One of Richard Basehart’s most notable film roles was the acrobat known as “The Fool” in the acclaimed Italian film “La Strada” (1954), directed by Federico Fellini.
Both Anthony Quinn and Basehart’s voices were dubbed into Italian by other actors.
Fellini had an extraordinarily difficult time finding producers who were willing to back the film.
Several of the producers who had previously financed Fellini’s work felt that the script was promising but that the film would be unlikely to turn a profit.
Other potential backers were turned off by Fellini’s insistence that his wife, Giulietta Masina, should play the role of Gelsomina.
Fellini began shooting the film before any financial backers had officially signed on.
Walt Disney expressed serious interest in creating an animated feature based on Gelsomina, and there was interest from doll manufacturers and sweet firms to use her name. “I could have lived on Gelsomina for twenty years,” Fellini said.
Basehart also appeared as the killer in the film noir classic “He Walked by Night” (1948), as a psychotic member of the Hatfield clan in “Roseanna McCoy” (1949), as Ishmael in “Moby Dick” (1956), and in the drama “Decision Before Dawn” (1951). From 1964-1968, Basehart played the lead role, Admiral Harriman Nelson, on Irwin Allen’s first foray into science-fiction television, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.” (Wikipedia/IMDb)
Happy Birthday, Richard Basehart!