Remembering Walter Koenig (1936-2026) and Patrick Stewart (1940-2026)

 

Us Trekkies have lost two of our favorites this week.  Walter Koenig and Patrick Stewart have passed away.

Walter Koenig, born September 14, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, began acting in 1962 on Combat! in an uncredited role. He was cast as Anton Chekov on Star Trek (the original series) in 1967 due to his resemblance to Davey Jones of the Monkees.  The producers of Star Trek wanted to attract a younger, feminine crowd.  He reprised his role as Chekov in the Star Trek movies, video games, and the many new Star Trek television programs.  He appeared as a PsiCorp instructor on Babylon 5.  

He passed away October 15, 2026 from natural causes.

Sir Patrick Stewart, born July 13, 1940 in Yorkshire, England, began acting in 1964 when he appeared on the television show Story Parade.  He was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. He reprised his role as Picard in the movie versions of the Next Generation.  Stewart appeared in the X-Men movies as Professor Charles Xavier.  

Sir Patrick has been nominated for four Primetime Emmys and eight Saturn Awards, winning five.  He won Best Genre Actor for Star Trek: TNG in 1990, Best Supporting Actor for Logan in 2018, and Best Actor in a television series Star Trek: Picard in 2021 and 2024. He won the Lifetime Achievment Award in 2024 with the rest of the TNG cast.

He died October 28, 2026 from dementia. 

Steve Clark, Def Leppard guitarist, born 1960

Steve Clark, born April 23, 1960 in Sheffield, England, was a guitarist for super-rock group Def Leppard until his death in 1991.  He joined Def Leppard in 1978 and played on all their albums until Hysteria, the last album released before his death.  He contributed to songwriting and demos for Adrenalize which was released in 1992. 

He passed away in January 1991 after years of drug and alcohol abuse. 

Happy birthday, Eric Idle!

Eric Idle, born March 29, 1943 in Tyne and Wear, England, is best known for his work in the comedy troop Monty Python.  He appeared in Monty Python's Flying Circus and the movie spin-offs. He appeared with Robbie Coltrane in one of my favorites, Nuns on the Run.  

I didn't realize this, that he has been nominated for six Grammys for Best Comedy Recording and Best Spoken Word Album for Children.  He won Best Musical Show Album for Monty Python's Spamalot in 1981.

Celebrating Black History Month: Fort Mose, the first all-black settlement in the U.S.

The authorities of Spanish Florida in 1689 began offering asylum to escaped slaves fleeing from the British colonies. In 1693, King Charles of Spain issued a royal decree that granted asylum in Florida, if they converted to Catholicism and serving four years in the colonial militia.

In 1738, Manuel de Montiana, the governor of Spanish Florida, established Fort Mose at the Spanish fort near St. Augustine, Florida. It was the first free black settlement in the US.  Any slave from the surrounding British colonies who made it to Fort Mose was granted asylum.

In 1739, slaves from the British colonies staged the Stono Rebellion, as they tried to reach Fort Mose.  They burned plantations as they moved southward, and many slaves joined them.  However, many were caught and publicly executed.

The people of Fort Mose made allies with the Spanish soldiers and fought against British forces who attacked St. Augustine in 1740. The fort was destroyed.

The Spanish returned and rebuilt Fort Mose by 1752, and black were allowed to resettle. When east Florida was ceded to England by the 1763 Treaty of Paris, most of the free blacks emigrated to Cuba with the Spanish settlers.

Fort Mose is consider a premiere site on the Florida Black Heritage Trail, and a precursor to the Underground Railroad. It is now a US National Historic Landmark.

Graham Chapman, Monty Python creator, born 1941

Graham Chapman, born January 8, 1941 in Leicester, England, is  a co-creator of the iconic Monty Python's Flying Circus, which he formed in1969 with John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam.  After the series ended, Chapman and the troop continued with making Monty Python movies.  

Chapman was openly gay and lived with his partner David Sherlock for 24 years, raising a son together.

Chapman passed away in October 1989 from complications from a stroke, after years of health problems.

Happy birthday, Jennifer Saunders!

