In Remembrance: Charles Bronson

     Charles Bronson, the actor who rose to fame in a string of 1970s and 80s action films has passed away on Saturday, August 30, 2003. He was 81.

     Bronson was born Charles Bunchinsky on November 3, 1921, in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, approximately 50 miles west of Pittsburgh, the 11^th of 15 children. The son of poor Lithuanian immigrants, Bronson’s father was coal miner. The family lived in a small shack and the children were forced to wear hand-me-down clothing.

     Bronson’s father died when he was 10. At age 16, he joined his older brothers working in the local coal mines, earning $1 per ton mined.

     In 1943, Bronson was drafted into World War II, serving with the Air Force in the Pacific. It was during his travels in the military that he decided to not return to his hometown after the war. He joined the Philadelphia Play and Players Troup where he did everything from painting scenery to acting in a few minor roles.

     After a brief stint of trying to find work in New York City, where he shared an apartment with a then-struggling Jack Klugman, he went west and joined the Pasadena Playhouse school. It was while performing in a Playhouse production that a 20^th Century Fox scout and he was cast in the 1951 Gary Cooper film You’re In The Navy Now.

     From there Bronson appeared in supporting roles in several films including Pat and Mike (1952), The Marrying Kind (1952) and House of Wax (1953). In 1954 he changed his last name in Bronson, fearing a possible backlash in the growing Cold War era to a Russian-sounding name. His first film appearance under his new name was 1954’s Drum Beat.

     Bronson’s first starring role was 1958’s Machine Gun Kelly, a gangster exploitation film directed by Roger Corman. It was around this time that Bronson branched out into the relatively new medium of television. IN addition to appearing on several series, he starred ion two short-lived series, Man With A Camera (1958) and The Travels of Jamie McPheeters (1963).

     Bronson moved into the 1960s co-starring a series of ensemble action films including The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963) and The Dirty Dozen (1967).Despite this success he was unable to break into the leading roles he wanted.

     In 1968 French actor Alain Delon invited Bronson to co-star with him in Adieu, L’Ami (Farewell, Friend). The film catapulted Bronson to stardom in Europe and he made several more films there. It was the 1971 spaghetti Western Once Upon A Time In The West that showed Hollywood producers that Bronson could be leading man material.

     Bronson would return to Hollywood to star in several action films including The Mechanic (1972), Mr. Majestyk (1974), Telefon (1977), Assassination (1987) and the Death Wish series. He also appeared in such dramas as Hard Times (1975). His last film was 1994’s Death Wish V.