Marjoe Gortner

Marjoe Gortner was born on Jan 14, 1944 in USA. Marjoe Gortner's big-screen debut came with The Marcus-Nelson Murders directed by Joseph Sargent in 1973, strarring Teddy Hopper. Marjoe Gortner is known for Laugh-In directed by Don Mischer, Robin Williams stars as Regular Performer and June Gable as Regular Performer. The upcoming new movie Marjoe Gortner plays is Wild Bill which will be released on Dec 01, 1995.

In his early career as the 4-year-old "World's Youngest Ordained Minister," Pentecostal preacher Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner became a 'Miracle Child' extraordinaire. Born on January 14, 1944 in Long Beach, California, the young tyke, who ministered the gospel from memory and performed faith healings, drew capacity crowds as he barnstormed throughout the Bible Belt. The son of Vernon Robert Gortner, an evangelical minister who preached at revivals, it was his mother Marge who pushed and introduced Marjoe to the world as a boy preacher, and it the primary reason for his success. At age 16, however, Marjoe grew acutely disillusioned with what he considered a horrible deception, eventually withdrawing from the scene.Unbeknownst to his father and other ministers of his purpose to reveal this deception, Marjoe agreed to let a film crew follow him throughout his final 1971 national tour of revival meetings before leaving "the business." The fascinating Oscar-winning documentary Marjoe (1972) that resulted, based on his life as a fake evangelist, introduced the public to a new and profoundly hypnotic performer. Prior to filming the documentary, Marjoe displayed his musical talents. As prolific musician, he could play the drums, saxophone, organ, guitar, accordion and piano and performed with a Los Angeles rock band. On the strength of the documentary's critical success, he managed to record a 1973 solo album for RCA, "Bad, But Not Evil." Feeling a strong compulsion to act, Marjoe's talents for drawing an audience and public speaking were quickly put to use. Handed potent roles in the TV projects The Marcus-Nelson Murders (1973) and La justice du seigneur (1974), roles that capitalized on his magnetism and off-center flamboyance, the extremely positive reviews he received helped catapult him into 1970's films.Unfortunately, most of Marjoe's cinematic efforts went on to earn harsh critical reviews. Following a featured psychotic role in the all-star disaster film Tremblement de terre (1974), Marjoe went on to star in a few wild-eyed roles -- as a Billy the Kid type outlaw in the romantic crime drama Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976), a man framed as a drug smuggler in the action crimer Acapulco Gold (1976), a hunter being attacked by giant killer wasps in the horror opus Soudain... les monstres! (1976) a cocky cowboy in the motorcycle action film Le casse-cou (1977), a robot-battling intergalactic outlaw in the space actioneer Starcrash, le choc des étoiles (1978) and a vicious, hostage-taking drug dealer in the drama When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder (1979). Because of such poor box office receipts for these film, Marjoe's quest for top film stardom never materialized.The tall (6'2"), tousle-haired Marjoe did thrive, however, as an offbeat guest on a number of popular TV shows, including "Barnaby Jones," "Nakia," "Medical Center," "Police Story," "Fantasy Island," "The A-Team," "Math Houston," "Airwolf" and "T.J. Hooker." During the 1986-1987 season, Marjoe had the somewhat close-to-home role of Vince Karlotti, a villainous charlatan who posed as a psychic medium in the nighttime soap opera series Falcon Crest (1981).Marjoe stumbled through some more films in the 80s, but even he, with his undeniably charm and charisma, couldn't rise above the poor material offered in such movies as Mausoleum (1983) Les guerriers de la jungle (1984), Hellhole (1985), Opération survie (1987), American Warrior 3 (1989) and Fire Ice Dynamite (1990). He ended his career in the featured role of a preacher in the biography of Wild Bill Hickock entitled Wild Bill (1995) starring Jeff Bridges.Before retiring in 2010, the man who blew the whistle on evangelism produced Celebrity Sports Invitational charity golf tournaments and ski events for charitable purposes. Briefly married (1978-1979) to second wife Candy Clark, his co-star in When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder (1979), Marjoe waited four decades before attempting to marry again in 2019, this time to set decorator Susan Magestro.