Here Lies (2) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary was born on 20 July 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Edmund started climbing when he was in high school, scaling the beautiful Southern Alps of New Zealand. When WWII broke out, he joined the military service as an Air Force navigator. Once WWII finished though, he went back to his passion - climbing. His dream was to climb to the top of the highest mountain in the world - the previously unscaled Mount Everest.

And he succeeded. At 11.30am on May 29 1953, at the age of 33 and after seven weeks of gruelling climbing, Edmund, along with his sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, reached the top of Mount Everest. Edmund, an intrepid explorer, didn't stop there though. In 1958, as part of the 'Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition' he became the first man to reach the South Pole overland, and in 1985, he reached the North Pole (by plane) with a famous companion, astronaut Neil Armstrong. These achievements made Sir Edmund Hillary the first person to stand on the North Pole, the South Pole and the summit of Everest.
News of Edmund's historic Everest achievement reached Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation and she knighted Edmund in 1953.

Edmund's life wasn't all triumphs though. In 1975 his wife of 22 years, Louise, and his 16 year old daughter, Belinda, were on their way to see Edmund when their plane crashed in Nepal, killing them instantly. Edmund suffered their loss by going into deep depression.

Edmund did remarry, many years later, in 1989. He was 88 when he died of a heart attack in a hospital in New Zealand in 2008. As a hero of New Zealand, he was given a State funeral in January 2008. An ice-axe rested on top of his coffin and officials in the Nepalese community placed Buddhist mourning scarves on the coffin as well. He was cremated and most of his ashes were scatted over Hauraki Gulf NZ, while a small amount were placed in a stupa in Khumjung, Nepal.

In England in April 2008, Queen Elizabeth II, who was unable to attend his funeral, hosted a memorial service for Sir Hillary at George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. This was attended by nearly 1000 people and seems a fitting tribute to a great explorer.

Answer: Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini - born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874 - was a master escapologist and a magician. He started his career at age 25 when he began performing in vaudeville shows. However, it was when he went to England to give a demonstration to Scotland Yard of how easily he could escape from handcuffs, that his career really took off. Within 6 months of doing this he was earning $300 a week (around $10,000 in today's money). From there, Harry went from strength to strength, touring the world and captivating audiences with his daring and dangerous escapades.

At a show in Detroit, Michigan, on October 24, 1926, Harry started experiencing severe stomach pain and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Still, ever the showman, he was insistent on finishing the entire performance. After it, his wife, Bess, called an ambulance. The next day, Harry had his ruptured appendix removed, however he then developed peritonitis which sadly killed him a week later.
His final words apparently were: 'I'm tired of fighting'. He was just 52 years old.

Although Harry was very vocal in his dislike of the 'fraudsters' of the age - mainly people who held seances, as these (quote): 'transgressed both the ethos and artistry of his craft' - he did have a deal with his wife that if he could contact her from the afterlife, he would.
He never did.

Harry was incredibly close with his mother - publicly breaking down when, in 1913, he was informed of her death. As such, when he was buried in Machpelah Cemetery in New York City, his head rested on a pillow of his mother's letters to him. His grave has the crest of the 'Society of American Magicians' inscribed on it, and a 'Broken Wand' ceremony, held by the society, occurs every year at the gravesite, as a fitting tribute to this great man.

Answer: Mel Blanc

Mel Blanc was born Melvin Jerome Blank in 1908. He was a voice actor and also a radio personality. Although he did character voices for a number of radio shows in his early career, his real fame came when animated TV shows were created. It was at this time that he became known in the industry as 'The Man of a Thousand Voices'. While he did over four hundred character voices over the years, most of us will know him as the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam and Barney Rubble. Mel also composed a few songs, one of which sold over 2 million copies and was called 'I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat'. (I remember singing this song as a child).

Mel had a narrative he liked to tell, which revolved around the car accident he had in 1969 which left him in a coma for 3 months. He said he woke from his coma to his doctor saying 'Good Morning Bugs Bunny, how are you today?'
To which Mel swore he replied (in an unconscious state), 'What's up Doc?'

Mel Blanc was a smoker from age 9 which caused him health problems in later life
- primarily emphysema. In 1989, his family had him hospitalised when they saw he had a bad cough. Mel was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, and, after being in hospital for two months, he died from complications of both emphysema and heart disease. He was 82.

