Necrology for 2025 In 2025, we said farewell to some of our favorite entertainers and personalities from the worlds of radio, television, movies, and music. Here, we take a moment to acknowledge their passing and thank them for their contributions. They’re gone, but not forgotten.
JERRY ADLER, 96, actor best remembered for playing family advisor Hesh Rabkin on The Sopranos and law partner Howard Lyman on the series The Good Wife. August 23.
LONI ANDERSON, 79, actress who played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe for four seasons on the television series WKRP in Cincinnati. August 3.
JOE DON BAKER, 89, actor who became famous playing a small-town sheriff in the 1973 movie Walking Tall. He also played Molly the hitman in the film Charley Varrick and appeared as intelligence operative Jack Wade in two James Bond movies. May 7.
BRIGITTE BARDOT, 91, French-born actress and singer who became an international sensation in the 1956 film And God Created Woman. Her other films include Act of Love, Helen of Troy, Dear Brigitte and Contempt. December 28.
ALAN BERGMAN, 99, Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-winning composer who collaborated for more than 40 years with his wife Marilyn. Among their songs were “The Way We Were,” “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” and “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” July 17.
JERRY BUTLER, 85, singer known as “The Iceman,” who enjoyed success both as a solo performer and as a member of The Impressions. Among his hits were “For Your Precious Love,” “He Will Break Your Heart,” “Make It Easy on Yourself” and “Only the Strong Survive.” February 20.
RUTH BUZZI, 88, actress and comedian who spent five seasons as a cast member on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Her other television credits include That Girl, The Monkees, Night Gallery, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and numerous animated series. May 1.
CLAUDIA CARDINALE, 87, Italian-born actress who appeared in more than 100 movies over a seven-decade career. Her credits include The Pink Panther, Don’t Make Waves, 8-1/2 and Once Upon a Time in the West. September 23.
RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN, 90, actor who rose to fame playing the title role on the television series Dr. Kildare. He became known as “King of the Miniseries” thanks to his roles in the series Shogun, The Thorn Birds and Centennial. His movie credits include The Three Musketeers, The Towering Inferno and King Solomon’s Mines. March 29.
CORA SUE COLLINS, 98, child actress who worked in the 1930s and ‘40s in such films as The Scarlet Letter, Evelyn Prentice, Anna Karenina and Tom Sawyer. April 27.
PAULINE COLLINS, 85, British actress who won a Tony for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine. On television, she was maid Sarah Moffat on the series Upstairs, Downstairs and appeared on No, Honestly!, Wodehouse Playhouse, Doctor Who and others. November 6.
PAT CROWLEY, 91, actress who appeared on more than 100 television shows during a career that lasted more than 60 years. She was newspaper columnist Joan Nash for two seasons on the series Please Don’t Eat the Daisies and also appeared on Dr. Kildare, The Untouchables, Bonanza, Frasier, Friends and the soap opera Port Charles, where she played the character of Mary Scanlon for six years. September 14.
BRUCE DUMONT, 81, Chicago-area broadcaster and co-founder of the Museum of Broadcast Communications. During a five-decade career, he worked for stations WGN, WBEZ, WLTD and WLS, where he hosted the syndicated talk show Beyond the Beltway. September 10.
SAMANTHA EGGAR, 86, actress perhaps best known for playing Miranda Gray in the 1965 film The Collector. She also appeared in the movies Doctor Doolittle, The Molly Maguires, The Seven Per-Cent Solution and the animated version of Hercules, where she provided the voice of Hera. October 15.
ROBERTA FLACK, 87, Grammy-winning singer and musician whose recording of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was featured in the film Play Misty For Me. Her other hits include “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Where Is the Love?”, a duet with singer Donny Hathaway. February 24.
CONNIE FRANCIS, 87, singer who enjoyed success with fifteen Top 10 hits during the 1950s and ‘60s, including “Who’s Sorry Now?” “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” “Pretty Little Thing,” “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” and “Where the Boys Are,” the title song of the 1960 film in which she also starred. July 16.
