Boxcar Willie (1931 - 1999)

Boxcar Willie Boxcar Willie was perhaps the most successful invented character in the history of country music. With his kitschy persona and stage act — highlighted by his amazingly accurate impersonation of a train whistle — Willie played into the stereotype of the lovable, good-natured hobo who spent his life riding the rails and singing […]

Boyd Packer (1924 - 2015)

Boyd Packer was born on September 10, 1924, in Brigham City, Utah, the tenth of eleven children born to Ira Wight Packer and Emma Jensen. As a young boy, he contracted polio. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in the spring of 1943. He graduated as a […]

Brace Bell Beemer (1902 - 1965)

Radio Actor. He was the 3rd actor to play the voice of ‘The Lone Ranger’ on radio. He played the voice from 1941 to 1954.  Family links:  Spouse:  Leta Wales Beemer (1900 – 1993)* *Calculated relationship

Brad Davis (1949 - 1991)

He was born Robert Creel Davis in Tallahassee, Florida to Eugene Davis (a dentist whose career declined due to alcoholism) and his wife, Anne (née Creel) Davis. His brother Gene is also an actor. According to an article in The New York Times published in 1987, Davis suffered physical abuse and sexual abuse at the […]

Brad Delp (1951 - 2007)

Brad Delp was born in Peabody, Massachusetts on June 12, 1951 to French-Canadian immigrants, and raised in Danvers, Massachusetts. In 1969, guitarist Barry Goudreau introduced Delp to Tom Scholz, who was looking for a singer to complete some demo recordings. Eventually Scholz formed the short-lived band Mother’s Milk (1973–74), including Delp and Goudreau. After producing a […]

Brad Dexter (1917 - 2002)

Dexter was born Veljko Šošo (Serbian Cyrillic: Вељко Шошо), in Goldfield, Nevada, of Serbian descent. He spoke Serbian as his first language. Burly, dark and handsome, Brad Dexter was usually given supporting roles of a rugged character. Early in his acting career, he went by the name of Barry Mitchell. After a stint as an amateur […]

Brad Grey (1957 - 2017)

Brad Grey was formerly chairman and chief executive officer of Paramount Pictures Corporation. Grey was named CEO in 2005. In his position, Grey was responsible for overseeing all feature film development and production for films distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Paramount Insurge, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. He […]

Brad Jay Anderson (1924 - 2015)

Cartoonist. He is best remembered for his popular comic strip “Marmaduke” that featured a zany lovable Great Dane dog owned by the Winslow family. Born Bradley Jay Anderson, he began drawing at an early age and sold his first cartoon to Flying Aces magazine when he was 15 years old. Following his graduation from high […]

Brad Renfro (1982 - 2008)

Renfro was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was the son of Angela Denise Olsen (née McCrory) and Mark Renfro, who was a factory worker. He was raised from the age of five by his paternal grandmother, Joanne (Barron) Renfro, a church secretary.  When he was ten, Renfro was discovered by Mali Finn, a casting director […]

Brad Sullivan (1931 - 2008)

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Bradford E. Sullivan served in the Korean War and then attended the University of Maine. After touring with a stage company, he moved to New York City and studied at the American Theatre Wing. He made his Off-Broadway debut in Red Roses for Me in 1961, and went on to appear […]

Bram Stoker (1847 - 1912)

Bram Stoker was born on 8 November 1847 at 15 Marino Crescent, Clontarf, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Abraham Stoker (1799–1876), from Dublin, and Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley (1818–1901), who was raised in County Sligo. Stoker was the third of seven children, the eldest of whom was Sir Thornley Stoker, 1st […]

Brandon Burlsworth (1976 - 1999)

Brandon Burlsworth Former Arkansas football player and Indianapolis Colts draft pick Brandon Burlsworth died Wednesday in a car crash while travelling to his home, state police said. State police Cpl. Philip Straub said the call came in at 4:17 p.m. that there was a crash involving a car and a tractor-trailer on U.S. 412 near […]

Brandon deWilde (1942 - 1972)

Actor. Born to Frederick, a Broadway stage manager, and Eugenia, a stage actrees in Brooklyn, New York; he made his Broadway debut in 1950’s ‘The Member of the Wedding.’ He stayed with the show for over a year, winning the prestigious Donaldson Award for his performance; the first child actor to do so. He went […]

Brandon Lee (1965 - 1993)

Brandon Lee Actor Brandon Lee, the 28-year-old son of the late kung fu star Bruce Lee, was killed Wednesday after a small explosive charge used to simulate gunfire went off inside a grocery bag during filming on a movie set in Wilmington, N.C. Brandon Lee, who many believed was on the threshold of stardom similar to […]

Branwell Bronte (1817 - 1848)

British Painter, Writer, and Poet. He was the brother of the three Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte, who all became renowned authors. Born Patrick Branwell Bronte in Thornton, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, he was the fourth of six children of Patrick and Marie Bronte. His father was the Thornton chapel curate and […]

