Richard Farnsworth is an American actor and stuntman whose career began as a groom on a golf course and culminated in two Oscar nominations for one of the world's most prestigious film awards. He is best known for his roles in films such as The Gray Fox, The Pursuit, The Simple Story, among others.
Biography
Richard Farnsworth, whose full name sounds like Richard William Farnsworth, was born on September 1, 1920 in the sunny California city of Los Angeles, USA. His father was an engineer and his mother was a housekeeper.
View of downtown Los Angeles Photo: Thomas Pintaric / Wikimedia Commons
The childhood of the future actor fell on a difficult period of the economic crisis in America, which is known as the "Great Depression". In addition, when the boy was seven years old, his father died, further aggravating the family's situation. However, the Farnsworth made the decision to stay in Los Angeles, where Richard continued to live with his mother, aunt and two sisters.
Career and creativity
Richard Farnsworth started his career early enough. In Los Angeles, he worked as a groom on a polo field, earning six dollars a week. When he was sixteen years old, Richard received an offer to try his hand at being a stuntman. The young man seized on this opportunity, because such a job was paid much higher.
In 1937, Farnsworth appeared in A Day at the Races, where he performed a number of different tricks on horseback. But in the credits of the film, his name was not indicated, as indeed in the next film work "Ganga Din" (1939).
Meanwhile, Richard began to appear in films as a supporting actor. In 1939, he appeared in the American epic film Gone with the Wind, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. In 1948, the actor acted as an actor and stuntman in the joint project of two directors Howard Hawks and Arthur Rosson "Red River", and in 1953 in the cult film with Marlon Brando in the title role "The Savage".
American actor Clark Gable Photo: Movie studio / Wikimedia Commons
Farnsworth also began taking part in various television shows. He starred in The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951 - 1954) and Cimarron City (1958 - 1959).
In 1960, Farnsworth drove a chariot in the feature film Spartacus. On this project, he worked with such stars as Henry Fonda, Kirk Douglas, Steve McQueen, Montgomery Clift and Roy Rogers.
In 1978, the actor played one of the most prominent roles in his career in the drama film The Horseman Approaches, directed by Alan J. Pakula. Co-starring with Jane Fonda, Jason Robards and James Caan, Farnsworth not only attracted attention for his acting, but also won several awards and nominations, including a nomination for the prestigious Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
His talented and flamboyant performance in The Horseman Approaches paved the way for the actor to star in other films, including Tom Horn (1980) and Trouble (1980).
However, the real breakthrough in the career of Richard Farnsworth came in 1982, when he appeared in the biopic of the Canadian director Philip Borsos "The Gray Fox." The actor played the main character of the film named Bill Miner, the prototype of which was a real gangster-robber, famous for the graceful manner of his crimes. This work earned Richard the London Film Critics and Genie Awards for Actor of the Year and Best Foreign Actor, respectively.
In 1984, he played baseball coach Red Blow in the American sports drama The Nugget. A year later, the actor appeared as Judge Grand Pettit in the television film Pursuit (1985), starring Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Parks and Robert S. Woods. Richard's performance received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.
Later Farnsworth appeared in such films as River Pirates (1988), Red Land, White Land (1989), Two Jakes (1990), Havana (1990), Fire Next Time (1993), "Escape" (1994) and others.
American filmmaker David Lynch Photo: Aaron / Wikimedia Commons
One of the most memorable works of Richard Farnsworth was the role of the real-life character Alvin Straight, which he played in the 1999 biographical drama A Simple Story. The film, directed by David Lynch, was a huge box office success, winning the Independent Spirit Film Awards for Best Actor and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.
In addition, he was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar, becoming, at the age of 79, the oldest actor ever to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Family and personal life
In 1947, Richard Farnsworth married a girl named Margaret Hill. In a marriage that lasted 38 years, the couple had two children: a son, Diamond, and a daughter, Missy.
Margaret died on August 7, 1985. After the death of his wife, Farnsworth moved to a ranch in Lincoln, New Mexico. The last years of his life, the actor suffered from metastatic prostate cancer.
City view of Los Angeles Photo: Thomas Pintaric / Wikimedia Commons
In the end, he made the decision to die, shooting himself on his ranch on October 6, 2000. At the time, Farnsworth was engaged to a much younger flight attendant named Julie van Walin.
The actor was buried next to his wife at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, located in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.
