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James Cameron, the Canadian film director, producer and screenwriter of a number of famous and successful films with several awards and box office records, including "Aliens", "Avatar", "Terminator" and "Titanic", is 68 today. Spoiler alert, if you haven't seen "Jaws: The Revenge". Lorraine Gary, American film and television actress best remembered for her role as Ellen Brody, the wife and later widow of Sheriff Martin Brody, in "Jaws", "Jaws 2" and "Jaws: The Revenge", is 85 today.

Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, better known as Bela Lugosi, died of a myocardial infarction 66 years ago today, at the age of 73. Lugosi was buried in his Dracula costume, which, contrary to popular belief, was not requested by him, but what his family thought he would have wanted. It is also a hoax that he died holding the script of Ed Wood's The Final Curtain. He left his son, also called Bela who is still alive at 84 and mentioned once before on this forum (according to a quick search) in the Ideas & Possibilities for 2023 thread by me, few inexpensive properties in Elsinore and $1,000.00 in cash, the latter of which Bela, Jr. had to split with his stepmother. "For some people he is the embodiment of dark, mysterious forces, a harbinger of evil from the world of shadow. For others he was merely a ham actor appearing in a type of film unsuitable for children and often unfit for adults" - Arthur Lennig.

So, a couple of guesses here - the last surviving veteran, like WW1 may well be a woman in uniform based on a British facility. The last combatent may well prove to be someone who isn't British (for example, the last of "The Few" is Irish).

On this day in 2019 american actor , writer and director Peter Fonda died aged 79. He was a member of Hollywoods Fonda acting dynasty , son of Hollywood legend Henry Fonda , younger brother of Jane Fonda and father of Bridget Fonda. He is strongly associated with the rebellious counter cultural movement of the 1960s. Some of his film credits include Easy Rider(1969) alongside Dennis Hopper- a film for which Peter as writer was oscar nominated for best original screenplay , Race with the devil (1975) an action horror film, The Wild Angels (1966) directed by Roger Corman who is still with us, The Young Lovers (1964) opposite Sharon Hugueny, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry(1974) co-starring with Susan George and Vic Morrow and Certain Fury(1985) with Tatum O'Neal.

American actress Julie Newmar, who's most famous role is Catwoman , celebrates her 89th birthday today.

Sacheen Littlefeather receives a public apology from the Academy and will be a guest of honor at the event; https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sacheen-littlefeather-oscars-apology-1235198863/ No real health news. Her husband died of cancer last year, just one of many people close to her who recently died.

I'd probably distinguish them by branch of service like what Wikipedia did with the last surviving WWI veterans. So the last surviving British Army veteran of WWII, last surviving Royal Navy veteran of WWII, last surviving Royal Air Force veteran of WWII, last surviving British combatant of WWII and the last British survivor of WWII. Though it's going to be a while before we get to this stage since we will definitely be seeing a couple of WWII veterans living to their supercentenarian years.

Idi Amin died on this day 19 years ago, aged about 78. Amin joined the Ugandan military while it was still a colony of the UK, and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming its commander in 1965. In 1971, president Milton Obote planned to arrest Amin for misappropriating military funds- Amin led a successful coup against him while he was in Singapore for the first Commonwealth Heads Meeting. Uganda became a military junta under Amin's dictatorship, with Amin persecuting members of the Acholi and Lango ethnic groups. This led to a genocide where up to 500,000 Acholis and Langos were killed. Amin also expelled all people of Asian descent that were not Ugandan citizens. Amin was declared president for life in 1976. In October 1978, Ugandan soldiers began to incur on Tanzanian soil along the southern border, and soon launched an invasion, attempting to annex the Kagera region. Tanzania declared war on Uganda in response, with Libya and Palestine sending troops to aid Amin. Amin fled in April of 1979 as Tanzanian soldiers and Ugandan rebels approached Kampala, first fleeing to Libya and then to Saudi Arabia. In 1989, Amin left his exile by going to Zaire, in an attempt to reconquer Uganda (then in the midst of a civil war). Amin was promptly detained at the airport and deported back to Saudi Arabia. Amin was known for his unstable behavior- he claimed to have been the uncrowned King of Scotland, the self-proclaimed "Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas", and reportedly kept his political enemies' decapitated heads in his freezer (also leading to rumors of cannibalism). Amin appeared on the DeathList in 1994 and 2003.

Steve Carell is 60.

Death of the Year, 2022 GRIM REAPER singer Steve Grimmett has died at the age of 62. Steve's passing was confirmed by his brother Mark Grimmett. Grimmett's passing comes more than five years after he had his right leg partially amputated in January 2017 when an infected wound on his foot spread to the bones in his leg partway through the group's five-week tour of South America. The life-saving surgery was carried out in Ecuador and the frontman was in hospital for just over a month while fans raised $14,000 to bring him home after his insurance company refused to pay because of the type of work he was doing. SC

Channel 4 tonight at 10pm for those who want to watch a documentary on him. The Mail has all the goss, if you need an appetiser: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11112709/Porn-King-Rise-Fall-Ron-Jeremy-New-clips-reveal-mental-decline-actor.html

DDP ITV Obit for Johnrose: https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2022-08-15/former-footballer-len-johnrose-dies-after-motor-neurone-disease-diagnosis

SAMA Award-winning artist Tokollo Tshabalala, best known by the stage name Magesh who has released more than 15 albums as both a solo artist and as part of a group, died at 45 years: https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/legendary-kwaito-musician-and-tkzee-member-tokollo-magesh-dies-20220815

Barbara Barton dead at 113: https://the110club.com/barbara-barton-t28295.html

With the amount of money she would have earnt to be on TV you would have thought she'd have a personal trainer or some kind of special moisturiser to help with toning up her legs. Or you know, dress your age and not like an 18 year old.

