Actor who played Theodore Huxtable has died...

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

(August 18, 1970 – July 20, 2025)

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was an American actor, musician and poet. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992), which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards. He was also known for his roles as Malcolm McGee on the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000), Dr. Alex Reed in the sitcom Reed Between the Lines (2011, 2015), and Dr. AJ Austin in the medical drama The Resident.

In 2015, Warner received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Jesus Children" alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway.

Warner had a relationship with actress Michelle Thomas, who portrayed his girlfriend Justine Phillips on The Cosby Show, until 1994. He was at her bedside when she died in 1998. He was in a relationship with actress Karen Malina White for seven and a half years. Warner also dated actress Regina King from 2011 until March 2013. He later married and had a daughter. Warner chose not to disclose his wife's or their child's names publicly, citing privacy concerns.

On July 20, 2025, Warner died while vacationing in Costa Rica, at the age of 54. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limón Province, when he was caught in a high current and drowned. Local authorities confirmed the official cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning.

Val Kilmer has passed away at the age of 65...

VAL KILMER
(December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025)

The actor was known for his work in films like, ‘Tombstone,’ ‘True Romance,' ‘Heat’ and 'Batman Forever.' He is best known for his role as Iceman in ‘Top Gun’ alongside Tom Cruise, and reprised his role in the 2022 sequel, ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ He was 65.

In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. He subsequently underwent a tracheal procedure that damaged his vocal cords, leaving him with severe difficulty speaking. He also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies. In 2020, he published his memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir. The 2021 documentary film Val chronicles his health struggles and career, and it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.

Recognized as one of the best-paid actors of the 1990s, Kilmer's films have grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide. In 1992, film critic Roger Ebert remarked, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it."

A D&D Legend is Gone...

Dungeons & Dragons Legend Ernie Gygax Jr. Passes Away

Dungeons & Dragons fans have taken a lot of hits lately, and Ernie Gygax Jr., son of Gary Gygax, just passed away in tragic news for D&D and RPG fans worldwide.

The Mysterious Death of Gene Hackman...

GENE HACKMAN
(January 30, 1930 – February 18, 2025)

Gene Hackman was an American actor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he received two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.

Hackman's two Academy Award wins were for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's action thriller The French Connection (1971) and for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a villainous Sheriff in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven (1992). He was also Oscar-nominated for three other roles: that of Buck Barrow in the crime drama Bonnie and Clyde (1967); a college professor in the drama I Never Sang for My Father (1970); and an FBI agent in the historical drama Mississippi Burning (1988).

Hackman gained further fame for his portrayal of Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and its sequels Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). He also acted in: The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Under Fire (1983), Power (1986), Loose Cannons (1990), The Firm (1993), The Quick and the Dead (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Enemy of the State (1998), Behind Enemy Lines (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and Runaway Jury (2003). He retired from acting after starring in Welcome to Mooseport (2004).

UPDATE (03/07/2025):

At a press conference in Santa Fe on March 7, police and the chief medical examiner revealed that Hackman died on February 18 from severe heart disease complicated by advanced Alzheimer's and kidney disease. Arakawa likely died a week earlier, on February 11, from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, with Hackman possibly not realizing what had happened due to his Alzheimer's. Hackman's pacemaker recorded an abnormal rhythm on February 18, which likely marked the time of his death. Furthermore, his stomach had been completely empty, indicating he had not eaten for days, likely due to his mental condition. The scattered pills found near Arakawa's body had been prescribed to her for a thyroid condition and did not contribute to her death.

Acclaimed Director David Lynch Dies at Age 78...

DAVID LYNCH
(January 20, 1946 - January 15, 2025)

David Keith Lynch was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. He received acclaim for his films, which are often distinguished by their surrealist, dreamlike qualities. 

In a career spanning more than fifty years, he was awarded numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2006 and an Honorary Academy Award in 2019. Often described as a "visionary", Lynch was considered one of the most important filmmakers of his era.

 

David Lynch directed several of the most acclaimed films ever made: Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks, and Mulholland Drive.

From Anime Fan to Anime Producer...

JAN SCOTT-FRAZIER
(March 22, 1965 – December 3, 2024)

Jan Scott-Frazier (born Scott Frazier) was an American animator and translator who worked in various roles in the Japanese anime industry for 20 years, including producer. Frazier was one of the few foreigners to work in the Japanese anime industry.

 

Frazier moved to Japan in April 1987 and switched to an animation education program that October. She eventually taught at the school in December 1988. Frazier was in Hangzhou, China when the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 escalated. During her drive to the airport, she was briefly shot at. During Frazier's career, she worked in many roles including animation checker, photographer and inbetweener. Starting in 1992, Frazier set up TAO, a studio in Thailand and ran it for 4+1⁄2 years. Riots also occurred in Bangkok when Frazier worked there. Izumi Matsumoto in 1994 created the first digital manga, named Comic On, with Frazier producing.

