OBIT - BILL PAXTON

It is with much sadness that I write an obituary today to the late Bill Paxton. The actor, director and SAG award winner died yesterday, the 25th of February 2016, due to complications after receiving surgery for an undisclosed reason. A charismatic and affable performer, Paxton was known for his charm and good looks, and was a mainstay of big budget genre filmmaking through the 1980s and '90s. He worked with major directors such as James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow and Ron Howard before moving into directing himself in the '00s. With roles in The Terminator, Weird Science, Aliens, Near Dark, One False Move, Apollo 13, Twister, Titanic, A Simple Plan and Edge of Tomorrow more recently, he leaves behind a legacy of faultless performances in popular films. Dying at a mere 61 years of age, however, there's no doubt that Paxton's contribution to cinema is one of which we all wish we could have seen so much more going forward. He is survived by his widow, Louise, and his children Lydia and James Paxton, the latter of whom is also an actor.

OBIT - RICHARD PORTMAN

Academy Award winning sound mixer Richard Portman has died. He passed on the 28th of January due to complications following a fall. One of the most influential figures in sound design in the global film industry, Portman pioneered new techniques in sound re-recording mixing, and was the very first artist to mix an entire feature by himself. During his career, he won one Oscar from 11 nominations and two BAFTAs from five. Among the titles on which Portman worked are such indisputable classics as Harold and Maude, The Godfather, The Way We Were, Papillon, Young Frankenstein, 3 Women, Star Wars, The Deer Hunter and Heaven's Gate. A true maverick, and a great loss indeed for film. We'll value Portman's invaluable contribution to cinema for many years to come.

OBIT - EMMANUELLE RIVA

Cinema will never be the same, as we mourn the death of one of its defining figures. Beloved French poet and actor Emmanuelle Riva died yesterday, the 27th of January, aged 89. This exceptional talent had developed a deserved reputation as one of the world's most gifted and incisive actors over a career spanning 60 years on screen, and whose contribution to film will forever be remembered in her magnificent catalogue of performances. In only her first credited role on film, she delivered one of the finest cases of screen acting of all time in Alain Resnais' landmark Hiroshima, Mon Amour. It was the role that made Riva a star, though she persevered in her aim to establish herself as an actor of integrity and ability before all else in the oncoming years, accepting roles to best befit her skills, rather than opportunities to increase her fame. Riva devoted herself to her craft, refusing to learn nor to perform in English, and featuring in a vast array of titles whose names have long since faded from the broad cultural lexicon, even in France. And yet what a dazzling array it is, including such films as Kapo, Therese Desqueyroux, Three Colours: Blue and Amour, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. That roles also brought Riva a BAFTA, a Cesar, and awards from the London Critics' Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics; she also earned the Volpi Cup at the 1962 Venice Film Festival by unanimous decision for Therese Desqueyroux. What sad news to report this morning. Few actors could conceivably be as missed as Riva.

OBIT - JOHN HURT

After a noble battle with pancreatic cancer, legendary British actor John Hurt has died. He passed on the 27th of January, five days after his 77th birthday. This most prolific and talented of British actors has enjoyed renown across the globe for decades as one of the finest performers of his generation, securing his reputation with frequent appearances on stage and screen alike, right up to his death. Hurt won a scholarship to prestigious acting school RADA in 1960, leading to an extraordinary career in the dramatic arts. From early roles in film and TV, his first major part was in the 1966 Best Picture Oscar winner A Man for All Seasons, though his stardom was sealed in the UK with a leading role in 1975's The Naked Civil Servant. With over 50 years in the profession, he starred in a great many of the defining films of the time, including 10 Rillington Place, Alien, Heaven's Gate, The Hit, 1984, The Field, Dead Man, Dogville, Only Lovers Left Alive and the recent Jackie. He is remembered also for appearing in the Harry Potter films as wand-maker Mr. Ollivander, and for Oscar-nominated turns in Midnight Express and The Elephant Man. Those films also earned Hurt Golden Globe nominations and BAFTA awards, in a career that also brought him an honorary award from the British Academy and a knighthood in 2015. We will mourn Hurt's passing for some time - he was a true great, and his final, as-yet unreleased performances, will be cherished indeed.

OBIT - TILIKUM

Presented without comment. Except that I hope SeaWorld spontaneously crumbles to the ground any moment now and releases every single captive animal and I don't care if all their employees are on the premises in fact it'd only make me even happier.

