SCIFIPEDIA:This Day in SCI FI/May 2006

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May 1

Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke wed (1998). Thurman, notable in the genre for her appearances in Gattaca (1997), Batman and Robin (1997), and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) bonded with Ethan (Gattaca) Hawke on this day.

Karen Allen and Kale Browne wed (1988). It's a day for genre weddings. Karen Allen, the firebrand firewater purveyor and old flame of Indiana Jones, married veteran soap opera star Kale Browne on this date. The happy couple share their nuptial day with the Thurman-Hawke duo (see above). Besides Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Allen has also starred in Starman (1984) and Ghost in the Machine (1993).

V miniseries debuts (1983). Kenneth Johnson, the producer with "the human touch," puts together a groundbreaking look at fascism, loyalty and betrayal in America with the alien-invasion miniseries, V. Kenneth's humane vision can also be seen in his other TV Series, The Incredible Hulk and Alien Nation.

Fantasy writer Joel Rosenberg is born.

May 2

Oliver Reed dies (1999). Reed was the original "bad boy" of British cinema. His genre projects include The Pit and the Pendulum (1990), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Venom (1982), David Cronenberg's The Brood (1979), Burnt Offerings (1976), Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) and The Shuttered Room (1967). Oliver was born in 1938 in Wimbledon, London, England, UK.

Hugh Marlowe dies (1982). Marlowe managed to convey both heroism and intellect in a variety of sci-fi classic films, including World Without End (1956), Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Hugh was born in 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

George Pal dies (1980). This producer, director and Hollywood visionary produced such effects-laden sci-fi adventures as Conquest of Space (1955), The War of the Worlds (1953), When Worlds Collide (1951) and Destination Moon (1950]). Pal's directorial credits include Seven Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961) and The Time Machine (1960). George was born in 1908 in Cegled, Hungary.

May 3

The Craft opens (1996). This tale concerns four outcast teenage girls who form a witches' coven in order to wreak havoc at their Los Angeles high school. The coven in question includes future Scream queen Neve Campbell along with Robin Tunney of End of Days.

Barb Wire opens (1996). Pamela Anderson takes a stab at big-screen stardom in this futuristic adventure, set in a fascist 21st-century United States. She plays the buxom heroine of the title, a nightclub owner and part-time bounty hunter enlisted to help a former lover smuggle his new wife across the border into Canada. This high-tech action-adventure was based on the popular underground comic of the same name.

Irving Block dies (1986). Hollywood Special Effects Artist Irving Block lent his imagination and technical know-how to such features as The Giant Behemoth (1959), Macabre (1958), The Invisible Boy (1957), World Without End (1956) and Flight to Mars (1951). He also contributed to the writing of Forbidden Planet (1956) and was a producer on The Atomic Submarine (1959), War of the Satellites (1958) and the still intriguing Kronos (1957).

May 4

The Mummy opens (1999). Director Stephen Sommers takes a high-tech approach to this remake, which stars heartthrob Brendan Fraser as an Indiana Jones-like adventurer who teams up with a timid librarian (Rachel Weisz) to find the tomb of a mummified, mean-spirited Egyptian priest. This Mummy turns out to be one of the surprise box office hits of 1999, and spawns a 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns.

Audrey Hepburn is born (1929). One of the most beloved screen icons of all time, Hepburn was the personification of elegance. She first gained stardom in romantic comedies, but later crossed genre lines to star as a blind woman terrorized by homicidal drug dealers in Wait Until Dark (1967), as a Hitchcockian heroine in Charade (1963), and as an angel in Steven Spielberg's Always (1989). Audrey, who died in 1993, was born in Brussels, Belgium.

May 5

Melinda Culea is born (1955). Probably best known for playing feisty reporter Amy Allen on The A-Team, she also was in 1998's Target Earth. Her television appearances include canid biologist Karen Berquist (whom Mulder met on the Internet) in The X-Files episode "Alpha," and the societal misfit Soren on the episode "Outcast" of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Roger Rees is born (1944). Versatile British actor Roger Rees was a cast member of M.A.N.T.I.S. and lent his classy accent to the animated series Extreme Ghostbusters and Gargoyles (in an uncredited turn). His other screen credits include the made-for-TV The Possession of Michael D. (1995). Roger was born in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK.

