Gareth Hunt dies.

Marian · Post by **Marian** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:19 pm

Sad to see actor Gareth Hunt has died of pancreatic cancer at age 65.
Best known I suppose for his part in The New Avengers, but had numerous other acting roles over the years, and of course those well know coffee adverts.

Marian.

jon · Post by **jon** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:19 pm

Yes, sad news. It's amazing how many people die of cancer in their sixties: Audrey Hepburn (63), Eelizabeth Montogomery/Samantha in "Bewitched" (62); John Thaw (60); Nyree Dawn Porter (61); Jackie Onassis (64).. Hope that doesn't depress anyone. R.I.P. Gareth.

Sheila H-B · Post by **Sheila H-B** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:09 pm

Oh that is sad.

Lena & Harry Smith · Post by **Lena & Harry Smith** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:54 pm

Very sad to hear the news of Gareth Hunt. Re- Jon's comment on 60 yr olds dying of cancer, it always amazes us at the end of the year when we sometimes get a run down on tv of those who have passed away during the year.
" It's being so cheerful that keeps me going." Mona Lott I.T.M.A 1940.

john · Post by **john** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:24 pm

Sorry to hear about Gareth Hunt, I will always remember him from the coffee ads.

Mark Fox · Post by **Mark Fox** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:18 am

Very sad news-Gareth guested in a recent episode of the afternoon'soap'DOCTORS.

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:17 pm

Indeed - another relatively young perosn passing away. I remember watching the 'New Avengers' as a child. Gareth was the action man with Joanna Lumley. It was great to see him and Diane Keen, who played along side him in the Nescafe ads, in 'Doctors'

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:49 pm

Jon - interesting that you mentioned 'Bewitched' - a still magical programme that still is wonderful to watch. But its sad to look at the age that many of the actors and actresses died. I appreciate that many of them were quite mature when the series was made, whch was a long time ago, but tis still sad. The only actors playing main charcters surviving now are the actors that paid the children Tabitha and Adam.

Bumbling Marion Lorne was wonderful as Aunt Clara and was well into her 80s when the even started filming the show! She died in 1968 and was in the show right up to her death. Alice Pearce played the 1st Mrs Kravits, the wonderful nosey neighbour - she died in 1966 of cancer,. Its well known that dick York had to retire from the role of Darren becuase of back injury and became paralysed, dying at the of 64. Curiously his replacement, dick Sargent, died at similar age of cancer, Agnes Moorhead died age 74 of cancer. All of this in addition to the death of the beautiful Elizabeth Montogmery from cancer in her early 60s

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:17 pm

Jon - interesting that you mentioned 'Bewitched' - a still magical programme that still is wonderful to watch. But its sad to look at the age that many of the actors and actresses died. I appreciate that many of them were quite mature when the series was made, whch was a long time ago, but tis still sad. The only actors playing main charcters surviving now are the actors that paid the children Tabitha and Adam.

Bumbling Marion Lorne was wonderful as Aunt Clara and was well into her 80s when they even started filming the show! She died in 1968 and was in the show right up to her death. Alice Pearce (who played the part of the girl with the runny nose I think in 'On the Town') played the 1st Mrs Kravits, the superbly whining nosey neighbour - she died in 1966 of cancer,. Its well known that dick York had to retire from the role of Darren becuase of back injury and became paralysed, dying at the of 64. Curiously his replacement, dick Sargent, died at similar age of cancer, Agnes Moorhead died age 74 of cancer. All of this in addition to the death of the beautiful Elizabeth Montogmery from cancer in her early 60s

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:20 pm

Something very odd happened when I was typing that last message! I was typing dick York and dick Sergent, but 'dick' comes up as 'none' in the msg. When I go in and edit the mesg, it says 'dick' in the msg that I submit, but still displays it as 'none' - must be a coding issue - or maybe its a clever way of making sure potentially expletive words aren't psoted. OK - lets call them Richard York and RIchard Sergent!

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:21 pm

Ahh - it looks like the latter! Very clever! Except you may not get the gist of my msg and just think me mad!

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:25 pm

Mike--this issue came uo a few weeks ago, and most of us are used to it now--it is to stop anyone doing a search on words that could be considered offensive-and then sending nasty messages through.

Thankfully all the efforts that Michele and everyone has made, have seemed to put a stop to all that.

john · Post by **john** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:26 pm

Yes Mike, there are only a couple of the original cast from Bewitched still with us, I think Alice Ghostley who played Esmerelda and Bernard Fox who was Dr. Bombay are the only regular ones left, I loved Alice Pearce as the first Gladys, and Abner her husband, and Marion Lorne was brilliant, she won an award for her role as Aunt Clara, but sadly died before she collected it, I think Elizabeth Montgomery accepted it on her behalf. Series 4 has just come out on dvd, it has her last appearances in it.

jon · Post by **jon** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:10 am

Mike

thanks for your comments on "Bewitched". I remember watching it keenly in the 60s/70s, and, as you say, nearly all of the cast are now dead. Elizabeth Montgomery died from cancer just a few weeks after diagnosis as she'd ignored the symptoms because she was nursing her sick husband, and people are often surprised to learn that she's dead. Incidentally I believe she hated being asked to do the nose-twitching thing that Samantha used to do to produce some magic and wanted to be taken seriously as an actress but felt she was unfairly typecast for the part for years afterwards.

As to 'none' in your post, clearly there are filterings for potentially unsuitable words but this is a fairly blunt instrument as many dodgy words can have multiple meanings. The same happened to me once when I emailed a friend on Yahoo to say that librarianship was not a s..y profession, and the 's' word was deleted!

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:22 pm

I read a very bizarre thread on imdb database that called Darrens character a sexist, fascist bigot, as he was 'anti-witch'! And they were VERY serious! Honestly - people read too much into these things! They don't dwell on Endora being 'anti-mortal' do they!

Indeed, Alice Pearce was wonderful as Mrs Kravitz. There is a great scene set in the supermarket where Samantha 'magics' the doors open as she has her armsful. Mrs Kravitz, who has been spying on Sam , thinking they are automatic doors follows seconds behind, only to find the doors don't open and she ends up smashing them as she walks through! Alice Pearce was one of those wonderful comic actresses, who turned a rather plain appearance, and whiny voice, to her advantage!! She also pops in the final scenes of one of my favourite Doris Day films - 'The Thrill of it all' - along with another hen-pecked husband!

Marion Lorne was one a vintage actress, who played the mother of the creepy murderer in 'Strangers on the Train', one of my fave Hitchcock films. I often wonder how much of Aunt Clara was acting, or whether she was indeed that bumbling in real life!

The character count of replaced actors is high in 'Bewitched' too - not on Darren was swapped, as well as Mrs Kravitz, but so was Larry Tates wife, and Tabitha was placed by 3 or 4 different children.

Sorry - I have got of the subject of Gareth here - no disrespect intended