Richard William Farnsworth (September 1, 1920 – October 6, 2000) was an American actor and stuntman. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award: in 1978 for Best Supporting Actor for Comes a Horseman, and in 2000 for Best Actor in The Straight Story, making him the oldest nominee for the award at the time.[1][2] Farnsworth was also known for his performances in The Grey Fox (1982), for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, as well as Anne of Green Gables (1985); Sylvester (1985), and Misery (1990).
Richard Farnsworth | |
|---|---|
 Farnsworth in The Straight Story, his final role | |
| Born | Richard William Farnsworth September 1, 1920 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 6, 2000 (aged 80) Lincoln, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Stuntman, actor |
| Years active | 1937–1999 |
| Spouse | Margaret Hill (m. 1947; died 1985) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editFarnsworth was born on September 1, 1920, in Los Angeles, California. His mother was a homemaker and his father was an engineer.[3]
Career
editFarnsworth gradually moved into acting in Western movies. He made uncredited appearances in numerous films, including Gone with the Wind (1939), Red River (1948), The Wild One (1953), and The Ten Commandments (1956). In 1960, credited as Dick Farnsworth, he appeared as a Gault ranch hand in the "Street of Hate" episode of the TV Western Laramie.
He received his first acting credit in 1963 and went on to act in Western films and television shows. He had a role in Roots (1977) and co-starred with Wilford Brimley in The Boys of Twilight (1992). His breakthrough came when he played stagecoach robber Bill Miner in the 1982 Canadian film,The Grey Fox. He appeared as a baseball coach in The Natural (1984). In 1985, he was the brother to Marilla and father figure to Anne in Anne of Green Gables and starred as a soft-spoken, sage cowboy with horse training wisdom for Melissa Gilbert in Sylvester.[4] His other prominent roles included a wealthy and ruthless oil man in The Two Jakes (1990) and the suspicious sheriff in the film version of Stephen King's Misery (1990).
Personal life and death
editFarnsworth had a long marriage and had two children. After becoming a widower, he lived on a ranch in Lincoln, New Mexico.[5]
On the night of October 6, 2000, suffering from terminal cancer that left him partially paralyzed and in great pain, Farnsworth died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his ranch in Lincoln, New Mexico.[6]
Awards and nominations
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2021) |
Comes a Horseman (1979)
- National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (won, tied with Robert Morley in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?)
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (nominated)
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (runner-up)
The Grey Fox (1982)
- Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor (won)
- London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actor of the Year (won, tied with James Mason in The Shooting Party)
- Taormina Film Fest: Golden Mask (won)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (nominated)
Anne of Green Gables (1985)
- Gemini Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor (won)
Chase (1985)
The Straight Story (1999)
- Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Actor (won)
- Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead (won)
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (won)
- Academy Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (nominated)
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (runner-up)
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Actor Motion Picture – Drama (nominated)
- Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (runner-up)
Note: Farnsworth was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1997. In addition, Farnsworth received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for his contributions in the motion pictures on August 17, 1992; the star is located at 1560 Vine Street.[7][8]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | The Adventures of Kit Carson | Henchman (uncredited) | Episode: "Fury at Red Gulch" Episode: "The Desperate Sheriff" |
| 1954 | Army Wagon Driver | Episode: "The Gatling Gun" | |
| 1955 | Soldiers of Fortune | 'Gaucho' (uncredited) | Episode: "The General" |
| 1956 | Zane Grey Theatre | Trooper | Episode: "Star Over Texas" |
| 1958 | The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | Butler | Episode: "Jingles on the Jailroad" |
| Cimarron City | Ira Youngman | Episode: "Twelve Guns", uncredited | |
| 1959 | State Trooper | Caleb Smith | Episode: "Lonely Valley" |
| The Rebel | Trooper | Episode: "Yellow Hair" | |
| 1960 | Wanted: Dead or Alive | Rance / Hal | Episodes: "The Partners" & "To the Victor" |
| Laramie | Gault Ranch Hand / Manley (uncredited) | Episodes: "Street of Hate" & "Ride into Darkness" | |
| 1961 | Laramie | Hank | Episode: "The Tumbleweed Wagon" |
| 1965 | The Big Valley | Bolin | Episode: "The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner" |
| 1966 | Businessman | Episode: "Image of Yesterday" | |
| 1967 | Cimarron Strip | Dusty Rhodes / Benefiel | Episodes: "Journey to a Hanging" & "The Battleground" |
| 1970 | The High Chaparral | Lloyd | Episode: "The Long Shadow" |
| 1971 | Bonanza | Sourdough | Episode: "Top Hand" |
| 1972 | Tate / Troy | Episodes: "The Saddle Stiff" & "He Was Only Seven" | |
| 1974 | Honky Tonk | Driver | TV movie |
| 1975 | Strange New World | Elder | |
| 1977 | Roots | Trumbull | TV miniseries |
| Little House on the Prairie | Wall | Episode: "Quarantine" | |
| 1981 | The Texas Rangers | Ranger J.W. Stevens | TV movie |
| A Few Days in Weasel Creek | Jason Stayvey | ||
| The Cherokee Trail | Ridge Fenton | ||
| 1983 | Travis McGee | Van Harder | |
| Ghost Dancing | Russ Ward | ||
| 1985 | Wild Horses | Chuck Reese | |
| Chase | Judge Grand Pettitt | ||
| Anne of Green Gables | Matthew Cuthbert | ||
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Carl | Episode: "Travelin' Man" |
| Highway to Heaven | Grandpa Jet Sanders | Episode: "A Dream of Wild Horses" | |
| 1989 | Red Earth, White Earth | Helmer | TV movie |
| Desperado: The Outlaw Wars | Sheriff Campbell / Bisby Arizona | ||
| 1992 | The Boys of Twilight | Sheriff Cody McPherson | |
| 1993 | The Fire Next Time | Frank Morgan | TV movie |
| 1998 | Best Friends for Life | Will Harper |
References
edit- ^ Associated Press (October 8, 2000). "Richard Farnsworth, Stunt Man And 2-Time Oscar Nominee, 80". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ^ "Richard Farnsworth, 80, Dies". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ^ An L.M Montgomery Resource Page. "Richard Farnsworth". Tickledorange.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ^ Tibbetts, John C. (September 15, 2015). Those Who Made It: Speaking with the Legends of Hollywood. Springer. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-137-54191-8.
- ^ Jensen, Jeff (October 20, 2000). "A Cowboy's Way". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (July 16, 1998). "Richard Farnsworth: Suicide". People. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
- ^ "Richard Farnsworth | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "Richard Farnsworth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
Further reading
edit- "Richard Farnsworth". The Times. October 9, 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- "Richard Farnsworth, Stunt Man And 2-Time Oscar Nominee, 80". The New York Times. October 8, 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- "Actor Richard Farnsworth dies". BBC News. October 7, 2000. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
External links
edit- Richard Farnsworth at IMDb
- Richard Farnsworth at AllMovie
- Richard Farnsworth at Find a Grave
- Richard Farnsworth: The Man Who Talked Straight at Moviecrazed.com
- The Cowboy Kind Farnsworth wrote the foreword to this book by Darrell Arnold. Published posthumously in 2001.
- 1999 Disney Press Kit For The Straight Story with publicity photos
- 1998 Des Moines Register Article
- The Straight Story on Lynch Net Complete Film notes, interviews, photographs, audio and trailers 1999
- Obituary Cowboy's Way by Jeff Jensen, 2000 Archived May 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine