SCIFIPEDIA:This Day in SCI FI/January 2008

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January 1

Tetsuwan Atom debuts in Japan (1963). Released under the title Astroboy in the United States, this revolutionary TV series launched the subgenre known as anime.

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.

Shinya Tsukamoto is born (1960). Shinya Tsukamoto has directed such influential Japanese genre films as Testuo, aka The Ironman (1988), The Adventure of Denchu Kozo (1987), and Hiruko the Goblin (1990). He was born in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 1

January 2

Blake's 7 debuts (1978). Blake's 7 is a British sci-fi TV series that was created by Terry Nation, who gained great fame as the creator of the maniacal Daleks from Doctor Who. Captured freedom fighter Roj Blake and his fellow prisoners escape their bonds and seize a strange ship, only to find that their new vessel is radically advanced beyond anything they have seen before. They plan to use the ship as a tool in their fight against the Federation. The show ran from 1978 to 1981.

Taye Diggs is born (1972). Taye Diggs made his genre debut in House on Haunted Hill (1999) and followed up with Way of the Gun. In 2006, Diggs starred in Day Break, an ABC series in which he plays Detective Brent Hopper, who keeps reliving the worst day of his life.

Kate Bosworth is born (1983). Catherine Ann Bosworth is best known to genre fans in her role as Lois Lane in Superman Returns. Bosworth was born in Los Angeles, California.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 2

January 3

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premieres (1993). This syndicated TV series was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and tells the story of a small Federation space station that orbits the newly liberated planet of Bajor. Commonly referred to as DS9, it is the fourth Star Trek series and its cast includes Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Alexander Siddig, Michael Dorn, Rene Auberjonois, Colm Meaney, and Armin Shimerman.

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.

Mel Gibson is born (1956). Academy Award–winning leading man Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson has starred in a number of notable genre projects. The role that launched him to global stardom was that of "Mad" Max Rockatansky in the films Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1981), and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). His other credits include Forever Young (1992), Casper (1995), Conspiracy Theory (1997), and What Women Want (2000). Mel was born in Peekskill, New York.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 3

January 4

Barbara Rush is born (1927). Barbara Rush 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"). Rush was born in Denver, Colorado.

Ramsey Campbell is born (1946). John Ramsey Campbell was named Grand Master by the World Horror Convention and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association. Campbell's most recent books include Secret Stories, The Overnight, and The Grin of the Dark (2007). Campbell was born in Liverpool, England.

Matt Frewer is born (1958). Matt Frewer is perhaps best known to fans of science fiction as the star of the groundbreaking 1985 television series Max Headroom. On the SCI FI Channel's series Eureka, Frewer plays Jim Taggart, an Aussie who is Eureka's "biological containment specialist." Frewer was born in Washington, D.C.

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January 5

Joe Flanigan is born (1967). Joe Flanigan is best known for his role as Lt. John Sheppard on the TV series Stargate Atlantis. He has an extensive acting resume as well as writer's credits. Flanigan was born in Los Angeles, California.

Paul McGillion is born (1969). Paul McGillion is probably known by most genre fans for his role as Dr. Carson Beckett on the series Stargate Atlantis. He was born in Paisley, Scotland, and emigrated to Canada with his family when he was two years old.

David DeCoteau is born (1962). David DeCoteau is the genre director behind such titles as Voodoo Academy (2000), Microscopic Boy (1999), The Killer Eye (1998), Talisman (1998), Curse of the Puppet Master (1998), Shrieker (1997), and Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991), to name but a few. DeCoteau was born in Portland, Oregon.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 5

January 6

Aron Eisenberg is born (1969). Aron Eisenberg is best known for his role as the Ferengi Nog on the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was born in Hollywood, California.

