The following is a sampling of errors contained in the 1987 edition of the World Almanac Who's Who of Film.

Eddie Albert (actor) - It erroneously reports he was born in "1908."
Correction: Because he was born out of wedlock, his mother altered his birth certificate to read "1908." His son, Edward Albert (also an actor), confirmed Eddie was actually born in 1906 in Rock Island, Illinois. Consult Eddie Albert's profile for more information.


Jack Benny (comedian) - The 1987 edition mistakenly claims he was born in "Waukegan, Illinois."
Correction: He was born February 14th, 1894, at 4:04 a.m., at Mercy Hospital, in Chicago, Illinois. Visit our profile of Jack Benny for additional information.


Whit Bissell (actor) - It erroneously reports he died in 1981. In point of fact, he was very much alive until March 5th, 1996, when he died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.


W.C. Fields (comedian) - It mistakenly reports "1879" as his date of birth.
Correction: W.C. Fields was born January 29th, 1880, at Arlington House on the corner of Main and Mill Streets, Darby, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fields lied about his date of birth (giving "April 9, 1879" as his d.o.b.) in order to get married while still underage. For many years, most reference books reported this erroneous date. Most reference works have now corrected their information. The above birth date has been verified by members of his family on several occasions, and confirmed by various government records. Consult W.C. Fields' profile for more information.


Judy Garland (actress/singer) - The 1987 edition of the World Almanac Who's Who of Film erroneously reports her name at birth was spelled "Francis."
Correction: She was actually born Frances Ethel Gumm.


Richard Harris (actor/singer) - It erroneously states he was born in "1932."
Correction: He was born October 1st, 1930, at 11:20 a.m. GDT (10:20 GMT), in Limerick, Ireland. This is the date and time of birth Richard himself reported as his precise time of birth, and has subsequently been verified by many researchers. For additional biographical data, visit our profile of Richard Harris.


Audrey Hepburn (actress) - It erroneously reports "Audrey Hepburn-Ruston" as her name at birth.
Correction: Members of her family have addressed, at length, the erroneous birth name attributed to her and have confirmed that Audrey Kathleen Ruston is the name on her birth certificate. Consult Audrey Hepburn's profile for more information.


Dorothy Lamour (actress/singer) - The 1987 edition of the World Almanac Who's Who of Film mistakenly reports her name at birth was "Mary Kaumeyer."
Correction: Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton was her real name. She personally addressed this issue in an attempt to set the record straight. Additional biographical data can be found in our profile of Dorothy Lamour.


Vivien Leigh (actress) - It erroneously spells her real name "Vivien" Hartley.
Correction: The correct spelling of her name at birth is Vivian Hartley. Consult Vivien Leigh's profile for more information.


Lotte Lenya (actress/singer) - It erroneously reports "1899" as the year of her birth.
Correction: She was actually born October 18th, 1898, in Vienna, Austria. Consult Lotte Lenya's profile for more information.


Walter Matthau (actor) - It erroneously reports "Walter Matuschanskayasky" as his real name.
Correction: His family has repeatedly verified that Walter John Matthow was his actual name at birth. For additional information, visit our profile of Walter Matthau.


Steve McQueen (actor) - The 1987 edition of the World Almanac Who's Who of Film erroneously reports "Slater, Missouri" as his place of birth.
Correction: He was born in Beech Grove, Indiana.


George Murphy (actor/dancer/U.S. Senator) - It mistakenly claims, "in 1964, Murphy was the first ex-actor to be elected to the U.S. Senate." In actuality, Glen H. Taylor, an actor/singer, was elected to the United States Senate in 1944, and served from 1945 to 1951.


Vivian Vance (actress) - It erroneously reports "1911" as her year of birth.
Correction: She was born July 26th, 1909, at 311 East 5th Street, in Cherryvale, Kansas. Visit our profile of Vivian Vance for additional information.



It is not our intent to denigrate this fine publication, but merely to point out the above inaccuracies to prevent further dissemination of the erroneous data.