She died of natural causes:
In a statement to the Guardian, her family said: “It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman aged 94. She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family. She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby.
“As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent; with an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess, along with her unique voice and a dedicated work ethic, she achieved an unparalleled iconic status in the world of film and entertainment and with absolute commitment to her craft and total professionalism in all her endeavours she contributed to some of the great films and theatre productions of our times.”
As well as her parts as Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, her family highlighted Blackman’s roles as the vengeful goddess Hera in Jason and the Argonauts and as Laura West in the 1990s sitcom The Upper Hand. She appeared in theatrical productions including The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and Cabaret.
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I have been watching my DVDs of Lawman, and in the first season, there were at least two and possibly three performances that season from James Drury, who passed away at his Houston residence of natural causes. He died today at the age of 85.
Drury, who had distinctive eyebrows, played the title role in the hit NBC television western series of the 1960s to early 1970s, The Virginian. I haven't seen the show in many years. It was known as the first 90-minute western. Apparently Drury's character never had a name that I am aware of. He was probably called a lot of names, the character, I mean, behind his back, but the scripts didn't note it. Drury was quite young when starring in the series. He was just 28 when it began in 1962.
Anyway, he co-starred with many people over the years including Lee J. Cobb, Charles Bickford, Randy Boone, Roberta Shore, Clu Gulager, but especially Doug McClure, with whom Drury co-starred for the entire run of the series. It ended with a different title, The Men from Shiloh, in 1971. By this time, television westerns had gone out of fashion.
More:
James Child Drury was born on April 18, 1934, in New York City, where his father was a longtime professor of marketing at NYU. His mother was from Oregon, and he spent most of his younger days on one of her family's ranches outside Salem.
His maternal grandfather, John Crawford, who had come west with a wagon train from Missouri in 1875 or 1880, taught him woodsman skills and marksmanship and instilled in him the values that Drury said he brought to his Virginian character.
"I've always called it 'The Cowboy Way,'" he said in 2014. "If it's not true, don't say it. If it's not yours, don't take it. And if it's not right, don't do it."
Drury overcame a bout with polio, and at age 12 appeared in a touring company of Life With Father. He attended high schools in Los Angeles and was expelled from University High on the day before graduation. However, because of his dad, he was able to get into NYU, and he majored in drama.
He had roles in many westerns in the years before The Virginian.
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