Richmond McDavid Flowers (1918 - 2007)

Alabama Attorney General, Civil Rights Figure. Flowers attracted national attention when he began challenging Alabama Governor George C. Wallace’s segregationist stands in the 1960’s. Elected to office in 1962, the same year as his old friend, Wallace; he ran as an avowed segregationist himself. He soon started parting ways with Wallace, however, following Wallace’s “stand […]

Rick Burks (1960 - 1989)

Actor. Born Richard Allen Burks, he performed in local bands and was an excellent lead guitarist. Although acting was not an occupation he pursued as a career, he got into movies because it was a fun way for him to earn income. He is most notable for his role as Michael Tutman in the comedy-horror […]

Rick Ducommun (1952 - 2015)

Canadian Actor, Comedian and Writer. Ducommun began his career in his late teens doing stand-up comedy at a Vancouver club, and later played several clubs around Canada before starring in his own children’s show, ‘Zig Zag’ on Canadian television. In 1983, Alan Thicke asked Ducommun to move to Los Angeles to be his announcer and […]

Rick Husband (1957 - 2003)

After graduating from Texas Tech University, Rick Husband was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and attended pilot training at Vance Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma. He finished his training there in October 1981, and was assigned to F-4 Phantom II training at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. […]

Rick James (1948 - 2004)

Rick James The start of the 1990s brought with it a string of bizarre and sometimes horrific incidents for Rick James. His drug use was by this time public knowledge, as he was mainly addicted to cocaine; he later admitted to spending about US$7,000 per week on drugs for five years straight. In 1993, he […]

Rick Jason (1923 - 2000)

An only child of Jewish parents, Jason was expelled from several prep schools before graduating from Rhodes Preparatory School in Manhattan. Jason served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II from 1943 to 1945. He also visited American troops serving in Vietnam on several USO tours in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After […]

Rick MacLeish (1950 - 2016)

Rick MacLeish played junior ice hockey with the Peterborough Petes from 1967 to 1970. The Boston Bruins selected him fourth overall in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. After spending the first half of his first professional season with the Oklahoma City Blazers, MacLeish was involved in a three-way deal which sent him; Bruce Gamble, Dan […]

Rick Nelson (1940 - 1985)

Rick Nelson Nelson dreaded flying but refused to travel by bus. In May 1985, he decided he needed a private plane and leased a luxurious, fourteen-seat, 1944 Douglas DC-3 that had once belonged to the DuPont family and later to Jerry Lee Lewis. The plane had been plagued by a history of mechanical problems. In […]

Rick Rude (1958 - 1999)

Rick Rude former wrestling superstar – commentator and manager “Ravishing” Rick Rude (Richard Rood) has died at the age of 41. Reports say Rude died on Tuesday, April 20, 1999 but the details surrounding his death remain unknown at press time. Unconfirmed reports say that he may have had a heart attack. Known for his […]

Rik Battaglia (1927 - 2015)

Italian Actor. Battaglia was discovered in a bar and was introduced to director Mario Soldati who cast him in Carlo Ponti’s ‘La Donna del Fiume’ (1955) with Sophia Loren. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in over 100 films, including several of Sergio Leone’s westerns. He starred alongside several of Hollywood’s leading […]

Rik Mayall (1958 - 2014)

Rik Mayall Richard Michael “Rik” Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English comedian, writer, actor and voice-over artist. Mayall was best known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, for his energetic “post-punk” style of acting, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s. He appeared in numerous […]

Rikizo Nakajima (1970 - 1970)

Philosopher, ethicist. (bio by: Warrick L. Barrett)

Rikki Fulton (1924 - 2004)

Comedian, Actor. He is remembered for his double act in the theatre with Scottish comedian Jack Milroy in “Francie & Josie”, and for the Scottish comedy television sketch show called ‘Scotch & Wry’, in which he played numerous characters such as ‘Supercop’ and the ‘Reverend I.M. Jolly’. He appeared in motion pictures, most notably in […]

Riley Fox (2001 - 2004)

Riley Fox (March 31, 2001 – June 6, 2004) was a three-year-old American girl who was reported missing in Wilmington, Illinois. Later that same day the girl was found dead in Forsythe Woods County Forest Preserve, a public park that was just a few miles from the family’s residence. The girl was found in the […]

Rina De Liguoro (1892 - 1966)

Actress. Born Elena Caterina Catardi, she studied piano with Maestro Luigi Finizio graduating at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella in Naples. She made her debut as a pianist at the age of twenty-five and soon became a valued concert performer. In 1918, she married the actor Wladimiro De Liguori son of film director […]

Rina Morelli (1908 - 1976)

Italian motion-picture actress. She is fondly remembered for her acclaimed roles in films such as: “Strange Deception,” Luchino Visconti’s “The Wanton Countess” and “The Leopard,” with Burt Lancaster. (bio by: MC)

