actors | Being Aunt Debbie

It’s been a long year. We made it! It’s been rough but I’m grateful for all that I have and thankful to those who have been here for me. I’m thankful that YOU have taken the time to read my blog! I hope 2023 has been kind to you and yours.

We said goodbye to many wonderful actors, athletes, musicians, and public figures this year. I have compiled a list from various sources but it’s an incomplete list since I keep finding another name to add! It has taken me most of the day to do this so I figured I’d better quit!

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Alan Arkin, born 1934 Actor and Filmmaker

Heather Armstrong, born 1975 Blogger and Internet Personality

Clarence Avant, born 1931 Music Executive and Producer

Burt Bacharach, born 1928 Composer and Songwriter

Bob Barker, born 1923 Gameshow Host

Jeff Beck, born 1944 Guitarist

Harry Belafonte, born 1927 Singer and Actor

Richard Belzer, born 1944 Actor

Tony Bennett, born 1926 Singer

Jane Birkin, born 1946 Actress and Singer

Robert Blake, born 1933 Actor

Tori Bowie, born 1990 Track and Field Athlete

Andre Braugher, born 1962 Actor

George Brown, born 1949 Drummer

Jimmy Buffett, born 1946 Singer and Musician

Colin Burgess, born 1946 Musician

Dick Butkus, born 1942 Football Linebacker and Sports Commentator

Rosalynn Carter, born 1927 Former First Lady of the US

Pat Casey, born 1993 BMX Star

Tyler Christopher, born 1972 Daytime Actor

Carole Cook, born 1924 Actress

James ‘Buster’ Corley, born 1951 Co-Founder of Dave and Buster’s

David Crosby, born 1941 Singer and Songwriter

Kamar de los Reyes, born 1967 Daytime Actor

Melinda Dillon, born 1939 Actress

Dianne Feinstein, born 1933 US Senator

Michael Gambon, born 1940 Actor

Astrud Gilberto, born 1940 Singer and Songwriter

Mark Goddard, born 1936 Actor

Bo Goldman, born 1932 Screenwriter and Playwright

Len Goodman, born 1944 Ballroom Dancer

Johnny Hardwick, born 1958 Actor

Steve Harwell, born 1967 Singer and Musician

Jim Hines, born 1946 Football Player

Bobby Hull, born 1939 NHL Hall of Famer

Barry Humphries, born 1934 Comedian and Actor

Rudolph Isley, born 1939 Singer and Songwriter

Glenda Jackson, born 1936 Former Member of Parliament

Al Jaffee, born 1921 Cartoonist

Ron Cephas Jones, born 1957 Actor

Robbie Knievel, born 1968 Daredevil and son of Evil Knievel

Marty Krofft, born 1937 Film Producer

Denny Laine, born 1944 Musician

Piper Laurie, born 1932 Actress

Norman Lear, born 1922 Screenwriter and Film Producer

Michael Lerner, born 1941 Actor

Gordon Lightfoot, born 1938 Singer, Songwriter, and Guitarist

Gina Lollobrigida, born 1927 Actress

Lisa Loring, born 1958 Actress

Laura Lynch, born 1958 Former Member of The Dixie Chicks

Mark Margolis, born 1939 Actor

David McCallum, born 1933 Actor

Cormac McCarthy, born 1933 Author

Randy Meisner, born 1946 Singer, Songwriter, and Musician

Billy Miller, born 1979 Daytime Actor

Richard Moll, born 1943 Actor

Sandra Day O’Connor, born 1930 Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court

Sinéad O’Connor, born 1966 Singer and Songwriter

Ryan O’Neal, born 1941 Actor

Billy Packer, born 1940 Basketball Player and Sports Commentator

Lara Parker, born 1938 Daytime Actress, Dark Shadows

Tatjana Patitz, born 1966 Model

Chris Peluso, born 1983 Broadway Actor

Matthew Perry, born 1969 Actor

Lisa Marie Presley, born 1968 Singer and Songwriter

Otis Redding III, born 1964 Singer and Songwriter

Willis Reed, born 1942 Basketball Player and Coach

Jamie Reid, born 1947 Visual Artist

Paul Reubens, born 1952 Actor and Comedian

Adam Rich, born 1968 Actor

Bill Richardson, born 1947 Former Governor of New Mexico

Brooks Robinson, born 1937 Baseball Player

Pat Robertson, born 1930 Broadcaster, Commentator, and Minister

Robbie Robertson, born 1943 Musician

John Romita Sr., born 1930 Comic Book Artist

Gary Rossington, born 1951 Guitarist

Richard Roundtree, born 1942 Actor

Julian Sands, born 1958 Actor

Iron Sheik, born 1942 Professional Wrestler

Tom Sizemore, born 1961 Actor

Tom Smothers, born 1937 Comedian and Actor

Suzanne Somers, born 1946 Actress and Singer

Arleen Sorkin, born 1955 Daytime Actress, Screenwriter, and Comedian

Frances Sternhagen, born 1930 Actress

Stella Stevens, born 1938 Actress

Ray Stevenson, born 1964 Actor

Barrett Strong, born 1941 Singer and Songwriter

Lee Sun-kyun, born 1975 Actor

Inga Swenson, born 1932 Actress

George Tickner, born 1946 Musician

Chaim Topol, born 1935 Actor and Singer

Tina Turner, born 1939 Singer

Raquel Welch, born 1940 Actress

Annie Wersching, born 1977 Actress

Fred White, born 1955 Musician and Songwriter

Tom Wilkinson, born 1948 Actor

Cindy Williams, born 1947 Actress

Mike Williams, born 1987 Former Football Wide Receiver

Treat Williams, born 1951 Actor

Gary Wright, born 1943 Musician and Songwriter

Burt Young, born 1940 Actor

Jacklyn Zeman, born 1953 Daytime Actress

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It’s surprising to see so many daytime actors and actresses. I remember them all, either from years ago or more currently. Yes, I am a soaps fan! I grew up watching shows like General Hospital and Dark Shadows. Then I grew into All My Children and the slew of soaps that came later. I am now back to only watching General Hospital and Dark Shadows! My Dark Shadows collection is nearly complete!

Another shocker to me is that Julian Sands went hiking alone and encountered some kind of trouble. It was 5 months later before his body was found; the cause of death was undetermined. No one should ever go hiking alone! Such a shame.

Anyway, as we say goodbye to 2023, let’s remember those who have entertained us throughout the years.

Au revoir, Adiós, Sayonara, Adeus, Auf Wiedersehen, Namaste, Shalom, Arrivederci, Ciao!

See you next year,

Last week, I posted about my Top 5 Favorite British Actors, which was inspired by The Huntress. This week, I decided to try to pick my favorite 5 American actors.

I will start by saying there are so many great actors, this might not be an easy post! I mean, I know who #1 is but will it be difficult to put the rest in order? Oy. I’m going to try.

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#5. Vincent Price – I grew up in the 60’s and I always looked forward to the weekends when horror movies aired on the television! My sisters and I called them “monster movies” and while some were actually “monster” movies, some were just downright spooky and had the most awesome villains. My most favorite villain is Vincent Price. He was a master of his art. He was the ultimate villain, and there will never be another like him. I loved watching him in films such as, House of Wax, The Raven, The Fly, House of Usher, The Haunted Palace, and so many more.

#4. James Cagney – I was never much into Humphrey Bogart movies, like everyone else, except for African Queen. I was a Cagney fan, completely! He was not only a great actor, but he could also sing and dance! He was a Vaudeville singer and dancer. He was born in 1899 and was 86 when he passed away. He had an amazing career! One of my favorite movies is Angels With Dirty Faces. Other favorites include Yankee Doodle Dandy, Public Enemy, and White Heat.

#3. Robert De Niro – One of the greatest actors of all time, in my opinion, with many awards to prove it! De Niro has always been one of my favorites! Films such as The Godfather Part II, Bang The Drum Slowly, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Casino, Heat, Goodfellas, are just a few of his most excellent works! De Niro has also made comedies, which I didn’t think he could pull off but he sure as hell did! Check out Meet The Parents with the two sequels, Analyze That and the sequel Analyze This, just to name a few. The man is fantastic!

Photo Credit: Jeff Vespa – © WireImage.com

#2. Al Pacino – My daughter always teased me that I liked old men. I had to remind her that Al Pacino wasn’t always old. He was once young and gorgeous, and still not too bad for being close to my dad’s age! He’s an amazing actor and he still gets amazing roles, and a very recent role that he totally rocked was Amazon’s Original series, Hunters. Pacino caught my eye back in the day with Dog Day Afternoon and of course, The Godfather films. Some other fantastic films are ScarFace, Scent of A Woman, and one of my personal favorites, And Justice For All.

#1. Johnny Depp – This placement was easy, like I said when I started this post. I absolutely love and adore Johnny, since his days on 21 Jump Street. I love his innate ability to capture the uniqueness of the most eccentric characters! Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of The Caribbean series, The Mad Hatter in Alice In Wonderland, Tonto in The Lone Ranger, and so many more. I have many favorites but I’m pretty sure Benny & Joon comes in at the top, with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Edward Scissorhands, Blow, Chocolat, The Man Who Cried…and…and…and I could never put them in any order! If you really want to laugh your ass off, check out Cry-Baby. It’s an oldie-but-goody!

Honorable Mention: Samuel L. Jackson – I always say, “There’s nothing better than the perfectly placed swear word.” And that’s why Samuel L. Jackson gets an honorable mention! Ha! Well, that and he IS a great actor! Shaft, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Deep Blue Sea, Jurassic Park, Kiss of Death, to name just a few are worth watching in my opinion. Oh, and don’t forget about Snakes On A Plane!! I can’t help but laugh because it was ridiculous, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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In a nutshell, these are just a few of my favorite American actors. You may be wondering if I have any favorite female actors… Um…I don’t know! I never really thought about it before! That will be a good post for next week, after I’ve had some time to think about it!