Frederic Forrest, the actor who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as Bette Midler‘s limousine driver-turned-lover in “The Rose,” has died. He was 86.
Midler confirmed Forrest’s death Friday on Twitter, hailing her late co-star as a “remarkable actor” and “brilliant human being.” Actor Barry Primus, who also appeared in “The Rose,” told the Hollywood Reporter that Forrest died Friday at his home in Santa Monica after a long illness.
“I was lucky to have him in my life,” Midler tweeted. “He was at peace.”
At the 52nd Academy Awards, Forrest was a supporting actor nominee for playing Huston Dyer, an AWOL Army sergeant who falls in love with a rock star (Midler) loosely based on Janis Joplin in 1979’s “The Rose.” Midler also received a nomination that year for lead actress.
Forrest was born in Waxahachie, Texas, and studied acting in New York at Lee Strasberg‘s studio before making his big-screen debut in 1972’s “When the Legends Die,” according to Turner Classic Movies. He was known for his work in “The Rose,” “Hammett,” “Valley Girl” and dozens more films, notably in features directed by Francis Ford Coppola including “The Conversation,” “Apocalypse Now” and “One From the Heart.”
Additionally, Forrest appeared in a number of TV movies and miniseries, including “Larry,” “Ruby and Oswald” “Who Will Love My Children,” “The Deliberate Stranger,” “Lonesome Dove” and “Citizen Cohn.”
He is survived by his sister, according to the Hollywood Reporter.