Category: RIP

Alex Bayouth who was known professionally as Ted White, stuntman and actor, died yesterday at the age of 96.  Mr. Bayouth enlisted in the marines when he was 17 and served at Iwo Jima!  He played football at the University of Oklahoma and was also a Golden Gloves boxer.  Because of his size and athletic ability, Mr. Bayouth decided to pursue a career as a stuntman/actor.

Mr. Bayouth was known professionally as Ted White.  As an actor/stuntman, Mr. White amassed over 150 credits performing on television and in feature films.  Clark Gable, John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Richard Boone and Fess Parker are just five of the stars for who Ted White served as a stunt double.

Some of  Ted White’s television appearances include: Maverick (actor); Cimarron City (actor/stunts); Perry Mason (actor); Wagon Train (actor); The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (actor/stunts); The Andy Griffith Show (actor); Bonanza (actor); Mannix (actor); Mission: Impossible (actor); Daniel Boone (actor/stunts 15 episodes); Marcus Welby (actor); Kojak (actor/stunts);  Kung Fu (actor); Kolchak: The Night Stalker (actor); The Streets of San Francisco (stunts); The Six Million Dollar Man (actor); Police Story (actor); The Rockford Files (actor); Matt Houston (actor/stunts); Spenser for Hire (stunts);  The Fall Guy (actor); Magnum PI (actor) and The X-Files (actor).

Some of  Ted White’s feature films include: Sands of Iwo Jima (actor); Creature from the Black Lagoon (stunts); Giant (stunts); The Naked and the Dead (stunts); Rio Bravo (actor/stunts); The Horse Soldiers (stunts); The Alamo (actor/stunts); The Misfits (stunts); Cat Ballou (stunts); The Cincinnati Kid (stunts); Point Blank (actor/stunts); Will Penny (stunts); Planet of the Apes (stunts); They Call Me Mister Tibbs (stunts); Prime Cut (stunts); Soylent Green (stunts); Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (actor/stunts); Rollerball (stunts); King Kong (stunts); Tron (actor); 1941 (stunts); Bronco Billy (stunts); Used Cars (stunts); Escape from New York (stunts); Against All Odds (actor); Romancing the Stone (actor); Ruthless People (stunts); Death Wish 4 (stunts); Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (actor); Road House (stunts); Starman (actor); Silverado (actor); 2 Fast 2 Furious (stunts) and Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (stunts).

What an amazing career Ted White had.  As I compiled the list of some of his television and movie credits, I was truly shocked at how many of my favorite tv shows and movies he appeared in.  Although Ted White is most famous for playing Jason in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, it was not one of his favorite roles.  In fact, he turned down the change to return in the sequels.  Interestingly enough, many fans feel that Ted White was the best at playing Jason.

The role that first came to mind for me was when he played an escaped convict who returned to Mayberry to get even with the law officer that put him away — Barney Fife.  It’s one of my favorite Andy Griffith Show episodes. Ted White was a legitimate tough guy — a marine, a college football player, a boxer and a stunt man.  Coupled with his talent for acting, he put together a career to make any actor proud.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ted White’s family, friends and fans.

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Michael Callan died on Monday. October 10, 2022, from pneumonia complications.  He was 86.  Michael Callan began his career as a singer/dancer.  In 1954, he performed in The Boy Friend.  In 1955, he was cast in Catch a Star.  Michael Callan’s big break came when he was cast as Riff in West Side Story.  This brought him to the attention of Hollywood.

In 1959, Michael Callan earned a role in They Came to Cordura and he never looked back.  For the rest of his career, which spanned nearly 50 years, Michael Callan alternated between feature films and television roles.

Some of Michael Callan’s television appearances include: Dr. Kildare; Hazel; 12 O’Clock High; Occasional Wife (30 episodes); That Girl; The Name of the Game; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Ironside; Marcus Welby, MD; The FBI (4 episodes); Love American Style (8 episodes); McMillan & Wife; Police Story (4 episodes); Barnaby Jones; Medical Center; SWAT: Quincy; The Bionic Woman; The Love Boat; Vegas; Charlie’s Angels; Simon & Simon; Fantasy Island (5 episodes); The Fall Guy; E/R; TJ Hooker; One Life to Live; Knight Rider; Superboy (6 episodes) and Murder She Wrote (5 epiodes).

