85 Facts About Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson worked several odd jobs before entering the film industry in the early 1950s, playing bit and supporting roles as henchmen, thugs, and other "heavies".

Charles Bronson played a vengeful, Harmonica-playing gunman in Sergio Leone's epic Spaghetti Western Once Upon a Time in the West, an offbeat detective in Rider on the Rain, real-life Mafia turncoat Joe Valachi in The Valachi Papers, and starred opposite Alain Delon in Adieu l'ami and Red Sun.

Charles Bronson continued acting well into the 1980s, often in Cannon Films productions.

Charles Bronson's father, Walter Buchinsky, was a Lipka Tatar from Druskininkai in southern Lithuania.

Charles Bronson's mother, Mary, whose parents were from Lithuania, was born in the coal mining town of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.

Charles Bronson did not speak any English at home during his childhood in Pennsylvania, like many children he grew up with.

Charles Bronson recalled that even back when he was in the army, his accent was strong enough to make his comrades think he came from another country.

When Charles Bronson was 10 years old, his father died and he went to work in the coal mines, first in the mining office and then in the mine.

Charles Bronson later said he earned one dollar for each ton of coal that he mined.

Charles Bronson later recounted that he and his brother engaged in dangerous work removing "stumps" between the mines, and that cave-ins were common.

The family suffered extreme poverty during the Great Depression, and Charles Bronson recalled going hungry many times.

Charles Bronson's family was so poor that he once had to wear his sister's dress to school for lack of clothing.

Charles Bronson was the first member of his family to graduate from high school.

Charles Bronson worked in the mine until he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 during World War II.

Charles Bronson served in the 760th Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron, and in 1945 as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress aerial gunner with the Guam-based 61st Bombardment Squadron within the 39th Bombardment Group, which conducted combat missions against the Japanese home islands.

Charles Bronson flew 25 missions and received a Purple Heart for wounds received in battle.

Charles Bronson later shared an apartment in New York City with Jack Klugman while both were aspiring to play on the stage.

In 1952, Charles Bronson boxed in a ring with Roy Rogers in Rogers' show Knockout.

Charles Bronson appeared on an episode of The Red Skelton Show as a boxer in a skit with Skelton playing "Cauliflower McPugg".

Charles Bronson appeared with fellow guest star Lee Marvin in an episode of Biff Baker, USA, an espionage series on CBS starring Alan Hale Jr.

In 1955, Charles Bronson acted in Target Zero, Big House, USA, and Jubal.

In 1957, Charles Bronson was cast in the Western series Colt.

Charles Bronson had the lead role in the episode "The Apache Kid" of the syndicated crime drama The Sheriff of Cochise, starring John Bromfield.

In May 1958, Roger Corman's biopic of a real life gangster Machine-Gun Kelly premiered, in it Charles Bronson plays the lead.

Geoffrey M Warren of The Los Angeles Times said Bronson makes Kelly "a full, three dimensional human being".

Charles Bronson plays the lead as a Los Angeles high-school teacher, who witnesses a gangland killing and agrees to testify.

Charles Bronson played the lead in which he portrayed Mike Kovac, a freelance crime fighting photographer in New York City.

Also that year on television Charles Bronson appeared as Butch Cassidy on the TV western Tales of Wells Fargo in the episode titled "Butch Cassidy".

In 1959, Charles Bronson had a supporting role in an expensive war film, Never So Few, directed by John Sturges.

In 1961, Charles Bronson played supporting roles in William Witney's Master of the World, Joseph Newman's A Thunder of Drums, and Richard Donner's X-15.

Charles Bronson was nominated for an Emmy Award for his supporting role in an episode entitled "Memory in White" of CBS's General Electric Theater.

In 1963, in John Sturges's The Great Escape, Charles Bronson part is of ensemble who play World War 2 prisoners of war.

In 1964, Charles Bronson guest-starred in an episode of the western TV series Bonanza named "The Underdog".

In 1965, Charles Bronson acted in Guns of Diablo, a film derived from the television series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.

In 1966, Charles Bronson played a central character in Sydney Pollack's This Property Is Condemned, based on a Tennessee Williams's play.

Elston Brooks of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said "Charles Bronson has never been better as the embittered boarder".

Also that year, Charles Bronson acted in Vincente Minnelli's The Sandpiper.

In 1967, in Robert Aldrich's The Dirty Dozen, Charles Bronson part is of ensemble who play GI-prisoners trained for a suicide mission.

In 1968, Charles Bronson made a serious name for himself in European films.

Charles Bronson was making Villa Rides when approached by the producers of Jean Herman's French film Adieu l'ami looking for an American co-star for Alain Delon, a fan of Bronson's acting.

Charles Bronson went on to star in a series of European made movies that were hugely popular.

