People I Was Surprised To Find Are Still Alive

[VSBfromH 74]

Norman Vaughn

 

Last surviving member of Admiral Byrd's 1928-1930 Antarctic expedition.

 

Perhaps not famous enough, but he is planning on climbing his mountain in Antarctica for his 101st birthday.

 

Do I even have to speculate?

He's dead now, I guess that mountain will stay Vaughan free.

 

I wonder if he was anybody's DDP choice.

 

Dr Alf Howard AM

 

"The last surviving member of the 1929-31 British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) has died aged 104 years old."

[wildstorm 295]

How about Pablo Picasso's mate?

 

The 89-year old mothered 2 of Picasso's kids, wrote a book that sold over a million copies, and was the inspiration for some of his work.

 

Didn't think she would still be around.

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

Discussion on the radio tonight about playwright N F Simpson, well into his 92nd year, unquestionably obit-worthy and currently being performed in London.

[Spade_Cooley 9,022]

Kinda assumed Bunny Yeager, the pin-up model most famous for being Bettie Page's main photographer, would be close to death by now but a) she's only 80 and the internet appears to be utterly devoid of information about what she's doing now, or indeed since 1965.

[Handrejka 1,840]

I was so convinced that Zizi Jeanmarie was dead that I didn't even bother to check she was still alive when thinking of people for my CPDP theme team. Not only is she still alive but her husband is too.

[welshman 30]

I was surprised to find that Kenneth Kendall was still alive

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

I was surprised to find that Kenneth Kendall was still alive

 

 

The running joke for a while being that he looked like an older Ken Doll (as in Barbie's boyfriend).

 

So, he jobbed as an actor, 'discovered' John Inman and his 'personal life' mentions his art gallery but no family. Is this guy one of the great stately homos of olde England?

[Handrejka 1,840]

I was surprised to find that Kenneth Kendall was still alive

 

 

The running joke for a while being that he looked like an older Ken Doll (as in Barbie's boyfriend).

 

So, he jobbed as an actor, 'discovered' John Inman and his 'personal life' mentions his art gallery but no family. Is this guy one of the great stately homos of olde England?

 

 

Yes. I'm sure Vinegar Tits or someone outed him on here, but here's an article which mentions a male partner.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...s-sunshine.html

[Handrejka 1,840]

Somebody else I've just found out is still alive is the ornithologist Tony Soper. I enjoyed his prgrammes as a kid and assumed he must have died as he seemed to just disappear from TV.

 

I also thought Angus Lennie was long dead too but it seems I'm wrong.

[Spade_Cooley 9,022]

Off the back of this week's Mad Men SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER, Stan Freberg. Him and Tom Lehrer are still alive while Allen Sherman's been dead 40 years. That's gotta be a pisser for him.

[Handrejka 1,840]

Someone I'm pleased and a little surprised to discover is still alive is S A Wakefield, the Australian author of "Bottersnikes and Gumbles" which was my favourite book as a child. I don't know much about him other that he was born in 1927, so not much use to you, but I had to tell someone.

 

 

Sadly according to Wiki it seem Mr Wakefield died in August last year and didn't even get an Australian obituary. Bastards.

[Handrejka 1,840]

Illustrator Pauline Baynes who worked with C S Lewis and J R Tolkein, alive and obit worthy

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Baynes

 

Not anymore

 

Good job I didn't say alive and well then eh?

 

Karl Peglau, the chap who designed the Ampelmaenner is still going.

 

http://www.ampelmann.de/html/karl_peglau_english.html

 

Died last year

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Peglau

[philheybrookbay 439]

Richard Adams he of Watership Down is still going at 90 years.

 

Still one of the most depressing reads of my childhood.

[Magere Hein 1,397]

Richard Adams he of Watership Down is still going at 90 years.

 

Still one of the most depressing reads of my childhood.

Watership Down wasn't bad, but a long read. I tried some of his other books, I couldn't finish them. A much overrated writer.

 

regards,

Hein

[Canadian Paul 93]

For the lazy among us, and in case it vanishes ...

