Notable Deaths
Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
January | 4 | Bill Lancaster | 49 | USA | Screenwriter | The Thing • The Bad News Bears |
6 | Catherine Scorsese | 84 | USA | Actress | Goodfellas • The Godfather: Part III • Casino • The King of Comedy • Cape Fear • Moonstruck | |
19 | Adriana Caselotti | 80 | USA | Actress | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • The Wizard of Oz • It's a Wonderful Life | |
19 | James Dickey | 73 | USA | Author, Screenwriter, Actor | Deliverance | |
23 | Bill Zuckert | 81 | USA | Actor | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective • Hang 'Em High • Seems Like Old Times • Ada | |
February | 4 | Robert Clouse | 68 | USA | Director | Enter the Dragon • Ironheart • Game of Death • China O'Brien • Black Belt Jones |
8 | Robert Ridgely | 65 | USA | Actor | Philadelphia • Boogie Nights • Robin Hood: Men in Tights • Fire Down Below • Beverly Hills Cop II • That Thing You Do! • The Ref | |
12 | James Cossins | 63 | UK | Actor | The Man with the Golden Gun • Gandhi • The First Great Train Robbery | |
26 | David Doyle | 67 | USA | Actor | Capricorn One • The Adventures of Pinocchio • Coogan's Bluff | |
26 | Wende Wagner | 55 | USA | Actress | Rosemary's Baby • Guns of the Magnificent Seven • Out of Sight • Rio Conchos | |
March | 4 | Carey Loftin | 83 | USA | Stuntman, Actor | The Deer Hunter • Patton • The Goonies • Days of Thunder • Fletch • The Rookie • Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo • The China Syndrome • Harry and the Hendersons |
8 | Alexander Salkind | 75 | Poland | Producer | Superman • The Three Musketeers • Christopher Columbus: The Discovery | |
14 | Fred Zinnemann | 89 | Austria | Director, Producer | From Here to Eternity • High Noon • A Man for All Seasons • Oklahoma! • The Day of the Jackal • The Sundowners | |
April | 2 | Anthony Bushell | 92 | UK | Actor | A Night to Remember • The Battle of the River Plate • The Scarlet Pimpernel • Disraeli • The Black Knight |
5 | Allen Ginsberg | 70 | USA | Poet, Actor | Chappaqua • Renaldo and Clara | |
14 | Michael Stroka | 58 | USA | Actor | King Rat • House of Dark Shadows • Harlem Nights • Island of Blood | |
20 | Jean Louis | 89 | France | Costume Designer | The Caine Mutiny • A Star is Born • The Misfits • Gambit • Bus Riley's Back in Town | |
25 | Brian May | 62 | Australia | Composer | Mad Max • Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare • Steel Dawn • Hurricane Smith • Cloak & Dagger • Patrick | |
25 | John Beal | 87 | USA | Actor | The Firm • Amityville 3-D • Les Misérables | |
27 | Paul Lambert | 74 | USA | Actor | Planet of the Apes • Spartacus • All the President's Men • Blue Thunder • Death Wish II • A Gunfight | |
28 | Steve Conte | 77 | Italy | Actor | The Onion Field • The Wild World of Batwoman • Teenage Zombies | |
May | 11 | Howard Morton | 71 | USA | Actor | The Mechanic • The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean • Scorpio |
14 | Thelma Carpenter | 75 | USA | Actress | The Wiz • The Cotton Club • New York Stories | |
16 | Giuseppe De Santis | 80 | Italy | Screenwriter | Bitter Rice | |
23 | Frances E. Nealy | 78 | USA | Actress | Ghostbusters • WarGames • Blue Thunder • Colors • Alex in Wonderland | |
June | 14 | Richard Jaeckel | 70 | USA | Actor | The Dirty Dozen • Starman • Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid • Chosen Survivors • The Green Slime • Walking Tall Part 2 • The Devil's Brigade |
22 | Don Henderson | 64 | UK | Actor | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope • Brazil • FairyTale: A True Story • The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | |
24 | Brian Keith | 75 | USA | Actor | The Parent Trap • Young Guns • The Wind and the Lion • Nickelodeon • Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen • Hooper | |
29 | William Hickey | 69 | USA | Actor | The Nightmare Before Christmas • Prizzi's Honor • Pink Cadillac • The Name of the Rose • Little Big Man • MouseHunt • The Boston Strangler | |
July | 1 | Robert Mitchum | 79 | USA | Actor | Cape Fear • Story of G.I. Joe • Ryan's Daughter • Tombstone • The Night of the Hunter • Out of the Past • Dead Man • Scrooged • The Last Tycoon • Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison |
2 | James Stewart | 89 | USA | Actor | It's a Wonderful Life • Vertigo • Rear Window • The Flight of the Phoenix • Rope • How the West Was Won • The Spirit of St. Louis • Harvey • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington • The Cheyenne Social Club | |
16 | William Reynolds | 87 | USA | Film Editor | The Godfather • The Sound of Music • The Sting • The Day the Earth Stood Still • The Sand Pebbles • Newsies • Ishtar • Our Man Flint | |
17 | Gene Warren | 80 | USA | Visual Effects Artist | True Lies • Black Sunday • The Time Machine | |
