Article: Charlatans and Fraudsters

Oric Bovar — The False Messiah

ORIC BOVAR (1917–1977)

Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay

Over the years, there have been many “false messiahs” and cult leaders, but one of the most charismatic was an astrologer and self-proclaimed mystic named Oric Bovar.

Bovar, according to a U.S. passport he carried, was born Richard Deane in 1918. His closest disciples said that, as a young man, he had come from the Midwest to New York seeking an acting career. He had a few Hollywood roles and a few bit parts on Broadway but ultimately, he was not overly successful. *Swamp Woman* (1941) was probably his biggest movie role.

According to Tod Jackson, a writer and one of his chief lieutenants, “He had an intense ego that was not satisfied by his life or his career.”

He first changed his name to Rico Bravo and then later turned it into the anagram of Oric Bovar. Just exactly why he did this is unclear.

Bovar’s teaching at first seemed quite moral, and his incredibly accurate astrological predictions, along with his promotion of clean living, with strict warnings against the evils of smoking, drugs, drinking, and extramarital sex, helped attract followers.

During the 1970s, Bovar established a flock of around 200 devoted (but gullible) disciples. This number may appear small, but the status and names of the cult members were impressive, from high society in New York to famous Hollywood celebrities in California.

As Actor Richard Deane playing Jeff Carter in Swamp Woman (1941) with Mary Peters

Bovar’s Influence and Instability

But, as his influence over his followers grew, he began choosing mates for them to marry. His personality is said to have been so mesmerising that he would introduce strangers to each other with the words, “This is your husband, you must marry him” — and he would be obeyed.

He also strongly prohibited doctors and the medical profession, which caused several of his followers to suffer unnecessarily through certain illnesses and give birth without medical attention.

After an extended trip to Italy in the early 70s (where he settled for some time and is said to have suffered a nervous breakdown), Bovar returned to the United States and his followers. Apparently, he had gone through a major physical change, and at the same time, he went from being a simple eccentric to having full-blown delusions about being God’s gift to humanity.

It has been said that his physical appearance changed immensely. He’d left for Italy an overweight man with bloated features and blond-to-reddish hair; he’d returned a slim, white-haired man.

In 1976, Bovar began telling his followers that he was, in fact, Jesus Christ and ordered them to begin observing Christmas on August 29th to celebrate his own birth instead of the traditional December 25th. At this time, some of his flock began to doubt his authenticity and decided to leave him.

Two of the defectors were actress and comedian Carol Burnett and actress, singer, and Broadway star Bernadette Peters. As is the case with most similar cults, such as Scientology, Bovar issued orders that his remaining devotees break off all friendship with such defectors.

Several former adherents attribute Bovar’s change from a benevolent spiritual leader to a mad messiah to the breakdown he suffered while living in Italy.

Bernadette Peters on the Tim Conway Show: Wikipedia Commons

Self-Proclaimed Jesus and an Attempted Resurrection

Now, proclaiming himself as Jesus, Bovar announced (that, like the real Jesus) he had the ability to raise the dead. Subsequently, when Stephanos Hatzitheodorou, one of his prominent New York followers (or “Bovarites” as they were called), died of cancer, Bovar set about bringing him back to life.

Bovar enlisted the help of five of his flock — a college teacher, a Wall Street clerk, a writer, a railroad employee, and a speed-reading instructor. Together, they devoted a two-month vigil over the corpse, chanting, “Rise, Stephan, rise!” They even paid the dead man’s rent so it would not raise suspicions, and they could resurrect him without outside distractions.

A telephone call to the police from former group members led officers to the apartment; they then broke in on the scene, charging Bovar and his followers with failure to report a death. Mr. Bovar and his friends were arrested in the apartment of Alexandros Hatzitheodorou, located at 60 Riverside Drive and 79th Street. Mr. Hatzitheodorou had been dead since October 9th, the police said, and the group had maintained a constant prayer vigil in the expectation that he would revive.

While awaiting his court appearance, Bovar’s remaining flock finally began questioning his claims and authenticity. To quell their doubts, Bovar announced he would prove his great powers by stepping out a window, fluttering about like a bird for a time, and then coming back inside.

On April 14th, 1977, Oric Bovar stepped out of the window of his 10th-floor apartment and plunged to his death.

Given the rise of televangelists and other charismatic leaders during the Ronald Reagan era, “Oric Bovar” could probably have cashed in like the rest of them, had he played his showbiz connections right. But now, he remains an obscure footnote in the annals of the weird history of American cult leaders.

References

• Sifakis, Carl. Hoaxes and Scams: A Compendium of Deceptions, Ruses and Swindles, 1994. Facts on File.
• Wallechinsky, David, and Irving Wallace. “False Prophets and Messiahs — Oric Bovar.” Trivia Library.
• Madden, Lawrence. “The Life and Death of Oric Bovar.” The World’s Weirdest Cults, edited by Martin Ebon, 1979. Signet.
• Fowle, Farnsworth. “Cultist Who Tried for 60 Days in ’76 to Revive Follower Jumps to Death.” The New York Times, 1977.

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