John Forsythe, ‘Dynasty’ Actor, Is Dead at 92
By ANITA GATES
April 2, 2010
John Forsythe, the debonair actor whose matinee-idol looks, confident charm and mellifluous voice helped make him the star of three hit television series, including ABC’s glamour soap “Dynasty,” died on Thursday in Santa Ynez, Calif. He was 92.
His publicist, Harlan Boll, said the cause was complications of pneumonia, following a yearlong battle with cancer. Mr. Forsythe had earlier received a diagnosis of colon cancer, and in 1979 underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
He may be best remembered as Blake Carrington, the ruthless but dapper silver-haired Denver oil tycoon on “Dynasty,” which ran from 1981 to 1989 and took its place as the symbol of the affluent decade of the Reagan administration. He often expressed amusement that the role, as the object of two women’s fierce affection — that of Joan Collins and Linda Evans — had made him a sex symbol in his 60s.
Mr. Forsythe’s first series character was another dashing, well-dressed, self-possessed man of means. He was Bentley Gregg, the playboy Beverly Hills lawyer in the sitcom “Bachelor Father” (1957-62). Gregg was bringing up his teenage niece (Noreen Corcoran), whose parents had died in an accident.
Between those two series, Mr. Forsythe played a crucial role in the show “Charlie’s Angels” (1976-81), about three young, scantily clad female detectives — the series’ three original actresses were Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett. Mr. Forsythe’s part was as the sexy telephone voice of their boss, a millionaire private eye who had others handle his cases.
In the 1980s he earned two Golden Globes for “Dynasty,” plus four additional nominations and three Emmy Award nominations for the same role. In the 1950s, he received an Emmy nomination for best actor. (The awards were so new that the acting honors had not been divided into genre categories yet.)
Rest of the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/arts/television/03forsythe.html
By ANITA GATES
April 2, 2010
John Forsythe, the debonair actor whose matinee-idol looks, confident charm and mellifluous voice helped make him the star of three hit television series, including ABC’s glamour soap “Dynasty,” died on Thursday in Santa Ynez, Calif. He was 92.
His publicist, Harlan Boll, said the cause was complications of pneumonia, following a yearlong battle with cancer. Mr. Forsythe had earlier received a diagnosis of colon cancer, and in 1979 underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
He may be best remembered as Blake Carrington, the ruthless but dapper silver-haired Denver oil tycoon on “Dynasty,” which ran from 1981 to 1989 and took its place as the symbol of the affluent decade of the Reagan administration. He often expressed amusement that the role, as the object of two women’s fierce affection — that of Joan Collins and Linda Evans — had made him a sex symbol in his 60s.
Mr. Forsythe’s first series character was another dashing, well-dressed, self-possessed man of means. He was Bentley Gregg, the playboy Beverly Hills lawyer in the sitcom “Bachelor Father” (1957-62). Gregg was bringing up his teenage niece (Noreen Corcoran), whose parents had died in an accident.
Between those two series, Mr. Forsythe played a crucial role in the show “Charlie’s Angels” (1976-81), about three young, scantily clad female detectives — the series’ three original actresses were Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett. Mr. Forsythe’s part was as the sexy telephone voice of their boss, a millionaire private eye who had others handle his cases.
In the 1980s he earned two Golden Globes for “Dynasty,” plus four additional nominations and three Emmy Award nominations for the same role. In the 1950s, he received an Emmy nomination for best actor. (The awards were so new that the acting honors had not been divided into genre categories yet.)
Rest of the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/arts/television/03forsythe.html
