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SCIFIPEDIA:This Day in SCI FI/April 2007 <span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>
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Barry Sonnenfeld is born (1953). Barry is the director behind a handful of big-budget Hollywood hits, including Men in Black (1997), Wild Wild West (1999), the big-screen The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel, Addams Family Values (1993). Barry also acted as cinematographer on Penny Marshall's fantasy Big (1988). Barry was born in New York, New York. Annette O'Toole is born (1952). This doe-eyed redhead played Lana Lang in Superman III (1983) and starred for director Paul Schrader in his stylish remake of Cat People (1982). Annette's extensive television credits include The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story (1990), the miniseries of Stephen King's It (1990), and an installment of the updated Outer Limits ("Dark Matters"). In 2001, she took on the role of Martha Kent in the series Smallville. Annette was born in Houston, Texas. Lon Chaney is born (1883). Actor and makeup specialist Lon was one of the genre's first screen legends thanks to his classic performances as the title monsters in the silent versions of The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). Lon's other projects include London After Midnight (1927), The Unknown (1927), The Monster (1925), and The Shock (1923). Lon, who died in 1930, was born Leonidas Frank Chaney in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Get more info on today's date at SCIFIpedia's Timeline.
Cat People opens (1982). Director Paul Schrader's graphic update of the subtle 1942 classic stars Nastassja Kinski, who plays a virginal young woman who visits her brother in New Orleans, only to discover that they are both afflicted with a curse that transforms them into murderous panthers when sexually aroused. Meanwhile, as a wild cat ravages the nighttime streets of the Big Easy, Kinski finds herself falling for (of all things) a zoo curator. Can his love save her from the feline curse? The cast also includes John Heard (C.H.U.D.), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), and Annette O'Toole (Stephen King's It). Linda Hunt is born (1945). This diminutive Oscar winner, respected for her work on stage and screen, played Shadout Mapes in David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune. Her other genre credits include The Relic (1997) and providing the voice of Commander Chennault for television's Space Rangers (1993). Linda was born in Morristown, New Jersey. Alec Guinness is born (1914). This accomplished actor and Oscar winner gained genre immortality when he played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars (1977) as well as in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Alec also starred as a blind butler in Murder by Death (1976), as Jacob Marley's ghost in Scrooge (1970), as Sigmund Freud in the romantic fantasy Lovesick (1983), and was featured in Steven Soderbergh's eerie Kafka (1991). Alec, who died in 2000, was born in London, England. Get more info on today's date at SCIFIpedia's Timeline.
2001: A Space Odyssey opens (1968). Stanley Kubrick redefines the outer-space epic when his genre masterpiece takes audiences on a ride that ads promise will be "the ultimate trip." Adapted from Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," the visually and aurally stunning 2001 traces the intervention of aliens on mankind from the dawn of civilization well into the space age and beyond. Gary Lockwood, Keir Dullea, and William Sylvester star as scientists who trace an alien artifact found on the moon all the way to Jupiter in the hope of answering some long-unanswered questions. The famous voice of the movie's super computer, HAL 9000, is provided by Douglas Rain. Kubrick goes on to earn Oscar nominations for his direction and for his script (co-written with Clarke himself), and the movie wins a statuette for its stunning special effects. Eddie Murphy is born (1961). Eddie both produced and starred in director Wes Craven's Vampire in Brooklyn (1995). Eddie also displayed his famous comedic skills in remakes of The Nutty Professor (1996) and Dr. Dolittle (1998). Eddie was born in Brooklyn, New York. Alec Baldwin is born (1958). Alec, Kim Basinger's ex-husband, played crime-fighting superhero Lamont Cranston, also known as The Shadow (1994). Alec's other appearances include Malice (1993), the supernatural romantic comedy Prelude to a Kiss (1992), and Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988). Alec also produced his own version of The Devil and Daniel Webster (2001). Alec was born in Massapequa, Long Island, New York. Get more info on today's date at SCIFIpedia's Timeline.