Who Died in 2008?

January

George MacDonald Fraser (writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died January 2, 2008. Born April 2, 1925. Wrote the Flashman series, wrote screenplays for the '70s Musketeer movies.

Christopher Bowman (skater/actor) -- Dead. Drug overdose/enlarged heart. Died January 10, 2008. Born March 30, 1967. Appeared in some '70s sitcoms, went on to be a skating champion, coach and commentator.

Vampira (TV icon) -- Dead. Cardiac arrest. Died January 10, 2008. Born December 21, 1921. Obscure actress wanna-be who turned a Halloween costume into a brief TV career as a movie host, real name: Maila Syrjaniemi.

Sir Edmund Hillary (mountain climber) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died January 11, 2008. Born July 20, 1919. In the '50s, first white man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest with the help of Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Carl Karcher (burger entreprenuer) -- Dead. Parkinson's/pneumonia. Died January 11, 2008. Born January 16, 1917. Started the Carl's Jr., burger franchise, supported many conservative causes, engaged in insider trading. Home Page Obituary FindAGrave

Richard Knerr (entreprenuer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died January 14, 2008. Born June 30, 1925. Co-founded Wham-o with Arthur Melin and marketed fad toys like the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, and Superball. Home Page FindAGrave

Brad Renfro (actor) -- Dead. Heroin overdose. Died January 15, 2008. Born July 25, 1982. Talented child actor (The Client) who ruined a potentially brilliant career and died too young. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Bobby Fischer (chess genius) -- Dead. Died January 17, 2008. Born March 9, 1943. Reclusive chess champion, famously beat Boris Spasky during the '70s and emmigrated to Iceland. Home Page Obituary FindAGrave

Allan Melvin (actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died January 17, 2008. Born February 18, 1922. Extensive amount of TV in the '60s and '70s, Barney on Archie Bunker's Place, Sam the butcher on The Brady Bunch. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Lois Nettleton (actress) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died January 18, 2008. Born August 6, 1927. Busy TV and Broadway actress who starred in a classic Twilight Zone episode "The Midnight Sun." IBDB IMDb Obituary

Suzanne Pleshette (actress) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died January 19, 2008. Born January 31, 1937. Lots of Disney and made-for-TV movies, memorable as Emily on The Bob Newhart Show, married to Tom Poston from 2001 until his death. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

John Stewart (singer/songwriter) -- Dead. Stroke/early-onset Alzheimer's. Died January 19, 2008. Born September 5, 1939. A member of the Kingston Trio ("Tom Dooley"), may be best-known for writing the Monkees' hit "Daydream Believer" Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Heath Ledger (actor) -- Dead. Accidental drug overdose. Died January 22, 2008. Born April 4, 1979. Astonishing in Brokeback Mountain, died before The Dark Knight was released and while The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was being filmed. [[I got into an argument with a likely ex-reader of Dead People Server for saying that Ledger's death was due to "suspected drug use" before the coroner's report came out.]] Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Margaret Truman Daniel (writer) -- Dead. Died January 29, 2008. Born February 17, 1924. Writer, mostly of mystery novels like Murder at the White House and daughter of President Harry Truman.

February

Shell Kepler (actress) -- Dead. Renal failure. Died February 1, 2008. Born October 5, 1958. Nurse Vining on General Hospital for many years. Home Page IMDb FindAGrave

Barry Morse (actor) -- Dead. Died February 2, 2008. Born June 10, 1918. Actor with a long and varied career, including The Fugitive and Space: 1999. Home Page IBDB IMDb

Robert Jastrow (Astronomer) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died February 8, 2008. Born September 7, 1925. Wrote the best-selling God and the Astronomers, and directed NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and, later the Mount Wilson Observatory. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Phyllis Whitney (writer) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died February 8, 2008. Born September 9, 1903. Widely traveled, prolific author of young adult (The Mystery of the Haunted Pool) and adult (Woman Without a Past) books, reported to have been working on her autobiography when she died at 104. Home Page Obituary

Roy Scheider (actor) -- Dead. Multiple myeloma/staph infection. Died February 10, 2008. Born November 10, 1932. The French Connection, Jaws, All That Jazz, 2010. IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

