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43-463: Following the assassination of his crime boss's biological father ( Robert Forster ), whom he had not even known existed, a young Ohio investment advisor ( Michael Rapaport ) must impersonate a Mafia Godfather for a few weeks to prevent a gang war. He tries to keep this new life secret from his real family, especially his very jealous fiancée ( Christine Taylor ), with the help of his new "family" and his father's chief lieutenant ( Christopher Walken ). At

86-1593: A Golden Eye (1967), followed by a starring role as news reporter John Casellis in the landmark New Hollywood film Medium Cool (1969). For his portrayal of bail bondsman Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino 's Jackie Brown (1997), he was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . Forster played a variety of both leading and supporting roles in over 100 films, including Captain Dan Holland in The Black Hole (1979), Detective David Madison in Alligator (1980), Abdul Rafai in The Delta Force (1986), Colonel Partington in Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Scott Thorson in The Descendants (2011), General Edward Clegg in Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and its sequel London Has Fallen (2016), Norbert Everhardt in What They Had (2018), and Sheriff Hadley in The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020). He also had prominent roles in television series such as Banyon (1971–73), Nakia (1974), Karen Sisco (2003–04), Heroes (2007–08),

129-576: A contestant on What's My Line? . Francis and her husband settled a lawsuit for $ 185,000 in June 1962 that had been filed by the widow of a Detroit man who was killed when a dumbbell fell from the Gabel family's eighth-floor Ritz Tower apartment and struck him on the head while he was visiting New York to celebrate his birthday. Francis, Gabel, and their son Peter were vacationing in Connecticut when

172-796: A dime. I've never had anything that approached a hit in my entire career of 15 movies and a lot of TV shows." Forster appeared in the thrillers Satan's Princess (1989) and The Banker (1989), the mini series Goliath Awaits (1981), and episodes of Magnum, P.I. , Tales from the Darkside , Hotel , Crossbow , and Jesse Hawkes . He was in the TV movie Mick and Frankie (1989). Forster's films by this stage were almost entirely low budget ones: Peacemaker (1990), Checkered Flag (1990), Countdown to Esmeralda Bay (1990), Long Way Back (1990), Committed (1991), Diplomatic Immunity (1991), 29th Street (1991), In Between (1992), In

215-562: A leaden comic touch appropriate to his experience directing Baywatch , while displaying all the visual style of a first-time director of amateur porn." This article about a crime comedy film is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Robert Forster Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster , was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston 's Reflections in

258-547: A life-changer. It's a gigantic hit if you remember those years, a phenomenon. But I didn't do that. [...] And this time, I got a call from my agents and they said, David Lynch is going to call you. When he called me five minutes later, he said, "I'd like you to come and work with me again." And I said, 'Whatever it is, David, here I come!'" Forster appeared in the TV series Alcatraz . After Forster's death, he appeared posthumously in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie , reprising

301-557: A member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1980 to 1982. Francis also guested on television programs including Mrs. G. Goes to College in 1962 in the episode "The Mother Affair". Francis made sporadic television appearances throughout the 1980s, with her final appearances being during Mark Goodson 's birthday party and on The Howard Stern Show with Robin Quivers and Kitty Carlisle , in 1991. Francis

344-703: A network radio game show , Blind Date , which she hosted also on ABC and NBC television from 1949 to 1952. From 1952 to 1961 she was a regular substitute for Dave Garroway on the Today Show . She was a regular contributor to NBC Radio 's Monitor in the 1950s and 1960s and hosted a long-running midday chat show on WOR-AM that ran from 1960 to 1984. Francis was a panelist on the weekly game show What's My Line? from its second episode on CBS in 1950 until its network cancellation in 1967, and in its daily syndicated version from 1968 to 1975. The original show, which featured guests whose occupation, or "line,"

387-619: A revival of A Streetcar Named Desire , opposite Julie Harris . He also played Juror No. 3 in the first New York stage production of Twelve Angry Men at the Queens Playhouse . After a support part in The Don Is Dead (1972), Forster starred in the TV movie The Death Squad (1974) then another short-lived TV series, Nakia (1974), playing a Navajo detective. Forster guest starred on shows such as Medical Story , Gibbsville and Police Story and played

430-502: Is best known for her long-running role as a panelist on the television game show What's My Line? , on which she regularly appeared for 25 years, from 1950 to 1975, on both the network and syndicated versions of the show. Francis was born on October 20, 1907, in Boston , Massachusetts, the daughter of Leah (née Davis) and Aram Kazanjian. Her Armenian father was studying art in Paris at