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is born (1977). Best known for her role as Buffy on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series), Sarah also had leading roles in the films The Grudge, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and the live action versions of Scooby Doo. Robert Downey Jr. is born (1965). This Oscar-nominated actor played reincarnated souls looking for romance in both Heart and Souls (1993) and Chances Are (1989). His other credits include In Dreams (1998), and the teen comedy Weird Science (1985). Robert was born in New York, New York. Anthony Perkins is born (1932). Perkins gave one of the genre's greatest screen performances as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho (1960). He revived Norman for Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), and the made-for-television Psycho IV: The Beginning (1991). Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Michael Moriarty is born (1941). Moriarty has appeared in It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987), A Return to Salem's Lot (1987), Troll (1986), The Stuff (1985), Blood Link (1982), and Q-The Winged Serpent (1982). His television credits includes episodes of the updated Outer Limits ("Final Appeal"), Poltergeist: The Legacy ("Father to Son"), and the updated Twilight Zone ("20/20 Vision"). Michael was born in Detroit, Michigan. Roger Corman is born (1926). Corman directed a series of low-budget 1950s classics, including A Bucket of Blood (1959), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Not of This Earth (1957), The Day the World Ended (1956) and It Conquered the World (1956). During the 1960s, he continued to churn out dozens of films, among them The Terror (1963), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963) and The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), as well as a series of well-received adaptations of works by Edgar Allan Poe including The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964). Still active as both director and producer, Roger has lent his genre expertise to such recent projects as Frankenstein Unbound (1990) and The Haunting of Hell House (1999). Roger was born in Detroit, Michigan. Robert Bloch is born (1917). Bloch is the genre author who penned the original novel Psycho, upon which Hitchcock based his classic 1960 thriller of the same name. His other writing credits include The Night Walker (1964), The House That Dripped Blood (1970) and the made-for-television The Cat Creature (1973). He also worked on scripts for episodes of Tales of the Unexpected and the original Star Trek ("Catspaw," "Wolf In The Fold," and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"). Robert, who died in 1994, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Isaac Asimov dies (1992). The genre loses one of its most accomplished and enduring authors when novelist Isaac Asimov dies on this day in 1992. Among the most popular titles of his voluminous body of work are Pebble In The Sky, Foundation, The End of Eternity, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn, Nemesis, The Positronic Man, Robot Dreams, and I, Robot. Isaac was born in 1920 in Petrovichi, Russia. Audrey Rose opens (1977). Anthony Hopkins, Marsha Mason, and a young Susan Swift star in this big-screen adaptation of Frank De Fellita's best-selling novel about a man who tries to convince a young couple that their daughter is actually the reincarnation of his own child who died years earlier in a tragic car accident. Though the director is Robert Wise (The Haunting, The Andromeda Strain, The Day the Earth Stood Still), the end result is a tedious bore that fails to impress either critics or audiences. Barry Levinson is born (1942). This Oscar-winning writer-producer-director put Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone through their paces for the underwater sci-fi thriller Sphere (1998). His other projects include Toys (1992), the Spielberg-produced Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) and The Natural (1984). He also was a producer on Steven Soderbergh's surreal Kafka (1991). Barry was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Francis Ford Coppola is born (1939). This Oscar-winning director went behind the camera to helm such genre projects as the baroque Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), the time-tripping Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), and his early black-and-white ax-murder mystery, Dementia 13 (1963). He also directed the "Rip Van Winkle" installment of Faerie Tale Theatre. As a producer, he has lent his clout to such genre fare as Sleepy Hollow (1999), Haunted (1995), Kenneth Branagh's version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), George Lucas' early THX 1138, and two memorable made-for-television titles, The Odyssey (1997) and The People (1972). Francis was born in Detroit, Michigan. Yvonne Lime is born (1938). As a young, B-movie ingenue of the 1950s, Lime took on the role of Arlene Logan, Michael Landon's unfortunate steady in the classic I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957). Yvonne was born in Glendale, California. King Kong opens (1933). The king of all monster movies opens on this day in 1933. After an expedition to a remote island, a group of opportunistic explorers return to New York City with a giant ape in tow. When the monster falls in love with a beautiful actress—the incomparable Fay Wray—he breaks free of his shackles and heads for the Empire State Building for a final showdown. The special effects, state-of-the-art for their time, make this one a huge hit at the box office. