/ Stars that died in 2023: January 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Bella Akhmadulina, Russian poet.died she was , 73

Bella (Izabella) Akhatovna Akhmadulina  was a Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer and translator known for her apolitical writing stance.[2] She was part of the Russian New Wave literary movement.[3] Akhmadulina was cited by Joseph Brodsky as the best living poet in the Russian language when she was alive.[3][4][5]
Despite the aforementioned apolitical stance of her writing Bella Akhmadulina, Russian poet.died he was , 73, Akhmadulina was often critical of authorities in the Soviet Union,[1] and spoke out in favour of others, including Nobel laureates Boris Pasternak, Andrei Sakharov and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.[2] She was known to international audiences for her travels abroad during the Khrushchev Thaw, during which she made appearances in sold-out stadiums.[6] Upon her death in 2010 President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev hailed her poetry as a "classic of Russian literature".[5]
The New York Times said Akhmadulina was "always recognized as one of the Soviet Union's literary treasures and a classic poet in the long line extending from Lermontov and Pushkin".[2] Sonia I. Ketchian, writing in The Poetic Craft of Bella Akhmadulina, called her "one of the great poets of the 20th century. There's Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, Mandelstam and Pasternak — and she's the fifth".[2]

(Russian: Бе́лла (Изабе́лла) Аха́товна Ахмаду́лина, 10 April 1937 – 29 November 2010)

 Early life, education and works

Bella Akhmadulina was born the only child of a Tatar father and a Russian-Italian mother.[2] Her birth occurred on 10 April 1937.[7] They underwent evacuation to Kazan when World War II broke out.[2]
Akhmadulina's literary career began when she was a school-girl working as a journalist at the Moscow newspaper, Metrostroevets, and improving her poetic skills at a circle organized by the poet Yevgeny Vinokurov. Her first poems appeared in the magazine October after being approved by established Soviet poets.[citation needed] These first poems were published in 1955.[1] Émigré critic Marc Slonim described her prospects as follows in 1964 (Soviet Russian Literature): "Her voice has such a purity of tone, such richness of timbre, such individuality of diction, that if her growth continues she will be able some day to succeed Akhmatova" as "the greatest living woman poet in Russia".[2]
After finishing school, Akhmadulina entered the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute from which she graduated in 1960. While studying at the institute, she published her poems and articles in different newspapers, both official and handwritten. She was the subject of criticism in Komsomolskaya Pravda in 1957.[7] She was expelled in 1959 (but allowed re-entry as time progressed) as a result of her opposition to the persecution of Boris Pasternak.[8] In 1962 the first collection of her poems, titled Strune (The String), was published[7][9] and was a resounding success. In spite of being expunged, many of her collections of verses were published later: Music lessons (1970),[9] Poems (1975), Candle (1977),[9] Dreams of Georgia (1977), The Mystery (1983),[9] Coastline (1991), and others. A collection called Sad (Garden) led to Akhmadulina receiving the USSR State Prize in 1989.[7][9]
"Many dogs and one dog", a short story written in a surreal style, was published in 1979 in Samizdat's Metropol Almanac.[6] She assisted in the creation of Metropol.[7] She wrote essays about Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.[7]
She appeared in sold-out stadiums in the 1960s, as did the poets Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Andrei Voznesensky and Robert Rozhdestvensky.[6]
Her open letter was published supporting the exiled Andrei Sakharov.[10]
She was a journalist in a 1964 film.[7]
After the Soviet Union she published Casket and Key (1994), A Guiding Sound (1995) and One Day in December (1996).[2]

