From Hear to Eternity to Dirty Dozen, to The Posiedon Adventure a man of faces good and villainous Ernie Borgnine has died aged 95 due to Renal failure. He was with his family when he passed away at the Cedar Senai hospital.The Italian American actor rose to fame with Marty which he played the titular role which won him the Best Actor Oscar in 1955 and even 60 years on the veteran actor was still appearing in Hollywood films when he appeared in Red with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman.
Born in 1917 to Italian parents, Ermes Efron Bornino spent his childhood years between USA and Milan, Italy then moving back to USA 1924 when 11 years later saw him enlist in US Navy. During his 10 years on naval ships including the second world war would inspire him to one of his earliest tv roles as Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale in 1960’s comedy McHale’s Navy. After several years in dead end jobs after his Naval service, young Borgnine decided try his hand again at acting and in 1945 he made his Broadway debut but 6 years later he got his break in film in the 1951 China Corsair. This was the film that created the actor’s reputation as one of the best actors for villian/heavy mob guys heavy handling Spencer Tracy Bad Day At Black Rock, even old blue eyes himself Frank Sinatra in From Here To Eternity.
The roles became very varied after Marty but after his 4 year stint during the 1960’s with McHales Navy starring in a number of Spaghetti Westerns but it was his Army roles in The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra then back to Western’s with The Wild Bunch he became a familiar (and popular) face on the big screen again.
With few appearances in the 1970’s disaster films, Ernie Borgnine found new audiences during the decade and the following one thanks to the likes of Wes Craven, John Carpenter with the likes of Disney’s Black Hole and Escape From New York. Television was a big help starring as Dominic Santini in the cult 1980’s tv series Airwolf which sparked a long succession of TV films and cameos in various popular tv shows. His last regular tv appearances or voice for this matter was the voice of Mermaid man in Sponge bob Square pants but in 2009 he became the oldest actor (aged 92) to be nominated for an emmy for his part in ER. After his appearance in Red, the actor’s last part was in The Man Who Shook The Hand Of Vicente Fernandez.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
“You have to keep going,otherwise you’re one of these guys that says ‘Boy, I can’t wait to retire,’ and then two weeks later they’re in a rocking chair saying ‘What the hell am I gonna do now?!'” – Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine Lifetime Achievement Award Published via LongTail.tv
source Empire
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