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The Young and The Restless spoilers and updates reveal Eric Braeden’s (Victor Newman) eye-opening net worth and episode earnings.

Having built a career over several decades, Braeden has garnered numerous awards and taken on a variety of roles; as a result, fans are curious about the actor’s net worth.

Eric’s Impressive Acting Resumé

Hans-Jörg Gudegast, known to the world as Eric Braeden, was born on April 3, 1941, in Germany; he eventually made the journey to the United States as a young adult.

During his initial twenty years in America, he launched his television career, landing early roles in shows such as Combat!, 12 O’Clock High, and Mission: Impossible.

One of his breakout performances was as Captain Hans Dietrich in The Rat Patrol, appearing the length of the series-under his real name, Hans Gudegast.

Following that success, he featured in notable series like Hawaii Five-o, The Young Rebels, Mannix,...

Pilar Del Rey, the character actress perhaps best remembered for her turn in Giant as the Mexican woman who has a seriously ill newborn who grows up to be the doomed World War II soldier played by Sal Mineo, has died. She was 95.

Del Rey died Sunday in Los Angeles of natural causes, her family announced.

Over four decades, Del Rey appeared in such other films as The Ring (1952), starring Rita Moreno; And Now Miguel (1953), starring Michael Ansara and Pat Cardi; The Siege at Red River (1954), starring Van Johnson and Joanne Dru; and Black Horse Canyon (1954), starring Mari Blanchard and Race Gentry.

In George Stevens’ epic Giant (1956), Del Rey portrays Mrs. Obregón, whose baby, Angel, is cared for thanks to Elizabeth Taylor’s compassionate Leslie Benedict. Leslie’s husband, Bick (Rock Hudson), doesn’t think the family doctor should tend to “those people.” (Mrs. Obregón’s husband, played by Victor Millan,...

Pilar Del Rey, a veteran character actor who appeared with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor in Giant and guested on dozens of classic TV series, died February 23 of natural causes in Los Angeles. She was 95. A family spokesperson confirmed the news to Deadline.

In George Stevens’ 1956 epic Giant, Del Rey played the sickly Mrs. Obregon, who is cared for along with her baby by Taylor’s Leslie Benedict as an impatient Jett Rink (Dean) tries to rush her. Leslie’s learning of the local Mexican ranch workers’ living conditions and the racist attitudes toward them is a key early plot point in the film, which drew nine Oscar noms including Best Picture. Stevens won for Best Director.

Born on May 26, 1929, in Fort Worth, Texas, Del Rey made her film debut in the late 1940s. A Spanish-American, she portrayed characters from various ethnic backgrounds with depth and authenticity.

She joined the...

General Hospital (Gh) fans were saddened to learn about Leslie Charleson’s passing earlier this year on January 12. Reports at that time indicated the soap opera legend died after battling an illness; however, a recent report reveals this may not be the case.

As per documents obtained from TMZ, the daytime drama vet passed away from blunt head trauma.

More On Charleson’s Passing

According to TMZ’s report, Charleson passed away from “sequelae of blunt head trauma”, which basically means long-term effects from a head injury the actress suffered from.

As of this writing, it’s uncertain when the Gh legend sustained the head injury; however, it is known that the reason she hadn’t been seen on the soap as of late was due to a number of falls she suffered from within recent years.

Among the other medical conditions listed, L.A. County medical examiner states that...

A cause of death has been revealed for Leslie Charleson, who played cardiologist Monica Quartermaine on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital for nearly 50 years. Charleson died of sequelae of blunt head trauma, a consequence of a previous head injury she had suffered, according to documents obtained by TMZ.

Charleson died January 12 at a hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 79.

The four-time Daytime Emmy nominee joined Gh in 1977 to replace Patsy Rahn as Monica and played the beloved character for the next 46 years. She exited the show because of health issues and was last seen on the ABC soap in December 2023.

Charleson began her television career appearing in soaps A Flame in the Wind and As the World Turns. She guest-starred in numerous television series including most recently Friends; Dharma and Greg; as well as 1970s series Adam-12; Emergency!; Ironside; Mannix; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Happy Days; Cannon; The Streets of San Francisco...

Jan Shepard, who guest-starred on Rawhide, The Virginian, Gunsmoke and two dozen other TV Westerns and played opposite Elvis Presley in movies eight years apart, has died. She was 96.

Shepard died Jan. 17 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank of pneumonia brought on by respiratory failure, her son, Hollywood prop master, Brandon Boyle, told The Hollywood Reporter. “She was a good one and will be dearly missed,” he said.

Shepard portrayed Mimi, the sister of Presley’s Danny Fisher, in the Michael Curtiz-directed King Creole (1958) and the wife of Danny Kohana (James Shigeta), who partners with Presley’s Rick Richards in a helicopter business, in Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966).

