Naked Gun star Ed Williams has died. His granddaughter, Stephanie Williams, confirmed that he died on October 2.
She revealed that Williams, who played Ted Olson in ABC’s Police Squad, died aged 98 in Los Angeles. Williams, born Edwin Wallace Williams on November 26, 1926, he died just days after his former Father of the Bride co-star Diane Katon, who died aged 79.
Before moving to LA in 1955, Williams had a successful career in theatre and radio productions. He later began teaching speech classes at LA City College, which led to his casting as Olson on ABC’s Police Squad!
In a 2017 interview with Matthew Worley of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, Williams reflected on his career, stating: “I made up for lost time and got a fairly decent part to start coming back into acting.” Police Squad! first hit the screens in March 1982 with a series of six episodes, before transitioning to Paramount Pictures with The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.
Ed (left) died in Los Angeles, his granddaughter ha confirmed ( Paramount)
There was a staggering 24-year period when Ed didn’t audition for any roles, stating: “I do not approve of professors that go out and moonlight and make a lot of money on the side and neglect their classes. That used to make me mad to hear that.”
As his teaching schedule began to free up, the actor seized the chance to plunge back into the industry. “I felt like the [guy] who’s been trained to be a surgeon, but he didn’t quite get in the operating room. I wanted to get in the operating room.”
Fans have since taken to social media to pay tribute, with one writing: “RIP Naked Gun’s Ted!” A second added: “#RIP Ed Williams, perfect as lab scientist Ted Olson on ‘Police Squad!’ and the original ‘Naked Gun’ films. As a teacher, he had put aside acting for 24 years. ‘I do not approve of professors who go out and moonlight and neglect their classes,’ he said.”
“Rest in peace, Mr. Williams,” commented another. Ed’s co-star Diane died from pneumonia, it was recently revealed. The Annie Hall actress passed away on 11 October at the age of 79 and her family have now revealed her cause of death in a new statement, in which they thanked fans for their “extraordinary” messages of support.
Diane’s family told People magazine: “The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11.”
The family suggested those who wanted to pay tribute to the Godfather star could make a donation to one of her favourite causes.
They added: “She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her.”
It was previously reported that Diane’s health had “declined very suddenly” before her death. A source told People magazine: “She declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her.
“It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit. In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”
In March, Diane put her “dream home” in Brentwood, California, up for sale, despite previously vowing to stay there forever, and she was no longer regularly seen in the area walking her dogs.
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While in Israeli detention, Palestinian photojournalist Shadi Abu Sido was told his wife and children had been killed in Gaza. But when he was released under the ceasefire deal, he discovered they were alive.
Corrie actor Jimmi Harkishin has been on the cobbles for 26 years. But did you know he modelled his characted on a famous sports player turned prime minister?
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Jimmi Harkishin has been playing Dev on Corrie for 26 years.(Image: ITV)
Fancying himself as a suave ladies’ man, Corrie corner shop entrepreneur Dev Alahan has been entertaining everyone from his kids to the women he woos as his character Dev Alahan – and there have been many- for more than a quarter of a century.
Actor Jimmi Harkishin’s comic timing – especially since his romance and marriage to crystal-loving Bernie Winters (Jane Hazlegrove) – is supreme. And now, in a hilarious interview, Jimmi reveals how he modelled Corrie’s golf-loving Dev on former “Lion of Lahore” Imran Khan.
Not at all happy with the soap team’s vision of Dev as a Brummie businessman, he decided to add his own unique glamour to the smooth-talking character, by modelling him on then Pakistan cricket hero Khan – turned Pakistan Prime Minister, who is now in jail for corruption.
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Jimmi, 60, tells The Mirror: “When Dev first joined the show I got this breakdown which said, ‘Dev was born in Birmingham, went to Birmingham University. I then got the script and a week before I am due to film I get all method on myself. I did the accent but thought ‘I can’t do it like that. I can’t do it like I am from Birmingham. I can’t do it. It is not cool.’ Anyone from Birmingham I apologise, but I could not do it.
“I started panicking and asked if I could have a word with the producer Jane Macnaught, who gave me the job. I just thought I could not do all this ‘ducking and diving’ stuff. At the time, there was this sportsman and all the women thought he was dead hot and he was Imran Khan, the Lion of Lahore. He was the captain of the Pakistan cricket team and he had this mane of black hair and used to whack the balls out of the park.
