It’s that time of year, the time where we cast off the shackles of the previous year and look forward to the opportunities that the new one will present. I decided to take one more look back, though, to contemplate the talented people in entertainment that we lost in the previous year. Here’s the losses that hurt, the ones I felt when I heard about them. Obviously this is a highly personal list, and you may share similar sentiments – or get angry that your favorite celebrity was not listed. Sorry, this is MY list and you are welcome to make your own.
Harry Anderson
Ugh. This one was an out-of-the-blue shock. As Judge Harry on Night Court of Harry the Hat on Cheers he was always a delight, bringing a lot of pathos to his roles that was never fully appreciated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZpkBkDa7gI
Bob Einstein (aka Super Dave)
Albert Brooks’ funnier brother. I knew he was having some health issues, but to learn that he had passed made me appreciate that he had a very long run – he started out on The Smothers Brothers as a performer/writer (he helped discover Steve Martin for that show) and was still funny up to the end, making his last appearance on the newest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3omaPYtHno
Stephen Bochco
The mega-producer who brought us Hill Street Blues, LA Law, and before that some of the best episodes of Columbo when he was a very young writer-for -hire. If it wasn’t for Stephen Bochco, we would not have half of the shows that has been beloved by yours truly over the past few decades – not because he made them all, but because he mentored some of TV’s best writers, including Twin Peaks’ Mark Frost (who was in the Hill Street Writers room).
Bill Daily
Bill starred in two of my favorite shows – I Dream of Jeannie and The Bob Newhart Show. I’ve been rewatching the latter the past few months and it still stands up. Daily’s delivery of nonsensical retorts as Howard Borden often saves some of the rather lackluster episodes. A great underappreciated comic talent.
Stan Lee
I almost wrote up a separate posting on this one, because his passing was pretty big in the news – both for fans and non-fans alike. Stan’s self-promotion skills over the past decades made him the face of Marvel, and his cameos in every modern Marvel movie cemented that with even casual viewers. His contributions to comics as a writer, editor and creator is unprecedented in the history of modern entertainment. Only his frequent partner (and co-creator of Fantastic Four and many other characters) Jack Kirby could come close to the impact he made – billions of dollars have been made on his work by Disney, Sony and other studios, and the money train looks like it won’t be stopping anytime soon.
I had a chance to meet Stan a few years back at Dragon Con. I balked at the price of his autograph – $75, at the time – and so I only saw his panel and (later) a brief glimpse of him power walking down a hallway. I just assumed I’d always have another chance to meet him. Unfortunately, I never did.
Steve Ditko
Before we lost Stan, we lost Steve. Ditko co-created two of my favorite comic characters in Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, and even though he was an anti-social hermit who was rarely seen in public, his work spoke for itself.
William Goldman
When I think of screenwriters, I think of William Goldman. One of the bests, he brought us The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and much much more. He also famously said that when it comes to making successful movies, “Nodody Knows Anything.” Hopefully the crowdfunded documentary on his life with the same title will eventually be produced…
Ricky Jay
The magician’s magician. Ricky Jay was a masterful performer, actor and writer who was also one of the best card magicians who ever walked the earth. His Broadway play, filmed for HBO by David Mamet (a lifelong friend), is required viewing for any and all lovers of slight of hand.
Burt Reynolds
I already wrote about Burt here. A huge loss.
Neil Simon
Doc. I don’t have the time to enumerate his tremendous body of work, and will only mention that his playscript for The Odd Couple is the most perfect piece of comedy writing ever produced for the stage.
Stephen Hillenburg
The creator of Spongebob Squarepants, gone to soon at 57. Hillenberg was this generation’s Chuck Jones, and his character Spongebob will continue to entertain kids of all ages for as long as recorded media exists on Earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vclTyFhyLXQ