BURT LANCASTER
Information From IMDb
Date of Birth
2 November 1913, New York, New York, USA
Date of Death
20 October 1994, Century City, California, USA (heart attack)
Birth Name
Burton Stephen Lancaster
Nickname
Mr Muscles and Teeth
Trade Mark[/U][/B]
A killer smile, which he called "The Grin"
A great physique, of which director John Frankenheimer said, "Nobody ever looked like Burt Lancaster in The Crimson Pirate (1952) ."
His movies often reflected his very liberal political beliefs.
Roles in westerns.
Very distinctive, clipped manner of speaking.
Height
6' 1" (1.85 m)
Spouse
Susan Martin (10 September 1991 - 20 October 1994) (his death)
Norma Anderson (28 December 1946 - July 1969) (divorced) 5 children
June Ernst (1935 - December 1946) (divorced)
Trivia
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#100). [1995]
Graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in New York [1930]
Ranked #85 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Started out as a circus performer.
Father of actor/writer Bill Lancaster.
Was a big fan of the silent film The Unknown (1927), probably partially because the movie took place in a circus, and Burt himself spent a lot of time early in his life in a circus. He once said that no scene in any movie affected him as emotionally as the one in this movie in which Lon Chaney learns that Joan Crawford does not love him.
Suffered a severe stroke while visiting actor Dana Andrews, who was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Lancaster remained hospitalized until February 1991, and incapacitated and unable to speak until his death. [November 1990]
Was 'Cecil B. Demille''s first choice to play Samson in Samson and Delilah (1949).
One of his favorite drinks was Aquavit. He also enjoyed martinis.
5 children: Jimmy, Bill, Susan, Joanna and Sighle.
Son Jimmy was diagnosed as schizophrenic.
According to Kate Buford in her biography "Burt Lancaster: An American Life," he felt competitive with Marlon Brando, who achieved stardom playing Stanley Kowalski on Broadway, a role Lancaster turned down. A Top 10 box-office success in the early 1960s, it was this sense of competition with Brando, who was known as both an actor's actor and a major movie star, that led Lancaster to plunge into art films and riskier fare such as Luchino Visconti's Gattopardo, Il (1963), in order to prove himself as an actor and be known as an artist rather than just a movie star. After this refocusing of his career, he slipped out of the Top 10 and never again was a major box office attraction.
Descended from Irish Protestants from Ulster who emigrated to the United States in the 1880s.
Known for his liberal political sympathies, he was one of the Hollywood movie stars, along with Marlon Brando, Sammy Davis Jr., Charlton Heston, Sidney Poitier and Paul Newman, who participated in Martin Luther King's March on Washington in August 1963. He flew home from Europe, where he was making a film, to participate. He was a financial supporter of King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
In 1947 he was offered the role of Stanley Kowalski in the original Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" after first choice John Garfield was rejected due to his demands for a ownership percentage of the play. He turned down the role that went to Marlon Brando and made him a legend.
He was voted the 39th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
One of his demands was that he have a high bar set up on sets and locations so he could perform acrobatics and stay in shape.
He admitted that an odd thing always happened to him on a movie set. He would complain about everything, sometimes very loudly. By the end of the shoot however, the crews loved him and hated to see him go, despite his complaints. He never understood why that happened.
He was an infamous ladies man in Hollywood, which eventually irritated his wife, Norma, enough for her to leave him.
Until undergoing emergency quadruple heart bypass surgery in 1983, he maintained the fantastic physical health he attained as an acrobat in his youth. He impressed many who knew him with his apparently enormous strength.
Felt intimidated by co-star Montgomery Clift on the set of From Here to Eternity (1953) due to Clift's great talent.
Despite his enduring stardom, he surprisingly only placed in Quigley Publications' Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars twice: #4 in 1956 and #10 in 1963. The annual poll of movie exhibitors ranks the top stars in terms of box-office drawing power. Even more surprisingly, his friend and co-star Kirk Douglas never made the list during his career.
