Michel Peissel, French explorer and author, died from a heart attack he was 74.

Michel Georges Francois Peissel was a French ethnologist, explorer and author.^[1] He wrote twenty books mostly on his Himalayan and Tibetan expeditions. Michel Peissel was an emeritus member of the Explorers Club and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

(February 11, 1937 – October 7, 2011) 

Biography

Raised in England Peissel later studied a year at Oxford University and the Harvard Business School and obtained a Doctorate in Tibetan Ethnology from the Sorbonne, Paris.

First journey

In 1958, at the age of 21 — stranded on the coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico,— he walked 200 miles down the coast to Belize discovering, on the way, 14 yet unrecorded Mayan archeological sites. This journey changed his life, leaving the Harvard Business School after a year, he decided to study ethnology and explore the last unknown regions of Tibet and the Himalayas.

Himalayan expeditions

Himalayan territories crossed by Michel Peissel

To study the Sherpas of Everest: In 1959, Peissel organised his first Himalayan expedition out of Harvard to study the Sherpas of the Everest district.
To Mustang: In 1964 he set out across the Himalayas to explore Mustang, a minute Tibetan speaking kingdom whose identity had escaped the attention of both scholars and the general public. His written account of the expedition, Mustang: A Lost Tibetan Kingdom, an international best seller, was published in 1967.
To Bhutan, Zanskar, and many other destinations: The Mustang expedition was followed by 28 others to the remotest regions of the Tibetan speaking world. In 1968 he became one of the first foreigners to cross Bhutan and study its little known Eastern districts. He then performed the first detailed study of the Kingdom of Zanskar in Kashmir, later studying the Minaro (Dards) of Baltistan and Ladakh while attempting to locate precisely the "land of the gold digging ants" of Herodotus.
By Hovercraft: In 1973, he crossed the Himalayas by hovercraft, between Mt. Annapurna and Mt. Dhaulaghiri. Later he travelled by hovercraft up the Ganges, in India, and also down the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, in Mexico, after having invented and patented the first single fan hovercraft. (patent). He enjoyed saying he had "pioneered the sport of shooting up rapids".
To Tsari: In 1986 he became one of the very first foreigners to penetrate Tsari and the gorges of the Brahmaputra in tropical Tibet.
To the source of the Mekong: In 1994 he led an expedition to locate the elusive source of the Mekong River following the Dza Nak (the black Mekong, the historical main branch of the river) thus believing to discover the historical source of Asia's third longest river. Ten years later a Sinojapanese expedition Chinese proved that the geographical source (the farthest from the sea) lies at the headwaters of the white Mekong, Dza Kar, which satellite photos show to be 4500 meters longer than what Peissel called the historical branch. Thus like the Mississippi, the Yellow river and countless other rivers the Mekong is considered to have a geographical source and a historical source.
To find archaic breeds of horse: In 1995 subsequent to previous investigations and research on Tibetan breeds of horses he organised an expedition with the veterinary scholar Dr Ignasi Casas which led to the identification of a yet unknown archaic breed of horses; the Riwoche horse. (See note below.)

From Yucatan to Belize

In 1987 in relation with Mexican archeologists Peissel built a giant sea going Mayan dugout canoe and paddled and sailed 500 miles down the Yucatan coast and that of Belize to demonstrate the role of maritime commerce by the Chontal Itzas in the 10th century collapse of the Mayan lowland cities.

In the wake of the Varangians

In 1988, having built a replica of a Viking long boat, Peissel and a crew of six rowed and sailed up the river Dvina and down the Dnieper 2400 km across the Soviet Union, from the Baltic to the Black Sea; an expedition meant to recreate that of the Varangians, the founding fathers of the Russian monarchy in the 8th century.

Marriages and children

Michel Peissel was married three times and has five children, Olivier Peissel and Jocelyn Peissel, from his marriage to Marie-Claire de Montaignac, Octavia Peissel and Morgan Peissel, from his marriage to Mildred (Missy) Allen and Valentin Peissel from his Marriage to Roselyne LeBris

