Richard Basehart

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Richard Basehart (born August 31, 1914 in Zanesville , Ohio , † September 17, 1984 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor .

Life

Basehart spent part of his childhood in the orphanage after his mother died of complications from childbirth. Richard had four siblings, three brothers, one of whom died when he was nine months old, and a sister. His father was Harry Basehart, an editor at the local Sunday newspaper "The Zanesville Ohio TIMES SIGNAL," who couldn't balance caring for the young children and his job. At the age of 12, Richard Basehart wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Like so many, he began his career on Broadway in New York City . Here he had roles in Land of Fame , Othello , Take it as it comes and Hickory Stick .

Basehart's grave in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

Richard Basehart was married to Stephanie Klein on January 14, 1940, who died early on July 28, 1950, of a brain tumor . On March 24, 1951, he married Valentina Cortese , an Italian actress. From this marriage a son, Jackie Basehart , was born. In 1960 they got divorced. In 1962 he married Diana Lotery, with whom he had two daughters. On August 12, 1984, a few weeks before his death, he recited an ancient poem at the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He died on September 17, 1984 after a series of strokes .

Act

Basehart's film debut was in 1947 with Cry Wolf , directed by Peter Godfrey ; it was the start of an almost 40-year career. Basehart was considered a versatile character actor , he played roles as diverse as heroes, villains or the mentally disturbed. Two roles in classic films were best known. In Federico Fellini's La Strada (1954) he played the tragic figure of “Matto”, the “good” opponent of the “great Zampano”, played by Anthony Quinn . It is he who “Gelsomina” ( Giulietta Masina ) falls in love with and who ultimately suffers a tragic death. In John Huston's Melville film adaptation Moby Dick (1956) he played the narrator and only survivor of the fight against the white whale, the sailor "Ismael".

He spoke the English-language opening sequence in the episodes of the series Knight Rider and made a brief appearance as "Wilton Knight" in the pilot. He also played the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson in the TV series The Seaview in the 1960s . At the side of Yul Brynner and George Chakiris , he played the high priest "Ah Min" in the Mayan film Kings of the Sun in 1963 .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Basehart, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Basehart, John Richard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH August 31, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Zanesville , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH 17th September 1984
Place of death Los Angeles , California