Canadian actor Richard Donat  (nephew of film star Robert Donat and brother of actor Peter Donat) died on March 28. He was 84. Donat costarred in the Canadian TV series Emily of New Moon, Blackfly , and Haven , as well as acting in numerous other shows and movies (among them Little House on the Prairie, The Littlest Hobo, The Weight of Water, My American Cousin, Amelia, Moby Dick, Hemlock Grove , and Sullivan’s Crossing ). He also acted onstage throughout Canada, and made it

Valerie Lee , who appeared in The Wizard of Oz , died on April 12. She was 94. Oz  was Lee’s first film and her only feature (she was one of the tinier Munchkins). She was already an accomplished dancer when cast in that, and she went on to act and dance in such late Our Gang shorts as Time Out for Lessons, Ye Olde Minstrels, Doin’ Their Bit, Benjamin Franklin, Jr., Election Daze,  and Dancing Romeo . Lee left the show business for marriage and family by the late ’40s.

Sid Krofft , who with his brother Marty (who died in 2023) created some of the most popular, and cheesiest, kid’s shows on TV, died on April 10, He was 96. Krofft started his career working with puppets and marionettes, in nightclubs (opening for Judy Garland) and what was left of vaudeville. He and Marty teamed up for the adult-themed Les Poupées de Pari s show; they eventually moved to TV and created the hugely popular H.R. Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmund and the

British actor John Nolan , 87, died on April 11. Nolan acted extensively onstage, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company (he was Romeo to Francesca Annis’s Juliet) and the Old Vic (where he appeared in in Tennessee Williams' Small Craft Warnings ). On TV, he costarred in Daniel Deronda, Person of Interest , and Doomwatch ; his other vehicles included The Prisoner, The Nelson Affair, The Sweeney, Dickens of London, Crown Court, Batman Begins  and The Dark Knight Rises, D

British actress Angela Pleasence , 84, has died, her family announced on April 10. The daughter of performers Donald Pleasence and Miriam Raymond, she acted onstage through the 1970s, and was appearing in films and on TV by 1965. She appeared in such vehicles as Coronation Street, The Six Wives of Henry VIII (as Catherine Howard), Hitler: The Last Ten Days, A Legacy, Les Miserables, The Barchester Chronicles, Silas Marner, Stealing Heaven, Gangs of New York, The Bill, Dr. Wh

Swiss-born German character actor Mario Adorf , 95, died on April 8 in Paris. Adorf often played villains or authority figures: "In and of itself, the villain is the interesting role in a book,” he said. “I don't love the villains as people, as characters, but I know their significance, so I'm happy to lend them my body, my face.” He appeared in such films as The Tin Drum , Ten Little Indians ,  Smilla's Sense of Snow , Major Dundee , The Devil Strikes at Night , Smiley's Peo

Irish actor and playwright Michael Patrick , 35, died of motor neuron disease (which also killed his father) on April 7. Patrick acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Abbey Theatre, The Lyric Theatre, and Northern Ireland Opera; with writing partner Oisín Kearney, he penned the autobiographical plays My Left Nut  and My Right Foot . He also acted in 20-some movies and TV shows, including Game of Thrones, The Keeper, Bravery Under Fire, Krypton, The Spectacular, Blasts

Actor Carl W. Crudup , 79, died on Jan. 10. Crudup appeared on Broadway in The First Breeze of Summer  (1975), and in Los Angeles MET's The Tempest , as Prospero. The Mississippi native served in the Army, and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was seen in such films as J.D.’s Revenge, The Monkey Hu$tle , and Love in a Day , as well as numerous indie shorts. On TV, Crudup had roles in Harry O, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, Vega$, TJ Hooker,

Actress Dee Freeman, 66, died of cancer on April 2. A former Marine Corps sergeant, DJ, and flight attendant, Freeman appeared onstage at the the (former) Kennedy Center, the Court Theater, and the Colsac Theater. On TV, she had continuing roles in The Hughleys, Pretty the Series , and Do Us Part , and had one-off appearances in The Young and the Restless , NCIS L.A., Dexter, E.R., Crossing Jordan, Boston Public, Six Feet Under, Suddenly Susan, Kenan & Kel, 3 rd  Rock from th

Actress and writer Jessie Jones , 75, died on March 20 (most of her obits trumpet her as “ Murphy Brown  Star,” but she appeared in one episode —must have given Candice Bergen quite a turn!). Jones also showed up in such TV series as Newhart, Night Court, Designing Women, Perfect Strangers, Who’s the Boss?, Caroline in the City , and Melrose Place ; she also wrote the play Dearly Departed , and episodes of the series For Your Love and Teacher’s Pet . Her family wrote that “J

