Chadwick Boseman - ©Theda Bara

In the month of his death (August), the name I bring to you in this post is that of the excellent American actor Chadwick Boseman, who became famous for his leading role in Marvel’s “Black Panther” (2018). Boseman would have turned 49 in 2025, but he passed away in 2020, in a world amid a pandemic, at the age of 43, but not from Covid.

Although he was nominated for an Oscar in 2019 for: “Black Panther” and did not win, the actor won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama in 2020 for: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”; a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance or Narration in 2020 for: “What If...?”; and two MTV Movie Awards: Best Hero in 2018 for: “Black Panther” and Best Actor in a Motion Picture in 2020 for: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”.

Chadwick Boseman did not have a star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame during his lifetime, but he will receive a posthumous honor. The ceremony, which was scheduled for 2024, has been postponed, but it is possible that it will take place this year, 2025.

Chadwick Aaron Boseman, born on November 29, 1976, in Anderson, South Carolina, United States, passed away on August 28, 2020, in Los Angeles, California, United States, at the age of 43.

Chadwick Boseman was married. He secretly married singer Taylor Simone Ledward (1978-) in October 2019. They had been together since 2015. Chadwick Boseman died in August 2020 from colorectal cancer. Boseman had no children, and his widow is fighting in court for her husband’s estate, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Haiku: Shards of Life - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2025

The broken glass

Life that passes

They are shards of life!

Yul Brynner - ©Theda Bara

The name I bring to you in this post is that of the excellent Russian-American actor Yul Brynner, winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1957 for his performance in the film “The King and I” (1956), playing the role of “King Mongkut”.

In addition to the Oscar, Yul Brynner won two Tony Awards: one for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical in 1952 and a Special Tony Award in 1985.

Yul Brynner has a star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, located at 6162 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Motion Picture category.

Yul Brynner, born on July 11, 1920, in Vladivostok, Russia, died on October 10, 1985, at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, United States, at the age of 65.

Yul Brynner was a charismatic and openly bisexual actor who married four times, the first three ending in divorce. He had three children and adopted two Vietnamese sisters. His first wife, from 1944 to 1960, was actress Virginia Gilmore (1919-1986), with whom he had a son, Yul Brynner Jr. (1946-2023), nicknamed “Rock” at age six, after American boxer Rocky Graziano (1919-1990). Brynner Jr. was a novelist and professor of history at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut. Yul Brynner had a long affair with the famous German actress Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992), who was 19 years older than the actor; In 1959, Brynner had a daughter, Lark Brynner (1959–), with Swiss actress Frankie Tilden (1939–), who was 20 at the time. Lark lived with her mother, and Brynner supported her financially. His second wife, Doris Kleiner (1931–2025), from 1960 to 1967, was a model born in the former Czechoslovakia and raised in Chile, whom he married during the filming of “The Magnificent Seven”. In 1960, the couple had a daughter, Victoria Brynner (1962–). Belgian novelist and artist Monique Watteau (1929–) also had a romantic relationship with Brynner, from 1961 to 1967. His third wife, Jacqueline Simone Thion de la Chaume (1932–2013), a French socialite, was widowed by Philippe Wiener de Croisset (1911–1965), son of French playwright Francis de Croisset (1877–1937). Brynner and Jacqueline adopted two Vietnamese children: Mia (1974–) and Melody (1975–). His third marriage ended, reportedly due to his affairs with fans of both sexes and his neglect of his children. On April 4, 1983, at age 62, Brynner married his fourth wife, Kathy Lee (1957–), a 26-year-old ballerina from Ipoh, Malaysia. They remained married for the last two years of his life.

Haiku: Traces of Life in the Mirror - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2025

The human gaze is lost in the distance

Observing traces of life in the mirror

Sad are those who wait for years that never return.

Patricia Neal - ©Theda Bara

The name I bring to you in this post is that of the talented American actress Patricia Neal, winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1964 for her work in “Hud” (1963), playing “Alma Brown”. However, “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951) is her most famous film, in which she played the character “Helen Benson”. This film was remade in 2008, but did not achieve the same success.

In addition to the Oscar, Patricia Neal received two BAFTAs (1963 and 1965), a Golden Globe (1971), and a Tony Award (1947). The actress was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for “The Subject Was Roses” (1968), playing “Nettle Cleary”, but did not win.

Patricia Neal has a star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, located at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Motion Picture category.

Patricia Patsy Louise Neal, born on January 20, 1926, in Packard, Kentucky, United States, died on August 8, 2010, in Edgartown, Massachusetts, United States, at the age of 99.

Patricia Neal was one of the rare Hollywood actresses to marry only once. After a torrid romance with Spanish hard rock, blues, and progressive rock guitarist and composer Robert William Gary Moore (1952-2011), the actress married the famous British writer of Welsh and Norwegian descent Roald Dahl (1916-1990), whose successful works, translated into film, include: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (1964) and "Matilda" (1988). The couple lived together for 30 years, from 1953 to 1983. They had five children: Olivia Twenty Dahl (1955-1962), who died at the age of seven from measles encephalitis, even before a vaccine against the disease was developed; British author and former actress Chantal Sophia “Tessa” Dahl (1957-); British-American businessman Theo Matthew Dahl (1960-); American lawyer Ophelia Magdalena Dahl (1964-) and British screenwriter Lucy Neal Dahl (1965-).