 

1901 - Eric Clavering

1904 - Doris Eaton-Travis

1905 - Carl Esmond, Charles Lane and Lilian Oldland

1906 - Barbara Kent

1907 - Leon Askin, Norah Baring, Dorothy Boyd, Anne Grey, Emily Perry and Renee St Cyr

1908 - Eddie Albert, Dorothy Bartlam, Sir John Mills and Ford Rainey

1909 - Marguerite Allan, Bruce Bennett, Victoria Hopper, Luise Rainer, Gloria Stuart and Carla Laemmle

1910 - Constance Cummings, Griffith Jones, Marc Lawrence, Al Lewis, Artie Shaw, Simone Simon, Anita Page, Mary Jackson, Edmundo Ros and Geoffrey Toone

 

Perry turned 100 the other day. Maybe this thread can be merged somewhere else, but I figured it might be the best place to mention it.

 

By the way, that post was almost three years ago and, out of all of them, Eaton-Travis, Lane, Kent, Perry, Bartlam (at least according to IMDb), Allan (ditto), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ros are still alive.

 

Claverling, Oldland, Baring, Boyd, and Grey were already dead at the time of the discussion too.

 

I just happened to be thinking about this and it happens to be exactly one year since my last update (barring the leap year) so, out of all of them, Eaton-Travis, Kent, Bartlam (apparentely she was alive at least as recently as March 2007), Allan (same caveat as last time), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ross are still alive - we only lost Lane and Perry over the year, perhaps a good survival rate given their ages.

 

One year later and there were even fewer casualties: in fact, only one: Anita Page.

 

A bit late, but it doesn't matter - same story as above: only Eaton Travis died within the year, although I heard rumours that Bartlam is gone now as well.

 

That leaves Kent, Bartlam (maybe), Allan (maybe again), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ros. Not bad considering they'll all be 100+ by the end of the year.

[Ulitzer95 11,085]

For the lazy among us, and in case it vanishes ...

 

1901 - Eric Clavering

1904 - Doris Eaton-Travis

1905 - Carl Esmond, Charles Lane and Lilian Oldland

1906 - Barbara Kent

1907 - Leon Askin, Norah Baring, Dorothy Boyd, Anne Grey, Emily Perry and Renee St Cyr

1908 - Eddie Albert, Dorothy Bartlam, Sir John Mills and Ford Rainey

1909 - Marguerite Allan, Bruce Bennett, Victoria Hopper, Luise Rainer, Gloria Stuart and Carla Laemmle

1910 - Constance Cummings, Griffith Jones, Marc Lawrence, Al Lewis, Artie Shaw, Simone Simon, Anita Page, Mary Jackson, Edmundo Ros and Geoffrey Toone

 

Perry turned 100 the other day. Maybe this thread can be merged somewhere else, but I figured it might be the best place to mention it.

 

By the way, that post was almost three years ago and, out of all of them, Eaton-Travis, Lane, Kent, Perry, Bartlam (at least according to IMDb), Allan (ditto), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ros are still alive.

 

Claverling, Oldland, Baring, Boyd, and Grey were already dead at the time of the discussion too.

 

I just happened to be thinking about this and it happens to be exactly one year since my last update (barring the leap year) so, out of all of them, Eaton-Travis, Kent, Bartlam (apparentely she was alive at least as recently as March 2007), Allan (same caveat as last time), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ross are still alive - we only lost Lane and Perry over the year, perhaps a good survival rate given their ages.

 

One year later and there were even fewer casualties: in fact, only one: Anita Page.

 

A bit late, but it doesn't matter - same story as above: only Eaton Travis died within the year, although I heard rumours that Bartlam is gone now as well.

 

That leaves Kent, Bartlam (maybe), Allan (maybe again), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ros. Not bad considering they'll all be 100+ by the end of the year.

 

Page died in 2008

[Memento Mori 12]

Olivia De Haviland- I thought she was long dead.

[Canadian Paul 93]

For the lazy among us, and in case it vanishes ...

