Notable Passings of 2011

Notable Passings of 2011 December 28, 2011 Gilbert Cates, 77, was an award-winning director and television and theater producer who oversaw 14 Academy Awards telecasts from 1990 to 2008. The Bronx, N.Y., native won an Emmy Award for the 1991 ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal. Cates injected new energy into the show by recruiting hosts such as Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. In addition to working on the Oscars, Cates served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America, from 1983 to 1987. He was also the producing director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, as well as the founder of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its dean from 1990 to 1998. Betty Garrett, 91, was best known for her recurring roles on the popular TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne & Shirley." But she first achieved fame as a musical comedy star, breaking through in the 1946 Broadway revue "Call Me Mister" and then starring in such classics of Hollywood's golden age as "On the Town," "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Neptune's Daughter," and "Words and Music." Her career stalled when her husband, Larry Parks, testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee that he had been a Communist, but the couple found work in summer stock. In her later years, Garrett had featured roles on Broadway in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and the 2001 revival of "Follies."The raspy-voiced Peter Falk, 83, will always be remembered for playing the title role on the NBC television series "Columbo." During the three and a half decades he portrayed the disheveled yet clever detective, Falk also starred in comedies and dramas on stage and screen. He won four Emmys for his performance on "Columbo" as well as one for "The Price of Tomatoes," a presentation of "The Dick Powell Theatre." He received Oscar nominations for "Murder, Inc." and "Pocketful of Miracles." His other film credits include John Cassavetes' "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence," "Robin and the 7 Hoods," "The Great Race," "The Princess Bride," and Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire." Farley Granger, 85, gained fame as a handsome juvenile in two Alfred Hitchcock films, "Rope" and "Strangers on a Train." Though the roles, as well as his work in pictures like "The North Star," "They Live by Night," "Small Town Girl," and "Hans Christian Andersen," established him as a movie star by the 1950s, he chose to focus on television and stage roles for the rest of his career. He appeared with Eva Le Galliene's National Repertory Theatre and on Broadway in "Deathtrap" and other plays. In 1986, Granger won an Obie Award for his performance in Circle Repertory Company's premiere of "Talley & Son" by Lanford Wilson, who also passed away in 2011.Crusty character actor Harry Morgan, 96, built a career playing sidekicks and henchmen in more than 100 movies and is beloved by TV viewers for his performance as Col. Sherman Potter, the flinty, sharp-tongued commanding officer, on the long-running series "M*A*S*H" from 1975 until its finale in 1983. He replaced McLean Stevenson, who had quit the show, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his work. He had recurring roles on numerous other series, including "December Bride," "The Richard Boone Show," "Dragnet," and the sequel "After MASH." His many films include "The Ox-Bow Incident," "The Big Clock," "Madame Bovary," "High Noon," and "Inherit the Wind."Alice Playten, 63, a petite actor with a big voice, began as a child performer, appearing in the Broadway productions of "Oliver!" and "Gypsy." Barely out of her 20s, she made a sensation in the short-lived 1967 musical "Henry, Sweet Henry," stealing the show from star Don Ameche and earning a Tony nomination. She gained even wider recognition for a series of comical Alka-Seltzer commercials as a newlywed trying out exotic dishes on her indigestion-afflicted spouse. Playten also appeared on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!," "George M!," "Rumors," and "Seussical" and won Obie Awards for her performances in "National Lampoon's Lemmings" and "First Lady Suite."One of the most distinguished playwrights of the latter half of the 20th century, Lanford Wilson, 73, depicted the lives of ordinary people with lyric realism and compassionate honesty. He's best known for his trilogy of plays about the Talley family, a Lebanon, Mo., clan journeying from belief in to disillusion with the American dream. The works"Fifth of July," "Talley's Folly," and "Tally & Son"were premiered by the Circle Repertory Company, the Off-Broadway theater Wilson co-founded. The first two transferred to Broadway, and "Talley's Folly" won the Pulitzer Prize. Wilson's other insightful works include "Lemon Sky," "Balm in Gilead," "The Hot l Baltimore," "Angels Fall," and "Book of Days." Considered by many the most beautiful woman in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, 79, survived eight marriages and a scandalous private life to emerge as a symbol of Hollywood glamour and a beloved activist for AIDS research and prevention. More than a stunning beauty and the object of gossip, she grew from a child star in "National Velvet" and "A Date With Judy" to a respected actor. Who could forget the wild yet innocent Angela in "A Place in the Sun," the frustrated and passionate Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," the conflicted Catherine in "Suddenly, Last Summer," or the vitriolic Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," for which she won her second Oscar. The first was for the melodramatic "Butterfield 8." Taylor appeared on Broadway in revivals of "The Little Foxes" and "Private Lives" as well as in many TV movies, but it's as a film goddess that she will be remembered.Sidney Lumet, 86, was a critically acclaimed director, producer, and screenwriter. He made more than 40 films; many of them dealt with social issues and were set and shot in his hometown of New York City. He began as an Off-Broadway