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The 1970s were an excellent time to be a fan of the spy thriller genre. Franchises like the James Bond films were becoming increasingly popular, with five Bond films being released during this decade alone. 007 wasn't the only force to be reckoned with in the genre, though. Other major features, like 3 Days of the Condor and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, also roared onto the scene, making spy thrillers a beloved genre throughout the country.

Of course, not every spy film received the same level of acclaim as these hits. Because so many of this type of film were being released at the same time, many great ones managed to fly under the radar. Sadly, these films never seemed to get the attention they rightfully deserved. Now, when looking back at this era in the film industry, it is essential to take a look at the more...

Henry Darrow, the first Hispanic actor to portray Zorro on television who also starred in TV series “The High Chaparral,” has died. He was 87.

According to his former publicist, Michael B. Druxman, Darrow died Sunday at his home in Wilmington, N.C.

Throughout the 60s, Darrow appeared in television series such as “Wagon Train,” “Bonanza,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” “Gunsmoke” and “Daniel Boone.” Additionally, he appeared in the first season of “Harry O” and won a daytime Emmy for his role on the soap opera “Santa Barbara.”

Darrow also took part in many stage productions such as “The Alchemist” and “Dark of the Moon.” He caught the attention of “Bonanza” creator David Dortort while appearing in the 1965 stage production of “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit” at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles, where he was immediately offered a role in the Western series “The High Chaparral” He played Manolito Montoya,...

Teresa Wright: Later years (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon.") Teresa Wright and Robert Anderson were divorced in 1978. They would remain friends in the ensuing years.[1] Wright spent most of the last decade of her life in Connecticut, making only sporadic public appearances. In 1998, she could be seen with her grandson, film producer Jonah Smith, at New York's Yankee Stadium, where she threw the ceremonial first pitch.[2] Wright also became involved in the Greater New York chapter of the Als Association. (The Pride of the Yankees subject, Lou Gehrig, died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1941.) The week she turned 82 in October 2000, Wright attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Somewhere in Time, where she posed for pictures with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In March 2003, she was a guest at the 75th Academy Awards, in the segment showcasing Oscar-winning actors of the past. Two years later,...

Emmy-nominated actress Carmen Zapata has died of heart problems, colleagues say. She was 86. Zapata, who started a foundation to promote Hispanic writers because jobs were so scarce, died Sunday at her Van Nuys-area home, said Luis Vela, marketing manager for the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in Los Angeles. Zapata started her career in 1945 in the Broadway musical Oklahoma and went on to perform in Bells Are Ringing, Guys and Dolls and many plays. "She was an inspiration for me," Vela said. "She taught me that art is the key to resolving differences in the community." He said Zapata was...

The veteran character actress and co-founder of the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in La died Sunday in her Van Nuys home. Carmen Zapata was 86. During a career spanning six decades, she appeared in films including Sister Act and its sequel, dozens of TV shows and on Broadway during the original 1940s run of Oklahoma! She was a regular on the NBC soap Santa Barbara during the 1980s and on the 1976 series Viva Valdez and played the mayor for nine seasons on PBS’ bilingual kids show Villa Alegre. Her long list of TV credits include Bonanza; The Mod Squad; Adam-12; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Love, American Style; The Streets of San Francisco; The White Shadow; Trapper John, M.D.; Married … With Children; and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. The New York native received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.

Carmen Zapata, an accomplished character actress on TV, film and the stage and a leading force in showcasing Latino culture in Los Angeles, died Sunday at her home in Van Nuys. She was 86. Los Angeles’ Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, which she co-founded in 1973, said Zapata had been suffering from a heart condition, Kabc-tv reported Monday. Zapata appeared as one of the choir nuns in Sister Act (1992) and its sequel, had a regular role on the NBC soap Santa Barbara and played the matriarch on Viva Valdez, a 1976 ABC summer sitcom. For nine seasons,

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