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- Welcome to the Archive for January, 2007
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- January 1
Eraserhead opens (1977). Director David Lynch's dark, dreamlike horror movie—an artsy black-and-white feature about a misfit with strange hair, his spastic wife, and their monstrous offspring. Though the movie baffles a lot of critics, it goes on to become a cult classic and establishes Lynch (who goes on to helm Dune, Blue Velvet, and Lost Highway, among others) as a modern master of the avant-garde.
Frank Langella is born (1940). This versatile stage and screen actor had his greatest success when he played Dracula, first on Broadway and then in the highly regarded 1979 film version directed by John Badham. Frank's other credits include the made-for-television Jason and the Argonauts (2000), Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate (1999), Brainscan (1994), Masters of the Universe (1987), and Sphinx (1981). He also played the Bajoran extremist Minister Jaro on several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Frank was born in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Dana Andrews is born (1909). This reliable leading man starred in a number of memorable genre titles, including Jacques Tourneur's cult fave, Night of the Demon (1957), and the apocalyptic Crack in the World (1965). Other titles on Dana's rèsumè include The Frozen Dead (1966), Brainstorm (1965), The Satan Bug (1965), and the classic murder mystery Laura (1944). His television credits include a 1971 Night Gallery episode titled "The Different Ones" and an installment of the original Twilight Zone titled "No Time Like the Past." Dana, who died in 1992, was born in Collins, Mississippi.
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- January 2
Cuba Gooding, Jr. is born (1968). This Oscar-winning actor has made a handful of genre appearances opposite some big-name stars. He was in Instinct (1999) with Anthony Hopkins, What Dreams May Come (1998) with Robin Williams, and Outbreak (1995) with Dustin Hoffman. Cuba was born in The Bronx, New York.
Tia Carrere is born (1967). This exotic beauty played Akivasha, the heroine of Kull the Conqueror (1997), and also starred in such features as Merlin: The Return (1999), True Lies (1994), and Zombie Nightmare (1986). Her television credits include episodes of Tales from the Crypt ("On a Dead Man's Chest"), Quantum Leap ("The Leap Home"), and Friday the 13th ("Year of the Monkey"). Tia was born Althea Janairo in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Isaac Asimov is born (1920). Isaac was one of the most prolific and influential authors of science fiction and science nonfiction who has ever lived. During his lifetime, he worked as an author or editor on more than 500 tomes, and he has been honored with both Hugo and Nebula Awards. Isaac grew up reading the science-fiction magazines sold in his parents' candy store, and his first SF short story was published in 1939 with the help of renowned genre editor John W. Campbell. Although his academic pursuits were interrupted by the Second World War, during which he served as a civilian researcher, in 1948 he earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Columbia University. Isaac worked as an associate professor at Boston University for several years while writing fiction, and he became a full-time writer in 1958. Although he is best remembered for such classic works of fiction as his Robot series, Foundation series, Fantastic Voyage, and countless short stories, the great majority of his works were nonfiction. (He is the only author to have a published book in every Dewey Decimal library category except Philosophy.) Isaac was born in Petrovichi, Russia. No accurate records exist of Isaac's date of birth. He celebrated January 2, 1920, which was the latest possible date, but his date of birth might have been as early as October 4, 1919. Isaac died on April 6, 1992.
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- January 3
Robert Loggia is born (1930). This dependable character actor played General William Grey in Independence Day (1996) and CIA Director Jonathan Roth in television's Pandora's Clock (1996). His other genre credits include Lost Highway (1997), the made-for-television Lifepod (1993), Innocent Blood (1992), The Believers (1987), and Psycho II (1983). Loggia was also featured in a 2000 episode of The Outer Limits ("Final Appeal") and in a 1986 installment of Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("A Very Happy Ending"). Loggia was born in New York, New York.
