As we take time in this issue to celebrate our first anniversary, it seemed only fitting to also take a look back at those the geek world has lost since Geek Speak began. Similar to the Oscars, we can’t hope to cover absolutely everyone (and isn’t it nice that they’ve dispensed with that creepy, posthumous popularity competition of who gets the most applause?), but here we present a sampling of those influential genre souls who have passed in the last year -- many of whom we didn’t realize were dead. In addition, we pay tribute to some lost fictional people -- we tried to stay clear of comic book losses, or we'd be here till next year. So put on your favorite nostalgia-inducing music (preferably performed by your in-house orchestra), and read on:

NON-FICTION

Geek Speak Magazine, Issue 1, March 17, 2010

John Eric Holmes
February 16, 1930 – March 20, 2010

Kicking things off (there has to be a better phrase to use in this circumstance) is a guy who encompasses much of what makes us the geek-friendly people we are. Holmes was known for both fiction, such as writing parodies (also known as pastiches, for those who wish to learn a new word of the day) of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ work and non-fiction, more specifically Dungeons & Dragons. Holmes was an editor of the 1st edition rules for D&D and remained a proponent of RPG’s throughout his life.

Robert Culp
August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010

Culp was best known to TV audiences, depending on their generation, as Bill Cosby’s partner in the 60’s show I, Spy, or the FBI guy from The Greatest American Hero in the 80’s. He’s also known for his voice work (for those who pay attention to the actor behind the voice), as Halcyon Renard in several episodes of Disney’s Gargoyles, the nefarious Dr. Breen from the computer game Half-Life 2, and reprising his FBI role from The Greatest American Hero on the always-amusing Robot Chicken.

Dick Giordano
July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010

Well known in comic book circles as the inker to Neal Adam’s penciler (which brings to mind references of Holden and Banky from Chasing Amy) on comics such as Batman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow, Dick Giordano also served as Executive Editor of DC Comics during most of the 80’s and into the 90’s.

John Forsythe
January 29, 1918 -- April 1, 2010

Despite being a rather prolific actor since just after World War II, John Forsythe is probably best known for not being seen, as he was the eponymous Charlie from Charlie’s Angels, both the original TV show and the two movie follow-ups from the early 2000’s. No word on his thoughts on the upcoming reboot TV series, or on the rumors that Robert Wagner my replace him.

Bill DuBay
January 11, 1948 – April 15, 2010

Another addition to this list from the comic book world, Bill DuBay is best remembered as a writer and editor of Vampirella -- during one of her more turbulent periods -- among other horror-comics from the once great Warren Publishing. DuBay was either a difficult prima donna or a misunderstood genius, depending on whom you ask.

Lynn Redgrave
March 8, 1943 – May 2, 2010

To be sure, she was an actress of international renown and critical acclaim -- and even made it onto the cover of TIME Magazine, with her actress sister Vanessa -- but to us she’ll always be best remembered as Dr. Van Helsing from National Lampoon’s 1978 TV movie Disco Beaver from Outer Space. Why she bothered to continue working after this obvious apex to her career is beyond us.

Dennis Hopper
May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010

Arguably the best-known name on this list, and despite his extensive list of credits, Dennis Hopper must be honored here for his appearance as Koopa in Super Mario Bros. alone. Yes, yes, we know there's a bunch of other stuff, from 1985's My Science Project to 1995's Waterworld to 1996's Space Truckers to a double bill of awful sequels in 2005, Land of the Dead and The Crow: Wicked Prayer. But nothing topped Koopa. Nothing! (Though, yeah, okay, Speed.)

F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre
1948-June 25, 2010

Dude be crazy. Really, it’s a tough call to say whether or not MacIntyre is known more for the various stories he wrote for Analog, Amazing Stories, Asimov’s Science Fiction, his anthology work and his truly enchanting tome MacIntyre's Bestiary, or for being, well, kind of crazy. The multiple aliases, claims of being raised in a child labor camp, and burning down his apartment building kind of crazy.

