Oscar-Nominated Actor and IQ Genius Robert Forster Dies at 78

“If you deliver excellence right now, that gives you the best shot at the best future you’ve got coming.”

— Robert Forster

Robert Forster was an American actor with a net worth of $3 million at the time of his death in 2019. Born in July 1941 in Rochester, New York, Forster graduated from the University of Rochester in 1964, where he took part in student productions, including Bye Bye Birdie.

Films & TV shows

He made his film debut in Reflections in a Golden Eye and followed it with roles in The Stalking Moon and the 1969 counterculture drama Medium Cool. Forster later transitioned to television, starring in series such as Banyon and Nakia.

Throughout the 1980s, he appeared in cult favorites like Alligator, Vigilante, The Delta Force, and The Banker. His career saw a major resurgence in 1997 when he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.

Forster went on to appear in numerous notable films including Mulholland Drive, Me, Myself & Irene, Lucky Number Slevin, Like Mike, and Firewall. On television, he had recurring roles in Heroes, Alcatraz, and from 2012 to 2014, played Bud in Last Man Standing.

Over the course of his career, Forster accumulated more than 160 acting credits. He was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2012.

Personal life

In his personal life, he was married twice—first to June Forster (1966–1975) and later to Ziva Forster (1978–1980)—and was the father of three daughters.

Forster was a member of the Triple Nine Society, an exclusive organization for individuals whose IQs place them in the top 0.1% of the population—typically requiring a minimum score of 146 on the Wechsler scale or 149 on the Stanford-Binet scale.

How did Robert Forster die?

In June 2019, Forster was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He passed away just four months later, on October 11, 2019, at his home in Los Angeles, at the age of 78.