Some of Michael Callan’s feature films include: They Came to Cordura; Gidget Goes Hawaiian; Mysterious Island; The Interns; The New Interns; Cat Ballou; The Magnificent Seven Ride!; Chained Heat and Swamp Thing.

I first saw Michael Callan in Mysterious Island when I was a kid.  I loved that movie. (Still do!)  It was cool to see Michael Callan pop up on almost every popular television show in the 70s and 80s.  What’s impressive is to see the number of series where he was asked back multiple times.  That’s definitely a sign of a talented professional.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Callan’s family, friends and fans.

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Austin Stoker died on October 7, 2022 from renal failure.  It was his 92nd birthday.

Austin Stoker was an actor who appeared on stage, television and in feature films.  He began his career in the 1954 Broadway production of Truman Capote’s House of Flowers.  Mr. Stoker’s first television role came in 1969 on Mod Squad.  In 1973, Austin Stoker appeared in Battle for the Planet of the Apes.  For the remainder of his career, Mr. Stoker alternated between television and feature film roles.

Some of his television appearances include: Mod Squad; Love American Style; McCloud; Kojak; The Rookies; Police Story; S.W.A.T; Return to the Planet of the Apes (13 episodes); The Six Million Dollar Man; Roots; The Incredible Hulk; Lou Grant; Airwolf; Trapper John; Falcon Crest and The Bold and the Beautiful (8 episodes).

Feature film appearances include: Battle for the Planet of the Apes; Airport ’75; Sheba, Baby; Assault on Precinct 13 and 3 from Hell.

My favorite Austin Stoker appearance was in John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13.  He was perfect as Ethan Bishop, the officer assigned to oversee a deserted police station that comes under an attack by a street gang.  Mr. Stoker had a career that spanned over 50 years with nearly 60 credits on his resume.  I always enjoyed his performances.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Austin Stoker’s family, friends and fans.

Louise Fletcher died yesterday at the age of 88.  No cause of death was given.

Ms. Fletcher is best known for her Best Actress Academy Award wining role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  That role also won her Best Actress BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards.  Louise Fletcher began her career in television.  She would go on alternate between television and feature films throughout her career.

Some Louise Fletcher television appearances include: Bat Masterson; Yancy Derringer; Maverick; The Untouchables; Wagon Train; Perry Mason; Medical Center; The Twilight Zone (1988); In the Heat of the Night; Tales from the Crypt; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; ER and Heroes.

Louise Fletcher feature film appearances include: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Exorcist II: The Heretic; The Cheap Detective; The Lady in Red; Strange Invaders; Brainstorm; Firestarter and Invaders from Mars.

Louise Fletcher became a household name because of her role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  It took a strong screen presence to match Jack Nicholson and she more than held her own.  With over 135 credits on her resume and her nearly 60 years in show business she was much more than Nurse Ratched.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Louise Fletcher’s family, friends and fans.

Henry Silva died on September 14, 2022.  Mr. Silva was 95.

Henry Silva accumulated over 140 acting credits during his long career.  He alternated between television and feature films roles throughout his career.  Mr. Silva was at his best when the character he played was at his worst.  Henry Silva was often cast as a villain.  He excelled in playing hit men, criminals and mobsters.

Some of Henry Silva’s television appearances include: Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Thriller; The Untouchables; Dr. Kildare; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; The Outer Limits; Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea; Wagon Train; Daniel Boone; Tarzan; Laredo; Cimarron Strip; The High Chaparral; I Spy; Mission Impossible; Hawaii Five-O; Night Gallery; Bearcats; The Streets of San Francisco; The F.B.I.; Batman: The Animated Series; The New Batman Adventures and Superman: The Animated Series.

Mr, Silva’s feature films include: The Tall T; A Hatful of Rain; The Bravados; Ocean’s Eleven;  Cinderfella; The Manchurian Candidate; Johnny Cool; Never a Dull Moment; Love and Bullets; Alligator; Sharky’s Machine; Cannonball Run II; Code of Silence; Above the Law; Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and Ocean’s Eleven (2001).

