The "(Fill in the Blank) Has Died" Thread

[Naïve Old Fart 9,556]

Did he ever leave old Durham town?

 

R.I.P., Mr. Whittaker.

[Bespin 8,484]

Roger Whittaker was loved in Québec where he was mostly known for his french songs.

 

Oh man, I loved his voice!

 

[Mr. Hooper 1,806]

13 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Roger Whittaker was loved in Québec where he was mostly known for his french songs.

 

Oh man, I loved his voice!

 

I had no idea! I'm a bad Quebecer... Must be because I spent my formative years in Ontario.

[Bespin 8,484]

12 minutes ago, Mr. Hooper said:

I had no idea! I'm a bad Quebecer... Must be because I spent my formative years in Ontario.

 

Here's with Ginette Reno

 

 

 

[A24 4,347]

Confession time! I always (and I mean always) thought that it was Wittaker who had a hit with The Most Beautiful Girl (Charlie Rich).

 

 

[GerateWohl 4,381]

Whittaker also recorder some albums in German. My father liked him.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,556]

In good ole Blighty, Whittaker is best known for "The Last Farewell".

[Sweeping Strings 2,365]

His version of The Skye Boat Song is the track that springs to mind first in my case.  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,556]

4 hours ago, AC1 said:

Confession time! I always (and I mean always) thought that it was Wittaker who had a hit with The Most Beautiful Girl (Charlie Rich).

 

 

 

The shame! 

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Only a few weeks after his sudden early retirement, Stephen Gould has died of cancer:

https://operawire.com/obituary-tenor-stephen-gould-dies-at-61/

 

Gould was one of the best Siegfrieds in recent years. I was lucky enough to hear him live at the Wiener Staatsoper in several Ring performances as well as some other works - most recently (just before the pandemic) in the Thielemann-led Frau ohne Schatten (recorded & released on CD).

[Demodex 557]

Did he sing opera?  No wonder I never heard of him. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

2 minutes ago, Demodex said:

Did he sing opera?  No wonder I never heard of him. 

 

First he sang the Phantom (…of the Opera) hundreds of times. Then he switched to opera.

[Mr. Hooper 1,806]

Unfortunately I couldn't find a vid of Stephen Gould singing it, but that last note of 'Music of the Night' is just so sweet.

 

 

[Chen G. 3,953]

13 hours ago, Demodex said:

Did he sing opera? 

 

Gould sang some of the most demanding roles in the repertoire, including Tristan (which very few tenors can sing well) and Siegfried (which almost not tenor in history has done well). His were considerable vocal and expressive skills. He had a real understanding of these parts.

 

A great loss to Wagnerians all over.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

He also had a remarkably clear voice and diction in roles where most others struggle to get through a night at all. You could actually understand his German, which isn't always the case for non-native singers - and even German ones in those taxing Wagner roles. Maybe the musical background helped there. And apparently, he spoke fluent German and deliberately lived partially in Vienna, saying that it's imperative to absorb that to be able to sing Wagner.

[Giftheck 917]

David McCallum, known for his roles as Illya Kuryakin in "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and Doctor Donald "Ducky" Mallard in "NCIS", has died aged 90.

 

SOURCE

[A24 4,347]

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,556]

I liked him, in SAPPHIRE AND STEEL.

[Giftheck 917]

I had a hard time believing he was 90, he really did not look his age in the past decade and a half.

[Sweeping Strings 2,365]

R.I.P. Mr McCallum. Funnily enough, my abiding childhood memory of him isn't of The Man From UNCLE or Sapphire And Steel (although I am currently catching up with that) ... it's of the short-lived Invisible Man series from the mid-Seventies. 

[A24 4,347]

3 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I liked him, in SAPPHIRE AND STEEL.

 

This and The Invisible Man.

 

 

Of course, I was a kid and probably didn't know any better.

[Brónach 1,302]

On 21/09/2023 at 1:04 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

He also had a remarkably clear voice and diction in roles where most others struggle to get through a night at all. You could actually understand his German, which isn't always the case for non-native singers - and even German ones in those taxing Wagner roles. Maybe the musical background helped there. And apparently, he spoke fluent German and deliberately lived partially in Vienna, saying that it's imperative to absorb that to be able to sing Wagner.

 

perhaps they should sing Wagner in the Bavarian language instead

[Thor 7,529]

Apparently, Michael Gambon has died, most known for his role as Dumbledore.

 

I was never a big Harry Potter fan (too old!), but he was good in the part -- impressive after taking over from icon Richard Harris.

 

Two Dumbledores have died now, but Gandalf marches on. *knock on wood*

[Jurassic Shark 12,094]

On 21/09/2023 at 3:04 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

he spoke fluent German and deliberately lived partially in Vienna

 

Deliberately? Are you sure he wasn't forced?

[crocodile 8,020]

To be honest, I assiciate him mostly with Gosford Park and Sleepy Hollow. Really great actor. RIP.

 

Karol

[A24 4,347]

4 minutes ago, crocodile said:

To be honest, I assiciate him mostly with Gosford Park and Sleepy Hollow. Really great actor. RIP.

 

 

Oh? Have you finally decided to leave Potterdom?

[crocodile 8,020]

23 minutes ago, A24 said:

 

Oh? Have you finally decided to leave Potterdom?

I was never a fan... Never finished book 1. 😄

 

Karol

[Sweeping Strings 2,365]

'Interviews are boring, so I make things up. I once told an interviewer I'd tried homosexuality, but had to give it up because it made my eyes water'. 

R.I.P. to the brilliant Michael Gambon. 