director, then moved into directing TV and in 1957 made his feature film debut with "12 Angry Men," for which he received his first of five Academy Award nominations. The others were for directing "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network," and "The Verdict" and for writing "Prince of the City." Though he didn't win any of them, Lumet received an honorary Oscar in 2005. One of the first directors to successfully transition from TV to film, he led the way for many others to make the switch. Sherwood Schwartz, 94, created two of the most popular sitcoms in television history, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Though both series (for which he also penned the catchy theme songs) were dismissed by the critics, they achieved long life in syndication and are affectionately remembered by millions of viewers. Schwartz began his showbiz career writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show and later made the transition to television, writing for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "I Married Joan," and "The Red Skelton Show," for which he won an Emmy Award. Arthur Laurents, 93, had numerous successes on Broadway and in Hollywood, but his most enduring legacy will probably be his contributions to two classic musicals, "West Side Story" and "Gypsy." He wrote their books and directed hit revivals of each. He also directed the original production of the hit musical "La Cage aux Folles" and authored numerous plays, including "Home of the Brave," "A Clearing in the Woods," "The Time of the Cuckoo," "Invitation to a March," "The Enclave," "The Radical Mystique," and "Jolson Sings Again." Most of his later works debuted at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, where he enjoyed a fruitful partnership with artistic director David Saint. Laurents' screenwriting credits include "Rope," "The Snake Pit," "Anastasia," "Bonjour Tristesse" (he also wrote the title song's lyric), "The Way We Were," and "The Turning Point."Other Notable Passings Ray Aghayan, 83, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated costume designer; worked on more than a dozen Academy Awards shows and was the life partner of costume designer Bob MackieTheoni V. Aldredge, 88, costume designer for hundreds of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including "A Chorus Line" received an Academy Award for her work on "The Great Gatsby" Tom Aldredge, 83, Emmy-winning character actor whose career spanned five decades on stage and screen; seen most recently on "Boardwalk Empire" husband of Theoni V. AldredgeJames Arness, 88, actor; best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS series "Gunsmoke" considered a hallmark performer in TV's Western genrePhyllis Avery, 88, stage and television actor; starred in eight Broadway shows and played the wife of Ray Milland's character on the 1950s sitcom originally called "Meet Mr. McNutley"Frances Bay, 92, actor; had roles on more than 100 TV shows and in 50 films, including "Happy Gilmore," as the grandmother of Adam Sandler's title characterDoris Belack, 85, stage, television, and film actor; known for her roles as a soap opera producer in the movie "Tootsie" and as a judge on the TV show "Law & Order"Price Berkley, 92, founder, editor, and publisher of the weekly trade publication Theatrical IndexRoberts Blossom, 87, character actor; best known for portraying comic and sinister old men, including the next-door neighbor in the 1990 film "Home Alone"Wally Boag, 90, actor; played Pecos Bill, the Old West traveling salesman, in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland for almost 30 yearsTommy Brent, 88, theater producer; best known for putting on summer musicals and plays at Rhode Island's Theatre by the Sea Patricia Breslin, 80, stage and screen actor; featured on numerous TV series, including "The Twilight Zone," as the wife of William Shatner's character in the episode "Nick of Time"Joseph Brooks, 73, screenwriter, producer, director, and songwriter who composed the Academy Awardwinning song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same nameAnne Brownstone, 87, stage, screen, and radio actor; starred in hundreds of radio shows opposite icons like Jimmy Stewart and also wrote and acted on early television shows such as "Dragnet"Michael Cacoyannis, 90, Greek theater director and filmmaker; best known for directing the 1964 film "Zorba the Greek" William Campbell, 87, film and television actor; guest-starred on two episodes of the original "Star Trek" series: "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Squire of Gothos" Annette Charles, 63, television and film actor; best known for her role as Cha Cha DiGregorio in the 1978 movie musical "Grease" Linda Christian, 87, Mexican film and television actor; notable for playing the first Bond girl, in the 1954 TV adaptation of "Casino Royale"Diane Cilento, 78, Australian stage and screen actor; earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1963 film "Tom Jones" Jeff Conaway, 60, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Grease" as Kenickie and on the TV show "Taxi" as struggling actor BobbyJackie Cooper, 88, film and television actor; earned an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 for his role in 1931's "Skippy," the youngest nominee ever for best actor, and played Perry White in four "Superman" movies in the 1970s and '80sNorman Corwin, 101, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who was known in the 1930s and '40s as the "poet laureate of radio" for writing, producing, and directing acclaimed radio dramasJohn Cossette, 54, television and theater producer; executive-produced more than a dozen Grammy Awards telecasts and co-produced the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet"Sam Denoff, 83, Emmy-winning comedy writer; best known for working on TV's "The Dick Van Dyke Show"Marion Dougherty, 88, influential casting director who helped launched the careers of stars such as Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, and Robert RedfordRyan Dunn, 34, star of the "Jackass" television series and films; also featured in the 2007 