Michael J. Pollard, the Passaic actor famous for quirky roles, has died - NorthJersey.com
Michael J. Pollard, the Passaic actor famous for quirky roles, has died - NorthJersey.com |
- Michael J. Pollard, the Passaic actor famous for quirky roles, has died - NorthJersey.com
- Today's famous birthdays list for November 27, 2019 includes celebrities Bill Nye, Alison Pill - cleveland.com
- Godfrey Gao, ‘Mortal Instruments’ Actor, Dies While Filming TV Show - The New York Times
| Michael J. Pollard, the Passaic actor famous for quirky roles, has died - NorthJersey.com Posted: 27 Nov 2019 02:05 AM PST CLOSE  Actor Michael J. Pollard, known for his performance in "Bonnie and Clyde" and "House of 1000 Corpses" has died. He was 80 years old. Buzz60 Michael J. Pollard, the character actor from Passaic whose impish face and elfin manner won him memorable roles in movies and TV, has died. He was 80. He leaves behind him a son and daughter, an Oscar-nominated performance in the 1967 classic "Bonnie and Clyde," indelible guest-star appearances in the original "Star Trek" and "Lost in Space" — and the letter J. That middle initial (it stood for "John") he bequeathed to Michael J. Fox — who, early in his career, needed a middle initial to distinguish him from another Michael Fox in the Screen Actors Guild. The "J," Fox has said, came straight from Pollard. "He was one of my favorite character actors," Fox told England's Guardian newspaper. He was a lot of people's favorite character actor, said Teaneck-born film critic Leonard Maltin. His weird, whimsical lost-boy quality made him the perfect oddball for the counterculture '60s. "He had the right look at the right time," Maltin said. "He made a big impression 'Bonnie and Clyde' is one of the great American movies, and he's an integral part of it." Pollard died Nov. 20 of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles. The distinctive looking, snub-nosed Pollard was born Michael J. Pollack in 1939 in Passaic, raised in Garfield and Clifton (his father was a bartender) and was educated at Montclair Academy — now Montclair Kimberley Academy — before going off to learn his trade at New York's famous Actors Studio. Marilyn Monroe, already a star, was one of his classmates. One of his early breaks was the role of Hugo Peabody, the awkward kid who won't let his girlfriend be kissed by rock star Conrad Birdie in the hit 1960 Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie," with Dick Van Dyke. He also scored early TV roles in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "The Lucy Show," "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," and "Gunsmoke." Sci-fi fans are liable to remember him for his roles on two iconic shows. In "Lost in Space," ("The Magic Mirror") he played the lonely alien boy who lures Penny Robinson into his eerie world behind the mirror. In "Star Trek" ("Miri") he was the leader of a gang of alien urchins who refer to Captain Kirk and his fellow grownups as "grups." But his big breakthrough came with 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde" — a watershed film, used by many to delineate the end of the Old Hollywood and the birth of the New. Mainstream critics were appalled by its blood and violence — mild by today's standards — and the abrupt shifts in tone, from horror to humor. Much of the latter derived from C.W. Moss, the somewhat simple-minded sidekick of Bonnie (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde (Warren Beatty) that Pollard played to perfection. " 'Bonnie and Clyde' was a game-changer in the late '60s," Maltin said. "It helped change the direction of American moviemaking, and part of its success was the casting. That film gave a big boost to Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons, and perhaps most especially Michael J. Pollard, who became the go-to guy for quirky character parts." Pollard was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar (he lost to George Kennedy from "Cool Hand Luke"), and found steady work thereafter. Among his films: "Little Fauss and Big Halsy" (1970), "Dirty Little Billy" (1972 — Pollard played Billy the Kid), "Melvin and Howard" (1980), "Roxanne" (1987), "Scrooged" (1988) and "Tango & Cash" (1989). Offscreen, Pollard was also very much a part of the "New Hollywood" — the hip young trendsetters who, in the late Sixties '60s and early '70s, were incorporating rock music and hippie ethos into their films. "Hippies," Pollard said in an interview. "They make them out to be bad. I'm not bad. I love everybody. Well, I like everybody." Pollard, according to Traffic's Jim Capaldi, named their 1971 album and title song, "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys." According to Capaldi, who hung out with Pollard in Morocco: "He had this