OBIT - OM PURI

A legend of Indian cinema, and indeed of world cinema, actor Om Puri has died, age 66, on today, the 6th of January 2017. He never conformed to either Bollywood nor Hollywood's standards of what a movie star should be, yet Puri clocked up more than 303 credits over a career spanning more than 40 years. During that time, he received a BAFTA nominaton, two Indian National Film Awards, a Best Actor award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and a Silver Medallian from the Telluride Film Festival. For his contributions to cinema, he was also awarded a Padma Shri, and was named an honorary Officer of the British Empire. His was a varied career, frequently appearing on both cinema and television screens around the world, crossing cultural boundaries in his native India by portraying characters of several different nationalities, faiths and backgrounds. Among his most popular credits are titles such as Ardh Satya, My Son the Fanatic, East Is East, Charlie Wilson's War, a memorable part in Gandhi and his acclaimed turn in Arohan. The world mourns the passing of one of its most cherished film talents.

OBIT - DEBBIE REYNOLDS

You've already heard, I'm sure. Too sad. Just too sad to even describe. Just leaving this here - hope you enjoy Debbie's legacy as much as I do.

OBIT - CARRIE FISHER

Goodbye, Carrie Fisher. The world is a better place for having had you in it. Goodbye, 2016. The world was a better place before it ever had you in it.

OBIT - LIZ SMITH

Beloved British actor, star of TV and film, Liz Smith has died. She was 95, and died on Christmas Eve. Given her first credited role by Mike Leigh in his film debut, 1971's Bleak Moments, this most idiosyncratic performer swiftly became a favourite of British audiences on TV through the following decades, and also appeared in some of the finest British films of the time. Best known among comedy fans for her role in the acclaimed sitcom The Royle Family, Smith's cinema career also included parts in Little Dorrit, High Spirits, Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and a BAFTA-rewarded turn in A Private Function. It was nothing but a privilege to have enjoyed her presence in the dramatic arts for so many years until her retirement from acting in 2009.

OBIT - MICHELE MORGAN

It is with sorrow that I pen this post in the approach to a time of year met with celebration by so many, but regrets must be paid to Michele Morgan, the iconic film star, who died yesterday, the 20th of December 2016, aged 96. An actor since her teens in the 1930s, she experienced success in France, later the United States upon fleeing the Nazi's invasion of her homeland, and again in France following the end of the war. Audiences around the world loved Morgan for her class and charisma both on and off the screen, including roles in celebrated classics such as Port of Shadows, Joan of Paris and The Fallen Idol. Morgan was one of the most recognizable faces of mid-century French cinema, though her achievements in film were only confirmed as her legacy became clear over time. Alongside a Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an Honorary Cesar, a Career Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival, and a Legion d'Honneur. This festive season, why not celebrate this legendary star's exceptional career by sitting down to one of her many unforgettable films? Condolences to all who knew and loved Morgan; your affection for her was mirrored in that which many millions more have felt decade after decade, and will continue to for decades more.

OBIT - ZSA ZSA GABOR

Even in the run-up to Christmas, the world has just gotten a little less sparkly. Legendary actor and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor, Miss Hungary 1936, has passed away. Her husband (husband #9 - get it bitch!) Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, revealed to the press that she died yesterday, the 18th of December, from a heart attack. Gabor had suffered ill health for much of the past decade-and-a-half, following a car accident in 2002. An opera singer and stage star in Vienna in the 1930s, Gabor fled Nazi-occupied Hungary in the '40s, and entered the film industry in the 1950s, where she quickly became one of the most popular stars of her time. Her credits include Moulin Rouge, Lili, Touch of Evil and B-movie Queen of Outer Space, alongside many cameos into the later decades of her career, often playing herself. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association saw fit to present her with her first major award in 1958, a deserved Special Award for the most glamorous actress; she also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame two years later. Zsa Zsa continued to grace the world with her unrivalled, unforgettable beauty and style for the most of a century, departing this world only upon having reached 99. We will miss her immensely.

OBIT - JANET PATTERSON

It's with tremendous sadness that I report today upon the death of production costume designer Janet Patterson. The Australian designer, who frequently collaborated with filmmaker Jane Campion, was known for her stylish, striking outfits, with bold colours and strong silhouettes, often working in the 19th Century period. Although known for her wardrobe creations, Patterson was also an accomplished production designer, commencing her film career in both faculties at the same time. During her career, despite only working on a total of nine films, she earned four Oscar nominations, an award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and a BAFTA. Among her credits were acclaimed titles such as The Piano, The Portrait of a Lady, Oscar and Lucinda, Bright Star and Far from the Madding Crowd; all but two of her films were directed by women, and every one was an Australian production. Her contribution to film will continue to be valued as deeply as it is today for many years to come, and she will be much missed.

