José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre, March 11, 1922 – Nov. 2, 2009, popular Spanish actor who often worked with director Antonio Mercero , has died. He was 87.

Vázquez and Mercero , together gained considerable fame with the 1972 Emmy award winning short horror “La Cabina” or, in English, “The Telephone Box.” The 35-minute film was co-written by Mercerno and Jose Luis Garci and Vazquez played the leading role as a man that becomes trapped in a telephone booth. Onlookers seem unable to help him. A truck from the telephone company arrives, loads the booth with its trapped occupant onto a truck, and takes it away. When the truck arrives at its destination, the horrified man finds that he has been taken into a large room filled with phone booths, all containing a dead person. The final scenes show the phone company delivering a freshly cleaned and empty phone booth back to the street to await another victim.

“La Cabina” earned Vázquez a Fotogramas de Plata Award for Best TV Performer, and a Premio ACE Award for Best TV Actor. The short also won an International Emmy for Fiction and a Premio ACE for Best TV Scenic Program.

José Luis López Vázquez had a prolific film career starring in more than 200 movies and earning a total of twenty separate awards. His body of work began at the age of 17 and lasted through 2006 in his last production with director Mercero, the movie called “¿Y tú quién eres?”

Alex de la Iglesia, the President de la Academia de Cine stated, "Se va uno de los actores más grandes, una de las patas de la mesa del gran cine español junto con Fernando Fernán Gómez y Pepe Isbert." The quote meaning Vázquez was one the biggest actors and considered a foundation of Spanish film right along with greats such as Fernando Fernán Gómez and Pepe Isbert.

Michelle Triola, Nov. 13, 1933 – Oct. 30, 2009, nightclub singer and minor role actress who fought for palimony against Lee Marvin, has died in Malibu after fighting lung cancer for the last 18 months. She was 75.

She made history in 1976 when the California Supreme Court ruled that she (and others) could sue for property division when a relationship ended. And that is exactly what she did. Three years after the ruling Michelle Triola who changed her last name to Marvin, sued Lee Marvin for half of his 3.6 million dollar estate. She was only awarded $104,000 for what the judge called “rehabilitative purposes.” Appeals court blocked her from collecting the sum but the term “palimony” was coined becoming a dictionary entry as a result of combining the words “pals” and “alimony.” Lawsuits involving numerous other celebrities and their former cohabiting lovers soon followed.

Michelle Triola met Dick Van Dyke in the 1970s springing up a romance in 1976. Though they never married, they lived together for thirty years.

Besides Van Dyke, Marvin is survived by her sister, Diane Triola Johnson of Los Angeles; a niece and a nephew.

Anton Turner, expedition guide for a BBC children’s program, has been killed in Tanzania by a charging elephant. He was 38.

“Serious Explorers: Livingstone” was supposed to be an 11-part series executive produced by Gillian Scothern and due to air on CBBC in 2010. The show retraces the footsteps of the great 19th century explorer David Livingstone by following eight young adventurers as they journey through the heart of Africa, on a month-long adventure of a lifetime, living together, and learning from each other. Turner, who was assisting the show with the filming was escorting the television crew through a remote mountainous region of the African country in a non-elephant area when he was charged.

A spokeswoman for CBBC Serious Explorers said former the Army officer was an experienced expedition safari and wildlife ranger who had worked with the BBC in the past.

“We understand at this stage that he was charged by an elephant and was mortally injured." The spokeswoman also explained that a doctor was travelling with the expedition and treated Mr. Turner, a British citizen, at the scene but it was understood he died shortly after the incident. Of the three children that were with the filming party at the time of the accident, she said that all were safe.

"Their safety remains a priority, and all the children have been airlifted from the area. We are also consulting their parents and production of the program has ceased. Four other children who were also in Tanzania in connection with the program will also return home.” She also said, “We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to Anton's family and friends."

Turner’s best friend Ryan Wienand, who co-founded the wildlife reserve with him in Tanzania, described Turner as, “an incredible person, who took conservation to the fore and put people first. He really looked after the community and had a passion for Africa.”

Wienand described Turner’s experience with elephants, explaining, “Anton was the most experienced person I have ever known when it comes to elephants, he had an expert knowledge of their behavior. So for him to die in this way is a complete freak event. He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him."