Frazier worked for Production I.G as a technical director and would serve as president of the Japan-based United States branch in 1996. She would later leave the company to become a freelancer. During Blood: The Last Vampire's production, Frazier's unedited first draft of the English language dialog was unexpectedly used. Frazier would also work on several video games including Ghost in the Shell and Quo Vadis 2. She returned to the United States due to a Japanese anime industry collapse and worked for a company that wanted help in the US. During the Anime Central 2001 costume contest, Frazier served as minister during artist Robert DeJesus' wedding. Frazier would later start the nonprofit Voices For, a group of voice actors who released the album Voices for Peace and donated the money to charities including CARE and Doctors Without Borders.

In January 2022, voice actress Amanda Winn-Lee launched a crowdfunding campaign to help fix or replace Frazier's oxygen concentrator. Lee said Frazier was in poor health and had recently been removed from a kidney transplant list. On August 23, 2024, Frazier launched a crowdfunding campaign to help her get into a assisted living facility. On October 31, 2024, Scott-Frazier launched another crowdfunding campaign to pay for living assisted costs due to a robbery.

Scott-Frazier died on December 3, 2024. She was 59 years old.

Voice of Darth Vader Has Passed Away at Age 93...

JAMES EARL JONES

(January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024)

Legendary actor James Earl Jones, best known for his innumerable movie roles, including "Field of Dreams," "The Hunt for Red October," and lending his booming voice of the characters of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" franchise and Mufasa in "The Lion King," has died at the age of 93.

Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, in 1931, he had a stutter since childhood. Jones said that poetry and acting helped him overcome the challenges of his disability. A pre-med mjor in college, he served in the United States Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. His deep voice was praised as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas" to his projects. Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 in Sunrise at Campobello (1957). He gained prominence for acting in numerous productions with Shakespeare in the Park including Othello, Hamet, Coriolanus, and King ear. Jones worked steadily in theater, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a boxer in The Great White Hope (1968), which he reprised in the 1970 film adaptation, earning him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

Jones won his second Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a working class father in August Wilson's Fences (1987). He was a Tony award nominee for his roles as the husband in Ernest Thompson's On Golden Pond (2005) about an aging couple, and as a former president in the Gore Vidal play The Best Man (2012). His other Broadway performances included Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008), Driving Miss Daisy (2010–2011), You Can't Take It with You (2014), and The Gin Game (2015–2016). He received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017.

Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964). He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Claudine (1974). Jones gained international fame for his voice role as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, beginning with the original 1977 film. Jones' other notable roles include parts in Conan the Barbarian (1982), Matewan (1987), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Sandlot (1993), and The Lion King (1994). Jones reprised his roles in Star Wars media, The Lion King (2019), and Coming 2 America (2021).

On television, Jones won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his roles in TNT thriller film Heat Wave (1990) and the crime series Gabriel's Fire (1991). He was Emmy-nominated for East Side West Side (1963), By Dawn's Early Light (1990), Picket Fences (1994), Under One Roof (1995), Frasier (1997), and Everwood (2004). He also acted in Roots (1977), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), and Homicide: Life on the Street (1997).

In 1973, Jones played Hickey on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theater in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh. Jones played Lennie on Broadway in the 1974 Brooks Atkinson Theatre production of the adaptation of John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice and Men, with Kevin Conway as George and Pamela Blair as Curley's wife. That same year he starred in the title role of William Shakespeare's King Lear opposite Paul Sorvino, René Auberjonois, and Raul Julia at the New York City Shakespeare Festival in Central Park.

In 1974, Jones co-starred with Diahann Carroll in the film Claudine, the story of a woman who raises her six children alone after two failed and two "almost" marriages. The film is a romantic comedy and drama, focusing on systemic racial disparities black families face. It was one of the first major films to tackle themes such as welfare, economic inequality, and the typical marriage of men and women in the African American community during the 1970s. Jones and Carroll received widespread critical acclaim and Golden Globe nominations for their performances. Carroll was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 1977, Jones made his debut in his iconic voiceover role as Darth Vader in George Lucas' space opera blockbuster film Star Wars: A New Hope, which he would reprise for the sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Darth Vader was portrayed in costume by David Prowse in the film trilogy, with Jones dubbing Vader's dialogue in postproduction because Prowse's strong West Country accent was deemed unsuitable for the role by director George Lucas. At his own request, Jones was uncredited for the release of the first two Star Wars films, though he would be credited for the third film and eventually also for the first film's 1997 "Special Edition" re-release. As he explained in a 2008 interview:

"When Linda Blair did the girl in The Exorcist, they hired Mercedes McCambridge to do the voice of the devil coming out of her. And there was controversy as to whether Mercedes should get credit. I was one who thought no, she was just special effects. So when it came to Darth Vader, I said, no, I'm just special effects. But it became so identified that by the third one, I thought, OK I'll let them put my name on it."

In 1977, Jones also received a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Great American Documents. In late 1979, Jones appeared on the short-lived CBS police drama Paris. Jones also starred that year in the critically acclaimed TV mini-series sequel Roots: The Next Generations as the older version of author Alex Haley.

Jones died at his home in Pawling, New York, on September 9, 2024, at the age of 93. In a statement, CNN said that Jones "was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades, uniquely conveying through speech instant authority, grace, and decorum. That remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about James." Jones' alma mater, the University of Michigan, paid tribute to him by posting a "We Are Michigan" video narrated by Jones on X. The NAACP, SAG-AFTRA, and MLB also paid tribute to the actor. Numerous members of the entertainment industry paid tribute to the actor including Mark Hamill, Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, Colman Domingo, Octavia Spencer, Jeffrey Wright, Kerry Washington, LeVar Burton, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and Lucasfilm founder George Lucas.

