Estelle Getty: 1923-2008

Very sad news today: Estelle Getty, beloved star of The Golden Girls, passed away this morning at the age of 84.

Getty won an Emmy (out of seven nominations) and a Golden Globe for her indelible portrayal of the feisty Sophia Petrillo on the classic sitcom. Her character was so popular, she made guest appearances in the role on Blossom and Nurses and co-starred in the Girls spin-offs The Golden Palace and Empty Nest.

Outside of television, she originated the role of Arnold Beckoff's "ma" in Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy on stage and also appeared in the movies Mask, Mannequin, Stuart Little and the infamous Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.

Rue McClanahan paid tribute to Getty in a statement released this afternoon: "Estelle always wanted to be an actress and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams. Don't feel sad about her passing, she will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia."

Evelyn Keyes: 1916-2008

Evelyn Keyes, best known for playing Suellen O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, passed away July 4 at the age of 91.

Other notable films include Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Jolson Story and The Seven Year Itch, but her off-screen life often overshadowed her career. She was married to directors Charles Vidor, John Huston and bandleader Artie Shaw, and was living with producer Mike Todd during the making of Around the World in 80 Days, in which she had a cameo.

Her 1977 autobiography is titled Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister : My Lively Life in and Out of Hollywood.

Dody Goodman: 1915-2008

Dody Goodman, the beloved character actress known for her daffy performances on stage, screen and television, passed away yesterday at the age of 93.

Goodman began her career on Broadway, finding fame for her dancing in the original productions of Call Me Madam and Wonderful Town. Jack Paar called, and she became a regular fixture on his Tonight Show, which led to an Emmy nomination and a string of television appearances on game shows and other talk shows.

She is best remembered for playing the mother of the title character in the TV soap satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and the bubble-headed Blanche, secretary to Eve Arden's high school principal, in the movie Grease and its sequel. In the 90's Broadway revival of Grease, she played Miss Lynch for a time, and was also a long-standing member of the Little Sisters of Hoboken of Nunsense fame.

George Carlin: 1937-2008

George Carlin, the Grammy Award-winning comedian who taught the world the "Seven Things You Can't Say on Television", died yesterday at the age of 71.

In addition to his prolific stand up career, Carlin gave memorable performances in such films as Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (and its sequel), The Prince of Tides (as Nick Nolte's gay neighbor), Dogma and Jersey Girl. He also voiced characters in Tarzan II, Cars and Happily N'Ever After.

Cyd Charisse: 1921-2008

Cyd Charisse, the elegant dance legend and beautiful movie star, passed away earlier today at the age of 86.

As a teenager, Charisse was a member of the famed Ballet Russe, but it was the silver screen where she found her lasting fame, dancing with Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain and Brigadoon and Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon and Silk Stockings (receiving a Golden Globe nomination for the latter). Other movie musical classics she starred in include The Harvey Girls, Ziegfeld Follies, Till the Clouds Roll By and It's Always Fair Weather.

In later years, she made several television appearances (including The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and Frasier) and performed with her husband, singer Tony Martin, in nightclub revues. She also starred on Broadway in the musical version of Grand Hotel. Her final film appearance was as a co-host of That's Entertainment III, a fitting tribute to her thoroughly entertaining life on film.

UPDATE: Turner Classic Movies will pay tribute to Cyd Charisse with screenings of Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon and Silk Stockings on Friday night, beginning at 8:00 PM EST.

Stan Winston: 1946-2008

Stan Winston, the Academy Award winning special effects artist and makeup designer, died yesterday at the age of 62.

Winston won four Oscars for his work on the blockbuster hits Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park. He also received Academy nominations for Heartbeeps, Predator, Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.

His first film was the classic TV movie Gargoyles. Other notable credits include The Wiz, The Thing, Starman, Interview with a Vampire, Galaxy Quest, Big Fish and the recent Iron Man. He also directed the creature feature Pumpkinhead and the Terminator 2 3-D movie for Universal Studios theme parks worldwide.

