edm88

Strange indeed, as I just was looking for a recent photo of him yesterday and had thought he looked okay for 95 earlier this year.

Here is the GRO reference for Kathleen Mary Helme, died 30 Dec 2019, appears to likely be the same person. HELME, KATHLEEN MARY 1921 GRO Reference: DOR Q1/2020 in BRIGHTON AND HOVE (452-1A) Entry Number 520084911

Seems to have still been living circa 2010. Appears that she later settled in Nairobi, Kenya, as that is where both of her parents also moved (they died in Mombasa and are buried there). Would not be surprised is she died off the radar sometime in the last two decades, though.

@Ulitzer95 Well, after much frustration I've finally been able to solve Robert Roark, and have confirmed that his birth name was George Isaacs Abt, and perhaps surprisingly, the 19 Oct 1926 date of birth is indeed correct. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Dr. William Leon Abt, an optometrist, and his wife, Cybelle Sachnoff, an opera singer originally from Kiev, Ukraine. This perfectly matches up with a 1954 newspaper clipping from Memphis - see below - which states that the actor Robert Roark was the son of a doctor, though they named him as Dr. William Roark of Chicago. There are also countless newspaper references that state he was from Chicago and attended the Universir of Illinois for a short time as well as Kentucky Military Institute, so this seems to line up. This biographical directory entry of American Jews for Cybelle Abt confirms her sons's stage name (screenshot below), as do census, birth and marriage records, as well as his WWII Draft card. Robert Roark later was the president of a film production company, Brigadier Films, alongside his partner Roger S. (Rick) Markle; his mother, Cybelle Abt was listed as secretary-treasurer here (screenshot below). He married Anita M Guile in 1974; Robert Roark and Anita M Roark seem to have had an address still listed in Beverly Hills, California in the mid-late 2000s, so he could very well still be alive. Definitely one of the tougher ones here! Will keep looking into William Glover. I did find a decent amount of identifying clues (names of his wife and children, approximate timeframes where he lived) as well as activity up to at least 1977, but am still spinning my tires in place.

I sent an e-mail to the LA Times and NY Times obit desks, I've had varying results in the past with some other names, so let's see if they eventually pick it up.

Yeah, I'm sure there are web scrapers and certain algorithms picking up on death-related phrases, so that would make sense. Unfortunately (not blaming anyone in particular here), lots of people fall for it despite the obvious bot-generated titles and articles. If only there was a way to get rid of those sites and accounts.

The amount of bots generated websites, Youtube videos and Twitter accounts decidated to deaths of notable-ish people is astounding. There is just so much crap out there now.

This French Death Record seems to confirm Gorsen's death: Naissance Nom Gaussen Prénom(s) Norah Ethel Sexe Féminin Date 22/11/1931 Commune Portland (99132) Pays Royaume-Uni (GBR) Décès Date 15/04/2020 Age 88 ans Commune Mouans-Sartoux (06084) Département 06 Pays France (FRA) Acte n° 66 Source INSEE fichier 2020, ligne n°173974

Yeah - not definitive, as perhaps her father could have cut off contact later in life and that could be the reason he is/was not mentioned. Though I'd say it strongly suggests it. Per the Ryerson Index an Eric Hampson died at a nursing home in the Hobart, Tasmania area in 2009 - couldn't find an online obit or further details, but could be a possibility. Otherwise, the Queensland Death Index which is available online up to 1991 doesn't have any matches.

This is Hampson's daughter's obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/news-mail-au/obituary.aspx?n=elizabeth-vivien-gibson-viv&pid=158712571&fhid=12368. No mention of father, so seems that he was probably deceased by then, as it mentions her in-laws.

And finally, one more. Laura Mason was born as Lillian Romer on 10 Aug 1924 in Santa Cruz, not as Jeanne Lynne Romer. Jeanne Lisa Romer was her twin, who was also an actress, and this person on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0739263/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t19 (later known Lisa Jeanne Clark). Laura Mason married Robert Elliot and was later known as Laura Lynne Romer Elliot, died in California on 30 Dec 2011: https://www.mylife.com/laura-elliot/e201500303262 (also confirmed by a social media post by her son). Her sister died on 13 Dec 2012 - I can message you the source @Ulitzer95. Michael Butler (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0125064/) - referred to as Michael Grayson of Los Angeles in his father's 1969 obituary. Died in 1976: Name: Michael Grayson Gender: Male Birth Date: 13 May 1918 Birth Place: North Carolina Death Date: 1 Jan 1976 Death Place: Los Angeles

