Advanced search

Dominic Roche was born on 11 September 1902 in Ramsgate, Kent, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Probation Officer (1959), My Wife's Lodger (1952) and Bright's Boffins (1970). He died on 9 January 1972 in Hampstead, London, England, UK.

Often called "The Father of American Dance", Ted Shawn was born in 1891. In his early 20s he was dancing professionally in Los Angeles. He teamed with Norma Gould, and in 1913 they starred in a series of short films for Thomas Edison, including Dances of the Ages (1913). In 1914 he met and married dance star Ruth St. Denis. They became a huge hit on the theater circuit and started the famous Denishawn Dance School in Los Angeles. Among their pupils were movie stars Lillian Gish and Louise Glaum. D.W. Griffith hired Shawn and St. Denis to choreograph and appear in his famous scene from Intolerance (1916), the dance on the steps before the huge city gates of Babylon. Shawn also appeared in Cecil B. DeMille's Don't Change Your Husband (1919) as a faun in a fantasy scene with Gloria Swanson and famously kissed her for 28 seconds. During the 1920s Shawn and St. Denis toured the US with their extravagant Denishawn dance company, which included Louise Brooks. They were a huge hit on tour, on Broadway, in recitals, and even in vaudeville. The act broke up in the 1930s, however, and Shawn started the nation's first dance company for men. Out of the Denishawn schools came star dancers like Martha Graham, Charles Weidman and Doris Humphreys. Shawn also appeared in a number of documentaries on dance as well as TV shows of the 1950s. He founded the famous Jacob's Pillow Dance Center in Massachusetts in 1932 which, as of this writing, is still going strong. At his peak in the 1920s, Shawn rivaled Rudolph Valentino, Ramon Novarro, and John Gilbert as a male sex symbol, based largely on his exotic dances and skimpy costumes

Ted Shawn died in 1972.

Eric Fawcett was born on 3 April 1904 in London, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for Mess Mates (1960), The Tony Hancock Show (1956) and A Mask for Alexis (1959). He was married to Marie Fawcett. He died on 9 January 1972 in London, England, UK.

Helga Frier was born on 12 June 1893. She was an actress, known for Naar bønder elsker (1942), Enden på begyndelsen (1955) and Onkel Vanja (1971). She died on 9 January 1972 in Denmark.

Harry Downing was born on 20 April 1893 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for High Up and Low Down (1927), Treasury Men in Action (1950) and The Morrissey & Miller Night Club Revue (1928). He died on 9 January 1972 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Neville Brook was born on 24 June 1883 in Tufnell Park, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948), The Ringer (1938) and Heaven Is Round the Corner (1944). He died on 9 January 1972 in Steyning, Sussex, England, UK.