Roger Leonard “Casey Jones” Awsumb (1928 - 2002)

Minneapolis, Minnesota area Television Personality. He portrayed a railroad enigineer, dressed in a pin-striped jacket, cap, and overalls, with a red ‘kerchief’ around his neck, and called himself “your old buddy, Casey Jones” (named after a real life railroad engineer). He entertained children from 1954 until late 1972 at noon on weekdays. During the half […]

Jane Avril (1868 - 1943)

Dancer. Famed for dancing the “Can-Can”. She was painted by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.

María Herminia Avellaneda (1933 - 1997)

Stage, movie and television director. Well remembered for being the director of the movies “Rosa de Lejos” and “Juguemos en el Mundo” and the soap operas “Rosa de Lejos” and “Señora de Ordoñez.” (bio by: 380W)

David Avadon (1948 - 2009)

Magician, Illusionist. For more than 30 years Avadon was known as America’s “premier exhibition pickpocket”. He began practicing magic as a hobby while in elementary school and later studied theater at UCLA. In his 20s he changed his last name from Hutchins to Avadon and began appearing as a professional illusionist at clubs in Hollywood […]

Edwin August (1883 - 1964)

Actor, director and screenwriter of the silent era. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, as Edwin August Philip Von der Butz. He was better known as Edwin August. His parents were Sarah Mykins and August Butz. He began his career at the young age of 7, his stage debut was in “Little Lord Fauntleroy.” Edwin was […]

John H. Auer (1906 - 1975)

Motion Picture Director, Producer, Actor. Hungarian-born film figure of the 1930s through the 1950s. (bio by: A.J. Marik)

James Thomas Aubrey, Jr (1918 - 1994)

Television Producer. Born in La Salle, Illinois, he was know as the champion of CBS Television sitcoms, (1959-65). His many noted productions included “The Twilight Zone”, “Route 66”, “The Beverly Hillbillies”, “Mister Ed”, “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Defenders”. In 1969, he took on the job of production manager at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where he oversaw the dismantling […]

Cholly Atkins (1913 - 2003)

Choreographer and Dancer. He was an American dancer and vaudeville performer, he later became noted for creating the system of “Vocal Choreography” and the distinctive moves for many of the great Motown stage acts: the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Night and the Pips, the Supremes and many more. Born Charles Sylvan Atkinson. He won a […]

Adele Astaire Douglass (1897 - 1981)

Entertainer and sister of actor Fred Astaire.  Born Adele Marie Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, she was the daughter of Frederick Emanuel Austerlitz and his wife, Johanna “Ann” Austerlitz.  Her father was a beer brewer from Vienna, Austria.   In 1905, she began a successful vaudeville act with her younger brother, Fred, developing it into a […]

Ibu Devi Dja Assan (1914 - 1989)

Ibu Devi Dja Assan Devi Dja was born in 1914 on the island of Java. From the time she very small, she was taught to perform the temple dances called the “Legong.” Legong dancers generally retire at puberty, but she continued to dance to the delight of her villagers and would eventually grow to elevate […]

William Asher (1921 - 2012)

Television and Motion Picture Director, Producer. Best known for his behind-the-scenes contributions as producer and director for the TV series “Bewitched” (1964 to 1972), which starred his then-wife Elizabeth Montgomery. Born into a family of versed entertainers, his father was film producer Ephraim Asher, his mother Lillian Bonner was an actress, he spent his early […]

Hal Ashby (1929 - 1988)

Film director, editor, actor, producer. Among Ashby’s many films that he worked on include, “Jake’s Journey” (1988), “8 Million Ways To Die” (1986), “The Slugger’s Wife” (1985), “Let’s The Spend The Night Together” (1982), “Second-Hand Hearts” (1981), “Being There” (1979), “Coming Home” (1978), “Bound For Glory” (1976), “Shampoo” (1975), “The Last Detail” (1973), “Harold And […]

Paul Robert Ash (1891 - 1958)

Orchestra Leader, Composer, Vaudeville Personality and Recording Artist. Born in Germany and brought to the U.S. in his first year.  Though largely forgotten today, Paul Ash was a significant show business personality in the Jazz Age 1920s, and with his wavy hair and resonant voice, had quite a female fan following. He was a pioneer […]

Dorothy Arzner (1897 - 1979)

American Film Director. Her career in feature films spanned from the silent era of the late 1920s into the early 1940s. She was one of the very few women who established a name for herself as a director in the film industry during this time. Her body of work remains to this day the largest […]

Robert Arthur (1909 - 1986)

Motion Picture Producer, Writer. Produced motion pictures from the 1940s to the 1970s. (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Bob Arthur (1921 - 1997)

Radio Personality. Born Joseph Arthur Prince in the small mining town of Dunkirk, Kansas, he was raised in the town of Pittsburg, Kansas. He went to journalism school at the University of Kansas until World War II, where he enlisted in the United States Navy, rising to Lieutenant. After the war he returned to broadcasting […]

Thomas Arnold (1970 - 1969)

Theatrical Producer. He produced the first production of “Aladdin” in 1937.  Known for his involvement in Opera and films, and even American rodeo.  He was reported to have been involved personally in 400 pantomimes throughout his life and was producing fifteen such productions at the time of his death.

