John Forsythe, the American actor who starred in the 1980s US soap Dynasty and was the voice of Charlie in the TV series Charlie's Angels, has died at 92. He died of pneumonia at his home in Santa Ynez, California, after a long battle with cancer.
In a statement last night, his family said he died on Thursday, "as he lived his life … with dignity and grace". His career in film, theatre and television spanned more than five decades, but he is likely to be best remembered for playing Blake Carrington, the Denver oil tycoon in Dynasty, which ran from 1981-89. Joan Collins and Linda Evans played the women in his life and helped to make the actor a sex symbol in his 60s.
Forsythe won three Emmy nominations for his portrayal of the conniving and debonair Carrington, although he never won the award.
He was also well known as the voice of millionaire private eye Charlie in Charlie's Angels. Forsythe was heard in each episode but never seen as the boss who instructed three glamorous female detectives on their mission over a speakerphone.
Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith were the original Angels when the series first ran in the mid 1970s. The television series came to an end in 1981 and helped Forsythe become one of the highest paid television actors. The actor also provided the voice of Charlie in the 2000 film Charlie's Angels and its 2003 follow-up.
He made his acting debut in the 1940s and went on to appear in Broadway shows, a US sitcom Bachelor Father and a 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film, The Trouble With Harry.
In his personal life, Forsythe was interested in ecology and served as spokesperson and sponsor of the World Wildlife Fund. He is survived by his third wife, Nicole, son, two daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.