/ Stars that died in 2023

Friday, April 1, 2011

Margaret John, British actress (Gavin & Stacey) died she was , 84.

Margaret John was a Welsh, BAFTA award-winning actress, best known for her role as Doris in Gavin & Stacey died she was , 84.. She has been described, by fellow actress Ruth Jones, as "an absolute national treasure".[5]


(14 December 1926 – 2 February 2011)

Early life

Born in Swansea, as a child she wanted to be a nurse or veterinarian, but she could not stand the sight of blood.[1] She occasionally acted at school with her sister Mair. Spotted while acting in a chapel pagent competition, after an audition John trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 1950.[6]

Career

Margaret John's first public appearances were at Swansea's Grand Theatre, where she had small parts in weekly repertoire.[7] Not being a fluent Welsh speaker, she found some productions in Welsh at times challenging.[5] After appearances on radio and in the theatre, she made her television debut in 1956 in a Welsh language drama.[1] Her television roles included appearances on episodes of The First Lady, The Troubleshooters, Softly, Softly, The Mike Yarwood Show, Doomwatch, Blake's 7, Secret Army, Lovejoy, My Family, High Hopes, The District Nurse, Casualty, and Doctors. On Radio 4, she appeared on Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting and played Mrs Stone, the school secretary, in the original ten series of King Street Junior from 1985 to 1998.
In a career that spanned more than fifty years, she appeared in such television programmes including: Coronation Street, Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, Doctor Who, Little Britain, Emmerdale, Last of the Summer Wine, Crossroads, Gavin and Stacey and The Mighty Boosh.
In the early 1980s, she enjoyed a long run on ITV's daily soap opera Crossroads as doctors' receptionist Marian Owen. But between 2007 and 2010, she portrayed the suggestive neighbour Doris, cannabis-smoking, raunchy and much given to toyboys, in the BBC comedy series Gavin & Stacey.
At the 18th BAFTA Cymru Film, Television and Interactive Media Awards on 17 May 2009, at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, in a ceremony hosted by Gethin Jones, John was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.[8]
In September 2009, John appeared in the graphic short film Cow by director Peter Watkins Hughes warning of the dangers of texting while driving.[9]
Also in 2009, John appeared in The Vagina Monologues, before which her last theatre production was in the 1980s in Medea at London's Young Vic Theatre, opposite Eileen Atkins. John appeared on stage in Calendar Girls at the Wales Millennium Centre from 27 July to 7 August 2010 and at Venue Cymru, Llandudno from 9 to 14 August 2010, alongside fellow Welsh actress Ruth Madoc, playing Lady Cravenshire, the judge of the WI's cake competition.[10] She also starred in the 2009 low-budget film A Bit of Tom Jones?, a bawdy farce about the Welsh singer's penis.[11]
In March 2010 she appeared in the BBC1 Wales programme Margaret John - National Treasure, which featured clips from the last 50 years of television and special guest interviews with, amongst others, Ruth Jones, Eve Myles and Joanna Page. The programme was broadcast again, in tribute to John, on 5 February 2011.[5] She also featured in a short BBC video in which she cooked Welsh cakes for St. David's Day.[12]
Her last appearance on screen was in the new S4C drama Alys on 30 January 2011. [13]
She also had still been busy working in the previous month.

Personal life

Aged 48, she married Ben, a viola player who performed with both the London Symphony Orchestra and Frank Sinatra.[14] He died aged 39, three years after they married, and she did not remarry. They had no children.[15]
An obsessive jigsaw fan and solitaire player, she regularly worked for many charities, including: Sport Relief; Children in Need; Comic Relief, the PDSA and the George Thomas Hospice. She was also the face of the National Lottery AdvantAGE campaign, created to provide opportunities for old people.[1]

Death

Margaret John died in hospital in her home town of Swansea on 2 February 2011 after a short illness of Pneumonia.

Selected film and television appearances


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Eric Nicol, Canadian writer died he was , 91.

Eric Patrick Nicol was a Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper The Province died he was , 91.. He also published over 40 books, both original works and compilations of his humour columns, and won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour three times.[3]
(December 28, 1919 – February 2, 2011)

Early life

Nicol was born Kingston, Ontario, in 1919.[3] In 1921 his family relocated to British Columbia. Nicol attended Lord Byng Secondary School and the University of British Columbia, where he studied French. In 1941, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the university.
Following military service in the Second World War, Nicol returned to the University of British Columbia and earned a Master of Arts degree. He then studied at the Sorbonne in France, and lived in London, England for a few years writing comedy for the BBC.
In 1951 he returned to Vancouver, where for several decades he served as a regular columnist for city's newspaper The Province. He also wrote numerous radio comedy plays for CBC Radio.[4]
Nicol lived in Vancouver until his death on February 2, 2011. He was married to writer Mary Razzell, and had three children with his first wife, Myrl Nicol.

Awards and recognition




Bibliography


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René Verdon, French-born American White House Executive Chef, died from leukemia he was , 86

René Verdon  was a French-born American chef. Verdon was the chef for the White House during the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson died from leukemia he was , 86. Verdon was hired by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961.

(June 29, 1924 - February 2, 2011)

Early life

Verdon was born in Pouzauges, western France in 1924. His family owned a bakery and pastry shop. He had two older brothers, a baker and pâtissier, this is where he got his inspiration to become a chef.[1] At the age of 13 Verdon began an apprenticeship after which he worked in several prestigious restaurants in Paris and Deauville including Le Berkeley. He emigrated to the United States in 1958.
Once in New York, Verdon found work at the Essex House restaurant as well as La Caravelle and the Carlyle Hotel. While at La Caravelle Verdon was recommended to Jacqueline Kennedy by head chef Roger Fessaguet.

The White House

The First Lady originally hired Verdon temporarily to deal with the high demands of luncheons after the inauguration. After a few months Verdon was given a permanent position in which he received a $10,000 a year salary along with full room and board. Verdon was credited with change the view on the food served by the White House. Meals had previously been supplied by either outside caterers or Navy stewards and were not known for their high standard.
Verdon's first commission was an informal luncheon the Kennedys' hosted for Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco. He used ingredients such as crab, spring lamb and strawberries. His first official meal was for sixteen guests including British prime minister Harold Macmillan. Verdon served a menu of trout in Chablis and sauce Vincent, beef filet au jus and artichoke bottoms Beaucaire as well as his own dessert of meringue filled with raspberries chocolate.[2]
He continued his role as White House chef after the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy and began working for President Johnson. However creative differences rose after a Texan food co-ordinator hired by Johnson began to supply Verdon with canned and frozen vegetables to keep White House costs down. He often spoke out about the food choices of the Johnsons, once saying to The Washington Post, "You can eat at home what you want, but you do not serve barbecued spareribs at a banquet with the ladies in white gloves." He resigned from his post in 1965 after he was asked to prepare a cold garbanzo bean puree, a dish which he reportedly detested regardless of its temperature. [3]

After the White House

After leaving the White House, Verdon began to demonstrate kitchen appliances before opening up Le Trianon in California. Le Trianon became one of America's finest French restaurants of the 1970s and 80's.

Death

Verdon died on February 2, 2011 at the age of 86. The cause of death was reported by his wife to be leukemia.[1]

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Lennox Fyfe, Baron Fyfe of Fairfield, British politician died he was , 69.

George Lennox ("Len") Fyfe, Baron Fyfe of Fairfield  was a British politician and life peer who sat as a Labour member of the House of Lords died he was , 69..