ANTHONY GEARY, 78, actor best known for playing the troubled Luke Spencer for four decades on the long-running soap opera General Hospital. December 14.
GRAHAM GREENE, 73, Indigenous Canadian-born actor who appeared in more than 150 movies and television shows over a five-decade career. He was Kicking Bird in the 1990 film Dances With Wolves and convict Arlen Bitterbuck in The Green Mile. September 1.
GENE HACKMAN, 95, Oscar-winning actor who appeared in more than eighty films during a four-decade career. He was detective “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, gunman Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde and the megalomaniacal Lex Luthor in three Superman films. His other movies include I Never Sang For My Father, The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, Reds, Hoosiers, Unforgiven and The Royal Tenenbaums. February 18.
POLLY HOLLIDAY, 88, actress best known for playing sassy waitress Flo Castleberry on the television series Alice. She played the miserly Ruby Deagle in the film Gremlins and also appeared in All the President’s Men, Mrs. Doubtfire and The Parent Trap. September 9.
KATHLEEN HUGHES, 96, actress who played a heartless actress in the 1953 film The Glass Web and co-starred in the science-fiction classic It Came From Outer Space. On television, she appeared on Perry Mason, Bachelor Father, Bracken’s World, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Bob Cummings Show and others. May 19.
WILL HUTCHINS, 94, actor best known for playing frontier lawyer Tom Brewster from 1957-1961 on the western-comedy series Sugarfoot. He also appeared in the films No Time For Sergeants, Spinout and Clambake. April 21.
CLAUDE JARMAN JR., 90, actor who won a juvenile Academy Award for his performance as a boy who adopts a faun in the 1946 film The Yearling. His other films include The Sun Comes Up, Rio Grande and Roughshod. January 12.
DIANE KEATON, 79, actress who appeared in more than fifty movies over a 55-year career. She played the unfortunate Kay Adams in The Godfather and also starred in the films Love and Death, Sleeper, Reds, Crimes of the Heart, Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, Something’s Gotta Give and Annie Hall, where her performance as the title character won her an Oscar. October 11.
DAVID KETCHUM, 97, actor and comedian perhaps best known for playing the uncomfortably concealed Agent 13 on the television series Get Smart. He played carpenter Mel Warshaw on the series I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster and also appeared on The Andy Griffith Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Real McCoys, The Munsters, The Mod Squad, That Girl and Happy Days. August 10.
VAL KILMER, 65, actor who appeared in more than 80 movies over a forty-five career. He played singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors and the title character in 1995’s Batman Forever. His other films include Top Gun, The Saint, Top Secret! and Tombstone. April 1.
DIANE LADD, 89, actress who appeared in more than 200 films and television shows over a 70-year career. Her movies included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Chinatown, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose and The Reivers. November 3.
TOM LEHRER, 97, teacher and musician who enjoyed success on stage and television with his incisive and satirical songs, including “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Masochism Tango” and “We Will All Go Together When We Go.” July 26.
JUNE LOCKHART, 100, actress perhaps best known for playing television mothers, including Ruth Martin for six seasons on Lassie and Maureen Robinson for three seasons on the science-fiction drama Lost in Space. Her movie credits include Sergeant York, Meet Me in St. Louis, All This and Heaven Too, She-Wolf of London and The White Cliffs of Dover. October 23.
JEAN MARSH, 90, actress who appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows over an eight-decade career. She played Rose, the head house parlormaid on the long-running series Upstairs, Downstairs and also appeared on the series I Spy, The Saint, Doctor Who, The Waltons and Hawaii Five-O. April 13.
WINK MARTINDALE, 91, disc jockey and television personality who became famous as the host of the game shows Gambit and Tic-Tac-Dough. In 1959, he enjoyed success with his recording of “Deck of Cards,” For a decade, he was heard on the Music of Your Life radio network. April 15.
