/ Stars that died in 2023

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Paul Reeves, New Zealand Anglican archbishop, Primate (1980–1985), Governor-General (1985–1990), died from cancer he was , 78.

 Sir Paul Alfred Reeves, ONZ, GCMG, GCVO, CF, QSO  was Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand from 1980 to 1985 and the 15th Governor-General of New Zealand from 22 November 1985 to 20 November 1990 died from cancer he was , 78. He was the first Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology.


(6 December 1932 – 14 August 2011)

Education

Reeves was born in Wellington in 1932 to D'arcy and Hilda (Pirihira) Reeves, who had moved from Waipawa to Newtown, a working-class suburb of Wellington. Hilda was Māori and of the Te Āti Awa iwi; D'arcy was pakeha and a tram driver, he died in 1950 aged 52.
He was educated at Wellington College and at Victoria College, University of New Zealand (now the Victoria University of Wellington), where he graduated a BA in 1955 and an MA in 1956. He went on to study for ordination in the Church of the Province of New Zealand at St John's College, Auckland, receiving his Licentiate in Theology in 1958.

Ministry as deacon and priest

Reeves was ordained deacon in 1958. After serving a brief curacy at Tokoroa, he spent the period 1959–64 in England. From 1959 until 1961 he was an Advanced Student at St Peter's College, Oxford (BA 1961, MA 1965) as well as Assistant Curate at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. He was ordained priest in 1960. He served two further curacies in England, first at Kirkley St Peter (1961–63), then at Lewisham St Mary (1963–64).
Returning to New Zealand, Reeves was Vicar of Okato St Paul (1964–66), Lecturer in Church History at St John's College, Auckland (1966–69), and Director of Christian Education for the Anglican Diocese of Auckland (1969–71).

Ministry as bishop, archbishop, and primate

In 1971 Reeves was appointed Bishop of Waiapu and consecrated to the episcopate. He was Bishop of Auckland 1979–85 and Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand 1980–85.

Involvement in politics

During this time he also served as chairman of the Environmental Council (1974–76); he was a supporter of Citizens for Rowling (the campaign for the re-election of Labour Prime Minister Bill Rowling); and he served as president of the National Council of Churches in New Zealand (1984–85).

New Zealand republic

In 2004 Reeves made a statement in support of New Zealand republic, stating in an interview, "...if renouncing knighthoods was a prerequisite to being a citizen of a republic, I think it would be worth it."[1]

Governor-General

Appointment

On the advice of Prime Minister David Lange, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Reeves the 15th Governor-General of New Zealand on 22 November 1985. His appointment was met with some scepticism due to his previous political involvement in Citizens for Rowling, opposing the 1981 Springbok Tour, and the fact that he was an Anglican bishop. The Leader of the Opposition, Jim McLay opposed the appointment on these grounds,[2] stating "How can an ordained priest fulfil that [constitutional] role?" However, many Māori groups welcomed the appointment, with Sir James Henare arguing that "It must be a fruit of the Treaty of Waitangi to see a person from our people."[2] He was the first (and up to the present the only) cleric to hold the post. Moreover, as a member of the Puketapu hapū of the Te Atiawa of Taranaki, he was the first governor-general to be at least partially of Māori descent (although not the first to be fluent in the Māori language).

Tenure


Reeves in 1990
During his term, Sir Paul joined the Newtown Residents' Association, and invited members of that association to visit Government House, Wellington. He hosted the first open day at Government House on 7 October 1990, and employed the first public affairs officer, Cindy Beavis, to promote the Governor-General's role.[2]
Reeves remained in office until 20 November 1990. He was succeeded by Dame Catherine Tizard.

