Robert Ellenstein, American character actor died he was , 87

 Robert Ellenstein  was an American film, television and theatre actor  and director with a varied career, including a long list of Los Angeles theater productions over several decades, died Oct. 28 of natural causes at a nursing home in West Los Angeles he was , 87. As an L.A. theater director, one of Ellenstein's most notable productions was his staging of 'Hamlet' using only six actors and no props. He appeared in more than 20 films and many television shows.

(18 June 1923 – 28 October 2010)


The son of Meyer Ellenstein, a Newark dentist, Robert Ellenstein grew up in that New Jersey city and saw his father go on to become its two-term mayor. He served in the Air Corps during World War II: earning a Purple Heart during his service. He attended NYU and graduated with honors from the University of Iowa.

He began acting, directing and teaching in Cleveland, Ohio. A veteran of the "Golden Age" of live TV (he played Quasimodo in a live Robert Montgomery Presents (1950) version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"), for the same show played the lead in "A Case of Identity", later turned into the film "The Wrong Man", he was the first actor to play Albert Einstein on TV. Ellenstein made his first film in 1954 (MGM's Rogue Cop), he was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest".

In 1961, he played the mobster Legs Diamond in an episode of NBC's 1920s crime drama The Lawless Years with James Gregory.

He also directed television with an episode of the 1960s sitcom, Love on a Rooftop with Judy Carne and many live TV episodes. Ellenstein had over 200 television appearances. He performed hundreds of stage roles as an actor. He directed dozens theatre productions in New York, Los Angeles and in regional theater. He was artistic director of The Company of Angels and Founding Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Repertory Company. He received a lifetime achievement in theatre award from the LA Weekly in 1988. He is best known for having played the villain in the pilot episode of Moonlighting (1985), and then the Federation President in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). Ellenstein taught theatre professionally and academically for over 50 years, founding the Academy of Stage and Cinema Arts in Los Angeles.
 Death
He died on 28 October, 2010.^[1] He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lois, daughter Jan and his two sons, David and Peter, both of whom are artistic directors of theatres.

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Gerard Kelly, British actor (City Lights), died from a brain aneurysm he was , 51

 Gerard Kelly  was a Scottish actor, who appeared in many comedies, most notably in City Lights, Rab C Nesbitt and Scotch and Wry.^[2] He also had more serious roles, including the villainous Callum Finnegan in the soap opera Brookside. He remains best known, however, for his starring role in City Lights as the hapless would-be author Willie Melvin. He had a small part in the 1987 critically-acclaimed film Comic Strip Presents... Mr Jolly Lives Next Door.

(27 May 1959 – 28 October 2010)

In 1983, he featured in "Killer", the pilot episode of crime drama series Taggart.^[3]
In 1994 he played Felix Ungar in a Scottish touring production of The Odd Couple, relocated to modern-day Glasgow, alongside Craig Ferguson and his best friend Kate Anthony as Oscar Madison. He reprised the role at the 2002 Edinburgh Fringe, opposite his former City Lights co-star Andy Gray.

In between 2005 and 2007 he appeared in three episodes of Ricky Gervais' comedy Extras as Ian "Bunny" Bunton.
In 2006 and 2007 he starred in, and directed, a Scottish play called Rikki and Me celebrating the life of Rikki Fulton, in which he played the role of Jack Milroy.
From 2007 he appeared regularly as Father Henderson, a camp priest in the BBC Radio 4 comedy Fags, Mags and Bags.
Gerard played The Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show in Edinburgh and Aberdeen from June 21, 2010 to July 3, 2010. He was due to revive this performance for one week at the King's Theatre, Glasgow from November 8 till November 13, 2010.^[4]
Kelly was well known for his appearances in pantomime at the King's Theatre. In 2008, he appeared in Cinderella^[5] and, in 2009, featured in Aladdin.^[6] He had been due to appear in the 2010 production of Snow White.
Kelly died on 28 October 2010 after collapsing with a brain aneurysm.^[7]

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Denise Borino-Quinn, American actress (The Sopranos), died from liver cancer she was , 46

