HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'Charlie's Angels': The challenge remains to match John Forsythe's iconic performance as the voice of Charlie Townsend

After Forsythe's tragic death due to pneumonia in 2010, many assumed that was it for the 'Charlie's Angels' franchise. However, the Angels would ride again in a short-lived 2011 TV series in which Charlie was voiced by Victor Garber. 

Over the years, there have been many Angels but there's only one man who comes to mind when you think of Charlie Townsend, the mysterious unseen benefactor of the badass women of 'Charlie's Angels.' The legendary actor John Forsythe was the voice of Charlie since the very beginning but his casting in the voice role was actually a last-minute decision.

Initially, the creators of the 1976 'Charlie's Angels' TV series wanted Academy Award-winner Gig Young for the role of Charlie Townsend. However, producer Aaron Spelling was forced to look for other available options after Young showed up at the studio too drunk to read his lines. 

One anxious phone-call later, Forsythe arrived at the studio and recorded his lines. "I didn't even take my pajamas off – I just put on my topcoat and drove over to Fox", Forsythe once said, according to the Guardian. "When it was finished, Aaron said, 'That's perfect.' And I went home and went back to bed." The rest, as they say, was history. 

What started as a last-minute replacement became a regular gig for Forsythe and he went on to voice Charlie in both the 'Charlie's Angels' movie that came out in 2000 and its 2003 sequel 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.'

After Forsythe's tragic death due to pneumonia in 2010, many assumed that was it for the 'Charlie's Angels' franchise. However, the Angels would ride again in a short-lived 2011 TV series in which Charlie was voiced by Victor Garber. 

Now, there's going to be yet another new Charlie Townsend in the upcoming movie 'Charlie's Angels' that stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska. The unseen millionaire will be voiced by Robert Clotworthy in the film, which will be upgrading the Townsend Agency from a normal detective agency to an international intelligence organization, though it would still be a little strange having someone else voicing the iconic character. 

'Charlie's Angel' will be arriving in theaters on November 15.