Biography
Forsythe imprinted his star in the pop culture firmament in ratings-topping 1970s and 1980s "campy" television institutions "Charlie's Angels" (ABC, 1976-1981) and "Dynasty" (ABC, 1981-89), but he arrived there with a long background on New York stages, including the distinction of being an original member of New York's now-renowned Actor's Studio, and prolific work at the dawn of the TV age. At the height of the success of "Dynasty," he came …
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Career Milestones
1936 | Worked as baseball announcer at Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers |
1939 | Made stage debut in "Dick Whittington and his Cat" in Chappaqua, NY |
1942 | First appeared on Broadway as Private Cootes in "Vickie" |
1943 | Made feature acting debut as Soldier in "Northern Pursuit" |
1944 | First significant film role, "Destination Tokyo" |
1947 | Replaced Arthur Kennedy on Broadway in the role of Chris Keller in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" |
1950 | Replaced Henry Fonda in a national touring production of "Mister Roberts" |
1953 | Originated the role of Captain Frisby in "The Teahouse of the August Moon" on Broadway |
1955 | Played the male lead in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry" |
1956 | Directed "Mister Roberts" at the City Center Theatre in New York City |
1957 | Made his debut as a series regular in "Bachelor Father" as Bentley Gregg, a playboy lawyer who becomes the guardian to his niece; first aired on CBS but moved to NBC the following season and to ABC in the fall of 1961 |
1962 | Made producing debut with "The First Hundred Years" for "Vacation Playhouse" |
1964 | Returned to features with "Kitten with a Whip" |
1965 | Returned to television with the short lived "The John Forsythe Show" on NBC |
1967 | Had a supporting role in the film adaptation of "In Cold Blood," which is based on Truman Capote's book of the same name |
1969 | Co-starred with Walter Brennan in "To Rome with Love" on CBS |
1969 | Starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "Topaz" |
1971 | Served as narrator on the syndicated nature series, "The World of Survival" |
1976 | First collaboration with Aaron Spelling, playing the role of a mysterious unseen millionaire and private investigator Charles Townsend in "Charlie's Angels" (ABC) |
1979 | Appeared as a judge with a kinky sex life in Norman Jewison's courtroom drama "...And Justice for All" |
1981 | Selected as a last minute replacement for George Peppard in the role of patriarch Blake Carrington in Aaron Spelling's prime time drama "Dynasty" (ABC); earned Golden Globe (1982, 1985, 1986, 1987) and Emmy (1982, 1983, 1984) nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series |
1985 | Appeared in a recurring role as Blake Carrington in the short-lived spin-off series "The Colbys" (ABC) |
1987 | Executive produced the ABC TV-movie "On Fire" |
1992 | Returned to series television to star in Norman Lear's "The Powers That Be" for NBC |
1995 | Briefly returned to the stage during the pre-Braodway run of "Sacrilege"; withdrew from the show for personal reasons |
2000 | Reprised his role as Charlie for the film version of "Charlie's Angels" |
2003 | Once again voiced Charlie for the sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" |
2006 | Appeared with Dynasty co-stars for the ABC reunion special "Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar" |
Awards
1981 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in Dynasty |
1982 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in Dynasty |
1982 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in Dynasty |
1983 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in Dynasty |
1983 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in Dynasty |
1984 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in Dynasty |
1984 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in Dynasty |
1985 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in Dynasty |
1986 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in Dynasty |