Dead People Server
People Whose Last Names Start With W
Lyle Waggoner (actor) -- Alive. Born April 13, 1935. The Carol Burnett Show and Wonder Woman. IMDb
Lindsay Wagner (actress) -- Alive. Born June 22, 1949. Bionic Woman and lots of made-for-TV movies. IMDb
Robert Wagner (actor) -- Alive. Born February 10, 1930. Still busy (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me), probably best-known for Hart to Hart, married Natalie Wood twice, married to Jill Saint John. IMDb
Porter Wagoner
(country singer) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died October 28, 2007.
Born August 12, 1927.
"Green, Green Grass of Home," helped launch the career of Dolly Parton, had a long-running TV show.
IMDb
Obituary
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Ralph Waite
(actor) -- Dead. Died February 13,2014.
Born June 22, 1928. John on The Waltons, Roots,
Sunshine State, Booth's grandfather in Bones.
IMDb
Obituary
George Wald, Ph.D.
(biologist) -- Dead. Died April 13, 1997.
Born November 18, 1906. Nobel Prize winner for medicine for 1967 for discovering vitamin A in the retina.
Kurt Waldheim
(U. N. chief/Austrian president) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died June 14, 2007.
Born December 21, 1918. Led the U. N. from 1972 to 1982, later served as Austrian president, was a Nazi soldier during WWII,
IMDb
Janet Waldo
(cartoon voice/actress/radio star) -- Dead. Brain cancer. Died June 12, 2016. Born February 2, 1920. Had over a 60 year career, starting by starring in "Meet Corliss Archer" on the radio, many bit parts on TV, but her career took off as a cartoon voice after originating Judy Jetson on The Jetsons.
IMDb
Obituary
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Alice Walker
(writer) -- Alive.
Born February 9, 1944. The Color Purple.
IBDB
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Clint Walker (actor) -- Alive. Born May 30, 1927. IMDb
Edward Craven Walker (gadfly) -- Dead. Cancer. Died August 15, 2000. Born circa 1918. Invented the lava lamp, opened a nudist resort in southern England.
Jimmie Walker
(actor) -- Alive.
Born June 25, 1947.
"Dy-No-Mite!"
(Good Times), later ran a radio talk show in Omaha.
IMDb
Kim Walker (actress) -- Dead. Cancer. Died March 6, 2001. Born June 19, 1968. One of the Heathers, she was also one of the kids in Say Anything. IMDb
Mort Walker
(cartoonist) -- Alive.
Born September 3, 1923. Created Beetle Baily in 1950 and
continued drawing it for over 60 years (though his sons help
him). Also co-created Hi and Lois.
IMDb
Nancy Walker
(actress) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died May 25, 1992.
Born May 10, 1921. Ida on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, Bounty paper towel spokeswoman for years.
IMDb
Paul Walker
(actor) -- Dead. Ironically, in a high-speed
car crash. Died November 30, 2013. Born September 12, 1973.
Starred in five of the first six Fast and Furious movies,
killed during a break from filming the seventh.
IMDb
Obituary
Randolph Walker (theater actor) -- Dead. Hit by a tour bus in Manhattan. Died May 22, 2000. Born circa 1927. Appeared in many plays in New York and the occassional soap opera.
Robert Walker, Jr. (actor) -- Alive. Born April 15, 1940. Lots of movies and TV in the '60 and '70s, Star Trek's Charlie X, son of Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones. IMDb
Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace (rapper) -- Dead. Drive-by shooting. Died March 9, 1997. Born May 21, 1972. Produced Ready to Die just three years before he was killed. IMDb FindAGrave
Dee Wallace Stone
(actress/motivational speaker) -- Alive.
Born December 14, 1949. ET, Cujo, married to Christopher Stone.
IMDb
George Wallace (politician) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died September 13, 1998. Born August 25, 1919. Ironically, died the same night that Gary Sinese won an Emmy for portraying him - a segregationist who said he recanted. FindAGrave
Irving Wallace (author) -- Dead. Died June 29, 1990. Born March 19, 1916. The Man, father of David Wallechinsky. IMDb FindAGrave
Marcia Wallace
(actress) -- Dead. Breast cancer. Died October 25, 2013.
Born November 1, 1942. Carol on The Bob Newhart Show, Miss Krabappel on The Simpsons.
IMDb
Obituary
Mike Wallace
(newscaster) -- Dead. Died April 7, 2012.
Born May 9, 1918. 60 Minutes, portrayed by Christopher Plummer in The
Insider, worked until he was nearly 89.
IMDb
Obituary
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Eli Wallach
(actor) -- Dead. Died June 24, 2014.
Born December 7, 1915. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,
married to Anne Jackson, won a
Tony Award for The Rose Tatoo and an honorary Oscar for
his long and varied career.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
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John Wallach (journalist/humanitarian) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died July 10, 2002. Born June 18, 1943. Journalist who specialized in Middle Eastern affairs, then started a summer camp called Seeds of Peace for Israeli and Palestinian teens to meet. Obituary
David Wallechinsky (professional list maker) -- Alive. Born circa 1948. The People's Alamanac Presents the Twentieth Century, many books of lists, son of Irving Wallace, high school classmate of Michael Medved
Karl Wallenda (circus performer - highwire) -- Dead. Unlucky break. Died March 22, 1978. Born circa 1905. FindAGrave
Kenneth Waller (actor) -- Dead. Died February 1, 2000. Born November 5, 1927. Old Mr. Grace in Are You Being Served?. IMDb
Deborah Walley (actress) -- Dead. Cancer. Died May 10, 2001. Born August 12, 1943. The second movie Gidget, the daughter on The Mothers-in-Law. IMDb
Shani Wallis (singer) -- Alive. Born April 5, 1941. Nancy in Oliver!. IMDb
Ron Walotsky
(artist) -- Dead. Kidney failure. Died July 29, 2002. Born circa 1943. Fantasy artist.
