Obituaries

Born: 23rd July 1967 Died: 2nd February 2014 (aged 46) Son of a lawyer and judge and a Xerox employee, New York born Philip Seymour Hoffman excelled in supporting roles playing eccentrics and bullies but also took on several major roles including the portrayal of Truman Capote, in Capote, for which he won his only …

Born: 1st April 1932 Died: 28th December 2016 (aged 84) Mary Frances ‘Debbie’ Reynolds was an acting, singing, dancing powerhouse who started her screen career at the age of 16 alongside Bette Davis (although she was uncredited in this role). She went on to star with the likes of Fred Astaire and Lana Turner before …

Born: 21st October 1956 Died: 27th December 2016 (aged 60) Born the daughter of a singer and actress it was no surprise Carrie Frances Fisher entered into show business at a young age. Age 16 she sang alongside her mother in the hit Broadway revival of Irene, but this Broadway experience interfered with her education …

Born: 11th June 1933 Died: 29th August 2016 (83 years) Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman) studied acting from the age of 13 and his first stage appearance was at the age of 15 in Romeo and Juliet. After graduating from the University of Iowa he was accepted at the Bristol Old Vic, where he learnt …

Born: 11th March 1989 Died: 19th June 2016 (27 years) Anton Viktorovich Yelchin was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now St Petersburg, Russia) and was raised in America from six months. His parents were figure skaters for the Leningrad Ice Ballet in Russia and became ice skating coaches upon their move to America …

Born: 18th July 1930 Died: 24th May 2016 (85 years) Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk was born in Warrington, Lancashire to Chinese parents who happened to be touring Europe at the time. He was raised in Shanghai until the age of 17 when he left to study in the U.S. After his time in America he toured …

Born: 21st February 1946 Died: 14th January 2016 (69 years) With a screen career that spanned nearly 40 years, Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman started his acting career on stage being awarded a scholarship to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) at the age of 26. Yet it wasn’t until he was 42 that he made …