Born on this day – Nicki Aycox:

Actress

Musician

May 26, 1975 – November 16, 2022

Credits:

3rd Rock from the Sun (1997); Ally McBeal (1999); Animals (2009); Beyond the Blackboard (2011); BlackBoxTV (2012); Boy Meets World (1997); Christina (2010); Cold Case (2004–2010); Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (2000); Criminal Minds (2006); Cruel Justice (1999); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2001); CSI: Miami (2008); Dark Angel (2001); Dark Blue (2009–2010); Dead Birds (2004); Dead on Campus (2014); Defying Gravity (1997); Double Tap (1997); Ed (2002–2004); Family Law (2002); Howard Stern (2003); Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003); John from Cincinnati (2007); Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (2008); L.A. Heat (1997); Las Vegas (2004); Law & Order (2008); LAX (2004–2005); Lifted (2010); Lights, Camera, Creeper: Making 'Jeepers Creepers 2' (2003); Longmire (2013); Making 'Dead Birds' (2005); Mercenary (2008); Momentum (2003); Opposite Sex (2000); Over There (2005); Perfect Stranger (2007); Profile for Murder (2013); Providence (1999); Rave Macbeth (2001); She Gets What She Wants (2002); Showboat & Boonie (2005); Significant Others (1998); Supernatural (2006–2008); Supernatural Fandom (2016); The Dogwalker (1999); The Employer (2013); The Girl on the Train (2014); The Glades (2013); The Twilight Zone (2002); The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008); The X-Files (1999); Ticking Clock (2011); Tom Cool (2009); USA High (1997); Weird Science (1996).

Born on this day – Robyn Bernard:

Actress

Musician

Singer

Pianist

May 26, 1959 – March 12, 2024

Credits:

Betty Blue (1986); Diva (1981); General Hospital (1984–1990); Hour Magazine (1986); Kings for a Day (1997); Maigret (1992); Roselyne and the Lions (1989); Simon & Simon (1983); The Facts of Life (1984); The New Hollywood Squares (1987); Tour of Duty (1988); Voices from the High School (2002); Whiz Kids (1983); Win, Lose or Draw (1988).

Born on this day – Michel Ciment:

 

Writer

May 26, 1938 – November 13, 2023

Credits:

Books:

Boorman: un visionnaire en son temps (1985); Film World / anthology of interviews (2009); Fritz Lang: le meurtre et la loi (2003); Kazan par Kazan (1973); Kubrick: The Definitive Edition (2001); Le crime à l'écran: Une histoire de l'Amérique (1992); Le Dossier Rosi (1976); Le Livre de Losey (1979); Passeport pour Hollywood: entretiens avec Wilder, Huston, Mankiewicz, Polanski, Forman & Wenders (1992); Petite planète cinématographique (2003); Stanley Kubrick (1980); Theo Angelopoulos (1989).

Movies and television:

À contre-temps (2009); À voix nue: grands entretiens d'hier et d'aujourd'hui (2011); Abbas Kiarostami: The Art of Living (2003); About the Salesman (2018); Alain Corneau, du noir au bleu (2006); All About Mankiewicz (1983); Allemaal film (2007); Apostrophes (1985); Bouillon de culture (1993); Café Picouly (2011); Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010); Ce soir (ou jamais!);  (2007); Ciné regards (1978–1981); Cinéphiles de notre temps (2012); Crítico (2008); Dans les oreilles d'Alain Resnais (2020); Droit de réponse: l'esprit de contradiction (1982); Elia Kazan: An Outsider (1982); Épreuves d'artistes (2004); Exposed (1983); Filmmakers Talking: The Making of 'The Boys' (2003); Francesco Rosi: Chronique D'un Film Annonce (1986); Grand écran (1974); Il cineasta e il labirinto (2004); Il cinema ritrovato: istruzioni per l'uso (2004); Il était une fois... (2011 / 2021); Je t'aime... moi non plus: Artistes et critiques (2004); Jerry Schatzberg, portrait paysage (2022); Jo le magnifique (2005); King Social Briars / The Media Show (1988); Kubrick by Kubrick (2020); L'aventure Spielberg (2003); Le cercle de minuit (1994–1997); Le fantôme d'Henri Langlois (2004); Le masque et la plume (1976); Les Nuits de France Culture (2017–2023); L'invité de FR3 (1981); Lumière and Company (1995); Macadam Popcorn (2017); Metropolis (1996); Michel Ciment, le cinéma en partage (2010); Nos italiennes, de Magnani à Muti (2022); O Homem que Matou John Wayne (2015); Pierre Rissient: Man of Cinema (2007); Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder (1980); Positif, une revue (2003); Seduced and Abandoned (2013); Sortie d'usine 2017 (2017); Spécial cinéma (1987); Stanley and Us (1999); Stanleyandus (2022); Success Is the Best Revenge (1984); Trace of the Bears (2010); Un Américain nommé Kazan (2018); Von (2008); Yasujiro Ozu and the Taste of Sake (1978).

