One of the really fun things about Disney shows and movies is how they can take movies and stories we know so well and twist them into new and unique stories. One of the best ways Disney did this was with its hit ABC show, Once Upon a Time. Once Upon a Time aired from 2011 until 2018, and told the story of a young woman, Emma Swann, who comes to the town of Storybrooke.
What Emma doesn’t know is that Storybrooke is hiding one heck of a secret. The town is a secret town that is full of fairy tale characters who don’t remember who they are. And Emma is the only one who can help break the curse.
Throughout its seven seasons, Once Upon a Time introduced viewers to dozens of classic characters, including the infamous Captain Hook and his sidekick, Smee. The dashing Colin O’Donoghue played Captain Hook and Smee was played by English-born Canadian actor, Chris Gauthier. Together, the two took Captain Hook and Smee to new heights.
Sadly, we have learned that Chris Gauthier passed away suddenly. He was just 48 years old.
Gauthier’s reps from TriStar Appearances confirmed his death to Entertainment Weekly and said that he died after a brief illness.
“As a beloved character actor, Chris shared his talents with so many of us both on television and in film. His loss is felt not just by his fans but by those of us who were lucky enough to know him more personally. On behalf of his family, we ask for privacy during this time so that they are able to grieve properly.”
After news of Gauthier’s death broke, O’Donoghue shared a heartfelt message.
Rest in Peace Chris! Heartbroken! My love and thoughts go out to Erin and the boys! You will be missed brother! You were the real captain!!
Chris Gauthier was born on January 27, 1976, in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. He began acting in his mid-twenties, landing his first role on the show Cold Squad. From there, he appeared in many hit films and television shows, including Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Watchmen (2009), Psych,When Calls the Heart, and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
He is perhaps most well-known for playing William Smee on Once Upon a Time and Winslow Schott/Toyman on the hit CW series, Smallville.
Gauthier leaves behind his wife Erin, and his two children, Ben and Sebastian.
“An exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life . . . “
tar Wars and Toy Story fans, as well as Hollywood today, are mourning the loss of a beloved actor whose career spanned almost 50 years and whose roles became icons in the film industry.
Actor Carl Weathers, the actor who starred as Apollo Creed in the first four films of the Rocky franchise, died on Thursday morning in his sleep, per an announcement from his family. He was 76 years old.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said in a statement. “He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1, 2024.
Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts, and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”
Some of Weathers’ most memorable roles included Apollo Creed in the Rocky films, Chubbs Peterson, the golf mentor and coach to Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore in the film of the same name, and Al Dillon in Predator (1987).
Chubbs’ backstory includes an alligator attack, during which the professional golfer lost his hand and had it replaced with a wooden hand. As such, he had to step away from his professional golf tour. The wooden replacement hand was at the center of Adam Sandler’s comedic prowess in scenes with Weathers during the film.
Per Deadline, Weathers was hurt while filming a stunt for Happy Gilmore:
[Weathers] was badly injured while filming a fall stunt during the Happy Gilmore shoot, leading to years of terrible pain. “I didn’t know it until years later, but I fractured two vertebrae, and osteophytes grew out and connected, and it did a kind of self-fuse in a really bad place,” he told GQ in a 2020 interview. “There were three or four years there where I was just in excruciating pain.”
Aside from his comedic role in the film, Weathers proved he could sing, too, at the end of Happy Gilmore, when he channeled his inner Carpenters, singing “We’ve Only Just Begun” in Heaven.
The famous actor also lent his trademark voice to the Combat Carl character in the 2013 made-for-television Toy Story special Toy Story of Terror, as well as in 2019’s Toy Story 4.
Weathers also starred opposite the bounty hunter Din Djarin, played by actor Pedro Pascal, as the High Magistrate Greef Karga, the head of the Bounty Hunters Guild in the Star Wars-inspired series for Disney+, The Mandalorian.