473-652: The third season of Twin Peaks (2017) and the Breaking Bad episode " Granite State " as Ed "The Disappearer" Galbraith , for which he won the Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television . He reprised the role in the film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) and Better Call Saul (2020). Forster was born and raised in Rochester, New York . His mother was Italian American, while his father

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516-408: The 1960 incident happened. Francis had instructed their maid to shampoo the carpet while they were away. The maid kept windows open for a long time to minimize the smell of the shampoo. The dumbbell was part of the equipment that Francis used for her regular exercise of weightlifting. On May 26, 1963, Francis was involved in a serious car accident while driving alone from a theater on Long Island to

559-620: The Fatman , P.S.I. Luv U , Silk Stalkings , Murder, She Wrote , One West Waikiki and Walker, Texas Ranger . Forster appeared in Jackie Brown as bail bondsman Max Cherry, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1997. Jackie Brown revitalized Forster's career, an effect that occurred for many actors appearing in Quentin Tarantino films. He subsequently had consistent work in

602-534: The Manhattan studio where she was expected for a live telecast of What's My Line? . The force from a car that struck her car caused her to skid on the wet surface of the Northern State Parkway , jump the highway's concrete divider, and collide with a car containing five passengers, one of whom was killed. Francis suffered a broken collarbone , a concussion and many cuts and bruises. Francis

645-700: The Rue Morgue (1932). In her memoir, Francis said she was cast for the movie even though her only acting experience at the time was in a small Shakespearean production in a convent school she had attended. Some sixteen years later, she appeared in the film version of Arthur Miller's play All My Sons (1948) with Edward G. Robinson . In the 1960s, Francis made three films: One, Two, Three (1961), directed by Billy Wilder and filmed in Munich , in which she played James Cagney 's wife; The Thrill of It All (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner ; and, in 1968,

688-606: The Rue Morgue . She appeared in films sporadically until the 1970s. Francis became a well-known New York City radio personality, hosting several programs. In 1938 she became the female host of the radio game show What's My Name? . Although several men appeared as co-hosts over the years, Francis was the sole female host throughout the program's long run (on ABC , NBC , and Mutual networks) until it ended in 1949. In 1940, Francis played Betty in Betty and Bob , an early radio soap opera broadcast. In 1943, she began as host of

731-507: The Shadow of a Killer (1992), Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993), South Beach (1993), American Yakuza (1993), Cover Story (1993), Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1993), Scanner Cop II (1995), Guns & Lipstick (1995), The Method (1995), Original Gangstas (1996) (directed by Larry Cohen), Uncle Sam (1996), Hindsight (1996) and American Perfekt (1997). He appeared in series such as Jake and

774-779: The age of 16 when he learned that both his parents had died in one of the massacres perpetrated by the Ottoman government in Turkey between 1894 and 1896, known as the Hamidian Massacres . He immigrated to the United States and became a portrait photographer, opening his own studio in Boston in the early 20th century. Later in life, Kazanjian painted canvases of dogwoods , "rabbits in flight", and other nature scenes, selling them at auction in New York. When Francis

817-477: The brother of Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Sheriff Frank Truman, in Twin Peaks: The Return , when Ontkean was not available to reprise his role. About this, Forster said: "David Lynch, what a good guy he is. He wanted to hire me for the original, 25 years ago, for a part, and I was committed to another guy for a pilot that never went. So I didn't do the original Twin Peaks , which would have been

860-498: The character of Ed the "Disappearer" from the Breaking Bad series. He died on the day the movie was released. Four months later, Forster again appeared posthumously as Ed in episode " Magic Man " of the fifth season of Better Call Saul . The episode ended with a dedication to "our friend Robert Forster." He also appeared in an episode "Dynoman and The Volt" of the rebooted Amazing Stories television series before his death;

903-465: The episode was dedicated to Forster. Forster was married to June Forster (née Provenzano) from 1966 to 1975. The couple had met at their alma mater, the University of Rochester . The marriage produced three daughters. Robert was married to Zivia Forster from 1978 to 1980. He also had a son from a previous relationship. From 2004 to the time of his death, his longtime partner was Denise Grayson. He

