Robert Forster | |
|---|---|
 Forster in 2009 | |
| Born | Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (1941-07-13)July 13, 1941 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 2019(2019-10-11) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Rochester |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1965–2019 |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Denise Grayson (2004–2019) |
| Children | 4 |
Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally asRobert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams inJohn Huston'sReflections in a Golden Eye (1967), followed by a starring role as news reporter John Casellis in the landmarkNew Hollywood filmMedium Cool (1969). For his portrayal of bail bondsman Max Cherry inQuentin Tarantino'sJackie Brown (1997), he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Forster played a variety of both leading and supporting roles in over 100 films, including Captain Dan Holland inThe Black Hole (1979), Detective David Madison inAlligator (1980), Abdul Rafai inThe Delta Force (1986), Colonel Partington inMe, Myself & Irene (2000), Scott Thorson inThe Descendants (2011), General Edward Clegg inOlympus Has Fallen (2013) and its sequelLondon Has Fallen (2016), Norbert Everhardt inWhat They Had (2018), and Sheriff Hadley inThe Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020).
He also had prominent roles in television series such asBanyon (1971–73),Nakia (1974),Karen Sisco (2003–04),Heroes (2007–08),Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) and theBreaking Bad episode "Granite State" asEd "The Disappearer" Galbraith, for which he won theSaturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television. He reprised the role in the filmEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) andBetter Call Saul (2020).
Forster was born and raised inRochester, New York.[1] His mother was Italian American, while his father was of English and Irish descent.[2] He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from theUniversity of Rochester. He performed in a number of plays in college, and decided to become an actor.[citation needed]
Forster added an "R" to his surname as there was another member of theScreen Actors Guild named Robert Foster.[3]
Forster made his Broadway debut in 1965 inMrs. Dally Had a Lover, oppositeArlene Francis andRalph Meeker.[4][5] He also starred in productions ofCome Blow Your Horn,The Big Knife, andThe Glass Menagerie.[6]
Forster's movie career began strongly, whenJohn Huston cast him in the important role of Private Williams inReflections in a Golden Eye (1967), opposite Elizabeth Taylor andMarlon Brando; there was a scene where Forster rode naked on a horse which became famous.[7] Forster also appeared in episodes of the TV seriesN.Y.P.D.,Judd for the Defense andPremiere, the latter also featuringDustin Hoffman andSally Kellerman. Forster was then cast in another key role in an important movie: part-Indian Army scout Nick Tana inRobert Mulligan'sThe Stalking Moon (1968); he was billed third, afterGregory Peck andEva Marie Saint.
Forster had a key support role inJustine (1969), directed byGeorge Cukor and starringDirk Bogarde, which was a huge flop. He starred in the critically acclaimed[citation needed] filmMedium Cool (1969), which was also a big hit commercially.[8]
Forster played a tormented priest inPieces of Dreams (1970) and a student filmmaker inCover Me Babe (1970), which was a box office flop.[9] He was cast in the pilot for a TV seriesBanyon, playing a private eye in late 1930s in Los Angeles. then starred inJourney Through Rosebud which was not released theatrically. He directed for the Rochester Community Theatre.[10]
A year after the pilot forBanyon 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."[7]
In 1973, he briefly returned to Broadway playingStanley Kowalski in a revival ofA Streetcar Named Desire, oppositeJulie Harris.[11][12] He also played Juror No. 3 in the first New York stage production ofTwelve Angry Men at theQueens Playhouse.[13]
After a support part inThe Don Is Dead (1972), Forster starred in the TV movieThe Death Squad (1974) then another short-lived TV series,Nakia (1974), playing a Navajo detective.
Forster guest starred on shows such asMedical Story,Gibbsville andPolice Story and played the lead in the TV moviesRoyce (1976),The City (1977) (with Don Johnson),Standing Tall andThe Darker Side of Terror (1979). He toured in a stage production ofOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and appeared inThe Sea Horse on stage in Louisville.[14]
Forster moved into lower-budgeted movies, starring inStunts (1977) forMark L. Lester[15] andAvalanche (1978), the latter oppositeRock Hudson andMia Farrow for Roger Corman'sNew World Pictures. Also for New World, Forster had an unbilled cameo inThe Lady in Red (1979). This was written byJohn Sayles and directed byLewis Teague who later collaborated onAlligator (1980), which starred Forster. He played a key support role in Disney'sThe Black Hole (1979).
Throughout the 1980s Forster alternated between television and low budget films. He was in the comedyHeartbreak High (1981), and the action filmsVigilante (1983),Walking the Edge (1985),The Delta Force (1986), andCounterforce (1988). He wrote, starred in, produced and directedHollywood 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."[16]
Forster appeared in the thrillersSatan's Princess (1989) andThe Banker (1989), the mini seriesGoliath Awaits (1981), and episodes ofMagnum, P.I.,Tales from the Darkside,Hotel,Crossbow, andJesse Hawkes. He was in the TV movieMick 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) andAmerican Perfekt (1997).
