Richard Widmark Dies
Richard Widmark, who won a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his first movie role in the 1947 gangster film “Kiss of Death,” has died. He was 93. Yet another one of the old-guard greats that will be sorely missed, although he’s been out of the limelight for many years.
Widmark’s wife, Susan Blanchard, said the actor died Monday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. She didn’t provide details of his illness, and said funeral arrangements will be private.
Widmark became known for playing heavies. In fact, the role that earned him the Oscar nod was that of a psychopathic murderer who pushed a crippled old woman down a flight of stairs. He also made quite a few westerns, including John Ford’s “Two Rode Together” and “Cheyenne Autumn.”
More after the jump…
Widmark was born on Dec. 26, 1914, in Sunrise, Minn., and grew up in Princeton, Illinois. He attended Lake Forest College, near Chicago, where he first took an interest in acting. Because of a perforated eardrum, he did not serve in World War II.
Although his career ebbed in the early ’70s, he starred in the TV series “Madigan” from 1972-73, based on the movie in which he starred. He went on to star in “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974), “Rollercoaster” (1977) and “Coma.” (1978) He was also featured in the Jeff Bridges movie, “Against All Odds,” directed by Taylor Hackford.
Roles were few and far between in his later years, and that’s just the way he wanted it. In a Parade magazine interview in 1987, he said, “I’ve discovered in my dotage that I now find the whole movie-making process irritating. I don’t have the patience anymore. I’ve got a few more years to live, and I don’t want to spend them sitting around a movie set for 12 hours to do two minutes of film.”
Well said, Mr. Widmark. I hope your last years were happy and peaceful.
Photo: Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe, Don’t Bother to Knock, 20th Century Fox, 2002; How the West Was Won, MGM, 1962
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Action/Adventure, Celebrity Pictures, Crime, Drama, Film Genres, Film Industry, Movie Stars, Posters & Production Stills, Western
1 opinion for Richard Widmark Dies
carl
Apr 11, 2008 at 6:39 pm
The greatest actor, period.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: