What was John Forsythe's Net Worth?
John Forsythe was an American actor and producer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2010. Forsythe was best known for starring as Bentley Gregg on the sitcom "Bachelor Father" (1957–1962) and Blake Carrington on the primetime soap opera "Dynasty" (1981–1989) and voicing Charles Townsend on "Charlie's Angels" (1976–1981). John had more than 100 acting credits to his name, including the films "The Trouble with Harry" (1955), "In Cold Blood" (1967), and "Scrooged" (1988) and the television series "The John Forsythe Show" (1965–1966), "To Rome with Love" (1969–1971), and "The Powers That Be" (1992–1993).
Forsythe hosted the nature documentary series "World of Survival" from 1971 to 1977, and he served as a producer on the 1987 TV movie "On Fire" and the 1998 documentary "Monty Roberts: A Real Horse Whisperer." John also performed on Broadway several times, appearing in "Yankee Point" (1942), "Winged Victory" (1943), "Yellow Jack" (1944), "It Takes Two" (1947), "The Teahouse Of The August Moon" (1953), and "Weekend" (1968). Forsythe died of pneumonia in April 2010 at the age of 92.
Early Life
John Forsythe was born Jacob Lincoln Freund on January 29, 1918, in Penns Grove, New Jersey. He grew up in a Jewish household in Brooklyn, New York, with mother Blanche, father Samuel (a stockbroker), and two younger siblings. John attended Abraham Lincoln High School, and after graduating at age 16, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When Forsythe was 18 years old, he began working at Ebbets Field as a public address announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Career
In 1943, John had an uncredited role in the film "Northern Pursuit" and appeared in the war movie "Destination Tokyo." He then served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and he appeared in the play "Winged Victory," which was produced by the USAAF. Forsythe joined the Actors Studio in 1947, and the following year, he appeared in the TV movie "Stage Door" and guest-starred on "Kraft Theatre" and "Actors Studio." From 1949 to 1955, he appeared on "Studio One in Hollywood" 10 times, and in the '50s, he starred in the films "The Captive City" (1952), "It Happens Every Thursday" (1953), "The Glass Web" (1953), "Escape from Fort Bravo" (1953), "The Ambassador's Daughter" (1956), "Everything but the Truth" (1956), and "Dubrowsky" (1959). In 1955, John played Sam Marlowe in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry" alongside Shirley MacLaine. From 1957 to 1962, he starred as Bentley Gregg on the CBS sitcom "Bachelor Father." The series moved to NBC for season three and ABC for season five, and it aired 157 episodes.
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After "Bachelor Father" ended, Forsythe appeared in the films "Kitten with a Whip" (1964), "Madame X" (1966), "Marooned" (1969), "Topaz" (1969), and "The Happy Ending" (1969), and he portrayed real-life detective Alvin Dewey in 1967's "In Cold Blood." The film earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and in 2008, it was preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." John starred as Major John Foster on "The John Forsythe Show" from 1965 to 1966, and from 1969 to 1971, he played Michael Endicott on the CBS sitcom "To Rome with Love," which aired 48 episodes over two seasons. From 1976 to 1981, he voiced Charles "Charlie" Townsend on the ABC crime drama "Charlie's Angels." The popular series ran for 115 episodes, and Forsythe reprised his role in the films "Charlie's Angels" (2000) and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" (2003). He appeared in the 1978 film "Goodbye & Amen," and he co-starred with Al Pacino in the 1979 courtroom drama "…And Justice for All.," and around this time, he starred in the TV movies "Cruise Into Terror" (1978), "With This Ring" (1978), "The Users" (1978), "A Time for Miracles" (1980), and "Sizzle" (1981).
From 1981 to 1989, John played Blake Carrington on ABC's "Dynasty," which aired 220 episodes over nine seasons and earned Forsythe two Golden Globes. He also played Blake in four episodes of "The Colbys" (1985–1986) and in the miniseries "Dynasty: The Reunion" (1991), and he appeared on the TV special "Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar" in 2006. John co-starred with Bill Murray in the 1988 comedy "Scrooged," and in 1992, he appeared in the film "Stan and George's New Life" and began starring as Senator William Franklin Powers on the NBC sitcom "The Powers That Be." In 1999, he lent his voice to the animated film "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and he retired from acting after 2003's "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." Forsythe guest-starred on numerous television series, including "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955), "The Red Skelton Show" (1967), "Police Story" (1974), and "The Love Boat" (1983), and he hosted NBC's "I Witness Video" from 1993 to 1994.
Personal Life
John married Parker McCormick on June 19, 1939, and they welcomed son Dall before divorcing in 1943. Forsythe wed Julie Warren on December 18, 1943, and they remained together until her death from cancer in 1994. Warren was in a coma at the time of her death, and Forsythe had to make the difficult decision to take her off life support. John and Julie had two daughters together, Page and Brooke, and they played Forsythe's daughters on "The John Forsythe Show." Forsythe married Nicole Carter on July 25, 2002, and they were still together at the time of his death. Nicole passed away just five weeks after John's death. In 1979, he underwent quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery, and in 2006, he had surgery after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Forsythe owned and bred racehorses, and he was a member of the Hollywood Park Racetrack's Board of Directors. Several of his horses won races, with Yu Wipi winning the 1976 Longacres Mile, Targa winning the 1982 Sixty Sails Handicap, and Mamselle Bebette winning the 1993 La Brea Stakes. John regularly hosted the Eclipse Awards in the '80s, and he was honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit in 1988 for his dedication to promoting Thoroughbred racing.
Death
On April 1, 2010, John passed away from pneumonia at the age of 92 in Santa Ynez, California. He was laid to rest at Oak Hill Cemetery in Santa Barbara County.
Awards and Nominations
Forsythe earned four Primetime Emmy nominations, three for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "Dynasty" (1982, 1983, and 1984) and one simply for Best Actor in 1953. He received six Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama for "Dynasty," winning in 1983 and 1984. John was named Male Star of the Year at the 1984 Golden Apple Awards, and he earned People's Choice Award nominations for Favorite Male TV Performer in 1984 and 1986. He was nominated for five "Soap Opera Digest" Awards for "Dynasty": Outstanding Actor in a Mature Role in a Prime Time Soap Opera and Outstanding Actor in a Prime Time Soap Opera in 1984 (winning both), Favorite Super Couple on a Prime Time Serial (shared with Linda Evans) and Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial in 1986, and Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time (shared with Linda Evans) in 1988. Forsythe received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award in 1983, and he earned four TV Land Award nominations for Favorite "Heard but Not Seen" Character for "Charlie's Angels," taking home the prize in 2003 and 2007. John received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
