Dolly Parton - ©Theda Bara

Dolly Parton, one of my favorite actresses and singers, passed away yesterday, August 25, at the age of 80. She became a legend of American country music, universally acclaimed and an extremely beloved figure in the United States due to her generosity, charisma, and significant philanthropic work.

Dolly Parton acted in several films, but the one that cemented her fame was a project for which she wrote both the screenplay and the music: “9 to 5” (1980). The film was nominated for an Oscar in 1981 but did not win the statuette. In the plot, Dolly plays “Doralee” alongside Jane Seymour Fonda (1937–) as “Judy” and Lily Tomlin, born Mary Jean Tomlin (1939–) as “Violet”; three employees of a sexist and prejudiced boss played by Dabney Wharton Coleman (1932–) as “Frank Hart”. In the story, the three women end up kidnapping the boss and holding him prisoner in his own home. While holding him captive, the trio takes charge of the office.

Dolly Parton did not win an Oscar for acting, whether as a lead or supporting actress, or for Best Original Song, but she did receive an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in November 2025.

Among her best-known songs are: “I Will Always Love You” (1973), originally written and recorded by Dolly as a farewell to her musical partner Porter Wagoner (1927–2007), a track that became a global phenomenon years later when performed by Whitney Elizabeth Houston (1963–2012); “Jolene” (1973), one of the most famous melodies in country music history, telling the story of a woman pleading with a stunning redhead not to steal her partner; “9 to 5” (1980), an upbeat pop-country anthem about the exhausting routine of office work, featured in the film of the same name in which she starred; and “Coat of Many Colors” (1971), a moving, autobiographical song about a coat made of scraps, sewn by her mother when she was a child. There is also “Islands in the Stream” (1983), an unforgettable duet recorded with Kenneth Donald “Kenny” Rogers (1938–2020), which achieved enormous success on pop and country music charts, among others.

Dolly Parton received 54 Grammy nominations, winning eleven times (including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011). She also won seven Golden Globe Awards between 1981 and 2019.

Dolly Parton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded in 1984. Located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, the star honors her significant contribution to the recording industry.

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, United States, and passed away (as previously mentioned) on August 25, 2026, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

Dolly Parton married only once, to Carl Thomas Dean (1942–2025), the owner of an asphalt paving company in Nashville. The couple lived together for 59 years, from 1966 to 2025. They had no biological or adopted children. The singer repeatedly stated that the absence of heirs gave her the freedom needed to work and build her musical career.

Sally Field - ©Theda Bara

The name I want to highlight in this post is that of the excellent American actress, producer, director, screenwriter, and singer Sally Field, who won two Academy Awards for Best Actress in 1980 and 1985 for the films “Norma Rae” (1979) as the lead role and “Places in the Heart” (1984) as “Edna Spalding”, which also earned her two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Film in the same years.

Sally Field, in addition to two Oscars and two Golden Globes, also received two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2001 and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007.

Sally Field acted in popular films such as: “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993), playing “Miranda Hillarde”, and “Forrest Gump” (1994), playing “Mrs. Gump”, the mother of “Forrest”, played by then-child actor Michael Conner Humphreys (1985-) and Tom Hanks (1956-).

Sally Field received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 5, 2014. The star, number 2,524, is located in front of the Hollywood Wax Museum at 6767 Hollywood Boulevard, in recognition of her contribution to the film industry.

Sally Margaret Field was born on November 6, 1946, in Pasadena, California, United States, and is 79 years old.

Sally Field was married twice and had a long relationship with actor Burton Leon Reynolds, Jr., better known as Burt Reynolds (1936-2018). Her first marriage was to actor Steven Craig (1948-1990) from 1968 to 1975. She married her first husband at age 21. They met in their teens and had two sons: American novelist Peter Craig (1969-), known for co-writing films such as: “The Town” (2010), “The Batman” (2022), and “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), and American actor and film director Eli Craig (1972-). Her second marriage was to film producer Alan Greisman (1947-) from 1984 to 1994. The couple has one son, American film producer Samuel Greisman (1987-).

Art Carney - ©Theda Bara

The name I’m highlighting in this post is Art Carney, an American actor and comedian who delivered brilliant performances in theater, radio (NBC), cinema, and television.

For his work in various fields, Art Carney received numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1975 for “Harry and Tonto” (1974), playing the character “Harry Coombes” In the film, Carney is a 70-year-old retired professor who is evicted from his New York apartment and embarks on a road trip across the United States with his pet cat, “Tonto”. The actor also won six Emmy Awards for his role as “Ed Norton” in “The Honeymooners” and a Golden Globe Award.

Art Carney has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6627 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Film category.

Arthur William Matthew Carney was born on November 4, 1918, in Mount Vernon, New York, United States, and died on November 9, 2003, in Chester, Connecticut, United States, at the age of 85.

Art Carney was married three times. Jean Myers (first and third marriages): Carney first married his high school sweetheart, Jean Myers Carney (1919-2012), on August 15, 1940. They had three children: twins Brian Carney (1946-) and Eileen Carney (1946-) and Paul Carney (1952-). The couple divorced in 1965. After his second marriage, he reconciled with Jean, marrying her again in 1979. Jean Myers remained with her husband until she became a widow in 2003; Barbara Isaac (second marriage): Carney married his fan Barbara Isaac (1938-2018) on December 21, 1966. Carney was 48 years old and already a grandfather, and Barbara was 20 years younger than him. The couple divorced in 1977.

George C. Scott - ©Theda Bara

The name I highlight in this post is George C. Scott, an American film, theater, and television actor, as well as a filmmaker and producer. He was known for being a taciturn man, with a gruff, intense, and sometimes paranoid demeanor, but considered a genius of acting. He became famous for winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1971 for “Patton” (1970), in the role of “General George S. Patton Jr.”, an award he refused, being the first actor to disregard the award.