“He used to talk with like a Bombay chic accent. So I went to see Jane and I started talking like that and she said ‘What are you doing?’ This is true. And I said ‘Birmingham? Imran Khan, Lion of Lahore….fantastic. He is drop dead gorgeous.’ But the producer said ‘If I wanted to hire Imran Khan I would have cast him’. She said to me ‘Go home and do what you want with the character,’ And now, 25 years later, I am still at it.”
Thankfully, Jimmi’s portrayal of wacky ladies man Dev has been a hit with Corrie’s army of fans ever since his first appearance on the show back in November 1999. His arrival marked a turning point in his career, having previously enjoyed life on the stage and cameos in hit TV shows such as Casualty, Medics, Jonathan Creek and The Bill.
And Jimmi hit the ground running. His portrayal of lothario Dev won him an army of fans, including the late Queen Elizabeth II, who once left him speechless when he was invited to a gala evening at Buckingham Palace. Jimmi says: “I once got invited to the Palace. I asked the Corrie press office if anyone else had been invited and they said it was just me. There was a phone number on the invite and it turned out to be the Master of Ceremonies and he said ‘The (late) Queen and Prince Phillip request your company’.
“I did not know what to say other than ‘Where do I park?’ They sent a police escort to drop me off at the front of the Palace. I went into the throne room but there were no other actors. It was for about four hours. I was introduced to Prince Phillip and he said ‘Are you one of us…or one of them?’ I said ‘I am one of them’ and he said ‘So am I.’ And I am still waiting for my knighthood guys.”
According to the actor, royalty are not the only people he has impressed. Jimmi, who was born in Paris to an Indian father and Italian mother, came face to face with the Mission Impossible and Superman star Henry Cavill during a random day out once in the French capital, as he sat quietly one day enjoying a coffee along the River Seine.
He laughs: “I am just going to make some space for the names I am about to drop. Dev is known around the world. How do you know you have arrived? Well, a few years ago I was in Paris and it was a beautiful spring afternoon and I was sitting having a cafe au lait and my friend said ‘Jim, who is the guy behind you? He looks really familiar’.
“I looked and I saw it was the guy who plays Superman. I just thought ‘be cool and say nothing’. Then, after about five minutes, Clark Kent paid the bill and as he left he went ‘Alright Dev?’ When Superman knows who you are, you know you have done it.”
And, although he never made it to Hollywood himself, Jimmi says he played a small part in Oscar winner Denzel Washington’s success. Back in 1988, the pair starred together in the movie For Queen & Country, which saw Washington play Reuben James, a black British former Falklands paratrooper, who joins the Army to escape the poverty of inner city London.
But, although Jimmi only enjoyed a smaller role, the actor claims it was he who Washington turned to for acting advice on set. Speaking at the An Audience with Coronation Street evening in Manchester, Jimmi reveals: “Denzel had come over and it was my first movie called For Queen & Country. I had two days on that working with him.
“This was before he became massive. He was lovely and I was sitting in the trailer one day waiting for my cab to take me home and there was a knock on the door. I opened it and there was Denzel. I said ‘Hi Denze. What’s up?’ He said ‘Can I just just borrow you for a couple of minutes? I know you are going home’.
“I said ‘Yes sure. Come on spot it out.’ Anyway he came in and sat down and said ‘look, I have been watching you work for the past couple of days and I think you are amazing. The thing with me is that I really want to be a big film star. A massive renowned award winning film star.’ He said ‘Do you have any advice?’ So I gave him some…and that’s it.”
Today, Jimmi says his love for Corrie is as strong as ever – as he continues to land massive storylines. Perhaps he will be best remembered for his passionate kiss with Deirdre Barlow back in December 2001, when he had a one night stand with the character, played by the late actress Anne Kirkbride, who died of breast cancer in 2015, aged 60.
The pair’s passionate encounter proved a massive hit with millions of viewers as it later spiralled into a love triangle between Dev, Deirdre and her onscreen daughter Tracy (Kate Ford) who went on to spill the beans to her father Ken (Bill Roache).
