criterionforum.org

Nicky Henson who appeared in many British films of the 60s and 70s, including Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, Witchfinder General, and Psychomania https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50807031

He's great as the lead of the deathless biker gang in Psychomania. I see that he was also in lots of the 70s sex comedy titles, including the title role in The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones.

He's also Demetrius in the BBC Shakespeare cycle production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, turned up as the "Private Doctor" in Vera Drake, and was apparently somewhere in Syriana!

In more recent times he was in Michael Winner's last film Parting Shots from 1998 and also more unfortunately in that Danny Dyer film Run For Your Wife, which seemed to be trying to be a throwback to the old sex comedies and Carry On films, had the unfortunate honour of being the subject of a Mark Kermode rant. Run For Your Life has an enormous number of cameos, including sadly Richard Briers' last role. But also Vicki Michelle, Bill Pertwee, Sylvia Sims, Robin Askwith, Andrew Sachs, Maureen Lipman, June Whitfield, Linda Hayden (from Blood on Satan's Claw!), Bernard Cribbins, Judi Dench (as "Bag Lady"!), Russ Abbot, Su Pollard, Tom Conti, etc etc. As well as Cliff Richard. And Rolf Harris, which probably makes it unbroadcastable now, if it ever was.

Plus like seemingly everyone on the UK scene he's been in a couple of episodes of Downton Abbey.

In the last few years he appears to have been in a lot of crime thrillers mostly directed by Sacha Bennett: We Still Kill The Old Way and its sequel We Still Steal The Old Way (reunited with Ian Ogilvy!) which both seem part of the 'grey Gangster, anti-young hoodies' trend of the last decade. As well as Tango One from just last year. He's also doing the police boss to renegade officer thing in the Jason Statham film Blitz too.

Though his other more recent films, sci-fi drug thriller Narcopolis, The Holly Kane Experiment and especially Gozo and the Elizabethan costume drama Draw On Sweet Night look a lot more promising.

I can't see anything online yet other than on Facebook, but Donald Tosh, writer and script editor who worked in both capacities for Doctor Who, died on 3 December aged 84.

He was the last surviving writer/script editor from the Hartnell era and also was involved in the development of Florizel Street which by the time it aired had been retitled Coronation Street.

I'm hearing well-sourced (and, sadly, unsurprising) rumours that Peter Wollen has died.

Yeah, I saw a tweet from a student for whom Wollen was her thesis advisor, I'd say it's pretty much confirmed.

Signs and Meanings is a foundational text, RIP

The wonderful Claudine Auger of Thunderball, Black Belly of the Tarantula, Bava's extraordinary A Bay of Blood, and so many others.

Dylan wrote: Fri Dec 20, 2019 3:22 am The wonderful Claudine Auger of Thunderball, Black Belly of the Tarantula, Bava's extraordinary A Bay of Blood, and so many others.

Domino! Thunderball is my favorite Bond, and her presence is an integral part. Forgot she was in the Bava

Lee Mendelson, on Christmas Day.

Artist's rendition of me noticing that pun:

Syd Mead

Jack Garfein

David Stern

Don Larsen 90, a journeyman pitcher, who threw one of the greatest games ever.

I wonder if they've ever made a movie or doc about his perfect World Series game and his life?

Free Cinema alumnus Lorenza Mazzetti, whose most famous film, Together (1956) can be watched here (possibly only in the UK; I'm not sure how the BFI Player operates internationally).

Australian actor Tom Long, aged 51, from cancer.

Polish actor Jan Tesarz, who played many parts besides the ill-fated taxi driver in Krzysztof Kieślowski's A Short Film About Killing, but that is undoubtedly the most indelible impression that he made on world cinema.

That's incredibly sad. If you'd told me cancer would be the thing to take her away at 52, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

Silvio Horta, creator of the Ugly Betty television series and who also wrote the script for 1998 slasher film Urban Legend, from suicide at 45

Buck Henry

Huge fan, fantastic writer/underrated actor.