Robert Altman wanted Lancaster for the role of Ned Buntline in Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) because he had the "stature" of a great movie star but was "able to play that as a kind of bullshitter", which was what Altman conceived the character to be: "He understood totally the bullshit factor and what he was playing." Buntline, a real-life writer of nickel Westerns, had invented Buffalo Bill Cody as a western hero; Altman knew that Lancaster had invented himself as a star, a new kind of star that had revolutionized the movies in the 1950s.
His son Bill Lancaster's screenplay for The Bad News Bears (1976) was based on his experience being coached by his father. Bill had been disabled by polio as a child, and according to friend Joel Douglas - the son of Kirk Douglas - the 'Tatum O'Neal (I)' character in the film, the odd kid out, was Bill. The coach played by Walter Matthau was based on Burt, who was known for his grumpiness.
Came up with $150,000 of his own money to complete Go Tell the Spartans (1978) after the production ran out of money with five days left to shoot. The shooting schedule already had been pared from 40 to 31 days to save money.
After placing tenth place in the Motion Picture Herald poll of most popular box-office stars in 1962, he dropped to 18th place in 1963 and never again appeared on the list.
Allegedly showed up at a Hollywood Oscar party in the late 1950s wearing a G-string and spray-painted gold, resembling an Academy Award statuette.
Was forced by United Artists to make four films for $150,000 a picture in the 1960s: The Young Savages (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Train (1964) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965) rather than his normal fee of $750,000, because of cost overruns at his production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, for which he was personally responsible.
In January 1980, he almost died during a routine operation to remove his gallbladder, when the operation, which should have lasted five hours, turned into an 11-hour ordeal. After the organ was removed, a team of doctors worked to repair an unusually small channel from the gallbladder to the intestines, although Lancaster later told a friend that a doctor had accidentally cut into a valve. A doctor reportedly got down on the floor to pray for the actor's life. Lancaster was in intensive care for 48-hours after the operation.
He made a great deal of money from Airport (1970), which was a huge hit, due to a 10% profit participation once the movie hit $50 million. (the film grossed $45.3 million in North America alone). Lancaster said that the movie was "the worst piece of junk ever made."
Told Bruce Davison, his co-star in Ulzana's Raid (1972), of a practical joke he played on Kirk Douglas, who was several inches shorter than Lancaster: "I'll never forget the time we were getting ready for our big two-shot and I hid his lifts on him. He was so pissed!"
His first TV role was a guest appearance on "Sesame Street" (1969) in 1969, reciting the alphabet.
A self-described atheist, Lancaster had turned down the role in the remake of Ben-Hur (1959) played by Charlton Heston, but followed in Heston's footsteps when he played the title role in _"Moses the Lawgiver" (1974, Italy) (mini)_, the $5-million TV epic produced by Britain's ATV-ITC and Italy's RAI Television. When a reporter asked him if he was following in Heston's sandal-clad steps, Lancaster replied, "If Charlton was trapped in Biblical films, it was his own fault - he accepted the limitation." Though Lancaster claimed he was an atheist, some of his friends doubted him.
Turned down the lead in Patton (1970) due to his anti-Vietnam War sympathies, but actively campaigned for the title role in "Patton" screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola's next movie, The Godfather (1972). He offered to do a screen test for the role of Don Corleone, and even though Paramount brass was interested in casting him, Coppola wanted Marlon Brando, and got him after Brando made his own "screen-test" (actually a video Coppola shot of him improvising a makeup for the old Don). Both George C. Scott and Brando won, and refused, Oscars for the roles.
An unabashed political liberal, chairman of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and an active campaigner for George McGovern in the 1972 Presidential election, Lancaster was one of the 575 people named on President Richard Nixon's 1973 "Enemies List," along with fellow actors Gene Hackman and Paul Newman, "Playboy" magazine publisher Hugh M. Hefner and TV producer Norman Lear.
