Dear Ken: I just saw the great song and dance man Gene Kelly in the movie “Singin’ in the Rain.” Did he have any children? How many movies did he make?
The Pittsburgh native was married three times and had two daughters and a son. He made about 35 films. Among his best were “The Pirate,” “On the Town,” “An American in Paris,” “Brigadoon” and “Inherit the Wind.” His last musical film was “Xanadu” in 1980. Said Kelly, “I never wanted to be a dancer. It’s true! I wanted to be a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates.” He died in 1996 at age 83 from the complications of two strokes.

Dear Ken: Who is doing the voiceover in the new Dodge Ram truck commercials? I think it is a cowboy actor but I can’t remember his name.
You’ve got it. The actor is Sam Elliott, 66, strongly connected to westerns such as “The Shadow Riders,” “The Quick and the Dead,” “Conagher” and “Tombstone.” The husband of actress Katharine Ross also starred in “Mask,” “Prancer,” “Roadhouse,” “Thank You for Smoking” and “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” Elliott is also the new voice of Smokey the Bear with whom he shares his year of birth.

Dear Ken: I read where director Blake Edwards, the husband of Julie Andrews, died. What were some of his most famous films? 
Edwards wrote and directed dozens of movies. Among his directing credits are “Breakfast at Tiffanys,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” “The Pink Panther,” “Darling Lili,” “10” and “Victor Victoria.” He created the popular TV detective series “Peter Gunn.” Edwards died in December at 88 from complications of pneumonia.

Dear Ken: Where have I seen Julie Benz before? She plays Stephanie in the TV series “No Ordinary Family.”
Where haven’t you seen her? Benz, 38, who was a championship figure skater in her younger years, has been all over TV in the past 15 years. Among the TV shows in which she was a regular cast member are “Ask Harriet,” “Hi Honey, I’m Home,” “Payne,” “Roswell,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Dexter.” She was also in the 2008 movie “Rambo.”

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it