Ray Milland is born (1907). Oscar-winning actor Milland was the subject of sinister scientific experiments in The Thing with Two Heads (1972) and X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes (1963). He also battled vengeful ghosts in the classic The Uninvited (1944) and played Sire Uri in television's original Battlestar Galactica (1978). His other big-screen genre credits include The Attic (1979), The Uncanny (1977), Terror in the Wax Museum (1973), Frogs (1972), The Premature Burial (1962), Panic in Year Zero! (1962), and Alfred Hitchcock's Dial 'M' for Murder (1954). Milland's television projects include Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976), Daughter of the Mind (1969), and a 1971 episode of Night Gallery titled "The Hand of Borgus Weems." Milland, who died in 1986, was born in Neath, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
J. R. R. Tolkien is born (1892). John Ronald Reuel Tolkien has earned his place among the pantheon of great science fiction and fantasy novelists with his enduring literary creations, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy—The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King—and the posthumously published The Silmarillion. His classic trilogy was adapted in 1978 as The Lord of the Rings, an animated feature film, but it comprised only the first two novels of the trilogy. Made-for-TV versions of The Hobbit and The Return of the King followed soon after. A more comprehensive theatrical adaptation was undertaken more than 20 years later with a big-budget, New Zealand–based production of the trilogy released in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
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- January 4
Ann Magnuson is born (1956). This performance artist-turned-film actor played a woman in love with an ideal (but mechanized) man of her own creation in Making Mr. Right (1987). Her other genre appearances include I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998), HBO's From the Earth to the Moon (1998), The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas (1996), Tank Girl (1995), and The Hunger (1983). Ann was born in Charleston, West Virginia.
George P. Cosmatos is born (1941). George is the high-octane director behind the underwater monster movie Leviathan (1989), the mutant-rat thriller Of Unknown Origin (1983), and the all-star "deadly disease loose on a runaway train" disaster flick The Cassandra Crossing (1976). George was born in Tuscany, Italy.
Barbara Rush is born (1927). This classy actor was the memorable leading lady in two trend-setting sci-fi features of the 1950s: When Worlds Collide (1951) and It Came from Outer Space (1953). Her made-for-television movies include Death Car on the Freeway (1979), Moon of the Wolf (1972), and The Eyes of Charles Sand (1972). She also starred in a 1964 episode of the original Outer Limits ("The Forms of Things Unknown"), a 1971 installment of Night Gallery ("Cool Air"), and a 1998 episode of the updated Outer Limits ("Balance of Nature"). Barbara was born in Denver, Colorado.
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- January 5
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde opens (1931). Leading man Fredric March won a Best Actor Oscar for his dual-role performance in this film version of the Robert Louis Stevenson tale, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and co-starring Miriam Hopkins. To many fans of the genre, this version is still considered the definitive cinematic interpretation of the classic tale.
Robert Duvall is born (1931). This Oscar-winning actor, widely regarded as one of the finest performers of his generation, played the heroic Spurgeon "Fish" Tanner in Deep Impact (1998) and the sinister "Commander" in The Handmaid's Tale (1990). His other genre credits include The 6th Day (2000), Phenomenon (1996) and George Lucas's early THX 1138 (1970). Robert's television credits include two episodes of the original Outer Limits ("The Inheritors" and "The Chameleon"), and one each of The Twilight Zone ("Miniature") and Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Bad Actor"). Robert was born in San Diego, California.
Jeanne Dixon is born (1918). Popular psychic and beloved eccentric Jeanne Dixon achieved international fame for her prediction of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and her prognostications of a world apocalypse in 1999. (Thankfully, only one of those two forecasts came true.) Jeanne, who died in 1997, was born in Medford, Wisconsin.
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- January 6
Eric Frank Russell is born (1905). Russell was a British science fiction writer who specialized in witty entertainments in which intelligent, plucky individuals triumph over stronger and more organized foes. Russell's first notable work, Sinister Barrier (1939), was based on Charles Fort's remark, "I think we are property." Wasp (1957) was Russell's ultimate story of an individual bringing down a society. NESFA Press has published comprehensive collections of Russell's sf works: Major Ingredients (short works) and Entities (novels). Russell died in 1978.
Bloodrayne opens in U.S. theaters. The movie version of Bloodrayne, based on the video game franchise of the same name, is directed by Uwe Boll and stars Kristanna Loken, Michael Madsen, Matthew Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, and Ben Kingsley. In 18th-century Romania, Rayne, a dhampir (half-human, half-vampire), joins forces with two vampire hunters from the Brimstone Society.
Anthony Minghella is born (1954). Minghella is the writer/director of the romantic ghost story Truly Madly Deeply (1991), which starred Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman. Among his other turns as writer/director is The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, and starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett.