David Groh (actor) -- Dead. Kidney cancer. Died February 12, 2008. Born May 21, 1939. Best known in Rhoda as her husband. IBDB IMDb

Robin Moore (writer) -- Dead. Throat cancer. Died February 21, 2008. Born October 31, 1925. Wrote The French Connection and The Green Berets (including the famous '60s song) IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

William F. Buckley, Jr. (writer) -- Dead. Emphysema. Died February 27, 2008. Born November 24, 1925. Conservative commentator and publisher of the National Review, wrote God and Man at Yale just after his college graduation. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Myron Cope (writer, sportscaster) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died February 27, 2008. Born January 29, 1929. Award-winning writer and colorful "profressional Steeler fan," (Oy!) he invented the famous "Terrible Towel" in the mid-70s, and donated all the proceeds to the Allegheny Valley School. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Mike Smith (Singer/songwriter) -- Dead. Pneumonia/effects of paralysis. Died February 28, 2008. Born December 3, 1943. Dave Clark Five, songs like "I Like It Like That". Home Page Obituary FindAGrave

Janet Kagan (writer) -- Dead. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Died February 29, 2008. Born circa 1945. Uhura's Song, won a Hugo for The Nutcracker.

March

Jeff Healey (singer/guitarist) -- Dead. Cancer. Died March 2, 2008. Born March 26, 1966. Had the pop hit "Angel Eyes", played his guitar flat across his lap often while seated, very active in the Toronto music scene.

Gary Gygax (author/game creator) -- Dead. Abdominal aortic aneurysm. Died March 4, 2008. Born July 27, 1938. Co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons and writer of many game-related books. Home Page IMDb

Joseph Weizenbaum (programmer/teacher) -- Dead. Cancer. Died March 5, 2008. Born January 8, 1923. Created one of the first verbally "interactive" programs, ELIZA, which behaved something like a therapist by asking questions based on earlier responses made at the keyboard. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Ivan Dixon (director/actor) -- Dead. Hemmorhage/kidneyfailure. Died March 16, 2008. Born April 6, 1931. Kinchloe on Hogan's Heroes. IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Anthony Minghella (director) -- Dead. Hemorrhage after surgery for cancer of the tonsils and neck. Died March 18, 2008. Born January 6, 1954. Truly, Madly, Deeply, The English Patient, Cold Mountain. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Sir Arthur C. Clarke (author) -- Dead. Respiratory problems. Died March 19, 2008. Born December 16, 1917. Not only did he write science fiction (2001, Childhood's End), he developed the concept of the geosynchronous communications satellite. He lived near the coast of Sri Lanka and survived the tsunami of 2004. Home Page IMDb AwardWeb Obituary FindAGrave

Paul Scofield (Actor) -- Dead. Leukemia. Died March 19, 2008. Born January 21, 1922. Magnificent actor, best-known for playing Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons, wonderful as Mark Van Doren in Quiz Show. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Richard Widmark Dead. Died March 24, 2008. Born December 26, 1914. Kiss of Death, Judgment at Nuremberg. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Abby Mann (screenwriter) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died March 25, 2008. Born December 1, 1927. Wrote Judgment at Nuremberg and Ship of Fools. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

April

Charlton Heston (Actor/NRA activist) -- Dead. Alzheimer's. Died April 5, 2008. Born October 4, 1923. Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes, Touch of Evil, president of the NRA for several years.

Stanley Kamel (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died April 8, 2008. Born January 1, 1943. TV actor probably best-known for playing Dr. Kroger on Monk.

John Archibald Wheeler (physicist/professor) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died April 13, 2008. Born July 9, 1911. Helped to develop general relativity, coined the terms "black hole" and "worm hole." Home Page IMDb Obituary

Ollie Johnston (animator) -- Dead. Died April 14, 2008. Born October 31, 1912. The last surviving "Disney's old men," animators who created the golden age of the Disney animation from the '30s through the '70s.

