Richard Basehart
- Category : Actor
- Type : MGE
- Profile : 2/4 - Hermit / Opportunist
- Definition : Single
- Incarnation Cross : RAX Planning 3
Biography
American stage actor in the '30s who made his Broadway debut in 1938. His film debut in "Cry Wolf" led to a long and successful film career that spanned more than 30 films. Some of those 30 films included "Moby Dick," 1956 and "The Brothers Karamazov," 1958.
He also played in the TV series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," which ran from 1958-1964. In 1945, he won the N.Y. Drama Critics Award for his lead role in "The Hasty Heart." His versatility was tested by frequent appearances in European film productions.
Basehart was the son of a local newspaper editor and he worked as a reporter and radio announcer before starting his career on stage. He married three times, widowed in 1950 from his first marriage. His second wife was Italian actress Valentina Cortesa; they had a son in 1951, but were divorced in 1959. The third marriage was in the early '60s, giving him two daughters.
In his later years, he used his voice as off-screen narrator of many documentaries and the closing ceremonies for the 1984 Summer Olympics in L.A.
Basehart died after a series of strokes on 9/19/1984, Los Angeles, CA.