As 2015 draws to a close, we want to recognize a number of classic TV contributors who have passed on recently…

• Custom car builder George Barris, the man who brought us The Batmobile and The Munster Koach
• Actor Martin Brooks, best known for his role as Dr. Rudy Wells on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman
• Actor David Canary, known to classic TV fans as Candy on the long-running western series Bonanza. He later enjoyed a multi-decade run on the daytime soap All My Children
• Ray Gandolf, a folksy announcer for CBS Sports back in the 1970s and early 80s. He was the first sportscaster on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt
• Former child actor Charles Herbert, who guested on such classic series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Donna Reed Show, Family Affair and The Twilight Zone
• Old-time fiddler Ramona Jones, who appeared with her late husband Grandpa Jones on the country variety series Hee Haw
• Actress Marjorie Lord, who played Danny Thomas’s character’s wife on on the vintage sitcom Make Room for Daddy
• Actor Al Markim, best remembered for his role as Astro on the early science-fiction series Tom Corbett Space Cadet
• Character actor Al Molinaro, beloved by 1970s sitcom fans for his roles as Murray the Cop (The Odd Couple) and diner owner Al Delvecchio (Happy Days)
• Game show host Jim Perry, who emceed NBC’s Card Sharks and $ale of the Century in the 1970s and 80s
• Writer James Prideaux, a playwright who later penned episodes of daytime soap The Secret Storm as well as a number of made-for-TV movies
• Actor Rex Reason, who appeared on a number of early television series including The Alaskans, Man Without a Gun and The Roaring Twenties. He is best known for his role in the cult classic film This Island Earth
• British actor Nicholas Smith, the last-surviving original cast member of the classic Britcom Are You Being Served?

The list of classic TV contributors who have passed away in 2015 continues to grow. In the past few months, we have said goodbye to:

• Producer Merv Adelson, co-founder of Lorimar Television (Dallas, Eight Is Enough, Knot’s Landing, The Waltons)
• Composer Van Alexander, who worked on the music for such classic series as Bewitched, Dennis The Menace, The Farmer’s Daughter, Hazel and I Dream of Jeannie
• British actress Judy Carne, best known for her work on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (Sock it to me!)
• Actor George Coe, who appeared on daytime dramas The Doctors and Somerset. He was also an original cast member of Saturday Night Live and most recently the voice of Woodhouse on the animated series Archer
• Actor John Connell, who worked on such early television shows as Danger, Mister Peepers and Studio One. He starred in the daytime drama Young Dr. Malone and later appeared on the classic gothic serial Dark Shadows
• Child actor Kevin Corcoran, who appeared in a number of Mickey Mouse Club serials like Spin and Marty. He also worked in a number of movies including Old Yeller and The Shaggy Dog
• Actress Yvonne Craig, forever known to classic TV fans as Barbara Gordon (a.k.a Batgirl) on the 1960s superhero series Batman
• Child actress Jean Darling, one of the original cast of Our Gang (The Little Rascals) film shorts
• Football player-turned-commentator Frank Gifford, best known as the long-time voice of ABC’s Monday Night Football
• Television executive Peter Grad, who served as president of MTM Studios and helped develop such series as The Fall Guy, L.A. Law and Mr. Belvedere
• Actor-turned-educator Bruce Hyde, who portrayed Lt. Kevin Riley in the original Star Trek
• Actor-comedian Marty Ingels (I’m Dickens He’s Fenster), the long-time spouse of actress Shirley Jones
• Writer Ray Jessel, who penned episodes of 1970s classics The Bob Newhart Show, The Carol Burnett Show and The Love Boat
• Actor Dean Jones, who appeared on classic TV series like Bonanza, Burke’s Law and Ensign O’Toole. He is best known for his work on Disney films including That Darn Cat and Herbie The Love Bug. The latter spawned a short-lived 1982 TV series
• Actor Jack Larson, photographer-cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on The Adventures of Superman
• Film actress Joan Leslie, who later guested on television series like Branded, Charlie’s Angels, The Incredible Hulk and Studio 57
• Television executive Howard Lipstone, who teamed with partner Alan Landsburg to produce such series as In Search Of…, That’s Incredible!, Gimme A Break! and Kate and Allie
• Actress-writer Peg Lynch, who wrote and starred in the long-running radio and TV sitcom Ethel and Albert
• Actor Martin Milner, best known for his starring roles on Route 66 (Tod Stiles) and Adam-12 (Officer Pete Malloy)
• Actress Melody Patterson, Wrangler Jane on the classic 1960s sitcom F-Troop
• Actor Alex Rocco, who guested on numerous classic series including Batman, Cannon, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Starsky & Hutch. He is perhaps best remembered for his big-screen role as Moe Greene in The Godfather
• Welsh actor Roger Rees, known for his portrayal of tycoon Robin Colcord on Cheers
• Producer-director Lela Swift (Dark Shadows, Ryan’s Hope)
• Actress-singer Pat Woodell, the original Bobbie Jo Bradley on the 1960s sitcom Petticoat Junction. She left after two seasons and was replaced by Lori Saunders
• Producer Bud Yorkin, who partnered with Norman Lear on classic 1970s sitcoms All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, and Sanford and Son. Lear and Yorkin first worked together on 1950s variety series The Colgate Comedy Hour and The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show

