Robert Forster

For other people named Robert Forster, see Robert Forster (disambiguation).
Robert Forster

Forster in April 2009
Born (1941-07-13) July 13, 1941
Rochester, New York, United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1967–present

Robert Wallace Forster, Jr. (born July 13, 1941) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as news cameraman John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool (1969), Lebanese terrorist Abdul Rafai in the action-thriller The Delta Force (1986) and bail bondsman Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997), the last of which saw him nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Forster's varied filmography further includes titles such as Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), Alligator (1980), Psycho (1998), Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001), Like Mike (2002), Firewall (2006), Lucky Number Slevin (2006) and The Descendants (2011), plus Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and its sequel London Has Fallen (2016). He has also had recurring roles in television series such as Huff (2004–2005), Heroes (2007–2008), Alcatraz (2012) and Last Man Standing (2012–2015). He received a Saturn Award for his performance in the 2013 "Granite State" episode of Breaking Bad.

Early life

Forster was born in Rochester, New York, the son of Grace Dorothy (née Montanarella) and Robert Wallace Forster, Sr., who worked as an elephant trainer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and later as an executive for a baking supply company.[1][2] His mother was Italian American, while his father was of English and Irish descent.[3] The two divorced in 1949.

As a tribute to his father, Forster hung one of his father's Barnum & Bailey Circus posters in the office of his character in Jackie Brown. Forster completed his Bachelor of Arts in history in 1964 at the University of Rochester, where he starred in student dramatic performances such as Bye Bye Birdie and, after initially intending to study law, instead decided to forgo his future legal career in favor of acting.

Career

After acclaimed supporting performances in two major Hollywood films, one as Private Williams in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), another as part-Indian Army scout Nick Tana in Robert Mulligan's The Stalking Moon (1968), Forster starred in the critically acclaimed 1969 film Medium Cool. After starring roles in the TV shows Banyon (1972) and Nakia (1974), he played mostly supporting roles in action and horror films including Disney's The Black Hole (1979). Forster had lead roles in cult B-movies in the 1980s like Alligator (1980), Vigilante (1983), The Delta Force (1986), and The Banker (1989).

Forster was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1997 for Jackie Brown, which he credits with reviving his career. He has since had consistent work in the film industry, appearing in Like Mike, Mulholland Drive, Me, Myself, & Irene, Lucky Number Slevin, and Firewall, to name a few. He recently 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 (he starred in the movie adaption of Leonard's book Rum Punch, filmed as Jackie Brown). Forster appeared in the hit NBC show 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. Forster is also a motivational speaker.

Personal life

Forster is a member of the Triple Nine Society.[4]

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
1969 Medium Cool John Cassellis
1970 Cover Me Babe Tony Hall
1973 The Don Is Dead Frank
1977 Stunts Glen Wilson
1978 Avalanche Nick Thorne
1979 The Lady in Red Turk Uncredited
1979 The Black Hole Captain Dan Holland
1980 Alligator David
1981 Goliath Awaits Jeff Selrik Television film
1981 Heartbreak High Coach Alan Arnoldi
1983 Vigilante Eddie Marino
1983 Walking The Edge Jason Walk
1986 Hollywood Harry Harry Petry Also producer and director
1986 The Delta Force Abdul Rafai
1988 Counterforce The Dictator
1989 The Banker Dan
1990 Checkered Flag Jack Cotton
1990 Peacemaker Yates
1991 29th Street Srgt. Tartaglia
1993 Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence Dr. Powell
1994 American Yakuza Littman
1996 Original Gangstas Detective Slatten
1997 Demolition University Gentry
1997 American Perfekt Jake Nyman
1997 Night Vision Teak Taylor
1997 Jackie Brown Max Cherry Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1998 Psycho Dr. Simon
1998 Rear Window Detective Charlie Moore Television film
1998 Outside Ozona Odell Parks
1999 It's the Rage Tyler
1999 Kiss Toledo Goodbye Sal Fortuna
2000 Supernova A.J. Marley
2000 Lakeboat Joe Kitko
2000 Me, Myself & Irene Colonel Parington
2000 Diamond Men Eddie Miller Hamptons International Film Festival: Special Recognition
2001 Mulholland Dr. Detective Harry McKnight
2001 Human Nature Nathan's father
2001 Finder's Fee Officer Campbell
2002 Like Mike Coach Wagner
2002 Lone Hero Gus
2002 Strange Hearts Jack Waters
2002 Murder in Greenwich Steve Carroll Television film
2003 Confidence Morgan Price
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Roger Wixon
2003 Grand Theft Parsons Stanley Parsons
2005 The Hunt for the BTK Killer Detective Jason Magida
2006 Firewall Harry Romano
2006 Lucky Number Slevin Murphy
2007 D-War Wilson
2007 Rise: Blood Hunter Lloyd
2007 Cleaner Arlo Grange
2008 Jack and Jill vs. the World Norman Uncredited
2009 Thick as Thieves Lt. Samuel Weber
2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Srgt. Volkom
2010 Middle Men Louie
2011 Girl Walks into a Bar Dodge
2011 The Descendants Scott Thorson Nominated—Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2013 Olympus Has Fallen US Army Chief of Staff General Edward Clegg
2014 Autómata Robert Bold
2015 Survivor[5] Bill Talbot
2016 London Has Fallen[6] US Army Chief of Staff General Edward Clegg
2016 The American Side[7] Sterling Whitmore
2016 The Confirmation Otto Completed