Denise Borino-Quinn  was an American television actress who had a recurring role as Ginny Sacramoni, the overweight wife of New York mob boss Johnny Sack in the television series The Sopranos died from liver cancer she was , 46.^[1][2]

(January 6, 1964 – October 27, 2010)

She was born in Roseland, New Jersey. She attended West Essex High School, the same school as Sopranos creator David Chase although nearly 20 years apart.^[1][2]
To obtain the part of Ginny Sacramoni, she attended the casting call in Harrison, New Jersey to support a friend and because she thought it would be fun to watch the crowds. She was picked from 14,000 actresses. Previously, she had been a legal assistant in New Brunswick, New Jersey firm of Hoagland-Longo.^[1][2]
She later lost 175 pounds via stomach stapling.^[3]

She married Luke Quinn, Jr., in 2005 and they lived in Bordentown, New Jersey. He died in March 2010. They had no children. She died only seven months later from liver cancer on October 27, 2010 at the age of 46.^[1][
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James Wall, American actor (Captain Kangaroo) and stage manager, died after short illness he was , 92

 James Earl "Jimmy" Wall  was an American stage manager and actor died after short illness he was , 92.

(December 12, 1917 – October 27, 2010^[1])

Having performed on radio, theater, and in the Army during World War II, Wall worked as a stage manager on Broadway before being hired as the stage manager for the children's television series Captain Kangaroo by CBS in 1962. In a interview clip that aired on the October 28, 2010, CBS Evening News, Wall recalled how he made the case to Kangaroo's producers for an African-American character. However, he still had to audition for the role which became Mr. Baxter, a teacher and Captain Kangaroo's neighbor.^[2] Wall joined the cast in 1968, remaining with the show until 1979; he made a guest appearance in 1981. He was also the stage manager for 41 consecutive years on the US Open Tennis Championships telecasts.^[2]
Wall was presented with the Directors Guild of America's Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award in 1994. He continued to work for CBS in semi-retirement until 2009.





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Glen Little, American circus performer (Frosty the Clown) died he was , 84

 Glen "Frosty" Little ^[1] was a circus clown who served with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for over 20 years. He was one of only four clowns ever to have been given the title "Master Clown" by the Ringling organization.^[2][3]

(December 5, 1925 – October 26, 2010) Early life

Born in 1925 in Genoa, Nebraska to parents Glen and Elsie,^[1] Little saw his first circus at the age of seven, which instilled a life-long love of the circus in him.^[2][4] His nickname "Frosty" was given to him as a boy by his grandfather, who compared him to Jack Frost due to his love of playing in the snow.^[2][4] Little used the pseudonym extensively, even singing his checks "Frosty Little".^[5]
Little served in the US Navy during World War II, and was wounded. He learned juggling from a fellow patient while convalescing, a skill that would later help him land his first clowning jobs.^[2]
In 1971, he married his wife, Patricia, a photographer and former schoolteacher, with whom he had two daughters.^[2][4] He had an additional daughter by a prior marriage.^[1]

Early career

Prior to joining the Ringling outfit, Little worked as a postal employee and land surveyor in Colorado. From 1954 to 1956, he performed as a clown at a local amusement park on weekends, wearing a rented costume.^[2] In 1956, he went into clowning full-time after he was hired by the Joe King Circus, with which he toured the Rocky Mountain States for half of the year.^[4][2][6] The rest of the year, he freelanced as a clown at birthday parties and special events.^[4] He continued working for the Joe King circus for seven years until its closure in 1962.^[2]

