Tom Villard (1953 – 1994), US. Actor

b. November 19, 1953
d. November 14, 1994

American actor, best known for his leading role in the 1980s series "We Got it Made" as Jay Bostwick, as well as roles in feature films "One Crazy Summer", "Heartbreak Ridge", "My Girl", and "Popcorn".

Born Thomas Louis Villard in Waipahu Ewa, Hawaii, he grew up in Spencerport, New York. He has two brothers and one sister. After high school Tom attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania for two years. After college he moved to New York City. There he attended the Lee Strasburg Acting Studio and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Although his name wasn't instantly recognizable, Tom Villard's face was, as he appeared throughout his career on television, in feature films, and on stage around the country. He was featured in situation comedies, episodic tv series', and had leading roles in lower and mid-range budgeted features. At the peak of his career Villard was given featured supporting roles in big-budget studio fare, (such as Heartbreak Ridge, and My Girl). Toward the end of his life he had a recurring supporting role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and portrayed multiple characters in the tv episodics The Golden Girls and Baywatch.

Toward the end of his life, Tom Villard became one of the few actors in Hollywood in the early 1990s who chose to be open about his homosexuality, and the challenge of living with HIV and AIDS. In February 1994 Villard made an unprecedented appearance on the CBS tabloid-style news show Entertainment Tonight, admitting to "...more than 13 million viewers that he was gay, that he had AIDS, and that he needed some help."

Tom moved to Los Angeles in 1980. During Tom's film career he landed roles in numerous films and television shows. Tom passed away from AIDS related pneumonia, in Los Angeles, California.

Divine

b. October 19, 1945
d, March 7, 1988

Born Harris Glenn Milstead, Divine was an American actor, singer and drag queen, who was described by People magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century".

The fat fabulous drag queen, immortalized by director John Waters in such films as "Mondo Trasho", "Pink Flamingos", and "Female Trouble", once described himself as "just another man in a dress."

The New York Times said of Milstead's '80s films: 

"Those who could get past the unremitting weirdness of Divine's performance discovered that the actor/actress had genuine talent, including a natural sense of comic timing and an uncanny gift for slapstick." He was also described as "one of the few truly radical and essential artists of the century… [who] was an audacious symbol of man's quest for liberty and freedom." 

Since his death, Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly with those in the LGBT community, of which he was a part, being openly gay.

Divine died in his sleep in the Plaza Suites in Hollywood, shortly after the premiere of "Hairspray".

Films:

• Roman Candles (1966)
• Eat Your Makeup (1968)
• Multiple Maniacs (1970)
• Mondo Trasho (1970)
• Pink Flamingos (1972)
• Female Trouble (1974)
• Polyester (1981)
• Lust in the dust (1985)
• Trouble In Mind (1986)
• Hairspray (1988)
• Out of the Dark (1989)

July 25th: J. Warren Kerrigan, Silent Film Star

 b. July 25th 1879. 

d. June 9th, 1947

While little known today, Kerrigan had been a very popular silent film star, appearing in films for Essanay, Biograph, and later Universal. His typical character was a leading role as a modern, well-dressed man-about town. He nearly killed his career over a glib remark about his refusal to enlist in World War I.:

In May 1917, Kerrigan was nearing the end of a four-month long personal appearance publicity tour that had taken him across the United States and into Canada. At one of the final stops, a reporter for The Denver Times asked Kerrigan if he would be joining the war. Kerrigan replied:

"I am not going to war. I will go, of course, if my country needs me, but I think that first they should take the great mass of men who aren't good for anything else, or are only good for the lower grades of work. Actors, musicians, great writers, artists of every kind--isn't it a pity when people are sacrificed who are capable of such things--of adding to the beauty of the world."

He managed to salvage his reputation in 1923 with the lead role in The Covered Wagon. That success opened the doors to five more hit films in the next year, and with that his financial security was assured. He retired from filmmaking and lived with James Vincent. his devoted partner of forty years until Kerrigan died in 1947 at the age of 67."

Sources:

• Box Turtle Bulletin
• Wikipedia