Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine | |
---|---|
Borgnine at the TCM Classic Film Festival]on April 22, 2010. | |
Born |
Ermes Effron Borgnino January 24, 1917 Hamden, Connecticut, U.S. |
Died |
July 8, 2012 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Kidney failure |
Occupation | Actor, voice actor |
Years active | 1951–2012 |
Spouse(s) |
Rhoda Kemins (m. 1949–1958; divorced) Katy Jurado (m. 1959–1963; divorced) Ethel Merman (m. 1964–1965; separated after 32 days; divorce finalized in 1965) Donna Rancourt (m. 1965–1972; divorced) Tova Traesnaes (m. 1973–2012; his death) |
Children | 3 daughters, 1 son |
Awards | See Awards and Nominations |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1935–1941, 1942–1945 |
Rank |
Gunner's mate, 1st class Honorary Chief Petty Officer |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Signature | |
Ernest Borgnine (born Ermes Effron Borgnino; /ˈbɔːrɡnaɪn/; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American film, television, character and voice actor whose career spanned more than six decades. He was noted for his gruff, yet calm voice, Machiavellian eyebrows and gap-toothed Cheshire cat grin.[1] A popular performer, he had also appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and as a panelist on several game shows.
Borgnine's 61-year career began in 1951, and included playing opposite Jon Hall in China Corsair (1951), Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (1953), Gary Cooper in Vera Cruz (1954) and Spencer Tracy in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). He also played the unconventional lead in many films, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1955 for Marty. He achieved continuing success in the 1960s sitcom McHale's Navy (1962–1966), in which Borgnine played the starring role of the title character, and co-starred opposite Jan-Michael Vincent in the mid-1980s action series Airwolf (1984–1986) as Dominic Santini, in addition to a wide variety of other roles. Borgnine earned an Emmy Award nomination at age 92, for his work on the series ER. He was also known for being the original voice of Mermaid Man on SpongeBob SquarePants, a role he played from 1999 until his death in 2012.
Early life
Ernest Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino (Italian pronunciation: [borˈɲiːno]) on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut.[2][3] He was the son of Anna (née Boselli; 1894–1949),[4] who emigrated from Carpi (Modena, Italy) to the United States, and Camillo Borgnino (1891–1975),[5] who emigrated from Ottiglio (Alessandria, Italy).[6]
Borgnine's parents separated when he was two years old, and his mother and he lived in Italy for about 4 1/2 years. By 1923, his parents had reconciled, the family name was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine, and his father changed his first name to Charles. Ernest had a sister, Evelyn Borgnine Velardi (1925–2013).[7] The family settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where he graduated from James Hillhouse High School. Borgnine took to sports while growing up, but showed no interest in acting.[8]
Naval service
Borgnine joined the United States Navy in October 1935, after graduation from high school.[9] He served aboard the destroyer/destroyer minesweeper USS Lamberton (DD-119; AG-21 and DMS-2)[10] and was honorably discharged from the Navy in October 1941.[11] In January 1942, he reenlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he patrolled the Atlantic Coast on an antisubmarine warfare ship, the USS Sylph (PY-12).[12] In September 1945, he was honorably discharged from the Navy. He served a total of almost ten years in the Navy and obtained the grade of gunner's mate 1st class. His military awards include the Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp, American Campaign Medal with 3⁄16" bronze star, and the World War II Victory Medal.[11]
In 1997, Borgnine received the United States Navy Memorial, Lone Sailor Award.[13]
On December 7, 2000, Borgnine was named the Veterans Foundation's Veteran of the Year.