Translations

The main themes of Akhmadulina's works are friendship, love, and relations between people. She wrote numerous essays about Russian poets and translations, some devoted to her close friend, Bulat Okudzhava. Akhmadulina avoided writing overtly political poems, but took part in political events in her youth, supporting the so-called "dissident movement". She translated into Russian poetry from France, Italy, Chechnya, Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, and many others.
Akhmadulina wrote in a "resolutely apolitical" style.[2] She made use of imagery and humour in her work.[2] She used rhymed quatrains in her early works, which discussed ordinary, yet imaginative occurrences from daily life in language that was full of both archaisms and neologisms.[2] Religion and philosophy became her themes as she aged and she wrote in longer forms.[2]

Personal life



Bella's first marriage in 1954 was to Yevgeny Yevtushenko, another famous poet of the era; her second husband since 1960 was Yuri Nagibin, major novelist and screenwriter. By her 1971 marriage to film director Eldar Kuliev she has a daughter, Elizaveta Kulieva, who is also a poetess.[11] In 1974, she married her last husband, the famous artist and stage designer Boris Messerer. They had homes in Peredelkino and Moscow.

Death

Akhmadulina died at her home in Peredelkino near Moscow on 29 November 2010. She was 73 years old. Her death was announced about one hour later.[7] Akhmadulina's husband said her death was from a heart condition,[5] describing it as a " cardiovascular crisis".[7] Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin both paid tribute,[6][9] with Medvedev writing on his blog that the death was an "irreparable loss".[5] Medevdev also wrote that Akhmadulina's poetry was a "classic of Russian literature".[5]

Filmography

Cameo

Actor

Screenwriter

Bibliography

  • Struna (The String), Moscow, 1962
  • Oznob (Fever), Frankfurt, 1968
  • Uroki Muzyki, (Music Lessons), 1969
  • Stikhi (Verses), 1975
  • Svecha (The Candle), 1977
  • Sny o Gruzii (Dreams of Georgia), 1978-79
  • Metell (Snow-Storm), 1977
  • Taina (The Secret), 1983
  • Sad (The Garden), 1987
  • Stikhotvorenie (A Poem), 1988
  • Izbrannoye (Selected Verse), 1988
  • Stikhi (Verses), 1988
  • Poberezhye (The Coast), 1991
  • Larets i Kliutch ('Casket and Key), 1994
  • Gryada Kamnei ('The Ridge of Stone), 1995
  • Samye Moi Stikhi (My Own Verses), 1995
  • Zvuk Ukazuyushchiy (A Guiding Sound), 1995
  • Odnazhdy v Dekabre (One Day in December), 1996

Awards

In 1977, Bella Akhmadulina became an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters (see AAAL website).

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Irena Anders, Polish stage actress and singer died she, 90

 Irena Anders [1] was a Polish stage actress and singer. During WWII she worked in the troupe of Henryk Wars, giving performances for the Polish Armed Forces in the West (commanded by general Władysław Anders) died she, 90. She was one of the first singers to sing the Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino.

(12 May 1920 – 29 November 2010)

Born as Iryna Jarosiewicz in Bruntál (present-day Czech Republic), she used the stage name Renata Bogdańska. After World War II, she remained in United Kingdom. In 1948, she married General Władysław Anders.[2] She starred in several movies. In 2003, a documentary film was made about her. In 2007, she received the order of Polonia Restituta.[3]
She died, aged 90 from a heart attack on 29 November 2010, in London.

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El Hijo de Cien Caras, Mexican professional wrestler, was gunned down he was 34.

Eustacio "Tacho" Jiménez Ibarra [1][4][5][6] was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler better known by the ring name of El Hijo de Cien Caras was gunned down he was 34.. The name is Spanish for "the Son of Cien Caras." He was not, however, related to wrestler Cien Caras, but instead paid Cien Caras for the rights to use the ring name, a practice not uncommon in Lucha Libre. He also wrestled under the names Frankenstein and Suplex, named after the monster and the wrestling move. He was the brother of Adolfo Tapia, who wrestles as L.A. Park as well as the nephew of Super Parka and the cousin of Volador, Jr.