Loretta Young is born (1913). Born Gretchen Young, she had a productive career in movies and, later, television. She starred with Cary Grant and David Niven in The Bishop's Wife, a Christmas classic that was later remade as The Preacher's Wife starring Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington. Young, who died August 12, 2000, was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Johnny Yong Bosch is born (1976). Born John Jay Bosch, he is perhaps best known as Adam Park in the TV show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He has an extensive resume as a voice artist in anime and games, including Vash the Stampede in Trigun. Bosch was born in Kansas City, Missouri.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 6

January 7

Captain Thomas Mantell dies (1948). While pursuing a flying saucer in his F-51 Mustang, pilot Thomas Mantell was killed in what came to be known as the Mantell Incident.

Alan Napier is born (1903). British supporting actor Alan Napier could play suave or sinister with equal aplomb in such films as The Invisible Man Returns (1939), The House of the Seven Gables (1940), The Cat People (1942), The Uninvited (1944), Hangover Square (1945), Isle of the Dead (1945), House of Horrors (1946), Master Minds (1949), The Strange Door (1951), The Mole People (1956) and Premature Burial (1962). He is best known today for his portrayal as Alfred the butler in the popular TV series Batman (1966-1968) and the 1966 spin-off movie. Napier died August 8, 1988.

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.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 7

January 8

Sarah Polley is born (1979). Sarah Polley made genre appearances in David Cronenberg's eXistenZ (1999), the apocalyptic Last Night (1998), Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Blue Monkey (1987), and the family fantasy One Magic Christmas (1985). Sarah was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Ami Dolenz is born (1969). Ami Bluebell Dolenz, daughter of ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz, has made genre appearances in Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994), Ticks (1993), Witchboard 2 (1993), Children of the Night (1991), and the made-for-television Virtual Seduction (1995). Ami was born in Burbank, California.

John McTiernan is born (1951). This big-budget Hollywood director, who specializes in action and adventure, was at the helm of such genre projects as The 13th Warrior (1999), The Last Action Hero (1993), the original Predator (1987), Nomads (1986), and the remake of Rollerball (2002). John was born in Albany, New York.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 8

January 9

Herbert Lom is born (1917). Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich Schluderpacheru first won acclaim for his performance as the monster of the title in the classic 1962 version of The Phantom of the Opera. His résumé also includes Masque of the Red Death (1990), The Devil's Daughter (1990), The Dead Zone (1983), And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973), Asylum (1972), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971), Dorian Gray (1970), Burn, Witch, Burn (1970), Doppelganger (1969), and the popular big-screen version of Jules Verne's Mysterious Island (1961). Herbert was born in Prague, Czech Republic.

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.

Joely Richardson is born (1965). Joely Richardson has had a productive acting career. Some of her genre-related credits include The Last Mimzy (2007), Loch Ness (1996), Event Horizon (1997), and 101 Dalmatians (1996). Joely was born in London, England.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 9

January 10

John Newland dies (2000). Genre specialist John, the host of television's eerie One Step Beyond, directed a wide variety of television projects, including episodes of Wonder Woman, Night Gallery, Star Trek, Thriller, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He also directed the memorable made-for-television feature Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and acted as producer on Timestalkers (1987). John was born in 1917 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Teresa Graves is born (1949). This 1970s sensation, who played a shapely detective on television's Get Christie Love, also starred as Vampira (opposite David Niven's distinguished Dracula) in the 1974 feature Old Dracula. Teresa was born in Houston, Texas.

Walter Hill is born (1942). This longtime Hollywood player worked as writer and producer on a number of high-profile genre projects, including Aliens (1986) and Alien3 (1992). Walter's other producing credits include Alien: Resurrection (1997), Bordello of Blood (1996), Demon Knight (1995), the original Alien (1979), and television's Tales from the Crypt series. Among the projects Walter has directed are Supernova (2000) and The Driver (1978). Walter was born in Long Beach, California.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 10

January 11

The Bionic Woman TV series debuts (1976). In 1975, Lindsay Wagner (Jaime Sommers) made a guest appearance on The Six Million Dollar Man as the girlfriend of Steve Austin. ABC created a spinoff for Jaime, in a life that combined a career as a schoolteacher and a secret career as an intelligence agent for the OSI, the agency that had saved her life.