In October 2004, Borgnine received the honorary title of chief petty officer from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott. The ceremony for Borgnine's naval advancement was held at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. He received the special honor for his naval service and support of the Navy and navy families worldwide.[14][15]
On February 5, 2007, he received the California Commendation Medal.[16]
Acting career
Borgnine returned to his parents' house in Connecticut after his Navy discharge without a job to go back to and no direction. In a British Film Institute interview about his life and career, he said:
After World War II, we wanted no more part in war. I didn't even want to be a boy-scout. I went home and said that I was through with the Navy and so now, what do we do? So I went home to mother, and after a few weeks of patting me on the back and, "You did good," and everything else, one day she said, "Well?" like mothers do. Which meant, "All right, you gonna get a job or what?"[17]
He took a local factory job, but was unwilling to settle down to that kind of work. His mother encouraged him to pursue a more glamorous profession and suggested to him that his personality would be well suited for the stage. He surprised his mother by taking the suggestion to heart, although his father was far from enthusiastic. In 2011, Borgnine remembered,
She said, "You always like getting in front of people and making a fool of yourself, why don't you give it a try?" I was sitting at the kitchen table and I saw this light. No kidding. It sounds crazy. And 10 years later, I had Grace Kelly handing me an Academy Award.
Stage
He studied acting and graduated, auditioned, and was accepted as an intern to the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. It had been named for the director's allowing audiences to barter produce for admission during the cash-lean years of the Great Depression. In 1947, Borgnine landed his first stage role in State of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.
In 1949, Borgnine went to New York, where he had his Broadway debut in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey. More roles on stage led him to being cast for decades as a character actor.
Films
An appearance as the villain on TV's Captain Video led to Borgnine's casting in the motion picture The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951) for Columbia Pictures.[18] That year, Borgnine moved to Los Angeles, California, where he eventually received his big break in Columbia's From Here to Eternity (1953), playing the sadistic Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, who beats a stockade prisoner in his charge, Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra). Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor and played villains in early films, including movies such as Johnny Guitar, Vera Cruz, and Bad Day at Black Rock.
In 1955, the actor starred as a warmhearted butcher in Marty, the film version of the television play of the same name. He gained an Academy Award for Best Actor over Frank Sinatra, James Dean (who had died by the time of the ceremony), and former Best Actor winners Spencer Tracy and James Cagney.
Borgnine's film career flourished for the next three decades, including roles in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Ice Station Zebra (1968), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Emperor of the North (1973), Convoy (1978), The Black Hole (1979), All Quiet on the Western Front (1979), and Escape from New York (1981).
One of his most famous roles was that of Dutch, a member of The Wild Bunch in the 1969 Western classic from director Sam Peckinpah. Of his role in The Wild Bunch, Borgnine later said,
I did [think it was a moral film]. Because to me, every picture should have some kind of a moral to it. I feel that when we used to watch old pictures, as we still do I'm sure, the bad guys always got it in the end and the good guys always won out. Today it's a little different. Today it seems that the bad guys are getting the good end of it. There was always a moral in our story.[17]
Television
Borgnine made his TV debut as a character actor in Captain Video and His Video Rangers, beginning in 1951. These two episodes led to countless other television roles that Borgnine would gain in Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Ford Television Theatre, Fireside Theatre, Frontier Justice, Laramie, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Run for Your Life, Little House on the Prairie (a two-part episode entitled "The Lord is My Shepherd"), The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I., Highway to Heaven, Murder, She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger, Home Improvement, Touched by an Angel, and the final episodes of ER, the first episode of Wagon Train, and many others.
In 2009, at the age of 92, Borgnine earned an Emmy nomination for his performances in the final two episodes of ER.
McHale's Navy
In 1962, Borgnine signed a contract with Universal Studios for the lead role as the gruff but lovable skipper, Quinton McHale, in what began as a serious one-hour 1962 episode called Seven Against the Sea for Alcoa Premiere, and later reworked to a comedy called McHale's Navy, a World War II sitcom, which also co-starred unfamiliar comedians Joe Flynn as Capt. Wally Binghamton and Tim Conway as Ens. Charles Parker. The insubordinate crew of PT-73 helped the show become an overnight success during its first season, landing in the Top 30 in 1963.
Like the McHale character, Borgnine was a longtime navy man in real life. He thrived on the adulation from fans for their favorite navy man, and in 1963 received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. At the end of the fourth season, in 1966 low ratings and repetitive storylines brought McHale's Navy to an end.