Controversies

During Reeves' tenure, the Fourth Labour Government made radical changes to the New Zealand economy, later known as Rogernomics. In November 1987 Reeves made comments critical of Rogernomics, stating that the reforms were creating "an increasingly stratified society".[2] He was rebuked for these comments by Lange, but later stated in May 1988 "...the spirit of the market steals life from the vulnerable but the spirit of God gives life to all".[2] Reeves later recalled that this marked a "parting of ways" with the Government.[2]
He also recalled "I had a little sense of being left alone and felt that I needed to be taken into the loop more, or be taken seriously."[3] Reeves wrote to the Queen, but did not receive replies directly from the Queen. He said "I used to write to the Queen and express my opinion about this and that going on it [sic] the country and I wouldn't get a direct reply from her but I would always get a lengthy reply from her private secretary, which I took was expressing her viewpoint."[3]
On a state visit to Vanuatu in 1989, Reeves was invited to kill a pig at a ceremony, creating controversy as he was patron of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.[2]

Retirement

After his retirement from the vice-regal office Reeves became the Anglican Consultative Council Observer at the United Nations in New York (1991–93) and Assistant Bishop of New York (1991–94). From 1994 until 1995 he served briefly as Dean of Te Whare Wānanga o Te Rau Kahikatea (the theological college of Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa, and a constituent member of St John's College, Auckland). He was also Deputy Leader of the Commonwealth Observer group to South Africa, Chair of the Nelson Mandela Trust, and Visiting Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at the University of Edinburgh.
Reeves went on to chair the Fiji Constitution Review Commission from 1995 until 1997, culminating in Fiji's readmission to the Commonwealth, until its suspension in 2000. On 12 December 2007 it was reported that Reeves was involved with "secret talks" to resolve Fiji's year-long political crisis, following the 2006 Fijian coup d'état.[4]
He served as the inaugural Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology, from its creation in 2000 until 2011.
In July 2011, Reeves announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and therefore was retiring from all public responsibilities.[5] He died of the cancer August 2011, aged 78.[6]

Honours and other awards

Reeves was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), he was appointed a Chaplain of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in April 1982,[7] Knight Bachelor in the New Zealand Birthday Honours 1985, a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George on 6 November 1985, a Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in 1986,[8] and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 2 March 1986.[9] In 1990 he became a Companion of the Queen's Service Order. Reeves was also made a Companion of the Order of Fiji.
There was some concern regarding Reeves' using the title Sir, as members of the clergy in the Church of England do not usually receive this title when knighted, and the same rule presumably applied to the Anglican Church in New Zealand. To avoid placing the Queen in an awkward situation (Governors General would by tradition be knighted by her in person at Buckingham Palace), the Prime Minister of the time, David Lange, made Reeves a Knight Bachelor before meeting her. Consequently, when Reeves went to receive the GCMG from the Queen, he was already Sir Paul.
On Waitangi Day 2007 he was awarded New Zealand's highest honour, being admitted to the Order of New Zealand.[10]
The University of Oxford conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Civil Law in 1985 and his college, St Peter's, appointed him an Honorary Fellow in 1981 and a Trustee in 1994. A Fellowship of St John's College, Auckland followed in 1989. He has received other honorary degrees, including an LLD of Victoria University of Wellington (1989), a DD of the General Theological Seminary, New York (1992), and the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Edinburgh (1994).
Changes to the rules in 2006 allowed him to use the style The Honourable for life.[11]

Arms

Arms of Paul Reeves

Notes
The arms of Paul Reeves consist of:
Paul Reeves Arms.svg

Crest
Upon a helm with a wreath Argent and Azure a circlet of the Maori poutama stepped pattern, stantant thereon a tui or parson bird (Prosthemadera novaseelandiae) Proper holding aloft in its dexter claw three feathers Argent their quills crossing in base.

Escutcheon
Per pale and per chevron embowed and enhanced Argent and Azure, three mitres (two and one) the infulae adorned with the Maori pitau kowhaiwhai pattern and three estoiles (one and two) all Counterchanged, in the fess point a royal crown and cap of estate Proper.

Supporters
On the dexter a brown kiwi (Apteryx australis) and sinister a kotuku or white heron (Egretta alba) beaks downward Proper each gorged with an ancient crown and supporting with the interior foot crozier Gold with the shaft adorned with the Maori pitau kowhaiwhai pattern Proper.

Compartment
A grassy mount with fern fronds growing therefrom Proper.

Motto
Whakarongo (Listen)

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

at No comments:

Shammi Kapoor, Indian film actor and director, died from renal failure he was , 79.