 

1901 - Eric Clavering

1904 - Doris Eaton-Travis

1905 - Carl Esmond, Charles Lane and Lilian Oldland

1906 - Barbara Kent

1907 - Leon Askin, Norah Baring, Dorothy Boyd, Anne Grey, Emily Perry and Renee St Cyr

1908 - Eddie Albert, Dorothy Bartlam, Sir John Mills and Ford Rainey

1909 - Marguerite Allan, Bruce Bennett, Victoria Hopper, Luise Rainer, Gloria Stuart and Carla Laemmle

1910 - Constance Cummings, Griffith Jones, Marc Lawrence, Al Lewis, Artie Shaw, Simone Simon, Anita Page, Mary Jackson, Edmundo Ros and Geoffrey Toone

 

Perry turned 100 the other day. Maybe this thread can be merged somewhere else, but I figured it might be the best place to mention it.

 

By the way, that post was almost three years ago and, out of all of them, Eaton-Travis, Lane, Kent, Perry, Bartlam (at least according to IMDb), Allan (ditto), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ros are still alive.

 

Claverling, Oldland, Baring, Boyd, and Grey were already dead at the time of the discussion too.

 

I just happened to be thinking about this and it happens to be exactly one year since my last update (barring the leap year) so, out of all of them, Eaton-Travis, Kent, Bartlam (apparentely she was alive at least as recently as March 2007), Allan (same caveat as last time), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ross are still alive - we only lost Lane and Perry over the year, perhaps a good survival rate given their ages.

 

One year later and there were even fewer casualties: in fact, only one: Anita Page.

 

A bit late, but it doesn't matter - same story as above: only Eaton Travis died within the year, although I heard rumours that Bartlam is gone now as well.

 

That leaves Kent, Bartlam (maybe), Allan (maybe again), Rainer, Stuart, Laemmle, Page, and Ros. Not bad considering they'll all be 100+ by the end of the year.

 

Page died in 2008

 

That'll teach me to copy and paste... particularly as the post I quote was exactly to that effect.

[Whitehouse 821]

Olivia De Haviland- I thought she was long dead.

 

Last surviving main character actor of "Gone With The Wind" (Melanie), 94-years old. And no, that's not a stage name, she was given that name at birth.

 

Her sister Joan Fontaine, also a major actress is 92-years old. Now that is a stage name. Her mother would not let her use the De Havilland name. Her real name is Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland.

[Memento Mori 12]

Olivia De Haviland- I thought she was long dead.

 

Last surviving main character actor of "Gone With The Wind" (Melanie), 94-years old. And no, that's not a stage name, she was given that name at birth.

 

Her sister Joan Fontaine, also a major actress is 92-years old. Now that is a stage name. Her mother would not let her use the De Havilland name. Her real name is Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland.

I knew they were sisters, but I was sure that both of them had snuffed it years ago..

[Memento Mori 12]

I was really surprised to discover today that Hollywood actress, Jane Russell is still in the land of the living.

[Rotten Ali 599]

I was really surprised to discover today that Hollywood actress, Jane Russell is still in the land of the living.

 

Was'nt it Jane Russell who was on BBC's "the one show" about 3 months ago? - and I'm sure she looked very well.

[Memento Mori 12]

I was really surprised to discover today that Hollywood actress, Jane Russell is still in the land of the living.

 

Was'nt it Jane Russell who was on BBC's "the one show" about 3 months ago? - and I'm sure she looked very well.

Was she? Obviously, I didn't see it. I looked her up today, because of a conversation I had with my mum, who was certain that Russell and Eleanor Parker were both dead. She was wrong on both counts.

[Handrejka 1,840]

Was just watching the Tales of the Unexpected episode The Flypaper (unnerved me as a kid and is still pretty creepy). Was surprised that Alfred Burke is still alive.

[Whitehouse 821]

I'm watching the history of Horror on BBC4 (Yes, even here in the Netherlands we have it if you're willing to pay for it) and inthere was an interview with Carla Laemmle. She was mentioned on page one of this very thread in 2004. Six years later she, as the last surviving castmember of Phantom of the opera (1925) and Dracula the vampire (1931) is still around at the ripe old age of 101!! Surely she deserves a spot in the 2011 list.

 

Edit:

I almost fell for the Gloria Stewart trap, who is also featured in this documentary. But she died this September.