Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner (born January 14, 1944) is an American former evangelist preacher and actor. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him to be ordained as a preacher at age four due to his extraordinary speaking ability, making him the youngest known in that position to this day. As a young man, he preached on the revival circuit and brought celebrity to the revival movement.[1]
Marjoe Gortner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner January 14, 1944 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Occupations | Christian revivalist, actor |
| Years active | 1948–1995 |
| Spouses |
|
As an adult, Gortner, having grown regretful, admitted that his days as a child evangelist were filled with fake stories, lies and the sales of fake "holy" or healing items. Marjoe (1972) is a behind-the-scenes documentary about him and the lucrative business of Pentecostal preaching, in which he actively participated. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, and it became known as a prominent criticism of Pentecostal preaching.[2] Gortner had an acting career from the 1970s to the 1990s, which included a main role in the space opera film Starcrash (1978) and guest spots on several TV series, and also released a musical studio album titled Bad but Not Evil in 1972.
Early life
editHugh Marjoe Ross Gortner was born in 1944 in Long Beach, California, into a family with a long evangelical heritage.[2][3] The name "Marjoe" is a portmanteau of the biblical names "Mary" and "Joseph".[4][5][a] His father, Vernon Robert Gortner, was a third-generation Christian evangelical minister who preached at revivals.[4] His mother Marge, who has been labelled as "exuberant," was the person who introduced him as a preacher, and is notable for his success as a child.[2] Vernon noticed his son's talent for mimicry and his fearlessness of strangers and public settings. His parents claimed the boy had received a vision from God during a bath, and he started preaching. Marjoe later said that was a fictional story that his parents forced him to repeat. He claimed they compelled him to do that by using mock-drowning episodes; they did not beat him as they did not want to leave bruises that might be noticed during his many public appearances.[7]
They trained him to deliver sermons, complete with dramatic gestures and emphatic lunges. When he was four, his parents arranged for him to perform a marriage ceremony attended by the press, including photographers from Life and Paramount studios.[4][8][b] Until his teenage years, Gortner and his parents traveled throughout the United States holding revival meetings,[9] and by 1951 his younger brother Vernoe had been incorporated into the act.[10]
By the time he was sixteen, his family had amassed what he later estimated to be three million dollars. Shortly after Gortner's sixteenth birthday, his father absconded with the money.[11]
Career
editGortner spent the remainder of his teenage years as an itinerant beatnik.[12]
In the late 1960s, Gortner experienced a crisis of conscience about his double life. He decided his performing talents might be put to use as an actor or singer. When approached by documentarians Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, he agreed to let their film crew follow him throughout 1971 on a final tour of revival meetings in California, Texas, and Michigan.
Unknown to everyone involved – including, at one point, his father – he gave "backstage" interviews to the filmmakers between sermons and revivals, some including other preachers, explaining intimate details of how he and other ministers operated. The filmmakers also shot footage of him later in his hotel room while counting the money he had collected during the day. The resulting film, Marjoe, won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Documentary.[13]
Gortner capitalized on the success of the documentary.[4] Oui magazine hired him to cover Millennium '73, a November 1973 festival headlined by the "boy guru" Guru Maharaj Ji.[14] He cut an LP with Chelsea Records titled Bad, but Not Evil,[15] named after his description of himself in the documentary.[5]
He began his acting career with a featured role in The Marcus-Nelson Murders, the 1973 pilot for the Kojak TV series.[16] In 1974, he made several appearances in film and television. In the disaster film Earthquake, he was Sgt. Jody Joad,[17] a psychotic grocery manager-turned-National Guardsman, the main antagonist.
Gortner portrayed the psychopathic, hostage-taking drug dealer in Milton Katselas's 1979 screen adaptation of Mark Medoff's play When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?. He starred in a number of B-movies including Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976),[16] The Food of the Gods (1976),[4] and Starcrash (1978).
In the early 1980s, Gortner hosted the short-lived reality TV series, Speak Up, America.[18] He also appeared frequently in the 1980s Circus of the Stars specials.[19] He also played a terrorist preacher in a second-season episode of Airwolf, and appeared on Falcon Crest as corrupt psychic-cum-medium "Vince Karlotti" (1986–87).[18] His last role was as a preacher in the western Wild Bill (1995).