(10 April 1941 – 1 February 2011)

Fyfe was born at Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, the son of George Lennox Fyfe and Elizabeth Struthers Fyfe. He was educated at Alloa Academy and Co-operative College, Loughborough.
Fyfe made his career in the Co-operative movement, initially in Scotland; he was general manager of the Kirriemuir Co-operative Society from 1966-68, and regional manager of the Scottish Co-operative Society from 1968–72. He was group general manager of the Co-operative Wholesale Society from 1972-75. He served as Chief Executive of the Leicestershire Co-operative Society from 1975 to 1995 and, following a merger, held the same position at the Midlands Co-operative Society until 2000. He was a member of the East Midlands Economic Planning Council from 1976-9.
Fyfe served variosuly as director, deputy chairman or chairman of many co-operative businesses from the early 1980s onwards, including Shoefayre, Co-operative Wholesale Society, Co-operative Insurance Society, Co-operative Bank and Unity Trust Bank. He was also a member of the central committee of the International Co-operative Alliance and served as president of the Co-operative Congress in 2001.
He was made a life peer in 2000 as Baron Fyfe of Fairfield,of Sauchie in Clackmannanshire. In the House of Lords he was a member of the European Union Committee, sitting on sub-committees on Environment, Agriculture, Public Health and Consumer Protection until 2003, and on the Internal Market from 2005 until his death.
Fyfe served as a justice of the peace for Perthshire from 1972-5. He was also director of Central Television from 1983-92, and a member of the court of Leicester University.
Lennox Fyfe married Ann Clark in 1965; she died in 1999. The couple had a son (deceased) and a daughter.


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Douglas Haig, American child actor died he was , 90.


Douglas Haig  was an American child actor appearing in films in the 1920s and 1930s died he was , 90..

(March 9, 1920 – February 1, 2011)

His career began at age two in silent films and (unlike many silent film actors) continued into sound films ("talkies").[1] From 1928 onward he appeared in at least 14 films. As a small child he was placid and pleasant-looking.[1] In a scholarly review of Attorney for the Defense, a 1932 sound film, his performance is described as very annoying.[2] The high point of Haig's career as a film actor came in 1935, with a starring role in Man's Best Friend.
Haig appeared in both feature films and shorts with numerous emerging stars of Hollywood. The Family Group (1928) was a short featuring Charley Chase. Sins of the Fathers (1928) starred Emil Jannings and included ZaSu Pitts. This silent film has been lost; only excerpts survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archives.[4] Betrayal (1929) was a silent film with talking sequences, synchronized music and sound effects. The cast included Emil Jannings and Gary Cooper.[5] Welcome Danger (1929) was produced by and starred Harold Lloyd. High Gear featured James Murray and Joan Marsh. John Wayne (an extra) appears in That's My Boy.
In Man's Best Friend (1935) Haig starred in the lead role of Jed Strong, a boy who has a fine dog and an abusive father who wants to kill the dog. Also appearing in the film were Frank Brownlee, Mary McLaren, and Patricia Chapman. In 1986, TV Guide described this film as a simple, unpretentious story of a little mountain boy and his pet police dog.[6]
Although some early films in which Haig appeared have been lost, the later film survive and of those a few have been released on DVD. These include Man's Best Friend (together with The Secret Code) and High Gear.

Filmography

List of acting performances in film
Title↓ Year↓ Role↓ Notes
Woman-Wise[7] 1937 Oscar uncredited
Man's Best Friend[7] 1935 Jed Strong
High Gear[7] 1933 Percy
Call Her Savage[7] 1932 Pete as a boy[8] uncredited
That's My Boy[7] 1932 Tommy as a young boy
Attorney for the Defense[7] 1932 Paul Wallace as a boy
The Cisco Kid[7] 1931 Billy See The Cisco Kid
The Spy[7] 1931 Seryoska
Caught Short 1930 Johnny
Welcome Danger 1929 Buddy Lee or Roy[8] uncredited
Betrayal 1929 Peter
Baby's Birthday 1929
uncredited
Sins of the Fathers 1928 Tom as a child
The Family Group 1928


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Les Stubbs, British footballer died he was , 81.

Leslie 'Les' Stubbs was an English footballer died he was , 81..
Playing mainly as an inside forward, Stubbs started out with his local side, Great Wakering Rovers before signing for Southend United. He made his debut for Southend in 1948 and scored 45 goals in 88 games over the next four seasons. In November 1952, he joined Chelsea for £10,000 having been persuaded by Blues manager Ted Drake that he was capable of playing in the top tier.[1]

(18 December 1929 – 1 February 2011) 


His career with Chelsea started slowly and Stubbs played just five games in his first season, without scoring. However, he scored nine goals in thirty league games in 1953-54 and in the next helped Chelsea win their first League title. He scored five goals that season, including a crucial stoppage time equaliser against Chelsea's main rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, paving the way for team mate Roy Bentley's winner a minute later.[1] He then helped Chelsea win the Charity Shield.[1]
Stubbs' later years at Chelsea saw his playing opportunities reduced by the emergence of talented youngsters such as Jimmy Greaves, Peter Brabrook and Ron Tindall. He made only sixteen appearances in his final two seasons, though he did play for the representative London XI side which competed in the 1955-58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Stubbs ended his Chelsea career with 123 appearances and 35 goals to his name. He left in 1958 to re-join Southend for a further two years, scoring 3 goals in 23 games. He later turned out for Bedford Town before re-joining Great Wakering Rovers, where he remains the most successful product of that club.
When Chelsea won the FA Premier League title in 2004-05, Stubbs and his surviving team mates from the 1954-55 title-winning side, such as Roy Bentley, Stan Willemse, Frank Blunstone and Jim Lewis were invited to the trophy presentation.[3][4]

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Bartolomeu Anania, Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Cluj-Napoca, Alba Iulia, Crişana and Maramureş (since 1993), died he was , 89




Bartolomeu Anania, (born Valeriu Anania;) was a Romanian Orthodox bishop, translator, writer and poet; he was the Metropolitan of Cluj, Alba, Crişana and Maramureş died he was , 89.


(March 18, 1921 – January 31, 2011)

 Biography

Early life

Anania was born as Valeriu in Glăvile, Vâlcea County, to Vasile Anania and his wife Ana, the daughter of a priest. He attended primary school in Glăvile and entered the Bucharest Central Seminary in 1933.[1]
At the age of 15, Anania, while a student at the Seminary, joined the local organization of the Cross Brotherhood (Frăţia de Cruce), part of the Iron Guard, being introduced to it by an older student.[2] However, he claimed that within the Cross Brotherhood at the Seminary, politics was not discussed and the group was not anti-Semitic, like the rest of the Iron Guard.[3] Anania graduated the Seminary in 1941. That year, he spent three weeks under arrest, being accused of participating at the funeral of a member of the Iron Guard.[4]
In 1942, he was tonsured a monk at the Antim Monastery,[5] graduating from Bucharest's Mihai Viteazul High School the following year.[1] In 1944, Hierodeacon Bartolomeu began studying Medicine and at the Cluj Conservatory, but he was expelled after organizing a student strike against the new communist government of Petru Groza. Afterwards, he continued his studies at the Theology Faculty of the University of Bucharest[4] and the Theological Academies of Cluj and Sibiu, receiving his degree in the latter city in 1948.[1]

