RIP Simon MacCorkindale

Actor Simon MacCorkindale dies

British actor and longtime star Simon MacCorkindale has died at the age of 58 after a long struggle with cancer, his agent Max Clifford said Friday. MacCorkindale, who played British lawyer Greg Reardon in the eighties soap "Falcon Crest" which also starred Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas and Mel Ferrer, also appeared in "Death On The Nile" and spent six years on the British medical drama "Casualty." The actor died Thursday night October 14th surrounded by his family in a private Harley Street clinic. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer four years ago, which had later spread to his liver. His wife, the actress Susan George, said he had fought valiantly against the ravages of the disease. "He fought it with such strength, courage and belief. Last night, he lost this battle, and he died peacefully in my arms..to me, he was simply the best of everything, and I loved him with all my heart." MacCorkindale produced and appeared in an episode of "Queen of Swords" in 2001. This female Zorro series was filmed at Texas Hollywood in Almeria, Spain.

RIP Nils Hallberg

Actor Nils Hallberg has died after a brief illness.

Hallberg appeared, during his nearly 60-year career, in 105 films and about forty plays. Hallberg was 89 years.

Nils breakthrough came when he was a 13-year-old and starred in the film "Anderssonskans Kalle" in 1934. Through the years he appeared as Tim in "Hemsöborna" in 1955 and Tom in Arne Mattsson's "Love's Bread" in 1953. Hallberg left films during the ‘70s and then worked in the theater.

He passed away peacefully with family around him. It was quiet and nice, "said his son, the comedian Messiah Hallberg. He is survived by wife, three children and four grandchildren.

Nils Hallberg appeared as the barber in the 1964 Euro-western “Wild West Story”.

DRUMMER OF VENGEANCE

Il giorno del giudizio - Italian title
An Eye for an Eye - U.K. title
Kuoleman rummut - Finnish title
Kuolemanloukku - Finnish title
Le jour du jugement - French title
Zeig mir das Spielzeug des Todes - German title
Tag der Vergeltung - German title
T’ Onoma mou einai edikisi - Greek title
Tambores de la venganza - Spanish title
För en Handfull Dynamit - Swedish title
Dodens Hamnare - Swedish title
Day of Judgment - English title
Doomsday - English title
Drummer of Vengeance - English title

A 1971 British, Italian production [Times Films Production (London)]
Producer: Robert Paget (Mario Gariazzo)
Director: Robert Paget (Mario Gariazzo)
Story: Mario Gariazzo
Screenplay: Franco Daniele, Mario Gariazzo, Nello Rossati
Cinematography: Alvaro Lanzoni [Eastmancolor]
Music: General Music of Rome (Ennio Morricone), Claudio Trionfi)
Running time: 95 minutes

Cast:
‘The Stranger’ - Ty Hardin (Orton Hungerford II)
sheriff - Rosano Brazzi
O’Connor - Craig Hill (Craig Fowler)
Deputy Sheriff Norton - Gordon Mitchell (Charles Pendleton)
Prairie Fowler - Edda Di Benedetto
Rising Sun - Rosalba Neri
Clay - Lee Burton (Guido Lollobrigida)
mayor - Umburto Raho (Umberto Raho)
circus girls - Jenny Atkins, Renata Black
circus Indian - Andrew Robertson (Andrea Fantasia)
dancing girls - Patricia Patterson, Marilyn Rudi
Deputy Steve Miller - Stelio Candelli
Deputy Bill Jenkins - Giuseppe Castellano
Deputy Burt - Rick Boyd (Federico Boido)
Jason - Ralph Baldassare (Raffaele Baldassarre)
Frank - Bruno Corazzari
Bill - Vittorio Moroni
John Mason - Ken Wood (Giovanni Cianfriglia)
barman - Tony Stevens
Mr. Higgins - Pinuccio Ardia (Rodolfo Ardia)
town officials - Luciano Vincenzi, Robert Whitman, Paolo Perone
Steve Miller henchman - Attilio Severini
poker player - Nino Vingelli
with: Ugo Adinolfi, Fedel Gentile, Tony Norton (Antonio Monselesan), Nello Palladino (Aniello Palladino), Riccardo Pizzuti, Aldo Sala, Gaetano Scala, Luigi Trioeano, Adriano Vitale, Nando Poggi (Ferdinando Poggi)