(March 21, 1976 – November 29, 2010)


 Professional wrestling career

Jiménez was born in a small village named Nuevo Padilla, located in the town of Tula, Tamaulipas, but while he was still a child, his family moved to Tampico, where he grew up.[1] After Jiménez's brother Adolfo Tapiahad become famous as La Parka, he decided to follow in his footsteps and become a professional wrestler.[1] After being trained by his brother and El Salsero, Jiménez made his debut under a mask as "Frankenstein", working for El Salsero's promotion in Guadalupe, Nuevo León.[1] In 2001 he began wrestling under the ring name "Suplex" and acknowledged publicly that he was the brother of Adolfo Tapia.[7] He worked as Suplex on the Mexican Independent circuit for four years without much success, after which his brother decided that he needed a makeover in order to gain success.[1]

In 2005 he bought the rights to use the ring name "El Hijo de Cien Caras" ("The Son of Cien Caras") and took the ring character of the son of Cien Caras, teaming up with Cien Caras, Jr. (who was also not related to Cien Caras).[1] Together the team became known as Los Junior Dinamitas (After their "Father's" group Los Hermanos Dinamita). On December 11, 2005Los Junior Dinamitas defeated Flash I and Flash II to win the Occidente (western states) Tag Team Championship on a show in Guadalajara, Jalisco.[8] Los Junior Dinamitas held the Occidente Tag Team Championship for 546 days in total, making sporadic title defenses in that time.
In 2007 Los Junior Dinamitas began working for International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG), with the group being expanded with Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and El Hijo de Máscara Año 2000, who were actually the sons of Máscara Año 2000 (Cien Caras' brother). On May 31, 2007 Hijo de Cien Caras and Máscara Año 2000, Jr. defeated the team of El Pantera and El Felino to win the IWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship.[8] El Hijo de Cien Caras' run as double champion lasted under two weeks before losing the belts to the team of El Sagrado and Rayman on June 10, 2007.[9] Following the loss of the Occidente Tag Team Championship Los Junior Dinamitas featured the team of Hijo de Cien Caras and Máscara Año 2000, Jr. more than the other two members as the team quickly established themselves as the most dominant IWRG Tag Team Champions as they held the title for 801 days and made 11 successful title defenses, although they did have a long period of inactivity as a team in early to mid 2009 due to Hijo de Cien Caras not working regularly for IWRG.
During the time period the two had successful defenses against such teams as Electroshock and El Hijo de Anibal, Pierroth and El Hijo de Pierroth, El Hijo de Solitario and El Hijo de Anibal, Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. and El Hijo de Anibal, Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Silver King, Silver King and El Dandy, El Fantasma and Fantasma, Jr., Scorpio, Jr. and Zumbido, Arlequin and Hijo de Pierroth and The Headhunters.[9] Hijo de Cien Caras participated in the 2008 IWRG Rey del Ring tournament on July 24, 2008 and was the 29th, and last wrestler eliminated, only outlasted by the winner Scorpio, Jr.[10][11] On August 9, 2009 Los Junior Dinamitas marathon reign ended when the team of Ricky Cruzz and Scorpio, Jr.[11]

AAA vs. IWRG feud

During an IWRG show on April 29, 2010 Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) wrestler Silver King showed up for the show, allegedly to promote the movie "Nacho Libre II" but ended up starting an interpromotional feud between AAA and IWRG.[12] Los Junior Dinamitas quickly came to the defense of IWRG, wrestling against Silver King and other AAA representatives such as Alex Koslov, Chessman and Cibernético.[13][14] During AAA's TripleMania XVIII Los Junior Dinamitas made a surprise appearance moments after Silver King and Último Gladiador won the AAA World Tag Team Championship to challenge the new champions. This marked the first time IWRG wrestlers appeared on AAA television.[15] On June 20, 2010 Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and El Hijo de Cien Caras defeated Los Piratos (Pirata Morgan and El Hijo de Pirata Morgan to win the IWRG Tag Team Championship for a second time.[16] On November 14, 2010, Los Junior Dinamitas lost the title back to Los Piratos.[17]


