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Hindi cinema star Rajesh Khanna.

William Asher, longtime director on "I Love Lucy" and "Bewitched." He also wrote and directed several of the popular Beach Party movies in the 60s with Frankie and Annette.

Robert W. Creamer, he wrote a famous biography of Babe Ruth.

Tom Davis.

Those last two really sting. Two men from different generations and areas of expertise but two who have definitely enriched my life and shaped my perceptions.

I'd like to submit a recommendation for his and Franken's One More Saturday Night, actually one of my favourite 80s teen comedies, if only for boasting one of the catchiest theme songs ever recorded for a movie

Another SNL alumnus, Nelson Lyon. He also directed The Telephone Book, which Janus is currently distributing.

Sir Alastair Burnet - probably unknown outside the UK, but one of the most familiar British newsreaders of the last half-century.

Cold Bishop wrote:Tom Davis.

Very sad, he wrote for my two favorite eras of SNL - the first one from 1975-1980 and a later one that saved the show after it was briefly canceled in 1986.

The NYTimes article goes into Davis' involvement with the first era in greater detail, but I think he played a key role in that later one too. I still remember his cameo on the one-off "Eye on Chest Hair," asking about chest hair plugs and pretending that he didn't have them.

hearthesilence wrote: Very sad, he wrote for my two favorite eras of SNL - the first one from 1975-1980 and a later one that saved the show after it was briefly canceled in 1986.

Far and away the two best periods for that show.

Angharad Rees.

MichaelB wrote:Angharad Rees.

I did not realise that she was involved with the period jewellery for Elizabeth: The Golden Age! She is probably best known for her Hammer role in Hands of the Ripper, i.e. the other in the series of female twists on a male killer along with Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde and Frankenstein Created Woman (Synapse are apparently due to do Hands of the Ripper on Blu next following Vampire Circus and this months release of Twins of Evil).

She also made for a very striking Celia against Helen Mirren's Rosalind in the 70s BBC version of As You Like It.

MichaelB wrote:Angharad Rees.

She died at 63 - so sad. I knew her from Poldark where I developed a huge crush on her. Thanks for that Youtube link, colin!

Allegedly Simon Ward has also died. The only source though is a tweet by Susan Penhaligon.

EDIT: Obituary here

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:Allegedly Simon Ward has also died. The only source though is a tweet by Susan Penhaligon.

It's in today's Sunday Times too, but the link is behind a paywall.

Alex Cockburn.

Fuuuuuuck.

Herb Vogel

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Donald Brown wrote:Alex Cockburn.

Jeffrey St. Clair wrote:He didn’t want to blog his own death as Christopher Hitchens had done.

So Goddamned fitting.

He made me think and he made me laugh. This world is a poorer place without him in it.

Frank Pierson.

In addition to the film world, a great loss for current TV. He had been a consulting producer on seasons 3 and 5 of Mad Men and on the first season of The Good Wife. He also wrote for each, including the Cheeveresque "Signal 30" episode from the past season of Mad Men.

Andrzej Łapicki - probably best known outside Poland for playing the lead in Andrzej Wajda's Everything For Sale, but in Poland he was probably most famous for being the narrator of the Polska Kronika Filmowa, or the main Polish newsreel.

I'm glad Matt mentioned Frank Pierson's writing for Mad Men. I remember noticing that name in the credits and thinking "Nah, it can't be that Frank Pierson," but it was. The dude never stopped being a great writer for film and TV, one of the best ever when it comes to character. I love Cool Hand Luke and Dog Day Afternoon so much.

Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson, has moved on up to that deluxe apartment in the sky.

Chad Everett.