Anton Turner leaves behind his fiancée, who is pregnant with their first child.

August Coppola, Feb. 16, 1934 – Oct. 27, 2009, flamboyant literature professor who was the father of actor Nicolas Cage and brother of Francis Ford Coppola, has died after suffering a heart attack. He was 75.

Coppola taught comparative literature at Cal State Long Beach throughout the 1960s and '70s and served as a trustee of the California State University system until he moved to San Francisco State in 1984. There, he became the dean of the School of Creative Arts where he also taught cinema until 1992.

Nicolas Cage described his father in a 1996 interview with Playboy Magazine saying, "He was one of the most remarkable characters anybody's going to meet…When I was a kid, the other kids were seeing Disney, and he was showing us movies like Fellini's 'Juliet of the Spirits.' This was before video, so he would take us to the art-house cinemas. I saw 'Citizen Kane,' and that's when I discovered Max Schreck and Nosferatu and Dr. Caligari, which gave me nightmares."

Francis Coppola, director of "The Godfather" trilogy and "Apocalypse Now" described his brother as someone who “always looked out for me.” In an interview with the cinema journal Film Comment, he said, "…in addition, he did very well in school and received many awards for writing and other things, and he was like the star of the family and I did most of what I did to imitate him."

August Coppola is survived by his brother, a sister, Talia Shire; three sons, Christopher Coppola, Marc Coppola and Nicolas Cage; six grandchildren and his companion, Lorrie Tennant.

Adoor Bhavani, 1927 – Oct. 25, 2009, Indian actress whose roles spanned mother, sister, grandmother and mother-in-law, has passed away at her son’s home. She had been in deteriorating health after being bedridden due to a broken bone injury suffered a year ago. She was 82.

She acted in more than 500 Films

Yes, now we know why Adoor Bhavani was known as the ‘Grand Old Lady of the Malayalam Silver Screen.’ Few actors or actresses can brag on such an impressive volume of work. She stopped acting only six years ago, at the age of 76, after falling ill. Her last film was `Oru CBI diary kurippu.’

Adoor Bhavani’s best-known appearance was in the national award winning film “Chemmeen” along with `Kadalpaalam’, `Kalli Chellamma’, `Anubhavangal Paalichakal’ and Vazhveymayom.’

In 1969, she won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supporting actress. She was also awarded the Chalachithra Saparya Lifetime Achievement award in 2002. In 2008, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy honoured Adoor Bhavani and her sister, also an actress, for their overall contributions to theatre and drama.

She is predeceased by her husband, Janardhanan Nair, who passed away in 1997. She is survived by a son, Rajeevkumar.

Gerhard Knoop, Nov. 3, 1920 – Oct. 25, 2009, Norwegian actor turned stage director and producer, has died. He was 88.

Gerhard Knoop first gained employment in the entertainment industry in 1949 working as an actor at the Rogaland Theater. It wasn’t long, however, before he turned to stage production, producing regularly throughout the 1950s and 60s. In 1964, he landed the position as head of the Norwegian National Academy of Theaters holding that role until 1970.

Among his productions were adaptations of Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot” and a comedy titled “Uncle Vanya.” He also produced numerous plays for one of Norway’s most famous playwrights, Henrik Johan Ibsen.  They included “Hedda Gabler” which was produced for the Pitlochry Festival Theater in Scotland in 1963, “Rosmershom,” “Ghosts,” and “The Wild Duck.”

Chittaranjan Kolhatkar, Jan. 14, 1923 – Oct. 25, 2009, Indian film and theater actor, died at Pune’s Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital of a heart attack. He had been admitted to the hospital since Oct. 13 after he fell during his evening walk. He was 86.

He was the son of eminent actor, Chintamanrao Kolhatkar. But earned his own fame when he appeared in “Ekach Pyala,” in which he proved his acting skills, making popular the characters of Sudhakar' and Taliram'.

All told, Kolhatkar’s career spanned six decades and he appeared in over 100 films. He was an integral part of the several critically acclaimed Marathi productions including “Oshala Mrutyu” “Ashroonchi Zhali Phule”, and “Vishavrukshachi Chhaya.” His most recent release was “Agnidivya” earlier this year where he played the role of Swamiji'. Another of his Marathi films, “Kas” is due for release soon.