film "Blonde Ambition" and on the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"Donya Feuer, 77, choreographer, theater director, and filmmaker who sometimes collaborated with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman Mary Fickett, 83, stage, film, and television actor; best known for her role as Ruth Martin on the daytime drama "All My Children"Bob Fraser, 66, television producer, writer, director, actor, and teacher; familiar to thousands of actors who have taken his workshops and studied his book and DVD series "An Actor Works"Dan Frazer, 90, film and television actor; best known for playing Capt. Frank McNeil on the television series "Kojak" adviser to New York's WorkShop Theater Company Leo Friedman, 92, renowned stage photographer during Broadway's glamour age who captured the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine HepburnDolores Fuller, 88, actor, songwriter, and muse of director Ed Wood Jr.; acted in three of his films, including "Glen or Glenda," and also wrote song lyrics heard in a number of Elvis Presley moviesPam Gems, 85, British playwright whose works include "Piaf" and "Stanley"Donald Grody, 83, actor and executive director of Actors' Equity Association from 1973 to 1980; led efforts to establish and fund permanent rent-subsidized housing for actors at NY's Manhattan Plaza Edward Hardwicke, 78, actor; best known for playing Dr. John Watson on three British "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, shown in America during the 1980s and '90sLeonard Harris, 81, arts and theater critic and actor; played Sen. Charles Palantine in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film "Taxi Driver"Edward Hastings, 80, founding member of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and its artistic director from 1986 to 1992; staged contemporary and classic plays in the U.S. and abroad Vclav Havel, 75, playwright and former Czech president who led the overthrow of a totalitarian regime in the Velvet Revolution; several of his plays were produced Off-Broadway and three"The Increased Difficulty of Concentration," "The Memorandum," and "Private View"won ObiesBill Hunter, 71, Australian film, television, and stage actor; appeared in more than 60 films, won two Australian Film Institute Awards, and provided the voice of the dentist in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" Sybil Jason, 83, child actor signed by Warner Bros. in the 1930s to rival Shirley Temple, but the two became friends Allan Jefferys, 88, entertainment editor and drama critic for WABC TV and radio in NY during the 1960sHal Kanter, 92, Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer whose work included the Oscar telecast; created the TV show "Julia," the first sitcom to star an African-American in the role of a professionalBob Kelly, 87, Broadway makeup artist and wig maker; worked on shows such as 1962's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and 2002's "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Paul Kent, 80, film, television, and stage character actor; co-founded L.A.'s Melrose Theatre, where he served as artistic director for many years Elliott Kozak, 80, television agent and Bob Hope's producer for more than 30 years; sold to NBC the Motown 25th-anniversary special that featured Michael Jackson's first televised "moonwalk"Michael Langham, 91, classical theater director, artistic director of Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and head of the Juilliard School's drama division; directed at London's Royal Shakespeare Company and Old Vic, working with then-rising stars Peter O'Toole and Judi DenchJerry Leiber, 78, lyricist who worked with Mike Stoller to create such hits as Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" the 1995 Broadway musical "Smokey Joe's Caf" is based on their songs Len Lesser, 88, film and television character actor; best known for playing Uncle Leo on the TV show "Seinfeld" Judy Lewis, 76, actor; penned a memoir about her life as the illegitimate daughter of Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Loretta YoungPhyllis Love, 85, stage and screen actor; originated the role of Rosa Delle Rose in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway Lou Maletta, 74, the founder of the Gay Cable Network in 1982Arthur Marx, 89, television and film screenwriter, playwright, and best-selling author; son of Groucho MarxAnna Massey, 73, British television and film actor; featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film "Frenzy" and often appeared in British costume dramasChristopher Mayer, 57, film and television actor; starred on "The Dukes of Hazzard" in its 198283 season and appeared on the daytime drama "Santa Barbara"Bill McKinney, 80, film and television character actor; played a mountain man in the 1972 film "Deliverance" and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films Sue Mengers, 79, Hollywood agent who represented such stars as Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Cher, Bob Fosse, and Gene Hackman; seen as a trailblazer for women in behind-the-scenes roles in entertainmentMarian Mercer, 75, stage and television actor; earned a Tony Award in 1969 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises"Sidney Michaels, 83, Tony-nominated playwright; had great success on Broadway in the 1960s with productions of "Tchin-Tchin," "Dylan," and "Ben Franklin in Paris"David Mitchell, 79, Broadway set designer; won Tony Awards for "Annie" and "Barnum" Charles Napier, 75, character actor; recognized for his tough-guy roles in films such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II"John Neville, 86, British-born Canadian actor-director and artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s; starred on the TV series "The First Churchills"A.C. Nielsen Jr., 92, expanded his father's Nielsen Company into its current role as an international market research firm, most associated with television ratingsSam Norkin, 94, theater caricaturist and former president of the Drama Desk; captured more than 70 years of stage performancesShirley Carroll O'Connor, 93, publicist and first female