Lance Henriksen is born (1940). Henriksen, a graduate of the prestigious Actors Studio, is as adept at playing villains as he is at playing heroes. He portrayed Frank Black on television's Millennium (1996), as well as Lt. Bishop in Aliens (1986) and Bishop II in Alien3 (1992). He also lent his sinister stare and tough-guy demeanor to a host of thrillers, among them Scream 3 (2000), The Horror Show (1989), Pumpkinhead (1988), Near Dark (1987), The Terminator (1984), Nightmares (1983) and Damien: Omen II (1978). Lance was born in New York, New York, USA.

May 6

Wilfrid Hyde-White dies (1991). Fans may remember this actor most fondly as wise and soft-spoken Dr. Goodfellow in the 1980s TV version of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. However, he had a long and varied career, appearing in everything from the TV film Battlestar Galactica (1978) as Sire Anton, to the films Dr. Jekyll-Mr.Hyde (1949) and episodes of television's The Twilight Zone ("Passage on the Lady Anne").

Lori Singer is born (1962). Singer — sister of Marc Singer (Beastmaster, V) — is known for her star turn as brilliant hacker-inventor Sydney Bloom on the short-lived series VR.5 (1995). She also played a young woman tormented by witchy Julian Sands in Warlock (1989). Lori was born in Corpus Christ, Texas, USA.

George Clooney is born (1961). This television hunk-turned-movie star produced and starred in a live television remake of the paranoid thriller, Fail Safe (2000). In addition to his role as Bruce Wayne in Batman & Robin (1997), he battled vampires in the Quentin Tarantino-produced From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). During the 1980s, before he became a big-name performer on E.R., he also worked in such low-budget genre fare as Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988) and Return to Horror High (1987). George was born in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

Orson Welles is born (1915). Among this cinematic giant's most successful films are three suspenseful noir masterpieces: Touch of Evil (1958), The Lady from Shanghai (1948) and The Stranger (1946). To genre fans, Welles is perhaps best remembered for his famous radio play, The War of the Worlds, which was turned into a big-screen feature in 1953. Orson, who died in 1985, was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA.

May 7

Guy Williams dies (1989). The alter-ego of Professor John Robinson, space dad, died on this day. Aside from his work on Lost in Space, Williams also played the dual role of Don Diego/Zorro in numerous TV productions (1957, 1960) and appeared as an officer of the law in I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957). Guy was born Armand Catalano in New York, New York, USA.

Traci Lords is born (1968). Former adult film star Traci Lords made her "legit" film debut in a 1988 remake of Roger Corman's space-age vampire tale, Not of This Earth. Since then, she has been seen in Blade (1998), Virtuosity (1995), Circuitry Man 2 (1994) and Stephen King's The Tommyknockers (1993). She is also part of the human forces that fight against alien takeover each week on television's First Wave. Traci was born Nora Louise Kuzma in Steubenville, Ohio, USA.

Darren McGavin is born (1922). McGavin played the title role and acted as executive producer on television's beloved The Night Stalker. He first played Carl Kolchak, a journalist who specializes in the occult, in two highly rated, made-for-television movies — The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973) — and later took the character onto a short-lived but still highly regarded series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974). His other genre projects include Dead Heat (1988), television's The Martian Chronicles (1980), Hangar 18 (1980), Spielberg's made-for-television Something Evil (1972), and Mission: Mars (1968). Rounding out his genre work, he, like many other notable actors, has lent his voice to the animated TV Series Gargoyles, and in the television movie The Six Million Dollar Man he played the head of the secret government agency that authorized the bionics project. Darren was born in San Joaquin, California, USA.

May 8

Deep Impact opens (1998). Mimi Leder is the director behind this emotional end-of-the-world epic in which a pair of comets threaten to collide with Earth and wipe out civilization as we know it. The cast includes Morgan Freeman (as the U.S. President), Robert Duvall, Tèa Leoni, Elijah Wood and Vanessa Redgrave. Along with the same summer's Armageddon, Deep Impact uses big-budget special effects to wreak havoc on the planet — and hit big at the box office.

Robert A. Heinlein dies (1988). Heinlein's middle name was Anson, and this highly influential genre author was sometimes credited as Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, John Riverside, Caleb Saunders and Simon York. A number of his works have been adapted to film. His best-known works include Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, The Puppet Masters (adapted into the film The Puppet Masters in 1994), Rocket Ship Galileo (adapted into the film Destination Moon in 1950), Starship Troopers (adapted into the film Starship Troopers in 1997) and Stranger in a Strange Land. He was born in Butler, Missouri, USA.