Weathers appeared in nine episodes of the series’ first three seasons, earning an Emmy nomination in 2021. He went on to direct two episodes in Season 2 and Season 3 of the Star Wars spinoff series.
Weathers will be greatly missed by his fans, his family, and his friends. Our sympathy, thoughts, and prayers are with all of those affected by his loss during this difficult time.
That memorable line was sung by Glynis Johns in Disney’s iconic 1964 film, Mary Poppins. In the film, Ms. Johns played Mrs. Winifred Banks, the loveable and feisty wife of the uptight banker, George Banks, and mother to Jane and Michael Banks. Throughout the film, Mrs. Banks goes along with what her husband says, but is always fighting for women to have more rights, especially when it comes to voting.
Sadly, we have just learned that Ms. Johns has passed away at the age of 100. According to her manager, Johns died of natural causes at the assisted living facility she was at in North Hollywood, California.
Mary Poppins was not the only time that Johns worked with Disney. She also starred as Mary Tudor in the 1953 Disney film, The Sword and the Rose. That same year, she appeared as Helen Mary MacPherson MacGregor in Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue.
Glynis Johns was the first Disney Legend to reach the age of 100, and is still the only Disney Legend to do so. The second — and with Johns’ passing — the oldest living Disney Legend is Johns’ Mary Poppins co-star, Dick Van Dyke. Van Dyke turned 98 years old on December 13. In Mary Poppins, Van Dyke starred as Bert the chimney sweep.
Glynis Margaret Payne Johns was born in Pretoria, South Africa on October 5, 1923. Johns was born into a very theatrical family — her mother was a renowned violinist and her father was a well-respected actor.
In addition to being a very talented actress, Johns was also an incredible dancer. Before she was even eleven years old, Ms. Johns had amassed dozens of gold medals from dance competitions. She even had a degree to teach ballet by the age of 10 — yes, 10! She gained national recognition when she starred as Peter Pan in the stage adaptation.
Johns was selected for the role of Mrs. Banks by Walt Disney himself, a decision he was praised for. Film critic Leonard Maltin said that Johns’ “lights up the screen.” and “makes every minute count.”
Johns turned 100 back in October and, when asked about what it was like to celebrate such a milestone birthday, she gave what may be one of the cheekiest responses possible. She said, “It doesn’t make any difference to me. I’ve looked good at every age.”
A famous Disney actor who appeared in more than 130 productions during his lifetime has died at the age of 95, leaving behind an enormous and far-reaching legacy, quite literally.
When it comes to a career as a Hollywood actor and performer, the goals are often simple: make an impression, make a mark, leave a legacy. And since the birth of the film and television industry, countless actors, actresses, and other performers have accomplished those goals, though by varying methods with varied performances and varying degrees of success.
Occasionally, there are actors and actresses who are capable of making their mark in Hollywood while never sacrificing their personal lives and families, and those individuals have a rare talent indeed, and one Disney actor who passed away only days ago was one of those individuals.
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland, better known as actor Joss Ackland, was born on February 29, 1928, in London. He attended London’s Central School of Speech and Drama, and shortly thereafter, at the young age of 17, Ackland made his acting debut in The Hasty Heart in 1945.
As part of his acting career, Ackland appeared alongside other memorable actors in the business, including Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, and Dame Judi Dench, whose voice can be heard as the narrator in the Spaceship Earth attraction at EPCOT at Walt Disney World.
The acclaimed English actor enjoyed nonstop acting opportunities in the 1960s and 1970s, and over the course of his decades-long career, Ackland appeared in more than 130 radio, television, and film roles, including some for Walt Disney Pictures. According to BFI, Ackland “had a fine line in villainy and accents over many decades of memorable supporting turns in film and television.”
In 1979, he worked on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a television special in which he played a sports journalist and British spy. But his career wasn’t over yet, as he continued to build on his acting prowess throughout the 1980s, during which he enjoyed some of his most memorable roles, including those in The Sicilian, Lethal Weapon 2, The Hunt for Red October with Sean Connery, and White Mischief.
