latimes.com - /news/obituaries

Nick Counter dies at 69; former chief negotiator for major studios

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

He was president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for 27 years and oversaw hundreds of Hollywood labor contracts with writers, actors, film crews, musicians and others.

Nick Counter, the long-standing former negotiator for the major studios who squared off against Hollywood's writers during a 100-day strike in 2008, died Friday night. He was 69.

George Na'ope dies at 81; guardian of native Hawaiian culture

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

He taught traditional hula dance and chanting to generations of students and introduced the ancient art forms to new audiences. In 2006 he was honored with a National Heritage Fellowship award.

George Na'ope, a guardian of native Hawaiian culture who taught traditional hula dance and chanting to generations of students and introduced the ancient art forms to new audiences, has died. He was 81.

Shel Dorf dies at 76; architect behind San Diego's Comic-Con

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

As a child, Dorf was an avid comic reader and collector. The first convention drew 300 people in 1970. More than 125,000 attended this year's edition of the pop-culture showcase.

Shel Dorf, a prominent comic-book collector who was the architect behind the pop-culture showcase in San Diego now known as Comic-Con, has died. He was 76.

PASSINGS: Manuel Solis, Bill Shepard

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 17:05:00 -0800

Manuel Solis dies at 91, former president of Panama; Bill Shepard dies at 79, longtime casting director

Manuel Solis

Thomas P. O'Malley dies at 79; former president of Loyola Marymount University

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Jesuit priest also was a dean and professor at Boston College.

Thomas P. O'Malley, an engaging and scholarly priest who headed Loyola Marymount University during a period of significant expansion in the 1990s, died in Boston on Wednesday, apparently of a heart attack. He was 79.

Nancy Spero dies at 83; pioneering feminist artist

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Her works, which combined drawing, painting, collage and printmaking, examined the treatment of women and the horrors of war.

Nancy Spero, a pioneering feminist artist who examined the treatment of women and the horrors of war, has died. She was 83.

Bernerd Harding dies at 90; WWII veteran went on quest for his pilot's wings

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

As a first lieutenant, his B-24 bomber was shot down in Germany a month after the D-Day invasion of Normandy. He returned to a village there two months ago, but came up empty-handed.

Bernerd Harding, a World War II pilot from New Hampshire who went on a quest two months ago to find his buried pilot's wings in Germany 65 years after his B-24 bomber was shot down, died Tuesday. He was 90.

Carl Ballantine dies at 92; comedy magician was in 'McHale's Navy' cast

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The performer appeared on many other TV shows, in movies and in Las Vegas.

Carl Ballantine, the "amazing" comedy magician and character actor who was part of the World War II PT boat crew on the 1960s sitcom "McHale's Navy," has died. He was 92.

Marian L. Gore dies at 95; antiquarian bookseller

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

She specialized in titles on food and wine, selling at fairs and by mail order, but says what she really sold was nostalgia.

Antiquarian bookseller Marian L. Gore, who specialized in tomes about food and wine, once opened a book on ancient cookery and started to read a 15th century recipe for "Goos in Hochepot."

Lou Filippo dies at 83; boxing hall of famer appeared in 'Rocky' movies

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Filippo was known as a pillar of honesty in the sport. He refereed and judged 85 world championship fights, including Sugar Ray Leonard's split-decision win over Marvin Hagler in 1987.

Lou Filippo, a boxing hall of famer from Downey who became a referee and ring judge, memorably counting out Sylvester Stallone's champion rival Apollo Creed in the film "Rocky II," died Monday at Downey Regional Medical Center after suffering a stroke. He was 83.