Chittaranjan Kolhatkar is survived by wife Vidula, son Anand and daughters Tara, Ujjwal and Varsha.

Yasuo Iwata , Jan. 19, 1942 – Oct. 24, 2009, voice actor in one of Japan’s most watched TV anime series, has died of lung cancer. He was 67.

He was best known for playing the next-door neighbor, Nanbutsu Isasaka, in the long-running anime series “Sazae-san So” a part he held since 2002. Iwata was the third person to have voiced the romance novelist character who lived in the next house from the main family in which the comic centers around. “Sazae-san So” first appeared in the local papers in 1946 as a comic strip making it one of the oldest comics and animations in Japan and known to almost everyone there, young or old.

Linda Day, Nov. 25, 1938 – Oct. 23, 2009, one of the few woman TV directors of the 1980s, has died in Georgetown, Texas after battling leukemia and breast cancer. She was 71

She worked on more than 350 episodes and 50 different series. Her shows read like a TV Guide listing and include the long running series “Dallas,” “Married…With Children,” “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “Kate & Allie,” “Mad About You,” Who’s the Boss?” “Clueless,” “Baby Talk,” “The Nanny,” “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” and more. MUCH MORE.

So, how did Linda Day break through the men’s club of Hollywood to achieve such a stellar and long-lasting career? She did receive an Emmy nomination for her work on “Archie Bunker’s Place” and she was honored by the DGA for paving the way for women in television. But…in checking with IMBD, there is hardly any information about Linda Day. There isn’t even a photo and I haven’t found any photos of her on any of the other (few as there is) obituaries.

So how can this be? How can a television director with such an outstanding listing of achievements over such a long period of time have so little, shall we say PR? Men directors with much less of a career have their faces and names plastered everywhere. The discrepancy isn’t just in television either. Take Jane Campion for example. She is just one of three women to be nominated for Best Director. Are you asking who Jane Campion is? She directed “The Piano” for which she did win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1994 and she was nominated for Best Director. But no woman has ever succeeded in winning that coveted "Best Director" title.

According to an interview with Jane Campion by Missy Schwartz, Campion talks about why more women aren’t directing:

“Well, it’s about time [the Academy] gave one of them the best director! I’ve thought about it and I’ve thought about it and this is the best way I can explain it. I think we have to come to accept that this is a man’s world. Every anecdotal piece of evidence leads us to think about that and see it that way, especially in the arts. I’m not moaning or complaining, cause I love being a woman. But it’s a bit like Father Christmas. When you grow up, it’s all equal-equal, girls and boys. You go to film school — still equal number of boys and girls, and the girls do very well. But as soon as they graduate, it’s like, ‘Okay, and by the way, Father Christmas doesn’t exist! [laughs] That equality you enjoyed? It’s over — it’s over.’ It’s not even spoken, but that’s what you come to realize because you hit the boys’ club. And it’s impenetrable.”

Linda did the impossible. She did break through. And she had a long and glorious career.

Guido Zurli, Jan. 9, 1929 – Oct. 23, 2009, director of spaghetti westerns, horror flicks, porn, operas, documentaries and television series, has passed away at the age of 80.

Guido Zurli was a prolific director of Italian b-movies with a career that went on for more than 50 years. In 1973, he went to Turkey with Alan Steel and filmed “Kucuk Kovboy” a spaghetti western. It was this film and other numerous works in Turkey that gave rise to Zurli’s popularity within the Islamic world

Zurli would go on to direct a series of thrillers and crime movie co-productions between Italy and Turkey such as “Little Eye-Witness” in 1972, “Face of a Thief” in 1977 and “Target” in 1979. But his most well-known film would have to be “The Mad Butcher,” which was picked up for US distribution by Harry H. Novak. It was Novak who came up with the title - the original English title was “Meat is Meat,” a title that was still used for the DVD.

One film critic described ‘Butcher’ this way:

Zurli has managed to create a small gem that is clearly in bad taste but ultimately rather harmless and fun. The text at the end of the film reads “Buono appetit” and is a perfect illustration of the spirit in which the film is made.