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Morgan Woodward, an actor born in Fort Worth who took on guest roles in Gunsmoke, Star Trek and Dallas, died Friday in Paso Robles, Calif. The actor, who grew up in Arlington, was 93. He played the role of Punk Anderson, a trusted adviser to the Ewing family, in 55 episodes of Dallas, which ran from 1978 to 1991. He earned praise for his role as Boss Godfrey alongside Paul Newman in the 1967 prison drama Cool-Hand Luke.

Graduating high school in 1943, Newman briefly attended college before enlisting in the U.S. Navy Air Corps. He wanted to be a pilot, but he was told that he could never fly a plane as he was colorblind. He ended up serving as a radio operator and spent part of World War II serving in the Pacific. After leaving the military in 1946, Paul Newman attended Kenyon College in his home state of Ohio. He was on an athletic scholarship and played on the school’s football team. But after getting into some trouble, Newman changed course. “I got thrown in...

Clifton James, a veteran actor who appeared as Sheriff J.W. Pepper in two James Bond films, died Saturday morning at age 96... James most famous role came on film. He appeared in two James Bond films opposite Roger Moore: “Live and Let Die” (1973) and “The Man with the Golden Gun” (1974). He portrayed the crowing Louisiana sheriff, J.W. Pepper (pictured). James would play similar Southern lawman in numerous other roles during his career, including “Silver Streak” and “Superman II” Among his other film credits included “Cool Hand Luke,” “Eight Men Out” and “The Bonfire of the Vanities.” ...

A 41-year-old inmate at the Varner Unit was shot and killed Thursday while attempting to escape, according to a spokesman with the Arkansas Department of Correction. Spokesman Solomon Graves identified the inmate as Christopher Wilson of Saltillo. Wilson had been at the prison since 2003 after receiving a life sentence without parole for pleading guilty to two counts of capital murder, records show. Wilson entered the plea to avoid the death penalty in the December 2002 beating deaths of a woman and her 8-month-old son, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Sept. 3, 2003. The husband of Pamela Kay Reed, 26, found...

George Kennedy, star of "Cool Hand Luke" and the 'Naked Gun' movies, has died at the age of 91 ... TMZ has learned. George's grandson Cory Schenkel says Kennedy died Sunday morning at 4:30 AM in Boise, ID. He says his grandfather had been in failing health ever since his wife Joan died a little over a year ago. George had been under hospice care for the past month. Kennedy won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1968 for "Cool Hand Luke." He also starred in all 3 of the 'Naked Gun' flicks, "Airport 1975," "Earthquake" and many many more....

A former Santa Rosa Junior College police officer was sentenced last week to four years in prison for stealing at least $150,000 from campus parking machines to buy home furnishings and go on vacations and gambling trips, prosecutors said. Jeffrey Holzworth, who was a 28-year veteran of the campus police force, pleaded guilty last month in Sonoma County Superior Court to grand theft and 11 counts of possession of stolen property. He was sentenced Thursday by Judge Jamie Thistlethwaite.

If one image can illustrate why Barack Obama is on the verge of winning the Dem presidential nomination, this one from last night's debate could be it. View video here. Not only does it represent the epitome of good-natured cool, it comes in stark contrast to the patented glare that Hillary aims at those who draw her ire. We've often illustrated the death-ray genre here at NB; you'll find a representative image after the jump, taken from this summer's CNN/YouTube debate.

Stuart Rosenberg, a prolific director of episodic television who is best known for directing the 1967 film "Cool Hand Luke," has died. He was 79. Rosenberg died Thursday of a heart attack at his Beverly Hills home, his son Benjamin said Saturday. Rosenberg began directing television episodes in the 1950s for such dramatic series as "The Defenders," "The Untouchables," "Naked City," "The Twilight Zone" and "Bus Stop." He racked up more than 300 TV directing credits and won an Emmy Award in 1963 for an episode of "The Defenders." But after completing his first feature film — "Cool Hand Luke"...