Category: TV

Patrick Stewart died on October 28, 2026.  He was 86.

Patrick Stewart was encouraged by his teachers to get into acting.  By the age of twelve, Patrick was a member of local drama groups.  He quit school at the age of 15.  Patrick Stewart worked at a various jobs, attended drama classes and continued to seek roles in local plays.

His first professional stage appearance was in 1959 at the Theatre Royal, Bristol in Cyrano de Bergerac.  In 1964 Mr. Stewart’s first television credit appears on his acting resume.  It wasn’t until 1975 that Patrick Stewart got a feature film credit.   When Patrick Stewart was chosen to play Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (the role that made him famous), the Los Angeles Times referred to him as an “unknown British Shakespearean actor”.

Some of Patrick Stewart’s television work includes: Story Parade; Theatre 625; BBC Play of the Month; Play for Today; Fall of Eagles (3 episodes); Anthony and Cleopatra; Omnibus (2 episodes); North and South (4 episodes); The Madness; I, Claudius (4 episodes); Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The BBC Television Shakespeare; Little Lord Fauntleroy; Smiley’s People; Maybury (20 episodes); Star Trek: The Next Generation (176 episodes); Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; 500 Nations (3 episodes); Moby Dick (2 episodes); A Christmas Carol; Frasier; The Lion in the Winter; High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman (8 episodes); Extras; Hamlet; The Hollow Crown (2 episodes); Futurama; The Simpsons (2 episodes); The Daily Show; Oscar’s Hotel for Fantastical Creatures; Robot Chicken (3 episodes); Blunt Talk (20 episodes); National Theatre Live: No Man’s Land; Family Guy (15 episodes); Star Trek: Picard (30 episodes); Bait (2 episodes) and American Dad! (125 episodes).

Some of Patrick Stewart’s feature film work includes: Hennessy; Excalibur; The Plague Dogs; Dune; Wild Geese II; Lifeforce; L.A. Story; Gunmen; Robin Hood: Men in Tights; Star Trek: Generations; Star Trek: First Contact; Conspiracy Theory; Safe House; Star Trek: Insurrection; The Prince of Egypt; X-Men; Star  Trek: Nemesis; X2: X-Men United; X-Men: The Last Stand; X-Men Origins: Wolverine; The Wolverine; X-Men: Days of Future Past; Green Room; Logan; Charlie’s Angels; Dr. Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness and The Sheep Detectives.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Patrick Stewart’s family, friends and fans.

Peter Medak died on October 27, 2026.  He was 88.

Peter Medak was born in Budapest, Hungary.  In 1956, Mr. Medak moved to Britain and began a career in the movie industry.  In 1963, Peter Medak was hired to direct television movies for Universal Pictures.  In 1967, he began making feature films for Paramount.

Some of Peter Medak’s television work includes: Court Martial; Strange Report (2 episodes); The Persuaders; The Third Girl from the Left; Space: 1999 (2 episodes); The Professionals; Return of the Saint; Hart to Hart (4 episodes); Remington Steele; Magnum, P.I.; St. Elsewhere; Crime Story; The Twilight Zone (7 episodes); Fairie Tale Theatre (5 episodes); Beauty and the Beast; China Beach; Tales from the Crypt; Kindred: The Embrace (2 episodes); Homicide: Life on the Street (6 episodes); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Chicago Hope; David Copperfield; The Wire; Carnivale; The Guardian (3 episodes); House; South Beach; Agatha Christie’s: Miss Marple; In Justice; Masters of Horror; Breaking Bad; Cold Case; Hannibal (2 episodes); The Assets (2 episodes); Hand of God (3 episodes) and The Ghost of Peter Sellers.

Some of Peter Medak’s feature film work includes: Negatives; The Ruling Class; Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (short); The Changeling; Zorro: The Gay Blade; The Krays; Romeo is Bleeding and Species II.

My favorite feature film is The Changeling.  It’s an under-rated gem.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Peter Medak’s family, friends and fans.

Susan Saint James died on October 26, 2026 from pancreatic cancer.  She was 80.

Saint James was born Susan Jane Miller.  She began a modeling career as a teenager.  When Susan Miller decided on a career in acting she changed her name to Susan Saint James.

Ms. Jame’s first role was in a television movie called Fame is the Name of the Game.  Susan Saint James continued to get television guest appearances, and when Fame is the Name of the Game was adapted into an on-going series (Name of the Game), she was brought back as one of the stars.  Her acting as Peggy Maxwell earned Susan Saint James 4 Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Primetime Emmy Nominations with one win.

The same year that Name of the Game ended, Susan St. James got the co-starring role with Rock Hudson in McMillan and Wife.  Susan Saint James left the series after five years (and two more Outstanding Lead Actress Primetime Emmy niminations) due to a contract dispute.  The series ran with a name change (McMillan) for a much shortened sixth season.

After leaving McMillan and Wife, Susan Saint James began alternating between movie and television roles.  In 1984, Ms. James returned to television in a starring role on Kate & Allie.  The series ran for six seasons and earned Susan Saint James two more Outstanding Lead Actress Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

After Katie & Allie ended Susan Saint James took retired from acting, only returning for a few special opportunities.

