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Al Ashton was born on 26 June 1957 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), Gladiator (2000) and Screenplay (1986). He was married to Sue Gibson. He died on 27 April 2007 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.

Kirill Lavrov was a notable Russian actor, director and political figure who was also longtime Chairman of Theatrical Union of the USSR and the leader of Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Russia.

He was born Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov on September 15, 1925, in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia), into a family with deep roots in St. Petersburg society. He was baptized by the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John the Divine in Lavrushinskoe Podvorie Monastery in Leningrad.

Young Kirill Lavrov was brought up in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), in a noble family which was part of the St. Petersburg cultural milieu. His grandmother, named Olga Leonidovna Lykoshina, was related to writer Aleksandr Griboyedov and belonged to Polish Nobility. His grandfather was member of Imperial Humanitarian Society and Director of Gymnasium in St. Petersburg. His father, named Yuri Lavrov, was an actor at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg, where his stage costumes were designed by Alexandre Benois. His mother, named Olga Ivanovna Gudim-Levkovich, was an actress.

Kirill Lavrov's family was at risk during the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin, because Lavrov's grandfather, a member of Imperial Humanitarian Society in St. Petersburg, was an anti-communist who fled Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Russian intellectuals suffered badly under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. The murder of the popular governor of Leningrad, Sergei Kirov, triggered massive extermination of intellectuals and destruction of culture and society under repressions known as "The Great Purge." In 1938, the Lavrovs escaped repressions by moving from Leningrad to Kiev.

During the Second World War Kirill Lavrov was evacuated to Novosibirsk in Siberia. In 1943, then 17-year-old Lavrov applied to join the Red Army to fight the Nazis. He was sent to Astrakhan Aviation Technical School from which he graduated in 1945, and then served as an aircraft technician in the Air Force in the Kuril Island of Iturup until 1950. He was also an amateur actor at a local army club.

In 1950 Kirill Lavrov reunited with his parents in Kiev. There he became a professional actor of the Russian Drama Theatre named after Lesya Ukrainka, where his father was the leading actor at that time. Although Kirill Lavrov did not study acting professionally, he had a natural talent. He made his stage acting debut in Kiev, and appeared alongside with his father in several plays at the Russian Drama Theatre named after Lesya Ukrainka. In 1955, Lavrov came back to Leningrad; he was invited by director Georgi Tovstonogov and joined the troupe at BDT.

From 1955 - 2007 Kirill Lavrov was a permanent member of the legendary troupe at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). Lavrov worked under directorship of Georgi Tovstonogov for 33 years. After the death of Tovstonogov, Lavrov remained the leader of outstanding ensemble of actors at BDT. There his stage partners were such stars as Oleg Basilashvili, Tatyana Doronina, Alisa Freyndlikh, Lyudmila Makarova, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Zinaida Sharko, Valentina Kovel, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Sergey Yurskiy, Nikolay Trofimov, Oleg Borisov, Vladislav Strzhelchik, Yefim Kopelyan, Evgeniy Lebedev, Georgiy Shtil, Vsevolod Kuznetsov, Pavel Luspekayev, Vadim Medvedev, Yuriy Demich, Leonid Nevedomsky, Gennadiy Bogachyov, Andrey Tolubeev, and many other remarkable Russian actors.

In 1989, Kirill Lavrov was unanimously elected the Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg. He managed to preserve the artistic tradition established by the great Russian director Georgi Tovstonogov, and to rename BDT after G. A. Tovstonogov. Kirill Lavrov was awarded the State Prizes of the USSR and Russia for his works on stage and in film. He received numerous decorations and was designated People's Actor of the USSR (1972). He was elected representative to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and later was also an active political and cultural figure in the new Russia. From 1992 - 2006 Lavrov was President of the International Confederation of Theatrical Unions.

Outside of his acting and political career, Kirill Lavrov was a dedicated football (soccer) fan, a passion he inherited from his father. Kirill Lavrov was a good sportsman since his youth; he was a member of the youth football (soccer) team at "Spartak" club in Leningrad. He also trained in skiing, gymnastics and fencing. For many years, Lavrov was a captain of the football team of actors at BDT, and also a follower of Zenit, a football club in St. Petersburg.

Kirill Lavrov was Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg. He died of a heart failure, aged 81, on April 27, 2007, in St Petersburg. His burial service was held at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) and then at the same Russian Orthodox Church where he was baptized as a child. Kirill Lavrov was laid to rest next to his late wife in Bogoslovskoe Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia.

John Roper was born on 19 March 1945 in Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Topaz (1969), Thieves Like Us (1974) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972). He died on 27 April 2007 in Summit, Ohio, USA.

Mstislav Rostropovich was a Russian cellist, pianist, conductor, pedagogue and political figure whose international performances and public appearances symbolized the struggle of intellectuals against the rigid Soviet Communism.

He was born Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich on March 27, 1927, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union. His father, Leopold Rostropovich, was a notable musician and pedagogue of Polish nobility descent. His mother was a concert pianist of Russian-Jewish heritage. His teachers at Moscow Conservatory were Dmitri Shostakovich, and Sergei Prokofiev, and both became his main musical influences for life. In 1951 Rostropovich was awarded the State Stalin's Prize, after his numerous victories at international competitions and a growing stream of recognition and acclaim. in 1955 he married opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya who was a member of Bolshoi Theatre. At that time his stage partners were such musicians as Svyatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels along with his wife Galina Vishnevskaya.

