Harve Presnell, Star Of 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown,' Dies Of Cancer At 75

Actor Harve Presnell, star of stage and screen productions of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" has passed away from cancer at age 75.  Presnell died June 30th of pancreatic cancer at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, according to Gregg Klein, Presnell's agent.

Presnell made his Broadway debut at age 27 in Meredith Willson's "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," in which he starred as "Leadville" Johnny Brown opposite the title role played by Tammy Grimes. The show ran until early 1962, and a film adaptation brought the tale to the silver screen in 1964. Presnell reprised his role, this time opposite Debbie Reynolds as Molly. In 1989, the pair reprised their roles in a brief national tour of the show.

Harve Presnell starred as Rhett Butler in "Scarlett," a 1972 musical adaptation of "Gone with the Wind" mounted in London's West End. Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was adapted for the stage by Horton Foote and featured a score by Harold Rome.

Presnell appeared in various productions of "Annie" as Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, eventually playing the final Broadway performance of the show. In 1990, Mr. Presnell appeared as Warbucks in "Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge," a sequel to "Annie" which flopped and closed out-of-town in Washington. The project was significantly rewritten, and given a new name, "Annie Warbucks". The revised show went on to play 200 performances Off-Broadway in 1993.

Presnell appeared in several films after 'Molly Brown', including 1965's The Glory Guys, and the 1969 stage-to-screen transfer of Paint Your Wagon. The actor's film and television work took a backseat to his stage performances in the '60s and '70s, but his screen career had a rebirth when he appeared as William H. Macy's father-in-law in the 1996 film, Fargo. Later credits include Saving Private Ryan, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Pretender, Dawson's Creek, Andy Barker, P.I. and Evan Almighty.

Harve Presnell is survived by his wife, Veeva Suzanne Hamblen, and three children from a previous marriage.