Ernest Borgnine, 1917-2012

Ernest Borgnine (Ermes Effron Borgnino, 1917-2012) was the son of Italian immigrants who grew up to become one of America’s most unconventional film and television stars. Early in his life, he showed no interest in acting, instead joining the US Navy in 1935. He was discharged in 1941, but after Pearl Harbor, he re-enlisted and served until 1945. It wasn’t until after WWII that he started to act, at his mother’s suggestion and to his father's chagrin.

He began his acting career on the stage in Virginia, eventually making his Broadway debut in 1949 in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey. Two years later, he moved to California, and in 1953 he got his break in From Here to Eternity, playing Sergeant “Fatso” Judson. He was typecast as a villain after that until 1955, when he played the romantic lead (and title role) in the film Marty, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor (the other nominees were Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Spencer Tracy, and James Cagney).

At the same time that he was making movies, Borgnine made several television appearances, eventually leading to his playing the lead role in McHale’s Navy in 1963. The show lasted four seasons, until declining ratings and rehashed storylines resulted in the show’s cancellation. In 1983, he had a co-starring role in the television show, Airwolf. This show also lasted only a few seasons, going off the air in 1986.  He continued to make guest appearances on television shows, earning an Emmy nomination for his appearances in the final two episodes of ER.

Borgnine received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6324 Hollywood Blvd. In 1996, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City inducted him into the Western Performers Hall of Fame. On January 30, 2011, he received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

References

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000308/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_borgnine