Melissa Gilbert is born (1964). Gilbert not only played the role of Captain Sheridan's long lost wife Anna in the Babylon 5 episodes "Z'ha'dum" and "Shadow Dancing," she's also married to Sheridan's off-screen alter-ego, actor Bruce Boxleitner. Gilbert has appeared in the episode "Relativity Theory" on The Outer Limits and has given voice to Barbara Gordon/Batgirl on Batman: The Animated Series. She was born Melissa Ellen Gilbert in Los Angeles, California, USA.

May 9

The Fifth Element opens (1997). French director Luc Besson (the man behind the original La Femme Nikita) puts Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich through their paces in this futuristic action tale that includes a wildly inventive production design that features costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Willis plays a 23rd century cab driver out to save a mysterious woman who might hold the key to saving the world.

Tom Cruise weds Mimi Rogers (1987). Cruise's notable contributions to the genre include Legend (1985), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), and Mission: Impossible 2 (1999). Rogers has starred in such genre offerings as Lost in Space (1998) and in episodes of The X-Files. The fellow Scientologists are wed this day; three years later they divorce, and Cruise rebounds almost instantly with Nicole Kidman.

John Corbett is born (1962). Probably best known for his role as free-spirit disc jockey Chris Stevens in the quirky TV Series Northern Exposure, John has also done other genre work. He appeared in Volcano (1997), and starred in the TV Series The Visitor (1997) and the equally brief (but not equally good) The Osiris Chronicles (1998 - a.k.a. The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy). Corbett was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, USA.

May 10

Joan Crawford dies (1977). After her days as a top leading lady ended, Hollywood icon Joan Crawford lent her flair for the melodramatic to such low-budget thrillers as Trog (1970), in which she plays an anthropologist who discovers a living "missing link," as well as such psycho-killer thrillers as Berserk (1967), I Saw What You Did (1965) and Strait-Jacket (1964). Crawford is perhaps best remembered by genre fans for her portrayal of Lucy Harbin, the blind woman who buys a few moments of sight in the Steven Spielberg-directed segment of the original Night Gallery (1969) made-for-television movie. She was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in 1904 in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Cary Guffey is born (1972). Cary Guffey portrayed the inquisitive youngster abducted by aliens in Steven Spielberg's classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). He also appeared in the SF-thriller Night Shadows (1984). Guffey was born in Douglasville, Georgia, USA.

Meg Foster is born (1948). Throughout her career, this actress (known for her mesmerizing eyes) has graced a variety of genre projects, including Leviathan (1989), John Carpenter's They Live (1988), and Masters of the Universe (1987). Foster's plentiful television credits include episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess, Sliders, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Quantum Leap (1989). She was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.

May 11

Deep Blue beats Gary Kasparov (1997). For the first time, IBM supercomputer Big Blue defeats world champion grandmaster Gary Kasparov in chess. The event marks a key milestone in the development of interactive artificial intelligence.

Firestarter opens (1984). Firestarter, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, casts cherubic Drew Barrymore (fresh from E.T.) as a pyrotechnic prodigy on the lam from evil government agents. The rest of the cast includes David Keith and Heather Locklear, along with veterans Martin Sheen and George C. Scott. Though the reviews are mixed, the movie proves to be hot at the box office.

Natasha Richardson is born (1963). Richardson, daughter of British acting royalty Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, starred as Frankenstein novelist Mary Shelley in Ken Russell's haunting Gothic (1986). She also appeared in the futuristic feature The Handmaid's Tale (1990), a cautionary feminist parable based on the popular novel by Margaret Atwood. She was born in London, England, UK.

Michael Walsh is born (1959). A prominent fan, Walsh has been the Chairman of a Worldcon (Constellation, in Baltimore, MD in 1983), two World Fantasy Conventions (Baltimore, MD in 1995 and Washington, DC in 2003) and is the publisher and owner of a small genre specialty press, Old Earth Books.

May 12

Tor Johnson dies (1971). Rotund, smooth-pated Tor Johnson played menacing roles in a number of beloved, low-budget horror Movies, including The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961), Night of the Ghouls (1959), Ed Wood's cherished Plan 9 from Outer Space (1958), The Unearthly (1957) and Bride of the Monster (1956). He was born in 1903 in Sweden.