Personal life
Jiménez was the brother of professional wrestler Adolfo Tapia Ibarra (L.A. Park) and nephew of Ramón Ibarra Banda (Super Parka), Johnny Ibara, King Balam and Desalmado as well as the cousin of Volador, Jr. the son of Ramón Ibarra.[7] His family outside of wrestling included his brothers Ulises, Alejandro, Gabriel and a sister named Georgina.[1] Despite using the name "Son of Cien Caras" he was not in any way related to Cien Caras, real name Carmelo Reyes González or the González wrestling family. Jiménez, like many other luchadores, kept his private life a secret and his real name was not a matter of public record until his death.[18]

Death

In the early morning hours of November 29, 2010, Jiménez was murdered in Coyoacán, Mexico City. According to local officials Jiménez and a female companion named Adela de Luna González were sitting in a car, when they were approached by two unknown individuals who, without saying a word, opened fire and hit Jiménez once in the neck and Luna five times in the chest and neck, before fleeing the scene in a black Dodge Neon. Paramedics pronounced both Jiménez and Luna dead at the scene.[4][5][19][20] Jiménez was survived by his wife Maria Felix Rocha and his children Alan Eustace, Edgar Adolfo, Abraham and a newborn baby girl.[1] It was later reported that Luna, a 50 year old nightclub owner in Mexico City, and her former husband had been investigated by the Mexico City Justice Department for "shady dealings" involving smuggling goods from China and Japan.[6]

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
  • Signature moves

Championships and accomplishments

  • Jalisco State

Lucha de Apuesta record

See also: Luchas de Apuestas
Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Hair Hijo de Cien Caras Vampiro Casanova Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas 02006-06-10 June 10, 2006

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Friday, January 28, 2011

John Gerrish, American composer, died he was 100,

John O'Neill (Jack) Gerrish  was an American composer of the 20th century , best known for The Falcon, a cappella piece for SATB based on the Middle or Early Modern English Corpus Christi Carol died he was  100.[1][2]


(August 14, 1910 – November 29, 2010)


Early life

Gerrish was the son of Charles Percy Gerrish and Mary Elizabeth O'Neill of Potsdam, New York. He graduated from Crane School of Music in 1930, and led a dance band during the 1930s. He taught for ten years at Franklin Academy in Malone, New York and was a professor of music at Kean University in New Jersey for most of his career.[3]

Music

In addition The Falcon, Gerrish's better-known works include Variations on a Burgundian Carol for 3 Recorders, based on the carol Patapan, published in New York by Associated Music Publishers in 1957. Reviewer, Joel Newman, called the work "neatly-constructed, fun-to-play, but merely-cute variations."[4] Other compositions include I Sing A Maiden (1953), Fifteen Christmas melodies for soprano recorder and piano (1954), and the piano solos Country Dance, Mountain Climbing and 'South Wind (1954).
The Music Educators Journal published a detailed article and interview "A Family Program for Voices, Recorders, and Viols: The Gerrish Family" in 1962.[5] The New York State Teachers Association, Northern Zone, lists John Gerrish as Chairman of Music Section in Malone, New York, September 29, 1939. [6]

Personal life

Gerrish married twice. After the death of his first wife, Marion Benham of Saranac Lake, he married the Claire Stackpole of Winooski.[3] Following his retirement, Gerrish was the organist at the Winooski United Methodist Church for twenty years.[3] He died on November 29, 2010 and is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery, Potsdam.[3]

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Richard Goldman, American philanthropist, founder of the Goldman Environmental Prize died he was , 90

Richard N. Goldman was an American philanthropist who co-founded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1990 with his wife, Rhoda Goldman  died he was , 90. [1] The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has called Goldman "one of the most influential Jewish philanthropists in the United States." [2] He founded the insurance company Goldman Insurance and Risk Management, and with his wife he established the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund in 1951.