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Rabid opens (1977). Canadian genre auteur David Cronenberg directs this bizarre entry in which porn star Marilyn Chambers plays Rose, a woman who survives a severe motorcycle accident and receives experimental plastic surgery—only to recover with an insatiable, contagious hunger for human blood that wreaks havoc in modern-day Montreal. Though the initial box office is weak, Rabid goes on to become a cult fave. Patricia Arquette is born (1968). Arquette, blonde and blue-eyed, (who once was married to Nicolas Cage) played Frankie Paige, a woman who embodies the eternal battle between good and evil in Stigmata (1999). She has also made appearances in Nightwatch (1998), David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997), Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994), and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Patricia was born in Chicago, Illinois. Douglas Trumbull is born (1942). Trumbull directed two memorable sci-fi features, Brainstorm (1983) and Silent Running (1971), in addition to lending his special-effects expertise to such enduring genre titles as Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), The Andromeda Strain (1971), Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982), Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Dennis Quaid is born (1954). Quaid (ex-husband of Meg Ryan) has lent his good looks and heroic stature to a variety of popular genre projects. He played Willis Davidge, a space traveler stranded on a strange planet with an intelligent alien in Enemy Mine (1985), and Alex Gardner, a psychic who enters the nightmares of the President of the U.S. in order to stop an assassination plot in Dreamscape (1984). His other genre projects include Frequency (2000), Dragonheart (1996), Wilder Napalm (1993), Innerspace (1987), The Right Stuff, Jaws 3-D (1983) and the made-for-television Are You in the House Alone? (1978). Dennis was born in Houston, Texas. George O. Smith is born (1911). Smith is a science fiction writer who published largely in Astounding. His first published story launched his best-remembered series, the "Venus Equilateral" sequence which involved a communications space station orbiting Venus. The series was collected in [[1947} and an expanded edition was published in 1976. He is also remembered for his novel, The Fourth "R". He died in 1981. Charles Burbee is born (1915). Burbee is one of the best-known writers of "fannish essays. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
House of Wax opens (1953). Touted by Warner Bros. as the first big-studio 3-D movie, Vincent Price's 34th picture is his first horror film. Ironically, director Andre de Toth couldn't appreciate the 3-D effects—he had only one working eye. Max von Sydow is born (1929). This acclaimed Swedish actor gave an immortal performance as Father Merrin, the titular character in William Friedkin's classic, recently re-released adaptation of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist (1975). Max also lent his presence to the 1977 sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, and to a variety of other popular genre titles, including Spielberg's Minority Report (2001), Stephen King's Needful Things (1993), David Lynch's Dune (1984), Dreamscape (1984), Conan the Barbarian (1982), and Flash Gordon (1980). Max was born in Lund, Sweden. Haley Joel Osment is born (1988). No matter what else he does, Oscar-nominated Haley Joel has already gained a place in genre history thanks to his scene-stealing performance as Cole Sear, the haunted child opposite Bruce Willis's haunted shrink in M. Night Shyamalan's blockbuster The Sixth Sense (1999). His other credits includes Spielberg's A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (2001), Bogus (1996), and Forrest Gump (1994). Haley Joel was born in Image:Los Angeles, Image:California. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Scream opens (1997). The "slasher" movies of the 1970s and 1980s are revived thanks to the phenomenal box-office success of Scream, which opens on this date in 1997. Director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and screenwriter Kevin Williamson breathe new life into the old "masked killer stalks teens" plot by poking fun at the clichés that have come to define the genre. The success of Scream helps move Drew Barrymore to the head of the Hollywood pack, and provides early fuel for the careers of Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich. Craven later remains on board for Scream 2 (1997), and Scream 3 (2000). John Milius is born (1944). Writer-director John Milius has directed some big-name actors in popular adventure flicks, among them Nick Nolte in Farewell to the King (1989), Patrick Swayze in Red Dawn (1984), and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the wildly successful