Think you know everything about some of modern history’s most recognizable figures? We’re Amit and Michael, two pop culture enthusiasts who upend... more
This person died in 2020 at age 93. He was the only child of a noted Beat poet. He won... more
This person died in 2023 at age 70. A turning point in his career came shortly after a disappointing and... more
This person died in 2010 at age 84. His elder brother was deputy prime minister of Canada. Before his 18th... more
This person died in 2009 at age 57. His father was an engineer and a rodeo cowboy. He was a... more
This person died 2023 at age 83. In 2013, after demonstrating a proficiency in German, she became a citizen of... more
This person died in 2022 at age 93. In 1976, she became known as the “million-dollar baby” because of a... more
This person died in 2004 at age 82. His big break came in 1967 when, at age 44 and relatively... more
This person died in 2003 at age 71, He is considered a pioneer of rock 'n' roll, and in 1992... more
We’re back, and we’re sharing the exciting news that Famous & Gravy is now part of Wondery! Amit and Michael... more
This person died 2016 at age 69. He suffered a blow in a teenage brawl that caused his left pupil... more
This person died in 2014 at age 85. In the 1930s, she was a determined child actress who sang and... more
This person died in 2019, age 76. In 1958 when he was 14, his father died immediately after performing a... more
This person died in 2016 at age 69. In an acting career spanning more than 40 years, he played a... more
This person died in 2016 at age 57. He won an Academy Award in 1985, and a Webby Lifetime Achievement... more
This person died in 2016 at age 99. She appeared as a nightclub manager in Orson Welles’ 1958 “Touch of... more
This person died in 2014 at age 86. She was a Tony-nominated stage actress, and a calypso dancer for a... more
This person died in 2021 at age 61. He almost joined the newspaper business as a young man, but deliberately... more
This person died in 2014 at age 46. His mother was a former family court judge, and his father worked... more
This person died in 2015 at age 76. He taught English at Westminster College in Pennsylvania, and was also a... more
This person died in 2015 at age 82. When he moved to California in the early 1960s, he befriended the... more
This person died in 2022 at age 94. In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Although often... more
Special crossover episode! Imagine this: You’re on a desert island, and you can choose one actor or actress – and... more
This person died in 2022 at age 65. In his last year of college, he won a student Academy Award... more
This person died in 2016 at age 60. She was just 19 years old when she acted in her most... more
This person died in 2021 at age 99. During World War II she drove a truck delivering soap, toothpaste and... more
This person died in 2022 at age 83. She amassed number 1 hits, chart-topping albums, and four records that sold... more
This person died in 2018 at age 87. He wrote his most famous screenplay while teaching creative writing at Princeton... more
This person died in 2022 at age 88. He was once described by his coach as “the single most devastating... more
This person died in 2018 at age 82. His early passion was for football, and he played halfback at Florida... more
This person died in 2015 at age 93. He was a physically towering British movie actor with distinguished good looks,... more
This person died in 2022 at age 96. She once said “I wasn’t very good at being a starlet. I... more
This person died in 2019 at age 52. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica but spent much of his childhood... more
This person died in 2019 at age 70. His birth name was Edward Mahoney. He was the son of a... more
This person died in 2020 at age 86. Over the years he was a favorite among talk-show hosts, making at... more
This person died in 2019 at age 52. His looks were often compared to James Dean. Before his breakout, his... more
This person died in 2012 at age 71. In the summer of 1961 she was a summer intern in the... more
This person died in 2016 at age 83. He was an accomplished stage actor as well as a screenwriter, a... more
This person died in 2016 at age 82. He was an unlikely and reluctant pop star, if in fact he... more
This person died in 2022 at age 68. His act fit comfortably into the category of “family entertainment.” He had... more
This person died in 2018 at age 88. When he graduated college in 1951 he had enough skill as a... more
This person died in 2017 at age 61. He was described as good-natured in assessing his status in Hollywood. In... more
This person died in 2021 at age 99. During World War II she drove a truck delivering soap, toothpaste and... more
This person died 2021 at age 86. He was routinely brilliant, performing with seemingly effortless grace. He did not enjoy... more
This person died 2021 at age 98. He was a star athlete who lettered in football, basketball, and track. He... more
This person died in 2017 at age 80. At age 17, she was hired to appear in a series of... more
