Charactor actor Dale Swann dies



EA-WR grad, 61, had been living in AltonApril 14, 2009 - 7:14 PM



By KATHIE BASSETT For The TelegraphALTON - William Dale Swann, a character actor who appeared in numerous movies, TV series and commercials, died Thursday at his residence in Alton. He was 61.Born in Harrisburg, Ill., on Jan. 21, 1948, Swann graduated from East Alton-Wood River High School and then earned a degree in fine arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.



"Dale was always doing plays when he was in school," said his sister, Betty Swann. ‘He started dreaming of being an actor back then."



Billed as Dale Swann in his film and TV work, he moved to Los Angeles and lived there for more than 30 years, appearing in such films as "Tango and Cash," "Proud Men" and "Gremlins 2: The New Batch.



"Swann was particularly proud of working with Charlton Heston on "Proud Men." His sister recalls how touched Swann was to receive a letter from Heston, who produced, directed and wrote the film, thanking her brother for his contributions.



"He was a good actor," Betty Swann said about her late brother. "He loved acting; he really did. He was able to express a lot of his emotions while acting."



When not working on projects, Dale Swann took acting classes and worked in admitting and billing at the UCLA Medical Center.



Acting jobs took Swann around the world. He traveled to Yugoslavia to appear with Jon Stamos in "Born to Ride" in 1991, spending three weeks there while filming.



Swann also appeared in the mini-series "13 Days to Glory: The Alamo," and TV series such as "Quantum Leap," "Baywatch," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Melrose Place," "L.A. Law" and "Hunter."



Swann returned home to Alton in 2003, taking a job at Fabrication Specialist of Illinois.



"Dale was dedicated to whatever he did," his sister said. " Swann was an avid reader who enjoyed the daily challenges of doing The New York Times crossword puzzles.



Swann suffered a stroke in February and hadn't been well since, his sister said."Dale believed in joy - in enjoying life," Betty Swann said. "He told us to do whatever we would enjoy (to honor his memory)."



Director Lee Madden dies at 82



Known for cult film 'Hell's Angels'



By Mike BarnesApril 14, 2009, 04:57 PM ET -Lee Madden, who directed the cult film "Hell's Angels '69," died of complications from pneumonia on Thursday in Camarillo, Calif. He was 82.



Madden's first film was the 1969 release "Hell's Angels" for American International Pictures. The film starred the real Oakland Hell's Angels, including Sonny Barger, then the president of the Angels. It was the only fiction film in which the gang ever participated. The film has been recently redeveloped as a potential remake at Sony.



Among Madden's other feature directing credits were 1970's "Angel Unchained," a biker remake of "The Magnificent Seven" that starred Tyne Daly and Don Stroud that he also wrote and produced; "The Night God Screamed" (1971), starring 1940s icon Jeanne Crain and "Night Creature" (1978), starring Donald Pleasence.



The Brooklyn native also directed episodes of 1970s TV series including "Cade's County" starring Glenn Ford, "Bearcats!" starring Rod Taylor and "The Most Deadly Game" starring Ralph Bellamy. His company, Lee Madden Associates, was a major supplier of industrial films and TV commercials. His principal clients were automobile companies. Among Madden's survivors is a son, David Madden, executive vp programming at Fox Television Studios.

Filmmaker Cardiff dies aged 94

Actor Dustin Hoffman presented Cardiff with his Honorary Oscar Cinematographer and director Jack Cardiff, who actress Marilyn Monroe once described as "the best in the world", has died aged 94.

He was best known for his work on movies such as The African Queen and Sons and Lovers, and was awarded an Oscar for Black Narcissus in 1948. The filmmaker was also presented with an Honorary Oscar in 2001.

Born to two music hall artists, he grew up in the theatre, resulting in a showbusiness career spanning 90 years. He moved quickly onto the production side as a runner on the 1928 film The Informer, then as camera operator and eventually cinematographer. He was made an OBE in 2000. Inspiration In 2001, he took part in an interview with readers of the BBC news website, in which he revealed he would have been a painter if he had not worked in film. Cardiff directed the 1968 movie Girl On A Motorcycle In fact much of his work was inspired by impressionist painters - he said the lighting and colour palette of Black Narcissus "was inspired by Vermeer". Cardiff was admired by many in the film industry, including Martin Scorsese. The director once described the 18-minute dance sequence in 1948's The Red Shoes as a "a moving painting".

Scorsese also described the cinematographer as being able to "paint with the camera". When asked which films he was most proud of, Cardiff said the "successful" ones had really made their mark. "Naturally, I am proud of successful films that I have enjoyed working on like The Red Shoes and the Black Narcissus and I have had a certain satisfaction from that. "But the films that I am most proud of - the film for instance that I made under great difficulty, Sons and Lovers, I wanted to make it into a good film because the book is marvellous and I didn't want to let the author down."