H. E. Bates (1905 - 1974)

Author. A prolific writer of novels, short stories, non-fiction, and children’s books, he is probably best remembered for his novels “Love for Lydia” (1952), “The Darling Buds of May” (1958, the first of the five ‘Pop Larkin’ series of novels), and his short-story series “My Uncle Silas” (1939). Many of his stories depict life in […]

H. R. Giger (1940 - 2014)

Artist, Film Director.  A surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer, he is probably best remembered for his contributions to the special effects team that won a 1980 Academy Award for Best Achievement for Visual Effects for their design work on the 1979 science-fiction horror film “Alien,” for which he is credited with the design of […]

H.T. Pangburn (1875 - 1928)

H.T. Pangburn Businessman. Born in Mays Lick, Kentucky, he is best known as the founder of the Pangburn Candy Company. At age of fourteen he went to Dallas, Texas and during employment in a drug store acquired a thorough knowledge of pharmacy and the drug business. Moving to Fort Worth in 1902, he became proprietor […]

Hablot Knight “Phiz” Brown (1815 - 1882)

British Book Illustrator. He began his career as an apprentice at the engraving firm of Findon Brothers, London.  Engraving was laborious work and he soon progressed to working on etchings and watercolors.  In 1833 he won the Society of Arts’ medal for his etching “John Gilpin’s Ride”.  In 1834 he went into business as an […]

Haile Selassie (1892 - 1975)

Haile Selassie I (Ge’ez: ቀዳማዊ ኃይለ ሥላሴ, qädamawi haylä səllasé[nb 1]; Amharic pronunciation: [ˈhaɪlɜ sɨˈlːase] (23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975), born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, was Ethiopia’s regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He also served as Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity from 25 May […]

Haing S. Ngor (1940 - 1996)

Born in Samrong Young, Cambodia, Ngor trained as a surgeon and gynecologist. He was practicing in the capital, Phnom Penh, in 1975 when Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge seized control of the country and proclaimed it Democratic Kampuchea. He was compelled to conceal his education, medical skills, and even the fact that he wore glasses to […]

Hal Ashby (1929 - 1988)

Film director, editor, actor, producer. Among Ashby’s many films that he worked on include, “Jake’s Journey” (1988), “8 Million Ways To Die” (1986), “The Slugger’s Wife” (1985), “Let’s The Spend The Night Together” (1982), “Second-Hand Hearts” (1981), “Being There” (1979), “Coming Home” (1978), “Bound For Glory” (1976), “Shampoo” (1975), “The Last Detail” (1973), “Harold And […]

Hal Carlson (1892 - 1930)

Harold Gust Carlson (May 17, 1892 in Rockford, Illinois – May 28, 1930 in Chicago) was a professional baseball pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1917 to 1930, for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Hal Carlson used his curveball exclusively, owing to his lack of speed. He played 7 years for the Pirates, […]

Hal Craig (1894 - 1964)

Actor. Born Rubio Ehrenfeld in Pasadena, California, he was a World War I, US Army Veteran and character performer whom appeared in 79 feature films from 1922 to 1947. His credits include “The Scrapper” (1922), “Love and Learn” (1928), “Wells Fargo” (1937), “Gentleman Jim” (1942), “See My Lawyer” (1945) and “A Likely Story” (1947). He […]

Hal David (1921 - 2012)

David was born in New York City, a son of Austrian Jewish immigrants Lina (née Goldberg) and Gedalier David, who owned a delicatessen in Brooklyn, and younger brother of American lyricist and songwriter Mack David. He is credited with popular music lyrics, beginning in the 1940s with material written for bandleader Sammy Kaye and for […]

Hal England (1932 - 2003)

Actor. He is best remembered for his roles as ‘Waldo’ on television’s “Bewitched” (1964-1972), and as ‘Lt. Douglas Merrill’ on “The Clear Horizon” (1960-1962). England, who was originally from North Carolina, began his career as a stage actor appearing first on Broadway in New York City and then with Joseph Papp’s first season of Shakespeare […]

Hal Fishman (1931 - 2007)

A Brooklyn, New York native, Fishman received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University where he worked at the campus radio station. He also received a master’s degree in political science from UCLA in 1956. Planning for a career in academia, he worked as an assistant political science professor at California State University, Los Angeles for […]

Hal K. Dawson (1896 - 1987)

Actor. Born in Rockville, Connecticut, he was a veteran performer whom for four decades appeared in over 260 films and television shows. He began his career in the 1920s, appearing in several Broadway productions with fellow actor and life long friend Clark Gable. Relocating to Hollywood, he made his screen debut in “Roadhouse Nights” (1930), […]

Hal Ketchum (1953 - 2020)

A country singer known for his succinct, often poignant songwriting style, Hal Ketchum emerged at the dawn of the 1990s with an engaging folk-driven sound that helped his Curb Records debut, Past the Point of Rescue, earn gold status. Memorable hits like “Small Town Saturday Night” and “Hearts Are Gonna Roll” secured his place in […]

Hal LeSueur (1901 - 1963)

Hal LeSueur was born in San Antonio, Texas, the second child of Thomas E. LeSueur (1868-1938)) and Anna Bell Johnson (1884-1958)). His older sister was Daisy LeSueur (ƒ 1902), and his younger sister was Lucille Fay LeSueur, later the Oscar-winning film star Joan Crawford. After Thomas LeSueur had abandoned the family, Anna wed businessman Henry […]