Helped pay for the defense of Private Billy Dean Smith, an African American soldier accused of 'fragging' two officers in Vietnam in 1971. Lancaster gave $3,000 to his defense attorneys to hire ballistics experts to testify at his court-martial. Smith was acquitted.
Was cast in Old Gringo (1989) but was informed by Columbia when he arrived in Mexico City for rehearsals in December 1988 that he was being replaced with Gregory Peck, as the insurance for him was too high. He sued Columbia for his $1.5-million fee, and made an out-of-court settlement.
Had tried to raise financing for four years for Hector Babenco's film of Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), based on the novel by Manuel Puig, after Babenco gave him the novel in 1981 at the NY Film Critics Society Ceremony. Lancaster was to have played the role of Molina, the gay hairdresser who shares a cell with Valentin, a political prisoner. However, Lancaster had a heart attack in June 1983, and subsequently a quadruple-bypass operation, and at the age of 70, he was essentially uninsurable. He had to withdraw from roles in Maria's Lovers (1984), Gorky Park (1983), Firestarter (1984) and the TV mini-series "A.D." (1985). The film was later made for less than $1 million with William Hurt in the role Lancaster wanted to play. Hurt won a Best Actor Oscar as Molina.
Turned down a $1-million offer to appear in the remake of Ben-Hur (1959). If he had accepted the offer, he would have beaten both Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra (1963)) as the first female star and Marlon Brando (The Fugitive Kind (1959)) as the first male star, to breach that million-dollar threshold.
In July 1965, United Artists made a settlement with Lancaster to end is association with his production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, which had financially floundered in the late 1950s due to a few flops and exorbitant spending, and wound up operations in 1959. The payoff amount was $920,954.85, approximately $5,223,000 in 2003 dollars. In 1964, part of the proposed settlement with UA had been for Lancaster to star in Khartoum (1966) but that role eventually was played by Charlton Heston.
Was named the #19 greatest actor on the 50 Greatest Screen Legends by the American Film Institute
During World War II, he served as a member of the Special Services branch, entertaining troops. He was stationed in Italy for much of the war.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Suffered his first heart attack during the making of Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981) in 1979.
He and Kirk Douglas acted together in 7 movies: Victory at Entebbe (1976) (TV), Tough Guys (1986), Seven Days in May (1964), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), I Walk Alone (1948), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and The Devil's Disciple (1959)
Lancaster lost out on two roles he lobbied for to Marlon Brando (roles that helped make Brando a legend): that of Stanley Kowalski in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951) and that of Don Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather' (1972).
He was not as good of a friend with Kirk Douglas as was often perceived. The closeness of their friendship was largely fabricated by the publicity-wise Douglas, while, in reality, Lancaster was often cruel and dismissive to Douglas.
One of the very few humanitarian causes he publicly associated himself with was AIDS research. In 1985 he read out a letter from Rock Hudson announcing he was dying of AIDS, although there was later some controversy as to whether the letter had been written by Rock or his secretary. This was at a Hollywood dinner to raise awareness, which only a very few stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Burt Reynolds dared attend. In 1988 there was a poster of Lancaster holding a rose and a caption urging people to be careful.
Was considered for the role of Jason Colby in "The Colbys" (1985).
Luchino Visconti wanted to cast Laurence Olivier in the title role of the Italian prince in "The Leopard" (1963), but his producer overruled him. The producer insisted on a box office star to justify the lavish production's high budget and essentially forced Visconti to accept Burt Lancaster. A decade later, the two Oscar-winning actors competed again for the role of another Italian prince, Mafia chieftain Don Corleone, in "The Godfather" (1972), ultimately losing out to Marlon Brando.
Shared a birthday with Luchino Visconti, who directed him in Gattopardo, Il (1963) and Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974).
Died the very same year as his long-time friend, circus acrobat partner and frequent co-star Nick Cravat.