Mel Ferrer: 1917-2008

Mel Ferrer, star of such films as Lili, War and Peace and The Sun Also Rises, died Monday at the age of 90.

In addition to his many onscreen roles, Ferrer was also a director and producer (such as the classic thriller Wait Until Dark, starring his then wife Audrey Hepburn); later in his career, he made several appearances on television, including three seasons on the primetime soap Falcon Crest.

Harvey Korman: 1927-2008

Harvey Korman, Emmy Award winning star of film and television, passed away yesterday at the age of 81.

Korman is best known for his work on the long-running comedy classic The Carol Burnett Show, for which he won four Emmys and a Golden Globe. Other memorable TV appearances include voicing the Great Gazoo on The Flintstones and playing several characters in the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978.

Film roles include the Mel Brooks' comedies Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World: Part 1 and Dracula: Dead and Loving It, plus three Pink Panther movies and the family favorites Huckleberry Finn and Herbie Goes Bananas.

Sydney Pollack: 1934-2008

Sydney Pollack, Academy Award-winning director, producer and actor, died Monday at the age of 73.

A filmmaker known for his skill with actors, Pollack not surprisingly started his career as an actor and was also well known for his many character parts in recent years, from Will and Grace (wherein he played Will's philandering father) to his most recent production, Michael Clayton. But it was directing that brought him his biggest acclaim; he helmed such classics as They Shoot Horses, Don't They?; Jeremiah Johnson; The Way We Were; Three Days of the Condor; Absence of Malice; Tootsie and Out of Africa, which earned him his two Oscars, as both director and producer.

As producer, he also brought us such films as The Fabulous Baker Boys, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Sense and Sensibility, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Iris, The Quiet American, Cold Mountain and the recent Leatherheads, among many others. Onscreen, he had memorable turns in his own films (most memorably in Tootsie, as Dustin Hoffman's exasperated agent) and those of others, including Robert Altman's The Player, Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives and Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. His last screen appearance was in this spring's Made of Honor.

Dick Martin: 1922-2008

Dick Martin, the Emmy Award-winning television comic who was one half of the team that brought us Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, passed away Saturday at the age of 86.

Although he is best known for Laugh-In, the groundbreaking, swinging 60's comedy/variety show classic he created with Dan Rowan that proved to be a breeding ground of new stars (Ruth Buzzi, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Lily Tomlin, Jo Anne Worley) and popular catchphrases ("Sock it to me!", "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall's", "You bet your sweet bippy"), Martin was also a frequent guest star on game shows and other variety series and a prolific television director, including The Bob Newhart Show and Showtime's early gay-themed sitcom, Brothers.

John Phillip Law: 1937-2008

John Phillip Law, best known for playing an angel opposite Jane Fonda in the camp classic Barbarella, passed away earlier this week at the age of 70.

He initially gained fame (and a Golden Globe Award nomination) for his role as a love struck Russian sailor in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.

Other notable films include Hurry Sundown, Danger: Diabolik, Skidoo, The Hawaiians, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Tarzan the Ape Man and The Sergeant, wherein he played the object of Rod Steiger's obsession.

Ollie Johnston: 1912-2008

Ollie Johnston, the last of Walt Disney's celebrated animators known as the "Nine Old Men", passed away yesterday at the age of 95.

To say that Johnston was one of the giants of character animation is an understatement; he, along with his contemporaries at Disney (including his lifelong friend and collaborator Frank Thomas), practically invented it. While he himself was never seen onscreen, his performances as everyone from Pinocchio to Thumper are some of the greatest ever seen on film, still inspiring artists today (including Brad Bird, who honored Frank and Ollie with toon cameos in his films The Iron Giant and The Incredibles). Of the many memorable movie moments Johnston created, highlights include Baloo singing "The Bare Necessities" in The Jungle Book and the dancing penguins in Mary Poppins.

After retiring in 1978, Frank and Ollie wrote four books on animation, including the tome many consider the definitive word on the art form, Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. The duo was also the subject of the documentary titled, naturally, Frank and Ollie.