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John Beck (actor)
Encyclopedia
John Beck is an American actor. He grew up in Joliet, Illinois
. Renowned as a gritty actor with plenty of presence on set, he is ultimately best-known worldwide for playing the role of Mark Graison in Dallas
during the mid-1980s, but is also well-known for several other roles in which he specialised in playing hard-ball businessmen.
. However, following his performance in a school play aged 16, which he had been asked to take part in as a means of overcoming profound shyness, his tutors encouraged him to try to get into drama school instead. He moved to California in 1962 at age 19, and initially made his living by appearing in TV commercials. In 1963/ 1964 he attended Joliet Junior College and was in an acting class. A year later, he made his first television appearance as an actor in his own right in a 1965 episode of I Dream of Jeannie
(entitled 'Russian Roulette') at the age of 21, and was soon highly commended as one of the United States' strongest support actors. His numerous credits as a support actor over the years include guest slots in such series as the Perry Mason
TVMs of 1985 to 1993, Diagnosis: Murder
, Baywatch
(Beck was a good friend of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff
during the 1980s), Tales from the Crypt
, Bonanza
, Gunsmoke
, Mission: Impossible
, Hawaii Five-O
, and Matlock
, among numerous others. So busy was his schedule in his early career that many of the characters he played were either killed off or written out prematurely as he no longer had time to play them.
Already a household name in the United States by this point, Beck first came to the attention of international audiences in 1973 when he played an underground leader named "Erno" who leads a revolt against a fascist government in the Woody Allen sci-fi comedy Sleeper
. That same year he appeared as a character named "Poe" in the Sam Peckinpah
western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
, and in 1975 he appeared opposite James Caan as "Moonpie" in the original Rollerball
.
in 1977, Beck played the male lead. The film, though critically acclaimed, was a box office flop, largely due to 20th Century Fox
's controversial decision to tag the film as a double bill with the first Star Wars
film on its cinema release, a factor that caused The Other Side of Midnight to do less well commercially than it might otherwise have done. Nevertheless, Beck's strong performance in this film made numerous TV producers and directors take notice, and marked him out as an actor with great potential.
In 1978, Beck starred in an adaptation of H. G. Wells
's The Time Machine
(with future Three's Company
actress Priscilla Barnes). He appeared as Dorian Blake in 1985's Peyton Place: The Next Generation, a proposed revival of 1960s nighttime drama
Peyton Place
. Both productions aired on NBC in the United States.
After over fifteen years of being cast in support roles and bit-parts in various American drama and comedy series and low-budget films, he finally landed his first major starring role playing Sam Curtis in the early 1980s television soap opera
Flamingo Road, followed by the role of Mark Graison on Dallas
(his best-known role) from 1983 to 1986. Although his character was killed off in 1984, he later returned after having faked his death to seek an alternative cure for a disease he was suffering from. In 1986, however, former star Patrick Duffy
was asked to return to Dallas
. To accommodate this, the producers made the entire 1985-86 season a dream of Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal
). As a result, Beck's character was written out of the show as if he had never actually returned from the dead.
His other credits as a leading performer include Santa Barbara
and, more recently, a recurring role in Walker: Texas Ranger.
in three episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series
, although to date this remains the only role as a voice actor in his career. Beck also guest-starred as the character Raymond Boone in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
extended episode "Tribunal" in 1994. A year later, he appeared in the film Black Day Blue Night
. His increasingly hectic workload between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s wore Beck down to the extent that after leaving the Walker: Texas Ranger series in 1997, he began to wind down his acting schedule due to exhaustion.
Still a favourite of US critics, Beck's last appearance on screen to date was in the 2005 TV movie Crash Landing.
without the need for a stunt double.
Now aged 68, Beck has over 200 TV/film appearances to his name, in an acting career spanning more than four decades. He has been married to former actress and model Tina Carter since 1971 and they have four children.
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
. Renowned as a gritty actor with plenty of presence on set, he is ultimately best-known worldwide for playing the role of Mark Graison in Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
during the mid-1980s, but is also well-known for several other roles in which he specialised in playing hard-ball businessmen.
