Jaws Actor Scheider Dead at 75

(NEWSER) - Down-to-earth stage and screen actor James Whitmore died of lung cancer in Malibu today, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 87. Known for his supporting roles and leads in films such as Battleground, Planet of the Apes, and The Shawshank Redeption, the Emmy and Tony Award winner preferred theater. "The stage is human beings sharing something together—flesh and blood together," Whitmore said. More»

Hollywood's man in Washington pioneered ratings system

(NEWSER) - Despite being neither movie star nor studio exec, Jack Valenti was one of Hollywood's most influential figures. An era ended Thursday when the longtime president of the film industry's trade association died at his home in Washington. The veteran lobbyist, who also served in the Johnson administration, was 85 and had suffered a stroke in March. More»

Bob Anderson was Hollywood's ultimate sword fighter

(NEWSER) - Bob Anderson was so influential in the world of movie swordsmanship that any list of Hollywood's top 10 sword fights is likely to feature at least five examples of his work. Anderson, who has died at the age of 89, was an Olympian fencer for Britain before beginning a 60-year career in the movies, working as a choreographer, instructor, and stuntman, the New York Times reports. More»

Judy Lewis was adopted by her biological mother in a bid to preserve the secret

(NEWSER) - Judy Lewis grew up in Los Angeles, the adopted daughter of an actress mother ... who also happened to be her biological mother. Lewis, who died on Friday at age 76, has a Hollywood story littered with big names and big sadness: Born to up-and-coming actress Loretta Young in 1935, Lewis spent the first months of her life living with caretakers and in orphanages. She made her debut at 19 months as the adopted daughter of Young, who did not publicly confirm that Lewis was her actual daughter—and that the married Clark Gable was Lewis' father—until after her death in 2000, through her authorized biography. More»

Kenneth Turan: She mesmerized us from the get-go

(NEWSER) - For Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan, an indelible image of Elizabeth Taylor comes early in her career in A Place in the Sun, filmed when she was just 17. "The actress' face in huge close-up is so exquisitely, so heartbreakingly beautiful you never doubt that (Montgomery) Clift's intoxicated character would do anything to keep her in his life," he writes. For years afterward, those "irresistible violet eyes" would have that effect on men both on screen and off. More»