Celebrity picks for Derby Dead Pool 2004: W

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Born 10 February 1930 (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

Hollywood actor of "The Longest Day" fame, who went on to play Jonathan Hart in the TV series "Hart to Hart". Younger viewers may know him as Number Two out of the "Austin Powers" films (as pictured here). He did not, repeat not, push his wife Natalie Wood off a boat.

Dead As A Dodo

Waldheim, Kurt (Died in 2007)

Born 21 December 1918 (St. Andrä-Wördern, Austria)

Former president of Austria (1986-92), and before that Secretary-General of the United Nations (1971-1981). Ironically (or perhaps bafflingly, given his later position), after the Second World War he was wanted by the UN War Crimes Commission because of his involvement in Nazi atrocities committed in Bosnia while serving in the Wehrmacht. Perhaps we can look forward to Secretary-General Saddam Hussein in the not-too-distant future.

Time Is NOT On Our Side!

Walker, Johnnie

Born 30 March 1945 (Hampton-in-Arden, Birmingham, England)

DJ who started out on the pirate Radio Caroline in 1966, before moving to BBC Radio 1 not long after Caroline's demise. Since then he's been a continual presence on various stations, most recently presenting Radio 2's Drivetime Show. Born Peter Dingley, he announced in June 2003 that he was suffering from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Henry's Half-Dead Heroes

Wallach, Eli

Born 7 December 1915 (Brooklyn, New York, USA)

Prolific film actor, mainly playing supporting roles. Highlights: "The Magnificent Seven", "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", and Marilyn Monroe's last screen outing, "The Misfits". Lowlight: the risible final part of the "Godfather" trilogy. He has also maintained a continual presence on the stage throughout his film career.

Walters, Julie

Born 22 February 1950 (Birmingham, England)

Actress who achieved international recognition for her appearance alongside Michael Caine in 1983's "Educating Rita". British viewers are also familiar with her work as a sidekick of the middle-of-the-road comedienne Victoria Wood.

Dead As A Dodo

Westmoreland, William (Died in 2005)

Born 26 March 1914 (Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA)

General who was commander of the American troops during the Vietnam War until 1968, following which he became Chief of Staff of the US Army, before retiring in 1972.

Octopus of Odstock

Whitfield, June

Born 11 November 1925 (London, England)

Comedy actress, allegedly, who started out in radio in the 1950s and went on to work with most of the top comedians of her era. Was best known as the eponymous June in "Terry and June" before taking the role of Mother in the deeply unfunny "Absolutely Fabulous".

Lyn's Down and Under

Whitlam, Gough

Born 11 July 1916 (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Leader of the Australian Labor Party for ten years, and Prime Minister from 1972 to 1975, during which time he oversaw the abolition of conscription, the introduction of "Advance Australia Fair" as the national anthem, and the granting of full independence to Papua New Guinea. He was dismissed by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, amidst great controversy. He resigned from parliament in 1978 to become an academic.

Mr & Mrs Drummerboy

Widmark, Richard (Died in 2008)

Born 26 December 1914 (Sunrise, Minnesota, USA)

After a legendary silver screen debut as psychopathic villain Tommy Udo in 1947's "Kiss of Death", he went on to act in a wide variety of film roles, though by the 1980s was pretty much relegated to television.

Wiesenthal, Simon (Died in 2005)

Born 31 December 1908 (Buczacz, Poland; now part of the Ukraine)

Nazi concentration camp survivor who subsequently devoted his life after the war to bringing war criminals to justice, most notably Adolf Eichmann, who was living under an assumed name in Argentina. In 1977 he inaugurated the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an organisation dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and countering anti-semitism and racism.

Wilder, Gene

Born 11 June 1933 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)

Comic actor, screenwriter and director, noted for his collaborations with Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor. Underwent treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1999, apparently making a full recovery. Real name Jerome Silberman.

Mr C

Wilson, Colonel E. C. T. (Died in 2008)

Born 2 October 1912 (Isle of Wight, England)

As a Colonel in the Somiland Camel Corps, Wilson held out against Italian attacks for 5 days in 1940, despite being severely wounded and suffering from malaria. Missing after the battle, he was presumed dead and was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously, but later turned up as a PoW. E.C.T. = Eric Charles Twelved.

Whitaker's Choice

Windsor, Barbara

Born 6 August 1937 (Shoreditch, London, England)

Veteran actress of the tiresome "Carry On" films who went on to become Peggy Mitchell in the tiresome BBC soap "EastEnders". In the 1960s Babs, who changed her surname from Deeks at the time of the Queen's coronation, was also known for her off-screen connections to the Kray Twins.

Wing, Anna (Died in 2013)

Born 30 October 1914 (Hackney, London, England)

Played Lou Beale in the tiresome BBC soap "EastEnders", but was killed off before Peggy Mitchell's time.

Cefor Cat

Winter, Fred Fred Winter is no longer with us

Born 20 September 1926  (Andover, Hampshire, England)

Died 5 April 2004  (Swindon, Wiltshire, England)

Age at death: 77  (read death notice)

Champion steeplechase jockey who went on to become an equally successful racehorse trainer.

The Happy Desk

Winters, Shelley (Died in 2006)

Born 18 August 1922 (East St Louis, Illinois, USA)

Hollywood actress, born Shirley Schrift, who used to be Marilyn Monroe's roommate. Famed for her appearances on talk shows, she also had the misfortune to play opposite Michael Caine in the most overrated movie ever made: "Alfie".

The Vyrdolak

Wisdom, Sir Norman (Died in 2010)

Born 4 February 1915 (London, England)

Inventive and hilarious comic or poor man's Charlie Chaplin, depending on your viewpoint. The cloth-cap-wearing star of stage and screen was awarded a knighthood in 2000 and lives in the medieval theme park known as the Isle of Man.

Wise, Robert (Died in 2005)

Born 10 September 1914 (Winchester, Indiana, USA)

Worked as editor on the Orson Welles films "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons", before going on to direct such classics as "West Side Story", "The Sound of Music" and, er, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture".

Big Iain

Wood, Ronnie

Born 1 June 1947 (Hillingdon, Middlesex, England)

Guitarist who played with Jeff Beck and the Faces before becoming a permanent member of the Rolling Stones.

Ashes To Ashes Dust Or Bust

Wray, Fay

Born 10 September 1907  (Cardston, Alberta, Canada)

Died 8 August 2004  (New York, New York, USA)

Age at death: 96  (read death notice)

Forever to be remembered as the star of "King Kong" (playing the beauty, rather than the beast...), her career went downhill somewhat after the giddy heights of the Empire State Building. Various websites are quick to point out that she was a "partial vegetarian", though how that differs from anyone else who isn't a vegetarian is unclear. Oh, and they also mention that she was still driving a car when in her nineties. So we'd better do likewise.

Wyman, Jane (Died in 2007)

Born 4 January 1914 (St. Joseph, Missouri, USA)

No relation to ex-Rolling Stone Bill (she was born Sarah Jane Mayfield and subsequently adopted the surname Fulks), the former Oscar-winning Hollywood actress may be better known to children of the 1980s for her role as Angela Channing in the TV series "Falcon Crest". Apparently she and Regis Toomey hold the record for the longest screen kiss. Her daughter Maureen, from her marriage to a certain Ronald Reagan, died of cancer in 2001.

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