recognize James Rebhorn when you see his face. My favorite roles of James Rebhorn were of him as Headmaster Trask of the Baird School in ‘Scent of a Woman’, George Wilbur, the expert witness in the area of tire tread identification and automobiles, in ‘My Cousin Vinny’ and Defense Sec. Albert Nimziki from ‘Independence Day’.

WAPO – Obituary: James Rebhorn, character actor, dies at 65.

James Rebhorn, one of the busiest character actors in New York and Hollywood who specialized in flawed, authority figures, including the bipolar father of a CIA agent in the HBO series “Homeland,” died March 21 at his home in South Orange, N.J. He was 65.

On television, Mr. Rebhorn had a recurring part on the HBO show “White Collar” (2009-2014) and, playing a district attorney, memorably prosecuted the “Seinfeld” cast on that series’ 1998 finale.

Rebhorn’s movie roles, though small, were often pivotal to the plot. In“The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999), he played the wealthy shipbuilder whose spoiled son (Jude Law) disappeared, killed by sociopath Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) who has taken the son’s identity. As the headmaster Mr. Trask in “Scent of a Woman” (1992), he faced off against a blind and argumentative Vietnam vet Al Pacino defending one of Trask’s students accused of cheating.

Legendary Child Star Shirley Temple Passes Away at age 85 … Rest in Peace

Arguably the most famous child star ever has passed away …

This hardly seems possible … legendary child actress Shirley Temple Black has died at the age of 85.  The child star known for her curly hair and dimples died of natural causes Monday night at her Woodside, California home surrounded by her family and caregivers. Shirley Temple Black lifted America’s spirits as a bright-eyed, dimpled child movie star during the Great Depression and later became a U.S. diplomat.

The bright-eyed, adorable little actress was a No. 1 box-office draw in the 1930s, helping to boost America’s spirits after the Great Depression and saving the Fox studio from bankruptcy.

Shirley Temple, the enchanting singing and dancing child star with the glowing corkscrew curls who saved a Hollywood studio and helped yank America from the throes of the Great Depression, died Monday night. She was 85.

CNN: Shirley Temple Black, the former child star who later became a U.S. ambassador, has died at 85, her publicist says.

Temple began acting at age 3 and starred in four massive box-office draws before she turned 10, commanding a then-unheard of $50,000 per movie.

Her first film of notice appeared in 1932, when she played the part of the Baby Burlesks in a series of short films called “War Babies.”

For about 18 years, she sang, tap danced and acted her way into the hearts of millions.

She retired from filmmaking at 22, after marrying Charles Black and changing her last name to Temple Black.

But she did not fade from the public eye. Far from it.

She embarked on a new career as a foreign diplomat: She served in the U.S. delegation to the United Nations from 1969 to 1974, was U.S. ambassador to Ghana from 1974 to 1976, and U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992.

Shirley Temple – On The Good Ship Lollipop

FOX News: Former Hollywood child star Shirley Temple dies at 85.

Temple became a nationwide sensation. Mothers dressed their little girls like her, and a line of dolls was launched that are now highly sought-after collectables. Her immense popularity prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to say that “as long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right.”

“When the spirit of the people is lower than at any other time during this Depression, it is a splendid thing that for just 15 cents, an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles,” Roosevelt said.

She followed up in the next few years with a string of hit films, most with sentimental themes and musical subplots. She often played an orphan, as in “Curly Top,” where she introduced the hit “Animal Crackers in My Soup,” and “Stowaway,” in which she was befriended by Robert Young, later of “Father Knows Best” fame.

She teamed with the great black dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in two 1935 films with Civil War themes, “The Little Colonel” and “The Littlest Rebel.” Their tap dance up the steps in “The Little Colonel” (at a time when interracial teamings were unheard-of in Hollywood) became a landmark in the history of film dance.

Wiki: Political ambitions -

Following her venture into television, Temple became active in the Republican Party in California. In 1967, she ran unsuccessfully in a special election in California’s 11th congressional district to fill the seat left vacant by the death of eight-term Republican J. Arthur Younger from leukemia.[93][94] She ran as a conservative and lost to law school professor Pete McCloskey, a liberal Republican who was a staunch opponent of the Vietnam War.[95]

She was appointed Representative to the 24th United Nations General Assembly by President Richard M. Nixon (September – December 1969),[96][97] and was appointed United States Ambassador to Ghana (December 6, 1974 – July 13, 1976) by President Gerald R. Ford.[98] She was appointed first female Chief of Protocol of the United States (July 1, 1976 – January 21, 1977), and was in charge of arrangements for President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration and inaugural ball.[98][99] She served as the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (August 23, 1989 – July 12, 1992), having been appointed by President George H. W. Bush.[33]

Phil Everly, One Half of the Famed Everly Brothers, Dies at Age 74

Phil Everly, Dead at the age of 74 … Rest in Peace.

Phil Everly, the legendary singer, who along with his brother Don, made up the iconic singing duo, The Everly Brother died Friday at the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California  from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease brought on after a lifetime of cigarette smoking. He was 74. The music icons, the Everly Bothers, were highly influential with other such recording acts as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Byrds and countless other rock, folk and country singers.  Phil Everly also wrote Linda Ronstadt’s biggest hits of her career in 1975 with her recording of “When Will I Be Loved.” Rolling Stone named the Everly Brothers are the most important vocal duo in rock. The  The Everly Brothers were among the first 10 performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Phil Everly will truly be missed and so will the fantastic sound of the Everly Brothers. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Thank you so much for the music.

Singer Phil Everly Dies but his Music will live on Forever … Rest in Peace

VIDEO – CNN

Legendary pop singer Phil Everly, who together with his brother, Don, formed one of the 1960s most popular pop duos, died Friday, his wife, Patti Everly, told the Los Angeles Times. He was 74.

“We are absolutely heartbroken,” she told the newspaper, adding that Everly’s death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was brought on after a lifetime of cigarette smoking. “He fought long and hard.”

The Everly Brothers charted nearly three dozen hits in their heyday from the late ’50s through the early ’60s. Some of their most notable songs – “Cathy’s Clown,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bye Bye Love,” “When Will I Be Loved” and “All I Have to Do is Dream” – have become pop staples and influenced major acts such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Byrds, the Times reported.

In all, their career spanned five decades, although they performed separately from 1973 to 1983. In their heyday between 1957 and 1962, they had 19 top 40 hits.

The two broke up amid quarrelling in 1973 after 16 years of hits, then reunited in 1983, “sealing it with a hug,” Phil Everly said.

And the song that launched their career … The Everly Brothers: Live – Bye Bye Love, 1957

Dick Clark presenting his top 10 from July 1960 … One of my favorites, “Cathy’s Clown”

The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert Live at the Royal Albert Hall in London, 1983