Celebrity picks for Derby Dead Pool 2007: R

 

Raabe, Meinhardt (Died in 2010)
Born 2 September 1915  (Jefferson County, Wisconsin, USA)
Dwarf actor who played a Munchkin coroner in the original 1939 film version of "The Wizard of Oz".
[Picture of Meinhardt Raabe]

 

Radcliffe, Daniel
Born 23 July 1989  (Fulham, London, England)
Harry Potter. Now starring in a stage show where he takes his clothes off.
[Picture of Daniel Radcliffe]

 

Radziwill, Lee
Born 3 March 1933  (Southampton, New York, USA)
US socialite, younger sister of Jackie Onassis/Kennedy/Bouvier.
[Picture of Lee Radziwill]

 

Rainer, Luise
Born 12 January 1910  (Düsseldorf, Germany)
Actress - the first thesp to win two Oscars in consecutive years (1936 and '37).
[Picture of Luise Rainer]

 

Rajapaksa, Mahinda
Born 18 November 1945  (Weerakatiya, Hambantota, Sri Lanka)
Current President of Sri Lanka.
[Picture of Mahinda Rajapaksa]

 

Rajapakse, Gothabaya
Born in Weerakatiya, Hambantota, Sri Lanka  (exact date unknown)
Defence Secretary in the Sri Lankan government. Also just happens to be the brother of the country's president, Mahinda Rajapakse.
[Picture of Gothabaya Rajapakse]

 

Ramadan, Taha Yassin Taha Yassin Ramadan is no longer with us
Born in Mosul, Iraq  (exact date unknown)

Died 20 March 2007  (Baghdad, Iraq)

Age at death: 68  (read death notice)
Born 1938. Vice-President of Iraq from 1991-2003. Caught and handed over to the Allies in August 2003, sentenced to death in February 2007, and executed the following month.
[Picture of Taha Yassin Ramadan]

 

Ramone, Tommy
Born 29 January 1952  (Budapest, Hungary)
Last surviving member of the Ramones. Born Tamas Erdelyi.
[Picture of Tommy Ramone]

 

Rampling, Charlotte
Born 5 February 1946  (Sturmer, Essex, England)
Actress & former model.
[Picture of Charlotte Rampling]

 

Rampling, Godfrey (Died in 2009)
Born 14 May 1909  (Greenwich, London, England)
Athlete, a member of the gold medal winning 4x400m British relay team in the 1936 Olympics. Later an army officer & father of Charlotte.
[Picture of Godfrey Rampling]

 

Ramsay, Gordon
Born 8 November 1966  (Johnstone, Scotland)
Foul-mouthed ex-footballer, now a foul-mouthed celebrity chef.
[Picture of Gordon Ramsay]

 

Ramsay, Jack
Born 21 February 1925  (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
Former NBA basketball coach, most notably with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers. Reckoned to be one of the 10 greatest coaches of all time, but will that be enough to get him a UK obit?
[Picture of Jack Ramsay]

 

Randi, James
Born 7 August 1928  (Toronto, Canada)
Stage magician. Survived heart surgery in 2006, and is still performing.
[Picture of James Randi]

 

Rather, Dan
Born 31 October 1931  (Wharton, Texas, USA)
Long time news anchor for CBS News until 2005.
[Picture of Dan Rather]

 

Rausing, Hans
Born 25 March 1926  (Lund, Sweden)
Businessman, owner of Tetra Pak & one of the world's richest people.
[Picture of Hans Rausing]

 

Ray, Randy
Born 3 June 1979  (Arcadia, Florida, USA)
HIV-positive haemophiliac, whose parents fought a much-publicised court battle in 1987 for the right of him and his two (now deceased) brothers to continue to attend State school.
[Picture of Randy Ray]

 

Raymond, Paul (Died in 2008)
Born 15 November 1925  (Liverpool, England)
Pornographer, the man behind Razzle & Mayfair magazine. Now also a property developer.
[Picture of Paul Raymond]