Henry Silva had a face you’d never forget.  The villains he played were tough and self-assured.   Any hero Henry Silva went against was in for a tough time.  Mr. Silva is perhaps best known for his role in The Manchurian Candidate (where he has a fantastic martial arts battle with Frank Sinatra — and this was 1962!).  My favorite Henry Silva appearance is in Sharky’s Machine. He played a creepy, coked up, nearly unstoppable hitman.  Henry Silva made a career playing bad guys and that was a good thing for audiences.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Henry Silva’s family, friends and fans.

It was just announced today that Gary Nelson died of natural causes on May 25, 2022, at the age of 87.  Mr. Nelson was a television and feature film director who had a career that spanned 65 years!  Gary Nelson began his career as a second assistant director in 1955.

Gary Nelson directed many episodes of popular television shows including: Have Gun Will Travel; The Andy Griffith Show; Gunsmoke; It’s About Time; F Troup; Gilligan’s Island; Gomer Pyle; Get Smart; The Ghost and Mrs. Muir; Love American Style; Kojak; Police Story and The Magical World of Disney.

Television movies directed by Mr. Nelson include: To Kill a Cop; Murder Me, Murder You; More Than Murder; Get Smart, Again!; Revolver; The Return of Ironside and Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert, to name a few.

Gary Nelson also directed five feature films:  Molly and Lawless John; Santee; The Black Hole; Jimmy the Kid and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold.

What a long and distinguished career!  Gary Nelson is probably best known as the director of The Black Hole.  I love the range that he displayed as director, moving from situation comedies to one hour dramas and films of both genres with ease.  Gary Nelson was also the original director of Sly Stallone’s Nighthawks.  The IMDb lists him as an uncredited director, so I wonder if any scenes he shot made the final film.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gary Nelson’s family, friends and fans.

Clu Gulager passed away last night from natural causes.  He was 93 years old.

After a two year stint in the US Marine Corp, Mr. Gulager attended Northeastern State University in Oklahoma.  He later transferred to Baylor University where he graduated.

Mr. Gulager’s career began with guest appearance on the television series Omnibus.  He would continue with tv guest appearances until he landed a co-starring role as Billy the Kid in The Tall Man series which ran for 75 episodes.  Mr. Gulager’s first feature film appearance was a co-starring role in The Killers with Lee Marvin.  Mr. Gulager spent the rest of his career alternating between television and feature film roles.

Television appearances included: Wanted Dead or Alive; Have Gun – Will Travel; The Untouchables; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Wagon Train; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Dr. Kildare; The Name of the Game; The F.B.I.; The Glass House (movie); Medical Center; Bonanza; Mannix; The Wonderful World of Disney; Kung Fu; Ironside; McCloud; Cannon; The Streets of San Francisco; Police Story; Hawaii 5-0; Knight Rider; Magnum PI; The Fall Guy; and Walker, Texas Ranger.

Some Clu Gulager’s feature films include: The Killers; The Last Picture Show; McQ; Shaft; Get Christie Love; A Force of One; The Return of the Living Dead; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2; The Hidden; I’m Gonna Git You Sucka; Vic and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

I am a Clu Gulager fan.  He would pop up in many, many of the television shows I watched as a kid.  Mr. Gulager also co-starred in The Glass House a television movie that was ahead of it’s time for the portrayal of life in a prison.  Clu Gulager also starred in Vic, a short directed by Sage Stallone.  Mr. Gulager continued to appear in television shows and movies throughout his career making everything that he appeared in better.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Clu Gulager’s family, friends and fans.

Nichelle Nichols passed away last night from natural causes.  She was 89 years old.

Although best known for her role as Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek television series, Ms. Nichols first became famous for her role in the play Kicks and Co.  This led to roles in a Chicago production of Carmen Jones and later a New York production of Porgy and Bess.  Nichelle Nichols also did singing and modeling jobs.

Prior to her groundbreaking role on Star Trek, Ms. Nichols began getting roles on television (The Lieutenant; CBS Repertoire Workshop; Payton Place; Tarzan) and theatrical films (Made in Paris; Mister Buddwing; Doctor, You’ve Got to be Kidding).  With her role on Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols became one of the first African-American women to be featured in such a prominent co-starring role on a television series.

