Movies

The actress who played the mother of the kid who got eaten in "Jaws," has passed away by a threat that's becoming more real and dangerous than a great white ... COVID-19.

Lee Fierro -- who portrayed Alex Kintner's mom, Mrs. Kintner, in the 1975 classic film -- has passed away due to complications from coronavirus ... according to Martha's Vineyard Times, which first reported her death. The first "Jaws" was shot on location there in Mass.

Fierro doesn't have very many acting credits to her name outside of the 'Jaws' franchise -- in which she reprised her role twice -- but she had an iconic few scenes in the first flick, notably her freak-out on the beach when Alex's blood and shorts wash up on the beach.

Perhaps even more iconic ... her confrontation with Roy Scheider, who played Chief Brody, whom she slapped across the face at Alex's wake. She was pissed he let beachgoers hit the sand despite knowing there was a shark on the loose. Her son was the second-known attack, and as Chief Brody noted ... she wasn't wrong for her criticism of him.

According to the outlet, Fierro was being housed at an assisted living facility in Ohio -- where her family is said to be holding a small ceremony in her honor because of social distancing restrictions.

If you forgot what it looks like when Hollywood titans meet up for chitchat, take a peek at this.

The likes of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw joined married couple Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley as they walked their Pacific Palisades neighborhood on the westside of L.A.

They meandered around the hood late afternoon for about an hour, and were yakking it up the whole time.

Hard to tell from the pic if they're properly social distancing -- 6 feet of separation, please.

L.A. has been a mixed bag when it comes to the stay-at-home order. Many beaches, hiking trails and open-air markets have been crowded this week, despite orders by the Mayor and the Governor.

Meghan Markle got back on the bike by narrating a Disney nature documentary, and take a listen ... she didn't skip a beat.

Disney+ just dropped the Disney Nature documentary, "Elephant," narrated by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex -- and the teaser just aired on 'GMA.' The doc, of course, is special to her. She's done a ton of work in the past to help elephants, and proceeds will go to help an org near and dear to her ... Elephant Without Borders.

Meghan narrates the migration of Shani and her family. The elephant family is tracked as they make a 1,000-mile, 8-month trek across Africa. Ya gotta listen reaaaal closely, 'cause it almost doesn't sound like Meghan. But, it's her.

As we reported ... Meghan's making her Hollywood comeback nearly a year after Prince Harry went to bat for Meghan when he pitched former Disney head Bob Iger.

Even online gamblers are sinking their claws into the 'Tiger King' -- and bookies have a strong hunch about who should don the mullet and leg brace in a feature film.

The oddsmakers at SportsBetting.ag have a list of A-listers they want folks to place bets on to play Joe Exotic ... who's become a worldwide phenomenon with the Netflix documentary. Their first choice won't surprise you much, but the underdog might.

The odds-on favorite is ... Kevin Bacon! If you place $100 on him, you'd only get $150 if he landed the role. Next is Ed Norton, who'd earn you $250 on a $100 bet. After that, it's Billy Bob Thornton and David Spade, who'd pay out $300 and $400, respectively, if they were cast.

As for your long shot ... that's Mr. Ben Stiller.

Btw, there’s a catch ... the film’s gotta be released by 2021 or sooner.

Of course, the gambling world offers equal opportunity ... to lose your money ... so folks are also weighing in on who plays Joe's archnemesis, Carole Baskin.

The favorite is Wendi McLendon-Covey (Deputy Johnson from 'Reno 911!') at an even split of +100 -- so you'd break even on a $100 bet. Down the line in order from most to least likely to land the part -- Allison Janney at +300, Kristen Wiig at +300, Jennifer Coolidge at +500 and finally, Laura Dern at +600.

There's other interesting 'Tiger King' categories over at MyBookie -- stuff like whether Joe will get a presidential pardon and will Carole be found guilty of murdering her husband.

Tichina Arnold is gonna blow your mind in the first movie produced by Netflix and the WWE ... 'cause she's gonna change your concept of what grandmothers look like.

Tichina was on Tuesday's "TMZ Live" to talk about "The Main Event," when the conversation quickly turned to that old saying ... Black don't crack!!! See, she's playing grandma -- or as she puts it, G-ma -- to an 11-year-old kid who gets his shot to become a WWE superstar.

You gotta see what happened when we brought up her role ... mistakenly thinking she's playing the kid's mom. Ooops!!! Big time.

Hey, honest mistake ... because nothing about Tichina looks grandmotherly, but we had some big laughs with her talking about it. She also confessed while Black may not crack it does do something else. Watch.

BTW, TA is hosting a live virtual premiere for 'Main Event' from her social media pages ... which you can check out next Friday, April 10.

We can testify, hanging with Tichina, even virtually, is a blast ... check out Tuesday's "TMZ Live" if ya don't believe us.

Los Angeles-local Anna Jacoby-Heron was only a teenager when she landed the role of the artsy daughter, Jory Emhoff -- who loses her stepbrother, Clark, and stepmom to an unknown virus -- in Steven Soderbergh's 2011 thriller, "Contagion" ... which has been one of the go-to binge movies during self-isolation.