“The first time, I found him to be just the cutest kid around, a big teddy bear, a lot of fun,” she said in an interview for Boyd Magers and Michael G. Fitzgerald’s 1999 book, Westerns Women. But on their next movie,...

Leslie Charleson, who played Dr. Monica Quartermaine for nearly 50 years on ABC’s “General Hospital,” died at 79. The show’s chief producer, Frank Valentini, shared the news Sunday evening.

Charleson started the popular daytime show in 1977 and became the actor who has been on it the longest. She played Monica Quartermaine for 46 years, and fans loved her for it. Her last episode on the show was in December 2023.

“Just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew,” Valentini said. “I will miss our daily talks, her sharp sense of humor, and her amazing energy on set.”

Charleson’s trip to Port Charles had some difficulties. In a 2022 interview with “State of Mind,” she talked about how it felt like a “hostile environment” when she took over the part of another actress. She quickly put her spin on the character,...

Gh Leslie Charleson Dead At 79

General Hospital spoilers and updates report Leslie Charleson, who played the iconic Monica Quartermaine since 1977 passed away after a long illness at 79. Gh Executive Producer Frank Valentini made the announcement Sunday, January 12.

General Hospital Spoilers: Valentini’s Announcement

Frank Valentini announced: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson”. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on ‘General Hospital’ alone”. “And, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew.”

“I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set. On behalf of everyone at ‘General Hospital,’ my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.”

Gh Spoilers: Leslie Had Been Ill For Some Time

The cherished actress, who became part of the soap in...

Leslie Charleson, who played Monica Quartermaine on General Hospital for nearly 50 years, has died. She was 79.

Charleson’s death was announced Sunday on the Instagram account of the ABC daytime drama series. The announcement was attributed to General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson,” Valentini’s statement read. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on General Hospital alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set. On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.”

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A post shared by General Hospital (@generalhospitalabc)

A cause of death was not given,...

Soap Opera icon Leslie Charleson, who for decades played Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital,” died Sunday morning after a long illness. She was 79.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson,” “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini announced. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on ‘General Hospital’ alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set. On behalf of everyone at ‘General Hospital,’ my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.”

The beloved actress, who joined the soap in 1977, has had some health ups and downs over the past few years, which has limited her time on the ABC soap, on which she hadn’t appeared since December 2023. In recent years,...

Gwen Van Dam, a prolific character actress who appeared in TV and film, has died. She was 96.

Van Dam’s death was confirmed by her son, Dirk Smillie, who told our sister site The Hollywood Reporter that she died in her West Los Angeles home on Dec. 19, after a recurrence of cancer.

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Starting off her decades-long career in the 1950s, Van...

Gwen Van Dam, whose 70-year career as a character actress for film, television and the stage included turns in True Confessions, Halloween, Coming Home, Stir Crazy and The Trip to Bountiful, has died. She was 96.

Van Dam, who compiled about 140 acting credits on IMDb, died Dec. 19 at her home in West Los Angeles after a recurrence of cancer, her son, Dirk Smillie, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Van Dam remained a busy actress until the end, appearing on the first five episodes of Prime Video’s Homecoming in 2018, on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie in 2019 and on two installments of Hulu’s Interior Chinatown last year. She recently finished a play, too.

Her TV résumé included The Brady Bunch, Mannix, Maude, House Calls, Days of Our Lives, Moonlighting, 227, Knots Landing, Star Trek: Generations, ER, Gilmore Girls, Charmed, New Girl, Criminal Minds, Angie Tribeca and Modern Family.

Meanwhile, she spent the...

Veteran actor Geoffrey Deuel, best known for playing Dave Campbell in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, has died. He was 81. According to an obituary on EverLoved.com, Geoffrey passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2024. His wife, Jacqueline Deuel, later confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter, revealing he died in hospice care in Largo, Florida, after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Born on January 17, 1943, Geoffrey was the younger brother of the late actor Peter Deuel, who was known for portraying Hannibal Heyes (aka Joshua Smith) on the popular ABC Western series Alias Smith and Jones. Geoffrey debuted on-screen in the military TV drama Twelve O’Clock High in 1966. He continued to appear on TV in small roles throughout the late 1960s, including spots on Occasional Wife, The Monkees, The Invaders, Bonanza, The Flying Nun, The F.B.I., Mod Squad, and Mannix. One of Geoffrey’s most memorable...

Geoffrey Deuel, best known for portraying famed outlaw Billy the Kid in the 1970 John Wayne vehicle Chisum, died Dec. 22 at age 81, per an official obituary.

