Entertainment News4 min(s) read
Robert Trebor, the actor known for his work on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, has died at age 71.
Trebor passed away on March 11 at Los Angeles Medical Center due to sepsis, his wife Deirdre Hennings confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
He had been battling leukemia since 2012 and underwent a stem-cell transplant the following year.
"Mr. Trebor's talent, humor, energy and enthusiasm will be greatly missed by all who knew him, most especially by his wife," the star's obituary states, per PEOPLE.
Born Robert Alan Schenkman in Philadelphia on June 7, 1953, he adopted his stage name - his first name spelled backwards - while in college to avoid confusion with classmate and playwright Robert Schenkkan.
The late actor was a creative force early on, writing and directing short films, composing music, and contributing reviews to Scholastic magazine before graduating from Northwestern University in 1975.
He moved to New York to pursue acting, performing in Shel Silverstein plays and making his film debut in 1980’s Gorp.
Though his incredible résumé spans decades, Trebor is best remembered for playing Salmoneus across 20 episodes of Hercules from 1995 to 1999, with four additional appearances in Xena: Warrior Princess.
He was originally hired for just two episodes, but his character became a fan-favorite and eventually earned his own action figure - though Trebor joked it was “less muscular than Sorbo’s," as cited by The Sun.
“The arc for Salmoneus is to try to be a good person, but his essential mercantile instincts kept interfering with that,” he said in 2001. “I never saw him as a thief. Autolycus [played by Bruce Campbell] was the thief. I never saw him as a con man either, although I could understand why other people could."
"He was just a very enthusiastic guy who didn’t read the fine print and needed to make a living when he wasn’t a farmer or fighter. He lived by his glib tongue," he added.
In 1997, Trebor even directed an episode of Hercules and remained a beloved presence on the fan convention circuit for years.
One of Trebor’s earliest career highlights came in 1985 when he portrayed notorious serial killer David Berkowitz - aka the Son of Sam - in the CBS TV movie Out of the Darkness, starring Martin Sheen.
He described the role as “emotionally and physically draining,” made even tougher by performing in a comedy play at night. “Occasional 18-hour workdays” became his reality.
His film credits also included The Purple Rose of Cairo, 52 Pickup, Talk Radio, and the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar, in which he played a movie producer in his final screen role.
Later in life, Trebor was named an artist-in-residence at The Braid (formerly the Jewish Women’s Theatre) and, in 2023, performed in Stories From the Violins of Hope, a UN-backed Zoom production about Holocaust-era violins.
He also turned to writing, publishing Dear Salmoneus: The World’s First Guide to Love and Money in 1999 and the political satire The Haircut Who Would Be King in 2019, featuring characters like “Donald Rump” and “Vladimir Poutine.”
“Salmoneus just kind of schmoozed people over and was always trying to scheme and get somebody to do something by showing them the glitter without talking about the substance of the rather shoddy product he was selling,” Trebor said in an interview. “And I think there’s some application to the guy in the White House as far as that’s concerned.”
He continued: “I believe in many ways, Trump is the intersection of psychopath and salesman. And by having portrayed that as an actor, apparently fairly successfully, I thought about that while I was writing.”
Trebor and his wife met while taking a business class at the New School in New York. They moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and married in 2012, shortly after his leukemia diagnosis.
In his memory, donations can be made to The Braid—where a scholarship fund is being set up in his name—or to the Leukemia Research Foundation.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.
1 min(s) read
2 min(s) read
.webp_vBqgAR?tr=cr-242.0.1293.1051,f-webp,q-70,w-1024)
3 min(s) read
.webp_QQJmGo?tr=cr-345.0.1535.1190,f-webp,q-70,w-1024)
2 min(s) read
uncategorised1 min(s) read
entertainment news2 min(s) read
stories2 min(s) read
celebrity3 min(s) read
celebrity2 min(s) read
Ray Stevenson - a world-renowned star of TV and film - has sadly died at the age of 58.
As reported by BBC News, the actor's publicist firm, Viewpoint, confirmed the tragic passing of the star.
As of this writing, no cause of death has been announced.
