J B Hunt (1927 - 2006)

J B Hunt Johnnie B. Hunt, who built a nationwide freight-hauling empire after calculating that driving a single transport truck was rather less profitable than owning and managing thousands of them, died Thursday. He was 79. His company announced his death. A family spokesman said Mr. Hunt had been in critical condition at a hospital […]

J T Walsh (1943 - 1998)

J T Walsh He is best remembered for his role of Sergeant Major Dickerson in “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) and for his role of Big Bob in “Pleasantville” (1998). Born John Patrick Walsh in San Francisco, California, he attended a Jesuit boarding school in Ireland. After returning from studying at Clongowes Wood College in Ireland, […]

J. Bruce Ismay (1862 - 1937)

J. BRUCE ISMAY Joseph Bruce Ismay was born in Liverpool, the eldest son of Thomas Henry Ismay, the owner of the White Star steamship company. He was educated at Elstree and Harrow. In 1888, he married Julia Florence Schieffelin of New York, the heiress to a pharmaceutical fortune. Upon the death of his father in […]

J. Christopher Stevens (1960 - 2012)

Stevens was born on April 18, 1960 in Grass Valley, California, the eldest of three siblings born to Jan S. Stevens, a California Assistant Attorney General, and his wife Mary J. Stevens née Floris. from a West Coast of the United States family of French, Swedish and Chinook ancestry. Stevens was raised in Northern California […]

J. D. Cannon (1922 - 2005)

J. D. CANNON Cannon served in the United States Army during World War II. Cannon first appeared on television as Master Sgt. Sherman in the original CBS sitcom, The Phil Silvers Show, also known as You’ll Never Get Rich. He played a recurring character – a lawman named Harry Briscoe working for the Bannerman Detective Agency […]

J. D. Salinger (1919 - 2010)

Jerome David “J. D.” Salinger was an American writer who won acclaim early in life. He led a very private life for more than a half-century. He published his final original work in 1965 and gave his last interview in 1980.  Salinger was raised in Manhattan and began writing short stories while in secondary school. […]

J. D. Tippit (1924 - 1963)

The Dallas Police officer allegedly killed by Lee Harvey Oswald on the day of the Kennedy assassination.  Evidence fully indicates that Lee Harvey Oswald killed officer Tippit, but since Oswald was never brought to trial, it remains only an allegation.  Born J. D. Tippit in Clarksville, Texas, the oldest of six children to Edgar Lee […]

J. Edward Bromberg (1903 - 1951)

Actor. Born Josef Bromberger in Temeschburg, Austria-Hungary, now Timisoara, Romania, he came to the US as an infant, settling with his family in New York City. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School he worked at a variety of odd jobs before making his stage debut in 1926 in the Greenwich Village Playhouse. He later worked […]

J. Frank Glendon (1886 - 1937)

Actor. Born in Choteau, Montana, he appeared in 79 films between 1915 and 1939. His credits include “Cannibal King” (1915), “A Woman in the Web” (1918), “Smashed Back” (1925), “The Fighting Marines” (1935) and “King of the Pecos” (1936). He died in Hollywood, California, at the age of 51. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)

J. Howard Marshall (1905 - 1995)

Buisness Tycoon. Born James Howard Marshall, he is best remembered for his 1994 marriage to Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith.  He was 89 and wheelchair-bound,  she was 26. At the time of his death he left no provision for Smith in his will,  and his estate became the center of a nasty,  highly-publicized legal battle […]

J. Madison Wright (1984 - 2006)

Child Actress. Best remembered for her role as ‘True Danziger’ in the short-lived television sci-fi series, “Earth 2” from 1994 to 1995. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she was born Jessica Madison Wright. The eldest of four children including actress Tori Wright, she began her career as a model at the age of five before […]

J. Malcolm Dunn (1869 - 1946)

Actor, Motion Picture Director. Among his film roles was ‘John Utterson’ in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1920). On the Broadway stage, he appeared in the original casts of “Sweet Kitty Bellairs” (1903), “What the Public Wants” (1922), “The Great Barrington” (1931), and “This Rock” (1943). He was the husband of actress Violette Kimball. (bio […]

J. Paul Getty (1892 - 1976)

Industrialist, Philanthropist, Author.  He was born Jean Paul Getty in Minneapolis the son of George Franklin Getty, a lawyer whose business venture became the Minnehoma Oil Company located in Tulsa. The family would settle in Los Angeles where Jean Paul grew up. His education was extensive…attended Harvard Military Academy and Polytechnic High in Los Angeles. […]

J. Paul Getty, Jr (1932 - 2003)

Philantropist. John Paul Getty Jr. was the third of five sons of J. Paul Getty, nicknamed “Oklahoma Crude,” who built Getty Oil into a $6 billion fortune, making him the richest man in the world in his day. After attending the University of San Francisco and doing a brief stint in the army, Getty Jr. […]

J. R. “Jack” Simplot (1909 - 2008)

Businessman. Born John Richard Simplot, at his death he was the oldest billionaire on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans, with a fortune of over $3 billion. At age 14 he quit school and left home, working on a farm while looking for opportunities to make money, and eventually using the profit from several […]