Mel is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in the US. The tagline of every Warner Bros. cartoon, 'That's all, folks!' became the epitaph on his gravestone (at Mel's request), along with the words 'Man of 1000 voices'. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to radio, and, in 1985, his character, Bugs Bunny, got a Hollywood star too!

Answer: Farrah Fawcett

Farrah Fawcett was born Ferrah Leni Fawcett in 1947. Her early career saw her get roles in 'The Flying Nun' and 'I Dream of Jeanni', however she was best known as being one of the original 'Charlie's Angels' (hence the clue). Farrah's other claim to fame, (and probably the most memorable for most men of the time!), was her 'red swimsuit' poster, which sold, in one year alone (1976), six million copies. Speaking of six million, in 1973, Farrah married Lee Majors (star of 'The Six Million Dollar Man'). Despite them being married for less than 10 years, she continued to use the name Farrah Fawcett Majors on film credits for many years.

Farrah had a series of turbulent relationships during her life, including an on-again, off-again one with Ryan O'Neil, star of the tear-jerker movie, 'Love Story.' Farrah had a son, Redmond, with Ryan in 1985. Sadly, Redmond suffered from drug addiction problems in his teens, and over the years he was admitted to rehab no less than 13 times. He also turned to crime, getting many convictions for drug related offences. In 2018 he was charged with attempted murder, robbery and assault.

Farrah battled for 3 years with anal cancer, until she finally succumbed to it in 2009. Ryan O'Neal, who many believe was the love of Farrah's life, stayed by her bedside in the months leading to her death, and was holding her hand when she died. Her last words were 'Redmond,' said several times. Unfortunately Redmond was unable to be there as he was in jail at this time on drug and DUI charges.

Farrah had a private funeral, led by a devastated-looking Ryan O'Neal at a Los Angeles cemetery. She was then buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Her gravestone is large, but simply reads 'Farrah Fawcett.' Her son, Redmond, was allowed out of jail briefly to attend his mother's funeral.

Answer: Bob Crane

Bob Crane was born in the US with the original surname of Crean. He started working in radio stations in 1950 and in 1956 was asked to host a morning show on KNX in LA. He played drums (a passion he found when he was 11) on the show, and filled his broadcast with wit and humour. His show took off and he began attracting big guest stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra. Before long he earned the title 'King of the LA Airwaves'.

Bob moved on to acting in the 60s and in 1965 became a household name when he took the lead role in 'Hogan's Heroes' (hence the clue). The show ran until 1971. Though he took on a number of star and bit roles in various TV shows and movies after 'Hogan's Heroes' was cancelled, he never achieved the same level of success. Needing a direction, Bob bought the rights to a play called 'Beginners Luck' in 1973. He started touring the dinner theatres of America with this play, starring in it and also directing it.

In June 1978 Bob was staying in Arizona at the Winfield Place Apartments in Scottsdale since his play was running in the town. On the afternoon of June 29, a co-star was worried he hadn't turned up to a lunch appointment and so entered his apartment. She found him dead with an electrical cord tied around his neck in the shape of a bow. Bob's autopsy showed he'd been beaten to death. Many believed that his one-time friend, John Henry Carpenter, killed Bob since the pair had a major argument not 12 hours before Bob's death. However, due to evidence getting lost and lack of DNA testing being available at that time, his murder was never solved.

Bob's funeral was held in St Paul's Church in Westwood, California and had 150 mourners. He is buried in the Westwood Cemetery, next to his second wife, Sigrid Valdis, who died in 2007, and who played the role of Hilda on 'Hogan's Heroes.'

Answer: Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando Jnr was born in 1924 in Nebraska, US. In 1943, at age 19, Marlon relocated to New York to study acting and from there moved onto roles in plays and movies. He quickly became known for his 'true' and 'passionate' performances, which was possibly due to amount of preparation he put into them. (For example, in one of his roles as a disabled war veteran, he spent a full month in the paraplegic ward of a hospital). During Marlon's 60 year career he received many awards including 2 Academy Awards and 3 British Academy Awards. Just a few of his very famous movies include 'On The Waterfront' (hence the clue), 'A Streetcar Named Desire', 'The Godfather', 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Last Tango in Paris'. In 1999, 'Time Magazine' designated Marlon as Actor of the Century - a truly astonishing achievement. (I think it's nice that Marlon was still alive to see this accolade).

