News

Geoffrey Deuel, best known for portraying famed outlaw Billy the Kid in the 1970 John Wayne vehicle Chisum, died Dec. 22 at age 81, per an official obituary.

The news was additionally confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by wife Jacqueline Deuel. The performer, younger brother to Peter Duel (who became known for portraying Hannibal Heyes/Joshua Smith on the popular ABC Western Alias Smith and Jones prior to his suicide), died in hospice care in Florida following a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“He and Peter were very close,” Jacqueline Deuel told THR. “They really loved each other and took care of each other.”

Deuel, who was born Jan. 17, 1943, mostly appeared on television in a variety of series stretching from the late ’60s to mid-’70s. Among those credits are The Monkees, The Invaders, The F.B.I., The Manhunter, Medical Center, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, Adam-12, The Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible, The Streets of San Francisco,...

I'm not a fan of "Jurassic World." But I'm comfortable enough to know when I owe a movie an apology. And I owe Colin Trevorrow's 2015 resurrection of the beloved dinosaur franchise a big one.

You've probably seen the movie. Taking place years after the original "Jurassic Park" trilogy, the film is centered around a dinosaur theme park that went right. Cloned dinosaurs populate exhibits attended by countless tourists. There are rides, restaurants, and merchandise. Everything does go belly-up once the plot kicks into gear, but it's firmly established that this miraculous, impossible place has been doing just fine for quite some time. Long enough that people are, well, getting bored of it.

And this proved a sticking point for many critics and viewers alike when the film was initially released. Myself included. We just couldn't possibly imagine a world where dinosaurs were back and people were ... not excited about it.

Gregory Sierra, who was a key part of two major 1970s sitcoms as Julio Fuentes on Sanford and Son and Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amenguale on Barney Miller, has died. He was 83.

Sierra died Jan. 4 in Laguna Woods, California, from cancer, according to a family spokesman. His death just became public today.

Born in New York’s Spanish Harlem, Sierra worked with the National Shakespeare Company and in the New York Shakespeare Festival. He also appeared in off-Broadway plays and was a standby on Broadway for The Ninety Day Mistress in 1967.

Moving to Los Angeles, Sierra had guest appearances on such shows as It Takes a Thief, Medical Center, The High Chaparral, Mod Squad, The Flying Nun and Kung Fu.

In films he was also a supporting actor in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Getting Straight (1970), Papillon (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and the Orson Welles project The Other Side of the Wind.

Herbert F. Solow, the TV production executive who helped make “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible” a reality, died on Thursday, his wife, Dr. Harrison Solow, confirmed. He was 89.

A graduate of Dartmouth, Solow got his start in showbiz in 1953, working up the ranks at William Morris, starting as a mail room worker and secretary before becoming an assistant and later a talent agent representing stars and filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman. Later, he moved from the agency world to production, taking a brief stop in NBC’s film division before moving to CBS, where he worked on developing daytime soap operas and game shows.

In 1962, he returned to NBC to work in their West coast Daytime TV division, developing a relationship with the network’s vice president, Grant Tinker. Along the way, he oversaw the development and production of multiple soap operas and game shows, including “Truth or Consequences” — the game...

Herbert F. “Herb” Solow, who as an executive at Desilu Productions took Gene Roddenberry’s original pitch for Star Trek and also held exec posts at several showbiz companies, has died. He was 88. His wife, Dr. Harrison Solow, confirmed the news to multiple sources.

Among the many Hollywood jobs in his long were exec posts at MGM, Paramount, Desilu, CBS, NBC and Hanna-Barbera. He also was an agent at William Morris, a TV creator-writer-producer and author. Along with the original Star Trek, Solow was instrumental in such 1960s and ’70s dramas as Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Medical Center, Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Then Came Bronson and Man From Atlantis.

He also served as Head of Programming and Production for the NBC Film Division and worked with such storied directors as David Lean, Robert Altman, Herb Ross, Blake Edwards, Paul Mazursky and Michelangelo Antonioni.

Born on December14, 1931, Solow began his industry...