 

Due to his controversial relationship with members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, George Campbell does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, I believe he didn't care about that.

In addition to the Oscar, George C. Scott won a Golden Globe Award in 1998 for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series for “12 Angry Men” and two Emmy Awards, all of which the actor refused.

George Campbell Scott was born on October 11, 1927, in Wise, Virginia, United States, and died on September 22, 1999 (at age 71), in Westlake Village, California, United States, a month before his 72nd birthday.

George Campbell Scott married five times to four different women throughout his life. He was known for his intense personality and for frequently becoming romantically involved with co-workers. His marriages included American actress Carolyn Hughes, née Catherine Mabel Hukill (1910-1995), from 1951 to 1955. The couple had one daughter, Victoria; his second marriage was to Patricia Reed (1933-2003), from 1955 to 1960, with whom he had two sons, Matthew and Devon. The marriage ended in divorce in 1960; his third wife was the American actress Colleen Rose Dewhurst (1924-1991), whom he married twice, from 1960 to 1965 and from 1967 to 1972. The couple had two sons: Alexander and Campbell Scott (1961-), who also became an actor. The relationship was always turbulent, and no one understands why they remarried after the separation; his fifth marriage was to the American actress Trish Van Devere (1941-), from 1972 to 1999, with whom he remained married until she became a widow. In addition to his marriages, George C. Scott had a well-known extramarital affair with actress Ava Lavinia Gardner (1922-1990) in the mid-1960s.

Doris Day - ©Theda Bara

The name I present in this post is that of American actress and singer Doris Day. Her dreams of pursuing a career as a dancer were dashed when a car accident on October 13, 1937, severely damaged her legs. She spent most of her adolescence in a wheelchair, and during this time, she began singing on the radio. Her film fame came with British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), having been directed by him in the mystery thriller “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1956). She played the central role of “Josephine Conway McKenna” opposite James Stewart (1908-1997), who played “Dr. Benjamin McKenna”, and the actress sang the Oscar-winning song “Whatever Will Be, Will Be” in the film.

Doris turned down the role of “Maria” in “The Sound of Music” (1965), explaining: “I’m too American to play an Austrian nun”.

Doris Day never won an Oscar. Her major awards were: a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 2008; four Golden Globes: three Henrietta Awards in 1958, 1960, and 1963; and a Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1989.

The actress has two stars on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard: 6278, in the Music category, and 6735, in the Motion Picture category.

Born Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, she died on May 13, 2019, in Carmel Valley Village, California, United States, at the age of 97.

Her mother, Alma Sophia Kappelhoff (1895-1976), named her Doris in honor of her favorite silent film star, Doris Margaret Kenyon (1897-1979). Coincidentally, it was in the mid-1970s that Day wrote her autobiography, “Doris Day: Her Own Story” (1975), in collaboration with biographer Aaron Edward Hotchner (1917-2020). Kenyon was her neighbor on Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills, California, United States.

Doris Day underwent a hysterectomy during the filming of “Julie” (1956), where she played the lead character “Julie Benton”. After being diagnosed with an orange-sized tumor growing in her intestine, she underwent treatment and completed filming.

Doris Day was married four times, three of which ended in divorce. Her first marriage was to American trombonist and musician Albert Paul Jorden (1917–1967), from 1941 to 1943. The couple had one son, American musician and record producer Terrence “Terry” Melcher (1942–2004); her second marriage was to American saxophonist and composer George William Weidler (1926–1989), from 1946 to 1949; her third marriage was to American film and music executive Martin Melcher (1915–1968), from 1951 to 1968, which left her a widow; her fourth and final marriage was to restaurant entrepreneur Barry Comden (1935–2009), from 1976 to 1982.

Laurence Olivier - ©Theda Bara

The name I bring to you in this post is Sir Laurence Olivier, a renowned British actor, producer and director, who directed himself in the film (1948), based on the Shakespearean tragedy of the Danish prince “Hamlet” (written by William Shakespeare, between 1599 and 1601), which earned him two Oscars for best actor and best film in 1949. Laurence Olivier also received two more Oscars: an honorary one: in 1947, for the film: “Henry V”, where he played the protagonist, and for his entire body of work, in 1979.

Laurence Olivier also won three Golden Globes in 1949, for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, for: “Hamlet”; for: Best Supporting Actor in 1977, for: “Marathon Man”, character “Szell” and a Cecil B. DeMille Special Golden Globe in 1983; He also won five Emmys for Great Performances (1960, 1973, 1975, 1982 and 1984) and is considered by many to be the greatest actor of all time, both in film and theater.

Laurence Kerr Olivier, who in addition to being a Knight of the Queen (Sir.) also holds the title of Baron Olivier.

Laurence Olivier has his star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, at 6319 Hollywood Boulevard, in the film category.

Laurence Kerr Olivier, born on May 22, 1907, Dorking, United Kingdom, died on July 11, 1989, Steyning, United Kingdom, at the age of 82.

Laurence Olivier was married three times, first to British stage and film actress Jill Esmond Moore (1908-1990) from 1930 to 1940. The couple had one son, British actor and producer Tarquin Olivier (1936-); his second marriage was to the famous British actress Vivian Mary Hartley, known as Lady Olivier or simply Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) from 1940 to 1960. The couple had no children; and finally he married another very famous British actress, Joan Ann Olivier Plowright, known as Baroness Olivier or simply Joan Plowright (1929-) from 1961 to 1989, whom he left a widow. The couple had three children: Belgian writer and screenwriter Richard Olivier (1945-2021); British actress Tamsin Olivier (1963-) and film and TV production manager Julie Kate Olivier (1966-).