Charles Bronson
Known for: Acting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town in the Allegheny Mountains. Bronson's father, a miner, died when Bronson was young. Bronson himself worked in the mines as well until joining the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 to fight in World War II. Bronson had sizeable co-starring roles in The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963), This Property Is Condemned (1966), and The Dirty Dozen (1967). Bronson also performed in many major television shows, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his supporting role in an episode of General Electric Theater. Actor Alain Delon (who was a fan of Bronson) hired him to co-star with him in the French film Adieu l'ami (1968). That year, he also played one of the leads in the Italian spaghetti Western, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). Bronson continued playing leads in various action, Western, and war films made in Europe, including Rider on the Rain (1970), which won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. During this time Bronson was the most popular American actor in Europe. Early life and war service Bronson was born November 3, 1921, in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, a coal mining region in the Allegheny Mountains, north of Johnstown. He was the 11th of 15 children born into a Roman Catholic family of Lithuanian descent. The very large family slept in shifts in their cold-water shack. The coal car tracks that ran out of the mine's mouth passed just a few yards away. His father, Walter Buchinsky (né Vladislavas Valteris Paulius Bučinskas/Bučinskis), was a Lipka Tatar from Druskininkai in southern Lithuania. Bronson's mother, Mary (née Valinsky), whose parents were from Lithuania, was born in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, in the Anthracite Coal Region. Bronson said English was not spoken at home during his childhood, like many other first-generation American children he grew up with. He once recounted that even as a soldier, his accent was strong enough to make his comrades think he was a foreigner. Besides English, he could speak Lithuanian and Russian. Marriages His first marriage was to Harriet Tendler, whom he met when both were fledgling actors in Philadelphia. They had two children, Suzanne and Tony, before divorcing in 1965. Bronson died at age 81 on August 30, 2003, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Bronson was married to English actress Jill Ireland from October 5, 1968, until her death in 1990. Death Bronson died at age 81 on August 30, 2003, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Although pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease have been cited as his cause of death, neither appears on his death certificate, which cites "respiratory failure", "metastatic lung cancer", with, secondarily, "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" and "congestive cardiomyopathy" as the causes of death. He was interred at Brownsville Cemetery in West Windsor, Vermont. CLR
Filmography
Series
Bonanza
Harry Starr
1959
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
1944
Series
The Fugitive
Ralph Schuyler
1963
Series
The Twilight Zone
Man
1959
Series
The Virginian
Ben Justin
1962
Series
The Virginian
Harge Talbot
1962
Series
Have Gun, Will Travel
Manfred Holt
1957
Series
Dr. Kildare
Harry Gregg
1961
Series
Rawhide
Del Lingman
1959
Series
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Series
Gunsmoke
Crego
1955
Series
Gunsmoke
Ben Tiple
1955
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Frank Dana
1952
Series
The Big Valley
Tate
1965
Series
Combat!
Velasquez
1962
Series
The F.B.I.
Earl Clayton
1965
Series
Studio One
Cal
1948
Film '72
Self
1971
Series
Tales of Wells Fargo
Butch Cassidy
1957
Film
Once Upon a Time in the West
'Harmonica'
1968
Series
Telephone Time
Guest
1956
Series
One Step Beyond
Yank Dawson
1959
Series
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Dan Rocco
1957
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Det. Krovitch
1955
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Frank Bramwell
1955
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Ray Bardon
1955
Series
Sugarfoot
Sandy Randall
1957
Series
Sugarfoot
Cliff Raven
1957
Film
The Magnificent Seven
Bernardo O'Reilly
1960
Series
Adventures in Paradise
Dan Morton
1959
Series
The Millionaire
Jerry Bell
1955
Series
Studio 57
Dawson
1954
Series
Suspicion
Cal
1957
Film
The Great Escape
Danny 'Tunnel King'
1963
Series
Playhouse 90
Wolf Hagan
1956
Series
Playhouse 90
Andy Kovaric
1956
Series
Playhouse 90
Sgt Meras
1956
Series
M Squad
Eddie Loder
1957
Film
The Dirty Dozen
Joseph Wladislaw
1967
Series
Cain's Hundred
Hank Conrad
1961
V.I.P. Schaukel
Self
1971
Film
Death Wish
Paul Kersey
1974
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
Joe Krossen
1953
Series
Yancy Derringer
Rogue Donovan
1958
Series
Cavalcade of America
John Stanizewski
1952
Series
Riverboat
Crowley
1959
Series
The New Breed
Jerry Bergason
1961
Lux Video Theatre
Sergeant Borth
1950
Vacation Playhouse
John Wesley Hardin
1963
Series
The Islanders
Dutch Malkin
1960
Series
The Aquanauts
Hector Morrison
1960
Series
The Legend of Jesse James
Cheyney
1965
Film
Red Sun
Link
1971
Series
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
1973
Chevron Theatre
1952
Film
Donato and Daughter
Sgt. Mike Donato
1993
Series
Hey, Jeannie!