Herbert F. Solow, a longtime television executive who pitched the original “Star Trek” series to NBC while he was at Desilu Studios, along with “Mission Impossible” and “Mannix,” died on Thursday, his wife, Dr. Harrison Solow, confirmed. He was 89.

In later years, he and his wife wrote several books on the “Star Trek” series, including “Inside Star Trek: The Real Story” and “The Star Trek Sketchbook.”

Solow was brought in by Lucille Ball after her divorce from Desi Arnaz to help revive Desilu Studios, where he helped develop and sell “Star Trek” to NBC — after CBS originally turned it down because it already had “Lost in Space” — as well as “Mission: Impossible” and “Mannix” to CBS.

Solow helped guide “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry on their pitch to the network, and continued to champion the series until Ball herself got behind the effort.

Solow told the publication Carpe Articulum that...

During the current crisis in our world, we’ve all become even more aware of how valuable our healthcare professionals are. I have worked for a group of eye doctors for over 20 years, and I’ve seen firsthand the importance of compassion, knowledge and skill that is needed to be successful in that line of work.

Doctors have always been a huge part of all of our lives – we will all see one at some point, even if only for a regular eye or dental visit. Maybe that’s why medical dramas have been a part of our entertainment world, and from the earliest days of television, we have invited a number of doctors, of varying types, into our living rooms. The early dramas, such as “Medical Center,” “Dr. Kildare” and “Ben Casey” offered good-looking young doctors (setting the bar for the likes of George Clooney) usually clashing with an older,...

During the current crisis in our world, we’ve all become even more aware of how valuable our healthcare professionals are. I have worked for a group of eye doctors for over 20 years, and I’ve seen firsthand the importance of compassion, knowledge and skill that is needed to be successful in that line of work.

Doctors have always been a huge part of all of our lives – we will all see one at some point, even if only for a regular eye or dental visit. Maybe that’s why medical dramas have been a part of our entertainment world, and from the earliest days of television, we have invited a number of doctors, of varying types, into our living rooms. The early dramas, such as “Medical Center,” “Dr. Kildare” and “Ben Casey” offered good-looking young doctors (setting the bar for the likes of George Clooney) usually clashing with an older,...

Paula Kelly, an actress who earned Emmy nominations for roles on NBC’s 1980s sitcom Night Court and 1989 ABC miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, died February 8 in Whittier, CA, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 77.

Her death was announced by her family and Los Angeles’ Ebony Repertory Theatre.

Kelly, who was also a dancer, choreographer and singer, had her breakthrough role of Helene in Bob Fosse’s 1969 film Sweet Charity, sharing the screen with star Shirley MacLaine and Chita Rivera in such musical numbers as “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” and the showstopper “Hey, Big Spender.” She’d already played the role in a West End stage production.

Other film credits include The Andromeda Strain (1971), Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored (1995).

Kelly appeared in numerous TV series from the 1970s through the ’90s, including Sanford & Son, Medical Center, The Streets of San Francisco,...

James Schmerer, a veteran television writer with credits on numerous 1970s and 1980s classics like “CHiPs,” “MacGyver,” “Fantasy Island” and “Hawaii Five-0,” died in his Oregon home on Oct. 4, the Writers Guild of America West announced Tuesday. He was 81, and had recently suffered a stroke.

Born in Flushing, New York, Schmerer’s career on television began in the 1960s — he was admitted to Wgaw in 1965 — with his rise to prominence coming during the following decade. His many credits also included “Vega$,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “The High Chaparral,” “Eight is Enough,” “T.J. Hooker” and “The Fall Guy.”

Schmerer also wrote for “The Rookies,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” “The Mod Squad,” “Medical Center,” “Mannix,” “Wimzie’s House,” “Matt Helm,” “Isis,” “True Confessions,” “The New Mike Hammer,” “Logan’s Run,” “Code R,” “24-Robert,” “Tales of the Unexpected,” and “Star Trek: The Animated Series.”

Also Read: John Clarke,...

