Richard Basehart

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Richard Basehart
Richard Basehart 1969.JPG
Basehart in 1969
Born
John Richard Basehart

(1914-08-31)August 31, 1914
DiedSeptember 17, 1984(1984-09-17) (aged 70)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Burial place Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1942–1984
Spouses
    Stephanie Klein
    (m. 1940;died 1950)
Children3, including Jackie

John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson in the television science-fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knight in the pilot episode of the TV series Knight Rider (1982), and provided the narration that was heard during the opening credits throughout the entire series.

Contents

Basehart was equally active in cinema, receiving National Board of Review Awards for his performances in Fourteen Hours (1951) and Moby Dick (1956). He was further nominated for a BAFTA Award for his role in Time Limit (1957), the only film directed by Karl Malden.

Career

One of his most notable film roles was the acrobat and clown known as "the Fool" in the acclaimed Italian film La Strada (1954), directed by Federico Fellini. [1] He also appeared as the killer in the film noir classic He Walked by Night (1948), as a psychotic member of the Hatfield clan in Roseanna McCoy (1949), as a timid husband in Tension (1950), as Ishmael in Moby Dick (1956), in the drama Decision Before Dawn (1951), George S. Healey in Titanic (1953) and as Ivan in The Brothers Karamazov (1958). He portrayed a high priest in Kings of the Sun (1963). From 1964 to 1968, Basehart played the lead role, Admiral Harriman Nelson, on Irwin Allen's first foray into science-fiction television, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. [2]

Basehart narrated a wide range of television and movie projects. In 1964, he narrated the David Wolper documentary about the Kennedy assassination, Four Days in November . [3] In 1980, Basehart narrated the miniseries written by Peter Arnett called Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War that covered Vietnam and its battles from the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, to the final American embassy evacuation on April 30, 1975. [4]

Basehart appeared in the pilot episode of the television series Knight Rider as billionaire Wilton Knight. He is the narrator at the beginning of the show's credits. [5] He accepted the lead role in the 1962 film Hitler . He appeared in "Probe 7, Over and Out", an episode of The Twilight Zone , [6] Hawaii Five-O , and as Hannibal Applewood, an abusive schoolteacher in Little House on the Prairie in 1976. In 1972, Basehart appeared in the Columbo episode "Dagger of the Mind", in which Honor Blackman and he played a husband-and-wife theatrical team who accidentally kill Sir Roger Haversham, the producer of their rendition of Macbeth. [7]

Basehart played a supporting role as a doctor in the feature film Rage (1972), a theatrical feature starring and directed by George C. Scott. Basehart made a few TV movies, including Sole Survivor (1970) and The Birdmen (1971). Both were based on true stories during World War II. Also in the 1970s, he co-starred in Chato's Land (1972) and The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977). In 1979, he appeared as a Russian diplomat with Peter Sellers in Being There . [2]

One month before his death, Basehart narrated a poem during the extinguishing of the flame at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics. [8] [9]

Personal life

Richard Basehart's grave Richard Basehart grave at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Brentwood, California.JPG
Richard Basehart's grave

Basehart was born in Zanesville, Ohio, the son of Mae (née Wetherald) and Harry T. Basehart. [10] He was married three times. After the death of his first wife Stephanie Klein, he married Italian Academy Award-nominated actress Valentina Cortese, with whom he had one son, actor Jackie Basehart; the couple divorced in 1960. [11] [12] In 1962, he married his third wife, Diana Lotery, with whom he had two children and remained married until his death in 1984. [13]