Phil Arthur - another one I suspected to be a stage name, and it appears that is the case. His real name was Philip Arthur Guibord, born on November 30, 1916 (not 1923, as he wrote here: https://www.historyforsale.com/phil-arthur-autograph-resume-signed/dc313018) in Plattsburgh, New York and he died on November 14, 2004 per Social Security Records, buried in Nevada (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161457570/philip-arthur-guibord). Name: Philip Arthur Guibord[Phil Arthur][Philip Guibord] Gender: Male Race: White Birth Date: 30 Nov 1916 Birth Place: Plattsburgh, New York Death Date: 14 Nov 2004 The following clipping from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (26 Aug 1945) stated he attended the College of William and Mary, and graduated in 1940, which seems to have suggested the 1923 DOB was wrong. It also provides some info about his early schooling, which matches with this additional clipping of Philip Guibord attending Rutgers Prep. There are also multiple references to Philip Guibord throughout the 1930s to 1950s in various acting/theatre roles. His football prowess seems to have been overstated a bit however as there doesn't seem to be corroboration that he was a letter winner at W&M.

Shirley Johns - the attached clipping from the Des Moines Register, 30 Mar 1947, pg 30 states that her birth name was Shirley Johnson, daughter of Dean and Margaret Johnson, born on a farm near Ottumwa. That perfectly matches with a Shirley Imogene Joan Johnson, born 3 Mar 1931 (day/month is correct to the IMDB records, but the year is not) in Wapello County, Iowa to Maurice Dean LeRoy and Margaret Alberta (Gardner) Johnson in the Iowa Birth Records. Her mother later remarried and was known as Margaret Gardner Sessions at the time of her death in 1985; her obituary lists her daughter as Shirley J Thompson of San Diego. Not conclusive, but I believe Shirley's most recent residence might be Santa Ysabel, California per public records and is likely still alive. Audrey (Bratty) Strauss - per her father's 1978 obit her later surname was Cox. There's a family tree that gives her YOD as 2016 but I can't find anything further: https://www.myheritage.com/names/audrey_bratty Marilyn Cooper - daughter of Edmond Burdick Cooper (d 1928) and Beulah Williams. Her mother later married Arthur McKillop Gillespie, and Marilyn used the name Marilyn Cooper Gillespie at the time of her marriage in 1948 to Sabu Datstagir. She was last living in Pacific Palisades, CA/Glendale, CA under the name Marilyn C Sabu; likely still alive but inconclusive.

Now, for Wesley Gale, another tough one. He was definitely better known in the 1980s up until the late 1990s as an artist/collector/curator in Los Angeles under the name West Gale (https://7thsonproductions.org/index.php/2018/01/08/west-gale/). A 1992 article states he is 70 years old, so the 1921/1922 DOB is probably right. Full name appears to have been Westley Aubry Gale/Aubry Westley Gale. Cannot seem to pick him up in Social Security Records or any recent public records, so unclear of his current status, though nothing since around the early 2000s (he is known as West A Gale/West Gale in those listings). I'm sure the LA arts community might probably know something further on his status (or perhaps there is a probate record somewhere), but there doesn't seem to be much to be found online, at least.

I think the Lancaster, California one is him, as the spouse matches from that 1961 marriage story.

Some early returns on Jack Rader. It definitely seems that the 1921 DOB is wrong, per his article I uncovered in the Alliance (Nebraska) Times-Herald, his hometown newspaper, Jan 3, 1981. It identifies him as the son of Peary Rader of that same city (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peary_Rader), and a search of Peary's name turns up a link to his fonds, listing Jack as being born in 1939: http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utlsc/00026/00026-P.html. There are also some earlier newspaper hits which associate him with TCU (Texas), which also matches up with where he was married in 1961 to Sandra Lee Duncan. Some of same IMDB credits are also listed in the article. Census records on Ancestry seem to suggest however that 1937 is likely the correct YOB (despite the 1939 listed above), so I think the Jack Lewis Rader you found is probably the correct person. Also attached is his high school yearbook photo.

