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1-8 of 8
- Nicky Blair was born on 26 July 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Godfather Part III (1990), A Bronx Tale (1993) and Beaches (1988). He died on 22 November 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Keith Amos was born on 26 October 1962 in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for NYPD Blue (1993), General Hospital (1963) and Family Matters (1989). He died on 22 November 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Lester Burton Podewell was born on November 3, 1907 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, the son of Edwin L. Podewell (1881-1964) and Anna B. Birkgit (1881-1961). He met actress Beverly Ruth Younger (1915-1999) in the Eugene O'Neill play, The Straw, in which they both had roles. They married later that year in 1937. He was a Chicago actor who starred with everyone from Chuck Norris in Equinox (1985) to Stockard Channing in Meet the Applegates (1990) to John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991). His last movie role was that of the homeless elderly gentleman befriended by Bill Murray in the film Groundhog Day (1993). He performed work in radio episodes of Sky King, The Shadow and Little Orphan Annie. In 1985, Mr. Podewell got rave reviews for his performance in David Mamet's adaptation of Anton Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard" at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. He suffered a stroke and died at home on November 22, 1998 in Evanston, Illinois, USA.
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Henry Hampton was born on 8 January 1940 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Eyes on the Prize (1987), I'll Make Me a World (1999) and American Experience (1987). He died on 22 November 1998 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.- Serge Berry was born on 26 January 1921 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1967), Deadly Circuit (1983) and Love Me Strangely (1971). He died on 22 November 1998 in Paris, France.
- Vladimir Demikhov was born on 18 July 1916 in Yarizhenskaya, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He died on 22 November 1998 in Moscow, Russia.
- Director
- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
José Antonio Plaza was born in 1940 in Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain. He was a director and actor, known for 35 millones de españoles (1975), Veraneando (1993) and Aventura 92 (1989). He died on 22 November 1998 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain.- Cuban singer, musician, and entertainer who left an indelible mark in the history of Cuban popular music. At age 9, Rolando taught himself how to play percussion and it was obvious he had a great ear for music and Afro Cuban rhythms. As a teenager, he was good enough to play with the Municipal Band of Santa Clara and the famed Arcaño Orchestra.
In 1946 he decided to try his luck in Havana and became the percussionist of the Hermanos Palau Orchestra, moving later to the popular Beny Moré's Banda Gigante in which he played "timbales" and sang background vocals. Slowly, Rolando became aware he had a singing voice with a unique sound, and decided he could express himself better as a vocalist. With the help of musician and arranger Ernesto Duarte, Rolando defined a singing style that, at the beginning was controversial, but it would prove to be extremely commercial. Duarte introduced him to his partner Guillermo Álvarez Guedes, an actor turned record mogul, and together they recorded Rolando in a bolero titled "Mentiras tuyas". As soon as the single was released, radio DJs began playing it, and audiences loved it so much that the single sold 30,000 copies in a few days.
More recordings followed and a superstar had been born. Rolando had a big open voice which was "slightly hoarse and aggressive" according to the New York Times, but most important, he lived the lyrics to his songs and delivered his feelings with such a resolved bravado that audiences could not help but be impacted. In order to highlight the message of a song, Rolando included some ad libs that quickly became part of popular Cuban culture. During his singing, which was always up-tempo and effervescent, he would utter phrases like "de película!" meaning "this is like a movie!" or "mira esto Tita" meaning "can you believe it Tita? (Tita was his pet name for wife Gisela, a marriage that lasted for 55 years). With hit platters constantly playing on radio stations earning him several gold records, he was in great demand on television, theaters, night clubs and he did them all with a vengeance.
If his sound and style made his fortune in the recording studio, performing live Rolando Laserie acquired an extra dimension. First of all it was his looks, always smartly dressed in fashionable suits, matching ties or bows, and topping it all with a mischievous cap on his head which became his trademark. He also demonstrated being a consummate performer with his up-tempo singing even on romantic songs which was a marvel of improvisation and sound. His attack and enthusiasm earned him the nickname ''El Guapo de la Canción,'' and "El Guapachoso" which in Cuban slang translates as valiant or bold singer.
In 1959, at the top of his fame and popularity, Rolando's world changed dramatically almost overnight when Cuba fell to a communist dictatorship. All freedoms were abolished on the island and he decided he could not live under the repression and mandates of the new regime. Like thousands of his compatriots, Rolando went into exile which meant leaving behind all he had earned and starting again from scratch. It helped that his name and prestige were fairly well established in other Latin American countries and, after a couple of years struggling to relaunch his career, Rolando received valuable support from record labels in Mexico and Argentina.
He kept releasing singles and albums that became huge hits and had long residencies in various Latin American countries, always with wife Gisela by his side. He toured extensively throughout the continent and Spain appearing in theaters, night clubs and television, ratifying time and again his immense popularity. As time moved on he settled down in Miami which had become the center of the Cuban exile community and where he felt more at home. It was said that Rolando never overcame his sadness at having to abandon his homeland but always hoped to see a free Cuba during his lifetime. Unfortunately, it never happened and Rolando developed a form of heart decease that curtailed his artistic activity. His heart finally gave out at Healthsouth Doctors' Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida on November 22, 1998 at age 75. The unique Cuban vocalist stills lives through his recordings and in the memory of a faithful public.