Bobby Sands (1954 - 1981)

Sands was the firstborn son of a Roman Catholic family. His parents were both raised in the Catholic slums of Belfast. After marrying, they relocated to the new development of Abbots Cross in Newtownabbey, County Antrim outside north Belfast in an effort to avoid the poverty and sectarian violence of their youth. His parents were […]

Bobby Vee (1943 - 2016)

Bobby Vee If you’ve never experienced a funeral where the priest spoke of “jam sessions” and the Eucharist was followed by rock ‘n roll, then you’ve likely never been to a funeral quite like Bobby Vee’s. Hundreds of mourners gathered at the St. John’s Abbey church at midday Wednesday for the funeral of the pop […]

Bobby Womack (1944 - 2014)

Bobby Womack Singer, Songwriter, Musician. He was born Robert Dwayne Womack. He began his career as lead singer with his family musical group The Valentinos (Friendly Womack, Jr., Curtis Womack, Harry Womack and Cecil Womack). In the 1960’s the group was discovered by Sam Cooke, who later signed the group to his SAR label, they […]

Bobby Woods (1965 - 2009)

A seventh-grade dropout, Woods was so illiterate that he had to refer to a spelling list just to write simple notes to his family. He had IQ scores of 80 and 78 during elementary school. His IQ score right before his murder trial was 70, and another in 2002 returned 68. Woods also worked as […]

Bodil Ann Rosing (1877 - 1941)

Actress. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark as Bodil Hammerich, she was graduate from the drama school of The Danish Royal Theater. In early 1920s,s she relocated to America, performing as an extremely versatile actor in a variety of ethnicities on Broadway. Going on to the Hollywood studios, she made her big screen debut in the role […]

Bodil Kjer (1917 - 2003)

Actress. She was born in Odense, where she received her first training in acting at the local theatre. From 1936 to 1938 she attended the drama school at The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen where she made her debut in 1937. Except for a short interval of five years she stayed at that theatre for the […]

Bolton Coit Brown (1865 - 1936)

Artist, Lithographer, and Mountaineer. He is remembered as one of the founders of the Byrdcliffe Colony in Woodstock, NY, part of what is now referred to as the Woodstock Art Colony. He attended Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, where he received his Masters Degree in Painting. In 1891 he moved to Stanford, California to create […]

Bonar Colleano (1924 - 1958)

Actor. Born Bonar Sullivan in New York City, New York, his stage work included ‘Stanley Kowalski’ in “A Streetcar Named Desire” with Vivien Leigh. He landed his first important role in the 1944’s drama “Johnny in the Clouds.” Later he appeared in other highly regarded films such as “A Matter of Life and Death,” starring […]

Bonaventura Pinzolo (1887 - 1930)

During the Castellammarese war Joe the Boss Masseria chose Joseph Pinzolo to head the Reina Family in the Bronx after the February 26, 1930, murder of Gaetano Reina. On September 9, 1930, members of the Reina Family loyal to Salvatore Maranzano shot Pinzolo to death in his Manhattan business office. After Pinzolo’s death Tommaso (Tommy) […]

Bonita Granville (1923 - 1988)

Bonita was born on February 2, 1923 in New York City, the daughter of Rosina (née Timponi 1892-1984) and Bernard “Bunny” Granville. Both of her parents were stage performers. She made her film debut at the age of nine in Westward Passage (1933). Over the next couple of years, she played uncredited supporting roles in such […]

Bonnie Franklin (1944 - 2013)

Bonnie Franklin Franklin was born in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Claire (née Hersch) and Samuel Benjamin Franklin, an investment banker. Her parents were both Jewish immigrants, her father from Russia and her mother from Romania.  Her family moved to Beverly Hills when she was thirteen years old, and she graduated from Beverly Hills […]

Bonnie Lee Bakley (1956 - 2001)

Bonnie Lee Bakley Born in Morristown, New Jersey to Edward and Marjorie Bakley. She was raised by and lived with her grandmother. Bonny dropped out of high school and decided to go to New York City to pursue a career in modeling and acting at the Barbizon School of Modeling. She was unsuccessful, however, in […]

Bonnie Lynn Fields (1944 - 2012)

Mouseketeer, Actress. Born Bonita Lynn Fields, she was 12 when she was offered a prized slot on “The Mickey Mouse Club” for its third season in 1957-58 after an audition in Burbank, California that drew 5,000 hopeful children. Although she started as one of the background dancers, she eventually became a standout because of her […]

Bonnie Parker (1910 - 1934)

Bonnie Parker The recent airing of a cable TV movie on Bonnie and Clyde renewed what had been for me a childhood fascination with the lives of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the infamous lovers whose inter-state crime spree held America enthralled for over two years before they met an untimely and bloody death when […]

Bonnie Pointer (1950 - 2020)

One of the founding members of the successful R&B act the Pointer Sisters, vocalist Bonnie Pointer was a key component of the act during their early years, when their music was a unique mixture of expert harmonies, New Orleans grooves, and a retro-friendly style that made room for jazz, jump blues, and vintage pop influences. […]