James P. Hogan
June 27, 1941 – July 12, 2010

A prolific writer of hard science fiction novels and short stories mostly throughout the 80’s and 90’s, including the Giants series (Inherit the Stars, The Gentle Giants of Ganymede, and Giants’ Star) and standalones such as the military-sci-fi-esque The Proteus Operation. Hogan was also known for some rather anti-science (or perhaps pro-pseudoscience) points of view.

Harvey Pekar
October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010

The irascible Pekar was best known for the independent comic series American Splendor, as well as the movie (starring Paul Giamatti) based thereon. Also known for being banned from Late Night with David Letterman in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and for causing some controversy in 2005 when he sold the rights to his aggressively independent publication to DC Vertigo.

Morrie Yohai
March 4, 1920 – July 27, 2010

Not a name that most would ever recognize, Morrie Yohai still played an important role in many geeks’ lives, as he was the creator of one of the best foods available for gaming with D&D (or any other RPG... or, indeed, just sitting on the couch watching old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, or whatever) -- Cheez Doodles! (No word on the health of Little Debbie or Mr. Pringle.)

Patricia Neal
January 20, 1926 to August 8, 2010

The Fountainhead (1949) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Both classics of speculative fiction, both turned into classic films, and both starring Patricia Neal as The Chick. When you realize that in the 2008 remake of the latter she was replaced by Jennifer Connolly, you'll understand her level of 1950's hotness. Also, she was in Kung Fu!

Jack Horkheimer
June 11, 1938 – August 20, 2010

Best known for introducing multitudes to astronomy through his PBS TV show Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer, running for 30+ years. It should be noted that the name of the show had to be changed in 1997 due to the unfortunate search options that were coming up when people would search the internet for its original name, Star Hustler. (Podcast available here.)

Edwin Charles "E. C." Tubb
October 15, 1919 – September 10, 2010

Having written over 140 novels (140?! And yet we have to deal with other authors who take years between books? Everyone should take lessons from Tubb!) and even more short stories, Tubb’s best known work is the Dumarest Saga (which is known as the Dumarest of Terra in the U.S. Apparently Americans don’t know what the word “Saga” means, similar to how they don’t know what a “Philosopher” is), a series that included 33 books over the course of 40 years. Now that’s epic.

Gloria Stuart
July 4, 1910 – September 26, 2010

The old lady from Titanic! Also, she was in the 1933 version of The Invisible Man. Strangely, there isn’t nearly as much between those two as one would expect, as Stuart took a multi-decade break from acting. Stuart was also involved in oil painting and bonsai. Not at the same time, though, as far as we can tell.

Stephen J. Cannell
February 5, 1941 – September 30, 2010

Where to begin?! A driving force (creator, writer, producer, occasional actor) behind quite the myriad of TV shows, Cannell is best known around these here parts as the mastermind of both The Greatest American Hero and The A-Team. (Oh, and Silk Stalkings! And Doogie Howser! And... er... Cop Rock?) He was like the Joss Whedon of the 80’s.

Dino De Laurentis
August 8, 1919 – November 11, 2010

Among a zillion other things, he produced the 1976 remake of King Kong -- you know, the one with Jessica Lange unbelievably sexy in the Fay Wray role -- and Executive Produced Army of Darkness. Yes, without him, we wouldn’t know how to shop smart (shop S-mart!). He also produced the two Conan movies as well as the seminal 1984 David Lynch version of Dune.

Irvin Kershner
April 29, 1923 –  Nov. 27, 2010

His name might not be quite as well known as it should be, but Irvin Kershner was the director behind arguably one of the best movies that is near and dear to the geek heart: Robocop 2 (1990). Oh, yeah, and he also directed some movie called The Empire Strikes Back, thereby proving that the Force could be made so much more badass when not in the hands of its creator.

Leslie Nielsen
February 11, 1926 – Nov. 28, 2010

Probably tied for the best-known name in this list is Leslie Nielsen. (Backing up that opinion is the fact that Spell Check knows that his name is spelled “Nielsen”). From a genre perspective, he starred in both the 1956 sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet and the 1972 disaster epic The Poseidon Adventure, where he played the roles very straight; his deadpan comedy was to come later, in films like Airplane! (1980) and The Naked Gun (1988). Also, he was Dracula in Mel Brooks’ 1995 spoof Dracula: Dead and Loving It, among the plethora of other credits. And seriously: don’t call him Shirley.