 

Rayner, Claire (Died in 2010)
Born 22 January 1931  (Stepney, London, England)
Former nurse who went on to write about family health issues, becoming one of the UK's best-known agony aunts. She has also published a number of books about gardening as well as some fiction. Reportedly close to death in 2003 due to serious complications during surgery on a tendon, resulting in multiple organ failure, pneumonia and septicaemia.
[Picture of Claire Rayner]

 

Rea, Chris
Born 4 March 1951  (Middlesbrough, England)
Gravelly-voiced singer/songwriter of "The Road To Hell" fame.
[Picture of Chris Rea]

 

Reagan, Nancy
Born 6 July 1921  (New York, New York, USA)
Born Anne Frances Robbins, and subsequently nicknamed Nancy, the former First Lady took the surname Davis after her mother's remarriage. Apparently she gives her date of birth as 6 July 1923, though in reality it was two years earlier. She had a relatively short and uneventful career as an actress which ended when she married Ronnie in 1958. Since then she has been known for her anti-drugs campaigning and her dubious astrological beliefs.
[Picture of Nancy Reagan]

 

Reardon, Ray
Born 8 October 1932  (Tredegar, Wales)
Six-times world snooker champion.
[Picture of Ray Reardon]

 

Redgrave, Lynn (Died in 2010)
Born 8 March 1943  (London, England)
Member of the Redgrave acting dynasty: granddaugter of Roy Redgrave; daughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson; sister of Corin and Vanessa Redgrave; aunt of Natasha and Joely Richardson...to name but a few relatives. Her most famous role was probably the title character in 1966's "Georgy Girl".
[Picture of Lynn Redgrave]

 

Redgrave, Vanessa
Born 30 January 1937  (London, England)
Stage, TV & film actress, now the elder statesperson of the famous Redgrave acting dynasty.
[Picture of Vanessa Redgrave]

 

Reed, Lou (Died in 2013)
Born 2 March 1942  (Freeport, Long Island, New York, USA)
He of Velvet Underground fame.
[Picture of Lou Reed]

 

Reeves, Keanu
Born 2 September 1964  (Beirut, Lebanon)
Canadian actor, star of "The Matrix" and "Speed" amongst others.
[Picture of Keanu Reeves]

 

Reid, Frances (Died in 2010)
Born 9 December 1913  (Wichita Falls, Texas, USA)
Actress - played Alice Horton in the long-running US TV series "Days of Our Lives".
[Picture of Frances Reid]

 

Reid, John
Born 8 May 1947  (Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland)
Former Home Secretary and Labour MP for the Scottish constituency of Airdrie and Shotts.
[Picture of John Reid]

 

Reid, Mike Mike Reid is no longer with us
Born 19 January 1940  (Hackney, London, England)

Died 29 July 2007  (Marbella, Spain)

Age at death: 67  (read death notice)
Gravelly-voiced comedian & actor - first found fame through "The Comedians", but best known as Frank Butcher in "Eastenders" and as the unlikely presenter of kids' TV show "Runaround".
[Picture of Mike Reid]

 

Reilly, Charles Nelson Charles Nelson Reilly is no longer with us
Born 13 January 1931  (The Bronx, New York, USA)

Died 25 May 2007  (Los Angeles, California, USA)

Age at death: 76  (read death notice)
American movie actor and director, later an acting teacher and frequent guest on US TV chat and game shows.
[Picture of Charles Nelson Reilly]

 

Rendell, Ruth
Born 17 February 1930  (London, England)
Best-selling crime novelist, dubbed by the tabloids "The Queen of Crime".
[Picture of Ruth Rendell]

 

Renfro, Brad (Died in 2008)
Born 25 July 1982  (Knoxville, Tennesee, USA)
Another child star to struggle in adulthood, and has had problems with drug addiction for some time.
[Picture of Brad Renfro]

 

Renton, Lord David Lord David Renton is no longer with us
Born 12 August 1908  (London, England)