Looking back, Jimmi recognises that it is a storyline he will be forever remembered for and admits he was nervous with the pre-watershed bed hopping scenes he had to film. He said: “Anne was amazing and she had this sense of kind of chaos that followed her around.
“I was really nervous doing that scene. We had to do the bedroom scene. I said to her ‘about this scene…if I kiss you?’ She just threw all her clothes off and jumped into the sack. I was like ‘yeah, alright then.’ I got under the covers and she said ‘right, I think I’ll have to take my glasses off for this.’”
Discount on hand warmers from Amazon
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The economy, however, is seen as the deciding issue across segments of Bolivian society.
The Ipsos Ciesmori survey found that voters identified Bolivia’s economic crisis as their top concern going into the run-off. Other key concerns included the rise in consumer prices and the ongoing fuel shortage.
In recent years, Bolivia has experienced a sharp fall in its natural gas production, the country’s main source of export revenue.
With reserves of its primary export nearly depleted, the country has limited ability to earn outside revenue. That has contributed to an acute shortage of United States dollars, which in turn has made it more difficult to import products.
Prices have risen as a result, and an unofficial, parallel market has cropped up to swap the boliviano currency for dollars — albeit at a higher exchange rate than the official standard.
A woman places a flower garland around Rodrigo Paz’s neck during a closing campaign rally in Tarija, Bolivia, on October 15 [Juan Karita/AP Photo]
According to Jauregui, the country’s rightward shift is a response to the economic hardships that many attribute to the current government of outgoing President Luis Arce.
But it’s also due to the inevitable decline of a left-wing political project that has lost its sense of direction.
“From the outset, the historical MAS project achieved its goals and has run its course; it no longer offers new proposals for a changing society,” Jauregui said.
“The economic crisis has exacerbated all of this, driving a search for something different.”
To address the economic decline, the two right-wing candidates in this Sunday’s run-off have taken distinct approaches.
Quiroga has called for increased international investment and the implementation of austerity measures that would “end wasteful spending” — though critics warn that could come at the expense of social programmes.
“I am here to change everything, dramatically and radically,” Quiroga told The Associated Press in August.
Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga waves during a closing campaign rally in La Paz, Bolivia, on October 15 [Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo]
Paz, on the other hand, has proposed more gradual reforms under the slogan, “Capitalism for all”. Among his proposals are tax cuts, tariff reductions and the decentralisation of the national government.
“Eighty-five percent of the budget is today managed by the central government,” Paz told the online newspaper Infobae. “That must change in favour of the regions.”
Like Quiroga, Paz has pledged to crack down on government corruption, arguing that, “when money isn’t stolen, there is enough for everyone”. But unlike Quiroga, Paz believes it would be unwise to seek international loans before the Bolivian economy has stabilised.
Both candidates have also expressed their intention of restoring diplomatic relations with the US, which were severed in 2008 amid tensions over Washington’s “war on drugs”.
But Paz and Quiroga diverge on a major hot-button economic issue: the continuation of fuel subsidies.
Since the late 1990s, the Bolivian government has sold fuel at a fixed price, something critics say is unsustainable. The subsidies cost the state billions of dollars each year.
Claudia Winkleman has been wowing us with her gothic style on Celebrity Traitors – and we’ve found a high street alternative to her £1,330 Alexander McQueen shirt
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Claudia Winkleman wore a shirt by Alexander McQueen last Thursday’s – and we believe we’ve found the exact one(Image: Claudia Winkleman Instagram/Harrods)
BBC’s hit series The Celebrity Traitors made a triumphant return last week, with Claudia Winkleman once again at the helm. With the show’s unexpected twists and turns fully gripping me, I was seriously obsessed with its stylish host’s new Traitors wardrobe – all thanks to the presenter’s stylist, Sinead McKeefry.
In keeping with the show’s eerie theme, it appears Claudia is swapping Strictly’s sparkles and her typical Traitors Highlands-inspired tartan and knitwear – for now – for a more gothic aesthetic. Flaunting dark monochrome outfits complete with frilly shirts, black capes and biker boots, it’s a look we adore.
For those looking to emulate her style, her wardrobe does seem to be brimming with designer labels (as suggested by Sinead’s tags on Instagram) – including what appears to be Alexander McQueen. We suspect his White Plissé Ruffle-Neck Blouse, priced at £1330 at Harrods, made an appearance in last Thursday’s episode, reports OK!.
