RIP

[Jesse]

Ricky Harris, comedian and actor died Dec.26, 2016. He was 54.

[Kobi]

Clare Hollingworth, who was the first to break the news that World War II had started, died Tuesday at the age of 105.

Known as the “doyenne of war correspondents,” Hollingworth’s career took her to Palestine, Iraq and Iran, where she was the first to interview 21-year-old shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, who was overthrown by revolutionaries in February 1979.

As correspondent for the Economist and the Observer, Hollingworth was in Jerusalem in July 1946 when the King David hotel where she was staying was bombed by Zionist paramilitaries led by future Israeli prime minister Menachim Begin, the only man who’s hand she refused to shake. “I would not shake a hand with so much blood on it,” she told the Guardian in 2004.
From the Middle East, Hollingworth switched to covering the conflict in Vietnam, where she scored a scoop in 1968 that peace talks would shortly begin between Hanoi and Washington.

Another scoop she was ahead of was the defection of British spy Kim Philby, who Hollingworth knew personally. She reported in the Guardian that Philby had fled to Russia, but the story was largely buried by her editors, fearing a libel suit. Philby was later awarded the Order of Lenin and made a KGB general. He died in Moscow in 1988.

In 1972, Hollingworth, then 61, became the Telegraph’s first Beijing correspondent since 1949.

She reported from China during the Cultural Revolution — a decade of violence and civil war that caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands — rapprochement with the West, and the death of Mao Zedong.

After a stint back in the UK as defense correspondent, she traveled to Hong Kong to cover the colony’s handover to Chinese control in 1997.

She would become an institution there, a frequent sight in the city’s Foreign Correspondent’s Club.

In a statement Tuesday, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club praised Hollingworth’s “remarkable career as a foreign correspondent.”
“We are very sad to hear about Clare’s passing,” said Hong Kong club President Tara Joseph. “She was a tremendous inspiration to us all and a treasured member of our club. We were so pleased that we could celebrate her 105th birthday with her this past year.”
Hollingworth died Tuesday in her flat on Glenealy in Hong Kong’s Central district.
Her passing was announced in a statement by her family published on the Celebrate Clare Hollingworth Facebook group.

“Although Clare made her name by getting the scoop on WWII … that event arguably overshadowed some equally impressive achievements,” they said.
“During the war Clare was all over the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa. She was in Palestine for the final run-up to the foundation of Israel. She covered the civil war in Algeria, and was in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam during their conflicts.”

“Clare pushed the boundaries for women in journalism, and though she has gone, her legacy will certainly live on.”

[Kobi]

The good-looking actor may be best remembered by audiences as Hymie the Robot from 1960s TV spy spoof “Get Smart.” Although he only appeared in six episodes over the course of four seasons, the literal-minded automaton was a hit with fans and served as best man at Max’s wedding to Agent 99.

Gautier had a lengthy career with other notable comedic roles, including the Elvis Presley-inspired Conrad Birdie in the original Broadway production of “Bye, Bye Birdie.” He was nominated for a Tony award in 1960.

He later went on to star as Robin Hood in “Get Smart” co-creator Mel Brooks’ 1975 TV series, “When Things Were Rotten.” Although the series was critically acclaimed it was not popular, and was canceled after 13 episodes.

In addition to guest appearances on sitcoms, he was a frequent game show panelist. Beginning in the 1980s he became involved with voice-over work, playing the part of Rodimus Prime in “Transformers” and Serpentor in “G.I. Joe” animated series.

Before and throughout his acting career he was also a successful cartoonist, known for celebrity caricatures, and author of several instructional drawing books.

[Kobi]

Miguel Ferrer, the actor best known for starring as Owen Granger on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” died Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, of cancer. He was 61.

Ferrer launched his career in the early 1980s with small guest shots on such series as Magnum, P.I., CHiPS and Cagney & Lacey and features including Heartbreaker, The Man Who Wasn’t There and Star Trek: III: The Search for Spock. He would go on to focus mostly on TV throughout that decade before landing the Twin Peaks role in 1990.

The Santa Monica native toplined the short-lived Stephen J. Cannell-creator cop drama Broken Badges in 1991 and also starred in Lynch’s 1950s romp On the Air the following year. He appeared in a number of features during the 1990s but continued to star on short-run TV series including Fallen Angels and Al Franken’s LateLine.

In 2001, Ferrer landed a role in the NBC drama Crossing Jordan, starring opposite Hennessy’s Boston medical examiner. The show was among the top 20 in the year-end ratings for 2001-02 and remained on the air until 2007.

After that series wrapped, Ferrer starred opposite Michelle Ryan in Bionic Woman, which lasted nine episodes, co-starred with Ally Walker and Tisha Campbell-Martin in the LAPD drama The Protector in 2011. But his next role would be his biggest.

In 2012, Ferrer joined the cast of CBS’ popular spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles, opposite Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J, Linda Hunt and others. He came in early on as the assistant director of NCIS and at first was a hard-as-nails unpleasant sort to the team. But during the course of the ensuing seasons, his Owen Granger warmed up to them and became a friend. There has been an ongoing mole-hunt storyline in the current eighth season of NCIS: LA, and Granger was stabbed while in police custody in the most recent episode that aired Sunday.

Ferrer was the oldest of the five children of singer Rosemary Clooney and Academy Award-winning actor Jose Ferrer. He is a first cousin of actor George Clooney. He started his career as a drummer and played the drums on a cover of the Beach Boys' “Don’t Worry Baby” for Keith Moon’s solo album, “Two Sides of the Moon.”

Ferrer will be seen reprising his role as Rosenfield in the upcoming “Twin Peaks” reboot for Showtime. The series has already finished filming and will debut this summer.

[~ocean]

Mary Tyler Moore just died at the age of 80.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Butch Trucks, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band, has died. He and Gregg and Duane Allman and three other musicians formed the band in Macon, Georgia. Butch was the drummer. He was 69 years old.

[cricket26]