Methuselah's Army (Centenarian Celebrities, Past & Present)
As a young man with considerable health problems, nothing impresses me more than other human beings who can find both the will and the means to live to a ripe old age, especially if they're able to maintain their fitness for a long time. To that effect, the entertainment industry I find makes for a particularly interesting case study, as most actors who work with any consistency will be maintaining a serious level of health and fitness as compared to a lot of professions, given the demands of the industry.
There's something about that threshold of 100 which really is special. Once people reach 90 or so, regardless of how healthy or well lived they were, their will and their body parts begin to fail them, and they start dropping like flies. If you look around you and observe all the pitfalls that one can succumb to, it really is quite an amazing accomplishment for somebody to beat the odds and achieve that coveted age of magisterial grace, the title of centenarian.
This list is ordered by longevity. I will also be including any celebrity over 90 who I think has a good shot of making it to 100, because... why not? Saves future editing headaches. If they die before 100 then off they go! ...unless of course I die before I can remove them. Then there would be no one to edit this list and it will gradually lose most of its credibility. What a conundrum...
---------------------------------=Stats=---------------------------------
By Gender - 90 Women + 65 Men = 156 total
By Nationality
American: 65
French: 15 - (9.6% or 0.0223 per capita by population)
British: 12 - (7.7% or 0.0181 per capita by population)
German: 11 - (7% or 0.0132 per capita by population)
Italian: 10 - (6.4% or 0.0165 per capita by population)
Japanese: 3 - (1.9%)
Russian: 3 - (1.9%)
Mexican: 3 - (1.9%)
Polish: 3 - (1.9%)
Spanish: 3 - (1.9%)
Czechoslovakian: 3 - (1.9%)
Norwegian: 2 - (1.3%)
Swedish: 2 - (1.3%)
Hungarian: 2 - (1.3%)
Austrian: 2 - (1.3%)
Australian: 2 - (1.3%)
Canadian: 2 - (1.3%)
Brazilian: 2 - (1.3%)
Swiss: 2 - (1.3%)
Dutch: 1 - (0.6%)
Finnish: 1 - (0.6%)
Danish: 1 - (0.6%)
Argentinian: 1 - (0.6%)
Portuguese: 1 - (0.6%)
Yugoslavian: 1 - (0.6%)
Indian: 1 - (0.6%)
Chinese: 1 - (0.6%)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: In determining nationality for the purpose of these stats, greater emphasis has been placed upon naturalization as opposed to country of origin, for two basic reasons. (1) I'm of the opinion that a greater correlation can be made with longevity and culture/lifestyle, rather than ethnic genetics. That being said, while I'm aware that this will be based ultimately on the attitudes of the individual, and it's very difficult to determine exactly which culture is influencing their lifestyle, I'm still of the opinion that on average when one makes a decision to relocate to another country, it's because they're attracted to that country's culture and are therefore more likely to be influenced by it rather than that of their birth country, though not always. (2) If you disagree with premise one, then I think I can still comfortably fall back on the fact that their artistic base, and the specific national industry that they're a part of is what qualifies them on this list as celebrities in the first place. Regardless of where you were born, if you're an actor and the vast majority of your films are American films, then you're an American actor whether you like it or not!
Note the 2nd: The above stats are not at all scientific, as although I watch a lot of international movies, I tend to shy away from Asian movies, with my focus mainly directed towards the European and Latin world, with American Cinema of course being impossible to dismiss. Why? Aside from Lingual and cultural reasons, it's largely because I don't find Asian women attractive, despite the fact that a lot of fun horror movies come from Asia, and when I look up actors, I tend to look up female actors, or "actresses" as they're sometimes known, much more regularly than I look up male actors, which in turn is what leads me to browse further movies and further actor bios etc. Ironically this is going to be great for feminists, despite it being the case only for "toxic male" reasons. At any rate, this list exists for one reason and one reason only: my interest in viewing and cataloging old movies can only be described as obsessive. OBSESSIVE.
There's something about that threshold of 100 which really is special. Once people reach 90 or so, regardless of how healthy or well lived they were, their will and their body parts begin to fail them, and they start dropping like flies. If you look around you and observe all the pitfalls that one can succumb to, it really is quite an amazing accomplishment for somebody to beat the odds and achieve that coveted age of magisterial grace, the title of centenarian.