Shammi Kapoor was an Indian film actor and director. He was a prominent lead actor in Hindi cinema from the late 1950s until the early 1970s and played supportng roles from 1974 to 2011.
Shammi Kapoor is hailed as one of the most entertaining lead actors that Hindi cinema has ever produced and his notable films include Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Dil Tera Diwana, Professor, China Town, Rajkumar, Kashmir Ki Kali, Janwar, Teesri Manzil, An Evening in Paris, Bramhachari, Andaz and Vidhaata. He received the Filmfare Best Actor Award in 1968 for his performance in Brahmachari and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Vidhaata in 1982.


(born Shamsher Raj Prithviraj Kapoor; 21 October 1931.[4][5] – 14 August 2011)

Early life
He was given the name Shamsher Raj Kapoor at his birth in Mumbai to film and theatre actor Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsharni Kapoor née Mehra.[4] Shammi was the second of the three sons born to Prithviraj (the other two being Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor), both successful Bollywood actors. Though born in Mumbai, he spent a major portion of his childhood in Kolkata, where his father was involved with New Theatres Studios, acting in films. It was in Kolkata that he did his Montessory and Kindergarten. After coming back to Mumbai, he first went to St. Joseph's Convent (Wadala) and then, to Don Bosco School. He finished his matric schooling from New Era School at Hughes Road.
Kapoor had a short stint at Ruia College, in Matunga, Mumbai, after which he joined his father’s theatrical company Prithvi Theatres. He entered the cinema world in 1948, as a junior artiste, at a salary of Rs. 50 per month, stayed with Prithvi Theatres for the next four years and collected his last pay check of Rs. 300, in 1952. He made his debut in Bollywood in the year 1953, when the film Jeevan Jyoti was released. It was directed by Mahesh Kaul and Chand Usmani was Kapoor’s first heroine.

