When I was a young feller, my favorites were actor Victor Mature and a gorgeous, red-headed actress, Rhonda Fleming. Are these two still with us?
—Larrie Hilderbrand, Deer Park, Wash.
Mature, a big star in sword-and-sandal epics of the 1950s, including The Robe, Samson and Delilah and Demetrius and The Gladiators, died of leukemia in 1999 at the age of 86. Frequently assailed by critics, he was once turned down for membership at an upscale Hollywood country club because they didn’t accept actors. "I’m not an actor-and I’ve got 67 films to prove it!" he protested. Fleming, called the "Queen of Technicolor" for her luminous complexion and flaming red hair, retired from acting nearly 30 years ago after leaving a lasting impression in such films as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Serpent of the Nile. Now 85, she lives in Los Angeles and remains involved in various charitable causes.
