Category: RIP

It was announced today that Joe Don Baker died on May 7, 2025.  No cause of death was given.  Mr. Baker was 89.

Joe Don Baker was a high school standout in football and basketball.  He attended North Texas State College on a sports scholarship.  Mr. Baker graduated with a BA in Business Administration.  Joe Don Baker then served two years in the US Army.  After his enlistment, Mr. Baker moved to New York City to attend the Actors Studio.

Joe Don Baker began getting stage work as well as guest appearances on television shows.  Mr. Baker’s big break came when he played Buford Pusser in Walking Tall.  By this point, Joe Don Baker was alternating between feature films and television roles, but Walking Tall was the film that made him famous.

Some of the television projects that feature Joe Don Baker include: Honey West; Iron Horse; Judd for the Defense; The Felony Squad; Bonanza; Gunsmoke (2 episodes); The Big Valley; Mod Squad; Bracken’s World; Lancer (3 episodes); The F.B.I.; The Most Deadly Game; The High Chaparral; Mission Impossible; Welcome Home Soldier Boys; Ironside; That Certain Summer; Doc Elliott; The Streets of San Francisco; To Kill a Cop; Power; Eischied (13 episodes); Edge of Darkness (6 episodes); In the Heat of the Night (4 episodes); Citizen Cohen; The Wild West; Traps; The Siege at Ruby Ridge; George Wallace; Poodle Springs and The Cleaner.

Some of Joe Don Bakers’ feature film appearances include: Cool Hand Luke; Guns of the Magnificent Seven; Wild Rovers; Junior Bonner; The Valachi Papers; Walking Tall; Charley Varrick; The Outfit; The Natural; Fletch; The Living Daylights; Cape Fear; Reality Bites; Congo; Goldeneye; Mars Attacks!; Tomorrow Never Dies; Joe Dirt; The Commission; The Dukes of Hazzard and Mud.

It’s impossible for me to pinpoint when I first saw Joe Don Baker because he appeared in so many of the shows I watched as a kid.  I do remember how much buzz he got for starring as Buford Pusser in Walking Tall.  I always enjoyed seeing Joe Don Baker show up in a show or movie, because he made everything he was in better.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Joe Don Baker’s family, friends and fans.

It was announced today that Will Hutchins died yesterday, April 21, 2025.  Respiratory failure was listed as the cause of death.  Mr. Hutchins was 94.

Will Hutchins was born Marshall Lowell Hutchason.  As a child Will Hutchins appeared as an extra in W.C. Fields’ Never Give A Sucker An Even Break.  Mr. Hutchins majored in Greek drama at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Will Hutchins served two years in the Army Signal Corps.  After his enlistment Mr. Hutchins, using the GI Bill, enrolled at UCLA and began to pursue an acting career.

A Warner Bros. talent scout discovered Mr. Hutchins.  It was at this point that Marshall Lowell Hutchason became Will Hutchins.  He began getting roles on both television and in films.  Will Hutchins is best known for his starring role on the television Sugarfoot.  When the series ended Mr. Hutchins continued acting until 2010.

Some of the television projects that feature Will Hutchins include: Warner Bros. Presents; Conflict (3 episodes); Matinee Theater (4 episodes); 77 Sunset Strip; Maverick (2 episodes); Cheyenne; The Roaring 20s; Bronc; Surfside 6; Sugarfoot (69 episodes); Howie; Gunsmoke; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Take Me To Your Leader; Perry Mason; Hey Landlord (31 episodes); Blondie (16 episodes); Love American Style; The Horror At 37,000 Feet; The New Perry Mason; Emergency!; Chase; Movin’ On (2 episodes); The Streets of San Francisco and The Quest.

Some of Will Hutchins’ feature film appearances include: Bombers B-52; Lafayette Escadrille; No Time for Sergeants; Merrill’s Marauders; The Shooting; Spinout; Clambake; Shangani Patrol; Magnum Force; The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington; Roar; Maverick and The Romantics.

My favorite Will Hutchins role was Tom “Sugarfoot” Brewster.  It ran in the afternoons when I was a kid.  Mr. Hutchins played Tom Brewster a correspondence school lawyer who headed west to seek his fortune.  Brewster was far from your typical stoic, tough cowboy.  And I loved it.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Will Hutchins’ family, friends and fans.

It was announced today that Nicky Katt died on April 8, 2025.  No cause of death was given.  Mr. Katt was 54.

