Marjoe Gortner obit

Marjoe Gortner, Preacher and Actor Who Was Subject of Oscar-Winning Doc and Appeared in ‘Earthquake,’ ‘Falcon Crest,’ Dies at 82

 He was not on the list.

Marjoe Gortner, whose childhood as an evangelical preacher was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary “Marjoe” and who went on to have a career as an actor, died Friday. He was 82.

His wife Susan Magestro told Variety he died in Santa Fe, N.M. Her memorial notice said he had been suffering from years of congestive heart failure. “Marjoe lived an extraordinary life, shaped by his imagination and rare gift for bringing people together,” the statement said.

Actor Ian Ziering remembered him for his charity work, writing, “Marjoe Gortner was a force of nature. He became an evangelist in his teens, an actor in his young adulthood. His life story won an Oscar. I knew him because he produced the Marjoe Gortner celebrity sports invitationals that aired on CBS Saturdays for years. He brought celebrities all over the world to raise money for different charities …This man raised millions and millions of dollars for different charities while providing some of the most incredible celebrity experiences of my lifetime. I will never forget this man, and I will always be appreciative of not just what he did for me, but what he did for everyone who knew him.”

Born in Long Beach, California, in an evangelical family, the name Marjoe is a combination of “Mary” and “Joseph.” His parents pushed him to become a child preacher, staging a photo op for the press when he performed a marriage ceremony at 4 years old. The family traveled around the country preaching and soliciting donations, and when Gortner was 16, his father absconded with what was reported to be $3 million in donations.

In his 20s, Gortner became disillusioned with the evangelical movement and became an aspiring actor in New York.

When he was approached by documentarians Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, he agreed to let them follow him around on his final revival tour in 1971, partially to help publicize his acting career. The resulting documentary, “Marjoe,” won the Oscar for best documentary. Roger Ebert saw it at the Cannes Film Festival and wrote “The real sleeper this year is ‘Marjoe. It generated the most electric response of anything at the festival.” It attracted considerable attention at the time, though it was later “lost” for many years until Kernochan was able to obtain rights to the film after tracking down the owner.

After making a record “Bad, but Not Evil,” he scored an acting role in the pilot for “Kojak.” Gortner went on to have roles as crazed drug dealers, outlaws, fake psychics and preachers in B movies and on television. In 1974’s “Earthquake,” he was the unhinged grocery store manager turned National Guardsman Sgt. Jody Joad.

He went on to appear in movies including Milton Katselas’ 1969 “When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?,” in which he played a troubled Vietnam veteran. The drama co-starred Candy Clark, to whom he was briefly married the year the film came out.

His other film appearances included “Viva Knieval,!” “Bobbie Joe and the Outlaw,” “The Survivalist,” “Starcrash” and Walter Hill’s “Wild Bill.” During the ’70s and 1980s he appeared on TV series including “Police Story,” “Airwolf,” “T.J. Hooker,” “Street Hawk,” “Otherworld,” “The A Team,” “Fantasy Island” and “Falcon Crest,” as a corrupt psychic.

Gortner recorded an album, Bad but Not Evil which was released on the Chelsea Records label in 1972. It included the songs, "Hoe-Bus", "The Ballad of Spider John", "Lo And Behold!", "Wind Up", "I'm A Man", "Collection Box", "Glory Glory Hallelujah", "I Shall Be Released", and "Faith Healing Remedy (Jesus Is Your Friend)". Vocal backing was by Maxine Waters, Gwen Johnson, Clydie King and Venetta Fields, etc. The musicians included Tom Scott, Joe Osborn, Hal Blaine and Michael Omartian, etc. It was reviewed in Billboard's November 18 issue that year with the reviewer saying he was off to a flying start with a Bob Dylan composition, "Lo and Behold". The reviewer also called it a strong debut. The other songs noted as highlights were "Hoe-Bus", "Glory Glory Halelujah", and another Dylan composition, "I Shall Be Released". The single "Lo And Behold!" was also attracting attention.

His fifth wife, Susan Magestro, survives him.

 

Filmography

Year     Title     Role     Notes

1972    Marjoe himself             Documentary

1972-74           The Merv Griffin Show          self       2 episodes

1973    Police Story     Stanley            Episode: "Requiem for an Informer"

1973    The Marcus-Nelson Murders  Teddy Hopper TV movie and Kojak pilot

1973    The Mike Douglas Show        self       Episode #12.226

1973-1979       The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson    self       2 episodes

1973    ABC Late Night          self - host         Episode: "Marjoe's Country: Nashville"

1974    Medical Center           David  Episode: "Demi-God"

1974    Nakia               Episode: "The Moving Target"

1974    Barnaby Jones David Colton   Episode: "A Gold Record for Murder"

1974    Pray for the Wildcats   Terry Maxon   ABC Movie of the Week

1974    The Gun and the Pulpit           Ernie Parsons  ABC Movie of the Week

1974    Earthquake      Jody Joad       

1976    Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw       Lyle Wheeler  

1976    Acapulco Gold            Ralph Hollio   

1976    The Food of the Gods Morgan           

1976    Mayday at 40,000 Feet!          Greco  TV movie

1976    Break the Bank           self       game show - 4 episodes

1977    Viva Knievel!  Jessie  

1977    Sidewinder 1   Digger

1978    Starcrash          Akton 

1977-78           Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In   Guest (uncredited)       2 episodes

1979    When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? Teddy 

1979-87           Circus of the Stars       self       5 episodes

1980    The Robber Bridegroom         Jamie Lockhart

1980    The Alan Thicke Show           self       Episode #1.65

1980    Speak Up, America     self - host         2 episodes

1981-83           Fantasy Island Lorin Robertson/Nick Corbin 2 episodes

1983    Whiz Kids       Bobby Lee Janz          Episode: "Return of the Big Rocker"

1983    Celebrity Daredevils   self      

1983    Mausoleum      Oliver Farrell  

1983    The A-Team    Tom Anderson Episode: "Recipe for Heavy Bread"

1983-85           T. J. Hooker    Jack Lewis/Marino      2 episodes

1984    Matt Houston  Christian Dean            Episode: "The Secret Admirer"

1984    Jungle Warriors           Larry Schecter

1985    Half Nelson     Dexter Breen   Episode: "The Beverly Hills Princess"

1985    Hotel   Frank Brenner Episode: "Images"

1985    Otherworld      Chalktrauma    Episode: "Village of the Motorpigs"

1985    Street Hawk    Joseph Cannon            Episode: "The Adjuster"

1985    Airwolf            Johann Rector Episode: "Dambreakers"

1985    Hellhole           Dr. Dane         

1986-87           Falcon Crest    Vince Karlotti  17 episodes

1987    The Survivalist            Lieutenant Youngman

1989    American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt           'The Cobra'     

1990    Fire, Ice and Dynamite           Dan Selby      

1995    Wild Bill          Preacher