Tim Conway said about the sitcom: "You know, we were all guys, it was about the war, and about men, so, there weren't many women working on the show, so we can spit, talk, swear, and everything—smoke? Gosh. So, it was male oriented." Conway once referred to Ernest Borgnine making new friends off of the Universal set, "It was the beginning of the trams, going through Universal. Ernie was probably one of the few people at Universal, who would stop the trams and say, 'Hello, how are you?' He would talk to everybody at the tram." While the show McHale's Navy was going strong, Tim had also said of Borgnine's short-lived marriage to Ethel Merman, "Ernie is volatile. I mean, there's no question about that; and Ethel was a very strong lady. So, you put 2 bombs in a room, something is going to explode, and I guess it probably did." He also said about the cancellation of McHale's Navy was, "We had gone from the South Pacific to Italy, and then, once in a while, we got to New York or something. The storylines were beginning to duplicate themselves. So, they actually said, 'Maybe, they had its run!'". Conway kept in touch with Borgnine for more than 40 years, while living not too far from one another. In 1999, the duo reunited to guest-voice in several episodes of the popular 2000s animated comedy, SpongeBob SquarePants. Katy Jurado's death in 2002 drew Borgnine and Conway much closer, as Tim had heard so much of the actress's death. He said he heard his resisting friend once referred to one of his ex-wives, "Beautiful, but a tiger." After Conway lost his TV captain, he later said, if Borgnine was more than likely to died an Italian count, had it not been for Mussolini, "I can't envision him as a count," Tim had also said about McHale's Navy debuted, a half a century ago, boosting both ABC and the Navy fortunes: "But maybe as a king---certainly not a count." The last thing he said about his acting mentor's long career: "There were no limits to Ernie," said Conway, "When you look at his career---Fatso Judson to Marty, that's about as varied as you get in characters and he handled both of them with equal delicacy and got the most out of those characters."[19]
Airwolf
Borgnine returned to a new contract with Universal Studios in 1983, for a co-starring role opposite Jan-Michael Vincent, on Airwolf. After he was approached by producer Donald P. Bellisario, who had been impressed by Borgnine's guest role as a wrestler in a 1982 episode of Magnum, P.I., he immediately agreed. He played Dominic Santini, a helicopter pilot, in the series, which became an immediate hit. Borgnine's strong performances belied his exhaustion due to the grueling production schedule, and the challenges of working with his younger, troubled series lead. The show was cancelled by CBS in 1986.
The Single Guy
He auditioned a third time for a co-starring role opposite Jonathan Silverman in The Single Guy as doorman Manny Cordoba, which lasted two seasons. According to Silverman, Borgnine came to work with more energy and passion than all other stars combined. He was the first person to arrive on the set every day and the last to leave.
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
In 1996, Borgnine starred in the televised fantasy/thriller film Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (partially adapted from the 1984 horror film The Devil's Gift). As narrator and storyteller, Borgnine recounts a string of related supernatural tales, his modern-day fables notably centering on an enchanted and malicious cymbal-banging monkey toy stolen from the wizard Merlin. The film was later featured in the parodical television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, and has since gained a prominent cult following.[20]
Other activities
Also in 1996, Borgnine toured the United States on a bus to meet his fans and see the country. The trip was the subject of a 1997 documentary, Ernest Borgnine on the Bus. He also served one year as the chairman of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, visiting patients in many Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.
Work after 1999
Starting in 1999, Borgnine provided his voice talent to the animated sitcom SpongeBob SquarePants as the elderly superhero Mermaid Man (where he was paired up with his McHale's Navy co-star Tim Conway as the voice of Mermaid Man's sidekick Barnacle Boy). He expressed affection for this role, in no small part for its popularity among children. After his death Nickelodeon re-aired all of the episodes in which Mermaid Man appeared in memoriam. Borgnine also appeared as himself in The Simpsons episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", in addition to a number of television commercials. In 2000, he was the executive producer of Hoover, in which he was the only credited actor.
In 2007, Borgnine starred in the Hallmark original film A Grandpa for Christmas. He played a man who, after his estranged daughter ends up in the hospital because of a car accident, discovers that he has a granddaughter he never knew about. She is taken into his care, and they soon become great friends. Borgnine received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television for his performance. At 90, he was the oldest Golden Globe nominee ever.
Borgnine's autobiography Ernie was published by Citadel Press in July 2008. Ernie is a loose, conversational recollection of highlights from his acting career and notable events from his personal life.
