Oscar-nominated actor Frederic Forrest, dead at 86 years old – rest in peace

The news of a beloved actor’s death is never easy to read about. The news of Oscar-nominated actor Frederic Forrest is also the same. We are sending our condolences to his family and friends. Keep reading to learn more.

Frederic Forrest was best known for playing Sgt. Huston Dyer opposite Bette Midler in The Rose. The role earned him an Oscar-nomination for his portrayal of the character.

It was Midler herself who announced the sad news of his passing. She took to Twitter to make the announcement. She wrote, “The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”

According to reports, Forrest passed away on Friday at his Santa Monica home. He was 86 years old and had been fighting illness for a long time. The cause of his death has not yet been made public. Back in September 2022, his friends started a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs of his caregiving. The campaign stated that the money was to “maintain Fredric’s home care for the past six months by paying caregivers to be with him 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

The 1979 musical drama that earned Forrest his Oscar nod starred Bette Midler as Mary Rose Foster, a rockstar battling her demons. Her character falls in love with Forrest’s character, an Army sergeant who has gone AWOL. Their relationship in the film shows that they have gone through several challenges.

The Rose, directed by Mark Rydell, went on to be nominated for four Academy Awards, which included a nomination of Best Actress in a Leading Role for Bette Midler and Best Supporting Actor for Frederic Forrest. The film was also nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Forrest was also nominated for a Golden Globe for The Rose.

He had an impressive filmography that included titles such as When the Legends Die (his film debut), Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, One From the Heart, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, The Missouri Breaks, It Lives Again, The Two Jakes and Point Blank, and more. His last movie for the big screen was All the King’s Men.

The actor also had a lot of television acting credits to his name which included, Larry, Quo Vadis?, Lonesome Dove and 21 Jump Street. 

He was born on December 23, 1936, in Waxahachie in northeast Texas. His small town had three movie theaters, and he made sure to take advantage of all of them.

“I would act out movies when I was a kid. All we had was the picture show. There was no television so we’d go see all the movies,” he said in an interview. “We had three movie theaters in Waxahachie. Back in those days, actors would tour with the movies, so we’d get some cowboy stars that would come through. ‘B’ movies were big in little towns because you had the Saturday matinee.”

Forrest is survived by his sister.