J. T. Walsh (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died February 27, 1998. Born September 28, 1943. Pleasantville. IMDb
M. Emmet Walsh (actor) -- Alive. Born March 22, 1935. Bryant in Blade Runner, one of the busiest supporting actors of the '80s and '90s. IBDB IMDb
Ray Walston (actor) -- Dead. Died January 1, 2001. Born December 2, 1914. The original My Favorite Martian and a judge on Picket Fences, The Stand. IMDb
Harriet Walter
(actress) -- Alive.
Born September 24, 1950. Theater actress, playing varied roles in Atonement and Sense and Sensibility.
IMDb
Jessica Walter (actress) -- Alive. Born January 31, 1941. Extraordinarily active TV actress in the '60s and '70s, was in Arrested Development, married to Ron Leibman. IBDB IMDb
Barbara Walters
(interviewer) -- Alive.
Born September 25, 1929. Early host of the Today, first
female evening anchor, great interviewer and creator of The
View.
IMDb
Julie Walters (actress) -- Alive. Born February 22, 1950. Striking as the hair stylist in Educating Rita, playing Mrs. Weasley in the Harry Potter Movies. IMDb
Jerome Walton
(writer) -- Missing. Died circa 1957.
Born February 29, 1914. Sci fi writer ("Raiders from Beyond Antarres") whose status after 1957 (or 1962?) is debatable.
Sam Wanamaker (actor/director) -- Dead. Cancer. Died December 18, 1993. Born June 14, 1919. The driving force behind rebuilding the wonderful replica of the Globe Theater in London. IMDb FindAGrave
Joseph Wapner (TV judge) -- Retired. Born November 15, 1919. The People's Court. IMDb
Burt Ward (actor) -- Alive. Born July 6, 1945. Robin on the TV series Batman, co-wrote Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights. IMDb
Jay Ward
(cartoon genius) -- Dead. Kidney cancer. Died October 12, 1989.
Born September 21, 1920. Created Rocky and Bullwinkle The Moose that Roared.
IMDb
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Simon Ward
(actor) -- Dead. Died July 20, 2012. Born October 16, 1941.
Young Winston, Zulu Dawn.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
Jack Warden (actor) -- Dead. Died July 19, 2006. Born September 18, 1920. All the President's Men, Being There. IBDB IMDb FindAGrave
Marsha Warfield (actress/comic) -- Alive. Born March 5, 1954. Roz on Night Court. IMDb
William Warfield (singer/teacher) -- Dead. Broken neck. Died August 25, 2002. Born January 22, 1920. Sang "Old Man River" in Showboat, married to opera singer Leontyne Price in the '50s, later taught at universities. IMDb Obituary
Andy Warhol (pop artist) -- Dead. Complications following gall bladder surgery, caused by someone at the hospital not monitoring him properly. Died February 22, 1987. Born August 6, 1928. Andy Warhol Diaries, one of the first artists to have his own museum, uncle of the artist Jim Warhola. IMDb FindAGrave
Fred Waring
(chorale director) -- Dead. Died July 29, 1984.
Born June 9, 1900. Innovative director who created The Pennsylvanians, started summer music institutes and mentored Robert Shaw and Harry Simeone.
IBDB
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David Warner
(actor) -- Alive.
Born July 29, 1941. Jack the Ripper in Time After Time, The Omen, played Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company when he was 24.
IMDb
Diane Warren
(songwriter) -- Alive. Born September 7, 1956.
Nominated for many Oscars and Grammys (including for the brilliant "Til It Happens to You," sung by Lady Gaga), probably best-known for
IBDB
IMDb
Ruth Warrick
(actress) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died January 15, 2005.
Born June 29, 1915. Starred on All My Children for over 30 years.
Make memorial contributions to: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
IBDB
IMDb
Denzel Washington
(actor) -- Alive.
Born December 28, 1954. Terrifically talented actor, brilliant in Glory, Malcolm X, Training Day, and American Gangster, quiet philanthropist.
IBDB
IMDb
Grover Washington, Jr. (jazz musician) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died December 17, 1999. Born December 12, 1943. Saxophonist Aria. IMDb
Dale Wasserman (playwright) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died December 21, 2008. Born November 2, 1914. Adapted two of the most popular plays - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Man of La Mancha. IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Wendy Wasserstein (playwright) -- Dead. Lymphoma. Died January 30, 2006. Born October 18, 1950. The Heidi Chronicles, Shiksa Goddess. IBDB IMDb
Ethel Waters
(actress) -- Dead. Heart disease. Died September 1, 1977.
Born October 31, 1896. Member of the Wedding.
IMDb
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John Waters
(weird moviemaker) -- Alive.
Born April 22, 1946. Cry-Baby.
IMDb
Derek Watkins
(trumpeter) -- Dead. Died March 26, 2013.
Born March 2, 1945. British trumpeter who played for many movie scores, notably every James Bond film from Dr. No through Skyfall.
IMDb
Obituary
Bobs Watson (minister/child actor) -- Dead. Prostate cancer. Died June 27, 1999. Born November 16, 1930. Very active in '30s movies, he may be best-known as Pee Wee in Boys Town, one of the acting Watson kids. IMDb FindAGrave
Delmar Watson (photographer/child actor) -- Dead. Prostate cancer. Died October 28, 2008. Born July 1, 1926. Very active in '30s movies, he may be best-known as Peter in the Shirley Temple version of Heidi, one of the acting Watson kids. IMDb FindAGrave
Doc Watson
(guitarist) -- Dead. Complications following
colon surgery. Died May 29, 2012. Born March 3, 1923.
Legendary flat-picking guitarist who won many Grammys for best
folk recording, died same day as Dick Beals.
IMDb
Obituary
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James D. Watson, Ph.D.
(DNA researcher) -- Alive.
