Advanced search

The actor is better known for his prowess as a stunt driver. His work in Bullitt (1968) is legendary where he drove the black Dodge Charger 440 Magnum that was pursued by Steve McQueen in his Ford Mustang 390 GT. For his reputation earned on Bullitt, Hickman was hired by William Friedkin for The French Connection (1971). He staged a similar chase on the streets of Manhattan but with a greater presence of civilians, an element that had been missing in Bullitt. Doubling for Gene Hackman in the more hazardous stunts, Hickman drove the brown 1970 Pontiac at speeds up to 90mph with Friedkin manning the camera right behind him. Hickman's third spectacle would be captured in The Seven-Ups (1973) where, yet again, he virtually outdid himself driving the car being pursued by Roy Scheider in another landmark car chase.

Rudy Solari was born on 21 December 1934 in Modesto, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek (1966), The Bionic Woman (1976) and Toma (1973). He was married to Patricia J Helwig and Shirley Ann Mough. He died on 23 April 1991 in Indio, California, USA.

A symbol of intelligence, leadership and moral strength in his various 1960s and 1970s roles, African-Canadian actor Percy Rodrigues rose in Hollywood stature during the late 1960s following a couple of earlier Broadway appearances. The serenely handsome, distinguished-looking actor also became notable for helping to break racial barriers on television and went on to become a voice of great distinction behind the camera.

Born to a Montreal couple on June 13, 1918 (some references list 1924 as his birth year), Percy was the oldest of four children and was of African and Portuguese descent. His father abandoned the family while he was a youth and Percy started working as a teenager to help provide for his family. By his late teens, he had become a professional boxer and started scouting out acting jobs at the same time. He joined Montreal's Negro Theater Guild and although winning a Canadian Drama Festival acting award in 1939, found job offers scarce, prompting him to work as a machinist and toolmaker for the next decade or so in order to supplement his income.

His distinctive, booming voice commanded early attention and he narrated several Canadian documentary shorts and appeared on television. He finally made his Broadway debut in middle age with Lillian Hellman's drama "Toys in the Attic" starring Jason Robards, Maureen Stapleton and Anne Revere. He followed that with a stronger role in "Blues for Mister Charlie" (1964) in which he shared the stage with African-American actors Al Freeman Jr., Lincoln Kilpatrick, Rosetta LeNoire, Otis Young and Tony nominee Diana Sands.

This attention eventually led to film and television offers and he settled permanently in Los Angeles. From the beginning, he sought out dignified roles following Sidney Poitier's emboldening Hollywood ascension and became one of just a small vanguard of 1960s black actors who was able to circumnavigate around such restrictive and negative stereotypes throughout most of his career. With just a brush of grey at his temples, he applied and projected quiet authority and inner calm to his many roles. He broke into American television with episodes of The Nurses (1965), Naked City (1958), The Wild Wild West (1965), Route 66 (1960) and (especially) Star Trek (1966) (as Commodore Stone) before making big news in 1968 for his casting as a neurosurgeon during the final season of the popular nighttime soap opera Peyton Place (1964). Co-starring with Ruby Dee as his wife, it was a breakthrough white-collar role for a black actor in a series. In the same year, Percy had an excellent supporting role in the critically-heralded film adaptation of Carson McCullers tender drama The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), in which he carried his own story line as an embittered physician at odds with daughter Cicely Tyson.

Other imposing roles came his way in the form of detectives, mayors, commissioners, lawyers, politicians, scientists, captains, ambassadors, lieutenants and doctors, which seemed to be a growing specialty. More interesting roles came with the mini-movies The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970), Ring of Passion (1978), Angel Dusted (1981) and Roots: The Next Generations (1979). He also had recurring roles on Sanford (1980), the one-season extended series of "Sanford and Son" (minus the son) that again starred Redd Foxx, and in Benson (1979), in which he played a judge.

He continued to remain visible in the 1980s with episodes of The Fall Guy (1981), T.J. Hooker (1982) and Dynasty (1981), but after playing a doctor in the mini-movie whodunit Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit (1987), Percy refrained from on-camera work and focused instead on his image as "The King of Voiceovers". Among his more notable vocal projects were his eerie voicings for the ads and trailers of the film Jaws (1975) and his narration of Michael Jackson's sci-fi musical Captain EO (1986) for Disney.

Percy's marriage to his first wife Alameda produced daughter Hollis and son Gerald. Following her death, he married Karen Cook in 2003. He died of kidney problems at age 89 at his home in Indio, California on September 6, 2007.

