Robert Forster
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox person
Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), followed by a starring role as news reporter John Casellis in the landmark New Hollywood film Medium Cool (1969). For his portrayal of bail bondsman Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Forster played a variety of both leading and supporting roles in over 100 films, including Captain Dan Holland in The Black Hole (1979), Detective David Madison in Alligator (1980), Abdul Rafai in The Delta Force (1986), Colonel Partington in Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Scott Thorson in The Descendants (2011), General Edward Clegg in Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and its sequel London Has Fallen (2016), Norbert Everhardt in What They Had (2018), and Sheriff Hadley in The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020).
He also had prominent roles in television series such as Banyon (1971–73), Nakia (1974), Karen Sisco (2003–04), Heroes (2007–08), Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) and the Breaking Bad episode "Granite State" as Ed "The Disappearer" Galbraith, for which he won the Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television. He reprised the role in the film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) and Better Call Saul (2020).
Early life
Forster was born and raised in Rochester, New York.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His mother was Italian American, while his father was of English and Irish descent.<ref>Robert Forster – How To Succeed in Flops; About Robert Forster Template:Webarchive, nytimes.com; accessed December 18, 2016.</ref> He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Rochester. He performed in a number of plays in college, and decided to become an actor.Template:Citation needed
Forster added an "R" to his surname as there was another member of the Screen Actors Guild named Robert Foster.<ref name="Vigdor">Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
Early stardom
Forster made his Broadway debut in 1965 in Mrs. Dally Had a Lover, opposite Arlene Francis and Ralph Meeker.<ref>Mrs Dally at Playbill</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also starred in productions of Come Blow Your Horn, The Big Knife, and The Glass Menagerie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Forster's movie career began strongly, when John Huston cast him in the important role of Private Williams in Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando; there was a scene where Forster rode naked on a horse which became famous.<ref name="reg"/> Forster also appeared in episodes of the TV series N.Y.P.D., Judd for the Defense and Premiere, the latter also featuring Dustin Hoffman and Sally Kellerman. Forster was then cast in another key role in an important movie: part-Indian Army scout Nick Tana in Robert Mulligan's The Stalking Moon (1968); he was billed third, after Gregory Peck and Eva Marie Saint.
Forster had a key support role in Justine (1969), directed by George Cukor and starring Dirk Bogarde, which was a huge flop. He starred in the critically acclaimedTemplate:Citation needed film Medium Cool (1969), which was also a big hit commercially.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Forster played a tormented priest in Pieces of Dreams (1970) and a student filmmaker in Cover Me Babe (1970), which was a box office flop.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He was cast in the pilot for a TV series Banyon, playing a private eye in late 1930s in Los Angeles. then starred in Journey Through Rosebud which was not released theatrically. He directed for the Rochester Community Theatre.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A year after the pilot for Banyon was made, it was picked up for a series but had only a short run. After this cancellation Forster said his career "started to slip and then it slipped and then it slipped."<ref name="reg">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1973, he briefly returned to Broadway playing Stanley Kowalski in a revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite Julie Harris.<ref>Streetcar Named Desire 1973 at Playbill</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also played Juror No. 3 in the first New York stage production of Twelve Angry Men at the Queens Playhouse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Career slump
After a support part in The Don Is Dead (1972), Forster starred in the TV movie The Death Squad (1974) then another short-lived TV series, Nakia (1974), playing a Navajo detective.
Forster guest starred on shows such as Medical Story, Gibbsville and Police Story and played the lead in the TV movies Royce (1976), The City (1977) (with Don Johnson), Standing Tall and The Darker Side of Terror (1979). He toured in a stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and appeared in The Sea Horse on stage in Louisville.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Forster moved into lower-budgeted movies, starring in Stunts (1977) for Mark L. Lester<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Avalanche (1978), the latter opposite Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Also for New World, Forster had an unbilled cameo in The Lady in Red (1979). This was written by John Sayles and directed by Lewis Teague who later collaborated on Alligator (1980), which starred Forster. He played a key support role in Disney's The Black Hole (1979).