Jennifer Saunders, born July 8, 1958 in Lincolnshire, England, is best known for her comedy duo act with Dawn French (French and Saunders), and for her sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, which was born from a French and Saunders skit.

She wrote every episode of Ab Fab and I think she one of the funniest, most talented comedic writer ever.  Absolutely Fabulous won four BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards and nominated for ten more.

She auditioned for the voice of Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid, but Steven Spielberg liked her voice and cast her for the Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2.

Celebrating Pride Month: John Curry, first openly gay figure-skater

John Curry, born September 9, 1949 in Birmingham, England, won the coveted Grand Slam in figure skating in 1976.  He is the first male figure skater from Great Britain to win an Olympic Gold, which he won at the 1976 Olympic Games in Innsbruck.  That year he won the European, World, and British championships.

Shortly after his win at the Olympics and before the World Championships, Curry confirmed he was gay at a press conference in Innsbruck.  Apparently there was a brief scandal in Europe at the time, but his sexual orientation was ignored by the press and the public.

Curry passed away due to complications from AIDS in 1994.

Happy birthday, actor extraordinaire Michael York!

Michael York, born March 27, 1942 in Buckinghamshire, England, has had a lengthy and stellar acting career, including some daring roles. He has appeared as D'Artagnan in several musketeers films as well as the Austin Powers movies.  He first appeared in Accident in 1967, but it was his role as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet in 1968 that proved to be his break-out performance.  He starred with Angela Lansbury as a bisexual man in Something for Everyone.

He then went on to star as D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers and its sequel, The Four Musketeers. He appeared in Murder on the Orient Express in 1974. 

In 2001, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in The Lot.

I think it is tragic that such an accomplished, versatile actor has not been nominated for more awards, especially an Oscar.  He truly is remarkable and seems under-rated.  He's one of my favorites.

Happy birthday, Rick Allen!

Rick Allen, born November 1, 1963 in Derbyshire, England, is the drummer for one of my favorite bands Def Leppard.  He joined the band on his 15th birthday, replacing Tony Kenning.  He dropped out of school to concentrate on his music career.

In December 1984, he crashed his car and lost his left arm.  Doctors reattached the arm but it had to be amputated afterwards due to an infection.  He has continued playing drums on specially designed drum kits. 

The UK website Gigwise lists Allen as #7 on the Greatest Drummers of All Time list.

Watch his drum solo:

Happy birthday, Tom Hiddleston!

Versatile and handsome actor Tom Hiddleston, born February 9, 1981 in London, England, is probably best known for his portrayal of Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has appeared as Loki in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.  He has a television series Loki and has voiced the character in other visual media.  I really liked him in Kong: Skull Island.  He played Hank Williams in the biopic I Saw the Light.

He has received many awards for his work as Loki, but he has also won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in 2017 for his performance in The Night Manager.

Happy birthday, "Death In Paradise" star Ralf Little

Impossibly handsome actor Ralf Little, born February 8, 1980 Greater Manchester, England, is currently the resident detective Neville Parker in the awesome series Death In Paradise.  He had appeared in an earlier episode as a guest star, but now he's back as the lead.  He's been nominated twice for a TV Times Award for Favourite Actor.  Maybe this year, he'll get it!

Celebrating Black History Month: Ira Aldridge, nineteenth century actor and trailblazer

Ira Frederick Aldridge, born July 24, 1807 in New York City, was a Shakespearean actor and toured all over Europe, becoming one of the top paid actors of the time. He began acting in the early 1820s but facing persistent discrimination against black actors, he emigrated to Liverpool, England in 1824.  British Parliament had outlawed slavery and was trying to abolish slavery in all of the British empire. This increased the possibility for black actors to perform.

In October 1825, he debuted at London's Royal Coburg Theatre, where he played the lead role in Revolt of Surinam, or A Slave's Revenge.  Audiences loved him, but theatre critics at the time were scandalized by his race, and made their racism evident in their reviews.

He continued to perform throughout Europe and was on tour in Poland in 1867, when he died from a prolonged lung condition.  He is the only African-American actor to be honored with a bronze plaque at the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon.  

Happy birthday, Star Wars/Harry Potter actor Warwick Davis!