Some of Susan Saint James’s television performances include: Fame is the Name of the Game;  Ready and Willing; Ironside (2 episodes); It Takes a Thief (5 episodes); McCloud; Alias Smith & Jones; The Name of the Game (38 episodes); Magic Carpet; McMillan & Wife (34 episodes); Sex and the Single Parent; S.O.S. Titanic; MASH; Kate & Allie (122 episodes); The Drew Carey Show; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Suits; The Haunting of Bly Manor and Upload (3 episodes).

Some of Susan Saint James’s feature film appearances include: P.J.; What’s So Bad About Feeling Good?; Outlaw Blues; Love at First Bite; How to Beat the High Cost of Living and Carbon Copy.

My favorite Susan Saint James role was as Peggy Maxwell on Name of the Game.  Who wouldn’t want her as a secretary/member of the team?  Susan Saint James was the rare actress who was good whether it was a drama or comedy.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Susan Saint Jame’s family, friends and fans.

Walter Koenig died on October 25, 2026 from natural causes.  Mr. Koenig was 90.

After high school Walter Koenig attended Grinnell College in Iowa where he was a pre-med student. Mr. Koenig transferred to UCLA where he received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. While at UCLA, he decided to try acting.  Walter Koenig moved to New York to attend the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

Mr. Koenig’s first role was an uncredited part on Combat! in 1962.  Many other television appearances followed.  Then in 1967, Walter Koenig appeared on Star Trek as Chekov, in the role that made him famous.  Following Star Trek, Mr. Koenig continued to act on television and in movies in a career that spanned over 60 years.

Some of Walter Koenig’s television performances include: Combat!; The Untouchables; General Hospital (2 episodes); The Great Adventure; The Lieutenant; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Ben Casey; Mr. Novak (3 episodes); Gidgit; I Spy; Jericho; Star Trek (36 episodes); Mannix; Medical Center; The Viriginian; Ironside; The Starlost (2 episodes); The Questor Tapes; Columbo; Bring ‘Em Back Alive; Anthony and Cleopatra; The Real Ghostbusters; Viva Variety; Almost Perfect; Babylon 5 (12 episodes); Diagnosis Murder; The Privateers; Son of the Beach; Futurama; Star Trek: Phase II; Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters (11 episodes) and Star Trek: Picard.

Some of Walter Koenig’s feature film appearances include: Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Stara Trek V: The Final Frontier; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; Staar Trek: Generations; Drawing Down the Moon; Scream of the Bikini and Raging Midlife.

I may have first seen Walter Koenig on one of his many television guest appearances prior to Star Trek.  It is his signature role on Star Trek though that brought him to my (and the world’s attention). Star Trek was already a popular show among my friends and I. The inclusion of Mr. Koenig only increased the show’s popularity.

I met Walter Koenig at a convention years ago.  I was there with my buddy, comic artist John Beatty, was a guest of the show.  I was walking around before the convention started and saw Walter Koenig behind his table.  I walked over, shook his hand and told him I was a fan.  Mr. Koenig was gracious and humble.  It was a short interaction, but one I fondly remember.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Walter Koenig’s family, friends and fans.

Tom Skerritt died yesterday from natural causes.  Mr. Skerritt was 93.

After high school Tom Skerritt enlisted in the Air Force for a four year tour of duty.  After his service was complete, Mr. Skerritt aattended the University of California, Los Angeles with thoughts of majoring in English or becoming a film director.  After a role in a stage production of The Rainmaker, and good reviews, Tom Skerritt got the acting bug.

Roles on television and in feature films quickly followed.  Tom Skerritt’s career lasted over 50 years with 176 roles on his resume.

Some of Tom Skerritt’s television performances include: Laramie; The Real McCoys; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; My Three Sons; Wagon Train; My Favorite Martian; Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea; The Magical World of Disney; The Fugitive (2 episodes); The Time Tunnel; 12 O’Clock High (5 episodes); Combat! (6 episodes); Mannix; Cimarron Strip; Run for Your Life; Felony Squad; Death Valley Days (5 episodes); Lancer;  Hawaii 5-0; Medical Center; The Name of the Game; Bracken’s World; The Virginian (6 episodes); Nichols; The FBI (4 episodes); Gunsmoke (5 episodes); Bonanza (2 episodes); Get Christie Love!; Kolchak: The Night Stalker; Cannon (3 episodes); Barnaby Jones; SWAT; Baretta; Ryan’s Four (5 episodes); The Parent Trap II; The Twilight Zone; Danger Bay; Cheers (6 episodes); The China Lake Murders; ABC Afterschool Specials; Picket Fences (88 episodes); Chicago Hope; Into the Wild Blue; Aftershock: Earthquake in New York (2 episodes); High Noon; Path to War; Will & Grace; The West Wing; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; The Grid (6 episodes); Category Seven: The End of the World (2 episodes); Huff (3 episodes); Fallen (2 episodes); The Dead Zone; Brothers & Sisters (7 episodes); The Closer; Leverage (2 episodes); White Collar; The Good Wife (2 episodes); Madam Secretary and Journey Back to Christmas.