Film career

Kapoor started out with serious roles but with Filmistan's Nasir Hussain directed Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) opposite Ameeta and Dil Deke Dekho (1959) with Asha Parekh, he attained the image of a light-hearted, and stylish playboy. Tall, athletic, lively, fair complexioned, green-eyed and with handsome features, Shammi was a heartthrob, and his good looks and physique complemented his image. Both the films were debut films of the respective actresses Ameeta and Asha Parekh and both went on to be big hits and are regarded as classics.
With Junglee (1961) his new image was cemented and his subsequent films were all in this genre. He particularly chose Mohammed Rafi as his playback voice. In his early career in fifties, he had often played second fiddle to established heroines like Madhubala in films such as Rail Ka Dibba (1953) and Naqab, with Nutan in Laila Majnu, with Shyama in Thokar and with Nalini Jaywant in Hum Sab Chor Hain though none of them except Thokar clicked at the box office. But producers after 1960 apart from the actresses from southern India, loved pairing Shammi with new heroines, three of them became huge stars in their own right in Hindi films: Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, and Sharmila Tagore.[6] Of all his heroines, he said that Sharmila Tagore, Rajshree, and Asha Parekh were easy to work with.[7] Sharmila Tagore and Saira Banu made their Bollywood debuts with Shammi Kapoor in Kashmir Ki Kali and Junglee respectively[8] He and Asha Parekh were paired together in four films, the most successful being besides debut film of Asha Parekh, the murder mystery Teesri Manzil (1966) and the romance film Jawan Mohabbat.
In the early fifties he accepted serious roles in women oriented films like Shama Parwana (1954) with Suraiya, comedy flick Mem Sahib (1956) with Meena Kumari and thrillers like Chor Bazar (1954), which were all successful at the box office and in the tragic love story Mirza Sahiban with (1957) (a box office flop) opposite Shyama, but did not gain recognition and fame among the masses. Other than the above hits, he had fifteen films as flops to his credit till 1957. The other hits in late fifties included Mujrim (1958), Char Dil Char Rahen, Raat Ke Raahi (1959). His performances in K A Abbas' Char Dil Char Raahein (1959) and Kidar Sharma's Rangeen Raatein (1956) were also noteworthy but remained underfeted.[9] It was only after triple success of Tumsa Nahi Dekha (1957), Ujala and Dil Dil Deke Deko (both 1959), that he became popular with the audience and became a star. In the first half of the 1960s, Kapoor was seen in successful films like College Girl, Basant, Singapore, Boy Friend, Professor, Dil Tera Diwana, Vallah Kya Baat Hai, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, Bluff Master, Janwar and Rajkumar. Although nominated before, in 1968, he received the first Filmfare Best Actor award of his career for the film Bramhachari. He made a unique place for himself in the industry as he was the only dancing hero in Hindi films from the late fifties till early seventies. Saira Banu said in an interview "At the time when Dilip sahab, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand ruled the industry, it was Shammi Kapoor who created a niche for himself with his unique dance moves. He used to say he didn't know how to dance but he would just listen to the music and feel it. He was the only 'dancing hero' at that time."[10] He used to compose dancing steps by himself in the songs picturised on him and never needed a choreographer. This earned him the name of Elvis Presley of India.[2][11]
His pairing opposite Southern heroines were always a success at the box office. He delivered hits opposite B. Saroja Devi like Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya and Preet Na Jane Reet, with Padmini gave Singapore (1960 film), opposite Vyjayanthimala had hits like College Girl and Prince (1969 film). In the sixties his successful run continued until new romantic icon Rajesh Khanna entered the scene in 1969.[12] However Shammi did have commercial successes in late sixties, like Budtameez and Sachaai with Sadhana, Latt Saheb with Nutan and Tumse Achha Kaun Hai with Babita.
In the 1970s, Kapoor’s weight problem proved an obstacle in his path of success and ended his career as a romantic hero as his films started failing. His last hit film, in which he played the lead role, was Andaz (1971). As his career as hero ended, Shammi started playing charcater roles in films from 1974. Shammi played Saira Banu's father in Zameer (1974), when he had been her leading man a decade earlier in Junglee (1961) and Bluff Master (1964).In 1974, he donned the hat of a director and made Manoranjan in 1974 and Bundal Baaz (1976). However, both the films failed to create magic at the box office though were critically acclaimed and have developed a cult fan following over the years. His directorial venture Manoranjan (1974), a movie inspired from Irma La Douce, had Sanjeev Kumar in lead role and Shammi played a supporting role himself. In Bundal Baaz (1976) he casted Rajesh Khanna in the main lead and Shammi played the role of a genie in the film. Critics hailed these 2 films as classics and to be ahead of its time. In the 1980s and 1990s, he continued to play supporting roles in many films and won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in Vidhaata (1982). His notable roles as a character actor were in Hero, Vidhaata, Hukumat, Batwara, Tahalka, Chamatkar, Namak and Prem Granth. He got the opportunity to do some films in other languages such as Bengali and Tamil in the nineties. He did a social melodrama serial called Chattan aired on Zee TV for more than a year in the 1990s. He eventually cut down on film appearances by the late 1990s and early 2000s and made his appearances in the 1999 Salman Khan and Urmila Matondkar starrer Jaanam Samjha Karo, 2002 release Waah! Tera Kya Kehna and the delayed 2006 release Sandwich. He made his last appearance in Imtiaz Ali's directorial venture Rockstar co-starring his grand-nephew Ranbir Kapoor, the grandson of his brother Raj Kapoor.
Film director Shakti Samanta directed Shammi Kapoor in six hit films like Singapore, Pagla Kahin Ka, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening In Paris and Jaane Anjane and quoted in an interview “I found Shammi to be a thoroughly good man. Even in his heydays, he was humble."[13]