Jack Arnold (1912 - 1992)

Motion Pictures, Television Director. A former stage and screen actor, he joined in the US Signal Corps in the 1940s and worked with famed documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty. After the war Arnold directed and produced about 25 documentaries for government agencies and private industries, getting an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature for “With These […]

Ray Arnett (1917 - 2015)

Choreographer, Director, Producer. Arnett was best known for his decades spent working with Liberace. Early in his career, he was nicknamed “King of the Gypsies” for being the hardest-working chorus boy in the now cult classic ‘Forgotten Musicals’ on Broadway. Soon thereafter, he would dance alongside the legendary Mae West on television and eventually star […]

William Lyon Arndt (1949 - 1995)

Motion Pictures Talent Agent. He represented talent world-wide, especially some of the most well known male models. He is buried next to legendary actor Tyrone Power.  Inscription:Living With Angels

Russell Arms (1920 - 2012)

Entertainer. Best remembered as a featured vocalist on the music program “Your Hit Parade” (1952 to 1957). His parents divorced when he was young and during his high school years, he caught the acting bug. While attending junior college, he initiated his career in entertainment with parts in a radio drama for a local San […]

Kay Armen (1915 - 2011)

Singer, Actress, Composer. Born Armenuhi Manoogian, she was of Armenian descent.  Armen began her professional career in Chicago singing in nightclubs and on the radio.  She was the featured singer on the radio version of the Bert Parks hosted “Stop the Music” in 1948 and 1949.  Armen’s cousins, best selling author William Saroyan, and Ross […]

Harold Wampler Arlin (1895 - 1986)

Broadcasting Pioneer. In 1921 he became the first full-time announcer at Pittsburgh’s KDKA, America’s first radio station. He was the first to announce a major league baseball game (the Pirates vs. the Phillies on August 21, 1921).  Family links:  Parents:  Byron A. Arlin (1862 – 1918)  Emma Wampler Arlin (1865 – 1944)  Spouse:  Emily Pace […]

Roone Pinckney Arledge (1931 - 2002)

Television Producer. He was a mainstay at ABC, first innovating and guiding the sports division to heights it had never before achieved, then later taking over and reparing the slumping news division. He was responsible for innovations in sports such as the slow motion instant replay, and also created Monday Night Football. Mr. Arledge had […]

Irina Arkhipova (1925 - 2010)

Opera Singer. A mezzo soprano, she was for many years a star of Moscow’s Bolshoi Opera while earning acclaim in the world’s leading venues. Raised in Moscow, she graduated with a degree in architecture from the Moscow Institute in 1948; having musical ambitions, she studied at the Moscow Conservatory before commencing her professional career with […]

Emile Ardolino (1943 - 1993)

Motion Picture Director. He spent his career presenting the art of classical dance on film and on stage. His best known work is the hit movie “Dirty Dancing,” which he directed. He also produced the Joffrey Ballet’s rendition of “Astarte,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Oh! Calcutta!,” for which he won an Obie award. He caught […]

Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle (1887 - 1933)

Actor. Born in Smith Center, Kansas, his family was poor, constantly struggling and on the move. When he was just a year old, he and his family moved to California. Roscoe grew into an overweight child and local children gave him the nickname of “Fatty” which stuck with him for all his life. In his […]

Gabriel “Gaby” Aragón Bermúdez (1920 - 1995)

Entertainer. He was the son of Clown Emig. He was born in Puente de Vallecas (Madrid). He triumphed with his brothers Fofó and Miliki in Spain and South America. In Spain, they obtained a big success in the TV program “El Circo de Televisión Española.” He also played the saxofon. In 1995, when he died, […]

Fofó Aragón Bermúdez (1925 - 1976)

Entertainer. He and his brothers Gaby (Gabriel) and Miliki (Emilio)and after his son Fofito, triumphed in Spain and South America. He also was the composer of famous songs such as “La Gallina Turuleca,” “Mi Barba Tiene Tres Pelos,” and “El Auto de Papá.” He obtained a big success with the television program “Los Payasos de […]

Melanie Susan “Mel” Appleby (1966 - 1990)

Pop Music Singer. Born in Hackney, in East London, she formed the pop music singing duo “Mel and Kim” with her older sister Kim Appleby. They recorded two full length releases in the late 1980s, and had four hit singles, one of which, “Respectable”, reached Number One in the popular music charts. Diagnosed with cancer […]