J. R. D. Tata (1904 - 1993)

J. R. D. Tata was born on 29 July 1904 in Paris, France, the second child of Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and his French wife, Suzanne “Sooni” Brière. His father was a first cousin of Jamsetji Tata, a pioneer industrialist in India. He had one elder sister Sylla, a younger sister Rodabeh and two younger brothers […]

J. Stuart Blackton (1875 - 1941)

British-born film director, producer, writer, and actor of the silent era. Present at the advent of motion pictures, with credits dating as far back as 1896. Married to actress Evangeline Russell. He was killed in a road accident in 1941. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouses:  Evangeline Russell (1902 – 1966)  Paula Blackton (1881 […]

J. Willard Marriott (1900 - 1985)

Founder of the Marriott Corporation.  Family links:  Parents:  Hyrum Willard Marriott (1863 – 1939)  Ellen Marie Morris Marriott (1868 – 1967)  Spouse:  Alice Sheets Marriott (1907 – 2000)*  Siblings:  J. Willard Marriott (1900 – 1985)  Paul Morris Marriott (1907 – 1998)*  Russell Stewart Marriott (1911 – 2001)*  Woodrow Duane Marriott (1914 – 2005)* *Calculated relationship

J. William Dawson (1820 - 1899)

Dawson was the greatest scientist in Canada in the 19th century. He was a geologist and paleontologist, the only person to be president of both the British and the American Associations for the Advancement of Science. He founded the Royal Society of Canada. He was one of the leading critics of Charles Darwin’s theory of […]

J.B. Nethercutt (1913 - 2004)

Cosmetics Manufacturer and Car Collector. He co-founded Merle Norman Cosmetics, producing cosmetics for sale in 1931. Respected in the beauty industry as an expert on cosmetic chemistry, he created a number of his firm’s most popular products, including blush rouge, perfume and lipsticks. He is perhaps better known for using his wealth to assemble one […]

J.D. Cannon (1922 - 2005)

Actor. A native of Salmon, Idaho, Cannon is best remembered for his role as New York City police detective ‘Peter B. Clifford’ on the television series, “McCloud” from 1970 to 1977, which also starred Dennis Weaver. Cannon’s other roles include the films, “Memorandum For A Spy” (1965), “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), “Krakatoa, East Of Java” […]

J.J. Cohn (1895 - 1996)

Motion Picture Producer, Executive. Born Joseph Judson Cohn in New York City, he entered films in 1915 as a stenographer at Fox and advanced to production supervisor at Goldwyn Pictures. His greatest challenge was salvaging the troubled production of “Ben-Hur”, begun at Goldwyn in 1923 and inherited by the newly-formed MGM the following year. At […]

Jabez Bostwick (1830 - 1892)

Businessman. He was one of the founders and original partner of Standard Oil Company, serving as  Secretary-Treasurer of the Standard Oil Trust. He died while trying to rescue horses from a stable fire on his estate.  Family links:  Spouse:  Helen C. Ford Bostwick (____ – 1920)  Children:  Frances Evelyn Bostwick Voronoff (____ – 1921)*  Albert […]

Jacinto Benavente (1866 - 1954)

Spanish Writer. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1922. He is best known for his books “El Nido Ajeno,” “Gente Conocida,” “La Noche del Sábado,” “Los Intereses Creados” and “La Malquerida.” There is a famous anecdote about his homosexuality.  While he walked by the street, he found the mother of a famous singer, […]

Jack Padjan (1887 - 1960)

Jack Padjan (1887 – 1960), also known as Jack Duane, was an American stunt performer and actor.  Padjan was born in Silver Bow, Montana. He began acting in Hollywood Westerns in the 1920s, starting with minor roles in films such as The Ten Commandments and The Covered Wagon. In 1924, he played the role of […]

Jack A. Dougherty (1895 - 1938)

American motion picture actor of the 1920s and 30s. Among his many character roles, he appeared in the only ‘Our Gang’ feautre film, “General Spanky” (1936). Married to actress Barbara La Marr. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Virginia Brown Faire (1904 – 1980)* *Calculated relationship

Jack Adams (1895 - 1968)

Born in Fort William, Ontario, Adams began his career with the Fort William Maple Leafs in 1914 of the NMHL, and played for the Calumet Miners a year later. In 1916, he joined the intermediate Peterborough 247th Battalion of the Ontario Hockey Association and the next season moved up to the senior Sarnia Sailors. His […]

Jack Albertson (1907 - 1981)

Albertson was born in Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Flora (née Craft) and Leopold Albertson. His sister was actress Mabel Albertson. Albertson’s mother, a stock actress, supported the family by working in a shoe factory. Albertson dropped out of high school and traveled to New York City in an attempt to make […]

Jack Allen Goodrich (1970 - 1970)

Actor, Sound Engineer. Beginning his career as a pioneer in radio and as a stage sound technician in the late 1920s, he made his debut as a sound engineer in the Hollywood film “Only the Brave” (1930). He soon established himself as a dependable sound man working on hundreds of films to include “Sitting Pretty” […]

Jack Anglin (1916 - 1963)

Jack Anglin The youngest of 10 children, Anglin learned to play guitar as a child and at an early age was singing in a trio with his brothers, Jim and Van (aka Red). Jack wrote songs, and the three began to appear at local venues and radio as the Anglin Brothers. He relocated to Nashville […]