The dearly departed: Saying goodbye to movie greats

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Tuesday, December 29, 2015 7:16pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

One of the finest bits at the annual Academy Awards ceremony is the montage of movie folk who have died in the previous year. These days, the Oscars don’t do a great job of honoring film history (the honorary lifetime awards aren’t even given during the show itself), so it’s a chance to remember, briefly, the past.

Let’s not wait for the Oscars. Instead, here are appreciations of actors and actresses who left us this year — some famous, some not so much. Each played a role in the great, mad panorama of the movies.

Maureen O’Hara. Perhaps the most famous image of this red-haired, Irish-born actress is the moment she’s drawn into a tempestuous kiss with John Wayne (her frequent co-star) in “The Quiet Man.” For something to be remembered by, that’s pretty awesome. Blessed with fierce bone structure and a will to match, O’Hara was a strong presence, from her early appearances in “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “How Green Was My Valley” to later matronly roles. In “Miracle on 34th Street,” the holiday perennial, her gradually melting skeptic is a study in professionalism.

Leonard Nimoy. Although he proved himself a steady hand at directing, here’s an example of someone known almost entirely for a single role. And yet the cultural impact of “Star Trek” was unique enough that the outpouring of warmth at his death was completely understandable. And he really was terrific as Mr. Spock — cerebral, dignified, but always knowing where the joke was. Incidentally, he’s cleverly cast in the 1978 remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” and he also made music. You say you haven’t heard Leonard Nimoy sing “Proud Mary”? Oh, have you got a treat in store….

Omar Sharif. A star in Egyptian movies, Sharif became internationally famous in two films by David Lean: “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago.” Hard act to follow, but Sharif knocked around as a leading man for a long time. He also gambled away lots of money, raised racehorses, and had a newspaper column about how to play bridge. (Take that, James Franco.) How is it possible he never played a James Bond villain?

Louis Jourdan. He actually did play a Bond villain, gloriously, in “Octopussy.” Before that, Jourdan was an elegant aristocrat on screen: The caddish lover in “Letter from an Unknown Woman” and the wealthy playboy in “Gigi.” He must’ve had a sense of humor to go with the sophisticated French style, because he also did two “Swamp Thing” pictures.

Jean Darling and Dickie Moore. Two members of the “Our Gang” (aka “Little Rascals”) short comedies, movies that have delighted many generations of kids since the 1920s. I met Dick Moore at the 2004 Port Townsend Film Festival — a completely lovely guy — and was fascinated to hear how he had interviewed many former child stars in order to convey the difficulties young actors had after their stardom faded. (His book on the subject is called “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”)

George “Foghorn” Winslow. Speaking of child actors, Winslow had a brief, youthful career based on his low, frog-like voice and deadpan delivery. He’s hilarious in “Gentleman Prefer Blondes,” telling Marilyn Monroe she has “a lot of animal magnetism.” His stardom was brief and he disappeared into private life. Fifteen years ago I was at a press screening in Seattle when a man came up and introduced himself as George Winslow, telling tales of working with Monroe and Cary Grant. I never did figure out whether it was really him; his voice had changed.

Rod Taylor. The Australian-born star of “The Time Machine” and “The Birds” had a rugged believability. He was the kind of actor who projected cool because you had the feeling he didn’t particularly care about acting. Taylor lasted long enough to be in a Tarantino movie — he played Winston Churchill in “Inglourious Basterds.”

Setsuko Hara. This actress hadn’t made a movie since 1962, but was revered by lovers of Japanese film. She has a heartbreaking role in “Tokyo Story,” one of those titles that ends up on lists of 10 Best Films Ever Made when critics vote on such things. Her quietly heroic style of acting involved maintaining a brave face through all manner of adversity.

Christopher Lee. It’s probably impossible to get an accurate count of how many movies and TV shows this tall, stentorian actor did. He was splendidly villainous in most of them, playing Dracula (multiple times for Hammer Films), Saruman (“The Lord of the Rings”), and Count Dooku (the “Star Wars” saga). And yup, Lee played a Bond adversary: “The Man with the Golden Gun.” But also check out his turn as Mycroft Holmes, the intellectual equal (if not superior) of his brother Sherlock, in “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.”

Lizabeth Scott. Do you like film noir? Then you know Ms. Scott, a throaty blonde with a knack for trouble. See her in “Pitfall,” where instead of playing a femme fatale she gives a real human dimension to a woman trapped in a man’s world. Scott did a pretty good Elvis picture (“Loving You”), but dropped out of Hollywood decades before she died.

Roddy Piper. His fame was in the preposterous world of professional wrestling, but in one single movie, this guy was ideal. John Carpenter’s “They Live” is a look at what happens when a regular schlub suddenly (thanks to some sci-fi sunglasses) sees the world the way it really is. Piper was just right for the B-movie approach — a more talented actor wouldn’t have worked. “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass,” he declares in the film’s most famous line, “and I’m all out of bubblegum.” Nailed it.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.