Farrah Rachael Forke
(January 12, 1968 – February 25, 2022) was an American actress best known for her roles as Alex Lambert on the
NBC sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Wings'' and Mayson Drake on ''
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. She also voiced the character
Big Barda
Big Barda is a superheroine appearing in American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, ...
on the
animated television series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
''
Batman Beyond
''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...
'' and ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...
,'' starred as Carey on the short-lived cult sitcom ''
Dweebs,'' Nikki Harkin on ''
Mr. Rhodes'', Carol Ashby in the pilot episode of the 90's remake of
''Fantasy Island'', and appeared in several made-for-TV movies such as ''
Nurses on the Line'' (1993), ''
Journey to the Center of the Earth
''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Ve ...
'' (1993), ''
Bionic Ever After?'' (1994), and theatrical movies like ''
Disclosure'' (1994) and ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
'' (1995).
Early life
Forke was born in
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...
, on January 12, 1968.
She was one of two children of Chuck Forke and Beverly (Mendleski).
Forke was named after
Farrah Fawcett, who was a family friend. In an interview, she said: "I was a huge fan of hers, thinking as a child 'If she can do it so can I.'"
She attended the
Hockaday School, an all-girls
private school
A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
in
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, where she was a cheerleader.
[ She started acting with a role in a Texas production of the musical '']The Rocky Horror Show
''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...
''. After graduating from high school, she relocated to New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 1989 to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute. She also worked as a bartender while studying in the city.[
]
Career
Forke made her feature debut in the 1991 film ''Brain Twisters''.
''Wings''
She became best known as Alex Lambert for two seasons on the NBC sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
'' Wings.'' Only her second professional acting role, it became one of her biggest roles.
She said she was nervous during the early episodes. "I was so green and so nervous," she said. "There were so many people around, and four cameras. My hands used to shake in the early episodes. You'll see me holding coffee cups with both hands to control the shaking." She drew on personal experience to play the character, who was not at all like the actress. "I am really nothing like her," she said in an interview, "but the toughness I got to display as a real bartender in New York at closing time prepared me for the role of Alex. I would lower the tone of my voice to show I meant business and I used that in my audition. I knew I could play her."
Overall, the part taught the young actress a lot. "It was a great learning experience. I learned so much, especially from Steven Weber
Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series '' Wings'', and as Dr. Dean Archer on NBC’s Chicago Med. He also voiced Charlie B. Barkin in '' ...
and Tony Shalhoub
Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; ; born October 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for a variety of roles ranging from comedic to dramatic on stage and screen. He has received several accolades including five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, s ...
." The part was a recurring role during the 1992–93 season, the fourth season of the show, and a regular cast role the following year, the fifth season.
Forke was upset not to be asked back for the sixth season as a regular cast member. The writers found the Alex character difficult to write for and felt they had run out of stories for the character and wanted to explore her onscreen boyfriend Brian's (played by Weber) single life instead. Forke was asked back for a guest appearance in one episode of the sixth season, which gave a conclusion to her character.
Post-''Wings, Lois & Clark, Justice League'' and other roles
After ''Wings'', Forke starred as Carey, an office manager for a computer software
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
company, in the short-lived CBS sitcom '' Dweebs'' (1995), and then, from 1996 to 1997, a guidance counselor at a prep school in NBC's '' Mr. Rhodes''. She also appeared on '' Ned and Stacey'' with her ''Wings'' castmate Thomas Haden Church. Forke was the voice woman of several companies, such as Arby's
Arby's is an American fast-food restaurant, fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants. The flagship property of Inspire Brands, it ranked third in systemwide sales in the United States in the quick-service and fast-ca ...
, Cadillac
Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...
, Checkers
Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), is a group of Abstract strategy game, strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game ...
, and Vanderbilt.
Forke had a recurring role on '' Lois and Clark'' as Mayson Drake, an attorney who considers Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
a vigilante, but holds a candle for Clark Kent.
