This article was originally published in Antique Trader
>>Get 26 issues for just $26!

This George I style carved walnut armchair from the John Forsythe estate measures 34 1/2 inches high by 27 1/4 inches wide by 21 1/2 inches deep. It is estimated at $500 to $700. Photos courtesy Bonhams and Butterfields.

LOS ANGELES — Select offerings from the estate of award-winning stage, television and film actor John Forsythe will be sold at Bonhams & Butterfields’ Sept. 25, 2011, Sunset Estate Auction in Los Angeles.

Highlights from the Estate of John Forsythe include a Steinway mahogany baby grand piano (estimate $6,000-$8,000); a harlequin set of late George III ladder-back chairs ($2,000-$3,000); a George I style carved walnut armchair ($500-$700); and a Regency faux rosewood and parcel gilt stool ($700-$1,000), among others.

Additional items of note from the Forsythe Estate will be featured during Bonhams & Butterfields’ Wine Auction Sept. 24, 2011, and the Entertainment Memorabilia auction in December of 2011. The auction catalog will be available online at www.bonhams.com for review and purchase in the weeks preceding the sale.

Forsythe was best known for his roles in three television series: in the 1950s sitcom “Bachelor Father,” as single playboy father Bentley Gregg; as Charles “Charlie” Townsend, the unseen millionaire on the 1970s crime drama “Charlie’s Angels,” and as Blake Carrington on the 1980s soap opera “Dynasty.”

Forsythe was born the eldest of three children in Penns Grove, N.J., to Blanche Materson and Samuel Jeremiah Freund. He was primarily raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., where his father worked on Wall Street during the Great Depression. At the age of 16, Forsythe graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1936, he took a job with the Brooklyn Dodgers as the public address announcer for games at Ebbets Field.

Forsythe began acting at the suggestion of his father, despite showing initial reluctance. As a player for Warner Brothers, he appeared in several small roles. As a result, he was given a small part in “Destination Tokyo” (1943). Forsythe left his film career to serve in World War II, where he appeared in the U.S. Army Air Force’s play and film “Winged Victory.” After returning from WWII, Forsythe joined the first class of the soon-to-be prestigious Actors Studio in 1947. In 1955, Forsythe was cast in the classic Alfred Hitchcock film “The Trouble with Harry.”

Available at shop.collect.com

During the 1950s, Forsythe appeared in the new medium of television regularly on all of the networks, especially as a guest star. It was during this period that Forsythe notably appeared in the popular anthology “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” In 1957, Forsythe took a leading role as Bentley Gregg, a playboy lawyer who has to become a father to his niece, Kelly, upon the death of her biological parents in the CBS sitcom “Bachelor Father.” The show was an immediate ratings hit.

By the early 1960s, Forsythe had returned to acting in films, including “Kitten with a Whip” (1964) and “In Cold Blood” (1967). In 1964, he starred in the made-for-television movie “See How they Run,” which is notable for being one of the first films made specifically for television.

In 1976, Forsythe was cast in the role of mysterious, unseen millionaire Charles “Charlie” Townsend in the crime drama “Charlie’s Angels,” which led to Forsythe’s 13-year association with Aaron Spelling. In 1981, Forsythe was selected for the role of patriarch Blake Carrington in “Dynasty.” An Aaron Spelling production, “Dynasty” was ABC’s answer to the highly successful “Dallas” series on CBS.

For more visit Bonhams.

More from Antique Trader

• Astrid Kirchherr Beatles photographic archive heads to auction
• Is there treasure in your vintage vinyl records?
• Lennon’s sunglasses expected to fetch $2M
• Resource: Save 10% on John Lennon Life is What Happens …
•  The King and King of Pop vie for bidders at auction

MORE RESOURCES FOR ANTIQUE COLLECTORS and DEALERS

• Special discount prices on great books, digital downloads, price guides & reference books for every hobby

• Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles 2012 Price Guide

• Meet and share with other antiques collectors, dealers and auctioneers on Antique Trader’s Facebook page

• Get special discounts and breaking news alerts on Antique Trader’s Twitter feed!

• Browse (or place your own) FREE online classified ads

• Sign up for your FREE AntiqueTrader.com email newsletters

• For more trade news, auction reports, research and expert columnists, get a year (26 issues) of Antique Trader magazine for the special online price of just $26!

More Images:

A 19th century Regency faux rosewood and parcel gilt stool, painted with armorial devices and measuring 17 1/4 inches by 22 1/2 inches by 14 inches, is estimated at $700 to $1,000.

From the John Forsythe estate, this harlequin set of eight Late George III ladder back chairs from the early 19th century and have rush seats. Comprising two armchairs and six side chairs, individual chairs measure 42 1/4 high by 22 1/2 inches wide by 18 1/2 inches deep. The set is expected to bring $2,000 to $3,000.

This Steinway model M mahogany grand piano, circa 1929, is also from the estate of award-winning stage, television and film actor John Forsythe. The piano measures 56 inches wide by 67 inches deep. It is expected to bring $6,000 to $8,000.