Charles Bronson (bornCharles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty inEhrenfeld, Pennsylvania, acoal mining town in theAllegheny Mountains. Bronson's father, a miner, died when Bronson was young. Bronson himself worked in the mines as well until joining theUnited States Army Air Forces in 1943 to fight inWorld War II. After his service, he joined a theatrical troupe and studied acting. During the 1950s, he played various supporting roles in motion pictures and television, includinganthology drama TV series in which he would appear as the main character. Near the end of the decade, he had his first cinematic leading role inMachine-Gun Kelly (1958).
After this period, he returned to the United States to make more films, working with directorMichael Winner. Their early collaborations includedChato's Land (1972),The Mechanic (1972) andThe Stone Killer (1973). At this point, he became the world's top box-office star, commanding a salary of $1 million per film. In 1974, Bronson starred in the controversial filmDeath Wish (also directed by Winner), about an architect turned vigilante, a role that typified most of the characters he played for the rest of his career. Most critics initially panned the film as exploitative, but the movie was a major box-office success and spawnedfour sequels.
Until his retirement in the late 1990s, Bronson almost exclusively played lead roles in action-oriented films, such asMr. Majestyk (1974),Hard Times (1975),St. Ives (1976),The White Buffalo (1977),Telefon (1977), andAssassination (1987). During this time he often collaborated with directorJ. Lee Thompson. He also made a number of non-action television films in which he acted against type. His last significant role in cinema was a supporting one in a dramatic film,The Indian Runner (1991); his performance in it was praised by reviewers.
Bronson said English was not spoken at home during his childhood, like many other first-generation American children he grew up with. He once recounted that even as a soldier, his accent was strong enough to make his comrades think he was a foreigner.[10] Besides English, he could speak Lithuanian and Russian.[11]
In a 1973 interview, Bronson remarked that he did not know his father very well, and was not sure if he loved or hated him, adding that all he could remember about him was that whenever his mother announced that his father was coming home, the children would hide.[12] In 1933, after his father died of cancer, Bronson went to work in the coal mines, first in the mining office and then in the mine.[2] He later said he earned one dollar for each ton of coal that he mined.[10] In another interview, he said that he had to work double shifts to earn $1 (equivalent to $24 in 2024) a week.[12] Bronson later recounted that he and his brother engaged in dangerous work removing "stumps" between the mines, and that cave-ins were common.[12]
The family suffered extreme poverty during theGreat Depression, and Bronson recalled going hungry many times. His mother could not afford milk for his younger sister, so she was fed warm tea instead.[12] He said he had to wear his elder sister's dress to school for lack of clothing.[13][14] Bronson was the first member of his family to graduate from high school.[15]
After the end of World War II, Bronson did odd jobs until a theatrical group inPhiladelphia hired him to paint scenery, which led to acting in minor roles.[19] He later shared an apartment in New York City withJack Klugman, who was an aspiring actor at the time. Eventually, he moved to Hollywood, where he enrolled in acting classes at thePasadena Playhouse.[20]
That same year on television, he boxed in a ring withRoy Rogers in Rogers' showKnockout. He appeared on an episode ofThe Red Skelton Show as a boxer in a skit with Skelton playing "Cauliflower McPugg". He appeared with fellow guest starLee Marvin in an episode ofBiff Baker, U.S.A., an espionage series onCBS.[31]: 318
In 1953, he played Igor, the sidekick ofVincent Price, in the horror filmHouse of Wax, directed byAndre de Toth.[32] To prepare his role as a mute he took a course insign language.[33] Ben S. Parker ofThe Commercial Appeal said "Buchinsky adds mute menace as a deaf-and-dumb assistant to the madman".[34] In the US, the film reached 4th place on the biggest box office list of that year and making $23 million.[35] TheLibrary of Congress selectedHouse of Wax for preservation in theNational Film Registry in 2014, deeming it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[36][37]
In 1954, he appeared inRiding Shotgun, starringRandolph Scott, directed by de Toth.[40] It was reported that he got the role due to the quality of his performance inHouse of Wax.[41] That year on television, he acted in "The Case of the Desperate Men", and episode ofTreasury Men in Action.[42]
Also in 1954, during the height of theRed Scare and theHouse Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) proceedings, he changed his surname from Buchinsky to Bronson at the suggestion of his agent, who feared that a Russian surname might damage his career.[48]
In 1956 he acted inSam Fuller'sRun of the Arrow.[53] That year on television, he playedAlexis St. Martin in "Who Search for Truth", an episode ofMedic.[54] Also that year he started acting in the television showAlfred Hitchcock Presents and would return over the years. These episodes are "And So Died Riabouchinska" (Season 1 Episode 20, which aired 2/10/1956), "There Was an Old Woman" (1956), and "The Woman Who Wanted to Live" (1962).[55][56]
The following JulyGang War started its theatrical run.[62] In this film, Bronson plays the lead as a Los Angeles high-school teacher who witnesses a gangland killing and agrees to testify, not realizing this will cause retaliation.[63]
On October 10, 1959ABC's seriesMan with a Camera premiered. Bronson played the lead, Mike Kovac, a freelance crime fighting photographer in New York City.[65] The show lasted two season until 1960.[66]
In 1960, in John Sturges'sThe Magnificent Seven, he played one of seven gunfighters taking up the cause of the defenseless.[71] According to co-starEli Wallach, during filming "Bronson was a loner who kept to himself."[72] He received $50,000 (equivalent to $531,440 in 2024) for this role.[73] The film was a domesticbox-office disappointment, but it proved to be such a smash hit in Europe that it ultimately made a profit.[74][75]Harrison's Reports praised the film as "A superb Western, well-acted and crammed full of action, human interest, pathos, suspense, plus some romance and humor."[76] In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[77][78]
In 1960, he acted in "Zigzag", an episode ofRiverboat;[79] "The Generous Politician", an episode ofThe Islanders;[31]: 320 and "Street of Hate", an episode ofLaramie.[80] He played a recurring role in the second season ofHennesey. The first episode was episode 3, "Hennesey a la Gunn", and the second one was episode 26, "The Nogoodnik", which aired in 1961.[81]
In 1963, in John Sturges'sThe Great Escape, Bronson was part of an ensemble cast who played World War IIprisoners of war.[89] The film received acclaim. On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the critics consensus reads, "With its impeccably slow-building story and a cast for the ages,The Great Escape is an all-time action classic."[90] It grossed $11.7 million (equivalent to $120,166,630 in 2024) at the box office[91] on a budget of $4 million (equivalent to $41,082,609 in 2024).[92] It becameone of the highest-grossing films of 1963.[93] It was nominated for Best Picture at theGolden Globe Awards,[94] and is 19th inAFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills.[95]
On television that year, he co-starred in the seriesEmpire,[97] which lasted one season.[98] Bronson acted in the 1963–64 television season of the ABC Western seriesThe Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.[99]
In 1964, Bronson guest-starred in an episode of the Western TV seriesBonanza named "The Underdog".[100]
That year in television, in the 1965–1966 season, he guest-starred in an episode ofThe Legend of Jesse James. Bronson was cast as Velasquez, a demolitions expert, in the third-season episode, titled "Heritage", on ABC's WW II dramaCombat!.[103]
In 1967, in Robert Aldrich'sThe Dirty Dozen, Bronson was part of an ensemble cast who played GI-prisoners trained for a suicide mission.[107]The Dirty Dozen was a massive commercial success. In its first five days in New York, the film grossed $103,849 from 2 theatres.[108] Produced on a budget of $5.4 million, it earnedtheatrical rentals of $7.5 million in its first five weeks from 1,152 bookings and 625 prints, one of the fastest-grossing films at the time.[109] On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the critics consensus reads, "Amoral on the surface and exuding testosterone,The Dirty Dozen utilizes combat and its staggering cast of likeable scoundrels to deliver raucous entertainment."[110] It is 65th inAFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills.[95]
