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Mike Barnes

Senior Editor

Mike Barnes is a proud graduate of Brooklyn College who spent his first 11 years in journalism as a globe-trotting sportswriter with United Press International based out of New York and Los Angeles. He began with THR in 1993 as a Copy Editor and has written too many obituaries for the publication for too many years; the first one may have been the great I Love Lucy writer Bob Carroll Jr.

More from Mike Barnes

Richard Leibner, Influential Agent for News Anchors, Dies at 85

Richard Leibner, the prominent talent agent who transformed the TV news business by guiding the careers of such renowned broadcast journalists as Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace, Andy Rooney and Norah O’Donnell, has died. He was 85. Leibner died Tuesday at his home in New York, UTA vice chairman Jay Sures announced. The agent […]

‘Pulp Fiction’ Stars Reuniting at TCM Classic Film Festival (Exclusive)

Opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival next week will also serve as a Pulp Fiction reunion. Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosanna Arquette and Harvey Keitel are among those joining John Travolta on April 18 for the 30th anniversary, 35mm screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) at the TCL Chinese Theatre in […]

Bruce Kessler, Race Car Driver, Yacht Captain and Prolific TV Director, Dies at 88

Bruce Kessler, who directed episodes of shows including The Monkees, It Takes a Thief, The Rockford Files, McCloud and The Commish when he wasn’t driving race cars, designing boats or circling the globe in a yacht, has died. He was 88. Kessler died Thursday at his home in Marina del Rey after a brief illness, […]

David Barrington Holt, Former Head of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in L.A., Dies at 78

David Barrington Holt, who established and ran the first Creature Shop on the West Coast for The Jim Henson Company during his two-plus decades with the firm, has died. He was 78. Holt died March 13 of complications from cancer at his home in Los Angeles, his son, Chris Holt, announced. Holt started out with […]

William Kidston, Three-Time Emmy-Winning Photographer, Dies at 68 

William Kidston, a three-time Emmy-winning photographer who worked in Hollywood for decades, died March 22 of prostate cancer at his home in Denver, publicist Roger Neal announced. He was 68. “He was a staple on many red carpets, beloved by publicists and stars alike,” Neal said. “He was always there when you needed him; you […]

David E. Diano, Longtime Camera Operator, Dies at 71

David E. Diano, a veteran camera operator with credits including Tombstone, The Fast and the Furious, Wedding Crashers and Spider-Man 3, has died. He was 71. Diano died Jan. 22 at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena of coronary issues after a battle with prostate cancer, his wife, still photographer Gemma LaMana, told The Hollywood Reporter. Diano […]

Jean-Paul Vignon, Stylish French Vocalist and Actor, Dies at 89

Jean-Paul Vignon, the romantic French vocalist and actor who impressed audiences on both sides of the Atlantic during an eight-decade career, died March 22 of liver cancer in Beverly Hills, his family announced. He was 89. Performing a repertoire of contemporary pop and American standards, Vignon debuted in the U.S. in 1963 at the famed […]

Lynn Loring, ‘Search for Tomorrow’ Actress Turned Producer and Top Television Executive, Dies at 80

Lynn Loring, who appeared as a young actress on Search for Tomorrow, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and The F.B.I. before becoming one of the highest-ranking female executives in Hollywood at the time, has died. She was 80. Loring died Dec. 23 at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center after a series of chronic illnesses, […]

Barbara Baldavin, Actress on ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Medical Center,’ Dies at 85

Barbara Baldavin, who appeared on three episodes of the original Star Trek and recurred on Medical Center before working in the casting department on shows including Dynasty and Trapper John, M.D., has died. She was 85. Baldavin died Sunday of congestive heart failure at her home in Manhattan Beach, her son Marc D’Agosta told The […]

Barbara Rush, Classy Star of 1950s Melodramas, Dies at 97

Barbara Rush, the classy yet largely unheralded leading lady who sparkled in the 1950s melodramas Magnificent Obsession, Bigger Than Life and The Young Philadelphians, has died. She was 97. Rush, a regular on the fifth and final season of ABC’s Peyton Place and a favorite of sci-fi fans thanks to her work in When Worlds […]

Louis Gossett Jr., Star of ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Roots,’ Dies at 87

Louis Gossett Jr., the tough guy with a sensitive side who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a steely sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman and an Emmy for his performance as a compassionate slave in the landmark miniseries Roots, died Friday. He was 87. In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, […]

Ileen Maisel, Veteran Studio Executive and ‘Golden Compass’ Producer, Dies at 68

Ileen Maisel, who served as a studio executive at Paramount, Lorimar and New Line Cinema and as a producer on films including Onegin, Ripley’s Game and The Golden Compass, has died. She was 68. Maisel died Feb. 16 of cancer in London, her home for the past 34 years, her sister, Hollywood publicist Cheryl Maisel, […]