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946-489: The film industry, appearing in Like Mike , Mulholland Drive , Supernova , Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Human Natyre (2001), Confidence (2003), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), and Firewall (2006). Forster continued to appear in lower budgeted productions like Night Vision (1997) along with the remakes of Rear Window (1998) and Psycho (1998). He appeared in

989-608: The hit NBC series Heroes as Arthur Petrelli , the father of Nathan and Peter Petrelli, as well as the Emmy Award-winning AMC crime drama Breaking Bad as Walter White 's new-identity specialist Ed Galbraith (a role he reprised in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Better Call Saul ). He played Bud Baxter, father to Tim Allen 's Mike Baxter, on the ABC (later Fox) hit comedy Last Man Standing . Forster

1032-764: The important role of Private Williams in Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando ; there was a scene where Forster rode naked on a horse which became famous. Forster also appeared in episodes of the TV series N.Y.P.D. , Judd for the Defense and Premiere , the latter also featuring Dustin Hoffman and Sally Kellerman . Forster was then cast in another key role in an important movie: part-Indian Army scout Nick Tana in Robert Mulligan 's The Stalking Moon (1968); he

1075-895: The lead in the TV movies Royce (1976), The City (1977) (with Don Johnson), Standing Tall and The Darker Side of Terror (1979). He toured in a stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and appeared in The Sea Horse on stage in Louisville. Forster moved into lower-budgeted movies, starring in Stunts (1977) for Mark L. Lester and Avalanche (1978), the latter opposite Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow for Roger Corman's New World Pictures . Also for New World, Forster had an unbilled cameo in The Lady in Red (1979). This

1118-489: The made-for-television movie The Hunt for the BTK Killer , as the detective intent on capturing serial killer Dennis Rader . Forster also played the father of Van on the short-lived Fox series Fastlane . Forster recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign, encouraging reading of books by Elmore Leonard , whose book Rum Punch was adapted as Jackie Brown . He appeared in

1161-476: The mid-1950s. In 1962, Francis was one of numerous people recruited to guest host Tonight during an interval period before Johnny Carson took over as host from Jack Paar . This made her the first woman to host not only Tonight but a national late-night U.S. network talk show. She acted in a few Hollywood films, debuting in the role of a streetwalker who falls prey to mad scientist Bela Lugosi in Murders in

1204-571: The panelists were to guess, became one of the classic television game shows, noted for the urbanity of its host and panelists. She appeared on other game shows, including Match Game , Password , To Tell the Truth , and other programs produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman , including a short-lived hosting stint on the Goodson-Todman show By Popular Demand , replacing original host Robert Alda . According to TV Guide , Francis

1247-471: The same time, he is being pressured by his boss at work to sign off on a due diligence report for a questionable investment, trying to keep his family safe, dodging assassination attempts, and trying to uncover who killed his father. Nathan Rabin wrote in The A.V. Club , "A ham-fisted comedy that plays like a series of sewn-together outtakes from superior films... Chubbuck presides over Kiss Toledo Goodbye with

1290-524: The television version of the play Laura , which she had played on stage several times. Her final film performance was in Wilder's Fedora (1978). In 1978, Francis wrote her autobiography , Arlene Francis: A Memoir , with longtime friend Florence Rome. In 1960, she wrote That Certain Something: The Magic of Charm , and she published a cookbook, No Time for Cooking , in 1961. She was

1333-760: Was a box office flop. He was cast in the pilot for a TV series Banyon , playing a private eye in late 1930s in Los Angeles. then starred in Journey Through Rosebud which was not released theatrically. He directed for the Rochester Community Theatre. A year after the pilot for Banyon was made, it was picked up for a series but had only a short run. After this cancellation Forster said his career "started to slip and then it slipped and then it slipped." In 1973, he briefly returned to Broadway playing Stanley Kowalski in

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1376-492: Was a frequent guest panelist on What's My Line? . The couple, who often exchanged endearments on the show, had a son, Peter Gabel , born January 28, 1947, a legal scholar associated with New College of California in San Francisco. Peter Gabel was an associate editor of Tikkun , a Jewish-community commentary magazine. While working as a tour guide at the 1964 New York World's Fair , Peter surprised his mother as

1419-468: Was a member of the high-IQ Triple Nine Society . In June 2019, Forster was diagnosed with a brain tumor , and he died from the disease at his home in Los Angeles on October 11, 2019, at the age of 78, on the day El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was released. Arlene Francis Arlene Francis (born Arline Francis Kazanjian ; October 20, 1907 – May 31, 2001) was an American game show panelist, actress, radio and television talk show host. She

