Ned Beatty

Beatty received only one Oscar nomination as a supporting actor for his role as Arthur Jensen in 1976’s “Network,” but he played roles in some of the most popular movies throughout his career. Beatty is credited in more than 150 films and TV shows.

He was born Ned Thomas Beatty in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 6, 1937, to Margaret (Fortney) and Charles William Beatty. Beatty’s father was a traveling salesman who pitched a system of fire hydrants to officials in small towns. At the age of 10 and throughout his teenage years, Beatty performed in barbershop quartets, Baptist revivals and weddings.

Beatty graduated from Eastern High School in 1955 and earned a scholarship to attend Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. While in college, he worked as a butcher to make ends meet.

At the age of 19, Beatty landed a singing part in the play “Wilderness Road,” which got him hooked on acting. In 1957 he joined the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, before joining the Arena Stage Company in Washington, D.C. He eventually made his Broadway debut in the production of “The Great White Hope” in 1968.

In 1972, Beatty was cast in “Deliverance” as Bobby Trippe, one of his most iconic roles. The scene in which Trippe is brutalized and forced to “squeal like a pig” became the most memorable part of the movie.

Four years later, Beatty landed the role of corporate executive Arthur Jensen in “Network,” earning him his only Oscar nomination as a supporting actor.

His film resume also included roles in “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” (1972), “Silver Streak” (1976), “Superman” (1978), “Promises in the Dark” (1979), “Hopscotch” (1980) and “Rudy” (1993).

Beatty continued acting in movies and TV shows up until 2013.

He is survived by his fourth wife, Sandy, and his children, Blossom, Doug, Charles, Lennis, Wally, Jon, Thomas and Dorothy.