/ Stars that died in 2023

Friday, May 10, 2013

Hiroshi Arikawa, Japanese voice actor, died he was 70.


Hiroshi Arikawa was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Kagoshima Prefecture affiliated with Engekishūdan En.
Formerly affiliated with Gekidan Haiyūza, Arikawa enrolled in Gekidan Kumo in 1965. It wasn't until 1975 that Arikawa would enroll in Engekishūdan En. On October 16, 2011 he died of acute respiratory failure[1].

(有川博 Arikawa Hiroshi?, November 2, 1940 – October 16, 2011[1])

Roles

Television drama

Theater

Television animation

Theater animation

Video games

Dubbing roles



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Titus Thotawatte, Sri Lankan director, died he was 82.


Titus Thotawatte was a Sri Lankan director and editor. He made several popular and technically skilled Sri Lankan action movies in the 1960s and 1970s and later developed Sinhala children's programmes. Thotawatte died on October 15, 2011 in Colombo.[1]

(born Emmanuel Titus de Silva on April 17, 1929 in Borella) 


Early life

Thotawatte was born the youngest of three children with two older sisters. He attended Ananda College in Colombo and studied art under J.D.A. Perera and Stanley Abeysinghe. Subsequently he went to Matara Technical College.

Career

Thottawatte joined Lester James Peries and Willie Blake [2] in making Rekava in 1956 as editor.[3] It was an attempt to make a truly Sinhala movie to contrast with the Southern Indian copies in vogue.
Thottawatte struck out as a director with Chandiya in 1965 The film starred Gamini Fonseka in the first villain role of Sinhala Cinema.[4] Other early films include Kauda Hari (1969), Thewatha (1970) and Haralaksaya (1971).[5]
In 1980, Thotawatte wrote and directed the popular children's movie Handaya [5] which was awarded the Best Picture at the Sarasaviya Film Festival.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he dubbed English cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Doctor Dolittle into Sinhala for Sinhala audiences. These continue to air on Sinhala Television channels. Thotawatte also created puppet characters like Eluson.
When The National Media Awards took place for the first time in Sri Lankan History, three Gold awards were made to veteran journalist D. F. Kariyakarawana for his contribution to newspaper journalism, Vijaya Corea in honour of his contribution towards the upliftment of Broadcasting media over a long period of time and Titus Thotawatte, the veteran film maker for his contribution to the TV media in Sri Lanka.
Titus Thotawatte - The Viceroy of Sinhala Cinema
Titus is one of the greatest cinematic giants produced by Sri Lanka. The vacuum left by his sudden demise, is irreparable. The entire nation owes a debt of gratitude to this remarkable veteran artiste, who sacrificed his lifetime in building an unshakable image around the globe.
Titus Thotawatte Titus is a rare artiste, who was full of talent. He was involved in all aspects of the film industry and also in the television field of Sri Lanka. He was an all-rounder in the artistic world. He played an inestimable role in the film industry as an editor, sound engineer, director, producer, lab technician, art director and even did a little acting. In addition to the film industry, he was involved in television as a producer, director and in dubbing etc. The most recognized fact is that he was the best editor ever produced in Sri Lanka.
Titus Thotawatte was born on April 17, 1927 in Colombo. There were five members in his family. His father was a businessman. His original name is Thotawattege Manual Titus de Silva. He studied in Ananda College and later entered the Colombo Technical College to pursue arts and other creative work.
Film industry In the early 1950s he joined the Government Film Unit as an apprentice and later became a permanent employee. In the Government Film Unit, he learnt and gained experience in the finer techniques of making films but his forte was editing films. All the films made at the Government Film Unit were documentaries. He edited documentary films, such as, Conquest in the Dry Zone and Be safe or Be sorry which were directed by Dr Lester James Peries.
Dr Lester James Peries, the father of Sinahala Cinema joined the Government Film Unit in the early ‘50s and Willie Balke, who later became one of the best cameramen also worked there during same period. Lester, Willie and Titus became close friends. This friendship created history and revolutionized Sri Lanka’s film industry. In 1955, these three leading characters left the Government Film Unit and started to make their own film. The film was Rekawa, which ceylonized our film industry. He is the first Sri Lankan editor to challenge the work of his South Indian counterparts and he also has the distinction of editing our first colour film.
True characters Titus is the best editor ever produced in Sri Lanka. Most of the films which he edited shone nationally and internationally. After Rekawa, he edited Sandesya, a film which was also directed by Lester with the photography by Willie. After that, nearly 25 films were edited by Titus himself and some of them were Parasathumal, Ran Muthu Duwa, Sarawita, Punchi Baba, Gatawarayo, Devarayo, Hantane Kathawa. In addition, he edited many short films and a few documentary films. The international award winning Minisa Saha Kaputa was one of the short films that he was involved in editing.