The news was additionally confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by wife Jacqueline Deuel. The performer, younger brother to Peter Duel (who became known for portraying Hannibal Heyes/Joshua Smith on the popular ABC Western Alias Smith and Jones prior to his suicide), died in hospice care in Florida following a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“He and Peter were very close,” Jacqueline Deuel told THR. “They really loved each other and took care of each other.”

Deuel, who was born Jan. 17, 1943, mostly appeared on television in a variety of series stretching from the late ’60s to mid-’70s. Among those credits are The Monkees, The Invaders, The F.B.I., The Manhunter, Medical Center, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, Adam-12, The Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible, The Streets of San Francisco,...

Geoffrey Deuel, the younger brother of tragic Alias Smith and Jones actor Peter Duel who portrayed the famed outlaw Billy the Kid in the John Wayne-starring Chisum, has died. He was 81.

Deuel died Sunday in hospice care in Largo, Florida, after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife, Jacqueline Deuel, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The square-jawed Deuel appeared on many TV shows from the mid-1960s through the mid-’70s, showing up on The Monkees, The Invaders, The FBI, The Flying Nun, Medical Center, Mannix, Adam-12, The Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible, The Streets of San Francisco, Ironside, Cannon and The Young and the Restless, among others.

In his film debut, Deuel was “introduced” to moviegoers in the opening credits of Andrew V. McLaglen’s Chisum (1970), and a reviewer in The New York Times wrote that he “cut a personable swath” as a particularly vengeful Billy the Kid.

Television has long been a mirror for society, reflecting its struggles, triumphs, and evolving norms.

In the past, shows like All in the Family and The Jeffersons addressed social issues with a deft touch, blending humor, drama, and raw honesty to create stories that resonated deeply.

These weren’t just messages wrapped in a script; they were authentic depictions of life, sparking conversations while still entertaining.

Charlie and Brian – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Today, representation on TV has grown exponentially, with efforts to include diverse voices and perspectives.

But as these efforts increase, so does the challenge of balancing authenticity with intention.

Too often, stories now seem designed to meet quotas rather than create characters that truly connect with viewers. The result? Narratives that can feel rushed, hollow, or even alienating.

Representation was groundbreaking in the golden age of socially conscious TV because it felt organic.

Mary Richards from The Mary Tyler Moore...

Prior to "Gilligan's Island," Natalie Schafer had a professional acting career that lasted for decades. When she was still in her 20s, Schafer began appearing in numerous Broadway productions, often in smaller roles, and rarely in a play that ran for a very long time. She was an expert in playing a certain kind of high-society bourgeoisie biddy, and tended to play comedically clueless archetypes. Beginning in the 1940s, Schafer started to appear in films as well, appearing in multiple features a year. In the 1950s, she stretched into television, and was soon playing guest characters on many of the hottest anthology shows of the day.

At some point along the way, Shafer began telling people that she was 12 years younger than she actually was, likely hoping to avoid a stubborn, unjust stigma in Hollywood against older women. She had a stipulation in her contract that she receive no extreme closeups,...

John Lasell, a character actor known for his television portrayals in Perry Mason (1957), The Twilight Zone (1959) and Dark Shadows (1966), has died in Los Angeles at the age of 95.

The news was confirmed by an obituary notice, which listed the death date as Oct. 4.

His last screen credit dates back to 1985, with the Emmy-nominated TV miniseries A Death in California, opposite Cheryl Ladd and Sam Elliott. He appeared in a handful of episodes in the aforementioned television classic Perry Mason (three in total), as well as one guest spot on The Twilight Zone. His most regular appearance was on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, where he portrayed vampire hunter Dr. Peter Guthrie across 25 episodes.

Other notable TV appearances include Dallas, Falcon Crest, Lassie, Mannix, The Streets of San Francisco, The Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible (in 1972) and Gunsmoke. He was also in two episodes of Wagon Train and four episodes of the Emmy-winning show The Fugitive.

John Lasell, a character actor known for roles on Dark Shadows and The Twilight Zone, has died. He was 95.

Lasell, of Los Angeles, died Oct. 4, according to a family notice.

Lasell appeared regularly on the 1960s camp horror soap Dark Shadows. He played Dr. Peter Guthrie, a vampire hunter. Jonathan Frid played vampire Barnabus Collins in the show that over the course of its four-year run developed a cult teenage following.

Lasell also played John Wilkes Booth in a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone. He also held roles in two 1961 episodes of Wagon Train, and an episode of Hazel that same year. He appeared in a 1962 episode of Route 66, a 1964 episode of Flipper, and 1966 episodes of As the World Turns and Perry Mason. In 1972, he appeared in the television Mission: Impossible series, as well as an episode of Night Gallery and Mannix. He also showed up in an episode...

Prior to "Gilligan's Island" in 1964, Tina Louise was already a long-working actress. Indeed, Louise worked her first modeling gig at the age of two, appearing in an ad campaign for her father's candy store. In high school, she started studying acting, and landed her first professional gig in 1956, appearing in an episode of the TV series "Studio One." She made her feature film debut in Anthony Mann's celebrated drama "God's Little Acre," in which Louise played Griselda, the wife of a character played by Jack Lord. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. 

Louise went on to star in other high-profile film projects, including Michael Curtiz's "The Hangman," and the 1960 Italian historical epic "The Siege of Syracuse," in which she played three different roles. Louise also played the poet Sappho in a film called "The Warrior Empress." In 1964, she appeared in a film called "For Those Who Think Young,...

Sam Strangis, an Emmy-nominated CSI and CSI: Miami producer and Paramount exec and whose career dates back to classic 1960s and ’70s TV shows including Batman, The Brady Bunch and Happy Days, has died. He was 95.

His family told Deadline that Strangis died July 23 of kidney failure at Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, CA, but the news had not been reported.

Strangis’ TV career spanned six decades, from directing NBC’s 1957-59 antebellum western The Restless Gun through the wildly successful first two seasons of CBS’ Crime Scene Investigation and spinoff CSI: Miami. He racked up dozens of credits along the way, also serving as Paramount’s VP of TV Production in the mid-’70s.

Born on June 19, 1929, in Tacoma, Wa, Strangis began his career as a script supervisor at Revue Studios, leading his directing multiple episodes The Restless Gun. He went on to serve as production...

Sam Strangis, the director, producer and production executive behind shows such as “CSI,” “The Brady Bunch,” and “Happy Days,” died of kidney failure on July 23 at Providence Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, Calif., a family spokesperson confirmed. He was 95.

Strangis began his career as a script supervisor at Revue Studios before directing several episodes of “The Restless Gun,” which ran from 1957 to 1959. He went on to serve as a production manager for the 1966 film “Batman: The Movie” and later made the transition to head of production at Paramount Studios.

At Paramount, Strangis oversaw television shows such as “The Odd Couple,” “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Love,” “American Style,” and “Mannix.”

Strangis, along with his producing partner, Don Boyle, eventually left Paramount to work on the iconic series “Six Million Dollar Man” for Universal Studios. He then went on to produce a number of television films...

Sam Strangis, the Emmy-nominated producer, director and studio executive who worked on Batman, The Six Million Dollar Man and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation during his five-decade career, has died. He was 95.

Strangis died July 23 of kidney failure at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, California, a family spokesperson announced.

As head of production at Paramount Studios starting in the late 1960s, Strangis guided such memorable series as Mannix, The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Brady Bunch, Love, American Style and Mission: Impossible.

With then-producing partner Don Boyle, he exited Paramount in 1974 to produce ABC’s new The Six Million Dollar Man, starring Lee Majors, for Universal Television. He followed by shepherding telefilms before returning to Paramount as vice president of TV production.

He would leave the studio again, this time to launch Ten-Four Productions, an independent production company that made such TV movies as...

The late great Peter Falk was born on September 16, 1927, and his detective drama “Columbo” is as timeless as it is entertaining. In the whole of television history, few actors have been as identified with a single character than was Falk with Lieutenant Columbo, the eccentric, rumpled, cigar-chomping, trench coat-clad, implausibly wily Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective who always got his man. In the process, Falk and the producers revolutionized what a cop show could be.

It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys..

SEE30 best TV detectives ranked

From the first official installment of “Columbo” – entitled “Murder by the Book” and featuring Jack Cassidy as the...

Prior to "Gilligan's Island," actor Natalie Schafer had a massive career on stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut in the play "Trigger" in 1927 and would appear regularly on stage throughout the '20s and '30s. She made her feature film debut in 1941 in the invisible man comedy "The Body Disappears" and continued to act in movies throughout the '40s. Schafer added TV acting to her resume starting in 1948. Appearing in most of the hit variety shows of the 1950s, she was a reliable comedienne of the first order, showing up in "77 Sunset Strip," "Mannix," and "The Beverly Hillbillies." Schafer, it seemed, never stopped working.

When Shafer was 64, she was offered the role of Lovey Howell, the millionaire, on Sherwood Schwartz's sitcom "Gilligan's Island." Despite decades of work, "Gilligan's Island" would become the feather in Schafer's cap -- the show she would become best known for.

John Aprea has died. An actor on screens big and small since the late ‘60s, Aprea died with family by his side at his home in Los Angeles on Monday, August 5, Deadline confirmed via Aprea’s manager, Will Levine. He was 83.Born on March 4, 1941, in Englewood, N.J., Jonathan Aprea...

