Although I wrote a long post on Bette Davis, marking her 100th birthday, I felt that there are a few other actors and directors whose centennial celebrations have already passed, many with little or no fanfare.

January 5th marked the centennial of character actor Philip Bourneuf, who was primarily a stage performer but who also amassed numerous credits on television and in films, mostly in small roles.

January 10th was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bernard Lee, who is perhaps best known for portraying "M" in the early James Bond films.

January 12th marked the 100th birthday of French filmmaker Jean Delannoy (who is still alive, although retired from movie making).

Fans of Broadway musicals would know that January 16th was Ethel Merman's centennial. There were two recent biographies published, one by Brian Kellow, the other by Caryl Flinn. While it might be nice if someone in New York would decide to rename a theater in this diva's honor, the revival of "Gypsy" may have to suffice as a tribute to Ms. Merman.

January 26th would have been the 100th birthday of British actress Jill Esmond who had roles in the 1940s classics RANDOM HARVEST and THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER. An accomplished stage actress, she is perhaps better recalled as the first wife of actor Laurence Olivier and the mother of producer Tarquin Olivier.

Moving into February, the 5th marked the centennial for both Peg Entwhistle, a minor actress noted more for her spectacular suicide jumping off the Hollywoodland sign, and the conjoined Hilton sisters, Daisy and Violet, who were known for their appearances in FREAKS (1932) and CHAINED FOR LIFE (1951) and as the subject of the ill-fated Broadway musical "Side Show."

Later in the month, Sir John Mills would have turned 100 on February 22. The Oscar-winning actor (for RYAN'S DAUGHTER directed by fellow centenarian David Lean) died three years ago, so perhaps there was a feeling that it might be too soon to remember this fine performer.

March 5th was the centenary of Academy Award winning actor Rex Harrison, who is one of the few performers allowed to recreate his signature stage role of Henry Higgins in MY FAIR LADY on screen.  Harrison was noted for his urbane sophistication and he enjoyed a long and distinguished career on stage and screen. A celebratory film festival was held at New York City's Museum of Modern Art.

Two days later on March 7th, the Oscar-winning Italian actress Anna Magnani would have marked her 100th birthday. Seemingly forgotten in the United States, Magnani became an international sensation as the star of Roma, città aperta/OPEN CITY. Playwright Tennessee Williams wrote the lead role of Serafina in THE ROSE TATTOO for the actress but at the time the play was produced on Broadway, Magnani's English was limited. When it came time to make the film, however, she had improved her linguistic skills enough and delivered a performance that won her numerous accolades.

March 16 was Robert Rossen's centennial. Rossen began his career as a screenwriter and moved into directing with 1947's JOHNNY O'CLOCK and BODY AND SOUL. Two years later, he was nominated for Academy Awards as the writer and director of Best Picture winner ALL THE KING'S MEN. Rossen's career was affected when he testified before HUAC and named Communists within the motion picture industry. Before his death in 1966, he wrote and directed the classic THE HUSTLER (1961) and the intriguing if flawed drama LILITH (1964).

St. Patrick's Day -- March 17 -- would have been the 100th birthday of Brigitte Helm, the iconic actress who made her feature film debut in METROPOLIS (1927). She appeared in a number of starring roles, although she reportedly declined the lead in Der Blaue Engel/THE BLUE ANGEL (1930) and would not travel to the United States to star in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). Instead, she left the German film industry when Adolf Hitler assumed control, married her second husband and retired to Switzerland, refusing to speak of her film career. She died in 1996.

2008 marks the centennial of the birth of David Lean who began his career as a film editor in 1930 and included work on PYGMALION (1938) and MAJOR BARBARA (1941), among others. Lean moved to directing sharing honors with Noël Coward on IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942). They collaborated on three additional films with Lean directing, THIS HAPPY BREED (1944), BLITHE SPIRIT and  BRIEF ENCOUNTER (both 1945). Lean garnered acclaim for a pair of Dickens' adaptations, GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946) and OLIVER TWIST (1948) but it was THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957) that cemented his reputation. 1962 saw the release of the epic LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Three years later, Lean directed DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. After almost five years, he returned with RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970) which some critics felt was overblown. Lean saw his final feature film, A PASSAGE TO INDIA, released in 1984. In his career, Lean was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, taking home the Best Director statue twice in 1958 and in 1963. I would direct you to davidlean.com for more information about the man and his films. Also check out Anthony Lane's assessment of the filmmaker in THE NEW YORKER, March 31, 2008.

Character actor and two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor Arthur O'Connell would have turned 100 on March 29th.  A veteran stage performer, the actor landed mostly bit parts in his early film career. Astute viewers might recall the actor in a bit role of a reporter in the final scene of CITIZEN KANE (1941). He returned to the New York stage and then was back in Hollywood more than a decade later recreating his stage role as the unmarried shopkeeper in PICNIC (1955), which earned him an Oscar nod. O'Connell offered strong support in BUS STOP (1956) and as James Stewart's boozy ally in ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959), for which he picked up his second Oscar nomination. That same year, O'Connell created the role of Russell Lawrence, father of GIDGET. The actor enjoyed a long career as an actor on television, notably as Monte Markham's son in "THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS." By the mid-197o's, O'Connell began to show signs of Alzheimer's disease which contributed to his death in 1981.

Last but not least, April 2nd would have been the 100th birthday of dancer and actor Buddy Ebsen. While most people might remember him for his two television series, "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES" and "BARNABY JONES", the performer actually began his career on stage as a dancer first on Broadway and later in partnership with his sister Vilma in vaudeville. The Ebsens headed to Hollywood and signed to a contract by MGM. Their first screen appearance was in BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936 (1935). Vilma retired soon after and Ebsen embarked on  a solo career partnered with such musical talents as Shirley Temple (CAPTAIN JANUARY, 1936), Eleanor Powell (BORN TO DANCE, 1936) and Judy Garland (BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938, 1937). Ebsen was famously cast in THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) as the Scarecrow, but he later agreed to switch roles with Ray Bolger, who had been hired to play the Tin Man. Ebsen developed an alergic reaction to the metallic makeup and eventually had to drop out of the film, replaced by Jack Haley. The actor won praise playing the title character's sidekick George Russell in episodes of "DAVY CROCKETT" aired on "DISNEYLAND" in the mid-1950's. He appeared as Audrey Hepburn's husband in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) and was on the verge of retiring when he was given the script for a television series about an Ozark family that strikes it rich and moves to California. "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES" (1962-71) was a surprise success. Two years later, Ebsen began another long run as the homey private detective "BARNABY JONES" (1973-80).  Ebsen died from complications from pneumonia in 2003.