John Forsythe, the debonair actor whose matinee-idol looks, confident charm and mellifluous voice helped make him the star of three hit television series, including ABC’s glamour soap “Dynasty,” died on Thursday in Santa Ynez, Calif. He was 92.
His publicist, Harlan Boll, said the cause was complications of pneumonia, following a yearlong battle with cancer. He had earlier received a diagnosis of colon cancer, and in 1979 underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
He may be best remembered as Blake Carrington, the ruthless but dapper silver-haired Denver oil tycoon on “Dynasty,” which ran from 1981 to 1989 and took its place as the symbol of the affluent decade of the Reagan administration. He often expressed amusement that the role, as the object of two women’s fierce affection — that of Joan Collins and Linda Evans — had made him a sex symbol in his 60s.
Mr. Forsythe’s first series character was another dashing, well-dressed, self-possessed man of means. He was Bentley Gregg, the playboy Beverly Hills lawyer in the sitcom “Bachelor Father” (1957-62). Gregg was bringing up his teenage niece (Noreen Corcoran), whose parents had died in an accident. Between those two series, Mr. Forsythe played a crucial role in the crime show “Charlie’s Angels” (1976-81), about three young, scantily clad policewomen. His was the sexy telephone voice of their boss, a millionaire private eye who had others handle his cases.
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.
A full obituary article can be found here.
Article From :http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/02/john-forsythe-debonair-dynasty-star-dies/
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