Skip to main content

RON BERKELEY

RON BERKELEY
Ron Berkeley, an Emmy-winning makeup artist who worked with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor on such films as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Taming of the Shrew, has died. He was 86.
Ron and I became friends during the shooting of 'Circle of Two" He was Richard Burton's personal Makeup Man.
Ron and I hung out together for most of the movie too and stayed in touch for some years. he had great stories and he wrote me great letters 
He told me He first worked for his father who was also a make-up man when he was 15. His father gave him the job of shaving Marlene Detriche's legs
I became Richard Burton's Drinking buddy during the shooting of Circle Of Two. (1979)I also became friends with Richard's make-up man Ron Berkely.
They had a script Ron had been working on for a project they wanted to do. I made a few suggestions during one of the discussions and they asked me to write a scene for them
The scene involved Billy Connelly in Paris. so I wrote it and they liked it and invited me to write the script.
They got Warner Brothers to advance me $25,000 dollars
Ron offered me 3 months at his castle-like mansion in Normandy and the use of his Maserati plus Nights in Paris where he lived, he was married to famed dress designer Viki Teal. 
Ron arranged backstage passes to Massey Hall for me to meet Billy Connelly. (This was way back in his banana shoes days)o I was a special guest and after the others left.  we talked a bit about the script I was to rewrite and  Ron Berkely and Richard Burton that Billy was going to be in. It would have been his first major movie. We quaffed a couple of beers and had a few laughs. He would have been great, 
Just as negotiations were finalizing along comes the Writer's strike. Warner Brothers canceled and everything disappeared.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Berkeley Breathed

In 1993 I was a software buyer for Wiseguy computers (5 stores) I was in Los Vegas for the computer Show and I was invited to meet Berkeley Breathed at the opening party for his screensaver in Las Vegas in 1993. it was at a hotel cottage type thing. About 50 people all ad men, promoters and other 'suits' and a dozen or so gorgeous models. Berkeley had not much interest in any of them and either did I . I was there for the week at the computer show and was glitzed out. Anyhow Berkeley and I ended up ducking out of the main room and we chatted for an hour or so and quaffed a few nice cold beers. I remember him as sort of nicely outre type guy that would come across as standoffish but we had a pleasant conversation.it was not long after this he went into a self-imposed exile for a few years.
Post a Comment
Read more

Larry Zolf

Larry introduced me to Moses Znaimer." Do you know Ledrew I got him out of jail" Larry wrote a letter to the parole board when I was busted and never let me forget it? I went to jail for cannabis back in the dark ages. I met Larry at the Old Pilot back in the '60s. We used to have a few drinks occasionally and had many late dinners at Kwong Chows. Larry was a political Guru. Larry was fearless. I had many friends at CBC. He lasted through every change at CBC. I think they were all afraid of him. He knew where the bodies were buried. I loved sitting in Kwang Chows listening to him until the early hours. A conversation with Larry was like a contemporary history lesson with all the juicy bits left in. The barbs were obligatory. You had to have thick skin to dine with Larry but what a treat. He knew politics inside and out and he had all the real stories. I last talked to him just after Peter Gzowski died. I called to find out if he knew anything about the funeral.arranements...
Post a Comment
Read more

Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn This is me with Keenan Wynn during the shooting of 'The Ballonist' a "Littlest Hobo" episode shot in my parent's home in Uxbridge Ontario in the Summer of 1980. It was directed by Allen Eastman (Alien) and Keenan enjoyed tormenting him a bit.  Keenan and I spent the breaks talking about movies like 'Dr. Strangelove' etc. it was a fun afternoon. Keenan had the shakes a bit and didn't want to sign autographs, he always had the continuity girl around to take polaroids and gave out pictures instead.
Post a Comment
Read more