Anna Jacoby-Heron shared the screen with an A-list cast including Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne ... and of course, Matt Damon as her on-screen father, Mitch.

Since the new-found popularity of the movie, some of the stars from the flic have gotten together to produce a coronavirus PSA.

Anna can more recently be spotted on shows like "Stranger Things" and "The First."

Tiffany Haddish has the cure for your self-quarantine blues -- laughter ... specifically, about penis size!!! Hey, she says it's working for her.

Tiff made a surprise appearance on UMC.tv's #LaughsOnLockdown -- yes, that's where we are now ... stand-up comedy shows on Instagram live. Comedians Aida Rodriguez and Gary "G. Thang" Johnson were hosting this weekend when Tiffany jumped on to reveal what she's been up to in isolation.

We'll let her detail her, ummm ... activities, but let's just say it's all helped her appreciate male genitalia of all sizes.

By the way, Tiff and Aida go way back ... Rodriguez was featured on Haddish's 'They Ready' stand-up special on Netflix last year.

Of all the crazy storylines on the Netflix docuseries, "Tiger King," none are more captivating than what happened to Carole Baskin's husband ... and law enforcement's asking for help in cracking the case.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister says the disappearance of Jack "Don" Lewis -- Baskin's hubby who was last seen on August 18, 1997 -- is still an active cold case ... and he's hoping "Tiger King" fans can help him solve it.

The Tampa-area sheriff says with all the attention surrounding Don's case ... "I figured it was time to use the popularity of the show to see if anyone wanted to come forward with new leads."

For those who don't know ... Lewis was declared legally dead 5 years after his disappearance, but nobody has ever been charged in his death or has any clue of his whereabouts.

People have theories, though ... especially "Tiger King" star and Baskin's #1 enemy, Joe Exotic, who believes she killed her husband and possibly fed him to her tigers. Baskin has denied having anything to do with Don's disappearance or death.

Nevertheless, Sheriff Chronister's asking "Tiger King" enthusiasts to spread the word to see if it leads to any new information that can finally crack the cold case.

Actor Matthew Faber -- who starred in a number of cult classic films in the '90s -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Faber was found deceased Saturday inside his Van Nuys, CA apartment -- this after his family hadn't heard from him in some days and asked the landlord to his building to open up his unit ... according to Matt's brother, Mark. His death appears to be natural, we're told.

Mark tells TMZ, "A beautiful man. Incredibly talented. Wise beyond his years, quick-witted. Abundantly aware. He could really pay attention more than most. He had such incredible focus and ability to sustain concentration -- brilliant man, very aware, very smart."

Matt is perhaps best known for his roles as Mark Weiner in 1995's 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' and its 2004 sequel 'Palindromes.' He also starred in 'Natural Born Killers,' 'Hard Luck,' 'The Pallbearer,' 'Ride with the Devil,' 'Sue,' and several other mid-to-late '90s flicks.

"Juwanna Mann" star Miguel A. Nunez Jr. really didn't want to pay for hundreds of dollars of groceries ... at least according to cops, who say he gave himself the ole five-finger discount.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor was checking out at an L.A. Ralphs supermarket this week when his credit card got declined, so he just took his groceries in his cart and walked right out the front door without paying.

Pretty bold move ... allegedly.

Our sources say Miguel returned to the same Ralphs a few days later, but he wasn't allowed inside and cops were called. We're told Miguel was placed under citizen's arrest, and when LAPD showed up, police cited him for misdemeanor shoplifting and he was sent on his merry way.

Cops arrested Miguel but didn't take him into the station ... they gave him a ticket and he was on his way. During the pandemic, L.A. cops are not booking and jailing people for minor offenses. Cops still call it an arrest.

Miguel's spinning a different tale ... he tells us he was in a long line to check out -- ya gotta stay 6-feet away from folks because of coronavirus -- and he got tired of waiting and bounced with his items, but intended to return another day to pay.

Miguel says he tried to pay for his $200 worth of groceries when he returned, but claims the store manager told him no and that he wasn't special.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are no longer castaways ... the couple's back in L.A. and they could not look happier.

Tom and Rita were spotted in their Range Rover on Friday moments after landing at Van Nuys Airport. The couple grinned ear-to-ear ... and it's easy to see why after spending more than 2 weeks in self-isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Just a few days ago, Tom and Rita gave the world a health update and said they were feeling much better. Tom also took the opportunity to remind everyone that sheltering at home is an incredibly effective tool to combat the fast-spreading COVID-19.

As we reported ... Tom and Rita were in Australia filming an Elvis Presley movie when they contracted the disease. They were the first A-listers to test positive for coronavirus.

At the time, Tom's reps told us he and Rita got tested for the deadly virus after feeling like they had a cold. They also felt extra tired and had some body aches. Rita also had some chills that came and went, as well as, slight fevers.

Shortly before their diagnosis, Tom and Rita were spotted touring the famous Bondi Beach in Australia. It was quite possibly the last time they were out before being forced into quarantine.