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- January 7
Nicolas Cage is born (1964). This Oscar-winning actor gave a notoriously over-the-top performance as a deranged man who might (or might not) be a vampire in Vampire's Kiss (1989). His other genre credits include John Woo's highly regarded thriller, Face/Off (1997), and Francis Ford Coppola's time-travel fantasy, Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). Cage also served as a producer on Shadow of the Vampire (2000). Cage was born in Long Beach, California.
The Avengers TV series debuts (1961). Four years before it comes to American television screens, The Avengers debuts in the United Kingdom. The early episodes portray John Steed (Patrick Macnee) as second fiddle to police surgeon Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry). The series' second season teams Steed with Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) and, briefly, Venus Smith (Julie Stevens). Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) becomes Steed's partner in 1965, when the show's sci-fi elements are most emphasized.
William Peter Blatty is born (1928). Blatty is the author of The Exorcist, still a seminal work of horror and the occult more than 30 years after its debut. He adapted his best-selling novel for William Friedkin's classic, 1973 big-screen version (which was theatrically re-released in the U.S. in 2000) and earned an Oscar for his effort. Blatty also wrote and directed The Ninth Configuration (1980), which he based on his novel Twinkle Twinkle Killer Kane, and directed 1990's Exorcist III. Blatty was born in New York, New York.
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- January 8
The Mummy opens (1932). Boris Karloff stars in this Universal Studios production, which was directed by Karl Freund. Although it was not the first big-screen adaptation of this classic myth, it is still revered by cinephiles and genre fans alike for its effectiveness as a thriller despite the absence of modern special effects. Its tried-and-true story formula—the mummy is awakened by improvident archeologists and proceeds to seek out the reincarnated soul of its lost love from 2,000 years ago, causing mayhem and destruction along the way&mdashthrills audiences for decades afterward, and is so good that it is resurrected again and again in nearly 50 big-screen sequels, remakes, and parodies.
David Bowie is born (1947). One of David's earliest stage personas was that of alien rocker Ziggy Stardust. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most influential writers of pop music and so-called "glam rock," he has also carved out a name for himself as an actor. He starred in the title role of the intellectual SF feature The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), as the ill-fated John Blaylock in the cult-favorite vampire film The Hunger (1983), as the eerie and inscrutable Jareth in Labyrinth (1986) and as Phillip Jeffries in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He also has had a recurring role as Julian Priest on the TV series The Hunger, which makes passing nods to the movie of the same title. Bowie was born David Robert Hayward-Jones in Brixton, London, England.
Yvette Mimieux is born (1942). Mimieux played Weena, a pretty young waif from the future in the classic 1960 big-screen version of H. G. Wells's The Time Machine. Her résumé also includes roles in The Black Hole (1979), The Neptune Factor (1973), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), and two made-for-television titles, Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978) and Snowbeast (1977). Mimieux was born in Hollywood, California.
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- January 9
Playwright Karel Čapek is born (1890). In their 1920 play R.U.R., brothers Karel and Josef Čapek tagged their mechanical workers with the Czech word for forced labor: "robot." The term stuck and has now passed into common, international parlance for a wide variety of mechanical automatons.
Lee Van Cleef is born (1925). Lee, remembered as one of the cinema's all-time greatest villains, played a scientist who sides with a malevolent alien in Roger Corman's It Conquered the World (1956). Lee's other credits include the classic The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), The Satanic Mechanic (1976), The Octagon (1977), John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981), and Master Ninja (1984). Lee's extensive television credits include a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone titled "The Grave." Lee, who died in 1989, was born in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Susannah York is born (1941). This Oscar-nominated British actor played Lara, the birth mother of America's most popular superhero, in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). She also starred opposite Charlton Heston in the 1980 mummy flick, The Awakening (1980). Susannah's other credits include the supernatural The Shout (1978), The Silent Partner (1978), a 1984 made-for-television version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and a 1989 installment of The Ray Bradbury Theatre titled "The Haunting of the New." Susannah was born in London, England.
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- January 10
The Relic opens (1997). This horror flick, based on a novel by Douglas Preston, concerns an ancient monster brought back from South America and unwittingly set loose inside a Chicago museum. The cast includes Penelope Ann Miller (The Shadow) and Tom Sizemore (Red Planet). The director is genre expert Peter Hyams (Outland, 2010, End of Days).
