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Lean, angular-faced and authoritatively spoken lead / supporting actor Roy Scheider obviously never heard the old actor's axiom about "never appearing with kids or animals" lest they overshadow your performance. Breaking that rule did him no harm, though, as he achieved pop cult status by finding, fighting and blowing up a 25-foot-long Great White shark (nicknamed "Bruce") in the mega-hit Jaws (1975) and then electrocuting an even bigger Great White in the vastly inferior Jaws 2 (1978).

Athletic Scheider was born in November 1932 in Orange, New Jersey, to Anna (Crosson) and Roy Bernhard Scheider, a mechanic. He was of German and Irish descent. A keen sportsman from a young age, he competed in baseball and boxing (his awkwardly mended broken nose is a result of his foray into Golden Gloves competitions). While at college, his pursuits turned from sports to theater and he studied drama at Rutgers and Franklin and Marshall. After a stint in the military, Scheider appeared with the New York Shakespeare Festival and won an "Obie Award" for his appearance in the play "Stephen D."

His film career commenced with the campy Z-grade horror cheesefest The Curse of the Living Corpse (1964), and he then showed up in Star! (1968), Paper Lion (1968), Stiletto (1969) and Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970). In 1971 he really came to the attention of film audiences with his role in the Jane Fonda thriller Klute (1971) and then as Det. Buddy Russo (scoring his first Oscar nomination) alongside fiery Gene Hackman in the crime drama The French Connection (1971). His performance as a tough street cop in that film led him into another tough cop role as NYC Det. Buddy Manucci in the underappreciated The Seven-Ups (1973), which features one of the best car chase sequences ever put on film.

In the early 1970s the Peter Benchley novel "Jaws" was a phenomenal best-seller, and young director Steven Spielberg was chosen by Universal Pictures to direct the film adaptation, Jaws (1975), in which Scheider played police chief Brody and shared lead billing with Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss in the tale of a New England seaside community terrorized by a hungry Great White shark. "Jaws" was a blockbuster, and for many years held the record as the highest-grossing film of all time. Scheider then turned up as the shady CIA agent brother of Dustin Hoffman in the unnerving Marathon Man (1976) and in the misfired William Friedkin-directed remake of The Wages of Fear (1953) titled Sorcerer (1977), before again returning to Amity to battle another giant shark in Jaws 2 (1978). Seeking a change from tough cops and hungry sharks, he took the role of womanizing, drug-popping choreographer Joe Gideon, the lead character of the semi-autobiographical portrayal of director Bob Fosse in the sparkling All That Jazz (1979). It was another big hit for Scheider (and another Oscar nomination), with the film featuring a stunning opening sequence to the tune of the funky George Benson number "On Broadway", and breathtaking dance routines including the "Airotica" performance by the glamorous Sandahl Bergman.

Returning to another law enforcement role, Scheider played a rebellious helicopter pilot in the John Badham conspiracy / action film Blue Thunder (1983), a scientist in the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) simply titled 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), a cheating husband who turns the tables on his blackmailers in 52 Pick-Up (1986), a cold-blooded hit man in Cohen and Tate (1988) and a CIA operative in the muddled and slow-moving The Russia House (1990). The versatile Scheider was then cast as the captain of a futuristic submarine in the relatively popular TV series SeaQuest 2032 (1993), which ran for three seasons.

Inexplicably, however, Scheider had seemingly, and slowly, dropped out of favor with mainstream film audiences, and while he continued to remain busy, predominantly in supporting roles (generally as US presidents or military officers), most of the vehicles he appeared in were B-grade political thrillers such as The Peacekeeper (1997), Executive Target (1997), Chain of Command (2000) and Red Serpent (2003).

Ron Leavitt was born on 7 November 1947 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Help (2004), Married... with Children (1987) and It's Your Move (1984). He was married to Sharyn Leavitt. He died on 10 February 2008 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.

Marina Camacho was born on 7 July 1935 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. She was an actress, known for Matar o morir (1963), Las aventuras de Carlos Lacroix (1959) and La locura del rock and roll (1957). She was married to Carlos Fernando Maldonado Baur. She died on 10 February 2008 in Mexico, D.F., Mexico.

Steve Gerber was born on 20 September 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a writer, known for Howard the Duck (1986), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and The New Batman Adventures (1997). He was married to Margo MacLeod. He died on 10 February 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Kirk Browning was born on 28 March 1921 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Great Performances (1971), American Playhouse (1980) and Turandot (1987). He was married to Barbara Gum. He died on 10 February 2008 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

Inga Nielsen was born on 2 June 1946 in Holbaek, Denmark. She was an actress, known for Great Performances (1971), The Wide World of Mystery (1973) and Andre folks børn (1958). She was married to Robert Hale. She died on 10 February 2008 in Gentofte Sygehus, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Robert Alexander was born on 17 March 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor. He was married to Jane Alexander. He died on 10 February 2008 in La Jolla, California, USA.

Carl Boles was born on 30 December 1925 in Santa Ana, California, USA. He is known for 48 Hrs. (1982), Cobra (1986) and Broken Arrow (1996). He died on 10 February 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Freddie Bell was born on 29 September 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Rock Around the Clock (1956), The Ernie Sigley Show (1974) and Get Yourself a College Girl (1964). He was married to Roberta Linn. He died on 10 February 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Douglas Moening was born on 23 August 1953 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Fugitive (2000) and Unsolved Mysteries (1987). He died on 10 February 2008 in Clearview, Washington, USA.

David Haft was born on 20 February 1923 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Steve Canyon (1958) and Hannie Caulder (1971). He died on 10 February 2008 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Len X. Clayton was a production designer and art director, known for The Station Agent (2003), The Visitor (2007) and Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006). He died on 10 February 2008 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Arijs Geikins was born on 14 February 1936 in Riga, Latvia. He was an actor, known for Silneye uragana (1960), Spele (1981) and Mans draugs - nenopietns cilveks (1976). He died on 10 February 2008 in Riga, Latvia.

Tibor Simanyi was born in 1924 in Kiskunfélegyháza, Hungary. He is known for The Secret Ways (1961) and The Journey (1959). He died on 10 February 2008 in Vienna, Austria.

Peter Marginter was born on 26 October 1934 in Vienna, Austria. He was a writer, known for Der Fenstergucker (1957), Der tote Onkel (1981) and Wolkenreiter & Sohn (1982). He died on 10 February 2008 in Vienna, Austria.

Dario Lodigiani was born on 6 June 1916 in San Francisco, California, USA. He died on 10 February 2008 in Napa, California, USA.

Bengt Westfelt was born on 31 August 1923 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was a cinematographer, known for The Yellow Squadron (1954), The Wind Is My Lover (1949) and Flickan är ett fynd (1943). He died on 10 February 2008 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.

William Long was born on 23 April 1922 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He was married to Valerie Bryans and Doreen Mercer. He died on 10 February 2008 in Yorkshire, England, UK.