Marjoe Gortner, the former child evangelist who exposed the world of revival preaching before reinventing himself as a Hollywood actor, has died. He was 82.
Gortner, whose unusual life became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Marjoe, died Friday following complications from congestive heart failure, according to his family.
His career took one of the more remarkable turns in Hollywood history.
Long before appearing in movies and television shows including Earthquake and Falcon Crest, Gortner was already famous across America as a pint-sized preacher.
Born Hugh Marjoe Gortner on Jan. 14, 1944, in Long Beach, California, he was the son of evangelical minister Vernon Gortner and his wife, Marge.
His unusual middle name, “Marjoe,” was reportedly created by combining the names Mary and Joseph.
Gortner showed an ability to speak confidently in front of crowds at an extraordinarily young age. His parents soon turned that talent into a religious career.
He was ordained as a preacher at just 4 years old and became a child sensation on the evangelical revival circuit, delivering highly theatrical sermons before packed crowds.
His performances included shouting, pacing, dramatic gestures and fiery appeals that drew attention well beyond traditional church audiences.
Gortner later said his family earned millions of dollars through his preaching years. He claimed, however, that his father disappeared with much of the money shortly before Gortner turned 16.
After spending time away from the ministry, Gortner eventually returned to revival preaching because he needed an income.
But by then, his view of the business had radically changed.
In 1971, Gortner allowed filmmakers Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan to follow him during what he said would be his final revival tour.
The result was the 1972 documentary Marjoe.
Rather than presenting him simply as a preacher, the movie showed Gortner openly discussing techniques he said evangelists used to excite crowds, collect donations and create an emotionally charged atmosphere.
Cameras also captured him backstage and in hotel rooms, including scenes in which he counted money collected during revival meetings.
Gortner said he even studied rock stars such as Mick Jagger while developing his energetic stage presence.
The documentary became a sensation and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 1973 Oscars.
The exposure opened the door to an entirely different career.
Gortner signed with Universal Pictures and made his dramatic acting debut as drug addict Teddy Hopper in the 1973 television movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders.
The film served as the pilot for the hit CBS detective series Kojak starring Telly Savalas.
A year later, Gortner landed one of his best-known movie roles in the blockbuster disaster film Earthquake.
He played Jody Joad, a grocery store manager and National Guardsman who becomes increasingly unstable as Los Angeles descends into chaos following a devastating earthquake.
Gortner continued acting throughout the 1970s.
He starred opposite Lynda Carter in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw in 1976, appeared in Viva Knievel! in 1977 and headlined the cult science-fiction movie Starcrash in 1978.
In 1979, he took on one of his darker roles in When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?, portraying a disturbed Vietnam veteran who terrorizes people inside a roadside diner.
His television résumé eventually included appearances on Barnaby Jones, Medical Center, Police Story, Laugh-In, The A-Team, Fantasy Island, Airwolf and Hotel.
Decades after leaving the revival circuit, Gortner once again drew on his religious background for a memorable television role.
During the 1986-87 season of Falcon Crest, he appeared in 17 episodes as Vince Karlotti, a flamboyant polygamist who posed as a psychic medium.
His familiarity with charismatic religious performers gave the role an unusual connection to his own past.
One of Gortner’s later film appearances came in the 1995 Western Wild Bill, where he fittingly played a preacher.
He also worked behind the scenes in entertainment, producing Circus of the Stars specials and celebrity sporting events that raised money for charitable causes.
Gortner’s personal life included several marriages.
He was briefly married to American Graffiti actress Candy Clark in the late 1970s. The two also appeared together in When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?
He later married Susan Magestro in 2019, and she survives him.
While younger viewers may recognize Gortner primarily from movies and television, his lasting cultural legacy is likely to remain tied to Marjoe.
The documentary captured the extraordinary story of a man who had been placed behind a pulpit before he was old enough to attend elementary school, walked away from the revival world that made him famous and then publicly revealed what he said happened behind the scenes.
That decision transformed Gortner from a former child preacher into one of the most unusual figures to make the leap from American religious celebrity to Hollywood actor.
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