Harve Presnell's deep voice and imposing presence made authority seem natural, particularly in Fargo. We rate his later supporting work for the confidence he brings to small parts, though the casting does not always ask much beyond that.
Fi1m perspective
In Fargo (1996), Harve Presnell's Wade Gustafson has the height and the voice to make authority seem a matter of course. We found him intimidating because his size and deep voice make Wade seem accustomed to being obeyed. Joel and Ethan Coen make good use of an actor who brings that much with him. We recommend the film chiefly for Frances McDormand, but Presnell is one reason to pay attention to the smaller parts.
That was a substantial change of use for a performer whose early work depended on singing. Presnell's operatic baritone suited the musical lead, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) put him opposite Debbie Reynolds as Johnny Brown, repeating his Broadway role. A long stretch in stage and touring musicals followed before Fargo brought him back to feature films. The later casting kept the strong voice and imposing presence, but gave them to fathers and men in charge. Qualities that had suited a leading man could now make a supporting character seem overbearing.
His Victor Lazarro in Face/Off (1997) is a less revealing place to look for him. John Woo gives John Travolta and Nicolas Cage the pleasure of playing each other, and their acting makes the identity swap convincing. Presnell supplies the familiar authority of his later work, but the film offers less reason to concentrate on him. We recommend it readily, provided the protracted gunfire is not a deal-breaker.
Steven Spielberg cast him as General George C. Marshall in Saving Private Ryan (1998), another use for that authority. He later played Dave Severance for Clint Eastwood in Flags of Our Fathers (2006). There is a limitation to this sort of casting: the imposing man can be all a part needs, leaving less room for surprise. For Presnell, start with Fargo, then try The Unsinkable Molly Brown for the singing.
Biography
Harve Presnell, also credited as George Harvey Presnell, was an American actor and singer. Born in Modesto, California, he trained as a classical baritone and performed with orchestras and opera companies in the United States from the mid-1950s.
In 1960, composer Meredith Willson cast him as Johnny "Leadville" Brown in the Broadway musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Presnell reprised the role in the 1964 film adaptation and received a Golden Globe Award. He subsequently worked mainly in musical theatre on Broadway and in touring productions until the mid-1990s.
Presnell returned to film in the mid-1990s with supporting roles, including Wade Gustafson in Fargo (1996). He appeared in films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998), Face/Off (1997) and Evan Almighty (2007), and had television roles in series including The Pretender and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He died in 2009.