Books

• "The Lost World of Quintana Roo". New York E.P. Dutton,1962 and Hodder and Stoughton,1964
• "Tiger for Breakfast:the story of Boris of Katmandu": E.P. Dutton, 1966 and Hodder and Stoughton 1967
• "Mustang a Lost Tibetan Kingdom".New York: E.P. Dutton 1967 and London Collins-Harvill,1968
• "The Cavaliers of Kham, the secret war in Tibet" London: Heinemann 1972, and Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1973
• "The Great Himalayan Passage" Collins 1974, and Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1975
• "Himalaya, continent Secret" Paris, Flammarion 1975
• "Les Portes de l'Or" Paris, Robert Laffont 1978
• "Zanskar the Hidden Kingdom". New York E.P. Dutton 1979 and London: Collins-Harvill 1980
• "The Ant's Gold, discovering the Greek Eldorado" London: Collins-Harvill 1984
• "Royaumes de l'Himalaya". Paris: Bordas & Fils 1986
• "Itza, le mystere du Naufrage Maya". Paris: Robert Laffont 1989
• "La Route de l'Ambre". Paris: Robert Laffont 1992
• "The Last Barbarians, the discovery of the source of the Mekong". New York: Henry Holt & Company 1997, and London Souvenir Press 1998
• "Le Dernier Horizon". Paris: Robert Laffont 2001
• "Tibet, the Secret Continent". London Cassell Illustrated, 2002, and New York: St Martin's Press 2003
• "Tibetan Pilgrimage" New York: Abrams 2005

Films

Peissel has produced, directed or initiated 22 documentary films on his expeditions. 4 part series in 1980 by the BBC on "Zanskar, the Last Place on Earth" Smithsonian exploration special for the Arts and Entertainment Channel on the source of the Mekong Other films and videos are visible on the French National Archives website, (INA)

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Andrew Laszlo, Hungarian-born American cinematographer (First Blood, The Warriors, Newsies), died he was 85.

Andrew Laszlo A.S.C. Hungarian: László András  was a Hungarian-American cinematographer best known for his work on the cult film classic The Warriors . He earned Emmy nominations for The Man Without a Country in 1973 and the 1980 TV miniseries Shōgun in 1980.

(January 12, 1926 – October 7, 2011)

Early Life (1926-1941)

"I never believed I was anybody special. I still don't think so, nor did I ever believe that anyone would give a hoot hearing about who I was, where I came from, what I did at various stages of my life, and why. I am convinced the world would function equally well, or equally badly, with or without me. - Andrew Laszlo, Footnote to History, 2002"^[1]

So begins a section of Andrew Laszlo's recount of his early years and speaks modestly of the man who survived unimaginable atrocities during that time and accomplished much in his later life.
He was born László András in 1926 in the vicinity of Pápa, Hungary the town where his family finally settled about the time that Andrew was three years old. Until World War II began to affect life in Hungary, his life was relatively carefree and was spent in relative comfort although the family had to move several times into smaller or bigger quarters depending on the financial circumstances of his father. He was close to his older brother, Alex, with whom he often dreamed up exciting adventures sometimes leading to catastrophy.
Of his many early experiences, one that served as a prelude to later tragedies, was seeing the Graf Zeppelin fly over Papa. Inquiring about the symbol painted on the tail of the airship, Andrew's father said that it was a swastika. That is all he wanted to tell his young son at the time.
Andrew was an avid swimmer and skater during his early school years and became accomplished at fencing in High School. It was also during this time that his interest in photography began and led later to a small business printing photos for his fellow classmates.
In the late 1930s, Andrew's father, Leslie (Hungarian: Laci), was called up to serve in the Hungarian Army. This effectively ruined his business, forcing Andrew to learn the fine art of lampshade manufacture to help support the family. This was a successful undertaking even though Andrew was still a full time High School student. Then, as for everyone else, World War II turned everything up-side-down.

The War Years (1941-1947)

