Harve Presnell
Movies such as "Old School," "Mr. Deeds," "Fargo," "Saving Private Ryan," "The Legend of Bagger Vance," and "The Family Man;" or TV's "The Pretender," culminated a career that began on the Broadway stage. Moviegoers of the 1960s remember him from his musical roles in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," and "Paint Your Wagon."
Later in his career, he became the quintissential Daddy Warbucks on tour and on Broadway in "Annie."
George Harvey Presnell was born in Modesto in 1933 and graduated from Modesto High School. He intended to pursue a career in opera because of his magnificent voice, but Rini Willson saw him perform in a concert at the Hollywood Bowl and told her husband, Meredith, who was looking for someone to play Johnny Brown on stage in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."
He was cast in that role, and played opposite Debbie Reynolds in the film. At the time Presnell opened in the show in New York with Tammy Grimes as Molly, he had never seen a Broadway musical.
Before his death of pancreatic cancer on June 30, 2009, he had become a full-fledged character actor in film and on television.
To go to Harve Presnell at IMDB, click here.
Click here to read the Playbill.com obituary.
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Photos above and below include two scenes from the Broadway production of "Molly Brown," with Presnell and Tammy Grimes, and an up-to-date picture of Presnell in "The Pretender." | ||||||||
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