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Richard Basehart

Acting 70 (deceased) years old Zanesville, Ohio, USA ★ 1.4
Born: August 31, 1914
Died: September 17, 1984

Biography

John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred in the 1960s television science fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson.

One of his most notable film roles was the acrobat known as "the Fool" in the acclaimed Italian film La strada directed by Federico Fellini. He also appeared as the killer in the film noir classic He Walked by Night (1948), as a psychotic member of the Hatfield clan in Roseanna McCoy (1949), as Ishmael in Moby Dick (1956), and in the drama Decision Before Dawn (1951). He was married to Italian Academy Award-nominated actress Valentina Cortese, with whom he had one son before their divorce in 1960. Cortese and Basehart also costarred in Robert Wise's The House on Telegraph Hill (1951).

Basehart was also noted for his deep, distinctive voice and was prolific as a narrator of many television and movie projects ranging from features to documentaries. In 1980, Basehart narrated the mini-series written by Peter Arnett called Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War that covered Vietnam and its battles from the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945 to the final American embassy evacuation on April 30, 1975. He appeared in the pilot episode of the television series Knight Rider as billionaire Wilton Knight. He is the narrator at the beginning of the show's credits.

In 1971, Basehart played "Captain Sligo", a comical Irishman with a pet buffalo who negotiates a flawed but legal cattle purchase and unconventionally courts a widow with two children, played by Salome Jens, in CBS's western series, Gunsmoke, with James Arness. Basehart appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone, Hawaii Five-O, and as Hannibal Applewood, an abusive schoolteacher in Little House on the Prairie in 1976.

In 1972, he appeared in the Columbo episode Dagger of the Mind in which he and Honor Blackman played a husband-and-wife theatrical team who were loose parodies of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. In the feature realm, he played a supporting role as a doctor in Rage (1972), a theatrical feature starring and directed by George C. Scott. He made a few TV movies including Sole Survivor (1970) and The Birdmen (1971). Both were based on true stories during World War II.

He died at age 70 following a series of strokes. One month before his death, Basehart was an announcer for the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

External Links

🎬 IMDb

Known For

The House on Telegraph Hill
The House on Telegraph Hill Alan Spender 1951
...And Millions Die!
...And Millions Die! Dr Douglas Pruitt 1973
Cartouche
Cartouche Il conte Jacques de Maudy 1955
Hans Brinker
Hans Brinker Dr. Boeker 1969
Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?
Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? Elliott Osborn 1977

Jimmy's Seen (1)

New Jack City
New Jack City Tod Stone 1991

Filmography

Acting Credits (115)

