Anthony Ingruber b. 1990 (Avalon High, Avatar)
Jeremy Sumpter b. 1989 (The Sasquatch Gang, Peter Pan [2003])
Brittany Allen b. 1986 (Warehouse 13, Extraterrestrial, Lost Girl, Virtual Mom)
Jamie Brewer b. 1985 (American Horror Story)
Myndy Crist b. 1975 (Dark Skies, The Time Machine [2002])
David Meunier b. 1973 (Revolution, Jericho, Buffy, Angel, Charmed)
Rod Roddenberry b. 1974 (producer, Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II, Trek Nation)
Danielle Koenig b. 1973 (InAlienable, Invader ZIM, The Craft)
Markus Redmond b. 1971 (Angel, The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human, Project: ALF)
Michael Sheen b. 1969 (The Adventurer: Curse of the Midas Box, Twilight Saga, Doctor Who, TRON: Legacy, Alice in Wonderland [2010], Underworld, Mary Reilly)
Leslie Zemeckis b. 1969 (A Christmas Carol [2009], Beowulf, I Married a Monster)
Chris Parnell b. 1967 (Evil Alien Conquerors)
Eric Michael Zee b. 1966 (How to Make a Monster, Independence Day)
Arabella Field b. 1965 (American Horror Story, Bug, Godzilla [1998])
Laura Linney b. 1964 (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Mothman Prophecies, The Truman Show, Congo)
Jennifer Jason Leigh b. 1962 (eXistenZ )
Tim Meadows b. 1961 (The Venture Bros., Aliens in the Attic, Coneheads)
Debra Jo Fondren b. 1955 (Mork & Mindy)
Robin Sachs b. 1951 died 1 February 2013 (Resident Evil, Torchwood, Buffy, Star Trek: Voyager, Galaxy Quest, Babylon 5, The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
O’Neal Compton b. 1951 (Deep Impact, Lois & Clark, The Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, Quantum Leap, Brother Future)
Barbara Hershey b. 1948 (Insidious, Once Upon a Time, Breakfast of Champions, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Invaders [TV])
Tom Wilkinson b. 1948 (The Green Hornet [2011], Batman Begins, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Christopher Guest b. 1948 (actor, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, The Princess Bride, Heartbeeps; director, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman)
Charlotte Rampling b. 1946 (Melacholia, Babylon A.D., Angel Heart, Zardoz)
Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown b. 1945 (writer, U.F.O. [1993])
Susan Hill b. 1942 (writer, The Woman in Black)
David Selby b. 1941 (Dark Shadows [2012 and 1966], The Black Hole [2006], MorphMan, Doctor Franken)
Stephen J. Cannell b. 1941 died 30 September 2010 (creator, The Greatest American Hero)
H.R. Giger b. 1940 (illustrator, Necromicon, Giger’s Alien)
Stuart Damon b. 1937 (Space: 1999, UFO, The Champions, Cinderella [1965])
Stefan Gierasch b. 1926 died 6 September 2014 (Brimstone, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dark Shadows [1991], Megaville, Werewolf, The Twilight Zone [1986], The Greatest American Hero, The Incredible Hulk, Blood Beach, Carrie, Holmes and Yo-Yo, Return to Earth)
Tim Holt b. 1919 died 15 February 1973 (The Yesterday Machine, The Monster That Challenged the World)
Red Buttons b. 1919 died 13 July 2006 (Early Edition, Alice in Wonderland [1985], C.H.O.M.P.S., Pete’s Dragon, Wonder Woman )
William S. Burroughs b. 1914 died 2 August 1997 (author, The Soft Machine, Naked Lunch, The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead)
Willard Parker b. 1912 died 4 December 1996 (The Earth Dies Screaming)
John Carradine b. 1906 died 27 November 1988 (Twilight Zone [1986], The Ice Pirates, Frankenstein Island, The Howling, The Sentinel, Land of the Giants, Lost in Space, The Green Hornet, Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, The Wizard of Mars, Twilight Zone [1960], Invisible Invaders, The Cosmic Man, Half Human)
Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In 2014, I had a picture of H.R. Giger and in 2013, I used a poster from Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, which had been released ten years before. There were several interesting choices still available - Charlotte Rampling from Zardoz, Christopher Guest from The Princess Bride, Laura Linney from The Truman Show - but instead I went with the oldest guy on the list, the great character actor John Carradine, father to a whole passel of actors. He played vampires, mad scientists, aliens, you name it. He had 347 film and TV credits. He worked until he died. He was also in a movie that got the MST3K treatment, The Unearthly.
2. Nepotism FTW. Rod Roddenberry is Gene Roddenberry's son. Leslie Zemeckis was an actress in Cinemax style soft porn until she married Robert Zemeckis.
3. A Canadian stands alone. Brittany Allen has a few credits in Canuck sci-fi, but not enough to make her country of origin screamingly obvious.
4. Wait... he's dead? Robin Sachs. I typed in his death date last year and it still hasn't quite registered. I remember him best as Ethan Rayne, a recurring bad guy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was also Sarris in Galaxy Quest, but that was under a lot of mask and make-up.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Movies released
Spy Kids 3: Game Over, released 2003
Prediction: This is the end of Western civilization.
Reality: People believe a lot of nonsense, but belief in the gold standard is one of those things I find particularly silly. Wealth is created by humans, most by changing raw materials, some of it by a concept alone. Some is disposable and some lasts. Gold is a finite resource, nowhere near as valuable as iron or aluminum in terms of utility, but it was decided it was precious because it is pretty and fairly rare. It can't be the definition of the money supply. People who think things were better when the economy was defined by the gold standard are extremely ignorant of history. And yet this jackassery continues, like belief in astrology or the idea that being a Cubs fan is a sign of character instead of dull and masochistic tendencies.
Singer and actress Mary Healey died last Tuesday. She worked in film and TV almost exclusively with her husband Peter Lind Hayes as a musical act. She is remembered here for her role in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., a fantasy film from 1953 written by Dr. Seuss about a child who fantasizes his piano teacher is a mad genius. When I was a kid, this was a lot scarier than most 1950s monster movies. Healy played the kid's mom.
Best wishes to the family and friend of Mary Healey, from a fan. She is never to be forgotten.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
More treasures from the charm offensive of H.G. Wells, bigot and scumbag.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
I think John Carradine probably played grizzled, old men as a child actor, and started before stages were invented.
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