Forke would once again take part in the Superman universe by voicing the character Big Barda
Big Barda is a superheroine appearing in American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, ...
in two episodes of ''Batman Beyond
''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...
'' and one episode of ''Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...
'', animated shows set in the same universe as '' Superman: The Animated Series''.
In films, she featured in Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
winner Barry Levinson
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Rain Man'' (1988). His other best-known works are ''Diner'' (1982), '' The Natural'' (1984 ...
's '' Disclosure'' (1994), Michael Mann
Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...
's ''Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
'' (1995), and '' Ground Control'' (1998). She appeared in '' Kate's Addiction'' (1998), in which she and actress Kari Wuhrer play women in a lesbian love affair, as well as the TV-movies '' Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7'' (CBS, 1993) with Lindsay Wagner. Other TV movie roles include ''Journey to the Center of the Earth
''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Ve ...
'' (NBC, 1993), '' Complex of Fear'' (CBS, 1993), '' Bionic Ever After?'' (CBS, 1994) (again with Wagner), and '' Abandoned and Deceived'' (ABC, 1995).
Her final onscreen role was in the 2001 movie '' It Is What It Is'' directed by Billy Frolick. Forke was very proud of the role. "It's by far the best work I've ever done," she said in a 2003 interview. She also served as executive producer on the movie. Around the time of the 2003 interview, she moved to New Mexico and, though mentioned she was planning to return to LA for pilot season, seemingly decided to retire permanently from acting, later moving back to Texas. She would later say: "I have no plans to return to Hollywood. I love my life here in Texas, raising my twin boys. Life is good." She had one more role, a voice role, in 2005, resuming her voice work as Big Barda in ''Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...
''.
Personal life
Forke underwent plastic surgery in 1989, when she was 21, to receive silicone
In Organosilicon chemistry, organosilicon and polymer chemistry, a silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer composed of repeating units of siloxane (, where R = Organyl group, organic group). They are typically colorless oils or elastomer, rubber ...
breast implant
A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a person's breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast following a mastectomy, to correct congenita ...
s. However, the implants later ruptured and caused her health complications. She consequently had them removed four years later in February 1993. She then filed a lawsuit
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...
in Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
on March 24 of the following year against Dow Corning
Dow Corning Corporation, was an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States, and was originally established as a joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company and Corning Inc., Corning Incorporated. In 20 ...
, the Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., ...
, the Inamed Corporation and the McGhan Corporation.
She was friends with actress Caroline Aaron
Caroline Sidney Aaron (née Abady; born ) is an American actress. She has appeared in multiple Mike Nichols, Nora Ephron, and Woody Allen films and is also known for her role in the television series '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''.
Early lif ...
, who played Mary Pat Lee on '' Wings.'' The two featured together in Forke's last episode of the series.
Forke met Mark Layton Brown while he was working in the art department of ''Wings''. Together, they had two children: twin sons Chuck and Wit. She took a hiatus from acting during the early 2000s and returned to Texas to raise her children, eventually deciding the hiatus would become a permanent retirement from Hollywood.
Death
Forke died at her home in Spring, Texas
Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in Harris County, Texas, Harris County, Texas, United States, part of the metropolitan area. The population was 62,559 at the 2020 United States cens ...
, on February 25, 2022, at the age of 54. She had been battling cancer in the years leading up to her death.[
Many tributes were paid to her, including from her castmate ]Steven Weber
Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series '' Wings'', and as Dr. Dean Archer on NBC’s Chicago Med. He also voiced Charlie B. Barkin in '' ...
, who played her onscreen boyfriend Brian in ''Wings,'' saying: "She was every bit as tough, fun, beautiful and grounded as her character "Alex" on ''Wings''."
Filmography
References
External links
*
Turner Classic Movies: Farrah Forke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forke, Farrah
1968 births
2022 deaths
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Texas
American television actresses
Deaths from cancer in Texas
Hockaday School alumni
Actors from Corpus Christi, Texas