Remembering Those We Lost In 2010 some made big news, others passed away quietly … but we don’t forget by MICHAEL HINMAN, Posted Dec-31-2010 Add a comment

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Death is a natural part of life, but sadly it takes a death before we celebrate someone’s life and contributions.

We lost a lot of people who made serious contributions to the science-fiction, fantasy and horror genres on television and the big screen over the past year.

Join us in celebrating these lives of those lost.

Corey AllenJune 29, 1934-June 27, 2010Best known for his work in “Rebel Without a cause,” mr. Allen made a name for himself later as a popular television director, including the series premiere of “Star Trek: the next Generation” and four other episodes, including “Journey’s End.” he also directed four episodes of “Star Trek: Deep Space nine.” he died of Parkinson’s disease.

Eddie BarthSept. 29, 1931-May 28, 2010The raspy voice actor appeared in shows such as “The incredible Hulk,” “The Bionic Woman” and a 1963 episode of “The Twilight Zone.” mr. Barth died of heart failure.

Gary BrocketteSept. 13, 1947-Jan. 1, 2010Mr. Brockette was a character actor who made brief appearances in films such as “The Philadelphia Experiment” and “The Ice Pirates” in 1984. he died of cancer.

John CrawfordSept. 13, 1920-Sept. 21, 2010Made two appearances as Sheriff Moore in “Knight Rider.” mr. Crawford also appeared in “The amazing Spider-Man,” “The incredible Hulk” and “The Bionic Woman” in the 1970s. he died in Malibu, Calif.

Dino De LaurentiisAug. 8, 1919-Nov. 10, 2010Famed producer of a number of projects including “Flash Gordon,” “Halloween II,” “Firestarter,” “Dune” and more. mr. De Laurentiis died at his residence, with attendees at the funeral asked to wear red, his favorite color.

Richard DevonDec. 11, 1926-Feb. 26, 2010Appeared in “Twilight Zone,” “Get Smart” and “Planet of the Apes.” mr. Devon died of vascular disease.

David E. DurstonSept. 10, 1921-May 6, 2010A cult horror exploitation director of the 1970 film “I Drink your Blood.” mr. Durston died of pneumonia.

David FromanDec. 31, 1938-Feb. 8, 2010He would’ve turned 72 today. mr. Froman appeared as Capt. K’Nera in the “Star Trek: the next Generation” episode “Heart of Glory.” mr. Froman died of cancer.

Jimmy GardnerAug. 24, 1921-May 3, 2010The Knight Bus driver Ernie Prang in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” mr. Gardner died in London.

Jackson GillisAug. 21, 1916-Aug. 19, 2010Mr. Gillis wrote episodes of “Knight Rider,” “The New Adventures of wonder Woman,” “Lost In Space,” and the 1950s series “The Adventures of Superman.”

Peter GravesMarch 18, 1926-March 14, 2010The star of “Mission: Impossible” had some genre credits to his name. mr. Graves appeared in “Fantasy Island,” “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” and “Killers From Space.” mr. Graves died of a heart attack.

Corey HaimDec. 23, 1971-March 10, 2010The actor known for roles such as “The Goonies” had other genre credits to his name like “The Lost Boys,” “Prayer of the Rollerboys,” and others. mr. Haim died of flu-like symptoms.

Peter HaskellOct. 15, 1934-April 12, 2010Played the CEO of Good Guy Toys in “Child’s Play 2″ and “Child’s Play 3.” mr. Haskell also appeared in “The Bionic Woman,” “The Green Hornet” and “The Outer Limits.” Haskell died in Northridge, Calif.

Robert HoyApril 3, 1927-Feb. 8, 2010A popular actor and stuntman in westerns, mr. Hoy had an uncredited role as the Horta in the original “Star Trek” episode “The Devil in the Dark.” he died of cancer.

Lamont JohnsonSept. 30, 1922-Oct. 24, 2010Directed eight episodes of the 1960s version of “The Twilight Zone” including “Kick the Can,” which was featured in the 1980s film. mr. Johnson died in Monterey, Calif.

Bernard KatesDec. 26, 1922-Feb. 2, 2010Appeared as Dr. Sigmund Freud in the “Star Trek: the next Generation” episode “Phantasms.” also played Dr. Whorf in the 1963 “Outer Limits” episode “Nightmare.” mr. Kates died in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

Irvin KershnerApril 29, 1923-Nov. 27, 2010Director of “Star Wars: Episode V – the Empire Strikes Back.” also directed an episode of “SeaQuest 2032″ in 1993. mr. Kershner died of lung cancer.

Donald LeifertFeb. 27, 1951-Oct. 23, 2010Mr. Leifert was the star of Don Dohler films including “The Alien Factor,” “Fiend” and others. he died in Parkville, Md.

