SCIFIPEDIA:This Day in SCI FI/June 2007

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June 1

Jonathan Pryce is born (1947). Jonathan was the sinister Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983, adapted from the Ray Bradbury novel). He was also the hapless, trapped, and imaginiative Sam Lowry in Brazil (1985). Other roles include that of Charles in Haunted Honeymoon (1986) and Horatio Jackson in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). Jonathan was born in Holywell, Wales.

Rene Auberjonois is born (1940). Rene is now inextricably linked with the role of the changeling Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He has also appeared in Batman Forever (1995, as Dr. Burton), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1989, television, as Merlin), Eyes of Laura Mars (1978, as Donald Phelps), and King Kong (1976, as Bagley). Rene has also been in The Outer Limits (episode "Promised Land"), Poltergeist: The Legacy (episode "Irish Jug"), The Burning Zone (episode "St. Michael's Nightmare"), Wonder Woman (episode "Spaced Out"), The Bionic Woman (episode "The Dijon Caper"), and The Man from Atlantis (episode "Crystal Water, Sudden Death"). Rene was born in New York, New York.

Morgan Freeman is born (1937). Oscar-nominee Morgan Freeman played an unshakable U.S. president trying to avert global disaster and calm a potentially doomed world in director Mimi Leder's Deep Impact (1998). His other genre credits include Chain Reaction (1996), Outbreak (1995) and Rendezvous with Rama (2001). Morgan was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

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June 2

Johnny Weissmuller is born 1904. Although other movies based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan had already graced the screen, Weissmuller was the first Tarzan in a "talkie," 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man. He made several more jungle epics, with his last Tarzan film occurring in 1948, Tarzan and the Mermaids. Weissmuller, the winner of five Olympic gold medals for swimming, was born in Freidorf, Banat, Romania and died January 20, 1984.

Jewel Staite is born 1982. Staite is best known for her role as Kaylee in Joss Whedon's Firefly and Serenity. In addition to numerous other appearances in genre series, Staite played the recurring roles of Dr. Jennifer Keller in Stargate Atlantis. Staite was born in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada.

Lester Del Rey is born (1915). Del Rey was a distinguished writer (Nerve, And Some Were Human, Mortals and Monsters) before he and his wife, Judy-Lynn Benjamin Del Rey, took over the Ballantine Books science fiction publishing program, later renamed Del Rey Books, and turned it into the powerhouse publisher of Stephen R. Donaldson, Terry Brooks, and many other bestselling writers.

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June 3

Star Trek's last episode airs on NBC (1969). "Turnabout Intruder" provides William Shatner with a fitting chance to stretch as an actor in the final episode of classic Star Trek. Captain Kirk is forced to switch identities with Dr. Janice Lester, an old flame of his, shaking up the Enterprise as Lester, in Kirk's body, drives the crew to the brink of mutiny.

Big opens (1988). Big, a modern fairy tale about a boy who grows into an adult overnight, makes a very big star of actor Tom Hanks, who received his first Oscar nomination for this inventive performance. The movie also put director Penny Marshall, formerly of television's Laverne and Shirley, on the A-list of Hollywood directors.

Marion Zimmer Bradley is born (1930). Bradley was very industrious in the genre, but is probably best known for her breakout novel The Mists of Avalon, which achieved tremendous popularity outside the genre audience. Bradley is also notable for her Darkover series, which examines a society in which telepathic ability is the cultural norm. Bradley was born in Albany, New York.

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June 4

Astronaut James McDivitt sights UFO (1965). Making the first extra-planetary sighting, Gemini IV astronaut James McDivitt reports a cylindrical object in space behind his craft.

Parker Stevenson is born (1952). The genre has been very kind to Parker, providing him with years of employment. Fans have seen him in Legion (1998, television), Not of This Earth (1995), Official Denial (1994), Probe (1988, television series), and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977, television series, as Frank Hardy). Parker was born Richard Stevenson Parker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bruce Dern is born (1936). Bruce has been around for a long time, beginning with small roles opposite Bette Davis in Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) and under Alfred Hitchcock's direction in Marnie (1964). He is also remembered for his roles in the campy The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971) and Douglas Trumbull's thoughtful sci-fi feature Silent Running (1971). His other genre credits include The Haunting (1999), the television adaptation of James Michener's Space (1985), Black Sunday (1977), and Family Plot (1976). Bruce was born in Chicago, Illinois.