tremendous rebel attitude. He walked around in his cowboy boots, his leather jacket. At the time he was a heavy little dude. It seemed to sum up all the people of that generation who were just rebels." Pollard, who got his start in New Jersey community theater (in 1955, he appeared in a production of "Anniversary Waltz" in Nutley), was known to pay occasional visits to his home state thereafter. In 1988, he appeared in a production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. Pollard was married to the late actor Beth Howland (they divorced in 1969). He is survived by two children, Holly and Axel. Jim Beckerman is an entertainment and culture reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to his insightful reports about how you spend your leisure time, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: beckerman@northjersey.com Twitter: @jimbeckerman1 Giving back: 'Sopranos' actors visit terminally ill Washington Township man with ALS Famous visit: Sylvester Stallone did not order raw eggs while dining in Morristown Local: NJ native 'Sandlot' actor returns to old stomping grounds for 25th anniversary Read or Share this story: https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2019/11/27/michael-j-pollard-passaic-actor-famous-offbeat-roles-has-died/4307921002/  |
| Posted: 27 Nov 2019 03:31 AM PST  Associated Press Top celebrity birthdays on November 27, 2019 Birthday wishes go out to Bill Nye, Alison Pill and all the other celebrities with birthdays today. Check out our slideshow below to see photos of famous people turning a year older on November 27th and learn an interesting fact about each of them. -Mike Rose, cleveland.com Don't Edit  Associated Press Director Kathryn Bigelow turns 68 Fun fact: Won two Oscars for her work on 'The Hurt Locker' Don't Edit  Associated Press TV personality Bill Nye 'The Science Guy' turns 64 Fun fact: Appeared as himself in two episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' Don't Edit  Associated Press Want to learn more about 'The Science Guy'? Check out our slideshow of interesting facts about Bill Nye. Don't Edit  Associated Press Actor William Fichtner turns 63 Fun fact: Starred and directed the 2018 film 'Cold Brook' Don't Edit Don't Edit  Associated Press Actress Robin Givens turns 55 Fun fact: Her middle name is Simone Don't Edit  Associated Press Actor Jaleel White turns 43 Fun fact: Originally from Pasadena, California Don't Edit  Associated Press Actress Alison Pill turns 34 Fun fact: Set to appear in the upcoming streaming series 'Star Trek: Picard' Don't Edit  Getty Images Singer Aubrey Peeples turns 26 Fun fact: First on screen appearance was in 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr.' Don't Edit More celebrities with birthdays today Author Gail Sheehy is 82. Footwear designer Manolo Blahnik is 77. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Callie Khouri is 62. Rock musician Charlie Burchill (Simple Minds) is 60. Actor Michael Rispoli is 59. Jazz composer/big band leader Maria Schneider is 59. Rock musician Charlie Benante (Anthrax) is 57. Rock musician Mike Bordin (Faith No More) is 57. Actor Fisher Stevens is 56. Actor Michael Vartan is 51. Actress Elizabeth Marvel is 50. Rapper Skoob (DAS EFX) is 49. Actor Kirk Acevedo is 48. Rapper Twista is 47. Actor Arjay Smith is 36. Actress Lashana Lynch (TV: "Still Star-Crossed") is 32. Don't Edit Don't Edit Other popular or historical birthdays on November 27th Robert Livingston, U.S. founding father "Buffalo" Bob Smith, TV host Bruce Lee, actor Jimi Hendrix, musician Caroline Kennedy (62) with The Associated Press and HistoryOrb.com Don't Edit  Associated Press Celebrity fun facts Danielle Fishel and the 'Boy Meets World' cast Jennifer Lawrence & Mila Kunis Don't Edit  Associated Press Movie and television fun facts 'Friends' turns 25: Fun facts about the hit show 25 celebrities who appeared on 'Friends' 15 fun facts about 'Napoleon Dynamite' to celebrate its 15th anniversary 20 fun facts about 'The Phantom Menace' for its 20th anniversary 25 actors you didn't know were on 'Game of Thrones' In Memoriam: Celebrities we lost in 2018 20 fun facts about 'Love Actually' Relive your childhood with these 120 Hanna-Barbera cartoons 25 actors you didn't know appeared in 'Boy Meets World' 88 celebrities who were born in Canada Fun facts about 'The Big Lebowski' and 20 other movies turning 20 in 2018 Fun facts about 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' for its 20th anniversary Celebrate 'Dirty Dancing' turning 30 with these fun facts 20 fun facts about 'Scream' for its 20th anniversary 'Romeo + Juliet' turns 20: Where are they now Remembering Alan Rickman: His most memorable roles 10 movies that turned 10 in 2016 Don't Edit Want to see more celebrity birthdays as well as additional fun facts posts? Follow me on Facebook for the latest by clicking the "like" button below. Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit More of the best recent Life & Culture coverage on cleveland.com 'Knives Out' review: A sleuth plays a ripping game of Clue, and a family of vipers wonders whodunit A very Cleveland gift guide: 10 gifts that show your hometown love Dear Annie: My sister's cancer is back and now she's blocking me out. What should I do? Dude Perfect 2020 tour coming to Cleveland Black Friday 2019: Store shopping guide and shopping strategies that work Don't Edit  |