On April 2, 2009, he appeared in the last episode of the long-running medical series ER. His role was that of a husband whose long marriage ended with his wife's death. In his final scene, his character is in a hospital bed lying beside his just-deceased wife. His performance garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, his third nomination and his first in 29 years (since being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1980 for All Quiet on the Western Front).
In 2009, at age 92, he starred as Frank, the main character of Another Harvest Moon, directed by Greg Swartz and also starring Piper Laurie and Anne Meara. On October 2, 2010, Borgnine appeared as himself in a sketch on Saturday Night Live. On October 15, 2010, he appeared in Red, which was filmed earlier that year. In late 2011, Borgnine completed what would be his last film, playing Rex Page in The Man Who Shook The Hand of Vicente Fernandez.
Personal life and death
Borgnine married five times. His first wife was Rhoda Kemins (1949–1958), whom he met while serving in the Navy.[21] They had one daughter, Nancee (born May 28, 1952). He then married actress Katy Jurado (1959–1963).
Borgnine's marriage to singer Ethel Merman (1964) lasted 32 days. Their time together was mostly spent hurling profane insults at each other, and both would later admit that the marriage was a colossal mistake (Merman's description of the marriage in her autobiography was a solitary blank page). Their divorce was finalized on May 25, 1965.
Borgnine married Donna Rancourt (1965–1972), with whom he had a son, Cristopher (born August 9, 1969) and two daughters, Sharon (born August 5, 1965) and Diana (born December 29, 1970). His fifth and last marriage was to Tova Traesnaes, which lasted from February 24, 1973 until his death.
In 2000, Borgnine received his 50-year pin as a Freemason in Abingdon Lodge No. 48, Abingdon, Virginia. He joined the Scottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles in 1964, received the KCCH in 1979, was crowned a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983, and received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 1991.[22]
Borgnine was a heavy smoker until 1962, after which he became a militant anti-smoker.[23]
Borgnine died of kidney failure on July 8, 2012 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California with his family at his side.[24] He was 95 years old.[25] Upon his death, he was cremated, his ashes were given to his family.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was dedicated to Borgnine.
Honors
Borgnine's hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, where he enjoyed a large and vocal following, named a street in his honor. For 30 years (1972–2002), Borgnine marched in Milwaukee's annual Great Circus Parade as the "Grand Clown".[26]
In 1994, Borgnine received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations.[27]
In 1997, Borgnine was the commencement speaker at Lakeland College, and received an honorary doctorate in humane letters in recognition of his distinguished acting career.
In 1998, the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars dedicated a Golden Palm Star to him.[28]
Film awards and nominations
Borgnine won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Marty Piletti in the film Marty.[25] At the time of his death, he was the oldest living recipient of the Best Actor Oscar.[29]
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ernest Borgnine received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6324 Hollywood Blvd. In 1996, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
He was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards, held January 30, 2011.[30]
Awards from fraternal groups
In 2000, Borgnine received his 50-year pin as a Freemason in Abingdon Lodge No. 48, Abingdon, Virginia. He joined the Scottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles (in the Southern Jurisdiction of the U.S.A) in 1964, received the KCCH in 1979, was crowned a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983, and received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 1991.[31] He was also a member of the Loyal Order of Moose at that organization's Lodge in Junction City, Oregon. He volunteered to be Stories of Service National spokesman, urging his fellow World War II vets to come forward and share their stories.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | China Corsair | Hu Chang | |
