Marjoe Gortner, Celebrity Child Preacher and ‘Falcon Crest’ Actor, Dies at 82

Marjoe Gortner, the evangelical child preacher whose life was chronicled in the Oscar-winning documentary Marjoe before he went on to pursue a career as an actor, has died. He was 82.

According to Variety, Gornter’s wife, Susan Magestro, confirmed he died on Friday (October 2) of complications from congestive heart failure. “Marjoe lived an extraordinary life, shaped by his imagination and rare gift for bringing people together,” the family said in a statement.

Born on January 14, 1944, in Long Beach, California, Gornter achieved fame at a young age when his evangelical parents pushed him to become a child preacher. He performed a marriage ceremony for a Paramount newsreel at age 4 and led sermons around the U.S. The family earned an estimated $3 million, but Gortner said his father absconded with the money shortly before Gortner turned 16.

Disillusioned with the evangelical movement, Gortner moved to New York in his 20s to pursue an acting career. In 1971, he granted access to a film crew to document his final ministry revival tour. The resulting film, Marjoe (1972), became a hit and won an Oscar for Best Feature Documentary.

After the documentary’s success, Gortner went on to score acting roles in several hit television series, including episodes of Police Story, Barnaby Jones, and Medical Center. He also appeared as himself on The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and the game show Break the Bank.

He also appeared in many movies, including Earthquake (1974), Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976), The Food of the Gods (1976), When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder? (1979), and more.

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Gortner’s acting career continued throughout the 1980s, with roles in Fantasy Island, The A-Team, T. J. Hooker, Otherworld, and Airwolf. However, his most memorable part came in the CBS soap opera Falcon Crest, where he played Vince Karlotti for 17 episodes between 1986 and 1987.

His acting work slowed down in the 1990s, with his final role coming in the 1999 film The Debtors.

Actor Ian Ziering paid tribute to Gortner, writing, “Marjoe Gortner was a force of nature. He became an evangelist in his teens, an actor in his young adulthood. His life story won an Oscar. I knew him because he produced the Marjoe Gortner celebrity sports invitationals that aired on CBS Saturdays for years.”

“He brought celebrities all over the world to raise money for different charities… This man raised millions and millions of dollars for different charities while providing some of the most incredible celebrity experiences of my lifetime,” he added. “I will never forget this man, and I will always be appreciative of not just what he did for me, but what he did for everyone who knew him.”