Hazel Court (actress) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died April 15, 2008. Born February 10, 1926. British horror actress, The Curse of Frankenstein, particularly known for pairing with Vincent Price in several Poe-based films. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Danny Federici (keyboardist) -- Dead. Melanoma. Died April 17, 2008. Born January 23, 1950. Played piano for "The Boss." Make memorial contributions to: The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Nicolette Goulet (actress) -- Dead. Breast cancer. Died April 17, 2008. Born June 5, 1956. Soap opera actress (Ryan's Hope); daughter of Robert Goulet. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Bebe Barron (composer) -- Dead. Died April 20, 2008. Born June 16, 1926. Experimental muscian who wrote the electronic music for Forbidden Planet; collaborated with Louis even after they divorced. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Al Wilson (singer) -- Dead. Kidney failure. Died April 21, 2008. Born June 19, 1939. R&B singer probably best-known for 1973's "Show and Tell". Home Page IMDb Obituary

John Berkey (artist) -- Dead. Died April 29, 2008. Born circa 1932. A science fiction artist who did some pre-production Star Wars illustration, he designed the famous "Old Elvis" stamp proposal and one of the better-known portraits of President Lyndon Johnson. Make memorial contributions to: Society of Illustrators Scholarship Fund Home Page Obituary

Albert Hoffman (chemist) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died April 29, 2008. Born January 11, 1906. Synthesized LSD in 1938, tested it in 1943, and later tested other hallucinogenic substances. Home Page IMDb Obituary
May

Eddy Arnold (country singer) -- Dead. Died May 8, 2008. Born May 15, 1918. "Make the World Go Away". Home Page IMDb Obituary

John Phillip Law (actor) -- Dead. Died May 13, 2008. Born June 7, 1937. Barbarella. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Alexander Courage (composer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died May 15, 2008. Born December 10, 1919. Most known for the distinctive Star Trek original theme, did orchestrations for many TV shows and movies. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Joseph Pevney (director) -- Dead. Died May 18, 2008. Born September 15, 1911. TV director, mostly known for Star Trek episodes like "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Devil in the Dark." IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Robert Lynn Asprin (humorous fantacist) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died May 22, 2008. Born June 28, 1946. MythAdventures, longtime fixture in science fiction fandom. Home Page

Dick Martin (director/comedian) -- Dead. Respiratory failure. Died May 24, 2008. Born January 30, 1922. Long time professional partner of Dan Rowan, co-host of Laugh-In, later directed shows like The Bob Newhart Show and Family Ties. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Sydney Pollack (director/actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died May 26, 2008. Born July 1, 1934. Out of Africa, Tootsie and many more. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Robert Justman (producer) -- Dead. Parkinson's disease. Died May 28, 2008. Born July 13, 1926. Producer of various Star Trek shows, Superman, and directed some episodes of The Outer Limits. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Harvey Korman (comedian) -- Dead. Died May 29, 2008. Born February 15, 1927. The Carol Burnett Show, Blazing Saddles. IBDB IMDb
June

Yves Saint-Laurent (designer) -- Dead. Died June 1, 2008. Born August 1, 1936. Worked for Dior and popularized suits for women and haute couture. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Bo Diddley (guitarist) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died June 2, 2008. Born December 30, 1928. "I Am a Man", professional musician for over 50 years. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Mel Ferrer (actor/director) -- Dead. Died June 2, 2008. Born August 25, 1917. Lili, War and Peace, The Longest Day, married to Audrey Hepburn produced Wait Until Dark. IBDB IMDb Obituary

Jim McKay (sportscaster) -- Dead. Died June 7, 2008. Born September 24, 1921. "Spanned the globe..." -- Wide World of Sports IMDb Obituary

Algis Budrys (writer) -- Dead. Died June 9, 2008. Born January 9, 1931. Rogue Moon, involved with Writers of the Future. Home Page IMDb

Tim Russert (political analyst) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died June 13, 2008. Born May 7, 1950. Hosted Meet the Press for many years, memorable for writing "Florida, Florida, Florida" on a little whiteboard during election night, 2000 - "Can you believe that?" (David Gregory of NBC said, of his death while on the job, "We can't imagine Tim leaving work early") IMDb Obituary

Stan Winston (special effects master) -- Dead. Multiple myeloma. Died June 15, 2008. Born April 7, 1946. Won Oscars for Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park. IMDb

