Advanced search

A veritable everyman of stage and screen, both big and small, but relatively unfamiliar to American audiences, Michael Craig is of Scots heritage, born in India to a father on military assignment. When he was three, the family returned to England, but by his eleventh year, they moved on to Canada - where he undoubtedly acquired his North American accent. He left school for the Merchant Navy at 16, but finally returned to England and the lure of the theater. By 1947, he debuted on stage and, in 1953, Sir Peter Hall gave him his first lead stage role. In the meantime, he was trying his hand at extra work and had speaking roles by 1954. This eventually led to discovery by Rank Films and a list of lead movie roles into the early 1960s. When his 7-year contract with that company expired, he was optioned by Columbia Pictures and his Hollywood career commenced. Yet his American work is perhaps only modestly remembered in two films, ironically co-American productions with the UK, Mysterious Island (1961), and Australia, the Disney TV installment, Ride a Wild Pony (1975).

By the mid-1970s, Craig's TV and film work was heavily concentrated in Australia (where he still resides) and composed a depth or roles, both comedic and dramatic, that has included memorable and solid character pieces as he has matured in age. As a screen writer, he has written for and created several British TV series. And he has never been far from the stage, remaining a familiar face in both London and New York theater.

Richard Gregson was a British film producer and screenwriter.

He spent his early career working in United States, alongside stars such as Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Julie Christie, Alan Bates and director John Schlesinger. He married the American actress Natalie Wood in 1969. Together they had one child, the actress Natasha Gregson Wagner, born 1970. Gregson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 33rd Academy Awards for his work on The Angry Silence with his elder brother Michael Craig and Bryan Forbes.

In 2012, he published a memoir titled Behind the Screen Door: Tales from the Hollywood Hills.

Nilu was born in the Marathi-speaking Phule family during the year 1930.

Starting his career in a Marathi folk play 'Katha Aklechya Kandyachi', he went on to act in numerous Marathi movies, beginning with 'Ek Gaav Baara Bhanagadi' during 1956, and in most he portrayed a cunning and villainous village-based character with a 'Gandhi' look.

Such was the intensity of his portrayal that people, especially women, were intimidated by him in real life.

He subsequently appeared in villain and character-actor roles in many Bollywood movies, including 'Saransh' and 'Sau Din Saas Ke'. His overall appearances in movies total over 130.

His hobbies included watching movies/dramas, reading, social work, gardening, and volunteering with Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti

A follower of Socialist Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, he had been diagnosed with Cancer of the Oesophagus, and was admitted to a private hospital in Pune on July 5. Cancer had also spread to other parts of his body. Before being hospitalized he had suffered a paralytic attack which largely impacted the left side of his body. He subsequently passed away on Sunday night, July 12, 2009.

He is survived by his wife and a daughter, Gargi.

Jeevan Kala was born on 29 June 1944 in Poona, India. She is an actress, known for Reporter Raju (1962), Mr. X in Bombay (1964) and Shabnam (1964).

Born 1941 in Pune, Maharashtra, Shrimati Sarita Joshi - nee Bhonsle - received an early exposure to professional theatre in Marathi and Gujarati; at the age of seven she had already joined the New Laxmikant Company of Baroda. An actress in Khatau Alfred Theatrical Company and Indian National Theatre, Bombay till 1982, Shrimati Sarita Joshi joined Pravin Joshi Theatre in 1983. During this period she also acted in several Gujarati films.

In the course of an active career on stage, Shrimati Sarita Joshi has acted in some 150 plays, several of them conspicuous successes. Among these are Balwant ni Baby directed by Adi Marzban and Santu Rangili directed by her husband Pravin Joshi - a Gujarati adaptation of Shaw's Pygmalion which ran to 500 show. Shrimati Joshi venture into the 'other' theatre in the 70s when she directed and acted in a Gujarati adaptation of Badal Sircar's Evam Indrajit. As an actress in Gujarati films Shrimati Sarita Joshi has received three awards from the Government of Gujarat: as a stage actress she was honoured by Akhil Marathi Natya Parishad, Bombay, 1984.

Shrimati Sarita Joshi received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to theatre as an actress in 1988.

She was seen on television screens as 'Baa' from the extremely popular TV serial 'Baa Bahoo aur Baby' for which she has won numerous awards. She appeared in Mani Rathnam's film 'Guru' as Abhishek Bachchan's mother. She also played a central character in the 2008 movie Dasvidaniya and was the title character 'Gangoobai' recently released in theaters in January 2013.

Agha was born on 21 March 1914 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was an actor, known for Amber (1952), Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977) and Adhi Raat Ke Baad (1965). He died on 30 April 1995 in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

She was born Ruby Myers in Pune and was working as a telephone operator when she was approached by Mohan Bhavnani of Kohinoor Films to work in films. Though excited by the offer, she turned him down as acting was regarded as quite a dubious profession for women those days. However Bhavnani persisted with his offer and she finally agreed, despite having no knowledge of acting whatsoever. She became a star under Bhavnani's direction at Kohinoor before moving on to the Imperial Film Company where she became the highest paid movie star in the country.

Among her popular films were Typist Girl (1926), Balidaan (1927) and Wildcat of Bombay (1927) where she essayed eight roles including a gardener, a policeman, a Hyderabadi gentleman, a street urchin, a banana seller and a European blonde!

Three romantic super hits in 1928 - 29 with director RS Chaudhari - Madhuri (1928), Anarkali (1928) and Indira BA (1929) saw her at her peak of fame in the silent film era. In fact so widespread was her fame that when a short film on Mahatma Gandhi inaugurating a khadi exhibition was shown, alongside it was added a hugely popular dance of Sulochana's from Madhuri, synchronized with sound effects.

