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1-14 of 14
- Actor
- Producer
Swarthy, stage-trained actor Michael Tolan was born Seymour Tuchow on November 27, 1927, in Detroit, Michigan. During and following graduation from Wayne State University, he appeared in radio serials. After studying under acting guru Stella Adler and performing in such classic theater productions as "Uncle Vanya," "Candida," "The Importance of Being Earnest," "Oedipus," "Coriolanus" and "The Grass Is Always Greener," he made his debut on Broadway in the 1955 hit George Axelrod comedy "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" This, in turn, led to a rise in stature with strong assignments in "A Hatful of Rain," "Romanoff and Juliet," "A Majority of One" and "The Far Country."
Tolan began on film (billed as Lawrence Tolan in the beginning) with several bit roles, often as ethnics, between the years 1951 and 1953, including The Enforcer (1951), Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951), Fort Worth (1951), The Savage (1952), Hiawatha (1952) and Ich suche dich (1956), but was not given the breaks to rise to feature status and quickly left the medium.
Tolan instead focused on TV, from the mid-1950s on, as a utility player, playing a wide range of roles over a long period of time. His strong voice also proved capable of narrative projects. Following a year's stint on The Doctors and the Nurses (1962), his momentum started to pick up. He played Lazarus in the all-star Biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), appeared in support of Dustin Hoffman on stage in "The Journey of the Fifth Horse" and in the film John and Mary (1969), and was a regular on The Bold Ones: The Senator (1970). Sporadic filming included his featured roles as a western gun-wielder in Hour of the Gun (1967), an inspector in The Lost Man (1969), and a series of doctors in The 300 Year Weekend (1971), All That Jazz (1979) and Talk to Me (1982).
He essayed a number of authoritative/professional roles (doctors, psychiatrists, military brass, etc.) throughout the late 1960s and 1970s on such series as "Tarzan," "The Rat Patrol," "Mannix," "Felony Squad," "Owen Marshall," "Toma," "The F.B.I.," "Medical Center," "Cannon," "Barney Jones," "McMillan & Wife," "Kojak," "Law and Order" and "Murder, She Wrote." He also played a recurring suitor of Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970).
Known to have a well-modulated voice, he narrated the successful miniseries The Adams Chronicles (1976). Although his acting load has tapered off into the 1980s, he can still be seen from time to time in guest parts. He ended his on-camera career playing a judge in the film Perfect Stranger (2007). Divorced twice and the father of three daughters, he was once briefly married to actress Rosemary Forsyth. He died on January 31, 2011, at the age of 85.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Charles E. Sellier Jr. founder and president of Grizzly Adams Productions, Inc., was an acclaimed producer, writer and director in the independent film industry. Sellier skillfully pioneered market testing and "four-walling"--renting a theater to show his films, thereby enabling him to keep all the profits for himself--garnered him the distinction of having more pictures in the Top 50 independent grossers than any other independent producer in the 1970s. Sellier's techniques enabled him to achieve a commanding 52% success rate in the domestic theatrical market, during a time when the major studios only averaged one in seven. Joel Kotkin wrote in the Washington Post, "Today, Charles Sellier is the first of a series of new family filmmakers that is hitting Hollywood right where it hurts--the box office". The Wall Street Journal claimed Sellier "cleans up by marketing films like selling soap--the Utah moviemaker pre-tests his product and hasn't failed yet." When Variety listed its "Champs Among Bantamweights" in July of 1981, Sellier's name appeared on the list more than that of any producer. Included in its top 50 films were nine Sellier productions: In Search of Noah's Ark (1976), Beyond and Back (1978), The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1974), Chariots of the Gods (1970), The Mysterious Monsters (1975), In Search of Historic Jesus (1979), The Bermuda Triangle (1978), Hangar 18 (1980) and The Adventures of Frontier Fremont (1975). A tenth Sellier success soon appeared on that list: The Boogens (1981). After a lengthy meeting between Orson Welles and Sellier, Mr. Welles commented, "Young man, you are light-years ahead of the rest of the industry."
Not content simply with unprecedented success in theatrical features, Sellier began using similar audience preference studies in the area of television programming. In 1976 he created the The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1977) television concept, and in January 1977 the series began airing on the NBC. "Grizzly Adams" became an instant success, beating out the highly popular The Bionic Woman (1976) in six short weeks. As a result, "Grizzly Adams" entertained television audiences throughout the rest of the 1970s, and earned Sellier the reputation of being a major contributor to prime time television. Paul Klein, NBC's volatile programming chief at that time, lauded Sellier as a "brilliant and amazing innovator."