With Ringling Brothers

Little also worked for other small outfits like the Tom Mix Show and Sells Floto Circus, but he had long had his eye on "The Greatest Show on Earth" – Ringling Bros.^[2] In 1968, he finally got his chance when Ringling Bros. created the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College; Little was in its first graduating class, and at the age of 44, he landed a job with Ringling's newly split-off second touring unit.^[7][2][8]
In 1970 Little was promoted to "Boss Clown" of his unit, and from 1980 until his retirement in 1991, he was the circus' "Executive Clown Director", overseeing clowns in both units, and writing new gags for the clowns to perform. In his lifetime, he wrote over 300 gag routines.^[3][9] In his later career, Little also served as an advance man for the circus.^[4][2]
From 1980 until its closure in 1997, Little also taught at his alma mater, the Ringling Brothers clown college.^[2][10] In 1988, Little also helped establish the Ringling circus' first overseas touring unit (based in Japan), choreographing gags and training members of their clown staff.^[2]
Among the dignitaries he entertained were US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and US President Richard Nixon.^[4][11] He also appeared on 12 Ringling Bros. TV specials.^[3]
Little sustained several injuries over the course of his career, including seven broken ribs, ruined knees, and numerous other injuries that left him with "crooked fingers". After one accident, he was rushed to the hospital (after completing his performance) still wearing his clown suit.^[5][2]

Honors

In 1983, Little was named "Master Clown" by the Ringling organization, only the fourth clown ever to be so named (after Otto Griebling, Bobby Kaye, and Lou Jacobs – Little's mentor).^[7][11] Little was the last person ever to have been awarded the title, and was the last surviving Master Clown at the time of his death.^[12]
Little was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame in 1991.^[13]

Post-career

After his retirement, Little lived in Burley, Idaho, where he ran a circus museum.^[5] In 1996, Little wrote a book on his experiences as a clown, titled Circus Stories: Boss Clown on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for More than 20 Years.^[14]
In 1977 Little was asked by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune what he would do after he retired from the circus. Little replied, "Leave here? Are you out of your mind? I'm never going to leave here. I'll always be a clown."^[15]
On October 26, 2010, Little died in Kimberly, Idaho.^[1] He was survived by his wife Patricia.^[16]

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Lisa Blount, American actress (An Officer and a Gentleman) and Academy Award-winning film producer (The Accountant). died she was , 53

Lisa S. Blount  was an American film and television actress and Oscar-winning producer  died after battling a rare blood disorder she was  , 53.

(July 1, 1957, Fayetteville, Arkansas  – c. October 25, 2010^[1])

Blount was raised in Jacksonville, Arkansas. She started working in show business with her debut in Sam's Song (1969). After graduating from Jacksonville High School in 1975, she landed several small television roles.

Career

She is likely best-remembered for her film role as Lynette Pomeroy in An Officer and a Gentleman.

 Another memorable role was that of Jim Profit's outrageous stepmother Bobbi Stakowski in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed Fox TV series Profit. She starred in Prince of Darkness as the love interest to Jameson Parker, who would play a more important role in the story as it progressed. She appeared in season two (1986) of Moonlighting in the episode, "Sleep Talkin' Guy".
Blount later became a producer and, along with her husband Ray McKinnon, won the Academy Award for best live action short film for the 2001 film, The Accountant. That film also credits her as wardrobe mistress.^[2] Blount produced and acted in the film Chrystal, starring Billy Bob Thornton.

Death

Blount was found dead in her Little Rock, Arkansas, home by her mother on October 27, 2010. The coroner told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Blount appeared to have died two days earlier. No foul play is suspected, according to the Pulaski County Coroner.^[3][4]
Her mother told RadarOnline.com her daughter had suffered from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), in which low levels of platelets keep blood from clotting and lead to bleeding and bruising. "I think that might have been part of the problem when she passed away because when I found her she had a purple look on her neck that looked like blood on the surface", Louise Blount said.^[5]

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Jeff Carter, Australian photographer and author.died he was , 82

Jeff Carter  was an Australian photographer and author died he was , 82.

