Robin Wood, a one-time English teacher who became a prominent film critic, has passed away at age 78. The native born Brit who spent much of his life in Canada, is credited for being one of the first writers to argue the brilliance of Alfred Hitchcock's work during an era in which mainstream critics largely regarded him as simply an entertainer who created fun, but gimmicky thrillers. Wood's 1965 book Hitchcock's Films was long regarded as the first serious analysis of the director's work. He went on to write major works about the films of Arthur Penn, Ingmar Bergman and Howard Hawks. In his personal life, Wood initially lived as a straight man and fathered several children. In the 1970s, he came out of the closet and his work reflected his dedication to gay rights and left-wing political causes. Wood once said that the primary reason for writing about film was as a tool for advancing social justice. For more click here

Arnold Stang, who created the on-screen persona of a mild-mannered nerd in classic comedy routines, has died at age 91. Stang rose to fame playing a wise-cracking stage hand on Milton Berle's show in the 1950s and quickly became a popular character actor in the Golden Age of Comedy. He provided voice-over work for numerous shows and commercials, and did the voice of Top Cat in the popular 1960s animated series. Stang also appeared in feature films such as The Man with the Golden Arm opposite Frank Sinatra. However, for retro movie lovers, he will be forever linked with Stanley Kramer's 1963 epic comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in which he and Marvin Kaplan play ill-fated garage owners who have the misfortune of encountering both Jonathan Winters and Phil Silvers on the opening day of their business. The resulting scenario leads to Winters' wholesale destruction of their business in what many consider to be the film's most hilarious sequence. For more on Stang, click here

Connie Hines, who co-starred as Alan Young's wife in the classic Mister Ed TV series, has passed away at age 78. Hines played the perky young woman who indulged her husband's obsession with his pet horse Ed - without ever knowing that the animal could not only talk, but act as adviser to her spouse. (For Nick Thomas' interview with Alan Young about the making of the TV series, click here)For more on Connie Hines' life and career click here

Screen writer Dan O'Bannon has died at age 63 following a decades long battle with Crohn's Disease. He specialized in science fiction and penned the screenplays for the blockbuster hits Alien and Total Recall. Other credits include Blue Thunder, Heavy Metal and Lifeforce. For more click here

Many retro movie lovers (including us) didn't realize that sultry Italian actress Rosanna Schiaffino had passed away in October at age 69 after a long battle with cancer . Schiaffino provided plenty of sex appeal for both European films and major Hollywood productions before she retired from the industry in the 1970s. Her tempestuous personal life rivaled any of the melodrama and scandal found in Italian films of the period. Her English-language films include Two Weeks in Another Town, El Greco, The Man Called Noon and Arrivederci, Baby!  Click here to read more about her life and career. 

Actress Brittany Murphy, who appeared in such films as 8 Mile, Girl Interrupted, The Caller and Clueless, was pronounced dead today at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after an ambulance was summoned to her home for a medical emergency. Some reports say that Murphy's mother found her unconscious in the shower. Murphy had been one of the actors who provided her voice to the popular animated series King of the Hill. Tragically, one of her recent films was ironically titled The Dead Girl. Police say they have opened an investigation into her death. Murphy died of cardiac arrest. She was 32 years old and married to screenwriter Simon Monjack. For more click here

Acclaimed actress Jennifer Jones has died at age 90. The five-time Oscar nominee sprang to fame in The Song of Bernadette in 1943. She worked sparingly over the years, but several of her films, such as Love is a Many-Splendored Thing and Duel in the Sun were major financial successes. She had at one time been married to the legendary David O. Selznick. After Selznick's death in 1965, she remarried and moved to India where she concentrated on collecting art. She also spent a great deal of time in the struggle to help those afflicted with mental health illness. Jones' last film was the 1974 blockbuster The Towering Inferno. For more click here

A major chapter in the Disney family's involvement with the empire built by Walt has come to an end with the death of his nephew Roy at age 79. For Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily's analysis of his often tangled relationship with the Disney company, click here

Val Avery, a popular character actor of stage and screen, has died at age 85. The New York City resident passed away in his Greenwich Village apartment. Avery was a familiar face to all movie goers in the 60s and 70s. Some of his roles were bit parts, but others were more prominent. He played the corset salesman whose determination to see an Indian get buried with dignity on Boot Hill sets up the first action confrontation in The Magnificent Seven. In the 1971 film The Anderson Tapes,Avery played the dumb but brutal racist thug 'Socks'. For more on his life and career click here

Actor Gene Barry has died at age 90. He was best known for starring in three popular TV series in the 1950s and 1960s: Bat Masterson, Burke's Law and The Name of the Game. He also starred in the feature film War of the Worlds and made a cameo appearance in Steven Spielberg's recent remake. Click here for more 

The distinguished British actor Richard Todd has passed away at age 90. Todd was a real-life war hero, being among the first paratroopers to enter France on the eve of the Normandy invasion. Todd later starred in two major films recreating the historic event: D-Day, The Sixth of June and The Longest Day. He also starred in the acclaimed WWII adventure The Dam Busters. His eclectic post war career included an eight year stint performing on Britain's West End in the play The Business of Murder and launching a successful dairy business. Among his other films were starring opposite Ronald Reagan in The Hasty Heart (for which he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar), The Long and the Short and the Tall (aka Jungle Fighters), Never Let Go in which he starred opposite Peter Sellers, The Hellions, Operation Crossbow and Michael Winner's remake of The Big Sleep.  In recent years, Todd was a popular fixture at British film memorabilia shows where he signed autographs for fans. For more click here