Famous and Gravy
Wondery | 14th Street Studios
Think you know everything about some of modern history’s most recognizable figures? We’re Amit and Michael, two pop culture enthusiasts who upend your assumptions about the iconic and the famous. Because that’s where you find the “gravy” – the rich, flavorful sauce that brings out the best parts of the dish that is life.Each episode we’ll put the lives of recently deceased celebrities under the microscope to consider the not-so-obvious ways these icons of culture left their impact and imprint on modern history. It’s a hilarious and fresh perspective on the celebrities you thought you knew.Listen to e...
Time Pilgrim (Kurt Vonnegut)
This person died 2007 age 84. He studied for a master’s degree in anthropology at the University of Chicago, writing a thesis on “The Fluctuations Between Good and Evil in Simple Tales.” Like Mark Twain, he used humor to tackle the basic questions of human existence. With a blend of science fiction, philosophy and jokes, he wrote about the banalities of consumer culture, and the destruction of the environment. With his curly hair askew, deep pouches under his eyes and rumpled clothes, he often l
Ranch Dresser (Paul Newman)
This person died in 2008 at age 83. In the early 1950s he was accepted as a student at the Actors Studio in New York, where he took lessons alongside James Dean, Geraldine Page, and Marlon Brando. In midlife, racing cars became his obsession. He acted in more than 65 movies over more than 50 years, drawing on a physical grace, unassuming intelligence and good humor that made it all seem effortless. In 1982, as a lark, he decided to sell a salad dressing he had created for friends, and the brand
Total Consciousness (Harold Ramis)
This person died in 2014 at age 69. In the late 1960s he was hired as jokes editor at Playboy magazine, and he also joined Second City’s touring company. After he had taken a job with SCTV, the Toronto sketch comedy show, SNL approached him to be a writer. His breakthrough came in 1978 when he co-wrote “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” and he made his directorial debut with the country club comedy “Caddyshack” (1980). He went on to write “Ghostbusters” (1984) and “Ghostbusters II” (1989), playi
Chief Margarita Officer (Jimmy Buffett)
This person died in 2023 at age 76. He was an accomplished author, and was one of only a few writers (the likes of Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck) to top both the Times fiction and non-fiction best-seller lists. He moved to Nashville in 1970, hoping to make it as a country singer while working as a journalist for Billboard magazine. He wrote music for “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Urban Cowboy.” He also appeared in movies, including “Rancho Deluxe” and “Jurassic World.” His live shows
American Royalty (Elizabeth Taylor)
This person died in 2011 at age 79. Her father was an art dealer who had been transferred to London from New York, and her mother had acted in the theater. She first appeared on screen at age 10, and was one of the world’s most famous film stars before she even completed her teens. Regarding her acting, she once said, “What I try to do is to give the maximum emotional effect with the minimum of visual movement.” Late in life she became a social activist – she helped establish the American Founda
Acerbic Comedian (George Carlin)
This person died 2008 at age 71. He grew up with his mother and his older brother on West 121st in Manhattan. He dropped out of high school and joined the Air Force, and while stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana, worked as a radio disc jockey. During the course of his career, he overcame numerous personal trials – he was arrested several times, he weathered serious tax problems, a heart attack, and two open-heart surgeries. He was the first person ever to host Saturday Night Live.
Studio Insider (James Lipton)
This person died in 2020 at age 93. He was the only child of a noted Beat poet. He won his first professional acting job in the 1940s, when he was cast in the live radio program “The Lone Ranger”. On several occasions he recounted a period of months he spent in Paris in the 1950s working as a “mec” – or pimp – for a legal prostitute. His association with the Actors Studio began in 1992. He was a knowledgeable interviewer who focused on craft while avoiding gossip. Beyond his globally successful
Big Adventurer (Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman)
This person died in 2023 at age 70. A turning point in his career came shortly after a disappointing and unsuccessful audition for “Saturday Night Live” in 1980. He once said “Today, it’s a lot more difficult to stand out. You know, if you want to be weird, good luck.” He had scores of acting credits, including roles on “Murphy Brown,” “The Blacklist” and many other television series and in movies like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Blow”. He was in a feature film directed by Tim Burto
Surely Serious (Leslie Nielsen)
This person died in 2010 at age 84. His elder brother was deputy prime minister of Canada. Before his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as an aerial gunner during World War II. He had a matinee-idol profile, and was often cast as a serious and earnest hero throughout much of his film career. His big break came in 1980 when he played a clueless doctor in the low-budget, disaster-movie parody “Airplane!” His line that became a catchphrase was “I am serious. An
Dirty Dancer (Patrick Swayze)
This person died in 2009 at age 57. His father was an engineer and a rodeo cowboy. He was a student athlete, and his dancing career was hampered by a severe football injury. In the 1970s he moved from Houston to New York to study dance, becoming a member of Eliot Feld Ballet. He was determined not to be typecast, and said in a 1989 interview, “The only plan I have is that every time people think they have me pegged, I’m going to come out of left field and do something unexpected.” The coming-of-
Simply the Best (Tina Turner)
This person died 2023 at age 83. In 2013, after demonstrating a proficiency in German, she became a citizen of Switzerland. In 1987, she appeared in a Pepsi commercial alongside David Bowie. She is credited with helping Mick Jagger learn to dance. In 1988, She held a concert for 180,000 people in Rio de Janeiro, breaking the record for the largest paying audience for a solo artist. Her first marriage provided much of the material for the 1993 film “What’s Love Got to Do With It”, starri
Boundary Breaker (Barbara Walters)
This person died in 2022 at age 93. In 1976, she became known as the “million-dollar baby” because of a contract with ABC that made her the highest-paid journalist, male or female, in television history. She was married three times, and between marriages she dated many prominent and powerful people, among them Senator John Warner and Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. She drove a motorcycle with Sylvester Stallone, danced the mambo with Patrick Swayze, and rode a patrol boat with
More Respect (Rodney Dangerfield)
This person died in 2004 at age 82. His big break came in 1967 when, at age 44 and relatively unknown, he won a spot on "The Ed Sullivan Show". At one point he quit show business for over a dozen years and worked as an aluminum salesman and house painter. On stage he portrayed a hapless, self-deprecating Everyman slapped around by life and searching for acceptance. He opened his own comedy club in New York, which gave early breaks to comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, and
Vocal Bedrock (Johnny Cash)
This person died in 2003 at age 71, He is considered a pioneer of rock 'n' roll, and in 1992 he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after he had also been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In the early 2000s, a video of his won six nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. He fought a long battle against addiction. His voice, which projected the fateful gravity of a country patriarch, and his signature look, which suggested a cowboy undertaker, led him to be know
Famous & Gravy Announcement!