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June 5

Mary Kay Bergman is born (1961). Mary Kay Bergman, an American voice artist, worked primarily in television. Perhaps primarily associated with her voice work on South Park, Bergman originated the voice of Timmy Turner on The Fairly Odd Parents, and voiced such iconic characters as Gwen Stacy from Spider-Man, Daphne from Scooby-Doo, and Batgirl from Batman (although not originating them). Bergman was born in Los Angeles, California, and died on November 11, 1999.

Garrett Fort is born (1900). Screenwriter Garrett Fort worked on the scripts for Dracula (1930), Frankenstein (1931) and Dracula’s Daughter (1936), along with such other horror titles as The Devil-Doll (1936), Among the Living (1941), and The Man in Half Moon Street (1943). Fort was born in New York, New York, and died October 26, 1945.

Lori Singer is born (1962). Actress and musician Lori Singer starred in the short-lived VR.5, a virtual reality-inspired television series that aired in 1995. She has also lent her talents to such genre titles as Equinox (1992) and Warlock (1989). Singer, sister to Beastmaster star Marc Singer, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas.

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June 6

Invaders from Mars opens in U.S. theaters (1986). Director Tobe Hooper remakes the classic '50s film of a boy who tries to stop an invasion of his town by aliens who take over the minds of his parents. Nominated for two Razzie Awards, the movie's cast include Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms, Laraine Newman, James Karen, Bud Cort, Louise Fletcher, and Eric Pierpoint.

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (b. June 6, 1967) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. Equally well known in dramatic roles, Giamatti has appeared in such notable films as Cinderella Man, Donnie Brasco, and Sideways as well as the genre features Lady in the Water, The Truman Show, and Paycheck.

Amanda Pays is born (1959). Pays has starred in the TV series The Flash, Spacejacked (1997), and Max Headroom 1987; and appeared in an episode of The X-Files (1993, as Fox Mulder's former love interest, the incandescent Phoebe Green, in "Fire"). She was born in London, England.

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June 7

Jessica Tandy is born (1909). A first lady of the American stage, Tandy won an Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy (1989) but also lent her grace and artistry to such genre features as Cocoon: The Return (1988), *batteries not included (1987), Cocoon (1985), and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). She also guest-starred on three episodes of television's original Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Tandy, who died in 1994, was born in London, England.

Liam Neeson is born (1952). William John Neeson is a British stage and film actor. He was discovered in Dublin by director John Boorman, who cast him in Excalibur as Gawain. Neeson followed up with roles in Krull and The Bounty, and the TV movies Arthur the King and If Tomorrow Comes. He starred in several TV movies, films, and TV guest roles. His first significant starring role came in the 1990 film Darkman. In 1999, he appeared in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and The Haunting. The 21st century brought K-19: The Widowmaker with Harrison Ford, Kinsey, Love Actually, Gangs of New York, and Kingdom of Heaven. In 2005 he appeared in Batman Begins, playing Henri Ducard, nemesis of Bruce Wayne played by Christian Bale. Also in 2005, he voiced the character of Aslan in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He will reprise the role in the 2008 sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Neeson was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

Anthony Simcoe is born (1969). Simcoe, an Australian actor best known for playing Ka D'Argo on the TV series Farscape, is an alumnus of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney. He also holds a Master of Fine arts, specializing in Drama. In addition to his work on the series, he is also a freelance corporate trainer and performs in the band Signal Room. He has played parts in the TV series Home and Away, The Lost World, BeastMaster, and Water Rats. He has also starred in the TV Movies The Castle, Blackjack, Chameleon, and Marking Time as well as the comedy short Oops! and the feature film Solo.

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June 8

Lexa Doig is born (1973). Alexandra L. Doig is a Canadian actress, who pursued a modeling career while in school, eventually dropping out of high school in favor of acting. She has appeared in several sci-fi series, including Tekwar, Flash Gordon, and Earth: Final Conflict. In 2000, she landed the role of Andromeda on the series Andromeda. She played the AI of the Andromeda Ascendant known casually as "Rommie." In 2001, she appeared in Jason X, the tenth in a series of horror films. She has also had recurring roles on The 4400 and Stargate SG-1. Doig was born in Toronto, Ontario.

