Hollywood loses actors Jack Klugman and Charles Durning

2012-12-27 3

Emmy-winning actor Jack Klugman, a versatile, raspy-voiced mainstay of U.S. television during the 1970s and early '80s through his starring roles in "The Odd Couple" and "Quincy, M.E.," died on Monday at the age of 90.

Klugman, whose pairing with Tony Randall on "The Odd Couple" created one of television's most memorable duos, died at his home in Los Angeles following a period of declining health, according to his son.

In addition to his TV success, Klugman enjoyed a healthy career on the stage as well as in movies and made successful forays into horse breeding and political activism.

Charles Durning, a World War Two hero who became one of Hollywood's top character actors in films like "The Sting," "Tootsie" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," died on Monday (December 24). He was 89.

Durning, who was nominated for nine Emmys for his television work as well as two Academy Awards, died of natural causes at his New York City home.

Durning did not start amassing film and TV credits until he was almost 40 but went on to appear in more than 100 movies, in addition to scores of TV shows.

Actresses Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart are Hollywood's most bankable stars and provide studios with the highest average returns for their films, according to Forbes.com.

Academy award winner Portman topped the list of best actors for the buck, providing about 42.70 dollars (USD) for every dollar she earns.

"Twilight" star Stewart was not far behind, bringing in 40.60. She also topped the Forbes list of highest-earning actresses with an estimated 34.5 million in salary in 2012.