We’re back, and we’re sharing the exciting news that Famous & Gravy is now part of Wondery! Amit and Michael also discuss some of the behind-the-scenes work they’ve been doing to better the show in the runup to this exciting announcement. New Famous & Gravy episodes will start releasing again every other Wednesday, and also will now be available one week early and ad-free on Wondery+. LINKS:List of Wondery showsFamous & Gravy official websiteFamous & Gravy on Facebo
Rebel Rebel (David Bowie)
This person died 2016 at age 69. He suffered a blow in a teenage brawl that caused his left pupil to be permanently dilated. He experimented with startling transformations, often playing up an androgynous image. In the 1980s he had a Broadway run in the demanding title role of “The Elephant Man”. Nirvana chose to sing one of his songs in their legendary brief set on “MTV Unplugged” in 1993. He was the Thin White Duke, Aladdin Sane, Major Tom, and Ziggy Stardust. Today’s dead celebrity i
Dimpled Ambassador (Shirley Temple)
This person died in 2014 at age 85. In the 1930s, she was a determined child actress who sang and tap-danced her way to the height of Hollywood stardom. For at least 5 consecutive years, she was the most popular movie star in America. She was appointed as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly by Richard Nixon. In 1972, she held a news conference in her hospital room after her mastectomy, encouraging women discovering breast lumps to not be afraid. She was the United States a
Super Funkhouser (Bob Einstein)
This person died in 2019, age 76. In 1958 when he was 14, his father died immediately after performing a roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. His dry delivery piqued the interest of Tom Smothers, who offered him a job in the late 1960s as a writer on the “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” He was roommates with Steve Martin for a number of years, and his younger brother is the renowned comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks. His most famous and long-lived character was a witless, deadp
Likable Villain (Alan Rickman)
This person died in 2016 at age 69. In an acting career spanning more than 40 years, he played a panoply of fascinating characters. He had his early successes in stage works involving the Royal Shakespeare Company. Though he was never nominated for an Academy Award, he won many accolades, but shrugged off the value of awards in general. He gained a worldwide audience in “Die Hard,” playing Hans Gruber, the devious, well-spoken terrorist who took over the fictional Nakatomi Plaza. More r
Purple Reign (Prince)
This person died in 2016 at age 57. He won an Academy Award in 1985, and a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He was still a teenager when he was signed to Warner Bros Records, in a deal that included full creative control. His work inspired the formation of the Parents’ Music Resource Center, which pressured record companies into labeling albums to warn of explicit content. In 1993 he changed his stage name to an unpronounceable glyph, and for a while he was referred to as “The
Hungarian Socialite (Zsa Zsa Gabor)
This person died in 2016 at age 99. She appeared as a nightclub manager in Orson Welles’ 1958 “Touch of Evil”, and the same year as a sexy alien in “Queen of Outer Space”. She appeared on scores of talk shows, game shows, comedy specials, and episodic dramas. In 1989, she was arrested for slapping a police officer. She was married at least eight times, and called everyone “Dahlink.” Today’s dead celebrity is Zsa Zsa Gabor. This episode originally published June 15, 2022.Famous &
Poetic Justice (Maya Angelou)
This person died in 2014 at age 86. She was a Tony-nominated stage actress, and a calypso dancer for a period of time. In 2011 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was a college professor and a ubiquitous presence on the lecture circuit, and also made several appearances on Sesame Street. Throughout her writing, she explored the concepts of personal identity and resilience through the multifaceted lens of race, sex, family, community and the collective past. In 1969 sh
Love and OJ Jokes (Norm Macdonald)
This person died in 2021 at age 61. He almost joined the newspaper business as a young man, but deliberately botched an interview. By 1984, he spent four months opening for the comedian Sam Kinison. His sense of humor sometimes got him in hot water. A 2018 article about him said “The dedicated fan will identify two patterns in his television work: It is invariably funny, and it is invariably canceled.” He became familiar to millions as the Weekend Update anchor on “Saturday Night
The Masterclass Act (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
This person died in 2014 at age 46. His mother was a former family court judge, and his father worked for the Xerox corporation. The New York Times once said “He does terminal uncertainty better than practically anyone.” He was a sleepy-looking man with uncombed hair who favored rumpled clothes. He was perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation. He earned Oscar nominations for his performances in “The Master”, “Doubt”, and “Charlie Wilson’s War”, and
Professor on Elm Street (Wes Craven)
This person died in 2015 at age 76. He taught English at Westminster College in Pennsylvania, and was also a high school teacher. He directed the drama “Music of the Heart”, based on the true story of a woman who taught violin to underprivileged children in Harlem. He directed his first feature film In 1972, “Last House on the Left”. He also directed the first four movies of the “Scream” franchise starring Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox. His most famous creation was the serial killer F
Mind Traveler (Oliver Sacks)
This person died in 2015 at age 82. When he moved to California in the early 1960s, he befriended the poet Thom Gunn, began entering weight-lifting competitions, and joined the Hells Angels on motorcycle trips to the Grand Canyon. As a medical doctor and a writer, he achieved a level of popular renown rare among scientists. He first won widespread attention in 1973 for his book “Awakenings”, about a group of patients with an atypical form of encephalitis or “sleeping sickness” who exper
