Audiences might remember him best as Tuco (The Ugly) from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but Eli Wallach was an actor of enormous range. Working on film and television well into his 90s, Wallach was the ultimate supporting actor, a man whose prolific appearances who brought life to every film in which he […]

Swedish surrealistic H. R. Giger died today at 74. Though he worked primarily in painting and sculpting, Giger is best remembered as the designer of the terrifying and highly Freudian architecture and creatures from Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise. Giger designed much of the iconic, dark, and twisted art of that world – from infested hallways […]

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 […]