Sure, I can take a look when I get some time! Usually I've found that in cases like this where there just seems to be nothing out there, some part of the existing info (full name, DOB, birthplace, etc) is off. I'd put a decent wager on Roark's birth name probably being something else, hence the difficulty in tracking him down thus far. The military clue should have helped, but I suppose it could have been inaccurate or he that served under another name. There seems to be some trivia/info out there that he got one of his film roles in 1954 from as his father (apparently a doctor in LA) was a financier of the production, which might have some credibility with that other clue that Robert was a medical student at a time, but again, nothing from that yet. I'd speculate that someone searched his name on Ancestry and just pulled the DOB off that public record listing for IMDB without verifying that it was for the correct person. It could still be correct however, but this is a tough one to find anything definitive, at least yet. Also looked at Michon earlier, and she is another tough one, but it does appear she probably was most recently known by her mother's surname, Unertl. Apparently she was raised by her grandparents, and her mother (also an actress) was married multiple times, one of them being to a Mr. Michon. Unclear whether Patricia would have any living descendants. As for Cate Bauer, Wiki now has that one pretty well sorted out. Public records list her as most recently living in Seattle, with the 1929 DOB.

I've begun to look at Roark and he is an odd one. Los Angeles/Hollywood newspaper clippings state he was "from the East", a "medical student from Chicago", and a member of the 11th Airborne Division in WWII, but I haven't been able to find anything with those clues yet. I'm wondering if "Roark" was a stage name. The 1926 DOB comes from the US Public Records Index under a Robert R Roark living in Beverly Hills to the 1990s, but no connection to that person being an actor, and I haven't yet been able to track that person's origins.

Fairly certain that Dan Jackson emigrated to the United States, was naturalized in Florida and died there in Miami on 18 Nov 2004. Born 2 Dec 1925 in Georgetown, Guyana. There is an Ancestry family tree for this person posted by a granddaughter that includes a photo of that actor, so assuming it is the right person.

I think the following records are for Leonard - though his year of birth seems to be incorrectly listed on the death index. His wife died in 1971, registered in Durham, so he seems to have continued to reside near his hometown. Name: Christopher Leonard Death Age: 62 Birth Date: 11 Jul 1924 Registration Date: Jun 1987 Registration District: Penrith Inferred County: Cumbria Volume: 1 Page: 482

And based off this following clipping from the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, 9 Feb 1946 which suggests a 1932/1931 YOB (rather than 1933) for Jimmy Crane, I am fairly certain that he is James Justin Crane, born 4 Oct 1931 in San Francisco, died 5 Sep 1996, per Social Security Records. The day and month of the IMDB date match as does the birth place, though I can't prove the link conclusively. He is buried in Nevada: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102242043/james-justin-crane.

I believe I have finally solved Rand Harper! Per the clipping attached from The Hopkins County Echo, November 7, 1952, an AP-syndicated section "Stars on the Horizon" identifies Harper as Ronald Harnack of the University of Southern California (as I suspected, a stage name). Further clippings (from LA Times, 19 Oct 1953) identify Harper as being a UCLA student. That also matches this clipping from the Valley Times, October 4, 1952, which states Harnack went to UCLA and was an actor. The photo also perfectly matches this photo of Harper (https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=7473). Furthermore, there are clippings from 1953 stating Harper was in the US Air Force (from 21 May 1953 LA Times). This perfectly matches with Ronald Selden Harnack, born August 7, 1929 (matching Harper's IMDB DOB), died Jan 5, 2016: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157522009/ronald-selden-harnack.

And 2 more: Rian Garrick aka William Kaye: still living in 2014 per his brother's obituary: https://www.timesonline.com/article/20140924/Obituaries/309249932. His father's obituary (attached - from https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=QLZAdv6BrvsC&dat=19821202&printsec=frontpage&hl=en on Dec 2, 1982) confirms that William M. Kaye (aka McKaye) = Rian Garrick (also known in public records as Rian Kaye, William Garrick, etc). Another sister died in 2020 but her obituary doesn't mention her siblings. Also, this appears to be Jerry Holmes: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196671294/gerald-holmes-stalnaker.

Yes - going off the obituary of her father, John Asa Barber (1916-1997), it states his daughter to be "Bonni De Long" of Oregon. The US Public Records Index entry under that name matches the 10 Sep 1938 DOB. Her mother Myrna Belle Plouffe (going off the 1940 census and her birth index listing) seems to have later remarried and was known as Myrna Bowditch at her death the in early 2000s. I wonder if "Barker" is a transcription error. She was first married to a man with the last name "Salven" (per father's obituary in 1960), and then searching the California Marriage Index under that name brings up another marriage to a Julius Krauss in 1963. Public records show her DOB to match the IMBD month and day, but the year given is 1924. Last living in Palos Verdes Estates, CA. Also was curious and started to look at Rand Harper, but that one looks like a tough one. I wonder if it was a stage name.

I got curious and started to look into this one too. He seems to have married Ethel Morris (1922-1973) and had at least one daughter. Per a family tree which just includes Ethel, the daughter died in QLD, Australia... so perhaps he later went there?