Biography for
John Forsythe (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

29 January 1918, Penn's Grove, New Jersey, USA

Date of Death

1 April 2010, Santa Ynez, California, USA (complications from pneumonia)

Birth Name

John Lincoln Freund

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Mini Biography

The son of a Wall Street businessman, New Jersey-born John Forsythe chose to pursue acting over the objections of his father. He did some work in radio soaps and on Broadway before signing a movie contract with Warner Bros. His early career was interrupted by WWII. During the war, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps appearing in the Air Corps show "Winged Victory". After the war, he helped found the Actors Studio. He has had the most success on TV, with healthy runs on "Bachelor Father" (1957), "Dynasty" (1981) and as the unseen voice of Charlie on "Charlie's Angels" (1976).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Gustaf Molin <gumo@hem2.passagen.se>

Spouse

Nicole Carter	(25 July 2002 - 1 April 2010) (his death)
Julie Warren	(18 December 1943 - 15 August 1994) (her death) 2 children
Parker McCormick	(1939 - 1943) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Played handsomely father-figure roles

His mellifluous voice.

Brooklyn accent.

Trivia

Graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York, in 1934.

Signed a $5,000,000 contract deal with the director of Charlie's Angels (2000) and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) to voice the famous voice of "Charlie Townsend".

Appeared in the episode titled "The Golden Blood of the Sun" for "The CBS Radio Mystery Theater" (31 Oct 1974).

Was not the first choice for the role of Blake Carrington on "Dynasty" (1981). George Peppard was initially cast as Carrington. However, he quit one week into filming the series premiere due to creative differences with the writers. Forsythe auditioned for and was subsequently cast in the role.

Diagnosed with colon cancer [October 11, 2006].

Father of daughters Page Forsythe and Brooke Forsythe with Julie Warren. He also has a son named Dall Forsythe with Parker McCormick.

As a teenager, Linda Evans guest starred in "Bachelor Father: A Crush on Bentley (#4.5)" (1960) as a girl who develops a crush on his character. Some twenty years later, Linda Evans costarred with Forsythe on the hit TV series "Dynasty" (1981) as his wife.

Best remembered by the public for his starring role as Blake Carrington on "Dynasty" (1981).

Originally met Kate Jackson at a race track. She would later star in "Charlie's Angels" (1976).

Left his movie career for service in World War II. He worked to recover injured soldiers who had developed speech problems. His military service finished before the war ended.

Second wife of 51 years, Julie Warren, died in hospital, after he made the difficult decision to turn off her life-support machine, a few weeks after she went into a coma. [15 August 1994].

Met second wife, Julie Warren, who was a theater companion and a successful actress.

Served on the Board of Directors of Hollywood Race Track, from 1972, and is still part of the committee.

Has not smoked since 1982, when he quit following his doctor's advice as he was at strong risk of developing emphysema.

Remained friends with Linda Evans during and after "Dynasty" (1981).

Underwent quadruple bypass surgery. His operation was so successful that he was able to return to "Charlie's Angels" (1976) in 1979.

At age 11, he and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York.

Began his contract career as a bit player for Warner Bros. in 1943.

Was good friends with: Richard Brooks, Tim Conway, Barbara Stanwyck, Cloris Leachman, Dick Van Patten, Aaron Spelling, Alfred Hitchcock, Vito Scotti, Jane Wyatt and Richard Anderson.

He has 12 hobbies: traveling, flying, golfing, collects art, thoroughbred racing, playing tennis, riding horses, playing baseball, swimming, dining out, spending time with family and gardening.

Long before Joan Collins would co-star opposite him on "Dynasty" (1981), she was one of his drama students. They met in the 1940s.

His "Dynasty" (1981), co-star, Linda Evans, would also guest-star alongside him on the same episode of "The Love Boat" (1977), in 1983.

Before he was a successful actor, he worked as a baseball announcer and a drama teacher.

The oldest of three children.

As a child, he was a baseball fanatic.

Became an actor against the wishes of his father.

Was the only actor to appear in all 220 episodes of "Dynasty" (1981).

Though he was not part of the "Charlie's Angels" (1976) cast, he was the only actor to have a voice part in every episode of the series.

Sold his costly stable of thoroughbreds in 2004.

Met third wife, Nicole Carter, at the Breeders' Cup races.

His third wife, Nicole Carter, is 22 years his junior.

After starring in the movie The Trouble with Harry (1955), he went through a lot of trouble finding starring roles in high-budget box office films, hence, he worked in television.