That year on television, he guest-starred as Ralph Schuyler, an undercover government agent, in the episode "The One That Got Away" on ABC'sThe Fugitive.[111]
In 1968, Bronson made a serious name for himself in European films. He was makingVilla Rides when approached by the producers ofJean Herman's French filmAdieu l'ami looking for an American co-star forAlain Delon, a fan of Bronson's acting. Bronson's agent Paul Kohner later recalled the producer pitched the actor "on the fact that in the American film industry all the money, all the publicity, goes to the pretty boy hero types. In Europe... the public is attracted by character, not face."[112] Bronson was signed in December 1967. The film was shot in Marseilles and Paris.[113] The film was a massive hit in France, earning around $6 million at the box office. Bronson went on to star in a series of European made movies that were hugely popular.[114]TV Guide praised the chemistry between Delon and Bronson.[115]
In 1974, Bronson's most famous role came at age 52, inDeath Wish, his most popular film, with director Michael Winner.[148] He played Paul Kersey, a successful New York architect who turns into a crime-fightingvigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter sexually assaulted. This movie spawnedfour sequels over the next two decades, all starring Bronson.[149] Many critics were displeased with the film, considering it an "immoral threat to society" and an encouragement of antisocial behavior.[150][151][152][153] The film was the 20th highest-grossing film in the US that year, making $22 million at the box office.[154]
In 1975, Bronson starred in two films directed byTom Gries:Breakout, a box office bonanza which grossed $21 million on a $4.6 million budget, andBreakheart Pass, a Western adapted from a novel byAlistair MacLean, which was a box office disappointment.[156]
In 1975, he starred in the directorial debut ofWalter Hill,Hard Times, playing a Depression-era street fighter making his living in illegal bare-knuckled matches in Louisiana. It earned good reviews.[157] The film was the 29th highest-grossing film in the US that year, making $5 million at the box office.[158]Roger Ebert said it is "a powerful, brutal film containing a definitive Charles Bronson performance."[159]
In 1975, he was one of many actors who were offered the lead inThe Shootist (1976). Bronson turned it down because the character had prostate cancer.[160]
In 1977, Bronson acted inIrvin Kershner'sRaid on Entebbe, where he playedDan Shomron.[164] TheNBC television film was based on the true story of theEntebbe raid.[165] It received initially good reviews. Capitalizing on its strongall-star ensemble cast, a film version was released theatrically in the UK and Europe in early 1977.[166] At the Golden Globe Awards it won "Best Television Movie".[167] At the Emmy Awards it was nominated for "Outstanding Special – Drama or Comedy" as well as winning and receiving nominations in other categories.[168] Also that year, he was reunited with Thompson inThe White Buffalo, produced byDino de Laurentiis for UA.[169] UA also releasedTelefon, directed byDon Siegel.[170] Finally in 1977, Bronson was announced as the star ofRaise the Titanic (1980), but didn't appear in the final product.[171]
In 1981, Bronson co-lead withLee Marvin inPeter Hunt's adventure filmDeath Hunt. It is a fictionalized account of theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) pursuit of a man namedAlbert Johnson, played by Bronson.[177] InVincent Canby's review forThe New York Times, he recognized that two old pros were at work. "Mr. Bronson and Mr. Marvin are such old hands at this sort of movie that each can create a character with ease, out of thin, cold air."[178] The film grossed $5,000,000 at the US box-office.[179]
Between 1976 and 1994, Bronson commanded high salaries to star in numerous films made by smaller production companies, most notablyCannon Films, for whom some of his last films were made.[31]: 141
Bronson was paid $1.5 million (equivalent to $4,887,414 in 2024) by Cannon to star inDeath Wish II (1982), directed by Michael Winner.[180] In the story, architect Paul Kersey (Bronson) moves to Los Angeles with his daughter. After she is murdered at the hands of several gang members, Kersey once again becomes a vigilante. Cannon Films promptly hired Bronson for10 to Midnight (1983), in which he played a cop chasing a serial killer. The film marks the fourth collaboration between Bronson and director J. Lee Thompson.[citation needed]
