John Forsythe Has Died at Age 92

[miliosr]

John Forsythe has died at age 92.

His great fame came somewhat late in life. For five seasons (1976-1981), he was the "voice of Charlie" on Charlie's Angels. He followed that with nine seasons (1981-1989) of Dynasty on which he played the patriarch of the Carrington clan.

[vrsfanatic]

Very sad. I loved everything he was in. His daughter in-law is Ana Marie Forsythe Visit My Website a wonderful modern teacher. May the Forsythe family find peace at this very difficult time.

[Quiggin]

"Tea House of the August Moon" was a big break for him -- afterwards every little theater group used to do a version of Teahouse and Mr Roberts.

And don't forget the very successful "Bachelor Father" series in the late fifties and early sixties which initially alternated with the Jack Benny show. "Dynasty" was sort of a comeback, but not quite as classy as his earlier work. In early clips he looks like William Holden.

[dirac]

Sorry he's gone. Always liked him. Dynasty brought him to a new level of success, and no television veteran deserved it more, I'm sure. Item here.

Mr. Forsythe was often endearingly forthright with interviewers. "Moldavia – we're still living that down," he said, referring to a fictional nation featured in the later seasons of "Dynasty." "That was one of our less effective story lines." It was certainly one of their most preposterous. The story hit its peak with a season finale, in which revolutionaries barged into a royal wedding with machine guns blazing; half the glamorous cast were left for dead until fall.

Yes, I remember that well. In September everyone got up. Very silly.

Obituary.

Like many television regulars, he had his share of less successful network ventures. They included three sitcoms: "The John Forsythe Show," in which he played an Air Force major running a girls' school (it lasted one season, 1965-66); "To Rome With Love," about a widowed professor living in Italy (1969-71); and "The Powers That Be," about a clueless United States senator whose life is run by others. It ran for 21 episodes (1992-93), possibly because viewers weren't interested in seeing a clueless John Forsythe.

I also remember Forsythe in Kitten with a Whip, terrorized by juvenile delinquent Ann-Margret.

[miliosr]

Mr. Forsythe was often endearingly forthright with interviewers. "Moldavia – we're still living that down," he said, referring to a fictional nation featured in the later seasons of "Dynasty." "That was one of our less effective story lines." It was certainly one of their most preposterous. The story hit its peak with a season finale, in which revolutionaries barged into a royal wedding with machine guns blazing; half the glamorous cast were left for dead until fall.

Yes, I remember that well. In September everyone got up. Very silly.

In and of itself, the Moldavia storyline and its shocking climax at the end of the 1984-85 season was very entertaining. But, as dirac notes, the resolution was what was bad about it and that set the stage for Dynasty's decline (although it would still run for another four seasons.) (To this day, I still haven't forgiven Dynasty for killing off my favorite character from the 1984-85 season, Luke Fuller (played by a young Billy Campbell), as part of the Moldavian Massacre.)

[dirac]

I think the only other character killed off was Ali MacGraw's Lady Ashley, who was certainly no great loss. Very poor shots, those revolutionaries.

[miliosr]

Christopher Cazenove, who played John Forsythe's brother Ben on Dynasty, has died:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8608520.stm

As show biz deaths always come in threes, I hope Diahann Carroll, who played Blake and Ben's half-sister Dominique Devereaux ("That lounge singer," according to Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan) on the show, is looking both ways before she crosses the street . . .

[dirac]

Oh, that’s too bad. I also remember Cazenove from The Duchess of Duke Street and Jennie. He was a wonderful Edwardian.

[miliosr]

Bumping up this thread because I don't think the late, great Diahann Carroll got a remembrance when she passed on in October 2019. Here, Carroll's character, Dominique Deveraux, meet Alexis Colby (Joan Collins) for the first time:

Alexis Colby and Dominique Deveraux - Shade Fest - YouTube

Also bumping up this thread because Dynasty turned 40 years old on January 12th! To celebrate, here's a fun feature about the Filoli estate in California, which served as the exterior of the Carrington mansion on Dynasty, and whose interior inspired the soundstage sets used on the show:

Bobbing Along Visits the Carringtons and Colbys of Dynasty at Filoli House & Gardens in Woodside, CA - YouTube

 

 

Edited January 31, 2021 by miliosr

[miliosr]

Actor Geoffrey Scott, who played tennis pro/gigolo Mark Jennings for two seasons on Dynasty, has died at the age of 79. Even though he was only a member of the cast from 1982-84, his contributions were significant and he is still remembered fondly by Dynasty fans.