John Aprea, whose acting career landed him roles on “Godfather Part II” and “Full House,” died on Aug. 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles. He was 83.

His death was confirmed by Will Levine, Aprea’s manager.

Born in 1941 to Italian immigrants in Englewood, N.J., Aprea spent part of his early years in Italy before his family resettled back in the States. In the early 1960s, he set out to pursue his passion, acting, enrolling in Joshua Shelley’s acting classes (who also taught Mia Farrow and Jon Voight) in New York. Eventually, he would land a role in the 1968 Steve McQueen classic film Bullitt, playing Killer.

After his splashy debut, Aprea found acting work on sets for the 1970s TV series “Mannix,” the 1970s film “The Grasshopper,” and Jonathan Demme’s 1974 feature, “Caged Heat.”

John’s career took off when he was cast as the young Tessio in Francis Ford Coppola...

John Aprea, the charismatic character actor who portrayed the young Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather Part II and the father of John Stamos’ character on Full House, has died. He was 83.

Aprea died Aug. 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his manager, Will Levine, announced.

The New Jersey native appeared for director Jonathan Demme in Caged Heat (1974), Crazy Mama (1975) and The Manchurian Candidate (2004), played the brother of Ray Sharkey’s up-and-coming music promoter in Taylor Hackford’s The Idolmaker (1980) and was a mob guy in Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City (1991).

Aprea also played another crook, Lucas Castigliano, as well as a multimillionaire shipping magnate, Alexander Nikos, during two stints on the NBC soap opera Another World over a course of a decade (1989-98). Both characters ended up getting shot to death by women.

He starred as the patriarch of a multi-generational Italian American family on NBC’s The Montefuscos,...

John Aprea, an actor whose extensive TV résumé included parts on Another World and Full House, has died at age 83. Aprea died of natural causes on August 7 while surrounded by family at home in Los Angeles, manager Will Levine told TMZ. The actor got his start in the 1968 film Bullitt, playing a killer opposite Steve McQueen’s title detective. After guest-starring roles in the TV series Mannix and The FBI, Aprea played young Salvatore Tessio in the 1974 film The Godfather Part II. Aprea had previously auditioned for the role of The Godfather’s Michael Corleone, a role that went to Al Pacino, but considered playing young Sal his greatest achievement, according to TMZ. “The Godfather Part II just stays with you, it’s a part of who you are. It is one of the best films ever made,” Aprea told Digital Journal in 2020. “Each time it comes on television, I tell myself,...

If you needed yet another reason to love Lucy, here's one — courtesy of Hocus Pocus and King of the Hill star Kathy Najimy. The prolific actress and activist shared a video on her Instagram page of the legendary Lucille Ball schooling a man on America Alive!, admonishing him for getting handsy with female audience members during the Q&a portion of her appearance.

That “man” was longtime entertainment newscaster for CBS, David Sheehan, and those audience members he was grabbing were young women likely studying at UCLA where the show was being taped.

Although the audience giggled at every one of Ball’s reproaches — “Will you take your hands off, David?” and “Take your hands off her, David” — Ball’s face was stern the whole time she scolded Sheehan. While everyone thought she was kidding around and perhaps thought it was part of a bit, Ball meant business.

Ball may...

Nancy Kovack's TV and film career may have been short, but she made a significant impact with notable roles in popular shows and movies. Working alongside big names in Hollywood, Kovack showcased her range in both comedic and dramatic roles, leaving a lasting impression on audiences. Kovack's Emmy-nominated performance in Mannix displayed her talent for portraying complex characters with depth and nuance, solidifying her place in Hollywood history.

Nancy Kovack only acted for a short time, but she appeared in some notable TV shows and movies in the years she was performing. Born in Flint, Michigan on March 11, 1935, Kovack got her start acting in 1958, when she appeared in an episode of the TV series, The Verdict is Yours as "Prizefighter's Girl". One-episode appearances on TV shows came to be a staple of Kovack's career, and she appeared in numerous notable and lesser-known series over her career. But even when she was only a guest,...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, television vet and character actor James B. Sikking was announced by his publicist, Cynthia Snyder, to have passed away this Saturday at his Los Angeles home due to complications with dementia. Sikking was a regular and a frequent collaborator of Steven Bochco shows. The actor is known for portraying the stern Lt. Howard Hunter on the cop series, Hill Street Blues, as well as playing the dad to the titular teenage doctor character played by Neil Patrick Harris on the drama Doogie Howser M.D. Sikking was 90 at the time of his passing.