Teamed with a black Alexander McQueen Wool and silk coat, black trousers, black boots, and a black merino wool turtle neck from Cos – sensing a theme here – the blouse’s standout ruffle sleeves and plissé neckline peeked through the coat adding a touch of drama. Not forgetting her iconic lace black veil.
Of course, not all of us are able or willing to splash out hundreds on Claudia’s shirt (even if it is currently on sale at Flannels for £429). So, I took it upon myself to hunt down a more budget-friendly alternative.
Mint Vevlet’s White Ruffle Detail Shirt
£99
Buy Now on Mint Velvet
This White Ruffle Detail Shirt from Mint Velvet, priced at £99, is a fabulous alternative with its dramatic ruffles on the cuff and front. Although it doesn’t feature an open neck like Alexander McQueen’s style, its striking ruffles would surely get Claudia’s nod of approval.
The shirt comes with a traditional collar and feminine scoop hemline, available in sizes six to 16. Crafted from 100% viscose, there are no reviews yet, but the care instructions do advise that it should be dry cleaned only – the only downside we can spot.
For a blouse with more of a plissé style in the cuffs, we love this Mint Velvet Cream Pearl Detail Blouse at £110. It boasts a pleated, layered cuff, a pussy bow neckline, military-inspired trim and pearl detailing.
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Paired with a structured blazer, her classic shapewear leggings (£58) and Bottega boots (£1,080), this blouse would look stunning on the fashion icon. It has sizes small, medium and extra-large in stock.
US President Donald Trump says he and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet again for talks on the war in Ukraine.
Trump announced on social media on Thursday that he and Putin would meet in the Hungarian capital Budapest, after the two leaders held a lenghty and productive phone call. A date for the meeting has not been set.
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The call came a day before Trump is set to meet with President Zelenskyy in Washington, DC, where the Ukrainian leader is expected to resume his appeal to Trump to sell Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which could allow it to strike deeper in Russian territory in the two countries’ ongoing war.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would brief Zelenskyy on the Russia talks in the Oval Office tomorrow.
“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” he added.
Trump also said that senior US and Russian officials would meet next week to prepare for another meeting between Putin and Trump, the US leader said.
The call is the first known conversation between the two leaders since they met for a summit in Alaska in August.
The surprise development comes with Zelenskyy preparing to meet Trump at the White House on Friday, as Ukrainian officials seek greater support to fend against aerial attacks and strike back at Russia.
Russian forces continued to bombard Ukraine on Thursday, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight that targeted infrastructure, including energy-related infrastructure.
Eight Ukrainian regions experienced blackouts after the barrage, Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said on Thursday. DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, reported outages in the capital, Kyiv, and said it had to stop its natural gas extraction in the central Poltava region due to the strikes.
Natural gas infrastructure was damaged for the sixth time this month, said Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company.
Earlier this week, Russian forces struck a hospital and a United Nations convoy in Ukraine, injuring 57 people and forcing the evacuation of 50 patients.
Kyiv, in turn, has ramped up attacks on Russian targets, including a strike on an oil refinery in the Saratov region.
Ukraine seeks Tomahawks
Zelenskyy has argued that boosting Ukraine’s ability to carry out long-range strikes would help compel Putin to take Trump’s calls for direct negotiations to end the war more seriously.
Tomahawk cruise missiles have a range of around 1,600km (1,000 miles) and would make a strike on Moscow and other major Russian cities possible. While Putin has warned that selling such missiles to Ukraine would be a “whole new level of escalation,” Trump told reporters over the weekend that he’s considering it.
“I might talk to [Putin], I might say, ‘Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks.’ I may say that,” Trump told reporters.
“The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon, and honestly, Russia does not need that.”
Trump spoke to reporters en route to Israel over the weekend, where he addressed Israel’s parliament as the ceasefire he helped broker in Gaza took effect. In that speech, Trump signalled the ceasefire deal could lay the groundwork for a truce between Russia and Ukraine, making it clear he’s ready to apply pressure to Putin.
“First we have to get Russia done,” Trump said. “We gotta get that one done.”
Trump and Putin met in Alaska in August to discuss ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine, but left that short summit without a deal.
