“Wolf Man” opens in theaters on Friday, Jan. 17. Premise: Blake (Christopher Abbott) relocates to Oregon when he inherits the farmhouse he grew up in. He is accompanied by his wife, Charlotte (JULIA GARNER, 30) and their young daughter. One night, a werewolf claws Blake’s arm and pretty soon Blake begins turning into a horrifying creature who might attack his wife and child.
Garner’s mother, TAMAR GINGOLD, was born and raised in Israel, where she acted and did comedy. She moved to the States and became a therapist. Julia’s father, who isn’t Jewish, is a painter and art teacher. Garner identifies as Jewish, but isn’t religious. She won three Emmys for her performances on “Ozark,” a Netflix series.
Fun fact: the original, 1941 “Wolf Man” movie was written by CURT SIDOMAK (1902-2000,) a German Jew who ran from the Nazis. He invented many Wolfman legends, including werewolves being marked with a pentagram and that the only things that could kill a wearwolf are a silver dagger or silver bullets.
I’ve reviewed articles and videos about the deaths, in 2024, of famous persons. The Jewish Telegraph Agency had a recent article listing 18 well-known Jews who died last year.
I’ve written a celeb column for a long time. Because of this column, I knew every person on the “showbiz” list below to be Jewish before they died.
I give, below, just enough bio for you to know who they were and, if you wish, look for more detailed biographies online. Their age at the time of their death is noted.
Next week, something happy: a list of Jewish celebs who are 83 (and older) and are still with us. Plus, another update of an article I wrote in 2023 about living WWII vets who became famous after the war.
ANOUK AIMEE, French actress, 92. “A Man and a Woman;” CASS WARNER, 76. Her father was HARRY WARNER, a founder of Warner Brothers, and she was the mother of actor COLE HAUSER. She’s best known for directing “The Brothers Warner,” a very good documentary now on HBO/Max; ROBERT TOWNE, 89, Oscar-winning screenwriter (“Chinatown,” and many other good-to-great films); RICHARD SHERMAN, age 95; with his late brother, ROBERT, he wrote the songs for the “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang” films; RICHARD LEWIS, 76. Comedian and actor; JULIE ROBINSON BELAFONTE, 95, actress/dancer, married to Harry Belafonte from 1957-2004. They were a prominent Civil Rights duo; STEVE LAWRENCE, 88, actor/singer. His wife, the late EYDIE GORME, was his singing partner; Linda Lavin, 87, actress most famous as the star of “Alice,” a hit TV show; ALAN RACHINS, actor, 82, “L.A. Law” and “Dharma and Greg.” Dr. RUTH WESTHEIMER, 96, famous TV and radio relationship expert; CHARLES SHYER, 83, director and screenwriter. He had several big hits when he was married to co-screenwriter NANCY MEYERS (“Private Benjamin,” “Baby Boom,” and others); and JIM ABRAHAMS, 80. He’s best known as the director and co-writer of the “Airplane!” and the “Hot Shots!” comedy films.
In some ways, the following item is another item about the death of a celebrity. ROD SERLING, who is best remembered as the creator and writer of “The Twilight Zone” TV show, was born on Dec. 25 (Christmas day) in 1924. A hundred years ago. He died in 1975, 50 years and a few months old. It is astonishing how much he accomplished in his relatively short life. Before “Twilight Zone,” he wrote two acclaimed plays for TV which were eventually re-made as feature films. (“Patterns,” 1955; about corporate infighting, and “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1956,) about a washed-up boxer).
“The Twilight Zone,” a CBS series, ran from 1959-1964. It was a mélange of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Serling wrote 94 of the 156 episodes. He used these genres to often obliquely comment on important social issues, like racism.
Despite this camouflage, he had to battle with sponsors and CBS executives who wanted scripts that didn’t upset anyone. More often than not, he won.
Serling grew up in Binghamton, New York. His father was a grocer, and, after the Depression hit, he re-made himself as a butcher. His parents were very Reform Jews, who celebrated a secular Christmas.
He was a very creative child, always doing things related to entertainment. He was only 5’4”, but he always seemed taller. He was certainly handsome. Perhaps his small stature led him to become a good amateur boxer. Sadly, this column is not long enough for me to relay the whole Serling story. Next week, I’ll cover his heroic army service in WWII, his marriage, his most Jewish TV episode, and the recent (Sept. 2024) unveiling of an impressive statue of Serling in Binghamton.