Emilio Estevez is born (1962). Estevez, son of Martin Sheen, has tried his hand at directing (with decidedly mixed results) when not lending his acting abilities to such genre projects as Freejack (1992), Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive (1986), the cult classic Repo Man (1984) and Nightmares (1983). He was born in New York, New York, USA.

Kim Greist is born (1958). Greist was one of the stars of 1986's Manhunter — the first movie made about fictional madman Hannibal Lecter. Her other credits include Terry Gilliam's futuristic Brazil (1985) and the popular C.H.U.D. (1984), a monster flick with a title (for those of you who don't remember) that is an acronym for "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers." Her television work has included such genre projects as Roswell (1994) and Duplicates (1992). She was born in Stamford, Connecticut, USA.

May 13

Roger Zelazny is born (1937). Science-fiction author Zelazny was often identified with the SF literary movement known as New Wave. The New Wave movement shifted the creative focus from the external realms of hard science to internal ones, such as psychology, sociology and linguistics. His fellow New Wave alumni include Samuel R. Delany, Thomas M. Disch, Ursula K. Le Guin and Harlan Ellison. Major works by Zelazny include his memorable Amber series; This Immortal (which won the 1965 Hugo Award for Best Novel); The Dream Master (which won the 1966 Nebula Award for Best Novella); and "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" (which won a Nebula Award for Best Novelette). Zelazny, who died on June 14, 1995, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, of kidney failure and other complications caused by cancer, was born in Euclid, Ohio, USA.

The Crow opens (1994). Brandon Lee (son of martial-arts legend Bruce Lee) seemed destined for stardom, but his life was tragically cut short when he was accidentally killed toward the end of filming this action-packed, darkly stylish thriller about a murdered man who comes back from the dead for revenge. The movie, directed by Alex Proyas (Dark City) and based on the comic-book character created by James O'Barr, scores a bit hit at the box office and spawns a successful sequel.

Solaris premiers at the Cannes Film Festival (1972). This seminal film by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, based on a novel by Polish author Stanislaw Lem, is awarded a Special Jury Prize by the Cannes judges. The film, which concerns the eerie events transpiring in a human settlement on an alien world, explores the inadequacy of humankind to understand either the Universe or its own inner nature.

May 14

Director Robert Zemeckis won his Oscar for Forrest Gump (1994), but his extensive sci-fi credits include the Back to the Future trilogy as well as such star-driven genre vehicles as Contact (1997), with Jodie Foster, and Death Becomes Her (1992), with Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis. Along the way, Zemeckis also hit the small screen with episodes of Tales from the Crypt and Amazing Stories. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

George Lucas is born (1944). Lucas, the father of the Star Wars franchise, remains one of the most successful director/producers in Hollywood history. His track record also includes acting as an executive producer on such projects as Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Labyrinth (1986) and, lest we forget and history repeats itself, Howard the Duck (1986). He was born in Modesto, California, USA.

Francesca Annis is born (1944). Annis played the powerful Bene Gesserit witch Lady Jessica, mother to Paul Atreides, the Kwisatz Haderach, in David Lynch's big-screen adaptation of Dune (1984). She also was the Widow of the Web in Krull (1983). She was born in London, England, UK.

László Kovács is born (1933). This busy cinematographer began his career working on such drive-in fare as Blood of Dracula's Castle (1967) and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1963), then graduated during the 1970s to working with top-notch Hollywood directors such as Peter Bogdonovich, Hal Ashby and Bob Rafelson. His more recent credits include Multiplicity (1996), Copycat (1995) and Ghostbusters (1984). He was born in Hungary.

May 15

Jane Seymour weds James Keach (1993). For many fans, Seymour will forever be remembered as the beautiful, doomed Serina of Battlestar Galactica. Aside from that brief stint, her other genre work includes The Phantom of the Opera (1983), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), and Frankenstein: The True Story (1973).

Joseph Cotten is born (1905). This always reliable character actor played one of his most memorable roles when he starred as Uncle Charley, the sinister "Merry Widow" murderer in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Later in his career, Cotten became a regular in scads of horror and SF flicks, among them The Hearse (1980), Soylent Green (1973), Baron Blood (1973), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and Lady Frankenstein (1974). Cotten, who died in 1994, was born in Petersburg, Virginia, USA.

L. Frank Baum is born (1856). The true "Wizard of Oz," Baum's numerous children's books, particularly those about the Land of Oz and its surrounding environs, have inspired more than 100 film adaptations in countries around the world — including the most famous one, the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz by Victor Fleming starring the inimitable Judy Garland. Baum was born Lyman Frank Baum in Chittenango, New York, USA.