Defiant One (Sidney Poitier)
This person died in 2022 at age 94. In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Although often simmering with repressed anger, his characters responded to injustice with quiet determination. He once wrote “I felt very much as if I were representing 18 million people with every move I made.” In a departure from acting, he directed the 1980 comedy “Stir Crazy”, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. He was the first black performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
SYCBS x F&G
Special crossover episode! Imagine this: You’re on a desert island, and you can choose one actor or actress – and ONLY ONE – for whom you get their entire IMDb catalog to pass the time. It’s just you, a palm tree, a DVD player (streaming hasn’t reached this desert island), and the IMDb catalog of a single performer. Who would you choose? This thought experiment was first proposed by co-host Michael Osborne in our Bill Paxton episode, and now we take the experiment live. Today we bring y
Foul House (Bob Saget)
This person died in 2022 at age 65. In his last year of college, he won a student Academy Award for a documentary. After his sister died of a rare autoimmune disease called systemic scleroderma, he became a board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation. He was cast in the 1987 Richard Pryor film, “Critical Condition.” He directed “Dirty Work”, a comedy starring Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange. He said he was drawn to jokes with foul language and raw anatomical references because he
Sentient Princess (Carrie Fisher)
This person died in 2016 at age 60. She was just 19 years old when she acted in her most iconic role. She offered wry commentary in her books on the paradoxes and absurdities of the entertainment industry. Her first book was made into a movie directed by Mike Nichols. She had a recurring role on the British comedy “Catastrophe”. She dated Dan Aykroyd and was once married to Paul Simon. Her mother was the actress Debbie Reynolds. She played Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” movies. Today’
Golden Rose (Betty White)
This person died in 2021 at age 99. During World War II she drove a truck delivering soap, toothpaste and candy to soldiers. She began her career in radio by saying one word on a popular comedy show. In the early 1960s she was best known as a busy freelance guest with game shows as her specialty. She had a longstanding interest in animal welfare. Her television career spanned seven decades and holds the Guinness World Record as the longest ever for a female entertainer. One of her best
Let's Get Metaphysical (Olivia Newton-John)
This person died in 2022 at age 83. She amassed number 1 hits, chart-topping albums, and four records that sold more than two million copies each. Her consistently benign music and initial squeaky-clean image caused many to compare her to Doris Day. More than anything else, she was likable, even beloved. For years she was a prominent advocate for cancer research, starting a foundation in her name. She played Sandy in the musical “Grease” alongside John Travolta and had a massive h
Father of the Bride (William Goldman)
This person died in 2018 at age 87. He wrote his most famous screenplay while teaching creative writing at Princeton University. Eight of his films each grossed more than $100 million domestically. He was called the world’s greatest and most famous living screenwriter. Even so, he was an outspoken critic of the movie industry, and made headlines when he declared, “Nobody knows anything.” He wrote ‘The Princess Bride’ and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Today’s dead celebrity is Wil
Higher Power (Bill Russell)
This person died in 2022 at age 88. He was once described by his coach as “the single most devastating force in the history of the game.” He took part in the 1963 March on Washington and was seated in the front row for Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In 2011, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is remembered for his ability to enhance the talents of his Boston Celtics teammates even as he dominated the action, and to do it without bravado. He hold
America's Mustache (Burt Reynolds)
This person died in 2018 at age 82. His early passion was for football, and he played halfback at Florida State University. He was part Cherokee. He had an often turbulent career that spanned some 100 films and countless television appearances. He had a volatile temperament, but he himself projected an air of nonchalance and professed not to take his career too seriously. He was a self-mocking charmer with laugh-crinkled dark eyes, a distinctive mustache, and a hairy chest. He had box-o
Lord of Horror (Christopher Lee)
This person died in 2015 at age 93. He was a physically towering British movie actor with distinguished good looks, a Shakespearean voice, and aristocratic presence. His breakthrough film was the horror movie “The Curse of Frankenstein.” Though closely associated with horror, he maintained that of his roughly 250 movie and television roles, only 15 or so had been in horror films. Even into his 70s and 80s, he could strike fear in the hearts of moviegoers. He played the treacherous light
Dame Detective (Angela Lansbury)
This person died in 2022 at age 96. She once said “I wasn’t very good at being a starlet. I didn’t want to pose for cheesecake photos and that kind of thing.” She received two Oscar nominations before the age of 25. In the mid-1950s she found herself cast as either one of two types: as she put it, “bitches on wheels and people’s mothers.” She was nominated for a Tony Award at age 83, a testament to her extraordinary stamina and range. She captured the biggest audience of her career in t
Geto Man (Bushwick Bill)
This person died in 2019 at age 52. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica but spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn. In the late 1980s, the influential music producer Rick Rubin signed his group. In 1991, he had an early brush with death when he was shot in the right eye. He was born with dwarfism and stood approximately 3 feet 8 inches tall. He was a member of the Houston-based rap group the Geto Boys, who’s biggest singles were ”Mind Playing Tricks on Me“ and “Damn It Feels Good To