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.

Diana Gabaldon is born (1952). Diana Gabaldon is an best-selling American author known for her time-travel fiction, particularly her popular Outlander series.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 11

January 12

Henri-Georges Clouzot dies (1977). This arty French director fashioned the dark classic Diabolique (1955) as well as The Wages of Fear (1953) and The Raven (1943). Henri-Georges was born in 1907 in Niort, Deux-Sëvres, France.

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.

Rockne S. O'Bannon is born (1955). Rockne S. O'Bannon is an American screenwriter and producer. He has worked almost exclusively in the sci-fi genre and is responsible for the creation of Farscape, Alien Nation, and seaQuest DSV. He has also written episodes for The Twilight Zone and Amazing Stories and the movies Robin Cook's Invasion, Peter Benchley's Creature, Fatal Error and the SCI FI Channel miniseries The Triangle.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 12

January 13

Paul Birch is born (1912). This genre regular played a vampire from outer space in Roger Corman's Not of This Earth (1957) and a professor who faces an intergalactic Zsa Zsa Gabor in Queen of Outer Space (1958). Paul's other credits include Corman's The Day the World Ended (1956), the ultra-low-budget The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955), and the classic 1953 adaptation of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds (1953). Paul, who died in 1969, was born in Atmore, Alabama.

Jeff Morrow is born (1907). Jeff played Leslie Gaskill, the scientist fighting a sinister machine from space in Kronos (1957), and took on the famous "Gill Man" when he played Dr. William Barton in The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). Jeff's other credits include The Giant Claw (1957), the classic This Island Earth (1954), Blood Legacy (1971), and Octaman (1971). He also starred in an episode of the original Twilight Zone ("Elegy") and in an episode of the updated Twilight Zone ("A Day in Beaumont"). Jeff, who died in 1993, was born in New York, New York.

Orlando Bloom is born (1977). Orlando Bloom is best known to genre fans as Legolas Greenleaf from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Orlando was born in Canterbury, Kent.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 13

January 14

LL Cool J is born (1968). This rapper-turned-actor has been in such genre fare as Deep Blue Sea (1999), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Mindhunters (2004), and Rollerball (2002). LL was born James Todd Smith in Queens, New York.

Marjoe Gortner is born (1944). This 1970s pop phenomenon went from child evangelist to B-movie star thanks to his appearances in such films as Starcrash (1979), H. G. Wells's Food of the Gods (1976), Hellhole (1985), and Mausoleum (1983). Marjoe was born in Long Beach, California.

Ken Bulmer is born (1921). Henry Kenneth Bulmer, author of numerous SF adventure novels under various pseudonyms such as Tully Zetford and Manning Norvil, was the creator of the Dray Prescot series of planetary romances (writing as Alan Burt Akers).

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 14

January 15

Julian Sands is born (1957). This suave actor has starred in a number of memorable genre projects, including Ken Russell's Gothic (1986), David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch (1991), and the spider-infested, Steven Spielberg-produced Arachnophobia (1990). Julian also played the title monster in Warlock (1989) and its sequel, Warlock: The Armageddon (1993). The rest of his résumé includes the notorious Boxing Helena (1993), Vibes (1988), Outback Vampires (1987), and The Doctor and the Devils (1985). Julian was born in Otley, Yorkshire, England.

Phyllis Coates is born (1927). During her Hollywood heyday, Phyllis was a reigning genre queen thanks to her appearances in such features as The Incredible Petrified World (1959), I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957), Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955), Invasion, U.S.A. (1952), and Superman and the Mole Men (1951), in which she played Lois Lane. Her television credits include The Claw Monsters (1966) as well as episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman ("The House of Luthor") and the old Science Fiction Theatre ("Barrier of Silence"). Phyllis was born Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell in Wichita Falls, Texas.