Bonnie Wright Bonnell (1905 - 1964)

Bonnie Bonnell (August 1, 1905 – March 14, 1964) was an actress who played “straight woman” in seven early short comedies, most of which featured the Three Stooges when they worked with Ted Healy between 1933 and 1934. According to Stooges biographers, she was also Healy’s offscreen girlfriend during that time. In the film Plane Nuts, […]

Bonny Lee Bakley (1956 - 2001)

Murder Victim. Born in Morristown, New Jersey to Edward and Marjorie Bakley. She was raised by and lived with her grandmother. Bonny dropped out of high school and decided to go to New York City to pursue a career in modeling and acting at the Barbizon School of Modeling. She was unsuccessful, however, in her […]

Booker Bradshaw (1941 - 2003)

Record Producer, Film & TV Actor. Harvard Graduate, Motown executive, producing albums for Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Jose Feliciano. He managed the Supremes for a short period of time, then wrote for TV shows such as “Columbo,” “The Rockford Files,” and “Sanford and Son.” For science fiction fans, he will be remembered as ‘Dr. […]

Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856 - 1915)

Social Reformer.  Born a slave on the James Burroughs’s Plantation in Hale’s Ford, Franklin County, Virginia, he was 9 years old when slavery was abolished.  He attended and graduated from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in 1875.  In 1881 he was selected to head Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which is now Tuskegee University.  Booker […]

Booth Colman (1923 - 2014)

Booth Colman (March 8, 1923 – December 15, 2014) was an American film, television and stage actor. In his later years he played older authority figures such as doctors and lawyers. Colman appeared in films since 1952, when he appeared uncredited in The Big Sky directed by Howard Hawks. Booth Colman was born in Portland, Oregon. […]

Bora Laskin (1912 - 1984)

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Born in Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay), the son of Max Laskin and Bluma Zingel.  Educated at the University of Toronto, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1933. He received the degrees of Master of Arts in 1935 and Bachelor of Laws in 1936. While at […]

Borden Chase (1900 - 1971)

Motion Picture Screenwriter, Author. He is best known for writing the screenplay for the 1948 Howard Hawks-directed western motion picture “Red River”, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.  Family links:  Spouse:  Patricia Chase (1926 – 1974)* *Calculated relationship

Boris Aronson (1899 - 1980)

Theatre Stage Scenic Designer.  Born in Kiev, in the Russian Empire in present day Ukraine. He was the  son of a Jewish rabbi. Boris enrolled in art school during his youth. He became an apprentice to the designer Aleksandra Ekster, who introduced him to the directors Vsevolod Meyerhold and Alexander Tairov, who influenced Boris to […]

Boris Aronson (1899 - 1980)

Theatre Stage Scenic Designer.  Born in Kiev, in the Russian Empire in present day Ukraine. He was the  son of a Jewish rabbi. Boris enrolled in art school during his youth. He became an apprentice to the designer Aleksandra Ekster, who introduced him to the directors Vsevolod Meyerhold and Alexander Tairov, who influenced Boris to […]

Boris Babochkin (1904 - 1975)

Actor, Director. He won international fame in the title role of “Chapaev” (1934), the most financially successful Soviet film of the 1930s.  Babochkin’s commanding yet lovable performance raised the real-life Civil War hero to lasting status as a Russian pop culture icon. Boris Andreyevich Babochkin was born in Saratov, Russia. During the Civil War he […]

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (1878 - 1927)

Painter, his work includes “Merchants Wife.” Student of Ilya Repin.

Boris Sergeevich Brunov (1922 - 1997)

Actor. Born in Russia, he was one of the Soviet Union’s most noted prominent variety actors and Compère (master of ceremonies). His  International film “Vozvrashcheniye Bronenostsa” (1996), was released after he died at age 75 in Moscow, Russia. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)  Family links:  Spouse:  Maria Vasilyevna Brunova (1923 – 2013)* *Calculated relationship

Boris Vian (1920 - 1959)

Boris Vian was born in 1920 into an upper middle-class family in the wealthy Parisian suburb of Ville d’Avray (Hauts-de-Seine). His parents were Paul Vian, a young rentier, and Yvonne Ramenez, amateur pianist and harpist. From his father Vian inherited a distrust of the church and the military, as well as a love of the […]

Borislav Brondukov (1938 - 2004)

Actor. He began his acting career in regional theaters in the Ukraine. In 1962, he made his film debut, and appeared in 110 films in the former Soviet Union. His biggest role was as police inspector Lestrade in the TV mini-series “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.” He was honored with several awards […]

Boudleaux Bryant (1920 - 1970)

Boudleaux Bryant Boudleaux was born in Shellman, Georgia and trained as a classical violinist. He performed with the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra during its 1937-38 season, but had more interest in country fiddling and joined Hank Penny and his Radio Cowboys, an Atlanta-based western music band. In 1945 he met Scaduto, whom he called Felice, while […]