MELBA MONTGOMERY, 86, country singer who performed as a solo artist with such hits as “No Charge,” “Angel of the Morning” and “Don’t Let the Good Times Fool You.” She also recorded several duets with George Jones, including “We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds,” “Let’s Invite Them Over” and “You Comb Her Hair.” January 15.
JAY NORTH, 73, actor best-known for playing the title role in the television series Dennis the Menace. April 6.
WAYNE OSMOND, 73, singer and musician who was one-fifth of the Osmond Brothers. They were featured regularly on Andy Williams’ television show and enjoyed success with the records “One Bad Apple,” “Yo-Yo,” “Down By The Lazy River” and others. January 1.
GENEVIEVE PAGE, 97, French-born actress who appeared in the films Foreign Intrigue, El Cid, Grand Prix, Song Without End, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and others. February 14.
JOAN PLOWRIGHT, 95, actress who played the daughter of an aging vaudevillian in the 1960 movie The Entertainer. Her other film credits include Equus, Uncle Vanya, Avalon and Enchanted April. January 16.
ROBERT REDFORD, 89, actor who appeared in more than 50 movies over a 65-year career, including Barefoot in the Park, All the President’s Men, The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Way We Were, The Great Gatsby and The Natural. He also directed the films Quiz Show, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Ordinary People, for which he won an Academy Award. September 16.
ROB REINER, 78, actor and director who rose to fame by playing Archie Bunker’s outspoken son-in-law Mike Stivic on the series All in the Family. As a director, his films included This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, Misery and When Harry Met Sally. December 14.
TONY ROBERTS, 85, actor who enjoyed success on stage and screen, appearing in such films as Star Spangled Girl, Annie Hall, Play It Again Sam and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. His television credits include The Edge of Night, Love American Style, Night Gallery and Murder She Wrote. February 7.
PRUNELLA SCALES, 93, British actress best known for playing long-suffering wife Sybil Fawlty on the television series Fawlty Towers. Her film credits include Hobson’s Choice, The Boys From Brazil and Howards End. October 27.
JAN SHEPARD, 96, actress who appeared on dozens of television shows, including Death Valley Days, I Married Joan, My Little Margie, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Rawhide and The Clear Horizon, the 1960 soap opera set at Cape Canaveral. January 17.
SUSAN STAMBERG, 87, award-winning broadcaster who was one of the original hosts of NPR’s All Things Considered from 1972-1986. From 1987-1989, she was the host of that network’s Weekend Edition. October 16.
TERENCE STAMP, 87, actor who appeared in more than 80 movies over a 60-year career. He played the title role in the 1967 film Billy Budd and General Zod in 1981’s Superman II. His other films include The Collector, Far From the Madding Crowd, Bowfinger and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. August 17.
LYNNE MARIE STEWART, 78, actress who played Miss Yvonne, the “most beautiful woman in Puppet Land” on the television series Pee Wee’s Playhouse. She later played Bonnie Kelly on the series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. February 21.
CHARLES STROUSE, 96, Tony Award-winning composer whose co-wrote the musicals Bye Bye Birdie; Golden Boy; It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane, It’s Superman; Annie and Applause. He also co-wrote “Those Were the Days,” the song that opened every episode of All in the Family. May 15.
LORETTA SWIT, 87, Emmy Award-winning actress best known for her eleven seasons on the television series M*A*S*H, where she played Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan. Her other television credits include Hawaii Five-O, Bonanza, Mannix, The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis: Murder. May 30.
NINO TEMPO, 90, musician who enjoyed success on records with his sister April Stevens. Their hits included “Deep Purple,” “Whispering” and “All Strung Out.” April 10.
JOHNNY TILLOTSON, 86, singer who enjoyed success in the pop and country fields. His hits include “Poetry in Motion,” “Without You,” “It Keeps Right on a-Hurtin’,” ”Send Me the Pillow You Dream On” and others. April 1.
MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG, 39, actress who spent three seasons on television playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Her other television credits include The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Gossip Girl, Six Feet Under and All My Children. February 26.