Elizabeth Beresford, MBE
August 6, 1926 – December 24, 2010

Children of the Commonwealth the world over mourn the passing of this Wombles creator. The Wombles, those adorable furry little sapients who live in burrows below Wimbledon Common and name themselves after places chosen from an atlas (where the hell is Bungo?) were among literature’s early environmentalists -- the first of Beresford’s five Wombles novels appeared in 1968 -- who turned Londoner’s trash into their very own treasure by following their motto: “Making good use of bad rubbish.” A 1970’s stop motion TV series brought the Wombles -- and their mindworm-ish theme song -- into the mainstream awareness, and a number of novelty songs and sequels followed. "Wombling" has also become a verb, meaning to travel underground or to harvest usable goods out of garbage dumps.

Anne Francis
September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011

Also from Forbidden Planet! (Oh, dear. We can only hope Robby the Robot’s okay.) Francis’s appearance in that classic of 50’s sci-fi cinema was so memorable that it even rated a mention in The Rocky Horror Picture Show opening number “Science Fiction/Double Feature”… although, all it really says is "Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet", which we already knew. Among a plethora of other work over a career spanning nearly sixty years, Francis was also featured in several episodes of the original Twilight Zone.

Dick King-Smith
March 27, 1922 – January 4, 2011

Amongst his many, many works, prolific British author Dick King-Smith is perhaps best remembered as the creator of The Sheep-Pig, which was the basis for the movie Babe. The book was renamed in the US as Babe the Gallant Pig, because apparently American audiences can’t be trusted to buy into a book without a change of title. In this case, it must be the word “gallant” that catches the eye, because otherwise Americans might assume that any pig that deals with sheep or called “Babe” must be… um… un-gallant. (???)

John Dye
January 31, 1963 – January 10, 2011

The youngest person in our list, 47-year old John Dye is best known (and kind of only known) as The Angel of Death (AKA The Angel of Bad Floppy Hair) on Touched by an Angel. Despite the obvious set-up, we will refrain from making any jokes out his meeting his character’s real-life equivalent. Or his boss.

Brian Jacques
15 June 1939 – 5 February 2011

Liverpudlian author of the masterpiece of Young Adult Fantasy known as the Redwall Series, Jacques’s world centers around the animals (mice, squirrels, otters, etc.) of Mossflower Wood. With 23 books in the series (potentially the last, The Rogue Crew, will be published this May, though an unfinished manuscript is reportedly in existence) spanning nearly 25 years, Jacques is beloved of readers of all ages and his loss is felt far outside the confines of Redwall Abbey. Jacques, by the way, is properly pronounced "Jakes". Who knew?

Dwayne McDuffie
February 20, 1962 – February 21, 2011

Not a household name by any means, Dwayne McDuffie’s work is still well known around this magazine, as along with being a writer of a multitude of comics, he was also the creator of the TV shows Static Shock and Ben 10: Alien Force -- as well as writer/producer of Justice League. He also wrote the recently released DVD-movie All-star Superman.

Nicholas Courtney
16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011

Last month saw Doctor Who fans bid farewell to Nicholas Courtney, who played the much loved character of the Brigadier, AKA Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. While Courtney’s acting career spanned both theatre and other television than Doctor Who, he is best known for his portrayal of the UNIT man. First appearing as the Brigadier in “The Web of Fear” as far back as 1968 with the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Courtney’s character went on to support the following incarnations of the Doctor, even giving the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) a role in UNIT during his exile on Earth. Courtney reprised his role in The Sarah Jane Adventures. Courtney’s first autobiography was named Five Rounds Rapid!, after the Brigadier’s infamous catch-phrase.

