Edward G. Robinson
Known for: Acting
Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-born American actor and political activist. Although he played a wide range of characters, he is best remembered for his roles as a gangster, most notably in his star-making film Little Caesar (1931). Robinson's career saw a decline during the 1950s Red Scare when he was threatened with blacklisting. Experiencing underemployment, he turned towards minor roles in B movies until he eventually returned to the mainstream by playing one of Moses' adversaries Dathan in Cecil B. DeMille's religious epic The Ten Commandments (1956). He was ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. Never having been nominated for an Academy Award during his 60-year career, he became a posthumous recipient of an Honorary Oscar in 1973, two months after his death. Robinson was Jewish and a staunch critic of fascist and Nazi ideologies that were on the rise in the 1930s. He donating more than $250,000 to 850 political and charitable organizations between 1939 and 1949, hosted a gathering at his home to sign a declaration calling for a boycott of all German-made products, frequently appeared at Soviet and American war relief rallies, delivered radio addresses in over six languages to Nazi-occupied European countries, and traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the USO. Robin was also an outspoken supporter of the civil rights movement, and regularly campaigned to overcome segregation.
Filmography
Series
Batman
Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
1966
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
1944
Series
The Lucy Show
Edward G. Robinson
1962
Series
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Victor Bers
1956
Series
Climax!
Josef Vadassy
1954
Series
Night Gallery
Abraham Goldman
1970
Series
What's My Line?
Self
1950
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
The Steve Allen Show
Self
1956
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
The Ford Television Theatre
John Derwent
1952
Series
The Ford Television Theatre
Baron
1952
Series
This Is Your Life
Self
1952
Series
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self
1968
Series
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self (uncredited)
1968
Film
The Ten Commandments
Dathan
1956
Series
The Detectives
'Big Jim' Riva
1959
Lux Video Theatre
Sir Wilfrid Robarts
1950
Series
The Hollywood Palace
Self
1964
Film
Soylent Green
Sol Roth
1973
Film
Double Indemnity
Barton Keyes
1944
Series
Bracken's World
1969
Film
Mackenna's Gold
Old Adams
1969
Film
Cheyenne Autumn
Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz
1964
Film
The Cincinnati Kid
Lancey Howard
1965
Film
The Stranger
Federal Agent Wilson
1946
Film
Scarlet Street
Christopher Cross
1945
Film
Good Neighbor Sam
Simon Nurdlinger
1964
NBC Sunday Showcase
Daniel Webster
1959
Film
Robin and the 7 Hoods
Big Jim Stevens (uncredited)
1964
Film
Key Largo
Johnny Rocco
1948
Series
General Electric Theater
Bert Alquist
1953
Film
Little Caesar
Caesar Enrico 'Rico' Bandello aka 'Little Caesar'
1931
Film
The Violent Men
Lee Wilkison
1955
Film
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
Film
The Woman in the Window
Professor Richard Wanley
1944
Series
The Silent Force
1970
Film
The Prize
Max Stratman/Walter Stratman
1963
Film
Seven Thieves
Theo Wilkins
1960
Film
Kid Galahad
Nick 'Nicky' Donati
1937
Film
House of Strangers
Gino Monetti
1949
Film
The Red House
Pete Morgan
1947
Film
The Last Gangster
Joe Krozac
1937
Film
Tales of Manhattan
Larry Browne
1942
Film
The Night Ride
Tony Garotta
1930
Film
My Geisha
Sam Lewis
1962
Film
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
Self (archive footage)
1997
Film
Bullets or Ballots
Johnny Blake
1936
Film
The Sea Wolf
'Wolf' Larsen
1941
Film
Brother Orchid
Little John T. 'Johnny' Sarto
1940
Film
The Outrage
Con Man
1964
Film
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Self (archive footage)
2008
Film
A Hole in the Head
Mario Manetta
1959
Film
Black Tuesday
Vincent Canelli
1954
Film
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
Edward 'Ed' Renard
1939
Film
Hell on Frisco Bay
Victor Amato
1955
Film
Two Weeks in Another Town
Maurice Kruger
1962
Film
Destroyer
Steven 'Boley' Boleslavski
1943
Film
Manpower
Hank McHenry
1941
Film
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
Dr. T.S. Clitterhouse
1938
Film
Flesh and Fantasy
Marshall Tyler (segment 2)
1943
Film
Illegal
Victor Scott
1955
Film
All My Sons
Joe Keller
1948
Film
Breakdowns of 1941
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1941
Film
Pepe
Edward G. Robinson
1960
Film
It's a Great Feeling
Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
1949
Film
Frank Capra's American Dream
Self (archive footage)
1997
Film
Night Has a Thousand Eyes
John Triton
1948
Film
Rat Pack
Self (archive footage)
2022
Film
Neither by Day Nor by Night
Father
1972
Film
Barbary Coast
Luis Chamalis
1935
Film
The Whole Town's Talking
Arthur Ferguson 'Jonesy' Jones / 'Killer' Mannion
1935
Film
The Biggest Bundle of Them All
Professor Samuels
1968
Film
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
1975
Film
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Self
1954
Film
The Stolen Jools
Gangster
1931
Film
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
1972
Film
Operation San Pietro
Joe Ventura
1967
Film
A Slight Case of Murder
Remy Marko
1938
Film
Breakdowns of 1936
Self
1936
Film
Breakdowns of 1942
Self
1942
Film
Larceny, Inc.
