Franco Zeffirelli

popular name: Françoise Dorléac

date_of_death: June 26, 1967

age: 25

cause_of_death: Single car crash

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Françoise Dorléac was a beloved French actress whose father was Maurice Dorleac, a stage and screen actor and her mother, Renee Deneuve, re-voiced Hollywood movies (including Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz). However most American's would know her as the older sister of Catherine Deneuve. Francoise Dorleac made her first stage appearance at age 10 and debuted on film in a short, Mesonges, in 1957. Supporting herself as a model for Dior, she studied acting at the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique. From 1960 – 1967 she appeared in 16 films including Philippe de Broca’s That Man from Rio (1964) co-starring Jean-Paul BelmondoIn Europe, Francois Truffaut’s The Soft Skin (1964) and Roger Vadim’s remake of La Ronde (1964) with Jane Fonda and Anna Karina. At the time Francoise was so popular she would be likened to Garbo and Dietrich. In the U.S. Look magazine would feature a June 1965 spread on "The Sister Stars of France," spotlighting 'sweet' Catherine and 'soignee' Francoise. In the final years of her very short life, Françoise Dorléac co-starred in the films "Billion Dollar Brain", "Genghis Khan" with Omar Sharif and James Mason, and "Where the Spies Are", a spy spoof with David Niven. Decades after her passing, a reporter would ask Catherine Deneuve what the low point of her life so far had been. She would pause and softly speak of the death of Françoise. She remembered her sister as a fine actress, a beautiful woman and "my closest friend."

popular name: John Cassavetes

date_of_death: February 3, 1989

age: 59

cause_of_death: Cirrhosis of the liver

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Primarily known as an actor early in his career, John Cassavetes would later be regarded by some as one of the most daring and influential filmmakers of the 20th Century and contributed as an artist who shaped the current definition of independent films. Tired of being under the control of the studio system, Cassavetes created a system of his own - one in which he would act in major productions like "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) and "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) in order to fund independent endeavors of his own. Over the course of the next 15 years Cassavetes wrote, directed and occasionally performed in such thought-provoking works as "Faces" (1968), "Husbands" (1970), "Minnie and Moskowitz" (1971), "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974) and "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976). Sadly his talent and life drowned in a sea of alcohol abuse.

popular name: Ginger Rogers

date_of_death: April 25, 1995

age: 83

cause_of_death: Heart Attack

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Ginger Rogers was an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her iconic film partnership with Fred Astaire during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Born Virginia Katherine McMath on July 16, 1911, in Independence, Missouri, she rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s with a combination of dazzling dance routines and strong acting skills. Rogers starred in ten films with Astaire, beginning with Flying Down to Rio (1933), and their on-screen chemistry helped redefine the movie musical. Beyond her dance career, she proved her dramatic range by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Kitty Foyle (1940). Over a career that spanned several decades, she appeared in over 70 films, as well as stage and television productions. She died at her Rancho Mirage home on April 25, 1995, from a heart attack at the age of 83.