Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

The former A.B.Gee director passed away last week, just a few weeks short of his 78th birthday. It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Geoff Smith, a well-known and cherished figure in t...he toy industry whose career spanned an impressive 50 years.Show more

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Toy World is sad to report that David Strang, founder of Wicked Vision, sadly passed away unexpectedly, on Monday 21st April. Wicked Vision became well known for products like boomerangs, discs, high ...bounce balls and yo-yos, as David built the company into a global brand centred on active play.Show more

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George Lowe was born on November 10, 1957 and passed away on March 2, 2025. George was born in Florida and got his first job at a local radio station. He attended the Radio Engineering institute of Sa...rasota and Pasco-Hernando Community College for college. George did occasional voice-over work for TBS throughout the 1980s and 1990s, but his career officially began when he was cast as the lead role in Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Aside from Space Ghost, George also recorded dialog for the film Radioland Murders, but his scenes were ultimately cut in the final film. He appeared in Sealab 2021, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, and in a number of Artix Entertainment games. He also did voice-over work for various media outlets and companies: San Francisco rock station KSAN, Cleveland rock station WNCX, the Fox, FX, and FXX television networks, and commercials for Dunkin Donuts and Capital One.Show more

Jim Curry, a writer and marketing manger on Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the Gex series, passed away in mid-February. Jim started out in the industry as a special advisor on 1991's Marvel land a...nd on the "Hometek Team" for Rolling Thunder 2. Most of his efforts on his various credits pertain to product marketing. His writing credits include Battle Cars, Bloom Omen: Legacy of Kain, and Akuji: The Heartless.Show more

Gene Hackman was born on January 30, 1930 and passed away on February 18, 2025. Gene moved around a lot growing up, but mostly settled in Illinois. Gene knew he wanted to be an actor at the age of ...10, but left home at age 16, lied about his age, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served 4.5 years as a field radio operator stationed in China as part of Operation Beleaguer. He later explained that part of his role was destroying Japanese military equipment. After his discharge in 1951, he moved to New York City. In 1962, he moved back to Illinois to study journalism and television production under the G.I. Bill, but left without graduating and moved to California. In 1956, Gene began pursuing a career in acting, joining the Pasadena Playhouse, where he and Dustin Hoffman became friends. The pair were voted least likely to succeed by their classmates. With a new spite-fueled desire to prove them wrong, he moved to New York to continue pursing roles. Between jobs, he worked at Howard Johnson's restaurant, but he began performing in several off-Broadway productions. Eventually, he made it to the main stage, and over the years he was featured in plays including Children From Their Games, A Rainy Day in Newark, Poor Richard, and The Natural Look. At this point, he had a number of television roles as well, like The Trials of O'Brien, Hawk, The FBI, and The Invaders. Television turned into film, and he appeared in films like Hawaii and Bonnie and Clyde, in which his role as Buck Barrow earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It wasn't until 1970, though, that he really became a star. He was nominated for another Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in I Never Sang for My Father, and starred in Doctors' Wives and The Hunting Party. He won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection. After that big win, he starred in ten films over the next three years. At this point, he's a household name, and is acting alongside big names like Barbara Streisand, Robin Williams, Hugh Grant, Will Smith, and John Travolta. He was directed by huge names like Woody Allen, Alan Parker, and Clint Eastwood. In the early 2000s, Gene started to slow down. He co-starred with Morgan Freeman in Under Suspicion, Keanu Reeves in The Replacements, and Owen Wilson in Behind Enemy Lines. He won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in The Royal Tenenbaums. In 2004, Hackman announced he believed his acting career was over. He wrote three historical fiction novels instead, and appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, which was his very last televised appearance. Gene was married to Faye Maltese from 1956 - 1986 and the pair had one son and two daughters. In 1991, Gene married Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist, and they shared a home in Santa Fe, NM that was featured in Architectural Digest. Tragically, Gene and his wife Betsy died a shocking death, the pair were discovered dead in their homes by maintenance workers. After much investigation, it was found that Betsy died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory disease that's spread by rodents, on or around Februrary 12th. Authorities believe that Gene didn't seek help because he couldn't comprehend her death—he had Alzheimer's disease. Gene died around February 18 of sever heart disease. Their bodies weren't discovered until February 26th. Gene's legacy lives on in the film world. After his death, his was paid tribute by stars such as Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Close, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Barbara Streisand, Nthan Lane, Josh Brolin, John Cusack, Ben Stiller, and so many more people, all who recall Gene as an incredible actor and friend.Show more