Rip Hawk (1930 - 2012)

Rip Hawk American professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Rip Hawk. He began his wrestling career in the Mid-Western United States before joining Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the early 1960s. In the company, he teamed with fellow wrestler Swede Hanson as the “Blond Bombers,” and the duo held several championships. In the […]

Rise Stevens (1913 - 2013)

Stevens was born Risë Steenberg, on June 11, 1913, in New York City, the daughter of Sarah “Sadie” (née Mechanic) and Christian Steenberg, an advertising salesman. Her father was of Norwegian Lutheran descent and her mother was Jewish (of Polish and Russian descent). She had a younger brother, Lewis “Bud” Steenberg, who died in World […]

Rita Bekes (1925 - 1978)

Actress. Born in Debrecen, Hungary, she studied at the Academy of Theatre and Film Art in Budapest and made her stage debut in 1949. From 1956 to 1962 she was a member of the Attila Jozsef Theatre company, where she was praised for her performances of Shakespeare and Chekhov.  Bekes appeared in four films by […]

Rita Carewe (1909 - 1955)

Actress. Daughter of actor/director Edwin Carewe and wife of actor Leroy Mason, Rita appeared in 7 films. (bio by: TLS)  Family links:  Parents:  Edwin Carewe (1883 – 1940)  Spouse:  Le Roy F. Mason (1903 – 1947)  Siblings:  Rita Carewe (1909 – 1955)  William Edwin Carewe (1927 – 1985)*  Carol Lee Carewe Catlin (1932 – 2005)* […]

Rita Corday (1920 - 1992)

Actress. Born Jeanne Paule Teipotemarga in Tahiti, she was a Hollywood leading lady who appeared in more then thirty films. Signed under contract at RKO in October 1942, she made her big screen debut in “The Falcon Strikes Back” (1943), followed by “The Adventures of a Rookie” (1943). Her other movie credits included “The Body […]

Rita Gam (1927 - 2016)

Actress. Born Rita McKay, to Jewish parents of French and Romanian descent, her father was a clothing manufacturer. Rita was raised in New York City and made her Broadway debut in the production “A Temporary Island” (1948) followed by her initial association with television in an episode of the series “Lights Out” (1951). She marked […]

Rita Hayworth (1918 - 1987)

Rita Hayworth Margarita Carmen Cansino was born on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo was a dancer as was his father before him. He emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita’s mother met Eduardo in 1916 and were married the following year. Rita, herself, studied as a […]

Rita Johnson (1913 - 1965)

Rita Johnson was born Rita Ann Johnson in Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter of Lillian Johnson. She worked as a waitress in her mother’s lunchroom and sold hot dogs on the Boston-Worcester turnpike. She attended the New England Conservatory of Music. Early in her career, Johnson was busy in radio. “By 1936 she … was appearing in ten […]

Rita Lynn (1921 - 1996)

Actress. Although she played a few small parts in films, she had a lengthy television resume. Some of her appearances were on: “Zane Grey Theatre”, “Yancy Derringer”, “Inner Sanctum”, “Make Room for Daddy”, “Have Gun, Will Travel”, “Bonanza”, “Big Valley”, “The Virginian”, “The Streets of San Francisco”, “Perry Mason” and “T.J. Hooker”. She was married […]

Rita Oehman (1917 - 1995)

Actress. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career as a child paired with her brother Edward performing in a Vaudville show billed as the “Oehmen Twins”. At age of 20 she was discovered by RKO Studios and made several short reel films. Her feature films included “The Jam Session” (1937), “Go Chase Yourself” (1938), […]

Rita Quigley (1923 - 2008)

Actress. She appeared in more than a dozen films during the 1940s. After making her big screen debut at the age of seventeen in the 1940 picture “Susan and God”, she would have memorable roles in the pictures “Five Little Peppers in Trouble” (1940), “The Howards of Virginia” (1940), “Jennie” (1940), “Ride, Kelly, Ride” (1941), […]

Rita Streich (1920 - 1987)

Rita Streich (December 18, 1920 – March 20, 1987) was one of the most admired and recorded lyric coloratura sopranos of the post-war period. Rita Streich was born in Barnaul, southern Siberia, in the Russian part of what was then the Soviet Union, to a German father who had been a prisoner of war there, and […]

Ritchie Valens (1941 - 1959)

Ritchie Valens Mexican-American musician Ritchie Valens is best known for his hit “La Bamba.” His successful career was cut short when he died in a plane crash at age 17. Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer and songwriter influential in the Chicano rock movement. He recorded numerous hits during his short career, most notably the […]

Ritchie Valens (1941 - 1959)

Ritchie Valens Born Richard Steven Valenzuela in a largely Hispanic community north of Los Angeles known as the San Fernando Valley, his father was a devotee of flamenco music and blues and instilled his love of music to Ritchie. At the age of eleven he started playing guitar and took it with him everywhere. During […]