The actor's death comes just four days before his 59th birthday. He was currently working on the action movie, Cassino in Ischia, and is set to appear in the upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series, Ahsoka.
Rosario Dawson, who plays the titular character of the series, took to Instagram to pay tribute to her co-star, describing Stevenson as "a giant of a man".
"Stunned and reeling from this tragic, devastating news," Dawson added. "Gone too soon from this world. At a loss for words... just wanted to mark this moment and share your ever ready and present smile. Love you forever. Holding your family in my heart."
The Irish actor has appeared in countless popular TV shows and movies, amassing legions of fans across his 30-year career.
On the small screen, fans may know Stevenson as the ruthless criminal syndicate leader Isaak Sirko in Dexter, or as seafarer Ohthere of Hålogaland in Vikings.
And on the big screen, Stevenson appeared as a member of the Warriors Three, Volstagg, in the MCU Thor trilogy, and as Marcus Eaton in the Divergent movie series.
Other notable roles include Titus Pullo in Rome, Blackbeard in Black Sails, and Dagonet in King Arthur.
However, many UK fans may know Stevenson for his early career roles - such as Steve Dickson in ITV's Band of Gold or DI Tony Baynham in BBC's City Central.
BBC notes that Stevenson was born in Northern Ireland but moved to England when he was eight years old. He pursued a career in acting after being in the audience of a West End theater show that starred the legendary John Malkovich.
Other stars to pay tribute include Scott Adkins - who starred alongside Stevenson in Accident Man - who wrote that he has been left "shocked and saddened by the tragic news" of his former co-worker's death.
"I will miss you Big Ray! Life is short so make the most of it people," Adkins added.
And Stevenson's former Rome co-star James Purefoy described the late actor as a "brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor who filled every part he played right up to the brim".
Our thoughts go out to Stevenson's family, friends, and fans at this time.
Animal actor Bart the Bear II has sadly passed away at the age of 21.
Bart the Bear II was known for his roles in television shows such as Game of Thrones, Scrubs, and CSI, as well as movies like We Bought A Zoo, Into The Wild, Dr. Dolittle 2, and Without A Paddle.
The beloved bear was also an ambassador for the Vital Ground Foundation, a grizzly bear habitat conservation group that revealed the sad news in an obituary for Bart.
Penned by Vital Ground co-founders Doug and Lynne Seus, the tribute revealed how the 1,400lb bear's "spirit lifted silently and naturally from the banks of Daniel Creek, Utah," earlier this week. In an additional Instagram post, it was revealed that Bart the Bear II had suffered a decline in his health earlier this year.
"Bart lived a supremely outsized life filled with the love and care of his trainers and lifelong companions, Vital Ground co-founders Doug and Lynne Seus," the Instagram post added.
Detailing Bart's heartbreaking start in life, the obituary added: "Bart and his sister, Honey Bump, were orphaned in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska. Their mother had been killed by a hunter."
After being rescued, they were soon introduced to the Seus Family, during a time when their first ambassador, the original Big Bart the Bear, was dying of cancer. When "Little Bart" was fully grown, he became Bart the Bear II.
"He was destined to continue the mission of his namesake and became the ambassador for The Vital Ground Foundation," the Seus family writes.
Writing on Instagram, the Seus family added: "We know that many of you discovered Vital Ground and our conservation mission through Bart II and his predecessor, Bart the Bear. Whether his mighty presence captured you through film or in person, we are grateful for your connection to grizzlies and for Bart’s life and legacy as a conservation ambassador for his wild cousins."
After sharing the heartbreaking news, many of Bart's fans took the opportunity to share their thoughts on the late star.
"Beautiful Bart had an amazing life and so much love from Doug and Lynn. So sorry to hear of his passing. He will be remembered for always," one Instagram user wrote.
A second added: "I'll never forget seeing him in person. What a magnificent ambassador and creature of God. Prayers to you Doug and Lynn Seus."
Vital Ground also revealed that Doug and Lynne are still taking care of Bart’s sister, Honey Bump, and another bear named Tank.
Our thoughts are with the Seus family, and Bart the Bear II's fans.