Cyd Charisse (actress) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died June 17, 2008. Born March 8, 1921. Dancer in many movies, including Singing in the Rain, Silk Stockings, Brigadoon, married to Tony Martin for over 60 years. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Tasha Tudor (writer/artist) -- Dead. Died June 18, 2008. Born August 28, 1915. Illustrator of classic children's books like The Secret Garden, she also wrote some of her own and won two Caldecott medals along the way. Home Page Obituary

George Carlin (comedian) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died June 22, 2008. Born May 12, 1937. These days, you can say those seven words on cable television, a number of books including When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, never lost his passion for political humor. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Dody Goodman (comic) -- Dead. Born October 28, 1915. Died June 22, 2008. Bit parts in movies including Grease, frequent '60s talk show guest, the mother on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Don S. Davis (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died June 29, 2008. Born August 4, 1942. Stargate's Major General Hammond. Make memorial contributions to: American Heart Association Home Page IMDb Obituary
July

Elizabeth Spriggs (actress) -- Dead. Died July 2, 2008. Born September 18, 1929. Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility, pops into Harry Potter movies from portraits. IMDb Obituary

Larry Harmon (Bozo popularizer) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died July 3, 2008. Born January 2, 1925. An early Bozo who turned the character into a '60s and '70s icon. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Thomas M. Disch (writer) -- Dead. Suicide. Died July 4, 2008. Born February 2, 1940. Camp Concentration, 334, The Brave Little Toaster. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Evelyn Keyes (actress) -- Dead. Uterine cancer. Died July 4, 2008. Born November 20, 1916. Author of Scarlet O'Hara's Younger Sister and married to the much-wed Artie Shaw from 1957 until his death. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Dr. Michael DeBakey (heart surgeon) -- Dead. Died July 11, 2008. Born September 7, 1908. Pioneering surgeon who helped to develop MASH units while in the Army in WWII, various kinds of heart surgeries and multi-organ transplants. Home Page Obituary

Jo Stafford (big band singer) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died July 16, 2008. Born November 12, 1917. Her song "I'll Be Seeing You" was the most popular record distributed to US soldiers during WWII, created a musical parody in the late '50s called "Darlene Edwards." Home Page IMDb Obituary

Estelle Getty (actress) -- Dead. Lewy Body Dementia. Died July 22, 2008. Born July 25, 1923. Tended to play much older characters, especially Sophia in The Golden Girls. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Randy Pausch (educator/geek) -- Dead. Pancreatic cancer. Died July 25, 2008. Born October 23, 1960. Creator of the Alice project, a temporary "Imagineer," who gave a great, widely-distributed lecture about living with pancreatic cancer; co-writer of the best-selling The Last Lecture. Make memorial contributions to: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Make memorial contributions to: Randy Pausch Memorial Fund (at CMU, to support the Alice Project). Home Page Obituary FindAGrave
August

Pauline Baynes (illustrator) -- Dead. Died August 1, 2008. Born September 9, 1922. Primary illustrator of the first editions of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and Richard Adams. Home Page Obituary

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (writer) -- Dead. Died August 3, 2008. Born December 11, 1918. Wrote the controversial One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, won the Nobel Prize, expelled from the Soviet Union and lived in Vermont from the mid-70s until he returned to Russia in the '90s. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Bernie Mac (comic) -- Dead. Sarcoidosis/pneumonia. Died August 9, 2008. Born October 5, 1957. The Bernie Mac Show, the "Oceans" movies. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Isaac Hayes (actor, songwriter) -- Dead. Stroke. Died August 10, 2008. Born August 20, 1942. Wrote the theme for Shaft, "reborn" as Chef on South Park. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Fred Crane (radio announcer/actor) -- Dead. Blood clot. Died August 21, 2008. Born March 22, 1918. One of the Tarleton Twins in Gone with the Wind, longtime radio announcer in KFAC in LA. IMDb Obituary

Thomas Weller (virologist) -- Dead. Died August 23, 2008. Born June 15, 1915. Won a Nobel Prize in Medicine for helping to demonstrate how to grow the polio virus; isolated the German measles and chicken pox viruses. Home Page Obituary

Ralph Young (singer/comic) -- Dead. Died August 23, 2008. Born July 1, 1919. Toured with Tony Sandler for many years; last public performance was for a 9/11 fundraiser in 2001. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary
September

Don LaFontaine (Voice-over actor) -- Dead. Collapsed lung. Died September 1, 2008. Born August 26, 1940. Did the voice-over for over a thousand movie trailiers (often leading off with "In a world..."), satirized himself on a Geico commercial. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Michael Pate (actor/producer) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died September 1, 2008. Born February 26, 1920. Australian actor who appeared in many Westerns (including as a native American in Hondo), he adapted and directed Mel Gibson's early movie Tim. IBDB IMDb Obituary

Jerry Reed (singer/actor) -- Dead. Died September 1, 2008. Born March 20, 1937. "When You're Hot, You're Hot", acted in the Smokey and the Bandit flicks. Make memorial contributions to: AMVETS IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Bill Melendez (animator/cartoon director) -- Dead. Died September 2, 2008. Born November 5, 1916. Directed/produced the Peanuts specials and commercials for 41 years, voiced Snoopy, worked as an animator for Warner Brothers. Make memorial contributions to: Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Gregory Mcdonald (writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died September 7, 2008. Born February 15, 1937. The Fletch series, former newspaper reporter. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Paul Newman (philanthropist/actor/race car driver) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died September 26, 2008. Born January 26, 1925. Versatile actor married to Joanne Woodward. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
October

Nick Reynolds (singer) -- Dead. Died October 1, 2008. Born July 27, 1933. Kingston Trio - "Tom Dooley" Home Page IMDb Obituary

Edie Adams (actress/comic) -- Dead. Pneumonia, cancer. Died October 15, 2008. Born April 16, 1927. Famous for the Muriel cigar commercials, won a Tony for playing Daisy Mae in Lil Abner, married to Ernie Kovacs. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Levi Stubbs (singer) -- Dead. Died October 17, 2008. Born June 6, 1936. The lead singer of The Four Tops, probably best-known for their song "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'". Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Milton Katselas (director/teacher) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died October 24, 2008. Born February 22, 1933. Tony Award-winning director (Butterflies Are Free - he also directed the movie version) who spent most of his career teaching actors like Doris Roberts, Gene Hackman and Michelle Pfeiffer. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Estelle Reiner (singer/actress) -- Dead. Died October 25, 2008. Born circa 1914. Was performing and recording CDs well into her 80s, best-remembered for saying "I'll have what she's having" in When Harry Met Sally, married to Carl Reiner for 65 years. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Tony Hillerman (author) -- Dead. Pulmonary failure. Died October 26, 2008. Born May 27, 1925. Wrote a series of Navajo mysteries. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Studs Terkel (working writer) -- Dead. Died October 31, 2008. Born May 16, 1912. Wrote books (Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith, Working), jack-of-many trades and an active interviewer. Home Page IMDb Obituary
November

Michael Crichton (writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died November 4, 2008. Born October 23, 1942. Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, created the popular TV series ER. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

John Leonard (critic) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died November 5, 2008. Born February 25, 1939. Writer for New York, Harper's, The New York Times and resident critic on Sunday Morning. IMDb Obituary

Joe Hyams (writer) -- Dead. Coronary artery disease. Died November 8, 2008. Born June 6, 1923. Journalist, Hollywood bio writer (Bogie), ex-husband of Elke Sommer. Make memorial contributions to: Guide Dogs of America IMDb Obituary

Miriam Makeba (singer) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died November 10, 2008. Born March 4, 1932. South African singer called "Mama Afrika," best-known for "Pata Pata", part of Paul Simon's Graceland, she died after having a heart attack during a concert. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

William Gibson (playwright) -- Dead. Died November 25, 2008. Born September 13, 1914. Best-known for The Miracle Worker and Golda's Balcony. IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
December

Paul Benedict (actor) -- Dead. Died December 1, 2008. Born September 17, 1938. Played Harry on The Jeffersons, many bit parts in movies including The Goodbye Girl and The Freshman. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Odetta (folksinger/activist) -- Dead. Heart disease/kidney failure. Died December 2, 2008. Born December 31, 1930. Blues/folksinger ("Take This Hammer") whose work influenced Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, performed with Martin Luther King. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Edward Samuel Rogers (businessman) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died December 2, 2008. Born May 27, 1933. Radio and cable TV magnate (Rogers Communications), richest man in Canada. Obituary

Forrest J Ackerman (magazine editor, invented the term "sci-fi") -- Dead. [rumors] Heart failure. Died December 4, 2008. Born November 24, 1916. Accumulated a massive SF/movie collection, but later had to move to smaller quarters and sold most of it off, edited Forrest J Ackerman's World of Science Fiction. AwardWeb Home Page IMDb Obituary

Nina Foch (actress, teacher) -- Dead. Myelodysplasia. Died December 5, 2008. Born April 20, 1924. Oscar-nominated for Executive Suite, long career in movies and TV, taught acting for over 40 years. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Beverly Garland (actress) -- Dead. Died December 5, 2008. Born October 17, 1926. It Conquered the World, Barbara on My Three Sons. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Robert Prosky (actor) -- Dead. Complications of heart surgery. Died December 8, 2008. Born December 13, 1930. Longtime actor in Washington, DC, Jablonski on Hill Street Blues, Broadcast News. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary

Bettie Page (pin-up model) -- Dead. Heart attack following pneumonia. Died December 11, 2008. Born April 22, 1923. Popular '50s pin-up model, an early Playboy centerfold, had a cult following that spawned multiple biographies of her during the '80s. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Van Johnson (actor) -- Dead. Died December 12, 2008. Born August 25, 1916. in nearly 100 movies including The Caine Mutiny and Brigadoon. Home Page IMDb Obituary

Julius Fast (writer) -- Dead. Died December 15, 2008. Born November 11, 1914. Won the first Edgar award for a mystery short story, mostly wrote popular nonfiction like Body Language and Sexual Chemistry. Obituary

Sam Bottoms (actor) -- Dead. Glioblastoma multiforme. Died December 16, 2008. Born October 17, 1955. The surfer soldier in Apocalypse Now, one of the Bottoms brothers. Make memorial contributions to: Angels Among Us - Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Mark Felt (Deep Throat/FBI manager) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died December 18, 2008. Born August 17, 1913. FBI number 2 person during the Nixon years, he secretly passed information to Bob Woodward after the initial Watergate break-in (thus earning a nickname more famous than the movie it was based on) and almost never talked about it for 30 years. Home Page Obituary

Majel Barrett Roddenberry (actress/voice) -- Dead. Leukemia. Died December 18, 2008. Born February 23, 1936. The only actor to be involved in every incarnation of Star Trek, from the original pilot in 1965 to the 2009 "early days" movie. Home Page IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Robert Mulligan (director) -- Dead. Heart disease. Died December 20, 2008. Born August 23, 1925. Directed To Kill a Mockingbird and Up the Down Staircase, older brother of Richard Mulligan. IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Harold Pinter (poet/retired playwright/director) -- Dead. Cancer. Died December 24, 2008. Born October 10, 1930. The Homecoming, The Caretaker, married to Lady Antonia Fraser from 1980 until his death. Home Page IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave

Edd Cartier (artist) -- Dead. Died December 25, 2008. Born 1914. Starting selling art to science fiction magazines in 1936. Home Page Obituary

Leo Frankowski (writer) -- Dead. Died December 25, 2008. Born February 13, 1943. Military SF writer, known mostly for books about "Conrad Stargard." Home Page FindAGrave

Eartha Kitt (singer) -- Colon cancer Died December 25, 2008. Born January 17, 1927. Mrrrrrrow! - the second Catwoman on Batman, popularized Santa Baby.

Ann Savage (actress) -- Dead. Died December 25, 2008. Born February 19, 1921. Detour, My Winnipeg.

Donale Westlake (writer) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died December 31, 2008. Born July 12, 1934. Prolific mystery writer who wrote under many names (including Richard Stark) and was nominated for an Oscar for the script for The Grifters.