In addition to being known for television, Sikking can also be seen in a bevy of notable film roles. He played a mocking hitman in the John Boorman film Point Blank (1967). He was also the stuffy Captain Styles who James T. Kirk would defy in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), directed by Leonard Nimoy.

James B. Sikking, the Steven Bochco favorite who portrayed the no-nonsense Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues and the good-hearted doctor dad on Doogie Howser, M.D., has died. He was 90.

Sikking died Saturday at his Los Angeles home of complications from dementia, publicist Cynthia Snyder announced.

Although best known for his TV work, Sikking did have notable turns on the big screen as a mocking hitman in John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), as the stuffy Captain Styles in Leonard Nimoy‘s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and as the director of the FBI in Alan J. Pakula’s The Pelican Brief (1993).

After spending the better part of two decades showing up on such shows as The Outer Limits, Honey West, The Fugitive, Hogan’s Heroes and Mannix, Sikking was cast as the pipe-smoking Hunter, leader of the Swat-like Emergency Action Team, on NBC’s Hill Street Blues.

Armando Silvestre, a busy actor in the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema who appeared with Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine in Two Mules for Sister Sara, with Yul Brynner in Kings of the Sun and with Burt Lancaster in The Scalphunters, has died. He was 98.

Silvestre died June 2 in Coronado, California, a representative from the Aztlan Mortuary in nearby La Mesa told The Hollywood Reporter.

The powerfully built Silvestre made scores of films in Mexico, among them Here Comes Martin Corona (1952), Rossana (1953), Story of a Mink Coat (1955) with Silvia Pinal, La Sombra Vengadora (1956), The Miracle Roses (1960), Neutrón Contra el Dr. Caronte (1963), La Choca (1974) and Faith, Hope and Charity (1974).

He excelled in Westerns and action adventure movies early in his career en route to compiling more than 200 credits on IMDb.

Armando Silvestre Carrascosa was born in San Diego on Jan. 28, 1926, and raised in Tijuana. His younger brother was Eduardo Silvestre, winner of the Mr.

General Hospital (Gh) fans are mourning the death of another alum. Betty Ann Rees passed away this past Monday, June 3 at the age of 81.

She had been in a number of movies, appeared on several primetime television shows, and did a couple of soaps, including Gh.

An actress, as well as an entrepreneur, Betty Anne had multiple sclerosis (Ms) and had a “possible stroke” before passing away.

General Hospital Alum Betty Anne Rees – Her Acting Legacy

Rees was famous for her role on the sitcom My Three Sons, playing Fred MacMurray’s secretary in the show’s final 12th season from 1971 to 1972.

She was also well known for her appearances in movies like The Unholy Rollers in 1972, as well as The Photographer and Sugar Hill in 1974.

In addition, Betty Anne guest starred on primetime television shows like the Mod Squad, Mannix, The F.B.I., The Incredible Hulk, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco,...

Betty Anne Rees, who appeared on My Three Sons but was better known for the films The Unholy Rollers and Sugar Hill, has died at age 81. Rees died on June 3 at home in Hemet, California, niece Kathleen Loucks told The Hollywood Reporter. The retired actor had suffered a series of falls recently and had possibly endured a stroke, and she was also living with multiple sclerosis. Born Elizabeth Anne Rees in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on April 14, 1943 — and educated at Shaker Heights High School, the University of Miami, and the Pasadena Playhouse — the actor made early appearances on the daytime soaps General Hospital and The Doctors, per THR. In the early 1970s, Rees guest-starred on the TV shows The F.B.I., Adam-12, Mannix, and Mod Squad. Then came her role in the ABC-turned-CBS sitcom My Three Sons. Rees played Janet Ingram, the secretary of Fred MacMurray’s character, in the final season.

Betty Anne Rees, who portrayed tough women who weren’t very nice in The Unholy Rollers and Sugar Hill, two 1970s offerings from the B-movie factory American International Pictures, has died. She was 81.

Rees died Monday at her home in Hemet, California, after a series of falls and a possible stroke, her niece, Kathleen Loucks, told The Hollywood Reporter. She also was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the early 1990s.

The Ohio native played Janet Ingram, the secretary for Fred MacMurray’s Steve Douglas, on the last of My Three Sons’ 12 seasons in 1971-72. (Abby Dalton was Janet on an episode three years earlier.)

In The Unholy Rollers (1972), directed by Vernon Zimmerman, Rees portrayed Mickey Martinez, a star of the Los Angeles Avengers roller derby team who does not get along with popular new player Karen Walker (1970 Playboy Playmate of the Year Claudia Jennings).

The film, executive produced by Roger Corman...

George Maksian, who spent 44 years as a film and TV columnist for the New York Daily News at a time when it had the largest circulation in the U.S., died at 94 on May 23. No cause was given.