Francis Crick is born (1916). Francis Harry Compton Crick is one of the discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962, along with James D. Watson and Maurice Wilkins, "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material." Crick was born in Northampton, England.

Colin Baker is a British actor who is probably best known to science fiction fans as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor, the title character in the BBC's long-running series Doctor Who. After his departure from Doctor Who, Baker returned largely to the theater, where he remains a successful actor. He has since reprised his role as the Doctor in the stage show Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure and in the Doctor Who audio dramas by Big Finish Productions. Baker was born in London, England.

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June 9

Natalie Portman is born (1981). Before her face was plastered across every flat surface on Earth as Queen Amidala of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), charming Natalie garnered positive reviews for her work as one of the few survivors of the alien invasion in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996) and for her debut in The Professional (1994). Natalie was born in Jerusalem, Israel.

Johnny Depp is born (1963). Hollywood bad boy Johnny Depp starred as Washington Irving's Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1999), as J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, and as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also garnered great reviews when he starred for Burton in the title roles of both Ed Wood (1994) and Edward Scissorhands (1990). Depp, a genre devotee, has also lent his boyish allure to The Astronaut's Wife (1999), Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate (1999) and, early on, as one of the original crop of doomed teens in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). He is perhaps best known as the quirky and roguish pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Johnny was born in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Michael J. Fox is born (1961). Michael, one of television's most popular comic actors, found big-screen success playing Marty McFly in all three installments of Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future trilogy. His other film credits including Mars Attacks! (1996), The Frighteners (1996), and Teen Wolf (1985). He also provided the voice of Stuart Little (1999). Michael was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

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June 10

Maurice Sendak is born (1928). Maurice Maurice is the much-beloved author-illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are. He began his career as an illustrator in 1951 and first achieved major recognition with Ruth Kraus's A Hole Is to Dig (1952). His exploration of themes of childhood fears and yearnings is best seen in Where the Wild Things Are, which won the Caldecott medal in 1964. His work has been adapted for film and opera, with Sendak often contributing artistically to the stage sets and the adapted scripts. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Elizabeth Hurley is born (1965). Elizabeth Hurley originally pursued a career in dance before starring as Vanessa Kensington in two of the three Austin Powers installments. Hurley was known as the face of Estée Lauder, and hit her stride as the devil in Bedazzled. She also appeared in My Favorite Martian (1999). Hurley was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.

Michael Rennie dies (1971). Michael Rennie is probably best known for his starring role as Klaatu/Carpenter in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). His film credits include Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1969), Cyborg 2087 (1966), the remake of The Lost World (1960), and Tower of Terror (1942). Genre television appearances include The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Batman, The Time Tunnel, and Lost in Space. Rennie was born August 25, 1909, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

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June 11

E.T. opens (1982). The opening of E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial confirms (as if there were any doubters) that Steven Spielberg is the new king of Hollywood. Throughout the summer of 1982, E.T. and the Spielberg-produced Poltergeist rule the box office. For several years, E.T. remains at the top of the list of all-time box-office champs. The movie, which sells a lot of toys and sends sales of Reese's Pieces through the roof, marks the debut of actress Drew Barrymore. The voice of the title alien was provided by Debra Winger (An Officer and a Gentleman).

Adrienne Barbeau is born (1945). Adrienne went from playing the daughter of television's Maude to become one of our reigning genre queens. She starred for then-husband John Carpenter in Escape from New York (1981) and The Fog (1980) and for George A. Romero in Two Evil Eyes (1990) and Creepshow (1982). Her résumé also includes Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1988), Open House (1987), Swamp Thing (1982), and providing the voice of Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) on Batman: The Animated Series (1992). She's guest-starred on several television series, including appearances on The Twilight Zone (episode "Teacher's Aide"), Monsters (episode "All in a Day's Work"), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"), Sliders (episode "Mother Morehouse"), and Babylon 5 (episode "Spider in the Web"). Adrienne was born in Sacramento, California.

