Robert Forster death: Breaking Bad – El Camino and Jackie Brown actor dies aged 78

Actor starred in over 100 films during a career that spanned five decades

Robert Forster, the Academy Award-nominated actor who starred in films including Jackie Brown and the recent Breaking Bad movie El Camino, has died aged 78.

He passed away in his Los Angeles home shortly after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Deadline reports.

Forster enjoyed a prolific career that spanned five decades. He appeared in over a hundred films, including The Descendants, Twin Peaks: The Return, Me, Myself & Irene, the Fallen film saga, and Mulholland Drive.

After a quiet period in the Nineties where he made a number of low-budget films, Forster was cast by Quentin Tarantino as bondsman Max Cherry in the 1997 film, Jackie Brown, who falls in love with Pam Grier’s put-upon flight attendant. His performance earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Forster never shied away from the fact that Jackie Brown revived his career. Speaking to AV Club in a 2011 interview, he said: ”I’d had the experience before of getting close to a good role and having the distributor say, ‘No, no, no, we want somebody else.’ I said to him [Tarantino], ‘Look, I appreciate it, but I don’t think they’ll let you hire me.’ And he said, ‘I hire anybody I want.’ And that’s when the world stopped.

“I know that Pam had the same experience, because we’ve talked about it. I could not believe that I was going to get another shot at this business. But this guy gave it to me. He gave me a gift, the size of which cannot be exaggerated... Jackie Brown pulled me out of the fire.”

Forster’s final performance was in the highly anticipated El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which was released on Netflix the day of his death.

His co-star Bryan Cranston led tributes to him, posting on his social media accounts: “I’m saddened today by the news that Robert Forster has passed away.

“A lovely man and a consummate actor. I met him on the movie Alligator 40 years ago, and then again on BB. I never forgot how kind and generous he was to a young kid just starting out in Hollywood. RIP Bob.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Forster is survived by four children, four grandchildren, and his long-time partner, Denise Grayson.