Born April 6, 1928. Co-discoverer of DNA, co-winner of a Nobel Prize for medicine for 1962, wrote A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society.
Billie Lou Watt (voice) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died September 7, 2001. Born circa 1930. Voice of Kimba and Astroboy (among others!). IMDb
Alan Watts
(zen author) -- Dead. Died November 16, 1973.
Born January 6, 1915. The Way of Zen.
Charlie Watts
(drummer) -- Alive.
Born June 2, 1941. The early-gray-haired drummer for the Rolling Stones, he's recovered from throat cancer.
IMDb
Al Waxman (actor) -- Dead. Heart surgery. Died January 18, 2001. Born March 2, 1935. Lt. Bert Samuels on Cagney and Lacey, King of Kensington on Canadian TV, active in theater in his home town of Toronto. IMDb
Kellie Waymire (actress) -- Dead. Cardiac arrhythmia. Died November 13, 2003. Born July 27, 1967. Melissa on Six Feet Under, Elizabeth Cutler on Enterprise, Make memorial contributions to: Kellie Waymire Scholarship Fund through the UC San Diego Foundation, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093. IMDb FindAGrave
Carol Wayne (actress) -- Dead. Drowned. Died January 13, 1985. Born September 6, 1942. IMDb
David Wayne (actor) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died February 9, 1995. Born January 30, 1914. Dr. Dutton in The Andromeda Strain, Dr Wetherby in House Calls. IMDb
John Wayne (actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 11, 1979. Born May 26, 1907. Duke, the archtypical Western actor, won an Oscar for True Grit. IMDb FindAGrave
Carl Weathers (actor) -- Alive. Born January 14, 1948. Action Jackson. IMDb
Ken Weatherwax
(child actor/set builder) -- Dead. Died December 7, 2014.
Born September 29, 1955. Pugsley on TV's The Addams
Family, nephew of Ruby Keeler.
IMDb
Obituary
Rudd Weatherwax (dog trainer) -- Dead. Died February 25, 1985. Born September 23, 1907. Lassie's trainer.
Dennis Weaver
(actor, philanthropist, environmentalist) -- Dead. Cancer. Died February 24, 2006.
Born June 4, 1924. Duel, Chester
on Gunsmoke,
died on the same day as Octavia Butler
and Don Knotts.
IBDB
IMDb
Fritz Weaver
(actor) -- Dead. Died November 26, 2016
Born January 19, 1926. Tony-winning
Broadway actor (
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
Pat Weaver
(TV innovator) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died March 15, 2002
Born December 21, 1908. Created the Today Show and the Tonight Show at a time when no early morning news or late night talk shows existed, father of Sigourney Weaver.
IMDb
Sigourney Weaver (actress) -- Alive. Born October 8, 1949. Ripley in Alien, Dana in the Ghostbusters movie. IMDb
Clifton Webb (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died October 13, 1966. Born November 11, 1889. Movie and Broadway star, may be best-known for the Mr. Belvedere movies. IBDB IMDb FindAGrave
Jack Webb (actor) -- Dead. Died December 23, 1982. Born April 2, 1920. Dragnet, buried with full honors by LAPD even though he was never a cop, married to Julie London in the '40s and '50s. IMDb FindAGrave
Cynthia Weil
(lyricist) -- Alive. Born October 18, 1940. With her husband Barry Mann, wrote lyrics for "On Broadway," "He's So Shy," "Somewhere, Out There," music and life story featured in the Broadway show Beautiful.
IBDB
IMDb
Max Henry Weil (physician) -- Dead. Prostate cancer. Died July 29, 2011. Born circa 1927. One of the initial developers of intensive care units, Weil was the inventor of CPR. Obituary
Caspar Weinberger (politician) -- Dead. Died March 28, 2006. Born August 18, 1917. Former Secretary of Defense during Iran Contra. IMDb
Johnny Weissmuller (actor/former Olympic swimmer) -- Dead. Died January 20, 1984. Born June 2, 1904. Tarzan and His Mate. IMDb FindAGrave
Joseph Weizenbaum (programmer/teacher) -- Dead. Cancer. Died March 5, 2008. Born January 8, 1923. Created one of the first verbally "interactive" programs, ELIZA, which behaved something like a therapist by asking questions based on earlier responses made at the keyboard. IMDb Obituary
Raquel Welch (actress) -- Alive. Born September 5, 1940. The Three Musketeers. IMDb
Tuesday Weld (actress) -- Alive. Born August 27, 1943. IMDb
Lawrence Welk (bandleader) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died May 17, 1992. Born March 11, 1903. The Best of Lawrence Welk. IMDb FindAGrave
Thomas Weller
(virologist) -- Dead. Died August 23, 2008.
Born June 15, 1915. Won a Nobel Prize in Medicine for helping to demonstrate how to grow the polio virus; isolated the German measles and chicken pox viruses,
died on the same day as Ralph Young.
Obituary
Orson Welles
(actor/director) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died October 10, 1985.
Born May 6, 1915. Created Citizen Kane, wrote This is Orson Welles,
died on the same day as Yul Brynner.
IMDb
Obituary
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Dawn Wells (actor) -- Alive. Born October 18, 1938. Gilligan's Mary Ann, co-wrote Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook. IMDb
Kitty Wells
(singer) -- Dead. Died July 16, 2012. Born August 30, 1919.
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."
IMDb
Obituary
Eudora Welty (writer) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died July 23, 2001. Born April 13, 1909. The Optimist's Daughter. IMDb Obituary
Senor Wences
(comedian) -- Dead. Old age. Died April 20, 1999.
Born April 17, 1896. A comic on the Ed Sullivan Show who used to paint faces on his hands and do funny voices.