BOB UECKER, 90, broadcaster and actor known as “Mr. Baseball,” who became a Hall of Fame broadcaster for ABC, NBC and WTMJ/Milwaukee, where he spent 53 years as a play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers. From 1985-1990, he played sportswriter George Owens on the television series Mr. Belvedere and also played sportscaster Harry Doyle in the movie Major League. January 16.
JOEY D. VIEIRA, 80, actor who spent three years playing Sylvester “Porky” Brockaway on the Lassie television series. His other television credits include The Ray Milland Show, My Three Sons and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. April 7.
MARK VOLMAN, 78, musician who enjoyed success in the 1960s as a founding member of the Turtles, whose hits included “Happy Together,” “Elenore,” “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “She’d Rather Be With Me” and others. September 5.
GEORGE WENDT, 76, actor who spent eleven seasons playing beer-drinking accountant Norm Peterson on the television series Cheers. His other television credits include M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, Seinfeld and Tales From the Crypt. May 20.
ED WILLIAMS, 98, actor best known for playing eccentric forensic scientist Ted Olsen on the television series Police Squad and the Naked Gun film series. October 2.
PETER YARROW, 86, singer and musician who became famous as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, one of the top folk groups of the 1960s. Among their hits were “Lemon Tree,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “Puff (The Magic Dragon),” “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” January 7.
Necrology for 2024 In 2024, we said farewell to some of our favorite entertainers and personalities from the worlds of radio, television, movies, and music. Here, we take a moment to acknowledge their passing and thank them for their contributions. They’re gone, but not forgotten.
JOHN AMOS, 80, actor who spent three seasons as family patriarch James Evans Sr. on the television series Good Times. He played weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later played the adult Kunta Kinte on the ABC miniseries Roots. August 21.
MICHAEL COLE, 84, actor perhaps best known for playing undercover police officer Pete Cochran on the television series The Mod Squad. In the 1990s, he was Harlan Barrett on the daytime soap opera General Hospital. December 10.
DABNEY COLEMAN, 92, actor who appeared in more than 150 movies and television shows during a six-decade career. He was Mayor Merle Jester on the television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and also appeared on The Outer Limits, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Fugitive, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and That Girl, where he played Dr. Leon Bessemer. His movie credits include 9 to 5, Melvin and Howard, On Golden Pond, War Games and Tootsie, where he played philandering director Ron Carlisle. May 16.
ROGER CORMAN, 98, iconic movie producer and director known as “King of the B’s” during a career that lasted nearly seventy years. As a director, his credits include Little Shop of Horrors, The Raven, X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes and Tales of Terror, the anthology film that starred Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone. May 9.
KATHRYN CROSBY, 90, actress who appeared in the films Anatomy of a Murder, Operation Mad Ball, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The Brothers Rico, but is perhaps best remembered for appearing on countless television Christmas specials with her husband Bing Crosby and their children. September 20.
JAMES DARREN, 88, actor and singer who played the dreamy surfer Moondoggie in three Gidget movies and also appeared in the films Guns of Navarone, Knock on Any Door and Let No Man Write My Epitaph. On television, he was electronic genius Tony Newman on The Time Tunnel and later played officer Jim Corrigan on T.J. Hooker. He also enjoyed success with the records “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Her Royal Majesty.” September 2.
DIX DAVIS, 97, actor who appeared on dozens of Golden Age radio shows. He was younger brother Randolph Foster on A Date With Judy, Henry Barbour’s grandson Pinky on One Man’s Family, and comedy writer Belly-Laugh Barton on The Jack Benny Program. His other radio credits include The Lux Radio Theater, Dr. Christian and The Cavalcade of America. January 6.
SHANNEN DOHERTY, 53, actress who played Brenda Walsh for four seasons on the television series Beverly Hills 90210 and later played the witch Prue Halliwell for three seasons on the series Charmed. July 13.