In June 1941, the Hungarian city of Kassa (today Košice in Slovakia) was bombed by air. Although several theories are still debated about the real perpetrators, the Hungarian government used the incident as the reason for declaring war on Russia. From then on, Hungary was irreversibly tied to the Axis powers and Germany/Hitler in particular. Anti-semitism that had been simmering for years now came to the fore in Hungary. In 1944, a part of Papa was turned into a Ghetto and all Jews were forced to move there, including the Laszlo family. In early June, Andrew was forced to join a Labor Camp and was taken there in a railroad cattle car. On June 29, his family (excepting his brother, Alex) was taken from Papa and sent to Auschwitz. Andrew was then taken to another labor camp in what is now Romania and put to work laying railroad track. After one more move to another camp, Andrew received a final postcard from his brother, Alex.
Following an air raid on the labor camp, Andrew deserted and found his way to Budapest. After a short stay in City Park (Hungarian: Varosliget) he and hundreds of others were herded onto boxcars and sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. This was the winter of 1944. Here, he survived for months in an atmosphere of cold, starvation, beatings, outright murder, lice infestation and constant reminders of death. Near his 19th birthday, he spotted his Aunt Alice in the camp. She perished there not much later.
In March 1945, with the pressure on the Germans in Norway increasing, Andrew was shipped to the concentration camp at Theresienstadt. Here, like thousands of others, he came down with typhoid fever. It was here that he was reunited with his father, someone he thought of as long dead. Finally, on May 8, 1945, Theresienstadt was liberated by the Russians. As part of returning to humanity, Andrew found a piano at the camp and asked his fellow Hungarian pianist, George Feyer to play for the liberators and the liberated.
On his return to Papa, he found the town to be a much different place, including it being run by the Russian Army. Being entrepreneurial, he restarted his photography business with the Russian soldiers being great customers. After taking the final exam, Andrew got his High School diploma and then moved to Budapest where a job at the Hungarian Film Bureau was waiting for him. Unfortunately, this job was not very exciting and paid little. Andrew realized that it would take years for the Hungarian movie business to return to its former self and did not want to wait that long. So, he went back to Papa and began to plan for his immigration to the United States at the urging of his uncle, George Laszlo, who was already living in New York and was willing to sponsor him. He found his way to New York by way of Ulm, Germany, where he survived by selling American cigarettes (sent to him by Uncle George) to the locals. After a brief but obligatory stop in Frankfurt, Andrew was given the right to enter the United States. He did so on January 17, 1947 by walking down the gangplank of the SS Ernie Pyle after it had docked on the west side of Manhattan. He had turned 21 just five days earlier.

Life and Career in the United States (1947-1996)

On arrival, Andrew was taken under the wings of his Uncle, George Laszlo, who was a painter, inventor and lithographer already living in New York City. Andrew quickly adjusted to life in Manhattan. As he stated in his own words for the documentary Cinematographer Style:

"My main objective was to keep my head above water, work and have enough money to live, learn the language, the faster the better, because that was the most essential element in getting work. Most importantly, I was trying to get work that was in some ways connected with photography.

For some time I worked in the laboratory of a company that printed textiles and wallpaper with a photographic process. I worked in the darkroom, as I put it, to keep my fingers in the developer. At one time, I worked as a door-to-door baby photographer. I had a camera and a few lights I could do the work with.

Then the greatest break of my life came. I was the number one person from New York City to be drafted by the army for the Korean War. I wound up in the U.S. Army motion picture school, which was wonderful. We not only had all the equipment, the school insisted we shoot 35mm motion picture film, day-in and day-out, thousands of feet and, of course, doing it is the greatest way to learn.

When I came out of the army it was a little bit rough. I was a young fellow, trying to enter the industry, which was very difficult because I had no track record. I tried absolutely everything to get work. In fact, I resorted to gags that nowadays I’m actually a bit self-conscious to talk about. I was turned down by so many producers, even smalltime ones; I couldn’t even get past secretaries. At one point, I sent out hand-printed résumés on sandpaper just so they would remember it. I sent out résumés on shirt cardboard so they couldn’t crumple it up and toss it in the wastebasket. The breaks finally came. I took any job offered to me, as long as I had a chance to be behind a camera, do some lighting, experiment with lenses and so on. Then better jobs were offered and that is how I got started. As I said earlier, the important thing is to stick with it."