[mrbellamy 6,298]

He'll always be Dumbledore 2.0 to me but one of the joys of being a young HP fan was in going back through these character actors' careers and discovering "Oh THAT'S why they're legendary." #1 Gambon performance that I've seen -- The Singing Detective. 

[Romão 2,274]

1 hour ago, crocodile said:

To be honest, I assiciate him mostly with Gosford Park and Sleepy Hollow. Really great actor. RIP.

 

Karol

 

Ditto. And I never watched an Harry Potter movie not scored by JW.

 

And he such an amazing voice. I wonder if he ever narrated any audiobooks

[GerateWohl 4,381]

Gambon surely was a great actor.

But he was a lousy Dumbledore.

R.I.P.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,556]

1 hour ago, crocodile said:

To be honest, I assiciate him mostly with Gosford Park and Sleepy Hollow.

 

Check out THE SINGING DETECTIVE (as @mrbellamy suggested), THE COOK THE THIEF HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER, ANGELS IN AMERICA, MAIGRET, THE RACHEL PAPERS, LAYER CAKE, and THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU.

 

 

14 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Gambon surely was a great actor.

But he was a lousy Dumbledore.

 

Agreed. Peter O'Toole, David Warner, Jonathan Pryce, or even Jared Harris would have made a better Dumbledore.

 

 

R.I.P., Mr. Gambon.

 

[Chen G. 3,953]

15 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Gambon surely was a great actor.

But he was a lousy Dumbledore.

 

I have a friend who told me exactly that just now.

 

I disagree.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

4 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Deliberately? Are you sure he wasn't forced?

 

Cut off words = lose context.

 

4 hours ago, crocodile said:

To be honest, I assiciate him mostly with Gosford Park and Sleepy Hollow. Really great actor. RIP.

 

First thing I became aware of him in was Layer Cake, I believe, slightly before Potter. Last thing I saw him in (when I finally watched it a couple of years ago) must have been Gosford Park. He also had a great role in one of the best Doctor Who Christmas specials.

[mrbellamy 6,298]

Hilarious! A brilliant actor. I saw him on stage several times, and he lives unforgettably in my memory. He took over Dumbledore from my father, which was fitting as he over took Brando as my father’s favourite actor. https://t.co/BMGDDTtM2w

— Jared Harris🎭 (@JaredHarris) September 28, 2023

[bollemanneke 3,352]

He was the best Dumbledore.

[Tallguy 3,402]

He was either the best or the second best, for sure.

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

I didn’t realise that Jared Harris was Richard Harris’s son. I see the resemblance now…

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

6 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I didn’t realise that Jared Harris was Richard Harris’s son. I see the resemblance now…

 

This made the rounds a year ago:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/aug/30/jared-harris-father-richard-harry-potter-ghost-hell-raising

[Sweeping Strings 2,365]

10 hours ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I didn’t realise that Jared Harris was Richard Harris’s son. I see the resemblance now…

I thought for quite a while that Sean Harris was another of Richard's sons. Turns out he's not.  

[Thor 7,529]

I knew Jared was Richard Harris' son, but I sometimes forget it. Currently enoying Harris jr. in the brilliant space opera series FOUNDATION. Incidentally, Harris' sr.'s best film remains Antonioni's IL DESERTO ROSSO, although his role is relatively unassuming in it.

[Brónach 1,302]

i absolutely didn't know he was his son

[Naïve Old Fart 9,556]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

 Harris' sr.'s best film remains Antonioni's IL DESERTO ROSSO, although his role is relatively unassuming in it.

 

Come on, Thor, what about THIS SPORTING LIFE?

A powerhouse performance.

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

Harris' sr.'s best film remains Antonioni's IL DESERTO ROSSO...

 

Ha, I knew that would be your favourite.

 

My boring choice is the one where he plays the Duck of Death.

[Thor 7,529]

31 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

 

Come on, Thor, what about THIS SPORTING LIFE?

A powerhouse performance.

 

Absolutely. His performance in that outshines his performance in ROSSO. But the FILM is on a whole other level. IL DESERTO ROSSO is one of my favourite films of all time, from one of my favourite directors of all time.

[Tallguy 3,402]

Gambon dies and we all talk about Harris. Fascinating.

[Thor 7,529]

Just now, Tallguy said:

Gambon dies and we all talk about Harris. Fascinating.

 

Yes, my bad. Sorry. Back to Gambon. I have fond memories of seeing THE SINGING DETECTIVE on telly in the 80s, if that counts.

[Tallguy 3,402]

4 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

Yes, my bad. Sorry. Back to Gambon. I have fond memories of seeing THE SINGING DETECTIVE on telly in the 80s, if that counts.

 

Certainly wasn't just you. It does make me happy that Harris had such high regard for Gambon.

 

Does anyone know if Gambon had any higher regard for Dumbledore than Harris did. I had heard that Harris really didn't care at all and was only doing it for his grandchildren.

[Chen G. 3,953]

19 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

I had heard that Harris really didn't care at all and was only doing it for his grandchildren.

 

That's the way I heard it, too.

 

I mean, Gambon played Dumbeldore for a long time. You can't play a role that long without developing an attachment to it, even if you didn't start out with one. Harris never had that opportunity.

 

From the Variety piece:

 

Quote

Gambon admitted that he had never read the “Harry Potter” books, and he told the U.K.’s the Independent, “I’d never seen any of the previous films, but working on the series was huge fun.

[mrbellamy 6,298]

A lot of Potter fans made a stink about how Gambon never read any of the books, ignorant of the fact that Richard Harris said the same. 

 

This was the sweetest thing I remember Gambon saying about HP: