Charles Bronson

Guide Note

Charles Bronson is an American actor noted for tough-guy roles on his films. He appeared in the movies The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Evil That Men Do, and the Death Wish series.

Fast Facts

1. Birth name: Charles Dennis Buchinsky ¹
2. Born: November 3, 1921 ¹
3. Birthplace: Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania
4. Died: August 30, 2003 ¹
5. Place of death: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California ²
6. Cause of death: Pneumonia ²
7. Spouse(s): Harriet Tendler (1949-1967); Jill Ireland (1968-1990); Kim Weeks (1998-2003) ¹
8. Children: Suzanne, Tony, Katrina, Zulieka, Tony, and step sons Paul, and Val McCallum ³
9. He is the 11th of 15 children of Lithuanian immigrant parents ²
10. They were so poor that at age 6 he was sent to school wearing his sister's dress ³
11. Other professions: coal miner, truck driver, bricklayer, cook, painter ³
12. Charles took his Bronson name from Bronson Gate in Paramount Studios ¹
13. Award: 1971 Golden Globe Awards - World Film Favorite - Male
14. Debut movie: You're in the Navy Now (1951) ⁴

Beyond His Career

Charles Bronson was an international actor with foreign names in French le sacre monstre (the sacred monster) and Italian Il Brutto (the ugly man). Bronson who was known to have played violent roles on his movies was actually a quiet, personable, gentleman, and has a passion for painting. ³ To his wife and children he is a loving husband, father, and grandfather. ²

Notable Roles

• Wascylewski in You're in the Navy Now (1951)
• Bernardo O'Reilly in The Magnificent Seven (1960)
• Lew Nyack in Kid Galahad (1962)
• Lt. Danny Velinski in The Great Escape (1963)
• Joseph Wladislaw The Dirty Dozen (1967)
• Arthur Bishop in The Mechanic (1972)
• Vince Majestyk in Mr. Majestyk (1974)
• Paul Kersey in Death Wish (1974)
• Holland/Bart Smith in The Evil That Men Do (1984)
• Paul Kersey in Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994)

Related Pages on Mahalo

Rita Hayworth | Death Wish

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