1462-459: Was a pioneer for women on television, one of the first to host a program that was not musical or dramatic in nature. From 1954 to 1957, she was host and editor-in-chief of Home , NBC 's hour-long daytime magazine program oriented toward women, which was conceived by network president Pat Weaver to complement the network's Today and Tonight programs. In 1954, she appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine. She hosted Talent Patrol in

1505-609: Was also a motivational speaker. He was the first choice to play Sheriff Harry S. Truman in David Lynch 's Twin Peaks , but had to turn it down due to a prior commitment to a different television pilot, and was replaced by Michael Ontkean . He appeared in Lynch's Mulholland Drive , a pilot for a TV series that was not picked up but was later turned into a critically acclaimed movie, and finally appeared in Twin Peaks , playing

1548-597: Was billed third, after Gregory Peck and Eva Marie Saint . Forster had a key support role in Justine (1969), directed by George Cukor and starring Dirk Bogarde , which was a huge flop. He starred in the critically acclaimed film Medium Cool (1969), which was also a big hit commercially. Forster played a tormented priest in Pieces of Dreams (1970) and a student filmmaker in Cover Me Babe (1970), which

1591-407: Was building up strengths which enabled me to resist not only his blandishments (including a lovely little house which he bought in New York as an enticement to get me to change my mind) but those of my parents, who also would have given anything to see me go back to the status which had been quo. As she disclosed in her autobiography, she admitted she never should have married Neil Agnew because she

1634-556: Was married twice. Her first marriage, from 1935 to 1945, was to Neil Agnew, an executive with Paramount Pictures ; they divorced in 1945. She wrote of this experience in her 1978 autobiography: Having made the actual physical break, it was easier for me than I had thought to explain to Neil some of what I felt, what I had been feeling for so long a time. Not all, of course. There were areas which I couldn't discuss even then, which would be too hurtful to him, I felt. I saw him fairly often, and he courted me as though we had just met, but I

1677-441: Was not in love with him. During the marriage, she met producer and actor Martin Gabel and fell in love with him. He encouraged her to divorce Agnew, which was one of the sources of her torment because her parents loved Agnew like a son. After Francis divorced him to marry Gabel, they initially did not like Gabel for several reasons, including her divorce. Francis's marriage to Gabel lasted from 1946 until his death in 1986. Gabel

1720-789: Was of English and Irish descent. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Rochester . He performed in a number of plays in college, and decided to become an actor. Forster added an "R" to his surname as there was another member of the Screen Actors Guild named Robert Foster. Forster made his Broadway debut in 1965 in Mrs. Dally Had a Lover, opposite Arlene Francis and Ralph Meeker . He also starred in productions of Come Blow Your Horn , The Big Knife , and The Glass Menagerie . Forster's movie career began strongly, when John Huston cast him in

1763-748: Was seven years old, her father decided that opportunities were greater in New York and moved the family to a flat in Washington Heights, Manhattan . She remained a New York resident until she entered a San Francisco nursing home in 1993. After attending Finch College , Francis began a varied career as an entertainer based in New York City. She became an accomplished stage actress, performing in many local theatre and off-Broadway plays and in 25  Broadway plays through 1975. In 1932, she made her film debut in Universal's Murders in

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1806-543: Was the highest-earning game show panelist in the 1950s, making $ 1,000 (equivalent to $ 9,000 in 2023) per show on the prime time version of What's My Line? . By contrast, the second-highest-paid panelists on TV, Dorothy Kilgallen and Faye Emerson , received $ 500 (equivalent to $ 4,500 in 2023) per appearance. Francis was the emcee on the last episodes of The Comeback Story , a short-lived 1954 reality show on ABC in which mostly celebrities shared stories of having overcome adversity in their personal lives. Francis

1849-718: Was written by John Sayles and directed by Lewis Teague who later collaborated on Alligator (1980), which starred Forster. He played a key support role in Disney's The Black Hole (1979). Throughout the 1980s Forster alternated between television and low budget films. He was in the comedy Heartbreak High (1981), and the action films Vigilante (1983), Walking the Edge (1985), The Delta Force (1986), and Counterforce (1988). He wrote, starred in, produced and directed Hollywood Harry (1985), in which he invested all his savings. That year he stated "Not one of my movies made

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