PHIL DONOHUE, 80, television personality hailed as “the king of daytime talk,” thanks to his eponymous Peabody Award-winning talk show, which was broadcast from Cincinnati, Chicago and New York and syndicated nationally from 1970-1996. In later years, he hosted talk shows on CNBC and MSNBC. August 18.
SHELLEY DUVALL, 75, actress who became famous for playing eccentric characters in movies and on television. Her film credits include McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Nashville, Annie Hall, The Shining, Roxanne and Popeye, where she played Olive Oyl. In the 1980s, she was the producer and host of television’s Faerie Tale Theatre. July 11.
ABDUL “DUKE” FAKIR, 88, last surviving member of The Four Tops, who enjoyed a string of hits for the Motown label during the 1960s, including “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” and their biggest record, “I Can’t Help Myself,” July 22.
JOE FLAHERTY, 82, actor who played multiple characters on the Emmy-winning Second City Television series. He later played father Harold Weir on the series Freaks and Geeks and appeared in the films Used Cars, Back to the Future II and Happy Gilmore. April 1.
BARBARA FULLER, 102, actress who appeared in dozens of radio and television shows. She was Claudia Barbour for 14 years on the radio version of One Man’s Family and Peggy Fairchild on the soap opera Stepmother. Her other radio credits include The Lux Radio Theater, Nightbeat, The Light of the World, The Man Called X and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. On television, she appeared on The Adventures of Superman, Perry Mason, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Millionaire and My Three Sons, among others. May 15.
TERI GARR, 79, actress who appeared in more than 150 movies and television shows during a five-decade career. She was the devoted lab assistant Inga in Young Frankenstein and Dustin Hoffman’s girlfriend Sandy in Tootsie. Her other film credits include Oh God!, The Black Stallion, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Mr. Mom. October 29.
MITZI GAYNOR, 93, actress and dancer who played Nellie Forbush in the 1957 movie version of South Pacific. Her other film credits include Les Girls, There’s No Business Like Show Business, Anything Goes, The Joker Is Wild and We’re Not Married! October 7.
LOUIS GOSSETT JR., 87, actor who appeared in nearly 200 movies and television shows during a career that lasted more than sixty years. He played Fiddler on the ABC miniseries Roots and also appeared on Bonanza, Daktari, The Rockford Files and Watchmen. His movie credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Iron Eagle and An Officer and a Gentleman, where his portrayal of Sgt. Emil Foley won him an Academy Award. March 29.
CLARENCE “FROGMAN” HENRY, 87, New Orleans-based singer who enjoyed success with the songs “I Don’t Know Why I Love You But I Do” and “Ain’t Got No Home,” in which he memorably sang like a frog. April 7.
DARYL HICKMAN, 92, actor who starred in more than a hundred movies and television shows in a career that lasted more than sixty years. He played Winfield Joad in the 1940 movie version of The Grapes of Wrath and also appeared in the films The Human Comedy, Keeper of the Flame, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers and Leave Her to Heaven. May 22.
EARL HOLLIMAN, 96, actor who starred on the first episode of The Twlight Zone, “Where Is Everybody?” and later played Lt. Bill Crowley for four seasons on the television series Police Woman. His movie credits include Forbidden Planet, The Big Combo, Giant, The Rainmaker and Summer and Smoke. November 25.
OLIVIA HUSSEY, 73, actress who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 movie version of Romeo and Juliet and later played Mary in the 1977 television series Jesus of Nazareth. December 27.
GLYNIS JOHNS, 100, actress who appeared in more than sixty films during a six-decade career. She was Mrs. Banks in 1964’s Mary Poppins, Maid Jean in The Court Jester and Mrs. Firth in The Sundowners. Her other film credits include Around the World in Eighty Days, Another Time Another Place and While You Were Sleeping. January 4.
JACK JONES, 86, singer who enjoyed success in the 1960s with his recordings of “Wives and Lovers,” “Dear Heart,” “The Race is On,” “Lollipops and Roses,” “The Impossible Dream” and others. He also sang the theme song for the hit television series The Love Boat. October 23.
