Ernest Borgnine (/ˈbɔːrɡnaɪn/BORG-nyne; bornErmes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothedCheshire Cat grin.[2] A popular performer, he appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and as a panelist on several game shows.
Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino (Italian:[borˈɲiːno]) on January 24, 1917, inHamden, Connecticut,[3][4] the son of Italian immigrants. His mother, Anna (née Boselli) hailed fromCarpi, nearModena, while his father Camillo Borgnino was a native ofOttiglio nearAlessandria.[5] Borgnine's parents separated when he was two years old, and he lived with his mother in Italy for about four and a half years. By 1923, his parents had reconciled, the family name was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine, and his father changed his first name to Charles. Borgnine had a younger sister, Evelyn Borgnine Velardi.[6] The family settled inNew Haven, Connecticut, where Borgnine graduated fromJames Hillhouse High School. He took to sports while growing up and showed no interest in acting.[7]
In 1997, Borgnine received the United States Navy Memorial,Lone Sailor Award.[12] On December 7, 2000, Borgnine was named the Veterans Foundation's Veteran of the Year.
Borgnine returned to his parents' house in Connecticut after his Navy discharge without a job to go back to and no direction. In a British Film Institute interview about his life and career, he said:
After World War II, we wanted no more part in war. I didn't even want to be a Boy Scout. I went home and said that I was through with the Navy and so now, what do we do? So I went home to mother, and after a few weeks of patting me on the back and "You did good," and everything else, one day she said, "Well?" like mothers do. Which meant, "All right, you gonna get a job or what?"[15]
He took a local factory job, but was unwilling to settle down to that kind of work. His mother encouraged him to pursue a more glamorous profession, and suggested to him that his personality would be well suited for the stage. He surprised his mother by taking the suggestion to heart, although his father was far from enthusiastic. In 2011, Borgnine remembered,
She said, "You always like getting in front of people and making a fool of yourself, why don't you give it a try?" I was sitting at the kitchen table and I saw this light. No kidding. It sounds crazy. And 10 years later, I hadGrace Kelly handing me anAcademy Award.
He studied acting at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford, then moved to Virginia, where he became a member of theBarter Theatre inAbingdon, Virginia.[16] It had been named for the director's allowing audiences to barter produce for admission during the cash-lean years of theGreat Depression. In 1947, Borgnine landed his first stage role inState of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller inTennessee Williams'The Glass Menagerie.[17]
Borgnine andBetsy Blair in a trailer forMarty, 1955Grace Kelly presents the Oscar for Best Actor to Borgnine, for his performance inMarty, 1956
Borgnine moved to Los Angeles, California, where he received his big break in a Columbia film directed byFred Zinnemann, the romantic war dramaFrom Here to Eternity (1953), playing the sadistic Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, who beats a stockade prisoner in his charge, Angelo Maggio (played byFrank Sinatra). The film received critical acclaim including theAcademy Award for Best Picture. The following year he acted in four films, three of them Western dramas,Johnny Guitar starringJoan Crawford,The Bounty Hunter withRandolph Scott,Vera Cruz starringBurt Lancaster andGary Cooper, he starred in the Biblical dramaDemetrius and the Gladiators. Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor, and played villains in early films, including movies such asJohnny Guitar andVera Cruz.
Borgnine travelled to Australia to play the lead in a role originally intended for Burt Lancaster, the cane cutter Roo, inSummer of the Seventeenth Doll.[19]
In 1962, Borgnine signed a contract withUniversal Studios for the lead role as the gruff but lovable skipper, Quinton McHale, in what began as a serious one-hour 1962 episode called "Seven Against the Sea" forAlcoa Premiere, and later reworked to a comedy calledMcHale's Navy, a World War II sitcom, which also co-starred unfamiliar comediansJoe Flynn as Capt. Wally Binghamton andTim Conway as Ens. Charles Parker. The insubordinate crew of PT-73 helped the show become a success during its first season, landing in the top 30 in 1963.
