Rest In Play - 2000 thru 2009

Richard Harris was born on October 1, 1930 and passed away on October 25, 2022. Richard was born in Limerick, Ireland and attended Crescent College. Most of his teen years were spent playing rugby..., but his time as an athlete was cut short when he caught tuberculosis. After recovering from tuberculosis, he moved to England with dreams of being a director. He enrolled in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art to learn acting. After graduating, he joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and began landing roles in West End theatre productions. Richard made his film debt in 1959 in the film Alive and Kicking. He had a number of roles throughout the 1960s, but hadn't really made a name for himself until the early 1970s. In 1971, he starred in the BBC TV film adaptation of The Snow Goose, and it won a Golden Globe for best movie made for TV. He made his directorial debut that same year with Bloomfield. In 1973, he published a book of poetry called I, In the Membership of My Days. In 1974, he starred in two thrillers, 99 and 44/100% Dead and Juggernaut. He had a number of other roles throughout the 1970s: Golden Rendezvous, The Return of a Man Called Horse, Gulliver's Travels, Orca, The Wild Geese, The Last Word, to name a few. The 1980s were similar. After a mini-retirement on Paradise Island, he kicked his drinking habit and adopted a healthier lifestyle. He took back the stage in Camelot and Henry IV. The 1990s was perhaps his most famous decade of life. He starred in The Field and was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. He took on lead and supporting roles in a number of films: Patriot Games, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, Unforgiven, To Walk with Lions. He played Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, with the Chamber of Secrets being is final film role. He famously was hesitant to take on the role of Albus Dumbledore due to his declining health and the multi-film commitment, but his 11-year-old granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again if he did not take it. Richard also dabbled in the recording studio. He recorded several albums of music. His biggest hit was MacArthur Park. Richard married Elizabeth Rees-Williams in 1957 and they had three children together. They divorced in 1969 and he married Ann Turkel in 1974. They divorced in 1982. Richard was quite the decorated actor. He won a Golden Globe for Camelot in 1968, a Grammy for Jonathan Livingston Seagull in 1973, a Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for This Sporting Life, a Best Actor Award at the Moscow Film Festival for Cromwell, a Best Actor Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for Henry IV, two lifetime achievement awards, one at the European Film Awards in 2000 and the other at the Empire Awards in 2001, plus the Dilys Powell Award at the London Film Critics Circle Awards and an Outstanding Contribution by an Actor at the British Independent Film Awards.Show more

Wayne Allwine was born on February 7, 1947 and passed away on May 18, 2009. He is best remembered as the third official voice of Mickey Mouse. Wayne was born in California and went to high school a...t John Borroughs High School, where he was involved in the musical theater department and formed his own acoustic music group, called the International Singers. Wayne started he career at Disney studios working in the mailing room. He then moved to the sound effects department for seven years. In 1976, he got a call from Disney about an open audition for the voice behind Mickey Mouse, after their arranged actor failed to show up. He secured the job, and became the third official voice behind Mickey Mouse in 1977. Wayne also starred in films like The Great Mouse Detective, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Prince and the Pauper, and Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers. In addition to this voice work, he also spent a lot of time as a sound effects editor and foley artists for Disney films and TV shows. Wayne was married to Russi Taylor in 1991. Russi was the voice behind Minnie Mouse from 1986 to 2019.Show more

Kim Merrill was born on June 9, 1962 and passed away on January 10, 2021, after a long battle with cancer. Kim grew up in Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, afterwards bec...oming a highly successful advertising executive. She was President of UPROAR!, an advertising agency with a focus on children. Kim loved to cook, to travel, to spend time in Nantucket, and most of all, to spend time with friends and family. She will be deeply and dearly missed by all those that knew and loved her.Show more

Bob Sklarsky was born on February 25, 1925 and passed away on May 16, 2008. Bob was the owner of Uneeda Doll, a company founded by his family in 1917. Uneeda manufactures Dollikins, which were markete...d as The World's Most Posable Doll. Bob was described by friends and family as wonderful, generous, and loyal, and will be missed dearly.Show more

Raymond "Ray" J. Lohr was born on September 28, 1912 and passed away on October 3, 2005. Ray was born in Cincinnati, and attended Xavier University before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1...941. In 1946, he was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain, and received the Purple Heart. Ray also worked as a mechanical designer for Louis Marx Co., beginning in 1935. He rose through the ranks to Chief Toy Designer, retiring after 37 years in 1972. He worked on hundreds of products for Louis Marx, including the Marx Big Wheel and Rock Em' Sock Em' Robots. Ray was also passionate about sailing. He belonged to the Erie Yacht Club and was a lifetime member of the Erie Kiwanis Club and the Maennerchor Club.Show more

Sid Sackson, an American board game designer, was born on February 4, 1920 and died on November 6, 2002. He was best known for inventing the business game Acquire. Other games he designed include ...Can't Stop and Focus, which won the German game design award Spiel des Jahres in 1981. Sid also penned a number of books, including A Gamut of Games and Card Games Around the World. Sid also wrote a monthly column for Strategy & Tactics magazine for several years, called "Sackson on Games" in which he reviewed many games. Sid collected games throughout his life: his collection was estimated at 18,000 titles. At one point, he received an offer to bring his collection elsewhere for safe keeping, but he turned the offer down and the games were sold in a series of auctions following his death. His personal papers, however, are on display at The Strong Museum of Play in New York. In 2011, both Sid and his game, Acquire, were inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design's Hall of Fame.Show more

Harvey Greenfield was the former chairman of the Board of Commonwealth Toys & Novelty Co. Inc. He was passionate about creating toys and bring joy into the lives of children, especially his own childr...en and grandchildren.Show more

Denys Fisher, the inventor of the Spirograph and founder of Denys Fisher Toys, passed away on September 17, 2022.

Feb. 13, 1918 - Nov. 24, 2008 Betty came up with the name for the Slinky her husband Richard James invented. She ran James Industries, the firm that manufactured the toy, by herself starting in 1960... after her husband left the firm, Betty and their six kids for Bolivia. From the NY Times: Betty James, who came up with the name Slinky for the stair-walking spring that has delighted children for more than 60 years and who ran the toy company after her husband, the inventor, left it and his family in 1960, died Thursday in Philadelphia. She was 90 and lived in Hollidaysburg, Pa., where the company, James Industries, is located. Read more here https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/business/25james.htmlShow more

1912 – July 22, 2009 We love this NY Times tribute to Lynn Pressman Raymond https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/business/02pressman.html