Died 24 May 2007  (Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England)

Age at death: 98  (read death notice)
Conservative MP for Huntingdon, 1945-79. Held the title of oldest member of the House of Lords from April 2004 until his death in May 2007.
[Picture of Lord David Renton]

 

Rice, Anne
Born 4 October 1941  (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)
Best-selling authoress of numerous works of horror fiction, usually with the words "Vampire" and/or "Blood" in their titles. The words "lard" and "pies" also seem to have been fairly familiar to her, as by January 2003 she weighed in at 18 stone (252 lbs). Suffering from shortness of breath and high blood pressure, she underwent a gastric bypass operation in that month.
[Picture of Anne Rice]

 

Richard, Cliff
Born 14 October 1940  (Lucknow, India)
Actor, singer, colostomy bag-wearer and insufferably smug Christian.
[Picture of Cliff Richard]

 

Richard, Little
Born 5 December 1932  (Macon, Georgia, USA)
Singer, songwriter & pianist, an early star of rock n' roll.
[Picture of Little Richard]

 

Richard, Wendy (Died in 2009)
Born 20 July 1946  (Middlesbrough, Cleveland, England)
TV actress who has appeared in many a British sitcom over the last 40 years, most notably in "Are You Being Served?" Since 1985 she has played Pauline Fowler in the BBC soap "EastEnders". She has had two brushes with cancer, most recently in 2002.
[Picture of Wendy Richard]

 

Richards, Keith
Born 18 December 1943  (Dartford, Kent, England)
The guitar-playing Rolling Stone with the distinctive death-warmed-up constitution.
[Picture of Keith Richards]

 

Richards, Michael
Born 24 July 1949  (Culver City, California, USA)
"Seinfeld" actor whose career took a nosedive when he racially abused audience members at a gig in 2006.
[Picture of Michael Richards]

 

Richey, Kenny
Born 3 August 1964  (Zeist, Netherlands)
Scottish/US inmate on Death Row since 1987, but whose case is complex and currently being looked into again by US courts.
[Picture of Kenny Richey]

 

Richie, Nicole
Born 21 September 1981  (Berkeley, California, USA)
Adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie, former best-friend-forever-until-I-fall-out-with-you to Paris Hilton, and utterly vapid reality TV star.
[Picture of Nicole Richie]

 

Rickles, Don
Born 8 May 1926  (New York, New York, USA)
Stand-up comedian, comic actor and talk show whore.
[Picture of Don Rickles]

 

Riley, Jack
Born 30 December 1935  (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
Actor, voice of Stu Pickles in "Rugrats", which might be enough these days to earn him a UK obit.
[Picture of Jack Riley]

 

Rivers, Joan
Born 8 June 1933  (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
Gruff-voiced, surgically-enhanced comedienne, talk show host and general all-purpose celebrity.
[Picture of Joan Rivers]

 

Rix, Brian
Born 27 January 1924  (Cottingham, Yorkshire, England)
Actor, mostly on stage, and charity worker. Younger brother of Sheila Mercier.
[Picture of Brian Rix]

 

Rizzuto, Phil Phil Rizzuto is no longer with us
Born 25 September 1917  (Hillside, New Jersey, USA)

Died 13 August 2007  (West Orange, New Jersey, USA)

Age at death: 89  
Former baseball player, turned baseball commentator.
[Picture of Phil Rizzuto]

 

Roach, Max Max Roach is no longer with us
Born 10 January 1924  (New Land, North Carolina, USA)

Died 16 August 2007  (New York, New York, USA)

Age at death: 83  (read death notice)
Jazz drummer of the 1950s and '60s; suffered from Alzheimer's.
[Picture of Max Roach]

 

Roache, William
Born 25 April 1932  (Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England)
TV actor, who, despite playing the part of Ken Barlow in "Coronation Street" since 1960, still manages to be more wooden than your average Ikea bookcase.
[Picture of William Roache]

 

