Stephen Jones - Best New Horror #26

American actor Denny Miller(Dennis Linn Miller), who portrayed the first blond Tarzan in the 1959 Tarzan, the Ape Man , died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on September 9, aged 80. As “Scott Miller” he was a regular on Wagon Train (1961-64), and he also appeared in episodes of The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (Richard Matheson’s ‘The Atlantis Affair’), I Dream of Jeannie , The Wide World of Mystery , The Six Million Dollar Man , Wonder Woman , Quark , Battlestar Galactica (1978), Fantasy Island , Beyond Westworld , The Incredible Hulk , Buck Rogers in the 25th Century , Voyagers! , V , Knight Rider , Outlaws and Werewolf , along with the movies Doomsday Machine , Disney’s The Island at the Top of the World and Dr. Scorpion .

Big Richard[Dawson] Kiel, who portrayed steel-toothed James Bond villain “Jaws” in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker , died of possible acute myocardial infarction on September 10, aged 74. The distinctive seven-feet, two-inch tall actor also appeared in the movies The Phantom Planet , Eegah , House of the Damned , The Nutty Professor (1963), Two on a Guillotine , The Human Duplicators , Brainstorm (1965), The Humanoid , Hysterical , Phoenix , Pale Rider , The Princess and the Dwarf , Inspector Gadget and BloodHounds Inc. #5: Fangs for the Memories . His many TV credits include episodes of Thriller (‘Well of Doom’), The Phantom , Twilight Zone (‘To Serve Man’), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , I Dream of Jeannie , My Mother the Car , Gilligan’s Island (‘Ghost-a-Go-Go’), The Monkees (‘I Was a Teenage Monkee’), The Wild Wild West , Kolchak: The Night Stalker , Land of the Lost , The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (‘The Mystery of the Haunted House’), Out of This World and Superboy .

German leading man Joachim Fuchsbergerdied on September 11, aged 87. He starred (often as various Scotland Yard inspectors) in such Edgar Wallace krimi films as Face of the Frog , The Terrible People , Dead Eyes of London (1961), The Devil’s Daffodil , The Inn on the River , The Black Abbot (1963), Room 13 , The Mysterious Magician and The Zombie Walks , along with The Carpet of Horror , The Face of Fu Manchu (with Christopher Lee), The College Girl Murders , Schreie in der Nacht , What Have You Done to Solange? (aka Terror in the Woods ) and Trance . Fuchsberger was reportedly offered the role of “James Bond” in 1960, but advised the German producer to turn the project down because it was too expensive.

Plummy-voiced British actor Sir Donald[Alfred] Sindendied of prostate cancer on September 12, aged 90. He was in Mad About Men , Disney’s The Island at the Top of the World , The Canterville Ghost (1996 and 1997 versions) and Alice in Wonderland (1999), along with the TV series The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1960) and episodes of The Prisoner , Late Night Horror and The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes .

American Broadway actor and singer Steve Curry(Steven Michael Curry), whose curly-haired head was immortalised on the original poster and album cover art for the hit musical Hair in 1968, died of sepsis on September 13. He was 68. Curry also starred as “Glen” in the 1971 post-apocalyptic movie Glen and Randa . From 1980-81 he was married to actress Patti D’Arbanville, and he also fathered a daughter with actress Susan Anspach.

Scottish character actor Angus[Wilson] Lenniedied in London on September 14, aged 84. He appeared on TV in episodes of Target Luna , The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (1967) and Doctor Who (‘The Ice Warriors’), along with a small role in Disney’s One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing .

American actress Audrey Long, who co-starred in A Game of Death (1945, a remake of Richard Connell’s story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’), died in England on September 19, aged 92. She retired from the screen in 1952 when she married her second husband, author Leslie Charteris, creator of “The Saint”.

Austrian-born actress and dancer Peggy Drake(Liesl Lotte Mayer), who appeared in a few films and the 1942 Republic serial King of the Mounties , died the same day, aged 91.

American actress and singer Polly Bergen(Nellie Paulina Bergin) died after a long battle with emphysema on September 20, aged 84. She co-starred in the original Cape Fear (1962) with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, and her other movie credits include Death Cruise , Making Mr. Right , The Haunting of Sarah Hardy and Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde . On TV she appeared in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents , Thriller (1973), Fantasy Island and Touched by an Angel .

Canadian actress and playwright Linda[Pauline] Griffithsdied of breast cancer on September 21, aged 57. She appeared in episodes of TV’s Friday the 13th: The Series and Beyond Reality .

American actress Sarah Danielle Madison(Sarah Goldberg), who had recurring roles in the TV series Judging Amy , 7th Heaven and the revived 90210 , died in her sleep of a suspected heart ailment on September 27, aged 40. She also appeared in the movies Jurassic Park III , Savage Planet and Pig .

74-year-old British-born actor David[William] Watson, who replaced Roddy McDowall for one movie as “Cornelius” in Beneath the Planet of the Apes , died of a heart attack in New York City on October 5. He had been attending the opening night of the Broadway play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time . Watson was also in episodes of TV’s The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. , The Time Tunnel (as Rudyard Kipling), The Bionic Woman and Project U.F.O. As a boy chorister, he was one of three treble soloists who sung at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Trinidad-born dancer, choreographer and actor Geoffrey(Lamont) Holderdied in New York City of complications from pneumonia the same day, aged 84. Best remembered for his colourful role as James Bond villain “Baron Samedi” in Live and Let Die (1973), his other credits include Doctor Dolittle , Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex** But Were Afraid to Ask , The Gold Bug (1980), Alice in Wonderland (1983), Jon Grin’s Christmas , Ghost of a Chance , and two episodes of the 1960s Tarzan TV series. The baritone-voiced Holder also narrated Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and in 1975 he won Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design for the Broadway stage production of The Wiz .

32-year-old Native American actress Misty[Anne] Uphamwas found dead in a ravine in the woods in Auburn, Washington, on October 16 after being reported missing earlier in the month. The King County medical examiner ruled that she died on October 5 of accidental blunt-force trauma to her head and torso, despite reports that she feared harassment by local police. Upham appeared in the movies Skinwalkers and DreamKeeper .