John Beasley, Actor Famous for Portraying Wise Characters, Passes Away at 79

Last autumn, Mr. Beasley achieved a personal milestone as a stage actor by playing a prominent role in a musical version of the Nicholas Sparks novel “The Notebook,” and its movie adaptation, as the aged version of Noah. This was at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and unfortunately, he passed away before the production’s scheduled move to Broadway.

John Beasley, the first of five sons of John Wilfred Beasley, owner of an electrical supply business, and Grace (Triplett) Beasley, was born on June 26, 1943, in Omaha. He had a keen interest in theater since high school. However, after graduation, he enrolled briefly in the theatre program at the University of Nebraska Omaha before quitting to join the army.

After his discharge, John married Judy Garner, who survives him, and worked as an actor in industrial films and stage productions while he honed his talent locally in Omaha in the early 1970s. He remained committed to his home and family, and he never lost sight of his Omaha roots.

He weathered challenges early in his marital relationship with Judy and almost moved away due to his participation in protests for policing reforms in Omaha’s Black community. After these protests, he chose to leave Omaha and move his family to Philadelphia due to threats, but they ultimately returned to Omaha in the early 1970s to continue pursuing his acting career.

In 1968, during the civil rights movement, John became an active participant, and he eventually relocated to Philadelphia with his family when he faced intimidation due to his activism in Omaha.

He is also survived by Tyrone, another son, brothers Gary, Steven, and Leon, and six grandchildren, among them the basketball player Malik Beasley.

“My wife and I were experiencing some difficulties early on in our relationship,” John said in an interview with American Theatre magazine last year. “There were problems to fix, and we did. I decided that it would be best for me to stay here with my family and wife. This turned out to be the greatest decision I ever made.”