Nicky Katt began his career as a child actor.  As an adult Mr. Katt worked in both television and feature films.  It’s interesting that Nicky Katt’s best known television role was as a teacher on Boston Public, but in films he often played a heavy.  Mr. Katt was equally adept as a leading man or character actor.

Some of the television projects that feature Nicky Katt include: CHiPs; Fantasy Island; Father Murphy (2 episodes); Code Red; Herbie the Love Bug (5 episodes); Voyagers; Trapper John, M.D.; Quincy, M.E.; V (2 episodes); The Get Along Gang (7 episodes); CBS Schoolbreak Special; The Facts of Life; Lifestories; Dear John (2 episodes); Uncle Buck; Love & War; Knight Ride 2010; Double Rush; Friends; Kindred: The Embraced; Astoria; Boston Public (49 episodes); The Guardian (2 episodes); King of the Hill (3 episodes); Monk; Love Monkey; law & Order and Casual.

Some of Nicky Katt’s feature film appearances include: Underground Aces; Gremlins; The ‘Burbs; Sister Act; Dazed and Confused; The Cure; Strange Days; A Time to Kill; SubUrbia; Batman & Robin; One True Thing; The Limey; Boiler Room; Rules of Engagement; Way of the Gun; Waking Life; Insomnia; Secondhand Lions; School of Rock; Sin City; World Trade Center; Snow Angels; Planet Terror; Death Proof; The Brave One; The Dark Knight and Behind the Candelabra.

My favorite Nicky Katt role is in Way of the Gun. I enjoyed him in Boston Public and in so many films.  Some favorites include Boiler Room, Sin City and the Grindhouse double feature Planet Terror and Death Proof.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Nicky Katt’s family, friends and fans.

Ted Kotcheff died on April 11, 2025, just three days after his 94th birthday.

Ted Kotcheff graduated from University College, University of Toronto, with a degree in English Literature.  When he was just 24, he joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  He was the youngest director there.  Mr. Kotcheff directed Tiara Tahiti, his first feature film in 1962.  Although best known as a director, Ted Kotcheff branched out and did occasional writing, acting and producing.

Some of the television projects that feature Ted Kotcheff’s direction include: On Camera; Hour of Mystery; I’ll Have You to Remember; BBC Sunday Night Play (2 episodes); ITV Television Playhouse; Espionage; First Night (2 episodes); Drama 61-67; Armchair Theater (28 episodes); The Human Voice; ABC Stage 67 (2 episodes); The Desperate Hours; ITV Playhouse; Lights Out; Play for Today (2 episodes); Performance; Red Shoe Diaries (2 episodes); Borrowed Hearts; Buddy Faro; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (7 episodes).

Some of Ted Kotcheff’s feature films include: Tiara Tahiti; Life at the Top; Of Mice and Men; Wake in Fright; The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz; Fun with Dick and Jane; Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?; North Dallas Forty; First Blood; Uncommon Valor; Weekend at Bernie’s and Folks!.

My favorite Ted Kotcheff film is First Blood.  I had been a fan of David Morrell’s novel since it came out in paperback.  Sylvester Stallone was (and is) my favorite actor.  Ted Kotcheff at the helm made one of my all-time favorite films.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Ted Kotcheff’s family, friends and fans.

Val Kilmer died on April 1, 2025. The cause of death was pneumonia.  Mr. Kilmer was 65.

Val Kilmer graduated from Chatsworth High School.  He then became (up to that point) the youngest person accepted into the Juilliard School’s Drama Division.

Val Kilmer would go on to become a star of stage, television and feature films.

Some of the television projects that feature Val Kilmer include: ABC Afterschool Specials; The Murders in the Rue Morgue; The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains; Billy the Kid; Entourage; Numb3rs; Comanche Moon (3 episodes); XIII: The Conspiracy (3 episodes); Knight Rider (reboot – 18 episodes); Life’s Too Short; Ghost Girls (2 episodes); The Spoils of Babylon (4 episodes) and Psych.

Some of the feature films that Val Kilmer appeared in include: Top Secret!; Real Genius; Top Gun; Willow; Kill Me Again; The Doors; Thunderheart; True Romance; Tombstone; Batman Forever; Heat; The Island of Dr. Moreau; The Ghost and the Darkness; The Saint; The Prince of Egypt; Joe the King; Pollock; Red Planet; The Salton Sea; Wonderland; The Missing; Spartan; Mindhunters; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; Deja Vu; Felon; Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans; Bloodworth; Kill the Irishman; Standing Up; Cinema Twain and Top Gun: Maverick.