Titus directed nearly six feature films. Most of the films became box office hits. His stories based on true and natural incidents which show the real side of society. The characters of the films are true characters, people who we meet in our day-to-day lives. His first film Chandiya shows the real informal urban segment. Haralakshe Mankollaya and Maruwa Smaga wase are based on incidents which happened in Sri Lanka. He created those stories and made them very close to reality. His films Sagarika and Suihasuna were not hit films, but try to emphasize the new trend. His film Hanadaya created a revolution in the Sinhala cinema and gave a boost to the making of children’s films.
The other special experiment he did was to make three short stories called Thewatah (three stories or three faces), experimenting with feature films. The stories of the films were based on different themes. The three short films in Thewatah feature film were Picturer Pissa, Gilihunu Mal and Ahala Pahala. The short film Gilihunu Mal was highly appreciated by the professionals and the public and won the OCIC Award for the best short film. However, these three films are considered as short stories.
Great artiste Eventhough the songs of his film Puran Appu, a story based on a national hero were recorded, they were not completed. Unprecedented changes emerged which had an effect on the social life of Sri Lanka in 1979. This was the introduction of television, a sophisticated invention of the new world. The tendency to produce programmes to influence the people was realized as a national need with the arrival of the television screen, a spectacle that invaded our living rooms.
In 1982, this great artiste Titus Thotawatte joined the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation with the main objective of improving the production of television programmes of high value at a premium. Ran Kahawanu and the award winning Kumaraya and Hansaya (Prince and Swan) added with documentary films are a few examples of his ingenious creations. The remarkable contribution made by him with dubbing and providing subtitles to films is a semblance of revolutionized expertise on television programmes. He also produced number of documentaries and even a serious of programme focusing on economic subjects, such as, Ganu Denu (nearly 50 episodes) proving that he had the ability to touch on other subjects too.
Innovative creations His attempt of innovative creations has inspired a new generation and helped them showcase their skills in partaking on various programmes. As a matter of fact both young and old recall the inexplicable memories of his great works like Malgudi Dawasa, Athuru Mithuru, Rasara, Ahala Pahala, Robin Hood, Oshin and Ha Ha Hari Hawa episodes in mint condition. His effort to influence children in particular has borne fruit.
Characters by the likes of Pandithuma, Bagalawathi Teacher and Dr Honda Hitha are closely attached to the day-to-day social life of the current environment.
He behoves public tribute as the only Sri Lankan artiste who earned an irrefutable reputation for giving priority to making children's films like the well known Handaya, a film that revolutionized the industry. The theme of the film Handaya was to focus the genuine mindset of children. In recognition of his distinctive skills, he was presented with the prestigious global award for the best film at the International Children and Youth Film Festival in Italy, in addition to many other national accolades won by him. The adorable creation of new characters in television dramas produced by him still shine and are at the fingertips of children. He became a knight in shining armour on inventiveness of cartoon characters and the influence these characters had on children and translated his remarkable know how into reality by dubbing television movies, a masterly performance of artistry. Dr Honda Hitha and Pissu Poosa are a few examples.
His masterly contribution to the film industry made in editing, script writing and direction was assiduously rewarded with the prestigious Sarasaviya, OCIC and Bunka awards by the unreserved recognition of the local and international cinema, as a tribute in appreciation of his stellar performance. Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible.
'Invaluable contribution The greatest Grand Pix Award was presented to him at the International Film Festival for Children and Youth - Giffoni Valle Piana Italy for his children's film Handaya. Indisputably, he was honoured with very esteemed accolades of the Kalasuri Award in 1990, Sarasaviya Rana Thisara Award in 1995, Sumathipala Memorial Award in 1996, Swarnasinghe Award in 1997 and Bunka Award presented by the Japanese government on account of his inestimable partnership with cinema industry. Titus, enthused by his brilliant and innate talents in a variety of artistic skills, made an invaluable contribution to raise the cinema screen to the pinnacle of its glory. He excelled in arts and music with his innovative prowess, under leading musicians of virtuosity Ananda Samarakoon and Sunil Shantha during the time of his salad days. He trained in dancing under the famous traditional dancer Sesha Palihakkara. He became a talented artiste through practical training obtained at the Colombo Technical College.
The people of Sri Lanka have always valued his dedicated contribution to Sri Lankan cinema, television and entire Fine Arts sector. Evidently, this great artiste started from scratch and used his extraordinary talents to overcome all challenges to produce a local Sinhala movie. The image of Titus Thotawatte developed in the Sri Lankan cinema can never be replaced and will shine at the pinnacle of everlasting glory on the cinematic screen in Sri Lanka.


