This last week has been a sad one for Hollywood. While it geared up for the BAFTA’s, the last of the major award ceremonies before the Oscars, three of their alumni passed away. Here we’ll take a brief look at their work.
Actress Shirley Temple, who was born on the 23rd of April 1928, passed away on Tuesday. With a film career that spanned from 1932 to 1950 (she would later do some television shows between 1958 to 1963), she is probably the world’s most famous child star. She started her career at aged five when she partook in the Baby Burlesks series of short films, her break through film role was Stand Up and Cheer! which was released in 1934. Shirley’s most famous roles were in Bright Eyes (in which she sang On The Good Ship Lollipop) and Curly Top (Animal Crackers In My Soup would become another of her signature songs). She was awarded the first Academy Juvenile Award in 1935. [1] On the 16th of December 1950, at the age of 20, she decided to retire from acting, the same day she married her second husband! After she made a brief return to TV from 1958 to 1961 with the show Shirley Temple’s Storybook.
Shirley became involved in politics. In 1967 she was unsuccessful in the run for California’s 11th congressional district however President Nixon appointed her Representative to the 24th United Nations General Assembly in 1969. In 1972 she was diagnosed with breast cancer which she beat and was one of the first female celebrities to speak to the press about the disease. President Ford appointed her as 9th United States Ambassador to Ghana which she held from 1974 to 1976 and from 1976 to 1977 she was the 18th Chief of Protocol of the United States. Shirley’s last involvement in politics was when she became the 27th United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, which she held from 1989 to 1992.
On Wednesday comedic actor Sid Caesar died at the age of 91. He had a career that spanned over 60 years! At first he joined the United States Coast Guard and played the saxophone at the Vactionland Hotel in 1939. Sid’s first full length film role was in Tars and Spars in 1946 and in 1947 he co starred in The Guilt of Janet Ames. In 1950 he became a household name when he starred in the TV show Your Show of Shows which ran till 1954 and the follow on show Ceasar’s Hour which ran from 1954 to 1957. He was also known for his role as Coach Calhon in the films Grease and Grease 2. In his long career he was nominated for many awards and won two Primetime Emmys, one in 1952 and the other in 1957. [3]
Son Of Jim Henson, puppeteer John Henson, died of a heart attack on Friday at the age of 48. He performed the role of Sweetums from 1991 to 2005. Some of the films he has been in are Muppet Treasure Island, It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz. John was also a board member of The Jim Henson Company.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Juvenile_Award
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Temple
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Caesar
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Wow with so much coverage on Philip S. Hoffman’s passing I had no idea of the ones featured here passing away. How sad! John Henson was so young.