The Creator of 'Dragon Ball' has Died...

AKIRA TORIYAMA

(April 5, 1955 – March 1, 2024)

The manga creator of Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball

has passed away at the age of 68.

Akira Toriyama first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most notable work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Toriyama is regarded as one of the authors who changed the history of manga, as his works are highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.

According to sources close to Toriyama, he planned to undergo surgery for a brain tumor in February 2024. On March 1, 2024, Toriyama died from acute subdural hematoma, at the age of 68. His funeral was held privately with only his family as attendees. His death was announced by his production company Bird Studio one week later on March 8. Tributes to Toriyama were given by One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda and video game designer Yuji Horii, who worked with Toriyama on Dragon Quest.

Akira Toriyama was born in the city of Kiyosu, Aichi prefecture, Japan. He drew pictures from a young age, mainly of the animals and vehicles that he was also fond of. He related being blown away after seeing One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), and said he was drawn deeper into the world of illustration by hoping to draw pictures that good. He was shocked again in elementary school when he saw the manga collection of a classmate's older brother, and again when he saw a television set for the first time at a neighbor's house. He cited Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy (1952–1968) as the original source for his interest in manga. Toriyama has recalled that when he was in elementary school all of his classmates drew imitating anime and manga, as a result of not having many forms of entertainment. He believes that he began to advance above everyone else when he started drawing pictures of his friends. Despite being engrossed with manga in elementary school, Toriyama said he took a break from it in middle school, probably because he became more interested in films and TV shows. When asked if he had any formative experiences with tokusatsu entertainment, Toriyama said he enjoyed the Ultraman TV show and Gamera series of kaiju films.

Toriyama said it was a "no-brainer" that he would attend a high school focused on creative design, but admitted he was more interested in having fun with friends. Although he still did not read much manga, he would draw one himself every once in a while. Despite his parents' strong opposition, Toriyama was confident about going into the work force upon graduation instead of continuing his education. He worked at an advertising agency in Nagoya designing posters for three years. Although Toriyama said he adapted to the job quickly, he admitted that he was often late because he was not a "morning person" and often got reprimanded for dressing casually, until he got sick of the environment and quit.

 

Needing money after quitting his job at the age of 23, Toriyama entered the manga industry by submitting a work to an amateur contest in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, which he had randomly picked up in a coffee shop. The timing did not line up for that contest, but another shōnen magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, accepted submissions for their Newcomer Award every month. Kazuhiko Torishima, who would become his editor, read and enjoyed Toriyama's manga, but it was not eligible to compete because it was a parody of Star Wars instead of an original work. Torishima sent the artist a telegram and encouraged him to keep drawing and sending him manga. This resulted in Wonder Island, which became Toriyama's first published work when it was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1978. It finished last place in the readers survey. Toriyama later said that he had planned to quit manga after getting paid, but because Wonder Island 2 (1978) was also a "flop," his stubbornness would not let him and he continued to draw failed stories for a year; claiming around 500 pages' worth, including the published Today's Highlight Island (1979). He said he learned a lot during this year and even had some fun. When Torishima told him to draw a female lead character, Toriyama hesitantly created 1979's Tomato the Cutesy Gumshoe, which had some success. Feeling encouraged, he decided to draw another female lead and created Dr. Slump.

 

Torishima suggested that, as Toriyama enjoyed kung fu films, he should create a kung fu shōnen manga. This led to the two-part Dragon Boy, published in the August and October 1983 issues of Fresh Jump. It follows a boy, adept at martial arts, who escorts a princess on a journey back to her home country. Dragon Boy was well-received and evolved to become the serial Dragon Ball in 1984. But before that, The Adventure of Tongpoo was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump's 52nd issue of 1983 and also contained elements that would be included in Dragon Ball.

 

Manga critic Jason Thompson declared Toriyama's art influential, saying that his "extremely personal and recognizable style" was a reason for Dragon Ball's popularity. He points out that the popular shōnen manga of the late 1980s and early 1990s had "manly" heroes, such as City Hunter and Fist of the North Star, whereas Dragon Ball starred the cartoonish and small Goku, thus starting a trend that Thompson says continues to this day. Toriyama himself said he went against the normal convention that the strongest characters should be the largest in terms of physical size, designing many of the series' most powerful characters with small statures. Thompson concluded his analysis by saying that only Akira Toriyama drew like this at the time and that Dragon Ball is "an action manga drawn by a gag manga artist." James S. Yadao, author of The Rough Guide to Manga, points out that an art shift does occur in the series, as the characters gradually "lose the rounded, innocent look that [Toriyama] established in Dr. Slump and gain sharper angles that leap off the page with their energy and intensity." 

