Jon Cleary (1917 - 2010)

Novelist.  The author of over 50 novels,  he is best known for “The Sundowners” (1952) and “Peter’s Pence” (1974). Born into a poverty-stricken family, he was the oldest of seven children. He dropped out of school at age 15 to work in order to provide income for his family, and toiled at many occupations including […]

Jon Finch (1942 - 2012)

After performing in amateur theatre groups and singing in a folk group, Jon Finch did his National Service (National Service had been abolished at this time-) in The Parachute Regiment and stayed on as a member of the SAS Reserve Regiment, training at weekends and several nights a week. He resigned from the military as […]

Jon Gnagy (1907 - 1981)

Artist. Born near Pretty Prairie, Kansas, he was an artist noted as a pioneer for television education programs for children. On early 1950s TV shows such as “You Are An Artist” and “Wonderama”, he introduced children to the art field, as well as helped teach them to learn and draw. He also served as Art […]

Jon Hager (1941 - 2009)

Jon Hager Sam Lovullo, who produced “Hee-Haw” and was a friend of Hager’s, said Hager was found dead in his apartment Friday morning. He was found in bed and apparently died in his sleep.Lovullo said Hager had been in poor health and was depressed since his identical twin brother, Jim Hager, died in May 2008.The […]

Jon Hall (1915 - 1979)

Actor. Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California, he was raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, and his mother, a Tahitian princess. He was a nephew of James Norman Hall who, along with Charles Nordhoff, authored the novel “Mutiny on the Bounty.” He started performing minor roles in films at […]

Jonathan Adams (1931 - 2005)

Actor. A prolific television and stage actor with numerous appearances to his credit, he is best known for the role of ‘Dr Everett Scott’ in the motion picture version of cult film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in 1974. He had originally played the part of ‘The Narrator’ in the London, England stage production. (bio […]

Jonathan Brandis (1976 - 2003)

Brandis was born in Danbury, Connecticut. He was the only child of Mary, a teacher and personal manager, and Gregory Brandis, a food distributor and firefighter. He began his career as a child model at the age of 4, and began acting in television commercials.  At the age of six, Brandis won the role of […]

Jonathan Crombie (1966 - 2015)

Jonathan Crombie was born in Toronto on October 12, 1966. His father, David Crombie, was the mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978 and a Canadian federal Cabinet Minister in the 1980s. Crombie attended Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute, where he was spotted by casting agent Diane Polley performing in a production of The Wizard of […]

Jonathan Demme (1944 - 2017)

Jonathan Demme broke into feature film working for exploitation film producer Roger Corman early in his career, co-writing and producing Angels Hard as They Come (1971), a motorcycle movie very loosely based on Rashomon, and The Hot Box (1972). He then moved on to directing three films for Corman’s studio New World Pictures: Caged Heat […]

Jonathan Edwards (1703 - 1758)

Religious Leader. A Calvinist theologian, he led the religious revival that initiated “The Great Awakening”. He served as President of Princeton University, and died in office after a smallpox inoculation. He preached famous sermon at Enfield, Connecticut “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”  Family links:  Parents:  Timothy Edwards (1669 – 1758)  Esther Stoddard […]

Jonathan Frid (1924 - 2012)

Jonathan Frid Jonathan Frid, a Shakespearean actor who found unexpected — and by his own account unwanted — celebrity as the vampire Barnabas Collins on the sanguinary soap opera “Dark Shadows,” died last Saturday, April 14, in Hamilton, Ontario. He was 87. He died from complications of a fall, said Kathryn Leigh Scott, who played […]

Jonathan Hale (1891 - 1966)

Actor. A character player in over 200 films, he is best remembered as Dagwood’s boss, Mr. Dithers, in “Blondie” (1938) and its sequels. His other credits include “Alice Adams” (1935),  “Fury” (1936),  “Boys Town” (1938),  “Since You Went Away” (1944),  “Johnny Belinda” (1948),  and “Strangers on a Train” (1951).  His birth name was Jonathan Hatley. […]

Jonathan Hardy (1940 - 2012)

Jonathan Hardy (20 September 1940 – 30 July 2012) was a New Zealand-born Australian actor, writer and director. Jonathan Hardy trained as an actor in Britain, and worked for the Royal National Theatre among other British theatre companies. He returned to his home of New Zealand in a touring production of The Comedy of Errors […]

Jonathan Harris (1914 - 2002)

Jonathan Harris Jonathan Harris, a versatile character actor perhaps best known for his role as the villainous Dr. Smith in the science-fiction fantasy series ”Lost in Space” on CBS television, died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 87 and lived in the Encino section of Los Angeles. He had been hospitalized for a back […]

Jonathan Hole (1904 - 1998)

His career began in vaudeville in the 1920s. Hole was also a radio performer active in his native Iowa as well as New York City, Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles, California. While working as an announcer on WBBN in Chicago, his last name was temporarily changed to Cole by the station. In 1942 in Chicago, […]

Jonathan Ogden Armour (1863 - 1927)

