Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine has died at the age of 95.  Borgnine starred in over 200 movies and TV shows in a career spanning over sixty years.  He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in the 1955′s Best Picture winner Marty.  He also played the title character in the long-running TV series McHale’s Navy. While Marty was his most-awarded role and McHale’s Navy was his longest-running, Borgnine turned in memorable work in a variety of excellent motion pictures including From Here to Eternity, Johnny Guitar, The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen, and Escape from New York (I would add BASEketball to the list, but it’s a minor role and a personal favorite).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Borgnine died Sunday of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.  Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Borgnine’s family and friends.

Maurice Sendak, the author best known for Where the Wild Things Are, has passed away at the age of 83.  When he was 12, Sendak saw Walt Disney‘s Fantasia, and was inspired to be come an illustrator.  He worked for other authors before he wrote and illustrated his own children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are, in 1963.  He then won the Newberry Award, a distinguished honor for children’s literature, for illustrating Isaac Bashevis Singer‘s 1966 book Zlateh the Goat.  Sendak was deeply protective of having Where the Wild Things Are adapted into a movie, but finally gave his blessing to director Spike Jonze, who created the wonderful 2009 adaptation.  Sendak’s books have touched the lives of multiple generations, and he will be greatly missed.  Please click over to The New York Times for a full obituary chronicling Sendak’s rich life.

After the jump, you can find Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs‘s 2009 documentary Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak, Sendak’s brilliant interview with Stephen Colbert from earlier this year, and the trailer for Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are.  Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Sendak’s family and friends.

An incredible talent has left the world way, way, way too soon.  Adam Yauch, founding member of the legendary hip hop trio Beastie Boys and co-founder of Oscilloscope, has died at the age of 47.  In 2009, Yauch was diagnosed and treated for cancer of the parotid gland.  Not only was Yauch part of one of the most influential groups in music history, but he also co-founded Oscilloscope Laboratories.  The film label of Oscilloscope has released such quality films as Exit Through the Gift Shop, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Dear Zachary.  Our thoughts are with Yauch’s friends and family.  The world is truly a lesser place without him.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor has passed away at the age of 79.  ABC News has confirmed that Taylor died of congestive heart failure this morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Taylor’s career in Hollywood spanned five decades.  She was nominated for five Oscars and she took home the award for Best Actress for her riveting performances in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and BUtterfield 8.  While she retired from acting in 2001, she was one of Hollywood’s greatest legends and one of the most in-demand stars of the 1950s and 60s.  In 1985, she devoted herself to fund-raising and activism against AIDS and the family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Our deepest condolences go out to Ms. Taylor’s friends and family.  Hit the jump for a statement from her son Michael Wilding.

Director Gary Winick passed away yesterday at the age of 49.  Winick’s debut feature was the 1989 horror film Curfew, but his varied filmography spanned to include acclaimed indie dramas like 2002′s Tadpole to lovable crowd-pleasers like 13 Going on 30.  However, as IFC points out in their obituary, Winick’s most enduring legacy might be “InDigEnt, the collective he created with Cinetic’s John Sloss and IFC Films to make films for under $100,000 on digital video.” Through InDigEnt, Winick produced an array of celebrated indie films including Rebecca Miller’s Personal Velocity, Peter Hedges’ Pieces of April, Richard Linklater’s Tape, and Steve Buscemi’s Lonesome Jim.

Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Winick’s friends and family.

British director Peter Yates has passed away at the age of 81.  The AP reports that the filmmaker died in London yesterday after an illness.  Yates had an eclectic filmography that ranged from fantasy (Krull) to horror (The Deep) to drama (The Dresser) to one of the all-time great action films, Bullitt.  With Bullitt, Yates directed one of cinema’s best car chase scenes as Bullitt (Steve McQueen) races through the streets of San Francisco.  Yates also directed one of my personal favorite films, Breaking Away.  He received four Oscar nominations during his lifetime, two for Breaking Away (director and producer) and two for The Dresser (director and producer).

Our condolences go out to Mr. Yates’ friends and family.

Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite has reportedly died at the age of 64.  His spokesman told Reuters that Postlethwaite had been unwell off and on for the past two years due to cancer and its side effects.  Steven Spielberg, who directed Postlethwaite in Jurassic Park: The Lost World and Amistad, said “he probably the best actor in the world today.”  Postlethwaite was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for his performance in In the Name of the Father.  Some of his other memorable performances include the committed band conductor Danny in Brassed Off, the mysterious Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects, and  sinister mobster/florist Fergie last year in The Town (pictured above).

He was a welcome presence in movies and he will be missed.  Our condolences go out to his friends and family.