In 1980 Sellier was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the television film The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1980). In 1986 Universal Studios put Sellier under contract as supervising producer for a series of movies-of-the-week that garnered high ratings, including the hugely popular six two-hour "Desperado" specials, which received a National Cowboy Hall of Fame award in 1989. In the early 1990s Sellier went on to create and produce two specials for CBS--Ancient Secrets of the Bible (1992) and the pilot "Miracles and Other Wonders". Both performed well in the ratings and the network responded with a multimillion-dollar contract for an additional 10 hours of primetime shows.
Starting in 2001, Sellier began writing and producing investigative documentaries for television and DVD for both the secular and Christian markets. In 2008 he wrote and produced what was to be his final film, the wilderness feature _Friends for Life (2006)_ (qv(, which has received over 30 independent film awards.
Along with his extensive film record, Charles E. Sellier Jr. authored many best-selling books including "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams", "Hangar 18", "In Search of Noah's Ark" (four weeks on the New York Post list), "The Lincoln Conspiracy" (22 weeks on the New York Times list), "The Conspiracy to Kill the President" and "Miracles and Other Wonders", to name just a few.
Charles E. Sellier was passionate about his profession as a filmmaker, served as an innovative industry leader and was a mentor and role model for those who had the pleasure of working with him over a career that spanned more than four decades. Mr. Sellier died on January 31, 2011 - survived by his wife, Julie Magnuson and his son, William Sellier. Chuck is missed by many, but his legacy lives on through the characters he brought to life, the careers he launched, and the stories he penned.- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
Phil Bondelli was born on 10 December 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for The Bionic Woman (1976), Cover Up (1984) and Outlaws (1986). He died on 31 January 2011 in Mesa, Arizona, USA.- Michael Callahan was born on 18 July 1949 in Troy, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Gettysburg (1993), The Malibu Bikini Shop (1986) and Dark Walker (2003). He died on 31 January 2011 in Newport News, Virginia, USA.
- Kaiti Lambropoulou was born in 1926 in Athens, Greece. She was an actress, known for The Shepherdess' Lover (1956), Ti ekanes ston polemo Thanasi (1971) and To theatro tis Defteras (1970). She was married to Giorgos Roussos. She died on 31 January 2011 in Athens, Greece.
- Nildo Parente was born in 1934 in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. He was an actor, known for São Bernardo (1972), Tropical Paradise (2007) and Celebrity (2003). He died on 31 January 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Charmian Innes was born on 2 November 1923 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Band of Thieves (1962), The Flamingo Affair (1948) and Dark Interval (1950). She was married to Donald G Griffiths. She died on 31 January 2011 in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, UK.
- Horst Günter Ludolf died on 31 January 2011 in Dernbach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
- Lora Silvani was born on 1 November 1916 in Bologna, Italy. She was an actress, known for Oro nero (1942), Il prigioniero di Santa Cruz (1941) and Cintura di castità (1950). She died on 31 January 2011 in Rome, Italy.
- IPS Valeriu Bartolomeu Anania was born on 18 March 1921 in Glavile, Valcea County, Kingdom of Romania. He was an actor, known for In sihastrie eterna (1995). He died on 31 January 2011 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Giorgos Papakostas was born in 1935 in Athens, Greece. He was a director and writer, known for To syrtaki tis amartias (1966), Martha, i gynaika tou ponou (1970) and Kardia pou lygise apo ton pono (1968). He died on 31 January 2011 in Athens, Greece.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Stuart Hood was born on 17 February 1915 in Angus, Scotland, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971), Bird's-Eye View (1969) and The World at War (1973). He was married to Renee Goddard. He died on 31 January 2011 in the UK.- Stanislav Stícha was born on 26 August 1942 in Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He was an actor, known for Jak rodí chlap (1979), Figurky ze smantu (1987) and Postaveni mimo hru (1979). He died on 31 January 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Khadisha Bukeyeva was born on 21 February 1917 in Kaztalovka, Lbishchensk uyezd, Ural Oblast, Russian Empire [now Kaztal District, West Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan]. She was an actress, known for Nash milyy doktor (1958), Squall (1958) and Na dikom brege Irtysha (1959). She died on 31 January 2011 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.