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.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 15

January 16

Star Trek: Voyager debuts (1995). Voyager was the fourth series derived from Gene Roddenberry's original concept, and the first Trek series with a female captain as the lead character, Captain Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew. The fine cast also included Robert Picardo, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Taylor, Robert Beltran, Tim Russ, Ethan Phillips, and Robert Duncan McNeill.

Caroline Munro is born (1950). This scream queen began her career with an uncredited appearance as Vincent Price's deceased wife in both The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972). Her other plentiful genre credits include Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), The Devil Within Her (1975), At the Earth's Core (1976), Starcrash (1979), Maniac (1980), The Last Horror Film (1984), Don't Open 'Til Christmas (1985), Slaughter High (1986), and The Black Cat (1989). Caroline was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England.

Ted Cassidy dies (1979). Ted Cassidy portrayed the butler Lurch, as well as Thing (the hand-in-the-box) on TV's The Addams Family (1964–1966) and various spinoffs. His Star Trek appearances include Ruk, an android, and the voice of the Gorn. He also voiced both Marvel Comics' Ben Grimm (the Fantastic Four's The Thing), and the supervillain Galactus. Ted was born July 31, 1932, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 16

January 17

Zooey Deschanel is born (1980). Zooey Deschanel starred in the SCI FI Channel's miniseries Tin Man (2007)), a retelling of The Wizard of Oz. She also had leading roles in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Walt Disney Company's Bridge to Terabithia (2007).

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.

Naveen Andrews is born (1969). Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British actor who received attention for his role as Kip in The English Patient and is best known to genre fans as former Iraqi soldier Sayid Jarrah on the series Lost. He also contributed to director Robert Rodriguez's playlist with a role in the Planet Terror segment of Grindhouse (2007). Naveen was born in London, England.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 17

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.

A. A. Milne is born (1882). Alan Alexander Milne was an English writer, widely known for his Winnie-the-Pooh children's books, as well as for his plays and poems for children. Milne, who was born in Hampstead, London, England, died January 31, 1956.

John Boorman is born (1933). John is the stylish director of several popular genre titles, among them Excalibur (1981), the ill-fated Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Sean Connery's Zardoz (1973), and the seminal Deliverance (1972). John was born in London, England.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 18

January 19

Tremors opens in U.S. theaters (1990). The Tremors movie series began in 1990 with a pastiche of traditional monster movies. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward starred as a pair of handymen living in the small, remote town of Perfection, Nevada, who discover that several giant, wormlike creatures have risen from the depths of the Earth and are preying on the local people and their livestock. Later, the SCI FI Channel aired Tremors: The Series (2003), putting Tremors alumnus Michael Gross together with an all-new cast.

Katey Sagal is born (1954). Catherine Louise Sagal is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles as Peggy Bundy on the sitcom Married with Children, and her voice role as Turanga Leela on Futurama. Sagal was born in Hollywood, California.

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.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 19

January 20

Tom Baker is born (1934). Tom Baker is best remembered as the fourth actor to play the title role in the popular British television program Doctor Who. His character trademarks included a floppy hat, an enormous multicolored scarf, and a toothy grin. Having portrayed the Doctor for seven seasons (1974 to 1981), longer than anyone else, he is perhaps more identified with the role than any other actor. Baker was born in Liverpool, England.

Patricia Neal is born (1926). Patsy Louise Neal is an Oscar-winning actress who 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). Neal was born in Packard, Kentucky.

Johnny Weissmuller dies (1984). Johnny Weissmuller made twelve starring movie appearances in the role of Tarzan of the Apes. He was the winner of five Olympic gold medals as a swimmer. Weissmuller was born on June 2, 1904, in Freidorf, Banat, Romania.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 20

January 21

Geena Davis is born (1956). Geena Davis, a former Victoria's Secret model, has chosen acting roles that showcase her charm and humor. Some of her genre-related movies include Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), the horror remake of The Fly (1986), Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988), Cutthroat Island (1995), the thriller The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and three outings so far as Eleanor Little in Stuart Little (1999), Stuart Little 2 (2002), and Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005). Davis was born in Wareham, Massachusetts.