In 1984, Gortner directed a major photo-fumetti, "Biblical Vision", for the American pornography magazine Hustler.
Music career
editGortner recorded an album, Bad but Not Evil which was released on the Chelsea Records label in 1972. It included the songs, "Hoe-Bus", "The Ballad of Spider John", "Lo And Behold!", "Wind Up", "I'm A Man", "Collection Box", "Glory Glory Hallelujah", "I Shall Be Released", and "Faith Healing Remedy (Jesus Is Your Friend)". Vocal backing was by Maxine Waters, Gwen Johnson, Clydie King and Venetta Fields, etc. The musicians included Tom Scott, Joe Osborn, Hal Blaine and Michael Omartian, etc.[20] It was reviewed in Billboard's November 18 issue that year with the reviewer saying he was off to a flying start with a Bob Dylan composition, "Lo and Behold". The reviewer also called it a strong debut. The other songs noted as highlights were "Hoe-Bus", "Glory Glory Halelujah", and another Dylan composition, "I Shall Be Released". The single "Lo And Behold!" was also attracting attention.[21]
Personal life
editGortner’s first marriage was to Carol Raney on 27 May 1960 in Reno, Nevada.[22]
Gortner married Virginia Humphreys on 1 April 1968 in Las Vegas.[23]
In 1971, Gortner married Agnes Benjamin, who had appeared in his documentary.[24]
From 1978 to December 14, 1979, Gortner was married to actress Candy Clark.[25]
Gortner married Susan Magestro in 1999 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Stage play and film retrospective
editIn 2007, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival commissioned actor and writer Brian Osborne to write a one-man play about Gortner. The play, The Word, premiered at the Festival with Suli Holum as director and main collaborator. In 2010, the play was recreated as The Word: A House Party for Jesus, with director Whit MacLaughlin. The play opened October 14, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has been performed in New York (the Soho Playhouse), Los Angeles, Philadelphia (the 2011 NET Festival),[26] and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (the Kelly Strayhorn Theater).
In 2008, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia held the first retrospective of Marjoe Gortner's roles as part of its ninth festival.[27]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Marjoe | himself | Documentary |
| 1972-74 | The Merv Griffin Show | self | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | Police Story | Stanley | Episode: "Requiem for an Informer" |
| 1973 | The Mike Douglas Show | self | Episode #12.226 |
| 1973-1979 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | self | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | ABC Late Night | self - host | Episode: "Marjoe's Country: Nashville" |
| 1974 | Medical Center | David | Episode: "Demi-God" |
| 1974 | Nakia | Episode: "The Moving Target" | |
| 1974 | Barnaby Jones | David Colton | Episode: "A Gold Record for Murder" |
| 1974 | Pray for the Wildcats | Terry Maxon | ABC Movie of the Week |
| 1974 | The Gun and the Pulpit | Ernie Parsons | ABC Movie of the Week |
| 1974 | Earthquake | Jody Joad | |
| 1976 | Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw | Lyle Wheeler | |
| 1976 | Acapulco Gold | Ralph Hollio | |
| 1976 | The Food of the Gods | Morgan | |
| 1976 | Mayday at 40,000 Feet! | Greco | TV movie |
| 1976 | Break the Bank | self | game show - 4 episodes |
| 1977 | Viva Knievel! | Jessie | |
| 1977 | Sidewinder 1 | Digger | |
| 1978 | Starcrash | Akton | |
| 1977-78 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | Guest (uncredited) | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? | Teddy | |
| 1979-87 | Circus of the Stars | self | 5 episodes |
| 1980 | The Robber Bridegroom | Jamie Lockhart | |
| 1980 | The Alan Thicke Show | self | Episode #1.65 |
| 1980 | Speak Up, America | self - host | 2 episodes |
| 1981-83 | Fantasy Island | Lorin Robertson/Nick Corbin | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | Whiz Kids | Bobby Lee Janz | Episode: "Return of the Big Rocker" |
| 1983 | Celebrity Daredevils | self | |
| 1983 | Mausoleum | Oliver Farrell | |
| 1983 | The A-Team | Tom Anderson | Episode: "Recipe for Heavy Bread" |
| 1983-85 | T. J. Hooker | Jack Lewis/Marino | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Matt Houston | Christian Dean | Episode: "The Secret Admirer" |
| 1984 | Jungle Warriors | Larry Schecter | |
| 1985 | Half Nelson | Dexter Breen | Episode: "The Beverly Hills Princess" |
| 1985 | Hotel | Frank Brenner | Episode: "Images" |
| 1985 | Otherworld | Chalktrauma | Episode: "Village of the Motorpigs" |
| 1985 | Street Hawk | Joseph Cannon | Episode: "The Adjuster" |
| 1985 | Airwolf | Johann Rector | Episode: "Dambreakers" |
| 1985 | Hellhole | Dr. Dane | |
| 1986-87 | Falcon Crest | Vince Karlotti | 17 episodes |
| 1987 | The Survivalist | Lieutenant Youngman | |
| 1989 | American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt | 'The Cobra' | |
| 1990 | Fire, Ice and Dynamite | Dan Selby | |
| 1995 | Wild Bill | Preacher |
See also
edit- Al Sharpton – another well-known child preacher
- Child preacher
Notes
edit- ↑ The formation of his name from combining the names of Mary and Joseph is alluded to in numerous sources; however, some early sources state that he was named for his mother, Marge.[6] cf. His brother's name, Vernoe, father, Vernon; and sister's name, Starloe.