Death

Basehart died in Los Angeles on September 17, 1984, following a series of strokes. He was 70 years old. His body was cremated, and the ashes interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. [2] He died eight days before Walter Pidgeon, his film counterpart in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1947 Repeat Performance William Williams
1947 Cry Wolf James Demarest
1948 He Walked by Night Roy Martin / Roy Morgan
1949 Roseanna McCoy Mounts Hatfield
1949 Reign of Terror Maximilian Robespierre
1950 Tension Warren Quimby / Paul Sothern
1950 Outside the Wall Larry Nelson
1950 Side Street Bank TellerUncredited
1951 Fourteen Hours Robert Cosick
1951 The House on Telegraph Hill Alan Spender
1951 Fixed Bayonets! Cpl. Denno
1951 Decision Before Dawn Lt. Dick Rennick
1953 Titanic George Healey
1954 The Stranger's Hand Joe Hamstringer
1954 Angels of Darkness Bit PartUncredited
1954 The Good Die Young Joe Halsey
1954 La Strada The Fool
1954Avanzi di galeraDottor Stefano Luprandi
1955 Canyon Crossroads Larry Kendall
1955Le avventure di CartoucheIl conte Jacques de Maudy
1955 Golden Vein Ing. Stefano Manfredi
1955 Il bidone Raul detto Picasso
1956 The Extra Day Joe Blake
1956 Moby Dick Ishmael
1956 The Intimate Stranger aka Finger of Guilt Reginald 'Reggie' Wilson
1957 Miracles of Thursday Martino
1957 Time Limit Maj. Harry Cargill
1958 The Brothers Karamazov Ivan Karamazov
1958 Love and Troubles Paolo Martelli
1959 The Restless and the Damned George Rancourt
1959 Jons und Erdme Wittkuhn, der Schmied
1960 Five Branded Women Capt. Eric Reinhardt
1960 Portrait in Black Howard Mason
1960 For the Love of Mike Father Francis Phelan
1961 Passport to China Don Benton
1962 Hitler Adolf Hitler
1962 Savage Guns Steve Fallon
1963 Kings of the Sun Ah Min
1965 The Satan Bug Dr. Gregor Hoffman
1969 Love Is a Funny Thing Acteur - cameo appearance
1969GiottoNarrator (voice)
1972 Chato's Land Nye Buell
1972 Rage Dr. Roy Caldwell
1976 Mansion of the Doomed Dr. Leonard Chaney
1977 The Island of Dr. Moreau Sayer of the Law
1978 The Great Bank Hoax Manny Benchly
1979 Being There Vladimir Skrapinov

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1957 Studio One Matt Donovan2 episodes
1957–1960 Playhouse 90 Martin Lambert / David Connelly / Lionel Amblin / Himself - Host4 episodes
1958 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre David ManningEpisode: "Medal for Valor"
1960 DuPont Show of the Month Dr. George FergusonEpisode: "Men in White"
1960Shangri-LaHugh ConwayTelevision film
1961 The Play of the Week StrangerEpisode: "He Who Gets Slapped"
1961The Light That FailedDick HeldarTelevision film
1961 Rawhide Tod StoneEpisode: "The Black Sheep"
1962The Paradine CaseAnthony KeaneTelevision film
1962 Theatre '62 Anthony KeaneEpisode: "The Paradine Case"
1962 The DuPont Show of the Week NarratorEpisode: "D-Day"
1962 Naked City Lester BergsonEpisode: "Dust Devil on a Quiet Street"
1962–1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Miles Crawford / Phillip Townsend2 episodes
1963 Route 66 Julian RoebuckEpisode: "You Can't Pick Cotton in Tahiti"
1963 The Dick Powell Theatre Judge ZacharyEpisode: "The Judge"
1963 Combat! Capt. Steiner2 episodes
1963 Ben Casey Mark CassidyEpisode: "Light Up the Dark Corners"
1963 Arrest and Trial Alexander StaffordEpisode: "Inquest Into a Bleeding Heart"
1963 The Twilight Zone Adam CookEpisode: "Probe 7, Over and Out"
1964–1968 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Admiral Harriman Nelson108 episodes
1965 Lost in Space Shakespeare-Reading Tape Recorder VoiceEpisode: "The Derelict"
1968 The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich NarratorDocumentary
1969Hans BrinkerDr. BoekmanTelevision film
1970 Sole Survivor Brig. Gen. Russell HamnerTelevision film
1970 The Andersonville Trial Henry Wirz Television film
1970 Ironside Noel SeymourEpisode: "Noel's Gonna Fly"
1970 Dan August Prof. Theodore RyeEpisode: "Quadrangle for Death"
1971 Gunsmoke Captain Aron SligoEpisode: "Captain Sligo"
1971 City Beneath the Sea the PresidentTelevision film
1971They've Killed President Lincoln!Host / NarratorTelevision film
1971 The Birdmen SchillerTelevision film
1971 The Death of Me Yet Robert BarnesTelevision film
1972 Assignment: Munich Maj. Barney CaldwellTelevision film
1972 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Dr. Stephen McLayneEpisode: "Is This Operation Necessary?"
1972 The Bounty Man Angus KeoughTelevision film
1972 Columbo Nicholas FrameEpisode: "Dagger of the Mind"
1973 Hawaii Five-O MurdockEpisode: "The Odd Lot Caper"
1973 And Millions Will Die Dr. Douglas PruittTelevision film
1973 Maneater Carl BrennerTelevision film
1974 Marcus Welby, M.D. Reece Sutton / Professor Andrew Kirkcastle2 episodes
1974The First Woman President Woodrow Wilson Television film
1975Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley George Latimer Television film
1975The American ParadeLambdin MilliganEpisode: "The Case Against Milligan"
1975 Medical Story Dr. Charles GalpinEpisode: "The God Syndrome"
1975 Joe Forrester Al MorganEpisode: "No Probable Cause"
1975 Valley Forge Gen. George Washington Television film
1976 The Streets of San Francisco Bishop Tim FarrowEpisode: "Requiem for Murder"
1976 Little House on the Prairie Hannibal ApplewoodEpisode: "Troublemaker"
1976 Time Travelers Dr. Joshua HendersonTelevision film
1976 21 Hours at Munich Chancellor Willy Brandt Television film
1976 Flood! John CutlerTelevision film
1977 Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? Elliott OsbornTelevision film
1978 How the West Was Won Colonel Flint3 episodes
1978 Once Upon a Classic King Arthur Episode: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"
1978The Critical ListMatt KinsellaTelevision film
1978 W.E.B. Gus Dunlap5 episodes
1979 The Rebels Duke of KentlandTelevision miniseries
1979Greatest Heroes of the BibleJohtanEpisode: "Tower of Babel"
1979The Christmas SongsTelevision film
1980 Marilyn: The Untold Story Johnny Hyde Television film
1981 Vegas J. Terrance WainwrightEpisode: "Set Up"
1981 Masada Narrator, Modern Day SceneTelevision miniseries
1981 The Love Boat Stan EllisEpisode: "Chef's Special/Beginning Anew/Kleinschmidt"
1981 Mr. Merlin Herbert MontroseEpisode: "A Moment in Camelot"
1982–1986 Knight Rider Narrator (voice) / Wilton KnightEpisode: "Knight of the Phoenix: Part 1" [lower-alpha 1]
83 episodes [lower-alpha 2]
1983 Tales of the Unexpected SladeEpisode: "The Turn of the Tide"
1983The Crowded LifeNarratorTelevision film