Prolific television writer James Schmerer, whose credits included “The High Chapparal,” “MacGyver” and “CHiPs,” died on Oct. 4 at his home in Eugene, Ore., following a stroke. He was 81.

Schmerer, a native of Flushing, N.Y., launched his television writing career in the 1960s and became a member of the Writers Guild of America West in 1965. He was an in-demand TV writer during the 1970s and ’80s, with credits on “Vega$,” “Fantasy Island,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “Eight is Enough,” “T.J. Hooker” and “The Fall Guy.”

He also had TV writing credits on “The Rookies,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” “The Mod Squad,” “Medical Center,” “Mannix,” “Wimzie’s House,” “Matt Helm,” “Isis,” “True Confessions,” “The New Mike Hammer,” “Logan’s Run,” “Code R,” “24-Robert,” “Tales of the Unexpected” and “Star Trek: The Animated Series.” Schmerer was a producer on “The High Chaparral,” “Chase,” “The Delphi Bureau,...

Veteran television writer James Schmerer, whose credits encompass some of the most popular series of the 1970s and ’80s including MacGyver, CHiPs, Vega$, Fantasy Island and Starsky & Hutch, died Oct. 4 at his home in Eugene, Oregon, following a stroke. He was 81.

Schmerer’s death was announced by Writers Guild of America West.

A native of Flushing, New York, Schmerer launched his television writing career in the 1960s (he became a Wgaw member in 1965), and by the ’70s was a sought-after scripter for action series of all types, with the occasional family series – Eight is Enough – and sci-fi show – Star Trek: The Animated Series – tossed in for good measure.

Just a few of the other series that carried a Schmerer “Written by” credit: Hawaii Five-0, The Six Million Dollar Man, The High Chaparral, T.J. Hooker, and The Fall Guy.

Schmerer also wrote scripts for The Rookies, The Streets of San Francisco,...

Katherine Helmond, who played the ditzy Tate matriarch on the groundbreaking 1970s comedy Soap and later starred on Who’s the Boss?, among many other roles, died February 23 of Alzheimer’s complications at her home in Los Angeles. She was 89. Apa announced the news.

Helmond is best known for her roles as the flighty Jessica Tate on ABC’s 1977-81 ensemble primetime soap opera sitcom Soap and as the sexy and wise Mona Robinson — who showed that romance and excitement are not over for older women — opposite Tony Danza, Judith Light and Alyssa Milano on ABC’s 1984-92 series Who’s the Boss?

She received four Best Actress Emmy Award nominations for Soap and back-to-back noms for Who’s the Boss? in 1988-89. Helmond also scored a Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Soap in 1981, another for Supporting Actress in Who’s the Boss in 1989 and a second a Globes...

Joseph Campanella, a prolific character actor whose career on the big and small screens spanned more than a half-century, died today at his home in Sherman Oaks, CA. He was 92.

Among his nearly 200 credits were a regular in the role in first season of the 1967-75 CBS cop drama Mannix, for which he earned an Emmy nom, and a Daytime Emmy-nominated late-’80s/early-’90s role as Harper Deveraux in the long-running NBC soap Days of Our Lives (right). He also appeared as Jonathan Young in nearly 100 episodes of CBS’ soap The Bold and the Beautiful from 1996-2005.

With a face known to most fans of TV from the latter half of the 20th century, Campanella started his career in 1950s television, guesting on such classic series of that decade and the next as Suspense, Route 66, The Big Valley, The Wild Wild West, The Fugitive and Mission: Impossible. After...

Jill Clayburgh, the Oscar-nominated actress whose portrayal of suddenly single women in the 1970s helped define feminism in movies and reshape the role of leading lady, died today at her home in Lakeville, Connecticut; she was 66.

A stage actress who started appearing onscreen in the 70s, she suddenly became the "It Girl" -- or rather, "It Woman" -- with her acclaimed performance as an upper-class Manhattan wife suddenly left by her husband in the comedy-drama An Unmarried Woman. For a brief time one of Hollywood's most recognizable actresses in both comedy and drama, her career took a rapid decline in the 80s before she resuscitated her career with a number of television and film roles. Still, despite her career ups and downs, she remained one of the most important actresses of the 70s, alongside Jane Fonda, Glenda Jackson, Diane Keaton, and the young Meryl Streep (with whom she was friends) -- women whose films were marked by their portrayals of strong, independent women who didn't need a man to complete their lives and were prepared to take a stand by doing so.