His performance as J.J. Hunsecker in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) is ranked #76 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
Frequently compared with the Dutch actor Sir Dirk Bogarde. Both achieved stardom in purely commercial films, then deliberately broke away from their images to star in artistic films and in so doing lost their box office popularity. Both actors were directed twice to great effect by Luchino Visconti - Lancaster in Gattopardo, Il (1963) and Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974), Bogarde in Caduta degli dei, La (1969) and Morte a Venezia (1971).
Attended Visconti's funeral in Rome in March 1976.
His performance as J.J. Hunsecker in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) is ranked #61 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
Lancaster stood 6' 1" at his peak, as can be seen in Vera Cruz (1954) where he is clearly two inches shorter than his 6' 3" co-star Gary Cooper.
Was the original choice to play Sam Flusky in Under Capricorn (1949), but the part went to Joseph Cotten instead because Lancaster was deemed too expensive.
Gave two of his revolvers to Ringo Starr when The Beatles stayed in Hollywood in August 1964.
When Republican candidate George Bush referred to the American Civil Liberties Union as "un-American" during the 1988 presidential election, Lancaster responded by appearing in a television advertisement in which he said, "My name is Burt Lancaster and I've a confession to make. I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU.".
A lifelong Democrat and liberal activist, Lancaster appeared prominently on President Richard Nixon's "List of Enemies" due to his support for Senator George McGovern in the 1972 presidential election.
He was nearly blacklisted in the late 1940s due to his liberal political beliefs, and the FBI kept a file detailing his activities.
Campaigned for Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election.
Go Tell the Spartans (1978), though little seen at the time of its release, is widely considered the greatest anti-war movie about Vietnam.
Shortly before his massive stroke in November 1990 Lancaster had discussed starring in a sequel to Gattopardo, Il (1963). Some of his friends had told him he would be making a big mistake.
A self-described atheist, Lancaster agreed to play a corrupt evangelist in Elmer Gantry (1960) because he wanted to make an anti-Billy Graham statement. His performance won him the Best Actor Oscar.
He could not attend the funeral of close friend Telly Savalas as he was so ill.
Was a close, longtime friend of Telly Savalas.
Eagerly sought the role of a dying composer who discovers his homosexuality in Luchino Visconti's masterpiece Morte a Venezia (1971). Although the role went to Dirk Bogarde, Lancaster later played a reclusive professor who is brought face to face with his latent homosexuality in Visconti's Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974).
Signed a letter in 1947 deploring the anti-communist witch hunts in Hollywood.
Participated in the March on Washington for Civil Rights on 28 August 1963, along with Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando and Bob Dylan.
In 1987 he joined Gregory Peck, Martin Sheen and Lloyd Bridges in narrating a television advertisement by People for the American Way, a liberal action group founded by Norman Lear, in opposition to President Ronald Reagan's appointment of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court.
He would frequently turn down lifetime achievement awards during the 1980s, saying half-jokingly, "Give them to my good friend Kirk", since he knew Douglas would be happier in the limelight.
Claimed that he learned a great deal from Gary Cooper's laid back acting style and behavior on the set of Vera Cruz (1954).
On the set of Ulzana's Raid (1972) Lancaster told actor Bruce Davison that he had undergone so much plastic surgery over the years that at the age of 58 the most real thing about him were his eyes. He also advised Davison not to become too publicly involved in the anti-Vietnam movement until he was more established in Hollywood.
He was 32 when he appeared in his first movie, The Killers (1946), having worked as a circus acrobat since his late teens and following war service and acting on Broadway.
Joined Gregory Peck, James Stewart and Orson Welles in testifying against the colorization of old movies in the early 1980s.
During the late 1950s John Wayne approached Lancaster, suggesting they make a western together. Lancaster laughed off the idea, suggesting they would need Kirk Douglas in the film as well. In reality, Lancaster would not work with Wayne, Hollywood's most prominent Republican supporter who had been actively involved in the McCarthy witch hunts as a founding member and later President of the right-wing Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Lancaster had only agreed to co-star opposite Gary Cooper, a moderate Republican who gave a vague testimony to the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947, after Cooper had starred in the anti-McCarthyism western High Noon (1952). Despite this, Lancaster joined a minute's silence for Wayne on 11 June 1979 while filming Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981) after Wayne died in Los Angeles.
Supported Tom Bradley's unsuccessful campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1969.
Replaced Sir Laurence Olivier as Dr Ernst Janning in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Lancaster had not been impressed when Olivier kept confusing him with Kirk Douglas while filming The Devil's Disciple (1959).
Jane Fonda admitted she was devastated to lose Lancaster from Old Gringo (1989), because she admired him very greatly.
A self-described "Kennedy man", Lancaster dined with President John F. Kennedy at the White House. He delayed the release of Seven Days in May (1964) when the President was assassinated, and later joined fellow liberal activists Robert Ryan and Will Geer in starring in Executive Action (1973), the first Kennedy assassination conspiracy movie. Its "real purpose", Lancaster stated, was "to make people skeptical.".
Attended Elizabeth Taylor's "Commitment to Life" fundraiser on 19 September 1985, despite being warned his appearance would resurrect the longtime rumors about his sexuality. At the event Lancaster read out Rock Hudson's letter admitting that he had AIDS.
He was prevented from playing William Hurt's Oscar-winning role as a flamboyant gay hairdresser in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) when forced to undergo quadruple bypass surgery on 26 August 1983 following a heart attack. He believed his vocal chords were damaged after tubes were inserted down his throat during the operation.
In 1961 he announced his intention to produce a biopic of Michelangelo, in which he would play the title role and show the truth about the painter's homosexuality. However, he was forced to shelve this project due to the five-month filming schedule on Gattopardo, Il (1963). Later, Charlton Heston starred as Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) and denied that the painter had been gay, despite all evidence to the contrary.
In 1965 he turned down Charlton Heston's role as Major General Charles Gordon in Khartoum (1966), and Richard Burton's role in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965).
Teamed up with director John Huston to make The Unforgiven (1960) as a left-wing response to John Ford's epic western The Searchers (1956).
Took a pay cut to make Castle Keep (1969), which he intended to be the ultimate anti-war film and an allegory for the Vietnam conflict.
Turned down Clint Eastwood's role as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971). The plot some called fascist of the lawman who goes beyond the limits of the law to kill a marginalized criminal contradicted his belief in a collective responsibility for criminal and social justice and the protection of individual rights.
Was ill with hepatitis while filming Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981).
Voted "Man of the Year" by Aid for AIDS in 1987 for his extensive work on their behalf, including allowing his photograph to be used on their annual Christmas card.
He was originally cast in Victor Mature's role in The Robe (1953), but backed out due to the Christian theme.
Starred in five films directed by John Frankenheimer.
Personal Quotes
Most people seem to think I'm the kind of guy who shaves with a blowtorch. Actually I'm bookish and worrisome.
[on being a director] It's the best job in the picture business because when you're a director, you're God. And you know that's the best job in town.
Life is to be lived within the limits of your knowledge and within the concept of what you would like to see yourself to be.
[speaking in 1983] Tits and sand - that's what we used to call sex and violence in Hollywood.
I don't know why Airport (1970) was nominated for any Oscars - it's the biggest piece of junk ever.
We're all forgotten sooner or later. But not films. That's all the memorial we should need or hope for.
I woke up one day a star. It was terrifying. Then I worked hard toward becoming a good actor.
[advice to actor Bruce Davison, on the set of Ulzana's Raid (1972)] You try to please the director, and the cameraman and the soundman, and you're acting and acting and acting and by the time you come to your close-up, you've shot your wad. It's like making love to a woman: you can't try to come all at once, son. A bit of a tit here, a bit of an inner thigh there, and you have a performance!
[upon being offered Ben-Hur (1959)] I don't want to make this film. It's a piece of crap.
