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The late Raquel Welch was always very pragmatic about her acting career. She understood that she was largely approached for very specific kinds of roles merely for her model good looks and dazzling on-screen sparkle. It's telling that one of her most famous roles, that of Loana in Don Chaffey's 1966 film "One Million Years B.C.," featured Welch in a revealing fur bikini. That Welch was also a hilarious actor was a marvelous bonus for audiences everywhere. She was always very game, and can be seen in any number of energetic and bawdy comedies. Of course she was in Richard Lester's celibate "Three Musketeers" movies in the 1970s. She was, however, always aware of what audiences were looking at. Case in point: Welch's 2010 autobiography is called "Beyond the Cleavage."

In that book, Welch revealed that she was once approached to play the central love interest in the early James Bond film "Thunderball.

Exclusive: Verve has confirmed that former ICM agent Jr Ringer has joined the company as a talent agent.

Ringer was one of three ICM agents who left last month to join other firms. He will work with Verve Talent Head and Partner Sean Grumman as the agency continues to expand its footprint in film and television talent representation.

Confirmed clients who have followed Ringer to Verve include Josh Hartnett, who recently wrapped Guy Ritchie’s STX film Operation Fortune with Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza and Jason Statham, and will next be shooting Christopher Nolan’s Universal film Oppenheimer; Sean Bean, who was last seen in the Jimmy McGovern BBC limited series Time and can currently be seen in Snowpiercer; Andy Allo, who stars in Greg Daniels’ Amazon series Upload, which premieres its second season in March; David Costabile, who plays Wags in Showtime’s Billions; Isaiah Hill, who stars in...

Exclusive: Managers Ari Zudkewich and Jared Ceizler are joining Cavalry Media. The pair arrive at Cavalry after spending six years at Magnolia Entertainment.

Originally from New Jersey, Zudkewich started his career as an intern at ICM before joining the management company The Syndicate. Zudkewich then worked at the Gersh Agency and Brillstein Entertainment Partners before joining the Literary Department at Magnolia Entertainment. At Magnolia, he worked with clients such as Daniel Espinosa, Matt Greenberg, Babak Najafi, Martin Zandvliet and Tarik Saleh.

A Los Angeles native, Ceizler started his career as a production assistant for Blind Decker Productions. He continued on to work for the late Jack Gilardi at ICM before transitioning to management and production at Magnolia Entertainment. At Magnolia, Ceizler ran day-to-day for such clients as Rachel McAdams, Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Noomi Rapace and Bill Skarsgard. He also executive produced the film Here Are the Young Men...

A celebration of the life of Jack Gilardi, an ICM agent for 68 years, will take place this Monday, December 9, at 7:00 Pm at Paramount Studios.

Industry friends are welcome to attend, but must RSVP to obtain a drive-on to the Paramount lot. The RSVP email is  Gilardimemorial@icmpartners.com.

Gilardi passed away September 19. During his long career, he represented major stars, directors, music artists, and athletes, including Sylvester Stallone, Joe Mantegna, Jerry Lewis, Shirley MacLain, Ann Margaret, Charlton Heston, Frankie Avalon, Walter Hill, Walter Becker, Frankie Valli, Howie Long and Annette Funicello, whom he married and had three children with. The children will speak at the memorial, along with many of the stars that Gilardi represented.

The official invitation is below:...

Carl Ruiz, celebrity chef who regularly appeared on Guy Fieri’s Food Network shows, died Saturday at the age of 44, according to a statement from his New York restaurant, La Cubana.

“On behalf of the La Cubana family, with heavy hearts, we are deeply saddened to share the passing of our beloved Executive Chef Carl Ruiz,” the restaurant’s statement reads.

“No words can fully express our sadness at the sudden loss of our dear friend and brother. Beyond his immense culinary talent, Carl’s larger-than-life personality never failed to entertain, enlighten, and uplift every person he encountered along his #Ruizing adventures. His fierce intellect and infectious humor knew no bounds. He was a mighty force of down home Cuban cuisine, and lived life to the fullest, just as he cooked–with ‘dancing always’ as the most important ingredient. Here at La Cubana, Carl paid proud tribute to his Cuban roots each night,...

Jack Gilardi, a longtime ICM Partners agent whose license plate read “ICM Jg,” died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles at age 88, the agency announced.