He appeared in series such asJake and the Fatman,P.S.I. Luv U,Silk Stalkings,Murder, She Wrote,One West Waikiki andWalker, Texas Ranger.
Forster appeared inJackie Brown as bail bondsman Max Cherry, which earned him a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1997.Jackie Brown revitalized Forster's career, an effect that occurred for many actors appearing inQuentin Tarantino films.[17] He subsequently had consistent work in the film industry, appearing inLike Mike,Mulholland Drive,Supernova,Me, Myself & Irene (2000),Human Natyre (2001),Confidence (2003),Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003),Lucky Number Slevin (2006), andFirewall (2006).
Forster continued to appear in lower budgeted productions likeNight Vision (1997) along with the remakes ofRear Window (1998) andPsycho (1998).
He appeared in the made-for-television movieThe Hunt for the BTK Killer, as the detective intent on capturingserial killerDennis Rader. Forster also played the father of Van on the short-livedFox seriesFastlane.
Forster recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign, encouraging reading of books byElmore Leonard, whose bookRum Punch was adapted asJackie Brown.
He appeared in the hitNBC seriesHeroes asArthur Petrelli, the father of Nathan and Peter Petrelli, as well as the Emmy Award-winningAMC crime dramaBreaking Bad asWalter White's new-identity specialist Ed Galbraith (a role he reprised inEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie andBetter Call Saul). He played Bud Baxter, father toTim Allen's Mike Baxter, on theABC (later Fox) hit comedyLast Man Standing. Forster was also a motivational speaker.[18]
He was the first choice to play Sheriff Harry S. Truman inDavid Lynch'sTwin Peaks, but had to turn it down due to a prior commitment to a different television pilot, and was replaced byMichael Ontkean. He appeared in Lynch'sMulholland Drive, a pilot for a TV series that was not picked up but was later turned into a critically acclaimed movie, and finally appeared inTwin Peaks, playing the brother of Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Sheriff Frank Truman, inTwin Peaks: The Return, when Ontkean was not available to reprise his role.[19]
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 originalTwin 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!'"[20]
Forster appeared in the TV seriesAlcatraz.[7]
His final movie appearance wasinEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, reprising the character of Ed the "Disappearer" from theBreaking Bad series. He died on the day the movie was released.[17] According toAaron Paul (the actor forJesse 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 thefifth season ofBetter 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 rebootedAmazing Stories television series before his death; the episode was dedicated to Forster.[21]
.jpg)
Forster was married to June Forster (née Provenzano) from 1966 to 1975. The couple had met at their alma mater, theUniversity of Rochester.[22] 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.[3] He was a member of the high-IQTriple Nine Society.[23]
In June 2019, Forster was diagnosed with abrain tumor, and he died from the disease at his home in Los Angeles on October 11, 2019, at the age of 78, on the dayEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was released, hours after watching it.[3][24]
| 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[25] | |
| 2020 | The Wolf of Snow Hollow | Sheriff Hadley | Posthumous release |
| 2021 | Grave Intentions | Don Whalen | Segment: "The Bridge Partner"; Posthumous release; Final film role |
| 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 |
| 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"[21] |
| Year | Title | Role | Original venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Mrs. Dally Had a Lover | Frankie | John Golden Theater, Broadway | |
| 1971 | The Glass Menagerie[26] | Theatre in the Tracks, Off-Off-Broadway[26] | Also director[26] | |
| 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 |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 1998 | Best Supporting Actor | Jackie Brown | Nominated | |
| AARP Movie Awards | 2019 | Best Supporting Actor | What They Had | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 1998 | Best Supporting Actor | Jackie Brown | Nominated | |
| Chlotrudis Award | 2002 | Best Actor | Diamond Men | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards | 2011 | Best Ensemble Cast | The Descendants | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | 2011 | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| Hamptons International Film Festival | 2000 | Special Recognition | Diamond Men | Won | |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award | 1998 | Best Supporting Actor | Jackie Brown | Won | |
| Newport Beach Film Festival | 2018 | Icon Award | Body of Work | Awarded | [27] |
| Saturn Awards | 1998 | Best Supporting Actor | Jackie Brown | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Guest Actor – Television | Heroes | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Guest Actor – Television | Breaking Bad | Won | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | 2011 | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | The Descendants | Nominated | |
| Southeastern Film Critics Association | 2011 | Best Ensemble | Nominated | ||
| Winter Film Awards | 2016 | Best Actor | The Bridge Partner | Nominated |
