Good guys, bad gals, temptresses, jesters, music-makers

Those who exited the stage in 2000

Richard Farnsworth

By Marc Balinsky
CNN Showbiz Today Producer

NEW YORK (CNN) -- While this time of year brings thoughts of new beginnings, it summons reflections on what we've lost, too.

The man who made "The Tonight Show" what it is today died in October. That same month, the woman who proved that "Lola gets what Lola wants" also succumbed. Half of "The Odd Couple" died in 2000.

All of them -- cartoonists, character actors, comedians and more -- still gleam in our memories.

Following is a list of some of some of those recently deceased who kept us chuckling, enthralled and otherwise entertained over the years.

ALSO Entertainment Year in Review: Free music, crummy movies and that sneaky Richard guy     MESSAGE BOARD Jason Robards Remembered

Charles Schulz introduced to the world Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang. His comic strip was a place of kite-eating trees and footballs that never were kicked, of a baseball team that never won and a beagle that never lost his zest for life. Schultz passed away in February after a three-month battle with colon cancer. He was 77.

Jim Varney's alter ego, Ernest P. Worrell, was a yokel without peer. The Kentucky-born actor, who gave us the phrase, "Know whut I mean?", first created Ernest for a series of TV commercials. His popularity spread, and in time, Ernest was saving Christmas, going to camp and doing all manner of goofy things. Varney also managed to star in non-Ernest roles, notably as Jed Clampett in the film version of "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1993). Varney, 50, died of cancer in February.

Larry Linville was best known for playing Army Maj. Frank Burns on the long-running series "M*A*S*H*." As Burns, Linville specialized in portraying a guy wrapped too tight for his own good, a whiner and pouter, someone forever putty in the hands of Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan. He died in April at the age of 60.

Tito Puente was perhaps the most beloved figure in Latin jazz. Stocky and ebullient, a big smile atop a neon suit, Puente glowed like an overloaded transformer. Often called "the king of mambo," his flamboyant stage performances inspired many other musicians. Puente, 77, died in May.

Sir John Gielgud played everything -- the serious, the silly, the sublime -- with royal aplomb. He was equally at ease on the stage as on film, bringing "Hamlet" to the British stage when he was just 26. He also was a prolific film actor, appearing in "Secret Agent" (1936), "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1956) and "Elizabeth" (1998), among dozens of movies. Many filmgoers may best recall him for the light-hearted touch he brought to the long-suffering butler looking after his drunken young charge in "Arthur" (1981). Gielgud died in May at 96.

Nancy Marchand

Nancy Marchand gave newspapering a no-nonsense face as Margaret Pynchon, the eagle-eye-on-the-bottom-line publisher of the fictitious Los Angeles Tribune in TV's "Lou Grant." She won four Emmys for that role, and in later years starred as Livia Soprano, mom to mob boss Tony on "The Sopranos," HBO's popular series. She died of lung cancer in June, a day before her 72nd birthday.

Walter Matthau used his razor-sharp wit and a prickly, on-screen personality to shine in Hollywood for more than five decades. Most people likely remember him as sportswriter Oscar Madison, slob without peer, the guy who never saw a surface he couldnt clutter, in "The Odd Couple." Matthau played the part on stage and took it to Hollywood for the 1968 film of the same name. In 1993, he parlayed his crabby persona into a memorable role in "Grumpy Old Men," which he followed two years in "Grumpier Old Men." Matthaw was 79 when he died in July.

Sir Alec Guinness was one of Britain's best. Some may remember him for his role as Col. Nicholson, the tattered and steely-resolved prisoner of war who cajoled his troops to greater efforts in "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957). TV viewers may recall Guinness as George Smiley, the world-weary spy in two John Le Carre miniseries. Still others likely remember Guinness as Obi Wan Kenobi, the aged warrior who could make a light saber sing, in the "Star Wars" trilogy. He died in August at the age of 86.

Loretta Young

Loretta Young, elegant as Champagne and long-lasting as Bordeaux, appeared in more than 100 movies and TV shows, including her own series, the popular "Loretta Young Show." Noted for her beauty and acting ability, Young won an Oscar for "The Farmer's Daughter" (1947). Young also won three Emmys for her series, in which her sweeping entrances in swirling ball gowns set the dressy standard for 1950s women everywhere. Young was 87 when she died in August.

Richard Farnsworth, craggy-faced veteran of B movies and, late in his life, mainstream films, began his career as a Hollywood stuntman. Appearing anonymously, Farnsworth performed stunts in place of Roy Rogers, Gary Cooper and other Stetson-wearing good guys (bad guys, too). He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for his starring role in "The Straight Story," a movie about a man who doggedly sets out on a wheezing riding lawnmower to visit his brother in another state. Farnsworth, who'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer, shot himself to death in October. He was 80.

Steve Allen

Steve Allen, urbane and witty, whose sparkling presence brought a large intellect to the small screen, defined the term "entertainer." He composed more than 6,000 songs, authored 48 books and won an Emmy as a TV host. Allen began his climb to stardom 44 years ago when he walked onto an NBC sound stage and kicked off the first-ever "Tonight Show." He exited the stage in October at 78.

Gwen Verdon rose to stardom in 1958 as Lola, fine-legged and fiery, the devil's capable assistant in "Damn Yankees" (1958), reprising a role that won her a Tony on Broadway three years earlier. "Whatever Lola Wants" became her signature song, though she went on to appear in the films "Cocoon" (1985) and "Marvin's Room" (1996), among others. Broadway dimmed all of its marquees in tribute to Verdon when she died at 75 in October.

Jason Robards, who breathed life into Eugene O'Neill's finest works and did for newspapers what no journalism school ever could -- make them glamorous -- was one of Hollywood's most respected entertainers. He made more than 50 films, winning back-to-back Oscars for his roles in "All The President's Men" (1976) and "Julia" (1977). He also gave the threat of nuclear holocaust a worn, frightened face in "The Day After" (1983). Robards played a dying old man in "Magnolia" (1999), his last big-screen role. Robards, 78, died in December.