During his seven-decade career, Gilardi represented Hollywood legends such as Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, Jerry Lewis, Shirley MacLaine and Charlton Heston. Longstanding clients who have remained with him until the end include Ann-Margret, Joe Mantegna, Walter Hill, Frankie Avalon and Jaclyn Smith, among many others.

He was also married to actress and former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello from 1965 to 1981; the couple had three children together.

Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2019 (Photos)

The Chicago native got his start in talent representation while serving in the U.S. Army, where he was placed in charge of bringing entertainment to the soldiers stationed at Fort Knox. In October 1954, following his completion of service, he began working as an agent with General Artists Corporation, which later joined Creative Management Associates,...

Jack L. Gilardi, a longtime ICM Partners agent whose client roster over the years included Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, Jerry Lewis, Shirley MacLaine, and Charlton Heston, died this morning at age 88.

His death was announced by ICM Partners. No cause of death was given, but the company notes that Gilardi passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family.

Gilardi would have celebrated his 65th anniversary at the company next month. Longstanding clients who remained with Gilardi until the end include Ann-Margret, Joe Mantegna, Walter Hill, Frankie Avalon, and Jaclyn Smith, among others.

Among his early clients was former Mouseketeer and star of American-International’s “Beach Party” film franchise Annette Funicello, who he would marry in 1965. The couple had three children before divorcing in 1983. (Funicello died at 70 in 2013 of complications due to multiple sclerosis).

Born on October 5th, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, Gilardi would go on to join the Us Army and,...

Jack Gilardi, a longtime ICM Partners agent who represented such stars as Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, Jerry Lewis, Charlton Heston and Shirley MacLaine, died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.

Gilardi was known for his gentlemanly style, love of the Los Angeles Dodgers and his skill at representing top actors. He would have marked his 65th anniversary at ICM (and its predecessor Creative Management Associates) next month. Gilardi remained active as a talent rep on behalf of longtime clients including Ann-Margret, Joe Mantegna, Walter Hill, Frankie Valli, Frankie Avalon and Jaclyn Smith. He was married to one-time client Annette Funicello for 17 years in the 1960s and ’70s.

A native of Chicago, Gilardi served in the U.S. Army at Fort Knox in Kentucky, where he was in charge of arranging entertainment for the soldiers. That led him to pursue a career as a talent agency after his discharge...

Jack Gilardi, the dapper agent who spent the past 64-plus years with ICM Partners and its predecessor companies, has died. He was 88.

Gilardi died Thursday morning in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family, a spokesperson for ICM announced.

He was married to the late actress Annette Funicello — he first met her on the set of her 1961 film Babes in Toyland and served as her agent and manager — from 1965 until their divorce in 1981.

Gilardi's roster of current clients included Funicello's frequent co-star Frankie Avalon as well as ...

Jack Gilardi, the dapper agent who spent the past 64-plus years with ICM Partners and its predecessor companies, has died. He was 88.

Gilardi died Thursday morning in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family, a spokesperson for ICM announced.

He was married to the late actress Annette Funicello — he first met her on the set of her 1961 film Babes in Toyland and served as her agent and manager — from 1965 until their divorce in 1981.

Gilardi's roster of current clients included Funicello's frequent co-star Frankie Avalon as well as ...

This story first appeared in the Aug. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. The Beverly Hilton — a property boasting 569 rooms and a ballroom fit for 1,200 guests — has always been a major hub for Hollywood. Says Jack Gilardi (who has represented Charlton Heston and Shirley MacLaine in his 60 years at ICM Partners) of its exclusive L'Escoffier restaurant during the 1950s: "I remember walking in and seeing Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn; you'd see Sidney Poitier dressed to the tens." Over the years, the hotel has

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Mickey Mouse Club favourite who appeared with Frankie Avalon in 60s Beach Party musicals

Annette Funicello, who has died of complications from multiple sclerosis aged 70, was instantly associated with two names: Mickey Mouse and Frankie Avalon, both of whom were squeaky clean. As a child, Funicello was one of the first Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club, the hugely popular Walt Disney children's television programme. In her early 20s, Funicello co-starred with the pop singer Avalon in five "Beach Party" musicals, in which they played wholesome "teenage" sweethearts called Dee Dee and Frankie, always testing each other's fidelity.