press agent for the Clyde BeattyCole Bros. and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses; famously lost eight elephants on Hollywood BoulevardPatrice O'Neal, 41, standup comedian; known for his unfiltered honesty and for addressing topics such as race and his struggle with diabetesRoland Petit, 87, French film and ballet choreographer and head of the Paris Opera; choreographed for Rudolf Nureyev Madelyn Pugh Davis, 90, television writer; best known for her work on "I Love Lucy"Francesco Quinn, 48, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Platoon" and was the son of actor Anthony QuinnBeverly Randolph, 59, Broadway stage manager for more than 30 years; managed or supervised more than 20 Broadway productions Cliff Robertson, 88, film and television actor; won an Oscar for his title performance in the 1968 film "Charly" and played Uncle Ben in the 2002 film "Spider-Man" and its two sequelsRal Ruiz, 70, Chilean director who made more than 100 filmsSol Saks, 100, screenwriter; best known for writing the pilot of the television show "Bewitched"Michael Sarrazin, 70, Canadian film and television actor; gained fame starring opposite Jane Fonda in the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"Hubert J. "Hub" Schlafly Jr., 91, television engineer who helped invent the teleprompterJohn Scoullar, 61, composer, lyricist, playwright, and performer; was in the original stage production of "King of Hearts"Gene Shefrin, 90, Hollywood publicist who represented Dick Clark, Guy Lombardo, and Don RicklesElisabeth Sladen, 65, British actor; best known for her role as Sarah Jane on the TV show "Doctor Who" and its spinoff "The Sarah Jane Adventures"Karl Slover, 93, Czech actor who played the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins band in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz"Bubba Smith, 66, football player and actor; played Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies and appeared on the TV shows "Charlie's Angels," "Good Times," and "Half Nelson"G.D. Spradlin, 90, veteran character actor; best known for playing authority figures in films such as "The Godfather: Part II" and "Apocalypse Now"Helen Stenborg, 86, character actor; won an Obie Award for "Talley & Son" and, with husband Barnard Hughes, the 2000 Drama Desk Award for lifetime achievementLeonard Stern, 88, Emmy-winning writer, producer, and director; his career included "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart," and "McMillan & Wife"Tony Stevens, 63, dancer, director, and choreographer; danced in such Broadway shows as "The Boy Friend" and "Irene" directed and/or choreographed "Perfectly Frank," "Wind in the Willows," and "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" helped organize the workshops that provided the basis for "A Chorus Line"Elaine Stewart, 81, sultry Hollywood actor; promoted as a "dark-haired Marilyn Monroe" in such 1950s films as "The Bad and the Beautiful," "The Adventures of Hajji Baba," and "The Tattered Dress" Ellen Stewart, 91, founder, artistic director, and producer of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, one of the most prominent Off-Off-Broadway theater companies. Leonard Stone, 87, character actor; known for such films as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Soylent Green" and the TV shows "General Hospital," "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Barney Miller," and "L.A. Law"Alan Sues, 85, zany comic actor and one of the stars of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" also appeared on "The Twilight Zone" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Betty Taylor, 91, actor; played Sluefoot Sue at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue for three decades Clarice Taylor, 93, actor; best known for playing the grandmother on "The Cosby Show" also an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company, appeared in "The Wiz" on Broadway, and won an Obie for her one-woman play about comedian Moms Mabley Giorgio Tozzi, 88, distinguished Metropolitan Opera bass; nominated for a Tony Award for the 1979 revival of "The Most Happy Fella" and provided vocals for the film version of "South Pacific" Margaret Tyzack, 79, British character actor; won a Tony Award for "Lettice and Lovage" and starred on the British TV series "The Forsyte Saga," "The First Churchills," and "I, Claudius"Theadora Van Runkle, 82, costume designer; received three Oscar nominations, started a fashion trend with her designs for 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde," and won the Costume Designers Guild's lifetime achievement awardThanasis Vengos, 83, Greek comedy actor; appeared in more than 120 films Yvette Vickers, 82, actor, pinup model, and singer; appeared in the 1958 cult film "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"Jane White, 88, actor and singer; made her reputation in Shakespearean and Greek classical roles but was best known for her comic performance as the wicked queen in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" Andy Whitfield, 39, Welsh actor; starred as the title character on the television series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"Vesta Williams, 53, singer and actor; had a recurring role on the TV show "Sister, Sister" as the best friend of Jacke Harry's characterDoric Wilson, 72, playwright, director, producer, critic, gay-rights activist, and an influential figure in the early Off-Off-Broadway movementRandall L. Wreghitt, 55, Tony-winning Broadway and Off-Broadway producer; his credits included "Grey Gardens," "Little Women," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," and "Golda's Balcony"Dana Wynter, 79, film and television actor; best known for her role in the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also starred in "The List of Adrian Messenger," "On the Double," and "Airport" Norma Zimmer, 87, actor and singer; best known as the Champagne Lady on "The Lawrence Welk Show" and as a member of the Girl Friends Quartet; sang with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Dean MartinCompiled by Frank Nestor, with additional reporting