Throughout the 1980s Forster alternated between television and low budget films. He was in the comedy Heartbreak High (1981), and the action films Vigilante (1983), Walking the Edge (1985), The Delta Force (1986), and Counterforce (1988). He wrote, starred in, produced and directed Hollywood Harry (1985), in which he invested all his savings. That year he stated "Not one of my movies made a dime. I've never had anything that approached a hit in my entire career of 15 movies and a lot of TV shows."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Forster appeared in the thrillers Satan's Princess (1989) and The Banker (1989), the mini series Goliath Awaits (1981), and episodes of Magnum, P.I., Tales from the Darkside, Hotel, Crossbow, and Jesse Hawkes. He was in the TV movie Mick and Frankie (1989).
Forster's films by this stage were almost entirely low budget ones: Peacemaker (1990), Checkered Flag (1990), Countdown to Esmeralda Bay (1990), Long Way Back (1990), Committed (1991), Diplomatic Immunity (1991), 29th Street (1991), In Between (1992), In the Shadow of a Killer (1992), Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993), South Beach (1993), American Yakuza (1993), Cover Story (1993), Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1993), Scanner Cop II (1995), Guns & Lipstick (1995), The Method (1995), Original Gangstas (1996) (directed by Larry Cohen), Uncle Sam (1996), Hindsight (1996) and American Perfekt (1997).
He appeared in series such as Jake and the Fatman, P.S.I. Luv U, Silk Stalkings, Murder, She Wrote, One West Waikiki and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Jackie Brown and later work
Forster appeared in Jackie Brown as bail bondsman Max Cherry, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1997. Jackie Brown revitalized Forster's career, an effect that occurred for many actors appearing in Quentin Tarantino films.<ref name="ew death bb">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He subsequently had consistent work in the film industry, appearing in Like Mike, Mulholland Drive, Supernova, Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Human Natyre (2001), Confidence (2003), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), and Firewall (2006).
Forster continued to appear in lower budgeted productions like Night Vision (1997) along with the remakes of Rear Window (1998) and Psycho (1998).
He appeared in the made-for-television movie The Hunt for the BTK Killer, as the detective intent on capturing serial killer Dennis Rader. Forster also played the father of Van on the short-lived Fox series Fastlane.
Forster recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign, encouraging reading of books by Elmore Leonard, whose book Rum Punch was adapted as Jackie Brown.
He appeared in the hit NBC series Heroes as Arthur Petrelli, the father of Nathan and Peter Petrelli, as well as the Emmy Award-winning AMC crime drama Breaking Bad as Walter White's new-identity specialist Ed Galbraith (a role he reprised in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Better Call Saul). He played Bud Baxter, father to Tim Allen's Mike Baxter, on the ABC (later Fox) hit comedy Last Man Standing. Forster was also a motivational speaker.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He was the first choice to play Sheriff Harry S. Truman in David Lynch's Twin Peaks, but had to turn it down due to a prior commitment to a different television pilot, and was replaced by Michael Ontkean. He appeared in Lynch's Mulholland Drive, a pilot for a TV series that was not picked up but was later turned into a critically acclaimed movie, and finally appeared in Twin Peaks, playing the brother of Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Sheriff Frank Truman, in Twin Peaks: The Return, when Ontkean was not available to reprise his role.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
About this, Forster said: "David Lynch, what a good guy he is. He wanted to hire me for the original, 25 years ago, for a part, and I was committed to another guy for a pilot that never went. So I didn't do the original Twin Peaks, which would have been a life-changer. It's a gigantic hit if you remember those years, a phenomenon. But I didn't do that. [...] And this time, I got a call from my agents and they said, David Lynch is going to call you. When he called me five minutes later, he said, "I'd like you to come and work with me again." And I said, 'Whatever it is, David, here I come!'"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Forster appeared in the TV series Alcatraz.<ref name="reg"/>
