John Forsythe

John Forsythe (born John Lincoln Freund on January 29, 1918) was an American actor whose career spanned more than six decades, making him a familiar voice and face in both cinema and television. Raised in Brooklyn after being born in Penns Grove, New Jersey, he graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School at sixteen and briefly worked as a public‑address announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers before attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Encouraged by his father, he signed with Warner Bros. in 1943 and appeared in early films such as The Captive City (1952) and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry (1955). Service in the United States Army Air Forces during World II saw him perform in the morale‑boosting play Winged Victory and work with soldiers suffering speech impairments, an experience that foreshadowed his later work as a drama teacher. After the war he joined the inaugural class of the Actors Studio, sharing a classroom with Marlon Brando and Julie Harris, and took Broadway roles in Mister Roberts and The Teahouse of the August Moon. His versatility led to frequent guest spots on anthology series, including a memorable appearance on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

In the late 1950s Forsythe became a household name when he headlined the sitcom Bachelor Father (1957‑1962), playing the carefree attorney Bentley Gregg who suddenly found himself caring for his niece. The real breakthrough arrived in the 1970s when he voiced the unseen millionaire Charles “Charlie” Townsend on the crime drama Charlie’s Angels (1976‑1981), a role that made him the highest‑paid television actor on a per‑hour basis and introduced him to the world of thoroughbred racing, where he later served on the board of Hollywood Park Racetrack. He achieved perhaps his most iconic status as Blake Carrington on the prime‑time soap Dynasty (1981‑1989), earning multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations while simultaneously promoting a line of fragrances with co‑stars. After Dynasty he continued to work in sitcoms such as The Powers That Be and reprised Charlie in the 2000 and 2003 film adaptations of Charlie’s Angels. A lifelong Democrat and philanthropist, Forsythe supported the arts, ran an art gallery, and was honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit for his contributions to horse racing. He passed away from pneumonia on April 1, 2010, at his home in Santa Ynez, California, leaving behind a legacy of elegance, professionalism, and a remarkable body of work that still resonates with audiences worldwide.