Ralph Bellamy, American actor (b. 1904) Nasirdin Isanov, 1st Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (b. 1943) Frank Yerby, African American historical novelist (b. 1916) December December 1 Pat O'Callaghan, Irish athlete (b. 1906) George Stigler, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911) December 6 – Sir Richard Stone, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913) December 7 – Gordon Pirie, English athlete (b. 1931) December 8 – Buck Clayton, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1911) December 9 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (b. 1898) December 10 – Franco Maria Malfatti, Italian politician (b. 1927) December 11 – Artur Lundkvist, Swedish author (b. 1906) December 12 – Eleanor Boardman, American actress (b. 1898) December 15 – Vasily Zaytsev, Russian World War II hero (b. 1915) December 18 – George Abecassis, English racing driver (b. 1913) December 20 – Walter Chiari, Italian actor (b. 1924) December 22 – Ernst Krenek, Austrian-American composer (b. 1900) December 27 – Hervé Guibert, French writer and photographer (b. 1955) December 28 – Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (b. 1948) Nobel Prizes Chemistry – Richard R. Ernst Economics – Ronald Coase Literature – Nadine Gordimer Peace – Aung San Suu Kyi Physics – Pierre-Gilles de Gennes Physiology or Medicine – Erwin Neher, Bert Sakmann References