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Robert Widmark
| Biography |
Midwestern born actor who became an overnight sensation as psychotic gangster Tommy Udo in the 1947 film Kiss of Death for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. After the success of Kiss of Death, Widmark, who was a stage and radio actor in New York, decided to take a gamble and give Hollywood a try. During a career which spanned more than four decades, Widmark became one of Hollywood's most respected actors appearing in such films as Cheyenne Autumn, Two Rode Together, The Alamo, Judgment at Nuremberg, Coma, and Murder on the Orient Express. He retired from the screen in 1991 after appearing in True Colors.
1. Frank Gorshin once said he based his Riddler's laugh on Widmark's cackle from Kiss of Death.
2. Widmark's life was once featured on an episode of A&E's Biography.
3. Once appeared on an episode of the game show What's My Line? as the Mystery Guest.
4. Widmark co-starred with two other film legends, Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum, in the 1967 film The Way West. A young Sally Field made her motion picture debut in that movie.
5. Won acclaim for his performance opposite Faye Dunaway in the 1989 made for TV movie Cold Sassy Tree.
6. Widmark is good friends with Sidney Poitier. They appeared together in three films: No Way Out, The Bedford Incident, and The Long Ships.
7. Widmark married Susan Blanchard in 1999 two years after the death of his first wife. Blanchard had previously been married to Henry Fonda.
8. Widmark joked that he was the only actor to ever leave behind a house with a swimming pool in order to come to Hollywood. He had an established career on radio in New York before being cast in Kiss of Death so giving Hollywood a try was a gamble.
9. Widmark's first wife, Jean, passed away from Alzheimer's in 1997.
10. Widmark currently resides in Connecticut with his second wife.
11. Widmark played Jim Bowie opposite John Wayne's Davy Crockett in The Alamo.
12. Widmark produced three films in which he starred: Time Limit, The Secret Ways, and The Bedford Incident.
13. In the 1950 film No Way Out, Widmark played a vicious racist who menaced Sidney Poitier.
14. Widmark played the murder victim in the 1975 whodunit Murder on the Orient Express.
15. Widmark played the prosecutor to Maximillian Schell's defense attorney in the 1962 war crimes drama Judgment at Nuremberg.
16. After moving to New York to establish an acting career, Widmark frequently appeared on the classic radio crime drama Gangbusters.
17. Widmark is the father-in-law of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax.
18. Widmark was inducted into the Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2002.
19. Widmark's father was a traveling salesman who moved the family around quite frequently when Richard was growing up.
20. Widmark was president of his high school class.
21. Widmark starred in the 1972 TV series Madigan based on his 1968 movie of the same name but only six episodes were produced and aired before the cancellation axe fell.
22. Critics roasted Widmark for one of the few times in his career when they said he was woefully miscast as the French Dauphin in the 1957 film Saint Joan.
23. Widmark co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in Don't Bother to Knock but said she was a nightmare to work with due to her personal insecurities.
24. Widmark retired after appearing in the 1991 movie True Colors.
25. Widmark has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6800 Hollywood Boulevard.
26. In 2005, Widmark received the Career Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
27. In 1989, Widmark received the Career Achievement Award from the National Board of Review.
28. Widmark won a Golden Globe in 1948 as Most Promising Male Newcomer for his role in Kiss of Death.
29. Widmark was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his film debut in Kiss of Death. He never received another nomination.
30. Widmark made a rare TV appearance as himself on a 1955 episode of I Love Lucy.
31. Widmark was a graduate of Lake Forest College in Illinois.
32. Widmark made his Broadway stage debut in the 1943 play Kiss and Tell.
33. Widmark never appeared on a talk show throughout his entire career.
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