IMDb
George Wendt (Norm!) -- Alive. Born October 17, 1948. Cheers (his real-life wife did the voice of Vera), born on the same day as Margot Kidder. IMDb
Oskar Werner (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died October 23, 1984. Born November 13, 1922. Fahrenheit 451. IMDb
Adam West (actor) -- Alive. Born September 19, 1928. TV's Batman, co-wrote Back to the Batcave. IMDb
Arch West (marketer) -- Dead. Died September 20, 2011. Born September 8, 1914. Longtime employee of Frito-Lay who suggested the development of Doritos and helped to market them. Obituary
Dorothy West (writer/editor) -- Dead. Old age, effects of an aneurysm. Died August 16, 1998. Born June 2, 1907. The Wedding. IMDb
Dottie West (country singer) -- Dead. Car accident. Died September 4, 1991. Born October 4, 1932. Dottie West - Greatest Hits IMDb FindAGrave
Mae West (actress/writer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died November 22, 1980. Born August 17, 1892. She Done Him Wrong. IMDb FindAGrave
Floyd
"Red Crow" Westerman
(musician/actor) -- Dead. Leukemia. Died December 13, 2007.
Born August 17, 1936. Dances with Wolves, Hidalgo, Northern Exposure, performed with artists like Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson, founded the Eyapaha Institute.
IBDB
IMDb
Ruth Westheimer
(sex therapist/Holocaust survivor) -- Alive.
Born June 4, 1928. Author of many books about sex, including
Sex for Dummies.
IMDb
Donald Westlake
(writer) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died December 31, 2008.
Born July 12, 1934. Prolific mystery writer who wrote under many names (including Richard Stark) and was nominated for an Oscar for the script for The Grifters.
IMDb
Obituary
General William Westmoreland (Soldier) -- Dead. Died July 18, 2005. Born March 26, 1914. Controversial commander of US troops in South Vietnam during the Vietnamese War, died on the same day as Gerry Thomas. IMDb
Jack Weston (actor) -- Dead. Lymphoma. Died May 3, 1996. Born August 21, 1924. Married to Marge Redmond. IMDb
Joanie Weston (roller derby queen) -- Dead. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain disorder. Died May 10, 1997. Born circa 1935.
John Archibald Wheeler
(physicist/professor) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died April 13, 2008.
Born July 9, 1911. Helped to develop general relativity, coined the terms "black hole" and "worm hole."
IMDb
Obituary
Johnny Whitaker (child actor) -- Alive. Born December 13, 1959. Jody in Family Affair. IMDb
Barry White (man with velvet voice) -- Dead. High blood pressure. Died July 4, 2003. Born September 12, 1944. Barry White's Greatest Hits, "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe." IMDb
Betty White
(actress) -- Alive and 95!
Born January 17, 1922. Busiest 90+ actress in Hollywood, Hot
in Cleveland, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden
Girls, won multiple Emmys over multiple decades and married to Allen
Ludden, in 2013 Guinness Book of World Records said she held
the record for longest professional career by a female
entertainer.
IMDb
David White (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died November 27, 1990. Born April 4, 1916. Always remembered as Larry Tate on Bewitched. IMDb
Edward White
(astronaut) -- Dead. Apollo One fire. Died January 27, 1967.
Born November 14, 1930. A test pilot who flew on Gemini 4.
IMDb
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James White (writer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died August 23, 1999. Born circa 1928. Wrote the Sector General books.
Jesse White (actor) -- Dead. Died January 8, 1997. Born January 3, 1919. Played the Maytag repairman for about 25 years. IMDb FindAGrave
John Sylvester White (actor) -- Dead. Pancreatic cancer. Died September 11, 1988. Born October 31, 1919. Mr. Woodman in Welcome Back Kotter. IMDb
Reggie White
(football player) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died December 26, 2004.
Born December 19, 1961. One of the all-time sackers in the NFL.
IMDb
Obituary
Ryan White
(AIDS role model) -- Dead. Respiratory infection/AIDS. Died April 8, 1990. Born December 6, 1971.
Just a kid with hemophilia who got AIDS from blood products, was denied the right to attend public school and fougnt a very public battle to stay in school.
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Slappy White (comedian) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died November 7, 1995. Born September 20, 1921. Melvin on Sanford and Son. IMDb
Thelma White (actress) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died January 11, 2005. Born April 12, 1910. One of the leads in the infamous Reefer Madness, died on the same day as Jimmy Griffin. IBDB IMDb
Richard Whiteley
(journalist/game show host) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died June 26, 2005.
Born December 28, 1943. Countdown host for many years.
IMDb
Obituary
Andy Whitfield
(actor) -- Dead. Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Died September 11, 2011. Born July 17, 1972. Unknown actor cast as Spartacus for cable, but got sick after the first year and had to be replaced.
IMDb
Obituary
Margaret Whiting
(singer) -- Dead. Died January 19, 2011. Born July 22, 1924.
Known for "That Old Black Magic" and "Moonlight in Vermont," married for fifteen years to Jack Wrangler, died same day as John Dye.
IBDB
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Slim Whitman
(country singer) -- Dead.
Died June 19, 2013. Born January 20, 1924. Guitarist and yodler known for
"Indian Love Call," discovered by Colonel Tom Parker, generally
better-known in Europe than America, but made a ubiquitous
American commercial for his records in 1979 which made him more
popular in the US, died same day as James Gandolfini.
IMDb
Obituary
Stuart Whitman (obscure but busy actor...) -- Alive. Born February 1, 1926. I couldn't picture him, but IMDB says he's been in over 110 movies and 30 TV shows since 1951, and it turns out he has a bit part in one of my favorites - The Day the Eart Stood Still; Oscar-nominated for The Mark. IMDb
James Whitmore (actor) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died February 6, 2009. Born October 1, 1921. Bit parts in many movies, pitched Miracle Grow, married to Audra Lindley during the '70s, starred as Harry Truman in Give 'em Hell, Harry. IBDB IMDb Obituary
Grace Lee Whitney
(actress) -- Dead. Died May 1, 2015. Born April 1 1930.
Yeoman Janice Rand on
IMDb
Obituary
Phyllis Whitney
(writer) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died February 8, 2008.
Born September 9, 1903. Widely traveled, prolific author of young adult (The Mystery of the Haunted Pool) and adult (Woman Without a Past) books, reported to have been working on her autobiography when she died at 104,
died on the same day as Robert Jastrow.
Obituary
Mary Wickes (actress) -- Dead. Surgical complications. Died October 22, 1995. Born June 13, 1910. Many TV and movie bit parts including Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, played nuns in the Angel and Sister Act movies. IMDb FindAGrave
Richard Widmark Dead. Died March 24, 2008.
Born December 26, 1914. Kiss of Death, Judgment at Nuremberg.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
Elie Wiesel
(writer/activist/teacher) -- Dead. Died July 2, 2016. Born September 30, 1928.
Survivor of Nazi concentration camps which murdered the rest of his
family, wrote the classic Night which depicted his
life under the Nazis, was an anti-genocide fighter who went on to
win the Nobel Peace Prize,died same day as Michael Cimino.
IBDB
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Obituary
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Simon Wiesenthal (Nazi hunter) -- Dead. Died September 20, 2005. Born December 31, 1908. Continued looking and finding Nazis years after WWII was over, recorded The Art of Remembrance. Make memorial contributions to: Simon Wiesenthal Center. IMDb
Eugene Wigner, Ph.D.
(physicist) -- Dead. Died January 1, 1995.
Born November 17, 1902. Joint winner of the Nobel Prize for physics in 1963, From a Life of Physics.
Collin Wilcox Paxton (actress) -- Dead. Brain cancer. Died October 14, 2009. Born February 4, 1935. Best-known for playing Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird, played many bit parts on TV and ran a local theater in North Carolina, died on the same day as Lou Albano. IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Earl Wild
(pianist) -- Dead. Died January 23, 2010. Born November 26, 1915.
Classical pianist and teacher who started giving concerts on the radio by the time he was 12, recorded Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with the NBC Orchestra when he was 21, and gave his last concert at 92!
IMDb
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Jack Wild (actor) -- Dead. Mouth cancer. Died March 1, 2006. Born September 30, 1952. Artful Dodger in Oliver!, H. R. Pufnstuf, spent the last five years of his life without a voicebox or tongue. IMDb Obituary
Cornel Wilde (actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died October 16, 1989. Born October 13, 1915. Leave Her to Heaven. IMDb FindAGrave
Billy Wilder (director) -- Dead. Died March 27, 2002. Born June 22, 1906. Great director, especially Some Like it Hot and The Lost Weekend, died on the same day as Milton Berle and Dudley Moore. IMDb
Gene Wilder
(actor/writer) -- Dead. Complications of
Alzheimer's Disease. Died August 29, 2016.
Born June 11, 1935. The original Leo Bloom in the
mostly-non-musical version of The Producers, starred in
and co-wrote the brilliant Young Frankenstein, co-starred
with Richard Pryor in several movies including Stir Crazy, once married
to Gilda Radner, Wilder
survived lymphoma.
IBDB
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Obituary
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Laura Ingalls Wilder
(farmer/writer) -- Dead. Died February 10, 1957. Born February 7, 1867 . Started writing her "Little House" books after losing her money in the 1929 stock market crash.
IMDb
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Bonnie Wiley (journalist) -- Dead. Died September 24, 2000. Born circa 1910. Female war correspondent, WWII.
Mason Wiley (writer) --Dead. AIDS. Died October 7, 1994. Born circa 1955. Co-writer of Inside Oscar, one of the writers of The Official Preppy Handbook. Obituary
Fred Willard
(actor) -- Alive.
Born September 18, 1939. Played Jerry Hubbard in several
late '70s TV shows, including Fernwood 2Nite, Buck in Best in Show, frequently co-stars with Martin Mull.
IMDb
Andy Williams
(singer) -- Dead. Bladder cancer. Died
September 25, 2012. Born December 3, 1927. Probably best-known
for "Moon River" and "The Days of Wine and Roses," he was one of the first
Branson theater owners, once married to Claudine Longet, an early champion of The Osmond Brothers.
IBDB
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Obituary
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Anson Williams (director/actor) -- Alive. Born September 25, 1952. Potsie in Happy Days, has gone on to direct many TV shows. IMDb
Billy Dee Williams (actor) -- Alive. Born April 6, 1937. Lando Calrissian in two Star Wars movies, Lady Sings the Blues, high school classmate of Diahann Carroll. IBDB IMDb
Cindy Williams (actress) -- Alive. Born August 22, 1947. American Graffiti, Shirley on TV. IMDb
Clarence Williams, III (actor) -- Alive. Born August 21, 1939. Linc in The Mod Squad, the violent father in Purple Rain and many bit parts in movies. IBDB IMDb
Esther Williams
(actress/swimmer) -- Dead. Died June 6, 2013.
Born August 8, 1923. The swimmer turned star in movies like
Neptune's Daughter, married to Fernando Lamas in the '70s, wrote
her autobiography, Million Dollar Mermaid, step-mother of
Lorenzo Lamas.
IMDb
Obituary
Grant Williams (actor) --Dead. Peritonitis. Died July 28, 1985. Born August 18, 1930. The Incredible Shrinking Man. IMDb
Guy Williams
(actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died May 7, 1989.
Born January 14, 1924. Memorable as the TV Zorro and the father on Lost in Space.
IMDb
Joe Williams (jazz singer) -- Dead. Lung infection. Died March 29, 1999. Born December 12, 1918. Sang with Count Basie.
John Williams
(composer) -- Alive.
