Final Chapters: Joe Bologna, Bryan Murray, Frank Broyles, Gunnar Birkerts,

Joseph Bologna was an actor, director and writer known for his role as tyrannical 1950s TV variety-show host King Kaiser in the 1982 film comedy “My Favorite Year.” He died Aug. 13 in Duarte, Calif., after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, his manager said. He was 82. Bologna was nominated for an Oscar in 1971 for best adapted screenplay for “Lovers and Other Strangers.” He and his wife, Renee Taylor, won a writing Emmy in 1973 for the TV special “Acts of Love and Other Comedies.” Among the movies he appeared in were “Blame It on Rio” (1984), “Transylvania 6-5000” (1985) and “Big Daddy” (1999). He also was a voice actor for the 2006 animated film “Ice Age: The Meltdown.”

Bryan Murray was a longtime NHL coach and general manager who took the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007. He died Aug. 12. He was diagnosed in 2014 with colon cancer. He was 74. Murray served as general manager in Anaheim, Florida, Detroit and Ottawa and coached in Washington, Detroit, Florida, Anaheim and Ottawa. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year with the Capitals in 1983-84. He last coached in 2007-08 and was Ottawa’s GM until stepping down to an advisory capacity last season because of his health. He coached 1,239 regular-season and 112 playoff games over parts of 18 seasons. He made the playoffs in 12 of his 13 full seasons as head coach.

Frank Broyles was a coach and athletic director who led the University of Arkansas to its lone national football championship. He died Aug. 14 in Fayetteville, Ark., from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a statement from his family. He was 92. Broyles coached at Missouri in 1957, going 5-4-1, before taking over at Arkansas. He was 144-58-5 in 19 seasons with the Razorbacks and won six Southwest Conference titles. His 1964 Arkansas team was named national champion by the Football Writers Association of America. He was the school’s athletic director from 1974 to 2007. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

Gunnar Birkerts was an internationally acclaimed modernist architect who designed buildings including the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City. He died Aug. 15 of congestive heart failure at his home in Needham, Mass., according to his son. He was 92. Birkerts also designed the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis; the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y.; the University of Michigan Law Library; and the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela. He also taught architecture at the University of Michigan during 1959-1990.

Sonny Landham was a muscular action-movie actor who co-starred in “Predator” and “48 Hrs.” He died Aug. 17 from congestive heart failure at a Lexington, Ky., hospital, his sister said. He was 76. Landham was a brawny, deep-voiced actor and stunt man who played a bit part in Walter Hill’s 1979 street-gang thriller “The Warriors” before the director cast him as the trigger-happy criminal Billy Bear in 1982’s “48 Hrs.” Landham, who was part Cherokee and Seminole, was perhaps most known for playing the Native American tracker Billy Sole in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Predator.” Later in life, he attempted brief and unsuccessful political campaigns.

Tommy Hawkins was the first black basketball player to earn All-America honors at Notre Dame and played 10 years in the NBA. He died Aug. 16 at his home in Malibu, Calif. He was 80. Hawkins graduated from Notre Dame in 1959 and his 1,318 career rebounds are still a school record. He was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers with the third pick in the first round of the 1959 NBA draft and played one season in Minnesota before moving with the team to Los Angeles. He also played for the Cincinnati Royals. He worked in radio and television in Southern California before he was hired in 1987 to be vice president of communications for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He worked for the Dodgers until 2004.

Vern Ehlers was a research physicist and moderate Republican who represented a western Michigan congressional district for 17 years. He died Aug. 15 at a nursing facility in Grand Rapids, Mich. He was 83. Ehlers successfully advocated for a law that authorized spending $270 million over five years to clean up sediments in the Great Lakes and oversaw the United States’ first major statement on science policy in more than 50 years.

Jo Walker-Meador was a matriarch of country music and led the Country Music Association for nearly three decades. She died Aug. 15 in Nashville, according to a statement from the CMA. She was 93. Walker-Meador was an office manager for the CMA when it was created in 1958, then took over as executive director in 1962 and held that position until 1991. She was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995. During her tenure, the CMA launched a fundraiser to build the Hall of Fame, started its annual televised awards show in the 1960s and began Fan Fair, the precursor to the CMA Festival.

Bruce Forsyth was an entertainer, host and quiz master on English television whose career spanned the history of TV. He died Aug. 18 at his home in England. He was 89. Forsyth was a television presence in Great Britain for 75 years, earning recognition by Guinness World Records in 2012 for having had the longest on-screen television career for a male entertainer. At one time he was said to be Britain’s highest-paid entertainer. Most recently he co-hosted “Strictly Come Dancing,” a popular dance competition. He retired from the program in 2013. His few acting roles included small roles in the films “Star!” and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and an appearance on “Magnum P.I.” He was knighted in 2011.

Lester Williams was a former nose tackle who started in the New England Patriots’ first Super Bowl appearance during the 1985 season. He died Aug. 16 at home in Birmingham, Ala., the Patriots said. No other details were given. He was 58. Williams was the 27th overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft out of the University of Miami and played for the Patriots from 1982 to 1985. He also played one season for San Diego (1986) and Seattle (1987).

This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Final Chapters: Joe Bologna, Bryan Murray, Frank Broyles, Gunnar Birkerts,."