by David Sheward Notable Passings of 2011 December 28, 2011 Gilbert Cates, 77, was an award-winning director and television and theater producer who oversaw 14 Academy Awards telecasts from 1990 to 2008. The Bronx, N.Y., native won an Emmy Award for the 1991 ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal. Cates injected new energy into the show by recruiting hosts such as Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. In addition to working on the Oscars, Cates served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America, from 1983 to 1987. He was also the producing director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, as well as the founder of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its dean from 1990 to 1998. Betty Garrett, 91, was best known for her recurring roles on the popular TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne & Shirley." But she first achieved fame as a musical comedy star, breaking through in the 1946 Broadway revue "Call Me Mister" and then starring in such classics of Hollywood's golden age as "On the Town," "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Neptune's Daughter," and "Words and Music." Her career stalled when her husband, Larry Parks, testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee that he had been a Communist, but the couple found work in summer stock. In her later years, Garrett had featured roles on Broadway in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and the 2001 revival of "Follies."The raspy-voiced Peter Falk, 83, will always be remembered for playing the title role on the NBC television series "Columbo." During the three and a half decades he portrayed the disheveled yet clever detective, Falk also starred in comedies and dramas on stage and screen. He won four Emmys for his performance on "Columbo" as well as one for "The Price of Tomatoes," a presentation of "The Dick Powell Theatre." He received Oscar nominations for "Murder, Inc." and "Pocketful of Miracles." His other film credits include John Cassavetes' "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence," "Robin and the 7 Hoods," "The Great Race," "The Princess Bride," and Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire." Farley Granger, 85, gained fame as a handsome juvenile in two Alfred Hitchcock films, "Rope" and "Strangers on a Train." Though the roles, as well as his work in pictures like "The North Star," "They Live by Night," "Small Town Girl," and "Hans Christian Andersen," established him as a movie star by the 1950s, he chose to focus on television and stage roles for the rest of his career. He appeared with Eva Le Galliene's National Repertory Theatre and on Broadway in "Deathtrap" and other plays. In 1986, Granger won an Obie Award for his performance in Circle Repertory Company's premiere of "Talley & Son" by Lanford Wilson, who also passed away in 2011.Crusty character actor Harry Morgan, 96, built a career playing sidekicks and henchmen in more than 100 movies and is beloved by TV viewers for his performance as Col. Sherman Potter, the flinty, sharp-tongued commanding officer, on the long-running series "M*A*S*H" from 1975 until its finale in 1983. He replaced McLean Stevenson, who had quit the show, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his work. He had recurring roles on numerous other series, including "December Bride," "The Richard Boone Show," "Dragnet," and the sequel "After MASH." His many films include "The Ox-Bow Incident," "The Big Clock," "Madame Bovary," "High Noon," and "Inherit the Wind."Alice Playten, 63, a petite actor with a big voice, began as a child performer, appearing in the Broadway productions of "Oliver!" and "Gypsy." Barely out of her 20s, she made a sensation in the short-lived 1967 musical "Henry, Sweet Henry," stealing the show from star Don Ameche and earning a Tony nomination. She gained even wider recognition for a series of comical Alka-Seltzer commercials as a newlywed trying out exotic dishes on her indigestion-afflicted spouse. Playten also appeared on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!," "George M!," "Rumors," and "Seussical" and won Obie Awards for her performances in "National Lampoon's Lemmings" and "First Lady Suite."One of the most distinguished playwrights of the latter half of the 20th century, Lanford Wilson, 73, depicted the lives of ordinary people with lyric realism and compassionate honesty. He's best known for his trilogy of plays about the Talley family, a Lebanon, Mo., clan journeying from belief in to disillusion with the American dream. The works"Fifth of July," "Talley's Folly," and "Tally & Son"were premiered by the Circle Repertory Company, the Off-Broadway theater Wilson co-founded. The first two transferred to Broadway, and "Talley's Folly" won the Pulitzer Prize. Wilson's other insightful works include "Lemon Sky," "Balm in Gilead," "The Hot l Baltimore," "Angels Fall," and "Book of Days." Considered by many the most beautiful woman in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, 79, survived eight marriages and a scandalous private life to emerge as a symbol of Hollywood glamour and a beloved activist for AIDS research and prevention. More than a stunning beauty and the object of gossip, she grew from a child star in "National Velvet" and "A Date With Judy" to a respected actor. Who could forget the wild yet innocent Angela in "A Place in the Sun," the frustrated and passionate Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," the conflicted Catherine in "Suddenly, Last Summer," or the vitriolic Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," for which she won her second Oscar. The first was for the melodramatic "Butterfield 8." Taylor appeared on Broadway in revivals of "The Little Foxes" and "Private Lives" as well as in many TV movies, but it's as a film goddess that she will be remembered.Sidney Lumet, 86, was a critically acclaimed director, producer, and screenwriter. He made more than 40 films; many of them dealt with social issues and were set and shot in his hometown of NY City. He began as an Off-Broadway director, then moved