Born February 8, 1932. Composed music for the Lost in
Space TV show and went on to score Jaws, Star
Wars, Close Encounters, Schindler's List and
dozens more, married to Barbara
Ruick until her death in 1974, son-in-law of Lurlene Tuttle.
IMDb
Michael Williams (supporting actor) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died January 11, 2001. Born circa 1935. Great bit parts in British movies, such as Brian in Educating Rita, married to Dame Judi Dench for thirty years. IMDb
Paul Williams (actor/musician) -- Alive. Born September 19, 1940. Smokey and the Bandit movies. IMDb
Robin Williams
(comic/actor) -- Dead. Suicide (asphyxiation)/Lewy body disease Died August 11, 2014. Born July 21, 1951. One of the fastest/funniest comics since the mid-70s (his interview on Inside the Actor's Studio was the funniest 2 hours of TV ever (the interview apparently went on for 5 hours)), he had impressive range and won an Oscar for Good Will Hunting; also wonderful in Awakenings, Insomnia, The Fisher King, active fundraiser for charities like Comic Relief, made a huge impression as Mork, struggled with depression/substance abuse for many years. Make memorial
contributions to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, USO, Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and Glide Memorial Church.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
Ted Williams (athlete) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died July 5, 2002. Born August 30, 1918. Last person to hit .400 for a season as a major leaguer, co-wrote My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life, died on the same day as Katy Jurado. IMDb Obituary
Tennessee Williams (playwright) -- Dead. Accidental asphyxiation while drunk. Died February 24, 1983. Born March 26, 1911. Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. IMDb FindAGrave
Wendy O. Williams
(shock rocker) -- Dead. Suicide (shot herself). Died April 6, 1998.
Born May 28, 1949. Punk rocker and lead singer of the Plasmatics.
Jack Williamson
(writer) -- Dead. Died November 10, 2006.
Born April 29, 1908. A professional science fiction writer for over 70 years, Legion of Space,
died on the same day as Gerald Levert
and Jack Palance.
IMDb
Nicol Williamson
(actor) -- Dead. Esophageal cancer. Died December 16, 2011. Born September 14, 1936. Merlin in Excalibur, Holmes in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, recorded an audiobook of The Hobbit in the '70s.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
Noble Willingham (actor/teacher) -- Dead. Died January 17, 2004. Born August 31, 1931. C. D. Parker on Walker, Texas Ranger. IMDb
Austin Willis (actor) -- Dead. Died April 4, 2004. Born 1917. Hosted Cross-Canada Hit Parade in the '50s, many bit barts in movies and on TV, married to Kate Reid. IBDB IMDb
Bruce Willis (actor) -- Alive. Born March 19, 1955. The Sixth Sense, various Die Hard movies, can be a very effective actor with the right director and material, was married to Demi Moore and had three interestingly-named daughters with her. IMDb
Gordon Willis
(cinematographer) -- Dead. Died May 19, 2014. Born May 28, 1931. Cinemetographer for the Godfather movies, All the President's Men and most Woody Allen movies from Annie Hall through Purple Rose of Cairo
IMDb
Obituary
Chill Wills (actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died December 15, 1978. Born July 18, 1903. Character actor in many Westerns, including Rio Grande. IMDb FindAGrave
Frank Wills (often unemployed security guard) -- Dead. Died September 27, 2000. Born circa 1948. Security guard who discovered the Democratic National Committee office in the Watergate Building had been burgled in June 1972.
Al Wilson (singer) -- Dead. Kidney failure. Died April 21, 2008. Born June 19, 1939. R&B singer probably best-known for 1973's "Show and Tell." IMDb Obituary
August Wilson
(playwright) -- Dead. Cancer. Died October 2, 2005.
Born April 27, 1945. Wrote many plays including
The Piano Lession, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fences, had a Broadway theater named in his honor just before his death,
died on the same day as Hamilton Camp.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
FindAGrave
Carl Wilson
(rock 'n' roller) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died February 6, 1998.
Born December 21, 1946. Beach Boys, Beach Boys Greatest Hits.
IMDb
FindAGrave
Demond Wilson (actor/minister) -- Alive. Born October 14, 1946. Lamont on Sanford and Son, later started Restoration House. IMDb
Dennis Wilson
(Beach Boy) -- Dead. Drowning. Died December 28, 1983.
Born December 4, 1944. Survived a close encounter with Charles Manson in 1968, Beach Boys, Denny Remembered,
died on the same day as William Demarest.
IMDb
FindAGrave
Dick Wilson (actor) -- Dead. Died November 19, 2007. Born July 30, 1916. Lots of bit parts on TV, most-seen as Mr. Whipple in the Charmin commercials. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Edith Wilson
((more than a) First Lady) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died December 28, 1961.
Born October 15, 1872. After President Wilson had an incapacitating stroke, she was virtually regent and managed to avoid turning over presidential power to the vice president.
FindAGrave
E. O. Wilson
(entomologist/teacher/writer) -- Not dead yet.
Born June 10, 1929. Professor emeritus at Harvard, won a Pulitzer prize for On Human Nature, has written Letters to a Young Scientist.
IMDb
Elizabeth Wilson
(actress) -- Dead. Died May 9, 2015.
Born April 4, 1921. Mrs. Braddock in The Graduate, Roz in
9 to 5 and President Roosevelt's mother in Hyde Park on
Hudson, many, many bit parts on TV and in the movies.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
Flip Wilson (comic) -- Dead. Liver cancer. Died November 25, 1998. Born December 8, 1933. Geraldine and the Rev. Leroy. IMDb
Harold Wilson (British prime minister) -- Dead. Cancer. Died May 24, 1995. Born March 11, 1916.
Justin Wilson
(Cajun cook/storyteller) -- Dead. Died September 5, 2001.
Born April 24, 1914.
IMDb
Obituary
Marie Wilson
(actress) -- Dead. Cancer. Died November 23, 1972.