May 16

Margaret Hamilton dies (1985). Veteran actress Margaret Hamilton, forever associated with her dual role as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939), died on this day in 1985. Hamilton, who appeared in William Castle's 13 Ghosts (1960), on television's The Night Strangler (1973), and in The Invisible Woman (1940), also provided the voice of Auntie Em in the animated Journey Back to Oz (1971). Genre fans might also remember Hamilton for her recurring role as Hester Frump on television's The Addams Family. She was born in 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

David Boreanaz is born (1971). Boreanaz plays Angel, the vampire ex-lover of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, formerly known as Angelus, baddest of the bad vampires. Although the romance with Buffy crashed on the rocks of Fate, unlife went on for Angel—in his own spin-off series, titled, appropriately enough, Angel. Boreanaz's other genre credits include the thriller Valentine (2001) and a turn as a vampire's victim in Macabre Pair of Shorts (1996). He was born David Patrick Boreanaz in Buffalo, New York, USA.

Pierce Brosnan is born (1963). This suave leading man, lately recognized worldwide as the current James Bond, has starred in a number of genre films, among them Dante's Peak (1997), Mars Attacks! (1996), The Lawnmower Man (1992) and Nomads (1986). Brosnan was born in Navan, County Meath, Ireland.

Anne Parillaud is born (1960). This very popular star of the French cinema starred as Mariem, the vampire who took on the mafia in Innocent Blood (1992). She was born in Paris, France.

May 17

Paige Turco is born (1965). Turco was in not one but two turtle films: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (1991) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993). She also had a role on the short-lived television series American Gothic (1995). She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.

Fiona Hutchison is born (1960). Hutchison, like Turco, was also in American Gothic, but Hutchison was also in a film of the same name (1988) that had no relation to the television series. She also has appeared in Poltergeist: The Legacy. She was born in Miami, Florida, USA.

Bill Paxton is born (1955). Paxton began his career with supporting roles in such genre fare as Predator 2 (1990), Near Dark (1987), Aliens (1986), Weird Science (1985) and The Terminator (1984). Since then, he has starred in such big-budget special-effects extravaganzas as Mighty Joe Young (1998), Twister (1996), and Apollo 13 (1995). He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

Dennis Hopper is born (1936). This Hollywood survivor has lent his eccentric persona to a number of genre Movies, including Space Truckers (1997), Blue Velvet (1986), Waterworld (1995), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and My Science Project (1985). He was born in Dodge City, Kansas, USA.

May 18

Godzilla opens (1998). Director Roland Emmerich follows the success of his Independence Day with this expensive remake of 1956's Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. The new version finds the legendary lizard angry, self-impregnated and looking to turn an unsuspecting Manhattan into a prime nesting ground. The monster, more agile than ever, looks terrific, but the flick is a disappointment to a lot of genre fans. Stars Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno and Hank Azaria manage to survive the critical firestorm that broadsides the picture.

Elizabeth Montgomery dies (1995). As Samantha Stevens, the perkiest witch ever to hit television, Elizabeth Montgomery continues to charm generation after generation of Bewitched viewers. Following that show's run, Montgomery was acclaimed for her complex portrayal of an alleged axe murderess in the television movie, The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975). Earlier in her career, she played the last woman on Earth (opposite Charles Bronson) in the famous 1959 The Twilight Zone episode entitled "Two." She was born in Hollywood, California, USA.

Jill Ireland dies (1990). To genre fans she probably is best known and beloved for her portrayal of Leila Kolomi in the original Star Trek episode "This Side of Paradise, in which she enjoyed the distinctive honor of being one of the few women to have successfully pursued and romanced the ever-repressed Mr. Spock. She also appeared in episodes of such series as Night Gallery ("The Ghost of Sorworth Place"), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. ("The Quadripartite Affair," "The Giuoco Piano Affair," and "The Tigers Are Coming Affair"), and My Favorite Martian ("The Girl in the Flying Machine"). She was born April 24, 1936, in London, England, UK.

