Frederic Forrest

Frederic Forrest (born Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. on December 23, 1936 in Waxahachie, Texas) was an American actor whose rugged presence helped define the gritty realism of the New Hollywood era. His breakthrough came with the 1972 adaptation of When the Legends Die, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer and put him on the radar of auteur directors. Over the next three decades he became a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola, appearing in The Conversation (1974) as a nervous corporate executive, and delivering a memorable turn as Chef in the Vietnam‑war epic Apocalypse Now (1979). Forrest’s performance as hustler‑singer Huston Dyer in The Rose (1979) garnered him nominations for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, cementing his reputation as a versatile character actor. He continued to work steadily, starring opposite Robert De Niro in The Missouri Breaks (1976), playing Dashiell Hammett in Hammett (1982), and appearing in the cult teen comedy Valley Girl (1983) as a supportive father. His later career included roles in The Two Jakes (1990), Falling Down (1993) where he portrayed a hostile store owner, and the historical drama All the King's Men (2006), his final film credit. On television he was a series regular on 21 Jump Street (1987) as Captain Richard Jenko and portrayed the legendary outlaw Blue Duck in the miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989). Outside of acting, Forrest served in the United States Army, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University in 1960, and was honored with the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993. He married three times – first to Nancy Whitaker, then to actress Marilu Henner, and finally to model Nina Dean – but had no children. Frederic Forrest passed away at his Santa Monica home on June 23, 2023, aged 86, leaving behind a body of work that continues to influence actors who favor intensity and authenticity.