Born August 19, 1916. My Friend Irma, has three different stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
IMDb
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Ricky Wilson (rocker) -- Dead. AIDS. Died October 21, 1985. Born March 19, 1953. Founder of the B-52s. IMDb FindAGrave
Robert Anton Wilson (author) -- Dead. Died January 11, 2007. Born January 18, 1932. No conspiracy or anything, he co-wrote The Illuminatus Trilogy and urged his readers the "keep the lasagna flying." IMDb
Robert Rathburn Wilson (nuclear physicist) -- Dead. Stroke complications. Died January 16, 2000. Born March 4, 1917. A leader of the Manhattan Project.
Paul Winchell
(ventriloquist/inventor/acupuncture doctorate) -- Dead. Natural causes. Died June 24, 2005.
Born December 21, 1922. Voice of Tigger in many Winnie the Pooh movies, including Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (died the day before the voice of Piglet, John Fiedler), also the master behind Jerry Mahoney.
IMDb
William Windom
(actor) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure. Died August 16, 2012.
Born September 28, 1923. Many bit parts in movies, much TV
(including Star Trek), won an Emmy for My World and
Welcome To It, spent years on Murder She Wrote, played
the D.A. in his first movie part in To Kill a Mockingbird.
IMDb
Obituary
Marie Windsor
(actress) -- Dead. Old age. Died December 10, 2000.
Born December 11, 1919. Yet another "Queen of the B Movies".
IMDb
Amy Winehouse (performer) -- Dead. Death by misadventure - had five times the legal limit of alcohol in her system. Died July 23, 2011. Born September 14, 1983. Grammy-award-winning singer better known for living out her demons in public. IMDb Obituary
Paul Winfield (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack/diabetes. Died March 7, 2004. Born May 22, 1941. Played a memorable Martin Luther King, Jr. in a '70s miniseries, nominated for an Oscar for Sounder. IMDb
Oprah Winfrey
(talk show host/activist) -- Alive.
Born January 29, 1954. Smart businesswoman who's built an empire, she started off as a newscaster, wonderful in The Color Purple.
IBDB
IMDb
Henry Winkler (actor/producer) -- Alive. Born October 30, 1945. Memorable as The Fonz in Happy Days, he's gone on to focus on TV producing. IBDB IMDb
Elizabeth Winship (Ask Beth) -- Dead. Died October 23, 2011. Born May 17, 1921. Wrote a common-sense, syndicated advice column aimed at teens from 1963 until 1998. Obituary
Stan Winston (special effects master) -- Dead. Multiple myeloma. Died June 15, 2008. Born April 7, 1946. Iron Man, won Oscars for Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park. IMDb
Edward Winter (actor) -- Dead. Parkinson's Disease. Died March 8, 2001. Born June 3, 1937. Col. Flagg on M*A*S*H. IMDb FindAGrave
Jonathan Winters
(comedian/actor) -- Dead. Died April 11, 2013.
Born November 11, 1925. Comic and improvisational genius, It's
a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, played Maude Frickert, performed
Papa Smurf in smurfy movies, major influence on Robin Williams
(and later played Mork's son, Merth), The Unknown Jonathan Winters - On the Loose.
IMDb
Obituary
Remembrance
Remembrance
Shelley Winters
(actress) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died January 14, 2006.
Born August 18, 1920. Won two Oscars for supporting roles; exact opposite (in real life) of the bigoted mother in A Patch of Blue, married to Vittorio Gassman and Tony Franciosa (who died a few days after Shelley), wrote two tell-all memoires, played Roseanne's grandmother.
IBDB
IMDb
FindAGrave
Sir Nicholas Winton
(humanitarian) -- Dead. Died July 1, 2015. Born May 19, 1909.
In 1939, he helped over 600 children to flee Czechoslovakia to foster homes in England, part of Kindertransport before the Nazis closed the borders. Most of the children's parents were later murdered in concentration camps.
IMDb
Obituary
Herbert Wise
(director) -- Dead. Died August 5, 2015. Born August 31, 1924.
British TV director who directed I, Claudius, Upstairs, Downstairs, Elizabeth R and Breaking the Code.
IMDb
Obituary
Robert Wise
(director) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died September 14, 2005.
Born September 10, 1914. Versatile director who won Oscars for West Side Story and The Sound of Music, also directed The Day the Earth Stood Still and edited Citizen Kane.
IMDb
FindAGrave
Joseph Wiseman
(actor) -- Dead. Died October 19, 2009.
Born May 18, 1918. Dr. No in early James Bond movies, many TV appearances, very active on Broadway, including a revival of Judgment at Nuremberg
IBDB
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Obituary
FindAGrave
Bill Withers (singer) -- Alive. Born July 4, 1938. Bill Withers - Greatest Hits. IMDb
Jane Withers (actress) -- Alive. Born April 12, 1926. Child star and Josephine the Plumber in many '60s Comet commercials. IMDb
P. G. Wodehouse
(writer) -- Dead. Died February 14, 1975.
Born October 15, 1881. Creator of the Jeeves and Wooster comic novels, wrote lyrics for
"Bill"
(Showboat), wrote book for Anything Goes, briefly interned by the Nazis, later permitted to remain in France during WWII.
IBDB
IMDb
FindAGrave
Wolfman Jack (deejay) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died July 1, 1995. Born January 21, 1939. Memorable bit part in American Graffiti. IMDb
David L. Wolper
(producer) -- Dead. Congestive heart failure/Parkinson's disease. Died August 10, 2010. Born January 11, 1928. Producer of Roots (who, ironically, died a day before the anniversary of Alex Haley's birth) and the original Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, created opening ceremonies for the 1984 Olympics and a lifelong friend of Art Buchwald.
IMDb
Obituary
Albert Wolsky
(Costume designer) -- Alive. Born November 24, 1930. Won Oscars for designing costumes for
All that Jazz and Bugsy, longtime partner of James Mitchell.
