Famous People Who Died Today

Buster Keaton was an American comedian, filmmaker, actor, and stunt performer. Regarded as one of the greatest actor-directors of all time, Keaton was renowned for his physical comedy. Counted among the greatest stars of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute, Buster Keaton's films remain highly regarded. His 1926 film The General was admired by actors like Orson Welles.

Born to Polish immigrants, Canadian actor John Vernon made waves in Hollywood with his roles of figures of authority, such as doctors and academics, in films. Known for films such as Animal House and Dirty Harry, he had also lent his voice to many series and video games.

Maximilian Schell was an Austrian-born Swiss actor who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Hans Rolfe in the 1961 courtroom drama film, Judgment at Nuremberg. Remembered for his versatility, Schell received the Golden Globe Award for playing Vladimir Lenin in the 1992 TV film, Stalin. A multi-talented personality, Schell was also an accomplished conductor and pianist.

Friedrich Paulus was a German field marshal who played a major role in World War II. He is best remembered for his role in the Battle of Stalingrad, where he commanded the 6th Army. As German General Staff's deputy chief, he also helped plan Operation Barbarossa, the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Marjorie Reynolds was an American actress and dancer best known for her performance in the 1942 musical Holiday Inn which showcased her dancing skills. Also known for her contribution to the TV industry, Marjorie Reynolds has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the television section.

Wisława Szymborska was a Polish poet, essayist, and translator. In 1996, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her poetry. Her works have been translated into numerous languages, including English, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, and Chinese. She also translated French literature, especially Baroque poetry, into Polish. She actively wrote until her death at the age of 88. 

Edwin Howard Armstrong was an American inventor and electrical engineer. He is credited with developing the superheterodyne receiver system as well as the frequency modulation (FM) radio. During his illustrious career, Armstrong received several awards including the IEEE Medal of Honor, Franklin Medal, and Edison Medal. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1980.

American astronomer, naval officer, oceanographer and author Matthew Fontaine Maury, who first served the United States Navy and then the Confederacy States Navy, made significant contributions in oceanography. His book Physical Geography of the Sea is counted among the first comprehensive books on oceanography. Navies and merchant marines across the world adopted his uniform system of recording oceanographic data.

Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish physicist and mathematician. He studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and spent his entire career at the University of Cambridge as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. As a physicist, he made key contributions to fluid mechanics and physical optics. He received the Royal Society's Copley Medal in 1893.

Elaine de Kooning, an accomplished landscape and portrait artist, remained active in Abstract Expressionist and Figurative Expressionist movements during post-Second World War era. Elaine admired artwork of Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist Willem de Kooning, her future husband, and honed her skills under his tutelage. Figure served as subject of representational portraiture for Elaine, who was perhaps best-known for her portraits.

Apart from serving as the governor of Tokyo, Japanese right-wing politician Shintaro Ishihara has also been an accomplished writer. He wrote the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel Season of the Sun when he was still in school and later contributed to various plays and screenplays, too.

Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American librettist, playwright, director, and composer. Menotti is best remembered for composing popular operas that enjoyed success on Broadway during the 1950s. For his contribution to arts, Menotti was presented with a Kennedy Center Honor in 1984. In 1997, he was honored by the American Choral Directors Association with the prestigious Brock Commission.

German artist and filmmaker Hans Richter was initially associated with the Blaue Reiter and later inspired by Cubism. He made a significant impact on Dadaism. A Jew, he fled the Nazi regime by escaping first to the Soviet Union, then to Switzerland, and then finally to the US.

Alva Myrdal was a Swedish politician, diplomat, and sociologist. She played a major role during the disarmament movement in Sweden, for which she was honored with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. She also chaired the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute after playing a key role in its creation. Throughout her career, Myrdal was honored with many prestigious awards.

One of the major figures behind the development of the city of Ottawa, military engineer John By had created the Rideau Canal, which connected Lake Ontario and the Ottawa River. He was also charged with over-running the costs for the project but was eventually acquitted of all charges.

One of the 3 national saints of Ireland, Brigid of Kildare is regarded as the patron saint of children born to abusive and unwed parents, dairy and poultry farmers, and travelers. Some believe she wasn’t a real person and was rather another version of the Celtic goddess Brigid.

Remembered for his role in the Glorious Revolution, a plot to depose King James II of England, Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury had become an earl age 7, after his father’s death. Though initially a Whig, he later switched to the Tory party. He died childless, and thus his dukedom ended.

Austrian artist Raoul Hausmann is remembered as much for his satirical photomontages as he is for his contribution to Dadaism. Born to painter and conservator Victor Hausmann, he initially trained in anatomy and nude drawing, and then studied lithography. He had also written for journals such as Der Sturm.

Ernst Troeltsch was one of the first German theologians to insist that the Christian church should reconsider its version of absolute truth. The Social Teaching of the Christian Churches remains his best-known work. The son of a physician, he was skeptical of religious absolutism from the very beginning.

Geneticist James V. Neel is known for his extensive research on genetic epidemiology and often studied sickle-cell disease and thalassemia. He also studied the effect of ionizing radiation on the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. He had also penned several books and over 600 scientific articles.