Although it is very unlikely that his admittedly cheap-'n'-cheesy films will ever be acknowledged as true works of cinematic art, producer/director/screenwriter Al Adamson did, nonetheless, make a slew of entertainingly trashy low-budget exploitation features for the drive-in market throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

He was born on July 25, 1929, in Hollywood, California, the son of actress Dolores Booth and actor/director Victor Adamson who, appropriately enough, specialized in shoddy B-grade - and lower - Westerns in the 1920s and 1930s, both as an actor and especially as a director. Adamson's first foray into filmmaking was helping his father as director and producer on the film Halfway to Hell (1953). In the mid-1960s, he founded the prolific grindhouse outfit Independent-International Pictures with fellow producer/distributor Samuel M. Sherman. Adamson cranked out flicks in every conceivable genre: scuzzy biker items (Satan's Sadists (1969), Hell's Bloody Devils (1970), Angels' Wild Women (1971)), grungy Westerns (Five Bloody Graves (1969), Jessi's Girls (1975)), smarmy softcore porn sex comedies (The Naughty Stewardesses (1973), Blazing Stewardesses (1975)), funky blaxploitation films (Mean Mother (1973), Black Heat (1976)), ridiculous science fiction dross (the gloriously ghastly Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970)), two Jim Kelly martial arts/action outings (Black Samurai (1976) and Death Dimension (1978)), lurid horror fare (Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971), Brain of Blood (1971), Nurse Sherri (1977)) and even a tongue-in-cheek softcore porn science fiction musical (Cinderella 2000 (1977)). Moreover, Adamson served as producer for both the exciting Fred Williamson blaxploitation vehicle Hammer (1972) and the acclaimed made-for-TV drama Cry Rape (1973). The casts of Adamson's films were made up of oddball but enthusiastic amateurs and faded professional thespians whose careers were on the wane, including Kent Taylor, Russ Tamblyn, Lon Chaney Jr. and the ubiquitous John Carradine. Adamson frequently gave his wife, Regina Carrol, sizable parts in his films. Moreover, he was a mentor for future schlock feature directors Greydon Clark and John 'Bud' Cardos. He was also instrumental in launching the career of ace cinematographer Gary Graver. In addition, Adamson kept fellow top cinematographers László Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond employed in the early days of their careers.

Al Adamson's life came to a brutal and untimely end at 66 when he was murdered by his live-in contractor, Fred Fulford, on August 2, 1995.

Patsy Garrett was born on 4 May 1921 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for Benji (1974), Nanny and the Professor (1970) and The Parallax View (1974). She was married to Alexander Kokinacis. She died on 8 January 2015 in Indio, California, USA.

Kendall Carly Browne was born on 31 May 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Pineapple Express (2008), Dreamscape (1984) and Alligator (1980). She was married to Herb Braverman. She died on 26 January 2018 in Indio, California, USA.

John Van Druten was born on 1 June 1901 in London, England, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for Gaslight (1944), Cabaret (1972) and Raffles (1939). He died on 19 December 1957 in Indio, California, USA.

Jack Jozefson was born on 5 December 1931 in New York, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Bruce Almighty (2003), The Buddy Holly Story (1978) and NYPD Blue (1993). He died on 28 November 2005 in Indio, California, USA.

Frankie Randall was born on 11 January 1938 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Wild on the Beach (1965), Run for Your Wife (1965) and The Day of the Wolves (1971). He was married to Jan Constance Walker and Patricia Mastrangelo. He died on 28 December 2014 in Indio, California, USA.

David Marshall was born on 11 September 1915 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Indian Summer (1960). He was married to Herta Ware. He died on 30 January 2002 in Indio, California, USA.

Irving Asher was born on 16 September 1903 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for Thistledown (1938), Clouds Over Europe (1939) and The Four Feathers (1939). He was married to Laura La Plante. He died on 17 March 1985 in Indio, California, USA.

Vince Gutierrez was born on 28 December 1945. He was a writer and production manager, known for Challenger (1990), Unnatural Causes (1986) and 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003). He died on 6 March 2010 in Indio, California, USA.

Christine George was born on 3 January 1928 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for Grease (1978), National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) and Cabo Blanco (1980). She died on 16 October 2015 in Indio, California, USA.

Paul E. Lippman was born on 14 December 1931 in Lemmon, South Dakota, USA. He was an actor, known for Play Misty for Me (1971). He died on 7 April 2004 in Indio, California, USA.

Irving Kaufman was born on 8 February 1890 in Syracuse, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for BioShock Infinite (2013), Sunshine State (2002) and Melody on Parade (1933). He was married to Belle Brooks. He died on 3 January 1976 in Indio, California, USA.

Brenda Thomson was born on 2 March 1944 in Savannah, Georgia, USA. She was an actress, known for The Red Skelton Hour (1951), Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963) and The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970). She was married to Pat Knox. She died on 17 March 2023 in Indio, California, USA.

Fred Levinson was born on 23 May 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Hail (1972), The Nutty Squirrels Present (1960) and O.J.: Made in America (2016). He died on 12 November 2021 in Indio, California, USA.