This list is ordered by longevity. I will also be including any celebrity over 90 who I think has a good shot of making it to 100, because... why not? Saves future editing headaches. If they die before 100 then off they go! ...unless of course I die before I can remove them. Then there would be no one to edit this list and it will gradually lose most of its credibility. What a conundrum...
---------------------------------=Stats=---------------------------------
By Gender - 90 Women + 65 Men = 156 total
By Nationality
American: 65
French: 15 - (9.6% or 0.0223 per capita by population)
British: 12 - (7.7% or 0.0181 per capita by population)
German: 11 - (7% or 0.0132 per capita by population)
Italian: 10 - (6.4% or 0.0165 per capita by population)
Japanese: 3 - (1.9%)
Russian: 3 - (1.9%)
Mexican: 3 - (1.9%)
Polish: 3 - (1.9%)
Spanish: 3 - (1.9%)
Czechoslovakian: 3 - (1.9%)
Norwegian: 2 - (1.3%)
Swedish: 2 - (1.3%)
Hungarian: 2 - (1.3%)
Austrian: 2 - (1.3%)
Australian: 2 - (1.3%)
Canadian: 2 - (1.3%)
Brazilian: 2 - (1.3%)
Swiss: 2 - (1.3%)
Dutch: 1 - (0.6%)
Finnish: 1 - (0.6%)
Danish: 1 - (0.6%)
Argentinian: 1 - (0.6%)
Portuguese: 1 - (0.6%)
Yugoslavian: 1 - (0.6%)
Indian: 1 - (0.6%)
Chinese: 1 - (0.6%)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: In determining nationality for the purpose of these stats, greater emphasis has been placed upon naturalization as opposed to country of origin, for two basic reasons. (1) I'm of the opinion that a greater correlation can be made with longevity and culture/lifestyle, rather than ethnic genetics. That being said, while I'm aware that this will be based ultimately on the attitudes of the individual, and it's very difficult to determine exactly which culture is influencing their lifestyle, I'm still of the opinion that on average when one makes a decision to relocate to another country, it's because they're attracted to that country's culture and are therefore more likely to be influenced by it rather than that of their birth country, though not always. (2) If you disagree with premise one, then I think I can still comfortably fall back on the fact that their artistic base, and the specific national industry that they're a part of is what qualifies them on this list as celebrities in the first place. Regardless of where you were born, if you're an actor and the vast majority of your films are American films, then you're an American actor whether you like it or not!
Note the 2nd: The above stats are not at all scientific, as although I watch a lot of international movies, I tend to shy away from Asian movies, with my focus mainly directed towards the European and Latin world, with American Cinema of course being impossible to dismiss. Why? Aside from Lingual and cultural reasons, it's largely because I don't find Asian women attractive, despite the fact that a lot of fun horror movies come from Asia, and when I look up actors, I tend to look up female actors, or "actresses" as they're sometimes known, much more regularly than I look up male actors, which in turn is what leads me to browse further movies and further actor bios etc. Ironically this is going to be great for feminists, despite it being the case only for "toxic male" reasons. At any rate, this list exists for one reason and one reason only: my interest in viewing and cataloging old movies can only be described as obsessive. OBSESSIVE.
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- Germaine Auger was born on 13 June 1889 in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais, France. She was an actress, known for Théodore et Cie (1933), Tout pour rien (1933) and Il faut rester garçon (1932). She died on 24 August 2001 in Couilly-Pont-aux-Dames, Seine-et-Marne, France.Died aged 112 years, 72 days.
(1889-06-13 - 2001-08-24)
French[F] - Monika Greving was born in 1914. She is an actress, known for Froher Herbst des Lebens (1961), Heiße Ernte (1956) and Bei der blonden Kathrein (1959).110 years old
German[F] - Hildegard Busse was born on 17 May 1914 in Germany. She is an actress, known for Brass Target (1978), Der Mann, der nicht nein sagen kann (1938) and Two Friends (1938).110 years old
German[F] - Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
Alfredo Varelli was born on 31 August 1914 in Saracinesco, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Gold Train (1965), Pontius Pilate (1962) and Quo Vadis (1951). He died on 18 August 1996 in Rome, Italy.110 years old
Italian[M]- Carmen Martínez Sierra was born on 3 May 1904 in Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain. She was an actress, known for Historias para no dormir (1966), Las ibéricas F.C. (1971) and Curro Jiménez (1976). She died on 6 November 2012 in Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain.Died aged 108 years, 186 days.
