Actor Paul Scofield Dead at 86

Soprano captured America's heart

(NEWSER) - Soprano Beverly Sills, whose ebullient personality and brilliant singing voice not only made her a star but helped demystify opera in America, died Monday night in her Manhattan home from inoperable lung cancer, the New York Times reports. She was 78. Sills spent much of her singing career with the New York City Opera, and later chaired Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera. More»

(NEWSER) - John Forsythe, a versatile actor who gained lasting fame as Blake Carrington on the pioneering prime-time soap Dynasty and as the voice of the mysterious Charlie on Charlie's Angels, died yesterday in California. He was 92. Best known at the time as the affable star of Bachelor Father, Forsythe played a villainous judge in the 1979 Al Pacino vehicle And Justice for All, demonstrating he had the chops to channel the scheming Blake Carrington. More»

Appeared in Cannonball Run , Space Balls

(NEWSER) - Actor Dom DeLuise died in his sleep last night at a Los Angeles hospital, TMZ reports. He was 75. The Golden-Globe nominated actor was known for appearances in Mel Brooks films and often worked with Burt Reynolds. He starred in Cannonball Run and Blazing Saddles and voiced Pizza the Hutt in Spaceballs. His son confirmed the news to KTLA-TV, saying DeLuise died peacefully among family. More»

West Wing star became staunch Bush supporter

(NEWSER) - Ron Silver, the award-winning actor who became an outspoken supporter of George W. Bush late in his career, died yesterday of esophageal cancer at age 62. As the Los Angeles Times writes, Silver won a Tony for his role in David Mamet's play Speed-the-Plow and won acclaim as campaign strategist Bruno Gianelli on The West Wing. He also served as president of Actor's Equity, the profession's labor union, throughout the 1990s. More»

(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»