Last Call-Science Fiction and Horror Passings...

With the high-profile passings of such luminaries as Paul Newman and visual effects artist Stan Winston, some lesser knowns who appeared in science fiction and fantasy venues have recently died with little notice. Here's a quick review of some of them.

George Furth, known from his role as the railcar clerk in Butch Cassiday and the Sundance Kid whose refusal to open up leads the outlaws to dynamite the door...and the car...and the money. Also played the suspect in The Boston Strangler who talked himself into the beds of hundreds of women with non-stop patter. leading to accusations of rape by the confused victims; reportedly drawn from Albert DiSalvo's own experiences so he would remain sympathetic when revealed as the multiple-personality strangler. Numerous TV and film roles include genre work in "Night Gallery", "Batman", "Salvage-I"s pilot about junk dealer Andy Griffith flying to the moon to salvage space vehicles, and Oh God. Frequent collaborator with Stephen Sondheim.

Kim Chan, about 91. Actor with several notable character roles including as "The Ancient" in the mystically-slanted 1990 syndicated series "Kung Fu-The Legend Continues" in which David Carradine starred as Kwai Chan Caine, same-named grandson of the protagonist of the original "Kung Fu," as a food vendor in a flying junk in The Fifth Element, and as the gangster, Uncle Bennie, in Lethal Weapon 4. Other genre work included The Devil's Advocate. Died in Brooklyn, Oct 5, 2008.

Christopher Wicking, 65. Screenwriter, noted for Hammer and AIP films including The Oblong Box, Scream and Scream Again, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Cry of the Banshee, Blood of the Mummy's Tomb, Demons of the Mind, and the late Richard Widmark and Christopher Lee starrer To the Devil a Daughter. Died Oct. 13, 2008 of a heart attack at his home in France.

Jack Narz, 85. TV game show host known to genre fans as the announcer on "The Adventures of Superman" and "Space Patrol." Died Oct. 15, 2008 of complications following two strokes.

Nathan Davis, 91. Turned actor in late life, best known as the chilling Rev. Henry Kane in Poltergeist 3, succeeding the late Julian Beck. Also appeared in about 30 other films and TV shows. Died Oct. 15, 2008.

Michael Pate, 88. Prolific character actor, one of the classic "you know him when you see him," perhaps best remembered as Sierra Charriba, whose depradations motivate the unofficial Mexican incursion by American soldiers in Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee. It was a not untypical type of role for Pate, often playing a villain in his more than 150 films and TV shows. Other genre roles included The Howling III, Tower of London, "The Time Tunnel," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," and "Batman." The Australian native (he played an Australian coastwatcher in PT-109) died Sep. 1, 2008 of respiratory failure.

Paul Sorenson, 82. Played the captain of the merchant vessel in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Prolific character actor whose genre roles include Westworld and Chamber of Horrors and on TV in "The Invaders," "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" (twice as a cop, once in the episode with the Indian rakshasa) , and "My Favorite Martian." Died Jul 17, 2008.