Who's Next To Croak?

[MacGuffin]

'Mission: Impossible' star Peter Graves dies in LA

LOS ANGELES - Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.

Graves died of an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, publicist Sandy Brokaw said. He would have been 84 this week.

Graves had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids and collapsed before he made it into the house, Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.

Although Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshall Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke," he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.

Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 prisoner-of-war drama "Stalag 17."

He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof "Airplane!"

Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.

The authority and trust he projected made him a favorite for commercials late in his life, and he was often encouraged to go into politics.

"He had this statesmanlike quality," Brokaw said. "People were always encouraging him to run for office. But he said, 'I like acting. I like being around actors.'"

Graves' career began with cheaply made exploitation films like "It Conquered the World," in which he battled a carrot-shaped monster from Venus, and "Beginning of the World," in which he fought a giant grasshopper.

He later took on equally formidable human villains each week on "Mission: Impossible."

Every show began with Graves, as agent Phelps, listening to a tape of instructions outlining his team's latest mission and explaining that if he or any of his agents were killed or captured "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

The tape always self-destructed within seconds of being played.

The show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1973 and was revived on ABC from 1988 to 1990 with Graves back as the only original cast member.

The actor credited clever writing for the show's success.

"It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next," he once said.

He also played roles in such films as John Ford's "The Long Gray Line" and Charles Laughton's "The Night of the Hunter," as well as "The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell," "Texas Across the River" and "The Ballad of Josie."

Graves' first television series was a children's Saturday morning show, "Fury," about an orphan and his untamed black stallion. Filmed in Australia, it lasted six years on NBC. A western, "Whiplash," also shot in Australia, played for a year in syndication, and the British-made "Court-Martial" appeared on ABC for one season. In his later years, Graves brought his white-haired eminence to PBS as host of "Discover: The World of Science" and A&E's "Biography" series.

He noted during an interview in 2000 that he made his foray into comedy somewhat reluctantly.

Filmmakers Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker had written a satire on the airplane-in-trouble movies, and they wanted Graves and fellow handsome actors Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen and Robert Stack to spoof their serious images.

All agreed, but Graves admitted to nervousness. On the one hand, he said, he considered the role a challenge, "but it also scared me."

"I thought I could lose a whole long acting career," he recalled.

"Airplane!" became a box-office smash, and Graves returned for "Airplane II, The Sequel."

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves adopted his grandfather's last name to avoid confusion with his older brother, James, who had dropped the "U" from the family name.

He was a champion hurdler in high school, as well as a clarinet player in dance bands and a radio announcer.

After two years in the Air Force, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota as a drama major and worked in summer stock before following his brother west to Hollywood.

He found enough success there to send for his college sweetheart, Joan Endress. They were married in 1950 and had three daughters — Kelly Jean, Claudia King and Amanda Lee — and six grandchildren.

Graves credited the couple's Midwest upbringing for a marriage that lasted more than 50 years in a town not known for long unions.

"Hollywood or New York ... can be very flighty and dangerous places to live, but the good grounding we had in the Midwest ethic I think helped us all our lives," he said.

[pete]

he was the first famous American I'd met; on the airplane about 14 years ago.

[RegularKarate]

he was the first famous American I'd met; on the airplane about 14 years ago.

At that point, had you or had you not ever seen a grown man naked?

[pete]

oh holy shit that's the same guy?!

[RegularKarate]

oh holy shit that's the same guy?!

I feel like I'm walking into some kind of sarcastic trap, but yes, that's the same guy.

It's funny, whether you're kidding or not.

[pete]

nah man I didn't know.  I mean, now it's painfully obvious, but I didn't know.
he was in the remake of the mission impossible series in the early 90s.  it was on in Taiwan on Saturday nights after MacGuyver, one of the only things I was allowed to watch. 

[polkablues]

So Robert Culp died.  He had a long and varied career in both film and television, but if I'm being honest, he'll always be Dr. Breen to me.

[Stefen]

Greatest FPS if all time. Of all fucking time.

[pete]

from here



Legendary rock photographer Jim Marshall, who captured some of the most memorable moments in music - Johnny Cash flipping the bird at San Quentin and Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar at Monterey Pop - died in his sleep Tuesday in a New York hotel. He was 74. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Mr. Marshall's unparalleled access, technical talent and musical passion merged to create hundreds of album and magazine covers, turning him into a household name among the biggest names in rock 'n' roll.