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"
1971–1973 Banyon Miles Banyon 9 episodes
1974 Nakia Deputy Nakia Parker 14 episodes
1975–1977 Police Story Bob Vandon 5 episodes
1976 Gibbsville N/A Episode: "All the Young Girls"
1985 Magnum, P.I. Tyler Peabody McKinney 2 episodes
1986 Tales from the Darkside Gary Gooley Episode: "The Milkman Cometh"
1986 Murder, She Wrote Gilbert Gaston Episode: "The Perfect Foil"
1987 Hotel Steve Cameron Episode: "Unfinished Business"
1987 Once a Hero Gumshoe 3 episodes
1987–1988 William Tell Aymong 3 episodes
1991 Jake and the Fatman Ed Delaney 2 episodes
1995 Walker, Texas Ranger Ricky Rickettes Episode: "The Big Bingo Bamboozle"
1995 Murder, She Wrote Frank Roussel Episode: "Big Easy Murder"
1997 Walker, Texas Ranger Lane Tillman Episode: "Texas vs. Cahill"
2002–2003 Fastlane Raymond Ray 2 episodes
2003–2004 Karen Sisco Marshall Cisco 10 episodes
2004 The Grid Jay Aldrich 2 episodes
2004 Clubhouse Burt Austin Episode: "Spectator Interference"
2004–2005 Huff Ben Huffstodt 3 episodes
2006 Numb3rs Agent Thomas Lawson Episode: "Protest"
2007 Army Wives General Grayson Episode: "Truth and Consequences"
2007 Desperate Housewives Nick Delfino Episode: "Now I Know, Don't Be Scared"
2007–2008 Heroes Arthur Petrelli 10 episodes
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television
2008 The Simpsons Lucky Jim Voice
Episode: "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes"
2008 Would Be Kings N/A 2 episodes
2011 CSI: NY Joe Vincent Episode: "Indelible"
2012 Alcatraz Ray Archer 4 episodes
2012 Transformers: Prime General Bryce Voice
Episode: "Grill"
2012–2015 Last Man Standing Bud Baxter 9 episodes
2013 NTSF:SD:SUV:: Booth Whitman Episode: "Unfrozen Agent Man"
2013 Breaking Bad Ed Episode: "Granite State"
Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television
2014–2015 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Jack J. Kurtzman Voice
3 episodes
2015 Backstrom Blue Backstrom 2 episodes
2016 Divorce
2017 Twin Peaks Frank Truman 18 episodes

References

  1. ↑ Robert Forster Biography (1941–)
  2. ↑ Robert Forster Biography – Yahoo! Movies
  3. ↑ Robert Forster – How To Succeed in Flops; About Robert Forster Robert... – Free Preview – The New York Times
  4. ↑ Global General Gathering of Triple Nine Society Denver, Colorado, September 4-7, 2009
  5. ↑ "Trailer and Poster for Survivor, Starring Pierce Brosnan and Milla Jovovich". ComingSoon. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ Rosser, Michael (November 3, 2014). "London Has Fallen begins filming". Screen Daily. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  7. ↑ "The American Side (2016)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

Further reading

External links

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