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.

Cecil B. DeMille dies (1959). Cecil Blount DeMille was a prolific American producer and director, well known for his work on the classic films The Ten Commandments and Samson and Delilah. DeMille also produced 1934's Cleopatra and was an uncredited producer on When Worlds Collide , The War of the Worlds, and The Greatest Show on Earth. DeMille was born August 12, 1881, in Ashfield, Massachusetts.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 21

January 22

Piper Laurie is born (1932). Piper, a sexy leading lady of the 1960s, was lured out of early retirement by director Brian De Palma, who cast her as Margaret White, the demented mother of a telekinetic teen in the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie. She garnered an Oscar nomination (the second of three) for that classic performance. Piper's other genre appearances include The Faculty (1998), Dario Argento's Trauma (1993), Return to Oz (1985), and Ruby (1977), in which she played the owner of a haunted drive-in theater. She was also featured in episodes of Beauty and the Beast, Dead Like Me, and the updated Twilight Zone. Piper was born Rosetta Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan.

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 was born in St. Louis, Missouri.

John Wesley Shipp is born (1956). John Wesley Shipp is an Emmy Award-winning American actor best known to genre fans for his performance in the short-lived 1990 television series The Flash as superhero Barry Allen. Shipp may also be a familiar face from the series Dawson's Creek on which he played Mitch Leery. His other notable roles include guest appearances on Fantasy Island, The Outer Limits and NYPD Blue; appearances on an assortment of soap operas; and roles in the movies The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter and Flash III: Deadly Nightshade. John was born in Norfolk, Virginia.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 22

January 23

Phantoms opens (1998). In this big-screen version of the novel by Dean Koontz, adapted by the author and directed by Joe Chappelle (Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers), two sisters arrive in a small Colorado town to find dozens of its residents dead and the rest mysteriously missing. With the help of a local sheriff and a brilliant scientist, the women trace the cause of the deaths to a deadly, intelligent, centuries-old monster lurking underground. Peter O'Toole (Creator, television's Gulliver's Travels) heads a cast that also includes Ben Affleck (Armageddon) as well as Scream graduates Rose McGowan and Liev Schreiber.

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.

Richard Dean Anderson is born (1950). Richard Dean Anderson has two outstanding genre roles to his credit: MacGyver (1985), in which he solved problems using his noodle as often as his muscles; and Stargate SG-1, starring as Jack O'Neill, an Air Force officer who leads the SG-1 special forces team through the stargate to other planets. Richard was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 23

January 24

Estelle Winwood is born (1883). Veteran character actor Estelle has been in a healthy share of genre productions: Murder by Death (1976, as Miss Withers), Dead Ringer (1964, as Dona Anna), The Cabinet of Caligari (1962, as Ruth), The Magic Sword (1962, as Sybil; also lampooned by Mystery Science Theater 3000), Batman (1966, television, as Aunt Hilda, in episodes "Penguin's Disastrous End," "Penguin Sets a Trend," "Penguin Is a Girl's Best Friend," "Marsha's Scheme of Diamonds," "Marsha, Queen of Diamonds"), Bewitched (1964, as Enchantra, in episode "Witches and Warlocks Are My Favorite Things"), and The Twilight Zone (1959, as Laurette, in episode "Long Live Walter Johnson"). Estelle was born Estelle Goodwin in Kent, England.

Nastassja Kinski is born (1961). Early in her career, Nastassja played Irena Gallier, the pretty young woman who lives with a feline curse in Paul Schrader's updated version of Cat People (1982). Her other genre appearances include To the Devil a Daughter (1976) and Terminal Velocity (1994). Nastassja was born Nastassja Nakszynski in Berlin, Germany.