Brassai (1899 - 1984)

Hungarian Photojournalist, Portraitist. As a young man, he studied painting and sculpture in the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. Later he became a journalist, moving to Paris in 1918. There he fell in love with the city and with the camera. Brassai is renowned for his photographic chronicles of the night. As a poor […]

Brenda Benet (1945 - 1982)

Actress. She is best remembered for her role as the scheming villainess ‘Lee Dumonde’ on the daytime serial “Days of our Lives,” which she played from 1979 until her death in 1982. A classic example of a modern-day Hollywood tragedy, her acting career spanned just over 16 years with a wide range of guest appearances […]

Brenda Bruce (1918 - 1996)

She was with the Birmingham Repertory Company (1936–39) and a long-time actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). She was the RSC’s resident Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, playing the role in 1964, 1968, 1975 and 1995. She also appeared as Irma in the RSC’s production of Jean Genet’s The Balcony in […]

Brenda Carol Ball (1951 - 1974)

Murder Victim. Daughter of Rosemary Arnaud. A free, fun loving spirit, Brenda decided on the night of May 31, and into the early morning hours of June 1, 1974, she had gone to the Flame Tavern alone. The Tavern is located in Burien, Washington. She told friends that day that she would try getting a […]

Brenda Frazier (1921 - 1982)

Frazier’s father, Frank Duff Frazier, came from a prosperous Boston family. Her mother, the former Brenda Germaine Henshaw Williams-Taylor, was the only daughter of Sir Frederick Williams-Taylor (a general manager of the Bank of Montreal who was knighted in 1910 and combined his middle name and birth surname into a new hyphenated surname) and his […]

Brenda Hosbrook Carlin (1939 - 1997)

Actress and wife of comedian George Carlin. Between 1977 and 1997 she helped work on many of his television, video and other specials. They include “George Carlin: You Are Diseased” (1999), “George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy” (1997), “George Carlin: What Am I Doing In New Jersey” (1988), George Carlin: The Envelope” (1986) and George […]

Brenda Hosbrook Carlin (1939 - 1997)

Actress and wife of comedian George Carlin. Between 1977 and 1997 she helped work on many of his television, video and other specials. They include “George Carlin: You Are Diseased” (1999), “George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy” (1997), “George Carlin: What Am I Doing In New Jersey” (1988), George Carlin: The Envelope” (1986) and George […]

Brenda Joyce (1917 - 2009)

Actress. She appeared in more than twenty feature films from 1939 until 1949 and is best remembered for her role as ‘Jane’ in the “Tarzan” film series appearing opposite Johnny Weissmuller and Lex Barker. Born Betty Graffina Leabo, she attended UCLA and was a model prior to her signing a contract with Twentieth Century Fox. […]

Brenda Marshall (1915 - 1992)

Born in Negros, Philippines, Marshall made her first film appearance in the 1939 Espionage Agent. The following year, she played the leading lady to Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk. After divorcing actor Richard Gaines in 1940, she married the actor William Holden in 1941 and her own career quickly slowed. She starred opposite James […]

Brendan Behan (1923 - 1964)

Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) (/ˈbiːən/ bee-ən; Irish: Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both English and Irish. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army. Born in Dublin into […]

Brendan Bracken (1901 - 1958)

Irish journalist and politicain. Born in Kilmallock in Ireland in 1901. Later moving to London, he became friends with Winston Churchill, edited the Financial News, The Banker and The Practitioner before being promoted to managing director of the Economist in 1928. He replaced Duff Cooper as Minister of Information on in 1941. He held the […]

Brent Chalem (1975 - 1997)

Actor. A native of Westlake Village, California, Chalem is best remembered for his role as ‘Horace’ the fat kid in the 1987 film, “The Monster Squad.” Chalem also played in the films, “Moving Violations” (1985), and “Dance ‘Til Dawn” (1988), and the television shows, “Quantum Leap”, “Mr. Belvedere”, and “Punky Brewster” as ‘Farley ‘Spud’ Blugner.’ […]

Brett Goldin (1977 - 2006)

Actor. He was born and died in South Africa. He was a respected actor on stage and screen. On stage, he is remembered for his work in the play “Pick Ups” and he was appearing as Guildenstern in Janet Suzman’s production of Hamlet. His film credits include the horror film “Slash,” “Proteus” and “The Crazy […]

Brett Somers (1924 - 2007)

Actress. Born Audrey Johnson, she is best known as a panelist on the 1970s CBS television show “Match Game”. She began her career on Broadway, appearing in “Seven Year Itch” and “The Country Girl” with co-star Jack Klugman,  who she married in 1953. In the 1950s she made her initial television appearances in theatrical programs […]

Brian “Crush” Adams (1964 - 2007)

Professional Wrestler. Born in Kona, Hawaii, he was raised and educated in Kealakekua. After graduating from Konawaena High School, he joined the United States Army, and while he was stationed in Japan he became interested in wrestling. Upon his discharge he was trained by the Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, and made his wrestling debut […]