Personal life

Shammi Kapoor, in 1953, dated Nadia Gamal, a belly dancer from Cairo.[14] Shammi quoted in an interview that "We met in Ceylon and we were in love. Somehow things did not work out and she went back to Cairo."[15] Kapoor met Geeta Bali in 1955, during the shooting of the film Rangeen Raaten, where he was the leading actor and she played a cameo. Geeta Bali was a well established actress and a popular star at this point of time and Shammi had not tasted any success. They fell in love during the outdoor stints of the movie at Ranikhet, an ancient Army based hill-station in the Kumaon region, but since she was a year older to him and had acted with his elder brother in Bawren Nain and his father in Anand Math, they were skeptical. Four months after they first met, they married at Banganga Temples, near Napean Sea Road of Mumbai with Hari Walia as the sole witness. They informed their parents only after their marriage. Geeta Bali also did cameo in Shammi starrer Mujrim (1958). They were paired together in Miss Coca Cola, a box office dud and Coffee House. After their marriage Geeta Bali acted in 14 films and retired from the film industry. Geeta Bali's last film as a lead was Jab Se Tumhe Dekha Hai opposite Pradeep Kumar, in which Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor made special appearances.
Shammi and Geeta lived a life of bliss in the coming years. They had a son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, on 1 July 1956, at Shirodkar's Hospital, Mumbai, a year after they were married. Five years later, in 1961, they had a daughter, Kanchan.
Tragedy struck in 1965, during the filming of Teesri Manzil. Geeta died of small pox, leaving Shammi with two small children.
In 1969, he married Neela Devi Gohil from the former royal family of Bhavnagar in Gujarat. He was gaining weight rather significantly now and this ended his career as a romantic hero in the early 1970s. Andaz (1971) was one of his last hits.
Shammi Kapoor was the founder and chairman of Internet Users Community of India (IUCI). He had also played a major role in setting up internet organizations like the Ethical Hackers Association. Kapoor also maintained a website dedicated to the Kapoor family.[16]
In 2006, he told interviewers that he underwent dialysis three times a week. Irrepressible even then, this punishing regimen has failed to depress him. Rather, he said that he was thankful to God for giving him so much.
He died of renal failure around 5:15am on 14 August 2011 at Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for chest infection.[17]

Death

Kapoor was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai on 7 August 2011 suffering from chronic renal failure. His condition remained serious for next few days and he was kept on ventilator support.[18] He died on 14 August 2011, 05:15 am IST, of chronic renal failure, aged 79.[19][20] Funeral was held on Monday, 15 August at Banganga cremation ground, Malabar Hill, Mumbai. Aditya Raj Kapoor, the actor's son, performed the last rites at the cremation. The entire Kapoor family were present to pay their last respects, including his younger brother Shashi Kapoor, sister in law Krishna Kapoor, grand nephew Ranbir Kapoor, nephews Rishi, Randhir and Rajiv, Randhir's wife Babita and grand nieces Karishma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.[21] Bollywood personalities Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Subhash Ghai, Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy, Danny Denzongpa, Prem Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Shahrukh Khan, Kabir Bedi and Priyanka Chopra were among those who attended the funeral.[22]

Awards, nominations and other recognition

Partial filmography

[33]
Year Film Role Co-Star Notes
1953 Jeevan Jyoti Shyam Sunder 'Shammi' Chand Usmani Debut Film
Rail Ka Dibba Sundar Madhubala
Thokar


Laila Majnu Majnu Nutan
Ladki


Gul Sanobar


Khoj


1954 Shama Parwana


Mehbooba


Ehsan


Chor Bazar


1955 Tangewali


Naqab


Miss Coca Cola
Geeta Bali
Daku Badal Shashikala
1956 Sipahsalar


Rangeen Raatein
Mala Sinha
Memsahib Manohar Meena Kumari Negative character
Hum Sab Chor Hain


1957 Tumsa Nahin Dekha Shankar Ameeta First breakthrough in career
Maharani


Coffee House
Geeta Bali
Mirza Sahiban Mirza Khan

1958 Mujrim Shankar/Anand Ragini
Dil Deke Dekho Roop/Raja Asha Parekh
1959 Ujala
Mala Sinha, Raaj Kumar
Raat ke Raahi
Jabeen
Mohar
Geeta Bali
Char Dil Char Rahen Johny Braganza Raj Kapoor
1960 Basant Ashim Nutan
College Girl
Vyjayanthimala
Singapore
Padmini
1961 Boyfriend Shyam Madhubala
Junglee Chandra Shekhar Saira Banu Shammi Kapoor's first colour film
1962 Dil Tera Diwana Mohan Mala Sinha
Professor Professor Pritam Khanna Kalpana Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
China Town Mike/Shekhar Shakila & Helen Double role
Vallah Kya Baat Hai Kundan Bina Rai
1963 Bluff Master
Saira Banu
Shahid Bhagat Singh