(April 16, 1920 – November 29, 2010)

Philanthropy

Richard and Rhoda Goldman established the Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco, California, in 1990.[1] Goldman's foundation, which is sometimes nicknamed the "Green Nobel," awarded six prizes annually worth $150,000 USD to environmental activists representing six regions of the world.[1] Approximately $13.2 million has been awarded to activists from more than 70 countries since the Goldmans established the award, as of 2010.[1] The 1991 Goldman Environment Prize winner Wangari Maathai from Kenya and founder of the Green Belt Movement, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.[3]
In addition to his work with the Goldman Environmental Prize, Goldman supported beautification projects in San Francisco, and co-founded the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.[2] Through his foundation, which is worth more than one billion dollars, Goldman funded projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and the Rhoda Goldman Plaza.[2] Among his California projects were investments in solar power, and protection of redwood forests and sealife.[3] In 2004, he was awarded the Chairman's Medal in the 11th Annual Heinz Award.[4]


Personal life

Richard Goldman was the son of lawyer Richard Samuel Goldman and his wife Alice Wertheim Goldman.[5] He died at his home in San Francisco on November 29, 2010, at the age of 90.[1] He was survived by his daughter, Susan Gelman, and two sons, John and Doug.[2] He was predeceased by his wife, philanthropist Rhoda Goldman, who died in 1996 and their son, Richard, who died in 1989.[2]

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Bob Holcomb, American politician, Mayor of San Bernardino, California (1971–1985, 1989–1993), died from heart failure he was , 88

 William Robert "Bob" Holcomb was an American politician and attorney died from heart failure he was , 88. Holcomb was the longest serving Mayor of San Bernardino, California, to date.[1] [2] He held office as San Bernardino's mayor from 1971 until 1985, and returned to office again from 1989 until 1993.[1] Holcomb has been widely credited with preserving the independence of the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and its local water supply.[1]

(March 1, 1922 - November 29, 2010)


 Biography

Early life

Bob Holcomb was born in San Bernardino, California, on March 1, 1922.[2] Holcomb was the great-grandson of prospector William F. Holcomb, who first discovered gold in 1860 while hunting for bears in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake.[2] The region of William Holcomb's discovery in the San Bernardino Mts. is still known as Holcomb Valley.[3] Bob Holcomb's father, Grant Holcomb, served as the Mayor of San Bernardino from 1925 until 1927.[1][2]
He graduated from San Bernardino High School in 1940 and enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley.[1] However, Holcomb left UC-Berkeley before completing his bachelor's degree in order to enlist in the U.S. Army on October 13, 1942.[2] Holcomb served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II for three years as a B-17 pilot with the 412th Bomb Squadron, 95th Bomb Group.[1][2] He flew military bombing missions from the United Kingdom to Nazi Germany during the war.[1]
Holcomb was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on October 26, 1945.[2] He married his wife, Pearl "Penny" Pennington, on July 7, 1946. The couple had four children - Jay, William, Robert and Terri Lee.[2]
Holcomb returned to the University of California, Berkeley, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts in law on June 16, 1949.[2] He then received a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1950.[2] He worked as an attorney for fourteen years before entering public office in 1964.[2]

Political career

He began his political career as a leading opponent of a proposed merger between San Bernardino's local water district, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, with the larger Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), based in Los Angeles.[1][2] During the 1964 election, voters in the eastern San Bernardino Valley were asked in a ballot question whether they wanted to keep the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District as an independent entity or merge it into the neighboring Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.[1] Holcomb spearheaded the campaign to preserve local water rights for the city of San Bernardino.[1]
Supporters of the merger, which included San Bernardino's major media, political and business figures, argued that the city would suffer water shortages if local communities did not link with the MWD, which draws its water supply from the Colorado River.[2] Proponents of the merger included the editor and editorial board of San Bernardino's major newspaper, The San Bernardino Sun, which was called the Sun-Telegram at the time.[1] To counter the influence of The San Bernardino Sun-Telegram editorial page on the water issue, Holcomb founded and distributed his own small, weekly newspaper to publish opposition views of the proposal.[2]
Holcomb successfully led the election campaign to retain the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District's independence.[1] Voters defeated the proposal in 1964 and Holcomb has since been widely credited with retaining San Bernardino's local water rights.[2] Shortly after the water merger's electoral defeat, then San Bernardino Mayor Donald G. "Bud" Mauldin appointed Holcomb president of the city's Board of Water Commissioners on May 4, 1964.[2]
Holcomb's preservation of San Bernardino's local water rights is also credited with attracting California State University system to the city, which constructed California State University, San Bernardino.[2] A local supply of water was needed to construct the campus.[2]

Mayor of San Bernardino

Holcomb served as Mayor of San Bernardino from 1971 until 1985. He returned to office again from 1989 until 1993. Holcomb oversaw the completion of several new projects in the city during his tenure. These included the construction of the San Bernardino City Hall; the western headquarters of the Little League; the Central City Mall, which is now called the Carousel Mall; and the San Bernardino County administrative center.[1] An eleven foot statue of Martin Luther King Jr. was also installed in San Bernardino under Holcomb's direction.[4]
William Robert Holcomb died from heart failure at Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, on November 29, 2010, at the age of 88.[1] He was survived by his wife since 1946, Penny Halcomb, and three children - Terri Lee Holcomb-Halstead, William Holcomb and Robert Holcomb.[1] His four child, Jay Holcomb, died in 1977.

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Alfred Masini, American television producer, creator of Entertainment Tonight, Solid Gold and Star Search, died from melanoma.he was , 80

Alfred Michael "Al" Masini  was an American television producer.
Masini was born in in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was a three-sport star in college and an Air Force officer during the Korean War.
His production company created and produced Entertainment Tonight, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Solid Gold. and Star Search. [2] He lobbied to change Hawaii state law to lure movie and TV productions to the islands. He landed Baywatch Hawaii, which filmed for three seasons in Hawaii. He brought the Miss Universe 1998 Pageant to the Stan Sheriff Arena. The broadcast was shown around the world.[2]

(January 5, 1930 — November 29, 2010[1])

Death

Masini died of melanoma in Honolulu, Hawaii.[2] He is survived by his wife (since 2001), Charlyn Honda Masini, as well as a sister and two nieces. He had no children.[3]

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Mario Monicelli, Italian film director, committed suicide by jumping he was , 95

 Mario Monicelli  was an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all'Italiana (Comedy Italian style)  committed  suicide by jumping he was , 95.

(May 16, 1915 – November 29, 2010)