Simon MacCorkindaleFeb. 12, 1952-Oct. 14, 2010Actor who appeared in various shows like “Poltergeist: the Legacy,” “Earth: Final Conflict,” “Fantasy Island,” and movies like “Wing Commander.” mr. MacCorkindale died of cancer.

Tom MankiewiczJune 1, 1942-July 31, 2010Mr. Mankiewicz was a creative consultant for “Superman” and “Superman II.” he died from pancreatic cancer.

Joe MantellDec. 21, 1915-Sept. 29, 2010Mr. Mantell had a bit role in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “The Birds,” but also appeared in two episodes of “The Twilight Zone” — “Nervous Man In A Four Dollar Room” and “Steel.” he died in Tarzana, Callif.

Louis MarksMarch 23, 1928-Sept. 17, 2010A writer for the original “Doctor Who” series whose credits include “The Masque of Mandragora” and “Planet of Evil.”

Noel MarshallApril 18, 1931-June 30, 2010The executive producer of “The Exorcist,” mr. Marshall died of brain cancer.

Kevin McCarthyFeb. 15, 1914-Sept. 11, 2010Mr. McCarthy starred in the 1950s cult film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” he also played Uncle Walt in the “Twilight Zone” movie and appeared in the original “Twilight Zone” series. he died of pneumonia.

Grant McCuneMarch 27, 1943-Dec. 27, 2010Mr. McCune created the shark in “Jaws” (uncredited, sadly) and was nominated for an Oscar for his special effects work in “Star Trek: the Motion Picture.” other movies included “Batman forever,” “Ghostbusters II” and “Spaceballs.” he died of pancreatic cancer.

John P. McGarrSept. 25, 1964-March 25, 2010Supervising executive producer “House of Wolf Man” and others, mr. McGarr was killed when he was struck by a drunken driver while filming a documentary at an Indianapolis horror convention.

Leslie NielsenFeb. 11, 1926-Nov. 28, 2010More famous as a comedy actor, mr. Nielsen had some strong early genre credits like “Tales of Tomorrow,” “The Wild Wild West,” and others. mr. Nielsen died in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Michael PatakiJan. 16, 1938-April 15, 2010Character actor who played Karnas in the “Star Trek: the next Generation” episode “Too Short a Season.” mr. Pataki also played Capt. Barbera in “The amazing Spider-Man” and Korax in the classic “Star Trek” series “The trouble with Tribbles.” mr. Pataki also was an uncredited jeep driver in the “Twilight Zone” episode “A Quality of Mercy.” he died from cancer.

Charles B. PierceJune 16, 1938-March 5, 2010Film director and screenwriter credited with the line, “Go ahead, make my day.” also was a set decorator for projects like “The Twilight Zone.” mr. Pierce died of natural causes.

Gene PolitoDec. 13, 1918-Nov. 28, 2010Director of photography for the 1960s series “Lost In Space.” also a cinematographer for the 1976 film “Futureworld.” mr. Polito died of esophageal cancer.

Addison PowellFeb. 23, 1921-Nov. 8, 2010Mr. Powell played Dr. Eric Lang in the late 1960s series “Dark Shadows.” he died in Vermont.

Zelda RubinsteinMay 28, 1933-Jan. 27, 2010Became famous as medium Tangina Barrons in the Poltergeist films. Ms. Rubinstein died in Los Angeles.

Nathan ScottMay 11, 1915-Feb. 27, 2010A composer and orchestrator whose work spanned “The Twilight Zone,” the original “Battlestar Galactica” and “Knight Rider.” mr. Scott died of natural causes.

William Edwin SelfJune 21, 1921-Nov. 15, 2010Production manager for “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” the 1960s “Batman” series, “Lost In Space,” “The Green Hornet” and “Dick Tracy” among others. mr. self died from a heart attack.

Ted SorelNov. 14, 1936-Nov. 30, 2010Character actor who played Kaval in the “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” episode “Duet” in 1993. mr. Sorel died of complications from Lyme disease.

David J. Steinberg1964-March 15, 2010The popular actor from the 1988 film “Willow” who had dwarfism, mr. Steinberg also appeared in an episode of “Charmed.” he had moved to Los Angeles in 2004.

Bunny SummersFeb. 23, 1924-Sept. 9, 2010Ms. Summers played Mrs. Boone in the 1984 film “The last Starfighter.” she died at Woodland Hills in Los Angeles.

Gareth WiganDec. 2, 1931-Feb. 13, 2010Mr. Wigan was a lead executive at Twentieth Century Fox that helped secured “Star Wars” from George Lucas. also helped bring other projects to the screen like “Alien” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”

Tags:  William Edwin Self Tom Mankiewicz Ted Sorel Simon MacCorkindale Peter Haskell Noel Marshall Nathan Scott Louis Marks 

About the Author

Michael Hinman is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha and the entire BlipNetwork. he owns Quantum Global Media inc., the parent corporation of the BlipNetwork. He’s a marketing consultant by day and a veteran print journalist. he lives in Tampa, Fla.