As the chief photographer at Woodstock, he captured The Who greeting the sunrise. When the Beatles played their final concert at San Francisco's Candlestick Park in 1966, Mr. Marshall was the only shooter invited backstage. He photographed the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Ray Charles and Thelonious Monk.

"He started very early, before most of us knew what contemporary music was about, and he spanned into the great cultural upheaval of the '60s," said Ken Light, director of the Center for Photography at the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley.

Short and barrel-chested, with a love of whiskey, women and at one time cocaine, Mr. Marshall lived in a Castro flat packed with books, photos, LPs and magazines.

He was known to occasionally brandish guns and yell obscenities, and twice police arrested him for firing a pistol at his enemies - once at the neighbors and another time at a male friend of his then-wife.

But he had an oversize sweet side, taking in stray animals, helping young photographers get their start, and giving away valuable prints to friends and associates.
'God of rock photography'

San Francisco photographer Pat Johnson remembers meeting "the God of rock photography" as a young kid in the mid-1970s.

"Everyone looked up to Jim, and he was just so generous of spirit to me and other photographers," Johnson said. "There will never be another Jim Marshall, but his images will live on."

Mr. Marshall always insisted he didn't have talent; he said he simply could "see the music."

Born in Chicago in 1936, Mr. Marshall was raised in San Francisco, where he began documenting the Beat scene while still in high school.

His big break came in the 1950s after he returned home from the Air Force and bumped into John Coltrane, who needed a ride. The jazz legend later showed his gratitude by allowing Mr. Marshall to photograph him.

Those photos helped land him work shooting musicians such as Bob Dylan and Ray Charles for the Atlantic and Columbia labels in New York.

Mr. Marshall returned to San Francisco in the late 1960s and developed his iconic style by taking hundreds of quiet photographs of the Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Santana.

Many photographers tried unsuccessfully to emulate Mr. Marshall, said Pulitzer Prize-winning San Francisco photographer Kim Komenich, who now teaches new media at San Jose State University.

"Marshall would insist on being where he needed to be to make a Jim Marshall photo," Komenich said. "His insistence on doing things his way, standing on stage as the artists were performing, gave him notoriety but also allowed him to get the pictures he had set the precedent for. These days, most rock photographers get three songs before the publicists throw them out of the auditorium."
Recent photos

Mr. Marshall continued to take pictures until his final days. Most recently, he photographed John Mayer, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz and Limp Bizkit.

His work is published in five books, including the 2009 collection "Trust."

Mr. Marshall considered his work his family. "I have no kids," he once said. "My photographs are my children."

Mr. Marshall was in New York this week for a party marking the release of his new book, "Match Prints," produced jointly with celebrity photographer Timothy White, said San Francisco photographer Michael Zagaris, who was with Mr. Marshall last week.

"In a day of political correctness, Jim was never that," Zagaris said. "But he was real. You knew he loved you, and you knew when he was calling you a mother- that he didn't mean anything bad. Deep down he was one of the most caring people I've ever met."

An exhibition of photos from "Match Prints" is set to go on display Friday at New York's Staley-Wise Gallery.

The party will be much more subdued than originally planned.

"If you listen, it's quieter, and I don't like quiet," said San Francisco '60s culture photographer Robert Altman. "Jim's gone."

[squints]

I'd like to see a collection of all of his work. This guy seems pretty amazing.

[matt35mm]

David Mills Dead: 'The Wire' Writer Dies Days Before Premiere Of New Show 'Treme'
Mary Foster - AP

NEW ORLEANS - David Mills, a veteran television writer who worked on the award-winning series "ER" and "The Wire," has died. He was 48.

Mills died Tuesday night in New Orleans, said HBO spokesman Diego Aldana, declining to provide any other information.

Mills had been living in New Orleans while co-writing and acting as co-executive producer of the new HBO series "Treme," (truh-MAY'). He wrote two of the upcoming episodes. The drama is set to premiere April 11.

"HBO is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend and colleague David Mills," said a network statement. "He was a gracious and humble man, and will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him, as well as those who were aware of his immense talent. David has left us too soon but his brilliant work will live on."

Treme cast and crew members held a memorial for Mills on the set Wednesday morning, said New Orleans-born actor Wendell Pierce, who played Detective William "Bunk" Moreland on "The Wire," and plays a musician in "Treme."