Charles Bronson had turned down Leone prior to this film for the lead in 1964's A Fistful of Dollars.

Also that year, Charles Bronson acted in Henri Verneuil's Guns for San Sebastian, and Buzz Kulik's Villa Rides.

In 1970, Charles Bronson played lead roles in Richard Donner's Lola, Peter Collinson's You Can't Win 'Em All, Sergio Sollima's Violent City, and Terence Young's Cold Sweat.

Also that year, Charles Bronson then played a lead in Rene Clement's French thriller, Rider on the Rain.

Wanda Hale of the Daily News gave it four stars and said Charles Bronson is "marvellous as the tough American colonel".

In 1972, The Valachi Papers was directed by Terence Young; Charles Bronson played Joseph Valachi.

In 1972, Charles Bronson began a string of successful action films for United Artists, beginning with Michael Winner's Chato's Land.

Also that year, Charles Bronson worked with director John Sturges on Chino.

In 1975, Charles Bronson starred in two films directed by Tom Gries: Breakout, and Breakheart Pass, a Western adapted from a novel by Alistair MacLean, which was a box office disappointment.

Charles Bronson reached his pinnacle in box-office drawing power that year, when he was ranked 4th, behind only Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, and Al Pacino.

In 1976, Bronson did a Western comedy for UA, Frank D Gilroy's From Noon till Three.

Also that year, Bronson made St Ives, his first film with director J Lee Thompson.

In 1977, Charles Bronson acted in Irvin Kershner's Raid on Entebbe, where he played Dan Shomron.

Charles Bronson went on to make two films for ITC, Love and Bullets and Borderline.

Charles Bronson was reunited with Thompson on Caboblanco, and played Albert Johnson in Death Hunt, opposite Lee Marvin.

Charles Bronson was paid $1.5 million by Cannon to star in Death Wish II, directed by Michael Winner.

Charles Bronson plays a former assassin, who comes out of retirement to avenge the death of his journalist friend.

In Murphy's Law, directed by Thompson, Charles Bronson plays Jack Murphy, a hardened, antisocial LAPD detective who turns to alcohol to numb the pain of harsh reality.

Charles Bronson's ex-wife, played by Angel Tompkins, has become a stripper and his career is going nowhere.

Charles Bronson's world is turned upside down when an ex-convict, played by Carrie Snodgress, frames him for putting her in prison earlier in his career.

Greg Burliuk of the Kingston Whig-Standard and Robert DiMatteo of The Advocate-Messenger both praised Charles Bronson acting against type.

In 1991, Charles Bronson acted in The Indian Runner, directed by Sean Penn.

Linda Renaud of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Charles Bronson "cast totally against type, is thoroughly convincing as the distraught newspaperman".

In 1993, Charles Bronson was paired Dana Delany to lead in the CBS television film Donato and Daughter, directed by Rod Holcomb.

Charles Bronson's last starring role in a theatrically released film was 1994's Death Wish V: The Face of Death.

From 1995 to 1999, Charles Bronson acted in a trilogy of TV movies as Commissioner Paul Fein, the patriarch of a family of law enforcers.

Charles Bronson's health deteriorated in his later years, and he retired from acting after undergoing hip-replacement surgery in August 1998.

Charles Bronson died at age 81 on August 30,2003, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Charles Bronson was interred at Brownsville Cemetery in West Windsor, Vermont.

Charles Bronson simmered, he sulked, he bristled with class resentments, but he hung in there, got the job done and expected no thanks.

Charles Bronson's nobility was all the more palpable for never having to be expressed in words.

Charles Bronson has to be completely established at the beginning of the movie, and ready to work.

Charles Bronson has a great strength on the screen, even when he's standing still or in a completely passive role.

Charles Bronson was again approached for a starring role in the sequel For a Few Dollars More but he passed, citing that the sequel's script was like the first film.

Charles Bronson was offered both the roles of Tuco and Angel Eyes in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Charles Bronson wanted to accept but he had to decline both, as he was in England filming The Dirty Dozen.

Charles Bronson was considered for the role of Snake Plissken in Escape from New York, but director John Carpenter thought he was too tough looking and too old for the part, and decided to cast Kurt Russell instead.

Charles Bronson auditioned for the role of Superman for the 1978 film adaptation, but producer Ilya Salkind turned him down for being too earthy and decided to cast Christopher Reeve.

Charles Bronson was scarred by his early deprivation and his early struggle as an actor.

Charles Bronson was 18 years old when she met the 26-year-old Charlie Buchinsky at a Philadelphia acting school in 1947.

Charles Bronson was married to English actress Jill Ireland from October 5,1968, until her death in 1990.

Charles Bronson had met her in 1962, when she was married to Scottish actor David McCallum.

At the time, Charles Bronson reportedly told him, "I'm going to marry your wife".

In December 1998, Charles 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.