(1904-05-03 - 2012-11-06)
Spanish[F] - Actor
- Soundtrack
Growing up as the youngest of four sons of the merchant Jacobus Heesters and his wife Gertruida, née van der Hoevel, he began a commercial apprenticeship after finishing school. He actually wanted to become a priest, but then began an apprenticeship in a bank. In 1920 he switched to acting. He initially completed singing and acting training in Amsterdam and had his first theater engagements there in 1921. He later also played on stages in The Hague, Brussels and Rotterdam. In 1924 he received a supporting role in his first silent film "Cirque Hollandais" directed by Theo Frenkel. In 1930 Heesters married Louisa H. Ghijs, with whom he had two daughters, Wiesje and Nicole. He was married to his wife for 53 years until her death in 1985. After appearances at theaters in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland, he received his first engagement as a tenor in operetta in 1934 in Millöcker's "The Begging Student" at the Vienna Volksoper. A year later, in 1936, he went to Berlin.
Here Heesters celebrated his breakthrough, first at the Komische Oper and then at the Metropoltheater and the Admiralspalast. He also owed his nickname "Jopie" to the audience in the German capital. He was immediately discovered for the film. Numerous UFA productions followed, such as his first leading role in "The Bettelstudent" (1936) and "The Court Concert" (1936). With "Gasparone" (1937) alongside Marika Rökk, Heesters became a film star. In 1938 he sang the role of Count Danilo for the first time in the Franz Léhar operetta "The Merry Widow", a role that he developed into one of his signature roles for 35 years. This was followed by "The Adventure Continues - Every Woman Has a Sweet Secret", "My Aunt - Your Aunt" (1939) and "Love School" (1940). The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda soon included him on the so-called "God-Given List". His attitude towards Nazi Germany was contradictory. Although he owed his success primarily to the UFA, he also rejected German citizenship. He neither became a member of the NSDAP nor did he explicitly distance himself from National Socialism.
Despite a few encounters with Adolf Hitler, he performed in the Netherlands in 1938 with a Jewish theater group that had fled Germany. There was massive criticism from abroad, especially in Holland, where he was accused of being a collaborator who was in German service when his homeland was occupied by the Wehrmacht. He celebrated great successes during the war years with films such as "Hello Janine" with Marika Rökk, "It began so harmlessly" with Theo Lingen and "Roses in Tirol" with Hans Moser. Despite his success in film, Heesters returned to theater after the Second World War. His popularity remained unbroken. Count Danilo's entrance song "I'm going to Maxim" from the operetta "The Merry Widow" became an evergreen. He appeared on stage in this role over 1,600 times. In 1953, Otto Preminger hired him for the Hollywood film "The Virgin on the Roof". Meanwhile, Heesters had already been involved in around 50 film productions by 1961. In 1970, after a long break from filming, he appeared in "The Inspector: Parking Lot Hyenas". "The Beautiful Wilhelmine" followed in 1983.
In 1984 Johannes Heesters became an honorary member of the Vienna Volksoper. In 1985 the comedy film "Otto - The Film" followed. Heesters was also active in literature. He described his life in his 1993 autobiography entitled "Thank God I'm Not Young Anymore." In the 1990s he appeared in front of the camera for the television plays "Two Munichers in Hamburg", "Two Old Hands" and "Between Night and Day". In 1992 Heesters married the actress Simone Rethel, who was 46 years his junior. From 1996 to the summer of 2001 he played alongside his wife in the play "A Blessed Age" written for him by Curth Flatow. In 1999 he was awarded a "Bambi" for his life's work. In 1997, at the age of 94, Heesters celebrated his 75th stage anniversary and went on tour with the play "A Blessed Age". At the turn of the millennium, Heesters, who was fond of tobacco and whiskey until old age, became the oldest active entertainer in the world. In 2001 he was honored with the Platinum Romy for his life's work.
In 2002, the 99-year-old Heesters was able to look back on 80 years on the stage. Another autobiographical work by Heesters followed in 2002 with the title "Even a hundred years are not enough". In 2003, Johannes Heesters received an honorary award from the "Bambi" for his life's work. In 2004, Heesters appeared four times in the role of the gentleman in Hofmannsthal's "Everyman". At the Wittenberge Elbland Festival he was awarded the title of "chamber singer". In August 2006, the first exhibition about Heesters took place in the Berlin Academy of Arts, which he personally opened with a song recital. In the year 2006 he received the "Honorary Radio Rainbow Award". In 2008, Heesters took on a supporting role in the Til Schweiger comedy "1 1/2 Knights - In Search of the Adorable Herzelinde". From July 2010, Heesters plays the king in Rolf Hochhuth's "Inselkomödie" in the Berliner Ensemble.
