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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 she published her landmark book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Today’s dead celebrity is Maya Angelou. 

This episode originally published February 8, 2023.

Listen to the Sound Judgment podcast in which Michael and Amit discuss this Maya Angelou episode 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. For updates on the show, please sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com. Also, enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 71 “Defiant One” (Sidney Poitier) and Episode 61 “Dame Detective” (Angela Lansburyi).

Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Maya Angelou
‘Sound Judgment’ podcast discussing this episode
Maya Angelou’s poem at the 1993 inauguration
Tracy Morgan’s impersonation of Angelou’s Hallmark Cards on SNL
Maya Angelou for Froot Loops on SNL performed by David Alan Grier
Maya Angelou’s Life in Photos in the New Yorker
“And I Still Rise” Documentary on Maya Angelou
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
HPB.com
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This person died in 2021, 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 millions as the Weekend Update anchor on “Saturday Night Live” from 1994 to 1998. Today’s dead celebrity is Norm Macdonald.

This episode originally published March 22, 2023. 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com for news and updates on the show. Also, enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 69 “Foul House” (Bob Saget) and Episode 54 “Heartwarming Humor” (Louie Anderson).

Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Norm Macdonald
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
“Norm Macdonald” was the real thing from The New Yorker
Trailer for Norm Macdonald’s posthumous Netflix special
Norm Macdonald returns to SNL as Host
Norm’s appearance on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” explained
Norm’s “moth” joke on Conan
Norm Macdonald lists his Santa Monica condo for sale
“Norm Macdonald Live” video podcast
HPB.com

Podcast Attributions:
WTF Epsiode #219 w/ Norm Macdonald
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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 won as Best Actor for “Capote” in 2005. Today’s dead celebrity is Philip Seymour Hoffman. 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode features Michael Warburton as guest host, and was produced by Megan Palmer. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 44 “Inner Soprano” (James Gandolfini) and Episode 35 “Likable Villain” (Alan Rickman).

Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Philip Seymour Hoffman
Mimi O’Donnell’s Vogue article
Philip Seymour Hoffman on Charlie Rose in 2002
Top 10 Philip Seymour Hoffman performances
Bill Burr on Philip Seymour Hoffman
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
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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 directed the first four movies of the “Scream” franchise starring Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox. His most famous creation was the serial killer Freddy Krueger, who, with his razor-blade glove, haunted the dreams of teens in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Today’s dead celebrity is Wes Craven. 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode featured Morgan Honaker as guest host, and was produced by Evan Sherer. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 34 “Zombie Mastermind” (George Romero) and Episode 62 “Lord of Horror” (Christopher Lee). 

Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Wes Craven
Master of Cinema, Wes Craven documentary
1997 Charlie Rose interview with Wes Craven
Wes Craven interviews on Fresh Air archives
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 responded to a new drug treatment with a partial rebirth. In the film adaptation his character was played by Robin Williams. Today’s dead celebrity is Oliver Sacks

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer, and features guest host Nicholas Weiler. Play our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com and sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 26 “Wild Thing” (Maurice Sendak) and Episode 35 “Likable Villain” (Alan Rickman).

Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Oliver Sacks
Live interview with Radiolab’s Robert Krulwich
From Our Neurons to Yours podcast from Stanford Neuroscience
1989 PBS Newshour Profile of Oliver Sacks
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
Half Price Books
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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. His acting credits include “Blackboard Jungle,” “The Defiant Ones,” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Today’s dead celebrity is Sidney Poitier.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Play our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com and sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 43 “Poetic Justice” (Maya Angelou) and Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali). 

Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Sidney Poitier
Trailer for ‘The Defiant Ones’
“How many African Americans have won an Oscar in all of history”
“Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Fierce Resolve”
“When Sidney Poitier Risked His Life For Civil Rights”
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
Half Price Books
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices