This person died in 2011 at age 79. Her father was an art dealer who had been transferred to London from New York, and her mother had acted in the theater. She first appeared on screen at age 10, and was one of the world’s most famous film stars before she even completed her teens. Regarding her acting, she once said, “What I try to do is to give the maximum emotional effect with the minimum of visual movement.” Late in life she became a social activist – she helped establish the American Foundation for AIDS Research and helped raise money for it. After her sixth (of eight) marriage ended, she checked into the Betty Ford Center. In addition to alcohol and drugs, she had a problem with overeating, and it became the butt of jokes by late night comedians especially Joan Rivers. Today’s dead celebrity is Elizabeth Taylor.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 68 “Sentient Princess” (Carrie Fisher) and Episode 71 “Defiant One” (Sidney Poitier)

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola.

LINKS:

Transcript of this episode

New York Times Obituary for Elizabeth Taylor

Trailer for HBO Documentary ‘Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes”

Commercial for White Diamonds perfume

Elizabeth Taylor in ‘The Flintstones’ movie

Wondery’s “Even The Rich” Elizabeth Taylor series

Elizabeth Taylor’s HIV/Aids Activism

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died 2008 at age 71. He grew up with his mother and his older brother on West 121st in Manhattan. He dropped out of high school and joined the Air Force, and while stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana, worked as a radio disc jockey. During the course of his career, he overcame numerous personal trials – he was arrested several times, he weathered serious tax problems, a heart attack, and two open-heart surgeries. He was the first person ever to host Saturday Night Live. In 1978, the Supreme Court upheld an order prohibiting the words as “indecent” from his bit “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”. Today’s dead celebrity is George Carlin.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 40 “Eve’s Dropper” (Dick Clark) and Episode 29 “Zen Comedian" (Garry Shandling).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola.

LINKS:

Transcript of this episode

New York Times Obituary for George Carlin

Carlin’s “Dumb Americans” clip

Trailer for Judd Apatow’s documentary about Carlin

George Carlin Quotes to make you Laugh, Smile, and Think

“Fresh Air” Interview with George Carlin

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2020 at age 93. He was the only child of a noted Beat poet. He won his first professional acting job in the 1940s, when he was cast in the live radio program “The Lone Ranger”. On several occasions he recounted a period of months he spent in Paris in the 1950s working as a “mec” – or pimp – for a legal prostitute. His association with the Actors Studio began in 1992. He was a knowledgeable interviewer who focused on craft while avoiding gossip. Beyond his globally successful Bravo TV program, he was as well known for being relentlessly lampooned by Will Ferrell on “Saturday Night Live”. Today’s dead celebrity is James Lipton.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 43 “Poetic Justice” (Maya Angelou) and Episode 18 “Darling’s Critic” (Roger Ebert).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer.

LINKS:

Transcript of this episode

New York Times Obituary for James Lipton

Will Ferrell impersonates James Lipton on SNL

James Lipton shotguns a beer on Conan

Lipton as Warden Gentles on “Arrested Development”

Why Bradley Cooper was James Lipton’s most memorable interview

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.