Conan the Barbarian (1982). John was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Space Shuttle Columbia launches (1981). The N.A.S.A. space shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, USA, on its maiden voyage into space. It is the first manned spacecraft designed for repeated use. Astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen take Columbia on a two-day mission to test the new space vehicle's capabilities, opening up a program that eventually includes more than 75 missions. This first flight ends as scheduled with a landing April 14, 1981, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Tom Clancy is born (1947). Best-selling novelist and international espionage expert Tom Clancy has seen his work adapted to the screen with such hits as The Hunt for Red October (1990), Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). One of his more recent works, Net Force, was made into a television miniseries. Tom was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Rebecca opens (1940). Rebecca, one of the most romantic thrillers of all time, opened on this day in 1940. Alfred Hitchcock's masterful adaptation of the novel by Daphne Du Maurier, about a woman haunted by the spirit of her husband's first wife, goes on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year. The inimitable cast includes Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, and Judith Anderson. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Painkiller Jane debuts on the Sci Fi Channel (2007). This TV series stars Kristanna Loken in the title role, as a government agent who can't be killed. It's based on a comic book series written by Jimmy Palmiotti and published by Dynamite Entertainment. Ron Perlman is born (1950). Actor Ron Perlman is best known for his role as the title creature of TV's 1987 series, Beauty and the Beast. Since then, he has worked on the stage as well as in a variety of genre films, among them A Town Has Turned to Dust (1998), Alien Resurrection (1997), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), City of Lost Children (1995), Mr. Stitch (1995), Cronos (1993), and Sleepwalkers (1992). He also has lent his voice to such animated series as Mortal Kombat (1995) and Batman: The Animated Series (1992). Ron was born in New York, New York. Stanley Donen is born (1924). Early in his career, Hollywood veteran Stanley Donen directed musical classics, but he later turned to genre films, such as the Hitchcockian Charade (1963) and Arabesque (1966), as well as the sci-fi adventure Saturn 3 (1980). In 1998, Donen was awarded an Honorary Oscar for "a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit and visual innovation." Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Anthony Michael Hall is born (1968). American actor, producer, and director Anthony Michael Hall stars in the USA Network series The Dead Zone. Hall first hit the scene in the films Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, and Breakfast Club and appeared in the films Johnny Be Good, Edward Scissorhands, and Six Degrees of Separation. Hall was born in West Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts. Sarah Michelle Gellar is born (1977). Gellar was "discovered" at the age of four, but it took a few years of working on daytime soap operas before she hit it big as television's beloved Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. In addition to chasing the undead on a weekly basis for seven seasons, Gellar has been staking her claim to big-screen roles in such horror flicks as Scream 2 (1997) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Along the way, she also provided the voice of Andromeda on television's Hercules. Sarah was born in New York, New York. Julie Christie is born (1941). Oscar winner and perennial leading lady Julie Christie has lent her customary class and intelligence to roles in such genre films as François Truffaut's adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (1966), the haunting Don't Look Now,(1973), directed by Nicholas Roeg, Demon Seed (1977) and Dragonheart (1996). Julie was born in Chukua, Assam, India. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Lois Chiles is born (1947). Chiles, an actor with a famously dusky voice, appeared as Dr. Holly Goodhead in the James Bond film Moonraker (1979), and as Nancy Greenly in Michael Crichton's classic medical thriller Coma (1978). Her other genre credits include Creepshow 2 (1987), In the Eye of the Snake (1994), an uncredited turn in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), and the made-for-television Dark Mansions (1986). Lois was born in Alice, Texas. Elizabeth Montgomery is born (1933). As Samantha Stevens—the perkiest witch ever to hit television—Montgomery continues to charm generation after generation of Bewitched viewers. Following that show's run, she was acclaimed for her complex portrayal of an alleged axe murderess in the television movie, The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975). Early in her career, she played the last woman on Earth (opposite Charles Bronson) in the famous 1959 Twilight Zone episode "Two." Elizabeth, who died in 1995, was born in Hollywood, California. Henry James is born (1843). Legendary American novelist Henry James' classic ghost story, "The Turn of the Screw", has been adapted numerous times to the big screen, to television, and even to the opera stage. The most enduring version, re-titled The Innocents (1961), was directed by Jack Clayton and based on an adaptation by Truman Capote and William Archibald. The film starred Deborah Kerr as the repressed governess haunted by the spirits of a pair of demented lovers. James, who died in 1916, was born in New York, New York. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