Businessman, Major League Baseball Team Owner. The oldest son of Phillip Danforth Armour, who founded Armour and Co. J Ogden. Armour was  born a few years after his father first established a meatpacking partnership and grain company in Milwaukee. By the end of the Civil War the Armour’s had become millionaires due to Philip’s success […]

Jöns Jacob Berzelius (1779 - 1848)

Born at Väversunda in Östergötland in Sweden, Berzelius lost both his parents at an early age. Relatives in Linköping took care of him, and there he attended the school today known as Katedralskolan. He then enrolled at Uppsala University where he learned the profession of medical doctor from 1796 to 1801; Anders Gustaf Ekeberg, the […]

Jordan Christopher (1940 - 1996)

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Macedonian immigrants Eli and Dorothy Zankoff, he moved at an early age to Akron, where his father ran a downtown bar. Christopher became interested in singing with the rise of rock & roll, spending much of his time at the music clubs in Akron’s black section. He formed a doo-wop group […]

Jordi “Gin” Ginés (1930 - 1996)

Cartoonist, Illustrator. He signed his work “Gin”.  Born in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, he began his career in 1954 as assistant of the illustrator Conti. Later he developed his own stories for the magazines “Florita” and “Yumbo,” with his characters “Fausto Durete,” “Mary Paz” and “Miguelín y su Perro Tizón.” In 1957 he began working for […]

Jorge Amado (1912 - 2001)

Author. Brazil’s leading novelist whose works have been translated into 48 languages and sold more than 20 million copies. Novels like “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands” and “The Violent Land” made him a regular candidate for a Nobel prize for literature, though he never won. He died of a heart attack in the north-eastern […]

Jorge Cuesta (1903 - 1942)

Poet. He was born in Córdoba (Veracruz) and died in Mexico D.F. He is best remembered for his works “Canto a un Dios Mineral,” “A Pesar del Oscuro Silencio,” “La Calle del Amor” and “Poeta, Funde tu Campana.” In his last years, he was interned in a sanatorium, where he took his life, hunging wiht […]

Jorge Eduardo Eielson (1924 - 2006)

Artist. He was born in Lima, Perú. He is considered one of the great Spanish-American artist of his time. His work was exhibited all around the world. In 1945, he was awarded with the National Award of Poetry in Perú. He moved to Italy in the 1950s and there is best known for his performances. […]

Jorge Guinzburg (1949 - 2008)

Argentine humorist, director, theatrical producer, actor and journalist. He was the owner of a particular style, handling double sense and irony magnificently. He wrote for different magazines such as “Satiricón” and “Humor”. He created and/or participated in several TV shows:  “La Noticia Rebelde” (The Rebellious News), “Tres Tristes Tigres” (Three Sad Tigers, the title being […]

Jorge Luis Borges (1899 - 1986)

Famed Argentinian fantasy writer. Cause of death: Liver cancer

Jorge Negrete (1911 - 1953)

Jorge Negrete was born and raised in the City of Guanajuato and had one brother and three sisters; Negrete also lived in San Luis Potosí. From an early age, Negrete demonstrated a great brilliance and rapidly became a prominent student in the eyes of his teachers. He spoke six languages: Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, […]

José Amérigo Salazar (1915 - 1988)

Artist. He was born in Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana. He studied with the future painters Francisco Lozano, Armando Ramón Vivó, and his teachers were Ricardo Verde Rubio, Vicente Beltrán Grimal and Josep Renau, among others. Among his works “Mujer en la Ventana,” “Silencio” and “Desnudo de Mujer.” He died in his hometown.  (bio by: José L […]

Jose Angel “Ferrusquilla” Espinosa (1919 - 2015)

Mexican Actor, Singer. Espinosa was a well-known actor, singer, and composer. He started his acting career in 1938 and worked in over 80 films alongside such greats of Mexican cinema as Carmen Montejo, Sara Garcia, Maria Felix, and Jorge Negrete.  Espinosa’s films include such works as “Two Mules for Sister Sara” (1970), “La duda” (1972) […]

José Anzo (1970 - 2006)

Artist. He was born in Utiel (Valencia) and died in Serra (Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain). He was one of the most representative painters of contemporary art in Spain, and one of the introductors of Pop Art. He was member of Estampa Popular, the representative group of Critic Realism in Valencia. His most important work is […]

José Benlliure Gil (1855 - 1937)

Painter. He was born in El Canyamelar (Valencia, Spain), and was member of an artist family. He was son of painter Juan Antonio Benlliure and brother of sculptor Mariano Benlliure and painters Blas and Juan Antonio. Soon, he showed his talent for painting and after spent a time working in Valencia and Madrid, he moved […]

José Bergamín (1895 - 1983)

Author.  Born in Madrid, Spain. He was a controversial member of the “Generation of 1927” creative movement. In his works he showed an eclectic mixture of the communism and the Catholicism. He summed up this attitude with the quote: “With the Communists until the death, but not a step further”.  During the Spanish Civil War, […]