Jean-Paul Belmondo (April 9, 1933 - September 6, 2021)
Belmondo broke through in the world of cinema with 1960's Breathless, which helped establish him as one of the main figures of France's La Nouvelle Vague, or New Wave, an experimental and ultimately revolutionary narrative style in the history of cinema, widely influential also in American cinema.
He really was one of the last few greats left.
R.I.P.
Michael K. Williams (November 22, 1966 - September 6, 2021)
A great actor whom I appreciated in TV shows like The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, he had many roles in film as well, including 12 Years a Slave and Motherless Brooklyn.
Apparently victim of a drug overdose. Certainly gone too soon.
R.I.P.
Ed Asner (November 15, 1929 - August 29, 2021)
An incredibly prolific actor (over 400 credits on IMDb!!) capable to shine on both big and small screens and in any type of genre, I will always remember him as the lovable grumpy old man in Pixar's Up.
R.I.P.
Ned Beatty (July 6, 1937 - June 13, 2021)
An incredibly prolific actor with over 160 credits to his name, Beatty was once hailed by Daily Variety as the "busiest actor in Hollywood."
Nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1977 for Network, he appeared in the most disparate fare, like Toy Story 3, A Cry in the Wild, The Big Easy, Superman, 1941, All the President's Men, and his very first performance, in Deliverance.
R.I.P.
Milva (July 17, 1939 - April 23, 2021)
Milva (real name Maria Ilva Biolcati) was one of Italy's most famous and beloved singers, but her fame wasn't limited to that country, instead it spread all over (from Wikipedia):
Popular in Italy and abroad, she performed on musical and theatrical stages the world over, and received popular acclaim in her native Italy, and particularly in Germany, where she often participated in musical events and televised musical programmes. She released numerous albums in France, Japan, Korea, Greece, Spain, and South America.
She collaborated with European composers and musicians including Ennio Morricone in 1965, Francis Lai in 1973, Mikis Theodorakis in 1978 (Was ich denke became a best selling album in Germany), Enzo Jannacci in 1980, Vangelis in 1981 and 1986, and Franco Battiato in 1982 and 1986.
Her stage productions of Bertolt Brecht's recitals and Luciano Berio's operas toured the world's theatres. She performed at La Scala in Milan, at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, at the Paris Opera, in the Royal Albert Hall in London and at the Edinburgh Festival, amongst others.
Having had success both in Italy and internationally, she remained one of the most popular Italian personalities in the fields of music and theatre. Her artistic stature was officially recognised by the Italian, German and French Republics, each of which bestowed her with the highest honours.
I had only recently gotten to know her music, since I wasn't into Italian music growing up, and came to like her voice, her verve, and her style.
Quite literally, a monumental loss.
Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 - May 1, 2021)
A prolific actress on the big and small screens, as well as the stage, Dukakis had 121 credits under her belt, accrued in a long career that reached its pinnacle when she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as Cher's mother in Moonstruck.
She appeared in countless other famous films, like Steel Magnolias, Working Girl, and Mighty Aphrodite.
R.I.P.
George Segal (Born: February 13, 1934 - March 23, 2021)
A prolific actor in both leading and supporting roles, in movies as well as TV shows, he earned an Academy Awards nomination for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1967. He also garnered five Golden Globes nominations, winning in 1974 for A Touch of Class.
His name maybe isn't known to many, but you've definitely seen his face countless times.
R.I.P.
Christopher Plummer (December 13, 1929 - February 5, 2021)
One of my favorite actors of all time is no longer with us.
Winner of an Academy Award (out of three nominations), a Golden Globe, two Emmys, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild, and two Tonys, he had over 200 titles to his credit.
He became, at 82, the oldest winner of a competitive acting Oscar, for Beginners, surpassing the record set by Jessica Tandy, and at 88 he became the oldest acting Oscar nominee ever, for All the Money in the World.
I last saw him in Knives Out and The Last Full Measure, both out in 2019 and his final performances.
A huge loss. R.I.P.
Hal Holbrook (February 17, 1925 - January 23, 2021)
Nominated for a Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for Into the Wild and winner of four Emmy Awards, Holbrook was a beloved performer in both leading and supporting roles, with well over a hundred titles to his credit.
A heartfelt goodbye.
Cicely Tyson (December 18, 1924 - January 28, 2021)
Academy Award nominee and Emmy and Tony awards winner Cicely Tyson was a celebrated artist who strived to improve the condition of Black artists and people everywhere.
From the New York Times:
Ms. Tyson broke ground for Black actors by refusing to take parts that demeaned Black people. She was critical of films and television programs that cast Black characters as criminal, servile or immoral, and insisted that African-Americans should be portrayed with dignity.
R.I.P.
Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 - January 27, 2021)
This very funny and talented actress has left the stage for the last time.
Winner of an Academy Award for her only nomination, for The Last Picture Show, she also won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and seven Emmy Awards!!
With almost 300 credits to her name, she was incredibly prolific and reached the pinnacle of her success starring alongside Mary Tyler Moore on the latter's eponymous show.
She was a sunny presence whose shining exuberance will be missed.
Sean Connery (August 25, 1930 - October 31, 2020)
The original silver screen James Bond is no more.
Aside from setting the bar for what the famed British spy is supposed to look like and act, Connery had a varied career spanning over ninety projects, different genres, and one Oscar winning turn in The Untouchables.
His charisma and striking good looks allowed him to always make himself the center of attention whenever he was on the screen.
He was one of the last great household names in Hollywood.
R.I.P.
Dame Diana Rigg (July 20, 1938 - September 10, 2020)
A British actress I didn't know until she played Lady Olenna of House Tyrell in Game of Thrones, she was very prolific, appearing in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and the TV series The Avengers.
Chadwick Boseman (November 29, 1976 - August 28, 2020)
He only had 35 acting credits to his name between television and movies, and yet news of Boseman's death ricocheted around the world because of the indelible mark he had left with his portrayal of King T'Challa, aka Black Panther, in four Marvel Studios movies.
He was diagnosed with colon cancer a few years ago, but continued working in between treatments.
His talent will be sorely missed.
R.I.P.
Larry Kramer is dead at 84. His raucous, antagonistic campaign for a response to the AIDS crisis helped shift U.S. policy in the 1980s and ’90s.
Mr. Kramer co-founded the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the first service organization for H.I.V.-positive people, in 1981. His fellow directors effectively kicked him out a year later for his aggressive approach, and he returned the compliment by calling them “a sad organization of sissies.”
He was then a founder of a more militant group, Act Up (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power).R.I.P.
