Obituaries - Rod Taylor, Bernard Kay, Fiona Cumming

We don't normally do obituaries on this site but there have been quite a few lately that I think warrant some mention.

Rod Taylor, died at the age of 84.  He is probably best known for movies such as The Time Machine and The Birds but has so many other films he appeared in.  His last role was a Winston Churchill cameo in Inglourious Basterds in 2009 (I did not know that!).


http://www.rodtaylorsite.com/




Bernard Kay was 86 and passed away on December 25 of 2014.  He played in many TV roles over the years including appearances in The Avengers, The Professionals and Z-Cars.  He was in Doctor Who four times including "Dalek Invasion of Earth" as Tyler and "The Crusade" as Saladin.  both of these were with William Hartnell and his next appearance was with Patrick Troughton in "The Faceless Ones" as Crossland and finally with Jon Pertwee in "Colony in Space" as Caldwell.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Kay

Fiona Cumming, 77, died on January 1.  Looking over her resume for Doctor Who alone, one can note that she was one of those unsung workers on the show that did do much over the years.  She worked on the show on and off as a floor manager, production assistant and finally a director.  She directed "Castrovalva", "Snakedance", "Enlightenment" and "Planet of Fire."  She had also been part of the production team during the 60's.

She also was involved with Blake's 7 and Z-Cars.

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Fiona_Cumming

The Avengers Creator Dies - Brian Clemens RIP

Brian Clemens, who worked as producer and writer for such shows as The Protectors, The Professionals, Danger Man and The Avengers, has passed away at the age of 83.  One of the television greats of our time for sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Clemens

Death of Dr. Who fan noted in Best Obituary Ever

Matt grieves for another lost Whovian.

If you know nothing else about the late Jeffrey M. Daly of Newton, N.J., you know he had a sense of humor. Here is the opening to his obituary, from the New Jersey Herald:

"NEWTON - Jeffrey M. Daly, 67, of Newton, got in the TARDIS on June 17, 2013, and has left for places and times unknown."

The notice includes several other gems, such as: "Surviving is the rest of humanity."

Space: 1999 Designer Keith Wilson Dies

Probably not very known to too many people, Keith Wilson is one of the designers of my favorite TV shows, Space: 1999.

Jeff Conaway Dies at the age of 60

It is really a shame to hear this as this guy has been through so much and really was never able to kick his drug addiction.  His recent overdose of pain meds coupled with pneumonia put him into a coma last week.  He was taken off life support and died the next day.

Elisabeth Sladen - 1948-2011

It is with great sadness to hear that Elisabeth Sladen has passed away.  Known and loved by many as the Doctor's companion, Sarah Jane Smith, Elisabeth Sladen remains one of the most popular actresses in the show's history.  She first appeared on the show in 1973 and portrayed the extremely popular character until 1976.  She appeared along side Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker during that time period.  As Sarah Jane she made appearances in The Five Doctors and a pilot series called K-9 & Company.

She would reprise the role in 2006 in the new Doctor Who series with David Tennant and star in the spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures  It was there that Sladen continued to bring us our beloved character and met the latest Doctor played by Matt Smith. 

Sladen had been battling cancer for some time.  She will be missed.  Our thoughts and prayers go to her family.   

Doctor Who News Obituary

 Elisabeth Sladen Tributes

Tom Baker's Tribute