Los Angeles Plays Itself
Los Angeles Plays Itself Roy Morgan/Roy Martin in He Walked By Night (archive footage) 2004
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller Cpl. Denno (archive footage) (uncredited) 2002
Bix: Ain't None of Them Play Like Him Yet
Bix: Ain't None of Them Play Like Him Yet Self 1982
Knight Rider: Knight of the Phoenix
Knight Rider: Knight of the Phoenix Wilton Knight 1982
Knight Rider
Knight Rider Wilton Knight 1982
Egypt: Quest for Eternity
Egypt: Quest for Eternity Narrator (Self) 1982
Mr. Merlin
Mr. Merlin 1981
Masada
Masada Modern-Day Narrator (voice, uncredited) 1981
Marilyn: The Untold Story
Marilyn: The Untold Story Johnny Hyde 1980
Being There
Being There Vladimir Skrapinov 1979
Land of Celtic Ghosts
Land of Celtic Ghosts Himself 1979
The Rebels
The Rebels Duke of Kentland 1979
Tales of the Unexpected
Tales of the Unexpected Slade 1979
Planet Mars
Planet Mars Narrator 1979
The Great Bank Hoax
The Great Bank Hoax Manny Benchly 1978
Vega$
Vega$ 1978
W.E.B.
W.E.B. 1978
The Critical List
The Critical List Matt Kinsella 1978
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court King Arthur 1978
The Love Boat
The Love Boat Stan Ellis 1977
The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Island of Dr. Moreau Sayer of the Law 1977
Flood!
Flood! John Cutler 1977
How the West Was Won
How the West Was Won Colonel Flint 1977
Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?
Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? Elliott Osborn 1977
21 Hours at Munich
21 Hours at Munich Willy Brandt 1976
Mansion of the Doomed
Mansion of the Doomed Dr. Leonard Chaney 1976
Time Travelers
Time Travelers Dr. Joshua Henderson (1871) 1976
Valley Forge
Valley Forge 1975
Joe Forrester
Joe Forrester 1975
Medical Story
Medical Story 1975
Judgment: The Court Martial of Lt. William Calley
Judgment: The Court Martial of Lt. William Calley George Latimer 1975
Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie 1974
The First Woman President
The First Woman President Woodrow Wilson 1974
Maneater
Maneater Carl Brenner 1973
The Birdmen
The Birdmen Schiller 1973
...And Millions Die!
...And Millions Die! Dr Douglas Pruitt 1973
Rage
Rage Dr. Roy Caldwell 1972
The Bounty Man
The Bounty Man Angus Keough 1972
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco Bishop Tim Farrow 1972
Chato's Land
Chato's Land Nye Buell 1972
Assignment: Munich
Assignment: Munich Maj. Barney Caldwell 1972
The Death of Me Yet
The Death of Me Yet Robert Barnes 1971
Columbo
Columbo Nicholas Framer 1971
City Beneath the Sea
City Beneath the Sea The President 1971
They've Killed President Lincoln!
They've Killed President Lincoln! Host / Narrator 1971
Dan August
Dan August Prof. Theodore Rye 1970
The Andersonville Trial
The Andersonville Trial Henry Wirz 1970
Sole Survivor
Sole Survivor Brig. Gen. Russell Hamner 1970
Hans Brinker
Hans Brinker Dr. Boeker 1969
Love Is a Funny Thing
Love Is a Funny Thing Acteur 1969
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. Professor Andrew Kirkcastle 1969
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. Reece Sutton 1969
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O Murdock 1968
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Narrator 1968
Ironside
Ironside Noel Seymour 1967
Jacqueline Susann and the Valley of the Dolls
Jacqueline Susann and the Valley of the Dolls 1967
National Geographic Specials
National Geographic Specials Narrator (voice) 1965
The Satan Bug
The Satan Bug Dr. Gregor Hoffman 1965
Let My People Go: The Story of Israel
Let My People Go: The Story of Israel Narrator (voice) 1965
Trial at Nuremberg
Trial at Nuremberg Narrator 1964
Four Days In November
Four Days In November Narrator (voice) 1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Adm. Harriman Nelson 1964
Kings of the Sun
Kings of the Sun Ah Min 1963
The Yanks Are Coming
The Yanks Are Coming Narrator (voice) 1963
Arrest and Trial
Arrest and Trial 1963
Combat!
Combat! Capt. Steiner 1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Philip Townsend 1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Miles Crawford 1962
Hitler
Hitler Adolf Hitler 1962
The Savage Guns
The Savage Guns Steve Fallon 1961
Ben Casey
Ben Casey 1961
Visa to Canton
Visa to Canton Don Benton 1960
Route 66
Route 66 1960
For the Love of Mike
For the Love of Mike Father Phelan 1960
Portrait in Black
Portrait in Black Howard Mason 1960
The Hiding Place
The Hiding Place Martin Lambert 1960
Five Branded Women
Five Branded Women Eric Reinhardt 1960
The Ambitious One
The Ambitious One George Rancourt 1959
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone Adam Cook 1959
Jons und Erdme
Jons und Erdme Wittkuhn 1959
Rawhide
Rawhide Tod Stone 1959
Love and Troubles
Love and Troubles Paolo Martelli 1958
Naked City
Naked City Lester Bergson 1958
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov Ivan Karamazov 1958
Time Limit
Time Limit Maj. Harry Cargill 1957
Miracles of Thursday
Miracles of Thursday Martino 1957
So Soon to Die
So Soon to Die Lionel Amblin 1957
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre David Manning 1956
Moby Dick
Moby Dick Ishmael 1956
The Intimate Stranger
The Intimate Stranger Reginald 'Reggie' Wilson 1956
The Extra Day
The Extra Day Joe Blake 1956
The Swindle
The Swindle Carlo 1955
The Golden Vein
The Golden Vein Ing. Stefano Manfredi 1955
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke Captain Aron Sligo 1955
Cartouche
Cartouche Il conte Jacques de Maudy 1955
Canyon Crossroads
Canyon Crossroads Larry Kendall 1955
La Strada
La Strada Il 'Matto' 1954
Jailbirds
Jailbirds Doctor Stefano Luprandi 1954
The Good Die Young
The Good Die Young Joe Halsey 1954
The Stranger's Hand
The Stranger's Hand Joe Hamstringer 1954
Titanic
Titanic George S. Headley 1953
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame Conway 1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame General Washington 1951
Decision Before Dawn
Decision Before Dawn Lt. Dick Rennick 1951
Fixed Bayonets!
Fixed Bayonets! Cpl. Denno 1951
The House on Telegraph Hill
The House on Telegraph Hill Alan Spender 1951
Fourteen Hours
Fourteen Hours Robert Cosick 1951
Outside the Wall
Outside the Wall Larry Nelson 1950
Tension
Tension Warren Quimby 1949
Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror Maximilian Robespierre 1949
Roseanna McCoy
Roseanna McCoy Mounts Hatfield 1949
He Walked by Night
He Walked by Night Roy Martin / Roy Morgan 1949
Studio One
Studio One Matt Donovan 1948
Cry Wolf
Cry Wolf James Caldwell Demarest 1947
Repeat Performance
Repeat Performance William Williams 1947

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