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Gerald Shapiro, American fiction writer and academic, died he was 61.

Gerald David  was an American writer who had published three prize-winning books and was Cather Professor of English at the University of Nebraska. He was also a reader for Prairie Schooner. He lived in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife, the writer Judith Slater.

(August 23, 1950 – October 15, 2011)

Education

B.A. and M.A. from the University of Kansas; M.F.A. from the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Academic Positions

Awards

Honor Award in Fiction from The Nebraska Center for the Book and the Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction and the Pushcart Prize for Fiction and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for Jewish Fiction. He has also been a finalist for the 2000 National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. Also won a Merit Award from the Nebraska Arts Council's Individual Artists Fellowships program.[2]

Works

His stories have appeared in Ploughshares,[1] Witness, The Kenyon Review, Gettysburg Review, Missouri Review,[3] Quarterly West, Southern Review.

Books Published

Edited

Gerald Shapiro, ed. (1998). American Jewish fiction: a century of stories. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-9252-9.

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Tongai Moyo, Zimbabwean musician, died from non Hodgkin's lymphoma he was 43.

Tongai Moyowas a contemporary Zimbabwean musician, often referred to as Dhewa.

(12 March 1968 – 15 October 2011) 

Born and raised in Kwekwe, Dhewa rose to fame in the late 1990s as a solo-artist with the Utakataka express.[1] Smash hits such as Samanyemba, Naye, Muchina Muhombe and many others catapulted Dhewa to national, regional and international fame; he produced 14 albums in a career spanning over two decades.[2] Tongai Moyo succumbed to non Hodgkin's lymphoma at St Anne's Hospital on the evening of Saturday 15 October in Harare. Close to 15 000 people came to pay their last respects to the sungura superstar at Mbizo Stadium in Kwekwe.[3]


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Sue Mengers, American talent agent, died from pneumonia she was 79.


Sue Mengers  was a talent agent to many significant filmmakers and actors of the New Hollywood generation of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.[3]

(September 2, c. 1932 [2] — October 15, 2011)

Early life

Mengers was born in Hamburg, Germany.[4] Several years of birth have been published,[5][6][7][8] and while she was living, reporters stated "she won't say just when" she was born.[9] Around 1938, she arrived in the United States with her parents.[10] Neither of her Jewish[11] parents spoke English at the time. Settling in Utica, New York, her father became a traveling salesman. After he committed suicide in a hotel in Times Square, Mengers relocated to The Bronx with her mother, who took a job as a bookkeeper.[12]