24 | Brian Glover | 63 | UK | Actor | Alien 3 • An American Werewolf in London • Kafka • Jabberwocky | |
August | 2 | William S. Burroughs | 83 | USA | Author, Actor | Twister • Drugstore Cowboy |
5 | Don Steele | 61 | USA | Actor | Gremlins • Grand Theft Auto • Death Race 2000 • Rock 'n' Roll High School • Eating Raoul | |
18 | Don Knight | 64 | UK | Actor | Swamp Thing • The Apple Dumpling Gang • The Hawaiians | |
18 | Jeep Swenson | 40 | USA | Actor | Batman & Robin • Bulletproof • The Bad Pack • No Holds Barred | |
26 | Camilla Spira | 81 | Germany | Actor | Die Buntkarierten • Morgenrot • The Testament of Dr. Mabuse | |
31 | Dodi Fayed | 42 | Egypt | Producer | Hook • Chariots of Fire • F/X | |
31 | Will Hare | 81 | USA | Actor | Back to the Future • The Rose • The Electric Horseman • Heaven Can Wait • Enter the Ninja | |
September | 5 | Eddie Little Sky | 71 | USA | Actor | A Man Called Horse • Paint Your Wagon • 7 Faces of Dr. Lao |
9 | Burgess Meredith | 89 | USA | Actor | Rocky • Batman • The Day of the Locust • Grumpy Old Men • Clash of the Titans • Joe Butterfly • The Sentinel | |
17 | Red Skelton | 84 | USA | Actor, Comedian | Ziegfeld Follies • Merton of the Movies • Whistling in Brooklyn • DuBarry Was a Lady | |
26 | Dorothy Kingsley | 87 | USA | Screenwriter | Angels in the Outfield • Valley of the Dolls • Pal Joey | |
October | 3 | John Ashley | 95 | UK | Actor, Producer | Apocalypse Now • Hud • Frankenstein's Daughter • Suicide Battalion |
5 | Andrew Keir | 71 | UK | Actor | Cleopatra • Rob Roy • Mary, Queen of Scots • Quatermass and the Pit • Dracula: Prince of Darkness | |
12 | John Denver | 53 | USA | Singer, Actor | Oh, God! • Fire and Ice | |
16 | Audra Lindley | 79 | USA | Actress | When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? • The Relic • Spellbinder • Shoot the Moon | |
19 | Arthur Ibbetson | 75 | UK | Cinematographer | Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory • Where Eagles Dare • Hopscotch • Anne of the Thousand Days • The Bounty • Poet's Pub | |
24 | Don Messick | 71 | USA | Voice Actor, Actor, Voice of Scooby-Doo | Jetsons: The Movie • The Transformers: The Movie • Tom and Jerry: The Movie • Pufnstuf | |
30 | Samuel Fuller | 85 | USA | Screenwriter | The Big Red One • Shock Corridor • The Klansman • The Cape Town Affair | |
November | 5 | William Watson | 59 | USA | Actor | In the Heat of the Night • Chato's Land • The Mack |
8 | Michael Ward | 88 | UK | Actor | Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell • Revenge of the Pink Panther • Carry On Cleo • The Rough and the Smooth | |
11 | William Alland | 81 | USA | Producer, Actor | Citizen Kane • Creature from the Black Lagoon • The Deadly Mantis • The Mole People • This Island Earth | |
12 | Sándor Szabó | 82 | Hungary | Actor | Topaz | |
25 | Charles Hallahan | 54 | Ireland | Actress | The Thing • Dante's Peak • Twilight Zone: The Movie • Dave • Pale Rider | |
December | 4 | Richard Vernon | 72 | UK | Actor | Goldfinger • A Hard Day's Night • Gandhi • Evil Under the Sun |
14 | Stubby Kaye | 79 | USA | Actor | Who Framed Roger Rabbit • Cat Ballou • Guys and Dolls • Sweet Charity • The Cool Mikado • Li'l Abner | |
18 | Chris Farley | 33 | USA | Actor, Comedian | Tommy Boy • Beverly Hills Ninja • Wayne's World 2 • Black Sheep • Coneheads • Almost Heroes • Airheads | |
19 | Michael Alldredge | 56 | USA | Actor | Scarface • Iron Eagle • The Entity • Robot Jox | |
20 | Dawn Steel | 51 | USA | Producer | City of Angels • Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit • Fallen • Cool Runnings • Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | |
25 | Denver Pyle | 77 | USA | Actor | Bonnie and Clyde • Maverick • Escape to Witch Mountain • The Great Race | |
31 | Billie Dove | 94 | USA | Actress | The Black Pirate • Beyond the Rainbow • The Painted Angel |
Read more about this topic: 1997 In Film
Famous quotes containing the words notable and/or deaths:
“Every notable advance in technique or organization has to be paid for, and in most cases the debit is more or less equivalent to the credit. Except of course when its more than equivalent, as it has been with universal education, for example, or wireless, or these damned aeroplanes. In which case, of course, your progress is a step backwards and downwards.”
—Aldous Huxley (18941963)
“As deaths have accumulated I have begun to think of life and death as a set of balance scales. When one is young, the scale is heavily tipped toward the living. With the first death, the first consciousness of death, the counter scale begins to fall. Death by death, the scales shift weight until what was unthinkable becomes merely a matter of gravity and the fall into death becomes an easy step.”
—Alison Hawthorne Deming (b. 1946)