Michael Gough
17 November 1917 – 17 March, 2011

93-year old Gough is perhaps best remembered for his stately appearances as Bruce Wayne’s paternal butler Alfred in both the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher Batman movies. However, this venerable character actor was an almost constant presence in British film and television for much of the past half-century and more, including guest roles in several episodes of Doctor Who -- in the eras of both the First and Fifth Doctors. Most recently, Gough returned to work with Burton, having a small part in Sleepy Hollow (1999) and providing voices in both Corpse Bride (2005) and Alice in Wonderland (2010). He was like a nonagenarian Johnny Depp.

FICTION

Pretty Much Everyone On Lost

’Cause they were already dead!

Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), Doctor Who
Died: A lot.

Winner of the 2010 Daniel Jackson Prize for Dying and Coming Back, Rory first died in the creeptastic “Amy’s Choice” (31.07). Twice. (But it’s all a dream…) Next, Rory actually gets erased from Time in “Cold Blood” (31.09), having been shot saving the Doctor’s life -- but an Auton version of Rory is recreated as a Roman soldier from Amy’s mind by the Doctor’s enemies in “The Pandorica Opens” (31.12). Finally, the Auton version is erased by the Doctor’s action in saving the universe in “The Big Bang” (31.13) with the original Rory restored to life to marry Amy and continue travelling with the Doctor. So, four deaths (kind of) and four resurrections (kind of) in one year; that has to be some kind of record.

William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), Fringe
Died: May 20, 2010, “Over There, Part 2” (02.23)

A brilliant scientist and reclusive billionaire, Bell used both his enormous wealth and brain to build himself a portal into an alternate universe. A war is raging between our side and theirs, and he wanted to minimize the damage. In order to allow his best-friend’s stolen son Peter (Joshua Jackson) and our Blue Universe’s last, best hope Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), among others, to return to our side, Bell sacrificed himself on the altar of technobabble, and dematerialized before our very eyes. (Fortunately, he installed a Horcrux of himself inside Olivia. It’s all very Spock and McCoy…)

Andrew LaFollet, The Honor Harrington Series by David Weber
Died: Mission of Honor (Honor Harrington, Book 12), released June 22, 2010

Amid the wholesale carnage of the latest Honor Harrington installment, perhaps the most heart-breaking death was that of Grayson native Andrew LaFollet. Long-time senior personal armsman to Honor herself, Andrew was later assigned to protect Honor’s son Raoul, and was killed when the Mesan Alignment launched a sneak attack on the Manticore system. (What? It was sad.)

Talbot (Theo Alexander), True Blood
Died: August 8, 2010, “Night on the Sun” (03.08)

A haiku to bid goodbye to this 700-year old vampire aesthete:

Talbot loved nice things
Now the antiques are ruined
Too bad you liked Eric

Amy (Emma Bell), The Walking Dead
Died: November 21, 2010, “Vatos” (01.04)

Killed by zombies when you thought you were safe with your crazy-protective sister (Laurie Holden) standing right there, and knowing she’s probably going to go over the edge afterwards. (She does.) Is there a worse way to go? (On the other hand, and least she didn't get to the CDC building in Atlanta with the rest of the gang, only to discover IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!)

Lily, The October Daye Series, by Seanan McGuire
Died: Late Eclipses (October Daye, Book 4), released March 1, 2011

Gentle guardian of San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Gardens, ancient, wise and entirely made of water, Lily was an Undine who died because her life-sustaining pearl was poisoned by a malicious fairy determined to wreak as much hell on series heroine Toby as possible -- hopefully framing her for the crime as well. It seemed impossible immortal Lily might die, and when she did… oh, the weeping. (What? It was sad.)

Diana (Jane Badler), Ryan (Morris Chestnut) and Tyler Evans (Logan Huffman), V
Died: March 15, 2011, “Mother’s Day” (02.10)

The gods (or, more accurately, our evil alien overlords) would have blood in the shocking season finale of V, by the end of which no fewer than three series regulars were apparently flung with great violence off this mortal coil. The show never quite figured out what to do with V queen-in-exile Diana -- beyond having her assassinated at her moment of triumph, of course -- and while we're sorry to see her go, we wish the charismatic Badler the best as she returns to her beloved Australia. As for Ryan, he has already survived torture at the hands of Eli Cohn's Fifth Column, a bomb blast and the subsequent collapse of a building around his ears, and various other indignities; we suspect that he's secretly immortal, and that at the end of the day his bad-seed daughter's skinny tail was no match for his mighty warrior lizard qi.