The Charlie Jade TV series debuts (2005). The Charlie Jade series stars Jeffrey Pierce in the title role as a detective who finds himself trapped in a parallel universe. This Canadian and South African co-production used sci-fi film-noir writing and unique visual styling. Lukas Haas is born (1976). After holding his own in his debut performance as an Amish boy opposite Harrison Ford's big-city cop in Peter Weir's Witness (1985), child actor Haas would go on to be haunted by a vengeful ghost in The Lady in White (1988). In recent years, Lukas has also been seen as an imprisoned teen in Solarbabies (1986), as one of the few survivors in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996), and as part of a real-life party posse led by pal Leonardo DiCaprio. Lukas was born in West Hollywood, California. Les Tremayne is born (1913). This durable character actor is known by "creature feature" aficionados for his roles in a host of 1950s horror films, including The War of the Worlds (1953), The Monolith Monsters (1957), The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1958), and The Angry Red Planet (1959). Tremayne also provided the voice of the narrator in Forbidden Planet (1956). Later in his career, he kept the chills coming in such low-budget projects as Creature of Destruction (1967), The Slime People (1962) and Snakes (1974). Tremayne was born in London, England. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Roddy Piper is born (1954). This wrestler-turned-thespian, a former "bad boy" of the WWE, was one of the sport's most durable villains before he turned to acting. Since then, "Rowdy" Roddy has been the brawny hero in such genre films as Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987), John Carpenter's They Live (1988), Immortal Combat (1994), and Sci-Fighters (1996). Roddy was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Olivia Hussey is born (1951). Hussey has appeared in such thrillers as Black Christmas (1974), The Cat and the Canary (1979) and Ice Cream Man (1995). Her television projects have included Psycho IV: The Beginning (1991), in which she played the notorious mother of Norman Bates, and Stephen King's It (1990). Olivia was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. William Holden is born (1918). Silver-screen hunk and Oscar-winning actor William Holden, who starred in such enduring classics as Sunset Boulevard and Born Yesterday, was one of the top leading men of Hollywood's "Golden Age." Later in his career, he reached the top of the box-office charts when he played Damien Thorne's unfortunate adoptive father in Damien: Omen 2 (1976) and joined the all-star cast of the sci-fi disaster epic When Time Ran Out (1980). William, who died in 1981, was born in O'Fallon, Illinois. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
David Hewlett is born (1968). Canadian actor David is best known in the role of Dr. Rodney McKay on the series Stargate Atlantis. In the late '90s, he starred in several movies, including Cube and Survivor. He is the eldest of six children, and was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Avery Brooks is born (1949). This stage and screen actor is best known by genre fans for his role as Captain Benjamin Sisko on the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Avery was born in Evansville, Indiana. James Woods is born (1947). This versatile two-time Oscar nominee has starred in a variety of genre films, including John Carpenter's Vampires (1998), the big-screen version of Carl Sagan's Contact (1997), Stephen King's Cat's Eye (1985), and David Cronenberg's cult fave Videodrome (1983). James was born in Vernal, Utah. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Dick Sargent is born (1930). The "second Darrin," from 1969–1972, Sargent was Samantha Stephens' mortal husband, replacing Dick York, making the series' perpetual re-runs extra-confusing for everyone: two Darrins played by two Dicks. Sargent also portrayed an officer of the law in The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955). Elinor Donahue is born (1937). Genre fans may best remember Donahue as a diplomatic agent on a thwarted mission in the "Metamorphosis" episode of Star Trek (the original series), but she's appeared elsewhere, too, such as in an episode of Herman's Head (1991), in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and also in the TV miniseries remake of The Invaders (1995). Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie opens (1996). Mike Nelson, Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo and Gypsy make their big-screen debuts in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, in Mike and his oddball puppet crew travel through space while forced to sit through the 1955 space opus This Island Earth. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