His final movie appearance was in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, reprising the character of Ed the "Disappearer" from the Breaking Bad series. He died on the day the movie was released.<ref name="ew death bb" /> According to Aaron Paul (the actor for Jesse Pinkman), they spoke on the day of his death. Forster had been able to see the film. Four months later, Forster again appeared posthumously as Ed in episode "Magic Man" of the fifth season of Better Call Saul. The episode ended with a dedication to "our friend Robert Forster." He also appeared in an episode "Dynoman and The Volt" of the rebooted Amazing Stories television series before his death; the episode was dedicated to Forster.<ref name="deadline amaze">Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
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Forster was married to June Forster (née Provenzano) from 1966 to 1975. The couple had met at their alma mater, the University of Rochester.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The marriage produced three daughters. Robert was married to Zivia Forster from 1978 to 1980. He also had a son from a previous relationship. From 2004 to the time of his death, his longtime partner was Denise Grayson.<ref name = Vigdor/> He was a member of the high-IQ Triple Nine Society.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Death
In June 2019, Forster was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he died from the disease at his home in Los Angeles on October 11, 2019, at the age of 78, on the day El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was released, hours after watching it.<ref name = Vigdor/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Reflections in a Golden Eye | Private L.G. Williams | |
| 1968 | The Stalking Moon | Nick Tana | |
| 1969 | Justine | Narouz | |
| Medium Cool | John Cassellis | ||
| 1970 | Pieces of Dreams | Gregory Lind | |
| Cover Me Babe | Tony Hall | ||
| 1972 | Journey Through Rosebud | Frank | |
| 1973 | The Don Is Dead | Frank Regalbuto | |
| 1977 | Stunts | Glen Wilson | |
| 1978 | Avalanche | Nick Thorne | |
| 1979 | The Lady in Red | 'Turk' | Uncredited |
| The Black Hole | Captain Dan Holland | ||
| 1980 | Alligator | Detective David Madison | |
| 1981 | Heartbreak High | Coach Alan Arnoldi | |
| 1983 | Vigilante | Eddie Marino | |
| 1985 | Walking the Edge | Jason Walk | |
| 1986 | The Delta Force | Abdul Rafai | |
| Hollywood Harry | Harry Petry | Also producer and director | |
| 1988 | Counterforce | The Dictator | |
| 1989 | Satan's Princess | Lou Cherney | |
| The Banker | Dan Jefferson | ||
| Esmeralda Bay | Madero | ||
| 1990 | Peacemaker | Yates | |
| 1991 | Committed | Dr. Desmond Moore | |
| Checkered Flag | Jack Cotton | ||
| Diplomatic Immunity | Stonebridge | ||
| 29th Street | Sergeant Tartaglia | ||
| In Between | Vinnie | ||
| 1993 | Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence | Dr. Powell | |
| South Beach | Detective Ted Coleman | ||
| American Yakuza | Littman | ||
| Cover Story | Therapist | ||
| 1994 | Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III | Bob Sibley | |
| 1995 | Scanners: The Showdown | Captain Jack Bitters | |
| Guns and Lipstick | Captain Dimaggio | ||
| 1996 | The Method | Christian's Father | |
| Original Gangstas | Detective Slatten | ||
| Uncle Sam | Congressman Alvin Cummings | ||
| Hindsight | Michael Donahue | ||
| 1997 | American Perfekt | Jake Nyman | |
| Demolition University | Gentry | ||
| Jackie Brown | Max Cherry | ||
| Night Vision | Teak Taylor | ||
| 1998 | Psycho | Dr. Fred Simon | |
| Outside Ozona | Odell Parks | ||
| 1999 | It's the Rage | Tyler | |
| Family Tree | Henry Musser | ||
| Kiss Toledo Goodbye | Sal Fortuna | ||
| 2000 | Supernova | A.J. Marley | |
| The Magic of Marciano | Henry | ||
| Lakeboat | Joe Litko | ||
| Cowboys and Angels | Barbequeman At Wedding | Uncredited | |
| Me, Myself & Irene | Colonel Partington | ||
| Diamond Men | Eddie Miller | Also executive producer | |
| 2001 | Mulholland Drive | Detective Harry McKnight | |
