Month: July 2021

Born in San Francisco, Calif., Granelli’s father and uncle were both jazz drummers, but he didn’t decide to become a drummer himself until he got to spend a day with the famous jazz drummer Gene Krupa; Granelli was 8 years old. He learned to play by sneaking out at night to San Francisco nightclubs. “I’d … Read more

Born in Berlin, Germany, Rosenfeld’s family fled the Nazis and settled in New York City when he was 10, and young Harry learned to speak English without an accent, and excelled in his new language. After college and a stint in the U.S. Army, he was hired as a newspaper editor in New York. When … Read more

Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in New York, where his grandfather owned a movie theater, Donner served a stint in the U.S. Navy as an aerial photographer, and then moved to California to pursue an acting career, changing his name to Richard Donner — after the Donner Party. He did get a number of roles on various … Read more

Born in California, Noll’s mother moved them to Manhattan Beach when he was 6. By 10, he had started surfing, and learned “board shaping” — surfboard construction — from Dale Velzy, the world’s first commercial shaper, who had a shop in Manhattan Beach. At 17, Noll moved to O’ahu, Hawaii, to live and surf in … Read more