Say Goodbye to Hollywood: In Memoriam, 2014

I know that people-- regular, everyday people-- die every day, and hearts are left broken in their wake. But the entertainment world lost some of its biggest names and finest talent this year, from the Golden Age of Hollywood clear up to those who were still working this very year.

I couldn't hold back the tears for this beautiful tribute put together by Turner Classic Movies-- standouts for me personally include Bogie telling Bacall that he'll be waiting for her; Mickey Rooney back at last with his pal Judy; Shirley Temple singing a few plaintive lines from "Auld Lang Syne..." And of course, flashes of Robin Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mike Nichols, Harold Ramis, James Garner...

To be fair, not every death is equal in its measure and method of departure. Some of these souls were taken from us due to the ravages of disease, both physical and emotional, and in some cases perhaps an inability to cope with their addictions-- such are the unfortunate cases of Academy Award® winners Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Williams. The latter brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world for four decades, and the loss is still being felt. Others on this list simply couldn't live forever, particularly in the case of Carla Laemmle, who passed just shy of her 105th birthday this year. Some may remember her as the niece of Universal Pictures' founder Carl Laemmle, or perhaps as the last surviving cast member of Phantom of the Opera (1925) and Dracula (1931). The longevity of her career matched that of Mickey Rooney's, another star who left us this year at the age of 93.

And while not every death is "equal," the end result is indeed the same; they are gone from this earth, and a void is left in their place, but we are so fortunate to be gifted with countless examples of their time here, to be remembered and enjoyed for generations to come.

This is just a final thank-you for sharing your many talents with us so that we could all experience and enjoy the medium of Film.

Here is a list of those who left us in 2014. I've include a few who did not make it into TCM's tribute video. Some of the names might escape you at first, or else you've likely not heard them before now. Click on the links to see the scope of their work and I'm reasonably sure you will recognize some of the films to which they contributed their blood, sweat and tears.

In Memoriam...

Mary Anderson
Renee Asherson
Lord Richard Attenborough
Keiko Awaji
Lauren Bacall
Donatas Banionis
Polly Bergen
Jacques Bergerac
Karlheinz Bohm
Sid Caesar
Ann Carter
Christine Cavanaugh
Ann B. Davis
Ruby Dee
James Garner
Stefan Gierasch
H.R. Giger - Visual Designer
Menahem Golan - Producer/Director
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Geoffrey Holder
Jan Hooks
Bob Hoskins
Brian G. Hutton - Director
Martha Hyer
Herb Jeffries
Gottfried John
Russell Johnson
Dickie Jones
Casey Kasem
Don Keefer
Richard Kiel
Carla Laemmle
Angus Lennie
Audrey Long
Joan Lorring
Frank Mankiewicz - Journalist/Political Strategist; son of legendary screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, and father of TCM host Ben Mankiewicz
Paul Mazursky - Writer/Director/Actor
Andrew V. McLaglen - Director
Gary McLarty - Stuntman
Rosemary Murphy
Juanita Moore
Oswald Morris - Cinematographer
Mike Nichols - Filmmaker
Elizabeth Norment
Marc Platt
Harold Ramis
James Rebhorn
Alain Resnais - Director
Joan Rivers
Alicia Rhett
Mickey Rooney
Stanley Rubin - Writer/Producer
Richard Schaal
Maximilian Schell
Lorenzo Semple Jr. - Screenwriter
James Shigeta
Sir Donald Sinden
George Sluizer - Director
Dick Smith - Makeup Artist
Marcia Strassman
Elaine Stritch
Ken Takakura
Meshach Taylor
Shirley Temple
Ken Thorne - Composer
Birgitta Valberg
Ralph Waite
Eli Wallach
Robin Williams
Gordon Willis - Cinematographer
Frank Yablans
Shirley Yamaguchi
Shoji Yasui
Saul Zaentz - Producer
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.