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Rhett Bartlett

Born and bred in Melbourne, Australia, Rhett Bartlett has written obituaries for The Hollywood Reporter since 2017. Before that, he studied film, published two books and was the resident film reviewer on ABC Radio for 10 years. Seeing The Towering Inferno when he was young triggered a phobia of heights and elevators — something that could easily have been avoided had Richard Chamberlain not cut corners as the building's electrical subcontractor.

More from Rhett Bartlett

Roger Dicken, VFX Artist on ‘Alien’ and ‘When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth,’ Dies at 84

Roger Dicken, the Oscar-nominated British special effects artist, sculptor and model maker known for his work on Alien and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, has died. He was 84. Dicken died Feb. 18 at his home in North Wales, Mick Cooper, a friend of more than five decades, told The Hollywood Reporter. On his first […]

Micheline Presle, ‘Devil in the Flesh’ Star, Dies at 101

Micheline Presle, the standout French actress who starred in the controversial Devil in the Flesh before making a foray into Hollywood that included roles opposite John Garfield, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn and Paul Newman, has died. She was 101. Presle died Wedneday in the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne, her son-in-law Olivier Bomsel told Le Figaro. […]

Tom Priestley, Oscar-Nominated Film Editor on ‘Deliverance,’ Dies at 91

Tom Priestley, the British film editor whose work assembling the dueling-banjos sequence and hellish “squeal like a pig” attack in John Boorman’s Deliverance landed him an Oscar nomination, has died. He was 91. His death on Christmas Day was only recently revealed. Priestley also cut two other movies helmed by Boorman: Leo the Last (1970), which won the best […]

Herbert “Cowboy” Coward, the Toothless Mountain Man in ‘Deliverance,’ Dies at 85

Herbert “Cowboy” Coward, who as the sadistic toothless man in John Boorman’s Deliverance terrorized canoeists and audiences alike with the chilling line, “He got a real pretty mouth, ain’t he?,” has been killed in a car accident. He was 85. Coward died Wednesday when the Nissan he was driving was struck by a pickup truck […]

Peter Berkos, Oscar-Winning Sound Effects Editor on ‘The Hindenburg,’ Dies at 101

Peter Berkos, the Universal Pictures sound effects maestro and champion of sound editors everywhere who shared a special achievement Oscar for his work on the Robert Wise-directed disaster epic The Hindenburg, has died. He was 101. Berkos died Tuesday in Rancho Bernardo, California, his friend Brae Wyckoff told The Hollywood Reporter. While president of the […]

Arthur Schmidt, Oscar-Winning Film Editor on ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ and ‘Forrest Gump,’ Dies at 86

Arthur Schmidt, the two-time Oscar-winning film editor who collaborated with director Robert Zemeckis on 10 films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump and the Back to the Future trilogy, has died. He was 86. Schmidt died Saturday of an unknown cause at his home in Santa Barbara, his brother Ron Schmidt told The Hollywood […]

The Iron Sheik, Villainous Pro Wrestler From Iran, Dies at 81

Hossein Khosrow Vaziri, the Iran-born wrestler known as the Iron Sheik, who channeled America’s hatred of his homeland to build a career as one of the most despised ring villains of his era, died Wednesday. He was 81. “Today, we gather with heavy hearts to bid farewell to a true legend, a force of nature […]

Kenneth Anger, Pioneering Experimental Filmmaker, Dies at 96

Kenneth Anger, the avant-garde filmmaker whose surrealistic queer compositions Fireworks and Scorpio Rising made him a pioneer of underground cinema and a target for censorship, has died. He was 96. Anger’s death was announced Wednesday by the Sprüeth Magers art gallery, which presented exhibitions on his work. “Kenneth was a trailblazer,” it said in a […]

Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna, Dies at 89

Barry Humphries, the Australian entertainer whose gladioli-waving alter ego Dame Edna charmed and roasted celebrities, all with a Cheshire grin, outrageous eyewear, a “Hello, Possums!” greeting and a flurry of caustic wit, died Saturday. He was 89. Humphries died at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney of complications from hip surgery, his family announced. “He was […]

Bill Butler, Cinematographer on ‘Jaws’, Dies at 101

Bill Butler, the self-taught, Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose work on the landmark 1975 horror film Jaws unleashed a wave of anxiety for beachgoers that lasts to this day, has died. He would have turned 102 on Friday. Butler died Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He is survived by five daughters and […]

Bert I. Gordon, Director of Cult (and Cheap) Sci-Fi Classics, Dies at 100

Bert I. Gordon, the sci-fi director who aimed to terrify drive-in denizens of the 1950s and ’60s with low-budget films featuring colossal creatures, shrinking humans and radioactive monsters, has died. He was 100.  Gordon died Wednesday in Los Angeles of complications from a fall in his Beverly Hills home, his daughter Patricia Gordon told The […]

Albert Brenner, Acclaimed Production Designer on ‘The Sunshine Boys,’ ‘The Missouri Breaks’ and ‘Pretty Woman,’ Dies at 96

The five-time Oscar nominee also did 'Fail Safe,' 'The Hustler,' 'Bullitt,' 'The Turning Point' 'Summer of '42' and 'Beaches' and rebuilt the New York backlot at Paramount.

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