Johannes Heesters died on December 24, 2011 in Starnberg, at the age of 108.Died aged 108 years, 19 days.
(1903-12-05 - 2011-12-24)
German[M]- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Stardom somehow eluded this vastly gifted actress. Had it not perhaps been for her low-level profile compounded by her McCarthy-era blacklisting in the early 1950s, there is no telling what higher tier Marsha Hunt might have attained. Perhaps her work was not flashy enough, or too subdued, or perhaps her intelligence too often disguised a genuine sex appeal to stand out among the other lovelies. Two studios, Paramount in the late 1930s and MGM in the early 1940s, failed to complete her star. Nevertheless, her talent and versatility cannot be denied. This glamorous, slimly handsome leading lady offered herself to well over 50 pictures during the 1930s and 1940s alone.
Christened Marcia Virginia Hunt, the Chicago-born actress was the younger of two girls born to an attorney and voice teacher/accompanist. The family relocated to New York when she was quite young and she attended such schools as PS #9 and Horace Mann School for Girls. She developed an interest in acting at an early age (3), performing around and about in school plays and at church functions. Following her high school graduation the young beauty found work as a John Powers model and as a singer on radio, a gift obviously inherited from her mother. Marcia (she later changed the spelling of her first name to Marsha) studied drama at the Theodora Irvine Drama School (one of her fellow students was Cornel Wilde).
Encouraged to try Hollywood by various New York people in the business, the young photogenic hopeful moved there in 1934. She was only 17 but was accompanied by her older sister. It didn't take long for the studios to take an interest in her and she was signed up by Paramount not long after. Marsha's very first movie was in a featured role opposite Robert Cummings and Johnny Downs in the old-fashioned The Virginia Judge (1935). Displaying an innate, fresh-faced sensitivity, she moved directly into her second film, playing the title role in Gentle Julia (1936), this time with Tom Brown as her romantic interest.
Marsha continued to show promise but these well-acted roles were, more often than not, overlooked in mild "B"-level offerings. Appearing in co-starring roles in everything from westerns (Desert Gold (1936) and Thunder Trail (1937)) to folksy or flyweight comedy (Easy to Take (1936) and Murder Goes to College (1937)), she could not find decent enough scripts at Paramount. Though she was once deemed one of the studio's promising starlets, one of her last films there was another prairie flower role--[error]--with cowboys John Wayne and Johnny Mack Brown vying for her attention. At about this time (1938) she married Jerry Hopper, a Paramount film editor who turned to directing in the 1950s. This marriage lasted but a few years.
Freelancing for a time for many studios, Marsha's more noticeable war-era work in sentimental comedy and staunch war dramas came from MGM, and she finally signed with the studio in 1939. The roles offered, which included a featured part as one of the sisters in Pride and Prejudice (1940) starring Greer Garson, and again as a sister to Garson in Blossoms in the Dust (1941), which showed much more promise. Some of her better war-era roles came in the films Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941), Kid Glove Killer (1942) and The Affairs of Martha (1942). During this time she also sang on extended USO tours and stayed busy on radio. Her best known film is arguably The Human Comedy (1943) but she wasn't the star. Other film roles had her in support of others, such as Margaret Sullavan in Cry 'Havoc' (1943), little Margaret O'Brien in Lost Angel (1943) and Garson again in The Valley of Decision (1945). Leading roles did not come in "A" pictures.
Her MGM contract was allowed to lapse in 1945 and a second marriage in 1946, to screenwriter Robert Presnell Jr., became a higher priority. The marriage was long and happy (exactly 40 years) and lasted until his passing in June of 1986. The few pictures she made were, again, uneventful or in support of the star, although she did have a catchy, unsympathetic role in the Susan Hayward starrer Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (1947) as a scheming secretary. In Raw Deal (1948), starring Dennis O'Keefe, she got the "raw deal" being overshadowed as a "good girl" by the "bad girl" posturings of Claire Trevor. At this point of her career she decided to try the stage and made her Broadway debut in "Joy to the World" (1948). Other plays down the road would include "The Devil's Disciple" with Maurice Evans, "The Lady's Not for Burning" with Vincent Price and "The Little Hut" with Leon Ames. She even had a chance to return to her beloved singing as Anna in a production of "The King and I" and (much later) in productions of "State Fair" and "Meet Me in St. Louis". TV also yielded some new work opportunities, including a presentation of "Twelfth Night" in which she portrayed Viola.
