Celebrity picks for Derby Dead Pool 2004: S

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Sagan, Françoise  Born 21 June 1935  (Cajarc, France) Died 24 September 2004  (Honfleur, France) Age at death: 69  (read death notice) French novelist and dramatist who swapped her real surname (Quoirez) for one out of Proust. Her first and most famous novel, "Bonjour Tristesse", was adapted into Otto Preminger's 1957 film of the same name starring Deborah Kerr and David Niven. More recently her friendship with the late François Mitterrand came under the spotlight during the investigations into the Elf corruption scandal: she was said to have received the equivalent of nearly a million pounds from someone called Dédé the Sardine in exchange for persuading the former French president to intervene in the matter of oil concessions in Uzbekistan. Her reputation was also tarnished by the small matter of a court conviction for evading over €800,000 worth of taxes. She had nine operations resulting from a broken thigh. Otis, You Want A Treat?

Salinger, J. D. (Died in 2010) Born 1 January 1919  (New York, New York, USA) Writer of (for the most part) short stories, whose only novel - "Catcher in the Rye" (1951) - is the basis of his literary reputation. The same novel was also famous as being the book that Mark Chapman was holding when he murdered John Lennon. Rumours that Salinger (who hasn't published anything since 1965) is in fact the same person as the similarly reclusive Thomas Pynchon (author of novels such as "V" and "Gravity's Rainbow", all published since 1965) are, sadly, unfounded. JD = Jack Daniels. Actually, that's not true: it's really Jerome David. Ashes To Ashes Dust Or Bust Cefor Cat Time Is NOT On Our Side!

Sallis, Peter Born 1 February 1921  (Twickenham, Middlesex, England) Comic actor who played Norman Clegg in the British TV series "Last of the Summer Wine". More recently he has provided the voice of Wallace out of "Wallace & Gromit". Beans

Santo, Ron (Died in 2010) Born 25 February 1940  (Seattle, Washington, USA) Former star of the Chicago Cubs (that's baseball, for anyone who's not sure). He has suffered from diabetes his whole life (organising many fundraising activities for related charities), and has had to have both legs amputated. Mr C

Saunders, Dame Cicely (Died in 2005) Born 22 June 1918  (Barnet, Hertfordshire, England) Founder of the Hospice movement, which provides care for patients with incurable diseases. Whitaker's Choice

Savile, Sir Jimmy (Died in 2011) Born 30 October 1926  (Leeds, Yorkshire, England) Former DJ, presenter of "Top of the Pops", and most famously, the cigar-wielding, shellsuit-wearing presenter of his own TV show for kids, "Jim'll Fix It". Cefor Cat

Schmeling, Max (Died in 2005) Born 28 September 1905  (Klein-Luckow, Brandenburg, Germany) Heavyweight boxing champion from 1930 to 1932 (in fact for just two fights). At one stage he was close to Hitler and was happy to be regarded as an Aryan role-model; though later it seemed that matters were not so clear-cut, after it emerged that he had sheltered two Jewish teenagers in his hotel room during Kristallnacht. Managed to KO Joe Louis in 1936; but lost the 1938 rematch, which the media took to symbolise the defeat of fascism by democracy. Deathlist.net Eat My Dust  Jesus Jones Mr C Naked Florida Gravediggers

Schumacher, Michael Born 3 January 1969  (Hürth-Hermülheim, Cologne, Germany) Ralf's smarter older brother, who has won the Formula 1 world championship enough times to drain the EU champagne lake dry. Lives in Switzerland, and apparently his favourite drink is apple juice mixed with sparkling water. Life in the fast lane! Ferret's Foragers

Schwarzkopf, Norman (Died in 2012) Born 22 August 1934  (Trenton, New Jersey, USA) US Army general who coordinated Operation Desert Storm during Gulf War I. After his retirement, Stormin' Norman wrote his autobiography and did voiceovers for TV programmes about the military. In 2003, many were surprised to find him an outspoken critic of Gulf War II. Dave's Dead, Aye Dead Drunk

Searle, Ronald (Died in 2011) Born 3 March 1920  (Cambridge, England) Cartoonist, illustrator of the original "St. Trinian's" books, and former prisoner of war. His work is arguably indistinguishable from that of Gerald Scarfe and Ralph Steadman, though Searle can unarguably claim to have come first. Big Iain

Serota, Nicolas Date and place of birth unknown Director of the Tate Gallery since 1988, and general art establishment figurehead. He was knighted in 1999. Peter 'RIP' Trait

Sewell, Brian Date and place of birth unknown Outspoken conservative art critic who writes for the London Evening Standard and doesn't like northerners. Or women. Peter 'RIP' Trait

Shanley, Paul Born 25 January 1931  (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) Former Roman Catholic priest, arrested in May 2002 on charges of sexually abusing and raping children. His superiors, as in many previous cases of paedophilia involving RC clergymen, are alleged to have ignored his behaviour. The Raven

Sharif, Omar Born 10 April 1932  (Alexandria, Egypt) Actor and bridge-player who will probably be remembered for his roles in the David Lean epics "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr Zhivago", rather than his role in headbutting a French policeman in 2003. Real name: Michael Shalhoub. Time Is NOT On Our Side!