Biography

Monicelli was born in Viareggio (Tuscany) and was the youngest son of the Mantuan journalist Tommaso Monicelli. His older brother Giorgio worked as writer and translator. Another older brother, Franco, was a journalist.
He attended studies in the local lyceum, and entered into the film world through his friendship with Giacomo Forzano, son of the playwright Giovacchino Forzano, who had been encharged by Benito Mussolini with the founding of cinema studios in Tirrenia. Monicelli lived a carefree youth, and many of the cinematic jokes he later shot in Amici Miei were taken from his experience.
Monicelli made his first short in 1934, a collaboration with his friend Alberto Mondadori. He followed this work up with the silent film I ragazzi della Via Paal (an adaptation of the novel The Paul Street Boys), which was an award-winner in the Venice Film Festival.[1] His first feature length work was made in 1937 (Pioggia d'estate, "Summer Rain").[2] In the years 1939–1942 Monicelli also produced numerous screenplays (up to 40), and worked as an assistant director.
Monicelli made his official debut as a director in 1949, with Totò cerca casa, along with Steno. From the very beginning of his career Monicelli's cinematic style had a remarkable flow to it. The duo produced eight successful movies in four years, including Guardie e ladri (1951) and Totò a colori (1952). From 1953 onwards Monicelli worked alone, without leaving his role as a writer of screenplays.
Monicelli's career include some of the masterpieces of Italian cinema. In I soliti ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street) (1958), again featuring the ubiquitous comedian Totò, he discovered the comical talent of Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni and probably produced the first true commedia all'italiana. While it is more well known in the English-speaking world as Big Deal on Madonna Street, the actual translation from the Italian is "the usual unknown perpetrators" (which is similar to the famous line from Casablanca of "Round up the usual suspects")
La Grande Guerra (The Great War), released one year later, is generally regarded as his finest work. For this work Monicelli was awarded a Leone d'Oro in the Venice Film Festival, and an a Academy Award nomination for the best foreign film. The film, featuring Gassman and the other superstar of Italian comedy, Alberto Sordi, excelled in the absence of rhetorical accents (the tragedy of World War I was still well in Italian's minds in these years) and for its sharp, tragicomical sense of history. Monicelli received two more Academy Award nominations with I compagni (The Organizer, 1963) and The Girl with the Pistol (1968).
L'armata Brancaleone (For Love and Gold, 1966) is another masterpiece of Italian cinema. The film tells the story of a Middle Age Italy's poor but pompous knight (played by Gassman) from a humorous point of view. Highlighted by Gasmann the bizarre Macaronic Latin-Italian dialogues were devised by Age & Scarpelli, the most renowned writers of Italian comedies, it was followed by Brancaleone alle Crociate (Brancaleone at the Crusades) in 1970.
Amici miei (My Friends, 1975), featuring Ugo Tognazzi and Philippe Noiret, was one of the most successful films in Italy and confirmed Monicelli's skill in mixing humour, irony and bitter feelings. His 1976 film Caro Michele won him the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival.[3] The dramatic accents were predominant in the Un borghese piccolo piccolo (A Very Little Man, 1978), but left pace again to comicity and popularesque history with Il Marchese del Grillo (1981). Both films featured Alberto Sordi at his best. At the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival Il Marchese del Grillo won him his third Silver Bear for Best Director award.[4]
Among the final works by Monicelli are Speriamo che sia femmina (1985), Parenti serpenti (1992) and Cari fottutissimi amici (1994), featuring Paolo Hendel. His last feature film was The Roses of the Desert (Le rose del deserto, 2006), which he directed when he was 91 years old.
In 1991 he received the Golden Lion for Career of the Venice Film Festival. A documentary made by Roberto Salinas and Marina Catucci, Una storia da ridere, breve biografia di Mario Monicelli, appeared in 2008.
Monicelli worked also for television and theatre, occasionally as an actor, and was a noteworthy playwright in his own right. Apart those already mentioned, actors who were launched by Monicelli or played in his movies include Monica Vitti, Anna Magnani, Giancarlo Giannini, Stefania Sandrelli, Vittorio De Sica, Sophia Loren, Enrico Montesano, Gian Maria Volonté, Paolo Villaggio, Nino Manfredi and Leonardo Pieraccioni.
Monicelli died on November 29, 2010 at the age of 95, after committing suicide by jumping from a window of the San Giovanni hospital in Rome, where he was admitted a few days earlier for prostate cancer.[5][6]
Reportedly, Monicelli jumped from his 5th floor hospital window and landed near the entrance to the ER where many patients and relatives congregated. He had been in and out of the hospital over the years for the treatment of prostate cancer. An unnamed person close to Mario Monicelli said he died from the window leap to commit suicide as he was not aging well and tired of getting old.

Filmography

Director

Screenplays

Actor


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Dickey Betts died he was 80

Early Career Forrest Richard Betts was also known as Dickey Betts Betts collaborated with  Duane Allman , introducing melodic twin guitar ha...