If I'm working with frightened people, I do tend to dominate them. I'm no doll, that's for sure.
[on Kirk Douglas] Kirk would be the first to admit that he's difficult to work with - and I would be the second.
[in 1976] Whether you like it or not, when you're 62 you are fulfilled.
[in 1985] If anyone should have gotten AIDS from an active sex life, it is me.
[on Montgomery Clift] He had so much power, so much concentration. Clift was a complicated man, there's no question about it. He was a very sweet man, Monty, very emotional.
[on Kirk Douglas] We both came from, sort of, well, shall we say, humble beginnings. We were both young, brash, cocky, arrogant. We knew everything, were highly opinionated. We were invincible. Nobody liked us.
In my opinion, Shirley Booth is the finest actress I have ever worked with.
[on working with Montgomery Clift on 'From Here to Eternity'] The only time I was ever really afraid as an actor was that first scene with Clift. It was my scene, understand: I was the sergeant, I gave the orders, he was just a private under me. Well, when we started, I couldn't stop my knees from shaking. I thought they might have to stop because my trembling would show. I was afraid he was going to blow me right off the screen.
Mini Biography
Burt Lancaster was one of five children born to a New York City postal worker. He was a tough street kid who took an early interest in gymnastics. He joined the circus as an acrobat and worked there until he was injured. It was in the Army during WW II that he was introduced to the USO and acting. His first film was The Killers (1946), and that made him a star. He was a self-taught actor who learned the business as he went along. He set up his own production company in 1948 with Harold Hecht and James Hill to direct his career. He played many different roles in pictures as varied as The Crimson Pirate (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), Elmer Gantry (1960) and Atlantic City (1980).
His production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, produced the such films as Paddy Chayefsky's Marty (1955) (Oscar winner 1955) and The Catered Affair (1956). In the 1980s he appeared as a supporting player in a number of movies, such as Local Hero (1983) and Field of Dreams (1989). However, it will be the sound of his voice, the way that he laughed, and the larger-than-life characters he played that will always be remembered.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Fontana
Filmography
Actor
1. Separate But Equal (1991) (TV) .... John W. Davis
2. Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair (1990) (TV) .... Leon Klinghoffer
3. The Phantom of the Opera (1990) (TV) .... Gerard Carriere
4. "Promessi sposi, I" (1989) (mini) TV mini-series .... Cardinal Federigo Borromeo
5. Bottega dell'orefice, La (1989) .... The Jeweller... aka The Jeweller's Shop (USA)
6. Field of Dreams (1989) .... Dr. Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham
7. Rocket Gibraltar (1988) .... Levi Rockwell
8. Giorno prima, Il (1987) .... Dr. Herbert Monroe... aka Mind Control (International: English title)
9. Tough Guys (1986) .... Harry Doyle
10. Barnum (1986) (TV) .... Phineas Taylor 'P.T.' Barnum
11. "On Wings of Eagles" (1986) (mini) TV mini-series .... Lieutenant Colonel Arthur E. 'Bull' Simons
12. "Väter und Söhne - Eine deutsche Tragödie" (1986) (mini) TV mini-series .... Geheimrat Carl Julius Deutz
... aka Fathers and Sons
... aka Sins of the Fathers
... aka Väter und Söhne (West Germany: short title)
13. Little Treasure (1985) .... Delbert Teschemacher
14. Scandal Sheet (1985) (TV) .... Harold Fallen
... aka The Devil's Bed (USA: bootleg title)
15. The Osterman Weekend (1983) .... Maxwell Danforth
... aka Mission CIA (Philippines: English title)
16. Local Hero (1983) .... Felix Happer
17. "Verdi" (1982) (mini) TV mini-series (voice) .... Narrator in American version