Shortly before his discharge from the US Army Signal Corps, Andrew married his New York-born sweethart, Ann Granger. Soon, the family grew to three with the arrival of his first son, also named Andrew. With perseverance, he landed a job as a camera operator on The Phil Silvers Show. This was followed by a number of other TV shows, including Naked City where he served as the Director of Photography. With greater opportunities came the necessity to work on locations around the world. Resisting the temptation to move to Hollywood, Andrew settled with his family in the suburbs of New York where three more children (Jim, Jeffrey and Elizabeth) arrived in quick succession.
Andrew started to work with TV personality Ed Sullivan in 1953 and filmed programs in Portugal, Alaska and Ireland. In 1959, Ed 'kidnapped' Andrew to Havana, Cuba under the pretense that they would be filming a segment in the Dominican Republic. Ed's real goal was to do an interview with Fidel Castro who had just overthrown the Batista government. Ed, unfortunately, did not realize that the electrical system in Cuba would not support the camera equipment and lighting normally used in the United States. This created enormous technical issues for the crew with the possibility that the equipment could cause a blackout in the entire neighborhood. Somehow, the footage turned out OK if only passably so.
In 1962, Andrew was offered his first feature film, One Potato, Two Potato, a controversial film about the interracial marriage of a black man and white divorcee. In 1966, he filmed Francis Ford Coppola's You're A Big Boy Now, with Geraldine Page receiving an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress. This was followed in 1968 by The Night They Raided Minsky's, a big-budget musical marred by the mid-production death of Bert Lahr.
On August 15, 1965, The Beatles were scheduled to give a concert at Shea Stadium in New York City. Andrew took on this Ed Sullivan production with trepidation and excitement since it would be the first extremely large rock concert to be filmed for television. Even with careful preparation, the film crew was not prepared for the piercing screams of an audience made up of 56,000 teenagers. The sound system was completely overwhelmed, making it necessary to dub much of the song tracks in postproduction. Nevertheless, and using 14 cameras scattered through the place, the crew managed to film not just the Beatles but much of the audience in the stands and the security detail that was hoping that a major stampede would not break out. When all was said and done, the crew had recorded over 200,000 feet of film of which only 10,800 made it into the finished documentary. As a long-lasting effect, Andrew's hearing was never to be normal again.
In 1979, he filmed the Walter Hill cult film The Warriors. This movie gave Andrew the opportunity to devise several cinematic techniques, including the innovative lighting used for subway car interior shots. Musing in his 2000 book "Every Frame a Rembrandt,"^[2] he says:

"If made today, The Warriors would probably be an altogether different movie. The availability of fast and more sensitive, more forgiving negative and positive film stocks, faster lenses in all focal ranges, smaller, more powerful lights, electronic postproduction - all would add up to different photographic techniques, which would negate the need for the same ingenuity in dealing with the difficulties of cinematography in 1978."

Movie buffs may get the chance to see if Andrew was right, when the remake of The Warriors comes out sometime in 2012.
Returning to television, Andrew was the cinematographer on the 1980 five-part NBC miniseries Shōgun starring Richard Chamberlain. Filmed entirely on location in Japan, the production had many difficulties including the challenge of conversation with and direction to actors and extras who spoke no English. An unfortunate but funny anecdote often retold by Andrew was the premature kickoff of a fierce action sequence in Osaka harbor including guns blazing, extras jumping into the water, bombs exploding and boats sinking everywhere. Unfortunately, the cameras were not rolling. The whole scene had to be reshot at great cost of time and money. The details of this incident are recalled in Adrew's book "It's a Wrap."^[3]
His last feature film Newsies, filmed in 1991, was about a newspaper delivery-boy's strike that took place in 1899. The film starred Christian Bale and Robert Duvall. Although the movie was a box-office flop, it gained a cult following and was turned into a stage musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. It will move to Broadway for a limited run from March to June, 2012.
With Newsies in the can, Andrew decide that it was time to change his focus from TV and film production to teaching, fly-fishing, and woodworking.

The Later Years (1996-2011)

With the movie business behind him, Andrew spent his time giving lectures to film students throughout the United States. This gave him the opportunity to write two books about the art and science of cinematography.^[2][3] With a knack for storytelling and a great imagination, Andrew wrote and published several works of fiction. The Rat Catcher^[4] was published in 2004. A Fight of No Consequence^[5] appeared in 2006 and concerns an ex-fighter trying for a comeback. His experiences in Japan while filming Shogun, let to the writing of the fictional book Banjin"^[6] When not lecturing or writing, Andrew used his time on various wood- and metal-working projects. When visiting his ranch in Montana, he often took advantage of the first-class fly-fishing streams and rivers in the area. Above all else, he enjoyed spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. After a sudden illness diagnosed mid-year, he died at his home on October 7, 2011 in Montana, age 85.

Feature Motion Pictures

Note: In some cases the Year represents the date of creation, not release.

• Newsies (1992)
• Ghostdad (1989)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
• Innerspace (1987)
• Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
• Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
• Thief of Hearts (1984)
• Streets of Fire (1983)
• Rambo: First Blood (1982)
• I, The Jury (1982)
• Love is Forever (1982)
• Southern Comfort (1981)
• The Funhouse (1981)
• The Warriors (1979)
• Somebody Killed Her Husband (1977)
• Angela (1976)
• Thieves (1975)
• Countdown at Kusini (1974)
• Class of '44 (1973)
• To Find a Man (1971)
• Jennifer On My Mind (1971)
• The Owl And The Pussycat (1970)
• Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
• The Out-Of-Towners (1970)
• Popi (1968)
• The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
• You're a Big Boy Now (1966)
• One Potato, Two Potato (1963)

Television Programs

Note: In some cases the Year represents the date of production, not airing.

