Gregg Toland

popular name: Burt Reynolds

date_of_death: September 6, 2018

age: 82

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Burt Reynolds was an American actor and director, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. The wryly appealing Hollywood heartthrob carried on a long love affair with moviegoers even though his performances were often more memorable than the films that contained them. A self-mocking charmer with laugh-crinkled dark eyes, a rakish mustache and a hairy chest that he often bared onscreen, Mr. Reynolds did not always win the respect of critics. But for many years he was ranked among the top 10 movie draws worldwide, and from 1978 through 1982 he ruled the box office as few, if any, stars had done before. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966) and Dan August (1970–1971). Although Reynolds had leading roles in such films as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972). Reynolds played the leading role – often a lovable rogue – in a number of subsequent box office hits, such as White Lightning (1973), The Longest Yard (1974), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Semi-Tough (1977), The End (1978), Hooper (1978), Starting Over (1979), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), Sharky's Machine (1981), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), and Cannonball Run II (1984), several of which he directed himself. He was nominated twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Looking back in 2015, Mr. Reynolds expressed regret over the roles he didn’t get and the chances he didn’t take. It was not until he was almost 40, he wrote ruefully, that he decided he “wanted to be respected as an actor and began to think I might be good if I really worked at it.” His best performance, he added, might well be “still ahead of me.” “I may not be the best actor in the world,” he concluded, “but I’m the best Burt Reynolds in the world.”

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: Sammy Davis Jr.

date_of_death: May 16, 1990

age: 64

cause_of_death: Complications from throat cancer

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Sammy Davis Jr. overcame prevailing racism to establish himself as an entertainment legend, becoming a successful comedian, actor, dancer and singer. Sammy first appeared on stage at age 2 and made his debut in the film Rufus Jones for President at the age of 6. At age 7 he joined his father and uncle as part of the Will Maston Trio, eventually establishing himself as the star of the act. Later as part of the Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Davis was known for films like Ocean's 11 and Sergeants 3 along with his hard partying ways.