Two Ticket Holder (Eddie Money)
This person died in 2019 at age 70. His birth name was Edward Mahoney. He was the son of a police officer, and he was headed for that career himself when he dropped out of the New York Police Academy to move to San Francisco in pursuit of rock stardom – which he found in 1978. He struggled with drugs in the early 1980s, but he staged several comebacks, and found hits later that decade. He and his family had been the focus of a reality television show on AXS TV. His hits include “Baby Ho
Best in Show (Fred Willard)
This person died in 2020 at age 86. Over the years he was a favorite among talk-show hosts, making at least 50 guest appearances on “The Tonight Show”. He made an art of playing characters who are “gloriously out of their depth” and gleefully self-unaware. He appeared in more than 700 films and television episodes over a half-century. He was nominated for Emmy Awards for his roles on “Modern Family” and “Everybody Loves Raymond”. He was a frequent collaborator with the director Christop
Cool Hand Dylan (Luke Perry)
This person died in 2019 at age 52. His looks were often compared to James Dean. Before his breakout, his main credits had been a handful of soap operas. His mega-stardom was unexpected. In recent years, he made dozens of television appearances, including regular roles on the HBO prison drama “Oz” and the crime drama “Riverdale”. He played Dylan McKay, a bad-boy teenager who struggled with alcoholism on the hit TV show Beverly Hills 90210. Today’s dead celebrity is Luke Perry.Famous &am
Sleepless Sally (Nora Ephron)
This person died in 2012 at age 71. In the summer of 1961 she was a summer intern in the Kennedy White House; she once said she was probably the only intern that President Kennedy had never hit on. Her second husband was the Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. She was a journalist, essayist, novelist, playwright, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, and a movie director — a rarity in a film industry whose directorial ranks were and continue to be dominated by men. Her box-office success
Pure Imagination (Gene Wilder)
This person died in 2016 at age 83. He was an accomplished stage actor as well as a screenwriter, a novelist, and the director of four movies in which he starred. He made his movie debut in 1967 in the celebrated crime drama, “Bonnie and Clyde.” He had haunted blue eyes and an empathy born of his own history of psychic distress. His rule for comedy was simple: Don’t try to make it funny; try to make it real. “I’m an actor, not a clown,” he said more than once. In 1971, he was nominated
Secret Chord (Leonard Cohen)
This person died in 2016 at age 82. He was an unlikely and reluctant pop star, if in fact he ever was one. In the 1960s, he lived in a house on the Greek island of Hydra, where he wrote a pair of novels. He was 33 when his first record was released in 1967. In the early 1970s, his record company concocted an advertising campaign where they called him “the master of erotic despair.” Around 1994, he abandoned his music career and moved to Mt Baldy monastery, where he was ordained a Buddhi
Heartwarming Humor (Louie Anderson)
This person died in 2022 at age 68. His act fit comfortably into the category of “family entertainment.” He had a self-deprecating style that won him legions of fans, among them Johnny Carson, whose early support catapulted him to stardom. He had roles in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Coming to America”. He hosted “Family Feud” for three seasons. He was nominated 3 times for a supporting actor Emmy, which he won in 2016. His comedy routine often centered around jokes about
Heartwarming Humor
This person died in 2022 at age 68. His act fit comfortably into the category of “family entertainment.” He had a self-deprecating style that won him legions of fans, among them Johnny Carson, whose early support catapulted him to stardom. He had roles in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Coming to America”. He hosted “Family Feud” for three seasons. He was nominated 3 times for a supporting actor Emmy, which he won in 2016. His comedy routine often centered around jokes about his own weight, wh
Electric Vanities (Tom Wolfe)
This person died in 2018 at age 88. When he graduated college in 1951 he had enough skill as a baseball player to earn a tryout with the Giants. He earned his PhD in American Studies from Yale in 1957. Beginning in the 1960s he helped create the enormously influential hybrid of fiction techniques into non-fiction known as New Journalism. He was instantly recognizable as he strolled down Madison Avenue — a tall, slender, blue-eyed, boyish-looking man in his spotless three-piece white bes
Goofball Stud (Bill Paxton)
This person died in 2017 at age 61. He was described as good-natured in assessing his status in Hollywood. In a 1998 interview he said, “I haven’t had a role that’s propelled me into major stardom. I’ve had roles that put me on the playing field.” From 2006 to 2011, he played the lead role of Bill Henrickson on the HBO show “Big Love”. Early in his career, he had small parts in “The Terminator” and “Aliens”, both directed by James Cameron. He played a car salesman who cheated Jami
Golden Rose (Betty White original)
This person died in 2021 at age 99. During World War II she drove a truck delivering soap, toothpaste and candy to soldiers. She began her career in radio by saying one word - “Parkay” - on a popular comedy show. In the early 1960s she was best known as a busy freelance guest with game shows as her specialty. She had a longstanding interest in animal welfare. Her television career spanned seven decades and holds the Guinness World Record as the longest ever for a female entertainer.&nbs
Hammer Time (Hank Aaron)
This person died 2021 at age 86. He was routinely brilliant, performing with seemingly effortless grace. He did not enjoy the idolatry accorded to his contemporaries. He grew up in Alabama amid rigid segregation, and he faced abuse from the stands while playing in the South as a minor leaguer. He was voted an All-Star in all but his first and last seasons, and he won three Golden Glove awards. In the 1974 season, he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball’s home run king, hitting 755 homers and
