Thursday, December 01, 2011
World AIDS Day
A couple of years ago on World AIDS Day, I had a post which showed the number of celebrities in the world who have tested positive for HIV. I thought it would be interesting to post some names off the list and encourage you to go to Wiki right here and view the entire list. It is amazing how long it is and some of the names you forget about and some of the names you probably didn't know. It is good to remember and to bring attention to a disease that although is now manageable in some parts of the world still ravages other parts of the world.
Acting (film and television)
Amanda Blake - American actress best remembered for her role as Kitty Russell in the television series Gunsmoke. Her death was initially reported as being caused by HIV but her doctor said that was not the reason she died.
Jim J. Bullock - American actor who starred in the sitcom Too Close for Comfort.
Merritt Butrick - American actor best remembered for playing Captain Kirk's son in the films Star Trek II and III.
Ian Charleson - British actor whose best-known role was the part of athlete Eric Liddell in the film Chariots of Fire.
Brad Davis - American actor, played the part of Billy Hayes in the film Midnight Express.
Denholm Elliott - British actor; won three BAFTA awards as best supporting actor for Trading Places, A Private Function and Defence of the Realm, as well as an Academy Award nomination for A Room with a View.
Richard Frank - American television and motion picture actor best known as Father Vogler in the film Amadeus
Leonard Frey - American Broadway and film actor, earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor in the film version of Fiddler on the Roof.
Tom Fuccello - American actor, known for his role as Dave Culver in the television series Dallas.
Kevin Peter Hall - American actor, played in Predator and Harry and the Hendersons.
Christian Haren - American actor and model best known for portraying the Marlboro Man in print advertisements.
Rock Hudson - American actor, first major American celebrity to publicly disclose HIV status.
Tom McBride - American actor and model; best known for his role in Friday the 13th Part 2 and for his modeling stint as the Marlboro Man.
John Megna - American former child actor, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Cookie Mueller - American actor and writer who featured in many of filmmaker John Waters' early films.
Timothy Patrick Murphy - American actor, played the role of Mickey Trotter in the television series Dallas
David Oliver - American actor, played in Another World and A Year in the Life
Anthony Perkins - American actor best known for his role as Norman Bates in the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.
Dack Rambo - American actor who played Jack Ewing in the television series Dallas.
Gene Anthony Ray - American actor and dancer; best known for his portrayal of the street smart dancer Leroy in the 1980 motion picture Fame and the television spin-off.
Robert Reed - American actor; played the role of Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch.
Tony Richardson - British film director; received two Academy Awards (Best Director and Best Picture) for Tom Jones
Larry Riley - American actor; played the role of Frank Williams in the soap opera Knots Landing
Howard Rollins - American actor, nominated for the 1981 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film Ragtime
Tommy Sexton - Canadian actor and comedian.
Ray Sharkey - American actor; won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in The Idolmaker.
Michael Jeter - Best known for his role in Evening Shade. Also a Tony winner.
ReplyDeleteGene Anthony ray of fame. Looking at the full list, the one that I didnt know was Isaac Asimov!
ReplyDeleteHector Lavoe died of AIDS?!?!?! I did not get that from the JLo-Marc Anthony movie. Did I miss something?
ReplyDeleteI am blown away by how many were on Dallas.
ReplyDeleteMichael Jeter was a wonderful actor.
What is with all the actors from Dallas? Needles or sex?
ReplyDeleteMight there have been one person who infected the rest, maybe? Surely this would be Blind Item territory.
Wow, Seachica, you're absolutely right about Asimov. I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteThere DOES seem to be an odd "Dallas" link. Of the actors listed, I only know that Dack Rambo was bi, and I believe I also read an interview where he talked about drug addiction. So, needles or sex? Don't know.
May this day bring forth a permanent cure to this epidemic, and may all those who'd been suffering find health and happiness.
ReplyDeleteFor all those who died from AIDS or HIV, may you rest in Peace.
Remember for now, using proper protection is the only way from stopping this disease from spreading. Knowledge is power, give your children the power of knowledge so they can stay safe.
Michael Jeter = Mr Noodle's brother, Mr Noodle.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about Jim J Bullock!
That list is so depressing. Especially the Patient Zero section.
ReplyDeleteAs for Dallas, it struck me, too, when I was looking at it. It might just be that Dallas was set right in the backdrop of when the AIDS epidemic was starting and before people were more diligent about using protection.
I pray that some day AIDS is a distant memory and the lives that it claimed can rest in peace.
thanks Enty. that is a sad page but an important one.
ReplyDeleteand that list is far from complete...sad indeed.
ReplyDeleteFYI CDANers, if you'd like to get more information on the situation today.
ReplyDeleteGetting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths:
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2011-11-30/An-end-to-AIDS-In-USA-complacency-is-a-major-barrier/51513224/1
Dack Rambo, I always forget that he was on Dallas because I remember him on his own show, Sword of Justice. I loved that show, loved him on that show.
ReplyDeleteToday makes me really curious if condom use in the under 30 group is as prevalent as it is/was in the over 30 group. The younger generation just doesn't seem to have the same fear about sexually transmitted diseases that we did. I don't know if that's a good thing.
I didn't go to the website, but recently I looked up Andy Gibbs' bio on Wikipedia and was surprised to see that what I thought killed him (weak heart due to past cocaine abuse) wasn't real and they say he probably had AIDS
ReplyDeleteHorrible disease. If you get a chance read April Fool's Day by Bryce Courtney. It is about his son acquiring HIV from blood transfusions due to his haemophilia. It is a wonderful, compassionate book that really opened up my eyes to how awful the disease is. I am so glad I read it. One hate filled person I used to work with told me that he blamed gay people in the book, he does not. He spends a lot of time making sure that readers are aware that this awful disease is not discriminatory and neither should we be.
ReplyDeleteI once read a theory that Howard Hughes probably died of AIDS complications. I think it was pretty much discounted, but it was interesting nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteThe HIV-virus is believed by some researchers to have entered the US around 1966, so who knows how many died before it started being documented.
Too many names, too many good people. May they rest in peace.
I'm thinking of my friend Larry today, whose 33 yrs old and has been HIV+ for several years now.
ReplyDeleteIf there's anything positive about this disease it is that if you're privileged enough to get to know someone who has HIV/AIDS, you can see the courage, the determination and the over all fucking tenacity these people usually embody. I feel honored to be friends with people who've turned this disease into something positive that they've be able to grow from.
*been
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for doing this, Enty. I have said before that seeing the amount of people you've watched in TV and movies who passed from AIDS is heartbreaking.
ReplyDeletePlease, people; if you get the chance; watch the movie AND THE BAND PLAYED ON. It will inform you and break your heart.
Looking forward to the day they find the cure.
^ Or read the book. It's a doozy but enlightening. Heartbreaking...but enlightening.
ReplyDeleteI met Ray Sharkey a few days before it was announced he had AIDS. He died shortly thereafter. For all the mistakes people discuss about him, he was not only a brilliant actor but seemed like a genuinely nice man.
ReplyDeleteAlso John Holmes, the King of Porn.
ReplyDeleteRIP Cookie Mueller. Concetta in Female Trouble - best John Waters film ever.
ReplyDeleteI realize Enty was only posting actors but I confess the first person I remember to die from AIDS complication was Freddie Mercury. My love of Queen & Freddie Is what prompted me to become active in the AIDS Awareness campaign.
ReplyDelete