Andrew Wright - 1961-2012

Australian filmmaker Andrew Wright has been killed in a helicopter crash. Wright was filming a documentary about Papua New Guinea when the helicopter he was piloting crashed near Nowra, south of Sydney, killing both himself and fellow filmmaker Mike DeGruy. Mr Wright wrote and produced the James Cameron-backed film Sanctum, which was released last year and became the most successful Aussie film of 2011. Mr Wright assisted Cameron in the filming of his many dive-based documentaries, including Ghosts of The Abyss and Aliens of The Deep. Wright was also heavily involved in the the development of the 3D technology used by Cameron in Avatar, and was recently announced as the director new Aussie-based, James Cameron-funded production house Cameron Pace.

More on the tragic accident which killed both Mr Wright and Mr DeGruy can be found here.

Andrew Wright was 52.

Zalman King - 1942-2012

One of my childhood heroes, Zalman King, has passed away. Mr King was a director/producer who gave us such memorable classics as Two Moon Junction and the Kim Basinger flick 9½ Weeks. The majority of his work was generally soft erotica (and as a young lad, this was, of course, essential viewing), and many a furtive screening of Two Moon Junction (starring hottie Sherilyn Fenn and Richard Tyson) gave me a reason to …. ahem… love cinema. The Mickey Rourke/Carre Otis flick Wild Orchid, which was initially rated X in the US due to some graphic sex scenes (it was trimmed to bring it down to an R rating, because at the time the NC17 rating had not been created) was a bomb, although the controversy surrounding the steamy on-set affair between the two leads led to it being a mild success.

Mickey Rourke would go on to appear alongside Kim Basinger in the steamy erotic drama, 9½ Weeks, with King producing the film over director Adrian Lyne. This film was a commercial success, and remains King’s most popular work.

Mr King passed away from cancer on February 3rd, aged 69.

Ben Gazzara - 1930-2012

Emmy-winning US actor Ben Gazzara has passed away. Mr Gazzara made a name for himself initially on stage, in the Broadway production of Cat On A Hit Tin Roof, and while he went for the role of Brick in the film version, he lost out to Paul Newman. Gazzara would make a number of film and television appearances in his near-60 year career, including Husbands (with John Cassavettes), They All Laughed (for Peter Bogdanovich), Road House (alongside the white-hot Patrick Swayze), The Bridge At Ramagen (with Robert Vaughn), The Big Lebowski, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Capone, The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie, Dogville (for Lars von Trier) and 13 (2010).

In 1999 Mr Gazzara was diagnosed with throat cancer, and passed away on February 3rd from pancreatic cancer.

Ian Abercrombie - 1934-2012

Just wanted to touch base this afternoon with some sad news I learned – British actor Ian Abercrombie has passed away. Mr Abercrombie was well known in the film industry for playing roles in productions as diverse as Addams Family Values, Firestarter, Army Of Darkness (as Wiseman), The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Mousehunt and lastly, Rango (as the voice of Ambrose). Mr Abercrombie was also known for his portrayal of Palpatine (the future Emperor) in the Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars. As well as his film work, he also appeared in a number of television series, in cameo roles for The Nanny, Desperate Housewives, Seinfeld, Airwolf and Babylon 5, as well as a recurring role in The Wizards Of Waverly Place. His best known role was that of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler, in the short-lived television series Birds Of Prey.

Mr Abercrombie passed away on January 26th, aged 77.

A champion of independent film has passed away. Bingham Ray, the co-founder of October Films, and the President of United Artists between 2001 and 2004, has passed away. Ray, who co founded October Films with Lipsky, ensured the continued support of smaller, independent films throughout the 90′s. Under Ray’s guidance, the company distrubuted films such as Del Toro’s Cronos, The Last Seduction, Breaking The Waves, The Funeral (1996), The Last Days, Three Seasons, Topsy-Turvy, and Cherry Falls. Through a series of aquisitons and sales, October Films now forms part of Focus Features, when it merged with USA Films in 2002.

Mr Ray passed away on January 23. He was 57.

Bob Anderson - 1922-2012

While he’s not a household name, everyone should know who Bob Anderson is. Anderson was the man working behind the scenes of some of cinemas great sword fights, from Star Wars, The Princess Bride, to The Lord Of The Rings and even Peter Jackson’s currently-in-production The Hobbit. Mr Anderson was the man under Vader’s mask whilst dueling with Obi Wan in the original Star Wars, Luke Skywalker in Empire Strikes Back and Return of The Jedi, as well as choreographing the sword fighting sequences in films as diverse as Highlander, Barry Lyndon (for Stanley Kubrick), The Three Musketeers (1993, with Charlie Sheen and Keifer Sutherland), both recent Zorro films, and even the fencing sequence in Die Another Day. He also worked with the legendary Errol Flynn, on the film The Master Of Ballantrae. Chick-flick fans across the globe also need to remember that it was Bob who designed the amazing fight choreography in The Princess Pride. Up until his passing he was continuing to work, returning to Middle Earth for the Hobbit production, designing more fight sequences.

Among his on-screen appearances, he played a small role in the Doctor Who serial Enemy Of The World, and an Imperial Officer in The Empire Strikes Back.

Mr Anderson was 90.

Harold Hopkins (Left, with Jack Thompson in The Club) - 1944-2011

Australian actor Harold Hopkins has passed away.

Mr Hopkins has significant roles in Australian films The Club, Gallipoli, and Don’s Party, and according to recent reports had auditioned for a role in Bazz Lurhmann’s upcoming film version of The Great Gatsby. A graduate of NIDA, Hopkins appeared in a number of films throughout his career, including Age Of Consent, The Year My Voice Broke, Ginger Meggs, and Monkey Grip, as well as television series’ from The Young Doctors, The Dirtwater Dynasty, Blue Heelers, Police Rescue, Moby Dick (1998), All Saints, and most recently in Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities.

Mr Hopkins passed away in the early hours of this morning, aged 67.

Harry Morgan - 1915-2011

Harry Morgan, best known for his portrayal of Colonel Sherman T Potter in the long-running television series M*A*S*H, has passed away.

Morgan made his screen debut in the 1942 film To The Shores Of Tripoli, as well as the Glenn Miller based Orchestra Wives the same year. Other film roles for Morgan include appearences in High Noon, The Glenn Miller Story, The Far Country, How The West Was Won, and The Shootist. Morgan would play Bill Gannon in the TV version of Dragnet, before landing the role of Colonel Potter in M*A*S*H. His later career saw appearances in a number of TV roles, notably reprising his Dragnet character in the Dan Ackroyds starring vehicle of the same name.

Harry Morgan passed away on December 7th. He was 96.

Bill McKinney - 1931-2011

Bill McKinney, who famously asked Ned Beatty to “squeal like a pig” in the 1972 film Deliverance, has passed away.

McKinney appeared in a number of films during his life, the most notorious of which was the aforementioned Deliverance, although he also made a name for himself appearing in a number of Clint Eastwood projects, including Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Gauntlet and Pink Cadillac, among others. He had a role alongside John Wayne in The Shootist, and a number of cameo roles in films such as Back To The Future Part III, First Blood, and The Green Mile. His television appearances included roles in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Murder She Wrote and Columbo.

Mr McKinney passed away peacefully on December 1st, aged 80.

Mr McKinney in 1999's The Green Mile.