What About Bob (Bob Dole)
This person died 2021 at age 98. He was a star athlete who lettered in football, basketball, and track. He came home from World War II in a body cast, mostly paralyzed, and spent 39 months under intense care. He was a key figure behind the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. He starred in commercials for Visa in 1997, Viagra in 1998, and for Pepsi in 2001. During the 1996 presidential election, he often lapsed into legislative lingo and referred to himself in the third per
Proud Mary (Mary Tyler Moore)
This person died in 2017 at age 80. At age 17, she was hired to appear in a series of commercials for Hotpoint appliances. In 1980 she won a Golden Globe, and she was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1984, She entered the Betty Ford Center for treatment. She was a key inspiration for forming the character of Liz Lemon, the television writer portrayed by Tina Fey on the sitcom “30 Rock”. Her 1970s self-titled TV show was a balm to widespread anxieties about women in the workforce
Love and OJ Jokes (Norm Macdonald original)
This person died in 2021 at age 61. His brother Neil once told a reporter that he almost joined the newspaper business as a young man, but that he had deliberately botched an interview. By 1984, he spent four months opening for the comedian Sam Kinison. His sense of humor sometimes got him in hot water. A 2018 article about him said “The dedicated fan will identify two patterns in his television work: It is invariably funny, and it is invariably canceled.” He became familiar to mi
Rebel Rebel (David Bowie original)
This person died 2016 at age 69. He suffered a blow in a teenage brawl that caused his left pupil to be permanently dilated. He experimented with startling transformations, often playing up an androgynous image. In the 1980s he had a Broadway run in the demanding title role of “The Elephant Man”. His son is a director best known for the 2009 film “Moon” starring Sam Rockwell. He was the Thin White Duke, Aladdin Sane, Major Tom, and Ziggy Stardust. Today’s dead celebrity is David Bowie.F
Inner Soprano (James Gandolfini)
This person died in 2013 at age 51. His father was an immigrant who held a number of jobs, including janitor, bricklayer, and mason. His mother was a high school cafeteria chef. He attended Rutgers University, graduating with a degree in communications. He drove a delivery truck, managed nightclubs and tended bar in Manhattan before becoming interested in acting at age 25. Throughout the 90s he had an impressive list of character-acting credits, but he was largely unknown until David Ch
Poetic Justice (Maya Angelou original)
This person died in 2014 at age 86. She was a Tony-nominated stage actress, and a calypso dancer for a period of time. In 2011 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was a college professor and a ubiquitous presence on the lecture circuit, and also made several appearances on “Sesame Street”. Throughout her writing, she explored the concepts of personal identity and resilience through the multifaceted lens of race, sex, family, community and the collective past. In 1969,
Game Changer (John Madden)
This person died in 2021 at age 85. He had an irrepressible way, and a distinctive voice. Fox snagged him in the mid-1990s to establish credibility. Before broadcasting, he was a lineman for Philadelphia and then a coach for the Raiders, leading them to their first Super Bowl victory in 1977. His Electronic Arts video game evolved into a cultural phenomenon. His influence, steeped in everyman sensibilities, made the NFL more interesting, more relevant and more fun for over 40 years. Tod
Viva Bojangles (Jerry Jeff Walker)
This person died in 2020 at age 78. He grew up in Oneonta, New York. He began his career in the 1960s, hitchhiking and busking around the country before establishing himself in Greenwich Village. In 1971, he took his struggling friend Jimmy Buffett to Key West for the first time. Mainstream radio programmers didn’t play his music, perhaps because of his gruff, braying singing voice and his reputation for being intoxicated onstage. He became a mainstay of the Texas Outlaw movement that c
Eve's Dropper (Dick Clark)
This person died 2012 at age 82. He was among the most recognizable faces in the world. He built an entertainment empire, which expanded into game shows, awards shows, comedy specials, talk shows, children’s programming, reality programming, and movies. His signature show had remarkable longevity and became a cultural touchstone for the baby-boomer generation. He was the perpetually youthful-looking television host of “American Bandstand” and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”. Today’s dead celeb
Super Funkhouser (Bob Einstein original)
This person died in 2019 at age 76. In 1958 when he was 14, his father died immediately after performing a roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. His dry delivery piqued the interest of Tom Smothers, who offered him a job in the late 1960s as a writer on the “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” He was roommates with Steve Martin for a number of years, and his younger brother is the renowned comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks. His most famous and long-lived character was a witless, dea
A Lovely Lady (Florence Henderson)
This person died 2016 at age 82. She starred in “Fanny” on Broadway in the mid-1950s, and did national tours of “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music”. In 1966, she was one of the first women to guest host “The Tonight Show”. She surprisingly appeared in Bobcat Goldthwait’s offbeat comedy “Shakes the Clown”, in which she played an unnamed woman who has a one-night stand with the title character. She starred in an upbeat, globally syndicated TV comedy as Carol Brady, a woman with three dau
Just a Friend (Biz Markie)
This person died 2021 at age 57. He appeared regularly on the Nickelodeon show “Yo Gabba Gabba”. He collaborated with artists such as the Beastie Boys and Will Smith, and appeared in the movie “Men in Black II”, in which he played an alien disguised as a postal worker who communicates via beatboxing. He was known as the “clown prince of hip-hop” for his playful style and joyous charm, and his most renowned song is the hit singalong “Just a Friend”. Today’s dead celebrity is Marcel