"He was very quiet and introverted, but spoke volumes when he wrote," Pierce said of Mills. "He challenged us as actors and he challenged Americans when it came to matters of race. He was one of the more talented people working in TV. He made it much more than just empty entertainment."

Mills collapsed on the set Tuesday night, Pierce said. An autopsy was pending.

"He was carrying on a conversation and just fell over," Pierce said. "They called the medics, but there was nothing to be done."

Mills began his career as a reporter for the Washington Post, before turning to screenwriting. In addition to "ER" and "The Wire," he worked on the HBO drama, "The Corner," and "Homicide: Life on the Street," among other shows.

According to Internet Movie Database, Mills started his television writing career with longtime friend and "Wire" creator David Simon in 1994. The pair wrote an episode of "Homicide" that year, for which they won a Writers Guild of America award.

Mills won Emmys for co-writing and executive producing the miniseries "The Corner" and an Edgar in 2007 for "The Wire."

Treme is set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and is being filmed in the city. The series is named after the Creole neighborhood known for its rich musical history.

"I'm so sorry he won't be able to see the launch of the show he cared so much about," Pierce said.

[pete]

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/jaime-escalante-teacher-who-inspired-stand-and-deliver-dies/19421103?icid=main|aim|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fjaime-escalante-teacher-who-inspired-stand-and-deliver-dies%2F19421103



LOS ANGELES (March 31) -- Jaime Escalante transformed a tough East Los Angeles high school by motivating struggling inner-city students to master advanced math, became one of America's most famous teachers and inspired the movie "Stand and Deliver."

He died Tuesday at age 79 after battling cancer for several years, family friend Keith Miller said.

Escalante used his outsized personality to goad his working-class Mexican-American students to succeed, said Elsa Bolado, 45, one of his former pupils.

Bolado, now an elementary school teacher and trainer, remembers Escalante's charisma, the way he built her confidence with long hours of solving problems and how he inspired her career choice with his unorthodox approach to learning.

"Teaching is an art form. There's a lot of practicioners and very few artists. He was a master artist," she said.

An immigrant from Bolivia, he overhauled Garfield High School's math curriculum and pushed his students to do their best until the school had more advanced placement calculus students than all but four other public high schools in the country.

Edward James Olmos played Escalante in the 1988 film based on his story.

"Jaime exposed one of the most dangerous myths of our time -- that inner-city students can't be expected to perform at the highest levels," Olmos said. "Because of him, that destructive idea has been shattered forever."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Escalante "shared in my belief that anything is possible in California."

"He put everything he had into becoming an inspirational teacher whose passion, commitment and belief that all students can achieve excellence set an example for us all," Schwarzenegger said. "His talent, hard work and dedication in the classroom changed the lives of countless students."

Escalante was a teacher in La Paz before he emigrated to the U.S. He had to study English at night for years to get his California teaching credentials and return to the classroom.

At first he was discouraged by Garfield's "culture of low expectations, gang activity and administrative apathy," Miller said. Gradually his long hours in the classroom paid off and dozens of his students passed the test year after year.

Bolado took the AP calculus test in 1982, the year that testing officials made some Garfield students retake it because they were suspicious that so many of Escalante's students had passed. She said 14 students were asked to take the test again months later and all 12 who did passed.

"To this day, I still think of the example he set -- the study skills, how not to give up," said Bolado, 45. "I revert back to that every time things get rough."

Escalante left Garfield in 1991, taught at schools in Sacramento and retired to Bolivia in 2001.

The cast of "Stand and Deliver" recently appealed for donations to help Escalante pay for his alternative cancer treatments.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and six grandchildren.

[cine]

I knew a girl who had auditioned for a movie that starred Corey Haim and Alan Thicke.

just coming around to the board again. a good friend of mine was the funeral director for Haim's funeral, since it was in Ontario and all. as you can imagine it was pretty surreal to her. when she had to close the casket, the mother was sobbing and asked for it to be opened again, and this went on a couple times. standard funeral stuff, i'm sure, but i wouldn't know.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

David Mills Dead: 'The Wire' Writer Dies Days Before Premiere Of New Show 'Treme'

Mills collapsed on the set Tuesday night, Pierce said. An autopsy was pending.

"He was carrying on a conversation and just fell over,"

Yikes.  That's some shit straight out of his own shows.

[Derek]

John Forsythe passed away at 92 yesterday.