The Invaders debuts (1967). The Invaders presents TV audiences with a series about aliens whose human disguises let them blend easily into society, but many of whom are given away by a tiny deformity: a mutated pinkie finger. The series stars Roy Thinnes (Doppleganger, Dark Shadows) as David Vincent, an architect who unwittingly stumbles onto the horrible truth. The series runs for 43 episodes and is hailed by many genre fans as one of the great sci-fi series of the 1960s.
Ray Bolger is born (1904). Ray is the musical man who played Hunk Andrews (a.k.a. The Scarecrow) in the timeless 1939 screen adaptation of Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz. He also made an appearance playing Vector in a 1979 episode of television's Battlestar Galactica. Ray, who died in 1987, was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
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- January 11
Rod Taylor is born (1930). This rugged leading man played Mitch Brenner in Alfred Hitchcock's classic adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's The Birds (1963). Rod's other genre appearances include George Pal's popular 1960 version of H. G. Wells's The Time Machine and 1956's World Without End. His television credits include a 1959 episode of The Twilight Zone titled "And When the Sky Was Opened." Rod was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
George Zucco is born (1886). This horror movie legend, known for his sinister stare, played Andoheb, the High Priest of Karnak, in a number of mummy flicks, including The Mummy's Hand (1940), The Mummy's Tomb (1942), and The Mummy's Ghost (1944). His plentiful genre credits also include Scared to Death (1947), The Flying Serpent (1946), Voodoo Man (1944), House of Frankenstein (1944), The Black Raven (1943), The Mad Ghoul (1943), The Monster and the Girl (1941), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939). George, who died in 1960, was born in Manchester, England.
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- January 12
HAL 9000 is born (1997). HAL 9000 is born—or turns five, depending on whom you believe. 2001: A Space Odyssey director Stanley Kubrick wanted a 9-year-old HAL for the film version, but author Arthur C. Clarke didn't believe NASA would send a (relatively) old computer to Jupiter; therefore, Clarke's book makes HAL four years old.
Oliver Platt is born (1960). Oliver has lent his quirky persona to a number of genre projects, including Bicentennial Man (1999), Lake Placid (1999), The Temp (1993), and Flatliners (1990). Oliver was born in Washington, D.C.
Kirstie Alley is born (1951). Before she became a star of television sitcoms and comedic films, Kirstie played Lieutenant Saavik in the big-screen hit Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). She also starred opposite Tom Selleck in his robotic thriller Runaway (1984), and later portrayed a sinister doctor investigating a rash of alien births in John Carpenter's remake of Village of the Damned (1995). Kirstie was born in Wichita, Kansas.
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- January 13
Mad Max opens in the United States (1979). This Australian feature, set in a desolate near future, depicts a mad highway culture of suicidal drivers and roving gangs. It captures the collective imagination of American audiences with its combination of bizarre characters, outrageous stunt work, and relentless nihilism. In the role of the main character—a burnt-out cop looking to avenge the murder of his wife and child by sadistic cyclists—director George Miller (who later helms The Witches of Eastwick) casts a relative newcomer named Mel Gibson.
Richard Moll is born (1943). Richard (best known for his role as the hulking Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon on television's Night Court) has lent his considerable stature to a variety of genre projects, including Big Monster on Campus (1998), Galaxis (1995), Wicked Stepmother (1989), House (1986), The Dungeonmaster (1985), Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) and Evilspeak (1981). He also guest-starred on episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Babylon 5, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and appeared in a 1980 installment of Monsters titled "The Demons." Richard was born in Pasadena, California.
Son of Frankenstein opens (1939). Son of Frankenstein marks the last time that genre legend Boris Karloff will portray Frankenstein's Monster. The film also stars Bela Lugosi as Ygor, and the inimitable Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, son of the famous scientist who created the Monster. The film was directed by Rowland V. Lee. Many genre fans consider Son of Frankenstein to be the last "serious" entry in this venerable 1930s horror franchise.
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- January 14
Scanners opens (1981). Canadian cult-film director David Cronenberg takes another step toward genre immortality when his original Scanners opens. The outrageously gory but undeniably suspenseful film, about a showdown between the forces of good and evil within a subculture of psychic killers, becomes infamous for its shocking "exploding head" scenes. Scanners does well enough at the box office to spawn several sequels and bring Cronenberg (who goes on to helm The Dead Zone, the remake of The Fly, Dead Ringers, and Naked Lunch) one step closer to Hollywood legitimacy.
