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Harve Presnell 1933 - 2009

Harve Presnell of West Hills, Los Angeles County, CA was born on September 14, 1933 in Modesto, Stanislaus County, and died at age 75 years old on June 30, 2009 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County.

Harve Presnell

George Harvey Presnell, Harvey Presnell

West Hills, Los Angeles County, CA 91307

September 14, 1933

Modesto, Stanislaus County, California, United States

June 30, 2009

Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States

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Harve Presnell Harve Presnell (1933 - 2009)

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Harve Presnell's History: 1933 - 2009

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Introduction

Harve Presnell Biography Born September 14, 1933 in Modesto, California, USA Died June 30, 2009 in Santa Monica, California, USA (pancreatic cancer) Birth Name George Harvey Presnell Height 6' 4¾" (1.95 m) By the time handsome, brawny baritone Harve Presnell arrived on the film scene, the "Golden Age" of musicals had long dissipated. Born in Modesto, California in 1933 and spending part of his youth on a family ranch near Yosemite Valley where he labored in the fields, it was discovered he had quite a voice at such a young age (7) and he became a soloist at his local church. He graduated from Modesto High School and received a USC sports scholarship, but moved quickly to singing at Lotte Lehmann's Academy of the West. At the age of 21, he coveted the lead in the American premiere of Darius Milhaud's "David". Initially trained for an operatic career, he spent three seasons singing throughout Europe with roles in "La Forza del Destino", "Un ballo in Maschera", "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Tosca". He also shared the musical stage with Dorothy Kirsten and Leontyne Price. Harve was performing nationally, including New York's Carnegie Hall in "Carmina Burana", when the opportunity for Broadway first came his way. Legendary composer Meredith Willson happened to catch an earful of the gifted singer in a "Gershwin Night" concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and, in the virile mold of Alfred Drake and Howard Keel, wrote the role of Johnny "Leadville" Brown in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" specifically for him. The Broadway musical, with Tammy Grimes as the spunky title heroine, was a resounding hit as Harve wrapped his glorious tonsils around such sturdy songs as "Colorado, My Home" and "I'll Never Say No". Unlike Grimes, Presnell was granted the opportunity to recreate his rags-to-riches part, when the celluloid version of The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) came out with a bankable film star, the indomitable Debbie Reynolds, inhabiting the backwoods role. The film version was also hugely popular with audiences and Harve, with his terrific presence, seemed well on his way to stardom. There were precious few movie musicals, however, for Presnell to sink his teeth into and he quickly faded from view. He tried adjusting to straight dramatics with the rugged western The Glory Guys (1965) and sang again in the highly unworthy teen frolic When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965) with Connie Francis, but little else came in his direction. The disastrous film version of Paint Your Wagon (1969), hurt by the miscasting of leads Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg, was redeemed only by the presence of Presnell and his superb, moving rendition of "They Call the Wind Mariah." By the 70s, Harve was finished in films but gamely kept his momentum with Keel-like stock and touring leads in such productions as "Camelot," "The Sound of Music," "Annie Get Your Gun" and "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," among others. He even played Rhett Butler in a 1972 musical version of "Gone With the Wind" at London's Drury Lane Theatre, but the production did not generate much of a stir. In 1979, Presnell served as a replacement in the Broadway musical "Annie" as Daddy Warbucks and wound up staying employed as the blustery but bighearted moneybags for nearly 4 years on tour, also reprising the role in the failed 90s sequel, "Annie II: Miss Hannigan's Revenge" (1989), which was later reworked and retitled "Annie Warbucks" (1992). All tolled, it is estimated that Harve played the tycoon role over 2,000 times. More than 25 years had passed by the time Presnell returned to the movies as a brash and balding character actor. He struck pure gold as the implacable, ill-fated father-in-law of William H. Macy in the Coen Brothers' cult film hit, Fargo (1996). This success, in turn, led to meaty roles in Larger Than Life (1996), The Whole Wide World (1996), The Chamber (1996), Face/Off (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), to name a few. Over the course of his career, he displayed a strong presence on TV as well with recurring roles on prime-time (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993)) and daytime (Ryan's Hope (1975). Presnell may have been born 10-20 years too late to have become a singing film star, but he suddenly had come back in spades to launch a whole new career as a noted character performer. At age 70+, he was unsinkable, vigorously steamrolling on TV (The Pretender (1996), Monk (2002) and ER (1994)) and in the films Mr. Deeds (2002), Old School (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and Evan Almighty (2007). His last series role was in the short-lived Andy Barker, P.I. (2007). Pancreatic cancer got the best of the actor in his final years. The twice-married Presnell with six children (Stephanie, Taylor, Etoile, Tulley, Shannon and Raine) succumbed to his illness at the St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California on June 30, 2009, at age 75. Spouse (2) Veeva Suzanne Hamblen (6 May 1966 - 30 June 2009) ( his death) ( 3 children) Sheryl Mae Green (15 July 1957 - 25 April 1966) ( divorced) ( 2 children) Trade Mark (2) Towering height His baritone voice Trivia (11) Born at 2:10am-PDT Singer-actor, originally from the legitimate stage, best known for playing the male lead in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" on both Broadway and film and playing the role of "Daddy Warbucks" in "Annie" almost a thousand times on Broadway and on tour. Presnell was once a soloist with the Roger Wagner Chorale. He soloed on the Christmas classic "O Holy Night" in their 1956 "Joy To The World" LP. This was one of Capitol Records earliest stereo efforts. In addition, he sang with Marilyn Horne in "He's Gone Away" and also soloed on "O, Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie," both of which can be found on the RWC album "Folk Songs Of The New World." Presnell has had very two distinct portions to his career: that of a smooth, silky-voiced and handsome actor cast as the romantic lead in musicals; and that of a balding, gravelly-voiced older man who frequently plays cruel men of power due to his towering, imposing presence. He is the outstanding baritone soloist in the spirited 1960 Columbia recording of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Rutgers University Choirs and the Philadephia Orchestra. The recording, still available, was reissued on CD in 1990 by Sony. He was nominated for a 1992 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Musical for "Annie Warbucks", at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. In later years he maintained a ranch in Livingston, Montana, and flew to Hollywood when he had TV or film work. An avid pilot since childhood, he had already learned how to fly a plane by age 10. Played Brigham Young in the musical "Brigham!", written for the 100th anniversary of the founding of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. One of Mr. Presnell's first recordings was with his church choir at Hollywood Presbyterian (RCA Victor LPM 1258). On their album he soloed on The Lord's Prayer and was part of the quartet featured on Come Thou Almighty King. Took a 20-year hiatus from movie appearances between 1976 and 1996, focusing more on theater roles and rare TV appearances, returning with great effect in Fargo (1996) which made him a more regular presence in motion pictures.
09/14