Homer and Atlas?

Updated list...up to 1932, and I've dug out a lot of new names. Nguyễn Quyết (1922-2024) Former VP 1987-1997 and General, last living person to have held the title when it was named Deputy Chairman of the Council of State. Will be 100 in a week and seems to be in amazing health for someone his age, able to walk without aid. Nguyễn Thọ Chân (1922-2023) Labor minister 1974-1981, former ambassador to the Soviet Union and Sweden. Huỳnh Đắc Hương (1922) Major general, former Deputy Minister of Invalids and Social Affairs who has been a party member for 80 years and participates or participated in events frequently, called a "historical witness". Vũ Xuân Vinh (1923) Lt. Gen and seemingly a minor name in politics. Seems to be alive. Vũ Oanh (1924-2022) Former Politburo member. Nguyễn Quốc Thước (1926) Lt. Gen and old politburo member. Bùi Phan Kỳ (1926) Another elderly Lt. Gen Đặng Quốc Bảo (1927-2024) Minor name once hugged by Fidel Castro. Nguyễn Thị Bình (1927) VP 1992-2002, legendary head of the Viet Cong delegation at the Paris Peace Conference. Slowly grown frailer and seems to have spent time in hospital during the last years. Trần Phương (1927) Deputy Prime Minister 1982-1987. Last of Phạm Văn Đồng's (1906-2000) Deputy Prime Ministers, wheelchairbound in April 2021, leads Hanoi's University of Business and Technology. Lê Phước Thọ (1927-2023) Old Central Committee member. Nguyễn Khánh (1928-2023) Deputy Prime Minister 1987-1997. On the original list as Nguyen Kahn. As far as I know has not made appearances in a while. Đặng Quân Thụy (1928) Former National Assembly member. Đặng Bích Hà (1928-2024) Historian, wife of late Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911-2013) Đoàn Duy Thành (1929) Deputy Prime Minister 1987-1988, seems to be doing fine? Nguyễn Mạnh Cầm (1929) Deputy Prime Minister 1997-2002, apparently born on the same day as Doan Duy Thanh. Nguyễn Trọng Tháp (1929) Ancient minor politician and military figure. Chu Duy Kính (1930) Former National Assembly member. Frail. Phan Văn Lai (1930) Minor name. Vũ Ngọc Hải (1931) Old Central Committee member, former Energy minister. Trần Hanh (1932-2024) Former Deputy Minister of Defence and central committee member. Đặng Văn Thân (1932-2023) Former Central Committee member. Suffered what seems to have been a severe stroke years ago. Alive?-section Cổ Kim Thành (1918-2016) Major Quang Binh local politician. Hoàng Trà (1922-2010) Soldier, politician Trương Như Tảng (1923-2005) Once Minister of Justice in the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, seems to have lived in Paris later. English wikipedia says he died 2005. Nguyễn Hữu Hanh (1923) South Vietnamese minister, not to be confused with Nguyễn Hữu Hạnh (1924-2019) who only had one leg. Trần Hiếu Tâm (1925) Minor name. I won't add pictures, but there's lots of most of them on the internet. Here's Huỳnh looking dapper in his uniform:

Lucile Randon is recognized by the GWR as the new World's Oldest Living Person. https://mobile.twitter.com/GWR/status/1518654947881103365?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1518654947881103365|twgr^|twcon^s1_&ref_url=

@arghton There is also Matsu Gaja, OLP of Okinawa since March 2021 (b. February 1908).

Current TOP 10 1) Kane Tanaka 119:104 2) Lucile Randon 118:064 3) Tekla Juniewicz 115:310 4) Maria Branyas Morera115:043 5) Casilda Benegas 115:008 6) Fusa Tatsumi 114:356 7) Anonymous of Hyogo 114:352 8) Sofia Rojas 114:246 9) Bessie Hendricks 114:160 10) Mila Mangold 114:153

Wait a minute, you've forgotten...

American Olympic decathlete Rafer Johnson, who won gold in the 1960 Rome Olympics and silver in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died at 85 years: http://www.thesportsexaminer.com/athletics-olympic-decathlon-gold-medalist-rafer-johnson-passes-at-85/ He later became a film actor.

Very sad to hear that only a few days ago I had to think about him and Harald Schmidt, cause i was a big fan of their show "Schmidteinander"

And then there was Michael Angelow, the chap who went starkers during a test match in 1975 Leg before wicket...