The Whistle at Eaton Falls | Bill Street | ||
The Mob | Joe Castro | ||
1953 | Treasure of the Golden Condor | Bit part | |
The Stranger Wore a Gun | Bull Slager | ||
From Here to Eternity | Staff Sergeant James R. "Fatso" Judson | ||
1954 | Johnny Guitar | Bart Lonergan | |
Demetrius and the Gladiators | Strabo | ||
Bounty Hunter, TheThe Bounty Hunter | Bill Rachin | ||
Vera Cruz | Donnegan | ||
1955 | Bad Day at Black Rock | Coley Trimble | |
Violent Saturday | Stadt, Amish Farmer | ||
Marty | Marty Piletti | Academy Award for Best Actor BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama National Board of Review Award for Best Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor | |
Run for Cover | Morgan | ||
Last Command, TheThe Last Command | Mike Radin | ||
The Square Jungle | Bernie Browne | ||
1956 | Jubal | Shep Horgan | |
Catered Affair, TheThe Catered Affair | Tom Hurley | ||
Best Things in Life Are Free, TheThe Best Things in Life Are Free | Lew Brown | ||
Three Brave Men | Bernard F. "Bernie" Goldsmith | ||
1958 | Vikings, TheThe Vikings | Ragnar | |
Badlanders, TheThe Badlanders | John "Mac" McBain | ||
Torpedo Run | Lieutenant / Lieutenant Commander Archer "Archie" Sloan | ||
1959 | The Rabbit Trap | Eddie Colt | Locarno International Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | Roo Webber | ||
1960 | Man on a String | Boris Mitrov | |
Pay or Die | Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino | Nominated – Golden Laurel | |
1961 | Go Naked in the World | Pete Stratton | |
Black City | Peppino Navarra | ||
Last Judgement, TheThe Last Judgement | Pickpocket | ||
The Italian Brigands | Sante Carbone | ||
Barabbas | Lucius | ||
1964 | McHale's Navy | Lt. Commander Quinton McHale, Sr | Spin-off of the series of the same name |
1965 | Flight of the Phoenix, TheThe Flight of the Phoenix | Trucker Cobb | |
1966 | Oscar, TheThe Oscar | Barney Yale | |
1967 | Chuka | Sergeant Otto Hansbach | |
Dirty Dozen, TheThe Dirty Dozen | Major General Worden | ||
1968 | Man Who Makes the Difference, TheThe Man Who Makes the Difference | Himself | Documentary short film |
Legend of Lylah Clare, TheThe Legend of Lylah Clare | Barney Sheean | ||
Split, TheThe Split | Bert Clinger | ||
Ice Station Zebra | Boris Vaslov | ||
1969 | Wild Bunch, TheThe Wild Bunch | Dutch Engstrom | |
Bullet for Sandoval, AA Bullet for Sandoval | Don Pedro Sandoval | ||
1970 | Adventurers, TheThe Adventurers | Fat Cat | |
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? | Sheriff Harve | ||
1971 | Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? | Deputy Sam Hill | |
Willard | Al Martin | ||
Bunny O'Hare | Bill Green / William Gruenwald | ||
Hannie Caulder | Emmett Clemens | ||
Trackers, TheThe Trackers | Sam Paxton | ||
Rain for a Dusty Summer | The General | ||
1972 | World of Sport Fishing, TheThe World of Sport Fishing | Himself | Documentary |
Film Portrait | |||
Ripped Off | Captain Perkins | ||
Revengers, TheThe Revengers | Hoop | ||
Poseidon Adventure, TheThe Poseidon Adventure | Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo | ||
1973 | Emperor of the North Pole | Shack | |
Neptune Factor, TheThe Neptune Factor | Chief Diver Don MacKay | ||
Legend in Granite | Vince Lombardi | ||
1974 | Twice in a Lifetime | Vince Boselli | |
Law and Disorder | Cy | ||
Vengeance Is Mine | Adam Smith | ||
1975 | Devil's Rain, TheThe Devil's Rain | Jonathan "John" Corbis | |
Hustle | Santuro | ||
1976 | Holiday Hookers | Max | |
Shoot | Lou | ||
1977 | Fire! | Sam Brisbane | |
Greatest, TheThe Greatest | Angelo Dundee | ||
Crossed Swords | John Canty | ||
1978 | The Ghost of Flight 401 | Dom Cimoli | |
Cops and Robin | Joe Cleaver | ||
Convoy | Natoosha County Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth' Wallace of Arizona | ||
1979 | Ravagers | Rann | |
Double McGuffin, TheThe Double McGuffin | Firat | ||
