[coldshot03/04]

Born 1921. Died 2003.:(

[Zundfolge]

We should all run out and hunt down and kill a mugger in his honor :evil:

[Rembrandt]

http://www.movieactors.com/70stars/bronson.htm

Charles Bronson is best known for his tough, cold, violent characters in action thrillers and suspense films.

His defining role that made him an American star, was his 1974 mega hit, DEATH WISH.

Bronson was first noticed by the public in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Bronson got more strong parts in THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE SANDPIPERS, and THE DIRTY DOZEN.

Throughout the 1970's and '80's Bronson basically stuck with action thrillers such as: BREAKOUT, TELEFON, THE EVIL MEN DO, MURPHY'S LAW, and BREAKHEART PASS.

He did a black comedy with his late wife, Jill Ireland, FROM NOON TO THREE.

He describes himself: "I guess I look like a rock quarry that someone has dynamited."

Charles Bronson was born Charles Buchinsky on November 3, 1921, in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, to Lithuanian immigrant parents.

He was only one in family to finish high school. Worked in coal mines. Served in WW 2 as a tail gunner, and a stateside truck driver.

Used money from GI Bill to study art in Philadelphia. Enrolled in Pasadena Playhouse in Calif., when the acting bug bit him.

First roles in films he was used as tough-looking window dressing in bit parts. YOU'RE IN THE NAVY NOW, THE MOB, RED SKIES IN MONTANA.

In 1954, began to play Indians in such films as APACHE, DRUMBEAT. Good, supporting roles became his in JUBAL and RUN OF THE ARROW.


Through 1968-1972, Charles Bronson became a worldwide star in Europe, much loved in such films as: GUNS FOR SAN SEBASTIAN, ADIEU L'AMI, RIDER IN THE RAIN, COLD SWEAT and RED SUN.

In America, he steadily worked toward super stardom in such films as THE MECHANIC, THE VALACHI PAPERS, MR. MAJESTYK

In the 1990's, Charles Bronson has been in a flurry of TV movies, giving his fans more great performances in such films as: THE INDIAN RUNNER, THE SEA WOLF and THE FAMILY OF COPS series.

[BluesBear]

My favorite Bronson movie was "Telefon."

But my favorite Bronson scene was the final scene in "10 To Midnight".

But I must admit I also loved the "shoot through the Boombox scene in "Death Wish".

[Mike Irwin]

Telefon and Breakheart Pass are two of my FAVORITE movies.

Anyone know if either of them is on DVD yet?

[shooten]

RIP Charles Bronson. My favorite line was in the Magnificent Seven when he was chopping wood for his breakfast. Steve McQueen (I think) asked him why he was doing that and he replied "I'm an eccentric millionaire". He'll be missed.

Scott

[Ian Sean]

No mention of Deathunt? That was a good one with the late Lee Marvin.

We are losing the last of the great actors one by one with nothing but classless buffoons to take up the reins. Pity.

Rest in Peace Mr. Bronson, you did your job well, I was and still am entertained by your works. You will be missed.

[twoblink]

We lose Bronson, and we now have Ben Affffleck as a hero.

How do you know America is going to hell in a handbasket? That tells all..

:barf:

RIP Mr. Bronson.

[Phil Ca]

When "Death Wish" came to San Francisco, I went out to the theatre one evening and sat where I could watch the flm and still see different people that were watching the film. Since the film depicted perps of differnt ethnicity being gunned down by Paul Kersey aka Bronson, I wanted to see how different people took in the film.

There were several different couples of varying backgrounds within my view. One couple was black, another Mexican-American, another Asian, and still another caucasian. To a person, they all cheered when Bronson offed the perps on the screen. I had heard that due to some of the scenes showing black people or Puerto Rican people being shot that it upset some theatre goers. Not in SF on that night, not by a long shot.

Did anyone see the film where Bronson is a USSS bodyguard for the First Lady as played by Jill Ireland? There were a lot of improbabilities in that film but after all it is just a movie after all.

So long Mr. Bronson, we will miss your screen presence but will have you on video and DVD for a long time yet to come.