We’ve lost a lot of familiar classic TV faces this year. Recently we bade farewell to…

• Screenwriter-author William Bast, who wrote episodes of classic series like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, Combat!, Outer Limits and Perry Mason. Bast also penned two biographies about big screen legend James Dean
• Joanne Carson, the second wife of late night icon Johnny Carson. She also hosted her own syndicated health-focused talk show
• Actor-comedian Jack Carter, who guested on numerous classics including CHiPs, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Love American Style, Mannix and The Wild Wild West. He also appeared as himself on many popular game and talk shows of the 60s, 70s and 80s
• Actor John Colenback, who portrayed Dan Stewart on the long-running CBS daytime soap As The World Turns
• Actor John Compton, who appeared on many early TV shows like The Cisco Kid, The D.A.’s Man, Fury, The Real McCoys and Surfside 6
• Television news executive Ed Fouhy, who worked at all three networks in the 70s and 80s
• TV syndicator Michael King who, alongside his brother Roger, inherited King World Productions. Their father started the company in the 60s by repackaging The Our Gang comedies as The Little Rascals. The King brothers went on to syndicate such modern classics as Jeopardy!, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Wheel of Fortune. They sold the company to CBS in 2000
• Veteran British actor Christopher Lee, well known for his big screen roles as Dracula, James Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga and the wizard Saruman in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Lee also appeared on the small screen, including roles on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, How the West Was Won, One Step Beyond and Space: 1999
• Singer-actress Monica Lewis, the voice of Miss Chiquita Banana in a long-running series of TV commercials (never put bananas in the refrigerator!)
• English-American actor Patrick Macnee, who played secret agent John Steed in the classic 1960s British spy-fi series The Avengers
• Actress-comedienne Anne Meara, wife of comedy partner Jerry Stiller and mother of actor Ben Stiller. Anne starred in her own short lived 1975 mystery series Kate McShane. She was later a regular on Archie Bunker’s Place and had recurring roles on ALF and The King of Queens
• British actor Ron Moody (Fagin in Oliver!), who guested on such American shows as Gunsmoke, Hart to Hart and Starsky & Hutch
• Actress Betsy Palmer, who appeared on many early television series including Climax!, Goodyear Playhouse and The United States Steel Hour. She was also a panelist on the long-running quiz show I’ve Got A Secret. Palmer is perhaps best known to modern audiences for her role as Mrs. Voorhees, Jason’s mother on the classic 1980 horror film Friday the 13th.
• Marty Paseta, longtime director of The Academy Awards
• Producer Harry R. Sherman, who worked on late 1960s sitcoms Get Smart, The Good Guys and The Governor and J.J.
• Actor John Stephenson, best known as the voice of Fred’s boss Mr. Slate on the classic stone age cartoon The Flintstones. He also guested on such shows as The Beverly Hillbillies, Gomer Pyle USMC, I Love Lucy, The Lone Ranger and Perry Mason
• Writer-producer Chris Thompson, who got his start writing an episode of the short-lived Nancy Walker sitcom Blansky’s Beauties (1977). He went on to work on 70s-80s sitcoms Bosom Buddies and Laverne & Shirley. He most recently was creator of a Disney Channel sitcom called Shake It Up!
• Actor Dick Van Patten, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the family series Eight Is Enough (1977-81). His first big television role was on the 1949-67 comedy series Mama, later guesting on numerous classic shows of the 60s and 70s.

