Charles Shackleford could have been big.

He was a celebrated forward for NC State in the mid-1980s, with a promising career in the NBA. He played for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, with successful stints in the European basketball league in between. Unfortunately, several brushes with the law and an accusation of involvement with a point-shaving scandal kept stardom just out of Charles’ reach.

He is best remembered, however, for a quote from an interview while in college. He told a reporter: “I can shoot with my left hand, I can shoot with my right hand, I’m amphibious.” The quote haunted him for his entire professional career.

Charles was found dead in his home in North Carolina in January 2017. Charles had suffered an apparent heart attack. He was 50 years old.

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Paired with Mitch DeWood, comedian Marty Allen worked as an opening act for such popular stars as Sarah Vaughan, Eydie Gormé, and Nat King Cole. They played major clubs including the famous Copacabana in New York. The pair split in 1958 and Marty teamed up with singer Steve Rossi.

Allen and Rossi were wildly successful. They made upwards of 700 television appearances, including two of the four Ed Sullivan Shows on which The Beatles performed. Marty endeared himself to the February 16, 1964 audience by announcing that he was Ringo’s mother. Allen and Rossi recorded 16 albums and made a film in 1966 — a spoof of the popular spy genre. The duo remained active until 1968 when Marty’s often-mention wife “Frenchy” passed away. Devastated, he retired from show business and — amiably — broke up the act.

Marty returned to stage and screen after a few years, taking several dramatic roles, much to the surprise of his fans. He became a staple on television, with numerous appearances in sitcoms, anthologies late-night talk shows and game shows, including a regular stint on Hollywood Squares. He even reunited with Steve Rossi on several occasions.

Marty remarried in 1985 to singer-songwriter Karon Kate Blackwell. The couple performed all over Las Vegas as well as on cruise ships, where their act was very well received. Remaining low key about his personal life, Marty was quite the philanthropist, contributing generously to a number of charitable causes, including the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, Fight for Sight, Cerebral Palsy, and serving on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation. He also found the time to entertain US troops in military hospitals.

Marty was performing until 2016, when his health began to fail. He passed away at his Las Vegas home in 2018, just a few weeks prior to his 96th birthday.

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Virginia O’Brien was at the very top in the 1940s. She was featured in 17 films, most of which showcased her comedic ability and lovely singing voice. But, what made Virginia stand out among her contemporaries was her style. And her style was deadpan.

In numerous featured performances, whether fronting a big band or at the forefront of a musical number, Virginia employed a deadpan, unblinking, expressionless façade that eventually became her trademark. In films like The Big Store with The Marx Brothers, Panama Hattie and DuBarry was a Lady with Red Skelton, Virginia sang her heart out while barely moving a muscle…. and audiences ate it up. Virginia explained that this was a coping mechanism she used early in her career to combat a bad case of stage fright. She didn’t always sing in this manner, but it was always well received when she did. Her acting was as emotive and natural as her co-stars, but her singing style was her comedy secret weapon.

When her contract was unceremoniously dropped by MGM Studios, Virginia effortlessly moved on to television and live theater. In 1976, she appeared in the comedy film Gus for Walt Disney Pictures, but soon returned to the stage. She performed into the 1990s in a one-woman show, as well as in a touring production of the musical Show Boat and a stint in the popular The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies musical revue.

Virginia passed away in 2001 at the age of 81.

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Glenda Farrell was the epitome of the snappy-talking blonde, so popular in 1930s Hollywood. She was often cast as confident women in films, including I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang and Lady for a Day. She appeared alongside Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar and a succession of film noirs to great success.

In 1934, she was paired with fellow Warner Brothers player Joan Blondell for a series of comedy films. Once more, Glenda’s career met with more success, as the well-received pairing led to eight additional films.

In 1937, Glenda made the first of seven films portraying investigative reporter “Torchy” Blane. In the series, Glenda showed off her trademark rapid-fire delivery of dialogue. Paired with tough guy Barton MacClane as hard-nosed police detective “Steve McBride,” the two brought great chemistry to the big screen, securing a regular “second feature” spot for years. In later years, Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel cited “Torchy Blane” as his inspiration for “Lois Lane.”

In 1937, she was elected honorary mayor of North Hollywood, beating out Bing Crosby for the office. Originally intended as a publicity stunt, Glenda took the position seriously, setting the groundwork for the installation of a sewer system on Ventura Highway.

Glenda rode her success into the 40s, 50s and 60s, with stage roles, more film roles and parts on episodic television. She even appeared with her son Tommy in two films in 1964 — Kissin’ Cousins with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis in The Disorderly Orderly. She was coaxed out a brief retirement in 1968 to appear on Broadway in Forty Carats, a play which earned a Best Actress Tony Award for star Julie Harris. Glenda’s run in the play was cut short due to health issues. She was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her health deteriorated and Glenda passed away in 1971 at the age of 66.

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With a sketchy background story involving a family lineage link to Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi, Maila Nurmi moved from her native Massachusetts to New York to pursue an acting career. While seeking her “big break,” the striking and statuesque Maila posed for pin-up photos as well as for artists like Antonio Vargas and the notorious Man Ray. She landed a small role in a Broadway show alongside Mae West. West, however, fired Maila from the production as she felt she was being upstaged. Unfettered, Maila decided to head to Los Angeles.

While she sought out more acting roles, Maila worked a variety of jobs, including hat-check girl at a Sunset Strip club. She also found work in the chorus at the famed Earl Carroll Theatre, as well as a showgirl in a revue featuring stripper Lily St. Cyr. She also gave birth to a child from a secret affair with actor/director/producer Orson Welles, who was married to actress Rita Hayworth at the time. The child was put up for adoption.