Miniseries

• Shōgun (1979)
• Top of the Hill (1978)
• The Dain Curse (1978)
• Washington Behind Closed Doors (1977)

Series

• Coronet Blue
• The Doctors and Nurses
• The Nurses
• Naked City
• Brenner (CBS)
• Mama (CBS)
• Joe and Mabel (CBS)
• The Phil Silvers Show (CBS)

Documentaries

• The Twentiety Century (CBS)
• High Adventure with Lowell Thomas (NBC)

Specials

• The Beatles at Shea Stadium (ABC)
• Ed Sullivan, Vietnam Veterans Easter Special (CBS)
• Ed Sullivan in Cuba (CBS)
• Ed Sullivan in Ireland (CBS)
• Ed Sullivan in Alaska (CBS)
• Ed Sullivan in Porugal (CBS)

Features and Pilots

• Thin Ice (1980)
• Spanner's Key (1978)
• The Unwanted (1974)
• The Man Without a Country (1972)
• Blue Water Gold (1969)
• Teacher, Teacher (1967)
• Daphne (1966)
• The Cliffdwellers (1965)
• The Happeners (1965)

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Charles Cuprill Oppenheimer, Puerto Rican general, died he was 95.

Charles Cuprill Oppenheimer was a Rotary District Governor for Puerto Rico and a retired Major general in the Puerto Rico National Guard. He earned his bachelor in political science from the University of Puerto Rico in 1940 and his Juris Doctor from the UPR school of law in 1947.^[1]

(September 12, 1916 – October 7, 2011)

He served three terms as Dean of Pontifical Catholic University School of Law. He was one of the Founders of Ponce School of Medicine. a two time president of Phi Sigma Alpha^[2] and a "Hermano Emeritus" Medal holder^[3] of the Fraternity.

In 1950 he was one of the founders of the Gamma-Boriquen chapter of Fi Sigma Alpha fraternity.^[4] He was a co-founder, of the El Vigia Rotary Club and was appointed to Government Committees by all the elected Governors of the Commonwealth Puerto Rico. He was also Chairman of the PR Electoral Reform Commission. He was a member of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Legacy

The Charles R. Cuprill Oppenheimer Award is given to the Graduate Student with the Most Outstanding Grade in the Administrative Law Course.



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Haji Amir Bux Junejo, Pakistani politician, died he was 95

Haji Amir Bux  was a Pakistani politician and Legendary landlord of Sindh,^[1] who was elected four times member in Provisional Assembly, Sindh. He was famously known as "Otaqi Wadero" of Sindh whose guest house was open to all and sundry where they were fed round the clock.^[2]

(24 December 1916 – 7 October 2011)

Early life

Only son of Imam Bux Khan Junejo, Born on December 24, 1916 in Khanpur, 1916 in Khanpur, Junejo passed primary education in 1927 in Khanpur primary School, He passed Sindhi Final in 1939 in Govt. High School Boriri. He recruited to Police in 1941 as Sobedar (Inspector). He resigned in 1946 and joined independence struggle by the Muslim League.

Political career

In 1970s he joined PPP and was elected MPA on the party ticket three times in 1970,^[3] 1988^[4] and 1990.^[5] Junejo took part in the Movement for Restoration of Democracy in 1983 and was sent to jail for six months.
In the General Election of 1970 He was highest vote achiever in numbers on MPA seat in East & West Pakistan, BBC broadcasted that news. He was consider to be the closed companion of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.^[6]
He left PPP and joined PML in 1993 and was again elected MPA in 1997.^[7] After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, he stopped running for MPA and later rejoined PPP.

Social Work

He was famous in the area for his generosity and it was known to everybody that his guest house was the ultimate place where all weary travelers and the destitute and the hungry could have food and shelter and a lot of kindness.^[8]
Haji Amir Bux Junejo provided three-time meal to hundreds of people daily. He was very kind to the poor and he used to provide grain to the poor for the entire family during wheat harvest season.
Late Junejo had allocated income from 500 acres of his farmland to feed the hungry and his guests. Hundreds of people used to visit his Otaq daily to have food.^[9]

Death

He was died on October 7, 2011 at his Hyderabad residence in Qasimabad. He is survived by three sons and seven daughters.