Naming my favorite Val Kilmer role is easy.  I think Mr. Kilmer turned in one of the all-time greatest acting performances with his portrayal of Doc Holiday in Tombstone.  It is a shame that Val Kilmer didn’t win an Academy Award for that performance, and a disgrace he wasn’t even nominated.  Other Val Kilmer films that I recommend are Top Secret! (Sadly it took a long time for me to give it a go.  Don’t make the same mistake.  It is funny,), Top Gun (10 minutes of screen time and it made him a star), Willow, True Romance, Heat (a classic!), The Salton Sea (very underrated), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Top Gun: Maverick.

Val Kilmer was an actor’s actor.  Mr. Kilmer’s health cut his career short and he left us far too soon, but what a legacy he created while he was here.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Val Kilmer’s family, friends and fans.

Richard Chamberlain died on March 29, 2025, just two days short of his 91st birthday.  The cause of death was complications from a stroke.

Mr. Chamberlain graduated from Beverly Hills High School.  He then attended Pomona College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in art history and painting.  Richard Chamberlain was drafted and served two years in the army.  He attained the rank of sergeant before his discharge.

In 1959, Ricard Chamberlain co-founded Company of Angels, a LA-based theater group.  Mr. Chamberlain also began to get acting roles on television.  Richard Chamberlain’s breakout role came in 1961 when he was cast in the starring role on Dr. Kildare.  For the rest of his career Richard Chamberlain alternated between television, the stage and feature films.

Some of the television projects that feature Richard Chamberlain include: Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Rescue 8; Bourbon Street Beat; Gunsmoke; Mr. Lucky; Thriller; Riverboat; The Deputy; Whispering Smith; Dr. Kildare (191 episodes); The Red Skelton Hour; The Portrait of a Lady (6 episodes); Petulia; Hold On: It’s the Dave Clark Five; The Woman I Love; The Lady’s Not for Burning; The Count of Monte-Cristo; The Christmas Messenger; The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella; The Man in the Iron Mask; The Last Wave; Great Performances; The Good Doctor; Centennial (12 episodes); Shogun (movie); Shogun (5 episodes); The Thorn Birds (4 episodes); Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story; The Miracle; Dream West (3 episodes); Alfred Hitchcock Presents; The Bourne Identity (4 episodes); Island Son (19 episodes); Night of the Hunter; The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years; Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (2 episodes); Touched by an Angel; The Drew Carey Show (2 episodes); Will & Grace; Hustle; Blackbeard (3 episodes); Nip & Tuck; Desperate Housewives; Brothers & Sisters (5 episodes); Thundercats; Leverage (2 episodes); Justice League: Gods and Monsters (video) and Twin Peaks.

Some of the feature films that Richard Chamberlain appeared in include: A Thunder of Drums; Twilight of Honor; The Eleventh Hour; Julius Caesar; The Music Lovers; The Three Musketeers; The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge; The Towering Inferno; The Swarm; King Solomon’s Mines; Alan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold;  The Return of the Musketeers; Bird of Prey; We Are the Hartmans and Finding Julia.

Although I was too little to watch Dr. Kildare, I do remember the popularity of the show with mothers in the neighborhood (including mine). My favorite Richard Chamberlain performance is in Shogun.  

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Richard Chamberlain’s family, friends and fans.

Bruce Glover died on March 12, 2025of natural causes.  Mr. Glover was 92.

Mr. Glover is best known for his role in Diamonds Are Forever.  He played Mr. Wint, a professional assassin who attempted to kill James Bond.   The role of Mr. Windt was just one of the over 100 credits on Bruce Glover’s resume for a career that lasted over 60 years!

Some of the television projects that feature Bruce Glover include: The Verdict is Yours; Car 54, Where Are You?; The DuPont Show of the Week; Route 66 (2 episodes); The Doctors and the Nurses; 12 O’Clock High; Perry Mason; My Favorite Martian; Hawk; The Danny Thomas Hour; Rat Patrol; Run for Your Life; The Good Guys (3 episodes); The Big Valley; The Guns of Will Sonnett (2 episodes); The Outsider; The Over-the-Hill Gang; Adam-12; Paris 7000; Bonanza; Mission Impossible (2 episodes); Mod Squad (2 episodes); Yuma; The Psychiatrist; Bearcats; The Partners; Gunsmoke (2 episodes); This Is The West That Was; The Blue Knight (3 episodes); S.W.A.T. (2 episodes); Harry O; Kojak; Switch (2 episodes); The Streets of San Francisco (2 episodes); The Six Million Dollar Man (4 episodes); Barney Miller; Battlestar Galactica; Police Story (2 episodes); Big Shamus, Little Shamus; CHiPs (3 episodes); Vega$; The Magical World of Disney; B.J. and the Bear (2 episodes); Hart to Hart; No Soup, Radio (2 episodes); Benson; The Dukes of Hazard; TJ Hooker; The Facts of Life; The A-Team; Santa Barbara; Murder, She Wrote; 

Some of the feature films that Bruce Glover appeared in include: Never Steal Anything Small; Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster; The Thomas Crown Affair; CC and Company; Bless the Beasts and the Children; Diamonds are Forever; Walking Tall; One Little Indian; Chinatown; Hard Times; Part Two: Walking Tall; Final Chapter: Walking Tall; Big Bad Mama II; Ghost World and Scammerhead.

It’s hard to say where I first saw Bruce Glover perform because he appeared in so many shows I watched as a kid.  If I had to bet it was probably Car 54, Where Are You? or Route 66.  I do know that I began to recognize Mr. Glover when he’d show up.  I also knew that his appearance often meant trouble for the series or movie’s star… which was fun for the audience.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Bruce Glover’s family, friends and fans.

It was announced that Gene Hackman was found dead today.  No time or cause of death has been given.  Although no foul play was no suspected, an investigation is on-going.  Mr. Hackman was 95.

At the age of ten, Gene Hackman knew that he wanted to be an actor.  At sixteen he lied about his age and enlisted in the Marines.  After Mr. Hackman finished his enlistment he studied journalism and television production at the University of Illinois.  Gene Hackman left for California before graduating.  He joined the Pasadena Playhouse where he became friends with Dustin Hoffman.  Mr. Hackman moved to New York where at different times he shared an apartment with Dustin Hoffman or Robert Duvall.

Gene Hackman began to get small television roles.  During this time Mr. Hackman also appeared in several off-Broadway plays.  In 1963, he got his first Broadway role.  This opened the door to roles in feature films.  Mr. Hackman continued to work on Broadway, television guest spots and small film roles.  Gene Hackman’s breakout role came when he co-starred in Bonnie and Clyde.  This earned him his first (of five) Oscar nominations.  For the rest of his career Gene Hackman appeared in television and feature films.

Gene Hackman was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two…

• 1968 Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Bonnie and Clyde
• 1971 Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for I Never Sang for My Father
• 1972 Winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role for The French Connection
• 1989 Nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Mississippi Burning
• 1993 Winner for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Unforgiven

Some of the television projects that feature Gene Hackman include: Tallahassee 7000; The United States Steel Hour (8 episodes); Naked City; The Defenders (2 episodes); Route 66; Ride with Terror; East Side/West Side; Brenner (3 episodes); The Trials of O’Brien; Hawk; The FBI; The Invaders; Iron Horse; CBS Playhouse; I Spy; and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (2 episodes).

Some of the feature films that Gene Hackman appeared in include: Mad Dog Coll; Lilith; Hawaii; A Covenant with Death; Bonnie and Clyde; The Split; Downhill Racer; Marooned; I Never Sang for My Father; The French Connection; Cisco Pike; Prime Cut; The Poseidon Adventure; Scarecrow; The Conversation; Young Frankenstein; Night Moves; Bite the Bullet; French Connection II; Lucky Lady; The Domino Principle; A Bridge Too Far; Superman; Superman II; Reds; Under Fire; Uncommon Valor; Target; Power; Hoosiers; Superman IV: The Quest for Peace; No Way Out; Bat*21; Mississippi Burning; The Package; Postcards from the Edge; Narrow Margin; Unforgiven; The Firm; Geronimo: An American Legend; Wyatt Earp; The Quick and the Dead; Crimson Tide; Get Shorty; The Birdcage; Extreme Measures; The Chamber; Absolute Power; Twilight; Antz; Enemy of the State; Under Suspicion; The Replacements; The Mexican; Heist; The Royal Tenenbaums; Behind Enemy Lines; Runaway Jury and Welcome to Mooseport.

I probably first saw Gene Hackman in Route 66 or The Invaders.  The first movie I remember seeing Mr. Hackman was in The Poseidon Adventure.  I loved him in that role!  It’s hard to pick a favorite Gene Hackman role because he was so good in so many films.  Some of favorites include Poseidon Adventure; Mississippi Burning; Unforgiven; The Quick and the Dead; Crimson Tide and Get Shorty.  What an amazing career Mr. Hackman had.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Gene Hackman’s family, friends and fans.