George Takei is born (1940). This Star Trek actor, who became famous on the original TV series and in six feature films as helmsman (and, in Star Trek VI, as captain of the Excelsior) Hikaru Sulu, also can be heard in an American dub of a 1955 Godzilla sequel. Among George's film credits are such titles as Oblivion 2: Backlash (1996), Trekkies (1997, as himself), Mulan (1998, voice of First Ancestor), and Bug Buster (1998). Among his extensive television credits are episodes of such notable series as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ("The Silent Saboteur"), Mission: Impossible ("The Carriers"), MacGyver ("The Wish Child"), Space Cases (Spung at Heart"), Early Edition ("Blackout"), and 3rd Rock from the Sun ("Hotel Dick," as himself). George also provided a variety of voice characterizations for such animated series as Star Trek, Spider-Man, and Batman Beyond. In addition, George starred in a "lost" original Twilight Zone episode titled "The Encounter," which was withheld from syndication, as a Japanese-American wanting to borrow a tool from a white WWII Marine. Their search through the Marine's attic full of war memorabilia rekindles prejudices, antagonisms, and ultimately tragedy. George was born in Los Angeles, California. Bram Stoker dies (1912). Today is a dark day for vampire lore. On this day Bram Stoker died in London, England. His novel, Dracula, reprinted a myriad of times in multiple languages, is seemingly as immortal as its titular villain. Geraint Wyn Davies is born (1957). Davies was the handsome leading vampire of Forever Knight, but he also took his turn in other genre projects: Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (television film, 1989), Highlander (television series), The Outer Limits, and Dracula: The Series. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Dominic Zamprogna is born (1979). Zamprogna is a Canadian actor who has appeared in a number of genre series, including a role as Jammer in Battlestar Galactica. Other genre appearances include The Trial of Red Riding Hood, Tales from the Cryptkeeper, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Odyssey 5, Stargate Atlantis, Supernatural, Bloodsuckers, It Waits, and Blade: The Series. Zamprogna was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Andie MacDowell is born (1958). This model-turned-actress made her screen debut in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (1984). She has also appeared in Michael (1996), Multiplicity (1996) and Groundhog Day (1993). MacDowell was born in Gaffney, South Carolina. Iggy Pop is born (1947). Rock-and-roll wild man Iggy Pop has taken time out of the recording studio and off of the concert stage to lend his nihilistic energies to a handful of genre films, including The Crow: City of Angels (1996), Jim Jarmusch's arty Dead Man (1995), the comic book-inspired Tank Girl (1995), and the ultra-violent Hardware (1990). Pop also guest-starred as a surly Vorta named Yelgrun in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Magnificent Ferengi," appeared as himself in an episode of Tales from the Crypt ("For Cryin' Out Loud"), and wrote and performed the theme song for the indie SF cult classic film Repo Man (1984). Pop was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Sheryl Lee is born (1967). Her beauty as the murdered Laura Palmer haunted viewers of the David Lynch TV series Twin Peaks (1990), and led to another haunting appearance in the series' film continuation, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). In 1997, she herself was haunted by the undead in John Carpenter's Vampires. The Bride of Frankenstein opens (1935). The monster finds a mate in this sequel to the 1931 original. Genre hero James Whale reprises his directorial duties to craft this tale of a strange scientist who shares his secrets with Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and convinces him to create a partner for his monstrous but lonely creation. Boris Karloff returns as the monster, while Elsa Lanchester plays his bride as well as original Frankenstein scribe Mary Shelley herself. The creation scenes go on to become classics, as does the memorable musical score by Franz Waxman. Many critics and moviegoers dare to consider Bride superior to Whale's original. Aaron Spelling is born (1923). Before Charlie's Angels, Dynasty, and Melrose Place, mega-producer Aaron Spelling sharpened his teeth on a number of memorable made-for-television thrillers, including Satan's School for Girls (1973), How Awful About Allan (1970), The House That Would Not Die (1970), and Crowhaven Farm (1970). Spelling was born in Dallas, Texas. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