Funeral and burial

Late Junejo was laid to rest at Jamia Masjid Ali Bux Junejo in Kakar town and his funeral prayer was held in Ali Bux Junejo village. Funeral Pryer was performed by Syed Hussain Shah of Qamber Shareef, Awami Ittehad Party chairman Liaquat Ali Jatoi, former MPA Sadaqat Ali Jatoi and Pir of Ranipur Roshan Ali Shah were also among those who attended his funeral prayer.^[10]


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Paul Kent, American actor (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Three's Company), died from multiple myeloma he was 80.

Paul Kent was an American character actor who starred in film, television and theater for over five decades. Kent is perhaps best known for playing Lieutenant Commander Beach in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

(October 13, 1930 – October 7, 2011)

Early life

Kent was born on October 13, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York. His acting career officially began in 1958, when he and his parents moved from New York to California. He studied acting under Sanford Meisner and later assisted Meisner with his classes. The two became close friends and colleagues during Meisner's life, and when Meisner left Los Angeles to go back to New York, he left his teaching methods to be carried on in the West by Kent who consequently taught acting for many years through his theater.
Kent played a part in the formation of Lucille Ball's Desilu Workshop, where he became the first acting student signed by the workshop. According to Hedda Hopper, when Kent appeared at the workshop to help a female friend at an audition, he was discovered by Ball and promptly signed to an actor-stage manager contract. Kent's acting roles during this period included a part in an episode of December Bride.

Acting instruction

In 1964, Kent founded the Melrose Theater in West Hollywood with the assistance of fellow actors including Tom Troupe, Carole Cook, Richard Bull and Don Eitner. Funds for the theater were partially raised by a guest appearance with Lucille Ball and Gary Morton on the popular game show Password. Kent later recalled in an interview with The Los Angeles Times:

“

I was scared to death. I wasn't working steadily, I didn't know where the next rent would come from, and I had no experience in building a theater...I bought seats from a defunct movie house on Washington Boulevard. I'll never forget. Two dollars a seat. Linden Chiles and the students and I literally unbolted the seats from the floor and brought them back here.

”

Throughout the 1960s, the Melrose employed actors who went on to become well-known performers, including Richard Dreyfuss. Many of the theater's plays were broadcast on local CBS television affiliates.
In 1976, Kent entered into a partnership with workshop organizer Jomarie Ward to purchase a former bakery and photographer's studio at 733 North Seward Street in Hollywood. With the assistance of Ward and members of the workshop, the building was renovated and converted to the new Melrose Theater in 1977. The new, larger theater became the permanent headquarters of the Melrose, with Kent installed as artistic director and Ward as managing director.

Acting career

While serving as artistic director of the Melrose Theater, Kent also acted in many of its plays, and continued acting in film and television. He often worked with directors Robert Michael Lewis and Gene Reynolds, Star Trek producer Harve Bennett, and actor William Shatner.
One of Kent's acting appearances in the 1970s was a small part in the television miniseries Helter Skelter. The part was notable because Kent later played a different character in the 2004 reimagining of that film, directed by John Gray. Gray later bought Kent back to play a spirit in an episode of his TV series, Ghost Whisperer ("Mended Hearts"). In addition, Kent often played different characters in multiple episodes of a series, including his appearances in Lou Grant, T. J. Hooker and Falcon Crest.
In 1987 Kent played Harry M. Daugherty in a made-for-TV biographical film of J. Edgar Hoover, produced by Showtime. In 1999 Kent became the third actor to play the character of "Doctor Noel Clinton" in Port Charles, a spinoff of General Hospital, succeeding actors Dean Harens and Ron Husmann. Recently Kent had a lead starring role as the character of "Miles Mason" in Viagra Falls, a television pilot. One of his final acting roles was his portrayal of Mack Sennett in Return to Babylon, a film completed in 2008 but never commercially released.
In 1975, having acted for almost twenty years, Kent reflected on his craft to Los Angeles Times reporter Lawrence Christon:

“

Acting is my sanity, the thing I run to when things go wrong in my life. My special joy is rehearsing, making discoveries about the ins and outs of character. I love it so much that the actual performance, to me, is like the cigarette after the affair.

”

In 2002 the Melrose Theater was acquired by the National Comedy Theatre chain. It is currently the home of ComedySportz LA.

Personal life

Kent was the father of several children. At the time of his death he had been married to actress and author Madelyn Cain.

Death

Kent died on October 7, 2011 from multiple myeloma. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.

