Paul Robeson would be 119. He was the personification of elegance and class under most difficult circumstances. A true renaissance man, he was a lawyer, a skilled athlete, powerful singer, talented actor, writer, orator, political activist...and on, and on. A true crusader for racial equality, he broke down many walls that had stood in the way of Black Americans succeeding in a desperately segregated society. His gravestone bears the inscription:
"The Artist Must Fight For Freedom Or Slavery. I Made My Choice. I Had No Alternative."
George Arliss would be 143. "Distinguished" would be the word for the noted actor, George Arliss. He made several historical films in the late 1920's-early 1930's, most famously in Disraeli, in which he played the famed British orator, Benjamin Disraeli--and won the Best Actor Academy Award in 1929 for his efforts. His trademark, which he is rarely seen without, was his monocle.
Brandon de Wilde would be 69. He was one of the most indelibly memorable of child actors. He gave two very memorable film performances: Re-creating the role he originated on Broadway at the age of seven in Member of the Wedding, opposite Julie Harris and Ethel Waters; and as little Joey Starrett in the classic Western, Shane, in which he cried the unforgettable closing line, "Come back, Shane...." (and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at the age of 11). He was tragically killed in a single-vehicle accident near Denver at the age of 30.
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