John Forsythe, Small-Screen Standout

In a July 7, 1983 photo, actor John Forsythe, poses during an interview in Los Angeles, Ca. Forsythe, the actor who made his fortune as TV's affable "Bachelor Father" and the scheming oil tycoon in "Dynasty," died late Thursday, April 1, 2010 in Santa Ynez, Calif. said publicist Harlan Boll. He was 92. (AP Photo/Wally Wong, File)

Bachelor Father: Forsythe's breakout role came in 1957, when he took the lead in the sitcom Bachelor Father. Playing a happy single who suddenly becomes guardian to his niece when her parents die, Forsythe made us laugh with his foibles as he searched for love while learning how to be the dad of a teenager.

Charlie's Angels. In 1976, Forsythe took on a role that would become one of the best-known of 1970s television… even though he never appeared on screen. When Forsythe played Charlie Townsend, his voice was all we ever knew of the millionaire private detective, but it was enough to make the series a hit. (The lovely Angels – Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and more – didn't hurt, either.)

Dynasty. As Charlie's Angels came to an end in 1981, Forsythe didn't have long to wait for his next role. In fact, he stepped into the lead on Aaron Spelling’s Dynasty before Charlie's Angels (also an Aaron Spelling production) was quite done (he was a last-minute replacement for George Peppard). As oil tycoon Blake Carrington, Forsythe would be nominated three times for an Emmy and became the only actor to appear on all 200+ episodes of the show over nine seasons.

Written by Linnea Crowther