A Civil War soldier who switched sides finds his Indian wife and son murdered when he returns home. The stranger, a little toy drummer, and his six-shooter go on a trail of vengeance against the six murderers. Using the disguise of a bible spouting preacher, he roams the town finding clues and links to the killers. When he locates a killer he winds up the toy drummer and then faces them in gundowns. He’s aided by a sympathetic sheriff who it ends up was the leader of the gang.

Happy 80th Birthday Philippe Leroy

Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu was born on October 15, 1930 in Paris, France. He made his film acting debut in Jacques Becker’s “Le Trou” (1960). Moving to Italy he then took on five to six film appearances a year for the next four decades. Among his most famous films were “55 Days in Peking” (1963), “The Night Porter” (1974), “La Femme Nikita” (1990), “In Love and War” (1996) and in “Mother of Tears” (2007). Leroy appeared in three Euro-westerns, “Yankee” (1966), “Panhandle .38" (1972), and “A Man Called Blade” (1977). He’s recently been a regular as Vescovo on Terence Hill’s popular Italian TV series “Don Mateo”. Leroy is the father of a actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu [1963- ]. Today we celebrate the 80th birthday of Philippe Leroy.

Happy 85th Birthday Aurora Battista

Aurora Battista was born on October 15, 1925, in Villanueva de los Infantes, Spain. Aurora becam a stage actress after studying at Instituto del Teatro in Barcelona. She then became a popular film actress in the 1940s. When she married Hernán Ramón Cristerna, a Mexican doctor in 1963, she left her acting career for a number of years. Among those films were three Euro-westerns. “Deguello” (1965), “$20,000 on Number 7" (1967) and “One by One” (1968). She is often credited for an appearance in “$20,000 for Seven” with Brett Halsey, but this has been confused with “$20,00 on Number 7". Today we celebrate Aurora Battista's 85th birthday.

Remembering Henri Verneuil

Henri Verneuil was born Achod Malakian in Rodosto, Turkey on Ocotber 15, 1920. He migrated with his family to Marseille, France in 1925 and became a naturalized French citizen. After his schooling Verneuil became an engineer and then a journalist before turning his life to film. He produced about 30 short films before attempting a full length motion picture. He became a popular director in the 1950s often working with French comedian Fernandel and later Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, Jean-Paul Belmondo. Some of his films include “The Sicilian Clan” (1969), “The Brain” (1971) and his only Euro-western “Guns for San Sebastian” (1969) with Charles Bronson and Anthony Quinn. Verneuil died of a heart attack on January 11, 2002 in Bagnolet, France. Today we celebrate what would have been Henri Verneuil’s 90th birthday.

RIP Jiri Krizan

Czech screenwriter Jiri Krizan dies at age 68
The Associated Press, October 14, 2010

PRAGUE (AP) -- Jiri Krizan, a Czech screenwriter who served as an adviser to President Vaclav Havel, has died. He was 68.

Jan Krystof, a regional manager of the TOP 09 party, says Krizan died of a heart attack on Wednesday in the eastern village of Branky.

Born Oct. 26, 1941, Krizan was not allowed by the communist regime to study until 1960s. His father was executed following a political trial in 1951.

Krizan wrote screenplays to more than a dozen movies, including "Shadows of a Hot Summer," which was directed by Frantisek Vlacil and won the top award at the 1978 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

After the 1989 collapse of communism, Krizan became Havel's adviser and served as deputy interior minister from 1992 until 1995, when he returned to screenwriting.

Jiri Krizan wrote the screenplays for three Czech western short films: "The Claim at Deaf Creek", "A Canyon Full of Gold", "David Sandel's Last Shot" all filmed in 1972.