When she was offered a role on Broadway, Ms. Nichols planned to leave the series.  However Martin Luther King, Jr. convinced her by saying, “…you cannot, you cannot (leave the show)…for the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, quality, beautiful, people.”   Not only did Nichelle Nichols stay for the entire series, she voiced Nyota Uhura on Star Trek: The Animated Series, and returned for the Star Trek feature films (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; Star Trek V: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country).

When Star Trek the series ended, and when she wasn’t making Star Trek feature films, Nichelle Nichols continued to act on television and feature films, worked with NASA to recruit minority and females, released two albums and did voice work for animation! Talk about multi-talented!

My first exposure to Nichelle Nichols was her role on Star Trek.  I can remember the controversy when she and William Shatner had one of the first interracial kisses on television.  I was just a kid, but thought, “What’s the big deal?  She’s a beautiful, smart women.  Kirk would be a fool not to kiss her.”  By all accounts Nichelle Nichols was as beautiful a person inside as out.  I’ve never heard a bad story about her.  Fans love her and rightly so.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nichelle Nichols family, friends and fans.

Burt Metcalfe died on Wednesday, July 27th at the age of 87.  Mr. Metcalfe was an actor, writer, director and producer.

Burt Metcalfe began his career as an actor with an uncredited role in The Bridges at Toko-Ri.  That was followed by roles on the tv series The Man Behind the Badge and General Electric Theater.  Mr. Metcalfe was then drafted and spent two years in the Navy.  Burt Metcalfe then resumed his acting career.  Some of his roles included parts on Gidget; Have Gun, Will Travel; Death Valley Days; The Twilight Zone; The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis; The Outer Limits; Perry Mason; The Fugitive and the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever.

Burt Metcalfe was recruited to serve as the casting agent for the television series M*A*S*H.  He was given the title Associate Producer.  Mr. Metcalfe would go on to serve as a writer, Associate Producer, Line Producer and Executive Producer of M*A*S*H.  In fact Burt Metcalfe was the only Producer to stay with the series for its entire run.  Mr. Metcalfe was nominated 13 times for Primetime Emmy Awards for his work as a writer on the series!  He even returned to serve as the executive producer for the M*A*S*H 30th Anniversary Reunion Special in 2002.

It’s interesting that Burt Metcalfe  was a successful actor but then transitioned to behind the camera work where he experienced even more success.  Mr. Metcalfe appears in one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street!

Ken Levine, who worked with Mr. Metcalfe as a writer on M*A*S*H has a nice write-up about him.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Burt Metcalfe’s family, friends and fans.

Tony Dow, best known for playing Wally Clever on the television series Leave It to Beaver, died today from complications caused by cancer.  Mr. Dow was 77.

Tony Dow earned the role of Wally Cleaver despite little acting experience.  Mr. Dow played Beaver’s older brother throughout the series run from 1957 to 1963.  He reprised the role in a television movie and the subsequent series The New Leave It to Beaver which ran from 1983 – 1989.

When the original Leave It to Beaver series ended, Mr. Dow continued to act making guest appearances on television series such as Dr. Kildare, My Three Sons and Never Too Young.  From 1965 – 1968, Mr. Dow served in the National Guard.  When Mr. Dow returned to acting he alternated between television and feature films.  Appearances include: Adam 12, Love American Style, The Mod Squad, Emergency, Death Scream, General Hospital, Kentucky Fried Movie, Quincy, Murder She Wrote, Knight Rider, The New Leave It to Beaver, Charles in Charge, Freddie’s Nightmares and Diagnosis Murder.

Mr. Dow also wrote an episode of The New Leave It to Beaver, directed episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Babylon 5, Get a Life and Coach.  He was also a producer on The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space and It Came from Outer Space II.  In addition Mr. Dow was an accomplished sculptor.

Had Tony Dow only played Wally Cleaver in his career, he would merit mention.  His portrayal of Wally Clever made such a huge impact on the many kids who watched the show.  I’m sure that parents would admonish their unruly children to be more like Wally.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tony Dow’s family, friends and fans.