Posted on 10/11/2019 8:00:56 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj
Robert Forster Dies: Academy Award Nominee Who Appeared In More Than 100 Films Was 78
By Bruce Haring October 11, 2019 7:27pm
Robert Forster, an Academy Award nominee for his work as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, died at his Los Angeles home today following a brief battle with brain cancer. His death was confirmed by his family and representatives.
Forster appeared in more than 100 films, including his latest, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, released today via Netflix.
Born in Rochester, New York, Forster, a member of Triple Nine Society, graduated from the University of Rochester and then moved to New York City, where he was quickly cast in the Broadway production Mrs. Dally Has a Lover, opposite Arlene Francis.
Forster’s performance caught the eye of director John Houston, who cast him in his first film, Reflections in a Golden Eye, with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando. He then worked with renowned director Haskell Wexler on Medium Cool, which became a classic due to its filming during the riots at the 1969 Democratic Convention in Chicago.
He continued to make films and television series. Among his favorites were the series Banyon and films Alligator and American Perfekt. Other notable projects include The Descendants, Firewall, Me, Myself and Irene, the return of Twin Peaks, and last year’s What They Had. Forster also recently played Tim Allen’s father in Last Man Standing, a part he loved because the series was a comedy, a new genre for him.
Forster completed three additional projects in 2019: El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories and Werewolf.
He is survived by his children: Bobby, Elizabeth, Kate and Maeghen; his grandchildren: Tess, Liam, Jack and Olivia; and long time partner, Denise Grayson.
Details of a memorial service have not yet been announced.
He was of southern Italian heritage, and like many of us, probably has Greek ancestry way back.
RIP
But pretty sure there was no Democratic Convention in 1969. To quote Maxwell Smart, “Missed it by that much.”
A great loss. He was a fine actor
I remember him from “Medium Cool” also, shown in a political science class when I was in college in Los Angeles MANY years ago.
That’s right!
I totally agree Jackie Brown was a great movie and He was a big part of that movie; but “True Romance” was also a great Tarantino movie even though he didn’t direct it, it’s still one of my all time favorites.
IMDb says Forster has English, Irish and Italian heritage.
The Huston film you referenced, “Reflections in a Golden Eye” was a strange one. He initially had it photographed to make it look like the film stock was soaked in a vat of urine, which didn’t go over too well (I think the studio had it corrected to normal). Forster’s first film roll was just a minor one, but he played a soldier that Marlon Brando was obsessed with (Brando playing a closet-job Army officer). Elizabeth Taylor did a good job playing Brando’s “grotesque” wife, one that topped even her shrewish role in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”
Francis Coppola used a lot of photographs/stills from this movie of Brando for the dossier of Col. Kurtz in “Apocalypse Now.”
I recall it being mentioned that was probably the most left-wing film ever put out by a major studio (Paramount, I believe) at the time.
Robert Forster was born in Rochester, New York. I was born and raised in Rochester, and went to high school from 1960-1965. During my freshman or sophomore year, Forster was doing substitute teaching for the Rochester School District, and ended up covering a study hall I was in. It was about the time that our yearbooks were out, and I know he signed my yearbook, but I can’t remember which year it actually was. One of these days I’m going to have to go down to the basement storage area, dig out my yearbooks, and find his entry.
‘69 was when “Medium Cool” was released.
Heh. Should be worth a few bucks if you locate it. ;-)
Watched Jackie Brown for the first time ever about 3 weeks ago. He just seemed like a good decent guy. Both in the movie and I assume in real life. Just a normal nice guy. Sad he’s gone.
A fine actor. RIP.
Thanks. I didn’t know the background for ‘Golden Eye’.
Actually, I always thought Frank Sinatra was in it. Both Brando and Sinatra were very famous at that time.
Both were somewhat short in stature too.
I first saw the film on television when I was 19. Having also lived in the Uptown section of Chicago, where much of it was filmed, it was interesting seeing said neighborhood when it was the Appalachian ghetto.
Had as good a career as you can hope for as a working actor. Always getting jobs right up to the end. Fitting that he passes away on the premiere day of his latest film.
Wondering if Robert Forster knew he was dying and had him written out of his recurring role in Last Man Standing.
No, Sinatra wouldn’t have done such a film (playing a conflicted gay guy ?). You’re thinking of the film, “The Man With The Golden Arm”, where he did play a junkie.
I would say it’s quite mild, indeed. Just shows how far the left has moved in 50 years. There was a protest by the left in our city today over Trump’s decision to withdraw the troops over the Kurdish thing. Yeah, now they WANT war. The left, of course, never lacked for hypocrisy.
So who was the better conflicted gay sergeant? Marlon Brando or Rod Steiger?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.