The seams of her film career fell apart in the early 1950s. During the late 1930s and into the 1940s she signed a number of petitions promoting liberal ideals, and was a member of the Committee for the First Amendment. A strong supporter of freedom of speech, these associations led to her name appearing in the pamphlet "Red Channels", a McCarthy-era publication that "exposed" alleged Communists and "subversives". Although she and her husband were never called before the House Un-American Activities Commission, their names were nevertheless smeared all over Hollywood as "Reds". While she still found film work on occasion, it was rare. Although she had worked steadily from 1935 until 1949, appearing in over 50 films, she made only three films in the next eight years. Her screenwriter husband would be credited for only one film from 1948 to 1955.
Semi-retired by the early 1960s, stage and TV became Marsha's focal points. She also devoted herself to civil rights causes and such humanitarian efforts as UNICEF, The March of Dimes and The Red Cross. She became actively involved with the United Nations. On the acting front she appeared only in smaller roles in five films but in numerous TV programs and made-for-TV movies, playing everything from judges to grandmas. She became the Honorary Mayor of Sherman Oaks, California, in 1983, and published a book on fashion entitled "The Way We Wore" in 1993. Widowed in 1986, the ever-vibrant Marsha, in her 90s, continues to serve on the Advisory Board of Directors for the San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center, a large non-profit that advocates for adults and children affected by homelessness and mental illness. As recently as 2006, she appeared to good advantage in the movie Chloe's Prayer (2006) and, at age 91, was seen in Empire State Building Murders (2008).108 years old
American[F]- Lily Vincenti was born on 13 October 1916 in Paris. She is an actress, known for Los hijos de la noche (1939), Gli uomini non sono ingrati (1937) and Una conquista difícil (1941).108 years old
Spanish[F] - Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Legendary Broadway writer/producer/director George Abbott was born in 1887 in Forestville, New York. His father was mayor of Salamanca, New York, for two terms. In 1898 his family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Abbott attended Kearney Military Academy. The family returned to New York, where Abbott attended Hamburg High School, graduating in 1907, and the University of Rochester (BA degree in 1911). He wrote the play "Perfectly Harmless" for University Dramatic Club. He attended Harvard University from 1911-1912, studying play writing under George Pierce Baker, and wrote "The Head of the Family" for Harvard Dramatic Club. In 1912 he won $100 in a play contest sponsored by the Bijou Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, for "The Man in the Manhole", and worked at the Bijou for a year as assistant stage manager. He made his Broadway debut as an actor in 1913 in "The Misleading Lady" (as Babe Merrill, a drunken student), followed by "The Yeoman of the Guard" (1915), "The Queen's Enemies" (1916), "Daddies" (1918), "The Broken Wing" (1920), "Dulcy" (on tour) (1921), "Zander the Great" (1923), "White Desert" (1923), "Hell-Bent for Heaven" (1924), "Lazybones" (1924), "Processional" (1925) and "Cowboy Crazy" (1926). From that point he concentrated on writing and directing, with "The Fall Guy" (his Broadway's debut, 1925), "Three Men on a Horse" (1935), "Jumbo" (1935), "On Your Toes" (1936), "The Boys from Syracuse" (1938), "Too Many Girls" (1939), "Pal Joey" (1940), "Best Foot Forward" (1941), "On the Town" (1944), "High Buttom Shoes" (1947), "Where's Charley?" (1948), "Call Me Madam" (1950), "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (1951), "Wonderful Town" (1953), "The Pajama Game" (1954), "Damn Yankees" (1955), "New Girl Town" (1957), "Fiorello!" (1959), "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Forum" (1962), "Flora, the Red Menace" (1965; Liza Minnelli's Broadway debut).
He won five Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize (for "Fiorello!"). He was nominated for an Oscar for writing All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). His daughter, Judith Abbott, is a stage actress/director and was married (1946-49) to Tom Ewell.Died aged 107 years, 220 days.
(1887-06-25 - 1995-01-31)
American[M]- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Minoru Inuzuka was born on 15 February 1901 in Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan. He was a writer and director, known for Itawari no Asatarô (1927), Chîgo no kênhô (1927) and Rangûn (1927). He died on 17 September 2007 in Yamashina, Kyoto, Japan.Died aged 106 years, 214 days.
(1901-02-15 - 2007-09-17)
Japanese[M]- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Norman Lloyd was born Norman Perlmutter in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Sadie (Horowitz), a housewife and singer, and Max Perlmutter, a furniture store manager. His family was Jewish (from Hungary and Russia). He began his acting career in the theater, first "treading the boards" at Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory in New York. Aspiring to work as a classical repertory player, he gradually shed his Brooklyn accent and became a busy stage actor in the 1930s; he next joined the original company of the Orson Welles-John Houseman Mercury Theatre. Lloyd was brought to Hollywood to play a supporting part (albeit the title role) in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942). Hitchcock, who later used the actor in Spellbound (1945) and other films, made him an associate producer and a director on TV's long-running Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) (then in its third year). In the course of his eight years on the series, Lloyd became a co-producer (with Joan Harrison) and then executive producer. He has since directed for other series (including the prestigious Omnibus (1952)) and for the stage, produced TV's Tales of the Unexpected (1979) and Journey to the Unknown (1968), and played Dr. Auschlander in TV's acclaimed St. Elsewhere (1982).Died aged 106 years, 184 days.
(1914-11-08 - 2021-05-11)
American[M]- Tonio Selwart was born on 9 June 1896 in Wartenberg, Bavaria, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Other Side of the Wind (2018), Wilson (1944) and The Hitler Gang (1944). He died on 2 November 2002 in New York, USA.Died aged 106 years, 146 days.
(1896-06-09 - 2002-11-02)
American[M] - Mary Ward was born on 6 March 1915 in Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia. She was an actress, known for Blue Heelers (1994), If This Be Sin (1949) and Cop Shop (1977). She died on 19 July 2021 in Murrumbeena, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Died aged 106 years old, 135 days.
(1915-03-06 - 2021-07-19)
Australian[F] - Director
- Writer
- Editor
Manoel de Oliveira was born on 11 December 1908 in Oporto, Portugal. He was a director and writer, known for The Cannibals (1988), I'm Going Home (2001) and Christopher Columbus, the Enigma (2007). He was married to Maria Isabel Brandão de Meneses de Almeida Carvalhais. He died on 2 April 2015 in Oporto, Portugal.Died aged 106 years, 112 days.
(1908-12-11 - 2015-04-02)
Portuguese[M]- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Born in Oaxaca, Mexico, Lupita Tovar appeared first in silent Fox films before making the move to Universal and co-starring in the Spanish-language version of 1930's "The Cat Creeps" (La voluntad del muerto (1930)). For the same producer, Czech-born Paul Kohner, she appeared as Eva Seward (the Spanish-language counterpart of Helen Chandler's Mina) in Universal's Spanish Dracula (1931). In 1932, she married Kohner, who later became one of the top agents in Hollywood. (Their actress-daughter, Susan Kohner, was Oscar-nominated for her performance in Universal's 1959 Imitation of Life (1959); their son, Pancho Kohner, is a producer). Tovar gave up films in the 1940s and has been widowed since 1988.Died 106 years, 108 days.
(1910-07-27 - 2016-11-12)
American[F]- Actress
- Soundtrack
Doris Eaton was born in Norfolk, Virginia, into a show business family. The young Doris began appearing on stage with her brothers Charles and Joseph and her sisters Mary and Pearl when she was five years old. She made her Broadway debut aside her brother Charles in "Mother Carey's Chickens" in 1917. The following year, the 14-year-old Doris became a Ziegfeld Girl, performing in the "Ziegfeld Follies" of 1918 and 1920 and the "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" in 1919. After having served her dance apprenticeship in legendary theatrical impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.'s chorus for three years, she decamped for the movies. She made her screen debut in "At the Stage Door" (1921) in support of Billie Dove.
She moved to England to appear as the lead in three films, Tell Your Children (1922), The Call of the East (1922), and The Call of the East (1922). Back in America, she made The Broadway Peacock (1922) with Pearl White and High Kickers (1923) with Jack Cooper and the Gorham Follies Girls.