 

Thompson stated in 2011 that "Dragon Ball is by far the most influential shonen manga of the last 30 years, and today, almost every Shōnen Jump artist lists it as one of their favorites and lifts from it in various ways." David Brothers of ComicsAlliance wrote that: "Like Osamu Tezuka and Jack Kirby before him, Toriyama created a story with his own two hands that seeped deep into the hearts of his readers, creating a love for both the cast and the medium at the same time." In a rare 2013 interview, commenting on Dragon Ball's global success, Toriyama admitted, "Frankly, I don't quite understand why it happened. While the manga was being serialized, the only thing I wanted as I kept drawing was to make Japanese boys happy." He had previously stated in 2010, "The truth is, I didn't like being a manga artist very much. It wasn't until relatively recently that I realized it's a wonderful job." Many artists have named Toriyama and Dragon Ball as influences, including One Piece author Eiichiro Oda, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto, Fairy Tail and Rave author Hiro Mashima, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations illustrator Mikio Ikemoto, Venus Versus Virus author Atsushi Suzumi, Bleach creator Tite Kubo, Black Cat author Kentaro Yabuki, and Mr. Fullswing author Shinya Suzuki. German comic book artist Hans Steinbach was strongly influenced by Toriyama, and Thai cartoonist Wisut Ponnimit cited Toriyama as one of his favorite cartoonists. Ian Jones-Quartey, a producer of the American animated series Steven Universe, is a fan of both Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, and uses Toriyama's vehicle designs as reference for his own. He also stated that "We're all big Toriyama fans on [Steven Universe], which kind of shows a bit." French director Pierre Perifel cited Toriyama and Dragon Ball as influences on his DreamWorks Animation film The Bad Guys.

 

In 2008, Oricon conducted a poll of people's favorite manga artists, with Toriyama coming in second, behind only Nana author Ai Yazawa. He was number one among male respondents and among those over 30 years of age. They held a poll on the Mangaka that Changed the History of Manga in 2010, mangaka being the Japanese word for a manga artist. Toriyama came in second, after only Osamu Tezuka, due to his works being highly influential and popular worldwide. Toriyama won the Special 40th Anniversary Festival Award at the 2013 Angoulême International Comics Festival, honoring his years in cartooning. He actually received the most votes for the festival's Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême award that year, though the selection committee chose Willem as the recipient. In a 2014 NTT Docomo poll for the manga artist that best represents Japan, Toriyama came in third place. That same year, entomologist Enio B. Cano named a new species of beetle, Ogyges toriyamai, after Toriyama, and another, Ogyges mutenroshii, after the Dragon Ball character Muten Roshi. Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier or "Knight" of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government on May 30, 2019 for his contributions to the arts. He was also a 2019 nominee for entry into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame. Toriyama will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Tokyo Anime Awards Festival. Due to his video game design work, IGN named Toriyama number 74 on their list of the Top 100 Game Creators of All Time.

News of Toriyama's death caused an outpouring of grief among admirers of his works, who took to social media to express their condolences and celebrate his legacy.

Actor and Director, Carl Weathers, has died at 76...

CARL WEATHERS
(January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024)

Carl Weathers was an American actor, director, and football linebacker. His roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), and he had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

 

Weathers began working as an extra while still playing football. He had his first significant roles in two blaxploitation films directed by his longtime friend Arthur Marks: Bucktown (1975) and Friday Foster (1975). Weathers also appeared in an early 1975 episode of the sitcom Good Times titled "The Nude", portraying an angry husband who suspected his wife of cheating on him with J.J. He also guest-starred in a 1975 episode of Kung Fu titled "The Brothers Caine", and in an episode of Cannon titled "The Hero". In 1976, he appeared as a loan shark in an episode of the crime-drama Starsky & Hutch, and in the Barnaby Jones episode "The Bounty Hunter" as escaped convict Jack Hopper.

While auditioning for the role of Apollo Creed alongside Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, Weathers criticized Stallone's acting, which led to him getting the role. He reprised the role of Apollo Creed in the next three Rocky films: Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV (1985).

Weathers briefly appears as an Army MP in one of the three released versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (originally released in 1977). In 1978, Weathers portrayed Vince Sullivan in a TV movie, Not This Time. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Weathers starred in a number of action films for the small and big screen, including Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Predator (1987), Action Jackson (1988), and Hurricane Smith (1992). As a member of the cast of Predator, Weathers worked with future California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and future Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. Many years later he appeared in a spoof segment on Saturday Night Live, announcing that he was running for political office and urging viewers to vote for him on the basis that "he was the black guy in Predator".

He also appeared in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" music video and co-starred in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore, as Chubbs, a golf legend teaching Happy how to play golf. He reprised the role nearly four years later in the Sandler comedy Little Nicky. Filming a fall stunt in Happy Gilmore, Weathers fractured two vertebrae and his osteophytes grew out and connected and self-fused badly. He says he was in excruciating pain for three to four years.

Another notable television role was Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux on the cop show Street Justice. Afterwards, during the final two seasons of In the Heat of the Night (1992–1994), his character, Hampton Forbes, replaced Bill Gillespie as the chief of police. He also played MACV-SOG Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.

In 2004, Weathers received a career revival as a comedic actor beginning with appearances in three episodes of the comedy series Arrested Development as a cheapskate caricature of himself, who serves as Tobias Fünke's acting coach. He was then cast in the comedies The Sasquatch Gang and The Comebacks. Weathers had a guest role in two episodes of The Shield as the former training officer of main character Vic Mackey.