Gene Wilder is born (1935). Funnyman Gene played Dr. Friedrich von Frankenstein in Mel Brooks's classic comedy, Young Frankenstein (1974). He also starred in Haunted Honeymoon (1986) and in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the popular 1971 screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's fantasy, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Gene was born Jerome Silberman (and is sometimes credited as Jerry Silberman) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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June 12

Samuel Z. Arkoff is born (1918). Exploitation expert Arkoff produced a wide variety of genre flicks, ranging from The Amityville Horror (1979) to The Food of the Gods (1976) and Blacula (1972). His other projects range from the Vincent Price classic, The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1972), to Francis Ford Coppola's creepy debut feature, Dementia 13 (1963). Fans of 1950s-era sci-fi have Arkoff to thank for such titles as The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), and It Conquered the World (1956), among others. Samuel was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Irwin Allen is born (1916). Irwin made his career out of movies based on singularly bad days, but he also made many contributions to the genre. He produced, directed, and/or wrote these notable efforts: The Lost World (1960), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), Lost in Space (1965, television series), Time Tunnel (1966, television series), Land of the Giants (1968, television series), City Beneath the Sea (1970), The Swarm (1978), The Amazing Captain Nemo (1978), and Aliens from Another Planet (1982). Allen, who died in 1991, was born in New York, New York.

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June 13

Tim Allen is born (1953). Tim segued from his Home Improvement sitcom to movie stardom with the family-friendly fantasy, The Santa Clause (1994), and the comical space adventure, Galaxy Quest (1999). In between, he provided the voice of Buzz Lightyear for both Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999). Allen was born in Denver, Colorado.

Mary Wickes is born (1910). Mary is a veteran character actor, and as such has toured the genre. She was Zelda in the Saturday morning children's television series Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973). She also traded zingers with another veteran character actor, Darren McGavin, on Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974, episode "They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be," playing Dr. Bess Winestock). Mary was born Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri.

Basil Rathbone is born (1892). For many fans, Basil remains the definitive Sherlock Holmes, thanks to his portrayal of the famous sleuth in a series of Hollywood mysteries including Dressed to Kill (1946), Terror by Night (1946), The Spider Woman (1944), The Black Cat (1941), and the classic The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939). He also played Baron Frankenstein in 1939's Son of Frankenstein and, later in his career, lent his name to a number of genre titles, among them The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966), Planet of Blood (1966), Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) and the Edgar Allan Poe–inspired Tales of Terror (1962, segment "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"). Basil also appeared on the television program Science Fiction Theatre (1955, episode "The Stones Begin to Move"). Basil, who died in 1967, was born Philip St. John Basil Rathbone in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Richard Thomas is born (1951). Wholesome Thomas appeared in a few genre efforts; most notably he played Bill Denbrough in the Stephen King film It (1990). He was also in Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and the TV miniseries The Invaders (1995). Thomas has also appeared on The Outer Limits (episode "The New Breed") and Night Gallery (episode "The Sins of the Fathers"). He was born in New York, New York.

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June 14

Doctor Who: The TV Movie first airs on the Fox Network 1996. Officially titled Doctor Who, the telefilm was the first new adventure of the Doctor to be televised since 1989. A new actor, Paul McGann, was cast in the title role, although Sylvester McCoy returned for a brief reprisal of his role as the seventh incarnation of the Doctor. Eric Roberts was cast to play long-time archenemy the Master. Two new companions were also created for the movie: Dr. Grace Holloway (played by Daphne Ashbrook) and street kid Chang Lee (played by Yee Jee Tso).

Gene Barry is born (1921). Barry is best known for his role as Clayton Forrester, the alien fighter in the classic 1953 big-screen version of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. Barry's other genre credits include The Atomic City (1952) and television's The Devil and Miss Sarah (1971). Over the course of several years, Barry also appeared in several episodes of the original Alfred Hitchcock Presents as well as in the old 1950s Science Fiction Theatre and the newfangled The Twilight Zone. Barry was born in New York, New York.

