Frederic Forrest
Forrest in 1993
Born	Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. (1936-12-23)December 23, 1936 Waxahachie, Texas, U.S.
Died	June 23, 2023(2023-06-23) (aged 86) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1967–2006
Spouses	Nancy Whitaker ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1963)​ Marilu Henner ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1982)​ Nina Dean ​ ​ (m. 1985, divorced)​

Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. (December 23, 1936 – June 23, 2023) was an American actor. A figure of the New Hollywood movement,^[1] Forrest was best known for his collaborations with director Francis Ford Coppola, playing prominent roles in The Conversation (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), One from the Heart (1982), and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). He was nominated for an Academy Award^[2] and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his portrayal of Huston Dyer, the love interest of Bette Midler's character, in the musical drama The Rose (1979).

Forrest came to public attention for his performance in When the Legends Die (1972), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. His other film credits include The Missouri Breaks (1976), Hammett (1982), Valley Girl (1983), The Two Jakes (1990), Falling Down (1993), and All the King's Men (2006), along with the television series 21 Jump Street, Lonesome Dove, and Die Kinder.

Personal life

Forrest was born on December 23, 1936, in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Virginia Allee (née McSpadden) and Frederic Fenimore Forrest, a furniture store owner^[2][3] whose greenhouses provided plants for sale in retail stores.^[4] He served in the United States Army and later attended Texas Christian University, graduating in 1960.^[5]

Forrest was married three times: to his college girlfriend Nancy Whitaker from 1960 to 1963, to actress Marilu Henner from 1980 to 1983, and lastly to model Nina Dean in 1985. He had no children.^[5][6][7]

Forrest died at his home in Santa Monica, California, on June 23, 2023, at the age of 86.^[8][9]

Career

During the 1960s, Frederic Forrest appeared in TV shows like "Dark Shadows" and "Gunsmoke."

In 1966, Forrest began acting on stage in an off-Broadway production of Viet Rock. His film debut was in When the Legends Die (1972).^[4]

Forrest was known for his roles as Chef in Apocalypse Now,^[2] the neo-Nazi surplus store owner in Falling Down, and Dashiell Hammett in Hammett (1982)^[2] and Citizen Cohn (1992).^[2] He had a role as the Native American bandit Blue Duck in the 1989 miniseries, Lonesome Dove. He was Academy Award-nominated in the Supporting Actor category for his role in The Rose.^[10]

Forrest also appeared in Valley Girl,^[2] The Two Jakes,^[2] The Stone Boy, The Missouri Breaks, The Deliberate Stranger (TV), Promise Him Anything (TV), and horror maestro Dario Argento's first American film, Trauma.

On television, he played Captain Richard Jenko on the first season of the Fox Television series 21 Jump Street, in 1987. Forrest was subsequently replaced by actor Steven Williams, who played Captain Adam Fuller for the remainder of the series. In 1990, he appeared as private investigator Lomax in the BBC miniseries Die Kinder. He played Sgt. McSpadden in the U.S. Civil War-themed movie Andersonville and real-life U.S. Army General Earle Wheeler in 2002's Path to War, the final film of director John Frankenheimer.

Filmography