William John Ashcroft (1970 - 1918)

Actor, singer, and comedian. Born in Rhode Island to parents who had emigrated there from Belfast, he achieved fame on the American stage, then married an English actress named Kitty Brooke (it is not clear whether Laura Brooke, who is buried with him, was a relative) and moved to England, where he became even more […]

Russell Harvey Ash (1910 - 1974)

Actor. Born in Springfield, Ohio, he was a veteran character performer in feature films from the 1930s to 1960s. His credits included “The Champ’s a Champ” (1936), “Weekend in Havana” (1941), “Where Do We Go From Here?” (1945), “Around the World in Eighty Days” (1956), “Marjorie Morningstar” (1958) and “Do Not Disturb” (1965). He died […]

Jan Arvan (1913 - 1979)

Actor. Born Jan Arvanitas in Wisconsin, he was most noted as a popular character performer on many television shows from the 1950s to 1970s. His credits included “Biff Baker, U.S.A”, “Fireside Theatre”, “Studio 57”, “Zorro”, “Sea Hunt”, “Mannix”, “Bonanza”, “Family” and “The Paper Chase”. For feature films, he appeared in “The Robe” (1954), “Istanbul” (1957), […]

Johnny Arthur (1883 - 1951)

Actor.  Comedic character performer of silent and early talkie films.  Born in Scottsdale,  Pennsylvania,  he began performing as a teen and had 25 years of experience in vaudeville and English music hall before making his movie debut in 1923.  He starred in the 1925 horror spoof “The Monster” (as the unlikely romantic interest),  and in […]

Antonin Artaud (1896 - 1948)

Writer, Actor. Born in Marseille, France, he was a French playwright, actor and theatre director. In 1920, he moved to Paris to pursue a career as a writer and soon started performing on the stage. He soon gained an interest in cinema and wrote the scenario for the first Surrealist film, “The Seashell and the […]

Cliff “Charlie Weaver” Arquette (1905 - 1974)

Actor, Comedian. Born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Charles Augustus and Winifred Clark Arquette. Cliff began his career as a night club pianist, later joining the Henry Halstead orchestra in 1923.  From here he evolved into a successful, working radio actor and comedian, which led by the 1950s to television. He created the character […]

Robert Clive Cooper Arnold (1931 - 2003)

Actor. He was born in Mansten, Kent, England and died in Brighton, East Sussex, England. He was married to June Brown, British actress, since 1958 until his death in 2003. He is survived by his wife and 6 children. He is best remembered for his role as PC/Det. Con. Swain on the television series “Dixon […]

Phil Arnold (1909 - 1968)

Actor. Best known for his roles in the Three Stooges shorts, and over 150 appearances on television, stage, and screen between 1939 and 1968. Born Philip Aranoff in Hackensack, New Jersey, he was the son of Solomon and Maria(Eisenstadt) Aranoff. Among his Three Stooges shorts, he was the voice of “Tom” in “The Ghost Talks”(1949), […]

Dickie Arnold (1970 - 1990)

Actor. His film and television credits include “A Small Problem,” “Clockwise,” “Santa Claus,” “The Magnificent Evans,” “I’m Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” “All Creatures Great and Small,” “Juliet Bravo,” “Bergerac,” “Coronation Street,” and “Ripping Yarns.”

Sig Arno (1895 - 1975)

Actor. He was born as Siegfried Aron in Hamburg (Germany) and died in Woodland Hills (California). He began his career on stage, but soon he moved to cinema. He worked in Germany, and at the start of the Second World War, he moved to United States, where developed the rest of his work, playing in […]

Siegfried Arno (1895 - 1975)

Actor. Also known as Sig Arno, he appeared in over 150 films in his career, starting in Germany in the 1920s. He fled Germany in 1933, and left Europe for the U. S. in 1939. He returned to Germany in 1955 to perform in the theater. Most of his films were made in the United […]

Robert Armstrong (1890 - 1973)

Actor. Born Robert William Armstrong, he was a popular character performer best remembered for his role as Carl Denham in “King Kong” (1933). With the success of “King Kong”, he reprised his role in “The Son of Kong” (1933) and “Mighty Joe Young” (1949). He appeared in 127 films between 1927 and 1964, to include […]

(1970 - 1970)

Actor. Robert Golden Armstrong was born in the deep South to parents who were practitioners of Fundamentalism, they had aspirations of their son one day becoming a pastor. He had other plans and pursued his desire of becoming an entertainer. He enrolled at the University of North Carolina where he attained a Masters degree in […]

Graham Armitage (1936 - 1999)

Actor. He was born in Manchester, England and died in South Africa. His film and television credits include “Cry, the Beloved Country,” “Kickboxer 5,” “Daisy,” “The Gods Must Be Crazy III,” “Going Bananas,” “Shaka Zulu,””Open All Hours,” “The Naked Civil Servant,””Two’s Company,” “Wodehouse Playhouse,” “Nearest and Dearest,” “Z Cars,” “The Boy Friend,””Public Eye,” “The Devils,” […]

Robert Armin (1970 - 1970)

