Jerry Orbach (1935 - 2004)

Actor. Although he had an acting career that began in the 1950s, he is best known for his portrayal of ‘Detective Lennie Briscoe’ in the NBC Police-Courtroom drama television series “Law and Order” from 1992 to 2004. He was nominated three times for an Emmy in that role. Spending much of his early career acting […]

Jessica Arthur (1912 - 2003)

Actress. Arthur was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1913. A stage actress, she appeared in the plays, “Roberta” and “Red, Hot And Blue” with the likes of bert Lahr, Bob Hope, and Fanny Brice. Later she appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies, George White’s Scandals, and several ‘fashion featurettes’ with actor Van Johnson. In the 1930s […]

Jessie Bonstelle (1871 - 1932)

Actress, Drama Coach. Her first appearance in public was at the age of 2 as a singer, and was featured on her first national tour aged 7. She appeared in leading roles in her teens with the Schubert Company and founded acting troupes in Rochester, Buffalo, Toronto and Detroit. She coached or otherwise assisted many […]

Jessie Kalmar (1892 - 1985)

Vaudeville dancer/entertainer. Married to famed songwriter/screenwriter Bert Kalmar, Sr.

Jessie Ralph (1864 - 1944)

Actress. She was routinely cast as kindly grandmothers, sagacious maids, and stern but loving governesses. Her most acclaimed performances were as ‘Nurse Peggotty’ in “David Copperfield” (1935) and as ‘Fairy Berylune’ in “The Blue Bird” (1940). 

Jester Hairston (1901 - 2000)

Actor, Musician. An arranger, composer, traveling choir leader, actor and story teller, his career took him all over the world. Best remebered for his TV role as Rolly Forbes on the TV show “Amen.” The grandson of slaves, he was born in 1901 in Belews Creek, north Carolina. A star athlete in high school and […]

Jill Banner (1946 - 1982)

Actress. She is best known for her role as Virginia in the 1964 cult film “Spider Baby”. Born Mary Kathyrn Molumby in Bremerton, Washington, she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School in 1964. Her other films include “C’mon Let’s Live a Little”, “The President’s Analyst”, “Candy”, “The Stranger Returns”, “Shadow Over Elvron”, and “Hunters are […]

Jimmy Wakely (1914 - 1982)

Singer. Born James Clarence Wakely in Mineola, Arkansas, he was a country music entertainer and one of the last vocalists to make it in movies as a singing cowboy. In 1937, he formed The Bell Boys, a country Western singing group which toured and evolved into the Jimmy Wakely Trio and was featured on CBS […]

Joan Tabor (1932 - 1968)

Actress. Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, she made her feature film debut in “The Teenage Millionaire” (1961). She was most noted for her many television series appearances on programs such as “Have Gun Will Travel”, “Bat Masterson”, “Perry Mason, “Laramie”, “Bachelor Father”, “Mister Ed” and “Arrest and Trial”. From 1962 to 1967, she was […]

Joan Banks (1918 - 1998)

Actress. Born in Petersburg, West Virginia, she became a regular on the 1930s radio series “Gangbusters”, where she met and married actor Frank Lovejoy. For feature films, she appeared in dramas with her husband in “Cry Danger” (1951) and “Washington Story” (1952). She became better known as a supporting actor on various television series such […]

Joan Barclay (1914 - 2002)

Actress. Born Mary Elizabeth Greear, she made her screen debut in “The Gaucho,” which starred Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Later she co-starred in several B-Westerns including: “Six-Gun Rhythm” with Tex Fletcher; and “Riding the Wind.” Also she was the heroine in serials such as “The Shadow of Chinatown” and “Blake of Scotland Yard.”

Joan Brickhill (1924 - 2014)

Actress. Called the “First Lady Of South African Musical Theatre”, she is remembered for starring in dozens of stage productions. Raised within the show business milieu, she made her professional bow at two and proved to be one of the rare child prodigies with staying power; over the coming decades she was a constant presence […]

Jobyna Ralston (1900 - 1967)

Actress. Wife of actor Richard Arlen and mother of actor Richard Arlen Jr., Ralston began her career at the beginning of the 1920s. Ralston starred with one of the most popular stars of the silent movie era, Harold Lloyd, in “The Freshman,” “The Call of Home,” “Girl Shy,” and “For Heaven’s Sake.” Ralston retired at the advent of […]

Johanna Sallstrom (1974 - 2007)

Actress. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, she is best known for her role as Victoria Barnsten in the 1990s television series, “Tre Kronor”, and for that of police agent Linda Wallander in the filmsations of Henning Mankell’s books about crime investigator Kurt Wallander. In 1997, she was named best female and awarded the Guldbagge Award […]

John Ingle (1928 - 2012)

American Actor. Ingle, who will best be remembered for his role as scheming patriarch Edward Quartermaine on the long-running ABC soap opera, ‘General Hospital’, taught drama at Hollywood High School, Beverly Hills High School, Occidental College, Los Angeles City College and UCLA. His students included Richard Dreyfuss, Nicolas Cage, Albert Brooks, Barbara Hershey and David […]

