Movies

Dieter Laser -- the German actor best known for playing the evil Dr. Heiter in "The Human Centipede" -- has died.

Laser's death was revealed by his wife, Inge, who says he actually passed in Berlin back on February 29. His cause of death is unknown at this time.

The German star has more than 60 acting credits to his name -- including appearing in the Glenn Close film, "Meeting Venus," in 1991 -- but didn't achieve international fame until starring in the controversial horror film, 'Centipede,' in 2009. He also appeared in 'The Human Centipede III' in 2015.

Tom Six, director of the cult horror series, says of Dieter ... "He was a force of nature, a unique human being and an iconic actor. I’m so damn proud we created pop culture together."

Dieter was an acclaimed film and theater actor in Germany for years, though. He won a German Film Award in 1975 for his leading role in "John Gluckstadt." Almost 35 years later ... he won a Scream Award for Best Villain for playing the deranged 'Human Centipede' surgeon.

Laser's other notable credits over the years include the sci-fi TV series, "Lexx," and the 2003 thriller, "Baltic Storm."

Dieter was 78.

Tommy "Tiny" Lister -- best-known for playing Deebo in the "Friday" movies -- is doing something Ice Cube would be proud of ... delivering weed!!!

Here's the deal ... the "Friday" star is teaming up with Pineapple Express, a company that delivers medical and recreational marijuana in Los Angeles, and he's dropping off dank to some very lucky stoners.

Pineapple Express is holding a contest this month, and each Friday they randomly select 4 winners from the sweepstakes and those potheads get a special delivery from Deebo!!!

The best part ... Tommy drops off the goods precisely at 4:20 PM, which as you know, holds a special place in the hearts of pot smokers across the globe.

Legal marijuana businesses have been deemed essential in L.A. so they're still operating despite shelter-in-place orders during the coronavirus pandemic ... and Pineapple Express says Tommy's gonna take extra precautions during his deliveries.

Finally, someone who actually wants to see Deebo pull up on a bike!!!

New York-native Helen Slater's fame took flight in the early '80s when she landed the role of Linda Lee -- who uses the guise as Clark Kent's cousin to blend in with the people of Earth while also defeating Selena as Supergirl -- in the 1984 DC cinema spin-off, "Supergirl."

Slater shared the big screen with big names including Peter O'Toole as the spacey Zaltar, Mia Farrow as the Kryptonian Alura ... and of course, Faye Dunaway as the evil Selena.

Helen Slater can still be spotted on the CW version of the "Supergirl" TV show as the character Eliza Danvers.

Jeffrey Katzenberg says his new streaming service, Quibi, is revolutionary in the entertainment game -- bringing the highest quality video exclusively to your phone, and with a starting price ya can't refuse.

The mega-producer launched Quibi on Monday, and joined us on "TMZ Live" to tell us all about his baby. Jeffrey told us smartphone video is the next big medium for premium content that includes shows with Liam Hemsworth, Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Chrissy Teigen and Chance the Rapper.

One thing Qiuibi's done is to shorten your viewing time per episode -- much of the programming is 10 minutes or less.

Of course, ya might have heard by now ... TMZ has its own show under Quibi's Daily Essentials category. "TMZ No Filter" features the latest celeb stories and some hot takes on them ... twice a day. It's already streaming, so go check it out.

JK also touches on why Quibi might just be the perfect remedy for folks fighting the quarantine blues. It's easily consumable shows and movies, which you can enjoy from the confines of your home -- and for FREE for the next 90 days too.

Ezra Miller appeared to have a physical altercation with a woman in Iceland, and though it started out seeming like a joke ... people at the bar took it very seriously.

According to our sources ... "The Flash" star was visiting the Prikið Kaffihús bar in Reykjavik on April 1 when this went down. Take a look, Miller seemed to be pretending to be annoyed as a smiling woman danced toward him -- but then he said, "Did you wanna fight? Is that the deal?"

The actor grabbed her by the throat and attempted to throw her down, at which point the person recording the video says, "Whoa, bro. Bro. Bro," and stops shooting.

It's unclear what led to the altercation or if the woman suffered any injuries. Sources at the bar tell us police were not called, but Ezra got booted. He's reportedly a regular at the trendy spot whenever he's in town.

We reached out to Ezra's team ... so far, no word back.

Honor Blackman -- one of the first iconic, and perhaps most iconic Bond girls of the movie franchise -- has died.

The 1960s and '70s movie and TV star -- who was considered a bonafide bombshell in her day -- passed away peacefully at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by loved ones. Her family says she died of natural causes, unrelated to the coronavirus.

Her fam says, "As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent; with an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess, along with her unique voice and a dedicated work ethic, she achieved an unparalleled iconic status in the world of film and entertainment and with absolute commitment to her craft and total professionalism in all her endeavours she contributed to some of the great films and theatre productions of our times."

Honor starred as Pussy Galore opposite Sean Connery in 1964's "Goldfinger," which was the first smash hit Bond film to emerge from the series at that point. Pussy was the leader of a group of acrobatic women who worked for the villain, but she falls in love with 007, naturally, and helps him defeat Goldfinger. They also memorably banged under a parachute.

The actress' other huge role was as Cathy Gale in 'The Avengers' -- not the Marvel series you know today, but the black and white show from the '60s. It was a British espionage show, and Honor played one of John Steed's bright and beautiful assistants.

Her acting career went way beyond those two projects, though ... Honor has 115 credits to her name dating back to the 1940s. She had prominent roles on shows like "Probation Officer," "The Four Just Men," "ITV Play of the Week," "The Lives of Benjamin Franklin," "Never the Twain," "Doctor Who," "The Upper Hand," "Coronation Street," and others.

Of course, she's also worked in countless films over the years.

Honor was 94.

RIP

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.