Robert, Alain
Born 7 April 1962  (Valence, France)
The self-styled "French Spiderman". Nutcase who climbs up the outside of skyscrapers for the hell of it, without ropes or other safety equipment.
[Picture of Alain Robert]

 

Roberts, Jake 'The Snake'
Born 30 May 1955  (Gainesville, Texas, USA)
Another US professional wrestler.
[Picture of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts]

 

Roberts, Oral (Died in 2009)
Born 24 January 1918  (Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, USA)
Oddly- yet appropriately-named American TV evangelist.
[Picture of Oral Roberts]

 

Roberts, Pernell (Died in 2010)
Born 18 May 1928  (Waycross, Georgia, USA)
American television & film actor - "Bonzana", "Trapper John MD" etc.
[Picture of Pernell Roberts]

 

Robinson, Eddie Eddie Robinson is no longer with us
Born 13 February 1919  (Jackson, Louisiana, USA)

Died 3 April 2007  (Ruston, Louisiana)

Age at death: 88  
The most successful (or, as the Yanks would put it, "winningest") coach in American college football history. 
[Picture of Eddie Robinson]

 

Robinson, Marcus
Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA  (exact date unknown)
American Death Row inmate. Was due to be executed in January 2007, but received a stay of execution. Born in 1974.
[Picture of Marcus Robinson]

 

Robinson, Robert (Died in 2011)
Born 17 December 1927  (Liverpool, England)
Journalist & presenter on TV (original host of "Ask The Family") and radio (current host of "Brain of Britain").
[Picture of Robert Robinson]

 

Robson, Sir Bobby (Died in 2009)
Born 18 February 1933  (Sacriston, Co Durham, England)
Football manager who has taken charge of, among others, Ipswich Town, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Newcastle United and of course the English national side.
[Picture of Sir Bobby Robson]

 

Rockefeller, David
Born 12 June 1915  (New York, New York, USA)
Absurdly rich banker (of Chase Manhattan fame); son of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller Sr.
[Picture of David Rockefeller]

 

Roeder, Glenn
Born 13 December 1955  (Woodford, Essex, England)
Football manager, most recently at Newcastle United. Survived a brain tumour whilst in charge of West Ham United in 2003.
[Picture of Glenn Roeder]

 

Rogers, Kenny
Born 21 August 1938  (Houston, Texas, USA)
Bearded country & western singer.
[Picture of Kenny Rogers]

 

Rogers, Peter (Died in 2009)
Born 20 February 1914  (Rochester, Kent, England)
Producer of the "Carry On" films.
[Picture of Peter Rogers]

 

Rolt, Tony (Died in 2008)
Born 16 October 1918  (Bordon, Hampshire, England)
Former Grand Prix driver and Le Mans winner 1953. Also escaped from Colditz Castle, and later developed the four-wheel drive system for road cars. A pretty eventful life on the whole, it could be said.
[Picture of Tony Rolt]

 

Rooney, Andy (Died in 2011)
Born 14 January 1919  (Albany, New York, USA)
News commentator on the popular weekly American TV programme "60 Minutes".
[Picture of Andy Rooney]

 

Rooney, Mickey
Born 23 September 1920  (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
The young Joe Yule, Jr (as he was then named) had already appeared as Mickey McGuire in 50 short films by the time he was 13. He has followed a fairly busy acting schedule since then, but has never really regained the same recognition as an adult. He underwent surgery for a perforated colon in 1999, and had part of it removed, presumably leaving him with a semi-colon.
[Picture of Mickey Rooney]

 

Rooney, Wayne
Born 24 October 1985  (Liverpool, England)
Pug-faced star striker for Manchester United & England.
[Picture of Wayne Rooney]

 

Ros, Edmundo (Died in 2011)
Born 7 December 1910  (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad)
Musician, vocalist and band leader. Some call him the "King of Latin American Music". Others call him "Edmundo". He's known worldwide for his unique blend of modern and traditional Latin American music. Nice.
[Picture of Edmundo Ros]

