Saturday, April 3, 2010

John Forsythe (1918-2010)

Another cherished TV legend has taken his final bows.

John Forsythe has passed away at the age of 92, and his body of TV work over the course of five decades (50's through the 90's) would grant him induction into a TV Hall of Fame on the first ballot alone.

Forsythe will be best remembered by today's generation as the heard-but-never-seen boss of Charlie's Angels (1976-81) and as oil magnate Blake Carrington on Dynasty (1981-89), but as old school fans know, Forsythe was already a well-established star by the time Aaron Spelling hired him for Angels. Forsythe's earliest TV series was the 50's sitcom, Bachelor Father, which may still be airing on Retro, depending on where you live (check local listings). After a self-titled sitcom failed to click, Forsythe returned in To Rome With Love, which lasted for 2 seasons on CBS, and was the last sitcom produced by Don Fedderson (The Millionaire, My Three Sons) for the network. Prior to Charlie's Angels, Forsythe cut his teeth in voice-over work by narrating the syndicated nature series, World of Survival. The two Angels feature films marked Forsythe's return to the limelight after a number of years away following the demise of another short-lived comedy, The Powers That Be, which stands as Forsythe's last TV series. With talk of Angels being revived by ABC for another run, one has to figure that it will be dedicated in memory of Forsythe, as well as Farrah Fawcett, who passed away last year, and David Doyle, the original Bosley.

Rest in peace, John.

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