Some of Tom Skerritt’s feature film appearances include: War Hunt; MASH; Wild Rovers; Harold & Maude; Fuzz; Big Bad Mama; The Devil’s Rain; The Turning Point; Up in Smoke; Ice Castles; Alien; The Dead Zone; Top Gun; Space Camp; Steel Magnolias; Singles; A River Runs Through It; Contact; Smoke Signals; Tears of the Sun; Ted; Lucky and Broke.

I don’t know the first time I saw Tom Skerritt act.  He was in so many of my favorite shows when I was young.  My favorite Tom Skerrit roles are in Alien and The Dead Zone.  He was so good in both (and everything he did).

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tom Skerritt’s family, friends and fans.

Eva Marie Saint died yesterday from natural causes.  Ms. Saint was 102.

Eva Marie Saint graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio where she studied acting.  While there Ms. Saint was a member of Theta Alpha Phi, the theater honorary fraternity.  She also earned the lead in the stage production of Personal Appearance.

Eva Marie Saint began her career as a page for NBC.  A role on the television show Campus Hoopla followed.  Eva Marie Saint appeared in Life Magazine twice before becoming a star.  The first time was in a photograph in an essay about television.  The second time Ms. Saint was profiled as a struggling actress trying to make it.

Eva Marie Saint began getting roles and good notices for her acting.  In 1954, Ms. Saint won the Outer Critics Circle Special Award for her Broadway role in The Trip to Bountiful.  In 1955, she nominated for her first Emmy Award for “Best Actress In A Single Performance” for her role on The Philco Television Playhouse production of Middle of the Night by Paddy Chayefsky. She won another Emmy nomination for the 1955 television musical version of Our Town.  In between, these two awards Eva Marie Saint co-starred with Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront.  This role won her the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Eva Marie Saint’s career spanned 75 years on stage, television and feature films.

Some of Eva Marie Saint’s television performances include: A Christmas Carol; Kraft Mystery Theater; The Chevrolet Tele-Theater; Lights Out; Suspense; Actor’s Studio (4 episodes); The Clock (3 episodes); Buck Rogers (3 episodes); The Prudential Family Playhouse (2 episodes); One Man’s Family (12 episodes); City Hosital; Man Against Crime; A Trip to Bountiful; The Web (2 episodes); Martin Kane, Private Eye (40 episodes); Studio One (3 episodes); Goodyear Television Playhouse (2 episodes); The Philco Television Playhouse (5 episodes); Producer’s Playhouse (2 episodes); The First Woman President; How the West Was Won (4 episodes); The Love Boat (2 episodes); Love Leads the Way; Fatal Vision; A Year in the Life (3 episodes); Breaking Home Ties; Moonlighting (6 episodes); American Masters; Titanic (2 episodes); Fraiser and The Legend of Korra (5 episodes).

Some of Eva Marie Saint’s feature film appearances include: On the Waterfront; A Hatful of Rain; Raintree County; North By Northwest; Exodus; All Fall Down; 36 Hours; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming; Grand Prix; Superman Returns and Mariette in Ecstasy.

My favorite Eva Marie Saint roles are in On the Waterfront and North by Northwest.  She was so good in both (and everything she did).

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Eva Marie Saint’s family, friends and fans.

Marjoe Gortner died on October 2nd from congestive heart failure.

Marjoe was born into a family that had a long line of preachers.  His father, Vernon Gortner, was a third-generation Christian revival preacher.  Marjoe’s name was a combination of the biblical names Mary and Joseph.  As a small child Marjoe had the ability to mimick adults.  They trained him in what to say and what gestures to make as his spoke.  Marjoe’s parents had him ordained at the age of four.  Marjoe became a hit on the revival circuit.

As an adult Marjoe came forward to decry his days as a child preacher.  Marjoe exposed the lies, fake “healing” items, and scams perpetrated on the unsuspecting public.  Marjo went so far to participate in Marjoe, an exposé documentary which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The success of the documentary opened opportunities for Marjoe to act.  Marjoe began his acting career in 1973 with a role in the pilot for Kojak.  For the remainer of his career Marjoe acted on television and feature films.

Some of Marjoe Gortner’s television performances include: The Marcus-Nelson Murders; Barnaby Jones; Medical Center; Police Story (2 episodes); Viva Knievel; Laugh-In (2 episodes); Fantasy Island (2 episodes); The A-Team; Matt Houston; Streethawk; Otherworld; Airwolf; T.J. Hooker (2 episodes); Hotel; Half Nelson and Falcon Crest (17 episodes).

Some of Marjoe Gortner’s feature film appearances include: Earthquake; Bobbie Joe & the Outlaw; The Food of the Gods; Starcrash; American Ninja 3: Bloodhunt and Wild Bill.

I first became aware of Marjoe Gorter in the movie Earthquake.  He played a psycho Nationalguardsman.  His most famous role was probably in Bobby Jo & the Outlaw.  He played the outlaw and Bobbie Jo was played by a pre-Wonder Woman Linda Carter.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marjoe Gortner’s family, friends and fans.