Inspired by the lead character in cartoonist Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons, Maila conceived a character she dubbed “Vampira,” donning a long black wig over her pixie-cut blond hair and sporting a slinky black dress. She made appearances at local movie theater’s live “spook shows,” posing in a coffin and mingling with patrons for pictures. Entrepreneurial television producer Hunt Stromberg, Jr. was taken by Maila’s character and cast her to host late-night showings of old horror movies on KABC-TV. The Vampira Show premiered on May 1, 1954. It was an instant hit. The broadcast was so popular, Maila was asked to appear on variety shows, including Ed Sullivan and Red Skelton, on which she performed a skit with Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr.

After a year, KABC-TV canceled Maila’s show, although she retained the rights to the character and the name. She took her act to KHJ-TV, a competing LA station. Around this time, she famously appeared ― in character ― in Ed Wood’s infamous film Plan 9 From Outer Space. The character was so renowned, it was acknowledged as the inspiration for “Maleficent” in the 1959 Disney animated film Sleeping Beauty.

But, by the early 1960s, Maila found a new career ―installing linoleum flooring, as well as carpentry and manufacturing drapes. She also owned and operated and antique store and numbered members of Jefferson Airplane among her loyal customers.

In 1981, KHJ-TV contacted Maila with an idea of reviving the “Vampira” character. After much debate, Maila left the project over creative differences. She insisted on having actress/dancer Lola Falana play the role of Vampira. KHJ executives wanted local comedian Cassandra Peterson for the part. Peterson was hired without Maila’s consent. The character’s name was changed to “Elvira” to avoid a lawsuit. Maila sued anyway, but lost.

Not content to stay inactive, Maila tried her hand at music, entering the burgeoning punk rock scene with the band Satan’s Cheerleaders. Later, in the early 2000s, Maila ran a website out of her small Hollywood apartment, selling Vampira memorabilia and original pieces of art. She passed away in 2008 at the age of 85. Her grave marker at Hollywood Forever Cemetery bears a likeliness of her beloved Vampira.

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Everett Sloane was bitten by the acting bug in elementary school. But it wasn’t until a salary cut as a runner on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange prompted Everett to pursue acting as a career. His initial role as sidekick to title character Bulldog Drummond led to thousands of roles in radio. He latched onto a roles with the repertoire company The March of Time, acting alongside such future stars as Art Carney, Richard Widmark, Agnes Moorehead, Jeanette Nolan and Orson Welles. Welles had bigger visons and Everett followed him, joining up with the Mercury Theatre Players. He was cast in Welles’s epic Citizen Kane, as well as the impresario’s subsequent projects Journey into Fear, The Lady from Shanghai and Prince of Foxes.

Everett branched out to Broadway, as well. He appeared in numerous roles from the 30s until the 60s. He even composed songs for his final stage role in the musical revue From A to Z. Everett made the easy transition to television with guest appearances in dozens of series including a memorable turn in a first season episode of Twilight Zone playing a man tormented by his gambling addiction. Everett played “Andres Felipe Basilio” in a multi-episode story arc on the popular Zorro series. He was cast in Westerns and anthologies and even comedies like his cantankerous “Jubal Foster” in a 1962 episode of The Andy Griffith Show. Everett even wrote lyrics to the iconic whistled theme song for The Andy Griffith Show, although they were never used.

In films in the 50s and 60s, Everett played a variety of supporting roles including the remake of To Have and Have Not (entitled The Gun Runners) and several Jerry Lewis comedies. Harkening back to his radio days, Everett lent his voice to animated characters including Dick Tracy and assorted characters on Jonny Quest.

In 1965, after a diagnosis of glaucoma and fearing blindness, Everett committed suicide with an overdose of barbiturates. He was 55 years old.

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Tanya Roberts enjoyed a pretty successful career. Sure, she wasn’t a huge star and not even a household name, but she was more successful than a bunch of other starry-eyed hopeful actresses that you never heard of. Tanya began as a model, appearing as a pretty accompaniment to the products in commercials for toothpaste and headache relief medication. She was in a succession of schlocky horror films in typical femme fatale roles. She made a bunch of TV pilots that were never picked up. In the summer of 1980, Tanya beat out over 2000 anxious applicants for a role in the final season of the declining Charlie’s Angels. She would be replacing the departing Shelley Hack. Tanya debuted on the once-popular, now struggling detective series in November. The show was cancelled the following July. Soon after, Tanya was cast in a pair of fantasy films, the cult favorite The Beastmaster and the comic-based Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. The latter prompted an award for “The Worst Actress” by the satirical Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. In 1985, she was chosen for the role of geologist “Stacey Sutton” in the James Bond film, A View to a Kill. Tanya was the second choice for the part, after Priscilla Presley turned it down. After a glut of forgettable B-grade movies, Tanya landed a recurring part on the sitcom That 70s Show. She stayed with the show for several seasons, eventually leaving to care for her ailing husband.

On Christmas Eve 2020, Tanya experienced intestinal pain and had difficulty breathing. She had collapsed a few days earlier while walking her dog. She was rushed to the hospital and placed on a ventilator. On January 3, 2021, news outlets reported that Tanya had passed away. However, it was later clarified by her current partner, Lance O’Brien, that he had visited her and “said goodbye.” This was interpreted incorrectly, with the assumption that “goodbye” meant “final goodbye.” All news reports were quickly rescinded. Tanya was suffering from a blood infection aggravated by her previous history of Hepatitis C. She was taken off of life-support and passed away on January 4 at the age of 65 — this time for real.

Despite her modest successes as an actress, Tanya Roberts will most likely be remembered as the actress who died twice.

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