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Calvin wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 9:57 pm John le Carré

That's a tough one, and he was still actively writing too. A favorite of all of us in my immediate family growing up, he countered the Bond-spy persona with firsthand experiences of just how suspenseful and terrifying the banalities of the job were, and probably gave us a closer look to actual espionage lifestyle than anyone. For those who haven't read Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, I can't recommend it highly enough.

Aleksandre Rekhviashvili, a key filmmaker of the glasnost era in Soviet Georgia. I've found a couple of Russian news sites reporting he died of COVID-19 complications. Ruscico released two of his films on DVD with English subs, The Step and 19th Century Georgian Chronicle, and the latter is also on Kanopy, though sadly it only has a Russian voice-over track. A really interesting and idiosyncratic filmmaker with an unfortunately short filmography.

Science fiction author Ben Bova and actor Tommy “Tiny” Lister.

Polish actor Piotr Machalica, whose career was mostly spent on stage and television, but in the latter capacity fans of Krzysztof Kieślowski's Dekalog will doubtless remember him vividly as the tormented, impotent, cuckolded protagonist of Dekalog Nine.

Huang Zongying, a star of Shanghai cinema's "second golden age" of the late '40s (most notably in Crows and Sparrows) who later became one of China's most renowned nonfiction writers.

She and her longtime spouse, Zhao Dan, were also stars of Sun Yu's The Life of Wu Xun (1950–51), a film that was very publicly pilloried by Mao and made its writer/director subject to one of the earliest PRC campaigns against a popular artist. Both Zhao Dan and Sun You continued to be attacked—with quite serious repercussions—during the Cultural Revolution. I imagine this limited her ability to work—at the least. Surprised that the obit doesn't mention this.

Michael McPadden, author of Teen Movie Hell and Heavy Metal Movies.

Boba Fett himself: Jeremy Bulloch

I was lucky enough to meet Bulloch a few years back, and he and his wife were just the nicest people you could imagine. His roles in the classics series of Doctor Who have always stuck in my head too.

FrauBlucher wrote: Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:45 am TCM Remembers

TCM always includes people whose deaths flew under the radar in the past year. For me, the most surprising one this year is Enrique Irazoqui, the star of Pasolini's The Gospel According to Matthew.

Disappointing, however, that they left out Suzuki stars Joe Shishido and Tetsuya Watari, especially since they've included lesser-known Japanese actors in the past.

John O'Brien, founder of Dalkey Archive Press (back in November).

Feego wrote: Fri Dec 18, 2020 4:23 pm

FrauBlucher wrote: Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:45 am TCM Remembers

TCM always includes people whose deaths flew under the radar in the past year. For me, the most surprising one this year is Enrique Irazoqui, the star of Pasolini's The Gospel According to Matthew.

Disappointing, however, that they left out Suzuki stars Joe Shishido and Tetsuya Watari, especially since they've included lesser-known Japanese actors in the past.

Thanks for the post. All three of these actors made unforgettable film appearances in the 60s for me. R.I.P.

Mr Sausage wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 10:49 am John O'Brien, founder of Dalkey Archive Press (back in November).

Terribly sad and, I think, underreported. I hope Dalkey Archive's selection of excellent books continues under their new ownership by Deep Vellum.

Jan Morris, a month ago.

CSM126 wrote: Mon Dec 21, 2020 9:51 pm Kevin Greene

His passing bums me out. One of the great NFL personalities of the 90s.