It seems that every couple of years I find out that Estelle Parsons is still alive. E.g., she guested on Grace and Frankie and I ran into an old celebrity list with her on it the other day. This year she continued to play grandma Beverly on The Conners (nee Rosanne).
She’s 96.
She played Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde and got a supporting actress Oscar for it.
I just noticed that Dr. Quincy ME’s assisstant Sam, or Robert Ito, is currently 93. He never really looked old, but he is now.
Mitzi Gaynor, star of South Pacific and other Hollywood musicals has passed away at age 93. I would have assumed she was dead if I’d encountered the name in the past 40 years or so.
I just learned Frankie Valli is still alive at age 90.
And still performing, though he recently denied rumors that he is being forced (by someone) to continue to perform, after viral video surfaced, in which he seemed to not be in rhythm, and forgot lyrics.
After watching the Frontline episode about Vance and Walz, I’m more surprised than ever that Donald Trump is still with us. This episode showed some footage of him and Vance from 2022, and Trump’s physical deterioration in that time is profound.
Musician Sonny Curtis born in 1937 is age 87 as of this post.
He was a member of Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets and wrote some iconic songs: “Walk Right Back”, “I Fought The Law”, “More Than I Can Say”, and the theme to The Mary Tyler Moore show “Love Is All Around”.
Primatologist and conservation advocate Jane Goodall is 90 years old, and still active.
Illustrator R. O. Blechmam still with us age 94
Not anymore:
OMG! It’s one of those Twilight Zoney things where we can see tomorrow’s headline today!!
Another recent loss of an old-timer is British soap actress June Spencer. When I saw the notice which gave her birth year as 1919 I was gobsmacked. (Everybody I knew who was born in the 1910s died many years ago.)
If you’re not living to 105, you’re not trying.
Bonus points: the soap she did is on radio and she last appeared on it 2 years ago.
Death of Chuck Woolery got me looking up someone.
Wink Martindale from Tic Tack Dough and a bunch of other shows is alive, still.
Shatner and Eastwood. That they’re both still alive and, reasonably, well, is amazing.
Just found out Caren Marsh Doll is still with us at 105. Who is Caren Marsh Doll? She was Judy Garland’s stand-in in The Wizard of Oz. You see her in the scene where the black & White (Sepia) Dorothy first opens the door to Oz and the color Judy Garland steps through. She is also the one tapping the ruby slippers together to go home. She might be the last member still alive. I can’t find any updated info on any supposedly still surviving children who played background Munchkins.
Watched a recent episode of Brilliant Minds which stars Zachary Quinto. It guest starred Susan Bay Nimoy. Note the last name. She’s the widow of Leonard Nimoy who famously played Spock. A character also played by Quinto. Her recent IMDb resume is thin. Only the third thing she’s done since 2000. Cool. (Note also the middle maiden name. Cousin of Michael. Not so cool.)
But, getting back to the thread, she was previously married to John Schuck. He’s done a ton of things over the years but I remember him best for “Painless” in the movie MASH and in Thieves Like Us.
I had assumed he died years ago but he’s still alive and working. Got an IMDb credit from just last year. 84 years old.
I’ll have to see if I can find some of his recent stuff to watch. Great actor.
There was a post upthread that gave a list of MASH cast members but I didn’t specifically talk about him before.
Oh, and he played a Vulcan ambassador in some of first round of Star Trek films. Opposite … Leonard Nimoy.
I just found out that Michael Cole of The Mod Squad is still alive at 84. Interestingly, both Clarence Williams II and Peggy Lipton died of colon cancer.
MASH is my themed death list. I hope I’m keeping all movie and TV actors alive as long as possible.
Errata: Clarence Williams III. Typo.