Sharp, Mitchell  Born 11 May 1911  (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) Died 19 March 2004  (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) Age at death: 92  (read death notice) Canadian politician. A former Liberal cabinet minister, he was more recently an advisor to Jean Chrétien (who stepped down as prime minister at the end of 2003). Octopus of Odstock

Shatner, William Born 22 March 1931  (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) Actor who will forever be known as Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise, playing the character in the original "Star Trek" series and reprising the role in seven of the films and various related spin-offs. He also played T. J. Hooker and wrote his own series of science-fiction novels, "TekWar", which were subsequently adapted for TV. Once recorded a highly amusing cover of "Mr Tambourine Man". Mr & Mrs Drummerboy

Shaw, Artie  Born 23 May 1910  (New York, New York, USA) Died 30 December 2004  (Los Angeles, California, USA) Age at death: 94  (read death notice) Former clarinettist and bandleader of the swing era, who later turned to writing fiction. Born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky, he was married to eight women, including Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. Deathlist.net

Shaw, Sandie Born 26 February 1947  (Dagenham, Essex, England) Singer who adopted a ludicrous pseudonym, shunned footwear, and had a few hits in the 1960s (her real name is Sandra Goodrich). Since then she has basically disappeared off the radar, though 1984's "Hand in Glove" heralded a very brief revival, courtesy of The Smiths. In 1996 she set up the Arts Clinic, which is a sort of Betty Ford outreach service. The Driller Killer

Sheen, Martin Born 3 August 1940  (Dayton, Ohio, USA) Actor of Irish and Spanish ancestry whose most notable roles have included Captain Willard in the classic film "Apocalypse Now" and the President in TV series "The West Wing". Father of Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez (Martin Sheen's real name is Ramon Estevez, while Charlie's is Carlos), he is constantly getting busted for his leftist political protests. Dead As A Dodo

Sheikh, Omar Born in London, England  (exact date unknown) Born in 1973, and went to school with Nasser Hussain, but chose to become an Islamic terrorist rather than lead a frustratingly bad cricket team, and left Britain in 1992. By 1994 he was in a Pakistani prison, but was released in 1999 as part of a hostage deal. He masterminded the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002, and was captured and sentenced to death in July of that year by a court in Hyderabad. Bob Mugabe’s Swingtime Band

Sheldon, Sidney (Died in 2007) Born 11 February 1917  (Chicago, Illinois, USA) Best-selling author (e.g. "The Doomsday Conspiracy") and Oscar-winning screenwriter (e.g. "The Bachelor"). He also created the TV series "Hart to Hart", which appears to be cursed, given this year's Dead Pool picks of its creator and two stars (Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers). Octopus of Odstock

Shevardnadze, Eduard Born 25 January 1928  (Manati, Lanchkhuti, Georgia) Former KGB official and Soviet foreign minister who became leader of the Republic of Georgia following the break-up of the USSR. Initially popular, he was finally forced to resign the presidency at the end of 2003, following huge public protests. Rude Kid

Sihanouk, King (Died in 2012) Born 31 October 1922  (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) Crowned King of Cambodia in 1941, but then abdicated 14 years later - in favour of his father. However, he subsequently became prime minister and was elected head of state in 1960 - only to be overthrown by a coup in 1970. Five years later the Khmer Rouge took control, and Sihanouk was head of state once more. But whaddaya know, almost immediately he'd been forced out of office. Then what happens? In 1982 he teams up with the Khmer Rouge (after they've been booted out by the Vietnamese) and becomes president in exile of the government of Democratic Kampuchea. He returned to Cambodia in 1991, and two years later, guess what? He's reinstated as King of Cambodia. Thoughout all of this, he somehow found the time to direct, produce and score 28 films. The saxophone-playing Tom Jones fan suffers from diabetes, heart problems, and colon cancer. Drunkasaskunk

Silva, Henry Born 15 September 1928  (Brooklyn, New York, USA) Actor who has appeared in numerous American and European films, such as "The Manchurian Candidate" and the original "Ocean's 11", as well as futuristic TV series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". The Vyrdolak

Simon, Simone (Died in 2005) Born 23 April 1910  (Béthune, France) Actress who appeared in Jean Renoir's "La Bête humaine" (1938) but who is probably better remembered for the original "Cat People" (1942); though she had nothing to do with the "sexed up" remake of 1982. Octopus of Odstock

Smith, Ian (Died in 2007) Born 8 April 1919  (Selukwe, Southern Rhodesia) Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964-79. He made a unilateral declaration of independence from the UK in November 1965, but few countries (not even South Africa) recognised the new state. In the late '70s, he was forced to enter negotiations with the Zapu and Zanu parties; these led to the creation of Zimbabwe. Was defeated in the first multi-racial elections by Robert Mugabe. Bob Mugabe’s Swingtime Band