Jab Se Tumhe Dekha Hai Qawwali singer Geeta Bali & Shashi Kapoor Cameo appearance
Pyar Kiya To Darna kya


1964 Rajkumar
Sadhana
Kashmir Ki Kali Rajiv Lal Sharmila Tagore
1965 Janwar Sunder Srivastava / Sundaram Munderam / Sheikh Kalimullah Rajshree
1966 Teesri Manzil Anil Kumar "Sona"/Rocky Asha Parekh
Preet Na Jaane Reet Ashok Saroja Devi
Budtameez Shyam Kumar Saxena Sadhana
1967 An Evening in Paris
Sharmila Tagore
Laat Saheb
Nutan
1968 Brahmachari Brahmachari Rajshree Won—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1969 Prince
Vyjayanthimala
Tum se Acchaa Kaun Hai Ashok Babita
Sachchai
Sadhana
1970 Pagla Kahin Ka Sujit Asha Parekh & Helen
1971 Andaz Ravi Hema Malini & Simi Garewal Last film as lead actor
Jawan Mohabbat
Asha Parekh
Jaane Anjane
Leena Chandavarkar
Preetam Preetam Vinod Khanna & Leena Chandavarkar
1974 Zameer Maharaj Singh Amitabh Bachchan
Manoranjan Dhupu Zeenat Aman Director
Chhote Sarkar
Sadhana
1975 Salaakhen
Shashi Kapoor
1976 Bundal Baaz Genie Rajesh Khanna Director
1977 Parvarish


1978 Shalimar


1979 Meera Raja Vikramjeet Singh Sesodia

1981 Professor Pyarelal
Nadira, Dharmendra
Rocky (Himself) Sanjay Dutt
Naseeb (Himself)
Cameo appearance
1982 Prem Rog Bade Raja Thakur Sushma Seth & Rishi Kapoor
Vidhaata
Dilip Kumar Won—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Desh Premee Shamsher Singh Amitabh Bachchan
1983 Hero
Jackie Shroff
Betaab Sardar Dinesh Singh Girji Sunny Deol
1984 Sohni Mahiwal


1986 Allah Rakha Karim Khan
1987 Hukumat

1988 Ijaazat Mahender's grandfather Naseeruddin Shah Guest Appearance
1991 Ajooba


1992 Tahelka


Chamatkar
Shahrukh Khan
1993 Aaja Meri Jaan


1994 Sukham Sukhakaram

Malayalam film
1996 Aur Pyar Ho Gaya Dadaji Bobby Deol
Prem Granth Nandlal (Somen's uncle) Rishi Kapoor
1998 Kareeb Thakur Ranbir Singh Bobby Deol
1999 Jaanam Samjha Karo Rahul's Dadaji Salman Khan
East Is East


2002 Yeh Hay Jalwa


Waah! Tera Kya Kehna Kishan Oberoi Govinda
2005 Bhola in Bollywood Producer

2006 Sandwich Swami Trilokanand

2011 Rockstar Ustad Jameel Khan Ranbir Kapoor Last film before death

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

at No comments:

Albert Brown, American veteran, oldest survivor of Bataan Death March died he was , 105 .

Albert "Doc" Brown was an American former dentist, veteran of World War II and prisoner of war. Brown was the oldest survivor of the Bataan Death March at the time of his death in 2011 died he was , 105  .