Hal Roach (1892 - 1992)

Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York, the grandson of Irish immigrants. A presentation by the great American humorist Mark Twain impressed Roach as a young grade school student.  After an adventurous youth that took him to Alaska, Hal Roach arrived in Hollywood, California in 1912 and began working as an extra in silent […]

Hal Smith (1916 - 1994)

Smith was born in Petoskey in Emmet County in the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, but he spent a significant part of his early years living in Massena, New York. He graduated from the Massena High School in 1936. His mother was a seamstress, and his father worked at the local Aluminum […]

Hal Wallis (1898 - 1986)

Aaron Blum Wolowicz was born October 19, 1898 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eva (née Blum) and Jacob Wolowicz, Ashkenazi Jews from the Suwałki region of Poland who changed their surname to Wallis. His family moved in 1922 to Los Angeles, California, where he found work as part of the publicity department at Warner Bros. […]

Hale Rice Hamilton (1883 - 1942)

Actor and Screenwriter. He wrote 3 plays and appeared in 78 films including: “The Greater Glory” (silent), “Dance, Fools, Dance,” “Susan Lennox (Her Fall and Rise),” “Love Affair,” “I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang,” “The Girl From Missouri,” “The Woman in Red” and “The Adventures of Marco Polo.” Hamilton also appeared in a […]

Halina Perez (1983 - 2004)

Actress. Halina was born Vanessa Uri in Perez, Quezon City in the Philippines, Where she graduated from the Quezon National High School and enrolled at the Enverga University, before being transferred to Manila whereupon she embarked into show business. Halina appeared in over 10 films during her brief career, most notably in erotic philipino thrillers […]

Hallie Quinn Brown (1850 - 1949)

Educator. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was an African American educator and elocutionist who pioneered in the movement for Black women’s clubs. Educated at Wilberforce University Ohio, she taught on plantations and in the public schools of Mississippi and South Carolina. In the 1870s, she traveled as an elocutionist and lecturer, speaking in Europe as […]

Halston (1932 - 1990)

Roy Halston Frowick was born on April 23, 1932 in Des Moines, Iowa, the second son of a Norwegian-American accountant James and his seamstress wife Hallie. Halston developed an interest in sewing from his mother, and he began creating hats and altering clothes for his mother and sister as a boy. He graduated Benjamin Bosse […]

Hamdy Ahmed (1933 - 2016)

Actor. Born Hamdy Ahmed Mohamed Khalifa, he was a prominent actor in Egyptian cinema, television, and the theater. He was jailed by the British forces in Egypt when he was 16 years old for participating in a student demonstration against the occupation in 1949. He went into acting after graduating from the Institute of Performing […]

Hamilton Basso (1904 - 1964)

Author. Among his popular works are “The World from Jackson Square,” “The Green Room,” and “The View from Pompey’s Head.” (bio by: Laurie)

Hamilton Rowan Gamble (1798 - 1864)

Civil War Missouri Governor. After moving to St. Louis to practice law with his older brother, Gamble became Secretary of State of Missouri in 1824. His reputation in his profession grew steadily & in 1851 resulted in his election to the Missouri Supreme Court. Gamble’s most famous opinion while on Missouri’s highest court was his […]

Hamza al-Ghamdi (1980 - 2001)

Some reports say that Hamza al-Ghamdi left his home to fight in Chechnya against the Russians in early 2000. (Other reports say he left in January 2001.) He called home several times until mid-2001, saying he was in Chechnya. Known as Julaybeeb during the preparations, Hamza traveled to the United Arab Emirates some time in late 2000, […]

Hana Maria Pravda (1918 - 2008)

Actress, Director, Author. She made her screen debut as Hana Beck at age seventeen in “Mariika the Unfaithful” (1934), which was soon followed by leading roles in several Czechoslovakian movies. She then went to Leningrad, to study drama under the Russian director Alexei Dikii, and while there witnessed Stalin’s purges of 1936 to 1937. After […]

Hana Maria Pravda (1918 - 2008)

Actress, Director, Author. She made her screen debut as Hana Beck at age seventeen in “Mariika the Unfaithful” (1934), which was soon followed by leading roles in several Czechoslovakian movies. She then went to Leningrad, to study drama under the Russian director Alexei Dikii, and while there witnessed Stalin’s purges of 1936 to 1937. After […]

Hana Pravda (1916 - 2008)

Hana Pravda (born Hana Becková on 29 January 1916 Prague − 22 May 2008 Oxford) was a Czechoslovakian-born British actress. Pravda trained in Leningrad in 1936 under Alexei Dikii.  She made her screen debut as Hana Beck at age seventeen in “Mariika the Unfaithful” (1934), which was soon followed by leading roles in several Czechoslovakian movies. On […]

Hani Hanjour (1972 - 2001)

Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour (Arabic: هاني صالح حسن حنجور‎‎, Hānī Ṣāliḥ Ḥasan Ḥanjūr; August 13, 1972 – September 11, 2001) was the Saudi Arabian hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks. Hani Hanjour first came to the United States in 1991, enrolling at the […]