 

Rose, Axl
Born 6 February 1962  (Lafayette, Indiana, USA)
Lead singer of Guns n' Roses.
[Picture of Axl Rose]

 

Ross, Diana
Born 26 March 1944  (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Motown diva, of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" fame. The former Supreme is no stranger to the law, and was recently busted for drink-driving.
[Picture of Diana Ross]

 

Ross, Marion
Born 25 October 1928  (Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA)
Experienced American actress, perhaps best known as Marion Cunningham in "Happy Days".
[Picture of Marion Ross]

 

Rossi, Francis
Born 29 May 1949  (Forest Hill, London, England)
Co-founder and lead singer of Status Quo.
[Picture of Francis Rossi]

 

Roussos, Demis
Born 15 June 1946  (Alexandria, Egypt)
Tent-sized Greek warbler.
[Picture of Demis Roussos]

 

Routledge, Patricia
Born 17 February 1929  (Birkenhead, Cheshire, England)
Actress & comedienne, forever remembered for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in "Keeping Up Appearances".
[Picture of Patricia Routledge]

 

Rowling, J. K.
Born 31 July 1965  (Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England)
Absurdly wealthy author of the Harry Potter books.
[Picture of J. K. Rowling]

 

Roy, Deep
Born in Nairobi, Kenya  (exact date unknown)
4'4" dwarf actor who played all of the Oompa-Loompas in Tim Burton's 2005 adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Born 1957.
[Picture of Deep Roy]

 

Rubinstein, Zelda (Died in 2010)
Born 28 May 1933  (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA)
Diminutive actress, best remembered as the eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the "Poltergeist" films.
[Picture of Zelda Rubinstein]

 

Ruesch, Hans Hans Ruesch is no longer with us
Born 17 May 1913  (Naples, Italy)

Died 26 August 2007  (Lugano, Switzerland)

Age at death: 94  (read death notice)
Racing driver, author and veteran anti-vivisection campaigner.
[Picture of Hans Ruesch]

 

Ruini, Camillo
Born 19 February 1931  (Sassuolo, Emilia-Romagna, Italy)
Italian Roman Catholic cardinal.
[Picture of Camillo Ruini]

 

Rule, Ja
Born 29 February 1976  (Queens, New York, USA)
Rapper who made his name through various collaborations with Jay-Z.
[Picture of Ja Rule]

 

Rumsfeld, Donald
Born 9 July 1932  (Evanston, Illinois, USA)
Gaffe-prone, highly controversial secretary of defence for both Gerald Ford & George W. Bush. Hence, he is both the youngest & the oldest person to have held the position.
[Picture of Donald Rumsfeld]

 

Rushdie, Salman
Born 19 June 1947  (Bombay (now Mumbai), India)
Novelist who ruffled so many feathers in his native India with his novel "Midnight's Children" that he was forced to leave the country. Clearly having learnt nothing from the experience, he went on to write "The Satanic Verses" in 1988, which was critical of the Islamic faith. It resulted in rioting, book-burning, and Ayatollah Khomeini declaring a fatwa (effectively a death penalty) on his ass. He has been in hiding ever since, and the fatwa was reaffirmed by the new Ayatollah in early 2005.
[Picture of Salman Rushdie]

 

Russell, Jane (Died in 2011)
Born 21 June 1921  (Bemidji, Minnesota, USA)
Well-endowed actress of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" fame.
[Picture of Jane Russell]

 

Russell, Willy
Born 23 August 1947  (Whiston, Merseyside, England)
Playwright & composer - "Educating Rita", "Blood Brothers", "Shirley Valentine".
[Picture of Willy Russell]

 

Ryder, Shaun
Born 23 August 1962  (Little Hulton, Greater Manchester, England)
Lead singer of the Happy Mondays from the end of the '80s to the mid-'90s. Now vocalist with Black Grape.
[Picture of Shaun Ryder]

Scoreboard | Team selections | Who's dead so far | DDP main page