The End - the Classic Film Obituary thread 2021

Spanish composer Cristóbal Halffter has left us at the age of 91, on May 23rd.


He is regarded as the most important Spanish composer of the generation of composers designated the Generación del 51.

For the movies he composed for over 30 soundtracks between 1951 and 1985, including The Miller's Saucy Wife 1955, Two Men in Town 1959, King of the Vikings 1960, The Hand in the Trap 1961, 10:30 P.M. Summer 1966 and The Desperate Ones 1967.

He is remembered by Diario de Burgus

R.I.P. Cristóbal Halffter

American former kid actor and drummer Kevin Clark has left us at the early age of 32, on May 26th. (bicycle accident)


He was most famous for playing the pupil and drummer in the hit comedy School of Rock 2003.

He is remembered by Hollywood Reporter

R.I.P. Kevin Clark

American film producer Jerome Hellman has left us at the age of 92, on May 26th.


He is best known for being the 42nd recipient of the Academy Award for Best Picture for Midnight Cowboy (1969). His 1978 film Coming Home was nominated for the same award.
He had his first taste of producing when he took over the role of Executive Producer from his client, President and Producer Worthington C. Miner, in the final days of Unit Four Productions, a partnership of George Roy Hill, Franklin Shaffner and Fielder Cook, producing live one-hour dramas on NBC 1955–57. After leaving NBC, Hill, Shaffner and Cook moved on to directing assignments at Playhouse 90, the first 90-minute TV drama series out of CBS's new studio on the West Coast.



In 1959, he dissolved his talent agency and turned to producing motion pictures exclusively. He partnered with George Roy Hill and produced his first film, The World of Henry Orient 1964, with George Roy Hill directing, starring Peter Sellers (in his first film made in America), Angela Lansbury and Tom Bosley.



Over the next 25 years he produced six more feature films: A Fine Madness 1966 starring Sean Connery, Joanne Woodward and Jean Seberg, Midnight Cowboy 1969 starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, The Day of the Locust 1975 starring Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, Burgess Meredith and William Atherton, Coming Home 1978 starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight and Bruce Dern, Promises in the Dark 1979 also directed by himself, starring Marsha Mason and Ned Beatty and The Mosquito Coast 1986 starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix.

He is remembered by Variety

R.I.P. Jerome Hellman

Canadian actor and television personality Paul Soles has left us at the age of 90, May 26th.


He led the voice cast in such series as The Marvel Super Heroes 1966, voiced the title character in Spider-Man 1967-1970, and portrayed Hermey in the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
His first screen appearance was on CFPL (Canada's second privately owned television station) in 1953, and he continued to perform over 60 years later, performing as of 2016 in the comedy web series My 90-Year-Old Roommate on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's online comedy channel, CBC Comedy.

He is remembered by Gambling Bible

R.I.P. Paul Soles

As has been noticed, American actor Gavin MacLeod has left us at the age of 90, on May 29th.


For many perhaps best known for portraying Merrill Stubing, the ship's captain, on ABC's The Love Boat 1977-1987.

His career began in films in 1957. In 1965, he played opposite Peter Mann in The Sword of Ali Baba. He went on to play opposite Anthony Franciosa in A Man Called Gannon 1968, opposite Christopher George in The Thousand Plane Raid, and opposite Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, and Carroll O'Connor in Kelly's Heroes 1970.

He also achieved continuing television success co-starring opposite Ernest Borgnine on McHale's Navy 1962–1964 as Joseph "Happy" Haines, and on The Mary Tyler Moore Show 1970–1977 as Murray Slaughter.

He is remembered by People Magazine

R.I.P. Gavin MacLeod

American actress Arlene Golonka has left us at the age of 85, on May 31st.


She is perhaps best remembered for playing Millie Hutchins on the television comedy The Andy Griffith Show and Millie Swanson on Mayberry R.F.D., and often portrayed bubbly, eccentric blondes in supporting character roles on stage, film, and television.
She had supporting roles in some 30 films, including Harvey Middleman, Fireman 1965, Penelope 1966, The Busy Body 1967, Welcome to Hard Times 1967, Hang 'Em High 1968, The Elevator 1974, Airport '77 1977, The In-Laws 1979, Love At First Bite 1980, The Last Married Couple in America 1980, My Tutor 1983, The End of Innocence 1990 and A Family Affair 2001.

She is remembered by Variety

R.I.P. Arlene Golonka

American actor Robert Hogan has left us at the age of 87, on May 27th.


While not a stranger to the big screen or the stage, Hogan was best known to audiences for his highly prolific career in American television which began in 1961. While he had never been a member of the main cast of a critically successful television series, he portrayed numerous recurring characters on programs such as Alice; Another World; As the World Turns; Days of Our Lives; Deadline; General Hospital; Law & Order; Murder, She Wrote; One Life to Live; Operation Petticoat; Peyton Place and The Wire. His guest star appearances on other television series encompassed more than 90 shows over the last five decades.

He is remembered by Variety

R.I.P. Robert Hogan