R.I.P. 2009

While it was sad to see these artists who made an impact during the golden age of Hollywood leave us in 2009, there was some comfort in the knowledge that they did live long and often fruitful lives. (Yes, I snuck in a few that aren't necessarily classic Hollywood stars. No way am I leaving Patrick McGoohan or Bea Arthur off this list.)

January

Edmund Purdom, 84 (1/1)
Actor, The Egyptian (1954), The Prodigal (1955)

Olga San Juan, 81 (1/3)
Actress/Singer/Dancer, Blue Skies (1946), The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend (1949)


Patrick McGoohan, 80 (1/13)
Actor, Danger Man, The Prisoner, Ice Station Zebra (1968--Howard Hughes' favorite movie!)

Ricardo Montalban, 88 (1/14)
Actor, On an Island With You (1948), Battleground (1949)

Susanna Foster, 84 (1/17)
Singer/Actress, Phantom of the Opera (1943)

Kathleen Byron, 88 (1/18)
Actress, Black Narcissus (1947), A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

February

James Whitmore, 87 (2/6)
Actor, Battleground (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Shirley Jean Rickert, 82 (2/6)
Child Actress, Our Gang

Robert Woodruff Anderson, 91 (2/9)
Writer, Tea and Sympathy (1956), The Nun’s Story (1959)

Clarence Swensen, 91 (2/25)
Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Dorothea Holt Redmond, 98 (2/27)
Illustrator/Production Designer, Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955)

March

Sydney Chaplin, 82 (3/3)
Actor, son of Charlie Chaplin, Limelight (1952)A Countess From Hong Kong (1967)

Horton Foote, 92 (3/4)
screenwriter, To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Betsy Blair, 85 (3/13)
Actress, Marty (1955)

Coy Watson, Jr., 96 (3/14)
One of the famous Watson family of child actors

April

Maxine Cooper Gomberg, 84 (4/4)
Actress, Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Jody McCrea, 74 (4/4)
Actor, Bikini Beach (1964), Muscle Beach Party (1964)

Jane Bryan, 90 (4/8)
Actress, Marked Woman (1937), Each Dawn I Die (1939)

Jack Cardiff, 94 (4/22)
Cinematographer, The Red Shoes (1948), Black Narcissus (1947)

Bea Arthur, 86 (4/25)
Actress, Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), Mame (1974)


May

Jane Randolph, 93 (5/4)
Actress, Cat People (1942), Railroaded (1947)

Mickey Carroll, 89 (5/7)
Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

June

Gale Storm, 87 (6/27)
Actress, It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), The Gale Storm Show

Harve Presnell, 75 (6/30)
Actor, The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Paint Your Wagon (1969)

July

Karl Malden, 97 (7/1)
Actor, On the Waterfront (1954), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Brenda Joyce, 92 (7/4)
Actress, the second Jane to Johnny Weismuller’s Tarzan

Beverly Roberts, 95 (7/13)
Actress, The Singing Kid (1936), Two Against the World (1936)

Virginia Carroll, 95 (7/23)
Actress, B-Western leading lady

August

Budd Schulberg, 95 (8/5)
Writer, On the Waterfront (1954), A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Ruth Ford, 98 (8/12)
Model, actress, married to Zachary Scott

Virginia Davis, 90 (8/15)
Walt Disney’s first human star

September

Army Archerd, 90 (9/8)
Entertainment journalist, Variety

Paul Burke, 83 (9/13)
Valley of the Dolls (1967), Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Dorothy Coonan Wellman, 95 (9/16)
Actress/Dancer/wife of William Wellman, Wild Boys of the Road (1933)


October

Pamela Blake, 94 (10/6)
Actress, B-movie leading lady, This Gun for Hire (1942)

Joseph Wiseman, 91 (10/19)
Actor, Detective Story (1951), Dr. No (1962)

Lou Jacobi, 95 (10/23)
Actor, The Diary of Ann Frank (1959), Irma La Douce (1963)

November

David Tree (11/4)
Actor, Pygmalion (1938), Major Barbara (1941)

Robert Kendall, 82 (11/12)
Actor, Casbah (1948), Gang Busters (1952)

December

Richard Todd, 92 (12/3)
Actor, The Dam Busters (1955), Stage Fright (1950)

Jennifer Jones, 90 (12/17)
Actress, Duel in the Sun (1946), A Portrait of Jennie (1948)

Bob Willoughby, (12/18)
Photographer

Have I missed someone you think should be on the list? Please let me know in the comments and I will add them!

Images all from Wikimedia Commons