JAMES EARL JONES, 93, pioneering and prolific actor who appeared in nearly two hundred movies and television shows over a six-decade career. He was the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy and the voice of Mufasa in the 1994 animated film The Lion King. He also appeared in the movies The Great White Hope, Field of Dreams, Coming to America, The Hunt for Red October and others. September 4.
QUINCY JONES, 91, legendary Grammy Award-winning producer and arranger who worked on stage and recording with Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Lesley Gore and Michael Jackson. He composed the theme for the television series Sanford and Son and the scores for such films as The Pawnbroker, In the Heat of The Night and The Italian Job. November 3.
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, 88, actor and singer who wrote the hit songs “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” In the 1980s, he joined Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson to form the group The Highwaymen. His film credits include Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Blade, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born. September 28.
LINDA LAVIN, 87, Tony Award-winning actress who played waitress and single mother Alice Hyatt for nine years on the television series Alice. Her other television credits include Barney Miller, The Good Wife and the Netflix series No Good Deed. She appeared in the movies The Muppets Take Manhattan and Being the Ricardos, where she played writer Madelyn Pugh. December 29.
STEVE LAWRENCE, 88, singer who rose to fame as an original cast member of Steve Allen’s Tonight show and recorded and performed for years, both as a solo act and alongside wife Eydie Gorme. His records included such hits as “Go Away, Little Girl,” “Party Doll,” and “I’ve Gotta Be Me,” which he sang in the Broadway show Golden Rainbow. He was a frequent guest on The Carol Burnett Show and also appeared on the series Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis: Murder and Hot in Cleveland. His film credits include The Blues Brothers and The Lonely Guy. March 7.
MITZI McCALL, 93, actress and comedienne who performed on stage and television with her husband Charlie Brill. The duo appeared frequently on The Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. August 8.
PETER MARSHALL, 98, actor, singer and comedian who worked on stage and screen in the 1950s with comedian Tommy Noonan, but is best known for his 16-year run as host of the television game show The Hollywood Squares. His other television credits include The Millionaire, 77 Sunset Strip, WKRP in Cincinnati and Love, American Style. August 15.
SERGIO MENDES, 83, Grammy-winning musician who led the group Brasil ’66. Their 1966 recording “Mas Que Nada” was instrumental in bringing bossa nova music to a global audience. September 5.
MARTIN MULL, 80, actor, comedian and musician who played wife-beater Garth Gimbel on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and his smarmy twin brother Barth Gimbel on the spin-off series Fernwood 2-Night and its sequel, America 2-Night. In later years, he played Roseanne Conner’s boss Leon Carp on the series Roseanne and clueless principal Willard Kraft on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. His other television credits include Wonder Woman, Taxi, Arrested Development, Veep, and his 1985 comedy special, A History of White People. June 27.
DON MURRAY, 94, actor whose seven-decade career included the films Bus Stop, Advise & Consent, Shake Hands with the Devil and Peggy Sue Got Married. His television credits include Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, Matlock and Twin Peaks, where he played businessman Bushnell Mullins. February 2.
BOB NEWHART, 95, comedian whose “button-down mind” humor led to great success in nightclubs, television and movies. He won a Grammy for his debut album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart. On television, he starred for six seasons as psychologist Bob Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show. Later, he played New England innkeeper Dick Loudon for eight seasons on the series Newhart and appeared as “Professor Proton” on The Big Bang Theory. His movie credits include Hell is For Heroes, Catch-22, Cold Turkey, In and Out, Elf and Legally Blonde 2. July 18.
CHARLES OSGOOD, 91, Emmy Award-winning journalist known as “poet in residence” at CBS News, where he worked for more than 40 years. From 1994-2016, he was the host of the network’s Sunday Morning television show. From 1971-2017, he hosted The Osgood File, a daily series of commentaries for CBS Radio. January 23.
