End Credits #104: Cinema's 2022 Lost Treasures Nehemiah Persoff, William Hurt, Douglas Trumbull, Monica Vitti, Hardy Krüger, Sidney Poitier, Peter Bogdanovich, Joan Copeland

These are some of Cinema's sad departures of 2022 taken from my personal notes soon after the events took place:

Character actor extraordinaire Nehemiah Persoff has died at age 102. He was an early alumni and strong proponent of The Actors Studio, who had as a teacher in 1947, noted film director Elia Kazan. He lent added authenticity to On the Waterfront (1954, as the cab driver during the famous "I coulda been a contender. . . " scene with Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger), The Harder They Fall (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), Men in War (1957, pictured), Some Like It Hot (1959), Al Capone (1959), Day of the Outlaw (1959), The Comancheros (1961), Fate Is the Hunter (1965), Panic in the City (1968), Red Sky at Morning (1971), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Yentl (1983) and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 - April 5, 2022) R.I.P.

One of his generation’s greatest actors, William Hurt, has sadly passed away at only 71 years of age. Self described as “… a character actor in a leading man's body”, he made roughly 60 stage appearances, some award winning, before making his film debut in Ken Russell’s 1980 sci-fi thriller Altered States. Many distinctive and indelible characterisations followed in such diverse fare as Eyewitness (1981), Body Heat (1981, unforgettable as attorney Ned Racine, pictured), The Big Chill (1983), Gorky Park (1983), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985, an Academy Award, as well as a BAFTA, winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role), Children of a Lesser God (1986, an Academy Award nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role), Broadcast News (1987, an Academy Award nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role), The Accidental Tourist (1988), Until the End of the World (1991), Jane Eyre (1996), Dark City (1998), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Changing Lanes (2002), The Village (2004), A History of Violence (2005, an Academy Award nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role), Syriana (2005), The Good Shepard (2006), Mr. Brooks (2007, as Marshall, providing a much needed understanding of the title character’s psychology), Into the Wild (2007), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Host (2013) and Black Widow (2021). Hurt also received two well deserved Emmy Award nominations: 2007’s Damages for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and 2011’s Too Big to Fail for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. William Hurt (March 20, 1950 - March 13, 2022) R.I.P.

Award winning visual effects innovator and director Douglas Trumbull died at age 79. His vital contribution to Special Photographic Effects can be seen in such notable films as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, winning the Academy Award for Special Visual Effects), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and Blade Runner (1982), the last three earning Trumbull an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. He also produced and directed Silent Running (1972), Brainstorm (1983) and directed numerous short films such as Tour of the Universe (1985), Leonardo’s Dream (1989), and In Search of the Obelisk (1993, also Producer). In addition, Trumbull also contributed to the visual effects seen in, amongst others, To the Moon and Beyond (1964, a short documentary presented at the New York World’s Fair which proved instrumental in landing Trumbull’s working on 2001: A Space Odyssey), The Andromeda Strain (1971), and The Tree of Life (2011). Douglas Trumbull (April 8, 1942 - February 7, 2022) R.I.P.

The “Queen of Italian cinema” Monica Vitti died at age 90. As a teenager, she acted in amateur productions then trained at Rome's National Academy of Dramatic Arts which she graduated from in 1953. Vitti then toured Germany with an Italian acting troupe. After performing various bit parts, dubbing assignments and TV characters, she landed her first role of distinction in the comedy Le dritte (1957). Her real claim to fame, however, was her deeply felt discontented heroine in Michelangelo Antonioni's heralded L’Avventura (1960, pictured), still considered by many (including yours truly) to be one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. Vitti went on to appear in three more highly regarded Antonioni films: The Night aka La notte (1961), The Eclipse aka L'eclisse (1962), and The Red Desert aka Il deserto rosso (1964). She starred as the title character in the U.K. spy spoof Modesty Blaise (1966, her first English language film directed by Joseph Losey), the highly popular Jealousy, Italian Style aka Dramma della gelosia aka The Pizza Triangle (1970, opposite Marcello Mastroianni, directed by Ettore Scola), the Italian-French-German drama The Pacifist aka La pacifista (1970, directed by Miklós Jancsó), Noi donne siamo fatte così (1971, featured in all 12 episodes), Teresa the Thief aka Teresa la ladra (1973), Polvere di stelle (1973, directed by Alberto Sordi, for which she won a David di Donatello Best Actress Award), The Phantom of Liberty (1974, for director Luis Buñuel), the U.S. comedy/romance An Almost Perfect Affair (1979, her second English language film, directed by Michael Ritchie), The Mystery of Oberwald aka Il mistero di Oberwald (1980, the last time working with director Michelangelo Antonioni), I Don’t Understand You Anymore aka Non ti conosco più amore (1980, for director Sergio Corbucci), and Secret Scandal aka Scandalo segreto (1990, co-starring Elliott Gould, which Monica Vitti also directed). Monica Vitti (November 3, 1931 - February 2, 2022) R.I.P.