Marlon, who was a very, (very!) good looking man in his youth, gained a vast amount of weight in the late 70s which Marlon put down to stress-related eating. He then developed Type 2 Diabetes. In the late 70s - early 80s Marlon became good friends with Michael Jackson - a friendship which saw Michael Jackson provide a golf buggy and oxygen tanks for Marlon in his last months so they could zoom around Neverland together. In an interview with Larry King, one of Marlon's 9 children, Niko, said: 'Michael was instrumental in helping my father through the last few years of his life. For that I will always be indebted to him.'

Marlon died of respiratory failure in 2004.
Even though he was a huge celebrity, Marlon hated the spotlight and as such, his funeral was not made public. He did, however, plan it for a year before his death, and it is known that he asked his neighbour and friend, Jack Nicholson, to lead the mourning in a private ceremony in LA. His ashes were spread over a private atoll he owned in Tahiti, and also across Death Valley.

Answer: Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze was born in Houston, Texas in 1952. His mother, Patsy, was a dance instructor and choreographer. After taking dancing and acting classes during his teenage years, Patrick moved to New York at age 20 to complete formal training at both the Harkness and Joffrey ballet schools. His professional dancing debut occurred when he performed in 'Disney on Parade'. In 1981 he made an appearance in 'M.A.S.H.' as terminally ill cancer patient, Private Sturgis. Patrick's big breakthrough came in 1987 when he starred in a low-budget movie that was only supposed to be screened at movie theatres for one week, before going to video. The film was 'Dirty Dancing'. It was a huge success, costing US $4.5 million to produce and making US $214 million at the box office. Patrick went on to star in several very successful movies including 'Ghost' (hence the clue) and 'Point Break'.

Patrick married his girl fiend, Lisa Niemi in 1975. They met when he was 18 and she was 14 and were together right up until Patrick's death. Lisa was the inspiration for the 1987 song 'She's Like the Wind' which Patrick co-wrote with Stacy Widelitz and also sang.

In December 2007, Patrick noticed a burning sensation in his stomach. Following testing, he was told just three weeks later that he had pancreatic cancer. He had treatments, including chemotherapy, for the next 16 months and seemed to be responding well. However, in April 2009, his doctors told him the cancer had spread to his liver. Despite more treatments, he died with his wife at his side in September 2009.

A funeral was held for Patrick at Sony Studios in California on 4th October 2009, which was attended by several hundred friends and family, including one of his 'Ghost' co-stars, Whoopi Goldberg. Patrick was a horse lover and on arrival at the funeral, the guests were greeted by his white horse. The funeral also featured moving eulogies and several performances by professional dancers. His ashes were scattered over his and his wife's favourite place - his ranch in New Mexico. There is also a memorial rock which lays in Pembroke, Virginia at Mountain Lake Lodge. The rock rests next to the gazebo where the night dance scene in 'Dirty Dancing' was shot.

Answer: Nostradamus/Nostradame

Michel de Nostradamus (born Nostradame) was a French physician, seer and astrologer. He is primarily known for his book 'The Prophecies'. This book, which details his long-term predictions, is claimed by many to have accurately foretold such events as the rise of Hitler, the French Revolution, the assassination of JFK, and 9/11 terrorist attacks. (By the way, you can rest easy for the moment, according to Nostradamus, the world won't end until 3797)

Besides his predictions, Nostradamus was an interesting man, who is said to have saved many lives with his before-his-time approach to medical treatments. He lived through the times of the Bubonic Plague and, as a result of an outbreak, as a young man he spent years in the countryside studying herbs. He married in 1534 but his wife and 2 children sadly died of the plague. Trained as a physician, the death of his family spurred him on to help other plague victims. Rather than resort to such practices as blood-letting and wearing lucky charms which were common at the time, he instead taught hygiene, nutrition, and the benefits of fresh air and cleanliness. He also became famous for his 'rose-pill lozenges' which (purportedly) helped people who had mild symptoms of the plague.

He remarried in 1547 and had six children.
Such were Nostradamus' skills that the wife of the French king, Henry II, Catherine of Medici, took an interest in him and had him make horoscopes for her children. In 1564 Catherine made him a physician-in-ordinary (regular doctor) and counselor for her son, Charles IX, who had become the King of France in 1560.