ITC Entertainment hired Thompson and Bronson forThe Evil That Men Do (1984). Cannon Films reunited Bronson and Winner forDeath Wish 3 (1985). InMurphy's Law (1986), directed by Thompson, Bronson plays Jack Murphy, a hardened, antisocialLAPD detective who turns to alcohol to numb the pain of harsh reality.[citation needed]
In 1986, he starred inJohn Mackenzie'sAct of Vengeance.[181] Based on a true story, he plays union leaderJoseph Yablonski going againstW.A. Boyle (Wilford Brimley). For theHBO television film, Bronson acted against type and said "it's a complete departure for me, I'm not wearing a moustache, and I'm not carrying a gun. I don't perform any violence in this film."[182] He explained since he didn't act for television in a long time, he had to think a lot about it before accepting, which he did partly because of his background in mining.[183] For his commitment on this project, Bronson dropped out of a lead role inThe Delta Force (1986).[184] Greg Burliuk of theKingston Whig-Standard and Robert DiMatteo ofThe Advocate-Messenger both praised Bronson acting against type.[185][186]
Bronson declined the role of Curly Washburn inCity Slickers (1991).[191]
In 1991, Bronson acted inThe Indian Runner, directed bySean Penn. StarringDavid Morse andViggo Mortensen, it is generally positively received.[192]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times said that Bronson performance "is a performance of quiet, sure power. After his recent string of brainless revenge thrillers, I wondered if Bronson had sort of given up on acting, and was just going through the motions. Here he is so good it is impossible to think of another actor one would have preferred in his place".[193]
In 1993, Bronson was paired withDana Delany to lead in theCBS television filmDonato and Daughter, directed byRod Holcomb. In it, Bronson plays Delany's father, and are both cops assigned to investigate a serial killer. In Kay Gardella's review published inThe Gazette she says "Delany and Bronson work well together. Bronson shows a warmer, more caring side than his usual tough-guy image allows. And Delany, as attractive as ever, is crisp and efficient as a cop."[196]
Also that year, he acted against type playing the antagonist inMichael Anderson's television filmThe Sea Wolf, an adaptation of thenovel by the same name, with the lead played byChristopher Reeve. About playing the main villain Bronson had reservations, and said "I was a little worried about all of the dialogue. I don't usually do that much talking in movies. And this is a bad guy. A really bad guy."[197] Ray Loynd ofThe Los Angeles Times wrote that "Bronson playing what's probably his first thinking's man heavy seems right at home."[198]
Bronson's last starring role in a theatrically released film was 1994'sDeath Wish V: The Face of Death.[199] The film received unfavorable reviews, many feeling that film was dull, too gory, with Bronson bored of playing that role again.[200][201][202][203][204][205]
At the time of his death, film criticStephen Hunter said that Bronson "oozed male life-force, stoic toughness, capability, strength" and "always projected the charisma of ambiguity: Was he an ugly handsome man or a handsome ugly man? You were never sure, so further study was obligatory." Hunter said, "he never became a great actor, but he knew exactly how to dominate a scene quietly." Bronson "was the man with the name ending in a vowel ... who never left the position, never complained, never quit, never skulked. He simmered, he sulked, he bristled with class resentments, but he hung in there, got the job done and expected no thanks. His nobility was all the more palpable for never having to be expressed in words."[213]
Bronson told criticRoger Ebert in 1974 that "I'm only a product like a cake of soap, to be sold as well as possible." He said that in the action pictures he was producing at the time, there was not much time for acting. He said: "I supply a presence. There are never any long dialogue scenes to establish a character. He has to be completely established at the beginning of the movie, and ready to work."[10]
