Mickey Rooney’s death this week passed by surprisingly unheralded. For a man once considered one of the biggest movie stars in the world, this is not a judgment on the quality of his work. Instead, it reflects how shockingly long ago Mickey Rooney was in his heyday and for how long after he continued his […]

We’ve had to eulogize legendary directors and filmmakers all-too-frequently this year, but this time, we want to turn attention to a famous and well-loved actor who you might not even recognize by name. James Rebhorn, who died last week at age 65, is the ultimate “that guy,” an recognizable actor who appeared in seemingly everything […]

Harold Ramis unexpectedly and heartbreakingly died this morning at age 69. Though best known as the awkward and orderly Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters, Harold Ramis is one of the unheralded contributors to some of the most successful and acclaimed comedies of the 1980s. As a writer and director, Harold Ramis played a critical role […]

Today, we lost Run Run Shaw, one of the most prolific film producers of all time and perhaps one the most influential figures in Asian cinema. Shaw’s studio, Shaw Brothers Studio, produced nearly 1,000 films in his lifetime, particularly popular low-budget genre flicks. Among other achievements, Shaw is credited with inventing the kung fu film […]

Image credit: IWDRM One of the all-time saddest Oscar narratives is the continued empty-handedness of legendary stage and screen actor Peter O’Toole. O’Toole died yesterday at age 81, and although he never won one of the eight competitive Academy Awards for which he was nominated, he will surely go down as one of the acting […]

Tom Clancy, famed espionage author, died unexpectedly this morning. Clancy’s brand of Cold War-inspired military dramas redefined the thriller genre; his influence is felt everywhere from bookstores to the popular video game franchises that bear his name. Clancy is perhaps best known for the film adaptations of his Jack Ryan series, including The Hunt for […]

Last week, acclaimed novelist and screenplay writer Elmore Leonard died at age 87. Though perhaps not a household name, Leonard’s significant contributions to the film world should not be ignored. Leonard’s stories formed the backbone for a number of big movies and television shows, most notably the crime-comedy series Get Shorty and Be Cool. You […]

Longtime actress Eileen Brennan died yesterday at age 80. Though perhaps best known to modern audiences as Mrs. Peacock from the 1985 movie Clue, Brennan had a rich career on stage and screen. She got her biggest early break in Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show, followed closely by a supporting role in the Best […]

No doubt you’ve read the news about the tragic, young death of James Gandolfini, the actor best for his powerhouse role as Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano. No one doubts that role is one for the ages. But even without The Sopranos, Gandolfini had a large and diverse career, including documentaries about war veterans and […]