John Abineri (1928 - 2000)

Born in London, he attended the Old Vic drama school and described himself as “Well educated from the age of five to eighteen”. He spoke a number of languages (including German, Russian and French) fluently, which led to him being cast as a number of different nationalities. His extensive television performances included a regular role […]

John Arledge (1907 - 1947)

Actor. Born Johnson Lundy Arledge, he performed in vaudeville and on stage, making his big screen debut in “King of Jazz” (1930). A veteran of nearly fifty films, his credits included “Heart Break” (1931),”County Fair” (1937), “Gone With the Wind” (1939), “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), “Ski Patrol” (1940), “Cheers for Miss Bishop” (1941) and […]

John Bambury (1891 - 1960)

Actor. Born in Pennsylvania, he was a dwarf best remembered for his role as a Munchkin in the film, “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). A popular character performer, his other credits included “The Plot Thickens” (1936), “The Terror of Tiny Town” (1938), “Maisie Was a Lady” (1941), Lady in the Dark” (1944) “Superman and the […]

John Call (1908 - 1973)

Actor. His film roles include ‘Santa Claus’ in “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) and ‘O’Leary’ in “The Anderson Tapes” (1971). He ws in the origianl casts of “So Proudly We Hail” (1936), “Bet Your Life” (1937), “The Merchant of Yonkers” (1938), “The Life of Reilly” (1942), and “Oliver!” (1963). Father of actor Anthony Call 

John Dall (1918 - 1971)

Actor. Sad-eyed, sensitive character player and occasional lead in Hollywood films. Born John Dall Thompson in New York City, he studied acting at the Theodore Irvine School of the Theatre and at the Pasadena Playhouse. On Broadway from 1941, he worked his way up from bit parts to the lead of the hit comedy “Dear […]

John Gallaudet (1903 - 1983)

Actor. He had a career that spanned motion pictures and television from 1935 to 1967. His movies appearences included roles in “In Cold Blood”, “The Patsy” and “Angels in the Out Field” in 1951.

John Inman (1935 - 2007)

Actor. Best known his role of shop assistant ‘Mr Humphries’ in the long-running BBC comedy “Are You Being Served?” and the follow up series “Grace & Favour”. He was made famous by his catchphrase “I’m free!” In 1976 he won “Funniest Man On Television” by readers of TV Times magazine and was also named BBC […]

John Ireland (1914 - 1992)

Actor. His film and television career spanned across five decades, from 1945 up until his death in 1992. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he moved to New York City, New York at the age of 18 where he took minor stage roles on Broadway, performing Shakespeare on tour with them in the late 1930s […]

John Macchia (1931 - 1967)

Actor. He is best known for his regular role in the “Beach Party” films of the 1960s, as Joey, the yes-man of biker gang leader Erich Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck). His entries in the series were “Beach Party” (1963), “Bikini Beach” (1964), “Beach Blanket Bingo” (1965), “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini” (1965), and “The […]

John Omohundro (1846 - 1880)

Folk Figure, Actor. A former scout, Confederate soldier, newspaper correspondent and pop figure of his day, “Texas Jack” Omohundro was a friend of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok. In 1872, Texas Jack and Buffalo Bill, both famous figures from dozens of dime novels, created a stage show featuring the […]

John Ragland (1905 - 1946)

Actor and Entertainer. He entered burlesque in his twenties, working his way up to “top banana” at Minsky’s. Among his fellow burlesque performers, Ragland was famous (or notorious) for his wild ad-libs, his unpredictable intrusions into other comics’ acts, and his healthy off-stage libido. In 1940, he graduated to the big time in Ethel Merman’s […]

John Tansey (1901 - 1971)

Actor. Son of actress Emma Tansey, brother of director Robert Emmett Tansey, and actor James Sheridan. He was a child star with the ‘Biograph’ stage company in New York prior to the family’s move to California. He starred in several silent films, including the 1917 pirate melodrama “Barnaby Lee.” In 1930, he co-wrote and co-directed […]

John Alexander (1897 - 1982)

Actor. Born in Newport, Kentucky, he began his career young, making his New York City theater debut in 1902 in “The Children of Kings” which ran for less than a year. He worked his way up through the chorus and walk on roles and appeared in his first name role, ‘Jump Steady’, in the Broadway […]

Jose Caffarel (1919 - 1999)

Spanish Stage and Screen Character Actor. He began his career on stage in Adolfo Marsillach’s Company. He appeared in more than 100 films, such as “El Ultimo Cuplé” (1957), “Plácido” (1961), “Atraco a Las Tres” (1962), “Historias de la Televisión” (1965), “El Gran Atasco” (1978), “El Viaje a Ninguna Parte” (1986) and “Jarrapellejos” (1987).

Jose Tasso (1934 - 2003)

Popular screen character actor. He appeared in several films with child actress Marisol. Among his others films were “La Vida por Delante” (1958), “Ha Llegado un Angel” (1961), “Canción de Juventud” (1962), “Tómbola” (1962), “¡Átame” (1990), “El rey Pasmado” (1993) and “Todos a la Cárcel” (1993).