BYU NewsNet - Faulkner’s principles an inspiration to students

By HILARIE LAUKAT

In the middle of a semi-lit arena theater, Edward Faulkner sat surrounded by curious students. One asked Faulkner what he believes his greatest accomplishment was. He had a quick reply.

“My children,” Faulkner said.

Faulkner, now 77, has always made enough time to be close with his wife and three daughters. Even in his era, the dedication he had to his family was unlike many of his counterparts in the film industry. Once, his family even enjoyed the opportunity of appearing with him in a film, “The Undefeated,” shot in 1969.

“I thought it was so interesting how he has such strong family values,” said Sarah Dyer, a sophomore who attended a workshop Faulkner presented at BYU in April. “His family has always been his number one priority in life. It’s wonderful … I think that’s what made his marriage work so well.”

After nearly 53 years of marriage, the Faulkners are still completely loyal to each other — another novelty among professional actors.

“Some years ago I attended a western film festival in Arizona and was asked to sit on a question panel … with several other prominent people in the business,” Faulkner said in a phone interview before his visit to Provo. “They invited all of our spouses to join us on stage and … shortly into the discussion I realized that I was the only man sitting next to his first wife.”

BYU’s assistant dean in the College of Fine Arts and Communications, Scott Boyter, recognized this and other admirable qualities in Faulkner when the two met at a western film roundup in Kamas, a few years ago. Boyter said he believed BYU students could learn from Faulkner’s fixed ethical standards in the industry, and later extended Faulkner an invitation to visit BYU and speak to students in the theater department.

“Mr. Faulkner isn’t necessarily a big name star,” Boyter said. “He is a successful actor with color who has a lot of experience in the industry.”

Faulkner couldn’t agree with Boyter more. During his on-campus workshop, he called himself a working character actor, never a star. Even so, many would say Faulkner’s work has made him a luminary. Some of his credits include supporting lead roles in westerns and action films such as “Hellfighters” and “The Green Berets,” which he starred in with John Wayne, and other motion pictures and TV spots with such prominent actors as Jimmy Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Elvis Presley and Doris Day.

“At one point, Mr. Faulkner mentioned that he knows the role of the supporting actor,” said Anne Sward Hansen, a professor in the Theatre and Media Arts Department who teaches film acting and who moderated Faulkner’s workshop discussion. “He really understood how important it was for him to build up the main characters, and I think it’s clear that he was greatly respected for that.”

At a lunch meeting following Faulkner’s forum and workshop, Hansen said Faulkner recounted a day on set with John Wayne when his wife, Barbara, was expecting a baby. Faulkner, unable to find a landline to phone his wife, was getting apprehensive. Wayne took matters into his own hands. After an explanation about the situation, Wayne cried out to the workers on set: “Somebody get this man on a telephone!”

“I don’t think he would have been asked to come back and work with John Wayne so many times had he not developed a strong working relationship … [and] a genuine friendship with the Duke,” Hansen said. “When people do several films together like that, there must be something that just works well.”

During his visit to BYU, Faulkner advised theater students to continually develop and hone their skills, even if just on a community level. He told them to keep at it, work hard, and be themselves. Students inquired about his personal acting style, and he urged them to develop natural techniques, stay rooted in reality with their characters and avoid being self-indulgent.

“People like Mr. Faulkner are such a rarity,” said Karl Wesson, another Hollywood veteran who has won three Emmys and worked on movies such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Grinch” as a professional hair dresser. “After all is said and done, you can tell that it’s genuinely him. He doesn’t try to be a big pin-up.”

Everyone who met Faulkner said they were drawn to his friendly demeanor and they admired his integrity.

“I think it all goes back to your parents, church affiliation, ethics, beliefs — the things [you are] exposed to growing up,” Faulkner said. “That’s why I’m a little wary of the direction the entertainment business is heading, to some respects. The arts have always been so influential to our mores.”

Students who attended his forum and workshop said they felt privileged to be able to learn from people like Faulkner, who are in the twilight of their careers.

“It really comes down to the personal stories you hear from somebody who’s been there and done that,” said Kelly Hennessey, a pre-acting sophomore from Springville. “You can apply their experiences to yourself and your decisions.”