... aka The Life of Verdi
18. "Marco Polo" (1982) (mini) TV mini-series .... Teobaldo Visconti / Pope Gregory X
19. Pelle, La (1981) .... Gen. Mark Clark
... aka Peau, La (France)
... aka The Skin
20. Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981) .... Bill Doolin
21. Atlantic City (1980) .... Lou Pascal
22. Zulu Dawn (1979) .... Col. Durnford
23. Go Tell the Spartans (1978) .... Maj. Asa Barker
24. The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) .... Dr. Paul Moreau
25. Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) .... Gen. Lawrence Dell
26. The Cassandra Crossing (1976) .... Col. Stephen Mackenzie
27. Victory at Entebbe (1976) (TV) .... Shimon Peres
28. Novecento (1976) .... Alfredo's Grandfather
... aka 1900 (USA)
... aka 1900 - Gewalt, Macht, Leidenschaft (West Germany: first part title)
... aka 1900 - Kampf, Liebe, Hoffnung (West Germany: second part title)
29. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) .... Ned Buntline
... aka Buffalo Bill and the Indians
30. "Moses the Lawgiver" (1974) (mini) TV mini-series .... Moses
... aka Mosè (Italy: short title)
... aka Mosè, la legge del deserto (Italy)
... aka Moses (USA: theatrical title)
31. Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974) .... The Professor
... aka Conversation Piece (USA)
... aka Violence et passion (France)
32. The Midnight Man (1974) .... Jim Slade
33. Executive Action (1973) .... James Farrington
34. Scorpio (1973) .... Cross
35. Ulzana's Raid (1972) .... McIntosh
36. Valdez Is Coming (1971) .... Valdez
37. Lawman (1971) .... Bannock Marshal Jered Maddox
38. Airport (1970) .... Mel Bakersfeld
39. The Gypsy Moths (1969) .... Mike Rettig
40. Castle Keep (1969) .... Maj. Abraham Falconer
41. The Swimmer (1968) .... Ned Merrill
42. The Scalphunters (1968) .... Joe Bass
43. All About People (1967) .... Narrator
44. The Professionals (1966) .... Bill Dolworth
45. The Hallelujah Trail (1965) .... Col. Thaddeus Gearhart
... aka John Sturges' The Hallelujah Trail (UK: complete title) (USA: complete title)
46. The Train (1964) .... Paul Labiche
... aka John Frankenheimer's The Train (USA: complete title)
... aka Train, Le (France)
... aka Treno, Il (Italy)
47. Seven Days in May (1964) .... Gen. James Mattoon Scott
48. The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) .... Cameo
49. Gattopardo, Il (1963) .... Prince Don Fabrizio Salina
... aka The Leopard (UK) (USA)
... aka Guépard, Le (France)
50. A Child Is Waiting (1963) .... Dr. Ben Clark
51. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) .... Robert Stroud
52. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) .... Dr. Ernst Janning
... aka Judgement at Nuremberg
53. The Young Savages (1961) .... Hank Bell
54. Elmer Gantry (1960) .... Elmer Gantry
55. The Unforgiven (1960) .... Ben Zachary
56. The Devil's Disciple (1959) .... The Rev. Anthony Anderson
57. Separate Tables (1958) .... John Malcolm
58. Run Silent Run Deep (1958) .... Lt. Jim Bledsoe
... aka Run Silent, Run Deep (USA: poster title)
59. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) .... J.J. Hunsecker
60. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) .... Marshal Wyatt Earp
61. The Rainmaker (1956) .... Bill Starbuck, aka Bill Smith, Bill Harley, Tornado Johnson
62. Trapeze (1956) .... Mike Ribble
63. The Rose Tattoo (1955) .... Alvaro Mangiacavallo
64. The Kentuckian (1955) .... Elias Wakefield (Big Eli)
65. Vera Cruz (1954) .... Joe Erin
66. Apache (1954) .... Massai
67. His Majesty O'Keefe (1954) .... Captain David Dion O'Keefe/Narrator
68. Three Sailors and a Girl (1953) (uncredited) .... Marine
69. From Here to Eternity (1953) .... 1st Sgt. Milton Warden
70. South Sea Woman (1953) .... Master Gunnery Sgt. James O'Hearn
71. Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) .... Doc Delaney
72. The Crimson Pirate (1952) .... Capt. Vallo (The Crimson Pirate)