Born on this day – John Dall:

 

Actor

May 26, 1920 – January 15, 1971

Born on this day – Jill Dennett:

Actress

May 26, 1913 – March 14, 1969

Credits:

The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941); Street of Memories (1940); Manhattan Heartbeat (1940); Star Dust (1940); Broadway Serenade (1939); Dramatic School (1938); The Devil Is a Woman (1935); One More Spring (1935); The Merry Widow (1934); Treasure Island (1934); Straight Is the Way (1934); Shoot the Works (1934); Men in White (1934); Good Dame (1934); Wharf Angel (1934); Heat Lightning (1934); Radio Dough (1934); All of Me (1934); Sing Sinner Sing (1933); Picture Snatcher (1933); The Tenderfoot (1932); Two Seconds (1932); Union Depot (1932); How Comedies Are Born (1931); Bless the Ladies (1931); Under a Texas Moon (1930); Hotter Than Hot (1929).

 

Born on this day – Papa Charlie McCoy:

Blues musician

Songwriter

May 26, 1909 – July 26, 1950

Credits:

Music:

Always In Love With You; Blue Heaven Blues; Charlie McCoy – Complete Recorded Works (1928-1932); Glad Hand Blues; Ha-Ha Blues; Hidin’ On Me; I’ve Been Blue Ever Since You Went Away; It Ain’t No Good – Part I; It Ain’t No Good – Part II; It Is So Good – Part 1; It Is So Good – Part 2; It’s Hot Like That; Last Time Blues; Mississippi I’m Longing For You; Staggering Blues; Sunset Waltz; Sweet Alberta; That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away; The Northern Starvers Are Returning Home; Times Ain’t What They Used To Be; Too Long; Vicksburg Stomp; You Gonna Need Me; Your Valves Need Grinding.

Born on this day – John Wayne:

Actor

May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979

Credits:

The Shootist (1976); Rooster Cogburn (1975); Brannigan (1975); Maude (1972); McQ (1974); Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973); Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–1973); The Train Robbers (1973); Cancel My Reservation (1972); The Cowboys (1972); Big Jake (1971); Rio Lobo (1970); Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970); Chisum (1970); The Undefeated (1969); True Grit (1969); Hellfighters (1968); The Green Berets (1968); The War Wagon (1967); The Beverly Hillbillies (1962); El Dorado (1966); The Lucy Show (1966); Cast a Giant Shadow (1966); The Sons of Katie Elder (1965); In Harm's Way (1965); The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965); Circus World (1964); McLintock! (1963); Donovan's Reef (1963); How the West Was Won (1962); Alcoa Premiere (1961); The Longest Day (1962); Hatari! (1962); The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962); The Comancheros (1961); Wagon Train (1957); The Jack Benny Program (1950); North to Alaska (1960); The Alamo (1960); The Horse Soldiers (1959); Rio Bravo (1959); The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958); I Married a Woman (1958); Legend of the Lost (1957); Jet Pilot (1957); The Wings of Eagles (1957); The Searchers (1956); The Conqueror (1956); Screen Directors Playhouse (1955); I Love Lucy (1955); Blood Alley (1955); Casablanca (1955); Gunsmoke (1955); The Sea Chase (1955); The High and the Mighty (1954); Hondo (1953); Island in the Sky (1953); Trouble Along the Way (1953); Big Jim McLain (1952); The Quiet Man (1952); Flying Leathernecks (1951); Operation Pacific (1951); Rio Grande (1950); Sands of Iwo Jima (1949); The Fighting Kentuckian (1949); She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949); Wake of the Red Witch (1948); 3 Godfathers (1948); Red River (1948); Fort Apache (1948); Tycoon (1947); Angel and the Badman (1947); Without Reservations (1946); They Were Expendable (1945); Dakota (1945); Back to Bataan (1945); Flame of Barbary Coast (1945); Tall in the Saddle (1944); The Fighting Seabees (1944); In Old Oklahoma (1943); A Lady Takes a Chance (1943); Reunion in France (1942); Pittsburgh (1942); Flying Tigers (1942); In Old California (1942); The Spoilers (1942); Reap the Wild Wind (1942); Lady for a Night (1942); The Shepherd of the Hills (1941); Lady from Louisiana (1941); A Man Betrayed (1941); Seven Sinners (1940); The Long Voyage Home (1940); Three Faces West (1940); Dark Command (1940); Allegheny Uprising (1939); New Frontier (1939); Wyoming Outlaw (1939); Three Texas Steers (1939); The Night Riders (1939); Stagecoach (1939); Red River Range (1938); Santa Fe Stampede (1938); Overland Stage Raiders (1938); Pals of the Saddle (1938); Born to the West (1937); Adventure's End (1937); Idol of the Crowds (1937); I Cover the War! (1937); California Straight Ahead! (1937); Conflict (1936); The Sea Spoilers (1936); Winds of the Wasteland (1936); The Lonely Trail (1936); King of the Pecos (1936); The Lawless Nineties (1936); The Oregon Trail (1936); Lawless Range (1935); The New Frontier (1935); Westward Ho (1935); Paradise Canyon (1935); The Dawn Rider (1935); The Desert Trail (1935); Rainbow Valley (1935); Texas Terror (1935); 'Neath the Arizona Skies (1934); The Lawless Frontier (1934); The Trail Beyond (1934); The Star Packer (1934); Randy Rides Alone (1934); The Man from Utah (1934); Blue Steel (1934); West of the Divide (1934); The Lucky Texan (1934); Sagebrush Trail (1933); College Coach (1933); Riders of Destiny (1933); The Man from Monterey (1933); Baby Face (1933); His Private Secretary (1933); The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933); Somewhere in Sonora (1933); Central Airport (1933); The Three Musketeers (1933); The Telegraph Trail (1933); Haunted Gold (1932); That's My Boy (1932); The Big Stampede (1932); Ride Him, Cowboy (1932); The Hurricane Express (1932); Lady and Gent (1932); Two-Fisted Law (1932); Texas Cyclone (1932); The Shadow of the Eagle (1932); Running Hollywood (1932); The Voice of Hollywood No. 13 (1932); Maker of Men (1931); The Deceiver (1931); The Range Feud (1931); Arizona (1931); Three Girls Lost (1931); Girls Demand Excitement (1931); The Big Trail (1930); Cheer Up and Smile (1930); Rough Romance (1930); Born Reckless (1930); Men Without Women (1930); The Forward Pass (1929); Salute (1929); Words and Music (1929); The Black Watch (1929); Speakeasy (1929); Noah's Ark (1928); Hangman's House (1928); A Home-Made Man (1928); Four Sons (1928); Seeing Stars (1927); The Drop Kick (1927); Mother Machree (1927); Annie Laurie (1927); The Draw-Back (1927); The Great K & A Train Robbery (1926); Bardelys the Magnificent (1926); Brown of Harvard (1926).

