Category: people

“From a very early age, I understood that my skin had a lot of meaning,” he told National Public Radio in 2005. “It made me different in the projects, but it gave me power in the outside world.” It was a theme he would explore throughout his career.

Laura Cappelle has plenty of good things in her profile as well, but yes, this happened: “In a matter of seconds, Huppert is on her feet and walks away from me, manifestly irked. ‘Listen, here, now I have to work.'” – The Guardian

Perhaps the most important comic voice in theater since Neil Simon, McNally wrote to amuse and awaken. Laughter for him was the greatest survival tool ever invented. Humor was his shield against the homophobia he experienced as a Catholic boy growing up in Texas, against the losses that rained down on him and his community during the worst days of the AIDS crisis and against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune — which in showbiz is even more outrageous than usual. – Los Angeles Times

“Born colorblind and with six fingers on each hand, [he] became one of the world’s most acclaimed cartoonists, known for drawing characters that ranged from the sword-wielding Astérix — with his winged helmet, bulbous nose and horseshoe mustache — to the roly-poly Obélix, a stonemason who joins Astérix in defending their village from Roman legionaries.” – The Washington Post

McNally, once referred to as “the quintessential man of the theater” by actress Zoe Caldwell, died from complications related to the coronavirus, according to his publicist Matt Polk. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2001 and twice underwent surgery. – Los Angeles Times

Dame Fanny says: “I had courage when people said, ‘It won’t work in Leeds’. Even my darling husband said that and I said ‘I’ll show you’. I rang up Marion and she said ‘Let’s try’. That was the ambition I learned from my parents. My father was concerned about style and ability and never produced anything that was shabby, and I used to try to emulate that. You can either do nothing with your world, or you can say to yourself ‘I’m going to strive in everything for betterment’.” – Yorkshire Post

“In the 30 years since founding the gallery in Soho in 1989, Kasmin developed a program that managed to toe the line between brainy and lighthearted by placing historic postwar artists like Lee Krasner, Robert Motherwell, and Stuart Davis in dialogue with established and emerging contemporary figures.” – Artnet

Miles founded Women’s Project and eventually the WP Theater, where she and others “produced more than 600 plays written and directed by women over a 42-year history, nurturing artists like Lauren Yee, Sarah Grancher, Laura Enson and Kate Whoriskey in recent years.” – Broadway.com

Marsha Hunt, who “never wanted to do anything but act,” was on the list when the “Red Channels” were published, claiming she was a Communist or “fellow traveler.” Why? Because she had defended others’ right to be in any party they wanted to be in. She explains, “It was a time of hysteria and all of us who spoke out against blacklists were punished in some way or other. There was a very strong right wing in the movie business.” – BBC

His double music life: “As William O. Smith, he pioneered unorthodox techniques for his instrument and developed ways to notate them for other players. Composers like Luigi Nono, Pauline Oliveros and Gunther Schuller fashioned works that took advantage of Mr. Smith’s uncommon virtuosity. His own compositions were performed and recorded by eminent artists like Mr. Schuller, André Previn and Marni Nixon. As Bill Smith, he enjoyed a lively career as a jazz clarinetist. He was admired for his bright tone and buoyant swing, most visibly in bands led by [Dave] Brubeck.” – The New York Times