1933

Birthday

September 14, 1933

Birthdate

Modesto, Stanislaus County, California United States

Birthplace

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Early Life & Education

He graduated from Modesto High School and received a USC sports scholarship.
Professional Career

Famous actor in theater, films and opera.
06/30

2009

Death

June 30, 2009

Death date

Pancreatic cancer.

Cause of death

Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California United States
Death location

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Obituary

Harve Presnell, Singing Actor, Dies at 75 By William Grimes July 2, 2009 Harve Presnell, whose rich operatic baritone thrilled audiences in the stage and film versions of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and who made an unexpected return to the screen as William H. Macy’s overbearing father-in-law in “Fargo,” died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 75 and lived in Livingston, Mont. The cause was complications of pancreatic cancer, said his agent, Gregg Klein. Mr. Presnell, who trained as an opera singer, brought an imposing physical presence he stood 6 feet 4 inches and a resplendent voice to the Broadway stage, delivering a star-making performance as Leadville Johnny Brown in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” “He anchored that show, with a down-to-earth quality that played perfectly against Tammy Grimes’s wonderfully eccentric style,” said Miles Kreuger, the president of the Institute of the American Musical. “It’s a pity they didn’t give him more larger-than-life roles because he had the physical presence and the voice for it.” It was Mr. Presnell’s misfortune to arrive on the scene as the golden age of the musical was in its twilight, and roles worthy of his voice were few and far between. His triumphant debut led to unsatisfactory film roles and a somewhat stunted career appearing in national tours of Broadway musicals, most notably as Daddy Warbucks in “Annie,” a role he also played on Broadway and reprized in the ill-fated “Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge.” The Coen brothers gave him a second Hollywood career as a character actor when they cast him in “Fargo” in 1996. That role led to a series of meaty film parts, including Gen. George C. Marshall in “Saving Private Ryan.” George Harvey Presnell was born in Modesto, Calif. After graduating from Modesto High School, he studied voice at the University of Southern California and embarked on a concert career. Harve Presnell performed with Tammy Grimes in the stage version of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” In the 1950s he sang with the Roger Wagner Chorale and performed on their recordings for Capitol, including the Christmas album “Joy to the World,” “Folk Songs of the New World” and “Folk Songs of the Frontier.” Mr. Presnell also sang the baritone part in the 1960 recording of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. After hearing Mr. Presnell sing, Meredith Willson created the part of Johnny Brown as a star-making vehicle for him. When “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” opened in 1960, with Ms. Grimes in the starring role, Mr. Presnell planted his feet and let audiences have it with both barrels as he boomed the songs “Colorado, My Home” and “I’ll Never Say No.” He repeated the role in the highly successful film version, released in 1964, with Debbie Reynolds as Molly. It was a once-in-a-lifetime role. In 1965 he tried his hand at a straight western, “The Glory Guys,” but he was desperate to sing, which helps explain his appearance in the Connie Francis film “When the Boys Meet the Girls.” The film of “Paint Your Wagon” (1969), with bizarre casting that mingled Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg, delivered the golden opportunity to sing the unforgettable ballad “They Call the Wind Mariah,” but by the 1970s his Hollywood adventure had seemingly come to an end. For the next decade Mr. Presnell toiled in the minor leagues of musical theater. He toured with “Annie Get Your Gun” and “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.” He played Rhett Butler in a short-lived musical version of “Gone With the Wind” in London. His second crack at Broadway came when John Schuck left “Annie” in 1980, allowing him to step in as Daddy Warbucks, a role he had played in touring companies. The breakthrough role of Wade Gustafson in “Fargo” rejuvenated a film career that had barely had time to get started in the 1960s. Mr. Presnell, whose face and voice had weathered with the years, suddenly found his services as a character actor in demand in film and on television for roles requiring a powerful presence and a whiff of menace. He had recurring roles in the television series “The Pretender” and “Andy Barker, P.I.” and appeared in the films “Larger Than Life,” “Face/Off” and “The Legend of Bagger Vance.” His most recent film role was as a senator in “Evan Almighty.” Mr. Presnell’s first marriage ended in divorce. His survivors include his second wife, Veeva; six children, Stephanie, Taylor, Etoile, Tulley, Shannon and Raine; and several grandchildren.

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Harve Presnell lived 5 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 75.

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