73. Ten Tall Men (1951) .... Sgt. Mike Kincaid
74. Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951) .... Jim Thorpe
... aka Man of Bronze (UK)
75. Vengeance Valley (1951) .... Owen Daybright
76. Mister 880 (1950) .... Steve Buchanan
77. The Flame and the Arrow (1950) .... Dardo Bartoli
78. Rope of Sand (1949) .... Michael (Mike) Davis
79. Criss Cross (1949) .... Steve Thompson / Narrator
80. Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948) .... William Earle 'Bill' Saunders
... aka Blood on My Hands (UK)
81. Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) .... Henry Stevenson
82. All My Sons (1948) .... Chris Keller
83. I Walk Alone (1948) .... Frankie Madison
84. Desert Fury (1947) .... Tom Hanson
85. Brute Force (1947) .... Joe Collins
86. The Killers (1946) .... 'Swede' Andersen
Producer
1. The Midnight Man (1974) (producer)
2. Ulzana's Raid (1972) (producer) (uncredited)
3. The Scalphunters (1968) (producer) (uncredited)
4. The Unforgiven (1960) (co-producer) (as Lancaster)
5. Take a Giant Step (1959) (executive producer)
6. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) (executive producer)
7. Trapeze (1956) (producer) (uncredited)
8. Marty (1955) (co-producer) (uncredited)
9. Vera Cruz (1954) (co-producer) (uncredited)
10. Apache (1954) (producer) (uncredited)
11. The Crimson Pirate (1952) (producer) (uncredited)
Director
1. The Midnight Man (1974)
2. The Kentuckian (1955)
Previous discussion:-
Burt Lancaster
BURT LANCASTER: An American Life
Kate Bufold.(2000)
While Lancaster's and Wayne's paths never crossed professionally, the author makes it a point to use Wayne's political efforts to mirror Burt's. Since Wayne was always "the first" the Republicans asked to help their causes, it was always Burt who was approached first by the liberals - and he never said "No". The book follows a life fully lived by the great life of the circus acrobat turned movie star. When he shot "Cattle Annie" on Wayne's Durango ranch (in 1979 but not released before 1982) and the news of Wayne's death reached the set, they stopped shooting for a day.
Startlingly handsome, witty, fanatically loyal, charming, scary, and intensely sexual, Burt Lancaster was the quintessential bête du cinéma, one of Hollywood's great stars. He was, as well, an intensely private man, and he authorized no biographies in his lifetime. Kate Buford is the first writer to win the cooperation of Lancaster's widow, close friends, and colleagues, and her book is a revelation.
Here is Lancaster the man, from his teenage years, bolting the Depression-era immigrant neighborhood of East Harlem where he grew up for the life of a circus acrobat -- then the electric New York theater of the 1930s, then the dying days of vaudeville. We see his production company -- Hecht-Hill-Lancaster -- become the biggest independent of the 1950s, a bridge between the studio era and modern filmmaking. With the power he derived from it we see him gain a remarkable degree of control, which he used to become the auteur of his own career. His navigation through the anti-Communist witch-hunts made him an example of a star who tweaked the noses of HUAC and survived. His greatest roles -- in Sweet Smell of Success, Elmer Gantry, Birdman of Alcatraz, The Swimmer, Atlantic City -- kept to the progressive edge that had originated in the tolerant, diverse, reforming principles of his childhood. And in the extraordinary complete roster of his films -- From Here to Eternity, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Judgment at Nuremberg, The Leopard, 1900, and Field of Dreams, among many others -- he proved to be both a master of commercial movies that pleased a worldwide audience and an actor who pushed himself beyond stardom into cinematic art. Kate Buford has written a dynamic biography of a passionate and committed star, the first full-scale study of one of the last great unexamined Hollywood lives.