Weathers provided the voice for Colonel Samuel Garrett in the Pandemic Studios video game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. In 2005, he was a narrator on Conquest! The Price of Victory — Witness the Journey of the Trojans!, an 18-part television show about USC athletics. Weathers is a principal of Red Tight Media, a film and video production company that specializes in tactical training films made for the United States armed forces. He also appeared in one episode of ER as the father of an injured boxer during their 2008 finale season.

For the sixth film in the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa (2006), Stallone asked Weathers, Mr. T, and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from their appearances in the earlier Rocky films. Mr. T and Lundgren agreed, but Weathers wanted an actual part in the movie, even though his character had died in Rocky IV. Stallone refused, and Weathers decided not to allow Stallone to use his image for flashbacks from the previous films. They instead used footage of a fighter who looks similar to Weathers. Weathers and Stallone patched up their differences and Weathers agreed to allow footage of him from previous films to be used throughout Creed (2015).

Weathers portrayed the father of Michael Strahan and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell's characters on the short-lived 2009 Fox sitcom Brothers. Weathers acted as Brian "Gebo" Fitzgerald in advertising for Old Spice's sponsorship of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. He also appeared in an ongoing series of web-only advertisements for Credit Union of Washington, dispensing flowers and the advice that "change is beautiful" to puzzled-looking bystanders. He also starred in a series of commercials for Bud Light, in which he introduced plays from the "Bud Light Playbook." At the conclusion of each commercial, Weathers could be seen bursting through the Bud Light Playbook and shouting "Here we go!"

In 2019, Weathers appeared as Greef Karga in several episodes of the first season of the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. He returned for the second season and also directed the episode "Chapter 12: The Siege". He returned for season 3 and directed the episode "Chapter 20: The Foundling". His performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.

Original Voice of Harley Quinn Dies at 67...

ARLEEN SORKIN

(October 14, 1955 – August 24, 2023)

Known for portraying Calliope Jones on the daytime serial

Days of Our Lives and for serving as the real-life inspiration

and voice for DC Comics villain Harley Quinn

[Source: Yahoo! News] Arleen Sorkin, who portrayed Calliope Jones on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives and served as the original voice of the DC Comics character Harley Quinn, had died. She was 67. 

Sorkin died Thursday, a source told The Hollywood Reporter. Health issues kept her from acting in recent years. 

 

DC boss James Gunn wrote on Instagram Saturday: “Rest in Peace, Arleen Sorkin, the incredibly talented original voice of Harley Quinn, who helped to create the character so many of us love. Love to her family and friends.” 

Mark Hamill, who often recorded his lines as the Joker opposite Sorkin, also remembered her in a tribute, writing: “Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person. I’m grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend. Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family & loved ones.” 

Harley Quinn was intended to be a one-episode character when she debuted on Batman: The Animated Series in the 1992 episode “Joker’s Favor,” which introduced her as a henchwoman to Hamill’s Joker. Paul Dini, Harley Quinn co-creator and Batman writer, was a college friend of Sorkin’s and said he was inspired to cast her after being home sick one day and catching her on an episode of Days of Our Lives, in which she played a harlequin in a dream sequence. 

 

“I thought about a character kind of like her persona at the time, which was the snappy, wisecracking blonde,” Dini told THR in 2016. 

 

The character proved to be a hit, and Sorkin returned for eight more episodes and reprised the role for video games, animated movies and animated series over the years, including Gotham Girls, Justice League, The Batman Superman Movie: World’s Finest and more. 

 

“I would sing in the car on the way to work — ‘Adelaide’s Lament’ from Guys and Dolls. And when I got there, I was ready,” Sorkin told THR in 2016. “Adelaide from Guys and Dolls is someone I always wanted to play. So it was very easy for me to find Harley’s voice. But I made her even more extreme.” Harley Quinn has grown to become internationally known, with Margot Robbie portraying her on the big screen. 

 

Tara Strong, who went on to voice Harley Quinn in other iterations, called Sorkin “the inspiration & the heart & soul of this iconic character.” 

 

Born on Oct. 14, 1955, in Washington, Sorkin worked in a comedy troupe and as a cabaret performer in the 1970s and ’80s, then played Jones on Days of Our Lives from 1984-90, with return engagements in 1992, 2001, 2006 and 2010. Her other acting credits include Duet, Open House, Dream On, Ted & Venus, I Don’t Buy Kisses Anymore and Frasier. From 1990-92, she co-hosted America’s Funniest People alongside Dave Coulier. 

Sorkin also served as a writer and producer on the TV shows How to Marry a Billionaire and Fired Up, co-wrote the 1997 film Picture Perfect and penned two episodes for Tiny Toon Adventures. 

 

Survivors include her husband, producer-writer Christopher Lloyd, and their two children.

Actor in 'John Wick' franchise has died at age 60...

Lance Solomon Reddick

(June 7, 1962 – March 17, 2023)
Actor who starred in The Wire and John Wick series has died

Lance Solomon Reddick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Dorothy Gee and Solomon Reddick. He attended Friends School of Baltimore. As a teenager, he studied music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute and a summer program teaching music theory and composition at the Walden School. Reddick studied classical music composition at University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, earning a Bachelor of Music degree. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts in the 1980s. Reddick attended the Yale School of Drama in the early 1990s, receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1994.

