Post Mortem Archive: Movies

'Dr. No' Dies

The stage actor Joseph Wiseman, who died Monday at 91, had an acclaimed career on Broadway and was a memorable supporting actor in films such as "Detective Story," "Viva Zapata!" and "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz." But Mr. Wiseman was forever linked to "Dr. No," the first entry in the...

Trevor Rhone, Jamaican Author, Dies

Terence McArdle, a bluesman who works in the newsroom, is occasionally recruited to help out on musical obituaries. He wrote one today for Jamaican playwright Trevor Rhone. McArdle writes: Rhone's greatest impact with American audiences occurred with the screenplay he co-wrote with director Perry Henzel, "The Harder They Come" (1972)....

Spotlight: Patrick Swayze

Say it ain't so. Patrick Swayze, the hunky, sexy, smooth-talking dancer from that iconic film, "Dirty Dancing," has died. I've watched the movie hundreds of times. Heck, I even owned the soundtrack (on a cassette no less.) Tell me, what 13-year-old girl didn't want to be swept onto the dance...

Which John Hughes Film was Best?

John Hughes, 59, director, screenwriter and producer of films such as "The Breakfast Club," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and "Home Alone", who died in Manhattan yesterday of a heart attack, created films that centered on teenage angst, and defined a generation. So in honor of the...

This Budd's For You

Screenwriter and novelist Budd Schulberg, who died yesterday at 95, was one of the finest writing talents of his generation, and his work stands up remarkably well. He was old, but did not, as has been written, outlive his fame. One reason was the contemporary feel and tone of much...

Budd Schulberg and Fleeting Fame

Sometimes the famous outlive their fame. Take, for example, Budd Schulberg, who died today at age 95. There was a time when most movie fans knew his name. He worked with director John Ford in a documentary project for the Army as World War II was ending, and arrested Leni...

Older Entries in This Category »

Navy Vet's Wartime Movies, Adam Bernstein , August 5, 2009

Spotlight: Farrah Fawcett, Lauren Wiseman , June 25, 2009

Jane ("Cat People") Randolph Dies, Adam Bernstein , May 27, 2009

Frankie "Musclehead" Manning Dies, Adam Bernstein , April 28, 2009

Acclaimed Filmaker Jack Cardiff Dies , Patricia Sullivan , April 22, 2009

For Montalban, a Life of 'Fantasy' Comes to an End, Washington Post Editors , January 14, 2009

Van Johnson, Lucille Ball and Bobby-Soxers, Washington Post Editors , December 12, 2008

Flash of Genius, Patricia Sullivan , September 30, 2008

Obits as Movies, Patricia Sullivan , December 4, 2007