| Human Nature | Nathan's Father | ||
| Finder's Fee | Officer Campbell | ||
| 2002 | Lone Hero | Gus | |
| Strange Hearts | Jack Waters | ||
| Like Mike | Coach Wagner | ||
| 2003 | Confidence | Morgan Price | |
| Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Roger Wixon | ||
| Grand Theft Parsons | Stanley Parsons | ||
| 2006 | Firewall | Harry Romano | |
| Lucky Number Slevin | Murphy | ||
| Wild Seven | Wilson | ||
| 2007 | Rise: Blood Hunter | Lloyd | |
| D-War | Jack Wilson | ||
| Cleaner | Arlo Grange | ||
| 2008 | Expecting Love | George Patten | |
| Jack and Jill vs. the World | Norman / Narrator | Uncredited | |
| Touching Home | Jim 'Perk' Perkins | ||
| 2009 | Thick as Thieves | Lieutenant Sam Weber | |
| Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | Sergeant Mervis Volkom | ||
| Middle Men | Louie 'La-La' | ||
| 2010 | The Bannen Way | Mr. B | |
| The Trial | Ray | ||
| Kalamity | Tom Klepack | ||
| 2011 | Girl Walks into a Bar | Dodge | |
| The Descendants | Scott Thorson | ||
| 2012 | Hotel Noir | Jim Logan | |
| 2013 | Olympus Has Fallen | General Edward Clegg | |
| Coffee, Kill Boss | Walt Ford | ||
| Somewhere Slow | Chris McConville | ||
| 2014 | Autómata | Robert Bold | |
| 2015 | Survivor | Bill Talbot | |
| Too Late | Gordy Lyons | ||
| The Adventures of Biffle and Shooster | James Burke / Lieutenant Frank Murphy | ||
| 2016 | London Has Fallen | General Edward Clegg | |
| The Confirmation | Otto | ||
| The American Side | Sterling Whitmore | ||
| Bus Driver | General Sorbin | ||
| 2017 | Small Town Crime | Steve Yendel | |
| Small Crimes | Joe Denton Sr. | ||
| The Case for Christ | Walter Strobel | ||
| Acts of Vengeance | Chuck | ||
| 2018 | What They Had | Norbert Everhardt | |
| Damsel | Old Preacher | ||
| The Big Take | Detective Aborn | ||
| Bigger | Joe (2008) | ||
| 2019 | Phil | Bing Fisk | |
| El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie | Ed Galbraith | ||
| QT8: The First Eight | Himself | Documentary; Posthumous release<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2020 | The Wolf of Snow Hollow | Sheriff Hadley | Posthumous release |
| 2021 | Grave Intentions | Don Whalen | Segment: "The Bridge Partner"; Posthumous release; Final film role |
Short films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | It's a Shame About Ray | Wally | |
| 2003 | Where's Angelo? | Bob | |
| 2007 | Grampa's Cabin | Grampa | |
| 2010 | Red Princess Blues | The Storyteller | |
| 2015 | The Biffle Murder Case | James Burke | |
| The Bridge Partner | Don Whalen | ||
| Run Fast | Peter Cirone | ||
| The Program | Michael | ||
| Home | Man | ||
| 2018 | Nasty | Bob |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | N.Y.P.D. | Tony | Episode: "To Catch a Hero" |
| 1968 | Judd, for the Defense | Ray Elliott | Episode: "In a Puff of Smoke" |
| Premiere | Doug Payson | Episode: "Higher and Higher, Attorneys at Law" | |
| 1971–1973 | Banyon | Miles Banyon | 16 episodes |
| 1974 | Nakia | Deputy Nakia Parker | 14 episodes |
| The Death Squad | Eric Benoit | Television film | |
| 1975 | Medical Story | David Corbin | Episode: "The Moonlight Heater" |
| 1975–1977 | Police Story | Various roles | 5 episodes |
| 1977 | The City | Lieutenant Matt Lewis | Pilot |
| 1978 | Standing Tall | Luke Shasta | Television film |
| 1979 | The Darker Side of Terror | Paul Corwin | Television film |
| 1981 | Goliath Awaits | Commander Jeff Selkirk | Television film |
| 1985 | Magnum, P.I. | Tyler Peabody McKinney | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Gary Gooley | Episode: "The Milkman Cometh" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Gilbert Gaston | Episode: "The Perfect Foil" | |
| 1987 | Hotel | Steve Cameron | Episode: "Unfinished Business" |
| Once a Hero | Gumshoe | 7 episodes | |
| 1987–1988 | William Tell | Aymong | 3 episodes |
| 1989 | Mick and Franki | Feinstein | Failed pilot |
| 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Ed Delaney | 2 episodes |
| P.S. I Luv U | Dan | Episode: "There Goes the Neighbourhood" | |
| 1992 | In the Shadow of a Killer | Charles Galbis | Television film |
| 1993 | Silk Stalkings | Vince Riker | Episode: "Tough Love" |
| Sex, Love and Cold Hard Cash | Sid | Television film | |