The earnestness of characterisation that German born actor Hardy Krüger brought to his more defined roles was always welcome and appreciable. He died at age 93. At 15, he made his film début in 1944’s Nazi Germany produced The Young Eagles and after refusing to fight and later serve, because of his slowly developing anti-Nazism, hid out until the war was over. After some stage roles, he went on to appear in many undistinguished German made films. Krüger gathered international attention in the British war film The One That Got Away (1957, about the sole German prisoner of war to escape Allied custody and return to his homeland). Howard Hawks’ Hatari (1962, appearing with John Wayne) brought him further prominence, which really came to fruition with his starring role in the Academy Award winning French film Sundays and Cebele (1962). An especially memorable performance in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965, as Heinrich Dorfmann, the German model aircraft designer, pictured) brought him further notoriety. Other stand-out roles occurred in The Defector (1966), The Battle of Neretva (1969), The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969), The Red Tent (1969), Barry Lyndon (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), The Wild Geese (1978), The Inside Man (1984) and in the TV mini series War and Remembrance (1988-1989, as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel). About this time (the late ‘80s), Krüger became an author of novels, travel books and memoirs. Hardy Krüger (April 12, 1928 - January 19, 2022) R.I.P.

Legendary actor/director/producer Sidney Poitier died at age 94. He made his first credited film debut in No Way Out (1950, as a doctor treating a white bigot played by Richard Widmark) afterward garnering numerous roles that continued his career as a leading star: a feat never before achieved by an African-American. These important and dedicated performances can be seen in, amongst others, Cry, the Beloved Country (1951), Blackboard Jungle (1955), Edge of the City (1957), The Defiant Ones (1958, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), Pressure Point (1962), Lilies of the Field (1963, winning an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role), The Bedford Incident (1965, again paired with Richard Widmark), A Patch of Blue (1965), Duel at Diablo (1966), To Sir, with Love (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967, pictured), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), For the Love of Ivy (1968), The Lost Man (1969), They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970, a sequel to In the Heat of the Night), The Organization (1971, another sequel to In the Heat of the Night), Buck and the Preacher (1972, also directed), A Warm December (1973), Uptown Saturday Night (1974, also directed), Shoot to Kill (1988), Sneakers (1992) and The Jackal (1997). In addition, Poitier received several Emmy nominations both for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special: in 1991 for Separate but Equal and in 1997 for Mandela and de Klerk. Besides a few of the above mentioned films, he also directed Stir Crazy (1980, with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor). Sidney Poitier (February 20, 1927 - January 6, 2022) R.I.P.

The multi-talented director/actor/writer Peter Bogdanovich died at age 82. As a film director and writer, he's given us one certifiable masterpiece The Last Picture Show (1971), as well as directing other notable motion pictures including Targets (1968, his debut feature), What's Up, Doc? (1972), Paper Moon (1973), Saint Jack (1979) and Mask (1985). He's also provided some solid performances in front of the camera, most recognisably as Dr. Elliot Kupferberg in the hit TV series The Sopranos (2000-2007). Another performance of note would occur in Orson Welles’ last motion picture The Other Side of the Wind finally released in 2018, in which Bogdanovich played Brooks Otterlake. Before becoming a director, he wrote articles for Esquire Magazine and is the celebrated author of such illuminating books on cinema as "This is Orson Welles" and "Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors." Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 - January 6, 2022) R.I.P.

New York City born actress Joan Copeland died at age 99. She had a long and awarded stage career making her debut in "Romeo and Juliet" in 1945, winning a Drama Desk Award for "The American Clock" (written by her brother Arthur Miller) in 1980, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for "Brighton Beach Memoirs" in 1983, and the Obie Award for "The American Plan" in 1990. Copeland may be best remembered for her work in the daytime soap operas Search for Tomorrow (1951, as villainess Andrea Whiting), Love of Life (1951), The Edge of Night (1956), One Life to Live (1968), and As the World Turns (1956). Her invaluable contribution to motion pictures can be seen in The Goddess (1958), Middle of the Night (1959, pictured), It’s My Turn (1980), Happy New Year (1987), Her Alibi (1989), The Peacemaker (1997), The Object of My Affection (1998) and The Last Request (2006). Joan Copeland (June 1, 1922 - January 4, 2022) R.I.P.