Sharon Tate is born (1943). Titian-tressed Sharon made quite a dish in Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967, as Sarah Shagal). She also appeared in the horror thriller Eye of the Devil (1967, as Odile), along with other genre veterans Donald Pleasence and Edward Mulhare. Sharon was born in Dallas, Texas.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 24

January 25

The Mothman Prophecies opens in U.S. theaters (2002). Based on the book The Mothman Prophecies written by Fortean John Keel, the movie was directed by Mark Pelling and starred Richard Gere as reporter John Klein.

Echo 2 launches (1964). The Echo 2 places a communications satellite into medium Earth orbit, marking the first joint US/USSR space mission. Its goal was stated as "practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication."

Leigh Taylor-Young is born (1944). Leigh, a memorable 1970s beauty and one-time Mrs. Ryan O'Neal, starred in such genre titles as Soylent Green (1973), Aliens from Spaceship Earth (1977), Michael Crichton's Looker (1981), and Dreamrider (1993). Her television credits include episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ("Prodigal Daughter") and the updated Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Murder Party"). Leigh was born in Washington, DC.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 25

January 26

Shadow of the Vampire opens wide in U.S. theaters (2001). Directed by E. Elias Merhige and written by Steven Katz, the film is a fictional retelling of the making of the classic horror feature Nosferatu by director F. W. Murnau. In the film, the crew begins to suspect that their lead actor, Max Schreck, is less lively than he appears.

Scott Glenn is born (1942). Scott played astronaut Alan Shepard in Philip Kaufman's acclaimed The Right Stuff (1983) and FBI Agent Jack Crawford in the Academy Award-winning mystery-thriller The Silence of the Lambs (1991). His other credits include The Hunt for Red October (1990), the supernatural Nazi thriller The Keep (1983), and the made-for-television Gargoyles (1972). Scott was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Philip Jose Farmer is born (1918). Philip Jose Farmer's inventive imagination has given birth to a number of fascinating concepts throughout his long writing career. His most famous work is perhaps the Riverworld series. The first short stories in the series were blended into the novel To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971), which won the Hugo. A made-for-television movie of Riverworld was produced for the SCI FI Channel.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 26

January 27

Mimi Rogers is born (1956). Mimi, Tom Cruise's ex-wife, took on the role of Maureen Robinson in the big-screen version of Lost in Space (1998). She also played Special Agent Diana Fowley during the 1998–99 season of The X-Files. Mimi's other credits include the made-for-television Virtual Obsession (1998), The Beast (1995), The Rapture (1991), and Ridley Scott's Someone to Watch Over Me (1987). Mimi was born in Coral Gables, Florida.

James Cromwell is born (1940). James is a late genre bloomer, but he's made quite an impression in such films as Space Cowboys (2000), The Green Mile (1999, as Warden Hal Moores), Deep Impact (1998, as Alan Rittenhouse), Species II (1998, as Senator Ross), Star Trek: First Contact (1996, as Dr. Zefram Cochrane), and The Man with Two Brains (1983, as a realtor). His television résumé includes appearances in episodes of such series as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ("Starship Down"), Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Birthright," Parts 1 and 2), and The Twilight Zone ("A Message from Charity"). James was born in Los Angeles, California.

Lewis Carroll is born (1832). Lewis is the author of two of the most beloved fantasies of all time—Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Those works, as well as others such as Jabberwocky, have provided the basis for dozens of stage, television, and film projects that have enchanted generation after generation around the world. Lewis, who died in 1898, was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in Daresbury, Cheshire, England.

SCIFIpedia Timeline for January 27

January 28

Danny DeVito weds Rhea Perlman (1982). Character actor extraordinaire Danny DeVito (who has appeared in such genre films as Mars Attacks!, The Last Action Hero, Batman Returns, and