Career

Mengers' entry into the talent agency business was in 1955 as a receptionist at MCA, at the time the dominant company of the trade, with a roster of clients that included Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. She also worked for a while as a secretary for freelance theatrical agency Baum & Newborn. Eventually, she was hired as a secretary at William Morris Agency, a powerhouse in the emerging TV business,[13] where she remained until 1963, when a former Baum & Newborn colleague, Tom Korman, formed his own agency and hired her as a talent agent.[14]
Her first big score was actress Julie Harris, who was primarily a stage actress. To Mengers' surprise, Harris wanted to appear on an episode of Bonanza. Mengers contacted the producer who commissioned a specially written episode for Harris.[15] Mengers represented Anthony Perkins, who had not worked in the United States since Psycho (1960). She contacted producer Ray Stark and obtained Perkins a role in director René Clément's film Is Paris Burning? (1966).[15]
Some time in the late 1960s or early 1970s, she was hired by Creative Management Associates (CMA), a boutique agency owned by Freddie Fields. CMA's clients included Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and Robert Redford.[16] On December 30, 1974, Fields sold the agency to Marvin Josephson and his TV powerhouse, International Famous Agency (IFA), to become International Creative Management.[17]
Mengers represented such luminaries as Candice Bergen, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon, Cher, Joan Collins, Brian De Palma, Faye Dunaway, Bob Fosse, Gene Hackman, Sidney Lumet, Ali McGraw, Steve McQueen, Mike Nichols, Nick Nolte, Tatum O'Neal, Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Barbra Streisand, Gore Vidal, and Tuesday Weld.[4] She retired from International Creative Management (ICM) in 1986 and came back for a brief stint at the William Morris Agency from 1988-90.
When the Manson family murders took place, Mengers reportedly reassured her friend and client, Barbra Streisand: "Don't worry, honey, stars aren't being murdered. Only featured players."[18]

Legacy

In the 1973 film The Last of Sheila, the character played by actress Dyan Cannon was reportedly based on Mengers.[4]
In Barbara Walters' autobiography, Audition: A Memoir, she describes Mengers as "a legend in the business. Smart, tough, and funny, she is also brutally honest."[19]
Mengers expressed disapproval when she thought the character Shelley Winters played in Blake Edwards' S.O.B. (1981 film) was based on her. She made the public statement "An Alp should fall on their house". Edwards replied that was far preferable than having Sue Mengers fall on their house.[20].
Elizabeth Taylor based her character in the 2001 Made for television movie These Old Broads on Mengers.[21]

Marriage

On May 5, 1973,[22] she married Belgian writer-director Jean-Claude Tramont (May 5, 1930 – December 27, 1996). Barbra Streisand was her maid of honor.[23] Tramont died on December 27, 1996, aged 66, from cancer.[24]

Death

Mengers died on Saturday, October 15, 2011, from pneumonia at her home in Beverly Hills, California. Her age was given as 79 by Boaty Boatwright, an agent at International Creative Management and a longtime friend. Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter posted a written tribute the following morning.[25]


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Earl McRae, Canadian journalist (Ottawa Sun), died from an apparent heart attack he was 69.


Earl McRae  was an award-winning journalist who formerly wrote a daily general interest column for the Ottawa Sun.[1]

(May 3, 1942 – October 15, 2011)

Biography

McRae won the National Magazine Gold Award for sports journalism three times, the top honour in its field, plus two Silvers, and been nominated eight times. He won three Ontario Newspaper Association awards for his columns. He was runner-up finalist in 2006 for the National Newspaper Award in sports writing for his piece on former heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo. He won 10 column-writing Dunlop Awards for the Sun Media chain. In 2010, McRae was inducted into Algonquin College's Media And Design Hall Of Fame (Journalism) for lifetime achievement.[citation needed]
He wrote two books, Requiem For Reggie and The Victors and the Vanquished, both of which are collections of his magazine sports profiles. One of McRae's magazine articles in which he entered the world duck-calling contest was published in the book, The Treasury of Great Canadian Humour.[citation needed]
In 2002, McRae was awarded the Friendship Medal, the highest civilian honour by the Royal Canadian Legion, for his articles on matters pertaining to the military, not the least of which was his column-writing campaign over several weeks that raised some $250,000 from the public to make it possible for a large group of Canadian veterans to return to Ortona, Italy in 1998 for a reunion ceremony with surviving German vets defeated by the Canadians in the bloodiest battle of the Italian theatre 55 years earlier.[citation needed]
In 2007, McRae won the Canadian Consumers' Choice Man Of The Year honour in a Leger Marketing poll of consumers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. He worked for the following newspapers: Ottawa Journal, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, Peterborough Examiner, Toronto Star, Canadian Magazine and Ottawa Citizen. He was a daily columnist for 20 years with the Ottawa Sun, the last 13 as a general-interest columnist.[citation needed]
He was a CBC-TV sports anchor in Toronto with his own nightly radio sports talk show. McRae wrote film biographies about Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Montana, and marathoners Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar. Over the last 40 years of his life, he covered some of the biggest news stories. In 1996 he was accused by then CFL commissioner Larry Smith of being partially responsible for the folding of the Ottawa Rough Riders. McRae founded the Elvis Sighting Society in Ottawa in 1989, a non-profit registered charity that through its fund-raising events has currently raised upwards of $750,000 for various Ottawa-area charities.[citation needed]

