Marjoe Gortner Dies at 80 in Santa Fe
Child evangelist turned documentary subject and actor Marjoe Gortner died on October 2 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to an announcement from his wife, Susan Magestrov, reported by novinky.cz. He lived an exceptional life, everything he desired came true,
Magestrov stated in the obituary notice.
Born on January 14, 1944, in Long Beach, California, Gortner entered a family with a deep preaching tradition. Prompted by his father, he began preaching at a very young age and became the youngest ordained minister in that profession. Gortner later recounted that while his parents earned vast sums of money through his ministry, he suffered personally. At age sixteen, following an argument with his father over money, he quit preaching and moved to San Francisco, where he immersed himself in the hippie counterculture before occasionally returning to preach in the Pentecostal movement simply to support himself.
From Pentecostal Pulpit to Oscar-Winning Documentary
Gortner transitioned to cinema in 1971 with the release of Marjoe, a self-titled documentary that exposed the inner workings and financial mechanics of the Pentecostal revival circuit. The film became a major box-office and critical sensation, ultimately winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The success of the documentary launched his career in narrative film and television.
Following his documentary debut, Gortner secured roles across television and feature films. He appeared in the pilot movie for Kojak, titled The Marcus-Nelson Murders, and starred alongside Charlton Heston in the disaster blockbuster Earthquake. His filmography also includes the H.G. Wells adaptation The Food of the Gods, the Italian science fiction film Starcrash, and the martial arts action sequel American Ninja 3: Sunder Destruction, where he played the primary villain, Cobra.
Music, Later Roles, and Marriages
Despite his extensive film and television credits, Gortner remained most closely identified with the documentary that chronicled his early life. Beyond acting, he released a music album in 1972, and in 2010, a theatrical play about his life premiered. His narrative film career concluded with a role in the 1995 Western Wild Bill, where he appropriately played a preacher alongside Jeff Bridges and John Hurt.
Gortner’s personal life included three marriages. He was first married to Agnes Benjamin, whom he met through his documentary, and later to actress Candy Clark. He married Susan Magestrov in 2019, and the couple resided in New Mexico until his death.
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