Harve Presnell

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
birthdate = Birth date and age|1933|9|14|mf=y
birthplace = Modesto, California

Harve Presnell (born September 14, 1933) is a Golden Globe-winning American film, stage and television actor.

Biography

Early life

Presnell was born George Harvey Presnell [According to the State of California. "California Birth Index, 1905-1995". Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com] in Modesto, California, and attended the University of Southern California. [ [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800021619/bio Harve Presnell Biography - Yahoo! Movies ] ] He made his stage debut at the age of sixteen, singing in an opera.

Career

His height, booming voice, and operatic training landed him the role of Johnnie Brown in Meredith Willson's musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" on stage which premiered on Broadway in 1960. He later reprised the role in the 1964 film version. He appeared as a cavalry scout in "The Glory Guys" (1965) and sang the stirring "They Call the Wind Maria" in the 1969 film "Paint Your Wagon". Presnell did some other film and television work in the 1960s and early 1970s, but for the next couple of decades concentrated primarily on stage work, playing Rhett Butler in the West End production of "Scarlett" and touring the US as Daddy Warbucks in "Annie" and its sequel, "Annie Warbucks", among other productions. His film career was revived when he played William H. Macy's father-in-law in "Fargo" (1996). Subsequent parts included General George C. Marshall in "Saving Private Ryan", Mr. Parker on "The Pretender", Dr. Sam Lane on "", and A.I. Brooks on "Dawson's Creek".

In 1984 Presnell appeared as Don Quijote in "Man of La Mancha" at the Darien Dinner Theater and received rave reviews from the New York Times. "As an actor, Mr. Presnell promises much, and as a singer, he delivers. Here is one of the shiniest vocal accounts of the role yet," wrote Alvin Klein. "The actor is on the verge of suggesting that in his implausible way, the Don can bring a measure of grace to the world and fulfill that old impossible dream." [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9900E4D61539F932A25750C0A962948260&scp=6&sq=Harve+Presnell&st=nyt New York Times. "Presnell Shines in 'La Mancha.'" by Alvin Klein. March 11, 1984.] ]

He sang the baritone role in Eugene Ormandy's 1960 recording of Carl Orff's majestic "Carmina Burana", released by Columbia/Sony on LP and CD.

His earliest recordings were as a soloist with the Roger Wagner Chorale (Capitol) in the '50s with the Chorale in the background particularly in the LP "Joy to the World" where he sang in "O Holy Night" (Cantique De Noel) — a version that is believed to have popularized the carol in the USA — and the LPs "Folk Songs of the New World" [Capitol P8324 (1955)] and "Folk Songs of the Frontier" [Capitol P8332 (1956)] , where he sang "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie", "Streets of Laredo", and "He's Gone Away" — the latter with Marilyn Horne as fellow soloist.

He was one of the stars of NBC's "Andy Barker, P.I."

References

External links

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* [http://www.filmspot.com/people/2057/harve-presnell/ Harve Presnell] at the FilmSpot