You hit the spiritual scene as a child evangelist and in later years exposed its foibles in the Oscar-winning documentary, Marjoe.
You thereafter became a familiar face on the silver screen with a wide range of roles, playing both hero and villain.
The Food of the Gods covered the former and paved the way for your role in the sexy cult classic, Starcrash. On the other end, Bobby Jo and the Outlaw gave audiences a modern take on Bonnie and Clyde, buffered by a string of such notable titles as Earthquake, Mausoleum, The Marcus-Nelson Murders (the Kojak pilot), Viva Knievel!, Mayday at 40,000 Feet!, Sidewinder 1, When You Comin Back, Red Ryder?, Acapulco Gold, The Czar of Brazil (aka Jungle Warriors), Hellhole, American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt, The Survivalist, Pray for the Wildcats, The Gun and the Pulpit, Wild Bill and Fire, Ice and Dynamite.
You were a consistent, television presence, as well, thanks to Circus of the Stars, ABC Late Night, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Alan Thicke Show, Break the Bank, Barnaby Jones, Matt Houston, T.J. Hooker, The A-Team, Whiz Kids, Medical Center, Nakia, Fantasy Island, Otherworld, Airwolf, Street Hawk, Medical Center, Half Nelson, Falcon Crest, Hotel and Speak Up, America.
And let's not forget your exemplary, singing skills and your wonderful, psychedelic, country-fied album, Bad But Not Evil. The link is below:
You covered so much, and much of its was all through your extraordinary life, which you were generous enough to share. Thank you for the memories and the inspiration, Mr. Gortner. You were truly an influential one of a kind.