He was born with very small coronary arteries that were inadequate for the supply of blood his body needed.

His two siblings smoked a lot, which eventually led to the cancer that took over their lives.

Was offered the lead role on "Trapper John, M.D." (1979), but turned it down.

Is a national officer of the American Cancer Society since the early 1970s.

Before he was a successful actor, he once worked as a waiter in the same restaurant with Kirk Douglas.

His daughters, Page Forsythe and Brooke Forsythe, were both huge fans of The Beatles and Blood Sweat & Tears.

Had successfully underwent quadruple bypass surgery, after developing heart problems. [1979].

Attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on a part-scholarship, where he majored in English Literature. His minor was history.

As an acting teacher, he taught up-and-coming actors Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Julie Harris and Patricia Neal at the same school. He even taught his future "Dynasty" (1981) co-star Joan Collins acting when she was just a teenager.

His father, Samuel Jeremiah Freund, worked with the Dupont Company and was a New York City stockbroker. His mother Blanche Materson was a housewife.

Didn't become an actor until he was 30.

As a little boy he was a fan of the radio series "Amos and Andy", and would listen to the show avidly.

His father worked as a ditch digger in a cemetery during the Depression.

Buck Jones and Ken Maynard were said to be his idols.

Was a spokesperson for Michelob Beer in the late 1970s.

When he starred in "Bachelor Father" (1957), he moved his family from New York to California.

He loved sports, since he was a child.

Although his greatest success came on television and his film credits are comparatively skimpy, h nonetheless appeared in two films each by major directors: Alfred Hitchcock in The Trouble with Harry (1955) and Topaz (1969) and Richard Brooks in In Cold Blood (1967) and The Happy Ending (1969).

Spokesman/sponsor of the World Wildlife Fund, supported the American Cancer Society and the United Nations Association.

Played baseball in both high school and college. He dropped out of college in his junior year and took parts on radio soap operas.

Appeared in a stage production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," directed by Elia Kazan.

Starred in the original 1953 hit Broadway production of "The Teahouse of the August Moon".

Survived by six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Based his "Dynasty" (1981) character Blake Carrington on MCA Chairman Lew Wasserman.

He was an original member of the Actors Studio in New York City.

He attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill but left after three years to be an announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York.

He died only six days before his "Dynasty" (1981) co-star Christopher Cazenove.

Longtime friend Cheryl Ladd was also his next-door neighbor.

His third wife, Nicole Carter, died May 11, 2010, just five weeks after he died.

Was raised in the same city as Leona Helmsley, who in turn attended the same high school as Forsythe.

Had met future "Dynasty" (1981) co-star, Linda Evans, and her family, when she was only 15 years old. At the time, she guest-starred alongside Forsythe on an episode of "Bachelor Father" (1957).

Was also a friend of Jane Wyman. Coincidentally, Forsythe starred on "Dynasty" (1981), before Wyman starred on "Falcon Crest" (1981), in the same year.

He and Aaron Spelling were close friends from 1976.

Immediately following the death of his second wife, Julie Warren, in 1994, ex-"Dynasty" (1981) co-star, Linda Evans lived in Forsythe's guest house for a couple of days.

After he provided his voice in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), he retired from acting at age 85.

His ex-"Charlie's Angels" (1976) co-star, Cheryl Ladd, used to be his neighbor and best friend.

Interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Santa Barbara, California.

Personal Quotes

I am an amiable fellow with no mind of my own.

I like to be what I am, a reasonably simple happy kind of fellow.

[His father's reaction when John told him he wanted to be an actor] His idea of an actor was John Barrymore. He could never understand why I wanted to act. "You're a good boy, a fine boy", he told me. :But I don't see anything about you that could make an actor. No flamboyance".

[on his long-running marriage to second wife Julie Warren] And it turned out to be a marriage that lasted 50-some-odd years. Not bad!

[In 1981 about being himself as an actor] When I was down in Atlanta, about 3 or 4 weeks ago, a little lady walked up to me and she circled me, 3 to 4 times, and she looked at me and she said, "Didn't you used to be John Forsythe?" And I freely confessed you used to be. But that meant, too, that not enough people really began to know me as an actor; they never know me as a voice and thought I'd do something about it.

[In 1970 about being the more mature man he was trying to be] I was a loose-jointed young man about many things, I had no sense of responsibility. I wasn't a very serious fellow. Now I have a better sense of proportion about work and hard discipline.

[In 2009, on the passing of "Charlie's Angels" (1976) co-star Farrah Fawcett] Though I did not know her well, Farrah left an indelible mark on me and the public during her one-year reign on "Charlie's Angels". She put up a gallant fight against her unforgiving disease and I send my deepest sympathy and prayers to her family and friends.

[In 1984, about his deciding to become an actor] I was 22 years old at the time and had done some announcing for the Dodgers, but no real acting. Yet it interested me. I said to my father, "Acting really is very appealing, you know". There was a long silence, which seemed endless, though it was probably only ten minutes or less; and then he looked at me and said, "I'm worried about your sister. And I've worried about your brother, but until now, I never worried about you. I've always thought that whatever happened, you would wind up OK".

I have been a very lucky fella, because I never considered myself a Marlon Brando or a Laurence Olivier. I always said life consists of love and work. I tried to balance it 50-50. And, of course, now I'm so happy I did.

[When asked if he ever spanked his real-life children] Well, I never hit my kids. That's a bully thing to do. My own father believed in "spare the rod and spoil the child". Consequently, I feared him and we had a cold and distant relationship until he was quite old. My mother was just the other way. But I do remember, when I was 11 years old, my father said something that stayed with me: "I don't worry about you, John. You will always take care of yourself, you'll be all right".

[When he was asked by Aaron Spelling to voice Charlie Townsend in "Charlie's Angels" (1976)] So, in my pajamas with my raincoat on, I went down to the bowels of 20th Century-Fox, ooh, nothing but a microphone and two people standing, one being Aaron, the other being the writer. So from 12:30 P.M. or 12:45 P.M. until about 3:00 P.M., we did it!

[About being cast in "Dynasty" (1981)] My Carrington is much more human than he had been conceived by the authors and by the producer, at the beginning.

[In 1994] I remember one Friday night I called to tell Julie [wife Julie Warren] I would be home late, I was shooting a scene with 'Joan Collins' (qwv) that we finished around one in the morning. When I finally got home, I was exhausted, but Julie was waiting up for me. "It was quite a night", I told her, and hopped into bed. The next morning, I looked in the mirror and saw there was lipstick on my mouth. And on my shirt. Joan Collins used a lot of lipstick, a tremendous amount of lipstick. At breakfast, I asked Julie, "Didn't you notice anything funny last night?" "Funny? In what way?" she asked slyly. "Just a little lipstick on your collar". "You want to know how I got it? Joan Collins".

[on his popularity while playing the 60-something Blake Carrington on "Dynasty" (1981)] It's rather amusing at my advanced age to become a sex symbol.

I'm a vastly usable, not wildly talented actor.

Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift and all those were in torn T-shirts, and I had my button-down collars. They called me the Brooks Bros. bohemian.

[In 1981] I figure there are a few actors like Marlon Brando, George C. Scott and Laurence Olivier, who have been touched by the hand of God. I'm in the next bunch.

[on "Dynasty" (1981)'s Moldavia storyline] Moldavia--we're still living that down. That was one of our less ineffective story lines.

[In 1984] I've had a good time but if I had been willing to starve so that I could play Hamlet, I might have been a better actor than I am today.

[on champagne] Once you drink one glass, you went another.

I'm from the east and tend to be conservative. So I don't believe an actor has to get himself up to look like the "Son of the Sheik", nor does a young man need to dress like a beat-up beatnik to show his independence.

[In 1977] I've played a lot of reporters and have learned that a kind of intellectualism goes with being a newsman.

[in 1987, about the relationship between fathers and sons] I think it was mandatory then for fathers, particularly with sons; they never embraced, I never saw my father cry until the end of his life, they never threw their arms around you and said they loved you. It was supposed to be tacit: you knew they loved you. My father and I had a better relationship toward the end of his life, not unlike my son in On Fire (1987) (TV), who feels close to his dad. As his father goes down, he gets more and more involved with his father.

[In 1987, about his TV movie On Fire (1987) (TV)] Like a lot of writers, some actors have hidden away in desks and things ideas and pieces of ideas and this is kind of a labor of love for me that I have had tucked away for a longtime. My father died two years after he had to retire--mandatory retirement--in his early 60s, and it was a terrible blow obviously to him and also to the family. He was a vital, top-of-his-form man. He was an executive on Wall Street. But because of some ridiculous regulations, he had to go. As a result, our family began to disintegrate along with him. It was a bad time in our lives.

Salary

"Charlie's Angels" (1976)

$40,000 (per episode)