Over the past few months, we’ve lost many friends who have brought us countless classic TV memories. Your work in front of and behind the camera will never be forgotten…

• Bill Arhos, founder of the long-running PBS music performance series Austin City Limits
• Director-producer Richard Bare, best known for his work on the 1965-71 Eddie Albert sitcom Green Acres. He also directed the classic Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man.” Bare lived to the ripe old age of 101
• Television and film producer Harve Bennett, who worked on such classics as The Bionic Woman, The Mod Squad and The Six Million Dollar Man
• Veteran character actor James Best, who guested on numerous classic TV shows including The Andy Griffith Show, Perry Mason, Rawhide and The Twilight Zone. His most memorable role was as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard
• Actress Lynn Borden, best known for her role as Barbara Baxter on the final season of the 1960s Shirley Booth sitcom Hazel
• News reporter Stan Chambers, who worked for KTLA-TV 5 Los Angeles for an incredible 63 years (1947-2010). He is credited with the first live coverage of a breaking news story, a child trapped in an abandoned well back in 1949
• Former child actress Suzanne Crough, who played the youngest member (Tracy) of the early 1970s sitcom brood The Partridge Family
• Radio, television and advertising legend Stan Freberg. He got his start as a voice actor on classic Warner Bros. cartoons, then later hosted his own satirical radio series. His advertising work included memorable campaigns for Contadina Tomato Paste, Jeno’s Pizza Rolls and Sunsweet Pitted Prunes
• Singer-actress Lesley Gore. She guested as one of Catwoman’s minions in the 1960s Batman series
• Stage, film and television director Walter Grauman, known for his multi-decade work on classics like The Fugitive, Murder She Wrote, Route 66, The Streets of San Francisco and The Twilight Zone
• Actor Geoffrey Lewis, perhaps best known for his roles in numerous Clint Eastwood movies. He also guested on classic TV shows like Bonanza, Cannon and Mannix. Lewis was a regular on the Alice spinoff series Flo (1980). His daughter is film actress Juliette Lewis
• Screenwriter Don Mankiewicz, who penned episodes of classic series like Ironside, McMillan and Wife, One Step Beyond and Star Trek
• Writer-producer Jenna McMahon, writer for The Carol Burnett Show and co-creator of such sitcoms as The Facts of Life, It’s a Living and Mama’s Family
• Actress and game show panelist Jayne Meadows (I’ve Got A Secret, What’s My Line?) She was also the older sister of the late actress Audrey Meadows (The Honeymooners) and the widow of comedian Steve Allen, the original host of The Tonight Show
• Actor Leonard Nimoy, forever known as the iconic character Mr. Spock on Star Trek. He was also in the cast of Mission: Impossible and later hosted the syndicated documentary series In Search Of…
• Disc jockey and voice artist Gary Owens, best known for his work on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. He also voiced cartoon character Space Ghost and most recently served as the voice of classic TV diginet Antenna TV
• Eugene Patton, one-time NBC stagehand who gained fame as Gene Gene The Dancing Machine on the 1970’s talent search game show The Gong Show
• Advertising executive Rudolph Perz, creator of the Pillsbury Doughboy character
• Actor Ben Powers, best known as Keith Anderson, Thelma’s husband on the 1970s sitcom Good Times
• Veteran CBS News correspondent Bob Simon, who covered such historic events as the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War
• Producer-director Sam Simon, co-creator of the modern animated classic The Simpsons. He got his start working as a storyboard artist and writer on several 1970s Saturday morning cartoons (The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids)
• Actress-socialite Betsy von Furstenberg, who guested on such classic series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Have Gun-Will Travel. She later appeared on daytime dramas Another World and As The World Turns
• Actress Grace Lee Whitney, Yeoman Janice Rand on the original Star Trek TV series and several subsequent films

