# Last Remaining Cast Members **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [January 1, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464 "2021-01-01T20:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/302 "2023-01-31T01:18:27Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > With the passing of Eddie Mekka, A.K.A. the Big Ragoo, that leaves Cindy Williams and Michael McKean as the only ones left from the original cast of _Laverne & Shirley_. Cindy Williams has died. > **['Laverne & Shirley' actor Cindy Williams dies at 75](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/laverne-shirley-actor-cindy-williams-233048244.html)** > > Cindy Williams, who was among the most recognizable stars in America in the 1970s and 1980s for her role as Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died. Williams died in Los Angeles on Wednesday... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/303 "2023-01-31T02:57:38Z")
Shit! 😠 I was head over heels in love with Cindy after seeing her in _ **American Graffiti** _. RIP! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/304 "2023-01-31T03:39:19Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Ed Marinaro is still alive, though when I went to look it up, I see that he was only in 11 episodes (fewer than I had remembered) in Season 6, when they moved the show’s setting from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. Carole Ita White (who is also still alive) appeared in twelve episodes (mostly in the second and third seasons). She played Big Rosie Greenbaum, who was a rival of Laverne and Shirley. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/305 "2023-01-31T14:22:05Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@What\_Exit](#): > > > > Then of course Harry shared his first name with his character but that was accidental. The character was already named Harry before casting Harry. > > Yeah, I remember being quite surprised when I first learned that the character _wasn’t_ written specifically for Harry Anderson. Same with Woody Harrelson/Woody Boyd on Cheers. The character was already named before the part was cast. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/306 "2023-01-31T15:13:24Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Same with Woody Harrelson/Woody Boyd on Cheers. The character was already named before the part was cast. As I’ve remarked before, I’ve long wondered if Michel Lonsdale got the part of Hugo Drax in the James Bond movie **Moonraker** because Ian Fleming described Drax as “a Lonsdale kind of character” (not referring to Michel, of course). But I’m absolutely SURE that Richard Kiley got to be the narrator of the “ride” in the movie **Jurassic Park** because Michael Crichton said in his original novel that Kiley was the narrator. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/307 "2023-01-31T15:18:54Z")
Well, ya gotta admit, that he didn’t do much in the program other than something like “Message from London, Colonel” or “So what do we do?” So if that’s the reason, he probably had a point. Similar to Robert Reed, who did not care for his “Brady Bunch” role at all and felt that his talents were being wasted, but it’s hard for an actor to turn down a steady paycheck. He still had a number of guest appearances as a cop on “Mannix.” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/308 "2023-01-31T16:27:04Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But I’m absolutely SURE that Richard Kiley got to be the narrator of the “ride” in the movie **Jurassic Park** because Michael Crichton said in his original novel that Kiley was the narrator. Spared no expense! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/309 "2024-02-05T13:14:48Z")
> Blockquote Updating my own post. Ian Lavender died Friday 2nd February 2024 at 77 years old so no main cast member of Dads Army survives. In the above post I mention the fairly regular occasional cast member Frank Williams and he died 26th June 2022. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/310 "2025-04-12T19:05:59Z")
> **[Mike Berry: Singer and Are You Being Served? actor dies at 82](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn80zvvy2zvo.amp)** > > Berry was the sitcom's last surviving main cast member, and also had two top 10 hit singles. He was not in the original cast but he was one of the main cast for years. He seems to have been the last of the main cast. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2025, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/311 "2025-04-13T04:24:57Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > > > [@What\_Exit](#): > > > > > > Then of course Harry shared his first name with his character but that was accidental. The character was already named Harry before casting Harry. > > > > Yeah, I remember being quite surprised when I first learned that the character _wasn’t_ written specifically for Harry Anderson. > > Same with Woody Harrelson/Woody Boyd on Cheers. The character was already named before the part was cast. Wong was a long established character in the Dr Strange comic books before Benedict Wong was cast to play him in the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/312 "2025-04-14T00:35:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Wong was a long established character in the Dr Strange comic books before Benedict Wong was cast to play him in the movies. I just kind of love that Dr. Strange features two actors named Benedict. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/313 "2025-04-15T06:45:53Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > For movies, Carl Reiner’s 2020 death has left _It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World_ with only two cast members that had speaking parts, Nicholas Georgiade as a detective at the scene of Smiler Grogan’s accident, and Barrie Chase who was the stoic bikini dancer at Sylvester’s place. Georgiade died in 2021, so Barrie Chase is now the only surviving cast member of _It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World_. Chase is ninety-one years old. She was cast in movies when she was young, generally alongside older actors. As a result with the passage of time she has become the last surviving cast member of: _Scaramouche_ (1952) _Road to Bali_ (1952) _The I Don’t Care Girl_ (1953) _Call Me Madam_ (1953) _Athena_ (1954) _Deep in My Heart_ (1954) _He Laughed Last_ (1956) _You Can’t Run Away from It_ (1956) _The Best Things in Life Are Free_ (1956) _Silk Stockings_ (1957) _The George Raft Story_ (1961) _Cape Fear_ (1962) _It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World_ (1963) _The Flight of the Phoenix_ (1965) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/314 "2025-07-24T03:14:39Z")
The final surviving main cast member of _Hogans Heroes_ has died. > **[Kenneth Washington, Last Surviving Main Cast Member of ‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ Dies...](https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/kenneth-washington-dead-hogans-heroes-1236468054/)** > > Kenneth Washington, who was the last surviving main cast member of the CBS series 'Hogan's Heroes,' died on July 18 at 88. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/315 "2025-07-24T12:11:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _The Flight of the Phoenix_ (1965) Since the original **Flight of the Phoenix** had no speaking female parts (not even flashbacks, or shots of still photos), I assume that she was the dancing girl kinda sorta seen in a double exposure shot. That makes her a very ethereal presence in the movie ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/316 "2025-07-24T12:18:51Z")
IMDB has this: > **[The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059183/mediaviewer/rm3675538433/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk)** > > Barrie Chase and Ronald Fraser in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) Wikipedia says Subsequently, she played Farida in the film _[The Flight of the Phoenix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flight_of_the_Phoenix_(1965_film))_ (1965), starring [James Stewart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart) and [Richard Attenborough](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Attenborough), in a dream sequence. Brian ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/317 "2025-07-24T12:37:45Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Subsequently, she played Farida in the film _[The Flight of the Phoenix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flight_of_the_Phoenix_(1965_film))_ (1965), starring [James Stewart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart) and [Richard Attenborough](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Attenborough), in a dream sequence. Yeah, but, as I say, it’s a sort of double exposure, and IIRC, you never actually see her face. It’s about the least appearance one can actually do and still be said to be in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/318 "2025-07-24T15:24:50Z")
While not a main cast member, Nita Talbot, who had seven appearances in “Hogan’s Heroes” as a Russian spy, will be 95 next month. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/319 "2025-07-25T21:44:14Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Nita Talbot She’s an “It’s that guy!” [![](https://travsd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/16854.jpg) ](https://travsd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/16854.jpg) From 1955 - 1985, there was barely a TV show she didn’t appear on. She must have worked as much as an A-list star. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/320 "2025-07-25T23:57:14Z")
One living member of The Odd Couple shares her experience: [https://parade.com/news/last-surviving-odd-couple-star-88-reflects-on-prickly-co-star](https://parade.com/news/last-surviving-odd-couple-star-88-reflects-on-prickly-co-star) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2025, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/321 "2025-07-26T13:53:52Z")
Huh. I didn’t know ‘Blanch’ was Oscar Madison’s real wife. I only knew her from _Match Game_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464.md?page=17)