DirectorMichael Winner said that Bronson did not have to "go into any big thing about what he does or how he does it" because he had a "quality that the motion-picture camera seems to respond to. He has a great strength on the screen, even when he's standing still or in a completely passive role. There is a depth, a mystery – there is always the sense that something will happen."[10]
Partial accolades
Nominee Emmy Awards "Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Series" (1961)[31]: 280
Winner Golden Globes "World Film Favorite – Male" (1972)[31]: 212
Bronson was scarred by his early deprivation and his early struggles as an actor. A 1973 newspaper profile said that he was so shy and introverted he could not watch his own films. Bronson was described as "still suspicious, still holds grudges, still despises interviews, still hates to give anything of himself, still can't believe it has really happened to him." He was embittered that it took so long for him to be recognized in the U.S., and after achieving fame he refused to work for a noted director who had snubbed him years before.[12]
CriticRoger Ebert wrote in 1974 that Bronson does not volunteer information, does not elaborate, and has no theories about his films. He wrote that Bronson threatened to "get"Time magazine criticJay Cocks, who had written a negative review he viewed as a personal attack and, unlike other actors who projected violence on film, Bronson seemed violent in person.[10]
Marriages
His first marriage was to Harriet Tendler, whom he met when both were fledgling actors in Philadelphia. They had two children, Suzanne and Tony, before divorcing in 1965.[215] She was 18 years old when she met the 26-year-old Charlie Buchinsky at a Philadelphia acting school in 1947. Two years later, with the grudging consent of her father, a successful, Jewish dairy farmer, Tendler wed Buchinsky, a Catholic and a former coal miner. Tendler supported them both while she and Charlie pursued their acting dreams. On their first date, he had four cents in his pocket — and went on, now as Charles Bronson, to become one of the highest paid actors in the country.[216]
Bronson was married to English actressJill Ireland from October 5, 1968,[217] until her death in 1990. He had met her in 1962, when she was married to Scottish actorDavid McCallum. At the time, Bronson (who shared the screen with McCallum inThe Great Escape) reportedly told him, "I'm going to marry your wife". The Bronsons lived in aBel-Air mansion with seven children: two by his previous marriage, three by hers (one of whom was adopted), and two of their own, Zuleika andKatrina, the latter of whom was also adopted.[218] After they married, she often played his leading lady, and they starred in fifteen films together.[219]
To maintain a close family, they would load up everyone and take them to wherever filming was taking place, so that they could all be together. They spent time in a colonial farmhouse on 260 acres (1.1 km2) in West Windsor, Vermont,[212] where Ireland raised horses and provided training for their daughter Zuleika so that she could perform at the higher levels of horse showing.[130]: 130 The family frequentedSnowmass, Colorado, in the 1980s and early 1990s for the winter holidays.[130]: 248
On May 18, 1990, aged 54,after a long battle withbreast cancer, Jill Ireland died of the disease at their home inMalibu, California.[220] In the 1991 television filmReason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story, Bronson was portrayed by actorLance Henriksen.[221] On December 27, 1998, Bronson was married for a third time to Kim Weeks, an actress and former employee of Dove Audio who had helped record Ireland in the production of her audiobooks. The couple remained married until Bronson's death in 2003.[222]
^Encyclopedia of early television crime fighters: all regular cast members in American crime and mystery series, 1948–59. McFarland & Company. 2006. p. 80.ISBN0-7864-2476-1.
^America discovers a 'sacred monster': Bronson looks as if at any moment he's about to hit someone. 'Charlie Bronson really is a guy with a lot of humor and a lot of tenderness, both of which he hides.' By Bill Davidson,New York Times, September 22, 1974: 260.
^Martin, Betty (December 29, 1967). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Wolper, Wood Buy Story".Los Angeles Times. p. c15.
^Bill DavidsonRobert Mitchum (September 22, 1974). "America discovers a 'sacred monster': Bronson looks as if at any moment he's about to hit someone. 'Charlie Bronson really is a guy with a lot of humor and a lot of tenderness, both of which he hides.'".The New York Times. p. 260.