Partial filmography

Film

Title	Character	Year
The Astronaut (TV)	Carl Samuels	1972
Family Flight (TV)	First Controller	1972
The Alpha Caper (TV)	John Woodbury	1973
Pray for the Wildcats (TV)	Doctor Harris	1974
Lifeguard	Jack Gilmore	1976
Helter Skelter (TV)	Dennis Ranson	1976
Ruby	Louie	1977
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan	Commander Beach	1982
Perfect	Judge	1985
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors	Doctor Carver	1987
The Road Home	Coach Dale	2003
Helter Skelter (TV)	Van Nuys Judge	2004

Television

Title	Episode(s)	Character(s)	Year(s)
My Three Sons	Bub's Butler	Announcer	1963
The Outer Limits	The Man With The Power	Detective	1963
Mission: Impossible	Elena	Frederico (Uncredited)	1966
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.	The Master's Touch Affair	Valandros's Aide	1967
Hawaii Five-O	Strangers In Our Own Land	Milner	1968
Bonanza	The Night Virginia City Died	Doctor Martin	1970
Starsky and Hutch	The Plague	Lieutenant Anderson	1977
Three's Company	Jack Moves Out/Professor Jack	Alvin Morrell/Doctor Anderson	1979/1981
Diff'rent Strokes	Small Claims Court/Fire	Judge Roscoe C. Briggs/Chief Scott	1980/1982
The Dukes of Hazzard	Cletus Falls In Love	Mister Hodges	1981
Doogie Howser, M.D.	Doogenstein	Philip Leonetti	1990
Coach	Vegas Odds	Mister Burrows	1993
Frasier	Burying a Grudge	Doctor Sternstein	1994
The Practice	Trial And Error	Judge Skully (Uncredited)	1997
Boy Meets World	The Honeymooners	Tourist #1	1999
The West Wing	Inauguration, Part I	Cardinal Patrick	2003
ER	Get Carter	Mister Morgan	2004
Ghost Whisperer	Mended Hearts	Patient	2005

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Frederick Cardozo, British soldier and SOE veteran, died he was 94.

Frederick Henry Cardozo MC  was a British soldier and SOE veteran.^[1] Cardozo was brought up in the Loire Valley between 1923 and 1933; his father, Charles Cardozo, was of Portuguese stock. In 1949 he married Simone Bigot - they had two children - one of whom, Col. G Cardozo MBE, is the secretary of the veterans charity Veterans Aid. At the time of his birth, his father was the commander of a local army garrison, having been being wounded in 1915, at the battle of Loos.
In recognition of his work for the French resistance, Cardozo was awarded both the Legion of Honour and the Croix de Guerre.^[2]

(1 December 1916 – 7 October 2011)

Family background

Cardozo's Portuguese ancestors had become established in the London tobacco trade in the late 17th century. A century or so later his forebears, (including his father), were merchants for the East India Company in Madras. Cardozo's mother, Simone, was the daughter of Henry Daniell, who ran a china and antiques business in Wigmore Street, London; through his trade interests he had helped to organise the Wallace Collection and the Pierpont Morgan Collection.

World War II

Cardozo joined the British Army's Supplementary Reserve before the outbreak of war^[when?] and upon receiving his call up was posted with his regiment The South Lancashire Regiment to France. He was evacuated from Dunkirk and on his return to Britain was posted to coastline duties in anticipation of the expected German invasion.
Whilst on exercises in Scotland, Cardozo was approached by Henry Thackwaite, a senior SOE officer, who recruited him for operations in France; as a fluent French speaker he was a natural choice for such a posting. In May 1944 his team was parachuted onto Mont Mouchet in France to liaise with the maquis in the Auvergne. Relations with the maquis were not always easy and they had to cope with a series of vicious German counterattacks on Mont Mouchet and the surrounds.
Once Paris had fallen to the allies, Cardozo led a maquis operation to stop a German battalion leaving Aurillac; his efforts in this operation lead him to be awarded the Military Cross.

After WWII

Cardozo stayed in the army after the war, retiring in 1958, when he worked as a press attaché for American forces in France.
Before this he had served in India and later in Palestine with the 6th Airborne Division, where he was an instructor at École de guerre in Paris. He later served as the college commander at Sandhurst.
When the Americans left the command structure of NATO in 1966, he returned to England and became the president of the Latin Mass Society. He later moved to Morocco and began working for the Save the Children Fund. Later still, he worked for De Beers in Sierra Leone. When he finally retired, he moved back to his childhood home of the Loire Valley.



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George Baker, British actor (I, Claudius, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries), died from a pneumonia following a stroke he was 80.

George Baker, MBE was an English actor and writer. He was best known for portraying Tiberius in I, Claudius, and Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.