Sergio Calderón, an actor who featured in major movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Men In Black, has died at the age of 77.
Calderón was born in 1945 in a tropical village in Mexico, but he moved to Mexico City when he was 10 years old. It was there that he began studying at the Instituto Andrés Soler of the Asociación Nacional de Actores.
Sadly, the beloved actor passed away on Wednesday (May 31) in a Los Angeles hospital, and the cause of his death has been reported as natural causes, per the Hollywood Reporter.
After working as a teacher, Calderón took to the screen for his first credit in the 1971 movie The Bridge In The Jungle. This was followed up by a role as a Mexican revolutionary in the movie Duck, You Sucker!
His career went from strength to strength as he picked up roles in Under The Volcano and featured in the first episode of The A-Team in 1983.
He would return to the show for another episode when it was in its third season and in 1997 he would take on one of his most iconic roles.
Known by many as the head on a stick, Calderón appeared in Men In Black, where he was a human head on a stick held by an alien attempting to get across the border between the US and Mexico.
Modern audiences will fondly remember Calderón from his appearance in Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End, where he portrayed Captain Vallenueva, the Spanish pirate lord.
The iconic scene involved pirate lords from all across the globe arguing about going to war with Davy Jones and the East India Trading Company.
On his time on set, Calderón made sure he snapped pictures with Johnny Depp and The Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards, who also made an appearance in the scene.
Other credits for the actor included Little Fockers (2010), The Ruins (2008), The Missing (2003), and Old Gringo (1989), amongst many others.
Just last week Calderón sat down with the LA Times where he expressed his love for the roles he has played, especially as a corrupt cop in the 2022 series The Resort.
"I love to play those types of characters because people really hate me," he said. "They tell me in the streets how much they hate me. But to me, that is my success. Because that means I was able to convince people with what I performed."
Our thoughts are with Calderón's family, friends, and fans at this time.
Today, fans are remembering the late actor Ray Stevenson, on what would have been his 59th birthday.
On Monday, the actor's publicist firm confirmed that Stevenson had passed away over the weekend after reportedly being hospitalized on the Italian island of Ischia.
Per BBC News, Stevenson had been in the country working on an action movie, Cassino in Ischia.
At this time, no further details have been reported on the Irish actor's death. However, what is being felt by fans is the huge hole the remarkable actor has left in the industry.
In television, fans may know Stevenson as the complex criminal syndicate leader Isaak Sirko in Dexter, or as seafarer Ohthere of Hålogaland in Vikings. And on the big screen, Stevenson appeared as a member of the Warriors Three, Volstagg, in the MCU Thor trilogy, and as Marcus Eaton in the Divergent movie series.
Other notable roles include Titus Pullo in Rome, Blackbeard in Black Sails, and Dagonet in King Arthur.
Sadly, Stevenson's death also came just days before his birthday, which falls on May 25.
In memory of the star, many of Stevenson's fans have taken to Twitter to share their birthday tributes and highlight some of their favorite moments from the actor's career.
"Today would've been Ray Stevenson's 59th Birthday, still can't believe that he's gone too soon, Rest well Ray," one fan tweeted, with a collage of some of their favorite roles.
Remembering Stevenson's role as Volstagg in the Thor trilogy, another fan wrote: "Oh, no. Today it would be Ray Stevenson's birthday. There is a feast in Valhalla!"
"Happy birthday to Ray Stevenson, who sadly passed away this past Sunday. Rest in peace," wrote a third. "You're always in our hearts.
A fourth fan looking forward to seeing Stevenson in one of his final roles, Dinsey+'s Ahsoka, tweeted: "Happy birthday to Ray Stevenson, who sadly passed away this past Sunday. Loved him in everything he did, and can't wait to see him in 'Ahsoka.'"
Thank you for all the amazing memories, Ray.
Our thoughts continue to go out to Stevenson's family, friends, and fans at this time.
.webp_vBqgAR?tr=cr-242.0.1293.1051,f-webp,q-70,w-100)
.webp_QQJmGo?tr=cr-345.0.1535.1190,f-webp,q-70,w-100)