Communist era

Anania, accused of being associated with the Iron Guard, was arrested by the Communist authorities in 1958 and incarcerated at the Aiud prison.[6] Another political prisoner at Aiud, Grigore Caraza, accused Anania of having actively participated in the 're-education' of prisoners, a charge categorically denied by Anania.[6]
In August 1964, he was freed and only a few months later, in February 1965, he was sent by the communist regime to become an Archimandrite of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada, where he lived for 12 years, also editing a religious newspaper called Credinţa ("The Faith").[7]
The short time between his release from prison and the time when he was sent to the United States has been seen as a sign that he had links to the Romanian Securitate. This idea has been supported by Ion Mihai Pacepa, who argued in a 1992 book that Archimandrite Bartolomeu was an agent of the External Intelligence department of the Securitate who was sent to the United States to divide the Romanian community.[7][8] Anania has admitted that he signed denunciations against other high-ranking clerics for the Securitate in 1959, but he claims that he was not a collaborator and that these denunciations were made after he was given tea containing a truth drug at the Securitate's Ploieşti headquarters.[9][10]
In 1974, he was recalled to Romania from the United States because of reports which mentioned a possible defection.[8] From 1976 to 1982, he was head of the Church's Biblical and Missionary Institute; afterward, he retreated to Văratec Monastery, where he began retranslating Bible using as source for Old Testament the Septuagint (since the 1930s, Romanian Orthodox Church Bible uses as its reference text the Masoretic Text).[1]

After the 1989 Revolution

On January 21, 1993 he was chosen Archbishop of Vad, Feleac and Cluj. Following a controversial decision of the Holy Synod, in 2006, the archdiocese was elevated to the rank of metropolis, making Archbishop Bartolomeu the first Metropolitan of Cluj, Alba, Crişana and Maramureş.[5][11]
In 1999, after the Church's failed attempt to convince politicians to endorse a proposal to give Senatorial seats to the Orthodox Church Synod's members, Archbishop Bartolomeu made two public requests. The first one was that the Church be able to select parliamentary candidates and then have priests urge parishioners during sermons to vote for them, while the second request repeated the proposal of making the 27-member Synod members of the Senate, arguing that the state was never really separated from the church. A law to this effect was drafted but never brought up for discussion in parliament.[12]
Nevertheless, after the 2000 elections, he reconsidered the involvement of clergymen in politics. In 2004, he made a proposal, which was approved by the Synod, not to allow priests to run in elections, giving an ultimatum to priests currently involved in politics to choose between the priesthood and politics.[13]
In 2007, he was a candidate for the office of Patriarch, but he lost to Daniel Ciobotea, who received from the Church Electoral College 95 votes, against 66 for Bartolomeu.[4] Following unsuccessful treatment in Vienna in early 2011, Anania died in Cluj-Napoca of heart failure and aortic valve stenosis at age 89.[14] He was buried in the hierarchs' crypt beneath the altar of the city's Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral.[15]

Opinions

Metropolitan Bartolomeu was known as a conservative voice within the church. Politically, he asserted that he had always been attracted by the right wing.[3] Voicing disagreement with the Western world, he argued that it is built exclusively on politics and economics, lacking any trace of spirituality, culture or religion. Following the repeal of Article 200 (regarding homosexuality), he decried the Westernization of Romania, claiming that "Europe asks us to accept sex, homosexuality, vices, drugs, abortions and genetic engineering, including cloning".[12]
He also condemned the way in which television stations "manipulate" viewers and use violent programs to "poison the souls of Romanians", arguing that such programs are harming people's personalities and make them unable to tell good from evil.[16]
In 2002, he was among a group of intellectuals who voiced their opposition to the building of a vampire theme park called Dracula Park, claiming that vampires are not a part of Romanian mythology (which instead has other monsters, like Muma Pădurii and zgripţuroaica).[17]
While he supported the neutrality of the Church in politics, in 2007 he did join seven other high-ranking Orthodox clerics in signing an appeal against the decision of the parliament to begin impeachment proceedings against President Traian Băsescu, calling the procedure "immoral politics".[3]
Regarding ecumenism, Bartolomeu argued that unifying all Christians within one Church is a far-fetched goal.[18]
Bartolomeu Anania, as Metropolitan, joined the dispute over the biometric passports, signing in 2009 a public statement (together with all the bishops of his metropolitan see), in which he claimed that the usage of biometric chips in passports is offensive to the Romanian people, whom, he claims, are therefore treated as a potential gang of criminals. He also made clear his worry about the possibility of using microchip implants.[19]

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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...