Frederic Forrest, Oscar-nominated actor for ‘The Rose,’ dies at 86
Frederic Forrest, the actor who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as Bette Midler’s limousine-driver-turned-lover in “The Rose,” has died. He was 86.
Midler confirmed Forrest’s death Friday on Twitter, hailing her late co-star as a “remarkable actor” and “brilliant human being.” Actor Barry Primus, who also appeared in “The Rose,” told the Hollywood Reporter that Forrest died Friday at his home in Santa Monica after a long illness.
“I was lucky to have him in my life,” Midler tweeted. “He was at peace.”
In a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times, Primus remembered Forrest as “a brilliant actor” and “sweet, endearing person.”
“He had such an eye for eccentric characters, both in life and in his work,” Primus said.
“When you hired Freddie for a part, you got the whole package. His contributions were always enormous, and his talent shone brightest when he was given free rein. Working with him was a treat and, for me, a learning experience.”
They met 20 years ago, during an audition for a part in a San Francisco production of “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.”
At the 52nd Academy Awards, Forrest was a supporting actor nominee for playing Huston Dyer, an AWOL Army sergeant who falls in love with a rock star (Midler) loosely based on Janis Joplin in 1979’s “The Rose.” Midler also received a nomination that year for lead actress.
Forrest was born in Waxahachie, Texas, and studied acting in New York at Lee Strasberg’s studio before making his big-screen debut in 1972’s “When the Legends Die,” according to Turner Classic Movies. He was known for his work in “The Rose,” “Hammett,” “Valley Girl” and dozens more films, notably features directed by Francis Ford Coppola including “The Conversation,” “Apocalypse Now” and “One From the Heart.”
Additionally, Forrest appeared in a number of TV movies and miniseries, including “Larry,” “Ruby and Oswald,” “Who Will Love My Children,” “The Deliberate Stranger,” “Lonesome Dove” and “Citizen Cohn.”
He is survived by his sister, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“It was absolutely enchanting to spend an evening hearing him tell stories, so much fun, and in its own way a kind of performance art,” Primus told The Times. “There was a love in them that made you feel how crazy and wonderful it was to be alive. It is this love, along with Freddie’s poetic and exuberant personality, that one gets in his performances.
“The walls of his room were filled with pictures of the characters he created in many of his films, and the people that filled his life. ... Rest peacefully, Freddie. Great performance!”
“Did you ever know that you’re my hero?” “From a distance, there is harmony!”
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