It was the death of V-loving pilot-in-training Tyler Evans that surprised us the most, however. For two seasons, Tyler has been the engine driving the plot, with the actions of the two main characters, Anna and Erica, somehow centered around him. Alternately assy and obtuse, Tyler has also been the one part of the show upon which most fans could agree, and the verdict has not always been kind. Tyler died as he lived -- following his little head into danger -- and the only thing tempering the thrill we felt at his gruesome demise is the fact that before he went, he and Alt-Lisa conceived... thousands of little lizard babies, all of which will carry his dimwitted DNA.

Farewell, Tyler. We knew ye all too well.

TV Shows

Caprica
Syfy

This Battlestar Galactica prequel, despite a stellar cast including the always-watchable Eric Stoltz, found an early death in October, 2010 after a little more than half a season had aired; Syfy ran the remaining five episodes marathon-style in early 2011, but by that point hardly anyone cared. Among Caprica’s many issues were its too obvious allegories and depressingly somber tone; after all, although our protagonists were unaware of this fact, we knew that they and almost all their descendents would die horribly a mere 60 years later by the very beings whose creation drove the would-be plot.

Happy Town
ABC

Six episodes of this small town weirdness was all ABC allowed us (plus two put up at ABC.… and it was probably enough, despite the redeeming presence of Amy Acker. (Syfy, on the other hand, decided to let its own small-town-weirdness show, Haven, carry on to a second season -- it’ll be back this Summer, despite the usually kiss-of-death casting of Eric Balfour. Go figure.)

Lost
ABC

Lost went out with an audacious final episode in which it was revealed that the Alternate Universe in which so many of our favorite characters were trapped was actually the afterlife, and that not only were we mourning the death of the show, we were mourning, in effect, the deaths of the entire cast of characters. This was a controversial ending to be sure, with many commentators screaming "Cop-out!" and "Lame!" -- to which we can only reply: All the weirdness, all the time travel, all the quasi-immortal characters and the shady multinational corporations and the unexplained Egyptian mythology and the polar bears and the weird science and the daddy issues, and it's Heaven that people are getting bent out of shape about?

As far as the character deaths we actually saw are concerned, we could go on all day about the tragic irony of Jin and Sun, who died approximately five minutes after their long-awaited reunion, or the delicious randomness of Ilana getting blown to bits by hundred and fifty-year-old unstable dynamite (here's a survival tip: If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, make the immortal guy carry the explosives). But producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof saved the saddest of all sad moments for last: the scenes of Jack reuniting with his friends on the Other Side, intercut with scenes of him dying on the Island, faithful Vincent by his side -- and THAT MUSIC -- still have the power to reduce more than one Geek Speaker to a puddle of tears.

Stargate Universe
Syfy

While currently airing its last remaining episodes, SGU has emphatically not been renewed for a third season, making it very much Dead Show Walking. The fourth TV incarnation of the Stargate franchise -- counting Infinity -- it failed to emulate its predecessors’ longevity (10 and 5 seasons, respectively), clocking in only 40 episodes in its two season run. Fans (and yes, there are some) await word on whether a TV/DVD movie will be negotiated to finish the story; if nothing else, they clamor to know if the crew of Destiny will ever find the big light bulbs. The other concern is that SGU’s abrupt departure may signal the end of the franchise itself.

Undercovers
NBC

Brainchild of the usually on-game J. J. Abrams, the married Agents Bloom and their blundering adventures in spydom ended unsurprisingly after only ten episodes, with two as yet unaired. As our much-put upon reviewer, Geonn Cannon said here: “It's sad because I can see the makings of a decent show somewhere in this mess, but they relied too much on age-old tricks and filler episodes before they finally got to the meat of the series.”

-- As for the shows that might be added to this list in the not-too-distant future: we’re praying for you Chuck, V, Nikita and Human Target!

-- K. Burtt and the Geek Speak Staff

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