eXistenZ opens (1999). The same year that saw The Matrix delight film audiences also brings eXistenZ to the screen. Canadian director David Cronenberg's bizarre thriller stars Jennifer Jason Leigh (Single White Female) as Allegra Geller, a brilliant computer programmer whose virtual reality game threatens to take over her life. Leigh's co-stars include Jude Law (Gattaca) and Ian Holm (Alien). Buster Crabbe dies (1983). Not every science fiction persona gets to put both Buck Rogers (1940, film) and Flash Gordon (various two-part film episodes in the late 1930s and early 1940s) on a résumé. Crabbe was one of the genre's most memorable serial thrillers. Crabbe was born February 7, 1908, in Oakland, California. Lee Majors is born (1941). Lee Majors will forever be known as Colonel Steve Austin, television's Six Million Dollar Man. The series ran for four seasons, from 1974 through 1978, but Majors has since reprised the role on several occasions, most notably opposite Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner in Bionic Ever After? (1994) and Bionic Showdown (1989). Majors was born in Wyandotte, Michigan. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Scream 2 opens (1997). Director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson waste no time cashing in on the enormous box-office success of their original Scream. Scream 2 stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox, the survivors of the original slaughter, along with new victims Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jerry O'Connell, Jada Pinkett, and Timothy Olyphant. Remaining true to the self-referential humor of the original, Scream 2 sets its first scene in a darkened movie theater during a screening of a fictional horror flick called Stab. Richard Donner is born (1930). High-octane director Richard Donner worked on such television series as The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), The Sixth Sense (1972) and Ghost Story (1972) before graduating to the big screen with The Omen (1976) and Superman (1978). His other genre projects as director include Conspiracy Theory (1997), The Goonies (1985) and Ladyhawke (1985). Donner also acted as an executive producer for television's Tales from the Crypt as well as the series' two feature-length entries, Bordello of Blood (1996) and Demon Knight (1995). Richard was born in New York, New York. William Castle is born (1914). Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, producer/director William Castle churned out a series of gimmicky shockers, more than a few of which have become minor classics. Among his most enduring titles are Project X (1968), I Saw What You Did (1965), Strait-Jacket (1964), The Night Walker (1964), Homicidal (1961), 13 Ghosts (1960), The Tingler (1959), Macabre (1958) and House on Haunted Hill (1958). Castle, who died in 1977, was born in New York, New York. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Volcano opens (1997). This disaster epic, in which Los Angeles is threatened by volcanic eruptions and molten lava, stars Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche. The movie's box-office take turns out to be disappointing, largely due to the proximity of another volcano movie, Dante's Peak, released earlier in the year. Emily Bergl is born (1975). Stage actress Emily Bergl rose to Hollywood prominence when she played Rachel Lang, Sissy Spacek's telekinetic successor in The Rage: Carrie II (1999). Emily was born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Hank Azaria is born (1964). Character actor Hank Azaria (ex-husband of Academy Award winner Helen Hunt) has played some offbeat heroes in such genre entries as Mystery Men (1999, as The Blue Raja) and the mega-budget remake of Godzilla (1998). Hank was born in Queens, New York. Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
Giorgio Moroder is born (1940). This prolific composer scored big throughout his career with The NeverEnding Story (1984), The NeverEnding Story II, Electric Dreams (1984), Superman III (1983), and Cat People (1982). He also created a new film score for the reconstituted Metropolis (1927). Giorgio was born in Ortisei, Italy. One Million B.C. opens (1940). One Million B.C., curiously directed by comedy experts Hal Roach and Hal Roach, Jr., becomes Hollywood's first Jurassic Park. The big-budget (for its time), grand-scale caveman saga features all the prehistoric beasts and volcanic eruptions one would expect, and stars Victor Mature, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Carole Landis. A 1966 remake, retitled One Million Years B.C., would later make a star of Raquel Welch (in a fur bikini). Get more info on today’s date at SCIFIpedia’s Timeline.
James Legros is born (1962). Indie-film favorite James Legros has played roles in Phantasm II (1988), Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho (1998), *batteries not included (1987), Near Dark (1987), and Solarbabies (1986). James was born in Minnesota. Devil Girl from Mars opens (1954). Hazel Court plays the title character in this British sci-fi entry, a leather-clad female |