Black Hole, TheThe Black Hole | Harry Booth | ||
1980 | When Time Ran Out | Detective Sergeant Tom Conti | |
Super Fuzz | Sergeant Willy Dunlop | ||
1981 | High Risk | Clint | |
Escape from New York | Cabbie | ||
Deadly Blessing | Isaiah Schmidt | ||
1983 | Young Warriors | Lieutenant Bob Carrigan | |
Carpool | Mickey Doyle | ||
1984 | Code Name: Wild Geese | Fletcher | |
Love Leads the Way: A True Story | Senator Brighton | ||
Man Hunt | Ben Robeson | ||
1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The Lion | |
1988 | Skeleton Coast | Colonel Smith | |
The Opponent | Victor | ||
Spike of Bensonhurst | Baldo Cacetti | Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male | |
Big Turnaround, TheThe Big Turnaround | Father Lopez | ||
Moving Target | Captain Morrison | ||
1989 | Gummibärchen küßt man nicht | Bischof | |
Laser Mission | Professor Braun | ||
Jake Spanner, Private Eye | Sal Piccolo | ||
1990 | Any Man's Death | Herr Gantz | |
Appearances | Emil Danzig | ||
Tides of War | Doctor | ||
1991 | Last Match, TheThe Last Match | Coach | |
Mountain of Diamonds | Ernie | ||
1992 | Mistress | Himself | Cameo |
1993 | Tierärztin Christine | Dr. Gustav Gruber | |
Hunt for the Blue Diamond | Hans Kroger | ||
1994 | Outlaws: Legend of O.B. Taggart, TheThe Outlaws: Legend of O.B. Taggart | Unknown | |
1995 | Tierärztin Christine II: The Temptation | Dr. Gustav Gruber | |
Captiva Island | Arty | ||
1996 | The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage | Himself | Voice; Documentary |
All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 | Carface Carruthers | Voice | |
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders | Grandfather | ||
1997 | Ernest Borgnine on the Bus | Himself | Documentary |
McHale's Navy | Admiral Quinton McHale, Sr. (a.k.a. Cobra) | Based on the series of the same name | |
Gattaca | Caesar | ||
1998 | Small Soldiers | Kip Killigan | Voice |
BASEketball | Ted Denslow | ||
12 Bucks | Lucky | ||
Mel | Grandpa | ||
An All Dogs Christmas Carol | Carface Carruthers | Voice | |
1999 | Abilene | Hotis Brown | |
Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island, TheThe Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island | Ben Quinn | ||
Last Great Ride, TheThe Last Great Ride | Franklin Lyle | ||
2000 | Castle Rock | Nate | |
Hoover | J. Edgar Hoover | Also executive producer | |
Kiss of Debt, TheThe Kiss of Debt | Godfather Mariano | ||
2002 | 11'09"01 September 11 | Pensioner | (Segment: "United States of America") |
Whiplash | Judge DuPont | ||
2003 | American Hobo, TheThe American Hobo | Narrator | Documentary |
Long Ride Home, TheThe Long Ride Home | Lucas Moat | ||
2004 | Blueberry | Rolling Star | |
Barn Red | Michael Bolini | ||
Trail to Hope Rose, TheThe Trail to Hope Rose | Eugene | ||
Blue Light, TheThe Blue Light | Faerie King | ||
2005 | That One Summer | Otis Garner | |
3 Below | Grandpa | ||
Rail Kings | Steamtrain | ||
2006 | The Bodyguard's Cure | Jerry Warden | |
2007 | Oliviero Rising | Bill | |
Grandpa for Christmas, AA Grandpa for Christmas | Bert O'Riley | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television | |
2008 | Strange Wilderness | Milas | |
I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell | Judge Holliday | ||
Frozen Stupid | Frank Norgard | ||
2010 | Enemy Mind | Command | Voice |
Genesis Code, TheThe Genesis Code | Carl Taylor | ||
Red | Henry / Recordskeeper | ||
Another Harvest Moon | Frank | ||
2011 | Night Club | Albert | Accolade Competition for Leading Actor Frank Currier Actor's Award SINY Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
Lion of Judah, TheThe Lion of Judah | Slink | Voice | |
Love's Christmas Journey | Nicolas | ||
Snatched | Big Frank Baum | ||
2012 | The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez | Rex Page |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1957 | Wagon Train | Willy Moran | Episode: "The Willy Moran Story" |
1961 | Blue Angels, TheThe Blue Angels | Unknown | Episode: "The Blue Leaders" |
1962–1966 | McHale's Navy | Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale | |
1974 | Little House on the Prairie | Jonathan | Episode: "The Lord is my Shepherd" |