| 1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Ricky Rickettes | Episode: "The Big Bingo Bamboozle" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Frank Roussel | Episode: "Big Easy Murder" | |
| One West Waikiki | Gerard Foster | Episode: "Flowers of Evil" | |
| 1997 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Lane Tillman | Episode: "Texas vs. Cahill" |
| 1998 | Rear Window | Detective Charlie Moore | Television film |
| 1999 | Todd McFarlane's Spawn | Major Forsberg | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Godzilla: The Series | Jack Chapman, Police Officer | Voice, episode: "Wedding Bells Blew" |
| 2001 | Like Mother Like Son | Ken 'Pappa' Kimes | Television film |
| 2002 | Murder in Greenwich | Steve Carroll | |
| Due East | Jesse Rapple | ||
| 2002–2003 | Fastlane | Raymond Ray | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Undefeated | Scott Green | Television film |
| Street Time | Tony DeAngelo | Episode: "Cop Killer" | |
| 2003–2004 | Karen Sisco | Marshall Sisco | 10 episodes |
| 2004 | The Grid | Jay Aldrich | 6 episodes |
| Clubhouse | Burt Austin | Episode: "Spectator Interference" | |
| 2004–2005 | Huff | Ben Huffstodt | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Tilt | Jimmy "Gentleman Jim" Towne | 2 episodes |
| Justice League Unlimited | The President | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| Bounty Hunters | Jerry | Pilot | |
| The Hunt for the BTK Killer | Detective Jason Magida | Television film | |
| 2006 | Numb3rs | Agent Thomas Lawson | Episode: "Protest" |
| 13 Graves | Tom Ferris | Pilot | |
| 2007 | Army Wives | General Grayson | Episode: "Truth and Consequences" |
| Desperate Housewives | Nick Delfino | Episode: "Now I Know, Don't Be Scared" | |
| 2007–2008 | Heroes | Arthur Petrelli | 10 episodes |
| 2008 | The Simpsons | Lucky Jim | Voice, episode: "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes" |
| 2011 | CSI: NY | Joe Vincent | Episode: "Indelible" |
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Ray Archer | 4 episodes |
| Transformers: Prime | General Bryce | Voice, episode: "Grill" | |
| The Eric Andre Show | Himself | Episode: "J-Moe" | |
| 2012–2018 | Last Man Standing | Bud Baxter | 10 episodes |
| 2013 | NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Booth Whitman | Episode: "Unfrozen Agent Man" |
| Breaking Bad | Ed Galbraith | Episode: "Granite State" | |
| Ironside | Virgil's Father | Episode: "Hidden Agenda" | |
| 2014 | Intruders | Frank Shepherd | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Jack J. Kurtzman | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Childrens Hospital | Donald | Episode: "The 27 Club" |
| Backstrom | Sheriff Blue Backstrom | 2 episodes | |
| 2016 | Divorce | Donald | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks: The Return | Sheriff Frank Truman | 10 episodes |
| I'm Dying Up Here | Guy Apuzzo | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2020 | Better Call Saul | Ed Galbraith | Posthumous release Episode: "Magic Man" |
| Amazing Stories | Grandpa Joe Harris | Posthumous release Episode: "Dynoman and The Volt"<ref name="deadline amaze"/> |
Partial stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Original venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Mrs. Dally Had a Lover | Frankie | John Golden Theater, Broadway | |
| 1971 | The Glass Menagerie<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> | Theatre in the Tracks, Off-Off-Broadway<ref name=":0" /> | Also director<ref name=":0" /> | |
| 1972 | Twelve Angry Men | Juror No. 3 | Queens Playhouse, Off-Broadway | |
| 1973 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stanley Kowalski | Vivian Beaumont Theater, Broadway | Replacement |
| 2017 | Chasing Mem'ries | Franklin | Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles |
Awards and nominations
References
Further reading
- Voisin, Scott, Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting. BearManor Media, 2009. Template:ISBN.
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 1941 births
- 2019 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- Deaths from brain cancer in California
- Male actors from Rochester, New York
- University of Rochester alumni
- American people of Italian descent
- American people of English descent
- American people of Irish descent
- Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival award winners