Robert Forster: 1941 - 2019

Actor Robert Forster has passed away at 78. 

Born Robert Wallace Foster Jr. in Rochester, New York in 1941, he perhaps was inspired at a young age by his father, was worked as an elephant trainer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus. He went to the University of Rochester where he starred in a dramatic performance of Bye Bye Birdie, and decided to become an actor. 

After two acclaimed supporting performances in the Hollywood films REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (1967), and THE STALKING MOON (1968), he landed a role in the critically acclaimed MEDIUM COOL (1969), and the TV series BANYON (1972). 

His blossoming career began to slip as he ended up in doomed productions such as Disney’s costly flop THE BLACK HOLE (1979), and B-movie junk such as ALLIGATOR (1980), VIGILANTE (1983), and THE DELTA FORCE (1986). 

In 1997, his career had a resurgence that he would never have to forfeit, when Quentin Tarantino cast him in his JACKIE BROWN. Forster was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and would then find consistent work for the next 20 years. He would appear in ME, MYSELF & IRENE (2000), MULHOLLAND DR. (2001), CONFIDENCE (2003), CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (2003), LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN (2006), THE DESCENDANTS (2011), OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (2013), and LONDON HAS FALLEN (2016). He also had a successful run on TV, appearing in HEROES, BREAKING BAD, and TWIN PEAKS. His final screen appearance is the Netflix production, EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE. 

Forster was a member of the Triple Nine Society, an international high-IQ organization or adults whose IQ ranks at or above the 99.9^th percentile of the human population. 

*

This Blogger’s first memory of Robert Forster was in 1979, when he played Captain Dan Holland in Disney’s now cult-favorite THE BLACK HOLE. Forster played the captain of a spaceship, fighting in a galaxy populated by robots and laser guns…and having been bitten by the sci-fi bug thanks to that other far, far away galaxy, his Blogger became an instant fan of the Captain. THE BLACK HOLE may have flopped and messed up Forster’s career, but over the years it has become a favorite among sci-fi fans, and that has elevated Forster in many eyes. Even in a bad-ish movie, he was still cool. When he appeared in JACKIE BROWN, he had his character’s office decorated with Ringling Bros. posters as a tribute to his father, which shows his deep commitment to family and his roots. Aside from his terrific acting, that is a quality that earns deep respect. Robert Forster was a presence on the screen that will be difficult to fill. Just like his character of a space explorer, his career and life has gone in, through, and beyond...