1976–1977 | Future Cop | Cleaver | |
1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | The Roman Centurion | |
1979 | All Quiet on the Western Front | Stanislaus Katczinsky | Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
1982 | Magnum, P.I. | Earl "Mr. White Death" Gianelli | Episode: "Mr. White Death" |
1983 | Blood Feud | J. Edgar Hoover | |
Masquerade | Jerry | ||
1984 | Last Days of Pompeii, TheThe Last Days of Pompeii | Marcus | |
1984–1986 | Airwolf | Dominic Santini | |
1985 | Dirty Dozen: Next Mission, TheThe Dirty Dozen: Next Mission | Major General Worden | |
1987 | Treasure Island in Outer Space | Billy Bones | |
Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission, TheThe Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission | Major General Worden | ||
1988 | The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission | Major General Worden | |
1989 | Ocean | Pedro El Triste | |
1991 | Home Improvement | Eddie Phillips | Episode: "Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor" |
1993 | Simpsons, TheThe Simpsons | Himself | Voice and likeness Episode: "Boy-Scoutz n the Hood" |
1995–1997 | Single Guy, TheThe Single Guy | Doorman | |
1996–1999 | All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series | Carface Caruthers | Voice only |
1998 | JAG | Artemus Sullivan | Episode: "Yesterday's Heroes" |
1999–2012 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Mermaid Man | Voice only |
2000 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Eddie Ryan | Episode: "The Avenging Angel" |
2002 | Touched by an Angel | Max Blandish | Episode: "The Blue Angel" |
7th Heaven | Joe | Episode: "The Known Soldier" | |
2003 | District, TheThe District | Uncle Mike Murphy | Episode: "Last Waltz" |
2009 | ER | Paul Manning | Episodes: "Old Times" and "And in the End..." Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |
Aces 'N' Eights | Thurmond Prescott | ||
2010 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Cameo in "What Up With That" sketch |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge | Mermaid Man | Voice only |
2009 | SpongeBob's Truth or Square | ||
2010 | SpongeBob's Boating Bash |
Quotes
- Ernest: "Spencer Tracy was the first actor I've seen who could just look down into the dirt and command a scene. He played a set-up with Robert Ryan that way. He's looking down at the road and then he looks at Ryan at just the precise, right minute. I tell you, Rob could've stood on his head and zipped open his fly and the scene would've still been Mr. Tracy's."
- Ernest: "The trick is not to become somebody else. You become somebody else when you're in front of a camera or when you're on stage. There are some people who carry it all the time. That, to me, is not acting. What you've gotta do is find out what the writer wrote about and put it into your mind. This is acting. Not going out and researching what the writer has already written. This is crazy!"
- Ernest: "Everything I do has a moral to it. Yes, I've been in films that have had shootings. I made The Wild Bunch (1969), which was the beginning of the splattering of blood and everything else. But there was a moral behind it. The moral was that, by golly, bad guys got it. That was it. Yeah."
- Ernest: "Ever since they opened the floodgates with Clark Gable saying, 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,' somebody's ears pricked up and said, 'Oh boy, here we go!'. Writers used to make such wonderful pictures without all that swearing, all that cursing. And now it seems that you can't say three words without cursing. And I don't think that's right."
- Ernest on drugs: "No, I've never done anything. At least, not to my knowledge. I once took a bunch of goofballs by accident. They looked like candy. They were in a little bowl at a party. I grabbed a handful and went to town. That was some New Year's Eve. I didn't have a coherent thought till February."
- Ernest on his marriage to Ethel Merman: "Biggest mistake of my life. I thought I was marrying Rosemary Clooney."
- Ernest on his $5,000 salary for playing the eponymous lead in Marty (1955), which won him a Best Actor Oscar: "...I would have done it for nothing."