OBIT - ANDRZEJ WAJDA

Tributes are being paid around the world to the great Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, who died on Sunday, the 9th of October. He was 90, and had only recently premiered his final feature film, Afterimage, at the Toronto International Film Festival. Since making his first films in the 1950s, Wajda was responsible for more than 40 features in total, which brought him acclaim throughout his career from all across the globe. His war film trilogy of the 1950s, consisting of A Generation, Kanal and Ashes and Diamonds, and his 'Man of...' films, including Man of Marble and Man of Iron, were among his most celebrated, alongside titles such as Danton and Katyn. Four Foreign Language Film Oscar nominations came Wajda's way over the years, as well as other prestigious awards such as two BAFTAs including an Academy Fellowship, two European Film Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award, a special award from the NYFCC, four FIPRESCI prizes, three awards from the Berlin International Film Festival with a lifetime contribution award and an Honorary Golden Bear among them, a Career Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival, and five awards from the Cannes Film Festival, with a Palme d'Or for Man of Iron. Quite the list of accolades for quite the accomplished artist, and he will be missed very greatly indeed. He is survived by his daughter Karolina and his widow and fourth wife, the costume designer Krystyna Zachwatowicz.

OBIT - CURTIS HANSON

Yesterday, the 20th of September, Academy Award winning filmmaker Curtis Hanson died, aged 71. He was an acclaimed and widely-celebrated writer, director and producer, with a litany of classic titles and lesser-known gems to his credit, and will be very sorely missed by regular moviegoers and cinephiles the world over. Often lauded for his portraits of masculinity in his film works, Hanson was also responsible for some of the most perceptive films about women in recent Hollywood. He had a remarkable run of films from the early 1990s, directing The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The River Wild, L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys, 8 Mile and In Her Shoes consecutively. He received three Oscar nominations for 1997's L.A. Confidential, winning alongside Brian Helgeland for Adapted Screenplay, and was also a Golden Globe, BAFTA, EFA, PGA and Cannes Palme d'Or nominee, and a Critics' Choice, LCC, LAFCA, NBR, NSFC, NYFCC and WGA award winner. Hanson's final film was 2012's Chasing Mavericks, from which he departed as director mid-production due to heart surgery; he retired from filmmaking due to a reported diagnosis of Alzheimer's. This is a tragic loss for all of Hanson's loved ones, and for the international film community as well.

OBIT - JON POLITO

Jon Polito, the actor known to audiences around the world for his many roles in popular films and TV shows for years, has died. He was 65 and had cancer. The sad news that he passed on Friday, the 2nd of September, was announced on Facebook by friend and director John McNaughton. Polito may be most familiar from his frequent work with the Coen brothers, having appeared in five of their films: Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Big Lebowski and The Man Who Wasn't There. He was, however, an extremely prolific actor outside of this collaboration, working with filmmakers such as Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood and Tim Burton in film, and starring in a variety of successful TV series, such as Seinfeld and Homicide: Life on the Street. We'll greatly miss this award-winning actor, who will be seen in his final role in The Maestro, due next year.

OBIT - GENE WILDER

A most iconic, inimitable star of the screen has departed us. Gene Wilder, one of film's most talented comic actors and writers, died yesterday, the 29th of August 2016, at age 83, due to complications from Alzheimer's, a diagnosis which he had withheld from public knowledge. Initially a Broadway and TV actor, Wilder transitioned into film with a remarkable double debut in the late 1960s: first with a small role in Bonnie and Clyde, then an Oscar-nominated, duly infamous turn in Mel Brooks' The Producers. Brooks and Wilder would go on to collaborate again on comedy classics Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, the latter of which earned Wilder a second Oscar nomination, this time for writing. Arguably as well-known as this partnership was that of Wilder and Richard Pryor, on films such as Silver Streak and See No Evil, Hear No Evil. And who could forget his most beloved performance, as Willy Wonka in 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Wilder not only acted and wrote, he has five directing credits to his name also, including The World's Greatest Lover and The Woman in Red. His acting career slowed in the '90s, having enjoyed great popularity and acclaim through the '70s and '80s, and by 2005 he had turned his attention to writing literature. Married four times, following the death of his third wife Gilda Radner, with whom he co-starred in three films, to ovarian cancer, he became an activist for cancer awareness. His only child was a stepdaughter, Katharine, from his marriage to Mary Joan Schutz. What a tragic loss, as ever it is to learn that a legend has passed.