Working out of the newspaper’s former home on E. 42nd St. in Manhattan, Maksian covered the celebrity beat and was widely syndicated.

His interview list included Ed Sullivan, Howard Stern, Johnny Carson, Barbara Walters, David Letterman and Bette Midler.

But Maksian held a special reverence for Mike Connors of TV’s Mannix, a fellow Armenian-American. Both were born of parents who escaped the Armenian genocide.

Maksian once said sportscaster Howard Cosell wrote a four-page letter to the editors complaining about his boxing coverage.

Maksian reported that Cosell had complained about being forced by ABC to continue covering boxing, objecting to the brutality. But Maksian found out that Cosell’s contract allowed...

Elizabeth MacRae, who played girlfriends of Gomer Pyle and Festus Haggen on television and a woman who seduces Gene Hackman’s surveillance expert in The Conversation, has died. She was 88.

MacRae died Monday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she was raised, her family announced.

MacRae showed up as Lou-Ann Poovie on 15 episodes of the CBS comedy Gomer Pyle: Usmc during its final three seasons (1966-69). She was signed to work just one episode, “Love’s Old Sweet Song,” on the Jim Nabors starrer but impressed producers enough to stick around for more.

Earlier, she portrayed April Clomley, the girlfriend of deputy marshal Festus (Ken Curtis), on CBS’ Gunsmoke on four installments from 1962-64.

In The Conversation (1974), written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, MacRae played Meredith, who dances with Hackman’s Harry Caul in his apartment, sleeps with him and then swipes one of his audiotapes. The actress was among...

Terry Carter, who portrayed Pvt. Sugie Sugarman on The Phil Silvers Show, the sidekick of Dennis Weaver’s character on McCloud and Colonel Tigh on the original version of Battlestar Galactica, has died. He was 95.

Carter died Tuesday at his home in Manhattan, his son, Miguel Carter DeCoste, told The New York Times.

Carter appeared three times on Broadway early in his career and produced and directed a documentary on jazz legend Duke Ellington for PBS’ American Masters series in 1988.

The Brooklyn native appeared on all four seasons (1955-59) of CBS’ The Phil Silvers Show (also known as Sgt. Bilko) as Pvt. Sugarman. He then played Sgt. Joe Broadhurst alongside Weaver’s Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on NBC’s McCloud from 1970-77 and Tigh in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica movie and 1978-79 ABC series.

An only child, John Everett DeCoste was born in Brooklyn on Dec. 16, 1928. He graduated from Stuyvesant High...

Ron Thompson, the unheralded actor who starred on Broadway for Charles Gordone in the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody and played father and son musicians for Ralph Bakshi in the animated cult classic American Pop, has died. He was 83.

Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.

“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”

In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.

Star Trek: The Original Series actor Barbara Baldavin has passed away.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Barbara Baldavin died on Sunday at her Manhattan Beach home due to congestive heart failure. Her passing was confirmed by her son, Marc D'Agosta. Baldavin was 85 years old.

Baldavin was known for playing two characters in Star Trek: The Original Series. In the first season, she appeared in two episodes in 1966 as phaser control officer Angela Martine. She played a significant role in the story with her first episode, which saw Starfleet come under attack during Angela's wedding to Robert Tomlinson (Stephen Mines) with Captain Kirk (William Shatner) presiding. Baldavin would later appear in the series finale of Star Trek as communications officer Lieutenant Lisa. The episode aired in 1969.

It was also through Star Trek that Baldavin met her husband, Joseph D'Agosta, who was a casting director for the series. Baldavin would later become...

Charles Dierkop, best known for his roles in The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Police Woman, died Sunday at a Sherman Oaks Hospital. He was 87.

He reportedly suffered from a heart attack and a case of pneumonia.

The Wisconsin-born character actor got his start in an uncredited role opposite Paul Newman in The Hustler. He reunited with him as Flat Nose Curry in the 1969 flick Butch Cassidy and as a bodyguard in the Best Picture Oscar-winning 1973 movie The Sting.

He found steady work in TV, with roles in episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., Mannix, Kung Fu, The F.B.I., The Andy Griffith Show, Star Trek, Batman, Adam-12, It Takes a Thief, Love, American Style and Mission: Impossible.

Dierkop played Detective Pete Royston from 1974-78 as a series regular opposite Angie Dickinson on NBC’s Police Woman, a spinoff of Police Story.

Charles Dierkop, the busy character actor who played tough guys in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and the 1970s Angie Dickinson series Police Woman, has died. He was 87.

Dierkop died Sunday at Sherman Oaks Hospital after a recent heart attack and bout with pneumonia, his daughter, Lynn, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Wisconsin native also appeared alongside Rod Steiger in Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker (1964), played the mobster Salvanti in Roger Corman’s The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) and was a murderous Santa Claus in the cult horror movie Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984).