The Bionic Woman debuts (1976). Lindsay Wagner reprises her role as Jaime Sommers, who first appeared in 1975 on The Six Million Dollar Man, in her own TV series. In addition to being one of the first female superheroes on American prime-time TV, Lindsay goes on to become the first actor to win an Emmy for a performance on a sci-fi series.
Faye Dunaway is born (1941). This Oscar-winning movie diva played a fashion photographer psychically linked to a serial killer in 1978's Eyes of Laura Mars. Her other genre appearances include Supergirl (1984), The Temp (1993), and The Handmaid's Tale (1990). Faye was born in Bascom, Florida.
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- January 15
Ray Bolger dies (1987). Ray will forever be remembered as the musical man who played Hunk Andrews (also known as The Scarecrow) in the immortal 1939 screen adaptation of Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz. He also made an appearance playing Vector in a 1979 episode of television's Battlestar Galactica. Ray was born in 1904 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Robert Silverberg is born (1935). Acclaimed author and editor Robert Silverberg's amazingly prolific output—11 novels and 220 novellas and novelettes from 1957–1959 alone—has led him to four Hugos, five Nebulas, two premature retirements, and at least 27 known pseudonyms. Some of his most popular and enduring novels are Lord Valentine's Castle, Dying Inside, Tower of Glass, Thorns, Downward to the Earth, The Book of Skulls, and Nightwings. Much of his early work, however, has never been reprinted and can now be found only in rare and hard-to-find copies of such early pulp magazines as Astounding, Imagination, Super-Science Fiction, and even Guilty Detective. Robert was born in New York, New York.
Lloyd Bridges is born (1913). Early in his career, this affable television regular (and father to fellow actors Jeff and Beau) played Colonel Floyd Graham in Rocketship X-M (1950). Lloyd's other credits include the big-screen Around the World Under the Sea (1966), Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), and a handful of made-for-television movies, including Stowaway to the Moon (1975) and Haunts of the Very Rich (1972). Lloyd also guest-starred on episodes of The Outer Limits ("Sandkings") and Battlestar Galactica ("Living Legend"). Lloyd, who died in 1998, was born in San Leandro, California.
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- January 16
Cube opens (1997). In this surreal, highly original sci-fi thriller directed by newcomer Vincenzo Natali, six strangers (including a young mathematical wizard and a criminal escape artist) awaken one day to find themselves inexplicably trapped inside an enormous cubical maze booby-trapped with deadly weapons. The prisoners band together, using their combined skills to move from room to room, but their escape is complicated by growing tensions and suspicions within the group. Though the movie fails to reach a mass audience, genre aficionados give the flick a thumbs-up. The cast includes Canadian actor Nicole de Boer, who is known to many genre fans as Lieutenant Ezri Dax from the seventh and final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Legend opens (1985). Ridley Scott (Alien) directed this epic-scale fantasy which opens (after months and months of post-production) on this day in 1985. The story follows a boyish hero (played by up-and-comer Tom Cruise) who sets out to rescue a young princess (Mia Sara) from the clutches of a demon (an over-the-top Tim Curry) out to destroy the last remaining unicorn and thus create a world of eternal night. Though critics balk and audiences stay away in droves, Cruise continues his Hollywood ascent unharmed.
John Carpenter is born (1948). This genre auteur—accomplished as a director, producer, writer, composer, and actor—first hit the big time with the now classic Halloween, his low-budget, independently produced 1978 smash that introduced the masked bogeyman Michael Myers, kicked off the "slasher" genre and marked the big-screen debut of Jamie Lee Curtis. John also led Jeff Bridges to an Oscar nomination for Starman (1984) and expertly updated a classic with his high-tech remake of The Thing (1982). John's other projects include Ghosts of Mars (2001), Vampires (1998), Escape from L.A. (1996), In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Village of the Damned (1995), the made-for-television Body Bags (1993), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), They Live (1988), Prince of Darkness (1987), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Christine (1983), Escape from New York (1981), The Fog (1980), and Dark Star (1973). John was born in Carthage, New York.
