Even if he wasn't on the screen for very long, Robert Ginty had a presence that stayed with you. He started out in television doing minor roles in various police dramas, eventually landing a supporting part in the Robert Conrad vehicle, Black Sheep Squadron. And by the time he was cast in a small role in the Oscar nominated, Coming Home, audiences were already somewhat familiar with his face, if not his name.
He then went back to television with another supporting part in The Paper Chase, but it was his starring role as the flame throwing vigilante in the low budget action hit of 1980, The Exterminator, that really set the tone for the rest of his career.
That movie made Robert Ginty an action star of ultra low budget features and straight-to-video fare like Mission Kill, Code Name Vengeance and The Exterminator 2, just to name a few. And even if most of the world didn't know his name, the grind house crowd did. In fact, I believe that without The Exterminator, there would have been no Rambo movies, as Robert Ginty was killing quantities of bad guys two years before Sylvester Stallone was.
Robert Ginty died in 2009 and is mostly forgotten today. His legacy is of a low budget action star, but he was a good actor and with the right opportunities his contributions to the world of movies and television just might have put him on the Hollywood A-list.
He then went back to television with another supporting part in The Paper Chase, but it was his starring role as the flame throwing vigilante in the low budget action hit of 1980, The Exterminator, that really set the tone for the rest of his career.
That movie made Robert Ginty an action star of ultra low budget features and straight-to-video fare like Mission Kill, Code Name Vengeance and The Exterminator 2, just to name a few. And even if most of the world didn't know his name, the grind house crowd did. In fact, I believe that without The Exterminator, there would have been no Rambo movies, as Robert Ginty was killing quantities of bad guys two years before Sylvester Stallone was.
Robert Ginty died in 2009 and is mostly forgotten today. His legacy is of a low budget action star, but he was a good actor and with the right opportunities his contributions to the world of movies and television just might have put him on the Hollywood A-list.
Robert Ginty will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for including him in your blog.
No problem, Melissa. I always liked him as an actor and am happy to do what I can to remind the public of his contributions to the entertainment world. Since you knew Robert Ginty, feel free to tell us more about him.
ReplyDeleteI remember first watching The Exterminator in 1997 when I bought a second hand video copy of it and his portrayal of John Eastland was very intriguing. He starts off as a vulnerable young man who has to be saved twice by his best friend and then when he is maimed, something inside him explodes and he goes on the warpath. The sudden change in his character was quite startling, but done convincingly. Robert was superb in the role.
ReplyDeleteI really liked his character in Black Sheep Squadron. it's a shame that show didn't last longer than it did
ReplyDeleteOld blog but liked Ginty in Baa Baa Black Sheep and when looking on a show he directed did I find out he died.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say I really love his movies. Watching one now.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say I really love his movies. Watching one now.
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