Ernest Borgnine, one of the last surviving actors of the old Hollywood era has died aged 95.
News of the veteran actor’s death was announced just now by the Associated Press via Twitter with the only extra bit of information being that he died in Los Angeles. The circumstances about his death are not yet known though he had lived to a very old age.
Star of over 200 films, Borgnine was part of the old guard from the golden era of Hollywood where his long film career began in the 1950s.
His first mainstream role was as Sgt. ‘Fatso’ Judson in the multi-Oscar winning epic From Here To Eternity but it was his performance as lovestruck butcher Marty Piletti in the Oscar-winning romance Marty which earned him the respect of his peers as he won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal.
Surprisingly he was never nominated again but would go on to be a lifelong member of the Academy.
From then on, we went on to star in various films and television shows and ended the 50s by appearing alongside another actor still living strong in his 90s, Kirk Douglas, in The Vikings. During the 60s, he would focus on the television work playing Commander Quinton McHale in the satirical series McHale’s Navy. He ended that decade by co-starring as General Worden alongside Lee Marvin in the war classic The Dirty Dozen before following that up with another iconic role as Dutch Engstrom in Sam Peckinpah’s gritty western The Wild Bunch.
A couple of years later, he played a key role as the bickering husband Rogo in the disaster epic The Poseidon Adventure before spending his final 40 years working on smaller projects in both film and TV though he did appear in John Carpenter’s Escape from New York in 1981. Young audiences would probably recognise his voicework as Carface in the All Dogs go to Heaven franchise and as Mermaid Man in Spongebob Squarepants.
He was married five times and is survived by his fifth wife and four children.
Be the first to comment on "Marty actor Ernest Borgnine dies aged 95"