Doris returned to Broadway in 1924, appearing in the musical "No Other Girl" and the plays "The Sap" and "Excess Baggage." In 1925, she co-starred with Al Jolson in the musical comedy "Big Boy." She then appeared in the comedy "Excess Baggage" in 1927, and the musical comedy "Cross My Heart" the next year. Moving to Hollywood in 1929, she began a career as a featured dancer at the Music Box Review Theater on Sunset Boulevard. It was there that she introduced the song "Singin' in the Rain." Her last appearance on Broadway in a legitimate production was in the comedy "Page Pygmalion" in 1932.
Her career as a dancer began to peter out during the Great Depression, and she became an Arthur Murray dance instructor in 1936. Relocating to the state of Michigan, she eventually became the operator of 18 Arthur Murray dance schools. Eventually, Doris retired to Oklahoma with her husband Paul Tavis, where they operated a quarter horse ranch. When they built their house in Norman, Oklahoma, Doris demanded that the house have a foyer large enough for dancing. Doris still dances in the foyer at night.
"I have my little Victrola there and I play the records and I dance the foxtrot and the waltz and the rumba, though swaying by myself."
Doris has become a regular performer at Broadway's annual AIDS benefit. People express surprise that she was a Ziegfeld Girl.
"It seems that when people find out about it, they're astonished; and possibly because I'm still walking around."
Since her husband passed away in the year 2000, Doris lets people use the ranch to board their horses. Doris jokes, "I call it the Travis Ranch Nursing Home for Horses."
She had dropped out of school to pursue her dance career, but in the 1980s, Travis went back to college and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1992. She was named a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society while at the university.
At 101 years old, Doris was quoted as saying that dance was the primary reason for her longevity. In fact, her last stage appearance was one month short of her death at age 106.Died aged 106 years, 58 days.
(1904-03-14 - 2010-05-11)
American[F]- Additional Crew
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Julie Gibson was born on 6 September 1913 in Grant County, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for Bowery Buckaroos (1947), The Contender (1944) and Chick Carter, Detective (1946). She was married to Charles Barton, Dean Dillman Jr. and Jimmie Grier. She died on 2 October 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Died aged 106 years, 26 Days.
(1913-09-06 - 2019-10-02)
American[F]- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Miguel Morayta was born on 15 August 1907 in Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. He was a director and writer, known for El mártir del Calvario (1952), Vagabunda (1950) and La mujer marcada (1957). He died on 19 June 2013 in Mexico City, Mexico.Died aged 105 years, 308 days.
(1907-08-15 - 2013-06-19)
Mexican[M]- Pierre Gérald was born on 26 May 1906 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for Highlander (1992), Les dossiers de Jérôme Randax (1965) and Hunting and Gathering (2007). He died on 24 March 2012 in Levallois-Perret, Hauts-de-Seine, France.Died aged 105 years, 303 days.
(1906-05-26 - 2012-03-24)
French[M] - Rosa Albach-Retty was born on 26 December 1874 in Hanau, Hesse, Germany. She was an actress, known for Geld auf der Straße (1930), Dreimal Hochzeit (1941) and Der Kongreß tanzt (1955). She was married to Karl Albach. She died on 26 August 1980 in Baden, Lower Austria, Austria.Died aged 105 years, 246 days.
(1874-12-26 - 1980-08-26)
Austrian[F] - Actress
- Soundtrack
A promising star first with the Metropolitan Opera than on the Broadway and London stages, soprano Mary Ellis had little chance to prove herself as either a musical or dramatic film star with only a few creaky vehicles left for audiences to ponder. Her versatility on stage, however, was extensive, ranging from heavy doses of Shakespeare and Eugene O'Neill to the Restoration comedies of Sheridan and the light operettas of Oscar Hammerstein.
Born May Belle Elsas on June 15, 1897 of humble means in New York City, her family had emigrated to the States earlier from Alsace. Her father eventually prospered as a successful paper merchant. Mary inherited any artistic leanings from her mother who was a gifted pianist. She initially delved into painting before the desire to dedicate herself to song took hold. Studying with Madame Ashworth, Mary's had the makings of a great classical singer and was offered a multiple year contract with the Metropolitan Opera company at the age of 21. Given the stage name of Mary Ellis by the company, she made her debut with Puccini's "Suor Angelica" (1918) and went on to appear in "The Blue Bird" and "Boris Gudunov", among others. Arguably the highlights of her brief operatic career include her appearances opposite the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso in his final performance (Christmas Eve, 1920) of "The Elixir of Love" (he died the following year of pneumonia), and the renowned prima donna Geraldine Farrar in "Louise". However, in 1922, Mary's burgeoning desire to act on the legitimate stage took over and, against all advice, left the Met in 1922 to pursue her "new dream".
