Jessica Tandy with Peter Falk

Jessica Tandy Born June 7, 1909 in Stoke Newington, London, England, UK Died September 11, 1994 in Easton, Connecticut, USA (ovarian cancer) Birth Name Jessie Alice Tandy Height 5' 4" (1.63 m) A beloved, twinkly blue-eyed doyenne of stage and screen, actress Jessica Tandy's career spanned nearly six and a half decades. In that span of time, she enjoyed an amazing film renaissance at age 80, something unheard of in a town that worships youth and nubile beauty. She was born Jessie Alice Tandy in London in 1909, the daughter of Jessie Helen (Horspool), the head of a school for mentally handicapped children, and Harry Tandy, a traveling salesman. Her parents enrolled her as a teenager at the Ben Greet Academy of Acting, where she showed immediate promise. She was 16 when she made her professional bow as Sara Manderson in the play "The Manderson Girls", and was subsequently invited to join the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Within a couple of years, Jessica was making a number of other debuts as well. Her first West End play was in "The Rumour" at the Court Theatre in 1929, her Gotham bow was in "The Matriarch" at the Longacre Theatre in 1930, and her initial film role was as a maid in The Indiscretions of Eve (1932). Jessica married British actor Jack Hawkins in 1932 after the couple had met performing in the play "Autumn Crocus" the year before. They had one daughter, Susan, before parting ways after eight years of marriage. An unconventional beauty, she was passed over for leading lady roles in films, thereby focusing strongly on a transatlantic stage career throughout the 1930s and 1940s. She grew in stature while enacting a succession of Shakespeare's premiere ladies (Titania, Viola, Ophelia, Cordelia). At the same time, she enjoyed personal successes elsewhere in such plays as "French Without Tears", "Honour Thy Father", "Jupiter Laughs", "Anne of England" and "Portrait of a Madonna". And then she gave life to Blanche DuBois. When Tennessee Williams' masterpiece "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, Jessica's name became forever associated with this entrancing Southern belle character. One of the most complex, beautifully drawn, and still sought-after femme parts of all time, she went on to win the coveted Tony award. Aside from introducing Marlon Brando to the general viewing public, "Streetcar" shot Jessica's marquee value up a thousandfold. But not in films. While her esteemed co-stars Brando, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden were given the luxury of recreating their roles in Elia Kazan's stark, black-and-white cinematic adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Jessica was devastatingly bypassed. Vivien Leigh, who played the role on stage in London and had already immortalized another coy, manipulative Southern belle on celluloid (Scarlett O'Hara), was a far more marketable film celebrity at the time and was signed on to play the delusional Blanche. To be fair, Leigh was nothing less than astounding in the role and went on to deservedly win the Academy Award (along with Malden and Hunter). Jessica would exact her revenge on Hollywood in later years. In 1942, she entered into a second marriage, with actor/producer/director Hume Cronyn, a 52-year union that produced two children, Christopher and Tandy, the latter an actor in her own right. The couple not only enjoyed great solo success, they relished performing in each other's company. A few of their resounding theatre triumphs included the "The Fourposter" (1951), "Triple Play" (1959), "Big Fish, Little Fish (1962), "Hamlet" (he played Polonius; she played Gertrude) (1963), "The Three Sisters (1963) and "A Delicate Balance." They supported together in films too, their first being The Seventh Cross (1944). In the film The Green Years (1946), Jessica, who was two years older than Cronyn, actually played his daughter! Throughout the 1950s, they built up a sturdy reputation as "America's First Couple of the Theatre." In 1963, Jessica made an isolated film appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's classic The Birds (1963). Low on the pecking order at the time (pun intended), Hitchcock gave Jessica a noticeable secondary role, and Jessica made the most of her brittle scenes as the high-strung, overbearing mother of Rod Taylor, who witnesses horror along the California coast. It was not until the 1980s that Jessica (and Hume, to a lesser degree) experienced a mammoth comeback in Hollywood. Alongside Hume she delighted movie audiences in such enjoyable fare as Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), The World According to Garp (1982), Cocoon (1985) and *Batteries Not Included (1987). In 1989, however, octogenarian Jessica was handed the senior citizen role of a lifetime as the prickly Southern Jewish widow who gradually forms a trusting bond with her black chauffeur in the genteel drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Jessica was presented with the Oscar, Golden Globe and British Film Awards, among others, for her exceptional work in the film that also won "Best Picture". Deemed Hollywood royalty now, she was handed the cream of the crop in elderly film parts and went on to win another Oscar nomination for Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) a couple of years later. Jessica also enjoyed some of her biggest stage hits, earning two more Tony Awards for her exceptional work in "The Gin Game" (1977) and "Foxfire" (1982). Both co-starred her husband, Hume, and both were beautifully transferred by the couple to television. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1990, Jessica bravely continued working with Emmy-winning distinction on television. She died of her illness on September 11, 1994. Her last two films, Nobody's Fool (1994) and Camilla (1994), were released posthumously. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / [contact link] Spouse (2) Hume Cronyn (27 September 1942 - 11 September 1994) ( her death) ( 2 children) Jack Hawkins (22 October 1932 - 2 January 1940) ( divorced) ( 1 child) Mother of Susan Hawkins with Jack Hawkins and Tandy Cronyn and Christopher Cronyn with Hume Cronyn. Grandmother of actress Katherine Cronyn. 1990: Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. She won a Tony Award in 1978 for "The Gin Game". She won a Tony Award in 1948 for "A Streetcar Named Desire". Starred (with husband Hume Cronyn) as Liz Marriott on NBC Radio's "The Marriage" (1953-1954). 1989: She became the 12th performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscar: Best Actress, Driving Miss Daisy (1989); Tonys: Best Actress-Play, "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1948) and Best Actress-Play, "The Gin Game" (1978) and Best Actress-Play, "Foxfire" (1983); Emmy: Best Actress-Miniseries/Special, Foxfire (1987). Has won four Tony Awards: in 1948, as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "A Streetcar Named Desire," an award shared with Judith Anderson for "Medea" and Katharine Cornell for "Antony and Cleopatra"; as Best Actress (Play) in 1978 for "The Gin Game" and in 1983 for "Foxfire"; and in 1994 a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement shared with her husband, Hume Cronyn. She also received Tony Award nominations in 1971 as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) for "Rose" and in 1986 as Best Actress (Play) for "The Petition.".

Peter Falk Born September 16, 1927 in New York City, New York, USA Died June 23, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California, USA (cardiorespiratory arrest and pneumonia) Birth Name Peter Michael Falk Height 5' 6" (1.68 m) Peter Falk was born on September 16, 1927, in New York City, New York. He graduated from Ossining High School, where he was president of his class. He studied acting with Eva Le Gallienne and Sanford Meisner. His most famous role is that of the detective Columbo. He has been married twice, and is the father of two children:Catherine, a private detective in real life, and Jackie. Spouse (2) Shera Danese (7 December 1977 - 23 June 2011) ( his death) Alyce Caroline Mayo (17 April 1960 - 28 May 1976) (Divorced 2 children) As Columbo: The raincoat, the cigar, the slouch, the false exit followed by the catchphrase, "One more thing..." Thick eyebrows New York accent One of his greatest passions was drawing and sketching; has studio on grounds of Beverly Hills estate. His right eye was surgically removed at the age of three, because of cancer. Attended and graduated from Ossining High School on Ossining, New York. Falk put the damper on a rumor that his trademark Columbo raincoat had been placed in the Smithsonian Institution: said that it was in his upstairs closet. He left college to serve as a cook in the Merchant Marines. He later received political science degree from New School in New York, then graduated from Syracuse University. He applied at the CIA, but was turned down. He took state budget department job in Hartford, Connecticut. Five years after he started taking acting lessons, he earned first Oscar nomination. Peter's paternal grandparents, Louis and Ida Falk, were Russian Jewish immigrants. Peter's maternal grandfather, Peter Hochhauser, was a Hungarian Jew, and Peter's maternal grandmother, Rosa Heller, was a Czech Jewish immigrant (from what was then Bohemia). Once when he was playing in a Little League game, the umpire called him out. Falk thought that he was safe. He pulled his glass eye out of its socket and handed it to the umpire, telling him, "Here, I think you might need this.". His daughter Catherine Falk is a private detective in real life. Lt. Columbo's first name is explicitly and even doggedly never revealed in the series (i.e. "What's your first name? Lieutenant...") However, with modern freeze-frame capabilities, when Columbo flashes his badge in the episode "Dead Weight", the name "Frank" can clearly be seen on his ID. Columbo's wife, of whom he often speaks, is never seen in the series. Interestingly, most of the facts that are supposedly known about Lt. Columbo's private life are up in the air and sometimes contradictory. This may be due to his character being somewhat forgetful or may be due to him leading a suspect with a "likely story" hoping they will trip up and reveal a clue. His car, a 1959 Peugeot 403 Cabriolet, is in most every episode and is treated almost as a character. Had two daughters with his wife Alyce Mayo: Catherine Falk and Jackie Falk. Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 153-154. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387. Began acting when he was 26, but did not officially declare himself an actor and move to New York until he was 28. During the June 5, 2000, episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999), Craig Kilborn's third question to Falk during "Five Questions" was this: "Use the words 'Falk' and 'you' in a sentence". Falk chuckled a bit, touched his nose, and replied simply: "Falk... you!". Has his lookalike puppet in the French comedy show Les Guignols de l'info (1988). He and his good friend John Cassavetes made six movies together: Husbands (1970), Machine Gun McCain (1969), Mikey and Nicky (1976), Opening Night (1977), Big Trouble (1986), A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and one television movie: Columbo: Étude in Black (1972). Had a street renamed after him in his hometown of Ossining, New York. To unveil the Peter Falk Place street sign, he pulled off a trademark raincoat covering the sign (2005). Was close friends with the late Patrick McGoohan. Avatar's voice in the animated movie Wizards (1977) (voiced by Bob Holt) was modelled after Falk. Has inspired at least two Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters. Dick Dastardly in Wacky Races (1968) was based on Falk's Max Meen from The Great Race (1965), and Mumbly, the detective dog on The New Tom & Jerry Show (1975) was loosely based on Columbo. In 1961, he became the first actor nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year, receiving best supporting nominations for the movie Murder, Inc. (1960) and the television series The Law and Mr. Jones (1960). He followed up in 1962 by being doubly nominated again for supporting actor for the movie Pocketful of Miracles (1961) and best actor (he won) for "The Price of Tomatoes", an episode of The Dick Powell Theatre (1961). Auditioned for the role of Ted Henderson in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), which went to Elliott Gould. He was involved in a car accident when he lost control while driving, sustaining a head injury. [June 2008] Had a hip replacement. [June 2008] Had been a heavy cigarette smoker since he was 15, but after he started playing Columbo he began smoking cigars as well. Wanted to join the United States Marine Corps when he was 17, but was rejected because of his blind eye. He was awarded Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture of France; the medal was given to him by Gérard Depardieu in March 1996. After high school, he briefly attended Hamilton College in upstate New York. He was a merchant marine after he dropped out of college. He went to New York City where he received his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He received his Master's degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University in Syracause, New York. At 29 years old, he studied acting with the Mark Twain Masquers in Hartford, Connecticut, and studied with Eva Le Gallienne at the White Barn Theater in Westport, Connecticut. When actors are required to move from one location to another during filming on a sound stage, the exact spot they are to move to is marked on the floor, usually with a piece of tape. This is to ensure that they stand in the area that is preset for the correct camera angle, lighting, sound, etc. Part of Falk's trademark behavior as Columbo was out of necessity, as he pretended to scratch or touch his forehead over his left eye. In reality, he blocked the camera view of his good eye, so as he was looking down, he could locate the tape on the floor. That is how his trademark "pensive Columbo look" got its start. Adopted daughter, Catherine Falk, files for conservatorship, explaining that Falk has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease and, at age 81, he no longer recognizes anyone. Later sworn statements from the Falk family, family friends and associates report Catherine has been long-estranged from her father and would not handle his affairs in his best interest. [December 2008] Shera Danese, Falk's wife of 32 years, files paperwork with the court, including sworn statements from longtime CPA, attorney, friends and family members, stating she is already attending to Falk's affairs, Falk named her as his guardian when first diagnosed with the disease, and long-estranged adopted daughter's attempt to gain conservatorship and control of his affairs is not in Falk's best interests. [January 2009] Shera Danese, his wife, is awarded conservatorship of his affairs. [May 2009] Best known by the public for his starring role as the title character on the television series Columbo (1971). His remains were interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Peter Falk passed away on June 23, 2011, three months away from what would have been his 84th birthday on September 16. He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6654 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on July 25, 2013. His mother died in 2003. His first wife Alyce Caroline Mayo died in March 2016 at the age of 85. Volunteered to fight for Israel in its 1948 War of Independence, but the conflict ended before he could go. Because of his Hungarian roots, a statue of him as Columbo has been erected in the capital of Hungary, Budapest.