:(

[BluesBear]

Mike,

The bad news is Telefon isn't available on DVD.

The good news is Breakheart Pass IS!

Phil,

I thought Assination was still a better than average Save-The-Girl-From-The-Conspiracy-Bad-Guys movie.

Bronson could elevate improbable events into entertainment.

[Aikibiker]

How sad.

A local station played Deathwish 3 today. Glad I saw it again.

[Orthonym]

I'll miss him! I'd bet the usual suspects will say he wasn't a good actor; the same people who said Ronald Reagan and Charlton Heston weren't good actors. Ya'know what? They're right ! They were not good actors because they were too honest, too real, too much themselves !

I'm reminded of the old saw (if this be sexist, make the most of it) that a woman who is a good actress is more of a woman, while a man who's a good actor is less of a man.

Mr. Bronson always seemed to me to be more a MAN than an actor.

[Mike Irwin]

"We lose Bronson, and we now have Ben Affffleck as a hero."

Not if I have anything to do with it.

I'm thinking that Bronson, in a manner befitting a person of great importance in days of old, should have at least one servant buried alive with him....

[CWL]

Always thought "The Mechanic" was one of his best movies. Spent time on science of firearms and training.

Born a poor coal-miner, rose to become intl. moviestar. He will be missed.

[S_O_Laban]

I can't remember the name of the movie where he takes out the bg with a crossbow? Maybe somebody can set me straight?

A sincere RIP for Mr. Bronson:(

[BigG]

RIP, Charley!

[Triad]

:(
May he RIP.

[Greg L]

:(

Thanks for the many hours of entertainment over the years.

[Mastrogiacomo]

My favorites: "The Mechanic" -- a real sleeper classic, "Ten to Midnight," "The Evil that Men Do," "Death Wish," and of course, "Death Wish II."

I'll miss Charlie -- he was a better man and husband then most Hollywood actors and one of the few folks (along with his wife Jill Ireland) that kept the human touch and never went the Hollywood way.

[Nightcrawler]

I remember a scene in one of the Death Wish movies. Bronson is walking to his car, and two punks (in typical late 70s early 80s garb...how quaint...) jump in front of him with knives, and demand money. He pulls a magnum snubby out of his pocket (couldn't tell you which kind...might've been a 2" N-frame, even). BLAM BLAM He shoots each badguy once in the chest, they drop, and he cooly steps over them and gets into his car.

That was just classic.

Here's Wildey!

[Mastrogiacomo]

I like the scene in Death Wish II when he corners a bad guy and notices the kid is wearing the cross around his neck. He asks him, "You believe in Jesus?" Punk answers, "Yes I do." Bronson: "You're going to meet him...":cool:

[2dogs]

You want to know what's wrong with Hollyweird today? Read Bronson's bio and ask your self if Johnny Depp's background is as impressive.

---------------------





LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31 — Charles Bronson, the Pennsylvania coal miner who drifted into films as a villain and became a hard-faced action star, notably in the popular “Death Wish” vengeance movies, has died. He was 81.



‘Maybe I’m too masculine. Casting directors cast in their own, or an idealized image. Maybe I don’t look like anybody’s ideal.’
— CHARLES BRONSON
-- on his journey as an actor

BRONSON DIED Saturday of pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife at his bedside, publicist Lori Jonas said. He had been in the hospital for weeks, Jonas said.
During the height of his career, Bronson was hugely popular in Europe; the French knew him as “le sacre monstre” (the sacred monster), the Italians as “Il Brutto” (the ugly man). In 1971, he was presented a Golden Globe as “the most popular actor in the world.”
Like Clint Eastwood, whose spaghetti westerns won him stardom, Bronson had to make European films to prove his worth as a star. He left a featured-role career in Hollywood to play leads in films made in France, Italy and Spain. His blunt manner, powerful build and air of danger made him the most popular actor in those countries.
At age 50, he returned to Hollywood a star.
In a 1971 interview, he theorized on why the journey had taken him so long:
“Maybe I’m too masculine. Casting directors cast in their own, or an idealized image. Maybe I don’t look like anybody’s ideal.”

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
His early life gave no indication of his later fame. He was born Charles Bunchinsky on Nov. 3, 1921 — not 1922, as studio biographies claimed — in Ehrenfeld, Pa. He was the 11th of 15 children of a coal miner and his wife, both Lithuanian immigrants.
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Young Charles learned the art of survival in the tough district of Scooptown, “where you had nothing to lose because you lost it already.” The Bunchinskys lived crowded in a shack, the children wearing hand-me-downs from older siblings. At the age of 6, Charles was embarrassed to attend school in his sister’s dress.
Charles’ father died when he was 10, and at 16 Charles followed his brothers into the mines. He was paid $1 per ton of coal and volunteered for perilous jobs because the pay was better. Like other toughs in Scooptown, he raised some hell and landed in jail for assault and robbery.
He might have stayed in the mines for the rest of his life except for World War II.
Drafted in 1943, he served with the Air Force in the Pacific, reportedly as a tail gunner on a B29. Having seen the outside world, he vowed not to return to the squalor of Scooptown.
He was attracted to acting not, he claimed, because of any artistic urge; he was impressed by the money movie stars could earn. He joined the Philadelphia Play and Players Troupe, painting scenery and acting a few minor roles.
At the Pasadena Playhouse school, Bronson improved his diction, supporting himself by selling Christmas cards and toys on street corners. Studio scouts saw him at the Playhouse and he was cast as a gob in the 1951 service comedy “You’re in the Navy Now” starring Gary Cooper.
As Charles Buchinsky or Buchinski, he played supporting roles in “Red Skies of Montana,” “The Marrying Kind,” “Pat and Mike” (in which he fell victim to Katharine Hepburn’s judo), “The House of Wax,” “Jubal” and other films. In 1954 he changed his last name, fearing reaction in the McCarthy era to Russian-sounding names.
Bronson’s first starring role came in 1958 with an eight-day exploitation film, “Machine Gun Kelly.” He also appeared in two brief TV series, “Man with a Camera” (1958) and “The Travels of Jamie McPheeters” (1963).
His status grew with impressive performances in “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Great Escape,” “The Battle of the Bulge,” “The Sandpiper” and “The Dirty Dozen.” But real stardom eluded him, his rough-hewn face and brusque manner not fitting the Hollywood tradition for leading men.



Alain Delon, like many French, had admired “Machine Gun Kelly,” and he invited Bronson to co-star with him in a British-French film, “Adieu, L’Ami” (“Farewell, Friend”). It made Bronson a European favorite.
Among his films abroad was a hit spaghetti western, “Once Upon a Time in the West.” Finally Hollywood took notice.
Among his starring films: “The Valachi Papers,” “Chato’s Land,” “The Mechanic,” “Valdez,” “The Stone Killer,” “Mr. Majestyk,” “Breakout,” “Hard Times,” “Breakout Pass,” “White Buffalo,” “Telefon,” “Love and Bullets,” “Death Hunt,” “Assassination,” “Messenger of Death.”

ACTION, SHOOTING AND DEAD BODIES
The titles indicate the nature of the films: lots of action, shooting, dead bodies. They were made on medium-size budgets, but Bronson was earning $1 million a picture before it was fashionable.
His most controversial film came in 1974 with “Death Wish.” As an affluent, liberal architect, Bronson’s life is shattered when young thugs kill his wife and rape his daughter. He vows to rid the city of such vermin, and his executions brought cheers from crime-weary audiences.

