Gregg Toland

popular name: Gloria Holden

date_of_death: March 22, 1991

age: 87

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Alluring, dark-haired former model and English leading lady Gloria Holden was active in Hollywood from the late 1930s through the 50s. Holden is best remembered as the title character in "Dracula's Daughter" (1936) and as Paul Muni's wife in the Oscar-winning 1937 film "The Life of Emile Zola." Often cast as a femme fatale, Holden also appeared in "Test Pilot" (1938) opposite Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy, "This Thing Called Love" (1941) and "The Eddie Duchin Story" (1956). Her performance in "Dracula's Daughter" influenced the writings of horror novelist Anne Rice, and Dracula's Daughter is directly mentioned in Rice's novel The Queen of the Damned. In July 1937, Holden was assigned to play the character of Marian Morgan in The Man Without a Country (1937). The Technicolor short co-starred John Litel and was nominated for a Short Subject (Color) Academy Award. Her film career ended with This Happy Feeling (1958).

popular name: Franco Zeffirelli

date_of_death: June 15, 2019

age: 96

cause_of_death: Pnuemonia

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Franco Zeffirelli was not only one of Italy’s most talented directors and designers in the theatrical arts, but was also involved with cinema and television for more than half a century. In any medium, he generally preferred a grand canvas. His work was dominated by adaptations of the classics and lush biographies or histories, told with flamboyance and sentimentality. He had an unerring eye for attractive stars of both sexes such that, whatever their weaknesses, his productions invariably looked good. Born in 1923 in Florence, Franco Zeffirelli rose to success after he was recognized for his amazing work of Romeo and Juliet (1968). This, along with his other acclaimed work, La Traviata (1983), secured him his first two Academy Award nominations. He is also known for The Taming of the Shrew (1967), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), and Tea with Mussolini (1999). Along with being an accomplished film director, he was also known for his opera productions. His production of Tosca (1964), with Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi, and Lucia di Lammermoor (1957) became prominently known around the world.

popular name: Lana Turner

date_of_death: June 29, 1995

age: 74

cause_of_death: Throat cancer

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Lana Turner was an American a pin-up model and a film actress with a highly publicized personal life. In the mid-1940s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in the United States, and one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) biggest stars, with her films earning the studio more than $50 million during her 18-year contract with them. Turner is frequently cited as a popular culture icon of Hollywood glamour and a screen legend of classical Hollywood cinema. Turner established herself as a leading lady in Johnny Eager (1941); the musical Ziegfeld Girl (1941); the horror film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941); and the romantic war drama Somewhere I'll Find You (1942). Turner's reputation as a glamorous femme fatale was enhanced by her critically acclaimed performance in the noir The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), a role which established her as a serious dramatic actress. She was later nominated for an Academy award for best actress for her role in Peyton Place (1957), and won a David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress for her role in Madame X (1966).