Singing Mailman (John Prine)
This person died in 2020 at age 73. He was a relative unknown in 1970 when Kris Kristofferson first heard him play one night at a Chicago club. Roger Ebert, the film critic, wrote an early review of him with the headline “Singing Mailman Who Delivers a Powerful Message in a Few Words.” He won a Grammy for best new artist in 1972, and again in 2020 for Lifetime Achievement. Today’s dead celebrity is John Prine.This episode originally published May 4, 2022.Famous & Gravy is created an
Likable Villain (Alan Rickman original)
This person died in 2016 at age 69. In an acting career spanning more than 40 years, he played a panoply of fascinating characters. He had his early successes in stage works involving the Royal Shakespeare Company. Though he was never nominated for an Academy Award, he won many accolades, but shrugged off the value of awards in general. He gained a worldwide audience in “Die Hard,” playing Hans Gruber, the devious, well-spoken terrorist who took over the fictional Nakatomi Plaza. He had
Zombie Mastermind (George Romero)
This person died in 2017 at age 77. One of his early commercial films was a segment for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. His first movie was made for $100K and was released when racial tensions were high in the United States. Of his creations, he said “they are multipurpose, you can’t really get angry at them, they have no hidden agendas, they are what they are. I sympathize with them.” He was a horror visionary who created the modern zombie genre with his 1968 cult film, “Night of the Livi
October Error (Bill Buckner)
This person died in 2019 at age 69. His father died when he was a teenager, and his mother was a stenographer for the California Highway Patrol. During his two decades in the major leagues, he amassed 2,715 hits, won a batting title, and twice led the league in doubles. When he retired, he moved with his family to a ranch in Meridian, Idaho. His long, solid career was overshadowed by a crushing error that possibly cost the Boston Red Sox Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the
Hot Stuff (Donna Summer)
This person died in 2012 at age 63. She grew up singing in church and decided in her teens to make music her career. In the late 1960s she joined the Munich company of the rock musical “Hair” and relocated to Germany. Her voice sailed over dance floors and leapt from radios from the mid-’70s well into the ’80s. Her music was a template for 1970s disco. Her hits include “Hot Stuff”, “Bad Girls”, and “She Works Hard for the Money”. Today’s dead celebrity is Donna Summer.Famous & Gravy
The Greatest (Muhammad Ali)
This person died in 2016 at age 74. He had an agile mind, a buoyant personality, and a brash self-confidence. He was politically and socially idiosyncratic. He was never taught to read properly; years later he confided that he had never read a book, including the ones on which he collaborated. He had Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years. He was the most thrilling if not the best heavyweight ever, with a boxing style that fused speed, agility and power. Today’s dead celebrity is Mu
Rain Man Judge (Judge Joseph Wapner)
This person died in 2017 at age 97. He graduated in 1937 from Hollywood High School, where he briefly dated the future film actress Lana Turner. The full measure of his celebrity was not realized until he was 61 years old. He let millions of viewers know that no matter how seemingly insignificant their legal disputes, they, too, were entitled to their day in court. He sat on the bench of the syndicated television show “The People’s Court”. Today’s dead celebrity is Judge Joseph Wapner.&
Zen Comedian (Garry Shandling)
This person died 2016 at age 66. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Arizona. He began his comedy career as a writer and went on to become one of the most successful stand-up comics of the 1980s. He had frequently substituted for Johnny Carson as the “Tonight Show” host. His HBO show was often cited as a groundbreaking precursor to shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “30 Rock”. He was best known for “The Larry Sanders Show,” a twisted look at life behind the scenes
Famous & Gravy Origin Story
Michael and Amit conceived of a game app in 2011, and 10 years later this podcast was born instead. In other words, this is our origin story. Most excitingly, today we’re actually releasing that game app! We present to you Dead or Alive. On this episode, hear people play the game out loud with laughter, surprise, and agony. You can play Dead or Alive free on any mobile device by going to deadoraliveapp.com, no download required.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit K
Mrs. T (Margaret Thatcher)
This person died in 2013 at age 87. She grew up in a flat above a grocery store owned by her father. She believed personal responsibility and hard work were the only ways to achieve national prosperity. Even some of her strongest critics accorded her a grudging respect. She was the first woman to become prime minister of Britain, and was nicknamed The Iron Lady. Today’s dead celebrity is Margaret Thatcher. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osbor
Wild Thing (Maurice Sendak)
This person died in 2012 at age 83. As he grew up – working class, Jewish, gay — he felt shunted to the margins. His books’ characters were described as headstrong and sometimes obnoxious. A lesser known aspect of his career was as a renowned designer of theatrical sets. In 1963 he published the children’s picture book sensation “Where the Wild Things Are”. Today’s dead celebrity is Maurice Sendak. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael O
Best of Coffee Cocktail Cannabis
Today we celebrate our 25th episode by spotlighting a fan-favorite category: Coffee, Cocktail or Cannabis. In this category, we ask which one of these three substances would you most want to do with the featured dead celebrity? It can either be to provide access to some aspect you are curious about, or which sounds like the most fun. All clips are from actual episodes of Famous & Gravy, which means all featured celebrities have died within the last 10 years, and each has a full epis