into directing TV and in 1957 made his feature film debut with "12 Angry Men," for which he received his first of five Academy Award nominations. The others were for directing "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network," and "The Verdict" and for writing "Prince of the City." Though he didn't win any of them, Lumet received an honorary Oscar in 2005. One of the first directors to successfully transition from TV to film, he led the way for many others to make the switch. Sherwood Schwartz, 94, created two of the most popular sitcoms in television history, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Though both series (for which he also penned the catchy theme songs) were dismissed by the critics, they achieved long life in syndication and are affectionately remembered by millions of viewers. Schwartz began his showbiz career writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show and later made the transition to television, writing for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "I Married Joan," and "The Red Skelton Show," for which he won an Emmy Award. Arthur Laurents, 93, had numerous successes on Broadway and in Hollywood, but his most enduring legacy will probably be his contributions to two classic musicals, "West Side Story" and "Gypsy." He wrote their books and directed hit revivals of each. He also directed the original production of the hit musical "La Cage aux Folles" and authored numerous plays, including "Home of the Brave," "A Clearing in the Woods," "The Time of the Cuckoo," "Invitation to a March," "The Enclave," "The Radical Mystique," and "Jolson Sings Again." Most of his later works debuted at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, where he enjoyed a fruitful partnership with artistic director David Saint. Laurents' screenwriting credits include "Rope," "The Snake Pit," "Anastasia," "Bonjour Tristesse" (he also wrote the title song's lyric), "The Way We Were," and "The Turning Point."Other Notable Passings Ray Aghayan, 83, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated costume designer; worked on more than a dozen Academy Awards shows and was the life partner of costume designer Bob MackieTheoni V. Aldredge, 88, costume designer for hundreds of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including "A Chorus Line" received an Academy Award for her work on "The Great Gatsby" Tom Aldredge, 83, Emmy-winning character actor whose career spanned five decades on stage and screen; seen most recently on "Boardwalk Empire" husband of Theoni V. AldredgeJames Arness, 88, actor; best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS series "Gunsmoke" considered a hallmark performer in TV's Western genrePhyllis Avery, 88, stage and television actor; starred in eight Broadway shows and played the wife of Ray Milland's character on the 1950s sitcom originally called "Meet Mr. McNutley"Frances Bay, 92, actor; had roles on more than 100 TV shows and in 50 films, including "Happy Gilmore," as the grandmother of Adam Sandler's title characterDoris Belack, 85, stage, television, and film actor; known for her roles as a soap opera producer in the movie "Tootsie" and as a judge on the TV show "Law & Order"Price Berkley, 92, founder, editor, and publisher of the weekly trade publication Theatrical IndexRoberts Blossom, 87, character actor; best known for portraying comic and sinister old men, including the next-door neighbor in the 1990 film "Home Alone"Wally Boag, 90, actor; played Pecos Bill, the Old West traveling salesman, in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland for almost 30 yearsTommy Brent, 88, theater producer; best known for putting on summer musicals and plays at Rhode Island's Theatre by the Sea Patricia Breslin, 80, stage and screen actor; featured on numerous TV series, including "The Twilight Zone," as the wife of William Shatner's character in the episode "Nick of Time"Joseph Brooks, 73, screenwriter, producer, director, and songwriter who composed the Academy Awardwinning song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same nameAnne Brownstone, 87, stage, screen, and radio actor; starred in hundreds of radio shows opposite icons like Jimmy Stewart and also wrote and acted on early television shows such as "Dragnet"Michael Cacoyannis, 90, Greek theater director and filmmaker; best known for directing the 1964 film "Zorba the Greek" William Campbell, 87, film and television actor; guest-starred on two episodes of the original "Star Trek" series: "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Squire of Gothos" Annette Charles, 63, television and film actor; best known for her role as Cha Cha DiGregorio in the 1978 movie musical "Grease" Linda Christian, 87, Mexican film and television actor; notable for playing the first Bond girl, in the 1954 TV adaptation of "Casino Royale"Diane Cilento, 78, Australian stage and screen actor; earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1963 film "Tom Jones" Jeff Conaway, 60, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Grease" as Kenickie and on the TV show "Taxi" as struggling actor BobbyJackie Cooper, 88, film and television actor; earned an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 for his role in 1931's "Skippy," the youngest nominee ever for best actor, and played Perry White in four "Superman" movies in the 1970s and '80sNorman Corwin, 101, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who was known in the 1930s and '40s as the "poet laureate of radio" for writing, producing, and directing acclaimed radio dramasJohn Cossette, 54, television and theater producer; executive-produced more than a dozen Grammy Awards telecasts and co-produced the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet"Sam Denoff, 83, Emmy-winning comedy writer; best known for working on TV's "The Dick Van Dyke Show"Marion Dougherty, 88, influential casting director who helped launched the careers of stars such as Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, and Robert RedfordRyan Dunn, 34, star of the "Jackass" television series and films; also featured in the 2007 film "Blonde