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- January 17
The Clan of the Cave Bear opens (1986). In this adaptation of the popular novel by Jean M. Auel, Daryl Hannah stars as the pre-historic heroine Ayla, a blonde, blue-eyed Cro-Magnon woman who joins a tribe of nomadic Neanderthals. This big-screen version, is directed by Michael Chapman (the cinematographer behind Ghostbusters II and The Lost Boys) and is based on a screenplay by indie-film maverick John Sayles. Despite the novel's bestseller status, the movie version falls flat at the box office.
Jim Carrey is born (1962). This box-office champion starred as The Riddler in Batman Forever and as Dr. Seuss's furry green version of Scrooge in director Ron Howard's live-action The Grinch (2000). Jim's other projects include Peter Weir's The Truman Show (1998), The Mask (1994), Earth Girls are Easy (1989), the time-tripping Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), and the vampiric comedy Once Bitten (1985). Jim was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.
James Earl Jones is born (1931). In addition to providing the unforgettable voice of Darth Vader in George Lucas's Star Wars saga, James has been featured in such genre fare as Grim Prairie Tales (1990), Field of Dreams (1989), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), and the memorable made-for-television feature, The U.F.O. Incident (1975). His other television credits include hosting Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics (1994) and providing the (uncredited) voice of the narrator on Third Rock from the Sun. James was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi.
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- January 18
Eve of Destruction opens (1991). In this sci-fi thriller, Eve—a angry military robot equipped with a hard body and a nuclear bomb—is set loose in the urban jungle. Gregory Hines (Wolfen) is the cop assigned to stop her and disengage the weapon before it's too late. This distaff version of The Terminator stars literal bombshell Renée Soutendijk as the title villain.
The Six Million Dollar Man debuts (1973). Astronaut Steve Austin barely survives the wreck of his experimental flight module, but a secret government agency has the technology to rebuild him him better, faster, and stronger with the latest in prosthetics: mechanical, computerized implants known as bionics that allow him to make a career change to superhero/secret agent. A little bit of bionic trivia: Oscar Goldman, played throughout the series by Richard Anderson, was originally played by Darren McGavin, who starred as Carl Kolchak on Kolchak: The Night Stalker. To trivialize further, McGavin and Anderson went head-to-head in the second Night Stalker film (The Night Strangler), in which Anderson played a man who killed every few decades in order to live forever.
Kevin Costner is born (1955). This Oscar-winning actor-director has starred in two futuristic epics, The Postman and Waterworld, as well as in the spiritual baseball fable Field of Dreams (1989). Before he hit it big in Hollywood, Kevin also starred in a 1985 episode of television's Amazing Stories titled "The Mission." Kevin was born in Lynwood, California.
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- January 19
Tippi Hedren is born (1931). Tippi (mother of Melanie Griffith) was the blonde beauty in two Alfred Hitchcock classics. She played Melanie Daniels in Hitch's adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's The Birds (1963) and the sexually repressed kleptomaniac of the title in Marnie (1964). Tippi's other credits include Ed Wood's I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998), the made-for-television The Birds II: Land's End (1994), Pacific Heights (1990), and Satan's Harvest (1965). She also starred on a 1984 episode of Tales from the Darkside titled "Mookie and Pookie." Tippi was born Nathalie Hedren in New Ulm, Minnesota.
Anthony Eisley is born (1925). This B-movie actor has been seen in four decades' worth of low-budget genre fare, including Evil Spirits (1990), Deep Space (1987), U.F.O. Syndrome (1980), Monster (1979), Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971), The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals (1969), Journey to the Center of Time (1967), The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966), and Roger Corman's The Wasp Woman (1960). Anthony was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Edgar Allan Poe is born (1809). Edgar, America's darkest literary genius, was the scribe behind works such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Oblong Box, The Tomb of Ligeia, The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, The Pit and the Pendulum, House of Usher, The Black Cat, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue—all of which have repeatedly inspired filmmakers around the world, most notably genre legend Roger Corman, who cast such actors as Vincent Price and Boris Karloff in his series of Poe adaptations during the 1960s. Edgar, who died in 1849, was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
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- January 20
Skeet Ulrich is born (1970). Skeet played Billy Loomis, one of the deranged young murderers who stalks Neve Campbell and friends in Wes Craven's original Scream (1996). He also starred in The Craft (1996) and in the paranormal drama, Touch (1997). Skeet was born in Concord, North Carolina.