Dazzling Dribbler (Curly Neal)
This person died in 2020 at age 77. He began shaving his head at age 12, long before he got his nickname. He was a standout college basketball player at Johnson C Smith University in North Carolina, and an eventual inductee into the National Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2008, his number 22 jersey was retired in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden as the Harlem Globetrotters’ ball-handling sensation. Today’s dead celebrity is Fred “Curly” Neal. Famous & Gravy is creat
Book Rancher (Larry McMurtry)
This person died in 2021 at age 84. He was friends with Ken Kesey and made a memorable appearance in “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” His son is a well-regarded singer and songwriter. He had a private library that held some 30,000 books and filled three houses. He wrote more than 30 screenplays, including for “Brokeback Mountain.” He found his greatest commercial and critical success with “Lonesome Dove.” Today’s dead celebrity is Larry McMurtry. Famous & Gravy is created and
Hungarian Socialite (Zsa Zsa Gabor original)
This person died in 2016 at age 99. She appeared as a nightclub manager in Orson Welles’ 1958 “Touch of Evil”, and the same year as a sexy alien in “Queen of Outer Space”. She appeared on scores of talk shows, game shows, comedy specials, and episodic dramas. In 1989, she was arrested for slapping a police officer. She was married at least eight times, and called everyone “Dahlink.” Today’s dead celebrity is Zsa Zsa Gabor. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor
Florida Man (Tom Petty)
This person died in 2017 at age 66. There was a scrappy defiance in his career choices. He melded California rock with a deep Southern heritage to produce a long string of durable hits. He played the Super Bowl halftime show in 2008. His songs were staples of rock radio for decades, with hits like “Refugee”, “Free Fallin”, and “Into the Great Wide Open”. Today’s dead celebrity is Tom Petty.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was p
Notorious Dissenter (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
This person died in 2020 at age 87. She once said her writing style was partly inspired by Vladimir Nabokov, who she studied literature under at Cornell. In the mid 2010s, she became an internet sensation. She was barely five feet tall and weighed around 100 pounds. She was the second woman to serve on the Supreme court and a pioneering advocate for women's rights. Today’s dead celebrity is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael
Singing Mailman (John Prine original)
This person died in 2020 at age 73. He was a relative unknown in 1970 when Kris Kristofferson first heard him play one night at a Chicago club. Roger Ebert, the film critic, wrote an early review of him with the headline “Singing Mailman Who Delivers a Powerful Message in a Few Words.” He won a Grammy for best new artist in 1972, and again in 2020 for Lifetime Achievement. Today’s dead celebrity is John Prine.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael O
Darling's Critic (Roger Ebert)
The person died in 2013 at age 70. The force and grace of his opinions propelled him into the mainstream of American culture. He went on two dates with Oprah Winfrey. In 1975 he became the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize. He had multiple operations for cancer and eventually lost his ability to eat, drink and speak. His thumbs-up-or-down approach drew scorn from some critics, who said it trivialized film criticism. Today’s dead celebrity is Roger Ebert. Famous &
Modest Moonwalker (Neil Armstrong)
This person died in 2012 at age 82. His most famous moment lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes. He was a quiet, private man, and at heart an engineer. He was part of a mission that capped a tumultuous and consequential decade. On July 20th, 1969, he said “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Today’s dead celebrity is Neil Armstrong. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit
Quintessential Quizmaster (Alex Trebek)
This person died in 2020 at age 80. He won six Emmys and a lifetime achievement award. He ran a leg of the Olympic torch relay in advance of the 1996 Games in Atlanta. He was an authoritative and unflappable fixture for millions of Americans. He had impeccable diction, and had a friendly rivalry with Pat Sajak. He hosted “Jeopardy!” for a record-setting 37 years. Today’s dead celebrity is Alex Trebek.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This ep
Cocaine Soccer God (Diego Maradona)
This person died in 2020 at age 60. FIFA, soccer’s governing body, voted him and Pelé the sport’s two greatest players of the century. He led Argentina to win a legendary World Cup in 1986, scoring one of history’s most controversial goals and one of its most celebrated in the span of four minutes during a quarterfinals match. His ability to surprise and startle developed a darker edge as he became addicted to cocaine. After he retired from playing soccer, his thick musculature bloated
Dimpled Ambassador (Shirley Temple original)
This person died in 2014 at age 85. In the 1930s, she was a determined child actress who sang and tap-danced her way to the height of Hollywood stardom. In 1972 she held a news conference in her hospital room after her mastectomy, encouraging women discovering breast lumps to not be afraid. She was the United States ambassador to Ghana from 1974 to 1976, and to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992. Today’s dead celebrity is Shirley Temple Black. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hos
Stubbled Pop Star (George Michael)
This person died in 2016 at age 53. He was a handsome, smiling teen-pop idol making lighthearted singles like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” then arriving as a grown-up pop sex symbol with his 1987 album “Faith.” He was the most-played performer on British radio from 1984 to 2004. In 1998 he came out as gay. Today’s dead celebrity is George Michael.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website