Ambition" and on the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"Donya Feuer, 77, choreographer, theater director, and filmmaker who sometimes collaborated with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman Mary Fickett, 83, stage, film, and television actor; best known for her role as Ruth Martin on the daytime drama "All My Children"Bob Fraser, 66, television producer, writer, director, actor, and teacher; familiar to thousands of actors who have taken his workshops and studied his book and DVD series "An Actor Works"Dan Frazer, 90, film and television actor; best known for playing Capt. Frank McNeil on the television series "Kojak" adviser to NY's WorkShop Theater Company Leo Friedman, 92, renowned stage photographer during Broadway's glamour age who captured the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine HepburnDolores Fuller, 88, actor, songwriter, and muse of director Ed Wood Jr.; acted in three of his films, including "Glen or Glenda," and also wrote song lyrics heard in a number of Elvis Presley moviesPam Gems, 85, British playwright whose works include "Piaf" and "Stanley"Donald Grody, 83, actor and executive director of Actors' Equity Association from 1973 to 1980; led efforts to establish and fund permanent rent-subsidized housing for actors at NY's Manhattan Plaza Edward Hardwicke, 78, actor; best known for playing Dr. John Watson on three British "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, shown in America during the 1980s and '90sLeonard Harris, 81, arts and theater critic and actor; played Sen. Charles Palantine in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film "Taxi Driver"Edward Hastings, 80, founding member of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and its artistic director from 1986 to 1992; staged contemporary and classic plays in the U.S. and abroad Vclav Havel, 75, playwright and former Czech president who led the overthrow of a totalitarian regime in the Velvet Revolution; several of his plays were produced Off-Broadway and three"The Increased Difficulty of Concentration," "The Memorandum," and "Private View"won ObiesBill Hunter, 71, Australian film, television, and stage actor; appeared in more than 60 films, won two Australian Film Institute Awards, and provided the voice of the dentist in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" Sybil Jason, 83, child actor signed by Warner Bros. in the 1930s to rival Shirley Temple, but the two became friends Allan Jefferys, 88, entertainment editor and drama critic for WABC TV and radio in NY during the 1960sHal Kanter, 92, Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer whose work included the Oscar telecast; created the TV show "Julia," the first sitcom to star an African-American in the role of a professionalBob Kelly, 87, Broadway makeup artist and wig maker; worked on shows such as 1962's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and 2002's "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Paul Kent, 80, film, television, and stage character actor; co-founded L.A.'s Melrose Theatre, where he served as artistic director for many years Elliott Kozak, 80, television agent and Bob Hope's producer for more than 30 years; sold to NBC the Motown 25th-anniversary special that featured Michael Jackson's first televised "moonwalk"Michael Langham, 91, classical theater director, artistic director of Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and head of the Juilliard School's drama division; directed at London's Royal Shakespeare Company and Old Vic, working with then-rising stars Peter O'Toole and Judi DenchJerry Leiber, 78, lyricist who worked with Mike Stoller to create such hits as Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" the 1995 Broadway musical "Smokey Joe's Caf" is based on their songs Len Lesser, 88, film and television character actor; best known for playing Uncle Leo on the TV show "Seinfeld" Judy Lewis, 76, actor; penned a memoir about her life as the illegitimate daughter of Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Loretta YoungPhyllis Love, 85, stage and screen actor; originated the role of Rosa Delle Rose in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway Lou Maletta, 74, the founder of the Gay Cable Network in 1982Arthur Marx, 89, television and film screenwriter, playwright, and best-selling author; son of Groucho MarxAnna Massey, 73, British television and film actor; featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film "Frenzy" and often appeared in British costume dramasChristopher Mayer, 57, film and television actor; starred on "The Dukes of Hazzard" in its 198283 season and appeared on the daytime drama "Santa Barbara"Bill McKinney, 80, film and television character actor; played a mountain man in the 1972 film "Deliverance" and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films Sue Mengers, 79, Hollywood agent who represented such stars as Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Cher, Bob Fosse, and Gene Hackman; seen as a trailblazer for women in behind-the-scenes roles in entertainmentMarian Mercer, 75, stage and television actor; earned a Tony Award in 1969 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises"Sidney Michaels, 83, Tony-nominated playwright; had great success on Broadway in the 1960s with productions of "Tchin-Tchin," "Dylan," and "Ben Franklin in Paris"David Mitchell, 79, Broadway set designer; won Tony Awards for "Annie" and "Barnum" Charles Napier, 75, character actor; recognized for his tough-guy roles in films such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II"John Neville, 86, British-born Canadian actor-director and artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s; starred on the TV series "The First Churchills"A.C. Nielsen Jr., 92, expanded his father's Nielsen Company into its current role as an international market research firm, most associated with television ratingsSam Norkin, 94, theater caricaturist and former president of the Drama Desk; captured more than 70 years of stage performancesShirley Carroll O'Connor, 93, publicist and first female press agent for