TV Obits: Corey Allen, Jimmy Dean, Richard Dunn

We round up the television personalities, both from in front of the camera and behind it, who have recently passed away.

Corey Allen. He was probably best known for his role in the classic James Dean flick 'Rebel Without A Cause' (that's him with Dean above), but he also had a long career in television, both as an actor and a director. He appeared in shows like 'Bonanza,' 'Combat,' 'Dr. Kildare,' and 'Perry Mason,' and went on to direct tons of TV shows, including 'Star Trek: TNG,' 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,' 'Dallas,' 'Hunter,' 'Magnum, P.I.,' 'The Paper Chase,' 'Hill Street Blues,' 'Simon & Simon,' 'Police Story,' 'Cannon,' 'Barnaby Jones,' 'Hawaii Five-0,' and many others. He died in Los Angeles of Parkinson's Disease at age 75.

Jimmy Dean. You probably remember him from his appearances in hundreds of commercials over the years for his line of food products (not to be confused with the Jimmy Dean in that picture above!). But he was a country singer and actor too, appearing in such TV shows as 'Murder, She Wrote,' 'Fantasy Island,' 'Daniel Boone' and in movies like 'Diamonds Are Forever.' He died in Virginia at age 81.

Richard Dunn. You'd recognize Dunn if you saw him even if you didn't know the name. He was a character actor who was a mainstay on the Cartoon Network show 'Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job!' and appeared on other shows, including 'House,' 'Weeds,' and 'Nip/Tuck.' He died in Los Angeles at age 73.

Dorothy DeBora. She was one of the 'Our Gang' gang, and later went on to be a secretary at Republic Pictures. She passed away at the age of 85. Leonard Maltin has a nice obituary for her over at IndieWire.

Vince O'Brien. He was a veteran character actor who appeared in such TV shows as 'Law & Order' (playing Judge Franklin in several episodes), 'Ryan's Hope,' 'Dark Shadows,' 'Guiding Light' (he played Buzz's dad), and 'The Defenders.' He also appeared in the movies 'Quiz Show,' 'Annie Hall,' and 'Six Degrees of Separation.' O'Brien died in New Jersey at age 91.

Irwin Barker. He was a Canadian comic who wrote for such shows as 'This Hour Has 22 Minutes' and 'The Rick Mercer' and also made appearances on 'The Tonight Show.' He died at age 58 after a battle with cancer.

Steven Hodgson. He was a visual effects expert who worked on many movies and TV shows over the years, including 'The L Word.' He died of cancer after collapsing on the set of the new Starz show he was working on, 'Camelot.' He was 50.

Adriana Xenides. She was the Vanna White of the Australian version of 'Wheel of Fortune,' a post she held for over 20 years. She died of stomach problems at age 54.

Phil Gordon. He was a character actor who appeared in several TV shows over the years, including 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' 'Green Acres,' 'Petticoat Junction,' 'The Jackie Gleason Show,' and 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents.' He was also a dialogue coach on TV shows. He died at age 94.

Kristin Hoke. She was a veteran anchor and reporter for WPBF in West Palm Beach, FL. She died at age 42 after a battle with cancer.

Robert Wussler. He was a TV producer who worked with Ted Turner at CNN, TNT, and Turner Sports. He died in Connecticut at age 73.

Pennant Roberts. He directed episodes of several TV shows over the years, including the original 'Doctor Who,' 'Tenko,' 'Howard's Way,' 'Blake's 7,' and 'Survivors.' He died at the age of 69.

Tom Leahy, Jr. He played show host Major Astro on Kansas City station KARD from 1962 to 1973 (and again on KSAS in 1985). He died after open heart surgery. He was 87.

Also: we already told you about the passing of 'Golden Girls' star Rue McClanahan and TV theme song composer Allyn Ferguson.




If there is another TV person whose passing we miss, please let us know in the comments.