Rocky Harman
1956
Series
Wire Service
Sam Adams
1956
Film
Death Wish 3
Paul Kersey
1985
Film
House of Wax
Igor
1953
Film
Chato's Land
Pardon Chato
1972
Film
Hard Times
Chaney
1975
Series
Treasury Men in Action
Frankie Ames
1950
Film
The Mechanic
Arthur Bishop
1972
Series
The Walter Winchell File
Eggers
1957
Film
Death Wish II
Paul Kersey
1982
Film
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
Paul Kersey
1987
Film
Death Hunt
Albert Johnson
1981
Film
Vera Cruz
Pittsburgh
1954
Film
Cold Sweat
Joe Martin
1970
Series
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
Linc Murdock
1963
Empire
Paul Moreno
1962
Empire
Paul
1962
Empire
Moreno
1962
Film
Battle of the Bulge
Maj. Wolenski
1965
Film
10 to Midnight
Leo Kessler
1983
Series
Medic
Dr. John Bircher
1954
Series
Man with a Camera
Mike Kovac
1958
Series
Letter to Loretta
Eugene Walters
1953
Film
Death Wish V: The Face of Death
Paul Kersey
1994
Film
Breakheart Pass
John Deakin
1975
Film
Farewell, Friend
Franz Propp
1968
Film
Mr. Majestyk
Vince Majestyk
1974
Series
Colt .45
Danny Gordon
1957
Film
The White Buffalo
Wild Bill Hickok/James Otis
1977
Film
Jubal
Reb
1956
Film
Never So Few
Sgt. John Danforth
1959
Series
Biff Baker U.S.A.
Czech spy
1952
Series
Biff Baker U.S.A.
Wilhelm
1952
Film
Murphy's Law
Jack Murphy
1986
Film
Breakdown: 1975
Self - Actor in Death Wish (archive footage)
2025
Film
Borderline
Jeb Maynard
1980
Film
4 for Texas
Matson
1963
Crusader
Mike Brod
1955
Film
Villa Rides
Rodolfo Fierro
1968
Film
The Valachi Papers
Joe Valachi
1972
Film
Kid Galahad
Lew Nyack
1962
Film
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
Lieutenant Crowe
1989
Film
Raid on Entebbe
Brig. Gen. Dan Shomron
1976
Film
Breakout
Nick Colton
1975
Film
From Noon Till Three
Graham Dorsey
1976
Film
Apache
Hondo
1954
Film
This Property Is Condemned
J.J. Nichols
1966
Film
La Classe américaine
The Indian (archive footage)
1993
Series
General Electric Theater
Pike
1953
Series
General Electric Theater
Henry
1953
Series
General Electric Theater
Soldier Conlon
1953
Film
Drum Beat
Kintpuash
1954
Film
All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra
Self
1983
Film
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Self
1987
Film
The Evil That Men Do
Holland
1984
Film
Rider on the Rain
Col. Harry Dobbs
1970
Film
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Self - Actor (archive footage)
2014
Film
Telefon
Major Grigori Borzov
1977
Film
St. Ives
Raymond St. Ives
1976
Film
The Mob
Jack (uncredited)
1951
Film
The Stone Killer
Lou Torrey
1973
Film
Crime Wave
Ben Hastings
1953
Film
You Can't Win 'Em All
Josh Corey
1970
Film
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
1985
Film
Messenger of Death
Garret Smith
1988
Series
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Sgt. Roy Smith