the Clyde BeattyCole Bros. and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses; famously lost eight elephants on Hollywood BoulevardPatrice O'Neal, 41, standup comedian; known for his unfiltered honesty and for addressing topics such as race and his struggle with diabetesRoland Petit, 87, French film and ballet choreographer and head of the Paris Opera; choreographed for Rudolf Nureyev Madelyn Pugh Davis, 90, television writer; best known for her work on "I Love Lucy"Francesco Quinn, 48, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Platoon" and was the son of actor Anthony QuinnBeverly Randolph, 59, Broadway stage manager for more than 30 years; managed or supervised more than 20 Broadway productions Cliff Robertson, 88, film and television actor; won an Oscar for his title performance in the 1968 film "Charly" and played Uncle Ben in the 2002 film "Spider-Man" and its two sequelsRal Ruiz, 70, Chilean director who made more than 100 filmsSol Saks, 100, screenwriter; best known for writing the pilot of the television show "Bewitched"Michael Sarrazin, 70, Canadian film and television actor; gained fame starring opposite Jane Fonda in the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"Hubert J. "Hub" Schlafly Jr., 91, television engineer who helped invent the teleprompterJohn Scoullar, 61, composer, lyricist, playwright, and performer; was in the original stage production of "King of Hearts"Gene Shefrin, 90, Hollywood publicist who represented Dick Clark, Guy Lombardo, and Don RicklesElisabeth Sladen, 65, British actor; best known for her role as Sarah Jane on the TV show "Doctor Who" and its spinoff "The Sarah Jane Adventures"Karl Slover, 93, Czech actor who played the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins band in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz"Bubba Smith, 66, football player and actor; played Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies and appeared on the TV shows "Charlie's Angels," "Good Times," and "Half Nelson"G.D. Spradlin, 90, veteran character actor; best known for playing authority figures in films such as "The Godfather: Part II" and "Apocalypse Now"Helen Stenborg, 86, character actor; won an Obie Award for "Talley & Son" and, with husband Barnard Hughes, the 2000 Drama Desk Award for lifetime achievementLeonard Stern, 88, Emmy-winning writer, producer, and director; his career included "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart," and "McMillan & Wife"Tony Stevens, 63, dancer, director, and choreographer; danced in such Broadway shows as "The Boy Friend" and "Irene" directed and/or choreographed "Perfectly Frank," "Wind in the Willows," and "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" helped organize the workshops that provided the basis for "A Chorus Line"Elaine Stewart, 81, sultry Hollywood actor; promoted as a "dark-haired Marilyn Monroe" in such 1950s films as "The Bad and the Beautiful," "The Adventures of Hajji Baba," and "The Tattered Dress" Ellen Stewart, 91, founder, artistic director, and producer of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, one of the most prominent Off-Off-Broadway theater companies. Leonard Stone, 87, character actor; known for such films as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Soylent Green" and the TV shows "General Hospital," "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Barney Miller," and "L.A. Law"Alan Sues, 85, zany comic actor and one of the stars of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" also appeared on "The Twilight Zone" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Betty Taylor, 91, actor; played Sluefoot Sue at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue for three decades Clarice Taylor, 93, actor; best known for playing the grandmother on "The Cosby Show" also an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company, appeared in "The Wiz" on Broadway, and won an Obie for her one-woman play about comedian Moms Mabley Giorgio Tozzi, 88, distinguished Metropolitan Opera bass; nominated for a Tony Award for the 1979 revival of "The Most Happy Fella" and provided vocals for the film version of "South Pacific" Margaret Tyzack, 79, British character actor; won a Tony Award for "Lettice and Lovage" and starred on the British TV series "The Forsyte Saga," "The First Churchills," and "I, Claudius"Theadora Van Runkle, 82, costume designer; received three Oscar nominations, started a fashion trend with her designs for 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde," and won the Costume Designers Guild's lifetime achievement awardThanasis Vengos, 83, Greek comedy actor; appeared in more than 120 films Yvette Vickers, 82, actor, pinup model, and singer; appeared in the 1958 cult film "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"Jane White, 88, actor and singer; made her reputation in Shakespearean and Greek classical roles but was best known for her comic performance as the wicked queen in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" Andy Whitfield, 39, Welsh actor; starred as the title character on the television series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"Vesta Williams, 53, singer and actor; had a recurring role on the TV show "Sister, Sister" as the best friend of Jacke Harry's characterDoric Wilson, 72, playwright, director, producer, critic, gay-rights activist, and an influential figure in the early Off-Off-Broadway movementRandall L. Wreghitt, 55, Tony-winning Broadway and Off-Broadway producer; his credits included "Grey Gardens," "Little Women," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," and "Golda's Balcony"Dana Wynter, 79, film and television actor; best known for her role in the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also starred in "The List of Adrian Messenger," "On the Double," and "Airport" Norma Zimmer, 87, actor and singer; best known as the Champagne Lady on "The Lawrence Welk Show" and as a member of the Girl Friends Quartet; sang with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Dean MartinCompiled by Frank Nestor, with additional reporting by David Sheward