This person died in 2021 at age 61. His brother Neil once told a reporter that he almost joined the... more
This person died 2016 at age 69. He suffered a blow in a teenage brawl that caused his left pupil... more
This person died in 2013 at age 51. His father was an immigrant who held a number of jobs, including... more
This person died in 2014 at age 86. She was a Tony-nominated stage actress, and a calypso dancer for a... more
This person died in 2021 at age 85. He had an irrepressible way, and a distinctive voice. Fox snagged him... more
This person died in 2020 at age 78. He grew up in Oneonta, New York. He began his career in... more
This person died 2012 at age 82. He was among the most recognizable faces in the world. He built an... more
This person died in 2019 at age 76. In 1958 when he was 14, his father died immediately after performing... more
This person died 2016 at age 82. She starred in “Fanny” on Broadway in the mid-1950s, and did national tours... more
This person died 2021 at age 57. He appeared regularly on the Nickelodeon show “Yo Gabba Gabba”. He collaborated with... more
This person died in 2020 at age 73. He was a relative unknown in 1970 when Kris Kristofferson first heard... more
This person died in 2016 at age 69. In an acting career spanning more than 40 years, he played a... more
This person died in 2017 at age 77. One of his early commercial films was a segment for Mister Rogers'... more
This person died in 2019 at age 69. His father died when he was a teenager, and his mother was... more
This person died in 2012 at age 63. She grew up singing in church and decided in her teens to... more
This person died in 2016 at age 74. He had an agile mind, a buoyant personality, and a brash self-confidence.... more
This person died in 2017 at age 97. He graduated in 1937 from Hollywood High School, where he briefly dated... more
This person died 2016 at age 66. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Arizona. He began his comedy... more
Michael and Amit conceived of a game app in 2011, and 10 years later this podcast was born instead. In... more
This person died in 2013 at age 87. She grew up in a flat above a grocery store owned by... more
This person died in 2012 at age 83. As he grew up – working class, Jewish, gay — he felt... more
Today we celebrate our 25th episode by spotlighting a fan-favorite category: Coffee, Cocktail or Cannabis. In this category, we ask... more
This person died in 2020 at age 77. He began shaving his head at age 12, long before he got... more
This person died in 2021 at age 84. He was friends with Ken Kesey and made a memorable appearance in... more
This person died in 2016 at age 99. She appeared as a nightclub manager in Orson Welles’ 1958 “Touch of... more
This person died in 2017 at age 66. There was a scrappy defiance in his career choices. He melded California... more
This person died in 2020 at age 87. She once said her writing style was partly inspired by Vladimir Nabokov,... more
This person died in 2020 at age 73. He was a relative unknown in 1970 when Kris Kristofferson first heard... more
The person died in 2013 at age 70. The force and grace of his opinions propelled him into the mainstream... more
This person died in 2012 at age 82. His most famous moment lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes. He was... more
This person died in 2020 at age 80. He won six Emmys and a lifetime achievement award. He ran a... more
This person died in 2020 at age 60. FIFA, soccer’s governing body, voted him and Pelé the sport’s two greatest... more
This person died in 2014 at age 85. In the 1930s, she was a determined child actress who sang and... more
This person died in 2016 at age 53. He was a handsome, smiling teen-pop idol making lighthearted singles like “Wake... more
This person died in 2013 at age 95. His given name translates colloquially as “troublemaker.” The question most often asked... more
This person died in 2014 at age 81. In her twenties, she worked in the publicity department at Lord and... more
This person died in 2014 at age 82. He once said his technique of using biographical teasers to introduce songs... more
This person died in 2020 at age 81. His career as a solo artist did not gain traction until he... more
This person died in 2019 at age 79. He inspired John Lennon to write the line “I know what it’s... more
This person died in 2019 at age 89. He had a squeaky, country-boy twang and ears that stuck out like... more
This person died in 2015 at age 90. He was known in part for his proverbs, which testified to a... more
This person died in 2017 at age 89. Early on, he expressed interest in becoming a commercial artist, and as... more
This person died in 2019 at age 76. He was a mild-mannered figure, and often appeared on air in elegant... more
This person died in 2015 at age 83. His artistic pursuits included poetry, photography, and music, in addition to acting.... more
This person died in 2012 at age 84. He was part of a group that fought fascists on the streets... more
This person died in 2017 at age 89. Early on, he expressed interest in becoming a commercial artist, and as a teenager... more