David Lynch is born (1946). David, one of the most influential directors of his generation, began his career with the low-budget cult favorite Eraserhead (1977). He continues to combine genre elements with avant-garde technique in such features as Lost Highway (1997), Wild at Heart (1990), Blue Velvet (1986), and his epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune (1984). Along the way, David also found time to create television's Twin Peaks and to act as executive producer on the vampiric Nadja (1994). David was born in Missoula, Montana.
Patricia Neal is born (1926). This accomplished, Oscar-winning actress played Helen Benson, the classy heroine of the 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still. Her other genre appearances include Stranger from Venus (1954) and the big-screen adaptation of Peter Straub's Ghost Story (1981). Patricia was born in Packard, Kentucky.
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- January 21
Freaky Friday (1976) opens. Directed by Gary Nelson, Freaky Friday was adapted by Mary Rodgers from her popular book of the same name. The movie starred Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris as a mother/daughter duo who swap bodies and must cope with the unexpected lives they have fallen into. The movie was remade in 2003, showcasing Jamie Lee Curtis and starlet-to-be Lindsay Lohan.
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) opens. John Sayles directed this fable set in an Irish fishing village in the 1940s, where a young girl (Jeni Courtney) discovers the magic of her selkie heritage.
Jill Eikenberry is born (1947). Equally adept working in the theater, for television, and in movies, Eikenberry’s genre contribution is The Manhattan Project (1986), in which she plays Elizabeth Stephens. The movie also starred John Lithgow, John Mahoney, Christopher Collet, and Cynthia Nixon. Eikenberry was born in New Haven, Connecticut.
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- January 22
Linda Blair is born (1959). As a youngster, Linda earned international recognition and an Oscar nomination for her role as Regan MacNeil, the girl possessed by the devil himself in the classic big-screen adaptation of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist (1973). Her subsequent credits include Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Hell Night (1981), Witchery (1988), Grotesque (1988), The Chilling (1989), Zapped Again! (1990), the comic Repossessed (1990), and Sorceress (1994). Linda's television credits include a 1988 episode of Monsters titled "La Strega." Linda was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
John Hurt is born (1940). This Academy Award-nominated actor played engineer G. W. Kane, the first human to fall prey to the mother of all space monsters in Ridley Scott's original Alien (1979). John's other genre appearances include Lost Souls (2000), Contact (1997), Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound (1990), Spaceballs (1987), 1984 (1984), The Shout (1978), and The Ghoul (1975). John has also lent his voice to such animated projects as The Black Cauldron (1985), The Lord of the Rings (1978), and Watership Down (1978). John was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England.
Bill Bixby is born (1934). Bill, a longtime television favorite, is remembered by genre fans for his recurring role as Dr. David Banner—aka The Incredible Hulk—in the weekly series and in a string of made-for-television movies, including The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990) and The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989), both of which he also directed. Before that, Bill played Anthony Dorian on The Magician. His other credits include two episodes of Night Gallery ("The Return of the Sorcerer" and "Last Rites for a Dead Druid") and one installment of the original Twilight Zone ("The Thirty-Fathom Grave"). Bill, who died in 1993, was born in San Francisco, California.
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- January 23
Rutger Hauer is born (1944). This handsome Dutch actor has appeared in a wide variety of genre fare. He played the mysterious (and murderous) John Ryder in The Hitcher (1986), executive produced and starred in the updated Frankenstein story Mr. Stitch (1995), and began his career in American movies by portraying the replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's classic Blade Runner (1982). Rutger's other credits include Deathline (1997), Bleeders (1997), Nostradamus (1994), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Ladyhawke (1985), and the made-for-television Merlin (1998). Rutger was born in Breukelen, Netherlands.
Gil Gerard is born (1943). This television regular played Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the popular 1979 series version of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Gil was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
J. G. Ballard is born (1930). Between his cataclysm novels of the early '60s, and 1972's Crash, Ballard produced short stories. One collection—The Atrocity Exhibition, aka Love and Napalm: Export USA—was printed in the USA but blocked from distribution in that country, partially because of Ballard's use of such real-life public figures as Ronald Reagan as characters.
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- January 24
Matthew Lillard is born (1970). This rising star played Stuart Macher, one of the maniacal murderers who stalks Neve Campbell and friends in Wes Craven's original Scream (1996). His other genre credits include the remake of 13 Ghosts (2001), the made-for-television The Devil's Child (1997), Hackers (1995), Serial Mom (1994), and