Reddick was cast as Cedric Daniels in the HBO series The Wire, having auditioned also for the roles of Bubbles and Bunk Moreland. He joined ABC's series Lost in 2008, where he played Matthew Abaddon, an employee of Charles Widmore, in multiple episodes. He was the third of five actors from the HBO series Oz to star in the drama. The Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were interested in Reddick for the part of Mr. Eko, but he was busy filming The Wire.

Reddick released his debut album Contemplations & Remembrances in 2007, and in early 2008, he was cast in a key role in the pilot of Fringe in which his fellow Oz actor, Kirk Acevedo, also had a regular role. Reddick played Phillip Broyles, the head of an FBI department investigating paranormal activities. Reddick described this character as "a real hard-ass, but he's also one of the good guys." Like Lost, Fringe was co-created and produced by J. J. Abrams. There was some doubt about whether Reddick could appear in both Lost and Fringe in the 2008–2009 television season. However, Abrams stated that, even though Reddick was a series regular on Fringe, he would do episodes of Lost whenever required. Reddick appeared in the 2013 thriller White House Down. He starred in the YouTube web series DR0NE, where he was also credited as a co-producer.

In 2014, Reddick appeared as Charon in the action-thriller film John Wick, a role he has reprised in its two sequels. In July 2021, it was confirmed that Reddick would reprise his role in John Wick: Chapter 4. He voiced the character Commander Zavala in the 2014 and 2017 video games Destiny and Destiny 2, respectively.

Also in 2014, he started portraying Chief Irvin Irving in the Amazon Prime series Bosch. Comparing his three large roles as police commanders, Reddick said that Daniels, his character from The Wire, is "a cop at heart", while Broyles, his Fringe character, is "a soldier", and Irving "is the quintessential politician".

Reddick was a spokesman in television commercials for Cree LED Bulbs.

In 2016, Reddick was cast in the post-apocalyptic horror film The Domestics. The film was released on June 28, 2018. Reddick later starred in the 2018 horror thriller film Monster Party. He also voiced the character Sylens in the 2017 video game Horizon Zero Dawn and reprised his role in the sequel Horizon Forbidden West. In 2021, Reddick appeared in the film Godzilla vs. Kong. In 2022, Reddick portrayed Albert Wesker in the live action Resident Evil Netflix series, which was cancelled after one season.

He will appear posthumously as the Greek god Zeus in the upcoming series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Disney+ adaption of the book series of the same name.

Reddick died from natural causes aged 60 on March 17, 2023, at his home in Los Angeles. Tributes were paid by colleagues and friends, including Reddick's Wire co-stars Wendell Pierce and Isiah Whitlock Jr., The Wire creator David Simon, and his John Wick co-stars Keanu Reeves and Ian McShane. Players of the games Destiny and Destiny 2 visited Reddick's character, Commander Zavala, saluting him or sitting in silence side by side.

Legendary manga and anime creator dies at 85...

LEIJI MATSUMOTO
(January 25, 1938 - February 13, 2023)
Famed Japanese manga and anime creator Leiji Matsumoto,
whose real name was Akira Matsumoto, has died at age 85

Leiji Matsumoto was famous for his space operas such as Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999. His style was characterized by mythological and often tragic storylines with strong moral themes, noble heroes, feminine heroines, and a love of strange worlds and melancholy atmosphere.

Leiji Matsumoto was born on January 25, 1938, in Kurume, Fukuoka. He was the middle child of a family of seven brothers, and, in his early childhood, Matsumoto was given a 35mm film projector by his father, and watched American cartoons during the Pacific War. During this time, he gained an interest in science fiction novels by authors Unno Juza and H. G. Wells. Matsumoto started drawing at the age of six, and began drawing manga three years later after seeing the works of Osamu Tezuka. At 18, he moved to Tokyo, to become a manga artist.

Matsumoto made his debut under his real name, Akira Matsumoto, in 1954 with Mitsubachi no bōken in the magazine Manga Shōnen.

Matsumoto had his big break with Otoko Oidon, a series that chronicled the life of a rōnin (a young man preparing for university entrance exams), in 1971. In 1972 he created the mature-themed dark comedy Western seinen series, Gun Frontier, for Play Comic magazine, which ran from 1972 to 1975. Around the same time he started a series of unconnected short stories set during World War II, Senjo Manga Series, which would eventually become popular under the title The Cockpit.

He was involved in Space Battleship Yamato (1974) and created the highly popular series Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 (both 1977). In 1978, he was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen for Galaxy Express 999 and Senjo Manga Series. Animated versions of Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 are set in the same universe, which spanned several spin offs and related series, most notably Queen Emeraldas and Queen Millennia.

Matsumoto supervised the creation of several music videos for the French house group Daft Punk, set to tracks from their album Discovery. These videos were issued end-to-end (making a full-length animated movie) on a DVD release titled Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.

About two dozen bronze statues – each perhaps four feet tall – of characters and scenes from Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999 were erected in the downtown area of Tsuruga in 1999. Each statue includes a plaque at its base explaining the character and featuring Matsumoto's signature.