Paul Monash is born (1917). As a writer, Monash worked on the script for the Tobe Hooper-directed television adaptation of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot (1979). As a producer, his credits include Carrie (1976) and its long-awaited sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), as well as John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and the big-screen adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's fantasy novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1972). Monash was born in New York, New York.

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June 15

Courteney Cox Arquette is born (1964). Courteney made the leap from small-screen success on Friends to big-screen stardom when she was cast in Wes Craven's original Scream (1996). Since then, she's continued in the role of overzealous television reporter Gale Weathers and has managed to survive both sequels as well as marriage to Hollywood eccentric David Arquette. Early on, Courtney began her career with small roles in both Cocoon: The Return (1988) and Masters of the Universe (1987). Courteney was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

Helen Hunt is born (1963). Before she won legions of loyal viewers with her sitcom Mad About You and an Oscar as Best Actress for her performance in As Good As It Gets (1997), Helen was known to fans of futuristic action flicks as the wife of Jack Deth, the post-modern hero of the Trancers film series. Her other credits include Twister (1996), Project X (1987), the time-tripping Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), and The Spell, a 1977 made-for-television rip-off of Carrie. Helen was born in Los Angeles, California.

Arthur C. Clarke marries Marilyn Torgenson (1953). Arthur marries Marilyn after a three-week-long courtship. The marriage didn't last—the couple divorced in December 1953, less than six months later. Arthur has been involved in both genre print and film for many decades. Aside from scribing such famous projects as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984, in which he also had an uncredited role as a Man on Park Bench), Arthur's Rendezvous with Rama (1999) and Trapped in Space (1993) are also prominent achievements. In March 1998, his novel 3001: The Final Odyssey, was published. Arthur was born in Minehead, Somerset, England, in 1917.

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June 16

Vilmos Zsigmond is born (1930). Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond honed his skills (working under the name William Zsigmund) on schlock like Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970), Psycho a Go-Go (1965), and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1963) before moving on to masterpieces like Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Brian De Palma's Obsession (1976), and Boorman's Deliverance (1972). His later credits include The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Real Genius (1985), and Blow Out (1981). Vilmos was born in Szeged, Hungary.

Faith Domergue is born (1924). Leading lady Faith Domergue was a sci-fi regular throughout the 1950s. She is remembered by genre fans for her starring roles in The Atomic Man (1956), Cult of the Cobra (1955), It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955), and This Island Earth (1954). Her other credits include such titles as The House of Seven Corpses (1974), Psycho Sisters (1972), Blood Legacy (1971), Timeslip (1956), and Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965). Faith, who died in 1999, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ilona Massy is born (1912). Ilona, one of the less well-known thespians in the genre, appeared in Invisible Agent (1942) and was the hauntingly beautiful Baroness Elsa Frankenstein in Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943). Ilona was born Ilona Hajmassy in Budapest, Hungary.

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June 17

The Wizard of Oz opens (1939). Dorothy leaves Kansas and lands in Oz for the first time when The Wizard of Oz opens. Victor Fleming's timeless screen version of the L. Frank Baum fantasy classic, which stars an unforgettable young Judy Garland, goes on to cast its spell over generation after generation of television viewers around the world. Tin Man is a six-hour miniseries that provides a twist on Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; the SCI FI Channel production is slated for a December 2007 premiere.

Ralph Bellamy is born (1904). American actor Ralph Bellamy went from playing boring leading men in such films as The Wolf Man (1941) and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) to become an accomplished character actor in his later years. He died November 29, 1991.

Louis Leterrier is born (1973). Director Louis Leterrier is best known for the Transporter films, which are written and produced by Luc Besson. Leterrier will direct the new The Incredible Hulk film for Marvel Studios. Leterrier was born in Paris, France.

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June 18

Last Action Hero opens in U.S. theaters (1993). Arnold Schwarzenegger kids himself in a comedy/action role, similar in tone to the action hit of 1994, True Lies. Unfortunately, Last Action Hero uses straight-up fantasy elements, starting with a golden ticket that takes a young movie viewer (Austin O'Brien) into the film world of his hero, Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger). Whether the result of too much magic or too little chemistry, the box office results were unenchanting.

