Today Phil Spector and Fred Schepisi are 80. Today is also the birthday of Jared Leto, Kit Harington, David Sedaris, Beth Behrs, Lars Ulrich, John Walsh, David Lowery, Chuck Hicks, Shane Meadows, Bill Lawrence, and the late Steve Allen, Alan King, Caroll Spinney, Richard Widmark, Elisha Cook Jr., Donald Moffat, Henry Miller, Vladimir Sokoloff, and Mao Zedong. Jack Benny died 45 years ago in 1974 at age 80. Howard Hawks died 42 years ago in 1977 at age 81. Elsa Lanchester died 33 years ago in 1986 at age 84. Jason Robards died nineteen years ago in 2000 at age 78. Nigel Hawthorne died eighteen years ago in 2001 at age 72.
Winchell's Film Column 