- Ernest on Women's Rights: "They tried it the wrong way. You can't expect anyone to take you seriously if you burn your undies and tell me I'm a pig. That's why it failed. Too many ugly broads telling me that they don't want to sleep with me. Who wanted you anyway?"
- Ernest: "I'm 81 years old and I like to speak my mind. As a legacy, on the day I die, I'd like to have a newspaper publish all the things that I find wrong in the United States today. And my first would be to get rid of the politicians."[8]
References
- ↑ "Ernest Borgnine Biography". Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ↑ "Ernest Borgnine". International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers 4th Ed. 3: Actors and Actresses. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale. 2006: "Born: Ermes Effron Borgnino in Hamden, Connecticut, January 24, 1917 (some sources say 1915 or 1918).": St. James Press. 2000.
- ↑ Clooney, Nick (2003). The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen. Simon and Schuster. p. 114. ISBN 0-7434-1044-0.
- ↑ "Anna Borgnine".
- ↑ "Charles-Borgnine".
- ↑ "Ernest Borgnine Biography (1917– )". filmreference.com. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ "Evelyn Velardi Obituary: View Obituary for Evelyn Velardi by Mt. View Mortuary & Cemetery, San Bernardino, CA". Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- 1 2 Fantle, David; Johnson, Tom (2004). Reel to Real: 25 Years of Celebrity Interviews from Vaudeville to Movies to TV. Badger Books. pp. 106–113. ISBN 978-1932542042.
- ↑ Pat Grandjean (October 2010). "Q & A: Ernest Borgnine". Connecticut magazine. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ "DMS-2 Lamberton". navsource.org.
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s21/Sylph-iv.htm
- ↑ "Lone Sailor Award Recipients". navymemorial.org.
- ↑ "Actor Ernest Borgnine dead at 95". CNN. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
- ↑ "Ernest Borgnine Makes Chief" (Press release). U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation. 18 October 2004. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ "Page Not Found - Consolidated - ERROR 404". militarymuseum.org.
- 1 2 "Marty + Ernest Borgnine in Conversation". In Conversation. British Film Institute. 10 October 2007. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ Kisselhoff, Jeff; THE BOX: An Oral History of Television, 1929-1961; Viking Penguin, 1995
- ↑ "Remembering Ernest Borgnine on 50th Anniversary of McHale's Navy Premiere". Forbes.com. 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ↑ "Episode guide: 1003 – Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders". Satellite News. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ↑ M. A. Schmidt (10 April 1955). "Ernest Borgnine: Fiendish 'Fatso' to Meek 'Marty'". The New York Times. NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ "Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S.J., U.S.A.: Dedication of Long Beach Scottish Rite Theatre to Actor & Brother Ernest Borgnine". Scottishrite.org. May 7, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- ↑ Heather Augustyn - Times Correspondent. "Chesterton town manager remembers Borgnine". nwitimes.com.
- ↑ Kate Mather and Ashley Powers (8 July 2012). "Ernest Borgnine died of kidney failure, his publicist says". Los Angeles Times. LATimes.com.
- 1 2 Anita Gates (8 July 2012). "Ernest Borgnine dies at 95". The New York Times. NYTimes.com.
- ↑ Jackie Loohauis-Bennett (17 March 2009). "Circus Parade secures funding, will return July 12". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. JSonline.com. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ "NECO". NECO.
- ↑ "List by Date Dedicated" (PDF). Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ Lauren Moraski (10 July 2012). "Ernest Borgnine's death makes Sidney Poitier the oldest living best actor Oscar winner". CBS News. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ "Actor Ernest Borgnine to receive lifetime award". BBC News Online. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ↑ "Dedication of Long Beach Scottish Rite Theatre to Actor & Brother Ernest Borgnine". Scottishrite.org. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
Additional sources
- "Ernest Borgnine". Biographies in Navy History. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. March 8, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
- Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997. ISBN 1557509379. OCLC 36824724.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ernest Borgnine. |
- Ernest Borgnine at the Internet Movie Database
- Ernest Borgnine at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ernest Borgnine at the TCM Movie Database
- Ernest Borgnine at AllMovie
- Ernest Borgnine interview video at the Archive of American Television
- Ernest Borgnine at Find a Grave