May 19

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace opens (1999). The wait finally ends for die-hard Star Wars fans everywhere on this day in 1999: George Lucas unveils the first chapter of his new Stars Wars prequel trilogy. Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor star as two Jedi Knights out to help a young queen (Natalie Portman) save her world. Though some fans are disappointed by the storyline, the box office receipts are as big as the film's special effects.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick wed (1997). Boyish actor Broderick marries his favorite gal Parker. He has appeared in a fistful of genre films, including Inspector Gadget (1999), Godzilla (1998), Project X (1987), Ladyhawke (1986), and WarGames (1985). Parker's contributions to the genre include Mars Attacks! (1996) and Hocus Pocus (1993).

Terry O. Morse dies (1984). Morse is probably best known for directing the American version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), in which he also took a turn acting. He also directed and acted in The Unknown World (1951). His other acting stints include The Space Children (1958) and Cururcu, Beast of the Amazon (1956). He was born January 30, 1906, in St. Louis Missouri, USA.

May 20

Jon Pertwee dies (1996). Pertwee is a member of a small, elite genre fraternity. He was The Doctor No. 3, playing the eponymous time-traveling scientist, Doctor Who from 1970-1974 in the cult British television series. Pertwee's other genre credits include roles in the made-for-TV Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen (1995) and the direct-to-video The Zero Imperative (1994). He was born July 7, 1919, in Chelsea, London, England, U.K., and passed away this day in New York from a heart attack.

Willow opens (1988). Director Ron Howard's elaborate fantasy, based on a story by George Lucas, opens this day. Willow stars Batman-to-be Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley (soon to be Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, wife of Val), and Warwick Davis (later of Leprechaun fame) as a diminutive hero with a mission to protect a magical baby and, in so doing, to help topple an evil queen. The movie fails to achieve blockbuster status but develops a loyal following among genre fans.

Timothy Olyphant is born (1968). Olyphant went from the New York stage to big-screen stardom when he played Mickey, the deranged killer out for some grisly fun in Wes Craven's Scream 2 (1997). He was born in Hawaii, USA.

May 21

The Empire Strikes Back opens (1980). The Star Wars franchise begins to pick up steam when The Empire Strikes Back opens on this day in 1980. This time out, romance is in the air between charming rogue Han Solo and the haughty Princess Leia, and Darth Vader reveals his deepest, darkest secret to Luke Skywalker. Empire goes on to become one of the most successful sequels in movie history, permitting George Lucas to transform himself into his own cinematic industry. Three years later it is followed by the climactic chapter of the Star Wars trilogy, The Return of the Jedi.

Shari Belafonte weds Robert Harper (1977). Belafonte has been in a few genre enterprises, such as Time Walker (1982), Beyond Reality (1991), and Mars (1996). Genre fans might best know her for her role as Dr. Elizabeth Hunt in Babylon 5: Thirdspace (1998).

Fairuza Balk is born (1974). Balk began her career with her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in Return to Oz (1985). Later, she made quite an impression as the most malicious member of a coven of teenage witches in The Craft (1996) and survived acting opposite both Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). She was born in Point Reyes, California, USA.

May 22

Alien3 opens (1992). The third entry in the Alien saga opens on this date. This time out, the battle takes place on a remote prison planet. Sigourney Weaver (with a shaved head) returns as master alien-fighter Ripley. Director David Fincher goes on after this success to helm Se7en and Fight Club.

Paul Winfield is born (1941). Winfield has appeared in a handful of genre works, including Mars Attacks! (1996), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), and The Terminator (1984). He was prominently featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1984) as Captain Terrell, a Starfleet officer. Khan Noonien Singh tortured Terrell and planted an alien mind-control bug in his ear. Winfield also portrayed Captain Dathon in one of the most memorable Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes ever, "Darmok," which revolved around the prickly problems of communication with a species whose language was comprised solely of metaphors. He was born in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was born on this day in 1859.

May 23

The Lost World: Jurassic Park opens (1997). Steven Spielberg directed this sequel to his 1993 blockbuster, Jurassic Park. This time out, the dinosaurs co-star with Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, and Vince Vaughan.

Poltergeist II: The Other Side opens (1986). Little Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O'Rourke) and her much put-upon family go one more round with those pesky ghosts in this sequel to the Steven Spielberg-produced 1980 original. Stars Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams return, as does diminutive ghost-hunter Zelda Rubinstein.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom opens (1984). The first sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark opens, with Harrison Ford reprising his role as archeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones. This time, Jones joins forces with a nightclub singer and a 12-year-old boy. The film goes on to win an Oscar for its visual effects.