In 1969 Rostropovich saved his friend, dissident writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn from prosecution. At that time Solzhenitsyn needed a place to hide from the Soviet authorities. An arrangement was made for Solzhenitsyn to live secretly at Rostropovich's dacha, a summer cabin outside of Moscow. This angered the Soviet Communists, and Rostropovich was banned from international tours and royalties. His performances in the Soviet Union were also banned, his income was drastically reduced, and his musical activity was limited to teaching. The Soviet authorities put severe pressure on Rostropovich by restricting his communication with the world and by ignoring his numerous invitations to perform at international festivals and competitions.

In 1974, after years of struggle with the Soviet dictatorship, Rostropovich fled the Soviet Union with his wife and two daughters, Olga and Elena. He became a much more relaxed person in exile, living the artistic freedom he had so longed for, and did not want to go back until the fall of the oppressive Soviet regime. In 1977 Rostropovich was appointed Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, DC, the post he kept for the next seventeen years. Soon after Rostropovich became employed in the USA, his Soviet citizenship was revoked by Leonid Brezhnev in 1978. during the 1970s and 1980s Rostropovich enjoyed a very active concert career; he toured extensively as a cellist as well as an internationally acclaimed orchestra conductor and pedagogue. He also made numerous recordings of cello music and became recognized as arguably the world's best cellist of his time. Being also a good pianist, Rostropovich accompanied his wife, opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya on her numerous international concert tours.

In 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev restored their citizenship of Russia (then Soviet Union), allowing Rostropovich to return back home. His return happened during the most dramatic events of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. At that time Rostropovich joined the Russian President Yeltsin during the August coup of the hard-line communists against Mikhail Gorbachev. Eventually Rostropovich established himself as an internationally recognized cultural, political and intellectual figure of the new Russia. His music performances as well as his public statements were equally acclaimed and respected by all freedom-loving people.

Rostropovich returned to the new Russia and continued his career as a musician and public figure. He lived in his homes in Moscow and in St. Petersburg and remained active in cultural and political life. He died of a heart failure at the age of 80, on April 27, 2007, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Semetery in Moscow Russia. His honors include: Recipient of Order of Service to the Fatherland medal of Russia (2007). Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire, a Commander of the Legion of Honor of France, a Commander of the Phoenix Order of Greece, holder of the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center Honoree, the State Stalin's Prize (1951), the title People's Artist of the USSR (1956), and the Defender of Free Russia Medal (1993).

Born in August 25, 1950 in Finleyville, Pennsylvania. The handsome, dark brown haired, blue eyed Larry Vaira wasn't really an actor, but he was hired by George A. Romero to play Bikers in his movies, Dawn of the Dead (1978) as Mousey, The Tommy-Gun Biker (riding in sidecar) (where in real life he had also worked as the Biker wrangler and kept The Pagans Motorcycle Club and his friends who only played the roles of bikers and biker chicks in line during their scenes in the movie) and Knightriders (1981) as one of the Bikers at the Renaissance Faire. Because he looked like a Biker type of person. He did ride and own a motorcycle, but he was mostly a construction worker.

He also acted in two plays at Stage 62 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: firstly, as a waiter in "Cabaret" by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander in 1972. He and his wife, who was his high school sweetheart, Jeanette Lansel Vaira (who played a Biker Chick in Dawn of the Dead (1978) and an Extra in Knightriders (1981)) acted in them together. Jeanette was one of The Kit Kat Girls. Secondly, "Bells Are Ringing" by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Jule Styne in 1974. Larry and Jeanette were The Dancers in the play. Jeanette was also the Choreographer's Assistant.

He and his Family would celebrate Hawaiian Luaus together with Jim Hollowood & The Royal Hawaiians. And during those times, Larry learned how to twirl and eat fire. He made for a great warrior while they performed Tahitian dances in grass skirts.

His other hobbies included motorcycle racing and stunts and skydiving.

He died of an unexpected brain aneurysm on Friday April 27, 2007 aged only 56. He left behind his 2 adult children Mylo, Monica and his wife.

Svatopluk Benes was born on 24 February 1918 in Raudnitz an der Elbe, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Roudnice nad Labem, Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Dobrý voják Svejk (1957), Zelary (2003) and Kacenka a zase ta strasidla (1993). He was married to Bozena Benesová, Bozena Benesová and Evelyn. He died on 27 April 2007 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Yoshihiro Katô was born on 7 October 1958 in Akita, Japan. He was an actor, known for Tampopo (1985), Lost in the Wilderness (1986) and A-hômansu (1986). He died on 27 April 2007 in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

Kottayam Santha was an actress, known for Stalin Sivadas (1999), Manasariyathe (1984) and Manase Ninakku Mangalam (1984). She died on 27 April 2007 in Kottayam, Kerala, India.

Gerald Pynn was born on 24 July 1955. He is known for John Q (2002), Highwaymen (2004) and The Glow (2002). He died on 27 April 2007.

Keith Bradbury was born on 12 May 1940 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. Keith was a writer, known for The Land Is the Culture (1976). Keith died on 27 April 2007 in Roberts Creek, British Columbia, Canada.

Soledad Aquino was born on 11 March 1916 in the Philippines. She was an actress, known for Dahong lagas (1938), Paroparong bukid (1938) and Anak-dalita (1936). She died on 27 April 2007 in South San Francisco, California, USA.