Steve Forrest (actor)

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Steve Forrest
Steve Forrest in publicity photo for S.W.A.T. (1975)
Born	William Forrest Andrews (1925-09-29)September 29, 1925 Huntsville, Texas, U.S.
Died	May 18, 2013(2013-05-18) (aged 87) Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
Alma mater	UCLA
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1943–2003
Spouse(s)	Christine Carilas (m.1948–2013; his death)
Children	3
Relatives	Dana Andrews (brother)

Steve Forrest (born William Forrest Andrews; September 29, 1925 – May 18, 2013) was an American actor who was well known for his role as Lt. Hondo Harrelson in the hit television series S.W.A.T. which was broadcast on ABC from 1975 to 1976.^[1] He was also known for his performance in Mommie Dearest (1981).

Life and career[]

Forrest was born William Forrest Andrews in Huntsville, Texas, the 12th of 13 children of Annis (née Speed) and Charles Forrest Andrews, a Baptist minister. One of his older brothers was film star Dana Andrews.

Forrest enlisted in the United States Army at the age of 18 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. In 1950, he earned a bachelor's degree with honors from UCLA, majoring in theater with a minor in psychology.^[1][2][3]

He worked as a stagehand at the La Jolla Playhouse outside San Diego. There Gregory Peck discovered him, cast him in La Jolla's production of Goodbye Again, and then arranged for Forrest's first screen test with MGM, where he was signed to a contract.^[1]

Among Forrest's notable films were So Big, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor, The Longest Day, North Dallas Forty, and Mommie Dearest. He had cameo roles in the comedies Spies Like Us and Amazon Women on the Moon, and the 2003 film version of S.W.A.T.^[4]

Forrest was also a trained vocalist, and he made his debut on Broadway as prizefighter Bob Stanton in the 1958 production of the musical The Body Beautiful opposite Mindy Carson, Jack Warden and Brock Peters.^[1]

Forrest played later U.S. Senator William Borah in the 1963 episode "The Lion of Idaho" of the syndicated television anthology series Death Valley Days. In the storyline, Borah as a young attorney defends a woman in Nampa, Idaho, on a murder charge.

In 1965, Forrest and his family moved to London, where he starred as John Mannering in the title role of the British crime drama The Baron. His other television credits included The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Storefront Lawyers, S.W.A.T., Hollywood Wives, and Rod Serling's hour-long Twilight Zone episode "The Parallel" (as well as Serling's Night Gallery segment "The Waiting Room").

On a 1969 episode of Gunsmoke titled "Mannon", he portrayed Will Mannon (one of the very few men ever to outdraw Matt Dillon), then reprised the character 18 years later for the 1987 television film Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge with James Arness.

Jock Ewing, the character played by Jim Davis in the television series Dallas from 1978 to 1981, was presumed to have been killed in a helicopter crash during the 1981-82 season, although Jock's body was never found.

In 1986 Lorimar Television which at this point was Lorimar Tele-Pictures extended Steve Forrest's contract from the 1985-1986 television season (the "Dream Season") where he had played Ben Stivers, and brought him back as a similar character but renamed Wes Parmalee, who would be revealed to actually be Jock Ewing, in the 1986-87 season of Dallas.

The news leaked that Forrest would be playing the new Jock Ewing whilst the show was still in production and following a fan backlash from Dallas fans this reluctantly forced Lorimar Tele-Pictures into dropping the Wes Parmalee character and reneging on the original outcome of the storyline, which would've restored the character of Jock Ewing back on the show. A vocal section of the Dallas fanbase believed it was disrespectful to the memory of actor Jim Davis who had originated the Jock Ewing role.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[]

Forrest married Christine Carilas on December 23, 1948. They had three sons: Michael, Forrest and Stephen.

An accomplished golfer, Forrest often played in charity tournaments. He competed in 1976, for example, for the American team at the Bing Crosby Great Britain vs. U.S.A. Tournament, which was held that year in Scotland at Gleneagles.^[1]

Forrest died on May 18, 2013 in Thousand Oaks, California, aged 87, from undisclosed causes.^[5]

Partial filmography[]

Radio appearances[]

References[]

External links[]

• Steve Forrest at IMDb
• Steve Forrest at the Internet Broadway Database
• Steve Forrest at AllMovie
• Obituary - Hollywood Reporter
• Obituary - Dignity Memorial