Smith, Liz Born 11 December 1925  (Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England) A latecomer to the world of TV/film acting, who didn't get her first screen role until the age of 45. Now specialises in playing batty old ladies and appearing on camp chat shows (An Evening with Lily Savage, So Graham Norton) as...er...a batty old lady. Cefor Cat

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander (Died in 2008) Born 11 December 1918  (Kislovodsk, Russia) Exiled from the USSR for 20 years, the massively-bearded dissident writer and winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature eventually returned home to Russia after the fall of communism. He was operated on for a tumour in the 1950s while at a labour camp in Kazakhstan, and was reportedly "near death" in 1953. Admitted to hospital at the end of 2002 amid speculation that he had suffered a stroke, it was revealed early in 2003 that he was simply being treated for high blood pressure. StuPerks

Sperber, Wendie Jo (Died in 2005) Born 15 September 1962  (Hollywood, California, USA) Actress who played Amy Cassidy in the TV series "Bosom Buddies". She also played Marty McFly's sister Linda in "Back to the Future" and "Back to the Future Part III", though missed out on the work of genius that was the second part of the trilogy. A breast cancer sufferer, she recently founded the cancer support charity weSPARK. Naked Florida Gravediggers

St Laurent, Yves (Died in 2008) Born 1 August 1936  (Oran, Algeria) One of the leading figures in twentieth-century fashion, who started out working for Christian Dior at the age of 17, and went on to set up his own label in 1962. He is credited in particular with revolutionising women's fashion in the 1960s. Retired early in 2002, explaining that he had been "battling ill health and depression" for many years. Not surprising when you consider that he reportedly used to get through 150 cigarettes and 20 cans of soft drink a day. Ed K I'm Feeling Better...

Stanton, Harry Dean Born 14 July 1926  (West Irvine, Kentucky, USA) Versatile character actor who has appeared in films such as "The Green Mile", "Repo Man" and "Paris, Texas." He also sings and plays guitar in his own band. Cefor Cat

Starkey, Lee Born 17 November 1970  (Hammersmith, London, England) Daughter of Ringo Starr, who has undergone treatment for two brain tumours. Nominally in the fashion business, though at one time she worked at Tower Records in London. Otis, You Want A Treat?

Steele, Tommy Born 17 December 1936  (Bermondsey, London, England) British entertainer, born Thomas Hicks. He enjoyed massive success with a singing career in the 1950s, before moving into acting in the 1960s. Are You Here About The Penguins? Vassili Zaitsev

Steinbrenner, George (Died in 2010) Born 4 July 1930  (Rocky River, Ohio, USA) American businessman who owns the New York Yankees baseball team. In 1974 he was fined $20,000 in connection with the Watergate scandal. Ben Affleck once described him as "the center of evil in the universe" - though the fact that Affleck is a die-hard Red Sox fan may have something to do with this view. Naked Florida Gravediggers

Stewart, Rod Born 10 January 1945  (Highgate, London, England) Past-his-prime rock star who pays young blondes to pretend to like him. Best-known hits include "Maggie May", "You Wear It Well" and the mildly sickening "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Far superior, though, is the classic "Stay With Me", which he co-wrote and recorded while a member of The Faces. Underwent surgery in 2000 after suspected thyroid cancer. Siegfried Baboon

Streisand, Barbra Born 24 April 1942  (Brooklyn, New York, USA) Actress, screenwriter, producer, director, singer and gay icon. Lyn's Down and Under

Stuart, Gloria (Died in 2010) Born 4 July 1910  (Santa Monica, California, USA) Hollywood actress who had a prolific career during the 1930s and 1940s, following which she retired. However, she returned to acting in the 1970s and has appeared in numerous films since, most notably the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic". Octopus of Odstock

Sugden, Mollie (Died in 2009) Born 21 July 1922  (Keighley, Yorkshire, England) Played Mrs Slocombe in British sitcom "Are You Being Served?" (With Frank Thornton also on his team, Jesus Jones is clearly not a fan.) Jesus Jones

Suharto (Died in 2008) Born 8 June 1921  (Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia) Former president of Indonesia, whose family are constantly embroiled in allegations of corruption (particularly his son Tommy, who was jailed for 15 years in 2002 for murdering a supreme court judge). Rarely seen in public nowadays, he has had numerous health problems in recent years, involving several strokes and various kidney, liver and heart complaints, although it has been suggested that these were invented to avoid having to turn up in court. Like many Indonesians, he only uses one name. Mr C Bob Mugabe’s Swingtime Band One Foot In The Grave Siegfried Baboon

Sykes, Eric (Died in 2012) Born 4 May 1923  (Oldham, Lancashire, England) Comic actor who has also written and directed a number of silent films (most recently "The Big Freeze" in 1993, in which he starred alongside Bob Hoskins). Like numerous other comics of his generation, he started out by entertaining the troops during World War II. Those glasses he wears aren't for his eyesight - apparently they serve only to disguise a bone-conduction hearing aid. Alison The Assassin Are You Here About The Penguins? Ed K The Happy Desk Jaguar X-types

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