'Pressure' Maxwell
1942
Film
Vice Squad
Capt. 'Barnie' Barnaby
1953
Film
A Bullet for Joey
Raoul Leduc
1955
Film
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
2009
Film
Tight Spot
Lloyd Hallett
1955
Film
Journey Together
Dean McWilliams
1945
Film
I Am the Law
John Lindsay
1938
Film
Two Seconds
John Allen
1932
Film
Five Star Final
Joseph W. Randall
1931
Film
Song of Norway
Krogstad
1970
Film
Operation Heartbeat
Dr. Lee Forestman
1969
Film
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
1947
Film
Grand Slam
Prof. James Anders
1967
Film
Big Leaguer
John B 'Hans' Lobert
1953
Film
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
Dr. Paul Ehrlich
1940
Film
Smart Money
Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos
1931
Film
Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire
Self (archive footage)
1991
Film
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Self (archive footage)
2013
Film
Bogart: The Untold Story
Self (archive footage)
1997
Film
Mooch Goes to Hollywood
1971
Film
Never a Dull Moment
Leo Joseph Smooth
1968
Film
Unholy Partners
Bruce Corey
1941
Film
A Dispatch from Reuters
Paul Julius Reuter
1940
Film
Mr. Winkle Goes to War
Wilbert Winkle
1944
Film
The Little Giant
James Francis 'Bugs' / 'Jim' Ahearn
1933
Film
The Blonde from Peking
CIA Chief Douglas
1967
Film
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
Martinius Jacobson
1945
Film
Tiger Shark
Mike Mascarenhas
1932
Film
Nightmare
Rene Bressard
1956
Film
I Loved a Woman
John Mansfield Hayden
1933
Film
Breakdowns of 1939
Self
1939
Film
Sammy Going South
Cocky Wainwright
1963
Film
Israel
Self - Narrator
1959
Film
Blackmail
John R. Ingram
1939
Film
Thunder in the City
Dan Armstrong
1937
Film
From the Ends of the Earth
Self
1939
Film
Warner at War
(archive footage)
2008
Film
The Hatchet Man
Wong Low Get
1932
Film
The Old Man Who Cried Wolf
Emile Pulska
1970
Film
A Day at Santa Anita
Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
1937
Film
Tampico
Capt. Bart Manson
1944
Film
An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee
Self
1930
Film
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Self (archive footage)
2008
Film
The Glass Web
Henry Hayes
1953
Film
The Man with Two Faces
Damon Welles / Jules Chautard
1934
Film
The Widow from Chicago
Dominic
1930
Film
Moscow Strikes Back
Narrator (English version) (voice)
1942
Film
The Bright Shawl
Domingo Escobar
1923
Film
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'
Self
1973
Film
My Daughter Joy
George Constantin
1950
Film
Dark Hazard
Jim 'Buck' Turner
1934
Film
A Lady to Love
Tony
1930
Film
Round About Hollywood
Self
1931
Film
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
1936
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
Self (archive footage)
2004
Film
Planet of the Apes Test Reel
Dr. Zaius
1966
Film
The Right Man
Theodore Roosevelt
1960
Film
Silver Dollar
Yates Martin
1932
Film
The Hole in the Wall
The Fox
1929
Film
Outside the Law
Cobra Collins
1930
Film
Little Caesar: End of Rico, Beginning of the Antihero
Self (archive footage)
2005
Film
Okay for Sound
1946
Film
East Is West
Charlie Yong
1930
Film
Movie Tough Guys
Self (archive footage)
1991
Film
Actors and Sin
Maurice Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
1952
Film
Away with Words
Edward G. Robinson
2026
Pulp Cinema
Self (archive footage)
2001
Film
It's Your Move
Sir George McDowell
1968
Film
Arms and the Woman
Factory Worker
1916
Polo with the Stars
Self - Watching Polo Match
1941
Film
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 10: 'Trouble Shots'
Self - Golfer (uncredited)
1931
Film
Every Woman's Longing
Tony
1930
The First Gangster and the Last Gangster
Himself
1937
Film
Born a Man
Narrator
1965