24 Facts About Charles Bickford

1.

Charles Ambrose Bickford was an American actor known for supporting roles.

2.

Charles Bickford was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for The Song of Bernadette, The Farmer's Daughter, and Johnny Belinda.

3.

Charles Bickford's other roles include Whirlpool, A Star Is Born, and The Big Country.

4.

Charles Bickford had a particularly strong relationship with his maternal grandfather, a sea captain, who was a powerful influence during his formative years.

5.

Always more interested in experiencing life than reading about it, Charles Bickford was considered "the wild rogue" of this family, causing his parents frequent consternation.

6.

Charles Bickford was a stoker and fireman in the United States Navy when a friend dared him to get a job in burlesque.

7.

Charles Bickford had intended to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to earn an engineering degree, but while wandering around the country, he became friends with the manager of a burlesque show, who convinced Charles Bickford to take a role in the show.

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8.

Charles Bickford enjoyed himself so much that he abandoned his plans to attend MIT.

9.

Charles Bickford made his legitimate stage debut with the John Craig Stock Company at the Castle Square Theatre in Boston in 1912.

10.

Charles Bickford eventually joined a road company and traveled throughout the United States for more than a decade, appearing in various productions.

11.

Charles Bickford was offered a role in Herbert Brenon's 1926 film of Beau Geste, but anxious not to give up his newfound Broadway stardom, refused it, a decision he later came to regret.

12.

Charles Bickford became a star after playing Greta Garbo's lover in Anna Christie, but never developed into a leading man.

13.

Not surprisingly, his association with MGM was short-lived, with Charles Bickford asking for and quickly receiving a release from his contract.

14.

Charles Bickford soon found himself blacklisted at other studios, though, forcing him to take the highly unusual step of becoming an independent actor for several years.

15.

Charles Bickford's career took another turn in 1935, when he was mauled by a lion and nearly killed while filming East of Java.

16.

Much preferring the character roles that became his forte, Charles Bickford appeared in many notable films, including The Farmer's Daughter, Johnny Belinda, A Star Is Born, and Not as a Stranger.

17.

Charles Bickford served as host of the 1950s television series The Man Behind the Badge.

18.

Charles Bickford is taken to the wagon train by scout Flint McCullough, portrayed by series regular Robert Horton, to treat Mrs Barrister.

19.

Charles Bickford continued to act in generally prestigious projects right up to his death.

20.

Charles Bickford guest-starred on The Islanders, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and The Eleventh Hour.

21.

Charles Bickford was well-liked by both fans and his fellow actors, including series lead James Drury.

22.

Charles Bickford was a practicing Catholic and a Democrat who supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election.

23.

Charles Bickford died in Los Angeles on November 9,1967, at age 76, of pneumonia and a blood infection after being hospitalized for an extended period.

24.

Charles Bickford received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.