Broadway and Film Vet Harve Presnell Dies at 75

Broadway and film veteran Harve Presnell died on June 30 at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. He was 75 and reportedly suffered from pancreatic cancer.

Born on September 14, 1933, in Modesto, California, George Harvey Presnell entered the University of Southern California on a sports scholarship but switched to music when the department head heard his baritone voice. The 6 foot 4 performer soon left college and spent three seasons singing in Europe, where he came to the attention of Music Man composer Meredith Willson. Presnell made his Broadway debut in 1960 in Willson’s The Unsinkable Molly Brown as mining contractor “Leadville” Johnny Brown opposite Tammy Grimes, reprising his performance in the 1964 film version opposite Debbie Reynolds.

Presnell appeared on Broadway only one more time, as a replacement Daddy Warbucks in the original production of Annie. He played the role again in the sequel, eventually known as Annie Warbucks, which had an off-Broadway run in 1993. Presnell acted in stock productions of shows such as Man of La Mancha, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Annie Get Your Gun and played Rhett Butler in a musical adaptation of Gone With the Wind seen in London in 1972.

On film, Presnell sang “They Call The Wind Maria” in the ill-fated 1969 adaptation of Paint Your Wagon and later found success as a deep-voiced character actor in Fargo (as William H. Macy’s father-in-law), Face/Off, Saving Private Ryan, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Legally Blonde, Mr. Deeds, Old School, Flags of Our Fathers and Evan Almighty, among others. On television, he had recurring or regular roles in Lois & Clark, The Pretender, Dawson’s Creek and Andy Barker P.I.