He in 1963 received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. At the end of the fourth season, in 1966, low ratings and repetitive storylines broughtMcHale's Navy to an end. At the timeMcHale's Navy began production, Borgnine was married to actressKaty Jurado. Her death in 2002 drew Borgnine and Conway much closer; about his acting mentor's long career, Conway said: "There were no limits to Ernie. When you look at his career—Fatso Judson to Marty, that's about as varied as you get in characters and he handled both of them with equal delicacy and got the most out of those characters."[20]
Borgnine's film career flourished for the next three decades, including roles inThe Flight of the Phoenix (1965),The Dirty Dozen (1967) withLee Marvin,Ice Station Zebra (1968),Willard (1971)The Poseidon Adventure (1972),Emperor of the North (1973),Convoy (1978),The Black Hole (1979),All Quiet on the Western Front (1979),Super Fuzz (1980) andEscape from New York (1981). One of his most famous roles was that of Dutch in the Western classicThe Wild Bunch (1969) from directorSam Peckinpah. Of his role inThe Wild Bunch, Borgnine later said, "I did [think it was a moral film]. Because to me, every picture should have some kind of a moral to it. I feel that when we used to watch old pictures, as we still do I'm sure, the bad guys always got it in the end and the good guys always won out. Today, it's a little different. Today, it seems that the bad guys are getting the good end of it. There was always a moral in our story".[15]
Borgnine returned to Universal Studios in 1983, for a co-starring role oppositeJan-Michael Vincent, onAirwolf. After he was approached by producerDonald P. Bellisario, who had been impressed by Borgnine's guest role as a wrestler in a 1982 episode ofMagnum, P.I., he agreed to join the series. He played Dominic Santini, a helicopter pilot, which became an immediate hit. Borgnine's strong performances belied his exhaustion due to the grueling production schedule, and the challenges of working with his younger, series lead. The show was canceled byCBS in 1986.
in 1995 he appeared withJonathan Silverman inThe Single Guy as doorman Manny Cordoba, which lasted two seasons. According to Silverman, Borgnine came to work with more energy and passion than all other stars combined. He was the first person to arrive on the set every day and the last to leave.
In 1996, Borgnine starred in the televised fantasy/thriller filmMerlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (partially adapted from the 1984 horror filmThe Devil's Gift). As narrator and storyteller, Borgnine recounts a string of related supernatural tales, his modern-day fables notably centering on an enchanted and maliciouscymbal-banging monkey toy stolen from the wizardMerlin. The film was later featured in the parodical television seriesMystery Science Theater 3000, and has since gained a prominent cult following.[23] Also in 1996, Borgnine toured the United States on a bus to meet his fans and see the country. The trip was the subject of a 1997 documentary,Ernest Borgnine on the Bus. He served one year as the chairman of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, visiting patients in manyDepartment of Veterans Affairs medical centers.
Borgnine at the Creative Arts Emmys, in 2009
In 1997, Borgnine appeared in the big-screen adaptation comedy filmMcHale's Navy, where he played Rear Admiral Quinton McHale, who was the father of Tom Arnold's character, Quinton McHale Jr. In 1998, Borgnine appeared in theTrey Parker andMatt Stone comedyBASEketball as entrepreneur Ted Denslow. Starting in 1999, Borgnine provided his voice talent to theanimated sitcomSpongeBob SquarePants as the elderly superhero Mermaid Man (where he was paired up withMcHale's Navy co-star Tim Conway as the voice of Mermaid Man's sidekick Barnacle Boy). He expressed affection for this role, in no small part for its popularity among children. After his death, Nickelodeon reaired all of the episodes in which Mermaid Man appeared, in memoriam. Borgnine appeared as himself inThe Simpsons episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", in addition to a number of television commercials. In 2000, he was the executive producer ofHoover, in which he was the only credited actor.