With the coming of sound Sulochana suddenly found a lull in her career, as it now required an actor to be proficient in Hindustani. Taking a year off to learn the language, she made a grand comeback with the talkie version of Madhuri (1932).

Further talkie versions of her silent hits followed and with Indira (now an) MA(1934), Anarkali (1935) and Bombay ki Billi (1936). Sulochana was back with a bang. She was drawing a salary of Rs 5000 per month, she had the sleekest of cars (Chevrolet 1935) and one of the biggest heroes of the silent era, D Billimoria, as her lover with whom she worked exclusively between 1933 and 1939. They were an extremely popular pair - His John Barrymore style opposite her Oriental 'Queen of Romance' image.

But once their love story ended so did their careers. Sulochana left Imperial to find few offers forthcoming. Newer, younger and more proficient actresses had entered the scene. She tried making a comeback with character roles but even these were far and few in between.

However, she still had the power to excite controversy. In 1947, Moraji Desai banned the Dilip Kumar - Noor Jehan starer, Jugnu, because it showed such a morally reprehensible act as an aging fellow professor falling for Sulochana's vintage charms.

In 1953, she acted in her third Anarkali, but this time in a supporting role as Salim's mother. She acted in Khatta Meetha (wife of Soli Bhai)

She finally passed away lonely and forgotten in 1983 in her flat in Bombay. A sad end for the woman who once became famous for drawing a larger salary than the Governor of Bombay and who even acted in a film named after her - Sulochana (1933)!

Micki Maunsell was born on 13 February 1923 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. She was an actress, known for White Noise (2005), Drive, She Said (1997) and First Wave (1998). She was married to John Maunsell and David Robert Peacock. She died on 8 April 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Major-General J.D. Frost was a true British Hero of the 2nd World War. He was born the son of Brigadier-General F.D. Frost of the Indian Army in 1912. Educated at Wellington public school and Sandhurst Military Academy he joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), with whom he served in England and Palestine. At the outbreak of WWII he had been seconded to the Iraqui Levies and was quietly enjoying colonial life. However he soon volunteered to become one of the first of the newly formed parachute corps. His first action was a combined operation to parachute into occupied France and break into a German radar station to steal all the equipment (and a few prisoners) to see how advanced the German radar was. This raid was used as the basis of the movie "Paratrooper (1953)". He then took the 2nd battalion through sterling service in the North African campaign, twice parachuting far behind enemy lines, causing chaos and fighting their way home. After landings in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy they came home to rest before joining the main invasion of Europe. On the 17th September 1944, he led the 2nd battalion as part of operation Market Garden, where the Parachute Brigade was dropped "A A Bridge Too Far (1977) (1977)". Of the thousands who were dropped on the far bank of the Rhine (10 miles from the bridge they were to defend) only John Frost and a few hundred men fought their way to the bridge, where they found they had been dropped in the middle of two SS panzer divisions !! The whole brigade had been ordered to hold the bridge for the two days that were thought to be required. Instead a single battalion held the bridge against overwhelming odds for 3 days and 4 nights. Just before they had to surrender, John Frost was wounded in the legs by a mortar bomb and was taken prisoner for the duration. On his release after the war, he returned to staff college, became variously GOC Malta and Libya and commanded the T.A. parachute brigade. He retired in 1968 and took up farming in West Sussex.

Shri. Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani was born in Pune, Maharashtra, and was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman, and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema. He launched Sagar Movietone and Sagar Productions. He was the director of India's first sound film Alam Ara. He was the producer of India's first color film Kisan Kanya. He was renowned for making films in Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, English, German, Indonesian, Persian, Urdu and Tamil. He was a successful entrepreneur who owned film theatres, a gramophone agency, a car agency, and Imperial Film Company, the parent company of Sagar. Ardeshir Irani is considered to be the father of Indian talkies. He was The first President of the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) in 1937.

S.T. Joshi was born on 22 June 1958 in Poona, British India [now Pune, Maharashtra, India].

Documentary and non-fiction producer with a focus on storytelling, a creative drive for inclusive narratives, and dedication to project organization and problem-solving expertise. Skills in producing are showcased in an extensive portfolio, demonstrating originality in docuseries, features and short films. Madhura's professional journey includes notable projects for HBO Max, Disney Plus, Apple TV, and Netflix. Drawing from her personal experience, she brings unique perspectives to life, notably through a documentary recounting her own adoption journey from India.

Robert McDermott was born on 19 March 1908 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was an actor, known for Ask Me Another (1958), The Cost of Loving (1977) and Call Oxbridge 2000 (1961). He was married to Diana Morgan. He died on 22 November 1964 in London, England, UK.

Balasaheb Thackeray was born on 23 January 1926 in Poona, Maharashtra, India. He was married to Meena Thackeray. He died on 17 November 2012 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

David Hofman was born on 23 September 1908 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was an actor, known for Crowning Glory (1936) and The Fame of Grace Darling (1939). He was married to Marion Holley and Kathleen ?. He died on 9 May 2003 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK.

Meher Baba was born on 25 February 1894 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a writer, known for You Alone Exist (2005). He died on 31 January 1969 in Meherabad, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India.

Shantaram Athavale was born on 21 January 1910 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director and assistant director, known for Shevgyachya Shenga (1956), Bhagya Rekha (1948) and Vahininchya Bangdya (1953). He died on 12 February 1981.

Bhaskar Chandavarkar was born on 16 March 1936 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a composer and director, known for Atyachar (1982), Kairee (1999) and Ondanondu Kaladalli (1978). He was married to Meena Chandavarkar. He died on 26 July 2009 in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Maninder Singh was born on 13 June 1965 in Poona, Maharashtra, India. He is an actor, known for Kirket (2019), Victory (2009) and BBC TV Cricket (1963).