Nostradamus suffered from gout for many years and this turned into edema (fluid retention) in early 1566. In the June of that year he made his will, and on the evening of 1 July, he told his secretary - quite accurately as it transpires - 'you will not see me alive at sunrise'. He died that night at age 62. I am unable to find any funeral details, however we do know he was buried upright in the walls of the Church of Cordeliers in his then hometown, Salon-de-Provence. However, his tomb was raided during the French Revolution (1789) and rather awfully, his remains were scattered. The Mayor of the time reportedly ordered his remains, such as they were, to be collected and Nostradamus was then re-interred in the Salon-de-Provence's Collegiale Saint Laurent. There are monuments to him in both his hometown and Remy-de-Provence, the town where he was born.

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Hitchcock was born in the outskirts of East London in August 1899. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors of the 20th century. He started his career as a title card designer at a film company in London called Islington Studios. He left there in 1922 to join Gainsborough Pictures, where he met his future wife, Alma Reville (m. 1926) She would end up being Alfred's main supporter, adviser and soul-mate for his whole life.

Once Alfred was given a chance to direct, he very quickly showed that he had a unique style, and before long he gained the title of 'Master of Suspense'. One of his favourite sayings was 'there's no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it.' He created 52 movies over his 60-year career, including such greats as 'Vertigo, 'Psycho,' 'North by Northwest,' 'The Birds', 'The 39 Steps', 'Rear Window' and 'The Lady Vanishes'. Alfred was famous for popping up somewhere in his movies (also called cameo appearances - hence the clue). He had cameo appearances in 36 of his 52 surviving movies.

What many people may not know is that Alfred was a great prankster who enjoyed any prank - from a Whoopee cushion to putting blue dye in the food served at his dinner parties.

Despite the success of his movies, Alfred surprisingly never won an Academy Award (although 5 of his films were nominated). Fortunately he was honoured late in his life - in 1971 with a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, then in 1979 with an AFI Life Achievement Award. He also received a knighthood in 1980, just four months before his death. It is said this recognition 'deeply touched' him. In 2012, after a world-wide poll of hundreds of film critics, the British Film Institute named 'the greatest film ever made' - it was Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'.

Alfred, who had been sick for some years, died of renal failure in his Bel-Air home in April 1980. His wife, who would die just 2 years later, was by his side. Alfred had a funeral at a church near his home. Six hundred attendees, including Janet Leigh and Mel Brooks attended the service. He was then cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

Answer: Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna was born in 1960 in Santana, Brazil. He started his motorsport career in go-karting, then open-wheel racing (one seat, with the wheels on the outside of the body), before he moved onto Formula One racing in 1984 with Toleman-Hart. Just one year later he joined Lotus-Renault, where, over the next three seasons, he won an astonishing six Grands Prix. His next move, in 1988, was joining the McLaren-Honda team. Between Ayrton and Alain Proust they won 15 of the 16 Grands Prix that year. Ayrton went from strength to strength, amassing 41 Formula One victories in his short career, as well as 3 World Championships.

His life was tragically cut short on May 1, 1994 when his car crashed into a retaining wall at 307 km/h at the San Marino Grand Prix, causing catastrophic and fatal injuries to Ayrton. On the previous day, a Saturday, another driver, Roland Ratzenberger, had been killed on the race track, and Ayrton spent his last morning (Sunday) speaking to Alain Proust about improving safety in Formula 1.

Brazil declared 3 days of national mourning after Ayrton's death. His body was flown back to Brazil; the plane escorted to the airport by fighter jets. His coffin was then driven into the city of Sao Paolo, his hometown, on a fire engine. 2,500 policemen lined the route from the airport to the city, and an estimated 3,000,000 people entered his hometown to pay their respects to Brazil's hero. After a public viewing his State Funeral was held, the pall bearers including several F1 drivers and managers. He was buried at the Morumbi Cemetery in São Paulo. Such was his hero status in Brazil that even ten years after his death, Ayrton reportedly had more visitors to his gravesite than visitors to the graves of JFK, Marilyn Munroe and Elvis Presley combined.

Many safety improvements were made to F1 following Ayrton's death.

As a tribute to Ayrton's sporting prowess, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1993, a year before Ayrton died, following a poll of F1 drivers, Ayrton was voted, almost unanimously, as 'the best driver in F1'. In 2012, some 18 years after his death, BBC Sport journalists voted Ayrton as 'the greatest Formula One driver of all time'.