Famous and Gravy

In the summer of 1961 she was a summer intern in the Kennedy White House; she once said she was probably the only intern that President Kennedy had never hit on. Her second husband was the Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. She was a journalist, a blogger, an essayist, a novelist, a playwright, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a movie director — a rarity in a film industry whose directorial ranks were and continue to be dominated by men...

He was an accomplished stage actor as well as a screenwriter, a novelist and the director of four movies in which he starred. He made his movie debut in 1967 in the celebrated crime drama, “Bonnie and Clyde.” He had haunted blue eyes and an empathy born of his own history of psychic distress. His rule for comedy was simple: Don’t try to make it funny; try to make it real. “I’m an actor, not a clown,” he said more than once...

He was an unlikely and reluctant pop star, if in fact he ever was one. In the 1960s, he lived in a house on the Greek island of Hydra, where he wrote a pair of novels. He was 33 when his first record was released in 1967. In the early 1970s, his record company concocted an advertising campaign where they called him “the master of erotic despair.” Around 1994, he abandoned his music career and moved to Mt. Baldy monastery, where he was ordained a Buddhist monk...

This person died in 2022 at age 68. His act fit comfortably into the category of “family entertainment.” He had a self-deprecating style that won him legions of fans, among them Johnny Carson, whose early support catapulted him to stardom. He had roles in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Coming to America”. He hosted “Family Feud” for three seasons. He was nominated 3 times for a supporting actor Emmy, which he won in 2016...

This person died in 2022 at age 68.  His act fit comfortably into the category of “family entertainment.”  He had a self-deprecating style that won him legions of fans, among them Johnny Carson, whose early support catapulted him to...

This person died in 2018 at age 88. When he graduated college in 1951 he had enough skill as a baseball player to earn a tryout with the New York Giants. He earned his PhD in American Studies from Yale in 1957. Beginning in the 1960s he helped create...

This person died 2017, age 61. He was described as good-natured in assessing his status in Hollywood. In a 1998 interview he said, “I haven’t had a role that’s propelled me into major stardom. I’ve had roles that put me on the playing...

This person died in 2021, age 99. During World War II she drove a truck delivering soap, toothpaste and candy to soldiers. She began her career in radio by saying one word - “Parkay” - on a popular comedy show.  In the early 1960s she was...

This person died 2021 age 86. He was routinely brilliant, performing with seemingly effortless grace. He did not enjoy the idolatry accorded to his contemporaries. He grew up in Alabama amid rigid segregation, and he faced abuse from the stands while...

This person died 2021, age 98. He was a star athlete who lettered in football, basketball and track. He came home from the war in Europe in a body cast, mostly paralyzed, and spent 39 months under intense care. He was a key figure behind the landmark...