I'm surprised this guy hasn't been mentioned yet... this was just his audition, mind you. I still think about him with sadness, and I have to work to enjoy his comedy just remembering. Once he got going, he was funny enough to make you forget for a while, but seeing him always brings a little wrench of sorrow that takes a moment to pass. It's not just his loss but the nature of it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X2hqdOMxyM[/youtube]
And this one was mentioned but I second it. He drowned when he was 31 (what is it about drowning that's just so extra dark and gloomy as deaths go? I mean, it's death, it's sad however you go about it... Maybe just the very nature of drowning...). This is the only song I've ever heard by him, but it's my favorite version of the song. He does some curious things with his voice sometimes, but what a voice! And this seems like him singing a song to his own memory, if that's not too corny.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiLbZcsohCI&NR=1[/youtube]
And I'm surprised to see the day when River Phoenix would have to be explained as the "brother of Joaquin Phoenix!" Has it been so long?
One last one... David Rappaport. THE funniest guy in Time Bandits, had a short-lived show in the States called "The Wizard" which I loved... so of course it only made it one season (that happened a lot. The sleazy crap was what lasted). I still think about episodes of that show. It was good... But mostly because of him. Here's his bio from the IMDB:
"British actor David Rappaport earned more roles and respect than most guys his size (or any size for that matter) who attempted a professional acting career. Born with the genetic condition dwarfism (he was 3' 11"), he was often typecast in bizarre, sometimes silly and demeaning roles; but, like others before ('Michael Dunn') and after (Peter Dinklage, he rose to the challenge and proved himself a talent to be reckoned with.
He was born David Stephen Rappaport on November 23, 1951, in London and showed musical prowess at an early age. He learned how to play both the drums and the accordion, which helped him out financially during the lean years. He studied psychology at the University of Bristol in 1969 and graduated with a degree while developing a side interest in theatre and performing in plays and revues. Following graduation he married his college girlfriend, Jane, and had a son, Joe, the following year. He gave school teaching a try but left in 1977 to focus on his first love - acting.
Returning to England, he built up his reputation on TV and developed celebrity status. He acted in and wrote for the program "Beyond the Groove" and performed in a couple of children's series to boot. Film showcases for David came unexpectedly with the scene-stealing role of "Randall", the ringleader of a motley group of time-traveling thieves, in Time Bandits (1981), and in The Bride (1985) as "Rinaldo", a little person who befriends a giant. American audiences were given a good taste of David's charm, intelligence and razor-sharp wit with the popular but short-lived series "The Wizard" (1986) as "Simon McKay", the inventor of odd and exciting toys who derived great pleasure out of being a good Samaritan. He followed this with the attention-getting role of slick attorney "Hamilton Skylar" in a few episodes of "L.A. Law" (1986).
Despite his successful professional career, David was beset by personal unhappiness and acute depression. On May 2, 1990, he took his own life, shooting himself in the chest with a .38 caliber revolver he had bought 15 days earlier. The 38-year-old actor was buried at the Waltham Abbey cemetery in England."
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"Pack up my head, I'm goin' to Paris!" - P.W.
The world loves diversity... as long as it's pretty, makes them look smart and doesn't put them out in any way.
There's the road, and the road less traveled, and then there's MY road.
15 Feb 2011, 7:38 am
