

It also put him on the radar of Hollywood producers. Referring to the gritty naturalism Beasley conveyed, Duvall, who also wrote and directed the film, recalled, “Somebody said, ‘Where’d you get that non-actor to play the preacher?’ And I said, ‘That non-actor has his own (theater) company and did Shakespeare and everything.’”īeasley often cited working with Duvall as confirmation he could act alongside anyone.
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Though he suspected his turn in “The Notebook” could be the role of his lifetime, Beasley made it clear in a 2022 American Theatre interview that he’d already achieved what he’d set out to do.īeing a working artist is the highest calling, he said, adding that he was both proud of and grateful for his career regardless of whether he made it to Broadway.ĭuvall, who cast Beasley as an earnest preacher to his fiery evangelist in the critically acclaimed 1997 movie “The Apostle,” remembered Beasley as “a great guy.” I’m going to miss him terribly,” she said by phone. Plunkett, a Tony Award winner, said that Beasley was “magnificent in that role.” The show, based on the best-selling novel, excited Beasley not only because of where it was taking him, but because he felt in perfect sync with the role and his co-star Maryann Plunkett. “The Notebook” company is expected to dedicate its Broadway run in his memory. He was preparing for a July workshop in New York in the musical’s lead-up to Broadway when he died. More recently, liver complications forced him to undergo tests before his condition suddenly worsened. He was hospitalized again in Omaha earlier this year. His appearance in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater preview run last fall got cut short due to a bout with COVID that landed him in the hospital.

This year, before his health failed, he was slated to make his Broadway debut as the older Noah in the new musical adaptation of “The Notebook.” After years paying dues in local and regional theater, he broke into TV then Hollywood in the early 1990s. The Omaha native only pursued acting professionally at age 45 once his two sons were raised. He followed an unconventional route to get there. Oscar winner Robert Duvall, reached by phone, described Beasley as “a wonderful actor.” He was 79.īeasley’s death sparked condolences and praise from well beyond his hometown.
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The television star and feature film supporting actor, who co-starred in the TV series “Everwood,” and appeared in HBO’s “Treme” and the beloved movie “Rudy,” died May 30 at an Omaha hospital. Despite a late start, actor John Beasley realized stage and screen dreams whose foundations he laid in Omaha.