After portraying an uncredited pool-hall hood in the Paul Newman-starring The Hustler (1961), Dierkop got to work with Newman again in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) when he was hired to play Hole in the Wall Gang outlaw George “Flat Nose” Curry.

Dierkop had broken his nose in fights several times as a kid,...

Francis Ford Coppola's bleak Vietnam War picture "Apocalypse Now" is not only one of the best films of 1979, but is handily one of the finest, most important films of its decade. Using Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella "Heart of Darkness" as a template, Copolla transposed the book's action from the late 1800s Congo to the jungles of Cambodia, and, in so doing, exposed the madness and horror of the Vietnam War in harrowing, soul-hollowing terms. As Captain Willars (Martin Sheen) treks deeper and deeper into the chaos of the natural world -- drifting ever closer to the insane, cult-founding rogue Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) -- reality begins to dissipate. Eventually, madness and violence are all that remain, and war is reduced to its base function: brazen, meaningless destruction and cruelty. "Apocalypse Now" is a great, great film.

Curiously, a lot of war enthusiasts love "Apocalypse Now," seemingly ignoring the film's...

Saturday marks 96 years since the great Peter Falk was born (9-16-27), which strikes us as a great reason to revisit a detective drama as timeless as it is entertaining. In the whole of television history, few actors have been as identified with a single character than was Falk with Lieutenant Columbo, the eccentric, rumpled, cigar-chomping, trench coat-clad, implausibly wily Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective who always got his man. In the process, Falk and the producers revolutionized what a cop show could be. We’re wishing him a Happy Birthday, even though he left us on June 23, 2011.

It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys.

Two older women, Bella and Sylvia, played by Bunny Levine and Allison McKay, appear in "You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah" and offer advice to Stacy about her feud with Lydia. Bunny Levine has previously appeared in two other Adam Sandler movies, "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" and "Sandy Wexler," in minor roles. Allison McKay has a history of starring in various films and TV shows, including "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Transparent." Her latest appearance is in Adam Sandler's "You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah."

Adam Sandler's Netflix film You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah briefly features two older women, one of whom has previously worked with the famous Hollywood star. The 2023 comedy-drama movie stars Sandler's daughter — Sunny Sandler — as a girl named Stacy Friedman who is in the midst of planning her bat mitzvah while her best friend, Lydia Rodriguez Katz,...

Hersha Parady, whose three-season run as Walnut Grove schoolteacher Alice Garvey on Little House on the Prairie came to an unforgettable, dark end for fans of the beloved NBC drama, has died. She was 78.

Parady died Wednesday in the Norfolk, Virginia, home of her son, Jonathan Peverall, he told The Hollywood Reporter. She had been dealing with a brain tumor, and he had set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.

Parady and former NFL star Merlin Olsen were introduced as wife and husband Alice and Jonathan Garvey on the Michael Landon-created Little House on the Prairie during the season-four opening episode, “Castoffs,” in September 1977.

On the sixth-season installment “May We Make Them Proud,” which aired as a two-hour episode during a sweeps ratings period in February 1980, Alice races into the School for the Blind, which has caught fire, to save some children inside, including Mary and Adam’s (Melissa Sue Anderson,...

When HBO scored four slots on this year’s list of outstanding drama Emmy nominees, it wasn’t quite a huge surprise. The pay cabler is holding a hot hand at the moment — and I said as much in my February Variety magazine cover story of HBO and Max content chairman/CEO Casey Bloys. With “Succession,” “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon” and “The White Lotus” among the biggest shows of the year, and eight available slots in the category, of course HBO would land those four.

And yet, let’s give credit where credit is due. It is extremely impressive. And it has only happened twice before: In 1992, when NBC scored four of five slots, with “I’ll Fly Away,” “L.A. Law,” “Law & Order” and “Quantum Leap”; and 1973, when CBS landed four of six with “The Waltons,” “Cannon,” “Hawaii Five-o” and “Mannix.”

It’s hard to believe...

Clarence Avant, the beloved recording industry insider whose work as an executive, label owner, dealmaker and mentor earned him the nickname the “Godfather of Black Music,” has died. He was 92.

Avant died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, his family announced in a statement. His death came 20 months after his wife of 54 years, philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, was shot and killed by an intruder in their Beverly Hills home in the early morning hours of Dec. 1, 2021.

Survivors include their daughter, Nicole Avant, a producer, former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas and the wife of Netflix co-ceo and chief content officer Ted Sarandos, and their son, Alexander, a producer (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!) and talent rep.

“Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come,” the Avant/Sarandos family said.