Famous Roots

Karl Malden (1913 - 2009)

2009-07-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage and screen made him a star despite his plain looks, died Wednesday. He was 97. Malden is survived by his wife, Mona, daughters Mila and Cara, his sons-in-law, three granddaughters, and four great grandchildren. (Source: AP via Yahoo! News)

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

2009-06-25T19:25:00.003-04:00

Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today. Jackson has three children -- sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

Farrah Fawcett (1947 - 2009)

2009-06-25T14:21:00.002-04:00

Farrah Fawcett, the actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62. (Source: CNN.com)

Ed McMahon (1923 - 2009)

2009-06-23T10:47:00.004-04:00

Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick whose "Heeeeeeerre's Johnny!" became a part of the vernacular, has died. He was 86. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, and five children. A sixth child, McMahon's son Michael, died in 1995. (Source: CNN.com)

David Carradine (1936 - 2009)

2009-06-06T11:55:00.004-04:00

American actor David Carradine has been found dead, in Bangkok, Thailand, according to a Thai police official. Carradine became famous in the 1970s when he starred in the television series "Kung Fu." He was the son of actor John Carradine. (Source: CNN.com)

Jean Harlow in the 1920 & 1930 Census

2009-05-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

We found American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s, Jean Harlow (age 19), living with her mother, Jean (39), in Beverly Hills. In 1920, she was living in Kansas City, Missouri with her father, Montclair, whom her mother later divorced in 1922.

Dom DeLuise (1933 - 2009)

2009-05-05T12:28:00.001-04:00

Dom DeLuise, who spiced up such movies as "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie" and "The Cannonball Run" with his manic delivery and roly-poly persona, has died. DeLuise had three sons -- Peter, Michael and David -- who all became actors. (Source: CNN.com)

Danny Gans (1956 - 2009)

2009-05-01T12:44:00.001-04:00

Danny Gans, a popular mainstay on the Las Vegas Strip, died Friday morning at his home in Henderson, Nev. He was 52. Gans is survived by his wife and their children, Amy, Andrew and Emily. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

Bea Arthur (1922 - 2009)

2009-04-27T12:57:00.001-04:00

Bea Arthur, the actress best known for her roles as television's "Maude" and the sardonic Dorothy on "The Golden Girls," has died of cancer. She is survived by her sons Matthew and Daniel and grandchildren Kyra and Violet. (Source: CNN.com)

Michael Landon's Burial Site

2009-04-15T12:34:00.000-04:00

American actor, writer, director, and producer, Michael Landon is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959-1973), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983), and Jonathan Smith in Highway To Heaven (1984-1989). He is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, Ca.

Natasha Richardson (1963 - 2009)

2009-03-18T13:21:00.001-04:00

Natasha Richardson, the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson, died Wednesday following a ski accident. Richardson and husband, Liam Neeson, have two children: Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12. (Source: CNN.com)

Ricardo Montalban (1920 - 2009)

2009-01-15T13:52:00.001-05:00

Ricardo Montalban, one of the first Mexican-born actors to make it big in Hollywood and who was best known for his role as Mr. Roarke on TV's "Fantasy Island," has died. Montalban is survived by two daughters, Laura Montalban and Anita Smith; two sons, Mark Montalban and Victor Montalban; and six grandchildren. (Source: Los Angeles Times)c

Eartha Kitt (1927 - 2008)

2008-12-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81. She is survived by her daughter, Kitt. (Source: AP via MSNBC.com)

Jayne Mansfield's Burial Site

2008-08-31T12:36:00.001-04:00

An American actress who worked both on Broadway and in Hollywood, Jayne Mansfield was one of the leading blonde sex symbols of the 1950s. She is interred in Fairview Cemetery, Pen Argyl, Pa.

George Carlin (1937 - 2008)

2008-06-23T11:04:00.000-04:00

George Carlin, the influential comedian whose routines used profanity, scatology and absurdity to point out the silliness and hypocrisy of human life, has died. He was 71. Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, died of heart failure Sunday. He is survived by his wife, Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law Bob McCall; brother Patrick Carlin; and sister-in-law Marlene Carlin. Carlin's first wife, Brenda, died in 1997. (Source: AP via CNN.com)

Cyd Charisse (1923 - 2008)

2008-06-18T15:01:00.001-04:00

Cyd Charisse, the long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday. She was 86. (Source: AP via CNN.com)

Bo Diddley (1928 - 2008)

2008-06-02T13:28:00.001-04:00

Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Bo Diddley died Monday, surrounded by family and loved ones at his home in Archer, Florida. The world-renowned guitarist and vocalist, who was known for his hybrid hits that melded rock and rhythm and blues, was 79. (Source: CNN.com)

Harvey Korman (1927 - 2008)

2008-05-29T23:40:00.003-04:00

Comic actor Harvey Korman has died at 81, four months after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Korman was a regular on "The Carol Burnett Show" and also appeared in Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles," "High Anxiety" and "History of the World, Part 1." Harvey is survived by his wife Deborah, daughters Kate, Laura and Maria, son Chris and three grandchildren. (Source: CNN.com)

Sydney Pollack (1934 - 2008)

2008-05-27T12:25:00.001-04:00

Sydney Pollack, director of films such as "Out of Africa," "Tootsie," and "Absence of Malice," and also known for his acting talents, died Monday afternoon, surrounded by family. He was 73. Pollack is survived by his wife, Claire; two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel; his brother Bernie; and six grandchildren. (Source: AP via Google)

Dick Martin (1922 - 2008)

2008-05-25T12:20:00.002-04:00

Dick Martin, a veteran nightclub comic who with his partner, Dan Rowan, turned a midseason replacement slot at NBC in 1968 into a hit that redefined what could be done on television, died Saturday night of respiratory complications at a hospital in Santa Monica, California, according to The Associated Press. He was 86. Survivors include his wife, Dolly Read, and two sons, actor Richard Martin and Cary Martin. (Source: International Herald Tribune)

Eddy Arnold (1918 - 2008)

2008-05-08T10:54:00.001-04:00

Eddy Arnold, whose mellow baritone on songs like "Make the World Go Away" made him one of the most successful singers in history, died Thursday at a care facility just south of Nashville. He was 89. Sally, his wife of 66 years, died March 11 after a short illness. Survivors include a son and daughter. (Source: AP via Knoxville News Sentinel)

Mel Torme's Burial Site

2008-04-28T12:29:00.000-04:00

Vocalist, composer, and writer, Mel Torme, was involved in show business from age four. He is interred at Westwood Memorial Park, 1218 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles.

Charlton Heston (1924 - 2008)

2008-04-06T09:25:00.001-04:00

Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84. He is survived by two children, Fraser Clarke Heston and Holly Heston Rochell, and three grandchildren, Jack Alexander Heston, Ridley Rochell and Charlie Rochell. (Source: AP via CNN.com)

Alexander Calder in 1910 Census

2008-03-31T12:41:00.000-04:00

We found the American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing the mobile, Alexander Calder (age 11), in the 1910 Census living with his family Alexander Sr. (39), Nanette (35) and Margaret (14) in Cortlandt, New York.

Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - 2008)

2008-03-19T07:26:00.003-04:00

Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90. He was briefly married in 1953 to an American diving enthusiast named Marilyn Mayfield; they separated after a few months and were divorced in 1964, having had no children. (Source: International Herald Tribune)