I had hoped to interview actor Stuart Margolin in time for last week's column about James Garner and Garner's recently released book, "The Garner Files: A Memoir" co-authored with Jon Winokur in which Garner mentioned a fondness for Mesa where part of "Murphy's Romance" was filmed.

I had hoped to interview actor Stuart Margolin in time for last week's column about James Garner and Garner's recently released book, "The Garner Files: A Memoir" co-authored with Jon Winokur in which Garner mentioned a fondness for Mesa where part of "Murphy's Romance" was filmed.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Charles Lane, the prolific character actor whose name was little known, but whose bespectacled face and crotchety persona made him instantly recognizable to generations of movie-goers, has died, his son said Tuesday. He was 102.

NEW YORK - Over his career, Forest Whitaker has played roles that weren't written for black actors. "I had moments where the directors were open enough to let me do that, yeah," he told Newsweek for editions on newsstands Monday. "In 'Good Morning, Vietnam,' my character was written as a nerdy Jewish guy. In 'The Color of Money,' the character was originally a Yuppie."

Ashraf Barhom auditioned for “The Kingdom” from the top of his apartment building in Galilee, the ancient village where he lives in northern Israel.

NEW YORK - Vincent Pastore, who played gangster Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on "The Sopranos," was given a conditional discharge Monday after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of attempted assault following an altercation with a girlfriend.

“Usually when I’m done with a movie, I take the clothes off for the last time, get out of there and never want to hear about the character again,” says actor Joaquin Phoenix.

NEW YORK - The first call came from the Midwest. Before long, the phone was ringing, and ringing, and ringing again: Satellite radio. Fox News. Extra. Yada, yada, yada. For Kenny Kramer, role model for the "Seinfeld" character who shared his surname, each call was a reminder of the intersection between his real life and his sitcom doppelganger.

Robert Shields just can’t stay still. It shows in his colorful career choices: Mime, actor, dancer, restaurateur, jewelry designer, radio station programmer.

Robert Shields just can’t stay still. It shows in his colorful career choices: Mime, actor, dancer, restaurateur, jewelry designer, radio station programmer.

NEW YORK - David Chase looks like a nice guy. The 61-year-old television writer and producer is slight, wry and direct. But with a mere phone call, he strikes fear in the heart of actors - after all, his rap sheet is a mile long.

 Four actors play a mind-boggling 150 characters in “The 39 Steps,” a fast-paced, comedic caper that’s won two Tony Awards and been likened to an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece mingled with a juicy spy novel and a dash of Monty Python.

JACKSON, Mich. - Austin Nichols, who portrayed the title character in HBO's "John From Cincinnati," has pleaded guilty to impaired driving and paid a $1,000 fine.

LOS ANGELES - Dennis Weaver, the slow-witted deputy Chester Goode in the TV classic western "Gunsmoke" and the New Mexico deputy solving New York crime in "McCloud," has died, his publicist said Monday. The actor was 81.

MADISON, Wis. - A man who changed his name to Andy Griffith and ran for sheriff did not harm the actor who played Mayberry's folksy sheriff on the "Andy Griffith Show," a federal judge ruled.

LOS ANGELES - Gale Harold was in critical condition Wednesday after the "Desperate Housewives" actor crashed his motorcycle the day before, a hospital spokeswoman said.

LOS ANGELES - Page Kennedy, who plays a fugitive from the law on "Desperate Housewives," was fired from the hit ABC drama for improper conduct, a series spokeswoman said Tuesday. Kennedy, who joined the show this season, was let go Friday after a "thorough investigation by the studio" of the allegations against him, publicist Janet Daily said.

NEW YORK - Richard Bright, a character actor who appeared in all three "Godfather" movies and more recently on "The Sopranos," was struck and killed by a bus, police said.

DETROIT - Former "Desperate Housewives" actor Page Kennedy says he wasn't fired from the hit show because of any improper behavior. Kennedy said officials merely wanted to recast his role and that reports of him being let go for on-set nudity are false.

PITTSBURGH - Actor-comedian Tommy Chong reported to a privately run federal prison to serve his nine-month sentence for conspiring to sell bongs and other drug paraphernalia over the Internet even as his attorneys prepared to argue for his release pending appeal.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - "Prison Break" actor Lane Garrison was charged Thursday with manslaughter and drunken driving for a crash that killed a 17-year-old boy in his car last year.

May 6, 2005