(October 26, 1905 – August 14, 2011





Biography

Early life

Brown was born on October 26, 1905, in North Platte, Nebraska to parents, Albert and Ida Fonda Brown.[4] His mother was the aunt of actor Henry Fonda.[4] His father, Albert, was a railroad engineer.[4] Brown was also the godson of Buffalo Bill.[2]
Brown was raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, following the death of his father, who worked as a railroad engineer, in a locomotive engine explosion.[1] He joined the R.O.T.C. while in high school.[4] Brown received a bachelor's degree in dentistry from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1927.[4]

World War II

Brown was drafted into active duty in the military in 1937.[1] He left his wife, Helen, children and dental practice behind.
Brown and thousands of American and Filipino troops were captured following the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. He survived the Bataan Death March, in which the Japanese forced 78,000 Allied prisoners of war to march 65 miles from Bataan to a POW camp without food, water or medical attention.[1] An estimated 11,000 prisoners died during the march, including those who were killed when they fell in the jungle.[1] Brown recorded the events he witnessed in secret using a small writing tablet and pencil hidden inside his canvas bag's lining.[1][2] He witnessed the killing of Filipinos who had attempted to throw fruit to the prisoners in the march.[1]
Following the Bataan Death March, Brown endured a three-year imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp from 1942 until he was liberated in the middle of September 1945.[1] He ate nothing but rice while in the camp.[2] Brown became afflicted with more than twelve diseases while in the camp, including dengue fever, malaria and dysentery.[1] He also suffered a broken neck and back.[1] He was released from the camp when he was 40 years old. He was nearly blind from maltreatment and had lost more than eighty pounds, then weighing less than one hundred pounds.[1][2] A doctor told Brown that he would not live to be 50 years old due to the extent of his injuries. However, he lived to be 105 years old.[1]

Post-war years

Brown moved to Los Angeles, California, after World War II.[2] He was unable to return to dentistry or reopen his practice due to the injuries he sustained in the march and the POW camp.[1] Instead, Brown returned to college and became involved in rental properties, which he purchased and became a landlord.[2] He rented houses and other properties to some of Hollywood's major figures of the time, including Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.[2] He developed personal friendships with Roy Rogers and John Wayne.[2] He even read for some screen tests while dabbling in acting.[2]
He later moved from California to southern Illinois in 1998, settling in the town of Pinckneyville to live with his daughter.[1][4] He did not openly discuss his experience on the Bataan Death March until the 1990s, approximately fifteen to twenty years before his death.[2] In 2007, Brown was recognized as the oldest living survivor of the Bataan Death March by the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, a veterans organization.[1][4] The American War Library, which is located in Gardena, California, also named Brown as the oldest living World War II veteran at the time, though that has never been confirmed by other organizations.[4] His experience during the march and war was chronicled in the 2011 book, Heroes of the Pacific War: One Man’s True Story, by Ken Moore.[2]
Albert Brown died in a nursing home in Nashville, Illinois, on August 14, 2011, at the age of 105.[1] His wife of fifty-eight years, Helen Johnson Brown, died in 1985.[4] Brown was survived by his daughter, Peggy Doughty; son, Graham; twelve grandchildren, twenty-eight great grandchildren and nineteen great-great grandchildren.[4]

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

at No comments:

John Wood, English actor (WarGames, Chocolat) died he was , 81. .

 
John Wood,was an English actor died he was , 81.


(5 July 1930 – 6 August 2011)

Biography

Wood was born in Derbyshire[1] and studied law at Jesus College, Oxford, where he was president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. [2] Changing to drama, Wood became known as a stage actor, appearing in numerous West End productions as well as on Broadway. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1970s and played many roles in Shakespeare's plays. He also appeared in many of Tom Stoppard's plays. Wood starred in the première of Stoppard's Travesties in 1974,[3] and he later took the role to Broadway, winning a Tony Award for his performance.[4]
Wood's wide-ranging cinema career included significant roles in WarGames (1983), Ladyhawke (1985), Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), and Ian McKellen's Richard III (1995), Sabrina (1995), and The Revengers' Comedies (1997), among others.
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007.
Wood died in his sleep on 6 August 2011.[1]

Films

Television

Awards

Wood won a Tony Award in 1976 for the role of Henry Carr in Stoppard's Travesties, and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 1997 for the role of A. E. Housman – which he originated – in Stoppard's The Invention of Love.
Wood received two other Tony Award nominations: for the role of Sherlock Holmes in a revival of William Gillette's play, and for the role of Guildenstern in Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. In 1994 he received much acclaim for his role of Travis Flood in Philip Ridley's controversial play Ghost from a Perfect Place.
Wood was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours of 2007 in the United Kingdom.

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

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...