Emblem of Dignity (Nelson Mandela)
This person died in 2013 at age 95. His given name translates colloquially as “troublemaker.” The question most often asked about him was how, after all he’d been through, he could be so evidently free of spite. In 1956, he was arrested on charges of treason. He was a symbol of the opposition to apartheid in South Africa. Today’s dead celebrity is Nelson Mandela. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss
Stiletto Comic (Joan Rivers)
This person died in 2014 at age 81. In her twenties, she worked in the publicity department at Lord and Taylor, and was a fashion coordinator for the Bond Clothing Store. She joined the Chicago-based Second City comedy troupe in the 1960s. She was one of America’s first successful female stand-up comics in a tradition that had been almost exclusively male. In 2010 she became a star of the E! show “Fashion Police.” She was described as vivacious, even as a nipped and tucked octogen
Countdown King (Casey Kasem)
This person died in 2014 at age 82. He once said his technique of using biographical teasers to introduce songs drew upon the Arabic tradition of storytelling that he witnessed as a child of Lebanese immigrants. His biggest role off the radio was in the TV cartoon series “Scooby-Doo” as the voice of Shaggy. He retired in 2004, handing over host duties of American Top 40 to Ryan Seacrest. Today’s dead celebrity is Casey Kasem.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and
Fan Favorite (Kenny Rogers)
This person died in 2020 at age 81. His career as a solo artist did not gain traction until he was 38 years old. He sang in a husky voice that exuded sincerity and warmth, and duet recordings were a prominent part of his repertoire. Long before the ascendancy of Garth Brooks and Shania Twain, he was among the first country artists to sell out arenas. He won a Grammy for his signature song and worldwide favorite, “The Gambler”. Today’s dead celebrity is Kenny Rogers.Famous & Gr
Counterculture Sex Symbol (Peter Fonda)
This person died in 2019 at age 79. He inspired John Lennon to write the line “I know what it’s like to be dead,” which appeared in the Beatles’ song “She Said She Said.” In the 1970s and 80s, his career cooled, while that of his sister flourished. He earned a best original screenplay nomination for “Easy Rider,” the iconic movie in which he also starred. Today’s dead celebrity is Peter Fonda.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode wa
Wiry Gadfly (Ross Perot)
This person died in 2019 at age 89. He had a squeaky, country-boy twang and ears that stuck out like on a Mad Magazine cover. He made a fortune in computer services. In 1979 he staged a commando raid that freed two of his employees from captivity in revolutionary Iran. He ran for president of the USA as a 3rd party candidate in 1992 and 1996. Today’s dead celebrity is H Ross Perot.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced b
Baseball's Loveable Mainstay (Yogi Berra)
This person died in 2015 at age 90. He was known in part for his proverbs, which testified to a goofy and philosophical nature. He inspired a cartoon character. He appeared in a number of television advertisements including for Miller Lite and Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink. As a catcher for the New York Yankees, he played the most grueling position in baseball. He has won more World Series titles than any other player in Major League history, and even won three m
Dapper Brit (Roger Moore)
This person died in 2017 at age 89. Early on, he expressed interest in becoming a commercial artist, and as a teenager worked at an animation company. He had a cameo in “The Cannonball Run” run in 1981, the car race comedy starring Burt Reynolds. Though he was not American, he was well known to American audiences. He played James Bond in seven films, and was the oldest Bond ever hired for the official series. Today’s dead celebrity is Roger Moore.Famous & Gravy is create
Ringside Gentleman (Mean Gene Okerlund)
This person died in 2019 at age 76. He was a mild-mannered figure, and often appeared on air in elegant attire. He got his nickname from the future governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura. His professionalism helped lend a certain gravitas to an enterprise that was hardly known for it. Today's dead celebrity is Gene Okerlund, better known as “Mean Gene.”Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Morgan Honaker. Visit our web
Sonorous Actor (Leonard Nimoy)
This person died in 2015 at age 83. His artistic pursuits included poetry, photography, and music, in addition to acting. In 1970 he released a country album. He wrote two autobiographies – the first published in 1975 was called, “I am not Spock”, and the second, published in 1995, was called “I am Spock”. Today's dead celebrity is Leonard Nimoy.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Morgan Honaker. Visit our website
Mother's Premonition (Vidal Sassoon)
This person died in 2012 at age 84. He was part of a group that fought fascists on the streets of London in the years following World War II. When he was young, his mother had a premonition that he would become a hairdresser. He was known for fashioning his clients’ hair into geometric shapes and sharp angles to complement their facial bone structure. He became a business pioneer, creating a line of hair products under his name. Today's dead celebrity is Vidal Sassoon.Famous &
Unapologetic Opulence (Robin Leach)
This person died in 2018 at age 76. He sold children’s shoes briefly at Lord & Taylor in New York before getting a job with The Daily News. He was widely recognized and just as widely parodied. He had a distinctive, British-accented voice and exuberant, exclamation-point delivery. He was a symbol of unapologetic opulence. For over 12 years, he profiled the lives of the wealthy as host and creator of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Today's dead celebrity is Robin Leach.Fam
Famous & Gravy Trailer
Famous & Gravy Trailer: Biographies from a different point of view..Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comLINKS:Famous & Gravy official websiteFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterDead or Alive Quiz GameSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.