Steve Miner is born (1951). Steve Miner began his career as an assistant producer on Last House on the Left (1972) and an associate producer on Sean S. Cunningham's original Friday the 13th (1980). He returned to Camp Crystal Lake, this time as director, for both Friday the 13th, Part 2 (1981) and the 3-D Friday the 13th, Part 3 (1982). His experience with unstoppable teen killers was also put to good use when he coaxed Jamie Lee Curtis back to the role that made her a star for his Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998). Miner's other directorial credits include Warlock (1989), and Lake Placid (1999).

Dick Foran is born (1910). Dick Foran (Nicholas Foran) is a rugged American leading man who, as archeologist Steven Banning, escaped The Mummy's Hand (1940) but succumbed in The Mummy's Tomb (1942). Foran died August 10, 1979).

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June 19

I Was a Teenage Werewolf opens (1957). Hollywood establishes a box-office gold mine when it combines the horror genre with teenage melodrama. One of the very first of this subgenre is I Was a Teenage Werewolf, in which high-school delinquent Michael Landon seeks help from a psychiatrist, only to find himself transformed into a murderous wolfman. The movie opens the floodgates for such subsequent titles as I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957), Teenage Zombies (1959), and Teenagers from Outer Space (1959).

Kathleen Turner is born (1954). Kathleen, who provided the voice of Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), was an Academy Award nominee for her performance as a middle-aged woman transported back to her adolescence in Peggy Sue Got Married. Her other credits include playing a fairy godmother in A Simple Wish (1997). Earlier, she starred opposite Steve Martin in his sci-fi spoof, The Man with Two Brains (1983). Kathleen was born in Springfield, Missouri.

Mia Sara is born (1967). Ethereal Mia made her genre debut in Legend (1985) as Princess Lily. Her other efforts include Timecop (1994) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997, miniseries). She has also appeared in the television series Time Trax (episodes "A Stranger in Time" and "To Kill a Billionare"). Mia was born in Brooklyn, New York.

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June 20

Candy Clark is born (1947). Candy, an Oscar nominee for her performance in George Lucas's American Graffiti (1973), played Buffy's mom in the big-screen Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and was one of the first victims of the alien goo in the 1988 remake of The Blob. Her other genre credits include David Fincher's Zodiac (2007), Stephen King's Cat's Eye (1985), Amityville 3-D (1983), Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), and Nicholas Roeg's cult favorite, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). Candy was born in Fort Worth, Texas.

Robert Rodriguez is born (1968). Director Robert Rodriguez made a big splash with El Mariachi, his 1992 no-budget feature that became a box-office hit and a source of inspiration for independent filmmakers around the world. Since then, he's become a genre regular with The Faculty (1998), about high-school students forced to do battle with alien teachers, and From Dusk Til Dawn (1996), the over-the-top vampire flick produced by Quentin Tarantino. Other work of interest includes The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005), Frank Miller's Sin City (2005), the "Misbehavers" segment of Tarantino's Four Rooms, the "Planet Terror" segment of Grindhouse (2007), and the Spy Kids trilogy (2001–2003). Robert was born in San Antonio, Texas.

Nicole Kidman is born (1967). Nicole was the irrepressible Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever (1995), and she was the bewitching Gillian Owens in Practical Magic (1998). Other genre roles include The Others (2001), The Stepford Wives (2004), Birth (2004), Bewitched (2005), and the upcoming The Golden Compass (2007). Nicole was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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June 21

Juliette Lewis is born (1973). Juliette got her genre jump start with My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988) and went on to Strange Days (1995) and From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). She was born in Los Angeles, California.

Ron Ely is born (1938). Ron has been all over the genre. He was in The Aquanauts (1960, series), Tarzan (1966, series) and Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). He has also appeared in Wonder Woman (1976, episode "The Deadly Sting") and The Adventures of Superboy (1990, episode "The Road to Hell"). Ron was born Ronald Pierce in Hereford, Texas.

Gloria Stuart is married (1930). Gloria marries her sweetheart, Blair Gordon Newell. Before Gloria went back to Titanic, she did some work for Frankenstein director James Whale. She was beset by nefarious Bela Lugosi in her portrayal of Margaret Waverton in The Old Dark House (1932) and she had a visible impact as Flora Cranley in The Invisible Man (1933). Gloria also appeared in The Whistler (1944) as Alice Walker. Gloria was born in Santa Monica, California.