He also played the role of author CS Lewis in the made-for-television iteration of Shadowlands before it was turned into a stage play and then a theatrical film in which Sir Anthony Hopkins played the same role. In addition to his film and television roles, Ackland, known for his warm and rich-toned voice, lent that voice to numerous television commercials for Yellow Pages, The Kellogg Company, and others, which aired in Great Britain.
To Disney fans, Ackland will best be remembered for embodying the role of Hans, the owner of the Mighty Ducks hockey team in The Mighty Ducks film franchise, which starred actor Emilio Estevez. The series includes The Mighty Ducks (1992), D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994), D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996), and a television show titled The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
And while Ackland will long be remembered for his contributions to the stage, film, television, and radio, it’s the personal legacy he leaves behind that’s perhaps the most impressive.
Joss Ackland married Rosemary Kirkcaldy on August 18, 1951. He was 23 years old, and she was one year his junior. When she died in 2002, the couple had been blissfully married for 51 years, and Ackland was quoted as saying that though his work saw him traveling often, he and his wife were rarely apart.
Together, Joss and Rosemary had seven children. Ultimately, the English actor became a grandfather of 34 and a great-grandfather of 30, and there’s just something about those achievements that seems to trump even Ackland’s more than 130 performances as part of his decorated career.
Ackland died on November 19, 2023, and our sympathy extends to those who knew and loved him best.
Many of us Disney fans like to think of ourselves as experts regarding topics such as Walt Disney, Disney Parks, and perhaps even the Walt Disney Company. But there are some whose entire lives revolve around the love and expertise of the Disney brand.
One of these legendary experts was Jim Korkis (AKA Wade Sampson) – a famous author and Disney historian. His work includes nearly two dozen books about Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Walt Disney (the man himself). Jim Korkis’ best-selling and most famous works include The Vault of Walt, Secret Stories of Disneyland, Secret Stories of Disneyland: Things You Never Knew You Never Knew, and Who’s Afraid of The Song of the South and Other Forbidden Disney Stories.
An accident in February sent the Disney historian to the hospital, where doctors discovered various severe health problems. Doctors found that Jim desperately needed a quadruple bypass and had stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver.
Despite a hard fight against cancer, including chemotherapy, Jim Korkis could not beat the disease. It was announced on July 28 that Jim Korkis passed away at 72 years old.
It is confirmed that Disney historian Jim Korkis has sadly passed away today. It will be very difficult for any animation historian or Disney historian to reach his level of expertise. I still cherish his book on How to be a Disney Historian. He will be missed for sure. pic.twitter.com/c18mpw89bw
Mark Goldhaber, the organizer of a GoFundMe campaign designed to help with the Korkis’ household and medical bills, shared the news on Facebook.
Friends, I am heartbroken to have to inform you that our friend Jim Korkis passed away this morning. He was unresponsive this morning at the rehab center and was transported to the hospital. His brother Mike was able to arrive a few minutes before Jim passed. While Jim could not respond, Mike said that Jim appeared to be able to hear him, and he was able to talk to Jim for those last few minutes.
Jim had been feeling good this week, and there really was no indication that things would take a turn for the worse. He did not appear to be in pain, and went quickly and quietly as he had wished.
There will be a memorial for Jim at a date and time to be determined. It will be held via Zoom so that those elsewhere in the US or overseas can attend. We’ll publicize the details once it’s set, but for now Mike needs to focus on taking care of the necessary details.
To those of you who contributed to this GoFundMe, THANK YOU! Your contributions and messages of support gave life and light to Jim over these last several weeks. He was astonished to see how many people loved him. The remaining balance will be used to help pay off his final medical bills.
As I get more information from Mike, I will share it. In the meantime, thank you all for your support.
Thanks, Mark
The GoFundMe account raised over $40,000 from family, friends, and Disney fans to help Jim’s battle. Any amount not used to aid in his fight will help pay Jim’s final medical bills.
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