‘I think they provide satisfaction for people who are victimized by crime and look in vain for authorities to protect them. But I don’t think people try to imitate that kind of thing.’
— CHARLES BRONSON
-- defending his 'Death Wish' films

The character’s vigilantism brought widespread criticism, but “Death Wish” became one of the big moneymakers of the year. The controversy accelerated when Bernard Goetz shot youths he thought were threatening him in a New York subway.
Bronson made three more “Death Wish” films, and in 1987 he defended them:
“I think they provide satisfaction for people who are victimized by crime and look in vain for authorities to protect them. But I don’t think people try to imitate that kind of thing.”
Bronson could be as taciturn in interviews as he appeared on the screen. He remained aloof from the Hollywood scene, once observing, “I have lots of friends and yet I don’t have any.”
His first marriage was to Harriet Tendler, whom he met when both were fledgling actors in Philadelphia. They had two children before divorcing.
In 1966 Bronson fell in love with the lovely blonde British actress Jill Ireland, who happened to be married to British actor David McCallum. Bronson reportedly told McCallum bluntly: “I’m going to marry your wife.”
The McCallums were divorced in 1967, and Bronson and Ireland married the following year. She co-starred in several of his films.
The Bronsons lived in a grand Bel Air mansion with seven children: two by his previous marriage, three by hers and two of their own. They also spent time in a colonial farmhouse on 260 acres in West Windsor, Vt.
Ireland lost a breast to cancer in 1984. She became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and wrote a bestselling book, “Life Wish.” She followed with “Life Lines,” in which she told of her struggle to rescue her 27-year-old son, Jason McCallum Bronson, from drug addiction. He died of an overdose in 1989, and she died of cancer a year later.
Bronson is survived by his wife, Kim, six children and two grandchildren. Funeral services will be private.



http://www.msnbc.com/news/959897.asp?0cv=CB10

[stevelyn]

My favorites were 'Death Hunt', 'The White Buffalo', 'Battle of the Bulge', and 'Raid on Entebbe'.

Here is a salute to a WW II combat vet, a member of the greatest generation, and talented entertainer. May he rest in peace.:(


Now, how about blowing the dust off those blueprints and issuing a commemorative Wildey pistol in Mr. Bronson's honor?

[seeker_two]

We lose Bronson, and we now have Ben Affffleck as a hero.

At least Affleck can PRETEND to be a man 30 seconds at a time. In the action hero genre, we now have to put up with anti-gun bubbleheads like the "new Charlie's Angels"...:barf:

The more I see the new movies, the more I appreciate the old. Think I'm going to stock up on Bronson movies today...:cool:

[Neal Bloom]

Great actor and persona. Once regarded as the biggest box office draw in the world, he will surely be missed. Too many movies to say which is my favorite.

A pox on anyone who compares Ben Affleck to Bronson!

[BigG]

Here's a couple of Charles Bronson's action films I reviewed recently:

Mr. Majestyk (http://www.epinions.com/content_110306102916)

The Mechanic (http://www.epinions.com/content_104895778436)

Hope you enjoy his films as much as I did!

[TheeBadOne]

RIP
Mr. Majestyk was one of his films I did really enjoy. He plays a simple farmer living his simple live and has a run in with a mob killer.
My favorite scene is with them both in jail and Charlie tries to make peace by going over and sitting with him and talking. Mr killer tells hims he's dead, dead get it. Charlie tells him, "I can see it's no use trying to be friends with you" and punches him in the chin knocking him to the ground, then casually walks away. :D

[dance varmint]

I just want to know where I can get a semiautomatic .44 Willoughby Magnum pistol like the one he ordered by mail in Death Wish, 1974 (one of the inaccuracies in the movie, but it had some goooood vigilantism).

[4v50 Gary]

Once upon a Time in the West. Bronson plays the kid turned avenger against the bad guy played by Henry Fonda. It's about the only movie that Henry Fonda plays the bad guy too. Use to love watching those Bronson flicks in the '70s.

[coldshot03/04]

Charles Bronson.;)

[Mastrogiacomo]

Cold shot -- that's the very pic I've downloaded to be the background photo on my computer. I love all Chuck's photos. Even without a gun, he's the coolest action hero around. :cool:

[Kimber45]

I was visiting my mother this weekend, a few miles from where he grew up. My mother was a few grades behind him in school and remembered him from her school days. I heard the news as I was driving home. He will be missed.

[cool45auto]

Sad day indeed. I was always partial to "The Mechanic" myself.

[Gewehr98]

RIP, Chuck.

You'll stay alive in my VHS and DVD collection.

[Nightcrawler]

That gun is the Wildey pistol, and it's apparently still in production.

Check it. (http://www.wildeyguns.com/)

http://www.wildeyguns.com/images/deathwish.jpg

"WILDEY'S HERE"

In Death Wish Three Charles Bronson said "Wildey's here" and the neighbors knew the scales had been tipped back in favor of justice.

[twoblink]

Neal,

TRUST ME when I say I was not comparing Bronson to Affleck. I can't stand the wanna be pretty boy who can't act.. And if I was saying Affleck was a replacement for Bronson, lightning would have struck me by now..

I loved all the Death Wishes.. When they kill your wife and rape your daughter, and you've got nothing to lose because you lost it all already...

[NIGHTWATCH]

http://forums.allaboutguns.com/albums/nightwatch/DeathWish.jpg





R.I.P. :(

Tough-Guy Star Charles Bronson Dies at 81
Monday, September 01, 2003


LOS ANGELES_—_Charles Bronson (search), the Pennsylvania coal miner who drifted into films as a villain and became a hard-faced action star, notably in the popular "Death Wish" vengeance movies, has died. He was 81.

Bronson died Saturday of pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (search)_with his wife at his bedside, publicist Lori Jonas said. He had been in the hospital for weeks, Jonas said.
During the height of his career, Bronson was hugely popular in Europe; the French knew him as "le sacre monstre" (the sacred monster), the Italians as "Il Brutto" (the ugly man). In 1971, he was presented a Golden Globe as "the most popular actor in the world."

Like Clint Eastwood (search), whose spaghetti westerns won him stardom, Bronson had to make European films to prove his worth as a star. He left a featured-role career in Hollywood to play leads in films made in France, Italy and Spain. His blunt manner, powerful build and air of danger made him the most popular actor in those countries.

At age 50, he returned to Hollywood a star.

In a 1971 interview, he theorized on why the journey had taken him so long:

"Maybe I'm too masculine. Casting directors cast in their own, or an idealized image. Maybe I don't look like anybody's ideal."

His early life gave no indication of his later fame. He was born Charles Buchinsky on Nov. 3, 1921 -- not 1922, as studio biographies claimed -- in Ehrenfeld, Pa. He was the 11th of 15 children of a coal miner and his wife, both Lithuanian immigrants.

Young Charles learned the art of survival in the tough district of Scooptown, "where you had nothing to lose because you lost it already." The Buchinskys lived crowded in a shack, the children wearing hand-me-downs from older siblings. At the age of 6, Charles was embarrassed to attend school in his sister's dress.

Charles' father died when he was 10, and at 16 Charles followed his brothers into the mines. He was paid $1 per ton of coal and volunteered for perilous jobs because the pay was better. Like other toughs in Scooptown, he raised some hell and landed in jail for assault and robbery.

He might have stayed in the mines for the rest of his life except for World War II.

Drafted in 1943, he served with the Air Force in the Pacific, reportedly as a tail gunner on a B29. Having seen the outside world, he vowed not to return to the squalor of Scooptown.

He was attracted to acting not, he claimed, because of any artistic urge; he was impressed by the money movie stars could earn. He joined the Philadelphia Play and Players Troupe, painting scenery and acting in a few minor roles.

At the Pasadena Playhouse school, Bronson improved his diction, supporting himself by selling Christmas cards and toys on street corners. Studio scouts saw him at the Playhouse and he was cast as a sailor in the 1951 service comedy "You're in the Navy Now" starring Gary Cooper.

As Charles Buchinsky or Buchinski, he played supporting roles in "Red Skies of Montana," "The Marrying Kind," "Pat and Mike" (in which he fell victim to Katharine Hepburn's judo), "The House of Wax," "Jubal" and other films. In 1954 he changed his last name, fearing reaction in the McCarthy era to Russian-sounding names.

Bronson's first starring role came in 1958 with "Machine-Gun Kelly," an exploitation film made in eight days. He also appeared in two brief TV series, "Man with a Camera" (1958) and "The Travels of Jamie McPheeters" (1963).

His status grew with impressive performances in "The Magnificent Seven," "The Great Escape," "The Battle of the Bulge," "The Sandpiper" and "The Dirty Dozen." But real stardom eluded him, his rough-hewn face and brusque manner not fitting the Hollywood tradition for leading men.

Alain Delon, like many French, had admired "Machine-Gun Kelly," and he invited Bronson to co-star with him in a British-French film, "Adieu, L'Ami" ("Farewell, Friend"). It made Bronson a European favorite.

Among his films abroad was a hit spaghetti western, "Once Upon a Time in the West." Finally Hollywood took notice.

Among his starring films: "The Valachi Papers," "Chato's Land," "The Mechanic," "Valdez," "The Stone Killer," "Mr. Majestyk," "Breakout," "Hard Times," "Breakout Pass," "White Buffalo," "Telefon," "Love and Bullets," "Death Hunt," "Assassination," "Messenger of Death."

The titles indicate the nature of the films: lots of action, shooting, dead bodies. They were made on medium-size budgets, but Bronson was earning $1 million a picture before it was fashionable.

His most controversial film came in 1974 with "Death Wish." As an affluent, liberal architect, Bronson's life is shattered when young thugs kill his wife and rape his daughter. He vows to rid the city of such vermin, and his executions brought cheers from crime-weary audiences.

The character's vigilantism brought widespread criticism, but "Death Wish" became one of the big moneymakers of the year. The controversy accelerated when Bernard Goetz shot youths he thought were threatening him in a New York subway.

Bronson made three more "Death Wish" films, and in 1987 he defended them:

"I think they provide satisfaction for people who are victimized by crime and look in vain for authorities to protect them. But I don't think people try to imitate that kind of thing."

Bronson could be as taciturn in interviews as he appeared on the screen. He remained aloof from the Hollywood scene, once observing, "I have lots of friends and yet I don't have any."

His first marriage was to Harriet Tendler, whom he met when both were fledgling actors in Philadelphia. They had two children before divorcing.

In 1966, Bronson fell in love with the lovely blonde British actress Jill Ireland (search), who happened to be married to British actor David McCallum. Bronson reportedly told McCallum bluntly: "I'm going to marry your wife."

The McCallums divorced in 1967, and Bronson and Ireland married the following year. She costarred in several of his films.

The Bronsons lived in a grand Bel Air mansion with seven children: two by his previous marriage, three by hers and two of their own. They also spent time in a colonial farmhouse on 260 acres in West Windsor, Vt.

Ireland lost a breast to cancer in 1984. She became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and wrote a best-selling book, "Life Wish." She followed with "Life Lines," in which she told of her struggle to rescue her 27-year-old son, Jason McCallum Bronson, from drug addiction. He died of an overdose in 1989, and she died of cancer a year later.

Bronson is survived by his wife, Kim, six children and two grandchildren. Funeral services will be private.

[Mastrogiacomo]

What the papers don't mention, and I'm not sure why, is that Bronson was suffering with the same memory loss disease as Heston. I can't figure why the papers didn't touch on this but it explains why he dropped out of public eye for several years. Hope he wasn't ill for long. :(

[Carlos Cabeza]

Mr. Charles Bronson (AKA) Paul Kersey is/was one of my all time favorite old school hollywood tough guys. They just don't grow'em like Charlie anymore.:(

[Neal Bloom]

twoblink,

My apologies. I did not intend to accuse anyone on THR of comparing Bronson to Bennifer. My curse was pointed to anyone in Hollywood who would make that comparision.

Neal

[NIGHTWATCH]

Bennifer? :D -LOL

[280PLUS]

where he gets trapped at the cliff,,,he tosses his pack and rifle over the cliff, jumps into a treetop, knocks it over into another one and climbs down them with everybody right on his tail, then with bullets splatting all around him he snatches up his rifle, hits the ground and puts a snap shot right into the guys knee,,,causing him to scream in a blood curdling manner

:D

nice shootin' charlie!!

RIP

:(