Matsumoto worked with Yoshinobu Nishizaki on Space Battleship Yamato (known outside Japan under various names, but most commonly as Star Blazers). Matsumoto created a manga loosely based on the series, and the Yamato makes cameo appearances (sans crew) in several of his works including the Galaxy Express 999 manga.

A later work by Matsumoto called Great Yamato featuring an updated Yamato had to be renamed Great Galaxy due to legal issues with Nishizaki. As of 2009, Matsumoto and Nishizaki were working on independent anime projects featuring the acclaimed Space Battleship Yamato, with the conditions that Matsumoto cannot use the name Yamato or the plot or characters from the original, and Nishizaki cannot use the conceptual art, character or ship designs of the original.

In August 2014, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his debut, Matsumoto launched the manga Captain Harlock ~Jigen Kōkai~ (Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage), illustrated by Kōichi Shimahoshi, in the pages of Akita Shoten's Champion Red magazine. Dimensional Voyage is a retelling of the original 1978 Space Pirate Captain Harlock manga. It had been licensed in the U.S. by Seven Seas.

Matsumoto was married to manga artist and Licca-chan creator Miyako Maki.

On November 15, 2019, Matsumoto suffered severe respiratory problems and collapsed during an event in Turin, Italy, for the 40th-anniversary tour celebrating the Captain Harlock anime adaptation. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and had a breathing tube inserted after he was admitted to the emergency unit. However, he was considered to be out of danger two days later.

Matsumoto died of acute heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo on February 13, 2023, at the age of 85.

Sayonara, Mr. Leiji Matsumoto! You will be sorely missed.

Kirstie Alley Has Passed Away at Age 71

KIRSTIE ALLEY

(January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022)
Actress who played Saavik on Star Trek II has died of cancer

(Source: Yahoo!News) Kirstie Alley fibbed in order to play her iconic Star Trek character who was, ironically, incapable of lying.

 

In 2016, Alley participated in the Star Trek 50th Anniversary Con in Las Vegas where she talked about being a part of 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, in which she played Saavik, Spock's protégé and Starfleet commander-in-training. The film was Alley's first professional acting gig, which she admitted she got by making up her credentials.

 

The iconic TV and film actress died Monday. She was 71.

 

"When I did Star Trek II, before that I had done nothing, and I had faked my résumé," she said. "I'm sure everyone knew it, but I thought it sounded good."

 

Calling Khan director Nicholas Meyer her biggest career "champion," Alley said he kept auditioning her for the Saavik role, so studio executives would see what he saw in her.

 

"I was up against a lot of people who had a lot of work," she recalled at the event. "And then in the final, hour, he gave me the role."

Alley noted that amid the auditions, her parents were in a serious car crash in which her mother was killed and her father was severely injured. She flew back home to Kansas to be with her dad in the hospital. She told her agent she would not come back to read again until she knew her dad was okay. Rather than just pass on her, Meyer said he would wait, the actress said.

 

"It still makes me want to start crying because, 'Okay. We'll wait for her' — that girl who's done nothing except clean people's houses," Alley said. "It was amazing he did that."

 

As for the production, Alley said the late Leonard Nimoy was an "icon" to her who she adored from watching the original Star Trek TV series.

 

"My friends would make fun of me because my eyebrow goes up at certain points and I have no control over it," she said. "So, I would watch and when Mr. Spock would come on, I would say, 'Wow. If I was ever an actress, I could play Spock's daughter.' When I met him, he was an icon to me, and I was incredibly impressed."

 

Alley also noted that she was not acting during Spock's funeral scene. "I just started crying because I thought it was sad that Spock died when we were shooting the scene," she said. "It was so surreal and so sad. I just started crying and they used it. It wasn't some big dramatic coup. I was really sad."

 

On Monday evening, shortly after news of her death broke, William Shatner paid his respects via social media.

 

"Saddened to hear of the passing of @kirstiealley. Condolences to her family & friends," the Capt. Kirk actor wrote on Twitter.

Jason David Frank Dead by Suicide

JASON DAVID FRANK
(September 4, 1973 – November 19, 2022)
Actor who played the Green Power Ranger died at age 49

Jason David Frank, who played the Green Ranger and later the White Ranger on the popular 1990s children's television show “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” died on Saturday. He was 49. Justine Hunt, his manager, confirmed his death on Sunday. It was initially reported he died by suicide. Details to be released soon.

Frank was cast in the role of Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger. The role was set for 14 episodes. Due to the popularity of the character, he was brought back as the White Ranger and the new leader of the team.

Frank was supposed to be the lead character Adam Steele in VR Troopers (originally called "Cybertron") and shot a pilot episode before being called back to Power Rangers. According to both Frank and Brad Hawkins, Hawkins' character was to replace Tommy Oliver originally as the White Ranger on Power Rangers. However, due to Tommy Oliver's popularity with Ranger fans, Frank was brought back, with Tommy Oliver becoming the White Ranger. Hawkins would take over on VR Troopers. The character Adam Steele was renamed Ryan Steele. After three seasons, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers transitioned into Power Rangers Zeo. The transition is part of the annual Ranger suit change to match the annual change of the Super Sentai series. Frank's character became the Red Zeo Ranger (also called Zeo Ranger V).

