Frederic Forrest, ‘Apocalypse Now’ star, dead at 86
Oscar-nominated character actor Frederic Forrest, who starred in “The Rose” and “Apocalypse Now,” has died. He was 86.
His former co-star Bette Midler took to Twitter to share the sorrowful news.
“The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler, 77, wrote Friday. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months.”
She continued: “He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
Actor Barry Primus told The Hollywood Reporter Forrest died Friday at his home in Santa Monica after a long illness. Primus had helped raise money last year for his caregiving expenses.
Forrest’s representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.
Midler and Forrest starred in the Janis Joplin-inspired flick “The Rose” (1979), the actress playing a troubled rockstar and the late actor portraying her limousine-driver-turned-love-interest, Huston Dyer.
The role earned Forrest Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Also in 1979, he starred as Jay “Chef” Hicks in the Francis Ford Coppola classic “Apocalypse Now” alongside Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando.
Born on Dec. 23, 1936, in Waxahachie, Texas, Forrest grew up shy, too nervous to audition for school plays.
He earned a minor in theater arts and a major in radio and television studies at Texas Christian University before heading to the Big Apple to study under Sanford Meisner, an accomplished actor and teacher.
Forrest later became an observer at the Actors Studio, mentored by theater director and actor Lee Strasberg, while working as a page at NBC Studios.
He performed in various Off-Broadway productions, including “Viet Rock,” “Silhouettes” and “Futz!”
When he eventually moved west to Los Angeles, he was cast in “When Legends Die” (1972) — which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer — after director Stuart Millar saw his performance in Clifford Odets’ “Waiting for Lefty.”
He then scored a small role in “The Conversation” (1974), also directed by Coppola.
Following the success of “The Rose” and “Apocalypse Now,” he appeared in several other projects through the early 2000s, with his last on-screen appearance in “All The King’s Men” in 2006.
He was married to Nancy Ann Whittaker from 1960 to 1963 and actress Marilu Henner from 1980 to 1983.
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