May 1990 in Film & Television History

Events in Film & TV

Film & TV History

May 6 Tom Cruise is ticketed for careless operation of a vehicle in South Carolina

Radio History

May 10 Howard Stern holds a mock funeral for radio rival John DeBella, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to celebrate a ratings victory

Music History

May 12 Nora Dunn and Sinead O'Connor boycott "Saturday Night Live" to protest Andrew Dice Clay's hosting which was perceived as sexist; the show uses a time delay for the third time in its history

May 15 Mona Grudt, 19, of Norway, crowned 39th Miss Universe

Film & TV History

May 17 "Cheers" star Kelsey Grammer sentenced to jail for 30 days for DWI

May 18 TV movie "Return To Green Acres" airs

Television Finale

May 19 "Elvis" TV Drama about early life of Elvis Presley last airs on ABC

Cannes Film Festival

May 21 43rd Cannes Film Festival: "Wild at Heart" directed by David Lynch starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern wins the Palme d'Or

May 21 Last episode of "Newhart" airs on CBS-TV, with a special twist of an ending
May 28 "Dave Thomas Comedy Show" debuts on CBS-TV

Birthdays in Film & TV

May 2 Kay Panabaker, American actress (Moondance Alexander), born in Orange, Texas
May 3 Harvey Guillén, American actor (What We Do in the Shadows), born in Orange County, California
May 15 Stella Maxwell, Irish-New Zealand model, born in Brussels, Belgium
May 16 Thomas Sangster, British actor (Love Actually - "Sam"; Nanny McPhee; The Queen's Gambit), born in Southwark, London, England
May 17 Leven Rambin, American actress
May 20 Josh O'Connor, English actor (The Crown), born in Southampton, England
May 30 Dean Collins, American actor
May 31 Philippa So, American stage actress (Hamilton), born in Libertyville, Illinois

Weddings in Film & TV

May 5 "Crocodile Dundee" actors Paul Hogan (50) weds Linda Kozlowski (32) at their newly built $3 million mansion at Faraway Possum Creek in New South Wales, Australia

Deaths in Film & TV

May 1 Sunset Carson [Michael Harrison] American western actor (Cat of Rockies, El Paso Kid, Oregon Trail), dies at 69
May 2 David Rappaport, 3'11' actor (Wizard, LA Law), shoots himself at 38
May 6 Charles Farrell, American actor (7th Heaven, My Little Margie), dies at 89
May 7 Berta Waterstradt, German writer and actress, dies at 82
May 7 Jessica James, actress (Spring Break), dies of breast cancer at 60
May 9 Pauline Frederick, American journalist and author (NBC), dies at 84
May 10 Susan Oliver [Charlotte Gercke], American stage and screen actress (Peyton Place - "Ann"; Star Trek - The Cage), television director, and airplane pilot, dies of lung cancer at 58
May 14 Franklyn Seales, West Indian-American stage and screen actor (The Onion Field; Silver Spoons - "Dexter"), dies of AIDS at 37

Jim Henson (1936-1990)

May 16 American puppeteer, artist, screenwriter and filmmaker, and creator of 'the Muppets" (Sesame Street; The Muppet Show), dies of toxic shock syndrome caused by pneumonia at 53

Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990)

May 16 American vaudeville, stage, and screen dancer, singer ("The Candy Man"), actor (Ocean's 11), and Rat Pack member, dies of throat cancer at 64

May 18 Jill Ireland, English actress (Carry on Nurse, Family), dies of cancer at 54
May 21 Max Wall [Lorimer], British music hall, screen, and stage comic and actor (Professor Wallofski), dies of head injuries from a fall at 82
May 22 Max Wall, actor (Jabberwocky), dies
May 25 Victor "Vic" Tayback, American actor (Mel Sharples-"Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore "), dies of a heart attack at 60
May 28 Joseph Hardy, actor and director (Tree Grows in Brooklyn), dies at 71