James Blish is born (1921). Blish wrote many distinguished novels and short stories. Among his best-known works are the Cities in Flight novels (a series of four linked novels), and a series of early Star Trek books that turned episode scripts from the original TV series into short stories, usually collected six to a volume.

May 24

Edward Mulhare dies (1997). Mulhare is probably best known for his portrayal of the haunting Captain Daniel Gregg in the TV series The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. In more recent memory, he portrayed Devon Miles in the TV series Knight Rider. Fans of the original Battlestar Galactica series will remember him as the angelic guide, John, in the episode "Experiment in Terra." He has also appeared in genre films, including Eye of the Devil (1967). He was born in Cork, Ireland.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade opens (1989). Archeologist and occult expert Indiana Jones returns in this third installment in the Raiders of the Lost Ark series. This time out, Jones joins forces with his equally adventurous father in a quest to obtain the legendary Holy Grail. Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and River Phoenix star in this exciting offering from director Steven Spielberg.

Barry Atwater dies (1978). Atwater probably is most familiar to genre fans as the vampire Janos Skorzeny in the television movie The Night Stalker (1971), which helped spawn the career of reporter Carl Kolchak. He also is notable for his appearance in the Star Trek episode "The Savage Curtain," in which he played the Vulcan Surak. Atwater also appeared in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Night Gallery, Bewitched, The Outer Limits, and Mission: Impossible (three times). Another memorable appearance was in The Twilight Zone episode "Monsters Are Here on Maple Street," in which he played Mr. Goodman. He was born in Denver, Colorado, USA.

May 25

Back to the Future III opens (1990). The concluding feature of Robert Zemeckis' time-travel trilogy finds Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd transported back to the Wild West of 1885 for more comic adventure and high-tech special effects.

Return of the Jedi opens (1983). Six years after the opening of the original Star Wars, producer George Lucas and director Richard Marquand strike gold with the unveiling of Return of the Jedi. Unsurprisingly, the film reaps huge profits at the box office and wins an Oscar for its state-of-the-art special effects.

Alien opens (1979). The Alien series hatches from its slime-covered space egg on this day in 1979. Director Ridley Scott's outer-space horror film combined modern effects with the straightforward plot of 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space. Alien spawned three sequels and introduced audiences to leading lady and feminist action-movie icon Sigourney Weaver.

Star Wars opens (1977). On this date in 1977, George Lucas first transported audiences to a galaxy far, far away—and The Force is still with us today. The opening of Star Wars created a major franchise, launched Harrison Ford's career as a leading man, and raised the bar for sci-fi adventure.

Anne Heche is born (1969). Blonde waif Anne Heche, Ellen DeGeneres' highly publicized "significant other," stepped into Janet Leigh's shower for director Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of Psycho (1998). She has also been featured in such genre titles as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Volcano (1997). She was born in Aurora, Ohio, USA.

May 26

Helena Bonham Carter is born (1966). Carter has had only a couple of genre roles, but they're definitely enough to earn her a mention here. She played Elizabeth, the doomed bride of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, in Frankenstein (1994). She also was the bewitching Morgan Le Fey in the television miniseries Merlin (1998). She was born in Golders Green, London, England.

Pam Grier is born (1949). In recent years screen queen Pam Grier, aka "Foxy Brown," has been featured in Mars Attacks! (1996), John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. (1996), and Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983). Earlier in her career, she starred in such "blaxploitation" titles as Scream, Blacula, Scream! (1973), and appeared as the Panther Woman in Twilight People (1972). She was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.

James Arness is born (1923). Arness is an actor who made an impression in the genre in just a single role—and audiences couldn't even see his face. He was the monstrous Thing in The Thing from Another World (1951). Arness is also the brother of Peter Graves, another genre celebrity. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

May 27

Ruth McDevitt dies (1976). McDevitt is probably best known to genre fans for her portrayal of the elderly, ladylike society columnist on Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974). Before her regular appearances in that TV series, she played a bit part in an early episode ("The Ripper") as a nosy neighbor. She also appeared on Bewitched (episodes "Samantha's Old Man," "Mrs. Stephens, Where Are You?" and "Long Live the Queen") and I Dream of Jeannie (episode "The Blood of Jeannie"). She was born in Coldwater, Michigan, USA.