Death

On October 15, 2011, McRae died of a heart attack in Ottawa. McRae is survived by his daughters Jill and Caitie, sons Neil, Dave and Robert, daughter-in-law Danusha, sisters Laurie and Chris, brothers Bob, Bill and Steve, and grandchildren Lesya, Ayden and Paige.


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Matthew G. Martínez, American politician, U.S. Representative from California (1982–2001), died he was 82.

Matthew Gilbert Martínez  was a Congressional representative who was both a member of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party from California's 30th congressional district from 1983 to 1993 and California's 31st congressional district from 1993 to 2001. Martínez switched parties to become a Republican after being defeated in a 2000 primary.

 (February 14, 1929 – October 15, 2011)

Early life

Martínez's family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was young, and he attended public schools in Los Angeles. In 1949 he graduated from Roosevelt High School. From 1947 to 1950 he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, achieving the rank of private first class. In 1956 he received a certificate of competence from the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.[2]
For the next fifteen years he owned and operated a custom furniture upholstery company, and worked as a building contractor.

Political career

He began his political career in 1971 when he became a member of the Monterey Park Planning Commission, and served until 1974 when he was elected to the Monterey Park City Council. He served until 1980, including two terms as mayor in 1974 and 1980.
In 1980, Martínez defeated incumbent Jack R. Fenton in the Democratic primary election in California's 59th State Assembly district. He was elected to the California State Assembly with no major party opponent.[3]
In 1982 George E. Danielson left the U.S. House of Representatives to take the bench. Martínez won the special election to succeed him, and was reelected nine times by varying margins.
In his first term in Congress he was assigned to the Education and Labor Committee. In the 99th Congress (1985–87) he chaired the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities. In 1991, he became the Chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee. In 1992, Martínez was named to the Foreign Affairs Committee, and served on the Subcommittee on International Security, International Organizations and Human Rights.
In 2000, Martínez was defeated in the Democratic primary by liberal State Senator Hilda Solis 62% to 29%. She charged he was out of touch with his district when he voted to ban partial-birth abortion and opposed gun control. (He was both Roman Catholic and a member of the National Rifle Association.)[2] While he had been a reliably Democratic vote on most issues throughout his congressional career, after his primary loss Martinez began to vote overwhelmingly with Republicans. On July 27, 2000, Martínez switched to the Republican Party, arguing that the Democrats had abandoned him. There was no Republican candidate on the ballot in the district for the 2000 Election, and Martinez declined to attempt a write-in candidacy, though he remained critical of Solis and promised to stay active in the Republican party.[4] His term in Congress ended on January 3, 2001 at the end of the 106th Congress.

Family

Martínez was married to Elvira Yorba Martinez, with whom he had five children: Matthew Adrian, Michael Gilbert, Diane, Susan, and Carol Ann. His daughter, Diane Martínez, served in the State Assembly from 1992 to 1998.

Death

On October 15, 2011, Martínez died at his home in Fredericksburg, Virginia.[5][1][6] He had suffered from congestive heart failure.[7]

Memberships



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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...