- ↑ The ceremony was performed on January 2,[8] just 12 days before Gortner's fifth birthday, leading to differing reports as to his age.
References
edit- ↑ Harrell, David (1975). All Things are Possible. Ontario: Indiana University Press. pp. 234. ISBN 0253100909.
- 1 2 3 Cooper, Travis (2013). "Marjoe Gortner, Imposter Revivalist: Toward a Cognitive Theory of Religious Misbehavior". PentecoStudies.
- ↑ "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search".
- 1 2 3 4 5 Stowe, David W. (2011). No Sympathy for the Devil: Christian Pop Music and the Transformation of American Evangelicalism. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 121–122. ISBN 9780807834589.
- 1 2 Crist, Judith (July 24, 1972). "Machine-made 'Man'". New York Magazine: 57. ISSN 0028-7369.
- ↑ Meyer, Robert (January 7, 1949). "How Can They Condemn Me?". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
- ↑ Jason Schafer (February 27, 2015). "'A lot of people do bad things': The bizarre tale of child evangelist turned conman, Marjoe Gortner". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- 1 2 "Marjoe the Minister". Life. Vol. 26, no. 3. January 17, 1949. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
- ↑ "Marjoe Continues by Popular Demand (advertisement)". The Tuscaloosa News. March 16, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- ↑ "World's Youngest Evangelists (advertisement)". The Tuscaloosa News. September 22, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- ↑ Stollznow, Karen (2013). "Kids of the Cloth: Childhood Preacher". Skeptic Magazine. 18 (3). Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ↑ Robert Ebert (September 25, 1972). "Interview with Marjoe Gortner". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Movies: Marjoe (1972) – Cast, Credits & Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ Gortner, Marjoe (May 1974). "Who Was Maharaj Ji?". OUI.
- ↑ "Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 84, no. 47. November 18, 1972. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510.
- 1 2 "Marjoe Gortner – About this person". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ Mansour, David (2011). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-7407-9307-3.
- 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (9th ed.). Random House. p. 1281. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1.
- ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. Vol. II. VNR AG. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-918432-61-2.
- ↑ Music Metason - ArtistInfo, Marjoe Gortner, Bad but Not Evil
- ↑ Billboard, November 18, 1972 - Page 24 Billboard Album Reviews
- ↑ "Gortner-Raney Wedding News is Revealed". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 104 (209): 6. 4 September 1960. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ↑ "Miss Virginia Humphreys Wed to Ross Gortner". The Chapel Hill News. 46 (24): 6. 28 April 1968. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ↑ Sewall-Ruskin, Yvonne. High on Rebellion: Inside the Underground at Max's Kansas City.
- ↑ State of California. California Divorce Index, 1966–1984. Microfiche. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. p. 8613.
- ↑ "Genre-Defying Work". Network of Ensemble Theaters. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
- ↑ "MUFF9: Marjoe". Melbourne Underground Film Festival. October 2008. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
External links
edit- Marjoe Gortner at IMDb
- The child preacher who exposed a con (BBC World Service Outlook, March 17, 2022)
- Resurrecting 'Marjoe' article by Sarah Kernochan.
- Interview with Marjoe