The Life and Death of Rising Star Steve Ihnat (ebook)
This is the ebook version. You'll receive a zip file containing
the front cover
the mobi file (for Kindle)
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In 1967, Steve Ihnat was on top of the world in Hollywood, an actor on the precipice of true stardom. He was seen as both a heavy and a leading-man type, an actor who could fit into any role that came his way.
He was making excellent money as a guest star on virtually every episodic show on television, seen on the screen most every night. Star Trek, The Virginian, The Outer Limits, and many other shows were already part of his resume. He’d branched off into movies, finding himself up against heavy-hitting superstars. Casting directors rang his phone constantly, and he never wanted for work. He was moving into writing and directing movies, and his personal life was turning the page into a deeper, more meaningful story. He was just beginning to live the life he’d always wanted for himself.
Yet so many things can happen in five years! Five years later, Steve Ihnat was dead. He was a man of international mystery, from the country of his birth, Czechoslovakia, to his home country, Canada, to his adopted country, the United States. His existence proved to be one of intrigue, not only in a great many of the roles he played, but in some of the underlying tones of his personal life. This was the late ‘60s and into the early 1970s. The world was in great turmoil with much change going on. Certain things were happening behind the scenes that would alter the direction of Steve Ihnat’s story, one which became a tale not even Steve could have imagined. Not even he could have written such a script if he had been trying to put together a movie with him in the starring role ... and that’s exactly what he had been doing.
To this day, Steve Ihnat stars in a mystery which continues to develop… The Life and Death of Rising Star Steve Ihnat ~ Gone Too Soon.
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF RISING STAR STEVE IHNAT: Gone Too Soon by Linda Alexander (BearManor Media; www.bearmanormedia.com; $21.95). Any fan of '60s television will instantly recognize Steve Ihnat's face, since this charismatic character actor appeared on nearly every imaginable series, often cast as a heavy. Unfortunately, Ihnat's flourishing career was abruptly cut short, dying from a heart attack in 1972, at the age of 37. For this illuminating 230-page biography, author Linda Alexander speaks to his widow, Sally Ihnat Marshall; family members; ex-roommate Gary Clarke; plus colleagues Ed Asner, Clu Gulager and Ted V. Mikels, while looking back at Ihnat's colorful personal life - moving from Canada to Los Angeles, early roles in teen-delinquent films, odd jobs, dating anecdotes, creative frustrations, and later marriage and fatherhood. In terms of his acting, Alexander touches upon every role, big or small, from appearances on STAR TREK, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and GUNSMOKE; providing scene-stealing support in films such as MADIGAN and FUZZ; plus Ihnat's passion project - directing, producing, writing, and starring in the ambitious, low-budget (and apparently lost) feature DO NOT THROW CUSHIONS INTO THE RING. Including Sally Ihnat's recollections of the bizarre circumstances surrounding Steve's death while attending the Cannes Film Festival, this is a wonderful tribute to a generous and talented artists, who never had the opportunity to reach his full potential.
-- Shock Cinema