OBIT - MARNI NIXON

Arguably the most recognizable film star with only three visible appearances on screen, legendary vocalist Marni Nixon has died. She had breast cancer and was 86, and passed on Sunday the 24th of July. Contracted as a replacement for the singer hired to dub Deborah Kerr's voice for the musical numbers in the 1956 classic The King and I after the first singer's sudden death, Nixon's career took off with this high-profile appointment. You couldn't quite say she shot to fame, however; the studio refused her a credit and threatened to kick her out of Hollywood should anyone ever find out that it was her voice, not Kerr's, on the soundtrack. But her screen credits racked up from there: An Affair to Remember, again dubbing for Kerr, West Side Story for Natalie Wood, and My Fair Lady for Audrey Hepburn. She appeared in The Sound of Music in a brief role as Sister Sophia, and can be heard on the soundtracks to Disney animated films Cinderella and Mulan. Quite an estimable resume, one which Nixon justly exploited to good end with a successful career on the stage following her experiences in film. Married three times, including to Oscar-winning composer Ernest Gold, Nixon is survived by her three children, Andrew, Martha and Melanie.

OBIT - ABBAS KIAROSTAMI

Today is a tragic day for cinema, as I report on the death of Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. The 76-year-old had been diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer in March; he died in Kabul today, the 4th of July. Kiarostami eked out a highly personal style of cinema right from his origins as a key figure in the Iranian New Wave in the 1970s, a style that would become internationally celebrated upon the release of his 1987 breakthrough film, Where Is the Friend's Home? From there, through a seminal trilogy in the early '90s, a number of acclaimed documentaries, and five nominations for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, he would go on to be known as one of the world's most important, influential film artists. His films consistently received critical adulation, no matter what their infinite varities: films in Iranian, French, Japanese, English, narrative and documentary films alike, and a sympathetic streak that marked him as much a committed humanitarian as he was a skilled formalist. A Cannes Palme d'Or, four major awards from the Venice Film Festival including a FIPRESCI Prize, and four more awards from Locarno including another FIPRESCI Prize, an Ecumenical Prize and a Leopard of Honour confirm Kiarostami's status as among the foremost cinematic talents of our time. Among his most notable films were Close-Up, Through the Olive Trees, Taste of Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us, Ten and Certified Copy. What an enormous loss for the filmmaking and film-watching community.

OBIT - MICHAEL CIMINO

Acclaimed and iconic, filmmaker Michael Cimino has died. He passed yesterday, the 2nd of July 2016, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 77 years of age. One of the brightest lights in the 'New Hollywood' of the 1970s, Cimino's success truly flourished after he abandoned the commercial populism of his earlier work and made one of the most influential films of the decade. 1978's celebrated The Deer Hunter is often regarded as his magnum opus, and won five Oscars. Alas, 1980's Heaven's Gate, which came in highly delayed and over-budget, was a huge box office bomb, almost led to the collapse of its studio, United Artists, and was branded one of the worst films of all time by some critics upon release. Subsequent re-evaluation of the film, and its several re-edits, has seen a reversal in its perception, and it is now considered a misunderstood masterpiece. But the damage to Cimino's ascendant career had been done; his following four films all disappointed critics and tanked with audiences; there were Razzie nominations and straight-to-video releases, and he hadn't made a full-length feature since 1996 when he died. Despite such an ignominious middle and end to his career, Cimino will nevertheless be remembered as a visionary, a bold and distinctive talent who created some of the most essential films of the 20th Century. He will be missed indeed.

OBIT - ANTON YELCHIN

Sad news from California, as actor Anton Yelchin has been declared dead following a car accident. He was a mere 27 years of age. A bright young star with many fans, thanks to a resume of impressive performances in well-regarded films, he will be much missed by cinephiles and more casual movie-watchers worldwide. Born in St. Petersburg, his family emigrated to the US before Anton was even one year old. It proved to be a fortuitous move for his career, as he would soon become one of the American film industry's most valuable young stars. Breakout roles in 2001 films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis, the latter for which he won a Young Artist Award, led to more high-profile gigs, in films like Alpha Dog, Charlie Bartlett and, with three appearances under his belt, as Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, the role for which he is arguably best-known. Subsequent performances confirmed that his talent was the equal of his burgeoning fame, in films such as Like Crazy, The Beaver, Fright Night, Only Lovers Left Alive, Cymbeline, Experimenter and Green Room. Despite his tragic passing, we haven't yet seen the last of Yelchin, as he has five upcoming projects yet to be released. May we savour these final films from a life taken much too soon.