(1 April 1931 – 7 October 2011) 

Personal life

Baker was born in Varna, Bulgaria.^[1] His father was an English businessman and honorary vice consul.^[1] He attended Lancing College, Sussex; he then appeared as an actor in repertory theatre and at the Old Vic. Baker's third wife, Louie Ramsay, who died earlier in 2011, played his onscreen wife Dora in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries. Baker was survived by five daughters (four from his first marriage, one from his second).

Career

Baker first made his name in The Dam Busters and his first starring role was in The Ship That Died of Shame with Richard Attenborough.^[1] This was followed by a string of Ealing films, and his film the 1950s swashbuckler, The Moonraker has been shown all over the world since 1958. However over time, Baker became more well known as a television actor.^[1] He was the second (to Guy Doleman) of many actors to portray the role of "Number Two" in the series The Prisoner, appearing in the series' first episode. He appeared in his own TV comedy series Bowler. He was also in the first episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, playing a company boss interviewing the show's hapless main character. In the acclaimed 1976 drama serial, I, Claudius, Baker played the emperor Tiberius Caesar.
In the late 1970s, he starred as Inspector Roderick Alleyn in four adaptations of the mystery novels of Ngaio Marsh with New Zealand settings, in a production for New Zealand television. From 1988 to 2000, he played Inspector Reg Wexford in numerous television adaptations of mysteries by Ruth Rendell and this is probably the role for which he became best known. In 1993, following the death of his second wife, he married the actress Louie Ramsay, who played Mrs Wexford in the same television series.^[2]
He also appeared in The Baron, Survivors, Minder in Series 1's You Gotta Have Friends, Coronation Street (as brewery owner Cecil Newton) and in the Doctor Who story Full Circle.
Baker also appeared in the British comedy television series The Goodies' episode "Tower of London" as the "Chief Beefeater", as well as in the sitcom No Job for a Lady, and he is popularly known for playing Captain Benson, the James Bond ally in the film The Spy Who Loved Me^[3] and for his appearances as Sir Hilary Bray in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice. ^[1] Ian Fleming considered Baker to be the ideal candidate to play James Bond in the films but the role went to Sean Connery because Baker had other commitments.^[1] In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Baker dubbed George Lazenby's voice for the central segment of the film, where Bond is impersonating Sir Hilary Bray (Baker's character in the film), as can clearly be heard.^[1]
Baker's first theatre work was in repertory at Deal, Kent. His major stage credits include a season with the Old Vic company (1959–61), where he played Bolingbroke in Richard II, Jack in The Importance of being Earnest and Warwick in Saint Joan. In 1965 he started his own touring company, Candida Plays, based at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.^[4] He was Claudius in Buzz Goodbody's celebrated, modern-dress Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1975. ^[2]
In 1980 Baker wrote Fatal Spring, a play for television dealing with lives of poets Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves; this appeared on BBC 2 on 7 November 1980.^[5] It won him a United Nations peace award.^[2] His other writing credits included four of the Wexford screenplays.^[6]

MBE

In 2007, Baker was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire ("MBE") for his charitable work helping establish a youth club in his home village.^[2][7][8]

Death

Baker died on 7 October 2011 at the age of 80. He died of pneumonia, shortly after a stroke.^[9]

Filmography

• The Intruder (1953)
• The Woman for Joe (1955)
• The Ship That Died of Shame (1955)
• The Dam Busters (1955)
• The Extra Day (1956)
• The Feminine Touch (1956)
• A Hill in Korea (1956)
• These Dangerous Years (1957)
• No Time for Tears (1957)
• The Moonraker (1958)
• Tread Softly Stranger (1958)
• Lancelot and Guinevere (1963)
• The Finest Hours (1964)
• Curse of the Fly (1965)
• Mister Ten Per Cent (1967)
• Justine (1969)
• Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
• The Executioner (1970)
• A Warm December (1973)
• Three for All (1975)
• Intimate Games (1976)
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)
• North Sea Hijack (1979)
• Hopscotch (1980)
• Time After Time (1986)
• Out of Order (1987)
• For Queen & Country (1988)
• Back to the Secret Garden (2001)
• Parineeta (2005)

Television

• Rupert of Hentzau (1964)
• The Prisoner: "Arrival" (1967)
• Bowler (1973)
• Survivors (1975)
• I, Claudius (1976)
• Doctor Who: Full Circle (1980)
• Robin of Sherwood (1984)
• The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987–2000)
• Spooks (2005)

Publications

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