Oy. If you've never seen Lifeforce which premiered on this day in 1985, then you've never really seen one of the strangest, weirdest, downright looniest sci-fi flicks ever released to audiences of unsuspecting masses. It's based on a book that also has a slightly offbeat premise, but, as a motion picture, director Tobe Hooper delivered up a finished product that appeared to break every known rule possible when attempting to tell a story. Still -- and this is only the fanboy in me speaking, ladies -- it does introduce the world to the voluptuous Mathilda May, so I guess it has that going for it!
1985's Cocoon gave so many truly great actors and actresses of an earlier generation the chance to make a big screen appearance in a Science Fiction film, of which the much-praised Maureen Stapleton tried on the genre for good measure. Though she's no longer with us, Stapleton was born on this day in 1925.
Screen veteran Ron Ely brought Doc Savage: The Man Of Bronze to life for Warner Bros. back in 1975. He also sported roles in Tarzan (TV), Wonder Woman, and Superboy. Ely was born on this day in 1938.
The original Star Trek featured a whole score of lovely ladies, and one of the loveliest has always been Mariette Hartley. She appeared in the program's third season as Zarabeth, a brief love interest for our intrepid Vulcan/Human hybrid, Mr. Spock. As for sci-fi, she's also appeared in Earth II (1971), Genesis II (1973), and even in a guest spot as part of TV's Logan's Run series. Hartley was born on this day in 1940.
Back in the days of the TV sketch comedy classic SCTV, no one but no one could make me laugh as hard as Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty did. They were the "Abbott and Costello" of my generation, bar none. Thankfully, Flaherty continues to pop up in roles from time to time, and how fitting it was for him to appear in the climax of Back to the Future 2 in order to send the young Marty McFly on his next adventure in time travel. Flaherty was born on this day in 1941.
With one hundred separate projects to his name, Lyman Ward has certainly built an impressive resume. He's had roles in Man from Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica, The Phoenix, Creature (1985), Independence Day (1996), and Black Scorpion. Ward was born on this day in 1941.
That knucklehead in the baseball cap not exactly exercising quality gun control there is none other than actor Michael Gross. Most folks known him from the 80's sitcom Family Ties, but sci-fi fans know him best as gun enthusiast Burt Gummer from the Tremors franchise. Gross was born on this day in 1947.
Robyn Douglass is a lovely American actress who was actually born in Japan. Science Fiction fans might remember her from the Gods-Of-Kobol-awful Galactica spin-off, Galactica 1980. Douglass was born on this day in 1953.
In his wild and crazy youth, a young Michael Bowen made a brief appearance in Roger Corman's Forbidden World (1982). Genre fans might recognize him from his appearances aboard Knight Rider, Night of the Comet (1984), The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., The X-Files, and Lost. Bowen was born on this day in 1953.
Artist and actor Leigh McCloskey has definitely made a mark on Science Fiction by assuming guest spots aboard Isis, The Bermuda Depths (1978), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5, and Star Trek: Voyager. McCloskey was born on this day in 1955.
Though I'll probably always think of him as the evil 'Governor' from AMC's The Walking Dead, actor David Morrissey hung up his eye patch in favor of some military colors to share the small screen with Halle Berry in CBS's Extant. For good measure, the actor has also made a guest starring appearance on Doctor Who (above right). Morrissey was born on this day in 1964.
The great Doug Savant is a reliable character actor who can make waves in any genre. SciFi fans probably know him best from appearances in The Outer Limits, Godzilla (1998), Harsh Realm, Firefly, and The X-Files. Savant was born on this day in 1964.
Approximately one-half of the creative team behind The Matrix trilogy of films -- Lana Wachowski (previously 'Larry Wachowski') -- celebrates her (previously 'his') birthday today. Wachowski was born on this day in 1965.
The delicious Carrie Preston delivered some comic relief to HBO's Fantasy-themed Vampire program True Blood throughout its run on the pay cable network. Preston was born on this day in 1967.
