Gregg Toland

popular name: Robert Evans

date_of_death: October 26, 2019

age: 89

cause_of_death: Stoke related issues

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Robert Evans (1930–2019) was a charismatic and influential American film producer and studio executive who played a pivotal role in shaping modern Hollywood. Born in New York City, he began his career as a radio actor and model before being discovered by actress Norma Shearer, which led to a brief stint as an actor. His true impact came after he became head of production at Paramount Pictures in 1966, where he transformed the struggling studio into a major force by backing critically acclaimed and commercially successful films such as Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, The Godfather, and Chinatown. Known for his bold instincts and flair for drama both on and off screen, Evans later became an independent producer, working on films like Marathon Man and Urban Cowboy. His personal life was marked by multiple marriages, most famously to actress Ali MacGraw, and a period of drug-related scandals in the 1980s. He chronicled his colorful life in the bestselling memoir The Kid Stays in the Picture, which became a cult-favorite documentary. Remembered as one of the defining figures of the New Hollywood era, he passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California and was interred in the family crypt at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

popular name: Irving Lazar

date_of_death: December 30, 1993

age: 86

cause_of_death: Complications stemming from diabetes and kidney failure

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Irving "Swifty" Lazar was the legendary Hollywood talent agent whose image as a dapper, elfin deal-maker with Coke-bottle glasses and bald dome made him a caricaturist's dream represent some of the greatest talent in Hollywood including Humphrey Bogart, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, Faye Dunaway, Richard M. Nixon, Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams, John Cheever, and John Huston (to name a few). Mr. Lazar, who wore trademark oversize dark eyeglasses, called himself the Prince of Pitch (he hated "Swifty") who won record fees for his clients when such mega-deals were unheard of including the sale of Truman Capote's novel "In Cold Blood" for $500,000, the musical "Camelot" for $1.4 million and he sold Neil Simon's play "The Odd Couple" when it was only a five-sentence summary. He also started the tradition for annual Oscar-night parties with his own private annual Oscar-night dinner party at Spago.

popular name: Thelma Todd

date_of_death: December 16, 1935

age: 29

cause_of_death: Murdered via carbon monoxide poisoning (disputed)

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Thelma Todd was one of early Hollywood's brightest stars — until she was found dead in 1935. Thelma Todd was a talented American actress and businesswoman who was often referred to by the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in around 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles opposite ZaSu Pitts, and in films such as Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers and a number of Charley Chase's short comedies. She co-starred with Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily. She also had roles in several Wheeler and Woolsey and Laurel and Hardy films, the last of which (The Bohemian Girl) featured her in a part that was cut short by her suspicious death in 1935 at the age of 29.