Jeffrey Hunter dies (1969). Although he died young, at the age of 43, Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies, Jr.) will always be remembered for his turn as the first captain of the starship Enterprise. He played Captain Christopher Pike in the Star Trek TV series pilot episode, "The Cage," and was spliced into another episode, "The Menagerie," which was a two-parter. He also appeared in an episode of The Green Hornet. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Linnea Quigley is born (1958). B-movie "scream queen" Linnea Quigley has a unique résumé that includes such titles as Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994), Beach Babes from Beyond (1993), Return of the Living Dead, (1985) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). She also had the distinction of playing Rat Woman in a 1995 television adaptation of Bram Stoker's Burial of the Rats. She was born in Davenport, Iowa, USA.

Robert L. Ripley dies (1949). The "Believe It or Not" man passed away this day in New York City, of a heart attack. His small compendiums of the bizarre and astounding launched a radio show, Believe It or Not, in 1930, and its popularity has never quite faded, spawning a television series of the same name (narrated by Jack Palance) in the '70s and another in the '90s. He was born in Santa Rosa, California, USA.

May 28

Jonathan Frakes marries Genie Francis (1988). This is quite a day for genre marriages. Frakes marries his beloved, soap star Francis. Frakes got his genre start when he was cast in the role of William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He has also appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the episodes "Meridian," "Past Tense, Part II," "Defiant," and "The Search, Part II"; and on Star Trek: Voyager in the episode "Death Wish." He, along with fellow Star Trek: TNG alumnus Marina Sirtis, supplied voicework to the animated series Gargoyles (he voiced Xanatos). Frakes also appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "But Can She Type?" His feature-film work extended his tenure as William Riker in Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), (which he also directed), and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) (another directing turn). His directing duties have expanded much in the later years of his career, adding Clockstoppers (2002) and Thunderbirds (2004) to his résumé. He was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.

Linda Carter marries Ron Samuels (1977). Action hero Carter tied the knot with her sweetheart. Carter is best known to genre fans as Wonder Woman of the eponymous 1970s series. She was born Lynda Jean Cordoba in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Stanley Kubrick marries Toba Metz (1948). Kubrick settled down on this day. The genre was not the focus of Kubrick's career, but he directed and/or produced some of the genre's most shining accomplishments. The films that made his name for genre fans are Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964); his adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's short story in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968); A Clockwork Orange (1971); and the supernatural chiller The Shining (1980), an adaptation of the Stephen King novel. He was born in the Bronx, New York, USA.

May 29

Rupert Everett is born (1959). Out-of-the-closet, scene-stealing Everett played the dual role of Sanford Scolex and Dr. Claw, the arch-nemesis of the eponymous hero of Inspector Gadget (1999). Before that, he starred as a keeper of the living dead in Cemetery Man (1994), an artful, imaginative Italian horror film largely overlooked during its U.S. release. He was also the courtly Lancelot in Arthur the King (1985). He was born in Norfolk, England, UK.

Adrian Paul is born (1959). Paul inherited the lead role in the Highlander franchise from Christopher Lambert, moving it from the big screen to the small. He portrayed Duncan MacLeod, distant cousin and clansman to Christopher Lambert's Connor, in the long-running Highlander: The Series. Ironically, Highlander returned to the big screen with Paul, in Highlander 4: The Search for Connor (1999). Paul has appeared in Merlin: The Return (1999, as Lancelot); Dark Shadows (1992, as Jeremiah Collins); Love Potion No. 9 (1991, as Enrico Pazzoli); and Masque of the Red Death (1989, as Prospero). Paul got his genre start when he joined the cast of the revamped series War of the Worlds: The Second Invasion (1988, as John Kincaid). He was born Adrian Paul Hewett in London, England, UK.

James Whale dies (1957). Genre visionary Whale drowned on this date, in Hollywood, California, USA, at the age of 67. He probably is best known for his astounding directorial work in Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), but he was responsible for other fine work, as well. He directed The Old Dark House (1932) and The Invisible Man (1933). He was born in Dudley, England, UK.

May 30

Claude Rains dies (1967). A veteran thespian, Rains is most famous within the genre for his role in The Invisible Man (1933), but he also appeared in The Clairvoyant (1934), The Wolf Man (1941), Phantom of the Opera (1943), and The Lost World (1960, as Professor Challenger). He was born in London, England, UK.

Colm Meaney is born (1953). Versatile Meaney portrayed redoubtable Starfleet officer Miles Edward O'Brien in both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His Irish brogue can also be heard on the animated series Gargoyles (episode "The Hound of Ulster") and he put in an appearance in