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The following is a sampling of errors
contained in the 1987 edition of the
World Almanac Who's Who of Film.
Additional information on each error
correction can be found by clicking on
the link at the beginning and/or end
of many of the entries below.
Eddie Albert (actor) - It erroneously reports
he was born in "1908."
Correction: Because he was born out of wedlock,
his mother altered his birth certificate
to read "1908." His son, Edward Albert (also
an actor), confirmed this, and the fact that
Eddie Albert was actually born in 1906 in
Rock Island, Illinois. Consult Eddie Albert's profile for more information.
Jack Benny (comedian) - The 1987 edition
mistakenly claims he was born in "Waukegan, Illinois."
Correction: He was born February 14th, 1894,
at 4:04 a.m., at Mercy Hospital, in Chicago, Illinois.
Visit our profile of Jack Benny for additional
information.
Whit Bissell (actor) - It erroneously reports he died
in 1981. In point of fact, he was very much alive until
March 5th, 1996, when he died at the Motion Picture and
Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.
W.C. Fields (comedian) - It mistakenly reports
"1879" as his date of birth.
Correction: W.C. Fields was born January 29th,
1880, at Arlington House on the corner of Main
and Mill Streets, Darby, near Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Fields lied about his date of
birth (giving "April 9, 1879" as his d.o.b.)
in order to get married while still underage.
For many years, most reference books reported
this erroneous date. Most reference works have
now corrected their information. The above
birth date has been verified by members of
his family on several occasions, and confirmed
by various government records. Consult W.C. Fields'
profile for more information.
Judy Garland (actress/singer) - The 1987 edition
of the World Almanac Who's Who of Film erroneously
reports her name at birth was spelled "Francis."
Correction: She was actually born Frances Ethel Gumm.
Richard Harris (actor/singer) -
It erroneously states he was born in "1932."
Correction: He was born October 1st, 1930, at
11:20 a.m. GDT (10:20 GMT), in Limerick, Ireland.
This is the date and time of birth Richard himself
reported as his precise time of birth, and has
subsequently been verified by many researchers.
For additional biographical data, visit our profile
of Richard Harris.
Audrey Hepburn (actress) - It erroneously reports
"Audrey Hepburn-Ruston" as her name at birth.
Correction: Members of her family have addressed,
at length, the erroneous birth name attributed to
her and have confirmed that Audrey Kathleen Ruston is
the name on her birth certificate. Consult
Audrey Hepburn's profile for more information.
Dorothy Lamour (actress/singer) - The 1987 edition
of the World Almanac Who's Who of Film mistakenly
reports her name at birth was "Mary Kaumeyer."
Correction: Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton was
her real name. She personally addressed
this issue in an attempt to set the record
straight. Additional biographical data can
be found in our profile of Dorothy Lamour.
Vivien Leigh (actress) - It erroneously spells
her real name "Vivien" Hartley.
Correction: The correct spelling of her name
at birth is Vivian Hartley. Consult Vivien Leigh's
profile for more information.
Lotte Lenya (actress/singer) - It erroneously
reports "1899" as the year of her birth.
Correction: She was actually born October 18th,
1898, in Vienna, Austria. Consult Lotte Lenya's
profile for more information.
Walter Matthau (actor) -
It erroneously reports "Walter Matuschanskayasky" as his real name.
Correction: His family has repeatedly verified
that Walter John Matthow was his actual name at
birth. For additional information, visit our
profile of Walter Matthau.
Steve McQueen (actor) - The 1987 edition
of the World Almanac Who's Who of Film erroneously
reports "Slater, Missouri" as his place of birth.
Correction: He was born in Beech Grove, Indiana.
George Murphy (actor/dancer/U.S. Senator) - It mistakenly claims,
"in 1964, Murphy was the first ex-actor to be
elected to the U.S. Senate." In actuality,
Glen H. Taylor, an actor/singer, was elected
to the United States Senate in 1944, and served
from 1945 to 1951.
Vivian Vance (actress) - It erroneously
reports "1911" as her year of birth.
Correction: She was born July 26th, 1909,
at 311 East 5th Street, in Cherryvale, Kansas.
Visit our profile of Vivian Vance for
additional information.
It is not our intent to denigrate this fine
publication, but merely to point out the above
inaccuracies to prevent further dissemination of
the erroneous data.
Visit our list of errors contained in other reference books.
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