| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
He was born as Charles Dennis Buchinsky in the notorious Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania neighborhood of Scooptown, the 11th of 15 children of Lithuanian immigrants. His family was so poor that at one time he was forced to wear his sister's dress to school because he had no other clothes.
In 1943, Bronson was drafted into the Air Force and served as a tail gunner onboard B29 bombers.
After the warWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough, he decided to pursue the profession of acting, not from any love of the subject, but rather because he was impressed with the amount of money that he could potentially make in the business. During the McCarthy hearingsThis article is about the American politician. For other people with the same name, see Joseph McCarthy (disambiguation). Joseph Raymond McCarthy ( November 15, 1908— May 2, 1957) was an American politician of the Republican Party. McCarthy served as a U. he changed his last name to Bronson as Russian-soundingThe Russian Federation ( Russian: , transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija , or Russia (Russian: , transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. With names were suspect even though Buchinsky is really spelled Buchinski and is more Polish then Russian. (Bronson is in fact Polish because of the historic link between Poland and Lithuania, and because the majority of his family spoke Polish and Lithuania was part of Poland. Lithuanian was a name for people living in that regin of Poland). One of his earliest screen appearances under his new name was as Vincent PriceBroadway as Mr. Manningham in Angel Street photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1942. His long run in the play kept him off screen for three years. The play was filmed twice as Gaslight but Price did not star in either version. Vincent Price ( May 27, 1911 O's henchman in 19531953 is a common year starting on Thursday (click on link for the calendar). Events January events January 7 President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. January 13 Marshal Josip Broz Tito chosen President of Yugosl horror classic House Of Wax . In 19611961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first "upside-down" year i. one that looked the same upside down since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, cease Bronson made an appearance in The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone was a television series created (and often written) by its narrator and host Rod Serling. Each episode was an individual fantasy or science fiction story, often concluding with an eerie or unexpected twist. A popular success, it introduc, in the episode " TwoEpisode name Two Episode number 66 Season 3 Original airdate September 15, 1961 Writer Montgomery Pittman Director Montgomery Pittman Notable cast members Charles Bronson, Elizabeth Montgomery Episode Summary Trivia Back to The Twilight Zone, Episode List".
Although he began his career in America, Bronson first made a serious name for himself acting in European films. He became quite famous on that continent, and was known by two interesting nicknames: The Italians called him "Il Brutto" ("The Ugly") and to the French he was known as "le sacre monstre," the "sacred monster." Even though he was not yet a headliner in America, his overseas fame earned him a 1971 Golden Globe as the "Most Popular Actor in the World." That same year, he wondered if he was "too masculine" to ever become a star in the US.
Bronson's most famous films include The Great Escape, in which he played Danny Velinski nicknamed "The Tunnel King", a Polish prisoner of war, The Dirty Dozen, in which he played a death row convict conscripted into a World War II suicide mission. In the westerns The Magnificent Seven and the epic Once Upon a Time in the West, he played heroic gunfighters, taking up the cause of the defenseless.
He is also remembered for the Death Wish series, in which he played a man who was a liberal New York architect until his wife was murdered and daughter raped. He became a crime-fighting vigilante by night, a highly controversial role, as his executions were cheered by crime-weary audiences. After the famous case of Bernhard Goetz, the actor recommended that people not imitate his character.
Bronson was married to actress Jill Ireland from 1968 until her death in 1990. She was his second wife. He met her when she was still married to actor David McCallum. At the time, Bronson bluntly told McCallum: "I'm going to marry your wife." Two years later, he made good on his boast and married Jill.
Bronson died of pneumonia while suffering from Alzheimer's disease at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, California. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife Kim, four children, two stepchildren and two grandchildren. A stepson, Jason McCallum Bronson , preceded him in death after succumbing to a drug overdose in 1989.