The following year in Power Rangers Turbo, his character became the first Red Turbo Ranger. During mid-season, Frank and fellow cast members Johnny Yong Bosch, Nakia Burrise and Catherine Sutherland agreed to leave and were replaced.

After he left the series in 1997, Frank came back to Power Rangers as the Red Zeo Ranger in 2002 for the special 10th-anniversary episode, entitled "Forever Red", in Power Rangers Wild Force, which brought back ten former Red Rangers, and reunited him with Austin St. John.

He then reprised his role in 2004 in Power Rangers Dino Thunder, as the Black Dino Ranger. During his time as the Black Dino Ranger, Frank was always shown in long-sleeved shirts to cover the tattoos on his arms.

This was also the case during "Forever Red" of Wild Force. Being the Black Dino Ranger was a favor to Douglas Sloan. He joked that Saban and Disney are "both the same, they're cheap" but that he was impressed with the production crew for Dino Thunder.

Frank reprised his role as Tommy Oliver (who in turn was the Green Ranger for the episode) in the season finale of Power Rangers Super Megaforce. Frank expressed interest in developing a Green Ranger solo series or feature film after an encounter with Stan Lee at a comic book convention.

Frank had a cameo role in the 2017 film Power Rangers, as a citizen of Angel Grove, alongside fellow Power Rangers actress, Amy Jo Johnson. In 2018, he reprised his role as Tommy in episode 10 of Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel for the 25th anniversary of Power Rangers. In 2022, Frank revealed that he retired from the franchise. 

He married his first wife in 1994 and the couple had two sons and a daughter. They divorced in 2001. In 2003, he married his second wife, Tammie, and the couple had one daughter. In 2022, Tammie filed for divorce.

The Voice of Batman has Died at 66

KEVIN CONROY
(November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022)

 The Iconic Voice of Batman in Animation and

Gaming has died of cancer at Age 66

Kevin Conroy was an American actor. He was best known as the voice behind the DC Comics superhero Batman in various media, beginning on the 1990s Warner Bros. television series Batman: The Animated Series as well as other TV series and feature films in the DC Animated Universe. Due to the popularity of his performance as Batman, Conroy went on to voice the character for multiple films under the DC Universe Animated Original Movies banner and the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham and Injustice video games.

 

As a voice actor, Kevin Conroy is best known for his starring role as Bruce Wayne / Batman in the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995). He continued to voice Batman in numerous animated spin off projects, which collectively took place in what is known as the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). These spin-offs include the TV shows The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Batman Beyond (1999–2001, in which he portrays an elderly Bruce Wayne retired from crimefighting), Justice League (2001–2004) and Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006) as well as the theatrical film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), and the direct-to-video films Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998), Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003). He also voiced Batman for the character's guest appearances in the DCAU's Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock and The Zeta Project.

 

Conroy is distinguished for being the first voice actor to use two distinct voices to portray Bruce Wayne and Batman, which Michael Keaton had previously done in Tim Burton's live-action Batman films. In a tally of performances that include every episode and movie portrayal of Batman in live-action and animation, Conroy portrayed the character longer than any other actor. The previous record-holder was Olan Soule, who voiced Batman in various animated works between the late 1960s and early 1980s (including Super Friends). Apart from the DCAU, Conroy also portrayed Batman in the direct-to-video DC Universe Animated Original Movies: Batman: Gotham Knight (2008), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), Justice League: Doom (2012), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014), Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019). 

 

After the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, Conroy participated in relief efforts by volunteering to cook for police officers and firefighters. During an audio commentary on Batman: Gotham Knight, Conroy expressed his surprise at the reaction of the emergency service workers to his presence. At the behest of another cook, Conroy called out from the kitchen to the dining area in his "Batman voice", reciting the iconic line, "I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!" (from the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Nothing to Fear"). This was greeted by cheers and applause from emergency service personnel, many of whom had been fans of Batman: The Animated Series during its airing in the 1990s. Conroy confessed to being humbled and deeply flattered by the reaction. 

 

In preparation for the theatrical release of the 2012 live-action film The Dark Knight Rises, Conroy re-dubbed Christian Bale's Batman lines for an animated version of one of the film's trailers. 

 

Conroy stated at the 2013 Dallas Comic Con that he had been working on "the next Arkham", leading to rampant speculation that he would reprise his role as Batman in Batman: Arkham Origins. In June 2013, however, it was confirmed that Conroy would not be involved in Arkham Origins, meaning Conroy may have been referring to an yet-unannounced game from the Rocksteady Arkham series. On March 4, 2014, a new Arkham game titled Batman: Arkham Knight was announced with Conroy reprising his role. 

 

He confirmed on Twitter in October 2013 that he had filmed a role on Tim Daly's web series The Daly Show, where Conroy parodied his role as Batman in a fight with Daly parodying Superman (whom Daly previously voiced in Superman: The Animated Series). 

 

Conroy portrayed Bruce Wayne of Earth-99 in live-action in the Batwoman episode of Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths". 

 

Mark Hamill, Conroy's frequent voice actor co-star as the Joker, spoke highly of working with Conroy. Regarding his willingness to be involved in a Batman-related project, Hamill says, "When they offer me roles now, I say, 'Is Kevin doing it?' ... I don't even have to read the script, if Kevin's doing it I'll do it."