Already a name in opera, Mary joined the David Belasco theatre company. Belasco produced and directed her in her first Broadway production "The Merchant of Venice". A lovely, vibrant presence on stage, she subsequently appeared in "Casanova" and "The Merry Wives of Gotham", but did not become a full-fledged star until playing the titular heroine in Hammerstein's operetta "Rose-Marie". Career-threatening problems incurred when the impulsive Mary decided to leave the show before her tightly binding contract with Hammerstein was completed. As a result, she was prevented from ever performing again as a singer in America. She was now forced to return to high drama in straight plays. She subsequently appeared in a series of Broadway productions co-starring British actor Basil Sydney, which included her playing of Katherine to his Petruchio in "The Taming of the Shrew". Sydney became her third husband (following two short-lived marriages) in 1929.
Unable to escape her career restrictions, she and Sydney moved to England in 1931. She met with instantaneous success in O'Neill's epic drama "Strange Interlude" the following year. She also became a lovely muse for Ivor Novello on the 30s British stage, as noted in their successful teaming of "Glamorous Night" (1935) and "The Dancing Years" (1939). England gave her the opportunity to try films and she starred in two in 1934, the drama Bella Donna (1934) with John Stuart, Cedric Hardwicke and Conrad Veidt, and in the musical All the King's Horses (1935) in which she played the Queen of Langenstein. She also managed to return to America to star in the films Paris in Spring (1935) and Fatal Lady (1936). After filming her stage triumph Glamorous Night (1937) co-starring Otto Kruger back in England, she retired from the screen, unable to gain a strong footing.
Her marriage to Basil Sydney lasted but a few years. Her fourth and last husband, Jock Muir Stewart Roberts, a Scotsman, was a happy one until his tragic death twelve years later in a 1950 mountain-climbing accident. A volunteer nurse during WWII, Mary appeared sporadically on the post-war stage (notably the Old Vic) in such successful productions as "John Gabriel Borkman", "The School for Scandal", "The Browning Version" and "Hattie Stowe" in which she portrayed Harriet Beecher Stowe. After her husband's death she was seen less and less and took her last curtain call in "Mrs. Warren's Profession" in 1970. Isolated film appearances included The Magic Box (1951) and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960).
Mary was seen briefly as late as the 1990s playing octogenarian roles, and during her twilight years published two autobiographies: Those Dancing Years (1982) and Moments of Truth (1986. Mary, who was childless, died in London at the ripe old age of 105 on January 30, 2003.Died aged 105 years, 229 days.
(1897-06-15 - 2003-01-30)
British[F]- Actress
- Soundtrack
Liane Haid was a prima ballerina, dancer, singer, stage and film actress. As a child, she studied voice and dancing and played at the Viennese Open Ballet. She worked in Budapest and Vienna as a dancer. On stage, she was in Berlin and Vienna. She also made close to a hundred movies - silents and talkies. She was the first female star of Austria. She was married three times. The last one was Swiss Dr. Carl Spycher, with which she had one son, the jazz musician, Pierre Spycher. She lived with her family near Bern, Switzerland, where she died at the age of 105 years young.Died aged 105 years, 104 days.
(1895-08-16 - 2000-11-28)
Swiss[F]- Director
- Animation Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Lusk was born on 28 October 1913 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He was married to Marjorie Gummerson. He died on 30 December 2018 in San Clemente, California, USA.Died aged 105, 63 days.
(1913-10-28 - 2018-12-30)
American[M]- Connie Sawyer was born on 27 November 1912 in Pueblo, Colorado, USA. She was an actress, known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Pineapple Express (2008) and Out of Sight (1998). She was married to Marshall Schacker. She died on 21 January 2018 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.Died aged 105 years, 55 days.
(1912-11-27 - 2018-01-21)
American[F] - Carmen de Lucio was born on 29 October 1920 in Madrid, Spain. She is an actress, known for La hija del penal (1936), La revoltosa (1950) and Aventuras de don Juan de Mairena (1948).?104 years old?