In 2007, Borgnine starred in theHallmark original filmA Grandpa for Christmas. He played a man who, after his estranged daughter ends up in the hospital because of a car accident, discovers that he has a granddaughter he never knew about. She is taken into his care, and they become great friends. Borgnine received aGolden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture made for Television for his performance. At 90, he was the oldest Golden Globe nominee ever. In 2010 he costarred inThe Wishing Well. Borgnine's autobiographyErnie was published byCitadel Press in July 2008.Ernie is a loose, conversational recollection of highlights from his acting career and notable events from his personal life. On April 2, 2009, he appeared in several episodes of the final season of the long-running medical seriesER. His role was that of a husband dealing with the decline of his wife, who would die in the final episode of the series. In his final scene, his character is in a hospital bed lying beside his just-deceased wife. His performance garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, his third nomination and his first in 29 years (since being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1980 forAll Quiet on the Western Front).
Borgnine married five times. His first marriage, from 1949 to 1958, was to Rhoda Kemins, whom he met while serving in the Navy.[24] They had one daughter, Nancee (born May 28, 1952). He was married to actressKaty Jurado from 1959 to 1963. Borgnine's rancorous marriage to actress and singerEthel Merman in 1964 lasted only 42 days. Merman's description of the marriage in her autobiography was a solitary blank page. Borgnine's friendTim Conway later said: "Ernie is volatile. I mean, there's no question about that, and Ethel was a very strong lady. So you put two bombs in a room, something is going to explode, and I guess it probably did."[25]
From 1965 to 1972, Borgnine was married to Donna Rancourt, with whom he had a son, Cristopher (born August 9, 1969), and two daughters, Sharon (born August 5, 1965) and Diana (born December 29, 1970). His fifth and final marriage was toTova Traesnaes; they remained married from February 24, 1973, until his death.
In 2000, Borgnine received his 50-year pin as aFreemason at Abingdon Lodge No. 48 inAbingdon, Virginia. He joined theScottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles in 1964, received the Knights Commander of the Court of Honor (KCCH) in 1979, was crowned a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983 and received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 1991.[26]
Borgnine was a heavy smoker until 1962.[27] In a November 2008 interview, a then 91-year-old Borgnine was asked byFox News morning hostSteve Doocy to reveal the secret of his longevity, and he whispered into a live mic, "I masturbate a lot."[28]
In 2000, Borgnine received his 50-year pin as aFreemason in Abingdon Lodge No. 48, Abingdon, Virginia. He joined theScottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles (in the Southern Jurisdiction of the U.S.A) in 1964, received the KCCH in 1979, was crowned a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983, and received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 1991.[41] He was also a member of theLoyal Order of Moose at that organization's Lodge inJunction City, Oregon. He volunteered to beStories of Service National spokesman, urging his fellow World War II vets to come forward and share their stories.
In 2007, Borgnine was presented with California's highest civilian honor, the Commendation Medal.[42][43]
^Thomson Gale (2000). "Ernest Borgnine".International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers 4th Ed. Vol. 3: Actors and Actresses. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: St. James Press.Born: Ermes Effron Borgnino in Hamden, Connecticut, January 24, 1917 (some sources say 1915 or 1918)
^Fantle, David; Johnson, Tom (2004).Reel to Real: 25 Years of Celebrity Interviews from Vaudeville to Movies to TV. Badger Books. pp. 106–113.ISBN978-1932542042.
^Pat Grandjean (October 2010)."Q & A: Ernest Borgnine".Connecticut magazine. Archived fromthe original on March 31, 2016. RetrievedNovember 8, 2012.
^ab"Ernest Borgnine (visual voices guide)".Behind The Voice Actors (A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information). RetrievedJuly 15, 2021.
"Ernest Borgnine".Biographies in Navy History. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. March 8, 2008. Archived fromthe original on October 3, 2008. RetrievedMarch 23, 2008.
Wise, James.Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997.ISBN1557509379.OCLC36824724.
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