Character actor Robert Easton, who sought to escape typecasting as hicks and dimwits by mastering dozens of accents and then became Hollywood’s leading dialect coach, has died at age 81. This ad for his services appeared every year in the anniversary issue of “Variety.”

Malachi Throne, veteran character actor who gained fame as Robert Wagner’s co-star in the popular adventure series “It Takes a Thief,” has died at age 84.

Noel Harrison, seen here with his “Girl From U.N.C.L.E.” co-star Stefanie Powers, died Oct. 20, 2013, at age 79, in a hospital near his home in Devon, England, after a heart attack. Harrison revealed in June that he was suffering from untreatable kidney disease.