Richard Basehart
Also known as John Richard Basehart
American actor (1914–1984)
Film & TV
Acting · Zanesville, Ohio, USA
John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred in the 1960s television science fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson. One of his most notable film roles was the acrobat known as "the Fool" in the acclaimed Italian film La strada directed by Federico Fellini. He also appeared as the killer in the film…
Known for
- The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller — Cpl. Denno (archive footage) (uncredited)2002
- Knight Rider: Knight of the Phoenix — Wilton Knight1982
- Bix: Ain't None of Them Play Like Him Yet — Self1982
- Egypt: Quest for Eternity — Narrator (Self)1982
- Knight Rider — Wilton Knight1982
- Mr. Merlin1981
- Masada — Modern-Day Narrator (voice, uncredited)1981
- Marilyn: The Untold Story — Johnny Hyde1980
- Being There — Vladimir Skrapinov1979
- Land of Celtic Ghosts — Himself1979
via TMDB
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
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Article
John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. Known for his "deep, resonant baritone voice and craggy good looks," he was active in film, theatre and television from 1947 until 1983. He won two National Board of Review Awards, for his performances in Fourteen Hours (1951) and Moby Dick (1956), and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Time Limit (1957).
Basehart was known to television viewers for starring as Admiral Harriman Nelson on the television science-fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knight in the pilot episode of the TV series Knight Rider (1982), and provided the narration that was heard during the opening credits throughout the entire series. He appeared in a number of British and Italian films in the mid-1950s, including Federico Fellini's La Strada and Il Bidone. He also narrated a wide range of television and film projects.