Warwick Davis, born February 3, 1970 in Surrey, England, has appeared in several Star Wars movies and all of the Harry Potter movies.  He was 11 years old when his grandmother encouraged him to audition for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when she heard they were looking for people under 4 feet tall.  He was cast as an extra and was given the role of Wicket, when Kenny Baker, who was originally cast in the role, fell ill.  Davis plays the Ewok who finds Leia in the woods.  

He's appeared in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

After the success of Return of the Jedi, he was cast in the title role in Willow.  He played Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter movies.

"The Woman In Black" released 2012

One of my favorite horror films, The Woman in Black, was released in the US February 3, 2012.  It stars Daniel Radcliffe as a lawyer in London in the early 1900s.  He is sent to a large, abandoned, spooky manor in a remote village where a woman in black has been seen.  Whenever she is spotted, a child dies.  The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill, published in 1983. 

I liked it mainly because of its lack of gore and the suspense and intrigue without the violence.  I also liked seeing Radcliffe in a non-Harry Potter role.  The incredibly versatile actor Ciaran Hinds appears in a supporting role.

The movie earned $20M in its opening weekend. It made almost $128M world-wide and is the biggest British horror movie in 20 years. What was the biggest one before it?

Comedian extraordinaire Benny Hill born 1924

Benny Hill, born January 21, 1924 in Southampton, England, is best known for his television variety comedy and sometimes bawdy show in the 1980s.  The Benny Hill Show was nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Comedy series.  

He had a cameo in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where he played the Toy Maker.  He also appeared in music video Anything She Does with Genesis.

He passed away in April 1992.

Happy birthday, Rick Savage, Def Leppard bass guitarist

Richard "Rick" Savage, born December 1960 in Yorkshire, England, is bass guitarist and a founding member of Def Leppard.  He and Joe Elliott are the only two remaining original members of the band.  

In 1976, Savage was working to form a band, and the group auditioned Joe Elliott.  Later they hired guitarist Steve Clark and changed their name to Def Leppard.  He has performed on every album.

In 1994, Savage contracted Bell's Palsy, which is a temporary paralysis of facial muscles. 

Happy birthday, astronaut Nicholas Patrick!

Nicholas Patrick, born November 19, 1964 in Yorkshire, England, has spent almost a month in space.

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-116) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in December 2006. He spent almost 13 days in space, 7 of those docked at the space station.  

His second and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-130) as mission specialist to the ISS in February 2010.  He conducted 3 EVAs with fellow astronaut Robert Behnken for a total of more than 18 hours.  He spent almost 14 days in space and completed 217 orbits.

Roundhay Garden Scene, oldest known surviving film, 1888

Filmed by Louis Le Prince at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds on October 14, 1888, Roundhay Garden Scene is believed to be the oldest surviving film in existence.  

The three-second film features Adolphe Le Prince (Louis's son), his parents-in-law, Joseph and Sarah Whitley, and Annie Hartley, a friend of Adolphe and his wife.  Sarah Whitley died only 10 days after the scene was filmed, making her earliest born person to appear on film.

Happy birthday, Idris Elba!

Idris Elba, born September 6, 1972 in London, England, is an actor who has racked up multiple acting awards and nominations.  He is mostly known for his role as DCI Luther in the British mystery series Luther, but I like him as Heimdall in the Thor and Avengers movies.

One of his earliest roles was as a hustler on Absolutely Fabulous with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in 1995.  He has appeared in Star Trek Beyond, The Wire, and Pacific Rim.  He has been nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys and 4 Golden Globes for his performance on Luther, and won the Golden Globe in 2012 for Best Actor in a Television Series.  

Why has this man not been nominated for an Oscar?  Why?

Ariel 1 launched 1962

England became the third country in the world to operate a satellite, launching Ariel 1 April 26, 1962 from Cape Canaveral.  It was a joint effort between NASA and the UK.  It was named after the sprite in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

In July 1962, it was damaged by the Starfish Prime high-altitude nuclear test, which destroyed or damaged several other satellites.  Although it continued to operate, the radiation disabled the timer which would have deactivated the satellite after one year.  Thus, it extended its life and Ariel 1 re-entered the atmosphere in May 1976.