The Deliberate Stranger
Encyclopedia
The Deliberate Stranger is a book and television film about serial killer
Ted Bundy
.
and had been seen trailing the campaign of Evans' Democratic
opponent with a video camera. Larsen would go on to cover the "Ted" murders in 1974 and then cover the Ted Bundy story up until Bundy's execution in 1989. Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger was published in paperback in editions as late as 1990 but has since gone out of print.
in May 1986. The film, based on Larsen's book, starred Mark Harmon
as Bundy. The film omits Bundy's childhood, early life, and first five known murders, picking up the story with the murder of Georgeann Hawkins and following Bundy's further crimes in Washington, Utah
, Colorado
and Florida
. Frederic Forrest
starred as Seattle detective Robert D. Keppel
, and George Grizzard
played reporter Larsen.
Bundy's lawyer Polly Nelson
, in her book Defending the Devil, characterized the film as "stunningly accurate" and said it did not portray anything that was not proven fact. She singled out for praise Harmon's portrayal of Bundy, noting how Harmon reproduced Bundy's rigid posture and typically suspicious expression. According to Nelson, her client, still on death row
when the program aired, showed no interest in seeing the film. Ann Rule
, who had known Bundy before the murders when they worked together on a suicide
crisis hotline, felt that Harmon's portrayal missed the insecurities that lurked under Bundy's confident facade. Harmon was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Bundy.
While the film is accurate in its portrayal of events, the names of all the victims (as well as Bundy's girlfriend) have been changed, with the sole exceptions of victim Denise Naslund and her mother Eleanor Rose.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy was an American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s, and possibly earlier...
.
Book
Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger was written by a Seattle Times reporter named Richard W. Larsen and published in 1980. Larsen covered politics for the Times and had interviewed Bundy in 1972, years before he became a murder suspect, when Bundy worked as a volunteer for the re-election campaign of Gov. Daniel J. EvansDaniel J. Evans
Daniel Jackson Evans served three terms as the 16th Governor of the state of Washington from 1965 to 1977, and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1983 to 1989....
and had been seen trailing the campaign of Evans' Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
opponent with a video camera. Larsen would go on to cover the "Ted" murders in 1974 and then cover the Ted Bundy story up until Bundy's execution in 1989. Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger was published in paperback in editions as late as 1990 but has since gone out of print.
Television film
The Deliberate Stranger was adapted into a two-part TV movie originally broadcast on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in May 1986. The film, based on Larsen's book, starred Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon is an American actor who has been starring in American television programs and films since the mid-1970s, after a career as a collegiate football player with the UCLA Bruins. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the CBS series NCIS.-Early life:Harmon was born Thomas...
as Bundy. The film omits Bundy's childhood, early life, and first five known murders, picking up the story with the murder of Georgeann Hawkins and following Bundy's further crimes in Washington, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Frederic Forrest
Frederic Forrest
-Life:Forrest was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Virginia Allie and Frederic Fenimore Forrest, a furniture store owner. He is known for his roles as Chef in Apocalypse Now, When The Legends Die, It Lives Again, the neo-Nazi surplus store owner in Falling Down, Right to Kill? and for playing...
starred as Seattle detective Robert D. Keppel
Robert D. Keppel
Robert David Keppel is a retired American law enforcement officer and detective best known for his work investigating serial killers Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway.-Early life:...
, and George Grizzard
George Grizzard
George Cooper Grizzard, Jr. was an American actor of film and stage. He appeared in more than 40 films, dozens of television programs and a number of Broadway plays.-Life and career:...
played reporter Larsen.
Bundy's lawyer Polly Nelson
Polly Nelson
Polly Jean Nelson is an American attorney and author. She is best known as a member of serial killer Ted Bundy's last defense team from 1986 until his execution in 1989.-Education and early career:...
, in her book Defending the Devil, characterized the film as "stunningly accurate" and said it did not portray anything that was not proven fact. She singled out for praise Harmon's portrayal of Bundy, noting how Harmon reproduced Bundy's rigid posture and typically suspicious expression. According to Nelson, her client, still on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
when the program aired, showed no interest in seeing the film. Ann Rule
Ann Rule
Ann Rule is an American true crime writer.-Personal life:Ann Rule was born on October 22, 1935 in Lowell, Michigan to Chester R. "Stack" Stackhouse and Sophie Hansen. Her mother was a school teacher, specializing in developmentally disabled children and her father was a basketball, football and...
, who had known Bundy before the murders when they worked together on a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
crisis hotline, felt that Harmon's portrayal missed the insecurities that lurked under Bundy's confident facade. Harmon was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Bundy.
While the film is accurate in its portrayal of events, the names of all the victims (as well as Bundy's girlfriend) have been changed, with the sole exceptions of victim Denise Naslund and her mother Eleanor Rose.
External links
- The Deliberate Stranger at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...