Early career (1964–1976)
Beck grew up in Chicago, where he lived on his father's ranch. His childhood ambition was to become a veterinarianVeterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
. However, following his performance in a school play aged 16, which he had been asked to take part in as a means of overcoming profound shyness, his tutors encouraged him to try to get into drama school instead. He moved to California in 1962 at age 19, and initially made his living by appearing in TV commercials. In 1963/ 1964 he attended Joliet Junior College and was in an acting class. A year later, he made his first television appearance as an actor in his own right in a 1965 episode of I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
(entitled 'Russian Roulette') at the age of 21, and was soon highly commended as one of the United States' strongest support actors. His numerous credits as a support actor over the years include guest slots in such series as the Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
TVMs of 1985 to 1993, Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
, Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
(Beck was a good friend of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
during the 1980s), Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
, Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, and Matlock
Matlock (TV series)
Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
, among numerous others. So busy was his schedule in his early career that many of the characters he played were either killed off or written out prematurely as he no longer had time to play them.
Already a household name in the United States by this point, Beck first came to the attention of international audiences in 1973 when he played an underground leader named "Erno" who leads a revolt against a fascist government in the Woody Allen sci-fi comedy Sleeper
Sleeper (film)
Sleeper is a 1973 futuristic science fiction comedy film, written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, and directed by Allen. The plot involves the adventures of the owner of a Greenwich Village, NY health food store played by Woody Allen who is cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200...
. That same year he appeared as a character named "Poe" in the Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. Co-star Bob Dylan composed multiple songs for the movie's score and the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid was released the same year.The film was noted for...
, and in 1975 he appeared opposite James Caan as "Moonpie" in the original Rollerball
Rollerball (1975 film)
Rollerball is a 1975 American dystopian fiction film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by William Harrison, who adapted his own short story "Roller Ball Murder", which first appeared in 1973 in Esquire magazine.-The Game:...
.
Commercial peak (1977–1986)
In the film The Other Side of MidnightThe Other Side of Midnight (film)
The Other Side of Midnight is a 1977 American film directed by Charles Jarrott and starring Marie-France Pisier, John Beck and Susan Sarandon...
in 1977, Beck played the male lead. The film, though critically acclaimed, was a box office flop, largely due to 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
's controversial decision to tag the film as a double bill with the first Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
film on its cinema release, a factor that caused The Other Side of Midnight to do less well commercially than it might otherwise have done. Nevertheless, Beck's strong performance in this film made numerous TV producers and directors take notice, and marked him out as an actor with great potential.
In 1978, Beck starred in an adaptation of H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
's The Time Machine
The Time Machine
The Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 for the first time and later adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction...
(with future Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
actress Priscilla Barnes). He appeared as Dorian Blake in 1985's Peyton Place: The Next Generation, a proposed revival of 1960s nighttime drama
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Peyton Place
Peyton Place (TV series)
Peyton Place is an American prime-time soap opera which aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964 to June 2, 1969.Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. A total of 514 episodes were broadcast, in...
. Both productions aired on NBC in the United States.
After over fifteen years of being cast in support roles and bit-parts in various American drama and comedy series and low-budget films, he finally landed his first major starring role playing Sam Curtis in the early 1980s television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Flamingo Road, followed by the role of Mark Graison on Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
(his best-known role) from 1983 to 1986. Although his character was killed off in 1984, he later returned after having faked his death to seek an alternative cure for a disease he was suffering from. In 1986, however, former star Patrick Duffy
Patrick Duffy
Patrick George Duffy is an American character actor of stage and film. He is best known for his role on the CBS television drama Dallas, where he played Bobby Ewing from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991, Duffy returns to reprise his role as Bobby in a new up-to-date Dallas currently scheduled to...
was asked to return to Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
. To accommodate this, the producers made the entire 1985-86 season a dream of Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal
Victoria Principal
Victoria Principal is an American actress, best known for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS nighttime drama Dallas from 1978 to 1987.-Early life:...