Born in Utica, New York, Funicello took ballet dancing lessons as a child to overcome shyness. In 1955, some years after her family had moved to southern California, the 12-year-old was chosen by Disney himself from 200 children auditioning for the first season of the Mickey Mouse Club. From 1955 to 1957, she danced, sang...

Annette Funicello, who starred in a series of beach movies with Frankie Avalon in the 1960s, passed away at the age of 70. The actress had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987 and soon thereafter became a spokesperson for the treatment of this disease that attacks the central nervous system.

The actress was first discovered by Walt Disney at the age of 12 during a Burbank dance recital in 1955. Later that year, she joined the cast of Disney's new TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, where she became the biggest star of that cast. After the show ended in 1958, she remained under contract at Disney and starred in her first feature, The Shaggy Dog, in 1959. This lead to a string of Disney films such as Babes in Toyland and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones.

In 1963, she starred in her first "beach" movie with Frankie Avalon entitled Beach Party, which lead to 1964's...

Former child star was hand-picked by Walt Disney and spoke openly about the degenerative effects of multiple sclerosis

Annette Funicello, who became a child star as a perky, cute-as-a-button Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club in the 1950s, then teamed up with Frankie Avalon on a string of 1960s fun-in-the-sun movies with names like Beach Blanket Bingo and Bikini Beach, died Monday. She was 70.

She died at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, California, of complications from multiple sclerosis, the Walt Disney Co said.

Funicello stunned fans and friends in 1992 with the announcement about her ailment. Yet she was cheerful and upbeat, grappling with the disease with a courage that contrasted with her lightweight teen image of old.

"She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney's brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent," said Bob Iger,...

Former child star Annette Funicello has died at the age of 70, reports "Extra."

The actress, who is best remembered for her time as a Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" from 1955 to 1957, died from complications related to multiple sclerosis, which she was diagnosed with more than 20 years ago.

Funicello first lost the ability to walk in 2004, and later lost the ability to speak in 2009. Family members told "Extra" that they were by her side when she was taken off life support, after being in a Ms coma for years.

The former actress was the original Disney star, getting her start as a Mouseketeer and staring in Disney films including, "The Shaggy Dog" and "Babes in Toyland," before transitioning into a teen idol. In the early 1960s Funicello starred in a series of "Beach Party" movies co-starring Frankie Avalon, that included "Beach Party," "Muscle Beach Party," "Pajama Beach Party," "Beach Blanket...

The legendary singer and actress Annette Funicello has died on April 8, following complications with her multiple sclerosis. So sad!

Famous singer and actress Annette Funicello has died at the age 70 on April 8. At the age of 12, Annette rose to fame as one of Disney’s original “Mousekeeters.” She died in a Bakersfield hospital following a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Such sad news.

Annette Funicello: Dead From Multiple Sclerosis

Annette died on April 8, reports TMZ.

Annette was famous for being a singer, a dancer and for having large breasts. She starred in many films through her decades long career, including The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine and Pajama Party.

She had spoken out in the past and said that she thought of Walt Disney as a second father.

She was married twice, and has three children. She married Jack Gilardi in 1965 and had three kids called Gina,...

Annette Funicello, the ultimate Girl Next Door to a generation of Baby Boomers who first fell in love with her on the original 1955-'59 incarnation of The Mickey Mouse Club - died Monday after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. She was 70. Her family told Extra that Funicello passed away from complications of her illness, and they were by her side when she was taken off life support. Funicello had been in an Ms coma for years, Extra reported. With her brunette curls and expressive brown eyes, "Annette," as she was simply known, grew up on the nation's TV screens...

Annette Funicello -- the darling of "The Mickey Mouse Club" and star of many '60s beach movies -- has died at age 70.In 1992, Annette went public with the news she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which robbed her of her ability to walk and eventually talk. Extra reports she died in a Bakersfield hospital after being in a coma due to Ms.Annette had three children with her first husband Jack Gilardi, and married her second husband Glen Holt in 1986. Holt was her primary caregiver throughout her battle with Ms, and their life was featured on CTV's W5 last year. Check out the powerful documentary here.Annette's daughter Gina Gilardi just released this statement: "She's on her toes dancing in heaven... no more Ms. My brothers and I were there, holding her sweet hands when she left us."See what her famous fans had to say on Twitter:Al...