David Mallow was born on October 19, 1948 and passed away on March 11, 2025. David went to Drake University and graduated with a BFA in Theater Arts in 1970. For 12 years, he was a successful radi...o personality in the Midwest and in NYC. In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in voice acting. Over the years, his voice was used in commercials, film dubbing, looping, narration, audio books, radio plays, and voice characterization in numerous video games, toys, and cartoons. You might recognize his voice as Baboo in Might Morphin Power Rangers, Angemon, Gekkomon, and Uppamon in Digimon: Digital Monsters, and Amarao in Digital Manga's FLCL, among others.Show more

Thomas Lee, a business development director and executive producer at several studios, passed away in March 2025 at the age of 59. Thomas started his career in the industry as an advanced graphics ...specialist on Wing Commander III at EA. He then moved on as a digital artist on Square Enix's Parasite Eve and Final Fantasy IX. Next, he moved to Nexon America as a business development manager, Gamma Interactive as a strategic advisor, and Stealth CrossMedia as an executive producer. Thomas tragically passed away from cancer at the age of 59.Show more

Clive Revill was born on April 18, 1930 and passed away on March 11, 2025. Clive was the Emperor in the original theatrical edition of The Empire Strikes Back. Clive was born in Wellington, New Zea...land and attended Rongotai College. He originally trained to be an accountant, but switched his career path to acting when he made his stage debut as Sebastian in The Twelfth Night in 1950. That year, he moved to London and studied acting at the Old Vic Theatre. From 1956 - 1958, he worked for The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company's season productions in Stratford. In 1952, he made his broadway debut playing Sam Weller in The Pickwick Papers. Clive also appeared in a number of British films throughout the 1960s and 1970a, including Kaleidoscope, Modesty Blaise, The Double Man, and many more. When he relocated to the United States, he guest-starred in a few teelvision shows, including Dynasty, Remington Steele, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and many more. Finally, he was a voice actor as well, in films and television shows like Batman: The Animated Series, The Empire Strikes Back, and Chico the Rainmaker. Clive married twice and had a daughter named Kate with his second wife. He passed away from complications from dementia at the age of 94.Show more

Jay North, most famously known for his role as Dennis Mitchell in Dennis the Menace, was born on August 3, 1951 and passed away on April 6, 2025. Jay was born in Hollywood, and from a young age he... was capitvated by television. His mother worked for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), and when Jay was 6, she used her connections for him to appear in his favorite program, Cartoon Express, and the talent agent was so impressed with Jay that she contacted his mother the next day to represent him. At age seven, Jay became a household name when he became the star of Dennis the Menace. He starred in the show for four years and four seasons. Jay continued to act throughout his teen years, landing roles in Zebra in the Kitchen, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Lucy Show, and Maya. As an adult, Jay started to dabble in voice acting, he voiced Prince Turhaan in the Arabian Knights segment of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Terry Dexter in Here Comes the Grump, and Bamm-Bamm Rubble on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. He then moved on to stage productions, starring in Norman, Is That You? And Butterflies Are Free. In 1977, Jay enlisted in the US Navy, and spent two years in the military before being honorable discharged. he did a bit more acting, but soon settled down. Jay married Cindy Hackney and became a stepfather to her three daughters. They moved to Cindy's hometown in Florida, and Jay became a correctional officer, working with Florida's juvenile justice system for over a decade. Jay passed away from colorectal cancer on April 6, 2025 at the age of 73.Show more

Wink Martindale, a rock ‘n’ roll disc jockey and good friend of Elvis Presley who gained fame as the host of such TV game shows as Tic-Tac-Dough, Gambit and High Rollers, died Tuesday in Rancho Mi...rage, a publicist announced.Show more

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