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Round-faced, stocky character player who shifts easily between comedy and drama. Forsythe began acting at ten in his hometown of Brooklyn, performing in school and neighborhood productions. By age 16 he was a full-time NY stage actor appearing in off-off and off-Broadway productions. In his early 20s, Forsythe moved to L.A. and landed a bit part in a cheapie car chase pic, "Smokey Bites the Dust" (1981). That year also marked his TV debut in "The Miracle of Kathy Miller", an inspirational TV movie. Forsythe went on to guest spots (usually as a heavy) on some 80s TV staples including "CHiPs", "Hill Street Blues" and "Fame". His big feature break came opposite Robert De Niro and James Woods in Sergio Leone's sweeping gangster epic, "Once Upon a Time in America". As Cockeye, Forsythe was a boyish yet dangerous gangster.
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Forsythe was impressive in two very different 1987 films: Joel and Ethan Coen's riotous "Raising Arizona" and "Weeds", an earnest drama about a prison theater group. In "Raising Arizona" he was Evelle, the slick-haired, redneck escaped convict partner of John Goodman. Regarding his performance in the latter, critic Pauline Kael wrote that "Forsythe's Burt is both a comic-strip goof and a believable character.... Forsythe incarnates the magic of theatre that the convicts are reaching for."
Forsythe has continued to turn in memorable performances including the volatile Teko in Paul Schrader's "Patty Hearst" (1988); the creepy Flattop in "Dick Tracy" (1990); JD the dangerous associate of Edward James Olmos in the gritty prison drama "American Me"; and Bloss the redneck paraplegic in "The Waterdance" (both 1992). Forsythe entered weekly TV as Al Capone in the syndicated revival of "The Untouchables" (syndicated 1993-94). To state that his tough portrayal was the series' greatest asset is an understatement. He continued to make features during and after the series, generally as the heavy (as in 1995's "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead"). Forsythe had a chance to show his gentle, comic side as a hapless petty thief who forges an unlikely romance with a salesgirl in "Palookaville" (1995). |
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