Actor and stand-up comic Alex Duong , 42, died of cancer on March 28. Born in Dallas, he wrote and performed onstage and in several specials, as well as acting in Committed, The Cost of Living, Everybody Hates Chris, MadTV, Dexter, 90210, Pretty Little Liars, The Intervention , and Blue Bloods . When told how “strong” he was, Duong objected, “I don’t want to be strong! I just want to go tell my damn jokes, make people laugh and hang out with my family.” Lacking health insuran

Stage and screen actress Mary Beth Hurt , 79, died on March 28 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Hurt was similar in style to William Hurt, to whom she was married (from 1971-82); both sublimated movie-star glamour to give quiet, intelligent performances. Mary Beth was a regular on Broadway from the 1970s through 2011; in such shows as The Rules of the Game, The Member of the Wedding , the old warhorse Trelawney of the ‘Wells,’ The Cherry Orchard, Crimes of the Heart, A D

Character actor James Tolkan , 94, died on March 26. Tolkan was best known for playing vice-principal Strickland in the first two Back to the Future films (as well as Marshal Strickland in the third). He served in the Navy during the Korean War, making his TV debut on Naked City  in 1960. He went on to play small or supporting roles in such films as WarGames, Top Gun, Prince of the City, Armed and Dangerous, Masters of the Universe, Love and Death  (as Napoleon), Dick Tracy

Celebrity forensic scientist Dr. Henry Chang-Yu Lee , 87, died on March 27. If you’re fan of trashy true-crime TV like I am, you’ve seen him a million times: Unsolved Mysteries, 48 Hours, Forensic Files , etc. (he also hosted his own show, Trace Evidence: The Case Files of Dr. Henry Lee , in 2004). Lee worked on such famous cases as Jon-Benet Ramsey, O.J. Simpson, Caylee Anthony, and at least two Murderin’ Peterson Husbands. Born in China, he earned various degrees from John

Porn actor Seth Peterson , 28, was found dead in his L.A. home on March 21. No cause of death has yet been determined. Peterson started his career in 2020, mostly in gay porn. His curriculum vitae includes such titles as Sorry I Fucked Your Dad, Horny Housekeeper, Twink Spitroast, Spain in the Ass, All Rise, Cuffed and Stuffed , and the refreshingly wholesome-sounding College Cuties . Peterson described himself to interviewer Matt Sunderland as “amenable,” adding that he play

Singer, songwriter and musician Darrell George "Dash" Crofts , of Seals and Croft, died on March 25. He was 85. Seals and Crofts first played in The Champs (1958-65; Glen Campbell was a member), then renamed themselves Seals and Crofts, from 1969. They had giant hits with "Summer Breeze," "We May Never Pass This Way (Again),” and "Diamond Girl,” as well as the anti-choice song “Unborn Child” (1974), which lost them a good many fans. Seals and Crofts played together, off and o

Character actress Marcia Ann Burrs , 85, died on March 22. Burrs played Mrs. Claus in the Hallmark TV-movies Meet the Santas  and Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus , and she did one-offs on such TV series as Moonlighting, Suddenly Susan, Will & Grace, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Judging Amy, Monk, That ‘70s Show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Scrubs, Bones, Mad Men , and Angie Tribeca , among others. Born in the Philippines, she moved to New York and worked in t

Chip Taylor , who wrote such wildly diverse hits as "Angel of the Morning" and "Wild Thing," died on March 23. He was 86. Born James Wesley Voight, Taylor was the brother of actor Jon Voight, and uncle of Angelina Jolie. He performed with his sometime songwriting partner Al Gorgoni in the group Just Us. Besides the above-named successes, Taylor wrote such pop songs as "I Can't Let Go," "Worry," "Any Way That You Want Me," and "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)." He continued to

Pin-up and actress Reagan Wilson , 79, died on March 20. The Montana native moved to L.A. as a teenager, and was soon working as a model; she was Playboy ’s Playmate of the Month in October 1967, and in 1969 her photo was taken aboard Apollo 12 (which raises questions about what one can and cannot do in zero gravity). In 1968, she appeared at an anti-feminist “Men's Day” event at the University of Washington in Seattle, where counter-protesters chanted, “Reagan Wilson, you ar

Leonid Radvinsky , who ran the ultra-skeevy website OnlyFans, died of cancer on March 20. He was 43. Forbes estimated that Radvinsky made $4.7 billion getting people to take their clothing off, which is more than the Minsky brothers could claim. Born in Odessa, he grew up in Chicago and started his career investing in tech companies (I would like to do that, too, but was disappointed to find that you had to have actual money  to do that). In 2018, he bought a 75% stake in Onl