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June 22

Lindsay Wagner is born (1949). Lindsay captured many hearts in the '70s with her portrayal of the willowy, brainy, and bionic Jaime Sommers in The Bionic Woman (1976), a spin-off series inspired by her popularity in her brief appearance as Jaime in The Six Million Dollar Man (1974). Lindsay revisited her role in Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1987), Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989) and Bionic Ever After? (1994). Lindsay was born in Los Angeles, California.

Meryl Streep is born (1949). Master thespian Meryl has made her contributions to the genre. She was the eternal Madeline Ashton in Death Becomes Her (1992). She was also the voice of Bart Simpson's girlfriend, Jessica Lovejoy, on The Simpsons (episode "Bart's Girlfriend"). Meryl was born in Summit, New Jersey.

Judy Garland dies (1969). Forever known to audiences around the world as Dorothy, the young dreamer in the classic The Wizard of Oz, MGM musical star Judy Garland's accomplished but often tragic life ends when she overdoses on sleeping pills. A few days later, thousands of fans from around the world mourn Judy's death at a special memorial service. Garland was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on June 10, 1922.

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June 23

Click opens in US theaters (2006). This comedy gives Adam Sandler's character, a workaholic in search of a universal remote for all his electronic devices, a remote control that enables him to control his life. Christopher Walken, Kate Beckinsale, David Hasselhoff, Henry Winkler, Julie Kavner, and Sean Astin round out the cast.

Selma Blair is born (1972). On her way to a career in photography, Selma Blair decided her destiny lay not behind a camera but in front of one. Her acting career has included a number of genre pieces, including Hellboy (2004), the remake version of The Fog (2005), an episode of Xena: Warrior Princess (2000), and a upcoming sequel to Hellboy, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008). Blair was born in Southfield, Michigan.

Aaron Spelling dies (2006). Prolific American actor and producer Aaron Spelling was best known for producing the popular soap opera series Melrose Place, Charlie's Angels, Beverly Hills 90210, 7th Heaven, Fantasy Island, and Charmed. Other genre credits include Kindred: The Embraced and All Souls. Spelling was born April 22, 1923, in Dallas, Texas.

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June 24

Conan the Destroyer opens in U.S. theaters (1984). Arnold Schwarzenegger takes a second at-bat as Conan the mighty-thewed in this, the follow-up to Conan the Barbarian (1982)—a sweeping fantasy epic helmed by John Milius. With Richard Fleischer as director, Conan the Destroyer is lighter and campier. Basketball star Wilt Chamberlain appears as Bombaata, and singer Grace Jones plays Conan's comrade-in-arms Zula. Schwarzenegger's dance card is next occupied by the Terminator, leaving Robert E. Howard's hero to languish in a grubby tavern just outside Cimmeria.

Peter Weller is born (1947). Peter Weller filled the clanking shoes of RoboCop, aka Alex Murphy, in RoboCop (1987) and RoboCop 2 (1990). He was also the eponymous Buckaroo Banzai in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984). Weller has also shown to advantage in such films as Of Unknown Origin (1983), Leviathan (1989), Naked Lunch (1991, as Bill Lee), and Screamers (1995). Weller was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

The Kenneth Arnold sighting kicks off the modern era of flying saucers (1947). Arnold was piloting a light plane near Mt. Rainier, Washington, when he reported seeing nine bright objects fly across the face of the mountain toward Mt. Adams at "an incredible speed." He said the objects "flew like a saucer would if you skipped it across the water." The term flying saucer has since been mostly supplanted by the term UFO.

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June 25

June Lockhart is born (1925). Christened with the same name as the month of her birth, June is best known for her portrayal of Maureen Robinson in Irwin Allen's television series Lost in Space (1965). But that's not her only genre work. June has appeared in the films She-Wolf of London (1946, as Phyllis Allenby), Curse of the Black Widow (1977, television, as Mrs. Lockwood), Strange Invaders (1983, as Mrs. Bigelow), Troll (1986, as Eunice St. Clair), C.H.U.D. II - B