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryTitleResultRef
1951 National Board of Review Awards Best Actor Fourteen Hours Won [14]
1956 Best Supporting Actor Moby Dick [15]
1958 BAFTA Awards Best Foreign Actor Time Limit Nominated [16]
1960 Hollywood Walk of Fame Motion Pictures -Inducted [17]

Notes

  1. as Wilton Knight
  2. as Narrator

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References

  1. Weiler, A.h. (July 17, 1956). "Screen: A Truthful Italian Journey; 'La Strada' Is Tender, Realistic Parable". The New York Times . Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Krebs, Albin (September 19, 1984). "Richard Basehart, Stage And Screen Star, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. "'Four Days in November,' Documentary on Assassination". The New York Times. October 8, 1964. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  4. "Television and Vietnam". The New York Times. August 16, 1987. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  5. Nuthall, Paul (August 31, 2014). "Remembering Richard Basehart". Knight Rider Archives. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  6. Rubin, Steve (November 29, 2017). "November 29 in Twilight Zone History: Celebrating the 1963 premiere of 'Probe 7, Over and Out'". Syfy Wire . Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  7. Sabin, Roger; Wilson, Ronald; Speidel, Linda; Faucette, Brian; Bethell, Ben (2015). Cop Shows: A Critical History of Police Dramas on Television. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 59. ISBN   978-0-7864-4819-7.
  8. Litsky, Frank (August 13, 1984). "A STRIKING CLOSING CEREMONY". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  9. "Actor Richard Basehart dead at 70". United Press International . September 19, 1984. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  10. "Richard Basehart Biography (1914-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  11. Wiseman, Andreas (July 10, 2019). "Valentina Cortese Dies: Italian Actress, Oscar-Nominated For François Truffaut's 'Day For Night', Was 96". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  12. Bergan, Ronald; Lane, John Francis (July 10, 2019). "Valentina Cortese obituary". The Guardian . Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  13. Vils, Ursula (September 22, 1986). "Artist Diana Basehart Back at Work on Her Pet Projects". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  14. "Archives: 1951 Award Winners". National Board of Review . Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  15. "Archives: 1956 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  16. "BAFTA Awards Search: Richard Basehart". British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  17. "Hollywood Walk of Fame - Richard Basehart". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 14, 2017.