). As a result, Beck's character was written out of the show as if he had never actually returned from the dead.
His other credits as a leading performer include Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara (TV series)
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
and, more recently, a recurring role in Walker: Texas Ranger.
Recent career (1989–present)
The 1990s saw Beck turn to voice acting for the first time in his career when he provided the voice of the PunisherPunisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
in three episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
, although to date this remains the only role as a voice actor in his career. Beck also guest-starred as the character Raymond Boone in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
extended episode "Tribunal" in 1994. A year later, he appeared in the film Black Day Blue Night
Black Day Blue Night
- Plot :A wife's husband is cheating on her. She decides to go on a road trip with her husband's other woman. While driving the two women pick up a hitchhiker. The man they pick up may be a robber and murderer on the run from the cops...
. His increasingly hectic workload between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s wore Beck down to the extent that after leaving the Walker: Texas Ranger series in 1997, he began to wind down his acting schedule due to exhaustion.
Still a favourite of US critics, Beck's last appearance on screen to date was in the 2005 TV movie Crash Landing.
Outside of acting
Beck was a proficient boxer in the 1970s and won several amateur titles, most notably the heavyweight 'Golden Gloves' of Chicago in 1973. Also a one-time champion roller-skater, he was able to perform many of his own stunts in the film RollerballRollerball
Rollerball can refer to:*Rollerball pen, a type of ballpoint pen and ink*another name for a trackball in computing*Rollerball , a science fiction film based on the short story "Rollerball Murder"...
without the need for a stunt double.
Personal life
Throughout his time in the showbiz industry Beck has rarely talked to the media, even at the peak of his career in the mid-1980s.Now aged 68, Beck has over 200 TV/film appearances to his name, in an acting career spanning more than four decades. He has been married to former actress and model Tina Carter since 1971 and they have four children.
Selected filmography
- SleeperSleeper (film)Sleeper is a 1973 futuristic science fiction comedy film, written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, and directed by Allen. The plot involves the adventures of the owner of a Greenwich Village, NY health food store played by Woody Allen who is cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200...
(1973) - RollerballRollerball (1975 film)Rollerball is a 1975 American dystopian fiction film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by William Harrison, who adapted his own short story "Roller Ball Murder", which first appeared in 1973 in Esquire magazine.-The Game:...
(1975) - Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux KlanAttack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux KlanAttack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan is a 1975 two-part television movie, which dramatised the events following the 1964 disappearance and murder of three Civil Rights workers in Mississippi...
(1975) (TV movie) - The Big BusThe Big BusThe Big Bus is a 1976 American James Frawley spoof comedy starring Stockard Channing and Joe Bologna. A spoof of most disaster movies popular at the time, it follows the maiden cross-country trip—New York to Denver, non-stop—of an enormous nuclear powered bus named Cyclops equipped with a bowling...
(1976) - Sky RidersSky RidersSky Riders is a 1976 American action film directed by Douglas Hickox and starring James Coburn, Susannah York and Robert Culp. A woman and her children are kidnapped in Athens and held in a mountain-top monastery as hostages by a revolutionary terrorist movement...
(1976) - Audrey RoseAudrey Rose (film)Audrey Rose is a 1977 horror film, with metaphysical content, directed by Robert Wise, starring Marsha Mason and Anthony Hopkins. It was based on the novel of the same title by Frank De Felitta. The original music score was composed by Michael Small.-Plot:...
(1977) - The Other Side of MidnightThe Other Side of Midnight (film)The Other Side of Midnight is a 1977 American film directed by Charles Jarrott and starring Marie-France Pisier, John Beck and Susan Sarandon...
(1977) - Fire and RainFire and Rain (film)Fire and Rain is a television movie released in 1989, based on the plane crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on August 2, 1985....
(1989) (TV movie) - Extreme LimitsExtreme LimitsExtreme Limits is an 2000 action film about the recovery of Nikola Tesla's death ray. The film is directed by Jay Andrews and produced by T.J. Terrier...
(2000)