(S02E02) "Supermarket checkout girl? The conversation must be stimulating." - Joan, to Paul, about his new girlfriend

It must be hard to deal with the death of an actor on a current show. Not just the death itself, of course, but how to deal with the fact that the actor won't be playing the character anymore. On some shows, one of the leads dies, and you're left with either replacing the character with another actor, ending the show completely, or having the character die on the show too. I didn't think Mad Men would even deal with the character of Pete's dad (played by Christopher Allport, who died in January), since he was only in one episode of the first season. They could have easily referred to him, sight unseen. But they've chosen to have him die in the American Airlines plane crash in Jamaica Bay, and this could actually prove to be an interesting catalyst for future Pete stories.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Christopher Allport: He was a veteran actor who most recently played Pete's father on Mad Men. He was a regular on such shows as Felicity, Days of Our Lives, and Commander-In-Chief, and also appeared in many other shows, including Without A Trace, Shark, NCIS, ER, 7th Heaven, Judging Amy, The Practice, JAG, Chicago Hope, Party of Five, Walker, Texas Ranger, Picket Fences, The X-Files, The Pretender, Quantum Leap, Hunter, China Beach, and many others. He died in an avalanche while skiing in California. He was 60.