(August 1928 – 25 October 2010)

Early life

Carter was born in August 1928 in Victoria and attended Melbourne Boys’ School. He began taking photographs while still at high school. His first photos were taken with a [Box Brownie], given to him as a 13th birthday present.^[1]

Career

In 1946, Carter set off to travel around Australia with his camera and typewriter and made a living selling his stories and photographs to a wide range of Australian and international newspapers and magazines including Paris Match, People, Pix, Walkabout and Australian Women's Weekly. He was later also commissioned by National Geographic.
From 1949-54, Carter was editor of Outdoors and Fishing magazine; he then resigned to travel in rural and outback Australia as a freelance photo-journalist. He wrote and illustrated 17 books based on his experiences.^[2] His most widely held book outside Australia is People of the Inland. [Adelaide]: Rigby, 1966. OCLC 901968. Carter's other books include: The Life and Land of Central Australia (1967); Outback in Focus (1968); Stout Hearts and Leathery Hands (1968); Surf Beaches of Australia’s East Coast (1968); Four-Wheel Drive Swagman (1969); Wild Country (1974); Jeff Carter's Great Book Of The Australian Outdoors (1976); All Things Wild (1977); and Jeff Carter's Guided Tours Of The Outback (1979).
Carter is quoted as saying that he was influenced by writers such as Upton Sinclair, John Steinbeck and Edgar Snow.^[3]

Television

From 1972–74, together with his wife Mare Carter and eldest son Thor Carter, he filmed, wrote and produced the television series Wild Country for the Seven Network, which was shown internationally, including the annual television festival MIP in Cannes, France. An episode won awards for Best Documentary, Best Director and Best Editing at the 1974 Australian Film Institute Awards, and an episode won several awards at the annual television festival MIP in Cannes, France.
From 1981–85, he was head teacher of photography at the Wollongong campus of the National Art School.

Collections and exhibitions

His photographs are in the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW, the National Gallery of Victoria, The National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of Australia (over 450 photographs), the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Australian National Museum, and the Powerhouse Museum. They have been exhibited at the National Library of Australia, the National Art Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Art Gallery of South Australia and overseas galleries in Osaka, Japan, Lisbon, Portugal, New York and Paris.
The Monash Gallery of Art in Melbourne, held a major retrospective exhibition of his images in May-June 2003, which was seen by a record number of over 9,000 visitors. Part of this exhibition was then shown at the Christine Abrahams Gallery, and the National Trust Gallery in Melbourne.
Carter received the Australia Council’s Visual Arts/Craft Board 2004 Emeritus award. Senator Rod Kemp, then Minister for the Arts and Sport, commented:

The annual Visual Arts/Craft Emeritus Award and Medal honour the achievements of artists and advocates who have made outstanding and lifelong contributions to the arts in Australia. The career of itinerant, self-taught photographer Jeff Carter spans half a century. It has been estimated that he has produced some 55,000 negatives since he took to the road in 1946 as a young man inspired by his heroes Steinbeck and Hemingway. Armed with a typewriter and a 1A folding Kodak camera, he set about on a journey across the country that would see him document the people, places and life of a changing Australia. In doing so, he has produced one of this country's most remarkable and historically significant photographic archives. As his self-titled calling as photographer to the 'poor and unknown' suggests, Carter is a humanist whose early articles and iconic black and white images, like Tobacco Road and The Drover's Wife, exposed an appreciation of the difficulties Australians outside major cities faced everyday.

The National Library compendium of its image collection uses the iconic image Tobacco Road for the cover illustration. A collection of his black and white studies was published as Jeff Carter: Retrospective Sydney: New Holland, 2005, ISBN 9781741102130

Themes

As a photographer, Carter concentrated on the unglamorous and unprivileged aspects of Australia, with a focus on the working lives and conditions of ordinary Australians. During his early travels, his experiences as an itinerant bush worker, fruit picker, side show "urger" for a travelling boxing troupe, drover, road worker, and mill hand, brought him in contact with the people who would be the subjects of his photographs. These early years of his career filled him with admiration for those making their livings in some of the toughest environments in Australia.
Throughout his career, Carter has produced series that show the progression of events over time. Concentrating on rituals and process, they comprise evocative images.

Personal life

With Mare Carter (born USA, arr. Australia 1950, author) he settled in 1962 on a 45-hectare farm at Foxground, near the south coast town of Berry, NSW, where their two sons Goth and Vandal were born. He has two older children, Thor and Karen.

Obituary

Jeff Carter's obituary, written by Robert McFarlane, appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald on 6 November 2010.

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