1951
Film
The Valdez Horses
Chino Valdez
1973
Film
The Sandpiper
Cos Erickson
1965
Film
Love and Bullets
Charlie Congers
1979
Film
Guns for San Sebastian
Teclo
1967
Film
Assassination
Jay Killion
1987
Film
Guns of Diablo
Linc Murdock
1964
Film
Violent City
Jeff Heston
1970
Film
Pat and Mike
Henry 'Hank' Tasling
1952
Film
Riding Shotgun
Pinto
1954
Film
Diplomatic Courier
Russian Agent (uncredited)
1952
Film
The Indian Runner
Mr. Roberts
1991
Film
Machine-Gun Kelly
George R. 'Machine Gun' Kelly
1958
Film
A Thunder of Drums
Trooper Hanna
1961
Film
Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
Francis Church
1991
Film
Master of the World
John Strock
1961
Film
Run of the Arrow
Blue Buffolo
1957
Film
Someone Behind the Door
The Stranger
1971
The Joe Palooka Story
Eddie Crane
1954
Film
Breach of Faith: A Family of Cops II
Commissioner Paul Fein
1997
Film
The People Against O'Hara
Angelo Korvac (uncredited)
1951
Film
Family of Cops
Paul Fein
1995
Film
Act of Vengeance
Joseph 'Jock' Yablonski
1986
Film
The Sea Wolf
Capt. Wolf Larsen
1993
Series
U.S. Marshall
Pvt. 'Guardhouse' Ravenal
1956
Series
U.S. Marshall
Zenogalache a.k.a. Apache Kid
1956
Film
Rat Pack
Self (archive footage)
2022
Film
The Meanest Men in the West
Harge Talbot Jr.
1978
Film
Big House, U.S.A
Benny Kelly
1955
Film
Miss Sadie Thompson
Pvt. Edwards
1953
Film
Operation Dirty Dozen
Self
2006
Film
Caboblanco
Gifford Hoyt
1980
Film
Sinatra: 80 Years My Way
Self - Audience Member (uncredited)
1995
Film
Elvis: A Life in Music
Self (archive footage)
2026
Film
You're in the Navy Now
Wascylewski
1951
Film
Twinky
Scott Wardman
1970
Stage 7
Jerry Donn
Stage 7
Murray Forman
Those Whiting Girls
Martin Carroll
1955
Film
The Bull of the West
Ben Justin
1972
Film
Off Limits
Russell (Uncredited)
1952
Film
Charles Bronson: The Spirit of Masculinity
Self (archive footage)
2020
All Star Party for Clint Eastwood
Self (uncredited)
1986
Film
The Clown
Gambler (uncredited)
1953
Film
The Marrying Kind
Eddie
1952
Film
Red Skies of Montana
Neff (uncredited)
1952
Film
Bloodhounds of Broadway
Phil Green, aka 'Pittsburgh Philo' (uncredited)
1952
Film
Family of Cops III: Under Suspicion
Paul Fein
1999
Film
Showdown at Boot Hill
Luke Welsh
1958
Film
X-15
Lt. Col. Lee Brandon
1961
Film
The Big Sur
Self (uncredited)
1965
Film
My Six Convicts
Jocko
1952
Film
Torpedo Alley
Submariner
1953
Film
Battle Zone
Marine Private (uncredited)
1952
Film
Valachi: The Violent Era
Self
1972
Film
When Hell Broke Loose
Steve Boland
1958
Film
Gang War
Alan Avery
1958
Film
Target Zero
Sgt. Vince Gaspari
1955
Film
Spanish Western
Self (archive footage)
2015
The Doctor
Joe Langan
1952
Film
No Time at All
Wolf Hagan
1958
Film
Catastrophe: No Safe Place
Self - Host
1980
Film
Tennessee Champ
Sixty Jubel
1954
Film
Mean Justice
Moreno
1971