Goodbye to Gene Hackman at the age of 95.
A two-time Oscar-winning actor (Best Actor in 1971 in The French Connection and Best Supporting Actor for 1992's Unforgiven), Hackman's career also included three Golden Globe victories and more memorable roles than you can care to list.
Hackman was brilliant as the heel sheriff in Unforgiven, Buck Barrow in 1968's Bonnie and Clyde, "Popeye Doyle" in two French Connection films, the lead in the original Poseidon Adventure, and "Lex Luthor" in the first two Superman films, to me, it is always "Coach Norman Dale" in Hoosiers as the Hackman performance of his career.
I've written about "Hoosiers" and my visit to Hoosier Gym.
Goodbye to Michelle Trachtenberg at the age of 39.
Trachtenberg first found fame through various programs produced by Nickelodeon, including the feature role in a film based on the Harriet The Spy children's book series before being cast as "Dawn Summers," the younger sister of the title character "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".
Dawn was a polarizing character to fans of the show and wasn't always the most loved addition to the cast.
After Buffy concluded its seven-year run, Trachtenberg appeared often on television and film, most notably as the nemesis on the program "Gossip Girl":
Goodbye to Jay North at the age of 73.
The star of TV's "Dennis The Menace" from 1959-63, North would later star in the film and television show series "Maya" based on a teenager in Africa but would always be remembered first as "Dennis", which he would hilariously parody in the 1980s on the HBO series "Not Necessarily The News".
North would later do voice acting, including a role as the teenaged "Bamm-Bamm Rubble" on the 1970s animated "Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show".
Goodbye to Wink Martindale at the age of 91.
Martindale was a rock and roll disc jockey in Memphis, Tennessee, before moving to Los Angeles as a popular radio star and transitioning into his better-known position- game show host.
Martindale hosted twenty game shows (second highest of all-time behind Bill Cullen) through the decades, getting his first success with "Gambit" on CBS, but his most recognizable show was the revival of "Tic Tac Dough" in 1978.
Martindale ended his role with the show in 1985.
Martindale continued hosting game shows, most notably with a surprising hit on Lifetime with "Debt" for two seasons. The show was canceled not for low ratings but for the wrong ratings, as the network tailored to women didn't want a show that was being watched by more men.
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