JANIS PAIGE, 101, actress who starred on stage, movies and television in a career that spanned six decades. Her film credits include Winter Meeting, Romance on the High Seas, Two Guys From Milwaukee and 1957’s Silk Stockings, in which she and Fred Astaire performed “Stereophonic Sound.” On television, she played Catherine Hackett on Trapper John, MD and had recurring roles on the soap operas General Hospital and Santa Barbara. June 2.
JOYCE RANDOLPH, 99, actress best remembered for playing Ed Norton’s wife Trixie on the television series The Honeymooners. Her other television credits included The Clock, Buck Rogers and Rocky King, Detective. January 13.
CHITA RIVERA, 91, Tony Award-winning actress and dancer who starred in the original Broadway productions of Bye, Bye Birdie, West Side Story, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman. On screen, she appeared in the movie version of Sweet Charity. January 30.
GENA ROWLANDS, 94, award-winning actress who received an Oscar nomination for her 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence, one of seven films directed by her husband John Cassavettes. Her other film credits include The High Cost of Loving, Gloria, The Notebook and Hope Floats. On television, she played femme fatale Adrienne Van Leyten on the series Peyton Place and also appeared on 87th Precinct, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, 77 Sunset Strip and Columbo. August 14.
BARBARA RUSH, 97, actress who appeared in more than a hundred films and television shows during a seven-decade career. Her film credits include It Came From Outer Space, Strangers When We Meet, When Worlds Collide, Come Blow Your Horn and Robin and the 7 Hoods, in which she played Marian. On radio, she appeared on Family Theater and the Lux Radio Theater. March 31.
RICHARD SHERMAN, 95, Oscar-winning composer who, with his brother Robert, served as in-house composers for Walt Disney Studios, where they wrote “It’s a Small World,” and songs for the films Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Parent Trap and others. Their other songs include “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Snoopy Come Home” and “You’re Sixteen,” which was a hit for both Johnny Burnette and Ringo Starr. May 25.
MAGGIE SMITH, 89, versatile British-born actress who won Oscars for her performances in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite. Her other films include The V.I.Ps, Travels with My Aunt, Murder By Death, A Private Function, Sister Act, A Room With a View, Gosford Park and the Harry Potter films, where she played Professor Minerva McGonagall. From 2010-2015, she played Dowager Countess Violet Crawley on the popular British series Downton Abbey. September 27.
DAVID SOUL, 80, actor who played detective Ken Hutchinson on television’s Starsky and Hutch. He was lumberjack Joshua Bolt on Here Come the Brides and appeared on such series as Flipper, Star Trek and All in the Family. January 4.
DONALD SUTHERLAND, 88, actor who appeared in more than 180 movies and television shows over a six-decade career. His movie credits include The Dirty Dozen, M*A*S*H, Klute, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Ordinary People, and The Hunger Games film series, where he played President Snow. June 20.
M. EMMET WALSH, 88, character actor who appeared in more than 150 movies, including Blood Simple, Blade Runner, Straight Time, Silkwood and Knives Out. March 19.
CARL WEATHERS, 76, actor best known for playing boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky films of the 1970s. He later played policeman Hampton Forbes on the television series In the Heat of the Night. February 1.
MARY WEISS, 75, who rose to fame in the 1960s as the lead singer for The Shangri-Las, whose hits included “Leader of the Pack,” “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” and “Past, Present, Future.” January 19.
ANNE WHITFIELD, 85, actress who performed on hundreds of radio shows, most notably as daughter Phyllis for seven years on The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. She also appeared on The Lux Radio Theater, Let George Do It, Nightbeat, NBC University Theater of the Air and Suspense. She played General Waverly’s grand-daughter Susan in the film White Christmas and also appeared on the television shows Perry Mason, Father Knows Best and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. February 15.
MAURICE WILLIAMS, 86, leader of celebrated doo-wop group The Zodiacs, who enjoyed success in the 1950s with their songs “Little Darlin’,” “May I” and “Stay.” August 6.
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