Steve Forrest made military rank and professional competence easy to believe. We value his steady authority in action roles; comedy was less dependable, especially when a film expected his stern presence to do the work of a joke.
Fi1m perspective
Steve Forrest looks at home in a chain of command. His stern manner and imposing build make a police or military superior immediately plausible, before a script has done much to establish him. In John Landis's Spies Like Us (1985), he plays General Sline, a sensible piece of casting in a spy spoof that lets the adventure outgrow the jokes. We find the film too thinly written to recommend. Forrest is suited to the uniform, but that is only the beginning of a comic performance.
His early film work was mostly in supporting or second-lead parts, with television becoming a larger part of the career from the mid-1950s. Don Siegel's Flaming Star (1960), opposite Elvis Presley, and his Captain Harding in The Longest Day (1962) show how useful that solid presence could be. Anthology and western television appearances led to the British espionage series The Baron (1966–67), where he took the lead.
The clearest fit was Lieutenant Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson, the tactical unit commander in S.W.A.T. (1975–76). His stoicism suits a man employed to take charge, and there is no reason to demand a display of feeling every time an actor gives an order. We are less persuaded when a part needs more than this firm, reliable manner. In Mommie Dearest (1981), he looks uncomfortable, and the familiar reserve becomes stiffness.
That is why we would not use Spies Like Us as the introduction to his work. We enjoyed some of the hurried training comedy, then grew impatient as the adventure outgrew the jokes. Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd offer agreeable company, but the writing leaves too much of the comic work to the performers, and Forrest's sternness is not enough on its own. His willingness to lampoon his action persona is welcome; the result still depends on what a film gives him to do. Start with the television S.W.A.T., where being convincing in command is the job.
Biography
Steve Forrest (born William Forrest Andrews) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television series over six decades, often in supporting or guest roles. He was the younger brother of actor Dana Andrews.
Forrest was born in Huntsville, Texas, in 1925. He served in the US Army during the Second World War, seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge. After the war he studied theatre at UCLA, graduating in 1950, and began his screen career as a contract player with MGM. His early film credits include an uncredited role in The Band Wagon (1953).
He received the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year for his performance in So Big (1953). Forrest was known for roles in The Longest Day (1962), North Dallas Forty (1979) and Mommie Dearest (1981), and for playing Lt Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson in the television series S.W.A.T. (1975–76). He died in 2013.