Born on this day – Lesley Selander:

 

Director

May 26, 1900 – December 5, 1979

Born on this day – Dorothea Lange:

 

Photographer

May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965

Born on this day – Mamie Smith:

Blues & Vaudeville singer

May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946

Credits:

Albums:

All Legacy Masters (2014); All Night in Music (2015); Blue Woman (2023); Blues Essentials (2011); Blues Will Never Die (2014); Can Anyone See The Light (2015); Can't Be Satisfied - The 1920 Recordings (2023); Crazy Blues: The Best Of (2004); Essential Blues Masters (2013); Female Crazy Blues (Classic Mood Experience) (2013); I Found My Love Outside (2015); Last Tower's Bell (2016); Let Me Tell You - The 1921 Recordings (2023); Live Music (2022); Mamie Smith Vol. 1 (1920-1921) (2005); Mamie Smith Vol. 2 (1921-1922) (2005); Mamie Smith Vol. 3 (1922-1923) (2005); Mamie Smith Vol. 4 (1923-1942) (2005); Me Myself and My Songs (2016); Memories Suite (2015); Mem'ries of You, Mamie (2021); Music In My Hands (2015); My Happy Heaven (2016); My Jazzy Kiss (2021); Over the Top Blues Masterpieces (Remastered) (2014); Please Stay Somedays (2015); Presenting Mamie Smith (1920); Queen of the Blues (2015); The Groovin' Atmosphere (2015); The Immortal Blues Masters (2014); Unforgettable Sentimental Songs (2015); Wonderful Soundtrack (2016).

Movies and television:

A Huey P. Newton Story (2001); All You Need Is Love (1977); American Epic (2017); Because I Love You (1942); Beginners (2010); Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love (2022); Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music (1993); Jailhouse Blues (1929); Killers of the Flower Moon (2023); Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941); Paradise in Harlem (1939); Soul Power! (2013); Stolen Paradise (1940); Sunday Sinners (1940); The Blues (2003).

David Quammen, on books:

Of course, anyone who truly loves books buys more of them than he or she can hope to read in one fleeting lifetime.
A good book, resting unopened in its slot on a shelf, full of majestic potentiality, is the most comforting sort of intellectual wallpaper.
- David Quammen.