Marjoe Gortner was an actor, preacher, and musician who appeared on television series and films. He played Vincent Karlotti on 17 episodes of Falcon Crest and also appeared on T.J. Hooker, Fantasy Island (original version), and Police Story. Gortner also acted in "The Marcus-Nelson Murders," the telefilm which was the pilot for the popular TV series Kojak.

Gortner also had a prolific career in film. He played the lead role of Teddy in "When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?" He also played the main antagonist in "Earthquake" and the male lead in "Bobbie Joe and the Outlaw" opposite Lynda Carter. In addition, he played Akton in the cult classic "Starcrash."

Before he became an actor, Gortner was a preacher. He got ordained at the age of 4 and was famous as a child for delivering dramatic sermons. Gortner and his family eventually earned an estimated $3 million before his father (a third generation Evangelical minister) stole the money shorty before Gortner turned 16. Gorner became the subject of a documentary, "Marjoe," which followed him during his last revival tour as a preacher. That documentary won the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.

In addition to his careers as an actor and preacher, Gortner was also a musician. He recorded an album called "Bad but Not Evil" which was released in 1972.