The always interesting Juliette Lewis made a rare appearance in the realm of Science Fiction by appearing in James Cameron's largely forgotten flick, Strange Days. Lewis was born on this day in 1973.
The Americanized version of the BBC's Life On Mars never even begins to approach the original's greatness. For starters, the BBC's is clearly grounded in characters and fantasy while the US "interpretation" never quite finds a compelling center and, instead, goes for a big(ish) SciFi finale. Meh. Still, I love Maggie Siff, and she gave an otherwise forgettable series a reason to pay attention. Siff was born on this day in 1974.
Nathan Darrow has brought to life the character of 'Victor Fries' (aka Mr. Freeze) for Fox TV's popular Gotham. Darrow was born on this day in 1976.
Ultimately, I think each of us has a reason deep down as to why we love the BBC's long-running SciFi juggernaut, Doctor Who, but I'd like to think that it's mainly due to the almost 'fairy tale quality' to the writing. The show certainly plumbs the depths of our nightmares as Will Thorp's make-up for his appearances as Toby Zed can attest. Thorp was born on this day in 1977.
The lovely Erica Durance was a late addition to the WB's Smallville series, coming aboard the show as yet the next TV incarnation of that feisty, spunky reporter Lois Lane. She's also made appearances in the Andromeda and Stargate: SG-1 TV universes, and she continues to be one of the hottest properties in fandom today. Durance was born on this day in 1978.
Chris Pratt played the lovable doofus Andy Dwyer on NBC's Parks & Recreation (one of my personal favorite sitcoms ever), and he does so with such perfection that I've wondered if audiences would take him seriously elsewhere. Well, he headlined Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) to great acclaim, so I guess we know the answer. Also, you can catch him in the Jurassic Park sequel, Jurassic World. Pratt was born on this day in 1979.
The talented Benjamin Walker brought to life some of the more fantastical elements of a U.S. President's secret life in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012). Walker was born on this day in 1982.
Should you share the screen with a Terminator -- regardless of the make or model -- methinks you deserve a mention, and such is the case for Brian Sites, who shared the screen briefly with one of the cybernetic killer in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Sites was born on this day in 1983.
Jussie Smollett tried Science Fiction on for size with a role aboard Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant (2017), which was sadly poorly received by audiences. Smollett was born on this day in 1983.
How do you combine senior citizens in a retirement living community with science fiction and come up with a crowd-pleasing motion picture? Why, you hire Ron Howard to direct Cocoon! The film explored what effects an alien pod had on the old folks -- giving them a sense of youthful rejuvenation -- and it stirred up big business at the summer box office when it premiered on this day in 1985.
On this day in 1988 (in Spain), The Brother From Space crashed down to Earth (in theatres, that is). It starred Martin Balsam and Agostina Belli, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"After the crash of their spaceship the only surviving alien seeks refuge from the government. He finds the help of a blind music teacher with psychic powers, and a sympathetic priest."
"After the crash of their spaceship the only surviving alien seeks refuge from the government. He finds the help of a blind music teacher with psychic powers, and a sympathetic priest."
On this day in 2002, Farscape aired the third episode of its fourth season, an adventure titled "What Was Lost, Part 2: Resurrection." According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"The crew discovers how far Scorpius has fallen in the Peacekeeper ranks. They must find and activate all the probes to stop the magnetic storm on Arnesk, but someone doesn't want them stopped."
"The crew discovers how far Scorpius has fallen in the Peacekeeper ranks. They must find and activate all the probes to stop the magnetic storm on Arnesk, but someone doesn't want them stopped."
On this day in 2003, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed aired "Divine Thunder." This served as the thirty-seventh episode of the program's only season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A war is under way between genetically enhanced Coordinators and unmodified Naturals."
"A war is under way between genetically enhanced Coordinators and unmodified Naturals."
On this day in 1953, The Shadow radio serial aired "The Invisible Weapon." According to our friends at The Shadow Wiki, it would appear all details surrounding this tale have been lost to history. Not even The Shadow knows!
