Biography for
Robert Forster (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

13 July 1941, Rochester, New York, USA

Birth Name

Robert Foster

Height

5' 9½" (1.77 m)

Mini Biography

Robert Forster was born in Rochester, New York in 1941 and first become interested in acting while attending Rochester's Madison High School where he performed as a song-and-dance man in musical revues. After graduating in 1959, Forster attended Heidelberg College, Alfred University, and the University of Rochester on football scholarships and continued to perform in student theatrical revues.

After earning a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Rochester in 1963, Forester took an apprenticeship at an East Rochester theater where he performed in such plays as 'West Side Story'. Forester moved to New York City in 1965 where his first big break came when he landed the lead in a two-character play opposite Arlene Francis in the play 'Mrs. Dailey Has a Lover'. But after the play ran its course, work was hard to find in the theater. Forester returned to Rochester where he worked as a substitute teacher and construction worker until an agent from 20th Century Fox pictures offered him a five-picture deal. His movie debut was a small part in the 1967 drama, Reflections in a Golden Eye which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando. Forester went on to appear in small and minor roles and acting alongside some top Hollywood actors in films like The Stalking Moon (1968), and Medium Cool (1969), and a large part in Justine (1969). Although he continued to act in feature films, he took a part of a hardboiled detective in the short-lived 1974 TV series "Banyon".

Forester also appeared in notable parts in The Black Hole (1979), Avalance (1979), and as the lead in the cult horror flick Aligator (1980), and played the part of a factory worker-turned-vigilante in the 1982 thriller Vigilante. Forester also was offered the lead as a taxi driver in Walking the Edge (1983) by director Norbert Meisel. A series of action flicks followed, most notable being Delta Force (1986) which starred Chuck Norris. By the late 1980s Forester's acting career had began to slide, with work becoming less and less, and if there was any, he would be cast in small parts playing villains. Forester then began to work as a motive speaker and an acting coach in Hollywood film schools.

But in the mid 1990s, Forester's career was resurrected by writer-director Quinten Tarantino a long-time fan of Forester's early works whom offered him to audition for a part in his latest movie. After a seven-hour audition, Tarantino cast Forester in the role of the tough, but sympathetic, bail bondsman Max Cherry in Jackie Brown (1997) which netted him an Academy Award nomination and some nationwide recognition. His success landed him more high profile starring roles in films such as All the Rage (1998), the Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho (1998), and Supernova (2000). Forester continues to act in many big budget Hollywood productions playing many charming characters who often steal the scenery around him.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Patay

Spouse

Zivia Forster	(1978 - 1980) (divorced)
June Forster	(14 May 1966 - 20 September 1975) (divorced) 3 children

Trivia

Father of three daughters, with June Forster, Elizabeth (born 1967) Kate Forster (born 1969) and Maeghen (born 1972).

Attended University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. Majored in psychology.

Once worked as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman.

Forster made a test for a part in the film True Romance (1993), directed by Tony Scott, but Christopher Walken eventually got the role.

Appeared with former NFL star/actor Fred Williamson in 4 films: _Night Vision (1997/I)_, Original Gangstas (1996), South Beach (1993), and Vigilante (1983).

In the books-on-tape world, Forster provides the voice for Midnight Louie, a crime-fighting tomcat in Las Vegas. The author of the Midnight Louie book series is Carole Nelson Douglas.

The role of Jake Nyman in 'American Perfekt' (1997) was written specifically for him by British director and close friend, Paul Chart. The film was officially selected for the 50th Anniversary Cannes Film Festival.

Has a son, Robert Forster (born 1965), with an ex-girlfriend named Marlene.

Personal Quotes

[talking about luck in the movie business]: "I'm not sure how a guy wins or loses in this business, but somebody's got to come along and make you lucky.You can't do it yourself."

[talking about his character in Jackie Brown]: "This is the great noir hero.If Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum were around today, they'd be playing that role."

[talking about the rules to succeed in Hollywood]: "Step No. 1 is you've got to have a good attitude, Step No. 2 is accept all things, deliver excellence to whatever is offered, give it your best shot. And rule No. 3 is never quit. It's not over till it's over."

[talking about Quentin Tarantino and his relashionship with the cast]:"This guy is very smart, and he's great to his actors. He wants them to be great. He keeps the stuff fresh. When he gave me the script he knew I hadn't had a big part like this in twenty-five years and he said, "Here, read this, and don't put any pressure on yourself. Just prepare the way you normally prepare." And I said, "Oh, what a liberating thing." This guy is totally secure. He doesn't seem to be worried about anything. He's as good a guy as I have ever worked with. He screened movies once a week for his crew. One of them was American Perfekt (1997), a recent indie film I did.The last week of production he threatened to screen it for the crew and I said to him, "Listen, there's a tiny bit of 'adult content' in this, so I don't want to hear any catcalls. I don't know if it this is the right thing to screen." He got on the walkie-talkie and said "Hey, anybody who wants to see Forster naked come on in!"

[talking about his comeback and the comparison with John Travolta's career turn in Pulp Fiction]:"If I get ten percent of John Travolta's bounce, I will be thrilled."

[when asked about the reason why Tarantino likes to revive the careers of actors who the show business have written off]: "He grew fond of people. He told me that he loved Pam Grier when he was a kid and I guess he saw Alligator (1980) and The Banker (1989) all those pictures that I worked on during those years and apparently he said, 'I like this guy and one of these days I'm going to use him.'"

"I wouldn't know, but I just know this: If I can ever find a character where I get laughs, I hope that is the thing that endures. There's nothing better than getting a laugh." (on what roles he's played that will endure best through the passage of time)

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