IBDB
IMDb
Victor Wong (actor/newscaster) -- Dead. Died September 12, 2001. Born July 30, 1927. Renassaince man who found fame playing wise old Chinese men in the movies (Big Trouble in Little China). IMDb
Ed Wood (director/writer) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died December 10, 1978. Born October 10, 1924. Plan 9 From Outer Space and other cult favorites, memorably portrayed by Johnny Depp. IMDb FindAGrave
Evelyn Wood (speed reading guru/businesswoman) -- Dead. Natural causes. Died August 26, 1995. Born circa 1909.
Natalie Wood
(actress) -- Dead. Drowning. Died November 29, 1981.
Born July 20, 1938. Starred in West Side Story, married to Robert Wagner twice.
IMDb
FindAGrave
Ron Wood
(guitarist) -- Alive.
Born June 1, 1947. A member of Faces before joining the Rolling Stones in 1975.
IMDb
Alfre Woodard (actress) -- Alive. Born November 8, 1952. Star Trek: First Contact, St. Elsewhwere. IBDB IMDb
Nancy Woodhull (news editor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died April 1, 1997. Born circa 1944. Former senior editor at USA Today
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died July 6, 2007. Born June 3, 1939. One of the first mega-romance writers, starting with The Flame in the Flower in 1972. Obituary
N. Joseph Woodland
(engineer/inventor) -- Dead. Died December
9, 2012. Born September 6, 1921. Patented the basic concept
behind what would become the bar code in the early '50s, about 30
years before it became commonly used.
Obituary
FindAGrave
Bob Woodruff (TV journalist) -- Alive. Born circa 1961. ABC news anchor who survived an attack in Iraq that left him with a potentially deadly brain injury in early 2006. IMDb
Bob Woodward (writer) -- Alive. Born March 26, 1943. One of the tenacious reporters who uncovered Watergate, co-author of All the Presidents Men and The Final Days, managing editor of The Washington Post. IMDb
Edward Woodward (actor) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died November 16, 2009. Born June 1, 1930. Breaker Morant, The Equalizer, The Wicker Man. IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Joanne Woodward (actress) -- Alive. Born February 27, 1930. Great actress (Three Faces of Eve) married to Paul Newman. IMDb
Chuck Woolery (game show host) -- Alive. Born March 16, 1942. The original Wheel of Fortune host, was married to Jo Ann Pflug. IMDb
Sheb Wooley (singer/actor) -- Dead. Leukemia. Died September 16, 2003. Born April 10, 1921. While most-known as a one-hit wonder for "One-eyed, One-horn Flying Purple People Eater," he was a country western singer and character actor in Western. IMDb
Tom Wopat (TV actor) -- Alive. Born September 9, 1951. The Dukes of Hazzard. IMDb
Jo Anne Worley (comic) -- Alive. Born September 6, 1937. Laugh-In. IMDb
Irene Worth (actress) -- Dead. Died March 10, 2002. Born June 23, 1916. Lost in Yonkers. IMDb
Herman Wouk
(writer) -- Alive. Born May 27, 1915. The Caine Mutiny,
The Winds of War, War and Remembrance, still writing novels in his 90s.
IBDB
IMDb
Jack Wrangler (Theater producer/porn actor) -- Dead. Emphysema. Died April 7, 2009. Born July 11, 1946. Gay icon for starring in movies like The Devil in Miss Jones: Part II, he went on to produce cabaret shows for his wife, Margaret Whiting, Dave Arneson. IBDB Obituary
Fay Wray
(actress) -- Dead. Died August 8, 2004.
Born September 10, 1907. King Kong,
died on the same day as Gypsy Boots.
IMDb
Link Wray
(guitarist/songwriter) -- Dead. Died November 5, 2005.
Born May 2, 1929. Early guitarist who played with Tex Ritter and influenced everyone from Elvis to Bruce Springsteen,
died on the same day as John Fowles.
IMDb
FindAGrave
Eric "Easy E" Wright (rap artist) -- Dead. AIDS. Died March 26, 1995. Born circa 1963. FindAGrave
Syreeta Wright (singer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died July 5, 2004. Born February 28, 1946. The only woman Stevie Wonder ever married, she later sang with Billy Preston in "With You I'm Born Again." IMDb
Teresa Wright (actress) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died March 6, 2005. Born October 27, 1918. Long career, including The Rainmaker, won a supporting actress Oscar for Mrs. Miniver, former wife of Robert Anderson, died on the same day as Hans Bethe. IBDB IMDb FindAGrave
Andrew Wyeth
(artist) -- Dead. Died January 16, 2009. Born July 12, 1917. "Christina's World," the Helga series and many other fine paintings.
IMDb
Obituary
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Jamie Wyeth
(artist) -- Alive.
Born July 6, 1946. Artist who did sketches from the Watergate trials, did work for NASA, the Olympics and for presidents.
Jane Wyman
(actress) -- Dead. Died September 10, 2007.
Born January 5, 1917. Johnny Belinda, Falcon Crest, an ex-wife of Ronald Reagan.
IMDb
Obituary
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Jane Wyatt (actress) -- Dead. Died October 20, 2006. Born August 12, 1911. Father Knows Best, Spock's mother, and the original Lost Horizon. IBDB IMDb FindAGrave
Tammy Wynette (singer) -- Dead. Probable blood clot. Died April 6, 1998. Born May 5, 1942. She stood by her men... IMDb FindAGrave
Ed Wynn
(comic) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 19, 1966.
Born November 9, 1886. While a funny man who appeared in many Disney movies, he may be better remembered for serious roles like Mr. Dussell in The Diary of Ann Frank, father of Keenan Wynn.
IBDB
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Keenan Wynn (actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died October 14, 1986. Born July 27, 1916. Dr. Strangelove, son of Ed Wynn. IBDB IMDb FindAGrave