| Godfrey Gao, ‘Mortal Instruments’ Actor, Dies While Filming TV Show - The New York Times Posted: 27 Nov 2019 04:50 AM PST  BEIJING — "Chase Me," a Chinese television show, is famous for pushing its contestants to the limits. Participants scale tall buildings, skid down obstacle courses and hang from tightropes, often to the delight of screaming fans. But on Wednesday, the show came under national scrutiny in China after a 35-year-old actor and model, Godfrey Gao, died suddenly while filming an episode in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo. Mr. Gao collapsed while running, apparently from a heart problem, according to a statement on Wednesday by the "Chase Me" production team. The death of Mr. Gao, who was born in Taiwan and raised in Canada, set off a wave of anger on the Chinese internet, with millions of people criticizing the entertainment industry as focused on ratings at the expense of safety. By Wednesday evening, the death of Mr. Gao was one of the most widely discussed topics on Weibo, a popular microblogging site, and hashtags about it had garnered hundreds of millions of views. "You don't have a heart," wrote one Weibo user, addressing the show's producers. Some people called for a boycott of Zhejiang Television, the state-owned channel that aired the show. Others argued that the government should regulate reality television shows, including game shows like "Chase Me," more strictly, noting other cases of injury and death in the industry. "The show's awareness of safety precautions is too poor," Xu Zheng, a prominent actor and director, wrote on Weibo. "It must be held responsible!" Reality television shows have become very popular in China in recent years, especially online. A news article last year by Xinhua, the state news agency, said that the number of reality shows on streaming platforms had doubled last year from 2017, reaching 385. Even by the standards of such shows, "Chase Me," which is in its first season, has pushed boundaries. The show invites actors as well as ordinary people to compete in variety of sports challenges, often to the point of exhaustion. Adrenaline-pumping moments are a staple, often filmed at night in a downtown stretch of Ningbo. In one recent episode, a professional boxer fell into a ball pit and struggled to emerge as his teammates watched on. Early on Wednesday, Mr. Gao was filming a guest appearance on the ninth episode of "Chase Me" when he collapsed, according to the statement by the show's producers. The show's medical staff tried to revive him, but when they could not, Mr. Gao was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, the producers said. "We feel very grieved and extremely sad!" the statement said. Zhejiang Television issued a statement late Wednesday saying it deeply regretted Mr. Gao's death and would take "corresponding responsibility." The channel promised to improve safety at the network. Mr. Gao was known for his work as a model for Louis Vuitton, as well as his roles on several television shows and movies. He was the voice of Ken, opposite Barbie, in the Mandarin-language version of the 2010 movie "Toy Story 3" for its release in Taiwan. He also drew a following for his role as the high warlock of Brooklyn in the 2013 action film "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones." With more than 5.7 million followers on Weibo, Mr. Gao had a loyal following in mainland China, where he was known for playing a disabled architect on a Chinese soap opera, "Remembering Lichuan." There he often went by his Chinese name, Gao Yixiang. Mr. Gao's agency, JetStar Entertainment, confirmed his death on Wednesday. "He has unfortunately left us," the agency said in a statement on Weibo. "It is shocking and terribly sorrowful to us. We cannot accept it even now!" On his Instagram account, Mr. Gao recently posted about taking part in a charity dinner and playing tennis with the actor Adam Sandler. "Everyone can make a difference," he wrote in a post in July, "one small step at a time." Wang Yiwei, Claire Fu and Albee Zhang contributed research.  |
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