Alexander Gray called himself "a bashful man with a stutter." A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Gray attended primary and grammar school in Baltimore, Maryland. His summers were spent milking his uncle's cows in Lancaster County, PA. No one would have dreamed that this cow-milking boy would become a recitalist, operetta star, Broadway actor, film actor and radio star. Gray showed an early liking of things mechanical and electrical. He first considered singing when he attended Pennsylvania State and sang in its Glee Club and enrolled in dramatic classes. Right after earning his credentials in industrial engineering, he worked his way to Europe as a deckman on the merchant steamer. Upon his return he taught carpentry and wood shop in a private boys' school, and for a time was on the editorial staff of "Iron Age," a trade publication. In Chicago he was an instructor at Northwestern Military and Naval Academy, but studied voice on the side. Opera diva Mme. Louise Homer heard him and she encouraged him to pursue his vocal career seriously. After he won a contest sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs, he was paid to sing recitals in different cities. After realizing that concert life was not very lucrative, he took a position as Manager of Advertising and Sales Promotion for the Diamond T. Truck Company of Chicago. During this time he kept up his singing at church.

The longing to sing fully bloomed when Chamberlain Brown arranged an audition for Gray with producer Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. and composer Gene Buck. They were preparing a new "Midnight Frolic" atop the New Amsterdam Theatre and Gray was engaged to do the singing. After the New York run, Ziegfeld sent out a road company of the "Frolic" headed by Will Rogers, which toured for a year during which time Gray became principal male singer. Then followed the "Ziegfeld Follies" and performances in "Sally" while it was on tour. In 1925 he co-starred in Oscar Straus' musical play "Naughty Riquette" with Stanley Lupino. This led to him playing the lead juvenile on "Tell Me More," with a score by the Gershwins. In 1925 he made his first recordings for Columbia Records. In the mid 1920s, the producers Schwab and Mandel sent for Gray to take the place of Robert Halliday as the Red Shadow in "The Desert Song," one of the most popular musical shows of the decade. He played the entire summer, and when Gray was cast in the Chicago company. Box office records were broken every where. In 1928 soprano Bernice Claire, who had played with Gray on the Albee Vaudeville Circuit, was the understudy for Vivienne Segal in "The Desert Song," and stepped into stardom. Claire and Gray toured in the show (Kansas City, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Chicago) for many seasons. When Jack Warner ordered a screen test of Alexander Gray, arrangements were made with the east coast Vitaphone Studios. Gray asked Bernice Claire if she would perform a duet with him for the test. Warners not only signed Gray to co-star with Marilyn Miller in "Sally," but they gave Bernice Claire leading roles in several musical films, three with Alexander Gray. They became the screen's first operetta team, predating Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy. While in Hollywood Mr. Gray was engaged to play the leads in complete 2-hour radio adaptations of "Blossom Time" and "The Chocolate Soldier," the latter with composer Oscar Straus conducting. When the vogue for all talking/singing/dancing films became threadbare, Mr. Gray returned to New York where, with his illustrious Hollywood credits, he achieved great success in operetta revivals, vaudeville and radio. Gray also continued his vocal studies with teacher Jean Teslof. Beginning in 1932 Mr. Gray appeared on the Chesterfield Radio Program for seven months, followed by six months of "Voice of America" sponsored by Underwood-Elliott-Fischer Company. In January 1934 Gray gave his first New York recital at The Town Hall. The New York Evening Journal wrote, "His broad experience in musical comedy and radio, together with his earnest study of the classics, gives him the immense advantage of knowing just how to 'sell himself' to his audience. He knows, in other words, what so many singers lack, the value of projecting the meaning of a song, so that it loses nothing when it slides over the edge of a concert stage. In diction, tone production and delivery he was master of the situation to the vast delight of a wildly enthusiastic audience." Following his triumph at The Town Hall, Gray was on the Chrysler Motors Radio Program for eight months. The rest of his career was spent singing in operettas, supper clubs and radio. In theatres across the country, he glided effortlessly between performances (some only 24 hours apart) of "Rose Marie," "The Chocolate Soldier," "Blossom Time" and "Rio Rita."

Bruce Odlum was born on 13 January 1924 in New York, New York, USA. He was a producer, known for Spanish Affair (1957), Never Wave at a WAC (1953) and The Girl Rush (1955). He died on 14 October 1974 in Indio, California, USA.

Jacqueline Cochran was born on 11 May 1906 in Pensacola, Florida, USA. She was married to Floyd Odlum. She died on 9 August 1980 in Indio, California, USA.

Stax Graves was born on 1 October 1885 in Kentucky, USA. Stax is known for Sky Liner (1949), Beginner's Luck (1935) and School Begins (1928). Stax died on 15 June 1972 in Indio, California, USA.

Charles Ed Rickey was born on 9 August 1934 in Oklahoma, USA. Charles Ed was a director, known for Villa Alegre (1973), Jacki Sorensen's Aerobic Dancing 'Encore' (1983) and Let's Jazzercise (1983). Charles Ed died on 14 May 2002 in Indio, California, USA.

Noreen Mortensen was born on 13 August 1928 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Ellis in Freedomland (1952), The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950) and Boston Blackie (1951). She died on 23 October 2007 in Indio, California, USA.

Rex Downs was born on 22 August 1885 in Waterville, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for The Bottled Spider (1914), Defying the Chief (1914) and The Call of the Tribe (1914). He died on 3 February 1975 in Indio, California, USA.

Floyd Odlum was born on 30 March 1892 in Union City, Michigan, USA. He was married to Jacqueline Cochran. He died on 17 June 1976 in Indio, California, USA.