Born in New York City to a manufacturing executive father and a mother who was the production secretary for theatrical producer David Merrick, Clayburgh had a privileged Upper East Side upbringing, attending the noted Brearley Academy and then Sarah Lawrence College. After joining the Charles Street Repertory Theater in Boston, she worked primarily onstage, moving to Broadway for such shows as Pippin and The Rothschilds.

After sporadic film and TV appearances (including a stint on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow), Clayburgh nabbed her first big role in 1972's Portnoy's Complaint. Roles in TV shows such as Medical Center, Maude, and The Rockford Files followed (she received an Emmy nomination for the 1975 TV movie Hustling), before she essayed the role of Carole Lombard opposite James Brolin's Clark Gable in the critically lambasted Gable and Lombard (1976). The lavish biopic was soundly drubbed and might have marked the end of her career had it not been for a number of acclaimed performances and box office hits in rapid succession. Clayburgh earned acclaimed opposite Peter Falk in the TV cancer drama Griffin and Phoenix: A Love Story (1976) and that same year co-starred opposite Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in the blockbuster hit comedy Silver Streak. She held her own against two other high-profile, wildly popular leading men--Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson--in the football comedy Semi-Tough (1977) before landing the role that would make her a superstar of the decade: Erica in Paul Mazursky's An Unmarried Woman.

The story of a well-to-do wife and mother who is left by her husband for a younger woman, and attempts to reclaim her identity as a single woman in a world marked by the rise of feminism, the film was a lightning rod for many of the issues of the late 70s, from divorce to sexual liberation. With its message that it was okay not to be married, the film was a box office and critical hit, winning Clayburgh the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. An Unmarried Woman would receive three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Actress, but lost both awards to Vietnam-themed dramas The Deer Hunter and Coming Home (Jane Fonda was the Best Actress winner).

Anointed as the screen's quintessential liberated woman, Clayburgh followed that film in 1979 with two wildly disparate roles, as an opera singer who seduces her 15 year old son in Bernardo Bertolucci's Luna, and as a slightly ditzy kindergarten teacher who falls in love with a recently divorced Burt Reynolds in the comedy Starting Over. The former film was reviled by critics, while the latter earner her a second Academy Award nomination (surprisingly, she received Golden Globe nominations for both films).

The early 80s saw Clayburgh play two more independent women in the comedies It's My Turn and First Monday in October, as well as a Valium addict in the adaptation of the bestselling memoir I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can. But as the 80s came under the influence of the Reagan administration and lost interest in the burgeoning feminist movement, roles for Clayburgh became less easy to attain, and a string of film flops followed throughout the decade. Roles in low-budget movies and telefilms followed, though it was through a number of television appearances in the late 90s and early 2000s that Clayburgh revitalized her career on the small screen: there were acclaimed but failed sitcoms Everything's Relative and Leap of Faith, and a well-received turn as the mother of Calista Flockhart's titular character in the hit show Ally McBeal.

After appearances on The Practice and Nip/Tuck (the latter earning her a second Emmy nomination), she co-starred in the TV series Dirty Sexy Money opposite Donald Sutherland as the matriarch of a wealthy New York family. In the mid-2000s Clayburgh also starred on Broadway in Richard Greenberg's A Naked Girl on the Appian Way and in the 2006 revival of Barefoot in the Park. Her most recent roles include the upcoming comedy-drama Love and Other Drugs, as well as next year's Bridesmaids.

Clayburgh married acclaimed playwright David Rabe (Hurlyburly, Streamers) in 1979; she is survived by Rabe and their daughter, actress Lily Rabe, who will be appearing opposite Al Pacino, with whom Clayburgh was involved in the early 70s, in the new Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice, which has currently been delayed.