John Forsythe (born John Lincoln Freund; January 29, 1918) is an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning three decades, as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the 1950s sitcom Bachelor Father (1957–1962); as the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the popular 1970s crime drama Charlie’s Angels (1976–1981), and as ruthless and beloved patriarch Blake Carrington on the popular 1980s soap opera Dynasty (1981–1989). He’s also well-known for hosting World of Survival during the 1970s. Forsythe currently appears each year to read children’s fiction during the annual Christmas program near his retirement home at the rural resort community of Solvang, California, north of Los Angeles.