Richard Attenborough passes away at 90

Oscar-winning British film director Richard Attenborough has died at the age of 90. He died at lunchtime on Sunday, his son told BBC News. In 2008, Lord Attenborough suffered a stroke that resulted in a coma lasting several days. He had been in a wheelchair following a fall at his home.

Attenborough was one of Britain's leading actors, before becoming a highly successful director. In an impressive career that spanned six decades, he appeared in films including Brighton Rock, The Great Escape and Jurassic Park. He also directed A Bridge Too Far, and Cry Freedom, about the death of South African anti-apartheid campaigner Steven Biko. His later films as director included Chaplin, starring Robert Downey Jr, and Shadowlands, an adaptation of the stage play treating the relationship between Narnia author CS Lewis and Joy Gresham. In 1993, Queen Elizabeth II awarded a life peerage to the British filmmaker. He was the President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Richard Attenborough was an icon who will be remembered.

Lauren Bacall passes away at 89

Another sad tragedy in the cinema world has hit us this week. US film and stage actress Lauren Bacall has died at the age of 89. According to reports, she died after suffering a major stroke at home in New York last August 12, 2014.

She first emerged as a leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have and Have Not (1944) and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in Bogart movies The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), as well as comedic roles in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck. Bacall worked on Broadway in musicals, earning Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her performance in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.
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Bob Hoskins passes away

Actor Bob Hoskins has passed away at the age of 71.  According to his agent (via Empire), Hoskins died of pneumonia in hospital on Tuesday. He had retired from acting in 2012 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  Hoskins had over 100 acting credits to his name, and his final on-screen performance was playing “Muir” in Snow White and the Huntsman. Hoskins career contained a diverse and rich collection of roles.  After starring in various TV series, Hoskins breakthrough role came in the 1980 crime drama The Long Good Friday. 

From there, he took on a diverse array of characters including turns in Brazil, The Cotton Club, Nixon, and Hook.  He actually ended up playing Captain Hook’s sidekick Smee not only in Hook but again in the unrelated Peter Pan adaptation, the TV miniseries Neverland. [Hit the jump to continue]

Roy Alvarez Passes Away

Another great Filipino actor has died. Roy Alvarez (whose real name was Leandro Delantar Alvarez) passed away Tuesday February 11, 2014, his death was caused by cardiac arrest. Alvarez was 63.

Roy Alvarez is one of the Philippines' greatest character actors, having appeared in various movies and television appearances spanning from the 70's till recently. Not only was he a great actor, he was also a director and scriptwriter for film, television and theater in the Philippines. He is also a lecturer and speaker on Consciousness Development, Inner and Outer Ecology, Healing Mother Earth and Zero Waste Management. He is also a supernatural enthusiast.

Alvarez has appeared in many prominent Filipino movies, such as "Rizal in Dapitan", "Cordora", "Working Girls", and the American TV Mini-Series "A Dangerous Life" alongside Gary Busey and Johnny Delgado. 

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead

Oscar-winning American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in New York. The 46-year-old was found in his Manhattan apartment. The New York police department says that he may have died from a suspected drugs overdose. Hoffman was always a fascinating screen presence.  In particular, the actor was Paul Thomas Anderson‘s greatest collaborator, from Hard Eight to Boogie Nights to Magnolia to Punch-Drunk Love to, most recently, The Master.  Hoffman recently took on a role in the Hunger Games series, which is currently filming the final chapter, Mockingjay – Part 2.  Hoffman was also set to star in the Showtime series Happyish.[hit the jump to continue]

Peter O’Toole passes away at 81

Farewell to The Lawrence of Arabia
Irish-born stage and screen actor Peter O’Toole, who became an international star in the title role of David Lean’s Oscar-winning epic “Lawrence of Arabia,” died on Saturday at age 81. He was being treated at London's Wellington hospital after a long illness, his agent added.

“His family are very appreciative and completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of real love and affection being expressed towards him, and to us, during this unhappy time,” his daughter Katherine O’Toole said in a statement on Sunday. “Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.” [hit the jump to continue]

Farewell, Eddie Romero

A National Artist Passes Away
National Artist for Film Eddie Romero passed away at 9 p.m. Tuesday May 28, 2013, according to son and fellow director Joey Romero. Eddie was 88. He directed such acclaimed films as “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon,” “Aguila,” “Banta ng Kahapon,” "Noli Me Tangere" and “Kamakalawa.”

In a phone interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the young Romero said that the veteran director “fell into a coma. The doctor told us that he has a blood clot in the right side of the brain,” said the younger Romero.He had been in and out of the hospital for the past few weeks. He was first confined from May 18 to 19 and returned to the hospital on May 23 because of “health complications.”

“He died peacefully,” said the younger Romero. “Last time we talked, he said he wanted to go home.”
His son said the family were planning to hold the wake at Arlington Memorial Chapels on Araneta Avenue in Quezon City.

source: INQUIRER