John Forsythe (born Jacob Lincoln Freund) was an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning four decades and three genres: as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the 1950s sitcom Bachelor Father (1957–1962); as the unseen millionaire Charles 'Charlie' Townsend on the 1970s crime drama Charlie's Angels (1976–1981), and as patriarch Blake Carrington on the 1980s soap opera Dynasty (1981–1989). He hosted World of Survival (1971–1977).