Entertainer. A stage comedian, he was the successor of Will Kemp. Where Kemp was a ‘clown’, Armin’s style of comedy was different, as can be seen in later Shakespeare plays where the part of the ‘fool’ becomes less physical and more prone to song and amusing philosophy. He was probably the first to play ‘Touchstone’ […]

Henry Armetta (1888 - 1945)

Actor. At the age of 14, he stowed away on a boat to America, performed menial tasks to get by and eventually got a part in a chorus for a New York City stage show. In 1920, he moved to Hollywood and easily found work performing as stereotypical Italian in silent films. He went on […]

Pedro Armendariz (1912 - 1963)

Actor. Born in Churubusco, a suburb of Mexico City, and raised in Texas, he studied at California Polytechnic State University where he graduated with an engineering degree. He began his acting career at the stage in Mexico City, entering films there in 1935. During the next years he made 42 Spanish-language films, among them “Maria […]

George Arliss (1868 - 1946)

Actor. Appearing on stage and in motion pictures, he is best known for his portrayal of famous historical personalities. He began his acting career in 1887 but did not gain his popularity until around 1900-1901 when he appeared with British actress, Mrs. Patrick Campbell in London during the stage season. In 1902 he appeared on […]

Richard Arlen (1898 - 1976)

Actor.  Born Cornelius Richard Van Mattimore, in Charlottesville, Virginia, he served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War I. While working as a motorcycle messenger for a film laboratory, he was injured in an accident at Paramount Studios in the early 1920s.  When he later went to the studio to […]

John Arledge (1907 - 1947)

Actor. Born Johnson Lundy Arledge, he performed in vaudeville and on stage, making his big screen debut in “King of Jazz” (1930). A veteran of nearly fifty films, his credits included “Heart Break” (1931),”County Fair” (1937), “Gone With the Wind” (1939), “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), “Ski Patrol” (1940), “Cheers for Miss Bishop” (1941) and […]

Victor Argo (1934 - 2004)

Actor. Tough-guy actor who played heavies, hoodlums and detectives in films like “Mean Streets” (1973) with Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. The Martin Scorsese “Taxi Driver” (1976)(as the deli owner), “King of New York” (1990) as Roy Bishop with Christopher Walken, David Caruso, Laurence Fishburne, Wesley Snipes, and Steve Buscemi, and “Ghost Dog: The […]

John Archer (1915 - 1999)

American Actor. He was born Ralph Bowman in Osceola, Nebraska, the son of Eunice Melba (née Crawford) and Joseph Emmett Bowman. Archer moved to California at the age of five. He attended Hollywood High School and the University of Southern California, where he studied cinematography, expecting work behind the camera. When finding work in the […]

Atilla Arcan (1970 - 2015)

Actor. Arcan, born Atilla Gurses, was an actor and comic who was well known for his appearances on television and film and also his impersonations of Turkish politicians during the 1990s. He was born to theatrical family with his father being a director and scriptwriter and was a familiar face in television and film during […]

Allan Arbus (1918 - 2013)

Actor. He is best remembered for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman on the television series M*A*S*H. Born Allan Franklin Arbus to Jewish parents in New York City, New York, his father was a stockbroker. He developed an interest in acting when he won a part in a play at DeWitt Clinton High School […]

Andrew Arbuckle (1887 - 1939)

Actor. He was the brother of stage and film actor Maclyn Arbuckle and the cousin of comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. A native of Galveston, Texas, he began his career in vaudeville before going to Hollywood and entering films. In 1915, he married Blanche Duquesne, with whom he had no children. His first roles upon his […]

Royce D. Applegate (1939 - 2003)

Actor. A television and motion picture character actor for over 30 years, he appeared on television’s “Seaquest DSV,” as well as movies such as “The Rookie,” “Gettysburg,” and “Splash.” His final role was in 2003’s “Gods and Generals” where he reprised the role of Civil War Confederate Brigadier General James L. Kemper, which he had […]

Harry E. Antrim (1884 - 1967)

Actor. Born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career in 1906 working in burlesque comedy, song and dance. In the 1930’s he moved to Los Angeles and secured uncredited parts in several films, beginning with the 1936 Small Town Girl. His film and television career would span from 1936 to 1967, he would successfully perform […]

Gerald Anthony (1951 - 2004)

Actor. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Anthony is best remembered for his television roles in soap operas inlcuding, ‘Marco Dane’ from 1977 to 1986, 1989 to 1990, and ‘Dr. Mario Corelli’ in 1978, on “One Life To Live,” ‘Rick Madison’ from 1991 to 1992, on “Another World,” and again as ‘Marco Dane’ from 1992 tom […]

Albert Edward Anson (1879 - 1936)

Actor. Born Albert Edward Anson, he played many roles in Shakespeare’s plays, both in London and in New York. His first major part was as ‘Brabantio’ in “Othello.” In motion pictures he played the role of ‘Professor Max Gottlieb’ in “Arrowsmith” and ‘Dr. Muir’ in “The Road to Singapor.”  (bio by: MC)

Michael George Ansara (1922 - 2013)

Actor. He is best remembered as playing Cochise on the television series “Broken Arrow” and Klingon commander ‘Kang’ on three separate “Star Trek” television series. Born to American parents in a small Syrian village, he came to the US when he was two years old, residing first in Lowell, Massachusetts before the family moved to […]