We’ve lost nearly two dozen classic TV contributors over the past few months. Let’s take a moment to remember…

• Director Larry Auerbach, best known for his work on CBS daytime drama Love of Life
• Radio, film and TV producer Howard G. Barnes worked on such classic CBS shows as Route 66, Rawhide and Twilight Zone
• Actor Booth Colman guested on TV shows from the 1950s to the 2000s. He appeared on such classics as Bonanza, Mannix, Perry Mason and The Untouchables. Colman played Zaius on the short-lived 1974 TV series Planet of the Apes
• Actress and singer Donna Douglas, forever remembered as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies
• New York television personality Joe Franklin, who hosted a long-running talk show on WOR-TV
• Actor Edward Herrmann, who played President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in several 1970s made-for-TV movies and guested on M*A*S*H. His best known role was as Richard Gilmore on the 2000-2007 series Gilmore Girls
• Las Vegas producer Stan Irwin, who managed such celebrities as Pearl Bailey, Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles and late night legend Johnny Carson
• Wes Kenney, long-time producer-director of daytime soaps Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless
• Film and TV production designer Robert Kinoshita, the man who brought us Robot on Irwin Allen’s sci-fi classic Lost in Space
• Producer-writer Glen A. Larson, the creator of such 1970s and 80s classics as Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I. and Quincy, M.E.
• 1959 Miss America-turned-actress Mary Ann Mobley, who guested on Burke’s Law, Love American Style and Perry Mason. She was the widow of actor Gary Collins
• Another Miss America Bess Myerson (1945), who was a panelist on classic game show I’ve Got A Secret and later launched a career in New York City politics
• Producer-director Arthur Rankin Jr., who teamed up with Jules Bass to create such perennial animated holiday classics as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
• Film director Joseph Sargent (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, White Lightning), a one-time actor who directed such TV classics as The Invaders, Lassie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Star Trek
• Actor Richard Schaal, who made numerous guest appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and was once married to actress Valerie Harper (Rhoda). His daughter Wendy was a regular on early 1980s sitcom It’s A Living and currently does voice work on American Dad
• Film noir actress Lizabeth Scott, who later guested on Burke’s Law and Studio 57
• Long-time ABC executive Brandon Stoddard, best-known for developing the miniseries Rich Man Poor Man and Roots
• Aussie film and TV actor Rod Taylor (The Birds, The Time Machine), who starred in short-lived TV series Bearcats!, Hong Kong and The Oregon Trail
• Sport producer Tony Verna, the man credited with creating the instant replay back in 1963
• Former child actor Ken Weatherwax. He played Pugsley, the son of Morticia and Gomez on the classic 1960s comedy The Addams Family

Actress Marcia Strassman has passed away after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

Strassman guested on a number of classic TV shows including Ironside, The Love Boat, Marcus Welby M.D. and The Patty Duke Show. She had a recurring role as Nurse Margie Cutler on M*A*S*H, but is best known for playing Gabe Kaplan’s wife Julie on the 1975-79 sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter.

Strassman died Saturday in Sherman Oaks, California. She was 66 years old.