It’s been a rough week for artists’ mortality. In the course of five days we’ve lost four cultural treasures: Three from the golden eras of film, and one who changed the nature of country music.
Joan Fontaine (Oct. 22 1917 – Dec. 15 2013) Oscar-winning Best Actress, who in fact was the only winner of the Best Actor or Best Actress award for any of Hitchcock’s films. She was glamor personified, and an extraordinary practitioner of her craft. She died peacefully in her sleep at home in Carmel, California on Sunday.
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Tom Laughlin (Aug. 10 1931 – Dec. 12, 2013) Never has an actor been so thoroughly identified with a single role, without suffering the career debilitation of typecasting. Tom Laughlin was Billy Jack; he created that character, not just as an actor but also as screenwriter and director. In four films, from 1967 to 1977, Billy Jack delivered a message of self-determination that is just as relevant today as it was 40 years ago. Tom Laughlin died Thursday in Thousand Oaks, California, of complications from pneumonia.
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Peter O’Toole (Aug. 2 1932 – Dec. 14 2013) Probably a child of Ireland, although O’Toole himself wasn’t sure where he was born (likely bets: County Galway, Ireland, or Leeds, Yorkshire). Not exactly physically imposing, he nonetheless personified Hollywood’s leading man. From his career-making role as Lawrence of Arabia, to his two incredible turns as Henry II (The Lion in Winter, and Becket), he inhabited every character he played. He continued doing so well into his twilight years. He died Saturday in London, after a long illness.
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Ray Price (Jan. 12 1926 – Dec. 16 2013) Not one of the best known country music artists, but certainly one of the most influential. As understudy and confidante to Hank Williams, he helped create the honky-tonk genre of the fifties. A couple of decades later, he brought orchestral arrangement to C&W, birthing the Nashville Sound. Along the way he worked with, and was honored by, artists ranging from Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. He died Monday at home in Mount Pleasant, Texas of pancreatic cancer.
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